"Say something."

"Something."

Maura was not amused. Well, maybe a little. "You know what I mean. I'm going to run all over the house to make sure it works. You have to keep talking so I have something to hear."

At Maura's insistence, they were testing out the baby monitor, not only to be sure the batteries worked, but also to find out if there were any places in the house, courtyard, or guest house, where it wouldn't function.

Echo's due date was thirteen days away, but Dr. Filer had said she could come at any time in the next three weeks. Jane had stopped working altogether a few days ago, and Maura only went into the office for an hour or two each day after their morning walk, to take care of paperwork and make sure her underlings weren't goofing off.

Every day Maura came home at lunch with a list of things that needed to be done to prepare for the baby. Jane wondered what would happen if the baby were born before they had a chance to do something like put plastic covers over all the electrical outlets. Would they have enough time, between birth and crawling, to complete that five-minute task? She tried to assure Maura that anything essential they weren't able to do themselves, they could ask any of the Rizzolis to do while they were in the hospital. Maura didn't seem to get it. And she was so cute when she got to check things off a list, Jane decided to humor her. But that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun while she did.

Maura was apparently having some fun, too. "You could sing something," She suggested wryly.

Jane guffawed from the rocking chair. She spent a lot of time sitting these days. "Just go, I'll think of something." She waved her hand, dismissing Maura.

Maura raised her eyebrows in doubt, then turned, adjusting the volume on the monitor as she walked slowly down the hall.

Soon Jane's voice came through, echoing from both the nursery and the monitor. "Breaker 1, 2, this is mama bear with baby bear in tow. Got your ears on? Bring it back." She held the transmitter like a CB radio and donned an accent.

Jane could hear a smile when Maura shouted back from Jane's workout room, "I can hear you!"

"You're supposed to say, 'copy,' Maura."

"Copy!" Maura's footsteps continued down the hall.

Jane's hand smoothed over Echo. "Alright baby bear, that's the big 10-4 from the eager beaver."

"Jane!" Maura appeared in the nursery doorway again. "I hope you're not teaching her any distasteful slang."

"10-4 just means affirmative, Maura." Jane winked.

"You know what I mean." She tried to look cross, but couldn't keep from smiling. She bent over to kiss each of her loves in turn.

"Ok, warden." Jane hooked a finger in the pocket of Maura's trousers, tugging gently to request another kiss. After it was granted, she put on her accent and held the transmitter up to her mouth, but maintained eye contact with Maura when she spoke. "Keep your eyes and ears open and your black stack smokin'." Jane shooed her away again, pressing gently against Maura's hip. "Eighty-eights and hustle on the flip flop."

She watched Maura walk away, her eyes drawn slowly down to the strappy heels she wore, even on a day at home. She wondered if Maura knew how gorgeous she was in a simple T-shirt and yoga pants. Or one of those baggy sweaters she sometimes wore hanging off one shoulder. Maura looked over her shoulder and caught Jane staring. "Go breaker, mama bear. I'm rolling."

Jane grinned, at a loss for any more radio slang. She looked down at Echo and offered, "How about a story?"

An exuberant, "Yes!" came from the hallway.

Chuckling, Jane quickly settled on a protagonist. "Once upon a time there was a princess named Maura. She was the smartest, sweetest, most beautiful, most wonderful princess in all the land. She lived in an enormous castle, but all she had to keep her company was a turtle named Bass."

Jane paused, listening. Sure enough, from downstairs came a faint, "Tortoise!"

She nodded to herself and continued. "He was a good turtle. He never barked at the mailman and he loved to eat green things, just like Princess Maura did. She loved him very much. The only thing was, Maura had this hidden magical power. She didn't know it, nobody knew it, but Princess Maura was a first-rate cuddler. And because Bass wasn't much of a cuddle-buddy, she never got to use her cuddle powers."

Jane wondered how long this story really had to be. How long did it take to go out to the guest house and back? She felt movement in her belly and figured Echo liked storytime. She decided to stretch it out some. "Well, even without knowing her special magic powers, everyone wanted to know her. Most commoners were intimidated by her beauty and her keen knowledge of useless facts. There was always one prince or another trying to win her affection, though. Yes, sweet pea, royal princes came from all over the world to court her, but lucky for me, she rejected them all."

Jane paused again, waiting for commentary from the peanut gallery, but received none. She continued, "First there was Prince Garrett, of Milan. He was rich and handsome and he drove a muscle car. Princess Maura took one look at his Speedos and sent him away! It was a good thing she did, too, because he turned out the be a murderer.

"Then there was Prince I-don't-remember-his-name, from Sava-sha-blah-blah Puna. I think that's in India. He, too, was handsome, in an exotic hippie kind of way, but he was mind-numbingly dull. She sent him packing, all the way back to Shava-blah-blah-blah Puna.

"Next up was Prince Ucky, who looked just like he sounds. I honestly don't know how he even made the list, sweet pea. He was a decent surgeon, but his head was the size of a watermelon, and so he, too, had to go.

"Let's see, who else? Well, there was Prince Giovanni of the apes, who showed up at the royal palace covered in grease. Unfortunately, he had a face-licking habit, so she had to send him away, too."

Jane stopped talking for a moment, remembering how they'd gotten Giovanni to leave Maura alone. How easy it had been to put her arms around Maura and pretend they were a couple, and how easily Maura lied about it. She wished it were true back then, that they had actually been a couple. She wondered how she had missed something so important.

A sharp thump just below Jane's left rib spurred her to continue. "Oh, yeah, ok, next up was Sir Ian, from the wild uncharted land of Africa. Or was it Australia? Doesn't matter. Because even though he offered her all the toilet paper and bad wine she wanted, she told him to be off!" Jane waved her hand, dismissing the only man she considered her actual competition. "And loser that he was, he did leave." She smiled with satisfaction.

Jane paused again. There was only one other suitor she could think of, and she wanted to be sure Maura heard her side of that story. "Warden? Got your ears on? Come back."

No response.

Jane knew Maura didn't like talking about Dennis Rockmond. She was embarrassed about not seeing through his charm, and maybe even more embarrassed about not sniffing out the decaying hand on her desk. She hadn't realized how frightened Maura had been, and how important Maura thought Jane was to her rescue, until she overheard Maura retelling the story. Jane wanted her to know she would always be there to protect her.

"Sounds like Mommy got lost in her own house. Or maybe she's in the pokey with Smokey." Jane heaved herself up from the rocking chair.

She found Maura kind of pacing the living room with the receiver in her hand. "Maur? You ok?" She looked flustered.

"Yes, I—" she huffed a breath and set the receiver down on the kitchen island. "I wanted to hear the end of your story."

Jane shifted her eyes, looking for the source of stress. Everything seemed to be in order. "And… Ma wouldn't stop pestering you about baby names?"

"No, no, I—" Maura waved her arm at the living room and confessed, "I sat down." She looked at the floor. "I wanted you to think I was still testing the baby monitor so you would continue the story."

Jane snorted. "God, you're cute." She went over and took Maura's hand. "That's why you're acting all nervous? Because I found you out?"

Maura nodded, eyes still on the floor.

Jane actually laughed this time. "I love you, you silly." She tugged Maura over to the cuddle chair. "C'mon, I'll finish the story for you."

Once settled in, Maura's head against Jane's shoulder, Jane resumed the tale. "There was another suitor for Princess Maura." Jane spoke quietly and seriously into Maura's hair. One hand was on her belly, but Maura was her intended audience. "He was really a bad guy, but his disguise fooled everyone. We all thought he was exciting and good-looking and charming—"

Maura shifted to look at Jane, disputing her recollection. "You didn't. You hated him. Your gut had a feeling—"

"Shh. It's my story now. You listen." Jane was stern, and she tried to soften her words by running her fingers gently through Maura's hair. "I was jealous. And mad that he showed up again. I had no idea what he would try to do to you."

Maura blinked a few times, taking in the affection of her words, then put her head back down. Jane kept combing her hair.

After a few moments of silence, Jane continued. "The bad guy kidnapped Princess Maura. Luckily, there was one knight who was brave enough to go rescue her. Sir Jane and her trusty sidekicks rode in just in the nick of time."

Jane swallowed. She wanted to get this right. She had been scared when she realized Rockmond was the serial killer they had been investigating, and that he had Maura. But before her brain could process the potential consequences, the possibility that she was about to lose her best friend, she was in action. It was like a reflex, one she was thankful she had.

Jane tried to explain her side of the story, but she realized that her memories were probably just as cloudy as Maura's were. "You're trained for situations like that. Somehow, the training takes over, and you don't even have to think about it. You just do what needs to be done." She sighed and kissed Maura's head. "When it was over, and you were safe, that's when the panic set in." She kissed Maura's head. "I didn't want to ever let you go."

"Don't." Maura's voice was soft, but clear. "Ever. Let me go."

Jane tightened the straps of the baby carrier so the turtle inside it was snug against Maura's heart. Something made her turn around to see Casey pointing his Sig Sauer at them. Jane quickly put herself between Casey and Maura, trying to protect her family. He wanted the turtle, but when he looked around Jane, he saw that the turtle had no shell. He didn't want it anymore and left. Jane turned back to make sure Maura was ok, but Maura was taking off the baby carrier. She dropped it on the ground. She didn't want the turtle either, not without its shell. Jane was left alone with the turtle. She kicked it.

Jane bent her knees and curled into a tight ball. Was she trying to protect Echo or herself? Her eyes were still closed, but she squeezed them tighter and breathed in a shuddering breath, then released it quickly. She could feel the tears beginning to spill over. She tried to control it, to make it stop. It's only a dream.

Maura turned onto her side and ran her palm up Jane's back, under her shirt. Jane melted at the touch. I need her. Maura's fingertips slid back down and pressed gently at the small of her back. She knows me. Maura's hand smoothed around to Jane's front, resting gently on Echo. Jane turned her head to collect a kiss. She loves me.

Jane rolled over to face Maura. "Your—" Jane's first word came out like a croak. She cleared her throat and said more clearly, "Your lawyer is good, right?"

"Mmm?" She was still half-asleep. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling.

Jane didn't understand how Maura could be so relaxed. "He didn't leave any loopholes? I mean, what if he changes his mind?"

Maura cracked one eye open, her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "Harold? Change his mind about what?"

"Casey. What if he changes his mind?"

That woke her. Both eyes flew open, Maura's nostrils flared, and a low rumble sounded in her throat. A growl? "It's too late. He's already signed the papers giving up his rights. As soon as she's born, we can begin the legal proceedings for me to adopt her."

"We can't just put your name on the birth certificate?"

Maura propped her head up on a bent elbow. "No. Because we're both women, and we're not married."

"Oh." Maybe we should get married. Does she want to get married? Should I have proposed months ago? Fuck.

"And it wouldn't be legally binding in all states anyway. We'd still need to go through the second-parent adoption."

"So it's just going to be me on the birth certificate?"

"Yes."

Lonely. That's what that feeling was. Alone, but not in a good way. Alone and carrying the burdens of your own bad decisions, struggling under their weight. It was what she'd felt in the weeks before she told Maura she was pregnant. Before she'd had the courage to ask for help.

Jane imagined herself back in her own apartment, the kitchen filthy with dirty dishes, and garbage bags full of dirty diapers by the door. A crib in the hallway and toys and clothes strewn everywhere. She'd be exhausted, and she'd have to put the baby in a daycare with flexible hours so she could keep her job and pay for baby things. Maybe Angela could help when she wasn't working in the cafe. Still, that was no way to raise a child.

She wanted more play time and more cuddling. She wanted more space and more privacy and more quiet and more time and someone to share it all with. She wanted everything she'd become accustomed to since she'd moved in with Maura and although Maura did everything she could to reassure Jane that this was how it would always be, the insecurity remained.

It was stupid, this feeling. Maura had already done everything within reason to convince Jane she was in this for the long haul. What else could she do or say? Maura was loyal. She was dedicated. And she loved Echo. She wouldn't leave Echo. "How long will the adoption take?"

Maura's voice was sweet and clear. She'd been watching Jane's face, trying to read it. If she'd seen anything, she didn't let on. "Harold says under six months."

Jane's brain began working. Gears turning. Momentum gathering. Six months. That was too long. Any number of things could happen in six months. Just look at what had happened in the last six months. And with the stress of a new baby weighing on them.… Maura was expecting the baby to be perfect. Babies weren't perfect. They cried. They pooped. They woke up in the middle of the night and demanded attention. They changed everything. And on top of all that, Echo wasn't even biologically Maura's baby. She had no obligation to Echo. What if it became too much? It would be so easy for Maura to just change her mind, for any number of reasons. "What if there's something wrong with her? What if she's or sick or something?"

Maura's answer was solid. Strong. "Still under six months."

"No, I mean. Will you still want her?"

Maura looked hurt.

"What if she's not a genius? What if she looks like him? What if she—" Jane sniffled and choked up. She couldn't finish her sentence out loud. Loses her shell. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, trying to force the tears back in. She pulled her knees up, rounding herself into a ball with Echo at the center, and shook.

Maura wrapped herself around Jane and held on until the trembling stopped. "No matter what, I will always love Echo, and I will always love you."

Jane's fingers worked at her hairline, scrunching and scratching before her palms turned out, then grasping at Maura's collar. It was gray and satin, smooth, cool. She told herself not to be grabby. Maura pulled her closer. Jane found her way between the buttons, her nose cold against Maura's skin. She stole a few short breaths of Maura's soap, followed by a long one, as if she was breathing for the first time.

Jane's words were muffled, but Maura felt them resonate in her chest. "I don't deserve you."

Maura held Jane's head against her breast and combed her fingers through her hair. "Yes you do."

Jane's eyes were closed, heightening the sensation of touch. She had been shivering before, but now she was beginning to feel warm. "I'm not. A prince." Her imagination conjured an image of Maura in a poofy princess dress, standing in front of a throne, a long line of strong, handsome men hoping for her approval.

"I don't want a prince." Princess Maura turned away from the long line of suitors and looked directly at imaginary Jane. Imaginary Jane looked down at her hands, curled in on themselves. She swallowed. "I want you."

Jane began to breathe faster. Hopeful. She emerged from her imagination and looked up at Maura, who was gently smiling. Jane protested. "I don't have money. Or status."

Maura gave a look of doubt, chastising but still full of affection. "I hope you don't think I'm that shallow."

Jane shook her head almost imperceptibly. "You're perfect."

Now Maura smiled for real. It was beautiful. "So are you."

How could she say that? Maura knew all too well how flawed Jane was. Jane's eyes dropped to the V of Maura's chest, where the lapels opened to reveal a scattering of freckles. "No I'm not," she whispered.

Maura just shrugged. "Neither am I."

Maura's shirt was wrinkled where Jane had grabbed it. She tried to smooth it out and her palms brushed against Maura's collarbones, out to her shoulders. "I've killed people."

Maura bent her head forward to kiss Jane's fingers. She whispered, "I wanted them dead."

Jane blinked a few times. She wiped her eyes and sat up, leaning back against the headboard. "I'm not as brave as you think I am," she confessed to the floor. "I might not always be able to protect you."

Maura sat up, too, and leaned back, then rested her head on Jane's shoulder. "I'm not as level-headed as you think I am. I sometimes let my emotions prevail."

Jane turned her head and let it fall to rest on Maura's. "I know." She closed her eyes again, this time seeing Maura up close, her smile. Jane almost smiled, too. "You love me?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

"Ok." Maura closed her eyes, but her hand found Jane's and pulled it into her lap.

"I'm sorry. For doubting you."

"It's ok." Jane could feel Maura's cheek grow when she smiled. "I enjoy saying it. I love you."

Jane breathed it in. They sat in silence for long enough that Jane wondered if Maura had fallen asleep sitting up. She hadn't. Her voice was soft, tentative, when she asked, "Would you tell me about your dream?"

Jane just grunted.

"That's why you woke up, isn't it? You had a dream?"

Oh. "Yeah."

Maura whispered, "It was bad."

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

Jane lifted her head and looked away, at the wall. She sighed. "Casey wanted the baby. He had a gun." She neglected to tell the rest of it.

Maura pursed her lips, thinking. Her voice was stronger when she concluded, "Well, that's straightforward."

Jane puffed a laugh. "Yeah."

Maura picked her phone up off the nightstand and began dialing.

"Maur, what are you doing?"

"I'm calling Harold."

"It's after midnight, Maura!"

"This is part of why I pay him." He must have answered, because she next spoke into the phone. "Hello, Harold. I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour. Detective Rizzoli is here with me, and I'd like you to tell her how your meeting with Colonel Jones went." Maura handed Jane the phone.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Detective. I met with Colonel Jones about seven months ago. I presented him with the contract to terminate parental rights to your child. He made no objection and signed the papers without discussion."

"And that's it? He's out?"

"He has no legal standing for any type of guardianship. I might add, Detective, that while he wished you the best, he did not seem to have any interest in being a father."

Jane knew she should be relieved. Logically and legally, Casey had no rights and no desire to retain them. He wasn't a plausible threat. The fear remained, but she could identify it as irrational. Someday she might even be able to dismiss it. "Thank you, Harold." She was about to give back the phone when she thought of something else. Something she'd been meaning to do, and while he was on the phone, now was as good a time as any. "Oh, Harold? I want to set up a college fund. Can you help me do that?"

"A— I'm sorry, Detective, might I speak to Doctor Isles, please?"

Troubled again, Jane handed the phone over.

Maura listened for a moment, then said, "No, I neglected to— No, that won't be necessary. Unless that's what she wants." Maura made eye contact with Jane. Her face was serious as she continued to speak to Harold. "Please tell her what she needs to know. You have my permission to answer all of her questions completely and honestly." Maura handed the phone back to Jane.

"Detective, I'm not a financial advisor, but I do not recommend opening a second 529 plan for your child. If you'd like to set up a trust or other fund in her name—"

"What do you mean, 'a second plan'?"

"Doctor Isles has already funded a 529 plan designated for your child. With her continuing contributions, it is unlikely that she will need additional funding."

"Continuing contributions." Jane studied Maura. She was twisting her ring and avoiding eye contact. "In what amount?"

"One thousand dollars per month. She has the amount automatically transferred from her account."

Jane's jaw dropped. Maura looked up and held Jane's gaze as she asked the next thing that came to mind. "How many months?"

"I'd have to check my records, but she asked me to fill out the paperwork at the same time she asked me to speak with Colonel Jones. Perhaps seven months ago?"

"Before he signed the papers?"

"That's correct."

Before she knew she could be Echo's legal parent. Long before she knew Jane loved her. "Ok." Jane blinked, not saying anything for several seconds, then one last question. "Is there anything else I should know? About the baby?"

"At the same time, Doctor Isles altered her irrevocable living trust to include your child. In the event of her death, Doctor Isles' estate is split between you and your baby."

Her death. Her estate. Jane squeezed her eyes shut, trying to absorb the information. Whatever the value, it seemed like a cold consolation. His wording sounded odd, though, when she replayed them in her head. Altered. To include your child. "Before she changed it?"

"You were the sole beneficiary."

Jane's free hand covered her mouth and her eyes widened. She gaped for a few moments until Harold asked if there was anything else he could do for her, and she found her voice enough to say, "Thank you, Harold. I'm sorry we woke you." She pressed end without saying goodbye, still staring at Maura.

Maura looked like she'd done something wrong. She was staring at her hands, clasped together. "You're a princess, too." One corner of her mouth lifted.

"Maura…"

"I wanted to make sure you were taken care of."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She shook her head. "Money changes people. I didn't want you to change. I didn't want to wonder." Maura swallowed, then nodded as she said, "I've been used before."

Just the thought broke Jane's heart. The idea that anyone could see Maura as a target to exploit made Jane want to erect stone walls of protection and a pedestal for worship. Her blood boiled and she recognized the look on Maura's face. It was pain. Loneliness. Desertion. "Ian."

Maura nodded.

Jane's hand alit on Maura's thigh, her thumb moving slowly back and forth across her knee. "So why tell me now?"'

Maura stared down at Jane's hand for a moment, then licked her lips, looked up, and spoke resolutely. "Because I know. You need me as much as I need you."

Jane's thumb stopped. "You need me?"

Maura looked incredulous. "I may not have nightmares about it, but yes." She looked again at Jane's hand. She placed her fingertips atop Jane's nails and slowly traced her fingers up to the knuckles. Then shifting to the side, she drew them back down the spaces between, far enough to tuck her fingers under Jane's, weaving them together. "I know I'm not." She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head. "Normal." She took a deep breath and looked directly at Jane. "When I'm with you, that doesn't seem to matter. I don't have to try to be something I'm not."

Jane tugged at the hem of Maura's pajama shirt, wanting her closer. Maura was so good at appearing confident and put-together, sometimes it was easy to forget that she even had any insecurities. That she'd harbored feelings for Jane without acting on them simply because she was afraid they weren't reciprocated. Jane's head began to clear of the panic and loneliness instilled by her dream. She sat a little taller and held her arms out, inviting Maura into them. Jane's arms would be her stone walls. And her words would be a pedestal. "You're not a freak, Maura. You're a little weird, but everybody is. And anyway." She squeezed Maura's shoulders. "I love your weird."

Maura relaxed into Jane's embrace. Her breath tickled Jane's chest. "I miss you when we're apart. I feel. Lost." Her fingers danced on Jane's belly. "But when you hold me like this, there isn't anywhere I'd rather be. Just hearing your voice is like. Home."

Jane woke again a few hours later, when the sun was just beginning to lighten the windows. Maura was warm and soft and comfortable and she didn't want to leave her, but she had to pee. She gently untangled herself and tucked the blankets around Maura, then went to do her business.

Next she was thirsty. And awake. Echo had started dancing on her ribcage. There was no way she would be going back to sleep now. In the kitchen, she filled a glass with water and noticed the baby monitor on the counter.

"But the littlest cricket was sad. 'I want to stay here,' he told his mother." Jane's voice was hushed and distorted. Maura reached out for the warmth she had become accustomed to, but found only a pillow.

Jane spoke again. "'In the dark?' she asked. 'What will you do in the dark? You must come outside to make music.'" Maura opened her eyes to find a tiny red light shining from Jane's side of the bed. Her voice came through the receiver as clearly as it had the day before, but this time softly, as if trying not to wake her up. "'The next thing you know,' his mother scolded, 'you won't want to be a cricket.'"

Jane was reading one of the picture books they got at the baby shower. Maura had skimmed it before putting it on the bookshelf. She remembered vibrant colors and blurred images of insects, and a butterfly wing on the cover. "The littlest cricket sighed. Had his mother guessed his secret?" Jane paused before whispering the next line. "'I wish I were a butterfly,' he said softly."

Maura listened as Jane read the story to their daughter. About the cricket who wished he were a butterfly because the mean old frog at the edge of the pond told him he was ugly. All the other insects he talked to told him that was nonsense, but of course they would say so, they were beautiful in their own ways. Finally he went to see the Old One, a spider, who had also been told she was ugly, though she didn't believe it.

"'I certainly don't believe that grumpy old frog who lives at the edge of the pond. I believe you because you are my friend. You think I'm beautiful and so I am.'" Jane stopped reading for a moment and Maura almost got up to go to her. But before Maura could move, Jane continued.

"'You are beautiful,' the littlest cricket said. 'But I am as ugly as can be. I still wish I were a butterfly.'"

"The Old One asked the littlest cricket to follow her to the water's edge. 'Look,' she said. 'What do you see?'"

"'A beautiful you and an ugly me,' replied the cricket. 'What do you see?'"

Maura heard Jane sigh. Her voice wavered. "'Two beautiful friends.'"