Doing my best to get some writing done this week since I have a busy couple days coming up! May not get another chapter up until next week some time, but I'll be writing whenever I can!
Thanks so much to everyone who has been reading! I cannot even believe that we're already 20 chapters into this story, and what I cannot believe even more is that I already have over 400 reviews! You all have been WAY too good to me and I cannot thank you enough!
I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter, and I hope you won't mind where I intend to go in the next one! Happy reading! -J
Chapter 20- The Best Laid Plans
"I want to do something special for Jane for her birthday," Maura told Frost one afternoon, Maura performing an autopsy on a young man, while Frost stood by waiting on the results, doing his best to keep his lunch down. "She's been so good to me and Amelia; especially lately. I need to do something for her."
The last two weeks had been difficult ones for Maura and Amelia. After the incident with Paddy and his goon, Amelia was terrified. After 5 nights of sleeping between Maura and Jane, Maura had insisted that it was time for the little blonde to return to her own room, only to be woken in the middle of the night to the sounds of her daughter's screams. Amelia's sleep had been plagued by nightmares and she had wet the bed on several occasions, but after 2 weeks things were beginning to return to normal, though the five year old had to be constantly reassured that no bad men were going to get in the house again.
For her part, Maura was coping as best as she could. The subject of her biological father was a difficult one for the genius to process, but she was taking it in stride. Knowing her girlfriend was struggling, Jane had taken to asking Maura about her feelings in regards to Paddy; becoming the sounding board that Maura needed in order to open up and deal with her struggles rather than bottling them up.
"I'm sure Jane would be happy with anything you did for her," Frost replied, his gaze on the ceiling rather than the man with his torso cut open on the table in front of Maura. "I mean in all the time I've known her, Jane hasn't really been one to make a big deal about her birthday, but I'm willing to bet she would be happy to spend it with you and Mia. Did you have anything in mind?"
"Not really," Maura shook her head, sounding disappointed. "I've never spent a birthday with Jane before. I don't want to get her anything she won't like and I really don't want to plan any sort of surprise that she's going to hate. I thought about asking Angela her opinion but that didn't seem like the best idea, so I came to you. Do you have any ideas?"
"Oh…uh…well…." Frost stuttered, doing his best to come up with some sort of answer. "I mean you went with the Red Sox tickets for Christmas so it's kind of hard to top that."
"That's exactly what I thought," Maura sighed, looking frustrated. "I knew I should have held off. This really isn't going to be easy."
"Dr. Isles you know you don't have to impress Jane right?" Frost said, finally looking up at the Medical Examiner. "I mean Jane loves you. She's completely crazy about you and I honestly have never seen her as happy as she's been with you. You could get the woman a peanut butter and fluff sandwich and she'd still be over the moon," he said, Maura raising her eyebrow in disbelief. "Seriously. All Jane is gonna want is to spend her birthday with you and Mia. Don't stress yourself out about it."
"She's just…she's so…" Maura shook her head, trying to find the right words. "She's so good to us Barry," she finally managed to get out, putting her scalpel down, as she held on to the side of the autopsy table, feeling emotional. "She has been so good to me and she's absolutely amazing with Amelia. I just feel like I need to do something. I have to make it special. She's just so good to us."
Smiling Frost could see the love in Maura's eyes; could see just how much Jane means to the blonde. "That's Jane," he eventually said, still smiling. "I know she's all tough on the outside, but when Jane cares about someone she'll go to the ends of the earth for them if she needs to; and you and Mia? She loves you two more than anything," he grinned. "I think it's nice that you want to do something special for her. But trust me…she's gonna love it no matter what you do."
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"Janie! Janie!" Amelia's voice called across the bullpen, the brunette looking up from her desk with a big smile on her face. "Janie I'm at your work!" The little blonde exclaimed, Jane standing up just in time to catch the five year old just as she launched herself at the Detective.
Though she had been down in Maura's office before, Amelia had only ever been upstairs to where Jane worked when Maura had been kidnapped, so when the brunette had suggested a visit with Angela, the little blonde had been beyond excited. Though she had mostly suggested the visit with a desire to see Amelia for longer than the hour before bedtime she had been managing lately, Jane also hoped that seeing the police officers working at the office would provide the five year old with some sense of comfort from the fear she had been dealing with recently.
"You're at my work, I'm so excited," Jane grinned, hugging Amelia tight loving the way the little girl always clung to her like a monkey. "Did you have a good day at school bug?"
"I had a GREAT day!" Amelia replied happily. "I got to tell all my friends about how I was going to come see you today where you work with all the other Detectives like Sherlock and the officers like Frankie," she explained, making Jane laugh as Angela finally caught up, reaching Jane's desk.
"Hey Ma, thanks for bringing her by. You gonna stick around?" Jane asked, moving Amelia to her hip.
"No I think I'll just head down to the café for a bit," Angela smiled, loving seeing her daughter with the little blonde. "You two enjoy your time together. Just bring her down when you're ready," she said, giving both Jane and Amelia a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks Ma," Jane smiled, watching as Angela headed back for the elevators before turning her attention towards Amelia who was watching her with a big smile on her face, obviously excited. "You wanna sit at my desk munchkin?" She then asked, Amelia nodding excitedly in reply.
"This is where you catch all the bad guys Janie?" Amelia asked, looking so small as she sat in Jane's chair, taking everything in with big, curious eyes.
"Well this is where I do my work so that I can catch the bad guys," Jane explained, kneeling down beside the blonde. "Me, Korsak and Frostie have to go through lots of information so that we can find the bad guys. Your Mom helps too. She helps a lot actually."
"And what happens to the bad guys?" Amelia then asked, her face serious, looking so much like her mother.
"Well they go to jail," Jane replied, leaving out that sometimes the bad guys ended up dead. "We lock them up and make sure they can't hurt anyone anymore."
"Did the bad men from our house go to jail Janie?" Amelia looked up at Jane, her hazel eyes full of worry.
Sighing, Jane wished she had a better answer for the five year old; wishing she could take away all her pain. "You know what Bug, I didn't get to put those bad guys in jail," she said, unable to lie, running a hand over blonde hair. "But I promise you, they're not going to come anywhere near you ever again."
"Hey there she is," Frost called, breaking up the little moment as he made his way into the bullpen, Amelia's head shooting up, a big smile on her face as she saw who it was. "There's our junior detective! Look what I've got for you kiddo," he said, revealing a plastic detective badge.
"Wow!" Amelia exclaimed, accepting the gift with a big smile on her face, obviously already forgetting about her conversation with Jane. "Look Janie! It's just like yours!"
"It sure is!" Jane grinned, giving Frost an appreciative wink. "You're just like a real Detective now."
"Well I'm not sure I approve of that," Maura came over from the elevators, no one noticing her approaching, her heels surprisingly quiet.
"Mommy!" Amelia jumped from her seat, running towards the older blonde and jumping straight into her arms. "Mommy I'm a Detective just like Janie!"
"Wow you must be the youngest Detective at BPD," Maura smiled, kissing her daughter's cheek before putting her back down on the ground. "Sorry Jane I didn't mean to interrupt your afternoon with Amelia but I've been meaning to tell you there's a parent's night at the school tomorrow night."
"Another one?" Jane raised an eyebrow, smiling as Amelia began following Frost around, attaching her badge to the belt loop of her pants. "Haven't you had like 2 already this year?"
"It's private school Jane," Maura replied, as if this was answer enough, realizing she needed to explain by the blank look on her girlfriend's face. "The school prides itself on keeping the parents informed, and they expect parent involvement. They host parent's night every couple months."
"Alright well I can make sure I get out early and watch the kid," Jane shrugged, trying to hold back her excitement, loving her nights alone with the little girl.
"Actually Amelia is supposed to attend," Maura shook her head. "The students put on shows for the parents and show them their work and what not."
"Oh okay," Jane nodded, trying not to sound too disappointed. "That works too. I'm sure I can find something to do to entertain myself for the night. No big deal."
"Well you could do that," Maura replied, biting her lip. "But I was hoping that you would come to the school with me and Amelia. I mean I know Amelia would be thrilled if you came," she said, smiling as she watched her daughter talking rather animatedly with Korsak. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," she then said as she returned her gaze to Jane. "But we would both really like it if you came."
"I…" Jane gaped, a little thrown off by the invitation, not entirely sure what to say. "Is that even allowed? I mean…am I allowed to come? It's parent's night and I'm…well I'm not a parent."
"Of course you are," Maura was quick to reply, not even giving it a second thought, freezing only when she realized what she said, nervous as she looked up to find Jane staring back at her with a surprised look on her face. "Amelia has told her teacher about you and most of the kids at school. Ms. Ricci said that Amelia talks about you all the time. She would want you to be there. You should be there," she said, reaching out and taking Jane's hand, hoping the brunette could feel just how important this was to her. "So what do you say?"
"I…I'll be there," Jane replied, breaking out in a grin as she gave Maura a quick kiss before running off towards Amelia, lifting the little girl up into her arms, eliciting an excited squeal from the five year old.
And as Maura stood at Jane's desk, watching the smile on her girlfriend's face, she realized that perhaps she had given Jane the perfect birthday present already.
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"This place is insane," Jane exclaimed, wide-eyed and in awe as she walked the hallways of Amelia's school with Maura, the five-year-old between them, holding each of their hands. "How is this place even a school?"
"It's not just a grade school," Maura replied, allowing Amelia to lead the group towards her classroom. "The building also houses the middle and high school," she explained. "It's no bigger than any of the schools I went to growing up."
"Well of course not," Jane rolled her eyes, though she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
Though normally Maura would expect Jane to be reluctant to attend an event such as parent's night, the Doctor was pleased to find that her girlfriend was rather excited about gong to Amelia's school. Jane had tried to act cool, but Maura could see that the evening meant a lot to the brunette, who had been anxious to leave work as early as possible, not wanting to be late.
"Janie my classroom is over here!" Amelia practically shouted, pulling both Jane and her Mother towards the kindergarten room. "You will get to see my cubby and my art and all my work Janie! Mommy has seen it before but you haven't! It's so exciting!"
"It sure is bug," Jane laughed, struggling to keep up with the little girl tugging at her arm. "I'm very excited, but you gotta slow down kiddo. Your classroom isn't going anywhere."
Reaching the classroom Amelia immediately squealed in delight as she caught sight of her current best friend Alyssa. "Mommy, Mommy can I go see Lyssa? Please Mommy? She's right there," she pointed excitedly at her friend who was currently playing with the classroom toys along with several of Amelia's other classmates.
"Sure Sweetie, you go for a few minutes while we say hello to Ms. Ricci, but then come find us so you can show us your work okay?" Maura replied, Amelia already releasing her hand.
"Okay Mommy!" Amelia nodded as she ran off towards the other kids, looking overly excited considering she had seen her friends only a few hours ago.
"Well apparently the excitement of having me here has worn off," Jane scoffed, Maura chuckling as she took her hand.
"Don't worry I'm still happy you're here," Maura grinned, catching Amelia's teacher's attention, pulling Jane in the direction of the twenty-something-year-old teacher. "Ms. Ricci it's nice to see you again."
"Always a pleasure Dr. Isles," Ms. Ricci smiled before turning her attention towards Jane. "And I assume you're the famous Jane?"
"Detective Jane Rizzoli," Jane held out a hand for the teacher to shake. "I'm not quite sure I'm famous though," she chuckled.
"Oh you're famous in this classroom," Ms. Ricci told her with a smile. "Amelia talks about you all the time. The students each have a 'sharing time' once a week and Amelia almost always talks about you during hers. She's told us all about you being a Detective and your dance parties," she explained, Jane's cheeks flaring red, though the smile on her face showed just how happy she was by this news. "You're apparently her best friend, though I must say she has made quite a few friends since our last visit Dr. Isles," Ms. Ricci returned her attention towards Maura. "She's made leaps and bounds with the other students in the last few months."
"I'm happy to hear that," Maura grinned, squeezing Jane's hand. "And I'm certain that Jane has a lot to do with that. She's really helped Amelia open up," she smiled at her girlfriend who did her best not to look embarrassed.
"Well you two help yourself to coffee and snacks, and don't forget to take a look through Amelia's work," Ms. Ricci instructed them. "Feel free to find me if you have any questions. There's a new art display the students just completed on the bulletin board over there," she pointed. "You should take a look."
"Thank you," Maura replied, before pulling Jane away from the teacher. "Come on let's go see what Amelia drew," she said, heading towards the display entitled 'My Family'.
Having spent so much time with Amelia, Jane would recognize the little blonde's art work anywhere, easily able to pick out Amelia's drawing in the centre of the group, smiling at the depiction of two blondes and a brunette, the smaller blonde standing between the two slightly bigger females.
"Our family," Maura smiled, thrilled by the fact that her daughter had included Jane in her picture without a prompt from anyone. "It's beautiful."
"It sure is," Jane smiled, just as Amelia noticed them looking at her picture, immediately running towards them.
"Mommy! Janie! Did you see my picture?" She called, throwing herself into Jane's arms, immediately getting lifted up onto the brunette's hip. "It's me and you and Mommy Janie! See! Do you like it?"
"I love it Bug!" Jane smiled, placing a kiss on the little blonde's cheek. "It's perfect! I can't wait till you can bring it home so we can hang it up. Right Maur?"
"We can hang it in the family room," Maura nodded, running her hand over her
daughter's hair. "We can even put it in a frame!"
"Awesome!" Amelia grinned, wiggling to be put down, running back towards her friends.
"What a kid," Jane smiled, taking Maura's hand back in hers as the couple made their way around the room, stopping to look at different things along the way. "I'm really glad you asked me to come tonight," Jane admitted some time later, her voice quiet, her eyes avoiding Maura's gaze.
"I'm glad you accepted the invitation," Maura replied, continuing to lead Jane around. "It's nice to finally have someone to do this with. Nice not to be on my own for a change, although I guess it's been a while since I've truly felt alone," she said, giving Jane's hand a firm squeeze, hoping the brunette got the message.
"You won't have to worry about feeling alone ever again if I can help it," Jane said, keeping her voice low, receiving Maura's message loud and clear. "I'll be with you for any of this. All of it if you'll have me," she smiled.
"I'll always have you," Maura replied, resisting the urge to lean in for a kiss, knowing she needed to change the subject as it had suddenly turned a little too serious for her daughter's classroom. "I've been thinking about your birthday," she decided to say.
"Oh yeah?" Jane raised an eyebrow, understanding the change of topic. "What about it?"
"Well I was wanting to do something special," Maura told her. "I was considering some sort of surprise but I didn't really think you would enjoy that so much," she said, receiving a nod of confirmation from the brunette. "So I thought maybe we could go away together instead; you, me and Amelia. Not right now obviously since we both have work and Amelia has school, but perhaps this summer? I know it's not exactly close to your birthday but I figured you wouldn't mind celebrating a little later? My family has a house on the beach in Maine. We could go for a week or two; just the three of us. Unless of course you would prefer to do something different or earlier or…"
"Maur," Jane interrupted with a laugh, watching as her girlfriend bit her lip nervously. "That sounds perfect. I don't mind that it's not close to my birthday at all. I actually prefer it that way, although I wouldn't say no to dinner with my Ma and brothers and Korsak and Frost on my actual birthday if you don't mind hosting. I'm sure Ma will cook."
"Of course!" Maura was quick to agree, her smile lighting up her hazel eyes. "Of course I'd love to host. That…that sounds absolutely perfect."
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Jane couldn't remember the last time she felt so excited for a birthday before. Though her plans with her family and friends were small, she looked forward to spending her birthday with her beautiful girlfriend and Amelia, who had been working on Jane's present for days.
With their eventual trip to Maine still at the back of her mind, Jane was practically giddy with excitement, her constant good mood earning her jabs and teasing from her coworkers, who had never seen the Detective so cheery. The detective didn't think anything could ruin her happiness, didn't think anything could possibly ruin all the good she had going for her, until a call about a homicide at the local prison threw her for a giant loop.
Showing up at the prison, expecting a day like any other, Jane remained completely at ease until she encountered the one person she had hoped to never see again, the only person who could truly ruin her happiness; Charles Hoyt.