Chapter 22: Emma and Finley

Jane: June, Present Day

Jane paused in the door to the master bath. Maura was putting the finishing touches on her make-up, and she hadn't yet noticed Jane admiring her. She couldn't believe that this beautiful woman loved her, but more than that, she couldn't believe that they were finally together. They could finally be happy.

Jane saw the moment that Maura noticed her standing in the doorway. A soft smile tugged at her lips as she made eye contact with Jane in the mirror. Jane pushed herself off the door frame and wrapped her arms around Maura from behind, resting her chin on Maura's shoulder. Maura leaned back against Jane's front, enjoying the feeling of Jane's arms around her.

"Hey, you," Maura said sweetly.

"Hey," Jane replied, turning her head to kiss Maura's cheek. "So, I just received a text from Korsak…"

"Oh, we never called Vince and Kiki," Maura said quickly, and Jane could feel Maura's body tense slightly in her arms.

"It's okay," Jane said. "Frankie told him."

Maura sighed and placed her arms over Jane's, which were still around her waist. "I feel bad that we forgot to call them," she said sadly.

"Really, it's okay. They understand," Jane assured her. "Korsak just text me to let us know that Frankie told them. They're going to be at the graduation today, and they didn't want you to be caught off-guard."

"That's really thoughtful of them."

"They said they would love to see you and say hello, but that they won't approach you. It's completely up to you if you want to talk to them, and they won't be offended at all if you just want to enjoy the ceremony and the kids. They also said you didn't need to decide ahead of time. You don't need to worry about them approaching you, but if you decide you want to approach them, you're welcome to," Jane explained.

Maura nodded. "I should at least say hello," she said.

Jane shrugged. "Really, you know that of anyone Korsak and Kiki are the most understanding," Jane said. "They won't push you, and they won't be upset if you want to wait. Sunday dinner is at the Dirty Robber anyway, which to be honest, I completely forgot about. They wanted to have a celebration dinner for Emma, Finn, and Michael after the ceremony but with t-ball and school tomorrow, everyone eventually agreed to move Sunday dinner there instead and to make it a bit of a celebration."

"That'll be fun," Maura said with a smile. "Alright, I'll just see how today goes and decide in the moment whether or not to talk to Vince and Kiki. Although, I do think that I will probably at least want to say hi."

Maura turned in Jane's arms and gave her a short but meaningful kiss. When Jane tried to deepen the kiss, Maura pulled back with a smirk. "We definitely don't have time for that right now," she said. "I think you need to leave so that I can actually finish getting ready or we'll be late."

"Okay, fine," Jane said as she gave Maura another short kiss. "I'll go wake up Harper and Sophie and get them ready to go. I do have to say, I don't know who thought this was a good time for a ceremony. Like half the kids have younger siblings. Don't most little kids take naps at this time?"

Maura laughed, but she didn't answer. "Just go," she said, pushing Jane away from her, causing them both to laugh.

"Fine, fine," Jane said, putting her hands up in mock defeat as she left the bathroom, but right before she disappeared around the corner, she turned and gave Maura a wink. She enjoyed the flush that quickly took over Maura's neck and face.

Forty-five minutes later, Jane found a parking spot in the already crowded lot of the elementary school. Jane helped Harper out of the car while Maura helped Sophie out of the car. Harper instantly pulled Jane over to Sophie and Maura so that the four of them were walking in hand-in-hand. Maura and Jane shared a smile over their daughters' heads. Jane could tell that Maura was nervous even though she was hiding it well. Jane guessed that no one else would even be able to tell.

When they walked through the door, Angela and Constance waved to them. Harper turned to Jane and excitedly asked, "Can we go to nana and nonna?"

"Sure," Jane said. Harper instantly dropped Jane's hand, but she didn't let go of Sophie's hand as she dragged her sister over to their grandmothers.

Jane reached out and grabbed Maura's hand, pulling her closer until she could wrap her arm around Maura's waist. They walked in slowly as they watched Harper launch herself into Constance's arms and Sophie allow Angela to pick her up. "I'm so glad Sophie already seems so comfortable with Angela," Maura said as Jane stepped behind her to allow people to pass them in the hallway.

The hallway opened up to the school's gymnasium. With the doors propped open, Jane could see that the bleachers were set up along with a few rows of folding chairs in front. Across from the folding chairs risers were set up to hold the kindergarteners, but they were currently empty. The kids were still waiting in their classrooms for the ceremony to start.

When they came to the end of the hallway, Jane was still walking behind Maura, so when Maura stopped abruptly, Jane nearly fell over here. Maura spun around to look at Jane once she had righted herself. "What's she doing here?" Maura hissed, the fear and anger evident in her voice.

"What?" Jane said, looking around Maura until she spotted the person who had drawn Maura's attention. Hope was sitting in one of the folding chairs at the edge of the section that someone – likely Angela – had saved for the family, so that they could all sit together. Hope wasn't talking to anyone, and she clearly looked uncomfortable. Jane returned her gaze to Maura. "I haven't talked to her, so I didn't even think about the fact that she was invited to this," Jane said quickly. "So, I didn't think to uninvite her. I'm sorry, Maura."

Maura shook her head. "No, none of this is your fault," she said. "I'm just surprised she would still show up after yesterday. I thought I made myself clear."

"She probably came because she had already told Emma and Finn that she would be here," Jane suggested. She wasn't sure what the right thing to say was. She didn't want to upset Maura – well, Maura was already upset, so she didn't want to make it worse. However, she also didn't think that a packed school event was the best place to hash any of this out. "Why don't we just steer clear of her? You don't have to talk to her."

Maura sighed and her shoulders dropped in resignation. "Okay," she said, and they both turned to look at Hope again. Hope was clearly watching Sophie, but she hadn't gone over to speak to any of them yet. With one last look at Jane, Maura added, "But she doesn't get to meet Sophie, and she doesn't get to talk to Harper – unless Harper talks to her, of course."

"Okay, let's go in," Jane said, and they walked over to where Angela and Constance were standing with the girls. The four adults exchanged hugs and fell into easy conversation, but Jane noticed that Maura's eyes kept flitting back to Hope. Jane could feel the tension radiating off of Maura's body.

When the lights in the gym blinked, Angela told them, "I saved the front row for the two of you and Frankie and Nina. I thought the girls could either sit on the floor in front of you or on your laps since I wasn't able to save get enough seats together."

"That's great, ma," Jane said. "Thanks for doing that."

"Can we sit with nana and nonna?" Harper asked quickly, and Sophie nodded.

Jane looked at Angela and Constance for confirmation that it was okay with them before saying yes. Jane and Maura took their seats in the front row with Nina (with Bella in her lap) and Frankie directly to Maura's right. Nina's mother Catherine was next to Frankie. Angela sat with Sophie on her lap directly behind Jane and Constance and Harper were behind Maura. Arthur, Tommy, and TJ were behind Nina, Frankie, and Catherine. Korsak, Kiki, and Hope were in the third row. Cailin hadn't been able to get the day off, but she had promised Emma, Finn, and Michael a special lunch when they were out of school for the summer.

Jane and Maura clapped along with everyone else when the kindergarteners started filing in. Jane pointed out Emma and Finn as soon as she noticed them. "Do you know which one is which?" Maura whispered to Jane. She couldn't imagine anyone would be able to tell them apart from this distance when they were wearing the same thing (mini graduation gowns) and their hair was loose around their shoulders.

"Uh, yeah, Finn walked in first, then, Emma, so Finn's on our right and Emma's on our left," Jane said pointing to each one in turn.

"How can you tell?" Maura asked.

Jane shrugged. "I don't know. They just look different to me," she said truthfully. "You'll get there eventually," she added as she reached over and took Maura's hand in her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

The principal started the ceremony by welcoming everyone. Jane made sure to tell Maura who everyone was as they spoke. She didn't want Maura to feel left out, but she also hoped that she wasn't making her feel bad by pointing out everything she didn't know. She decided that Maura probably wasn't going to easily forget that she didn't know anything about their kids' school, so the better option was to just keep telling Maura everything she could.

When the kids started singing their graduation song, Jane had to turn and bury her face in Maura's shoulder as she tried to keep her laughter under control.

"What is wrong with you?" Maura said, her amusement at Jane evident in her voice.

"They're so bad," Jane whispered through her laughter.

"Jane!" Maura half reprimanded, half laughed in a whisper.

"I'm sorry, but they are," Jane said quietly.

"Emma and Finn are going to know you're laughing at them," Maura whispered back, giving Jane a playful poke in the side.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" Jane said, still laughing, but she sat up anyway.

By the time they got to the part of the ceremony where each child's name was called and they collected their diploma from their teacher, Jane had calmed back down. Jane realized that the kids had walked in in reverse alphabetical order so that they could be presented with their diplomas in alphabetical order. When Emma and then Finley's names were called, Jane felt tears burn at the corners of her eyes. She was so proud of them and everything they had accomplished this year.

Maura: June, Present Day

Maura glanced at Jane to see her fighting tears, and her heart swelled at how much Jane loved the girls. Maura looked around to take in the number of people who were here for Emma, Finn, and Michael. This was what she had always wanted, this is what she had wished for as a child, and this is what she had hoped for for her children. She reached over and grabbed Jane's hand, threading their fingers together as she pulled both of their hands into her lap. She maintained her hold on Jane for the remainder of the ceremony, her thumb rubbing back and forth over Jane's hand the entire time.

For years, she never thought she would see her children again, and now here she was, sitting at their kindergarten graduation with Jane, her co-parent and the love of her life, sitting next to her surrounded by their family. This moment was better than she had ever dared hope for.

She was so lost in thought that she missed the principal's closing remarks, and before she knew it, the ceremony was over. She stood and clapped along with the rest of the parents and families in the room. She had to wipe away the tears that she knew were mirrored on Jane's face as they watched the kids disperse.

"There's a reception after the ceremony," Jane said as she turned to address Maura, but before Maura could respond, Emma and Finn had run over to them.

"Mama! We graduated!" one of the girls yelled as she waved her rolled up diploma in Jane's face. Maura really hated that she couldn't tell them apart yet.

Maura watched as Jane kneeled down to their level and pulled both of them into a hug. "I'm so proud of you guys!" Jane said into their hair, emotion lacing her voice. Maura felt her eyes well with tears as she observed the scene in front of her.

"Will you hold this?" the first one asked, holding out her diploma.

"Sure, bean," Jane said taking the diplomas from her and her sister. Maura cycled through her memories to remember which of the girls was bean…jumping bean…Emma was jumping bean because she bounced when she was excited…okay, Emma was the one who spoke first when they got to Jane.

Once Jane and the girls had had their moment, Maura kneeled down to join their conversation. She hadn't wanted to interrupt them. She had promised herself, but she had also promised Jane and the girls that she would never come between them.

"Congratulations, Emma. Congratulations, Finn," Maura said with a smile, looking at each girl in turn.

"Thanks mommy," Emma said.

"Thank you," Finn echoed with a smile.

"Could I give you guys a hug?" Maura asked nervously. She didn't want to push them or make them uncomfortable.

Emma nodded immediately, but Finn glanced briefly at Jane before nodding. They leaned in together, and Maura pulled them both into a tight hug. "I love you both so much," she whispered.

"Love you too," they both said back.

"Can we go by our friends?" Emma asked Jane.

"Sure," Jane said.

"Can Harper and Sophie come with us?" Finn asked.

Jane glanced at Maura to make sure it was okay with her, but she didn't say anything. In this case, she was going to trust Jane's judgement.

"Okay," Jane said, turning back to the kids, "but you have to stay together, and you have to stay in the gym."

"We will," Finn said exasperatedly, and she sounded so much like Jane that Maura had to hide her laughter behind her hand.

They watched the four girls run off together. Other parents kept coming up to talk to Jane as they tried to make their way over to the dessert table. Jane always made sure to introduce Maura and make sure she was included in the conversation. Jane also maintained some kind of physical contact throughout the afternoon. Her hand was either holding Maura's hand, wrapped around her waist, or resting on her back. The other thing Maura noticed about Jane was that she always seemed to have an eye on the kids. No matter where they were in the room or who was talking to them, Jane was always faced so that the kids were directly in her line of sight. Even if the kids moved, Jane shifted to keep an eye on them.

When they finally had a moment alone, Jane turned to Maura, "I want to show you something."

"Okay," Maura said.

Jane looked around. "Ma!" Jane called out to get Angela's attention.

"Yes, baby?" Angela replied.

"Can you keep an eye on the kids for a minute? We'll be right back."

"Of course."

"Come with me," Jane said, taking Maura's hand and guiding her to the doors that Maura assumed opened to the main part of the school.

"Where are we going?" Maura asked as they stepped into the nearly empty hallway. "Are we supposed to be out here?" she added as she looked around noting that barely anyone else was roaming the halls.

Jane laughed. "It's fine. Just come on," she said in her usual playful voice. Jane continued to drag Maura through the maze of hallways, and Maura was very confused. Jane slowed down when she turned the corner of the hallway that was her destination.

The hallway was covered in posters; each one was filled with pictures of a different child. Jane wrapped her arms around Maura and walked her up to a purple and a blue poster. The purple one read, "All About Finley!" and the blue one read, "All About Emma!"

"What are these?" Maura asked quietly as her eyes quickly scanned over the posters.

"Throughout the year, a different kid in the class was highlighted every Wednesday. On their week, each kid got to make a poster about themselves, and they got a chance to share their poster in class. They were also allowed to bring something special to them to class on that day," Jane explained. "I thought you'd like to see Emma and Finn's posters."

Maura's eyes teared up when she saw that both of them had a picture of Jane and Maura together on their poster labelled, "My moms." Maura leaned against Jane and wrapped both of her arms around Jane's waist as they continued to look at the posters.

"This is the first time Emma and Finn met Harper," Jane said as she pointed out a picture in the bottom corner of Emma's poster.

"They're so cute, and they look so happy," Maura said quietly as she brought one hand up to trace her finger along their faces.

"They were really excited to be big sisters," Jane explained. They stood together for a while longer looking at the pictures, holding onto each other. After a while, Jane said, "We should probably get back, but they'll get to bring the posters home next week. I already told them we could put them up by their beds, so you'll be able to see them again."

"Thank you for showing me," Maura said, and after glancing around the hall to make sure they were alone, Maura leaned forward to give Jane a loving kiss. "Thank you for all of this," she said as she pulled back.

"Let's go back before someone comes looking for us," Jane repeated, and she guided Maura back towards the gym, her hand resting on the small of her back the entire time.

Jane: August, Four Years Ago

Jane couldn't take her eyes off of the baby in her arms. She had been so worried that she wouldn't have enough love left in her heart for another child, but she needn't have worried. She loved all three of her girls equally and with her entire heart.

Jane looked up when she heard the tell-tale sounds of two toddlers running down the hallway. Her mother and Constance had alternated staying with the girls while Jane was in labor and in the hospital, and her mother was now bringing the girls to meet their new little sister.

Jane's smile was so big in threatened to crack her face in half as the girls came running into the room. She shifted the infant to her left arm so that she could hold her right arm open for Emma and Finn. When Angela placed each of them on the side of Jane's bed, Jane wrapped them in a tight hug, placing a soft kiss on the top of each of their heads before releasing them.

"Do you want to meet your sister?" Jane asked Emma and Finn.

"We bwought pwesents for da baby!" Finn said excitedly as she held up a stuffed elephant for Jane to see. Emma mirrored her sister and showed Jane the lion she had picked out for her sister.

"I think she'll love them," Jane said. She moved the baby closer to Emma and Finn, so that they could get a good look at her. "This is your new baby sister."

"Wha's her name?" Emma asked.

"Harper Maura Rizzoli," Jane said.

"Can I touch her?" Finn asked without taking her eyes off of her new sister.

Jane chuckled. "Yes, but be gentle. Like this," Jane said as she showed them how to softly stroke the baby's cheek.

"She's so cute," Emma said reverently. "Did me and Finn look like that when we were babies?"

"Finn and I," Jane corrected her daughter automatically. "And yes, you guys were just as cute as Harper, but remember what we talked about? All babies look pretty similar, but she will probably look different from you guys as she gets older because you're not biologically related."

"But we're still sisters," Finn said, finishing the line Jane had been telling them for months.

"Yeah, you're still sisters. Harper is your sister just like you guys are sisters."

"We're twins," Emma said.

"Yeah, well that's different. Harper's not your twin, but in addition to being each other's twin, you're also each other's sister."

"'Kay," Emma said, clearly over the conversation, her interest returning to the new baby in front of her. "Can I give her a kiss?"

"Yes, gently," Jane said, and she watched as each of the girls leaned over as gently as possible to give their sister a kiss. Emma kissed her forehead, and Finn kissed her cheek. What Jane didn't realize at the time was that her mother had been taking pictures throughout the entire interaction, and these became some of Jane's most treasured photos.

The four of them stayed together in Jane's bed for a while longer. Emma and Finn alternated between giving their new sister lots of attention and kisses and telling Jane and the baby about all the fun things they were doing with their grandmothers.

Jane was sorry to see them go when visiting hours were over. She had never been away from Emma and Finn for so long, and she missed them even though it had only been about 36 hours at this point. And unless something went wrong, Jane and Harper were going to be discharged tomorrow. She gave them each one last kiss and hug before they left, and when they were gone, Jane couldn't stop the few tears that escaped.

Jane: June, Present Day

Jane instantly spotted the family gathered around the seats they had sat in for the ceremony as soon as they walked back into the gym. Jane and Maura walked over to join them. Jane, who was still holding Maura's hand, felt Maura tense when they got to the group. She turned to ask Maura what was wrong, but when she could see Maura staring at something specific in the distance, Jane had a feeling about what might be upsetting her. She followed Maura's line of sight to see that Hope was sitting with Sophie on her lap and Harper in the seat next to her.

Before Jane could react, Maura began pulling her in the direction of Hope and the girls. Maura stopped abruptly in front of Hope, who made the mistake of standing up while still holding Sophie. Never one to be left out, Harper reached out her arms for Jane to pick her up, and Jane did.

"Hello, Hope," Maura said coldly. "Could I have a word with you, privately?"

Hope nodded, and Jane could see the apprehension in Hope's non-verbal behavior. Without asking, Maura took Sophie from Hope. She whispered to Sophie, "Can you please stay with Jane?" When Sophie nodded, Maura handed Sophie to Jane. Jane stood frozen on the spot with a girl on each hip for a few moments as she watched Maura and Hope walk off to the far side of the gym.

It was Sophie's nervous voice that pulled her from her trance. "Why's mommy mad?" Sophie asked quietly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, no, sweetie, not at all," Jane tried to reassure the little girl. She also turned so that Sophie and Harper were no longer looking directly at Maura and Hope. "Mommy just needed to talk to grandma Hope, but she's not mad at you at all, okay?"

Sophie nodded.

"Neither one of you did anything wrong. You guys were great today actually. You stayed quiet during the ceremony, and you stayed by your sisters or an adult family member the whole time. I'm very proud of both of you, and I know mommy is too."

"Can we get ice cream after t-ball tonight?" Harper asked excitedly.

"As long as all four of you continue to listen today, then, yes, I think that's a good idea," Jane said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jane watched Maura walking back towards them while Hope walked towards the exit.

Emma and Finn arrived by Jane, Harper, and Sophie first. They both had their backpacks and were allowed to leave with Jane. "What's for dinner?" Emma asked as soon as they reached Jane.

"Mommy and I packed a picnic dinner," Jane said. "All four of you guys have t-ball games tonight. Emma and Finn will eat with mommy during Harper and Sophie's game. Then, Harper, Sophie, and I will eat during Emma and Finn's game. We packed sandwiches, fruit, and vegetables. I also snuck some chips in there, as well, but if all four of you are good for the rest of the evening, we can stop for ice cream on the way home after the games."

"Yay!" Emma said.

"Can Michael and Bella come too?" Finn asked.

"I'll talk to Aunt Nina and Uncle Frankie since Michael is playing in the same game."

The girls did a little happy dance and Harper and Sophie instantly wanted to be put down so that they could join. All four girls were dancing by the time Maura returned to them.

"You okay?" Jane said so that only Maura could hear her."

"I don't know what I am," Maura said, and Jane could still hear the anger lingering in her voice. "But now's not the time to deal with it. We need to get the kids to t-ball."

"Yeah, we're ready," Jane said to Maura. Then, she spoke more loudly so that the kids would here, "Come on, it's time to go. You guys have t-ball games this evening."

"But we don't have our stuff!" Finn said suddenly.

"I have all of your stuff in the car, so let's go," Jane said as she tried to herd the kids out the door.