Don't You Remember – Chapter 19
Maura had asked her, "will you and Zoey move in with me and Tony?"
Jane didn't need to think about it as she had been thinking about it for a while now. She looked lovingly at Maura and immediately replied, "Yes, of course, Maur. We would love to move in with you and Tony. I kinda feel like we live here already." And Jane did as they spent most nights at Maura's. Jane loved to spend as much time as possible with the gorgeous blonde.
"I know, I feel the same way, but I want to make it official. I love our little family and I want for us to be together as much as possible."
"I know how you feel. I love our little family also. My lease is up soon so … let's talk about this tomorrow. I just want to take you to bed right now and make love with you again."
"You love making love with me, do you?" Maura stated with a huge smile and a loving gaze on her face.
"I do. I thought kissing you was my favorite activity but kissing you is second now, making love with you is definitely in first place now." Jane said as she kissed Maura and then quickly grabbed her hand and ran up the stairs with her.
They peeked in on the children before they went to the master bedroom and went through their nightly routines. Jane finished her nighttime routine quite a bit earlier than Maura so she sat up in bed and pulled out the book that she kept in her nightstand. She was fascinated by the fact that she was almost finished with her novel. It just made her realize how much time she and Zoey actually spent at Maura's.
Jane was so relieved that everybody important to her now knew about her relationship with Maura. Maura didn't care to tell her parents as they were not part of her life. If and when she heard from them, she would tell them. She decided that she wouldn't go out of her way to contact them. Jane was her family now, that is Jane, Tony and Zoey. That is all the family she needed.
Within a week, Jane and Zoey were moved in with Maura and Tony. Everyone was happy with the arrangement.
The first night they went to the apartment to pack, Zoey stated that she wanted to pack up her stuff by herself, so Jane told her she could. Tony had come in and asked Zoey, "Can I help you?"
"Yes, but I will do my underwear drawer by myself."
"Of course, I wouldn't want to touch your underwear, that is gross, Z."
"My underwear is not gross, Tony."
"Yes, it is. Girls are gross and so all of their stuff is gross." Tony stated matter-of-factly.
"Tony, I am a girl dummy." Zoey replied. She wanted to stick out her tongue at him but her mother had told her not to do such a thing as it wasn't lady like.
"No, you are my sister, that's different." Tony tried to convince Zoey.
"No, Tony, I am still a girl." Zoey argued back.
Their voices had gotten louder as their discussion progressed. Jane and Maura came in to see what the commotion was all about. "Hey, you two what is going on in here?" Jane asked.
"Mama, Tony said I am not a girl." Zoey said as she ran over to her mother with a few tears in her eyes.
"Mama, I meant that yes she is a girl but her status as my sister outweighs her being a girl." Tony offered as a means of explaining their misunderstanding.
Maura put her hand over her mouth to stop from laughing. These two children were so adorable together. Maura motioned for Tony to come over to her and they sat down on the bed. Jane and Zoey joined them. Zoey was sitting next to Tony with her mama on the other side. Maura explained, "Tony, Zoey is almost four she may not understand that concept yet. It is new for her to have a brother that would think of her as his sister before her being a girl. What brought this up in the first place?"
Maura was asking Tony but Zoey answered, "He was going to empty my underwear drawer. I told him he couldn't touch my underwear."
Now it was Jane's turn to cover her mouth. Maura gave her the look. The look that meant that laughter better not be heard. Jane took her other hand and placed it over her mouth also in hopes of not letting her laughter be heard.
"Mommy, I was just trying to help. It was easy for me to start with the dresser and place all of her clothes in the suitcase that was laying open on the bed." Tony replied.
"Mommy, he also said that girls are gross." Zoey added. Jane had to excuse herself, she was having issues controlling her laughter. Maura made a 'come back here' look at her as she walked out of the room to the bathroom across the hallway. She turned on the water at the sink and flushed the toilet as she let her laughter out, hoping the water running and toilet flushing would mask the sound of her laughter. It didn't and Maura let her know by the look on her face when she returned a few minutes later.
Beside the look on Maura's face, Jane loved the scene she walked in on. Maura was hugging both children as she now sat in between them with her arms wrapped around them. When Jane walked back in the room, Maura told the children to continue packing and she would clear out the dresser. Zoey went to pack up her stuff animals and Tony grabbed the books that were on her bookshelf. Jane walked over and pulled Maura into a hug and quickly gave her kiss before leaving the room to return to her room to pack things up.
Every night they packed up Jane and Zoey's apartment and had all the boxes in the living room by Friday so that Frankie and Tommy could pick them up Saturday morning and bring them to Maura's, well the Rizzoli-Isles household. Each night they had taken a few items over to Maura's and made sure that those items were put away and not just placed down somewhere to be put away later. Maura already knew that Saturday after everything arrived, the house would be a disaster.
Maura had told Jane, "I don't want boxes scattered all over the house. Can we put all of the boxes in the garage until they are ready to be moved and unpacked in their respective rooms?"
"Maur, that makes double the work, I mean we have to handle the boxes twice that way."
"I know Jane, but I really don't want the house to look like a madhouse while all the boxes get unpacked. Can't we concentrate on one box at a time? Once we put everything away in that box then we move onto the next one. When the garage is empty then the cars can be parked back in the garage. Meanwhile the cars will stay in the driveway."
"Okay woman, but you are going to owe me for all this extra time I will have to put into moving these boxes."
"I can think of a few ways to pay you back that you might enjoy."
"Really?" Jane raised her eyebrows at the thought of the different ways that she would like to be paid back. Maura just moved her head from side to side.
"Yes, Jane, but first we must unpack boxes. It took us a few hours each night for a week to pack everything up so I think it shouldn't take us any longer than that to unpack. So, by the end of next weekend you should be all unpacked and moved in." Jane just smiled at Maura's crazy unpacking logic. She realized that Maura had always hired movers and never had to pack and move her belongings herself. So, she had a warped sense of how the process worked.
Monday
Jane laughed when she went down to HR to turn in her change of address form. Candace the chief of HR was manning the customer service counter, she smiled when she saw the address on Jane's form. "Oh, so you live with the doctor now?"
Jane's smile left her face, she didn't know how to respond to Candace's remark. She didn't know this lady. She wondered how she knew Maura's address. "Don't worry detective, my wife and I have attended several functions at Maura's house and we knew it was only a matter of time before you officially moved in with her."
"Oh, thank you for explaining because I don't know you and I was wondering how you knew Maura's address."
"Maura is very discrete, hardly anyone around here knows that my spouse is female. Her name is Pat and everyone assumes she is a guy and I never corrected them. We have some homophobic people around here. If they cross certain boundaries at work they will be confronted and written up. I think the two of you make a striking couple. You seem very happy since you started seeing Maura and she is over the moon." Candace could see the confused look on Jane's face. "I have lunch with Maura at least once a month. She wasn't out at work and until she met you, she didn't want to be. You make her very happy."
Candace finished making the changes to Jane's file and congratulated her again before Jane went back to the bullpen. Candace was happy that she was working the front desk when Jane came in because she had one homophobic desk clerk that she had under review. Thankfully she was on her lunch break. Candace stamped Jane's paperwork and personally filed it in her file so that the clerk wouldn't see it.
The Following Sunday
The next Rizzoli family dinner was very small. Only Angela, Frankie, Tommy and the four of them were present. Angela hadn't told Jane and Maura that she had received some negative feedback and she figured while the children were playing, they would talk. Angela explained that a few of their relatives would no longer be coming around for family dinners. Maura was hurt by this and Jane pulled her into a hug and explained that she didn't much care for them so it was no loss. Within a few minutes, Maura seemed better and Jane reminded her, "it doesn't matter as long as the people in this house right now are okay with our relationship then I am okay. I do not care what some second cousin once removed thinks of my relationship status, okay?"
Maura looked at the love in Jane's eyes and replied, "Okay, you are right, as long as the people in this house are okay with our relationship then so am I." Jane hugged Maura and then Frankie and Tommy both came over and gave Jane and Maura a hug followed by Angela.
Tony and Zoey walked in, "Do we get hugs too?" Zoey asked as everyone hugged her and Tony. They ate dinner and then played Monopoly. Angela had explained that they took turns playing games and because Maura and Tony were new to the Rizzoli family dinner night, they got to pick the game. Maura graciously let Tony select the game.
The next few months saw only a few occurrences of people making comments about Jane and Maura. Jane knew a large number of officers were afraid of her and would never say anything in front of her or Maura. Jane loved that she was feared but inside she wondered why people couldn't just let things be. She guessed that they didn't believe that love was love, and that it didn't matter what your gender was. Cavanaugh, Korsak and Frost were all very supportive as were Maura's primary team members.
Tina made sure that Jane and Maura had a least one night a week for a date night. Jane and Maura both fussed at her that they wanted to include the children. So, they had two date nights, one with children and one without. Jane loved going out with Maura but she missed the children as did Maura. They knew the children were having fun with Tina, so they didn't worry, but they still missed them.
Without Maura knowing about it, Jane had checked into what it would take for Maura to adopt Zoey. She also checked into her adopting Tony. Once Jane was a little more educated on the ins and outs of the adoption procedures, she talked with Maura about it.
While sitting in the living room after cleaning up from dinner, Jane leaned over and took Maura's hand and told her, "Maur, I know Tony and Zoey consider themselves brother and sister, but right now legally they have different mothers and I was wondering what you thought about you adopting Zoey and me adopting Tony so that we would each be their mothers."
"Jane," Maura paused and Jane could see the start of tears in her eyes, "I would love that."
"Maur, please don't cry, you know I don't like it when you cry." Jane brought Maura in for a hug. She knew this was emotional for Maura, as Maura was adopted herself. She also knew that the circumstances were different in this case and that adoption would be great for both Tony and Zoey. They loved their other mother already and this would just be a formality but one that Jane wanted and she hoped that it was something that Maura wanted as well.
"Sorry, Jane. It is just I have felt like a family since we first started seeing each other and now we would legally be a family. I can call my lawyer tomorrow and set things up if you would like."
"I have already made an appointment to speak with him tomorrow morning at 9 AM." Maura smiled, she loved when Jane took the initiative and put the wheels in motion. Jane knew that Maura already considered herself Zoey's other mother but through adoption it would become official.
"What would we do about their last names, would they stay the same? What are your thoughts?"
"I was thinking Rizzoli-Isles or Isles-Rizzoli, that way neither one of them loses their current last name. How does that sound?"
"Oh, I love the combination of our last names. I am sure that the children would love that."
"There is one way to find out, let's ask them." Jane said as she called the children into the living room. The children had gone into Tony's room after dinner to play. The children came into the living room and sat with their parents, Zoey next to Maura and Tony next to Jane. Jane asked them, "How would you feel if we adopted you?"
"But mama, I am already adopted by mommy." Tony said, confused by Jane's question.
"Oh, I should have clarified, Tony how would you feel if I adopted you and became your other mother?"
"Mama, I already consider you my other mother."
"I know but this would make it official."
"I would love that." Tony answered as he hugged his birth mother.
"Does that mean that Dr. Mo would adopt me so that she could be my other mother?" Zoey asked not wanting to be left out of the adoption process.
"Yes," Maura replied, "would you like for me to officially be your mommy?"
Zoey hugged Maura as she replied, "I would love that mommy."
"Okay, it is settled then, we will speak to the lawyers and make it happen. Now we have one other matter to ask you about."
Both children looked at Jane to see what she was going to say. "Would you like for your last name to stay the same or become Rizzoli-Isles or Isles-Rizzoli?"
Tony and Zoey both thought about it and then climbed off of the couch and when over by the loveseat and whispered to each other about it. After several minutes Zoey answered for both her and Tony. "Tony and I have discussed it and we would like to have the last name of Rizzoli-Isles." Jane and Maura both smiled.
Jane motioned the children over and whispered with them for a moment. Tony and Zoey then left the room and came back a minute later. Maura was wondering what was going on. Tony handed Jane something and then Jane got up and knelt down so she was at the children's level and all three looked at Maura. Tony looked at Maura and said, "Would,"
Zoey quickly said, "You,"
Not even a second later Jane added, "Marry,"
Then all three said in unison, "Us?"
Jane pulled the ring box out from behind her back and took the ring out of the box and took one of Maura's hand in hers and repeated, "Will you marry us?"
Maura was in tears as she slipped off of the couch and immediately kissed Jane. She hugged all three of them. She then kissed the children. "I would love to marry you." The children shouted and Jane slipped the ring on Maura's finger. All four of them hugged.
"Mommy, does that mean you will be a Rizzoli-Isles also?" Tony asked.
Maura looked at Jane and Jane smiled back at her, "Yes, Tony I would also be a Rizzoli-Isles, Maura Rizzoli-Isles, I love the sound of that.
"Mama, would you change your name also?" Zoey asked concerned that Jane wouldn't be a Rizzoli-Isles.
"Yes, baby. I would love that if it is okay with mommy."
"Jane, I would love that. One of my goals has always been to have a family and when I met you and Zoey that goal of having a family came true. We are a family, all four of us."
"Mine too, Maur. I just never thought it was possible. I mean I loved Casey but I am in love with you. I don't think I knew what true love was until you came into my life. I want to spend the rest of my life experiencing true love with you." Jane stood up and brought Maura up with her and kissed her passionately.
"Yuck, mama, do you have to do that in front of us." Tony asked as they all laughed. Jane went to the refrigerator and pulled out a small bottle of champagne and two small sparkling ciders and returned to her family to celebrate. Tomorrow they would meet with the lawyer and start the process of becoming the Rizzoli-Isles family officially.