DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles nor any of the characters from the show. I am writing this purely for entertainment, not profit. Rizzoli and Isles are property of Tess Gerritsen and TNT.
Please find the full disclaimers in the beginning of Chapter 1.
Chapter 8
When they met again in the living room out of their PJs and ready for the day, Jane had agreed with Maura it was time to share some of Dean's findings with Liz. And they were surprised by how the young girl seemed to be in control.
"Have you already heard from your friend?" Liz asked, quietly, after she sat on the sofa when she saw Maura and Jane entering the room.
"Yes… He stopped by while you were asleep."
"Will you tell me what you found out? And what we need to do?"
"Yes." Jane confirmed. She sat on one side of Liz, leaning her back against one arm of the sofa, her long legs folded in lotus position. And Maura did the same on the other side. So Liz was seating between them, and she immediately mimicked the lotus position, what made Maura and Jane chuckle.
"The police were able to track and arrest the two people who killed your parents, Liz. And these two people also incriminated the original criminals your parents had witnessed years ago. They were also arrested. And they are all waiting for judgement, without bail."
"What does that mean?" Liz tilted her head to one side.
"It means they can't pay to stay out of prison until judgement."
"Oh, those are good news…" Liz sounded a bit relieved.
"They are, considering the circumstances."
"Did your friend tell you if I have other relatives that I haven't met because of the secrecy?"
"You really don't have any close relatives. Your parents were only children, and their parents all died when your parents were relatively young."
The girl nodded, pensively.
"What will happen to my parents? To their bodies, I mean? Will they bury them? I… I don't want them to be used in studies…" the girls shuddered, two fat tears finding their way through her cheeks.
"We already asked our friend to help us take care of that… We should learn more later today." Maura explained, gently.
"You did? Thank you… Oh… Thank you…" the girl leaned forward, hugging Maura, and straightening up again, her hands wiping the tears from her cheeks, trying some semblance of self-control. "What happens to me now? Do they put me for adoption? I never heard of anyone adopting a grown up of almost twelve-year-old anyway… What happens if I am not adopted?"
"Slow down, Liz, breathe." Maura offered, gently. "There a few alternative paths, and we want to explain them to you."
"Okay." Liz responded, serious, her eyes alternating between Maura and Jane.
"Right now, police have you listed as missing. The killers had no idea you were in the house, you were not in their radar, you were not the target. So, the first alternative is to go to the police, so they can close the case of you as a missing person, and then the police will work with Child Services to put you in the foster system. It means you would be put to adoption, and in the meanwhile would be in a teen shelter, attending regular school and going back to the shelter where other kids in a similar situation live. If you are not adopted until you are eighteen, you get emancipated at age eighteen."
"Got it. This is alternative one." Liz nodded her head.
"Yes. Alternative two involves we contacting the witness protection officers in charge for your parents case. Explain you heard the shots – they don't know about that yet. In that case, they will likely assign you a new identity, and you don't go to the foster system. Instead, you go to a teen shelter manned by Witsec, and is homeschooled with other teens in Witsec until you turn eighteen and move to Witsec yourself."
Liz just nodded again, biting her lower lip, and Maura and Jane could see she was thinking and considering the options in her head.
"By the way, you don't need to decide this minute. Take your time to think about what you want to do."
"And those are the two alternatives I have, right?"
"Well… There is a third alternative…" Jane began, looking at Maura and seeing Maura beaming on the other side of the sofa, nodding softly for Jane to continue.
"I am listening…"
"But before I can explain you this third alternative, I need to tell you something that is a big, important secret. A secret very, very similar to the secret your parents carried…"
Liz knotted her eyebrows, not understanding.
"Can you promise to keep that secret? We need to tell you about it so you can fully understand and judge the third alternative knowing all the implications of it."
"I promise." Liz offered, solemnly raising her hand, and doing the scout's sign.
Jane exhaled, before continuing. "You see, Liz… Dory… Dory is not her name. It is her name for the rest of the world, like Claire was your mom's name for the rest of the world. But her real name, the one we typically use when we are alone in the house, the name she was born into and known to everyone before she had to assume a new identity to protect her life and her safety, is Maura."
Liz tilted her head, looking at Maura.
"Did you also see something really bad in the past, Maura?" Liz tried her name for the first time, and Maura smiled happily hearing it said that way.
"I saw a lot of bad things in the past, Liz. But what put my life at risk was nothing that I saw, but who my biological father was." Maura smiled sadly at her. "It is a long story. Just like you, in theory I am safe now. But we know someone might always try to revenge something my biological father did. So I chose to keep my alternative identity for safety and protection."
Liz nodded.
"I understand. So what is this third alternative?"
"We… well… We… Maura and I… we always wanted to be parents. But Maura, she can't lie. You will notice I am always the one who says her name is Dory. If she lies, she breaks up in hives, and if she keeps the lie, she passes out. It is endearing, but it is a big problem for someone who lives with two identities as you learned with your mom and dad. When we learned that you were already used to dealing with two identities, we thought there might be a third alternative. We work with Witsec so they know the truth that you were in the house during your parents' murder. But instead of going to a Witsec teen shelter, we would work with them to adopt you, under a new name. Maura is a genius, as you learned last night, so she could easily homeschool you like your mother did. You would need to continue living this dual life, though."
Liz nodded again, pensive.
"Hmmm. Mom always taught me to begin my choices by weeding out alternatives. So alternative two is not really an option, because pros or cons don't make it swing either way. It is either alternative one, where I go back to a normal life, no more secrets, but that means being placed for adoption, and if not adopted I live in a teen shelter. Or alternative three, where you adopt me and I go back to having a family, I get a new identity, and continue homeschooled and living in secrecy."
Maura and Jane were just observing Liz. They didn't want to influence her one way or another. Because both Maura and Jane knew the weight of living the double life. It was not a light choice to make. But they also knew it was not a light choice to make to decide being on your own versus having a family, even if it was a very nuclear basic family.
"And you would be willing to adopt me, a grown up instead of a cute baby? Knowing all the bad things that happened to me?" Liz asked, a bit skeptical.
"You are not the things that happened to you, Liz. You are smart, bright, resourceful, warm, you are your own person. If that would be your choice, we would be honored to become your parents." Maura offered.
"And, as we said. You don't need to decide immediately. Take your time. We know it is not an easy decision to make. Freedom versus secrecy is a steep tool to pay."
Liz nodded, before adding, with a gentle smile towards them. "But so is loneliness versus family. Even if it is a small secret family."
"We don't want to brainwash you, Liz, or to influence your decision one way or another. You can always be adopted in a freedom scenario, just not by us because of our secret condition. But there might be parents out there that are willing, like we are, to adopt a grown up. So take some time to think about it. You are safe here while you do so, ok? There is no hurry. And we will support you in any decision you make." Jane reinforced, standing up and kissing the girl's temple, and Maura did the same.