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 7
Jane locked the front door, opened the door between the apartments, and again checked on Maura and Liz.
Maura was awake, and Jane blew a silent kiss at her.
Maura smiled, sleepily, and disentangled herself from Liz, who mumbled but turned around to continue sleeping.
Jane hugged Maura, and tugged her by the hand, pulling over the door between the apartments to muffle any noise from their conversation, allowing Liz to continue asleep for a bit longer – the kid probably had slept poorly for the past five nights spent all alone and cold in the park.
"Did she have another nightmare?"
"Yes… I heard it, and managed to get up without waking you up. I ended up falling asleep with her."
"I saw it…" Jane replied lovingly, kissing Maura deeply, her heart swelling to the mere memory of Maura with Liz sleeping comfortably in her arms.
"You already taste like coffee…" Maura accused, kissing Jane deeply and tasting the coffee while her tongue caressed Jane's.
"Dean has already been by, the minimum I could do was offer him coffee." Jane explained, apologetically, pushing a mug in Maura's direction.
"What did he find out?"
Jane recapped her conversation with Dean to Maura.
"So let me see if I got this straight. She can be either returned to close the case as a missing person, and then she goes to the foster care system – what might mean a remote possibility of adoption or, more likely because of her age, a teen shelter. Or because of what she heard, she could get extended Witsec protection, but then for sure in a Witsec manned teen shelter until she turns eighteen."
"Pretty much it. With the addition that, in returning her as a missing person, we will need to be at least minimally exposed to explain how we found her."
Maura buried her face in her coffee mug, and Jane could almost hear the cogs and wheels on her wife's mind working.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I think we are not considering one other possibility…" Maura offered, shyly, but didn't continue, and Jane could see she was hesitating to voice it out loud.
Jane knew exactly what Maura was thinking about, because she had been thinking the same since the previous day. Since the moment Liz had told them that she knew her parents had two names, one for the world, and one inside the house. And Liz seemed cool with that.
Jane sat by Maura's side, picking Maura's coffee mug from her hand, and placing it by the side table.
Maura curled her legs underneath her own body, and leaned on Jane, cuddling against her. Jane passed an arm around her, and pulled her closer, tightly, to her.
"I think I have considered the other possibility." Jane whispered, kissing Maura.
"You did?" Maura asked, hopeful.
Jane had learned long ago that communication with Maura was key. Be explicit and literal if needed be. But they needed to be on the same page.
"I thought about a possibility where there is no teen shelter for Liz…" Jane began.
"And where she can use one name inside the house, and another one for the world…" Maura continued.
"She would need to get homeschooled, though." Jane reminded Maura.
"I would gladly resign from my job to homeschool her…"
"Are you sure about it? Because I know shit of nothing, so in that aspect I am not really useful." Jane chuckled.
"Language, Jane… And being able to be Maura more hours than only in the evening with you? Hell yes…"
"Your job?"
"I always promised myself that, if one day I became a mother, I would make sure to be a present mother, Jane…"
Not like the distant relationship Maura had with her own mother growing up, Jane thought, but didn't say it out loud.
Jane smiled at her, gently.
"Any kid would be very lucky to have you as their mother…"
"Do you really think so? I mean… Do you think I could be a good mother? I… I don't know a lot about mothering…" Maura asked, suddenly feeling unsure about herself.
"You might not have experienced mothering as a kid, my love… But if you give a kid what you wanted to have had, I am sure there is no way for you to go wrong…" Jane reassured her, lovingly.
"What about you? Would you be okay with having a teenage daughter?" Maura inquired, in a small voice.
"Will it scare the shit out of you if I confess I have been thinking about it since she first turned those huge blue eyes to look at me at the park yesterday?"
Maura chuckled.
"It won't, but only because the same thought crossed my mind at the same time…" Maura sighed, contentedly.
They let a few moments of silence pass between them.
"But we need to explain to her and give her the option. I noticed you did it yesterday. She protected herself, she saved herself, it is only fair she has a say on this decision." Maura explained.
"And we will respect and support her in whatever she decides." Jane confirmed. "Dean also said he will check on the parents' bodies. How would we go about the burial without exposing your identity?"
"I would use one of the non-profits of the foundation that covers humanitarian causes."
"As long as we don't get you in any danger…"
"Yes, there are ways, you don't need to worry about that."
They were in companiable silence, enjoying each other's proximity and warmth, when the door between the apartments, that was just pulled over, opened to reveal a Liz still in her PJs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Good morning…" Maura offered, brightly.
Liz approached them sheepishly.
"I am really sorry for waking you up twice last night…"
"We don't choose to have nightmares, Liz. You have nothing to apologize for." Jane offered, gently, and patted the space in the sofa close to Jane and Maura.
The girl hugged them both good morning, surprising them again. They could apprehend she had likely had a very close relationship with her parents, what was likely making the loss even harder for her.
"Are you hungry? I am about to get breakfast going…"
"Hmmm… Yes…"
"Anything in particular you are fancying this morning?"
"It is Sunday… So scrambled eggs and toast?"
"Sure. Do you drink milk with it? Orange juice? Tea?"
"Milk with chocolate if you have it."
"It can be arranged." Jane turned to Maura. "What about you, Dory, what is your breakfast order?"
"I will just have yogurt, granola and some fruit, with orange juice, thank you, Jane…"
Jane stood, and Liz found herself cuddling against Maura. Jane observed from the kitchen aisle, her heart swelling with love and pride.
As the smell of scrambled eggs spread, Maura and Liz stood up to get the table set. They ate in companiable silence, enjoying the lazy Sunday morning.