Author's Note: Hey lovelies! This chapter is a little bit of an interlude... It's a rather introspective chapter as I felt that a couple of things needed to be established before anything bigger happened (you can probably guess what!)

Just a heads up, there's two chapters at most of this fic left and then there'll be an epilogue. I'll save any drawn out long speeches for the last chapter but I just want to say thank you in advance for sticking by me through my drawn out saga of slow updates and the twists and turns in this strange little story I can call my own.

Your feedback is much appreciated as always! Enjoy the chapter!

It had been a quiet couple of weeks and the detective and the medical examiner were sat side by side on the couch. Surprisingly to the doctor, it was her couch. In her living room. The room that from the night of the dinner party, Jane had been filling with positive memories. It had started with a Red Sox game- just her and Jane, but as they often did, the Rizzoli's filtered into her house (their house) and had periodically taken their usual seats. Soon it was a bustling room filled with beer and pretzels and noise. And for once, Maura couldn't be more thankful. It meant she was surrounded by family and all it took was a familiar smile from her partner or a simple 'you okay?' to affirm that.

A couple of days later it was her wife bringing home take-out from her favourite downtown Italian restaurant. The detective had clearly visited it especially, sensing the doctor's frustration at having to leave work early. To the rest of the world, five p.m was a more than adequate time to depart from work but for the doctor and arguably the rest of the precinct, it was unlikely and unrealistic. With only two weeks until the baby was due, the doctor had been advised by the precinct to begin her maternity leave early, however she knew she would go stir crazy if she was cooped up at home for the entire time. She settled instead for gentler hours- ten until five and an assistant. The terms had exasperated Jane but the detective knew there wasn't going to be a better offer from her partner so she reluctantly agreed. Maura Isles loved her job and it was as simple as that.

The third day her living room began to feel like home was an evening she had shared on the couch with the detective. The pair had comfortably nestled together with a blanket across their legs and watched Maura's favourite discovery channel documentaries. She'd selected her top three and Jane had only complained ten to twelve times, a new personal best. She could tell by the detective's smile though, that she wouldn't rather be anywhere else. Maura barely noticed the chip in the wall now.

So here they were sat, it being Sunday once again and the pair failing to change out of their pyjamas despite the late afternoon hour. The room really did feel comfortable again and the room was starting to properly feel like home. She didn't need to thank the detective as she could tell that Jane knew. The feeling of the brunette's gaze upon her as silences elapsed told Maura she detective would either softly smile afterwards or wordlessly take her hand. She always knew what Maura needed.

The doctor stretched her comfortable limbs and yawned before staring blankly at the muted television. They'd been watching old movies all afternoon before eventually muting the television to nap and chat. It seemed to be how their afternoons spent together went these days.

"You enjoying pyjama life, Doctor Isles?" Jane smirked.

Maura looked at her with amusement. "Doctor Isles? You've not called me that in a while."

"It's nice to resort back our origins once in a while."

"I suppose it is, Detective," she retorted. Jane smiled. "And I am very much so. Pyjamas are exceptionally comfortable."

"Agreed." The detective settled back against the sofa and rest her hands across her midriff. As she often did, the detective was wearing a white tank top and a pair of cotton pyjama bottoms. As much as she enjoyed the luxurious nature of Maura's silk pyjama sets, she found them much too warm so often stuck to her roots- even if the doctor did reprimand the worn state of her pants rather often. "I wanted to ask you something," Jane began, "And please don't get mad."

Maura looked at her with interest. "What is it?"

The detective considered her words for a moment, wondering how to broach a topic she feared could upset her partner. "Well it seems that Korsak and...Carolyn," Jane winced slightly before gingerly continuing, "have sorted things out. They did a lot of talking these past few weeks. At lot about what happened between the two of you, actually, and Korsak thinks he can forgive her. I get it if you didn't want to, Maur, entirely, of course, but do you think you could ever forgive her?" Jane grimaced as she awaited a response, knowing the ridiculousness of the question already. Carolyn didn't deserve Maura's forgiveness, Jane was well aware of that. This wasn't just about them though. It was about Korsak's happiness so it was something that had to be considered. He was too close of a friend for them to just cut out of their lives for who he'd fallen for. Even if she was the embodiment of the devil.

Maura frowned, not expecting to ever even think about that woman again. From the moment Carolyn had left her office that horrible evening, Maura had been using all her might to forget. "I take it he loves her?" She didn't mean to sound so dejected. She only realised she did so by Jane's knowing expression and the woman's warm hands comfortably taking hers.

"I think so, Maura. I think she'd be history if not. You know how much he cares about you."

The doctor nodded, still a little startled by this whole conversation. "I suppose that means I should forgive her then shouldn't I?" Her brow furrowed again.

Jane shook her head. "Not unless you want to. Maura, if you never want to see this woman again then I totally get it. I more than get it. We could burrow away in a new middle class neighbourhood and become antisocial lesbians who read. I could read couldn't I?" She grinned.

Maura's lips curled fondly. "As fun as that sounds, I think we should stay in our own middle-class neighbourhood. The people are rude here and unfriendly," She smiled, "And they'll accuse of taking their bins and their husbands whilst simultaneously telling us how our relationship is ruining their community..." She sighed fondly. "We have so much to look forward to!"

"Sounds fantastic!" Jane mock grinned. "Do you mean that though? You want to stay here with Carolyn and Korsak and the precinct?"

Maura nodded and squeezed the woman's hands. "Our family's here, Jane. We're not going anywhere. And my relationship with Carolyn will probably take time to heal, a long time, but if it's in exchange for Korsak's happiness then I'd like to try."

Jane looked at her with adoration. It was moments like this that she wanted to propose. Wanted to retrieve the ring she had hidden in her safe, her grandmother Carla's ring, and propose. She wouldn't though. She had a plan and she was determined to execute it. All she wanted was for it to be one of the most special moments of Maura's life. "Did I ever tell you that you're one of the kindest people I've ever encountered?"

The doctor blushed and shrugged. "You may have mentioned it once or twice." As Jane leant forward, she met the detective's lips in a brief but warm kiss. One that still made her heart ache with warmth and acceptance. She hoped the feeling would never leave.

"Well, as far as the Carolyn thing goes, I've got your back, okay? You wanna hate her, I'll hate her. You wanna like her, I'll like her." Jane winced slightly. "Well, like is a strong word. We'll see."

"Let's just take this one day at a time. And I appreciate you having my back, Jane. It's a little less scary knowing that."

The brunette planted a kiss on her temple. "I'm glad. Now how about we make some grilled cheese? I think me and Carla are super hungry."

The doctor rolled her eyes as she rubbed her stomach. "Are you now?"

Later that evening, the doctor and the detective lay in bed side by side. The room was mostly dark bar a small lamp in the far corner casting a small glow on the furnishings. Both women had been encompassed by their own thoughts for some time now as they mulled over how soon everything was about to change. It felt quite literally like the calm before the storm.

Jane rolled onto her side and took the medical examiner's palm in her own. It caused Maura to glance over with interest. "Hm?" She asked.

The brunette's lips curled. "Just thinking about the baby." Maura smiled softly and rest her other hand on what she now considered to be an enormous bump. They'd had to go maternity shopping for the second time during Maura's pregnancy. Even the clothing the doctor had selected to last her to the end of her third trimester having grown too small. Oh, the joy was unrelenting...

"Anything in particular?" The doctor asked.

"How she's already changed everything. She brought us together."

Maura nodded, still in shock at how recent that first argument felt that and Jane had had over the pregnancy so long ago. She'd had no idea how much Jane had been hurting a the time and she didn't think Jane quite understood how much she had been either. Thankfully, it had served to bring them closer together. After surviving the whole Nathan ordeal together, she felt they were quite literally indestructible. As was their precious daughter, the child determined to stay with them. "We're in this for the long haul now," Maura said softly. "The three of us, okay?"

Jane grinned, her features illuminated by the soft light. "I can't wait to see you hold her. I don't think I'll be able to handle it, Maur. Not while knowing she's ours."

"You think I'll be able to handle looking at the two of you? It's all I've ever wanted, Jane. You. And a family of our own. A family I can actually call my own and be proud of."

"Maura, we're already a family. We didn't need a baby to prove that. My mother truly considers you a daughter, Maur. She's not kidding around when she says that." The detective tucked a strand of golden hair behind the woman's ear before retracting her hand.

Maura's smile faltered slightly at the gravity of what Jane was saying. All she'd wanted for her entire life was to have a family she felt secure in. Somewhere where she truly belonged and felt irreplaceable. Of course she loved her adoptive parents, that was unquestionable, but they'd never quite managed to mollify the aching feeling in her heart. She'd longed for love and acceptance since she was a small child and even upon finding her new family, her birth mother and half-sister, she'd still not felt as such. It was only recently, with the relentless assurances of Jane and all of the Rizzoli's that yes, they truly did find her an imperative member of the family and truly accepted her for all she was, quirky traits and all. It was only recently that she finally felt she belonged somewhere. Maura didn't know if it was partially down to her heightened pregnancy hormones but it felt utterly overwhelming recently in the most elating way. She couldn't contain how joyful she felt and she utilised the feeling to overcome all of her fears of inadequacy, of panic, or the fear of abandonment. She just had to hold onto the feeling and she felt grounded again. Reminding herself as such caused a tear to slip from her lashes.

Jane's brow furrowed as she watched the tear fall, a soft wave of panic flowing through her body. Although her words had been the truth, she feared she'd said to much and overwhelmed the woman. She never wanted Maura to feel tied down by her family, hell, they'd completely smothered her these last few months. "I-I'm sorry if we're smothering you, Maur. You just have to say and we'd back off," She said worriedly. She hated including herself in that proposal, it was the last thing she wanted but she didn't want Maura to feel trapped, not ever. However, she wasn't entirely sure that her family would know how to back off if they tried. They adored Maura far too much.

Maura sat up in astonishment at her words, pulling Jane's hand with her. "I don't want that at all!" She said quickly. "I don't want any of you to back off! Jane you're my partner and you're her mother and they're our family." Tears escaped from her eyes. They weren't tears of panic, they were tears of relief at the fact that yes, they really were her family.

Although the majority of her fears felt quelled, Jane still had an undeniable sense of uneasiness. "You're not panicking? You're crying."

"Jane, I'm crying because I'm happy." She cupped the woman's cheeks. "It's a lot to absorb, having a full family. I'm not-not really a normal person," Maura chuckled slightly, Queen of the Dead coming to mind. She heard it in her head with a lot less malice now. "I'm a lot to take on with my quirks and my over-sharing and well, my- my attachment issues but I can tell that you guys really want me and that means a lot. It means more than I could ever put into words."

Jane often forgot the extent of Maura's doubt. The woman's exuberance, flawless style and incontestable intelligence could often make Jane overlook the doctor's insecurity and how she longed for a home. Yes, it appeared, sporadically, like her adoptive mother's birthdays (the woman would scarcely touch down in the states for her birthday, let alone visit Maura) or every time a new lab tech who Jane would frankly like to punch would make a Doctor Death-esque comment to Maura, in jest or not, and Maura's eyes would cloud over a little for a moment that Jane saw. But the woman would always recover with a failed attempt at a witty comment or an adorkable scientific analogy and the moment would pass. The woman's vulnerability and her nature of unconditionally loving everyone is partly why Jane loved her so much. It was why Jane knew she was going to make the most amazing mother.

"Of course we want you," Jane met her eye warmly. "Your quirks are why you're so special and heck, everyone has attachment issues of some kind, Maura. I didn't move out of my mother's house until I was twenty-four. I'd say that's attachment issues if I ever saw them." She received a chuckled from the woman at that. "I adore you and neither I nor any of the insufferable Rizzoli's are going anywhere."

Maura smiled widely and leant forward to meet the woman's lips. It was the final reassurance she needed. She had a secure partner, a loving family and she was a damn fine medical examiner. All she wanted now was her child.

"Perhaps I should call her Carolyn," Maura said into the darkness some time later.

"Maura!" Jane leapt to the woman's side exasperatedly poking her sides and peppering her cheeks with kisses. It would be a long night.

Author's Note: :) Hope you enjoyed the fluff-fest! (I can't help myself.)