The detective zooms around the field, arms outstretched like a plane, and the little girl blonde hair waving in the breeze giggles madly from her shoulders. "Fast fast! Plane!" she cries, throwing her own arms out like her mother. "Mama! plane!"
The doctor sets Sofia down on the blanket she's spread out, and looks up at her wife and child, shaking her head. "Jane, be careful!" she calls, but Jane laughs and zooms faster, pulling a delighted shriek from the girl on her shoulders.
"Mommy look!" Isabelle cries, and she flaps her arms like a bird.

Maura chuckles, kneeling down, "tell Mama, stop it!" she says to the little girl next to her. "dile tu mama ven aqui!"
Two serious brown eyes meet Maura's before shifting out on to the field.
"Mama! Parralo!" Sofia cries, bringing her hand down through the air in one swift motion.

Jane stops dead, just as Maura knew she would. "Mama come! food!" Sofia says.
Jane pulls Isabelle off of her shoulders and sets her on the ground, and together they make their way to where Maura and Sofia are siting, picnic basket already open.

As soon as Jane sits down, Sofia scrambles into her lap, reaching up to tug at her long hair. "Mamamama," she says contentedly, and Jane bends to kiss the little girl's forehead. "what did Mommy pack for lunch hmm?" she asks, reaching towards the picnic basket, but Maura swats her away, "Not yet!" she scolds, "We're waiting for your mother, your brothers and Barry."

Jane pulls a face, and nudges Sofia who glances at her and tries to do the same. Maura tries to stay stern, but can't help the upward twitch of her lips. "honestly. you two. Not until the rest of the family gets here."

"tio viene aqui?" Sofia asks up to her mother. Much more than Isabelle she's picked up the Spanish, and Jane has to admit it makes her proud, even if she doesn't always know what her daughter is asking.

But this time she does. "Yes," she replies. "Both your uncles are coming today," and she glances at Maura who smiles reassuringly. "Are you excited to meet Uncle Tommy?"

Sofia contemplates her mother's face, clearly trying to decide if this is something she should be excited about or not.

Jane smiles down at her, "mommy and I are really excited." Though Maura looks more sick.

"And Bella!" Isabelle pipes up, never one to be left out.

"And Isabelle too," Jane chuckles. "Are you excited Fee?"

Sofia nods, but doesn't smile.

Sofia comes first. Of course she does, she's Jane's, and the shock of black hair gives her away immediately. She comes into the world quickly, screaming and waving her fists just like her mother, and Jane has trouble cutting the umbilical cord for the tears in her eyes.

"It's a girl, Maur," She says, coming around to put her hand against her wife's sweaty cheek. "She's beautiful."

They weigh her and wrap her and bring her to her mother and she screams the entire time. First born. Pissed.

Jane presses a kiss to the tiny little forehead and hands her to Maura, who looks down at the wide open mouth, the eyes crinkled shut. So angry.

"Sweet girl," Maura whispers, tracing a cheek with her finger and the baby is quiet immediately.

Like she already knows.

...

Isabelle waits four more long hours before making her appearance, and then she slips into the world without a sound. It's only when the doctor gives her one firm slap on the behind, that she opens her mouth and wails, letting everyone know that she is just as capable as her sister.

Jane cuts the rubbery little cord like a pro this time, though her eyes are still full of tears, and when they bring her this little girl, quiet again, face calm and serene, Jane doesn't bother to try to stop them as they roll down her cheeks.

"Isabelle," she says quietly, and the girl opens one sea foam eye to look up at her mother like, 'what is with all the commotion."

She moves over to Maura, who has Sofia flush against her chest. They look at each other, neither really knowing what to say.
"You are amazing, Maur," Jane shifts so she can reach out and take her wife's hand. "You are amazing and I love you so much."

Maura smiles up at her, eyes glassy. "Look at our girls. Aren't they perfect?"

Our girls.

Jane can't even nod.

Jane had been right about genes. It is instantly possible to tell who the biological mother is of each girl. Sofia is Jane in miniature, skinny and long and delicate looking, with one perfect little dimple on her left cheek.

Isabelle is shorter, chubbier, with tight blonde curls and and blue green eyes. She has her mother's sharp nose, and hands, and smile.

But their personalities are very much their own, and now that they are standing and walking and speaking, like people, Jane and Maura are beginning to meet them all over again, like familiar little strangers living in their house.

"Maybe we're wrong," Jane says now, watching as Isabelle runs after Jo Friday and Sofia stops to prod at something on the ground. "Maybe Sofia is yours and Isabelle is mine."
Maura lies back on the blanket, closing her eyes. She understands that Jane is worried about this because she is worried about her own genes, and how they might hinder that child, but she honestly can't make herself care very much. "Jane," she says, eyes still closed, and Jane sighs.

"I know, I know, but I can still worry about it right?"

"You are wonderfully bright and observant and talent-"

But Jane's sharp intake of breath makes Maura's eyes fly open, "what?"

"Nothing. Isabelle fell over, no don't look. You know she'll just burst into tears...she's fine...Fee is helping her up."

Maura sits up slowly and glances over at her children. Isabelle is standing very still and Sofia is walking around her in a circle.

"What are they..."

"shh," Jane says, "They just started doing this, just watch."

Sofia circles Isabelle one more time, her eyes intense, searching, and then she gives a satisfied grunt, and takes her sister's hand, pulling her after the little dog.

"Oh my god," Maura says, her eyes wide.

"I know. I don't know where it came from but they've been doing it for like a week now. Any time the other one falls or cries or anything. It's so-"
"I know exactly where it's from," Maura says, starting to laugh. "remember when I fell over that awful train set Barry got them? You did exactly that. Circled me to make sure I was okay and then pulled me into the kitchen to get ice."

Jane nods, a smile creeping over her features.

"See?" Maura says, pushing herself to her feet to go after them because they are starting to get a little far away for her liking. "How can you even ask if she's yours."

"Wait," Jane says, holding Maura back from going after them. She whistles to Jo Friday, who turns and starts back towards the blanket, and both pursuing children turn too, giggling, hand in hand.

"Your turn"

"No. It most definitely is not. I was up at one."

"Yes you were...yesterday."

"No...oh, oh my God, really? Was that yesterday?"

"Yes. It's your turn. Milk is in the fridge."

"If Isabelle would shut up, they would both sleep through the night."

"That's Fia. And we'd just have to wake them anyway."

"It is not, I bet you money. And I don't understand why we have to wake them just to feed them."

"Jane. If I wake fully up, then the whole point of turns..."

"Finne."

Maura feels the bed dip and listens as Jane's feet pad away down the hall.

"Hi ladies," She hears her say through the monitor, "Hi my lovely girls, are you hungry?" The crying stops abruptly, and there is silence for a moment, until Maura hears Jane in the kitchen. She rolls over and tries to go back to sleep, and maybe she succeeds because when she is next aware of being conscious, she hears Jane's voice floating in through the monitors.

"nights are long dreams are cold, when they're all you wake up to. But should you rise with crying eyes, then I'll care of you. So let them talk about us, let them call us funny things, people sometimes do, oh I don't care as long you know I love you...and you know I do. I'll be there, though you might not see me. it's never easy to get through. but when the laughter dies away. Then I'll take care of you...darling I'll take care of you."

It's a sweet melody, one that Maura has never heard before, but Jane seems to be full of them recently, and her voice is easy and confident like her laugh, Maura closes her eyes and smiles, letting the lullaby soothe her back to sleep as well.

"Nona!" Isabelle spots Angela before the rest of them, and she struggles up to her feet and races off, Jane getting up and following after them, Sofia on her hip. Angela beams as she rushes forward and sweeps the little girl up into her arms,
"Oh, my God, she's so big!" she says leaning forward to kiss Jane. "hi Sofia, honey," She says kissing the little girl in Jane's arms.

"I know, right? It's like she's got a hollow leg the way she's eating."

Angela nods, "You were like that around this age. Turned into a little tubber," she says, laughing as Jane rolls her eyes.

"And then you just stretched like putty." Jane smiles, but glances around looking for the other figure that should be there.

"Where's Tommy?"

"Getting the food out of the car," Angela says, "I think he's a little nervous."

"who Mama?" Isabelle says from Angela's arms. "Who's new bus?"

"My brother, sweetheart," Jane says, "Remember you're meeting your other uncle today?"

"He's new bus?"

"He's nervous, yes," Jane responds, visited by a sudden idea, "Let's go help him get the stuff out of the car. See if we can shake those nerves out of him."

Isabelle squirms to be let down, and after one more noisy kiss, Angela releases her. She starts to run towards the parking lot.
"Isabelle Alessandra!" Jane says, and her daughter stops dead, looking over her shoulder with a knowing, guilty look.

Angela laughs into her hand. "Yes. That's definitely your daughter," she says, before heading off towards the blanket, where Maura has begun laying out the food they brought.

Jane lets the door slam behind her, "I'm home!" she calls down the entry way, dropping her keys on the table by the door, "Maur?"

In the kitchen a baby wails, followed quickly by the other and Maura's frustrated moan rings down the hall, "uuugh, Jane Rizzoli I am going to kill you."

"Uh oh," Jane breathes, bending to pet Jo Friday, "Why didn't you warn me? You could have emailed, texted, something," She whispers, then straightens up and heads into the kitchen.

As soon as Isabelle sees her, she starts to scream louder, reaching out her pudgy little hands. Jane scoops her up out of her little bouncer and looks at Maura, "Hey. I'm home," she says.

"And they were almost asleep until you banged your way in the door."

"I'm really so-"

"You're also late. So Sofia's cranky, because she doesn't go down without that song you sing about giraffes, and if she's up,"

"Isabelle's up, I know Maur, I'm really-"

"Are you Jane? Are you really sorry? Can you be less sorry and more on time?"

Jane raises her eyebrows and doesn't say anything. She just sways back and forth with Isabelle, who calms. Sofia goes quiet too.

"JANE? Can you answer me at all?"

"What? Maur, I'm really sorry I'm late. I didn't mean to slam the door, but look, no one's crying anymore." She looks up and realizes she is wrong. Maura is crying, big tears leaking out of her green eyes. She turns away.

"Oh. No, Maur, Beautiful, hey." Jane sets Isabelle back down in her bouncer, waiting for a beat. When Isabelle doesn't cry, she turns to her wife,"Maura I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

But Maura waves her away, "It's fine, Jane. I'm not mad at you. I'm just so..."

"Tired?" Jane wraps her arms around Maura from behind, moving her hair so that she can kiss the back of her neck. Maura nods. "I know. I fell asleep today at my desk. I can't even imagine how you're feeling."

"I came to the precinct today," Maura says.

"Huh?"

"I came, but I didn't bring my badge or anything because Liam knows who I am..."

"Oh," Jane spins Maura to place a kiss on her forehead, "They replaced Liam like a month ago."

"So I found out," she sighs. "And you don't complain about the new Medical Examiner nearly as much as you used to..."

"Oh, honey," Jane pulls Maura closer.

"I love them so much Jane, I love being home on maternity leave, but, what if you're replacing me at work. What if when I go back-"

"Shush. That's ridiculous. I have just been quiet about work because I didn't want to make you feel bad. But I hate that bitch ME in your spot. She is awful. I will tell you daily, now."

Maura smiles and leans her head against Jane's chest.

"Don't swear, Jane."

"You remember what I told you, Fia?" She asks, setting her daughter down. Sofia crinkles her brow and then nods. "You want to? You don't have to you know."

But the little girl shakes her head, determined, and looks over to where Tommy is pulling Tupperware out of the car. "Tio?" she checks. Jane nods and Sofia sets off towards her uncle.

"wait! Fee!" Isabelle calls, trying to go after her sister, but Jane scoops her up.

"Hold on nugget, just a sec." They watch as Sofia walks right up to Tommy, unabashed and tugs on his pants.

"Mistah. Got a dollah?" Tommy shakes his head, and glances down at Sofia. He does a double and then a triple take. And then he just stares at her, his mouth open a little, and Jane knows he's seeing what she sees when she dresses the Sofia everymorning. Herself. Shrunk down.

Tommy kneels down so that he's eye to eye with her, "You're Sofia," he says quietly and she nods.

"You're tio. did you get a good trip? did you get better?"

Tommy opens his mouth and shuts it again. Jane lowers Isabelle to the ground. "Go on, nugget, she says," and Isabelle races forward, throwing herself at Tommy when she gets close enough. "UNC!" she cries and Jane holds her breath, letting it out when Tommy catches her instinctively, pulling her protectively against his chest. She hugs him the way only a toddler can. Tight and unashamedly. Like he's never done anything wrong in the world. After a moment he pulls her back. "Isabelle," he says, and Jane hears tears. She moves forward.

"Nona says you are new bus. And Mama said we come shake them away, okay?"

Tommy looks up as Jane gets closer, and he stands, Isabelle still in his arms.

"Hey brother," she says, and Sofia pulls at her until she bends and picks her up.

"Jane. Holy shi-ower. Cow. Holy cow," he says as Jane glares at him and he tries to fix his swear. "She looks just like you."

"Bella too!" says Isabelle from Tommy's arms, and he looks at her, a goofy sort of smile on his face.

"Do you need help?" He looks at the bags of food.
"Uh, No, I think I can manage," he moves to put Isabelle down, but she clings to him like a monkey.
"No uncle," she says like she's talking to Jo Friday, "no down." He laughs, and waves Jane away when she moves forward to help.

"No. It's okay, I got it, And shifting Isabelle to one arm, he lifts both bags of food with the other."

"Tio looks like you, Mama," Sofia whispers as they make their way back towards the picnic spot.

"That's because he's my brother. Like you and Iz are sisters."

Sofia thinks. "You were in mommy's tummy?"

"We were in Nona's tummy. But not at the same time."

This seems to be enough for Sofia, and Jane is grateful, because she's not sure she could explain it much deeper.

When they get to the field, Isabelle squirms to get down and she speeds off towards the blanket, Sofia in pursuit, the two of them nearly knocking Maura over.

Tommy chuckles and glances at Jane. "Hey, thanks for…you know. Setting this up."

"It would have been sooner, but you kept saying you weren't ready," Jane says, "I was beginning to think you didn't want to meet your nieces."

"It wasn't that at all," Tommy says, rubbing his head with his newly free hand. "I just. I want them to be proud of me."

"They're three T. They're not really proud of anything."

"I don't want them to be afraid of me." He says, and Jane doesn't answer, because she has no retort for that. She is not afraid of her brother so much as she is afraid of what he will do. Of what could happen when she's gone. But Maura, though she would never admit it, is afraid of Tommy. And there's nothing that either of them can do to fix that.

"It's going to take time, with Maura, Tommy. It's just going to take time."

He nods, and swallows, and Jane continues, "but Isabelle already loves you. And Fia takes a minute to warm up to anyone, so the fact that she came over to you without me says a ton."

He stops walking abruptly, so Jane stops too.

"Jane I'm gonna try so hard," he says, and she gapes at him as a tear slips down his cheek. "Just…tell Maura later okay, I'm not gonna go near her today, or any day until one of you tells me it's okay, just like you said."

"Tommy…"

"No. I just. I'm gonna try real hard to be a good uncle. And brother. I'm real sorry. For everything."

Jane hugs him. She's never been able to say the things she wanted to say to him. Not when he was eight, or eighteen, or now, as he's catching up to 30, but she tries to put it in the hug, so that he understands.

"Come On, Mama." Sofia's impatient voice is so much like Jane's that all of the adults laugh.

And Tommy picks the bags of food up again, wiping his eyes with this arm.

"MAURA! MAURA Get in here, NOW!" Jane screams, and a second later Maura skids around the corner, her first aid kit in her hand, eyes wild.
"what. Wha-" she looks around the room frantically for the blood or the missing limb that is surely the cause of her wife's scream. But Jane is standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking at something. Maura comes to peek over her shoulder.

Both girls are in the middle of the floor, and Isabelle is standing, unaided.

Maura gasps, "Is she walking?"

Jane nods. "She can but Fia can't yet and it's making her mad…watch"

As she says this, Isabelle takes three wobbly steps and goes to look behind her. Fia scoots after her, mouth open as if to say "how are you doing that?"

Isabelle tries to take another step, but over balances and falls. Sofia scoots up to her and they sit for a moment, looking at each other, perplexed.

Jane wraps her arms around Maura, kissing the side of her head. "Fia's so close," she whispers.
"I want her to figure it out so bad."

Maura nods absently, enthralled.

With nothing to pull herself up on, but eager to try again, Isabelle uses the only thing near her: her sister. She pushes up on her sister's head, until her feet are underneath her. Unfortunately this sends Sofia head first to the floor and she lets out a wail that surprises Isabelle so much that she tumbles over too.

Laughing, Jane and Maura move to scoop up their children.

"You were walking!" Jane says, nuzzling Isabelle until she giggles. "Such a good job, Izzy!"

Maura bounces Sofia, who has buried her face in her neck, humming tunelessly. She feels at her head, but smiles after a moment, "You're fine, baby girl. You're just fine."

Jane grins at Maura, but it quickly turns into a grimace. "Oh, no, Maur," she says, as the doctor nods, mirroring her expression, realizing the same thing. .

"I know...We're mobile."

Frost and Frankie come soon after, and the afternoon passes in a sort of haze of bliss. Both women are back at work, and so it is rare that they all get together like this. Frankie has brought the girls a Tiny little wiffle ball and bat, and they gallop out into the middle of the field after him to learn. To everyone's Isabelle picks it up much faster than Sofia, but she leaves after a little while, and flops into Jane's lap with a sigh.

"That game is so borin' Mama," She complains, and Jane laughs.

Sofia stays out in the field with Frankie close to an hour. her dark little features set in grim determination. "Okay, okay," Jane concedesb quietly, when Maura pokes her and points. "I see it." She kisses her cheek, and leans back onto the grass, Isabelle curled on top of her like a cat, sound asleep.

She overhears Frost talking to Tommy about jobs.
"It's just something part time, like 30 hours a week," Frost is saying, and For a moment, Maura is furious, thinking that Tommy has lost another job that his sister has managed to get him, but then Tommy speaks.

"Part time is perfect. I'll pick up some hours on my days off from the construction site. I wanna get a place where They can visit. If they want to."

"That's a good goal, man." Frost says noncommittally, and Maura feels a rush of affection for him. For how he is still angry over an action that was years ago.

She is about to go speak to them, to tell Tommy that she thinks it's a good goal too, maybe, when her phone buzzes. She sighs and turns away from the men, seeing that Jane is sitting up carefully, Isabelle still asleep on her chest, reaching for her phone too.

"Don't worry," Angela is saying. "I can take them. Don't worry."

Out in the field, Frankie is walking towards them, Sofia in his arms, awake but looking pretty sleepy.

"Rizzoli," She hears Jane almost whisper as she puts her own phone to her ear.

"Isles."

It's a Sunday. Maura pushes the door open, hearing the blaring of the game in the living room. She doesn't call out. She is going to go in there and catch Jane in the act. Explain to her why TV at such high decibels is wrong for their children. How a one year old's brain is still learning to processes sound and information and...

But she rounds the corner and there's Jane, sitting in the middle of the couch, two little girls propped up by pillows on either side. Maura enters from behind and Jane is so caught up in the game that she doesn't see her. She's got a bowl of baby food in one hand, spoon in the other, Jane leans towards Isabelle, spoon stretching out, but her head doesn't turn from the television.

On the screen is a football game, and one man, with the football tight in his arms, breaks free and sprints down the field.

"c'mon c'mon c'mon YES!" Jane lifts both her hands baby food and all into the air. "Touchdown Pats!"

Both girls call out too, trying to mimic her words, raising their hands above their heads, grinning up at their mother.

Maura feels tears in her eyes. She puts her hand to her throat, completely forgetting about the noise of the game.

"Bye sweetheart. Be so good for Nona." Maura says, watching Jane transfer a still sleeping Isabelle into her mother's arms. Sofia tightens her hold around Maura's neck, and Maura looks down, "Fee? Go with Nona okay? We'll come and get you before dinner."

Sofia looks up at her, deep brown eyes into green. "Mommy. Could you die?"

A thursday. Jane is taking too long in the shower, and Isabelle is screaming and Sofia has been running a temperature all week. She's still on maternity leave, but the mornings are the one time when she has help. When Jane is there to help her. Maura knocks for the the thousandth time and then pushes the door open, striding across the room and throwing back the shower curtain. "Jane I need you to-"

She gasps.

Jane has her head against the wall of the shower, and she is crying. Big huge heaving sobs, that threaten to break her skinny frame apart.

"Jane!" Maura gets into the shower in her pajamas. "Jane. Are you hurt? Are you okay?" she pulls Jane too her, struggling because the detective seems to be fighting against her hug. "Stop it, Jane. It's just me, what is going- JANE."

They sink to the floor of the tub, where Jane finally lets her head rest on Maura's shoulder.

"I just need a minute," She says, wiping at her eyes, a little out of breath. "Maura. I'm fine I just need a second."

"Talk to me, Jane."

"I just. I thought I would be fine going to work everyday and doing what I do every day, and just...turning this off... and doing my job. But I just...I keep thinking What if I die? What if I have to leave you guys. And I..."

Maura reaches up with one hand and turns the water off, pulling Jane closer to her.

"I'm so tired Maur," Jane says against her. "They never sleep. What if they never sleep? Ever?"

Maura smiles, kissing the top of Jane's wet head.

"You know what Fia?" It's Jane that answers, coming to stand next to Maura, and looking down at her daughter's face, lined with worry. "When you were really little, I asked your mommy almost that same question. And she said something really smart. Do you want to know what it is?"

Sofia nods,

"She said that every mommy has a job that might be a little scary. And every mommy has to go away for a while and leaver her babies at home, and wonder if they're okay, and if everything will be okay," Jane starts, and Maura smiles at Jane's careful rephrasing. "But when Mommy and I are at work, we think of nothing but you. And we keep each other safe so that we can come home to you at the end of each day. No matter what."

Sofia reaches out and Jane takes her from Maura's arms hugging her tightly. "No matter what, Mama?"

"No matter what."

...

They leave their children and climb into Jane's cruiser, and Maura reaches over and rubs at the back of Jane's neck until Jane sighs and looks over at her. She reaches up and takes Maura's hand, bringing it to her lips.

"Thank you. For those children," she says quietly. "I don't say it enough. But thank you for carrying them and birthing them and loving them and me. Thank you for this home. I love what we do and I love who we are. I will always, always keep you safe so that we can go home to them. I love you so much."

Maura smiles, "Can you promise it?" she whispers.

"You will always have me."

AH! Fanfiction finally let me post! if you like the epilogue, check the sequel, What Matters Most.

Up on Monday.

I love you all. You're wonderful.

Happy Reading!

t.c.