Adaptations

Pairing: Jane/Maura
Rating: M
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me.

Warning: Spoilers for Episode 3.10.

A/N: For a number of reasons, I really hadn't planned on writing a post 3.10 story that addressed the baby. But I had this idea. This story starts about 4 months after the episode. I don't know exactly where things are going after this first chapter, but be warned that this chapter is super angsty.

Eighteen weeks had passed.

Eighteen weeks since a baby had been left on Maura's doorstep and their lives had changed completely. Sometimes Jane would look back at that day and think about all the different ways things could have gone instead. For one, Maura could have been killed that day. Lydia could have made any number of choices of what to do with the baby. Tommy could have stayed and manned up, rather than skipping town and sending word three weeks later that he was working a job in Florida and wasn't going to be raising any kid.

Of all the ways Jane could have guessed that the events of that day would end, her last guess, the one she would have given the longest odds, would have been that Maura would end up being the mother to baby nephew.

Initially, right after the baby was discovered at Maura's house, everyone recognized that the baby had to stay there at least for the night. Jane volunteered to run out to the store to get the few supplies they needed- formula, bottles, clothes and diapers- until they found a place for him. By the time Jane returned to Maura's house, Maura and Angela were discussing baby names and babysitting schedules.

Maura and Angela were huddled on the couch with the baby in Maura's arms. Angela had looked up at Jane, who was standing in the doorway listening to their conversation with her mouth hanging open, and said happily, "Maura wants to adopt him."

Jane was dumbfounded and looking back she was still baffled by what happened. She had been gone no more than thirty minutes and during that time her best friend had decided to turn her life, their lives is what Jane actually thought, upside down with her mother encouraging it.

"Didn't you just say recently that you'd given up on marriage and stuff?" Jane had inelegantly said to Maura.

"I've never given up on having kids," Maura had curtly responded.

Jane was more than confused by Maura's participation in this craziness so she turned on Angela instead on said, "What about you? Did you forget who the father might be."

"Frank probably isn't the father. He had a...procedure, after Tommy was born. Tommy is the father."

"Oh," Jane said with a grimace. "Well, that still doesn't mean he's Tommy's. Who knows who the father is? It could be anybody given what we know about Lydia."

"Maura will do a paternity test," Angela responded. "But this baby is probably my first grandchild and I intend to treat him that way. And even if he isn't related to me by blood, if Maura does adopt him he will be as good as my grandchild."

"So, what, if Tommy or whoever the father is isn't gonna take care of him, you and Maura are just going to raise him together?" Jane shot back.

It was at this point that Maura interjected, "I hope you'll want to be involved too."

"Involved? What does that mean?" Jane asked even more agitated.

"It means whatever you want it to mean," Maura replied.

Maura was adamant that they were not going to put the kid into any social services system. At first Jane assumed Maura was reacting, overreacting she privately thought, to Dennis fucking Rockmond being a sociopath and nearly killing her. It didn't take long, though, for Jane to realize how similar this baby's situation was to what happened to Maura as a baby. Maura was essentially dropped on the Isle's doorstep. If they hadn't taken her in, there's no telling what direction Maura's life would have taken.

Maura knew now that she hadn't been abandoned because her birth parents didn't want her, but she still had lived most of her life feeling that way. This baby literally was not wanted by its parents. Lydia had not only left the baby on the doorstep, but a bag with a number of the things Angela and Maura had rounded up for the baby shower, along with a note describing exactly how she could not and would not raise this kid. It was understandable that Maura wanted to protect and take care of this baby.

After the paternity test, which was easy because Tommy was already in the system from his incarceration, confirmed that Tommy was the father, he was equally eager to give up any parental responsibility. It took about a month to get all of the paperwork done, during which time Maura still had guardianship of the baby. Maura's position, resources, and the exceptional willingness of the birth parents to give up custody of the baby, made the adoption process very easy.

Jane spent the entire month secretly hoping that Maura would change her mind. That she would realize that this was crazy and irrational and it was a decision made way too hastily. Thirty minutes with a baby and Maura had decided to change her whole life. By the end of the month, Maura had hired a new Assistant Medical Examiner to take over her autopsy duties, allowing Maura to work only daytime hours and concentrate on administrative and supervisory duties. Immediately, Angela quit her job at the cafe and took over daytime child care duties.

Eighteen weeks later Jane was still was still trying to make sense of it all. Maura had adopted a kid. Her nephew. Teddy. Well, Theodore. Maura had asked Angela for Rizzoli family name suggestions. Thomas and Frank were obviously out, so Angela went back a couple of generations. She had a grandfather named Teodoro.

Initially Jane felt guilty, after all it was her family who dumped this responsibility on Maura, even if Maura did willingly volunteer. At first Jane tried to help out a lot. She did diaper and formula runs. She put together the crib and rearranged the guest room to accommodate baby stuff. Some nights she would stay late at Maura's house to do the midnight feeding so Maura would only have to get up once during the night.

But now, Teddy mostly slept through the night. He smiled now and laughed. He could roll over and his gaze would follow Maura around the room. Maura went to work and then straight home for Teddy's dinner, play time, bath time, and bed and then she was up early for more. When Jane did go over to visit, Maura talked endlessly about developmental milestones and stimulating Teddy's brain, and how babies could understand a lot more than they were able to express.

And Jane wasn't sure how she fit into Maura's life anymore. She felt neglected and resentful and then she felt guilty for feeling that way. She shouldn't be jealous of a baby and she shouldn't be resentful of Maura's happiness. Because Maura was happy, ridiculously, glowingly happy.

Meanwhile Jane felt like she was lost. She was tense all the time and lashed out co-workers, particularly the new medical examiner. Korsak tried to talk to her about it, but Jane just brushed him off. Not because she didn't recognize that there was a problem, but because she didn't see anyway to fix it.

Eighteen weeks later and Jane was sitting a table in a restaurant waiting for a blind date that her mother had set up for her and wondering how she had gotten to this point. That morning Angela had told her about the date, saying, "I know you don't want me to set you up with anyone but without me you wouldn't do anything for yourself. I know the past few months have been difficult for you too. You deserve a night out. Even if it isn't a love connection you can still enjoy a night out."

And Jane, probably surprising both of them, had said," Okay, it can't hurt." Privately she had thought it would probably be a good idea to meet some new people.

These thoughts were going through Jane's head when a voice next to her said, "Jane. Hi."

Jane looked up surprised to see Maura standing next to her table and blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

"I have a date," Maura answered.

"Oh. With who?"

"Well, I don't know. It's a blind date. Actually, your mother set it up."

Jane's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"

"She said I should get out of the house and do something for myself."

"Really? What did she tell you about your date?" Jane asked.

"Tall, brown hair, works in law enforcement."

"For Christ's sake. Just sit down," Jane said, gesturing to the empty chair across from her.

Maura did sit down and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Ma also set me up on a blind date. She said it was someone attractive and smart who works in the medical profession."

"Ohhh," Maura said as realization dawned on her. "Why would your mother pretend to set us up on dates if she just wanted us to have dinner together?"

"I have absolutely no idea." But, Jane thought, I'm sure as hell going to find out.

"Well, we're here. It's my first evening out since...since Teddy was born."

Jane unclenched her jaw and willed herself to say calmly, "You can go home if want to. I'd understand."

"No, I don't want to. I want to have a nice dinner out. I'm happy it's with you and not a total stranger."

Jane picked up the menu. "I guess we should order then."

After a minute of silence while they both looked at the menus, Maura said, "Jane, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I don't know. You haven't been around as much recently. If I did something to make you think I didn't want to see you, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, um, work's been busy," Jane said.

"No, it hasn't. I see the reports on all of the cases. If anything, your caseload has been below average." Maura tentatively reached out to put her hand over Jane's and gave it a light squeeze. "I miss you. I know I haven't had as much time for you. But Teddy will be much more independent soon and it will be easier for us to spend time together like we used to. "

Jane resisted the urge to pull her hand away, instead balling her other hand into a fist underneath the table and managing to say, "I guess it's just still weird for me that you're raising my brother's kid."

"I can understand that. Have you heard from Tommy recently?" Maura asked.

"Nope. I actually keep expecting him to show up sometime and try to use the kid to weasel his way into your, um-"

Now Maura leaned back and pulled her hand away. "Into what? My bed?"

Jane grimaced. "I didn't mean it like that."

Maura shook her head as she said, "What is going on with you? I thought you would be happy for me. Happy that I'm happy. I also thought that you would be there for me. I thought that you would be around, that you would want to be a major part of Ted's life. Even when you are around now you aren't really present. Your mother is amazing, and I think I'm managing everything as well as I can, but that doesn't mean I don't need your support."

"You made all of these decisions- adopt a baby, change your job, change everything- without even asking my opinion on any of it," Jane said, knowing it sounded pathetic. After a moment she finally confessed, "I don't know how I fit in to your new... family. You don't need me anymore."

"My life has changed, but you're my best friend. I always need you."

"You know, I'm not really hungry. You should go home to Teddy."

Jane got up to leave but Maura grabbed her arm. "Jane, please don't push me away. Come over this weekend and we'll all spend a day together. Please?"

"Okay," Jane agreed warily. "I'll see you later."