A/N: I've been away from all of my writing for quite a while for a lot of real life reasons not the least of which is my computer died a few months ago and I chose not to buy a new one for a while. As sometimes happens, I'd already lost my writing muse as well. Not just for my Mentalist stories. My desire to write seems to be slowly coming back so I'm going to try my hand at a new story which will hopefully inspire me to work on some of the old ones as well. We'll see what happens. ~Calla

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Watching his wife feeding their son at her desk, Jane marveled at the mundane normalcy of their lives. At the supposed "perfection" of their togetherness. Even after a couple of years. He'd be the first to admit life couldn't get much better than this and anyone who knew him felt the same. It wasn't like he didn't have his perfect wife sharing his perfect house with their perfect child currently getting far more pureed squash on his two chubby cheeks than in his mouth.

Hah, if their co-workers only knew their lives were far from perfect.

Just ask Lisbon. She'd gladly tell you. She told him often enough. Not that he minded. Not really. She wasn't a nag. Not really. Merely stating the truth as they both saw it. Yep, he'd gladly admit he still took chances she thought he shouldn't. Oh, and she still hadn't left the FBI as he thought she should. Neither of them had for that matter. He just tended to work with other units nearly as often as he did with his wife and Cho.

Doing so was better for several reasons.

For one thing, Teresa never knew just how risky those chances he still took really were and he liked it that way. Not that they were all that bad. He wouldn't knowingly do anything to put himself in serious danger. Not anymore. Not considering everything he had to lose. Then again, "knowingly" was the operative word as it had always been. Or had become. Once he realized he had something to live for and decided to do something about it.

Unfortunately, things didn't always work according to plan…Not when he was the instigator.

For another, putting a little distance between them made their home life easier. Contrary to popular belief, there was such a thing as too much togetherness. They'd experienced that phenomenon a few times over the years. Both before and after they'd gotten together. He'd be the first to admit the results of that realization had never been pretty. Fortunately, he and his bride were wise enough to keep that from happening by working apart every now and then.

Which led him to the last and major reason he continued to work apart from his wife as often as possible without causing a different set of problems between them. The kind having at its root some ridiculous foolishness along the lines of him not loving her or their son any more. As if that could ever happen.

He did everything he did because he loved them which led to his latest problem.

Well, it wasn't an issue yet. But it would be soon enough. He was sure of it. About the time all hell broke loose as it was sure to do. Lisbon was so going to kick his rear when she discovered he was keeping secrets again. But, he wasn't fessing up any time soon. Right now, what his wife didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Finding out could. That damned disc had been out of sight and out of mind long enough she'd almost forgotten it existed. As far as Lisbon was concerned, the Blake Association had gone the way of the wind a long time ago.

Or she was hoping they had.

Unfortunately, he knew better. The cretins reminded him they still existed every now and then. Usually about the time he'd deluded himself into thinking they'd crawled into the woodwork never to emerge again. Yeah, right, as though the mysterious, ever threatening "them" would allow him to remain cheerfully lulled into a false sense of security indefinitely. Not going to happen.

Not with the monsters hiding so effectively in the shadows.

All he had to do was crinkle the innocuous looking slip of paper that was anything but innocuous hidden in his pocket to know that was true. The one he'd found among his files earlier today and had no intention of sharing with anyone. Least of all Lisbon. Again, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. At least he hoped it wouldn't. He'd do his best to ensure it didn't. To his credit he'd broken the encryption on that disk a long time ago and kept the secret to himself. Equally to his credit, the FBI still hadn't. As far as the Blake Association was concerned their identities remained uncompromised. As far as Jane was concerned, they might as well be. He had no intentions of stirring up trouble where there wasn't any.

Not until he had to.

As long as the status quo remained the status quo he wasn't doing anything. Not when he suspected Lisbon would be making another announcement in the not so distant future. In fact, he was sure of it. If not, he needed to have a talk with his lovely bride concerning her eating habits. Something she was partaking of was making her ill on a semi-regular basis. Try every day at differing times. Hence the semi-regular in the basis. Nope, he couldn't care less about creepy crawlies lurking in high places, or even in low ones for that matter, committing murder and mayhem as long as they left his wife and 1.5 kids out of the mix. If they didn't, well, that was a conversation for another day.

He had no intentions of losing his second family to a bunch of whack-a-doodles harboring misplaced visions of grandeur and taking over the world.

In fact, it was a well proven fact in his universe, the higher up the social ladder his marks thought they were, the harder they fell. Shaking that thought from his head since he had no intentions of acting any time soon, Jane swooped in for a kiss before making his way to the most coveted piece of furniture in the whole FB of I. He'd finished up early with the final reports for Wallace on the Interstate prostitution and child trafficking ring he'd busted wide open just yesterday. So, he'd made his way back to his sanctuary a short while ago only to discover his wife had grabbed their scamp of a son from the nursery for a little Mommy-Baby bonding time. Wallowing a little deeper into the couch, Jane was glad Cho hadn't made him get rid of his lair under the guise of looking more professional. There was nothing he enjoyed more than watching Lisbon from this vantage point unless it was watching her with Patrick, Jr., or "P.J." as he was affectionately known much to his father's dismay.

Closing his eyes, Jane thought back to the day he'd learned Lisbon was pregnant the first time. Without a shadow of a doubt that had been the single happiest moment of his life. Not that he hadn't been overjoyed to learn of Charlotte Anne's existence. He had been. And he'd felt that the single happiest moment of his life as well and it had been. He'd never deny that. What he would deny was his life and his values had stayed the same over the years. They hadn't. His perspective changed drastically the day he lost everything. He'd become a different man. They'd changed dramatically yet again when he'd finally taken his head out of his ass enough to realize he'd fallen in love with the hardnosed, passionate lady cop he'd never intended to be anything more than a means to an end.

As hard as he'd fought against it, Lisbon had won in the end.

It was a victory that led to what he now knew truly was the single happiest moment in his life. The moment he'd realized he really was getting that second chance he'd never expected to have. As far as he'd been concerned, getting the girl was good enough. Impending fatherhood was more than he'd asked.

He hadn't even seriously considered it…Or considered the possibility…Not at that point.

He'd just gotten his ring on Lisbon's finger not twenty minutes before when she suddenly fixed him with one of the most mysterious looks he'd ever seen on that beautiful face. Not that the woman had ever been an open book on a good day. Not to him or anyone else. He'd lied about that for years. While he read her better than most, she'd always been a tough nut to crack. Even for him.

She still was after all these years.

Yep, getting back to his story, she'd fixed him with one of her special looks, silently sprung her "news" on him, and watched him die of happiness before her eyes. If he had to guess, he'd say that was probably the most triumphant moment of her life. She'd truly gotten one over on him and she was obviously hoping to do it again and he'd gladly let her. In fact, he'd probably react the same way a second time around if he got the chance. No, there wasn't any probably about it. He definitely would. He'd do his whacked out internal Happy Dance without making a move and Lisbon would know he was doing it and that wouldn't bother him at all. She'd also know he was hoping for a girl this time around. They'd discussed the idea a time or two. They'd also discussed the reality he was grateful their first child had been a boy. Neither of them was sure he could have handled having a girl the first time around.

However, that being said, he was definitely ready for a daughter with her mother's looks, intelligence, and loving spirit since his son was definitely all boy and all Jane.

Speaking of being all Jane, it was time he did his part to get their son ready for his afternoon nap. Rising slowly to his feet, Jane walked over to Lisbon's desk yet again. Leaning in for a kiss he swung P.J. into his arms silently marveling that his wife was as comfortable with their child on her lap as she was with a gun in her hand. It was hard to believe not that long ago she hadn't been all that sure how well she'd integrate motherhood and her career. While it hadn't been easy, she'd done just that far better than either of them thought she would.

Surprisingly, they both had.

"Taking him to see the ducks?" Lisbon turned in her chair.

"I don't know." Jane answered honestly. "Hey, Buddy, want to go see the ducks?"

From the toothy grin on his son's face and happy cry of "Ducky, ducky, duck, duck!" he'd say the answer was a resounding, "Yes!". However, unlike his mother, Jane wasn't fooled by his adorable son's antics. Not considering he knew the truth of the matter. This whole "see the ducks" thing was just a cover for his son's more nefarious intent: plucking tail feathers. Fortunately, his son's desires, and the ducks' speedy maneuvers, far outstretched his toddling abilities and P.J. spent more time landing on his bottom than he did actually terrorizing his surprisingly tolerate quaking friends.

"I'd say that's a yes." Lisbon watched her son snuggling into his father's neck knowing she'd never have believed this was possible even three short years ago.

"I'd say it is." Jane agreed. "Want to join us?"

"I can't." Lisbon waggled a file at him. "Cho's expecting the final paperwork on this one as soon as I can get it done."

Nodding, Jane decided not to call her on the fact he knew that report was already done. Lisbon would level with him when she was ready and not a moment before. Until that happened, she was off the hook. He wasn't about to do anything to make her any more green around the gills than she already was. It wouldn't accomplish anything positive. If he had to guess, he'd say Lisbon was putting her news off as long as she could. She probably thought he'd try to convince her to leave the FBI. If she got along as well as she had with P.J., probably not. If she continued on as she was, he might.

For the moment, he wasn't doing anything.

"Then we'll see you when we get back." Actually, he'd see her as P.J. should be safely snoozing away on his little mat under the watchful eye of his daycare providers. "Or I will anyway."

"I'll be here." Lisbon said as she rose to her feet to give her boys a good-bye kiss praying the while a case didn't come in while they were gone. "I'll leave you a note otherwise."

"Sounds good." Jane smiled before turning to make their get-away.

He didn't have to have eyes in the back of his head to know Lisbon would watch them until they turned the corner out of sight. Nor did he have to see to know she was making a bee-line for the ladies' room as soon as she was sure they were gone. Shaking his head, Jane smirked at how unnecessary all the subterfuge was. She had to know he'd figured out her secret by now. It wasn't like the first time around when an unexpected pregnancy was the last thing on his mind. If anything, he was expecting just such a thing to happen again.

It wasn't like they didn't adore each other and take every chance they got to express that adoration.

Making a Goo-Goo face at his son, Jane decided Lisbon wasn't any more foolish than he was. Considering how well she knew him, he'd say she knew something was up with him as well. It was only a matter of time until they each busted the other. Fortunately, Lisbon's news was joyous…His not so much…Setting his son on his feet, Jane watched P.J. toddle towards the waddlers already eyeing him distrustfully.

He really should consider coming clean; but, knew he wouldn't until circumstances forced him to.