A/N: Thank you for the favorites, reviews, and messages since I disappeared. I really miss all of you. I'm still alive and I haven't given up on finishing my stories. I've been occupied with my full time job and original writings. I started writing a fresh, totally new 70,000 word contemporary romance in February. I'm almost finished with my editing. Hopefully, I'll have it out before the end of next month. August at the latest. After that, I'll probably take a break and update some of my fanfics before I start the next novel.
After 30+ years of spinning stories in the shadows, it's time to get some of original stuff out there. I'm sure those old novels will get resuscitated and see the light of day one day. Just probably in a fresh new format. We'll see.
In the meantime, I'm getting my toes back in the water with something short (2-3 chapters) and sweet without much substance. I'll update you where I'm going from here. ~Calla
"Shit." Lisbon declared out loud looking at her reflection in the mirror. "Shit, shit, shit. We are so busted."
Exiting the bathroom with a towel around his waist, Jane was surprised at his wife's choice of words. Lisbon wasn't much for expletives and everyone knew it. In fact, she had the cleanest mouth of anyone he knew in Law Enforcement. About the only person who could drive her to cursing was him. Or, in this case, the not-so-dreaded "Spawn of Jane" as she'd taken to calling their offspring during her most virulent bouts of morning sickness.
"You think?" Jane walked up behind her to wrap his arms around her. "All I can say is it's about time."
"Yeah?" Lisbon snorted staring at the pronounced curve of her belly through her dark t-shirt. "You're not the one who has to deal with the fall-out."
"Really?" Jane quirked a brow at her. "I beg to differ with you. Anyone who comes after you is dealing with me."
"I don't want that." Lisbon said quietly "Let me handle it."
"What are you going to do?" Jane rubbed her belly. "Refuse to name the father? Make our co-workers think you conceived by some nameless lover who dumped you when he found out you were pregnant? That's not going to happen. You're my wife and that's my kid in here. There's no way in heaven or hell I'm letting them think some bastard knocked you up and deserted you."
"And I'm not letting them split us up." Lisbon said quietly. "We've managed to make it over two months without anyone realizing we're married much less that we have a baby on board. I'm not giving up now."
Truthfully, nobody knew they'd ever dated. Yes, there was talk; but, the proof was lacking. Things were much as they'd been at the CBI. While people thought they were undercover lovers, nobody called them on it. The risk of having their own dirty secrets exposed was far too great when Jane was involved. That didn't mean they didn't talk around the water cooler. It also didn't mean the boys and girls in Cyber Crimes weren't taking bets on the nature of their relationship. They were and they had been from the start. Shaking her head in disgust, Lisbon wondered briefly who was going to win the Kitty.
It so better not be Cho.
Turning her attention back to Jane, she smiled half-heartedly at him. Nothing had really changed that much since they'd gotten married. They hadn't sold the R.V. and Jane hadn't moved in with her. Not hardly. In fact, nothing had changed all that much from the way it was except they'd had the ceremony and received the paper declaring them legal. She hadn't changed her license or her banking information although she would now.
Truthfully, they didn't even live together. Not really. Yeah, Jane stayed over at her place once in a while. That was nothing new. He'd always done that. She even stayed in his sardine can in the boonies once in a while. However, they didn't do either too often. It was a small enough sacrifice to keep their secret as long as they could and so far it worked.
H.R. hadn't come knocking and Abbott hadn't called them into his office. Nor had anyone attacked them with invasive questions they hadn't wanted to answer. All Lisbon could think was so far so good. Or she had until this weekend. Unfortunately, Jane's Spawn had chosen now to pop without warning. As much as she wanted to say, "son" she couldn't. So far, the identifying baby parts had stayed hidden no matter how hard the Tech tried to uncover the truth. Smirking, Lisbon admitted she hadn't expected anything different.
Not with Jane for a father.
"Yeah, well, the free ride's over." Jane hugged her tightly. "You're heading towards your third trimester and you suddenly look it. We can probably thank your morning sickness for the delay."
"Maybe." Lisbon stared at herself in the mirror deciding she looked every bit of six months gone. "But, that's mostly over which might be the problem. I honestly don't know what I'm going to do. My jacket isn't going to hide this anymore. Neither are loose shirts. Those few extra pounds I've gained over the last few weeks have suddenly settled front and center over the past couple of days."
"That's not the only placed they've settled." Ignoring the expected eye roll he got in response, Jane studied her deciding he liked the changes. "Hey, I don't have a problem with more generous curves even if you do."
"I don't have a problem with any of it." Lisbon stated quietly even though she wanted to smack him. "But, other people will. We should have come clean at the start."
"Why?" Jane asked. "You know they would have split us up."
Which is exactly why they'd rethought their original plan of walking in the next day with rings shining to take on the world. While Jane would have done it, Lisbon couldn't handle the thought of being on the losing end of the battle and she wasn't positive Abbott would prevent that from happening. Yes, that disc was a powerful bargaining tool. But, it might not be powerful enough. When push came to shove, she hadn't wanted to chance it. Jane had given in to her fears. Against his better judgement, he'd agreed to hide the truth as long as they could. Truthfully, the silly jerk had relished the challenge once they got into the game and it was thanks to his shifty ways that they'd succeeded this long.
Unfortunately, nature was against them and biology ensured they failed in the end.
"Maybe." Lisbon agreed. "It's going to happen anyway. With hindsight all we've done is delay the inevitable."
"Perhaps." Jane stroked her back reassuringly. "If it happens, it happens. The separation will be easier to handle for both of us since I'm sure you'll be at a desk a lot more than you'll be in the field from now on."
He'd see to that one way or the other.
"That makes me feel a lot better considering where you'll be." Lisbon stared at him earnestly. "If you think I'm letting you run amok in the field without me, get over it. That's so not happening."
"If you think I'm letting you out in the field on a dangerous case," Jane didn't need to complete the thought but he did. "That isn't happening either. I won't lose another wife and child."
"No, you won't." Lisbon agreed. "But, I don't want you going off half-cocked like you did with that drug cartel. I won't live through something like that again. It wouldn't be good for me or the baby."
"No, it wouldn't and I won't." Jane reassured her. "I gave you my word and I meant it."
"You might have meant it at the time; but, I know those same guys have approached you a couple of times since." Lisbon stated firmly. "I saw them leaving headquarters and I figured they'd come to see you. Abbott confirmed it."
"They did and I turned them down." Jane admitted what he hadn't thought she knew. "While I don't mind advising them, I won't go under cover again. I didn't know what I was getting into then. I do now. I wouldn't put either of us through that again if you weren't pregnant."
"That's good to know." Walking over to her jewelry box, Lisbon removed their rings and carried them to her husband. "We might as well get this show on the road before we're late. The quicker the crap hits the fan, the quicker it'll all be over."
"You have a point there." Sliding her band on her finger, Jane held his hand out for Lisbon to do the same. "We aren't taking these off again and I'm not leaving after tonight."
"No you aren't." Lisbon agreed leaning in for a kiss. "But you are getting ready for work. I don't want add being late to our crimes. I think this will be enough to start the ball rolling," Lisbon rested her palm against her belly. "Without anyone seeing this." She wiggled her finger and smiled at the light reflecting off her rings.
"I think you're probably right." Jane wiggled his own finger. "Why don't you go down and start breakfast. I'll be down in a few."
"I'll do that." Lisbon grabbed her jacket from over a chair. "The kettle should be ready about the time you're done."
Watching her leave the room, Jane removed his towel and started getting dressed. As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, he was as reluctant as Lisbon to go into HQ today. Abbott and the FBI weren't nearly as easy to handle as the CBI had been. For one thing, they weren't nearly as corrupt or as easy to blackmail. For another, he respected his boss in a way he'd never respected Bertram. He hadn't wanted to keep their marriage a secret; but, Lisbon had and he'd honored her wishes. Somehow, he had a feeling he was going to pay for that now.
Time would tell.