Chapter 2

Lisbon stared at the TV clock across from her; the time read 1:09. The brunette's eyes drifted toward the sleeping figure beside her. Both of them had been too emotionally drained to leave the room. So, they settled together on the couch, soaking up each other's warmth. But once they were comfortable the agent just couldn't fall asleep.

Jane, on the other hand, had quickly slipped into a peaceful slumber, his arms happily draped around Lisbon.

Her collarbone throbbed and her chest ached. It was frustrating. So many thoughts swirled in her head. She felt restless. Wiggling her way out of Jane's grip Lisbon maneuvered herself off the couch. She made her way to the kitchen and scuffled around in an attempt to quietly find coffee. Coffee couldn't fix everything but it certainly made things better.

Lisbon heard Jane stir. Moments later he was standing next to her. The blonde placed a light hand on her shoulder. She still couldn't get over how casual he looked; the agent had never seen him that way. Jane was wearing jeans, a rumpled button down blue shirt, and his hair was disheveled from sleeping on the couch. He truly was adorable, though she would never admit it.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked.

Lisbon shook her head, "You?"

"Never better," Jane grinned and she couldn't help but smile too.

"Teresa Lisbon, are you really making coffee at this ungodly hour?"

She gave an awkward, one-shoulder shrug, "It wouldn't be the first time."

Suddenly, he took her hand and guided Lisbon toward the front door. Following Jane's instruction she slipped on a pair of shoes while Jane pocketed the keys to the Citroën he'd recently purchased to replace his old blue one. Lisbon was familiar with his antics so she didn't question it when Jane led her out of the house and down to his car. She knew that when Jane got these crazy ideas there was no stopping him. But she could try, or at least pursue the chance that she'd figure it out.

"Where are we going?" Lisbon asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

"On an adventure, but first, coffee."

Within a few minutes Lisbon had a cup of the warm brown liquid resting snuggly between her hands. She sipped on the drink as they drove along.

"I don't know what to do," Lisbon said.

"About what?"

"Pike."

"Oh." Jane instantly deflated.

"I'm just gonna tell him that I'm with you."

Jane's eyes lit up again. "You don't have to do this, you know? If he makes you happy, don't let me get in the way."

Lisbon looked down and shook her head, "He's not you."

The dyad fell into a comfortable silence. Eventually the coffee became cold and the half empty drink was abandoned in a cup holder. The soft, rhythmic motions of the car lulled Lisbon into an effortless sleep. As Jane drove he snuck periodic glances at the lovely human beside him. Her long eyelashes fluttered, contrasting with her porcelain skin. The agent's head rested against the cool glass of the car's window. Lisbon's dark brown hair tumbled over her shoulder in waves, glimmering in the dim moonlight.

Finally Jane pulled over on the side of a dirt road. Lisbon stretched and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Jane, what are we-" Her sentence was cut off by a yawn as she gingerly ran a finger along her broken collarbone and hugged her stomach with the bad arm.

He had forgotten that she tended to be a bit grumpy when she first woke up. Oops.

"Trust me, you'll love it!"

"It makes me nervous when you say that." Lisbon pouted.

"I'm hurt, Teresa. I though you trusted me."

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "At least tell me what we're doing, this looks like a place we'd investigate for murder..." she grumbled.

"Oh hush." He chuckled. "Come on, get out of the car."

The brunette traipsed out, "Jane, there's nothing to do here."

"Just follow me." He said while taking Lisbon's good hand and guiding her through the forest on a thin path.

"This is beginning to look a bit sketchy, Jane."

"Meh," He waved his hand dismissively, "we're almost there."

Nearly fifteen minutes later Jane stopped in an opening between the thick clusters of trees that had previously lined their path.

"Is this it?" Lisbon asked.

Jane nodded and Lisbon's brows furrowed, "I don't get it."

"Look up."

As she tilted her head toward the sky Lisbon's eyes met the most breathtaking sight she had ever seen. Stars. Thousands of them. Everywhere. An ocean of twinkling lights, a stark contradiction to the inky blue sky that held them. The small haven felt sacred and pure.

"How did you find this place?" She gasped, her eyes trained on the captivating night.

"I stumbled upon it during my first week here."

"It's beautiful." Lisbon whispered as she settled onto a soft patch of grass. Jane lowered himself beside her.

"Memory for a memory?" He suggested.

Feeling brave, Lisbon agreed and Jane insisted that she go first.

"This reminds me of when I was little..." Lisbon began.

Jane looked at her, he was eager to hear about her childhood. It was something she kept so secret and heavily guarded.

"Sometimes my family would go camping together in the summer. It was my favorite thing in the whole world." She sighed and Jane nodded, urging her to continue.

"My brothers and I would stay up all night, building a fire, playing manhunt, making s'mores, telling ghost stories. It's kind of silly but when my mom died and my dad fell into his bad habits I always dreamed that we could go live at the campsite in a tree house. I don't know, it was stupid," Lisbon finished sheepishly.

"Your turn," She quickly added.

"Hmm, okay, one night while I was with the carnival, I had gotten in a fight with my dad. Looking back, I'll admit this was not my best plan," He paused momentarily to grin at her before returning to his story, "However I was only fifteen, nevertheless, I snuck out that night and gathered all the birds at the carnival. There were tons, at least twenty five, the carnival had been featuring these parrots, they were trained to perform menial tricks, but the people loved them. Anyway, I filled his room with the birds. They were all over him when he woke up. He was terrified of birds."

Lisbon grinned, thankful for his light, entertaining story. "You did not." She chuckled in amusement.

"I did."

"I can't say I'm surprised. I just can't believe you were so corrupted and devious at such a young age." Lisbon teased.

"Some things never change."

Their mutual laughter rang through the thick air.

"You can't leave me hanging," Lisbon said, genuinely curious, "What'd your dad do?"

Jane grimaced, "I'd rather not divulge that information."

"You have too!" The brunette insisted.

"He put a snake in my bed. A twelve foot Burmese Python." He shuddered at the awful memory while Lisbon giggled. His fierce Teresa actually giggled. At his pain. How insulting.

"It was horrible, why would you laugh at that? You're unbelievable."

His comment only caused the agent to snort and laugh harder.

What felt like hours later, she finally recovered. "Alright, Alright, let me get this straight... you're scared of snakes?"

"It was twelve feet!" Jane defended himself.

Lisbon only shook her head and muttered, "Hmm, who would've thought? This could be useful."

"Don't get any ideas," The blonde warned, but a grin crept up his face. "Maybe I should put a snake in your bed and see how you like it."

Lisbon's eyes grew serious and her laughs faded immediately. "You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would."

"Patrick Jane, if you put a snake anywhere near me I will not speak to you ever again."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Knowing you, yes." She smiled, quickly adding, "don't try it."

Eventually the stars bid goodbye and were replaced by the morning sun but the pairs' stories never ceased. It felt right, almost like old times, only better and more hopeful.

"Are you ready to go?" Jane asked the petite woman as she sleepily leaned up against him, the sun now shining heavily upon them.

"No, let's stay a little longer." She drowsily muttered.

Jane smiled, "Teresa, you're practically asleep. Don't make me carry you to the car..."

Instantly her head shot up, "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"Am I really that bad?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

They made their way up the path, back toward Jane's Citroën. Playful shoving and teasing each other. But it was obvious: behind every jab was a caring glance and a lingering 'I love you'.

A/N: Hey! I originally intended for this story to be a one-shot but I receive some really great feedback from some really great people so I decided to continue. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited. It means a lot. This chapter was mostly fluffy dialogue, as I'm not sure where I will take this story. But I do know that I'd like to continue and I'll try to update as soon as possible. If you have any suggestions and/or ideas don't hesitant to PM me. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!