A/N: Sooooooooo sorry for the delay. I was having some writer's block issues. I wrote this chapter like four times before I got to something I liked. I hope you can forgive me. *Grovels*

Disclaimer: Not mine. If it were they'd probably be upset with me for abandoning them for so long! Chapter title and lyrics by Thirteen Senses.

Xxx

Chapter 7: Into the Fire

Come on, Come on

Put your hands into the fire

xxx

It's late afternoon when she wakes up alone in bed. Blinking in the fading light, she gets up and slides into her underwear and his shirt. Quietly, she heads downstairs.

She finds him in the living room, sitting cross-legged in front of the coffee table wearing only his boxers and an undershirt. There's a photo album open on the table.

"Hi," she says softly, kneeling behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck. She peeks over his shoulder at the photos. Each one is of a family—a (beautiful) woman, a (perfect) little girl, and Jane. "Is that them?" she asks.

"Mmm-hmm."

She kisses his neck lightly. "Are you okay with this? With us starting a family of our own?"

He lifts a hand to caress her cheek. "More than okay," he assures her. "You've made me so happy."

Smiling, she slides around him to sit in his lap. "They were beautiful," she observes, tracing his daughter's image. "She had her mother's eyes."

"Just like our daughter will," he says.

"Unless she has her father's."

He laughs, cuddling her to his chest. "Stubborn," he chides. She rolls her eyes.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black."

"Maybe," he agrees. "Anyway, I guess this means we're not getting a puppy, huh?"

"No," she says with a laugh, "definitely no puppy."

Xxx

The weeks leading up to the wedding go by (ridiculously, surprisingly, impossibly) quickly. Before Lisbon knows it, she and Jane are moved into their house and the wedding is only four days away.

Moved in is a relative term. They're in the house but surrounded by boxes. Unpacking will have to wait until after the (mystery) honeymoon. Lisbon doubts they would have gotten moved at all if it hadn't been for their friends' help.

Now, after they've all gone home for the night and she and Jane are alone in their new house, Lisbon is in the living room, staring at their stacks of unpacked boxes.

She's exhausted, but she can't sleep. Her brothers are arriving in the morning and she can't relax with the worry knotting in her chest. Jane's told her a thousand times (at least) that everything will be fine but she doesn't (can't) believe him.

Sighing, she gets up and paces to the window where she stares blankly out at the darkened yard. Her brothers seemed excited enough about the wedding last time they spoke but she hasn't seen them in a couple of years. Not since before Tommy's arrest.

She hasn't even told them she's pregnant.

She is startled when a pair of arms wrap around her and she is pulled backward into Jane's chest.

"Hey," he murmurs in a soft (gentle, soothing, sexy) voice. "Why don't you come to bed?"

"Can't sleep."

He kisses the top of her head. "Don't be nervous," he urges. She rolls her eyes (easy for him to say…).

"I can't help it. My brothers and I don't exactly have the best relationship." She sighs. "And, to be honest, I'm afraid of how they'll act. I don't want to thrust you into the middle of a Lisbon-family drama."

He is silent for a moment and she can almost hear him thinking.

"I love you," he says finally. "Nothing your brothers say or do will change that."

She turns to face him, looking into his eyes. "Promise?" she asks. He drops a kiss to her lips.

"Promise."

Xxx

Just before noon the following morning, the doorbell rings. Despite the fact that the house is in total disarray, she's invited her brothers over for lunch upon their arrival. It is possibly one of the stupider decisions she's made but what's done is done.

"Oh God," she says. "They're here."

Jane flashes one of his easygoing smiles. "Relax," he says. "Take a deep breath and open the door."

She nods briefly and heads for the front hall. Her hand shakes as she opens it.

Bryan and Jason stand on the other side, wearing matching smiles. They look (surprisingly) genuinely happy to see her. She is astonished when they both hug her tightly, delivering (what appear to be) sincere congratulations.

"Come in," she says slightly breathlessly after Jason has released her. "Sorry about the mess. We only just moved in."

They both wave her off.

"It looks great," Bryan says.

"Thanks," she replies, leading the way to the kitchen where Jane is setting the table for lunch. "Guys," she says to her brothers, "this is my fiancé, Patrick. Patrick, these are my brothers Bryan and Jason."

She watches apprehensively as Jane shakes hands with each of her brothers, greeting them jovially.

"Great to finally meet you," he says brightly. Her brothers grin, nodding in agreement (so far so good…).

As they sit down, Jane offers wine to everyone, pouring a glass of water for Lisbon.

"Not drinking, Tessa?" Bryan asks, almost accusingly. And just like that, she feels things start to sour. Alcohol has always been a sticky spot for them and now they probably think she's being judgmental.

"I've stopped temporarily," she says. She doesn't want to tell them about the baby, not when she feels like she's being attacked.

Jason sighs. "If this is about Dad, stop worrying. You're not like him. None of us is."

"It's not," she says tightly. "And it's not about Tommy, either," she adds, knowing that will be their next line of questioning. She might as well get this over with. "I'm pregnant. That's why I'm not drinking."

They stare at her for several seconds, open mouthed.

"A baby?" Bryan says finally.

Lisbon feels Jane's hand close over hers as he responds. "Yes," he says. "We're having a baby."

More silence, even more painful than the last. Lisbon's heart is pounding (smashing) against her ribcage.

"That…that's great," Jason stammers. He gets up and moves to wrap her in a hug. "That's really great." Apparently over his shock, he is smiling now.

Bryan strides over, too, and hugs her tightly. "Holy crap, Tessa," he says, shaking his head, "that's amazing. How far along are you?"

"Only about seven weeks," she says. "So it's still really early."

Bryan ruffles her hair (like he used to when they were kids). "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? Are you going to find out?"

"We don't know yet," she tells him, "and I want to find out but Patrick wants it to be a surprise. He thinks he can guess."

"I'm psychic!" Jane cuts in. Lisbon rolls her eyes.

"Are not," she retorts, earning a laugh from her brothers.

"You know who would love this?" Bryan says thoughtfully. "Mom."

Lisbon smiles (albeit sadly). "She would," she agrees. "Although she might have something to say about me walking down the aisle already knocked up."

"She'd get over it," Jason says flippantly. He kisses her cheek before moving back to his own chair. "You're gonna be a great mom, Tessa."

"Totally," Bryan agrees, squeezing her hand.

Lisbon beams at them both because that is the absolute best thing they ever could have said and it means more than she can say. Tears burn at her eyes as she takes a sip of water.

"Thank you," she says softly. "Thank you so much."

Xxx

That night, while Jane is watching a movie with Rigsby, Lisbon and Grace sit in the den among the still-packed boxes, working on writing Lisbon's vows.

"I don't know why Jane insisted on writing our own," she grumbles, chewing on the end of her pen. "I'm terrible at this kind of thing."

Grace rolls her eyes. "Just say what you feel," she says. "Speak from the heart."

Lisbon wrinkles her nose, earning another eye-roll from Grace.

"You love him," she says. "You want to marry him. Find a way to say it that feels natural. It doesn't have to be all flowery."

Lisbon thinks briefly before throwing down her pen. "Why can't I do this?" she exclaims. Grace picks up the pen.

"Relax," she says. "You're nervous. This whole thing is way out of your comfort zone." She studies Lisbon's face briefly. "Are you still doubting Jane?"

Lisbon winces and Grace's face falls.

"He loves you," she says gently. "He is crazy about you. He'd do anything for you and then some." She sighs softly. "Look, Lisbon," she says, "I can't promise everything will be perfect and neither can he. But he loves you more than anything and he isn't going to hurt you. Okay?"

Lisbon sits in silence for a moment, turning Grace's words over in her mind.

"I know," she says finally. "I'm just…scared." The admission feels like it's being dragged (wrenched, torn) from her. Grace squeezes her arm.

"I know. And that's okay. He probably is, too. But you've been through so much already. This is just another step on the journey."

Lisbon smiles slightly. "Thank you," she says quietly. "I…thanks."

Grace returns the smile. "Did I fulfill the maid of honor duty?" she teases. Lisbon nods.

"You did," she says seriously. "You're a far better friend than I often give you credit for, Grace." She pauses slightly. "You're like a sister to me," she adds quickly.

When Grace's expression clouds, she feels a stab of guilt, remembering (too late) her friend's lost sister.

"Oh, crap, Grace, I'm sorry," she says in dismay. "I wasn't thinking."

Grace shakes her head. "It's okay," she says hurriedly. "Anyway, speaking of siblings, how'd things go with your brothers?"

Accepting the subject change, Lisbon smiles. "Really well, actually. They were happy about the baby. They even said I'd be a good mom!"

"You will," Grace says kindly. "But I'm sure it meant a lot coming from them."

Lisbon nods. "It really did," she says. "It meant a whole lot."

Grace smiles. "I'm glad," she says. "Now. Back to those vows."

Xxx

A/N2: Next up, the wedding!