Grabbing the bags from his back seat, Jane walked up the concrete pathway to the familiar townhouse. Fetching the key from the planter, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. Contrary to what he'd told Lisbon, he hadn't just swung by a restaurant. He'd made a grocery run as well. Turning the knob to low, he stuck some of the covered silver pans in the oven to stay warm before cramming the rest of his purchases into Lisbon's refrigerator. Everything should be done by the time they were ready for them.

At the moment, he could hear the tub draining upstairs and he needed to let Lisbon know he was here. Added to that, he wanted to see her. They'd both been too busy once they returned to the office to say more than a few casual words in passing. There certainly hadn't been a spare moment to revisit their discussion. Not in public or in the confines of a more private office. He was feeling a little antsy because of that.

Heading for the stairs, Jane contemplated calling out before deciding to crash Lisbon's party instead. It wasn't like she wasn't expecting him. She'd better be since they had a date. Maybe "date" was a little strong for what they were doing. But, they had an assignation. However it turned out in the end. Stepping into the bedroom, he headed towards the bathroom. Knocking lightly on the door, he pushed it the rest of the way open before stepping inside.

"You aren't supposed to be in here." Lisbon rinsed her toothbrush and put it away shooting him a glare reminding him that her bedroom suite was now off limits. "I was just about ready to come downstairs anyway."

"I can see that." Jane took in her body hugging coral tank top and black sleep pants noting the subtle changes already apparent to him through her clothing. "I thought I'd give you some extra incentive to move a little faster."

"Yeah?" Lisbon smirked at him in the mirror. "You can try; but, that isn't happening. I've been moving fast all day. Now that I'm home, I'm taking it slow and easy."

"No problem." Jane said. "Now that I've found you, it's going to be a while before dinner is ready anyway."

"Now that you've found me?" Lisbon gave him a disbelieving look. "I wasn't lost."

"You weren't where I wanted you to be either." Jane gently corrected her. "You weren't with me."

"I still wasn't lost." Lisbon shook her head. "Sometimes you can be such a child."

"Perhaps." Jane agreed. "That doesn't change the fact I enjoy having you around."

Refusing to respond she felt the same, Lisbon couldn't stop the smile curving her lips as she watched Jane's hands encircle her waist in the mirror. She'd been mildly concerned about tonight for most of the day. She wasn't sure Jane was really as all right with everything as he'd claimed. Or that he would be after he'd had a while to mull her unexpected news. It seemed she'd worried for nothing.

Especially considering he was lifting the bottom of her tank to run his palm over the still flat planes of her stomach before halting a little below her belly button. Lisbon wasn't sure how she felt about such intimacies. They hadn't been together in a long time. They weren't together now. That being said, he shouldn't have his hand so low on her belly; but, she wasn't asking him to remove it either. He wasn't trying anything.

Just attempting to come to terms with the fact she carried his child in her body in the only way he could. It wasn't like there was much to see. Since he'd been through all of this before, he was probably imagining what rested beneath his palm. She could see the gears twisting in his mind.

"I never expected this to happen again." Jane caught her eyes in a piercing gaze. "I'm not sure I even thought it was possible. I've certainly never given anything like this any serious thought. Not even with you."

While she didn't doubt his honesty, Lisbon refused to respond to such a ridiculous statement. They were both adults. As such, they were both familiar with the most basic tenets of biology. Or they should be. Especially the one saying when you did what they'd done without benefit of protection, conception was always a possibility. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on one's perspective, their luck had run out one evening a little over two months ago.

Possibility had become reality in a handful of life altering hours.

"Yeah, if I want to be as ridiculous as you, I could say I never expected this to happen at all." Lisbon's stare was equally piercing. "Unfortunately, we're both adults, so neither of us has the right to say such a foolish thing. All we can do is admit our stupidity has come back to bite us on the rear."

"It's hardly that bad." Jane corrected her. "While we may have been irresponsible, everything is going to work out in the end. We'll make sure of it."

As strange as it seemed, he was at peace knowing his child rested somewhere beneath his palm. While he probably should have been knocked on his butt by his ex-lover's blunt announcement, he wasn't. He was shocked, yes, and not all that pleased they'd created life in the midst of a friendly four letter word he'd never willingly apply to an encounter with Lisbon. But, he wasn't mad or unhappy.

Just mildly disturbed they'd done something so casually that should only be done purposefully as a tangible expression of their love.

"I'm glad one of us feels that way." Lisbon admitted. "A child isn't anything I ever thought I wanted; but, now that I'm pregnant, I wouldn't change a thing."

She wasn't about to say, "Not even the father." because, truthfully, she couldn't imagine another man filling that role. Or she couldn't now. She hadn't gotten to that point in the fantasy with Marcus. They'd both been too caught up in the moment to think so far ahead. Or maybe they'd just been confident the future would take care of itself. Who knows what she'd really been thinking back then? That chapter of her life ended as it should when Jane told her he hoped she wouldn't leave. While she hadn't necessarily felt that at the time, she realized it now.

"I'm glad to hear that." Jane took her at her word. "I wasn't sure how you really felt."

"I've already told you how I feel." Lisbon's gaze bore into him. "I wouldn't have told you I was excited if it wasn't true."

"There's a big difference between being excited and wanting your child." Jane pointed out. "They're not the same thing. You can be excited about a new puppy only to discover the responsibility isn't anything you really wanted."

"In case you need to hear the words, I want our child." Lisbon stated firmly. "That was never up for debate. If you need any further reassurance, I've had several puppies in my life. I never gave them back either."

Lisbon shook her head over Jane's very normal; but, unfounded fears. He knew what kind of woman she was. The responsibility had never concerned her; but, who the father was had.

As soon as she'd realized she was late she'd jumped to the most logical conclusion. From there, she'd contemplated her options and known only one was acceptable. As much as she dreaded telling Jane what they'd done and letting him back into her life, there wasn't any other choice. Like it or not, he'd fathered the fetus growing in her womb. He had as much right as she did to be a part of its life if he wanted.

The only question was if he wanted especially considering how abruptly she'd ended things between them.

Not once but twice.

Frankly, she couldn't really blame the man if he'd wanted nothing to do with them.

"I never thought it was." Jane said quietly. "If anything was up for debate, we've already discussed that it was whether to tell me or not."

"Not telling you was never an option." Lisbon said. "This is your child, too. I've already told you I wasn't sure how to tell you…Or how you'd feel once I did…It isn't like you owe me anything."

"That I don't owe you anything doesn't change the fact I want to be with you." Jane said quietly. "That didn't suddenly change because we're pregnant. I never wanted to leave in the first place. You wanted me gone."

"I never really wanted you gone." Lisbon reluctantly admitted. "You scare me."

"Why in the world would I scare you?" Jane turned her around feeling they needed to be eye to eye for this conversation. "We've known each other forever. You know my deepest, darkest secrets." Like how it felt to kill Red John. "There's nothing about me that should make you afraid."

"Jane, honestly." Lisbon dismissed him. "You know that's not what I mean."

"I do." Jane agreed. "You're afraid of how you feel about me."

"I suppose I am." Lisbon agreed. "I thought I could handle it…."

"You can." Jane forced her to look into his eyes. "You don't have much of a choice any more. That's my kid in there and he's going to have both of his parents. Besides, you need to accept I care about you just as much as I care about him, probably more. You aren't the only one who stands to get badly hurt if this thing blows up in our faces and I'm not talking about our child. I'm talking about me."

"I'm more concerned about unintentional pain than anything intentional." Lisbon said quietly. "I know you aren't going to cheat on me or ignore me or do any of those stupid things you shouldn't. It's the crazy stunts I can't handle. The ones that could easily get you killed."

"Have I taken any unnecessary risks the past few months?" Jane asked.

"One or two." Lisbon said. "At least I thought they were unnecessary."

"Maybe they were; but, they weren't dangerous." Jane reminded her. "You know that."

"But they could have been." Lisbon clung to her point. "You know that."

"Anything we do on a case could turn dangerous so that isn't a valid argument." Jane stated firmly. "It's the nature of the beast. We aren't discussing 'could have beens.' If you'll think back over the past few months since we called it quits, you'll realize I haven't taken any of my usual chances. I've let the guys and gals with the guns do the heavy work. I made you that promise the day you walked out on me. I've done everything in my power to keep my word since."

Lisbon silently mulled his words with an inscrutable face. For once, Jane had no idea what she was thinking. He was sure she could make a liar out of him if she tried hard enough. But, in his defense, he'd made a valiant effort to do as he'd promised. The rub might come when he took their differing points of view into consideration.

"Fine." Lisbon said. "I'll cut you some slack."

"That's good to know." Jane said. "Does that mean we're okay?"

"For the moment." Lisbon agreed. "This is just so weird."

"In what way?" Jane asked not thinking it was weird at all.

"I don't know." Lisbon huffed at Jane's disgusted eye roll at her evasive answer. "Mostly that I played this scenario over in my mind a thousand different ways and it never worked out like this."

"You had to know I'd be all right with this." Jane stated far calmer than she felt. "Maybe not at first; but, eventually."

"I didn't know anything." Lisbon corrected him. "We never discussed the possibility of having a child together. For all I know, you never wanted another one."

"You can't believe that." Jane said. "I'll admit I haven't given it a lot of thought. Not in any relevant way. But, you had to know, when I found that special someone, if I ever did, the idea of having what I'd lost again might hold some appeal."

Lisbon couldn't be that obtuse. She'd spent years thwarting his plans to take his nemesis out in a blaze of glory forcing him to survive instead. She had to know he'd heal at some point and want to live again. She'd probably intended to make him although he was positive she didn't have the first clue how to go about accomplishing such a difficult task. The answer had proven deceptively simple in the end.

All she had to do was love him and let him love her back.

"I didn't know you'd found that special someone." Lisbon ignored his insulted snort.

"Then you're more of a fool than I'd ever take you for." Jane stated firmly. "While I'm excited at the prospect of becoming a father again…The fact I'm doing it with you is what makes the whole idea palatable…I'm not sure I'd want to do this with anyone else."

"You would if you loved her." Lisbon said quietly. "You're a familial man."

"Familial or not, I don't love the mythical "her" so it's all a moot point." Jane said quietly. "I'm not sure I ever could. I do, however, love you."

"Yeah?" Lisbon pulled back to look in his eyes. "You mean that?"

"Yes." Jane agreed. "Very much."

"That's nice." Lisbon reluctantly admitted. "I love you, too."

"I know." Jane told her. "I've known for a long time."

"I guess you have." Truthfully, so had she. They'd just not been vocal about it. In fact, neither of them had said the words over the course of their relationship. It hadn't seemed necessary. They'd shown each other in so many other ways. "You aren't supposed to know me better than I know myself."

"Why?" Jane asked. "It's in my job description."

"Yeah, well, leave your job description at the office with the rest of our work." Lisbon snarked. "A girl needs to have a little mystery."

"You still have plenty of mystery." Jane promised. "More than enough to keep a man on his toes."

"Good." Lisbon leaned into his kiss. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Catching up on the nine weeks of my child's life that I've missed." Jane said as he pulled her tank over her head. "It's not like you aren't adequately covered."

Nodding, Lisbon gave in deciding she owed him that much and he did have a point. He wasn't seeing anything he hadn't seen many times before. Besides, it wasn't like she wasn't still wearing her bra and pants. More than that, she'd had a couple of months to come to terms with the reality their child was growing in her womb. He'd had a few hours. She owed him this much.

"I'd say you've gained about a pound if I don't miss my guess." Jane smirked knowing Lisbon hated how he did that when it applied to her. "And you're getting tired more frequently." He continued lightly caressing her shoulder as he noted the answer in her eyes. "Don't worry. I can see it around your eyes; but, no one else can. It's normal and it should pass as soon as your body gets used to functioning for two. Once it does, you won't have to worry about the extreme fatigue until you get closer to the end."

"That's what my doctor says." Lisbon watched his hand moving down her side to run lightly over her stomach in an innocuous manner. "I'm taking him at his word."

"He's not lying to you." Jane agreed. "I'm assuming the nausea is manageable since your weight is staying pretty steady."

"Not too bad." Lisbon answered honestly. "Fortunately, it usually hits at night after I'm home for the evening. Sometimes a random smell will trigger it. Honestly, I'm doing better than I expected. "

"Good." Jane nodded. "I have noticed you're having headaches you never used to have."

"Sometimes." Lisbon admitted. "When there's a lot of stress. They aren't too bad though. From what the doctor says, I'm fine. The baby is, too, so I can't complain.

The good part is even though I'm small there isn't any reason anyone should think I'm pregnant for a while yet. My mom was small and she didn't show with any of my brothers until she was pretty far along. I'm hoping genetics hold true."

"You may be correct." Jane agreed knowing they could both be wrong since small women frequently showed faster than women with more body fat. "I wouldn't know if you hadn't told me so I'd say no one else will know for a while."

"That's good, right?" Lisbon asked. "We don't want anyone knowing before we're ready."

"It isn't a secret, Teresa." Jane said running his hand over her still mostly flat belly. "Not as far as I'm concerned. If you want to tell the world, tell them. If you'd rather wait until people figure it out, I'm fine with that too. The choice is yours."

"You really don't care?" Lisbon searched his eyes. "I don't believe that."

"Believe it." Jane said. "It's nobody's business but ours."

"I'm not sure Abbott and the FBI will feel the same." Lisbon gently reminded him. "We both work for them."

"Who cares about them?" Jane dismissed her concerns as he lifted her to sit on the counter. "That kid belongs to you and me, not Abbott, Fischer, or the FBI."

"We'll see how long you feel that way." Lisbon laughed knowing it wasn't going to be all smooth sailing at work even if Jane wanted to pretend it was. "I'm sure Abbott, Fischer, nor the FBI will see things quite your way."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Jane lifted her tank from the counter. "What do you say to putting this on and getting something to eat?"

"I'd say that sounds like a plan." Lisbon leaned up to plant a kiss at the corner of his lips before shrugging into her shirt and walking out the door. "We can continue this conversation later."

Following Lisbon's lead, Jane smiled slightly at the thought all of this was going much better than he'd anticipated but he wasn't pushing his luck.

Not yet.

With careful thought and a lot of grace, he'd have Lisbon back where he wanted her before the night was over.