Jane sat the last of the bags on the kitchen cabinet as Lisbon began unloading them. He'd done exactly as he'd planned all day. He'd sent his fearless leader home and gone to the market. He'd meandered through the aisles grabbing the makings for a salad, a few garlic bulbs, fresh herbs for his secret rub, salad dressing, and fresh baked bread. He'd added a pound of butter, Lisbon's favorite pastry, his favorite tea, and a few other things to his buggy before he made his way over to the pharmacy for a bottle of aspirin. A few minutes later, he'd checked out with his usual flirty cashier and driven home. Now, he was safely ensconced inside watching a certain jammie clad brunette poke through his bags with the glee of a ten year old.
Far from helping, Jane decided since he'd done the shopping and he'd do the cooking as usual, his shiftless companion could make herself useful putting his take away. Leaning over, he snagged a quick kiss before washing his hands and grabbing a large bulb of fresh garlic. Grabbing his cutting board from the corner, he smashed the clove with the side of his knife and added a pinch of salt making short work of pulverizing the base ingredient in his infamous fresh steak rub. He smiled at the rustling of bags behind him signaling Lisbon was attacking her duty with relish. Actually, all the noise had nothing to do with unpacking the groceries and everything to do with her pointless quest. The woman wasn't going to find what she was looking for.
Expertly chopping copious amounts of fresh herbs, Jane smiled at the thought they'd fallen into a cozy little pattern over the several months of their clandestine quasi co-habiting non-relationship. He was the self-appointed executive chef in the household while Lisbon made the salads usually with great reluctance though she did a very good job. The woman really was a lazy bum. She'd rather paint her toenails the latest fashion shade in her arsenal and eat his food than help in the preparation. Lisbon seemed to think the pleasure of her company was enough to justify his slaving over a professional grade cook top for an hour or two every day. Jane tended to agree though he'd never tell her so. Some things were better left unsaid.
"Jane, where's the wine? You were supposed to pick up a bottle of red to go with the steaks." That was dreadfully close to a whine and quite repulsive to his ears.
Lisbon didn't care whether it was a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot, or a rich Tuscan Red. Whatever Jane deemed appropriate to go with whatever cut of steak he'd decided was the butcher shop's best offering. She'd just been looking forward to that glass of wine. She'd not had one in a while. She'd begun looking forward to a lot of things lately that had never seemed important before. That occasional glass of wine was one of them.
As for Jane, the man was, not unexpectedly she supposed, a connoisseur of good wine, good Scotch, good food, and all things Lisbon. Lisbon returned the favor. She could definitely become a connoisseur of all things Jane, especially without his clothes. However, she wasn't all that happy with him at the moment. She definitely wasn't in the mood to be a connoisseur of anything Jane with or without his clothes.
Glaring at the mostly rabbit food and little else that she'd removed from the bags Jane had brought in from the market, Lisbon turned to the object of her ire. He just continued chopping the herbs for his infamous rub even though he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. He could even read the threatening 'There'd better be a bottle of wine around here or else' thought weaving its way through her mind. She'd just have to get over it already.
"There's no wine tonight, Lisbon, and probably not for a while to come."
Not that either of them were big drinkers. They had an occasional glass of wine with dinner, and an occasional shot with the team when a case was solved. Maybe shared the once in a blue moon glass of Scotch or a snifter of brandy. That was about the extent of it. Jane had caught the beginnings of an ominous pattern not long after they'd started hanging out together. They weren't repeating family curses…his or hers. He'd effectively nipped that one in the bud before it could blossom into anything more. Who needed booze when there was a Jane around?
"What do you mean? There's no reason I can't have a glass of wine with dinner except you didn't buy any." Lisbon groused.
"There may be a rather small one. Go take the test, Lisbon, take the test and prove me wrong." Reaching in the bag she'd yet to unload, Jane placed the small box in her hand.
"No way, Jane. I'm on the pill." She wasn't about to touch that one. No flipping way.
"We both know that, Lisbon; but, accidents still happen. Humor me. If I'm wrong, take pleasure in the fact you'll never let me live my presumption down." Jane offered.
"If you're right?" He wasn't so she wasn't going there; but, she had to ask.
"It's not the end of the world. We'll deal with it." Lisbon puffed up like she wanted to argue before snatching the box from his hand.
Despite the great strides they'd made, there were still so many walls between them carefully dividing their relationship into neat little manageable compartments Lisbon could handle without thinking about it. Maybe this child would be the key to breaking down the barriers allowing what was between them to grow wild and free. To give their relationship the opportunity to become everything Jane hoped it could be. To break the stranglehold Lisbon had on her feelings and on his by extension.
He had to admit she'd changed him, his Lisbon had. She'd demanded all of him without even trying. She'd been too wrapped up in her own struggles to realize what she had done or she'd never have done it. Lisbon wasn't a selfish person. If anything, she gave too much. Or she always had where he was concerned. Jane didn't mind. He'd told her he was willing to be whatever she needed and he'd meant it. He still did.
There was something about putting someone else's needs above his own that changed a man. Jane had to admit the months of tenderly nurturing and healing his tough, practical, sarcastically witty lover had healed him in unexpected, unforeseen ways. Ways for the better.
He'd not abandoned his mission lest anyone think that. He'd not abandoned it; but, it was amended. He was still going to catch his quarry and bring him in. Old RJ was wanted dead or alive as the old song said, but preferably dead. He was going to see that his nemesis was stopped and his beloved first family avenged. But, he was no longer willing to sacrifice himself on the altar of that cause. He couldn't do that anymore. Not when he had a second family waiting in the wings. He had duties to both of them he was honor bound to fulfill. He could no longer put the needs of the dead over those of the living. Not that he had in a while.
"You're wrong, you know." Lisbon's snarky words pulled him back from his thoughts.
"Prove it." Jane poked one of the potatoes Lisbon had stuck in the oven soon after she'd gotten home and found the weren't nearly done. It was a good thing he wasn't starting those steaks any time soon.
"I will." There was just as much challenge in her voice as there had been in his.
Jane watched Lisbon retreat to the guest bathroom before taking a seat on the couch and turning the news on low. It would be a while before he would be summoned to the bathroom. It would take Lisbon a few minutes to process the positive results. It would take her a while to accept she was, in fact, pregnant. They would get confirmation tomorrow at the doctor's appointment Lisbon didn't even know he'd scheduled. He'd done it almost two weeks ago when he'd first begun to suspect what was probably being confirmed right about now.
"Jane." Rising to his feet, Jane admitted he was wrong.
She wasn't going to take a few moments to let the truth sink in. Lisbon was being Lisbon and seizing the bull by the horms. From the sound of the summons Jane wasn't exactly sure whether he should run for cover or be prepared to offer comfort. He'd just have to man up and see.
"Lisbon." Jane knocked before pushing the door the rest of the way open.
Lisbon stood in front of the mirror with two sticks in hand. There was a very visible 'yes' in the window of both of them. It was obvious from the look on her face she'd not been expecting that.
"You were right." Lisbon discarded the sticks in the trash can before washing her hands. "Now what?"
"We have a two o'clock appointment tomorrow for confirmation." She wasn't expecting that either.
"You were sure enough to schedule a doctor's appointment?" There was a tone of disbelief in her voice.
"Yeah, Lisbon, I was. I've done this before. I noticed changes you probably didn't." Jane saw no reason to deny the truth.
Contrary to what she might think, there were no mentalist illusions or psychic abilities involved. He was just a very observant man who had been a father before. A very involved father even before his daughter was born as he would be with their child though Lisbon didn't know that yet.
"What do we do now?" Jane was pleased Lisbon sounded calm and reasonable.
"We're going to have a child, Lisbon. We're going to have a child and we're going to raise it together." He could be reasonable too.
"I'm not moving in with you, Jane." For all purposes and intents, she already was; but why quibble?
"I'm not asking you too." Jane said smoothly.
"I'm certainly not going to marry you because I'm pregnant." Lisbon rejoined. Perish that thought. All pregnant women weren't crazy.
"I'm certainly not going to ask you to marry me because you're pregnant. Lisbon, we're all but living together most of the time as it is. We don't need to change our lives any more than we have. Right now, we're both more comfortable having our own space. With being able to leave whenever all this lovely togetherness becomes too much for one or the other to take.
I honestly don't know what you'll allow us to be in the future. That's up to you. Or exactly what I want us to be. We both know neither of us has worked that out. Perhaps this newest event will force our hands. Get us to do the thinking we've both been putting off much too long. All that truly matters at the moment is that you'll allow me to be our baby's father. We can figure out the rest as we go along." That wasn't exactly true; but, Lisbon didn't want to hear that at the moment.
Jane knew exactly how he felt and exactly how he wanted things to be but none of that mattered. Lisbon wasn't to that point yet. A wise man knew when not to force his hand and Jane had become a very wise man recently.
"That's pretty hard for me to deny since you are." Not that she'd try.
"But you don't want anyone at work to know just as you don't want them to know we're together." Jane reminded her.
"It's none of their business." Lisbon was fiercely private.
"No, it isn't. Don't you think they'll suspect at some point?" That was normally the way of such things.
"We're good at keeping our private life private. As for everyone else, they can suspect anything they please. As long as what's between us doesn't impact our work performance it's none of their business." Neither of them really believed that.
"No, it isn't." But they could lie.
"As for us being together, we've been together since that first night. I know I'm not good at showing it; but, we're together. We're an 'us'. We're Lisbon and Jane. That's all there is too it. There hasn't been anyone else and I haven't been looking. Don't want too. I'm good right where I am."
That was as close as Lisbon would come to admitting her feelings whatever they were. Jane really wasn't sure. That she enjoyed his company and sharing his bed was undeniable. Beyond that, he really didn't know. Though he wasn't yet ready to label his own feelings, he knew they ran deep.
He missed Lisbon when she wasn't around and he enjoyed her company. The sex was an added bonus, but he'd feel the same about her company without it. Lisbon had become a part of his life he just anticipated always being there. He couldn't imagine life without her. He truly couldn't and that frightened him.
"I know, My Dear, I do. Just as you know there's been no one but you since my wife. That's never been in question for either of us. I guess that's why this little surprise isn't that big a deal. It's just one more way we're joined together." It sounded pretty simple when put that way.
"Yeah, I guess it is." She'd accept that for now.
"It's actually kind of sexy."
"The only part of being pregnant that's sexy is you're getting turned on knowing you knocked me up." Lisbon had such a vulgar cop mouth at times.
He really needed to work on that, but at the moment she could phrase things any way she liked. All that mattered was the joy he was feeling at knowing they were having a child and her calm acceptance of the fact. With Lisbon, it didn't get much better than that.
"That might be true, Lisbon, that might be true. It doesn't change the fact it's still sexy." He'd keep saying the words until she started believing them.
"Jane, you can't knock me up again." The little minx was laughing at him.
"Maybe not, but I can still try." And enjoy every moment of it.
"You're incorrigible. What am I going to do with you?" As if she didn't know.
"Let me show you how happy I am we're knocked up as you put it in such dulcet tones?" It was worth a shot.
"I think that can be arranged." Lisbon laughed as Jane dragged her through the bedroom door.
She hadn't expected this reaction when she'd summoned him into bathroom; but, she'd take it. While she'd been surprised to find herself pleased, undeniably shocked, but still pleased she'd not expected Jane to be. Sleeping with her was one thing. There was no denying they were almost too good in bed. But fathering a child with her was something else entirely. As strange as it was, he seemed quite happy to have done so. She'd take what she saw. With Jane, it didn't get any better than that.