Author's Notes: Thank you yaba/yana!

Thanks to the following for leaving reviews/comments. 5 more and Blue Memories will hit the 100 reviews mark!

mtm (thanks!), Chiisana Minako ("… and you shall be my squishy!" Ah Dory, awesome. Candy cane, my throat is sore, minty somethings are pretty good for that.), Tessa27, Firebreather23 (Oh no! I hope your hands heal quickly and thank you Ice for assisting.), Nancy, Charmed225, MK, Queen Em (Yay! Another new reviewer!), Ebony10, Bezelburr, lisbonloafers (Very sensible shoes I see. Love it!), and starbuckfaerie21.

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Chapter 10

Jane's drive to work was uneventful, relatively smooth since he missed the morning traffic by going to work late. He had told the rest of the team that he would be checking in on their injured boss in the mornings. Grace had given him a knowing look to which he feigned ignorance, Cho had looked up from his book, slightly skeptical at the seemingly innocent statement their consultant had made. Rigsby had laughed to himself, commenting sarcastically that seeing Jane first thing in the morning was exactly what their boss needed. A good point, or so Grace had apparently thought as her knowing look became concerned and she strongly cautioned Jane not to rile their boss up. It couldn't be good for the healing process. He had waved off their concerns, telling them not to worry. After all, he hadn't riled Lisbon up, not much anyway…

No, in fact, he could confidently tell them that she had been quite relaxed this morning in her own home, enjoying the morning news with breakfast he himself had prepared. It would be the truth, it's exactly what happened. They didn't need to know the sordid details of what happened after that part.

Van Pelt and Rigsby were enthralled by Jane's story of the previous night's escape from the hospital (reassuring Van Pelt that yes, he did indeed fill out the proper forms to have her released, and no, they wouldn't be getting any calls from the hospital about a kidnapping) and almost disbelieving that Lisbon would actually let him take her away.

"She had to have been high on painkillers when you did that," Rigsby declared, an amused look on his face, "I wonder what the boss is like when she's dosed up?"

Van Pelt shook her head, "No, actually I think I can see her letting you get her out. It must have been driving her crazy just sitting in that hospital room all day with nothing to do but watch TV. I mean, I heard she even begged Cho to bring her paperwork to do."

Jane smirked. Paperwork seemed to be a theme going around. "Funny you should mention that-"

"Cho, in my office," Minelli called out, before turning around and heading back.

Cho looked up from his book and carefully placed a bookmark between the pages, setting it down on his desk before getting up from his seat.

"It looks like we got another case."

***

Lisbon thought over her morning after Jane left. She didn't know what to make of the events that transpired between her and the dark blond consultant. She seemed to be receiving mixed signals. She could swear that he was going to kiss her. 'Not that he should,' she back pedaled.

She spent the rest of the morning playing with Abby and found that the dog didn't chase after thrown things unless she was encouraged. It wouldn't do to have a service dog suddenly chasing down a ball while on the job.

She took a nap after lunch, having heated up one of the containers Jane left for her. She drifted off recalling the scent and warmth of Jane's body pressed against hers when he held her.

***

The end of the week came quickly. Lisbon's ribs were aching less and less, having heeded Jane's advice on resting (she remembered the doctor telling her the same thing, she was only doing what the doctor ordered, she thought stubbornly). Just being home in her own bed felt better than in the impersonal hospital where people you didn't know passed on through at all hours of the day, checking on her or the other patient she was rooming with. She still had to contend with follow up checkups that had been scheduled throughout the next couple of months though.

Jane came in every morning and evening, but didn't stay the night as he had that first time. He made her breakfast and saw to it that she had dinner, a couple times bringing in takeout meals.

It was Friday night and he had brought Thai food with him that day. Lisbon hungrily dug in, explaining she had taken Abby out to the park earlier. She felt his eyes on her again, though she was used to his habit of staring at people and wasn't as bothered as she had been initially when they had first met. However, she felt it had been happening more often as of late. Maybe it was because there was no one else to stare at? She wondered.

Once in a while, this past week, she had also noticed him fiddling with his wedding ring. It wasn't something she would normally notice, because if he wasn't pretending to sleep on the couch at the office he was usually moving about, doing something. He was less flighty in her home, perhaps because he had already seen it, and upon not discovering any changes from his last visit was content to just sit with her when he wasn't cooking or washing dishes.

Lisbon had seen her neighbor earlier that day when taking Abby to the park. An elderly man, who lived two doors down, Mr. Downey, smiled at her knowingly, as he walked in with his newspaper tucked under an arm. She had been confused by that look. Despite his almost white hair, his eyebrows were black, and quite shaggy. They had accompanied his shrewd look with a good waggle up and down. She started to become paranoid as she continued on walking to the park, it dawning on her that the neighbors must have noticed Jane coming in to visit her every day. She had clamped down on the panic. It didn't matter what other people thought because nothing was going on!

She had called Cho to check in on everyone at the office, asking if Jane had gotten into trouble that week. To her surprise Cho gave a positive report on Jane, he hadn't gotten into any major trouble, at least not big enough to cause a public relations scandal. Fortunately, no forests were going to be wasted on his behavior this week. To be fair, they only had one small case open, so most of the time he had been in the office.

Still, Lisbon had been proud of Jane and told him so in a roundabout manner during their Friday night Thai dinner.

"Checking in on me? My, my, worried I'd break my promise?" Jane teased.

"Hey, you yourself said that it could be kept since I wouldn't actually be in the office," she pointed out.

"No, you said that, I merely pointed out that Cho would have to do any administrative work if an incident were to occur," he corrected playfully.

"Whatever, I'm still glad you kept your promise," she huffed, taking a bite out of her spring roll.

"Are your ribs feeling better?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Much, now it's more of a twinge when I move. It only really hurts if I forget and turn my body or stretch out too much," she said, picking at her noodles with chopsticks.

Jane nodded, carefully eating his noodles. Lately, he had been thinking more about Lisbon, which led to his family, and ultimately to Red John. His wedding band kept him on the path he had set out for himself after he left the psychiatric ward. He would get his revenge for his family. They had been innocent bystanders with an unfortunate link to a television psychic with a big mouth. His actions almost a month ago had almost cost him someone he had grown to care for. It hadn't even been the work of Red John, but that of an unpredictable meth addict.

He still wanted to avenge his family, but at what cost? It had been fine when he had been alone. He had positioned himself to work for the CBI specifically so that he would have access to the Red John case. He hadn't counted on getting close with the team. He had tried to keep his distance as he had managed to for years, his fake smiles, uncensored mouth, knowing the right things to say to turn a person away from wanting to know him more personally. At first, he had been using Lisbon and her team. The difficulty lay in coming to the same place every day, getting to know them as individuals. Even as he did that naturally, picking out flaws in people, their weaknesses and vulnerability, marking targets, they eventually got through his invisible wall. The one he had learned to put up so that he could do what his father wanted, even as it broke his boyish heart.

Lisbon's personality hadn't helped either. It just begged for his attention when she had written him off from the beginning, his charm seemingly not affecting her. He had wanted her to like him like he had wanted no one else for a long time, the paper frog, the strawberries, the pony, and so many other things, just to see her smile. The last time he had done something to make someone else smile for no particular reason had been his wife, and even then it had been different, it had been a different life. He had showered her with extravagance, had been a different man then. He'd bring home red roses, her favorite wine; surprise her by taking her to the exclusive restaurant that had to be reserved months in advance.

With Lisbon the small things made her smile, although the pony wasn't so small, but that was special for her birthday.

He was still intent on avenging his family when the time came, but wasn't sure how he'd go about it anymore. It had been his purpose to live these last few years, but without noticing he had been changing little by little, until he had finally realized it these past few weeks worrying over Teresa Lisbon.

He couldn't get himself to admit the full truth, but was able to go as far as knowing he more than liked her. Worrying over Lisbon gave Jane a purpose other than his vengeance. Maybe it was the fact that he went to his house very infrequently, having instead stayed in the hospital, the office, and finally at Lisbon's, though it was one time. He didn't go to sleep and wake up to the bloody smiley face hanging over him. Though he did have his wedding band, reminding him from time to time of everything he'd lost.

Lisbon noticed him staring more intently at his ring finger in silence for a long time, clearly in thought. She wondered what kind of decision he was making.

She had been enjoying his visits, had been a bit shocked upon realizing how often he had visited her in the hospital, and now at home. She wasn't used to being taken care of as she had always been the mothering force in her family, ever since she was twelve. She had, however, found herself not at all minding Jane taking over food preparations and clean up during her convalescence. She was also finding it more difficult to ignore the attraction she felt for him as he pampered her. She had been living an independent life for so long that she didn't know what to think of Jane's actions, including Monday's mixed messages, and recently his interest in his ring. She mentally shook her head. He was a coworker who was concerned for her. He didn't have a family to go home to so he just happened to have a lot of free time to spend with her. A family he tragically lost and must think about every day when he was alone at night.

She noticed him slowly pulling the ring off his finger, mentally going on red alert, wondering what was happening. She watched him as he held it in his palm, seeming to weigh it, nudging it with a finger, before closing his other fingers over it.

"Jane?" Lisbon cautiously asked.

He looked up at her, his other hand clasping over the closed one holding his ring. "Yes?"

She didn't elaborate, not sure if she'd be intruding on something too personal. She just didn't know what to say to him. She stared at him, quizzically concerned. He flashed a smile and pocketed the ring in the breast pocket of the jacket he had hung off the back of his chair. He had an indentation on his left ring finger from all the years he had worn it, before and after his family's death.

"Are you okay?"

He held his right hand out, palm up, across the table towards Lisbon. She stared at the offered hand for a moment, and then placed her own left hand on top, his warm hand clasping hers.

"I'll be fine."