Author's Notes: I'm amazed at the reviewer response this last chapter (and squealing). So many of you left a comment and a couple new people joined in. This makes me very happy. This is a not so long chapter and I can only hope you won't hurt me at the end of it… I make it sound very dreadful don't I? :-P

You all have given me much ego stroking, I feel like a James Bond villain in a luxuriously padded swivel chair, but instead of a fluffy white cat I am stroking my brain in my arms. Myes…

Thank you to the following reviewers: Katharen Silver, lisbonloafers, yaba (I'm glad you think it's "extremely powerful"), Chiisana Minako (Yay! Dori plushie!), starbuckfaerie21, Bezelburr, Ebony10 , silkysue10, Charmed225, ThranduilsDaughter, Tessa27, MK (Glad you like it. As much as us fans would absolutely squeal if something like you mentioned happen, it's not within their characters to do so and might as well be a story of 2 other people.), mtm, Nancy, Jadestar1981 (Thank you for thoughtfully leaving a review for every chapter! You're awesome! I'm glad you love this story so much.), Firebreather23, and Hikaru Ceres (You flatter me).

122 reviews! I believe Bezelburr was the 100th reviewer. Thank you all again for reviewing! Please enjoy and review.

Chapter 11

A week after the Friday night that Jane had removed his wedding band, Lisbon had finally traced and contacted the organization from which Abby had come. They thanked her profusely. Upon discovering the dog's circumstances and healed injuries, which still caused a slight limp, Lisbon was informed the dog would be placed in retirement, or perhaps could be used as a therapy dog to visit hospital patients. The puppy trainers would have first choice on taking Abby in, but they said they could put her on the list next if the trainers didn't want her. Though Teresa was tempted, she had to refuse the offer since soon she would be returning to her normal life and wouldn't have time for a dog.

Perhaps she could visit sometime?

Lisbon no longer took heavy medications and was cleared for duty by the hospital, though she wasn't yet cleared for field work. She grumbled a bit, but was happy to be out of the house, which was now depressing without the company of Abby to cheer her up. The day she returned to work, the CBI threw a welcome back party for her.

After her first day back, Jane no longer came over for breakfast or dinner. She was surprised at how much she had come to depend on his company over meals and after dinner watching TV on the couch. Of course he wouldn't come over. She was mostly recovered and could take care of herself as she had before. She found it to be difficult though, knowing how it could have been when she sat alone eating microwavable meals and fast food she picked up on the way home.

So she was pleasantly surprised to find Jane on her doorstep one Friday evening, a couple weeks after she had been cleared for full duty. He smiled and pulled out a DVD case that had some local video rental store's logo on it.

"I brought a movie and popcorn. Want to watch?" Jane said, pulling out a microwaveable bag of popcorn with his other hand. Lisbon stood aside, allowing Jane to walk into her home.

The two sat on the sofa, a large bowl of popcorn resting in Lisbon's lap. Jane teased her for being territorial about it, she had replied with a handful of popcorn thrown at him. He had rented Naked Gun a classic comedy from the 80's which made them laugh and smirk, commenting on how Leslie Nelson hasn't changed much since then, and on how much things have changed for O.J. Simpson since the movie.

Jane's arm had been resting behind Lisbon on the couch. They had been sitting close to easily share the popcorn, or at least that was what they told themselves. At some point Lisbon had leaned into Jane and ended up staying that way, though neither could pinpoint when it happened. His arm had come down to rest on her shoulders after a time as her head was resting against his chest, starting to pick up on the natural smell of him. His body radiated an inviting, dry warmth.

Lisbon fell asleep before the end of the movie. Jane shut off the TV with the remote when the credits started rolling. He listened to her steady breathing. Her head had slipped down so it was now resting on his stomach. She looked so peaceful.

Jane became conflicted. Did he wake her? Take her upstairs to her bed? She looked like she needed the rest. He had noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Perhaps he was being selfish, but he couldn't bring himself to move away from her, though after having recently healed it would do her no good to sleep partially upright. That would cause a rather sore back and neck come morning.

He weighed the consequences of his next actions, but decided he would risk her wrath. Popping his shoes off, he picked the bowl of popcorn kernels off of its precarious position on Lisbon's lap and set it on the floor. He gently positioned her head against his chest, bringing his legs up, aligning her body to his, securely tucked against him. He took the folded blanket off the back of her sofa and pulled it down over them. He stayed awake much of the night just savoring the feel of her body against him. Perhaps she would banish him from her home after this, but he was tired of being alone, and he believed that she was too.

***

Morning came, slanting bars of light hitting Teresa's face. She tried blocking out the light, snuggling into the warm body beneath her, sleep still clouding her mind. She distantly wondered when the last time she had slept with a man was, four years? Five? She had forgotten…

Eyes snapped open and Teresa was tumbling off of Patrick, tangled in the blanket and falling to the floor, hitting the coffee table on the way. She let out a pained sound and muttered curses. Patrick's eyes flew open, alerted to the movement and noise.

"Teresa, are you okay?" he was leaning over the couch, observing her on the floor, concern all over his face. She looked up at him and noticed abstractly how his curls were flattened on one side of his head even as she was clenching her teeth against the pain in her elbow from having banged it on the table.

Jane sat up and reached down, pulling her up and onto the couch, gently prying away her right hand from her left elbow. "Here, let me see that."

He studied the reddened joint and noted that it looked like there was going to be a nasty bruise.

"Jane, what are you doing?" the adrenaline from realizing she was sleeping on a man and then falling had cleared the cobwebs from her sleepy mind, spinning the wheels on supersonic speeds.

"Looking at your elbow. We should get some ice on it," he stated matter-of-factly, getting up to go to her kitchenette.

"Jane, what are you doing here?" she emphasized, holding her elbow again, boring a hole into his back with her eyes. He had opened the freezer drawer and was sifting through it, finding the bag of frozen peas she had solely for the purpose of icing her bruises and sore muscles.

"Well, I was sleeping on your couch before I was rudely awakened," he replied drily, grabbing a kitchen towel and wrapping it around the bag of peas as he walked back. He handed it to her then sat down beside her.

His nonchalant attitude was getting on her nerves quickly. How could he be so relaxed, as if they always fell asleep together on the couch?

"We can't do this. Please leave," came the quiet voice. She didn't look at him, instead staring at the floor as she held the makeshift ice pack to her bruised elbow.

There was a flutter of hope in Jane's chest as he heard the inclusive "we", meaning that she felt something for him as well, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself or others.

"Teresa-"

"Jane," his surname was said with emphasis, trying to distance him, "please just go."

He slowly stood up, but turned to her, looking at her downturned, dark head. "We will be talking about this, make no mistake. See you at work."

She finally lifted her head when her door clicked shut. 'Why do you have to do this?' she silently asked Jane.