A/N: This is a very short chapter to move the story in the direction it needs to go so I can wrap this up in a few more chapters. ~ Calla
#
They'd been back from Malibu all of a couple of days and Jane was already stirring up trouble she didn't want to deal with. Apparently, he'd had words with Hollister according to what Van Pelt heard through the grapevine. Rather strong words if what Annie said was true. That wouldn't do. It wouldn't do at all. Taking the steps up to the attic, Lisbon had half of her mind on carefully navigating the stairs and the other half on handling Jane.
He couldn't go around threatening fellow CBI Agents. Even to protect her and Madeleine Grace. It wasn't done and it would bring nothing but grief, especially for her. Resting her hand against her belly and gathering her courage, Lisbon prepared to confront Jane about something he clearly felt strongly about. It would probably be a royal battle before they were done; but, she'd win in the end. Like it or not, Jane was apologizing to Hollister.
She'd make sure of it.
Knocking on the door to Jane's bat cave, Lisbon waited for him to answer. How long she'd stand in the corridor feeling stupid depended largely on what he was doing and if he wanted her to see it or not. If he didn't, she'd have to wait until he put whatever he was pursuing away. If he did, he'd be sliding that door open a sliver exactly as he was.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Lisbon?" Jane opened the door a little wider as he blinked at her like she was some alien life form and not the mother of his child.
"What do you think?" Lisbon snarked. "We need to talk and you've been hiding up here most of the day avoiding me."
"I suppose I have." Jane said as he stepped back to motion her in. "Actually, I haven't been hiding. I've been working instead." He matter-of-factly corrected her erroneous assumption.
Ignoring him, Lisbon glared balefully at the crack in the door she couldn't have slid through before she was pregnant much less now. Jane was so dead. Well, maybe not dead dead as she didn't want to deny their daughter her father or herself a very satisfactory lover. But, she would put a hurting on him at the least.
"Honestly, Jane, do you think I can fit through that?" Lisbon's tone made Jane cringe.
She clearly wasn't happy with him. Anyone wandering where they shouldn't would have no doubts she was about to tear into him with abandon over some very real transgression. They'd be right…Lisbon had clearly heard of his tête à tête with the bane of their existence.
Actually, Red John was the bane of their existence; but, Hollister was a close second.
What else was new?
Opening the crack wide enough for Lisbon to slip through, Jane closed the door and locked it from inside before turning back to face her. From the look on her face, she'd decided he wasn't doing anything important. He hadn't taken that long to answer her summons. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. He was pursuing a very important lead that might come to nothing or might pan out. He'd discuss it with Lisbon once he knew what he had. In the interim, he'd give her the time she so clearly needed wishing the while he could get back to what he'd been doing before he was so rudely disturbed.
"As I've already said, to what do I owe the honor, Lisbon?" Jane repeated not so subtly letting her know he had work to do if she didn't.
Baby or no baby between them, Jane could still be a jerk off at times and this was one of them. Refusing to take offense, Lisbon snorted at his impatience. He'd been working on whatever most of the day. He could give her a few minutes or he'd regret it. Fixing him with a look conveying as much, Lisbon was rewarded by Jane visibly backing down. While she wasn't in any position to play the old "If you ever want to get laid again card," she had stronger bargaining pieces. Like Jane's feelings for her and what lay beneath her absently rubbing palm.
"What did you do to Hollister?" Lisbon asked as she walked over to gaze out of that disgustingly dirty window.
"Tamed the monster a bit." Jane stated what she already knew.
"I'm not sure that was wise." Lisbon said as she sat on the edge of his makeshift desk briefly hoping it would hold her extra weight. "She'll only be nastier when the truth comes out. You do realize that?"
"Doing nothing wasn't an option." Jane calmly informed her. "I had to set that woman straight before one of the team did it for us. You have to know that was coming now they know our truth. They weren't going to let her continue hurting you any more than I could." Bringing her guys in on their secret was something he still wasn't confident was their wisest move. "You can't deny this kind of thing was best coming from me. I'm known for it."
"What kind of thing?" Lisbon snarked. "Threatening people?"
"Dropping promises here and there." Jane corrected her.
"Well, your promises seem to have worked for now." Lisbon relented. "As dumb as I think it was to do such a thing, I suppose I'm grateful you did it."
Surprisingly, she was. Hollister's barbs were getting nastier and nastier with time. They were also getting harder to handle. She was fast reaching the end of her endurance to simply grin and bear it. As much as she hated admitting it, something had to be done. Given his reputation, Jane was probably the best one to do it. Anyone else standing up for her would probably open the floor to questions better left unasked.
Accepting the truth, Lisbon felt herself deflating and knew the day was taking its toll.
"Having a rough day?" Jane's tone was mildly concerned as he absorbed her droopy appearance.
"Tired." Lisbon reluctantly admitted. "Very tired."
"You should have rested instead of high tailing it to Malibu." Jane admonished gently. "It wasn't necessary."
"And missed out on being with you?" Lisbon looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "No, thanks, I shouldn't have. All part of the act or not, Malibu was the only chance we had of being together like that. I wouldn't trade being with you for anything. Besides, I'd be tired anyway." She informed him. "It's a difficult case and I've had a busy day. It's only going to get busier before it's over. You know how it is."
"Then take a cat nap." Jane wrapped his arms around her not missing the perfect opportunity to cop a feel of her rounding belly.
A part of him still couldn't get his mind around the fact he was responsible for her blossoming body. That it was his daughter causing her to ripen in such a lovely way. He'd never expected such an opportunity again…such normalcy in the midst of such abnormality. Adding to his fascination with his child, he loved having more Lisbon to love if only from afar. While he knew she'd be back in fighting shape in no time after their daughter was born and he loved that body just as much, he was finding her riper curves as erotic as their cause. Though Lisbon would kill him for the thought, he secretly hoped certain parts of her stayed a little fuller after her pregnancy much as Angela had done. It wouldn't bother him at all.
"I'll come down and distract the guys with useless theories while you do." He promised.
"Sounds like a plan." Lisbon lightly smacked the errant hand getting much too familiar with naked skin. If he roamed any lower he'd be moving into forbidden territory and he knew better. Such intimacies were a no go when they were at work. "Ten or fifteen minutes will make a world of difference in how I feel."
"I'll fill you in while we walk down." Jane said as he helped her push off the desktop.
Noticing she'd not bothered slicking her lips with color before she'd come to call, Jane took the hint and drew Lisbon into his arms for a rare work day kiss.
While he couldn't kiss her silly, he could let her know how much he loved her in subtle ways.
"On what, your useless theories?" Lisbon teased as they drew apart knowing his theories were never useless.
Whatever he'd been working on was important and probably a game changer. It usually was. She just didn't know if it was Red John or one of the newer cases they were working on.
"What else?" Jane smarted back.
"You can do that." Lisbon kissed him again. "I wish you could join me."
Lisbon stiffened hearing the words she hadn't meant to say out loud.
"We'd never get anything done." Smoothing her hair back, Jane gazed deeply into her eyes. "You know I'd like nothing better."
"I do." Lisbon agreed. "But we can't. Not here. It's much too dangerous."
As much as she wished they could.
"Yes, it is." Jane said as he led her towards the door.
He couldn't help feeling for more reasons than either of them thought.
#
"Well, that didn't exactly go according to plans." Jane said as he locked Lisbon's door behind them. "Who knew Rigsby and Van Pelt were going to cut out for an early lunch? I guess we'll talk about the case after your nap or when they finally return. Whichever comes first. I let Cho know what was going on so he can run interference if he needs to."
"Good, but I don't think he will. Almost half of the CBI is out with the flu and the other half is out working cases." Lisbon agreed. "The parking lot is practically deserted and the building is worse. I don't think I'll have any meaningless interruptions."
Lisbon hoped she was right. It was getting hard to keep her eyes open.
"That's not a bad thing." Jane observed. "It means you can rest a while longer without worrying about getting caught."
"I suppose it does." Lisbon agreed. "I guess I'm fortunate I never catch the flu and neither do you."
"No, I don't, and you're too ornery to catch a bug." Jane said as he removed his jacket before sprawling out on Lisbon's couch. "That's the last thing we need in your condition."
"Watch it buddy." Removing her own jacket and draping it over the back of her chair she wondered exactly what Jane thought he was doing and said as much.
"Come on, Lisbon, it won't hurt anything if we steal a few moments." Jane patted the couch beside him. "The place is practically deserted. You said so yourself and Cho's right outside guarding the doors. We won't get too many minutes like this anymore. The more your pregnancy progresses, the farther I'm going to have to step back here at work. Besides, I'm not going to do anything out of line. We're at the office and I happen to value my manly parts."
Capitulating, Lisbon sat on the couch beside him and lay down. Scooting back against Jane, she waited for what she knew was coming. Draping his arm over her torso, he rested his hand against the gentle swell of her belly enjoying the feel of the rounding hardness against his palm. Placing her palm over his hand, Lisbon closed her eyes and drifted off without a fight deciding Jane caressing their child wasn't anything to get upset about. Besides, he was very right.
They wouldn't get too many moments like this.
Listening to Lisbon's breathing even out, Jane realized she'd fallen asleep much easier than she usually did. He also knew why. She was in his arms. She was also far more exhausted than she should be thanks to their stolen weekend and the nasty case just crossing her desk. While it had been a stupid move on both their parts, he wouldn't undo their time together. Those few days in her presence would make the next few months until Maddie's birth bearable…Afterwards, he'd be in purgatory…Unless he stopped Red John first.
Cursing under his breath, Jane held Lisbon a little tighter knowing the odds of that happening were slim-to-none if their macabre dance continued as it always has…one step forward, ten steps back…
But nothing said the music couldn't change or they couldn't change the dance….
Closing his eyes, Jane clung to that one glimmer of light in the darkness of his soul.
Either was doable if he could figure out how.