Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure if I actually owned it then I wouldn't feel the need to write fanfic.

A/N: I know I've kinda been putting this story on the back burner but I honestly think it's because I hate to see it end. Arg. Some of you were wondering if I'm going to do season 2. I'm seriously considering it but I wouldn't have it as a sequel, I would probably do it about like I done this one but obviously not the exact same. If you guys are interested then I probably will. Anyway onto chapter 21...only two left :( I'll try to update faster.

Timelines are never really set in the land of TV, so I took creative freedom with this. Enjoy.

It started as a dull pulsing ache behind the eyes. Lisbon wrote it off as a side effect of exhaustion but the longer she sat there, the stronger it became. It had started to feel as if the pressure in her head would eventually explode and that's when she took into account every other symptom she'd been feeling. Over the day she'd felt different, not necessarily sick but not like her usual healthy self. The scratchy throat, the congestion, the headache, it made sense now. Her tired and weak limbs that felt too heavy to move just hours after the first sign of being sick. Even though she wanted to crawl under a rock, she felt too puny to even try and the late lunch she'd consumed made itself known by a wave of nausea. The bottle of water that had been sitting on the edge of her desk made it up to her lips. Cautiously sipping at it, she caught the sight of Jane making his way through her office door. This was just her luck.

She let her forehead meet the desktop with a thunk and then groaned as the sound echoed making her headache worsen. Rigsby was so on stakeout duty for this. She didn't want to move, she just wanted to melt into a puddle and be done with it. She didn't care that Jane was standing next to her now, or that the water that had been in her hand fell to the floor. Thankfully the cap kept it from spilling. Her eyes closed in attempts at warding off whatever the hell was attacking her body.

"You don't look so great."

"I don't feel so great." The energy it took to just talk left her feeling even more drained. A cool loving hand brushed her hair away from her face and rested on her cheek. She didn't open her eyes or flinch. It would have taken movement for either of those and that just didn't seem possible. She felt like her bones were made of jello.

"Come on, let's get you home." Instead of forming any words, she groaned and whimpered when he gently grasped her elbow. A soft chuckle fell from his lips and she wanted to smack him but her arm wouldn't cooperate. "Think of it this way: the sooner we get out of here, the sooner you get to be in bed."

The word 'bed' was motivation enough for Lisbon to force herself from her chair, opening her eyes in the process. Jane didn't say anything about the way she was dragging her feet or about the way she fought with her jacket. Frustration ebbed it's way into her tired body when the piece of clothing wouldn't do what she wanted. She hated being sick. This was why Rigsby would be punished. The simple mechanics of getting her arms through the appropriate holes eluded her in moments like this. She couldn't understand why it was so hard to do when she was ill. After a few minutes of fighting, Jane took over. Gently pulling the fabric from Lisbon's hands, he settled it around her shoulders and smiled when her head fell to his chest. It was obvious to him that she had definitely caught whatever Rigsby had. She was already miserable. Rubbing her back soothingly, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Do you need anything before we go?" There was a garbled mumble against his jacket and he figured it was a no by the harsh tone. His hand managed to find its way to her hair, letting it drift through his fingers. Soft and silky.

"I wanna go home." Jane hated seeing her like this. Lisbon, his Teresa, was never so whiny and clingy while they were still in the CBI building or ever really. She wasn't big on public displays of affection but she didn't bother protesting when he kept one arm around her waist to steady her as they walked out of her office. She was leaning most of her weight against his side but he didn't mind. She wasn't exactly herself at the moment so he chose not to tease her about it. Her eyes stayed half closed the entire time until they walked by the bullpen. "Rigsby, stakeout duty. One month."

No other words came out of her mouth, but everyone knew why she'd said those ones. Jane flashed the man a smile and shrugged as he continued walking Lisbon towards the elevator. He wondered if anyone noticed that she'd leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked away.

Jane really didn't like seeing Lisbon so frail but he could tell that she hated it even more than he did. It was obvious by the way she really tried to force herself up the stairs leading to her bedroom. At least her stubbornness wasn't gone. It was a little strange to see her take a few steps and then lean against the wall for a few seconds before taking anymore. After the second time of watching her do that, he had picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. It was easier and despite the weak protest, she seemed appreciative. The soft mewling sound that escaped her lips when he gently placed her on the mattress left a caring smile on his face. He may hate seeing her like this but it also brought out his feelings which always managed to make him smile.

"Teresa, you gotta sit up for me."

"I'm not an invalid." Lisbon knew exactly why he wanted her to sit up and as sweet as he was being, she didn't want to seem that powerless. Ignoring his outstretched hands she sat up pulled her shirt off with one swift tug. Thankfully he didn't push her to let him do it, he just went over to her dresser and grabbed one of the shirts that he knew she wore to bed. It didn't take her long to have her bra and pants off too, despite the ache in her body she knew she was still capable of movement. It just left her feeling like she shouldn't do it again for a week. There was no protest or fight in her when he slipped the worn, thin cotton over her head and followed it with a kiss to her cheek.

"You have a fever. You didn't have one back at the office."

"I'll be fine, I just want to sleep." She fell back against the pillows and curled herself into a ball. Either she didn't notice Jane's absence or she just didn't care but when he came back in with a bottle of medicine in hand a loud groan of disapproval rang out.

"Take this." He didn't give her much of a choice and although he could tell she hated moving from her comfortable position, he still made her drink the liquid. It might not deal with all of her symptoms but it would reduce the fever for a few hours. "Are you cold?"

A simple nod was his answer as she burrowed deeper into the covers. Maybe putting her in just a tee shirt wasn't the best idea. Another trip to her dresser had him carrying a heavy sweater back to the bed. He actually felt kind of bad that he was making her move around so much when she clearly just wanted to be left alone. This time instead of having her sit up, he slid in the bed next to her and gently eased her into it. Much like he used to do when his daughter was a baby.

"Better?" Another nod, as she pressed her face into the pillow and shivered. This wasn't exactly what he'd planned for the night but her health came first and she obviously wasn't up for anything that required any kind of motion on her part. Instead of dwelling on the fact that exactly a year ago they'd had sex for the first time, Jane stripped down to his boxer-briefs and crawled in next to her. Dinner reservations were no longer important. His arms found their way around her tiny waist and pulled her towards his chest.

"Patrick, I'll get you sick."

"I don't care." He hugged her tighter as her head came to rest against his neck. The heat of her feverish skin pressing against him. "Sleep, just sleep now."

"M'sorry. T'day is a year from when we..."

"It's not your fault and it's no big deal. We can go out to dinner another time." It would have technically been their first official date. He'd planned to make it clear that he was ready to be labeled as her romantic partner. He was ready for a relationship but now all he wanted was for her to get better. He wrapped himself around her small frame in hopes to keep her warm. His hands stroked over her back much like they had in her office and he let himself relax into the mattress.

"Dinner? A date?"

"Yeah, yeah a date. I'm ready." They'd been out before but never had they called it a date. At least not out loud and now he'd admitted to her that he was okay with the idea of them being a lot more than just colleagues, friends, and lovers. This was almost as big as her confession of 'I love you', almost. "We'll talk when you're feeling better. Just rest."

Ignoring the pounding in his chest and the way he felt as if he'd run a marathon, Jane kissed her forehead and thought back over the past year. They'd been through a lot and yet here they were. They hadn't let it tear them apart and hopefully they never would. There were a lot of things that could be a potential threat to what he'd just admitted he was ready for and yet he wasn't afraid. He was excited. He knew that they could get through it or they'd at least try their best. If anything tore them apart it'd be Red John and he really hoped that didn't happen. For now, he was content to hold her close and hope that come morning her fever would be gone or at least down to a decent temperature.

a/n: I based the ENTIRE chapter off of my favorite line in the episode which is why it's not very long. Good news is that the next one is longer and more intense. OH and I've been really behind on review replies and messaging people back lately. I'm SO sorry. I'm gonna try and get back on track. I've updated both of my stories now so hopefully I'll get to it. Although Patrick is pestering me to start a one shot collection with him. Grr. ~ Rina