Shower 2 & Happy Birthday

Abbott and the team had set up a 'goodbye party' for Dennis, that would double as a baby shower for Jane and Lisbon. (The plan was to keep the happy couple in the dark about that second part.) Lena was, of course, in on the planning and was beside herself with excitement. After the scare they'd had with Jane earlier that year she thought that this would be the perfect balm for the whole team - but especially for Jane and Lisbon.

"Do you think she'll have the baby before the date of the party, though?" Lena asked her husband, once he had revealed his plan.

"Hopefully not, but this was the only date between now and our move that would work for all involved." Dennis sighed. He had originally scheduled something earlier, but on the very next day, he had received Lisbon and Jane's leave forms for the Chicago shower and wedding #2, noticing that the leave requested was for that same week, so he had to shift the plan.

"Okay. It will probably be fine, D." Lena comforted. "First-time mothers typically go into labor later and it's a longer, slower process, too. Hopefully, that will be the case with Teresa," she reasoned.

"I'm sure it will." He smiled, giving his wife a squeeze.

On their return from Chicago, Jane picked up the mail and noticed an invitation to Abbott's going away party.

"Hey Teresa, look at this! They're having a goodbye party for Dennis and Lena!"

"How nice! When is it?"

"Hmm… perilously close to your due date…" he stood quietly, thinking for a moment. "But it should be okay considering this is your first pregnancy. It's typical for things to move a bit slower for first time moms."

He remembered clearly how miserable poor Angela had been. They had taken a 'baby belly' photo every month of her pregnancy, and the final one featured a hilarious expression on her face as she held up a sign reading "Month 10?!"

"Oh good! I certainly don't want to miss that party! They have both been such wonderful friends to us - not to mention the ways that Dennis worked as a 'behind the scenes' matchmaker of sorts!" She laughed happily just thinking of all the disparate logistical pieces he'd helped align for them, from Jane's return to the US, to their practical elopement of a wedding.

"I agree! I look forward to celebrating with them. Though, I admit that I shall miss Dennis terribly. We should go all-out on a gift."

"Yes! I'll see what I can glean from the others - to see what everyone else is getting them. Then we'll know where any gaps are." She winked at him.

"That's a wonderful idea Teresa. Thank you!"

For the next few weeks, all the talk in the break room was about one of two things: Abbott's party or the Lisbon/Jane baby.

Jane was ecstatic that his lovely wife was safely chained to desk duty for the foreseeable future - though he knew it was frustrating for her every time the team was called out and she couldn't take her usual spot at the scene. He did feel for her on that point. He knew how responsible she felt for all of them (especially him).

He hoped the baby would wait long enough that they would be able to attend the party. But, his heart also hurt for his beautiful wife in these latter days of pregnancy. She had such a small frame, that the baby barely seemed to leave room for Lisbon's vital organs. And Jane could see the growing discomfort on her face from back pain, and the difficulty of breathing (with a human basketball constantly pushing against her intercostals and lungs). He would be glad to see her rid of these discomforts, even if it meant they sent Dennis and Lena a card instead of attending in person. (Not to mention, that he was desperately ready to meet the precious child he and his love had created.)

Another reason he wouldn't mind getting on with things is that he'd begun harboring a bit of worry about Lisbon's health and safety during labor. He'd had the same worries about Angela. It was so hard to accept how little control he had over any of it. Powerlessness was not a feeling he had ever been okay with. In that sense, the faster they could get through the hard part, the better.

"Would you like some tea, love?" He rumbled quietly from behind, resting his chin softly on her right shoulder.

"I'll walk with you - this chair is like a prison these days." She grumbled as she stood, struggling to maneuver her baby bump up and out of the chair. Then she stopped - not meaning to have snapped at him like that. "I'm sorry love. I'm just achy everywhere and it's making me grumpier than usual." She smiled apologetically, and pulled him into a bear hug. "Thank you for asking, Patrick. I love you dearly, and I would love some tea." With a quick look to check that they were alone for the moment, she kissed him quickly on the cheek, flashing a grin.

Jane took advantage of the moment and planted one on her lips in response, procuring a surprised look and a blush (to his delight). At the sound of approaching voices though, he straightened and changed the subject. "So, the party is coming up quickly! Did you find anything out regarding gifts?"

Smiling at his quick change of posture, she went into all the gifting intel that she'd gathered. "It seems like lots of the big-ticket items are spoken for, Jane. Maybe we should get creative with ours?"

His eyes sparkled suddenly as an idea popped into his head. "What if we bought them a trip to the island!"

"What? Oh my god Jane that would be perfect AND hilarious! Do they have time for that, though?"

"Well, I'd imagine they'll have time eventually? But you said be creative and that's what popped into my head first!" He grinned, rocking on his heels, quite proud of himself.

Lisbon couldn't stand how adorable he was just then. "I love it when you get like this, Jane!" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and shook her head with a smile, beaming at his clever gift idea and giddy reaction. "Maybe we can frame your list of demands to present with the tickets?"

"That is perfect!"

"Not the original napkin one though - that one stays with me!"

"Of course, my dear!"

On the night of the party, Lisbon and Jane were, in fact, in attendance. They were thrilled to be there and neither could wait to present their gift to Dennis and Lena.

"Glad you two made it!" Abbott smiled big - conveying his sincere happiness at seeing them, as well as a nod to the unborn baby.

"It was close, Dennis, but we are completely overjoyed that we were able to come!" Jane enthused.

"And we're overjoyed for you both, especially with the year you've had!" Lena chimed.

"Thank you so much, Lena! We're going to miss you guys terribly!" Lisbon confessed, offering an awkward baby-belly hug to her friend.

Cho stepped to the front of the room just then and got everyone's attention for the gift presentations.

The FBI had a plaque made for Dennis, thanking him for his years of honorable service at the Austin Field Office. Wylie presented the couple with a new laptop - complete with cutting-edge video conferencing capabilities (so they could keep in touch after the move). Cho gave Lena a flowering plant, and Dennis a book series on FBI history (that included Abbott's name, as one of the agents involved in the Blake Foundation takedowns) - along with a framed poster of Cho, himself, demonstrating a dozen different emotions (which sparked a round of huge belly laughs, since every 'Cho' on the page sported the same deadpan look he always wore, regardless of whether the listed emotion was 'anger' or 'joy').

When it was Jane's turn, he went into full-showman mode. Bantering like a game show host, he pointed to a map location, near Venezuela, announcing a vacation the Abbotts had 'won.' He covered the finer points of the trip, including the FBI-provided van transport, dinner reservations at the same restaurant where Dennis had offered him an FBI job years ago, and topped off with an option to bust foreign drug dealers as an upgrade. Dennis and Lena's eyes widened when Jane first announced the trip, and Dennis laughed knowingly at the location. With each 'point of interest' Jane mentioned, Dennis chortled even louder, realizing that this gift also contained some gentle jabs and teasing from his prized capture (who had become such a close friend). Jane's presentation ended with rapt applause from all, and the Abbotts and Janes exchanged laughs, smiles and hugs.

Next, Cho quieted the crowd for an announcement. "Dennis and Lena, we wish you both the utmost success and happiness in DC! But remember that you will always have friends here in Austin. So, don't be strangers." The party crowd applauded and cheered.

"And now, I wanted to make you all aware of some weather I was just informed about." Confused looks were exchanged amongst those in attendance, at Cho's comment. "It seems that tonight we are expecting some showers?" Cho looked around questioningly, as if waiting for confirmation. Then he nodded. "OH! So, it's apparently just ONE shower, then." He suddenly grinned wide (surprising everyone with the rare change in facial expression).

"Lisbon and Jane: We are all ecstatic about your happy news, and we're even more ecstatic that Little Jane saw fit to stay put long enough for you to be here tonight. The second half of this party is for you! Congratulations and happy baby shower!"

Lisbon's jaw dropped as she looked at Jane incredulously. Her husband showed his surprise too, smiling wide with eyes sparkling back at her.

Cho had more to say. "Before we show you to your gift table, I would like to announce a few special guests for this part of the night."

The Janes stood frozen, basking in the suspense.

"Please welcome to the party: former CBI, Director, Virgil Minelli, and his wife, May; former CBI agents and friends, Wayne Rigsby and Grace Van Pelt; brother-in-law on the Jane side, Danny Ruskin; and family-by-choice to the couple - direct from the carnival circuit - Sam and Pete Barsocky!"

Lisbon practically screamed with excitement and surprise at each new announcement, and both she and Jane joined the special guests in a giant huddle of a hug, wide-eyed and happily tearful.

After the announcement of the special guests, Cho left the happy couple to enjoy the party and the (impressively stocked) gift table arranged for them by their friends.

The Janes thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they chatted with their Austin friends and caught up with those who had traveled from far and wide. They thanked Dennis and Lena profusely for the surprise, and shared a healthy laugh as Dennis recounted his favorite parts of Jane's gift reveal to them, from before.

As everyone reveled in the joy of the evening, Cho joined in conversation with the couple, and his old CBI compatriots. Grace couldn't stop smiling and her eyes were consistently teary. Wayne was offering so much dad advice that even Jane was having trouble keeping up. Then, Wayne offered a toast to the Janes and their future as a family.

"Hear, hear!" Cho exclaimed. Then, leaning in as if sharing a secret, he lowered his voice. "And one more toast for this - just in, from the courthouse: a certain former FBI agent - whose name shall not be uttered here - has been sentenced to 25 years to life."

"Hear, hear!" Lisbon practically shrieked in relief and vindication, holding tighter than ever to Jane. Then, suddenly

"— OH!"

She dropped her glass and doubled over.

As the party fell silent with concern, Jane snapped into action. "Teresa?! Are you okay?"

"Oof… baby just kicked HARD!"

"Oh!" He laughed in relief. "Got a soccer player in there?" He beamed at all the possible futures for this new life waiting to be born, looking around at all of their friends who'd come, once again, to support them and their family. The surrounding friends chuckled in relief and resumed their chatter.

"JANE!" She grabbed his arm with renewed strength, sending him back into panic mode (and the crowd back into silence).

"What is it, love?!"

"We need to go… NOW!"

He saw the slightly manic look in her eyes, and immediately grabbed their go bags.

Danny walked quickly alongside them, offering a second arm for Lisbon to cling to for support as they rushed to the waiting car.

Cho stayed behind to tend to the party and guests, assuring everyone that he would announce any updates, should they occur. So, the party continued, with an undercurrent of anticipation.

"Hold my hand, love." Jane's calm, warm voice rumbled comfortingly beside her in the delivery room. He was decidedly not calm, inside, but years of honing his biofeedback skills were paying off handsomely right now.

"Okay Teresa, take a deep breath… Good, my dear… Now breathe out… Send all of the pain into my hand. Can you feel that? Let the pain flow out of you… into me… Better?"

Lisbon nodded quickly, face damp with sweat from her first hour of labor. Willie Shubert was playing saxophone through the Bluetooth speaker Jane had brought along. Teresa had always been calmed and comforted by the music, so he wanted her to have that extra layer of peacefulness during labor.

Angela's delivery room experience had held no interest for him at all. Maybe it was a different time, with dads not as present in those moments. Maybe he had just been younger, and too ignorant to know what he'd owed her for putting up with his arrogant self. But today, he found himself desperate to be there for Teresa. He wanted to share all of these experiences with her, but also - maybe more so - he wanted to do all that he could to make her as comfortable as possible during the process. She so deserved that care and attention.

They'd chosen names, but had decided not to be told the sex of the baby. (Actually, Lisbon had argued in favor of knowing, but Jane had insisted - nearly begged - that they wait to be surprised. When Lisbon had mentioned, matter-of-factly, that it would be more convenient for planning if they knew what they were having, Jane had grinned coyly and teased "Now where's the fun in that?")

"Okay Teresa, one more big push here!" Her doctor called with enthusiasm.

Lisbon squeezed Jane's hand so hard he winced, and within seconds cries emerged from the end of her bed.

"It's a girl! Congratulations Mom & Dad!"

Lisbon was overcome with the additional emotional implications of having a girl, and looked through joyous tears, with tentative concern, at her husband. But she was relieved to see only joy in him as he beamed at her, with quick glances at the nurses who fussed over their new addition.

As the staff cleaned Little Jane, applied her eye drops and suctioned any remaining fluids from her airway, Jane was wholeheartedly focused on Lisbon. Whispering sweet words, showering her with soft kisses, offering gentle massages to sore muscles. He was amazed at his continued capacity to love her even more, with each passing day.

He couldn't explain what was happening inside of him in that moment. It was as if this was the exact space in time where the broken pieces of himself had fully aligned with this - his new, joyful future. Healing the cracks. Holding him solidly together once more. As he stood captivated by the moment, an especially loud cry snapped his attention to his new little one.

"A healthy set of lungs!" A smiling nurse reassured the new parents.

"Just like her Mama!" Jane couldn't help adding, with an eyebrow wiggle and a mischievous grin to Lisbon (realizing his risk to life and limb).

She was happy to play along: "Oh yeah, Paddy?! I'll give you something to cry about - ya want one?" Jane backed away from the double-fisted Lisbon with a huge grin on his face.

"God, I love you so much Teresa!" He bubbled with adoration, shaking his head at his favorite badass.

"Come here, you idiot - I love you too" she pulled him into a half hug, with a chuckle.

The couple snuggled together (as best they could with one of them being in a hospital bed). Tears of joy streamed down Jane's cheeks at this second chance at parenthood, and at the look of complete amazement and adoration in his wife's sage green eyes. Tears of joy dampened Lisbon's pillow as she reveled in how joyful Jane looked right now. She was so in love with him and with their beautiful baby.

"I'm so eternally grateful that I could give you this gift, Patrick. I've never seen you so full of light and joy - it's like a dream come true!" She was radiant as she spoke, her voice rough from labor and emotion.

Jane smiled lovingly at his wife's tender heart. "Thank you. That's such a beautiful thought, lovely Teresa, but I want you to always remember something for me."

"What is it, love?"

Jane pulled up a chair to her bed, and sat close, so that they were looking eye-to-eye.

"It's that you are the gift, Teresa." He caressed her face with the back of his fingers. "I will adore this child and any others we may have, but it's always been you, and it always will be. You are the gift." He gently took her hand, and tenderly kissed each finger.

Lisbon melted into tears just as the nurse brought their noisy beautiful bundle over to her. Lisbon gasped "Oh. My. God." Her mouth open, in awe. "Jane, she's so beautiful! Look at her! Those blue eyes! Those curls!" Wholly enchanted, both parents began generously showering their newborn baby with kisses and gentle hugs.

Jane leaned in, to kiss his love (who was smiling so wide that her cheeks hurt). Then, he got on eye-level with his beautiful new daughter, his eyes sparkling gloriously:

"Well hello, Meghan Elizabeth Jane! Happy birthday, my love! Mommy and Daddy adore you! Shall we have a tea party together?"

THE END

(A/N: I hope you've enjoyed my take on how Jisbon gets together! If you're hoping for more of their story, now that they're a family, stay tuned! I'm planning a sequel called "Hide and Seek" that will take them through the parenting years :) I'll announce that as a post-script chapter here, once it's started. Thanks for reading!)