Chapter 2: Content

Her report and laptop had been long forgotten as Lisbon found herself trapped in a nightmare that forced her to toss and turn on her mattress. The covers were too warm and too uncomfortable and her mind was stuck in an endless loop, constantly reminding her that she had a paper to finish. Suddenly she jolted awake from her restless sleep, her eyes wide and sweat covering her body. She was breathing heavily through her mouth because her nose was so congested. She lay back down and closed her eyes before she noticed the sound of fingers typing. She jumped up again, absolutely terrified by the intruder.

That is until she recognized him.

"Jane!"

Jane was lounging in a chair to her right with her laptop sitting in his lap. She didn't recall there being a chair there before and it took her another minute to realize he had pulled it in from the living room. His bright blue eyes weren't looking at the screen, but rather, they were trained on her and were brimming with unbridled concern. She simply stared at him for a moment, making sure that she wasn't hallucinating. Once she accepted that Jane had broken into her apartment, her second thought was that she was still wearing her pajamas, her hair was a tangled mess, and her make-up was smeared around her eyes.

Having the man you have a crush on break into your apartment and see you in the most unflattering view was absolutely embarrassing. Not to mention she was sprawled on the bed in a rather strange and contorted position intertwined with blankets and pillows and only halfway covered. Quite frankly, she wanted to crawl under a rock and die. She began to feel lightheaded from yelling and sunk back into her mass of pillows, hiding the majority of herself under the covers. Jane simply watched her, studying her every movement.

"You don't have to be embarrassed." He commented, his eyes drifting back to the computer screen.

"I look like crap… and how the hell did you get into my apartment? What are you doing in my bedroom?" She combated, but her voice was dry and raspy, and it deeply pained her to say anything. Jane stopped typing and looked back at her.

"When I'm sick, I look like crap too." He admitted, not seeing what the big deal was. The big deal is that I like you! Lisbon thought to herself. "Plus, I did knock." Jane added as if that fact made everything better. She wanted to frown, but found she didn't have the strength to change her dazed expression. Jane kept watching her and suddenly seemed deeply worried.

"Well, since you dropped by… can you get me some water?" She asked, almost begged as her throat ached and burned continually. Jane pointed at her nightstand where he had placed a large glass of ice water while she slept. "Thanks," she told him, slightly flustered. She took a sip then grabbed another tissue. "What are you doing?" Lisbon asked, wondering what Jane could possibly be doing with her laptop. She tried to wrack her brain for any secret, personal files on her computer, but her mind didn't want to cooperate.

"Don't worry. I'm not searching for blackmail." He assured her with a smile, easily reading her mind. "I'm writing your report." He explained, his gaze drifting back to the screen.

"What?" Lisbon asked, not comprehending what he meant. "But… don't you have work?" It was a valid question.

"I figure since you're my boss, I technically am working." He justified, typing rapidly on the keyboard. "Not to mention, I'm suspended anyways." He shrugged. Lisbon frowned and winced at the boiling pain in her head.

"Suspended?" She croaked. Jane looked back at her and set the laptop aside. He stood up, walked towards her, and placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

"I guess you're not faking," he remarked when he found she had a high fever. Lisbon swatted away his hand.

"Jane! I'm gone for a few hours and you get suspended!" She exclaimed, having trouble controlling her temper. Jane smiled innocently.

"I guess I don't get along well without you," he remarked cheerily. Lisbon closed her eyes, unable to take his nonsense.

"How?" She dared to ask. Jane shrugged. "How!" She demanded forcefully. Jane's smiled faded slightly as he sat down on the edge of her bed.

"He had it coming." He stated. She gave him a bemused look. "I sort of lost control and… told off Minnelli." He explained, looking up as if recalling the incident with a hint of pride. Lisbon was dumbfounded, yet Jane was strangely unperturbed. "It's nothing serious." He added indifferently, meeting her eyes.

"You could've been fired!" She raised her voice angrily. "Where do you get off going to my boss and picking a fight?" She yelled.

"Lisbon, calm down." Jane tried to placate her, but she wasn't exactly in a great state of mind.

"I really can't leave you alone. I can't trust you not to screw up!" Lisbon argued angrily. Her head pounded painfully and she winced and fell back against her pillows. Jane's blue eyes revealed sympathy.

"You can trust me." He told her sincerely, the smile having faded from his lips. "You're not in any trouble. I just-I sometimes loose my temper." He confessed honestly, holding her gaze.

"Jane." Lisbon muttered weakly, clearly disappointed in him.

"I see it as a victory for all CBI agents dying of the flu and forced to work on a sick day." He shrugged, watching her reaction closely. Lisbon's eyes suddenly widened and she tried to sit up, but Jane signaled for her to lie down. She stared at him, realizing that Jane had gone to Minnelli on her behalf because he thought she shouldn't have to work on the report when she was sick. He had been suspended for defending her! "Your deadline's been extended. Minnelli called the hotel and told them they had to postpone their opening no matter how many millions they lose as a result." Jane explained, drawing Lisbon from her thoughts. Pure guilt was creeping into her mind as she met his beautiful blue eyes.

"Then why were you...?" She asked confusedly, her eyes drifting to her laptop. Jane followed her gaze.

"You weren't awake when I got here and I saw the laptop, so I just figured you needed a break." He answered casually, pretending that it wasn't a big deal. But for Lisbon, it was.

"You finished it?" Lisbon asked incredulously. Jane smiled slightly before standing up and retrieving the laptop. He gently placed it in her lap. She sat up, her eyes eagerly scanning the lengthy essay that extended for pages and pages.

"You may want to edit it a little." Jane confessed.

"This is really descriptive. You wrote about everything." Lisbon uttered, amazed by how in depth it was. After all, it was Jane that ultimately solved the case with another one of his clever traps. She suddenly realized how much Jane notices in any given moment as she skimmed the report. His memory was simply remarkable, down to every minuscule detail.

"Yeah, you may want to cut it down a bit. I get carried away." He added, watching her expression intently. Lisbon glanced up at him, her face revealing shock. "Am I on your good side again?" Jane ventured with a faint grin.

"Jane… I-I can't believe you did this for me." She told him, completely bewildered. This was probably among the nicest things anyone had ever done for her. Lisbon wanted to hug him to express her gratitude, but didn't want to infect him. Instead she hoped her eyes would convey her sincere gratefulness. His smile brightened.

"Do you want some company?" He asked kindly. Lisbon leaned back into the pillows. "I don't really have anywhere else to go." Jane added, providing an excuse to stay with her.

"I'll probably get you sick." Lisbon reasoned, her voice still weak. Jane brushed some stray hairs from her face before leaning in and giving her a soft, sweet kiss on her forehead.

"Oh well." He commented, meeting her eyes again, to find an unusual contentment in her expression. She wearily drew her lips into a weak smile. Jane caressed his thumb along her cheek in a comforting gesture as she stared back at him.

"Jane," Lisbon started, her voice breaking slightly. "Thank you." She told him sincerely.

"You're welcome, Lisbon." He replied amiably. Her eyelids were becoming heavier by the minute as Jane sat on the edge of her bed, stroking her cheek. "You should get some rest now." He told her, his voice smooth and comforting and almost hypnotic. She nodded in her delirious state.

She drifted to sleep with a content grin still on her lips and had many dreams that night, all of which centered on Jane's bright, caring smile.

THE END

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