A/N: Thanks so much once again for the sweet reviews! They're very much appreciated! Be warned: there are some mentions of death in this chapter, but I've tried to keep it lighthearted. You know how it is with kids, always asking questions about inappropriate things.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
'Little Ivy and the Stray Dog'
Lisbon was glad that Jane had purchased such a big area of land, because it allowed them all the space they needed, all the air they had never gotten in Sacramento or Austin. They could do with their house what they wanted, expand it, renovate it over and over again, if they wanted. They got their own kitchen garden, growing their own vegetables and fruits, and she had discovered his hidden flower garden a few months after they had moved in, from where he had gotten her the most exotic flowers that could grow in this environment. She wouldn't tell him that she had found it, would allow him to bask in this little secret that he had, but she loved him even more for it.
After their daughter had been born, Lisbon had come to appreciate the big open space even more. They weren't surrounded by any nearby neighbors, so little Ivy was never woken up by impromptu parties or blaring ambulance sirens, and as she was growing up, she learned how to climb trees and fall down them, too. She learned how to swim
from a very young age, having her very own pond to teach her everything she needed, and she loved to help in their garden, watering the vegetables, getting rid of the weeds and whispering words of love into every single plant.
Lisbon had learned not to be worried if Ivy would be gone for an entire afternoon after coming home from school, because she would always be in the woods around their little cabin, climbing the highest tree or working on her very own treehouse. She pretended that nobody else knew about it, but of course Lisbon had found it. It reminded her that this was their daughter, Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon's, and she looked so much like him, Lisbon was sometimes speechless. Every time Ivy would complain something didn't quite work out as she wanted it concerning her treehouse, Jane would go up there when Ivy was fast asleep and fix it, and nothing more, so that the next day, Ivy would be amazed and confused by the fact that her problem had been miraculously solved. She never questioned it.
Lisbon had to admit - she had grown up in urban Chicago, always surrounded by sounds and movement, but living here, in this quiet, green part of the county, made her feel most at home.
She heard her husband come home with their daughter straight behind him, babbling about their day so far, their hands entwined. He was carrying all of her bags, like the proper gentleman he was, not complaining a little.
The only moment when Ivy's curls could truly be tamed was when she went to her ballet classes, when her father put in enough willpower to add just about enough hair gel to pull everything back, and use enough bobby pins to keep the ends inside her bun. It was a task Lisbon didn't have enough patience for, but Jane loved doing it, talking to their little girl about whatever it was that kept her busy, while he combed her dark curls to slick perfection. She always ended up looking like a million bucks, but she always did in Lisbon's eyes.
Stepping inside, both of them gave her her much appreciated kisses, Jane on her lips and Ivy on her cheek, before Lisbon urged her to get changed, knowing that her pale blue leotard would definitely get dirty beyond repair if she went about her daily actions with it.
She kept rambling about her day, even while she got changed and Lisbon freed her curls, and Lisbon loved listening to her stories, always sounding like little adventures that could have very well taken place in a kid's book.
When she was wearing her appropriate adventuring outfit, just a standard old shirt and jeans, she hugged Lisbon tightly.
"I love you, Mummy," she whispered, smiling against her cheek, and it were moments like these that Lisbon wanted to frame, so she could put them on the wall and look at them anytime she wanted. Yet the fact was that this was an everyday occurrence, having this sweet girl in her arms and in her life like this, and it still amazed Lisbon often.
"I love you too, sweetie. Now go on, go play outside! I will come and get you when dinner's done."
Ivy ran out as soon as Lisbon had finished that sentence, and Lisbon could only barely make out Ivy hugging her father on the way out, and then it was quiet again in their little cabin.
Lisbon had heard from a lot of mothers that they knew exactly what their little one would be when they were grown-ups - some would probably be a lawyer, others a pilot or a flight attendant. Lisbon was not afraid to admit that she had no idea what Ivy wanted to do, because it could change with the weather. One moment she would want to be a ballerina, the next she would have seen a documentary about space at school and she would obviously want to become an astronaut. And it was okay. She was only six, after all, she had her entire life ahead of her. Lisbon had no intention of pushing her daughter to have her entire life planned out while she was still only barely in school.
Jane handed her a cup of tea and she smiled at him, kissing his lips and sitting down together.
"Thank you for the tea."
"You're welcome."
And they settled in for a quiet afternoon, until Jane got too giddy and started working on a hundred things at once.
Jane and Lisbon were cooking together that evening, stealing some kisses from time to time, something they hadn't been able to do often these past few weeks. A particularly complicated case at work had forced Lisbon to be apart from them more, but that had been solved with one brief visit from Jane, who didn't even work there anymore. He had solved the case in minutes, like old times.
Suddenly, they heard a door slam open, and Lisbon was about to tell Ivy that she shouldn't slam the doors, when the girl entered the kitchen, looking very much distraught.
"What happened?"
Ivy couldn't say anything, just grabbed her hand and pulled her outside with her. Jane had obviously gotten wind of what was happening, too, and he turned off the stove and joined them, his natural curiosity always getting the better of him.
They walked through the thick bushes around their cabin, ducking to avoid low hanging branches, until they reached a small, open clearing. Ivy immediately dove to the ground, and it took both Lisbon and Jane a few seconds to realize what Ivy had found - a big yet skinny dog, lying on its side, its eyes closed.
"It's a dog," Jane stated matter-of-factly, but Lisbon could tell that he was worried, too, as well as curious. "Is it dead?"
Ivy glared at him for phrasing it in such an inconsiderate way, but they were probably all thinking the same thing. At the last moment, Lisbon stopped her.
"Wait, don't touch it. Maybe it will make you sick."
Jane touched it, instead, and after a close examination and his typical sniffing, he touched the dog's neck and abruptly got up.
"There's a heartbeat, but it's faint. We have to get it help, now. It has a collar, so it's probably vaccinated. I will get a blanket and some water, you stay with it."
A few minutes later, Jane had wrapped the dog in the blanket, feeling some more movement now that it was being displaced, and it started kicking its legs a little, protesting.
"It's okay," Ivy whispered to the dog, stopping Jane in his tracks.
"Be careful, Ivy, it might bite because it's in pain."
She nodded and got an extra towel, wrapping it around her hand to protect it. She gently brushed the dog's head, calming it down enough so Jane could take it to their car. All the way to their closest vet, Ivy kept a close watch on the dog, slowly gaining its trust until Lisbon judged that it was safe for her to touch the dog without the towel.
This was not how Lisbon had imagined their evening to turn out, but she guessed they were going with it now.
As soon as they arrived at the practice and the staff inside saw how dire the situation was, the poor dog was whisked away, leaving the three of them in the waiting area with the receptionist telling them she would try to give them updates.
Ivy fell into Lisbon's arms crying, sobbing for this dog she had just met, but the condition that they had found it in predicted nothing really good. It would probably be a miracle if the dog would make it, and Ivy was far from stupid - Lisbon knew that the girl could tell, too.
Jane had gone to get them some food while Ivy settled into Lisbon's side, anxious but also tired, and it wasn't difficult to tell. By the time Jane returned with a bag full of food, Ivy was just barely awake, her eyelids falling shut every once in awhile.
"Any update?" Jane asked, sitting down beside them and putting the bag on the coffee table in front of them. Lisbon shook her head, ultimately waking up Ivy completely.
The receptionist came over to them, her face full with slight annoyance - Lisbon was sure it had been her own face for about twenty years due to her acquaintance with Patrick Jane.
"I'm sorry, but you can't eat here in the waiting room."
"Okay, so is there somewhere we can eat?" Jane asked her, his voice calm but firm, obviously not going to take no for an answer. He looked at Ivy who rubbed her eyes. "We have a little kid who needs to eat, I'm sure you'll understand."
The woman thought of his words, sighed and stepped out, only to come back moments later.
"You can eat in our kitchen. But any mess you make, you have to clean up yourself. And you're not allowed to leave the room without my supervision."
Jane nodded, and they moved to the kitchen where they ate their Chinese take out, not what Lisbon had had in mind once again, but it would have to do.
They recapped what had happened so far, and Ivy had even given the dog a name - considering it was a male, something Jane had pointed out on their way to the vet, she had called him Hercules.
Ivy settled into Jane's side when they finished eating, falling asleep almost immediately once again. Must be one hell of a day, but it did fall perfectly in line with all other stories she often told Lisbon, of her tiny adventures in their 'forest', only this one was thrice as exciting, and tiring, as all the others.
"She needs to go to bed," Lisbon whispered, looking at Jane, who was softly brushing Ivy's hair. He nodded.
"You two go home. I'll wait until they know something."
"Are you insane? That could take days."
"You know Ivy won't sleep otherwise."
"Of course I do. But… we should just go home. All of us. We will leave our phone number and they can call us when they have news."
She got up and stood in front of him, brushing his cheeks. "Come home with me, Patrick. We can sleep, and we'll know more in the morning. Hercules is in capable hands, we can leave him here for the night. We'll check up on him first thing in the morning. He'll be okay, alright? We're not abandoning him."
He sighed and looked down at Ivy. He gave in eventually, but Lisbon guessed it was only because she had asked him, quite nicely she might ask, that he come with her. He couldn't undermine her direct orders, even if they were less like orders these days, and more like requests.
First thing she noticed when she woke up the next morning was Jane already on the phone, and she needn't ask him who was on the other side.
He was sitting on the steps leading up to the porch, looking over their pond. She sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder.
She let him finish his conversation, not necessarily paying much attention to it, more to the lovely view - which was him, and always would be him.
He finished and put his phone down, sighing and remaining quiet for a while.
"They finished surgery about an hour ago. He's stable."
She kissed what she could of his biceps, squeezing his waist.
"That's good news."
He nodded and looked at her, and she could read him like a children's book, like she knew he had been able to read her all these years.
"Are you okay?" she asked him, her voice as soft as it could possibly be.
He shook his head. "No. But I will be. Just give me a minute."
She nodded and sat up straight so she could kiss his cheek. He turned his head and kissed her lips, instead.
"It just… hit a little too close to home. The metaphor, I mean, I guess. An individual, left all alone to die… I just had to make sure he was okay. I know it's… stupid. But he was abandoned by everyone he possibly loved. I just… had to do something."
Of course she understood. How could she not? This sad little dog had reminded him of himself, and he had wanted someone to help him in that situation. He was not left alone on purpose, not by his loved ones, but he was left alone nonetheless.
With Jane, everything had so much more meaning, both positively and negatively. He could make watering the plants about his repressed feelings for her all these years, and it made everything more real for her. He was real, not the mask he had so often showed her, void of any emotion except for grief. He was a real man, a real, loving human being, who had chosen to be with her despite everything that had happened during their acquaintance, and even before.
He startled her out of her thoughts by kissing her, both his hands cupping her cheeks. She could feel him smile, could make out the telltale curve of his lips, and it probably would have made her knees weak if she had been standing. She was so in love with him, still, after all these years. She was so comfortable with him, living with him, loving him.
"We can check up on him in the afternoon."
"Who?"
He chuckled. "Hercules."
"Oh, right." She kissed him again, just because she could, then got up. She noticed that he did too, eventually, but it took him a few seconds.
"Let me pamper you, for worrying so much." She chuckled when he smiled. "You get our daughter and bring her to our bed. I'll serve you two breakfast."
"In bed?"
She nodded.
"That's fancy. I won't let that opportunity pass me by."
Of course all Ivy could think of was the dog they had, hopefully, collectively saved the day before, but she had school today, so after their family breakfast in bed, they had to rush to get her dressed, her hair tamed and for her to catch her bus to school. Eventually, Lisbon had to accompany the girl, both running as fast as they could, while Lisbon held Ivy's school bag and Ivy held the intricate design that was her hairdo straight against her head. Just as they arrived at the usual spot, the bus arrived, and Lisbon sighed in relief.
"You could just drop me off at school," Ivy stated, walking towards the bus. Lisbon shook her head.
"I don't want to take away the awesome experience that are school buses. Now go, and don't think about Hercules too much, okay? I promise, we'll check up on him right after you came home from school."
Ivy nodded and kissed her mother, then greeted the bus driver and took her seat.
"Have a nice day at work, Paul."
"You too, Mrs. Jane."
Lisbon rolled her eyes and shook her head, walking away, all the while hearing the driver laugh before he drove away.
All throughout her day at work, she couldn't get the little big dog out of her head. She had to admit, her heart had broken when she had laid eyes on his still form in that deserted area. She shuddered with the thought that if Ivy hadn't been so adventurous, nobody might have found him in time, and he would have had to succumb to a slow, lonely death.
She really hoped that he would be okay. Maybe they could even find a perfect family for him to live with, somebody who could take care of him and love him. Heck, maybe they could take him in, if he were to recover. She didn't even know if Jane would want to have a dog, but then again, his reaction at finding Hercules did much to convince her.
Well. She would save it for later. She didn't even know if he would survive - she really hoped he would, if only for her family's sake. Neither Jane nor Ivy would be able to cope with the loss, even if they hardly knew the dog. But she couldn't lie that she wanted to see this dog pull through, too.
She came home earlier than usual, knowing exactly what the reason was, and wasn't surprised to find Jane on their living room couch, his eyes closed and his hands folded neatly on his belly. She couldn't stop herself from kissing his lips, knowing that he was anything but asleep.
"I've been thinking," he stated almost immediately, his eyes still closed.
"Thinking's good." His eyebrows twitched in what she could tell was amusement, but his lips stayed stiff for the moment. "If it's about Hercules… I think we're thinking the same thing."
His eyes opened and they focused on hers.
"I would have thought you wouldn't want that."
"But I do. But first, we have to pray that he'll recover. We can't be making plans for the future if our main participant is not going to…"
He sat up and brushed her cheek. "Let's not think like that. Let's stay positive. We'll see what this afternoon will bring us."
She nodded and made him lie down again, taking her place in his arms, her chest flush to his. She was sure she was programmed to fall asleep whenever she was here, feeling his calming heartbeat close to hers, his fingers tracing her arms and his lips against her forehead, for she suddenly felt so sleepy, she could just sleep for three days.
That was, until their daughter came home, too, and their little cabin housed the biggest tornado that would only barely keep the walls standing straight. It was obvious she had not forgotten about Hercules for a minute, as she basically jumped on top of them to get their attention - Jane was just in time to stop them both from being crushed by her enthusiasm, but he especially moved to protect Lisbon, even if it wasn't necessary.
"Okay, it's afternoon now, we can go check on Hercules!"
"You're right, but don't you want tea first?"
Ivy paused in her excited movements to think about that option, then pushed the curls out of her face that had fallen out of her 'do. "Okay, but I'll make it."
She didn't leave room for discussion, as she was out of the living room in a flash, and Lisbon looked at Jane briefly, before moving to get up.
"She's almost seven now," he whispered, "you know she can manage putting some water in a kettle."
"But she can be as clumsy as me. I don't want her to get burned because she merely wanted to be sweet."
He let her go, yet she wouldn't leave his arms without a parting kiss. She assisted Ivy in the kitchen, even if Lisbon knew she didn't need much assisting.
"Mummy? What if Hercules dies?"
This question startled Lisbon, because she would have assumed that Ivy had looked on the bright side, on saving an animal in distress, nursing it to perfect health, but instead it appeared Ivy had looked at this very realistic prospect, too. She knew that life was no fairytale.
"Let's hope he won't."
"No, I know. But what if he does?"
"Well…" Lisbon put down whatever it was she was holding and turned to the girl. "Sometimes, no matter how hard it can be, it is better to let people go. And… the same applies for animals. You know, sometimes, people can be in so much pain, or they can be so lonely, that death… can be a blessing. And maybe that applies to Hercules, too."
Ivy came closer to Lisbon until they could hold each other's hands.
"I don't want him to die." She sighed, wistfully. "It's my fault."
"Hey. He's not dead yet." Lisbon made Ivy look up at her, and she saw fear in the girl's eyes, something she didn't see often, not during the day anyway. They sat down at the dining table. "Nothing of all this is your fault. I want you to understand that. You didn't put him there, if anything, you saved him. You can be very proud of yourself."
"Will you die some day, Mummy?"
Lisbon swallowed and brushed her girl's cheeks, making sure she was maintaining eye contact at all times. She had not expected this conversation to happen now, but she had known it would come one day, seeing as Ivy was very curious about everything around her. Perhaps it was a good thing that in the years she had lived, she had not come into contact with death often, not like this anyway. One day, however, Lisbon knew, that luck would change.
"Yes. And so will Daddy. But we'll make sure we will take a lo-o-o-ong time before that happens. We… I want to see you growing up and become the beautiful, powerful, smart woman I know you will be." She paused. "Everybody will die one day, but that doesn't mean we can't make the best out of our lives until that happens, right? So I don't want you to worry about the future, because that is still so far away. We can focus on the here and now, though. Right here, we're happy, aren't we?"
Ivy nodded, and Lisbon could swear that there were tears in her own eyes. She wasn't afraid of dying, but she was afraid of… them dying. Patrick and Ivy Jane. No matter if it would be decades from now, she did not know if she would ever be able to live without one of them. But she would live by these words she had just told Ivy - she should focus on the present, because she was happy here.
"Hey, cheer up. Let's bring daddy his tea."
Ivy couldn't say no to that.
Ivy had made the smart choice of bringing what little homework she had with her when they went to the vet, claiming that she could keep herself entertained that way, but she had finished it just before they exited the car. She was a diligent student, who always did what she was told, but not without stating her opinion about the task at hand.
The vets didn't even look a little bit sad or negative, which did a lot to all of their moods. Jane even explained a magic trick to the receptionist, but Lisbon knew it was to alleviate any anxiety he was feeling. He even sought out a small public kiss, which was something he rarely did except in their home. She knew it was because he wanted their love to stay theirs, not for it to be such a community trait. It didn't mean that he never kissed her in public - especially when they went on their special dates, he kissed her plenty. And anyway, in the privacy of their home, they could make it as steamy as they wanted, provided that their house wouldn't burn down or Ivy wouldn't get a first row view.
"Have I told you that I love you, Teresa Lisbon?"
"Yes." She smiled and brushed his cheek. "You've been telling me for the past seven years or so."
"Good. I just wanted you to know."
He was so sweet. She had gone years without knowing his love, just a small flame she hopelessly called 'friendship', but since getting together, not a day had passed in which he hadn't told her that he loved her.
Eventually, the practitioning vet came into the waiting room to have a word with them, yet when she called them into a private office to discuss the matter, Lisbon's heart skipped a beat. This didn't sound very good.
"We managed to save him, which is the main good news. It doesn't mean that things will be easy for him. We had to amputate one of his legs, and he's nearly blind in his right eye. But… with the right amount of love and support, I think he can make it. We will have to keep him here until he's able to cope with his renewed… body, but when he's recovered enough, we can start looking for a forever home."
It might not be them, Lisbon knew, but she also knew that this family would try its best to get him in the best possible home they could think of. They had seen him at his lowest, and they would protect him with everything they had.
Ivy knew that she should never have too high hopes and expectations, because this life wasn't really a fairytale, and you should be happy with what you were given, or what you had earned in some situations. So she knew that there was a chance that Hercules might still die, and she knew that even if he did survive, he might never be suitable to live with them, even if all three of them had already made up their minds about the subject.
Still, she was just a kid. She had picked up a book on dogs on her weekly trip to the library with her father, and she was already secretly imagining where Hercules' bed could be placed.
She asked to go to the vet on a regular basis, and of course they couldn't always give in, but it was impossible to deny a lot of her requests because she was the proud owner of the most successful puppy eye look of an entire generation. So, Lisbon came with her while Jane ran some errands, promising to have tea ready when they would come back.
It was no surprise to Lisbon that Hercules was starting to recognize Ivy, seeing as he was already standing on his feet the moment she stepped into the building. His tail was always wagging enthusiastically. It was as though he knew that it had been Ivy who had ultimately saved him, who had spotted him in that deserted part of their woods and who had gotten help, which had made it possible for him to still be alive.
"Hey, Boy," Lisbon whispered as she brushed the dog's head, careful not to make any injuries worse. For a second, it looked as though he smiled at her, his eyes the actual image of puppy eyes, as though he was asking her to take him with her. She sighed and closed her eyes, already hearing Ivy had gotten his attention and they both stepped away.
She couldn't leave him behind. Not just because her daughter had fallen in love with him, but because she had, and her husband, too. She felt it would be a promise that was broken if she would allow him to stay here, or with anyone else.
She walked to the receptionist whom she had grown to know as Suzy and being a sweet woman, despite her initial attitude the first time they had met.
"When Hercules has recovered enough… we would like to adopt him." She watched as Suzy let her words sink in, and she already reached behind her for some papers. "We have a lot of land where he could run around, we have a pond where ducks occasionally take a swim… and we love him. Already did the moment we brought him in, I suppose."
Suzy smiled and handed over a moderate sized pile of paper. "Mrs. Jane, to be honest we already thought you would come to this decision, but we didn't want to push you into it. Now, are you absolutely certain that you want to adopt him? A dog is more than just a funny companion, he needs proper care, he needs to be walked at least three times a day, and with his size, they can not be short walks. And you might need to be willing to return to us every once in awhile, both to let us catch up with the big goof, and to have him checked out."
Lisbon nodded, and took the papers. She saw from the corner of her eyes that Ivy was looking at her. When Lisbon looked to her side, she smiled brightly, and it appeared that that was enough explanation for Ivy.
"Thank you, Mummy," she stated, smiling from ear to ear. Lisbon shook her head.
"No. Thank you." After all, it had been Ivy who had found Hercules, and who had made them fall in love with him.
Three months later
She had already heard the first signs that a storm was coming, but she had seen it in Hercules, too. He had acted… distressed when she had taken him for his last walk that evening, as though he could sense that thunder was on its way, and she knew that he probably could, seeing as his hearing was way better than theirs.
The first bolt came, and her husband stirred in her arms. He had admitted he had never been such a good sleeper before, staying awake almost all night, only being able to sleep for a maximum of about an hour. Yet as they had gotten together, and they got to sleep in each other's arms, he was out like a light, sleeping a sound eight hours in a row without waking up once. It was her who spent nights looking at him, peacefully asleep, not bothered by a thing. She wasn't complaining, though - she really didn't need a lot of sleep, anyway.
She guessed that he would stay asleep, even if the storm passed right over their little cabin, so instead she kissed him, got out of bed and walked to Ivy's room. Lisbon knew that Ivy didn't like thunderstorms, even if the girl repeatedly told herself that there was nothing to be afraid of.
Surprisingly, the room was already opened, so Lisbon thought that perhaps the little girl had gone to the toilet to calm herself down. When she stepped into the room, however, she found Hercules standing beside the bed, his head close to Ivy, licking her hand to reassure her, as it was obvious that she was feeling the thunderstorm.
"Are you protecting her, Hercules?" Lisbon whispered, kneeling down beside the dog and brushing his head. He licked her arm instead, which was his way of greeting her, then returned to the task at hand. Was he not scared by the thunder? Or had he made it his personal mission to protect Ivy Jane for as much as he could, considering she had saved him that one day?
Lisbon liked to believe the last one, and seeing as Hercules was very protective over Ivy, she knew it was true.
"You're a good boy," she whispered, kissing the top of his head. "You keep watch over her."
He took that as permission to get into Ivy's bed, and Lisbon let him for this once, tucking him in just like she had Ivy, and they settled in next to each other, Ivy contently smiling in her sleep - despite the definite thunderstorm raging outside.
