Author's Note: I wanted to answer everybody's reviews, but they just kept coming in and coming in until my mind was reeling. So, to all 21 reviewers. . . THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support! It blows my mind that ALL these people are actually loving this story.

Anyways, I have some news for this story. It was originally going to be nine chapters. But because I want to post the last chapter on Christmas and Christmas is still twelve days away, I'm adding a chapter and an epilogue. I think that it actually might round out the story a little bit. . . which is kind of a good thing. Because I realized there's some gaps that need to be filled in.

.

Chapter 4

"You should kiss her," Ellie suggested. "That's how the Prince woke Snow White up."

Jane laughed, causing Lisbon to open her eyes drowsily.

"Dinner's ready Aunt Reese!" Ellie announced. "Uncle Patrick made pizza from scratch!"

"Uncle Patrick?" Lisbon repeated huskily, looking to Jane for clarification.

"The kids asked if I'd allow them to call me Uncle Patrick," he explained. "I just couldn't say no."

"Are you coming?" Annie and Damon asked as they burst into their aunt's room together.

Lisbon sat up and stretched languidly. "Sure."

"Did you have a good afternoon?" Jane asked as he helped her off her bed and laced his fingers through her's.

"Mmhm," Lisbon murmured, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. "Thanks for taking the kids out."

"Anything for you," Jane said sincerely.

Lisbon couldn't deny the butterflies stirring up in the bottom of her stomach. She cursed herself, this situation was becoming less and less ideal. She feared that she was quickly getting in over her head and that letting Jane go at the end of the holidays would be harder than she first expected.

But she was too stubborn to admit that the idea was stupid, let Jane go, and then tell her whole entire family that she was single.

"I ran into Noel when we were leaving the theater," Jane said, breaking into her troubled thoughts.

"Oh yeah?" Lisbon asked.

"Yeah. . . I hope you don't mind, but I invited her and Brian to join us for dinner tonight."

"That's. . . wait! You did what!" Lisbon's eyes widened. "Oh no! This is a disaster!"

"Why?" Jane asked.

"Just because!" Lisbon answered as she brushed past the group in the hallway to get to Noel before she blew her whole cover.

Her rushing was in vain though, because Brian and Noel hadn't arrived yet. That didn't stop Lisbon from pouncing on her best friend the moment she arrived and dragging her to into the kitchen.

"What's this all about Reese?" Noel asked in confusion.

"I need to tell you something!"

Noel adjusted Cadet. "Okay, shoot."

"You need to know that as of yesterday, Jane and I became a couple."

Noel's face lit up. "I knew you two would finally come to your senses!"

"It's not like that," Lisbon's voice dropped lower. "We're just pretending to be a couple. So, if any of my brothers ask you - well - anything I want you to lie. Lie your butt off."

"I'll try," Noel agreed. "How long have you two supposedly been together?"

"Two weeks," Lisbon answered.

Noel was about to reply when Jane came into the kitchen.

"After dinner, we're going to get a tree and some decorations," he said as he sliced the pizza.

"You and me?" Lisbon asked. "Alone?"

"Yes. . . your family is going to stay here and rearrange the living room."

"Oh no! That is so not happening!"

"Come on! It's six days until Christmas and you can't tell from the way things look around here," Jane said. "Come on. . . do it for the kids!"

"Yeah! Come on! This place could really use some cheering up!" Noel, ever the girl to egg Lisbon on, added.

"I think I have one of Anne Murry's Christmas CDs lying around here somewhere. Would that be festive enough for you?" Lisbon asked sarcastically.

"I think we'll rent White Christmas from a Redbox," Jane mused, ignoring her.

Lisbon looked like she was going to say something else, but she let it go. Once Jane was something, no amount of talk would get her out of it.

Besides, if she was really being honest, her apartment could have used a little holiday sprucing up. She had honestly thought about decorating before her family came for a visit, but like always other things had gotten in the way.

"Dinner's ready!" Jane announced. "Lisbon, could you grab some paper plates and napkins?"

"Of course," Lisbon answered, suddenly feeling guilty that she had let him do all the work for her family.

But Jane didn't seem to have a problem playing host to her hostess. So, she didn't feel guilty for very long.

.

An hour later found Lisbon in Jane's Citroen, heading to a tree lot to find a decent tree to spruce up her apartment. She had been reluctant to go at first, but her sister-in-laws had promised that they'd clean up her kitchen.

"Let's go to Target first," Jane suggested as he slipped Nat King Cole into his CD player.

"Why?"

"I think we should look at fake trees instead of real ones," Jane answered. "Besides, Target has great ornaments."

"I didn't have you pegged an artificial tree man," Lisbon said.

"Meh, I'm not. But I'm thinking about you," he replied. "When Christmas is over, you'll have to discard the tree. And then you'll have the added bonus of cleaning up pine needles for the following month or two."

"And that's harder opposed to having to assemble a fake Christmas tree, then disassemble it and store it when the holidays are over?"

"I'll help you with all of that," Jane promised.

"Fine, but I can't have you pay for anything else today," Lisbon said.

"Why not? I'm looking at it as an investment into your future."

Lisbon laughed. "Don't be surprised if I don't ever have my family visit again."

"But you'll visit them?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Your nieces and nephews seem to enjoy your company," he mused.

"I think it's because of you," Lisbon said bluntly. "If you weren't here, things wouldn't be half as fun."

"I don't think that's true," Jane replied, startling her by taking her hand. "I can tell that they all idolize you – Annie and Damon especially – I just sweeten the deal."

Lisbon was at a loss for words, so the rest of the drive to Target was spent in silence with Nat King Cole filling the space between them.

.

"Is this your first Christmas together as a married couple?" The sweet, elderly gentleman ringing up their purchases asked.

"No. . ." Jane answered.

The man looked pointedly at Lisbon. "Maybe next year then."

Lisbon furrowed her eyebrows. "You look awfully familiar. Have I met you before?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. I get around."

She shook her head. She could have sworn this man was the Santa Claus from the mall a couple of days ago. They looked alarmingly alike. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that there was no such thing as Santa Claus and this was just a coincidence. Just like Noel's seeing the Santa Claus from Chicago was a coincidence.

"Do you believe in Santa Claus?" Lisbon asked Jane while they drove back to her apartment.

"Not really. . . no," Jane answered. "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," Lisbon lied, looking out her window. "Nothing at all."

.

They stayed up late, watching White Christmas and ate peppermint stick ice cream while they decorated Lisbon's apartment with wreathes, white lights, and the tree they had picked up at Target.

During the part where Danny Kay danced with Vera Ellen in White Christmas, Jane cleared the living room floor inspite of Lisbon's protests and danced with her while singing the Best Things Happen While You're Dancing. As hard as she tried, she couldn't resist smiling after a while. Especially because he was smiling, she always smiled when he was smiling. . . it was so contagious. His smile had cheered her up many a time.

When the scene between Danny Kay and Vera Ellen was finally over and he had stopped dancing with her, her head was spinning, her pulse racing, and her cheeks were flushed bright pink. And Jane was laughing. . . he was really laughing. He pulled her in again and kissed her soundly on the lips.

If it wasn't all pretend, Lisbon could see this becoming one of her favorite traditions.

.

"He's perfect Reese!" Donna said when Jane had finally left for the evening.

"Yeah," Maura agreed. "I hope that you're planning on keeping this one."

Lisbon shrugged. "Well, we'll just have to see. . . won't we?"

"You're not getting any younger," Maura pointed out.

"But more importantly, we just want you to be happy," Donna added. "And if Patrick makes you happy, why not marry him?"

Lisbon shut the Christmas tree off and stepped over Annie, who was curled up near the couch. "I can't tell you. . ."

"You don't love him?" Donna asked.

"Love. . . him?" Lisbon repeated, the night was suddenly taking a serious turn and she didn't like it. "I don't want to do this right now. I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

TBC. . .

Author's Note II:

If you liked this chapter or not, drop a review. I hope this holds you over until Thursday night's epic episode. I am SO excited, I could barely post this chapter and I have a stupid grin plastered on my face. Plus, me and my little sister have been talking about 4x10 with our eyes and on Facebook since Thursday night.

Anways, I think that it's time we have a little peek into Jane's thoughts. Next chapter. . . I PROMISE!

Until Next Time,

Holly, 12/13/11_