A/N: Hi everyone - I couldn't finish all of the final chapter on time, so I split it into two parts. I thought you might appreciate getting what I do have.

Chapter 22

Lisbon's POV

She frowned when she heard a knock on her hotel room door. Nobody knew her room number or where she was staying. She cinched the sash of her robe tight over her belly and grabbed her gun.

She was almost at the door when she heard him.

"Teresa, it's me… put your gun away."

She sighed; only Jane would be able to trick the hotel staff into telling him where she was. It was almost 11 pm and she was dead tired after her long day of working this new case while still managing her other active ones, not to mention the emotional roller coaster Jane put her through with his complete indifference to their baby.

She reminded herself to breathe and then squashed the thought that maybe he was coming around; his reaction to her today was all the proof she needed.

She shook her head to herself once again for being so foolish, her disappointment rising again in her chest. She didn't realize to what extent she'd been harboring a ridiculous fantasy that once Jane saw her pregnant belly and could visualize their child, he'd magically fall in love with their baby. She didn't even try to fool herself into thinking he would take her back after the train wreck she'd caused… his silence after her apology was her answer. She could still feel the sting of rejection after she tried calling him repeatedly but he never answered her call. She'd resorted to texting him her apology instead. She knew there was no hope of reconciliation between them but she never truly entertained the thought that he would reject their child once the evidence was in front of him, but he had. She could still hear him refer to their child as hers.

After all the long lonely nights, her naïve heart continued to betray her as she walked towards the door. It was whispering softly in her psyche… maybe it had been too overwhelming for him. Maybe there was still a chance to get through to him. What other reason would he be knocking at your door?

She combed her hand through her hair and adjusted her robe.

"You look fine. Just open the door."

His all-knowing tone only served to annoy her and she took a deep breath before opening the door.

He walked in as she made way for him, his scent wafting through her senses as he passed causing an ache inside her and quickly dissipating her defenses. Her mind went blank. His presence seemed to suck all the air out of the room making her feel off balance and her basic hotel room was now too tiny with him in it. It didn't help that she was barefooted which created the feeling that he was dwarfing her. She'd forgotten their height difference when she didn't wear her heels.

She backed away trying to re-establish her bearings and stood by the bed but the layout of the room didn't allow her to put much distance between them.

He briefly skimmed the top of the desk with his fingertips then inserted his hands in his pockets. She was hyper-aware of his every movement and her eyes couldn't help but track his hands as they adjusted in his pant pockets. His suit jacket tightened around his biceps as she continued her journey up, her eyes resting on his throat. Her lips longed to kiss him there again and it caused a painful desperation in her heart as she tried to reign in her emotions before making the difficult trek to his eyes. The aloofness she saw in their depths caused tears to spring to her own and she forced herself to restrain them. He wasn't her lover anymore she reminded herself. Longing for his loving gaze to set upon her the way it used to do would get her nowhere. She'd screwed up and he obviously didn't want to be with her anymore; she'd pushed him away and he wasn't coming back.

The pain of his absence was marginally bearable these days and she thought she could handle seeing him again earlier today, but the moment she'd set eyes on him, she'd felt her emotions roiling under the surface and had fought to keep herself in check. She suppressed the blush mounting at her cheeks at the memory of restraining herself from throwing herself at him and begging him to acknowledge her and their baby in front of their colleagues. It had shaken her to her core to know she hardly had any pride left where he was concerned, so she'd kept their interaction very short when he'd arrived to greet her, only trusting herself to say his name in return.

Now that feeling was bubbling up to the surface again but she needed to keep a level head. All these months without a word from him had been difficult but his indifference to their child was downright painful. In all the scenarios she'd imagined, she had never expected Jane to reject their child.

"I came to apologize for my actions today and any distress I may have caused you. I didn't realize that your health was precarious. Cho informed me you're on modified duty."

She swallowed hard. He was so detached… even more so than earlier today. For weeks after his departure, she'd texted him updates about her pregnancy but he'd never acknowledged one single message. She stopped all contact when her pleas for a response went unanswered. Thinking of that day was still painful. She had felt so alone and had called him repeatedly, and texted him to call her back. She'd been in the hospital, bleeding, being told she might lose their baby after a placental abruption. She'd been unable to acknowledge those words to him in her texts for fear that they would come true, so she'd just pleaded with him to call. But he never did.

Their baby was doing well now, the placenta had slowly re-attached itself after two weeks and their baby was growing well these last three months, albeit a bit small for gestational age. So his words were true. He did not know about her current health condition because she hadn't told him. But they did need to talk about their child that would be born in less than ten weeks.

She licked her suddenly dry lips, deciding to gently confront him about his lack of interest in their child. She kept hoping that it was just a trauma response on his part and that she could find a way to reach him. Her therapist had discouraged her from seeking him out in person, advising her to respect his boundaries, but it had been difficult to do that. It had gone against her instincts. But he'd come to her now, so maybe it was time.

Her heart raced as she let the words tumble out.

"We need to talk about the baby."

He frowned but she continued.

"I know it was a bit of a shock, but I didn't expect you to react like this."

His frown deepened and her heartbeat picked up speed as she held her breath.

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

She released her breath waiting for him to say more but he just stared back at her. She searched his face but there was nothing for her to see.

"That's it? That's all you've got to say?"

"I'm not quite sure what you want me to say."

"I think you owe me a bit of an explanation about why you're acting this way about the baby!" she said trying to be patient but failing.

She bit her lip and chastised herself. His rejection of their baby hurt but she was still hoping he'd redeem himself. She didn't understand how the sight of her pregnant belly didn't incite more of a reaction from him. She was carrying his child and she couldn't see any emotions from him. Suddenly, it felt like she'd been slapped, the sting hurting her heart. She hugged her belly, feeling the urge to shield their child from his indifference as though it could somehow imprint upon him or her and cause harm.

He spotted her gesture and frowned again. He released an exasperated breath and looked around before settling back on her face.

"I was surprised... that's all. I thought you didn't want kids," he answered. "And... you know... the timing... you didn't wait very long… it's been a lot to take in."

"I didn't plan it!" she answered defensively.

"I don't need the details."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Look… it's your life, Teresa. I only want you to be happy."

"I'm not happy," she said incredulously. "How can I be happy with the way things are between us?"

He opened his mouth to say something but seemed to change his mind as his mouth closed and no words were shared. He looked away and she saw sadness in his eyes, and it made the whole situation seem insurmountable. Why was he rejecting their child?

Jane's POV

A sharp audible hiss passed between her teeth, and she pushed her palm against her lower back. Her knees buckled, her next words dying on her lips.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," she answered breathlessly.

"You don't look fine."

He hesitated to go to her not knowing the boundaries of their relationship now.

"It's my back," she answered through controlled breathing. "It hurts all the time but nothing can be done about it. I'm used to it. Sometimes I get spasms."

All this time she'd been in pain? He remembered her wincing in the conference room. This must be the reason for her modified work schedule.

"You should get off your feet."

"No… I'm fine. Really. Getting off my feet doesn't help. Nothing does."

"Teresa…"

"Sitting puts more pressure and when I lay down I get twinges everywhere," she explained. "Trust me, I tried everything to relieve the pain."

"Are you taking anything?"

"No! I'm not taking that risk after everything that's happened."

What happened he wondered… but now wasn't the time to ask.

"Surely there's a painkiller that's safe to use-"

"No," she said through clenched teeth as she rode another spasm.

"Let me help you."

"No way… I'm not letting you hypnotize me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he answered as he moved towards her and tried to get behind her.

"What're you doing?" she asked suspiciously, turning away from his grasp to face him.

"For once… can you please stop fighting me? I won't hypnotize you. Just turn around. I used to do this all the time with Angela, and it helped."

Lisbon's POV

She gave him her back reluctantly and waited. She felt him come behind her, the heat from his body was the first thing she noticed, then he pressed himself against her back and reached around her middle, his warm hands cupping her tiny belly and then gently lifting it. The motion caused her to reflexively lean into his chest and the aching pain immediately lessened to a tolerable degree. The difference was so marked that she couldn't retain a moan from escaping her lips.

With the pain now manageable, she became aware of Jane as his unique scent enveloped her. Memories of being held in his arms flooded her and her heart fluttered in contentment. She closed her eyes to enjoy his embrace. She was in his arms again and he was cradling their baby. Without thinking, she placed her hands on top of his; he went rigid behind her. She felt his muscles twitch almost as though he wanted to flee. She let go as though his hands were hot pokers. In her reverie, she had often imagined him holding her in his arms like this, with his hands gently stroking and cradling their baby. But these weren't the affectionate hands she'd pictured; they were simply performing a utilitarian function.

Jane cleared his throat behind her to indicate his intentions to stop their interaction and gently released her belly. The loss of his warm touch and his heat on her back drove home that nothing had changed and it made her feel bereft.

Jane's POV

"How did that feel," he asked softly.

"Good," she answered without making eye contact.

He wanted to hold her again but knew that it wasn't appropriate. He had to go. It was too unsettling to be with her like this.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said abruptly, wanting to escape her room and hopefully the gripping pain in his chest.

"Jane? Please… just talk to me," she pleaded. "Why can't you accept this baby?"

He released his pent-up breath. He couldn't understand what she wanted from him. He apologized for his behavior today; surely she couldn't expect him to be happy she was carrying Pike's child.

"I accept it… I do," he assured. "But I'm sure you can appreciate that it's not something that's easy for me to discuss."

"Why?"

He shook his head, his eyes darting around the room not knowing how to get through to her. The why wasn't worth talking about because it wouldn't change anything. How could he tell her that every time he saw her protruding belly he was reminded that she went to Pike's bed quickly? That the thought that Pike had touched her drove him crazy not to mention the fact that he got her pregnant. That the very evidence of this baby's existence meant they couldn't be together. There was no point speaking of these things because they would change nothing.

"Just talk to me… please."

He realized she just wanted to help him be okay with this situation; it's what she did but she couldn't fix this. He needed to put both of them out of their misery quickly.

"I wish I was a better man, Teresa. I truly do. I wish that I could give you what you want from me right now but you're asking too much. Seeing you like this," he said indicating her belly, "is too much."

She looked more crestfallen than relieved by his words and he didn't know what more to say. He walked out feeling numb.

The next day – 9 am – Evidence room

Jane's POV

Lisbon had texted the team to meet her in the conference room beside the evidence room. She said she wanted to review the evidence. When he joined the team, the audit had been well in progress and he knew by her posture and the way she was eyeing him wearily, that the jig was up.

"Could you give us a minute?" she directed to Fischer and Cho.

They agreed, although suspiciously. Lisbon obviously hadn't told them yet what she'd found to give him away. When they were out of earshot, she held his gaze and said nothing. She was very guarded and appeared to be shielding her child from him again like she'd done yesterday. He couldn't understand why she thought her child needed protection from him. After a few moments, she finally spoke.

"I don't understand. Why did you do all this to bring me here?"

He was drained and he figured honesty would give him the best outcome.

"I wanted to see you."

"You could've just picked up the phone and called me. I don't understand all this!"

"I wasn't sure you'd come."

"Why didn't you come and see me?! You know how I feel. You know I wanted to see you!"

Her voice increased in volume as she spoke. He stared back in confusion. It was happening again. It felt as though they were having separate conversations.

"You made me get on a plane, in my condition... for what? To test your feelings?"

"No-" he defended.

"Then what? What, Jane? I asked you before I got on the plane if you had engineered this! Talk to me, please!" she begged quietly.

"I would never purposely hurt you! You must know that."

She frowned and put a protective hand on her belly again, her demeanor changing. She stared into his eyes and he could see her searching for something. He wanted to comfort her but it was pointless. Whatever she was looking for she didn't find and her disappointment settled in her features. Whatever her goal, she'd given up. He knew her well enough to recognize when she was standing down. It's not what he wanted but it is what was needed.

"I'll let you sort this out with Fischer and Cho," she said calmly. "By the way, the next time you want to fake a cyber-crime connection, do a bit more homework. He had auto-generating encryption software on his computer; the data wouldn't just sit there unencrypted. And furthermore, he didn't use USBs, that's too amateurish for him."

She walked out without another look his way and he let her go. By the time he reached his couch in the bullpen, she was gone. Cho was in a foul mood, and it remained unchanged when he told him who was responsible for the murder and their motive. Fischer was equally angry with him for sending them on a wild goose chase.

He sat on his couch as bits of their last conversation niggled at him. Something she'd said wasn't computing and it was bothering him. He reviewed the conversation again and suddenly realized the outlier. She said she had asked him if he had engineered their meeting before she came here. He looked at his phone. He only remembered to unblock her once she'd arrived at headquarters after he realized that he'd missed a few communications about the case.

She'd been onto him from the beginning; so why did she come at all? Her words floated in his mind… 'You know how I feel'. The only messages he had from her were case related.

He stared at his phone intently; Lisbon was right about one thing, he was technologically behind. He sat up abruptly, decided on his next course of action; he would consult an expert.

A few minutes later...

He smiled his best smile as he approached Wiley's desk, but the young analyst didn't return it. I guess he was sore too about being fooled.

"You're a great analyst, Jason," he appeased, knowing the eager agent was more upset with himself for not being the one to notice the obvious.

"I didn't see it. I should have."

"I got it over on Cho and Fischer, too."

"But they don't know what I do!"

"Let this be a lesson for you, young Padawan... review the evidence yourself. Don't take another person's word for it."

"Because my colleague might be a liar?"

"Yes," he answered simply. "You shouldn't trust anyone."

"I don't want to live like that."

"Then your life will be harder."

Wiley just shook his head and returned his attention to his screen trying to ignore him. He leaned his hip against the man's desk and smiled, waiting for him to acknowledge him again, whistling softly.

Finally, Jason looked up at him, his lips pressed together tightly. The young man was showing spunk and he was proud of him.

"I need a favor."

"You think I'm just going to do you a favor after you embarrassed me?"

"Yes."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because. You're a good guy."

Jason's shoulder's slumped and he knew he would help him.

"What do you need?" he asked begrudgingly.

He explained the situation as concisely as he could without revealing too much.

"You accidentally blocked Lisbon, then unblocked her, and now you want to see the texts you missed?"

He nodded.

"You can't. I'd have to pull the records from the phone company."

"Okay. Do what you do best."

"I can't. I need a warrant or permission from Lisbon. It's the law."

"Lisbon won't mind. She sent me the texts because she wanted me to read them."

"Why don't you just ask her?"

"It's... complicated."

"I bet."

Wiley had been in the same conference room as everyone else as things went down between him and Lisbon yesterday. He probably also drew the same conclusion as the rest of the team that he had fathered Lisbon's baby and was a deadbeat dad but he didn't have the inclination to discuss his personal life with him and he didn't really care what anyone thought anyway… that kind of thing was only important to Lisbon.

He gave his annoyed colleague a pointed look that silenced whatever thought he would express next.

"The texts…" he reminded.

"I shouldn't. If I get caught..."

"How would you get caught? It's just one little button so I can read a text that Lisbon wanted me to see. You're not doing anything wrong. You're just helping me correct an error on my part."

Wiley didn't need much more coaxing; he knew he wouldn't win.

"How far back?"

"Six months should do the trick," he answered nonchalantly.

"That's more than one text."

He shrugged. He might as well cover his bases, who knew what he'd missed all this time?

"Check your email, the texts will be there in a doc," he said resignedly.

He smiled and headed back to his couch to read the lost texts.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :-)