A/N: I was overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter so guess this is a multichapter now. Hope you like this chapter. It's a little more serious but there will be more fun ahead.

Chapter 2 – Stanley & Karen

Lisbon's playfulness at the gate had turned into nervousness as the plane flew them closer to Chicago. She looked out the window, one hand at her cross and the other gripping a coffee in the pull out tray in front of her. As the plane was mostly empty Jane had moved from his aisle seat to the empty one beside her.

'We're going to find him, Teresa' he said. She turned her head sharply, so lost in her thoughts she hadn't heard him move into the seat.

'I know' she sighed, shooting him a faint smile and placing the hand from her coffee onto his, giving it a squeeze.

He regarded her closely and she bit her lip. 'That's not what you were thinking about though, was it?' he said.

She looked from side to side and then nodded, sighing. 'Before we go and talk to my brother Stan I need to tell you about something.'

'Okay. What is it?'

The noise from the airplane engines hardly made for an intimate conversation. 'When we're on the ground' she said, looking back out of the window, ending their conversation.

Jane moved back into the aisle seat and closed his eyes. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

After leaving Cho to discuss the search for Jimmy Lisbon with the local FBI, Jane and Lisbon drove to her brother Stan's house.

They pulled up outside a detached yellow house in the suburbs of Chicago.

'Okay, Lisbon, what do I have to be afraid of before I meet him? Is it going to be the customary Lisbon punch on the nose?' He started to tug at his nose and move it about in preparation.

'No. Stan's not like that. Jimmy, though, that might be a different matter.' She smiled across from him.

He put his arm across the back of his seat and raised his eyebrows. 'Am I going to have to beat it out of you?' he asked smiling, a line she had used on him on many an occasion to get the truth.

'Okay. Well you know how you left and went to South America?'

He rolled his eyes. 'Yes, Lisbon. I do seem to recall that. What about it?'

She looked at the steering wheel. 'Well, after you left I came here to stay with Stan, Karen and the kids for a little while. Well, after Abbott had decided finally not to prosecute me for aiding and abetting your escape and a handful of other blatant violations.'

Jane nodded. He had been back over a year and they had never discussed their time apart when he was in South America. He had imagined how bad it must have been for her to be left with the Blake Association mess to clean up but he hadn't wanted to dwell on that when he came back. She had never brought the subject up until now so thought she had felt the same.

'So, from what you're telling me I'm guessing I'm not going to get a hearty welcome. He blames me for all of it, you losing your job, the CBI getting shut down and so on.'

She sighed. 'Not all of it but some.' She looked at him again. 'Jane, I was in a mess when you left. I hate to admit it even now but I kind of...shut down for a little while when I came here. I had no job, no prospect of getting one and no you. I never felt more alone.'

He cupped her cheek, pressing a thumb along it. He felt the guilt rush over him. 'Teresa-'

She gave him a stern look. 'Look. This is the exactly why I didn't tell you. You have a propensity for feeling guilty, Patrick Jane. And you've had more than enough of that in your life so don't start about what happened back then. It was a long time ago. I just wanted you to be prepared before you met him.'

With that she gave him a quick peck on the lips and went to get out of the door. He pulled her hand back quickly and pulled her towards him and kissed her deeply. 'I'm sorry' he whispered.

She kissed him back, running a hand through his hair. She tugged on a button on his vest and bit her lip, looking up at him. 'You can make it up to me when we get to the hotel later.'

He grinned, giving her another quick peck and got out of the car.

Stanley Lisbon opened the door. He was dressed in a suit, his tie a little askew. He had short dark brown almost black hair and a pale complexion. His eyes were a dark green and was about the same height as Jane.

'Reese' he said, giving Lisbon a hug. Lisbon had called him earlier to tell him she was in Chicago on a case. She wanted to gauge his reaction in person when she told him about Jimmy.

'Hey, Stan. Good to see you.'

Stanley Lisbon's eyes drifted over to Jane. He had the same intense glare that Lisbon had. Jane swayed on the balls of his feet and put out his hand. 'Hi, I'm Patrick-'

'I know who you are, Mr Jane.'

Jane pursed his lips, nodding.

Stanley's eyes drifted back to his sister. 'You brought him here?'

'You know he's my partner, Stanley. Don't be so childish. So, are you going to invite us in?'

He glared at Jane again and opened the door. Jane nodded as he entered the house. 'Nice place' he said, looking around him from the middle of the living room.

A woman with long wavy auburn hair came out of the kitchen. She was dressed in a white cashmere sweater, black knee length skirt and wore an apron.

'Teresa! How lovely to see you again!' She encircled Lisbon in a hug. Jane bit back a smile as he saw Lisbon try to extricate herself from it as soon as possible.

'Hi Karen, how are you?'

'Oh, I'm good, Teresa. But how are you, dear?' Her condescending tone made Jane realise why Lisbon preferred to work than come here too often. She really must have been in a desperate way when she had come here when he left. He knew Lisbon wanted to speak to Stanley about Jimmy alone to begin with so he walked over to the two women.

'Hi there, I'm Patrick Jane. It's a pleasure to meet you. Teresa here has sung your praises on your wonderful banana bread.' He gave her his most dazzling smile.

The woman looked at him, a little shaken. Jane could see her struggle on deciding how to react. Her husband obviously had plenty to say about him and none of it good but he could see her swaying against his views as he continued to smile at her. 'I hate to be impolite but you don't have any tea, do you Karen? I'm parched after the flight.'

She looked at her husband briefly and then smiled at Jane. 'Of course, Mr Jane, come this way.'

As she led him into the kitchen Lisbon and Stanley both rolled their eyes as they heard her giggle and Jane ask her to call him Patrick.

'Well, he's certainly a charmer, I'll give him that, sis' Stanley said, sitting down on the couch.

Lisbon sat in a chair opposite him. 'I'm not here to talk about him, Stan.'

'Oh?'

'Jimmy, where is he?'

'At his place, presumably' Stanley replied, looking away.

'Don't you dare lie to me Stanley Lisbon!'

Karen and Jane heard the sound of her voice from the kitchen. She went to get up from the table but Jane placed his hand on hers. 'I'd leave it if I were you. I know better than to get in the way when she's in that mood.'

Karen sat back down again, nodding. 'So, Patrick, you're not what I expected.'

'Oh, did you expect me to carry a pitch fork and have horns?'

She laughed softly. Once she dropped the condescending act she really was quite nice. 'Something like that. Stanley's a little protective over his sister. She looked after all of them growing up and he feels he needs to repay that now.'

'I know and I don't blame him. I'd feel the same if I had one and she was mixed up with someone like me.'

'You know she often talked about you when she would come home for Christmas or Thanksgiving years ago. I think she always had a little crush on you.'

Jane blushed and grinned. 'You think?'

Karen nodded. 'Yes. I was surprised nothing ever came of it.'

Jane nodded slowly, his expression blank. So, Lisbon had left out another detail, her family didn't know about the change in the status of their relationship.

'Well, I wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind back then for anything to have happened' he replied evenly.

'I was always trying to set her up with people when she came home but she wouldn't have any of it.' She leaned in closer. 'How is she coping with the break up with Marcus? I was really hoping to have a wedding to go to soon. Then all of a sudden it's all off with no explanation as to why.'

Jane blinked rapidly for a second. So, it wasn't that she hadn't told them about any relationship, just the one with him. 'Oh, I wouldn't worry about her. She's good at putting things to the back of her mind and carrying on as usual.'

'So is that why you're here then, Reese? To look for Jimmy? You lied to me too.'

'He's in a lot of trouble, Stan. We need to find him before he gets himself into any more.'

'It's not that simple.'

'What are you talking about?'

His eyes shifted nervously, glancing at the kitchen. Lisbon put her hand on top of his. 'We're family, Stan. Now, tell me what the hell you and Jimmy have got yourselves involved in.'

He sighed and nodded, squeezing her hand. 'Okay, but I don't want Karen to know about any of this.'

Stanley explained that he had been having some financial problems and had 'borrowed' some money from his company for Jimmy to play poker with. Jimmy had ensured him that he knew the other players in the game and that he would double his stake. Lisbon had rolled her eyes inwardly, trying to get the full truth out of him before she exploded at him. Her brothers were officially idiots.

Jane and Karen came out of the kitchen just as he had given her a possible location for Jimmy.

She smiled at Jane for keeping Karen busy but all she got in response was a glare back. She thought he would try to get on Stanley's good side but instead he nodded when she said they had a lead and walked straight out of the door without a word to her brother.

He was already in the car, his fingers tapping his thighs (a new habit he had picked up when he was nervous or angry since removing his wedding ring when they had got together) before she had hugged her brother and sister-in-law goodbye.

She got in and looked at him as he stared straight ahead, his face blank.

She put the key in the ignition and then stopped. 'Okay, what the hell is wrong? What did Karen say?'

He looked at her, his expression unchanged. 'Are you ashamed of us, Teresa?' he asked quietly.

Her eyes widened. 'Why...Why would you say that?'

'You haven't told them about us. What else was I to think?'

'I haven't had a chance yet. I was going to do it when I next came home.'

He glanced at the house in front of them before turning his gaze back to her.

She shook her head. 'I meant the next time I came to visit, you know Thanksgiving or Christmas. I didn't want to get into all that today.'

'Oh, 'all that'. Is that what our relationship is to you?'

'You know how much it means to me. Don't try to twist my words, Patrick!'

'But you saw fit to tell them about Pike. But you weren't home at any stage while that was going on.'

'That was different.'

He chuckled softly, looking out of the front window. 'Evidently.'

'Goddamnit Jane, of course it was different! They had no preconceptions about him. It was easier explaining it.'

She touched his hand and pulled it towards her so he looked at her. 'I'm sorry, Patrick. I will tell them, okay? I want to. I just know Stan is going to go ape shit. I want to make sure Jimmy's safe before we have that conversation, that's all.'

He looked at her, still unconvinced. 'I don't blame you, if you are ashamed' he said softly.

Tears pricked at her eyes. 'I swear I'm not. I love you.' She moved in her seat and met his lips in a passionate kiss, trying to convey with her mouth what she couldn't express in words. 'I love you' she said again, kissing him once more.

She felt the tension fall from his body as he finally kissed her back, his hands on either side of her face, his tongue darting into her mouth. They finally pulled away from each other as the windows of the inside of the car steamed up. 'We tell him together once we find that other idiot brother of yours.'