She smiled and sat back in her office chair. She couldn't even make out what was in the picture exactly, and where the baby was, but just the thought that it was there somehow put a permanent smile on her face. The office door opened slowly. Van Pelts head came round the corner.
"You're back!" she grinned.
"Just now."
"so?"
"All good. Perfectly healthy baby." She grinned wider.
"That's great!" the young woman sat in front of her. The two had become even closer over the last week, having gone shopping both for clothes and healthy food for the once coffee and pastry stocked apartment. "Can I see?" she held out a hand. Lisbon reluctantly handed over the picture afraid to put it out of her hands.
"Did you ask about gender?" Van Pelt was nearly bursting from holding in her excitement; this was not the place for her to burst though.
"No. I don't want to know." She shook her head. "I'm going traditional on that." She laughed.
"So…" she grinned.
"Yes I plan on telling them now." She rolled her eyes.
"Finally! Now we can get excited." She nearly jumped out of her seat.
"No the point is that we wont be making a fuss!" she said, but Grace was already gone out the door. Lisbon sighed this would be painful.
"Grace stop shoving." Rigsby said as she shoved him in the door followed closely by a clearly bewildered Cho.
"What's all this about boss." He asked looking around. She sat up in her chair.
"right I have an announcement." She said. "you are to remember to things. I am still your boss. And I don't like being made a fuss of." She looked at all of them pointedly.
"Honestly scaring me now boss." Rigsby said. Grace beside him was biting her lip.
"I'm pregnant." Cho's head tilted.
"You're…" Rigsby repeated.
"Pregnant!" Van Pelt shouted, and then covered her mouth.
"You knew!" he said turning to her.
"Perhaps."
"Boss, did you get to tell Jane?" Cho asked.
"JANE!" Rigsby almost squeaked. Lisbon laughed.
"Do I even want to know how you guessed?"
"Let's just say we weren't all as clueless as you'd hope." He said. "Congratulations."
"Jane?" Rigsby repeated.
"Of course Jane!" Van pelt slapped his arm lightly.
"Bout time!" he whispered.
"Excuse me?" Lisbon said looking at him.
"Boss you have to know we were all expecting it. well maybe not this exactly but the last few years it's been kinda obvious something was going to happen." Rigsby shrugged. Lisbon just raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry…" he muttered.
"Now I want to make it clear, Hightower is to know nothing for now! I am not to be treated any differently and I will still be going on field work and everything. Also Jane knows nothing! Not because I'm hiding it from him but because I haven't been able to tell him. So I really need us to find Red Johns killer. Soon." They all nodded.
"Right everyone back to work!" she looked back down at the paperwork in front of her.
/ / / / /
The second Lisbon left the office for a meeting with her bosses Rigsby spun round to the other two.
"A baby!" he said. "A baby Lisbon and Jane!"
"I know isn't its great!" Grace nodded enthusiastically.
"This is awful." Cho said quietly.
"What! How can you say that?" she snapped.
"Well in normal circumstances this would be great news but look at the mess things are in! Jane's on the run for murdering Red john. He doesn't even know. And knowing Lisbon she's probably secretly tormenting herself about this because Jane's not here to reassure her she's probably after making up all kinds of things in her head but she'll never tell anyone because. Well because she's Lisbon." He said then shrugged as it revelations like this were the most common thing in the world for him. Rigsby looked at him with his mouth open.
"She did tell me that she's terrified he wont want another child. That it will bring up to much about his daughter." Grace said softly, her excitement dying down rapidly.
"We have to find this shooter." Rigsby said then turned back to his computer.
/ / / / /
Jane looked down at the cup of tea in his hand. Nothing beat the English tea. If only he could take this proper tea and go home. Back to everyone he hadn't realised he'd come to depend on. Back to his little attic. His job, as a realtor, where he could use all his charms, was new and interesting. But not enough. Nothing like solving crimes, that amused him to no end. He fingered the post card lightly. he couldn't decided if he should send it or not. It was probably too dangerous. But he had been away for almost two months now and he was sure the others must be missing him. They had to be. He was Jane.
/ / / / /
To my Accordion
Please hurry up and get me back. No one else amuses me.
All you have to do is close your eyes And just reach out your hands
And touch me Hold me close, don't ever let me go
More than words Is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know
From, A 'Responsible' adult.
Grace smiled and tucked it back into the pile of mail.
"You want the post boss?" she asked as Lisbon walked past.
"what? No Rigsby deals with all that. You should know that by now." She looked over her file for a split second at the red head. She was feeling so much better now, the morning sickness had stopped, and her trips to the bathroom had halved thank god. But now there was the stomach. Finally showing properly, if only slightly. This Monday was the first day she'd had to go to the bags of new clothes she'd bought with Van Pelt, so although you couldn't see it now under her looser shirt, she couldn't decide if she was happy or not that her baby was now making its presence known.
"He's going to be late. Maybe you should sort it out." She tried again.
"Right." She held out a hand for them and taking them went into her office.
Grace grinned and sat back at her desk. She knew he wouldn't have stayed out of touch for too long. If only he knew that she was fourteen weeks pregnant. Once again she sighed at the mess that clouded what should be an amazing time for everyone.
/ / / / /
Lisbon couldn't rub the smiled from her face as she turned the postcard over and over again. If he were here she'd give out to him for the cheesiness of sending a postcard with a red rose on the front, even though she knew he only did that specifically to annoy her. she wondered briefly on how he'd counted on her to be able to read this entire thing in code. The accordion thing had been years ago. And he hadn't even heard her call him what she thought was a responsible adult. But then again this was Jane. Why was she still getting surprised by him.
/ / / / /