A/N: I was wondering if everyone had forgotten this story, so wasn't I surprised when I awoke to the wonderful gift of your heavenly reviews! Thanks so much for lifting my spirits and rewarding my efforts, and to those who have consistently and lovingly left your thoughts. Just for that, I give you another chapter (that's three since Sunday!). I hope you will be thanking me later, especially after you see why this chapter deserves a big, whopping M!

Chapter 12

Neither of them spoke as they stood over the empty men's room sink, Lisbon having grabbed the first aid kit from the break room and led Jane there to take care of his minor wounds. He allowed her to wash and dry them carefully, apply a soothing salve, and wrap the sore areas of his hand where he'd held the bolt cutters. She was glad for something to occupy herself so that she could think about all Jane had told her. She was still in shock at the enormity of his lies and omissions, and her emotions were all over the place. She was angry. She was hurt. She felt betrayed. She felt grateful that he finally trusted her enough to share what he'd been keeping from her, but she also felt afraid, because as he had told her, knowledge may be power, but it also meant danger where Red John was concerned. She wasn't just thinking of herself, either. If the serial killer found out all that Jane (and now she) knew, he might quit toying with them and move in for the kill.

She took each emotion in turn. Anger would get her nowhere. It would alienate Jane and maybe throw him back into the same old pattern of hiding things from her. Feeling hurt was the most justified emotion, she supposed. He could have told her all of this a long time ago, as it was happening. She thought their relationship was closer than that, but he had major trust issues, and was protective of anything concerning Red John to the point of possibly losing all other, healthier relationships. Betrayal? Yes, she had a right to feel that too, but she knew he wasn't keeping information from her to hurt her. He was misguidedly trying to protect her, but she wasn't fooling herself; he was also trying to protect his own ass as well as allowing himself to do whatever he wanted with the information.

And then there was fear. Red John had killed people for even the possibility that they might talk. And, given the number of bodies he'd racked up within law enforcement, she knew he'd have no qualms in killing her. If he knew she was involved romantically with Jane, Red John might take particular pleasure in carving her up just to hurt Jane. Actually, her fear was more for Jane, for him getting himself killed in his zealous efforts to be one step ahead of the murderer.

She finished her nursing, bringing Jane's bandaged hands to her lips. She looked into his tired, sea blue eyes, and remembered to express her gratitude. "Thank you for telling me all this. I know it wasn't easy for you, but we have a clean slate now, Jane," she said. "The next time Red John strikes, we'll both be as ready as we can be. But…we would only be stronger if we filled in the rest of the team."

"No!" his voice echoed in the stark bathroom. "No," he said more calmly, breaking away from her and pacing across the tiled floor. "For one, I don't want to risk their lives for this. One slip—even a minor one—could lead to their deaths. I won't have that on my conscience, will you?" He didn't even register the slow shaking of her head. "And for another thing—one of them could be the mole, as painful and outrageous as that might seem. They all had opportunity. We've both seen how Red John is a master of manipulation. I'm convinced he has the ability to brainwash, to hypnotize, to make his minions believe that what he stands for is worth dying for. That kind of power is stronger than any one of the team, don't you see? So, no. It's just you and me, Lisbon. That's where this circle of information must end. Do we agree on this?"

He walked back to her, both bandaged hands going up to her cheeks. "Are we agreed?" he whispered urgently.

His eyes bored into hers, and she knew that if she didn't agree, she'd be out of the loop again herself. There was no compromising with him on this, no way to reason with him when it concerned Red John. "Agreed," she said at last, watching the relief wash over him.

He lightly kissed her lips, then leaned his forehead against hers. "Okay. So now we just bide our time, be watchful for any other clues, be vigilant in noticing tell-tale signs of our mole." He kissed her forehead and reluctantly stepped away. It wouldn't do for more people to catch them in a compromising position.

"What about LaRoche?" she asked, repacking the medical kit. She'd been so immersed in Jane's Red John information, that she hadn't taken the time to fully experience the deep humiliation she was feeling that her boss had seen her naked, wantonly giving herself to Jane on the bullpen couch. She shuddered in horror. He saw her expression, and knew instinctively that she was replaying their interlude of last week in her mind. He didn't blame her though; he'd thought of it frequently himself.

"What about him, Lisbon?"

"Stop smiling, Jane. That was all your fault. You seduced me, made me forget where we were. Talk about manipulation and brainwashing."

He chuckled. "Don't put all of it on me, Teresa. Those were your legs wrapped around my waist, as I recall."

She flushed a deep scarlet. "I want you to break into his office and find that tape." She couldn't believe she'd just told him to do something overtly illegal.

"That would be pointless," he said, not blinking an eye at her request. "He hasn't hidden it in his office; he's too smart for that. It's probably at his house, locked in a safe or something next to his mama's prize winning recipe for shrimp gumbo and his dog show ribbons. Let him have it. It'll warm his lonely nights once Jessie wises up and leaves him."

"That's sick, Jane. The very idea of him watching us—"

Jane shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes going dark as he looked at her. "I'm not ashamed of it. I'm betting it's totally hot." When she avoided his heated gaze, he grinned at her embarrassment.

"It's not that I'm ashamed, per se," she hedged. "I just hate that he has this power over us. He could ruin both our careers in an instant, and I don't think he's bluffing."

"No, I'm sure he's not. I've been thinking that my plan could still work, though. All we have to do is sit back and wait for him to screw up again. Jessie's got him so flustered he's bound to make more mistakes. Love does that to people," he finished meaningfully. "Witness how the ever in control Agent Lisbon totally lost her inhibitions on that office couch not so long ago."

She snapped shut the lid on the small white box and held it by the handle, preparing to leave the men's room. Her heart pounded at his words, and a wave of longing washed over her. Before she could over think it, the words tumbled out of her mouth. "Come home with me," she said.

His eyes widened at the unexpected invitation. He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly very dry. "Are you sure?" he asked, giving her an out, though his pulse quickened at the thought of being in her arms again, burying himself inside her warmth, her goodness.

"Yes," she breathed.

He walked over to her, holding out his arm to her in a courtly gesture, as if they were going to a ball rather than back to her place for some wild makeup sex.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They nearly didn't make it to her bed. Actually, they almost didn't make it to her apartment. The entire drive from HQ had been one long foreplay session. She'd asked him to drive, and he hadn't been quite sure why she'd allowed him such a rare privilege, until she'd slid across the seat of his Citroen at the first red light and began nibbling on his right ear, while one dainty hand alighted on the front of his trousers.

"Lisbon," he chided, both shocked and pleased at her naughty behavior.

"Hmmm…"her hum vibrated into his ear, and he shivered, then caught his breath as her hand moved to his zipper. His own hands gripped the steering wheel and his eyes closed in ecstasy. That is, until the car behind them honked when the light turned green. They both jumped, and Jane's foot fell heavily on the gas pedal, jerking the car into motion. Lisbon chuckled softly, and slipped her hand inside his pants. The feel of warm skin on skin had Jane pressing even harder on the accelerator.

"You'd better slow down, woman, or there's either gonna be an accident with the car, or one in my pants."

"Or both," she said saucily, but she removed her hand after one more affectionate squeeze, which had him shaking in reaction. Lisbon looked up to see they still had several blocks to go to her apartment, and her wandering hand found its way to his vest, quickly unbuttoning it, then working on the buttons on his blue dress shirt. His stomach trembled as she trailed a finger across the muscles there, then moved up to play with his flat nipples.

"You realize you're gonna pay dearly for this teasing," he panted. She parted his shirt and ducked beneath his arm, flicking her tongue where her fingers had just been. He gasped.

"I'm counting on it," she replied wickedly, attempting to move away again, but he held her head there, and she gladly obliged him. By the time he pulled into her apartment complex parking lot, they were both mindless with unfulfilled desire. It was a wonder they'd gotten there alive, let alone that a cop hadn't pulled him over for his erratic driving.

Jane put the car in park and pushed Lisbon unceremoniously down onto the seat, practically throwing himself on top of her, ravishing her mouth like the madman she'd worked him up to. She kissed him back, relishing the taste of his madness on her tongue, feeling so powerful because she was the one who'd put him in this state.

"Jane," she said. "Let's go inside. I really don't want to be caught parking like a horny teenager." Never mind that this was how they were both feeling at the moment.

"You started this, sweetheart," he murmured between drugging kisses.

"But think how much better it will be in a soft, warm bed," she coaxed. "Think of the back pain you'll avoid."

He raised up from her tempting lips to look at her, his slumberous eyes sparkling with humor. "Are you calling me old?"

"Not at all, Mr. Forty-something," she smirked.

He suddenly became acutely aware of the steering wheel digging into his back, as well as his uncomfortably cramped legs. He grinned, then kissed her nose affectionately. "When you're right, you're right."

He slowly rose up, gingerly sitting back in his seat with a moan. He took a deep breath, then opened the driver's side door. Lisbon hadn't waited for him to let her out, but had run ahead to her apartment door, giggling girlishly when he tried to catch up with her. He was only a few years older than she, but they both knew she was in much better shape. Just as she got the door open, he slammed into her from behind and fell on top of her into the small foyer, catching himself at the last minute from crushing her petite frame beneath him.

She groaned at the sudden pain she'd felt when she hit the floor. "Now who's old," he huffed into the back of her neck. He kicked the door closed and turned her over to face him, pulling her like a rag doll to the slightly more comfortable carpet. He'd knocked the wind out of her, and she was struggling to catch her breath.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked in concern.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that," she gasped, "Grandpa?"

The dangerous expression of a challenged Jane made Lisbon's heart skip a beat. Next thing she knew, he'd taken her breath away again as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She laughed and he swatted her behind, none too gently either. She yelped in surprised anger. "Hey!"

"You deserved that and more for your teasing and your sassy mouth," he chided, but she could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Put me down and you can punish me however you want."

She was little more than a feather in his arms, and she bounced against his shoulder on the way down the hall to her bedroom. But the expected toss onto the bed didn't come, and he set her gently on her feet, a wide grin complementing the passion in his eyes. "You promise?" he asked.

She smiled in return and sat on the edge of the mattress, pulling him down with her by his unbuttoned vest. "I promise."

They picked up right where they'd left off in his car, only this time, Jane instigated the teasing. He started with her neck, dropping tender kisses lower and lower until he reached her delicate clavicle. She was wearing a button-up blouse for a change, and he began releasing each button, his eyes on hers as their loud breathing filled the room. The front clasp of her bra came next, and Jane focused his attention on her small, beautifully shaped breasts until she was holding his head closer, her hands gripping his curls while she cried out her desire.

She'd been ready for him since their time in the car, and it was truly torturous to both of them that he continued his sensual foray across her body. In an effort to hasten things along, she reached up and slipped his vest and shirt the rest of the way off, then moved to release the button of his pants, filling her hands with his hardness. A growl tore from his throat, and he was suddenly finished toying with her. They became frenzied in their haste, clothes flying around the room until they fell upon each other again, naked and ready. He sat up in the middle of the bed, pulling her up until she faced him, and with a quick movement of his hands at her hips, he joined with her with a welcoming moan. He stilled as she adjusted to the way he filled her.

"Open your eyes, Teresa," he whispered, and green eyes met blue in the dim moonlight that streamed in through the bedroom window.

In a beautiful display of give and take, they moved together as one, her hands on his shoulders, his at her waist, as he plunged into her more deeply with every smooth stroke. All the while, their eyes stayed locked on each other's faces. He watched her as she gasped when he hit just the right place, and gasped again when he twisted a little and found the spot again. He couldn't help his small smile as her kiss- swollen lips formed an impassioned O, and he observed in fascination as the climax hit her and she reflexively closed her eyes against the onslaught of her pleasure.

The way she contracted around him did away with the last vestiges of his own control, and he allowed himself to freefall over the edge, his body quaking and a light sheen of perspiration covering them both. His final strokes became wilder and faster, and he pinned her to the bed with a shout of joyful release.

For once, there had been nothing standing between them—no secrets, no lies, no guilt—and Jane had never known such freedom with a woman, not even with his wife. But he pushed aside that troubling thought to nuzzle into Lisbon's damp neck, to savor the way her arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer while his body remained joined with hers.

"I love you," he heard her say. His arms tightened around her, and his mouth rested near her ear.

"I love you too, Lisbon."

They stayed that way, long after their heartbeats slowed and their bodies cooled, long after both had fallen into a contented sleep.

A/N: Reviews are almost as good as—okay, not quite that good. What? I meant chocolate. Get your minds out of the gutter, will ya? Sheesh!

The next chapter will be the last of this fic. One fiftieth birthday party, coming right up! Thanks for reading.