Stay

A Jane & Lisbon Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Summary:

Jane and Lisbon's budding romance is threatened with the return of billionaire Walter Mashburn. Who will Lisbon choose? The man who can give her empty glamour? Or the one who's been they're all along? Inspired by "Stay" by SafetySuit.

Dedicated to:

watchyouwalk (Autumn), because we were IMing one night, and she helped me come up with the idea of Jane and Lisbon's romance being threatened by Mashburn's return. Thanks for being my muse Autumn.

To Jisbon4ever (Laura), just because she's totally awesome, and one of my best friends on (Love Patricia)

Love,

Holly

Disclaimer:

I don't own anything. If I did, I wouldn't even be writing this story right now.

Author's Note:

I know the whole thing with Jane and his father is a little not what everybody thinks about them. But since we don't know really anything about Jane and his father, I decided to put something there. After this chapter, you'll realize why he loves his father. Even when he never did before.

.

Chapter Two

"I made dessert," Lisbon said the next day when Jane came to pick her up. "Well, it's a Pillsbury Dough Boy brownie mix. . . but—"

"It was made with love, right?" Jane asked, noting that she had taken special care with her appearance that night. She was even wearing a dress, in a shade of green that brought out her eyes brilliantly. He sucked in his breath. "You look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you," Lisbon replied, flushing with pleasure.

"Well, come on," Jane said. "My father lives about forty-five minutes away. And that's without traffic."

"Okay."

Jane took the dessert and her hand. "Um. . . I've been thinking,"

"Oh, yeah?" Lisbon asked.

"And I think we're at the point in our relationship where – off-duty – we can call each other by our first names. If that's okay with you. . . "

"Call me Teresa," Lisbon said. "But only off-duty! And on special occasions at work."

"Teresa. . . Teresa," Jane sang, a goofy grin on his face.

"Are you in middle school?" Teresa asked.

"No, but I feel like a middle school boy with his first crush," he replied, opening the car door for her.

Lisbon stopped short of swooning. She had to do everything in her control not to pull him by the lapels and shout for him to kiss her already. But she knew there was such a thing as boundaries, and she wanted to respect the ones between her and Jane. . . for the time being anyways.

Jane got into the car and put the key into the ignition. He threw her a charming smile. "Ready?"

"Yeah, of course," Lisbon replied, smiling in return. "But it's been my experience – when a boy takes a girl home to meet his family– he's ready to get serious."

"I've wanted to get serious with you for a while now," Jane admitted as he pulled out of her apartment complex.

The both of them stared at each other, shocked that they had both been so forward with one another.

Lisbon blushed and cleared her throat. "So. . ."

"So." Jane laughed, trying to clear up some of the tension that had suddenly entered the air. "Do you want to listen to music?"

"Sounds good."

Jane pushed a CD in and turned the volume up. "When I see your face, there's not a thing I would change. 'Cause you're amazing just the way you are. And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while. 'Cause girl, you're amazing just the way you are. Her lips, her lips I could kiss them all day if she'd let me. Her laugh, her laugh she hates, but I think it's so sexy. She's so beautiful and I tell her every day. Oh you know, you know, you know I would never ask you to change. If perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same. So, don't even bother asking if you look okay. You'll know I'll say when I see your face, there's not a thing I would change. 'Cause you're amazing just the way you are. . ."

Lisbon smiled as Jane sang along with the song. At the moment, it was the song that every girl. . . every women in America wanted somebody singing to her. She knew this, because her niece had called her and told her all about how it was her song with her boyfriend. How they had been watching Glee, and how he held her hand while some character named Finn had sung it. Then, how later on that week, he had played it for her on his guitar. . . and sang it off-key, but it was still beautiful.

She had never expected that Jane would sing it for her. . . that he would even associate the song with her. She felt even more like a giddy, teenage girl in love for the first time. Maybe. . . for the first time, she really was falling in love.

.

Forty-five minutes passed quickly, and before Lisbon knew it Jane was pulling up to a cute condo on a golf course with a pool and a clubhouse across the street.

"Well, this it," Jane said, parking.

"It's nice," Lisbon said.

"And it's home. . . to my father, at least. He retired from carnival life after my wife and daughter was murdered. Well, actually it was after I tried to kill myself. He was my only living relative, so somebody tracked him down. And believe it or not, he came and took care of me for a while. I never liked him before, but our mutual losses brought us closer than ever. And there was something. . . I mean, he had to care right? If he would come all this way to take care of me?"

"Of course," Lisbon answered.

"Then, after I was better, he realized that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life traveling."

"Oh."

"He was also afraid if he didn't stay here, I'd do something stupid again. He told me that he couldn't bear to lose me. That if he lost one more person in his life, he didn't know what he would do. But by then, I was working with you, and. . ." He trailed off. "Well, come on. He's waiting for us."

And he was indeed waiting for them. Lisbon figured that he had been watching for them from his living room window, because he opened the door even before they had a chance to knock.

"Patrick! Teresa!" He said. "Come on in!"

"Thanks," Jane replied. "Dad, this is—"

"Teresa Lisbon! I recognize her from that cell phone picture that you showed me a couple of years ago. May I say that it did not do her justice? She is beautiful. . . nay, stunning in person."

"Teresa," Jane said, looking at his father affectionately. "This old geezer is my father, Garrett Jane."

"It's a pleasure," Lisbon replied, offering her his hand.

"No, no. . . the pleasure is all mine!" Garrett said, taking her hand and kissing it. "Patty has done nothing but sing your praises for these past seven years."

"Dad!" Jane flushed like an embarrassed teenager.

"What? You like the girl, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Teresa made brownies," Jane said.

"Lovely, I have triple chocolate ice cream."

"Dad. . ." Jane smiled. "When we talked this morning, you said that you had a surprise for me."

"Oh yes. . . the surprise. Well, I met somebody. Actually, I reconnected with somebody. . ."

"Mom's sister?" Jane asked.

"Yes. And she's coming here tonight."

"Dad, I wish you had told me."

"I told you that I've been dating her for the past three weeks."

"Yes, but I never assumed—" Jane looked towards Lisbon and threw his hands up. "Well, I guess it must be serious then."

Lisbon's laughter was like pure sunshine to his soul. "I'd have to agree."

"What?" Garrett asked, like he had missed something.

"Nothing Dad, inside joke," Jane answered.

"Young love." Garrett shook his head.

"Come on dad, we're not that young," Jane said.

"You know, I was twenty when he was born," Garrett addressed Lisbon. "And he was barely five months old when his mom left us. She was from a wealthy family, of course."

"Of course," Lisbon said. "Aren't they all?"

"She told me that she was going to Harvard to become a lawyer, and find a rich husband. She couldn't do it with a baby saddling. . ." Garrett trailed off. "Teresa, I know I've done a lot of bad things. Things that I regret. But I don't for a second regret keeping Patrick."

"I'm glad," Lisbon said, smiling. "Because I'd be simply lost without him. . . at work. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without him. . . at work."

Jane cleared his throat. "Anyways, a few months ago my aunt looked my father up. My mother passed away, and she had left me some money in her will. It turns out that she thought about me every day. She regretted not staying around to have a life with my father and me."

"She wasn't cut out for carnival life," Garrett said. "And I wasn't cut out for a briefcase and a suit. We would have ended up resenting each other."

There was a knock at the door, and Garrett went to answer it. A few seconds later, he was bringing a woman in her late fifties over to meet them.

"Patrick, this is Debra. Your mother's sister," Garrett introduced. "Deb, this is Patrick. . . my son."

"Yes, yes. . . he looks a lot like Libby," Debra said. "He has her hair, height, and face. But he has your beautiful eyes."

Garrett beamed at this statement. Then he directed her towards Lisbon. "And this is Teresa Lisbon. Patrick's co-worker, and girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you," Debra said. She took both Jane and Lisbon by the hand. "It's really nice to meet the both of you."

"You too," Lisbon replied, nudging Jane.

"Yes," he agreed. "Dad's done nothing but say good things about you."

Debra smiled. "Your dad is a terrible liar then. Now Garrett, did you put everything in the oven like I told you to?"

"Yes," Garrett answered. "Of course I did."

"He asked me too cook tonight," Debra explained to Jane and Lisbon. "I hope you like lasagna. I make it from scratch. Including the pasta and the sauce."

"That sounds amazing," Lisbon said. "When I make lasagna, it's usually Stoffers. This certainly will be a treat."

"Patrick, she's an angel!" Garrett said as the two women walked to the kitchen. "Please tell me that you're planning on keeping her."

"I'd certainly like to," Jane replied. "What about you? Are you planning on "keeping" Debra?"

"We've talked about it," Garrett answered. "It'll have to be soon though. We're not getting any younger, you know."

"Well, you have my blessing. At least you won't eat just ice cream for dinner anymore. Not with her around."

"Patrick. . ."

"Really Dad, you deserve some happiness," Jane said, anticipating his father's question. "Besides that, I never knew Libby. . . er, Mom."

Garrett patted his shoulder. "You deserve more happiness than I do. And I'd like some grandchildren."

"Okay," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "I'll try and speed things up with her then."

.

Lisbon was brushing her teeth and remembering the feeling of Jane's hand in her's. They had held hands the whole entire drive back to her apartment – all forty-five minutes of it – and it was so nice. She smiled as she rinsed her toothbrush off. She could have held his hand forever.

She was just about to wash her makeup off when her phone alerted her of a text. Thinking it was Jane texting her another goodnight, she took it right away.

But the text wasn't from Jane. It was from somebody she hadn't heard from in over a year. . it was from Walter Mashburn.

TBC. . .