Hi everybody! I have a quickish update for you all! But I'm afraid it can't last, I'm going to be busy this weekend so I wont be able to update :'( But hopefully I'll get another chapter up before I leave :D Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed! They honestly make my day and inspire me to write more :) I'm not trying to bribe you or anything, but it's the truth. You're going to get a new chapter either way so don't fret :P Okay, on to the main event!

Scarlet Fever

Lisbon woke up entangled in Jane's arms. She was resting her head in the crook of his neck and he was holding her tight to him. Jane was still asleep, and there was no way that Lisbon would be able to untangle herself from his vice-like grip, so she relaxed against him and let her mind wander in hopes of sleep finding her once more.

She was happy in Jane's arms, despite her slight discomfort of her body being teased in the worst way. Last night left her body humming in anticipation, she knew that she wouldn't be satisfied, not even close, but apparently her body could not understand that fact. His deceptively strong arms made her feel safe and she wondered how he kept in great shape, he just lied on his couch all day at work. Lisbon wanted to know how he fit it in; she wanted to know his habits and routines. She wanted to know him.

Lisbon lay there and let herself fantasize about a life where she loved Jane freely and he was able to return those feelings. A life where Red John was out of the picture and Jane had found a way to accept his past and move on with her. She fell into a light sleep and dreamed of children with dark brown hair and blue eyes running around in the backyard of a house that she and Jane shared.

Lisbon was smiling in her sleep when Jane woke up. He smiled too, she looked so gorgeous when all the worry and tension left her face. He found himself wishing that he could make her smile like that, that he would be privileged enough to see it everyday. He wanted to be the one she let her guard down with, the one she let herself be happy with, the one she loved.

But his thoughts turned melancholy when he started thinking about reality. She would never love him, he was a broken man. She couldn't love him, she was his boss. She shouldn't love him; he could never give her what she deserves. She deserved so much more than him. She deserved a man with no baggage, who can love her with all his heart. She deserved someone who would take care of her without requiring her to heal his emotional scars. She deserved a man who could protect her from all the evils in the world. Jane had already proven that he was unable to protect the ones he loved.

He then thought of his family, he still loved them dearly. But he found that there was room in his heart for Teresa and that she had already wriggled her way in there. He by no means loved his family any less but he was now able to love Teresa in a slightly different way than he had loved his wife. He could love her in a truer way, now that he knew how the loss of love felt like. This thought cheered him up; maybe he wasn't a lost cause after all.

Lisbon then woke up from her light sleep and saw that Jane was just staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. She decided that they should both wake up now if they were going to go on a morning hike like Agent Gray's team had suggested. She moved around a bit, alerting Jane that she was awake, and gave him a morning kiss. It all felt so domestic, so good.

"Morning sunshine." Jane said with a smile. He really loved waking up to Teresa in the morning as they had for the past few days. Her small body gave him comfort and he liked feeling that she was close to him.

"Good morning Patrick." Lisbon said with a smile of her own.

"And what a good morning it is." Jane said.

"Yes, the weather's really nice." Lisbon said, trying to untangle herself. But Jane only held her tighter and pulled her closer.

"I was talking about the company. I love waking up with you, and I'm unbelievably happy that I get to do so while you're my wife." Jane said. The way he worded it let Lisbon know that he was telling the truth, he was glad that he was sharing a bed with her for the remainder of the assignment. What Lisbon didn't understand by the message was that it was because of her, not just human contact, that he was happy. She merely thought that he missed his wife and liked the feeling of a woman in his arms; she didn't realize how personal this really was.

"Well, I hope you like my company when we're hiking." Lisbon said with a teasing smile. "Now get up and get dressed or we won't be back in time for our couples massage."

xxxx

Their hike took a few hours; it was gorgeous in the woods behind the hotel. They never ran out of things to talk about and Lisbon was surprised that they got along beautifully outside of the office. Even though this was technically work, it didn't feel like it. They kept up their usual banter and had a great time. Jane wasn't as annoying when he wasn't threatening her job; Lisbon actually really enjoyed his company.

They got back to their hotel room muddy and sweaty. They were both in desperate need of a shower.

"Can I have the first shower?" Lisbon asked.

"Nonsense, we are married my darling." Jane said.

"And that means I can't have the first shower?" Lisbon asked, confused.

"Husband and wife usually save water by showering together, honey" Jane whispered softly in her ear. Her cheeks turned pink when she realized that he was right. They didn't want to blow their cover already.

"Right, sorry." Lisbon said shyly.

"Don't worry about it my dear; you're probably a bit dehydrated from our hike. Here, have some water." Jane said, covering up her mistake. He passed her a bottle of water and went into the bathroom, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. What did he get himself into?

Lisbon was a little nervous but it wasn't like he hadn't seen her naked last night. So mentally shook herself and followed him in. She locked the door and turned around to see that Jane had already taken off his shirt and was getting to work on his pants. She walked up to him and helped him out of his pants. She decided that since he had undressed her last night before dinner, the least she could do was return the favour.

"I don't think anyone can see us in here." Jane whispered in her ear. E was so quiet, she barely heard him. She knew that was probably true, but she secretly wanted to do this with him. They wouldn't be able to after the assignment was over and wanted to make the most of it.

"But why take the chance?" Lisbon whispered, just as softly.

She then took off her shirt and pants, leaving her in her sports bra and underwear. They were by no means lingerie, but the way he was looking at her made her feel incredibly sexy and bold. She closed the space between them in two steps kissed him fiercely. She couldn't get enough of him knowing that this was all she had. Hopefully this would be enough to satisfy her desire for him so she could return to normal once this was done. But she knew she wasn't fooling anyone, this would probably only make it worse but right now she didn't care. All that was on her mind was ridding Jane of his clothes and hopping in the shower.

Jane had been terribly on edge all day and he knew that Lisbon had been too. A mere touch or look was enough to spark desire in the other's eyes and the way Lisbon was pulling him into the shower wasn't doing anything to help that. It was getting almost uncomfortable, his need for her. He tried to fill his mind with things that wouldn't allow him to be engrossed by the woman in front of him but everything he thought of morphed in to her.

Lisbon could see that Jane was struggling to keep control over his body and was failing miserably. Lisbon knew that he desperately needed relief just as she did. He had broken their kiss and started washing his torso with soap. She took a minute to enjoy the view and then proceeded to make her offer.

"I can help you with that if you'd like." Lisbon said shyly. Her words may have been innocent enough but Jane understood exactly what she meant. He was touched that she would do that for him, to ease the tension, but he couldn't do that to her.

"No, I'm alright. You don't have to…" Jane stammered.

"I want to." Lisbon said, cutting him off. When she gently stroked him, he forgot all further protests. He allowed himself to get lost in her touch and just enjoy it. She was good at it, he'd give her that.

When she'd finished, he felt great, but he knew that she was still uncomfortably wound up. He didn't know how he was supposed to thank her for that. But then he did have one idea…

"Thank you, but you didn't have to," Jane started.

"Nonsense, my dear," Lisbon said with a knowing smile. "Honestly, it was my pleasure."

"Well, at least let me return the favour." Jane said.

xxxx

After their satisfying shower, they went to their massage. It was heavenly and the emerged from it feeling completely relaxed and happy. It had been a long time since Lisbon had been pampered like that, and to be honest, it had felt amazing. She made a mental note to indulge herself more often.

"I think we should do this more often." Jane said.

"Me too, but I can never find the time." Lisbon said. "Plus it would get expensive if we went too often." On the outside their conversation would be a completely normal one for a couple. But between the lines, Jane and Lisbon were having a real conversation. They just phrased their words carefully so that no one would know that Jane was asking her why she didn't indulge herself in a little pampering now and then.

"You know, I'm actually quite good at giving massages." Jane said.

"Really? You've never mentioned it." Lisbon said. She was slightly taken aback at his hidden offer. She had to admit, his hands on her sounded like a great idea, but she didn't think the offer would still stand after their undercover operation was over.

"It never came up. But you just let me know and I could give you an amazing massage. Any time." Jane said, gazing meaningfully into Lisbon's eyes. Well there was the answer to that question.

Jane often noticed at work that Lisbon carried a lot of tension in her shoulders and he didn't like to see her suffering in any way. Especially when she got hurt while tackling a suspect, he wanted to make it all go away. He hoped that Lisbon would take him up on his offer after their 'honeymoon' was over.

As Jane gazed into Lisbon's eyes, he saw something that surprised him. He could be misreading her, he has been wrong before. That must be it; he must be losing his touch. Surely that couldn't be love in those gorgeous eyes?

Wow. I personally liked it, how about you? Maybe there will be a happy ending for them after all? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Well, you will. I already know what's going to happen heehee :D