Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews of the last chapter, and for your patience waiting for this one. Real Life Syndrome can be nasty! Plus my muse dislikes stress, so she gave me this chapter very grudgingly. Things will start moving again soon though! The revelation of the suspect list helped clarify my thinking about Red John, though I'm sure whatever I decide on, the show's brilliant writers will come up with something far better. But since we have to wait for that, I can guess with impunity for now. :)

Chapter 43

It was late by the time the others left; there had been a great deal of arguing about the plan, followed by a condescending lecture from Jane about the necessity for them all to keep up the act and the best ways to do that. He'd succeeded in turning Rigsby's and Van Pelt's happy glow into vague disgruntlement by the time they left, and he'd made Cho roll his eyes at least twice. Lisbon dealt with her own annoyance by not helping clean up afterward, deciding she deserved a nice hot bubble bath behind a locked door instead.

When she emerged nearly an hour later, she was more sleepy than annoyed. Jane was still fully dressed, sitting in one of the wingback chairs reading. He seemed unperturbed at her having locked him out, but she had no doubt that if he'd really wanted in, he'd have picked the lock.

"I'm going to sleep. If you're going to stay up, go in the other room," she said as she went past him to the bed.

"No," he said, putting the book down on the little table nearby, "just waiting my turn."

Lisbon crawled into bed as he went into the bathroom, listening to the familiar sounds of his nighttime routine. She thought about making him sleep elsewhere, but she didn't have the energy for the argument, and she preferred knowing where he was anyway. She settled for turning her back to him as he turned off the light and slid into bed.

Being Jane, he didn't take the hint, though she was sure he knew perfectly well what she was trying to communicate. Spooning up behind her, he rested his hand in the curve of her waist and nuzzled behind her ear.

"Good night, Jane," she said firmly.

"Hm. It's been a while since you used my last name in bed," he murmured, burying his nose in her hair. "I know I can't stop you from bringing work home, but can't we at least keep it out of bed?"

"If you would keep home out of the office, it might work better," she replied, stopping his hand as it moved to caress her hip, sliding toward the hem of her jersey. "You bullied me into taking a pregnancy test in the bullpen, for God's sake. What makes you think we are ever having sex again?"

"I didn't bully you into taking a pregnancy test, and most certainly not in the bullpen. That would not have achieved my aim at all. I created a situation that would make it appear as though I convinced you to take a pregnancy test and receive a positive result, all in view of enough people that the story will surely make its way to Red John. Everything I did was to keep you safe."

"And you didn't share your plan with me ahead of time because?"

"Teresa, I love you dearly, but your acting skills are uneven at best. And if I'd told you Grace was pregnant, you wouldn't have gone along with it."

"For some reason I thought once you'd vowed to love, honor, and cherish me, you'd stop lying, tricking, and manipulating me, or at least recognize that those actions require you to ask for and actually earn forgiveness."

"If I ask for your forgiveness now, you'll refuse on the grounds that I'm only doing it because you told me to, despite the fact that you frequently complain I never do as I'm told," Jane said calmly. "I will, however, show my contrition in the morning by buying you a coffee so sweet that it will make your teeth hurt, completely disguising its non-caffeinated nature."

"Keep it up, and you may not survive this fake pregnancy," she grumbled.

"Meh. It will be a short one in any case," he said. "Grace won't be able to keep the secret, much less Rigsby. And if you keep refusing to act even a little happy about it—"

"Won't Red John be happy I'm not happy? He wants to think he's rescuing me, right?" she pointed out. "Besides, I think you just cheated on me, remember? Why would I be happy about getting stuck on desk duty because I'm facing parenthood with a man I can't trust?"

"Because you're still in love with me, despite my serious flaws, and my happiness pleases you."

"But I refuse to let you know that because I'm still angry," she said. "It makes perfect sense."

Jane let out a long sigh, ruffling her hair. "I suppose he must know how stubborn you are by now. Very well. We will play this your way. I suppose it's unrealistic to expect you to display any forgiveness before the next poker game."

"Completely unrealistic," she agreed.

Jane propped himself up on one elbow so he could kiss her cheek, using his free hand to smooth her hair. "But here, when it's just the two of us, I would like you to acknowledge that I did not in fact cheat on you, and that I am making every effort to ensure your safety, even knowing I will suffer from your annoyance with me."

"Fine. I know you didn't cheat, and I know you're trying to help, in your usual jackass fashion," she sighed.

"And no matter how careful we are, this will still be very dangerous. One or both of us may get hurt or worse." He paused. "I don't want to waste what might be our last nights together."

Lisbon sighed. "That is by far the worst line I have ever heard."

He chuckled into her ear. "Okay. How about this: I cleaned out Rigsby's pockets tonight. He doesn't need condoms anymore, after all."

"You're lucky he doesn't punch you for getting him into this situation in the first place."

"Nonsense. He's happy as a clam."

"He might not stay that way once he and Grace start negotiating over who has to leave the unit."

"Meh. There's no sacrifice too great when it comes to building a family."

Lisbon pondered that for a moment. Then she asked, "How long have you known Grace was pregnant?"

"I only noticed yesterday morning. I was trying to decide if you were pregnant, so I was watching you very closely. Then I saw you both walking down the hall and noticed her gait was slightly different. She isn't very far along, I take it."

"She thinks it can't be more than six weeks," Lisbon agreed. "I guess we'll know more exactly when we see my doctor day after tomorrow."

Jane planted another kiss on her neck. "I wish I could go."

"You know you can't. I need an excuse to take Grace into the exam room. That wouldn't make sense if you were there. I'll send you off somewhere with the guys. It fits nicely with my still being angry."

"But it's highly unlikely I would just give in," he pointed out.

"You are trying to appease me," she said. "Feel free to hover as obnoxiously as you like after."

"Thank you. I will." He gave her shoulder a kiss, then settled himself on his pillow. "And I am sorry you felt embarrassed. It was unavoidable but regrettable."

"Oh, right," she snorted. "You enjoyed every minute of it."

"Will it help if I promise that if we ever do find ourselves expecting a child, I will leave all the announcements to you?"

She hummed sleepily. "Yes."

"Then I promise. And I love you."

"I love you too," she said, reaching for his hand and weaving her fingers through his.

mmm

The appointment went as well as could be expected, given that Lisbon had to do some fast talking to convince her doctor that the secret of who was actually pregnant was part of an undercover operation to trap a vicious criminal. At least it was all true.

The argument she had to have with Jane afterward about going without him was even less enjoyable. But she ended it by taking him out for lunch, so the day wasn't a total loss. And by unspoken agreement, they left work at the office and enjoyed their night, falling into an exhausted sleep in the early hours of the morning still tangled together.

As Thursday approached, Lisbon got increasingly nervous. Their plan was based on the one thing she still insisted on doing without any of the team present: the poker game. It made sense to create an opening for Red John where she was already most vulnerable. Though the plan was as solid as they could make it, no one really liked it. And she was terrified that Jane had a surprise up his sleeve he wasn't letting them in on.

So they were all a little on edge when Stan Moore stopped by Thursday afternoon. Lisbon heard Jane intercept him just outside Lisbon's office, greeting him cheerfully. "Stan! Nice of you to stop by. Can I get you some tea? I was just brewing a pot of jasmine green for my lovely wife."

Lisbon rolled her eyes as Stan said, "Sure, sounds great." He then knocked on her open door. "Agent Lisbon, do you have a moment?"

"Come on in," she invited. She still wasn't sure she liked him, but he had squelched the attempt to blame Jane for Lorelei's murder, so she was willing to be cordial. "Any luck on the Lorelei Martins case?"

"No, unfortunately," he said, taking a seat in front of her desk. "I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you."

"Oh?" Belatedly, she remembered why he thought she should be congratulated. "Thanks."

He gave her a crooked smile. "Still in shock?"

"Yeah," she smiled back. "But it's a good shock."

Jane came in with the tea tray, fussing about until they each had a steaming cup. "No congratulations for me, Stan?"

"Congratulations," Moore smiled. "You're not in shock, I see."

"I'm delirious with joy," Jane said, sipping his tea. "It's a little easier for me, however. I won't be the one throwing up for weeks on end and fretting about not being allowed to tackle criminals twice my size."

Lisbon said, "Ha, ha. I have never tackled anyone twice my size, I'll have you know. And I plan to spread the pain by sending you out on complicated shopping trips in the middle of the night to satisfy my weird cravings."

Jane grinned. "I look forward to it. Though I resist the idea that any child of mine would ever crave anything 'weird.' You, on the other hand, frequently eat things I find distressing."

"Just wait," Lisbon threatened. "I'll show you distressing."

Moore chuckled. "It's always nice to be reminded that not all married people are miserable. With my colleagues, it can be easy to forget that." Then he gave Lisbon a serious look, gestured in a circular motion with one finger, and mouthed, "Secure?"

She shook her head; the last bug sweep had been before the pregnancy test. They'd been out on cases and busy ever since, using the excuse to provide misinformation to their enemies.

Moore nodded in understanding. "You have more reason to celebrate than most. Now that you've done what Red John wants, you should be safe, at least for the near future."

Lisbon nodded. "I hope so. Does that mean you're going to stop your surveillance?"

"Not altogether," he assured her. "But budgets are tight, you know. And my bosses aren't big fans of long-term expenses. Still, I'm only a phone call away, day or night. And your people are keeping an eye out, right?"

"Of course," Lisbon replied. "But I can take care of myself, you know."

"Of course," he agreed. "Especially now that you have even more reason to be careful. When are you due?"

"January," Jane put in. "Plenty of time for us to feather the nest, as it were. And for the honeymoon we didn't get to take. But it's now or never, so at last I get to whisk my wife off to a tropical beach for a couple of weeks."

Moore smiled. "I hope you'll have a great time. Anyplace in mind?"

"I was thinking Mykonos, but Teresa prefers Maui," Jane said. "We're still negotiating."

"Either one sounds great. At this point, I'd be thrilled with even a staycation," Moore admitted. He finished his tea and stood. "I'd better get back to it. If I don't talk to you before you leave, have a great trip."

"We'll send you a postcard," Jane promised. He got up to close the door as Moore left, then came to sit in front of Lisbon's desk.

"What was that about?" she wondered.

"I think someone noticed what I've been doing with the money," Jane replied. "Our honeymoon budget is far too large to come out of our household account, after all. I've been cashing out some of our investments. Interesting that the FBI is watching that."

Lisbon knew Jane was really stockpiling cash in case they had to run, despite her objections. The whole honeymoon story was merely a cover, though she wouldn't mind making it a reality once Red John was out of the picture. "Yes. I don't mind them following us around, I guess, but watching our accounts seems a little over the top." She doubted that was Moore's idea. It seemed more likely one of Red John's moles had brought it to his attention.

"Shall we lodge a formal protest?" Jane asked.

"It won't do any good," she replied. She was pleased the plan was working; they were counting on Red John not believing the honeymoon story and feeling compelled to take action before they could run. "But if it will get you out of my hair so I can finish this report and get to the game on time, feel free."

Jane frowned. "I thought we talked about this. It's too risky, Teresa. You have more than yourself to think about now."

"I'm aware. But really, Jane, you can't expect me to give up one of the few things I enjoy just because I'm pregnant. A poker game is not going to endanger the baby. And don't think I don't know you've talked the others into tailing me. I'll be perfectly fine."

"I don't see why I can't go with you," Jane complained.

"Oh really? You don't see any reason I wouldn't want you to cheat a bunch of bigwigs out of their money, all while gloating about it and insulting them? Well, I guess that is pretty hard to understand," she snarked. "It's not like some of them could fire me or anything. Oh wait!" She pretended to remember something. "They can. Gee, Jane, maybe that's why."

He kept his grin under wraps, but his eyes twinkled at her. "Lisbon, give me a little credit. I wouldn't need to cheat against that bunch."

"You'd still do the gloating and insulting. Anyway, I need a break from you. Go home, eat dinner, and find some way to entertain yourself until I'm done." She went back to her work.

Jane wasn't giving up that easily, though. "At least take Cho. With a poker face like that, he has to be pretty good. And he will neither gloat nor insult anyone. At least not within their hearing."

"I'll be fine, Jane," she said, exasperated. "Cho has a thing with the rapid response team tonight. Rigsby's got Ben, and Van Pelt isn't much of a gambler, as you know. I don't need a bodyguard to play poker. I'll text you when I'm leaving, as usual."

"I will drop you off and pick you up at 10:30," Jane insisted.

"You'll do no such thing," she snapped. "I'm not helpless, and I don't need a curfew. I'll text you when I'm leaving. Now go make yourself useful, or else go home. I have work to do."

Jane gathered up the tea tray and left. But she was sure he'd be back.

mmm

Jane spent the rest of the day trying to think of all the things that could go wrong and what to do in each case. Putting Lisbon out as bait was the last thing he wanted to do, but since Red John was targeting her, it was far safer to draw him out on their terms than wait for him to put his own plan in motion.

He still hated it. If it were up to him, he'd whisk her off to some remote corner of the world that Red John had never heard of. In fact, he'd thought of three brilliant plans to do just that. But it wouldn't do any good, because Lisbon would just come right back to protect her team. The whole thing would just be a waste of a good plan and a great deal of money, not to mention causing a serious fight between them. That was absolutely the last thing they needed.

He pretended not to notice when she snuck out while he was brewing a cup of tea, reassured when Grace left immediately afterward. He drank his tea, then went to discover that Lisbon's office was empty. He then stormed out to his car and drove to the restaurant where the poker game was held.

A few minutes later, his phone beeped with a text. Stop stalking me and go home.

Who's in there? he responded.

Bertram, Manchester, Dawkins, and some guy from the DA's office named Schuster. Go home!

Text me before you leave. And be careful.

I'm always careful. Unlike you. Don't get a ticket on your way home.

Love you, he replied, because although they were supposed to be on the outs, he wanted to make sure she remembered that.

Her response took a little while to arrive, but it made him smile. You too. See you at home.

With everything in him, he hoped so.

mmm

Two hours later, he was pacing the apartment, debating whether to try texting his wife or just drive back down there. The plan called for the former, but his anxiety level made the latter more attractive, despite the fact that Lisbon would justifiably want to strangle him for improvising. Then again, they'd known each other long enough that she was probably expecting it.

His phone beeped just as he was opening the door. Leaving now. You better be home when I get there.

He grinned and texted back, Ready with chocolate and a foot rub.

Don't get your hopes up.

That was it. Now he was back to pacing, waiting for the string of mishaps that, to anyone watching, would make it look like Lisbon was accidentally without her safety net. Grace, who was parked outside the restaurant, would suffer a flat tire not two blocks away. Cho wouldn't answer his phone, and Rigsby would say he needed to find a sitter but would be there as soon as he could. Which wouldn't be fast enough, so Grace would be forced to call him. Any minute now.

Any minute now.

Now.

What was taking so long? Had Cho done too good a job on Grace's tire, causing her to crash? Or had Red John planned to act tonight all along? What was happening?

He was just opening his phone to dial Lisbon when it rang. "Grace?"

"Jane, I got a flat, and nobody's close," she said breathlessly. "Can you meet her along the way?"

"I'm on my way," he replied, snapping his phone shut and heading for the door.

He called Lisbon once he was out of the elevator. It took her an eternity to answer. "What, Jane?"

"You lost your tail," he said. "I'm on my way. Don't stop anywhere."

"I was going to pick up some ice cream," she replied. "I'm craving pistachio. Can you meet me at the store?"

"Yes. Go inside and stay in sight of the security cameras," he told her.

"Oh, stop worrying," she sighed. "I'll be careful. I am armed, you know. See you there. And don't drive like a maniac!"

Jane ignored her instructions, since it would have been ridiculously out of character to follow them. But he didn't drive quite as fast as he could have, wanting to give Red John time to take advantage of the opportunity, confident that Cho was at the store waiting out of sight.

He didn't so much park his car as leave it in the general vicinity of a parking space, running into the store and heading straight for the frozen dessert aisle. It was empty, and he was seized with a moment's panic at the thought that the plan was working and Lisbon was being delivered to Red John, leading them right to him. He took a few deep breaths, trying to dissipate the adrenaline rush, and turned to go find the store manager to harass.

Before he got ten feet, he heard his name being called and spun to find Lisbon in the snack aisle, a box of popcorn in one hand and a small basket with two pints of ice cream in the other. "That was fast," she said.

He experienced a weird mixture of relief and disappointment, but he didn't hesitate, striding down the aisle to take her shoulders and kiss her soundly. She let out a startled squeak before relaxing into the kiss.

When it was over, he stepped back, took the basket from her, and tossed the box of low-calorie, no butter popcorn in it. Then he reached for the box of movie-style popcorn that she really wanted, adding it to the basket as well. "Anything else?" He smiled. "Swedish fish? Milano cookies?"

She made a face at him; he normally tried to steer her away from her guilty pleasures. "This is fine, thanks."

"Then let's go home." He headed for the checkout line, where they argued about whether Jane would drive Lisbon home or merely follow her. Lisbon won, so Jane had to content himself with following her closely.

Rigsby and Grace were waiting in the lobby when they arrived, and Cho joined them upstairs shortly after they finished sweeping for bugs. "So," he said. "That didn't work."

"No," Jane agreed, tapping a finger against his lips. "He resisted the temptation. Obviously we failed to convince him that our flight is imminent. I guess I'll have to be more obvious."

Lisbon suppressed a sigh. "Go home and get some rest," she instructed. "We'll come up with something else tomorrow."

When they were gone, Jane said, "He didn't change his plans because he's confident we can't stop him. We should go, Teresa."

"We've been over this." Lisbon went into the kitchen and popped the lid off the pint of pistachio ice cream, then opened a drawer to grab a spoon. "You're not going to change my mind. They're my team, so they're my responsibility. I'm not going to run out on them. Especially now."

Jane knew his argument was basically a selfish one, but he decided to give it one more try. "You don't want to leave them to face something terrible. I get that. I do." He bit his lip, then fixed her with his most pleading gaze. "But think about the terrible thing you're asking me to face alone. And I'm the broken one, Teresa. They're strong, and they have each other. If I lose you, I have nothing."

She swallowed her bite of ice cream, her eyes soft with concern. "Patrick. You're not going to lose me."

"He's confident, Teresa. Enough to pass up a golden opportunity to take you. That should worry you, because I'm telling you, it terrifies me." He stepped closer. "Come with me, somewhere safe. I know you have responsibilities to the others, but don't you have a responsibility to me?"

She sighed. "Yes, of course." She offered him a spoonful of ice cream, which he accepted, never breaking eye contact. When he swallowed, she asked softly, "What's the plan?"

"A honeymoon overseas, preferably someplace with easily bribed officials. A tragic accident of some kind. It'll be harder for him to verify that way. And we don't have time to wait for suitable corpses."

She grimaced. "If he has doubts, he'll test us by killing someone we care about."

"Then we have to make sure he has no doubts." Jane knew she wasn't convinced, but he was confident he would come up with a brilliant plan.

"How much time would I have to wrap things up?"

He shook his head. "You can't, at least not more than you would for a normal vacation. You can't tip anyone off, even the team. They have to believe the story too." Her eyes widened, and he added, "For their own protection."

"I can't do that," she said. "Not to them, and not to my family."

He couldn't quite keep his anger out of his voice. "So you'd rather destroy me than upset them."

"He's not going to get me, Patrick. I'll be careful."

"Of course you'll be careful. But it won't be a damn bit of use. We could be surrounded by his disciples every day. We could pass him in the hall all the time with a smile and a nod. You are in danger every second that he knows where you are, and you will be until one of you is dead." He felt his self-control slipping and moved toward the door. But he couldn't resist a parting shot. "I understand not wanting to have an innocent's blood on your hands, Teresa. But what I don't and will never understand is how you can choose to have mine instead."

mmm

It was a long time before Lisbon composed herself enough to follow him into the bedroom. She found him sitting in one of the chairs, a book unopened in his lap. He met her gaze as she stood in the doorway and said, "I shouldn't have said that to you. I'm sorry."

She took a moment to process that. Jane rarely apologized, but what he had said was less important than what he was feeling. "Don't apologize for being honest."

She hoped he would say he'd exaggerated in the heat of the moment, or explain it away somehow. But instead he said, "I knew from the beginning that I was the one at risk in our relationship, because I love you more than you love me."

"That's not fair," she snapped.

"Isn't it? I chose you, Teresa, above everything I thought was important in my life. I didn't hesitate; I didn't think about my other obligations. I sold the house and took off my ring and basically turned my back on the man I had become over the last nine years. It wasn't easy and it wasn't pretty, but I did it. Because that's what I had to do to save you. And I had to save you—that's where the selfishness comes in, because I had to save you for my own sake. But you will only save me for my sake, not for yours. And you won't give up anything to do it. Because in the end, you know you don't need me."

"I think lasting relationships should be based on choice, not need," she retorted. "And I chose to be with you. I continue to choose that every day. Don't you dare tell me I don't love you just because I won't run from a serial killer it's my job to catch."

"I didn't say that," he pointed out. "But I would do anything to protect you. I don't understand why you won't do the same. You know I can't survive him taking you."

"Maybe I think you're stronger than you think. And I don't think running makes us safer. What if Visualize really is his power base? They're global. Where could we go that they don't reach? Where we wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb? Do you really think we could keep our heads down indefinitely without going stir crazy? Because I don't. We're safer here, where we have support and we know the environment. And where you have people who care about you to help you if the worst happens."

She was glad to see him think her argument through, though she knew he'd reject the last part. He might eventually see the sense of her position, but not right now. She was tired and frustrated, and he was too. They needed to table this. But she had one more thing to get off her chest. "And you have some nerve accusing me of not loving you as much as you love me. For years—years—I did everything I could to help you and take care of you, while you did your very best to be a cold-hearted, insensitive jerk at all times."

"To protect you," he snapped.

"You want to protect me? Then think of some way to catch Red John!"

"I'm trying!"

He was nearly shouting, a sure indication that his vaunted self-control had deserted him. She knew this conversation had ceased to be helpful, so she took a deep breath and said, "We're both tired. Let's just go to bed and talk in the morning."

He got to his feet. "Fine. You sleep. I have some thinking to do." He pushed past her and went into the den.

Her mother had always told her never to go to bed angry, but unless they calmed down, they weren't going to kiss and make up. With a frustrated sigh, she went into the bathroom, resolving to get some rest even if her stubborn husband wouldn't.