Author's Note: This one is pure fluff. Seriously, you may float away while reading it. Also, I seem to be getting good at writing un-sexy sex scenes. I don't want to know what that's about! Thanks for all the uplifting reviews of the last chapter—it was reassuring to hear that so many of you agree that our heroes wouldn't have a strife-free marriage!
Chapter 58
Six weeks later, Lisbon caught herself acting like a stereotype, examining herself in the mirror and biting her tongue to keep from asking if her outfit made her look fat. From the smirk on Jane's face, she knew he was hearing the question anyway.
"You look gorgeous," he said, leaning on the doorframe of their bedroom looking like a movie star in his new charcoal suit and sapphire blue tie. "Everybody already knows you're pregnant. And nobody's going to wonder why you're showing more than Grace once we make our announcement."
"This is Grace's night," she reminded him. "We're celebrating her new job, and you are not going to steal her thunder. We can invite everyone over for dinner next week and tell them our news."
Jane gave her the dazzling smile that had become his default expression since they got back from the sonogram. "What if they ask to see the picture? I've certainly seen theirs."
Lisbon bet every single person in the CBI had seen the sonogram picture of Wayne and Grace's son by now. "I defy anybody to correctly interpret that," she replied, avoiding the word "blob" that Jane had been so offended by when she'd said it at the doctor's office.
"It's perfectly clear to me," Jane protested, pulling the print out of his inner jacket pocket and looking at it again. She savored the tender expression on his face, then turned back to the mirror. It wasn't like she had a choice, she admitted. She owned very few dresses, and this was the only one she could zip up right now. She'd have to hit the maternity stores soon. Why did they have to celebrate Grace's new job at a fancy restaurant anyway? They'd all have been way more comfortable in jeans eating barbecue. Except Jane, of course. And her jeans didn't really fit anymore anyway.
She walked over to Jane, grumbling, "You could at least gain some sympathy weight."
"First you complain because you can't eat, and now you complain that you're eating too much," he remarked. He tucked the print safely away again and drew her into his arms, kissing her thoroughly and banishing all thoughts of her figure from her mind. When they paused to catch their breaths, he suggested, "I could call Rigsby and give him our regrets. He'll understand when I tell him you are just too sexy to be out in public tonight."
"I'm not missing Grace's surprise party for the world," she replied. "Even though I don't feel like celebrating her leaving the CBI."
"That's okay," Jane said. "I bet there's another announcement scheduled for tonight that you will feel like celebrating."
Lisbon smiled. "Their engagement? It's about time."
"Unless I'm losing my touch, the actual engagement happened a month ago. They just couldn't go public until one of them left," Jane said.
"I wish there'd been another way," she sighed. "I hate losing Grace."
"She told me she hates to go," Jane said. "But she'll be good at cybercrime, and she thinks it would be a shame to break up Rigsby and Cho's bromance. And Moore's thrilled. Our loss is the FBI's gain."
"Bastards," Lisbon muttered, which made Jane laugh.
"You can't blame Moore for hogging the publicity on the Red John disciples. We all agreed that was for the best, remember?"
"Yes." And it had worked, at least partly. Only two other disciples had made attempts to kidnap her, both easily caught, since Moore had started making the media rounds. And the FBI had arrested seven others for various crimes, including attempts to murder Moore.
"Good, because he's invited tonight. So is Stockwell, but I don't want you turning this into a personnel evaluation," Jane teased.
"Why would I do that? It's Cho's job to help his rookie settle in. The fact that you're not hazing him like you did Carson tells me everything's fine." Lisbon rolled her eyes as they headed for the door, remembering the unfortunate agent's short tenure on the team. Jane had taken an instant dislike to him, so he'd never had a chance.
"We're just getting used to him, and now we'll have to get used to someone else," Jane sighed. "It's a lot of work, screening the applicants."
"Despite the fact that it's not your job," Lisbon remarked.
"Oh please. As if I would risk having one of Red John's followers joining our team. Or anyone incompetent."
"Cho is a far better judge of an agent's competence than you," Lisbon reminded him. "You're testing for tolerance of unconventional behavior. Which is not in the job description."
"It should be, at least for anyone planning to work with me."
"Ah ha! I knew all that talk about staying at home was another one of your cons."
"Oh, you did not." Jane waited while Lisbon set the alarm, then put his hand on her back as they walked to the elevator.
"I did too. You wouldn't last a week with nothing to do but change diapers, do laundry, and warm bottles. You'd start investigating the neighbors and get us kicked out before we had time to childproof," Lisbon grinned.
"We'll have that done before the birth," Jane said.
They were both silent the rest of the way to the car, thinking of everything that needed done. Jane was distracted enough that he didn't even ask to drive, she noticed as they got into her car. With a pang, she realized she'd have to give the Mustang up for something a little roomier, since no child of hers was going to ride around in Jane's ancient contraption.
"I suppose we should add car shopping to our list," Jane said, taking the thought right out of her mind as he often did.
"Why? Are you finally going to part with your old clunker?" she challenged, starting the car.
"No, though since we only have two parking spaces, I suppose I'll have to find some garage space to rent. Since I assume you aren't any more likely to give up this car than I am mine."
"Three cars would be silly," she sighed.
"No, deciding that we can only have two cars when we can afford three would be silly. We don't have to conform to anyone else's ideas about our life, Teresa. We don't have to buy the four-bedroom house with the picket fence and backyard unless we decide that's what we really want. Though we may consider moving to a penthouse at some point."
"I don't want to move," she said. "We'd have to check out all our neighbors all over again. And we already found the Red John connection in our building."
"And relocated her to prison," Jane agreed. "I'm just glad she turned out to be involved in that last abduction plot in addition to helping Kirkland break in, so she'll get a nice long jail sentence. You're right; we have plenty to do without moving too."
They didn't speak again until they reached the restaurant, enjoying each other's company in comfortable silence. Lisbon scowled when she realized valet parking was her only option but joined the line. "Seriously? How did Rigsby even find this place?"
Jane's grin confirmed her suspicions. She burst out, "I can't believe you! How is he supposed to afford this? He's got two kids to send to college!"
"Relax. Cho and I are chipping in."
"By 'chipping in,' I hope you mean paying for. And 'Cho and I' better mean you."
He laughed. "All right, I confess. Though Cho and Rigsby are helping. And I've arranged for everyone to get the menus without the prices so nobody has to worry." They moved forward in the line, and Jane said, "If you need to scold me for extravagance, allow me to present you with a better reason."
He handed her a long velvet box. "Patrick," she protested.
"I know you hate that you can't wear your rings right now," he said. "So I got you this instead."
Her hand went to her neck, feeling for her engagement and wedding rings on the chain with her cross. She'd put them there a few weeks ago when her fingers started to swell. She opened the box curiously, gasping a little at the delicate diamond and emerald bracelet.
"I know you probably won't want to wear it at work," he said, "but it's perfect for tonight." He took it out of the box and carefully put it on her wrist. Then he lifted her hand and kissed it.
A few moments later she was handing her key to the valet and getting out of the car, then heading into the restaurant hand in hand with Jane, who turned more than a few female heads in the waiting area. But the smile he gave only to her made her feel beautiful and desired, and the way he rested his hand on her stomach was worth seeing her pudgy reflection in the long mirror by the hostess station.
The hostess took them to a private room, where Cho and Moore were standing near a sideboard drinking beer. They had just finished exchanging greetings when Tim Stockwell arrived, smiling somewhat nervously at Lisbon.
"It's okay, Stockwell," Jane said. "We're off the clock, so you can tell her she looks fantastic without fear of reprimand."
Lisbon elbowed Jane and said, "Ignore him. Good to see you, Agent Stockwell. I hope my husband hasn't made your first month on the team too challenging."
He laughed, which reassured her. "No, ma'am. He keeps things interesting, that's all. Though I did think we were gonna have to cuff him to something today. He was practically bouncing off the ceiling. So how did it go?" He addressed the question to them both.
"Fine," Lisbon said. She supposed she should count herself lucky if only her old unit knew that today was ultrasound day.
Jane responded, "It went great, Stockwell. Want to see the evidence?" He reached for his pocket.
"Jane, nobody wants to see that," Lisbon said hurriedly.
"I do," Cho said. "Boy or girl? I've got money on this."
Lisbon gave him a look. "I hear you cleaned up in the Rigsby baby pool."
"Hey, it was a fifty-fifty chance," Cho shrugged. "I just didn't get all sentimental about Ben needing a baby sister."
Moore was looking closely at Jane. "Something tells me the odds are a little more challenging in this case."
"Tonight is about Grace," Lisbon reminded them.
"Twins?" Cho guessed.
Lisbon glared at Jane, who held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't tell a soul!" he protested gleefully.
"Congratulations!" Moore chuckled. "So the question is really boys or girls?"
Stockwell added, "Or boy and girl."
"That part we're not sure about," Jane said. "We have one probably girl and one champion hider. We only saw a foot and hand." And then, of course, he had to pull out the ultrasound and give them the guided tour.
"Congratulations, Boss," Cho said, stepping over to her while Stockwell and Moore pretended the ultrasound actually looked like Jane's enthusiastic description. More quietly, he asked, "You okay?"
She smiled at him. Cho had known her a long time, and he knew how she felt about surprises. "Yeah. It's a good surprise," she said.
His phone buzzed, and he glanced at it. "They're coming in," he announced.
Jane tucked the ultrasound print back in his pocket without being told as they all turned to face the door. When Rigsby and Van Pelt walked in, they all shouted, "Surprise!"
Van Pelt beamed at them, then turned to kiss Rigsby. "You sneak!" she accused, laughing. "Quiet dinner out, huh?"
Then she turned to greet the others, giving Lisbon a big hug. "How did the ultrasound go?"
"Fine. But tonight's about you," Lisbon replied, smiling.
Van Pelt turned to Jane. "Let's see it," she insisted with a grin, holding out her hand.
Jane grinned back and gave her the picture. She peered at it intently while they all watched.
"So?" Rigsby said. "Boy or girl?"
Van Pelt looked at Lisbon, clearly puzzled. "Twins," Lisbon said, figuring she might as well get to tell somebody.
Van Pelt let out a squeal. "Oh my God! That's great!"
Lisbon looked around the room. "The first person who makes a joke about me being as wide as I am tall is fired. Fair warning."
They all laughed, as she'd intended. Then she said, "So, Grace, tell me all about this new job."
"Oh, sit down, everybody. I'm starving, so I know Lisbon must be too," Van Pelt said. "Since you're eating for three. Wow! It's a good thing Jane is such a great cook."
"Which reminds me," Jane said, "we'd like to have you all over for dinner next week. Ben too."
A chorus of agreement answered him. Lisbon said, "Sorry to steal your spotlight, Grace. We can talk about the twins next week. Right now this is to celebrate your new job—and put the FBI on notice that they'd better treat you right."
Moore chuckled. "The cybercrime fighters are treated very well, I assure you. I understand you're off to the training program next week?"
"Yes. Six weeks in L.A. I'll miss you guys so much." She looked a little misty-eyed.
Jane said, "So, Rigsby, I see you took my advice."
"Oh, right," Rigsby said with a grin. Van Pelt held up her left hand so they could all admire the diamond solitaire, and Lisbon felt a flare of jealousy that her fingers hadn't started to swell yet. But then, Van Pelt was having an easier pregnancy in all respects, probably because she was carrying only one child.
After all the congratulations and compliments, Jane asked, "So when's the big day?"
"The weekend after I get back from L.A.," Van Pelt replied. "Just something small. My family's coming out, but aside from them it's just you guys and a few other people. Boss, I was hoping you'd be my bridesmaid."
"I'm not your boss anymore," Lisbon smiled. "But I'm happy to stand beside you and make you look thin."
Van Pelt laughed. "That's not why I asked! You look great, you know. Don't stress about the dress. Just wear anything pink and I'll be happy. We're having the ceremony in a little chapel south of town, nothing fancy."
Rigsby said, "Cho's my best man, and Ben's going to be ring bearer. Jane, I was hoping you'd keep an eye on him for me. He listens to you."
Jane smiled. "I'll do my best. At least you didn't ask me to be the flower girl!"
Everyone laughed, and then the waitress came to take their order.
mmm
When they got home, Lisbon groaned, "A pink maternity bridesmaid's dress! And I thought last time was bad."
"She said it could be knee-length," Jane reminded her, trying not to laugh. "And you get free rein to pick it. We need to buy you some new clothes anyway."
"And new shoes. My feet are swelling," she grumbled, kicking off her pumps.
"Look at it this way, love: we're completing our family all in one go. You never have to do this again." He frowned when she didn't respond, wondering if he'd misread her. "Unless you have your heart set on a bigger family."
"Two is plenty," she replied. She sat down on the couch and put her feet on the coffee table, leaning back and closing her eyes.
Jane couldn't resist dropping a light kiss on her lips before sitting on the coffee table and drawing one foot into his lap. She moaned in pleasure as he began massaging, and he smiled.
"Pink," she sighed. "I'll be almost twenty weeks. I'll be huge!"
Jane couldn't help chuckling. "You'll be adorable. I for one am particularly looking forward to your breasts getting bigger."
She opened one eye and gave him a baleful look. "You have complaints about their current size?"
"Not in the least. But you know me, my dear: I admire extravagance." He couldn't help the big, toothy smile that overcame him when he thought about how impossibly gorgeous she would be, all lush curves and glowing skin.
"Oh, this is fun for you," she complained. "You won't be the one waddling down the aisle in a pink satin tent. You'll still look sickeningly handsome. No wonder Rigsby didn't want you to stand up with him."
Jane aimed his smile at her foot as he worked on her arch. "Thank you for the compliment. And while I do think you should stay away from satin, you look lovely in pink. Maybe this time more rose than bubble gum, though."
"Why don't you deal with the shopping and I'll just stay home and take a nap," she suggested. He thought she was at least half serious.
"I would if I could, darling. But I will narrow down the possibilities so you only have to try on two or three," he promised. It wouldn't be that hard, after all; the baby bump would require something high waisted and loose, and she wouldn't want strapless with her increased bust size. He would make sure she got something comfortable and flattering, and he'd buy her some jewelry to go with it to give her a little extra confidence.
He wished she could accept how beautiful she was to him. That wouldn't change, even when she got so big she wouldn't be able to get off the couch without assistance. He bit his lip to stop from laughing at the image and switched feet.
The sensual noises she made as he rubbed away the soreness from her feet made his amusement heat into arousal. He eyed her closely; she'd eaten a large meal, followed by dessert, which had probably made her sleepy. On the other hand, she was definitely enjoying his foot massage and would likely welcome his attentions in other areas. There was a reason this particular activity often led to sex.
"You'd be more comfortable lying down," he suggested.
"Mm," she agreed.
"Then I could give you a back rub," he noted.
She hummed again, vaguely agreeable, then opened her eyes and looked at him for a moment. "Okay," she said. "Why not. It's not like I can get any more pregnant."
"Don't overwhelm me with your enthusiasm," he chuckled. "We can just go to sleep if you'd rather. Either way, you need to get off the couch. Come on." He stood and reached out his hands, pulling her to her feet. She swayed against him and kissed him hard, nipping at his lower lip when she felt him smile.
Slowly, he walked backwards to the bedroom, bringing her along with him. When they got there, he released her hands and unzipped her dress, then unhooked her bra, rubbing gently at the marks it left on her fair skin. She gazed at him through her lashes, then reached out to divest him of his jacket and go to work on his vest buttons. She stopped him when he started to loosen his tie, though.
"Leave that," she said, her mouth twitching into a lopsided smile that promised mischief. That always made his heart speed up, and he adjusted his expectations for the evening from languid lovemaking to playful passion.
"You have a thing for ties?" He was surprised he'd never spotted that. But then, this was the first tie she'd ever seen him in, other than his tuxedo bow tie.
She was thinking something very naughty, to judge by the color in her cheeks as she removed his vest. "Ooh, share," he urged.
"No, I don't want to distract you," she purred. "You're already way behind in getting undressed."
He obediently kicked off his shoes, then reluctantly pulled his hands from her heated, flushed skin to undo his belt and pants. He bent over to completely remove them, then found himself at eye level with her gently protruding stomach. His children were in there, he thought, safe and snug. He would keep them safe and happy for the rest of his life.
He couldn't resist kneeling and whispering his promise to them, then pressing kisses against her skin. Soon he would be able to kiss their little faces and marvel at their wise eyes and tiny fingers, picking out which features came from Lisbon and which were his. He couldn't wait to meet them. They were his future, the family he and Lisbon would nurture and protect.
His dreamy thoughts were abruptly cut short when Lisbon yanked on his tie, forcing him to stand or be strangled. "My turn."
A laugh broke free before he could catch it. "You finally have me on a leash. That's why you like the tie!"
She chuckled. "I'm going to revise the CBI dress code and make these mandatory."
"So now that you've brought me to heel," he grinned, "does that mean you'd like to see some of my tricks?"
She managed to keep a straight face, but only barely. "Well," she mused, "I've seen you shake hands. I have no desire to watch you play dead. And God knows I've heard you speak."
"Woof," he huffed into her face, then panted for good measure. She laughed as she unbuttoned his shirt, then lifted the tie up out of the collar so it remained when she pushed his shirt off. He was left in his tie and boxers, which made him feel a little ridiculous. But that had never stopped him before. "If we carry this analogy any further, I will be forced to use the phrase 'doggy style,' and it's all downhill from there."
That finally cracked her up. She let go of the tie and gave him a shove, and he obligingly toppled onto the bed. Grinning up at her, he said, "I could roll over, but I doubt you'd enjoy that."
"Okay, the dog references are starting to gross me out," she said. "Maybe I should use the tie as a gag."
"Oooh. In one of those moods, are we? You could also use it to tie my hands to the headboard," he suggested, knowing she'd do no such thing.
"Why would I deprive myself of your clever fingers?" She pulled off his boxers and her underwear, then climbed onto the bed and straddled him, picking up the end of the tie again and holding it like reins. "Hm. Got any horse innuendoes?"
"Hung like a?" he suggested, and she grinned. "There should also be one about a wild stallion who can't be broke, but I can't quite find it."
"Well, you're plenty frisky tonight," she said, wriggling delightfully against him. "Are you going to be like this after every doctor's appointment?"
"Yes," he said firmly, resting his hands on her hips to still her so he could think. "I am going to savor and celebrate every moment of this pregnancy, and then every moment of the birth. Even the one where you start screaming for someone to bring you a scalpel so you can castrate me."
"I'd never!" She looked offended.
"Yes, you will. Angela did." His heart stopped for a moment as he realized he'd broken his rule to never think about his first wife while making love to his second. He swallowed and tried to recover their lighthearted mood before her expression could melt from surprise to sympathy. "Of course, I'd just made an extremely ill-advised remark about her wishing she'd had the epidural after all, so I couldn't really blame her."
Lisbon looked amused, then mildly terrified. "She did it without drugs?"
Oh, how he wished he hadn't brought this up. Talk about a mood killer. "Don't worry, Teresa. I fully embrace your philosophy of better living through chemistry. You have a lot more work to do, after all."
She smiled. "I'm really glad it's twins. Now this is new to both of us."
He beamed at her, leaning up to meet her as she lowered her lips to his. When they parted, Lisbon smiled down at him, then turned thoughtful again. "But at the same time, I'm glad you have some experience with all this. You've been incredible, and I don't think I would have survived the first trimester without you."
"You did have a pretty tough time," he agreed. Finding out about the twins had been a relief; he'd begun to worry there was something really wrong. Angela hadn't suffered half as much.
She said, "I'd like to go put some flowers on their graves."
Jane felt like she'd punched him in the stomach. He could feel himself going limp, and he dropped his head back against the bed, closing his eyes. "If you didn't want to have sex, all you had to do was say so," he grumbled.
He heard Lisbon draw in a sharp breath and opened his eyes. Horrified realization was overtaking her expression. "Oh God, Patrick. I'm sorry. I was just thinking I was grateful for all you learned from them."
"No, it's fine," he said quickly, trying to head off the tears gathering in her eyes. "I'm glad you think about them sometimes. It's nice to know I'm not the only one." They would have many more nights ahead of them, he told himself firmly. Maybe she would be content with just snuggling.
But the look on her face was determined. She bent down to kiss him again, and he could feel her rigid nipples brush against his chest. Then she sat up again and untied the tie, gently sliding it out from around his neck and looking at it. "Silk?"
"Of course," he replied. He tried, but he couldn't read her intentions until she folded the tie once, then leaned forward to lay it over his eyes. He reached up to remove it, but she caught his hand, pushing it back down to the bed.
"Lie still," she instructed.
She was onto something, he decided as he shivered in anticipation. With his sight removed, his other senses were heightened, and he enjoyed her scent and the gentle rustle of the sheets as she moved off him. Then she began dropping kisses on his body, light, feathery touches with no discernible pattern. Every time she got close to his groin, he could feel his arousal grow, and he felt a wave of relief when he realized the celebration was back on.
He reached up and pulled the tie away from his eyes as she sank down onto him, because he loved to watch her expression when she took him inside her. It was still incredible to him that he had been granted this second chance, that he was allowed to touch, love, and make babies with this incredible woman who had put up with so much pain and trouble for his sake.
"There are no words to describe how much I love you," he whispered.
She had tossed her head back, eyes closed in ecstasy as she rode him, but at his words she looked down at him with her bright eyes. "You show me every day," she whispered back, panting a little. "And I don't say it enough, but I love you more than I ever thought possible."
Pleasure was rapidly overtaking his higher thought processes, but he reached up a hand to cup her cheek and stroke it tenderly. This was right, he thought. This was where he was meant to be. Everything that lay ahead would be manageable, because they would handle it together.