Author's Note: More wrapup, just hitting the highlights as our heroes adjust to their new life. Thanks so much for keeping the reviews coming and letting me know you are still reading! I can't believe I've been writing this story since October (and that I once thought it would be short!)! And darn it, the muse has already been whispering sequel storylines in my ear. She can't even wait for me to finish this one...

Chapter 59

Three weeks later, Lisbon was settled on the couch with her laptop, surrounded by paperwork and a few dirty dishes, when the door opened and her missing husband came in. He gave her a sheepish grin as he punched in the alarm code. "Sorry I'm so late."

She finished the sentence she was typing, saved, and set the laptop aside. "It would have been nice to know when to expect you," she said calmly.

"I thought you'd be working late, with the quarterly budget reports due this week," he replied, coming over to give her a kiss. "And I got distracted. You've eaten, I see."

"Just a snack. I couldn't decide what I wanted."

Jane sat down and pressed kisses to both sides of her belly, then picked up her plate and examined it. "Leftover lasagna. Interesting appetizer choice."

"Your kids were starving," she replied, going back to her paperwork.

"Well, we can't have that. What are you in the mood for? More lasagna?"

"There isn't any more." She glanced at him, but he knew better than to laugh. "So, how is Ben? I haven't seen him in weeks."

"Oh, very good, Teresa. What gave me away?"

She plucked a Cheerio out of his hair, then held it up and said in a deep, theatrical voice, "The curls reveal all."

Jane chuckled. "Ah, yes. Ben had to have a ride from his second favorite horsey."

"Second favorite?" She set the Cheerio down on the plate.

"Rigsby's taller," he replied, standing and beginning to clear the dishes. "After dinner, I'll grab a shower. There's no telling what else might be in my hair."

Lisbon couldn't help smiling. "You always come home covered in grime after playing with those Rigsby boys. What were you doing this time?"

"Wedding chores. He told me he needed me to watch Ben, but he really just wanted somebody who knows the difference between cream and ecru to pick out table linens. I also did most of the work on the menu options."

She grinned at him. "If you decide to give up crime fighting, you could become a wedding planner."

"Meh. I just figured since Grace and Rigsby put so much time and effort into our wedding, I should return the favor."

She felt a pang of guilt. He had a point, and she had done next to nothing for the wedding even though she was the matron of honor. "I haven't even bought my dress yet. Grace texted me a picture of hers before she left."

"Tomorrow's Saturday, which means we have the day off, at least in theory. We'll go shopping," he called as he carried the dishes to the kitchen.

She heard promising sounds involving the refrigerator and microwave, and then he rejoined her. Figuring he was about to distract her anyway, she put her laptop and paperwork back in her briefcase and relaxed, enjoying his closeness as he slid one arm around her shoulders and rested the other on her stomach.

"It got me to thinking what we would have done if we hadn't had to worry," he said, kissing her temple. "And what we could still do. You were serious about the church wedding, and I know you'd rather do it before the kids are born. If you'll wrangle the priest, I'll take care of the rest of it."

"Patrick, that's very sweet," she said after a moment. "But...as much as that would mean to me, I don't want to put you through a ceremony that won't mean anything to you."

"It will mean something to me," he protested. "It will mean making you happy."

She kissed him. "Thank you. But no. I don't want another list of chores for either of us. We had our wedding, and it was beautiful. I don't want another one."

He frowned a little, and she realized she had surprised him. "Are you sure? We could invite your brothers."

"They can come after the babies are born. I'm sure, Patrick. But there is something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Talk away, my dear."

She told herself firmly that there was no reason to be nervous. "I want to raise the kids in the church. And I don't want you to undermine that by mocking my beliefs in front of them."

He hummed a little to acknowledge he'd heard her, then lifted a hand to stroke her hair. After a while, he said, "I won't object to you taking them to church, having them baptized, that kind of thing. But you shouldn't expect me to participate beyond the christening."

"I don't," she said, but she couldn't help thinking he'd show up for any Christmas programs or other activities the kids were in.

"And this agreement in no way extends to sending them to a religious school," he added.

She hadn't even gotten that far in her thinking, but she had no doubt Jane would campaign for an expensive private school with a proven track record of sending graduates to Ivy League colleges. "Fine. We can negotiate that later. You'll come to the christening? Because I was thinking that would be the thing to invite my brothers to. Maybe one of them could be the godfather."

"Certainly. I assume there's a meal afterward? I'll handle that if you handle the church ceremony."

"Fair enough. Thank you." She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling enormous relief. Her faith was important to her, and she wanted to give her children that foundation as well.

"Of course," Jane murmured, "when they're old enough to ask me why I'd rather stay home and cook brunch on Sunday mornings, I'm not going to lie to them."

She sighed. She'd deal with that when it happened. "Fine. I'd like to keep the lying to a minimum in this family."

"Noted," he grinned. The microwave beeped to tell them it was finished, and he gave a little groan as he pulled away from her to go to the kitchen. Then he returned bearing a bowl of delicious smelling pasta.

"When did you make that?" she demanded, reaching for it eagerly. Jane's five cheese mac and cheese was one of the best things she'd ever tasted.

"Last weekend while you were at that management seminar. I froze it and hid it under the mixed vegetables," he chuckled as she started eating. "For emergencies."

She closed her eyes in bliss as she ate, and it took her a moment to realize he had settled back down beside her without anything for himself. "You aren't eating?"

"Oh, I already ate with Rigsby and Ben. Somehow all the menu tasting we did wasn't enough, so we went for hamburgers. If I'd known you weren't still at the office, I would have called you to join us."

"You could have texted me," she pointed out, but truthfully, she was content with the way her evening had turned out.

"I could have," he agreed. "But at that point Ben was cranky, Rigsby was annoyed, and I was tired. We all cheered up after we had a chocolate malt in us, but at the time I thought I was sparing you."

"Mm hm," she replied, only half convinced but far more interested in her dinner than in arguing.

"Hand me your phone so I can see Grace's dress," he said. "Did she happen to mention the designer's name? If you let me borrow your laptop, I can start the dress research."

She handed him her phone and gestured to her briefcase while she chewed. After swallowing, she said, "I think we're down to strictly off the rack with this timeframe."

Jane scrolled through her texts, pausing with a little grunt. "Cho told you about my encounter with Mrs. Farley?"

"Stop snooping," Lisbon chided, elbowing him. "He didn't want me to hear it from the AG. Which I appreciated. What you don't seem to understand is that it's much easier for me to defend your indefensible behavior when I have some advance warning."

"Meh," Jane said. He found the picture he was looking for and made an approving sound. "One shoulder, loose and flowing. Nice."

"It's a freaking toga," Lisbon said. "I'll look like a hippo that escaped from a fraternity party."

"Now, my dear, give me some credit. You will look like a hippo that escaped from a Park Avenue soirée."

She elbowed him again, harder this time. "What happened to 'You're carrying our future, what could be more beautiful?' Now is not the time to start with the fat jokes."

"You were being so ridiculous I thought you were joking," he replied. "And I've come to the realization that your complaints about your changing figure aren't about vanity but about not being able to tackle suspects or outrun anyone. In short, you're having an identity crisis, exacerbated by the fact that your new job makes you feel more like a bureaucrat than a cop. So instead of placating you with jewelry, I'm thinking of buying you a maternity holster."

She wondered why she hadn't thought of that, but Jane wasn't finished.

"And while Grace may look like Aphrodite on her wedding day, you, my darling, will be Pallas Athena, goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, law, and justice, as well as several other lesser attributes."

Lisbon leaned over to give him a cheesy kiss. "You think you're pretty smooth, don't you?"

"No, I'm aware you only keep me around for my cooking," he teased, reaching across her for the briefcase and extracting the laptop.

"And the prospect of diaper changing and midnight feedings for twins," she added.

"Of course." Jane was already engrossed in his search for dress shops, so she let the conversation lapse and focused on finishing her dinner.

mmm

The next morning, Jane answered an emergency call from Rigsby, who had to go deal with more wedding business and whose babysitter had called in sick. So they walked into the dress store five minutes late with Jane carrying Ben on his shoulders, but for once, Lisbon didn't care about being late. Ben was an excellent distraction, and since she hated dress shopping, she was glad to be distracted. Especially when she realized she was standing in the fanciest boutique she'd ever set foot in.

Ben and Jane always seemed to have fun together, which was no surprise considering how good Jane was with kids. She remembered being surprised by how he could interact so easily with them when they must bring back memories of what he'd lost. As she grew to know him better, she started to detect the wistfulness that came over him after any encounter with young children, and it made her heart ache for him.

The wistfulness was gone now. Jane was anticipating fatherhood instead of mourning its loss, and watching his joy express itself in playing with a toddler made her grateful to be building a family with him. She was sure he would never stop mourning Charlotte, just like he would never stop missing Angela. But now he was focused on the future and determined to treasure every moment, which didn't leave a lot of time for regrets.

The sales staff immediately clustered around them, drawn to Jane and Ben like bees to a flower. "What a lovely family you have," one of them said to her.

"Oh, no, Ben isn't ours. We're babysitting," she corrected.

The woman smiled. "Practicing? Such a good idea. When are you due?"

"January 25," Lisbon replied.

Jane said, "But we've been told twins often come early. I'm hoping for New Year's babies, myself."

Lisbon suddenly realized how well Jane fit among these fashion divas. He'd been making changes to his wardrobe since their marriage, but she hadn't realized until now that he looked like a wealthy man.

The woman who'd spoken to her smiled at her again. "I'm Yvonne, and I'll be helping you today. I understand you're in a wedding?"

"Yes, a small, quiet one. I'm the only bridesmaid, and she wants me to wear pink. I have a picture of her gown." Lisbon held up her phone.

"Oh, that's lovely. And easy to work with. When's the wedding?"

"Three weeks," Lisbon grimaced.

"We'll have to rush the alterations, but that won't be a problem," Yvonne assured her.

Except to my checkbook, Lisbon thought sourly. But it was her own fault for putting this off. And she didn't stress about money as much these days, even with twins on the way, since Jane always seemed to be able to come up with money when he wanted.

Jane was watching Ben charm the other two salespeople, but he said, "To answer your next question, there's no cap on the budget. And don't show her the prices; the doctor says she should avoid stress."

"Patrick," she warned under her breath.

Yvonne beamed at him. "Don't worry. I have just the thing in mind. If you two gentlemen will take a seat on the sofa, we'll be out to show off for you in a few minutes."

mmm

Jane spent the next ten minutes showing Ben coin tricks, something the boy never seemed to tire of. "Now remember," he said in a hushed voice, "when Auntie Teresa comes out, we're going to clap and tell her how beautiful she is. Got it?"

"Got it!" Ben repeated loudly.

Lisbon emerged from the dressing room with obvious reluctance, tugging at the tea-length one shoulder dress awkwardly. But she smiled as Jane and Ben clapped, and Ben yelled, "Boooootiful!"

"I like the color," Jane said encouragingly. It was a dusty rose, which looked terrific against her dark hair. "But you don't seem comfortable."

"I'm not," Lisbon replied. "But this is the one that looks the most like Grace's dress."

He shook his head. "We're not buying you something uncomfortable. Let's see what else they've got."

"Does it matter?" she asked, looking unhappy. "I'm just supposed to make Grace look good. Which isn't hard."

"But I want to dance with you, since we didn't dance at our wedding," Jane replied. "And you won't want to if you feel uncomfortable."

She sighed. "Okay. I'll try some others on."

She went back to the dressing room, and this time they had a long wait. When the door opened, it was Yvonne who came out, looking apologetic. "I'm afraid she's having a difficult time. Her body isn't what she's used to, and she doesn't think she looks good in anything."

"I'll talk to her," Jane said, standing. He'd half expected this, since Lisbon was way out of her comfort zone.

"I'll keep this charming young gentleman company," Yvonne offered, smiling at Ben.

"Thank you." Jane started for the dressing room, then stopped, seized by a sudden panic. What if Yvonne was a psychopath? Or a Red John disciple? He had no reason to trust her with Ben. Would they still be here when he came back? He turned around. "You know, Benny, I think Auntie Teresa needs a hug. Want to come give her one?"

"Yeah!" Ben ran to him with a wide grin.

Jane took his hand and led him to the dressing room, trying to calm down. If he couldn't leave Ben with a nice sales lady for two minutes, how was he ever going to drop his twins off at daycare? Or leave them in the hands of a nanny? No matter how careful they were, they couldn't eliminate all risk. Maybe he needed to stay home after all. He could get his intellectual stimulation looking over case files—phoning it in, as it were.

He knocked on the dressing room door, and a moment later Lisbon opened it. Ben threw his arms around her legs, but Jane paused, taken aback at her tears. "It isn't that bad," he said, glancing at the strapless floor length gown she was wearing.

She shook her head, laying a hand on her stomach as she stepped back so he and Ben could come in. "I felt a kick," she choked out.

Jane grinned. "That's great!" He couldn't wait until they were strong enough for him to feel too. He was mystified that Lisbon wasn't jumping up and down in excitement. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She took a deep breath, and he handed her his handkerchief, then turned to pick up Ben, who had climbed onto a nearby chair and was reaching for the dress hanging on the hook beside it. When he had the boy settled, he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Ben followed his example, placing a slobbery kiss on her other cheek. She managed a watery smile for both of them. "I'm okay," she insisted. "I just...this is really happening. There are little people inside me."

Jane smiled back, relieved. "Yes, there are. Two beautiful, clever, strong, and no doubt stubborn people, who will probably arrive at the least convenient time because they have their father's knack for annoying their mother." Ben began to squirm, and Jane turned so Ben could see himself in the mirror, making a funny face to get him started. Ben shrieked with laughter, then began making faces of his own and laughing at himself. That should keep him entertained long enough to comfort Lisbon, Jane thought, setting the boy on the floor so he could get up close and personal with his reflection.

"I hate being all weepy like this," she grumbled, wiping at her eyes.

"You'll be back to yourself in no time," he promised, drawing her into his arms. He was actually worried the hormonal shifts after the birth would be worse, but it would do no good to tell her that.

She leaned against him, burying her face in his neck, and he closed his eyes to better savor the feel of her. Her body was changing so fast, and he wanted to enshrine every day of it in its own room of the memory palace.

Ben let out a whoop, followed by a thump. Jane whirled around in time to scoop him up before he could tear the dress he was trying to climb. "I forgot how much work toddlers can be," he admitted, tickling Ben to distract him from his outrage at being interrupted.

"And we'll have two of them," she reminded him.

"But we get to work up to the toddler phase," he replied. "Let's get this over with, shall we? I know you have issues with dresses, but you could show up in a garbage bag and be gorgeous. So let Yvonne draw out your girly side."

She sighed. "Fine."

mmm

Monday came all too soon. Lisbon hadn't finished her paperwork, but at least she had bought a dress, and Grace had texted her a picture of the Grecian style sandals she'd found and offered to get a pair for Lisbon as well. So the most urgent parts of her wedding chores were done. Jane assured her he had the rest of it covered, down to buying the wedding gift, and that she wasn't to worry about anything. Her job, he said, was all the stress she needed; he would handle their personal life.

She felt a little guilty about it, but he pointed out that she had put the lion's share of the work into their partnership for years, so it was his turn. While she secretly agreed with that, she suspected he was really just trying to protect his family. Carrying around twins while working a more than full time job was tiring enough that she decided to let him.

All his efforts to keep her from getting stressed were undone, though, when she received a call from the director's office requesting her presence at ten o'clock. There had been rumors lately that a new director was imminent, but she had no idea which, if any, of the rumored candidates had been chosen. It looked like she was about to find out.

What if the new director decided to reassign Jane? Her stomach churned just thinking about it.

"Now, Lisbon," Jane said from the doorway, "there's no need to leap to the worst conclusion. I'm sure the new director just wants to congratulate us on taking down California's most infamous serial killer and surviving to live happily ever after."

She stared at him. "How did you—"

"I've been invited to your meeting." He came in and took a seat. "But no need to fret. If I were going to be reassigned, Cho would have been invited as well. Besides, I'm seriously thinking about resigning, or at least moving to a more limited work schedule, once the kids are born."

She ignored the last part; she didn't believe he was serious about staying home. "If we're both invited, it means they're going to do something about us working together," she argued.

"Maybe. Or maybe they're just going to let us know they're fine with the arrangement we had with Bertram. Don't underestimate our leverage here, Teresa. We took down Red John. We cleaned house at CBI and flushed out moles in the FBI. Despite some of the press coverage, that is a good thing."

"I'm aware of that," she said. "Jane, you can't hover in here for the next hour and a half. Go be productive. I'm sure Cho has something for you to do."

To her surprise, he got to his feet with a smile. "Yes, I am indispensable, as you know. I'll be back at quarter to ten. We can walk over together, and you can lecture me about proper behavior and first impressions."

"Even though it's a waste of breath," she muttered. "I still shudder when I remember your first encounter with Bertram."

"That was merely a display of my uncanny instincts. He was a Red John disciple. My subconscious must have recognized that in him, even though it took my conscious mind longer."

Lisbon bit back a laugh. "You are so full of it."

"You'd better hope not. I for one was relieved to be invited to this meeting, since that saves me the trouble of crashing it to make sure you weren't sitting down with another disciple." He gave her his cheekiest grin as he left.

Lisbon dove into her work, deliberately not thinking about the meeting to the best of her ability, and managed to get several things done before Jane's return. With a sigh, she logged off her computer and got to her feet. "I haven't heard anything about who the new director is," she said. "Have you?"

"No, and not for lack of trying," he answered. "It's the biggest mystery in the CBI today. All I can tell you is that there's a big announcement scheduled for one o'clock."

"I already knew that," she said as they waited for the elevator. Soon they were leaving the building to begin their walk to the Capitol building. It was a beautiful day, Lisbon thought. It was nice to have an excuse to get outside. She missed being outdoors, even though it had usually involved a dead body.

"We should go for a midday constitutional more often," Jane remarked. "Fresh air, vitamin D. Good for all four of us."

She smiled, liking the sound of that. Jane's words painted the picture of family outings, walks with one of those massive twin strollers he kept pointing out in catalogs, maybe picnics once the kids were old enough to crawl around on a blanket. It was all happening, the family she had dreamed of when she was little, before her mom's death brought reality crashing in. It was exhilarating and terrifying.

But the price for their happiness might be the working partnership they'd both treasured for so long. She wasn't convinced that the new director would be as understanding as Jane claimed.

"Stop fretting," he admonished, reaching for her hand. "Think of something pleasant. Like names. I'm thinking Sebastian and Viola if they're a boy and girl."

She wrinkled her nose. "No. Where did you get that?"

"Shakespeare, of course. Twelfth Night." He grinned. "You still want Victoria for a girl, don't you?"

"After my grandmother, yes. Isn't there anybody in your family you want to honor?" She hadn't dared ask before; there was still so much she didn't know about his past.

He sucked in his lower lip for a moment. "I already did that. And I don't want to reuse either of Charlotte's names."

She nodded. "Okay. What about boy names?"

"Well, if you're settled on Victoria, we could be alliterative and go with Virgil."

"Middle name, maybe," she said. She just couldn't imagine yelling "Virgil" at a golden haired cherub trying to steal cookies out of the jar. Of course, there was no guarantee she wouldn't default to "Jane" if she was really annoyed, just out of sheer habit. "Timothy?"

"Hm," was Jane's response. "Laertes?"

"Oh, be serious," she chuckled, elbowing him. "Douglas?"

"Iago."

"David."

"Claudio."

"Michael."

"Benedick."

She decided to play along. "Zechariah."

"Horatio."

"Ezekiel."

"Lysander."

"Joseph."

Jane frowned. "Joey Jane? Why do you hate our son?"

"Joey Lisbon sounds fine."

Jane stopped walking, heedless of the people climbing the Capitol steps behind them. "We agreed the kids would have my last name."

She grinned at his worried expression. "Yes, we did. I'm just messing with you."

"I see pregnancy hasn't blunted your rapier wit," Jane said, resuming the climb. "Although you do realize you'll need to curb your propensity for violence in front of the kids. We don't want them resolving interpersonal differences with a mean right hook."

She was about to protest, but they were approaching the elevator, and she vividly remembered punching him in the stomach there because he'd made Bertram believe she was pregnant. It seemed like a lifetime ago. And now they were going to deal with a new director with an unknown agenda.

"Stop worrying," Jane murmured in her ear, mindful of the two other people in the elevator. "We will find a way to deal with our new boss."

When they reached the director's office, the assistant waved them right in. Jane squeezed her hand and then let go, knowing she'd want to be as professional as possible.

They both paused in shock one step into the room, staring at the woman behind the desk. She looked up, smiled, and said, "Teresa, Patrick, come in."

Jane recovered first, stepping forward with a broad smile. "Madeleine! Congratulations. How did they convince you to take this on?"

Hightower chuckled as they sat down. "It took some doing. But it was pointed out that I was the one person qualified for the job who definitely isn't connected to Red John. And until the FBI tracks down all his followers, that is critical. Congratulations to the both of you as well. When are you due?"

"January 25," Lisbon replied. "I'm hoping to work up until the last minute."

"It's twins," Jane added, "so she may change her mind in that last month."

Hightower smiled. "We'll play that by ear."

"And I want to go back to my old job when I come back from leave," Lisbon declared.

Hightower looked surprised. "I'm sorry to hear that, Teresa. Your old job has been filled, as you know, and Agent Cho has done an exemplary job." Hightower hunted briefly for a file on her desk and opened it. "The case solution rate has remained high, and the complaints, while still higher than ideal, have gone down."

Jane said, "Oh please. We all know it's not fair to blame Lisbon or credit Cho for complaints being up or down. That's all me. And Lisbon shouldn't be penalized because Cho benefits from my change in priorities."

Hightower leaned back in her chair. "I suppose that's true. What I want to know is whether this good behavior will last. I assume you are trying not to cause Lisbon undue stress right now, but what about after the babies are born and you aren't worried about her health?"

"Actually, I'm thinking of moving to an as-needed basis so I can spend as much time as possible with our children," Jane said.

Lisbon shot him a look. "You're serious about that?" Because he'd better be if he was telling Hightower.

"Of course." He looked surprised that she was asking. "We don't know who's still out there and whether they might try to carry out Haffner's plan. Whom can we trust with our children?"

Lisbon felt a moment's panic as she realized he was right. Unless they could find someone they could be absolutely sure was not involved with Red John and was also incorruptible, they couldn't entrust the kids to anyone.

Hightower said, "That would solve most of our problems, but in the meanwhile, we still have one. Lisbon shouldn't be supervising her husband."

Jane said, "Which is why I reported directly to Bertram. I have no problem reporting to you, as long as it's made clear that Lisbon isn't to be held responsible for my behavior."

"And that leaves me with a problem," Hightower said, clasping her hands together and leaning on her forearms. "If you aren't planning to stay and aren't worried about the effects of your bad behavior on someone you care about, what's your incentive to stay out of trouble?"

Lisbon had to admit she sympathized with Hightower's perspective. As much as she'd hated Hightower's tactic of threatening her to keep Jane in line, she'd acknowledged what a dilemma trying to manage him was. She was the planetary expert on that subject, after all.

Jane said, "I'm less personally invested than I was, so I'm less likely to cause trouble, as you put it."

"Apathy isn't what we traditionally look for in our employees, but in your case that might be a good thing," Hightower mused.

"Also, Cho and Rigsby risked their lives to help us escape. I consider that I owe them," Jane said. "Which is why I have tried to avoid causing trouble for them. That will continue."

Hightower sighed. Then she said, "All right, then. We'll see what happens. Good to see you, Patrick. And please don't make me regret taking this job. Lisbon, stay a moment, please."

Jane visibly hesitated, but he had no reason to distrust Hightower, so he left. After he closed the door, Hightower asked, "Do you think he'll stick to that?"

"Yes," Lisbon replied. "He really does feel that he owes Cho and Rigsby. And he's more aware of how his behavior affects me these days."

"I would hope so." Hightower frowned. "There have been a lot of changes since we last saw each other. When I heard you and Jane had gotten married, I thought it had to be a con."

Lisbon smiled, though she hated having to justify her choices. "No. Red John dictated the timing, but we made the choice. And we are happy together."

"Good." Hightower smiled. "You both deserve it. Now then. This business of you not wanting to stay on as head of Major Crimes. You're doing a great job of it. Closure rates are up across the board. What don't you like about it?"

Lisbon pursed her lips. "I miss being out in the field. The action, the satisfaction of solving a mystery."

"And you can still have some of that," Hightower pointed out. "I understand why you haven't wanted to step on Cho's turf, but you're free to go into the field with your other teams once in a while. Get a feel for how they work."

"Jane would have a fit if I went into the field right now," Lisbon replied. "Besides, where would I find the time?"

Hightower smiled. "The administrative stuff will get better. You'll get through it faster as you get used to it. And you can get to know your other teams in the field once you're back from maternity leave. I'm saying this to you as a friend and as a mother, Teresa. I know it's a hard transition from field agent to management. But it will give you a more stable family life. And frankly, the CBI needs you where you are. We have plenty of field agents. What we need are leaders who can inspire them. And who better than the woman in charge of the team who hunted Red John for a decade and brought him down at huge personal risk?"

"I can inspire them from the field," Lisbon pointed out, but she had the creeping suspicion Hightower was right.

"But from my perspective, we need to show all those dedicated and hardworking agents that diligence is rewarded."

Lisbon sighed. "So I have to keep this promotion for the greater good?"

"Whatever works," Hightower said.

Lisbon knew she was fighting a losing battle. She was under no illusions as to what Jane wanted, even if he was waiting until after the babies were born to argue with her. And if he and Hightower were on the same page, what hope did she have?

Besides, they were probably right. She didn't want to miss seeing her children grow up, and if Jane wasn't sharing the same building anymore, she'd hardly see him either. She wanted to fully be there for her family. Maybe chasing toddlers around would make up for the lack of suspects to tackle.

"Trust me," Hightower said. "Raising kids is enough excitement. And yours are half Patrick Jane. I don't think you need to worry about a lack of adrenaline in your life."

Lisbon had to admit that was true. But she wasn't willing to give in just yet. "I'll think about it."

"Good. Now, I know we both have a lot to do. I'm very happy for you, Teresa." Hightower smiled at her.

Lisbon got up, then paused. "Can I ask why all the secrecy?"

Hightower nodded. "I wanted to talk to the two of you before committing, find out what I was letting myself in for. In case there was some scam going on."

Lisbon couldn't blame her. "No scams."

"I can see that. I always knew if there was anyone who could make Jane straighten up, it was you."

Lisbon thought that was overly optimistic, but she smiled as she left. Jane was waiting for her, his expression relaxing as he looked her over. Really, what had he thought was happening in there? "Let's go. I have a meeting in ten minutes."

He settled his hand on her lower back as they went to the elevator. "Good to see Madeleine again. And I'm relieved to know you're in safe hands after I go."

"I can look out for myself, you know," she reminded him.

He snuck a kiss. "I know. But I'm glad you won't have to."

Author's Note: Okay, so I'm assuming Hightower got cleared of all charges, and used her political pull to get a pardon for the whole evading arrest thing. I just couldn't quite find a way to work it into their conversation! I wish they'd let us know what happened to her on the show. I really liked her!