Author's Note: Special thanks go to Meganp for Shylock (how could I have forgotten that one?) and to the Guest who suggested the car, saving me time spent on research and leaving me more time to write. And, of course, to all of you who took the time to review! Your consistent generosity and thoughtful parsing of this story are a continuous delight to me, and I'd be embarrassed to admit how often I re-read your reviews!

Chapter 61

As a matter of practicality, Lisbon decided their beach weekend would be over Thanksgiving, and Jane extracted a promise from Cho that nothing short of a cabal of super villains attacking Sacramento would make anyone at CBI call Lisbon while they were gone. Rather than waste most of a day driving down to where it was warm enough to get in the water, they decided to go just north of San Francisco, since Lisbon wasn't interested in wearing a bathing suit and Jane wasn't interested in solo swimming.

"Remember last Thanksgiving?" he asked as he drove toward the coast.

"Yes. We solved two murders in four days," Lisbon said with satisfaction.

Jane chuckled. "I was actually referring to the fact that between the two of us, we ate an entire pumpkin pie for breakfast. And then found a better use for the rest of my homemade whipped cream."

"Technically, that was the week after Thanksgiving," she pointed out, smiling at the memory. "When we finally had some time off and you cooked enough food to feed the entire CBI." She frowned. "I know I said we could skip Thanksgiving dinner this year, but I will really miss that potato and cheese thing you made last time. Oh, and the oyster stuffing!"

Jane couldn't help a spurt of pride that something he'd cooked had made such an impression. Lately he'd been catering to her cravings and making things she would eat even when she was exhausted, so he hadn't had the chance to make an elaborate meal. "You don't think I would take you somewhere and not feed you properly, do you?"

"No, but it's Thanksgiving. There won't be much open."

Jane let his grin take over his face. "Which is why I rented a house and paid the caretaker to stock the kitchen with everything I need to make you a Thanksgiving feast."

Lisbon's jaw dropped, which amused him. Had she really thought he would settle for anything less than perfection on the closest they would ever get to a honeymoon? "Jane! How much did that cost? We still need so much baby stuff, even after the shower. I can't believe you!"

"Eating in will be cheaper than going to restaurants the entire time. And it's not a big house. More of a cabin, really. But with a big deck right on the ocean," he said with relish. He was really looking forward to this. "And I used some of the money I got from selling the house. Haffner owes us a vacation, don't you think?"

She grumbled under her breath, but he knew she would come around by the time they reached their destination. He decided to change the subject. "I still can't believe Virgil and May dragged that twin stroller with them instead of having it shipped."

That brought Lisbon's smile back. "I can't believe they wrapped it! That must have taken an entire roll of wrapping paper. But I wish they hadn't spent so much. He's retired."

"Oh, let them splurge. These are their only grandchildren, after all. And we'll make sure they get all the benefits of grandparenthood." Minelli was on the very short list of people Jane was willing to consider leaving the twins with; he wanted them to have the experience of a doting grandpa. And Minelli would be. He could have sworn he saw tears in the man's eyes when he'd first seen on Lisbon's swallowed-a-beachball stomach.

Lisbon's smile dissolved into a yawn, so Jane suggested, "Why don't you take a nap? We have about an hour and a half to go."

"It's only ten in the morning," she replied.

"So? I won't report you to the nap police. You're sleeping for three." And working enough for at least two, he added mentally. He planned to plant a suggestion in her doctor's head to recommend cutting back her hours at the next appointment if she didn't come up with the idea herself.

Lisbon reached for his hand, and he threaded his fingers through hers, stroking her palm with his thumb. She was asleep before they'd gone another mile.

mmm

When Lisbon woke, she was groggy and hungry. But then, that was not unusual these days. Blinking and shifting in her seat in a vain attempt to get comfortable, she realized they had stopped. Jane was unfastening his seatbelt, and when he noticed she was awake, he smiled.

"Take your time, sweetheart," he said. "I'll carry our bags in." He opened his door and got out, and a moment later she heard the trunk open.

Yawning, she undid her own seatbelt and opened her door, smiling as she breathed in the salty tang of the sea. She could hear waves crashing on rocks nearby, somewhere beyond the pine trees that surrounded the house. Jane hadn't been lying when he said it was small, but it was charming, made of weathered wood with large windows facing the driveway.

After levering herself out of the car, she followed Jane inside and was delighted to find cozy, unpretentious furniture with warm-looking throws and large, plush pillows in the living room. Jane was heading for the bedroom, so she trailed along, gasping a little at the huge four poster bed that dominated the room. She'd need a ladder to climb into that thing, she thought in dismay.

Jane grinned. "Don't worry," he said, indicating the small step at the side of the bed.

"Oh, that's going to be convenient when I get up to use the bathroom four times a night," she remarked.

"There's always the trundle bed," Jane replied, not quite stifling a snicker. "Why don't you check out the couch while I heat up some soup for lunch and get the turkey started?"

"I can help with dinner. I can at least peel potatoes," she pointed out.

"I'd enjoy the company," he smiled, giving her a kiss.

They had a quick meal of tomato basil soup and grilled cheese, then got started on the massive project that Jane considered a proper Thanksgiving meal. Fortunately the caretaker had found a reasonably small turkey and thawed it, so they wouldn't have to wait until midnight to eat.

It was nice to work together again, even if it was cooking rather than catching crooks, she thought as they chopped, stirred, and measured. She missed having him around, even though he checked in with her several times a day when he wasn't in the field. And their home life mostly consisted of her working late, eating something so he wouldn't fuss, and falling into bed for several hours of exhausted slumber. No wonder he wanted some time away, she thought guiltily.

"Hey, we're on vacation. No thinking about problems," Jane chided.

"I was just thinking that we don't have much time together anymore," she said. "This is nice."

With false modesty, he said, "I do occasionally have good ideas."

She chuckled. "Like that stunt in the candy shop last week? I read Cho's reports, you know. He must have wanted to strangle you."

"Fortunately for me, Cho is a man in complete control of his temper. He is also, unlike our previous team leader, impervious to embarrassment."

She elbowed him playfully. He pretended to be hurt, then said, "No talking about work while we're on vacation. Surely a happily married couple with twins on the way have better things to talk about."

They did spend a lot of their rare time together talking about work, she reflected, especially now that they were done with the childbirth class. God, she was a terrible wife.

"Stop that," Jane said, setting down the bowl in which he was whisking eggs and taking her shoulders to turn her toward him. "That was not meant as a complaint. Our work is important, and it's natural that we devote a lot of time to it. It's also the biggest thing we have in common, besides the kids. I just think we should use this time to focus on our family."

"You're right. We should. I'm at 32 weeks, so we might not have much more time alone together. And we can't continue to call our son 'the boy'."

He smiled. "Then let's resolve we won't leave here until we've picked out at least his first name."

"Huh uh. You'll just use that as an excuse to keep us here until Christmas," she retorted, but she was smiling.

"No, I won't. The hospital nearest here is too small, with no NICU. I plan to have you safely back in Sacramento on Monday." He kissed her, then went back to work.

She was touched that he'd gone so far as to research the nearest hospital when he'd picked this place, but she knew she shouldn't be surprised. Jane made it clear that their family was his first priority, and she was sure neither she nor the kids would ever so much as stub a toe if he could help it. And though she often pushed back against his attempts to coddle her, as her pregnancy progressed she was grateful for his attentiveness. He always seemed to know when she was overtired or achy, and he weathered her sometimes startling emotional swings with his usual calm. There was a lot to be said for marrying a mentalist, she thought, especially one who'd known her so long. She hoped he felt even half as lucky as she did.

"We have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving," she mused.

"Yes, we do," he replied. "And we'll have still more next year. And every year after that."

She smiled, picturing the Thanksgivings to come, with her supervising the children crawling, then walking, then running around while Jane prepared ridiculously huge meals. Then they would all collapse in a food coma, snuggled together on the couch and taking turns tickling each other to stay awake until it was time for bed. Or maybe Jane would do magic tricks to entertain the twins or tell outrageous stories.

As the years passed, the twins would grow into teenagers complaining about having to leave their cell phones in another room for the meal and rolling their eyes at their parents. Then there would be Thanksgivings that were joyful reunions when the twins came home from college, and someday one or both of them might be brave enough to bring home someone they were dating. She and Jane would be terrific at intimidating dates, having had years of practice on suspects, so she was sure the twins would learn to bring home only the ones they were serious about. Then one day, maybe, they would spend the holiday with a son- or daughter-in-law. And maybe someday after that, there would be grandchildren to pull the wishbone with.

Jane was right. She was carrying their future.

"Hey," Jane said, giving her a playful shoulder bump. "Where were you?"

She was embarrassed to realize she was tearing up and blinked furiously, hoping he hadn't noticed. "Our future."

He chuckled. "When we're sleep deprived and all our clothes have baby food stains on them, or when we're old and grey with grandchildren playing at our feet?"

"All of it." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

He kissed her and grinned. "It's going to be an amazing ride."

mmm

That evening, when the house smelled like the pumpkin pies cooling on the rack and their stomachs were too full to contemplate dessert as more than an abstract idea, Jane looked up from putting away leftovers to discover that Lisbon had gone out to the deck. It was cold out there, since the sun had gone down hours ago. He hurried to finish what he was doing and grabbed a blanket off the couch on his way to the sliding door.

Lisbon was near the railing, seeming transfixed by the moonlight on the waves. The moon was down to a mere sliver, but the night was clear and crisp. Jane slipped the blanket around her shoulders, then took a moment to admire it himself.

"Let's sit out here for a while," she suggested.

That was all very well for the constantly overheated pregnant woman, but he would need fortification to keep from freezing. "I'll make some tea," he said, heading back into the house.

A few minutes later, they were snuggled on the comfy two-person lounge chair on the deck, wrapped in two layers of blanket and sipping steaming jasmine green tea. After Lisbon finished hers, she laid her head against his shoulder and tucked her hand inside his waistband, drowsy with contentment. He quieted the parts of his body that became hopeful; she had rarely felt like having sex since she'd entered her third trimester, and he was betting she'd fall asleep before they had time for anything anyway. He missed making love with her fiercely, but he wasn't going to make a fuss about what was, after all, a temporary deprivation. And once she'd had a couple relaxing days and nights of adequate sleep, he anticipated a break in the drought, so to speak.

"William," she suggested sleepily.

He swallowed down his urge to suggest Shylock or Falstaff. He had to start taking this seriously, or Lisbon would explode in frustration and anxiety. And he'd finally gotten her relaxed, so he couldn't have that. "We could call him Liam," he offered neutrally.

He felt her smile against his neck. "Sure. Your turn."

"Nicholas?" That was a nice, traditional name, he thought. Their kids could be Vicky and Nicky.

"Hm. Maybe." He could feel her reluctance to reject any reasonable suggestion he was willing to offer at this point. "Hayden?"

"Too newfangled," he said. "I have to confess, I do actually like Sebastian. It's a little uncommon, perhaps, but a one-syllable last name practically demands a polysyllabic first name."

"Okay. We'll leave that on the table. I like Daniel."

He grimaced, debating whether to explain his objections. Lisbon lifted her head to look at him, blinking away her drowsiness and frowning. "What?" she asked softly.

There was no easy way to say this, so he decided to just come out with it. "That was what Angela wanted, if Charlotte had been a boy. She wanted to be surprised, so we had to pick a boy's name too. Daniel Ian, after her grandfather. That's who her brother Danny was named after."

"Oh." Lisbon tucked her face back into his neck, pressing a kiss there. It soothed his aching heart, though no balm would ever completely numb the pain. Nor would he want it to. He felt her inhale, and then she said, "Okay. Daniel and Ian are off the table."

"Thank you." For him, those names would forever belong to the son he'd imagined having with Angela. There truly were some things that could not be fixed. He let out a sigh and searched his mind for another suggestion he could offer. "Christopher?"

She hummed a little. "My college roommate's alcoholic jerk boyfriend was named Chris."

"Hit on you, did he? Well, we don't want to burden our son with a name that has bad associations for either of us."

"Considering the number of men we've arrested over the years, that could be a real challenge," Lisbon pointed out. "Stephen?"

"On the table," he agreed. "Michael?"

"I like that." She tensed a little in his arms, then said, "I want one of the names to be something Irish. To honor his heritage."

He knew where she was heading, so he tried to divert her. "Aidan? Diarmid? Niall?"

"Patrick."

"Yes, dear?"

"As his middle name," she clarified.

"I thought you didn't want to name him after anyone."

She shifted uncomfortably. "I...I meant there's nobody in my family I would name him for. But Victoria has a family name, so he should have one too. And you're his father. And...and you're the man I most want him to be like."

The laugh escaped him before he could stop it. "You want our son to be a con man, liar, and gambler?"

"I want him to pay attention to the people in his life. To be generous. To persevere and survive whatever life throws at him." Her voice thickened. "To be kind to those in need and devoted to righting injustice. To love with his whole heart, forever."

He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes against the rush of emotion her words caused. He'd always known she saw things in him that he didn't, but he'd never known exactly what until now. And though he had to admit those things were part of him, they weren't how he thought of himself. The man she was describing wasn't the one his father had raised.

She was describing the man she had made of him.

Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to pass along his name. It would remind him of what else he needed to pass to his son: the attributes Lisbon loved in him.

"If you have your heart set on it," he murmured into her hair, "then that's what we'll do."

She relaxed against him, then slid an arm around his waist and squeezed. "Thank you. And that helps us narrow it down, because the first name has to go with Patrick."

"Michael would work. Or Stephen or William," he mused. "Or if you want to go Irish all the way, Liam Patrick Jane has a nice ring to it. It also has the advantage that people won't shorten it to a one-syllable nickname."

"There's no way to predict the nickname," she said, sounding amused. "If he gets your hair, he'll probably be called Goldilocks."

She reached up a hand to ruffle his hair, and he retaliated by kissing her senseless. When she had completely melted against him, he pulled back to murmur, "Let's move this to our nice warm bed, shall we? I'm losing the feeling in my extremities."

Lisbon grinned at him and slid her hand down to his groin. "Not all of them. But let's see if we can get you all warmed up, poor baby."

He kissed her again, turning his mind to the problem of how to get them to their feet without undoing the warm cocoon of blankets. Things were looking up, he thought. In more ways than one.

mmm

Sunday came all too soon, and they went back to their normal lives refreshed and with a renewed appreciation for each other. Lisbon made an effort to cut back on her hours, delegating more as she prepared for her maternity leave. The first time she got home at five-fifteen, she caught Jane with a pile of shopping bags before he could hide them. That was her first inkling of the Christmas he had planned.

"But don't you remember?" he said with his best innocent look, the one that always made her wonder if she was going to have to post bail for him in the immediate future. "You said last year that this year we could go all out. Cho is going with me to pick up our tree tomorrow night."

"Oh? What did he do? You must be blackmailing him." She eyed him suspiciously.

"Nonsense. Under that impassive facade is a man who loves Christmas with all the childlike glee of Cindy Lou Who."

Lisbon sniggered. "Seriously."

"Well, my lamenting that you are hardly in any shape to help me carry a ten foot spruce, but that wouldn't stop you from trying, might have had something to do with it. Don't worry, I intend to feed him for his trouble." Jane was so pleased with himself she had to smile, but she shook her head to make it clear she didn't approve of his manipulation.

"And what other plans have you been making?" she demanded.

"That would be telling," he grinned. "Don't worry. Most of this is for the kids."

"You bought Christmas presents for our unborn children?" She rolled her eyes, then rubbed at her stomach to ease the Braxton-Hicks contraction. Those had been plaguing her on and off lately.

Jane eyed her closely, then continued putting things away, apparently satisfied there was nothing to worry about. She was at 35 weeks and all was well, though she was on medication to help the twins' lungs develop since her doctor was convinced she wouldn't carry them much longer. Lisbon wanted her children born healthy, but she hoped not to carry them a moment longer than necessary for that. Her back seemed to hurt all the time from the extra, awkward weight. And her poor feet would never be the same.

Jane returned from squirreling presents away and said, "What would you like for dinner, my dear?"

She thought about it, but nothing stood out. "I don't care, but I am hungry."

"Then have a seat, kick your shoes off, and relax. I'll bring you an appetizer while I cook," he replied, kissing her on his way to the kitchen.

Lisbon went into the bedroom and changed into more comfortable clothes, then returned and took her favorite seat on the couch. Noticing a book nearby, she picked it up, amused to find it was about hypnosis during childbirth. She'd already agreed with her doctor that an epidural was wise in case an emergency C-section was necessary, so she wasn't sure hypnosis would be necessary, but she appreciated that Jane wanted to be prepared.

He was soon back with a glass of milk and a plate of carrots and celery sticks with ranch dressing for a dip. Lisbon made a face at the milk but drank it for the babies' sake. "So, did you tell Cho you were taking the day off to shop, or does he think you are, you know, out solving a murder?"

"He knows. I had to go pick up the car at the dealership and then go to the DMV, so I took the afternoon off. Then I figured I might as well go shopping."

"The car's here?" She finished the milk and started on the vegetables.

"Yes, and it drives like a dream," he smiled.

She returned the smile. Just last week they'd resolved the argument about what family vehicle to buy. Jane had confessed he just couldn't bring himself to drive a minivan, so they'd changed the focus to a car with enough room for Jane to drive with a rear-facing carseat behind him. Her only objection to the Volvo XC90 crossover was its price, but Jane wasn't about to let money stand in his way. She bet he'd called back after they left and added some of the options she'd vetoed; she was interested to find out if he'd gotten the rear window sunshades and running boards after all. She knew he'd maxed out on the safety options, which was fine with her.

She wondered how long the money from his house would last at this rate. What if they wanted to buy a condo someday? They were almost certainly going to need a bigger place at some point. She made a note to remind him that he could hardly run off to a casino for a day or two if he was responsible for two small children.

"I'm taking the carseats with us to work tomorrow. Rigsby promised to help me install them." Jane picked up her empty glass and went back into the kitchen.

Lisbon finished off the carrots and leaned back, closing her eyes to rest them. She dozed until Jane set a tray down on the coffee table and she smelled the wonderful aroma of his homemade beef and potato stew. He must have hidden the last of the frozen leftovers under the peas or something, she guessed. He'd also brought her a glass of ice water, she was glad to see, and some crusty bread and butter.

"Perfect," she said as he handed her a crock and a spoon.

"After dinner, I was planning to get started on the decorations. I bought stockings for all four of us, since we have a fireplace. And we have your nativity set down in the storage unit," Jane remarked before digging into his own crock of stew. "Plus I bought garland."

Lisbon had a sneaking suspicion her home was about to be turned into a winter wonderland. "No mistletoe?" she asked dryly.

Jane chuckled. "Of course. I was hoping to invite the guys over for cookies and eggnog, and tell them to bring their girlfriends. Or wife in Rigsby's case."

"Cho has a girlfriend?" Lisbon put a heaping spoonful of stew in her mouth and gave him her full attention while she chewed.

"I'm not sure how serious they are, but yes. It's Grace's friend from the soup kitchen. According to Rigsby, she's a sweet but quiet woman who supplements her librarian income by petsitting. According to Cho, she's the most well-read person he's ever met, including me. Which I would take as a challenge if I were going to have any time to read in the near future."

"She sounds lovely. What's her name?"

"Kathy."

"Hm. I always thought Cho needed someone to bring him out of his shell."

Jane shook his head. "Cho needs someone who will let him be Cho. He's fine the way he is; he doesn't need to change."

"True," Lisbon said. "Is Stockwell still seeing that beat cop? What was her name?"

"Lauren, and no. Now it's Sandy in Narcotics."

"Are you kidding me?" Lisbon exclaimed. "Doesn't he know she has a new guy every week?"

"Yes, but he says she says he's different," Jane grinned. "It's been ten days, so he may be right. What's this sudden urge to matchmake?"

"Just wondering who's going to be coming to eat the sugar cookies you'll be buying at Marie's," she teased. Jane didn't care for baking. She would be the one making cookies with the kids when they were older, but there was no way she was doing it in her current condition. "When were you planning to have this soirée?"

"Whenever my lovely wife feels she might be up to it. Or not at all if she finds the idea unattractive."

"It sounds nice. It might be awhile before we socialize again. Just keep it low key, please."

"Your wish is my command." He said it as though he meant it literally. But then, he probably did. "Now eat. I have strawberries and cream for dessert, but only if you clean your bowl."

She stuck her tongue out at him, but that only made him grin.