Here is chapter 22 I hope you enjoy it I love to hear what you have to think it's mostly just fluff as usual. And as always I own nothing.
The rest of the week went by really quickly, we caught a case Tuesday, and had the killer in lock up by noon on Wednesday. Which worked out perfectly for me to go get furniture for the house, that only began at the kids bed, they needed dressers and apparently a bigger dinning room table and a hundred other things that I hadn't even thought about. Of course Jane had all of the furniture from my apartment moved in Tuesday while I was at work. We caught another case Thursday and hoping to get it finished before the weekend we called Jane for help. It was closed Friday morning.
The hardest part of the week was coming home at the end of the day and having the kids tell me about all the fun things they did in my absence. They told me about the playground, the mall, the pictures they drew, the letters Jane helped them write to their grandparents, and everything else in between. It was made worse because now that we had beds Jane was sleeping on the couch and I was readjusting to having the bed to myself. I really did miss the warmth he brought to my bed.
"Good morning." Jane smiled from his seat in the kitchen.
"Again do you sleep at all?" I groaned pouring myself a cup of coffee.
"A lot more than I have in the past." He nodded, pulling the seat out next to him for me to sit down.
"I guess that's an improvement." I sighed, "Why are you smiling like that it's the morning?"
"We're going to the zoo today Lisbon." He grinned, "How are you not excited?"
"Because it's a Saturday morning, and I couldn't sleep and I'm sitting in my kitchen at six thirty with you." I answered laying my head on the table.
"I guess those are valid points." He sipped his tea, "But Lisbon we're going to the zoo."
"Yeah because the kids are going to school on Monday and you wanted to celebrate their last day of summer." I spoke into the table.
"Is that what you're worried about, the kids going to school?" He looked at me over his glass.
"Maybe." I didn't raise my head from the table.
"They're going to be fine, they've already made friends on the soccer team and their bright kids you don't have anything to worry about." He reassured.
"I know but it's killed me this week having to be at work while their here now their going to be at school where I can't even call and check on them." I sighed.
"Just think three weeks ago you were afraid of raising these kids." Jane chuckled.
"And four weeks ago I had no idea I was expected to." I stated.
"Well you're doing an amazing job." He scooted his chair closer.
"Does it get easier?" I looked up at him.
"Not really." He watched me. "The twins start kindergarten now, then William next, and then Cassandra, then high school and then college, and then they're grown up."
"You chose now to start being honest." I tried to laugh.
"I'm just saying I hope you're smarter than I was, take advantage of what you have now, it doesn't seem like it, but they'll grow up fast." He frowned, and I watched a range of emotions cross his face, and as quickly as they appeared they were gone.
"You are really terrible at getting someone excited for the day." I teased and he smiled.
"Just drink your coffee and be excited because we're going to the zoo." He replied with a grin.
Jane was right of course the zoo was worth getting excited about. Jane carried Liam on his shoulders while I pushed Cass's stroller and the twins ran from one animal to the next. When it came time for lunch Jane insisted on paying and buying Emily, Alyssa, and William an ICEE in a souvenir cup despite my many protests.
"I told you you're not allowed to pay for everything." I argued as he pulled his wallet from his vest pocket.
"I'm not paying for everything I'm paying for lunch." He replied, God I wanted to smack him.
"Those cups are way over priced." I stated.
"If I wanted to buy you expensive things I wouldn't start with souvenir cups." He chuckled.
"No you'd start with a house, then a couch, and then steaks, no wait the first expensive thing you bought me was that jewelry from the casino, or was it the pony?" I listed off what I could remember I'm sure there were many other things.
"You didn't accept the jewelry even though it looked amazing on you, you bought the house, I bought the couch because your old couch was actually kind of uncomfortable to sleep on, as for the steaks they really weren't that expensive, and I've always wondered what you did with that pony." He answered handing the lady behind the counter the money, "Why don't you to girls find us a table?" He instructed the girls, "And stay together."
"You two have a gorgeous family." The lady behind the counter smiled, and before I had a chance to answer Jane spoke.
"I like to think so." He smiled his stupid Hollywood smile and the girl blushed and looked away, it really wasn't fair how he could do that to women. And why did everyone seem to think we were a couple?
"Do you always have to encourage people like that?" I groaned taking a seat at the table the girls had picked out.
"What would you like me to say instead?" He questioned pulling some baby food for Cass out of the diaper bag. "You are the only family I have, besides it would take a while to say oh no, the kids aren't ours, their hers and their adopted because their parents passed away, and we just work together."
"I'm just saying you could nod and say thank you, or maybe 'no we're just good friends I'm helping her with the kids.'" I returned, I think my only real concern with the whole thing was that if he kept this up I wouldn't be able to remain professional. We were co-workers and best friends, wow how many times have I repeated that to myself lately.
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you or made you feel uncomfortable in any way." He almost looked like he meant it.
"Jane I've had this thing that's been bugging me for a long time now." I started, and he gave me a look that said continue. "What did you do with that jewelry? I mean you didn't keep it did you?"
"No I didn't keep it." He went back to feeding Cass.
"Well what'd you do with it?" I asked again.
"If I tell you it may affect that image you have of me being such a horrible person." He chuckled.
"I don't think you're a horrible person." I frowned why would he think that, I suppose it had something to do with all the times I had called him an ass, or a jerk, or a bastard, or any other number of names. "Just tell me what you did with it."
"I think it's probably to late for you to get it back if that's what you're hoping." He teased.
"I don't want it back I just want to know." I declared, why did he enjoy playing with me so much?
"Well the jewelry I got for you and Grace along with a large portion of the money I won went into a donation box." He set Cass back in her stroller and started eating his own lunch.
"You donated it?" I repeated, "That was really expensive."
"I know it was, you didn't want it and I had no use for it." He shrugged, "Whoa Liam smaller bites please." He turned from me for just a minute to help William with the corndog, I used the time to try and assess what he had just said. He donated a lot of money and expensive jewelry instead of keeping it himself. It really wasn't that shocking he didn't have anyone else to give the jewelry to and up until the kids he had never really spent money on anything.
"Patrick can you carry us like you carried us into your work?" Emily looked up from her chicken tenders.
"Oh girls not today it's hot out and I'm sure he's probably tired." I answered, but Jane just chuckled.
"I suppose I could, but that of course means Teresa is going to have to be in charge of taking all of the pictures." He smiled.
"Jane you've taken a hundred pictures already we don't need anymore." I rolled my eyes, "and they can walk you don't need to carry them."
"Come on Lisbon if you're taking the pictures you don't have to be in them." He stated, "I would love to carry them for a little bit."
So after throwing away the leftovers from lunch Jane threw his jacket in the stroller and helped William climb onto his shoulders, then lifted the twins into his arms. And since I was holding the camera it only seemed appropriate that I take a picture.
"So which animal is next?" I smiled as Jane ducked a little walking out of the zoo café.
"Tigers!" Liam announced bouncing on Jane's shoulders.
"You better not spill that ICEE on me young man." Jane warned, as I pulled the map out and started toward the tiger's cage.
"Come on old man moving a little slow aren't you?" I teased pushing the stroller up a slight incline.
"You're really going to start this right now." He grinned, "You can carry them and I'll push the stroller."
"You didn't have to do it." I reminded, and I was wishing he hadn't because he was definitely making it hard for me to insist on a strictly professional relationship. He looked so damn perfect carrying those kids.
"We wouldn't want these guys to get to tired would we?" His smile grew and so did mine. I snuck a few more pictures of him carrying the kids until we came to the carousal and they insisted on riding it. Then it was nearly time for the zoo to close when the twins literally dragged us into the gift shop.
"You guys get to pick out one thing." Jane instructed, "And the zoo closes soon so choose quickly."
"Jane they don't need another souvenir, you already bought them those cups." I sighed as he pushed the stroller over toward the stuffed animals.
"I want to Lisbon, I enjoy having people to spoil again, and you refuse to let it be you." He answered holding different stuffed animals in front of Cass looking for a reaction. "Monkey it is." He watched her giggle as he danced it around in front of her.
"I want a stuffed animal too!" Alyssa declared running over from the toys she had been looking at.
"Me to!" William followed.
"I want the white tiger!" Emily decided hugging it against her chest.
"I was going to get the orange tiger, we can't get the same thing." Alyssa pouted.
"But they're not the same." Jane reassured. "You said it yourself, yours is orange and hers is white." The girls whined and argued and in the end they both got a tiger. After William picked out a stuffed lion we paid and were on our way back to the house.
There was no argument at bedtime the kids were exhausted and curled up under their blankets with their brand new stuffed animals before the story ended. I followed Jane downstairs on the pretext of making sure the doors were locked, but in the end we were sitting next to each on the couch.
"You ready to go back to work?" I interrupted the comfortable silence, "Bertram is going to want to talk to you."
"Meh." He shrugged, "I can handle Bertram, I don't know how I'll handle the boredom and the quiet the comes with a lack of case."
"Now that you've gotten used to the chaos of having four kids around." I nodded, "I'm happy you're coming back to work."
"I know I close cases." He chuckled.
"Yes, but I was thinking more along the lines of there would be some form of that noisy chaos that I missed last week." I teased him.
"Is that all I am to you, noisy chaos." He smiled.
"Of course not your noisy chaos that closes cases." I answered and his smile widened, and then there was another comfortable silence this time to be broken by him.
"Since we'll both be back at work are you still wanting me to go to the motel every night?" He questioned, and I wanted to scream no of course not but I had to be reasonable.
"That would probably be best, but I don't want the kids to be worried about you leaving." Why was I saying this again?
"I could stay and tuck them in and then come back to make breakfast in the morning, if that's really what you want." He offered. No that's not what I really want, I want you to say your not going to go and be your usual pain in the ass self and not listen to a word I say.
"I guess that would work, would that be an inconvenience to you?" Was all that ended up coming out.
"Inconvenience me from what? I barely sleep, I'll be up that early anyway." He shrugged. "I'll stay and help you with the first couple days of school then I'll leave."
"Thanks Jane." I sighed, at least he would be here for another couple days, and then we'd be at work again and maybe things would get back to as normal as they could be. I could go back to enjoying Jane from a safer distance.
"You should go to bed, you look exhausted." He smiled, "If I didn't know better I'd say the zoo wore you out to."
"Right because you're never tired." I started for the stairs.
"On the contrary I'm always tired, and I would hate for you to end up the same way." He answered.
"You want to come sleep in the bed you're probably stiff from carrying the kids all afternoon." I couldn't stop it from coming out.
"It would be terribly hard for me not to try something." He warned, settling himself on the couch. This was what I had been wanting right.
"Well good night then." I didn't know what else to say, I should insist he come upstairs.
"Good night Lisbon." I thought I heard him chuckling. I couldn't be thinking about this I was going to go to bed and then tomorrow we would go to church and lunch and make sure everything was in order for the start of the school year. There were more important things than the possibility of sex with Jane.
"Couldn't sleep again." Jane frowned when I walked into the kitchen, I groaned and fell into a chair letting him get me my coffee.
"I'm worried about the kids starting school tomorrow." I sighed sipping my coffee.
"Yeah that's probably it." He chuckled sitting back in his chair and sipping his tea, looking all relaxed and nonchalant, I really wanted to slap him but I didn't have the energy.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I hissed.
"I was agreeing with you." He smirked.
"If you think my lack of sleep has anything to do with you your wrong." I told him.
"I didn't say that at all, but it's an interesting theory." He sipped his tea, if I had any energy at all I would slap him.
"Go to hell." I snapped, and he just smiled.
"Are you supposed to say that before going to church." He questioned.
"I'm going to pour my coffee on your lap." I warned.
"No you're not, you need it to much." He got up and set his cup in the sink. He was right of course, but that only made me want to dump it on him all the more. However I was too late he was already walking out of the kitchen to wake up the kids. Damn him.
After church we went out to lunch, when social services finally called to schedule a visit. "Tuesday at five thirty yeah that's fine, thank you." I hung up the phone.
"Do you want me to be there?" Jane asked as I put the phone away.
"I don't know why you wouldn't be there, it's right before dinner and someone needs to cook." I teased.
"Bribing them with dinner's very creative plan but I don't think they stay that long." He remarked.
"Yeah that's what I was thinking." I rolled my eyes. "I need you to stay in the kitchen and not cause problems."
"Yes ma'am." He chuckled, "Then I suppose you'll want me to leave after that."
"You make me sound like such a mean person." I retorted, but what he said was true I was basically kicking him out and for what because he kissed me isn't that what I wanted. No he kissed me at work that was inappropriate, and another co-worker had seen. That's why I was kicking him out, but still making him cook?
"You are not a mean person, stubborn and logical to no end but not a mean person." He reassured, how come it didn't feel like it right now.
Dinner was finished, baths were done but the kids were refusing to get into bed. "Come on guys it's bed time Patrick's already read you two stories, you need to go to sleep."
"I don't think I went to the bathroom." Alyssa jumped out of bed but ran into Jane at the door.
"You've gone twice." Jane carried her back the bottom bunk. "You've all gone twice, you've brushed your teeth, you've bathed, you've had stories read to you, it is time to turn out the lights."
"Nope." William shouted.
"Yes." I returned sitting at the foot of his bed.
"Maybe Teresa should sing a lullaby." Jane smiled.
"I don't really know any lullaby's but if you do Patrick go ahead." I answered.
"It has been a very long time since I've been asked to sing a lullaby." He chuckled leaning against the bunk bed. "I have many talents but singing is not one of them."
"I'm pretty sure everyone sounds good singing lullaby's." I argued. "Besides I will endure anything to get these lovely kids asleep. So what do you think guys should Patrick sing a lullaby?"
"Yeah!" Emily was all but hanging over her the edge of her bed.
"On one condition, you try and go to sleep as soon as the songs over." He made sure he got a nod from all three kids, "Alright well let me think for a minute, I wish I had a guitar." Of course he knows how to play the guitar.
"Golden slumber kiss your eyes,
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep.
Pretty baby,
Do not cry.
And I'll sing you a lullaby.
Care you know not,
Therefore sleep,
While I o'er you watch do keep.
Sleep,
Pretty darling,
Do not cry,
And I will sing you a lullaby."
Was I really supposed to make him leave in a couple days now? I watched him tuck each child in and give them a kiss on the forehead, I know I wasn't imagining the tear sliding down his cheek. I took my turn kissing them good night and met Jane in the hall.
"You're right, you're not that great of a singer." I teased and he chuckled, "A little pitchy."
"I warned you." He smirked.
"You okay?" I worried, watching him head for the stairs.
"I'm fine." He turned to face me, "Like I said it's been a long time since I've been asked to sing a lullaby. But you are the one who needs worrying about."
"What are you talking about?" I sighed.
"First day of school tomorrow, this was just the opening act." He smiled, "You are going to need some sleep my dear." He walked back up those few stairs and kissed my forehead, "Good night Lisbon."
"Night Jane." I grinned making sure the night light was plugged in before turning off the hall light and heading for bed.