Dragging a brush through her hair, Lisbon glanced at her freshly scrubbed face deciding she would do. It wouldn't be the first time Jane had seen her without make-up and it wouldn't be the last. That's if he was even still downstairs. She'd drastically overslept by her clock. It was nearly nine o'clock. Thank goodness they weren't on call today or they'd have been late for work. Well, she would be anyway. Unless Jane had awakened her which she trusted he would have done. Shrugging her shoulders, Lisbon tossed her brush on the counter and walked into the bedroom to make her bed.
The same bed Jane had shared with her last night although nothing untoward had happened. Not a thing beyond the man clinging to her like he was never letting go. He probably hadn't. Not until he'd decided to let her sleep though he was getting up.
Taking one last look at her reflection in the dresser mirror, Lisbon tucked a wild strand of hair behind her ear. She was wearing her favorite sleep jersey and saw no reason to change. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Not unless you counted downstairs to make a cup of coffee and grab some spice cake from that box in the fridge a serious change of scenery.
Taking the steps two at a time, Lisbon was shocked to suddenly find herself face to face with Jane as he came around the corner. Apparently, he hadn't left. He'd been hanging out in her guest bathroom instead. Feeling hands steadying her, Lisbon stepped back and gave Jane a knowing smirk. She was a complete idiot to have thought he'd leave. While slinking off in the dead of night would be classic Jane, disappearing into the shadows when he was winning the game wasn't.
"There better be coffee in there." Lisbon nodded in the direction of her kitchen. "And that last piece of spice cake."
"There is," Jane said. "And I didn't touch it."
Well, maybe he had snuck a fingertip of cream cheese icing; but, hopefully, Lisbon wouldn't know if he didn't tell her.
"Good." Stepping into the kitchen, Lisbon poured a cup of steaming coffee in the mug Jane had left waiting on the counter top before delving in the refrigerator to grab the dessert box. Opening the lid, she scooped the treasures slice of cake onto a saucer. One Jane had been kind enough to leave on the counter with the accompanying fork. Closing the lid and putting the box back in the refrigerator, she fixed the not-so-innocent male hanging out with a pointed look. "You didn't touch it, huh? I'd say you stole a pretty good sized chunk of icing smack off the top."
"Why would you say that?" Jane asked heading for the breakfast bar and his rapidly cooling cup of tea. "I had pie instead."
"Yeah?" Lisbon carried her cup and plate over to sit beside him. "You do know playing the old if-I-don't-cop-to-it-it-never-happened card doesn't really work with me, don't you?"
"I know no such thing." Jane said before taking a sip of tea and deciding it was perfectly fine. "I'm certainly not admitting to something I didn't do."
"Whatever." Lisbon reached for the files spread across her counter silently railing against having work to do on their weekend off. "For the record, you need to know I will hurt you if you tamper with my dessert again. This kid of yours has quite the sweet tooth."
"Don't pass your bad habits off on my kid." Jane said quietly. "You've always liked things that were bad for you."
"Like you?" Lisbon blinked innocently at him.
"Perhaps." Jane surrendered that point. "But, that isn't what I meant and you know it."
Giving him a conciliatory peck, Lisbon rested her cheek against his for a moment before settling back in her chair.
"Yeah, well, I like cake even more now." Lisbon smirked at him as she messily carried the last icing laden chunk to her mouth and licked the sugary perfection from her fingertips. "That's so good."
Watching her antics in mild disgust, Jane could only shake his head in defeat. "I hope you don't teach our son to eat like that."
"Why not?" Lisbon asked. "Sometimes it's fun to play with your food."
"It's disgusting." Jane corrected her. "It's even worse when it's a kid doing it. They're ten times messier."
Visions of wiping chocolate smears from chubby cheeks flashed through his mind.
"You never seemed to mind when I was feeding you." Lisbon reminded him. "In fact, if I remember correctly, you enjoyed it."
"Yes, well, that was different." Jane answered as she expected. "That was foreplay."
It was usually delicious foreplay at that.
"Honestly, you're too much." Lisbon clicked her tongue and shook her head as she reached out to grab an open file. "Find anything of interest in here?"
"Not really." Jane said. "I'm not all that fascinated by work at the moment."
"Neither am I." Lisbon closed the file and laid it aside before giving him a much too serious look. "You do realize this is going to be an unholy mess when it comes out?" She ran her hand over her belly. "I still can't believe I let this happen."
"We both let it happen so you might as well stop beating yourself up." Jane reminded her. "I'm certainly not." He continued. "Besides, it won't be as bad as you're making it sound. Not for a good while anyway."
"Not until I start to seriously show." Lisbon stated. "I'm not sure that's too far off."
Just because she was still flat as a fritter didn't mean she wouldn't wake up in a couple of weeks with notable baby pooch. She'd seen that happen before. She couldn't imagine a worse experience at the moment.
To be plain Lisbon one day and pregnant Lisbon the next…People would treat her so different starting with Abbot.
She did not want to think about that.
"Long enough to give us time to get used to the idea." Jane stated firmly halting movements that were quickly veering towards frantic. "Lisbon, concentrate on the present. On making sure we get the "us" worked out. That's the most important thing at the moment for you and our baby."
"I guess it is." Lisbon agreed. "I'm glad one of us is keeping his head on straight."
She'd been doing that fine until yesterday…Until she'd shared her secret with Jane...Then, the flood gates had suddenly burst wide open and her repressed fears had poured into the light of day.
"The future will take care of itself." Jane reassured her. "Nobody knows we were seeing each other before or that you're pregnant now. They won't know unless you panic and tell them. Not for a good while yet."
"No, they won't." Lisbon agreed. "By then they'll know we're together."
"I'm sure they will." Jane said. "I don't intend to hide our relationship forever even if that's your plan."
"I hadn't thought that far ahead." Lisbon echoed his words about marriage. "I always figured it wasn't anyone's business unless something big happened between us."
"Something big has happened between us." Jane gently reminded her wondering if Lisbon realized she'd confessed in a roundabout way she'd at least fantasized about marrying him. "Just not the something big we were both considering."
Yes, he knew he'd just admitted he had thought about marrying her belying his earlier words.
"I'd say not." The thought of getting pregnant by anyone, much less Jane, had never really crossed her mind.
"Eventually you will start to show and there will be talk. We already know that. There have always been meaningless whispers and always will be." Jane continued. "You do know you don't have to tell anyone what really happened if you don't want to? It's none of their business."
"We work in Law Enforcement." Lisbon stated. "Our co-workers aren't taking "noneya" for an answer when that extra few pounds becomes unmistakably baby belly." She didn't need to remind him of Cho. "Everyone's going to want to know who knocked me up. What am I suppose to do? Refuse to name the baby's father like some Hollywood starlet fooling around with her married co-star?"
Lisbon blinked at him not believing she'd just uttered that cheesy remark.
"As far as I'm concerned, you can tell them we got together on the down low a while back and we got sloppy." Jane said quietly. "Or you can tell them you've been entertaining the thought of having a child for a while since that whole thing with Pike went south. That getting seriously involved made you start longing for what you'd never had. It's not that out there considering you aren't getting any younger." Jane ignored the malevolent look Lisbon shot him. "For all I care, you can say you asked me to help you procreate the old fashioned way rather than going to one of those sterile fertility clinics. It's not that impossible I'd accept your offer." Jane ignored the choking noises Lisbon was making. "You're a beautiful woman. I'm a very normal man. We've been close for years. Why wouldn't I want to sleep with you if the opportunity presented itself? From what I remember, it did and I did and I'll do it again when you're ready." Jane gently reminded her. "Tell them whatever you please. It won't change a thing."
"Like anyone's going to believe I did something as insane as asking you to be my glorified sperm donor because my biological clock is ticking down." Lisbon snorted. "I don't even believe that cockamamie story and I heard you say the words. That's so not me."
"No, it isn't; but, it doesn't matter whether anyone really believes your story or not." Jane said quietly. "The important thing is they can't prove it either way. They'll have to accept whatever you say at face value or look like a bunch of fools."
"You do have a point there." Lisbon agreed. "Even better, we aren't trying to deny you're the father."
"I can live with that." Jane pronounced still not sure what she was ultimately going to do. "However, I think you need to understand this isn't anything I want to hide. In fact, if you have to say anything, why not just tell the truth? We've had an intimate relationship for a while, we got careless, and we got caught. If it makes you feel any better, feel free to tell the persistently nosey we got carried away in the heat of the moment and a truly wonderful thing happened. That should shut them up for a while."
"Wow." Lisbon said. "I didn't know you felt that way."
"How many different ways do I have to say it for you to get the point?" Jane asked. "Now that I've had time to get over the surprise, it is pretty wonderful don't you think?"
"Yes, I do." Lisbon agreed. "Pretty wonderful."
"Think about it." Jane continued. "We're just two ordinary people living very ordinary lives. Granted, our careers are a little extraordinary; but, in the big scheme of things we're just Teresa Lisbon and Patrick Jane. End of story.
Did you ever expect to be able to say that?
No MacAllister hiding in the wings any longer, The Blake Association is still in hiding, and it's no one's business how this child came into being. With that in mind, don't address any personal issues unless you want to. Otherwise, ignore the speculation. It can't hurt either of us unless you let it."
"I won't." Lisbon promised. "I will tell you my brothers aren't going to be too happy with either of us when they get the news; but, they'll get over it."
"Yes, they will." Jane said with more confidence than he felt. "They don't really have a choice do they?"
"No, they don't." Lisbon agreed. "But, they'll make your life hell until they figure that out."
"We could head all of that off at the pass if you'd cooperate." Jane suggested. "The solution is simple and staring us in the face."
"How do you figure that?" Lisbon asked already knowing what he was going to say.
"We've already discussed it." Jane said quietly reopening the subject she'd considered closed. "We go ahead and do the deed. We get married without telling anyone and we do it soon. By the time anyone figures out your expanding waist line is more than too much closed case pizza and beer, we'll already have rings on our fingers."
"That won't stop the talk." Lisbon reminded him. "They'll just say we got married because we got caught."
"Yeah, well, what do they know?" Jane asked. "If we do get married, it'll be because we want to. Not because that's my kid in there." Jane lightly stroked her belly. "We both know that. It's just how we're wired. Besides, they're all a bunch of hypocrites anyway."
"Not everyone." Lisbon gently rebuked his observation. "Some people will be happy for us. The rest of them are just plain nasty and can't help being rude. Some people like Cho will just think we've finally lost our minds."
Lisbon could already see Cho's face in her mind. To say he'd be shocked was an understatement. But, it wouldn't last. He'd be stoic Uncle Cho in a heartbeat. She was sure of it.
"Yeah, well, if Liebowitz gives you any trouble, remind her it's tacky to sleep with one's partner when he has a pregnant wife at home. Particularly when you know he has no intention of leaving his wife and you don't want him to. That it's all just fun and games to blow off a little steam while his wife is too uncomfortable to fulfill her wifely duties." Jane's tone conveyed exactly what he thought of that arrangement and the potential to hurt Peggy if she ever found out. "Henson's slipping around behind Dorothea's back with Angelli in Cybercrimes as well. I believe those two will probably be the biggest instigators of any water cooler talk. If I miss my guess, let me know. I'm sure I can get you any ammo you need to halt the rumor mill."
"I'm sure you can." Lisbon agreed. "But, I don't want to know any of that so don't. I don't even want to know how you get your info. It's too much."
The look in Jane's eyes let Lisbon know, that while he wouldn't push the point, he would do what she wouldn't if push came to shove.
"Nothing underhand I can assure you." Jane said. "If you know when and where to look, you'd be amazed at what you can see by being observant."
"I'll take you word for it." Lisbon opened the file again and perused the first couple of lines. "There really isn't much here is there?"
"No, there isn't." Jane agreed dismissing the bare bones report. "You know, if you hadn't walked on me a few months back, we'd probably have gotten to this point by now anyway. The idea was always in the back of my mind even if it wasn't in yours. The only difference is I think the kid would have come a year or two down the road when we'd had a chance to enjoy each other. Or maybe it wouldn't have come at all. Having a child is a decision we should have made together."
"Are you serious?" Lisbon asked. "You are, aren't you?"
"Perfectly." Jane agreed. "That you're pregnant doesn't affect my intent either way. What it does affect is timing and your willingness to entertain the idea. What do you say, Teresa? You want to get hitched and nip the gossip in the bud? The worst anyone can say is we got married because we got caught. What do they know?"'
They'd already discussed that, too.
"Do I want to get hitched and nip the gossip in the bud?" Lisbon asked. "While I could say, "Are you kidding me," I think I'd rather ask if you'd give me a little while to think about it."
"Take all the time you need." Jane agreed. "Maybe you'll get a decent proposal before we're done."
"I'm not sure you can get any better than 'do you want to get hitched and nip the gossip in the bud.'" Lisbon smirked. "That's rather original."
"I can get a whole lot better." Jane said. "And this is hardly where we need to be doing this."
"Oh, I'd say sitting at my kitchen counter with a file in hand is the perfect place." Lisbon contradicted. "Almost every significant thing we've ever done has been in the midst of a case. Why should a proposal be any different? Why don't you try it again and see what happens?"
"I can do that." Jane's eyebrow rose wondering if she was about to do what he thought she was. "Teresa Lisbon, will you marry me?"
"Yeah, Jane, I think I will." Lisbon smirked back at him. "You'll only hound me until I do."
"Yes, I probably will." Jane leaned in to wipe the smirk off her face in the best possible way by pressing his lips against hers. "Well, I'd say all that's left to do is buy the rings, get the license, and do the deed."
"There's a little more than that." Lisbon gently reminded him. "There's still a nursery to plan and a kid to raise."
"Compared to getting a ring on your finger, all of that's a piece of cake." Jane reminded her. "Besides, I've planned a nursery and raised a kid so I'd say it comes with the territory. Neither is all that hard compared to some of the other things we've done."
"Well, I haven't." Lisbon reminded him. "I don't have a clue where to start."
"We start with the spare bedroom across the hall." Jane said. "But, we'll do that after we have the ceremony. There's no need to stress over any of it. We have plenty of time to pick and choose. It isn't like he's going to care anyway."
Rolling her eyes, Lisbon hoped their child was a girl just to frustrate Jane.
"I will." Lisbon huffed at having their nursery dismissed so casually. "I suppose this means you'll be moving in."
"Not until after we're married." Jane corrected her. "We'll keep things circumspect."
"Right." Lisbon snorted. "I'm already pregnant."
"Nobody knows." Jane gently reminded her. "By the time they do, we'll be married. See, nice and circumspect."
"Only you could see our situation that way." Lisbon observed. "Sometimes I think you live in your own little world with your own little rules."
"Maybe I do." Jane said. "But, I can assure you it's a much nicer place when you're in it."
"Is it now?" Lisbon didn't resist as Jane pulled her to her feet and pulled her close.
"Yes, it is." Jane agreed wrapping her arms around his neck. "I can also say, now that you're here again, I won't be letting you go."
"I won't be asking you to." Lisbon leaned in to give him a kiss.
"That's nice to know." Jane agreed as he pulled her a little closer. "I wouldn't if you did."
"I know." Lisbon kissed the tip of his nose. "Now that you've gotten what you wanted, what are we doing the rest of the day?"
"What do you say to picking out a couple of rings?" Jane asked honestly. "I know just the place."
"We can do that." Lisbon responded far calmer than she felt.
"Then that's what we'll do." Jane said. "Finish your coffee, get dressed, and we'll hit the road. I know just the place. It'll take us a couple of hours to get there."
Hopefully it was a light traffic day which he couldn't guarantee.
"Somehow I think you do." Lisbon lifted her mug to her lips. "We're going to San Antonio aren't we?"
"It's a nice place to visit." Jane said. "We can make a day of it and take in the sights after we finish our business."
"Sounds like fun." From the look on her face, Lisbon was already figuring out which shoes to wear. "Give me a quarter hour and I'll be ready."
"I'll be here." Jane said as he reached for the file deciding he might as well pretend to work.
"Pack all of that." Lisbon kissed his cheek and motioned to the files. "I'll read through everything and we can discuss it on the drive down. That way we can tell Abbott we worked all weekend."
"Sounds like a plan." Jane said briefly. "Get dressed so we can go."
He pointed towards the stairs.
"I'm going." Lisbon groused as she all but skipped away.
Shaking his head as he watched her go, Jane wondered briefly what he was getting himself into. Nothing he didn't want…more than anything.