Thank you again to my lovely readers and reviewers. You inspire me!

This is a short chapter tonight. I was watching The Mentalist reruns and got carried away.

She snorted softly as she poured the water for his tea. She was not about to get into the habit of always making it for him, no matter what she'd said . She made another rude noise, knowing that she probably would make it if he asked her to. Jane had the ability to get people to do things for him – even things they swore they would never do.

However, tonight anyway he deserved to have her wait on him. It had been a grueling evening and he was both mentally and physically exhausted. It had taken a huge amount of courage, and love, for him to show her the pictures of his family. She recognized that he must be hurting, so fixing him a cup of tea was the least she could do

She headed back into the living room, only to find him slouched over on the couch, half asleep. "Hey", she said softly, "here's your tea."

"Hmm?" He blinked at her blearily. "Oh, thanks." He forced himself to sit up and take a deep breath. He reached for the tea and took a sip, closing his eyes in enjoyment. "Did I tell you -"

"- that I make a good cup of tea? Yes you did."

"That's not what I was going to say", he corrected her with a shake of his head and a smirk.

"No?"

"No. I was going to say that you need a new couch. This one isn't nearly as comfortable as the one in your old office."

"You bought me that one."

"So you're telling me you want me to buy you a new one for your house too?"

She just grinned at him, enjoying the light banter. She could tell from the bruised look around his eyes that he was still feeling the affects of the evening and probably needed a break.

"The things I do for you woman!" he muttered, taking another sip of tea.

"That you do for me? Who's the one who made you three cups of tea?"

"And did I tell you that you make a great one?"

She laughed and shook her head. He really was crazy. In a moment her laughter died as she saw that he was drooping again. She reached over and took the teacup from him. "Come on, I'm putting you to bed." She stood up, grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. He almost stumbled from exhaustion.

"Are you going to have your wicked way with me?" he asked as he was pulled towards the bedroom.

"Unfortunately I'm afraid you'd be too tired to enjoy it."

He sighed. "Sad, but probably true. I could just lie there and let you do all the work."

"You usually do."

He stopped dead causing her to stop as well. "What? I do not", he told her indignantly.

She laughed again, realizing that he had taken her words to mean something very different from what she had intended. "I don't mean in bed", she informed him. "You – work very hard there. I meant otherwise."

"Oh", he appeared to be mollified and followed as she pulled him towards the bed. "And anyway, I don't let you do all the work. I'll have you know I work very hard. I just hide it really well."

"Hmm", she snorted. Well right now you don't have to work." She gently pushed him down on the bed, knowing he would have fallen over in a second if left on his own. The poor man looked dead on his feet. "I want you to go to sleep."

"Okay – but first", he nodded towards the bathroom.

"Can you make it on your own?"

"I'll have you know Teresa, that I have been doing it on my own since I was three years old", he informed her huffily. He stood, still unsteady, and with a glare made his way over to the bathroom. He had to use all his willpower to keep from falling over. He was so tired.

She was waiting for him when he returned but didn't say anything. Instead she pushed him down so that he was seated on the bed and began to unbutton his shirt. He attempted to help but she swatted away his hands. "Just relax, I've got this."

He sighed and looked miserable. "A beautiful woman is undressing me and I'm too tired to do anything about it." He peered up at her, squinting because of tiredness. "That's sad Teresa."

"Yes it is", she agreed. "You can make it up to me tomorrow."

"Tomorrow", he sighed again, his eyes blinking more and more slowly. He began to sway and once she had removed his shirt she gently pressed him back until he was lying flat on the bed. She helped him turn and lift his legs onto the mattress and then began to undo his pants.

She next moved to his shoes and tossed them into the corner of the room to his half-hearted protests. "I won't steal them or lose them", she promised. "They'll be there in the morning. I promise."

"Kay", he nodded, trying to smile. He then laughed softly as she began to pull down his pants until he was wearing nothing but his boxers. Now his eyes were almost closed, although he seemed to be trying to fight sleep.

She managed to pull the covers out from underneath him – with little or no help from the man himself – and then covered him. Leaning down she gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

As she stood to leave he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Stay with me", he murmured. As Teresa looked down on him she grimaced slightly. Even though he was almost asleep, he still looked lost and in need of comfort.

"Of course. I'm just going to wash up and get my pajamas on. I'll be right back."]

"Kay" he mumbled again, his eyes finally closing. By the time she had returned he was sound asleep, curled up tightly on his side.

"Oh Jane", she murmured, climbing into bed with him. Wrapping her arms around him she snuggled in close, needing the comfort as much as he did. "Sleep my darling. I'll be here."

She groaned softly as the warm sunlight touched her cheek. It had to be too early to get up, didn't it? She pried her eyes open, positive they were stuck together with crazy glue, only to shut them again when the light hit them. Yup, it was morning.

She allowed herself to drift off, knowing that it was Saturday and there wasn't anywhere she needed to be, except here, with him. A soft noise at her side startled her and she flipped onto her side, her heart beating in double time.

Jane! He was still curled up, still sound asleep. She couldn't help the grin that split her face. He looked so innocent and adorable lying there. She wanted to reach out and ruffle his blond locks, but instead just watched him. For a fleeting moment she wondered what he had looked like as a child. She was sure he had been cute - and sweet and charming, just like now.

It was unusual that she got the chance to watch him while he slept. He still suffered insomnia, although he swore he was better than he had been, and he was always up before her in the mornings. In fact, he would only only stay in bed for a short time, just enough time for her to fall asleep, and he'd be up, prowling around the house.

So seeing him sleeping so soundly at – she glanced over at the clock – 9:30 in the morning was a rarity. She smiled and continued to watch him, enjoying the site of a quiet, sleeping, peaceful-looking Patrick Jane.

In the end, though, nature called and she had to get up and leave him sleeping. On top of that she was ravenous.

She managed to eat and then had showered and dressed while Jane continued to sleep. Glancing at her watch she was surprised to see it was after 11:00. The poor man must have been absolutely exhausted. She wondered if he'd gotten any sleep this week.

No sooner had she thought that when she heard a sound coming from the bed. A soft groan had her moving toward it and she peered down at the man who was now starting to wake up. She perched beside him and kept vigil over him as he moved from the realm of Morpheus to the conscious, awake world.

His lids cracked open, just enough so she could see a sliver of his green gray eyes – eyes that seemed to be looking far away. A pause and then he took a measured, deep breath. He swallowed and his head turned until those eyes were watching her. She looked, mesmerized as a slow, beautiful smile lit his face. "Hey Lisbon", he sighed softly. "You're here?"

"Yes, I'm here", she smiled in return. "How are you feeling?"

"Hmm?" his mouth turned down, not in sadness but in contemplation and he looked as if he was considering his answer seriously. "Good. I feel good." His head flopped to the side as he continued to breathe slowly. "What time is it?"

"It's almost 11:30", she informed him.

"What?" he looked confused. "In the morning?"

"Well, unless the sun has decided to come out at night then yes."

"But I never sleep that long."

"Well, you did this time. You were obviously tired. Did you sleep at all this week?"

He regarded her for a few seconds and then shrugged. "A bit." Suddenly he grinned. "Hey, are you going to bring me tea in bed?"

"Nope", she told him, her eyebrows raised.

"But you promised."

"I lied", she told him, a smirk on her face.

He looked shocked for a moment and then laughed. "Touché! Okay, if you're going to be mean then you can at least come here and give me a kiss."

She leaned towards him and then stopped, a strange look flashing across her face.

"What's wrong?" he wanted to know, worried.

She shook her head, looking serious. "Morning breath."

"I do not have morning breath", he told her indignantly. "And anyway, if you really loved me you wouldn't care."

She laughed and then leaned forward and kissed him briefly. "You're right. Are you hungry?"

He didn't answer but instead pulled her down until she was sprawled across him. "Mmm hmm", he answered.

"You want some eggs?" she asked, choking back a laugh as he kissed her neck.

"Nope – I want some Teresa Lisbon." He suddenly moved and flipped her onto her back, leaning over her with a naughty grin. "Over easy."

The next hour was full of fun and passion, but above all it was full of love. When they were finished, both exhausted, sated but happy, Teresa lay there, cuddled beside him. He had his arm underneath and wrapped around her and gently stroked her arm as he relaxed into the warm mattress and the even warmer woman.

She finally reached up and grasped his hand and held on tightly, wishing she could stay here forever. "You took off your ring", she said softly. It was only as the words left her mouth that she realized what she had said, and she froze. She hadn't meant to mention it – it was just that she was relaxed and not thinking.

"I did", he agreed calmly and then turned on his side and faced her. "I should have done it a long time ago", he told her seriously. "I'm sorry." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It was a habit more than anything else. Look, I won't deny that there's always going to be a place in my heart for Angela, but that doesn't mean I love you any less. She was my past life, you're my future."

When Teresa didn't say anything he could feel a sinking in his stomach and couldn't bear to look at her. He knew they needed to talk more and he needed to explain the ring in more detail, but he didn't think he was up to another emotional conversation. He simply wanted to rest and enjoy being with her. Now he wondered if he'd messed things up. It wasn't until he felt her hand on his face, turning it towards her, that he was able to meet her eyes.

"Thank you", she said softly. Leaning forward she gave him a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips. "I understand and I love you."

He smiled in relief and gently pulled her down until she was half lying on him. "And Teresa."

"Yes."

"Don't ever be afraid to ask me or to tell me if something bothers you, okay? I won't break and I'd rather you be honest with me."

"Okay", she nodded into his chest. A few heartbeats later she began to speak. "Jane?"

"What?"

"There is something that bothers me."

Uh oh – he suddenly wondered if he'd opened a door he should have left closed. Oh well – he'd asked for this. "What?"

"You haven't given me the key to your Airstream."

"What?" he lifted his head suddenly, almost knocking into hers. He wanted to laugh with relief. Damn but he loved her. "You want my key?"

"Yes."

"God woman – you don't ask for much, do you? Next I suppose you'll want my car keys too."

She pondered for a moment. "No. You can keep those."

He sighed and pulled her closer. "Okay fine, I'll get you the keys to my home." He lay there enjoying the quiet and the closeness and the fact that he was looking forward, for the first time in many years, to a good life, a happy life.

"Hey –wait a minute" he pushed himself up, forcing her to readjust her position. "You haven't given me the keys to your place either!"

She smiled and snuggled in closer. Life with Jane was not going to be boring.

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