29 - Lisbons surprise

Teresa could not wait! Jane was being discharged today at noon, and she couldn't stand the anticipation of watching him take in the surprise she'd planned to spring on him, what-seemed-like-forever ago. She had arranged for some local friends and neighbors to move items into the house, on that long-ago day, as she and Jane went about their normal workday at the FBI.

The fully furnished nursery was now complete, and had been well and truly fussed over, ad nauseam, during the long weeks of Jane's hospitalization. Included in the decor was a 'My Family' picture book, featuring the Lisbon brothers, Lisbon's deceased parents, their CBI and FBI teams, Sam & Pete, and pics of Jane's mother, (with an open page for if Jane decided to include his grifter father - she couldn't make that decision for him, she reasoned). Then, in the section she most worried would send him for a loop, was "Aunt" Angela, Charlotte & Uncle Danny (Danny had been true to his word - leaving an envelope full of Ruskin family portraits under her door one day - even 'Gramma and Grampa' Ruskin were included).

Lisbon had upgraded the locks and added a security alarm to the baby's window (knowing how anxious Jane was likely to be about keeping his child safe). The three other walls of the nursery were adorned with life-sized murals. The north wall was a carnival scene, with a Ferris wheel at the center - right where the baby's crib stood - and featured a carousel-horse mobile, cropping out from the crux of the wheel. On the south wall was a Chicago cityscape, with Buckingham fountain in the foreground. Opposite the window, with the north and south walls bordering it, was a re-creation of the same pacific coast sunset Lisbon's brothers had gifted them on their wedding night - complete with scripted text, reading: "What you mean to me."

All in all, the baby's room was a visual depiction of how their two worlds had become one, on that beach. Baby Jane was the living depiction of that, and of their unity and love.

Patrick was pacing a hole into the floor, anxious to get out of the sanitary prison he'd been chained to (okay, tubed to) for weeks. He had half a mind to play a trick on his wife by staging one of his typical 'disappearing acts' - just long enough to get a reaction out of her, hopefully getting her ire up just enough to spark her eyes in that way he loved so much. But he quickly realized that he couldn't go through with a joke like that today. Not with his love so worried about his safety. He couldn't do that to the woman who loved him so truly, despite all his past missteps. (And besides, he'd never successfully sneak past Abbott, who was his protection detail for the end of his stay).

"Hey you!" His cute-as-a-button wife called out from his doorway.

"Hey yourself, beautiful!" He gushed, moving closer and stealing a gentle kiss in response.

"I half wondered if I'd find an empty room when I got here! Would be just like you to pull a stunt like that!" She teased with a playful poke to his arm.

"Ow! That's where my IV was!" He joked, amazed at being known so thoroughly by this woman. He laughed to himself as he imagined having gone through with his little plan, only to have her shake her head knowingly, and then proceed to calmly find him in whatever hiding place he may have chosen on her first try. God, he was so lucky to have her.

"Jane? You coming?" She peeked back into the room at him, questioningly.

"Oh! Yeah - sorry." He shook his head to wake himself fully from his little daydream. "Still getting used to reality I guess."

"Come here, partner!" She laughed and shook her head as she took his arm and gently coaxed him into walking through the hospital - with a quick wave to his nurses as they passed the station - and toward the exit.

As she drove them home, Lisbon prepared him a bit, so he would hopefully not be blindsided by the parts of her surprise that related to his former life. She was just finishing her last disclaimer as they pulled up to the house.

Still a little shaky on his feet, Jane held tightly to Lisbon as they moved from the car to the front step, then through the front door.

She took his jacket, and his small bag of personal items and quickly walked them to the bedroom, placing them on his dresser.

He looked around contentedly at the home they'd barely had time to share, taking in every bit of domesticity and breathing it in with bliss. He stretched his arms gingerly, anticipating a shot of residual pain (that thankfully never came), then sighed deeply, relaxing them to his sides.

His arms relaxed just in time for Lisbon's to encircle him from behind in a gentle embrace, her head turned just enough to allow her cheek to press lightly against his back. "Welcome home, my love! It hasn't felt much like home lately, though. There is no home for me without you, Patrick. I've missed you so much."

Instinctually he turned to face her, drinking in her beauty… the glow in her eyes… the expectancy in her smile… "Not half as much as I've missed you, lovely Teresa!" He continued the embrace, sprinkling the top of her head with kisses and his warm breath. "Now, what is this big 'surprise' I keep hearing about? The suspense has been killing me!"

Alarmed, she slapped his arm playfully and pleaded, "Seriously Jane, could we maybe NOT use that metaphor under the circumstances?"

"Oh! Right. Sorry love, I wasn't thinking."

"Since when have YOU ever stopped THINKING?" She teased.

"Touché!" He smiled fully at her jibe - he'd missed getting attitude from his 'pocket-rocket' while he'd been gone.

"Okay Jane, follow me."

He tiptoed right on her heels down the hallway to the spare room (or, at least, what had been the spare room). "Are you ready, sweet?" She wanted to be sure not to spring things on him before he was prepared.

"Definitely!"

With a dramatic flair, worthy of the wife of a showman, she opened the door, watching closely for his reaction.

Her heart leapt as she saw his face contort with emotion. "Oh, Lisbon… Teresa, this is…" She had not seen her husband so visibly moved in a long time. He was nearly as affected as he'd been when she'd presented him with his repaired CBI teacup as a wedding present (maybe more so).

Watching her beautiful partner revel in amazement at the surprise she'd waited so long to give him, Lisbon found herself briefly overwhelmed at the physical proof of his love for her - and her love for him - that was growing in her womb daily. She wiped at her damp cheeks, laughing at her overemotional state. Must be the pregnancy hormones, she reasoned with herself.

Noticing her enjoyment and overwhelm at his beaming smile and joyful reaction to the surprise (and honestly his joy at simply being home with her again), he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you for my amazing surprise, dearest Teresa. It's the most wonderful thing I can imagine, and I love you and our child more than I can say." He leaned down to her for a sweet, gentle, tender kiss, one hand holding to her navel.

"Having you home is an equally wonderful gift for me, gorgeous!" Lisbon added.

"Hmm… home alone with a hot brunette who loves me…" Jane tapped a finger on his chin, "what to do… what to do…" he grinned his most ornery Cheshire smile, as he flirted openly with her.

Sighing in relief that they might finally get to have sex again, she melted into him, continuing the kisses. "I bet I could think of something to pass the time," she sizzled into his ear.

"I can read your thoughts, you know." He continued the sultry banter, whispering against her clavicle, trailing kisses toward the hollow of her throat.

"Prove it." She challenged, with a lusty grin.

"Mmm… Gladly!" He led her from the newly revealed nursery to their bedroom, and slowly-as-he-could-stand, removed one item of clothing from her at a time, thoroughly kissing each newly revealed patch of skin as he did (with her still-flat-for-now stomach getting extra, affectionate attention).

She struggled mightily against her impatience to be completely with him once again, and gasped her way through his magically (and maddeningly) slow striptease.

By the time he had finished relieving her of all her coverings, her insides and emotions were in a near frenzy. "You are so lucky you're still recovering right now, Patrick. It might be the only thing saving you from my voracious appetite," she panted against the skin exposed by his unbuttoned collar.

"Hungry, love?" He teased.

"Only for you, gorgeous. God, I've missed you." There was absolutely no humor in her tone - only desire and want.

"Then, my dearest Lisbon, do with me what you will." He glimmered as he submitted to her every wish.

He was still healing, so she knew to be gentle, and that he'd have to take it as easy as he could this time around. Still, she found ways to bring him pleasure without as much work on his part. She undressed him more quickly than he had with her, but was careful to not be overly forceful. When his shirt was gone, revealing his scars from the shooting, she suddenly stopped. Then, slowly and reverently, she gently kissed each healed wound with intense gratitude. Each kiss was accompanied by a prayer of thanks. Her soulmate, the love of her life, had been spared. She was determined to never take this miracle for granted (nor the miracle growing within her). They shared a lingering gaze for several moments, speaking love and gratefulness too deep for words. Then her kisses resumed, becoming more urgent the further they got from his injuries.

He moaned in ecstasy at the sensations they had both missed so desperately during their not-so-brief separation. Feeling her lips kissing every square inch of him again felt heavenly, and he wanted to remember this particular night of re-connection forever.

Freely loving her beautiful husband with increasing passion, Lisbon was suddenly hit with an absolutely desperate need to feel him inside of her. Sensing he was close to losing control, she moved above him, and satiated her deepest desires.

They reached the peak of their joined euphoria simultaneously, as too many days of longing dissolved into love and tears and the tightest grip she dared to hold him in, battered and bruised as he was.

"I love you so much, Patrick." She hummed, pressing a kiss to the curve of his neck.

With a gentle squeeze, face buried in her hair, he breathed her in. "You're my whole heart, Teresa. There is no me, without you. Not anymore."

The weight of the past weeks melted away during the night, as they slept. Relaxing into the comfort of one another. Finally able to breathe again.

After a much needed sleep-in, the Jane's were enjoying a lovely breakfast together. "Eggs are a welcome change after weeks of bear claws," she half-joked with him, as he worked his usual wizardry in the kitchen.

"And you have no idea how much I've missed real tea in my favorite mug!" He exclaimed with enthusiasm.

She thought she should probably tell him what Grace had learned about Erica & Pike being in Lebanon, but for now she simply wanted to soak in the normalcy of this wonderful morning.

Not that much later, Danny arrived at the house - surprising them both with blueberry muffins, and an additional baby gift (one with a unique Ruskin twist). The full-sized quilt had been made by his and Angela's mother, and was a family heirloom, of sorts.

Jane's mouth hung open, amazed, as he accessed long lost memories of a young Angela Ruskin with that same quilt. Lisbon watched him closely for any signs of distress, but only saw happiness in him.

"My mom made it. Angie always adored it - was always rolling up in it on the bench seat of the trailer." He smiled at the childhood memory of his big sister. "Mom actually willed it to her." He suddenly broke eye contact with Jane.

"Since Angie was gone, it was my responsibility to get it to you as her next of kin, but I was so intensely pissed at you for so many years that I never did pass it on." Danny hung his head as the guilt of it hit him.

With an empathy worthy of the husband of 'Saint Teresa,' Jane put a hand on Danny's slumped shoulder. "That was anger well-placed, Danny. Plus, that's in the past, right? Please don't beat yourself up about it. Angie wouldn't like seeing you all knotted up over this," Jane comforted.

Danny tried to conceal his tears and sniffed quickly. "Well anyway, I was thinking that this would be a perfect time to give it to you, it's rightful owner. Angie would love knowing that her little step-child, or niece or nephew - or however you decide to label it - would get to bundle up warm in Mom's quilt."

"It's such a beautiful memory, Danny. Such a meaningful gift - Thank you!" Jane pulled his brother-in-law in for a hug, reaching out for Lisbon to join in the family huddle. The pregnancy hormones seemed to affect all three of them, in that moment.