A Fairly Important A/N Correcting a Fairly Big Mistake:

First off, I want to thank all of you for the kind reviews. I'm finally over the month long creeping crud so I'll start responding as I should.

Now, I need to address the error. I failed to delete a paragraph or two at the end of Chapter Three which shouldn't have been there. They're gone now. If you read the chapter the first night/day it was posted, it now ends differently. Sorry for the mistake.

As for the whole "are they/aren't they" perspective, I'm continuing this story the way I started. It's AU which means they aren't - not yet.

As for what I really think, after the last couple of episodes, I'm in the "they are" camp as much as I hate to say it. But, that darned ring still bugs me. Considering it's always on Jane's finger even when they're pulling a con where Lisbon is supposedly his woman, I'd say he hasn't removed it since they got together and I have a hard time accepting Lisbon (or any woman) saying, "Oh, fine, you can keep your dead wife's wedding ring on while we make love." However, given the uniqueness of their relationship, I can't say she wouldn't either.

Oh, well, it's those kinds of subtleties that make for interesting writing fodder. ~Calla

#

Blinking stupidly, Lisbon's mind went into overdrive.

Jane had to know he'd stunned her with that statement.

Actually, he'd knocked her on her rear…However, that didn't mean she was going with the flow and jumping at what he was offering…Not going to happen…Saying they'd had an unpleasant couple of days was an understatement…It was dejà vu nasty with shades of demented Sheriffs and malevolent toadies hiding around every corner…Not the best climate for encouraging intimacies in her opinion.

For making foolish, emotion-driven mistakes, hell yeah, she could see that coming all day… night…long.

If all of that cheeriness wasn't enough to curtail any amorous pursuits, she was physically and emotionally drained as well. The only reason she was here instead of eyeball deep in bubbles and boiling water was to reassure herself Jane was truly okay. While that was debatable, he appeared to be doing better than she was. He wasn't as depleted anyway.

Maybe, unlike her, he hadn't been giving lip service when he said he'd anticipated something way off key.

She certainly hadn't expected to fly into Southern California a couple of days ago to consult on an Interstate Commerce case only to be met with a replay of the Jane Family Murder…Talk about freaky coincidences that weren't coincidental at all…She so wasn't going there…Add in the strain of flying back a few hours later because someone was acting like the resident ass and you got a monumental case of jet lag.

She still wanted to slap Jane stupid over that one.

It hadn't been necessary for him to revert back to his most obnoxious persona. The one making her want to throttle him more often than not in the old days. But, he had and he'd done it with a vengeance. It seemed once he'd seen all he needed to see, he wasn't staying a moment longer than he had to and he'd made sure Dennis knew it. The rest of the team could tie up any loose ends and shoot them to Austin via the Internet. He had things to do back at the office. Choosing his battle wisely, Abbott hadn't tried to stop them from leaving. He'd merely nodded and let her know the team would be back in a day or two. They had a couple of potential leads to check out.

Besides, he gently reminded her, they were far more likely to solve one, or both, cases due to whatever scheme Jane was cooking up than any piece of the puzzle they stumbled on here in California.

Exasperated with her almost-lover's behavior, Lisbon had followed her boss's lead although she'd left Jane at the office soon after they'd arrived. It made more sense going home to clear her head than hanging out at her desk staring into empty space. It wasn't like the someone who was stepping on her last nerve couldn't find his way to the RV Park like he always did. Besides, Mr. Happy Britches needed to brood in private and she needed to rest. So, she'd done what any self respecting woman would and taken a few hours of solitary down time like she hadn't since their "relationship" began. However, she'd eventually had enough of a good thing and come over expecting to be the strong shoulder she'd been so many times in the past.

It seemed Jane was in a different mindset…One giving him ideas that were questionable at best.

Deciding she really didn't want to deal with any of this, Lisbon chose to break her rule and have that much needed drink instead. It wasn't like one or two sips would really hurt anything as long as she didn't make a habit of it. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was sure her Dad had probably had a similar thought at one time. Look where it had gotten him. But, then again, she hadn't recently lost a spouse, wasn't faced with raising four young children on her own and, most importantly, she wasn't weak like her father.

She was, however, seriously considering offing her not-quite-lover.

Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, Lisbon poured a measure of Bourbon and took a sip making her usual face. She didn't care for the stuff. Really, really didn't. Give her a beer any day. However, in this instance, that was a fact in her favor. While she could drink enough to take the edge off her anger while knowing she couldn't tolerate the taste enough to get seriously lit as she wanted to.

Catching Lisbon's grimace, Jane reached into the cabinet over her head to remove an unopened bottle with an unfamiliar label. Pouring a generous couple of fingers in a proper glass, he offered it to her instead. Setting the Bourbon aside, she accepted the glass and took a sip. This wasn't their usual poison meant to be tossed back with lime and salt, it was an expensive sipping Tequila meant to be savored instead.

"That's better." She carried her glass over to the galley before sliding comfortably onto the bench. "I didn't know you had that."

"You weren't supposed to." Jane sat across the table from her on the opposite bench. "I was saving it for a time like this."

"Okay." Lisbon reached out to touch his hand. "I don't know what to say."

Beyond she wasn't ready for whatever he had in mind.

She hadn't even told him she loved him yet. Not that she didn't, she did. It was just a whole lot harder to actually say the words than she thought it would be. That and the moment had to be right. It wasn't that she didn't want to or she didn't think he'd like to hear them. It was more that saying the words out loud would make them real.

The words and the "them."

She wasn't sure she was ready for that…Other than a couple of overprotective stunts she'd taken him to task for, the fantasy was going well…Perhaps a little too well to mess with.

"Don't say anything." Jane twirled his glass. "We don't have to move on yet. I just thought you should know there aren't any ghosts between us when we do."

"That's nice to know." Lisbon stared at his bare finger knowing his earlier gesture changed everything. "Since that's going to out us like nothing else will."

She nodded at his hand.

While she'd appreciated his willingness to remove his wedding band in private, she'd known he still wore it in his heart even if his finger was bare. His eagerness to return the band to its rightful place at the end of their evening was hard to miss. She knew it wasn't because he was afraid he'd forget and their secret would get sprung. It had nothing to do with any of that considering she was the one who wanted their relationship to remain a secret. Jane couldn't care less who knew they were together. It had a whole lot more to do with the reality that, while he wanted his present, he wasn't quite ready to let go of his past. While none of that was a deal breaker, somewhere deep inside some part of her resented being forced to share him with the other woman and the rest of her resented the fact she felt bad for resenting a ghost. Neither were comfortable feelings. It looked like all of that might have recently changed for the better.

"I'm not the one who wanted to keep us secret." Jane gently reminded her. "So I don't mind if it does. Besides, you don't believe our co-workers don't suspect I'm the reason you didn't marry Marcus? You're smarter than that and so are they. I don't think this," He wiggled his ring finger. "Will surprise anyone."

"You may be right." Lisbon agreed. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"It's been long enough we aren't disrespecting Pike." Jane rubbed her hand reassuringly. "I can't say there won't be some nasty whisper. There probably will be; but, it isn't like anyone can accuse us of slipping around behind his back with any credibility. They know better. The two of you were always together so it isn't like we had opportunity had we ever wanted to. Besides, I think people know you better than that."

"Maybe they can't; but, they can say equally hurtful things like I shouldn't have gotten involved with Marcus in the first place and they'd be right." Lisbon absently entwined her fingers with his. "Not knowing how I felt about you."

"I'm not sure you did." Jane observed. "Know how you felt about me. Not really. Not until you were in too deep and realized choosing Pike meant losing me."

Glancing up, Lisbon wasn't sure he wasn't right.

While she'd happily let Marcus sweep her along for the ride, some part of her had known happily ever after required more than they had. Shared interests, fuzzy feelings, and a healthy sex life wasn't enough to keep the love light burning. Not when some vital spark was missing. However, knowing that and knowing what to do about it were two different things. In the end, she'd instinctively done what she'd done so several times over the years. She'd begged for Jane's interference without saying a word.

He hadn't let her down even if he'd waited until the eleventh hour to halt the biggest mistake of her life.

"I think you're right." Lisbon agreed. "That doesn't make what we did right so I guess we deserve those whispers."

"Perhaps, but don't let it bother you. We'll get through it like we always do." Jane agreed. "Besides, Marcus is a big boy. He decided to go after you even knowing there was something between us. He chose to play the game and he lost."

"There wasn't anything between us." Lisbon gave him a look clearly conveying if there had been she wouldn't have gone out with the other man. "And this isn't a game."

"No, it isn't." Jane agreed. "Love never is."

But, while he was wise enough not to remind Lisbon there'd been something between them for a very long time, Jane silently acknowledged winning her affections had been a very intricate game he hadn't initially realized he was playing. From that first snippy "Mr. Jane" to working their way through Lorelei to two years of contemplation and a long awaited reunion to the very moment he'd concluded he damned well wasn't losing his Lisbon to the likes of one Marcus Pike, their relationship had been a complex game of monumental wins and losses. As the years rolled by and his feelings changed, he'd known he would lose in the end. But, he hadn't quit the fight. Some part of him had dared hope things would end differently and, mercifully, they had.

He was getting that last chance he never expected to have. The one he wasn't about to mess up now. Not when he was so close to winning the prize even if it meant exposing every one of his vulnerabilities.

"No, it isn't." Lisbon twirled her glass thinking that was as close to telling Jane she loved him as she'd come and it wasn't really fair considering he'd already said the words.

"But, it's still fun." Jane forced her to look at him. "And we're keeping it that way."

"Yeah, we are." Lisbon knew he was letting her off the hook for not being able to say what she felt and he was letting himself off the hook for his recent missteps which was fine by her.

They'd already had a couple of serious run-ins connected to Jane's over protectiveness and he was making an effort to do better. She knew that; but, knowing it didn't necessarily make dealing with him any easier. Just as she was struggling with actually saying the words, he was struggling to overcome his fear of losing her and of history repeating itself right before his eyes.

As irrational as her fears were considering Jane had already said the words, his were just as off base. Considering he'd always known exactly who she was: a cop in some form or another and who she wasn't: his defenseless late wife, his fears were unfounded. She'd proven she could take care of herself over and over again. While that was true for the most part, Lisbon conveniently refused to recall the few times she'd have been toast if Jane hadn't been there. If she did, she'd have to admit he had some grounds for his feelings and that would open a whole new can of words. As it was, they were both tacitly agreeing to let some sleeping dogs lie.

"Good." Rising to his feet, Jane poured a little more Tequila in her glass before resuming his seat. "Drink up."

"Trying to get me drunk?" Lisbon quirked a brow at him.

"Maybe." Jane smirked knowing it would take more than the equivalent of a couple of shots of Tequila to do Lisbon in and she'd stop long before that. "What do you think?"

"It's not gonna work." She smirked back. "But I'll let you try."

Lifting her glass to her lips, Lisbon decided that nice long soak in a tub full of bubbles wasn't nearly as appealing as spending time with Jane.