A/N: After some requests from fellow fanfiction readers the Virtual Season 8 fanfic writers project on tumblr is pleased to publish the stories here too. For your convenience each author's episode will now be posted here as individual chapters after they first 'air' on tumblr.

If you'd like to follow the season on tumblr the link to it is provided on the profile page. Some great artwork has been produced to accompany the episodes that we unfortunately cannot show here so would encourage you to visit the main site to view it to enhance your reading experience.

We'd love to have your comments both here and on tumblr as the season progresses and thanks to all of you who have already given us such positive feedback. It really does make all the hard work we've been doing behind the scenes for the past few months worthwhile.

This first 'epsiode' is the prolog to the virtual season and is brought to you by Consulting Patrick Jane - Lisbon and Jane journey through her pregnancy and subsequent birth of their son, Liam. How do they fare? Meet their little son and go in their parental world for just a little. See them interact with Liam, and function as they never thought they would.

Please enjoy this little glimpse into their parental life with their new arrival.

Disclaimer: We don't own The Mentalist.

LITTLE BOY BLUE

"I think this peg goes into this slot, Rigsby," Jane told his old friend. "See? It shows this," he pointed to the peg on the floor, "going into this," he held up a slotted piece of wood in his hand. "You have it backward, I think."

Rigsby was sat on the floor, the instructions to a baby crib spread across his lap and a screwdriver set in his right hand. He looked up at Jane and shook his head, causing the blond-haired consultant to sigh in vexation. They had been sitting in the newly completed nursery for the better part of an hour, trying to figure out exactly how the new crib went together. After several attempts at blindly putting it together and a rip forming in Jane's faded blue jeans, the two men were now sitting on the braided rug in the center of the room fighting over which part went where.

"I have put these together twice now," Rigsby told Jane, jabbing a finger at the instructions. "I think I have it down. That thing," he pointed to the part in Jane's hand, "goes to this." He reached over and picked up a long piece of wood.

"It doesn't fit!" Jane told him, taking the long piece of wood and trying to stuff the slotted bit of wood into it, which indeed did not fit. "You had Grace put it together while you watched, didn't you?" Jane asked, a faint smile on his face.

"You're the Mentalist! Don't you have some kind of weird trick to putting this together?" Rigsby narrowed his eyes, but finally nodded his head toward the deconstructed crib. "God, they need to pay us to put these damn things together!" he stated, throwing the instructions off his lap and setting the drill on the floor. "Tell me again why you decided to wait until boss was ready to pop to do this?"

"Well," Jane said, sitting cross-legged on the floor across from Rigsby, amongst the scattered crib parts, "we just finished renovating the cabin. Teresa wanted everything done before we set up the nursery." Jane took the instructions and gazed at them intently. "It's been a long time since I put one of these together," he commented. "I can't believe I've forgotten how it's done. And, no, Rigsby, I don't have a trick to putting together a crib using ten billion parts."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Grace did put Maddie's together." Rigsby grinned at the other man and then turned serious. "You'll be okay, Jane. When you see your son for the first time, everything else melts away; the fear and the what-ifs drift off when you hold your child in your arms. It's wonderful."

"I can't wait to hold him," Jane replied with a smile that lit up his face. "I've waited nine months for this. I just want to hold my son." He folded the instructions and sat them on the rug between them. "He's a miracle to me." He glanced at Rigsby and saw a little bit of confusion cross his features. "Well," Jane started, "he's a miracle because I didn't think I would ever move on again. To have love be accepted for me and to give love openly back. I didn't expect to be here, now, with a wife I adore and a son I am anxious to meet."

"It's a bright side," said a voice from the doorway of the nursery.

Jane and Rigsby turned to see Lisbon, who was currently nine-months pregnant and due any day, standing just inside the room, one hand on her protruding belly, and the other carrying two water bottles with the tops. Jane lifted himself from the floor and sidestepped the crib parts and the tool belt of his lying on the floor and stepped to his wife, taking the water bottles from her, kissing her cheek before turning to throw one of the waters at Rigsby, who caught it easily. He turned back to his wife and put a hand on her belly, rubbing gently.

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked her, feeling her now free hand fall over his on her belly. "Has your back pain stopped? You should be resting, Teresa."

"Jane," she told him gently, "I am perfectly able to be up doing things. I have a human being inside me, not an incurable disease! I just brought you water thinking you were working hard in here." Her eyes fell around her husband to Rigsby, who was looking pitifully confused with the sea of crib parts. "Everything alright in here?" Her eyes swung back to her husband's.

"Uh, yeah. Just been a while since I did this," Jane explained. "Rigsby had Grace put his together." He looked back at Rigsby, who shrugged and took a sip of his water.

"Traitor," he heard Rigsby say.

"I thought I heard you two arguing over which part went where," Lisbon commented, raising a perfect eyebrow at her husband. "Is this some kind of male dominance thing?" She laughed. "Pack it in, boys! It's getting late and Grace wants a video chat with you before you go to sleep so you can tell Maddie and Ben goodnight. You can get back in the morning and sort this crib out." She tipped her head at first toward her husband and then Rigsby. "Or should I call Grace to fly down here and she and I can put this together? Hmm?"

Jane rolled his eyes playfully at his wife and kissed her, turning to watch Rigsby raise himself and step over the wood parts of the crib. He prodded around in his jeans pocket and brought out a small box wrapped in blue tissue paper that had small globs of glue all over it, as if hastily put together. He passed it to Lisbon.

"What is this?" she asked, taking the box from him and turning it over in her palm.

"Grace was pretty upset she couldn't come down to visit you," Rigsby explained. "She wanted to come really bad, but Maddie and Ben's sitter couldn't swing the two weeks. She gave this to me to give to you." He pointed at the box. "Wrapped it myself. Maddie helped by pressing the paper down."

There was a silence from everyone, and then there was the sound of Lisbon sniffling as she held the small box firmly in her hand. She looked up at Rigsby and leaned forward, letting her and Jane's hands fall from her belly as she pulled her good friend in for a hug.

"It's fantastic, thank you!" she told Rigsby, squeezing him hard. "Tell Grace I said thanks and I will talk to her very soon." She parted from Rigsby and wiped her eyes, which were misting. "Kiss Maddie and Ben, too, for me!"

"You're welcome, boss," answered Rigsby. "I will. I will see you tomorrow, okay? Maybe we can get this crib together and we can pretend we knew how to get it together all along, right, Jane?"

Jane laughed softly. "Yeah. See you, Rigsby. Thanks for getting down here and assisting me with the nursery. Cho's been busy with work, but he has come by and painted."

"Ah, the mint green was his idea, huh?"

"It was mine," Lisbon told Rigsby. "Reminded me of the color of frogs, which reminded me of the paper frog Jane made me a long time ago. Sentimental association. I made Cho paint it."

"She also made him smell the sink when he cleaned the brushes in the farmhouse sink," Jane laughed loudly. "Never seen Cho so scared in my life."

"I'll remember not to scrape the floors when the crib is ready to be placed," he joked. "Bye, guys. Thanks for dinner. I will be around tomorrow. The cabin looks wonderful. So glad your brothers were here to help Jane." He smiled once more, waving to them as he took his exit.

They heard the click of the front door shutting tightly, and Jane reached to take his wife by the hand. He turned off the nursery light as he guided them out of the mint green baby's room and across the hall to their own master suite. He turned on the light and closed the door just slightly, pulling his wife gently to sit on the edge of the bed as he turned to rummage through her dresser drawer, pulling out a nightgown of light lavender.

"I can do that, Jane," Lisbon assured him, watching as he sat the nightgown on the bed beside her and turned back to her dresser.

"I know you are an independent woman, Teresa," he told her, continuing to rummage through her dresser, "but remember what happened last night? You got the nightgown stuck on your head and couldn't raise your arms enough to get it back down over your belly. That is what happens when you think you don't need maternity sleep clothes or your husband's help." He laughed and turned back to her finally. "Besides, you are my wife, and I want to. Soon, it will be hospital gowns for a few days. Bask in this while you still can."

He helped her out of her shirt, discarding it in the hamper near the bedroom door, which also held the stuffed bag they packed for the trip to the hospital when it came. He lifted the nightgown over her head and pressed down gently, allowing it to drop over her shoulders as he moved her chestnut curls out from the collar. He bent down and removed her shoes (which were a little tight with her slightly swollen ankles), setting them down on the hardwood flooring before removing her socks and stuffing them in the shoes.

"I got this," she told her husband when he raised himself and reached for her pants, which were comfortable, stretchy slacks.

Jane reached out and helped his very pregnant wife up, pushing the nightgown down over her bump as she took to removing her slacks. He leaned down and pulled them off her ankles after she sat back down, and threw them with the shirt in the hamper. He helped her back to her feet and watched as she tucked herself into her side of the bed and flipped on her table lamp.

She watched him attentively as he walked over to his own dresser. She had always wondered what he did when she was at work; desk duty often was boring and led her to call him a lot at home as he renovated their home. Whenever she'd ask him what he was doing, he'd just tell her he was pulling out a wall with her brother Stan, or he would tell her something else that he was doing in the renovation process. The only problem was, she could see no difference when she came home at night sometimes, and it made her wonder what he was actually doing with some of his time.

"Wonder what this is?" she asked curiously, bringing her attention to the box as she watched Jane peel off his own white T-shirt and faded, ripped jeans, discarding them into the hamper as he rummaged in his own dresser. "Should I open it?"

Jane turned to her as he pulled on a fresh T-shirt and a pair of tan pajama bottoms. He shrugged a broad shoulder. "I don't know. Do you want to?" he asked. "I think they gave it to you with that intention, Teresa." He turned off the main light and came around to crawl into his side, turning to kiss her as he set himself against the headboard. He leaned over and turned his lamp on, bathing his side in bright light to match his wife's.

He watched her face as she turned the box over and over in her hands, watching the delicate blue tissue paper crinkle between her fingers. He could see her nervousness in her green eyes and in the way that she was awful quiet lately; as her due date neared, she became a little more apprehensive. They've discussed her pregnancy and the things that come with it at night when they were embraced in each other's arms, his hands stroking her baby bump as it progressed through the months. He assured her that everything would be okay, and she had been calm and excited. He could see that she was anxious and scared as the time came nearer.

He reached out his hand and stilled her hands from turning the box over for the tenth time, leaning his head close to hers. "Teresa," he whispered, "It will be okay, my love. I promise. I know this is going to be a scary time for you, but I will be here with you. Always." He took his free hand and brought it up to caress her cheek. "Okay?"

She looked at him and nodded, a small smile on her lips. She kissed him quickly on the lips. "Yeah. I know," she whispered, pressing her forehead to his. "I know that." She dropped a hand from the box to rub her belly unconsciously. She sighed, turning from Jane and placing the box on the table beside her. "I will open it in the morning."

"Fair enough," he told her.

She turned off her lamp, snuggling down in the sheets as she watched Jane turn off his light and snuggle down with her, coming to rest against her, his arm flung over her waist so that his hand rested on her belly. She brought her hand down and rubbed his knuckles with her thumb as she felt his breath on the back of her neck.

"Years of watching you with children, Jane," she whispered softly. "How you are with them made me realize how good of a father you were. How much of one you are going to be." She felt him exhale a breath, jostling her hair around her face. "How much love you have to give to our son."

"And you, my dear," he replied, kissing the nape of her neck. "You wanted this for a long time," he told her. "A life. A home. A family. I saw it very often in your eyes and chose to ignore it. It wasn't my business, then." He shifted behind her slightly. "It is my business now, and I am glad to be able to give it to you, Teresa. A home. Love. A child."

"I know you are," she told him quietly. "And I am happy to give you all that, too. I love you, Jane."

"I love you, too, Teresa," he replied softly, continuing to press a palm to her bump, feeling the band of his wedding ring against the warm cloth covering it. "And our baby."

It was quiet for a very long time. Just the stillness of the room and the warmth of their hands on the skin covering their newest addition to the Jane family. With the quiet and the shallow breathing of his wife, Patrick Jane fell asleep peacefully.

It was still dark outside when she rolled herself as much as she could onto her back, opening her eyes at the sound that had woken her from a peaceful sleep. She lifted her head off her pillow and watched the silhouette standing at the edge of the bed, rummaging around in something.

"Jane?" she called out. "What are you doing?"

The silhouette of her husband looked up and stopped digging around, stilling his hands and clearing his throat softly. "Just making sure everything is in here for when the time comes," he told her. "I don't want to have to leave you to come back here for something."

"It's," she looked over at the side table clock, "3:07 in the morning. Come back to bed, Jane." She reached underneath the covers and tapped the mattress with her hand near her hip. She scrunched her face in confusion as she felt something wet under her palm. She brought her hand up and looked at it glistening in the dusky beams of the moon filtering through the window. "Uh, Jane?"

"I know," he said, resuming digging around in the bag. "But I don't want to leave you, Teresa. It's best to be sure. You never know when we will have to leave in a hurry."

"Jane?"

"And, besides! The baby's onesies and diapers are in here, but we forgot his stuffed animal! What if he gets fussy on the way home?" he went on. "I found it and put it in the bag."

"Jane?" she tried again.

"And then we have your stuff…"

"JANE!" Lisbon shouted at her floundering husband, capturing his attention immediately. "Uh, I think I sprung a leak here."

"Sprung a…?" He suddenly stood up straight, stopping the rummaging he was doing and turning to cross the room and flip the light on. "What do you mean?" he asked as he came over and watched her pull the covers off her legs. Sure enough, there was a large water stain underneath her legs. He cringed at her sharp look before it finally hit him what she meant. "Oh! OH! That leak!"

If she wasn't suddenly scared, she'd have laughed. Jane helped her to a sitting position, holding her hand the entire time as he lifted her to her feet. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her cell phone, dialing Rigsby's cell number.

"Wayne!" Jane greeted as soon as he heard a sleepy Rigsby answer the other end. "Teresa and I are heading to the hospital! Her water broke! Can you meet us there? Thanks! Call Cho!" He hung up and threw the phone into the overnight bag, turning his attention back to his wife.

"We have to get you to the hospital, love," he told her, feeling her tremble underneath his hand in hers. "The baby is coming. Are you having any contractions?" He assessed her, pushing a hand out and under her shirt to cover her belly.

She looked at Jane as serious as she could manage in her anxious state. "I am not going to the hospital in this!" She nodded toward her nightgown. "And, no, no contractions. Just...fluid."

Jane looked around and let go of her hand, and dropped the one tracing her belly, racing over to the hamper and digging out the slacks and shirt he discarded there earlier. He pulled them out and gently sat her back down on the edge of the bed, helping her into her slacks before taking off her nightgown and throwing it heaven knew where and replacing it with her shirt. He reached over and grabbed her slippers from under the bed and slipped them onto her feet. He walked back over and pulled off his pajama bottoms, replacing them with the ripped jeans before reaching down to pull on his brown shoes, sans socks.

"Okay! There! Let's go! You okay, Teresa?" he asked, lifting her and pulling her pants the rest of the way up for her.

"Yeah," she told him softly, following behind him as he tugged on her hand toward the door, stopping only to grab the overnight bag. "Just scared."

He turned abruptly, causing her to stop quickly in startled response. Jane put out a hand, placing it on the top of her belly and leaning down to look into her sea green eyes with his.

"I want you to relax, Teresa," he whispered softly. "Okay? Can you do that? Can you inhale a deep breath, letting it go slowly?"

Lisbon narrowed her eyes but nodded her head and inhaled deeply, exhaling slow and shallow. She watched as Jane mimicked her, breathing in deeply and exhaling several times as his hand felt the warmth of her stomach under his palm.

"Good! Keep doing that, Teresa, until we get to the hospital, okay? Keep doing that. Remember the exercises they gave us in the Lamaze classes we took?" She nodded and he grinned. "Good. Keep up the breathing. It will relax you." He leaned up and kissed her on the forehead. "Let's go have our baby." He pulled her by the hand and they exited the room as Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon. The next time they would enter, they'd be new parents to a baby boy.

THIRTY SIX HOURS LATER

Jane reached down in the small bassinet that stood off to the side of Lisbon's hospital bed, picking up the small bundle of blue blankets that held his newborn son inside. As his arms felt the heavy, wriggling warmth of his child, he felt the emotions overflow, watching as the tiny human made out of love for his wife yawn a toothless yawn. He looked over at his wife, who, after an exhausting and intense labor, was resting peacefully.

"Hey, hey! It's me," Jane told the infant, sitting down in the chair next to Lisbon's bed. "It's your dad."

He reached down and kissed his son on the forehead before holding out his big finger for the baby to wrap his own small hand around. The small wrist bracelet made Jane nearly cry. In black typeset, the band read: JANE, BABY, along with his weight and time of birth, and Jane and Lisbon's names listed as mother and father. The band matched Jane and Lisbon's in color. Dad. Father. He didn't think he could have been any happier the day Teresa agreed to marry him. He was wrong. Here, now, holding his newborn son in his arms was the happiest day he has had in a long time. To know that this little human being wrapped in blankets in his arms was a part of him and his love for Lisbon was something he could never describe. He wouldn't even attempt it.

"You're finally here," Jane whispered, smiling as his son cooed and wiggled his arms. "I can finally hold you! I've waited a long time to meet you. You already know I am your daddy," he told the small child. "That over there is your mommy! She loves you very much." He bent to kiss his son's small hand still wrapped around his finger. "It's been a little while for all of this," he said, shifting his son just slightly against his chest. "I feel like this is all new to me again. It feels right. It feels amazing to have you and your mom in my life." He watched the infant close his eyes and still his arms, his hand slipping from Jane's finger. "I'm a lucky man. I love you, my sweet boy." He stroked his baby's cheek with one of his knuckles.

A sandy-haired nurse in multi-colored scrubs came in a moment later with a small bottle of formula. She handed it to Jane and smiled at the blond man who looked like he just won the lottery, bought another ticket, and hit the lottery again.

"Would you like to feed your baby son?" she asked, nodding at the bottle. "He might be hungry."

"Sure," he told her, tipping the bottle and allowing his son to latch onto the nipple, feeling the small draws his son took as he held the bottle. "You like that, huh? It tastes good, doesn't it? Oh, yes! I imagine that is tasty." From the corner of his eye, he watched the nurse exit the room. "She's gone. You can tell me if it's gross or not. I won't tell." His son continued to suck on the nipple for a minute or so, his mouth going. Eventually, Jane removed the bottle, and the infant drifted, closing his eyes. Jane held the bottle up to his own mouth, squirting some of the liquid into it. "Ick!" he exclaimed.

"How is the kid?" he heard from behind him as Cho and Rigsby walked inside the room. "Congrats, by the way!" Cho said.

"He just ate," Jane replied to the two men, setting the bottle down on Lisbon's food tray off to the side. "And thanks." Jane stood up slowly so he didn't jostle the baby, and turned to the stoic agent and his good friend. "Want to hold him?" he asked Rigsby.

"I'd love to!"

Jane handed his son over to Rigsby, but as soon as the baby felt the change of arms, he began to cry in little wails. Cho smacked Rigsby on the arm playfully.

"Your face scared the kid," he told Rigsby. "Let me hold him."

Rigsby handed the baby over to Cho, who bounced the crying infant in his arms. Almost immediately, the baby quieted down, eventually closing his eyes and drifting off once again.

"What gives?" Wayne asked, perturbed.

"He doesn't like ugly people," Cho joked.

"How are you an expert on calming babies all of a sudden?" Rigsby wanted to know.

"Well, for one, my face is handsome," he said, eliciting a chuckle from Jane.

"Wylie watching the bullpen?" Jane asked, noticing his absence. "I'd have loved for him to be here."

"I'll send him a selfie of the baby once you guys are home and settled," Cho assured him. "And Wayne can send one to Van Pelt, too. Don't worry. This kid is too cute to keep to ourselves."

"Name him yet?" Rigsby asked, reaching out to touch the warm newborn gently over the blanket covering his legs.

Jane shook his head. "No," he told them. "I wanted to wait for Lisbon."

"Wait for me to do what?" her sleepy voice asked, causing the three men to turn to her.

Cho and Rigsby's face lit up at their boss, who was sitting up in the bed rubbing her eyes. Cho walked over and handed the baby to her before hugging his boss.

"It's good to see you awake," Cho told her. "Do you feel different?"

"I feel skinnier," she told them with a laugh. She looked down at her son, who was once again wide awake. "I feel amazing, Kimball. I really do."

Rigsby pushed Cho playfully out of the way and hugged his friend, watching as Lisbon slipped the blanket from her son's head and stroked his fuzzy hair with her fingertips.

"We have to go do something," Cho told them, "but we will be back later to check in on you and the baby, okay?"

"Okay."

The two men exited the room, closing the door behind them. As soon as the door was shut, Jane leaned over the side of the bed and gave his wife a kiss on the lips.

"I love you," he told her. "So much. You did so good, Teresa. You were so brave."

She gave him another kiss and looked back down at the bundle moving in her arms. She was holding her son in her arms. Something she never thought would happen to her. Next to her was the man that was not only the love of her life, but the father of the little bit of heaven in between her arms. Her life felt complete; as Jane had told her just a little bit ago, she had a home, a husband who adores her and loves her unconditionally, and now a son to make her family complete.

She stared down at the baby, taking in the features of their son. His chubby cheeks, his fuzzy bit of blond hair poking out from the blanket, and he had Jane's nose; he had bluish eyes for now, but she was certain they'd change and darken to her greenish ones when he was older. He was half hers and half Jane's. He was both theirs and only theirs.

"He's so beautiful," she whispered to Jane. "He's so small." There were tears threatening now. "He's ours."

"He is," Jane agreed, touching his son's small chin with his finger. "Have you thought of a name, love?"

Teresa stared at her son for a long beat. Finally, she nodded her head and turned to her husband. "Liam. Liam Jane. After my grandfather."

"The one who gave you the car die cast as a graduation gift?" Jane asked, looking at her and nodding off her own nod. "Liam Jane. I love it. A strong name. It's sentimental to you, which means a lot to me. Liam Jane," he repeated, smiling widely. "My son, Liam."

"You like it? I mean, you really like it?" Lisbon whispered, a smile mirroring Jane's in girth.

"I do, my love. Our Liam." He kissed Lisbon once again before looking down at Liam, who was falling asleep for the third time. "Our precious Liam."

Lisbon pulled the car seat with a sleeping Liam in it from the backseat a few days later. He shifted, and she waited for Jane to retrieve her overnight bag, balloons from the FBI, and Liam's newly purchased diaper bag from the car before she followed him to the front door of the cabin.

Opening the door, Jane let his wife into the house with their newborn son, setting the things down on the entryway table before reaching to take the car seat from Lisbon, who reached in, unbuckled little Liam, and lifted him in her arms. Jane reached his hand out and rubbed the small of his back.

"Do you hear that?" Lisbon whispered, turning toward the hallway of their cabin. "It sounds like Rigsby."

Jane sat the car seat on the couch and nodded his head. "It does."

Jane made his way down the hall, Lisbon and Liam right behind him, and stopped just in front of Liam's nursery, where the voices were loud and argumentative.

"You made the 'I' crooked!" Rigsby said, pointing at the wall. "See?"

"It's not crooked; you're just looking at it wrong!" Cho insisted, a power drill in his hand. "It looks fine!"

Jane and Lisbon stood stock still, taking in the scene before them. Cho and Rigsby were on step stools, each looking at large brown letters that spelled out the word LIAM. Just under the letters stood the crib Jane and Rigsby had been trying to put together, all neatly assembled and stood against the wall. There was also a mobile that spun green frogs around and around, along with green frog bedding and a large green frog cling above the letters spelling out their son's name.

"Oh, Wayne! Kimball!" Lisbon started, tapping her son on the back and shaking her head back and forth, "You guys! It's wonderful!" Her eyes started to tear up at the effort her two friends made to make this homecoming for them and their son even more sweet.

The two men turned around quickly, both smiling brightly as they climbed down the stools and came to them. "You like it? Wylie found the frog thing on the wall," Cho told them. "He insisted we put it up. We worked on the crib for most of the day yesterday, and Grace suggested the letters, there. Did you know his name spells "mail" backwards?"

"It's beautiful!" Lisbon replied. "Liam is going to love it! Won't you?" she asked her son, kissing him on the top of his head. "What do you think about it, Jane?" she asked her husband, turning toward him and bringing her hand down to hold his.

"It's amazing!" he replied finally. "I can't believe you got that crib together! Was it you, Cho?"

"Wylie," Cho answered. "The kid can really read instructions. He came over last night and did most of the assembly as Rigsby cried and I supervised."

"Hey!" Rigsby said. "I did not cry! I may have whimpered a little…"

"It's perfect!" Lisbon let a tear escape down her cheek. "Thank you so much, guys. Really!"

"The 'I' is a little crooked," Jane replied before getting a soft whack from his wife. "Just joking."

"How is the little one?" Rigsby asked. "Out like a light, eh?" He smiled widely. "Grace has been after me to send her a picture of him. She told me she'll be calling you later."

"He's good," Jane answered. "A bit tired from the trip home, though." He turned and rubbed his hand over Liam's fuzzy head.

"Well, we will let you get him down, then," Cho told him. "Rigsby and I just wanted to put the finishing touches on the nursery." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Liam's tiny foot. "Cute kid you guys made."

"Bye, boss, Jane. Baby Liam," Rigsby said, following Cho out as Jane and Lisbon stepped aside to let them pass.

"Bye! Thanks again, guys! It really looks great. You did a great job," Jane said, following them to the door.

Lisbon stepped further inside the room once they had left, walking around with her tiny son on her chest, kissing his head and rubbing his back softly as she took in the green frog mobile and the crib with froggie bedding inside. There was also a frog toy in the corner of the crib.

"Look at all these froggies, Liam!" she said to her son, who was sleeping soundly against her. "This is your room! This is your bed," she pointed to the crib, "your diaper changing station," she pointed to it as she passed it on the left hand side of the room, "and here is a rocking chair for mommy and daddy to hold you and rock you to sleep if you get upset and fussy." She sighed, "Welcome home, baby boy. Welcome to your family. You are going to love it here. We already love you so much. And these froggies? They have sentimental value to your mommy, too! One day, I will tell you the story about them. You'll enjoy that epic tale, let me tell you." She laughed.

"That will be a very nice fairy tale for him," Jane said from behind her, coming to envelop his arms around her waist and rest his head on her shoulder, viewing the top of his son's head. "It's nice to bring him home. Sleep in a comfortable crib, get some of mommy's milk when he's hungry."

"Are you jealous?" Lisbon asked with a smirk.

"A little, yeah," he replied, kissing her neck. "Sounds like a good life." He kissed her shoulder and nodded toward the crib. "Why don't we put Liam down in his new crib and we can set up his playpen and sort out his car seat?" he suggested.

Lisbon nodded her head, but Jane could feel the hesitancy in her as she cradled Liam. Jane reached around his wife and pulled down on the crib's door, sliding it enough so that Lisbon could bend down and lay the baby on his back. Jane reached up and took the froggie blanket, covering Liam up to his belly before pushing the crib door back up with a soft click.

Both of them leaned on the side of the crib, looking down at their newborn sleeping soundly in the crib their friends put together for them. Neither one moved for the longest time; both just watched their child as he dreamed, holding each other as the mobile spun slightly with the soft quiver of his music. It was like quicksand was pulling them both down and sticking them to the spot; neither really wanted to go sort out the playpen or the car seat. They wanted to watch their son take his breaths, inhaling the scent of the wood that was his home, and the faint smell of Lisbon's perfume and Jane's aftershave. These were the things they wanted to do.

"It's been so long since I looked down at a sleeping baby that was mine," he commented softly. "Rigsby was right. When I saw him for the first time and held him, everything that I feared melted away. It was like it was only me and him, Teresa."

"You had fears?" she asked her husband quietly. "What happened to looking on the bright side?" she teased.

He laughed and squeezed his wife to his side. "Oh, I did that, too. I was worried about being rusty at this," he confessed. "After over a decade of not being a parent… not helping to raise a child," he explained, "I was nervous that I wouldn't remember how it felt to hold my own child."

"Did you think it would bring back memories?" Lisbon asked timidly. "About Charlotte?"

He nodded. "It did bring them back," he admitted. "But good memories. The bright side, as we call it." He smiled. "Holding Liam reminded me of how much I missed that part of my life." He peeked over at his wife. "That love after tragedy is possible if you're willing to work on yourself to get it."

"Who knew after all these years, this is where we'd be, huh?"

"It doesn't matter what stage in life you allow yourself the greatest pleasures, so long as you allow them." Jane reached over and lifted the band from her necklace that represented this future just as well as his past. "This now represents our son, too," he told her. "It has more light in its meaning than it does darkness, now. This is what brought us together, and kept us together, even when we were ignorant to what it truly meant to the both of us. This led to that," he nodded to the ring on her finger, "and that." He nodded to the sleeping infant in the crib.

Lisbon nodded her head and brought her hand up to grasp his holding his old wedding band. Finally, "Come on, Jane," Lisbon told her husband, sliding her hand down his arm and up his bicep slowly, tugging on his T-shirt sleeve. "Let's let him sleep for a little while."

"Yeah," he whispered almost soundlessly. "Okay." He reached down and put a hand to Liam's belly. "Sleep well, my little Liam."

"Sweet dreams, baby boy," whispered Lisbon.

THREE MONTHS LATER

It was early evening when they finally got into bed. Baby Liam was resting just across the hall, having gotten a feeding and a bath in a bath seat in the kitchen sink, Lisbon washing her son with a soft cloth as Jane supported his head and neck and comforted him when he started to fuss from water being sprayed to rinse off the baby soap. With a clean diaper and a blue onesie, he was set in his crib, a swing of the mobile to keep him calm until he could fall asleep. It had been hard to convince Lisbon to let Liam sleep across the hall in his nursery versus sleeping in the bassinet they had allowed him to sleep in next to their bed the first three weeks of his little life. Finally, Lisbon agreed, but she insisted on both their bedroom door and Liam's nursery door be left wide open so she could peer into his nursery from her side of the bed.

Lisbon rested herself against the headboard as she watched Jane undress and put on his blue pajamas. He had yet to lose the smile that crinkled his face, though both of them were tired from Liam's frequent need to be fed during the night. She hooked her gaze to him as he got into bed, turning to kiss her before fluffing his pillows behind his back and leaning against them.

"Any bets on how long he'll remain asleep tonight and who hears him first?" Jane asked his wife with a big smile.

"I am not betting against a mentalist," replied Lisbon humorously. "Besides, as soon as he cries, you are up and out of the room before I can say anything."

"Just want you to get some rest, my love," he said. "You feed him and bathe him, Teresa. This is the least I can do. Besides," he shrugged, "I love doing it."

"I know you do." She snuggled close to his side and rested her head on his shoulder. "He's gotten so big already. Time seems to be flying."

He tangled his legs with hers under the covers and leaned his hand over to lift her chin so he could gaze at her. "We still have plenty of time with him, Teresa. We still have him for a long while. Cherish these weeks, months and years."

They were quiet for a few minutes, allowing a private moment between them. Since Liam was born, they had made love only a few times, but it was a slow, methodical reacquaintance with each other's bodies more than physical need for it. When they broke apart, Lisbon sighed and nodded her head in agreement with his last statement.

"I know."

"Jane?" his wife asked him quietly, rubbing her hand over his forearm.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" He looked at her, perplexed.

"It's a general thank you. Use it for everything," she whispered softly. "I am."

He chuckled. "You still haven't opened Grace and Wayne's gift," he reminded her. "You put it in your nightstand drawer when we brought Liam home and never opened it." He nodded toward her table. "Maybe you should open it now, love."

She had forgotten about the box with everything going on with Liam and taking care of a few months old baby. She disengaged herself from Jane and reached over, pulling open the drawer and bringing out the small box she had tucked away months earlier. She closed the drawer and turned back to Jane.

"Let's see what it is." She pulled at the tissue paper, pulling it free of the box before lifting the lid.

Reaching inside, she pulled out a small charm from inside, which was in the shape of a woman, man and a baby holding hands. It was gold, and on the front side, on each small figure, they had engraved BABY JANE, TERESA, and PATRICK into the metal, below it. Lisbon flipped it over in her hand, and on the back, there was another engraving to match on each: MOTHER, FATHER, SON.

"What is it?" Jane asked though he clearly already knew what it was.

"It's a family charm," Lisbon told him, rendered speechless by the small gift. "It represents a mother's family. Look! There is Liam!" She pointed to the silver baby standing between the woman and man, holding one hand of each parent. "I love it!" She let the tears slide, not bothering to wipe them. She held it up for Jane to take a closer look.

He took it from her, running a finger over each representing figure; first over himself, then over Teresa before tracing over Liam. "Wow," he whispered. "Grace and Wayne have truly outdone themselves. This is touching." He swallowed the lump forming in his throat and cleared his throat as he turned the charm to read the back. He set the charm on the covers on his lap and reached over to move Lisbon's curls from the back of her neck, reaching for necklace and unclasping it. He took the necklace that held her most sentimental pieces of her life close to her heart and slid the charm onto the chain just in front of his wedding ring… their ring. He lifted the necklace back up, placing it back around her neck and clasping it closed. He repositioned her hair and then reached to place her three sentimentals in his palm.

"There," he told her. "Your mother's cross, our ring, and now our family close to your heart."

She was silent for a minute. Then, "I have three months left on my maternity leave."

"What are you thinking about, Teresa?"

"Going back. Leaving Liam," she replied, shrinking down in the covers. "Leaving you."

He sighed and shrunk down, too. "You know I will support whatever decision you make, Teresa. I won't stand in your way. As for Liam, I will be here. I can take care of him while you are at work."

"Working is who I am, Jane," she told him. "But I am also a mother, now. I have a priority higher than my job."

"I support you in your decision, my dear," he whispered, pulling her to him. "But at least let me take you away before you go back if that is what you decide you want to do."

"Hmm?"

"Let me take you on a second honeymoon," he said between kisses to her shoulder.

"You don't have to, Jane," she whispered.

"I want to," he insisted. "Somewhere nice."

"Where is that?"

"I don't know yet," he told her with a breathy laugh. "I'll think it over."

"You spoil me," she told him, turning herself to face him and giving him a small kiss. "You know that?"

He smiled and placed a hand on her hip. "Of course, I do. Husbands, if they have any sense, spoil their wives silly."

"Especially when she is a cop who happens to know how to aim a firearm," she teased.

"That might help, sure," he answered, returning her kiss. "Goodnight, my wife."

"Goodnight, my husband," she replied.

It was a little after eleven when Liam woke up crying. Lisbon rolled on her back and looked over at her husband, who was fast asleep. She threw the covers off herself and made her way over to Liam's nursery, flipping on the light and walking over to his crib.

"Hey, hey!" she told her son, reaching in and picking him up, pressing him against her breast while rubbing his back. "None of that. Mommy's here. Shh." She bounced him gently. "Want something to eat?" She turned and walked over to the rocking chair in the corner, sitting down with her son.

She positioned him so he could easily latch onto her, and rocked the chair back and forth gently as Liam was being fed. "Daddy is zonked out," she explained, pushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "Is that good? Hm?" She heard her son coo softly as he fed. She took that for a yes. She kissed the crown of his head and tapped his diaper softly.

"Well, I don't think Livin' On A Prayer would be a good lullaby for you, Liam," she said with a laugh. "It might make you cry, actually. Tried it on your daddy once. He woke up with a headache." She waited for him to finish up and then lifted him horizontally to rest against her chest. "How about an old nursery rhyme? It used to be your uncle Jimmy's favorite as a boy."

She started humming as Liam began to fuss again. "Little boy blue, come blow your horn; the cow's in the meadow, and the sheep are in the corn; where is the boy who looks after the sheep; he's under the haystack, fast asleep!" she sang in a soft, singsong voice. She hummed the tune as she rocked her son gently to and fro, finally getting him to settle down and drift off to sleep. She felt herself closing her eyes as the humming started to slow and fade.

That is how Jane found them ten minutes later. Lisbon sitting in the rocking chair, Liam on her chest. Both soundly asleep. He smiled at the sight as he came in and took the froggies blanket from Liam's crib and draped it over his son before kissing them both on the head and turning from the room.

He had heard Liam crying for just a minute or so before he felt his wife roll over and see if he was awake. He pretended he was so that she would comfort her son since he didn't give her a chance most times. She never saw or heard him tiptoe to the door of the nursery and peek in as she fed their son and rocked him to sleep with a lullaby. He had gone to the bathroom, and upon his return, his wife and son were both asleep.

He got back into their bed, covering himself up and turning toward where his wife would normally be lying. He sighed and sleepily started to hum 'Little Boy Blue' under his breath before he, too, was fast asleep.

TWO MONTHS LATER

"What is this?"

She took the envelope Jane handed her as she sat on the floor with Liam, who had just learned to roll onto his belly and giggle when Lisbon showed him colored blocks. Jane sat down next to Lisbon and tapped his son on the diaper, eliciting a laugh from Liam, who squirmed, moving his little arms and legs on the blanket he was lying on.

"Read it," he told his wife, making a face at Liam who laughed loudly. "Ugh! Liam! You really did a number on that diaper! You need a changing." He crinkled his nose.

Lisbon opened the envelope and reached in, pulling two airline tickets out. "What is this?" she repeated.

"You forget so easily," Jane told her. "Mommy is so silly!" he said to his son. "It's our trip. Remember? I said I was going to take you somewhere before you had to go back to the FBI." He thought about what he just said. "I meant before you decided to go back."

"I still have a month, Jane," she reminded him, stuffing the airline tickets back in the envelope.

"I know," Jane told her, watching as she picked up a colored block and showed it to Liam, who reached out for it. "Which is why I would like to go somewhere alone with you. We can have someone watch the baby for a few days or so, Teresa."

"I don't know…" she said apprehensively, her eyes on Liam the whole time, taking her hand up to her necklace and fumbling with the pieces of jewelry nervously.

"Teresa," Jane soothed her, "everything will be fine."

"Really?"

"Really."

There was a knock on the door. "Ah, that is your entertainment for the evening," Jane told Liam, kissing his son on the cheek before raising himself.

"Jane, what are you doing?"

Jane just smiled at his wife and answered the door. "Wylie! Ah! Nice to see you."

The agent made his way inside and smiled as soon as he saw Lisbon and Liam on the floor. "Oh! Hello, there, Liam! You are getting so big!" Wylie turned to Lisbon. "Hey, Lisbon! How are you?"

"Good," Lisbon said, her face turning in confusion. "Why are you here, Jason?"

"Jane wanted me to watch the little man for a while," Wylie explained. "Some man-to-man bonding time!"

Lisbon turned to her husband and shot him a look. "Oh, really? Why? Where are we going?"

"You, my dear," he answered, walking over and motioning for her hand, "are coming to dinner with me. It's been a long time since I treated my wife to dinner out, and I think it would be a good time to practice separation." He lifted her outstretched hand and helped her to her feet. "Get some time to ourselves?"

"Isn't that what this is for?" she countered, holding up the airline ticket envelope. "To go somewhere alone for a few days?"

"That would be an official getaway, my love," he countered her counter. "This is simply me taking my beautiful wife out to dinner. I've watched you nurture our son for five months now, Teresa," he told her. "You've got to take care of you, now. Please. Let me do it for you this once?"

"Jane, I-"

"Look," Jane told her, nodding toward Wylie. "You can't tell me he isn't in good hands. We don't want to be those helicopter parents, do we?"

Wylie was lying on his belly next to Liam, and he was allowing him to pull on the button at his wrist, talking to him softly. She watched Liam bend his head down and try to take the button in his mouth. She sighed and smiled. Turning back to Jane, she nodded her head.

"Okay. Dinner," she told him though her voice was hesitant.

"Thank you," he replied with a kiss. "Come! Let's get dressed. I'll be wearing something with pockets to stuff bread sticks into. Bring your biggest purse."

"Have fun!" Wylie called after them as they headed toward their bedroom. "I'll be teaching little man, here, all about surveillance systems and computer tracers. Maybe take him on a personal tour of where I smashed my thumb in his crib as I put it together…."

"Are you going to tell him that Liam needs a diaper change?" Jane asked with a laugh as they headed back toward their room.

"Nah," Lisbon replied with a smirk. "Something tells me he is about to find it out on his own." She laughed and closed the bedroom door behind them.

Wylie sniffed the air and sat up, dropping a block he was showing the toddler. Looking down at a giggling Liam, he scrunched his nose and lifted a finger to his nostrils. "UGH!" he cried out, standing and reaching down for a still giggling Liam. "You are ripe!" Wylie carried the baby at arm's length down the hall to the nursery, kicking the door closed behind him as Liam giggled on.

FIN

A/N: Next up is Sapphire Skies.