*So sorry for the delay. I have no excuse! But thank to all that reviewed the last chapter…now… Part Two! If you can't remember what this is a follow up to, please go back to the last chapter. It's my fault for not updating in a timely fashion. Thanks.

I jumped backwards to avoid her door slamming in my face. I heard a "Go to hell." The loud noise caught the attention of a neighbor about to get into his car. I waved cheerfully at him, and he ducked his head, embarrassed to be caught staring.

Even though Lisbon had just slammed a door in my face I was grinning to myself. She presented a challenge and overcoming those challenges is the air I breathe. Especially Lisbon challenges; those were the most amusing and challenging. She was more complicated than any murder.

Slipping my hand into my back pocket, while looking around casually, I nonchalantly pulled my credit card out of my wallet. Classic, but oh so effective; you just had to find the right leverage, and flick the wrist just right. It's all in the wrist.

I bent down and very quietly slid the sheet of plastic into the crack in the door. Face scrunched in concentration, I jiggled the card, searching for the right spot. Ah ha! The satisfying click of the door unlocking had me grinning in quiet triumph. I opened the door a crack and peered in.

A medium sized living room with comfy looking chairs and a really comfy looking couch occupied the space. Wait…

My attention flew back to the couch. A lump of blankets took up the entire piece of furniture. A lump that looked far more substantial than just a pile of blankets…

I slipped into the house, closing the door behind me in one swift and silent motion. I approached the lump warily.

"Uhh, Lisbon?" No way that lump was Lisbon. It didn't resemble a human being in any shape or form. I carefully prodded the lump, coming into contact with what felt like bone. The lump grunted and the blankets rose as a form detached itself from the mess of blankets. Lisbon's face peeked out from under layers of sweatshirts and black hair. She sat up, her head a mess of hair.

My hand had a mind of its own, and reached up to smooth the raven black hair. She swatted my hand away weakly, and then I noticed: her eyes were droopy and rimmed with red. She sniffled multiple times in the five seconds it took for me to look her over, and she was wrapped up in layers of sweat shirts and blankets.

Date, my ass.

"Oh, Lisbon." I grimaced as she hacked into the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "Lisbon. You have a cold." I said in a knowing voice.

"What? M'fine. Go away." Her voice was rough and scratchy, not making her words at all convincing.

"You, Lisbon are far from fine." I knelt down in front of her, as she blew her bangs out of her face. She stared angrily at me.

"How'd you even get into my-" Hack hack. Cough cough. "Not important." I brushed it aside, laying the back of my hand against her forehead.

"Geez, Lisbon, I could cook a steak on your forehead. Your temp's really high."

She just glared up at me resentfully. "Please go away Jane." She rasped, flipping the TV on.

"And you're losing your voice." I observed. She merely ignored me, snuggling down into her cocoon of blankets.

The only place I was going was to the kitchen. She'd have to bodily remove me from the premises if she really wanted me gone. And deep down, she really doesn't.

Shedding my jacket on the other side of the couch I hummed on my way to the kitchen. I set the tea pot on the stove, and stared into the steam rising from the spout. Rigsby had been so wrong. I felt guilty at the relief that washed through me at the sound of Lisbon's coughing. Better sick than dating faceless, nameless strangers.

Another kind of guilt entirely had me automatically reaching to twiddle the ring around my finger.

The scream of the tea kettle snapped me out of it. Pouring the tea into the cups, I added a little extra honey; maybe it would help stop that god awful hacking and coughing.

Eyeing me as I returned to the living room, she silently took the cup I offered, wrapping her hands around it. I scanned her appearance, looking for any signs she was getting worse. A slight shivering was all I detected, and I sat myself down on the other side of the couch comfortably.

As we watched some game show, I felt Lisbon glance at me every now and then. I stubbornly sipped my tea, refusing to leave her when she was so sick.

"Have you seen a doctor?"

She snorted softly, and pushed the hair out of her face. "It's just a cold. It'll be gone soon. Besides, you're such a hypocrite; telling me about doctors when you haven't stepped foot in a doctor's office in years." Her voice seemed to have come back a little stronger than before.

Honey is magic.

"I never get sick, my dear."

"Well, I hope one day you do, and then I'll set the doctor's appointment myself." Fire flickered in her eyes as she engaged in our banter.

"I'm hurt that you would wish such a thing on me, Lisbon. Where's your heart?" I questioned playfully.

"On vacation."

"Ah." I chuckled lightly, placing my mug on the coffee table. " That's bad timing."

"Not my fault." Her lips twitched, and I saw the split second grin before it hit her. I saw it coming. I grabbed some tissues and she was hit by a round of violent coughing and sneezing. She stuffed the wad of tissues over her mouth and nose. I leaned forward and patted her back gently as the fit subsided.

"God." She muttered angrily, throwing the tissues onto the table. "Sorry bout that."

"No, it's okay. Better out than in." She looked as if she was going to respond, then thought better of it. Instead, she grabbed her tea and burrowed back into the couch.

As she drained her mug, I returned them to the sink. A vibration eachoed through my pocket. Glancing at the phone, I sighed wearily and flipped it open.

"How's Lisbon?"

"She's got a fever and coughing violently. She won't be in for the rest of the week probably."

"She let you in?" Cho asked, with a hint of skepticism in his tone.

"Oh of course. Totally grateful for the company. She can barely talk."

"Alright, well, I was just calling to check up."

I hung up the phone with a chuckle. Cho really doubted my ability to get into places I don't belong. He really should know by now.

"Jane?" I poked my head into the living room at the sound of her voice. "Jane…you can go if you want. Thanks for the tea an everything but-"

"Not leaving Lisbon. Thought I made that clear?" It was only around lunchtime anyway.

She just shrugged and turned back to the TV, flipping through the channels.

A slight vibration ran through me again, and I checked my phone. Nothing. Glancing over at Lisbon, I noticed a violent shiver spasm through her, even though she was buried in at least six blankets. I frowned in concern.

"Hey, what's the temperature in here.?"

"Don't you touch my thermostat Jane. It's at 70 degrees. It's perfect, and I don't feel like paying more."

"But you're freezing! And you must be using every blanket you own! I think raising it a couple degrees would be good."

"No." She set her jaw stubbornly, and tried to tame the shiver that ran through her system. Sighing in aggravation, a different course of action suddenly entered my mind. Uncertainty coursed through me, as well as that damn guilt. I resisted the urge to finger my ring. What I had in mind wasn't that bad. But it was a kind of invasion. Physically and emotionally, the simple thing I had in mind was behind a massive barrier. For years, distance was key in both body and soul. I couldn't handle it after so many years. Yet, looking over at her, it seemed the easiest thing in the world to do.

But it wasn't.

The she shivered again, tightening the blankets around her, and suddenly my internal battle seemed trivial. My brain made a decision, and my emotional issues would just have to be dealt with later.

"Hey, come over here." I said softly, patting the spot next to me.

She turned her head and eyed me as if I had six legs. "Uhmm….no."

"Oh Lisbon please." I said lightly, "You're shivering, and I know a way I can help."

No Jane." And with that she turned away, and stared resolutely ahead.

She shivered.

She coughed.

I estimated her resolve would give in in about..ohhh….five minutes. I threw my arm over the back of the couch, an open invitation. Judging by the glances she was throwing at me, her body's needs were overruling her stubbornness.

Two minutes passed and she gave in. Silently, she crawled across the couch, dragging the blankets with her. I greeted her with a soft smile, and after a moment's hesitation, she tucked herself into my side. She threw the blankets over us both, trapping our body heat.

"See?" I said as she discovered my warmth, and curled herself tighter against me. She merely grumbled a response, and her head fell against my chest. Slowly, her breathing evened out.

I flipped the TV off, and listened to the rhythm of her breathing. It was soothing and something I hadn't experienced in a long while. The sensation of having a warm, soft feminine body against me was something I sorely missed as well. My body seemed to agree because my hand came up to her hair, pressing her head softly against me.

Her shivering had ceased, and my fingers continued to toy with strands of her hair. Staring at the ceiling, I realized something:

I had changed my mind, my ways, my guilt, for Lisbon. Her needs had overcome my emotional problems. Five years ago, I vowed to avenge them, and not let anything get in my way. Five years ago I had made a promise to her, that I would never get close to any woman, never attach myself to someone else.I didn't deserve It and it would betray her memory.

And yet, here I was. But it didn't feel wrong, it didn't feel like a sin (and I know what sin feels like), and it didn't feel guilty. Not with Lisbon. Somehow, nothing ever felt wrong with Lisbon.