Teresa Lisbon was sick. Her head ached, her nose was stuffy and her voice was a raspy inclination of what it normally was. She felt so horrible that she had actually stayed home from work. She was now lying on her couch half asleep, snuggled up in a massive doona. Just as she was passing from half sleep to sleep so deep that it could withstand just about any natural disaster that you could think of her doorbell rang. Teresa contemplated ignoring it but it rang again, and again. Sighing she struggled to her feet and walked unsteadily to the door, opening it to reveal Patrick Jane.

"Lisbon" he exclaimed joyfully, taking in the baggy flannel pajama bottoms and the oversized jumper that dwarfed her small frame with an amused expression on his face.

"I came to see how you were" he informed her, answering her unasked question.

She looked at him bemusedly. How could one person be so exuberant all the time?

"I'm fine". He didn't look convinced. Leaning closer he scrutinized her face with his impenetrable eyes.

"You don't look fine" he told her. He stepped over the threshold and into the room shutting the door behind him.

"Come on. You should probably sit down".

"I told you. I'm fine" Lisbon took a step in the direction of the lounge room to prove her point and swayed on her feet resulting in Jane grabbing her tightly around the shoulders with an alarmed look on his face. He led her across to the couch, waiting until she was seated with her doona wrapped tightly around her again before collapsing down next to her. Lisbon glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Truthfully, she didn't mind at all that he had invited himself into her apartment and made himself at home. There was something strangely natural about it but there way no way he was going to find that out.

"Jane". She said tiredly "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at home?"

He turned his head, regarding her with thoughtful eyes.

"Home is lonely" he informed her, a shadow passing over his face.

This time she looked at him straight on, more than a little surprised at his honesty but before she could answer his smile was back in place and he was already talking again.

"So I came to hang out with you." A slow smile lit up his face. "And make you some dinner!"

She looked at him skeptically. "Dinner?"

"Yeah" he replied. "How about chicken noodle soup?"

She was about to refuse because her stomach felt a little queasy and she didn't really want to give Jane the pleasure of seeing her throw up but the look on his face stopped her.

"I would love some" was what she said instead.

By now his smile had reached epic proportions. He reached out and squeezed her hand and leaning in close to her ear, whispered "You will not be disappointed" and with that he leapt off the couch and bounded into the kitchen. Soon the room was filled with the smell of cooking chicken and the sound Jane chattering happily as he cooked, telling her what had happened at the office that day, sounding like a little kid telling his mum about his day at school. In what seemed like no time he was in front of her placing two bowls of steaming soup on the coffee table. He went back into the kitchen and returned a minute later with forks and two glasses of water. He then reached into his back pocket and produced a packet of Tylenol which he handed to her along with one of the glasses.

"What makes you think that I need those?" she asked him

"Because you have a headache." He laughed at her. "Remember. I have access to your innermost thoughts."

She had to smile at that and he grinned back at her. They spent the next couple of hours eating Jane's soup- which turned out to be surprisingly good- and talking about everything and anything. After Jane had cleared everything away despite Lisbon's protests that she was not an invalid and could in fact, clean up her self, he announced that it was late and he should be going. He walked to the door with Lisbon trailing behind him. She stood in the doorway looking down at her feet.

"Jane" she said "Um, thank you for coming over tonight. It was nice."

He looked at her smiling at her sudden shyness.

"No problem Lisbon. I had a nice time too." He accompanied this with a smile that was different than all his others, softer somehow. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Goodnight" he whispered. Lisbon watched him walk away in a state of shock. When he finally out of sight she went back inside and lay down on the couch. She was thinking about what had just happened when a strange thought entered her head

Oh my god. She was in love with Patrick Jane.