Unforeseen Circumstances: Epilogue

Thanks so much for all the support you guys have shown for this fic. Special thanks to Amri for the original plot suggestion. It's been a blast writing it and I really hope it's what you imagined!

Sorry for the wait, by the way, I was all at once kind of flooded with beta docs, so I had to sort those out first. Hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: Haven't we been over this?

A slow, romantic song was wailing through the speakers in the living room as Jane lit a few candles and strategically placed them around the room.

Everything was set: the music, the atmosphere, the food - the cherry-glazed lamb flooded the entire apartment with a delicious smell and the red wine already opened to breath. All he needed was for his favourite lady cop to walk through the doors.

As he placed the last tea-candle on the shelf beside the dining room table, he heard the distinctive click-clack of Lisbon in high heels coming through the front door and he smiled to himself.

"Hey, I'm home!" She called. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the dining room."

She walked in, jumping on one foot to get her court date-high heels off of her feet. She immediately stalled at the sight of the made-up dining room.

"Oh my goodness, what's all this?"

"Can't a guy make his girlfriend a romantic dinner without getting the third degree?" He asked cheekily and gave her a thorough welcome-home kiss. "You look gorgeous, by the way." He made a show of looking her up and down in her tight high-waist skirt and pretty blouse – and bare feet - and his smile widened as she blushed prettily.

"Be quiet. Is that lamb I smell?" She asked, making to walk towards the kitchen but he stopped her.

"Nuh-uh-uh... Yes it is, but tonight I'm serving you, m'lady." He extravagantly pulled out her chair and let her sit down, but not without receiving a quirked eyebrow.

He scurried to the kitchen, but kept up the conversation. "As you've correctly guessed, our main course is my specialty: lamb with a cherry glaze, complemented by a cabarnet sauvignon that you'll find on the table there. But the way I know my Teresa, you've already poured yourself a glass..?"

In the next room, Lisbon stilled, her mouth filled with her first sip of the wine. "No." She mumbled, earning a chuckle that sounded from the next room.

"Why don't you tell me about your day while I bring this in?" He asked and the sounds of him opening the oven and pulling out the meal appeared.

"Well, the case was pretty standard. I have no doubt the guy's going away. But I did walk into someone outside the courthouse, though..."

"Oh?" Jane walked in and placed the perfect lamb on the plate coasters. He smile widened when Lisbon chuckled amusedly at his 'Kiss the Cook'-apron he had put on especially as part of the presentation. Once the lamb was out, he quickly discarded the frilly monstrosity and sat down across the table from her, starting to carve them each a piece of the perfectly tender meal.

"Yes. I saw Rob there, actually."

This made Jane still his movements, but only momentarily.

"Really? Is he..?"

"He's better." She said, and the underlying guilt was still clear in her voice. Things hadn't really gone too smoothly with Rob. They did have that talk in the end, but it turned into more of a screaming match and the two hadn't spoken since. And even though Lisbon felt guilty, she knew she couldn't let her relationship with Jane slide because of it.

When she saw him today, however, it was like she was talking to a completely different man.

"How do you mean he's better?" Jane asked.

"He's dating again." Lisbon said with a small, grateful smile. "He told me all about her. She owns a bakery downtown, and he seems very much in love."

"That's good." Jane said, smiling. "That is good, isn't it?" With a small splash of insecurity that immediately made Lisbon laugh.

"Of course. I'm so happy he's moving on. It just means that some of that mess between us has been resolved. No more weirdness."

"That's good." He said with a smile, and as he did plated up the finishing touch to the main course. "There you go. Bon appetite." He placed the plate before her with a flourish and she happily accepted, enjoying the delicious meal and emitting small sounds of pleasure.

"Amazing. As usual." She said with a smile.

"I'm glad you like it." Jane said, happy that she was enjoying the meal so far.

If Lisbon had looked closer, she might've noticed the very slightest of a tremble in Jane's hands as he cut up his meal and piled it on his fork.

Nerves, that even got to him, despite being the fortress of control and calmness that he was.

"What's for dessert?" Lisbon asked, smiling up at him.

"It's a surprise." He said, smiling secretively. Beneath the table, he was patting his jacket pocket and feeling the reassuring weight of the velvet box inside it.

Okay, so that's it. Hope you guys liked it. How about a nice review? Just for old time's sake?

It's been crazy fun writing this fic. It's made me realize how awesome it is to write for plot requests. So if anyone has a cool request they'd like to see written but don't feel up to it themselves, please go ahead and PM me!

Much love, Zanny