Parking on the left side of the driveway knowing Lisbon's car was garaged on the right, Van Pelt took a moment to gather her thoughts. The idea that her Boss lived in that attractively sprawling house with Jane was still surreal on a lot of levels. Not just for her. The whole team felt that way. They really hadn't seen any of this coming. That there were two adorable monkeys taking after their parents was an even stranger pill to swallow.

However, the Baby Jane's were undeniably cute as a bug's ear. But, their very existence was weird just the same. Somehow, she'd never really pictured the Boss as a mother. Yeah, she was good with kids. They all knew that. If they hadn't, they'd seen her with Hightower's kids and with Annie. But, she'd always seemed married to the job. Well, married to the job and to keeping Jane out of trouble which was a lot different than actually being his wife.

Lisbon had sure fooled them.

In a good way she supposed as the Boss seemed happy.

Not just with her kids, either.

But, married to Jane as well.

Grace got it. Truly, she did. But, then again, she didn't.

There was no denying Jane was good to the Boss. He really was. He clearly doted on her and there was no denying he adored the Baby Janes. That being said, he was still Jane and being Jane meant trouble of one kind or another. He still did outrageous things unrepentantly and Minelli still yelled. Sometimes LaRoche joined in. Just things not quite as crazy as he once had and nothing bad enough to get the Boss suspended or fired. Grace honestly didn't know how Lisbon balanced work Jane with her husband Jane. They were two very different men.

Climbing out of her car, Van Pelt made her way towards the front door not at all surprised when Jane opened it ahead of her knock. The thought he was watching for her was kind of creepy. Or maybe he'd just known she was coming which was equally creepy. Snorting and shaking her head, Grace decided none of that really mattered.

It was Jane.

He'd frequently given her cause for wonder over the years; but, she loved him anyway.

"Morning, Jane." Van Pelt said as she stepped into the foyer.

"Morning, Grace, you're looking as beautiful as ever." Jane locked the door behind her. "Lisbon's in the kitchen getting her morning caffeine and sugar fix and the brats are still asleep."

"Coffee and pastries?" Van Pelt laughed at the eye roll Jane gave her fully understanding Lisbon's fondness for caffeine highs and sugar rushes.

It was the lows and crashes that came after she found the bummer. But, they were cops, and that was how cops rolled. As incredible as she still found her Boss, Lisbon wasn't immune to that rule.

"You know her well." Jane agreed taking her jacket and purse.

"Yeah, I do." Kissing Jane's cheek in thanks, Van Pelt made for the kitchen. "Hey, Boss, leave something for me."

"You got nothing to worry about." Lisbon stuck her head out of the kitchen. "Jane bought enough pastries to feed a small army."

"Oh, man, I see what you mean." Grace laughed at the selection of pastries piled high on the fancy plate by the coffee maker. "He must have thought Rigsby was coming."

She'd just have to eat his Baklava for him.

"Or maybe I just thought you girls could have a 'to hell with the old waistline' kind of day." Jane meandered into the kitchen to finish making his cup of tea. "It's not like I'd complain if Lisbon gained a pound or two."

"I don't think that'll be a problem now that you've made it your project to see that I eat regularly." As far as Lisbon was concerned, her weight was fine.

How Jane felt was another matter.

He didn't like the fact she still wasn't quite back up to her pre-baby weight. What could she say? Between work and her family, she was a busy woman…much too busy some days. It wasn't a secret she frequently forgot to eat. Yet, she was perfectly strong and healthy. If she weren't, Emily would certainly say something as they'd remained good friends over the months since her babies were born. In fact, they managed a quick lunch at least once or twice a month.

Besides, Lisbon admitted she usually wasn't all that hungry anyway. Stress tended to steal her appetite. Today was no exception. She'd had a half-hearted nibble or two of pastry in spite of being well on her way to finishing her second cup of coffee already. Besides, she fully intended to make up for any slacking she'd done earlier in the day when she and Van Pelt went out for dinner later this evening.

They'd also end up stopping to grab Annie's favorite Pretzel before they were done. It wasn't like she wouldn't get a snack somewhere.

"I'm going to check on the babies and shoo so you can visit with Van Pelt." Jane gave Lisbon a kiss as he prepared to disappear before she told him to.

A kiss that was more than a casual peck and less than the sensual promise she usually got first thing in the morning. While still mostly innocent, it was hot enough to gain them a raised eyebrow from their rather amused voyeur.

"Jane, honestly, you're embarrassing Van Pelt." Lisbon scolded lightly although she'd made no move to evade his teasing lips.

"Grace is hardly embarrassed by that smirk on her face." Jane corrected. "Amused and perhaps a little surprised you'd let me kiss you like that with a witness in sight; but, not embarrassed in any way. Besides, Van Pelt's a big girl. She knows there'd never be babies without kisses and we've got two of them."

"Shush, Jane, and get out of here." Lisbon wanted to smack him.

"I'll be out by the pool if you need me." Jane answered Van Pelt's laugh with a conspiring grin of his own.

Watching her pain-in-the-rear spouse grab his cup and head towards the patio, Lisbon knew her cheeks were prettily flushed. She knew as well that she wasn't going there with her Agent. Sliding down in her chair, Lisbon decided that curious gleam in her eye wasn't getting the other woman anywhere.

"Nice kiss." Van Pelt laughed at the answering blush.

"The usual." Lisbon dismissively took a sip of coffee.

"I don't think so." Van Pelt openly giggled at her. "I think it was a lot less than you usually get; but, still enough for a toe-curling 'Wow."

"Shush, Grace." Lisbon growled. "You're crossing that line."

"Yeah, well, somebody's got to say it." Van Pelt gazed longingly at her apple cinnamon doughnut. "From what I just saw, Jane's a really good kisser. You obviously didn't have any complaints. At least nothing other than he dared to do it front of me."

"Yeah, well, you may be right." Lisbon said before she could stop herself. "He's a really good everything."

Van Pelt laughed whole heartedly at that one making her Boss decided maybe embarrassing the hell out of herself was worth it to hear Grace genuinely laugh like she used to. They didn't hear that nearly enough since O'Laughlin. She hadn't had too much to laugh about.

"You're really doing this?" Van Pelt asked as she lifted her cup to her lips not really believing she was sitting at Lisbon's dining table sipping an amazing cup of coffee eagerly anticipating a girl's day out with her Boss. "Marrying Jane again in a carney wedding?"

Van Pelt's tone clearly asked, "And what's a carney wedding anyway?"

Lisbon wanted to answer, "Hell if I know." but didn't.

The way she saw it, Grace was wondering if they were going to be eating corn dogs and cotton candy and twirling around on those tilting rides. Those were questions she couldn't answer as she honestly didn't know. Jane hadn't told her much if he honestly had anything to tell. Somehow, she had a feeling he was as much in the dark as she was.

"Spill it, Grace." Lisbon said instead eyes sparkling mischievously. "What's the part you can't believe? That I'm willing to marry Jane again or that I'm playing along with this whole demented getting married at the County Fair deal?"

"Both!" Van Pelt answered honestly. "You've got to admit neither seems at all like you. I mean marrying Jane…We all knew there was something between you. We just weren't sure what. Rigsby thought maybe you were hooking up on the sly. Especially when Jane disappeared when you did…But, the rest of this, we didn't see coming."

Grace watched her Boss carry both of their cups over to the coffee maker for a refill.

"We weren't hooking up if that's what anyone thought." Lisbon corrected her. "What you guys saw is all there was. We were friends, we hung out sometimes, he came to my place, and I went to his. We never even kissed. End of story."

"What changed?" Van Pelt asked.

"You know what changed." Lisbon said quietly. "We were shoved together twenty four seven in a dangerous situation with no one to trust but each other. Feelings we'd been denying a long time were bound to come out and they did.

Whatever you're thinking, we didn't just suddenly fall into bed one day. It wasn't like that. We both fought the attraction for a while and we talked about it. We agonized about whether taking the next step was really something we wanted to do and if the price was one we were willing to pay. When I was ready, Jane wasn't. When he was ready, I wasn't. It took a while to finally get on the same page. Our relationship grew out of a lot of years of working together and growing close over time.

In the end, we both knew what we were doing. We both wanted it and we were willing to pay the price."

"Yeah?" Grace's eyebrow rose at her Boss's words.

"Yeah." Lisbon agreed. "Maybe we didn't expect quite the results we got; but, it wasn't a mistake for either of us…None of this...I'm happy with my life. More than I ever expected to be. I think Jane is, too."

"You don't need to think where Jane is concerned. Everyone already knows. If they don't, he's more than happy to tell them." Van Pelt's voice was very soft as she looked into her Boss's eyes. "What you're saying is you fell in love."

"What I'd say is we were already in love long before we ever thought about getting together." Lisbon admitted. "Grace, we all know Jane's quirky as hell but he's a good man. A compassionate, loving man when he wants to be and believe me when I say he wants to be. I couldn't ask for anything better than that."

"That's sweet." Van Pelt ignored Lisbon's eye roll at her predictable reaction. "Even knowing that, we never expected you guys to tie the knot. Jane still had his mission and you never seemed like the marrying type."

"I was pregnant, Grace." Lisbon said as if that explained everything as she sat their cups on the table and resumed her seat. "I was stuck with that man for the rest of my life whether we ever got married or not. You don't think he'd let me get away with one bun in the over much less two?... If you do, then you don't know Jane."

"But that's not why you married him." Van Pelt added sugar and cream to her coffee. "You could have handled an unplanned pregnancy and you could have handled Jane. You didn't have to marry him. It's obvious you wanted to."

"Yeah, I could have." Lisbon admitted though she wasn't so sure it would have worked quite as well as Van Pelt seemed to think with two Baby Janes. "And you're right. I didn't have to marry Jane…I wanted to. There's something about seeing my ring on his finger every morning that puts a smile on my face."

"I'd say he feels the same." Van Pelt took a bite of her cherry pastry deciding she liked Lisbon's version of breakfast much better than Jane's.

Who wanted bran muffins or some such rot when they could stuff their faces with pastries and coffee heavy on the cream and sugar? She'd been hoping for waffles, eggs, and sausage Jane style again. She knew they had a waffle maker hiding somewhere. She'd seen it among the wedding gifts. In fact, they'd used it once or twice when she'd helped out with the kids. There was nothing she liked more than freshly made waffles with real maple syrup. Not when Jane was making them. Oh, and cooking the sausage or bacon.

Oh, well, no biggie.

She and the Boss had made plans to stop by their favorite upscale Mexican Restaurant after the shopping was done and Annie was safely back with her parent. As Tommy didn't have a case, they were meeting up at the Mall around five. Annie had a date with her Dad at a burger joint before hitting the movies to complete their special night.

As for her and Lisbon, they were heading off for a leisurely meal and that single frozen Margarita neither of them ever got to have any more. As Jane was taking care of their offspring tonight, Lisbon wasn't feeding them so she was taking every advantage of her "Get Out of Jail Free" card. That was just the price the Daddy Jane had to pay for talking the Mommy Jane into going along with this farce in the first place.

"That doesn't mean I don't still want to shoot him sometimes." Lisbon admitted as she took a sip of coffee.

"I can see that." Van Pelt laughed at the thought Lisbon had felt that way just yesterday when Jane had changed her greasy take out order to something a little healthier without telling her. "I don't get the other though. The whole second wedding instead of the Vow Renewal you wanted."

"Why not? Jane made me see the error of my ways. It's not costing me anything but time and aggravation." Lisbon asked. "The carneys didn't get to see the first wedding and they should have. Unfortunately, they were halfway across the country and we were here. And while Skype is nice, it's not the same. Besides, Jane's footing the bill for everything. We might as well get what we want and enjoy ourselves while we're at it. It's not like I have to do anything but find the dress. The carneys are taking care of the rest."

"Really?" Van Pelt took a bite of her pastry as the doorbell rang.

"Really." Jane dropped a kiss on Lisbon head in passing as he came out of the kitchen where he'd been stealthily eavesdropping under the guise of making a cup of tea surprising both women with his presence. "I've got the door."

Walking into the foyer, Jane opened the door to reveal a very grown up looking dark haired teenager wearing a junior version of her Aunt's outfit of a brightly patterned red tee shirt, comfortable jeans, and medium heeled black boots.

"Hi, Uncle Patrick, where's Aunt Reese and Van Pelt?" Annie asked as she scrambled through the door. "In the kitchen stuffing their faces?"

"Where else?" Jane asked as he watched the laughing teen head for the dining room. "Go get that cinnamon roll I know Teresa's keeping warm for you while I speak to your Dad. Tell your Aunt I'll be back in a few."

Tommy clearly wanted a few words with him without his sister overhearing. Jane had no doubts it concerned the specifics of the wedding. Or maybe he just wanted to catch up. If he said so, now that he and Lisbon were legally married, he and the Brother's Lisbon had gotten fairly close. They were much closer than his wife approved sometimes after being on the receiving end of some of their jokes. They were also wonderful Uncles to the twins. All in all, Jane decided he'd lucked out there, too. He'd married into a dysfunctional, but still fabulous, family. How could they be anything else with their past?

Besides, point him to an extended family that supposedly wasn't, and he'd gladly prove everyone wrong.

"Hey, Jane, how's it going?" Tommy Lisbon studied his sister's golden haired husband knowing Jane knew precisely what he was doing.

The man looked happy. If he was happy, Lisbon was happy. While they might still have a reservation or two about the charmingly eccentric loon their Big Sis had married, they liked Jane. A lot and they knew there was nothing the man wouldn't do for his wife. Any residual hesitations they had concerning Jane had more to do with the trouble he still occasionally caused her at work and nothing to do with his feelings towards his family. It was clear he doted on their sister and loved both Baby Jane's to distraction.

"You can let the boys know everything's going as well as you think. Lisbon and I are happy as a couple of bedbugs and the rugrats are growing like weeds. You'll see for yourself at the wedding." Jane laughed out loud as Tommy awkwardly stuck his hands in his pockets and kicked a rock at being so thoroughly exposed. "Caught any bad guys lately?"

"One or two." Tommy didn't feel it necessary to say anything more. Lisbon kept pretty good tabs on his career so Jane was already in the know he was sure. "I'm still picking Annie up at the North Entrance around five?"

"Last I heard." Jane said knowing the girls' plans hadn't changed one bit.

"Then I'll see Lisbon then." Tommy said as he opened his car door. "Catch you at the wedding."

"That you will." Jane agreed finding the whole situation amusing.

"Good." Tommy slid into his seat and closed the door.

Watching his brother-in-law pull out of his drive, Jane bet it wouldn't be five minutes before James was on the other end of his cell getting the report all was well with the Jane household. As insulted as he should be about the periodic checkups, he was glad Lisbon's brother's cared enough to risk her wrath if she ever found out what they were up to. Not that he was going to tell her. No way. He liked his brothers-in-law as much as they liked him.

It was just that he was going to lure James into that post-wedding poker game they all knew was coming and take him to the cleaners for his impertinence.

Better yet, he'd probably let Annie's "Aunt Reese" do it instead.

Walking back in the house, Jane wasn't at all surprised to see Lisbon, Van Pelt, and Annie making to go out the door he was trying to walk in.

"Tommy sends his love." Jane said as Lisbon stopped in front of him.

Now that Annie had arrived and scarfed her cinnamon roll, the party was good to go. They could get the show on the road. Giving her husband a G-rated peck on the lips, Lisobn skittered out of reach before Jane could embarass her in front of her neice and led her entourage out the door.

Hearing his offspring making snuffling noises on the baby monitors, Jane let his girls go in favor of making a dash for the kitchen.

While tormenting his wife was good, clean fun, dealing with wailing, hungry Baby Janes was far less so.

#####

Standing outside the upscale Bridal Shop, Lisbon glanced at her niece and Van Pelt. Both were having far more fun with this waste of mental energy than she was. Why shouldn't they be? They'd already found their dresses and the matching shoes. They'd found Annie's crimson dress in the first shop and Van Pelt's equally brilliant gown in the third. They'd found a dress Lisbon really liked in the second and fourth shops as well.

Now, they were here at the fifth shop to see Stinky and Smokey Joe's favorite Silk Mikado ball gown.

They'd already seen everyone else's choices and discounted most of them. Not because they weren't pretty; but, because most of the gowns the guys had picked didn't suit Lisbon's petite frame. They overwhelmed her. In truth the dress she'd liked in the second shop was Johan's suggestion and it was quite an expensive beauty. Surprisingly, contrary to what she and Van Pelt both feared, the gown hadn't overwhelmed her tiny frame. And even better, it truly did have just the right amount of crystal and rhinestone flower beading to appeal to the Amber still lurking deep within her.

The dress in the last shop that she'd liked had been one of her choice. Another ivory silk Mikado gown, it was one shouldered with just enough bling to be interesting without being over the top. It was also very similar to the one Sammie and Pete had chosen. Unfortunately, that gown was very popular and currently out of stock so she'd settled for a close second that was equally as attractive both on and off the hanger.

If the gown she was here to see didn't pan out as she hoped it would, she'd have to decide between the other two. As much as she liked the Mikado, she thought Johan's gown was winning. There was just something about the body skimming cut and the strategically applied bling she found enchanting.

Making that final decision wasn't anything she was looking forward to as both dresses were lovely and quite becoming on her.

Staring at the well-dressed woman wearing an expensive gold toned name tag conveying her name was Lillian, Lisbon reminded herself for the twentieth time that pitching a temper tantrum in the middle of a high end boutique would not reflect well on a Senior Agent at the CBI. She should expect the strange look she was getting as Lillian stared at the rings proclaiming her an already married woman. The next thing that was about to happen is she'd start talking about Vow Renewal Ceremonies and guiding her in the direction of more appropriate attire than full blown wedding gowns.

That so wasn't happening again.

Lisbon already knew what was coming. She'd gone through it four other times today. It was better to just be blunt and cut to the chase from the get-go. Otherwise, this whole dog and pony show would take three times as long as it should.

"I'm getting married again for the second time in a year and it's not a Vow Renewal Ceremony. My friends with the carnival are demanding the real deal complete with dancing elephants, floppy eared bunnies, and pygmy goats as they were half-way across the country the first go around. So, I don't want a Vow Renewal dress. I want a wedding dress and I want to start with that one over there and end with this one when we're done." Lisbon held out the magazine page with Smokey Joe's choice.

"That's a beautiful gown." Lillian said without missing a beat and a look that said the small, dark haired woman standing before her wasn't the first lunatic bride she'd ever dealt with. That look said something else as well. Something Lisbon almost dreaded to hear coming out of the woman's mouth. "You're that Agent with the CBI. The one that got framed for killing that billionaire, disappeared for a few months, and married the psychic you ran off. Oh, and you caught Red John. Agent Lisbon I believe is your name."

Lisbon smirked. She wasn't the only one who could be blunt. She had a feeling she and Lillian were going to get along fine.

"Mentalist, not psychic, Jane assures me there's a difference. Sometimes I'm not so sure. But, yes, that's me." Lisbon admitted ignoring the Red John comment. He was out of their lives for good. While discussing that monster was bad, not having to explain the scars on her body to the much too observant woman wasn't. "Van Pelt, what do you think of the dress hanging over there?" Lisbon pointed to a body hugging, rhinestone encrusted gown with a long, cathedral train hanging on a mannequin.

"I think you should try it on." Van Pelt said liking the cut of the gown though she thought it might overpower Lisbon's petite frame.

"What do you say, Annie?" Lisbon asked.

"Go for it, Aunt Reese." Annie said as she began studying the gowns on display.

"We'll start with that one." Lisbon motioned to the gown before following Lillian in the direction of the dressing rooms entourage in tow.

Six beautiful dresses later, Lisbon was mentally fried. She hadn't worked this hard the first time around and that had been her real wedding. This was a legally unnecessary dog and pony show to make her second family happy. She didn't begrudge the carnies their wedding. She truly didn't.

She just hated all the hoopla going with it.

Even if the only hoopla she had to deal with was buying the dress.

Watching Lillian fasten the dress, Lisbon's eyes perked up.

"This is the dress, Boss." Van Pelt said from behind her. "We'll sweep your hair up in curls and put that antique diamond flower hair pin Jane bought you for your birthday right here." She pointed to a place high on the side of Lisbon's head. "You'll take his breath away. Can't you see it?"

"It is lovely isn't it?" Lisbon couldn't help thinking Jane and Smokey Joe were on to something with this one.

"Really lovely, Aunt Reese." Annie said with awe.

Glancing at her reflection, Lisbon decided she really did feel like a princess and not an angry one. And she didn't want a tiara. She needed to make sure she told Jane that or the fool might actually buy her one. He was forever combing Estate Sales buying lovely pieces of antique jewelry made out of gold and precious stones. He claimed there was something about the finely wrought pieces that suited her delicate frame.

Personally, Lisbon thought he used to do that for Angela. Scour Estate Sales for suitable pieces of jewelry. There was something about his late wife making her think she'd have appreciated such a gesture far more that she did. Not that she didn't like the little gifts "Aislinn" and "Patrick" were fond of leaving lying about. She did. She just wasn't sure how she felt about her husband reliving his past in the present. In the end, she supposed it was mostly harmless.

The jewelry he picked was certainly beautiful and it suited her far better than it ever would have Angela. That in itself said it all. Who really cared if he used to do the same thing for his first wife? Jane was a generous man. She'd known that from the start. Since he'd tried to give her that gorgeous emerald and diamond set she'd so reluctantly given back.

Though no-one knew it, she'd kicked herself in the butt for that one ever since.

Turning back to the gown, Lisbon decided the shifting candlelight of the heavy Mikado silk brought out the ivory tones in her skin and the darkness of her hair. The tightly fitted bodice accentuated the fullness of her breasts and the smallness of her waist before flowing dramatically into a full ball gown skirt with a four foot chapel train. Best of all, it wouldn't need any major alterations from what she could see.

Twirling in front of the three way mirror, Lisbon took in the strapless bodice delicately appliquéd and beaded with silver sequins and crystal beads. The full skirt was daintily beaded and appliquéd in a matching design. The gown was made for her. All she was missing was the glass slippers and diamond tiara. Somehow, she didn't need either.

Nor did she want them.

She wasn't all that sure Cinderella's life had been everything it was cracked up to be.

Hers was a different story. While far from ideal, she couldn't ask for more than she had. Her two precious imps and their mischievous Dad were as close to perfect as she wanted to get. Anything more would be too much.

"We'll take this one." Lisbon said glad the search was finally over. "And we'll take the bra, petticoat, and hosery that go with it."

Lisbon motioned dismissively to the small pile that was going to set Jane back a tidy sum and didn't really care. All that truly mattered was all of this was done. She'd purchased her shoes earlier today selecting a pair that would go nicely with all of the gowns that had caught her eye. If they didn't work, she could always return them unworn.

Noting the time, Lisbon realized they had less than forty-five minutes to purchased the gown and get to the mall to meet Tommy. Annabeth wasn't staying over as they'd planned. She was having a rare father-daughter evening with her Dad instead. Taking her bags from Lilian, Lisbon decided once her niece was safely in her brother's hands, she and Van Pelt could enjoy a couple of hour's peace at the restaurant before she went home to her rowdy family. Somehow, she suspected Jane would be ready to turn the parenting duties over to her the minute she walked in the door.

Or, a more likely scenario, he would be waiting to assist her in getting their duo down for the night so they could spend some quality time together.

They didn't spend that much time apart and she was already beginning to miss him.

#####

Seated in a chair in the middle of Smokey Joe's living room a handful of weeks later, Lisbon forced herself to remain seated when all she wanted to do was pace a hole in the floor. She still couldn't believe she'd allowed Jane and crew to talk her into doing all of this again. She needed her head examined on a lot of different levels. A good place to start was she'd actually enjoyed spending that Saturday with Van Pelt and Annie searching for the perfect wedding gown when everyone knew she was already married.

The next place to look might be that she'd actually enjoyed going over the catering lists with Stinky and Wally all provided at the "Family Discount" by a cousin in the business. Lisbon suspected Jane was footing that bill. Besides that, who knew Stinky and Wally were distantly related? She certainly hadn't. Obviously she was wrong about the Funnel Cakes and fried candy bars as well.

Then there was the fact her team had all volunteered to play the same roles they'd played the first go around including Minelli. Cho hadn't even given one of his patented eye rolls when Jane asked him to reprise his role as the dashing Best Man. Lisbon suspected he'd secretly enjoyed it.

In fact, Lisbon silently admitted to her reflection the one thing she would never tell another living soul. She was as excited now as she had been the first time. There was something about getting married in front of her carney family that made everything fresh and new…Exciting even.

Speaking of her carney family, Sammie and Pete had had Aislinn and Patrick in their care for most of the day. They'd all been having a blast with the bunnies and pygmy goats the last time she'd seen them. As for the rest of the bunch, they were all milling about eagerly anticipating the "Big Moment" to come. That and they were playing with the newest additions to the carney family. Her duo now had more Aunts and Uncles than they'd know what to do with and that wasn't a bad thing! Not when all those new relatives were harmless, lovable loonies traveling the Carney Circuit.

Turning her attention back to Annie and Van Pelt, Lisbon was amazed to realize she was almost ready and she'd been too lost in her thoughts to realize it.

"I can't believe I let Jane talk me into this again." Lisbon watched Van Pelt expertly weave the Edwardian diamond and 14k gold lily hair pin into her intricately arranged locks.

"You make it sound like he had to talk you into it the first time around." Van Pelt said around the bobbie pins in her mouth.

"Maybe he did a little." Lisbon admitted. "Would you just up and marry Jane without giving it some serious thought?"

"You know, yeah, I think I would." Van Pelt said with a dreamy look on her face. "If I loved him like you do."

"You probably would." Lisbon agreed making a scrunch face as Grace twisted yet another curl.

She didn't do updos. Well sometimes she did. But, that didn't mean she didn't hate the darned things or want to be sitting here getting one now.

Not one bit.

Unfortunately, Van Pelt and Annie insisted she have one. They said something about the fancy twists and curls going better with her gown. Whatever. All she cared about was getting all the fuss over soon.

She didn't do dresses either even if they made her look like a fairy tale princess.

She so didn't do dresses. Jane knew that…especially wedding dresses. She'd fully intended that service in their home to be the first, the last, and the only.

But, as usual, someone else had other ideas and guess who won?

Lisbon couldn't help smiling at the thought what else was new?

"You must be thinking about Jane." Van Pelt said quietly as she stepped back to survey her handiwork.

"No, no, I wasn't." Lisbon said. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"The look on your face." Van Pelt admitted. "You only have that smile when you're thinking about Jane."

"Fine." Lisbon relented. "I was thinking about Jane."

"Good thoughts." Van Pelt straightened a wayward curl.

"I was thinking about how he always wins." Lisbon said. "It makes me laugh now."

"I guess he does." Van Pelt agreed. "He's sneaky like that."

"Yeah, he is." Lisbon agreed. "I don't really mind. Not anymore."

"Not now that he's yours." Van Pelt said what her Boss wouldn't. "Not now that you love him as much he loves you."

"Yeah, there is that, too." Lisbon stared at her engagement ring missing the matching wedding band already with Cho for safe keeping.

"You'll have it back where it belongs before you know it." Van Pelt stared at her uncomfortably bare finger.

"I know." Lisbon said. "It just doesn't feel right not having it there."

"You like being married to Jane." Van Pelt studied Lisbon's hair before lifting the hairspray to apply a generous spritz to her curls.

"Yeah, I do. That doesn't mean I don't still want to kill him. But I do like being married to Jane." Lisbon agreed with her own dreamy look. "I like being a mom, too."

"What's not to like?" Van Pelt smiled at the thought of Lisbon and Jane's rugrats. "They're perfectly adorable. Don't ever tell Wayne I said this; but, as cute as Benjamin is, the Baby Jane's are cuter."

"They're trouble like their dad." Lisbon admitted.

"They're brilliant like their dad." Van Pelt corrected. "And their mom."

"I suppose they are." Lisbon agreed. "All that really matters is they're mine."

Lisbon rose to her feet to stare at herself one last time in the mirror. Honest to goodness, she didn't recognize the woman staring back at her. The fancy Victorian Bohemian Garnet necklace, bracelet, and earrings adorning her neck, ears, and wrist were both her something old and something new as Jane had only presented them to her this morning. The ivory lace and blue silk garter encircling her thigh was her something blue and her something borrowed was Van Pelt's grandmother's handkerchief neatly tucked out of sight in one corner of her exotic bouquet of peonies in varying shades of red.

"Look at yourself, Boss." Van Pelt said softly. "You're more beautiful than you were the first time around so Jane must be doing something right."

"Maybe loving me is enough." Lisbon smiled at the thought.

Man did Jane ever love her. Every chance he got. Not that she was about to stop him any time soon. She was enjoying her life much too much.

"Please tell me you aren't riding Daisy down the aisle." Van Pelt said resisting the urge to cry at the sudden errant thought.

As perfect as that would be; it would be so wrong.

"What do you think?" Lisbon laughed at the thought. "Daisy's my flower girl."

"You can't be serious." Van Pelt looked at Lisbon in disbelief.

"Watch and see." Lisbon smirked at her Agent's dumbstruck expression. "My girl's a trained circus animal. Do you seriously doubt she can't sprinkle a few flowers around?"

"You are serious?" Van Pelt asked yet again.

"As serious as I am there's going to be Funnel Cakes and fried candy bars out there." Lisbon darned well knew that was true as she'd already seen the makings. "Trust me. I lived with these guys."

"You are serious." Van Pelt said.

"I am." Lisbon shook her head. "Oh, and Grace, don't let Smokey Joe too close. He likes good looking women. Really likes 'em and he's a charming devil."

Van Pelt rolled her eyes at that totally 'ew' thought.

The guy was good looking enough to be her father's age she supposed. But he was carney. As in co-owner, businessman carney; but, still, carney with a checkered past. He was also love-'em-and-leave-'em carney from what the Boss said. So not her type and so never going to happen in a million years…Not that she had anything against carnies…She didn't…She just wasn't into them making passes…Wayne wouldn't be either.

"I'm telling you, Grace. He might be old for you; but, the guy's a real piece of work." Lisbon laughed as she walked out the door knowing Van Pelt had yet to realize she was only half joking.

Rigsby might need to guard his back. She meant what she'd said. Smokey Joe had a way of sneaking up on a girl and breaking through her defenses when she least expected it. She'd seen him action. Grace hadn't.

######

Staring at Daisy's broad rear end ambling in a parody of moving in time to the music, Lisbon couldn't help thinking someone really hadn't thought this thing through. There was just something wrong about the bride staring up an elephant's butt as she walked down the aisle. However, her old friend made an exceptional flower girl and the carnies loved it. Especially the way Daisy was sprinkling her guests with rose petals along the way. Lisbon couldn't help thinking her pachyderm friend probably saw it in a totally different light.

Probably more as some form of malevolent payback for all the apples she never got.

What Daisy didn't know wouldn't hurt her. The carnies obviously felt differently and that was all that mattered. Watching Pete give the elephant an apple as he led her away, Lisbon smiled up at Minelli as he released her to take his seat by his wife. He hadn't tried to talk her out of it this time or patted her hand in commiseration.

Maybe because it was too darned late as she was already married to Jane.

Glancing at Annabeth and the rest of her team, Lisbon felt Jane's steadying hand on her arm. He had to know she was "this" close to losing it. The whole situation was too surreal. They were at the carnival for goodness sakes! Everyone needed to loosen up. Who knew carnies took pretend weddings so seriously. Oops. It might help if she stopped thinking about it as a "pretend" wedding.

There was nothing pretend about it as there was already a piece of paper saying she was Mrs. Patrick Jane come what may and there was nothing she wanted to do about it.

Getting a grip on her runaway nerves, Lisbon turned solemnly towards Smokey Joe trying hard not to laugh at his "Sunday Best" toupee. What could she say? The man looked like what he used to be a lifetime ago…a Baptist preacher. Catching his quick wink, Lisbon smiled back irreverently before donning her serious face once again.

Between the crazy crap going on around her and the petting zoo animals wandering about free, she was getting a much clearer picture of what it meant to have a "carney wedding." She was also deciding she needed a stiff drink and the ceremony hadn't even started. Hearing Smokey Joe start to drone, Lisbon forced herself to listen to his words. It wouldn't do to flub her vows.

It wouldn't do at all.

There were too many people waiting to hear the magic words she was repeating. The words Jane would repeat as well. As silly as a part of her still found this whole charade, she and Jane had had their beautiful forever moment a few months ago in the living room of their new home. The carnies deserved to have theirs. It was the least she could give them for what they'd given her...One of their own.

Repeating their vows with as much devotion as they'd done the first time around, Lisbon was surprised to find herself reduced to tears when Jane finally returned her wedding band to the appropriate finger and she got to do the same. Not having the symbol of their love where it belonged for a few short hours had affected her more deeply than she'd thought. It had almost been a physical pain.

A few moments later, Lisbon returned Jane's kiss with enough gusto to start the cat calls rolling. Blushing profusely in spite of being an old married woman twice over, she decided she was making a break for it as soon as she could get free of their well wishers. There was no way she was spending the rest of the night straight jacketed in her wedding gown. Nor was she running the risk of ruining it. She was high tailing it back to Smokey Joe's place to slip into a tank and a pair of jeans.

Feeling Jane's lips against her cheek she was surprised to hear the whispered words in her ear setting her free. He would run interference while she changed. Just get it done quickly as she would be missed if she was gone too long. Taking him up on his offer, Lisbon pressed her lips to his cheek in thanks before heading in the direction of the familiar RV.

A few minutes later, Lisbon glanced at her reflection yet again pleased to be out of that beautiful, but restricting, dress that was going right where the other one was as soon as possible: in one of those protective boxes in the back of the guest room closet. She felt so much better in her tank top, jeans, and the familiar ankle booties she wore at work. Now, she had places to be and it wasn't staring at herself.

Turning on her heel, Lisbon headed for the door thinking it felt too much like old times. Smokey Joe's new place reminded her too much of the RV she and Jane had sold out of storage not too long ago. While she'd miss her old home and all the memories it sheltered, she had a new home and a new life now.

One she loved even better.

Walking down the steps, Lisbon smirked thinking honest to goodness there was something weird about the man who'd just officiated at their wedding trying to sneak a peek down her shirt a few moments ago when he'd dropped by to let her know the poker game was starting. Jane would so punch Smokey Joe in the nose for that one. On second thought, no, he wouldn't. He'd just be amused by the whole situation. Still, the whole thing still felt weird.

And just like old times.

Granted not as weird as that look on Rigsby's face just now when she'd exited the RV clearly channeling Amber in Hot Mama mode sporting a rhinestone encrusted tank top and skin tight jeans with bling encrusted pockets leaving nothing to the imagination. But, it was still weird enough. What could she say? She was on a roll today.

Well, Smokey Joe was a perv and her guys had never seen so much skin on display.

She could say that.

"Put your eyes back in your head, Wayne, I'm still your Boss." Lisbon said as she passed him heading for that magic poker table under the trees. "I've got a game to win and I'm not above using proven methods to do it."

Watching her stride across the grass, Rigsby could only shake his head and swallow the words in his throat.

"You better get your eyes off the Boss's ass." Cho deadpanned as he took a bite of corndog and a sip of iced tea.

"Who knew she could look like that?" Rigsby defended with his eyes still glued where they shouldn't be. "Or that she had a seriously fine ass."

"I did." Cho said as he tossed his empty stick away. "Better not let the Boss or Jane hear you talking like that.

Even though he felt the same, Cho wasn't about to be as stupid as Rigsby and actually verbalize his opinion. Or be so obvious about sneaking a peak at the Boss's assets which were undeniably fine. Lisbon would tear their heads off and feed them to them, and Jane, he didn't want to think about what Jane would do. Make their lives a living hell in ways they'd never considered. The man was much too protective of his family leading to quite a few tolerant eyes rolls on his wife's part.

Watching Rigsby watching Lisbon take her seat between Pete and the Smokey Joe after giving the latter a very pointed look clearly conveying he'd better so behave, Cho shook his head in resignation. He could read every thought flickering across his cohort's face. And hoped Jane couldn't. The man would be so dead.

The other Agent was gobsmacked by the change in their Boss. It was as though he thought Lisbon completely one dimensional after all they'd seen over the years. There was far more to the woman than met the eye. She was so much more than the tightly wound lady cop they saw so often. Rigsby wasn't the brightest bulb in the box for thinking anything else.

If he had any doubts, that she'd married Jane and had his babies should have said it all! Well, she'd done that ass-backwards. Gotten the babies before getting that ring on her finger, but who really cared? Jane had that affect on people. He turned their lives inside out and upside down. Even the Boss hadn't been immune to his charms. And, yeah, he knew both the Boss and Jane would have preferred it the other way around; but, all that really mattered was everything worked out okay in the end.

Catching the eye of a striking red headed carney yet again, Cho decided Rigsby could lie in any kind of bed he chose to make if he kept staring at Lisbon inappropriately. If the Boss and Jane didn't kill him, Van Pelt would. He had better things to do with his time than keep his friend out of trouble. Like catch him a gorgeous red head of his own.

And she was standing right over there holding a huge ginger colored rabbit. Now what had Lisbon called that overstuffed furball? "Punkin" he believed. She was a pumpkin all right and she bit from what he remembered. Well, bunny bite was worth the risk if it meant sidling up to that piece of works.

There was something about a leather wearing, Harley riding woman he found fascinating as the woman he'd brought to the last wedding indicated. Unfortunately, Jane had been right. Katrinka was a barracuda in more ways than one. In the end, they hadn't lasted. She'd been almost as bad a call as Summer.

This chick was different.

He'd gotten the seal of sanity from Jane. Not that that counted for much considering it was Jane giving it. But, in this case, he was going for it. If he was lucky she might let him ride her bike. From the looks Smokey Joe's daughter had been giving him all night, he might get to ride substantially more. From the time he'd spent around her off and on most of the day, Cho could already see himself interested in more than a fling.

There was something special about this woman.

Amanda had brains and beauty. She was tough as nails and soft as silk. She was also a third year medical student at UC Davis School of Medicine. A surprising accomplishment considering she was raised a home schooled carney for most of her life. Then again, maybe it wasn't. The carnies he'd met clearly weren't dumb.

Cho wasn't all that surprised he'd been immediately smitten. There was something different about the woman and he liked different. Smart and different and he was so done as the Boss was going to say. Fortunately, Amanda had taken advantage of one of those rare breaks to visit her Daddy while he was in town or he'd have never met her. Seeing the welcoming smile on her face as he politely interrupted, Cho decided he was a lucky man.

As for the dumbstruck Rigsby, he couldn't help it if the mantra "The Boss is seriously hot!" was playing over and over in his head like a broken record. Maybe she always had been and he'd been too intimidated to notice. Or maybe having those babies added just the right amount of extra curve appeal in all the right places. He wasn't sure. Lisbon was as slim as ever; but, there was just a little something about her that was so much more.

Maybe it wasn't anything physical.

Just that being so openly desired and thoroughly loved by Jane over the last few months had made her a more confident woman. She'd definitely come out of her shell a lot in so many ways. Even he could see that. She was happier and it was on her face. When Jane was around the reason why was readily apparent. Not that they were anything less than professional at work. They weren't.

Not if you didn't count all those naps, foot rubs, and holding sessions while she was pregnant. But, that was necessary and only behind closed doors. Besides, Lisbon was having a rough enough time of it. She should have been on medical leave and probably would have been had there not been a lunatic waiting to kill her.

Rigsby couldn't hold any of that against them as they'd hadn't had any choice but to do whatever it took to get her through the day. He'd have done the same for Van Pelt. Probably a whole lot more.

Besides, nothing had really changed from before. Jane was still Jane. The Boss was still the Boss and they were still highly combustible. That meant sparks and staplers still flew. The only thing any different was they went home together at night. Well, usually separate, but to the same house. Oh, and if anything, the gossip mill had gotten even raunchier about their imaginary sex life. The fact Lisbon had come back undeniably knocked up with not one, but two, offspring had only added fuel to the fire.

Lisbon was obviously getting tired of all of that.

She'd stumbled on a hen session discussing Jane's more private attributes and his purported skill in using them on the terrace late one afternoon not too long ago. She'd come across it and invited herself into the fray. Before she was done, the Boss had set the record straight and ended any such need for future talks about Jane. Not so surprising under the circumstances Rigsby supposed.

While that so wasn't the Boss, she had kind of been pushed into it. A woman could only take so much trashy talk about her husband. Lisbon had been taking it for years. She was bound to crack eventually. Unintentionally eavesdropping on the mostly deserted terrace while he finished his tacos, he'd been shocked to hear the Boss say that while they might be curious, whether the man wore boxers, briefs, or boxer briefs was none of their business. And, as she was never going to get a chance to find out, it might be best if Mary got that fantasy right out of her head.

Oh, and don't be surprised if Jane knocked her up again. It really wasn't all that much of a stretch considering they were every bit as prolific as everyone seemed to think. Oh, and for the record, she wouldn't mind one bit. Jane was as wonderful a father as he was lover and husband. She was a very lucky girl. What they saw was what she got. And, yes, although carrying the Baby Janes had been every bit of the bitch it seemed, Aislinn and Patrick were worth every second of the misery and pain.

In case there was any question, Jane thought so too. If they thought she was lying, they could ask him. Not that she seriously though any of them would. She doubted they'd like what he said.

Watching Lisbon turn on her heel to leave the lead gossip mongers with their mouth's hanging open, Rigsby had a feeling his Boss might live to regret those words one day. Not the ones she'd said about Jane and her marriage. All of that seemed perfectly true. It was the one about getting pregnant again. He had a feeling Jane would be more than willing to help her with that.

He'd had that crazy gleam in his eye throughout her pregnancy that anyone could see. He still had it every now and then when he gazed at her now flat stomach. The one any man could read saying he thought his wife was seriously hot with a bun in the oven.

Cho had felt the same. Him, not so much; but, maybe he'd feel differently the next time around.

Rigsby decided he really needed to have Van Pelt head slap him for his thoughts. There must be something in the Kool-Aid. That or he'd gone temporarily insane. Not that he was drinking Kool-Aid…Honestly, whatever…He was done with the crazy thoughts about his Boss.

For now, he was going to walk over to that table, wrap his arm around Van Pelt's waist, and watch the poker game rapidly unfolding befold them.

Wow. The Boss was already whipping tail and taking no prisoners. Even Jane was getting his privates handed to him on an imaginary platter. He'd known Lisbon was good. Knew she played occasionally with those big wig judges and political players. He just hadn't realized how good she really was. He'd bet a month's salary every one of those men seated around that table were cheating including Jane. He might not be able to tell anyone exactly how, but they were, and the Boss was on to them. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be pulling that pile of money her way.

Watching Jane rise to his feet, Rigsby wasn't all that surprised when he excused himself and Lisbon from the next round. Watching them walk in the direction of the rides, he was somewhat surprised the Boss hadn't protested Jane's high handed handling. But she hadn't. Lisbon had allowed herself to be tucked under Jane's arm and led away without the expected peep almost as though she'd expected it to happen.

"He owes her a night at the fair." Smokey Joe supplied as he shuffled the deck. "They closed every night when we were on the road, and as they were on the lam, neither of them thought it wise to mingle that much with the public. Jane promised that girl one night to do anything she wanted from riding the Ferris Wheel to playing games. I think tonight's that night a long time in coming."

"I think you may be right." Rigsby agreed watching them heading across the meadow towards the fair hand in hand before turning his attention back to Van Pelt and the game before him.

"I think you're both wrong." Grace said quietly. "I think tonight's just the first of many a long night in coming."

Watching Jane and Lisbon disappearing into the crowd Rigsby couldn't help thinking Van Pelt was probably right.

#####

A/N: Thank you to all of my readers for sticking with me this long. As much as I wanted to make it more circusy/fair like, doing so felt hokey. This story was about relationships, so I kept it that way. Again, thank you more than I can say for putting up with my Muse's unexpected vacations and the growing lengths between updates. It's greatly appreciated.

This one is done. The completing OS, Ouroborus 2, is done. The story I told a certain dear friend could never be written has been committed to computer screen for the good or the bad. What was meant to be a short 8 or 10 chapter story took on a crazy life of its own. I think I'm sorry to see it go.

I am off to work on editing a couple of my novels.

However, as most of you have figured out, I can't truly leave. I'll be posting the first chapter of a new story called Darkness into Light in the next three or four days. ~Calla