A/N: Hey guys, here's a little tag to 'Little Red Corvette'. The episode ended with Lisbon arresting(and punching) Volker. This is my take on what could've(or should've) happened after that. Hope you guys like it. Please review. Also, please check my other one-shot 'Birthday Surprise' and 'Settling in, together' which is a work in progress.

I don't own TM. This is purely my imagination.

Lisbon unlocked her door and reached directly for the couch. She sat down with a tired sigh and removed her shoes. The events of the day had taken a toll upon her. But she had to admit punching Volker after arresting had its own thrill than merely arresting him. Before leaving from the CBI she had said a small prayer for Amanda Shaw, Cassie Flood, Horatio Jones and many more whose life had been affected due to a multimillionaire sociopathic murderer. The tinge of failure which she had felt after looking at Amanda's body was slowly lessening, but she hoped Volker would pay for this dearly. Many cases like these were solved but Lisbon never had to look at her own failure, and the man gloating about it in front of her face was never a good thing. Lisbon got up to check for any leftovers but there weren't any. With a huff she went straight for the bathroom, turned on the tap and put the whole liquid soap for the bubble bath. She knew she would have to clean her slippery bathroom floor later but she couldn't care less.

She filled a glass of wine, tied her hair into a loose bun and went for the bath. As the tension melted away from her body, Lisbon began to finally feel a sense of victory even though poor Amanda couldn't be saved. She made peace with the fact that she saved lives of other girls just like her. She remembered how Jane brought Marvin back to where she held Volker. The boy was as frightened as any nine year old would. But Jane always had a way with kids and he assured Marvin that his mom was alive and he would see her soon. They perp-walked Volker after bringing him in the CBI and there was a thunderous applause for her team as they took him-no, dragged him from the elevator to holding. She was trying to not break but Jane's steady hand on the small of her back soothed her. It was funny how Jane relied on her for keeping him sane but sometimes… the roles would be reversed.

After what seemed like an eternity but only had been forty five minutes, Lisbon quickly showered and got out of the tub. She tried to relax, she really did. But somehow her mind wouldn't stop thinking about everything that happened. With an exasperated sigh she dried herself, put on her robe and began to dry her hair. After wearing her sleepwear- her favorite red jersey with only her underwear, she plopped on the couch. She wasn't hungry anymore so she reached for the remote hoping some mindless television would calm her down. Lisbon wished she'd have the comfortable arms of a certain blonde haired consultant around her but sadly there would be no such thing.

Jane left shortly after Lisbon locked Volker in the holding cell. He hoped she finally understood how he felt about revenge. She felt like a failure and worked tooth and nail for arresting that SOB. Add that to almost a decade of guilt and self loathing and she would understand what level of failure he had in his heart.

When Mrs. Pettigrew saw her son running into her arms, Jane's memory of Charlotte running to his arms when he walked in the house flashed before him. It took a lot of biofeedback tricks to calm himself or he would have wept like a baby at that instant. Seeing the mother and son together brought his own memories at the front gate of his memory palace. He wanted to leave as soon as possible but little Marvin insisted that Mr. Jane should at least play with his car which he got back. So after an hour Jane got to leave from the Pettigrews.

When Jane got back to his motel room he desperately needed a cup of tea. Memories of his wife and daughter were hitting him hard. After making his tea he sat on the edge of the bed thinking about what happened in the past few days. He had never seen Lisbon so vulnerable. She was his pillar, his support and yet she was crumbling day by day. Seeing her tackling down and arresting criminals twice her size always amazed him, but after seeing her arresting Volker he had new admiration for her. Is this how he would feel after catching- no, killing Red John? Or would it be something more? Even if he didn't know the answers for these questions, one thing he knew that Lisbon would always be at his side. He finished his tea and thought of calling her, but the need to see her and engulf her tiny frame in his arms made him take his car keys and leave the motel room in less than a minute.

He stopped by a grocery store near her arms, knowing that Lisbon wouldn't have anything edible at her place. The woman worked till midnight by living on take-out. Jane decided he would cook for both of them and shopped for the same with a small smile on his face.

Lisbon was numbly watching a rerun of Friends when a knock sounded at her door. She glanced at her clock-nine pm. At first she briefly thought Volker sent someone to harm her but she shook away that thought quickly. He was in the holding cell with no contact to the outside world. A second knock sounded and she retrieved her gun just in case and went for the door.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"Lisbon, it's me." Jane called back.

She lowered her gun and opened her door. "Jane? What are you doing here?"

He held up two bags and smiled at her. "I brought dinner."

"I'm not really hungry Jane-"

He interrupted her. "Won't you let me come in?"

She looked at him sheepishly and fully opened the door. He put the bags down with a dramatic sigh and Lisbon rolled her eyes. She closed the door and turned when suddenly he pulled her and tightly embraced her. She stiffened for a second but found herself returning back the embrace. Her small arms turned to his back and she held him with her head on his chest, breathing his scent in. Jane breathed in her hair besides her neck and let out a sigh. They both needed this. Outside world be damned, Red John be damned. After what happened in the past few days, they needed some comfort, some assurance.

Jane squeezed her waist with his arms and raised his mouth to her ear. "You smell great. Cinnamon and… eucalyptus?"

Lisbon chuckled at his chest. She mumbled. "Bubble bath. And then shampoo."

They stood like that near her door for a while. Finally she pulled away from him and looked in his eyes, her hands now at his elbows. "Are you okay?" She asked with concern.

Jane's hands were on her shoulders. He nodded and gave a small smile. "I am now."

She smiled back. "So am I."

He grinned at her and pointed to the bags. "Come on, help me with this stuff. I'll make dinner for both of us."

"I thought you brought take-out."

Jane rolled his eyes. "Two bags of take-out? I know you need to eat well but, really?"

She smirked. "I didn't get the chance to see what was in there now, did I?"

He teased her, "Are you complaining?"

With a slight blush to her cheeks she replied, "No."

When she looked back at him Jane had that grin which showed he was proud of himself. "Thought so."

Lisbon shook her head and bent down to pick a bag. Her jersey went up to her upper thigh and she realized she hadn't worn any sweats or shorts beneath it. She turned and looked in the kitchen. Thankfully Jane's back was at her. He had taken off his coat and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. Lisbon hurriedly climbed up the stairs to her bedroom and put on black shorts. She returned to find Jane looking at her with an amused expression.

"You have great legs Lisbon. I don't see the point in hiding them. Besides, I have seen you before in this jersey." Then he winked.

She didn't know how to respond to that so she settled for a glare and a "Hush!"

After taking the bag and checking the contents, she found a carton of ice-cream, a chocolate cake and a bottle of wine. She went to the kitchen and kept the carton in her freezer and turned to Jane. "Anything I can do to help?"

He handed her a bag of penne and asked, "Can you put this to cook?"

Lisbon shrugged, "Sure."

After doing that she turned back to him again only to find him expertly prepping the contents as if he belonged there. It felt so natural to see him in her kitchen, cooking meal for them in a three-piece suit sans the jacket. If only she could hold him from back and kiss him on the cheek, then he would turn and take her in his arms and…

Lisbon blinked at realized her thoughts were going to a dangerous territory which neither of them had explored yet. Well, she had in her dreams. She took a deep breath to calm herself and went to the other corner of the kitchen to get two wine glasses for the dinner. She also set the table and poured wine for both of them. Jane brought the skillet to the table and served generous portions for both of them. She took the first bit and hummed approvingly at him. He did the same which made Lisbon roll her eyes.

A few mouthfuls later Jane asked her, "So what's gonna happen to Volker? Death penalty?"

She thought for a second and replied, "We still need to find the necessary evidence for the murder of Amanda and Cassie. Milk is dead and so is Clyde. Although, we can get some evidence from Clyde's phone records."

Jane nodded. "We'll find something. Marvin can testify right?"

"Yeah he can. I will assign a patrol car outside his house first thing in the morning. I know Volker can't send hits as he is in prison. But it's better to be safe than sorry."

He gave a small smile, "Yeah it is." After a moment he added, "I don't know how we missed Shettrick."

Lisbon huffed. "Oh don't even start about that bitch, I never liked her. But you're right. If Cho hadn't talked to Volker's new assistant we never would have got the solid proof of Brenda's involvement."

"Tsk tsk, language Lisbon."

She merely rolled her eyes. He grinned at her and they finished their pasta. Lisbon took the dishes and skillet and kept them in her basin. She would wash them later. Jane took their glasses and the bottle and placed it on the table besides the couch. When Lisbon joined him he gave her her glass. "Cheers."

She clinked her glass in return. "To the SCU."

Jane knew he should leave but being with Lisbon in such close proximity made it difficult for him to get up from the couch. So he placed his hand above her on the couch, gently playing with her curls. Lisbon knew what Jane was doing, but instead of pulling away she found herself leaning to his touch. She flipped channels till she found 'L. ' on one of them. Jane asked her for a refill and she just shrugged. So he filled their glasses and watched the movie, moving closer. After sometime Lisbon's head was on his shoulder and his hand was on her arm at the other side, and no one tried to move away.

Halfway through the movie, she looked up at him and stated. "You know you look familiar to that guy, Matt Reynolds." She pointed to the screen.

Jane chuckled, "You my dear, are drunk. I don't look like him nor I share any interests like him."

She giggled. "I'm not drunk and you do look like him." After a moment she added with a blush, "Maybe better."

Jane beamed at her and asked. "You sure you're not drunk? Because you never compliment me like this."

Lisbon replied stubbornly. "Again, I'm not drunk and I don't compliment you because your ego doesn't need any more boosting."

He shook his head and kissed the top of her head. Was he drunk now? But Lisbon didn't mind and snuggled closer to him. Maybe both of them were drunk.

They both didn't realize how it happened or when it happened but when the movie ended Jane was lying on the couch and Lisbon was on top of him. They both looked at each other and a small smile spread on their lips. Jane squeezed her and she leaned up to kiss his cheek. Lisbon knew this wasn't her wine acting, it was the longing. It was the moment she had wished for so many times when he was gone for six months and now he was here. He was here with her, holding her, embracing her, giving her that secret smile which was reserved only for her and in that moment, she knew she didn't care for anything else. She suddenly wished this night never ended and they would stay just like this.

Jane whispered, "What was that for?"

She whispered back, shyly. "For coming here, for the delicious dinner and for… just being here."

He released a breath he didn't even know he was holding and smiled back. He knew she had missed him when he was gone. Hell, he even knew she loved him. And sometime after the Vegas fiasco, he felt himself returning those feelings. Surprisingly he didn't feel guilty for feeling something similar to what he felt for Angela. So he pulled her towards him and kissed the corner of her mouth.

Lisbon froze and closed her eyes. She felt so good but this wasn't right. He was still going to kill Red John, he had still slept with Red John's mistress. She didn't know for sure if that happened but he had declared this in front of a judge to get Lorelei back into CBI. That thought roused her out of his spell and she tried to pull away but Jane held her close.

"What's wrong?" He asked with concern.

She wasn't going to say a simple "Nothing" and leave it at that. She thought for a second and began, "You left me Jane. You ran away. I don't know if I can trust you again."

Before he could say anything she put her hand on his lips. "I know you're a good man and don't even try to tell me otherwise. But Red John is still out there and I don't want something to happen which you'll regret in the morning."

He kissed her hand and she blushed and moved it on his chest. "What regret? I would never in my life regret about whatever good that will happen between us Teresa." He took a deep breath. This would be harder than he thought. "Don't ever think you come after Red John because that isn't true. You would never be second."

Lisbon took it the wrong way. "Ofcourse. I would be third. You said you slept with Lorelei so she must come after Red John now. Which makes me third."

Now Jane was annoyed. "What should I do to make you understand woman? Don't you get it?" Before she could respond he pulled her closer and placed his lips on hers. Lisbon was startled and tried to pull away but Jane tightened his hold on her. After a moment she melted into this kiss and kissed him back with equal fervor. Jane's left hand went into her curls and he moved his hand there, the other squeezing her tiny waist. She moved her hands from his chest to his hair and deepened the kiss. Their tongues met and both of them groaned at the pleasure. The need for air pulled them apart and Jane whispered breathily, "You will always be first Teresa." He wiped a stray tear that had escaped from here eye.

She blushed profusely and placed a soft kiss on his jaw. He smiled and swiftly turned them around, now he was on top of her. They kept kissing for a while and Lisbon asked, "Someday? When Red John is no more?"

Jane nodded near her neck and smiled. "Someday."

That was all the confirmation she needed. They cuddled for a while fell asleep later on the couch, Jane spooning Lisbon from behind. When she woke up, Jane was no longer besides her. But she found a note on the table.

'Now you're sure my interests are way different than Matt Reynolds.
See you at work and hopefully in the evening after work. Your coffee and bearclaw will be on your table.

Someday, Teresa. I promise.
J.'

Her morning had never been more pleasant. She got for work with a big smile.

Thank you so much for reading. How was it? Please let me know. I would love to have a note from Jane but sadly no such luck.