AN: The Mentalist is not mine and so on and so on...

Well my answer to the following challenge:

White a fanfic containing the following line: "Alpha males don't sulk, they ponder intensely!"

Please note that English is not my first language so feel free to point out mistakes so I can improve the story. I didn't really write for over a year too so I am a bit rusty.

Thanks to GrimmGirl8 for betaing the story!

Reviews, PMs and any kind of feedback is appreciated.


With a frustrated groan, Lisbon slammed the door of her office and went over to her desk. One of these days she was going to shoot Jane right between the eyes! This infuriating man must have gone crazy (well more than his usual insanity anyway) during the last week.

What was it with his sudden need to touch her all the time? And then suddenly sulking and brooding for long periods of time?

Just a couple of minutes ago, he had startled her by sneaking up on her in the breakroom. Had some bullshit excuse about wanting to have a look at her watch. He even had the audacity to pin her against the counter and to fumble at her wrists.

Damn that man! Ever since she had realized how much she was affected by him, she had avoided letting him touch her anywhere near where he could take her pulse.

What's more, today had only been the tip of the iceberg. Last week he had been trying to touch her waist, face and two days ago he had even splayed his hand over her stomach just to alert her to some piece of evidence.

And when he wasn't trying to touch her? He was lying on his couch or sitting in the car, staring holes into thin air, then denying it when she called him out on sulking.

As if her week hadn't been annoying enough, her brother had been staying at her place until yesterday.

Just at that moment it hit her. Her brother waltzing into her life and the office being so demanding of her time: it all happened at the exact same time Jane had started with this campaign of insanity... Busted! Apparently the bastard wasn't as unattached as he wanted everyone (including her) to believe.

With a smug grin plastered to her face, Lisbon scribble a few words on the backside of an old photo and slipped it into an envelope.

"Cho!" She called out then sat back, still grinning. When the other agent entered her room and closed the door behind him, she continued, waving the envelope. "Can you do me a favor?"

A couple of minutes later, Lisbon left her office with a broad smile.

"I'm leaving early today guys, don't stay too late! And Jane? Stop sulking already!" She addressed the agents and her consultant. The latter just glared upon seeing her waving cheerfully to the room before walking over to the elevators.

"Not sulking!" He called after her before flopping back on the cushions with a heavy sigh.

A couple of hours later, Jane was rudely awaken by Cho who just rolled his eyes and tossed an envelope onto his chest before going back to his paperwork.

Slowly, Jane sat up and eyed the envelope. When he opened it, a picture of four teenagers in Lisbon-tricots fell out. Lisbon and her brothers obviously. One of them he recognized as the stranger that whisked away his Lisbon from the office...

Noticing that there was writing on the back, he turned it around: "Right, because alpha males don't sulk, they ponder intensely!"

Damn. He could imagine her grinning all the time when she was writing that!

Sighing, he buried his face in his hands.

"You are an idiot, man!", he heard Cho saying from his desk. "Oh, and boss asked me to remind you that if you consider going over to her place without a bear claw, she's allowed to carry a gun and knows how to use it!"

That was all it took for Jane to scurry off with a huge smile on his face...

FIN