Hiyah everyone! This is my second Mentalist fanfiction. (btw thank you very , very much for all the lovely reviews on my first fic. I was quite ecstatic about it!)

This story was inspired by a story a little girl I had to take care of told me yesterday. It's insanely hot up in my room and I feel quite light-headed which is the poor excuse for any mistakes (grammatical and idiomatical) that might be escaped my notice and are scattered throughout this story. : ) Anyway I hope you still enjoy it and let me know what you think about it!

Flawless.

Patrick Jane sat on his beloved brown leather couch, twisting something in his hands. His eyes were looking in some unknown distance, seeing long lost things. It was a quiet day in the office. Cho and Rigsby had gone out for lunch, Van Pelt was replying to a friend's e-mail, Teresa Lisbon sat in her office, pretending to fill out paperwork - pretending. For the last fifteen minutes her pen lay still in her hand, unmoving. She was watching Jane suspiciously from under her lashes. He had been very quiet and withdrawn the whole day. The minutes were ticking by. Slowly but gradually Lisbon was getting curious about the little widget that drew Janes attention.

Lisbon was forcing her attention back on the blank sheet in front of her. She needed this to be finished. Starting with the easiest part she signed the form deliberately and let her eyes rest on the cursive loops of her signature. When she finally began doodling on the form, Teresa Lisbon decided that it was time for some physical exercise. She had spent too much time locked up in her office that was surely reaching tropical temperatures by now. Deciding to combine her little stroll with the growing curiosity she steered in Janes direction. However her little plan was crushed by the ringing phone in her office. Lisbon sprinted back the few steps she had already accomplished and answered a little breathless the phone. They had a new case. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere close to the desert. She would have to call Cho and Rigsby thus depriving the latter from his much needed lunch which would result in a very grumpy Rigsby. Oh well, she could always put Van Pelt and him in one car on their own to amend things a bit. Gathering her weapon and badge she walked out of the office, calling Cho to spread the news.

*

She'd seen it coming. Rigsby was grumpy and Cho didn't look happy either. A lack of food was never a good thing for men. What was strange though was Janes complete lack of interest in the case. But now wasn't the time to contemplate Patrick Janes mysterious traits.

The heat made Lisbons mind incredibly slow and after questioning the third witness her shirt was soaked through. She really needed a cold shower. The rest of the team didn't look much better. Cho had his sleeves rolled up, Van Pelts hair was sticking to her forehead and Rigsby desperately tried to catch some cold air from a spinning little windmill that was put in a flowerbed. Jane, as usual dressed in his three-piece suit merely took off his jacket and still looked like he just stepped out of a freaking commercial. Lisbon was mentally cursing him for being so impervious about the heat when she noticed that he was still spinning something in one of his hands. Must be something really exciting, she thought crossly.

*

Back in the office Teresa Lisbon sat the fan right in front of her on the desk and let the cold air blow into her face. The sun gave finally way for the cool evening air and people were starting to pack up their things and call it a day. How Lisbon wished she could join them. But the discarded paperwork from the morning needed to be done.

After hours what it seemed like to her, Lisbon was still filling in names and dates on multiple sheets. The office was mostly deserted besides Jane who had retrieved to his beloved couch right after they arrived at the office. He hadn't been very chatty about the case or anything else for that matter. Giving the form in front of her the last touch, Lisbon stood up with a moan. She had been sitting for too long. Shooting a quick glance in Janes direction, Lisbon walked out of her office and into the bullpen. Jane was still spinning something in his hand.

Slowly, as not to disturb his mental peace, Lisbon walked up to him and sat beside him. "Everything alright?" Lisbon asked him lightly. He didn't answer. In fact, he didn't even look up. Still staring at the little thing in his hand, he heaved a heavy sigh. Being so close to him gave Lisbon a goof look at his hands and she finally saw what Jane was holding. It was a little stone that he probably found down at the shore. Upon closer examination she noticed the slight heart-shaped form. It was a bit rough around the edges and it was weather-stained here and there.

Lisbon reached out to touch Janes forearm lightly to bring him out of his reverie. Jane finally looked up. His eyes were distraught, darting over Lisbons face as if looking for a long lost answer. Looking back at the little stone in his hand he started speaking:

"My wife gave my daughter a little red heart to put under her pillow so nightmares wouldn't invade her dreams and be blocked out forever by love and hope. They were looking all day for the perfect heart-shaped stone so they could paint it … red." He stroked the little stone thoughtful.

"After Red John took them away from me I look the little charm and drowned it in bleach to get rid of the nasty color that reminded me so much of my failure. I ruined it completely." At this he was laughing sadly. "It kind of reflects myself, I guess." Jane twisted the stone again and Lisbon examined it more closely. Small remnants of red color covered the little heart. The edges were rough and the surface was dented and scratched in some places.

Lisbon put a hand over Janes' and whispered quietly: "You know, to remain flawless and unscathed you'd have to lock yourself away, never experiencing anything. Not love, not hope nor happiness or sadness for that matter. A flawless surface only looks perfect on the outside, but this-" while Lisbon was talking she touched the little heart in Janes hand, "-surface may be rough and dented, it is still more beautiful inside than any other nice looking thing. Loving someone is taking a chance, you might get hurt by unreturned love but you might experience the greatest thing in live. Lock yourself away and you'll never know what is still out there, waiting for you!"

Lisbon stared intently at Jane. His eyes once again lost its focus but regained it soon again. He was now looking straight into her face, searching for something. Right above her left brow was a tiny scar. Down her neck ran another faint line, telling stories of her live.

Teresa Lisbon was right a flawless surface was a soulless surface that had never experienced anything. The battered, scathed one however was beautiful, maybe not on the outside but all the more on the inside. Maybe he wasn't such a horrible wreck after all, and maybe there was hope for people like him.

Allowing a little smile to spread over his face he reached out for her and pulled her in a hug. "Thank you. For everything." He whispered lightly into her ear. Lisbon mirrored his expression. "You're very welcome. My mother told me that, she always knew what to say. She was the best mom one could have." Jane pulled away and looked at her. "Well she must have been. It must have taken a purely good person to shape someone like you." He smiles sweetly at her and tucked the little stone heart in his waist-coat pocket.

"May I invite the lady to a midnight visit to the gas station for a box of chocolate ice-cream? To revolt against this disastrous heat that enveloped Sacramento?" Jane stood up quickly, offered Lisbon his hand and showed his brightest smile.

Lisbon accepted, of course. Who, in his right mind, would turn down such an offer? Jane might not be healed completely, in fact he was rather far away from being healed, but Lisbon thought he was making a great progress for a man so severely hurt.

A/N: Not so happy with this ending .. but I'm getting really tired and the heat is still not helping. Gonna move to Alaska!!

Anyway thanks for reading and I would be monstrously happy for any reviews (:

Take care everyone!