A/N: So this fic is for boutondor, who asked for a Jane/Lisbon fic from somebody else's perspective. Of course, that means I choose to write both perspectives, because I'm a slave to the plot bunnies like that.

It shouldn't be necessary to read both perspectives, but hopefully it'll be fun and they'll make quite interesting contrasts from one another. Inside should focus more on the case, whereas Outside will focus more on Bosco's opinion on Jane and Lisbon and the way they work together.

Anyway, enjoy. I think.

x tromana

Title: On the Outside, Looking In
Author: tromana
Rating: T
Characters: Jane/Lisbon, Bosco
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: -companion fic to On the Inside, Looking Out- A SCU case goes sour and Bosco can only watch the fall out.
Spoilers: Up to 2x07 Red Bulls
Notes: written for boutondor. I'm a slave to the plot bunnies. Beta'd by twin, my partner in crime, the second head of the two-headed angst monster. She's more commonly known as Divinia Serit. Thank ya m'dear.

On the Outside, Looking In

Part One

Mandy never deserved this kind of treatment, goodness knows she didn't. Not only did she have to share her husband with his job, but she also had to accept his affections for a certain little spitfire. And she did so with practiced ease, never once complaining or starting an argument when she would have been more than justified if she'd done so. It was like she'd long since accepted that she would never be as important a figure in her husband's life as she should be. Most other women would never stand for it and would long since have left him, but not Mandy. Maybe she should have left have, but Sam Bosco was grateful that she hadn't and that she had continued to provide one solid constant in his life. There weren't many women in the world like Amanda Bosco and he reckoned that he was one of the lucky ones.

"Sam, you're stressed. You need to calm down."

"How can I calm down? She's throwing her life away for that bastard and she's too blind to see it."

"Teresa's her own woman, Sam," Mandy replied patiently, relieved that she had finally managed to persuade her husband to sit down. "A very stubborn one too. You know that."

Eventually, he allowed himself to relax into her touch as her nimble fingers worked at the tensed muscles in his shoulders. If it wasn't for Mandy, Bosco knew that he would probably have driven himself off the edge of a cliff literally by now. It was a problem of his, he always allowed himself to get so wound up all too easily. But the knowledge that their two beautiful kids were upstairs, busy completing their homework and the enticing aroma of a roast beef joint in the oven had finally taken its toll and allowed him to relax. He knew exactly what the problem was. Patrick Jane had really rattled him.

But then again, Jane always seemed to be doing that. The man was a charlatan, who seemed to have the ability to wrap everyone - even Lisbon and Minelli - around his little finger. And Jane played on it, with his secretive ways, outlandish stunts and desperate desire to play the showman. It was a miracle that he had managed to worm his way into the CBI, especially when it was so blatantly obvious that he wasn't all there. Then there was Red John. Jane was clearly obsessed and how the institutions could justify hiring somebody who was so open about their desire for revenge and murder was beyond Bosco. Heavens knew how poor Teresa coped with working with him day in, day out. She definitely deserved that old nickname of 'Saint Teresa' for she certainly seemed to have developed the patience of one. He would have told Minelli his complaints as he had no desire to undermine Teresa's career and his issues purely laid with Jane. But he had a feeling Minelli wouldn't see it like that and besides, he respected him to much to question the director's usually sound judgment.

Instead, Bosco took his complaints directly to the source and seethed at home, much to his wife's irritation.

His latest case had pretty much confirmed his beliefs and concerns though. Yes, they'd closed the damn thing, but not without typical Jane trickery. Typical Jane trickery that Lisbon had been more than willing to turn a blind eye to. And that was particularly worrisome. The Teresa Lisbon he'd known was a straight arrow, no nonsense, as good as they came. The one he saw on an almost day to day basis now was a caricature if the woman who had been destined to become a formidable agent. Bosco reckoned that the influence could entirely be put down to Jane. He knew that those two had a rather bemusing relationship. Hell, everyone in the employ of the CBI did. They appeared to flirt mercilessly, shared furtive gazes and secret smiles and displayed an obvious affection for one another. However, if looks could kill, Jane would be dead several times over and Teresa must have worn her voice hoarse with how often she found herself berating him. And equally, Jane was known to pick fights with the petite agent, especially when he was convinced he was right and she was wrong. Or, if Red John cropped up, even just in conversation, of course.

When his kids came charging downstairs, like the ravenous horde they were, Bosco let work slip from his mind for a while. Really, he needed to learn to stop taking so much of the emotional baggage home with him. He'd been in the business for long enough, but for some strange reason, he'd simply never learned how to, probably because Mandy was so accepting of it. But still, it wasn't fair on her or the kids. They deserved at least a couple of hours where the man of the house wasn't preoccupied by what might as well have been another life. He genuinely enjoyed hearing his children ramble away about their friends, school problems and the like. If nothing else, it was a blessed respite from worrying about death and disaster as well as problematic co-workers.

He tried desperately hard not to feel too guilty when his mind invariably slipped back to work and indeed, Teresa, later in bed. Mandy's arm was wrapped somewhat possessively around his waist, but his mind was caught up with thoughts of the most important woman in his life excluding his wife and daughter. Bosco had spent many hours trying to fathom the reasons why he transferred from SFPD to Sacramento. He now had a list of excuses, each one more feeble than the next. A change of lifestyle, more money, a bigger (or at least, more expensive) house, better schools for the kids, closer to his brother. While they were all perfectly valid on one level, he knew they weren't the real reason and he'd be lying if he ever claimed they were.

The real reason was Teresa Lisbon and though he'd never force Mandy to endure the humiliation of divorce (and he didn't actually want to leave her anyway, so the point was moot), he'd be damned if he saw her waste her life on Patrick Jane.

The problem was that she was woefully blind when it came to her consultant.

TBC…