This story was written as a Jello Forever Secret Santa gift for Nellie (NellieTheItalian).
Title: Far Below the Mistletoe
Rating: K+
Characters: Lisbon/Jane with guest appearances by the team and Minelli
Prompt: You broke it!
Summary: Minelli's Christmas party doesn't exactly go according to plan for Jane and Lisbon, but it is still a night they'll remember for a lifetime. Holiday fluff.
A/N: I am in denial about Minelli retiring.
In the late afternoon of an unusually cold December day, a biting wind swept around the street corners of Sacramento. Those lucky enough to be done with work for the day, curled up at home with hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. Patrick Jane however – even though his workday technically ended several minutes ago - stood next to his couch at the office and looked out of the window, observing houses and gardens beginning to shine in festive radiance at nightfall. The sight revived a long-lost yearning in Jane, a sudden urge to turn his brand-new apartment in a Christmas wonderland.
There was a time when he had loved the holidays, even though there had never been a huge Christmas tree or fancy presents in his childhood. Despite his father's obvious disapproval, he had always found a way to make his Christmas bright and wonderful. And then later, when he had been a father himself, he had always made sure that the house was beautifully decorated and that his little daughter understood the true meaning of Christmas. But then, one fateful day, a bloody smiley face on his bedroom wall had crushed his holiday spirit once and for all. Or so he had believed, until the sight of Christmas trees and fairy lights disabused him tonight.
After Red John had killed his family, Jane hadn't believed to be ever able to move on and to live a life again that wasn't devoted to a relentless pursuit of revenge. And still, now many years later he was able to enjoy his life and he was even open to the idea of dating. Maybe this year it was time to start reviving his Christmas traditions. Or maybe not yet, Jane decided, when he saw a little boy and his father carrying a small fir tree down the street. He would wait another year with buying new decorations and putting them up. This December his new-found ability to feel Christmas would suffice. Although, maybe if she would help him decorate...
"Jane, can you please hand me the tinsel angel for the top?" Rigsby's voice interrupted his musing.
Jane didn't turn around, but he had no doubt that the bullpen still looked the same as before his attention shifted to the twilit town, with Rigsby standing on a ladder and several boxes of ornaments spread out beneath the huge Christmas tree that had been delivered that morning.
"Can't Cho do that?" Jane mumbled, observing the man and kid struggling with hefting the tree onto the roof of their car.
"No, I'm steadying the ladder."
"So?"
"Come on, man! Do you want me to fall down?" Rigsby, now in an annoyed tone, asked.
Of course Jane didn't want that, but he was enjoying the situation far too much to just give in. "I'm sure Grace would love to play nurse for you."
"Jane, just give me that damn angel!"
"Can't Grace do it?"
Rigsby sighed. "Grace is putting up mistletoe in the hallway, and before you ask, Lisbon is helping her."
"Lisbon is putting up mistletoe?" Jane spun around. "That is brave."
He rushed out of the bullpen with a huge, ominous grin on his face, ignoring Rigsby and Cho's cursing as well as the loud thud that followed immediately afterward.
In the hallway he sneaked up on Lisbon, who was just climbing onto a chair and was totally oblivious to his antics. He waited until she held a mistletoe above her head to attach it over the elevator doors, then he fast as lightning planted himself in front of her and put his hands on her hips. Unfortunately, Lisbon was far more jumpy than Jane would have guessed, so his grand plan to snatch a kiss under the mistletoe backfired. Helplessly he could only watch as Lisbon dropped the decoration and it landed on the head of a guy who just exited the elevator.
"Jane! Are you insane?" Lisbon accused him after profoundly apologizing to the mistletoe victim. Jane was fairly certain that she didn't mean it as a rhetorical question.
"I just wanted to surprise you."
"Well, you did. And not in a good way. What were you thinking?"
"I thought it would be fun." Jane shrugged her irritation off. "Meet me under the mistletoe..."
"Jane, stop singing. People are already watching." She warned him, throwing apologetic glances at the co-workers that passed them by.
"...midnight Christmas eve..."
To Lisbon's relief, in that moment Minelli with Van Pelt in tow appeared and shut Jane up before he reached the part of the song that dealt with kissing.
"Jane, stop harassing Lisbon. Everyone, follow me."
Once the whole team was gathered in the bullpen next to the nicely decorated Christmas tree – except for the still missing angel on top of it – Minelli informed them that the CBI's annual Christmas party was canceled this year for financial reasons. The announcement was met with cheerfulness and gladness. Rigsby even gave high fives to everyone. Only Jane seemed a little disappointed and Van Pelt was outright sad. Rigsby tried to convince her that she wouldn't really miss the stale food and bad entertainment program, but he failed to cheer her up.
"Some of the other supervisors organize private parties for their departments." Minelli continued and Van Pelt and Jane's faces lit up. "I don't really think this is a good idea, but I made the mistake to mention the issue to my partner who is a very big fan of Christmas parties and already invited all of our friends for tomorrow night."
"Your partner?" Jane inquired with a smirk.
Minelli glared at him. "The woman I'm in a relationship with."
Jane's grin increased. "Ah, your girlfriend."
"For God's sake, I'm not a teenager anymore." Minelli frowned.
"The point is..." He conjured up a bunch of envelopes and handed them out. "... be there on time and dress nicely, but comfortably. See you all tomorrow night."
He walked away while everyone still fiddled with the envelopes and stared at the invitations they contained.
Van Pelt was the first to speak. "I have nothing to wear that's nice and comfortable at the same time."
"Yes, you have. This isn't the Governor's Ball, you know." Rigsby teased her.
"Oh, shut up. Come on, we need to go shopping." She started dragging him away. "And don't think you are wearing that reindeer tie your cousin got you last Christmas."
"What? I thought you liked it." Those were the last words Cho, Jane and Lisbon heard before their two colleagues were out of earshot.
"Christmas brings out the worst in people." Cho remarked, darting a very explicit look at Jane and then at several broken ornaments and the neglected tinsel angel on the floor, before going over to clean up the mess.
"So, are you going to the party?" Lisbon, who had been uncharacteristically quiet so far, asked Jane.
"Yes. I'm actually looking forward to that party."
Lisbon didn't seem very convinced. "You? Really?"
"Yes. I know I wasn't exactly pleasant company at any of the past years' Christmas parties, but this year it will change. And I can't wait to see Minelli's house and get to know that mysterious 'partner' of his."
"No worries, I'll behave." He added, when Lisbon still wore a skeptical expression on her face.
"Alright, then. I'm glad you decided to shed your Grinch personality this Christmas."
"This is gonna be a great Christmas, I can feel it. Hey, do you maybe want to drive to the party together tomorrow?" Jane asked as nonchalantly as possible.
"Why?"
"Just because."
She eyed him suspiciously for half an eternity, before she finally made up her mind. "I think I'll rather drive there myself. But thanks for the offer."
"No problem." Jane assured her, hiding his disappointment behind a smile. "It was just a thought."
He watched Lisbon walk over to her office and still stared at her door long after she disappeared behind it, toying with the idea to retreat to old habits and to put the couch next to the office's Christmas tree for settling down on it for the night. Finally he sighed and collected his stuff to return to his comfortable, but not very festive home. And, much to his chagrin, it certainly didn't look as if Lisbon would help him decorate it this year.
*****
The next day flew by with a flurry of activity, pizza for lunch and paperwork.
"Are you leaving?" Van Pelt asked Lisbon, who was just on her way to the elevator.
"Yes. I have to get a skirt that I want to wear tonight from the dry cleaner's first and then I'll rush home to get changed."
"Are you bringing someone tonight?"
"What?" Lisbon played dumb, even though she knew exactly what her co-worker - and meanwhile also good friend - meant.
"Well, the invitation said you can bring someone, so..."
"No, it's only me." Lisbon hurried to say, indicating that this conversation was over.
"Okay. See you at the party." Van Pelt called after her and then turned her attention back to her computer screen, until her boss unexpectedly reappeared at her desk.
"Um, Grace?" Lisbon addressed her, hesitation in her voice. "Can I ask you something?"
Van Pelt nodded with a smile.
"Yesterday, Jane asked me to drive to the party together and I reclined. He seemed to be kind of sad about it... and now I'm wondering..."
"... if you should have said yes." Van Pelt finished the sentence, immediately understanding Lisbon's dilemma even better than the woman in question herself. "Okay, here's what I think. Jane likes you. A lot. And I think he is too shy to ask you out, so he tried testing the water by asking you to drive with him."
"Right." Lisbon let out a sarcastic snort. "Jane doesn't like me that way. Plus, Jane shy? I don't think so."
"He is out of practice when it comes to dating. It's been a while." The younger woman continued. "But I think he is ready. It's been over six months since Red John was caught. And Jane just moved into a new apartment. Rigsby told me that Jane got a brand-new double bed when he helped him move. A double-bed means that he has space for a woman in his life."
Lisbon couldn't help smiling at Van Pelt's enthusiasm and her attempt to play matchmaker. "You spend clearly too much time with Jane. And even if you're right: That woman he has space for isn't me."
"But he hasn't been on one single date yet."
"That we know of." Lisbon objected.
"He hasn't. He never had that certain sparkle of gleeful anticipation or recent pleasure in his eyes when he left after work or came in at the morning. Believe me, he isn't dating. He does hang out with you a lot though, in case you haven't noticed."
"You are quite the romantic, aren't you?" Lisbon teased Grace to distract from her emotional turmoil.
Van Pelt winked at her. "Well, I do have an unerring eye for burgeoning romance when I see it. "
Not letting show how much Van Pelt's words got to her, she thanked her for the insight and left a second time. As she stepped out of the building and walked over to her car, she took her phone out of her purse and quickly dialed Jane's number before she got a chance to chicken out.
*****
"I'm glad you changed your mind." Jane told Lisbon solemnly after he parked his car on the side of the road.
"Me too." Lisbon agreed with him.
The evening had started pleasantly enough. Jane had knocked on her door punctual to the minute, clad in dark jeans, light blue shirt and anthracite jacket. She suspected that she - in her anthracite skirt, red blouse and dark boots - matched him well and she almost wished to be able to stand in front of a mirror together with him to examine the effect. Jane had so far been a perfect gentlemen. He hadn't even snooped around in her apartment when she was looking for her keys and he had helped her first into her jacket and then into his car. She just hoped that the rest of the evening would progress just as nicely.
"Let's go inside, shall we?" Jane prompted, his voice sounding more poised than he actually felt. "I can't wait to see if Rigsby is wearing his reindeer tie."
Lisbon calling him had been a pleasant surprise and now he just hoped he wouldn't screw up tonight and that she would still like him afterward. He motioned Lisbon to wait, quickly walked around the car and opened the door for her which she rewarded with a smile and a "thank you".
"I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was too impressed: You look really beautiful tonight, Lisbon." Jane complimented her after ringing the doorbell.
She looked at him quizzically and slightly blushed, but before she could respond, the door opened and a woman in her fifties wearing a Santa hat embraced them in a bear hug.
"You must be Teresa and Patrick. Come in, come in. Give me your coats. There you go. Virgil has told me so much about you! Oh, I didn't introduce myself yet. I'm Loraine, Virgil's girlfriend." She sputtered after she finally let go of the overwhelmed agent and consultant.
After Loraine retreated to greet some other guests just as fast as she appeared, Jane leaned forward and conspiratorially whispered to Lisbon. "At least she knows the correct term."
Lisbon chuckled. "She seems like a nice person. And I'm glad she is his age. I admit I was a little afraid of him dating a girl half his age after he bought that red Porsche last month."
Engaging in bantering chat, Lisbon and Jane walked over to the room where the other party guests were already enjoying themselves. It was cheerfully decorated and there was Christmas music softly playing in the background. As far as Lisbon could tell from afar, the buffet had to offer much tastier food than at any of the official CBI Christmas parties.
In a corner Jane spotted Van Pelt and Rigsby as well as Cho and his girlfriend Charlotte and waved to them.
"Nice tie." Jane remarked after they joined them, pointing at the red-nosed reindeer displayed on the garment around Rigsby's neck.
"It's Christmas, after all." Van Pelt shrugged, reacting to the questioning look Lisbon gave her.
Minelli turned up, balancing a tray with glasses of eggnog and resolutely ignoring all the waiter jokes Jane cracked at his expense.
"Everyone who's not driving tonight, take a glass. I made the eggnog after Loraine's mother's recipe and according to her it's the best one ever. For the drivers, there are non-alcoholic beverages at the buffet. Now, enjoy the party. If the guests are happy, Loraine will be happy and if Loraine's happy my life will be so much easier." With that he flounced off to serve drinks to other people.
Jane got sodas for Van Pelt, Cho and himself and then the six of them clinked glasses and drank to Minelli. While Rigsby complained about the eggnog - "Apparently Loraine's mom is a teetotaler." - Jane scanned the room and soon found what he was looking for in various spots of the room.
"Hey, Lisbon? Let's go over there for a while." He charmingly requested, already guiding her away from the others.
"Why?"
"Because..." He said, pointing up. Lisbon's eyes followed his until she saw the mistletoe hanging from the ceiling above them. Jane was smiling and pointing suggestively at his lips. "According to tradition, a young lady cannot refuse to be kissed under the mistletoe or great harm will befall her in the year to come."
He watched as a small smile tugged at her lips. She seemed amused by his flirtatiousness, but she didn't make a move to kiss him.
"Okay." She slyly replied. "If you can tell me where this tradition comes from, I'll kiss you."
"You really want to kiss me, huh? Because that is an easy one." He said with confidence.
He paused for a beat and Lisbon crossed her arms, waiting for him to continue.
"The tradition is of Scandinavian origin. The Norsemen believed that the mistletoe brought Balder, the god of the summer sun, back to life. His mother, the goddess of love was so grateful that she hung mistletoe outside her home and kissed anyone who passed under it."
Jane tapped the corner of his mouth with a finger. "I'm waiting, my dear."
"Not so fast." She stopped him from leaning in for a kiss. "That's without a doubt a beautiful legend, but actually kissing under the mistletoe was first associated with primitive marriage rites. Mistletoe was believed to have the power of bestowing fertility, and the berries were also said to have healing power."
Jane's face fell, but his hopes of kissing Lisbon weren't dashed just yet. "Mistletoe is a poisonous plant, so it is very doubtful that it can heal."
"Don't blame me for the delusions of our forefathers." Lisbon cheekily replied, clearly enjoying the situation.
"You made that story up, didn't you?" Jane accused her, now not so certain of his usually profound knowledge.
"Well, why don't you google it?" She offered, fishing her Blackberry out of her purse, handing it to him and then leaving a stunned Jane behind when she walked over to talk to Minelli.
Jane didn't even bother using the phone, instead he opted for watching Lisbon and Minelli from afar. Not for the first time it occurred to him, that – for someone who didn't know them – they might look like father and daughter. Suddenly it didn't matter anymore if he was right or not. He felt a surge of affection, not only for Lisbon but to his surprise for the supervisor as well. Stupid Christmas, making him sentimental.
"How old was she here?" Lisbon asked softly, coming to stand next to Minelli and looking at the same picture he had studied for the last minutes.
"Twelve. That was her last Christmas. You know..." He said, smiling sadly and tearing his eyes away from the photo and instead looking at the woman next to him. "... she's gone for almost twenty years now, but every Christmas I expect her to come through the door and jumble up the house."
Lisbon squeezed his hand and Minelli gently kissed her forehead, then briefly laid a hand onto Jane's shoulder when the consultant joined them. Jane looked after the older man who walked away to act as host for his guests, then turned his attention to the pictures on the mantelpiece. They all showed a young girl in various poses and situations – riding a pink bike, drawing or unwrapping presents under a beautifully decorated Christmas tree.
Jane understood. "Minelli lost a daughter."
"Karen, his only child. She died of complications after a tonsillectomy."
"Now I understand why he's so protective of you. You even resemble her a little."
"Maybe." Lisbon admitted. "But it also explains why he was always more supportive of you than most other supervisors would be. He knows how it is to lose a child."
"I'm sorry." She added after Jane didn't reply anything.
"No, you have nothing to be sorry about." Jane hurried to reassure her. "I was just processing that Minelli and I have more in common than I thought. I mean, I knew he is a decent guy, but..."
A loud stroke of a gong hindered him from speaking on and immediately afterward Minelli informed everyone that the buffet was open.
"Shall we, before Rigsby leaves only crumbs for us?" Jane offered Lisbon his arm.
"Um, please excuse me for a minute. Save me a place at the dining table, I'll be right back." Lisbon told him and disappeared in the direction of – as Jane suspected - the bathroom.
When she - indeed - left the bathroom two minutes later, she only just saw Jane vanishing inside a massive wardrobe and then climbing out of it again.
"What are you doing?" She inquired, agitated.
"Looking for Narnia. No luck though."
"Funny. Now let's go back to the others instead of prying around. It's impolite." Lisbon demanded, tugging at his sleeve.
"You can check out that room over there, but when I am nosy it is impolite? I think it's fun to get to know Minelli's house. I bet it is full of hidden doors and rooms. And look at this chandelier. Supervisors seem to earn a lot."
"I only had to go to the bathroom." Lisbon protested. "I'm not sneaking around looking into other people's closets. And he inherited the house from his mother. Now let's go eat. Please?"
"Aren't you wondering where this door leads to?" Jane asked, completely unimpressed by the frown on her face.
"No."
"I'm saying, it goes to the basement. If I'm right we'll go down to check it out."
The frown deepened. "Jane..."
He opened the door.
"Let's just go back to the others. You promised to behave tonight, remember?" Lisbon tried again.
"You know, for a cop you are strangely incurious. Hah! There are stairs that lead down. I knew it! Come on, let's go down there."
"I didn't say yes."
"Meh, technicalities." Jane went through the door and walked down the stairs, disappearing behind a corner.
"You will come back immediately!"
Silence.
"Jane?"
Nothing.
"This isn't funny. Jane, if you break any of Minelli's possessions..."
Lisbon decided to stopped soliloquizing and to drag Jane out of the basement instead. She entered the room, walked down three steps – and jumped as the heavy door clicked shut behind her with a loud bang. Immediately thick darkness surrounded her.
"Damn."
Suddenly she heard someone breathing right next to her. "Jane?"
A small flame flared up and for a few seconds she was able see Jane's face in front of her, then it was dark again. The next thing she made out was Jane taking a torch from a wall behind them and lighting it.
"That's why I always have a lighter with me." He stated smugly, torch in hand.
"That's really great, MacGyver." Lisbon's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "But I'm sure you understand that I am currently not in the mood to appreciate your boyscout skills. Now let's get out of here."
Jane turned around to shine on the door, but as soon as the light revealed what was hidden so far, Lisbon groaned loudly. A big, archaic-looking keypad with the numbers 1 to 9 on it was attached to the door frame. Before she got a chance to point out the insanity of securing a room from the inside, Jane claimed that he would find the right combination in no time. But instead of actually trying, he just stood there staring at the numbers.
"Jane? Did you fall asleep?"
"Patience, Teresa, I need to think. Most of those things use a four-digit combination, so that should be the case here as well. Especially since it looks pretty old. Okay, year of Minelli's birth."
He typed in the numbers.
Beep.
"Day and month."
Beep.
"Month and year."
Beep.
Several other attempts, including the date of Minelli joining the CBI, failed just as miserably.
"Let me try." Lisbon pushed Jane aside. "Birthday of his daughter."
Beep.
"Year this house was built."
Jane darted a look of astonishment at her.
"What? It's engraved in stone over the front door. Don't tell me you didn't notice?" Lisbon told him with a grin.
"I was distracted by your transcendent beauty." He retorted, smiling to himself when the compliment caused Lisbon to quickly look away and pretend to be completely absorbed in the keypad. Suddenly, after typing in the next four numbers, the device made a rattling noise and then was dead silent.
"You broke it!" Jane burst out.
"I did not!"
"The red blinking light isn't blinking anymore. You broke it."
"It isn't broken. I can fix this." She frantically pushed several buttons.
"Lisbon."
"I can do it."
"Lisbon." Jane repeated very calmly. "This won't work."
Lisbon hit some more keys and then, finally, gave up. "We are trapped."
"It sure looks like it." Jane cheerfully agreed.
"Maybe there is another way out." Lisbon suggested, full of hope – which Jane blasted right away.
"There is none."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do. I'm a man. We check a room for exits as soon as we enter it."
Lisbon gave him a don't-mess-with-me glance. "It was dark before you lit the torch, you couldn't see anything."
"There was light before the door fell shut."
"The light goes off when the door closes? This is pretty impractical, don't you think? There has to be a light switch somewhere." She took the torch from Jane.
"Maybe not, maybe Minelli likes his basement medieval and sans electricity."
"There is an electronic lock on the door, remember. If you don't have any useful suggestions, I suggest you keep quiet." Lisbon said snappily.
Jane was obedient and kept quiet – for exactly sixteen seconds. "Look, there's a window!"
"I noticed, but it's latticed. And seeing how tiny it is, there's no way we would fit through anyway."
"At least it lets in a little light." Jane, always the optimist, remarked.
"It'll be completely dark soon. And this torch won't last forever."
Jane seemed amused. "Are you afraid of the dark? It's not even a full moon. The chances of me turning into a ravening beast are very slim."
"I can't believe you are joking in a situation like this!" Lisbon blamed him.
"Ah."
"Ah what?"
"I thought you were annoyed with me, but it's the situation, not the company. Thank you, Lisbon, this makes me feel better."
"I'm glad you feel better." She said, folding her arms.
"Hey, did you ever make a den?" Jane asked, picking up an old rug on the floor.
"We're trapped in a damn basement. This isn't the time to compare childhoods."
Jane spread out the rug on the concrete floor and sat down on it. "I think we should make the best of the situation. We have a nice, comfy rug and look, there a several bottles of wine on that rack over there."
Patting the space next to him and smiling at her, he invited Lisbon to sit down as well. After a minute of inner struggle Lisbon sighed, put the torch into a wall bracket and settled down next to Jane.
"Any ideas on getting out at all?" She tried again.
He looked around and shrugged. "We'll have to wait for Minelli to notice that we're gone and hopefully to search the whole house for us."
"This is the great plan? I hate being forced to do nothing but waiting."
"We'll find something to pass the time." He said, raising his eyebrows.
"You really enjoy this, don't you?" She accused.
"Do you think I wanted us trapped down here? If I were going to arrange something like that, I'd organize something far more romantic than an old rug in a basement. But I admit, even though I don't enjoy the environment, I do enjoy the company."
He smiled slowly and moved in as if to kiss her, then quickly stood up. "Let's open a bottle of wine."
"Open it with what?"
"I'll find something, just wait here."
"Where else would I go?" She asked sarcastically.
He used the lighter to pick out a nice bottle of red wine, then came back to Lisbon and tried using some of the old and rusted tools lying around.
After a couple of minutes of being immersed in his task, Lisbon chuckled and picked up the two pieces of the formerly whole tool. "You broke it."
"You broke the keypad, I broke the tool. I'd say we are even."
"Alright, you had your chance." Lisbon said, taking one of the other tools from the floor. "Now I'm going to show you how it's done."
"Yeah, right." Jane sneered.
Less than a minute later, she handed him the now cork-less bottle. "Cheers!"
"You are always good for a surprise. Really, Lisbon, I admire you."
"Only because I provide you with wine." She teased him, deeming it safer to ignore the seriousness in his voice.
"No, I mean it. You are a great woman. And..." He added, now also resorting to harmless, playful banter. "... secretly, you like me as well."
"I like you a lot." She admitted sincerely, surprised herself by her openness. "And it's not a secret."
"But your life would be much less complicated if I wouldn't be in it."
"True. But I'm a cop. I like complicated."
For a while they were silent, passing around the wine bottle and both being lost in their own thoughts. The light from outside abated more and more.
Eventually, Jane said, "What are you thinking about?"
"The great food on Minelli's buffet."
"Stuffed turkey." Jane chipped in.
"Chocolate mousse." Lisbon dreamily said.
They sighed in unison.
"A warm bath would be nice now as well." Lisbon remarked.
"Sounds good."
"I can almost feel the water."
"I'm working more with my visual imagination." He admitted.
"Lots of bubbles."
"Not too many."
She turned to frown at him. He laughed quietly and she softened enough to smile. He put his arm around her shoulder. "You know, here we are, alone, in this ..."
"Basement."
"In this ..."
"Damn, dirty..." The torch went out. "... very dark basement."
"Lisbon?"
"Hm?"
"Why don't you like darkness?" He wanted to know.
She considered his question before answering. "I don't really dislike it. It's just, the dark changes things. When you're alone in the dark, you're really alone."
"Or, you are safe and hidden." Jane described his way of looking at things. "With nobody as a witness if you make mistakes."
"You know, I think the darkness is more pleasant if you share it with someone. Two people together in the dark, are ... I don't know."
"Closer?" he suggested quietly.
"Yes."
Before she could say anything more, Jane gave her lips something else to do.
"I'm glad I finally got to kiss you under the mistletoe." Jane said gently, after they finally broke apart for air.
"It might be dark, but I'm sure there is no mistletoe in this basement."
"No, but seeing how lavish Loraine was with it, I'm sure there is at least one in the room above us."
"So what now? Are you going to suggest that we huddle for warmth?" She teased him.
"I would, but I'm not sure this ploy works as well in California as in a colder climate."
"Okay, then let's just skip the excuses." She pulled him closer and kissed him again.
*****
"If you were at home now, would you be thinking of me?" Jane asked during a midnight kissing break.
"No. I'd be asleep. Maybe I would dream of you." She admitted softly, then she yawned.
He slipped his arm around her shoulder again. "Get some sleep."
"I don't want to. Maybe we should talk."
"About what?"
"About this. Us." She kissed him. "About all the questions we never asked, the conversations we avoided so far."
"We have plenty of time for this, we don't have to rush things now."
"Maybe you are right."
She rested her head on his chest and he stroked her hair until she fell asleep. The sound of him saying "And I think we both know pretty well where we stand without needing words." became just a part of her dream.
*****
They awoke as daylight flooded in. They looked at each other, tiredly but smiling.
"We're still alive." Jane said with mock solemnity.
"We should get matching shirts with the slogan 'I survived a night in Minelli's basement' and wear them at work. " Lisbon suggested.
Jane laughed, but then they both kept silent when they heard a noise outside the house. They rushed over to the small window and spotted Minelli in pajamas and bathrobe, picking up his morning paper. They pounded against the pane until their supervisor made out the origin of the noise and knelt down to look at them, shouting "What the hell!" and then hurrying to Jane and Lisbon's rescue.
"Have you been down here all night?" He asked incredulously when he opened the basement door for them.
"Uh-huh."
"I assume it's all Jane's fault?"
"Well, Jane thought..." Lisbon began to explain.
"We were curious what's down here and then the door closed." Jane interrupted her. "Didn't you notice we were missing?"
"I did." Minelli said. "But we all thought that the two of you sneaked off together."
"Why would we do that?" Lisbon inquired.
"To... discuss certain matters."
Lisbon and Jane looked completely baffled.
"Hell, we were all fairly certain that the two of you were making out somewhere." Minelli let the cat out of the bag. "I just wouldn't have thought that somewhere was my own basement."
"Sir, we did not..." Lisbon protested, clearly embarrassed, while Jane only grinned.
"Really, it's not like you think." Lisbon tried again.
Jane shook Minelli's hand, thanked him for the party, apologized that they missed most of it and then dragged Lisbon away. He stopped in the middle of the living room though and turned around to Minelli again.
"Just out of curiosity... What's the code for the basement door?" He asked.
"The code?" Minelli was confused. "Oh, you mean that old keypad. That stopped working years ago. Didn't you try the door handle to open the door?"
Jane and Lisbon exchanged glances, mumbled something about warped door frames and then scuttled away.
"And by the way, the light comes on when you clap your hands." Minelli called after them, but they chose to ignore him.
"I can't believe they thought that!" Lisbon complained about their co-workers' dirty minds while she fastened her seat belt.
"They weren't that far away from the truth." Jane pointed out.
"It was only a kiss."
"It were several kisses, and they were pretty amazing, too."
"They were okay."
"Okay? I'm insulted. They were rather mind-blowing."
"Now you're exaggerating." She leaned in to kiss him, then smirked after she let go. "This was mind-blowing. Now, that this is settled, bring me home before Minelli's eyes pop out of his head."
They waved at the supervisor, who was standing at the door with a huge grin on his face, and then they drove off.
*****
"So." Lisbon said when they were standing in front of her door.
"So." Jane replied and tried to pull Lisbon closer to him, but she escaped and disappeared inside her apartment.
"Wait!" She called to him, already out of sight.
Two minutes later she was back, rosy-cheeked from running up the stairs too fast. She handed him a solid box.
"What is this?"
"A Christmas present."
"For me?"
She nodded. "Open it."
Jane looked at her, then cautiously lifted the lid. Inside the box he found a beautiful wreath, tastefully decorated with red berries, pine cones and reindeer moss.
"It's for your front door." Lisbon explained. "I assumed that you threw all your Christmas decorations away and I thought it would be nice to decorate your new home."
Jane stared at the item in his hands.
"You don't like it." Lisbon nervously stated when Jane didn't respond to his present at all.
He looked up, tears glistening in his eyes. "I love it, it's beautiful."
"Really?"
"Yes. I couldn't bring myself to decorate just yet, but I'll definitely hang this one up."
"Do you remember, last Christmas, when I came back home earlier from visiting my brother and invited you to go ice-skating with me?"
"Sure. Your nephew was sick and you didn't want to get infected with German measles."
"That was a lie."
"Why?"
"I came back earlier because you looked so sad beneath your mask of fake cheerfulness when I said goodbye to you for the holidays. All the time I was with my family, I couldn't shake the image of you lonely wandering the streets of Sacramento and stealing glances at happy families through illuminated windows."
"You came back earlier because of me?"
She nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"Because I was afraid you'd mistake it for pity. And in order to convince you that I didn't pity you, I would have needed to tell you what you mean to me. At that time, I was too scared to do this. And I think it was also too early for such a confession. But now I think we both can handle the truth."
Jane just stood there, motionless.
"Jane?"
"Would you help me decorating my apartment?" He asked solemnly.
"I would love to."
"Okay, be at my place at noon. Don't make any plans for the rest of the day because we'll bake Christmas cookies as well. If you are a good girl, I might even tell you the secret ingredient of the traditional Jane family shortbread cookies."
He hurried to his car, but turned round halfway and came back to her to give her a long, passionate kiss.
"Yes, this is pretty good." He stated, winking at her.
She watched him getting into his car and waved when he drove off, all the while grinning like an idiot.
This was going to be the best Christmas ever.
Happy Holidays, everyone! :)