Act 1: We Kiss In A Shadow
A Jane & Lisbon Story
By Brown Eyes Parker
Author's Note:
Okay, I really don't need to start ANOTHER collection of one-shots, but I've wanted to do this for a while. And I am GOING to finish "That's How It Should Be", I actually have two stories planned for it when I'm finished working on my last story for the Mentalist Big Bang (or maybe sooner, if I need a mental break). So, I hope you enjoy these one-shots as I feel inclined to write them. Oh, and I wanted to come up with an awesome title for this story, but in the end it evaded me and "We Kiss In A Shadow", which was the inspiration for this story was the best thing I could come up with.
Rated: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I'd be INCREDIBLY wealthy and/or old, depending on what I owned.
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"I don't want you to go," he as he tangled his fingers through her dark hair and held her closer.
"I don't want to go either," she replied. "But we both agreed when we started this, that staying the night wouldn't be a prudent decision. And I've already stayed longer than I should have tonight."
He sighed. "I know. I just wish we could have more than a few hours together. I wish we—"
She put a finger to his lips, stopping him mid-sentence. "Me too."
He sighed again, a little more wistfully than before. "Maybe next time."
"Maybe next time," she agreed.
It was pointless to say things like that though. They both knew the next time (whenever the next time was) would be the same story. They'd meet at a hotel hours away from Sacramento, check in under different names, steal a few beautiful hours together and then she'd have to creep out before it got too light. At first they'd been okay with it, grateful for whatever time they could spend together, however short it might be. As their one year anniversary started approached, they both had started to wish for more.
But Red John still at large more was completely impossible. So, they took what they could get and pretended to be content with it, hoping that if they pretended long enough than they'd believe it eventually.
She sat up, turned on the lamp and allowed herself a moment to get adjusted to the light. He was already out of bed, collecting their clothes.
He handed her the little black dress she'd worn earlier that night, helping her zip it up when she had put it on. His fingers lingered a moment at the nape of her neck and then he turned her around and forced himself to smile, his sigh echoing that of her own and they stared at each other longingly as they tried to drag out their last few minutes together.
"I really have to go now," she said, standing on tip-toe to kiss him on the mouth. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay?"
"Tomorrow," he agreed, holding onto her tightly.
He hated tomorrow though, tomorrow it would be business as usual. They'd be Jane and Lisbon again, two best friends waiting a little too patiently for the next time they could meet and be lovers again.
She laughed affectionately as she untangled herself from his arms and slipped into mile-high black shoes. "You're acting like we're never going to see each other again. It'll only be a few hours though, nothing's going to happen."
"It'll be forever until we have this again though," he replied, sweeping his hand around the lavish hotel room for emphasis.
She slipped into her black trench coat and cinched the waist. "I know," she said a little regretfully. "I know."
He followed her to the door and opened it for her, removing the do not disturb sign as he did. "Promise that we won't have to wait forever to do this again."
"I promise," she said, stealing another kiss as she tried to memorize the feel of his lips beneath her's and the way he smelled until she could really be with him again.
He kissed her back, doing the same thing and then watched mournfully as she hurried to the elevator without looking back at him. If she saw the look on his face while he watched her go then she'd come rushing right back to him, and that wouldn't do them any good.
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"I'm tired of hiding," he said a month later as they lay side-by-side on the hotel floor and watched the clouds chase the moon. "I just want one day to be free from all this. . . to show the world that you're mine and to say I love you aloud."
"You just said it aloud," she teased, turning on her stomach and resting her chin on his shoulder.
"It's not the same thing though," he answered. "I want to say it and have the whole world hear. I want them to see us together without worrying that he'll catch us and ruin everything. I don't just want one night, I want all the nights. And I know that if this were another life then I might be able to have all those things."
"We just need to catch Red John and then all the secrets will be out in the open. You'll have everything you want and more. I'll make sure of it. For now though, we have to be content with what we have now. Wishing for things we can't have aren't going to get us anywhere."
"You're right, and I don't want to take anything away from this moment we have right now."
"Good," she whispered, leaning up to kiss him.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and returned her kiss, closing his eyes as he savored her taste and in her nearness, trying to drink her in before their time together ran out again.
Later that night, they sat cross-legged on the hotel bed and ate spaghetti with sauce while they watched Animal Planet documentaries and made more small talk, carefully avoiding the subjects that plagued them in real life.
At the end of the night, it was still hard for him to watch her go. But he forced himself to think about the future they would share together once his enemy was gone and for the first time in months, he didn't drag out their goodbye.
.
The first strains of an annoying bubblegum pop song filled the air as the alarm by her beside went off. She sighed and pounded the snooze button impatiently, not quite ready to leave the warmth of her bed or her lover's arms for work.
He shifted beside her. "Five more minutes," he murmured.
"Five more minutes," she agreed, snuggling closer and smiling.
It had almost taken two years, but for the first time since they'd come together they had been able to spend the whole night together.
_The End_
Author's Note II:
The story is REALLY unpolished, and that's the whole reason I didn't write it when I got the idea for it last June. But it's been bugging me, so I decided to just write it and put it out there. You don't have to like it, but I'd love to hear what you think. Don't tell me about my mistakes though, I know that I have mistakes because I wrote it rather quickly and didn't get it beta-ed.
Anyways, I should be updating "How Jane Stole Valentine's Day" in the next few days. It won't exactly take place on Valentine's Day though because we're kind of past that.
Until next time!
Holly, 2/16/2013_