So, I was watching the Mentalist yesterday, and for the first time (ok, not the first time) I noticed how gorgeous Teresa and Grace are, and while I definitely think Lisbon should be with Jane and Van Pelt with Rigsby, I also think the two women would make a great couple :D

Many thanks to my new beta reader fluffmania207, you are the best! :-)

Chapter 1

"Van Pelt? Van Pelt, wake up!"

Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon cursed when Grace Van Pelt collapsed on her; she pulled the rookie back up with all her strength, supporting her with both arms.

"Grace, wake up!" the petite CBI agent repeated in annoyance, shaking Van Pelt's shoulder. "I won't carry you to the car, you're not exactly featherweight."

"Thanks, boss," mumbled the redheaded beauty, briefly opening her eyes. "God, it's bright in here," she complained.

"It's called electricity Van Pelt. Come on, we have to go," Lisbon urged.

"But I don't want to," whined the younger agent, leaning against Lisbon. Her boss staggered under the extra weight. "You gotta be kidding me," muttered the senior agent, struggling to keep both Van Pelt and herself from sprawling to the floor.

When did she become the CBI's official babysitter? Sure, she was accustomed to Jane's childish behavior, but she wasn't his boss. Therefore, she didn't feel responsible for him. Well, sometimes she did.

"Mom, I'm sorry," stuttered Van Pelt, clearly delusional. Lisbon's mouth twitched, forming a crooked smile. Not even being inebriated diminished Van Pelt's loveliness, and Lisbon decided to take advantage of her condition. She cleared her throat, patted Van Pelt's head and switched to a motherly tone.

"It's all right, honey. I'm not mad," she purred. "We have to get to the car."

"I'm tired," muttered Van Pelt through a yawn, dismissing Lisbon's attempt to drag her along.

"I know, sweetheart. Do it for me, OK?" Lisbon replied, a little bewildered that addressing her colleague in such way felt intimate instead of awkward. Most importantly, it had the desired effect: Van Pelt moved at last, clumsily, and Lisbon sighed with relief. They wouldn't have to spend the night in that dingy, smelly bar after all.

The rookie's legs were wobbly, and so Lisbon wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. They crossed the parking lot, and at some point, Van Pelt rested her head on the CBI agent's shoulder, rubbing her nose against Lisbon's hair.

"Hmm, you smell good," she drawled, making the heat draw to Lisbon's face.

"Van Pelt, you're a mess, and this was the last time I went out with you. And for God sakes, stop smelling my hair!"

"I'm sorry. You're such a good friend, Tessa," said Van Pelt with shining eyes. Her speech was already less slurred, and she swayed a moment before grabbing Lisbon's arm with force. "Where's my car? I parked it right here!"

"It's over there, genius," said the brunette, indulgently ignoring that Van Pelt had called her by a nickname.

Lisbon wondered what she would've done if it were Jane with her in that same situation. She would probably have slapped him, and that bastard more than deserved it.

"Give me the keys," she said when they stopped in front of Grace's blue Ford Focus after what felt like an hour of walking.

"What keys?" asked Van Pelt with a giggle.

Lisbon raised her eyebrows in her best boss-like manner, which didn't disconcert Van Pelt in the slightest.

"Van Pelt, my patience has a limit."

"They were in my pocket... Hey, do you think Jane took them?" she asked, and opened her eyes widely like someone who had just discovered a well-guarded secret.

"Don't be ridiculous, not even Jane would sink that low. Keep looking, I don't want to stay here all night!"

"I found them!" Van Pelt shrieked, wiggling them in front of Lisbon's face in triumph.

"Good, now give them to me."

"No."

"Van Pelt!" Lisbon called loudly, stretching out her arms. Van Pelt was faster.

"I wanna drive," she protested with a pout, holding the metal chain over her head, where the senior agent couldn't possibly reach it.

"Damn it Van Pelt, I don't have time to play games. Don't make me snatch them from you," Lisbon warned, her eyes shooting arrows at the drunken woman.

"Ohh, what are you going to do, having me transferred to another team?" Van Pelt mocked.

"Van Pelt, are you making fun of me?" Lisbon asked, irritated when the redhead giggled even more.

"Come on boss, have a little fun," replied Van Pelt slurring her words slightly. "You're always so serious."

Lisbon sighed in resignation and made a mental note not ever to mix business with pleasure again. That was when she tripped over Van Pelt's foot and fell onto her, pressing the young woman against the car.

"Whoops, I lost them again," Van Pelt laughed as the chain fell down with a clinking sound. Lisbon glared at her colleague, but instead of bending down and picking it up, she shifted her weight and leaned further into the redhead, moving her mouth to Van Pelt's ear.

"This isn't over," she whispered, inhaling the scent that emanated from her young colleague's skin. Beneath the somewhat sickening mixture of the perfume and alcohol smell, Lisbon could make out a scent that was purely Van Pelt's, and she felt the first stirrings of arousal between her legs.