Title: Unexpected Presents

Author: RedFi / Miss_Peg

Rating: K+

Characters: Jane and Lisbon with cameos from the rest of the team.

Summary: Five ways Jane spends Christmas with Lisbon (and ends up kissing her).

Disclaimer: I don't own The Mentalist, nor do I own a pony...who's going to buy me which one?

Spoilers: None, it's all from my fair head.

Notes: Written for the Paint It Red Gift Exchange for PinkJello17, also for the Mentalist Prompt weekly prompt 044. "I know what it is to feel lonely and helpless and to have the whole world against me, and those are things that no men or women ought to feel." (Richard Hannay, The 39 Steps)

One

He watched her from his position on the couch. She didn't know. She probably assumed he was pretending to sleep, when in actual fact he held a compact mirror at an angle until he caught her reflection. She was filing through papers as she usually did. He folded the mirror up and placed it back into his pocket before sitting up on the couch. She'd barely moved, simply changed task from filing to chewing the end of her pen. Another thing she did often when she thought nobody was watching.

'Hey Grace,' said Rigsby.

Jane glanced towards his fellow workers. Rigsby stood up and carried a small piece of foliage across the room towards Van Pelt's desk. She smiled at him, a smile she saved especially for the man she had fallen in love with, despite what the California Bureau of Investigation rules stated. When she saw Jane watching them, she hid her smile.

Rigsby held the foliage above their heads. 'I'm going to need a kiss.'

'You, a, a what?' she stuttered, her face reddening quickly.

Jane chuckled and took the moment of confusion to check what Lisbon was doing with her time, still chewing her pen. Boring.

'A kiss,' said Rigsby. Jane returned to watching Rigsby's game. 'It's mistletoe.'

Van Pelt looked up from staring into his eyes and smiled again, this time at the small plant hanging from Rigsby's fingers. She moved her head upwards as Rigsby moved his down and though their kiss was small, a brief touching of their lips, Jane could tell by the even darker shade of red resting on Van Pelt's cheeks that she'd have liked a little more.

'Mind if I borrow that?' Jane stood up and snatched the mistletoe out of Rigsby's hand before he could even respond. If Lisbon was going to sit at her desk all day being the boring boss and nobody was going to die, Jane had to find his own entertainment.

He dropped the mistletoe onto his desk and searched through the top drawer for a piece of string. He may not have had any reason to use his desk but he still made sure to keep the necessary items hidden inside, just in case. He cut a piece of string and tied it tightly to the end of the mistletoe before climbing onto a chair and pinning it to the wooden beam above the archway to the bullpen.

'Lisbon,' he shouted, when all of the offending items had been safely stashed away in his drawer.

Jane stood in the centre of the bullpen and watched her glance up at him, she shrugged her shoulders and mouthed a question, to which he rested a hand behind his ear and looked confused. It didn't take long for her to drop her pen onto her desk and head for the door.

'This had better be,' said Lisbon, but her words were cut off as Jane met her in the archway, his lips colliding abruptly with hers.

The world stopped momentarily. He hadn't expected that. He didn't know what he expected. Lisbon's lips responded and for a moment their mouths moved together; until Lisbon lifted a hand and slapped him hard across the face. That was what he expected.

Two

The scent of freshly cooked pizza lingered in the air, attracting Jane's attention. He pulled himself off of his couch and stalked across the bullpen in search of food. Case closed pizza tasted so much better than any other, he wasn't sure why, perhaps it was the sense of achievement or the lack of stressful atmosphere they'd been surrounded by prior to the meal. He piled a couple of slices onto a plate and sat down beside Van Pelt.

'When are we sharing our Secret Santa gifts?' she asked once the whole team had joined them. The hint of excitement in her voice gave it away, though Jane had known for weeks that she had Rigsby. Rigsby had Cho, Cho had him, he had Lisbon and Lisbon had Van Pelt. He wasn't quite sure why anyone would want to do Secret Santa when it was so obvious who had who after just a couple of days. Then again, he suspected the rest of the team had no idea.

'Of course, let's do it now, shall we?' said Jane, walking back towards the couch where he retrieved an envelope from his jacket pocket.

Rigsby, Cho and Lisbon disappeared in various directions and Van Pelt pulled a gift bag from under the table; always the most eager.

He curled his lip and looked from Van Pelt on his right to Cho on his left. 'Shall we go in a clockwise direction, starting with Cho?'

Van Pelt's excitement faded as she realised where she was sat in relation to the order that he'd suggested. He didn't like playing games where Van Pelt was concerned; she was too sweet and innocent most of the time. Unless it involved Rigsby, then it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

A bottle of wine, a silly hat and a basket of fragrant bath salts later and Van Pelt hurriedly passed her gift back across to Rigsby. Jane was barely interested in whatever she had bought him and instead was already passing his envelope across the table towards Lisbon.

'What's this?' she frowned, pulling three slips out of the envelope.

'Two tickets to the Nutcracker and an, I promise to be good when you take me, note.'

The smile that had been fixed on Lisbon's face throughout the gift giving quickly faded and with a small whisper, she disappeared from the bullpen.

'Well done,' said Cho. 'What have you done now?'

'Nothing. I gave her tickets to the ballet, it's a nice gift.'

'I thought we had a twenty dollar limit?' said Rigsby, raising his eyebrows before turning his attention back to Van Pelt.

'I cut a deal in exchange for a psychic prediction,' he muttered as he stood up and followed Lisbon out of the bullpen.

He walked the few steps toward her office and pushed the door open without as much as a knock.

'Leave me alone,' said Lisbon, resting a now empty glass on her desk beside a whisky bottle.

'No.'

He sat down on her couch and watched as she poured herself another drink. Lisbon's face had grown pale and her eyes glazed over. She sat down behind her desk and stared at the drink. He pondered her for a moment, considering the different options for which she'd walked out of their celebrations.

'You hate the ballet?' he asked, then shook his head. 'You love the ballet.'

'No,' Lisbon shouted, her tenacity all the more reason not to believe her.

'Your mother used to take you to see the Nutcracker at Christmas, every year. It was your special treat and the only time you spent with her without your brothers.'

'No!' Lisbon's voice grew louder and shakier as she banged her glass down on the table with so much force that it smashed in her hand.

'Okay.' Jane nodded and walked towards her, his eye fixed on the blood pooling around one of her fingers. 'Hold it up, it'll bleed less.'

'I know. I've done the training,' she said, shortly.

He analysed the finger. 'It doesn't look deep and I don't think there's any glass in there, you could probably put a band aid on it and it'd be fine.'

'There's some in my bottom drawer.'

Jane followed her guidance and attended to the finger until it was full bandaged up. As he lowered her arm it didn't escape him that she had begun shaking. He kept hold of her wrist and reached his other hand up to her cheek, to the tears trailing along the curves of her skin.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered and for the first time in his CBI career, he meant it.

'Uh-hm,' she mumbled, forcing a weak smile onto her face. He hated seeing her so sad. 'We'd go every year the week before Christmas.'

When the tears grew, Jane wrapped his whole body around her. He knew the act of comfort would do little to ease her broken heart but he tried anyway.

'I'm sorry,' she sniffled and pawed at her face. He rested his hands on her cheeks and wiped away her tears until all he could see was the deep colour in her eyes. He kissed the red stains on her face, her left cheek and then her right before he stopped in the middle and allowed his lips to brush hers ever so lightly. She didn't push him away and he didn't force the kiss to become anything more, just allowed it to continue for a moment before pulling back and walking out of the office.

Three

Jane knocked on the door lightly and waited in anticipation. Boredom or not, he was looking forward to seeing her, even if she threw him out before he'd even reached the threshold. After a minute he knocked again and the door opened swiftly.

'It's bad enough having you hanging around at work; do you have to hang around my house too?'

'Hello to you too, Teresa,' said Jane.

'I've just sat down to eat.' Lisbon rested her hand upon her hip and glared at him.

'Great, I'm starving, what are we having?' he smiled, pushing passed her and into the apartment.

'Did I say you could come in?' she followed him to the kitchen.

'It's Christmas, Lisbon.' Jane took a glass and plate from the cupboard. He emptied a plastic container of, what he could only assume would be leftovers, onto the plate before taking a seat at the table. 'Where's your Christmas spirit?'

'My Christmas spirit?' Lisbon frowned and sat back down next to Jane. He wriggled around in his seat and when he saw Lisbon growing irate, decided to wriggle around a little more. He grinned at her and poured himself a glass of wine.

'You know; smiles, presents, crackers, holiday cheer. It's been many years since I celebrated Christmas but sitting in your apartment eating the same spaghetti your mom used to make for you is hardly Christmas spirit.'

Lisbon rolled her eyes and gulped down the rest of her wine. 'It's just another day, except the stores are closed and I'll go to church. What are you doing here, besides encroaching on my day off?'

'I was bored,' said Jane, taking a mouthful of spaghetti and nodding with appreciation. 'And you're lonely.'

'Am not.'

'Are too.'

'Are you a child?' she scoffed.

'Maybe if we were children you'd be more appreciative of the holiday season.'

'And maybe you'd be far away from here travelling the carnie circuit.' Lisbon raised an eyebrow. If she wasn't being so moody he'd probably have continued the conversation, instead he decided to stay silent, at least until they finished eating.

Once he'd cleared the plates, it was the least he could do; they sat on the sofa and watched an old movie. No matter how much he rearranged himself, he couldn't get comfortable. Eventually, Lisbon turned down the volume and stared at him.

'Do you mind?'

'This couch is worse than the one you used to have in your office.' Jane stood up, threw the cushions on the floor and sat back down.

Jane picked up a couple of the cushions and squashed one behind his lower back. No, it wasn't right, it just wasn't right. He was about to throw the cushions back on the floor again when Lisbon took one from him and promptly hugged it.

'I thought you liked that couch?' she asked.

'I did, but all couches lose their appeal eventually and this one, well, from how new it looks, I don't think it's ever had any.'

'Hey.'

'Don't act like you're offended, it's a couch.'

'Like you've never been offended over a couch.'

'Yes, but people expect it of me.'

Lisbon smirked. 'Shut up Jane.'

'Touché.'

She stared at him until he turned his head. 'Why did you come?'

'I already answered that.'

'Yes, but I don't think you were telling me the whole truth.'

'Your assumptions are incorrect.'

Lisbon shifted on the couch and rested an arm across the back with a smirk on her face. 'You're not here because you're bored; you're here because you're lonely.'

'Correction, I'm here because you're lonely.'

'You're here because you're lonely and you thought I was lonely, so you decided to make us both a little less lonely.'

'You think you're so clever…'

'Just admit it.'

'Never.'

'Fine.'

'Okay.'

They turned back to the movie. Despite the fact that Lisbon kept glancing over at him, he maintained his focus on the floppy haired guy trying to flirt with the attractive model. Eventually he turned to face her too and smirked as she turned her face away at speed. She looked happy, despite her blasé nature about his presence she was glad he was there, whether she would admit it or not.

'Jane?' she whispered.

'Yes?'

'Thank you,' she smiled, leaning towards him and kissing him softly on the cheek.

'You're welcome,' he muttered, staring into her eyes as she pulled back. He swallowed a lump which had lodged itself briefly in the back of his throat. Despite always knowing what was going on around him, he suddenly felt like he was on the outside of his body watching. 'Lisbon?'

She smiled again, their eyes never wavering from their connection until he leaned back in, meeting Lisbon's lips with his own.

Four

Jane stood in the centre of the bullpen watching the partygoers as they sipped on sparkling wine and nibbled hors d'oeuvres. There were mostly agents and consultants with their partners mulling around him as the room began to spin slowly. He'd had a little to drink, if he was honest, he'd had more than a little and the movement in the room was probably down to his own intoxication and not a physical problem.

Lisbon stared at him from across the bullpen where she focused half of her attention on Bertram and his wife (though she obviously had little interest in that conversation) and the other half on him. He'd seen her looking at him like that before and it had never ended well.

'Excuse me.' Jane watched Lisbon's mouth form words before marching through the small crowd towards him.

'Why are you man handling me?' he asked when her hand wrapped around his upper arm and his legs began to move.

'You're drunk, too drunk.'

'There's no such thing as too drunk,' he said before realising what he was saying. 'I mean, there is, but I'm most definitely not it.'

'Of course you're not,' said Lisbon, pushing him out of the bullpen. He walked backwards with ease until he collided quite abruptly with the corner of the wall, his back smashing into the point. He leaned forwards and allowed Lisbon to half push, half drag him into her office.

'Maybe just a little bit,' he muttered, holding up his hand with his thumb and finger barely an inch apart. 'Why do you get the better office?' He fell against the couch.

'I'm the boss.'

'And? I solve more cases.'

Lisbon raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. 'You wanna bet?'

'Don't worry.' Jane held a finger up in the air and closed his eyes momentarily as he made himself comfortable. 'I like to make sure you're safe in your job. Besides, can't win 'em all.'

'Are you trying to tell me you let the rest of us solve a few crimes here and there so that we keep our jobs?' Lisbon sighed in disapproval; of course she'd never believe that what he was saying was true.

Jane sat up and rested his head in his hands. 'That's exactly it.'

Lisbon took a couple of steps towards him, her eyebrows creased in fury. He very rarely got that much of a rise out of her, he smirked.

'You're an ungrateful little...' Lisbon paused. 'Is what you are.'

'You can't even swear at me?'

Lisbon rolled her eyes and smacked him lightly across the head.

'What was that for?'

'For being you, now sober up so that I can get back to the party.'

'Why would you want to go back out there? You hate everyone in the room except Rigsby, Cho, Van Pelt and maybe Angel, the cleaner.'

Lisbon shook her head. Her frustration in him was only growing which made him smile even harder. 'I'm going because I want to.'

'You don't want to.' Jane sat up and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. 'You want to come on over here and give Mr Jane a big fat smooch!'

Lisbon scoffed and stared at him, her eyes giving a very different answer to her mouth. 'And why would I want to go and do a thing like that?'

'You want me Teresa,' he whispered, lying down and closing his eyes once more. 'Give me a kiss and I'll go to sleep like a good boy.'

'Fine,' said Lisbon marching across the room and leaning down. He expected a brash peck on his forehead by the way she rushed towards him, but then her lips landed briefly on his and she slowly put pressure against his mouth until their lips joined. As quickly as it had arrived, Lisbon pulled away again and by the time he opened his eyes, the door to the office had closed behind her.

Five

'Caucasian female, approximately eighteen years old,' said Cho as Lisbon walked across the gravel towards the body. He continued a conversation with the Sheriff as Lisbon squatted beside her and carefully analysed her skin for abrasions.

'Name?'

'She's a Jane Doe,' said Jane, kneeling beside her and carefully lifting her hand with a stick. 'She's definitely not local.'

'At Christmas?' Lisbon's heart sunk so low that she anticipated feeling rotten for the rest of the week. It was bad enough attending to a body on Christmas Eve, she wondered how many people's Christmas they were about to ruin. She checked her watch. They'd never get the dental records through in time. 'How can you be sure?'

Jane rested his head on the floor and analysed her fingers. 'She has dirt under her fingernails; it's doesn't match the pigmentation of the surrounding area. If she was murdered here her fingernails would still be in the ground.'

Lisbon stood up and watched him. 'Not necessarily.'

Jane tilted his head down before reaching into her mouth with a stick. 'Her face is covered in dirt; she has dirt in and around her mouth. She was stabbed in the back; if she was stabbed here there would be no sign of a struggle.'

'Jane's right,' said Cho, approaching them. 'No identification, she doesn't match any local missing persons and nobody seems to know who she is.'

'Besides,' said Jane, only a smirk showing he'd listened to Cho. 'If you lift up her shirt I can guarantee there're bruises on her hips or the small of her back. Someone held her down, pushed her face in the dirt and stabbed her.'

Lisbon stared up at the sky and wished that for once Jane would be wrong. Sure enough, as she moved the girl's shirt they discovered some light bruising across her back. Jane merely smiled at her, to which she gritted her teeth and returned to Cho's information.

'We have no information at all?'

'According to the local PD she's one of six girls to have turned up dead in the last two years, all without identification. The only crime scene is the body. The cops think that she was killed out of town maybe even out of state.'

Lisbon avoided looking at Jane and instead focused her attention on the girls face. She barely looked like an adult. 'It's not a coincidence. Cho, track down the case files for the other five murders.'

'Serial killer?' Cho shrugged his shoulders and noted down the rest of the information they had about the victim.

'Probably.'

xxx

By midnight Cho had gone home leaving Lisbon and Jane with the rest of the case files. She wished that Van Pelt and Rigsby hadn't booked time off over Christmas. The last thing any of them had expected was a Jane Doe and finding her family was the most important thing Lisbon could think of to do. She couldn't enjoy Christmas with the girl's family not knowing hanging over her.

'I brought you some tea,' said Jane, resting a mug on her desk and sitting down on the sofa. She nodded her appreciation and folded the case file. She could feel her body drifting into a state of sleepiness that she wished to fight. Jane's tea wasn't going to do that, though she hoped moving across the room would at least help wake her up a little. She sat down beside Jane.

'You should go home, get some rest.'

'I don't need any rest,' she snapped, rubbing her temple where a headache was already forming.

'There's not a lot we can do about this before the day after tomorrow, Lisbon.'

'No.' Lisbon refused to believe that she couldn't do this. She'd solved enough crimes, what was one more? She stood up again but Jane tugged her arm, pulling her back down.

'Take a break; it's midnight, Merry Christmas Teresa.'

'What?' she frowned.

'It's officially Christmas Day.'

Lisbon closed her eyes and imagined the family of the victim waking up to a Christmas without her, not knowing that she would never be coming home again. She reached a hand up to her cheek and wiped away a couple of tears.

'There's nothing more we can do Lisbon, not tonight.'

'I feel so helpless,' said whispered, fighting back the tears.

Under any other circumstances, Jane's arms wrapping around her shoulders would have made her shout at him, or maybe even slap him across the head. Instead she settled into them and allowed for the comfort of his embrace.

'Let them have one more happy Christmas,' he replied, kissing her on the head. She pulled back and stared into his eyes. They curved in sorrow, the depth of his pupils stretching out further than any painting she'd ever looked at. No matter what pain she felt for the family he was right. What she would have given for one last happy Christmas not knowing what was about to happen to her family and she imagined Jane felt the same way.

She rested a hand on his cheek and allowed her lips to rest ever so gently upon Jane's. 'Merry Christmas, Patrick.'