A/N: This is a Jane/Grace story! It takes place directly after the season 1 episode "Red-Handed" (the casino one). Jace is my love, and my roommates got on my butt to get me to publish this, one of many stories I've been working on for a long time. I really hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Patrick Jane, Grace Van Pelt or anything else from The Mentalist. I do own a (un?)healthy obsession with the show, however.
Striding into the bullpen with a self-satisfied smirk on his face, Jane tossed down his jacket and flopped onto the couch. He got comfortable, then sighed contentedly.
Not two seconds later Rigsby and Cho descended on him, looking for all the world like a pair of old ladies eager for the juicy new gossip. They traded eager looks, then Rigsby spoke, a goofy grin on his face. "We were wondering how much money you won in that game."
Jane twitched a shoulder nonchalantly. "Oh, I don't know. Three hundred thousand, something like that." Rigsby and Cho exchanged another excited glance.
"Wow." Rigsby chuckled, impressed.
Cho smiled. "So where is it? The money?" He wasn't expecting another gift, but a guy could hope...
"I spent it." Jane merely shrugged again as if they were discussing his measly government paycheck.
Cho prodded. "On what?"
Jane didn't particularly feel like sharing the ...particulars at the moment. "Y'know. Stuff." Another shrug.
They waited for a moment in the hopes that Jane would spill, but he just closed his eyes, ignoring them. Resigned, Rigsby and Cho went back to their desks, shaking their heads. They knew Jane wouldn't tell them unless he felt like it, curiosity or no.
Leaving them to their imaginations, Jane thought about how he had really spent the money. A slow smile spread across his face as he imagined Alexandra Yee's expression when she discovered what was in the suitcase. He certainly didn't need all that money, so it may as well do some good for somebody. His other beneficiary came to mind, and his smile widened further. That discovery was going to be even better.
Van Pelt announced her entrance then with a hmph, throwing her jacket unceremoniously on her desk chair. Rigsby grinned a hello while Cho merely glanced up from his paperwork; she acknowledged them both with a terse smile, feeling rather cranky. She noticed Jane relaxing on the couch with a peaceful, contented expression on his face, not a care in the world, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you so happy about?"
Jane's eyes popped open, and he turned his eyes to her, his brow wrinkled. "What are you so grumpy about?" He countered.
Grace huffed and dropped rather ungracefully into her seat. "Sorry," she said, looking vaguely regretful. "I just got back from Calida. I was doing some case-closed paperwork, boring stuff. I always get the boring stuff." She sighed and sat back in her chair, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And on top of that, it was a long drive home. Some idiot cut me off on the interstate, nearly caused a crash."
"Ah." Jane raised his eyebrows in an understanding nod. "Glad to be done with it all, yeah? You get to relax now."
"Yeah." She blew out a weary sigh, swiveling to her computer.
Jane stood up from the couch then. "Well, I'm going to make some tea. You want some, Grace?"
She shook her head, focused on the screen. "No thanks."
He raised his eyebrows. "You sure? It's the perfect remedy for a bad day, you know."
"Maybe for you, Jane, not so much for me." She said tiredly. She really didn't have the patience for his tea enthusiasm today.
Had she been paying attention, she would've noticed the mischievous twinkle in Jane's eye.
"Fair enough." He conceded lightly, then headed to the kitchen with a knowing smirk on his face. Wouldn't be long now.
Van Pelt hit 'print' with a sigh, then sat back in her chair. She just had to cross her T's and dot her i's on all that paperwork, and then she could be done for the day. And what a long, long day it had been. She'd had to chase too many people down for this and that, and every little technicality had decided to present itself, everything seeming to crop up all at once. It was little wonder why the rookie was always saddled with the paperwork.
Stifling another sigh, she felt a rush of irritation at herself as she opened her top right drawer. In the grand scheme of things, her day hadn't been all that bad, so she shouldn't complain so much. It wasn't like she'd been shot at or anything. But still, she felt the need for a little of her own bad day remedy (chocolate, of course), and luckily, she kept an emergency stash in the back of her drawer for just such an occasion, hidden safely away from Rigsby's rabid appetite.
Grace quickly checked that Rigsby was still busy with his papers, preparing to lie that she'd picked it up on the way home in case he did notice her sudden acquisition. Biting her lip, she stuck her hand in, pushing past the other junk, her spirits already lifting at the thought of imminent chocolate.
But, when she reached the back of the drawer, instead of feeling the wrappers of chocolate bars, her fingers encountered a papery object. Perplexed, Van Pelt peered into the drawer, wondering where her chocolate could have disappeared to. She hadn't thought anyone knew about her little stash, but clearly someone had found it.
Somewhat bewildered, Grace withdrew the package, and saw that it was a folded white paper bag. Noticing a note taped to the top, she opened it, and was surprised to find a single line of Jane's crisp handwriting:
Screw regulations. I won't tell Lisbon if you won't.
Grace fumbled with the package, eager to open it, her heart and mind racing. What could it be? The bag fell away, and her mouth dropped open in surprise. There sat the beautiful ruby and gold necklace and earrings that Jane had given her two days ago. She stared at the dazzling jewelry in front of her, a disbelieving grin slowly growing on her face.
She'd fallen in love with the set immediately when Jane had first given it to her, 'wow'-ing in breathless awe. She had relished the chance to dress up a little for dinner that night, and had purposely let her hair down in order to best show off the pieces. She really hadn't wanted to give it all back, but her desire to please Lisbon had overruled any selfish whims, and thus had dutifully followed her boss's example. Her heart swelled; it was no surprise that Jane had seen that she'd been extremely reluctant to part with the jewelry. And now she had them again! She couldn't wipe the silly grin off her face.
Van Pelt took the pieces out of their sleek box and set them on her desk excitedly, putting on the earrings. She had to thank Jane right away! She grabbed the necklace and headed to the kitchen.
She came around the corner and found him washing dishes with his back to her, jacket slung over a chair, sleeves rolled up. She started into the room, but faltered then, suddenly feeling shy. The gift was pretty significant, even if Jane didn't consider it a lot of money, and she wasn't sure what he meant by it. He obviously knew how much she had loved the jewelry, but it wasn't like him to be so subtle. He'd done it without announcing it to the entire room, and hadn't given the others anything at all; his act seemed almost intimate in that respect, something separate from the rest of the team. Cho's words from two days ago echoed in her mind: You didn't just get something for the ladies, that'd be creepy!
That was always the biggest problem with Jane; Grace was never sure of her footing around him. He was an enigma, an alluring mystery, one that forever frustrated and intrigued her. So much about him was plain as day, yet he always acted mysteriously. He never attempted to hide much of himself, except perhaps his deep sadness and guilt over his wife and daughter, and it pained her that he still felt the raw anguish so acutely. With all the crap he must deal with from the moment he wakes up to the moment he shuts the world out, she felt privileged that he would spare a thought solely for her. She didn't know how he possibly could, without a specific motivation, but the implications of that train of thought were far too daunting.
Still hovering nervously in the doorframe, Van Pelt decided she was overthinking his gesture. It was possible, although unprecedented, that Jane was actually being discrete for once. Or, perhaps he merely wanted to ensure she received the gift without Lisbon finding out? She reminded herself that it was beautiful jewelry regardless of the intent behind it, and she could handle thanking him friend-to-friend. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped forward with a smile, dropping all anxious thoughts. "Hey, Jane."
He turned and smiled upon seeing her, noting her buoyant demeanour with a mental high-five. Clearly, she was pleased with her gift. "Hey, Grace. Feeling happier, I see?"
She glanced down in embarrassment. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I was feeling crappy, shouldn't have taken it out on you."
He waved dismissively. "Meh. We've all had those days, don't worry about it."
She smiled at his gracious acceptance of her apology. "Well, anyway, I just wanted to thank you." She gestured with the necklace, the giddy grin fighting its way onto her face again.
Jane grinned his mega-watt smile in return. "Well, I'm glad you like it. Wanna put it on?" He raised his eyebrows in conspiratorial excitement, extending a soapy hand.
Van Pelt glanced about, wide-eyed. "Do you think we should?"
He scoffed, wiping his hands on his vest and coming over to take the necklace from her hand. He moved behind her. "Oh, pish tosh. You act like I'm suggesting we do drugs or something else illegal in front of Lisbon."
Grace just rolled her eyes, the corner of her mouth tugging up, knowing it wouldn't matter what she said to that. She moved her ponytail aside, giving him the go-ahead, and the necklace appeared in front of her, settling cold around her neck.
She had just barely registered the sensation of Jane's fingers brushing her skin when Lisbon's voice shouted down from the end of the hall, causing them both to jump. (Well, Grace jumped, turning toward the sound of Lisbon's voice guiltily, while Jane merely looked up curiously.) "Jane! Where are you?" They heard her call exasperatedly.
Her eyes widened, looking down at the necklace, then back up at Jane in alarm, wondering how she could possibly hide it by the time Lisbon rounded the corner. Grace reached up to undo it, but Jane stopped her hands whispering, "there's no time!" Suddenly, he stepped into her personal space and took hold of her ponytail, Lisbon's footsteps getting ever closer.
Before she could get out more than a "What're you– " he deftly yanked her hair elastic loose and her hair fell around her shoulders. "Oh," she realized, but he hushed her, concentrating on pulling her hair to cover the most of the jewelry, placing it like a professional.
When Lisbon came around the corner, she found Jane calmly sipping tea at the table, reading a paper, and Van Pelt with her back to her at the sink, washing the dishes yet again.
Grace flashed a quick smile over her shoulder. "Hey, boss."
"Hey." She turned her focus to Jane, a line creasing her brow. "Didn't you hear me calling you? I have paperwork for you to do!" She brandished a folder.
He frowned, insulted. "But I'm a consultant!"
Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you're lucky I wrote it for you. Just go through and verify this report summarizing your little poker game."
"Of course, Lisbon." Jane inclined his head facetiously. Grace smirked to herself, sure to keep her body turned away from Lisbon.
In a very mature move, Lisbon stuck her tongue out at him, then threw the folder onto the table with a smack, turning on her heel and striding off with a huff.
After she was gone Grace took her arms out of the sink, releasing a breath. Noting her wetted sleeves with a sigh (they had only made it halfway up her forearms), she turned around to Jane, holding up her dripping arms with her eyebrows raised. "I told you there wasn't time to roll them up."
He smirked into his teacup. "Oops," not sounding sorry at all, and returned to his paper.
Grace shook her head and unrolled her sleeves, grimacing as wet fabric met skin. A thought came to her then, and she frowned. "You said there wasn't time for me to undo the necklace, but there was time for you to play with my hair, jam my arms in the sink, and instruct me to mime washing dishes?"
Jane grinned. "Much more fun this way, don't you think?"
"Not if you're the one getting wet! How did you know Lisbon wouldn't pay me attention, in any case?"
"I know Lisbon. I can play her like a football – play." She raised a brow at his uncharacteristically ineloquent metaphor, but he continued, gesturing at her with his teacup. "Like you. I can play you, too."
Van Pelt crossed her arms, leaning against the counter with a tilt of the head. "Oh, really."
He nodded. "Yes, really. I knew you'd go for your chocolate stash, didn't I? Planned for it." Mischievous grin.
"My chocolate!" His statement brought remembrance and indignation. "Jane! Give it back!"
"Ah-ah, you have to find it." He wagged a finger.
She threw him a look, not impressed. "Jane, just give me the chocolate."
"Now that wasn't very persuasive. Ask me again."
"Please, Jane?" She raised a brow somewhat hopefully.
"Nope. Guess you'll just have to figure out where it is, then."
She threw a hand up in exasperation. "How can I? I'm not you!"
Jane paused, looking thoughtful. "Hmm. True."
"I can always tell Lisbon it was you who broke open Organized Crime's big case last year after hypnotizing their lead witness."
Jane's brow knit in confusion. "How could you know about that? You weren't even here."
Grace smirked. "Cho told me."
He held up a hand, conceding a little. "Okay, okay, I'll give you a hint. It's somewhere in the bullpen. But, I know you won't be able to find it."
"Uh, gee, thanks." Grace really had no idea how to do the directional cue crap Jane was always pulling, and he'd be too good to give anything away in any case; she knew the only option left to her was logic and deduction. But where the heck would he hide it?
Jane watched her pontificate for a moment, then brightened. "I have an idea! If you figure out where the chocolate is, I'll take you to dinner. When you can't find it and you give up, you pay." He grinned. "How's that sound?"
"Fine by me," Grace sized him up challengingly, fired up by his use of 'when'. "You good for it?"
Jane scoffed a "please," gesturing towards the necklace adorning her neck with mock scorn.
"Well, at least it'll give you some time to do your boring work, like the rest of us mere mortals." She indicated the folder Lisbon had left with a sardonic nod.
He waved it off. "Eh, it's done, don't worry about it. What you should be worried about is Rigsby finding your chocolate first."
"Jane!" Her eyes widened at him furiously and she pushed off the counter, striding across the kitchen. He was either implying that she was stupid or that the hiding place wasn't all that hidden, and either way, her sensibilities were insulted and her chocolate was in danger.
"Relax, I didn't dangle it in front of him. But you know how he's got that Rigsby Radar!" Jane called after her, his eyes twinkling.
She didn't bother answering him, just kept on walking towards the bullpen with a roll of her eyes. Coming to a stop at her own desk, Grace surveyed the room; Rigsby was still working busily away, and she could see Cho talking with Lisbon in her office. To her left was the spare desk Jane used to hold his files, but she discarded that idea, knowing it would be too boring a hiding place, no risk hiding it over there all by itself. His couch was also dismissed, as it would be too overt a stake on the chocolate's new ownership. She figured Jane would more likely hide it somewhere in the cluster of desks in the middle; yes, that was daring enough, typical Jane behaviour.
Grace turned her head in that direction to contemplate just where in relation to Rigsby and Cho's workspaces the likeliest spot would be, and heard a "Warmer- waaarmer..." coming from behind.
Throwing a glare at Jane over her shoulder, he just smiled back with that infuriating charm, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Grace firmly put him out of her line of sight, concentrating on the group of desks. She was certain Jane had hidden her stash on or around either Cho or Rigsby's desk, so the question now was determining which desk.
In the kitchen, Jane had hinted heavily about Rigsby; but, knowing Jane, that could be the trick itself. By repeatedly bringing Rigsby up, he would have successfully distracted her from the option of Cho's desk. But on the other hand, he would've known that she'd figure that out, thus hiding it on Rigsby's desk anyway. Grace turned to look at Jane, as if she could divine clues to which desk he ended up choosing by watching him, but alas; sadly, that was Jane's department.
He'd been looking about the room interestedly, and smiled wickedly upon catching her eye. Leaning forward, he whispered. "That's the question, isn't it? Which desk, Van Pelt?"
She glared at him, tweaked that he knew her exact dilemma, as always, and turned back around to stare at the desks again. She really wanted to get this right so that Jane would have to pay for dinner. It would be good for him to be on the losing side of a bet for once. The losing side of anything, for that matter, she thought wryly. The man just never seemed to lose!
Van Pelt had no way of knowing which desk for certain, but her gut was leaning towards it being Rigsby's, keeping with her theory that Jane would hide it closest to danger, for optimum entertainment when she tried to get it back. Good thing for her, that danger remained blissfully ignorant, despite her continued fierce staring as she deliberated. Making her choice, she nodded and turned to Jane.
"It's on Rigsby's desk." She declared, attempting to sound as if she knew this to be the truth.
"You sure?" He asked with raised eyebrows, skeptical.
"Yes."
"Final answer." Jane squinted at her, scrutinizing her, and Grace squirmed, knowing he was trying to make her second-guess her choice.
Fighting to keep that doubt from showing, she nodded firmly. "Yes." Not too quickly, and with no beat of hesitation, a solid, confident reply, with just the right amount of exasperation; Van Pelt gave herself a mental pat on the back.
"Hm. Interesting." He nodded, looking down thoughtfully.
When he didn't offer anything more, Grace tried to catch his eye. "So? Am I right?" she prodded.
He looked up. "Hm? Oh, yes." She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say a word, Jane promptly walked away from her. Her brows furrowed, she watched in confusion as he went over to Rigsby and leaned over. "Uh, Rigsby? Grace has something to tell you." At Rigsby's puzzled look, Jane made a face as if to say 'I don't know what about', shrugging. "Seemed important."
Van Pelt – watching Jane fabricate all this on the spot with a steadily growing sense of 'oh, crap!' – managed to school her flustered features into an appropriate expression by the time Rigsby swung his head her way, mustering a patient smile. As Rigsby hauled his massive frame out of his chair and eagerly rushed over to meet her, she sent Jane a wide-eyed look of aggravation over his shoulder, receiving an innocent look in return, then smiled up at Rigsby in greeting.
"Hey, Wayne." She smiled again, stalling with pleasantries as her mind raced for a suitable 'important message'; damn Jane for putting her on the spot like this. "Uh, Lisbon, just wanted to make sure you filled out the release form, for booking Daniel Cardeira." Van Pelt released her breath as Rigsby launched into an account of the form, having managed to successfully come up with something credible. As she pretended to listen to his reply, nodding up at him attentively with her arms crossed, she chanced a glance past his shoulder again, and saw as Jane nonchalantly reached under the lip of Rigsby's desk and detached the stack of chocolate bars. He then straightened, sending a furtive 'Got it' nod her way. Stifling her irritation at the chocolate being right next to Rigsby's knee, Grace returned her attention to the man before her.
"– And then I put it on Cho's desk." He finished with a grin.
Noting Jane smoothly turn and casually walk off to the kitchen, Van Pelt took that as her cue to make a graceful exit. She smiled radiantly, knowing Rigsby would be too distracted by her teeth to notice anything out of the ordinary. "That's great, Wayne. That's all I needed to know. I'll see you later, okay?" With another warm smile in farewell, Grace turned and followed Jane out of the bullpen.
She met his eye down the hall, and he motioned with his head to an empty interrogation room around the corner; she nodded, and followed him in.
Jane made himself comfortable, perching on the table, and Grace leaned against the wall, arms crossed. A proud expression grew on her face at her success and she smirked, waiting smugly for Jane to initiate the conversation. After a few moments of a silent staring match, Jane's half-smirk broke into a full smile and he reached into his pocket, pulling out her poor, harassed chocolate.
Jane made as if to hand it over, but when she reached for it, he pulled it back, pointing it at her with a raised brow. "You owe me drinks."
"What? No, I don't, I guessed right!" Grace said indignantly.
"I was the one to retrieve the chocolate, mind you. Without me, you wouldn't have it right now."
"I don't have it right now. You do." She pointed out.
"You're quibbling." He retorted matter-of-factly.
She rolled her eyes, unable to fight the smirk tugging at her lips. "Fine. Drinks. But I did guess right, so I'm choosing the place." She leaned her head back against the wall, enjoying the power. "I like the sound of that restaurant you were talking about, with the steaks? Tonight, 8 o'clock."
"Picky, picky!" Jane rolled his eyes heavenward theatrically, sighing. "Fine. Then you'll have your chocolate and your steak, woman." He dropped the exasperated expression and grinned, thoroughly enjoying their spirited exchange.
Grace nodded primly, pleased herself. "Mm-hm. Now that's settled, can I have my chocolate back?" She held out a hand.
Jane's smile gleamed mischievously as he waved her chocolate. "One more thing, though, before I give this back."
"Oh?"
"You have to wear the necklace for the rest of the day."
She'd forgotten all about it! Grace put a hand to the necklace, fingering the ruby pendant with a half-smile. "Funny, I'd forgotten already. Rigsby didn't even notice it."
Jane shrugged. "No surprise there. I set his mind a-whirl when I told him you had something important to tell him." He chuckled. "His first thought wasn't entirely work-related, let's just say."
"Jane." She chastised, blushing lightly. "But, what if the others see my necklace?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. My guess is, they'd probably wonder what you did, to get me to give it to you again."
Despite wanting to know why herself, Grace played along, affecting a breezy manner. "Oh, whatever will they think of me?"
Jane grinned rakishly. "I imagine Rigsby would be quite upset."
Her eyes widened, and she smacked him on the arm. "Jane!"
He blinked, seemingly confused. "What, wouldn't he be jealous I'm taking you to dinner and didn't invite him?"
Grace's lips twisted embarrassedly before she recovered; she hemmed and hawed in feigned resignation. "Well, y'know, office drama... the perils of getting one over on the Patrick Jane."
Jane just grinned at that, his smile fading into a rather intent look. "So tonight at 8?"
The warmth in his steady gaze made her stomach flip over, and she nodded.
"It's a date!" Jane slapped his knees and stood to leave, but stopped and pulled out her chocolate, finally handing it over. He surprised her by tucking a strand of hair behind her ear when she took hold of the chocolate, dropping his voice and glancing down at the gold glittering around her neck, then looking into her eyes. "The rubies look lovely with your hair."
Finding herself unable to speak, Grace just nodded again, failing to point out that was practically the same line he'd said to Lisbon. His nearness was rather disconcerting.
Tapping her nose with a smirk, Jane whispered, "Can't wait," and left, the door clinking shut behind him.
She felt butterflies in her stomach after he was gone, and knew it wasn't because they were looking forward to the delicious steak. She bit her lip excitedly; it was little wonder what she was going to wear for jewelry that night.
Alexandra Yee wasn't the only girl grinning ear to ear because of Patrick Jane.
A/N: And there you have it! I really hope you liked it! I would really appreciate a review, if it's not too much to ask. And any of you who like the pairing, please write something for our Jace-starved ffnet, I beg you! I will read it! :D Heaven knows we need more of it...