Jane always says that tea tastes better in the proper cup. He knows from experience that it takes a long time to find one that's just right. It has to be just the right size for the amount of tea you drink. It can't be too heavy, so your wrist won't get tired from holding it. It needs a properly shaped handle, so you can hold it without burning your hand, and it can't break easily, because it has to be able to withstand the wear and tear of day-to-day activities.
When Jane first started at CBI, he was constantly whining about how none of the cups there met his requirements. After searching nearly every kitchen store and teashop within an hour of Sacramento, Lisbon found a turquoise teacup and saucer that seemed to fit the bill. It cost more than she thought was reasonable but if it would stop him from complaining every day, she considered it money well spent.
Lisbon remembered how his whole face had lit up when she gave it to him. It was so rare to see him genuinely happy, especially in those days. It was only a few months after he had started working there, and he was still struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy after his wife and daughter's deaths. He had immediately made some tea in his new cup, proclaimed it 'exquisite', and sat down with a look of utter peace on his face.
Since that day, he was seldom seen at CBI without it. Whenever he was lost in thought, stressed, lonely, happy, or bored, he would have a cup of tea. He would often steal tea while they were away on cases, but nothing beat the warm beverage from his turquoise cup.
Jane never told Lisbon how much her kindness meant to him. He hadn't had anyone do something that thoughtful for him since his family died, and he had nearly forgotten what it felt like to have someone looking out for him. He never told her that it wasn't really the cup that made the tea so special; it was the person who had given it to him that made all the difference.
Needless to say, Jane was less than amused when he came in to CBI one morning, after one of his rare nights spent in his motel room, to find that his teacup and saucer were missing.
"RIGSBY!" Jane hollered.
Rigsby, the only one in the bullpen, jumped at Jane's voice. "What?" He asked, thoroughly confused.
"Have you seen my mug?" Jane asked urgently.
"Nope. Sorry," the taller agent answered, and went back to his computer.
"I can't find it! I left it right here in the kitchen," Jane exclaimed. He turned towards the door when he saw Van Pelt arrive. "Grace! Do you know what happened with my teacup?"
She shook her head. "Nope. Where did you leave it?"
"In the cupboard in the kitchen!" Jane was becoming petulant.
"Are you sure?" Grace asked, raising an eyebrow doubtfully.
"Of course I'm sure," he said impatiently.
Just then, Cho arrived and was immediately accosted by Jane. Unfortunately, Cho also denied knowing the whereabouts of Jane's trademark cup and saucer.
"Hey, has anyone heard from Lisbon?" Rigsby asked suddenly. The four of them looked around at each other, and the missing cup was temporarily forgotten. It was almost unheard of for Lisbon to be the last to arrive, although she had another fifteen minutes before she was officially late.
"Should we give her a call?" Van Pelt hesitantly suggested.
"She's not late yet. We'll give her another twenty minutes. If she's not here by then, I'll call her to see what's up," Cho decided.
As it turned out, their worry was unnecessary; Lisbon arrived just before 8:00am. As soon as she walked in, Jane zeroed in on her. "Lisbon! You look guilty about something. You have that aura about you. What did you do with my teacup?" He asked, speaking very quickly and sounding somewhat like a hyperactive child.
Lisbon went slightly pink. "I accidentally knocked it out of the cupboard last night… I'm sorry; it shattered." Jane's face fell, but before he could say anything, Lisbon quietly added, "I got you a new one."
She reached into her bag and removed a carefully wrapped teacup and saucer, identical to the ones she had broke. Jane grinned widely, his eyes crinkling with pleasure. "Thank you, Lisbon! I appreciate the speedy replacement." He then hurried off to the kitchen, presumably to make his morning cup of tea.
"You got him the exact same set?" Rigsby asked incredulously, once Jane had gone.
"Hey, Jane's a creature of habit. Figured I shouldn't mess with a good thing." Lisbon winked and headed into her office. Through the window, she watched Jane return to his couch clutching his new turquoise teacup, with steam curling gently upwards from it. He inhaled deeply, took a sip and closed his eyes, clearly savouring the flavour in his mouth.
When he opened his eyes, she turned away quickly so he wouldn't catch her looking, but she wasn't quite fast enough. He smiled to himself, and decided that this teacup was even better than the last.