A/N: My first English TM story here! I hope you enjoy it and maybe leave a review, if you liked it!
Special thanks goes to Nerwen Aldarion for betaing and SteeleSimz for her support.
Now have fun!
She had no objections against Monday. Monday was a day like any other day of the week except that a long, long time ago, someone decided it to be the first working day after the weekend.
If Monday would be Friday, the whole on weekdays working population would be happy. On Monday, everybody used to be tired and exhausted from the weekend and the eagerness to work used to stay sub-zero.
Just like now, Lisbon thought, after the elevator doors opened and she walked into the hallway, looking into lots of dozy faces. Like herself, the other agents clung to a cheap but strong cup of coffee, hoping the new case would wait until they had the chance to fully awake.
She stepped smiling into the bullpen and saw Van Pelt working on her computer and Cho reading a new romance novel, he just started yesterday. Yes, this was a usual Monday, just like every other one, except for Teresa Lisbon. Because today was her birthday.
"Good Morning, guys", she greeted the present part of her team cheerfully.
"Morning, boss", Van Pelt muttered, but kept looking at her computer screen.
"Morning", grumbled Cho, his eyes stuck on the book he was reading.
Lisbon frowned. Okay, she had not exactly told them her birthday was today, but they were her team and they should know such kind of things! They always remembered her birthday! A wave of disappointment ran through her body, but she wouldn't dare show it to her team.
Who cared about birthdays anyway? A birthday was just like any other day in a year, except you got older. And what was the one thing women did not like? Right, aging, getting crinkles and your first gray hair... Birthdays were overestimated, especially when you were a grownup. But to be honest, she was a little sad that her team, her family, seemed to ignore this fact.
"I... I'm in my office, if you need anything", she said waiting for them to reply and maybe do some kind of small talk, but all she got was a "Yup" from Van Pelt and a quick nod from Cho
"Boss!" someone screamed behind her, just as she was about to close her office door. She turned around and saw the smiling face of Wayne Rigsby, who walked towards her, holding a newspaper in one hand.
"Rigsby, you're late. What's up?" she asked in her bossy voice. "Sorry, boss, I only wanted to congratulate you." Lisbon tried hard not to smile in relief. Maybe one member of her team did not forgot her birthday.
"Thanks, Rigsby, I really appreciate that."
"Yeah! I never thought this would happen! They put our case from last week on the second page of the "Sacramento Bee", can you believe this? We never got that close to the front page! You wanna have a read?" he asked, putting the newspaper in front of her face.
"Why thank you, Rigsby", she said, not even trying to hide her disappointment this time. She took the newspaper and walked into her private office, shutting the door with a loud thump.
Angrily, she threw the newspaper onto her desk and put her cup of coffee down with such a force, the lid jumped off, so some of the coffee got down on her files. "Damn it!"
Rigsby went into the bullpen: "Lisbon's got no idea, has she?"
Cho put down his book and looked carefully through the blinds into her office. "Seems so."
"I don't like to mess with Lisbon's head. I mean look at her! She seems so disappointed and thinks we forgot her birthday", Van Pelt added with pity in her voice, while she watched Lisbon clean up her coffee and file mess, "The thing with the newspaper was really mean, Wayne!"
Rigsby shrugged it off and sat down on his desk chair to eat his second breakfast: "I think we should be glad we're on it this time. Usually we're conned by Jane and now he included us in his scheme. This day is gonna be fun!"
"Is your good mood up to the fact that you can con Lisbon or because of the blonde secretary from last week?" Cho asked casually so that Rigsby choked on his chocolate bar. Van Pelt shot him an indefinable look.
"First I thought it went all well", Rigsby explained after he could remove the piece of chocolate bar out of his throat, "but after we finished the dinner I found out, the woman did not know what she wanted and if a woman doesn't know what she wants, how should a man know?"
"Jane knows what women want. So it cannot be that difficult." Of course Van Pelt would defend the honour of her gender. "Come on, as if women were difficult! Okay, you might have to push a few more buttons, but if a man really wants to make a woman happy, he should know what to do."
"Jane isn't the regular kind of guy. He seems a little creepy to me sometimes!" Rigsby said and took a look around, "Where is he anyway?"
"He's got to do some arrangements for tonight. I think he won't come to the office today", Cho explained and hesitated a moment before opening his desk drawer and handing a book to Rigsby.
The agent seemed a little confused after he read the title: "What's this about, Cho? I don't read sappy romance novels. That's girlie stuff!"
"Try these, if you want to start to understand women! Got this hint from Jane and if you work for it, it'll pay off." Van Pelt wasn't able to hide her laugh, after Rigsby removed the novel from his desk like he had to dispose a full diaper.
It was nearly lunch time after Lisbon recognized Jane hadn't shown up in her office, yet. She looked through the blinds into the bullpen and frowned, because Jane wasn't lying on his favourite place on the brown leather couch either. Jane has never been too late, except when he was up to something.
Did something happen to him, just like the day he got kidnapped? Or did he piss off some guys somewhere? Maybe he just overslept… Don't be silly, she thought, Jane never sleeps so the possibility he oversleeps is close to zero. She decided to give herself a run to the kitchen, to get a coffee refill and to check up upon her team.
Just as she went into the bullpen, the three agents suddenly went silent and got back to work. "Everything alright?" she asked doubtfully.
"Yeah", they all answered at once.
"Hm. Has anyone of you seen Jane?" She couldn't see that Van Pelt shoot a questioning look to her colleagues.
"Nope", Cho answered, "Maybe he called in sick."
"Jane is never sick!" Lisbon defended her concern about her consultant a little too hard and tried to hide her blushing face. "I mean… Jane has never been sick, yet."
"You've had this little incident with the fountain last week, so maybe he caught a cold."
Lisbon remembered the case last week, when a running suspect pushed Jane into a knee-deep big fountain in the middle of the Italian hotel plaza. Because Cho and Rigsby were running after the bad guy, she decided to stop by and relish the moment, while helpless Jane was trying to get the balance back. He'd looked crestfallen and hilarious, why she couldn't stop laughing at him. Malicious joy is the best joy, but as thoughtful as Lisbon was, she decided to help him climb out of the water while giving him a hand. In this moment Jane taught her, never to laugh at him in the wicked way she did.
Before she was able to pull away her hand, Jane pulled her right next to him into the cold water. Lisbon blushed obviously and pushed the thought of what happened after they both lay in the fountain quickly aside. It had been a stupid, stupid incident, which really embarrassed her now. Damn, she was no teenage girl anymore, but an adult and Jane was… yeah, what was Jane?
"Does anybody want some coffee?" she asked quickly to have an excuse to leave the room immediately.
"You don't have to make coffee, boss, I can do this", Grace offered.
Lisbon followed her female teammate into the kitchen and sat down on one of the round tables.
Why did this damn incident from last week have to come to her mind now?! Why couldn't she just forget about it? She tried to calm herself down with the thought her whole team seemed to have forgotten her birthday, which worked. Maybe she should give Grace some kind of broad hint…
"Any plans for tonight, Van Pelt?"
"Uhm… why?" she asked suspicious.
"Well… I thought maybe you'd like to join in for a drink?" Oh how she hated it to be the one who had to ask her younger agent for anything. Van Pelt filled a mug with hot, steaming coffee and sat it in front of Lisbon's table.
"What for? To celebrate the newspaper article? I'm so sorry, boss, but I'm kinda busy tonight… maybe another time?" Before Lisbon was able to answer, she grabbed her mug and went back into the bullpen.
The older agent felt sad. As if she'd celebrate a stupid newspaper article! Van Pelt really seemed to have forgotten her birthday. She could live with the fact, that Cho and especially Rigsby would forger her great day, but Grace, who always seemed to be some kind of girlfriend to her, the only one she had…
Her cell phone rang and her heart skipped a beat. Jane. He'd never forget her birthday! He never forgets anything!
"Lisbon." She tried to talk normal and hide her excitement.
"Lisbon, it's Jane…" The sentence was followed by a few heavy coughs.
"Jane?" Is everything alright with you?"
When he gave his nose a hard blow, Lisbon had to remove the cell phone from her ear. "Are you okay, Jane? Are you ill?" And here she just thought Jane was never ever ill!
"I'm sorry, Lisbon, but I think I caught a huge cold. I won't be able to come to the office today." His voice was silent and rough, like his vocal chords were treated with sandpaper.
"You really don't sound that good. Have you seen a doctor already?"
"I don't like doctors", he mumbled.
"Yeah, I know… We did not get a new case, yet, so I think we don't need you today. So stay at home, but please promise me to see a doctor, okay?"
"Whatever you say, Lisbon…" She knew he wouldn't go to see a doctor, but she could at least try. He remained silent as if he knew what she was thinking.
"So…" he coughed.
"Bye… and get well soon!" She hung up and felt the urge to throw her phone to the next wall. This was a joke, a really, really bad joke! Even Jane – okay, he was ill – but even he forgot her birthday!
"Boss?" Cho asked standing in the doorframe. "What!?" she hissed and excused herself immediately. She hadn't wanted to shout at him in such a rude tone.
"I need you to sign this off." He handed her the file and a pen. Lisbon thought a moment: "So, Cho… You have anything planned for tonight?"
The agent raised an eyebrow: "Sorry, boss. You're a really attractive woman, but you are my superior and friend, so I'm not interested. Thank you, but no thank you." He quickly removed the file from her desk and left the office, while Lisbon stayed all of a dither at her desk.
"You got this totally wrong, Cho!" As if she'd ask Kimball Cho out for a date! He was definitely not her type and he should know this, too! They were friends, colleagues. "Today is not my day", she decided silently and got back to work.
Rigsby couldn't stop laughing, while Van Pelt felt a little ashamed for her Boss.
"I feel sorry for her. Lisbon doesn't deserve this, I mean look at her! She looks so sad. I'd feel the same if all of you would have forgotten my birthday."
"We did not forget her birthday!" Rigsby defended himself and his mal colleague, before he turned back to the Asian agent, "Do you really believe the boss would ask you out for a date, ever?"
Cho shrugged: "I don't know. Wouldn't think so, but if this thought will ever occur her mind, it's better to tell her now I'm not interested rather than later."
"Men!" Van Pelt snorted and got back to work.
It was around 6 pm, when Lisbon heard a knock on her office door. Rigsby. "Come in!"
"Uhm boss... I gotta go, cause I've got an important appointment tonight." She sighed. Great! Although she hadn't been looking forward to celebrate her birthday alone with Rigsby, she would at least have had somebody! They all had plans for tonight and everything was more important than her damn birthday!
Lisbon threw a quick glance to the clock on the wall beside her. "Tell Cho und Van Pelt they can also head home for the night."
"What about you, boss?" Rigsby asked suspicious.
"I have to take a look through these files and write another report because of Jane's childish behaviour last week."
"You should head home, too, otherwise it's going to be a long night", he said with some kind of disapproval in his voice.
"Well, I've got nothing else to do..." And she was right. If she'd finally come home, she'd get the cheap bottle of wine Tommy sent her out of her cupboard and have a drink. She'd have liked to share it with someone, but because all her friends were busy tonight, she had to live with the fact of being alone.
These thoughts haunted her, until she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment and headed up the stairs to the front door. Damn, she should have gotten some take-out on her way home. Sighing, she unlocked the door, suddenly realizing, that it was just ajar. Someone was in her apartment – or had been.
Well, maybe the thieves had unpacked some of the packing cases, which stood next to her couch since she moved in, she thought ironically. Somehow she never had the time or felt like unpacking them. They contained too many memories of old times she couldn't face and throw away either. Lisbon grabbed her gun and took a deep breath.
With a neat kick, she opened the door and switched on the light, which was right next to her.
"Surprise!" people screamed loudly.
Lisbon blinked confused and still kept her gun ready, until she realized the whole situation.
Everywhere were balloons, garlands and even a huge sign with colored letters, which said "Happy Birthday, Lisbon!" hung at the stair railing. Beneath it, was a small table with lots of delicious patisseries and a big cake, surrounded by paper streamers and confetti.
The room was filled with her friends, her team, her brother Tommy with his daughter Annie and a person which sight made her smile confused:
"Jane? I thought you were sick."
He stepped forward, grinning his toothpaste smile: "Oh I was sick. Worried sick, that you would be late to your own party and Rigsby would eat all the cake."
"Hey! I didn't eat that much, did I?" he defended himself, while the others burst out into laughter.
Cho pointed at the corner of his mouth, where Lisbon could see a little left over from a chocolate muffin.
"Don't you want to put the gun down, Lisbon?" Jane asked and stepped forward, a little party hat in his hand.
"I'm not gonna wear this", she said, but put the gun back into her holster.
"It's your birthday, Lisbon. Do us the favor." Without hesitating, he put the party hat on her head and pulled her in a lightly hug. "Happy Birthday."
All the others congratulated her, too, especially Annie, who hugged her like she hadn't seen her in years.
"I'm so glad you came", Lisbon whispered.
"Ha, we were afraid you wouldn't come! It's your birthday! How can you work overtime at you birthday?!"
"Well, nobody said anything and since you all let me think you forgot my birthday..."
"We'd never forget your birthday, aunt Reese. Right, dad?"
Tommy nodded and handed over a large present, wrapped in blue paper: "Your birthday present. Annie picked it out for you, so if you don't like it, blame her."
Lisbon laughed and took the present: "I'll unwrap it later, okay?"
"Lisbon!" Jane said excited, "Come on, there's another surprise for you."
"You know I hate surprises, Jane", she answered skeptically.
"You will like this one, I promise. Could everyone please be quiet now?"
The other guests did as he asked. Lisbon watched him walking to the front door. Huh? What was that? She could hear the quiet noises of a saxophone playing. Not, that was not... was it?
When Jane opened the front door, Willie Schubert stepped inside, playing some tones with his saxophone, which turned into the vocals of "Happy Birthday" a few seconds later.
The audience applauded and Lisbon stood there, totally overwhelmed with tears in her eyes.
"Seemed like Blondie over there was right and you would be surprised."
Lisbon shot a glance at Jane, who sat down smiling on her couch next to Cho and Rigsby, a cup of tea in his hand. Where did he get the tea? She had none at home that was for sure. Never mind. Smiling, she stepped forward and let herself be hugged by Mr. Schubert, who seemed also happy.
"Seemed like you hit home, Jane", Cho mumbled.
"Everybody knows she likes to hear this guy playing", he answered shrugging.
"But you had the idea to invite him to the parts. See, guys? Jane knows it", Van Pelt said cheerfully and leaned back on the couch.
"You're right. He knows it."
"What do I know?" Jane asked suspiciously.
"What women want. Well, rather what Lisbon wants", Cho said, "Come on, Jane. It looks like you're the knight in shining amour, who saved the princess's day."
"A very interesting reference, Cho. You should think about writing books instead of only reading them." He had nothing more to add, thinking, that he only wanted Lisbon to be happy. And it seemed like she was.
It was nearly 2 am, when the last guest left Lisbon's home. Van Pelt had apologized more than twice, that she and her colleagues tricked her into believing they forgot her birthday, but Lisbon was just so happy, that she shrugged it off and thanked the instead for the party.
"I don't think I can sleep after all the cake", Rigsby growled.
"It really was a surprise, that we all got a piece of the birthday cake", Jane teased and stepped next to Lisbon.
"Boss, you haven't even unpacked all of your presents." Van Pelt sounded a little disappointed.
"There's no need to do so, since I can tell her what's inside anyway."
"Don't you dare, Jane", Lisbon hissed, "You don't have to be in the office on time, tomorrow. Thanks, guys... bye." With this, she closed the door and sighed aloud, looking for eye contact with Jane. "So..."
"So?" he asked grinning mischievously.
"Thank you, Jane. Really. This was the best birthday party I've had in a while."
To her surprise, he went to her shelf and turned the CD-player on, romantic music filling the room.
"What do you think you are doing?"
"May I?" the consultant asked and grabbed her hand, but Lisbon pulled back.
"There's a lot to tidy up, Jane..."
"Not very convincing, my dear. Try something different."
"I'm ... tired?"
"Even worse." He stepped forward and pulled her in his arms, surprised that she still hesitated.
"Look, Jane. I don't think that's a good idea. We haven't talked about the thing with the fountain last week and I..."
"Teresa. Would you please shut your mouth and just enjoy the dance?"
Lisbon glanced at him but knew he was right. She let herself sink deeper into his arms, breathing his cologne in. Jane laid one arm around her hips and smiled when her face turned in a lightly shade of red.
After a little while Lisbon was totally relaxed and even rested her head on his shoulder.
"Did you really think I would have forgotten your birthday?", he asked quietly.
"I thought about it... You played the sick man very well..."
"You weren't the slightly bit suspicious?"
"Hmm..." she mumbled and closed her eyes. Jane chuckled.
"Don't you want to know what my present to you is?"
"Besides the whole party and Willie Schubert? You know I'll give it back to you, if it was too expensive."
"Believe me, it's not. Hold still and keep your eyes closed."
Lisbon nodded and Jane stopped the dance. He framed her face with his hands, slightly brushing his lips to hers.
"Shhh", he whispered as she tensed and her lids began to flutter.
His lips were soft and delicious on her; the kiss seemed like to be for eternity. Lisbon moaned, when he let his tongue slip out, begging for entrance. She couldn't resist him, opened her mouth and let him deepen the kiss, exploring her, like he did last week. But this was not like the heated one they shared lying in the fountain, this one was sweet and calm... and over too early.
The petite brunette Agent protested, when he pulled back, which made him grin.
"Relax, Lisbon. There are more where this one came from." He began to hum in tact of the music and made her rest her head again on his shoulder.
After a while, her steps got clumsy and her legs seemed like to turn into jelly, so he pulled her up and took her to the couch. It must have been an exhausting day for her, since she fell asleep immediately. She looked so pure, so innocent and lovely. That's why Jane knelt down beside her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Happy birthday, Teresa... Happy birthday."