Black gold and red blood tag:

So I figured rewatching the Mentalist from the beginning would be a good way to spend my vacation. I was correct. Here's a bit of fluff to follow the ending. Post Jane getting out of jail.

God. She was frustrated with him. The smug bastard not only enjoys going to jail, but breaks out within three days.

She had hoped it would teach him a lesson. She had hoped for once, his actions would have consequences. That perhaps he wouldn't just smile and walk away like nothing had happened.

That smile. It both drove her mad and well, made her want to smile too.

The grin he flashed her when he left her office had been particularly radiant. She had contemplated throwing her stapler at him, but instead found herself running her fingers along it, grinning like an idiot. It was his get out of jail free card. Smug bastard.

"what are you smiling at?" he asked, his head reappearing at the door.

"uh.. ah nothing" she mumbled in response

"yeah, sure… nothing. Don't think you can lie to me Lisbon", his eyes darted down towards the stapler. "sorry… am I interrupting?" he asked

She grabbed the stapler and shoved it across the desk away from her. Her startled response made him smile again

"uh… nothing. No. You're not interrupting anything. I was just uh.. getting ready to leave. Just looking forward to a quiet weekend". God, she was jabbering like an idiot. She had more papers to work through, why had she said she was going to leave?

Jane rolled his eyes and walked round the room to pick up the stapler from the desk. He spun back on his heels to face her.

"you're aware smiling isn't a crime?", he asked teasingly, "in fact unlike crime, I think more smiling would make the world a lot better". He changed direction again, leaning over her desk so his face was on a level with hers. "So why don't you tell me why you're smiling?"

"If you're so clever, why don't you tell me?" she countered

"Oh, I wouldn't find any satisfaction in that. I know why you're smiling. I just want you to tell me. It's good to share Lisbon" he said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. He made a point of placing the stapler back under her hand, where it had been a moment ago

"I'm going home Jane" she said, grabbing her unfinished papers from her desk and stashing them in the drawer beneath

"Oh go on… indulge me!" he pleaded. She took her coat from the stand in the corner and made towards the door. "Fine" he conceded. "I'll tell you why you're smiling. You're happy to have me back"

She stopped and grinned at him "Nope. You're wrong. Psychic Jane fails to see the truth"

"Lisbon I'm not wrong. I was just being polite. You were smiling because I was smiling. Or, rather, my smile made you smile. It's like laughter or chickenpox; its infectious. You don't need to be ashamed of it"

"I'm not ashamed!" she countered, although her bushing cheeks told another story. She turned and marched towards the door. He met her there and put his arm out across the doorframe- barring her path. She pushed his arm out of the way, but he quickly moved his hand to her chin, turning her face towards his.

"Jane!" she remarked, shocked at the intimacy of her touch

But there he was, beaming at her again and she couldn't help laughing back at him.

"Goddamnit Jane" she chuckled playfully. She moved her arm to take his away from her face, but he pinned her hand against his arm.

Lisbon quickly became aware of how close they were to each other. Her gaze locked on his, and she allowed herself a moment to stare into his eyes. She felt the small flutter in her stomach, cursing her body for responding this way to his touch. But she didn't want to break from looking at him.

Her mask of cynicism and control began to slip away and her lips gently opened. Her body ached for him to lean in and kiss her. She longed to feel the pressure of his lips against hers. The sensation of his warm tongue on the inside of her mouth.

But such feelings came tinged with shame. She was lusting after a man who still wore a wedding band. A man driven by the desire to avenge his wife's death. A man who she cared about deeply; above all others. A man that she didn't want to hurt.

Such thoughts were short lived. The moment his lips touched hers, she felt alight. Her body burned as his tongue tentatively entered her mouth. His hand moved from her chin, tracing lightly down her neck and along her collar bone. She deepened the kiss, running her hand to his hair and pulling him closer into her.

They were like both teenagers and lovers. Hungry and excited, but slow and sensuous. Desperate to be together, but not wanting to rush and spoil things. The tenderness of his touch made her moan gently into his mouth.

She opened her eyes and gazed up. His eyes were open, focused on her face- as if wanting to see every detail of her. She looked into his longingly, and he responded by kissing her again with fervour. His hand moved from her shoulder around to her back, forcing them closer.

Eventually, they stopped to breath. Their bodies were pressed closed to each other and she ran her hand from his hair towards his cheek.

Words now failed her. Trying to articulate the way that he had made her feel seemed impossible. Telling him how turned on she felt seemed crude but telling him she loved him didn't seem appropriate either.

Grasping her hands, he took a step back and grinned at her. She responded by smiling straight back at him. The simple gesture needed no words.

Their hands lingered together, not wanting to break the bond of intimacy between them.

Jane finally broke the silence, for once not sounding so self-assured: "so… are you up to anything this evening Lisbon? You know, other than staying to finish off that pile of paperwork you've just put away?"

She rolled her eyes at him, but spoke softly in response: "no Jane, I didn't have anything planned. Just going to head home, maybe watch something".

She watched him nod slowly and stare at the floor. She could see that he thought she was dismissing him. Maybe she was. And maybe that was the right thing to do.

He gazed back up at her "that sounds good Lisbon, it's been a long week and you could do with the break. I'm sorry for all the paperwork I've created for you"

But as he spoke, she knew she didn't want to spend the rest of the night without him. Still holding his hands, she grasped them more tightly. "It's okay Jane, it's what I do – part of the job. You're worth it" she mentally kicked herself for giving him this much leverage, but continued nonetheless "look, if you're not up to anything else tonight, how about you come over? I've got some wine and we can point out the flaws in cop shows"

His face lit up as she spoke; "I can't think of anything better Lisbon" he replied

Placing one hand on her lower back, he led her out the door- smiling to himself as they walked towards the car. He had once told Rigsby that the way to win a woman was love and affection, and that is what he planned on giving Lisbon tonight.