Disclaimer: Does not belong to me. Making no money.

Summary: An interrogation leads to a revelation. Jisbon. Rated M for descriptions of crimes and activities of an adult nature and alternative lifestyles. Avoid if you find offensive; please no flames.

A/N: Okay, this starts out a bit less cute than my usual fare. It's also my first foray into the M-zone, but I accept the inspiration as it comes. This odd little moment occurred to me and I had to type it up.

The Man You Love

Lisbon sat in the interrogation room and looked across the table at the suspect. The lighting seemed dimmer than usual, but she could still see the individual clearly. It had taken years of working in law enforcement for her to learn that a murderer, or an accomplice in this case, could look like just about anything. But it hadn't taken any time at all to realize that the more normal they looked, the more unsettling it was. This was one of those cases.

The woman who stared back at her was named Georgia Cable, and she looked like an All-American girl-next-door type. Maybe her make-up was a little heavy and her eyes were a bit too knowing, but the honey blonde hair and the blue eyes? She'd blend right in just about any Mid-western town with none the wiser.

And yet this was the same woman who had been booked as an accomplice in one of the more brutal murders that Lisbon had ever handled in Serious Crimes. A California state senator, Harold Mayfair, had been beaten to death in a hotel room. Beaten with bare fists until unrecognizable. Even now it was unpleasant to remember the crime scene, with the spattered walls and floors and the blood soaked mattress. They'd had to confirm the man's identity from DNA.

Jane was seated next to Lisbon, silent in his study of the suspect's body language. He had been instrumental in identifying her boyfriend, Peter Hoop, as the actual killer, but the evidence pointing to Georgia's involvement had taken even Jane aback. Cho was questioning Peter in another room.

"Miss Cable," Lisbon began, "What was the nature of your relationship with Senator Mayfair?"

The blonde's eyes looked puzzled for a moment, but there was a smile on her lips when she replied "No relationship, ma'am. Pete and I, we provide a couple's escort experience to an established clientele. We cater to other couples and individuals. Senator Mayfair was referred to us by a regular customer, and we met him that way."

Lisbon made notes as she cringed inwardly. It wasn't that she was scandalized or even disgusted by the woman's information; it's just that now all of the files for this case would have to be cross-referenced with Vice. This was truly going to be paperwork hell. She could feel the headache starting already.

Jane chose that moment to cut in with "So, you both met up with him in the hotel. Why did he want both of you? Were you going to play lookout while the boys had their little fun?" He watched her face, and could tell that he'd hit a nerve.

Georgia's blue eyes darkened, yet the smile stayed. "No, Mr. Jane. The Senator liked girls, too. We were all going to have our 'little fun,' as you put it," she said, placing her elbows on the table and leaning forward slightly.

"So what went wrong? How did Mayfair end up dead?" Lisbon asked before Jane could say anything else. Inside, she was rolling her eyes. Trust him to make this situation more salacious than it needed to be.

"Well, Pete was going down on the Senator-" she paused, frowning, as Jane coughed loudly and Lisbon kicked him under the table, "Don't laugh, Mr. Jane. Pete never gets any complaints. He's very good, very enthusiastic. Anyway, that's when Mayfair flips out. He starts yelling abuse at me and at Pete, and making threats about police. Out of nowhere! And let me tell you something: insults and threats are the last thing you want to be hurling at someone who has your cock in his mouth. Pete, well, Pete lost his temper and I couldn't calm him down in time…" she trailed off, and shrugged.

"Just lost his temper? The Senator was unidentifiable visually, Miss Cable. Is Pete always like that? Is he ever like that with you?" Lisbon asked.

"Now look," Georgia answered, and the easy smile on her face was long gone. "I've known Pete ever since we were eight years old. We ran away together when we were sixteen. He's never had a tight lid on it at the best of times. He's had a hard life and he's angry, but he's never raised a hand to me. Pete loves me, and I love him. He just doesn't take well to being called names when he's doing something someone has asked him to do, that's all."

"And after that you just helped Pete clean up? You didn't actually lay hands on anyone?" Jane asked.

"That's right. We cleaned up and got the hell out of there," Cable replied.

"What I'd really like to know is why you helped Pete avoid capture instead of coming to the police. You say you weren't actually involved in the violence, so you had nothing to be afraid of on that front." Lisbon said, thinking she knew what the answer would be. Most likely it would be the traditional fear of cops and fear of the violent but beloved boyfriend excuses, as usual.

She was wrong.

Instead of tearing up or acting fearful, Georgia Cable fixed a gaze of deadly calm on Lisbon, and then said, "What would you do, Agent Lisbon, if Mr. Jane here killed a bad person who'd hurt him and hurt you? Would you feel all right arresting him, or turning him over to someone who would?"

Lisbon was momentarily stunned. She didn't think the suspect knew anything about Jane's past, but then where did that come from? What point was she trying to make? She opened her mouth and closed it again. After a moment, she answered, "What I would do isn't really the issue here, Miss Cable. But I think however I felt about it, I'd know I had to do it, because it was right."

Georgia's eyes narrowed, but she only said "Well, all I'll say to that is: that's what you think now. If it really happened to you, if it was you and the man you love, you might find yourself thinking differently."

Lisbon found herself speechless for the second time in two minutes, but this time Jane came to her rescue. "I think you may be mistaken about us, Georgia. Agent Lisbon and I aren't married or even involved with each other," he said.

"I'm not mistaken, Mr. Jane, and I didn't say married or involved. I was talking about love. But I'm not talking anymore, not without a lawyer, so you can stop this little interview right now," Georgia said, and crossed her arms as she leaned back against her chair.

Jane was about to argue, but Lisbon cut him off. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Cable, at least up to this point," she said, finally finding her voice. She flipped her notebook shut and all but sprinted from the room. Jane was fast on her heels.

Lisbon went to her office and shut the door. She considered locking it, but she realized that the only person on the team who would try to come in without asking was also the only one who could pick locks. It wasn't worth it. She closed the blinds and started assembling the mountain of paperwork on her desktop.

Sure enough Jane came strolling in, without knocking, about five minutes later. The door closed behind him and he said, "Well, Lisbon, that was the hastiest exit I think I've ever seen you make from the interrogation room."

"For God's sake, leave me alone Jane. Haven't I been mortified enough for one afternoon?" Lisbon snapped, and refused to even look at him.

"Mortified? Because of what Georgia said in there? You've been a cop for years, Lisbon. I'm sure you've heard raunchier tales than that one," Jane said, smirking.

"It wasn't that part, it was… the end of her statement that made me uncomfortable," Lisbon clarified with a frown.

"Why are you so embarrassed? Because of what she said about how you feel, or because she was right?" he asked.

Lisbon finally lifted her eyes and glared at him. "Didn't I tell you to go AWAY, Jane? And how are you so sure she was right?"

That made him grin even wider. "Oh Lisbon, I've known for a while now. But you don't have to be shy or embarrassed about it, because I feel the same way about you."

She sighed. "Jane, stop it. We're not having this conversation and we're not in love. You and I together is an impossible idea. Georgia Cable just wanted to rile me, and unfortunately I was off my game enough to let her."

Jane was still smiling, and started to move closer to where she was sitting. He stopped in front of her and leaned against her desk before saying "Come on Lisbon, you know the appalling saying about denial not just being a river in Egypt? Well it's true, however terrible the pun is. Maybe it's time we got everything out into the open. Clear the air, as it were," he said suggestively.

Lisbon let her face fall into her right palm in exasperation. "The air is perfectly clear, Jane. Why do you keep poking at things when I ask you to let them go?"

She felt him softly grasp her hand and pull it away from her eyes. His other hand went to her chin and tilted her head up to look at him as he leaned in close. Lisbon could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheeks as he whispered, "Why do you keep trying to lie to me when you know I can tell?"

Her eyes drifted closed as the distance between them vanished and his lips met hers.

The End