A/N: Okay, this is my new multichapter (even though I am in the middle of another one but this one is invading my dreams so had to start writing it). This is extreme AU so the characters will perhaps not make much sense to you at first. In fact, this could almost be a new show (if anyone is reading this from CBS and want to make a show from it then give me a call, lol).

All I'll say at this stage is that Jane and Lisbon both have some tragedy in their pasts but it will not be the same as in canon. Hope you give it a try. I have lots planned for these characters (humour, romance and angst) so hope you'll continue to read even when the show is finished.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Mentalist, the wonderful Bruno Heller does.

Destinies

Chapter 1 - Expectations

Detective Patrick Jane put his feet up on his desk, stretching his body back against his chair and tossed the apple in the air. 'Okay, Kelly, toss me the orange.'

Detective Kate Kelly, the blonde hair of her pony tail bobbing as she manoeuvred into position beside him, threw it into his path, both fruits now in the air as Jane continued to juggle as a crowd gathered around his desk.

'Jenkins, the banana please' he smiled.

His partner Ken Jenkins, a man in his early sixties who had seen this spectacle or a variation of it for four years now every time Jane was bored, rolled his eyes and raised them from his paperwork from the desk opposite. 'If you bruise it, you're doing my paperwork.'

Jane grinned, his eyes trained on the fruit as they flew through the air. 'Ken, why so grumpy, you're retiring this week. Now, banana, please.'

A soft toss made Jane move forward in his chair to catch it and he breathed out a sigh of relief as he picked up the pace again, all three fruit now airborne.

'Now, la piece de resistance!' Continuing to juggle Jane got off his chair and put one arm behind his back. He grinned as wagers were exchanged all around him as the fruit stayed afloat. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small dark haired woman enter the Captain's office. The opened blinds and glass of the office gave him a view of her back only. She was dressed in a black pant suit and had shoulder length dark wavy hair. He saw Captain Marshall come out from behind his desk and shake her hand, her smile as he did so, giving him a side view now as a slight blush came to her dimpled cheeks as they nodded their greetings. He realised he had watched her for a second too long when he missed the catch of the apple. The orange and banana soon followed it to the ground.

Suddenly his partner perked up. 'At last! The great Patrick Jane has to do some paperwork!'

Jane picked up the fruit as the crowd dispersed around him. He half looked at his partner. 'I never agreed to that bet. Who's that with Marshall?' he asked, still somewhat distracted.

Jenkins turned his head to the glass box some feet away and shrugged. 'No idea. Never seen her before. Lawyer, maybe?'

Jane shook his head, his hand tapping the badge on his belt. 'No. Not a lawyer. Looks entirely too wholesome for that profession.'

Jenkins, losing interest rapidly, put his head back down to the form in front of him. 'Why are you asking me? You're going to go and find out anyway.'

'You mean burst into the Captain's office when he's in the middle of an obviously private meeting?'

Jenkins didn't raise his head. 'You make it sound like you hadn't already decided to do just that as soon as she went in there. Good looking woman. You in a permanent state of heat. Hardly need to be a detective to figure it out.'

'I'm really looking forward to working here, sir' Lisbon said as she took a seat opposite Captain Marshall. 'I've always loved San Diego.'

Marshall, a man in his fifties with lightly greying hair and a paunch brought upon by too many donuts in his thirty years with the San Diego Police Department, smiled warmly at her. 'Well, it's a little hotter here than D.C.' He watched Patrick Jane juggling from his seat and rolled his eyes. 'And a little more laid back at times, too. It's going to be an adjustment after working with the FBI.'

'I was a cop long before I worked for the Feds. I know what to expect.'

The man with the golden curls who was both responsible for his closure rate and his ulcer caught his attention again. 'Yeah, well, some of the team here are a little unorthodox in their police methods.'

'You're talking about Patrick Jane' Lisbon replied.

Marshall's eyes widened. 'You've heard of him?'

Lisbon was embarrassed momentarily. She had wanted to impress her new boss but perhaps admitting that she had thoroughly researched her new team may have been a step too far. 'Um...well...yeah, a little.'

Marshall clasped his hands in front of him. 'Tell me what you know about him.'

Lisbon was in the middle of explaining what she had discovered about Jane when at that moment the man in question swung the door to the office open without knocking. From a brief glance at the Captain's nonplussed manner he looked like he was used to it.

'Captain, I wanted to talk to you about the Robson case-'

He stopped and turned his attention to the dark haired beauty sitting opposite his superior, dazzling her with a smile. 'I'm sorry. Didn't realise you had company' he said, his gaze still focussed on the woman who by this stage was eyeing him with both a sense of distrust and a hint of a smile on her lips. He outstretched his hand gracefully, his smile still in place. 'Patrick Jane. Detective extraordinaire.'

She looked at the outstretched hand in front of her like it was a foreign object. He noticed her take him in, judge him immediately on this first appearance before she shook his hand. 'I know. I recognise your photo. And I have to say you're just what I imagined. I'm Teresa Lisbon.'

He pulled his hand away and narrowed his eyes at her. He was unsure if she had just given him a compliment or an insult but was more inclined to put it in the insult camp. 'You've heard of me?' he smiled. 'I didn't think I was famous enough for the glorious FBI to take notice of.'

He decided to call it a draw as he saw her surprise at his deduction she was a FBI Agent.

As they both continued to size each other up Captain Marshall cleared his throat.

'Jane, if you're done ogling then get the hell out of my office' he sighed. 'Unless, of course, you actually have something to add on the Robson case.'

Jane shrugged and grinned at Lisbon before turning back to his Captain. 'Ogling? I was only trying to befriend Agent Lisbon here. Just a little bit of inter agency co-operation. No need to make it sound quite so sleazy, Don.'

Marshall rolled his eyes and took a sip of coffee.

'It's Detective Lisbon, Mr Jane. Not Agent.'

His head whipped back round to her again. He never made these types of mistakes. 'Detective?'

She nodded her head.

Marshall spoke again. 'Yes, Jane. Lisbon here's going to be joining the team to replace Jenkins. God help her being partnered with you. But...I've spoken to her at length and she seems to know what she's taking on.'

'You make me sound like I need a babysitter' he smiled. He kept the thought to himself that he would have no problem with Teresa Lisbon tucking him in at night.

Then it caught his eye, glinting as the afternoon sun entered Marshall's office. The gold band on her left hand finger. Naturally. This was why Marshall had decided she was safe to partner him with. He never would have put him with an attractive woman otherwise. As much as Jane liked women, those that were married were a no go area. He'd missed that too. He had read someone wrong twice in a matter of minutes. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so far off. Something told him that Teresa Lisbon was going to be a mystery to him for a while yet. And there was nothing he loved more than unravelling a puzzle.

A/N: So, any thoughts? It will be explained why Patrick Jane is a Detective. And why Lisbon has left the FBI to come work as a cop again. And the wedding ring. Hope you continue to read!