Thanks to Cumberland River Relic and Make-Mine-A-Kiaora for their beta reading and feedback. Please check out their latest stories. You'll really enjoy them!

This story will be slow to post. I have a lot on my plate at the moment. Unfortunately parts of this story has been trying to fight their way out of my skull since before Christmas and most of the pieces don't seem related, dammit. I've had to adapt a couple things to even get THIS far. Hope you'll find it in your heart to be patient as I continue to wrestle with it. Rated T until I can figure out if I need to hike it.

Austin, Texas, January 3rd

As Jane entered the ultramodern FBI offices, he smirked at the little bit of Christmas bling that still adorned the lobby. By the reception desk stood an aluminum tree, sleek and shiny like the rest of the building. On the clear glass handrail of the balcony was a silver wreath and a pathetic strand of plain white lights. Obviously the FBI was aiming for sophistication, but it actually struck Jane as elitist and distant, saying nothing warm and welcoming like everyone wants the Christmas holiday to represent. In other words, fitting to Jane's view of both Christmas and the FBI - a false front for a false holiday for a false organization.

It was about time to take the decorations down. The FBI had already brought out Jane's cynicism without throwing their insincere celebration into the mix.

Jane crossed to the elevator. As he pressed the call button, he heard the soft rattle of the car's approach. It was nice that he didn't have to wait. He stepped back in case anyone got off.

When the doors opened, Lisbon nearly ran him over in her hasty dash for the front entrance. He grabbed her arms to keep them both upright.

"Jane! Where the hell have you been? Didn't you get Fischer's text? You were supposed to be here at 7:30."

"Well, I—"

She grabbed his arm and started pulling him for the door. "You missed the briefing."

"But I –"

"We're going to Colorado. A kidnapping case. Let's go."

"Colorado?" A grin spread across Jane's face as he followed her out of the building into the warm sunshine of Austin's 65 degree winter day. "Where in Colorado?"

Lisbon glanced around to be certain there were no outsiders nearby. It would have been impressive that she'd picked up the FBI sense of caution so quickly if he didn't know it was really an extension of the paranoia instilled by the investigation into the seven suspects. That was long over, but surviving such a protracted war was bound to leave battle scars. It wasn't a bad habit given their new life with the FBI, although he hoped it hadn't grown out of proportion.

"Vail. A congresswoman's daughter was kidnapped while on a ski vacation."

"Oo, the snowy Rocky Mountains! Maybe we can hit the slopes, get a couple of runs in while we're there."

She snapped her fingers a few times as if to get his attention.

"Jane, concentrate," she said. "There's a lot to do before our flight out. For one thing, I need to get my winter clothes out of storage."

Well, that made sense. She lived in a residency hotel a few blocks away, the second in as many months. Although the small suite was comfortable and elegant for the type of place it was, the closet space wasn't great and she didn't unpack much of her stuff. In fact, she seemed resistant to getting too settled.

Or was it really that she didn't want to get too attached to Austin and the FBI? Or to him?

"What time's the flight?"

"9:50, so come on."

Less than two hours. This wasn't so good. "There's not a later one?"

"Not if we're going to make a good connecting flight from Dallas to Colorado. Fischer said we'd better be there by 9:30 or all our heads would roll."

Jane shook his head, dismayed. She still doesn't get it, the lack of power that the FBI has over us…

"Do not fash thyself, my dear," he said with exaggerated calm, grasping her forearm and tugging her away from the path toward her car.

"Huh?" she asked, sufficiently distracted to allow his redirect. "'Fash'?"

"It means "get upset". I'm saying don't worry. I have the solution to the biggest part of your problem in my humble abode."

"What? Jane, knock it off. We don't have time for fooling around."

He smiled to himself, interpreting a different meaning for 'fooling around' than the one she meant. Their relationship was nowhere near considering that, unless she'd had a sudden change of heart. So far, dinner downtown and a simple kiss at the end of the night were as far as they'd gotten. Not even a French kiss. It was a little disappointing.

"Yes, we're up against the clock, but what I have will save you a great deal of time."

The half-sigh half-groan was a clear signal that he'd at least persuaded her to listen.

"Come with me. I have a coat that will fit you, and of course your work shoes are sturdy enough to handle any snow we might encounter. It's not like you're going to be trudging across the tundra."

"What are you talking about?"

He slid his hand down her arm and intertwined his fingers in hers.

"I'm talking about a down jacket I purchased that's the wrong size. Follow me, please."

They hurried to the Airstream parked in its special location on the edge of the parking lot. Jane unlocked the door and held it open for her. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, not moving to enter.

"Don't worry. I didn't leave any dirty underwear lying around. At worst? A dirty teacup sits in the sink."

She rolled her eyes and mounted the metal steps. He rolled his eyes too as he followed her.

"I'm too old to be that kind of bachelor," he said as he stepped up next to her.

Her gaze stopped its travel around the clean and simple décor, coming to rest on the blue and white harlequin statuette on the dinette table. Someday he'd explain what the statue meant to him.

"Er…what kind?" she asked, tearing her gaze away and looking at him.

"The kind to have empty crisp packets and well-thumbed copies of Playboy strewn about the floor."

"'Crisp'?"

"Potato chips."

"Ah."

"Yes, I'm old enough to buy the big bag and reuse a bowl. More economic that way."

Lisbon studied him a moment, probably gauging how much truth he was revealing in his usual flippant manner. When he flashed his disarming 'showman' smile, she looked away.

"So you didn't hang any Christmas stuff at all? What about the homemade ornament that we all got from Agent Stanley's daughter? I hung that up in my hotel room. It was sweet."

Jane felt his smile melt into a sardonic twist. "Putting up Christmas decorations is a gateway drug, Lisbon. First, you put up glittered and sequined Styrofoam balls made by a seven-year-old. Next, you're attending church every Sunday. Then you're wandering the streets of Rome in a hair shirt, giving your worldly possessions to the Pope. No, Lisbon. No tinsel in the Airstream, thanks."

She chuckled like he knew she would.

"You're such a curmudgeon at Christmas," she said, shaking her head. "Nice place, anyway."

"That's right. You've never been in here before."

Actually, he'd realized long ago that she'd been avoiding a visit inside the trailer. Even now she shifted from foot to foot, staring at him expectantly. What he didn't quite understand was why, although he had his pet theory.

"Would you like the fifty-cent tour?"

"What I would like is for you to show me the coat, Jane. We're in a hurry, remember?"

"Right. Just a moment." As he started for the bedroom, he was grateful that he'd taken a moment to straighten up the place before leaving for work. Not that he would leave dirty boxers and empty food wrappers lying around, but the accumulation of mugs in the sink had gotten somewhat embarrassing. "The water in the kettle is still hot and there are paper travel cups above the sink. Help yourself to a cup of tea."

In the bedroom, Jane found the garment on the wardrobe shelf and brought it back to the living area. Lisbon had located the teabags and was preparing a cup to go.

"I ordered this online, expecting a men's large," he said, tearing the light plastic away and shaking the folds out of the dark taupe down sweater. It fluffed immediately. "I ordered a men's large, and the label on it says 'men's large, but…"

He grasped it by the shoulders and held it for her to see. After staring a moment, Lisbon chuckled.

"Yeah, that's what I did," Jane admitted. He moved it against his chest for comparison. Several inches of his suit coat remained exposed.

Lisbon took it, examining the label. "That is most definitely mismarked. Maybe it's a kid's large?"

"Put it on. No doubt it will fit you. It doesn't have a hood but I'm sure you'll be toasty warm in one of those stylin' FBI ball caps-"

"Patagonia brand." She held it to her chest and then out, her expression softening as she took in the details. "This is a pricy coat. Aren't you going to try to return it?"

"No, actually, I was planning to donate it to the January coat drive that Agent Stanley mentioned his church is having, but I didn't have the chance to swing by there yet."

Her gaze rose to his, staring at him in surprise. Taking the jacket from her unresisting grasp, he unzipped it and slid it onto one of her arms. She took over putting it on the rest of the way.

" There. It even fits over your blazer. Wear it for this trip, and if you don't spill anything on it, you can donate it when we get back. Or keep it. I ordered a different one last night which should be delivered sometime next week."

She zipped it and held out her arms to display the fit.

"Perfect!" he said, brushing a stray feather off the arm. "I know you always stow a hat and gloves in your ready bag, so you're all set. Anything else you absolutely must have I can pick up for you at the ski shop at the resort."

"I can't—" She took the coat off and set it on the dinette bench.

"You can. Remember my agreement with the FBI. It will be easy enough to expense it."

He could see that look of stubbornness coming into her eyes, recognizing that it was time to stop pushing.

"Now…tell me about the missing daughter while I add some stuff to my ready bag. Then we'll go back to your hotel and get what you need."

Her footsteps fell into line behind him as he returned to his bedroom.

"If I use this coat, there's no reason to return to the hotel or go to the storage place. My go-bag is already in my trunk."

"Oh! Good, that'll save us some time." He tossed a warm smile over his shoulder to her. She was looking around as he'd seen her do numerous times on so many crime scenes, accessing the environs. "So, about the missing person…"

"We're calling it a kidnapping. Representative Laduree's daughter Carrie, aged 19, was on a ski vacation during winter break from classes at Washington and Lee University. She separated from friends in the lodge, saying she had to go to the restroom. When she didn't come to the bar as expected, they searched for her, called her cellphone which she didn't answer and then called the police who called her parents. The Ladurees brought us in to find her. Wiley pinged the phone and her tablet; no luck."

From alongside his bed, Jane brought out the leather, zippered satchel that served as his ready bag and opened it, taking a quick recon of the contents. "When did this happen?"

"Last night around ten o'clock."

"No ardent lover that she may have run off with?"

"Not that the family knows of."

Toothpaste is low. Jane brushed past Lisbon to retrieve a travel-sized tube from storage.

"Any boyfriends?" he asked.

"Logan Wells, 20, from a well-respected Boston family. He and a group of friends were in the bar waiting for her. And actually he was the one who raised the alarm about her having gone missing."

He tucked everything back into the bag and zipped it up again. "Why is this automatically deemed a kidnapping?"

Just as Lisbon opened her mouth, he spoke with her. "Because it's a congresswoman's daughter."

Then he gestured for Lisbon to exit the bedroom and followed her to the living area.

"The evil twins," Lisbon said ruefully. "Wealthy and well-connected. And of course, we're the FBI. Special treatment for special people."

Jane harrumphed, picking up the coat and putting it in her hand. He lifted the seat cushion of one of the dinette benches, retrieving his black wool pea coat and black wool scarf from storage. Gesturing toward the door, he bowed his head slightly. "After you, my dear. You're driving, correct?"

They arrived at the airport and found Cho standing at the gate with his arms crossed. To Jane there appeared to be slight irritation on the usually expressionless face. No sign of Fischer so that wasn't the cause.

"I tried to check in," Cho said. "There are no seats for us. Apparently, the flight was already overbooked when Fischer tried to force the priority seating."

"Seriously?" Lisbon asked. She opened her mouth and then stopped with second thoughts.

"Wise," Jane murmured. "Here's our travel agent now."

The lanky brunette was hurrying up the terminal, dodging holiday travelers and waving for the team to come to her. Be damned if Jane was going to rush, though.

"I had to change our itinerary. We're flying via military transport. Come with me."

"Oh!" Jane raised his brows at Lisbon. "Finally. Federal jet. That's more like it."

"Hush," Lisbon said. "I'm not liking this at all."

"And you shouldn't," Cho said, striding after Fischer.

They followed her to a door that accessed the tarmac and an airport transport. After a nerve-racking ride weaving between moving jumbo jets in a baggage-cart type vehicle, they sped toward a gray-beige hangar marked US Air Force. Inside were two small cargo jets.

Jane's mouth went dry. He wasn't an enthusiastic flier, but something about a drinks cart and bags of peanuts generally made it more bearable. This flight didn't even have a nice cup of tea.

"Be careful what you wish for," Cho said, giving Jane a sour look.

"Damn," Lisbon said.

The good part about flying with the military, Jane found out, was that their group wasn't required to switch planes in either Dallas/Fort Worth or in Denver, which with layover would mean a four-hour trip. Instead they were landing at Vail-Eagle Airport exactly two hours and twenty-five minutes later.

Which was about all Jane's ass could take of the jump seat.

And it was a damned good thing Jane had brought his heavy pea coat. Noon-time temps in Vail were hovering around 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Still, the snow adorning the surrounding peaks was gorgeous. As Fischer arranged for transportation, Jane stood in the bright sun under the open blue sky, marveling at the glint on the fluffy white mountaintops. He tuned out the "elevator music" on the p.a. system and the traffic on the nearby interstate highway, concentrating solely on a flock of migrating wrens gathered in a nearby tree, chattering in the song of Nature. Peace was found where he sought it.

Not surprisingly, considering the number of vacationers in the famous skiing area, Fischer rented the only vehicle available, a huge passenger van that could easily seat eleven. Jane took the rear-most bench and stretched his legs out in the direction of the passenger side. Cho mimicked him from a middle bench, facing opposite. Lisbon was in the passenger seat up front with Fischer despite there being one additional empty bench.

"Hey, where are we staying?" Jane asked as he pulled his cellphone from his coat, looking for an answer to a text he'd sent earlier.

"Our choices are extremely limited by price and availability," Fischer said. "And keep in mind it's two days after New Year's and everyone is here for the holidays."

Cho's gaze met Jane's, his eyebrows raised. Jane grinned and looked at his phone.

"You're being wonderfully evasive, Kim. Where are we staying?"

She mumbled something.

"Where, did you say?"

"The Sunset Motel, just outside of Avon."

He let out a laugh and tapped a message on his texting app.

"Sounds enchanting. No doubt clean and elegant in every detail."

"Cleaner than your current suit jacket," she said.

Even Cho chuckled at that.

"Touché, Agent Fischer. But…may I suggest an alternative?"

Fischer and Lisbon looked at each other in alarm. Jane looked back at his phone which vibrated in his hand.

"How about a lovely four-bedroom condo overlooking Gondola One?" Another text came in. "Oh! It has a veranda overlooking Gondola One. And an exercise room… although the elliptical is broken at the moment."

The van pulled onto the shoulder of the road, skidding on the gravel before jerking to a halt. Fischer glared at him using the rearview mirror.

"And who, pray tell, owns that?" she asked.

The temptation for one last quip was too great. "Wish I'd brought my swim trunks. It has a hot tub as well."

"Jane!" Lisbon said, hauling her irritated supervisor voice from out of retirement.

He graced them both with his Model Number Two showman smile, never retired. "Just a grateful citizen who feels indebted to our government for everything it's done for him."

The knowing resignation in Lisbon's eyes made him proud, and despite understanding that he didn't have to add it, he told her, "And Teresa? Walter Mashburn sends his love."

To be continued...