The Airstream Story

Someone was banging on the door of his Airstream, the aluminum shifted and buckled in the frame, but Jane didn't care to get up from his bed. He was too comfortable. And with any luck, his visitor would take the hint and leave. He'd been awake for hours, content to sit in bed and think about the last few days since returning from Miami.

"Jane, open up!"

Ah, Cho.

"Open up! I know you're in there. Where else would you be?" Another heavy-fisted knock.

It wasn't like Cho to seek Jane out, even if he was truly concerned. It would take a lot for him to— Jane heard a muffled voice. A feminine voice. Ah, so the invasion of privacy was Fischer's doing. That seemed more likely, she did seem to have a strange influence over Cho. The next time he felt like going in the office he'd have to mess with them a bit, maybe see if he could create a little havoc.

Before Jane could formulate a plan of how best to toy with Cho and Fischer he heard a scraping sound at his door followed by a sharp click. He smirked. They'd picked his lock. He'd have been proud if he weren't so annoyed by their presumption.

He saw the duo step into the Airstream before they saw him. Sitting in the bed at the far end of the trailer, his back against the wall, Jane watched as they moved toward him. Cho surveyed the scene in one quick swoop as Fischer strode down the narrow aisle.

"Are you planning on ever returning to work, Jane?" Her tone was low but scolding. Yeah, she and Cho would go together well. Of course, it wasn't exactly professional to repeatedly pair off his teammates, but then again he wasn't one to care about decorum. "It's been five days since Lisbon left. I understand you're upset, but remember your deal: you work with us, you don't go to jail."

"That deal is null and void." Jane licked his lips, his mouth felt like cotton. "Requirement number one was to work with Teresa Lisbon. Teresa Lisbon quit the team, ergo, no deal."

"You'll go to jail." Fischer was shocked, her eyes wide as she spoke.

"Meh, unlikely."

"So you think the FBI will let you mope in a trailer they bought, in a parking lot they own, free of charge?" She was getting fired up now.

"The government does funny things."

"He's lying, he's not quitting. He's on vacation," Cho finally spoke up, having spent the first few minutes simply studying the interior of the Airstream piecing together clues and tidbits. "You're not alone are you?"

"Hmm?" Jane forced his face to go blank. Fischer looked between Cho and Jane, confused and then stunned as she began to piece together the situation.

"You aren't the type of person to need a stack of pillows. I've seen you sleep in a bullpen on a worn out sofa for years. And that lump next to you looks strangely human. I'd say about 5 foot 4."

Jane remained silent but there was a slight glint in his eye. Without another word, Cho pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and hit a number on his speed dial. Oh, this was about to get good.

A sharp trill filled the trailer. Within three seconds Lisbon shot up from where she'd been curled against him, having pulled the covers over her head in her sleep. She flung the blanket back, eyes slightly open but unfocused, hair in a mussed ponytail, night shirt falling off one shoulder, cheeks flushed from sleep. She looked young and adorable.

"Get up Jane, we have a case." She was still groggy, reacting on years of instinct. She was also unaware of their visitors.

"No we don't, love. Go back to sleep." He tugged her elbow and she fell back against him, murmuring as she snuggled against his chest. Jane pulled the blanket back up around her. Fischer's jaw dropped and Cho actually smirked as he tucked his phone back in his pocket.

"So you were lying." Fischer finally found her voice, amusement coloring her tone.

"Ah, yeah." Jane smiled. "Pending Abbott lets Lisbon rejoin the team, of course."

"Of course." Abbott would agree to those terms. Lisbon was too valuable of an agent despite Jane's theatrics when it came to his list of demands. Suddenly, Lisbon stirred against him and flung the cover back off, now more awake than she had been a few minutes before.

"What time is it?" Her voice was still scratchy from sleep.

"Well, darling, not too early for visitors." He looked pointedly at the two agents at the foot of his bed. Lisbon didn't notice.

"Hmm. Did my phone go off? It did, didn't it?"

"It was just Cho, trying to make a point." His voice was soft.

"Cho? What point?"

"Yeah, Cho, what point?" Jane directed the question over Lisbon's shoulder.

"That you weren't fooling anybody."

Lisbon jumped and turned a wide eye over the room before slumping back under the covers with a groan. She was probably plotting how to punish him. He looked forward to it.

"Oh, I don't know, I had Fischer going until your little phone stunt. Pretty sure I taught you that, too, by the way."

"When were you going to tell me they were here?" She pinched him in the side and he yelped.

"They broke in—another example of my influence, I might say—and you're pinching me?"

"You could have told me."

"What would you have done?—Where could you have gone? You're not wearing pants." He bit back a grin as she flushed a bright red and glared.

"Is that really the way you want to handle this right now, Jane?"

As they continued to bicker, Cho cast a long-suffering look at Fischer and then tilted his head to the door. It wasn't until the door slammed that Jane took a breath.

"Well done, Lisbon, played right along with my plan. We do make a great team sometimes." He ran his hand down her arm, pretending not to notice her continued scowl.

"What plan?"

"The plan to pretend to argue until Cho and Fischer left."

"Oh, you think that was pretend, do you?" She raised an eyebrow, but he saw the slight gleam in her eye, heard the touch of laughter in her voice.

"Come now, what should I have done? We're on holiday. We took the scenic route back from Miami, we've had a nice relaxing time in the Airstream—"

"Relaxing?" She smirked.

"Well, I feel very relaxed, very zen, Lisbon." He heaved a dramatic sigh, practically telegraphing his intentions. "At least, I did feel relaxed until my home was invaded. Now I'm rather…"

"Not relaxed?" Smiling, she leaned up on elbows, her lips ghosting over his.

"Exactly."

"Suppose I should do something about that, then?" She kissed him, her fingers dancing down his chest.

"I don't know that I'll ever feel relaxed, again." He sighed once more.

"Ever? Never ever?" She pressed her lips to his again and he shook his head.

"Oh, well, in that case," she stretched back out and curled her body away from him, her back pressed against his hip. She grabbed the book she'd placed on the window ledge and found her marked page. Jane worked his jaw, rolled his tongue around in his mouth, and looked over at her.

"This is my punishment for that crack about you not wearing pants isn't it?"

"Yup."

He shrugged as if he'd expected nothing less from her. Lisbon curled up against him while reading a book was a punishment he'd gladly take. He pulled the blanket from his legs and stood.

"I'll make tea."

— Fin —