A/N: I'll hopefully be posting the next chapter of From This Point On laterthis week. I'm still working out how I want to get from where I am at the moment to where I'm heading in the next few chapters and it hasn't quite clicked yet. In the meantime, I'm still writing stuff since one story fuels another for me. So, here's the beginning of my very short Season Finale Three or Four Shot from a different perspective. Like with Ouroboros and Settling the Score, I'm challenging myself to write something I'm not sure I can write (since I don't believe things would happen this way) for no other reason than to see if I can pull it off half way decently. ~Calla
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Opening her eyes, Lisbon couldn't believe she'd let Jane drive her home from the airport. Then again, she could. That last stunt he'd pulled had exhausted everyone. It had taken Abbott several hours to get the man released into his custody and she'd spent most of that time pacing the floor alone. The jerk faced TSA Agent had refused to let her back into the Interrogation Room even with her Boss's intervention. He'd mumbled something stupid like "kissing suspects is against the law." She'd wanted to demand he show her where that one was written; but, she hadn't. The look Abbott was shooting her might have had something to do with halting her belligerent stance. Anyways, she hadn't appreciated being separated unnecessarily from Jane. She still didn't. However, she'd dealt with it. Once their resident mischief maker was free, they'd all boarded the next flight out of there and never looked back.
Hopefully, none of them would be coming through that particular airport any time soon.
Unlike his three hyped-up companions, Jane had spent most of the flight from Miami back to Austin catching up on his sleep. None of the rest of them had done the same. She'd been lost in thought contemplating the best way to disentangle her life from Pike's as painlessly as possible for both of them. Although she'd let Marcus know she wasn't joining him in DC while crossing from the Tarmac to the Interrogation Room, she owed him more than the briefest of explanations for her change of heart. But, before she did that, she had to choose her words carefully.
Truthfully, she still hadn't figured out the best way to tell the man who thought she loved him that she loved another man.
Shaking her head, Lisbon's thoughts turned to her other companions. They hadn't been nearly as well behaved as Jane. She wasn't sure whether she'd wanted to laugh or smack them. Maybe pulling out her gun and shooting them would have been the most satisfactory course of action. Nah, she'd have made a mess and gotten in trouble. However, that didn't mean she couldn't let both of them know exactly how little she appreciated their behavior first thing Monday morning.
She still couldn't believe them.
Her boss and fellow agent had spent most of the flight alternating between talking about the case they'd just wrapped up and staring at the back of her head so hard she could actually feel it. She didn't know what they thought they were accomplishing by any of that. She did, however, know what they were thinking. Abbott was wondering why one or the other of them hadn't just called the other's bluff before things got so far out of hand. Cho was pondering how he could have missed what was happening right in front of his eyes.
Personally, she didn't get that one herself.
How Kimball could ever think she and Jane had a sibling relationship was beyond her. He knew both of them better than anyone and he'd observed their interactions for years. He'd seen how frantic they both got if the other was endangered or hurt. He knew Jane had killed for her…Sacrificed viable leads to Red John…He knew how frantic and depressed she'd been during Jane's six month hiatus in Vegas...How badly his whatever the hell that was with Lorelei had derailed her...In the end, she'd given up easy street and a good retirement to follow Jane to the FBI for goodness sakes. If anyone should have recognized the truth of their situation, it was Kimball Cho. Even she would have seen it had she been on the outside looking in. But, he claimed he hadn't. All she could think was he'd pull a Rigsby and hadn't wanted to.
Cho was too good a cop to be so foolish.
"You know, you got yourself in a crap load of trouble back there." Lisbon gave Jane a conspiratorial smirk. "While I don't think Abbott really cares we're together, he didn't appreciate having to jump through hoops to get your sorry butt out of the TSA's clutches."
"I'm sure he didn't; but, I'd do it all again." There wasn't an ounce of regret in Jane's voice. "I didn't appreciate having the best kiss I've had…in a very long time...interrupted by that mindless goon either."
It didn't sound quite right to say in his life and he didn't think Lisbon would believe him anyway. But, she'd be wrong. He'd never been in danger of losing everything with Angela…Not until that fateful night he actually had…But, he couldn't say the same for the woman beside him.
He'd been mere seconds from her willfully exiting his life forever so he'd say that kiss was without a doubt the best damned kiss he'd had in his life for the simple reason she'd decided to stay instead.
"As I recall, we didn't let him interrupt anything." Lisbon gently reminded him. "He wouldn't have been beating on the glass so long if we had."
"You might have a point there." Jane leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. "If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't wait so long."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lisbon asked.
"That Marcus would never have gotten a chance to sweep you off your feet." Jane said as he opened his door. "I'll get your bag."
"I'll let you." Lisbon said as she reached out to halt him. "You want to come in?"
She could tell by Jane's demeanor he intended to walk her to her door, see her safely inside, and take his leave. They'd had a long couple of days and he knew she was tired. Beyond that, they'd taken a gigantic step a few short hours ago neither of them really expected. One neither of them was necessarily ready for.
While Lisbon was fairly sure Jane had meant to let her know he didn't want her to go, that he had feelings beyond friendship for her, and that he wanted her to stay, she was equally sure he'd never meant to say those three little words either. Not yet. He clearly hadn't been emotionally prepared to go quite as far as he had and it was a lot to take in. Even for her. Jane probably thought it best to give them both some breathing room to think things over.
She wasn't sure that was such a good idea.
"Yeah, I think I do." Jane surprised her. "Give me a minute." He hit the button to unlock the trunk.
"Get your bag while you're at it." Lisbon said. "It's too late to drive out to your place tonight and we don't have to be at the office in the morning so you might as well stay."
Jane nodded thinking the mattress in Lisbon's spare room was even more comfortable than the one he had at home and that was saying a lot. Grabbing both suitcases, he followed her towards her townhouse noting every swing of her hips. Somehow, he had a feeling that prissy walk was for his benefit and a certain part of his anatomy was enjoying the show. Watching Lisbon unlock her door and throw it open, he carried their suitcases inside.
"You want me to drop this by your room?" Jane asked as he glanced in the direction of her stairs.
"You might as well." Lisbon said. "Why don't you shower and change while you're at it and I'll do the same. I'd say we're both pretty grubby wouldn't you?"
"Sounds like a plan." Jane agreed. "I'll meet you down here in a few."
"Just don't get any funky ideas because we've kissed." Lisbon said walking into her kitchen. "Oh, and stay out of my shower since I'm going to be using it in a few minutes. I don't care if you like mine better than yours."
Or the shower that had been his on the occasional night he'd stayed over before she'd started dating Pike.
Neither of them had thought anything about it. He'd been camping out on her couch every once in a while for years. Or he had in Sacramento. When she'd moved to Austin, she'd gotten a steal on a bigger place in a recently built complex they were trying to fill. Getting a three bedroom for less than the price of a two was too good to pass up considering she got both an "office" and a decent sized guest room as part of the deal. Who cared that she didn't really need the extra space?
Jane had soon convinced her she did. He'd grown quite competent at arranging those perfectly innocent, impromptu sleep-overs over the years. The sneaky bastard. He had another think coming if he thought he was moving into her place once they started seriously dating. Stay over once in a while, yeah. But, crashing her space permanently was a different story.
Ignoring her, Jane carried both suitcases up the stairs knowing Lisbon would soon follow.