After he got out of jail, Jane starts to take care of a seriously depressed Grace- cooking her meals, sleeping on her couch to console her when she wakes up from a nightmare- team morals are boosted considerably. So why is it that Lisbon gets grumpier and grumpier every day? Don't be fooled- it's strictly Jisbon. And rated M for…yes. What a surprise, hmmm?

I wanted to finish "Crimson Pain" first, but what can a woman do if inspiration strikes double, hmm?

Solace

Chapter 1

So happy to be back.

Patrick Jane lay face down on his couch and inhaled the wonderful scent of worn leather. Home. Right after he'd been released from jail he'd felt the urge to come back…he'd never thought to return to the CBI once Red John was dead.

But now that the time had come, this was the only home he could think of.

He had missed it so much. The cases, even the boring ones, his couch, the turquoise teacups, the bullpen, the team leader's office- the team. He knew he had lost their trust, but he had missed them to a point where he felt almost dead inside. But he was back now. And he would fight to regain their trust- it meant everything to him, so he would succeed.

He turned on his side, his eyes wandering to Grace's desk which was closest to his couch. Poor Grace. A jolt of pain pierced his heart. She had lost so much, he could almost feel her hurt himself. The circumstances of their suffering were different, but he could understand the shock of betrayal and the loss of her love- and she had loved O'Loughlin, no matter how evil he'd turned out to be. She had to be devastated. Who would console her?

He was almost sure she would feel awkward with Rigsby- he still loved her, and she obviously couldn't trust him to control these feelings. Cho was …seclusive. He had a rare talent to say the right thing at the fitting time, but felt usually overwhelmed when it came to raw emotions. And tough-as-nails Lisbon couldn't address her own feelings, much less those of her colleagues. That left- him.

Okay, Patrick Jane wasn't a wizard when it came to emotions- he had pretty much shut down since his family had been murdered. But he had a deep understanding of the human psyche, and, well- he still had some tricks up his sleeve, so maybe he could be of assistance to poor Grace.

He would try- she deserved it.

XXMentalistXX

A rock lodged deep inside her guts. That what it felt like. Grace vanPelt doubted herself, every waken second of the day. And at night, the nightmares came. How could she have made such an unforgivable mistake- again? Was she prone to fall for madmen? Did she wear a sign on her head that said "full- fledged lunatics apply here"? She shuddered. She had loved him, damn her. She had wished to spent her life with him. And he had been the devil incarnate. Maybe she would never recover from the shock- it still tingled in her bones and erupted in violent nightmares that had rendered her virtually sleepless for months. She couldn't go on- she had to go on.

She had to try to pay her debt- to the team. The team that had trusted her, before she had brought evil to their midst.

Lisbon had been shot. Because of her. She shuddered.

She glanced at the still form of Patrick Jane, sprawled on his couch as usual. She was glad that he was back- sure, he had killed a man, but she could understand what he'd done- though she would never admit to it. Revenge had always been his main goal- and Grace had known he couldn't turn away from it when the chance had presented itself. But she was glad they hadn't allowed him to rot in jail, doubting his own sanity.

Like she doubted hers now.

Grace sighed heavily. And caught a movement in the corner of her eye. Patrick Jane had gotten up- and came towards her. He squatted before her desk, looking up into her face with deep concern written on his beautiful features.

"Hey," he said softly, almost as if he spoke to a child," how are you?"

"Fine.", Grace said and tried a shaky smile.

"No, I mean really."

She felt how she came apart under his gaze. The tears blurred her vision, finally starting to fall, wetting her whole face in seconds.

Patrick Jane came closer and wrapped her in his arms, lightly patting her back, stroking her hair, whispering words of comfort. She let him hug her, for once grateful that somebody wanted to be near her, when she was disgusting and stupid and too blind to see the truth when it hit her in the face. She would never, never fall in love again…

XXMentalistXX

Senior special Agent Teresa Lisbon looked up from her desk and saw Patrick Jane hugging vanPelt. She felt a slight pang in her heart before she could stop it.

Hell, Grace needed the comfort- desperately. Lisbon herself had pondered her possibilities to give the younger agent solace, but hell- she was unbelievably untalented when it came to such matters. She had always swallowed her emotions, fought on, tried to be tough. Brave little soldier. She didn't need to be hugged.

So why did she have a lump in her throat the size of Alaska?

Her gunshot wound started to hurt right on cue and she rubbed absentmindedly at it. He hadn't hugged her. Of course not- he'd been in prison. When she had been in so much pain. From the injury- and her heart.

She shook her head to shoo the sad thoughts away.

It was good for Grace that Jane chose to care for her. And it was good for the team.

TBC

Okaaay- what do you think? Shall I continue that one? I'm thrilled to know your opinion- pleaaaase review! Pretty please! I depend on you, my friends!