A/N: hi every one. I know I have an other story not done yet. But I wanted to post a Christmas story. So, here we go.

There are 8 chapters and I will update as often I can.

I wrote it last Christmas, so it does not follow what happened on the show.

Jane decides to celebrate Christmas with no other than Teresa Lisbon as her brothers had canceled their holidays together. He has many surprises for the woman. Come and share Jane's and Lisbon's Christmas holidays.

My Christmas Date

Chapter 1

Winter came to settle in Sacramento, the weather was mild but still cooler than in previous years. The city was excited as it always was for Christmas. Everyone was preparing for the holiday season of buying gifts, preparing the meals and decorating the house. It was what everyone was doing, except for a few people for whom Christmas was nothing more than a day like any other. There were some for whom it reminded them of what they had lost.

For Patrick Jane this was this case. Christmas was a sad day indeed. It was one he did not want to see coming. This was the tenth Christmas without his family. It was even more difficult than in previous years. He was depressed but he did not want to spoil this moment. That day was important for his friends. Grace had once again decorated the office and had even hung mistletoe at the entrance of the bullpen. He had to admit, it was really beautiful and it brought out the Christmas spirit.

The team had obtained a few days off so they could enjoy Christmas with their families. Grace would to go see her relatives at the end of the day. She was so excited. It had been almost a year since she had seen them. She missed them terribly. Rigsby would spend it with Ben. He wanted this day to be perfect for the little boy. Cho had planned to visit his grandmother which surprised many. Nobody knew that he still had family. He never spoke of them. Nobody would have known if Jane had not been so curious to dig into his colleague's life. Cho had made him understand thereafter that he should never do it again.

Lisbon had plans to go to Chicago to celebrate Christmas with her three brothers and their families. She had not said anything about that to anyone. Jane knew because he had overheard her talking to one of her brothers one day as he walked past her office. He had been listening and had the confirmation. He was happy for her. He knew she could not see her family as often as she would liked. It would do her good to get away for a short time from California to go back to her hometown. He would miss her. Though, he would not be the one to prevent her leaving because of his problems.

Finally, he was indeed the only one not doing anything for the holiday. It did not bother him so much. He was used to it. It had been years since he had reason to celebrate Christmas. This year was no exception. However, he regret missing the time with his family. The evenings in the living room with Angela laughing seeing Charlotte unwrap her presents. What would he not give to relive even just one of those moments. He lay down on his couch remembering the last Christmas he had spent with his family.

-oooo-

Jane remembered that:

Angela had asked him to come home early that night. She wanted him to spend the evening with his family. After all, he also had the right to have a day off from time to time and Christmas was a good opportunity. He had agreed. He was anxious to see his

daughter's face when she unwrap the gift he had bought her. His wife had been mad when he had brought it home but after a moment of his explanation she had agreed. It would be the best present for her little girl. She knew that Charlotte had been asking for it. Also it was Christmas that she could make an exception.

The young woman did not want to give her daughter everything she wanted. Angela did not want to spoil her young Daughter. She had to learn to not get everything by just asking. Her parents were rich indeed but it did not meant that she would live like a princess. Angela had not had an easy life and of course she wanted the best for her little angel. She also wanted her to learn the value of things. Jane did not always understand that point.

So tonight, they were all together in their large living room. Patrick and Angela were sitting on the floor watching little Charlotte open her gifts one by one. She was allowed to open a certain number of them tonight. The rest would be opened on the following morning. She thought that Santa Claus had come early. However, her parents told her that he did not yet come. These were gifts from them just to make her wait until the next day. She did not look any further. She was too happy to be able to have a little more on the next day to open.

- "A Doll" cried the little girl. "It is the one which blows bubbles with its mouth too."

- "Absolutely sweetheart" Angela smiled while letting her head fall on her husband's shoulder.

- "Thanks mom, I love it," added the girl shaking the doll in her little arms with a big smile on her face.

She opened two more gifts before finding the one she had requested. She stood up then tipped her head to the side before approaching. She removed the bow that was on the top then carefully removed the paper only to find another wrapping underneath. She turned an angry glance at her father. Patrick suppressed a laugh. She went back to work to find even another paper underneath. This time Patrick did not hold back his laughter.

- "Patrick" gently admonished Angela.

- "Sorry, but I could not resist" he said.

Angela gave him a pat on the shoulder and a smile too. They turned their attention to the girl who had finally removed of all the different papers. She cried with joy to see her gift finally unwrapped. She hopped up before turning to her parents. She ran towards them and threw her arms around them.

- "Thank you, thank you, thank you," repeated again and again the little girl.

- "Do you like it dear?" Patrick inquired.

- "Oh yes Daddy, I love it. I really like it very much" she replied, turning to her gift. "Can you help me please?"

- "I can," Patrick said rising.

Together they opened the carton which still covered the dollhouse. He had given his daughter. Indeed, it was a little eccentric of a gift. He could not resist getting it especially when he saw his Daughter's face upon her seeing television commercial. He had decided at that moment that it would be her gift. He seeing the beaming face of her Daughter proved to be the correct decision. Even Angela had to admit he had been right. It was the perfect gift.

Angela looked at her Husband and Daughter tearing into the cardboard. For their efforts finally revealed the dollhouse. Patrick defeated a small latch and opened the front of the house. This action revealed the beautifully decorated rooms with small furniture. Everything was there the table, the chairs and the kitchen utensils. There even was a small fireplace and small logs. All the parts were there, sitting room, kitchen, saddler and the bedrooms including a small child. There was also an attic and Charlotte hesitated to touch.

- "You can play with it you know," her Father said placing his hand on her shoulder encouraging her.

- "Oh no, certainly not," panicked the child.

- "So what will you do with it if not playing?" her Mother inquired as she approached.

- "I'll put in my room. It's too beautiful to touch. I would not want to damage it." She explained with utmost seriousness.

Her Parents took her hand and smiled. This girl was always full of surprises. She sat on the floor in front of the big house and let her gaze get lost. After a moment Patrick thought she was asleep. She only admired her gift. After a while, he decided it was time for her to go to bed. He lifted her easily which was contrary to what he thought. She did not even resist a little. She wrapped her little arms around her father's neck. He carried her to the bedroom where Angela had gone.

The young woman lifted the covers then Patrick gently eased his Daughter in the bed and her mother covered her. They embraced her and when they were about to leave, she called them back.

- "Daddy, tell me a story" she asked with her little sleepy voice. "Please…Just one"

He did not have the heart to refuse her then returned to sit at the head of the bed and began his story. Angela sat on the other side of the bed while gently stroking the blonde and curly hair of her Baby. Patrick told her a story which came straight out of his imagination. It was one he reserved for his little Girl. She kept her eyes open as long as possible, wanting to enjoy the story of her Daddy. But little by little, her small eyes became more and more heavy until they finally closed.

Jane stopped his story then placed another kiss on the forehead of his little angel and rose. Angela followed him, having also kissed her Daughter's cheek. The parents stopped at the door, watching the little girl sleeping in her bed. She clutched in her little arms her new doll with a big smile on her face. They stayed a few minutes then went into their room. Patrick grabbed his Wife's face in his hands and kissed her breathlessly. Angela responded passionately by wrapping her arms around his neck.

The couple fell on the bed not stopping the kiss. Patrick's hands went gently stroked his Wife's body, who shuddered and moaned against his lips. He sat up to watch her. She was beautiful with her long blond hair spread on the pillow under her head. Her blue eyes were almost black with desire and her lips swollen because from his kisses. She was the most beautiful woman in the world to him. She stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes and they kissed once again.

-oooo-

Jane gasped when a file fell to the ground following by a curse from Rigsby. He ran a hand over his face chasing the memories which were left away. He sat up on the couch and finally got up to go get a cup of tea. He had liked to think about his family. Thinking of them also had been hard. That's why he did not like Christmas. This time of year always brought all those memories flooding back. He did not want to forget. He just wanted to avoid. It hurt so much to relive what he had lost.

He came in the kitchen and almost collided with Lisbon who came at the same time. She also was lost in her thoughts. He caught her by the shoulders and she put her hands on his chest. He felt a strange sensation invaded him. It was something he had not felt for a long time. He had no time to analyze this feeling since she had quickly moved away from the brief contact.

- "I'm Sorry, Jane I was not watching where I was going." she apologized.

- "It is nothing, Lisbon" he said with a smile.

- "I need coffee" she explained.

- "Ah… that explains the mad rush… I need a cup of tea." He said with his eyes dancing obviously amused.

They smiled once more before moving away to prepare their respective drinks. From time to time, Jane saw Lisbon looking at him but turning her head every time she crossed his eyes. He was amused by her behavior. It was not often that he was surprised seeing his colleague observing him. What was interesting to him that he enjoyed it? When she left the break area, he returned to the couch then observed her through the window of her office. She had a little dreamy smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled with joy.

He would have stayed that way for hours. She got a call and her eyes changed. He saw her listening and talking to someone. The conversation did not last long. When she put the phone down her smile had disappeared. The stars in her eyes were gone replaced with sadness instead. Why could a phone call put her in such a state?

Jane did not like her sudden change. He needed to find out why she was so sad. He had to remedy this and make her smile before she left to go see her brothers. He did not know why it worried him so much. He did not dwell on the reason only what he needed to do to rectify this situation. He simply did not like seeing Lisbon sad. It made him sad as well.

When he had finished his tea he got up and deposited his cup in the break room. He went to go to her office. But unlike usual, he knocked on the door and waited for her to tell him to come. Once done, he entered the room and sat on the chair in front of the desk of the brunette who looked up at him.

- "Do you have a problem Jane?" She asked.

- "I don't know. Is everything alright with you Lisbon?" he replied.

- "Everything is going well," she said while looked down.

Jane leaned on the desk on his elbows and drew the attention of the woman who always tried to ignore him. His left hand came to graze Lisbon's arm and she jerked. She still refused to look up.

- "Lisbon, you know you can talk to me" he said in a soft and worried tone.

- "Look who is talking" she replied dryly.

- "Well, I do know that I do not open up that often ..." he retorted.

- "It's the least you can say about that topic, Jane." She fired back.

- "That may be true. However, I do know how to listen," he finished despite Lisbon's comment.

- "I have nothing to say to you, Jane. Please, go bother someone else." She said with sense of finality that this conversation was over.

He did not insist more. He did not want to be responsible for her bad mood when Lisbon would go see her brothers. He chose to move to another topic.

- "So when are you leaving?" He asked.

Lisbon tensed for a moment and looked away. She returned to gaze at her work.

- "Jane, can you let me finish please? I would like to have this done by the end of the day" she said harshly.

- "Very well, Lisbon I'll leave you to your work." he surrendered rising.

He took one last look at Lisbon before finally leaving her office. He settled on the couch once more. He thought back to her reaction at the mention of her trip. She had tensed then had lowered her head. She had asked him dryly to leave. He did not like that. He really hoped it was not what he thought. If he was not mistaken the trip was canceled. He could understand her reaction if that was the case. It had been planned months ago. She had arranged only a few days with her family. Here, at the last minute she had must have learned that she would not be able to go. That scenario made sense to him. It fit all the available evidence.

If that was so Patrick decided he had to do something for her. He certainly would not leave her alone on this festive evening. Though, it was true he did not like Christmas but Lisbon did and that made the difference in his mind. He set upon the problem of how to create an unforgettable Christmas. He thought just being able to spend it with him would make it unforgettable enough. Though, he wanted her to have good memories too.

- "I'm leaving, Merry Christmas all" Van Pelt announced to the bull pen.

- "Happy Holidays Grace" Rigsby said.

- "You too," she replied. "Goodbye Cho."

- "Merry Christmas, Van Pelt" Cho said to the surprise of all.

When she walked past the couch, the redhead stopped attracting his eyes.

- "Have a good Christmas, Jane" she said with a small smile.

- "You too, Grace" he replied.

She smiled then walked away. His two colleagues were also quick to leave. Soon only Lisbon and he remained behind. She had not moved from her office since he had left her over three hours ago. He began to worry. He understood that she was sad and he did not like knowing it.

- oooo -

Prior in the day Lisbon was in a good mood this morning. It was her last day before leaving for Chicago. Everyone was in a good mood well not everyone Jane was the exception. She knew that Jane was always in this state at this time of the year. It bothered her some to leave him here alone. Though, it would be a few days of blessed tranquility. She was exhausted. She decided to go get a coffee.

She walked without really looking where she was going. She was lost in her thoughts of Patrick Jane. This man gave her a hard time every day. Though, he could be so nice and friendly at times too. He often brought her coffee when she worked hard and made sure she ate regularly. Yes, Jane was more than a troublemaker. He was also a good man. She regretted that he did not see it himself.

As she arrived in the small break area someone crashed into her. She would have fallen if two powerful hands had not caught her shoulders. She put her hands on a chest then raising her eyes. It was Jane that she saw. She felt warmth on her cheeks and she looked down. She did not want him to see the effect he had on her. She did not even know why she reacted to their proximity. They were just only friends. She pulled away from him quickly.

- "I'm so sorry, Jane. I must not have been looking to where I was going." She said apologizing.

- "It is nothing, Lisbon" he said smiling.

- "I need coffee" she explained.

- "Ah… that explains the mad rush…I needed a cup of tea." He said.

They went their separate ways in the small space but she could not help looking at him from time to time. Once she had hot coffee in hand, she smiled one last time at Jane and went back to her office. She tried to delve into her work, but she could not help but think back to those few seconds in his arms. She had felt safe in his arms. It was quite funny when you know that in case of danger, he always hid behind her.

She was cut from her thoughts by the ringing of the phone. She recognized the name of her brother James and smiled.

- "James," she said happily.

- "Teresa, I ..." he hesitated. "I'm sorry but I'm not going to be able to come for Christmas. I warned the others. It turns out they can not as well. I'm really sorry, Reese. I know how it made you so happy that we were going to get together over this holiday." He said.

- "No, it's ... It is okay" she whispered. "We'll do it another time."

- "Yeah, Merry Christmas Sis," he said softly.

- "Merry Christmas, James" she replied then she hung up.

She tried to concentrate on her work. She had not the heart to do it. Her beautiful project had fallen into the water. She saw at the corner of her eyes that Jane was coming toward her office. She completely ignored him when she heard his knock at the door. He came in before she answered. She ignored him even as he sat on the chair at the desk.

- "Is there a problem, Jane?" She asked.

- "I don't know. Is everything alright, Lisbon?" he asked.

- "Everything is going well, Jane." Then she looked down.

She saw him moved closer and it caught her attention, even if she was still trying to ignore him. His left hand came to graze Lisbon's arm and she jerked. She still refused to look up at him.

- "Lisbon, you know you can talk to me" he said in a soft and worried voice.

- "Look who is talking" she replied dryly.

- "Well, Lisbon I do know that I do not open up that often ..." he retorted.

- "It's the least you can say about this topic, Jane." She snapped.

- "That may be true However, I do know how to listen, Lisbon" he finished despite Lisbon's comment.

- "And I have nothing to say to you, Jane. So please go bother someone else. I have much work to do." She said not looking up.

He did not insist more and Lisbon was grateful. She did not want to talk about it and even less with him.

- "When are you leaving, Lisbon?" He asked.

She tensed unintentionally then looked away.

- "Jane…Can you let me finish please. I would like to have it turned in by the end of the day" she said harshly.

- "Very well, Lisbon" he surrendered by rising.

She saw him standing and walking to the door. He threw her one last look before exiting. She did not look up. She did not want to meet his eyes. She knew he would eventually understand sooner or later. She definitely preferred later. She certainly did not want his pity.

Lisbon dropped her work then sat down on her couch lost in thought. Since the call from her brother, she had wanted to cry. She did not. It had been years since she and her brothers tried to gather for Christmas. She tried to remember the good old days. They could do it once. Though, it was more than ten years ago. Each of her brothers had their lives and it was not always easy to match their holidays.

A few months earlier, she had received a call from Tommy offering to go to Chicago for Christmas. James and Daniel had had time off and Tommy said that it would be an opportunity to get together with family. She immediately agreed very happy to see her family once again. She had not had trouble getting a few days off, five to be exact. Now she had five days off for rest. She would be without her family all alone on Christmas. She did not know if she would have another opportunity to see her Brothers during the coming year. She really hoped so.

Soon, she was done with her reports. Now she was left with nothing to do. She should go home. She would only find solitude there. Christmas day was tomorrow. Normally she would pack her things and catch her flight early. She now had nothing else planned.

She had seen her colleagues leave one after the other to join their families. She envied them so much. They were not alone at least except Jane. She knew he did not like Christmas that she could understand. Skip this day, year after year only thinking about what he had lost. It should not be easy. However, she understood perfectly. For her it was also difficult since her Mother's death. She still remembered her wonderful last Christmas with her.

-oooo-

She recalled:

She was in the living room with Tommy. They had decorated every corner of the room with garlands. Along with all sorts of things they had made together. They were inseparable these two. On the other side of the room, Suzanne, their Mother, watched them with a smile on her lips. She loved her children, all four of them. Teresa was the oldest and her only Daughter. Tommy was separated from Teresa by two years. James was separated from Tommy by two years. Finally the youngest of all Daniel was separated from James by two years. She had never imagined having such a large family. She never did regret it. She and her Husband were the happiest of parents.

Teresa left her brother to join her Mother. She fell on the couch and looked with bright eyes as the woman leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. The girl smiled, stood up, walked around the couch and came over to take her Mother in her arms.

- "It's Christmas Mom" she laughed.

- "I know my Tessa" smiled her Mother.

- "And we'll have a big party" she added.

- "It is true" Suzanne laughed.

- "Hey Mom, could I put the little angel on top of the tree?" She asked with her little pleading eyes.

Suzanne knew that her two older children were always arguing about who would put the angel on top of the tree. Last year, Tommy had done it. Teresa had been jealous. Since, she was not the only child in the family. She was more mature like a second Mother to her younger brothers. But every Christmas, she became a little girl much to the delight of her Mother. Except when decorating the Christmas tree, there Teresa became more difficult.

Suzanne had an idea of how to satisfy both. Well she at least hoped it would. She grabbed her Daughter's hand and dragged her to Tommy. He waited beside the tree. Her husband Peter came into the room with Daniel in one arm and holding James with his free hand. He smiled at his wife then gave her a nod. She leaned forward taking a hand of each of her children who looked up at her.

- "I know you both want to put the Angel on the tree" she began.

She stifled a laugh when she saw the two children look hard at each other.

-"So in the spirit of cooperation for this time of year I've decided that you'll both do it." She said laughing.

They turned to their Mother at the same time before looking at each other again. Teresa shrugged. Suzanne stood up then walked over to her husband. She took the baby in her arm and James by the hand. Peter approached his children he took them both in his arms. Lucky for him they were still small. He lifted them. Teresa had the angel in her hands and handed it to her brother. But at the last moment, she turned to her Mother.

- "We must all do it together" she said in an authoritative voice.

She looked at Tommy daring him to say something. The boy said nothing. Peter and Suzanne smiled. Then, the woman placed James in her arms and all together they put the angel on the tree.

-oooo-

Lisbon sighed, dropping back against the couch. She looked up to see that all her colleagues were gone. She did not see Jane. She had not seen the time pass. The hours had quickly departed. Now it was late. She stood up, gathered her things, took one last look around the room and then exited. She locked behind her and walked briskly to the elevator. She did not want to come across Jane. She could not talk to him, not now.

On her way out she glanced at the couch. She discovered that he was no longer there. She felt a pang of disappointment in her heart. There was no reason she would feel that way. He was gone then she would do it too. She entered the elevator. As the doors closed, she thought she saw a shadow on the stairs. She quickly dismissed that thought.

She walked to her car, got in and drove off. Along the way, she decided to make a detour to the supermarket. Since, she was supposed to go away for the holidays. She had not bought any food and the fridge was empty. If she had to stay she need not starve. She arrived quickly and entered the store. She met many people at this late hour all shopping before the holiday was upon them all. There were couples, singles and families with children. Everyone seemed ready at the last minute. She envied them.

She walked around the store. She picked up essentially frozen food. She certainly was not in the mood to cook. She got a large chocolate cake too with ice cream. She figured she could drown her sorrows well with it. She went to the cashier, paid and walked out to her car. She did not even notice the person who had follow her since she had entered the store. She did not even see him get into his car and follow her from afar. It was as if she had left Agent Lisbon at the CBI when she had left.

When she arrived, she got out of her car, picked up her bag and walked to the door of her apartment. She came in and she was sad just by seeing her empty apartment with no decorations. She had not thought of it since she was not supposed be there for Christmas. Now she regretted it. Maybe she should put a little joy in this apartment. Though, she would spend Christmas alone.

The woman placed her bags in the kitchen then put away their contents and went upstairs. There, she found a box of Christmas stuff. She took it down to the living room. Opening it she found inside were garlands. There were many different kinds of garlands. She had no tree. That did not matter. She would decorate with what she had and that would be enough.

- oooo -

Jane saw Lisbon leave the office and he hid on the stairs so she would not see him. He really thought that something was wrong and he really wanted to know what. He knew she was supposed to leave the next day to the airport. He knew in his heart that it would not be the case. Spying on her he followed her. His fears were confirmed when she made a stop at the supermarket. He followed her inside noting what she placed in her basket.

He even followed her to her car. He was most surprised that she did not even notice him. She really should be disturbed to see his car in the parking lot. However she passed by without even glancing his way. He followed her toward her apt for a while. He pulled a little further back. He had not wanted to risk his chance by her seeing him when she parked at her apartment. Noticing she was nowhere in sight he surmised she was already in her apt. He exited his vehicle then approached her window. He glanced in she was not in sight. He was very careful not to be seen.

He felt the anxiety rising in him. He calmed down when he saw her coming down the stairs with a box in hand. She opened it then took out garlands and began to decorate the room as best she could. He was sorry for her. It was heartbreaking to see her all alone in her room decorating with sad eyes. He noticed that she had no Christmas tree. She could not decorate as she wanted.

He scanned her face and saw her eyes shining with tears streaming down her cheeks. She really was very sad, he could see it. Even in the privacy of her apartment, she would not allow herself to cry even knowing that no one could ever see. She ended up sitting on the couch then took a picture frame on the table and let a few more tears flow. This time she whipped them away, got up and dropped the frame.

Jane stood there for a moment. He squinted to see what photo had made cry and thought he saw a family. It was her family. It was a picture of Lisbon as child with her Brothers, her Father ... and her Mother. This should be a photo of their last Christmas together before the death of her Mother. He understood her sadness and he shared it.

He eventually went back to his car and returned to the motel where he stayed at the moment. He had to do something for her, Lisbon was his friend and it seems that she would spend Christmas alone. He did not like the holidays, he had not celebrated Christmas for ten years, but for her he would do an exception. As a friend he owed her that. He could not leave her alone. He had all night to think about what he would do for her. H was sure he would figure out something.

Jane made a cup of tea that he drank quietly installed on the small couch in the corner of the room. What could he do for her to smile again? What would Lisbon do on Christmas Eve? He knew she was Catholic. Maybe she would attend Midnight Mass? He was not a believer nor he did like going to church, He could make an effort for her. He had to find something else to do. They would not spend the night at the church. However, if she agreed to spend Christmas Eve with him they had to do something else fun.

He would have contacted her brothers to come. Something told him that they were not available. Therefore he could not count on them. Whatever, he would offer her the Christmas they could not give her. He did not even want to know why they canceled. What could be more important than celebrate Christmas with their Sister after all these years? If he had the opportunity to celebrate it with his family, if only once, then he would without hesitation.

Finding nothing other than the Mass, he decided to put the TV on. It was just to change his mind. He fell on a series of Christmas specials and let himself get lost in the story. He was lost again in his memories. This time it was his first Christmas with Angela.

-oooo-

He remembered:

That he and Angela had left their families for six months. They had many difficulties to start a new life. Thanks to his capabilities they had made enough money to find a small apartment. Angela had wanted to decorate for Christmas. She wanted a Christmas tree, garlands and all she had seen on television. Patrick had made sure that this was what she had that night. He wanted her to be happy that was what he had promised her when they had left.

The apartment was well decorated. Though, it still lacked the tree. They did not have much money. He really wanted to offer his companion, who would soon become his Wife, everything she dreamed of getting for Christmas. He therefore went into town and found a stand where they sold trees. The most interesting were already gone that was too bad for him. He walked around the stand looking for a small tree then he found one. It was not as beautiful as Angela had dreamed. It would certainly do. It would be their first Christmas. He fervently hoped not the last.

So he paid then tied it to his battered old car and went to the supermarket. Again, he looked around and sought a turkey. Again, all the best were gone. So he decided to take chicken. He then looked it in his hands then he saw two turkeys legs. He looked again at the chicken in his hands then legs and made his decision. So he put back the chicken and continued his shopping. He picked up some potatoes and vegetables. He did not know what was being prepared for Christmas dinner. He just knew about the turkey. His father had never wanted them to celebrate Christmas. So far that had not disturbed him, except today.

He wandered for several minutes, looking at what he could get. He began to see what people took and looked into his basket. He still needed more things if he wanted to offer the perfect Christmas dinner to Angela. He went to pay and left the store. He wanted to find a gift. He really did not know what. Finally, he had an idea but it would not be easy.

He came to a small shop, threw a glance through the window and fell in love with an object. He took his wallet to see what he had left for Christmas shopping and he quickly lost his smile. He did not have enough money for the gift he wanted to give her. He was about to leave when he heard the bell ringing and a man approached him.

- "Do you want something young man?" He asked.

- "Uh ... no thank you, I'm fine," he replied, walking away.

- "Wait," the old man stopped him. "There was something that caught your eye, what is it?"

- "It's just a ring ..." he confessed. "It's really beautiful and I ... but I do not ..."

The man understood what he meant and smiled. He grabbed him by the arm and led him back into the store.

- "You want to marry her isn't it?" He asked.

Jane nodded.

- "And this ring is beautiful, I admit. What would you say if I give it to you?" He suggested.

- "But ... I can not ..." Jane protested.

- "Listen young man, I see you do not have much money. You should definitely take this home to your girl so I offer it to you. You will pay me back when you get it. Meanwhile, make her happy." The older man said.

Patrick could not believe it. This man he did not know had given him the ring for Angela. He did not know what to say? He was speechless. The man smiled and shook his head then placed the ring in a lovely little box and handed it to him. Patrick hesitated, then, smiled at the man and took the box graciously.

- "I will pay you" he promised.

- "I trust you" smiled the man.

He went back to the house with a huge smile on his face. He had everything he needed to provide the most wonderful Christmas for Angela. There would be other in their future much better than this one. However it was their first Christmas that made it so special. He just hoped that Angela would be happy.

-oooo-

Jane woke up when the remote fell to the ground. The film on the screen was long gone and now there was a program on the African savannah. So he turned off the TV, got up and went to the bathroom. Finally he knew what he was going to offer to Lisbon for Christmas. He knew how to make her smile. even though, it would not be the same as if it were her brothers were with her on this special day. He just hoped she did not reject him when he would propose tomorrow.

It was getting late and he did not want to disturb her now. He was still thinking about two or three things to make everything perfect. And if he was able to give her a good Christmas, maybe he could even spend a little more time with her. After all, he too had five days of rest and he did not want to be alone too. All those memories had made him realized that Christmas was not to spend alone and especially not this year.

He knew that Red John was still out there. He knew he was going to spend Christmas with his friend. RJ might intervene and make him suffer. He may even take Lisbon as he knew how important the woman was to him. He would take that risk with the serial killer. He wanted to enjoy being with her. He would spend Christmas with Lisbon then plot his revenge later. It was on this sweet thought he changed and went to bed with a smile on his face.

TBC ...

A/N2: do not hesitate to tell me what you think of this chapter. I would love to know what you felt while reading. Any comments are appreciated.

Sweety