A/N: This is sort of a pre-Solace story. I had a request for how they got together and I just went with it. I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Mentalist (which is probably a good thing)
Genesis
She awoke to sunlight streaming in her window, perfectly angled to hit her directly in the eyes. She grumbled and rapidly blinked. It turned out to be vain attempt to wake herself properly. It was Saturday so she didn't have to go into the office unless they got a call. In her half-awake mind she decided it was much too early to actually be awake, so she shifted to a more comfortable position. Her arm reached across the bed to the other side of the bed, the side that she rarely (if ever) used. Instead of the cold she was expecting, her arm came in contact with warmth, warmth only another body could have produced.
The realization of what this warmth implied didn't set in at first. Her mind slowly pieced the night before together starting with her leaving the office. She had left the office alone, so that wasn't it. Her mind continued to wander and she remembered him knocking on her door. Piece by piece everything fell into place. Now, fully awake, her mind began to run through the night before faster than it had the first time. The final product was unbelievable.
She sat up quickly and saw him sitting in the chair across from her bed. He was studying her; that much she knew. His eyes always sparkled when he studied her. His head didn't move, and it felt as though he was reading her soul. Thankfully, she noticed that he was completely dressed except for his jacket. His suit looked as immaculate as it had yesterday, which actually didn't surprise her at all.
She was still in her pajamas, but was glad she at least had something on. It was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking. She had never been good at reading him, but she had learned how to hide her emotions better around him. Unfortunately, last night must have been a fluke. Right now, she would give her next two paychecks just to know what was going through his head. Sadly, she would probably never know what he was thinking. She would have to take the plunge and ask him, while he could simply read her expressions. In this moment life was definitely not fair.
She pulled her knees up to her chest and made sure the blanket came with her legs. It pulled around her legs up to her waist. Her head fell into her hands almost on its own accord. She took a few long deep breaths, and they continued to sit in silence while she gathered her courage. The silence began to slowly suffocate her, and she knew she would be the first to speak. She always was.
"I just slept with my consultant didn't I?" she asked, not moving from her current position.
"Uh-huh," was the only reply she got from across the room. She glared at him. That was not exactly the response that she was looking for. Although, if she was completely honest with herself, she would have known without his confirmation, it was that simple.
"Are you going to say anything?" her irritated question echoed around the room.
"Uh-uh," he said with a slight shake of his head. Her irritation levels reached entirely new heights at his lack of response. The man could out talk a ventriloquist, and he chose now to be silent. Great, this was just great.
"Seriously Jane, you have to say something," she tried. Her words were met with a chuckle. Needless to say, glaring was the last thing she wanted to do to him at the moment. On top of the list was shooting him. The second was kicking him out of her room right after he spoke.
"Jane," she said warningly.
"You should probably call me Patrick for this conversation," he said in a calm voice.
"Fine. Patrick, what do you propose we do about this?" she asked him.
"Well, Teresa I think we should see where 'this' takes us," he said as he walked out the door.
Dumbstruck, she sat in bed until she heard the front door shut. She also heard the click of the lock being set in place. Obviously, Jane had found her spare key and had chosen to use it to lock the front door. It was an odd use of a spare key, but she wasn't complaining. Actually, it was kind of sweet in an irritating way. It irritated her because the implications behind it, screamed protection. He probably hadn't been able to help himself when it came to protecting her, but it was still irritating.
Her thoughts drifted back over the past few months. She was trying to figure out how exactly they had gotten to this moment. It didn't take long to find the catalyst. It seemed one man affected Patrick Jane the most. That man was the malicious serial killer Red John.
That man had been apprehended about a year ago. Jane had figured out who and where the man was first. For some unknown reason, Jane hadn't killed the man by the time she had gotten there. Miraculously, when Red John pointed his weapon at her instead of Jane, Cho had come into the room and shot Red John twice. Cho had managed to hit the man in the shoulder and the knee forcing him to drop the weapon he had been holding. The cases had piled up and the entire court proceedings took three months. Four months later, Red John's death penalty was carried out by lethal injection. Jane had left no more than a week after that. A few months after that, he had returned. No one had heard from him the entire time he had been gone.
She had been worried about him, had tried to contact him. He didn't have his cell phone because it was in her office. He hadn't left a note or an address. He had returned to the office two days ago. She asked where he was staying and he hadn't answered her. Her concern flared at that moment. She remembered inviting him to her place, but he didn't come the first night. He didn't go to the office the next day, but he had shown up at her place late last night. That was how they ended up in this awkward position. Her emotions had taken over last night, there had been no alcohol involved because neither of them wanted there to be. She knew most of this was actually her fault, but blaming him made much more sense.
She knew Jane was planning on getting his consulting job back with the CBI. That had been his original intention in coming over last night. He wanted to make sure that he was welcome. They hadn't really talked about it much. She couldn't recall much of the conversation. The night had progressed quickly, and the morning had come too soon. She had to admit that she was surprised by his actions though. He had instigated it, but she had complied. He wasn't healed, far from it in fact, but he had taken a step forward. She could at least be proud of him for that.
Still, she didn't feel much better about last night. Giving up on her silent musings, she got out of bed, changed, and went downstairs. In the back of her mind she wished that this all could be some elaborate dream that her mind had somehow concocted. It was too bad that her rational side wouldn't let her believe it. In fact her "cop" brain even knew that he hadn't had his wedding ring on his finger. It also wasn't around his neck. Therefore, it couldn't be a dream because before he had come back he had always worn it.
She remembered that they had decided to watch a movie; the title would not come to her. At first, they had sat on opposite ends of the couch and it had been platonic. He had gotten up to get a cup of tea, and she had gotten a glass of water. By the time she had drifted off to sleep her head was on his shoulder. He must have moved her head to his lap while she slept because when she awoke, she couldn't figure out how she had gotten there. She was immediately embarrassed, but he shushed her with a look. She wanted to move, yet he placed a slight pressure on her forehead with his hand and she stayed where she was. She remembered her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Eventually, he had helped her sit up and they had stared into each other's eyes for a few long seconds. The rest of the night came in pieces that were slightly out of order, as if she didn't want to remember it.
Her coffee pot had stopped making the incessant gurgling noises and she grabbed a fresh cup. It was warm and smelled like heaven. As she drank her coffee, and her thoughts slowly cleared, she began to worry. He wanted to come back to be her consultant again. She wanted him back at work, the entire team did, but now it would be much more difficult. She would have to see him on Monday. There was no way she could avoid him. He would definitely be coming back. Hightower loved Jane's case closed record. He also had her wrapped around his little finger.
There was truly nothing she could do until Monday. He hadn't told her where he was staying and she realized his cell was still on her desk. She had never actually given it back to him. Her mind was now trying to figure out if he had actually been there. He felt like a figment of her imagination now that she was fully awake. Sighing, she tried to concentrate on the warmth that her coffee was offering. Eventually, she poured most of it down the drain. The warmth it offered reminded her too much of him.
A/N: Tell me what you think! Reviews are most welcome. If you like it I can give you more.