What If
A/N: Just a quick story for fun.
Summary: A what if question troubles Lisbon when she gets home from work.
Disclaimer: I have no rights to The Mentalist.
"Jane?" Lisbon called out as she walked into their home. Silence greeted her as she locked her gun and badge in the hallway table drawer. Making her way around the cabin she stopped last in the master bedroom, a smile gracing her lips as she noticed Jane fast asleep with their son on his chest. Both child and father were sound asleep. Walking softly over to them, she lowered herself carefully onto the bed so she wouldn't disturb them. Jane looked at peace with the world around him as he held their son gently on his chest. She reach over and move a stray curl away from the baby face, he had of course gotten most of his traits from his father especially his smile and soft blond hair. Sighing softly she got up from the bed and head back out of the room to start dinner for them.
As she stirred the sauce her mind drifted to different things mostly the "what if's" in life. Like what if she hadn't join the CBI or if Jane had never lost his wife and daughter. Then they would have never met and she certainly wouldn't be in this cabin cooking dinner.
"The sauce is burning."
She jumped at the sound of his voice followed immediately by her favorite choice of cuss words as she turned off the heat and threw the pan into the sink. He chuckled and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist he place a soft kiss against her neck.
"You know better than to cook without me."
"You were asleep," she pointed out as she leaned back against him.
"No, I wasn't."
"You were snoring."
"First: I don't snore, second you moved Nicolas's hair out of his face," he told her as he turned her in his arms.
"How?"
"You think by now you would stop asking that question," he smirked and leaned down to kiss her, she sighed deeply as she opened her mouth for him to deepen the kiss. He broke the kiss and place a chaste on her forehead. "What were you just thinking about?"
"The "what if's."
"Why?"
"The case today. The suspect said he should have just stayed in bed and not gone into work. If he had done that then he wouldn't have lost his temper and killed that victim," she explained. "So it had me thinking what my life would be if we hadn't met."
"Boring."
"Really?"
"Well, yeah. If I wasn't in your life then it would be boring and you would just solve everyday cases with no flare or excitement," he explained with a grin.
"There would have been a lot less paper work which would be nice," she countered with a smile.
"Meh, you love paperwork."
She went quiet and closed her eyes before leaning her head against his shoulder. "Seriously though, Patrick."
"I don't think about it," he started. "What if I had quit like I was doing when Renfrew offered me the information on Red John? Or what if I hadn't been there when Hardy had shot at you with the shotgun?"
"Or if you had actually drowned?"
"Or if you had been killed by Red John?"
That was a devastating thought, for both of them. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's okay. We all wonder about the "what if's" in life but I wouldn't change our past for anything. Yes, it is filled with death, violence, arguments, etc but it is also filled with things I never thought I could have again."
"Like love?"
"That, and someone who trusts me, who cares for me, who stood by my side when they had the chance to run away and never looked back. If you want to look at it that way then ask where would I have been if I had never stepped into the CBI or you hadn't been the agent assign to the case. I could be in a hospital, jail or worse dead. You saved me from that life," he whispered into her ear.
She pulled back and looked at him, placing a hand on his cheek she leaned up and kissed him. "And you saved me."
"Like I said I am always going to save you," he smiled.
She pulled away from him and shook his head "unless guns are involved."
"Well, then you save me."
"I always save your ass."
"No, I have saved your ass more than you have saved my ass."
"Really?"
"You wanna wager?"
"With your memory palace? Hell no!"
"Scared?" He challenged her.
"I never back down from a challenged."
"Then-" he started to explain when they heard their son crying for their attention.
"Our son is calling for our attention," she told him as they headed down to their son's room.
"More like he is calling for you," he told her as they entered the room. "I think he is hungry."
"I bet he is," she told him as she reached down into the crib and picked up their son. "Are you hungry little guy?"
"Why don't you feed him while I make our dinner," he offered. She nodded as he turned to walk out of the room leaving her to feed their son; he stopped at the door and turned back.
"Teresa?"
"Yeah?"
"No matter how many times you wonder about the "what if," know that I wouldn't change what we have now for anything."
"Me either," she told him truthfully as she looked down at their son. Sometimes it was better to not think about what might have happened and just enjoy what did happened.
The End.
