Secret Santa present for lilsmiles, from the jello-forever forums. Visit it here: .com/
This is the first fanfiction I've written since the Star Wars one...before this year's Secret Santa came up, there wasn't much motivation to write any form of fanfiction as I simply didn't have the time nor guarantee that there would be any readership. Now that there's an active community of Jisbon fans though, I might decide to start writing more fanfictions from time to time. I'm not sure whether my writing has improved since the last fanfiction, but here goes.
Dec. 4, lunch break
It was a typical day at the office. Teresa Lisbon and her team had just closed another case, thanks to the amazing mental skills of their handsome blonde consultant, Patrick Jane. Or so Jane had bragged as everyone bit into their case-closed pizza.
"So," Patrick said casually, after Lisbon had yelled at him to shut up, "What are you guys getting each other for Christmas?"
Just the type of question that Jane would pop as soon as the weather turned cold. To Lisbon's annoyance, Rigsby and Grace turned a bit red. Cho looked down at his shoes. "Oh, come on," Patrick said, raising his arms exasperatedly. "Don't tell me you never heard of Santa Claus?"
"Some of the fellows down at paperwork have a gift exchange," Cho interjected, "But we've never really had one in our division".
"That's right," Lisbon cut in, "It's unprofessional and silly. Parties are for personal life; agents such as ourselves should just wish each other a happy." She glared at Jane warningly.
"You had a party for your birthday." Jane shot back, "And I can still remember the look on your face when you thought I wasn't going to get you that pony-"
"Enough about the pony."
The team continued to eat their pizza in silence. After a while, Grace looked up guiltily. "Well," she confessed, "I was actually planning to give you guys some…gifts this year. Just some little things, for being such a great team," she added quickly.
"Jane's right about the party thing," Rigsby blurted out, glancing over at Van Pelt. "It doesn't have to be big; we could just sit here at the end of the day with wine and presents."
"Not wine. Eggnog."
"Well, we could each get something for everybody else."
"How about a little tree?"
"All right, fine!" Lisbon snapped. Several people glanced over, and she lowered her tone. "We can have a party, say the night before Christmas, if none of you are busy. And yes, there can be eggnog and presents." Nods of agreement came from all around. "One condition, though: keep it quiet. And we are not going to get carried away, do you understand, Jane?"
"Carried away? Hardly." Jane agreed, but Lisbon saw the corners of his mouth twitch as he turned away. She had a feeling she'd regret this later, but somehow, she couldn't place her finger on why.
Dec. 23, three weeks later
"DAMNIT!" yelled Lisbon, pounding her keyboard in frustration. As if on cue, Patrick rounded the corner and popped his head into her office. His brow was creased in a look of concern, but Lisbon had already seen him grinning as he opened the door.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," muttered Lisbon, quickly minimizing her internet browser. "Just some stuff that Minelli pushed over to me. You can stop bothering me now."
Jane trotted off obediently. Soon Lisbon could hear him stalking around the office, probably harassing some other team mate. For Patrick, life was a big game, and every person in it was his toy. He was probably the only person who'd finished his Christmas shopping and still had time to get on other people's nerves.
As a matter of fact, Christmas shopping was the real cause of Lisbon's agitation (Minelli had actually lightened her workload for the holidays). Ever since Jane had suggested that party, she'd had to wreck her brains looking for gifts for everyone. She'd gone to the mall early last Saturday morning, hoping to beat the other last-minute shoppers. Even amidst the mayhem, she'd managed to find a nice clutch for Grace, and an eco-friendly stainless steel water bottle for Rigsby. Cho's gift had been easy to get-a $15 Itunes gift card from the grocery store. But Jane..?
Figuring out what kind of gift Jane would like had left Lisbon stumped, not only because he was hard to figure out, but simply because he was Jane. He didn't fit into any categories, or match any 'types'. It was his uniqueness that made finding him a gift so difficult. Her main project this afternoon had been looking for books on , as he seemed to enjoy reading, but in the end, she'd been unable to find anything that looked remotely interesting. It was just as well, though. She didn't even really know what types of books he enjoyed.
It suddenly occurred to Lisbon that compared to what she knew about the rest of her team, she still didn't know a lot about Jane. Other than the fact he liked to manipulate others and drive them up the wall, she could never recall a time when he had opened up to her about his personal life-what he thought, the activities he liked doing, the things he enjoyed. Maybe that was what fascinated her about him sometimes.
She glanced out at the office. Patrick was sitting on his sofa and seemed to be absorbed in reading. The book was thinner than most of the others she'd seen, though, and the cover seemed to be covered in red and white striped paper.
Lisbon sat at her desk and replied to emails until she saw Patrick get up and rest his book against the sofa, presumably to go home. It was already dark outside, and everyone else appeared to be getting ready to leave. As soon as he was out of sight, she crept out of her office to take a peek at the book. It was called The origins of Santa.
She quickly returned to her office, smiling. So Jane was interested in Santa. The Amazon screen was still open on her browser, and she clicked on it to run another search. Now she knew something about Patrick Jane-that despite his apparent dislike for religion, he did have an affinity for Christmas. And she planned to exploit that knowledge and find him a present that would resonate with him-and hopefully, teach her something new about him.
Cho was at the mall, playing bodyguard his girlfriend. Although he personally hated going anywhere during the holiday season, she'd managed to convince him that clashing shades of red and green, fake foliage, and artificial jingle bells were something that only rolled around at this time of year. So he'd followed her around, making sure to never be less than a few steps away from her as she reveled in the holiday atmosphere.
In the end, Cho's girlfriend decided that she wanted to spend a few hours shopping, leaving him on a bench to look at all the other men who showered their girlfriends with presents and kisses. Some even went up to the holiday display in the middle of the mall and sat in Santa's fiberglass sleigh to take pictures. Santa was there too, ho-ho-hoing and sitting little children on his knee. Cho looked at him with reverence. So far, Santa Claus was the only man he knew who was able to sit in all of America's shopping malls and still make it back to the North Pole in time to deliver presents to all those kids.
Half an hour later, Cho decided that since his girlfriend hadn't come back for him, she was probably still busy prowling through the stores and wouldn't be back for half an hour more. He glanced over at Santa. Most of the kids and teenagers had left by this time, and the poor man was starting to look a bit bored.
Cho stood up from the bench and walked over to the Holiday display, where Santa was fiddling with his beard.
"Itchy?" Cho asked, staring directly at him.
Santa looked a bit confused. "Itchy?"
"The beard. Does it give your chin a rash?"
"Not really, it's actually quite soft. Want to feel it?" He leaned out of his sled and poked his chin out, giving Cho the opportunity to cautiously rub the white hair between two fingers. "I grew it to keep me warm in the North Pole." Santa said, leaning back into his sleigh. He tugged his beard for emphasis and patted the seat next to him. "Want to sit down for a bit?"
Cho politely climbed into the sleigh, although he made sure to keep a safe distance of eight inches. If the man enjoyed jiggling little boys and girls on his knees, who knew what he'd do to a grown man. "I'm just waiting for someone."
"Oh, is that so?" Santa asked, chuckling softly. To Cho's surprise, he really did ho-ho when he laughed. "Well, what might your name be?"
"Kimball Cho, CBI agent," Cho said automatically, reaching down to his belt and flashing his badge.
"Whoa whoa, easy, young man," Santa said, raising his large, weathered hands in alarm. "I'm not going to hurt you. Rough time protecting the peace today?"
"It's my job," Cho replied. "Whether it's fun or not isn't for me to say."
Santa nodded understandingly. "Well then, Kimball, what do you want for Christmas?"
Cho stared directly at Santa, who shifted uncomfortably. "Usually when people come to me, whether to sit on my lap or just talk, they ask for something," he explained. Cho remained silent, and Santa looked down at his boots, occasionally wiping his large red nose on his sleeve.
Suddenly, Cho spoke. "A new black leather jacket. Designer sunglasses in one pocket, hundred dollar bill in the other."
"Ho-ho-ho," Santa said, raising his fuzzy white eyebrows in surprise. "Well, I can't promise you anything, Kimball, but if you've been a good boy this year,"-at this he leaned over and poked Cho in the stomach-"I'm sure you'll get what you want."
"Kimball!" yelled a female voice somewhere behind him. Cho nodded his thanks and climbed off the sleigh, Santa waving to him as he walked away. His girlfriend was carrying several extra shopping bags, and couldn't seem to stop talking. On the way back home, Cho supplied her with generous one-liners to keep her happy, but he couldn't get his encounter with Santa out of his head. If Santa poked you, did it mean that you would get what you wanted that Christmas?
Several hours after the building had fallen silent, Patrick Jane snuck back into the office and peered around. It was all but deserted, except for Lisbon, who had already nodded off behind her desk. Poor girl-she must have had a hard time finding gifts for everyone. At any case, it was perfect timing. The car had been getting cold, and it was nice to go back into the warm building. Patrick walked over to his sofa and pulled some packages from behind his sofa. Santa would be hitting the CBI a bit early this year.
Rigsby's presents would be in the bottom drawer of his desk-Patrick had seen him put them there two days ago. He pulled out the box of chocolates meant for Grace and compared it with his. They were identical, down to the pattern of gift wrap that concealed the presents inside. Carefully removing the name tags on the gifts, he switched them and placed his own gift back in Rigsby's desk. The poor man wouldn't be receiving credit for his chocolates, after all.
Cho had his gifts stacked neatly next to his trash can. There was no need to touch those. Instead, Patrick draped a shiny new leather jacket over his swivel chair. This gift was actually more of a team thing. Although the jacket had been Patrick's idea, Grace had bought some matching sunglasses and Rigsby had agreed to supply a hundred-dollar bill. If there was anything that poor Kimball needed, it was a night at a club and some shiny new clothes.
Van Pelt's reaction was likely to be the funniest. She'd obviously spent hours choosing the presents, wrapping them individually and writing little notes into handmade cards. Unfortunately, her gifts were still safe at home, and wouldn't make an appearance till the next day. That was why he'd devised a plan which didn't require any tampering with them. Patrick placed a small pink bag in her top drawer and left it open a crack, so that she wouldn't suspect it was him.
Finally, he sealed a small paper envelope with a kiss and slipped it underneath Lisbon's door. If he was lucky, she'd do him the honor of stepping on it the next morning. The janitor's cart squeaked as it rolled down the hall, and Patrick quickly made his exit. Everything would play out perfectly in the morning, and he hoped to be there to see it.
Dec. 24, early morning
Lisbon opened her eyes. Her neck and body were stiff, and the sunlight filtering through her blinds shone brightly into her office. Oh God, it was morning already, she realized in a panic. How had she managed to fall asleep?
Pulling herself off her chair, she breathed a sigh of relief in realizing that she still had about half an hour before everyone started piling into the office. Grabbing a clean set of clothes from her drawers, she headed to the bathroom to change. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough time to get a last-minute gift for Patrick before beginning work, now that next-day shipping was out of the question. She hoped there would be time during lunch break to go search for some last-minute bottle of wine.
On her way out, she stepped on a yellow envelope and nearly slipped on it. Frowning, she picked it up. The handwriting was unfamiliar, nothing that she'd seen before, but the words clearly read, 'Give this to Patrick Jane for Christmas'.
Lisbon brought the note with her to the bathroom, where she examined it under the artificial lights. No obvious signs of poison, bombs, or death wishes, which was a good sign. As she splashed water on her face, though, she couldn't help but wonder. Why did the sender slip it underneath her door instead of simply placing it on Patrick's sofa?
She grabbed her hair back, smoothing it into a professional ponytail. An idea flashed through her head as she gathered her things together, and she walked out of the bathroom, firmly clutching the envelope. She'd have to hope that there'd be enough time to run to a liquor store in the afternoon, but if not, she'd have to place her faith on this 'secret Santa' form of correspondence. And although that should have scared her, Lisbon felt surprisingly calm as she placed the envelope neatly on top of her pile of gifts.
Grace Van Pelt burst into the CBI building with a strange, giddy happiness. Her presents were stacked carefully in her arms, and she almost wished that the day were over, so that the party could begin. Secretly, she didn't really agree with the boss about office gatherings-in her opinion, a bit of un-professionalism helped to bring the whole team closer.
She set the packages down, noticing that her desk drawer was slightly open. It was then that she noticed the pink gift bag sitting innocently on top of the files inside. Rigsby. A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that he was at his desk, leaning his head on his hands and smiling to himself. Hardly able to hide her excitement, Grace casually sat down, took the bag out, and peeked inside. It was hard to tell what it was at first, but then she made out some red lace material.
Furrowing her brow, she cautiously removed the tissue covering the gift. There was a racy lingerie set, trimmed with white fur and carefully folded to display some revealing slits in the bra. There was even a bunny tail on the seat of the underpants.
She whirled around. Rigsby was still smiling to himself. What a jerk! Grace crumpled the little pink bag in her fists and reached over to pitch it into her trash can. Her present for Rigsby was still stacked carefully on her desk, her desk lamp illuminating it in a warm, innocent glow. She felt foolish for having spent so much time on it, and even more so for thinking that Rigsby would really be the kind of guy who she'd want to share Christmas with. So much for her holiday season.
Rigsby was still dreaming about his gift when he heard Grace throw something heavily into her trash can. From what he could make out, she looked pretty angry-Patrick had probably played some joke on her. Ah wells, she'd change her mind by nighttime. Rigsby's grin broadened as he imagined Grace smiling as she received his box of chocolates. They'd been a pain in the ass to pick out, especially with that fussy lady from the Chocolate Factory making things difficult, but it was definitely going to be worth it.
Cho stepped into the elevator, shivering from the cold. It'd been cold that morning, and his old coat hadn't done much of a job in shielding him from the winds. One good thing about Christmas was that they usually didn't get as many calls around the holidays. With any luck, he wouldn't need to go out too much today.
The elevator dinged, and Cho got off at the office floor, where he made his way to their division. As he walked in, he noticed something draped over his chair. Frowning, Cho went over to inspect it. There lay a black leather jacket, shiny and new.
He picked it up and looked at it. It was good and thick, obviously of comparable quality to some he'd seen in department stores with his girlfriend. Just then, he remembered his conversation with Santa the night before. There were two pockets in the jacket, and Cho rifled through them at the same time. When he came up, he was holding some new sunglasses in one hand and a crisp hundred in the other.
Somebody snickered from across the room. When Cho looked up, Rigsby and Grace were smirking at him, looking as though they wanted to laugh. Cho raised his eyebrows at them and glanced down at his new jacket, the corners of his mouth barely turning up. Even Rigsby and Grace agreed with him, then. Santa was magic after all.
Dec. 24, 6:30 PM
Most people had gone home early for the holiday, but Lisbon's Christmas was just getting started. Patrick and Grace had gone around putting up tinsel and decorations, even going so far as to string a houseplant with lights. A little cheesy, but then again, it was the team's first Christmas together. Everyone had pooled their money to buy pizza, eggnog and some spice cookies, which they would all enjoy afterwards. Most of them had insisted on opening their gifts before dinner, so now everyone was sorting through their gifts and placing them at each other's desks.
As everyone started sitting down, Lisbon looked over her shoulder and noticed that she was short one gift. Patrick had skipped her desk-he'd ignored her completely, and gift wrap didn't lie. Suddenly the room felt too warm, making her wish she hadn't worn a turtleneck. It had been so obvious that he wouldn't get her anything, especially with the birthday pony fiasco and the fact that she'd pretty much ignored him for the past few weeks. Helplessly, Lisbon took a seat and spotted the little yellow envelope that she'd placed on Patrick's sofa. Why, of all things, had she chosen that as a last-minute gift? It could have been a hate note, for all she knew.
"We all know who's going to open her presents first, don't we?" Cho said, cracking a hint of a smile. Lisbon hid her agitation behind a quick grin and tore open her presents. Everyone had gotten her something special-a silk scarf, some old movies, a Spice Girls CD. Lisbon couldn't help smiling. No doubt Patrick's hand was somewhere in one of the gifts, particularly the Spice Girls CD.
"Thanks, everyone," she said, wishing that she could think of something better to say. She hadn't expected the gifts to stem out of actual thought from her coworkers-up till now, this whole idea had been a mere formality to her. Maybe she had something to learn about the giving spirit as well. Lisbon's mind flickered back to the presents she'd gotten for her team-why hadn't she thought a bit more about what they would really like, instead of some generic things that she'd thought they would like?
"It's ok, boss. We know you're lost for words."
Cho's comment set everyone laughing, and got the party moving again. Both Rigsby and Cho didn't take long to open their things. However, Lisbon noticed that Van Pelt hadn't given Rigsby anything. And although she didn't want to say anything, she did register disappointment in Rigsby's eyes, and a somewhat hostile one in Grace's. Had something happened between the two of them?
"Now the rookie," Patrick said, cutting into Lisbon's train of thought. His eyes flitted over to Grace's pile of presents.
Grace smiled, but for some reason, she deliberately reached past Rigsby's gift to open everyone else's. Upon opening Patrick's present, she found a big box of expensive chocolates, artfully arranged in its box.
Rigsby gaped like a fish and his face turned red, but Grace pretended not to notice him and smiled up at Jane. Patrick grinned back at her, but it wasn't one of those 'I'm happy for you' sorts of grins. Lisbon knew that look all too well-he had something up his sleeve. Before she could protest, though, Grace had already reached over to take Rigsby's gift.
"I wonder what this one will be," she murmured softly. In the middle of tearing off the wrapping paper, she gasped slightly and stopped. In her hand, there lay a small white box. As if on cue, the team stood up and leaned closer to see what it was.
Grace opened the box, and there lay a beautiful gold necklace, complete with a ruby pendant. The younger woman gasped, and even Lisbon was surprised. Careful not to look at Patrick, she walked back to her desk and congratulated Grace from a safe distance. Obviously this was going to be the highlight of their evening-Rigsby already looked like he might collapse.
Before anyone could say anything else, Grace looked up anxiously. "Wait," she said, and ran to her desk, where she produced a striped box from her drawer. "Here, um, merry Christmas" she said, thrusting the gift at him and absently pushing her hair out of her face. Rigsby quickly opened it. Now this was a real surprise-Grace had made him a hand knitted sweater, lovingly nestled between green and red tissue.
By this time, Patrick was grinning so broadly that his teeth actually sparkled in the light. Lisbon could only stare in amazement as Grace and Rigsby looked into each other's eyes, obviously feeling much but saying little. This was getting out of hand.
"Let's not forget Jane," she said, trying to get everyone back onto the program. Patrick clapped his hands and spun around like a child. "Let me guess, okay?" he said. "I'm getting a book from Cho, on some mundane subject like philosophy. Rigsby's is a new fedora, and Grace got me some wine and home-baked cookies. Correct?"
"Yeah, you got everyone," Rigsby pointed out, "but what about the Boss?"
"Oh, all she gave me was a little yellow envelope. Probably a gift subscription to Time magazine."
Lisbon decided it was time to come clean. "Well, to tell you the truth, I honestly don't know what it is," she said loudly. "I didn't have the time to get you a gift this year." The team stopped silent, predictably. Honestly, what was wrong with not getting a gift for Patrick? He hadn't gotten anything for her.
"Then what's this?" asked Patrick, picking up the envelope and waving it questioningly.
"Somebody slipped it under my door this morning, and it's addressed to you," she shot back. "Maybe the janitor fell in love with your charms and needed to find a subtle way of telling you that."
"Subtle? Hardly," Patrick scoffed, and tore open the envelope. He pulled out a small white card, sealed with a golden sticker. "Hmm," he said quizzically, "I think it's for you." He handed her the small white card, and sure enough, her name was printed on the front in big black letters.
Damnit. Was this a setup? Everyone was looking at her. Lisbon stared at Patrick, searching his eyes for any hint of some brazen surprise. Nothing. The card was still there in her hand, and tentatively, she tore the golden sticker and read the message inside.
"What does it say?" asked Grace.
"It says…to wish Patrick Jane a very merry Christmas. Signed, anonymous," Lisbon said, drawing out her words and lifting her eyebrows just enough to convey a sense of mystery. The effect went around well enough-everyone turned to raise their eyebrows at Jane. "Maybe it was the janitor, after all," Lisbon said, looking up and smiling at Patrick. To her surprise, he wasn't smiling with everyone else. No, he was actually frowning, as if something on his mind were weighing him down. The look only lasted for a second, though, and he quickly recovered.
"I'd better get out of the office before ten, then," he joked. "So let's eat our pizza and make sure that we clean everything up before that."
Cho reached over for a refill of eggnog, and soon they were all chatting happily and making comments on each other's presents. Lisbon looked around at her team. Rigsby and Grace had obviously made up, and she had a sneaking suspicion that neither of them would be sleeping alone that night. Cho looked happier than she'd seen him for a while-in fact, he was probably eager to leave so that he could put on his cool new jacket. But Patrick…he had managed to evade her, once again. Even with this party, she'd been unable to find something that tied him to Christmas, anything that could tell her more about him. He was still looking troubled, too. What was eating him?
She finished the rest of her pizza, and everyone eventually started to clean up. Soon, they'd all packed up their gifts and had their coats on. The party was officially over.
"Don't you want to come, boss?" Rigsby asked as everyone crowded into the elevator. Lisbon shook her head.
"I'm taking the stairs-a girl's got to keep in shape, you know," she joked. Patrick and the team nodded their heads, and the elevator doors closed. Lisbon sighed, feeling the silence envelope her. Tomorrow would be a day off, but somehow she didn't feel like making any plans. She picked up her gifts and headed to the rooftop. To tell the truth, she needed some time to think.
As soon as he had finished dumping his presents into the back of his car, Patrick ran back to the elevator and pressed the button to go up. Getting off at the rooftop, he walked around, looking for Lisbon. Sure enough, she was there, leaning against the wall and staring off into the distance. It was a frosty night, and her breath was coming out in small white clouds.
"A bit cold to be sitting out here," he said, walking over and standing next to her. Lisbon looked up and glared at him. "Aren't you supposed to be getting home?"
"It's a day off tomorrow, there's plenty of time," Patrick said, waving the topic away with his hand. "Didn't you like the party? I thought it was great fun, and we all got things that we wanted."
"Oh, like Rigsby and Grace!" Lisbon cut in sarcastically. "Nice touch, Jane. I'm sure you caused them a lot of misunderstanding before that big scene."
Patrick shrugged. "It was inevitable. If I hadn't pushed it, they'd have to wait another three hundred and sixty five days before another opportunity came up." The air was chilly, and he dug his hands into his pockets. Absently, he picked up Lisbon's movies and read the back covers.
"Are you done talking?" she snapped.
"Why'd you lie about the note?"
She swallowed, looked at him hard. "How did you know about that?" she asked, lowering her voice slightly.
"Well, I should know. I'm a mentalist, remember?"
Lisbon sighed and fiddled with the fringe on her scarf. At last, she leaned her head back to look at him. "Can I trust you to tell me something in exchange for the answer?"
"Shoot away."
She drew in a sharp breath. "Why do you like Christmas so much?"
Patrick cocked his head, trying to look thoughtful. "Well…it's about giving, I suppose. The one day of the year when people let down their guard, expecting presents or surprises or happy holidays."
"So you just like to let them have that happiness."
"You could say that."
"In that case," Lisbon said carefully, "Why do you choose to give happiness to some people and not to others?"
A sort of warmth seemed to spread out across Patrick's face, but in a split second, it vanished again. "Hmm? Anyways, it's your turn. What did the note really say?"
"I'm serious, Jane. I was busy for the past few weeks-I tried to get you a gift, but couldn't make it in time. Honest." Though she was trying her best to hide it, Lisbon could feel her agitation rising again. "Still, I really want to know: why didn't you want to get me a gift?"
"Spoiled baby," Patrick scoffed. "I already gave you your gift."
"What?"
"Yeah, that's why I've been asking you. What did the note tell you?"
Oh, damn. Patrick was looking at her now, an odd expression on his face. He was obviously trying to hide it, but Lisbon caught the spark in his eyes. Before she knew it, he was laughing at her, that know-it-all laugh that told her he'd gotten her again. She threw her hands up in the air.
"It's always been about you, hasn't it? That whole Christmas party-it wasn't about giving; it was just an excuse for you and your pranks." God, she hated his tricks. "Fine, you want to know what the note said? 'Ask him what he wants'. What you want, not anyone else." Patrick was sober now, but this time she wouldn't let him go. Jerking him towards her, she grabbed his scarf so that he couldn't escape. "So, you know what? I'm going to ask you once, and let you have it, and after that you stop it and never bother me with these ridiculous games again. Patrick Jane, what the hell do you want?"
"It's not just what I want, it's what you want too," Patrick said simply, the words coming out of his mouth in a choke. Surprise registered in Lisbon's head, but before she had time to protest, Patrick had tipped her head back and kissed her. Everything suddenly spun upside-down, the warmth of their kiss breaking the cold winter air. And for some reason, Lisbon didn't want it to stop.
When at last she opened her eyes again, dreading the reality that inevitably followed pure happiness, Patrick was holding her. He stepped back a bit to look into her eyes, and in that second she caught a glimpse of something. It was still the same I-told-you-so sparkle, the same naughtiness that she'd come to recognize as Jane's, but there was something else mixed in there…something that she could only place as honesty.
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you," Patrick whispered into her ear, and somehow, Lisbon knew that he was telling her the truth.