A/N: Well this is an early Xmas fic I guess, it takes place post RJ. It's kinda cheesy, but meh.

Disclaimer: I doubt the rights to The Mentalist will be under the Christmas tree this year, even though I'm a good girl.

He walked into her office nonchalantly. She didn't even bother to look up, being determined not to let him disturb her.

"I have a Christmas present for you." He said and sat down on her couch awaiting her reaction.

Of all the things he could have said, that had not been one she had expected. They'd just caught Red John - well actually killed him - like a week ago, and she was still worried about his state of mind. But he seemed to be carrying on like it was business as usual. However that only had her worried even more.

"You what?" She asked looking up at him.

"I have a Christmas present for you." He wasn't above repeating himself.

"There's still a week 'til Christmas." She lowered her eyes back to her paperwork.

"Yeah, well I want to give it to you early." She quirked an eyebrow and looked up again, feeling a weight behind his words that indicated this was something important.

"Okay but I don't have anything for you... you know... with the whole Red John and..." She gesture out into the air.

He knew what she meant. "It's okay, I don't expect anything in return." Well that was a first, she thought but kept it to herself.

"You know, you don't have to wrap me in a cocoon, I won't brake." He said having obviously read her facial expression.

"What do you mean?" She obviously knew but wouldn't admit it.

"You have been avoiding arguing with me, kept your snide thoughts to yourself, treating me different."

"That's because you are different Jane. You might not realize it yet, but you don't act like yourself."

That had him puzzled a little. "I act as I always do." He noted.

"Exactly." She said with the steel precision of a hammer hitting a nail.

"Then how can you say it's different if it's the same?" The woman wasn't making much sense.

"Because we got him. We finally got Red John. And, and... and nothing? No reaction whatsoever?"

"What kind of reaction were you expecting?"

"I don't know?... Tears? Joy?... or, or..." She stammered not really knowing what to say.

"Hysterical laughter?" He offered helpfully.

"Yes. Something! Anything!"

"Well I have done all my crying, and frankly that man doesn't deserve any more of my tears. I am relieved, how could I not be? But I'm not manic. And you don't have to worry about my sanity, I won't crack up. In fact you're the one that put me back together again. So if you had your hopes set on going to visit me in a mental hospital, you'll be thoroughly disappointed. You know, you can't get rid of me that easily. So feel free to yell or shout or tell me I'm stupid, I can handle it, I promise."

She looked at him with such affection in her eyes but couldn't find the words to comment.

"Now can I give you your present?" He asked and she just nodded.

"Okay, here take on your jacket we're going outside." He held it out for her as she put it on.

When they came to the outside front parking lot Lisbon's jaw dropped. "Oh my God, Jane. What did you do?"

He actually blushed a tiny bit, then said. "I know how much you miss the Chicago winters, so..."

"You did this?" The shock of surprise in her voice made him smile.

"I did this." He agreed.

In front of them in the warm but relatively mild Californian heat of about 69 degrees, snow was slowly falling and settling in a thin white carpet on the grown - well it wasn't so much falling as it was being sprayed out by a snow cannon, but still. A few bystanders had already gathered in the white fluffy mass and were goofing around like five year olds, even though the oldest looked to be in his late 50s.

"So did you bring your mittens?" Jane asked.

Lisbon was speechless. "Jane, I... I don't know what to say." She admitted.

"Well do you like it?"

"I...I love it! Thank you!" She looked like she was about to cry, she didn't though. But she was happy and that was all that mattered. She shouldn't have to worry about his state of mind, or about him feeling bad without having a heavy life purpose - like revenge - driving him. The truth was he'd already found a new goal in life and that was to make her happy, and to make up for all the times he'd caused her pain.

"Here." He said and handed her a pair of really girly pink gloves with a fluffy white border, not her style at all - and they both knew it - yet she accepted them happily.

She looked over at him with her twinkling green eyes. "I still don't have anything for you." There was a hint of regret in her voice.

He moved just a tad closer and as they both observed the people starting a mighty snowball fight he said in a quiet tone: "You don't need to give me anything, Lisbon. You've already given me so much. You gave me my life back. Us getting Red John is more than I could have ever asked for. That's present enough for me... this year."

"This year?" Her mouth quirked into a crooked smile so her dimples showed. "Oh so there's a statute of limitation on your gratitude for me saving your life?"

"Meh.." He said offhandedly.

"Next year..." she repeated thoughtfully, "...that means you're staying?" her voice had turned even quieter, the fear of the unknown making it's mark, he couldn't believe for a second that she thought that he would actually leave her, but then again it wasn't as if he'd indicated that he wasn't. This needed to be remedied.

"I'm not going anywhere, Lisbon." He leaned down to look her in the eye, so she could see the sincerity behind his words. "I wouldn't leave you... I couldn't, even if I wanted to." He could see the message was getting through to her, so he straightened up again looking out at the falling snow that was transforming the parking lot into a plain of white fluff, and remarked full of mischievousness. "If you absolutely want to give me something I saw that they were dusting off the mistletoe for the Christmas party."

That earned him a blunt slap on the arm and a smile.

"Ouch." He said but returned the smile with one of his own. "Merry Christmas, Teresa."

"Merry Christmas, Patrick."

And with that they joined in the winter festivity of snowball fighting.

A/N: Okay I know this was silly. And I have no idea why I am in a Christmas mood already?! It's just all this 'We'll get a resolution to the RJ story line before the end of the calendar year' that got me inspired.