Title: I Can't Stay Away
Author: tromana
Rating: T
Characters: Lisbon/Jane, Team
Spoilers: None
Summary: Jane should have known she would be even more tetchy than usual, but he just couldn't leave her alone. Expanded version of the 10 Song Drabble, as requested by LogicalGoth
Disclaimer: I don't own the Mentalist, however much I wish I did.
Notes: Title from the song by the Veronicas of the same name.
I Can't Stay Away
She'd been in a foul mood for the past week. No one needed to give her an excuse to snipe, she just made her own ones. Every morning, scowling, Lisbon had slammed the door of her office firmly shut and the rest of the team were growing concerned for their usually calm boss. Grace Van Pelt reckoned that it was the case that had made her grow so tetchy. Lisbon was always particularly riled if alcoholism was involved - it had always been apparent that it was a particular pet hate of hers.
Lisbon's mood had even lead to her avoiding field-work at all costs. Whilst Jane enjoyed the company of Van Pelt, she was no Lisbon. Grace was a sweet girl, if a little highly strung and eager to please. However, he enjoyed winding up his boss, making her smile, making her blush furiously. Okay, the violence wasn't always as appreciated but he just liked knowing what made Lisbon tick and seeing her grow uncomfortable because of it. It was sweet, in a way.
The team, like usual, were blaming him for exacerbating her moods. He couldn't help that it was fun, that it distracted him from his darker moods and violent thoughts. They thought he pushed her that little too far just because he could, when really it was to occupy him mind with more pleasant ideas, to stop himself from going mad. Besides, their carefully managed teasing and flirtatious banter seemed to distract her from the sorrow she thought she hid so well. How could it be his fault that every morning of late he barely had to open his mouth before she stormed off and refused to answer anyone? Even in a foul mood, she normally had the time for Van Pelt at least. She seemed to have taken the young rookie under her wing, as a bit of a protégé.
Each time one of them without fail would sigh 'you should have known better, Jane' or 'for a mentalist, you can be pretty damn dumb'. And for the rest of the day, he wouldn't be able to make eye contact with any of them; especially not Van Pelt with her round eyes filled with sorrow and concern for her boss and the consultant they all loved (and not to mention, loved to hate). Instead, he would lay sulking on his couch, or refuse petulantly to talk to them in the car as they travelled to wherever Lisbon had told them to investigate. She definitely seemed like she wanted nothing to do with this case. But then again, unusually for Lisbon, she didn't seem like she wanted to be in work at all.
Jane thought it was a miracle they'd managed to close the case at all. It hadn't dawned on him just how much he relied upon her to pull him out of scrapes before.
"Jane, it's your turn to try and encourage her out of there."
Van Pelt didn't even bother looking up from her laptop as she demanded he go speak to their boss. Rigsby had returned after ten minutes of frustrated knocking, flopped down at his desk and began picking at a salad miserably. Obviously he had been as unsuccessful as Cho before him. And Cho had been wearing a rather smug know-it-all expression the past few days, which hadn't helped in the slightest, but after dealing with Lisbon it had quickly disappeared back into his usual demeanour.
"By the way," Cho added. "She does this every year. It's just worse than usual this time."
Cho could only hope that Jane could understand what was going on without him explicitly saying so. He respected his boss' private life and didn't want to go shouting it across the bullpen. Jane sighed heavily, he hadn't been looking forward to his turn at trying to rouse Lisbon from this state. Everyone pinned him down as a charmer, yet he had always loathed dealing with people crying. It reminded him too much of the past and the lives he'd destroyed to make a quick buck. He pulled himself grudgingly from the couch and sauntered across the bullpen towards the Senior Agent's private office.
He knocked on the door three times.
"Go away."
Even with the blinds closed and the lights off, he could tell from the crack in her voice that she had been crying. And he hated that. He hated the fact that his strong, smart Teresa Lisbon could possibly be showing any weaknesses. She was meant to be holding the team together, berating him for running riot with the suspects and blushing furiously whenever something embarrassed her. His boss simply did not spend a week in her office in tears. It just wasn't right."No."
She had locked it; which was something that Lisbon had never done before. Jane swiftly picked the lock before he yanked open the door to be greeted with her whispering profanities under her breath. Carefully, he shut it behind him before turning to face her. God, she even looked beautiful in tears. Jane shook his head; it was not only was it inappropriate for him to be thinking that, but in this situation it was unfair on her as well as him. Automatically, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing her back with a smooth, circular motion. He refused to let go until the tears ran dry, and he was able to see the scrap of photograph clutched in her slender hands.
"Your Mom?" She nodded, mournfully in response, before he continued. "It's the anniversary, isn't it?"
He'd known her mother had died. Hell, he'd even known that it was a hit and run involving a drunk teenager, who'd fled the scene for being underage and without a license as well as being over the limit. No wonder she'd been upset. The nature - and timing of the case was frankly hideous for her. All Jane could think was she shouldn't be there.
He rustled through his pockets, remembering he had a back up plan, a trick that would always work in this situation. He stared directly into her eyes as he produced a bar of chocolate. It was the best he could do at such short notice.
Lisbon went to grab the sugared treat, but Jane held it away from her, disapprovingly.
"Your team wants to see you," he informed her. "I only think it's fair. They miss you. I've missed you."
Glaring at Jane for his bribery, she carefully placed the photograph back in her purse and checked her reflection in the small mirror she kept to hand. She looked thought she looked awful, and without her even having to vocalise it, Jane promptly disagreed with it, smiling brightly.
"Don't hide from me again." Jane's voice was plaintive, and Lisbon was fairly certain he meant it.
Putting a brave face on, she strode out of her office to congratulate her team on closing another case. And not to mention apologising for being so unprofessional. Van Pelt, unable to hide her emotions any longer, rushed up to hug her boss whilst Rigsby beamed happily, all thoughts of salad long gone. Cho just smiled back knowingly.
Jane placed a hand on her back whilst handing her the chocolate. She made him so proud.
end