As I watched Season Two I kept thinking of ways to splice together my favorite pairing, and how I love me some Grace and Patrick. Please enjoy and review! I own nothing and mean no harm.
1
Had there been a way to undo it, she would have, Grace was not a gossip monger or a nosy parker. And watching Jane hug Lisbon, in full view of everyone, in broad daylight; made her feel like she had stumbled onto a private moment.
A week later and she was still uncomfortable at having been a witness.
There had been talk that there were more than simple professional courtesies being exchanged between Lisbon and Jane, but Grace herself had been caught in a talk or two and knew how uncomfortable it could be to be the subject; so her lips had stayed firmly shut on the subject.
Her eyes weren't talk though, Jane had hugged Lisbon; he'd hugged her. Men didn't hug Grace, flirt with her, grab her up for kisses, sure, but never just a hug.
It was the height thing.
At least she thought it was.
Sitting at her desk Grace had a clear view of the comings and goings, Cho was at his desk, Lisbon was out with Rigsby and Jane, well she had no idea where he was.
Cho looked up, catching her eye as he hung up the phone, "That was Lisbon, she's calling it a night, told us to head home," they had been trying to work out some new angles on a rash of robbery-homicides in Napa, but they didn't have a lot to work with and even less for Jane to play with.
"I'm going to finish this up and then I'll clear out," Grace pointed to her monitor; Cho gave her a half smile and stood.
"Night Van Pelt," she smiled, she had told him he could call her Grace but he was Cho and his sense of propriety kept her firmly 'Van Pelt'.
"See you tomorrow," Grace waved, looking back at her screen she plowed through her queries. As hard a worker as anyone, with maybe more to prove than most, Grace was not going to be chained to a desk. There had to be off time or there would never be an on time.
Advice from Cho in fact, sound and practical, Grace had taken it to heart and was making an effort at separating on from off.
"Done," talking to oneself in a large family, where words in solitude were rare, was not uncommon, and living alone as she did now, had only made the habit worse.
Powering down her station, she retrieved her purse, small and functional, her real hand bags, all designer (the same designer she was a stickler about some things) were big and impractical for work. Grace kept them organized in her closet by season. Maybe she would cruise EBay tonight and see what was newly listed.
Pleased with her plans it was with a smile that she headed to the elevators, the doors opening soon after she hit the button.
"Grace," the pleased as punch voice of Patrick Jane met her as she stepped onto the elevator.
"Jane," Grace nodded in acknowledgment, her smile disappearing even as his grin grew.
"Going down," ignoring him she rolled her eyes and waited for him to hit 'L', after a chuckle at her expense of course.
"All done for the day," Jane had turned towards her. Grace took a deep breath, it was never good to have all that attention focused your way, and she was just not in the mood tonight, but manners were too hard coded in her.
"Yes, Lisbon called it a night," she snuck a glance to her right, if he reacted at all to the mention of the name it wasn't in his face.
Jane was still bright eyes and wide smiles. The arrival of the lobby interrupted what she was sure would have been a witty retort.
Moving first Jane held the door open and Grace murmured thanks as she passed. Jane was taller than her, not as much of a difference as Rigsby who might have even been too tall for her taste. Jane was just tall enough that she had to tilt her head up to see his eyes clearly given how close they were.
"You're welcome Grace," he didn't have any trouble using her name, nor did he have permission, but she liked the way it rolled off his tongue; liked it enough not to care.
Uncomfortable enough with her thought her strides grew longer and more determined. Grace was ready to get to her car and put this day behind her.
Patrick Jane had long legs to go with his tall frame and kept up with her through the lobby and into the parking lot. Jane didn't speak; the silence was unsettling, Grace ground her teeth, if he was pulling her chain she was not going to let it get to her (which it totally was).
Their cars were parked near enough together that they made almost the whole trip side by side.
Jane looked at her sideways, "Thank you for the escort Grace. You never know who might be lurking out here," her smile was unfortunately automatic, his humor to infectious not to be affected.
"You're welcome," she caught herself, "Jane. Have a good night."
Calling him Patrick was on such a different level than him calling her Grace.
As soon as his footsteps stopped she knew he had caught it. Grace kept on walking, just in case he had driven a rental Taurus today.
Her SUV was close; her hand slid into her purse, interior pocket without the zipper, and hit the auto-lock on her keys. Grace had reached the fender of her escape vehicle when his voice stopped her cold, "Jealousy doesn't suit you."
On one foot she turned slowly her keys still clutched in her right hand, Jane stood next to the Taurus, hands in his pockets as though he hadn't just been completely out of line.
The grin on his face had to hurt it was so wide, God she wished she could smack it off of him, "Curiosity is a much better color on you," she might just hit him.
Jane was happy to wait for her response, of which she had a few, but most involved pain, she could work with that.
"Aren't you going to ask me," her eyes narrowed at his question, they were four feet apart, she hovered just on the edge of his strongest range of influence.
Much of what he pulled off was with touch and up close contact and she was keeping well away from that tactic.
"Oh come on Grace, I know you want to ask," cheeky bastard. Grace bit the inside of her cheek. There was nothing keeping her here, he was being an ass but she was off-duty and not required to put up with it.
This was a no-win situation, she leaves he gloats, she stays and he drives her crazy; it wasn't fair. Jane should be following Lisbon, teasing her since he had hugged her.
Frustration turned into irritation that fast, Grace yelled when she was really mad, no one at work had witnessed it yet, but when annoyed or in this case really, really irritated she rambled and Patrick Jane was about to get the brunt of it.
"You're right Jane I am curious about what's going on with you and my boss. And yes I am a little jealous that Agent Lisbon may be getting some and I'm not," Jane's eyes went wide at the implication but Grace pushed right on through, "Because you know Rigsby, for all his flirting and long glances, hasn't stepped up yet and six months is my limit. So I had to put that behind me, only I can't tell him that because he likes flirting and hinting and while it was cute at first, I'm over it, and too nice to say anything."
At this point Grace thought Jane might have gotten a clue that he had pushed too far, but she didn't care, it felt too good to say everything that had been building up inside.
"This is great you know, I feel great, I get it now why you run your mouth constantly, why you don't care what people think when you speak because it's liberating."
Jane opened his mouth but Grace waved him off, "No, no this is my moment. I want to know why I get all the tech assignments when Rigsby has the degree or why I had to give back that necklace, or maybe," Grace paused, taking two steps closer, drawing him into her damn sphere, because he was hooked, she could tell. Jane was absolutely enthralled by her, and it went to her head as fast as it made her wet.
"Maybe you could tell me why my last boyfriend was a psychopath and no one else I've dated since has called me back, could you answer me that? Why after trying so hard for so long I'm still alone, still unhappy," his eyes had darkened and she knew she was crossing a dangerous line, but her lips moved anyway, "Tell me why you hugged her and no one hugs me."
They were toe to toe, her head was back just enough to see his eyes; they were darker and more concerned than she had seen them. Grace swallowed when she realized the concern was for her.
As intense as her anger had burned it died out just as fast, "Oh my God."
Realization crashed into her, there was no way she had just thrown all those words in his face. Patrick Jane was her colleague and probably her boss' lover and she had just, "Oh my God."
Stumbling back Grace covered her mouth, smacking her keys into her teeth, wincing she turned away from him and all but ran to her car.
"Stupid, stupid, key!" through her tears Grace could barely make out the door handle and her fingers were shaking too badly.
"Damn," tears were more of a problem now, falling, messy and when she got in her car, if she ever did, there would be sobs and snot and she smacked her door with her palm.
Without warning Jane was there, stepping close behind her, he wore cologne, Grace wasn't sure she if had known that before.
"No, Jane, don't," he ignored her; she struggled as he wrapped his arms around her. He was stronger than he looked and her heart wasn't in the fight.
"Grace, Grace, Grace," sagging against him, Grace felt him catch her weight wrapping his arms tighter around her, "Its OK Grace. Everyone has their moments and yours was now," Jane's chuckles were a rumble against her back.
Without pause Jane began to talk, a low hum of words, Grace missed a lot of what he said. No, he wasn't with Lisbon, and yes Rigsby was an ass were all she managed.
And then Jane was silent and Grace realized that her tears had stopped and her head was clearing and she was being hugged.
"Jane."
"Patrick," Grace blushed at his interruption, she shouldn't call him that.
"Patrick," but she did, "I'm so sorry. The ramble and the whining," she groaned.
"I thought it was charming," that got a choked laugh out of her; funnier still she believed him.
"Sometimes when we do something so very out of character it improves someone else's," Grace squeezed his wrist which she hadn't realized she had been gripping.
"Like a hug" her voice was hoarse and she could feel a migraine building.
"Yes Grace like a hug," she nodded, "or a verbal hemorrhage in a parking lot," his snark made her snort.
Grace found it hard to believe Patrick Jane was open to having his character altered much less from her, but it was nice to hear. He was talking again, murmuring into her hair, the tension was leaving her neck and shoulders.
Leaving was what she should be doing, following a round of apologies first, but leaving and hiding were what she needed to do.
"We'll worry about everything tomorrow Grace," she thought maybe he was working his mojo on her, "OK," and maybe Grace just didn't care.