Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Mentalist.
Author's Note: I started this series before I knew they were moving to Austin, so in this universe, they started out in Sacramento and then went to Austin somewhere between Recovery and this story. I was tempted to call this "A Very Bear-y Christmas" but decided that was too cheesy even for me. Even though this is probably a pretty cheesy story. I hope it holds some enjoyment for you nevertheless. Happy holidays!
The flames crackled merrily in the fireplace as Lisbon carried two glasses of Jane's homemade eggnog into the living room and set them on the coffee table. He grinned and leaned forward to claim one as she settled beside him on the couch, then slid an arm around her. "Thank you," he said. "Mmm. Just like I remember it."
"Old family recipe?" she asked, smiling at him before leaning her head against his shoulder.
He chuckled. "There's not enough alcohol in this house for that." He didn't think it would improve the mood to admit Angela had taught him that recipe.
"Thanks for coming up here with me," she said.
"Well, it's not like we were going to get a white Christmas in Austin," he pointed out. "Besides, I told you: I like it here. Once Abbott loosens up a little, we could live here full time. It's not like our cases actually happen in Texas that often."
She hummed thoughtfully. "Is that why you rented the house in Austin rather than buying?"
"That, and they haven't unfrozen my assets yet."
"You should have made that part of the deal."
"Meh. Abbott wouldn't have gone for it. He doesn't trust me not to run off." He realized as he said it that bringing up Lisbon's abandonment issues wasn't the wisest move he could have made. Maybe he needed to stop drinking the eggnog. "Although you'd think he'd realize that I have everything I want and no need to roam."
"Plus if you ever do, I will hunt you down and hurt you," Lisbon murmured drowsily.
"An even more compelling reason to stay," he agreed. He shifted so he was leaning back in the corner of the couch and settled her more comfortably against him. "Planning a nap before midnight Mass?"
"Mm. Wake me up in time, okay?"
"Of course." He stroked her soft hair, dropping a light kiss into it. "I wouldn't want to deprive Father Dowd of seeing his favorite parishioner."
Lisbon chuckled. "He likes you and all, but I don't think you're his favorite."
"Very funny. Aren't you afraid I'll spontaneously combust if I cross the threshold of a church?" he teased.
"You've done it before," she said.
"Not with the intent to attend a service." He couldn't resist giving her a hard time, though he intended to go with her, if only to show the people in Cannon River who cared about her that she was happily part of a couple now. The little old ladies at church would be thrilled, and he hoped Father Dowd would approve. Of course, that depended partly on whether the rest of the evening went according to plan.
"God finds old sinners like you irresistible. He might strike you blind on the road to Damascus or something, but he won't strike you dead in St. Bernadette's tonight." She slid an arm around him. "Probably."
"If I go blind, think we can train Bear as my seeing eye dog?" he grinned.
"Neither of our dogs would put up with that. We'd just have to get another one."
"Three dogs? Your retirement plan is to open an animal rescue facility, is it?"
"Maybe. Speaking of our dogs, they're awfully quiet out there. Maybe you should go see—" She broke off as Bear started barking at the door, as if on cue.
Jane gently lifted her so he could slide off the couch. She sat up and reached for her eggnog while he went to the back door, bracing himself against the cold as he opened it and stood back for Bear and Zelda to dash past him into the living room.
"Down! Bear, off the couch—you're all wet!" Lisbon ordered.
"It's started to snow," Jane called, ducking into the hall bathroom to grab a towel. "Bear, c'mere, boy."
Bear came running, tongue lolling out of the big doggy grin on his face. He wriggled and jumped as Jane toweled him off and wiped his paws, obviously thinking it was a game. "Hold still, buddy," Jane said. "There you go. Where's the alpha? Huh? Where is she? Go get her!"
Bear let out a bark and raced back to the living room. Jane grabbed a fresh towel and followed, grinning as he saw Bear attempting to sit on Lisbon's lap while she laughingly tried to push him off to the cushion beside her.
He loved these moments, watching her being happy and playful. She'd spent so much of her life being serious and stressed, and even now she was always serious on the job. Only he really got to see this side of her, and he loved it. He loved her. He was so glad he'd come back to her, and he was never leaving again. Now all he had to do was prove that to her.
"Hey, girl," he cooed at Zelda, who hunched down as he approached with the towel and looked up at him with big, liquid eyes. He was careful to move slowly, talking to her in his most soothing voice as he gently rubbed her dry.
Zelda wasn't the kind of dog he and Lisbon had gone to the shelter to get, but when he'd seen her huddled in her cage with a terrified expression, he'd felt a connection. And when she'd thumped her tail hopefully as he greeted her, he'd fallen in love. Lisbon had teased him about his damsel in distress complex, but she was a rescuer at heart, and she loved their new addition despite the dog's habit of flinching away from people as a result of her past abuse.
"There's my good girl," he said as he finished. Zelda would never look like a show dog, but at least now she was dry and scruffy instead of wet and scruffy, her sheepdog face and coat contrasting oddly with her black lab body and coloring. She was a misfit and a survivor, just like he was, and he wanted to give her a wonderful new life just like he had.
Zelda wagged her tail and only ducked her head a little when he petted her, then settled on the floor and laid her chin on her front paws. Jane stood and saw Lisbon watching them with a warm smile.
"You two are a cute couple," she said.
Jane took a moment to contrast what she was looking at—the scruffy pair he and Zelda made—with the picture she and Bear made: beautiful, perfect, and graceful. He knew Lisbon's life had been far from easy, but she transcended her pain with her kindness and caring. He wished he could be the flawless man she deserved, loyal and loving and scar-free like Bear, bringing her joy rather than heartache.
"What are you thinking?" she asked, frowning.
"Just making a Christmas wish," he replied, summoning a smile before turning to leave the room. He tossed the towel in the bathroom hamper, washed his hands, and went back to the living room to reclaim his spot from Bear. "It was cold out there. I need my Lisbon blanket."
She went willingly into his arms, though she faked a shiver as she did so. "Poor baby. You're half frozen," she said dryly.
He slid his cold, damp hands under her sweater, making her yelp and try to squirm away in protest. "Stop that!" she commanded, slapping at his hands.
"But you're so nice and warm," he protested.
"Not if you keep doing that!" But she settled back against him when he withdrew his hands, resting them on her hips.
"I bet I can warm you back up," he grinned, then leaned forward and captured her lips with his. He was just thinking about slipping his hands inside her sweater again when she yelped into his mouth and jumped.
"Bear!" she scolded, and Jane looked down to find the dog standing beside the couch, holding his tugging rope in his mouth and wagging hopefully.
"Bear," he laughed, "what have I told you about watching where you put your cold, wet nose? Hm? Go play with Zelda." He pointed. "See? Zelda would like to play."
Bear trotted over to Zelda, who wagged her tail at his approach. Jane felt Lisbon smile against his neck as they watched. Then she said softly, "Look at them. The cute guy asking the shy girl out on a date."
"Cute, huh? You trying to make me jealous?" He gave her a playful squeeze.
"You're very cute too," she said in a patronizing tone.
He tickled her in retaliation, then kissed her, drinking in her laughter like champagne. They indulged in a series of long, wet smooches until he became aware the dogs were growling and opened one eye to make sure all was well. Bear and Zelda each had hold of one end of the tugging rope and were trying to wrestle it away from the other. He chuckled a little.
Lisbon pulled back and laid her head on his chest. "We should stop. I'm not going to church smelling like sex."
"But eggnog on your breath is okay?"
"Mm hm."
Jane stroked her hair and went back to watching the dogs. Bear had taken the rope and was dancing in and out of Zelda's reach, daring her to try to take it from him.
"He's just like you," Lisbon murmured. "A gorgeous tease."
"Excuse me? I'm not the one who insisted we stop," he said indignantly.
"I'm talking about the decade of flirting that you had no intention of following through on."
"Hey, I had intentions. Just...not immediate ones." He hid a wince. He'd tried to stop flirting with her when he realized she was getting in too deep with him. But she was just so much fun to banter with, and her blushes were so adorable, that he hadn't always been successful.
"Bullshit," she snorted.
"Language, my dear. The little ones are listening."
"The little ones are fighting over a slobbery rope," she retorted. "And it's not like they're going to blurt it out in front of company."
Jane let the bubble of laughter that rose inside him escape. "That would certainly be memorable!"
Lisbon smiled at him, pleased with herself for making him laugh as always. "We could get rich. Us and our talking dogs."
"I've always said you'd look good in a sequined leotard," he grinned.
"I'll wear one if you will," she grinned back.
Jane let out a shout of laughter. Bear turned to look at him, and Zelda snatched the rope while he was distracted.
"That's my girl!" Lisbon said happily. Zelda came over to the couch and crouched down, laying the rope near Lisbon. She picked it up and waited for Zelda to take the other end, and they began a game of tug-of-war. The way Lisbon wiggled against him every time Zelda tugged on the rope was pleasant indeed, and he tightened his arms around her to keep her from being tugged off the couch.
After a respectable interval, Lisbon let Zelda win and settled back down on top of Jane. He slid so he was lying down, and Lisbon stretched herself out like a cozy blanket. The dogs went back to their game; Jane knew from experience that they wouldn't stop until bedtime.
"Hey," he said softly, pausing until she turned her head to look at him. "You know I love you, right?"
She smiled, her eyes holding only a trace of the anxiety that usually accompanied his declarations. "I know," she replied after a moment.
The first time he'd said it, he'd told her that she didn't need to say it back to him unless she really wanted to, so he wasn't expecting it when she continued a little breathlessly. "I love you too."
His heart swelled with relief and joy. He'd waited a long time to hear that, and her timing was perfect. It made his next move so much easier.
Leaning forward to kiss her, he moved his free hand between the couch cushion and the couch itself, pulling out the ring he'd stashed there earlier and, under the guise of playing with her fingers, slipped it on her. It took her a few seconds to register what had just happened, and when she pulled back from the kiss her eyes were almost comically wide. He couldn't help but smile. "Merry Christmas, Teresa."
Slowly, she brought her left hand up in front of her face and stared at the row of diamonds now gracing her ring finger. "Jane," she breathed in disbelief. She propped herself up on her elbow, which was a little painful, and then sat up, leaving him bereft of her warmth. "It's—you can't—" She shook her head a little. "You've only been back for two months!"
"Two months, sixteen days, and two hours," he replied, counting from when he'd shown up on her doorstep, not when he'd crossed the border. He hadn't been home until he'd seen her, after all. He sat up so she could see he was taking this seriously.
She gaped at him. He was enjoying the shock in her expression, but the distress creeping into it made him say, "You don't have to wear it if you don't want to. I won't pressure you to set a date or anything. I just wanted you to have it, as a symbol of my commitment to you. A promise that I'm not going anywhere. Because I'm not. I belong with you, and nothing will change that. I'm never leaving you again if I can possibly help it." He picked up her left hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. "And if by chance I do, I will come back to you. I will always come back to you. I promise."
The tears in her eyes were a sign she was remembering the times he'd left her with no such assurance. He deeply regretted them all, and he hoped this would start to make it up to her.
She blinked hard a couple of times, then managed to say, "But I didn't get you anything like this!"
Jane grinned. His earlier perusal of the gifts under the tree led him to believe Lisbon had focused on the practical in an attempt to reverse his recent hobo vibe. He didn't mind; if she wanted to buy him socks and underwear, he was fine with that. Maybe he'd even be fine with new shoes. It was something a spouse would do, and in his mind they were married in all but the legal sense. She was the woman he intended to spend the rest of his life with. That was what mattered.
"You don't need to," he said. "For years, you did all the giving and I did all the taking. I'm reversing that pattern. I want to give you everything you want, and I don't need anything in return." He smiled at her, letting all his love and affection show. "Though the best gift you could possibly give me would be to say yes."
"You really want to get married again?" she asked incredulously.
"Only if it's to you," he replied. "I had the idea we could ask Father Dowd to marry us. Your brothers could come here, and maybe we could do it outdoors in the spring and the dogs could be our attendants. Bear would make a fantastic best man."
Hearing his name, Bear trotted over, wagging his tail and laying the tugging rope hopefully in Jane's lap. Jane took a minute to play with him, giving Lisbon time to compose her thoughts. Tiring of the tug-of-war, he knelt on the floor and began rubbing Bear's tummy, making the dog squirm with ecstasy and eventually flop onto his back so Jane could reach more of his stomach.
"Such a good boy," he crooned, which made Bear's tail speed up. After a moment, Zelda came over, crouching uncertainly as she watched. "You want a tummy rub too, Zelda? Hm? There's nothing like a good tummy rub, is there?"
Zelda wagged her tail and ducked her head, then crept a little closer. Jane reached out carefully to scratch her chin, smiling as she leaned into it. After several minutes of gentle coaxing, he got her to roll over and enjoy herself, tail thumping the floor excitedly as he slid his fingers through her curly belly fur.
Jane glanced up as Bear stood, shook himself, and picked up his rope to carry it to Lisbon. She was watching them with a gentle smile, her eyes a little misty. He could read her thought as clearly as if it were tattooed on her forehead: they were already a family. The engagement was a formality.
He smiled back at her to show her he understood.
"Yes," Lisbon said softly. Then she grinned. "But only for the kids' sake."
Jane laughed, startling Zelda as he sprang to his feet and sat back down on the couch so he could draw his fiancée into his arms. She kissed him enthusiastically, and he smiled as she threaded her fingers through his hair and he felt the cool touch of the metal against his scalp.
This was his new family, he thought happily. A little unconventional, maybe, but a loving one he would always be glad to come home to. To build a home with. He would never take that for granted.
This was the first Christmas in far too long that he felt like celebrating. He promised himself he would treasure every moment of it.