Title: No way!

Author: Jocelyn McC (aka LisbonFan)

Rating: T (?)

Categories: Flirting, Friendship, Fluff

Pairing: Teresa Lisbon & Patrick Jane

Plot: Lisbon injures her arm while chasing a murderer. What will happen when Jane presses her to let him help her out?

Attention: Not beta-read. If you encounter mistakes, they are all mine. I'll be glad to get rid of them though, so just leave me a note or PM.

Do not post anywhere else without the author's permission.

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„Lisbon!" Jane shouted through the hall, alerting several cops to his presence as he was hunting after his colleague. In his hurry to catch up to her, he stumbled over a box and knocked over a pile of sheets, yet the angry shouting of one of the secretaries did not distract him from his goal for even a second. When he finally caught her by the elbow, he was out of breath and holding his side in an attempt to soothe the pain that the lack of oxygen had caused.

"Lisbon, didn't you hear me shouting?"

"I did."

"So why didn't you stop." Jane asked exaggeratedly and adding, "Ah! I've got a stitch."

Lisbon eyed him suspiciously, not even patting one eye. "What do you want?"

"You're not allowed to drive. I'll bring you home. Just give me a second."

"Jane! I'm fine. I don't need a babysitter."

"Ah-ah!" Jane wiggled his finger in front of her face. "Doctor's orders. Those pain meds are much too strong and, besides, with just one functioning arm how do you plan to ride anyways?"

"None of your problems, Jane." Lisbon growled and added a fierce stare in order to get rid of her consultant. Yet, she had asked herself before if it was such a great idea to be travelling home alone. She could be a potential risk to others in the evening traffic and having seen more causalities than most people in their lives, she questioned whether her strong sense of independence should not be sacrificed for once. In the following second, her inner conflict was decided for her. Jane had identified and seized his chance.

"Not going to stare me out of this one."

"Fine!" Lisbon snapped, giving in to him.

Jane's victory was short-lived, however, for the minute Lisbon had given in to him, she rushed to the parking lot at a speed he would get a ticket for. He tried to keep up with her, but his aching side would not allow him to move much faster than at a snail's pace. When he finally arrived at his destination, Lisbon was already sitting in his car and mumbling curses like a sophisticated voodoo practitioner.

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Lisbon was still pondering the question of whether it was wise to let Jane drive her home, when his whistling made her redirect her gaze to the object of her thoughts. A glance at his smug looking face settled the question she had been mulling over. It was neither wise nor safe.

"Plotting my downfall?" Jane asked amusedly.

Lisbon just huffed in response.

"You're cute, when you're angry. Did you know that?"

"I'm not."

"Are, too."

"I'm not-Jane!" Lisbon growled in frustration.

Patrick shot her another amused glance and brought the car to a halt in front of her apartment building. He unbuckled his seatbelt and helped Lisbon with hers. When he got outside and fell into step with her, she stopped.

"What are you doing?"

"I was just thinking that there's actually no need for me to drive back to work just to get here by tomorrow to pick you up again. It'd be much easier if I slept at your place and we'd travel back to work in the morning together."

Lisbon was speechless.

"Come on! It's getting cold."

There was no way Lisbon would allow Jane to spend the night. No way!

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Jane watched Lisbon as she snuggled into the blanket, sitting on the couch in her living room. While it is usually said that men are more practical than women, Jane would never be able to live in the small nutshell that Lisbon called her home. He had barely entered the apartment through the front door when he had again stumbled over an object. It had turned out to be a pair of slippers and he had angrily tossed them against the wall. Of course, in hindsight, Jane would deny that his stumbling had anything to do with a certain agent trying, desperately, to shove him out of her apartment.

"Spaghetti are coming" Jane shouted and balanced two plates in his hands.

"Starving!"

"Well, here you go."

"What are we watching?"

"I am watching a documentary about South Africa."

"Boring! Can't we watch The Simpsons?"

"What are you? Ten?" Lisbon gave Jane one of her stern glances, but one look at his puppy face made her sigh and switch the channel. "Satisfied?"

Jane looked at the woman sitting next to him and without paying the television any attention, he answered, "Very."

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The pain meds took their effect on Lisbon when she dozed off after having eaten about half as much as Jane. When Jane saw that she was making herself more comfortable on the couch, he immediately settled back as well and mimicked her yawn. Stretching his arms over his head, he brought them back down with one of them settling on the back of the couch. Incidentally, this meant that his hand came dangerously close to Lisbon's shoulder and who could blame him for starting to play with her hair.

Lisbon let her head fall back against his extended arm and gazed up at him. "So sophomoric."

Jane fixed her eyes with his and just smiled at her like the cat that got the cream. Suddenly, Lisbon felt a tension building and it sobered her somewhat. The man, whom she allowed to cuddle her, was her partner; her untrustworthy partner. A man who had messed with her on more than just one occasion. She should not allow her guard to slip so much as to allow him to glance at her ankle. She let out a deep breath and tried to reason with that part of her brain which continued to whisper how good it felt to be held by Jane.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"It's not that bad."

"No, I guess it isn't."

"Does your arm hurt still?"

"No, it's kind of numb, but the doctor said it should be fine in a few days."

Jane reached out and let his fingertips trail over her bandaged arm. "I'm sorry that I didn't see it coming."

Lisbon shivered from the contact, though she barely felt his wandering fingers through the thick cotton brace. "You're not responsible for what happened. No one could have known that that freak would blow up the whole place with so many people in there." Lisbon softly touched his arm in order to let him know that she did not blame him for the accident.

"But you warned me."

"I knew you wouldn't listen to me," Lisbon sighed. "Whenever do you?"

Jane scratched his chin and continued in a now playfully contemplative voice, "Well, who knew that you'd be right for once."

Lisbon snorted and elbowed him in the side. "Funny."

"Assault! Arrest the woman!"

"I'm the cop, remember? Besides, this is my home so you better behave like a good guest, compliment me on my qualities as a host, you know, that sort of thing."

"Ha! As if you've raised a finger tonight."

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An hour later, Lisbon's head fell onto Jane's shoulder. He had waited for her to fall asleep for some time and, now that she had finally closed her eyes, he allowed himself to ponder her presence at his side. Her thick lashes rested on her cheeks and her uninjured hand was curled around his abdomen. It emanated a safety and warmth that Jane had not felt in a long time. He pressed a soft kiss on her temple and inhaled her flowery scent. His hand was still threading through her hair and without her fierce stares, he was startled at how small and fragile she appeared.

"Lisbon?" Jane whispered, but he received no reaction. "Sweet dreams."

He lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom, where he laid her softly on her bed.

"Jane?"

"Yes?"

"How late is it?"

"It's half past eleven. Go back to sleep."

She seemed to contemplate this fact and eventually answered, "You can sleep on the other side."

"Thanks."

Jane took off his shoes and jacket as well as trousers. He threw them over a chair and slipped under the covers.

"No funny business," Lisbon mumbled and hugged her pillow. Jane ignored her warning and snuggled close to her, being careful of her injured hand. He put an arm around her waist and told her that it was nice to have her close to him. She did not reply, but did not push him away either.

"Good night."

"Night Jane."

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Usually, Lisbon was an early riser, but the following morning it was the shrill sound of her alarm clock that awoke her rudely and chased away the remnants of a very sweet dream she had had. Lisbon turned the offending machine off and wanted to shut her eyes again when she noticed two piercing blue eyes hovering above her.

"Have you been watching me sleep?" she asked Jane, whose head was propped up on one hand.

"I might have."

"Well, stop it."

Jane grinned.

Lisbon huffed and turned around, taking the blanket with her. Jane knew he should tell her that they would be late for work if she did not hurry up, but he could not. He had slept so well this night and it was a surprise that, for once, he had slept at all. There was no way he wouldn't savour this unique situation for as long as possible. He watched as Lisbon slowly freed her bandaged arm and lifted it into the air so as if to check whether it was still mobile. Apparently, she decided it was fine for she brought it back down and laid it on top of her pillow.

"I feel like a mummy with this damn thing."

"Well, now that you mention it-."

"Ha-ha!" Lisbon snorted ironically, but then put on a sweet face. "Will you make me coffee?"

"Sure, I'd do anything for you." Jane said and blew her a kiss while getting out of bed.

Lisbon wanted to roll her eyes at his comment, but his serious expression stopped her in time and she was glad that he was out the door before she had had time to give him a cheeky answer. Without thinking, she got out of bed and put on her slippers. After having brushed her teeth, she went into the kitchen. Only Jane's stares reminded her that she should put on clothes that were less revealing than her pyjama shorts and tank top.

"I was thinking," Jane started once Lisbon reappeared in black trousers and a green shirt, "we could make this a snow day and do something fun."

"We could, but we won't. There are stacks of files on my desk, which all should have been dealt with yesterday."

"Spoilsport."

"Peter Pan."

This little intermezzo was followed by alternatively fierce stares and hidden grins as both tried to drink their coffees without spilling anything. Eventually, they pulled themselves together and headed to Jane's car. Patrick, ever the gentleman, opened the passenger door and helped Lisbon to buckle her seatbelt. Teresa thanked him and wanted to shut the door, but Jane made no move to step away.

Lisbon cleared her throat and tried not to blush, which was quite difficult with Jane being almost on top of her, his face hovering only inches above hers. Lisbon looked at him searchingly and raised her brow in a last attempt to appear unaffected, but Jane did not give one inch.

"Lisbon, I really enjoyed spending time with you. I just – need you to know that."

"Okay."

The tension was back almost instantly and the friendly banter of the last hours forgotten. Lisbon was not quite sure what Jane intended with this comment of his. As far as the friendly banter went, everything could be subsumed under the heading of friendship, but from time to time Jane would confess things so personal that she had a hard time of identifying his motive.

"Okay." Jane repeated her statement, searching her eyes for information.

"Ahm-" Lisbon stammered, biting her lower lip.

Patrick let his eyes stray to her lips and just when she thought he was going to try to kiss her, he seemed to return to reality and his face regained its unreadable mask. The ever charming grin appeared and Lisbon knew that she had escaped.

"So," Jane drew the word out, "we should repeat this tonight. I'll come in handy if you need to open a can or something. Think about it."

No way! Lisbon thought and slammed the door shut.

The End!

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Thanks for reading!

&

I'd like to inform all fellow Jisbon fans that there is a forum available where you can chat about our favourite pair.

Address: jisbon dot freeforums dot org

My second Jisbon story is posted there. Don't know if it's good enough to share it on FF as of yet.

Enjoy!

xxJo