Author's Note: I really wanted to write a Christmas fanfic and I got the idea for this. It was originally supposed to be a one-shot but it snowballed into this. Like I said in the summary, RJ is gone, but the CBI is still around(because I still really miss the CBI!) and Jane hasn't gotten the guts to tell Lisbon how he feels. But he's decided Christmas will be a great time. I hope you all enjoy it!
Disclaimer: The Mentalist does not belong to me.
Lisbon looked down at the invitation sitting on her desk. It was red, green and white. Very festive. Unfortunately, Lisbon wasn't feeling festive. She didn't even have a tree up at home. Hell, she didn't even have a tree to set up at all! Usually she went back to see Tommy and the rest of her family in Chicago, but not this year. She just wasn't up for it this year and everyone in Chicago had such conflicting schedules that she didn't see the point. She didn't want to go to this CBI Christmas Gala either. However, this she couldn't avoid. She was the head of her team and the team needed to be funded. She would never understand why rich people felt the need to get dressed up to give away money. Oh, god. Speaking of getting dressed up, she didn't have a dress either. Vacation started in three days, and the gala was to mark its start. She did not have the will to dress shop. Nothing was open now, anyway. She would have to go tomorrow…or the day after…or never. Irritably, Lisbon sighed and turned off her computer. It was dark and the team had already gone home. Maybe if she went home and relaxed, she could put herself in a better mood.
"You still here?" Jane asked, sauntering into her office as he often did.
So much for good mood. "Just leaving." Lisbon replied, flatly.
"Why so glum?" Jane stuck his hands in his pockets and walked to stand on the other side of her desk.
"I'm not glum."
"Liar."
Lisbon made a face at him before going back to packing up her things.
Jane noticed the gala invitation on her desk and quickly picked it up. Lisbon tried to grab it from him, but he held it behind himself so she couldn't reach it from behind her desk. He raised a brow at her.
"Whatever." She huffed and returned to the task at hand.
Jane glanced over the invitation. It looked almost exactly like the one he had gotten, but this one had Lisbon's name on it instead. "You're nervous about this gala, huh?"
"No."
"I detect a small lie."
"I'm not lying." Lisbon put her hands on her hips.
Jane studied her for another moment. "Hm…okay. Not nervous. Dreading. Yes. Dreading."
"Is this what you came here for? To tease me about the gala? Don't you have some Christmas shopping to do? A new house to buy? You said you were looking. Find something else to do with your time that isn't harassing me."
"But harassing you is the most entertaining thing for me to do." Jane grinned.
Lisbon huffed, putting on her jacket.
"I did actually want to ask you something." Jane told her, handing back the invitation, which she took. "Would you like to go to the gala with me?"
Lisbon stopped to look at him, surprised. Did he really just…?
"Don't look so surprised, Teresa. Who else would I really go with?"
"Are you playing me?"
"No. Of course not, Teresa!" Jane was actually offended.
Lisbon gave him a suspicious look.
"Honestly. Look. Okay. I promise no shenanigans if you go with me."
"And if I don't go with you?" Lisbon raised a brow.
"I can promise, there will be shenanigans."
Lisbon frowned. "Are you threatening me to go with you?"
"No. I'm giving incentive."
"Well, your 'incentives' sound threatening."
"Well, I was not done with the incentives."
"Oh?"
"I know this great little place that's open just for the holidays and is open late that has the best roasted walnuts. They've also got candy canes and other festive foods. I will buy you as much as you like tonight and we can go back to your place and eat them." Jane smiled, pleased with his offer.
"You're bribing me with food and threatening me with shenanigans?"
"Stop wasting time. You and I both know that you really want some candy canes and roasted walnuts."
A small smile tugged at the corner of Lisbon's mouth as she grabbed her briefcase. "Fine. I'll go with you. But only because I really want some candy canes, roasted walnuts and to not get yelled at for your shenanigans."
Jane smiled brightly, clapping his hands together. "I thought you would come around. I'll go get my coat and we'll head out. We'll take my car."
"No. We're going to take my car."
"I don't think so."
"Well, I do think so."
"Do you know where this place is?" Jane asked.
"No."
"Then I'll be driving your car. Do you really want me driving your car?"
Lisbon pursed her lips. "No."
"Then it looks like we're taking my car." Jane smiled as he headed over to his bullpen couch to grab his jacket and they headed out.
The little shop wasn't busy at all. Of course it was almost 10pm on a Tuesday night. Lisbon couldn't help but smile at the quaint little shop with a sign over it that read Jolly Christmas Market. Jane quickly parked the car and they both headed inside, Jane holding the door open for Lisbon as the bells hanging over it jingled with the doors movements. They were both hit with the scent of Christmas cooking the moment the door was opened. There were gingerbread houses, candy canes, walnuts and so many more Christmas themed treats that Lisbon was almost overwhelmed. Jane ushered her further in with his hand at her back as they browsed the Christmas treats.
"Is there something I can help you two with?"
Lisbon jumped slightly, not expecting a foreign voice.
"Hello, Lacy." Jane smiled, giving the aging woman a small wave.
"Hello, Patrick." Lacy replied happily. She had graying hair and wrinkling skin, but everything else about her was young and vibrant. She fixed something behind the counter and then went over to see them. "This must be your lovely friend, Teresa." Lacy looked Lisbon up and down before giving her a hug and Lisbon blushed slightly and gave Jane a strange look that he shrugged off. Lacy then gave Jane a hug and fixed her apron. "What can I do for you two tonight?"
"Your finest roasted walnuts and candy canes, please." Jane answered.
"You'll have to be a little bit more specific than that." Lacy winked. "All of it is the finest."
"Good point." Jane nodded. "Even Saint Teresa stole a candy cane from me the other day."
"Excuse me!" Lisbon blushed deeper, frowning at Jane. "I did not!"
"Well what do you call eating it without my permission?"
"You left it on my desk! What was I supposed to think!?"
"That I left it there for safe keeping so no one else would take it." Jane grinned.
Lisbon shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"It's okay. I forgive you, Teresa."
Lisbon smacked his chest lightly and Jane placed a hand over the spot, contorting his face in mock pain for a moment before chuckling.
"I can't go anywhere with you where I won't be teased, can I?"
Lacy chuckled at them. "It's alright, dear. I'm sure he's teasing with care. My husband loves to tease me all the time too."
"Where is Henry tonight?" Jane asked, changing the topic.
"He's closing up at the bakery with Amy and Jason. They're going to head over after to help me close."
"That's very nice." Jane commented.
"Amy? Jason?" Lisbon asked.
"My daughter and her fiancé. They're visiting for the holidays." Lacy explained.
"Oh, that sounds nice." Lisbon smiled and nodded.
"We won't keep you too long, then." Jane said. "Just stopped in to get some tasty treats."
"Right, of course. I'm sure you both want to get home as well." Lacy gestured to the store. "Get whatever you want. Special prices for state agents." She winked and headed back to the counter.
"Go ahead and pick something." Jane nudged Lisbon's shoulder with his own.
Lisbon looked down at a nearby table that supported an assortment of treats and began to pick. It wasn't long before they had two baggies filled with Christmas treats and were checking out at the cashier.
"You state agents really do have an appetite, don't you?"
"Well, it's the best, right?" Lisbon smiled, pulling her wallet out of her pocket.
"I told you it was on me." Jane said to Lisbon, opening his own wallet.
"We have two bags of stuff, Jane. I've got to at least pay for one of them. That's too much for me to just make you pay for."
"I offered, so it's fine, Teresa."
"It's not."
But Jane had handed Lacy his money. "Keep the change. Do you see what I deal with? She can be so difficult."
"Hey!" Lisbon blushed and frowned at him.
Lacy laughed, handing them back their baggies. "Beauty and brains always are. Henry will know. He's had to live with me all these years."
"Cheeky." Jane commented.
"Well, I have to stay hip with you kids and your fancy lingo, don't I?"
"You do a very good job." Jane assured her.
"Thank you. Always good to hear. Have a nice night, you two."
"You too." Lisbon smiled, taking one of the baggies and Jane took the other one as they left.
"She a friend of yours?" Lisbon asked after they were back in Jane's car and she'd done up her seatbelt.
"A relatively new one." Jane nodded, starting the car.
"How did you even find out about this place?"
"She and her husband run a bakery just a few blocks away from headquarters. Since…you know. He has been gone, I've been going for longer walks and I ventured in a few times and we started talking. I asked her if she had Christmas treats and she said that they leased this place out for the holiday season so they could have a whole store dedicated to Christmas things. It's her favourite holiday."
"That's sweet." Lisbon smiled, looking back down at her bag of Christmas treats.
"I thought so too." Jane agreed, pulling the car out of the small parking lot and driving to Lisbon's place.
-Mentalist-
They spent the car ride in a comfortable silence starting to nibble at the Christmas goodies.
"Sorry my place isn't much to look at." Lisbon said as she unlocked her front door and they stepped inside.
"It's fine, Teres-where's your Christmas tree?" Jane looked at her living room in disbelief.
"I told you it wasn't much to look at." Lisbon rolled her eyes.
"But you should have a tree. Even the bullpen at work has a tree."
"And that's all the decoration I needed." Lisbon threw her coat on a nearby chair. "Are we going to eat these treats or not?"
"Yes. And after we buy you a dress for the Christmas gala, we're getting you a Christmas tree."
"That's ridiculous." Lisbon shook her head. "It's only, what, five days until Christmas? It wouldn't be up long. There's no point."
"There is a point. It'll cheer you up." Jane said, taking a seat on her couch and opening up his bag of treats. "You'll feel more festive. You'll see. When it's up, you'll feel better."
"I don't even have anything to decorate it with." Lisbon sat down next to him and reached into her own bag.
"Lies. You have at least three Christmas ornaments from your childhood upstairs hidden in a dark corner of your closet. Or under your bed."
Lisbon glanced at him and continued to eat the sugar cookie she had pulled out of her bag.
"Under your bed it is."
Lisbon just grumbled, but didn't reply otherwise.
"How about some Christmas movies to make up for the lack of decorations, then." Jane suggested. "I'm sure we'll find something on TV if you don't have any in your movie cabinet."
"I don't think I've ever seen you so festive at Christmas." Lisbon said as she picked up the remote to see what she could find on TV.
"Things have changed."
"Well, I'm glad to see that you're happy." Lisbon smiled at him.
"Thank you. Oh-the Nutcracker! Let's watch that."
"You want to watch The Nutcracker?" Lisbon smirked.
"It's a classic. Of course I do."
"Fine then." Lisbon laughed. "How about something to drink with our treats? Some wine since everything has to be a classic?"
"Sounds like a wonderful idea, thank you." Jane nodded and Lisbon got up to find some wine.
-Mentalist-
After The Nutcracker, they found another movie and half way through that one, Lisbon began to doze off. Jane himself was feeling sleepy by the end of the movie and he glanced down at Lisbon, whose head had fallen to his shoulder in her sleep. He smiled slightly and debated what he should do. Should he wake her up or not? He decided against waking her up and decided to tuck her into bed, but first he had to get her to her room. She adjusted them so that he could slide one arm under her legs and the other behind her back, picking her up gently. He carried her up the stairs and managed to tuck her in without her waking up. She stirred for a moment as he tucked the blankets around her, but he shushed her back to sleep, tucking some hair behind her ear. When he was satisfied that she was comfortable, he got up and went over to the guest room.
Yes, everything was changing now that Red John was out of the picture. All the things he had never said were going to be said, especially all the things he had wanted to say to Lisbon. But not all at once, because he knew it would just overwhelm and scare her. He was going to make sure she had a great Christmas and he was going to make sure to leave nothing unsaid.
Author's NOte: So that's chapter one! Please review and let me know what you think!
