Hello again,
Thank you everyone for your great reviews. They made me so happy!
This chapter is quite longer than the first one, so in accordance with that the next post might not be as quickly posted. Sorry, it all depends on how quickly 'the muse' decides to send it's sweet honeyed words into my ear.
Secrets Alone
"Teresa, would you do me the great honor of marrying me…again?"
Lisbon sighed, jutting her hip out to the side. One of the most feminine movements Jane had seen her do in recent years, other than the common womanly ailment of moving hair out of her face.
"Yes." She replied, stunning him and the rest of the team half the death. The thing that actually probably killed him, and the team, was the next action. Agent Carter leaned forward and sealed the proposal with a quick kiss; his stupid, meaty hand cupping the back of Lisbon's head as he did so.
"But this time, we're definitely going to be having some marital problems."
"All the better." Agent Carter replied with a laugh. He swiveled his body so that they were both leaning against the coffee station. He was almost the perfect height for Lisbon, his arm rested fittingly across her shoulders. Jane's eyes narrowed at the complacency with which Lisbon allowed this strange man to touch her. She didn't really like anyone touching her. It had taken Jane two years just to get Lisbon used to fact that he liked to stand near her, shoulder to shoulder. Let alone actually physically touching her, and this pompous jackass was invading her personal space and touching her, and leaning on her and kissing her within, what? five seconds of meeting her?
Slow down, Patrick. He warned himself. Agent Carter had said again; which more than likely meant they had been married before. Wait a minute! He stopped himself again; surely he would have picked up on that tidbit of information off of Lisbon. That kind of reality would travel off her in waves. That would have been one of the first things he would have noticed about her. Perhaps this marriage thing was a ruse…he needed to stop thinking about this and start focusing on what the hell was currently happening to his nice little boxed in world. The CBI world he had created.
Van Pelt was nearly having a coronary. This was exactly the kind of news she expected Lisbon to have shared with her the immediate instance their work relationship had traversed into the friendship category. They weren't overt at the office about the fact that they hung out sometimes. Other than the occasional mention of some group activity they did together, she was quite sure the team realized she and Lisbon did yoga together, but she wasn't sure if they knew they did other things too. It was hard, with the cases they worked, to keep too many female friends. Knowing you might have to pick up a leave at any moment meant creating plans with girl friends could be a hassle and once you got to certain point in your friendship, friends were okay with the lifestyle ramifications that being a CBI agent had, but you first had to get to that point in the friendship. Grace certainly hadn't really come across too many women like that. She had always wanted to be in the law enforcement business (if you could call it a business) but once she had left school and begun working she had come to find that she had really only made friends with people in the CBI. Any other outside womanly influence was hard to come by. That's why she was so shocked, she had thought her friendship with Lisbon had progressed to the stage that even little hints about this mega-important event in her past might have been dropped. I mean, she wasn't expecting Lisbon to just bare all or anything, it wasn't in her nature, but still a little, casual 'I used to be married to an man-god made out of perfectly sculpted chocolate' might have been nice!
Cho felt his jaw desire the need to drop, but he resisted. He certainly didn't want Lisbon to think he didn't believe she was capable of being married before, although…this man didn't come across as the type of man she dated. Lisbon needed a foil to her seriousness; this man 'Agent Carter' seemed intense like her, that couldn't have lead to a very interesting relationship. Both of them would have been so work-orientated that he doubted they'd ever had fun. Cho definitely thought Lisbon needed more entertainment and light-heartedness in her life. She had relaxed ten-fold since Jane had started working here; she even started being sarcastic more. But perhaps that was the point. He stopped dwelling on this new piece of information. He would have time later on in the evening when he was not being paid to work.
Rigsby stood waiting patiently. So what if Lisbon had been married before. It was allowed. If he found it strange she had never mentioned it he didn't dwell on it for too long, besides with Jane around why would you be offering up information like that? Especially since, Jane seemed to find so much pleasure in harassing her, it was only natural she would want to keep that kind of information well away from his greedy psychic fingers.
"So, darling wife, we're going to be having a late lunch at home. But first you need to change." He wasn't even looking at her as he said it, he was staring at Minelli.
"Change?' Lisbon whined.
Whined? The team, plus Minelli, collectively thought, eyebrows rising and thoughts getting caught in tangles of the brain like hairballs caught in tiny kitten's throats.
Lisbon did not whine. Ever. Not for any reason.
Carter grinned. "You my dear T. Cannot, under any circumstances enter our home, dressed like the poster girl for anti-femininity at your local office."
"I am not anti-femininity." She exclaimed, looking far more outraged than everyone thought she should, considering this was Lisbon talking.
"Not usually no." Carter replied, "I brought you a change of clothes." He lifted up a bag that everyone, including Jane, had not seen previously. Jane cursed his weakness of loving being the center of attention. This was exactly the kind of trap he previously had fallen into. Once his brain realized there was a possibility for him to become the man in the spotlight, especially given any encounter where Lisbon was nearby, his usual diligence in looking for clues to the human condition fell to the wayside.
"What is it?" She asked cautiously. There was the Lisbon he knew and loved…platonically.
Jane moved forward a step, trying to peer into the bag too.
"A little memento from marriage's past." Carter stepped away then, most likely getting out of striking range.
"It's been a long time Carter." Lisbon said, immediately sinking back into her professional mode.
"I know that T." Carter replied, equally serious, "but this is important, you know I wouldn't have pulled you in otherwise. And hey, I even went through direct channels too." He grinned slightly, tilting his head toward Minelli.
"You can say no Lisbon." Minelli added.
"He wouldn't have asked if there was another way." Lisbon replied, completely serious with her superior.
Minelli nodded, "before you head out 'home', brief the team."
Lisbon and Carter nodded.
"First things first. Change." Carter commanded. Van Pelt fully expected Lisbon to deny the request, simply because he had commanded, but she didn't. She looked ready to obey. The plastic shopping bag was in her hand and she was about to retreat into her office when she suddenly turned about.
"Did you bring my music? You know it makes the transition easier." Lisbon said.
Jane was confused, and that was something that didn't happen very often, but it was increasingly occurring around Teresa Lisbon. He wasn't quite sure if he liked it or not.
Transition, what exactly was this agent getting Lisbon into?
Carter simply replied, "It's all in the bag." She grinned at that, like they were sharing some intimate secret. Jane didn't like it, not one bit.
Lisbon didn't have secrets from him. Oh she had things she wanted to keep personal and private, things he had acknowledged in some part of his brain, but kept himself from thinking about too deeply, so that he, in effect, was respecting her privacy. It was like a switch in his brain, one that he had to consciously choose not to turn on. If Lisbon knew all the things he knew about her, the things she didn't want anyone to know… She wasn't ready for that kind of knowledge, that kind of intimacy with him. But she had surprised him, apparently there were entire sections of her life that she kept very well-hidden, so hidden in fact that Patrick Jane, Psychic Consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation, didn't even know about them. Hadn't even picked up a tiny, little inkling of; it made him very nervous. Who exactly was Teresa Lisbon?
A few silent tense moments passed. Lisbon was currently undressing and redressing in her office, the blinds closed and the door shut. Van Pelt and Rigsby were open in their blatant staring of Agent Carter. Cho was quite stealthy in his observations but still, kind of obvious to Jane. He realized though that Agent Carter wasn't aware of these developments. The man was too focused on Lisbon and her office. He idly wondered what kind of 'marriage' they must have had. When you got someone as wonderful as Teresa Lisbon to agree to marry you, you didn't just let her go at the drop of a hat.
Lisbon's door suddenly opened, only a quarter of the way though. She stood shielding herself behind the door.
"No way. You can't expect me to wear this." She sounded slightly tortured.
"T. This is modest compared to the last time." Agent Carter sounded amused. No, scratch that, he was amused.
"Carter!" She exclaimed, pulling out the name so it sounded eerily similar to how she addressed Jane. Jane's eyes narrowed. He had thought he was the only one capable of annoying her so, apparently he had been wrong. He didn't like it.
"Look. You said yourself…we're having marital problems. You need to relax." Agent Carter's face completely transformed as he grinned and teased Lisbon.
Van Pelt had to stifle an intake of air. He was gorgeous! She had known he was a handsome man, but geez… he rivaled Jane in sex appeal. The man oozed confidence and attractiveness. She'd make a fortune if she could bottle him up. Hmm, she idly wondered just what a concoction of Jane and this Agent Carter would be like…Eau de Jarter *insert french accent here*....brilliant.
Jane couldn't even find it in himself to be amused at Van Pelt's reaction, and consequently Rigsby's. Cho though was thoroughly amused. Van Pelt and Rigsby, Jane and Lisbon, when had the unit turned into Days of Our Lives in all of its soapie content?
"There's no way I'm EVER going to be relaxed enough to wear…that." She cried.
"Well good thing it's not you wearing it isn't it Lisbon." He said, quietly, dangerously. His emphasis of her last name making the room pause.
Her eyes fluttered closed. She swallowed and looked him directly in the eye. "Of course, Carter. I'll be ready soon." Her voice was tight and controlled; the ultimate Lisbon, devoid of humanity, femaleness, compassion.
She closed the door again, and a loud, pumping bass-lined song streamed out of her office. Lisbon never listened to music on duty. This must have been what she was mentioning before, about needing music.
Jane realized this must be some sort of undercover operation. Lisbon was switching mental gearings. She was preparing herself for a role. But she was taking this entirely too far in seriousness. Although perhaps she wasn't. For Agent Carter, unknown agency, to take the matter outside of his own people, and to enlist the aid of Lisbon – through Minelli, meant that this was a very serious, and a potentially extremely, very dangerous operation. If he had used Lisbon before for a similar – wait, possibly the same operation that would make sense. He had to have Lisbon play the part, and perhaps she even needed to play the same part. It was all starting to click into place for Jane. He needed to shuck off his emotions for this, whatever he was feeling toward Lisbon and Agent 'meaty, clutchy paws' Carter could be dealt with later. This was very delicate. Lisbon needed him to be on his 'A' game. She was obviously already feeling the pressure. She must know exactly what she was being asked to do, and soon the rest of the team would too, they just had to wait for her to finish getting dressed and they would be briefed on the situation.
Obviously even Minelli was worried about Lisbon going in alone, he'd made it a requirement of her co-operation that the entire team were to be involved not just Lisbon. What were they getting into this time?
Agent Carter picked up Lisbon's forgotten coffee and began sipping at the cooling beverage. Jane grimaced at the familiarity of the action…well, he inwardly grimaced, he really only let his true emotions show around Lisbon. She had somehow managed to weasel her way under his showmanship defenses. How had she done that? Again, he reminded himself, not the time to be pondering your relationship with Lisbon, or lack thereof.
Shut up! He scolded himself again.
Van Pelt, Cho and Rigsby had seated themselves on the desks. They probably felt that sitting down on the chairs was too relaxed, and standing would give off a too tense stance, by seating themselves on the desks, they were affecting a calm they didn't possess.
Jane knew this feeling intimately. It was why he trained himself to recline on the couch. He spent a lot of time affecting relaxation and calm. Traits he may not be feeling in the moment. It was definitely a large part of his on-screen persona. People wouldn't trust you if you didn't exude confidence and calm. They wouldn't open up to you and they certainly didn't feel the need to believe you, and that was key for his past business, even elements of his present business. It didn't matter so much now the team knew him rather well, so he didn't need to be on show, completely – all the time. But he did want to keep the traits well varnished; and what better way to do that than to display assurance and calmness when he felt none. It was one of his most used tricks at the institution, where he had spent a significant amount of time after his wife and daughter were murdered.
The music emanating from Lisbon's office abruptly stopped, a few seconds later her door opened, and the Lisbon that was no longer his Lisbon stepped out.
Agent Carter could almost hear their jaws drop.
I know, I know - it's an undercover operation! A teensy bit of a cliche, but I just could not let Lisbon have been actually married to someone AND Jane hadn't figured that tidbit out. That just felt wrong, I mean I know Jane is a Mentalist, and he's only human, but really, I don't think you could hide such a huge part of your psyche (as in being actually married before) from Jane.
Also, Lisbon's the type of person to take marriage extremely seriously, I don't think she would find it a frivolous union. She'd be heartbroken if her 'marriage' (a real one, mind you) feel apart. You know 'cause of all the family issues she has.
Anyway, I hope you are all still finding this very interesting.
Arc, please review!
