The Red Vodka (Grace Van Pelt)

It's been a bad case, the worst of her short career and the only thing that keeps her from hugging herself and crying for what it'd probably be a long, long time is the fact that her boss and the rest of the team are with her. Well, and that she's pretty tipsy on the way of getting completely drunk.

"Did you like to play with fire?"

She is flirting, in a very blatant way that would probably be embarrassing if it weren't because Wayne is not very sober himself and nobody else is really paying attention to them.

"I still like to play with fire; I just don't work with it anymore."

Rigsby isn't really into the conversation but Grace smiles anyway and drinks from his glass forgetting all around them till their boss gets up and leaves.

She finishes her vodka with cranberry juice and looks around for a waiter to ask for another one without much luck. Maybe it's for the best, because getting drunk and flirting with a coworker who -she knows- likes her, is probably not one of her brightest ideas.

Even more so since she likes Wayne back too.

So she tries to focus, she really does but the dimness of the bar coupled with the way one of the lights from the dance floor hits her right in the eyes every once in a while are really no help and Jane and Cho are just too quiet to grab her interest except, well, Jane is Jane and he is always interesting with all his mysterious talents and games.

She sighs loudly - or as loudly as you can sigh in a noisy bar - and thinks about how her life would be if she could read minds too, how would it be to know what people is thinking of you, or of anyone for that matter. To know their fears and their hopes, when they are lying to you even if it's for your own good or when they are trying to surprise you.

Grace decides that it's not something that she would like that much and not for the first time she finds herself wondering about Jane's marriage; she wonders if his wife knew the truth and she agreed to tag along or if she was just fooled like the rest of the world. Did he ever use manipulating tricks to seduce her? Did he ever toy with her mind to get out of an argument? She just doesn't seem to be able to stop at one question. He knows he is a good person she is just not sure what kind of person he might have been before.

Rigsby's hand brushes her naked arm as he reaches for his drink and she feels suddenly too warm inside. Her cheeks must be as red as her drink, which is too good and not good at all all at once and she shakes her head lightly and tries to distract herself once again.

"Can you turn it off?" Her voice sounds estranged even to her own ears and she doesn't feel brave enough to look at Wayne so she tries again with a little more confidence "Do you… Do you ever turn it off?"

Jane looks at her over the table, showing the beginnings of a smile that doesn't quite reach his face. His eyes are sad and sweet and maybe a little patronizing but she doesn't really care because she can feel Wayne getting closer, can even feel the heat his body irradiates at her left side. She can feel the excitement starting to build up inside her and the need for a distraction; Patrick Jane's eyes are not a bad place to fix her drunken attention.

Not a bad place at all.

"I guess I don't," says Jane with a small voice that it's heard above all the rest.

"But, can you do it? Turn it off, I mean," her tongue betrays her, twisting in the simplest words.

"Not exactly," he looks at her in the eye with that non-committal expression that makes her irremediably smile- "it's like noticing the colors. You can't help noticing that chair is green but you can avoid asking yourself if it's more of an emerald green than a mint green or another kind of green altogether."

"That chair is green?" Wayne asks with surprise, "I would have sworn it's blue."

She giggles and Jane smiles just a bit "It's green. Turquoise green" and drinks what's left of his beer. "I'm going to go get another one."

Before she can do anything about it the object of her distraction is up and gone and she is back to Cho minding his own business and Wayne at her side, being nice and warm and real after the worst week of her life.

For several minutes no one says anything more aside from Cho and Rigsby asking the waitress for a refill.

"He is not going to come back," says Rigsby.

"No," confirms Cho.

Grace looks at the distant counter that looks fuzzy and very far away and thinks that she can spot Jane and the Boss when people don't get in the way. They seem as close and comfortable as an long time couple, although, of course, could be the alcohol making her see things that are not really there; that possibility doesn't prevent her from lowering her head as if going to tell a secret and speak.

"Do you think there's something between those two?" She can barely hold back a wide smile at the prospect.

Cho shakes his head and sighs loudly as if the mere idea was nothing but ridiculous and Rigsby puts on a surprised expression while lowering his voice tone, "Jane and the boss?"

"Sure. He's nice to her."

"Jane is nice to everybody!" says Wayne with disbelief.

Grace takes a moment to think about it. Rigsby does have a point.

"Yes, well, she is nice to him," she points a finger at him, "and don't say she is nice to everybody too, because that's just not true."

"She's nice to him because he helps us solve cases," Rigsby takes a long swallow of his drink before speaking again. "Besides… it's Patrick Jane!"

She arches her eyebrow and looks intensely at Rigsby, waiting for the waitressto finish serving the drinks before speaking again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He laughs like the answer is obvious, "Well, he is a good guy and stuff, but he is, you know, weird."

"He is mysterious," she makes a pause for effect, "in an attractive way."

"What?!" It's all he can do not to choke and she has to laugh a little at the predictability of the reaction.

Cho chooses that moment to stand up and take one last gulp of his beer before leaving some money on the table and grabbing his jacket.

"I'm heading home guys."

She waves her hand goodbye and can feel Rigsby's look fixed on her while she follows Cho's farewell.

"Patrick Jane is attractive?"

"Tall, blonde, blue eyes, well built… yes, I would say he is attractive."

"But he wears vests!" he seems scandalized, "who the hell wears vests?"

She just keeps her smile and says nothing.

"I really can't believe you're telling me that you find Jane attractive."

"I didn't say that, I said he was attractive. Objectively speaking."

He smiles.

"Besides we aren't talking about me. We're talking about The Boss."

"I see."

"Jane is an attractive guy and she is nice to him and since he is just a consultant they wouldn't break any Bureau rule."

He puts on a knowing smile "Oh, I see."And puts his arm on the back of her chair "Rules"

He gets nearer, so near that she can smell the scotch from his mouth and the faint aroma of his morning cologne and a day of dark coffees.

"What are you doing?" She has to whisper it because she can't find her voice.

He doesn't answer, not immediately. He stares at her eyes and at her lips. And his fingers find her hair and start stroking her red locks.

"Nothing" he says then in a voice that sounds like unmade beds at midnight, "Just a little of what Jane does second best" he lingers to her and she can feel her pulse racing up, "breaking the rules a little."

And then he just leans all the way and kisses her lips, sweet and slow, and it feels so good that she doesn't even notice when her elbow pushes the glass and the red vodka spills all over the table.

What the hell, she's drunk, they are alone and it has been the worst week of her life, so she kisses him right back and forgets about the world.