A/N: Thank you for interest in this story! I was shocked by the response! Thank you to my guest reviewers as always! The rest of you guys should already know how very much I appreciate you!

Also, I have made one minor correction to Chapter One which is changing Lisbon's location to Washington State as it should be. I can thank conflicting spoilers for the mistake Green Thumb clarified. I'd gone with Washington State initially; but changed it to reflect what I was reading. My bad!

Just to give you a heads up, it's the desire of my twisted little mind to write a mildly sweet, mildly humorous story lacking any real angst. Since we all know how good I am at writing sweet or humorous or angst free, we'll see how that goes! This one is also definitely going to be AU set in the loosely interpreted CU as I think you can already see! ~Calla

#

Watching Jane disappear into the waiting car, Lisbon waved one final time before closing her door. Turning the lock, she was still amazed it wasn't necessary. Not in this town. She could leave her door wide open if she pleased and nothing would happen. The worse she'd have to worry about was waking up to an overly curious raccoon or opossum where they didn't belong. Like on her bed staring back at her. She seriously doubted anyone in these parts was stupid enough to take her on in her castle…Or anywhere else for that matter…It was general knowledge PC Lisbon packed serious heat.

It was also general knowledge she knew how to use her weapons of choice.

She'd caused quite the ripple last year when she'd taken the "Crown" from the reigning "Sharpshooter" in the annual contest down at the Shooting Range six months after blowing into town. It was bad enough she wasn't a local. But, to add insult to injury, she was a tiny slip of a woman. Some of the rifles she used were bigger than her. Not literally; but, close enough. That didn't change the fact she'd whipped tail and taken no prisoners. Or the fact the "Big Boys" had eventually gotten used to her presence about the time she'd won this year's contest as well without even trying.

Lisbon giggled at the thought she'd gone from expletive to hero with a handful of bullets.

Heading back into her den, she removed her boots and dropped them on the carpet. Sinking down on her couch, she drew her legs up to her chest before grabbing her glass of wine. It was mostly full as she and Jane had spent more time talking than drinking. Taking a sip, she mulled over her evening. Dining with Jane was a déjà vu moment she'd really enjoyed. He'd been an attentive, amusing dinner companion. But, then again, he always was. It wasn't like they hadn't eaten together many times before.

It was what had come afterwards that puzzled her when she'd realized Jane was up to something.

Who was she trying to kid? Jane was always up to something. She'd felt it in her bones. Unfortunately for everyone involved, she had a good idea what that something was. It didn't bode well for any of them. Or maybe it did. The end result depended on how well Abbott and the Feebs took Jane finding a way to wiggle out from under their control.

If they accepted him on his terms, her Mentalist might very well "consult" with them of his own volition. That outcome could be good for everyone involved. Jane was always up for a challenge and their cases could prove quite challenging. Besides, despite his protests to the contrary, the man liked one upping the bad guys. Crime solving was in his blood. However, if they didn't cooperate the world might very well come to an end.

The world as Abbott and Fischer knew it.

Her world might come to an end as she knew it as well. Jane had a way of forcing his way where he had no business going. He was definitely forcing his way back into her life if this day was an indication. For all she knew there might not even be a case. Abbott might just be indulging Jane to butter him up. Disarm him. Make him more inclined to give them what they wanted: his willing cooperation.

She honestly didn't know and didn't care. She did know he'd spent the past few weeks isolated in his detention cell. That just proved how well the Feebs knew their prisoner. Solitary wouldn't break Jane. For all purposes and intent, he'd been in solitary since the night his family was killed. Abbott and crew needed to wake up and smell the coffee. For a man having lived the past dozen years in self-imposed emotional exile, a few months spent staring at four blank walls wouldn't mean a thing.

Deciding not to mull over Jane's impossible stubbornness, Lisbon chose to mediate on that not-quite-a-kiss buss he'd graced her with. She wasn't an idiot. She knew Jane's intent was to stop her delving into areas he wasn't ready to visit so he'd derailed her in the most expedient manner available. He'd also decided to do something he might have secretly wanted to do while he was at it. She knew she'd secretly wanted him to. He'd also opened up another can of worms neither of them anticipated. Now she couldn't get that tender brush of his lips against hers off her mind. While hardly a legitimate kiss, his action was still pleasant to say the least. It made her wonder what it would be like to have a real Jane kiss.

One that was pregnant with intent and promise.

It wasn't like she'd never entertained such thoughts before. She had. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence between partners working so closely together. She may have fleetingly entertained such thoughts about Bosco once upon a time. He'd clearly held such thoughts about her. To their credit, neither of them had ever seriously considered acting on them. Or, if Sam had, he'd been smart enough to keep such inclinations to himself knowing how well she'd handle them.

She knew his wife, and even if she hadn't, he was a married man. Definitely off limits. End of story. Shaking her head, Lisbon decided it was fortunate most partners weren't Rigsby and Van Pelt. They accepted inappropriate thoughts came with the territory and let it go at that. It was impossible not to go through a myriad of emotions when one's life was constantly in the other person's hands.

However, in hindsight, Lisbon decided maybe there was a lot more going on under the surface with Jane than she'd allowed herself to believe. Or that she'd had enough down time to really consider. In fact, she'd steered clear of any such thoughts when she could have. Denial was a beautiful thing. However, she now realized there was more to her feelings than the fact he'd saved her life a few times and kept her safe from Red John.

Minelli had been right. She'd gotten too emotionally involved with Jane and his situation early on. It was hard not to. While she'd found him an annoyance from the start, she'd also been drawn to the complexity that was Patrick Jane. Like it or not, the course of her life had been irrevocably changed from that moment on.

Taking another sip of wine, Lisbon contemplated Dan and the proposal she knew was still floating around out there. The one that said accepting was all she had to do to spend the rest of her life on easy street. Let a man she didn't love put an oversized piece of carbon on her finger and the deal was done.

She so wasn't going there.

Besides, she wasn't stupid. Had she not been the PC, her ex-lover would have never given her a second glance. Or maybe he would have as a potential conquest and bed partner; but, never a legitimate girlfriend or fiancée. His family was old money and he took his affluence seriously. Even Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon of the CBI wouldn't have been good enough to meet his internal criterion. In fact, were she not instrumental in destroying the abomination she used to work for, it would have been a giant mark against her that she'd ever worked there in the first place. Forget the cases she'd solved and the good she'd done. None of that would have mattered to the golden boy.

Lisbon snorted derisively at her past actions. She'd foolishly forced herself to put her old life behind her. She'd attempted building a future of sorts that didn't include Jane. Or any other man for that matter. They all seemed to lack what it took to ask the PC out. All except one Daniel B. Longfrew. Had she had better options, she wouldn't have dated a pompous ass like Dan in the first place. It didn't matter he was a decent man in every other way. Or that he treated her very well. He still had that air of superiority she despised.

Chugging a beer at the local cop bar was totally beneath him and shooting a game of pool? Do not go there. Oh, and he'd never been particularly nice to Henry when he'd dropped by to visit her. Not a mark in his favor, either. Henry was the man in Lisbon's opinion. The lovable dork would take a bullet for her. That meant everything in her world even if he annoyed the hell out of her at times.

She'd made the right decision in giving Dan his walking papers. And she was making the right decision in going to bed now. If she didn't miss her guess, Jane would be ringing her doorbell bright and early even before she was awake. Rising to her feet, Lisbon carried the two empty glasses into the kitchen and gave them a quick wash before heading for the stairs.

#

One month later

Walking down the hall with her bag in hand, Lisbon dared anyone to try to stop her. She'd been right about the lay of the land. Well, about parts of it anyway. Not about everything. She certainly hadn't expected this latest turn of events.

What she had been right about was Jane's visit.

There really hadn't been a case at that point. The whole thing was just Abbott testing the waters. He'd wanted to make sure she and her bosses would really cooperate when the time came for her to lend him a hand for more than a few hours. Not that he'd given her any choice. He hadn't. She resented the high-handedness the man was displaying. It was her life and her job. She should be the one choosing whether she wanted to play in his sandbox. If she'd had her druthers, she'd say, "Not."

She was fairly content shoveling dirt in her own sandbox.

He'd also wanted to make sure his people could handle Jane in the field. While a definite flight risk, he considered taking the chance worth it in the end. It was better to lose his quarry on a casual outing than in the midst of a high profile case. Of course the arrogant ass would never admit such a thing or ask for her help in restraining Jane ahead of time. No way. That would make everyone's life too easy. He preferred demanding her presence and letting her know what was happening after the fact. But, she'd read between the lines anyway. Jane's visit was a test run on the taxpayers' dollar. Abbott didn't want anything to go awry when the real deal came down the pipe. It wouldn't reflect well on him or his team if it did.

However, she'd been right a case was coming. One had followed soon after just as she expected. A case that was clear across the country in Brooklyn of all places. While she'd known the FBI's cases could be anywhere, she hadn't expected that. Somehow, she'd thought they would mainly be on the West Coast which clearly wasn't right.

However, she had realized the case was legit when Fischer, not Jane, showed up on her doorstep to escort her back to Austin. She'd wanted to turn the Agent down but couldn't. Her bosses had already given the go ahead to her accompanying the woman back to Texas. She'd been caught between a rock and a hard place and reacted accordingly. She'd gone without a whimper.

Fortunately, Jane had wrapped the case up with his usual flare proving the FBI wasn't wrong in their assumptions. He was a case solving fool. He was also a royal pain in everyone's butt. He'd bailed yet again and gotten his rear in a sling again. However, that wasn't all bad. She'd gotten a golden opportunity in the midst of the aggravations she'd never seen coming. The chance to tell the sneaky bastard point blank how much he'd hurt her again. Especially when he'd disappeared and she'd thought he wasn't coming back. She'd been surprised at how blunt she'd been. She'd been equally surprised he'd sincerely apologized for his actions. It seemed even Jane had realized he no longer had his quest to hide behind. Red John was gone. She'd been deeply touched and forgiven him as usual. What else was new?

Stopping dead in her tracks, Lisbon gathered her thoughts and schooled her features. As far as Jane knew, the crap had hit the fan and he was done. Not that she thought he really cared. Or that he really believed it for that matter. As far as he was concerned, he was still in the midst of playing "Little Jane Games." If he lost and spent the rest of his life in jail, so be it. She knew differently.

He'd already won.

Placing her hand on the knob, Lisbon opened the door to find Jane sprawled on his bed deep in thought. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. It was a good thing the man was so cerebral since his room was starkly barren. Catching his attention, Lisbon pushed through the door to walk over to sit beside him.

"Well, you did it this time." Ignoring his affirmative murmurs, she continued voicing words she wasn't sure he expected to hear. But, she wasn't sure he didn't either. "You brought the FBI to its knees."

What she wouldn't give to know how he'd done it. Abbott hadn't been all that forthcoming with the facts. All she knew for sure was he clearly wasn't happy with whatever devious means Jane had used. That was his problem. She'd been telling them all along Jane wasn't going to stop being Jane. He was going to have the upper hand before he was done. It wasn't her fault they'd chosen not to listen.

"Did I?" Jane was wearing his typically annoying "smug bastard" look she suddenly found rather charming instead. "Did you expect any different?" shone silently from his eyes.

"And they conceded to all of your demands." Lisbon continued ignoring that glint. "Every single one."

More affirmative noises as though he'd known all along.

"How did you do it?" She was going to explode if he didn't tell her.

"Remember that thumb drive we found in Bertram's wine cellar?" How could she forget? "It's a list of The Blake Association members. I used it as leverage." Jane was clearly unrepentant.

"But, we never broke the encryption." Lisbon almost whispered not believing he'd had the audacity to make such a brilliant move. Then again, maybe she could. It was classic Jane.

"The FBI doesn't know that." Jane reminded her.

"So, that's why you escaped." Dawning wonder suffused her face. "To create a bogus list of names."

"And to enjoy a bacon wrapped hotdog." Jane reminded her knowing he didn't have to say that was the best darned dog he'd had in his life.

"I have to say, I'm impressed." If she'd thought he'd lost any of his cunning over his two long years of inactivity, she knew better now. "You outplayed the FBI."

"No contest." Jane's look clearly conveyed there was never any doubt. "Did they tell you when I start work?"

Not that he was seriously willing to do that without the woman seated beside him. If they still doubted his terms were non-negotiable or that he meant business, they wouldn't for very much longer. Lisbon would be on board before he was done.

"When we start work." Lisbon informed him with a look that took his breath away.

"What about your job?" She'd been adamant about not quitting that job.

The thought briefly flittered through Jane's mind she'd better not be toying with him or there would be hell to pay. Not that he seriously thought she would. Not in that way even if she did have a slightly twisted sense of humor.

"Nah, it was boring." Lisbon said as though it was the most natural response in the world.

"Yeah, I told you." Two could play nonchalant.

"Yeah, but you had no right to." Lisbon was deadly serious. "It's my life and I'll decide what to do with it."

Taking her candid response in stride Jane said the only thing he could, "And you decided correctly."

"There was never any choice." Lisbon admitted.

"Let's see what kind of trouble we can cause." Jane knew he didn't have to vocalize what they were both thinking: It would be just like old times. Maybe not exactly; but, close enough considering everything they'd been through.

More importantly, it would be fun.

"Here." Lisbon offered him the bag she had in her hands. "I brought you something."

"You brought me socks." Jane made the expected, but no less genuine, fuss over her thoughtful offering. She'd brought him handmade socks from Washington State. That was so Lisbon and he loved them because they came from her…and they were the softest socks he'd ever felt. "I'm assuming your job is taken care of?" Jane set the socks aside in favor of exploring more serious matters.

"My second in command is being promoted." Lisbon casually informed him. "He'd have probably gotten the position anyways if I hadn't applied. He'll do a good job. He's been around a long time and he knows the town well."

"What about your house?" Jane asked. "It couldn't have been easy to leave it."

"It's on the market." Lisbon said. "The good news is there's already serious interest. My agent thinks she's going to have a decent offer by the weekend."

"There should be." Jane agreed. "It's a nice place. Are you going to come out all right on the deal?"

"Since I own it outright, I should. I'm asking what it's worth although I can take a few thousand less and still come out on top." Lisbon informed him. "I had enough in savings to pay cash for the place which is the other part of why I got it for such a reasonable price."

She'd also made a couple of good investments over the years so she'd had a more generous nest egg to spend than she'd have had otherwise.

"It's good you have some wiggle room." Jane agreed. "I'm assuming you're already looking for a place here?"

"I've got feelers out for a nice condo or townhouse." Lisbon agreed. "We'll see what happens. I'm certainly not ready to buy again anytime soon. I'm staying at a hotel in the interim."

"You can always stay in the Airstream with me." Jane offered with a smirk.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Lisbon snarked. "I'll leave living in sardine cans up to you." She gave a telling glance around his "suite." "I like a little more leg room. Speaking of Airstreams, you're getting a nice one. I told Abbott not to even bother trying to cut corners there or you wouldn't play."

"What about my couch?" Jane asked.

"I've already told you, all of your demands were met." Lisbon reminded him. "You already have me. You'll be getting your office, your tea, your couch, and your Airstream once the FBI gets it all together.

The one thing I don't understand is why you didn't demand a car as well?"

"I figured we'll be riding together." Jane said. "Besides, the key to getting what you want is not to demand too much." Jane ignored Lisbon's pointed snort. "An automobile on top of the travel trailer would have been one request too many. It isn't like I can't get a vehicle on my own. I just have to decide between a truck and an SUV in case I need to tow the RV."

"You'll have plenty of time to figure all of that out later." Lisbon said. "Right now we're going shopping. You need some decent clothes. After that, we might stop by that RV dealership on the outskirts of town to take a look around."

"Did Abbott approve that?" Jane's expression said he hoped not.

"Let him try to stop us." Lisbon bravely stated before relenting and admitting the truth. "What do you think? He approved everything. There's two or three RV's out there for you to choose between. Since Abbott doesn't feel like being manipulated again so soon he figured you should have a say in the matter. I told him that was a smart move. But, we'll do the trailor shopping last.

First on the list are clothes and a razor. I'm not all that fond of scruffy Jane. Oh, and put those on. I'm tired of Cho asking you where your socks are."

"I can do that." Jane agreed. "But how is Cho going to know if I'm wearing socks or not? I haven't seen him in days. The last I heard, Abbott was keeping him busy as far away from me as possible."

"Not today. Cho's going with us." Lisbon informed Jane as she sneaked a peek at her watch. "Fischer's tagging along, too. It's the only way I could get Abbott to agree to all of this. They should be showing up any time now."

"I can live with that." Jane said. "As long as you agree she's not helping me pick out either my clothes or my home."

"That's my job." Lisbon promised. "As long as there aren't any three piece suits in your future."

Jane's expression said he wasn't making any promises to that one as he actually hadn't thought that far.

"Whatever." Lisbon rolled her eyes in defeat as she rose to her feet not all that surprised when the door suddenly opened to reveal Cho's stoic face. "Hey, Cho, we ready to go?"

"Fischer's getting the car." That was as close to a 'yes' as they were going to get.

"Then I say let's go." Lisbon led the way out of the room confident Jane would fall in line.

"Those the socks Lisbon got you?" Cho nodded in the direction of Jane's feet.

"Yeah." Jane agreed. "They're really soft."

"Good." Cho said in that deadpan tone clearly conveying he couldn't care less if they were soft or not. "I'm glad to see you finally wearing some."

Turning the corner, Lisbon smiled at the ridiculous conversation going on behind her. If you'd asked her three months ago if she thought she'd ever experience another day that felt this much like old times, she'd have said "no". But, she was wrong. That's exactly how this felt. She didn't care they were at another Agency in another building and state. None of that really mattered. She was treasuring the moment as long as it lasted which wouldn't be for very long. Not with Jane involved. He was sure to rock their worlds before the day was over. She knew the man far too well.

When he'd said, "Let's see what kind of trouble we can cause." he'd meant every word.

#

A/N: Sorry for the nothing filler chapter imperfectly regurgitating dialogue, but after Sunday night I needed to figure out a workable way to get Lisbon and Jane from where I left them to where Heller took them in the episode. From here on out, this is my story and Heller can resume his story when the show returns from mid-season break. I'm definitely heading for AU land. It will be amusing to see if we tell a similar story in the end! I'm thinking not! ~Calla.