A/N: Ugh, this part is a little short. It is also dedicated to my twin, Divinia Serit, since she just asked me to update so nicely. I was going to update this morning anyway, but that's not the point.

Thank you, as always, to lil smiles for being my beta.

Thanks to: NellietheItalian, lalez, Madaboutthementalist, Divinia Serit, PhoenixWytch, Penelope Louise and dizzy - in - the - izzy for your kind reviews. It can't be said often enough just how much they mean to me.

x tromana

Part Four - "Is that a hint of guilt in your voice, Agent Lisbon?"

"That's Cho and this is Rigsby," Lisbon told the new rookie who had just arrived at the CBI headquarters. "Patrick Jane, our consultant is currently on suspension but will be back next week. Guys, this is Van Pelt."

Lisbon smiled slightly as Rigsby's jaw dropped and Cho offered the red-head a hand, which she shook gratefully. Van Pelt had dutifully taken note of everything that she had told her so far and she was already looking forward to starting the younger woman's training. Lisbon couldn't quite believe how quickly the month had passed and that she was now a senior agent. As she had hoped, they had received a case to focus on during Hotchkiss' final month in charge. Jane had messed up, inadvertently causing the death of a man at the hands of his wife, though. She knew that he was going mad on suspension, even with his TV career as a psychic on the up. Lisbon had to remind herself daily that she didn't miss him, that he was more of a hindrance than a help. That the smiles he greeted her with and the coffees he had placed on her desk each morning hadn't been as welcomed as he thought they were. It didn't matter that she was lying to herself, what mattered was the impression she gave when he came back again.

Her cell phone buzzed cheerily and she quickly excused herself. Flicking it open, she sighed heavily. It had to be coincidence that Jane was calling just as she was considering the morning coffee routine he had got himself into before he was suspended. She had since decided that he couldn't actually be a psychic and that there had to be a logical explanation for everything he achieved while helping them to solve cases. What said logical explanation was, she had yet to decide. Once she was safely behind the closed door of her office, she answered the call, silencing the incessant beeping from the little piece of technology.

"Lisbon."

"So when can I come back, Teresa?"

"One, its Lisbon and two, you already know the answer. Next week," Lisbon growled. "Stop calling me, Jane."

"Is that a hint of guilt in your voice, Agent Lisbon?"

Lisbon knew that he was entirely correct and also knew that her refusal to answer confirmed everything that Jane had just said to her. She muttered something indistinct and Jane chuckled at her frustration. Really, he knew that her stance wouldn't have changed but he had just wanted to hear her voice again and see just how long he could keep her on the line for. Each and every time, she seemed willing to talk for longer than the previous occurrence. Lisbon would try to deny it of course, but he was fairly certain that she was beginning to miss him, though not quite as much as he missed her.

"Your silence confirms as much," he crowed. "I can be back before lunch time if you want."

"Shut up, Jane," she responded, "I don't want you back."

"You do."

"Repeating something…" she started. "Fine, maybe a little."

Jane couldn't help but smile at the admission he had managed to draw from her. Quickly, she said goodbye and finished the call. He could imagine the flushed cheeks that his conquest was probably trying to disguise at that very moment. Settling back down in the front seat of his trusted old Citroen, which was currently parked in the CBI parking lot, he pressed the 'on' switch to the radio. He had a feeling that if Agent Lisbon's usual work schedule was anything to be going by, it was going to be a fairly long wait until she emerged from the CBI headquarters. Best not to bother her again today until she had actually finished work. He knew how stubborn she could become if he pushed her that little too far, especially if she was busy, which she virtually always was.

Jane hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep until he heard the frantic knocking on his car window. Opening one eye, he spotted Teresa Lisbon with an odd expression on her face glaring back down at him. Quickly, he opened the other and then the window of his vehicle to speak to her. He grinned, sheer bafflement suited her, but then again, he had got to the stage where he believed that most of Lisbon's 'looks' suited her. Except for maybe desolation and sadness, those he could quite happily do without.

"I was wondering if you'd see me," he vocalized.

"Yeah, well it's a bit hard to miss you in this pile of junk." Lisbon managed to crack a slight smile as she gazed down at Jane. "You shouldn't be here."

"I know. I wanted to see you."

"Whatever for? Couldn't it wait until Monday?"

"No, well, probably, but I don't think so."

"Well?"

"Our date."

Lisbon opened her mouth but shut it wordlessly. She remembered laughing at the concept only a month ago and while the idea of a date with Patrick Jane was more tempting this time around, she knew she couldn't. There were countless rules and regulations that dating him would break and she had to set a good example for her team, especially considering she had only been in charge for less than a week. She couldn't knock Jane's persistence, though. After all, he had managed to achieve what she had thought as being the impossible - she found herself actually liking the man, albeit begrudgingly.

"Do you ever give up?" she inquired.

She hadn't been pursued like this for years. For over a decade, even. As far as she was concerned, it was a little bit childish, sophomoric and verging on being ever so slightly embarrassing.

"No," he grinned.

Sighing, she turned and started walking home. Sometimes the best course of action when it came to dealing with Jane was simply to ignore him. Like many small children, he obviously loved to show off so if she didn't give him the attention he obviously craved, she hoped that he would simply give up. It took her several minutes to notice the hum of the engine and Jane driving painfully slowly, keeping time with her. Lisbon growled slightly, obviously he was in a more persistent mood than she had thought.

"Jane," she hissed, "this is dangerous!"

"Come out with me, then," he called. "Please?"

"Even if I wanted to, I can't," she answered, "it's against…"

"No, it's not. I checked. I'm a freelance consultant," he grinned. "I have none of that responsibilities nonsense that you agents have. I'm just here to offer my opinion. Well, when you let me, anyway, instead of having me suspended over semantics."

"Inadvertently causing the death…" Lisbon stopped herself, realizing that her arguments would simply fall on deaf ears. "Will you stop holding up traffic and being a general nuisance if I say yes?"

"Yes."

"Okay, fine. Go," she muttered, cursing herself as she did. "We'll discuss this further on Monday."

TBC...