Chapter 6: Rooftops

Lisbon opened her eyes and glanced over at Jane. His eyes were closed and he hadn't moved in the past ten minutes. He was still sitting with his head against the wall and he still had a faint hint of a smile on his lips.

"Are you asleep?" Lisbon inquired hesitantly.

"Nope," Jane replied nonchalantly, not moving or opening his eyes. Lisbon waited another minute before continuing.

"I'm not tired anymore." She informed him. She was wide-awake and had given up hope of getting any sleep.

"Me neither." Jane answered, his state still unchanged.

"You have your eyes closed." Lisbon observed dubiously.

"It helps me relax." Jane shrugged. Lisbon watched him curiously, but he still refused to open his eyes. She turned back to face the opposite wall, mulling over the day's events.

"What are you thinking about?" Jane asked, not needing to see her face to observe her pensive expression.

"I thought you could tell," she remarked cleverly. Jane smiled. Lisbon then shifted her eyes to the ceiling. "This town doesn't even have streetlights." She commented, recalling the desolate town. "I'm sure the stars are beautiful," she said, faintly smiling. When she turned back to Jane, she found that he was looking directly at her with a knowing grin.

"You want to see them?" He asked enthusiastically. Lisbon was a little surprised by the question and Jane's sudden surge of energy.

"I'm not walking a strange, dark town with you, especially at 3 in the morning." She replied, relying again on her logical self.

"You don't have to." He persuaded, turning so he could face her. Lisbon's eyes darted around the room nervously with Jane focusing all his attention on her. It made her feel transparent and there were definitely things she needed to hide from the consultant. "You said yourself you're not tired, so let's see the stars." He added, tilting his head curiously. He gave her a charming smile and, being in such close proximity, it was impossible for Lisbon to refuse. "Trust me." Jane told her, getting to his feet. He reached out his hand to help her up off the floor. After a brief hesitation she accepted his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

Jane then, without warning, pulled her down the hall towards the stairwell. Lisbon wanted to protest, but somehow lost her voice, her curiosity getting the best of her. After all, what else was there to do? Jane led her carefully up the steps, which were cold to her bare feet. It wasn't until now that she was reminded that she was wearing only her pajamas with no shoes, as was Jane. Jane then headed up to the top floor, that being the roof, and opened the bare white door. Still holding her hand, he led her outside into the cold night air. Lisbon involuntarily shivered as the cold wind hit her, but her mind was elsewhere, captivated by the sea of stars shining down on them.

"The sky doesn't look like this back home." Lisbon commented, comparing the beautiful desert sky to the urban landscape in Sacramento. The stars actually twinkled here and the mountains seemed to stretch out on all sides, surrounding them. Lisbon quickly noted some of the common constellations like the big and little dipper, the North Star, and even the vague outline of Scorpio.

"It's beautiful." Jane remarked, releasing Lisbon's hand so he could explore the rooftop. Lisbon felt his warmth leave her hand and suddenly the low temperature hit her full force, causing her to shiver uncontrollably. Wearing a tank top hadn't been one of her best ideas, yet she was still mesmerized by the glowing night sky and the waning crescent of the moon that seemed to light up the sand and concrete. It was breathtaking.

Lisbon finally turned her gaze away from the sky to address the cold breeze. She rubbed her hands on her shoulders to create friction, but it was little help. "Jane, it's freezing out here." She commented. She looked up and saw that Jane had situated himself on top of a large metal box, centered on the rooftop. It was probably meant to conceal an air conditioner, but Jane was using it as a comfortable bench.

He met her eyes and flashed her a brilliant smile.

"How'd you even get up there?" Lisbon asked, approaching the metal container. She moved so she was standing right below him and quickly noticed that she was far too short to jump up onto the box. Nonetheless, she reached up and grabbed the edge of the container with the tips of her fingers. Jane smiled and extended his hand towards her.

"Here," he offered. Lisbon hesitated for a moment before accepting his help. Jane pulled her up onto the container so she was sitting right next to him.

"Thanks," Lisbon replied shyly. Lisbon had always been characterized as independent and had always insisted on doing things without the help of anyone else. Along with being wary of help, Lisbon had her hesitations when trusting people. Put simply, she doesn't trust anyone.

Then that begs the question, why exactly does she suddenly trust Jane?

Jane was pondering that question too.

Lisbon glanced at Jane, who was scanning the town as if delving into every hidden aspect of its existence. It was one of those moments where Lisbon began to wonder what it was like to be Patrick Jane, to see past everyone's lies and to notice what everyone else takes for granted. Her thoughts always end with her admitting she wouldn't want to be Patrick Jane.

She was still shivering in her tank top, cursing herself for not realizing how cold it gets at night in the desert. Jane's sympathetic blue eyes turned to meet hers.

"Had I known I was going to be on a rooftop in the middle of the night, I would have worn something more suited for the cold." Lisbon explained with a simple shrug. Jane smiled at her and casually reached his arm around her shoulder into a tight embrace. Lisbon was completely surprised, but was too cold to push him away. His hands rested on her arm and he pulled her towards him so her face was pressed against his chest. His soft flannel pajama shirt was warm and she could feel his head leaning against hers, her dark hair brushing on his cheek.

Lisbon blushed and she could somehow sense that Jane was smiling. She began to question whether Jane had planned all this just so he could hug her…

"Jane…" She began to ask, still huddling against him so she could draw from his warmth.

"It can be completely platonic if you want it to be." Jane answered before she could even ask. Lisbon immediately pulled away from him so she could see his expression. Her eyes shared a hint of alarm paired with sheer curiosity. Meanwhile, Jane had a charming smile on his lips that implied that he knew exactly what he said and meant it. Lisbon just stared at him bemusedly, his arms still wrapped around her with their faces mere inches apart.

"If I want it to be?" She finally asked with a glimmer of wonder flashing in her eyes. Apparently, the sleep deprivation and excess stress had dramatically lowered her processing and reaction time. Jane's smile, if possible, brightened. He thought she looked similar to a deer caught in the headlights, which is exactly what he was aiming for.

"The kiss can be platonic too if you want it to be." He furthered cleverly, his smile never fading. Lisbon frowned, completely confused.

"The kis-?" Lisbon tried to ask, her voice breaking nervously, but before she could finish, Jane closed the space between them and captured her lips in a kiss.

Who doesn't love cliffhangers? I wonder how Lisbon will react. Reviews are appreciated.