A/N: Hey guys!
No, your eyes are not betraying you, this is a new chapter and my story is still alive!
I'm so sorry for the late update, but I was on vacation and had writer's block and somehow the chapter got way too long, so I had to split it up. So this is the first half ! Don't worry, the second half will be up on Saturday morning or Monday evening, it's almost finished^^
Thank you all so much for your support and for reviewing my story! I hope you enjoy reading the chapter, as much as I did writing it! Now have fun!
(7)
The early morning sun was shining down on Lisbon's head as she ran across the lonely beach with nothing but the sound of the waves and sea-gulls as a company. It wasn't as hot as it would be in a few hours yet, but the gentle breeze blowing over the sand dunes was a welcome refreshment for her heated body.
She'd started the running in the morning about two days ago, to relax her mind a little from the whole undercover thing. It was good to have some time alone, apart from Mancini, Jane and even the girls she'd spent some time with over the last week, because it was exhausting to play the role of "Liz Smith" all the time, even if she was alone with Mancini.
Over a week elapsed since the agents moved in into the fancy house with the big garden and a pool in Carmel Valley and Lisbon still wasn't sure what to think of everything. She'd always thought undercover was more fun – and it was fun in a way – but it could be quite depressing sometimes.
She had to pretend to be someone else, couldn't do the things she usually did and what bothered her most was the fact that she missed work. Lisbon missed her team, the cases and even the late night shifts she laid in because of too much paperwork. Cho hadn't called her to inform her about a new case, which of course wasn't necessary, but she still wanted to know if everything was okay with them.
Well, at least she didn't have to worry Jane would mess things in Sacramento up. He did a great job by messing their undercover case up in a way. God this damn case.
Somehow she wished she'd have never agreed to accompany Mancini at all. Except from the information Jane gave her at the day in the spa about Rebecca Aaron's husband, they hadn't made any more progress yet.
There has to be more, Lisbon thought. They needed more proof to prove Richard Aaron was involved in the drugs and arms deal to get a warrant for his company or something. Until now, they only had Jane's and her own suggestions and it was too risky to give up their cover just yet.
Mancini had tried to persuade her undercover cases needed their time, but she wanted the case to be solved as soon as possible. Richard Aaron was their main suspect right now, but the agent knew he wasn't in it alone; he needed at least one accomplice to ship the drugs and arms to Mexico and back. If there were as many checking's as he'd told Jane, it must be very difficult to keep his illegal actions under the radar.
Hell, this case was driving her nuts. They only had 3 weeks plus two if necessary left and they had not gotten anywhere. How were they supposed to get into the game without so much as an informant who introduced them to some "insiders"?
Jane had called it "sloppy work" by the FBI and although Lisbon wasn't into agreeing with her consultant, he was right.
The brunette stopped to take a much needed break after running almost seven miles in the heavy beach sand, which was more exhausting than running on a sidewalk or something. Her car was parked on a small parking lot for beach visitors right behind the next dune, so she decided to sit down for a few minutes and enjoy the sight of the huge ocean in front of her.
As a child, she'd always wanted to live at the ocean and although Chicago was right next to Lake Michigan, it wasn't the same to her. She loved the ocean, loved its sound, the salty smell, the beaches… Maybe one day after she was forced to retire work because she was just too old for the job, she'd have a little house somewhere near the coast. But this was just one of her secret dreams, she'd never tell anyone.
Sighing, Lisbon let herself fall down into the sand and put up her knees, only to rest her chin on them. This was better; this was why she liked running. It took her far away from reality, so she didn't have to deal with the problems which would be waiting for her at her new "home".
Since she'd missed the dinner he'd prepared for her after she came home from the spa trip, Mancini's behavior had changed a little. It was tenser between them, although he'd said it was okay.
Lisbon had felt guilty and promised to make it up to him, which made his bad mood a little better. Sometimes the man was like an underbred child, who immediately started to be stubborn if he didn't get what he wanted.
Fate was with her for once. They'd be going out tonight to eat out at a restaurant at the San Diego harbor since they got a tip from one of Mancini's informants who'd suggested they should take a closer look at the warehouses at the industrial part of the harbor.
To Lisbon, this was the kind of "make up" she had in mind when he'd asked her if she had time tonight. She even cancelled a meeting with Nikki and Veronica at Nikki's but only because she hated to deal with things not going well between them while they were on the job.
Gabe was a very difficult man, Lisbon thought. Her mother always told her, you'd get to know the real side of a man if you started living with him and she was right. He still was nice to her, but he was hotheaded and also a little too arrogant for her taste.
Who ever suggested him to do a good job by going undercover made a bad choice. It wasn't that he wasn't good keeping up the act with them being a married couple; he was simply not flexible enough when it came to making friends with the locals.
Nikki had arranged a meeting with her husband and a few friends of him who invited Mancini to play golf with them and when he came back in the evening, he'd told Lisbon the men were all selfish snobs with nothing but money as topic of conversation. After that meeting, he hadn't been invited to join them once again and it bothered Lisbon.
She couldn't do it alone, she needed him inside the circle of the locals, needed him to be as much accepted as she was, especially since her friends started to question her choice in men. If she were them, she'd be a little suspicious, too.
Nevertheless, they were partners in this case, they were supposed to trust each other and they had to change something in their behavior… since men were men, she had to start.
The only thing bothering her even more than the relationship and behavior of her "pretend-to-be-husband", was a certain blonde neighbor, known as her annoying consultant who in opposite to Mancini got along with the locals in a brilliant manner.
Everywhere she came, people were talking about him, about his kindness, humor and of course his looks. Even Veronica, who usually never talked about men, developed a soft spot for Jane which Lisbon found more than annoying.
She knew what he was doing. After the coincidental meeting at the golf club about a week ago, he hadn't made any other attempt to stick his nose into her business, he was mining his own and sooner or later, he'd get in trouble for it for sure. If Jane was quiet, it usually was the calm before the storm.
Eventually this was another thing which was bothering Mancini. He could be jealous, because Jane seemed to get along so well and he felt like an outsider…
Lisbon let herself fall backwards into the sand and closed her eyes.
There were too many things her brain had to deal with at the moment and she felt mentally exhausted. Her worries about the case, Mancini, Jane… Maybe she should go over and check on Jane some time later the day to see what he was up to. It was unusual for him to stay away from her for so long. Yeah, this would be a good idea… Not because she missed him, but because she wanted to know what was going on with him. Perhaps he got new information about the case?
The more she thought about it, the more she was sure they should consider letting Jane in on the case. His abilities could be helpful, especially since they had no clues at all. Another thing she had to talk over with Mancini.
All of a sudden a shadow appeared above her face and dispelled the warming sun. A little annoyed, the agent opened her eyes and caught side of Patrick Jane who was staring down at her, a weird expression on his face she couldn't interpret before he set up his usual cheerfully toothpaste grin. Speak of the devil.
"Jane", she mumbled surprised and sat up, weeping the sand off her arms and back, "what are you doing here?"
"Enjoying the sight", he answered smiling, but kept still looking at her instead of the ocean.
God, one should understand this crazy man! Lisbon thought rolling her eyes and settling them on the water.
"We haven't seen each other much lately", Jane pointed out.
"Well, I guess we both were kind of busy by getting into the local society. You did a good job on it, as much as I've heard."
"Now Lisbon, was this a compliment?" He stepped beside her but didn't sit down in the sand, instead watching the whitecaps.
The CBI agent didn't answer, but gave him an annoyed look, which after a few seconds turned into a look of surprise, after she took in the sight of her consultant standing beside her. "Jane? Is this what I think it is?" She asked taken aback.
Jane shot her a mischievous grin and nodded: "Yes, this is a wetsuit. I didn't come here to stalk you as you might have thought first, my dear. I didn't know I'd meet you here on this beautiful morning, I came here to surf." He pointed at the white surfboard lying beside him. "The waves are great at this spot and even better in the morning or late in the evening. What?"
Lisbon was looking at him as if her eyes were popping out her head: "You.?Surf?"
The consultant shrugged and picked up his board: "Yeah, what's the big deal? When I lived in Malibu, I went surfing all the time. It's fun and exciting."
"But… but… the only sporty thing I've seen you doing is marathon like naps on your couch", she stuttered.
"Ouch Lisbon, you wound me. But if you want to, you can stay and watch so I can convince you otherwise."
"Uh… I… I don't know. I have to get back home. We have a lot to do and since we're dining outside tonight, we…" she mumbled hesitantly and saw Jane's face fall, "Can… can I give you a rain check on this? I promise"
"I'll take you by the word, Lisbon", he said, grabbed his board and stepped towards the sea.
Lisbon watched him jump on his board and paddle out into the ocean, sometimes diving down to not be pushed back by a wave. She shouldn't be here watching him, no, she really shouldn't although deep down she wanted to.
Reluctantly, the agent stood up and threw her consultant a last glance right before he stilled the board and stood up to catch a rather big wave to ride on. He looked good on the board, happy, an expression she rarely saw on his face.
It was like he belonged there and so did she. If one had told her a week ago she'd be at a beach watching Patrick Jane surfing, she'd have laughed her head off, but right now…
Suddenly there was a feeling in her stomach she couldn't explain and a lump was forming in her throat. Nothing she honestly wanted to think about right now. Next time she'd stay, she'd promised him. She couldn't just now.
He paddled. He paddled forward and hoped to be right in time for the big wave he felt would arrive him in just seconds. It was important to wait for the perfect moment to get up on the board and ride it like a stubborn horse.
"Now", Jane whispered, when he felt the wave coming behind him. He got up in a quick move and letting the board glide through the water like it was fluid silk.
The waves were nice. Not too big like on the coasts in Hawaii or Australia, but fun. It'd been some time since he rode the waves like a maniac, but he was glad to see he was still as good as he'd always been. Surfing was like riding a bike; you never forget how to do it.
Jane got down to turn his boat, when another wave crashed into the one he was riding and threw him off balance. Before he could prevent it, he dived down into the water, the board tugging at his foot.
Coughing and grinning at the same time, he dived up again, paddling for his board. Hopefully Lisbon wouldn't laugh at him now.
Turning around to the beach, to see where the woman in question was, he realized the spot where she'd been before was empty. She was gone, just like she'd told him. Still, he'd hoped she'd be curious enough to stay at least a few minutes! Why did he feel angry about the fact that she left?
Jane climbed back on his board, to paddle in the direction of the next wave.
After taking a long walk on the beach yesterday afternoon, he'd stopped to settle on a low dune to watch the sun go down. That was when he'd looked out onto the ocean and felt the urge to be free. Free of sorrows; free of doubts, free of thoughts, only one little wish in mind. Having a certain petite brunette sitting by his side and enjoying the little bit of peace with her together.
The thought to go surfing occurred to him when he came back home later that day and seen the neighbors from across the street loading their surf equipment into the garage.
Now meeting Lisbon this morning was a welcome coincidence he hadn't thought of until it happened. At first he'd been slightly stunned to see her small figure lying in the sand, enjoying the early morning sun and wasn't quite sure if he should just walk by or disturb her little moment of peace. Well, the little annoying consultant part inside him won the battle.
He hadn't seen her since the meeting in the spa which kind of upset him since they were neighbors and should see each other randomly. It had been hard.
At the CBI he got to see her every day except for the weekend. That was why he hated Saturdays with no case to jeep them busy. Saturday was too far away from Monday and his chance to see Lisbon again. After he'd spent six months in Vegas, he knew every second with her, even if it consisted of fighting, was precious.
A wave came and ripped him out of his little world of thoughts about Lisbon and he had to hurry to catch the right moment to get not thrown down the board another time. He did a bottom turn to get back on top of the wave and rode until the end of the wave, where he let himself slip down into the water to paddle for the next one again.
Didn't he come here to get to Lisbon? To make her feel what he felt deep down? Although he wasn't exactly sure what it was what he felt – well, love came quite close – he couldn't stand to see her being with an idiot like Mancini and he'd made this very clear to the FBI agent.
There was still this "challenge" between them because he knew Mancini wouldn't give up on Lisbon either. He'd been all right with the suggestions he'd asked Lisbon to accompany him not because of her abilities as an agent, but because he had a personal interest in her.
The question was how Lisbon felt with all of this. There was no way in denying she hadn't been affected by their little swimming and massaging encounter. He could read her like a book 90 percent of the time but the other ten percent… Since he was back from Vegas, it seemed to be even harder to tell what she was thinking, but he was sure she must feel something for him. She was just not ready yet, or she wouldn't have dropped the topic when he said he couldn't remember telling her he loved her.
Actually this thought made him smile. Why did he even try to pretend he felt something which came quite close to love for her, if it actually was love. He'd told her. He'd said it and taken it back and nothing but hurt her in the last weeks.
How could a woman like her love a broken bastard like him? It was selfish to want her this way, she'd done enough for him over the years already, but he couldn't let go.
It was time to lay the cards on the table and stand up to Mancini's advances towards his woman, because that's what she was. His.
Now how could he trick Lisbon into revealing feelings for him? Just telling her was not a good idea. She'd think he was messing with her and probably totally close up towards him. Just blurting the truth out loud wasn't his style anyways, no. He was Patrick Jane of all, he needed a plan.
Sometimes he asked himself if there really were no coincidences in life, because his "plan" just appeared to be standing on the beach, almost on the exact spot Lisbon had been standing some time ago.
Jane waited for the next wave to come, jumped upon it and let the wave push him until the board almost hit the sand.
"Hey there", he called out grinning and waved with his hand towards a tall brunette in a short skirt with a bikini top and bag in her right hand.
She recognized him and waved back, stepping towards him: "Good morning, Patrick. I wasn't sure if it was you. We haven't seen each other since you gave me a rain-check on that cocktail. What a coincidence!"
The consultant had a hard time not to roll his eyes on her words. If he wouldn't know better he'd say she was his very personal stalker at the golf club. Hillary was always there, always. Funny thing to her it was always a "coincidence", too.
She'd asked him out now twice and he couldn't stop thinking she was not the kind of company he'd enjoy for an evening. Hillary was a little dumb, focused on herself and gossip about other people. Like most women living in Carmel Valley.
Even though she was married, she had no intention to hide the fact that she was pretty interested in him in more than a casual friendship manner. Now today, Jane thought, I can use this for my own advantage.
"A coincidence indeed. It's nice to see you. What are you doing here Hillary?"
"Just taking a walk on the beach. What about you?" she asked casually and tossed her hair back.
It was hard to not roll his eyes, that's why he pretended to wipe some water drops out of his face. Hillary was not that kind of take-a-walk-on-the-beach-woman, he could tell.
Jane pointed towards the surfboard to answer her question: "Surfing. The waves are great this morning."
Hillary laughed euphoric: "I didn't know you surf. Poor you, you got all wet."
"Well, that's the point of surfing. If I didn't get wet, I wouldn't be doing it right."
The woman didn't get it and started laughing again: "You're so right. I have to admit, Patrick, the swimsuit suits you!"
He'd have thanked her for the compliment, if her eyes would stop lingering on a certain lower part of his body he didn't want to think about right now. This woman was unbelievable – in a bad way. Just the right person he needed to start his scheme.
Jane put the brightest smile upon his face and cleared his throat to get Hillary's attention back to his face. "Now Hillary I'm sorry for giving you a rain-check last time. I'd like to make it up to you, what do you say?"
Her eyes lit with excitement and she started to bit her lower lip as if she had a different vision of "make up" as he had. Backing off was impossible now.
"Oh Patrick of course… though I have a quite busy schedule and…"
"Tonight, 7pm at a restaurant at San Diego Harbor?"
"Sure, I'll be there. My husband is out of town anyways, so if you want to stay for a coffee after dinner…" Hillary blinked with one eye and smiled seductively, which made Jane feeling kind of uncomfortable. He knew exactly what Hillary meant by "coffee".
"We'll talk about it later, shall we? I need to get back into the water, before the waves start loosing their speed. See you tonight."
"Alright", the woman answered pleased with the outcome of the conversation, "Mind if I stay a little and watch you?"
"Sure", he mumbled, before getting back into the water. This was not the woman he wanted to watch him, but it was a start in the right direction. If everything went well, Lisbon would be getting jealous if she saw him with Hillary tonight, she always did.
She had been jealous when Erica Flynn tried to hit on him and of course when Lorelei had been still in their custody. Although she tried to hide it, she couldn't and he knew, he always knew.
His game was rolling just fine at this moment, so Jane shooed all the other thoughts bothering him away and tried to concentrate just on the sea and the waves coming closer. It was time to show off what he could do with a board underneath his feet.
"Don't you like the lobster?", Mancini asked silently over the dinner table for two at the little harbor restaurant right next to the pier of the San Diego bay while eating his own different sort of fish filets mix.
Lisbon had been picking the seafood with her fork for about five minutes without eating one single bite. She looked up, confused, as if he'd pulled her out of an important train of thought: "Excuse me?"
"I asked if you don't like your lobster", the FBI agent repeated smiling, before stealing one of her fine baked potatoes, which were served with her meal.
He'd been the one to order for her and usually it was no problem to her, if the man who invited her picked the right thing. She'd been eyeing the rump steak or the chicken breast salad and not the lobster, so if Mancini wanted to impress her by his order, he'd chosen the wrong meal for her.
Although Lisbon forbid herself to compare the FBI agent to other men she knew – in this case it always turned out to be Jane whom she compared him with – it was hard not to. When Jane asked her out for lunch or dinner, it was so uncomplicated. He knew where to take her, what to order for her and even let her pay half of the check. Well, sometimes if he was tired of arguing with her.
Why couldn't she stop thinking about Jane? It was like he was anchored in her thought and came up even if she didn't want him to. Meeting him at the beach this morning by chance wasn't helping either.
"Liz?", Mancini asked concerned.
"Oh I do, it's delicious, it's just..." There was no way she could tell him she was thinking about the little encounter she had with Jane this morning. He wasn't exactly in Mancini's good books and every mentioning of Jane annoyed him although Lisbon knew it'd be advantageous to share the collected information about the case with him.
"What is it then, sweetie? Did I tell you, you look absolutely stunning tonight, dear?" He laid his hand over hers, before she had the chance to pull it away.
The woman in question let out a light breath she was holding. She had to talk with him about the pet name thing, because calling her "muffin" in front of Nikki, like he did the last time her new found "friend" was at her house, had been quite embarrassing.
We are a couple, Lisbon reminded herself and forced her face to put on a smile. That included holding hands in public and calling each other pet names. She should just accept it, even if she didn't want to. Mancini wasn't one to change his behavior anyway.
"Why thank you, Mark. It's nothing special at all, but I'm glad you like it."
"I always like the way you look, you know that."
She smiled and waited a couple of seconds, before she pulled her hand away and pretended to eat some of the lobster. The food was okay, but just not what she wanted right now. God, she'd give everything for a greasy cheeseburger and fries with ketchup.
It's not that she didn't like the fancy food here; usually lobster was quite special for her, but it seemed like she'd been eating nothing else in the last week. She was craving fries, cheeseburgers, Thai- or Chinese-takeout for dinner and bear claws in the morning, combined with the expensive but overly delicious Marie's coffee Jane bought her sometimes. Jane. Again him! This man couldn't just stay out of her thoughts, could he?!
"Nikki called this morning when you were at the beach. She invited us to a house party on Tuesday", Mancini told her, "I said we weren't be coming."
Lisbon almost dropped her fork on the plate. "What? Why didn't you tell me earlier, I should have called her back."
"I guess I forgot. What's the matter? We're not going to join them."
"Yeah, right and you're the one to tell me what I have to do with my time. Why would we not be going? It's another good chance to meet some people and get insight on their actions." She shook her head in disbelieve, angry because Mancini made such a decision without asking her.
Lisbon could talk out everything but she hated to be confronted with accomplished facts when it came to things she had a say in.
Mancini didn't seem affected at all by her reaction: "We're not going because we're going to meet with my boss to check out how things are progressing and if we need help. We can tell them our theories about Richard Aaron and they'll get the computer freaks on it. Maybe they'll find something we could nail them on." His voice was low so the people surrounding them couldn't hear what he was saying.
"That's not the point!", Lisbon exclaimed louder and attracted the views of other customers to their table. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten that loud. But you can't just decide whether I go to one of these parties or not. What did you tell her I was up to?"
"Spending a night with your husband. What's the big deal? We need to talk to my boss in person. Not via phone, because the call could be tracked down and it'd look suspicious if he'd stop by for dinner."
The brunette agent took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Mancini had a point, they needed to talk to his boss and get some more help on the case, more facts and insights in the lives of the people they got to know to confirm who did not just seem suspicious but actually was.
On the other hand, she'd never been invited to Nikki's house for some reason and since she knew it was right next to Rebecca's, maybe she'd get the chance to snoop around a bit. Her husband was still the main suspect.
In this case she had to persuade Mancini it'd be better for them if they would accept the invitation.
"Think about the party, it's a chance for us to snoop around a little. You don't have to accompany me. I can go all myself while you go to the meeting with your boss and tell me later. Maybe I'll find something out, something which could help us nailing El Baron down." She put up a smile, patting his arm a little.
"But he wants to meet you."
Lisbon was about to roll her eyes: "He had plenty of time to meet me and see if I'm qualified for the job before we went on that case. I'm sure he'd read some of my references Bertram gave to him. Now I'm in and he's got to live with your decision to hire me. Look, it's another chance to make progress. He'd be pleased to think we take our job seriously enough to split up and you go to have a talk with him, while I'm working."
Mancini raised an eyebrow: "I'm not sure if I'd consider drinking and dancing actual "work"."
"You don't have to tell him, it's a party, you know. Besides, I never drink when I'm on the job, you should know that. I guess we're both fine by pretending this whole job is pretty exhausting and not just fancy spa visits, golfing and expensive parties. We have to keep the act up if we want to gain more trust."
"If you say so." He mumbled, shrugged with his shoulders before letting the subject down and asking: "Are you up for some dessert? I don't think you'll eat much more of the mess you made on your plate."
Lisbon looked down to see she'd ripped the white flesh of the lobster in small pieces while arguing with him over the case and if she should go to the party or not. He still wasn't pleased by her decision to go to Nikki's and let him talk to his boss, but he couldn't deny she was wrong either.
"No, I don't think so. We should rather go and see what we can find out at the storage houses in the harbor. Just looking around, we won't do anything illegal." Although she had a sweet tooth, there was no way she wanted this dinner to last longer than necessary.
They waited for the waiter to come and bring the bill, before they stood up and headed out towards the exit.
"The industrial part of the harbor is about half a mile over there", Mancini explained and pointed towards the path which lead away from the boulevard with the colorful lights and music filled restaurants they were standing on. "Do you have a weapon? I mean just in case something happens."
Lisbon nodded, pointing towards the big black leather bad she'd placed over her shoulder: "Why do you think I carry this "sea bag" around with me?"
"Because it looks really good with your outfit?", a voice behind them suggested.
The agents turned around in shock to see a casual looking Jane standing a few feet away with a pretty brunette at his side. He smiled mischievously, patting the shoulder of the woman in his company and stepped forward. Taking Lisbon's whole sight in, he had to admit she really looked beautiful today. Not that there was any day she looked anything but perfect to him.
Her hair was pulled up to a light ponytail, the white heels matched her white top with little silver glitter applications, while the black jeans combined with her black leather jacket made the whole look casual and elegant at the same time. Smirking, Jane recognized she couldn't get rid of her "cop appearance" completely.
Now that the shock on Lisbon's face wore off, her features became more than angry. There came the thunderstorm he'd been expecting. "Jane! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Enjoying the lovely evening with my dear friend Hillary. Hillary, meet my neighbors Mark and Elizabeth Smith."
Hillary set up a perfect smile before reaching out to shake each one's hand: "It's so nice to finally meet you! I've heard a lot about you. I hope you don't mind that I went out with your ex-boyfriend tonight…"
Jane waited for her reaction and to his own amusement, Lisbon's cheeks turned into a light shade of red. She still wasn't comfortable with the whole ex-girlfriends story, so he took the glare she gave him for Hillary's comment as authorized.
"He's not... We weren't… Never mind. Well it was nice to see you, Jane, but Mark and I have to go. Have a nice evening with your friend", she muttered annoyed, grabbed Mancini's hand and walked off in the direction of the harbor.
There it was, the little hint of jealousy in her perfect green eyes Jane had been waiting for. It was time to push his luck a little more.
"We'd like to accompany you on your little walk, if you don't mind", Jane suggested cheerfully, "It's such a lovely evening, isn't it?"
"Oh we do mind", the FBI agent answered roughly before turning around once again. His hand was pulled to a fist, his facial expression annoyed and angry. Lisbon had a hard time to prevent him from hitting Jane in the face, although she wouldn't mind her consultant feeling some of the pain he usually gave her by being a pain in the ass.
"Patrick if they don't want us to join them, I think we should go", Hillary mumbled and for once Lisbon felt the urge to thank god for giving at least a little bit of brain to such women like her.
"It's not that we don't want you here", Lisbon started to explain calmly.
"Then I don't see a problem", Jane interrupted.
She shot him one of her Lisbon-looks before she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him a few feet away from the others so they were out of reach for them to hear what they were saying.
Hillary looked confused and a little pissed off because she went away to talk with her date for tonight. Well, why should this woman wonder what she and Jane had to talk about? The way she looked there was probably not much space in her brain left which was not occupied with how she looked, what she wore and how she could Jane into bed before midnight.
Lisbon had seen this look by lots of women who got in touch with her consultant. Usually he showed off his wedding band and brushed them off with the "I'm married" phrase.
The only time he'd ever come close to dating someone was with Kristina Frye and this had only been one dinner before she was captured by Red John and hypnotized in a way that made her think she was dead. To be honest, other situations one could describe as dating but weren't actual dates, have always been with her.
So no, Patrick Jane wasn't a "dating-type" and especially not with that kind of women who had this invisible sign of "stupid" on their head.
"You wanted to talk to me in private?" Jane smirked. Lisbon shook her head and averted her gaze from Hillary to the man in question.
"What is it Jane", she hissed, "Why, why did you come here and bring along such a … her?"
"Jealous, dear?" Jane asked grinning, enjoying the game he'd set up. She looked so beautiful when she was angry.
She almost had to laugh about his ridiculous suggestion. Jealous? Her? Sometimes she really questioned his abilities in reading people's minds. There were so many things one could be jealous for, but none of them was Jane's new friend he picked up who-knows-where!
Even if she looked stunning in the dress she wore and Mancini himself couldn't stop eyeing her from time to time while they were waiting for the agent and the consultant to finish, there was no need to be jealous.
If she wanted, she could have a dozen men on each finger, but she wouldn't. If she wanted a one-night-stand, she could get one without dressing up like this. Men liked her. Not all, but most of them, especially because she was though, strong and independent and if men couldn't deal with that they were not worth it!
When she looked back up in Jane's face with a risen eyebrow, she remembered she still owed him an answer to the whole "jealous" tease.
"Jealous of her? Why would I be jealous? Because I'm not as pretty as her? Because you asked her out? Oh please Jane, we're not in High School. I don't care if you enjoy the company of those women!" She pointed over to Hillary.
"I never went to High School", he teased although he was slightly wondered how the hell Lisbon could think she wasn't nearly as pretty as Hillary to him. Did she really think so less of herself when it came to her appearance and effect on men.
"Right, I forgot. Now I get why you enjoy this so much, you haven't had enough practice when you were a teenager. Now, why don't you escort your company to the next bar to get her drunk so you can do who-knows-what with her afterwards."
Jane let out a breath by her harsh words, taking her shoulders with both hands and forcing her to look him in the eye: "I'd never do that, Lisbon. You should know me better."
The petite brunette shook his hands off: "Yeah, like you did with Lorelei?"
She knew she'd hurt him as she watched his face fall and growing all serious. Usually, Lisbon wasn't one to play dirty, but somehow she had the feeling Jane needed a buffer for his oversized ego right now.
"Lorelei was something completely different and I'm not proud of it, no matter what you think!" He couldn't believe she still hold him at arms length for this. Yes he'd hurt her, but he promised himself to make it up if she let him into her life. He did all of this, just to be let into her life damn it!
"Sure, so when it comes to Red John, suddenly all your actions are legitimized! Why did I even question your motives? You know what?" she said with her voice risen, "Do what you want with whom ever you want. I don't care anymore. Come on, Mark!"
Lisbon rushed over and grabbed her partner's hand to pull him away from the direction of her stunned looking consultant and his uncomfortable looking company.
"It was nice to meet you, Hillary", Mancini mumbled before Lisbon pulled harder on his hand.
Hillary looked after the couple and back to Jane, who was still looking for words, trying hardly to gain back his calm.
This was wrong. This whole situation was wrong! He'd messed it up again! How could he not have foreseen this? She'd been jealous to a certain point but suddenly it all backfired to him. Now she told him she didn't care anymore what he did, like she lost all the trust she ever had in him. He couldn't let that happen! Lisbon was the only thing he trusted in, the only person he felt alive with…
"What the hell was that, Patrick?" she asked insecure, interrupting his thoughts.
"Nothing... I'm sorry, Elizabeth always gets a little bitchy when she sees me with other women. I guess she's still not over me", he joked with a fake smile.
Hillary didn't answer but eyed him, unsure what to think. He laid an arm around her waist and guided her to the direction Lisbon and Mancini were heading. Maybe he should try to talk to her one last time tonight, before dropping phase A and heading on to phase B of his plan. Too bad he hadn't planned out phase B, since he was sure phase A would be a success.
"Are you still up for a walk?" Jane asked the woman.
"I don't know… we could go back to my place instead, or yours. But if you want to take a walk… why not."
He smiled knowingly at Hillary's suggestion. She wanted him in her bed, her advances towards him were pretty obvious, he could tell, but he'd be damned if he'd make the same mistake twice.
Lorelei hadn't been a mistake; she'd been a necessity to accomplish his goal. If Lisbon only knew the only reason he'd been able to get through the night with Lorelei was because he'd been thinking of her the whole time…
"… and then we were… Patrick? Are you even listening?"
"Of course I am. Go on." Jane listened to Hillary chattering light nonsense about unimportant subjects, while he kept thinking of Lisbon instead.
A/N: I just couldn't resist writing Jane surfing after all the pics with Simon and Liv ^^ I hope you guy don't disagree with me, because I always thought Jane could surf... I'd LOVE to hear what you guys think, especially about his idea with getting Lisbon jealous. Do you think it worked?
I promise you some action in the next chapter. And when I say "action", I mean it ;)
Have a great day!
Liefs
