Charm Offensive

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The next day, she has one moment of terrifying uncertainty when she walks past the bullpen, which makes her heels click like gunshots, rapid fire. But the couch is occupied, as if he has never been away, back in his suit.

"Are you going to make me a tea?" He calls.

"Make your own."

He grins, keeps his eyes closed and waits for the wrath to descend.

"Jane..." He's been called all sorts of pet names and endearments over the years. But hearing Lisbon bark his surname is still one of the sweetest sounds in his life.

"Why do you keep taking the labels off?"

"Because caffeine is bad for you."

"I have a lot of bad habits." she growls. "Which one? Now."

"You really aren't a mornings person, are you?" He grins. Unfolds off the couch, paces into the kitchen after her. "Right-hand pot for the good stuff."

Minelli grumbles his way in, rolls an eye at Jane.

"Oh, you actually deigned to show up today? Good." Turns towards the machine. "Oh, for..."

"Right-hand pot, sir." Lisbon elbows the grinning man beside her, bites back a smile. "I'll re-instate the labels."

Minelli looks between them, grunts.

"He's looking far too cheerful. What's he done now?"

"Nothing that I know of, sir. But I haven't checked my mail yet."

"There'll probably be a request for my removal." Jane says. "Agent Bosco doesn't like me."

"Can't think why, with your winning personality." Minelli shrugs, disgusted. "Not my call. I don't want him on our patch either."

"Friends in high places."

"More than you have." Fixes him with a stern glare. "Be careful. I mean it."

Jane nods.

"And stop taking the labels off the damn coffee machine."

00000000000

Rigsby, who is definitely urban, is pleased to be back in the office. Not that it hadn't been nice to go for a walk with Grace, even with a couple of park rangers tagging along. There's a slight worry that Jane is not going to turn up again, which will mean that the Boss is unhappy. Or the equal possibility that he will turn up, and make her unhappy in a different way.

It almost seems that the latter will be the case, as they are having their usual bicker. But when Rigsby stops to think about it, that hasn't been so usual for the last little while. Jane seems more like his old self today.

Rigsby himself hasn't had occasion to shoot a man in the line of duty as yet. Hopes never to have to. But if anyone ever pointed a gun at Grace, then he wouldn't hesitate, either.

He's not sure what to think about this new guy. One thing to have a case handed over, quite another if it looks like he's going after Jane. Rigsby isn't stupid; fed up with pretending that nothing was going on, he'd leant on Cho in the car yesterday, and Cho had caved. So Rigsby now has a name and face to go with the rumour (that he has long discounted) about his Boss. And he knows why Cho is tense, too. If they know, then for sure Jane knows too. All kinds of ugly.

But they had come back from the trail, with the evidence bagged, and the site marked, Lisbon with her blond shadow behind her. And today, they are turning over the statements, and Jane wants to go and talk to the suspect's brother, and Lisbon is telling him no, which probably means that they will be driving off within half an hour.

He's five minutes out.

Lisbon shaking her head, but setting her shoulders and walking towards the door. Jane at her heels, trying not to grin too broadly, hand almost resting in the small of her back at the doorway.

It looks right again, somehow.

Rigsby grins to himself, and goes back to his report. He can see Grace out of the corner of his eye, looking after the pair of them with her own half-frown.

"Do you think they ever will...?"

"It's not that easy." Her voice is a little sharp.

"Yeah, but it would be..."

"Alarming? Hazardous? Hilarious?" Cho supplies.

Van Pelt glares.

"Bureau Policy..."

"Oh, pthhth. Jane doesn't give a damn about rules."

"Boss does." Van Pelt says firmly. Rigsby subsides, his good mood shot.

Cho grits his teeth. This will mean that Van Pelt will be strung out and snappy all afternoon, and Rigsby will moon uselessly, then want to moan about it all evening. There are days when he wishes they would just have at it, and leave him the hell out of it.

00000000000

She wonders how this will work. What is happening between them.

That terrifying and wonderful moment of realization. They could be more than friends. Gossip at work certainly has them down as more than friends. People have mistaken them for a couple before now.

And, really, what has changed? They have merely admitted to something they have both been denying for a while.

Now they just have to work out what to do about it. And that won't be easy. There's the whole matter of Bureau protocol...

Gives him a nervous, sidelong look.

"Don't expect me to give up." He says, suddenly. "Not now."

"What?"

"You were sitting there and thinking of all the reasons not to, for...us." Tilts his head.

He understands why she is concerned, has been expecting this, but Jane has never met a rule he couldn't bend, break or manipulate. This just means that he has to turn part of his mind over to the problem of overcoming Lisbon's scruples about being with him.

He's never been very good at resisting a challenge. And being told 'no' is quite simply a red rag.

"Not at work." She says. "I mean it, Jane."

Rolls his eyes.

"Control issues much?" Gives her a mock frown. "Give me some credit, woman."

She relaxes. Oddly enough, she realizes that she does trust him not to embarrass her at work. Well, for a given value of embarrass. He's not the type of man to make a public show of his own feelings, respects her need not to broadcast her life over the workplace.

There's a huge difference between discreet and furtive. She knows from bitter experience.

"Where did all this suddenly blow up from?" she wonders.

"I think we've been on a collision course for a long time now." He laughs softly. "You should never have allowed me to cook you dinner that first time..."

"I never had a choice." she hoots. "I came home to find you'd broken in."

"I had a key."

"How you talked Mrs Carson into that, I don't want to know. But I never let you. You just...happened." He's making her laugh, too, and she doesn't want to. "That wretched cactus."

"Roses seemed too ordinary." He grins. "The cactus was more...you."

"Small and spiky." Gives a little snort. "Thank you."

"I'll buy you roses next time."

"Next time?"

"I believe it's customary when dating."

She makes a noise rather like a mouse being trodden on.

"I'm..." Shrugs, a smile that doesn't quite touch the worry in his eyes, "a bit out of practice with the idea."

"Me, too." She admits, in a small voice.

"So...can't we be a bit useless together?"

Oh, damn the man. She wants to be firm and principled, and it's so very difficult when he's so sweet.

Jane settles back into his seat, and watches her wrestling with the idea. He can be patient if he has to be. Remembers those soft lips on his. But only so patient.