Disclaimer: Not owned by me.
A/N: It's the weekend! This chapter contains the Saturdate. How much trouble could Jane cause Lisbon when it's just the two of them? Quite a bit, knowing him. But will he go that route, or will he adopt a different strategy entirely?
Under the Rose
Chapter 7: Disarming Dinner
Lisbon was on her couch, listening to Jane crash around in her kitchen as he made dinner for the two of them. She could hear him humming along with his favorite radio station at times. Who would have thought she'd ever feel totally at peace with Patrick Jane in her apartment?
If someone had told her a week ago this would happen, she most likely would have laughed in disbelief. And then punched them. Sitting here right now and thinking about it, however, the only word for what she was feeling was… normal. As if this was the way it should be, rather than the first instance of a completely out of the ordinary situation.
###
Knowing that Jane rarely slept well, Lisbon was prepared for his call when it came that morning. "Hi, Jane," she'd said as soon as she clicked her phone on.
"Good morning, Lisbon. Do you like lasagna?"
"What? I mean, yes, why do you ask?" She could hear his smile over the phone.
"Well, I was originally thinking of taking you out to dinner tonight, but then I realized you might not want to go on a date with a black eye. How many questioning looks do you want to get, after all? So I thought instead that I'd come over and cook you dinner. How does that sound?" he'd asked.
Lisbon was a little overwhelmed, but rallied quickly. "Um, yeah, that sounds okay, Jane. Really nice, actually. So, when do you want to come over?"
"Well, I need to get some things together, and then go pick up ingredients. Let's say in a few hours, around one in the afternoon?"
"That sounds just fine. It'll give me a chance to tidy a little, too. I'll see you soon, Jane."
"Bye, Lisbon."
Luckily her apartment wasn't too much of a disaster area, so she was long finished cleaning up before she heard the knock on her door. She opened it to see Jane standing there, grinning widely with an armload of groceries. "Hey, Lisbon, can you grab the wine? It needs to chill and I'm running out of hands," he said as she stepped aside to let him in. She'd taken the bottle automatically and put it in the fridge.
"Do you need any help?" Lisbon asked.
"Not at all. I'll take care of everything, you just relax," he'd immediately replied, gently but firmly leading her out of her kitchen.
###
So now, a glass of the nice red wine in hand, she sat and enjoyed the bustling and music he was creating in her home. He'd just stopped humming and started singing along with the song currently on the radio. She heard him sing, "Sometimes the things I do astound me. Mostly whenever you're around me…" and felt an unexpected rush of affection, despite the warning she'd given him about his singing on Monday.
Lisbon was conflicted; on one hand, he could still be just playing around with her. But something else inside of her had simply surrendered to the comfort of his presence. It even made a treacherous part of her wonder what it would be like to do this every Saturday.
Jane walked into the living room and stopped to watch her for a moment. It was nice to see her so unguarded and free of tension. And it was rare that she would just sit and think calmly in front of him. "Hey Lisbon, what are you thinking about?" he asked, jarring her from her reverie.
She blinked a few times in the fading light, and reached over to turn on a lamp. Then she looked up at him with a challenging smile. "You tell me."
He leaned against the doorway, crossed his arms and regarded her silently. "You're thinking about how homey and domestic this all is," he said after a moment. "You're surprised at the lack of awkwardness that you were sure would have to be there. And secretly you're wondering what it might be like, every once in a while, not to be unstoppable crime-fighters Jane and Lisbon, but happy couple Patrick and Teresa."
"Not bad; extremely close, in fact. Are you sure you can't read minds, Jane?"
"I don't have to read your mind, Lisbon. I know what you're feeling because I'm feeling the same way."
"So in reality you told me what you're thinking instead. Sneaky, but effective."
"Ah, three words that could apply to me in so many situations," he said with a smirk.
"Too true," she replied, sighing. "Hey, how's dinner coming along?"
"Everything should be ready in about half an hour," he replied. "The complete menu includes avocado salads, garlic bread, lasagna, the red wine of course, and homemade chocolate mousse for dessert."
Lisbon went through the menu in her head. Something about it was registering in the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite be sure. It wasn't until she ran through the ingredient list that she realized what was nagging at her. He wasn't actually trying something that obvious, was he?
But all she said was, "Sounds perfect, Jane. I'm genuinely looking forward to it," and gave him a gentle smile. She would call him on it when he least expected it.
###
An hour and a half later, Jane was finishing a long and convoluted story about his carnival days. It began when he asked her, "Tell me a true story you've never told anyone else at the CBI."
She'd said "You first," as much out of force of habit as anything else.
But what started as merely a peace offering on his part quickly became an uproarious tale that included several exotic animals, a double date with a set of conjoined twin violinists, and an old-fashioned tar-and-feathering. Lisbon had long since finished her food, thank goodness; she didn't want to choke on the chuckles that were coming so freely from his story.
Jane wound it all up with, "And then he said 'Oh no, Boy Wonder, not with my elephant you don't' and I had to spend the night in the big top tent."
Lisbon was practically crying with laughter. "Oh my God, Jane. That's hilarious; I can't believe you've never told it before. Did it really happen like that?" she asked.
"Well, I may have embellished slightly. The conjoined twins were more fiddlers than violinists," Jane said. "Now it's your turn. Come on, Lisbon, and make it a good one."
Lisbon shook her head. "It's not nearly as entertaining as yours, but there is one that comes to mind. And I've never told it to anyone I know now."
"Go ahead, I can't wait to hear it," Jane coaxed.
"Well, I think I should start by saying that I think everyone has an awkward phase," Lisbon began.
"The beautiful and confident Agent Teresa Lisbon had an awkward phase? Heavens!" Jane quipped in pretend horror. "When did that happen?"
"I never had time for one as a kid, I guess, so I got mine when I went to college. This was before I joined the academy and started with San Francisco PD, of course."
"Of course," Jane said. "Go on."
She went on to tell him the story of the first guy who'd ever paid any real attention to her in college. It wasn't really a memory that made her seem particularly bright, but she couldn't stop herself from relating it. She explained the surprise at such a cute guy smiling at her and remembering her name. And she blushed when she mentioned her clumsy attempts at flirting.
Jane sat and listened avidly. He could tell it was difficult for her to share personal stories with someone she still associated with work. So he made every attempt to keep her at ease, and made sure that whenever he grinned or snickered, she knew it wasn't at her expense. The story was enjoyable to hear, especially for its novelty, but watching her body language gradually shifting to relaxed again was even better.
She went on to say, "So when he asks 'I haven't seen you at the store in over a week, how've you been?' I decide to answer him honestly rather than just saying 'fine'. So I tell him 'Well, actually I've been a little sick.' He says 'Oh, that's a shame. You know, Teresa, God doesn't want you to be sick.' Out of nowhere!"
Jane started laughing. "Oh, noooo," he said.
Lisbon found herself trying not to laugh as well, although it hadn't been very amusing at the time. "Oh yes, Jane. As it turned out, he was a member of some bizarre cult and had been sizing me up the entire time as a possible new recruit. And can you believe I actually sat there for twenty minutes listening to him go on about it? Thankfully my best friend came along, and I was able to make excuses and go to dinner with her. Naturally, I avoided him for the rest of the year."
"No wonder," said Jane between gasps for air. "I have to confess, that wasn't where I thought the story was going to go. It was so much better! And you've never shared that with the team?"
"Of course not! It's embarrassing and makes me look like an idiot, no matter how funny it seems in retrospect. Not a story to inspire confidence in a team leader, Jane."
"Oh Lisbon," he said, dabbing lightly at his eyes with a napkin. "Sharing a few experiences that don't always cast you in the best light would never make VanPelt, Cho and Rigsby respect you any less. And it might make them like you even more."
"They don't have to like me even more, Jane. I try not to get too personal most of the time, it's unprofessional." Lisbon countered.
"Yes, yes, I know, and you got the 'boss training' and I didn't. Just… think about it. Are you ready for dessert?"
"Oh, I don't know, Jane. Everything was excellent and I'm pretty full…"
"Come on, it's just a small portion. Perfectly sized to follow that meal, I promise."
Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Okay, you talked me into it. I shouldn't miss out on homemade chocolate mousse, after all."
###
After dessert, Lisbon thought Jane would make a hasty retreat. But instead he took care of the entire dinner clean up, and poured them both another glass of wine. They settled on opposite ends of her couch, turned to face each other, and kept talking. She knew he was using his charm to draw her out and make her reveal more, but it didn't seem to bother her, oddly enough.
During a lull in the conversation, she looked pointedly at him and said, "I know what you did with dinner."
"What?" he asked, seeming genuinely confused for a moment.
"I know that this dinner, while very nice, was still part of this week's big joke."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because every dish contained at least one ingredient considered to be an aphrodisiac. And even though you would never actually expect them to work, you knew I'd figure it out and find it to be questionable behavior. Especially after your promise never to try and seduce me over a meal," she said.
"I think you're giving me too much credit for elaborate cleverness here. I just thought those foods went together well, that's all," Jane said. And she would have believed him, she really would have, except for the tiny sparkle in his eyes that gave him away.
"Deny it all you want, but I know you did it on purpose. Did it work out the way you planned?"
"Dinner did. I wanted to make you more comfortable with me in a non-work setting, and you obviously are."
"Well, as much as you get on my nerves most of the time, Jane, you can be very disarming when you make the effort."
"It's only fair, considering how charming you can be without any effort at all," he replied.
Lisbon felt her face warm, and was sure she was blushing once again. She didn't need a mirror; the look on Jane's face confirmed it. He smiled and reached out, stroking her hand briefly before setting his wineglass on the coffee table.
"Well, it's nearly midnight," he said as he got up from the couch and stretched. "I should be heading out."
She felt oddly… disappointed? Why? What was she expecting him to do? She watched as he gathered his things and made his way towards the door. "Just to warn you, I'll probably call again tomorrow," he said. "Sleep well, Lisbon."
She got up to follow him, and the words popped out of her mouth before she had a chance to reconsider them. "Really, Jane? All that effort and you're not even going to try to kiss me goodnight?"
He paused without turning back around, leaning one hand on the door. "I'd like to very much, but I'd never presume when it came to kissing you."
"You do it with nearly everything else when it comes to me."
"Granted, but this is one time I'd feel terrible about making the wrong assumption. Not to mention I might end up in the hospital," he added cheekily.
"I promise not to send you to the emergency room, but that's as easy as I'm going to make it for you, Jane. You'll just have to be brave and give it a shot," she said.
When he turned around to face her, the warmth and desire in his eyes made her breath hitch. She looked away, not really watching him as he stepped closer to her. She felt, rather than saw, him reach out and trace her cheek with a finger that came to rest under her chin. He tapped lightly, and she lifted her face to look at him again.
So close, she could see his pupils had almost eclipsed the color of his eyes. What had he once told her about pupil dilation? The thought was lost as he leaned down and gently pressed his lips against hers.
Soft, was her first thought. Then warm. Then sweet. The kiss was so tender, not the way she'd imagined it. And she had imagined it, whether she was prepared to admit it or not. She placed her hands, palms down, on his chest. Her lips parted in a quiet sigh of contentment, and she wasn't surprised when his tongue slipped past them and deepened the kiss. One hand cupped her cheek, and his other arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer. She made a pleased sound and nipped his bottom lip lightly, before soothing it with a swipe of her tongue.
They broke the kiss before too much longer, and his warm breath caressed the side of her neck as he hugged her close. Her arms went around him in return as he murmured "Good night, Teresa."
She shivered slightly at his unexpected use of her first name. "Good night," she answered, giving him a last squeeze before letting him go. This time he didn't turn back; he just walked out of the door and closed it behind him.
TBC… song lyrics are from "Like Someone in Love".
