Title: Helping with Paperwork…obviously…
Author: Shannon – shannyfish
Disclaimer: I do not own "The Mentalist" or its characters, Warner Brothers and Bruno Heller do. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.
Rating: G
Summary: Jane tries to help Lisbon with paperwork. (Prompt: Ambersand)
Part of the "Red Hot Days" series: a series of different scenes both case and non-case related scenes. This can be read as part of the series or can be read on its own. Different POVs used for different stories. Lisbon/Jane shipping and most likely
Warning: Takes place during season 3, so spoilers during season 3 are fair game. I'm going to say spoilers up to the finale, but since I intend to use Red John later on, it's everything BUT the finale is open to be able to be spoiled.
Author's Note: #9 in the series
...
Lisbon's Office
Jane had decided that he'd mostly stay out of Lisbon's way, but when everyone else was sent out and he was left all alone on his couch, he decided that he needed company. And who else would do, but Lisbon! He'd already checked, she was in her office. The sad thing was that she wasn't doing anything, well nothing fun. It had appeared like she was doing paperwork, but really that wasn't important. All it was, was filler work and crap that 'the powers at be' in the government had decided people under them should do so that they could look busy all the time and that so there was some record that showed that people in law enforcement were doing something. Jane secretly wondered if it was just to keep them out of donut shops.
He popped his head into Lisbon's office and offered his bright smile in order to charm his way into her office. From the pissed look on her face, she was not taking his bait. It was sad, really. Jane let himself in and made himself comfortable. He'd just take this as a challenge. He was sure that he could cheer her up and make her smile.
"So!" he said as he scooted the chair closer to her desk. "What shall we do?"
"I have paperwork to do," she told him coldly. "You need to leave me alone so that I can finish it."
Jane frowned; she was going to make this unnecessarily difficult. So be it. "Maybe I can help you with this paperwork."
"I don't think so," Lisbon told him. "You just normally cause for there to be even more paperwork. That's something I really don't need."
"Well, I bet I could help," Jane told her and moved out of his chair before moving around her desk. He stood behind her and peeked over her shoulder. He smiled in amusement. "I think the government has something against ambersands."
"What?"
"Ambersands."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lisbon told him. "I think you're just making things up now."
Obviously the public school systems were lacking. "Next you're going to tell me that you don't know what a tilda is."
"Are you talking about this wavy thing on my keyboard?" she asked motioning to the key in the upper left corner of her keyboard.
"That would be a tilda."
"And this ambersands thing you speak of is something on my keyboard?" Lisbon asked. "It must be something that's never used."
"You probably use it more than you think, just not on official paperwork, which is silly…it would save you some time," Jane told her. "After all, law enforcement uses all kinds of abbreviations…you'd think they'd take advantage of the ambersand key more often!"
Lisbon frowned and looked over to her keyboard. She was studying it, he could tell. It amused him. She wasn't going to guess it and it brought him great joy.
"Tell me when you give up," Jane told her.
About five minutes of silence between the two of them.
"Give up?"
"Is it this one?" Lisbon asked as she pointed to the symbol above the number six key.
"Nope."
Lisbon frowned deeper.
"Give up, you're never going to figure it out."
"Fine…" she gave in reluctantly.
"An ambersand," he started. "Is what they call the sign for the word 'and'. It's that one right there above the seven key."
"Seriously? What kind of name for the 'and' sign is that?"
"That's what it's called."
Lisbon looked back at him. "I think you're making it up."
"Google it."
"Last time you were in here and told me to Google things you never left my office that whole day."
"And?"
Lisbon frowned. "You're making my paperwork more difficult."
"I'm helping," Jane insisted.
"You're really not," Lisbon insisted.
Jane pointed to the seven key. "I taught you the name for that."
"It's the 'and' sign, I already knew that," Lisbon told him in irritation.
"But I taught you the proper name!"
"Jane—"
"Okay!" he said, he knew that tone. Lisbon was getting tired of his antics. That was fine, he'd just make himself comfortable in her office.
"You can go now."
"No, that's okay…I'll keep you company," he said as he made his way around her desk and made himself comfortable on the couch in her office. Jane figured that if there were any issues that arose with her paperwork then he could help. At the very least, he could quiz her later and see if she remembered what an ambersand was. She probably wouldn't, he thought as he closed his eyes and smiled. He heard her huff and smiled a bit wider.
. . .
TBC…
