A/N: Finally! I'm so sorry for the delay but I had internal family problms and serious writersblock... all the things you don't need if you want to write a new chapter of your FF.
Thank you all so much for your reviews. Especially for the guest reviewers! Thanks for making the effort and writing a review! As always, I'm blown away by all your support :) I'm so happy that you like the story and I hope the new chapter makes up for the long wait!
Have fun!
(10)
Ten more minutes and it was time to finally go home, Lisbon decided after lounging at the bar for about one and a half hours, turning down every invitation to dance and drinks by showing off her fake wedding band. This thing was quite practical, especially when she couldn't concentrate on anything but the kiss she and Jane had shared.
The Kiss. This damn stupid, but pretty good kiss. She'd tried to drown the image in a few shots of Tequila and even two of Nikki's famous Carmel Deaths, but instead of shooing the memory away, it became even more present in her head. So after becoming a little too tipsy for her taste, she made the only good decision since she came here and settled on water instead.
Thank god no one tried to make conversation with her, because she really wasn't in the mood to talk. To be honest, the only thing she wanted to do was kick Jane in the ass for kissing her like this. He didn't seem to care, if she took a look on the dance floor, where there was almost a queue waiting at the side and women fighting over how was the next one to dance with him.
Jane never had any problems with denial, Lisbon thought, right in opposite to her. She thought so much about things it made her sick. It wasn't very different with what happened in the office of Nikki's husband.
If the person hadn't interrupted them, who knew what would have happened next? Images of him kissing the soft spot on her bare neck and pushing the dress down her shoulder started flooding her mind. His lips were so soft... she could still feel them ghosting upon hers.
Shaking her head, Lisbon took a sip of the cool water to bring her mind back to reality. Why was she imagining things like this? The worst thing wasn't that he kissed her, but that she kissed him back. Hell, she should have pushed him away after the first kiss, when he tried to silence her instead of kissing him back the second time.
If she was honest to herself, they would have ended up having a quickie on the desk if Jane would have wanted it, because all her morals went over board the second his lips met hers. Now, Lisbon should thank whoever it was who popped into the office, because this brought her back to reality.
Why didn't she punch him? This would have been the perfect opportunity for all the crap he pulled in the last week. No, instead she did what she could do best. Run. Run away from her problems, denying that she had them to the public, but getting crazy over them in her mind. God, she was a total mess.
Sighing, the agent ordered another glass of sparkling water and watched the dance floor for a few moments. Jane was dancing with another woman. Tall, blonde - just like most of the women here - but they looked pretty together. Who was she trying to kid. This kiss meant more to her than she wanted to admit. It was the same thing with the "Love you", he'd said months ago, before he "shot" her.
She should stop going crazy over things Patrick Jane said and did because he wasn't serious about any of them if they didn't concern Red John or his minions, for example Lorelei. Jane hadn't told her he slept with her and now he kissed her after she accused him of being in love with her. Was the kiss just another method to silence her when words weren't enough?
Watching him on the dance floor, looking careless and enjoying himself, Lisbon wasn't sure what to think anymore. Sadness rose up in her chest, when she remembered the last time they danced three years ago at the High School Reunion after finishing a case.
Right then, Jane turned the woman he was dancing with around, so he had free view to the bar Lisbon was sitting at. Their eyes met for about five long seconds, before Lisbon turned around again, grabbing a salty pretzel stick and nibbling it in silence.
She should have never agreed to accompany Mancini on this damn undercover mission. Her life had been difficult enough, but now it became even worse. Denial had always been an option, but after the kiss, the only thing she could do now was talk about it with him or try to ban Jane out of her life, no matter how much it hurt her heart. Maybe it was better to make a clear break.
She could give the case to the FBI. They already had it last year, but maybe this time Jane would go too, to achieve the only thing he truly wanted. Revenge for his dead family. He didn't care about her and she cared too much, because she loved him.
Almost dropping the peanut she wanted to put into her mouth, she stared at her glass for a moment, watching the bubbles going up through the water into the air. Had she just admitted to herself that she loved him? This was not good, this was completely wrong. She... she mustn't love him!
Oh no, this was such a huge mess, this was... "A double shot Tequila, please", she ordered. The barkeeper poured her the double shot of Tequila without questioning it and she was so very thankful for that.
I love him, Lisbon repeated in her head, letting them sound different every time she thought them. As much as she wanted to deny it, she loved him so much it hurt sometimes and love wasn't a feeling she could switch off.
So much for banning Patrick Jane out of her head and sight. Damn him, damn her heart and damn the alcohol for making her think harder about him with each shot. Now that she admitted it, all the pieces fell together. This was the reason why she kept standing up for him, why she always forgave him for the most stupid things and why she didn't even hesitate to fake her own death to trick a serial killer.
Love made people do the silliest things – always had and always would. But where was the point in hoping for dreams that would never come true? Jane made it clear over the years; the only thing he cared about was revenge on Red John. He'd never give it up for her and told her more than one time that one – or both of them – would die.
She'd said it before and would say it again. Her life was a complete mess and always was and always would be. Just when she thought she brought everything in order, she messed up again. This time was not any different from all the other ones.
"Would you like to dance?" someone asked behind her.
Lisbon was about to say no, when she saw Jane stepping up beside her, watching her with a mixed expression.
"Don't you have enough women waiting for a dance with you? They'd be pretty disappointed if you'd ask someone like me for the next dance", the agent answered with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
Someone like her? What did she mean with someone like her? She was the most desirable woman at this stupid party, so why did she question his judgement?
Jane wrinkled his nose when he smelled the alcohol in Lisbon's breath, so he took her glass and put it behind the bar. "No more alcohol for the lady here, she had enough", he told the bar keeper. Alcohol made people say and do the silliest things, so no wonder she believed he'd take other women over her, like he did with Lorelei.
Lorelei was and always would be a means to an end and nothing more. He was here now instead of planning how to break her out of prison wasn't he? So why was the woman still questioning him?
"It's none of your business Jane", Lisbon mumbled without too much protest, since she knew he was right with the alcohol. Still, she hated when he started patronizing her with simple things such as if she had enough alcohol or not.
Jane sighed, watching her absently chewing on the rest of her salty pretzel stick. He moved closer to her ear, so only she could hear what was spoken between the two of them. "Instead of sitting here in pity because of what happened in the office, you could move and give me this one dance, Teresa. Please."
Teresa. He'd called her Teresa. He only called her Teresa if he really wanted her to do something for him or play a part in one of his schemes.
Jane's lips touched her cheek lightly and she was glad her dress had long sleeves, because she could feel goose bumps all over her upper body. The agent watched him for a moment, shuddering, before she got off her chair: "One dance, then I'll go home. And don't you dare to try anything funny, because this time I will kick your ass."
"Such language, my dear", he laughed relieved she agreed on his offer. She'd been drowning in her misery long enough, but this was for Lisbon. She always thought too much about things she shouldn't worry her pretty little head about. Most of the time it was his fault, that he admitted, but he couldn't take back what happened in the past. Neither the thing with Lorelei nor the kiss. Not that he ever would, at least when it concerned the latter. This kiss had woken up feelings inside of him he'd been suppressing for a long time.
When it came to Lisbon, sometimes his body did other things than his mind told him to do. Patrick Jane was a man of pure control, but the woman in front of him had her ways to drive him crazy in ways he never could have imagined. When he found her in the office, the last intention he had was ending up kissing her. Now he was glad he'd done it, especially since Lisbon had kissed him back and he now knew his feelings weren't one-sided.
Jane lead the way to the dance floor, taking her hand in his, watching the women who have been waiting for him getting mad with jealousy. None of them could ever compete with the petite brunette firecracker in his arms, he thought smirking.
When the first beats of the music sounded and the singer stepped on the stage, Lisbon stopped, watching Jane with her big green eyes. She knew this song by heart, every line, every tone… and the most cherishing memory she ever connected with it was suddenly present in her head.
"This is…", she mumbled stunned, not sure what to do.
"Your favourite song", the consultant smiled, "I know. Do you remember the last time we danced to it?"
… She watched him for a moment, before she nodded slowly. How could she forget the last time they danced to "More Than Words", had it been in her mind the whole night.
How many times had she wished for them to relive this moment together and made up the weirdest outcomes in her fantasies.
Jane smiled knowingly as if he could read her thoughts but although she knew he couldn't, Lisbon's cheeks flushed crimson, while the thoughts in her head were running in circles. Why was he doing this to her? Why was he torturing her heart even more than she thought was possible?
Firs the kiss, now the song and the dance… "You did this on purpose", Lisbon stated, "the problem is, I really don't know why…"
"Perhaps you could just enjoy it, like you did the last time. I swear I won't ask you which instrument you played in High School again." This actually made her smile a little. It was one of the few things she's kept from him over the years. He already had guessed the right instrument of course, but she wouldn't tell him that.
Although Lisbon was still not sure why exactly Jane was doing this whole dance thing, she stepped towards him a little stiffly and got into a standard dancing position.
Jane grinned when he felt her resistance. This woman was still thinking too much in spite of the alcohol. Hadn't he made his intentions clear when he kissed in the office?
He pulled Lisbon a little closer to his body, one hand on her hip, his fingers touching some skin of her bare neck, the other one holding her small hand, watching every movement of her face when she tried to avoid his gaze.
"Relax, Lisbon. Just let me guide you", Jane whispered and they started to sway slowly over the floor.
After Lisbon still tried to let a professional distance remain between them, Jane rolled his eyes and pulled her as close as possible. She gave up after a while, resting her head on his shoulder. He gave her the feeling of being protected, like she could let her guard down and just be herself for once.
Somehow they wound up with her arms around his neck, while his hands were locked around her waist, touching the warm skin of her bare back, both of them more than relaxed. If he had to guess, Lisbon had closed her eyes a while ago, enjoying the song and the dance.
His arms were strong, holding her close like a precious treasure, no intention of letting go anytime soon. She fit like no one else did, as if his arms were only made to hold her in this position. Lisbon was his, his and no one else's, that was for sure. He'd sworn he'd tell her… soon, because she needed time to process things developing between them.
Jane smiled when he heard her sigh silently and rested his cheek upon her head, breathing in the delicious scent of her shampoo mixed with perfume and a hint of alcohol, coming from the tequilas she drunk before. Maybe it wasn't so bad that she was a little tipsy. It made things easier between them.
He had to tell her somehow, they had to talk about everything. There were so many misunderstandings between them, no wonder Lisbon thought he was in love with Lorelei. A ridiculous thought, but how could she know? He hadn't been very forthcoming after his return from Las Vegas, only focusing on his revenge instead of the one thing, which was really important in his life. Her
This didn't mean that he'd stop looking for Red John, but after the serial killer had asked for her head, he realized there were so many chances already lost, it'd be a waste of time to wait any longer.
He owed the band fifty bucks for making them play some kind of extended version of the song, which lasted more than ten minutes. When the end was near, the consultant decided to become a little more risky and let his hands glide down over her waistline, but not deep enough to cup her buttocks.
"I was serious when I said I'd kick your ass if you tried anything funny. You're right about to cross the line." Lisbon whispered with a hint of amusement in her voice. She didn't seem to mind, at least not really.
"After all these years, you should have learned that I'm never one to play by the books, my dear."
Lisbon raised her head and smiled. Their faces were so close, she could easily close the gap between them and kiss him again, but this time they were in public. They had a role to play and it would look suspicious if she'd kiss her "ex" with a husband sitting at home – or rather in San Diego, talking to his boss about the case. Word would go around fast, so this dance already was pretty risky for them.
Another problem was the fact they hadn't talked anything out yet. They had been in the middle of a fight when he silenced her with that kiss, followed by a hot make-out session on the desk. This thought brought her back to reality. What were they doing?
Having a romantic dance just like they were a couple, while there was still the elephant in the room, this was so wrong. This was no movie where the main characters would come together after confessing their love and live happily ever after. They hadn't even confessed their love to each other, they had just kissed!
She cleared her throat and stepped away from him, loosening her arms around his neck and escaping the warmth of his body.
"Thank you for the dance, Jane, but I think it's time for me to go home", she mumbled awkwardly, kneading her hands nervously.
"You can't drive drunk", Jane insisted, grabbing her wrist when she tried to escape him, "Let me drive you home. Please."
"I'm not drunk!"
"You had more than ten shots of tequila, my dear. Even if your limit is higher than those of other people, you shouldn't drive now", he said. Hadn't her mother died because of a drunk driver?
"I didn't take the car, Jane", she reassured him, "I can walk the distance, so there's no need to drive me." The truth was, she needed time alone to think.
"But I don't want you to walk alone through the streets at night in this ravishing outfit." It was true. Seeing her in this outfit made the most honourable man become a slave of his lower instincts.
Lisbon cracked a smile, touched by his concern. She leaned forward, so people could not overhear them talking: "I'm still a cop, Jane. Although your concern about my wellbeing is very sweet, I think I'm capable of walking the distance." Even if the shoes would kill her, but she wouldn't say that out loud.
Jane's lips formed a thin line, but he let her wrist go. "Then please let me accompany you on your walk."
"I need some time alone, Jane, so don't make this any harder on me than it already is. I have to think about tonight, about everything. I'll see you later, okay?"
He wasn't pleased with her answer, but he knew pressuring her was the wrong path in the game of winning her heart. Lisbon needed time, though time was the one thing they didn't have. Watching her saying goodbye to Nikki, who shot him a knowing glance after Lisbon was gone, made him feel uncomfortable.
After a few of the drunk single woman spied him being alone again, wanting to dance, he excused himself from the party, taking his baby blue Citroën to drive home to his house instead.
About half a mile later, he saw a familiar frame walking barefoot on the sidewalk next to the street. Lisbon must have gotten rid of her shoes after leaving the house. She was only the occasional high heel wearer, so after a few hours her feet always hurt like hell, that much he knew.
Debating whether or not to reduce his speed, Lisbon made the decision for him by turning around, waving at him.
Taking a deep breath, Jane wound the window of the passenger side down, trying to remain casual: "Need a ride?"
"You've been following me", Lisbon pointed out, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Jane shrugged. He could deny it, but where was the point? "I saw no reason to stay longer at the party when the only woman whose presence I truly cherish decided to go home. So... Do you want to ride home with me or not? I happen to drive into your direction." She hesitated a second, before she sighed and opened the door of his vehicle.
"Where are your shoes?", the consultant asked. He thought she'd took them off, but they were no where in sight. When her cheeks flushed, Jane raised an eyebrow: "What happened?"
"I… stumbled and broke my heel. Nothing happened, okay? I threw them into the next bush and walked on without shoes. So much for Nikki's theory that quality comes with a price."
"You could have called me."
"Because of a broken heel? Jane, this is ridiculous. It happened two minutes ago and then I heard your excuse of a car coming my way, so where was the point? I'm a grown woman, I don't freak out over a broken heel", she said pointing towards the road, "You want to get going or not?"
"Not freaking out over a broken heel but a little kiss. A grown woman you are", Jane muttered under his breath, his lips forming a thin line immediately because he'd actually said it out loud.
Next to him, Lisbon stiffened in her seat, pretending she hadn't heard him and started watching out of the window. They didn't talk much for the next ten minutes the consultant needed to bring them home.
To her surprise, he'd paid attention to the given speed limit without needing her to remind him.
Jane pulled into the driveway of her and Mancini's house, shutting down the engine. "You know you could have easily parked in your own driveway and let me walk the few feet over here", Lisbon said while unfastening off her seatbelt.
"I didn't want you to walk barefoot the whole way over here", the consultant answered smiling, "Just say it, Lisbon, I know you want to. We're alone now, nobody's listening."
She threw him an angry glance, before opening the door a bit. This was her chance. Jane never was the one to search confrontation and he already knew what she'd been thinking about the whole time. Taking a deep breath, the agent prepared her mind and heart for what would come. "Fine. You're right, I want to know something. Why did you kiss me?"
Lisbon held her breath, trying to avoid his longing gaze upon her. It took a moment before Jane answered, since he wanted her to look him right into the face when he said it. "Because I could."
The breath she was holding escaped her mouth, followed by an angry snort. He'd kissed her because he could what for an answer was that? Gripping the hem of her dress, she gritted her teeth, trying to give him a disapproving glance: "This doesn't answer my question. One doesn't go around and kiss other people jest because one can! Did you do it to silence me? So I would stop going on about Lorelei?"
"Oh here we go again", Jane sighed giving her one of his famous eye rolls when he wanted to make it clear she was driving him nuts. "Don't you ever get bored going on and on about Lorelei? I'm not proud of it and you should know that by now, so please. Please stop going on about this, because I can't take it back. I kissed you, because you practically screamed for it… and I had to silence you."
"I knew it", she said, wanting to go in, but he turned towards her, putting a finger on her lips.
"I dare you, I will do it again if you won't stop talking now!" The shimmer in her eyes, going along with her suddenly dilated pupils told him she wanted nothing more than to be kissed by him again. "I will remove my finger now and if you say one wrong word, I swear the kiss from the office will be nothing in comparison to what you will get, okay?"
Lisbon nodded; eyes wide open, waiting for Jane to pull his finger away. To her own surprise she couldn't get out a word, even if she wanted to. Did he just threaten to kiss her? Her thoughts were going crazy, so she just waited for him to get off the car and opening her door like the gentleman he was.
"Thanks for driving me home." Lisbon's voice was hoarse and quiet.
"Always, Teresa", he answered, pushing a bun of hair behind her ear, "Sweet dreams." Lowering his face down to hers, Jane brushed his lips over hers so quick and soft, she wasn't sure it really just happened.
Making her way over to the front door, she could feel his eyes burning on her back, while looking for the key in her small purse. Where was the damn thing?! Of course it would take longer than usual for her to open the door and stepping inside. Daring to throw another glance back she realized, Jane was still standing in the driveway on the same position she'd left him.
He grinned and waved her goodbye, right before she shut the door with a damped bang. Thins went well tonight. Very well to be honest. There was no chance he could wipe off that grin on his face when he got into the car and drove it into the garage of his own house right next to Lisbon's.
He'd kissed a total of three times tonight. A surprising, unintended first kiss, followed by a passionate lover's kiss – which Lisbon had started – and a sweet short goodnight kiss. Without knowing, they'd crossed a line and now, there was no turning back. From this point it could either become better, he knew it.
Happily, Jane went into his own house, going up to his bedroom immediately. He didn't bother to close any curtains or blinds, when he took off his jacket and the vest. Rolling up his sleeves and opening the upper three buttons of his shirt, the consultant stepped in front of his French window, waiting for the light to turn on in Lisbon's room.
It took a while for her to get into her room but when she finally switched the light on and went to the windows to close the curtains, Jane knew she would look for his presence again some time this night if only to talk about the kiss again.
His little woman. Couldn't she just take things the way they were developing instead of questioning every single move? The way she'd kissed him back the second time was proof she felt the same way about him like he did about her. She just needed to be pushed into the right direction.
Her shadow appeared in front of the curtain, hesitating whether to pull them away or not. Jane raised an eyebrow, curious if she'd give into her intentions or just try to be the reasonable woman as always. Just like he thought, the shadow disappeared and the light switched off.
Jane never liked stakeouts very much except they were part of a plan and he could do them with Lisbon, but this time he had no problem with waiting for the woman to show up and talk to him. A nice hot cup of tea would definitely be a good companion for tonight until Lisbon decided to crawl out of her hole. What a blessing he decided to buy the excellent selection of different sorts on the farmer's market last Wednesday.
About ten minutes later, he sat down in his comfortable beach chair outside the balcony, a pot with damping tea on the small table and a novel in his hand. Since it was still warm outside, he didn't need a blanket or pillow as a comforter. The only thing he had to do now was to wait.
After shutting the door, Lisbon glided down to the floor, resting the back of her head against the cool wall behind her. She could hear Jane starting the engine of his car again and driving off to his own house. The way he'd looked at her. Oh god!
Groaning, she kneaded her temples, trying hard to get rid of the voices in her head, but she had no chance to escape them. One part of her was thinking about the kisses in the office, another one about what had just happened outside the door. Again, one part was telling her they couldn't be together, not like this, not in such dangerous times, while another told her to go for it and finally give into the feelings she'd been holding back for such a long time.
"Damn it Teresa!", she mumbled, putting two fingers against her lips. She could still feel Jane's lips upon hers and it was a feeling she never wanted to for get, she rather wanted to feel it again… and again… and again.
Patrick Jane had turned her whole world upside down and although every reasonable human would tell her to keep her hand off the devil, her heart was pulling her into the opposite direction – as always. She damned the day he showed up in the hallway of the SCU at the CBI, since she never had a chance to not fall for him. Why was she a magnet for lost causes and rather broke herself over helping them than doing what was good for her?
Maybe this was just the direction God had in mind for her. Still, she was a good person and didn't she deserve a little happiness in her life and not the total mess it was now? If she gave into her feelings for Jane – because denying she had none became pointless now – was there the slightest chance they would get the happy ending they both deserved?
None of them could be sure Red John wouldn't strike and take her life – or even worse – his in the end. She barely survived six months without him, so how should she be able to survive the rest of her life? Wasn't it the same the other way around?
Lisbon was stuck in her thoughts so she almost didn't recognize her feet took her into her bedroom in front of the window. Quickly, she closed the curtains, since she didn't want him to see her in a delicate situation again. Thank god Mancini would stay the night in San Diego. She wouldn't be able to deal with him, his advances and his questions right now with Jane in her head.
After peeling herself out of her dress, she threw it carelessly over the backrest of a chair and went into the bathroom, snorting derogatively when she saw her face in the mirror. Her cheeks were still flushed and her eyes wide. She could swear her pupils were dilated more than normal, too. What had Jane said on their last case with Mashburn?
Dilation of pupils always set in if we really want something. Well, there she goes, the thing she wanted right now was a certain blonde consultant in the house right next to her.
Perhaps he was still awake and she could ask him one and for all to give her a truthful answer on why he was doing all this, so she could plan her next moves…
Pulling her jersey over her head, Lisbon went out of the bathroom to the curtains. She couldn't do this, could she? They both needed time to think – though thinking more about the situation than she already did, would make her brain burst.
The agent lay down on the queen size bed and tuck the warm blanket around her. It was almost as warm as Jane's body had been when they'd danced. Humming the melody of her favourite song, she stared at the ceiling, imagining Jane's picture there. How he smiled, how he laughed… Everything could be so easy if he'd let it be.
Time flew by, but Lisbon couldn't find sleep. She was too stirred up and knowing Jane was just a few yards away didn't make it better. A quick glance on the clock told her it was already after three in the morning. Maybe she should just go outside and take in a fresh breath to clear her head for the night. Not that this would help, but she needed an excuse to get up and take a look at the window of his bedroom, knowing he didn't have any trouble sleeping in opposite to her.
For the second time of the night, she stood hesitantly in front of the heavy curtains debating whether to pull them away or not.
"Just do it", she mumbled, taking a deep breath and pushing the curtains aside. It was dark outside, only the stars and the moon lightened up the world.
"I was wondering if you showed up tonight", a voice stated, just when she opened the door and took a step outside. Lisbon flinched surprised when she spotted the dark figure coming out of the shadows of the opposite balcony.
"Jane! You scared the hell out of me!" She stepped closer to the banister. For a second it crossed her mind, that if both of them would lean over the balustrade and reached out for the other one, their fingertips might touch.
Jane lit the little lamp on the wall outside, so they could finally see each other for real, then he moved towards the banister, too. His face looked tired, as if he hadn't found any sleep at all tonight. "Trouble sleeping?", he asked.
Lisbon shrugged, leaning against the balustrade: "Seems like I'm not the only one."
"I guess you're right. I have too much in my head right now, so it makes sleeping impossible." This answer took Lisbon off guard. Had he just admitted that he was thinking as much about the whole evening as she was? And here she thought Patrick Jane, the Master of Thoughts always knew what to do.
"Me too. Tonight has been kind of… disturbing to me."
"Anything you want to talk about?" His voice was serious about it, so she kept questioning herself why he had this sudden interest to talk things out between them. When she remained silent, Jane stepped back to the little table with his tea on and took a sip of the long cold beverage.
"I know I did some confusing things today, Teresa", he admitted, "I don't know what to tell you yet. But I know one thing, which is really important to me, and that is the fact that I need you to trust me. You didn't give me a straight answer back in the office, so please. Please tell me that after what happened yesterday, you haven't given up on me."
The agent swallowed hard, a hand going up and touching the small wound where the bullet hit her arm. It hadn't hurt the whole evening, but somehow the pain was more real now.
"I know I hurt you badly, Teresa and against anything you might think, I had no intention of hurting you or anyone else. I was stupid and shouldn't have messed with you and Mancini, so I'm sorry, I really am. You don't have to accept my apology, but I have to be sure that I can still count on you."
Looking into his eyes, seeing the honesty and truth in it, Lisbon swallowed hard. There were so many unspoken feelings between them and he asked her to trust him, to not give up her hope in him. She never did. Yes, she thought about it, but not for one second, she was poised to let Jane go.
"I trust you, Jane", she whispered loud enough for him to hear her, "I trust you and I will never give up on you, if you promise me to be completely honest with me from now on."
Jane's lips formed a thin line, while he rubbed with his hand over his face. "I can't promise to tell you everything, Lisbon. There are things, you're safer without knowing."
"But how do you expect me to trust you, when you have no intention in trusting me with everything?" Although she didn't want to fight with him again, her voice grew louder.
Jane sighed shaking his head: "I need you to trust me to tell you the right things at the right time, otherwise you'd be in great danger and I can't risk to lose you. You mean too much to me."
Lisbon gasped, fastening her grip around the banister. She meant something to him, she meant too much to him. What was this supposed to mean? "Jane please, can we just lay our cards on the table and talk it out? I can't work like this anymore. Please…"
"Not tonight", the consultant answered, his voice on the edge. They stood in silence for a few minutes, a chilly breeze crossing them, making Lisbon freeze a little. "After you left the office, I took another look around and found something in the folder you thought was useless. Maybe we should meet and talk about it tomorrow, look things over, so we can finally bring this damn case to closure. What do you think?"
"Sure", the agent mumbled unpleased. This was just typical for Jane. When it got too hot, he changed the subject. Well, this was what she'd get when she gave into him. "Goodnight Jane."
Lisbon turned around, stepping back towards her room, but Jane seemed to have one last thing to say: "If you have trouble sleeping, count one and two when you breathe in and out and think of a happy memory from the last week. Goodnight, Teresa."
Without looking back this time, Lisbon shut the French doors behind her and went straight to bed. Great. Instead of the wanted closure, this talk had brought up more feelings she really didn't want to deal with right now.
Although Jane's tips always seemed a little ridiculous to her, she closed her eyes and calmed her breathing while counting to one and two alternately. Now she just needed a happy memory to think about. Well, the week had been kind of a mess. Good and bad things happened, but the best… was the kiss.
Remembering Jane touching her, nibbling her throat and carving his body made her feel warm and wanted. If Jane's kisses made her feel like that, what would it be like if he showed her is other talents? She shouldn't think about this, really shouldn't, since it were immature teenage girl thoughts, but Lisbon couldn't stop imagining things going on from the point if they hadn't been interrupted.
It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, dreaming of Patrick Jane doing magical things to her body. Maybe, one day, her dreams would become true.
When Lisbon came down the next morning, she was surprised to see Jane and Mancini sitting at the kitchen table, behaving like two calm adults for once. No insulting, no threats… this made her wonder if she actually got up or was still dreaming.
"Good morning", she mumbled, heading over to the counter to put some freshly brewed coffee into a cup. As always, the brew Mancini made was so strong it blew her mind like someone threw a bar of dynamite right into her face. With adding three spoons of sugar and some milk, she made her way over to a free chair at the kitchen table right next to Jane.
"How nice to see you finally agreed to join us, Lisbon. You slept in late. Had a rough night, huh?", Jane suggested with a wink which made her blush lightly. If Mancini would have looked towards her he could have seen her giving him her famous eye roll.
"You could have woken me up", the agent answered, taking another sip of her coffee, "What's that?"
Pointing towards the table, she saw some sheets of paper and out printed pictured. Some looked familiar, having the logo of the Brenner's company on it.
"Well, Mr. Jane told me you two found these documents yesterday night when you were going through the folders of Mr. Brenner's office", Mancini answered, taking one of the sheets into his hand and giving it to her. "Although on the first look everything looks completely fine, we found some friction we don't have an answer for. Mr. Jane, would you care to explain?"
I have to be dreaming, Lisbon thought. Jane and Mancini were never nice to each other, so what happened for the two of them being so calm this morning? Was it because of her? Because Jane had the satisfaction of knowing he kissed her while he still thought she'd slept with Mancini. Damn, she should've told him she hadn't. But when they were arguing back then in the office, she saw no point in telling him.
Somehow she didn't like to be ogled like some piece of meat between two lions. Clearing her throat, she took the sheet of paper Mancini gave her and skimmed it. It was a delivery from San Diego to Mazatlan, one of the bigger coastal cities in Mexico with a great harbor.
"So… It's the delivery note of a delivery of paper from Aaron's company. We know that he ships his stuff with the Brenner's ships", she pointed out.
"You're right. But look at the cargo. The number of boxes that arrived in Mazatlan and now look on the copy of the bill Aaron got", Jane instructed her.
Lisbon took the bill and laid it next to the delivery note, comparing the numbers to each other. "This is wrong. He shipped 37 boxes but paid only 33. Do you think the three boxes contained arms? Wait, where did you get all the stuff by the Aaron's company?"
Jane looked over to Mancini, who chimed in: "At the meeting with my boss yesterday, I told him everything we knew and what we saw at the night we were at the harbour. He gave me the green light to give me everything we needed on the companies we were looking into and Mr. Jane called one of your employees in Sacramento last night."
"I sent Van Pelt the pictures of the papers I took with my phone so she could edit them. They were a little squirmy."
Lisbon raised an eyebrow: "Wait, you can take pictures with your phone? I'm impressed, Jane."
Jane gave her an amusing smile, before he went on: "Now, Grace was so nice to send them back to your laptop via mail and when Mancini came home this morning, he helped me to print them out."
Of course Jane would need help with something easy like printing out pictures from her laptop. Wait a minute. Her laptop? How the hell did he get to it, it was in her room! She even changed her password once a week, how did he… As if he'd read her thoughts, Jane smiled at her mischievously.
"Please, Lisbon. Your choice of passwords is not very creative. Did you really think I wouldn't crack it? By the way, it's very cute how you drool when you're sleeping."
Lisbon gasped embarrassed and hit him on the upper arm. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Mancini trying hard to hold back a witty remark. They should go on with working on the damn case, before the two men changed their minds and decided to be at war with one another again.
"Well, I have to admit it is nice to have all of this stuff here, but is it really enough to nail them down?"
"According to my boss, we have enough to get a warrant for the Aaron's and Brenner's house. The only thing we need is your okay and the signature of a judge. It'll take until tomorrow, but we have to make them think we're safe. Richard Aaron won't be back until Friday anyways, so we have enough time to prepare. My colleagues of the FBI will arrive on early Friday morning, so we can search the houses."
Jane nodded in accomplishment, but saw Lisbon hesitating: "What's wrong, Lisbon?"
"Nothing", she answered", it's just… I don't know what to tell Nikki if she finds out her and her best friend's husband are one of California's most wanted drug bosses."
"We can't let our own feelings cloud our judgement, Teresa", Mancini stated, "You don't know if they are hand in gloves with their husbands. And even if not, you can't tell her. You knew the charade would come to an end eventually. I guess we all didn't expect it to come so soon. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to call my boss and set another meeting in San Diego. Do you want to come this time?"
She shook her head, kneading her fingers: "One has to keep up the game. I don't want them to become suspicious, right?" By the way, she'd agreed to meet with Nikki and the others tomorrow afternoon and she didn't want to miss their last meeting. The three women had become something close like friends to her and she would miss their meetings at the spa or in the city to do girl things.
Back in Sacramento, her whole life would be turning around her job again and she wouldn't have time to do this anymore.
"Do what you think is right", Mancini told her, standing up to call his boss in private.
Sighing, Lisbon rubbed her temples. She felt a light headache coming her way and suddenly damned the shots of Tequila she drank last night. A hand covered hers and squeezed it. Looking up, she found Jane staring into her eyes, a serious expression on his face: "Are you gonna be alright?"
The agent nodded slowly, giving him a small smile: "I have to be. It's just… everything is confusing at the moment. I knew we would get to El Baron eventually, I just didn't expect it to be so soon."
"Hey, you're officially off for another two weeks, aren't you? Why don't you take the time and book a nice long vacation somewhere warm and sunny before you have to get back to work?"
Although she liked Jane's idea, this was not possible. The last vacation she took was a week after she had an almost breakdown when Jane went to Vegas. And who wanted to go alone on vacation anyways? If he'd suggested both of them going together… this would have made things a little different.
"I'll think about it, thanks. Now… could you please explain to me what happened to you and Mancini?"
"Why? Nothing happened."
"That's what I'm worried about. When you two see each other, it doesn't take long and you start fighting like two little school boys. Are you on medics, Jane, because sometimes I can swear you need some", Lisbon said seriously and made Jane laugh.
"No, Lisbon. I just think that we both got closer to what we want."
"And that is?" Somehow she felt she already knew the answer, so she was glad Jane shrugged it off and stood up.
"You'll find out rather sooner than later. I have to go now. Let me know if you're free tomorrow or Thursday night, before we take down the big fish."
With this, he left behind the room and a confused Lisbon. Sometimes this man was a real mystery.
A/N: Okay that was it :D Now since some of you don't know me from my other (german) stories, the case is not as easy to solve as it might seem now. i've planned a few more surprises, so stay tuned ;)
Well, Jane and Lisbon kissed more than one time. What do you think? Is it time for the two of them to reveal their feelings for each other?
Maybe - and this is a HUGE maybe - you'll get some M-rated stuff in the next one, but I make no promises ^^
Feel free to write a review and tell me what you think!
Thanks for reading :)
Liefs