Disclaimer: Still not mine...but oh ho if it was. ;)

A/N: This story got a bit neglected this week so I'm going to try and post two chapters to make up for it. The next one will be up within the next day or so. This one is a little short but it was just so.... and I couldn't perfect it any more. Plus I was a little preoccupied reading a TV Guide article on the Mentalist, Robin Tunney says she hopes Jane and Lisbon never get together because the scene would be humiliating since she thinks of Simon as a brother. :( But I really don't care if they end up in bed or not, I just want a freakin' hug...maybe a kiss on the cheek. That's all I'm asking for! Enough of my ranting; please enjoy the chapter.

It was becoming so easy for Jane to spend time with Lisbon outside of work, outside of just sex. He never thought he would find anyone who could make living a little less of a burden but somehow the firecracker of an agent had managed to do just that. They'd be engaging in stolen moments, frenzied touches and late night lovin' for a while. About three, four months if he was counting right. It was to the point where the guilt had practically disappeared, he finally came to the conclusion that he wasn't doing anything wrong. They were two adults who enjoyed the sex and the company; not at first but they'd come to a mutual understanding somewhere along the way. That understanding is what led him to her door on this night. He didn't want a sex buddy tonight, he wanted somebody to talk to. Just a normal conversation; one that led to them learning something new about each other.

He used her key to politely let himself in, he supposed this was starting to become a habit. She was home, he knew she was but knocking seemed so tedious which is why he didn't bother. Soft jazz was playing in the living room as he kicked his shoes off, and he could hear the sizzle of something cooking. Whatever it was it smelled amazing, different aromas mixing together left him suddenly starving. The kitchen was probably one of his favorite places in her apartment. Number one reason being that they'd kissed in there when he was making grilled cheese. It was just a brushing of the corner of their lips but it counted. She'd said so herself today after he finished talking to Sophie Miller; it counted. He really hoped she wouldn't be jealous or upset over the fact that he'd kissed her on the cheek. At the time she didn't seem too upset but Lisbon had a way of hiding her feelings until they bubbled over and created all kinds of problems. Most of the time he could see through her facade but there were some moments where she truly caught him by surprise. Sometimes it was something emotional and other times it was just something she was saying or doing.

When he entered the kitchen, she managed to surprise him with the gentle sway of her hips in rhythm to the music. He found it ironic that he'd just been thinking about her being able to blow his mind every now and then. There she was, proving him right. He decided on the spot that Teresa Lisbon should not be allowed to dance with skillet in hand and wearing only a tank top and sweats. It wasn't the most flattering look but she looked beautiful from where he was standing. Fearing getting burned or worse he waited till she let go of the skillet to sneak up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist.

"Smells good." She had tensed but immediately relaxed when she realized who was nuzzling her neck. "What's cooking?"

"Stir fry and it's done, you'd know if you'd look." He ignored her, pressed a kiss to her neck and one to her bare shoulder as she turned the burner on the stove off. "You can not just continue to let yourself in whenever you please."

"Why not?"

"It's an invasion of privacy Jane. I want my key back." Even though she sounded serious, she didn't sound angry. He took that as a good sign and dug the key out of his pocket. As soon as she turned to face him he handed it to her. She looked stunned by the fact that he gave in so easily which was proof enough for him that she didn't really want it back. She just didn't want him knowing how much she enjoyed the thought of him being able to let himself in whenever he felt like it. Too bad he already knew that.

Turning the key over in her palm, Lisbon was slightly disappointed. She had expected him to fight to keep it or somehow convince her it was a good idea that he have it. The look in his eyes was one she hadn't seen and before she could ask why he was looking at her like that, a pair of arms gripped her hips and hoisted her up on the counter.

"Patrick!" Something akin to a squeal left her lips but she'd deny it to hell and back if he ever brought it up.

"Tell me something about you." He came to stand between her legs, resting one hand on her upper thigh and the other on her hip. She dropped the key beside her, forgetting about it for the time being and let one arm drape over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"After sharing today about how I had a bit of a meltdown after....I just thought it'd be nice to talk about something good, happier. I'm sorry by the way that you had to practically force it out of me."

"It's okay. Uh, what do you want to know?" Lisbon had no idea what to tell him, there was so much running through her mind but the only thing that stuck was how the food was getting cold.

"Anything. Something about life in general, favorite childhood memories, your favorite color, anything."

"I'm pretty sure you already know my favorite color." Her statement brought a smile to both of their faces.

"Well yes, but you've never actually told me. The point of this is for us to actually tell each other things." She thought about it a few seconds before nodding slowly and opening her mouth.

"When I was little my dad used to take me out on Saturdays. Just me and him, we'd drive for hours with no destination and talk. It was nice to get out of the house away from my brothers and when we got back, mom would always have cookies made. They'd still be warm when I bit into them." Lisbon hadn't even thought about what she was saying, it just spilled out before she could stop it. Thankfully her mind didn't go to the dark place it tended to visit whenever her family was brought up. She figured it had something to do with the man inches in front of her and the hand that was caressing her thigh.

"You like long drives and just-out-of-the-oven cookies. I'll have to remember that."

"Speaking of that my food is getting cold." Amusement flickered across her features as Jane pulled the skillet closer, grabbed the spoon she'd been using to stir and offered it to her. "You're feeding me?" He shrugged and waited for her to lean forward to take the bite.

"My daughter was my alarm clock. She'd come in at five every morning and whisper that she was hungry, for being so small she could put away food. Inherited that from me I suppose." Lisbon had tensed the second the word daughter had come out of his mouth, she knew how he got whenever he talked about his family but surprisingly his demeanor didn't change. The smile on his face never faltered and he sounded happy. He seemed content to share something like that with her so she just let her thumb softly caress his cheek as he took a bite of the stir fry and offered her the next.

"I love to cook. Most of the time it's take out or a sandwich since I live alone but I enjoy cooking." Jane chose not to comment on the fact that she was trying to talk with her mouth full. He just took another bite for himself and did the same. They were such polite people.

"I'll come over so you can cook more. I'll even knock and wait outside so you have to let me in." She rolled her eyes but accepted the spoonful of food he held out for her. "I love watching romantic movies, don't tell anyone that. My wife used to tell all her friends that she had a man who would watch 'chick flicks' all day long, completely ruined my manly reputation."

"You don't have a manly reputation."

"Ouch, I'm wounded Teresa."

"Poor baby." Their playful banter and sharing continued for over an hour, Jane still feeding her the entire time. It was sweet of him and Lisbon didn't mind sitting up on her kitchen counter as long as he was standing between her legs, telling her things she never thought she'd be privileged enough to hear. He told her about his daughter's first scraped knee and how after he "kissed" it better she had proceeded to tell him that his kisses were broken because it still hurt. They'd both laughed at that one, it was a lot easier to be open with him than she had expected. There was so much that she wanted to tell him now but unfortunately there just weren't enough hours in the night. When he told her that he was fixing to leave she simply nodded and sat still as he leaned in to kiss her cheek followed by the corner of her mouth. She was addicted to those kisses, they satisfied a fraction of the hunger she felt for him and fueled the desire to kiss him all at the same time.

She wasn't the type to throw herself at a man but Jane made her want to do just that. She had been so tempted to just blurt out that she loved him but somehow she'd managed to keep that hidden. Maybe one day she'd tell him, one day when he could appreciate the words and at least take the time to explain all the reasons he couldn't feel the same way. It was selfish of her to want a married man, widowed, but married to sit down and give her in depth details why he couldn't love her the way she loved him. She didn't care that she'd be number three on his list, number three in his heart, she just wanted to know that he felt something other than just being close friends.

Jane had forced himself to leave, it was a have to. If he hadn't then he would've spilled how much he was coming to truly care for Teresa Lisbon. That would have led to things too soon. So he'd left, with a solemn vow in mind to stay the night the next time he set foot in her place. Tonight had brought them a lot closer, it was strange that mindless conversation could do that, but it had it's heartfelt moments. They shared memories of the past that left them both a little less broken than before. It hit him like a ton of bricks as he remembered the sparkle in her eyes as he fed her stir fry right out of the skillet with light Jazz playing in the background; he was falling for her. The scary thing was, he had no intentions of trying to make himself stop.

a/n: Short but trust me the next one makes up for that. I can't believe the reviews I've received for this one. It's so overwhelming. Thank you guys so much. After thought here; I love Jazz. :) ~ Rina