The final installment for this 'Season.' Thank you for reading this far and coming on this journey with me. Especially to those that have left reviews, I have loved reading them.
The first chapter of the next fic in the series à "The Change in the Game" will be posted before the end of the weekend, so please keep an eye out if you're interested.
Sorry, I love writing drunk Lisbon. She is my spirit animal. And in case it hasn't been made remarkably obvious at this point, I love Lisbon and the beautiful, complex character she is. Especially in her field of work, I also imagine she'd be hit on a lot more than we see.
This chapter is a lengthy one, but has a bit of it all. A case full of Jane shenanigans and bickering banter, real smutty smut smut, domesticatedness and gooey fluff with Jane being a darling, and the introduction of the Airstream. I hope you enjoy.
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The wheel of death had stopped in downtown Austin today. 25-year old Kara Brewster. A young ingenue reporter, as ambitious as they come it seemed, judging by her recent published articles. Found behind a dumpster like a common piece of trash. The case handballed up the food chain by local PDs when her connections to particular political and corporate prominence came to light.
"Kara Brewster," Abbott commanded from his helm of the briefing post, pushing at buttons to change the images behind him as he spoke.
"Freelance reporter, with a keen moral compass for outing wrongs within the community. Controversial, but very green. Her articles rarely got published or harbored much attention," he continued. "She has a restraining order against an ex-boyfriend with a violent rap sheet, currently out on parole. He is currently in our custody awaiting questioning."
"Her latest expose centered around Mortlock Corporation, a pharmaceutical company, in particular a branch that has highly classified contracts with the CDC and the federal government. Her laptop and any other data concerning her research have yet to be found. According to her computer geek of a roommate, it seems that a lot of Brewster's source data has come from an unknown source within Mortlock itself, a leak if you will."
Jane sat on his leather couch listening to Abbott ramble off detail specifics and the images fleeting on the screen behind him, sipping his second cup of tea in the morning. He was glad he was the only over-observant mentalist in the room as he couldn't help his gaze continually drift to Lisbon. Sitting in an office chair listening tentatively, fitted black blazer and navy blue blouse with a V-cut, spotlighting her mother's cross around her neck. Her hair, wavy and free, shaped the sharp and inquisitive look in her deep green eyes. She was never an overly vain woman, but she was always well-kept, professional, elegant, and simply beautiful.
"Cho, Lisbon, can you gather the unit and meet me in the conference room in ten?" Abbott asked, "We are meeting with a liaison the Mortlock Corporation has sent us."
"Sure thing boss," Cho replied as Lisbon nodded.
"Ooh, liaison, how debonair," Jane joked as he approached Lisbon.
"Another corporate drone, puh-lease. I could shoot myself," Lisbon said dryly.
"Please don't do that," Jane quipped.
They sat and waited in the fishbowl, Jane sipping his tea. Eventually, Abbott walked in with a tall, well-built man in his late-30' – early 40's, brown hair and a square subtle beard, with a certain air of confidence and authority about him.
"Team, this is Tate Jackson, our contact with Mortlock for the case," Abbott introduced.
There was a certain degree of familiarity about him. Lisbon narrowed her gaze, raking her trove of memories.
"Wait," she piped up. "Tate Jackson? As in Tate Jackson St Arthur's college '94?"
"Oh my god… Tara, wait no, Teresa right? Or is it Tara?" Jackson questioned "Wow I haven't seen you since high school" he shook her hand enthusiastically.
"Teresa. Wow, what are the odds? Small world," Lisbon continued with a big smile, a vibe of fake formality about her, with a twinge of something else. Nerves. "So good to see you again!"
Jane watched the interaction with an inquisitive stare, noting their tone and body language toward each other. He didn't like this. Nope, not one bit.
"Well, that should hopefully make things go much smoother, I'm glad to hear you know each other," said Abbott.
"Not for many, many years", said Lisbon. "But it will be good to catch up, I look forward to working with you," as she gave Jackson the eye.
"Mortlock promises its full co-operation," Jackson explained. "Horrible what happened to that young woman. We pride ourselves on brand image, trust and transparency. I can assure you it's not related to the company and we will co-operate with the FBI's requirements 100%." He turned to Lisbon and winked suavely "Whatever you need."
Lisbon blushed a little and tried to hide a smile.
"Great to hear it," Abbott said.
"Big pharma, making millions, billions even, annually. Profiting from the illnesses and misfortune of the matches, preying on the dying. But sure, company, totally trustworthy and transparent."
"Excuse me?" Jackson asked incredulously.
"Just making an observation," Jane shrugged much to Lisbon's amusement.
"Ahem," Abbott cleared his throat. "Vega, Wylie. Head out and talk to the roommate, have another look for any of Brewster's notes. See if PD missed anything," he quickly interjected, steering the conversation back to purpose. "Lisbon, how about you accompany Jackson to Mortlock's offices, see what you can figure out there. Cho and Jane, you can talk to the gentlemen we have in holding," he continued as everyone stood up to leave.
As people drifted from the fishbowl, Jane cornered Cho and Abbott.
"Oh, I think I should probably go with them to Mortlock," Jane quickly offered. "I'm yet to get a feel for the place and Cho is a more than capable interrogator, he'd probably even prefer it if I wasn't there."
"That's true," Cho said bluntly.
"And there's definitely a whole lot to learn from Mortlock. If someone was leaking Brewster information, and her laptop is missing, the whole crux of the investigation is there."
"Are you saying Lisbon's not capable?"
"Oh, Lisbon's more than capable," Jane reassured without missing a beat. "I just have a certain set of skills. Right? It's why you put up with me, it's why I'm here. And why not put that to optimum use?"
Abbott's eyes narrowed. "A word Jane. In my office."
"Oof, I'm in trouble now," Jane humoured Cho before trailing Abbott into his office. He shut the door.
"Now, Jane," he started. "I need you to understand the relationship with we have the Mortlock group is very, very delicate at the moment. There are all sorts of higher powers involved, and is why Jackson is here. This is far, far bigger than just you and me."
"But we have a poor dead young woman? Surely bringing her justice is important too."
"Absolutely. That's why we're on the case," Abbott agreed. "But we need to do so with some decorum and political sensitivity."
"Right. The only thing worse than murder is disgruntling the fat cats."
Abbot ignored his snark, raising his eyebrows. "I can't have you storming in and pulling your usual Jane stunts. Do you understand?"
"Me?" Jane acted surprised and gestured towards himself incredulously. "Me? No, never. 100% on my best behaviour. Scouts honor," he continued as he went through a few hand gestures trying to remember the symbol for Scout's honor.
"Fine, you can go with them," Abbott conceded. "Just to look around and observe, understand? No tricks, no troublemaking."
"Understood," Jane smiled and headed to the door as Abbott took a seat behind his desk.
"And don't worry Jane," he called out as he left. "She's not his type."
Jane faltered in his step, an amused grin spreading across his face. He was good, he'd give him that. Which he supposed is what one would hope from the leader of the division. He gave Abbott a parting glance admitting nothing, before hurrying off to try and chase Lisbon and Jackson down.
When he got to the carpark, he saw Lisbon's car, but no sign of Lisbon. 'Bollocks,' he thought. She must've gone with the handsome, chiseled Jackson. He scowled. Although he felt secure enough in his blooming relationship with Lisbon, he felt instinctively territorial. He didn't like the way he looked at her and she definitely liked the attention she got from him.
He wondered how well they actually knew each other from yesteryear. Was he an old flame? He'd never heard of him before, but then again Lisbon wasn't reknown for her eagerness to share. Maybe he was the infamous cold, heartless jock she worshipped from afar.
He arrived at Mortlock Corporation and took in his surroundings, strolling the entranceway like a daydreamer. He walked into the cold and corporate-feeling front lobby, brand name a logo emblazoned dominantly. The curly-haired receptionist was occupied in an intense discussion with two businessmen in front of him, he decided it would be rude of him to interrupt, so he walked straight through the double doors with confidence - after all, that's how you convince people you belong somewhere. He brushed shoulders with an employee walking in the opposite direction, apologised for his rudeness, then twirled the security badge he successfully swiped from her around his finger. A door stood out at the end right of the corridor signed, "Authorised personal only". He swiped away and let himself through.
He entered a lab of some sort. Lots of trinketry-looking silver barrels of all sizes holding all kinds of warnings, and expensive-looking machinery. Lights were flashing, things were whirring, no-one gave him much attention as he maneuvered his way through the room. In the other corner of the lab, there was a door to a hallway with offices. He let himself in and started looking through the various framed photos, acumen, and newspaper articles on the wall.
On the desk in the middle of the room, he found an old-style microphone, with a switch at the bottom, labeled with the letters 'PA – emergency only'. He smiled to himself, he wondered where this might be broadcast to? Only one way to find out, and without a second thought, he flicked the switch on.
"Attention all Mortlock employees, this is Tate Jackson," he started, with his best smooth radio-host voice. "We figured out who was leaking information to the dead girl. So if everyone could please just stay put, wait where there are, it's going to make the Fed's lives a hell of a lot easier when they storm the place shortly. Sorry for the disruption," he blabbered on. "Oh, but I'm more than happy to take bribes though. Jackson, Tate Jackson… in case you missed that. My name is Tate…"
He quickly got the answer he was searching for, bellowing footsteps echoing up the hall in his direction. The blast must have gone through the whole building. He ducked under the table as the door flew open.
"Get out from under there with your hands up," bellowed a security guard as Jane heard them cock their guns. He did what he was told, he wasn't in the mood to get shot. He stood up and faced the two security guards avidly pointing their guns at him. A moment later, Jackson burst through the door with Lisbon hot on his heels.
"There you are!" Jane exclaimed, not giving them a chance to say anything, "I've been looking for you everywhere!" Lisbon visibly cringed realising it was Jane behind it, dreading social clean-up she was about to face. Jackson was fuming, his cheeks red, ready to pop.
"Oh don't even look at me like that," he started at Jackson.
"How did you even get in here, this is strictly authorised personal only!" Jackson shouted.
"Then why is she here?" Jane queried pointing to Lisbon. "It was pretty easy to get in here, I think you might have a wee bit of a security problem here, should probably look into that."
"I'm going to call your boss. You will lose your head for this," Jackson began to threaten.
"Oh go ahead and call Abbott. You know what, you should probably give your Dad a call too while you're at it. Whatever the fight was about, this anger and resentment, you just have to let it go.."
"You have no idea what you are talking about, my Dad died when I was 6," Jackson interjected
"Step-dad then. Go on call him and just be the bigger man and apologise. This harbored resentment is not good for anyone, and you know it. It would mean the world to your mom. She misses you. Go home for Thanksgiving this year. Bring a potato salad, potato salad fixes everything and it's your Grammy's favorite, yes? And it's so simple. Yet delicious. Potatoes are amazing like that, fries, mash, tater tots, deep-fried wonders and they can even be a salad. Incredible" he rambled with Jackson looked very confused. "They don't care what you do, not really. Whatever corrupt nonsense you have going on here. Just don't bring it up. Be with your family, they just miss you."
Jackson was taken aback "How do you know this stuff?" He turned to Lisbon, "what's his deal? And what on earth is going on!" he turned to the security guards flustered. "Get rid of him! Escort him off the premises."
"It's not that hard to figure out, the petty tyrant act isn't really fooling anyone. You'd be a lot happier in your life if you learned to live and let be."
Jackson turned to leave in a huff, Lisbon shrugged her shoulders and turned to follow suit, as the security guards came over and manhandled Jane, shoving him against the cabinet aggressively.
"Oww," Jane cringed, rolling his jaw that he'd just had crushed.
"LISBONNN," he wailed to no avail. She smirked as she heard him from down the hallway knowing whatever was coming to him, he full well deserved, and prepared herself for damage control mode with Jackson.
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Jane spent the rest of the day sipping tea on his couch back at FBI HQ processing what he had seen and heard at Mortlock today and bracing himself for the inevitable Abbott reaming. To his surprise, he saw Abbott exit the elevator, and all he did was glare in his direction and shake his head vehemently unimpressed. Eh, he thought. He'd either got off easy or was going to cop it ten times worse later. He wasn't overly concerned, he had done much worse in the past.
His stretched-out couch nap was interrupted by Cho dropping a fistful of case files on his stomach.
"Oof," he protested, slowly peeling his eyes open.
"You're off the Mortlock case," Cho said gruffly. "You're to steer clear of it. You're working with Wylie and Spackman's team on a cyber fraud case. Read up." Cho turned and walked away.
"Now wait a minute," Jane exclaimed, sitting upright. Cho stopped and turned around.
"You're kicking me off the case?"
"Orders from Abbott."
"Ah"
"You pissed off some people, he's making peace. Be glad he's avoiding you."
Jane sighed in acceptance and started flicking through the pile that his gut. He gave another disgruntled sigh. The case was about as dry and as bland as they come.
The elevator dinged, the doors opening to reveal Lisbon returning back to HQ. She crossed the room, and sat at her desk, ignoring Jane on his couch.
Jane ambled over to her desk, placing an open punnet of strawberries between her typing arms.
"What's this for?"
"You haven't eaten today."
"You don't know that?"
"Just being observant. I care. Am I wrong?"
"No," she admitted, biting into a lush strawberry. "What was that all about today? Jackson is not happy with you. What did Abbott have to say?" she asked.
"Abbott's been avoiding me," he replied. "But it seems as though I've been banished to Spackman's team and stuck in the office," he continued. "As for today, just needed to get a sense of the business and how it operates. What better way than to poke at a few nerves?"
"Sure. I don't know why I'd expect anything different."
"Did you enjoy your day with Jackson?" he continued saying Jackson's name in a teasing tone "What's the history there, Tara?"
"Arrogant Jackass. Was then, still is now," she screwed up her face in memory. "No history there, he was way too cool for me. I was surprised he even remembered who I was"
"Ah I see, he's hot though yeah?" Jane replied acting like a gossip girl with a cheeky flick of his wrist.
"I suppose if you're into that" Lisbon contortedly replied. He couldn't help but notice the faint curl in her top lip as she spoke about him. Definitely some attraction there, he thought.
"You a little jealous," she asked with a dimpled grin, her eyes narrowing into him.
"Well, sure. Of course. Just a little," he admitted with a little shrug. "How could I not?"
She smiled at him. "Well, you've got absolutely nothing to worry about. You know I'm all yours, heart and mind," she said a little more bashfully, her cheeks flushing slightly at her cheesey admission.
"Oh I wasn't worried," his heart hitting the ceiling in triumph. "But that's good to know." Although part of him knew it already, could read between the teasing banter, the depth of her eyes, and her body spoke, the confirmation was reaffirming. And he clearly didn't know Lisbon as well as he thought. Never, did he think she would be willing to articulate such words about the way she felt, much less in an office setting, albeit they were completely out of earshot of anyone else.
"Good," she purred lightly, as they exchanged a soulful stare.
"And I figured out what you were trying to do," she skipped topic, bringing light back to their work.
"I knew you would," he smiled at his partner.
"We manned the carpark after your little announcement, as well as Jackson's phone line, and sure enough, we had a runner."
"Excellent," Jane said, "nothing more satisfying than a well-sprung trap."
"How about not causing a political crapstorm in the process?"
"Where's the fun in that?" he said cheekily. "So, who was it? Do they look good for it?"
"Good for the leak we think, not so much for the murder," she replied nonchalantly.
"Are they still here?"
"Yeah, I think so?"
"You think I could have a crack?"
"You're off the case?"
"Abbott only said that because he's mad at me," Jane said leaping up. "Which interview room?"
"Two," she informed. "At least tell Cho! I'm keeping out of this."
"Deal," Jane agreed, striding off with purpose, picking up Cho on his way down the hall.
Jane sat across from the curly-haired receptionist, gazing at her stringently making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Martha," Jane began, "Martha, Martha, Martha. So how did you come to know Kara Brewster?"
"I've already answered all these questions," Martha replied wringing her hands anxiously.
"Yeah but not to me"
"And you are?"
"A consultant. They call me psychic," he grinned at her.
"Oh"
"Oh indeed. So go ahead and spill, and if you're lucky, I'll tell you your future."
Marth sighed.
"And no lying," Jane warned, "because I'll know."
"She'd visit every now and then. Try and get an interview with some of the head honchos. But they'd mainly stonewall her, get me to make her go away."
"Right, so you just thought you'd help her investigation on a little instead."
"They're just so corrupt. So full of it. Think they're god," Martha grumbled sourly. "And they pay me a pittance! Do you know what I got for a Christmas bonus last year? A box of chocolates! And they were even past their best-before date! Whereas they get bonuses to the tune of six figures, it's hardly fair."
"Indeed. The capitalist society is rarely ever fair, is it?"
"All I did was share some information," Martha explained.
"Information that may have gotten a girl killed."
"And I feel terrible!"
"So what exactly did you give her?"
"A few bits and pieces that I heard. And a log-in to the secure server," she replied, flopping her head in her hands.
"Why do you have access to the secure server? You're just a receptionist?"
"Just a receptionist? Geez, you're as bad as them. Who do you think organises all these things for these thankless bastards? IT sets them up, I pass them on. We had a new manager who never ended up starting, I had a spare log-in."
"Apologies for my ignorance," Jane said. "The corporate world would be amiss without secretaries," he continued, turning on the charm. "The spine that holds the company together. So what exactly can this log-in get you?"
"You could look at most things. It's a way in past the firewalls, so with a little bit of hacking tech savvy and you could pretty much do anything with it."
"And what did Brewster do with it?"
"I don't know. I really don't know. I just gave it to her."
"Thank you. That's more than enough for me and my uh, psychic powers, to use."
"Psychic, right," Martha repeated. "So can you really see the future?"
"Glimpses perhaps. Your future? You're not going to be working for Mortlock for much longer. But look on the bright side, at least you won't be doing time for murder. Corporate espionage, maybe. Anyway, you can go now."
"Jane, a word," the intercom crackled.
"Time for the principal's office," Jane said with a grin and made his way behind the mirror.
"Cho told you that you were off the case?"
"Yes. Yes, he did."
"Then why are you in there with a suspect? No less dismissing our prime suspect."
"Ah Abbott, must we always play this cat-and-mouse game? Why are you always asking questions you already know the answer to? And you know she's not good for it," he gestured towards the room.
"You annoyed some powerful people Jane, rocking the boat of some very sordid relationships that could snap with a feather's weight"
"Mmm, politics. Never really my thing. That's why you're in charge and get paid the big bucks."
"You broke your Scouts Honour. I need to be able to trust you to back you up."
"Well, it's lucky I was never a Scout then," Jane said with a mischievous smile. "You don't need to trust me. Just trust my results."
"Stay away from the Brewster case, Jane. Go get your results with Spackman's case."
"Glad we have an understanding," Jane replied, beelining from the room.
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Another morning, another briefing. Brewster's violent ex-boyfriend was eliminated as a suspect, serving compulsory community service in the time-of-death window. Wylie and Vega's poke of Brewster's residence resulted in nothing case-helpful, but the arrest of her roommate after finding copious quantities of unmarked Class-A narcotics bricked and hidden inside the dishwasher. Vega humouring everyone with her immodest brag about why exactly she thought to check in there, citing an old movie and advice from her father.
Jane had caused more trouble than he had bargained for. Jackson's ego took a beating, so Abbott and Cho were suffering immensely with the patch up. Co-operation with Mortlock was vital. The fact that Jackson clearly had a thing for Lisbon being their saving grace. And the fact that this clearly annoyed Jane gave Abbott the subtle satisfaction of karmic reprieve.
The receptionist's information expanded their possibilities for motive, and made a stronger case for the murderer to be within the Mortlock group. It became even more apparent that the higher-ups at Mortlock would have the strongest of potential motives, although their investigation had been stonewalled in many places, and the politics at play made the protection of secrets possible. Abbott toyed with the idea of Wylie hacking their server, but rather than searching for a needle in a haystack that way, decided to let the interviews continue and finish first before such questionable measures were taken.
Lisbon's shoulders dropped when it became clear that she'd been spending another day working with Jackson, trying to repair the damage Jane had caused whilst trying to deflect his advances. He might've been good-looking, but the arrogance couldn't outweigh that. Besides, she had Jane. Someone far better looking and whose arrogance was dampened by self-loathing and witty banter. Her Jane.
Jane had been tied to his couch. Banished from the case and any field duty by Abbott, he was confined to desk work with Wylie as they helped Spackman's unit with a different case related to cyber fraud. Whilst Spackman embraced the help from the IT analyst, he was far from impressed about having the circus act assigned to his case and blocked him out as best he could. He was very visibly bored and there was little he could do on the case, but Lisbon wasn't naïve enough to think that there probably wasn't something else going on.
"What's your big plans for the day," she taunted as she prepared to head out. Cyber crimes were never famous for their engaging values.
"Oh you know, will probably just hang out here. The coyote needs me and all," he replied.
She gave him an odd look. Experience told her not to trust his nonchalance.
"What!?" he replied, seeing the suspicion on her face.
She glared at him a little longer.
"Okay," he drew out. "So maybe I have an eensy plan for the day. Just thought of something. Uh, just a hunch I have to see out, if you will."
"I'm not going to like this, am I?"
"Precisely why I'm not going to tell you."
"Jane…"
"Well do you want to know?"
She looked at him and evaluated her options.
"Is it legal?"
"Well I won't be breaking any specific laws, I guess. Definitely ethically questionable, for sure."
"Would Abbott be okay with it?"
"Definitely not. But I don't think Cho will mind."
"Will you at least tell Cho then?
"Oh, absolutely not"
"Am I going to have to clean up whatever mess you make?"
"Hmmm. Maybe if I get caught. But I don't plan on getting caught."
"I don't like the sound of this"
"You rarely do. So, do you want to know? Because I'll tell you, relationship privileges, if you will," he explained. "Or keep your plausible deniability and enjoy your day with Jackson?"
She gave him a flat look. "Are you putting yourself or anyone else in danger?"
"No."
"And it will close the case?"
"Almost certainly"
"Then fine, I'll keep my plausible deniability. But I'm telling Cho you're up to something, so you probably should just tell him what it is."
"Probably," he chuckled. "See, all those times you used to crucify me for not telling you what my plan is, when I finally to give you the option to know, you opt for the bliss of ignorance."
"Whatever," she said flatly, and set off for Mortlock.
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Her thoughts drifted throughout the day. She felt a pang of guilt in her gut, knowing that Jane was up to something, and she had given up the opportunity of knowing what that is. It made her nervous, she sincerely hoped she wouldn't regret the decision.
She worked through her interviews with Jackson, talking to each of the staff members, starting with the ones that were likely to have any involvement with Brewster. Everyone seemed a whole lot more on edge today, after Jane's shenanigans about the previous day. More than once, she caught Jackson's glare linger a little too long and uncomfortably in the area of her chest. She made a mental note to wear a turtleneck if she was still stuck investigating Mortlock tomorrow.
They moved from the admin staff to the lab rats. One after one they came in, answering the set questions, not being able to offer anything remotely useful.
The next tech came in. Thick, black-rimmed glasses, and a full beard encapsulated in a beard net. Lisbon's chest fell. She recognised that walk, those curls, and those eyes in an instant. Patrick Jane. Her anxiety skyrocketed, perspiration started to creep onto her brow as she began to panic.
Jackson flicked through his paperwork. "Ok, here we have Hans Yeoman," he said to Lisbon. "Please take a seat, Hans. This is Agent Lisbon with the FBI, she'll be running the interview today."
Jane nodded curtly and took a seat on the opposite side of the oval table.
Lisbon eyed Jackson off suspiciously. For a manager, he clearly had no idea what was really going on in his own building, considering he couldn't even recognise his own staff members. She exhaled raggedly. Surely, there was no way that this could go well. And the fallout was going to be so much worse than yesterday, she just knew it.
"Teresa?" Jackson asked, causing her to jump slightly.
"What, yes, what, huh?" she stammered awkwardly.
"Are… are you going to start with your questions?" he asked, looking at her oddly.
"Yes, of course," she recomposed herself. "Mr Yeoman."
"Please," Jane replied in a thick Russian-sounding accent. "Call me Hans."
"Ok, uh, Hans," she concurred, sneaking a side-glance to Jackson, who seemed completely unperturbed. "Have you noticed anything strange or out of the ordinary over the past week?"
"Elena has been microwaving fish again in the breakroom. We've all spoken to her multiple times, but she just doesn't seem to care that the whole-a break room-a smells-a like a fishing boat," Hans/Jane rambled, the thick Russian accent dissolving into something more Italian as he spoke animatedly with his hands.
She tried her hardest not to laugh or react. The accent was one of the worst she'd ever heard. She couldn't believe Jackson was happily buying this as an actual person, an actual employee.
"Anything else strange? Any suspicious behaviour?" Lisbon asked with the straightest face she could muster. She was sure her ears were burning red.
"Nope. Nien. Nyet," Jane replied.
"Have you heard of someone by the name Kara Brewster?"
"No. Is that the woman was killed. The one they announced over the broadcast yesterday?" Jane asked, Lisbon's eyes growing that he had the sheer gall to bring up such a thing in front of Jackson, no less when he was impersonating an employee.
"Now I just want to make it very clear that that was not me in that announcement, some small person's cruel idea of a joke. And I am not open to bribes of any description. We run a straight ship here," Jackson defended pointedly.
"Yes, yes, I read the memo," Jane replied, very amused. "And I don't think he was a small person. He seemed very normal-sized."
"What?" Jackson asked, slightly confused.
"Is there anything else you can think of that might be of use to the FBI's investigation," Lisbon quickly interjected, realigning the interview to stop things from disintegrating into flames before her very eyes.
"Nothing. Except that, you are very beautiful, Miss Agent Lizzbon," he slurred, his terrible accent evolving once more.
"Whilst that is extremely inappropriate, I can't exactly disagree," Jackson sleazed. "But another comment like that, and you'll find yourself in front of HR."
Lisbon shot Jane a warning glance.
"My deepest apologies, Senor Jackson," Jane replied, in a slightly different, but still as comically bad, accent. Seriously? He's Spanish now? Lisbon thought to herself. Her heart was jackhammering. Surely Jackson couldn't buy this charade for much longer? "But perhaps it is Elena that should be in front of HR, causing the rest of us to suffer like that with her dry fish smells," Hans/Jane continued.
"I'll be sure to look into it," Jackson dismissed. "Anything else, Teresa?"
Jane cringed at the way he rolled his 'r' in 'Teresa,' like he was trying to taste her name as it escaped his mouth.
"No, I think that covers it all," Lisbon replied, her voice a little higher, just relieved the interview was finally over and they seem to have gotten through it unscathed.
"Great, thank you for your time, Hans," Jackson nodded.
"And zhank you Monsieur Jackson. Alwayz a pleazure to work so clozely wit you once more," Jane replied, his worst accent yet. He gave a cheery wave and left the conference room.
"I think that's enough for now," Lisbon breathed. "Let's take a break. I could go some lunch."
"Great," Jackson agreed. "I know a great little Italian place just a block away from here."
"I actually need to report in to my boss on my break, so I'll have to pass, sorry," Lisbon lied. Keeping an amicable, co-operative relationship with a narcissist like Jackson, whilst lobbing back his advances was a very fine line to walk. And to her dismay, it seems that her subtle rejections just made him more determined.
She left the meeting room and dialed Jane's number.
"You've reached Hans," he answered.
Lisbon guffawed. "What the hell was that?"
"I didn't realise you were interviewing this division today. But when in Rome…"
"I feel like you came from Rome for a portion of that interview"
"Hans is very well-travelled, Lisbon," he replied matter-of-factly.
"Apparently so. Lucky Jackson's not the brightest crayon in the box. So, what have you found out?"
"That someone's been falsifying the records here at the lab. There is a significant amount of unmarked narcotics missing."
"What does that have to do with Brewster?"
"Think about it for a second."
"Yeah, what? You think Brewster caught onto someone at Mortlock stealing the drugs?"
"Not quite, but close. Try again."
"Just tell me!"
"No, guess! It's good for you."
"Jane!" she squawked in frustration.
"Uh, no. Here, it's Hans."
She grunted in annoyance.
"Okay, where else have we found unmarked narcotics lately? Who clearly knew about Brewster's source and had backdoor access to the server?"
Lisbon gasped. "The roommate!"
"And it's lucky we already have her in custody."
"I have to ring Cho."
"Wait, wait, wait"
"What?"
"You think Hans can get lucky lucky tonight?" Jane asked in his strongest, weirdest accent yet. "Big strong Hans, make woman his," he grunted like a caveman.
She snorted. "Hans, definitely not. Patrick, perhaps he has a chance. If this case ends up closed and he manages to stay out of trouble for the rest of the day," she replied cheekily before swiftly hanging up and calling Cho.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
With Jane's latest revelation, eliciting a confession from the roommate was child's play for Cho, having it written and signed before Jane and Lisbon even returned to the office.
Although Abbott was far from impressed with Jane disobeying direct orders, this latest stunt he seemed to have gotten away with, and the case closed. Not only that, a few handy pointers from Jane, and Wylie was able to break a crucial lead in Spackman's cyber fraud case, leading to both cases being closed before the weekend. As frustrating as it was, Abbott was more than aware that this is what he signed up for taking Jane on. He just underestimated how stressful it all was in the process. A peaceful weekend with Lena now awaited him, and a stiff drink was called for.
It wasn't just Abbott that thought a stiff drink was necessary for two cases closed on a Friday weekend, ready for the weekend. Jane and Lisbon soon found themselves at the Othello lounge, a cocktail bar 2 blocks away from HQ and a popular watering hole for FBI staff. They sat on stools at a high table in a corner next to the bar, sipping on excessively adorned coloured beverages.
"Well, this certainly isn't your speed," Jane said as Lisbon battled a little parasol for her straw. "But I hope you like it!"
"It looks like a fairy died in here," she replied a little unimpressed before she sipped deeply "Good though, goes down very easy," she said nodding in approval.
Jane smiled. "Surprising what you find you like once you drop your guard a little and try things."
Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Any plans for the weekend?" she asked
"Yeah" he replied "This is the last week or so I have the motel the FBI is springing for, I need to find somewhere to live. Keen to help me look around?" he asked.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and looked into her drink. He had slept at her place every night for the past week. It hardly made sense for him to get his own place, but she wasn't ready to share that kind of commitment yet. She didn't think so anyway. It was a huge step in any relationship, let alone whatever it was that they had. She had never shared her living space with anyone since she left college.
"It's okay, don't stress," Jane said noting her reaction. "I wouldn't expect you to make that offer, way too soon, even if we were normal people," he snorted.
"Normal people?" she questioned.
He ignored her comment and continued "I need somewhere to call mine, so you can still call yours, yours. I need my own quarters. So, what do you say, you up for the hunt?"
"Sure," she replied, somewhat relieved. "Any ideas on where you're looking, any appointments lined up?" she asked.
"Something like that," he replied evasively. "Let me get us another round," he offered as he finished the rest of his drink.
"Nothing too colourful," she requested in desperation. "Please. A scotch will do just fine," as he jauntily went up to the bar, her pleas falling on deaf ears.
"Hey there Teresa, they said I might find you here," a voice swooned across the room as Tate Jackson crossed towards her. He leaned across the table at her "I wanted to say hi now that the case is over, and we can be a little more unprofessional."
"Hi," Lisbon replied shortly, not sure exactly what to say.
"Listen there's been something I've been meaning to ask you," Jackson continued, taking a seat opposite her. "I was wondering if I could take you out sometime? You're a hell of a good looking woman, Teresa and I'd like the chance to get to know you better."
Lisbon paused for a moment, taken aback with how forthcoming he was, but not overly surprised.
"That's very sweet of you," she stammered awkwardly, "but I uh, I'm kinda seeing someone at the moment."
"Seeing someone," Jackson spat, "that's disappointing. Who is it? Has he got anything on me," he said with a cocky grin.
"Yes. He does. A lot," Lisbon paused, her eyes darting in Jane's direction, as she struggled to articulate anything further in the awkwardness of the situation. Jackson looked up following her line of sight to see Jane at the bar.
"Wait, what, this guy?" Jackson accused, pointing in Jane's direction. Jane gave a cheery finger wave and grinned, as he sipped his pina colada. "You gotta be kidding," Jackson said incredulously ."Really Teresa? The crackpot wannabe psychic? That looney?"
"I'm not a psychic," Jane echoed in from across the bar "No such thing as psychics"
Lisbon felt her face flush. "Yep, the one and only," she smiled faintly and twitched her nose.
"Ha. Right," Jackson replied. "Ok then, your funeral" he said shaking his head.
"If you ever come to your senses and want a real man, you know where to find me," Jackson said while passing her his business card. "I'd very much like to take you out to dinner one day." He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek before she could recoil. "Take care, Teresa."
"Bye Jackson," she farewelled.
As he walked away, Jane hurried from the bar white fluffy pina coladas in hand, and took a seat on the empty stool next to her.
"Kinda seeing someone hey?" he tormented.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she refuted "would you prefer I accept his invitation? Because it's not too late!" she said as she brandished Jackson's business card in his face.
"Just interesting to hear you label it. Ok, so we're kind of seeing each other. Got it" he replied with a grin. "Does that mean I have to dump all my other girlfriends, are we exclusive?"
She slapped him on the arm in response.
"Well, what would you call what this is?" she probed.
He shrugged. "A hussey and her luge," he suggested. "A queen and her concubine?"
"Everything's just a joke for you, isn't it" she replied as she rolled her eyes.
"Lisbon, I'd shout from the rooftops that you're my girlfriend if you'd let me. You're the one with the fear of commitment issues."
"Girlfriend, ugh it sounds so high school"
"Well, you can't really say partner, you've been my partner for years"
"Your boss for years," she interjected.
"Not anymore, and even back then, you still said we were partners"
"Eh, you work better with an inflated ego"
"Oh, is that right?"
He grabbed her hand, brought the back of it towards his face and planted a kiss.
"You call it what you want to call it. It doesn't have to be anything, if that's what you want, but know that it's everything to me. Just know that I love you and would do anything for you, and that I'm never leaving you again. That's a promise," he said, his big blue eyes staring straight at her, seemingly into her soul.
He could be so endearing when bullshit wasn't coming out of his mouth. Her heart melted at his words.
"You're stuck with me," he shrugged resignedly.
"And you're just as stuck with me!" she pointed out warmly.
"Ok," she paused in thought. "Fine. Yes. Girlfriend," she conceded, as she was met with the biggest smile she'd ever seen stretched across his face. She couldn't help but smile in return as she watched him glow.
"But no rooftop business please, I'd still like to keep my private life private. We still keep this on the down low for now. I don't want people knowing my business," she lectured. "No PDA at work," she hastily added as she snatched her hand back.
"Can I change my Facebook status?"
"You have Facebook?"
"No, but I might now. Just so I can update my status. I heard that's what you do when things become all official-like."
"Like you'd know how," she teased.
"Yeah fair point," he admitted. "I just feel like this needs to be celebrated. Like this momentous occasion should be marked. Teresa Lisbon made a downright, honest-to-god, 100% legitimate, real life, commitment."
"Oh shut up," she said, retorting his teasing with a grin. "I just want to make sure you're not sneaking around with all those other girlfriends," she sneered in jest. "Let them all know I have a gun."
"I'll be sure to," he quipped.
"Excellent," she said with a sarcastic eyebrow. She raised her Pina Colada. "To us," she proposed, with a dimpled smirk.
"To us," he concurred. "To something real. To something wonderful. To something enduring," he said tapping his drink to hers. They smiled together in a soulful stare.
"But Lisbon," Jane started after taking a deep sip of his cocktail. "Are you sure you're okay with that? I mean, "I'm not your girlfriend" seems to be your absolute favourite phrase to say, and you won't be able to use it anymore. Will you cope?"
"Oh hush," she said, backhanding him across the shoulder.
"Look, I'm only thinking about you, trying to be considerate. That's what a good boyfriend does, right?"
She wanted to both punch him in the mouth and kiss his mouth senseless at the same time.
They shared a sheepish look as Wylie, Cho and Vega appeared at the entrance of the lounge and waved as they came over the join them for drinks.
After such a week at work, it was good to unwind and laugh with friends. Jane smiled as glanced around the table. It was good to see the not-so-serious side of Cho once more, knocking back shots and chuckling away with the banter. On the opposite side of the table to him was Lisbon, seeming relaxed and carefree. They continued drinking, sharing their better stories with Vega and Wylie from the CBI days. The time they robbed a casino, and Lisbon jumped out of a magic box to apprehend the kidnapper, the time Rigsby had to think of a distraction to lure out a killer and ended up proposing to Van Pelt, the time they staged a treasure hunt in an apparent haunted house, fake ghosts and all, to catch their man. Vega called it a night relatively early, Jane switching to club sodas, while Lisbon continued thumping the shots back with the boys.
As midnight rolled round, the night naturally dissipated to a close.
"Okay," Jane started, "you've all had way too many to drive, I'll drop you all home," he said, not used to being the responsible one of the group.
"Only if we can chimichangas on the way," Cho demanded.
They all continued jiving and laughing as they hopped in the car. Jane was seriously worried Wylie would puke, but they made it to his apartment and got him inside the door safely. They dropped Cho off in a sketchy part of the city, for only reasons Jane could guess were female related, as history might suggest. He was left with a more than slightly inebriated Lisbon as his final passenger of the night.
"He's a good man," Lisbon suggested as Cho walked off out of sight "I hope he finds love, he deserves love," she slurred, punctuating it with a hiccup.
"I couldn't agree more, my dear," Jane replied, a condescending emphasis on the pet name.
They arrived back at Lisbon's place. She made every effort to hold her posture and walk normally, but lost her footing anyway.
"Damn, what did Cho have us drinking anyway, what were in those things?" she said frustrated at her inability to get herself together, as she fumbled with her keys.
"I think you might be a little intoxicated there, Lisbon," Jane said as they walked in the door, stating the obvious.
"Pfffffft," she replied spitting a little more than she intended. "I'm fine," she insisted, using her mouth more than necessary to utter the words.
As he closed the door gently behind him, she took him by surprise, slamming him up against the door abruptly, pinning his hands down as she interlocked her fingers into his and forced her mouth up against his.
"Lisbon," Jane's protests were muffled, talking back into her mouth as she attempted to devour him. She was relentless and aggressive in her passion, engulfing his mouth unremittingly with her desire despite his protests.
She let him come up for air. "What?" she asked dismissively, as she started kissing his neck and unbuttoning his shirt.
"You're drunk," he explained bluntly as he stood stiffly, refusing to reciprocate. "We should probably put a cork on this."
"I'm not that drunk," she insisted, sticking her tongue in his ear, clumsily going from button to button.
"I don't want to take advantage of you," he spluttered as she started to unbutton his pants as she'd finished with his shirt.
"Oh, you won't be the one doing the taking advantage," she cooed, and without a moment of hesitation, she stuck her hands down the front of her pants and started aggressively rubbing his member.
"Lisbon," he said more firmly, grabbing both of her arms. "Just wait a minute."
She stopped what she was doing, looked somewhat offended and stumbled a few steps away with a tremendous pout on her face.
"I don't see what the problem is Jane," she started matter-of-factly complete with exaggerated hand gestures. "So what, yeah, I've had a few? You're technically my boyfriend now, right? Did we not establish that earlier tonight? I want you! What's so wrong with that?"
She approached him again, this time a little more softly. He though she did have a point. He was a decent guy, he didn't want to take advantage of her intoxicated state. But she showed logic and reason, and he did like the idea of her finally being his… his girlfriend, her boyfriend. And it wasn't like it wasn't anything they hadn't done before. He decided to be a willing participant, but allowing her to completely take the lead. He would just comply, she called all the shots.
He smiled as she went into kiss him again, passionately reciprocating this time. She shoved him back against the door with a thud, and ran her tongue from the small tuft of hair on his chest downwards over his navel as she peeled back his trunks like she was opening a present. She smiled cheekily at his growing erection and stared up at him as she took him into her mouth as far as she could. He groaned involuntarily as he threw his head back and hit the door. She grew excited as she massaged him with her tongue, gently flicking her chin back and forth as she felt him grow inside her mouth. When he was fully hard, she could barely fit even half of him into her mouth. She reveled in the power she had over him, as she ran her tongue up and down his shaft, back and forth, swirling it around the tip.
He panted, struggling to keep himself upright as he felt his legs weaken. He looked down at Lisbon as she stared at him with an intense look of control and pride. This look, he had seen before back in her boss days, but never with the sheer sense of passion and desire that it bore now. She started to move with a rhythm, taking him in as far as she could take him using both hands to aid her short-comings, then sliding back out again, her lips taught against her teeth as she sucked with all her might. Never had he received anything so intensely pleasurable as this. He could feel himself slipping closer and closer to the edge, as he cupped her head gently with both hands, grabbing her hair, resisting the primal urge to grab her head and start thrusting. He moaned loudly, he was completely at her mercy but he didn't want to be over so soon.
She could tell he was getting close. Satisfied with her performance, she stopped suddenly, stood up, and whispered in his ear "not yet" before biting his bottom lip.
"Teresa," he groaned.
She took a step back and started undressing herself slowly as she gazed into his eyes seductively. She unbuttoned her shirt and allowed the soft silk to slide off her shoulders as she ran her tongue over her top lip, revealing her lacey black push up bra underneath. Jane tilted his head enjoying the sensuality of the show, whilst feeling like a bare prisoner against the door. She slowly slid her pants down her thighs playfully kicking them off revealing her matching black thong. He exhaled at the sight as she twirled for him playfully, her beautiful brown curls bouncing on her freckled shoulders. She beckoned him to come hither as she crept back into the lounge room, grabbing him by the arms as she flopped on the couch so he would fall with her, pushing his head and shoulders down to her hips.
Understanding his mission, Jane slowly kissed the front of her black lace thong as she placed her feet behind his shoulders. He delicately pushed her thong to one side and tasted her sweetness. She was soaked with arousal, feeding his ego as he explored her with his tongue, focusing his flicks on her engorged pearl. She moaned and gyrated her hips in response as she powerfully ran her fingers back and forth through his hair.
This was his favourite thing to do. He loved the control cunnilingus gave over his lover. He loved trying different things to elicit reactions. The ultimate test and usefulness for his people-reading abilities, he could tell with the way she moved and responded, the way the blood rushed through her core, the sounds that she would make, exactly what she liked and how she liked it. He had the power to edge her closer, or to deny that release. The power was intoxicating and she was a lot easier to read with her inhibitions lowered.
He used his fingers as he continued to please her, sucking on each one before sliding them in. One, two. She moaned with delight. He focused his tongue on her pearl as his fingers rubbed back in forth inside her, quickly finding the angle and rhythm that quickened her breath. She continued to pulsate and moan, becoming rougher with her grip of the hair on the back of his head to the point where it was almost painful. She gasped almost unable to take in air as he pushed her past her limit, throwing her head into the couch pillows repeatedly as she thrashed. He moved with her as best he could, sustaining intensity to prolong her pleasure. He smiled, pleased with his achievements.
Out of breath with eyes indomitable with lust, she pulled him off his knees and onto the couch. She ran her tongue over the tip of his engorgement, tasting his sweetness as she circled it. She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him deeply as she straddled his lap. Arms around his neck, she slid herself slowly onto his manhood, emptying her breath as she took him in. His eyes rolled back and he moaned slightly as he felt himself edge inside her. He kissed her intensely as she started to roll her hips back and forth and around as she explored his mouth with her tongue. She began to slide up herself up and down as she placed his hands on her firm buttocks and squeezed. He guided her up and down, up and down with his hands as she pushed off his shoulders, her tender breasts bouncing up and down, up and down in front of his face. She moaned as she found her rhythm, arching her back and maintaining intensity, losing herself in the moment. He admired how sexy she looked in the shadows, the moonlight illuminating her curves as she sustained control.
He shifted his grip to her hips, feeling himself come close, trying to lengthen their intimacy. He slowed her motion to a grind, whilst nibbling on the hardened tip of her breast, gently suckling as she caressed his hair. But she didn't want to slow, she wanted him to explode, be absolutely helpless at her hands, succumb to her body and her will. She reinvigorated her rhythm, holding him tight with determination, gazing into his eyes. She wanted to watch him cross that edge, a showman eagerly viewing the reaction of their audience. He quickly realised holding on was futile and let go with an almighty groan, as he thrust upwards with reckless abandon into her hips as he filled her. She smiled with immense satisfaction, kissing him gently on his lips and neck as they allowed their breathing to return to normal.
"Wow," he eventually whispered croakily as she continued to cover him with soft kisses. She giggled flirtatiously as he brisked his fingers up and down her back.
"That's one word for it," she teased in reply, "I'm going to take a shower," she said with a final kiss.
She climbed off of him and staggered to find her balance, as her legs were weak from their deed, and the inebriation didn't help. She laughed so light-heartedly as she found her footing.
"You should join me if you're up for it?" she allured.
There's nothing more he would've liked than the thought of being with a wet, soapy Lisbon, but he felt so drained. 'How is she still going?' he thought to himself. He heard the shower running from upstairs, and like a siren's cry, the thought of such a beautiful woman lusting for him, awaiting his arrival was just too beguiling. It gave him the energy he needed to bound up the stairs to join her.
He entered the bathroom, the steam seeping from the shower as he saw her silhouette behind the glass. He marveled at her curves, something she maintained quite hidden in her work clothes. He opened the shower door.
"I was hoping you'd come. I hope you like it hot," she sniggered immaturely at her own double meanings. He smiled.
"Get in here, the water is amazing," she enticed.
She didn't need to ask him twice. He closed the glass door behind him with a click, then took her in his arms in the small space, the water warming him almost as fast as the feel of their slick, naked bodies pressing against each other. He kissed her sensually, he could never possibly get sick of this. His hands moved to her bare buttocks, pushing her closer to his hardness. She moaned into his mouth in sweet surrender.
They learned each other's bodies with soap-laden hands, gliding over crests and valleys, lengths and bumps, until they couldn't bare the torture any longer. Her brought her to release with his fingers, her hands on his shoulders for support, his mouth silencing her cries of ecstasy.
More interested in her safety than his own lustful gratification, with a final rinse of their hair and body, he turned off the water. He stepped out first, unfurling a fluffy towel from the rack to greet her on her way out. She walked into it gratefully, her skin pink and glowing from the heat and the pleasure he had given to her. He lovingly patted her body dry with the towel, before following suit on himself as she lustfully observed. Watching him slick back his wet hair with his hands was one of the sexiest things she'd ever seen. He caught her eye and grinned knowingly, wrapping and tucking the towel around his waist.
"Here, drink this," he said to her, passing her a bottle of water.
"Thanks," she said as she took it, the long hot shower and the releases seemingly sobering her up.
He kissed her on the forehead, then helped her continue to dry her hair as she thirstily guzzled the water.
They slid into the silky sheets still fully naked and intertwined their limbs in a sweet embrace.
"Patrick", Lisbon wearily mumbled, "I am so lucky to have you"
"And I you," he replied, "even if you turn into a rabid wolf after you've had a few."
Suddenly too tired to retort, she softly clapped her hand to his face like a lazy slap, but quietly chuckled under her breath as she kissed him tenderly.
Jane smiled to himself as he fell asleep. He couldn't believe how lucky he was indeed.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He woke as the dawn light began to stream within the sunlight. He looked down at the sleeping Lisbon, mouth slightly open, completely dead to the world. He smiled remembering the events of the previous night, and watched her sleep for a moment, her slight snores and the way her chest rose and fell with each breath.
'She's going to feel like dirt when she wakes up,' he thought to himself as he cautiously slid his arm out from under her. He hunted for his clothes from the night before, methodically tidying up the place from last night's rambunctiousness as he got dressed. He scribbled a note for Lisbon, leaving it visibly on the table at the bottom of the stairs in case she got up before he came back, grabbing her house keys along with his car keys and quietly let himself out.
The warm morning sun felt good on his face as he walked to his car and breathed in the fresh morning air. This was his favourite time of day, there was something serene about the stillness of a new day and the air of anticipation of the possibilities it might bring as people slowly arise and seize it.
His first stop was the local café. He thought about buying a cup of coffee, but opted for some freshly ground beans and a plunger, as well as two delightfully delectably looking bear claws, stuffed with fresh cream and adorned with icing sugar. He tipped the baristas generously as he moved on to his next destination, the drug store, where a large box of quick-acting aspirin and a large electrolyte drink was procured. He wandered back to the car where a vibrant bunch of tulips at the market florist across the road caught his eye. He wandered over and inhaled them deeply, enjoying the depth of their floral scent. He chose the largest bunch to take with him, then wandered further into the market, acquiring smoked bacon and free-range eggs from the local butcher, as well as tomatoes, relish, and strawberries from the fruiterer. He smiled as he reminisced about strawberries, he knew they were her favourite. Pleased with his foraging, he ventured back to Lisbon's apartment a little bit before 9am.
He carefully and quietly opened the front door and placed his shopping in the kitchen. 'I better check on her,' he thought as he made his way back up the stairs. He found Lisbon still fast asleep, sprawled out on her bed like a starfish, snoring with aggression. He laughed quietly to himself as he went back down the stairs.
He started the kettle and found a nice vase for the tulips while he waited for the water to boil. He was craving some morning caffeine. For a change of pace, he sampled a cup from the freshly ground beans he had just attained, rather than opting for his usual, more civilised, tea. He cupped the mug with both his hands, enjoying its warmth and drank deeply. 'Mmmm', he thought, 'if you're gonna do coffee, you have to do it right', as he appreciated his coffee-making skills. He began to prepare breakfast, bacon and eggs with fried tomato. He found a wooden tray to hold everything and filled it with his hot cooked breakfast, complete with quality coffee, sweet fresh bear claw, aspirin, electrolyte drink, and two tulips, just to make it sparkle.
He brought the tray upstairs and placed it on her bedside table. He gazed down at her, still mesmerised by her beauty and just how human, vulnerable, and normal she looked in that moment. He sat by her on the bed and started to gently stroke her hair as he whispered her name and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"Teresa," he whispered "Teresa, good morning."
She rolled over and feigned a smile. "Good morning," she croaked whilst taking offense at how bright the sun seemed to be.
"I made you some breakfast," he said, brandishing his hands towards the tray. "The hangover special."
"I am not hungover," she protested, as she slid herself up to a sitting position, pulling the sheets up to cover her bare chest. She hair stood at odd angles.
Her head spun a little as she sat up. "Ok, maybe a little hungover," she admitted and she smelled the divine mix of fresh coffee and cooked bacon. "That smells amazing," she cooed "that's so kind of you, thank you," she said as she noticed the contents of the well-thought out tray. The tulips a beautiful touch. It all made her feel very special.
"Well enjoy, my love," he said, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead. "I need a shave, a clean change of clothes and to pick up a few things before I start my mission for the day. Are you still up to joining me? Maybe you need a bit more rest to shake this feeling?" he asked thoughtfully.
"I should be okay," she thought. "Especially with all this, thank you. Maybe call me when you're ready to get going?"
"Okay," he said as he drew her chin in gently with his hand and kissed her goodbye as she smiled up at him.
Her head thumped. She made a strict mental note to never do shots with Cho again. She tucked away at the thoughtfully made breakfast Jane had made her. It was all good, so good, from the coffee, down to the relish with her eggs and the fresh cream of the bear claw. She instantly felt better with a full belly, or maybe it was the aspirin that helped make that change. She went into the bathroom for a nice, hot shower, and blushed at the memory of the night before. 'Yikes' she thought to herself, Jane certainly got a glimpse of a different side of her.
She drifted away with her thoughts as the hot water washed over her. She, Teresa Lisbon, was in a relationship. An actual relationship her heart was in. That seemed pretty serious already. With none other, than Patrick Jane. Whilst the premise of a relationship still scared her, she wasn't very good at them, her last one ended in a well-publicized fiasco. She was gratified to be able to express her feelings about Jane. It felt so good to not live a lie anymore.
Getting dressed for the day, she opted for something a little out of character, a maxi-dress adorned with sunflowers, paired with the softest of cardigans in a pale orange, something she'd owned for a while, but never worn. She had bought it on a whim - it reminded her of a dress her mother wore in the photograph she had blutacked to her desk through high school and college. She liked the way it felt when she twirled as she admired it in the mirror, plus she knew he liked her in a dress and flowers seemed to be spot on with his tastes.
She headed down the stairs to clean up before heading out for the day. She was surprised to find the place completely spotless, Jane had done everything. Her heart melted as she saw the bouquet of tulips on her kitchen table. She smiled in contentment. It was a side of Jane she could definitely get used to.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They drove along the streets of Austin, Lisbon feeling refreshed like it was a new morning, despite being past 2pm.
"This is a little far away from HQ" Lisbon noted "Are you sure you want to live this far away from work?" she said, 'and this far away from me,' she thought quietly in addition.
"Oh I've already found a place, six month lease is signed and paid," Jane said, shuffling papers in the center console. Lisbon looked confused as he continued "Just need to find something to put on that place"
Things started to sink into place as they turned into a large lot with various trailers for sale, "Joe's modern campers", a rusty sign hung over the main building.
"You're going to live in a trailer… at a trailer park?" she asked incredulously.
"Not quite, and no," he replied with a slight grin. He couldn't help but act a little mysterious, it was all part of the fun.
They strolled through the lot, his hand on the small of her back, looking at all types of trailers, from the modest pop-top to mansions on wheels. A middle-aged man in a cheap suit guided them through the process, Jane tormenting him with his wit along the way. As they approached the end of the lot, a range of large silver RV's branded 'Airstream' were lined up as far as the eye could see.
"Ah, now we're talking," Jane exclaimed. "I've always wanted an Airstream," he leaped into the doorway of the first one like a child on Christmas morning.
"It's a means of transportation, office, and home all in one!" he pronounced enthusiastically "Can you imagine the levels of efficiency I could achieve in something like this!" as he banged on the side.
His sense of excitement was infectious. The salesman gave them time to look through them, as they explored the interiors of each.
"Why a trailer, Jane?"
"Why not?"
She hesitated, looked at him apprehensively as she searched for the words to articulate her fears.
"I just feel like you don't want to put roots down. Like you have an easy way out if you want it. And easy way to run away again, and comfortably too."
He studied her reluctantly vulnerable face carefully, as she avoided eye contact and clung onto her own elbow awkwardly.
"I look at this to be quite the opposite to how you're thinking"
She looked at him quizzically.
"Our relationship. It's, uh, intense. We've already known each other for so long, its built on such a solid foundation of friendship and partnership. Its all very different to your traditional early stages of uh, dating," he began to explain.
"And whilst I don't want to put any of that pressure on us until it feels right… having this, rather than an apartment with a lease, and furniture and the works, means that the transition to us eventually living together won't be such a difficult change. Then we'll still have this as a holiday-mobile, make weekends away a sinch. Besides, if it was really just for me, do you think I'd be looking at ones this extravagant and well-equipped? A couch and a kettle are all I need."
"You've really thought about this?" she asked surprised. "Our future?"
"Yes of course," he exclaimed with pride. "More than you could ever imagine." He swooped down and gave her a lingering, doting kiss. "I hope that doesn't scare you?"
"I'm surprised," she admitted.
"Good surprised, I hope?"
"Yes, of course," she smiled. "You're really serious about us, hey?"
"Is that a bad thing?" he asked with a cautious raised eyebrow.
"No, not at all," she said, looping her arms around his neck. "I'm glad. I'm relieved."
"Good," he whispered, her lips receiving his once more.
On about the eighth or ninth one, she'd lost count at this stage, Jane breathed deeply and ran his hands over the bench inside the van.
"I think this is the one," he said to Lisbon, "what do you think?"
It was one of their higher-end vans, well-cushioned seats with all the features in the cab, a compact kitchen with soft mahogany touches on the cabinetry, a bed barely big enough for 2 with a modest ensuite to the side. It was elegant and cosy, with the amenities and luxuries one could need. She watched him scan the van's features with delight and excitement, she enjoyed seeing him full of wonder and pure happiness.
"I think it's perfect," she said taking his side sliding her hand around his elbow and linking arms.
"I do too," he breathed. He smiled and suddenly grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her onto the kitchen bench as she squealed.
"Imagine," he started with a grin, still holding her around the waist as she placed her hands around his shoulders, "it'll be fun. Let's see what kind of trouble we can make."
She giggled faintly, "There's always trouble when you're involved," she said as she brought her lips to his and planted a sweet peck.
After a tender moment, they chased down the salesman to get the paperwork in order. Documents were signed, money changed hands, and he was the proud new owner of a grand silver Airstream.
"Excellent," the salesman said as he paperclipped the forms together, "We'll have that one delivered to your location in four to six weeks. Will confirm the exact date a bit later."
"I look forward to it," Jane said as they left the office and walked towards the car.
"Four to six weeks, that's not so bad. I'll just fork out to stay at the motel for the extra couple of weeks," he said pensively.
"Or…" Lisbon started, a little hesitant in her approach "how about you just come stay that time with me?" she said as she linked arms with him, leaning her head on his shoulder as he walked.
"I couldn't impose like that, Lisbon. I know you're a very independent woman, I wouldn't want to put you in that position, even for a week," Jane said, "not until you're ready, and completely happy about it."
"It's fine. Let's face it, you'll be there most nights anyway. It'll be nice," she said delicately. "No point in wasting money on a motel room that will be empty," she shrugged. "And besides, if you do annoy me too much, I'll just kick you out, and you can get a motel then." She playfully poked his side.
He smiled at her. "Only if you're absolutely sure? You're right, it would be nice," he answered affectionately, his smile growing. "Ok, it's settled. Now, there's some place I want to show you." The childish glint return to his eye as he jumped into the car.
They drove back to their side of Austin, picking up sandwiches along the way, and continued through to a more rural stretch a few miles behind the suburb Lisbon's apartment was located. The road turned unsealed as tall pine trees framed their journey. He pulled down a long driveway, through a well-treed area, the lush green creating a serene back drop to a reeded lake. A creek babbled nearby through leafy banks and tufts of wildflowers. He parked in a small clearing, under the biggest, majestic overhanging tree, a dilapidated shack standing on the other side of the lake.
"It's something, isn't it?" he said with pride as they got out of the car and took in their surroundings.
She looked around. There was a quiet magic about the place, the air was clean, and water calming.
"So this whole lot is mine for the next 6 months. Shack over there is abandoned, uninhabitable, so I got this place for a steal. This is all I need here" he indicated as he kicked a trailer utility point next a few feet away from the base of the tree. "It's perfect," he said as he inhaled deeply "This air will clean your mind right up." She looked around in avid wonder.
He took her by the hand "Come on, let me show you around." They strolled around the property, sun streaming through the trees on an idyllic warmer than normal afternoon. He enjoyed watching the sunlight bounce from her smiling cheeks as they talked. He loved nature, the peaceful simplicity and unpretentious magnificence it offered. It invigorated him, and there was nothing he would rather do than share it with his other love.
They stopped at the clearing littered with dandelions and weeds, and placed their picnic rug down.
"It's quite some place you've found here," she said appreciatively
With a cheeky glint in his eye, he picked her up by the waist and spun. Giggling like a child, she clung to him tightly around the shoulders for dear life, her sunflowered dress and long brown hair flying as they twirled
"Oh my god Patrick, put me down!" she exclaimed in squeals and snorts of laughter.
They spun in the sunlight, it felt like a moment suspended in slow motion, like a cliché romance movie. She never thought she wanted her life to be like this, as she embraced the magic of the moment with sheer elation. A tough veneered woman with a low tolerance for nonsense, she was far from a dreamer. The years and years of enduring the dark nature of her profession had taken its toll, her cynicism pronounced, and her ability to see the negative, well-refined. After her mother died during her pre-teen years, she grew into a woman without a strong female presence, raising three brothers as she navigated adolescence. She had always been a bit boyish, a simple, down-to-earth woman; tough, fierce, independent, but closed and ever cautious in order to protect herself. He slowly lowered her back down until her feet touched the ground, welcoming her back to earth with his mouth in a sensual embrace as slid his fingers into her hair and pulled her close.
They retired to their picnic blanket. He picked a single dandelion and placed it behind her ear, tucking her hair and running his fingers down to her chin. "Teresa, you are absolutely beautiful," he uttered amorously, before bringing his lips to hers once more as she blushed.
The tranquillity of the acreage was enchanting. They savoured their sandwiches and talked about the future; their travel desires, the places they could explore with the Airstream. They laughed as they alluded themselves to grey nomads, as the thought of growing old together undeniably crossed both of their minds. The future was filled possibilities, possibilities he had never truly considered since his world fell apart all those years ago. A life filled with sadness, fuelled by anger and the desire for vengeance was all he could remember. She opened his world in ways she would not realise, nor comprehend. As the sun began to disappear and the light began to dissolve from their newfound utopia, they left the acreage hand-in-hand. Hopeful, grateful, optimistic.