A/N: This was written for a holiday fic exchange. Hope you all enjoy, and Merry Christmas!
"Victim is Wendy Platt, 32, found dead in her home. She worked a government job handling sensitive information. We need to solve this one quickly to minimize the fallout." Abbott changed the display from her smiling reference photo and scanned his team of agents. "Initial reports from the crime scene show a struggle."
Cho leaned forward. "What is that?"
The image showed an airy kitchen with white cabinets. Apples were strewn across the counter. Glass and candy were scattered everywhere. Blood pooled onto a smashed pile of cardboard next to the dining table.
"Not sure. Empty boxes flattened during the fight. No addresses found."
"Who called it in?" Jane asked.
"Her boss. She took some time off this week, but missed two remote meetings." Abbott checked his notes. "There were also multiple messages from one Jackson Williams, expecting her at the Lux Hotel, downtown."
"A date?" Lisbon asked.
"I don't think so. A meeting of some kind."
The texts flashed onto the screen. Where are you? Call was 30 minutes ago ..can't wait.. ..penalty.. ..forfeit..
Lisbon glanced at Jane, who was tapping his lips with one long finger.
"I got something," Wiley said, tapping at his laptop. "The Lux Hotel is hosting an event this week. The annual Gingerbread Builders Competition." He looked up and the display changed, showing the victim smiling next to an elaborate gingerbread creation. "She was the defending champion."
Abbott's eyes widened. "That's… unexpected."
"It's a big contest. They build onsite, bake everything from scratch. Three levels of elimination. $10,000 prize. And this year it's being filmed for the Food Network."
Jane straightened, his hands on the chairs in front of him, absorbing the array of information displayed.
"Could be motive," Lisbon nudged him.
He shook his head slowly.
"That must have been the model at her house," Vega pointed out. "She planned out the design with cardboard."
"The killer was jealous. Or wanted an edge in the competition." Cho said.
The room grew silent, waiting. Lisbon studied Jane's profile. She knew that look. She used to dread that look. It usually meant a load of paperwork for her, and often dealing with too many prideful bigwigs.
"Jane?" Abbott prodded.
"If you all think we should check out the giant gingerbread competition, by all means. Let's go," Jane sat back and grinned. "Sounds like fun."
"Cho and Vega, talk to neighbors and coworkers. Let's get the complete picture. Jane and Lisbon… gingerbread duty."
xXx
Lisbon's badge got them onto set. Jane wandered through the display of finished projects from previous rounds. Perfectly decorated gingerbread people; elaborate towers of cookie and frosting; creations full of piping, candy, and holiday cheer.
But nothing came close to the glimpses she caught of the final house displays nearing completion. They were massive and intricate, with turrets, stained glass windows, and cobblestone driveways. She could tell it was only a fine line preventing Jane from crossing onto the set during filming. He was practically bouncing with excitement.
Someone wearing a headset tugged him back. "No pictures."
"I'm with the FBI." He pulled his arm away, straightened his jacket, and snapped one more picture.
Lisbon flashed her badge again. "We're looking for Jackson Williams."
It was the last day of the competition, and the director had little time for murder.
"Is this an elimination show?" Jane asked.
"Yes, all the previous contestants are here watching. Wendy was meant to be in the final, but she didn't show on the first day of filming. We had to shoot some new footage and bring in the runner-up. Now, there's one hour left, if you'll excuse me."
"We could shut it all down right now," Jane warned.
Jackson pulled up short.
"We need to talk to the contestants," Lisbon said.
"Yeah, fine. Start with the eliminated ones. Marta will show you. I'll pull out the others for their side interviews when you're ready."
"Thank you."
"Merry Christmas," Jane called after him as he strode away.
xXx
He had that look again, staring off towards the set. The judges were circling the completed houses in turn.
"It wasn't anyone here," Lisbon offered.
"No." He tapped his lips. "But it was related. That altercation two days before she died…"
"The coworker."
Jane nodded.
"I'll call Cho." She tapped her screen.
"That one's the best."
Lisbon pulled back to him mid ring. He was pointing towards one of the houses. Snow dripped from the roof in shimmering icing. She hummed. "It's beautiful."
"But that one's going to win," he sighed, pointing to another equally impressive display.
Cho picked up, cutting off her response. They ended the call with a clear suspect.
"You ready to go?" Lisbon asked, pocketing her phone.
Jane turned, his gaze burning through her.
She straightened and flicked her hair. "What?"
He smiled. "Sorry. Just picturing you with some icicles dangling, right here." He pinched one of her earlobes gently.
She stilled under his touch, warmth shooting through her. She had to lighten the mood. They were working. "You picturing me as a gingerbread cookie?"
His chuckle could undo her. Their banter used to be so much more innocent. Heat rose into her cheeks. He laced their fingers together and she let him. "We'd better go."
xXx
Lisbon watched Jane and Wiley lean together to look at pictures from the competition. Since when did Jane take so many pictures? He was usually content to fix moments to memory.
After a few minutes, Abbott joined them. Jane started gesturing, apparently describing the scale of the houses. His audience nodded in rapt attention. She smiled and turned back to her computer to finish her report.
The elevator dinged, and Cho and Vega got out. Lisbon got their attention, and they all met up in the break room.
"We got a confession," Cho stated.
"Nice to get an easy one every once in awhile."
"Speaking of… since it's looking like we actually get the weekend off, I've got a proposition." Jane drew out his statement, looking at everyone. "We should make some gingerbread creations of our own."
Wiley lit up. "That sounds like fun."
"What does that entail exactly? Because if I'm not working, my wife probably has plans for me," Abbott said, crossing his arms.
"Make a house… or a gingerbread person or two, or five. Whatever you want. Work with a partner—or not. The point is to be creative… or use a kit if you'd prefer." He was definitely reading the room, adjusting the rules as he went. Lisbon hid her smile behind a coffee mug. "Whatever you make, bring it in first thing on Monday. If nothing else, we'll brighten up the fishbowl."
Abbott nodded slowly. "Yeah, that could work. This place could use a little holiday cheer."
Cho shrugged. "Okay."
Vega made a little face. "I wouldn't know where to start."
"Oh. Well, we could be partners. If you want," Wiley said haltingly.
"I'd like that."
Lisbon watched the smile spread between the two coworkers. Jane leaned slightly toward her, sharing the observation. They had another workplace romance brewing. It was sweet.
Abbott clapped his hands to adjourn the meeting. "Good, good. Let's finish up our reports and go home. Great work on this one, everybody."
xXx
Lisbon's kitchen was cluttered with mixing bowls, measuring cups, spoons, baking sheets, cooling racks, and dusted with a light coating of flour. She smiled. She definitely didn't own all this before today.
Jane hummed as he put a sheet of gingerbread in the oven and set a timer. He was wearing an apron over his suit.
He grinned at her, a twinkle in his eye. "Ten minutes," he said.
Lisbon wiped her hands on her own apron and leaned in for a kiss. Her phone buzzed.
"No work," Jane said, and stepped closer, running his fingers into her hair as he lingered against her lips.
She enjoyed it for a blissful moment, then her phone buzzed again. She pulled back. "I can't ignore work."
"They're not calling me, it must not be important."
Lisbon pulled out her phone. "Oh," she exclaimed, surprised. "It's Van Pelt. I need to call her back."
"Eight minutes," he winked and released her.
Lisbon crossed to her couch, dialing as she went. "Hey, Grace. What's up?" Lisbon settled into the cushions, smiling at her friend.
"Hi, boss," Van Pelt replied. "Wow, love the hair. You have a minute?"
"Not your boss."
"Sorry. Habit." She smiled shyly and looked away for a moment. "So, I was wondering... I lost track of your address and I have Christmas cards to mail out..."
Lisbon blinked. She had no trouble with the request, but it didn't exactly warrant a phone call. "I could text you?"
She shook her head. "I'm on my laptop and ready to type."
"Oh. Okay." Lisbon rattled off her address.
Van Pelt's fingers flew on the keys. She squinted a bit. "Oh, I didn't think you were in the same house."
"I got lucky, I guess. I hadn't accepted any offers, so I canceled everything and moved back in."
"That must have been a pain."
Lisbon shrugged. "It wasn't too bad. I had help."
"I'm sorry the job and... everything... fell through."
Lisbon paused. Van Pelt was fishing. "We haven't talked in awhile, have we? It didn't fall through, I changed my mind."
"I'm glad to hear that. You seem... happy."
"I am. I'm sorry, I thought Cho talked to you."
"Wayne talks to Cho fairly often. Cho... is Cho."
Lisbon laughed. Suddenly, the idea that Cho would gossip about her relationships was hilarious. Especially since she still hadn't really talked to him about it herself. "Well, I should tell you—"
The timer went off.
"Lisbon, cookies are coming out."
Van Pelt perked up at the familiar voice. "You're making cookies with Jane?"
"Gingerbread house, actually. We had a case, and... well, the entire team is making them."
"Sounds like fun. I bet Jane is great at it."
"So far, yeah. But I think he's probably the only one baking from scratch. Between the planning and the baking, it's taking all day."
"I bought a kit for the kids last week, and Wayne ate all the candy before we could put it together."
Lisbon chuckled. Same old Rigsby.
Jane appeared over her shoulder. Lisbon adjusted the phone to frame him in the shot. "Hi, Grace. How are the kids?"
"Hi, Jane! Great, we just got pictures with Santa at the mall."
"How did Maddie like that?"
"Fine, actually. She looks a little bewildered, but she went with the flow. Ben hated it."
"Ah, that's normal. I bet the pictures are great! You should send them over."
"You check your email now?"
"Send them to Lisbon. I hate to cut this short, but we need to trim our shapes before the cookies harden." He kissed Lisbon on the cheek.
She closed her eyes and leaned into him as he went back to the kitchen. "I'll be right there."
Van Pelt stared back at her with wide eyes, mouth open in shock.
Lisbon cleared her throat. "It really has been too long since we talked."
She nodded and leaned towards the camera. "I need details."
"I'll call you tomorrow."
"Yes. You will."
Lisbon smiled as she disconnected the call. She went to the kitchen and clapped her hands. The air was rich with the smell of molasses and ginger. "What have we got?"
"It's not a crime scene."
"I know. Not yet anyway, what are we doing?"
xXx
An hour later, they had a significant collection of gingerbread shapes cooling on some racks.
Lisbon wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "All right, let's get this thing assembled."
"It has to cool first. This is a good time for a break."
"We've been at it all day already. Let's decorate—where are the candies and frosting?"
"Haven't bought them yet."
"What kind of preparation is that?"
"The kind where I get to take a leisurely walk with you on our day off." He looked at her, that calculating look with a hint of mischief.
Lisbon shivered. That look was much more enjoyable when it was aimed at her instead of a case.
He removed a spatula from her grip and kissed her jaw. "I can hold your hand at the store, and we'll buy out the whole candy aisle. Spice drops, and licorice twists, and cinnamon imperials, and rainbow sprinkles.
Lisbon relaxed into him as he spoke low into her ear, his lips brushing against her skin. Her arms went around him and found the knot at the back of his apron. She suddenly had a much different idea of how to spend their break. "Let's go upstairs first. Freshen up." She tugged the knot loose.
The way Jane reciprocated, she realized she was playing right into his plans. He always had good plans.
xXx
By the time they finally made it out to the shop and back, the cookies were definitely cool.
Lisbon took in the sight of her crowded kitchen and sighed. They had a big job ahead of them. "What's next?"
"Frosting. Lots of frosting."
They worked steadily, and Jane clearly knew what he was doing. But his design was so elaborate, they still hadn't gotten to the fun part. Lisbon yawned.
"You need a break?" Jane asked, while holding a slanted gable piece in place.
"I'm fine." She yawned again.
"It's late, you can go to bed."
"We haven't started decorating yet."
"This part is almost done. We'll get up early."
"And still have time for everything to set before we move it?"
"Sure."
She'd been so focused on the details of putting things together, she took a moment to take it all in. It wasn't as big as the houses at the competition, but if they had more time, it could easily compete. "It's really amazing, Jane."
He grinned. "Glad you think so. But my favorite part was making it with you. You having fun?"
She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "It's been a really good day."
"Glad to hear it." He let go of the house to hug her. He bumped the table in the process. "Whoa." He leaned them away to allow it to settle.
Lisbon turned her head, clutched in his embrace. "Everything okay?"
Jane held them both perfectly still. He breathed out. "Yeah, we're good." He let her go and crouched down, studying their creation. He touched a gable with one careful finger, then stepped back. "Steady as a rock."
The house slanted.
"Uh oh."
"Can you fix it?"
Jane reached out again. "Should be able to... Cross your fingers." He tried to shift it back towards upright. For a moment, everything was fine. "Frost me. Reinforce the seams."
Lisbon ducked under his arms and grabbed the frosting tube. It was awkward and cramped working so close, bending around the house.
At a critical moment, one side fell away, breaking into pieces.
"Jane," Lisbon breathed, horrified. "That took hours."
"No problem." He continued to hold the remaining pieces in place as he studied the situation, seeing the different options. "We'll change up the design."
"You can salvage that?"
"We can." He smiled. "I know just the thing." He let go and starting sifting through the broken pieces.
"Right, what can I do?"
He set aside some of the bigger pieces. "Get some sleep. I'll just be an hour."
Lisbon was very tired, and he was using his reasonable, lulling voice. She had very mixed feelings about that voice. She swayed a little, then sat at the table. "What can I do to help you reset? I can stay up another twenty minutes."
Jane squeezed her shoulder and handed over a butter knife. "All right, partner. Let's see what we can do in twenty."
XXx
Lisbon made a beeline for the coffee in the break room.
Abbott smiled at her, standing proudly next to a well-decorated kit.
She breathed in the bitter, wonderfully caffeinated beverage and smiled back. "Good morning."
Wiley appeared with a large box. He looked nervous. "Uh, is Vega here yet?"
"Hey, Wiley. I just saw you come in. Can I help you set up?" Vega appeared.
"I have some bad news." Wiley turned away from the competition and cracked open the box to show her.
Lisbon couldn't hear what he whispered.
Vega blinked a few times, then took the box from him and set it on the counter, closed. She flashed a smile at their boss. "We'll be right back," she said sweetly.
"No problem," Abbott replied.
Lisbon decided she needed more sugar. It was a sugar kind of morning. She turned back to the counter.
Cho plopped down a plastic container of plain gingerbread men cookies and an assortment of bagged candy. "Nice house."
Abbott tugged his lapels. "Thank you." He eyed Cho's collection of ingredients. "Busy weekend?"
"I decorated one. Then I ate it." He shrugged. "Where's yours, Lisbon?"
She sipped at her cup. That was lovely. "Jane's bringing it. He should be here soon."
Wiley popped his head in. "Abbott, do you still have that Voltron figure in your office?"
"Yes, I do."
"Can we... borrow it?"
"For this?" he indicated their box.
"Kind of?"
"It's a prop. You'll save our project, sir." Vega looked sincere.
Abbott considered. "I'm intrigued. I'll go get it."
"Thank you, sir."
Jane came up as he was leaving. The box was huge. Lisbon rushed to help him set it on the counter.
"Oh, that's great." Jane looked at Cho's blank cookies. "Are those available?"
"Yeah."
"Great. Lisbon, the perfect finishing touch. Actually, everyone's here. You can each make your own."
By the time Abbott got back, everyone was laughing and having a good time, passing around a can of frosting and bags of candy.
"Looks like the party has started," he commented.
Wiley washed his hands to take the robot.
"Dennis, great timing," said Jane. He handed over a cookie. "Decorate this as a self portrait."
There was a line of cookies along the counter, already decorated as the team.
"Okay. What's this for?"
"You'll see in a minute."
"We have a little set up to do," Lisbon admitted.
"So do we," Vega smiled. "We ready?" she asked Wiley.
"Yeah, go for it."
She opened their box and pulled out a plate with the wrecked remains of their house. It had fallen in on itself after the decorations had been applied. She set it carefully next to Abbott's house.
"Oh, that's a shame,"
"No worries," said Vega.
"It got caught up in a giant robot battle," Wiley said with a smile. He put Voltron next to it and positioned the arm like it was smashing down on the house.
"Oh no, no, no, no," Abbott shook his head and went over to him. Wiley stepped out of the way, confused. "Voltron defends the universe, he doesn't smash houses." Abbott shifted the arm, making the giant inspect the damage instead.
"Good save," Jane nodded. "Love the technique. Very clever."
Jane moved down the line. "This you, Abbott?"
"Lena and I worked on it together."
"That's a nice kit."
"Yes, it is. We added our own touches, of course."
"Very creative use of twizzlers."
"Love those trees."
"Great snow effect."
"Thank you. Lena and I made it together. We had a lot of fun. How about you, Cho? You run out of time?"
"I decorated a cookie."
"Well, where is it?"
"I ate it."
"Naturally."
"So, where's your project? What are the gingerbread people for?"
"Ah. Well, much like Wiley and Vega, we had some technical issues. We had to shift our idea in the middle."
"Can't be worse than our mess," Wiley assured them.
"We had a little more time to recover," Jane said modestly. Lisbon yawned. He pulled the cover straight up off their creation.
The team gasped.
The half of the house that was intact was fully decorated with intricate detail. On the open side, there was a little couch and some desks. Jane put his little gingerbread man—complete with curly hair and vest—by the couch, and set a little Lisbon against her desk. Lisbon set the rest of the team in place around the office.
"You made a little fish bowl," Wiley breathed, leaning closer.
"It's perfect," Vega admired.
Lisbon was proud of their efforts. She was tired, but it was all worth it. They made a good team. While the others were distracted admiring the house, she brushed her hand against Jane's and looked at him warmly. His returning smile was so soft, it melted her.
Not for the first time, she tamped down the feeling that she almost missed this. She had almost given up on him, on them. But she wouldn't dwell on it. She was so happy. Her smile brightened.
He tilted his head at her, questioning. She loved these moments when he didn't try to figure her out. When he let her take the lead. They would celebrate their first Christmas together in just a couple of weeks. She couldn't wait to surprise him with his gift. Oh, she had plans all right.
"What are we eating first?" Cho asked. At his colleagues' violent looks, he defended, "It's gingerbread, not a building material."
Abbott pushed the remaining blank cookies towards him. "Go to town. You're not eating my house."
Lisbon laughed, and the others joined in. Soon they were munching and chatting together.
Life was good.
