A/N: One step forward, two steps back.

The angst. The jealousy arc. I'm sorry, it's here. I felt like it has a place in their pre-relationship story, but perhaps for a chapter, rather than drawn out and exploited as a significant part of the season. The jealousy is an interesting emotion to explore in both of them, but it will be shallow and short-lived for now. No Pike (not here anyway).

This chapter is a twist on 6x20 Il Tavolo Bianco, with a sniff of 6x17 Silver Wings of Time's end scene and the opening case from 6x22.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane sat across the table from Vega, their arms outstretched into the center, Jane's fingertips resting gently on her upturned wrists.

"Close your eyes, clear your mind, take a deep breath in and slowly exhale"

With a little smirk Vega did as instructed, Wylie watching on with glee.

"Now focus, focus hard on the object you chose. See it clearly in your mind, the colours, the shape"

Back from lunch, Lisbon crossed the bullpen and dumped her belongings at her desk. "What on earth are you doing?" she asked.

"Jane's reading Vega's mind, " said Wylie with an enthusiastic grin.

"Good to see you all being productive on FBI time," Lisbon said flatly.

"It's just a bit of fun, it's been a bit quiet around here," Wylie said nonchalantly.

Vega abandoned her calming instructions and gasped, shooting Wylie a nasty look. Lisbon nearly spit her coffee.

"You can't just throw the Q word around like that!" said Vega with sheer disdain.

"Why not?" Wylie asked innocently

"Seems like an accurate and proper description of the situation, what's so taboo about it?" Jane backed up the junior.

"Oh come on Jane, you've been in law enforcement for a long time now. You know very well he's just jinxed us."

"You watch, it's going to be mental now," Vega said with dread.

"No such thing as a jinx," he dismissed, "It's only in your mind Lisbon, only in your mind."

"What, like the universe heard me now all of sudden we're going to get bombarded? Like how does that even work?" Wylie said with a scoff.

"Patrick Jane?" a voice from across the bullpen asked. Jane looked up to see a stern-looking gentleman in a US Marshall uniform. "Are you Patrick Jane?" he asked again.

"Yeah, when it suits me," Jane replied.

"I've got a warrant for your arrest," the Marshall replied before turning to his colleague, "Cuff him," he instructed.

"Hold on," said Lisbon standing up, "what's going on?" she asked with intense concern and worry.

"Patrick Jane, the attorney general has found you in contempt of court for ignoring a federal subpoena," the Marshal continued. "Are you Teresa Lisbon?"

"Yeah, that's me," Lisbon admitted hesitantly.

"You've been subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury in Dallas," the Marshal stated, handing Lisbon a folded piece of paper, which she took from him, her jaw slightly ajar.

Hearing the commotion, Cho and Spackman came around the corner from the break room.

"What's going on?" Cho asked, as one Marshall led Jane to the elevator in cuffs.

"Kimball Cho?" the Marshall deadpanned to the agent that had just joined the room, "You have also been subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury in Dallas."

"Best not ignore those," Jane called out over his shoulder as he grimaced at his wrists in cuffs as he was dragged away.

Spackman sniggered.

"This is your fault," Vega said sourly to Wylie. "Never say the Q word."

Lisbon and Cho exchanged looks while she tried her best to keep her freak out internally. This had to be about McAllister's death, they must have been naïve as hell to assume that whatever Abbott offered was going to be strong enough to keep him out of trouble and consequence-free. Cho was always stone-faced, no bullshit. She knew he'd do a lot for Jane, but she was fairly certain lying to the grand jury would be one step too far.

"We need to call Abbott," a worried Lisbon turned to Cho.

"He's in a governance meeting all day, we won't be able to get hold of him," Cho replied

"Crap, Cho, what are we going to do?" Lisbon pleaded. "Well not ignore these for starters," he said slapping the summons in his hands, "I'm sure it will be fine."

Lisbon wasn't as convinced.

The night peeled round and Lisbon sat alone at her kitchen table, poking absent-mindedly at her Chinese takeout. This night was supposed to play out so differently. She sighed in angst. Jane was supposed to be here, not being detained in Dallas. They were supposed to be talking through things, working things out, and perhaps on the other side of it, she'd find herself in an actual relationship. But the universe had other plans, like it always seemed to. Instead of being worried about the repercussions of letting her guard down and bearing her soul, she was worried about appearing before a grand jury tomorrow and what the repercussions would mean for Jane.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cho sat in the witness chair at the front of the jury room, the red-coated prosecutor berating him with questions.

"Two years ago, an arrest warrant was issued for Patrick Jane in connection to the murder of Thomas McAllister, the serial killer known as Red John. Is it true you were part of an international FBI manhunt to bring Patrick Jane to justice?" the prosecutor asked formidably.

"No," Cho said bluntly.

"But you acknowledge that the arrest warrant was issued and there was an international manhunt?"

"If you say so," Cho replied, still deadpanned.

"And yet now your work for a unit of the FBI that employs him," she asked ridiculously.

"Yes."

"The FBI conducts a two-year manhunt, finds its suspect, brings him back, but instead of a trial by her peers, he is given a government job with benefits," the prosecutor flourished incredulously.

"Was that a question?" Cho asked without flinching.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is Jane working for the FBI rather than facing trial?"

"You'd have to ask them that."

"Did the FBI make some kind of deal with him?"

"It would certainly seem that way," Cho stated obviously.

"And what were the terms of this deal," she followed up.

"I wasn't privy to that"

"But you are the team leader of the team Jane works on, yes?"

"Yes"

"So, what is required of Patrick Jane?"

"He is required to work as a consultant on cases with us"

"In exchange for immunity from prosecution?"

"I wasn't privy to the terms of his deal, but I think even you could probably make that connection if you tried hard enough," Cho replied

"Did he tell you that he killed Thomas McAllister?"

"No."

"Do you think he killed Thomas McAllister?"

"What I think doesn't matter. That's hardly evidence, isn't it?"

Lisbon faced a similar tirade of her own, stone-faced she sat summoning all the courage she had. It wasn't the first time she found herself answering to Patric Jane's crimes and she was certain it wouldn't be the last.

"So, the FBI has made a deal with Patrick Jane, forgiving him for his crimes, the accusations including murder, evading arrest, obstruction of justice, grand theft auto, the list goes on… so instead of facing trial for what he has done, he gets a government job with benefits?"

"Yes, he is a very effective consultant with a 100% close rate," Lisbon rationalised.

"Do you think that's fair?" the prosecutor asked doubtedly.

"That's not up to me to decide. I'm just an agent with the FBI, I have no authority," Lisbon replied pointedly.

"Why do you think that Patrick Jane has eluded facing the consequences of his actions?"

"The actions you speak of were never proven," Lisbon said coolly.

"They were never even given the chance to be proven. You were the agent in charge of leading the Red John investigation for many years, is that correct?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"And you worked very closely with Jane in California. Does he confide in you? Are you close?"

"You could say that," she replied, tight-lipped.

"Did he demonstrate any reckless or revenge-driven behaviours during that time that would lead you to believe that he would take violent action?" the prosecutor asked, becoming more aggressive with her tone and intonation.

Lisbon's mind quickly flicked back to the California days. The regular arguments they would have about Jane exacting his revenge on Red John. He had made it quite clear from the earliest of days what he intended to do. She was always so adamant that she was not going to condone such behaviour, and she would be there to stop him from taking the law into his own hands. And how somehow one day that changed. She trusted in him. She was okay with him doing what he needed to do. How and when did she change so much?

She looked the prosecutor dead in the eye and said "I plead the fifth" without flinching

"Did he tell you he killed Thomas McAllister?"

"I plead the fifth," she repeated.

"Did he tell you where he was on the day McAllister was murdered?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Agent Lisbon, are you besmirching your badge and refusing to answer to protect yourself, or to protect Patrick Jane?"

She looked the prosecutor dead in the eye with a sense of grit and absolute, "Go to hell," she said with deliberation and confidence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was shaking after the hearing. It was apparent things were going to be far worse for Jane than she imagined, the prosecutor was out for blood, and her testimony did very little to help his cause. The drive back to Dallas gave her the opportunity to regather herself. It was times like this she was glad Cho was not a talker. They spent most of the drive back in silence.

At FBI HQ, they spotted Abbott the second they disembarked the elevator.

"We need to talk," Lisbon started

"In my office, what's going on?" Abbott asked.

"Lisbon and I just got back from the grand jury hearing in Dallas," Cho explained. "They're trying to indict Jane for the murder of Thomas McAllister."

"They asked us point blank whether Jane had ever confessed to killing him," Lisbon supplemented as they turned into Abbott's office.

"And what did you say?" a voice from Abbott's couch asked. Their eyes darted to the corner to discover their consultant sitting, newspaper in hand, and to their surprise, very much not incarcerated.

"What are you doing here?" Lisbon asked, looking confused at Jane.

"Ah. I'm out on "bail"' he emphasised with air quotes.

"It was a con," Lisbon said, the realisation washing over her face with a look of annoyance and mild anger.

"Technically the term is sting," Jane corrected. "Operation Jury Scam."

"You're kidding, right?" Lisbon said in disbelief.

"I am very sorry for the deception, but to maintain authenticity, we couldn't inform you until after you sat with the jury," Abbott offered in apology. He placed a number of photos from a file on his desk, "Elijah Macy, found murdered 3 weeks ago, founded a sports-bet website that ate into Acardo's profits. Detectives easily enough evidence to indict, but a grand jury chose not to carry through charges."

"You think Acardo got to the jury members?" Cho asked.

"Yes, he'd only need to sway a couple. Luckily, the same jury members are impanelled for the month. And that's where Jane comes in," Abbott explained. "No-one else but the district attorney knows this a set-up, we're hoping that Jane will be able to pick out who Acardo has gotten to."

Lisbon felt an instant wave of betrayal. All the emotions she went through last night and this morning, all the stress, anxiety and fear, were pointless. For nothing. And she felt the fool.

"So Cho, did you rat me out?" Jane asked light-heartedly as they left Abbott's office.

"It's none of your business what I told the jury," Cho answered.

"What about you Lisbon, be honest. Did you snitch on me, huh?

"You wanna know what I said, read the transcripts," she snapped, clearly annoyed.

"Hey, what did I do?" Jane asked, taken aback by her bluntness.

"You should have told me this whole courtroom charade was a charade. Since when am I a target of one of your cons?" she almost sulked.

"It wasn't a con."

"I don't care, you should have told me. You lied to me again."

"I never actually lied, I just didn't say anything"

"That's just as bad"

"I thought that you -. I thought you might have-. You know what, forget about it"

"Operation Jury Scam was Abbott's idea. He ordered me not to tell anyone. He strictly forbade me from discussing it with anyone so your testimonies would be authentic"

"Oh, you picked a great time to start following orders. You could've given me the heads up. Not accepted my invitation when you knew you were going to be incarcerated again."

"I had no idea it was going to go down so soon. I only know what was happening, not when."

"Right. But you still knew."

"Can we please just reschedule? Do it again another night? You of all people understand what this job can be like."

"I don't know, Jane. Who's to say you won't be successfully indicted?" she said mockingly.

"Because the DA is in on it," he quipped back.

"Stranger things have happened," she replied with an air of nonchalance.

"Oh, so now you want me to serve time? You did, didn't you? You ratted me out to the jury."

"What? Can't read my mind?" she said, sarcasm ripe. "Then read the transcripts," she snipped.

"Why are you being like this?"

"Just drop it Jane. I've got work to do," she said dismissively, not wanting to entertain the argument any further.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Half an hour in the courtroom was all Jane needed to figure out the jury was clean and it was the prosecutor that Acardo had corrupted. They conscientiously reviewed the case files and all the evidence from the original crime scene. The extraordinary detail Acardo provided about his alibi at the restaurant Il Tavolo Bianco gave a disingenuous impression, and a seemingly out-of-place coat with a hole cut in the lining from the evidence pile gave Jane his stroke of genius. Acardo was ordering his hits through the restaurant, using it as both an alibi and a middle-man to keep his hands clean.

With some time to cool down, she felt more level-headed again. It was normal Jane-related anger when it came to being deceived at work, and this time, it wasn't even his idea. She approached Jane as they left the fishbowl.

"I'm sorry, I may have overreacted earlier. I just had a really difficult night, plans not eventuating, being genuinely worried about you and the grand jury. And to learn it was all just a con."

"Not a con, a sting," he haphazardly corrected.

"Either way, I had a really hard time with it all yesterday, and I just kind of lashed out. It felt too much like old times."

Of course, Lisbon always turned on the hard-ass when her vulnerabilities felt threatened. He scolded himself for not foreseeing the extent it would affect her, given their past afflictions. Her apology revealed a softer side to her, one he wasn't used to seeing, one that might be indicative of the way she was slowly opening up to him.

"It's fine, " Jane replied, "you didn't over-react. You were right to be angry. I should've said something."

"You were just following orders. Something I've been trying to get you to do for years," she said with some levity.

"Eh, I only bend the rules a bit if there's a means to an end. Following orders would've hampered the efficiency they value so highly. Always a catch-22."

"Anyway, I'm sorry," she repeated earnestly. "So, what's the plan? How can we prove Acardo ordered the hit."

"Easy," said Jane with his all too familiar mischievous grin. "I just need to get him to put a hit out on me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They could hear the thump and buzz of the bass before they could even see the entrance to the nightclub, 'Honey,' a trendy, popular establishment in the red-light district.

"Getting a hit put out on you is pretty dangerous Jane. Enraging a mobster, to the point where they want to kill you?" Lisbon said with a mild tone of worry.

"Yes, I have to say, it isn't one of my more elegant plans," Jane said distractedly.

"What if they just come at you outside the nightclub?"

"Well, that's why I have you. And Acardo operates a bit classier than that. He's smart. He needs to keep his hands clean." He looked Lisbon up and down. "You look good," he said approvingly.

It was always a novelty to see Lisbon out of her sensible work wear, donning a modest little black dress and heels to better meld into their settings. "Thanks," she uttered, her cheeks going a little flushed as she was struck with self-consciousness from Jane's overt assessment.

Past the snaking line of waiting patrons, their badges gave them their VIP access into the world of the flashing lights, flowing alcohol, and feathered dancers the club had to offer, as Jane led her in, his hand perched on the small of her back.

"You really think you can get him to take out a hit on you in one night? Usually only people that know you want to kill you," Lisbon yelled over the music.

"It's just a matter of knowing which buttons to push," Jane explained, his mouth over her ear to compensate for the music volume. "A man like Acardo has a fierce need for control, fancies himself the lord of all he surveys. Elijah Macy cuts into his profits, he eliminates the competition. The grand jury tries to indict him, he buys the outcome. All I have to do is challenge his lordship."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Take something that belongs to him"

"Like what?" Lisbon asked.

"I'll figure it out," Jane reassured, as he surveyed Acardo's booth, noticing the pretty young blonde on his arm.

"Good luck with that," Lisbon said.

"I'm going to work my magic, you watch his henchmen, make sure I don't need backup," Jane said with a cheeky smile. Lisbon headed to the bar for a good vantage point while Jane navigated towards the sea of people in Acardo's direction.

Lisbon took a seat on a barstool. Although a good scotch was tempting, she opted for sparkling water – she was on duty after all. She sat and watched, wondering what kind of trouble Jane was going to get himself into that he'd need his trusty backup to get him out of. She checked her wire, Cho waiting for them in a vehicle outside if they were to need it.

She watched him as he started to chat up a leggy young blonde. A quick sleight of hand, and he had stolen the bracelet straight off her wrist. Classic conman move she thought to herself, the dexterity he had with his hands to achieve such things never ceased to amaze her. She watched as he continued to traverse with the blonde, running his fingers down her forearm, much to her delighted expression. His deep charismatic gaze, his million-dollar smile, charming her, drawing her in. She knew first-hand it could be difficult to resist when Jane turned the charm on. She knew he was just doing it for a con, to reign a sucker in, but the insecure thoughts perturbed her mind – perhaps she herself was just a mark and a sucker too. It was always difficult to know if things were genuine with Jane.

She watched as the girl stressed about losing her bracelet, and naturally, Jane was there to save the day. She smirked, it was always interesting to watch him in action. She watched him lace the bracelet back around her wrists, then trace his fingers across her shoulders, and onto her ears, the charismatic gaze still in full swing. The way the girl looked back at him, doe eyes big with adoration and swoon, it made her stomach flip.

She finally understood the play. Jane was going to make a move on Acardo's girl to try and get a hit ordered on himself. It took him all of 3 minutes to convince her to dance with him and look at him as if he were god. She scowled at how easy it was for him to get her eating out of the palm of his hand. Her stomach flip-flopped some more when she realised half her job for the night was going to be watching Jane make eyes and flirt shamelessly with another woman.

She watched them dance, sinking further and further into each other's grasps as they grinded away to the techno thump. It made her feel sick, a hot pool of rage churning and burning inside of her. She chastised herself for feeling so irrationally. They were working a case, Jane was doing his classic charlatan thing. She knew his mission was to anger Acardo to a breaking point, but he was pushing her to hers as well. She knew it was all an act, but that gnawing paranoia ate at her inserting the dark thoughts that everything and anything Jane did was a con with a means to an end.

"Hey cutie," a drunk approached her with a keen look in his eye. "Whatcha doin' here, a pretty girl like you sitting all alone?"

"Get lost, fluffy," she sneered back, flashing her badge as the ultimate repellent, never taking her eyes off Jane.

The songs peeled on and the pair was inseparable. She could see that Acardo had finally caught onto the whereabouts of his fiancé, who was now sharing champagne straight from the bottle with her dance partner. Her head rocked on his shoulder as she whispered things in his ear so closely that her tongue might as well have been halfway down it. He giggled flirtatiously as his lips graced her ear back, one arm firmly around her waist, their bodies pressed up against each other as they gyrated to the music, her arms around his neck. The closer they got, the harder it was to watch, and the more Lisbon felt her anger grow. She sat seething from her vantage point at the bar, the scotch growing ever more tempting as the blonde pawed all over her Jane.

They giggled, swayed, and sipped some more. Her elbows on his shoulders, their faces so close together, until it happened. The blonde planted her lips onto Jane's in an uncouth drunken kiss. It felt like the room went silent and time stood still as she watched her lips connect with his, like it was in slow motion. Lisbon's eyes welled, the rage within her swelled and erupted, pushing past breaking point.

"Cho," she croaked into her piece, "I need you to take over in here. I'm not feeling well, I need air," she said as she charged towards the exit, her vision blurry from the tears as she pushed past the sea of bodies and escaped reverberating thump of bass. She escaped the scene so quickly, she didn't see Jane delicately refuse to reciprocate the kiss and push her away. She also didn't see Acardo finally reach his breaking point too at the same, approaching Jane with his two henchmen and allowing Jane to execute the pinnacle of his plan.

She didn't understand why it hurt so badly. It shouldn't hurt like this, she must be crazy she thought. But the sight of Jane in the arms of another woman, another woman with her lips upon his, another woman in his embrace, touching him, feeling him, breathing him… it was unbearable. It stung worse than anything she had felt before. She had watched him flirt with Erica, she had seen the effects that Lorelei had on him. She felt territorial back then, and they weren't even remotely involved. Now, she had let her guard down a little, she had grown closer and closer to him since his return, and now she was paying the price. This is how it stung when you were weak and allowed yourself to feel.

She wanted nothing more than to be alone, so home she went. Her phone buzzed and jived regularly as Jane continually tried to call her into the night. She ignored it. She didn't want to speak to him. Even his name appearing on her screen made her annoyed.

She tried to remind herself it was all just a con, but the lines between con and reality were always so blurred when it came to Jane, that it made it difficult to differentiate what to believe. Who knew what was real and what was just a show? Was she overreacting again? Perhaps. But she couldn't help the way she felt, the way she hurt, the way Jane had the ability to make her doubt everything and feel so crushed and miserable. She was angry at herself for allowing herself to become so vulnerable, and angry with Jane for having the power to make her feel this way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey," said Jane, nearly running to Lisbon as he saw her get out of the elevator. "I tried calling you like 100 times last night, you didn't answer."

"Frustrating, isn't it?" she replied coolly, his Vegas time springing to mind.

"You disappeared last night," he continued, ignoring her jab. "Cho said you weren't feeling well, are you okay?"

"Just fine," she said in a voice higher than intended.

"You didn't even try and make that believable," Jane replied, pointing out her obvious white lie.

Lisbon hesitated for a moment. "You knew I was sitting there watching the whole time, watching you're every move as part of my job, and it didn't cross your mind for even a second that…" She paused and shook her head. "You know what, never mind. It's fine. I'm fine. Go make yourself a cup of tea or whatever."

Abbott summoned them to the briefing area before Jane had a chance to probe any further. Of course, watching him work Brandi as a mark would have been no walk in the park, but it was all for the case. Lisbon being always so holistically devoted to doing her job well would surely understand that more than anyone. Surely, she couldn't hold that against him?

They dispersed with a plan to ensnare Acardo that night, confirming he once more had a reservation at Il Tavolo Bianco. Jane took a seat at his couch and watched Lisbon at her desk. He was beginning to realise he perhaps underestimated the effect of the ruse given the apparent delicacy of their developing relationship. He studied her in deep thought.

"Hey, Chicago!" a voice called from the elevator as a brown-haired, square-jawed gentleman strode across the bullpen towards them.

"Hey Bateman, how goes it?" Lisbon replied cheerily to the well-groomed man, piquing Jane's interest.

"Yeah good, listen," Bateman drawled, "I have an extra ticket to the game tonight, my brother bailed. Was wondering if you'd like to go with me."

Jane sat a little straighter on his couch, not appreciating the glint in Bateman's eye as he spoke, unable to anticipate Lisbon's reaction. Even Vega and Wiley stopped what they were doing and exchanged looks.

"Bears versus Cowboys, we've got a chopper taking us down to Dallas and back," Bateman detailed ever-enticingly, beaming from ear to ear with a smile that could rival Jane's pearly whites.

"Oh wow," Lisbon said, with her deer-in-the-headlights expression. She didn't dare look around at the other people in the room, although she could feel all eyes boring through her.

"Yeah, I've got awesome seats, we could grab a bite to eat beforehand. I know this great little burger joint," Bateman continued enthusiastically.

"Sure, why not," Lisbon fumbled. "I'll just need to clear it with Cho first. We have something going down tonight, but I'm sure they can handle it without me."

"Great!" he said with an affectionate touch to her elbow, "should be a great night. I'll give you a call a bit later." He gave her a wink and left.

Avoiding all eyes, Lisbon left too, beelining for Cho in Abbott's office.

"Who's he?" Jane grumbled at Wylie.

"Nick Bateman, lawyer from upstairs, works with the DA," Wylie explained.

"Ugh, lawyer," Jane muttered

"Yeah, I swear he's been cracking onto Lisbon since her first week here. Surprised she finally said yes."

"Huh," he replied, a thoughtful look of worry and disdain transparent on his face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lisbon effectively avoided him for the rest of the day, leaving him to brood with his own thoughts as they prepped for the sting that night. Cho gave her the night of in a heartbeat he had heard, the number of overtime hours she had put in over the past weeks had made it a more than reasonable request apparently, much to Jane's displeasure.

"Why does she get to take the night off?" he cornered Cho accusatorily despite knowing the answer.

"Because we have more than enough agents to execute the bust"

"But we need Lisbon," Jane reasoned.

"Why?"

Abbott, noticing Jane's disgruntled nature, approached the pair and inserted himself into the conversation. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"Ridiculous that we go to such lengths to pull off such a complex undercover sting, then you just go ahead and not even bring the most experienced agents to such a crucial bust," Jane ranted. "I'd expect better from a federal agency. And you," Jane turned to Abbott, "allowing it to happen? Honestly, my back is getting sore from carrying this team. Yeah, I might be stuck here for 5-years, yeah, I don't have a choice but to be here, but I have a choice concerning how useful I decide to make myself."

Abbott and Cho just stared at him wordlessly

Jane sighed dramatically. "I need tea. Chamomile," he said and stormed off in a huff.

"What's his problem?" Abbott asked Cho as they watched Jane rage off.

"Lisbon has a date," Cho supplied.

"Ah," Abbott said knowingly. "Good luck with that," he offered Cho, slapping a hand to his shoulder as he walked off.

Cup of tea in hand, Jane watched Lisbon leave through the elevator morosely as he sat perched on the corner of Vega's desk, the junior somewhat confused by his presence.

"What does she even see in him?" he grumbled, thinking out loud.

"Bateman from upstairs?" asked Vega, her attention still on her screen. "Oh yeah, he's hot, I can see that," she said after a moment to consider.

"He wears tasseled loafers. How can you consider that hot?" Jane said like he had a rotten taste in his mouth.

"I dunno, he has a certain suaveness about him. An air of confidence, a sophisticated style," Vega explained. She finally parted eyes with her computer screen and looked up to see the consultant's glum expression. "It's just a football game, you know she's a Bears fan, she probably only said yes because of the tickets, not the company," she said reassuringly.

Jane and Lisbon's relationship still confused Vega. She still couldn't pick if they were together or not, nor did she have the courage to be so straight-forward and ask, but it was clear Jane was feeling quite unhinged by the whole situation. And for that, she empathised.

"Come on," she said, "it's almost time for us to move out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jane sat in the FBI van as they tailed the proprietor of the restaurant to wherever he was heading with Acardo's henchman's coat. He couldn't help but be completely fixated on thoughts of Lisbon. What she might be doing right now, how she was enjoying Bateman's company, whether or not he was trying to put his slimy hands on her, and whether or not she would let him too. It made him mad but he couldn't help these self-destructive thoughts totally consume his reverie.

How had things changed so quickly? Three nights ago, she was in his arms as they watched the sunset. Two nights ago, he was in a detention suite pending a murder indictment instead of sharing Chinese food and inner thoughts with the only woman he truly cared about. One night ago, he was tipsy in the arms of a stranger dancing at a nightclub. And tonight, he was hiding in a van from a mobster's hitman whilst that only woman he cared about was out and about with another man.

Had he really messed up that badly? He'd effectively stood her up the night they were supposed to get takeout, led away in cuffs, and unable to contact her. She was genuinely worried about him, he thought, remembering her words and imagining the way she would have tortured herself that night. He grimaced, imagining what it would have been like for her to watch him lead on Brandi last night, how he might have felt if he had to watch her do that to a man, especially how he felt watching her leave with Bateman that night. Finally, he was putting the pieces together. Finally, he was understanding things from her perspective a little more clearly. He would be in agony too had the tables been turned. For someone who made his reputation from being able to read people well, he so often would fail to consider how Lisbon, his partner and priority, would feel as a bystander casualty of his operations.

Maybe she was just trying to serve back what he was dishing, but he did not like it one bit. And this was so incredibly different, he was working, she definitely wasn't – she was even missing a bust just to be there.

The proprietor lead them straight to the hitman, the money and Jane's name in the lining of the coat, giving them all they needed to indict Acardo. Everything played out just the way Jane predicted, as usual. Everything except for Lisbon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Despite a late night, the next morning offered no reprieve to the in-demand FBI unit as Jane met Cho outside a two-storey manor turned crime scene at just after 8am, to investigate a body found at the college student share house. A uniformed officer met them cordially and immediately began to brief the discovered details of the new case.

"No Lisbon?" Jane mumbled as the uniform spoke.

"No," Cho mumbled back.

"We've kept all the students inside," the uniform finished, "ready for you to talk to them."

"What do you think this date nonsense was about? Bateman, meh," Jane spat, completely ignoring the man in blue. "He's with the district attorney from crying out loud, a lawyer. Isn't that an unwritten law? Cops and lawyers are like mortal enemies. Like cats and dogs, Batman and the Joker, emo punks and rainbows. What's the deal?"

"Pardon me?" the uniform asked.

"Don't mind him," excused Cho. "Where's the body?"

"This way," the uniform said and led them out into the backyard. They were confronted with a stocky young man face down in a kiddie pool with a dagger sticking out of his back.

"Thank you," Cho dismissed the uniform and went to examine the body.

"The dagger's not in very far, I don't think this was the cause of death," Cho thought out loud, "what are your thoughts?" he asked Jane.

"You think I should ask Brandi out?" Jane replied with a screwed-up face apparently oblivious to the morbid scene in front of them. "She'll be single soon, Acardo's going away for a long time."

"I think you should focus on the dead body in front of you."

"He's dead, he doesn't care," Jane replied before bounding up the back steps and into the house.

Cho followed suit to find Jane pacing around the lounge room, five bored and scared-looking teens scattered around the seats and couches in the room.

"Hello, finally. We've been sitting here for like 2-hours dude. You guys heard of human rights?" one of the students voiced.

"No such thing," Jane dismissed.

"I'm Agent Cho, this is Patrick Jane," Cho addressed the students, "we're just going to need to ask you some questions," he continued, flicking his notebook open.

"Where is Lisbon this morning anyway?" Jane interrupted. "Why are you here instead of her?"

"I'm beginning to ask myself the same thing," Cho murmured, "I'm the senior agent in charge of the team, why wouldn't I be here?" he in exasperation.

"Does she need the morning after the date off too, you think it went that well? Did Bateman chopper her off to somewhere more fabulous?"

"She's working on another case"

"We have another new case? As well as this one? The Acardo one isn't even wrapped up yet?"

"Yes, we have another case, she's dealing with that"

"They're killing people as fast as I can close them," Jane said with a sarcastic eye roll. "Well let's go check that one out then? They might need my help."

"We have a case here, did you forget?" Cho said, pointing his pen around the room.

"Oh right, yes, this one," Jane surveyed the room, looking at the confused college students listening in on their inane conversation.

"They all did it," Jane announced, carefully working through his logic as he painted a picture of what really happened the night before. A poker game with tragic consequences that they all worked together to cover up, given away by the poorly applied foundation to conceal bruises, guilty looks, wet sneakers, and ultimately, unfinished vodka in the trash. The uniformed officer looked mildly impressed.

"Arrest them all." Jane turned to Cho exasperatedly. "Can we go now?"

"Sure, I guess" Cho answered, following the consultant as he high-tailed it out the front door.

"Why do you care so much?" Cho asked as they walked towards the SUV. "Actually, don't answer that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lisbon and Vega had made it back to HQ before they did, the other crime scene much closer than the student house. Their case, however, not closed in an instant like Jane and Cho's.

"How was your date," he asked somewhat masochistically.

"Great," Lisbon replied, a little over-exaggeratedly. "The Bears won."

"Uh huh, going to see him again?" Jane probed.

"Yes, in fact, he's taking me out to dinner tonight," she said lightly with an airy shrug.

"Tonight? That's a bit eager, isn't it?" Jane retorted

"Yes well, he asked me and it sounded nice. Some people aren't afraid to straight out ask for what they want," she snarked.

"Oh, what's that supposed to mean?"

She glared at him before walking towards the kitchen.

"I tried for us to have a dinner date and you were so stubbornly adamant not to call it a date, but Bateman waltzes in, and all of a sudden the concept of a date isn't such a problem," he argued, chasing her with purpose.

"That's different. You're different, we have history," she attempted to explain.

"So, it couldn't be a date because we have history?" he asked confused.

"No, it didn't have to be a date because we have history. We've shared meals before."

"That doesn't even make any sense! Are you just punishing me?"

"The world doesn't revolve around you, Jane. Nick's a nice guy. Honest. Uncomplicated," her last two words licking like poison.

"Did you kiss him?" Jane asked, a contorted look of self-depreciation on his face.

"That's none of your business and how dare you even have the gall to ask me that considering what you've done," she snapped.

"What I've done? You didn't answer the question."

"And I'm not going to," she dismissed pouring coffee into her mug.

"So you did then," he argued like a wounded dog.

She didn't. Nor did she come close. But she wasn't going to admit that to this masochistic, narcissistic attitude that affronted her.

"I didn't say that. You're being childish and it doesn't concern you," she growled.

"In what world does it not concern me? Of course, it concerns me. Everything to do with you concerns me"

"That's a little self-indulgent"

"You know what I mean. You know there's something here," he appealed in desperation, motioning between the two of them.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said dismissively, "It certainly doesn't seem that way, especially with the way you've been behaving"

"You know Brandi was all for the case, right? It meant nothing"

"Of course, just stopping at nothing. That's what you're famous for," Lisbon said with blasé.

"And it worked. We caught Acardo, with enough evidence to prosecute," he continued.

"Congratulations," she replied sarcastically.

"I'm sorry Lisbon-" he said desperately.

"Sorry for what?" she cut him off. "I'm not your girlfriend." Her words emerging with such venomous disdain. "I don't have any stake over you, you're free to go make out with how you please. It seems to be your taste too, the mistress of criminals. Right?"

"It was all part of a plan, she meant nothing to me," Jane insisted, growing increasingly defensive with her backhanded reference to Lorelei.

"Oh, I've heard that before," Lisbon snorted.

"Honestly, what do you want from me? " Jane's voice intensified, the anger building in his voice as he got increasingly frustrated. "You're being impossible!"

"Just leave me alone Jane," she hissed before storming out of the kitchen, coffee in hand. He watched her leave, defeated.

He spent the rest of the day vaguely absorbing details from the murder the girls attended that morning while building his own scheme to derail Lisbon and Bateman's upcoming date that evening. He couldn't let it go ahead as planned. Two dates in two days felt oh so serious, and damned if he was going to let another man swoop in and take Lisbon away. Not if he had anything to do with it.

With some clever probing and pickpocketing, he discovered where he was taking her for dinner and what time their reservation was. It was upmarket, swanky, nice. Gave off the vibe of trying way too hard, but Jane was more than aware that women traditionally loved that kind of thing. With an impish demeanor, he called the restaurant and booked the table next to the one Bateman had reserved.

"I'm leaving, I have some errands to run," he announced to Cho. Cho shrugged his shoulders and couldn't care less. Jane was being more of a pain-in-the-ass than usual in the last 24 hours, he was happy to see the back of him for an afternoon.

As Jane turned in the elevator, he locked eyes with Lisbon across the bullpen. The look he caught was unusual, one of worry and pain, but one of tenderness and care as well, as she watched him leave curiously. But gosh, that hair, that face, always enough to make his heart swoon. He gave her a forced morose half-grin as the elevator doors slid shut in front of him.

All he needed to finish putting his plan in motion was for a quick stop at the drug store for a few choice items, and most importantly, a trip downtown to convince Bateman's ex-girlfriend to come and have dinner with him at the swanky restaurant tonight. Given his confidence and way with words, Jane was more concerned with succeeding in finding what he needed at the drug store than convincing a woman he had never met before to have an indulgent dinner with him.

He hopped into the driver's seat of the Citroen and stopped dead before he put the keys in the ignition. He remembered how she led across this parking lot just days before, her tiny hands over his eyes, her flair and enthusiasm as she presented him with such a significant thoughtful gesture.

What on earth was he doing? A ridiculous plan to impede on a date, how could he even consider for a second that that would bid well with Lisbon? Sure, the primary focus was to stop Bateman's assumedly less-than-savory plans for Lisbon and this dating nonsense, but was it worth her killing him in the process? She had made it very clear over and over again how she felt being the subject of one of his cons, it seemed counter-intuitive to use a con to stifle a budding relationship and steer her back on course to whatever kind of relationship the pair of them were working out. Lisbon didn't deserve to be made the fool.

In fact, Lisbon deserved a lot of things. She was truly an extraordinary woman, one who'd been through hell and back and never left. She was someone he could trust, someone strong, someone at peace with herself. Someone better than him. Someone who knew the worse side of him and still never left.

She deserved better.

She deserved more than him. More than the damaged, twisted, emotionally inept, horrible tragedy that wasn't so filled with guilt and self-loathing that he was. More than the wretched conman that was all he knew how to be.

She deserved happiness. She deserved someone who knew how to open their heart fully and be a normal human being. She deserved far, far better than anything he could ever be. And maybe, just maybe, this was her opportunity.

And he would be an even worse person than he already thought he was if he were to stand in her way and deprive her of such things.

He picked up his phone again and canceled the reservation. He sat in the car, alone in silence, hating himself, reminding himself of what a terrible person he was, as he clutched his wedding ring in memory. He fought back the lump that was forming in his throat, the surge that was swelling at the back of his eyes. He deserved no one. All he deserved was this pain.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun set on FBI HQ as Jane lay still upon his couch in a deserted bullpen, book open flat across his chest. He studied the inside of his eyelids, trying to shut out the overwhelming thoughts of how quickly and badly things had deteriorated with Lisbon and that another man would be enjoying the company that he craved so badly. His contemplation was diverted by the sounds of soft rushed footsteps. He opened one eye to see Lisbon scurrying to retrieve something from her desk, all dolled up for her dinner with Bateman.

"Look at you," he said softly.

She turned around, feigning a slightly looking annoyed look that she had managed to rouse his attention. "Don't start."

"I'm not starting. You look beautiful. I hope he's taking you somewhere nice"

"Cloth napkins and everything," she replied thin-lipped.

"Well, have fun," he said, with all the niceness he could muster as he died a little inside.

"Good night Jane"

She turned and walked toward the elevator

"Lisbon, wait," Jane said, hopping off his couch and following her towards the elevator.

"What is it, Jane?" she turned to face him, mustering annoyance and hoping she masked her lingering hope better than it came out in her voice.

"I.." he stammered, desperately searching for the right words to come out, as he looked at her with such despondency. "I want you to know that I really want you to be happy. And that's the most important thing to me, is that you do what makes you happy."

She nodded at him wordlessly.

"You're so skewed towards seeing the negative in us. I've been trying. All you seem to be doing is looking for reasons to be mad at me, reasons to stop this from happening, and probably for very good reason," he continued, his voice breaking slightly as he spoke.

"If being around me brings all that negativity out in you, then maybe you're right. Maybe I'm not the right person for you to be around. You deserve happiness, you deserve the world. And it's starting to become very clear that I'll never be good enough to give you the happiness you deserve."

Stoically she listened to his heartfelt rambles, staring back at the desperation on his face, trying to keep her own emotions from bubbling to the surface.

"I just hope you find whatever it is that you're looking for and you do whatever it is that makes you happy. All I want is for you to be happy, okay?"

She nodded once more, not having the right words to say.

He leaned into her slowly, and placed a soft, deliberate kiss on the side of her cheek. He half expected her to berate him, but it didn't come.

"Good night Teresa," he said with a forlorn sigh, turning his back on her as he walked back to his couch. She watched him, a lone tear sliding down her cheek, which she aggressively wiped away before she turned to leave herself.

She felt terribly. She didn't know why she accepted Bateman's proposition for dinner. He had caught her off guard, in a moment of weakness, and she had just said yes. Maybe out of spite for Jane, or maybe she just wanted to see what it was like. He was a nice guy, a good man, just not the right man. She couldn't think of anything worse to do right now than going out for dinner. Jane's words and desperation haunting her – yes, she was mad, but she hated doing that to him too. Pride was the only thing stopping her from running back to him on that FBI couch, falling into his arms once more. She felt so conflicted. It had been such an emotionally destructive week.

It wasn't fair on Bateman. It wasn't fair on Jane. It wasn't fair on her.

She pulled her phone out of her purse, pushed a couple of buttons, and held it to her ear.

"Hey Nick, it's Teresa. Sorry, I'm not feeling the best. I think I'll have to bail on tonight"

She paused for him to reply.

"You're a really nice guy Nick, things are just really complicated for me right now and I'm not looking to be seeing anyone. Thanks for the game last night, I had a really good time."

She exhaled pointedly, still confused, but feeling a lot lighter and less anxious, before making her way home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Still on his older leather couch, the dulcet buzz from his phone roused Jane from his light slumber. He squinted at the screen, to see Lisbon's name and face being the cause of the buzz, a pang of worry striking through him. Why would she be calling him this late? Something must be wrong, the fear bolting him upright as he apprehensively answered the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Lisbon, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine"

"Are you sure? What's going on?"

She hesitated on the other end.

"Do you need help? Do you need me to come pick you up?" he asked

"No, nothing like that," she replied

"Okay, then what is it," he asked questioningly

"I don't even know why I'm calling you"

"Well, neither do I, obviously. But I'm glad to hear from you nonetheless"

"It's about my dinner with Nick tonight"

"Yeah?" Jane asked a little sourly.

"I… I just wanted to let you know, I didn't go"

"You didn't?"

"Yeah, I didn't"

"Why?"

"I thought about what you said, doing what makes me happy. And I just didn't feel like it," she tried to explain, "I thought about sitting at a trendy restaurant making small talk, and I dreaded the thought. So instead, I did what I really wanted to do"

"You bought a pint of mint choc chip and put an old movie on?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Just a guess," he replied. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"He was nice, just not what I want right now," she explained softly, "I won't be seeing him again."

"And what exactly do you want right now?"

"I guess I'm still trying to figure that out"

"Well, how about for starters… Did you want some company?"

"You wish," she replied a little too quickly

"Read my mind now, can you?"

"I've known you for a long time"

"Yes, yes you have," Jane smiled. "So that's a no on the company?"

She paused, seeming to seriously consider his offer. He could hear her breathing heavily.

"Maybe next time. Goodnight, Patrick"

"Goodnight Teresa," he said, with a smile in his voice as she used his first name.

He stared at the phone for a moment after they hung up, the light illuminating his face as he thought intensely. He felt an intense relief and a little more optimistic, that despite everything, despite how undeserving he was and how he screwed up he was, maybe there was still a chance, maybe there was really something there between the two of them. He smiled to himself sanguinely and slowly nodded off once more.