A/n People seem to be really hyped about this fic already which is exciting so thank you. It has been a lot of fun to write so far.

Here is the first proper part!

/

One.

Wylie is explaining something to him, something about how they will be monitored and how they will communicate with them without it being suspicious, but Jane is hardly listening. His attention is on her sat in the fishbowl, alone, examining the case files. She left the bullpen very quickly after the briefing claiming that she wanted to swat up on her knowledge, but he realised that she just needed space to think, think about what she has signed up for.

This could be a long mission. A long mission pretending to be Patrick Jane's wife, to live with him, to be confined to a house with him. It is going to be tough but not for the main reason that will be suspected. She has known him for a long time, she can deal with his quirks and irritating antics, but she is worried about the effect this could have on their relationship. When he was away and she did not think she would ever see him again she sometimes let her mind drift, wondering what could have been. There was a time when she thought that perhaps she missed out on a romantic relationship with him, she thought that maybe it was something she would like. Since his return, she has not let herself consider this. It seems too dangerous because they have so much to lose. She knows that because she had already thought that she'd lost him. "Jane." Wylie tries to get his attention and reluctantly the consultant turns back towards the computer monitor. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. All good." He smiles, "I am going to go and check on Lisbon." He decides before leaving his briefing without another word, he is sure that all this information will be repeated to him multiple times before they depart for their mission.

Lisbon hears the door open behind her and assumes who has joined her but is too scared to say anything in case her voice gives away how nervous she is feeling. He pulls up the chair beside her, also not saying a word, and glances at the photographs littering the table. Six victims. All incredibly wealthy but none of them bad people and they certainly did not deserve the grizzly end they faced. She is reading the files of the suspects, trying to find any details that perhaps haven't fully sunk in yet, but so far nothing.

She watches out of the corner of her eye as he takes one of the photos in his hands of Mr and Mrs Stevens, sensing his upset that a young couple were taken from the world so soon. He has seen some horrors in this line of work but that doesn't mean the almighty feeling of loss becomes any easier. Why can't people just live in perfect harmony? "Is it bad that I'm relieved that they died together, without really leaving anyone behind?" She asks him, trying to break the awkward silence and his gloom in the process.

"No." Jane sadly states as he puts the picture back down and folds his arms against his chest. She swiftly understands why her question has caused him anguish and guilt overcomes her so she tries to backtrack.

"Jane. I'm sorry-"

"It's fine. It's fine." He doesn't want her to be guilty, she doesn't, shouldn't, feel this way. He looks towards her and offers a small smile which she reciprocates, her shoulders relaxing, before turning back to the case file.

"It's a big jump don't you think." She comments.

"Hm?"

"Going from minor offences some time ago to multiple homicides and extreme extortion." It is true and it has been playing on his mind, but he isn't sure why they are surprised. They've seen much more bizarre change in paths from various felons in the past.

"As Plato said, 'good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly… and bad people will find a way around the laws.'" He reels off whilst leaning back in his chair, the quote makes her brow knit together.

"So, people are either good or bad? Do you really believe that?"

"No." Of course he doesn't. He has killed, committed other crimes too but he wouldn't say he is a bad person. If there was a scale, he would theorise that the good he has done in his life, mainly working for law enforcement, outweighs the bad. "It was Oscar Wilde who said, 'it is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.'"

"I'm not sure I agree with that. You can be both charming and incredibly tedious." She teases, forgetting her previous worries remarkably quickly but he has that effect on her. "Also, if you keep quoting philosophers, we are going to fall out before we even start."

"Would you have it any other way?" He's grinning widely to try and get a rise out of her, but she knows that, so she is shaking her head with a light chuckle not giving him the satisfaction he so clearly desires. He is right though, in a way, because even with all his irksome oddities, life would be boring if he turned it off entirely. He made so many dull days back at CBI when she had mountains of paperwork or dull management meetings interesting, even if he did tend to cause chaos in the process.

It isn't long before they have a more intimate briefing with Abbott, Fischer and Cho who have seemed to come up with a great masterplan for the "Texan Assassinated Partners" case – they are still working on a better name… maybe they should go with TAP for short. Jane of course criticises several elements of it but all in all it isn't a bad plan just daunting. They have the use of a very lavish property in Stone Oak situated on the edge of San Antonio, it looks incredible, even nicer than his old place in Malibu. Apparently the narcotics division raided it in a drug bust and it is still on the FBI books which is fortunate. If they are going to pretend to be a super-rich married couple with cash to throw away, they've got to have a house to show for it.

Lisbon may actually enjoy this. Yes, it is a case and they're going to have to stay focussed but that doesn't mean she can't have a bit of fun. "So you will be Mr and Mrs Jane." But suddenly, their boss has made it very real and the situation doesn't seem so appealing. "We could change your names but there is little point. Jane hasn't occupied the news for some time and if they discover his past then I am sure he can manufacture it into the story."

"Of course." He agrees with a nod. "Looking forward to being a psychic again." She peers over at him because she knows that this is a lie. Despite the mask he wears so well, it troubles him deeply when he has to be the faux clairvoyant because what happened on that tragic night, but he isn't going to let this unit see his weaknesses. Not so soon.

After trawling through the victims' financial records, it has been found that they each made large cash withdrawals ranging from $100k to $250k not long before their deaths. Accumulating to over five-hundred-thousand dollars in total. A lot of money, always increasing in value, as their suspects have obviously become more and more greedy.

Clarkson, one of their three suspects, is a member at a country club that is holding a charity event tomorrow night so that's where they will start. Get his attention, throw some money around to show not only how careless they are with it but so they become the perfect mark in whatever con the trio is pulling. It won't be easy though. Somehow they are going to have to try and stand out in a room full of the rich. She isn't sure how good she is going to be at pretending, she has never had any sort of wealth in her life. As a kid their family scraped from pay check to pay check, many times she had to steal food to feed her brothers and working in law enforcement is hardly high earning – unless you are one of the fat cats at the top.

She has spent so much of her life sucking up to those people, seeing how they act, maybe she could pretend better than she expects. "If you two want to go home and pack, when you return there will be some swanky rental car for you both." Fischer explains and Jane's ears perk up at that. He likes a nice car, he used to have a vintage car collection but now he just has his Airstream which is simultaneously his home. He hopes Lisbon lets him drive, even though she is not so keen on his ability. She claims that he drives too fast, but he doesn't think so.

They leave Abbott's office and shortly they're in the elevator together, as they prepare to depart to get their things sorted before they go off on this new adventure. The brunette stares down at her feet nervously and takes a deep breath before looking back to him, and it is clear to him that she has something to say but she is hesitant to voice it. "Are you okay with this?" She asks him tentatively and he cocks his head at the question but other than that his expression doesn't give anything else away.

"Going by your reaction and distant behaviour I am going to say it should be me asking you that question."

"No, I mean…" She sighs, partly at herself but mainly at how frustrating he is being. Then she remembers why she was probing in the first place and that frustration dissipates. "There was a Mrs Jane and I'm not her. If that's going to be a problem, we could use a different name." He would be lying if he said he didn't find her concern touching. They don't really ever talk about Angela, he prefers it that way, but when they do it always feels important. She never wants to pry, and she doesn't, she respects his privacy, and he generally does the same with her, but when she does indicate that she is concerned it is nice. It shows him that he isn't alone in this world.

xxx

As soon as Lisbon returns to the Austin office just over an hour later, she spots the glam, new Mercedes SL in a pearl grey in the carpark. "A convertible, very flash." She comments to Jane who is stood by the open trunk, ready to take her packed holdall from her. Thankfully despite being this type of car, it has decent space for luggage. "How long is the journey?"

"Just over an hour if you're lucky." Fischer interrupts from behind her, carrying a takeout coffee cup that she passes over to her newest friend. "We don't want to give you any physical files in case someone sees them but you have your work laptop so you can access any records that you need." There is a thud as the curly-haired man closed the trunk, signalling that it is time to go, and the butterflies start to soar in her stomach once again. "Oh and expect a delivery tomorrow morning."

"Delivery?"

"Clothes for you. You're going to need to look the part."

"I-I have nice clothes." She awkwardly stutters earning a chuckle from the mentalist who opens the passenger door for her. How chivalrous she thinks whilst briefly glancing his way before turning her attention back to her colleague, deciding that this little interaction isn't worth the aggravation. She plasters on a fake smile before saying, "Thank you Kim. Hopefully see you soon."

And then they get on their way.

She isn't sure when she agreed to let her partner drive, but she has that thought too late when they are speeding along the highway southbound towards San Antonio. Her mind wanders as she contemplates what troubles this mission will bring, not only professionally but getting even closer with him carries all sorts of worries. They got too close before he left, things became complicated, and it made his departure even harder. Even though it is unlikely he will disappear again, she is still reluctant to get to the same point as they were before. "We will need to go to the store and pick up some supplies." He states once they are making progress into their journey, but it is quickly apparent to him that she isn't listening to his rambling. "Lisbon, hello..." He drags and she does turn her head to look at him, but she is definitely spaced out. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... just thinking about Fischer buying me clothes." She muses, although this is fiction. She can't exactly tell him that she has been thinking of him. "I have nice clothes."

"I know you do." He agrees. "That black dress you wore to the CBI ball that time, your famous green blouse, the leather jacket-"

"Okay okay." She interjects, as a blush overtakes her cheeks. "Pipe down."

"I am allowed to flirt with you now, wife." He childishly grins to add to his point earning a derisive roll of her eyes, mainly to try and cover up her embarrassment.

But then something dawns on her and he senses her sink into the passenger seat at his side, the action making him fleetingly glance towards her, but not for too long because he has to focus on the road. This isn't exactly a route he is used to, so he has to keep an eye on the signs as he passes them. He wants them to have plenty of time to not only do a grocery shop but also so they're able to comfortably settle in before the mission really begins tomorrow.

However, he can't ignore her clear uneasiness. Something big is playing on her mind and it would be better to get whatever it is out in the open now rather than there being an outburst later. "What's wrong?" He questions but all she does is shift slightly; she doesn't even attempt to say anything. "Lisbon, if this is going to go smoothly, we need to try and be open with one and other. Otherwise, this won't work." Jane knows that if he uses the job at hand as an excuse for her to be honest with him, it should sway her, even if it is a cheap ploy.

It gets the result he wants going by her deep sigh that follows. "Are we going to have to kiss?"

"I guess." He shrugs, to make it all seem much more casual than it is, but it is something he has thought about too. How far are they going to have to go to persuade their suspects that they are an actual couple? It isn't that he is going to find it difficult, but he just doesn't want it to wreck their relationship when it is the most important thing to him.

"I didn't even think of that." Lisbon starts to panic, a stress crease forming on her forehead. "How could I not think of that?"

"Hey, it's fine." It could be more than fine. "At the event tomorrow, we will just kiss on the cheek and if we start to feel like we are being watched at the house we will think of something." She doesn't know if it is the well-formed plan or his soothing tone, but something does put her mind a little at ease. This could be okay. "Plus, don't worry, I will be gentle with you."

He has always struggled with keeping things serious. He is a bit of joker, probably used as a coping mechanism to mask his personal torment and she knows that, but it does irritate her at times. "This isn't bothering you as much as it should." She digs.

"How do you mean?"

"Just that."

Patrick supposes she is right, this isn't really bothering him, in fact he is excited to be spending so much time with her. Playing the part of a couple is just a bonus. He can't tell her that though, not yet, maybe one night after he has cooked dinner and he has poured her a glass of wine, maybe then he could try to face his fears. His fears of what he feels. "You know what I'm like." He nonchalantly replies. "I love a good con. Plus, this is better than kicking our heels at the office."

"That's true." She settles, but it is definitely in a begrudging manner. "Bet Cho is disappointed not to be in the field."

"Hm." He hums distractedly, having just spotted a sign to turn off the highway towards their intended destination. "Maybe he is just disappointed to not be your husband." He still manages to tease.

"Cho?" She cannot help but laugh out loud, the beautiful sound filling the vehicle and bringing a smile to his face. "He's like my brother."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She shakes her head at the thought. "Cho…"

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"Am I like a brother?"

Lisbon is almost stunned into silence by his question. Cho is like a brother to her; they have that sort of love and banter with each other. Jane? No. No way. He's… something else, he is more than that – not like she is ever going to admit that out loud, or even in her head. "You know, you're more like that annoying neighbour's kid."

He cannot hide his displeasure. "That annoying neighbour's kid." He repeats back to her, slowly, like he is trying to process the words. She almost smiles at his shock; it is difficult to get one over on him after all, but he doesn't say anything else, he just moves his attention back to the journey.

That's a victory, she thinks, and oh is she feeling smug about it.