Disclaimer: The Mentalist, its characters and universe belong to Bruno Heller and CBS. I'm only a fan, writing this for love of this TV show and personal pleasure.

A.N.: This is for 2x01 "Redemption".

Loving Him was Red

Frustration

After the Dunninger family had left the office, Grace Van Pelt had gone out to do their case closed pizza run and the rest of the team had been waiting for her return. Patrick Jane had just laid down on his couch to take a quick cat nap as they waited for her when he'd felt the presence of one Special Agent in charge Teresa Lisbon hovering over him.

"Hold on. We're not finished yet," she said, and gestured with her head towards her office and she didn't wait for him as she turned briskly on her heels and walked towards the aforementioned room.

Jane groaned softly, the sound reverberating for a moment in his chest, but then swiftly got up to his feet and followed dutifully after her. "Of course, we are. The case is closed, we got the killer. We're about to have case closed pizza."

"The case is finished," Lisbon said as she reached the door to her office and opened it, walking in and holding it open for him. "You and I are not finished."

"Oh? Don't tell me, you're still mad at me." Jane walked in after her and closed the door for her.

"Yes, I am. You are absolutely infuriating." She stood behind her desk, arms crossed sternly over her chest as she glared at him.

"I know," he sighed the words in an affected resigned manner that merely served to aggravate her further.

"You can't keep doing this stuff." If possible, it seemed like her glare had intensified.

"Eh. If it's a matter of ability, then…" He trailed off, bobbing his head left and right for a moment as a smile tugged at his lips.

"You don't care and you'll keep doing it, won't you?" Lisbon narrowed her eyes at him, as she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her desk, leaning forward as she kept glaring at him.

"Do I close cases or do I close cases?" He said with raised eyebrows and quite an obnoxious smile.

"That's not the point!" She'd been on the verge of shouting, and even though the drapes of her office were closed, the walls didn't reach the ceiling and were made of glass and anyone would hear if she raised her voice, so she continued in a calmer tone. "We're supposed to work together, but you're so wrapped up in your stupid ego that you can't resist pulling this crap on me, all the time. Like I'm some mark for one of your cons or a member of the audience for your little shows. We work together, I deserve more respect than this, dammit!"

"You're right." He nodded solemnly at her words, his hands going into the pockets of his pants.

"And I don't resent the fact that you saved my life, you know that. Stop saying that." She pointed an accusing finger at him.

"I know. It was an insensitive joke." He grimaced at her words and raised his hands in a peaceful and conceding gesture. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Alright." She felt a little bit thrown that he apologized so quickly and sincerely to that. Maybe it was something that had been weighing him down as well. Nevertheless she remembered why she started this tirade in the first place and soldiered on. "Thank you. Now you need to stop dumping your frustration over the Red John case by pissing off everyone around you."

"I'm not─" He frowned in protest at her words.

"Really? You're going to try to deny that to me now?" She raised her eyebrows pointedly at him. "Like it isn't what you've been doing ever since we came back from San Angelo? Showing off, being abrasive, careless and arrogant, letting everyone know you're the smartest one in the room?"

"Well, don't hold back now, Lisbon." He suddenly seemed somewhat bashful at being called out on this, his eyes darting to the floor as he balanced his weight on the balls of his feet, his eyebrows flickering up for a second.

"Why should I mind my words when you don't?" She practically threw the words at him, her chin jutting out in defiance.

"I said I was sorry for what I said before," he said, his voice quieter now as he looked back at her face.

"You say that and you tell me you're going to play by the rules and then I find you broke into a house with Rigsby and Cho to pull one of your little stunts. How is that supposed to make me feel?" She frowned at him once more.

"Oh that was a calculated risk and, really, a very minor infraction, all things considered," he said dismissively. "No one got hurt, there was no mess for you to clean and it worked, didn't it? We got the killer and we solved the case."

"You solved the case," she narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't care to fill me in on your little plan."

"I would have, but you were still mad at me and didn't want to listen to what I had planned," he retorted promptly, more bite in his voice than was customary.

She drew back at this, almost as if his words had a physical effect on her. "I would've listened to you, if you actually cared to explain what it is you wanted to do and why. God, I don't know how Cho can put up with this."

"Lisbon, I'm not a cop and this is exactly why you keep me around," he said, holding his hands up when it looked like she was about to interrupt him. "I work through the case in my own way and I get results. If you want someone who's just going to follow all the CBI rules and procedures, you already have your team for that. Then, what? Do you just want me around to 'read' your suspects? You guys can do that. Not as expertly as I can, of course, but you're capable enough."

She opened her mouth to continue what was starting to sound like an endless discussion, but she hesitated for a few seconds, which was long enough for her to change her mind. "Okay, you're right."

"Well, I'm glad we agree, then." Jane looked a little surprised that she'd relented to his point so quickly, but he wasn't about to complain about that.

"I realize you have years of being a showman ingrained into you, and it's why you have this penchant for keeping things to yourself," she said, coming out from behind her desk and stepping closer to him. "So it all boils down to this: Do you trust me?"

"Of course, I trust you," he said at once, his voice betraying his hurt that she'd even ask him that. "Haven't we gone through this already?"

"Okay. Then prove that by telling me when you plan something major and stupid during our cases, so that I can be there to back you up," she proposed. "No more going behind my back and pulling stupid stunts like going on your own with masks or fake diaries to get confessions out of killers."

"Okay, that sounds fair," he nodded at her after a moment with something of a smile. "But just so we're clear: Only major and stupid, right? If it's something minor and quite clever, then it's okay for me to go on my own?"

"Jane!" She closed her eyes in exasperation, pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment.

"I'm kidding," he quickly raised his hands and smiled at her. "Well, partially. I can promise that I will make an effort to communicate better with you so that we'll work together to close cases."

Lisbon narrowed her eyes at him for a moment longer. "Alright," she said, sighing a little.

Jane smiled charmingly at her, and Lisbon barely managed to keep a serious face. Just then Van Pelt got back with their pizzas, so they left her office and joined the others in celebration of another case closed.

A.N.: I have no idea why I went from the two of them having such a calm, tender moment in the last chapter to being so irritated with each other here, but I usually just go with whatever emotions the episodes evoke in me and this is what came out.