Chapter 2

Lisbon POV

She scanned the crowded casino looking for his blonde head. The steady hum of slot machines, loud voices, and music assaulted her senses. The blinking lights and busy landscape making it difficult to spot anyone, let alone Jane.

She would call him if he had a phone, but Cho had found it at the scene when they had first tried to reach him when he had disappeared.

She made her way to the card tables, but he wasn't there. She looked around again, her stomach sinking as she realized how hard it would be to find him. She cursed her new shoes that were already hurting her feet.

She decided to head in one direction as if she were canvassing for a suspect scanning the area as she'd been trained. She noticed a hallway ahead of her that she assumed would lead to the hotel lobby; she made a mental note to check that area as well when she heard his voice very faintly, her ears accustomed to the timbre of his voice. She couldn't pinpoint it; she darted her eyes around quickly hoping to see him, her ears straining to capture his voice again over the steady noise of the casino. She picked a direction that she thought he could be when her eyes settled on his suit-clad form in the distance; his back was turned to her, but his posture and curly hair were as familiar to her as her own face. He was too far to hear her call out to him so she took off at a quick pace towards him, but he entered an elevator with another man before she could get within earshot.

She watched as the elevator made its way waiting to see where it would stop. She blew out an exasperated breath when it stopped on three different floors. If her feet didn't hurt so much, she'd stomp them for effect. She closed her eyes to think. She didn't bring her badge or gun so she couldn't just barge into the security department and request information. She had to find another way.

A loud ruckus came from behind her as a group of young men whopping and hollering rushed towards her, barely stable on their feet. One of them asked her up to his room and then proceeded to vomit on the floor. She backed up as a security guard dispatched the men to their rooms with a stern warning.

He asked her if she was okay and if there was anything he could do to help. When he smiled and glanced at her chest, she knew she could get what she wanted from him.

Jane's POV

He pressed his lips together and nodded absentmindedly in the direction of his fellow card player making a comment about his watch. His plan had been to infiltrate a private card game and he had snagged an invite quite quickly after paying off one of the whale handlers. He looked around the posh hotel room on the executive floor, taking in the modern décor, the wives and girlfriends having cocktails, the catering staff milling around, and the security detail that stood out like sore thumbs. He rested his eyes again on the host sitting across from him; tall, burly, steely blue eyes, greying brown hair... this man wasn't just rich, he was most definitely a criminal of some kind.

The other men sitting around the table seemed harmless and were mostly intermediate players with lots of disposable cash. He'd lost four hands so far on purpose to study their tells. It was too easy and he was already bored. He'd been expecting to be excited, he loved taking money from chumps, especially criminals, but he felt nothing... he felt numb. He attempted a smile when a waitress asked him for his drink order, but he felt his lips downturn instead as he ordered his beer. The men jeered him, letting him know he should have asked her for her number; he pointed to his wedding ring but they dismissed him.

The pretty waitress returned with his beer and leaned down provocatively to whisper in his ear. What she said wasn't what he thought he would hear; she handed him a wireless phone receiver. The men around the table stared at him with curiosity as he took the call.

"Patrick Jane," he said in the receiver.

[Sir- Your wife is looking for you. Can we tell her where you are?]

He felt his lips stretch wide as his heart accelerated; it was Lisbon. But why was she here? He considered his choices and ultimately, his curiosity won out.

"You can send her up, thanks."

"The wife found you," the man seated to his left said with mirth.

"Yes, she did."

The men chuckled and ribbed him, then the game resumed. He could barely concentrate on the play as his anticipation grew for Lisbon to arrive.

It didn't take long for her to make her appearance; he was watching the door discreetly. His heart picked up speed as a guard opened the door and let her in. He had to make sure she continued the ruse she'd just started and so got up to greet her as any husband would with his wife; especially when she looked as good as she did. He felt, more than saw the men's eyes rake over Lisbon as she made her way to him.

Lisbon's cop eyes didn't miss anything, even off-duty and her eyes popped open in surprise and darted to his face when she saw the host. Lisbon recognized him which meant only one thing; he was on the FBI's watch list. His instincts were right, the man was a criminal She instinctively grabbed at her purse that he knew didn't have her gun or badge because he saw the momentary panic on her face as she realized it. He needed to get this under control before she got made.

"Sweetheart," he said in greeting, his eyes tuning her into his plan. "Sorry I missed our dinner; you know how I get when I'm at the casino."

Her eyes narrowed briefly but then acknowledge him. She smiled woodenly at him and then around at the men at the table.

"Of course, I do... how do you think I found you."

Her recovery was rough, but he could work it to their advantage as an upset wife. He reached her side and put his arm around her waist to introduce her to the men. He felt exhilarated all of a sudden. This was going to be so much more interesting now that she was here.

He walked her a few steps away from the table, gesturing to the men to give him a minute. He made sure the men were still within earshot; he needed them to hear their 'private' conversation to sell the con. A friendly game of cards was all that was on the menu tonight, but if their host caught a whiff that Lisbon was law enforcement, which was very likely the way she was acting right now, they could be in trouble.

She startled when he pulled her close to him to speak to her. Her eyes questioned his and he smiled reassuringly. She'd just stumbled into a criminal's lair and he knew that she wanted to leave right away, but that would be too suspicious. He needed her to play her part better, and right now his only option was to get her angry. She couldn't fake anything else.

"Why don't you go join the women over there while big daddy plays a few hands," he said with the express goal to annoy her. "Then we can go."

Then, to make sure he got the right response, he let his hand fondle her nice firm bottom. Her lips pressed together as her brows furrowed. She pulled him close by the neck and whispered in his ear in a barely audible voice.

"Take your hand off my ass or I will break your fingers."

Her menacing tone sent his heart racing with excitement. He moved his hand slowly to her waist and smiled.

"You're so beautiful when you're angry."

Then, because he was on such a high, he kissed her firmly on the lips. He was taking the ruse too far, the kiss wasn't necessary, but he couldn't help himself. The suppressed rage he picked up as she walked away made him smile. He licked his lips, tasting her lipstick, and smiled brightly as he took his seat once more.

The men raised their eyebrows at him and shook their heads.

"You're in the doghouse tonight," one of them said.

"Ooo-weee... she looked about to tear a strip off your hide," the other added.

The men chuckled and a few stole glances at Lisbon's behind as she walked towards the other women. Her dress was form-fitting and emphasized her fit body.

"She must be fun to tame that one," one of the men who had been silent up until then said with a leery glint in his eyes.

He felt his anger rise quickly as he pinned the man with a glare, "that's my wife... you don't get to talk about her like that."

The man raised his hands in supplication and apologized. He continued to pin him with a stare until the man looked down at his cards, then he smiled in triumph.

"I'm ready when you are," he said cheerfully, unable to control his wide grin.

Lisbon's POV

She thought this nightmare of an evening was over when the host on the top ten of the FBI's watch list announced the game was on hold because he needed to make an appearance at his daughter's wedding reception happening in the ballroom of this hotel. This was apparently her fifth wedding at the tender age of 28 years old and he'd grown tired of the whole thing, so he'd scheduled a game of cards to ward off the boredom.

She couldn't have guessed that the man would insist on his guests attending the reception so they could resume the game once again in a couple of hours. She had communicated her desire to not go to the reception with her eyes quite clearly to Jane, but he just smiled at the host and agreed to go, ignoring her. If she could have, she would have pinched him.

Of course, she could leave at any time, no one was holding her hostage, but she still needed to talk to Jane and he wasn't cooperating. If she left, she risked losing track of him again.

They were being ushered through a security checkpoint, sandwiched between the other players and their wives. Jane was holding her hand, their fingers enlaced together like lovers. Everyone was chattering loudly and she watched as Jane laughed at something one of the men said drawing her attention to his mouth. He kissed her with that mouth earlier and right now she couldn't decide if he'd done so as part of the ruse or to piss her off. Something was definitely off with him tonight; the Jane she knew would have never had let her see him half-naked, let alone have grabbed her butt and he certainly would not hold her hand like this or even have attempted to kiss her.

She continued to observe him as he chatted with a couple, his thumb rubbing over hers consistently in a soothing manner. He smiled as he spoke, one side of his mouth going crooked as it always did. In many ways, Jane never changed. He was always playing an angle, with a devil-may-care mischievousness. She would find out soon enough what he was up to tonight if it was the last thing she did.

They finally entered the extravagantly decorated ballroom. The reception was in full swing, couples dancing, music blaring, drinks flowing, disco light flashing; everyone appeared to be having a great time. She glanced at the time on her phone; almost 11 p.m. Out of curiosity, she checked her messages, but there was no text or missed calls from Marcus. Disappointed twinged in her chest; I guess she didn't mean that much to him if he could let her go so easily. She shoved her phone in her purse and decided that she'd had enough of this charade with Jane. She wanted to go home and soak in her tub with a glass of wine and her self-pity.

She yanked gently on Jane's hand, pulling him towards a less occupied area of the ballroom. As they reached their destination, she felt awkward still holding his hand, so she released it. He faced her, confusion on his face. Jane took her by surprise when he leaned towards her, causing her body to tingle in anticipation and she flinched back involuntarily thinking he was going to kiss her again. He pulled back slightly, his eyes questioning her.

"I wasn't going to kiss you," he said as he leaned in again, trying to speak over the loudness of the ballroom. "Why did you drag me here?"

A blush rushed her cheeks caused by the slight sting of rejection she felt when he said he wasn't going to kiss her. She didn't like the feeling of disappointment that accompanied those words either. She needed to regain control of this situation.

"We need to talk."

"We already talked."

"Well, I wasn't done. Can we just go somewhere more private and quieter?"

"No, I'm good," he answered, glancing to his left at two drunk guests shouting.

"Don't you want to know why I'm here?" she asked feeling annoyed that he hadn't even asked her.

"I know why you're here," he said with an impatient tone.

If he didn't want to go somewhere to talk, she would make him talk here. They both needed to speak in loud hushed tones to be heard, but it was better than nothing at all.

"Okay… then tell me why?"

"You think I'm leaving and you want to talk me out of it."

"So, I'm wrong then?"

"Not wrong… just pointing out the answer to your question."

"So, you admit that you're leaving."

"If I did, you'd have to arrest me and that would kill the fun, now wouldn't it? Deniability, Lisbon."

He actually had the nerve to smile at her.

"I don't want to play this game, Jane, so just stop it."

"Okay."

He was just staring at her now.

"Okay, what?"

"You asked me to stop. I am."

She took a deep breath and gathered her patience. She decided to stop pretending and just deal with the issue head-on.

"You'll be a fugitive again."

"And why does that matter to you? You're the one leaving…"

That was a slip, she saw it in his eyes. He didn't mean to reveal that to her.

"So, this is about me leaving! Would you stay if I stayed?"

"No."

"What? I… I don't understand-"

He expelled a long breath, his features scrunching up briefly in sadness, then neutral again. His eyes were searching hers like he was lost and she wanted to make it better but didn't know how and knew that he wouldn't let her if she tried.

But then he surprised her; she barely heard his utterance through the noise of the party, "I thought you were dead. I can't keep going through that."

She was stunned at first and his words hung there between them. She needed a moment to mull over the implication of his words, but she was missing something important and she couldn't fathom what it was.

"I'm okay. You-"

"It doesn't matter," he said dismissively, cutting her off in the process.

He was tapping his thumb inside his palm as he always did when he grew impatient. Her words broke whatever fragile moment had been happening, but she decided to try again.

"Jane..." but he didn't let her finish her sentence; he grabbed her hand and fingered her engagement ring.

She looked at his fingers holding her ring finger, then she looked up at his face. He was staring at the ring, then his eyes came to rest on hers.

"You're moving to D.C.," he said quietly, then dropped her hand.

His words from weeks ago rang again in her head 'I don't want you to leave.' Did he think she was leaving him?

"Jane... I'm not-" she was going to say 'I'm not leaving you' but that felt too raw and intimate to say out loud. She shook her head looking for the right neutral words to use. "There's phones and airplanes, you know… we can still talk and see each other."

"When?"

"What do you mean?"

"When would all these phone conversations and visits happen? You're starting a new life… a new position, a new home; you have a wedding to plan and I'm assuming you want to start a family, otherwise why all the rush… so when? And what would we talk about… this new life you're living… cases? No thanks."

"We're friends, I would keep in touch."

"Is that why my staying in Austin is so important to you? This illusion that we are friends."

"It's not an illusion… we are friends."

"This is not friendship, Lisbon… it's something else," he was about to say something more but clammed up.

"What do you mean by that?"

"This is not about me… it's about you. So let me ask you… Why does it matter to you if I stay? Is it because you need to know where I am? To make you feel better?"

"Yes! No… no. I want you to have a good life! You could have a good life."

"I don't have a life… I exist and I can do that anywhere," he said with his arms spread wide, his lips stretching into a tight thin line. He expelled his breath and brought his hand over his heart. "But I do need peace."

The silence that followed his words was deafening. Her breathing accelerated along with her brain making any coherent thought difficult. Their eyes were locked together for a few moments but then she dropped her gaze unable to look at the pain she saw in his eyes anymore. She felt confused now and nowhere near understanding why he was willing to become a fugitive again.

His voice broke through her thoughts...

"You should go… Pike is waiting for you somewhere, isn't he?"

"No… he's gone."

"He didn't wait for you?"

She didn't mean to give him ammo on the state of her tattered relationship with Marcus, but when Jane got a bone, he dug. She averted her eyes trying to move the conversation to another topic, but it was too late.

"Ah - you argued... nope… worse than that-" he said, reading her expressions.

"We broke up okay… happy?" she said beating him to the chase.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I truly am. Your unhappiness doesn't make me happy; you know that right? I want you to be happy. It's important to me."

She didn't know how to respond to that. She felt tense and just wanted to be anywhere but here. This had all been a big mistake. She came here wanting to help him and instead she'd thrown away her only healthy relationship for Jane to play games with her and clam up. She's about as close to making headway as she was had she never come.

She looked around the ballroom feeling hopeless. Nothing was going as planned tonight and she needed for it to end. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her exposed arms that felt chilled all of sudden. Her eyes caught the exit sign in the distance like a beacon calling her and she made to move in that direction when Jane gently brushed the back of his fingers along her bare upper arm.

"This is my fault," he said gently with a soft smile. "Look at you. You look absolutely stunning tonight. This should have been an unforgettable night for you."

That took her by surprise. Jane, taking responsibility and being apologetic... but the blame was firmly on her shoulders. She should have known better by now.

"It's not your fault. I came here tonight. Abbott didn't force me really. How could you have planned this? It's all on me."

She squared her shoulders as she came to the realization that no matter how hard she tried, she would never solve the puzzle of Patrick Jane. She skimmed the palms of her hands down the bodice of her dress as regret built inside her. She could have been planning her life with Marcus right now.

"You're trying to help. But I'm okay," he said reassuringly.

He smiled and somehow it created a lightness between them after the heaviness of their conversation. His smile still held a power over her after all these years and he wielded it mercilessly on her every chance he got. He knew her weak points and how to exploit them to his advantage, there was no point fighting it, so she gave up.

"This is a nice dress isn't it… I've never worn anything so glamorous," she said, wanting to change the subject to something innocuous.

"Look at this place," he said suddenly, gesturing at their surroundings. "Aren't you tired of always trying to figure things out all the time? You're here… I'm here. We could just have a good time together… take this dress out for a spin. A last hurrah of sorts... what do you say?"

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! I'm having a lot of fun writing this story. Often I hear - Why don't they just talk and say how they feel... but it's not that easy I found. As a writer and a reader we are privy to their thoughts and intentions which gives us confidence in the truth, but the characters themselves are meant to be just like us regular humans - stumbling about in their lives trying to figure stuff out. As regular people, we often don't know what another person is thinking unless they tell us and even then, we often just have to take them at their word and believe them. Not to mention all the issues with them communicating efficiently enough with us to understand their perspective which in real life, we get wrong often. So... taking that into the world of Lisbon and Jane it becomes more complicated.

Jane is secretive, manipulative, analytical, and aloof - he has played games with Lisbon often and it's very clear in the series that she does not trust him. We see proof of this in the series often, including even after they became lovers she waited a long time to tell him that she loved him. So it would be a big bridge to cross for Lisbon to trust Jane as we saw in the series.

Then we have Lisbon - between her childhood that was a mess with an alcoholic father, a mother that died when she was 12, and having to raise her brothers and the type of work she does that keeps her surrounded by the darkest side of humanity, not to mention that she was surrounded by people she thought she could trust but in the end most of them were criminals or crooked or simply broke her trust... I would say it's not a far stretch that she would be out of touch with her own feelings. She agreed to marry Pike and there hadn't been a single utterance of I love you between them, not to mention her attitude towards Pike when she picks Jane saying 'He'll understand'. I think that's very telling of her state of being. I don't think she'd be able to function in her world efficiently if she wasn't able to float above her feelings and keep them at arm's length. It's very clear that words hold no importance to Lisbon; just looking at the type of work she does, she'd be quite naive to take people's words at face value and wouldn't be very good at her job. Actions and physical proof are what she values.

On the other hand, words are Jane's most efficient weapon. He's a marksman with words and uses them to manipulate situations to his advantage. Words shape his world, using them to retain large amounts of information. Words are very valuable to him. Jane has a strong sense of self and trusts himself implicitly. He's very confident that he can achieve his goals should he apply himself. He is also very good at reading people and situations, which means he would have to be in tune with feelings in order to be able to spot them easily in others. We see this over and over again in the series when interacting with other characters... his empathy is also very high... all these things coming together make him seem psychic.

So we have two characters who value very different forms of communication to validate their perspectives. So it's with these assumptions that I approach this story and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I am writing it.

The next chapter should be up in 2 weeks. :-)