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We Will Learn from History

Red Hair & Silver Tape, 1x02

"Don't fret. I wouldn't seduce you over a meal. That'd be very sophomoric."

"I didn't think you were trying to seduce me."

"Come on, how could that thought not have entered your head. –Your denial that it did intrigues me."

She doesn't think he'd seduce her over a meal. She knows he'd seduce her over a meal. If she were a different woman, she'd let him. But they are who they are, and there's no way she'll ever find herself staring back at Patrick Jane from across a candlelit dinner while drinking expensive wine. What they have is more of a sneak into her apartment and rip each other's clothes off and then feel guilty about it the next day thing.

When they'd first started down this path of mutually beneficial sex, they'd agreed to not feel guilty about it. In fact, that first night, Jane, his lips pressed near the delicate skin of her hip, paused to assure her there were no ghosts in the room with them. And true to his word, he never brought his past to her bed. But despite his best efforts to prove otherwise, he was still human and Lisbon knew he still felt guilty for finding comfort in her arms, just as she tried not to feel guilty every time she caught the glint of moonlight off of his wedding band as he reached for her.

After Melanie O'Keefe's funeral, the team drove back to the CBI and Lisbon retreated to her office. Something about the O'Keefe case had been harder to shake. Diving into the stack of paperwork she'd left under her keyboard for safe keeping, Lisbon let the monotony of crossing t's and dotting i's calm her.

Two hours later, Jane knocked once on the door frame before taking two long strides into the middle of Lisbon's office.

"Oh, good, I was afraid you'd fallen asleep at your desk. Wake up with a stiff neck. Never fun." He paused and looked her over, a faint spark in his eye as he curled and unfurled his long fingers. "Unless you have a friend nearby to soothe your sore muscles."

"What do you want, Jane?" Lisbon wasn't in the mood for Jane's flirting. He gave a brief nod and sat.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"You shot two people. Two bad people, of course, but two people just the same." Jane leaned forward but Lisbon continued to fill out her paperwork.

"Comes with the job, Jane. Besides, they were bad people."

"Yes, but you are a good person, ergo, you feel guilty about it."

Lisbon scoffed and frowned.

"Oh, I was wrong," he tapped the edge of her desk. "You don't feel guilty about that. No, you're upset about something else. About Melanie. Of course."

"Watch it, Jane, or I swear to God—" She stuffed the completed forms into folder and slammed slammed it shut with more force than necessary. Jane straightened.

"I wouldn't. You know me better than that. I would never be flippant over the death of a young girl—"

Lisbon looked up, contrite.

"Look, Jane, there's a reason my door was shut. I'm not very good company right now."

"Meh," he muttered and relaxed back into the chair before throwing one knee over the other. "I've been around worse."

"Gee, thanks." She rolled her eyes, but a bit of her mood began to lift. Jane only shrugged. Truthfully, she was touched that he was checking up on her. She'd lost track of time since they'd returned to the office and she'd skipped lunch. The power bar she'd scarfed down at breakfast was no longer cutting it. Maybe she could convince him to come over and put those hands to use... and to pick up some Italian takeout on the way…

"I'm hungry." She powered down her computer and pressed the off button on the monitor.

"Hmm?"

"Italian sounds good, what you do think?" She hid a smile at Jane's dumbfounded expression as she called in a dinner order large enough for four people. Hanging up her phone and standing, Lisbon caught his eye. "It'll be ready in thirty minutes. You can pick it up."

"Lisbon," Jane started, watching as she slipped on her jacket and grabbed her bag. "Are you planning to seduce me?"

"Over a meal? How very sophomoric." His surprise chuckled suffused her with warmth. It wasn't every day she managed to play him at his own game.

"See you in thirty," he whispered in her ear as she moved past him and headed to the elevator, his hand reaching out to briefly run along her hip. and give it a squeeze. He had clearly regained his footing. "I'll be sure to pick up something sweet on my way."

She tucked her head down to hide her slight blush, but she didn't look back up until the elevator doors closed.

FIN