Author's Note: You guys are so sweet and patient. Thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Mentalist and would not be foolish enough to claim to.
He found her sitting on a cut tree trunk in the open field that had been converted into a parking lot, her petite form almost completely lost among the masses of cars lined up around her in neat little rows. The purple and white end of the black dress was folded up beneath her knees primly, along with her hands, and her smokey eyes were focused entirely too intently on her lap. As he got closer, he thought he saw her tremble, but then she heard his footsteps and the vulnerability melted away instantly.
A few steps away from her side, he stopped and studied her. Wary, as though she was going to attack any minute.
He couldn't rule it out.
Lisbon's lips were set in a thin line, her shoulders square, her expression one of stoney indifference. It was like she was trying to force herself not to care. Not only to project it, but to feel it.
It brought an inexplicable sadness over him.
Aloofness must have helped her at home. He didn't entirely have the whole situation worked out, but it was clearly hard on her. So, if she didn't care about what happened, it couldn't hurt her. The problem with that logic, was that she obviously did care. A lot. The hurt and anger was coming off her in waves.
He couldn't quite tell how much she had cared about that Mashburn character. She seemed to enjoy the guy's attention at any rate. His willingness to spend money and time on her must have made her feel cared about, whether he really did or not. It must have been nice for her- to finally have someone taking care of her.
Walter didn't seem like that bad of a guy, in retrospect.
After all, the hurt she was pushing away was caused by him, not Mashburn. For a moment, he thought about turning right back around and going back to the carnival. Annie would kill him if she knew how much he was slacking off. But, he never had been the type of person to turn away from a challenge, even if retreat would have been the wiser option. He drew closer to her, coming up on her left to face her.
She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye but didn't otherwise acknowledge his presence. Instead, she turned just slightly away.
Okay, that wasn't a good sign. He needed to change her outlook. Taking several more steps, he lined up his body with the edge of her vision. When he was directly in front of her, he suddenly put his hands out and tapped his feet on the ground in a little jig.
Though her head was still turned away, he could see a small smile attempting to tilt her lips. It was like she was trying not to show she was paying him any attention, but couldn't help it.
It made his heart flutter as he clapped his hands, spun, and finally struck an exaggerated pose. He remembered to add jazz hands for effect. To his delight, that elicited a response.
Lisbon gave a cross between a snort, a chuckle and a giggle, covering it up with one hand immediately. Still, her eyes were twinkling.
"That's better." He smiled, straightening up. "You're much prettier when you smile."
For a moment, she frowned. Then she blushed, staring pointedly at her lap again.
He grinned, eyes crinkling up. "My goodness, Lisbon, is that a blush?"
"Hush." She murmured, blushing even darker as an answering grin bent her lips.
Jane took a seat next to her so that his body was tilted toward her so that he could still watch her reactions. Then he found himself unable to look at her. Silence settled around them as she examined her hands now in her lap and he stared at the bent grass near his feet. Only the soft din of the nearby carnival could be heard and with it as a background, he felt some of his tenseness slip away. She wasn't outright yelling at him, or forcefully shoving him out of his seat yet, so he had some hope. He swallowed and did the one thing he struggled with the most, because she was worth it. "Hey, um... I'm sorry." He looked up at her, she looked up at him, and for a brief moment, their gazes met.
Her hurt expression returned, watery eyes pouring the feeling of betrayal straight down into his heart. She seemed to be seeking truth, wondering if he was being sincere.
He'd never felt such a searching, stripping gaze before- like his whole life was suddenly laid bare before her and he was powerless to change it. For some reason, he suddenly had the irrational certainty that he was naked and looked down to make sure it wasn't true. When he glanced back up, she was nodding her head.
"Yeah, okay." Her voice was choked.
"I just..." He flailed, something he was unaccustomed to.
She looked up at him, hurt replaced by sadness now.
He sighed. She was his undoing, and there really was nothing he could do about it. He'd try anything to get that look off her face. So he told a painful truth. "I just wanted to impress you."
Lisbon frowned. "By insulting my...my-" She blushed again and shrugged that away.
Jane let it go and chuckled morosely. "Not my best decision ever, I'll admit."
She paused a moment, considering, then fiddled with the hem of her dress as she spoke in a barely audible whisper. "Why were you trying to impress me?"
He swallowed audibly, a little thrown. After a deep breath, he braced himself. Here goes. "B-because maybe... maybe Mashburn wasn't completely wrong."
Her eyebrows tilted in confusion.
"Maybe... maybe I like... you- you know... some." He wouldn't say the word crush, but trying not to was turning him nonsensical. "I...like hanging out with you... and maybe I was a little-" The tumble of words stilled. God, he couldn't say it.
"Jealous?" It was softly spoken.
He rolled his eyes a little, trying not to show that she'd hit the nail on the head. "Well, now, that's just hurtful."
She smiled crookedly. "That didn't sound like a denial."
It was his turn to blush.
Lisbon was quiet for a while. "Maybe... that's kinda cool."
Startled, Jane looked up at her.
She was wringing one hand with the other slightly, obviously nervous. "Maybe, I like hanging out with you too."
His heart skipped a beat before soaring into his throat. Suddenly feeling flushed, he stood up hastily. "Speaking of... where is 'Walter'?"
She gave him a playful glare. "I don't know and you know it. I lost him when I left the tent. That's what you intended, wasn't it?"
He put his hand over his heart like she had wounded him. "Lisbon, I would never intend for you to be left here alone, especially dressed in something so gorgeous."
Again, the wide blink.
Was she really that unaccustomed to being complimented? Did she really not know how breathtaking she looked in that dress?
"Hush." She finally muttered towards her feet, standing up beside him. "You're kind of a hard friend to have, you know that?"
He grinned, glad she was feeling better enough to tease him. "Well, let me make it up to you."
She gave him an appraising look. "How?"
"I could buy you a hot dog all for yourself. Or a burger, or an ice cream cone." He reached into his pocket and withdrew car keys. "Or I could give you a ride home, since yours is busy."
Her eyes caught on the keys, recognizing them. "Where did you get those?"
"Lifted them off Walter when he wasn't looking." He answered flippantly, shrugging.
"Jane." Lisbon scolded, shocked.
"Eh." Jane waved her off. "He doesn't mind. Besides, I told some friends to look after him till I got back. Trust me, he'll enjoy himself."
Still she hesitated.
"It's just a loaner, I'll give 'em right back. It's not like you like more than an hour drive from here." He put his hands in his pockets nonchalantly. "Of course, if you want to walk all the way-"
"Fine." She growled. "But you had better return those." Her finger pointed towards his chest for emphasis.
"Great." He answered brightly, already reaching around her to usher her away. "So- which expensive one is it?
:)
Jane pulled the corvette in front of the indicated house smoothly, letting the engine purr its idling into the evening air while Lisbon stepped out and shut the door.
Her house was a tiny little thing, a pale blue or gray color. He spied the front light on and the flickering of lights against the drawn front curtains, maybe from a TV.
"Thanks Jane." She said, leaning back in against the door slightly to be close enough for only him to hear her.
Her brothers must be home. Maybe even her father too.
He gripped the wheel and resisted the urge to pry. They'd been through enough tonight and that dress was making it hard to think straight. "Not a problem, Lisbon." He murmured, suddenly awed by the way some of her wind-swept hair, pulled from it's tie, trailed over her jaw and exposed collarbone.
She smiled at him, soft dimples and all. After she pulled away and was half-way up the front walk, she suddenly turned back, walking backwards as she called out. "By the way... if we ever do get past you making an ass of yourself... my name is Teresa."
His heart stuttered to a stop and he knew his face had suddenly gone completely slack.
Her chuckle could be heard even from where he sat. After she had disappeared inside with a devilish little smirk, he touched his chest in shock to be sure he was still alive. He almost felt dizzy.
And her impish grin... the little minx. She knew exactly what she was doing. Didn't she?
Smiling wide- stupid-in-love came to mind- he put the car into drive and sped away. As the wind increased with his speed, he tilted his head, relishing the way the air swept past him, through him, inside of him, even if it was a bit chilly. He didn't care. All he wanted to do was stand up in his seat and shout up towards the sky.
Jane had learned the meaning of temptation, the meaning of joy, and iridescent happiness.
Her name was Teresa.