(A/N): Hey guys, I know it has been a while, but its exam season, and things are pretty hectic. I have no idea how good this chapter is, but my brain is fried right now, and I wanted to get this out there for all of you wonderful people that take the time to read this. Okay, onto you wonderful reviewers:

et voila: I loved that episode so much, especially Charlotte playing Beethoven! And I wanted Annie to be the girl we see later in the show, but obviously younger, and less cynical about the world. I figured that would be a good way to portray Annie. I hope you like this chapter, as I am extremely unsure about it.

sen: I'm curious to see what I'll do for Lisbon getting a pony! I'm writing this as I go along, so I'm just as in the dark as you are right now! I'm so glad you enjoy reading this! I figured Annie finding out would be the best way! Hope you like this chapter too!

lili87: no worries, I don't mind when you review! It is the review itself that makes me smile happily at my phone like a lunatic! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope this one lives up to your expectations! There wasn't much to work with in this one.

joyo-yoyo: aww thanks :)

Chocolate498: Glad you like it, and here is another chapter! I hope you like it.

Dempeo4ever81: here you go then!

Lola Carvalho: Aww, that is so sweet!

LAurore: Haha, so do I! Enjoy :)

LuoiseKurylo: Yeah, I figured that would suit Lisbon a lot! Hope you like this chapter :)

Okay, so watching this episode, I couldn't see a lot of Jisbon moments, or at least not a lot that I could turn into the married couple thing I'm doing in this fic. So, I apologise if this chapter is really bad. I'll try and do better on the next chapter. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter.

I still don't own the mentalist.

See you guys soon,

HeavenSkye x

Through Thick and Thin.

Chapter 6.

Red Handed. (1x06).

Lisbon smiled softly as she spotted a leaflet out of the corner of her eye. Jane had kept tight lipped about the destination of their vacation, though Lisbon knew it wouldn't be happening for a while. Minelli had told Jane if he didn't work for at least the next six months, he'd be out on his ear due to the last case where he'd dressed up as a ghost with an axe as a weapon in order to gain a confession. Minelli had been furious with him, Lisbon no less so. Unfortunately, the only thing Jane seemed to regret was that the vacation would have to be put off for a while.

She smiled again as Jane suddenly threw her a pair of sunglasses.

"It's far too bright out in the desert, Teresa." Jane said with a grin as he handed her a thermos mug full of coffee and took her purse from the coffee table where it had been slung the night before. "My eyesight is used to it, but I'm not risking yours."

Lisbon rolled her eyes, but put the sunglasses on anyway. It was useless to argue with him at times, and she wouldn't waste her breath on arguing about something so small and insignificant. "Fine, but remember we still have to pick Van Pelt up on our way, which means no more teasing the poor girl, Patrick." Lisbon warned as they walked out together, Jane locking up.

"I'm hurt Teresa, truly. Grace and I are the best of friends." Jane pretended to be hurt as they climbed into Lisbon's SUV. Lisbon snorted as he handed her purse over to her and she shoved it back at him, gesturing for him to place the purse in his footwell.

"Yeah right." Lisbon short him a disbelieving look as she started the SUV. Jane shrugged, pressing a kiss to his wife's cheek before she started driving. Sure, he and Grace may not actually be the best of friends, but he did try not to mock the newbie as much, mainly because Lisbon had asked him to.

When they reached the Nevada – California state line, Lisbon walked off to talk to the chief of the Nevada PD. Jane took a quick glance at the hand that had caused all the trouble of jurisdiction before wandering closer to Lisbon. He'd seen all he needed to, after all. Child's play.

Lisbon glanced at him as she talked to the chief, her sunglasses covering the fact her eyes were on her husband and not the man she was talking to. She knew that only Jane could tell where she was looking, so it didn't matter.

Jane wandered over to the hand as Van Pelt, Rigsby and Cho also met there, Rigsby complaining that they would get the case and that there was no way they'd be able to solve it quickly. Jane smiled grimly as the wind whipped at his hair and face.

"Why so glum? Case is a case." He said, shrugging. Cases weren't really interesting to him, but a severed hand in the middle of the desert made it more interesting than usual for him.

"We're in the middle of nowhere. Windy as all hell. I haven't eaten anything." Rigsby responded, a line forming between his eyebrows. "Dismemberments are a bitch. Spend months assembling the victim. There's always a piece missing."

Jane rolled his eyes. They were such children at times. Sometimes he could swear that he and Lisbon felt more like parents than co-workers to the rest of the team. "There's already plenty to work with right here." He pointed out.

"It's a right hand with the number 43 on it." Van Pelt pointed out the obvious, and Jane had to mentally tell himself that baiting the rookie was not a good idea if he wanted to sleep in the same bed as his wife later. Jane simply stared at Rigsby until he crouched, looking for the clues that Jane had already noticed.

"It's a male hand." Rigsby offered. "Or a not very femme female." He added, before grumbling again. "What else have we got to work with right here without forensic analysis?"

Jane fought the rising urge to get frustrated with them. "Lets see. Probably a white man, mid 50s. He wrote on his right hand, so he's a lefty."

"Maybe the killer wrote it, some kind of message."

"Too faded." Jane told him, dismissing Cho's idea within a heartbeat. "And a killer would write it bigger." He then clambered down onto his hands and knees and sniffed the hand. Hmm, smelt like almond oil. Probably a moisturiser. But there was also another smell, darker, like tar, concentrated on his index finger and middle finger. Ah, a smoker. There was also a hint of cologne about it too.

Lisbon rolled her eyes at her husband's antics, taking note of the chief's puzzled and slightly horrified expression. "Consultant." She offered as an explanation.

"Smells of almond oil moisturiser, musky cologne and tobacco." Jane proclaimed, still on level with the hand as he spoke his observations aloud. "Palms are supple. Nails are professionally maintained. So a rich man." He continued on with his observations, even through the bet he made with Cho, making comments on the man he was placing the bet with. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at Van Pelt's moral stance on the betting upon body parts. The guy was dead, he didn't care.

Jane perked up again when Lisbon joined them, telling them that the hand was three feet into California, so the case was theirs. She also told them the identity of the victim, effectively making Jane the winner of the bet.

Once back in the car, Lisbon turned to Jane, frowning. Van Pelt had gone over to the other car to talk to Rigsby and Cho, before she was supposed to be joining her boss and the consultant in Lisbon's SUV.

Jane paused in putting on his seatbelt in the passenger seat as he caught Lisbon's glare in his direction.

"What?" He asked, trying to appear innocent.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" She asked. "Stop betting over bodies!"

"Technically it was only a hand." Jane pointed out. "Come on, sweetheart, they are woefully unobservant. It's not my fault they don't believe me." He pouted a little, trying to get her to feel sorry for him, but she simply rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Patrick. We need to go talk to the wife and daughter."

"Wait." Jane said, causing her to turn to face him with an expectant look.

"What?"

Jane leant towards her and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Okay, now we can go."

"We still have to wait for Van Pelt." Lisbon pointed out. Jane rolled his eyes.

"Well, tell the rookie to hurry up then. I'm kinda hungry."

When they arrived at the casino after speaking to the wife and daughter, and the daughter's husband, Jane couldn't stop an involuntary grin cross his face as a memory overtook him.

"Patrick, stop it! You'll get yourself in trouble!"

"Meh, my dear, I will be perfectly fine."

Jane had taken Lisbon to Las Vegas for the second part of their honeymoon, with the first part spent in Ireland after they'd gotten married on a secluded beach with only Lisbon's Aunt and her best friend Sara in attendance as their witnesses. Jane had no-one he had wanted to ask to their wedding, and Lisbon's brothers hadn't shown up. Lisbon's aunt was a secret that only Lisbon and her mother had known about, as she was in the CIA and undercover a lot. Lisbon had once told Jane that as a child, if her mom got frustrated and needed to get out, she'd take Lisbon to her Aunt's place for a while under the guise of going somewhere else. Her aunt was called Katherine James, and was a truly formidable woman, but she was very supportive of the couple, as was Lisbon's best friend Sara Denny.

Still, their honeymoon had been going well, until he'd gone a little too far in baiting a whale, and had been kicked out of the casino. Lisbon had not been happy, and had forbidden him from attempting it again. Her reasoning being that next time he might not be so lucky as to be only kicked out. Jane grinned again. Whatever Lisbon might have said, it had been a wonderful time.

He picked holes out of the head of security, allowing Lisbon's tiny smile to be his encouragement. Suddenly, he turned to her. "Give me 100 bucks, would you?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Lisbon warned him, the last time he'd been in a casino still fresh in her memory, despite it being over a year ago. Jane sent her a promise with his eyes, a promise telling her he wouldn't go too far.

"Sure you do. Come on, I'll give it back to you double." He promised her, knowing that she would accept eventually.

Lisbon eyed him carefully for a moment before reaching into her pocket and producing some bills, sorting a hundred out quickly. She may not trust a lot of things, but she did trust her husband. "Look, here's a hundred, but you'll pay me back double, right?"

Jane took a glance at the smug look of the head of security, Matt Etienne. Obviously, the fool thought he couldn't do it. "Triple." He promised easily. Lisbon smiled as she caught the glance he'd thrown the other man and handed over the cash.

Jane kissed it for luck and wandered off through the maze of tables and slot machines with a muttered, "Oh yeah baby."

Van Pelt turned to Lisbon as soon as Jane was out of sight. "Boss?"

"Leave it, Van Pelt." Lisbon told her in the tone that brooked no arguments. "He'll be much happier out here than he would otherwise. We'll pick him up on the way out." She then turned to Matt Etienne. "Okay, lead the way please."

Jane and Lisbon made their way over to the exchange point, hands laden with poker chips. He grinned at her as they placed the chips on the counter and the unenthusiastic young man behind the counter began counting them.

"That was fun."

"I'm sure it was." Lisbon said, but she smiled gently none the less. "So, how did you know it was Alexandra?"

"What makes you think I knew?" Jane asked as the unenthusiastic employee handed over stacks of money. Lisbon ended up with two stacks in the pockets of her blazer and two in the pockets of her slacks whilst Jane ended up with the other stacks in his jacket, vest and slacks, and still ended up carrying one stack. "Can I put some of this in your purse to keep safe until we get home?"

"Sure. Now tell me how you knew."

"Table 43 was the only possible explanation for it being written on his hand, and Alexandra looked way too nervous and tense to be just an employee." Jane offered as they wandered off to the exit.

They had just reached the car when Jane stopped, doubling back to look at the casino gift shop. Lisbon stopped and turned to look at him questioningly.

"Jane, what the hell are you doing?" She asked, aware of Van Pelt and Alexandra in the back of the SUV.

"I'll see you back at work, Lisbon. I have something to do first." He told her before motioning to her pockets. "You put that in your purse though, for safe keeping."

"Hi." Jane said in greeting as he wandered into the observation room, thankful that only his wife was in the little room. Lisbon turned slightly in response.

"Hey."

Jane sidled up behind her, wrapping his arms round her waist and nuzzling her neck.

"Patrick, we're at work." Lisbon murmured, though she didn't move. Jane kissed the side of her neck before moving reluctantly away from her.

"Alexandra didn't do it. Oh, and I'm a little tired of keeping it a secret, sweetheart. Can't we tell someone? What about Minelli? You've been wanting to tell him for ages."

"Patrick, we've worked so hard to keep it secret, and not just because of my job. And anyway, what do you mean, Alexandra didn't do it?"

"Exactly what I said." Jane gestured at the room on the other side of the one way mirror. "Just watch. You'll see."

"She can go, can she?" Lisbon asked incredulously as she followed Jane out of the observation room and into the bullpen, cutting round to face him, both stood next to his desk. Jane glanced at her, an apology written all over his features.

"I'm sorry." He told her genuinely. Lisbon blinked, but continued.

"The Nevada Gaming Committee's gonna wanna charge her with gaming violations. Why should we let her go?"

"Why do we get hung up on every little law someone breaks?" Jane asked in retaliation, prompting yet another eye roll from his wife.

"Because we're officers of the law?" Lisbon offered, fixing Jane with a firm look.

"Also because Matt Etienne is lying." Jane pointed out, watching as Lisbon's face contorted as she tried to process the new train of thought. When she looked like she'd caught up, he continued. "Now, you can call and tell him that Alexandra Yee co-operated with us and based on what she had to say, we'd like to speak to him first thing in the morning."

Lisbon frowned a little, but nodded. "Okay, but if he is in cahoots with Alexandra, he's just gonna call her and ask what she said."

"And she will swear blind she said nothing, which will make our friend Matt even more suspicious. Why did we let her go if she gave us nothing? She must have told us the truth." Jane elaborated for her, a grin on his face as he unravelled the thought processes he knew the head of security would go through.

"Which is?" Lisbon inquired, only for Jane's grin to widen.

"Meh, details, details." He deflected, sitting on the edge of his desk and reaching into the gift bag from the Calida Resort. He pulled out two white boxes, glancing at them for a moment before handing one to the woman stood before him. Lisbon took the gift from her husband warily.

"What is it?"

"Open it." He encouraged her gently. "It's not a fake turd or anything." He attempted to reassure her, only for her eyes to narrow at him. Still, she opened it, curiosity getting the better of it as Jane called to Van pelt, telling her to catch the box, which she did.

Lisbon gasped as she saw the emerald necklace and earrings set into the soft felt lining of the jewellery case. They were gaudy and clearly expensive, whilst also being immensely beautiful at the same time.

"What is this?" She asked, her voice light and breathy. Jane smiled. It always made him happy when he managed to surprise his wife, and he was very glad he'd chosen that specific set for her. He'd chosen rubies for Van pelt, knowing it would work best with her skin tone and hair colour, but he'd really just made sure to buy Lisbon the best that he could find in the casino gift shop.

"Carbon placed under extreme pressure." He teased her, smiling at the grin that turned up the corners of her mouth and lit her eyes up. He then turned back to the team as Van Pelt exclaimed over her gift, and he gave the two men their own gifts, silently laughing over Cho's remark about getting things just for the ladies being creepy. However, his eyes rarely left the features of his wife's face as she gazed at the jewels. He hadn't forgotten when she'd told him he made her feel like a princess. It was nice to lavish gifts upon her like she was one too.

Lisbon smiled as Jane fastened the necklace round her neck, pressing a kiss just under her ear as he did. Lisbon shivered, causing Jane to grin against her skin. "You look beautiful, Teresa."

Lisbon smiled, turning to press a kiss to his lips. Jane grabbed her hips, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss as his tongue reached out and pressed against her lips, coaxing them open with a moan.

Eventually, Lisbon pulled away, panting, with swollen lips and a flushed face. Jane was in a similar situation as they tried to catch their breath. Lisbon nodded towards the door that lead out to the car, before entwining her hand with Jane's. "Come on. We can't keep the rest of the team waiting too long."

"Why did you give them back?" Jane asked curiously as they both entered his motel room, his hand on the small of her back. Lisbon rolled her eyes, exhausted from how long the day had been so far, and the lack of closure. All she wanted was justice for the victim and his family.

"Its not that I didn't want them, Patrick. They were beautiful, really." She reassured him softly, staying near the closed door. If she moved further into the dimly lit room, she'd end up staying the night with him, and seeing as how the team had rooms beside each other, it'd be more obvious than either of them were quite comfortable with at that moment.

"Oh?" Jane asked, one eyebrow raised as he shed his shirt and hunted for his pyjama shirt in the overnight bag placed at the end of the double bed. Lisbon hated him wearing them, but he got a little cold when sleeping (or lying awake) alone, so he kept them around for the nights that she wasn't tucked up to his side or sprawled over his chest.

"I already have all the jewellery I could ever need." Lisbon explained, a light blush staining her cheeks as she gestured towards her stomach where the two rings lay, hidden by her black t-shirt. "Why would I want those ostentatious yet meaningless jewels when I have your love hanging round my neck?"

"Have you swallowed the dictionary again, my dear?" Jane asked teasingly, causing Lisbon's blush to deepen. He knew she stumbled a little over anything overtly romantic, especially expressing it as she had just done, so he didn't want to draw too much attention to it and embarrass her further.

"Hush," She admonished him lightly, swatting him in the arm before giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I've gotta go now. Promise me you'll at least try and get some sleep."

"I'll try. Love you, Teresa." He told her softly. Lisbon smiled back at him gently from the doorway, illuminated by the bright hallway light.

"Love you too, Patrick."

After an insomnia filled night, Jane finally gave up on even pretending to sleep at 5:42 am, climbing out of bed and putting the remaining money, and the womens' jewellery into the Calida paper bag. If his wife didn't want the money (which he knew she didn't, not really. She preferred the simple life they gained from their combined wages, and he couldn't blame her for that), then he may as well give it to someone who needed it more than he did. Quickly getting dressed, he walked up to the nearest planet aid trash can, specifically designed for donating clothes and shoes, depositing the package into the steel contraption. He let out a relieved sigh. Even though he was a millionaire, he really had no use for the money, unless it included showering his wife with gifts, such as the upcoming vacation.

The sound of his cell phone ringing distracted him from the thoughts of the vacation and he answered it after a quick glance to the caller ID.

"Hey sweetheart."

"Where are you?"

Jane grinned. He should've known she'd be worried. "Oh, just taking a walk." He reassured her, wandering down the street.

"Ann wants to come clean."

"I knew it. She had that air about her."

"If you knew it, why didn't you tell us?"

"It's an exaggeration. I had a strong hunch." He amended with a grin. "If I told you about every hunch, you'd get very irritated."

"… True. Next time, if it's pertinent to the case, tell me."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Jane."

"Teresa." He returned softly. "It'll be okay. We'll solve the case."

"I know."

"Then what is it?"

"Can… Never mind, it's stupid."

"You want to tell Minelli about us." It wasn't a question.

"Like I said, it's stupid. Forget I said anything."

"No, no Teresa. You really want to tell him? Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah. We'll tell him after we wrap this case up, okay?"

"Uh, sure. See you later, Patrick Jane."

"See you soon, Teresa Jane."

"Listen. I don't want Agent Lisbon to hear about this." Jane whispered to Daniel, fully aware of her presence in the doorway, patiently waiting for him. Well, patiently for Lisbon, at least. "She doesn't really approve of my gambling." He explained a little, glancing cautiously over at his wife.

"No?" Daniel asked in a similar tone, also glancing at the petite woman for a split second, before his eyes focused solely on Jane again. Hook.

"No." Jane confirmed, still using a low, urgent tone. "But I was hoping that maybe you could set me up in a good, high-stakes game of poker. You know, with someone like Cal Trask? You know, a whale."

"I heard about your hot hands on the casino floor." Daniel said slowly. Line.

"Yeah, I'm feeling lucky." Jane said, acting jittery, like he was on an adrenaline rush or was excited over the prospect of winning.

Daniel nodded. "I can set you up, sure." Sinker.

"Appreciate it. All right." Jane started to walk away before briefly turning back to the other man. "Mum's the word."

After Jane tricked Daniel into giving up the $100,000 poker chip, and Lisbon had arrested him, he slipped into the observation room next to the interrogation room. Whilst he was many things, he would never, ever do anything like what Daniel had done. It truly disgusted him, the motives some people had for justifying murder. But, he had to make it better in some way. He just had to. So, he gave the poker chip back to Ann, who placed it in her daughter's hands, making Jessica take her father's prized poker chip. Jane leant forward a little to speak quietly enough that only the mother and daughter duo could hear him.

"Your father died protecting you. So in the end he… he was there for you."

"Thank you." Jessica told him, eyes welling up with tears as she turned to him and hugged him. Jane patted her back awkwardly until she pulled back, wiping the tears from her face.

"Be good to yourself." Jane told her before walking out of the room. He could only think of one thing as he did. He should've been there, like Jim had been for his daughter. He should've been there to save his daughter. He should've saved her.

He had just settled onto his couch when Rigsby and Cho stepped up to him, curiosity radiating from them in waves. Jane smirked, opening his eyes to find them towering over him.

"We were wondering how much money you won in that game." Rigsby broached the subject with all the subtlety of an elephant. Jane was hard pressed not to laugh at them.

"Oh, I don't know. Three hundred thousand. Something like that."

"Wow." Rigsby breathed as he and Cho exchanged impressed looks.

"So where is it? The money?" Cho asked.

"I spent it." Jane said with a shrug, as though the answer was obvious. He snuggled a little deeper into the brown leather of his couch.

"On what?" Cho asked.

"You know, stuff." Jane said, before resolutely shutting his eyes and feigning sleep. After a shared incredulous look, Rigsby and Cho walked away, fully aware that they wouldn't get anything else from the blonde man.

Three hours later, the rest of the team had gone home, but not Jane or Lisbon, the former still lay on the couch, the latter in her office finishing up the paperwork. They had been silently awaiting the time that they knew Minelli to be in the best mood, after he'd finished his meetings but before he started on urgent paperwork.

Lisbon appeared beside the couch, twisting her fingers together nervously. Jane sat up, stilling her fingers softly with his own. He smiled as he felt the wedding band on her finger. His old one had to be still beneath her shirt, as he couldn't see the silver chain. He remembered the day he'd given his ring to her, a promise, a vow that he'd given her his heart and his life, all in one worn golden wedding band.

"Jane, I – I can't."

Jane placed the band in her hand, closing her fingers over the warm metal. "You know what this means to me. I want you to have it."

"Jane, please-"

"Ssh, Teresa. You have my heart now, and you know it. Just take it."

Lisbon tugged on his hands, bringing him to his feet as he put an arm round her shoulders comfortingly. "Shall we tell him now then?"

Lisbon nodded, though she still seemed uncertain, nervous. Jane smiled reassuringly at her and led her to the stairs. She may not know if telling her boss was the best thing to do, but Jane knew she wouldn't rest easy until the father figure in her life knew about them and their relationship. He understood, and that was why he knew she couldn't bow out of it now. He only wanted her happy, and telling Minelli would be at least a relief, if nothing else.

Minelli waved them in with a warm smile that turned to a look of confusion as he spotted Jane's arm wrapped round Lisbon's shoulders, and her arm wrapped round his waist. They came to a halt before his desk, Jane smiling gently, Lisbon fidgeting nervously.

"We need to tell you something." Jane told the older man abruptly, not bothering with the unnecessary small talk that would otherwise drag out the inevitable. Minelli looked worried as his gaze flickered between the agent and consultant.

"What is it? Is something wrong? Is it Red John?" Minelli asked in rapid fire, growing increasingly agitated with each question. Jane smirked whilst Lisbon poked him in the side, silently telling him not to say anything that could potentially make it worse.

She shook her head to Minelli's questions, tightening her grip on Jane's waist. "No sir. I, uh we, wanted to tell you something. We're… We're married, sir."

TBC…