Green
"Happy birthday, Boss," Grace said happily as she gave her present to her superior officer.
"Thanks, Van Pelt," Lisbon smiled, taking the box from the red head. She slowly unwrapped it, gasping in surprise when she saw what Van Pelt had given her. "The complete collection of Sherlock Holmes, unabridged. That's sweet. Now I can see how Watson handles his highly functional sociopath and whether I can learn anything from him."
"That's what I thought too, seeing the similarities between Sherlock and Jane," Van Pelt laughed.
"Thanks for the books," Lisbon said, hugging her junior. "Rigsby gave me an all-you-can-eat voucher and Cho gave me another bottle of wine. I think they're trying to fatten me up, get me drunk and eat me alive," she joked.
Grace laughed heartily. "So what did Jane give you? Another pony?"
"Oh, he gave me a simple birthday card this year. At least it's something," Lisbon said.
"Oh? I thought he'd give you something more... extravagant. You know, knowing him," Grace said.
"Guess he got lazy," Lisbon said, shrugging.
"Maybe," Grace agreed with a tinge of doubt. Lisbon's phone rang and Grace excused herself from the office.
Lisbon heard a knock on her office door as she was wrapping up her call and looked up to see her blonde consultant smiling at her doorway. Ending the call, she motioned him in.
"I heard you got Sherlock Holmes from Grace," Jane said, walking in.
"Yes, she thought I could get some tips from Watson," Lisbon confirmed.
"Oh John could never handle Sherlock, so you probably won't find anything in there," Jane said, grinning.
"So you say."
"So I say. And let me guess... Rigsby gave you a food voucher and Cho gave you another bottle of wine?"
Lisbon raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, better presents, if you're trying to compare theirs and yours," she said dryly. She picked up the card that was placed on her office table that morning by the same person standing in front of her and read the message aloud, "Happy birthday, Teresa. Love, P J."
"You have to admit - that is a nice card. It was so you," Jane said.
Lisbon closed the card and looked at the cover that had a cartoon peanut dresser in a police officer's uniform in a very Charlie's Angels-esque pose. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."
"Oh come on, you don't have to be angry. At least I gave you a present," Jane said.
"You gave me a card," Lisbon said wearily.
"Meh. Technicalities."
Lisbon simply shook her head and put the card to the side of the table. "What do you want, Jane? I've got paperwork to fill. Paperwork about you, mind you."
Jane simply shrugged in answer and laid down on her couch.
Lisbon massaged her temples, thinking one day Patrick Jane was going to be the death of her. Sighing, she ignored the man and went back to work. Minutes passed in silence, only sounds were their quiet breaths and the scratching of Lisbon's pen on paper. The woman was pulled out of her concentration when her consultant spoke quietly.
"I did get you a present, you know."
"Uh huh," Lisbon said distractedly.
"Left hand drawer," Jane said.
Lisbon rolled her eyes and put down her pen. Might as well amuse him, she thought. She opened the said drawer and her eyebrows rose in surprise. Inside sat a small velvet box and a paper crane with another piece of paper tied to its neck. She took the items out of her drawer and placed them on her paperwork gingerly. Looking up, she saw that Jane was no longer stretched out on the couch. Instead, he was seated upright, watching her intently.
"Go on. I know you're curious what I got you," Jane said.
Lisbon looked down at the items she had taken out and untied the extra piece of paper from the paper crane. Inside, it read:
This time, there's no returns.
Love, Jane
Curious, she put down the note and opened the small box, gasping in surprise. Small and elegant, the emerald earstuds shone softly under the office lights. It was beautiful, and would have been quite expensive. Despite all that, she loved them.
"Oh Jane, you shouldn't have spent all that money on these," Lisbon said, looking at him.
"Birthdays only come once a year, Lisbon. It gives people an excuse to buy extravagant gifts," Jane said, smiling. "And remember: no returns this time. You're keeping them."
Smiling softly, her cheeks turned pink. "Thank you," Lisbon said bashfully.
Jane grinned widely and stood, walking out. Just as he stepped out of the office, he looked at her, smile still on his face. "Happy birthday, Lisbon."
A/N: So, what do you think? I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are much appreciated! Not to forget, thank you to all who reviewed/favourited/followed!
As for the "returns" part, I was actually referring to the earrings and necklace he gave her in season 1, episode 6. They were so pretty! Also, a little fun fact: cranes symbolizesfidelity as they mate for life. No, it wasn't just on a whim. (;
And! We're halfway through the series! I just realized Lisbon's been doing quite a lot of paperwork recently, oops. Well, the last three are going to be out in the field! Look out for them! Thanks for reading!