Authors Note: Thanks to Ebony 10 for being my beta.
Disclamer: If I owned them I wouldn't be posting my stories here.
We were at the restaurant now. I had spent three hours at the mall trying to figure out what to wear tonight. I don't know why. It's not like I've never gone out to eat with Lisbon before, but tonight is different. I almost wish I could have asked Jane to help me like he did last time. He really does have good taste. Somehow, though, I don't think he would have been much help in this endeavor.
I finally settled on just getting a new shirt and wearing the same suit that Jane had described as having zing. It was the last purchase that I had made that was making me nervous now. I had been leaving the store, after having spent two and a half hours picking out a shirt, and passed by the jewelry counter. The last half hour at the mall was spent trying to talk myself out of buying something for her.
I was having the salmon and she was having the swordfish. We were having a good time. Neither of us had mentioned work at all. It was nice. There didn't seem to be any pressure tonight, not that there really ever was, but tonight still felt different.
She got up to go to the ladies room right after we ordered dessert. I figure it's now or never. I reach across the table and place the box where her plate had been. I sat just staring into space, waiting for her to come back and discover what I got for her.
When she gets back to the table her look does not disappoint. "What's this?" she asks.
"I was out shopping today and I saw them. I just couldn't resist." I try to smile, but it's hard. I'm afraid that she won't like them. She slowly opened the box and a huge smile broke out on her face.
In the box was a set of silver and amethyst butterfly earrings and a pendant that matched. I had noticed in the time we had spent together that most of her earrings were purple; I figured that she must like the color.
"Why the butterflies?" She asked with a puzzled expression on her face.
"The first time I went to your apartment I noticed that you have a print on your wall of a field of flowers and butterflies. When I saw the earrings I thought of that print. The necklace came with them."
"Thank you. I love them." She smiled at me. This was turning out to be a great date after all.
The next morning I was early to work. I was anxious to see if she would wear the earrings. I wasn't expecting her to wear the necklace. She always wore the same one—or at least she had as long as I had been paying attention and I don't expect her to stop on my account.
I'm sitting at my desk reading my book when she comes in. The first thing I notice is that she's wearing the necklace; the next thing I notice is that she's also wearing the earrings. I want to look at her and smile, but I don't. I just keep reading my book, barely glancing up when she walks by my desk and says good morning.
It's another slow day or rather the start to the day is slow. Jane is lat as usual. He has paperwork to do, but he never does it. Rigsby and I usually wind up doing it for him. I think it's a little bit like Tom Sawyer, getting the neighborhood kids to paint the fence. It's after 10:00 when he comes in today. All smiles and happiness. He acts like showing up two hours late for work is a normal thing. I wonder how long it will take him to notice that she is wearing a different necklace than normal and what his reaction is going to be.
It's lunch time before Lisbon comes out of her office. She was holding a stack of file folders in her hands as she walked up to all of us. She looked at Van Pelt first, "I need you to look at these files again. I think we're missing some witness statement, see if you can find them." She hands Van Pelt three of the files. "Rigsby, I need you to review these case files one more time before we put them into storage, make sure every I is doted and every T crossed. Cho, you do the same for these." She hands us each three files.
She turns to Jane next. He's lying on the sofa. Most people would think he was asleep, but we all know better. She kicks the side right by his head, but he doesn't stir. "Hey, Jane, get up."
He just smiles with his eyes still closed. "You have paperwork to do still and these guys have their own work to do." She's trying not to smile at him, but she's not doing a good job at it.
He finally opens his eyes to look at her. He looks at her with a puzzled look. "There's something different about you today." He sits up slowly and keeps looking at her. I look around and notice that Rigsby and Van Pelt are getting ready to go to lunch, not paying attention to Jane and Lisbon. I look down at the files on my desk, trying to pretend I'm not listening.
"You're wearing a different necklace." He looks at her with his studying look. "And matching earrings. They're new." He seems surprised, but she just ignored him.
"Paperwork, Jane, now." She turns and walks off. He's still sitting on the sofa looking at her as she walks away.