Hi guys, here is the next chapter! I was quite sad because of the very few reviews for last chapter, but it made me even more grateful for those of you who took their time to write me a couple of words! Thank you all for reading, I hope you know you are appreciated!
Sorry for the mistakes, I tried to check it…
I hope you will like it! It's finally a longer one…
Cheers! :)

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own it… Though Christmas is coming. Anybody? :)

Chapter 3

Jane didn't even apologize for his behavior which made Lisbon grumpy all week. On Friday Rigsby forgot to bring some evidence up from the lab and she almost shouted his head off. Only the shocked looks of VanPelt and the knowing eyebrow rise from Cho sobered her up enough to think clearly. Then she shot an icy glare towards Jane, who had been napping on his couch the whole time, and stormed out of the bullpen.

So when a new case came in she decided that maybe she simply shouldn't call Jane. It would be easy, so easy. A nice, quiet morning, the first in ages. A crime scene without the annoying presence of Patrick Jane.

And she didn't call him. When she arrived she had a smile on her face, felt like this could be a good day! Cho gave her a quizzical look when he didn't see Jane's blue Citroën around, and she just shrugged, smirking.

"What do we've got?" she asked as usual and listened to VanPelt's short report of the case. A young man, shot in the chest in the parking lot of a restaurant. Rigsby chimed in, saying that the killer must have used a silencer since no one saw or heard a thing.

They questioned the restaurant staff and some of the customers, then Lisbon got to the victim's girlfriend, or what. This was their first date and the girl was horrified. Her eyes were puffy and she couldn't stop sniffling. Lisbon was more than grateful that she decided not to call Jane because she was sure he would have made the girl more depressed.

She saw that the girlfriend was too shocked to say anything useful so she asked her to come to the CBI, and guided her to the SUV, claiming that she shouldn't drive in this state. The girl-Melanie- collapsed on the seat next to Lisbon and while they waited for the rest of the team to get in she stared out of the window at the red and blue lights of the ambulance.

Lisbon sighed and hoped that Jane might take the hint and stay at home, or wherever he was sleeping today. They would need him tomorrow when they started interviewing suspects and figuring out the timeline of the murder. They would need his help in filling out the blanks, at finding the odd sock. But today, with the sad girlfriend, she could cope alone. She already knew that Melanie couldn't be the killer. Saying that she wasn't the killer type would be a mistake, and Lisbon knew that she could never trust such a clichè when it came to a murderer. But the girl was way too crushed and too terrified at the sight of the coroner's truck and all the cops and doctors. She wouldn't be able to commit murder...

She just needed the girl's statement, needed her to remember as much from tonight as she could. And that, she could handle alone.

So when they arrived to the HQ, she led Melanie into the interrogation room, but left the door open, signaling that she was not a suspect, that she could leave whenever she wanted.

"Would you like anything to drink? A coffee or some water?" she asked politely and first time since they arrived the girl looked at her through the layer of her tears.

"Can I get a tea, please?" she sniffled and Lisbon had to keep her sympathetic expression in place at this. Of course she wanted a tea, she thought and smirked mentally. She nodded and walked to the kitchen, wondering where the hell could Jane keep the teabags. She found his turquoise cup next to the sink, and she opened drawer after drawer in search of the tea. Finally, she found it on the highest shelf of the cupboard, rolling her eyes. She bet Jane would be laughing so hard at her if he saw her, jumping helplessly to reach it.
At last she managed to grasp the edge of the box, and with a small but triumphant 'HA!' she set it onto the counter. Then she boiled the water and put the tea in it.
Walking carefully back to the interrogation room, she paused for a moment before entering. Melanie was sitting there, with her head in her hands, her hair tousled and her whole posture was ravaged, hopeless.

Lisbon swayed her head sadly. This was their first date, could have been the start of a long, happy relationship. This was not how it's supposed to end. No date should have ended like this. This poor girl probably never expected to end up in an interrogation room when she woke up this morning. There are many things to expect on a first date. A kiss. Hand holding. Maybe the guy walking the girl to her front door. Maybe some making out. Maybe more…. But Melanie certainly never expected her first date with a nice guy ending with one of them dead. And now there she was, slumped into that uncomfortable plastic chair, wondering who the hell was the man she just spent her evening with. Wondering how the hell did she get into this mess? She had to give a statement to a cop about a homicide when all she wanted was a lovely date.
And suddenly, Lisbon unconsciously thought about her most recent first date. With Jane.
It had been almost one and a half week since that fateful night after the Red John case. Jane had been silent all day, and it was getting unnerving. When at around 5 PM he disappeared, Lisbon started to panic. The whole situation was just too similar to that unforgettable day. She called his cell six times in a row and was toying with the idea of tracing down his phone to find out where he was when she got a short text message from him.

'Don't worry Lisbon! I have some arrangements to make but I'll be back before you have time to miss me... See you at 8! J'

She repressed a relieved sigh, and smiled. She collapsed into her office chair and bent over the file she should have been working on. She would finish her paperwork, and time would fly by. That was her plan. But every now and then she caught herself wondering what the hell was Jane up to...

So when a soft knock sounded on her office door she glanced up with a huge smile covering her face. She didn't even try to hide her joy at seeing him, and that fact seemed to please him to no end. He crossed the distance with three long strides, and leaned down to press an affectionate kiss on her lips.

"Mhhmm... Jane! Not in the office..." she murmured, her originally scolding tone sounding rather breathless.

"Nobody's here dear!" he smirked, pecking her lips one more time before he pulled back. "You ready to go?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

"Yup, just a minute!" she nodded, standing up and reaching for her jacket. He beat her to it and helped her into the jacket. She smiled and turned her head down. She absolutely loved that he was such a gentleman, it made her feel so special. "So where exactly are we going?" she asked after a second.

"On our first date!" he told her, excitement gleaming in his blue eyes.
"First?" she asked, her eyebrows rose. Though she couldn't help the small blush that colored her cheek. They had been together for about a week, but to be honest, they hadn't had one of those typical dates. The one with a romantic dinner in a restaurant, then a movie, then a goodnight kiss at the door. But they met outside of work a few times, and he came to her, and spent the night. "We've been on dates…" she said.

"Yeah, I mean a date outside of your apartment…" he stated with a smirk, then added playfully "Not that I'm not perfectly satisfied with 'those' kind of dates…"

"We've been on dates outside too!" she said, deciding to ignore his comment despite her fluttering heart. "We've been in Big Sur!"

"Yeah on a case." He rolled his eyes at her.

"You forced me to take a walk with you on the beach…" she pointed out.

"Yes dear, the emphasis is on forced. You kept saying that you'd kill me if the guys caught up on us!" he reminded her.

"Well, it still stands. So no kissing in the office!" she said, going for stern while she had to admit to herself she loved the thrill of it.

"Anyways… We should go!" he said, dropping the subject and grabbing her hand. She protested with a weak yelp, pulling her hand away; but he squeezed tighter, not letting her escape. He tugged her out of her office, towards the elevator.
Lisbon glanced around nervously every few seconds, praying that nobody was in the bullpen anymore. They made it to the elevator, and Jane grinned happily once they were inside.

"See? Told you nobody was here…" he murmured and leaning to her he crushed his lips to hers. She moaned in surprise and responded to his kiss eagerly, sneaking her arm around his neck and pulling his body close to hers.

When they reached the ground floor and the doors slid open Lisbon broke away from the kiss way too quickly. She peered out into the entrance hall but luckily there was no one to see their proximity. She let out a shaky breath and met Jane's smug smirk.

"Let's go!" she suggested in a slightly annoyed tone and he just nodded, his eyes still dancing amusedly.

He led the way to his car and opened the door for her. Lisbon decided not to criticise his car for once, and with a soft smile she got in. While she waited for him to get into the car as well, she smoothed her hand over the seat. As much as she believed that his car was crap, she had to admit the seats were so comfortable it felt like snuggling into her own couch at home.

The drive wasn't long, less than half an hour. He asked her about her paperwork, but Lisbon was very well aware of the fact that he only did that to keep her entertained in a way. His mind was elsewhere, and after a while he stayed quiet. She didn't really mind it, the silence gave her a chance to wonder where they were going.

When he finally stopped the car Lisbon looked out of her window with a confused expression. They were parked in an alley beside a tall building, and at the end of the street she could make out some kind of wall in the darkness. She had a strong feeling that that wall had to do something with Jane's plans, but she didn't comment.

They got out of the car, and sure enough Jane took her hand and started walking confidently towards the wall.

"Where are we going?" she asked Jane in a quiet voice, the sound of their steps echoing through the alley.

"You'll see in a moment, be patient Teresa dear!" he replied with a grin.

They crossed the road, and she could feel the excitement rolling off of him in waves. She couldn't help the smile that spread on her lips.

He led her to the wall just as she expected, and as they reached it she realized it was a fence of a park. He didn't stop until they got to a shadow where he paused and looked around. Then he seemed to examine the wall itself.

"Jane...?" she asked, her voice already suspicious.

"How much of a climber are you Lisbon?" he asked back, sliding his hand over the wall.

"What?" she squeaked "We can't go in there Jane, the park is closed!" she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Of course we can. I'm sorry but there aren't any holes in this wall, so we have to be really careful not to fall..." he murmured, true regret shining in his eyes.

"Jane, I'm an officer of the law! I cannot break into parks at night!" she told him sternly.

"Nobody will know Lisbon, and believe me you definitely want to see what's in there!" he winked and she rolled her eyes. He really wanted to go against the rules on their first official date? And what on earth could be in there anyway?

She seized the wall, searching for something to hold onto. Jane kneeled down, and put his hands in front of him, motioning her to step on them. She sighed but seeing his sparkling eyes she stepped on his hands.

With a swift move he helped her up on the wall, and squatting on the narrow top she felt the pump of adrenaline running through her veins. She glanced around, balancing like a wild cat, then looked back down at Jane who was watching her with admiring eyes.

"Do you need me to pull you up?" she teased him to cover the heat rising in her body at his loving stare.

"Nope, go ahead, meet you on the other side!" he grinned while shaking his head and she flicked her hair back before she pushed herself off the edge and jumped down.

She landed with a thud and immediately stepped away from her landing spot in case Jane was jumping too. She waited until her eyes got used to the darkness all the while listening to Jane's quiet muttering, occasional cursing and the small sounds that told Lisbon that he was trying really hard to climb up the wall.

She looked around herself and saw trees, and a little pond nearby. There was a path meandering through the park. The cooling air caused puffs of fog appear close the ground.

She let her eyes rake over her surroundings, amazed at the pure beauty of the nature. The way the water gleamed, the soft rustle of the leaves when the wind swept across them.

The sound of Jane's landing, and the yelp he let out made her jump. She quickly composed herself before turning to him with a wide smile.

"This is amazing Jane!" she murmured, and chuckled as she saw him struggle to get on his feet.

"I knew you'd like it... But you haven't seen the half of it!" he grinned and stepped towards her to press a kiss to her temple.

He laced their fingers and started to pull her in the direction of the path.

"Where are we going?" Lisbon asked, letting him drag her along.

"You'll see in a minute!" he promised and she strained her eyes to see something between the trees and bushes. As they got closer she could make out the silhouette of a playground and she had to repress a grin. Was he taking her to a playground?

But Jane turned right and walked straight off the path before they arrived at the playground. Lisbon followed his eyes and when she noticed where they were headed she couldn't help a surprised gasp.

A blanket was spread out on the grass, and a single picnic basket waited for them on it. Jane squeezed her hand gently when he heard her tiny intake of breath. He didn't slow down until they were standing right next to the blanket, there he let go of her hand and sank down onto the ground. She followed, and regarded as Jane opened the lid of the basket and started pulling things out. A thermos, two mugs, a little box with cookies. He even had a candle in there!

"Patrick...This is..." she said breathlessly but couldn't find the right word to describe her feelings.

"I know, shh..." he whispered and pulled her into his arms, his lips feathering light kisses across her cheek and hair. She shivered both from his touch and from the cool air around them and snuggled tighter into him.

"I believe there is some hot chocolate in there!" he muttered, nodding towards the thermos.
She eagerly reached for it and carefully poured the beverage into the mugs. It warmed her fingers up instantly and with a smile she handed one of the mugs to Jane.

"Thank you!" he said tenderly and gave her a short kiss.

They sat there, hugging each other and sipping hot chocolate for a while. Neither talking, only enjoying each other's presence and the silence of the empty park.

Lisbon's eyes shifted to the playground and she watched as the swings moved slightly from the wind. She imagined children playing there, running and laughing. She let out a sigh and felt Jane turn beside her. She glanced up at his face and saw that he was looking in the direction of the playground too. His eyes had a nostalgic sparkle in them, his lips curling in a sad smile.

"Charlotte used to love this place. She would play for hours and never get bored. Once she met a younger girl, Sadie here and they built a huge sandcastle together. She was so happy, she didn't want to go home..." he murmured and her mouth fell open. He must have seen her reaction from the corner of his eyes because he chuckled and kissed her nose affectionately.

"Patrick" she stammered, entirely too touched to know what to say.

"It's okay, I just wanted to share this with you..." he assured her and she felt her eyes tear up. He was sharing his dear memories with her. The memories of his family he hid in the depth of his heart.

"Thank you!" she said finally and to express her gratitude she kissed him sweetly.

Lisbon came out of her reverie with a soft shake of her head and entered the interrogation room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" she said and put the tea in front of the still sniffling Melanie. The girl took it with a thankful half smile- the most she could force out right then, Lisbon saw it.

"If you're ready I need to ask you a couple of questions..." Lisbon started with an apologetic look and Melanie hung her head. She waited a few moments then looked up again into Lisbon's eyes, her stare stronger and more determined.

"I'm ready! I will do anything to help catch those who did this!" she stated and Lisbon was sort of proud of the girl.

Half an hour later Lisbon walked into the bullpen to see if any of her team were around. She wanted to ask VanPelt to look into the victim's phone records, and Cho to check the street cameras around the restaurant. The room was empty though apart from a familiar blond form standing in front of the murderboard. She took a big breath and exhaled slowly before stepping next to him.

"We have a new case." Jane noted, still observing the board with photos and reports on it. Lisbon caught sight of a list that looked like phone records and she smirked to herself.

"Yep!" she nodded and reached out for the paper.

"You didn't call me..." Jane stated quietly and if she didn't know better Lisbon would have thought she heard a hint of hurt in his tone.

"Still, you're here anyways!" she murmured teasingly as she ran her eyes over the numbers and names on the paper.

"I want to see the crime scene!" Jane announced and Lisbon rolled her eyes. Of course he wanted! Well, at least he didn't interrupt her interrogation...

"Okay, let's go!" she sighed and followed him to the elevator. On the way down she pulled out her phone and called Cho.

"Hey Boss!" sounded her agent's voice.

"Cho, where are you?" she asked.

"Rigsby was hungry so we came to buy lunch. VanPelt stayed in the CBI though, she wanted to print the phone records of the vic!" he told her and as she stepped out of the elevator she nodded.

"Yeah, I found it!" she said "All right, I'm going back to the scene with Jane! When you get back please check out the security cameras in the area, ok?"

"You got it boss!" Cho said and she smiled.

"Thanks, bye!" she hung up and opened the SUV. She got in and waited until Jane settled in the car too.

"We could have something to eat after we saw the scene, don't you think Lisbon?" Jane asked and she snorted.

"Yeah sure! I don't have a job to do after all..."

How was it? Did you like it?
Thank you for reading and I would love to hear your thoughts! So pretty pretty please write me a few words in a review! I just… I know it's stupid and all but receiving few reviews sends me the message that you guys didn't like the chapter. So please calm my annoying nerves and write me a review. Even if you write anonymously, or just a few words…. I would be so freakin' happy…:)
I'm in the worst kind of writers' block, but I hope to get over it in the next days. I will try to update soon, just like this chapter! Love you all! :)
Until then, xxx