A/N: I know I promised several of you the sequel to Punishments today, but a) I also promised something fluffier and this fits the bill and b) I couldn't resist the prompt. Well, could you? x tromana

Title: Scarlet Shorts
Author: tromana
Rating: T
Characters: Team
Summary: Jane likes short shorts. Scarlet shorts, that is.
Disclaimer: Still not mine, thank goodness.
Notes: Written for Madaboutthementalist. Prompt: Scarlet Shorts

Scarlet Shorts

It takes a lot to get Patrick Jane to sleep; it's the curse of the insomniac.

However, lying in a park, the sun beating down upon him, with grass tickling his back and his co-workers bickering, somehow lulled him to sleep. The sound of their voices mixed with the pleasant breeze just seemed to have that affect on him.

Usually, when he dreamed, they were filled with macabre blood red grins, mocking laughter and more than enough dead bodies to last a lifetime.

As he slipped into the dream world, he was pleased to see his psyche had latched onto something rather different for a change. To be precise, his boss and the junior Agent. Wearing of all things, tiny tops and short scarlet shorts.

He'd always appreciated that both women were very beautiful inside and out. So Van Pelt was a little highly strung and Lisbon had more control issues than you can shake a stick at, but that didn't stop him admiring them both. Jane was fairly certain his imagination was exaggerating things, though. Lisbon's legs definitely weren't that long and Van Pelt wasn't that confident in her appearance.

Still, it made for pleasant viewing, to say the least.

"Oi, Jane!"

Small hands were shaking him quite violently. Bleary eyed, the real Lisbon came into view. Sadly, she was wearing her typical pants and shirt combination rather than the shorts that she carried off effortlessly in his dreams. She also looked a mite guilty about waking him up from his slumber. And more than a little confused.

"What are you looking so pleased about?"

"Oh, scarlet shorts," Jane grinned.

"Scarlet shorts?" Lisbon echoed, sounding slightly incredulous.

"Scarlet shorts," he nodded.

He stood up, brushed the grass from his suit and followed the team back to the SUV. Playtime was obviously over. He let his eyes trace over Lisbon's figure as she stomped onwards ahead of him. Yes, those scarlet shorts he'd dreamt of would look very good on her, even without the exaggerations his dreams allowed for.

***

He dozed on the couch, semi-hoping that scarlet shorts would embrace any dreams he'd be lucky enough to snatch. However, they'd been back in the office after a week of fieldwork and for some reason since then, sleep had been something that was always a fingertip out of reach. Normally, the general hubbub was enough to allow him to gain at least half an hour's sleep. Case closed, it was back to the normal-ish routine of coffee (or tea) and paperwork.

The bullpen was filled with all the normal noises that had a soporific effect on him. He could hear the familiar tapping of keys from Van Pelt's desk, the rustle of pages from Cho's direction and well, Rigsby's general noises. There was also the hushed whispering of Lisbon and Van Pelt. Through a half-open eye, he could see the glint in the eyes of he pale-skinned, dark haired woman's even from where he was laying. And Van Pelt was continually flicking cautious glances in his direction. What were those two up to?

He turned over and heavy-but-not footsteps approached him. Followed by a piece of material being flung in his face. That was… unexpected.

Jane sat up. Lisbon was looking over him, arms folded and a self-satisfied smirk was written across his features. He unfolded the bright red material. Shorts. Men's shorts. Men's scarlet shorts.

"Well, they seemed to make you so happy a week ago and I thought we should do something about it," Lisbon explained. "Though, don't wear them around the office, we get enough interns and secretaries trying to find excuses to hang around here without you wearing next to nothing."

Damn. That woman always found ways to catch him off guard. Every time he thought he knew exactly what made her tick, she had to pull a stunt like this. Oh well, he mused. Knowing there was always the possibility of a comeback made tormenting the woman that little more fun.

end