Title:Another world
Author:Little_firestar84
Rating: T (to be on the safe side)
Characters: Patrick Jane, Teresa Lisbon
Summary: They call it the butterfly effect. Just one small, random adjustment, and all changes. And here there is, another world. A world where his daughter has never been, his late wife is an ex and he is still a psych. And yet, few things just can't change. Some things are written in the stars, just like love at first sight.
Disclaimer: Uhm. well, my father is called Bruno, but since it's Negro and not Heller, I'd say tha t I don't own the rights to the Mentalist.
Notes: Extented version of "In this life", published around mid-September.

Sorry, sorry, sorry for the delay! Guess that life and work are taking a lot of my time...but I promise, I'll try to update it a little quicker next time!

anyway, thanks to: Guest, Ravenclaw (btw, I love your name. Where do you take inspiration for it?),nhaquyen, 666bloodyhell666 (smart, isn't it? yes, I loved it too...), irisun, and everyone who vaforited me and the story.

And now...

6/8

6

When they walked through the doors of the restaurant, she was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't like she had expected. She had assumed that Patrick Jane would do everything over the top, bringing her in Napa valley or on the coast (like he had hinted), but this place... it was just perfect. Not a luxury restaurant, but not even a burger place or a Chinese take-away (she knew the last two all too well). It was a classy and yet simple place, small and intimate, it was the place where families could be found on a lazy Sunday having breakfast in the morning or dinner in the evening with their kids, and it was all enough for her to love it, to make her smile as memories of her happy childhood (just few years, but she still treasured them) filled her heart, bringing tears in her eyes.

Also, it was a place where she could go as she was dressed in that moment, a place where she fitted. She wondered if he had chosen it after he had seen her clothes or if it had been his plan all along. She couldn't place it completely past him, he was a natural born manipulator, after all. With Patrick Jane, you could never know.

"You all right?" he asked concerned, guiding her inside with an hand on the small of her back, something that, contrary to reason, made her shiver (and blush).

"This isn't the kind of place I usually picture you in" she told him, simply, bluntly, as the waitress showed them their table, close to a window from where she could see the landscape of Sacramento, the old town ready for the incoming festivities. It was only the beginning of November, and yet she could already see that everyone was getting ready for Christmas. She didn't know if it was a good thing or not.

"What? Because of that joke about the Lamborghini, Napa Valley or the coast? Nah, trust me Lisbon, this place is my usual cup of tea whenever I can." he paused and sat at that table, asking "Shirley" to bring Lisbon the menu. The girl blushed and immediately told Mr. Jane that she would be back soon, with her father's hellos too. Lisbon couldn't help but smile. She could say it hadn't been all a ruse- when you knew what you were supposed to look after, Jane's tells were quite obvious . He honestly loved that place, he was an usual costumer, and had decided to share his little haven with her.

Definitely flattering. Why the hell the man had to be so damn perfect? If he still planned of seducing her...well, he was close to make it.

"Shirley's grandfather was the original owner of this place. When I was a kid, whenever I was in town with the carnie, I would escape and play magic tricks for the costumers, and Raphael- it was his name, he had escaped from Cuba, you know - would pay me with what he said were leftovers. He said that he and Margie always cooked too much, but I knew that they did it only when I was around. Shirley's father is few years older than me, but he had always, well, at least he had always claimed to like me. I remember the time he wanted to date Lisa - his wife- but was too afraid to ask her out, so I made him jealous by pretending to want to date her. I got punched by him, and slapped by Angela. She thought I was cheating on her and she didn't appreciate it. And then, Lisa slapped me too, because she thought I was a cheating husband looking for easy sex. Not the best day of my life, but now they have a 14 years old girl who's just amazing and loves her surrogate uncle with a passion because he spoils her from the day she was born."

He finally stopped talking, and looked before his eyes, at Teresa, unusually quiet. "Sorry, too much information, right? I always tend to exaggerate and.."

"What? No, no, I mean, your life is quite interesting. It's just that, you mentioned a wife, and you... you don't wear a ring and kind of never said anything about her before."

He looked at her, confused, hurt, biting her lips, and one look told him immediately what was going through that contorted brain of hers. Great. Now she thought he was married, that he was hiding his marriage to have affairs and etcetera, etcetera, etcetera... She thought he was the big, bad wolf, exactly the kind of man she had pictured him to be when they had first met. The image he had worked so hard to erase was still there, and it drove him mad. He had worked so hard to get her trust, and still, in months he hadn't moved an inch in his little "getting to date and then marry Lisbon" project.

"Maybe my marriage lasted a bit longer than many celebrities wedding did, but, well, let's say I didn't get my happily ever after with Angela." He made- a bit on purpose- a face that could show exactly how he had felt back then, and a bit how he still did. People tended to believe that he liked random women and one night stands for the sake of it, but it was because they couldn't hurt him in the long run as Angela had.

She just said "oh" and he red it as what it meant. "Oh, look, someone went through an harsh divorce". It wasn't the first time people said that to him after discovering of his... debacle (many times, it was women who wanted to get in bed with him to erase all that suffering), and he had (almost) always hated it, the pity, but with Lisbon, it was different. She wasn't after anything, she said it because she meant it. And that was one the reasons why he loved her so much.

Yes, he had finally admitted it. It wasn't just a crush, nor was he after just those huge eyes of hers. He was in love with Teresa Lisbon.

"Yeah, well, Angela and I got married while I was... expanding my business, so to say, and we never had a pre-nup or anything else, and she really had a good lawyer. So she took the home and the friends, all properties, the boat -small, but I loved it nevertheless - and all the cars, with the exception of the Citroen that she hated. I practically had to start from zero, and yet, I'm the one paying alimony even if I actually have to rent the place I live in. And let me tell you something: my ex-wife isn't what you'd call low-maintenance."

"I guess it mustn't been easy, starting again from scratch. Trust me, I know a couple of things about it." she admitted en passant, like she didn't even know she was saying it. Strange but true: she felt at easy with him, in that place. Or maybe it was that she just felt at easy with him, point.

"Midwest?"

"I'm from Chicago. I moved here when I was 21."

"Someone didn't lose time when she turned legal, eh?" he joked. "I've been few times in Chicago myself when I was a teenager. Who knows, maybe we met across the street, in a crowded room, maybe we even noticed each other, and yet, we may never find out. Although, trust me Lisbon, I think I would remember such a nice brunette. Do you remember, was it Marylyn who told that men prefer blondes, but marry brunettes?"

"You know, one of these days you'll have to tell me why you are so obsessed over a relationship with me."

"C'mon Lisbon, how could I not love you? Everybody loves you. Even Rigsby, I think that he had had a huge crush on you when he first joined your team, few years back."

She didn't answer to him. She didn't know what to say. so, instead, she asked. "what do you suggest, as you are a regular here?" She changed drastically topic. Whatever it was his attraction for her, or Rigsby's, she didn't feel like talking about it.

"The chicken with rice and dry wine is a specialty. They also think it could be aphrodisiac: they say that almost all the couples that get it, 9 months later have a baby" he grinned, but not for too long. her death glare was menacing enough (although she was blushing, thinking about what it would mean doing a baby with him...).

Although the flames were back, burning for him alone, because of him. Oh, dear lord, he though, getting lost in her sight, how was he supposed to resist such a woman? One day he would have just jumped her on the spot.

"Well, then maybe I should try it. After all, It's not like I have to worry about having someone getting me pregnant..."she mumbled, blushing when he grinned, almost a full laugh, at her. Did she say it at loud? Apparently, she did. The man really consummated all her control. Damn.

"I am glad you like it here." he said, suddenly serious, almost shy. Though, that glint in his eyes was still there.

"It's beautiful here" she admitted, blushing. Suddenly, she couldn't stand his gaze any longer. It was too much. He was too much. And she wasn't ready yet.

"Angela hated it. She wanted for me to be always the one I was on the show. I don't blame her, we both didn't have a lot growing up, but I've always taken pleasure from the small things from life, instead of following empty glamour like she did. But I was young and in love, and what she asked me to do, I did it." he paused, looking not at her, and yet right before his eyes, but somehow lost, in the distance, prisoner of his own memory . "Sometimes, I think I lost myself."

"For what it matters, Jane, I think you are a good man" she told him sweetly, taking one of his hands in her own, interlacing their fingers, making him smile in awe at the sight.

"When we left, I didn't want to do it, but it was the only thing I could do, and we were so young. We had to live somehow. And then, I couldn't stop any longer, because I was no longer Patrick or Jane, but The Patrick Jane."

"Then...why now?" she asked, low voice.

"Angela's getting married to her lawyer, so I'll not have to pay alimony any longer. And I have a bit of money left, so... besides, I told you. I look for the finest, and yet simplest, things in life. I can finally stop pretending, and I can tell people the truth. But...I want to keep doing this. I like it. But I want to come clear. Trust me, if there is someone knowing this, it's me: there is no such a thing as psychs."

They kept talking, even if the topics were more trivial. The previous conversation had been just too heavy, had too many meanings for them to explore them in that fine evening. But they still enjoyed themselves nevertheless.

When they reached her home, they stood still in the car for a good amount of time, both not knowing what they were supposed to do .

At the end, she was the one breaking the silence, murmuring a "see you tomorrow" before leaving the car.

But Jane had been quicker. He took her for a wrist, and forced her, gently, back, and he kissed the corner of her lips. It was a slow peck, the most sensual thing she had ever experienced, her heart stopped and went on again like drums of war, like crazy.

She could see it was having the same effect on him.

When she was back home, she took a glimpse of her reflection, and it was unmistakable. She had never been that happy or radiant, not in a long time, at least.

But then again, she hadn't been in love in a long time.