A/N: A belated flashfic for Lothiriel84. Happy birthday!

Thank you to: Little-Firestar84, Lothiriel84, Frogster and Miss Peg for reviewing The Search is Over.

x tromana

Title: Like Clockwork
Rating: K+
Characters: Jane/Lisbon
Notes: Written for Lothiriel84 - happy birthday.

Like Clockwork

Like clockwork.

She reacts to his behavior, to his actions, to his motives.

She knows him like he knows her.

It's taken her longer to be so in sync with him, but then, she doesn't have the same capabilities. It's required a lot of fine-tuning to understand him so well.

But it's worth it, it's always worth it.

Jane needs her. He knows he needs her too. And in a way, she needs him too. It's not quite such a visceral, deep need, but it's a need nevertheless.

They dance on a dangerous knife-edge, but it's worth it.

And some days, they get to pretend.

That everything's okay.

That Red John isn't breathing down their necks.

That they are just normal people, comfortable in each other's company.

In reality, she's pretty good at putting those thoughts to the back of her mind.

After all, death threats are a part of the job description.

Keeping Jane sane is less so, but it's a mantle she takes on willingly.

She watches out for any changes in his demeanor.

That's what tells her the most about him.

She knows when he's reeling from the loss of his family. She can tell when he's particularly fearful of Red John, even if there appears to be no apparent trigger for that fear. Or if something else has triggered a particularly depressive state. A fleeting memory from the past, a ghost, or even nothing at all can all cause his mood to turn on a dime.

And that's when she makes sure she keeps him especially close.

It's a task she cannot entrust onto anybody else. She wouldn't say she's a control freak, but Jane is unpredictable and rash. There's no way she'd force somebody else to deal with him when he's like that.

But lately, he's been better anyway. She's not needed to intervene, but she stays close by regardless. Just in case.

Still.

He's more optimistic about the future.

Hopeful, even.

And he's more open with her.

It's not that he doesn't trust her. On the contrary, he trusts her implicitly and she knows he yearns to have that reciprocated. It's more a case that he's deliberately secretive because 'deniability' is her best friend. And, for some unfathomable reason, it keeps her safe.

Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.

Right now, she doesn't know either way.

But what she does know is that she can see some sort of silver lining in the future.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Jane is more whole, more complete now, than he has been for many years.

Even he's thinking of what could possible happen after Red John.

He's even started talking about 'after', which is something she had once never believed he'd ever dare to say.

And naturally, she feeds off that.

His hope is hers too, after all.