Author's Note: Looks like Sunday's episode is going to make this an AU fic of sorts. So I'm officially declaring that this departs from canon after The Red Tattoo. Thank you so much for sticking with this story, and for the reviews, follows, and favorites! This chapter is mostly plot, but the next chapter promises to get back more to the original tone of the story.
Chapter 6: The New Normal
Jane was determined to embrace his new life wholeheartedly. After years of unhappiness, obsession, and self-denial, he was finally free—not of his past, because that would always be part of him, but of his need to punish himself. He could finally have the life he wanted, and he'd already made one huge stride toward it by getting Lisbon to agree to marry him.
Despite his inclination to rush ahead and try to put all the other pieces into place immediately, he knew he had to move carefully. Lisbon had been under enormous strain during his absence, dealing with her doubts about whether he was really coming back, being the focus of an extremely misguided investigation, and worrying about her health. Now that two of those anxieties had been removed, it was a delight to watch her relax and start to enjoy their new relationship.
Now he needed to deal with the FBI. A lot of political nonsense had gone on while he was relaxing on the beach, prompted by Bertram's abrupt departure. The lack of leadership meant that he and Lisbon were flying under the radar with their new relationship, but that couldn't last forever. Their days of working together at CBI were numbered, and they both knew it.
Meanwhile, there were rumors afoot that a new program was under consideration, blending CBI and FBI teams under the theory that they could watch each other and ferret out any Red John disciples remaining. No good would come of that, Jane suspected. For one thing, the paperwork would only increase, and Lisbon already spent ridiculous amounts of her time dealing with it. For another, he'd been around cops long enough to know how important it was to trust your teammate when bullets started flying. He didn't want Lisbon relying on someone who might not come through for her, and he didn't want her worrying that anything she said or did could be used against her.
Maybe it was time to start fresh. He wondered what the odds were of convincing Lisbon to walk away. Once California politics were taken out of the equation, she'd have no trouble getting a job elsewhere. She was the woman who led the team that had tracked down Red John, after all.
As much as he wanted to take care of her and shield her from anything that might make her unhappy, he recognized that Lisbon was firmly in control of her life and determined to stay that way. She wouldn't allow him to coddle her, and she would take a very dim view of any interference in her career. So if he decided to intervene, he'd have to be very subtle about it.
After they solved their latest case, it occurred to him that it might be necessary to their marital happiness to separate their careers. Lisbon was guiltily aware she was breaking the rules by getting involved with someone she supervised, which made her feel she needed to be harder on him when he did something she disapproved of. Which was a lot, even though he was really trying not to irritate her unnecessarily now that they were living together.
By the fourth day, they were beginning to form something of a morning routine, which helped. Lisbon wasn't a morning person, so Jane decided to reserve any attempts at morning sex for her rare days off. He did like a cuddle, though, and she permitted that as long as he let her go when her coffeemaker began its siren call.
He'd fix breakfast while she drank coffee, and they'd eat together. By the end of the meal, Lisbon would be awake enough for normal conversation, and she'd clean up the dishes while he showered. She'd take her shower while he dressed and did whatever household chores needed done, and then, when she was ready, he'd hand her a travel mug of coffee for their drive to work.
But the evenings were his favorite time. If they got home early enough, he'd cook; if they were running late, they'd either grab something on their way home or reheat leftovers. Afterward, they'd snuggle on the couch and watch old movies. It surprised him a little that Lisbon was a snuggler, but she seemed to enjoy lying on the couch half on top of him while he played with her beautiful hair. He greedily drank up every moment of quiet intimacy they could manage, starved for it after so many years of isolating himself, refusing the comfort she would have given him. He was only now realizing that in doing so, he'd denied her comfort as well.
"Do you think we can take the weekend off?" he murmured.
"Unless something comes up tomorrow," she sighed. "I have a management meeting in the morning. You need to stay out of trouble while I'm stuck in it. Can you do that?"
"I'll try, my dear." He stroked her hair, then rubbed her back.
"Did you have something planned?" she asked.
"I need to go down to Malibu and get the house ready to sell. I was hoping we could make a weekend of it. There are some lovely hotels in the area where we could stay."
"If nothing comes up, we can go. We're not on call this weekend." She shifted to lay her head over his heart. "I should call my brothers and tell them we're getting married."
He smiled. "Be sure to tell them I'm rich. Because I'm sure you've already told them I'm a pain in the ass."
She gave a drowsy chuckle. "It may have come up once or twice. If I tell them you're rich, they'll expect you to fly them out for the wedding, you know."
"I'm happy to. So we're getting married out here?" He tried not to get too excited that she was actually thinking about the wedding.
"Yeah. Just something simple, okay? But I want my brothers there."
"Then you shall have them. Um, they're not going to want to haze me or anything, are they?" If she'd been telling them stories about him over the years, there might be punching involved. Since they'd probably learned to punch the same place she did, he preferred to avoid that.
"Don't worry." She sounded amused. "I'll protect you. Just don't let them throw you a bachelor party."
Hm. Well, he'd just make sure he had Cho and Rigsby for protection in that event. "Anyone else you want here from your hometown?"
"Not really. I'd like to invite Minelli though. Maybe Hightower too."
"I'd like that." He chuckled at a particularly funny bit onscreen, then remarked casually, "If we are flying your brothers out, that means we need to set a date. We can't just wake up one morning and decide to get married that day. Or even the next."
"Mm hm," she replied, half asleep.
"Come on, sleepyhead. It's bedtime for all good little CBI agents," he said.
She chuckled. She found him much funnier nowadays, he thought. Of course, maybe he was. He loved her laugh, always had. And now he had more time to devote to amusing her.
She loved his laugh too, he knew. He made it a point to do it as often as possible so he could see the delight in her eyes. And he was in the midst of a very enjoyable scientific experiment, testing his hypothesis that his laughter made her want to kiss him. He was about ninety percent sure of the causal relationship, but he needed more data. About fifty years' worth.
With an exaggerated groan, he sat up, turned off the TV, and got to his feet, coaxing Lisbon up after him. She moaned in protest, but eventually she was standing in his arms, leaning against him and rubbing her cheek against his chest.
"I will attempt to carry you up the stairs if you want, but I'm afraid it might not end well for either of us," he said, nuzzling her hair.
She made a snorting sound that was both adorable and hilarious, and he chuckled, hugging her tightly.
"I can't walk if you don't let me go," she pointed out.
"Oh," he said, pressing a kiss to her temple, "I'm never going to let you go. Never."
mmm
Jane tried to stay out of trouble while Lisbon was in her meeting. He looked over the couple of cases the team hadn't closed in his absence and offered some suggestions, and then he read for a while. He was just carrying a freshly brewed cup of tea to his couch when a voice said, "Why, Mr. Jane. How nice to see you again."
He turned and replied, "Agent Fischer. What can I do for the FBI today?"
"We're actually here to see Agent Lisbon. Oh, this is Supervisory Agent Dennis Abbott."
Jane shook the man's hand. Abbott said, "Nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Jane."
"Alas, it's all true," Jane grinned. "What exactly do you supervise, Agent Abbott?" There was a Costello joke on the tip of his tongue, but he'd promised Lisbon he'd behave, so he kept it to himself.
Abbott ignored the question, correctly interpreting it as facetious, but Fischer said, "Me, for a start."
Jane said, "Ah. Then you're the man I need to speak to. Where on earth did you get the ridiculous notion to investigate Lisbon?"
"Speaking of Agent Lisbon," Abbott replied, "where is she?"
"In a meeting. She should be done soon. Can I offer you some coffee?" He took a sip of his tea to encourage the idea.
Fischer and Abbott exchanged glances, and Abbott said, "Sure."
Jane led them into the break room and pulled a couple of mugs out of the cupboard, pointing out the creamer and sugar so they could fix their coffee as they liked it. Lisbon would be irritated if he antagonized the FBI, so he decided to kill them with kindness, as it were.
He wondered if it would be safe to have them wait in Lisbon's office, then decided it was. She was diligent about not leaving important or sensitive things around, and she always logged out of her computer if she wasn't coming right back, believing that would keep him out of trouble. As if he couldn't guess her password in three tries.
"You're welcome to wait for her in her office," Jane said when they'd finished trying to make their coffee not taste like coffee.
"Thanks," Fischer said, smiling at him. She had apparently decided to counter his charm offensive with one of her own.
He suddenly wished he had an engagement ring to wear. He was out of practice fending off women without a ring as a reason. It was tiresome.
Fortunately, he'd no sooner gotten them settled at the little table in Lisbon's office when she walked in, trying to conceal her surprise and chagrin. "Agents. What can I do for you?" she asked.
Jane got to his feet, smiling at her. "Would you like some coffee, Lisbon? Or some nice herbal tea?"
She gave him a puzzled look, but replied, "Coffee, thanks, Jane."
Jane was an expert by now at preparing Lisbon's perfect cup of coffee, so it didn't take him long. When he went back into her office, he was pleased to see that she'd chosen to sit on the couch, demonstrating that she was relaxed in her own space. He sat at a proper distance beside her and handed over her mug.
As she lifted it in both hands, Fischer exclaimed, "Congratulations, Agent Lisbon! I hadn't realized you were engaged."
"It's recent," Lisbon said, blushing a little. Jane could see her tensing up and realized that she did not want them to know he was the fiancé in question.
"Yes," he said, "our Lisbon has decided to embrace life to the fullest now that we're not being stalked by a serial killer."
Abbott asked, "So who's the lucky guy?"
"I prefer not to discuss my personal life at the office," Lisbon said.
A lesser man, Jane reflected, would have coughed or smirked at this point, giving the game away. He recognized the impulse as a primitive urge to mark his territory, and also that giving in to it would mean a night on the couch, or possibly in a hotel room somewhere, so he refrained. Lisbon's bed was his new favorite place, and he had no intention of getting himself banished from it.
Lisbon continued, "You were just beginning to tell me about this exchange program?"
"Yes. It's temporary, but if it works out, we might implement some version of it on a more permanent basis. The governor loves the idea," Abbott said. "We've drawn up a list of personnel we'd like to bring over from CBI and a list of FBI agents to come work from here. For your team, we're assigning Agent Fischer, which is why I asked her to accompany me."
Lisbon tried her best to be gracious, Jane noted. "Welcome, Agent Fischer."
"Thanks. I look forward to working with you," Fischer replied, smiling.
Jane thought sourly, Investigating her, you mean.
"And in return, we're requesting Agent Van Pelt and Mr. Jane."
"No," Jane said.
Everyone looked at him. He continued, "I work with Lisbon."
"Jane," Lisbon warned, but her tone lacked conviction.
"Mr. Jane," Abbott said, poorly concealing his impatience, "the governor has approved this plan. It is not optional."
"It is for me," Jane retorted. "I work with Lisbon, or I quit. I did what I came to the CBI to do. I've stayed out of loyalty to the people who helped me, primarily Lisbon. If you take that away, I have no reason not to move on."
"Jane," Lisbon said again, this time clearly meaning shut up until we have a chance to discuss this.
Abbott looked irritated, and Jane realized he did indeed have the upper hand here. Abbott didn't want him to quit any more than Lisbon did. "It's all right, Lisbon. You closed cases before I came along, and you'll do even better now that I've taught you a few things."
She shot him a glare. "So that's it? Somebody gives you an order you don't like and you're out of here?"
"Since apparently I don't have the luxury of ignoring it as I do most orders I don't like, yes," he replied. "Don't worry about me, Lisbon. I'll find a new gig somewhere. Go back to Los Angeles, maybe. But rest assured I'll be back for your wedding."
"You better be," she muttered.
He grinned. "Well, if we're finished here, I'll go pack up my desk." He got to his feet and walked out, mildly disappointed that no one called him back. He went out to the bullpen and sat at his desk, prepared to carry on the charade until his brilliant plan bore fruit.
A few minutes later, Fischer followed him. "You really threw the cat among the pigeons in there," she grinned. "They're having an impromptu management meeting to decide what to do."
"That's why they get paid the big bucks," Jane said cheerfully. "I guess you can have my desk when I'm gone."
Grace turned around in her chair, too polite to interrupt but not disguising her surprise and alarm.
"I'm not sure I'd dare. You'll probably booby trap it," Fischer said.
Jane chuckled. "I might at that. But don't worry, it won't be anything long-lasting."
"So," she said, leaning on his desk, "have you met Agent Lisbon's fiancé?"
Jane grinned. "I have, yes."
Grace shot him a curious look but said nothing. Fischer asked, "Nice guy? I assume you checked him out, made sure he's not a plant?"
Grace winced a little at the reminder of her own past. Jane said, "No worries there. He's nice enough, I suppose, to her at least. But he's not good enough for her. Of course, I'm not sure anyone could be."
"So you two don't get along?" Fischer asked, her head tilting curiously.
"Not really. He can't forgive me for all the times I was a jerk to Lisbon. Not that I blame him for that." Jane shrugged, concealing his glee. He was messing with the FBI, and Lisbon couldn't even yell at him because she'd started it.
"Yeah," Grace chimed in, "none of us have really forgiven you for that, Jane. Are you going somewhere?"
"Off to my new life, Grace," he announced with relish. "Since my only other choice was to participate in a ridiculous exchange program with the FBI. Which apparently is your fate. Would you care to join me? You would make a stunning assistant."
She gave him a "you're so full of it" smile. "No thanks. I think I'll stick with law enforcement."
"Meh. Your loss." He began sorting through the things in his desk drawer. "Oh, Rigsby, I think this is yours." He tossed him the rubber band ball.
"Hey, I've been looking for that!" Rigsby exclaimed, catching it neatly. "You got anything else of mine in there?"
"No, but I believe I borrowed this book from you, Cho," Jane replied, pulling out a paperback copy of Vanity Fair.
"Throw that at me and I'll make you eat it," Cho warned.
"I would never treat a piece of classic literature so badly," Jane assured him.
Rigsby said, "You're really leaving?"
Before he could respond, Lisbon strode into the bullpen, Abbott following closely. "Jane, put all that crap back. Or better yet, throw it away."
"Lisbon," he said, pretending to be offended, "some of this stuff is important."
"Right. Anyway, you're staying. Agent Abbott has agreed to take Rigsby and Van Pelt instead." Lisbon looked at her two agents.
"Uh, Boss," Rigsby said, "doesn't the FBI still have a policy about married agents?"
Abbott said, "Only in the same unit. Agent Van Pelt will be working in cybercrime, so that won't be an issue. You're to report to the Sacramento field office on Monday. Welcome aboard."
Lisbon said to Fischer, "We'll see you Monday as well. Have a good weekend."
"You too. Any plans?" Fischer was trying too hard to be friendly, Jane thought. And she'd chosen exactly the wrong way to go about it, since Lisbon was trying harder than ever to keep her personal life out of the office.
He decided to speak up. "I'm off to Malibu to do some work on my house. Lisbon's running away for a sexy weekend with her lover. She won't tell us where."
Fischer grinned. "Gee, I wonder why. Bye, everybody. See you Monday!" She followed Abbott out.
When they were free of the FBI, Lisbon leaned against his desk, to his delight. She probably wasn't conscious of the urge to reclaim her territory from Fischer, but that was exactly what she was doing. "Having fun?" she muttered.
"Oh, yes." He beamed at her and began putting things back in his desk.
"Boss," Grace said, "what's this all about?"
Lisbon briefly explained the new program. "You'll gain some valuable experience, and you can keep an eye out for any disciples we haven't found. Fischer will be doing the same thing here. This is only temporary, so don't worry."
Nobody looked happy, and Jane felt a little sorry that Rigsby had been sacrificed in his place. But there was no way he was going to leave Lisbon to be harassed and investigated without him to run interference. Besides, it would be amusing to find out how long they could keep their secret from Fischer.
Grace said, "So why aren't we telling them about your engagement?" She cast a suspicious look at Jane.
Lisbon sighed. "I don't want to give the FBI any more ammunition than they already have."
Cho came closer to the group. "What are you going to do after you get married?"
"We haven't figured that out yet," Lisbon admitted. She looked at Jane. "Going to the FBI would have been one solution. They really wanted you, you know."
"If they really wanted me," Jane replied, "they'd have asked for you too."
"They want you to sniff out any more moles. Since they still aren't sure about me, they don't want to make things worse."
Jane shrugged. "There's a flaw in their logic, then. If they still suspect you after I've flatly told them you are above suspicion, then they don't trust my ability to identify Red John's disciples. And if they don't trust that, they have no need for me. I might as well stay here with my couch and my teacup and my partner."
Lisbon looked at him for a moment more, then turned back to the team. "All right, back to work, everyone. We need to wrap up everything we can before we lose half our unit and get a single FBI agent in return."
Oh, she was very unhappy with this arrangement, Jane thought. He wondered if she really would have been happier if he'd agreed to go. Then he dismissed the thought. He'd need a better incentive than the governor's approval to move so far out of his comfort zone, and if Lisbon had really wanted him to go, she would have talked to him before finalizing anything with Abbott.
But he agreed with her that Fischer would be a poor substitute for Rigsby and Grace. He was fond of them, and more importantly, he knew he could trust them. The amusement he'd derive from messing with Fischer was hardly worth having to accept someone in their midst they couldn't trust. Well, if he messed with her badly enough, it wouldn't have to be a problem for long.
"You," Lisbon said, making him look up and hastily assume an innocent expression. "No harassing our guest."
"Would I do that, Lisbon?" he asked, trying for a wounded tone but not quite making it.
"Yes, you would. With malice aforethought, even. Don't make this worse than it needs to be." She pinned him with a glare.
"Lisbon, you know how much I value a relaxed and pleasant work atmosphere," he replied.
Grace tried to convert her laugh to a cough, without much success. Lisbon rolled her eyes and stalked back to her office, apparently deciding that arguing with him in the bullpen was unlikely to produce the desired result. She'd wait until she had the advantage of her own territory, he thought.
Perversely, he was looking forward to it.