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Scarlet Fever

Jane was moving closer to her, seeming almost hesitant but determined. Lisbon could feel her heart hammering sporadically in her chest, and was sure that Jane could hear it. But even if he didn't, her breathing was short and shallow, giving her away. As his hand tucked her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek, Lisbon found herself humming in anticipation. She was finally going to be kissed by Patrick Jane, even if it was against his will. He leaned closer, initiating contact between their foreheads and noses. There were so many thoughts running through her head, she couldn't keep track of them all.

And then he kissed her, finally, and all her thoughts stopped. All she knew was that is felt so good to have his lips moving against hers. She responded almost immediately, not wanting to waste a moment of this sweet torture. She knew that it wasn't real, that he wasn't kissing her because he loved her, she knew he didn't, but because it was crucial to their task. But that didn't matter to her at this moment; all that mattered was moving impossibly closer, deepening the kiss. She traced his lip with her tongue, asking for permission to enter forbidden territory.

Jane felt the pressure of her tongue against his lips, begging for entrance, eliciting a moan from deep in Jane's throat; thus allowing her tongue to slide into his mouth without resistance. It was amazing, Jane couldn't remember feeling this way in so long and it felt so right to be kissing Teresa. He had to get used to calling her Teresa so that he wouldn't slip up while they were undercover, so he decided that he should think of her as Teresa as well.

A soft knock on the door made them jump apart like they'd been burned. Even though they had only done what they had been told to, they both felt guilty that they had enjoyed it so much. They sat down on opposite ends of the couch that was against the wall and waited for Banks and Murray to come in and sit at the desk and chair beside it.

"So I take it, from the way you two are blushing that you did as we recommended?" Banks asked.

"Uh, yeah." Lisbon said, still breathing heavily from the activity she had been engaged in only moments before.

"Well, we feel that there is something important that we should discuss about you two sleeping together for this assignment." Murray said.

"What about it?" Jane asked, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

"Well… Agent Gray doesn't think that we have enough time, but there is another option." Banks began.

"What? Why didn't you tell us this before? By all means, tell us what it is and we'll do it." Lisbon said. She was very mad that they had left out this crucial detail. She did not enjoy being treated like, well, like she was being treated right now.

"There is a certain technique that we often use in situations similar to yours, in which we simply fake it. But we don't have anyone available to teach you exactly how it's done, which is why Agent Gray thought it best not to tell you," Murray explained.

"But that's not to say that you two can't spend tonight figuring it out, since you'll be under surveillance in order to ensure that you are up to the task, we can let you guys know if you've got it," Banks said.

"I think that would be great," Lisbon said, relieved that they would be spared the humiliation of being forced to sleep together. Her relief made her forget her anger for the time being, but it was by no means gone.

"I have a question," Jane said. "What are we going to do for clothes? Should we go home and pack some for the week?"

"No, we've already taken care of that. We have a suitcase packed that contains everything you both will need for this operation." Murray said. "And there are some clothes that you can use that are in the room that you will be staying in tonight, so don't worry about that."

"Thanks, so what exactly are we going to be doing tonight while you are… observing us?" Lisbon asked.

"You two will just be acting like a couple, just acting touchy-feely and of course figuring out the alternative that we talked about." Banks answered. "It's pretty simple, really. It shouldn't be too much trouble; it's just to get you in the right frame of mind."

"Okay, well then, shall we get started?" Jane said.

xxxx

Jane and Lisbon found that the room that they would be staying in for the night was very similar to a hotel room. There was a kitchen area, a living area with a couch and TV set and a bed. The only difference was that there were cameras everywhere, it was a bit unnerving. But Lisbon knew that it was just for the purpose of having a flawless cover.

"So what would you like for dinner, honey?" Jane asked, getting right into his persona. "There isn't much selection, but we have leftover pizza or Chinese takeout." He didn't want to think of how long those had been in the mini fridge.

"Whichever hasn't gone bad is fine," Lisbon said with a grin.

"Chinese it is!" Jane exclaimed. He had occasionally shared meals with Lisbon so this wasn't anything new. He had not, however, shared a meal with her when they were supposed to be married.

Lisbon had set the table for two and was getting two beers out of the fridge; there wasn't much else in there. They sat down and started eating as they normally would, making small talk about which hockey team was going to win the Cup this year.

"I know that you have rooted for the Los Angeles Kings since you were young, but they really don't have a shot. The Montreal Canadians are my bet." Jane said with a smile and not just any smile, a genuine smile that was reserved for Lisbon.

"We'll see," Lisbon said cryptically. She was enjoying Jane's company, which wasn't a surprise. They had sometimes had dinner together after work if there was a particularly hard case for either of them.

"Well, I'd offer to do the dishes, but considering we are using plastic utensils and plates, there really is no need." Jane said. They put their 'dishes' in the garbage and they moved over to the couch. Jane sat at the end, leaving plenty of space for Lisbon to sit a comfortable distance from him, but she sat right next to him, curling into his side. The momentarily shocked him, before he remembered that they needed to be more touchy-feely than was their normal, and wrapped his arm around her.

"Is there any movies playing?" Lisbon asked. She was secretly enjoying his arm around her, keeping her safe from whatever was out there, in this case the watchful eye of Gray and her team. This thought made her smile and she quickly composed her thoughts.

"There are a few, The Ugly Truth, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Die Hard. I know you want to watch the Thomas Crown Affair, darling, it's one of your favourites." Jane said. It was also one of his, but he felt he could divulge that little piece of information some other time.

"You know me so well," Lisbon said. She leaned up and pressed a short, tender kiss to his lips before pulling back and settling in to watch the movie. She was curious as to how he knew that this was one of her favourites but she could ask him some other time when they were done with this assignment.

Jane revelled in the feel of her lips for a moment before she pulled away. This really was cruel, giving him a taste of what could have been, only to take it away when he remembered that it was all a front, a show for the audience watching. He watched the movie, occasionally pressing a kiss to her dark hair when he felt the need.

When the credits rolled, Jane turned off the TV and turned Lisbon's face to face his own. He captured her lips and slowly began to move his against hers. Lisbon was not one to relinquish control easily, and she deepened to kiss. It soon became hungry and she moved to straddle him on the couch. She kissed along his jaw, leaving a burning trail all the way to his ear. Once she'd reached her destination, she relented a little with her ministrations.

"Maybe we should try that 'alternative' that Murray was telling us about," Lisbon whispered breathily.

Jane groaned his approval. He picked her up and made his way to the bed, losing articles of clothing on the way. They spent the rest of the night working on their alternative before falling asleep in each other's arms.

xxxx

Gray, Murray and Banks spent that night watching Lisbon and Jane act like a couple. Gray had to admit, they were pretty convincing. They seemed to be good actors, if Hightower ever did go through with her threat on firing Lisbon, she could find a career in Hollywood, Gray thought.

"They seem to be very… comfortable with each other," Gray observed.

"Yes, that they do" Murray agreed.

"Do think they were telling the truth when they said they weren't dating?" Banks asked Murray, he really didn't like losing the bet to him.

"No, I can tell when people are lying, and I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that those two were not lying about their relationship." Murray said.

"They really aren't dating?" Gray asked.

"Really, they aren't." Murray said, ending the conversation.

Underneath the table, Gray slipped Murray ten bucks which Murray took and put in his pocket with a triumphant smile on his face.

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