Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, story alerts and favourites. It makes my week. This was meant to be short, somehow it keeps expanding! As promised a quick up date!
Disclaimer: I don't own it :(
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Lisbon was relieved when she finally got through her door and in to the safety of her front room. She had failed miserably at keeping Jane at arms length. Just as she had failed miserably, keeping her distance from him the first time round. She had let down her guard momentarily, distracted by the familiarity of the situation, and he had struck.
No matter how much she teased Jane about his car and how bad his seats were for back pain, she had meant what she said about loosing herself to the music. She silently berated herself, she was not supposed to be sharing intimacies with him any more. Well, at least she had kept the small detail that Jane's presence added to her ability to drift away, to herself.
The drive had reminded her of how they were before and more so, how different they are now. Lisbon approached her answering machine, the blinking red light catching her attention. The mechanical voice announced she had five new messages. Grateful for the distraction, she tried to bury her thoughts, back to where they had laid dormant for the last few months.
She smiled as she moved to the kitchen, grabbing some chilled wine and a glass, listening while various friends and family members, awkwardly left messages. No one liked machines, and their voices betrayed their anxieties.
Two calls were from her brothers, thanking her for her visit and saying they will have to return the favour and come to her. It made her heart truly content, at just how much more in her life they were...well now that she was putting in the effort too.
Grace had left a short message, checking that she had survived the journey, saying her cell had been out of range, when she called it earlier. She sent Grace a quick text confirming that she hadn't murdered Jane and hid his body.
Dave called about Friday's gig, followed by Jo, asking if she'd like to go to the movies. The two women had met at yoga and bonded over their mutual love of action films. She would loath to admit to most, that she was at heart, a massive Michael Bay fan. She would call Jo later and see if she was free Wednesday. The messages ended, plunging her apartment into sudden silence.
She grabbed her glass of wine and sat down to think further, her thoughts choosing to disobey her earlier command to go away. Yes she had lost her best friend but had gained several close friends in the interim. Jane meant the world to her, but when you love your friends you let them go, especially if it means they can find happiness.
She had never really looked too hard at their friendship before, he had appeared suddenly in her life, by her side one day and somehow becoming a permanent fixture there. Well for eight years he was, then Red John died, he moved on and so had she...
It was just difficult on days like today when she was reminded of how easy things were between them.
She sighed in frustration, he was determined to 'be friends' again. To try ignore him was like trying to cling to a tree in a hurricane, you can withstand the force for a little while, but eventually you are swept away.
She was grateful in many ways that he had distanced himself, she had needed the shake up. It was not Jane's fault that she had accepted her empty life and that work, not much sleep, work, even less sleep, work and no sleep, was what she let satisfy her.
Turns out that misery likes company and as long as she had him, she stopped trying for more. It had been a shock to the system, to wake up one day and realise you are truly alone, and the only person to blame is yourself.
She was incredibly lucky that she had been able to forge new relationships, though it had taken quite some effort, something that she had not wished to do in the past out of sheer laziness.
As much as her life had improved, she still felt the pain of being cast aside. She knocked back the last of her wine. For years she had avoided dissecting her and Jane too closely and she sure as hell wasn't going to start now. Still maybe they could start afresh, he was different now.
She would let him make amends and let go of her hurt feelings, she was a grown up after all, that and honestly she didn't have a choice where Jane was concerned, he did what he wanted regardless.
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It had been almost a week and Jane had seen the shift in Lisbon's attitude since their car ride home together. He was approaching to where he wanted to be, she wasn't fighting him on it as much. Cho had seen sense and delegated himself back to being partnered with Rigsby and more importantly behind the wheel of the SUV.
He could imagine Cho missed driving and wondered what excuse Lisbon had given him, as to why he wasn't allowed to. She really was a control freak.
Jane prostrated himself across Lisbon's couch waiting for her return. She had been called in earlier to Wainwright's office and he had a terrible feeling that he might be in trouble.
Having restrained his behaviour with the obnoxious Harriet Long, he must have run out of his reserves of goodwill and patience. On meeting James Long, her father, who made dear Harriet look pleasant in comparison, he may have, maybe, hypnotised him to stutter every time he went to insult someone. It had taken he man ten minutes to call Jane a bastard.
Ah, he could see his lovely boss returning, storming through the bullpen. She slammed the door behind her, approaching the couch swiftly despite being laden down with a rather hefty bundle of papers.
"Jane" she hissed
"Yes my dear?" he asked sweetly.
"Don't you dare... what were you thinking... were you even thinking?" Lisbon blurted, anger preventing a coherent chain of thoughts.
"Well you see..." Jane tried to reply.
"Did I ask you to speak, did I ask for your conceited, self involved, opinion? Hmm NO, so shut up and listen." She interrupted.
"Now Lisbon..." Jane sat up on the couch, arms out, in a surrendering gesture.
She cut him off by dropping the paperwork into his lap, causing him to expel a loud 'Ooomph', when it hit target. A malicious smirk broke free on her face for a millisecond, before she continued.
"I don't want to hear it, I've heard it all before. He irked me, he's irksome. Guess what Jane, so are you." Lisbon breathed heavily, fire in her eyes, paying forward the rage Wainwright had put her way.
"Do you think I've nothing better to do than be ripped a new one by Wainwright, then come down here and do hours of work on a Wednesday night, while you swan off home." She demanded.
"Lisbon I'm sorry, really I am, I'll try harder next time. Is there anything I can do." Jane really was sorry and he had no intention of leaving her alone, she should know that.
"Jane, just get out now, give me the papers back and leave." She finished, accepting the paperwork as he stood.
Jane remained in front of her, hoping she would calm. She pointed to the door as best she could and he took the hint, slinking off. She watched him leave the bull pen, before finally sitting down, behind the Kilimanjaro sized complaint.
Several minutes passed, as Lisbon sat staring at the pile on her desk. She would have to call Jo and tell her she couldn't meet her.
Damn Jane, damn him to hell, and she would ensure he brought a toothbrush because she was going to shove it so far up his ass, he would never be rid of it.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a text. Jo had bought the tickets and was looking forwards to meeting up, suggesting a coffee first. This just got worse and worse.
She quickly typed out her reply, explaining that she was unable to make it, due to work. Her finger hovered over the send button. She had looked forward to this, Jo was great company, yeah, as a lawyer, she would understand the last minute demands of the job that lead to her cancelling, but she wanted to go.
She had been eagerly anticipating the evening out, popcorn, enjoying some explosions, sharing a mutual appreciation for whichever buff, tanned and overly masculine man, was going to save the world this time. Lisbon was angry and disappointed.
She could see it all happening again, constant cancelling, hunched over a desk, till one day she died, probably not of a gun shot as everyone figured, but from numerous paper cuts inflicted by turning the pages of the telephone directory sized, slew of reports, she received weekly.
Lisbon was fuming, the more she thought about it, the louder her blood pounded. His good behaviour had lasted SIX days. SIX DAYS, and he was sorry, sorry, hardly.
Oh it wasn't like years ago, when she thought he was incapable of behaving like an adult, back when she had believed she was lumped with an oversized, petulant child, unable to function without misbehaving.
No, now she knew better, now she knew that, for the right woman, for someone he truly loves, he can, not only behave, but keep to a regimented schedule. Lisbon made her decision, she deleted the text, writing that she would see her at the cinema's café.
She would come in early, do the paperwork then, she wasn't paid for this crap and it was too slippy a slope, back to where she had come from. Whatever was going on with Jane, she wasn't playing any more. She grabbed her bag and coat slipping out, passing Grace in the hallway.
"Enjoy the movie boss" Van Pelt called.
"Thanks Van Pelt, you sure you can't come?"
"Oh no, I'm calling home tonight, seven Van Pelts on a conference call, that's all the excitement I need for an evening." Grace grinned.
The elevator pinged, the doors opening. "Well next time then and enjoy yourself." Lisbon answered getting in.
"You too boss." Grace walked back in to the bull pen and over to her desk.
She had barely sat down when Jane walked in carrying two hot drinks. Paying no attention to her, he looked towards Lisbon's now dark office, confusion emphasising the lines on his face.
"Hey Grace where's Lisbon?"
"She went to the movies" Grace replied distractedly, turning off her computer and packing her bag for the night.
"I just got a twenty minute lecture about her being stuck here all night due to paperwork." Jane stated, incredulously
"Guess she decided to come in early tomorrow instead... and Jane really, are you seriously going to start pulling this crap again, cos hours of paperwork doesn't help your cause." Grace chided, turning to leave.
"I guess not..." Jane trailed off
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Lisbon came in for seven the next morning, she was tired as the movie had gone on late, but it had been worth it. No one else was in, so she put on the coffee before sitting down.
She pulled the large stack towards her, noticing a stick on red bow, attached to the front. Opening the first page, she saw her signature signed, in all the appropriate places. She flicked through the pages quickly, stopping to scan the longer passages.
They were all done, at least two hours of work was completed and not just filled in, but well written in her words. She pulled out her phone, bringing up Jane's number, it rang once before he answered, the damn man was probably waiting.
"Good morning, I'll take it I'm forgiven." Jane teased.
"Do I want to know how you long you have been able to do my signature?" Lisbon joked.
"Probably not, I'm sorry Lisbon, I should have thought before acting, like I did."He apologised again.
"It's ok Jane, really, and now I know you can not only forge my handwriting, but actually write in, what is a very accurate version of how I write... well I know who'll be doing his own paperwork from here on in."
"Really that's the thanks I get? You really are ungrateful woman." Jane laughed
"Thank you, you expect a thank you, you are the cause of all the extra work, not to mention that I'm in an hour and a half earlier than I need to be." Lisbon pointed out.
"Well this way you can get a head start on anything else outstanding. You can be sure to leave on time for the Jazz group tomorrow night." Jane suggested.
"Yeah, yeah, so you say, but we still don't have our killer yet." Lisbon countered, nervous she would miss them.
"We will, don't worry. We've covered most of our bases, plus I have a plan..."
"Ok Jane, just no hypnotism or craziness, please... look it's early, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing...Bye Jane and thanks." She hoped he was right.
"Bye Lisbon, any time." He added before hanging up.
Lisbon smiled at the pile, it was good that she could get extra work done before tomorrow night and she really would make Jane do his own paperwork, it might encourage him to behave.