Disclaimer – The Mentalist belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS. Not me. Obviously.

A/N - Hello once again! This chapter is short, but full to bursting with Jisbon fluff, so hopefully you'll forgive me. It finished in a good place, so hopefully you like it! There'll only be one or two more chapters to this story, but I want to wrap it up properly, so I'm not going to rush it. Anyway, I hope you like this newest instalment!

~ Chapter Sixteen ~

The Clean Up

Hours later, when Judge Garrison decided to call it a night and taken Liam home, Lisbon couldn't help but feel a little bit relieved. In the brief time that they had spent together, Liam and Jane had wreaked havoc in her home, with no part of it left untouched by their mess. Liam, Lisbon noticed, had been disappointed but not necessarily unhappy at his father's announcement, and she knew that it had everything to do with her blond consultant. Despite the mess, Jane had clearly done the boy some good.

After saying goodbye to the two of them, and making sure that Liam knew he was welcome back any time, Lisbon closed the front door tiredly behind them and wandered over to her couch, slumping down beside Jane with a soft sigh. Ignoring him for the moment, she glanced at her watch and had to supress a groan – it was only seven o'clock in the evening, but it felt like midnight. Who knew a ten year old - and a man acting like a ten year old - could be so exhausting...?

Finally, she turned to face Jane, a half-hearted glare already forming on her face. "Jane…"

"We weren't that bad," Jane immediately defended himself, turning to face her on the couch, a grimace of pain crossing his face. She immediately frowned and silently reached over to pass him his medication. He took two without argument, a sure sign that he needed them.

"You were a nightmare, Jane," she sighed once he'd swallowed them, though there was a faint trace of amusement in her expression which Jane, of course, caught immediately.

"We were having fun," he replied unapologetically, though he grimaced again slightly as he shifted on the couch.

"You made a fort," Lisbon shot back, pointedly looking around the room.

Her living room was a mess. There were cushions and blankets everywhere, even on top of the bookcase. At some point, her duvet had migrated downstairs as well, and – though she would probably never figure out how Jane had managed it – her small collection of Christmas decorations had made a very messy appearance all over the floor and walls, despite the fact that it was mid-May. In fact, the only untouched part of the room was the part of couch where Jane was sat.

"Every kid should make a fort at least once in their lives," Jane told her, though she could see the twinkle in his eyes. "Anyway, Liam got bored of twenty questions, and we had to do something to pass the time."

"You were supposed to talk to him," Lisbon chastised half-heartedly. She and the Judge had left the two of them alone precisely for that reason.

"I did talk to him," Jane said, uncharacteristically serious for once, and Lisbon bit back her immediate retort.

"You were supposed to only talk to him," Lisbon argued, a grimace crossing her face as she considered all the time she was now going to have to spend cleaning up. God, she was tired…

"I did," replied Jane. "I haven't even moved from this spot once. Scout's honour."

"Like you were ever in scouts," she scoffed, closing her eyes briefly as she leant back on the couch.

"The point still stands," Jane shrugged, clearly unbothered by her reasoning. "I, technically, didn't actually make the mess."

"Neither did I," Lisbon pointed out, annoyance crossing her features as she opened her eyes once again.

"Well, that's your problem, I'm afraid," Jane replied cheerfully. "You should learn from this, Lisbon. Never let a child loose in the house without supervision."

"You were supposed to be supervising."

"But I'm injured," Jane replied airily. "I'm far too drugged up and in pain to be a suitable supervisor."

"That doesn't get you out of helping me to clear up," Lisbon told him, trying to stay serious. "If you're well enough to be out of the hospital, you're well enough to help me clean up. No running away this time."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it," Jane replied, his expression blank - a sure sign that he was up to something. "Just give me a minute or two to rest my eyes, and I'll be right with you."

Jane closed his eyes and leant his head against the back of the couch, clearly readying himself for a nap. Lisbon was having none of it. Before he even had the chance to fall asleep – or pretend to for that matter – Lisbon shuffled over to him and nudged him hard in the side – though she was careful to avoid his bad ribs.

Jane, nevertheless, yelped and snapped his eyes towards her.

"Hey," he whined. "That hurt."

"There's no way in hell I'm going to let you sit here while I clean up your mess," she said, crossing her arms.

"Isn't that what we do, Lisbon?" Jane replied, dramatically rubbing his side. "I make the mess, you fix it."

"Not this time," Lisbon shook her head, a glare forming on her face again.

"Can we do it later?" Jane whined, shifting on the couch. "I'm tired."

"I don't care."

"You're tired too, Lisbon," Jane argued. "Come on, let's just leave it until tomorrow. It can wait until then."

"Dammit, Jane…" Lisbon replied, but she made no move to get up. In truth, her consultant was spot on as usual. Lisbon closed her eyes. Despite the early hour, she was tired…

"Here," Jane said softly, and Lisbon felt a blanket cover her body, instantly making her far too comfortable to move. A part of her wanted to protest, to argue that she shouldn't be falling asleep on her couch, next to her very injured, very annoying consultant, but a much bigger part of her was simply too exhausted to care.

After a moment though, she pulled her eyes open again. "If I'm staying on the couch, you can have my bed."

"Oh, nonsense, Lisbon," Jane replied. "There's plenty of room for both of us."

And, almost to prove his point, Jane snuggled up next to her and pulled the blanket over himself as well. The warmth of his body against her own sent her heart fluttering but she did her best to ignore it. Dangerous territory, she told herself almost forcefully...

As if sensing the same thing, Jane pulled away slightly, though he stayed under the blanket. Lisbon couldn't help but be a little relieved that he hadn't left her completely, though she didn't think too much about that.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, close but not too close, and Lisbon was comforted by her consultant's breathing beside her. He was alive, she realised, as if for the first time, the events of the last few days finally hitting her. She had actually managed to get him back…

"Lisbon?"

"Yes, Jane?" she replied, though she didn't open her eyes.

"Do you think Liam will be okay now?" he asked, and she could hear the vulnerability in his voice.

"What do you think?" Lisbon asked instead of answering, forcing her eyes open once more. She had a feeling that this would be another one of those conversations.

Jane sighed, a small smile pulling at his lips as he looked around at the mess they'd created. "I think Liam's a great kid."

"You're not so bad yourself, Jane."

"Meh," Jane replied. "Liam did all the heavy lifting."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Lisbon replied softly. "He seems better now."

"I think he is," Jane replied quietly, and for once he seemed entirely unsure of himself. "He was scared that they'd come after him again."

"I thought that might be it," Lisbon replied with a sigh. "I mean, it makes sense really."

"Yeah, I can't say I blame him," Jane agreed. He sighed deeply, and she had a feeling that something else was bothering him.

"So, what did you say to him?" Lisbon asked, pushing away her lingering tiredness.

"I told him about my knight in shining armour," Jane replied with a small smile. He turned himself on the couch so that he was facing her and his smile quickly turned into a full grin.

"Your knight?"

"You, my dear," Jane replied. "I told him all about you. How you would make sure that the men who'd kidnapped us would rot in prison before they could come after us again. How tough you were, and how scary you could be, and that if anyone even thought about trying to hurt him, they'd have you to answer to."

"Oh," Lisbon replied, shaking herself slightly. "Dammit, Jane, that's a lot to live up to."

"Nothing you can't handle, I can assure you," Jane replied with a confident grin. "Hey, I'm scared of you, and you actually like me."

"What makes you think I like you?" she teased, still trying to come to terms with the faith that the man had showed in her. She knew she was right; it was a lot to live up to.

"With all the trouble I supposedly cause, why would you keep me around if you didn't like me?" Jane pointed out.

"Maybe I keep you around to decorate the office," Lisbon replied, but her face immediately reddened when she realised the implications of what she had just blurted out. Of course, Jane immediately jumped on it.

"Decoration?" Jane grinned. "You keep me for my looks?"

"Jane, that's – "

"Oh no," Jane interrupted gleefully. "You think I'm handsome. Good looking. Oh, don't be ashamed, Lisbon. It's quite alright."

"I'm not ashamed, Jane," Lisbon snapped, unable to hide her embarrassment. "Because I didn't mean it like that."

"Of course you didn't," Jane replied condescendingly, the grin still wide on his face.

"Shut up," Lisbon muttered. She closed her eyes, but she could practically feel the man grinning from beside her.

"Lisbon?" Jane asked, after a few minutes of silence which she spent plotting ways to get back Jane, all of which involved vaguely inappropriate methods which she forced herself not to consider too deeply.

"Yes, Jane?" she replied tiredly.

"I'm cold," he replied, sounding vaguely pathetic.

"And?"

"Can I snuggle up to you again?" Jane replied, and for once he seemed uncharacteristically unsure of himself. "You're warm."

Lisbon didn't answer immediately, mainly because she wasn't sure she could do so without her voice squeaking. She tried to convince herself that it meant nothing, that it was just a friend looking for comfort after a difficult few days, but deep down she knew it meant so much more than that. To both of them.

"Okay, Jane," she answered eventually, trying desperately to keep her nervousness from showing on her face.

Jane didn't wait for her to change her mind, immediately snuggling against her side and wrapping the blanket more tightly around them both. Even though they were both fully clothed, the move was far more intimate than she was ready for, and she was so uncomfortable that she felt herself almost stop breathing. She held herself stiffly, even as he wrapped his uninjured arm around her shoulders; god, the man was killing her…

"Breathe, Lisbon."

She could feel him grinning again. "Shut up, Jane."

She still did as he asked though and took a deep breath, her body slowly relaxing against his. In the end she just threw caution to the wind and snuggled back into his side, careful to avoid his injured ribs and shoulder. She was so close to him that she could feel his heart beating through his chest, and she allowed the rhythm to lull her into full relaxation. Lisbon knew it would only be a few minutes before she was fast asleep, wrapped in her consultants arms.

And though she knew it would cause all sorts of problems, Lisbon couldn't make herself regret it.

A/N - So, fluffy enough for you? I tried not to rush this too much, mainly because I never find that very realistic. Hopefully Jane and Lisbon are still very much in character - I intend to do everything I can to keep them that way. Anyway, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!