More Jane family time ahead...
Sunday afternoon found Lisbon and Jane in front of the closet after nearly 24 hours without the need for real clothes. They'd essentially spent it in the nude or comfy leisure wear (silk boxer shorts…) lounging around at home. Now however Teresa tried everything in her power to coax her lover into wearing something other than one of his usual three-piece-suits, but it seemed to be a lost cause. He had come out of the bathroom already dressed in one of them and he didn't seem the least bit willing to change out of it again. She only wore panties and a bra so far and was making her pick right now.
"Jane, we are going to a simple pizzeria with your relatives and not to some gourmet Mecca with the governor. You're overdressed," she tried to reason with him, putting on a pair of black jeans herself.
He wore a stubborn expression. "What's wrong with it? I always look like that and I haven't been thrown out of anywhere so far." His face turned a bit sheepish before he added, " Well, at least not because of my outfit."
"There's nothing wrong with it. I do like your dandy-style." She caressed his cheek and smiled. "And it suits you. It's just, well… You're essentially wearing a mask when you go out like this and I don't think you should around family. The point is that you're always wearing those suits, you never vary it. It's not healthy." She got out an emerald green long sleeved top with a patterned v-neck for herself.
"So what if I hide behind it?" he retorted defensively, though his eyes bore an admiring look while she pulled the top over her head. "I feel safer this way and it's not just a guise. I do happen to like to dress like that. And I'm not gonna meet that Matthew-guy looking like a slob. He doesn't need more ammunition against me. He's a lawyer. I'm sure he won't exactly go out in sweatpants either. And I most certainly don't want to embarrass myself in front of Elisa and Jonathan."
She snickered. "Well, from what I remember, Elisa liked you very much in jeans yesterday. I recall her mentioning quite a few flattering things about the special anatomical assets of the male members of the Jane family. Seems like you all have especially nice butts in jeans…"
Patrick groaned and blushed a little. "I really didn't need to know that, Lisbon."
"Yes, you did. Now you know she won't mind seeing your delectable behind in jeans again tonight." She laughed at his horrified face. "But seriously, Patrick, you should stop trying to please them so much. I'm certain they would prefer you to be yourself around them, not a perfectly adapted yes-man. It's so unlike you to bend over backwards like that."
She locked eyes with him and her tone turned very dedicated. "Are you really so afraid they would outright reject your true self? And do you want to honestly go on like that forever just so they accept you? Is that the price you're willing to pay for the chance to have a family? People you can't ever get truly close to because you're hiding yourself from them? People who only like a warped, absurd version of you?"
She cast him a pleading look. "Patrick, please believe me: you ARE loveable just the way you are. Your grandmother adores you. She practically gleamed with happiness when she watched your little show in that shop yesterday. She loves your mischievous side. I'm sure she's a lot like you herself and she's proud of you."
He looked a bit uncertain. "Maybe you're right about Elisa. But what about Jonathan and Matthew? I just want to make sure they see that I'm not like my father, Teresa."
She was surprised by his openness and honesty and decided to see how far it went. Taking his face between her hands, she asked tentatively, "Love, are you afraid of them?"
He cringed but still tried to reject the notion at once. "Of course not. Why would I be? What gave you this absurd idea? Why would I be afraid? That's ridiculous."
"The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks," she countered gently. She pulled him down into a kiss. "Patrick, it's alright to admit it."
He pulled away from her. "It's just not true, Lisbon. Why would you even think something like that?" he asked with agitation.
"Because they're men and you want their approval, with which you automatically grant them power over you. And you don't like men to be in a position of power over you because you're afraid they might abuse it," she explained carefully.
Patrick looked at her in complete astonishment. "I… That's…" He stopped again and sank down onto the bed behind him, his expression reminding Teresa of a deer caught in the headlights.
She sat down beside him, took hold of his hand, and started to recount her thoughts on the matter from the day before. He listened attentively, his eyes growing wider and wider. She concluded by saying, "So to rectify your earlier statement: I think you don't want to prove to them that you're not your father. On the contrary, you are afraid THEY might turn out to be like your father. At least that's how I see it. And since your own father didn't accept you the way you are, you don't want to risk showing them too much of your true self and getting the same reaction once again."
He stared at her and was speechless for a few minutes, the thought process in his head almost visible on his face for once. Then he cleared his throat and said wonderingly, "You're a very smart woman, Teresa. How did you figure that one out? I'd never… I mean, this explanation didn't even cross my mind, but it makes perfect sense. Since when have you turned into such a counselor?"
One of his hands took a gentle hold of her chin and turned her head so he could kiss her passionately. "This really clears up quite a few things in my head. I'm honestly amazed, my dear. It shows just how well you know me. Thanks."
She blushed a bit at his compliments. "You are just too close to the matter or you'd have been the first one to figure it out, Patrick. I've seen you around male authority figures quite a few times during the last nine years. It was obvious to me even without knowing about your father that you had some issues with men who hold power. I just had to add the new knowledge I have to the picture."
He grinned at her. "You're really sweet, love. Too modest to take a well-deserved compliment, are you?" With a chuckle he added, "You might not be the tallest person but you shouldn't sell yourself short."
She slapped his shoulder lightly. "That was an awful pun, Jane, even by your standards."
He grinned happily. "I think it was great. Only shows you either don't have a sense of humor at all, Lisbon, or it's unfortunately just in proportion with the rest of you…"
He got another slap for his efforts and a death glare as well. "You should count yourself lucky I don't beat up defenseless civilians or you wouldn't laugh at that."
"I absolutely love that angry face on you, it's just too cute," he teased her.
She cuffed his ear this time and warned him, "Be careful, imp, or I'll make an exception for once."
He feigned a fearful expression and put his arms above his head. "Alright big, mean cop lady. I surrender. Do with me as you please."
"I would but we don't have the time I would need to mete out the punishment you deserve. So I'll save that for later. For now, how about a change of outfit?" she asked cautiously.
Patrick turned serious again at her request and replied quietly, "It's not that I don't understand your point, but just because I realize the nature of my feelings doesn't change them automatically. And besides this outfit is an important part of the real me too. So I would really like to go like this today. I'm sorry."
"There's no reason to apologize, Patrick. If you need your guise or whatever it is to you, I can accept that and I won't think any less of you for it. Maybe one day soon you'll be comfortable enough to leave the house wearing something else for once, but as I happen to like your look, I don't have a problem with it." She caressed his cheek and pecked him on the nose. "Okay, let's get a move on."
"I can drive if you want, so you can have some wine. I won't drink anything anyway," he suggested while they were walking downstairs.
Bending down to put on her shoes, she scolded him, "Patrick, come on. They won't take you to be an alcoholic just because you have a glass of wine with your food."
He shook his head while finishing tying his own shoes. "You're getting exceedingly too smart for your own good, Lisbon. Guess you caught me there. Or you just really don't want me to drive…"
"Both, Jane. Both." She snickered and grabbed her purse and jacket. "But I'll allow you to drive for once. You can have a glass or two and will still be below the legal limit. I on the other hand…"
"Yes, yes, the curse of being tiny and slender…" he teased her.
His ear got another cuff. "Have we come full circle now, Jane? As if you were such a giant…"
They left the apartment and went to his car. "Julie? This is Teresa, Teresa, may I introduce you to Julie?" Patrick declared gallantly, while he unlocked the passenger door for his lover and held it open.
Teresa snickered a bit but got into the car with a new appreciation for it and the appropriate respect for the vehicle and its history. Jane opened the driver side and took his seat behind the wheel. Before he started the engine he paused a moment in obvious contemplation, then he nodded and seemed to have come to a decision about something. He invited her to turn her head and look at the backseat where he pointed out a faint stain. "And this is where my daughter was born," he said, his voice clouded with remembered awe.
"Charlotte was born in this car? You didn't mention that before," Teresa asked with amazement.
He nodded. "We didn't quite make it to the hospital. She came so fast. I had to stop the car two miles from the clinic and help deliver her. I panicked completely at first, but Angie boxed my head and snapped at me to pull myself together. It was by far the most momentous event in my life." His eyes were far away and the smile on his face was so tender Teresa had to swallow down some tears. "When I suddenly held my baby girl in my hands it was perfect. She was perfect. She was wrinkled, covered in goo, red-faced, and wailing, and she was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He wiped away the single tear threatening to escape his watery eyes.
Lisbon covered his cheeks with her hands and caressed them with her thumbs. She locked eyes with him and showed him how much she sympathized with him. "I promise I won't ever say anything debasing about this car again. She seems to be a real monument of Jane family history and she has just earned a soft spot in my heart."
He smiled warmly and pecked her on the lips. "Thanks, Teresa. But it's alright for you to tease Julie a bit as long as it is good-natured. She has a devious sense of humor herself, especially early in the morning on cold days …"
His comment lightened the mood again and they both grinned at each other before Patrick started the car and they drove off.
Teresa and Patrick were the first to arrive at the pizzeria where they were to meet the rest of his family. They found their table and were just about to take a seat when the rest of the party arrived together. Patrick greeted his grandparents first with his grandmother pulling him into a tight embrace at once. "Look, dear. I'm wearing the nice blouse you found for me yesterday. Even Jonathan had to admit that sometimes clothes might not just be clothes." She smiled warmly at him. "Emma here has already commandeered you for a shopping trip in the near future. Ah yes, you don't know each other yet. This, my dear, is Emma, my daughter-in-law and well, your aunt I guess. Emma, meet Patrick."
The two shook hands a bit awkwardly. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jane," Patrick said politely. "This is my partner at work and most importantly in life, Teresa Lisbon," he introduced his lover as well.
Emma Jane was an elegant, tall, blond woman in her late forties with sparkling warm blue eyes and a kind smile. Though she exuded the air of a person who wouldn't have the slightest problem making a good figure on a cocktail party with the President, she didn't come across as reserved or drawling. Patrick read her as a genuine, straightforward kind of person, self-confident, at peace with herself. He figured she complimented her husband's impulsiveness with her even temper and considerate behavior.
Now she took in the newest member of the family with a sharp, inquisitive look. "May I call you Patrick?" she asked carefully.
"Of course, ma'am," he replied courteously.
"Then I would like to ask you to return the favor and call me Emma. I'm your aunt after all. No need for any primness. I know my hotheaded husband didn't make the best first impression of this part of the Jane family, but rest assured that I neither knew of his actions until he told me afterwards nor approve of them in any way," the blond woman said in a friendly tone and with an icy look towards her better half, who stood a bit awkwardly by her side. Then the resolute woman shoved her two children in front of her, put one hand on the boy's and one hand on the girl's shoulder, and added, "These are your cousins, Mary and Paul."
Patrick smiled at the two teenagers. As usual the sight of a girl approximately the same age his daughter would be today sent a sting of pain to his heart and he had to swallow down the sadness that threatened to well up in his chest – especially after the conversation he'd just had in the car with Teresa commemorating Charlotte's birth. The woman by his side seemed to sense his distress and gave his hand a discreet but comforting squeeze. She really knew him well, he realized yet again.
Mary looked sullen and seemed in the middle of a good sulk. She had her mother's bright hair and blue eyes and had some freckles on and around her nose, which made her look astute. He figured she was obviously at an age where dinner with the family seemed like the worst calamity. Her pout was cute and he decided he liked her. So he shot her a grin, which caused her to whisper to her brother, "Hah, now you finally have your male cousin, baby bro. Too bad he's as old as the hills." This observation was followed by a smirk.
But Patrick wasn't the least bit insulted. If possible his grin grew even wider. Emma however didn't seem amused. "Mary, really. Behave yourself. That was rude," she scolded and cast him an apologetic look.
"Ah, don't worry," he told her, before he turned towards his female cousin with his grin still in place. "To you I guess I am just about ready to bite the dust. Unfortunately, I plan to stay around for a while yet. So you'll be forced to share at least dinner with me tonight, a real peeve, I imagine. So many other much more entertaining things to do after all… Nice to meet you, Mary."
The teenaged girl looked at him in open-mouthed shock. "You… I… okay," she stammered with a blush.
Matthew chimed in at that point. "Ah, Mary here just wants to tease here brother. Paul always wished for a male cousin because my wife's sister only has two girls. One is Mary's age and they are very good friends, the other is only five. My son has always felt a bit left out and wanted someone to play with as well," he explained.
The youngest member of the Jane family would have been the perfect image of his father apart from the hair color, which was reddish-brown. This in turn made him look quite a bit like a younger version of Alexander Jane. It had given Patrick pause for a second at first, but he'd recovered his poise without anyone noticing. The thirteen-year-old boy seemed a bit shy, his smile was hesitant, but the CBI consultant perceived a lot of curiosity in his eyes, which were a bluish-green in color very similar to his own.
"Hi, Paul. Sorry, I'm not quite the cousin you wished for, but I've been told I have a much younger personality. So maybe we'll find some common ground anyway." He smiled warmly at the timid boy and got a more relaxed one in return.
With all the greetings out of the way they took their seats at the round table. Teresa sat to Patrick's right, while Paul ended up to his left with Mary flanking Paul's other side. They got the menus and made their picks. Conversation was a bit slow going at first while they waited for their food.
The two teenagers bickered, their parents scolding them without much success. Mary seemed intent on needling her brother about some papers he was reading. "Oh, come on, dumbass. You're never gonna get it. You're too stupid. How long have you been trying now? Two weeks? Four weeks? Oh no! Has it really been two whole months already? You'll be the laughing stock of the school. Just a pity you don't have any other talents either," she taunted him with an evil grin on her face.
Her mother got very angry at that. "Don't you dare talk to your brother that way, Mary Elisa Jane. You're not allowed to degrade him like that. Your brother is doing a fine job. It's just that one little trick he has a hard time figuring out. And I'm proud he hasn't given up. He could just as well do his show without it. No one would know anyway."
The girl didn't seem the least bit chastised. "He only knows some boring tricks anybody could do. It's supposed to be a talent show. I'm just making sure my baby brother doesn't embarrass the family, mum."
"No, you're not. You're just being a bully instead of a supportive big sister," her father reprimanded her.
"What kind of show are you planning?" Patrick asked the insecure boy quietly.
"We're gonna have that stupid talent show in school in ten days. Everybody has to present something they're good at. I… I don't really…" Paul stammered, but then he made an effort and composed himself. "I'm not talented, as my sister has pointed out. So I'm gonna be the idiot of the school," he added with a defiant voice.
His father spoke up again, "That's nonsense, son. You are already quite the magician. It's just that one stupid trick thingy you're struggling with. You have plenty of others you can show. I'm sure yours will be a splendid magic show and your classmates will love it."
"Yeah sure, dad. It's just one of the most basic moves a magician needs to know. But you of course have no idea about that because you hate my hobby anyway," the boy huffed.
Patrick's interest had been peeked at the first indication that magic tricks were involved in the problem but now that his cousin had mentioned his father's dislike of this sort of thing, he didn't dare to make further inquiries. Teresa on the other hand didn't have such qualms. "Well, Paul, seems like today is your lucky day because as it happens you are seated beside a man who is quite the magician himself. I'm sure Patrick would love to help you out."
He cast her an angry look so only she could see it, but turned his attention to the boy to his left who asked, with a desperately hopeful expression, "Really? Do you really know some tricks? Would you teach me, please?"
Patrick smiled warmly at his cousin. "Oh, I do know a piece or two of legerdemain." And to prove the point he conjured a candy from behind Paul's ear.
The boy beamed with happiness. "Can you vanish things, too? Because that's what I've been trying for weeks and I've read all about it, but I just can't get the hand movements right and I've nearly given up and it's gonna be so embarrassing," he rambled with excitement.
The blond man nodded and let the candy disappear in his hand again with a wave. "And Paul? Believe me, you won't learn that from a book. Forget everything you've read about it, okay?"
The teenager nodded eagerly and Patrick bent down to him and whispered conspiratorially, "But I'm only gonna teach this to a fellow magician. The others can't know or the guild would have to dispatch them, I'm afraid."
The others around the table got the clue and started their own conversations again, realizing that Patrick wanted to take the pressure of a public display from the boy. Only Mary watched them with eagle eyes but refrained from commenting. She had to admit, this newfound cousin intrigued her. He seemed genuinely interesting and nothing like the boring old man she'd expected.
The adults cast discreet glances at the pair once in a while and could see that those two had found the tone with each other. Paul smiled, face full of excitement and Patrick's expression conveyed honest interest and patience. The CBI consultant appeared to be a very good teacher because the teenage boy had lost a lot of his tension and managed to copy the hand movements and instructions with increasing success.
They were interrupted by the food arriving, but Patrick promised him to continue afterwards. "You're nearly there anyway. You have a knack for this, Paul. I'm sure you'll have it down by the time dessert arrives."
The boy looked up at him with admiration and awe. "Thank you. You're the best cousin ever." And with that said he turned his head towards his sister and stuck out his tongue. "Bet stupid cousin Betsy can't teach YOU any tricks, can she? All she talks about is boys and clothes. Patrick's cool," he taunted her.
Grandmother Jane decided to get involved at that point to avoid another quarrel between the siblings. "Ah, but Paul, dear. Patrick knows quite a bit about clothes as well, I'm afraid."
The boy's eyes widened with horror. "Really?" he asked his cousin, appalled at the mere thought.
"I can assure you, I know a lot more about magic, Paul. I'm certain cousin Betsy is still the one to turn to for teenage fashion advice," the blond man answered diplomatically, making the other adults at the table snicker.
"Why don't we eat now?" Jonathan suggested. "Everything looks delicious and I wouldn't mind for those two bickering mouths-," he cast a pointed look at the youngest Janes, "-to be stuffed for a while."
TBC
Reviews are almost like pizza: not exactly necessary to survive but extremely enjoyable and welcome all the same. And they always make you wish for more... Feel free to choose whichever topping you prefer - I'll like and appreciate them all I'm sure ;-)
