Thank you again to all my reviewers. Your comments are so appreciated. I haven't decided how long I'm going to make this story. I can keep going with it if people are interested (getting into marriage, family, etc) or quit sooner. Let me know what you think. I only want to continue if people are interested.
This is mainly fluff with a small amount of angst. More angst to come in future chapters. Thanks again!
They arrested Ernie Baker that afternoon. They found the murder weapon hidden under the floorboards in his room, and numerous clippings about the Plesko fortune. Cho got to make the arrest and they brought the suspect in for questioning. He soon confessed and by 4:30 everything had been wrapped up.
George Plesko had been a prominent businessman and friend and supporter of the governor. The governor was pleased with the FBI, giving a personal call of thanks to Abbott. Abbott was therefore pleased and instead of everyone simply ordering 'case closed pizza', he offered to take everyone out for pizza and beer.
Lisbon was a little disappointed. She'd been looking forward to spending some time with Jane that evening, but, at his questioning look she'd decided they should go with their colleagues. The last thing they wanted was to alienate themselves from everyone. She also didn't want people being suspicious, which they might be if the two of them didn't show up.
In the end she had fun. Jane was on his best behavior, charming everyone with his tricks and beating everyone at pool. She spent the evening laughing and talking with Kim and Cho and even talked to Abbott about his kids. At one point in the evening she'd thought about Rigsby and Van Pelt and realized how much she missed them. She thought she might just give Grace a call one day soon and tell her about Jane. She wondered if her friend would be surprised.
The evening ended by 10:00 as the next day was still a workday, although fortunately it was Friday. It was only as she was heading to her car that Jane caught up and for the first time that evening managed a few minutes alone with her.
"Tomorrow night", he told her.
"Tomorrow night?" she looked at him enquiringly.
"Dinner."
"Oh – that sounds nice. Uh, how should I dress?"
"Well", he grinned, "I find I prefer you in as little as possible", he told her. A quick swat from her – and a smile – and he shrugged. "Something nice. I thought we could go dancing afterward."
They managed to spend a few minutes at her car, making out in the darkness of the night. With a sigh Jane pulled away. "Teresa, as much as I'd like to, I'm afraid I'm too old to be doing this in an alley and if we don't stop now I won't be able to!"
"Well", she told him softly, stroking her hand down his chest, "you could follow me home."
"And you won't find that a little creepy", he asked, bending and letting his lips stroke her neck.
She shivered. "No, not at all. In fact -" she stopped and sucked in a breath. "Oh God Jane." She pulled away, grabbed his hand and led him to her passenger door. "Get in."
"But my car is here -"
"You can pick it up in the morning. Now get in."
"Ooh – I gotta say Lisbon, I rather like this side of you."
"Yes well, you're gonna see more sides of me if you hurry up."
Jane grinned, got in and slammed the door. They arrived back at Teresa's house in record time.
The next morning they both slept in late and had to rush to get ready to get to work. There was barely time for Teresa to drop him off at his car so at least they wouldn't arrive together. As it was Jane got to work a bit late. Fortunately Abbott was in a meeting with Teresa and Kim and didn't notice.
"Rough night?" Cho asked as Jane sauntered by his desk.
"What?" Jane stopped, looking slightly startled, which caused Cho to raise his eyebrows. It wasn't very often that anything anyone said bothered the man.
Cho gestured at him with his chin. "You look like you slept in your suit."
"Oh", Jane glanced down and grimaced. He hadn't bothered to hang it up last night, too preoccupied with other, more interesting things.
"You should buy some new clothes", Cho then told him. "Women like that."
For once Jane didn't know what to say and simply made his way to his couch. He sat there frowning for quite a while, pondering Cho's words. Should he consider buying something new? He glanced down at his usual shirt, one of the ones he'd purchased on the island, and his suit. He couldn't help but smile when he noticed the socks. Every time he put them on he thought of Lisbon.
But back to his clothes. It had been years since he'd thought much about them. Before Red John he'd always dressed carefully, with expensive suits and ties. He'd had to look the part of a successful and respectable man. With the death of his wife and daughter he'd lost interest in anything, including how he looked or dressed. It had been Lisbon who had told him to clean up, which he had. But rather than return to his former mode of dress he'd purchased cheap suits and vests. They'd been his uniform, his armor – the uniform of a man obsessed with vengeance.
When he'd finally killed Red John he'd been able to lose that uniform. Coming back to the FBI had meant more suits even though he refused to conform and kept a measure of independence by keeping the shirts and again refusing to wear a tie.
Then there were the shoes. He looked down at them in affection tinged with sadness. They were the last purchase he had made with Angela. He'd wanted comfortable shoes to wear at home and with casual pants. These had been comfortable and although she had rolled her eyes at his choice, she'd kissed him and told him she wouldn't complain.
"And I want you to always remember Patrick", she'd told him, "every time you wear those shoes, how much I love you."
He never forgot – and planned to keep the shoes as long as he could. But that didn't mean he couldn't dress up a bit. He bit his lip, and pondered what he should do. He finally stood and wandered back to Cho's desk.
"So, where do you get your suits?" he asked the man.
Cho glanced up, his expression not changing. "Just go to Barton Creek Mall. Lots of men's stores there. And you might consider some other things too."
"Like what?"
"Some jeans. Women like men in jeans."
"Well, most women, but that doesn't mean -"
"Lisbon will like you in jeans", Cho told him, pulling a form forward and starting to fill it out.
Just then Teresa returned from her meeting, Kim at her side. She smiled a greeting at the two men.
"Hey Jane, where were you this morning? You were late." Kim gave a smirk but stood looking at Jane expectantly.
Cho shook his head and continued to work while Patrick simply smiled. "Nice to see you Kim. I had some car trouble."
"Really? What's wrong with your car?"
"Wouldn't start. It's okay now though."
Everyone settled in after that – Jane picked up some cold files and began to read them. After solving the Dejorio case Abbott wanted Jane to begin looking at other, high-profile cases that had gone unsolved. The others were working on clearing up the backlog of paperwork that resulted from their investigations
Midway through the morning there was a slight disturbance when Bill from the security desk came up holding a bouquet of flowers. "I have a delivery here for Agent Lisbon", he called. Everyone in the room stopped and peered at him as he was waved over to Teresa's desk, a huge, colorful arrangement of wild-flowers in his hand.
"I signed for it downstairs Agent", the smiling Bill told her. "We've checked it over and it's fine. Someone sure must like you."
She smiled and thanked the man as she took the bouquet, her cheeks flushed as everyone in the room regarded her silently.
"Agent Pike must really miss you", Wiley said cheerfully.
Teresa suddenly looked panicked and couldn't help but glance over at Jane, who seemed immersed in the file he was reading. Could it have been Marcus? Was he trying to get her back by this romantic gesture? She set the flowers down, forced to admit that they were gorgeous and just exactly what she liked. She'd never cared for more formal arrangements, the more natural looking arrangement and the burst of colors more to her taste.
"Who's it from Teresa?" Kim called over to her.
"Uh – I'm not sure", she said. After a moment she discovered a card and opened it. There was nothing on it but a tiny diagram of a frog, surrounded by a heart.
"So, tell us?" Kim was looking at her curiously, noting the huge smile that had spread over her colleague's face.
"It – uh – doesn't say", she told everyone. "I must have a secret admirer." She carefully put the card in her pocket and sat down. He was so going to get a reward for this. She was starting to realize that Jane could be romantic, something she never would have expected. It was exciting to see this new side of him. She glanced up, just in time to see him look up from his file and give her a quick wink. Yup, he was definitely getting something nice for this. Of course now she had to deal with speculation from the rest of the office. Some probably thought it was Pike, others were wondering who the mystery man was. It was kind of fun.
Jane chose to leave a bit early, telling her he needed to run an errand before picking her up for dinner. "I'll be there at 6:00", he told her softly as he walked by her desk. She gave a small nod.
"Have a good weekend Teresa, everyone." Jane gave a general wave and headed towards the door.
"Nice move", Cho told him as he walked by.
"What?"
"The flowers. Nice. You're gonna get lucky tonight."
"I already am Cho", he told his friend. With a light step he headed out of the building and to the mall.
"The suit fits you perfectly", the clerk told him. "We don't even need to alter it. And with this shirt and tie you'll look extremely elegant."
Jane considered himself in the mirror, feeling rather uncomfortable. The man staring back at him looked too much like the con-man of years gone by. Older of course, but not exactly what he was going for. Still, if Teresa liked it …
"Okay, I'll take it."
"And if I may suggest Sir, there's a good men's shoe store just down the hall."
Okay, now that was going too far! There was no reason to buy new shoes. He looked at himself again and groaned. Okay, so maybe he could buy a pair, just for tonight.
When he glanced at his watch he realized time was running short. He had to make it home, shower and then pick up Lisbon in just over an hour. He was cutting it close.
He felt horribly uncomfortable in his new suit and especially the tie. It was the first he'd worn since the funerals. He grimaced at that thought and shook his head to stop from going there. He could do this – for Teresa it would be worth it.
She was nervous and didn't know why. They'd had a great evening the night before and he'd sent her flowers today. They were just going to dinner and dancing – nothing earth shattering. But it didn't seem to matter. Her heart was thudding like an insane jackhammer and her palms were sweaty.
"It's because it's your first real date with Patrick', she muttered. The first real formal date and it was making her nervous – which was absolutely ridiculous if you considered what they'd been up to last night. There was no reason she should be feeling shy.
The doorbell rang and she noted that it was exactly six. She had to admit that Jane was punctual when he wanted to be.
"Hi, you're right on -" her voice stopped dead. "Patrick."
"Hi", he told her, wondering suddenly if he'd made a huge mistake. "I just - I thought I should -"
"You look amazing!" She grabbed the lapels of his new suit and pulled him forward, her lips capturing his possessively.
Midway into the kiss he admitted that Cho was right. Women did like it when you bought new clothes.
"You're wearing a tie" she said, after they'd both caught their breath.
"Mmm", he agreed, distracted by the little pulse beating in her neck. It was so cute and definitely invited a kiss.
"You don't wear ties" she bent her head, allowing him better access to the highly sensitive part of her neck. "Why are you wearing a tie?"
He shrugged. "I wanted tonight to be special and Cho told me I should get some new clothes."
"And – new shoes? Wow. You look – incredible."
"So do you." He realized he'd barely had a chance to see her before he'd been pulled into the kiss. But now, looking at her in the skin-tight little black dress, he was pretty sure that he'd been wrong. There had to be a heaven because he'd just walked into it.
"Shall we?" he held out his arm, hoping the rest of the evening went as well as the beginning had.
Lisbon could barely get enough of looking at her boyfriend – no, lover sounded better. He was such a handsome man, but for many years he'd looked like a lost waif. Now however, he could have doubled for a model in a men's magazine.
The restaurant was amazing and afterward there was dancing. In the end they went for a walk by the river and then slowly headed back to Teresa's. This time she didn't say anything, simply drew him into her house and her bedroom.
Yup – it had ended even better than it had begun. And this time, his suit got hung in the closet.
The next day was their planned trip to the zoo. Jane left to go home and change and then he'd come back to pick Teresa up and head over to see the lions and tigers and bears.
Lisbon was in for another shock when Jane got back. She packed away the last of the picnic things and then dried her hands when the doorbell rang. "Hey, I'm just – jeans?"
"They're okay?" he asked anxiously. He looked at himself self-consciously, feeling like a fraud in the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. At least he could wear his comfortable shoes.
"They're fine. They look great", she told him with a kiss, "although I may end up not recognizing you if you keep changing your style like this."
"You'll always recognize me", he told her seriously.
"Right – you're the one getting in trouble and getting me into trouble."
"But you're not bored are you? You would have been bored with – uh – anyone else."
"No, I'm not bored", she agreed, a small smirk on her face.
"Good, because we have a long day ahead of us. I vote for the hippos!"
"I want to see the tigers."
Teresa couldn't remember when she'd had more fun. She'd loved Jane – for a long time if truth were told, but now she was really getting to like him. He was always gentle and considerate with her and hadn't played any games, at least as far as she could tell. He talked non-stop, but since everything he said was interesting or relevant she didn't mind.
The only wrinkle they ran into all day was when she expressed a desire to see the koalas. At first he pretended he hadn't heard and then after that he avoided the discussion every time it came up.
"Why won't you let me go see the koalas", she asked recklessly after his forth time ignoring her.
"I can't let you do anything Lisbon", he told her. "If you want to go see them, go ahead."
"Come with me."
"No, I'll wait here."
"But Patrick", she smiled and put her arms around his waist. "They're so cute. Come on."
"I told you no Lisbon", he snapped, stepping away.
She'd rarely, if ever, heard Jane get angry and stepped back in surprise. It took her only a moment to realize what was going on and then she wanted to slap herself. He'd told her that his daughter loved the zoo, and what little girl didn't love to look at the koalas, probably the cutest animal there was. "I'm sorry" she suddenly whispered, stepping forward and putting her arms around him again."
She could feel the tension in his body and was worried by the fact that he didn't immediately return her embrace. "Patrick?"
"I'm sorry Lisbon", he let out a deep breath. "It's stupid I know. Maybe this isn't such a good idea."
She leaned back in confusion. "What? What isn't a good idea?"
"I – look, you know I'm messed up. I wanted everything to be perfect but -"
"Stop! Just stop right there. Look, I know you still have – scars, demons that you're dealing with. I understand that and I accept it. I was the one who messed up here, not you. I wasn't listening to you and I pushed when I should have known better."
"You just wanted to see koalas. It shouldn't have been a big deal", he said in disgust at himself.
"Of course it's a big deal. I get it, I really do. So stop beating yourself up about it and let's go see the elephants instead."
He finally agreed and they headed out. Sadly, the light-hearted joy of the day was gone. But Lisbon realized that maybe this wasn't a bad thing. At least Jane was beginning to let her see some of the hurt that for many years he'd tried to keep carefully hidden. She didn't try and make him feel better because she knew she couldn't. But she could stick with him and be there for him when he needed her. She reached over and took his hand. "I love you Patrick and this doesn't change that. In fact, it makes me love you even more."
"That I'm so screwed up?" he asked bitterly.
"We're all screwed up in one way or another. Don't you think I have my demons? You couldn't get me to go to a stock car race if my life depended on it – and no, I can't talk about it, at least not now. One day, maybe. But one thing I know – is even if I can't talk about my demons to you yet, I can trust you to love me and be there for me – and I want you to believe that I'm here for you as well."
He slowed and then stopped. Taking a deep breath he turned to her and gently pushed back the hair around her face. "Thank you", was all he said, and then he gave her a gentle kiss.
They wandered around a bit more, but both were getting tired so they decided to head out. This time they went to Patrick's trailer, as he told her he'd prepared something for their dinner. That night they didn't make love, but rather spent the time wrapped in one another's arms, each knowing they were no longer alone.