advent calendar fic: day 10

[spyglass_]

Tidings of Comfort and Joy
The Mentalist | Jane/Lisbon | 2,614 words
Happy Holidays, watchyouwalk!

Notes:
(i) watchyouwalk's original prompt was for Anne/Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables, but I didn't quite have that in me this month (although I'll try writing them in the future) so when she gave me a second prompt that was a Lisbon prompt, I kind of combined them in my

Comments

[spyglass_]

I mean temporary in the fact that they were never things that she was going to keep, aside from obviously the memories and possibly a picture of the pony in her office. Jane does things in big, extravagant gestures because that's how he works, but he also knows Lisbon and knows that she's never going to keep the emeralds, the same with the pony, and the car/dinner is only a one night thing. Things like that are not really Lisbon's style, in general, and Jane knows that (which I think is one of the reasons he enjoys doing them for her).

I agree that it's the only way Jane can safely express himself without fear of his feelings being discovered, but I set this up in a post-RJ world where he doesn't necessarily have to worry about that anymore. The implication being that now that Red John is no longer an issue, he can safely express himself and know that he's a more permanent fixture in her life, as opposed to a ticking time bomb who could either end up killed or in prison because of his quest for revenge. That he's giving her something she's going to keep and use that is still something she would have never done for herself, but is a little more her speed. I meant this gift as a marker of a change in the way he shows affection in their relationship*, and whether in friendship or something more, that's all up to personal preference.

*Not that I ever doubt that he'll continue to make the grand gestures, since that's definitely a part of who Jane is, and I think he enjoys making those gestures, particularly to Lisbon. But now he feels more free to give her things like the books as well.

So I hope that answers your question, or at least explains where I'm coming from with that.