Fic Commentary: Restraints, Ch. 6
Remember how I was talking about writing stuff and the thought process being basically, “And this will happen and it will be CHARMING?”
Well, let’s just say there’s a reason this chapter came with a “Fluffety fluff fluff” warning.
xxxxx
Chapter 6
xxxxx
After putting the dishes in the dishwasher and piling the pots in the sink, stating they could be washed later, Jane led Lisbon on a tour of his house.
It was charming. It really was.
And she wasn’t talking about the bungalow (though come to think of it, that was charming too). No, Lisbon was referring to Jane himself.
He was so excited, so pleased; even he couldn’t hide it. His enthusiasm leaked out every so often and she was revelling in it.
She wasn’t used to seeing Jane so genuinely happy about something.
After all, his demeanour was usually fairly neutral. You could push his buttons certainly, make him angry or vindictive. Lisbon had definitely seen several examples of negative emotions from Jane. But it was often quite difficult to fluster her consultant, make him irritated or excited, or anything other than amused in a detached sort of a way. Even when he did seem to look pleased, it was usually in an impersonal sort of way in that he found the situation amusing, but wasn’t really connected to it at all.
It’s true. Jane’s very rarely genuinely happy in any kind of a personal way. If he ever was, I think it would be rather endearing.
He usually hid the extent of his feelings carefully, unless you knew what to look for.
But apparently not today. Lisbon had gotten a bit of a demonstration of that fact when she’d seen his jealousy earlier (not to mention the attraction between the two of them). Apparently Jane had decided to let himself feel. Personally.
And he wanted to share it all with her.
Lisbon let herself get swept up with the experience. She found herself ducking down to look in cabinets, turning on lights to best admire paint colours, testing the water pressure in the bathroom or the smoothness of the sliding doors and commenting on new pieces of furniture and their placement in the room (she agreed with Jane; the overstuffed armchair in the living room really needed to be moved to the far corner).
The overstuffed armchair is the basis for the potential second oneshot in this series. I jest not.
She admired the new trim along the kitchen ceiling, the size of the bedroom, the set-up of the kitchen and the comfort level of his couch. Jane was so excited she forgot to be sparing in her praise, even sharing her positive opinion of his sheets unasked (a review which earned her twinkling eyes and a firm kiss).
When she suggested ripping out the existing (and ancient) coat rod in the hallway closet and replacing it with one of the new closet organizers, Jane had looked at her like she was a genius.
She’s getting involved. He likes that. Because eventually they end up living here together. (This is definitely one of the ‘verses most developed in my head. I am just sayin’.)
In fact, the only thing that he seemed genuinely disappointed about was that everything wasn’t quite done. She commiserated with him about the state of the second bathroom in the basement, and agreed that a new carpet in the back hall was a must. But then she pointed out that everything else was so lovely it didn’t make all that much difference. Still, he was irritated.
I love that he’s annoyed. He wanted it to be all perfect o impress her, and she’s all, whatever. She genuinely doesn’t care, because it’s still all charming, and it’s only minor things, plus he just moved in.
Lisbon threaded an arm through his. “Jane,” she admonished lightly. “I’m pretty sure you’ve managed to make your house more settled in a few months than I have in years. You even bought stuff to hang on the walls.”
“I still need more paintings though,” he murmured, frowning slightly.
“And you have plenty of time to do that,” she promised him.
Jane looked doubtful.
Lisbon laughed, she couldn’t help it. Then she just leaned against his shoulder while he stared at one of the blank walls in his living room, murmuring about colour schemes and what size of picture (or possible other type of wall hanging) was necessary. His mutterings were kind of relaxing.
She just steps back and lets him go on with his thoughts. Just accepts him, as she does. Best friends.
Oddly enough, while revelling in all of Jane’s enthusiasm, Lisbon didn’t realize once how comfortable she was.
xxxxx
Lisbon wouldn’t, maybe even couldn’t, stop touching him.
Because the whole touching thing has come back.
Brushing his arm, wrapping an arm around his waist, that sort of thing. When he crouched down she’d place a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she crouched too. She leaned against him slightly when he showed her something. Or the one wonderful time when he’d already been crouched down, displaying his shelving space and she’d absently stared running a hand through his hair.
She seemed to particularly like doing that.
Now she was tucked against his side, listening to him complain about the bare walls in his living room. Or rather, it was more likely that she wasn’t listening to him. Jane glanced down at her, snuggled against his shoulder. The woman was definitely lost in her own thoughts. Her fingers were trailing absently from his arm across to his hip and back again. He wasn’t even sure if she knew she was doing it.
It made Jane realize how much he’d missed being touched. And not the odd awkward hug from a stranger that he still received in the most unexpected of circumstances, not even a pat on the back from Rigsby or a swat in the arm from her. Which he liked too, he did. But that wasn’t like this.
This was personal, affectionate, deliberate (though perhaps unconsciously so). And this was familiar, and implied so much more.
Jane definitely liked it. And he was relieved that Lisbon seemed as desperate to touch him as he was to touch her.
Because things would kind of suck for him if she hadn’t been invested in and attracted to him too. But she is, so it works.
His desire where she was concerned unnerved him slightly. It wasn’t often that he lost control at all, and the woman next to him had been making him practically throb with need lately. He was still a little bewildered by how easily it had been to let his libido take control of the situation earlier. Not that Lisbon had objected, but still... It should have been more disconcerting, or at least overwhelming, than it was.
Daw. Jane is off-balance too. But that’s fine. They’ll work it out.
He drew her closer against him, slipping an arm around her waist.
Lisbon stiffened briefly, apparently realizing what she was doing. After a few seconds she started relaxing slowly against him again.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Jane asked lightly.
“Hm?” Lisbon hummed.
“What do you think?” he clarified.
“It’s lovely Jane,” she said sincerely, reassuring him for what now felt like the tenth time in an hour. “It really is.”
Jane puffed up slightly in pride. He’d known she’d like it, although he figured at least half of that was to do less with the features in the house and more to do with the fact that he’d bought a house at all. “Do you want to see the garden?” he asked, attempting to sound casual.
And failing miserably. He kind of showed his hand earlier when he was disappointed she didn’t want the tour. She knows better than to refuse a second time.
Lisbon smiled up at him, seeing through the act right away. She agreed easily, unwilling to give up this happy Jane quite yet. “Sure, but isn’t it getting a bit dark?”
“The sun hasn’t quite set yet,” he argued. “Between that and the lights on the back porch, I’m sure it’ll be alright,” he told her. “Although, I don’t want to excite your anticipation. Half of it still needs to be ripped out.”
“In the same way that this house isn’t quite ready?” Lisbon asked dryly.
“It isn’t quite ready,” Jane insisted. “There are still things that need to be done.”
“Minor things,” Lisbon reminded him.
“Still,” Jane said. “And the things that need to be done in the garden aren’t minor. Trust me.”
“Okay,” Lisbon said. “But I reserve the right to for my own opinion when I see it. Let’s go, before it really is too dark.”
xxxxx
Despite Lisbon’s initial scepticism, the garden was a bit of a mess. Jane had cleared out a lot of unwanted plants, and the result was a lot of empty space. Though there were still nice features. The previous owners had planted a few neglected perennials, some of which were in bloom. And a neighbour had assured Jane that there were tulips in one corner. Plus there was a trellis covered with vines next to the back door.
“Sounds like you’ve done a fair bit of work,” Lisbon told him, walking down a newly cleared path.
Jane shrugged. “I like it,” he admitted. “It’s relaxing.”
“Doesn’t really sound it,” Lisbon told him. “But then, I’ve never been much of a gardener.”
Jane twined his fingers through hers. “I’m sure you’d like it if you tried.”
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “I think I’ll stick to the shooting range.”
“Hmm,” Jane said, before changing the subject. “Still need to figure out what to put in the big empty spaces. I was thinking maybe a few vegetables in the one corner, some sort of ornamental tree over there, but I’m not sure about the corner by the deck,” he admitted. “I was thinking something with more colour.”
“You could always plant rhododendrons,” Lisbon suggested without thinking. “They’re nice when they’re in flower.”
Jane glanced at her. The suggestion had come apparently out of the blue, especially for someone who said they didn’t garden. Then he noticed Lisbon had tensed up again, and he decided not to pry. “That sounds like a good idea; I’ll think about it.”
And this is the inspiration for “Reminiscing in the Rhododendrons.” The already written one-shot in sequel to this. I think it’s quite good. It’s after they’ve been together for a while. It’s also about letting your guard down. Because I’ve been wanting to write a story about Lisbon letting her guard down for a while, and this universe allowed me to do it. (I needed an established relationship, for one). But I digress...
Lisbon shook herself slightly. “Don’t feel obligated or anything,” she murmured.
“Nonsense,” Jane said briskly. “I have no idea what to plant there. You like rhododendrons. They’ll be colourful, and about the right size. Why wouldn’t I plant one, or even two? Problem solved.”
Lisbon shook her head. “You’re ridiculously impulsive sometimes,” she told him.
“I can plan too,” he defended. “Besides, sometimes spur of the moment works for me,” he reminded her, flashing back to some of the highlights of his earlier impulsive behaviour. He tipped her chin up gently to kiss her.
It often does. Because he’s lucky like that, and pretty clever.
“Patrick? Is that you?” a voice interrupted them, far too soon in his opinion.
Still, he smiled and turned towards the noise. “Of course it is, Barbara,” he replied.
Meet Barbara. Probably the best developed OC I have ever written. Not that that’s hard. I don’t write many.
Lisbon looked at him in confusion. Jane grinned cheerfully in reply.
“I thought I heard something,” an elderly woman from the next yard said as she walked over. She paused when she saw Lisbon. “I’m so sorry. I’m interrupting. You have company.”
Jane started assuring the woman that she wasn’t interrupting and Lisbon told herself not to feel self-conscious, unfortunately remembering her current attire for the first time since she’d come outside.
What she’s wearing does make it rather obvious what’s going on, for a start. And anyway, no one likes to meet people wearing sweatpants.
“It’s fine,” Jane said for the third time in sixty seconds. “I was giving a tour of my garden to...” he trailed off, suddenly unsure of how to refer to the woman next to him.
His neighbour had no such issues. She walked over to Lisbon holding out her hand, her smile friendly and nonjudgmental. “Oh! You must be Teresa! Patrick’s told me so much about you. I’m Barbara Dunham, Patrick’s neighbour. It’s lovely to finally meet you.”
Lisbon was startled, but she shook the woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you too. Teresa Lisbon,” she confirmed introducing herself with a smile and a sidelong glance at Jane, highly entertained to discover that he looked slightly embarrassed. Her grin turned wicked. “I didn’t realize I was such an exciting topic of conversation, Mrs. Dunham. I hope it was at least mostly good things.”
He’s getting nervous, because he wanted them to get to know each other, but now he’s worried about what they might say...
“Oh please, call me Barbara,” the woman told her. “I already half feel like I know you. I’m going to call you Teresa right off. Like I said, Patrick talks about you all time. I knew we’d cross paths eventually.”
Because I can see Jane talking about her without realizing it. It’s not like he has that many friends, and he spends most of his time with her. Also, given who he feels about her...
Lisbon tried not to laugh at the expression on Jane’s face. A self-conscious Jane was rare, but now his expression was bordering on panic, and she planned on enjoying every second of it
“You’re almost exactly as I pictured you,” Jane’s neighbour continued. “Oh and of course everything I heard was good. What else would it be with this one as my source?” Then she turned towards Jane. “She’s just as lovely as you described Patrick, though I can hardly believe all your tales of tackling combined with a kind of fierce authority.”
“Umm...” Jane and Lisbon both said at the same time. Lisbon wasn’t sure exactly which stories Jane had told his neighbour, but given what had happened over the past decade, she rather suspected they were all true. Jane was just wondering the quickest way to end the conversation and whisk Lisbon back inside.
That is one of the things about knowing Jane. Any story he’s involved in would sound absurd, but almost certainly true. (Well, first I convinced everyone we were all going to die from a deadly virus I’d just released. But it was all a con. So Lisbon punched me in the nose... Then I found Lisbon with a bomb strapped to her, so I figured out who’d designed it, and we drove to his office so he couldn’t blow it up without killing himself... So then I pretended to hypnotize the kids to trick one of them into confessing to murder...)
Barbara Dunham was a rather perceptive woman, who had a healthy streak of nosiness (though always with the best intentions) and she picked up on their hesitation. She decided to save them from answering her. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have doubted him though,” she said slowly. “Which means that you’re a quite a bit feistier than you look right now. Which, given that you deal with this one isn’t all that surprising.”
“Lisbon’s feistiness predates my arrival in her life,” Jane assured his neighbour.
“I get the job done,” Lisbon said with a shrug. “That’s all. Even if that does involve wrangling wayward consultants,” she added with a smirk and another glance at Jane.
Jane gave a poor impression of looking offended, until Lisbon nudged him playfully in the shoulder. Then he settled into a more cheerful expression, slipping a hand briefly onto the small of her back.
“Anyway,” Barbara said suddenly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening. I was just wondering if you were finished with my Phillips head screwdriver, Patrick. I could use it tonight.”
Jane’s smile got slightly wider. After all, once he gave Barbara her screwdriver back then theoretically she would leave again once she had it. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his neighbour, quite the opposite, but he had other plans for his evening. “Oh, yes,” he assured her. “I finished with it a couple of days ago, but then I got distracted with work and forgot to return it. I’ll go get it.”
“Patrick apparently doesn’t own a screwdriver,” his neighbour explained to Lisbon.
“Which most of the time isn’t really an issue,” Jane defended, upon seeing Lisbon’s incredulous look. “Until you want to adjust the height of the shelves in a bookshelf.”
“I told you I would do that for you Patrick,” Barbara reminded him.
“I know,” Jane agreed. “But whatever you might think I am perfectly capable of using a screwdriver to adjust the height of my shelves.”
“And how long did it take you to get them straight?” Barbara asked curiously.
“That’s not the point,” Jane said quickly.
“As I thought,” the woman tutted with a slight shake of her head.
I decided a while ago that Jane is incompetent with tools. It just makes sense. I decided it while writing Persuasion actually. Several people agree with me. Therefore it must be so. Besides, him being good at everything gets tiresome.
Lisbon laughed, then noticing Jane looked rather embarrassed decided to take pity on him, and looped her arm around him, giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder.
Jane relaxed against her, briefly dropping an arm around her shoulder.
The exchange was subtle, but Jane’s neighbour definitely noticed, if her indulgent smile was anything to go by.
Because she’s noticed that the pair of them can’t stop touching each other. And it is charming.
“Well, I’ll just go grab that screwdriver for you,” Jane said, reluctant to disentangle himself from his companion quite yet.
“Normally it wouldn’t matter,” Barbara explained apologetically to Lisbon. “But I need a Phillips head to finish off a cabinet I promised a client for the weekend.”
“Barbara refurbishes old furniture,” Jane explained. “The hutch in my living room is actually one of hers.”
“Really?” Lisbon asked.
“Yes,” Barbara assured her. “Bit of a retirement project to keep myself from going stir-crazy. If you’re in the market for furniture you should drop by my garage sometime.”
“Oh,” Lisbon said, “Well...” She wasn’t exactly into home decor after all.
Jane grinned. “Teresa’s a bit of a minimalist when it comes to decorating.”
“To each their own,” Barbara said with a shrug. “But if you ever change your mind...”
“I’ll let you know,” Lisbon promised.
“If you’ll excuse me ladies,” Jane said, finally slipping out of Lisbon’s half-embrace. “I’ll be right back.”
The two women watched him go.
“He is a charming devil,” Barbara remarked absently.
“He’s something alright,” Lisbon said dryly.
After all, she hasn’t changed that much. She’s not going to compliment him or anything.. Heh.
Barbara smiled, deciding to help her newest neighbour along, “Well, he’s certainly a helpful neighbour,” she assured Lisbon. “Always coming over, humouring an old woman. Sometimes a job need a second set of hands, and Patrick’s been lovely for that. Plus he’s never too busy for a cup of tea on the porch. And he makes lovely chocolate chip cookies. I was never a very good cook myself.”
I could see Barb talking him up. She’s decided she likes Lisbon, and that they’re good together. Barb is nice like that.
“Jane bakes?” Lisbon asked, surprised.
Barbara smiled. “Oh yes,” she assured the younger woman. “You must ask him about it sometime. It’s rather a handy skill in a man.”
“I’m sure it is,” Lisbon agreed absently.
Jane’s neighbour nodded, “Though I’m sure he’s not always so helpful.”
“No,” Lisbon agreed. “Helpful isn’t exactly the word I’d use to describe Patrick a lot of the time.”
Helpful isn’t the word I’d use to describe him almost ever. Not the first word at least.
“I suppose you’re right. He certainly looks like he could create more than his fair share of trouble,” Barbara admitted. “I can’t imagine working with him is always easy,” she said fishing.
“I guess I’ve gotten used to it over the years,” Lisbon admitted. “At least he’s not boring.”
“Not to mention he’s crazy about you,” Barbara added. “In spite of his demons.”
That startled Lisbon.
Jane’s neighbour hurried to put her at ease. “I don’t know what his demons are,” she admitted. “He’s never told me, and I’m certainly not asking you to either. But it was obvious from almost the first day I met him that he’d been through something. You can see it in his eyes sometimes, though not so much lately. For such a cheerful person, Patrick’s very rarely completely at ease.”
Lisbon stared at the woman standing next to her; just who was this woman? “No, that’s true,” she said eventually.
“I meant what I said earlier,” Barbara added. “He really does talk about you all the time. I doubt he even realizes he’s doing it. So I do feel like I know you. Though I realize you probably haven’t heard that much about me.”
I like Barb reassuring Lisbon of how much Jane really has talked about her. Telling her that he really means this. She likes him, and she’s nosy, so she interferes with good intentions.
“Well, Jane did want to keep his new house a surprise,” Lisbon murmured. “But, maybe we’ll see more of each other now.”
“Be good to him,” the other woman murmured, as Jane returned.
Lisbon glanced over sharply, trying to control her blush.
“Here’s your screwdriver Barb,” he said, handing the tool to his neighbour. “How are things out here?”
“Teresa and I have just been getting acquainted,” Barb assured him.
Lisbon chuckled when she saw a flash of panic run across her consultant’s face. “Don’t worry Patrick,” she cooed. “I didn’t have enough time to ask about any home improvement disasters.”
“We’ll leave that for the second meeting,” Barbara assured an even more concerned-looking Jane.
“Oh wonderful,” Jane said.
“Anyway,” Barbara said. “I’ve got what I came for, so I’ll leave you two to enjoy the rest of your evening. It was lovely meeting you Teresa.”
“You too,” Lisbon said.
“Good night Patrick,” Barbara said with a pat on the arm. “Try not to do anything too foolish would you? I highly doubt that you deserve her.”
“Your instincts always were good,” Jane replied, giving his neighbour a kiss on the cheek.
Barbara waved self-consciously at him. “Oh, well, I guess you’re not such a bad sort,” she admitted begrudgingly. “Have a good night.”
The two CBI employees watched her go.
“How long do you think it took her to think up collecting a screwdriver as an excuse to come over and introduce herself? Jane murmured.
Heh. In my head, Barb noticed them almost immediately. And she was all, “Hey! My charming neighbour has company! And not just any company, but a lady-friend. I wonder if it’s this Teresa he talks about all the time. I hope so. She sounds lovely. I really want to meet her. Hmmm... Must think of an excuse... If only I baked, I could pretend I was just dropping by to ask for sugar, or donate cookies, or... My screwdriver! He still has my screwdriver! Excellent plausible sounding reason to go over there. I know it’s none of my business, but maybe I can help...”
Lisbon looked up at him with a questioning smile.
“Oh come on,” Jane added. “I’m sure she has more than one screwdriver.”
“Says the man who has none,” Lisbon interrupted.
“That’s different,” Jane said with a wave of his hand. “Carpentry isn’t exactly a hobby of mine.”
“I’ll say,” Lisbon shot back.
Jane grinned at her. “Anyway, Barbara’s been not-so-secretly dying to meet you for weeks now. She’s been dropping hints that I’m sure she believed were subtle...”
I enjoy this line. Jane knows exactly what she was doing, and doesn’t care. He wants the women in his life to bond.
Lisbon laughed. “Well, then I guess my meeting her was inevitable. She doesn’t seem like the type of woman who gives up easily.”
“I wouldn’t bet against her,” Jane admitted.
“I like her,” Lisbon added.
“Of course you do,” Jane said softly.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Lisbon asked looking up at him.
“Nothing,” Jane insisted. “Just that I always thought you would.”
Both strong, loyal, independent women. Of course they bonded.
“Though, I admit, I would have preferred just a little advanced notice,” she admitted. “I would have considered combing my hair at the very least.”
“Your hair looks lovely,” Jane assured her. “Besides, I was far too distracted by another woman to remember my elderly neighbour.”
“Oh?” Lisbon asked innocently. “Anyone I know?”
Jane chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Somehow I think you know exactly who I’m talking about, dear,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers.
Lisbon glanced down. “Now that you mention it,” she said slowly, her heart thumping in her chest. “Barbara seemed to imply that my name came up a fair bit in conversation,” she added, trailing a finger across his chest.
Jane angled himself closer to her. “Well, who else was I going to talk about?” he asked against her ear.
“Cho?” Lisbon suggested breathlessly.
Jane chuckled. “Somehow his name never really came up.”
“Mmm. Really?” she wondered, glancing up at him.
Jane’s smile was devastating. “His smile’s not as pretty as yours is.”
“Cho’s smile is perfectly nice,” Lisbon said loyally.
“Yeah, and we’re all luckily enough to get to see it at least annually,” Jane agreed.
Banter is cannon.
Lisbon laughed, and looped her arms around his neck.
She tilted her head up at him. “You really talked about me that much?”
She’s still a bit insecure, and she wants him to reassure her, just a little. She likes it when he does that.
Jane bent down to kiss her temple. He’d never thought he’d live to see the day when Teresa Lisbon was fishing for his compliments, but it was an endearing sight. “To be honest,” he whispered. “I didn’t notice that I talked about you excessively, but it doesn’t surprise me that I did. I’ve become rather fond of you over the years, sweetheart.”
Because the talk of her is far more charming if it’s unintentional.
“And the best way you could think of to show that affection was to kidnap me and handcuff?” she wondered, toying with the hair on the back of his neck.
“Well...” Jane said slowly.
“It was ridiculous, Jane,” Lisbon admonished affectionately.
Ridiculous yes, but possibly very them. And it may have worked out better than the traditional route.
“Yet it seems to have worked out in the end,” Jane reminded her. “And I’m fairly certain that you didn’t dislike it.”
She swatted him, and tried to hide her blush.
“Besides,” Jane added. “Handcuffs weren’t my original plan. And I do believe that I’ve already told you that.”
“Which reminds me, what were you going to talk to me about in the car earlier?” Lisbon asked. “You promised to tell me later.”
“I was going to tell you that I couldn’t get you out of my head, and outline the numerous ways that I was infinitely better than your little namby-pamby lawyer,” Jane said bluntly.
He knows she’ll get it out of him eventually, so he goes for the complete truth. And catches her off guard. He likes doing that.
Lisbon’s breath caught in her throat. “Really?”
“Oh yes,” he assured her, directing them back towards the house. “I’ve spent the better part of a week hating that man, Teresa.”
“Patrick,” she whispered.
“I like the way you say that,” he admitted.
And they rarely use first names. Especially her. Unless she’s referring to him to someone else (like the child in I think it’s 3.18), or if it’s a threat because he’s got amnesia and being a jerk (best scene EVER.) Although that was more of a nickname...
“Do you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Is that all you like?” Lisbon wondered before she could help herself.
“You know it isn’t; now you’re really fishing,” he told her
“And if I am?” she asked breathlessly.
Jane took one look at her shining eyes and gave in. “Then I think you should know that I’m completely and utterly besotted,” he told her.
Yeah, he never really stood a chance. He really didn’t. The whole wanting to make her happy thing works against him in that sense. But it’s okay, because he does make her happy.
She bit her lip, “Besotted, huh?”
“Mmhm. I want you,” he added, ducking her into a dark corner by the back stoop and kissing her forehead before moving to her eyes when they fluttered shut, then her cheeks, before hovering above her lips.
She sighed, eyes still closed. “Good.”
He grinned. “Glad you approve.”
“My approval’s rarely stopped you in the past,” Lisbon reminded him.
“Yes, but this time it is rather crucial,” Jane pointed out. “And you’re not as tough as you like everyone to think, Teresa Lisbon.”
“Says the man who can barely adjust the height of his own bookshelves,” Lisbon murmured.
“Says the woman who still isn’t completely unpacked,” Jane reminded her.
“It’s getting better,” she defended.
“Yeah, in another three years the boxes might be completely gone,” Jane said dryly.
I’m very sad that the last time we saw Lisbon’s condo it looked like she had completely unpacked. In my head she still has a few boxes in her closet. I don’t know why, but I like the idea.
“Shut up,” she ordered, sneaking a kiss.
“Yes ma’am,” he agreed.
“Oh, if only it was that easy,” Lisbon joked.
Jane grinned, “You’d hate it if it was.”
Lisbon made a sound of frustration before grabbing him and pulling him closer. “Maybe I should go have a chat with Barbara,” she said huskily when she finally pulled her lips form his. “Find out exactly what you’ve been saying about me. Since your memory is conveniently imperfect. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to fill me in.”
She’s at a bit of an advantage here. She’s gotten some pretty solid evidence of just how serious he is about that. And it pleases her.
“You’re enjoying this a bit too much,” Jane growled. It had been a long time since he’d been ganged up on by women.
He secretly loves it.
“No,” Lisbon said with a shake of her head. “I’m enjoying this just enough.”
Jane spun her further away from the door, out of the porch light (and any neighbour’s prying eyes). He pushed her backwards until she hit the trellis.
“Is this part of the tour?” Lisbon asked with a giggle, glancing at the clematis attempting to grow beside her.
“Only for privileged guests,” Jane assured her.
Lisbon smirked. “Should I warn Cho in case he comes to call?”
“I can assure you that I have no intention of showing Cho the inner workings of my trellis,” Jane said dryly.
Not a line I ever thought I’d type. Have to say.
They both paused. Lisbon burst into laughter.
“That sounded far less strange in my head,” Jane admitted.
“I’m sure most things do,” Lisbon agreed.
“Hey!” Jane said. “Be nice.”
“I’m just saying...” she teased, enjoying the familiarity of it.
“Hush, woman!” he growled.
Lisbon’s eyes lit up. “Make me.”
Jane eased her back against the vines again and complied. He could see that keeping his hands off of her might prove difficult. It was probably a good thing she was far too responsible to allow it in the office. Because the woman was quite frankly, delicious.
“Jane,” Lisbon murmured after a minute. “Patrick...”
“Hmm?” he wondered idly. He was really okay with not taking right now.
But apparently Lisbon wasn’t. She pushed lightly against his shoulders, refusing to let herself be distracted by the sight of a dishevelled Patrick Jane who apparently wanted nothing more than to kiss her. “I...” she stuttered.
She’s realized something. She’s realized there’s something she needs to tell him. That she wants to tell him, even though she’s really not so good at sharing.
Realizing this was important to her, Jane pulled back slightly, using the distance to appreciate the attractiveness of an aroused Teresa Lisbon.
“I...” Lisbon said again. “You know I... I care about you. I just... Oh god.” She buried her head in his chest.
His eyes softened. “Oh Teresa,” he whispered.
And he gets it. Because Jane can be rather sweet, in the right circumstances. These are very much the right circumstances.
“I just, I never thought you’d ever really want to date again,” came her muffled explanation. “So it didn’t occur to me that... I didn’t even really think about...”
She had all these little rules, remember. And then he went and broke them all. Smashed them up into little pieces.
“Well, I was a bit surprised by that myself,” Jane admitted. “But it turns out even I can move on.”
“You just never seem all that interested in the women who throw themselves at you at least once a case,” Lisbon justified.
“Because I wasn’t interested in them,” Jane explained. It was true. He hadn’t been interested in any women seriously since his wife had died, and by the time he’d started thinking about moving on at least half his brain had been all wrapped up in Lisbon before the other half even realized. No one else had stood a chance.
“Oh,” Lisbon sighed..
“And I guess I just figured that if you were indifferent to me, you’d have punched me way before now,” Jane added.
“Well, that’s certainly true,” she agreed, pulling him back towards her.
Jane was more than willing to comply.
“You drive me crazy,” Lisbon growled.
“Good,” Jane told her, thrilled with the way the garden tour was ending.
Especially when he felt her lips against his ear.
“Want you too,” she murmured.
That was when Lisbon felt herself being shoved roughly against the clematis again.
This whole scene may make me want to write yet another sequel entitled “Conversations in the Clematis.” I have a problem. I acknowledge this freely.
And there was yet another delay before either one of them spoke again.
“Stay,” Jane whispered hoarsely, finally managing to tear his mouth away from hers.
Lisbon’s eyes widened. Truthfully, she hadn’t even really thought about leaving anytime soon, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. He’d be insufferable. So she pretended to consider his offer.
Jane’s eyes darkened. He’d convince her not to leave. He was sure he could. He let his lips trail down the now delightfully familiar path of her neck. “You don’t even have to go into the office tomorrow morning,” he reminded her.
“I know,” she whispered, holding his head in place against her pulse point. “I have conditions,” she panted after a minute.
Jane breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow,” he promised. Quite frankly, he’d assumed that went without saying. For a start, he knew how Lisbon felt about her coffee. Also, he liked the idea of cooking for her while she milled about his kitchen again. He’d really liked that. His larder may have been running low, but he was pretty sure he had the ingredients for pancakes. He wondered idly if Barbara had a spare pint of strawberries she wouldn’t mind parting with for a good cause.
Barbara does part with them, quite willingly, the next morning. She’s a romantic. And Jane does make Lisbon pancakes. In case any of you were wondering.
Lisbon laughed. “That wasn’t one of them, but I’ll look forward to that,” she told him.
Jane raised his eyebrows.
Lisbon told herself not to blush. “It turns out Casablanca was actually part of a classic film series that the Empire was having,” she explained, looking up at him hopefully.
I find this ridiculously endearing. She wants to go to the movies with him. She wants to do couple things. She’s just not quite able to spit it out, directly. But Jane is good at reading between the lines.
Jane grinned, though he was somewhat confused. He’d rather planned on taking her out repeatedly. Did she still not understand? “Of course I’ll take you to the movies. What part of ‘I want you’ are you having troubles with, Teresa?”
She buried her head in his shoulder, and he felt her hands sneak underneath his t-shirt. “I was just checking,” she admitted, right before sweeping her tongue along his collar bone.
“I’ll take you to as many movies as you want,” he promised, one of his hands hooking around her thigh and wrapping it around his own, wondering just how dark this corner of his garden was. ”All of them if you like.”
Lisbon rolled her eyes. “Let’s try for as many as possible,” she suggested. “Provided we’re in town, and they’re not showing something one of us happens to hate.”
In his current position Jane couldn’t really see himself turning down dinner and a movie with his Teresa for such a silly reason as the movie being terrible, but he didn’t bother to tell her that. “Deal,” he agreed, sealing it with a kiss. “Do you have any other conditions?”
Lisbon looked up at him considering. “I don’t want to wake up alone in a strange bed tomorrow,” she said dryly, a hint of genuine accusation in her tone.
She didn’t like the uncertainty of that. Doesn’t want it to happen again, if even it would be less uncertain this time. Because the relationship is much easier for her when he’s actually there and they’re in the middle of it, as opposed to when she’s on her own, trying not to freak out abou tit.
“Technically it wouldn’t be a strange bed, since you’ve been in it already,” Jane pointed out.
She shot him a glare he had no trouble interpreting, as she shifted away from him.
He pouted before he could help it. The woman was teasing him. Though, come to think of it, he supposed he might deserve it.
Lisbon chuckled at his expression.
“I promise you won’t,” he told her, reaching for her again. After the struggle tearing himself away from a sleeping Teresa Lisbon earlier, Jane genuinely didn’t think he’d be able to do it twice in a row.
“See that you don’t,” Lisbon ordered. If she was doing this, she wanted to do it right. And that included something more than waking up alone in a bed with no idea what was going on. Even she, who was admittedly terrible at relationships, knew that wasn’t a good sign. Not usually at least.
“I will,” Jane assured her, finally deciding to just pull her out of the clematis (now slightly crushed) and back towards the house.
“And no more handcuffing,” Lisbon added as she followed him.
Jane turned towards her, a hint of disappointment on his face. He opened the door for her, whispering his question as she walked past. “What if I ask first?”
Lisbon ducked into the house with a seductive smile. “We’ll see,” she promised.
It took less than half a second for him to chase after her.
He wasn’t anywhere near ready to let her out of his sight, not yet at least. He was enjoying this too much.
They both were.
xxxxx
The end
Yes, I know. It’s very sad that it is the end. But nonetheless it is.
Alright, so done. If there are no questions. If there are, ask ‘em in the comments. I’ll get back to you. I recognize that my ramblings may leave a little to be desired.
Well, let’s just say there’s a reason this chapter came with a “Fluffety fluff fluff” warning.
xxxxx
Chapter 6
xxxxx
After putting the dishes in the dishwasher and piling the pots in the sink, stating they could be washed later, Jane led Lisbon on a tour of his house.
It was charming. It really was.
And she wasn’t talking about the bungalow (though come to think of it, that was charming too). No, Lisbon was referring to Jane himself.
He was so excited, so pleased; even he couldn’t hide it. His enthusiasm leaked out every so often and she was revelling in it.
She wasn’t used to seeing Jane so genuinely happy about something.
After all, his demeanour was usually fairly neutral. You could push his buttons certainly, make him angry or vindictive. Lisbon had definitely seen several examples of negative emotions from Jane. But it was often quite difficult to fluster her consultant, make him irritated or excited, or anything other than amused in a detached sort of a way. Even when he did seem to look pleased, it was usually in an impersonal sort of way in that he found the situation amusing, but wasn’t really connected to it at all.
It’s true. Jane’s very rarely genuinely happy in any kind of a personal way. If he ever was, I think it would be rather endearing.
He usually hid the extent of his feelings carefully, unless you knew what to look for.
But apparently not today. Lisbon had gotten a bit of a demonstration of that fact when she’d seen his jealousy earlier (not to mention the attraction between the two of them). Apparently Jane had decided to let himself feel. Personally.
And he wanted to share it all with her.
Lisbon let herself get swept up with the experience. She found herself ducking down to look in cabinets, turning on lights to best admire paint colours, testing the water pressure in the bathroom or the smoothness of the sliding doors and commenting on new pieces of furniture and their placement in the room (she agreed with Jane; the overstuffed armchair in the living room really needed to be moved to the far corner).
The overstuffed armchair is the basis for the potential second oneshot in this series. I jest not.
She admired the new trim along the kitchen ceiling, the size of the bedroom, the set-up of the kitchen and the comfort level of his couch. Jane was so excited she forgot to be sparing in her praise, even sharing her positive opinion of his sheets unasked (a review which earned her twinkling eyes and a firm kiss).
When she suggested ripping out the existing (and ancient) coat rod in the hallway closet and replacing it with one of the new closet organizers, Jane had looked at her like she was a genius.
She’s getting involved. He likes that. Because eventually they end up living here together. (This is definitely one of the ‘verses most developed in my head. I am just sayin’.)
In fact, the only thing that he seemed genuinely disappointed about was that everything wasn’t quite done. She commiserated with him about the state of the second bathroom in the basement, and agreed that a new carpet in the back hall was a must. But then she pointed out that everything else was so lovely it didn’t make all that much difference. Still, he was irritated.
I love that he’s annoyed. He wanted it to be all perfect o impress her, and she’s all, whatever. She genuinely doesn’t care, because it’s still all charming, and it’s only minor things, plus he just moved in.
Lisbon threaded an arm through his. “Jane,” she admonished lightly. “I’m pretty sure you’ve managed to make your house more settled in a few months than I have in years. You even bought stuff to hang on the walls.”
“I still need more paintings though,” he murmured, frowning slightly.
“And you have plenty of time to do that,” she promised him.
Jane looked doubtful.
Lisbon laughed, she couldn’t help it. Then she just leaned against his shoulder while he stared at one of the blank walls in his living room, murmuring about colour schemes and what size of picture (or possible other type of wall hanging) was necessary. His mutterings were kind of relaxing.
She just steps back and lets him go on with his thoughts. Just accepts him, as she does. Best friends.
Oddly enough, while revelling in all of Jane’s enthusiasm, Lisbon didn’t realize once how comfortable she was.
xxxxx
Lisbon wouldn’t, maybe even couldn’t, stop touching him.
Because the whole touching thing has come back.
Brushing his arm, wrapping an arm around his waist, that sort of thing. When he crouched down she’d place a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she crouched too. She leaned against him slightly when he showed her something. Or the one wonderful time when he’d already been crouched down, displaying his shelving space and she’d absently stared running a hand through his hair.
She seemed to particularly like doing that.
Now she was tucked against his side, listening to him complain about the bare walls in his living room. Or rather, it was more likely that she wasn’t listening to him. Jane glanced down at her, snuggled against his shoulder. The woman was definitely lost in her own thoughts. Her fingers were trailing absently from his arm across to his hip and back again. He wasn’t even sure if she knew she was doing it.
It made Jane realize how much he’d missed being touched. And not the odd awkward hug from a stranger that he still received in the most unexpected of circumstances, not even a pat on the back from Rigsby or a swat in the arm from her. Which he liked too, he did. But that wasn’t like this.
This was personal, affectionate, deliberate (though perhaps unconsciously so). And this was familiar, and implied so much more.
Jane definitely liked it. And he was relieved that Lisbon seemed as desperate to touch him as he was to touch her.
Because things would kind of suck for him if she hadn’t been invested in and attracted to him too. But she is, so it works.
His desire where she was concerned unnerved him slightly. It wasn’t often that he lost control at all, and the woman next to him had been making him practically throb with need lately. He was still a little bewildered by how easily it had been to let his libido take control of the situation earlier. Not that Lisbon had objected, but still... It should have been more disconcerting, or at least overwhelming, than it was.
Daw. Jane is off-balance too. But that’s fine. They’ll work it out.
He drew her closer against him, slipping an arm around her waist.
Lisbon stiffened briefly, apparently realizing what she was doing. After a few seconds she started relaxing slowly against him again.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Jane asked lightly.
“Hm?” Lisbon hummed.
“What do you think?” he clarified.
“It’s lovely Jane,” she said sincerely, reassuring him for what now felt like the tenth time in an hour. “It really is.”
Jane puffed up slightly in pride. He’d known she’d like it, although he figured at least half of that was to do less with the features in the house and more to do with the fact that he’d bought a house at all. “Do you want to see the garden?” he asked, attempting to sound casual.
And failing miserably. He kind of showed his hand earlier when he was disappointed she didn’t want the tour. She knows better than to refuse a second time.
Lisbon smiled up at him, seeing through the act right away. She agreed easily, unwilling to give up this happy Jane quite yet. “Sure, but isn’t it getting a bit dark?”
“The sun hasn’t quite set yet,” he argued. “Between that and the lights on the back porch, I’m sure it’ll be alright,” he told her. “Although, I don’t want to excite your anticipation. Half of it still needs to be ripped out.”
“In the same way that this house isn’t quite ready?” Lisbon asked dryly.
“It isn’t quite ready,” Jane insisted. “There are still things that need to be done.”
“Minor things,” Lisbon reminded him.
“Still,” Jane said. “And the things that need to be done in the garden aren’t minor. Trust me.”
“Okay,” Lisbon said. “But I reserve the right to for my own opinion when I see it. Let’s go, before it really is too dark.”
xxxxx
Despite Lisbon’s initial scepticism, the garden was a bit of a mess. Jane had cleared out a lot of unwanted plants, and the result was a lot of empty space. Though there were still nice features. The previous owners had planted a few neglected perennials, some of which were in bloom. And a neighbour had assured Jane that there were tulips in one corner. Plus there was a trellis covered with vines next to the back door.
“Sounds like you’ve done a fair bit of work,” Lisbon told him, walking down a newly cleared path.
Jane shrugged. “I like it,” he admitted. “It’s relaxing.”
“Doesn’t really sound it,” Lisbon told him. “But then, I’ve never been much of a gardener.”
Jane twined his fingers through hers. “I’m sure you’d like it if you tried.”
“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. “I think I’ll stick to the shooting range.”
“Hmm,” Jane said, before changing the subject. “Still need to figure out what to put in the big empty spaces. I was thinking maybe a few vegetables in the one corner, some sort of ornamental tree over there, but I’m not sure about the corner by the deck,” he admitted. “I was thinking something with more colour.”
“You could always plant rhododendrons,” Lisbon suggested without thinking. “They’re nice when they’re in flower.”
Jane glanced at her. The suggestion had come apparently out of the blue, especially for someone who said they didn’t garden. Then he noticed Lisbon had tensed up again, and he decided not to pry. “That sounds like a good idea; I’ll think about it.”
And this is the inspiration for “Reminiscing in the Rhododendrons.” The already written one-shot in sequel to this. I think it’s quite good. It’s after they’ve been together for a while. It’s also about letting your guard down. Because I’ve been wanting to write a story about Lisbon letting her guard down for a while, and this universe allowed me to do it. (I needed an established relationship, for one). But I digress...
Lisbon shook herself slightly. “Don’t feel obligated or anything,” she murmured.
“Nonsense,” Jane said briskly. “I have no idea what to plant there. You like rhododendrons. They’ll be colourful, and about the right size. Why wouldn’t I plant one, or even two? Problem solved.”
Lisbon shook her head. “You’re ridiculously impulsive sometimes,” she told him.
“I can plan too,” he defended. “Besides, sometimes spur of the moment works for me,” he reminded her, flashing back to some of the highlights of his earlier impulsive behaviour. He tipped her chin up gently to kiss her.
It often does. Because he’s lucky like that, and pretty clever.
“Patrick? Is that you?” a voice interrupted them, far too soon in his opinion.
Still, he smiled and turned towards the noise. “Of course it is, Barbara,” he replied.
Meet Barbara. Probably the best developed OC I have ever written. Not that that’s hard. I don’t write many.
Lisbon looked at him in confusion. Jane grinned cheerfully in reply.
“I thought I heard something,” an elderly woman from the next yard said as she walked over. She paused when she saw Lisbon. “I’m so sorry. I’m interrupting. You have company.”
Jane started assuring the woman that she wasn’t interrupting and Lisbon told herself not to feel self-conscious, unfortunately remembering her current attire for the first time since she’d come outside.
What she’s wearing does make it rather obvious what’s going on, for a start. And anyway, no one likes to meet people wearing sweatpants.
“It’s fine,” Jane said for the third time in sixty seconds. “I was giving a tour of my garden to...” he trailed off, suddenly unsure of how to refer to the woman next to him.
His neighbour had no such issues. She walked over to Lisbon holding out her hand, her smile friendly and nonjudgmental. “Oh! You must be Teresa! Patrick’s told me so much about you. I’m Barbara Dunham, Patrick’s neighbour. It’s lovely to finally meet you.”
Lisbon was startled, but she shook the woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you too. Teresa Lisbon,” she confirmed introducing herself with a smile and a sidelong glance at Jane, highly entertained to discover that he looked slightly embarrassed. Her grin turned wicked. “I didn’t realize I was such an exciting topic of conversation, Mrs. Dunham. I hope it was at least mostly good things.”
He’s getting nervous, because he wanted them to get to know each other, but now he’s worried about what they might say...
“Oh please, call me Barbara,” the woman told her. “I already half feel like I know you. I’m going to call you Teresa right off. Like I said, Patrick talks about you all time. I knew we’d cross paths eventually.”
Because I can see Jane talking about her without realizing it. It’s not like he has that many friends, and he spends most of his time with her. Also, given who he feels about her...
Lisbon tried not to laugh at the expression on Jane’s face. A self-conscious Jane was rare, but now his expression was bordering on panic, and she planned on enjoying every second of it
“You’re almost exactly as I pictured you,” Jane’s neighbour continued. “Oh and of course everything I heard was good. What else would it be with this one as my source?” Then she turned towards Jane. “She’s just as lovely as you described Patrick, though I can hardly believe all your tales of tackling combined with a kind of fierce authority.”
“Umm...” Jane and Lisbon both said at the same time. Lisbon wasn’t sure exactly which stories Jane had told his neighbour, but given what had happened over the past decade, she rather suspected they were all true. Jane was just wondering the quickest way to end the conversation and whisk Lisbon back inside.
That is one of the things about knowing Jane. Any story he’s involved in would sound absurd, but almost certainly true. (Well, first I convinced everyone we were all going to die from a deadly virus I’d just released. But it was all a con. So Lisbon punched me in the nose... Then I found Lisbon with a bomb strapped to her, so I figured out who’d designed it, and we drove to his office so he couldn’t blow it up without killing himself... So then I pretended to hypnotize the kids to trick one of them into confessing to murder...)
Barbara Dunham was a rather perceptive woman, who had a healthy streak of nosiness (though always with the best intentions) and she picked up on their hesitation. She decided to save them from answering her. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have doubted him though,” she said slowly. “Which means that you’re a quite a bit feistier than you look right now. Which, given that you deal with this one isn’t all that surprising.”
“Lisbon’s feistiness predates my arrival in her life,” Jane assured his neighbour.
“I get the job done,” Lisbon said with a shrug. “That’s all. Even if that does involve wrangling wayward consultants,” she added with a smirk and another glance at Jane.
Jane gave a poor impression of looking offended, until Lisbon nudged him playfully in the shoulder. Then he settled into a more cheerful expression, slipping a hand briefly onto the small of her back.
“Anyway,” Barbara said suddenly. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening. I was just wondering if you were finished with my Phillips head screwdriver, Patrick. I could use it tonight.”
Jane’s smile got slightly wider. After all, once he gave Barbara her screwdriver back then theoretically she would leave again once she had it. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his neighbour, quite the opposite, but he had other plans for his evening. “Oh, yes,” he assured her. “I finished with it a couple of days ago, but then I got distracted with work and forgot to return it. I’ll go get it.”
“Patrick apparently doesn’t own a screwdriver,” his neighbour explained to Lisbon.
“Which most of the time isn’t really an issue,” Jane defended, upon seeing Lisbon’s incredulous look. “Until you want to adjust the height of the shelves in a bookshelf.”
“I told you I would do that for you Patrick,” Barbara reminded him.
“I know,” Jane agreed. “But whatever you might think I am perfectly capable of using a screwdriver to adjust the height of my shelves.”
“And how long did it take you to get them straight?” Barbara asked curiously.
“That’s not the point,” Jane said quickly.
“As I thought,” the woman tutted with a slight shake of her head.
I decided a while ago that Jane is incompetent with tools. It just makes sense. I decided it while writing Persuasion actually. Several people agree with me. Therefore it must be so. Besides, him being good at everything gets tiresome.
Lisbon laughed, then noticing Jane looked rather embarrassed decided to take pity on him, and looped her arm around him, giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder.
Jane relaxed against her, briefly dropping an arm around her shoulder.
The exchange was subtle, but Jane’s neighbour definitely noticed, if her indulgent smile was anything to go by.
Because she’s noticed that the pair of them can’t stop touching each other. And it is charming.
“Well, I’ll just go grab that screwdriver for you,” Jane said, reluctant to disentangle himself from his companion quite yet.
“Normally it wouldn’t matter,” Barbara explained apologetically to Lisbon. “But I need a Phillips head to finish off a cabinet I promised a client for the weekend.”
“Barbara refurbishes old furniture,” Jane explained. “The hutch in my living room is actually one of hers.”
“Really?” Lisbon asked.
“Yes,” Barbara assured her. “Bit of a retirement project to keep myself from going stir-crazy. If you’re in the market for furniture you should drop by my garage sometime.”
“Oh,” Lisbon said, “Well...” She wasn’t exactly into home decor after all.
Jane grinned. “Teresa’s a bit of a minimalist when it comes to decorating.”
“To each their own,” Barbara said with a shrug. “But if you ever change your mind...”
“I’ll let you know,” Lisbon promised.
“If you’ll excuse me ladies,” Jane said, finally slipping out of Lisbon’s half-embrace. “I’ll be right back.”
The two women watched him go.
“He is a charming devil,” Barbara remarked absently.
“He’s something alright,” Lisbon said dryly.
After all, she hasn’t changed that much. She’s not going to compliment him or anything.. Heh.
Barbara smiled, deciding to help her newest neighbour along, “Well, he’s certainly a helpful neighbour,” she assured Lisbon. “Always coming over, humouring an old woman. Sometimes a job need a second set of hands, and Patrick’s been lovely for that. Plus he’s never too busy for a cup of tea on the porch. And he makes lovely chocolate chip cookies. I was never a very good cook myself.”
I could see Barb talking him up. She’s decided she likes Lisbon, and that they’re good together. Barb is nice like that.
“Jane bakes?” Lisbon asked, surprised.
Barbara smiled. “Oh yes,” she assured the younger woman. “You must ask him about it sometime. It’s rather a handy skill in a man.”
“I’m sure it is,” Lisbon agreed absently.
Jane’s neighbour nodded, “Though I’m sure he’s not always so helpful.”
“No,” Lisbon agreed. “Helpful isn’t exactly the word I’d use to describe Patrick a lot of the time.”
Helpful isn’t the word I’d use to describe him almost ever. Not the first word at least.
“I suppose you’re right. He certainly looks like he could create more than his fair share of trouble,” Barbara admitted. “I can’t imagine working with him is always easy,” she said fishing.
“I guess I’ve gotten used to it over the years,” Lisbon admitted. “At least he’s not boring.”
“Not to mention he’s crazy about you,” Barbara added. “In spite of his demons.”
That startled Lisbon.
Jane’s neighbour hurried to put her at ease. “I don’t know what his demons are,” she admitted. “He’s never told me, and I’m certainly not asking you to either. But it was obvious from almost the first day I met him that he’d been through something. You can see it in his eyes sometimes, though not so much lately. For such a cheerful person, Patrick’s very rarely completely at ease.”
Lisbon stared at the woman standing next to her; just who was this woman? “No, that’s true,” she said eventually.
“I meant what I said earlier,” Barbara added. “He really does talk about you all the time. I doubt he even realizes he’s doing it. So I do feel like I know you. Though I realize you probably haven’t heard that much about me.”
I like Barb reassuring Lisbon of how much Jane really has talked about her. Telling her that he really means this. She likes him, and she’s nosy, so she interferes with good intentions.
“Well, Jane did want to keep his new house a surprise,” Lisbon murmured. “But, maybe we’ll see more of each other now.”
“Be good to him,” the other woman murmured, as Jane returned.
Lisbon glanced over sharply, trying to control her blush.
“Here’s your screwdriver Barb,” he said, handing the tool to his neighbour. “How are things out here?”
“Teresa and I have just been getting acquainted,” Barb assured him.
Lisbon chuckled when she saw a flash of panic run across her consultant’s face. “Don’t worry Patrick,” she cooed. “I didn’t have enough time to ask about any home improvement disasters.”
“We’ll leave that for the second meeting,” Barbara assured an even more concerned-looking Jane.
“Oh wonderful,” Jane said.
“Anyway,” Barbara said. “I’ve got what I came for, so I’ll leave you two to enjoy the rest of your evening. It was lovely meeting you Teresa.”
“You too,” Lisbon said.
“Good night Patrick,” Barbara said with a pat on the arm. “Try not to do anything too foolish would you? I highly doubt that you deserve her.”
“Your instincts always were good,” Jane replied, giving his neighbour a kiss on the cheek.
Barbara waved self-consciously at him. “Oh, well, I guess you’re not such a bad sort,” she admitted begrudgingly. “Have a good night.”
The two CBI employees watched her go.
“How long do you think it took her to think up collecting a screwdriver as an excuse to come over and introduce herself? Jane murmured.
Heh. In my head, Barb noticed them almost immediately. And she was all, “Hey! My charming neighbour has company! And not just any company, but a lady-friend. I wonder if it’s this Teresa he talks about all the time. I hope so. She sounds lovely. I really want to meet her. Hmmm... Must think of an excuse... If only I baked, I could pretend I was just dropping by to ask for sugar, or donate cookies, or... My screwdriver! He still has my screwdriver! Excellent plausible sounding reason to go over there. I know it’s none of my business, but maybe I can help...”
Lisbon looked up at him with a questioning smile.
“Oh come on,” Jane added. “I’m sure she has more than one screwdriver.”
“Says the man who has none,” Lisbon interrupted.
“That’s different,” Jane said with a wave of his hand. “Carpentry isn’t exactly a hobby of mine.”
“I’ll say,” Lisbon shot back.
Jane grinned at her. “Anyway, Barbara’s been not-so-secretly dying to meet you for weeks now. She’s been dropping hints that I’m sure she believed were subtle...”
I enjoy this line. Jane knows exactly what she was doing, and doesn’t care. He wants the women in his life to bond.
Lisbon laughed. “Well, then I guess my meeting her was inevitable. She doesn’t seem like the type of woman who gives up easily.”
“I wouldn’t bet against her,” Jane admitted.
“I like her,” Lisbon added.
“Of course you do,” Jane said softly.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Lisbon asked looking up at him.
“Nothing,” Jane insisted. “Just that I always thought you would.”
Both strong, loyal, independent women. Of course they bonded.
“Though, I admit, I would have preferred just a little advanced notice,” she admitted. “I would have considered combing my hair at the very least.”
“Your hair looks lovely,” Jane assured her. “Besides, I was far too distracted by another woman to remember my elderly neighbour.”
“Oh?” Lisbon asked innocently. “Anyone I know?”
Jane chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Somehow I think you know exactly who I’m talking about, dear,” he said, leaning his forehead against hers.
Lisbon glanced down. “Now that you mention it,” she said slowly, her heart thumping in her chest. “Barbara seemed to imply that my name came up a fair bit in conversation,” she added, trailing a finger across his chest.
Jane angled himself closer to her. “Well, who else was I going to talk about?” he asked against her ear.
“Cho?” Lisbon suggested breathlessly.
Jane chuckled. “Somehow his name never really came up.”
“Mmm. Really?” she wondered, glancing up at him.
Jane’s smile was devastating. “His smile’s not as pretty as yours is.”
“Cho’s smile is perfectly nice,” Lisbon said loyally.
“Yeah, and we’re all luckily enough to get to see it at least annually,” Jane agreed.
Banter is cannon.
Lisbon laughed, and looped her arms around his neck.
She tilted her head up at him. “You really talked about me that much?”
She’s still a bit insecure, and she wants him to reassure her, just a little. She likes it when he does that.
Jane bent down to kiss her temple. He’d never thought he’d live to see the day when Teresa Lisbon was fishing for his compliments, but it was an endearing sight. “To be honest,” he whispered. “I didn’t notice that I talked about you excessively, but it doesn’t surprise me that I did. I’ve become rather fond of you over the years, sweetheart.”
Because the talk of her is far more charming if it’s unintentional.
“And the best way you could think of to show that affection was to kidnap me and handcuff?” she wondered, toying with the hair on the back of his neck.
“Well...” Jane said slowly.
“It was ridiculous, Jane,” Lisbon admonished affectionately.
Ridiculous yes, but possibly very them. And it may have worked out better than the traditional route.
“Yet it seems to have worked out in the end,” Jane reminded her. “And I’m fairly certain that you didn’t dislike it.”
She swatted him, and tried to hide her blush.
“Besides,” Jane added. “Handcuffs weren’t my original plan. And I do believe that I’ve already told you that.”
“Which reminds me, what were you going to talk to me about in the car earlier?” Lisbon asked. “You promised to tell me later.”
“I was going to tell you that I couldn’t get you out of my head, and outline the numerous ways that I was infinitely better than your little namby-pamby lawyer,” Jane said bluntly.
He knows she’ll get it out of him eventually, so he goes for the complete truth. And catches her off guard. He likes doing that.
Lisbon’s breath caught in her throat. “Really?”
“Oh yes,” he assured her, directing them back towards the house. “I’ve spent the better part of a week hating that man, Teresa.”
“Patrick,” she whispered.
“I like the way you say that,” he admitted.
And they rarely use first names. Especially her. Unless she’s referring to him to someone else (like the child in I think it’s 3.18), or if it’s a threat because he’s got amnesia and being a jerk (best scene EVER.) Although that was more of a nickname...
“Do you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Is that all you like?” Lisbon wondered before she could help herself.
“You know it isn’t; now you’re really fishing,” he told her
“And if I am?” she asked breathlessly.
Jane took one look at her shining eyes and gave in. “Then I think you should know that I’m completely and utterly besotted,” he told her.
Yeah, he never really stood a chance. He really didn’t. The whole wanting to make her happy thing works against him in that sense. But it’s okay, because he does make her happy.
She bit her lip, “Besotted, huh?”
“Mmhm. I want you,” he added, ducking her into a dark corner by the back stoop and kissing her forehead before moving to her eyes when they fluttered shut, then her cheeks, before hovering above her lips.
She sighed, eyes still closed. “Good.”
He grinned. “Glad you approve.”
“My approval’s rarely stopped you in the past,” Lisbon reminded him.
“Yes, but this time it is rather crucial,” Jane pointed out. “And you’re not as tough as you like everyone to think, Teresa Lisbon.”
“Says the man who can barely adjust the height of his own bookshelves,” Lisbon murmured.
“Says the woman who still isn’t completely unpacked,” Jane reminded her.
“It’s getting better,” she defended.
“Yeah, in another three years the boxes might be completely gone,” Jane said dryly.
I’m very sad that the last time we saw Lisbon’s condo it looked like she had completely unpacked. In my head she still has a few boxes in her closet. I don’t know why, but I like the idea.
“Shut up,” she ordered, sneaking a kiss.
“Yes ma’am,” he agreed.
“Oh, if only it was that easy,” Lisbon joked.
Jane grinned, “You’d hate it if it was.”
Lisbon made a sound of frustration before grabbing him and pulling him closer. “Maybe I should go have a chat with Barbara,” she said huskily when she finally pulled her lips form his. “Find out exactly what you’ve been saying about me. Since your memory is conveniently imperfect. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to fill me in.”
She’s at a bit of an advantage here. She’s gotten some pretty solid evidence of just how serious he is about that. And it pleases her.
“You’re enjoying this a bit too much,” Jane growled. It had been a long time since he’d been ganged up on by women.
He secretly loves it.
“No,” Lisbon said with a shake of her head. “I’m enjoying this just enough.”
Jane spun her further away from the door, out of the porch light (and any neighbour’s prying eyes). He pushed her backwards until she hit the trellis.
“Is this part of the tour?” Lisbon asked with a giggle, glancing at the clematis attempting to grow beside her.
“Only for privileged guests,” Jane assured her.
Lisbon smirked. “Should I warn Cho in case he comes to call?”
“I can assure you that I have no intention of showing Cho the inner workings of my trellis,” Jane said dryly.
Not a line I ever thought I’d type. Have to say.
They both paused. Lisbon burst into laughter.
“That sounded far less strange in my head,” Jane admitted.
“I’m sure most things do,” Lisbon agreed.
“Hey!” Jane said. “Be nice.”
“I’m just saying...” she teased, enjoying the familiarity of it.
“Hush, woman!” he growled.
Lisbon’s eyes lit up. “Make me.”
Jane eased her back against the vines again and complied. He could see that keeping his hands off of her might prove difficult. It was probably a good thing she was far too responsible to allow it in the office. Because the woman was quite frankly, delicious.
“Jane,” Lisbon murmured after a minute. “Patrick...”
“Hmm?” he wondered idly. He was really okay with not taking right now.
But apparently Lisbon wasn’t. She pushed lightly against his shoulders, refusing to let herself be distracted by the sight of a dishevelled Patrick Jane who apparently wanted nothing more than to kiss her. “I...” she stuttered.
She’s realized something. She’s realized there’s something she needs to tell him. That she wants to tell him, even though she’s really not so good at sharing.
Realizing this was important to her, Jane pulled back slightly, using the distance to appreciate the attractiveness of an aroused Teresa Lisbon.
“I...” Lisbon said again. “You know I... I care about you. I just... Oh god.” She buried her head in his chest.
His eyes softened. “Oh Teresa,” he whispered.
And he gets it. Because Jane can be rather sweet, in the right circumstances. These are very much the right circumstances.
“I just, I never thought you’d ever really want to date again,” came her muffled explanation. “So it didn’t occur to me that... I didn’t even really think about...”
She had all these little rules, remember. And then he went and broke them all. Smashed them up into little pieces.
“Well, I was a bit surprised by that myself,” Jane admitted. “But it turns out even I can move on.”
“You just never seem all that interested in the women who throw themselves at you at least once a case,” Lisbon justified.
“Because I wasn’t interested in them,” Jane explained. It was true. He hadn’t been interested in any women seriously since his wife had died, and by the time he’d started thinking about moving on at least half his brain had been all wrapped up in Lisbon before the other half even realized. No one else had stood a chance.
“Oh,” Lisbon sighed..
“And I guess I just figured that if you were indifferent to me, you’d have punched me way before now,” Jane added.
“Well, that’s certainly true,” she agreed, pulling him back towards her.
Jane was more than willing to comply.
“You drive me crazy,” Lisbon growled.
“Good,” Jane told her, thrilled with the way the garden tour was ending.
Especially when he felt her lips against his ear.
“Want you too,” she murmured.
That was when Lisbon felt herself being shoved roughly against the clematis again.
This whole scene may make me want to write yet another sequel entitled “Conversations in the Clematis.” I have a problem. I acknowledge this freely.
And there was yet another delay before either one of them spoke again.
“Stay,” Jane whispered hoarsely, finally managing to tear his mouth away from hers.
Lisbon’s eyes widened. Truthfully, she hadn’t even really thought about leaving anytime soon, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. He’d be insufferable. So she pretended to consider his offer.
Jane’s eyes darkened. He’d convince her not to leave. He was sure he could. He let his lips trail down the now delightfully familiar path of her neck. “You don’t even have to go into the office tomorrow morning,” he reminded her.
“I know,” she whispered, holding his head in place against her pulse point. “I have conditions,” she panted after a minute.
Jane breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow,” he promised. Quite frankly, he’d assumed that went without saying. For a start, he knew how Lisbon felt about her coffee. Also, he liked the idea of cooking for her while she milled about his kitchen again. He’d really liked that. His larder may have been running low, but he was pretty sure he had the ingredients for pancakes. He wondered idly if Barbara had a spare pint of strawberries she wouldn’t mind parting with for a good cause.
Barbara does part with them, quite willingly, the next morning. She’s a romantic. And Jane does make Lisbon pancakes. In case any of you were wondering.
Lisbon laughed. “That wasn’t one of them, but I’ll look forward to that,” she told him.
Jane raised his eyebrows.
Lisbon told herself not to blush. “It turns out Casablanca was actually part of a classic film series that the Empire was having,” she explained, looking up at him hopefully.
I find this ridiculously endearing. She wants to go to the movies with him. She wants to do couple things. She’s just not quite able to spit it out, directly. But Jane is good at reading between the lines.
Jane grinned, though he was somewhat confused. He’d rather planned on taking her out repeatedly. Did she still not understand? “Of course I’ll take you to the movies. What part of ‘I want you’ are you having troubles with, Teresa?”
She buried her head in his shoulder, and he felt her hands sneak underneath his t-shirt. “I was just checking,” she admitted, right before sweeping her tongue along his collar bone.
“I’ll take you to as many movies as you want,” he promised, one of his hands hooking around her thigh and wrapping it around his own, wondering just how dark this corner of his garden was. ”All of them if you like.”
Lisbon rolled her eyes. “Let’s try for as many as possible,” she suggested. “Provided we’re in town, and they’re not showing something one of us happens to hate.”
In his current position Jane couldn’t really see himself turning down dinner and a movie with his Teresa for such a silly reason as the movie being terrible, but he didn’t bother to tell her that. “Deal,” he agreed, sealing it with a kiss. “Do you have any other conditions?”
Lisbon looked up at him considering. “I don’t want to wake up alone in a strange bed tomorrow,” she said dryly, a hint of genuine accusation in her tone.
She didn’t like the uncertainty of that. Doesn’t want it to happen again, if even it would be less uncertain this time. Because the relationship is much easier for her when he’s actually there and they’re in the middle of it, as opposed to when she’s on her own, trying not to freak out abou tit.
“Technically it wouldn’t be a strange bed, since you’ve been in it already,” Jane pointed out.
She shot him a glare he had no trouble interpreting, as she shifted away from him.
He pouted before he could help it. The woman was teasing him. Though, come to think of it, he supposed he might deserve it.
Lisbon chuckled at his expression.
“I promise you won’t,” he told her, reaching for her again. After the struggle tearing himself away from a sleeping Teresa Lisbon earlier, Jane genuinely didn’t think he’d be able to do it twice in a row.
“See that you don’t,” Lisbon ordered. If she was doing this, she wanted to do it right. And that included something more than waking up alone in a bed with no idea what was going on. Even she, who was admittedly terrible at relationships, knew that wasn’t a good sign. Not usually at least.
“I will,” Jane assured her, finally deciding to just pull her out of the clematis (now slightly crushed) and back towards the house.
“And no more handcuffing,” Lisbon added as she followed him.
Jane turned towards her, a hint of disappointment on his face. He opened the door for her, whispering his question as she walked past. “What if I ask first?”
Lisbon ducked into the house with a seductive smile. “We’ll see,” she promised.
It took less than half a second for him to chase after her.
He wasn’t anywhere near ready to let her out of his sight, not yet at least. He was enjoying this too much.
They both were.
xxxxx
The end
Yes, I know. It’s very sad that it is the end. But nonetheless it is.
Alright, so done. If there are no questions. If there are, ask ‘em in the comments. I’ll get back to you. I recognize that my ramblings may leave a little to be desired.