You've got m@il (part 1)
You've got m@il
Author:little_firestar
Artist:browneyesparker
Link to art:coming soon
Word Count:
Rating:T
Summary: Season 6 AU: After Red John's deminse, Jane and Lisbon are both struggling with finding someone to share their life with, and to help them out, Grace signs them up with an internet dating service. The objective? Forcing them to fall in love in the net, so that they could finally admit feelings long buried in reality too. But what will happen when they will finally understand that May Flower and Danielson are, in reality, Teresa and Patrick?
Disclaimer:The Mentalist, created by Bruno Heller, is propriety of CBS Production; “You’ve got mail” by Nora and Delia Ephron, produced by Ephron and Donner, distributed by Warner Bros. By writing this piece, I don’t claim any money.
Notes: Inspired by the 1998 movie “You’ve got mail” directed by Nora Ephron and written by Nora and Delia Ephron- the story is actually partly written following the first script for the movie. Set in a sort of AU-ish season 6, with the departure of Red John and the team being still the team.
At the end, Red John’s departure wasn’t what they had been waiting for. Had they awaited drama, fireworks, or some big event… nobody got it. Life just went on like it normally did; it was just all a little bit simpler because there wasn’t a serial killer breathing down their necks any longer. But, really, at the end, life was normal. Jane kept working with the team, staying on his couch and causing troubles; Lisbon kept staying in her office and going to crime scenes with him, doing her best at damage control. The team was still there- with the exception on Van Pelt, who was currently on maternity leave, and was tempted to turn into a staying-at-home mom just like her own.
Everything was still the same. And yet, it wasn’t. Lisbon was scared by how things were frozen in time. It was like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, to Jane to wake up one day and suddenly realize he didn’t need to be there any longer -she hadn’t told anyone yet, but she was adamant that the only reason Jane hadn’t left yet was because he was in some kind of denial about the whole thing. Everybody could see how edgy she was, but Cho, as usual, just looked at her, trying to get a reaction, staying silent as to mind his own business; Rigsby didn’t like to get involved and Jane just looked at her quizzically, inquiring about her sex life (or rather, lack of) chuckling. Only one person was “sane” enough to act as, indeed, a sane and normal human being would.
And that person was Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby.
Although now married to Wayne, the couple had both managed to stay on the team, but a series of facts - least but not last, the fact that technically she and Teresa weren’t working together any longer- had gradually made sure that the two women got closer. After entering maternity leave, Grace and Lisbon had started having dinner together at a nice restaurant once a week, and twice a week they took a coffee (strong for Lisbon, decaffeinated for Grace) together, and talked about everything and anything.
Lately, the main topic of Lisbon’s (lack of) conversation had been Teresa’s fear- and determination- that the consultant was going to leave.
Every time they talked, a little piece of Grace’s heart broke at the sight of Teresa in such a state. Lisbon, strong and determinate, the woman who had inspired Grace for over half a decade, was already broken-hearted over a man who had never even kissed her. The red-head couldn’t help but think about a school-girl crush, and she didn’t know if it was pathetic , or sweet, that Senior Agent in Charge Teresa Lisbon could feel, and behave, in such an uncharacteristic way at her age.
Actually, she thought it was rather sweet- and dumb, because she had always felt Lisbon and Jane had this huge connection, and that they were going to share this great life together, that they were destined to live the kind of love you could see only in movies and in novels. But even if Teresa didn’t have any troubles admitting- to Grace and Grace alone- of her feelings for Jane (“I know I feel something for him, I know it’s deep, but I’m not sure I love him. I mean… I’m not even sure I’ve ever been in love before!), the brunette wasn’t going to say it at loud. It was too dangerous. A rejection by Jane wasn’t something a woman could easily survive to, and what if he decided to stay? No. Teresa wasn’t going to risk losing a friend just to get in return complete solitude.
Yet, that was what drove Grace mad. Lisbon was seeing the glass half-empty, thinking about Jane not loving her. But what if he did? Couldn’t she see that there was room for eternal love as well? Grace and Wayne had been lucky, after all, they had found each other again, despite her attempt at marriage with O’Laughlin and his son with Sarah. Maybe, despite everything, there was room for happiness for the boss and Jane too. And Grace, even if now was as hard-assed as Lisbon, she still loved fairytales-like happy endings. And that was what she wanted for the two of them. And that was when, and why, she decided to take matters in her own hands, and be a cupid of sort for her second favorite couple in the whole wide world.
“I think you should start dating.” Grace suddenly said, as casual as possible. Lisbon just lifted her eyebrows as she was simply questioning either Grace’s sanity or she didn’t know what the other woman was talking about. Grace blushed- and it made her hair look redder- but still, the (former) cop went on. “I mean… I’m not saying you should sleep around or get married. Just, you know, meet people.”
On a conscious level, Lisbon knew Grace was right. It was a good move, after all. “Dating” could help knowing people- and maybe could also help her knowing a decent enough guy- and God only knew if she wasn’t going to need an emotional safety net/support group once Jane decided that he had enough of them and of crime fighting. Her subconscious, though, and her stubborn heart, didn’t want to hear anything about starting a relationship, of any kind, or even just dating, with someone who wasn’t called Patrick Jane.
Then, there was also another problem, a little issue that her conscious mind didn’t have any problem pointing at out loud. “I think that in the last… twelve years or so, even my one night stands have been work-related.” Lisbon sighed. After she had made it to the CBI, she had been just too busy to get around to meet people. Everybody she knew, she did so through the job. And after she had gotten the Red John case and then Jane, the situation had just gotten worst: when she had slept with Mashburn, she had been over eighteen months without having had sex.
“Well, then, I think we should thank modern technology.” Grace smirked, and took her brand new, shiny Blackberry Z-30 out of her purse and lifted her right finger before Lisbon’s eyes, as to signal her friend to wait a minute. She kept looking at the screen, and touching it and then humming just to press the buttons, and then, as she put the device on the table, Teresa’s phone rang, signaling an incoming message.
“You didn’t.” Lisbon sighed, but still, she was smiling , almost laughing. After all, hanging around with a younger woman could be fun, and Grace was full of surprises.
“You mean, did I just solve your problem of meeting people, by singing you with a free on-line dating site? Yes, I did.” Grace smiled, shining. The years had been kind with hers, and despite everything, she would have never taken back her time with the CBI. Yes, bad things had happened, but there was also a lot of good. Not only Wayne, but also the way she had grown as a person, maturing. Like she had once told her husband: when she had joined the team, she had been just a kid. “I know you don’t like this sort of things, so I was thinking that maybe I could, you know…”
“Pretend to be me?” Lisbon asked, lifting her eyebrows once again. She didn’t know if Grace was a genius or plain crazy.
“Pretending is such a bad word! No, I was thinking about… skim your suitors. I would answer for you only if you would, And never in any other situation. I swear.”
Lisbon looked at the welcoming message on her phone, and then looked at Grace. She wasn’t wrong. This wasn’t about getting married or being serious. This was about meeting people, making friends, having fun. In a certain sense, it was about getting ready for life after Patrick Jane- didn’t matter if it seemed the title of a comic book or a b-series movie, it was the truth. So, smiling, Lisbon shook Grace’s hand.
And she never saw the redhead crossing her fingers behind her back.
Grace had a plan in order to get Teresa to admit that she was in love with Jane- to Jane -but she was pretty sure that Lisbon didn’t need to know about it. After all, Teresa would have never admitted such a thing to Jane himself. Not when she was sure that the mentalist didn’t love her back and was on his way to leave once and for all. But, if she had to admit to herself, her plan was pretty great. And Teresa dearest wasn’t even seeing this coming.
Grace created the prefect profile for the internet dating site. She said all things that were true, but in a way that made Lisbon seem like a fascinating and interesting woman and not just a strict bad-ass cop. She also choose a picture that made more than justice to her friend.; it had been taken the previous year, at some fundraiser event, and Teresa just looked “wow”, for lack of a better word. Her hair had been made in shiny perfection, its natural waves elegant and not messy at all; the long, strap-less dress was becoming on her, the dark green the perfect match to her eyes and it made her glow. It was also sexy, but not too much. It was the right measure, that showed her curves by just hinting at them. In short, it belonged to a real woman, and not some starlette or a… well, an easy girl.
Men kept writing and asking for her. All kinds of men. But Grace had a plan. And her plan didn’t include making Teresa fall in love with some idiot met on the internet. So, yes, Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby arranged dates for Teresa Lisbon. But it was only with idiots.
The plan was to make Teresa realize that Jane was the one and only for her, and that, as much as she was trying to look somewhere else for Mr. Right, he was right before her eyes. Teresa wasn’t admitting at loud (to anyone else, at least) her feelings for Jane because she didn’t want to admit that, as crazy as it could be, he was the one for her. That it could work. But forced with the hard, though reality, Grace was sure Lisbon would have fallen under the pressure.
Only, she didn’t.
And Grace’s plan backfired. It had been a brilliant plan, until it wasn’t any longer. Because Teresa wasn’t going to stop dating any other man who wasn’t Patrick Jane. Teresa wanted to swore off dating. As in, completely. And Grace couldn’t have any of that. Not when she was so close to taste her success. And proven right before her husband.
“Grace, I appreciate what you did, but it’s time to accept reality. My ship sealed a long time ago, and apparently I’m doomed to stay single for the rest of my life. But it’s not a problem if I’m not in a relationship. I have many things to live for.” Lisbon was smiling at Grace, but the redhead wasn’t an idiot. Even an idiot - a blind one- would have seen it. Teresa wasn’t happy, despite whatever she was trying to sell. It was time to rectify it- subtly- and set back in motion her plan. Just a little improved. But her new idea was going to work… and she was sure it would.
She was going to be a bridesmaid-maybe even the maid of honor- at Jane and Lisbon’s wedding. And who knew. Maybe they could even ask her and Wayne to be the Godparents of their children (if Jane decided that Lisbon could rise them in the Church). In few years, they were going to have tea, all of them, together, and Teresa would tell their friends how the redhead had been their cupid, making their lives just picture perfect…
Or, well, maybe not. She was exaggerating a tiny bit, she knew it. But there was room for dreaming, right? And besides, this was “plan two.” Plan One was to get the two of them together. But first, she needed to have Lisbon un-swearing off dating.
“I may have a proposition…” Grace made her best acting impression. She wasn’t as good as Jane at selling her acts, but she had improved over the years at his side. She had to look honest, and maybe even a bit sorry for what had happened to poor Teresa.
“I don’t know, Grace…” Teresa answered, making a slightly worried, and at the same time, disgusted, expression. “I think I hit rock bottom yesterday with that Maurice guy. If he was the best you could find, I think there is no chance for me.”
It had been a terrible date, and Teresa didn’t have any intention of remembering every detail, nor telling them out loud. Grace was sorry enough. She didn’t need to know that the French guy had the worst fake French accent she had ever heard in her whole life, nor that he was a creep with maniac tendencies. The guy had been obsessed with her socks the whole evening, he had kept asking her to show them and to do indecent things with them. While they were at the restaurant. She had been tempted to arrest him, for she was sure he had gotten exited - in public!- just asking her to perform such acts.
“I have a plan…” She said, but then she corrected herself. She didn’t want for Teresa to discover the truth. Not yet, at least. Or maybe, never, ever. She was a vengeful person, when she wanted to. “I have an idea. Next time, I will be careful. I will get to know the guy myself, I will, quiz him, or something, to see he isn’t a pervert or a fake. Then, you and the guy I will choose for you will start exchanging… well, what you want. Texts. Calls. Emails. Whatever you feel comfortable with. And only when you’ll feel ready, and you’ll think he could be at least a decent friend, you’ll meet him.”
Grace put her right hand on her boss’ left, and looked at Teresa with puppy dog eyes. People barely resisted pregnant ladies, but when she was the pregnant lady in question, there was just no room to escape. Whatever she liked it or not, Teresa was going to accept. It was just how she was.
“Promise me no perverts, please.” She had had her good share of those. People interested in her because she was a cop and got horny on her handcuffs and her gun. People who liked their women on the short side. Men obsessed with the fairytale-like princess/elf/whatever they wanted her to be and dress like.
“You have my word that this time it will work.” Grace smiled, but up her sleeve she was giggling. She was going to get her boss and Jane together, and they weren’t going to see this coming. They were going to have their happily ever after, just like she had always hoped for them. Yes, her new improved plan was going to work. She had all the means to set it all in motion. Of course, there was still one little tiny detail she still had to take in consideration.
Because she didn’t know how she could set Jane up with an internet dating profile-making it look like it was his idea- and set him up with Lisbon with a blind-date sort of thing, like in the Meg Ryan movie with Tom Hanks. But it didn’t matter, because she was going to find a way. She was going to set them up together. In time, she would be proven right, and they were going to thank her.
Really- she just had to set Jane up to on-line dating first. And how hard could it be?-----------
Grace had a plan in order to get Teresa to admit that she was in love with Jane- to Jane -but she was pretty sure that Lisbon didn’t need to know about it. After all, Teresa would have never admitted such a thing to Jane himself. Not when she was sure that the mentalist didn’t love her back and was on his way to leave once and for all. But, if she had to admit to herself, her plan was pretty great. And Teresa dearest wasn’t even seeing this coming.
Grace created the prefect profile for the internet dating site. She said all things that were true, but in a way that made Lisbon seem like a fascinating and interesting woman and not just a strict bad-ass cop. She also choose a picture that made more than justice to her friend.; it had been taken the previous year, at some fundraiser event, and Teresa just looked “wow”, for lack of a better word. Her hair had been made in shiny perfection, its natural waves elegant and not messy at all; the long, strap-less dress was becoming on her, the dark green the perfect match to her eyes and it made her glow. It was also sexy, but not too much. It was the right measure, that showed her curves by just hinting at them. In short, it belonged to a real woman, and not some starlette or a… well, an easy girl.
Men kept writing and asking for her. All kinds of men. But Grace had a plan. And her plan didn’t include making Teresa fall in love with some idiot met on the internet. So, yes, Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby arranged dates for Teresa Lisbon. But it was only with idiots.
The plan was to make Teresa realize that Jane was the one and only for her, and that, as much as she was trying to look somewhere else for Mr. Right, he was right before her eyes. Teresa wasn’t admitting at loud (to anyone else, at least) her feelings for Jane because she didn’t want to admit that, as crazy as it could be, he was the one for her. That it could work. But forced with the hard, though reality, Grace was sure Lisbon would have fallen under the pressure.
Only, she didn’t.
And Grace’s plan backfired. It had been a brilliant plan, until it wasn’t any longer. Because Teresa wasn’t going to stop dating any other man who wasn’t Patrick Jane. Teresa wanted to swore off dating. As in, completely. And Grace couldn’t have any of that. Not when she was so close to taste her success. And proven right before her husband.
“Grace, I appreciate what you did, but it’s time to accept reality. My ship sealed a long time ago, and apparently I’m doomed to stay single for the rest of my life. But it’s not a problem if I’m not in a relationship. I have many things to live for.” Lisbon was smiling at Grace, but the redhead wasn’t an idiot. Even an idiot - a blind one- would have seen it. Teresa wasn’t happy, despite whatever she was trying to sell. It was time to rectify it- subtly- and set back in motion her plan. Just a little improved. But her new idea was going to work… and she was sure it would.
She was going to be a bridesmaid-maybe even the maid of honor- at Jane and Lisbon’s wedding. And who knew. Maybe they could even ask her and Wayne to be the Godparents of their children (if Jane decided that Lisbon could rise them in the Church). In few years, they were going to have tea, all of them, together, and Teresa would tell their friends how the redhead had been their cupid, making their lives just picture perfect…
Or, well, maybe not. She was exaggerating a tiny bit, she knew it. But there was room for dreaming, right? And besides, this was “plan two.” Plan One was to get the two of them together. But first, she needed to have Lisbon un-swearing off dating.
“I may have a proposition…” Grace made her best acting impression. She wasn’t as good as Jane at selling her acts, but she had improved over the years at his side. She had to look honest, and maybe even a bit sorry for what had happened to poor Teresa.
“I don’t know, Grace…” Teresa answered, making a slightly worried, and at the same time, disgusted, expression. “I think I hit rock bottom yesterday with that Maurice guy. If he was the best you could find, I think there is no chance for me.”
It had been a terrible date, and Teresa didn’t have any intention of remembering every detail, nor telling them out loud. Grace was sorry enough. She didn’t need to know that the French guy had the worst fake French accent she had ever heard in her whole life, nor that he was a creep with maniac tendencies. The guy had been obsessed with her socks the whole evening, he had kept asking her to show them and to do indecent things with them. While they were at the restaurant. She had been tempted to arrest him, for she was sure he had gotten exited - in public!- just asking her to perform such acts.
“I have a plan…” She said, but then she corrected herself. She didn’t want for Teresa to discover the truth. Not yet, at least. Or maybe, never, ever. She was a vengeful person, when she wanted to. “I have an idea. Next time, I will be careful. I will get to know the guy myself, I will, quiz him, or something, to see he isn’t a pervert or a fake. Then, you and the guy I will choose for you will start exchanging… well, what you want. Texts. Calls. Emails. Whatever you feel comfortable with. And only when you’ll feel ready, and you’ll think he could be at least a decent friend, you’ll meet him.”
Grace put her right hand on her boss’ left, and looked at Teresa with puppy dog eyes. People barely resisted pregnant ladies, but when she was the pregnant lady in question, there was just no room to escape. Whatever she liked it or not, Teresa was going to accept. It was just how she was.
“Promise me no perverts, please.” She had had her good share of those. People interested in her because she was a cop and got horny on her handcuffs and her gun. People who liked their women on the short side. Men obsessed with the fairytale-like princess/elf/whatever they wanted her to be and dress like.
“You have my word that this time it will work.” Grace smiled, but up her sleeve she was giggling. She was going to get her boss and Jane together, and they weren’t going to see this coming. They were going to have their happily ever after, just like she had always hoped for them. Yes, her new improved plan was going to work. She had all the means to set it all in motion. Of course, there was still one little tiny detail she still had to take in consideration.
Because she didn’t know how she could set Jane up with an internet dating profile-making it look like it was his idea- and set him up with Lisbon with a blind-date sort of thing, like in the Meg Ryan movie with Tom Hanks. But it didn’t matter, because she was going to find a way. She was going to set them up together. In time, she would be proven right, and they were going to thank her.
Really- she just had to set Jane up to on-line dating first. And how hard could it be?
People assumed that Patrick Jane didn’t have a soft spot, but they were wrong: he did, and her name was Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby. It wasn’t like he was in love with her-the mere thought was, with all due respect for Grace, almost ridiculous- but he liked her. Grace was like a little sister, still innocent and naïve in his eyes. What Jane didn’t understand (or maybe, what he didn’t want to understand) was that it wasn’t like that any longer.
Yes, she still believed in a higher power and, even if she had accepted that Jane wasn’t such a thing, she still thought that psychics could exist. She didn’t talk about it, of course- there was just enough Jane-talk she could handle in her life- but despite these hidden beliefs, she wasn’t the girl she had been a long time before, back when she had joined the team. Did she claim the opposite, especially when Jane was involved? Yes, often. But after all, how could she pass the chance of having Jane doing whatever she wanted and needed?
Also, as she was Jane’s soft spot, she had him around, a lot. Wayne sometimes was a bit irritated as the mentalist often showed up uninvited when it was time to eat, but at least he often volunteered to babysit (for free) Ben too, allowing them to have time for themselves and act for a few, precious hours as grown-ups without a care in the world. All he asked in exchange was to savor Wayne’s cooking skills at least once the following day, and what better occasion to trap him into on-line dating that a dinner invitation?
“Whatever you are thinking, you are hurting my brain, Grace dear.” Jane told her that evening. They were sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of tea, and looking at Ben playing on his own on the carpet.
“Oh, really? And, enlighten me: what I am thinking so loudly about?” She smiled, almost laughed, and Jane’s heart broke a tiny bit. Grace had been without that smile for far too long, and he felt in part responsible. Maybe he hadn’t had a part in her break-up with Rigsby, but she had suffered terribly when she had discovered that the man she was planning of spending her life with, Craig O’Laughlin, was one of Red John’s minions. It was stupid and irrational, and even Lisbon had told him so, but he kept telling himself that, had he not talked on television that night, had she not joined his team, she would have never met O’Laughlin, she would have never had to kill her own fiancée and go through everything she had afterward.
“Well, I think,” he said, tapping his right index finger against his lip, faking concentration and a seriousness he was far from feeling “that it has to do with me, and that I will not like it.”
Grace kept in silence, and then she looked at him, a bit guilty, biting her own lips. “It’s just that, I was wondering if now you weren’t thinking about….” Her eyes moved to his left hand, and the empty ring-finger he now showed after Red John’s departure. “…You know, about dating again.”
Jane shook his head, chuckling, smiling with his whole body. His eyes were almost always radiant, nowadays. He was happy, everybody knew it, and Grace did too, but she could feel that he was holding back something. She guessed- actually, hoped- it was his love for Lisbon, and that still now, after so many years, Jane felt guilty, and that he didn’t think he deserved to live and to love.
“When I will be ready, you’ll be the first one to know it.” He smiled, his hands behind his head, his eyes now concentrated on the kid. Wayne had joined his son, and was busy trying to save the last pair of glasses Ben had decided he had to break in order to see how they actually worked- the child was going to be a scientist, Jane was sure of it.
Grace grunted, a very un-lady-like sound that yet fitted her. Yes, she was innocent and delicate, but like Lisbon, she could be a dragoness when needed. “Please. How do you think you’ll find, I am not saying your next wife, but at least a friend, if you don’t put yourself out on the market?”
Jane rolled his eyes. “Geez, thanks. I feel like a piece of meat now.”
Grace crossed her arms. Her eyes were focused on the kid and his father, and yet her mind was all into the conversation with her team’s consultant. She had to win the argument if she wanted to make it look like it had been, at least in part, his idea. “Say what you like, Jane, but you know I’m right.”
Jane kept in silence for a bit, then added “I meet a lot of people through the job.”
Grace grunted again in that un-lady-like manner of hers, and then chuckled. “Ok, over the 90% of the people we meet through the job ends up resenting you and/or hurting you. Second, the 70% of the women you meet through the job ends up being a murderers.” Jane remained in silence, and like on auto-pilot, he touched his still sore nose. Just two days before, a person of interest in a case had almost broken it. “Let’s be honest here, Jane: you can’t do it the traditional way.”
And that was when Jane understood what she was planning. He didn’t know how Grace could have even just considered such an option. He had enough problems dating- let alone dating people he had never talked to or met in real life. Besides, the name Erika Flynn was still stuck in his head.
“No. No, no and no. Forget it, Grace.” He begged her, looking like a scared little animal. “You are not going to sign me up at one of those dating agencies, whatever they are on the internet or next door.”
“But…” She begged, sniffing and pouting. She was a pregnant lady, she knew that no one could actually resist her when she did so. Not even Jane himself.
“No.” He said again, this time lower, but closer to her. He was almost whispering in her ear. “Grace, I am forty-five years old. Forty. Five.” He repeated, spelling it. “I am far too old for this kind of things. I will look like a pervert or a weird, crazy guy.” Grace looked at him quizzically, lifting her eyebrows. It wasn’t, after all, far from the truth.
“With all due respect, Jane, but this is the twenty-first century. Internet dating is how people over forty meets their soul-mates.” She gesticulated a bit with her hands, like it could actually help her proving her point more. “I mean, have you ever seen Must love dogs?”
“What’s that, a social media site for people with animal fetishes?” He asked. And what scared Grace was the fact that he was serious. Oh, Lord, she thought rolling her eyes at him. He was really a lost cause. It was no wonder Teresa didn’t think he could actually be in love with her. The man could be oblivious.
“Ehy, I know it, it’s the movie with John Cusack, and… what are their names? Diane Lane and Dermot McKinley?”
“It’s Mulroney.” Grace pointed out, almost spitting the words, like by saying the name of the actor in the wrong way her husband had just insulted her. Wayne gulped down a mouthful of saliva and tuned back to Ben. With Grace, especially now that hormones were involved, it was better safe than sorry. Jane smiled at the scene. He really liked them, and being in their company. Maybe it was because their marriage was a bit strange.
Actually, strange wasn’t really the right word to describe it. It was just different from what he had lived through. Grace and Wayne were the opposite of what he and Angela had been; she was resolute and he was a bit submissive in order to maintain the peace, but mostly they were just… he could say easy, in lack of a better word. Even at home, back then Jane had been the man he was on stage, he never abandoned the part. He wasn’t just a showman- he had become that man.
“Jane? You all right?” Grace asked when she noticed his far-way look and his glossy eyes. Jane turned to look at her, and noticed how worried she was. Grace was always like that, and the poor soul had gone through enough already because of him- and adding stress during the pregnancy was never a good thing. Of course, he wasn’t going to promise her to get married in a heartbeat, but maybe she was right. Maybe he could make some new friends along the way. Meet interesting people. And who knew. Maybe, eventually…
He chuckled, and nodded. “Ok, so. How is it going to be?” And Grace smiled in return- shrieking and throwing her arms around his neck, like he had just given her the best news ever.
And, unknowingly to him, he kind of just did.
Author:little_firestar
Artist:browneyesparker
Link to art:coming soon
Word Count:
Rating:T
Summary: Season 6 AU: After Red John's deminse, Jane and Lisbon are both struggling with finding someone to share their life with, and to help them out, Grace signs them up with an internet dating service. The objective? Forcing them to fall in love in the net, so that they could finally admit feelings long buried in reality too. But what will happen when they will finally understand that May Flower and Danielson are, in reality, Teresa and Patrick?
Disclaimer:The Mentalist, created by Bruno Heller, is propriety of CBS Production; “You’ve got mail” by Nora and Delia Ephron, produced by Ephron and Donner, distributed by Warner Bros. By writing this piece, I don’t claim any money.
Notes: Inspired by the 1998 movie “You’ve got mail” directed by Nora Ephron and written by Nora and Delia Ephron- the story is actually partly written following the first script for the movie. Set in a sort of AU-ish season 6, with the departure of Red John and the team being still the team.
At the end, Red John’s departure wasn’t what they had been waiting for. Had they awaited drama, fireworks, or some big event… nobody got it. Life just went on like it normally did; it was just all a little bit simpler because there wasn’t a serial killer breathing down their necks any longer. But, really, at the end, life was normal. Jane kept working with the team, staying on his couch and causing troubles; Lisbon kept staying in her office and going to crime scenes with him, doing her best at damage control. The team was still there- with the exception on Van Pelt, who was currently on maternity leave, and was tempted to turn into a staying-at-home mom just like her own.
Everything was still the same. And yet, it wasn’t. Lisbon was scared by how things were frozen in time. It was like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, to Jane to wake up one day and suddenly realize he didn’t need to be there any longer -she hadn’t told anyone yet, but she was adamant that the only reason Jane hadn’t left yet was because he was in some kind of denial about the whole thing. Everybody could see how edgy she was, but Cho, as usual, just looked at her, trying to get a reaction, staying silent as to mind his own business; Rigsby didn’t like to get involved and Jane just looked at her quizzically, inquiring about her sex life (or rather, lack of) chuckling. Only one person was “sane” enough to act as, indeed, a sane and normal human being would.
And that person was Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby.
Although now married to Wayne, the couple had both managed to stay on the team, but a series of facts - least but not last, the fact that technically she and Teresa weren’t working together any longer- had gradually made sure that the two women got closer. After entering maternity leave, Grace and Lisbon had started having dinner together at a nice restaurant once a week, and twice a week they took a coffee (strong for Lisbon, decaffeinated for Grace) together, and talked about everything and anything.
Lately, the main topic of Lisbon’s (lack of) conversation had been Teresa’s fear- and determination- that the consultant was going to leave.
Every time they talked, a little piece of Grace’s heart broke at the sight of Teresa in such a state. Lisbon, strong and determinate, the woman who had inspired Grace for over half a decade, was already broken-hearted over a man who had never even kissed her. The red-head couldn’t help but think about a school-girl crush, and she didn’t know if it was pathetic , or sweet, that Senior Agent in Charge Teresa Lisbon could feel, and behave, in such an uncharacteristic way at her age.
Actually, she thought it was rather sweet- and dumb, because she had always felt Lisbon and Jane had this huge connection, and that they were going to share this great life together, that they were destined to live the kind of love you could see only in movies and in novels. But even if Teresa didn’t have any troubles admitting- to Grace and Grace alone- of her feelings for Jane (“I know I feel something for him, I know it’s deep, but I’m not sure I love him. I mean… I’m not even sure I’ve ever been in love before!), the brunette wasn’t going to say it at loud. It was too dangerous. A rejection by Jane wasn’t something a woman could easily survive to, and what if he decided to stay? No. Teresa wasn’t going to risk losing a friend just to get in return complete solitude.
Yet, that was what drove Grace mad. Lisbon was seeing the glass half-empty, thinking about Jane not loving her. But what if he did? Couldn’t she see that there was room for eternal love as well? Grace and Wayne had been lucky, after all, they had found each other again, despite her attempt at marriage with O’Laughlin and his son with Sarah. Maybe, despite everything, there was room for happiness for the boss and Jane too. And Grace, even if now was as hard-assed as Lisbon, she still loved fairytales-like happy endings. And that was what she wanted for the two of them. And that was when, and why, she decided to take matters in her own hands, and be a cupid of sort for her second favorite couple in the whole wide world.
“I think you should start dating.” Grace suddenly said, as casual as possible. Lisbon just lifted her eyebrows as she was simply questioning either Grace’s sanity or she didn’t know what the other woman was talking about. Grace blushed- and it made her hair look redder- but still, the (former) cop went on. “I mean… I’m not saying you should sleep around or get married. Just, you know, meet people.”
On a conscious level, Lisbon knew Grace was right. It was a good move, after all. “Dating” could help knowing people- and maybe could also help her knowing a decent enough guy- and God only knew if she wasn’t going to need an emotional safety net/support group once Jane decided that he had enough of them and of crime fighting. Her subconscious, though, and her stubborn heart, didn’t want to hear anything about starting a relationship, of any kind, or even just dating, with someone who wasn’t called Patrick Jane.
Then, there was also another problem, a little issue that her conscious mind didn’t have any problem pointing at out loud. “I think that in the last… twelve years or so, even my one night stands have been work-related.” Lisbon sighed. After she had made it to the CBI, she had been just too busy to get around to meet people. Everybody she knew, she did so through the job. And after she had gotten the Red John case and then Jane, the situation had just gotten worst: when she had slept with Mashburn, she had been over eighteen months without having had sex.
“Well, then, I think we should thank modern technology.” Grace smirked, and took her brand new, shiny Blackberry Z-30 out of her purse and lifted her right finger before Lisbon’s eyes, as to signal her friend to wait a minute. She kept looking at the screen, and touching it and then humming just to press the buttons, and then, as she put the device on the table, Teresa’s phone rang, signaling an incoming message.
“You didn’t.” Lisbon sighed, but still, she was smiling , almost laughing. After all, hanging around with a younger woman could be fun, and Grace was full of surprises.
“You mean, did I just solve your problem of meeting people, by singing you with a free on-line dating site? Yes, I did.” Grace smiled, shining. The years had been kind with hers, and despite everything, she would have never taken back her time with the CBI. Yes, bad things had happened, but there was also a lot of good. Not only Wayne, but also the way she had grown as a person, maturing. Like she had once told her husband: when she had joined the team, she had been just a kid. “I know you don’t like this sort of things, so I was thinking that maybe I could, you know…”
“Pretend to be me?” Lisbon asked, lifting her eyebrows once again. She didn’t know if Grace was a genius or plain crazy.
“Pretending is such a bad word! No, I was thinking about… skim your suitors. I would answer for you only if you would, And never in any other situation. I swear.”
Lisbon looked at the welcoming message on her phone, and then looked at Grace. She wasn’t wrong. This wasn’t about getting married or being serious. This was about meeting people, making friends, having fun. In a certain sense, it was about getting ready for life after Patrick Jane- didn’t matter if it seemed the title of a comic book or a b-series movie, it was the truth. So, smiling, Lisbon shook Grace’s hand.
And she never saw the redhead crossing her fingers behind her back.
Grace had a plan in order to get Teresa to admit that she was in love with Jane- to Jane -but she was pretty sure that Lisbon didn’t need to know about it. After all, Teresa would have never admitted such a thing to Jane himself. Not when she was sure that the mentalist didn’t love her back and was on his way to leave once and for all. But, if she had to admit to herself, her plan was pretty great. And Teresa dearest wasn’t even seeing this coming.
Grace created the prefect profile for the internet dating site. She said all things that were true, but in a way that made Lisbon seem like a fascinating and interesting woman and not just a strict bad-ass cop. She also choose a picture that made more than justice to her friend.; it had been taken the previous year, at some fundraiser event, and Teresa just looked “wow”, for lack of a better word. Her hair had been made in shiny perfection, its natural waves elegant and not messy at all; the long, strap-less dress was becoming on her, the dark green the perfect match to her eyes and it made her glow. It was also sexy, but not too much. It was the right measure, that showed her curves by just hinting at them. In short, it belonged to a real woman, and not some starlette or a… well, an easy girl.
Men kept writing and asking for her. All kinds of men. But Grace had a plan. And her plan didn’t include making Teresa fall in love with some idiot met on the internet. So, yes, Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby arranged dates for Teresa Lisbon. But it was only with idiots.
The plan was to make Teresa realize that Jane was the one and only for her, and that, as much as she was trying to look somewhere else for Mr. Right, he was right before her eyes. Teresa wasn’t admitting at loud (to anyone else, at least) her feelings for Jane because she didn’t want to admit that, as crazy as it could be, he was the one for her. That it could work. But forced with the hard, though reality, Grace was sure Lisbon would have fallen under the pressure.
Only, she didn’t.
And Grace’s plan backfired. It had been a brilliant plan, until it wasn’t any longer. Because Teresa wasn’t going to stop dating any other man who wasn’t Patrick Jane. Teresa wanted to swore off dating. As in, completely. And Grace couldn’t have any of that. Not when she was so close to taste her success. And proven right before her husband.
“Grace, I appreciate what you did, but it’s time to accept reality. My ship sealed a long time ago, and apparently I’m doomed to stay single for the rest of my life. But it’s not a problem if I’m not in a relationship. I have many things to live for.” Lisbon was smiling at Grace, but the redhead wasn’t an idiot. Even an idiot - a blind one- would have seen it. Teresa wasn’t happy, despite whatever she was trying to sell. It was time to rectify it- subtly- and set back in motion her plan. Just a little improved. But her new idea was going to work… and she was sure it would.
She was going to be a bridesmaid-maybe even the maid of honor- at Jane and Lisbon’s wedding. And who knew. Maybe they could even ask her and Wayne to be the Godparents of their children (if Jane decided that Lisbon could rise them in the Church). In few years, they were going to have tea, all of them, together, and Teresa would tell their friends how the redhead had been their cupid, making their lives just picture perfect…
Or, well, maybe not. She was exaggerating a tiny bit, she knew it. But there was room for dreaming, right? And besides, this was “plan two.” Plan One was to get the two of them together. But first, she needed to have Lisbon un-swearing off dating.
“I may have a proposition…” Grace made her best acting impression. She wasn’t as good as Jane at selling her acts, but she had improved over the years at his side. She had to look honest, and maybe even a bit sorry for what had happened to poor Teresa.
“I don’t know, Grace…” Teresa answered, making a slightly worried, and at the same time, disgusted, expression. “I think I hit rock bottom yesterday with that Maurice guy. If he was the best you could find, I think there is no chance for me.”
It had been a terrible date, and Teresa didn’t have any intention of remembering every detail, nor telling them out loud. Grace was sorry enough. She didn’t need to know that the French guy had the worst fake French accent she had ever heard in her whole life, nor that he was a creep with maniac tendencies. The guy had been obsessed with her socks the whole evening, he had kept asking her to show them and to do indecent things with them. While they were at the restaurant. She had been tempted to arrest him, for she was sure he had gotten exited - in public!- just asking her to perform such acts.
“I have a plan…” She said, but then she corrected herself. She didn’t want for Teresa to discover the truth. Not yet, at least. Or maybe, never, ever. She was a vengeful person, when she wanted to. “I have an idea. Next time, I will be careful. I will get to know the guy myself, I will, quiz him, or something, to see he isn’t a pervert or a fake. Then, you and the guy I will choose for you will start exchanging… well, what you want. Texts. Calls. Emails. Whatever you feel comfortable with. And only when you’ll feel ready, and you’ll think he could be at least a decent friend, you’ll meet him.”
Grace put her right hand on her boss’ left, and looked at Teresa with puppy dog eyes. People barely resisted pregnant ladies, but when she was the pregnant lady in question, there was just no room to escape. Whatever she liked it or not, Teresa was going to accept. It was just how she was.
“Promise me no perverts, please.” She had had her good share of those. People interested in her because she was a cop and got horny on her handcuffs and her gun. People who liked their women on the short side. Men obsessed with the fairytale-like princess/elf/whatever they wanted her to be and dress like.
“You have my word that this time it will work.” Grace smiled, but up her sleeve she was giggling. She was going to get her boss and Jane together, and they weren’t going to see this coming. They were going to have their happily ever after, just like she had always hoped for them. Yes, her new improved plan was going to work. She had all the means to set it all in motion. Of course, there was still one little tiny detail she still had to take in consideration.
Because she didn’t know how she could set Jane up with an internet dating profile-making it look like it was his idea- and set him up with Lisbon with a blind-date sort of thing, like in the Meg Ryan movie with Tom Hanks. But it didn’t matter, because she was going to find a way. She was going to set them up together. In time, she would be proven right, and they were going to thank her.
Really- she just had to set Jane up to on-line dating first. And how hard could it be?-----------
Grace had a plan in order to get Teresa to admit that she was in love with Jane- to Jane -but she was pretty sure that Lisbon didn’t need to know about it. After all, Teresa would have never admitted such a thing to Jane himself. Not when she was sure that the mentalist didn’t love her back and was on his way to leave once and for all. But, if she had to admit to herself, her plan was pretty great. And Teresa dearest wasn’t even seeing this coming.
Grace created the prefect profile for the internet dating site. She said all things that were true, but in a way that made Lisbon seem like a fascinating and interesting woman and not just a strict bad-ass cop. She also choose a picture that made more than justice to her friend.; it had been taken the previous year, at some fundraiser event, and Teresa just looked “wow”, for lack of a better word. Her hair had been made in shiny perfection, its natural waves elegant and not messy at all; the long, strap-less dress was becoming on her, the dark green the perfect match to her eyes and it made her glow. It was also sexy, but not too much. It was the right measure, that showed her curves by just hinting at them. In short, it belonged to a real woman, and not some starlette or a… well, an easy girl.
Men kept writing and asking for her. All kinds of men. But Grace had a plan. And her plan didn’t include making Teresa fall in love with some idiot met on the internet. So, yes, Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby arranged dates for Teresa Lisbon. But it was only with idiots.
The plan was to make Teresa realize that Jane was the one and only for her, and that, as much as she was trying to look somewhere else for Mr. Right, he was right before her eyes. Teresa wasn’t admitting at loud (to anyone else, at least) her feelings for Jane because she didn’t want to admit that, as crazy as it could be, he was the one for her. That it could work. But forced with the hard, though reality, Grace was sure Lisbon would have fallen under the pressure.
Only, she didn’t.
And Grace’s plan backfired. It had been a brilliant plan, until it wasn’t any longer. Because Teresa wasn’t going to stop dating any other man who wasn’t Patrick Jane. Teresa wanted to swore off dating. As in, completely. And Grace couldn’t have any of that. Not when she was so close to taste her success. And proven right before her husband.
“Grace, I appreciate what you did, but it’s time to accept reality. My ship sealed a long time ago, and apparently I’m doomed to stay single for the rest of my life. But it’s not a problem if I’m not in a relationship. I have many things to live for.” Lisbon was smiling at Grace, but the redhead wasn’t an idiot. Even an idiot - a blind one- would have seen it. Teresa wasn’t happy, despite whatever she was trying to sell. It was time to rectify it- subtly- and set back in motion her plan. Just a little improved. But her new idea was going to work… and she was sure it would.
She was going to be a bridesmaid-maybe even the maid of honor- at Jane and Lisbon’s wedding. And who knew. Maybe they could even ask her and Wayne to be the Godparents of their children (if Jane decided that Lisbon could rise them in the Church). In few years, they were going to have tea, all of them, together, and Teresa would tell their friends how the redhead had been their cupid, making their lives just picture perfect…
Or, well, maybe not. She was exaggerating a tiny bit, she knew it. But there was room for dreaming, right? And besides, this was “plan two.” Plan One was to get the two of them together. But first, she needed to have Lisbon un-swearing off dating.
“I may have a proposition…” Grace made her best acting impression. She wasn’t as good as Jane at selling her acts, but she had improved over the years at his side. She had to look honest, and maybe even a bit sorry for what had happened to poor Teresa.
“I don’t know, Grace…” Teresa answered, making a slightly worried, and at the same time, disgusted, expression. “I think I hit rock bottom yesterday with that Maurice guy. If he was the best you could find, I think there is no chance for me.”
It had been a terrible date, and Teresa didn’t have any intention of remembering every detail, nor telling them out loud. Grace was sorry enough. She didn’t need to know that the French guy had the worst fake French accent she had ever heard in her whole life, nor that he was a creep with maniac tendencies. The guy had been obsessed with her socks the whole evening, he had kept asking her to show them and to do indecent things with them. While they were at the restaurant. She had been tempted to arrest him, for she was sure he had gotten exited - in public!- just asking her to perform such acts.
“I have a plan…” She said, but then she corrected herself. She didn’t want for Teresa to discover the truth. Not yet, at least. Or maybe, never, ever. She was a vengeful person, when she wanted to. “I have an idea. Next time, I will be careful. I will get to know the guy myself, I will, quiz him, or something, to see he isn’t a pervert or a fake. Then, you and the guy I will choose for you will start exchanging… well, what you want. Texts. Calls. Emails. Whatever you feel comfortable with. And only when you’ll feel ready, and you’ll think he could be at least a decent friend, you’ll meet him.”
Grace put her right hand on her boss’ left, and looked at Teresa with puppy dog eyes. People barely resisted pregnant ladies, but when she was the pregnant lady in question, there was just no room to escape. Whatever she liked it or not, Teresa was going to accept. It was just how she was.
“Promise me no perverts, please.” She had had her good share of those. People interested in her because she was a cop and got horny on her handcuffs and her gun. People who liked their women on the short side. Men obsessed with the fairytale-like princess/elf/whatever they wanted her to be and dress like.
“You have my word that this time it will work.” Grace smiled, but up her sleeve she was giggling. She was going to get her boss and Jane together, and they weren’t going to see this coming. They were going to have their happily ever after, just like she had always hoped for them. Yes, her new improved plan was going to work. She had all the means to set it all in motion. Of course, there was still one little tiny detail she still had to take in consideration.
Because she didn’t know how she could set Jane up with an internet dating profile-making it look like it was his idea- and set him up with Lisbon with a blind-date sort of thing, like in the Meg Ryan movie with Tom Hanks. But it didn’t matter, because she was going to find a way. She was going to set them up together. In time, she would be proven right, and they were going to thank her.
Really- she just had to set Jane up to on-line dating first. And how hard could it be?
People assumed that Patrick Jane didn’t have a soft spot, but they were wrong: he did, and her name was Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby. It wasn’t like he was in love with her-the mere thought was, with all due respect for Grace, almost ridiculous- but he liked her. Grace was like a little sister, still innocent and naïve in his eyes. What Jane didn’t understand (or maybe, what he didn’t want to understand) was that it wasn’t like that any longer.
Yes, she still believed in a higher power and, even if she had accepted that Jane wasn’t such a thing, she still thought that psychics could exist. She didn’t talk about it, of course- there was just enough Jane-talk she could handle in her life- but despite these hidden beliefs, she wasn’t the girl she had been a long time before, back when she had joined the team. Did she claim the opposite, especially when Jane was involved? Yes, often. But after all, how could she pass the chance of having Jane doing whatever she wanted and needed?
Also, as she was Jane’s soft spot, she had him around, a lot. Wayne sometimes was a bit irritated as the mentalist often showed up uninvited when it was time to eat, but at least he often volunteered to babysit (for free) Ben too, allowing them to have time for themselves and act for a few, precious hours as grown-ups without a care in the world. All he asked in exchange was to savor Wayne’s cooking skills at least once the following day, and what better occasion to trap him into on-line dating that a dinner invitation?
“Whatever you are thinking, you are hurting my brain, Grace dear.” Jane told her that evening. They were sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of tea, and looking at Ben playing on his own on the carpet.
“Oh, really? And, enlighten me: what I am thinking so loudly about?” She smiled, almost laughed, and Jane’s heart broke a tiny bit. Grace had been without that smile for far too long, and he felt in part responsible. Maybe he hadn’t had a part in her break-up with Rigsby, but she had suffered terribly when she had discovered that the man she was planning of spending her life with, Craig O’Laughlin, was one of Red John’s minions. It was stupid and irrational, and even Lisbon had told him so, but he kept telling himself that, had he not talked on television that night, had she not joined his team, she would have never met O’Laughlin, she would have never had to kill her own fiancée and go through everything she had afterward.
“Well, I think,” he said, tapping his right index finger against his lip, faking concentration and a seriousness he was far from feeling “that it has to do with me, and that I will not like it.”
Grace kept in silence, and then she looked at him, a bit guilty, biting her own lips. “It’s just that, I was wondering if now you weren’t thinking about….” Her eyes moved to his left hand, and the empty ring-finger he now showed after Red John’s departure. “…You know, about dating again.”
Jane shook his head, chuckling, smiling with his whole body. His eyes were almost always radiant, nowadays. He was happy, everybody knew it, and Grace did too, but she could feel that he was holding back something. She guessed- actually, hoped- it was his love for Lisbon, and that still now, after so many years, Jane felt guilty, and that he didn’t think he deserved to live and to love.
“When I will be ready, you’ll be the first one to know it.” He smiled, his hands behind his head, his eyes now concentrated on the kid. Wayne had joined his son, and was busy trying to save the last pair of glasses Ben had decided he had to break in order to see how they actually worked- the child was going to be a scientist, Jane was sure of it.
Grace grunted, a very un-lady-like sound that yet fitted her. Yes, she was innocent and delicate, but like Lisbon, she could be a dragoness when needed. “Please. How do you think you’ll find, I am not saying your next wife, but at least a friend, if you don’t put yourself out on the market?”
Jane rolled his eyes. “Geez, thanks. I feel like a piece of meat now.”
Grace crossed her arms. Her eyes were focused on the kid and his father, and yet her mind was all into the conversation with her team’s consultant. She had to win the argument if she wanted to make it look like it had been, at least in part, his idea. “Say what you like, Jane, but you know I’m right.”
Jane kept in silence for a bit, then added “I meet a lot of people through the job.”
Grace grunted again in that un-lady-like manner of hers, and then chuckled. “Ok, over the 90% of the people we meet through the job ends up resenting you and/or hurting you. Second, the 70% of the women you meet through the job ends up being a murderers.” Jane remained in silence, and like on auto-pilot, he touched his still sore nose. Just two days before, a person of interest in a case had almost broken it. “Let’s be honest here, Jane: you can’t do it the traditional way.”
And that was when Jane understood what she was planning. He didn’t know how Grace could have even just considered such an option. He had enough problems dating- let alone dating people he had never talked to or met in real life. Besides, the name Erika Flynn was still stuck in his head.
“No. No, no and no. Forget it, Grace.” He begged her, looking like a scared little animal. “You are not going to sign me up at one of those dating agencies, whatever they are on the internet or next door.”
“But…” She begged, sniffing and pouting. She was a pregnant lady, she knew that no one could actually resist her when she did so. Not even Jane himself.
“No.” He said again, this time lower, but closer to her. He was almost whispering in her ear. “Grace, I am forty-five years old. Forty. Five.” He repeated, spelling it. “I am far too old for this kind of things. I will look like a pervert or a weird, crazy guy.” Grace looked at him quizzically, lifting her eyebrows. It wasn’t, after all, far from the truth.
“With all due respect, Jane, but this is the twenty-first century. Internet dating is how people over forty meets their soul-mates.” She gesticulated a bit with her hands, like it could actually help her proving her point more. “I mean, have you ever seen Must love dogs?”
“What’s that, a social media site for people with animal fetishes?” He asked. And what scared Grace was the fact that he was serious. Oh, Lord, she thought rolling her eyes at him. He was really a lost cause. It was no wonder Teresa didn’t think he could actually be in love with her. The man could be oblivious.
“Ehy, I know it, it’s the movie with John Cusack, and… what are their names? Diane Lane and Dermot McKinley?”
“It’s Mulroney.” Grace pointed out, almost spitting the words, like by saying the name of the actor in the wrong way her husband had just insulted her. Wayne gulped down a mouthful of saliva and tuned back to Ben. With Grace, especially now that hormones were involved, it was better safe than sorry. Jane smiled at the scene. He really liked them, and being in their company. Maybe it was because their marriage was a bit strange.
Actually, strange wasn’t really the right word to describe it. It was just different from what he had lived through. Grace and Wayne were the opposite of what he and Angela had been; she was resolute and he was a bit submissive in order to maintain the peace, but mostly they were just… he could say easy, in lack of a better word. Even at home, back then Jane had been the man he was on stage, he never abandoned the part. He wasn’t just a showman- he had become that man.
“Jane? You all right?” Grace asked when she noticed his far-way look and his glossy eyes. Jane turned to look at her, and noticed how worried she was. Grace was always like that, and the poor soul had gone through enough already because of him- and adding stress during the pregnancy was never a good thing. Of course, he wasn’t going to promise her to get married in a heartbeat, but maybe she was right. Maybe he could make some new friends along the way. Meet interesting people. And who knew. Maybe, eventually…
He chuckled, and nodded. “Ok, so. How is it going to be?” And Grace smiled in return- shrieking and throwing her arms around his neck, like he had just given her the best news ever.
And, unknowingly to him, he kind of just did.