Mentalist Fic: Drink Red Wine and Be Merry

[erinya]

Title: Drink Red Wine and Be Merry
Fandom: The Mentalist
Pairing: Lisbon/Jane
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: It all belongs to CBS.
Summary: Lisbon hates Christmas. Jane takes her to dinner to try to cheer her up, and wine and conversation lead them to unexpected places--past, present, and maybe even future. Dialogue-heavy, a little dark.
Author

Comments

[jcalanthe]

Oh, I like this a bunch. You capture both Jane & Lisbon very well, dialog especially. She's probably my favorite part of the show, so it's nice to get her POV & some backstory.

[erinya]

Thanks so much for commenting! I'm so relieved you liked it. I was afraid this was boring. They do go round and round the prickly pear a lot, so to speak.

I really like Lisbon, too. Small, feisty women are my favorite.

[lilacwitchtea]

Wow - I loved reading this. At first I wasn't sure if I could because the thought of the two of them being that intimate just couldn't gel in my mind, but you executed it wonderfully and the dialogue was very well done.

Good job :)

[erinya]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

At first I wasn't sure if I could because the thought of the two of them being that intimate just couldn't gel in my mind

I know exactly what you mean. I think that's why this fic is so long...it took me four thousand odd words just to get them to a place where they would even kiss. That groundwork just hasn't been laid in the show yet. (I still think I like them better platonic, but it was fun to crack them open a bit.)

[angstbunny]

This is SIXTEEN BILLION kinds of AWESOME. Like, I thought about writing Lisbon/Jane, but I'm scrapping those plans, 'cause this is SO IT right here. And the funny thing is that I don't 'ship them. I like them much better as Lisbon the boss and Jane the renegade, colleagues and maybe eventually friends down the line, but not particularly as lovers. There's too much intimacy involved, and boy do they have intimacy issues. But you didn't just throw them into the deep end. You worked up to it, and it all worked. If I quoted every line I loved, I'd quote 75% of the fic. I love how in character they both were, the way they dance around each other, sometimes with ease from practice, and sometimes with tension, of stuff between them unspoken. I like how they cut each other a little too close, but in a weird way, that's what they both need

[erinya]

Wow, thank you so much! I agree with you, I don't actually ship them as such--I ship them as a friendship, if that makes sense. But I really got curious to see what their dynamic would turn into with the intimacy turned up--there were just so many aspects there that interested me. Trust, control, consent. The loneliness of self-sufficiency, and where that breaks down. And a sense that in some ways, they are very alike. I'm always fascinated by the interaction of two dominant personalities.

Yeah, I couldn't resist the angel comparison--it's not exactly original, but it's kind of inescapable. He's just that pretty.

I'm really glad you thought I got the voices right, especially Jane. I hang out with a lot of psychologists, so that probably helped. :-)

Thanks again for reading, and for the fabulously generous comment! (I was quite worried that no one would like this at all...)

[angstbunny]

I ship them as a friendship, if that makes sense

Oh absolutely, that's how I ship them too.

a sense that in some ways, they are very alike.

YES! I'm glad you wrote this, because, just, yeah, you teased out all the things I would find fascinating about them if they got together. Trust, control, consent, yes yes yes. They're both such control freaks, and how that translates when you put intimacy into the mix, which is all about vulnerability and exposing yourself, and you just GOT it. Nailed it. And I'm like fwee happy over here.

Simon Baker is indeed Just. That. Pretty. :D

I was quite worried that no one would like this at all

I love it enough for 10 people if that helps! :D Though I see that you've gotten more comments, which is yay, 'cause you totally deserve it. This was a FAB fic.

[peanutbutterer]

Wow. This was all kinds of fabulous. Your characterization is just flawless. The dialogue, the way they interact, the manipulation - just perfect. Physical intimacy seems like quite the stretch but somehow you made it the logical conclusion.

Really impressive. Thank you for sharing!

[erinya]

Yay! That was the goal of the exercise, to keep them in character and land them in bed together at the same time. :-) I'm glad it worked for you! Thank you for reading!

[erinya]

Thank you! I wasn't sure if it was going to work when I started writing it, so I'm pleased it was believable. They sure took some convincing to get there, I can tell you that. :-)