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“What's all this?” Lisbon asked incredulously as she entered her apartment. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Jane left work early, but she didn’t have a chance to ask what he was up to before she had been whisked away to another boring budget meeting.
“This, Lisbon, is called holiday spirit!”
Setting her bag down by the door, she surveyed what could once have been called her living room. When Jane moved in, they had unpacked the rest of her boxes, seeing as how this would be their home together for the time being. There was plenty of room for two people, and Lisbon had suggested they put the boxes in storage, but Jane insisted that he wanted a completely lived-in house. So, together they unpacked her things and started making the space their own.
What had been a clutter-free living space just that morning was covered in mismatched strings of lights and garland strands. Jane had successfully wound the railing of the stairs with one of the lengths of garland and ribbon, but the rest were sitting in a pile on the landing. Tangled bundles of lights were spread over the couch in an attempt to keep them separate. The centerpiece that set the whole thing off was Patrick Jane himself, covered in silver bits of tinsel and with pine tree needles in his hair. The look on his face was so gleeful that Lisbon had to bite back a laugh.
“You’re adorable,” she said, kicking off her boots and making her way to where he stood on the stairs. “Where did you get all this?”
Jane drew her in for a hug and a kiss, transferring some of the shiny tinsel to the front of her blouse. “I pulled some of my old decorations out of storage. Haven’t needed them in years, but it’s a good thing I kept them.”
“It is! Very festive.”
“And I know we can’t decorate the outside with lights like we could if we had a house, but I figured we could use a little holiday cheer, even if it is just on the inside.”
“I know you’re probably one of those people who go all out for Christmas, but it’s honestly rare that I even get a tree, let alone put up any lights. It’s a welcome change. Feels a lot more like a home,” Lisbon admitted.
To be truthful, it hadn’t ever felt like a real home until Jane had moved in with her. Even though the apartment wasn’t big, it was more than enough for a single woman to live in, especially a woman whose work kept her away from home most of the time anyway. But Jane had infiltrated her space gradually, leaving teacups and little notes in her kitchen and his toothbrush in her bathroom, until she finally decided to ask him to live with her. It was the next logical step to take, and the change was a lot quicker after that. It was much nicer to come home to a space she shared with the person she loved the most than knowing she was there alone.
“And this way we can enjoy it together. We don’t have to share it with anyone else,” Jane said. “Can you imagine, Lisbon, how nice it would be to cuddle on the couch by the fire with just the Christmas lights on?”
“We don’t have a fireplace, Jane.”
He frowned. “I guess we’ll just have to settle for cuddling with blankets on. If we buy a house together, it needs a fireplace.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lisbon said, smiling. “Do you need help with these decorations?”
“Well, I had meant to have it all done by the time you got home so we could go on a date, but that didn’t exactly work out. Those light strands took ages to get untangled, and I have a feeling half the bulbs are burnt out,” he admitted, scratching the back of his head.
“A date?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Do we have plans to go out tonight?”
“As a matter of fact, we do. Help me get these lights put up, and we can go.”
After an attempt in vain to get the tinsel off of her blouse, Lisbon gave up and grabbed the end of one of the light strands. These lights were a warm white color, casting a candlelit glow when plugged in. Neither of them quite knew what to do with it, though, seeing as how they had already wrapped the railing of the staircase.
“Any idea where you want this to go?” Lisbon asked. “You’re the master decorator here.”
Jane looked around the room for open wall space, careful to choose somewhere that wouldn’t damage the paint on the walls. They hung one of the light strings above the couch, weaving it back and forth over the wall and hanging the lights on little adhesive hooks. When Jane plugged it in, it looked almost like a photo wall, and much to his surprise, none of the bulbs had burnt out from years of disuse.
Lisbon slid an old Christmas CD into the player on the bookshelf and turned up the volume. The first few notes of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” hung in the air, quickly joined by Jane’s deep voice singing off-key. When Lisbon could stop laughing, she joined him, her voice much too high for the song, but sounding perfect to Jane. They danced around the apartment goofily, Lisbon giggling as Jane twirled her through the living room.
When “Christmas Waltz” drifted out of the speakers, they stopped what they were doing and found themselves in each other’s arms, swaying softly to the music. Lisbon was the perfect height for Jane to rest his chin on her head, pressing soft kisses into her hair.
“This is my favorite Christmas song,” Lisbon whispered. “It’s perfect to dance to.”
“And perfect for us too. That line about how the world falls in love reminds me of us.”
Her smile brighter than the lights that lit up the room around them, Lisbon leaned in for a kiss before snuggling back into Jane’s arms for the rest of the song.
They made quick work of the rest of the lights, draping one strand over the front door and another around the windows. Jane plugged them in and turned off all the overhead lights, throwing the room into a warm white glow that felt like Christmas itself. Lisbon went wide-eyed at the newly decorated apartment, her green eyes sparkling with childlike excitement.
“I haven’t seen anything like this since I was a kid,” she breathed. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Did you put up lights when you were younger?” Jane asked gently, not wanting to pry.
“We did. My mother insisted they stay on the outside of the house, though, so we usually hung them off the roof. After she passed, I don’t think we decorated anymore. That’s why this is so special, it’s like a new tradition.”
He smiled at her. “We always put up some decorations at the house in Malibu. Charlotte loved the lights, always begged to buy more and more every year until we had this giant display. Angela thought it was ridiculous, but it made Charlotte so happy, I couldn’t resist. She would love this.”
It always took Lisbon by surprise when Jane willingly talked about his family, but ever since they had gotten together, he had been opening up to her more. It didn’t seem to make him sad to recall the memories anymore, instead, it made him happy that he could keep their memory alive with the stories.
“I know you may not believe it, Jane, but I believe they can see you now. They know how happy you are,” Lisbon whispered.
“That’s a lovely thought, Lisbon. Thank you.”
They sat in silence for a little while, just enjoying each other’s company and admiring the glow of the Christmas lights. Before long, Jane stood up, eagerly telling Lisbon that he had one more decoration he wanted to put up. Quickly running back out to his car in the parking lot, he returned holding a box that looked a lot newer than the ones the lights had been brought in.
“What’s that?”
“Our last decoration. In the hopes of making new traditions,” he explained.
Jane stopped in the bedroom doorway, pulling a beautiful ball of greenery out of the box, wrapped with a red ribbon. He fixed one of the adhesive hooks to the top of the doorframe, hanging the mistletoe on it carefully.
“Et voila!” he said happily.
She joined him by the door. “Let me guess. It’s mistletoe?”
“Yes. I thought it was festive.”
“You know, if you want a kiss, all you have to do is ask.”
“I know that, I just thought it could be fun. Because now, you are bound by traditions of Christmas past to kiss me,” Jane pointed out. “Seeing as how you are standing directly under the mistletoe next to me.”
“Dork,” Lisbon muttered under her breath before closing the distance between them.
He returned the kiss, gently wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer, inhaling the comforting vanilla scent of her shampoo. They stayed there for what felt like hours, Jane’s back pressed against the doorframe, but when he felt her fingers playing at the buttons of his vest, he stopped her.
“As much as I would like to say this was the tradition I had in mind,” he said once he had caught his breath, “I really do have plans for tonight. And I think if we continue, I’m going to have to keep you here all night.”
“Would that really be so bad?”
“No, not at all. And that’s the problem. Go grab a jacket, it’s a bit chilly.” He leaned down to kiss her one more time, feeling her smile against his lips, before giving her a tiny push in the direction of the bedroom. “You may want to bring a hat!” Jane called.
Rolling her eyes at his overprotectiveness, Lisbon threw on a grey peacoat and rummaged through her dresser drawers for a beanie. Unfortunately, the only one she could find had a pompom on the top, something she had thrown in a drawer when she moved from Chicago and had never worn again.
“That’s cute,” Jane commented of her hat as she tied up her boots.
“Thanks. Not my first choice, but it’s the only one I had. Honestly, I probably haven’t worn it in ten years. It isn’t very often that you need a hat when you’re living in California.”
“No, but you might be glad you have one tonight.”
“Oh really? And are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope. We have two stops though, but I’m saving one for on the way home.”
Lisbon sighed. “I don’t suppose you’ll give me a hint.”
Unsurprisingly, he didn’t. They spent the drive humming along to Christmas carols on the radio and pointing out good light displays. Jane was driving, making sure to be conscious of how fast he was going, lest Lisbon yell at him for speeding again. She admired the way the glow of lights outside the window of the SUV illuminated his face, making his eyes glitter. It was always the candid moments that she appreciated the most, when they didn’t have to be “Lisbon and Jane” and could let themselves just be a couple spending their first Christmas together, without any imminent danger looming over their heads. Although she never asked, Lisbon assumed Jane felt the same way.
The drive went by faster than either had guessed it would, and Jane turned to see the look in Lisbon’s eyes as she realized where they were.
“Ice skating?” she asked, excitement building in her voice. “How did you know?”
“Simple,” Jane replied, taking her hand. “You’re from Chicago, and you raised three brothers. Naturally, you’ve either ice skated or played ice hockey before.”
“You’re so sweet,” Lisbon said, kissing his cheek. Jane hadn't seen her this excited since that birthday where he put a pony in her office. “It’s been years since I’ve gone ice skating, I never had much of a chance to do things around the holidays before.”
“I figured as much. So I decided I needed to bring you here myself, before someone else beat me to it.”
“No one could beat you to it. You’re too thoughtful, Jane, really. Thank you.”
After waiting to rent some skates, and much trial and error in helping Jane stand up, they made their way out to the actual ice rink. Jane had been ice skating before, but it had been so long that he didn’t remember how to balance very well. Clinging on to the way, he watched a giant smile spread over Lisbon’s face as she completed a full lap in the time it took him to go three feet.
“Hey slowpoke!” she called, coming to a stop next to him.
Jane frowned. “How do you stand in these things?”
“You just-” he took a hand off the wall. “Yeah, there you go!” she cheered as he balanced on his own. “See? It’s not that bad.”
“But now I can’t go anywhere else!”
“That’s not true. Just shift your weight and pick up one skate at a time, and you’ll move forward. Watch.” She demonstrated the movement for him and he tried to follow, but collapsed to the ice in a heap.
“Ouch,” Jane said, as Lisbon tried not to laugh. “This is harder than it looks.”
“Okay, I have another idea,” she said, cheeks rosy from the cold. “Hold on to my hands, and I’ll skate backward while I pull you forward.”
“You can skate backward?!”
“Hush. You have to help me out here, Jane, try to stand up without falling.”
After a great deal of effort on both their ends trying to get him standing again, Lisbon faced him and pulled him forwards while making great sweeping motions with her legs to propel them.
"This is embarrassing," Jane said, still being pulled along by Lisbon.
"What? Embarrassed to admit your girlfriend is a better skater than you?" Lisbon teased.
"No! No, I'm very proud of your skating abilities. It's just embarrassing that I can't keep up with you."
She waved it off. "Don't worry about that, it's taken years of practice. Just focus on moving your legs. No, don't let go of my hands!"
It was too late. He tried to balance on the thin blades of the skates, but one foot went forward and lodged in the ice, followed by the other. The next thing he knew, Jane was flat on his ass in the middle of the skating rink. Again.
"That looked painful," Lisbon commented, pulling him back to his feet again.
“It was,” he said ruefully. “Is it possible to have a broken ass?”
“Technically the term is tailbone. And it’s not broken, probably just bruised,” Lisbon corrected.
“Ah. My old bones can’t take much more of this.”
“Your old bones?” Lisbon snorted. “Hardly. You’re more athletic than you let on. But it’s lucky you didn’t fall on your back or hit your head.”
Jane paled. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll sit this one out, let you have a little fun out there. I’m only holding you back, you know.”
“You’re not. It’s fun to skate with you.” She reached out to tow him again. “Even if I am doing all the work.”
Jane let her pull him along with her for a few more laps, making casual conversation about childhood Christmases. They didn’t celebrate much after her mother passed, but Lisbon was able to regale Jane with stories of snow football and their tradition of reading the Christmas story from the Bible before they opened presents. Jane had far more unconventional Christmas memories, most including some story of an escaped animal or a prank gone wrong. Most of the carnie families traveled together and considered themselves one giant family, so he mostly remembered the chaos that followed the Janes through the circuit around the holidays.
Under the guise of going to look for some cocoa to warm them up, Jane excused himself from the rink, desperate to get those cursed skates off his feet. Once he was safely back on even ground again, he sat on one of the benches just out of sight to watch Lisbon skate a few more laps.
She was so beautiful, her hair flying out in waves as she weaved between people standing on the ice. With a pink tint on her cheeks from the cold, her expression was one of pure joy as she moved faster and faster across the rink. Stopping once to try a spin, she flung her arms out to balance herself before speeding off again. Jane wasn’t sure he had ever seen her this unguarded and vulnerable, her eyes sparkling in delight.
“That was so much fun!” Lisbon exclaimed, plopping down on the bench next to him. He handed her a cup of cocoa. “It reminds me of skating when I was a kid.”
“You’re really good, Teresa, excellent! I was watching you out there. That spin was amazing!”
“I’ve never tried that before,” Lisbon admitted, blushing. “But I assumed it would be the same as roller skating.”
“You roller skated too? Lisbon, you’ve been holding out on me!” Jane joked. “It’s no wonder you were able to just get out there and take off.”
“You didn’t do that bad!” she protested. “Everyone falls their first time on the ice.”
“That was my first time on the ice and probably my last, if this bruised tailbone has anything to say about it.”
“That’s okay. It’s not for everyone.”
Her gaze was caught by the kids skating on the rink, giggles and shouts drifting into the air. Jane had no doubt she was remembering her own childhood, skating with her brothers and friends. As he watched, he wondered idly if she would ever want children of her own, but quickly filed that thought away into the ‘Teresa Lisbon Wing’ of his memory palace.
“Come on,” he said, bringing her out of her thoughts. “I’ve got one more plan for this evening.”
They made it most of the way back to their home before Jane turned off the main road. Lisbon knew better than to ask questions, and before long they were parked outside a Christmas tree farm. Well, not really a farm, seeing as how it was in the middle of Sacramento, but as close to a Christmas tree farm as you could get in the city.
“This is really the last decoration,” Jane promised. “I just didn’t want us to have our first Christmas together and not have a tree.”
“I think it’s a great idea! I love the smell of pine trees,” Lisbon said almost wistfully.
He smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Jane led her through a clearing to where the medium-sized trees stood, watching as the twinkle lights strung overhead illuminated the waves of her chocolate-colored hair. He never ceased to be amazed by how beautiful she looked when she didn’t know he was watching.
They checked out a few of the trees, Lisbon inspecting each one for fragrance and full branches. It was like being in the middle of a pine forest, if there were pine forests in the middle of Sacramento. When she finally settled on one that struck her fancy, they had it wrapped in netting and strapped to the roof of the SUV.
Getting it in the house was another chore neither was quite prepared for.
“Move, Jane!”
“I can’t go any further that way, we’ll hit the table!”
“Move the table.”
“I can’t!”
“Why can’t we just carry this thing vertically?”
“Because it’ll scrape the doorway. Besides, we’re almost there.”
“Liar. My end isn’t even all the way in the door!”
With much pushing and shoving, and yelling and grouching, they got the tree settled in a little stand in the living room. Jane cut the netting off and it sprang to life, the branches falling into place and covering the floor with a dusting of needles. Lisbon walked around it, making sure the branches were evenly distributed to cover the whole thing. Before she could notice, Jane swept the needles under the couch.
It was Lisbon’s idea to grab one of the extra light strings and wrap the tree in lights, and they made quick work of it, inhaling the soft wintery fragrance of pine. Stepping back, the apartment looked perfect, but it was missing only one thing.
“I know it’s not Christmas yet,” Jane started slowly, “but I have one gift I need to give to you right now.”
“Don’t you want me to wait until Christmas, though? Or at least Christmas Eve? I planned to give you your gifts then,” Lisbon said.
“No. This can’t wait, because you won’t be able to properly enjoy it if I save it until then.”
“Fine,” Lisbon relented, smiling.
He grabbed a box from where it was hidden in the downstairs closet and pressed it into her hand. It was a medium-sized box, very light but big enough to hold any variety of things.
“Can I shake it?”
“No!” Jane said quickly. “It’s breakable.”
Lisbon tore off the wrapping and slid the lid off the box only to be met with layers of resistance in the form of tissue paper. Once all of those were flung out of the box, she found her gift. It was an ornament, made of thick clear glass and with tiny snowflakes inside. Two little origami swans hung from the inside, suspended in the air by an invisible string, and so close they were almost kissing. On one side of the glass was engraved, “Our first Christmas together. PJ + TL”.
“Oh my god,” Lisbon breathed, turning it to see the swans from all angles. “Jane, this is so beautiful.”
“Do you know what they represent?” he asked, pointing at the swans. “They mean love, beauty, trust, and loyalty.”
“This has to be the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received,” Lisbon said, sounding close to tears. “Thank you so much.”
“And we don’t have any other ornaments for our tree, so this could be the start of another new tradition. Every year, I'll get you a new one to put on the tree.”
“I love it. Jane, thank you so much. For the ornament, for tonight, for everything.”
She hung the ornament on a branch at eye level, watching the swans spin around as they settled into the new place. Jane then pulled her onto his lap on the couch, holding her tightly as she admired the decorating job.
“You know, if being a consultant at the CBI ever doesn’t work out, you may have a future in interior design,” Lisbon joked.
“Funny. And bold of you to assume I’d ever leave that job.”
“Maybe you’ll get fired. It would mean a lot less paperwork for me.”
“You know, if being a detective at the CBI ever doesn’t work out, you may have a future in stand up comedy,” Jane teased, echoing her statement.
She laughed. “You’re insufferable.”
“But you love it.”
“I do. And I love you.”
Jane pulled her tighter into his chest as their lips met again, gently expressing all the things they didn’t say aloud.
“Merry Christmas, Jane.”
“Merry Christmas to you too, Teresa. And here’s to new traditions.”