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She watched him carefully from the door frame. He seemed perfectly at ease with himself and his surroundings; laughing and joking with the bartender and fellow patrons. Smiling broadly, he threw back a whiskey on the rocks and swallowed it with ease. This was a Patrick Jane coming down from having given a blinder of a show; he needed to relax and shake off that buzz he'd built up during his performance. Apparently, alcohol and good company seemed to be the way to do it.
Patrick Jane. He was almost notorious, in a way. She knew his name for several reasons. The fact that everyone in attendance at the Red Bulls seemed to know of him was a help. Then, there were the peeling posters that littered the sidewalk for two miles in each direction.
And then, more importantly, there was the simple fact he volunteered his services at the same place she worked. The California bureau of investigation, more commonly referred to as the CBI. Lisbon had never actually worked with him there, but amongst the staff, he was as notorious there as he was here. Everybody knew who he was, from the lowliest of cleaning staff right up to the fat cats in management, thanks to his regular antics. Even she, who had only been hired by Virgil Minelli just two months previously, knew everything about him and what he did.
He was reckless, arrogant, egotistical, a pain in the ass and a quicksilver mind. He might not have closed many cases the rightway, but if he touched your case, it was pretty much guaranteed to be dealt with within two weeks. It may have appeared that working with Jane was a double-edged sword, but most people considered it to be worth it. He closed cases, that was what they said. That was enough to make up for the chaos he caused.
There was one exception, of course, and that was Red John. She could hardly fault him for that; no man was perfect. And besides, Red John was as slippery as an eel. The case had been open since '97 and already passed through many sets of hands. As far as Lisbon knew, Jane had only spent a few hours on it, so to expect him to have closed it already was expecting nothing short of a miracle.
However, she wasn't actually here to talk to Jane. His presence was mere serendipity, a coincidence. And just as she was toying with the idea of disappearing, slipping out and going to another bar, he motioned for her to come a little bit closer. It was almost as if his ego had been convinced to the opposite. That he thought she had actively searched him out and wanted to spend time with him.
But what the hell would she want to do with him?
Lisbon had seen his act more than often enough. How he read people and picked up on the flaws in their armor, the skeletons in their closets. And she had more than enough skeletons to last a lifetime. She wasn't about to let him drag them out and play with them in public. There had been more than enough of him doing that to other people earlier, in his 'set', if that was what she was meant to label it.
However, through no thought of her own, her feet led her straight to him.
Almost immediately, he motioned towards the bartender who diligently appeared at his side. Jane was the kind of patron that they liked to keep pleased. Then again, he clearly made them a lot of money with his 'psychic readings', so there was due reason for it.
"The same again, and whatever the lady here is having," he stated clearly.
"Who said I want a drink?"
"Why else would you be in a bar?" he asked coyly. "Please, take a seat."
She shook her head and instead, stuck her hands in her pockets. This was ridiculous; she didn't even understand why she was paying so much attention to this man. It would have been so easy for her to turn and walk away. Automatically, she glanced over her shoulder to check that the exit was still clear. As she slowly turned to leave, the drinks appeared and Jane spoke again.
"Don't be shy, Teresa."
"How do you know my name?" she asked, surprised.
"Please. You don't think I pay attention at work?"
"But we don't work together."
"Passing in the corridors is enough, Teresa," he said, repeating her name for effect as he stared her directly in the eye. "Believe me."
"Why should I do that?"
"Why not?" he shot back quickly.
"I should go."
"You should sit down. I did buy you a drink for a reason."
"And what reason would that be?" she queried.
"You'll never know unless you stay."
Dubiously, Lisbon took the seat, but her drink remained untouched. After all, she'd never actually stated what she'd wanted, even though the bartender had taken it upon themselves to serve her one anyway. Jane's smile grew that little bit more broad and it unnerved her. She just didn't understand why he was taking such an interest in her. Then again, she still wasn't sure why she had bothered coming to this specific bar when all the advertisements had confirmed that he would have been there.
Sheer intrigue, she surmised. Just because she had happened to catch him in action on television, it didn't mean she knew what his performance was like in the flesh. Lisbon knew that deep down, she wanted to know just why he managed to lure so many people in. She also wanted to work out whether or not he was actually a psychic and if it were all an act.
Either way, she still wasn't sure.
"Don't you dare try any of your psychic crap on me," she stated warningly.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Jane replied.
"I don't believe you."
"You know, you're quite beautiful when you're angry."
The change of subject surprised her, but Lisbon knew that it shouldn't have. After all, Jane was a master of wordplay and mind games. He probably wanted to take her off guard, simply to see how she reacted. He may not have been trying to hypnotize her (yet), but that didn't mean he didn't have other tricks in his arsenal. Once more, she cursed herself for joining him, and again for staying.
But then again, there was something intriguing about him, if nothing else. That was probably why he had so many women fawning over him. He was charismatic and charming, there was a certain allure. Lisbon didn't want to become a statistic – or worse, a notch on his bedpost – but part of her just couldn't help herself. He had this way of making her feel safe and welcome.
"You're married," she stated flatly.
"To a wife who hates me," he answered with a noncommittal shrug.
"Does that make a difference?"
"Absolutely," he confirmed.
"Doesn't change the fact that you're married," she shot back.
"Would taking my wedding ring off make any difference?"
"No."
It wasn't a lie; it wouldn't make her feel any more or less uncomfortable. Lisbon knew he was flirting with her, and that she was responding to it in an unusual fashion, to say the least. She had never liked the concept of being the scarlet woman; there was so much heartache involved for all concerned. Besides, just because Jane had said that his wife hated him, it didn't make it true. Maybe, he simply hoped that she did, simply to ease his conscience when it came to being attracted to other women?
He took a hold of her wrist and unusually, Lisbon didn't pull it back in response. Instead, she allowed him to draw tiny circles across her skin. His soft touch made her feel equally at ease and uncomfortable. There was nothing like the gentle press of fingertips against her skin to shift her mindset. It made her feel the promise of things to come, just as he probably hoped. Jane, after all, knew what he was doing; he was a seasoned pro at this.
And despite the fact she knew it was so wrong, it also felt so right.
"You're not trying to seduce me are you?" she asked, a frown suddenly appearing between her brows.
"Is it working?"
She made an indistinct noise. It was meant to be a no, but of course, her body had very different ideas as to how to respond. Jane simply grinned and carried on with his ministrations.
"I thought as much."
"Are you sure there's room in here for you and your ego?"
"So the cat hadn't got your tongue, then?"
"Are you sure this is the right behavior for such a public place?"
"You're right, of course," he muttered. "We should leave."
"And go where?" she queried.
"I'm staying in a hotel, not far from here," he informed her quickly. "We won't be disturbed there."
"You sure?" she asked doubtfully.
"Of course I'm sure."
They traveled in silence, but Jane constantly kept his hand on at least some part of her body. Her shoulders, her wrist, her elbow. It was almost as if he believed she would slip through his fingers if he didn't keep hold of her. Lisbon's mind ran at ten to the dozen; she didn't need to ask to know that he had been keeping an eye on her at work. The way he had behaved since he had spotted her by the door suggested that he had an air of familiarity with her.
That was what made her stay close beside him. That was what had stopped her from running.
And that was why she was here right now.
When they reached his hotel room, he seemed to take on a completely different, if not expected, role. As his lips touched her own, she responded eagerly, and almost successfully managed to shut down the part of her mind that was yelling out about the wife and child. Her hands slipped up his shirt and she smiled as he groaned indistinctly. He, after all, wasn't the only one who could play games. When he decided to take revenge, nibbling her earlobe and his teeth gently grazing at her bare skin, she sighed in response.
One night wouldn't hurt them. Just because they worked in the same building, it didn't mean that anything would happen again in the future.
Though he promised no interruptions, they hadn't even made it to the bed by the time his cell phone rang it.
He frowned as he dug out the offending object and she couldn't hide the look of disappointment that crossed her features. Carefully, she perched herself on the end of the bed and started to button her shirt up once more. Suddenly, Lisbon felt as though she were naked and had been laid bare. The feelings of guilt had come rushing back and that didn't help either. It was clear that he noticed it too when he pressed his lips against hers one more time; another promise of things to come.
"I'll be back in thirty minutes," he said and all she could do was nod in response. "I promise."
After exactly thirty minutes, he didn't turn up.
And after thirty one minutes, she heard the news: Jane's family had been brutally murdered by Red John.
xxx
They were reunited in time. Both were a little more bruised and battered by the world and both that little more weary. Jane wore a new desire for revenge on his sleeve whereas Lisbon had worked up the ranks within the CBI. There was still that lack of fulfilment in her personal life, however. That was something she had simply cast aside, had filed away in her mind for future reference. If it happened, it happened, as far as she was concerned. Instead, she found a certain amount of peace in one-night stands. They were less complicated and easier for her to deal with.
When she heard that Jane was being rehired by the bureau, she had been first in line to request he worked on her team. Minelli, pleased albeit a little confused, had immediately agreed. If anyone could rein in Patrick Jane, he knew it would be her.
Even so, they spent years dancing around the subject. Neither one of them dared to admit to their shared history and for good reason: Red John was still out there. And if he found out about their past, than that target painted on their backs would have become that little more luminous. His threat was enough to scare both of them away. And besides, Lisbon knew a certain amount of his history. She couldn't guarantee that he even wanted to think about that fateful night of 'almosts'. Just because it had toyed with her mind, it didn't mean the same could have been said about him. He had more important things to worry about.
After Red John had finally been apprehended, they spent hours just sitting in silence, holding one another. This was the closure they had both craved. Lisbon was quietly relieved that Jane had decided to cast aside the need to kill Red John over the deaths of his wife and child. Jane was simply happy to be able to hold her close once more. It made his choice between her and revenge seem worthwhile.
It was Jane who eventually took the first move. He gently pressed his lips against Lisbon's, and those fireworks that had lain latent in the pit of her stomach suddenly erupted. Considering just how long she had been waiting for it, it was a relatively chaste affair, but she wasn't one to complain. It had taken them long enough to put their demons to rest and now, they had the whole future ahead of them.
Softly, Jane pressed his hand against her left cheek and she raised hers to meet his.
"So you remembered?" she whispered, eventually breaking the silence.
"So did you."
"Why didn't you bring it up sooner?"
"Does it matter?"
"No."
Of course it didn't; all that mattered was that they got there in the end.