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”I want to understand how this has anything to do with the case.”
Lisbon tore her eyes from the pretty view to stare at Jane, his signature grin smeared on his face as the car sped down the country road. He hadn’t informed her much about this mysterious trip. In fact, all he had said back at the headquarters was that he had a lead for the case, and she was to join him.
“I just spoke with Minelli, and he gave us the green light.” Jane had assured, gesturing to the closed office door where the man in question sat behind. “We’re going back in time, Lisbon.”
She had blinked at him like he’d grown two heads and asked for further explanation, but of course that was too much to ask. Only God knew when Jane would feel inspired to let her in on things.
He had given her a coin like a mysterious angel handing her the key to the pearly gates and left it at that. Now, it weighed heavily in her hand, spun slowly between her fingers.
It was without a doubt a fake. Golden and thick of iron, decorated with laurel borders and an acrobatic jester in the center. Unless Jane had invented a new currency for the American bank, it was meant for a more obvious purpose.
“How does a fair play into our case on the bank director’s murder? He had real money, you know.” She frowned at him, flailing the coin at him as if it would turn into dollars with enough swings. Jane seemed amused by the fascination, and her heart skipped a beat when his hand closed around hers to stop her antics.
She didn’t trust him enough not to see if it doubled as a key of some kind, and she only had the car ride to figure out what it had to do with the suspect. But maybe she was overthinking it, given how entertained he was by her excessive studying.
He was handsome and charming, and really, really annoying. In the handful of years, they had worked together so far, she had gotten to know more about his tactics, yet he continued to surprise her. She never knew what he would do next. It was much easier with her new agent, Van Pelt, who did her every bidding without question.
Maybe she should assign her to him so he could learn how to spell T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K, but that was like feeding her to the wolves. The thought was tempting, though.
No, if anyone had to deal with this guy, she would. Apparently, she was the only one who he somewhat listened to at times. For that same reason, it was awful to see his grin widen and the lack of answers continue. A new strategy was necessary.
“Are you criticizing my gift to you?” Jane asked. “That’s a real coin there in your hand, and golden too.” He feigned offense and tapped her hand for better dramatic effect; or so, she would call it. He was a performer, after all.
Lisbon arched a brow at him, unconvinced. “It has laurels on it. And a joker.”
“Doesn’t mean it isn’t real.” He said, devoting his attention to the road again with some type of misplaced satisfaction – maybe Minelli wouldn’t fire her if she punched him. Not that she took offense, just for her own pleasure and Minelli might thank her in the end. It wouldn’t make the report, though.
“You’re not answering my question.” Her eyes narrowed, tampering the plans she was brainstorming.
“Why ruin the surprise?” He shrugged.
“This is a serious case!” She batted his shoulder. “You know I hate surprises, Jane.”
Jane heaved as if giving in was the end of all joy in the world. “Ok, fine.”
The old car wobbled over the gravel as he turned off the road onto a smaller, overgrown trail that screamed of country and scratchy phone service.
“We’re going to see a friend of mine. Mr. Jones had a lot of years in the bank business, but he didn’t start there.” He explained. “I asked my friend to find dirt on him, and he did, and so; murder solved.”
Lisbon squinted at him, confused.
Murder solved?
“I feel like you missed a few steps there, Jane, do I have to recite our protocol for you?” Her lips flatlined but Jane didn’t even blink.
“See, this is why the surprise would have been much better. You wouldn’t interrogate me like this.” He said over the crunch of dirt and stones being pressed into the ground beneath the car.
Lisbon crossed her arms, on the brink of giving him an earful. A tree line stretched out along the horizon as far as she could see, painting a picture of a deep forest that held the potential of anything from a serial killer’s old farm to the best fairy tale in the land. The only way through was the gravel road they drove down.
Canopies of green threw shade over the car as they rolled down the path, the layers of trees opening up to reveal the fair like a fantasy world she would have loved as a kid. The car came to a stop with a creak. In front of her were a sea of tents, worn down campers and what she could only define as an attempt at a few sheds. It wasn’t very crowded, not on a sacred Thursday afternoon, but there were just enough people to keep the show running.
“We are partners, Jane, you need to tell me things.” She grumbled, just hoping this ‘friend’ had the intel they needed so they could actually close the case.
Jane looked like he had found God, his smile reaching somewhere near cloud nine as they stepped out of the car, his eyes set on the view before them. “You know you’re a mystery to me, Lisbon. It’s only fair I repay the favor somehow.”
“What does that mean?” She ignored the swish of grass brushing over her ankles as she followed him onto the fairgrounds. The distant sound of carousel music played somewhere ahead, and the idea of shutting it off in the near future started nagging at her mind. It took about ten minutes until a repetitive melody became annoying, unless it was Spice Girls.
“I found a hammer in your desk three weeks ago. That is a mystery to me.” He argued, holding his hand out expectantly.
She forgot she was angry for a second. Her heart leaped accidentally, her hand instinctively lifting to take his as if that wasn’t a violation of professional conduct. The thought of twining her fingers with his was something she had only considered in stupid dreams when she felt lonely in her bed.
It wasn’t until she felt the coin still in her hand that she realized he, of course, was waiting for her to hand it over.
She just about saved it by pointing a finger at his face instead. “What were you doing, digging around in my office, hm?”
Jane arched a brow like it was obvious. “Looking for snacks. I know you hide Twizzlers from Rigsby.”
“You…” She wanted a good comeback – something to deny it or maybe tell her he was losing his grip on the mentalist skills or whatever observant magic trick he did. But he was right. She did have Twizzlers in her lowest desk drawer, tucked away after Rigsby had snuck a hand too many in her snack bowl every rare chance he had.
Now she had to hide it from Jane too. My God, hitting the jackpot in the local lottery would be easier.
Lisbon pressed her lips together, falling short of an argument. “Never you mind what I hide in my desk. Just stop rummaging through my things!”
Jane seemed too amused for her liking. She couldn’t place it in other mood boxes than the one he had when they closed a case: The satisfaction of being right.
“I will if you accept my surprises.” He said, flicking the coin in the air with his thumb. Her eyes followed it involuntarily.
She stopped dead in her tracks in front of an old camper. “Those are two different thi—"
“Pete!” Jane caught the coin with ease, snapping her attention to a man approaching. An older man with plenty of rich dinners in his belly and the kindest, most loving smile she had seen in a few years.
“Paddy!” The guy boomed, the warmth of his voice spreading coils that reached right into her heart as he stepped in to shake hands. Her frustrations disappeared in seconds, replaced by a little lopsided smile.
Jane didn’t settle for the handshake but instead poked his belly and gave him a bear hug so big it made him look like a teen returning home, picked off the floor in a dead spin. Which… he actually was, it seemed. She remembered the poker game a few weeks ago where he had mentioned his origins.
“So, is everything set?” Jane asked, still in Pete’s arms. Lisbon had a hard time not laughing, seeing him this dainty. It was a little adorable.
“Yes, it’s all ready for you around the corner.” The big bear of a man finally placed him back on solid ground and she prayed they could move on to the case before she started feeling like she was intruding. A professional twist always made it easier to meet any colleague’s family and friends. She had felt similar when she first met Bosco’s wife for a case involving her workplace.
Jane looked back at her, and she saw something brewing in his eyes. Oh no…
“How would you like your milkshake, Lisbon?”
She blinked. A few times. The thread she had been following lay jumbled and split into nothing at the end. “I’m sorry, what?”
He wasn’t fazed. “Your milkshake, how do you prefer it?”
She glanced at Pete, who looked at her with as much expectation, like that was a normal question to ask when dealing with murder. His warm smile made it obvious that she was the only one confused about this.
“We’re not getting milkshakes, Jane, we’re on a case here.” She argued, hoping she could straighten out this mess. “Didn’t you say Pete had information on Jones?”
Pete beamed at the word, clearly proud to have been of help.
Jane’s smirk was infamously returning to her great dismay. This was going somewhere she just knew she was going to hate.
“I did; he’s helped us plenty. I’ve sent Cho and Rigsby to find the evidence in Jones’s home, because it sure isn’t here. Van Pelt is being savvy with her tech to help.”
She gaped at him, firstly for taking control of the team. Secondly for leading her out here for seemingly nothing. Her hand basked at a fly buzzing past her ear, disappointed that she couldn’t slap it into his eyes.
“Then what are we doing here, Jane?”
It was like he had waited for her to ask since they first stepped onto the grounds. The coin glinted in the air as he threw it back to her. She caught it with less grace than he. It had changed somehow, now tackier and rougher around the edges – a decagon.
She looked back at him and heard the clinks in his pocket, his hand tapping against his thigh. Oh. He had more.
“I’m gifting you a day off, Lisbon.” He winked. “Minelli approved it already, even encouraged it, actually, so if you want to go back to work, you’ll have to walk. I know you don’t want to drive my car.”
She blushed – immediately and without a chance to cover it up. “You… what?” She searched for words and found none.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “You work hard and never give yourself time off, so I’m making you. Plus… I want to thank you for always being so helpful. So, you’re stuck with me and the milkshakes. And Pete.” He added, earning a pat on the back from him that almost made Jane fold in half. Whether it was in thanks or out of pride for his stunt, she didn’t know.
“You conned me into this. You made me think this was part of the case?” She looked from him down to the coin, considering if she should chuck it back at him. How rude of him to tell her what to do with her time. And yet she was flattered.
“Isn’t it obvious, Agent Lisbon?” He glanced at Pete, who clearly agreed.
Lisbon was dumbfounded. She couldn’t have guessed this even if she asked for clues. The fact he did this for her, that was something nobody had ever done before, not even close. It was… incredibly sweet of him, really.
“But I have paperwork. Things I’ve left waiting...” She started.
“They can wait another day.” He said. “Crime isn’t going anywhere.”
She was running out of excuses. Leaving her team without her available felt wrong.
“Lisbon.” Jane stepped closer to her, either trying to push her or lessen any embarrassment in front of Pete. “Does it hurt to have fun for just one day? The case is getting closed. Cho and Rigsby got it. You can make that report tomorrow, I give you my word.”
She glanced up at him, his face just a few inches away. He smelled of amber and earth, a warm and familiar scent that reminded her of a picnic under the trees on a nice summer day. The type she had enjoyed yearly with her brothers back east.
She sighed. Maybe giving in wasn’t so bad.
“Okay.” She muttered. “I like vanilla, but my favorite is actually a moonshine milkshake.”
Jane threw back his head, barking a laugh. “Of course you need a bit of a kick. You can take the girl out of Chicago, but you can’t take the Chicago out of the girl.”
He didn’t even finish laughing before she had slapped him on the shoulder for the second time. “They taste good!”
“Then it’s a good thing I have friends here.” He tilted his head, and she noticed Pete behind him, conjuring a bottle out of thin air to place it on the nearby scrawny table.
The wonders of carny folk. She would have to revisit.
“If you head over to the midway, Sam will get you the milkshakes. She still knows your favorite, Paddy.” Pete said, wiping his hands on a long-gone cloth. Jane didn’t respond with more than a nod as Lisbon reached over to shake his hand again.
“Thank you. This is very kind of you.” She smiled sincerely, the big guy placing a gentle hand on her shoulder in response. Suddenly she felt ten again, getting a hug by her favorite (only) uncle.
“Anytime, Agent Lisbon.” He winked at her, just as cheeky as Jane but no way as cunning. “You let me know and you can have a day off out here for free.”
“Are you stealing my partner, Pete?” She heard the teasing in Jane’s voice, and she wondered what definition Pete thought he meant. Hopefully the professional type.
“Don’t trust anything he says, he does this for a living.” He earned a well-deserved slap on the back of his head for that one, although it looked more like Pete flicked a pet fly.
“I am trustworthy. Unlike someone I know…” Pete laughed.
This was slowly feeling more like a first date with the popular boy in town. Nothing like dealing with Woody Squire, really. Her cheeks tinted a blossom red, and she sought refuge in the coin in her hand, scratching at the markings with her nail.
Finding out this was less about a case and more so a family meeting – if her social reading skills were any good still – was making her self-conscious. She needed something to save this embarrassment – anything that didn’t mean walking home.
The coin glinted in the sunlight when she flipped it, the jester’s smile speaking of all the fun it could promise. Maybe a few prizes waiting ahead, too.
Oh!
“What game do you suck at the most?” Lisbon asked, dragging Jane out of the banter him and Pete had started while she had wished for the ground to swallow her whole.
“None of them–” “The Hunting Lodge!”
Jane tried to look nonchalant. Pete was grinning from ear to ear.
In the sun, his blond curls were as golden as her coin. But they didn’t make up for the obvious flush Pete had caused to spread over his face.
“I’m a pretty good shot, actually—“
“You’re a shit shot, Patrick, and you cower when the pellets miss.” Pete’s belly was shaking from the hearty laugh bubbling up his chest.
Lisbon’s shoulders loosened, washing off the nerves with the flood of bullying coming Jane’s way. With the attention on him, it was much easier to deal with.
“It was one time, and those pellets bounced off the wall.” He excused – horribly, to be honest, as neither Pete nor Lisbon believed him.
She had a hard time hiding her smile, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. This was a free ticket to tease him with an ally in her court. She didn’t see that every day.
“If you can shoot those targets and not run off during your own attempt or mine, I just might let you win.” She said, making the decision to start walking towards the midway, or they’d be chitchatting forever. She waved goodbye to Pete, who returned the favor with double the enthusiasm.
Jane didn’t bother, instead folding his hands behind his back as he followed along beside her.
“Really? Do you promise?” He was acting sly, but there was a sense of hope beneath his words, like a bated breath hidden by the composure he was building after Pete’s stunt.
She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Not in a million years. I’ll make Minelli fire you before that happens.”
Jane’s lips flatlined as if his Christmas present had just been taken away from him. “That wasn’t very nice.” He huffed dramatically.
“When you’re done cheating in games, come back to me for pity.”
He narrowed her eyes at her, but it looked more like approval than him taking offense. The corner of his lip curved a little. “Maybe it’s not smart of you to say that when I’m on my own turf.”
They continued across the midway, a long row of signs adorning the stalls around the grounds. It was a bigger fair than she had expected. Beyond the midway, there were more sheds and a few shops too, selling everything a child would love. The music grew louder the closer they got to them, and she realized it came from a booth called Wheel of Fortune. They had a horse racing game, too. Six seats stretched along the front for people to play and make their horse win.
Lisbon looked up at him, hoping not to trip on the uneven ground.
“I’m expecting you to be a good host.” She lifted her chin at him to chastise, but it didn’t have the desired effect. He looked unfazed, his nose simply lifting with hers.
He leaned in unexpectedly as if to tell a secret that not even the air should hear. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint you, my dear.” He murmured, his voice deep and rumbling against her ear.
Something in her stomach tumbled – probably her heart, falling off its perch to set off an avalanche of butterflies.
If he wasn’t so awfully frustrating and untrustworthy to a fault, maybe she wouldn’t feel as bad for how he affected her. He didn’t know how many nights she spent lying awake, thinking of him and his smile. Sometimes, she liked the idea of him there with her. But that was a secret she was taking to the grave.
Half the guests around seemed to know him too, waving at him as they passed by the stalls and every booth calling out to him like a son long gone. If they hadn’t started yelling at him, she wouldn’t have noticed he had pulled away, her eyes too glazed and her pulse on a run.
She cleared her throat, gathering herself as they stopped in front of a worn sign that read The Hunting Lodge.
“You’re popular out here, too.” She made a face of approval.
“They all work here.” He said, turning on his heel to greet a woman that appeared out of the blue with two milkshakes in hand. She needed to practice her field work; she hadn’t even heard her coming.
“Thank you, Sam, I owe you.” He winked at the lady, who brushed him off and waved hello to her instead.
“Nice to meet you! Have fun, sweetie.” She called as lovingly as Pete, then promptly spun around to return to her work in whatever stall she came from.
Lisbon didn’t even get to say hi before she was gone.
“Wait… everyone works here? Even the guests?” She mumbled, looking from Jane to the milkshake he was handing her.
“It has to look busy for someone to pay it any mind. We are the only ones here.” He shrugged, sipping his milkshake. It was creamy white with the walls coated in chocolate sauce. She hadn’t thought they shared favorites.
“Of course we are.” She should have guessed he had prepared the whole place just for her too. How anybody noticed the place unless they knew about it already, though, that was another mystery.
She shook her head as she stared at the booth. It wasn’t manned but seemed to run on its own. It had the classic fair machinery built into the wall of the shed.
“Alright.” He smacked his lips and set the milkshake aside. Hers tasted wonderfully of moonshine and vanilla, mixed with enough spirits to leave a warm feeling in her chest. “Now I don’t care how much you practice at the gun range; I’m totally gonna beat you.” He said, rolling up his sleeves.
She arched a brow at him and placed the milkshake on the counter, sliding the golden coin she had carried in forever into the machine. The light went off and she picked up the play gun.
“Toss a coin or two, I dare you. I’ll do heads. Even with double the odds, you’re going to lose, Jane.”
She got heads. Twice. And Jane sucked.
Actually, in most of it, he did.
They played three rounds at The Hunting Lodge before he gave up, barely leaving a pellet or two in the outer rings when he was done. At least he didn’t cower. But she had managed to score five bullseyes and asked for the target parchment to be flipped so she shot blind on the last one.
“Show off.” He had grumbled and she had laughed at him when he accidentally blew into the straw instead of sipping at her clean shot, making the milkshake bubble up in his face.
The rest of the games followed. She killed it at the horse racing, always ahead by a few paces, and the young guy speaking over the races did great at humiliating Jane every time he came in second, just a step behind. He pleaded sabotage when he was ahead for once and she caught up to him on the finish line.
He got his reckoning though, beating her in the tin can alley as many times as she had him in the other games.
“If you don’t tip over right now…” Lisbon threatened the can as she watched it wobble on the perched box.
“What are you gonna do, arrest the old beans that came in them? Interrogate the tin?” Jane said, insufferable as ever.
The can stilled and Lisbon reached for a fourth beanbag to haul through the air.
“Calm yourself, woman, or you’re gonna force the boy to buy new cans.” He laughed, fishing the bag out of her hand before she could throw it. She glared up at him right on time to see him mouth ‘get new cans’ to the kid in the booth.
She huffed, refraining from stomping her foot like a child. She was a sore loser, and she knew it, but she wasn’t going to stoop to his level.
“What do you say?” He taunted, throwing the beanbag to the kid so he could do his job as they walked back to the midway. She needed a break from these games.
“Stop it, Jane.” She muttered.
“Nope, what do you say, Lisbon?” he persisted, sitting down at a table bench and he lounged back without hesitation.
“Fine! We’re even.” She threatened to punch him with a raised fist. Her eyes could’ve shot daggers if it wasn’t because she failed at hiding her amusement. The afternoon had turned into evening over the past few hours, and the sun was inching down towards the horizon.
“Thank you.” He said, satisfied to the point that she wanted to call him full of himself, but that would be a lie. She liked it too much anyways, as annoying as it was.
She leaned back on her elbows, watching the few booths not in use getting closed for the night. It had been surprisingly fun and nothing short of a relief considering he was right: she never took time off. The fact he had to con her into it was probably necessary in the end.
She glanced up at him, a careful thing out of the corner of her eye, and – of course – fell into the rabbit hole immediately.
His jaw was set, clenching and unclenching against nothing but his teeth as he looked around the place. His curls had gone unruly from their excessive desire to beat each other at everything, but it made him no less sexy. If she told him though, he would never let her live it down.
His pocked jingled with the few coins they had left as he fished one out to fiddle with. It still glinted in the sun, like the gold of his wedding ring.
Lisbon looked away. It was wrong of her to think what she did – he wasn’t anywhere near a place where that was reasonable to suggest. And it was unprofessional too. But did that matter tonight?
“Listen.” She murmured, pursing her lips to find the right words. “This was really fun. Thank you for this, Jane. It’s been a while since I… enjoyed some free time.” She said, heaving a breath to unravel the thrum of her heartbeat.
His face turned, but she didn’t dare to look at him.
“So, you enjoyed this? Getting beat?” He asked, a playfulness coating his words with ease.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, you’re a shit shot, Paddy.” She flung at him, her face hot and stupid as she took a glance at him out of the corner of her eye.
He grimaced in defense and tilted his head in a shrug. “I yield.”
Her nose scrunched a little. “Would it surprise you if I said I enjoyed it?”
He paused as if searching for words. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was. I expected you to steal my car.”
Her jaw dropped. “I would never do that!”
His eyebrows lifted, unconvinced.
“Okay. I would do that. But I was very flattered by your little scheme even though I don’t like you lying to me, so I didn’t want to.” She admitted, her words fast paced to get it out so she could look the other way. Her blush was so bad she must have started resembling the purple shed behind them.
She found a pair of workers to watch so she could escape his eyes. He was looking too hard at her.
“So, you wouldn’t mind doing this again?” She heard his voice soften like it did in those rare moments when she saw the real side of him. A veil she only pushed aside in the dark of a late night, with both of them alone in the office, or when someone asked him a particularly private question he didn’t feel like honoring.
She bit her lip and nodded, too exposed and honest for one day. Maybe she’d regret this in the morning.
She caught the rustle of his clothes too late when he leaned closer, and his lips pressed against her cheek.
Her heart just about stopped beating, her lips parting in shock when he pulled away. She wanted to deny herself of it happening, but the damp print on her skin was proof enough.
“That’s good to hear.”
She looked back at him, her eyes meeting his. Seeking answers behind that blue forsaken sea. For the first time, he looked a little nervous. A pink flush still colored his cheeks, but he played it off with his bad attempt at nonchalance. She couldn’t remember the last time they had both blushed this much in such few hours.
Something bubbled inside her – maybe hope.
“I’d love to do this again.” She said and scooted closer, catching the sharp intake of breath against her ear as she kissed his cheek in turn. It was hard not to feel like two teenagers, discovering a crush for the first time.
When she pulled back, though, she didn’t get very far.
Jane’s head turned instead, his hand reaching for her to keep her in place. Her gasp was silenced by his lips closing over her own in a soft, velvet embrace. A kiss that whispered of caution and care. She felt suspended in time as fireworks went off behind her closed eyes, the kiss frozen in a breath never taken. It broke apart when his tongue swept against her, painting some unspoken longing over her bottom lip.
She repaid him with nothing less. She opened for him instantly, their tongues melding together in nothing but delicacy. It wasn’t chaste, but neither was it lustful. It was a slow dance between the unknown and what she had denied every night she went to bed.
She knew now what it felt like to trace her fingertips up his chest and bury them in the curls at the nape of his neck. To give in to him. His lips were soft, his touch just as so, and when they pulled apart, she longed for it to continue. Maybe she could dare it out of him next time he lost.
Jane’s smile was the brightest it had been all day, and she probably looked just as stupid. Still, she leaned into his palm as he cupped her face. “I take we don’t need a go at the Wheel of Fortune?”
Lisbon almost snorted. “That’s a game based on pure luck, what’s the fun in that?”
“I’d say I have plenty of luck already.” He hummed knowingly, like she was scared to try. The playfulness was evident in his eyes, and she wanted to drown in it – have him sail off with her under the sunset.
She scrunched her nose again, that stupid habit of hers. Stan used to make fun of her for it because she always did it after a prank. “We should go get dinner instead. What do you say?”
Jane weighed the options silently. His eyes were glued to hers, only managing a glance to her lips when she bit the bottom one, waiting.
Jane smirked. “Toss a coin? Or two? Double the odds, I dare you.”