I didn't realise how long it's been til i checked on my profile, and i was like, woah, these people deserve an update. This probably isn't my best chapter, but i need to get back into writing this, so this is what this chapters for! Please excuse any mistakes, i wrote this in an attempt to forget about my exam results which i get tomorrow morning :/ I hope you enjoy this anyway :) Thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter, i love you all 3

She rolled her eyes, but began speaking anyway, "Three, two, one, go!"

They dug their heels in, and both took off, leaving a cloud of sand in Grace and Rigsby's faces.

"Be careful!" she shouted after them, but she was late, she realised, they were already too far gone.

Chapter 21

Lisbon had finally won something, she was ecstatic. "Well someone's competitive," he said grumpily as she gloated.

She laughed, "Oh, oh, says you. That is rich."

"How could you let me down like this?" Jane said, ignoring her and apparently speaking to his horse.

Lisbon laughed, "Cracker is clearly a better runner, or canterer, or whatever. And has another advantage, clearly."

"What?" Jane asked.

"He has a much better rider," she said, trying to keep her tone serious and failing.

"I personally think it was all down to the horse."

"Well I disagree, and as I'm senior agent that makes me right."

"You've never pulled that one on me before," Jane said amused, "And actually all it does is make you senior agent."

Grace arrived just in time to stop that conversation blossoming into an argument, "Hey guys," she said, "Do you think we should turn back now?"

They agreed, and all turned around on the beach, starting to head back, with more limited beach space now, as the tide was coming in. They didn't hang around and were back soon enough, Cho and Anna were sat on the edge of the beach, waiting for them. Cho had an ice pack in his hand, Lisbon asked if he was alright with genuine concern, but also struggled not to laugh at the memory of him falling off his horse.

They went up to the hall to eat, and soon after Rigsby and Grace disappeared, Cho was in deep conversation with Anna about... something, Lisbon wasn't entirely sure, and her and Jane got up to leave.

"Want to go for a walk?" He asked, studying her expression.

"Oh don't give me that," she said looking at him.

"Give you what?" He asked, completely oblivious.

"You were a nightmare today!" She exclaimed, "Rigsby and Van Pelt so knew something was up!"

"I don't know what you're talking about it," he said innocently.

"Oh yes you do," she said, glaring at him.

He waved a hand "Meh, I don't know what you're worried about," he said, "They're not going to say anything even if they do suspect, we have stuff on them."

"That is not the point – Cho's not stupid-"

He interrupted her, "Cho's too besotted with that Anna person to notice a thing and you know it."

"Cho is not besotted," She started.

"Oh don't be unreasonable, you're a detective, you must see it, you're not that unobservant."

"I'll have you know I'm very observant, you just make everyone look bad."

"I know you want to go for a walk," he said.

"And why would that be?"

"Because you want to do this," he leant in to her slowly, catching under her chin with a single finger, kissing her slowly, softly. "Somewhere a little more private," he said, glancing back at the building where they had just eaten.

She smiled nervously, a small blush creeping to her cheeks. "See you're blushing, because you know I'm right."

"Hush," she smiled, a tinge of red still in her cheeks, as she put a hand on his chest and kissed him again. "I guess we can walk."

"Do you think we'll bump into Grace and Rigsby?" She asked, concerned.

"They won't have gone to the beach again," he replied quickly, "If we went to the woods we might 'bump into them'" He said.

"How do you know that?" She asked, looking at him in disbelief.

"My dear, we've been working together for all this time and you're still surprised when I'm right about these things."

"You say you're not psychic," she said.

"Oh you've never for a second believed that I'm psychic," he said, looking at her.

She smiled, "Maybe not, but it's still pretty freaky," she said.

He waved a hand dismissively. And they kept walking in silence for a few minutes, it was an odd silence, but it was a comfortable one. A companionable one.

She spent a minute or so mustering up the courage to ask him a question, "So where did you learn all that stuff?" They didn't really ask questions about each other's past, the information was volunteered or it wasn't shared.

"Growing up with a carnival, and my dad," he said, a slight shadow passing his features, and she knew better than to ask, at least yet. "I know a lot of cons people," he said with a smile.

They kept on walking, and she reflected on how that hadn't been as difficult as she'd expected. They finally reached the beach and when she saw the sight she could barely breathe. The waves were beautiful, the sun was a small glowing orb on the horizon, just barely touching the water, the clouds spread across a never ending sky which had hundreds of different shades of reds and oranges and bluey-purples. The sun had already gone down a little more since they'd arrived. The light that was left reflected off the water waves crashed gracefully onto the sand.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He said softly.

"Yeah," she breathed.

They walked a little further, down the beach and towards the sun as it, quick quickly, sunk behind down into the ocean. They stopped at the rocks, and walked up, him occasionally lending a hand so she could steady herself, until they were on top of the rocks, sitting with their legs dangling over the edge, the spray from the sea as it hit the rocks.

"So what made you decide to be a cop?" He asked, smiling.

"What, you don't know the answer already?" She teased.

"Humour me," he said.

She broke eye contact and looked down and away, "My mom died, the guy... the driver," she stopped, wondering why all of a sudden it was okay to confide in him like this, say the words out loud, "He got away, I wanted to make sure that didn't happen again." She shrugged, "Before that I didn't really know what I wanted to do, then it all kind of fell into place."

She felt his thumb stroke over the back of her hand, and she wasn't even sure he was aware of his actions, but she wasn't going to stop him.

He leant in to kiss her again, since they'd opened the flood gates, the water just kept coming. They couldn't get enough of each other, and it felt too good to be true. They broke apart for air, foreheads together, breathing each other in. She wondered whether this would ever last, if it could, and suddenly her mind flashed away from this fantasy they were living to daily life, the CBI, walking into the building everyday looking at him and remembering this.

She could feel the panic building again and she didn't want it to consume her, but she looked at him, and he kissed her lightly, and she was scared. She wasn't sure her heart could survive being broken again.

"Patrick," she said softly, sighing, "What are we doing?"

I just spent a month living on a beach in mexico, and oh how i miss those sunsets :'( It was all very happy and fantasyey, so Lisbon decided she'd bring them back down to earth a bit at the end ;) Hoped you liked the fluff in the middle anyhowww :) Also if anyone's interested, i've just started a high school jisbon multichapter, which i'm about to update. Which you lot may like, i'm trying to advertise, because it seems that the mentalist community has gotten quite quiet in the months gone by, or maybe just people are writing more than they are reading, either way, if you like high school fics you'll probably like it, and if you like something a little different, well... it's going to get different soon, so hopefully you'll like it. It's called 'Young Blood' :)

Please review, i know it's been a while but if you're still reading let me know! They are a writers fuel ;)

Emily xxx