Oh God! I can't express how sorry I am! A whole month has passed without an update! Do you even remember what the story is about? xD

I hope you like the end. I didn't want to do a cheesy romantic ending. It should be more like a next step to something serious...

Maybe I'll write a sequel. It doesn't exist one in German, so I'll have to invent it first...so I'm not sure about it yet. It depends on your opinions :D

And thank you sooo much for your reviews. My first longer story here and so many compliments, that's just amazing! And of course I have to thank lysjelonken, without her you surely wouldn't want to read my stories...

Disclaimer: Sadly nothing is mine...

It seems Jane has made an effort not to get on her nerves today… She appreciated it and didn't argue, just in case he'd snap out of it. After yesterday she could use a few hours free of his non-stop teasing. And the paperwork which had piled up also got done much faster without the distraction of Jane lurking in her doorway.

The day was surprisingly relaxing.

There was only one single form left in the 'IN'-tray… Just one more form and she could call it a day. She could even catch the last few rays of sun today – she can't remember when she last left work before dark.

It was too nice a day to waste it inside. Something strange inside of her kind of longed to go back to that endless expanse of desert. Even Jane wasn't as intolerable as she made him out to be. He wasn't exactly hard to look at… And it felt really good when-… WHAT WAS SHE DOING? She had to stop thinking about him like this!

Jane was the pain in the ass consultant that she was forced to drag around behind her at crime scenes – nothing more! How did this guy manage to distract her without even being present? Somehow, he just managed to sneak into her head when she wasn't thinking, but he'd never get to know that! She could already see his smug grinning face if he'd find out that she was dreaming about him instead of working. He'd never let it go.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked, popping into the doorway. Lisbon jumped a little in alarm. Did he just smell that she was thinking of him? How does he do it?

"Nothing, I just have to fill out this form," she answered hastily, waving the sheet around in the air before she busily going in search of her pen.

"Have I interrupted you?" He asked, grinning at her.

"No, why do you ask?" She asked casually, and then started looking in the drawers for her pen.

"Just wondering. By the way, the pen is in front of you." He pointed out with a smirk, pointing to her desk where the pen was lying clear as day right in front of her.

Embarrassing. Hopefully he didn't think (or realize) that her temporary blindness was because of his presence. How didn't she see the pen? It was like right under her nose!

"Thanks," she muttered somehow sheepishly and began to write.

"You're welcome," He said. She didn't even bother looking into his grinning face and instead continued filling out the form.

Only once did she glance up from her work, noticed that he was still standing in her doorway watching her and rocking back and forth on his heels. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him expectedly, but instead of talking he just smiled and she turned back to the form.

How typical… Couldn't he, just for once, tell her what he wanted without her having to pry it out of him?

She put that last form in the 'OUT'-tray and threw Jane a questioning look. He was still leaning against the door frame looking at everything in her office with most interest, except her.

"Jane, I really want to get out of here. Just tell me what you want." She said, exasperately.

"I was wondering ... nah, is not as important." He said, shaking his head and turning to leave.

"Jane! Spit it out!"

He grinned broadly and strolled back into her office, sitting down on the opposite chair.

"Did you know that Rigsby and Van Pelt have seen us?" He asked.

"Jane, I'm not sure if you knew, but I think that everyone can see us. We are not invisible." She said slowly, as if speaking to a child.

He didn't appeared bothered by her tone.

"Very funny... no, I mean yesterday on the bar counter." He said. Horrified, she stared from him to her team, whom she could see through the half-open blinds of her office.

"Please tell me you're kidding…" She laughed nervously.

"Nope," he answered, clearly amused by her horror.

"Thank you Jane. At least now I know that the authority I've worked years to build up has disintegrated within a two-minute song!" She snapped at him and threw her pen in his direction. Jane ducked and the pen just nearly flew past his head.

"You wound me, Teresa! After all, I didn't force you to sing with me on the counter." He defended.

"Oh please, don't act so innocent! Why didn't they say anything?" She asked glancing nervously through the blinds once more.

"Oh, I bet Rigsby really wanted to say something about it, but our good Grace defended you. Lisbon, believe me, they respect you all the same. The only thing that changed, if anything, is that your likability might have shifted a little in the right direction. They're not as intimidated by your apparent flawless vigor. They see you are, in fact, an imperfect person, and not a robot." Jane said calmly, smiling as he does. Strangely, his words have a calming effect on her. He always seems to stop her from freaking out… Well, enough times.

But to be fair, half of the time he is also the cause of her rage…

She let out a tired sigh and fell back in her seat. She flashed him a grateful smile and he grinned charmingly as reply. There was a strange pause that she couldn't really define and she wondered why he was still sitting in the chair, as if waiting for something. Wasn't that all he wanted? To feast on her horrified expression when he told her?

Well he got that… So why was he still here?

His eyes began to dart around her office once again, twirling her pen between his fingers. Every now and again his eyes would reach her and she would recognize that twinkle in his eyes as if he was already up to something new.

"Is there something else?" She asked.

"Would you have dinner with me today?" He asked bluntly, grinning at her.

"W-Wha-? Dinner?" It was as if the words were foreign to her. Whatever she expected him to ask, it certainly wasn't that.

"Well, I just thought... You have to eat in order not to starve, and all. And it's just that much more fun with company. So I thought… maybe we could fight starvation together sometime. Like tonight..." He said. She's never heard his voice sound like this before – nervous and embarrassed. He was now fiddling – fiddling! – with the pen between his fingers and he avoided eye contact the entire time.

Hold on a second, could it be...

"Is this a date?" She asked and looked at him puzzled.

"Maybe…" He said, his eyes meeting hers once again as his self-confidence recovered and his usual grin lit up his face.

"A maybe-date with Patrick Jane, then." She repeated, grinning.

"Is that a yes?" He asked expectantly.

"It's a maybe." She replied, grinning mischievously.

"That's perfectly fine with me. Come on, let's go." He said, offering his hand to help her up.

"Wait, we can't go right now..." She began to protest.

"Why not? You're done with everything. Let's call it a day. It is too beautiful to waste time in the office." He interrupted again. She just had to smile – weren't those her exact thoughts just a minute ago? And he said he wasn't psychic…

"Alright, but just let me tell the team they can go." She said, walking to the bullpen.

Jane followed her and stood beside her, beaming with joy. Sometimes she really felt working with Jane was like working with a little boy. Oh God, what if he couldn't shut his mouth about their dinner? She probably should have forbid him earlier, but it was too late now… Crap. The rest of her team was looking up from their work with a questioning look, waiting for her or Jane to start speaking.

"You guys can go ahead and call it a day. It's so beautiful out and the paperwork won't vanish before tomorrow…" She announced and the faces of her employees brightened up immediately, even if she could detect some confusion in it.

"Why? Do you have other plans?" Cho said dryly and tucked his book into a desk drawer.

"Maybe," Jane and Lisbon chorused and Jane watched amusedly as Lisbon's cheeks flushed bright red in reaction.

"Well, you heard what the boss said. See you guys tomorrow!" Jane took leave grinning brightly. He let Lisbon go out the door first and followed her hot on her heels.

Lisbon was aware that they were followed by the curious eyes of the team and that they were likely wondering where they were going together, but honestly, she didn't really care. After all, it was a private matter and what she did in her spare time was none of their business.

Besides, it was just dinner. The world wouldn't end because of dinner… And how serious is anything concerning Jane anyway?

"Where do you think they're going?" Rigsby wondered.

"Who says they're going somewhere together?" Cho questioned.

"Please, Cho! It's obvious. You should have seen them in the back seat yesterday…" Van Pelt said grinning.

"Yeah, exactly! They fell asleep in each other's arms. Maybe we should have woken them before they turned away from each other again…" Rigsby added with the same grin on his face.

"So what? I really don't want to know what the two of you would have done in the back seat…" Cho said flatly. Rigsby and Van Pelt noticeably flushed and dropped the subject.

Jane and Lisbon, meanwhile, were in the elevator and grinning to themselves. The stunned faces of the others were just too hilarious. Lisbon felt Jane's attention resting on her and gave him a knowing sideways glance. This time, she wouldn't start talking. If he wanted to say something, then he should do it without her prompt or else he should just leave it completely.

"Have I told you that you look kind of sexy today?" He finally asked when they'd already left the elevator.

She was stunned by his forward comment. "No, but thanks I guess…"

"Are you also wearing the matching underwear to your sexy appearance?" He questioned, giggling like a child. Now she was catching his drift, and punished him with an unnerved glance.

"Jane, for the last time: I do not have sexy underwear!" She snapped.

"Then we need to change that!" He said with a broad grin as he noticed that she blushed at the thought of him going to buy underwear for her.

"That will not be necessary…" She muttered through her blushing.

"Too bad. Then we'll have to leave it at a dinner for now." He said amused and held the door of his Citroen open for her.

"For now? What happened to seducing over a meal is sophomoric?" She commented and got inside. He hurried to the other side and took the driver's seat.

"Who says that I want to seduce you?" He asked smugly.

"Nobody…" She said quickly and looked out the window. Why did she even started with this conversation? Basically, he started it, but to tease her! She didn't need to spur him on!

"Oh, really? I'm amazed that you remember that conversation so well. Were you perhaps disappointed that I didn't seduce you?" He asked, smiling cheekily.

"Jane, if you don't stop immediately, you can have dinner on your own!" She threatened, but he quickly started the engine and drove off.

"Too late." He said with a boyish grin and she couldn't help herself from smiling.

"I'm warning you, Jane! No funny stuff." She warned him, but his playful smile stayed.

"Really?" He asked, stepping on the gas until they were far beyond the speed limit and watched as her eyes grew with alarm. He couldn't help the chuckle from bubbling up and out.

Whether it was by the sudden acceleration or maybe that heart flutter-inducing chuckle, she realized that she was actually on her way on a date with Jane. Well, a maybe-date. But where was the difference anyway?

Something inside of her was yelling: 'There is no difference, idiot! It's a date and you like it more than you want to admit!' And by the way her heart was beating like a crazy in love teenager's, she couldn't argue.

Her feelings for her consultant were long past maybe. They were definitely beyond the professional boundaries.

But no matter what would come of it, one thing she was sure: She was going on a date with Patrick Jane. And a date with Jane would certainly not be boring!

THE END