Disclaimer: No, I don't own the characters. I wish I would, But I don't, so I merely play with them a little...

She repeated again and again the words in her mind, he has to believe it, it's just for the case, we are only manipulating him, but still, her body was ready and willing, and as Jane sucked her nipples and thrust into her, she felt complete, at peace, like nothing else mattered at all, empty, alone, like they were the only two beings on the whole planet.

She cried, she cried because she knew that it was going to end too soon, because it was just a lie, a trap, already knowing that she was going to be heartbroken, but he just kissed her tears away, every single one, muttering something she couldn't understand, couldn't hear, too wrapped up in the oncoming sufferance.

Jane devoured her lips with hungry and passionate, endless kisses, and the only thing she could do was wondering, wondering when everything had started to go so south in her life… her life, and her relationship with Jane.

Somehow, though, when she reached the edge of glory with him, she knew that it had never felt as perfect as right then.

It hadn't been exactly one of their cases, despite a serial killer being involved; the feds were already investigating, but certain aspects of the investigations had been shared, for the fact that they needed someone to go undercover, and Lisbon's unit had been the one hitting the jackpot- few days at the Starlight Hotel, Santa Monica, to discover who was attacking and, in one occasion, killing, unfaithful spouses, caught in the unfortunate act of betrayal itself.

The plan wasn't that hard or complicated: Lisbon and Ramirez, from Serial Crimes, were supposed to play the part of a happy and madly in love couple spending a long weekend in the fancy hotel between the grapes along with a couple of friends, - Cho and van Pelt – and then, Lisbon and Cho were to return afterwards, on their own, playing the part of the cheaters and getting the murderer's attention as their next victims, luring them out in the open and closing yet again successfully another case- and this time without Jane's interference!

Things, though, like often, too often, within the SCU, didn't work exactly as Lisbon and the feds had planned them to, and, like often within the SCU, it was because of a man and a man only if everything went south, and that man was Patrick Jane.

If Jane had changed a lot during the years, his behavior in the last six months, after Red John's death… well, he had changed so much that no one knew how to describe and call such a switch in character, it wasn't just that now he trusted the team, he had become…. Trust-worthy, and even more bearable than before, so much that even the number of complaints and the runs to the ER for person of interest related injuries had decreased astronomically.

He had changed towards Lisbon as well.

Lisbon had always been the one he did seek out the most, but with Red John gone, Jane had pushed things to a new level; it was all very platonic and non-relationship wise, but at the same time, it wasn't platonic and looked a lot, from the outside, like a real relationship: people said so and they did it for a good reason, as they had never been as Lisbon & Jane as much as in that moment… they were together on the job, and more often than not they were as well outside, and, on top of it, they kept bantering like they were an old married couple – it wasn't a wonder that people kept saying, behind their backs, that they were together.

He also touched her a lot.

It wasn't anything sexual or inappropriate, they were simply the usual touches Jane had always reserved for Lisbon, just, multiplied. For a few thousand times.

So, since Jane had behaved so nicely over the course of the last few months, it come as some kind of terrifying surprise when, the morning of the operation, she found, instead of the designed actors themselves, the blond consultant himself, Van Pelt and Jeff Hudson (aka her sort of ex whom she left because he ate his fingernails).

"Jane?" she didn't know how she sounded…. Desperate, scared, exasperated, hissing like a snake ready to bite her annoying victim?

He just chuckled, smiling his "cat who got the canary" smile. "It's ok, Lisbon, you can thank me later. I know that we are much more believable right now. After all, you did date Jeff, and Grace and I have quite the history as the perverted professor who seduced his young and nave student, driven to marriage by a father figure under the guise of an active/passive relationship in bed as in everyday life."

"Ehy! I'm not…. I'm not passive, and I'm not looking for a father figure!"

"it's ok, Van Pelt, Jane was talking about the part, right Jane? he didn't mean any harm…"

"Of course I didn't…. and besides, malice is in the ear of the listener!"

"And what's that supposed to mean? I'm not…."

"Shout up already you all, and get in the car, we are already late, what part of we need to go you don't understand?" she pinched the bridge of her nose and, with half-closed eyes, entered into her car- passenger side – slamming the door as she did so; Jane, extremely amused, didn't stop to grin the whole time, and, instead of backing of as requested, made everything worse, and, leaning against the side of the car, he knocked on the glass, one, two, three times, until she didn't lower it to acknowledge, yet again, his oh so annoying presence.

"What, no fighting me over this' frankly, Lisbon, I'm quite disappointed, I was expecting quite the battle from such e feisty woman as you!"

"Yeah, and frankly, Jane, I happen to think that fighting you over this is just a waste of time and energies and it would even be pointless, if not, at worse, counterproductive… knowing you, and trust me, I know you, you've already gotten rid of everybody I could have asked to take your place, and even if you didn't, which I somehow doubt, you'd show up anyway claiming to be married to either me or Van Pelt, so…"

"Oh, yes, dear Lisbon, you know me so, so well.." he grinned, his face getting closer and closer, until he was practically breathing in her ear. "Just our luck that it will be me your lover instead of Cho.."

"Shout up" she murmured blushing, escaping yet again in the safety of her closed car, and even if, closing the glass in such an hurry, she almost cut his nose off, Jane didn't care. he didn't stop to grin for half a second… actually, he kept grinning more and more.

Friday evening, just few hours into the job, and Jane already had a suspect, and an excellent plan ready to be set in motion to take him out once and for all; few hours before, as soon as he had set foot into the luxury resort, he had chuckled once seen a guy from the cleaning crew sending death glares at their address – he didn't look like some kind of mastermind evil genius, so, probably (well, for sure) the feds working the case were just a brunch of clueless, stupid idiots, just like the rest of the feds, all pompous jerks full of themselves if he could say so (and he had every intention of saying so).

So, he immediately started to send Lisbon secret smiles and hidden touches whenever the guy was around, making her blush like a schoolgirl with her first crush, and he did so every time they happened to touch each other, casually or not. Every time the others weren't paying too much attention to them, he also looked at her in awe and admiration, like she was some kind of holy Madonna, but, despite what he knew Lisbon was thinking, that wasn't a trick or a rouse. That she liked it or not, Lisbon was, indeed, his focal point.

The next day, Jeff and Grace went to visit the fields, but Lisbon, as planned, excused herself, claiming she wasn't feeling well, probably dye to some jet-lag; as planned, Jeff proposed to postpone, or to send their friends alone, so that he could stay with his wife, and, as planned, Lisbon told him she didn't want to hear any of it, since he had talked without end in sight of that trip, and the same could be said about their dear friend's wife, Grace; as planned, Patrick wasn't in the mood, and didn't enjoy the fields too much, as a uptown-boy himself, and besides, who knew? Maybe he had caught whatever was around… so, since Grace was in Jeff's good hands, why didn't they go together, and Patrick stayed at the hotel with Teresa?

He grinned as the minivan moved, shouting to his dear old friend to not try any funny business with his own young wife- and, at the same time, unseen by poor Jeff, he kept his hand on Teresa's hip, skimming with his thumb the tender skin he felt thrilled exploring.

During breakfast, they had sat together at the same together- not their usual 4 seat table, but a more intimate, secluded table for just 2 – and, once Jane saw creepy guy looking yet again at their direction, he had started a quite intense session of tootsie, never stopping looking into her emerald-green eyes; Teresa had soon reciprocated, but where he had been merely a tease, she had tried to give, or so it seemed to the mentalist, almost the real deal; just the feel of her small, naked foot against the line of naked skin on his calf had sent shivers and electric waves all over his body- and in his groin in particular- with the result that it had taken all his willpower and all the bio-feedback tricks he knew to avoid reaching the edge of sexual ecstasy on the spot.

She had giggled when he had closed his eyes and started to breath uneven, biting his own lips to avoid moaning out loud in front at so many people. "Teresa…" he opened his eyes as he whispered her name, few perfect syllables rolling in such a perfect way on the tip of his tongue, she gasped as she saw his pale green iris, dilated pupils, and she bit her lips as well, but she still moaned, purring like a kitty as she remembered his words, the ones Jane had shared with her and Mashburn few years before. When someone see somebody they want, their pupils dilate. And his pupils were dilated. But Jane was a master at things such a self-hypnosis and bio-feedback… and maybe, just maybe, he was faking it all, just to get the jerk and close yet again another case, showing the whole world what stupid and clueless idiots those feds were…

"Let's go!" He grabbed her and run in direction of the elevators, just to find them already full or out of service; he went for the stars, and, without never letting it go of her wrist, he run, run until he didn't reach the front of his room, almost in record time- Track-run superstar Teresa Lisbon was almost ashamed of herself – and then he proceed to threw her against the wall, pinning her against the cool surface, ravishing her neck with love bites while fumbling for the correct key, all the while, Lisbon kept giggling, mapping with her hands all the surface of his strong and lithe body available, on and under the clothes.

She enthusiastically half-turned to offer him her mouth and her tongue for a kiss that was supposed to crash their worlds, but here he was, the guy from the cleaning crew - Of course he is faking it- but, still she didn't resist, but, instead, she shifted the balance of power, and Jane suddenly found himself against the wall, his lip between her scratching teeth, at her complete mercy. And he didn't care. He couldn't.

"You shouldn't start something you can't finish…" he moaned, arching into her, his hands roaming through her silky tresses, fisting into her dark curls, his desire pulsing, hard with want, against her thigh, throbbing through their clothes.

"who said anything about not finishing this?" she giggled in his ear, biting his lobe and licking the pain away with her nimble tongue.

They almost fell backward when the door opened widely for them, threw against the wall, and before Lisbon could realize what was happening, she was spread on the bed for him to take, and Jane was standing at the feet of the piece of furniture, getting naked in an hurry.

Even if she was partly sure he was putting on an act for that sort of janitor, who was probably listening to them in the next room, her mouth still watered at the sight of the expanse of sun-kissed naked skin, her eyelids heavy with desire…. And anticipation.

He caged her with his naked frame, his lips and hands everywhere at the same time, and mercilessly he took apart her clothes. Suddenly she found herself naked underneath him, and she knew that she should have cared, but she simply couldn't. she couldn't even think a sole thought, not even for her life… him, becoming one with her, was the only thing that mattered, her sole goal. The hell with regrets, she was going to deal with them later.

Sergio Stefani's real name was Sergio Ramirez, a 30-something former drug dealer from Mexico relocated in the USA after a drug cartel put a reward on his head after he lost it and murdered the daughter of his boss due to infidelity, an event, Jane explained casually while the guy was handcuffed, connected to the loss of his mother, who had probably escaped with her lover, sentencing her whole family to sufferance, shame and tortures. If he was right, and the man was indeed the perp- hard to deny it, he had bolted inside the room while they were both naked (for the second round, Jane had been that kind to allow her to be on top) with every single items used to commit every one of his crimes in the last few months.

She had to give credit where credit were due: those feds? Idiots. Her time? Wasted. Her relationship with Jane? probably ruined. And speaking of the devil…. Here he come; grabbing her, breathing hotly on her neck from behind, he grabbed her and brought her in a secluded corner, sensually attacking her like some kind of horny octopus with lips and hands at once again everywhere. "Didn't we say something about finishing what we started, my dear?"

"Jane, no!" she abruptly pushed him away and hugged herself, victim of shivers she couldn't understand; she clenched her teeth, her eyes a thin line, and braced herself for the incoming storm. "we did what we had to, now we can stop this farce once and for all." He opened his mouth to reply, but she didn't give him any chance. "I'm following Ramirez at HQ. I'll see you there."

She gave him her back and left, and even if Jane's arm straightened in her direction, it was pointless; his touch fell into the void, a cold void embarked in silence.

Lisbon wasn't talking with him any longer, actually, two weeks, after their close encounters under the covers, she was doing her best pretending he didn't exist at all; it hadn't been any wonder he hadn't been able to talk with her about their situation, considering that she wasn't talking with him, period. No rides in the car, no interrogations, he was hardly working on any case, and only with the others (who grinned, thinking she was punishing him for having played a little with their undercover operation), and just to be silenced by her every time he dared to open his mouth to express his opinions. He was almost sure she was that close to get him re-assigned to another team… and he couldn't have that.

He couldn't leave things as they were. He just couldn't lose her. he needed her, he needed Lisbon, like a permanent fixture in his life; he could deal with her not wanting a relationship with him, but he just simply couldn't give up on her, even if just as a friend. He needed her, point, and to get her back he needed to be the one in charge of the situation.

The day that pointed 20 days from their intimate and breath-taking encounter, a frustrated Jane finally managed to get Lisbon at HQ all alone and on her won, thanks to a mix of bribing, flattery, complaints, late hours and a renegade consultant who, presumably, had left base hours before due to the last verbal battle with his own handler (aka Lisbon herself).

Stealthy, he stormed in her office, dealing with blinds and locks, making it as private and intimate as possible; the closing door awoke her from her reverie, and lifting her eyes, she squirted in his direction, the man standing right before her door with hands on his hips. "What the hell, Jane!"

"What the hell? You ask me what the hell?" he chuckled, humorlessly. "I should be the one saying it! What the hell do you think you are doing, what the hell is this game of yours you are playing?"

"GAME?" She shouted , standing and pointing an accusatory finger at his chest. "You are the one playing games with me! you are the one who seduced me!"

"Ehy, ehy, ehy! Last time I checked, it takes two to voluntary tango, and you didn't argue, if I'm not mistaken!"

"of course I didn't object, and you knew it! You knew that I love you so you took advantage of it!"

"Its' not true and you…" suddenly, he stopped to scream, his expression shifted in one or happiness and surprise, his voice was low, and his eyes… almost scared, unsure. "you… you love me?"

"Like you didn't know it!" she paused, eyes locked in his, in complete and utter disbelief. "Oh my… Jane… you… you didn't know…. but, why did you…."

"I don't know, probably because, my dear, I genuinely like you, as a member of the female population? As in, I'm attracted to you? Seriously, woman, where have you been in the last seven months, when I kept pursuing you and marking my territory whenever males, and also a certain amount of women, were around you trying to get your attention?"

"Seven months? But I…. Jane, I didn't know… I mean…" she got closer and closer, and gasping yet again in disbelief, she grabbed him for the lapels of his jacket.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to freak you out, so I decided to try to be subtle about it. Besides, I knew that otherwise you weren't going to believe me… I didn't want for you to believe that I was just, you know…. try to ride back my old bike, so to say, considering that, you know, it hasn't been exactly my first time since….." He grimaced. "is it that bad that, even if I loved you already back then, I didn't save myself for you? Are you.. are you made with me for this? For… for her?"

"Well, Jane, I was already in love with you back then, and I didn't save myself for you as well, if you remember it correctly…"

He shivered, then nuzzled the tender skin of her neck. "besides, it's more likely seven years" her muttered, arousing her body beyond reason and measure. "seven years of bottle up love and passion for my firecracker of a boss…."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she moaned.

"I did" he grinned.

"You took it back- worse, you denied saying it, claiming you had forgotten it."

He stopped his ministrations, and putting some space between them, he stared into her eyes, serious, but not mad…. He was still slightly scared, and unsure. "I needed for you to say it first. I needed to know that you wanted me, even if I was broken, hunted… and unworthy of you and your love."

She just smiled, and cupped his face. Her answer was a tender teary kiss on his lips, and her hand always in his own as she drove them to her apartment, for yet another unforgettable night- nor the first, nor the last.