Warning: Spoilers! Set in the future somewhere around the end of season 6, therefore, well… spoilery ;-) Also: There will be snow ;-)

A/N: I seem to have started a short multi-chapter. Which scares me a bit. But my best friend told me to post it, so I will. As usual a bit nervous, because unfortunately English still isn't my native language and this is only my second Mentalist fic. A huge, huge thank you for the reviews and favs on my first fic *hugs everyone*. After not being able to write anything for so long, that meant the world to me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the typos. They are mine. And mine alone.

Lisbon watched the birds. The lake was almost completely frozen over and more than a dozen ducks were bobbing on a small stretch of water around the shore, frantically paddling back and forth, bumping into and over each other, fighting for the last of the bread-crumbs an elderly woman had tossed into the lake a few minutes ago. The sight of a single Canada goose in the midst of the jumble of feathers and wings and beaks and quacking noises caught her attention. It just sat there, still and dignified, legs under the water only moving when the waves caused by one or more over-excited ducks threatened to push it closer towards the ice. Once, it turned its head and looked over the frozen lake, neck stretched in either alarm or curiosity, Lisbon couldn't really tell. Maybe it was looking for the rest of its flock. After a while, the goose lowered its head, bending its long black neck, its beak almost touching the dark water. Then it closed its eyes.

Lisbon got up from the bench and walked over to the shore. The movement had not been missed by the ducks, who, in anticipation of food, splashed and flapped over to her, quacking loudly and looking up at her with greedy eyes. Lisbon crouched down and ignoring the ducks, said in a low voice.

"Hey there, handsome. You look kind of lonely."

She didn't expect the goose to acknowledge her presence, let alone her words, but was strangely touched and happy when the bird lifted its head and looked at her.

Then suddenly the view became blurry, a cloud of steam obscuring her sight, leaving nothing but a smudge of black, brown, soft grey and white. When her eyes refocused, the rim of a take-away coffee-cup came into view.

"You really have a heart for lost creatures, don't you?", an amused voice said.

Lisbon got up, wrapping her cold hands around the coffee-cup and flashing him a quick smile she didn't really feel.

"Thanks for the coffee."

He shrugged while taking a sip from his own cup, not wasting time to separate the two actions.

Efficient as usual, Lisbon thought and wondered for the millionth time when and why it had shifted from being something that was actually a positive trait to something that slightly annoyed her. She took a sip from her coffee and made a face. Whatever this was, there was more sugar than coffee in it.

"Too much caramel?"

"No, it's fine", she said and he sat down on the bench without further comment. She didn't know if he had spotted the lie. She supposed he had not. She felt a little disappointed. This was another thing that now gradually turned from exciting and actually quite liberating into something rather less positive. Plus, after four months you could expect him to remember what kind of coffee she liked. It wasn't like you needed your own memory palace for that.

She sat down next to him, close enough for their knees to touch, but at an angle that kept her upper body close to the outer regions of his personal space.

This, however, he noticed.

"Everything alright?"

"Fine."

He took another sip of coffee, his left hand fishing the cell-phone out of his jacket pocket. She looked over at the lake while he checked his e-mails. The ducks had moved on, following a young couple with a kid. The girl threw pieces of a chocolate muffin towards the ducks, delighted at the excited noises the birds were making. While the ducks drifted off into the winter afternoon, the goose was still there, now hovering right at the shore and still looking over at her, like it was ready to jump out of the water and waddle over to her if she called it. She was tempted to try.

"Don't even think about adopting him, we are not putting up with another stray", Marcus laughed and putting an arm around her shoulders pulled her closer. When he felt her tense, he added.

"We can get a dog, though."

"We don't have time for a dog", she replied, ignoring the rest of the remark. She knew what or rather whom he was referring to and even understood why he sometimes felt the need to say things like that. It was simply a guy thing. But that didn't mean it didn't annoy her. For various reasons.

"I'm sure I can convince Kenny and Jake from next door to dog-sit. They love animals."

"Then why don't you get them a dog?"

She flinched a little at the sharpness of her own words. Heavens, she'd sounded pretty bitchy just now.

"Sorry. I'm a little jumpy today", she said, trying to let herself sink into his embrace to show him she really hadn't meant it. "Probably just the case. It's frustrating."

"Understandable", he agreed. But didn't really understand.

They sat in silence for a while, Marcus taking one of her gloved hands in his. She looked at their joined hands and wondered - also for the millionth time - what the hell she was doing. This was a good relationship. This was a good, mentally stable, reliable, funny, sexy man who cared about her a lot and who had really gone to great length to make this work. She had expected nothing more than a one-night-stand at first, nothing more than releasing tension and having a bit of fun. Uncomplicated and emotionally non-threatening in every way. She had deserved that. She had needed that. But he had been persistent - which - especially with the added complication of a very watchful, very suspicious and very jealous partner/best friend/general-pain-in-the-neck hovering by her side almost 24/7 during the first few weeks of their acquaintance - must have been extremely difficult. But somehow he had managed to not kill Jane *and* hold on to her and so now she found herself in an actual relationship. Things had been good for a while. Then she had started to do what she always did when things were "good for a while". She'd started to doubt it could last. She'd started to look for reasons why it wouldn't.

And then Cho had mentioned New York.

"You know he's applied for the job before he came over here?", he'd said calmly and she had nodded and smiled and said "Sure", hoping that Jane was on the other side of the room and out of earshot - and sight. Without meaning to she had automatically glanced in the direction of the couch and almost flinched when his eyes met hers across a dozen desks and two windows. He'd frowned worryingly at her. She'd looked away and avoided him for the rest of the day, but not before swearing Cho to secrecy.

"You think Jane knows?"

"No."

"Please don't tell him, he's going to assume all kinds of things and freak out."

"The wrong kind of things?"

She didn't have an answer then, but Cho had simply nodded and that was that.

Truth was, she still didn't have an answer now. Marcus had never mentioned it, so maybe he had withdrawn his application. Or gotten turned down already. She'd been too anxious to check for herself, if the position had been filled yet, knowing that if it hadn't it would drive her crazy.

Not that ignoring things worked much better.

What annoyed her most, though, was that neither was a course of action she'd usually take. But the case they had been working on for the past 3 weeks was draining and difficult and upsetting and she simply hadn't wanted to open that particular can of worms on top of everything else. Jane - naturally - had noticed that something was wrong, but after prodding and probing and coaxing for a week, he had given up - but only after she had threatened to punch him back to South America if he didn't back off.

She felt guilty about it, but sometimes with Jane, there was no other option than to use drastic measures and she was still a little annoyed with him for all the mischief he had caused at the beginning of her relationship with Marcus.

Marcus checked his phone again. Lisbon frowned.

"Any news from the rest of the team?"

"No."

They had three separate crime scenes to work, so they had split up. Fischer and Abbott - the latter seeming glad to be back in the field - where investigating the first one, her and Marcus had checked out the second one and Jane and Cho were covering the third one.

"Road trip with my best bud. Boys only. This is going to be fun", Jane had quipped happily. Cho had said nothing, only blinked once. Lisbon had laughed. Marcus had left the room.

"This is lovely" Marcus suddenly said with a sigh.

"What?"

"Us. Here. On this lovely bench on this lovely day."

"It's not lovely, it's freezing cold."

"Really? I had't noticed", he said, scooting closer and pressing his lips to her neck.

"Marcus…"

She pushed him off, blushing slightly as an elderly couple walked past them.

"This is our lunch break, so for…" he checked his phone "…another 15 minutes we are officially off duty."

"I don't think it works like that."

"No, but I think we can bend the rules a little. Not that I normally would. But for you…", he grinned and leaned in for a kiss. She kissed him back, forcing doubt, annoyance and every other negative feeling out of her mind. This case *was* getting to her and every bit of comfort in the middle of this was welcome. She almost succeeded, but something was still there, tiny, but resistant, calling out from somewhere deep inside her. She wasn't sure if it was a warning or a protest or doubt, but it grew louder with every day that passed. Sometimes she thought she recognised the voice. And it wasn't her own. Which was - usually - the moment stubbornness claimed her and she firmly closed her eyes and ears to it. Damn it, this was her life. Hers. And no one had the right to tell her what to do with it. She was done being pushed around and being used and abandoned. Her life. Her decisions. Her love life. Her boyfriend. Her choice.

She wondered how Jane was doing 200 miles north of her and if he as ok.

Marcus nodded towards the older couple on the bench.

"Isn't this wonderful? Look at them. Still happy, after spending a life-time together."

Lisbon wanted to point out, that they had actually no clue if those two had actually spent more than ten minutes together. Jane could probably tell - simply by looking at the dirt on his shoes or the state of her socks or the way she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I suppose."

"I mean", he went on, hugging her closer to him. "you can tell how much they are in love, content to be together, sitting here now, probably reminiscing about how they met and where life took them on their journey together."

He smiled dreamily, then his lips curled up into a happy grin. "Sorry. You seem to have turned me into a hopeless romantic."

She said nothing, just raised a careful eyebrow at him. Clearly, he needed to elaborate. Which gave him the perfect opportunity to finally approach a subject that had been on his mind for a few days now. This calm winter afternoon was perfect. This scene was perfect. She was perfect. He was one lucky bastard, he thought, smiling at her beautiful face, then turning his head, nodding towards the couple on the other bench.

"Just imagine, one day this will be us. I can already see it in my mind. You. Me. Together. On a bench like this. At a lake. Or a river. Or the ocean. Just us. Looking back at a life full of joy. Probably watching our grand-children play close by. Just picture it. Close your eyes, imagine it. Looks great, doesn't it?"

When she didn't reply after a few seconds he turned his head and looked at her.

"You ok?" he asked, confusion written all across his face. She looked like a frightened deer caught in the headlights of a car.

"Teresa?"

And if he had realised in that moment how accurate this description actually was, maybe, just maybe he would have chosen his next words more carefully.

Or kept quiet...