A/N: There are lots of wonderful tags to 7.08 out there so thought I'd throw my hand into the ring as I await tonight's episode to see how/if their issues have been resolved. Oneshot.

Working the Odds

They descended the elevator in an uneasy silence, Jane only deciding to jump in as the doors were closing. The fact she didn't speak or shout proved to him just how angry she was. He glanced at her sideways, her expression made of stone but could see the wheels ticking behind it. Weighing her options. Deciding whether she really wanted to go through hashing this out tonight. Trying to come up with a solution they would both find acceptable. Deciding whether to stand her ground or allow him this concession. As they arrived at the FBI parking lot Lisbon spoke as he followed a few paces behind her. 'Let's get some ice cream.'

As she opened the driver's door and got in he couldn't hide his consternation. Had he really thought her predictable? Practically every day since they had gotten together she had surprised him in some way.

They drove in silence once again to a park they visited the weekend before. Now it was dark but the ice cream vendor was still there, the warm night still allowing him to pick up some trade. They selected a tub each and approached the bench they had sat on a few days before. A few days after she had professed her love for him, surprising him once again. Jane sighed. What a difference a week makes.

'I'm sorry for tricking you' Jane said, eating a spoonful. 'But not for trying to protect you.' He wanted to make his position clear from the outset.

'I told you a long time ago I didn't need your protection' she answered quietly, pushing the spoon around her tub.

'And I told you I'd protect you anyway.'

She sighed. 'I thought you said we'd work it out. Doesn't sound like you want to take my feelings into account on the matter so where does that leave us, Jane?'

'You're right. I didn't. Because I know exactly what those feelings would have been if I had told you I wanted you to step down. Exactly what you told me at the office. That it was your job and I had to let you do it.'

'You know what upset me the most? Not that you tricked me. After all, it's not the first time you haven't told me about a plan of yours. The real plan. Although I thought we were past that-'

Jane began to interrupt but she held up a hand to stop him. 'What really hurt was that you didn't even have the guts to admit what you'd done afterwards. You were hoping I wouldn't figure it out. That we could go back to happy families and I wouldn't be any the wiser. You treated me like a mark.'

Her words stung him and he flinched. 'I've never...I don't see you as a mark, Lisbon. I don't.'

'Then quit treating me like one.'

She let out a long breath, trying to control her anger and spoke more softly. 'I understand why you did what you did, Jane. I get it.'

'I don't want to lose you' he said quietly, tears in his eyes.

'I don't want to lose you either' she replied, her own eyes now glassy as well.

'You know how I work out my plans?' he said, his tone a little louder. 'I work out the odds. Every scenario in my head I work the odds of it playing out. Mitigate so I'm left with the least risky option.'

'But now when you factor me in...'

'It throws off the math. Or it complicates it further.'

He put the ice cream down on the bench beside him and turned around to her fully. 'Teresa, it was a miracle that we both survived Red John. An even bigger one that we found each other amidst that. That we're together like this now. Can you imagine the odds of all that combined? We've won the lottery already.'

'So you figure it's time we were due a loss.'

He shook his head. 'As long as we continue in the jobs we do then...I don't know...maybe. But odds are that there's a greater chance of it happening certainly. That case...it...was too much for me to risk you. To bet on you. The stakes were just too high.'

'Jane, that still wasn't your call' she said quietly but sternly.

He ran a hand through his hair. 'I get that. I do. But...'

'You'd do it again.'

'Probably. If I felt as strongly about a case like that again then yes, probably.'

She put her head in her hands.

'You knew who I was when we started this, Teresa. You know how terrified I am of the same thing happening to me again.'

'And have you worked out the odds of that?' she replied, looking up at him.

He shrugged and bit the inside of his cheek. 'No, but-'

'Exactly. No, Jane.'

'You can't deny I have a point about our jobs, though.'

'I don't deny that. But you also knew who I was when we started this too. How important my job is to me.'

He nodded and then chuckled lightly. 'Trust me to fall in love with a cop.'

She laughed softly herself. 'And for me to fall in love with more of an emotional wreck than I am. And that's saying something.'

'So, what's the solution?' Jane asked, taking her hand and rubbing his fingers along it.

Lisbon thought for a few moments, placing her other hand on top of his. 'The way I see it we have three options. Number one we cut our losses and finish this. Go back to being work colleagues.'

Before the words were barely out of her mouth Jane replied, 'Not happening. Second option?'

She smiled, exhaling a sigh of relief as she did so. 'We work in different departments.'

He thought for a second before shaking his head. 'The very reason I enjoy working at the FBI is so I can spend time with you. Number three?'

She gazed into his eyes. 'Third option is the next time you're terrified of me going out on a case you come and talk to me about it. If it doesn't happen too often and it's only the more...extreme cases I promise I'll consider stepping out of the line of fire. Only consider mind you. And you'll need to put on a pretty convincing argument to get me to do even that.'

'It'd still be interfering.'

'Better that than trying to manipulate me. If we're going to work at all then we need to communicate better.'

She glanced down at the wedding ring he still wore. He wasn't the only one who kept things to himself still, pretending issues weren't present when they were.

'Okay. I'll try at least. But...just one thing. Next time I can't sleep...'

'If you had told me the truth that night then you wouldn't have had to listen to my singing.'

Jane nodded. 'Well if that's not an incentive to be more forthright then I don't know what is.'

As Lisbon dug him in the ribs he picked up the ice cream tub.