A/N: I recently started rewatching S1 and I noticed how flirty Jane and Lisbon are with each other, I mean apart from the famous, "I wouldn't seduce you over a meal"-scene. Something happens between them in almost every episode. Also, the theme of seduction plays an important role in lots of episodes during S1. But yeah, Jane saying he wouldn't seduce Lisbon over a meal and then revealing in a deleted section of the script what he would do instead was my main inspiration for writing this.

This story has three parts, I had to split it because it was getting too long and I wanted to make it easier to read (so much for writing a short one-shot, I guess). Nothing really explicit happens until Part 3, so if you're not into that, you can still enjoy the first two parts. Also, quick warning, there's a brief mention of child abuse in Part 1.

Anyway, the title is a poker term (for all of you, including me, who haven't got a clue about poker), and it's a form of cheating where two or more players work together toward a common goal.

Part 1

"Thanks, Jane."

"You're welcome."

Jane let himself drop onto the chair opposite Lisbon. She turned back to Rigsby, taking a sip from the beer bottle Jane had just brought her.

"You're really serious?" she repeated the question she had asked Rigsby before Jane had interrupted them.

"Yes," Rigsby nodded. "I would pay for someone to teach me how to seduce women."

On the opposite side of the table, Jane chuckled, making both Lisbon and Rigsby turn to him. "All right, give me five dollars and I'll teach you," he offered.

"No," Rigsby declined. "I don't want to be taught by just anyone; I want a professional."

"Ouch," Jane said with a pout, clasping his hand to his chest to cover his heart.

"Someone professional like Arterberry?" Van Pelt, who was sitting to Lisbon's left, tried to clarify. She hadn't spoken much all evening, but the bright pink drink she had ordered seemed to give her more confidence at so late an hour.

When Rigsby didn't answer immediately, Cho said, "You're not serious."

"I don't know." Rigsby sounded unsure. He glanced at Van Pelt and then at Jane. "The guy knows what he's doing."

"What he was doing is illegal," Lisbon reminded Rigsby in a stern tone of voice.

"I'm not talking about the extortion. I'm talking about all the women he convinced he was in love with," Rigsby defended himself. "He must have known what he was doing, or he wouldn't have managed to get so much money. And so much sex," he added in a lower voice so none of the other people at the bar could hear him.

"He is a creep who was using vulnerable women for his own personal gain," Lisbon insisted. "A woman in her right mind would never fall for a man like Arterberry. Not even if he is the most charming, handsome, smooth-talking man she's ever met."

"Talking from personal experience, are you?" Jane teased her. He had his own beer bottle tugged between his index and middle finger and was swirling its contents around languidly.

Lisbon glared at him, considering if she should dignify this with an answer, then shrugged. "All I'm saying is that some women have standards."

"So you think your immune to the advances of a man if he doesn't meet your standards?" Jane asked, one eyebrow raised, looking at her like he already knew the answer and could prove to her she was wrong.

"I'm certainly immune to the advances of a man like Arterberry," Lisbon nodded.

"No, you're not," Jane challenged. He didn't look at her when he said it, put down the beer bottle instead, trying to act casually, but it was obvious he was trying to provoke her.

Lisbon fell for it. "Excuse me?"

She noticed how Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt were watching them, Cho with the same stoic face as always, Rigsby with interest, and Van Pelt with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"You heard me," Jane went on. He leaned forward and propped his arms on the table, fully focusing his attention on Lisbon. "If you want to seduce someone, it doesn't matter what kind of man you are. You can seduce anyone if you know which buttons to push. Arterberry could easily have seduced you had he been a little less sleazy and a bit more boring."

"Jane," Lisbon said, a warning in her voice. The conversation was quickly leaving the familiar, case-based issues and strolling into personal territory. If Lisbon couldn't stand one thing, it was discussing her personal life with her colleagues. It was bad enough she couldn't hide anything from Jane.

Jane hesitated briefly, before he relented. "Yeah, you're right. You're a bit more complicated than that. I think it would be a challenge to seduce you."

Lisbon felt a blush spread across her cheeks, similar to Van Pelt's; hers, however, was one of anger, not of embarrassment. "Women aren't as one-dimensional as you would like us to be."

"Yeah," Van Pelt agreed quietly. "Not every woman would sleep with a man she's just met."

Jane nodded. "Yes, that's true. But what about a man she's known for a couple of months or even years?" he asked.

Van Pelt sighed and pulled a face, thinking hard about this. "If it feels right, sure, why not? But not every woman's after sex. Some of us are looking for a deeper, more romantic connection."

"Meh," Jane made. "Humans want three things: to eat, to sleep, and to –"

"That's enough, Jane," Lisbon reprimanded him before he could finish the sentence. She wouldn't allow him to talk crudely to get a rise out of Van Pelt.

Jane looked at Lisbon with mild interest, while he leaned back and picked up his beer bottle again.

"Rigsby mostly wants to eat," Cho mumbled to diffuse the tension.

Rigsby opened his mouth to protest, but Lisbon interrupted him too. "Humans as a species are much more complex than Jane wants us to be. Arterberry was so successful because he knew which type of woman would fall for him. That doesn't change the fact that a woman who is happy and content with her life would never have an affair with him. He would also never pick such a woman as a target for his schemes because he knows it would be a dead end."

"Yes," Jane agreed, making Lisbon look at him in surprise. "You, for instance, wouldn't fall for him because you would be able to sense his reason for seducing you. But what about a man who doesn't have an ulterior motif? What about a man who seduces you just because he wants to sleep with you? I know that, if done right, you wouldn't be able to resist that man's advances."

Before Lisbon could answer, Van Pelt piped up, "That's so not true. There are things more important than sex."

"Not for most guys," Rigsby interjected.

He immediately looked at Van Pelt apologetically, regretting his rash words, but she ignored the look of remorse on his face. Instead, she turned to him, a fire burning in her eyes that Lisbon had seldom seen.

"Don't be crude," she said, sounding almost disappointed. "There are also romantic men, men who want to be there for women, take care of them, who aren't just nice to them because they want to sleep with them."

Rigsby, however, seemed to have developed a taste for teasing Van Pelt, despite his initial regret. "That's what we want you to believe," he said with a wink, "but the truth is we all just want one thing."

Van Pelt turned to Jane, a pleading expression on her face.

"Rigsby is right," Jane said quietly. "To most men, a sexual relationship with a woman is more important than a romantic one, especially when they, let's say, try to pick her up in a bar. That guy over there who's been staring at you ever since we came in," Jane pointed at a man in a suit who was sitting at the bar, and they all turned around to look at him, which made him pretend he had just seen a friend so he could walk away, "wasn't thinking about how nice it would be if he could take you out to dinner, hold your hand while you go for a walk in the park, kiss you goodnight on your porch while fireflies dance around you. He was thinking more … carnal thoughts. But there is nothing wrong with that," Jane added quickly. "If two adults consent to spending a night together, there is nothing reprehensible or shameful about them giving each other pleasure."

His eyes were on Lisbon as he said the last sentence, so Lisbon felt the need to object. "There might not be anything shameful about it, but I don't think that a one-night stand can make people truly happy."

"It makes some people happy," Jane contradicted her before taking a swig from his beer bottle, emptying it.

"Would it make you happy?" Lisbon challenged him, determined to get a rise out of him, just as he had been trying to do with her the whole evening.

"I'm not some people," Jane evaded the question.

"Whatever," Lisbon gave in, realizing they should probably stop discussing one-night stands because this definitely was too personal. "I still don't think it's that easy to seduce someone."

"I wish it was," Rigsby mumbled, and everyone turned their attention on him, remembering why they had started talking about this topic in the first place.

"Come on now, Rigsby," Jane said and slapped his shoulder reassuringly. "You're a young, good-looking, successful guy. There's nothing holding you back."

"It's not as easy as you want him to think it is," Lisbon insisted.

Jane nodded. "All right," he said. He shifted in his chair, straightened his back, and looked at Lisbon with determination in his eyes. "I'm going to prove it to you – name a woman, any woman, and I'll seduce her."

"No," Lisbon declined immediately. She held Jane's gaze fiercely, showing him she wouldn't let herself be pulled into one of his little games, especially one that would involve another person who was unaware of his schemes.

"Scared of losing, are you?" Jane provoked her. His eyes looked darker than usual in the dim lighting of the bar, but there was still the spark in them Lisbon knew was a sign of Jane having caught a scent.

"No," Lisbon said again, slower this time. "I just don't think it's appropriate to bet on something like that."

"Because you know you're going to lose," Jane prodded.

Lisbon raised her eyebrows. "You know, you're not the great catch you want everyone to think you are." She knew that if it really was her choice and she got to pick a woman for Jane to seduce, she would pick someone who could resist him. There were women who were immune to his charm, there had to be.

Jane smiled at her and finally leaned back, taking some of the tension she only now realized had been hanging over them with him. "I never said I was a great catch. All I'm saying is that it's not so hard to seduce someone if you know what you're doing."

"And you know that, do you?" Lisbon crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back as well. She had forgotten Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt were listening to every word of their conversation. All she wanted was for Jane to admit he was wrong.

"Yes," Jane answered. "I'd like to think so."

The cocky smile that lit up his face stirred something in Lisbon, something she couldn't quite identify, but she knew it had to do with wanting to see him lose. "You know what," she gave in with a sigh. She was currently drinking her third beer of the evening and knew her judgement was clouded, but she wanted to finally put Jane in his place for once. "Let's bet. I bet you a month's salary you won't be able to seduce the woman I pick."

There was a clashing sound as Van Pelt knocked over her glass. Rigsby had the biggest smile on his face, while Cho looked taken aback. And then it grew quiet at their table, so quiet that Lisbon could hear snippets of the conversations taking place around them, could hear the rushing sound of beer filling a glass, could hear the country song that was hovering above their heads, adding to the cacophony of the place.

Finally, Jane whistled appreciatively. "You've got yourself a bet," he said, and reached across the table to shake Lisbon's hand.

Lisbon took his hand into hers and gripped it firmly. "And no tricks," she reminded him. "I'll be able to tell."

Jane huffed. "As if I would need them," he assured her, sitting back down. "So, who's the lucky lady?" His smirk made her resolve waver. Maybe she had made a mistake. Maybe he did know what he was doing.

"I'll have to think about it," she answered, determined to make this as hard for him as possible. "It's an important decision."

"All right," Jane agreed. "Take your time."

"I will," Lisbon said with a nod.

It was still early morning when Lisbon arrived at work the next day. She was feeling exhausted, as if she hadn't slept at all, but there was some paperwork she needed to catch up on, paperwork that couldn't wait if they wanted to process Arterberry as soon as possible. She unlocked the door to her office and dropped her bag on the desk, then sat down with a deep sigh.

The conversation she'd had with Jane the previous evening was haunting her. She couldn't believe she had agreed to the bet, couldn't believe she had allowed him to get to her like that. But after three beers, his proposal had sounded exciting, thrilling, and she had wanted to do the unexpected for once. But then she had lain awake for two hours thinking about which name to give him, which woman to put in the line of fire, and she had realized she couldn't think of a single one. Not because she was scared Jane would hurt that woman's feelings – she knew Jane had scruples, he would stop this game before he could do any real damage – but because the thought of Jane courting (she used this word in her mind because she didn't want to think his name in combination with the word seducing) another woman irked her. Jane had looked at women before, had asked them out, and it hadn't bothered her that much. But thinking about him actually pursuing a woman to have sex with her – a woman Lisbon chose for him – somehow seemed wrong, and made her feel, for the lack of a better word, jealous.

However, surrendering before they had even started wasn't an option either.

With another sigh, Lisbon stood up again to get herself a cup of coffee from the kitchen. The bullpen, which usually was buzzing with activity, with people talking, shouting, with phones ringing, lay quiet and deserted in semi-darkness. She glanced over to where Jane's couch stood, only to see him sprawled out on it, his jacket draped across the backrest, his vest open, two buttons on his shirt undone, staring up at the ceiling.

"Morning, Lisbon," he said quietly, almost as if talking to himself.

Lisbon slowly walked toward him. "Good morning, Jane," she said casually and tapped against his leg to signal him he should make room for her on the couch.

He sat up and ruffled his hair before yawning.

"Did you sleep here?" Lisbon asked carefully, dropping down next to him.

"It was closest to the bar," Jane explained.

"You should take better care of yourself," Lisbon reprimanded him softly, taking in his rumpled shirt, spotting a red mark on his cheek from where his head had rested against the leather.

"I will," Jane answered. The smirk he had flashed her the previous evening was back. "Something tells me I'll soon be spending a couple of nights in a comfortable bed … in good company."

"Jane, about that –," Lisbon started, but he interrupted her with a groan.

"Don't tell me you've changed your mind."

"No, I haven't," she said quickly, too quickly, knowing it sounded like a lie. "I've slept on it, and I think my initial reaction was correct. It is inappropriate for me to pick a woman for you to seduce."

"I've said this before and I will say it again: You are just scared of losing," Jane told her, scratching his chin. "But if you want to cop out now – I'll accept the money in cash."

Lisbon followed the movements of his fingers with her eyes, watching his nails scrape across the stubble on his cheek. "No, I'm not backing down." She took a deep breath. "I came here to tell you I've made up my mind. I have a name for you."

Jane froze, his hand still on his chin. "Oh?" he made, and Lisbon had to smile at the surprised look on his face.

"Unless you don't want me to give you one," she teased. "I know you were secretly hoping for me to back down because you talk big but don't know how to deliver."

"We should let the woman you pick be the judge of that." There was determination written across Jane's face and he looked at her intently. "Name, please."

Lisbon steeled herself for what she was about to say. She let her tongue run over her lips, then swallowed, until she finally replied, "I want you to seduce me."

This time, she had really caught him by surprise. He blinked slowly, his eyes darting to her own, then down to her hands resting on her lap before settling somewhere near her left ear. "What?" he breathed incredulously.

Lisbon couldn't help but feel proud that she had taken him by surprise like that. Jane often told her she was translucent, she couldn't keep a secret from him, she couldn't lie to him. Having caught him off-guard like that made her feel proud of her accomplishment and told her it had been the right choice. She was sure she would be able to win, simply because Jane would be too busy processing the fact she wanted him to seduce her.

"This way I can make sure you won't trick me," she explained. "The stakes are quite high, after all."

"Quite," Jane echoed. Then he pulled a face. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Sure I'm sure," Lisbon nodded, but even she could hear her voice was higher than usual.

"We are colleagues," Jane reminded her. "This might change that relationship forever."

Lisbon huffed. "Don't flatter yourself. I won't make this easy for you."

"Oh, I see." A smile lit up Jane's face. "You picked yourself because you think you'll be able to resist me. Clever."

"I don't think so, I know so."

Lisbon crossed her arms in front of her chest, her jaw tight, putting up a wall between herself and Jane, who looked very handsome this morning in his rumpled shirt with that mischievous smile on his face. She knew he was right – by picking herself, she had already changed their relationship. There was no denying it; he let his gaze wander from her face down her chest and legs and back up again, making sure she was watching him. Five minutes ago, he wouldn't have done that. She felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach at the thought where this might lead and had to clench her jaw to remind herself, she would do everything she could to not let Jane win. But when his eyes reached her face again and he held her gaze, she could feel her heart pick up speed and her palms grow sweaty. And he wasn't even doing anything yet, he was just looking at her, like he had done a million times before. Only it wasn't like before, it would never be like before again, whether he was successful or not.

"Well then, do your thing," she challenged, and uncrossed her arms, waiting patiently for him to make his move.

Jane laughed lightly and Lisbon was sure she could actually hear the tension between them shatter. She drew in a sharp breath, relieved the moment had passed, incredulous that she had actually, for a short while, considered the possibility of letting him win. The excuse she had given him for picking herself was flimsy, she knew that, and a part of her wanted – it took her a lot of courage to admit that to herself – to be seduced by Jane, but she was also determined to win, to prove to him that his mind tricks didn't always work, especially not on her.

"Well," Jane said, and chuckled. He stood up and softly patted her shoulder. "It doesn't work like that, Lisbon."

Then he made his way into the kitchen for a cup of tea, leaving Lisbon behind on his couch, battling conflicting feelings.

After their conversation on the couch, nothing happened. They were rushing from case to case with hardly a moment to catch their breaths in between. Lisbon's thoughts were first occupied by a gruesome double murder, then by a wife killing her husband and their three children, and finally by a Jane Doe who was discovered floating in Sacramento River. There wasn't any time to think about Jane and their bet, and it appeared that Jane, too, had forgotten about it. He was busy solving these cases, busy trying to catch Red John, busy doing God knows what, and even though they worked in the same office, they didn't see each other much.

After their conversation on the couch, Lisbon hoped Jane would forget about the bet. She didn't regret agreeing to it anymore, but she was sure she would lose whenever Jane decided to make his move. The few times they met over the following weeks, whether they were alone or around people, there was always a slight edge to their interactions. Sometimes, it was as it used to be – they were keeping a professional distance between them, but there were also moments when they teased each other, when they shared a heartfelt conversation on the car ride back from a crime scene, when Jane bugged her until she stopped the car and let him get ice cream. And sometimes, their hands brushed and instead of moving on with their day as if nothing had happened, Jane would glance at her with a promise in his eyes that made her shiver. Sometimes, he would walk past her closer than necessary, brushing up against her. Sometimes, he would talk to her, his eyebrows raised, his eyes never leaving hers, and it didn't matter what he was saying, she had a feeling there was something unspoken passing between them, something that didn't need words to be expressed.

After their conversation on the couch, Lisbon's every thought that wasn't directed at a case was circulating around Jane, no matter how much she tried to deny it. She knew it was part of his plan, acting like he had forgotten all about the bet, like nothing had changed between them. It was supposed to give her a false sense of security, to make her think she was safe, so he could strike when she least expected it. And she was ready to let him have a little fun, let this thing play out for a little while longer. She was determined to be strong enough to put an end to it when it went too far. But watching Patrick Jane trying to seduce her was something she didn't want to miss, even if there was the slight possibility of her losing a month's salary along the way.

Ten days after their conversation on the couch, Lisbon was working late, finishing up some paperwork, and waiting for a call. She'd had an exhausting day full of difficult interrogations and an arrest that resulted in Rigsby almost getting shot. She knew she had made mistakes and was angry at herself for her own shortcomings, resulting in her shoulders to tense up, followed by a piercing headache that made its way from her neck to her temples. Irritated, she rubbed her eyes, blinked a few times until she could see clearly again, then flinched when there was a knock at her door.

"If you keep avoiding me, that's cheating," Jane said, a soft smile on his face. He stepped into her office, then closed the door behind him.

Lisbon watched him walk over to her couch and sit down.

"I haven't been avoiding you," she defended herself, gripping the pen she was holding a little tighter.

Jane made, "Huh," then crossed his legs and his arms and looked at her with something akin to amusement. "You've barely looked at me in weeks," he observed.

Lisbon knew Jane was right. She had been avoiding him, not consciously, but when she thought back on the days that had passed since she had told him she wanted him to seduce her, she realized it hadn't just been the cases that had kept her away from him. It had also been his piercing gaze on her every time they came face to face, his soft touch against her wrist whenever he allowed himself the indulgence of being close to her; it had been her inner conflict, too – she wanted him to fail and she wanted him to succeed, and she didn't yet know which one of these two possibilities would win the battle over the other.

"Well," Lisbon said, putting her pen down and leaning back in her chair, "we've been very busy." Then she added, closely watching Jane, "I could say the same thing about you."

Something shifted and she could sense she had hit a spot Jane had been trying to keep hidden from her. He uncrossed his legs and propped his elbows up on his knees, folding his hands, nervously bouncing his left foot. She knew it couldn't be, but he looked nervous, almost unsure. The thought of him avoiding her on purpose because he too was affected by this bet and didn't know how to act around her anymore, was so far-fetched it could actually be true.

Oh, this would definitely be fun.

"I know you're stressed," Jane said slowly, his gaze on his folded hands, his leg still bouncing up and down, "you carry a lot of tension in your shoulders."

Lisbon moved her head from side to side, which put a painful strain on the muscles in her shoulders and sent a short burst of piercing pain to her temples.

Jane stood up but didn't make a move to come any closer. "Do you want me to give you a massage?" he asked carefully.

For some reason, it reminded Lisbon of her high school boyfriend asking her out to senior prom. He had been nervous as well, had kept his distance, had seemed unsure she would accept his invitation. She could sense the same hesitation in Jane now, so she nodded.

"Yeah, okay."

Jane pulled out one of the chairs standing around the small table next to the couch and made an inviting gesture. "Come here then," he said softly.

Lisbon did as she was told and sat down in the chair Jane was offering to her. He stepped behind her and softly lifted her hair over her shoulder to make room for his hands on her back.

"I can tie it up," Lisbon offered.

"No, it's fine," Jane replied. "Leave it."

Lisbon tensed in anticipation of the first touch, but no amount of mental strength could have prepared her for the first soft brush of Jane's thumbs against the nape of her neck. She breathed in with a loud hiss, telling herself it was because the soft pressure of his hands was painful, but she knew it was because the touch was so intimate and intense. Jane acted as if he hadn't noticed the change in her breathing and began to move his thumbs in small circles across the spot where her neck met her shoulders. It brought relief to her aching muscles and she could feel herself relax. Jane moved on to cup her shoulders and pressed his palms into the spots right above her shoulder blades. His grip was firm, but only so firm he could hold her in place. His ministrations were painful, but with each roll of his hands, the pain lessened and so did Lisbon's resolve to not let him come too close. Having these hands she had admired for years from afar on her like this was a relief and yet stirred something deep within her that made her ache and strain for more.

Then a small moan escaped her lips.

"That good?" Jane asked, his voice huskier than it had been when he had spoken last.

"Shut up," Lisbon mumbled, but didn't make a move to pull away from him. He could tease her all she wanted; what he was doing to her shoulders felt too good to make him stop just to save her face.

Jane hummed in content and continued. He dug his thumbs into the nape of her neck again, using more force than he had before, and Lisbon moaned again, louder this time. She tried to hide it by clearing her throat, but she knew there was no way she would be able to disguise the nature of the sound from Jane.

"That good?" Jane repeated.

His voice was low and entirely foreign to Lisbon's ears, and it occurred to her she was about to lose their bet. Jane was far from being that unsure, innocent schoolboy he had pretended to be just a few minutes ago. He knew exactly what he was doing, and she was letting him, aware that this massage could be considered foreplay, even though they were in her office, fully clothed. She tensed up again, trying to decide if she wanted him to continue or not, trying to picture where this would lead, trying to picture the smug smile on his face when she would give in, would open herself up to him, and she wanted to see it, wanted him to look at her in triumph, ready to take his prize, but she also wanted to win, wanted him to admit he had been wrong. Those two sides fought an unrelenting battle in her chest while Jane's hands continued their work on her shoulders, making her feel good, relaxed, cared for, and she knew suddenly she wasn't strong enough to decide this. He would have to do it for her.

"You can stop if you want," she offered.

Jane leaned down, bracing himself against her shoulders, and whispered into her ear, so she could feel his breath ghosting over her skin, "I don't want to." He punctuated the sentence with a particularly hard squeeze of her shoulders.

Lisbon's brain was racing to come up with a good reply, but she found it was impossible. All her energy was focused on keeping herself from moaning a third time. He had definitely sounded aroused, his voice dark, husky, teasing, and she couldn't believe she was making it so easy for him to win, couldn't believe she was falling for his tricks. This hadn't even been a challenge.

Jane straightened his back. "It's not just your shoulders, is it?"

"Hm?" Lisbon made, closing her eyes, too preoccupied to form a coherent sentence.

Jane let his hands wander higher until they were tangled in her hair, massaging her scalp. Lisbon's eyes flew open again and she had to realize how wrong she had been. Jane's hands on her neck had been nothing out of the ordinary, just a casual touch between two friends, but this was something else entirely. Intimate didn't do it justice. His fingers brushed softly against her hair, his short nails brushed softly against her scalp, and all the while it felt as if his hands brushed softly against her soul, igniting and nurturing a fire deep inside her. The last thing she wanted was for him to stop, but she knew with absolute certainty that if she didn't end this right now, she would already lose the bet tonight. The fire inside of her turned into something else, kindled by a will to fight, to not make this too easy for him. He was teasing her with touches, words, and sounds, but she too could play at this game, could deny him his reward a little longer.

She reached up with her right hand to grab his wrist, even though it took her all the self-restraint she could muster. "That's enough," she said softly, even though everything in her, from the top of her head down to her toes was screaming for her to let him continue.

Jane removed his hands immediately. "Of course," he agreed.

Lisbon turned around in her chair, prepared to see him full of disappointment or embarrassment, but the gaze she was met with was something she hadn't expected. She wasn't the only one who had been affected by what they had been doing. Jane's cheeks were flushed, his eyes were glazed, and he looked at her with desire, with hunger, with so much longing she wanted to stand up, step into his personal space, and kiss his neck, his cheeks, his mouth until she wasn't the only one moaning.

But she didn't do it. He was putting on a show, nothing more; it was a good one, but still a show. And even though his faked longing matched her real one and it would be so easy to let him win and let herself have one night with him, she didn't do it. Instead, she stood up, nodding her head once.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," he replied.

Their next case got too close to Lisbon. Years and years of working in law enforcement had taught her to not let herself be affected by their daily business. Yes, she cared about the victims and wanted to see justice done, but she had to keep her personal life out of it if she wanted to succeed. She managed to do that most days.

But Daryl Hobbs, for some reason, knew exactly what to say to her to make her lose her cool. He was responsible for one of his children getting abducted and, as a result, killed, and he didn't show a morsel of remorse about it. He only called it the survival of the fittest. Lisbon was reminded of her own childhood, of how her own father hadn't cared for her and her brothers after the death of their mother. He, too, had called it the survival of the fittest once.

As they were arresting Hobbs on the charges of negligence and complicity to murder, he only sneered at them. But when they had him in room 209 ready for interrogation, he showed them a more cunning and evil face.

"Are you aware you could go to prison for neglecting your children?" Lisbon asked him when Hobbs still refused to acknowledge he had done anything wrong.

"Do you have children, agent?" he asked in return, a sneer on his face.

Lisbon didn't answer him.

"I know you don't because you wouldn't be asking me this otherwise," Hobbs continued. "Children are a chore and a menace, and once they reach a certain age, they should be responsible for themselves. There should be a law for that – as soon as they turn ten, they shouldn't be their parents' burden anymore."

Lisbon couldn't stop herself from saying, "Luckily, there is a law protecting your children from you, because God knows they need it."

"I won't make this easy for you, you know?" Hobbs replied. "You can't just take my kids away from me."

"I thought you didn't want them anyway," Lisbon said with a shrug.

"They should take care of themselves and I shouldn't be punished for not looking after them, but they're not done repaying me for raising them all those years, for letting them live in my house, for feeding them."

"Mr. Hobbs, one of your daughters is dead because you didn't look after her. You shouldn't be allowed near them for the rest of your life." Lisbon could feel anger building up in her stomach, could feel a stabbing pain in her guts. She would make sure this man would spend the rest of his life locked away behind bars, if it was the last thing she did.

Her opposite only shrugged. "So what? One less mouth to feed."

Before Lisbon could reply with something she would regret later, Jane leaned forward and fixated his eyes on Hobbs.

"You were neglected yourself as a child," he observed, his voice completely calm. "This isn't an excuse, just an explanation."

"So?" Hobbs was entirely unimpressed.

"It's interesting you're completely devoid of compassion."

"This world punishes people for being weak, Mr. Jane. There is nothing we can do about that. And the sooner we accept it, the better."

"No, Mr. Hobbs, it's people like you who punish people who are weaker than them because they suffer from some sort of God complex. Destroying your children's childhood won't give you back your own. You are just a tiny, insignificant speck of dust on the world's surface, and no one would miss you."

Lisbon glanced at Jane, then back at their suspect. Hobbs was smirking, biting his bottom lip as if he was trying to come up with a good reply to what Jane had just said, and Lisbon decided to diffuse the situation before she had to add assault to Hobbs' charges.

"Mr. Hobbs," she said, making the man turn his attention back on her, "it's not up to you whether you think you should be punished or not. This decision lies in the hands of the courts."

Mr. Hobbs huffed. "I just hope they're not as biased as you two are. You, Mr. Jane, have a pretty big God complex of your own, and you, agent, you were abused by your own daddy, weren't you?" He looked at her with mock concern. "No need to take it up with me."

Lisbon clenched her jaw.

"My God complex is justified," Jane said, smirking proudly, to take the attention away from Lisbon. "The same thing can't be said about you."

"I am a God to my children," Hobbs pointed out.

"Only because you force them to treat you like one." The words were out before Lisbon could stop herself. She would hate herself later for letting Hobbs get to her like that, but he was an itch she could only scratch with by showing him disdain and contempt.

Suddenly, Hobbs was on his feet and walking around the table toward Lisbon. She jumped up as well, ready to restrain him if necessary, but all he wanted to do was move into her person space to threaten her physically. And even though he was a head taller than she was, and twice as heavy, she didn't let herself be intimidated by him.

"It's the natural order of things," Hobbs hissed, his voice low. "It wouldn't hurt you to take a leaf out of their book."

Lisbon could feel Jane right behind her and then his hand was on Hobbs' chest. "I need you to take a step back right now," he said in a calm voice. Jane's other hand was on the small of Lisbon's back, it was just a small touch, but he was offering her reassurance. "If you talk to her like that again, you won't need to worry about what the courts might do to you."

Hobbs really took a step back, surprised by Jane's reaction. Lisbon felt the same way – she had never seen Jane like this. Usually, he hid at the first sign of conflict and let her deal with it. This wasn't the Jane she was used to, but she was intrigued by him.

Hobbs narrowed his eyes and glared at Jane. "You can't seriously be threatening me right now."

"I'm not," Jane replied, and softly moved Lisbon aside so he could put himself between her and Hobbs. "I'm merely warning you to think very carefully about what you want to say or do next."

"I don't think our little Miss Lisbon would approve of what I want to do to you," Hobbs replied, the smirk back on his face. "You're lucky she's here."

"No, you're lucky she's here," Jane turned Hobbs' argument against him. "She usually doesn't let me hurt the people we catch, even if they deserve it."

"Jane, that's enough," Lisbon said in a firm tone of voice. She didn't need Jane threatening Hobbs if it resulted in a lawsuit against the CBI.

Jane took a step back but kept his eyes on their suspect.

"Yes, that's a good boy," Hobbs teased.

Jane only smirked at him and for the first time Lisbon could see a crack in Hobbs' exterior. He had counted on being able to provoke Jane to do something he would regret, like disobeying Lisbon's orders and punching him, but it wasn't working.

"We've heard enough from him, don't you think?" Jane asked Lisbon, acting as if Hobbs was invisible.

"Yes," Lisbon agreed. "I think it's time for our ways to part."

"Now, wait a minute," Hobbs protested, but then Rigsby pushed open the door, put him in handcuffs, and led him away.

"You okay?" Jane asked softly as soon as they were alone, his hand once again resting on Lisbon's back, looking at her with concern.

"Yes," she answered and had to realize she really was.

"I want us to go out for drinks tonight." Jane was lying on the couch in Lisbon's office, his nose buried in a book titled "Modern Man in Search of a Soul".

For once, they weren't working on a case; they had closed their last one two days ago. There was no occasion for his proposal; there was nothing to celebrate.

"Sure," Lisbon agreed, looking up from her computer screen, her eyes only gradually adjusting to the dim light in her office after staring at the brightness of it all day, "I'll ask the team."

Jane put his book aside and sat up. "No," he said. "I want us to go out for drinks tonight, just the two of us."

"Oh?" Lisbon made. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she wasn't as calm on the inside as she made Jane believe. "Sure," she said again. "Just let me finish up here."

It was obvious to her now why Jane wanted to go out, and she could feel herself panic. She had managed to elude his advances ever since the night he had given her a massage, and she had expected him to continue to dance around her until they both came to a silent understanding to forget about the bet. Him asking her out this boldly hadn't been an option she had considered.

"All right," Jane said, and went back to his previous reading position.

Lisbon tried to turn back to the report she was writing, but she found herself unable to focus on it. She could choose when she was ready to leave, which gave her a bit of leeway to prepare herself mentally for the rest of the evening, but she had already failed miserably at not letting Jane come too close once, so she was sure she would fail again, especially when he was taking her out for drinks. Sitting next to him in a crowded bar, their legs brushing beneath the table, the buzz of alcohol clouding her judgement would make it impossible to keep Jane away from her.

But did she want to?

A/N: I know I should be finishing Big Blue and Red Road, but I have to get this story out of my system first.