12 Days of Jisbon

A/N: Last chapter... Aw. This was a lot of fun to write. I'm going to start working on another Mentalist fanfic as soon as I've finished my Criminal Minds fic.

Chapter 12: Good Night

Lisbon stared at Jane. He really was insane. He was a goddamn idiot, and he acted like he was the center of the world, like every case they worked on was all about him.

Yet, when he acted like he was the smartest person in the room, he usually was. He always seemed to know what was going on in a room at all times. And he thought she liked it. He thought she enjoyed watching him act like an idiot and make a fool out of everyone, most importantly whoever they deemed to be the suspect. He thought she liked it.

A voice wondered idly in the back of her mind if he was right.

"You're insane," she stated.

The idiot grin on his face only got bigger. "It took you all this time to figure that out?"

She glared, and his grin grew even bigger.

"And as I said, you like it."

She sighed. "I pity you," she said, shaking her head. "I really don't understand how your mind works. And for that matter, I don't want to."

Jane opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Fine," Jane said, shrugging. "Let's talk about something else. Your father, for instance."

Lisbon looked away. "There's nothing to talk about."

"I disagree," Jane said. She could feel his eyes on her. "He seems far too interested in your personal life. After all, you do live on your own. You're a full grown adult."

She ignored him.

"I think he worries that he didn't bring you up right," he went on. "That he wasn't around enough when you were a kid."

She continued to ignore him, but he had hit a nerve. She looked down at her hands as he went on with his rambling.

"And I think you like to think that you can forgive him, but you hold a grudge against him for how he was when you were young." He paused. "You think he spends too much time worrying about you, like he's trying to make up for time he didn't spend with you when you were a kid. And you think that he worries too much about who you spend your time with. He doesn't trust your 'friends.'" He took on a playful tone. "Like me."

"I can't believe you," she said, looking up and glaring at him. "Only you could think that this is about you."

Jane sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. "It isn't?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Your father obviously doesn't trust me. He kicked me out of your house."

"My father is an idiot," Lisbon stated, looking back down at her hands.

Jane laughed, one short sound. "We all think that about our parents at some point. It may be when we're thirteen, it could be–,"

She cut him off. "Forever," she muttered. "He ruined my life."

That was enough to stun him into silence.

"If he had been a little less drunk," she said, fury coating every word, "she'd still be alive."

Jane was silent for a few moments, and when he finally spoke, it was only a single word.

"Lisbon."

She ignored him.

"Lisbon, look at me."

She glanced up, not saying anything.

Jane's face was completely calm. "Lisbon, no matter what you think of your father, I'm sure he cares about you."

Something inside her snapped. "You don't know anything about him," she snarled.

She got up and headed for the door. Just as she was about to reach it though, something barred her way.

She glared up at Jane as he said, "Don't go."

She remembered him saying the same words the previous night, yet now he seemed so serious. She stared at him, unsure what to say.

"Your father cares about you," Jane said seriously. "Everything he's done since he got here, from coming with you to come get me this morning, to kicking me out an hour ago, screams that he does. Believe me, no matter what he did in his past, he cares about you."

She looked down.

"Lisbon..."

She didn't look up.

"Teresa."

Her first name took her by surprise, and she looked up. A strange expression was on his face.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you," he whispered. She felt one arm wrap around her back and pull her closer. "I'm sorry for any trouble your father will give you when you get home. It's–,"

"Just shut up," she whispered, and closed the distance between them.

A/N: Was that too abrupt? Hope not. Anyway, there is a magical button that lies just beneath this Author's Note. If you press it, it takes you to a magical world where you can tell me just how much you hate/love my story.

Off to take over the world,

Crazy Girl

THE END