"A Mockingbird In A Fir Tree" takes place approximately two weeks after my fic "Food For Thought". Though it can stand alone, a few things might make a lot more sense, if you've read my other story as well.

It's canon-ish up until after "Blood Feud", but it is turning more and more AU after that and Jane and Lisbon are slightly OOC as well, I guess.

Together with "Food For Thought", "A Mockingbird In A Fir Tree" is the start of a story arc - two more fics are just about ready as of yet. This one is still only Lisbon/Jane friendship, but it will turn into romance with the next installment.

I'll introduce some additional characters in this story. They are not going to play a major role in the rest of my fics, but they're necessary for this one. I wanted Teresa to learn a bit more about Patrick's background/childhood. Unfortunately, he wasn't willing to spill the beans himself…

There will be mentions of child abuse, so be warned!

Of course and unfortunately, I do not own "The Mentalist" and I have to admit, that I'm a tiny bit envious of Bruno Heller because of this... Borrowing those wonderful characters for a little while is my only consolation...

Please excuse the mistakes – I'm still not a native speaker and there's really no hope that I'll ever be.

Reviews are very welcome. I'm still rather new to this whole writing-stories-myself-business and I would really appreciate some feedback.

I apologize for the long introduction – on to the story now!

A mockingbird in a fir tree

I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. ~ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 11.

The bullpen had nearly cleared out. It was a Friday evening around seven p. m. and most of the employees of the CBI had already started their well deserved weekend. Even most of the members of the homicide section of the SCU - known for their impeccable work ethics – had left already. Everyone was just too happy to leave after a week from hell with a triple murder that had looked like it might turn into a cold case for the longest time. Fortunately, they had been able to catch the perp just this morning, thanks to a sudden inspiration from their consultant in the middle of the night. Cho and Jane had even managed to get a confession out of the ruthless killer. And so, with the case closed, all there had been left was some clear up work, basically in the papery form, which mostly their boss, Senior Agent Lisbon, had to deal with. Consequently, Agents Van Pelt, Rigsby and Cho had left approximately two hours ago and only their boss and the team's consultant were still present, the former in her office, the latter napping on his beloved couch in the bullpen.

Suddenly, Jane's peaceful slumber was interrupted by someone nudging the sofa not too gently. He opened his eyes lazily and looked straight into the eyes of his friend Lisbon – just as he had expected.

He grinned at her and sat up. "Ah, escaped those evil forms at last, before they ate you up completely?"

She sighed tiredly and nodded. "Jane, would you like to go out and have a drink? I really feel like doing something like that tonight after this god-awful week and I've finally finished all the paperwork regarding our last case. Which by the way, for once wasn't caused by you. That at least was a pleasant surprise."

"Ah yes, Lisbon, wasn't I the most well-behaved model consultant? It was depressingly boring, but..." he said cockily.

"One would think that the case was challenging enough to keep even someone with your attention span relatively occupied. It took you astonishingly long to get anywhere this time around after all..." she replied provokingly.

He took the challenge and whined, "Come on, it was a brilliant crime, quite elaborate, carried out ingeniously, if one might allow oneself to admire something as heinous as murder. But of course, he couldn't have possibly deceived a man of my talents for too long. Sorry it took me a whole week this time, but naturally that was caused only by your team's inconclusive research work. Even a genius like me needs something to work with because believe it or not, I'm not really a psychic."

Lisbon smiled benevolently after one of her famous eye-rolls, "You don't say... At least, it's always good to know that your ego is intact, even if it just made it really hard to breathe in this room. It has taken up almost all of the available space in here… Anyway, what about that drink?"

Jane grinned at her little slight. He always enjoyed it when she came up with a good comeback. Then he considered her question. "Well, I would really like to go out with you but as it happens I've already got a prior engagement."

He paused contemplatively before he continued, "But,come to think of it, you could actually accompany me if you want. I'm meeting some old friends from, you know, before. From the time when I was still a carnie."

He looked slightly uncomfortable. "I've just gotten in contact again with my best friend from my teenage days. Andy's moved to Roseville with his wife and he's celebrating his birthday in a bar here in Sacramento. It's very informal, just a few friends gathering. It wouldn't be a problem for you to join us."

As an afterthought he added with a grin, "On the contrary, Andy would probably be delighted to finally put a face to that Lisbon-person, I'm always complaining about on the phone."

"I have no idea what YOU could possibly have to complain about," she mock-scolded him.

Afterwards, she mused a moment about his suggestion to join him. "Well, I don't know... Do you really think I'd be welcome? I don't want to intrude." But then her expressioned lightened. "Though I have to admit I'm rather curious. My last contact with your carnie people was quite enlightening."

Jane was happy she actually considered to come along. He really wanted her to become a bigger part of his life, even though he was afraid it would make her a larger target for Red John. Ever since Lisbon had invited him to more or less move into her spare bedroom two weeks ago they had automatically gotten closer personally as well. He didn't always sleep at her place, still preferring to spend some of his nights secluded in the attic at the CBI-HQ. But most days they left work together. Often, he would cook dinner for them and she would keep him company, watch and talk with him. They were still maintaining a certain distance, the topics of their conversations were mostly case-related. But sharing close quarters inevitably led to some rather intimate moments - such as meeting each other early in the morning with bed heads and in their pjs.

On a few occasions they'd shared late night talks, mostly after she had woken him from a nightmare, when he had woken her with his screams. Sometimes the content had left him unsettled enough to divulge some of it to her. As a result she had disclosed some personal information as well, mainly about her brothers and their families.

He hadn't told her about Andy before, his recently reawakened friendship being a touchy subject still. But now after he had met Andy and his wife a few times he felt more comfortable with the situation. He was actually looking forward to introducing his friends to each other. His old pal had asked him to do so several times. He had heard quite a bit about Lisbon because she seemed to magically pop up in their conversations on a rather regular basis. Andy had commented on that in fact and Jane had realized once more just how important the woman was to him.

Inviting her to meet friends from his past was a very big step, but he had full confidence that Andy would not divulge anything too embarrassing or sensitive. On the bright side, it would show Lisbon that he trusted her with parts of his life nearly nobody knew anything about. And he was delighted she actually seemed to want to meet his old friends. So he replied happily,"You better don't expect another elephant. Andy's left that life behind as well, only more recently. He's trading records, the old vinyl-things you know, even shellac. They're coming back into fashion or so he claims."

Jane looked a bit skeptical at that but conceded, "He's one hell of a salesman, so it wouldn't surprise me if he succeeded to revive them single-handedly. He has a great sense of humo, and he's a really fun guy to be around. Always the entertainer..."

He grinned, recalling fond memories. "And he meets the oddest people on the job – the stories he can tell, unbelievable."

With a chuckle he added, "Well, I guess quite a few of them you actually shouldn't believe. Always take what he says with a grain of salt, and you'll be fine. We had some great times together in our youth. Unfortunately not on so many occasions. We weren't traveling with the same circuit – but our paths did cross for some weeks, maybe four or five times a year. His parents own a shooting gallery."

If Lisbon was honest she was quite surprised about the invitation. He almost never spoke about anything concerning his childhood or his marriage. All she knew were little snatches – mostly from the time Jane had risked his neck to save his brother-in-law. Until that day she hadn't even known there was any kind of family left in his life. Meeting Pete had been enlightening as well, but she had gotten the impression that those carnie folks were a rather tight-knit bunch. The man had hardly disclosed anything personal about her friend. What she knew had at least convinced her that Jane had had a very complicated and tense relationship with his father, though they must have been close in a way because she'd never heard anything about a mother.

On the other hand she was tight-lipped about her past and private life as well, so she couldn't really blame him for his secretiveness. Now he was opening up a bit and she was delighted about it. So she accepted his offer gladly. "Okay, you have convinced me. It sounds quite interesting in fact. Maybe it's exactly what I need tonight. And I might even learn something embarrassing about you, something I can use as blackmail material. Now that would be a real bonus."

"Hah, in your dreams, Lisbon. My friend is loyal. He wouldn't show me up in front of my colleague," he answered with honest conviction.

"In front of your boss you mean, right?" she teased him.

"No, absolutely not. I do have a certain grasp of my vocabulary. I usually mean exactly what I say... And please, Lisbon, don't try to fool yourself into delusions of grandeur," he mocked her snootily.

She bantered right back, sporting a crooked grin, "Technically, I am your boss... but let's not fight about it. I'm perfectly willing to just let you believe that you're my peer when in reality we both know that you're in fact not. But as long as it keeps you happy..."

He shot her an arrogant look. "I resent that, Lisbon. But I'm in a magnanimous mood, so I'll let it slip for once."

He got up from the couch. "Let's get a move. I'm supposed to be at The Fir Tree in 20 minutes. You want to hitch a ride or do you prefer to take your own car? I'll probably only have a couple of beers anyway so I can be our driver tonight if you like," he offered.

She looked a bit skeptical at the suggestion. "Let you drive me?! I don't know, Jane... I've already had quite enough thrill as it is this week, thank you very much."

This of course was one of their favorite topics to fight about but he decided to play nice and reassure her, "I'll behave, I promise. I did behave all week after all. Wouldn't want to jeopardize all the good work now. Come on, Lisbon, don't be a coward. You won't regret it."

Her trust in his driving wasn't that big though. "That sounds ominously like some famous last words, but okay. I'll give you a chance. Don't spoil it or I'll punch your nose."

He grinned at her threat – one that was uttered on a regular basis. But as of yet she'd only ever acted on it once, and he had to admit (only to him self of course) that he'd really deserved it at the time. Making her believe she was about to die and watching while she took her last farewells had maybe been a bit mean. But on the other hand, it wasn't his fault she was such a terrible liar or he might have considered to let her in on his grand plan… or maybe not… because honestly, where would've been the fun in that?

TBC