Gold Shining Carrousel   von Schneeblume
                                (Jane x Lisbon)
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                       Kapitel 1: Gold Shining Carrousel
                       ---------------------------------


Some things were still   the same, Jane noticed with a large portion of relief
as he glanced at   Lisbon, who was sitting on the passenger seat, snuggled into
her navy   blue coat. She still trusted him – up to a certain point for sure
–   without even batting an eye.

When he had dragged her away from   that boring FBI New Year's Eve Party, she
had barely hesitated. She had   asked him where they were going, alright, and
several times so, but she   had followed him nevertheless. Just like always,
whenever he had asked   her to. However, he was done with taking it for granted.
He wouldn't   make that mistake again.
If anything, it was time to honor her, to follow her wishes.
To make her happy.

He   had caused her so much pain over the years and he would to anything to  
make it up to her, starting right now. New Year was hardly an hour away,   but
he didn't need an occasion to make these resolutions. It just came   in handy.
"Here we are," he said, putting on his own black coat   against the cool air,
after they finally reached their destination; a   little valley far away from
any semblance of civilization. Although it   wasn't as deserted as one might
have guessed. In fact, it was brightly   illuminated by blinking letters, lights
and displays. The county fair   was still painted in all its glory, even though
it was already closed   for the day; and despite the current lack of visitors,
the fairground   was still buzzing with life and music as the carnies sat
together in   small groups, chatting, drinking and even singing with other.

"What   are we doing here?" Lisbon asked in wonder while they were passing the  
first booths. There was no doubt that she had already recognized the   people,
who eyed them briefly but otherwise kept ignoring the newcomers.
"Just   wait and see, Lisbon!" Jane almost rubbed his hands in anticipation and 
 grinned when they were interrupted by Pete, before she could even open   her
mouth to protest.

Greetings and friendly hugs were exchanged   and Jane realized quite satisfied,
that Pete and Lisbon had built a   solid friendship during his absence. It was
reassuring, because even   though he didn't plan to leave his partner's side
ever again, he knew   now that Lisbon would have a friend to contact if it
happened anyway.

"So you finally are here to impress your girl, eh?" Pete teased, leading the
way, and gained a smirk from Lisbon.
"Uhm..."   For a moment or two Jane actually stumbled over his words. "Nothing
of   the sort, old friend, I just wanted to show her your new achievement you  
kept telling me about so proudly."
Pete probably saw right   through him, but he bit the bait nevertheless and
turned to Lisbon to   tell her everything about his new treasure.

Jane, who indeed knew   the story already, focused his attention on their
surroundings and   eventually on the old carrousel they were heading towards.
It was a   classic, hardly found on modern fairs anymore, with wooden horses and
  carriages on two small floors, which were connected by two filigree  
staircases. Pete and his friends had done great work of restoring the   whole
carrousel, its golden and colorful details and every single   picture on the
crown. Furthermore it was covered in hundreds of tiny   lights and therefore
glistening like a hoard of gold.

"Wow," Lisbon said as they reached it, "It's really beautiful, Pete. You have
every right to be proud."
"Thanks. She's   all yours for tonight." He grinned at her, before he turned to
Jane,   frowning. "The old lady is very sensitive. If you break her, I'll kill  
you. Are we clear?"
Jane rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Relax, old man, I got it."

Pete grunted and with another warning glance he disappeared between the booths.
"Come   on, Lisbon, you're gonna like it!" With enthusiasm Jane jumped on the  
carrousel and strolled towards its middle, searching for the switchgear   to
power it on.
Lisbon looked around, but the few people who were nearby, didn't pay much
attention to them, so she finally followed him.
"Are you sure that you know what you're doing?" Her skepticism – mixed with
hidden excitement – was unmistakable.
"Is that a rhetorical question?" he called back, just when the carrousel started
to rotate slowly.
"No?!"

He   made no effort of hiding his amusement while he watched her strolling  
between the wooden figures. He let her walk around and gave her time to   get a
good look at all the details.
"It is really beautiful," she repeated quietly and traced the convoluted
ornaments of a carriage with her fingertips.
Even   from afar Jane could see that her mood had changed. She was one of the  
people, who got that New Year's Eve melancholy, but he could tell that   it
wasn't all about that.

Following her but still leaving her some space, he waited if she would tell him
about it – and to his great surprise she did.
"You   know, I just remembered how my mother once took me to a county fair  
with an old carrousel just like this one. My brothers and I had been   fighting
over some ridiculous banality; I don't even know what it was   anymore. But I
had been very upset, so to comfort me, my mother took me   to the fair and
coaxed me into riding the carrousel. I didn't tell her,   but I was afraid to do
it without her – she wasn't very comfortable with   rotating things – and
she sensed it somehow. Therefore, whenever I went   past her, she would wave at
me wildly and make silly faces – she didn't   even care that the people next
to her were staring as if she was crazy –   and in the end I was laughing so
hard that I almost fell from the   carrousel when it stopped. She caught and
hugged me, and after I had   calmed down, she let me ride the carrousel three
more times." Lisbon was   chuckling now, even though her eyes had gotten a bit
misty.

She looked at Jane and smiled. "I can't believe I forgot that, but it's nice to
remember."
Touched   about the shared memory, he automatically returned her smile and  
stepped closer. "The mind is a fascinating thing, Lisbon. If we try, we   can
remember much more from our past than we might imagine."

"Oh   really?" Her expression turned into a teasing one when she moved away,  
extending the distance between them. "You'd almost think that my mind is   too
full with the nonsense you've done over the years to remember   anything else."
Jane snorted as he kept following her. "Oh come on, I'm not that bad!"
"You're kidding, right?!"
"Not at all! Besides, everything I've ever done happened with my best
intentions!"
"Ha!   I beg to differ." She reached one of the staircases and climbed it to  
the second floor. "I still remember all the headaches I had because of   you!"
She was right, of course, but the seriousness had vanished from   their
conversation and had left them with some easy banter both of them   had missed
for so long.

"That was because you worry too much, despite the fact that I've always tried to
please you!"
"Now   that can't be true! According to that, you've never pulled a stunt  
simply because you knew it would annoy me, have you?" She bent over the  
railing right above him and eyed him with a mock glare, daring him to   say the
truth.
"Well..." With his voice deliberately a smidge too high, Jane tilted his head
innocently. "Maybe once or twice—"
"Ha! Don't make me laugh!"

He ignored her interjection and, while he approached the stairs, he continued,
"—But only because I knew it'd amuse you someday."
"Yeah   right!" she muttered under her breath and moved to the stairs on the  
other side. "Boy, am I glad that these times are over."
"Who says they're over?" Just when he reached the highest step, Lisbon went down
her staircase.
"Well,   technically you're not my consultant anymore," was her dry reply, but  
he noticed the wistful edge in there. "So I don't have to care about   your
stunts any longer."

It was good in many ways to be her more   or less equal partner now. Like that
it was easier for her, but he got   her melancholy about the fact that he wasn't
exclusively hers anymore.   He totally understood, because he felt the same.
So when he answered, his voice was quiet and honest for a change, "I wouldn't
mind to be yours, Lisbon."
"My   responsibility, you mean?" She glanced at him from the first floor and  
shyly bit her lip, a solid indication that she had gotten the true   meaning
behind his words.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, whatever."
Lisbon cleared her throat and carried on the teasing. "I seriously don't know if
I want that..."
"Well, I might be able to convince you..."

The bantering and bickering went on for a bit, while they continued their little
dance on the carrousel.
It was only when midnight merely was minutes away that Lisbon finally let him
catch up.
She   had climbed on one of the wooden horses, in a lady's style, and he  
couldn't help but smile at the sight. Of course she wouldn't choose a  
carriage. As the confident and strong woman she was, she would surely   take the
proverbial reins in her own hands.

With a chuckle on his   lips he stopped in front of her, bracing himself with
one hand on the   horse's croup and the other one on its crest; and he didn't
care at all   that he was practically framing her. In fact, he was standing so
close,   that she unconsciously opened her legs a bit to give him more room.  
Using the chance, he moved even closer, while his grin grew   proportionally
wider.
There was a light blush on her cheeks when she stared at him quizzically.
"What?" she demanded to know. It was obvious that she didn't know what to make
of this, although she didn't seem to mind at all.

"Nothing," was his innocent reply, which earned him a snort, while his eyes were
never leaving her.
Jane   simply couldn't help it. Finally having her within reach, he had no  
intention of letting her go anytime soon. The need to look at her, to   memorize
her, to touch her and breathe her in intensified immensely, now   that she was
within his direct proximity.
Even though they were   separated by many layers of fabric, he was able to feel
the warmth of   her body and it sent a jolt of bliss through his own. He barely
realized   how his breath became fitful as his gaze caressed her features. The  
cold wind was playfully tugging at her chocolate brown hair, the soft   waves
shining in the golden lights of the carrousel.
He had always thought that gold was the perfect color to bath her in.
It   also made her gorgeous, deep green eyes sparkle in the most beautiful  
way, leaving him incapable of looking away. Then there was that cute   little
nose, covered in pale freckles, which were inviting him to count   them by
plenty of tiny kisses.

Talking about parts of her he'd like to kiss, he once had stated the rule not to
forget to mention her dimples. Never forget those charming dimples!
Her lips, however, were what he desired to kiss most of all. Oh, those lips!
Beautifully   shaped, glistening in an enticing pure red and currently curled
into a   soft smile. Damn, there was no doubt about how silky and smooth they  
would feel beneath his own!

Jane almost moaned as his need for his partner washed through his veins and
weakened his knees.
"Lisbon..."   His voice broke and her eyes widened slightly with surprise –
whether   it was because of his sudden sincerity or because he had tenderly
placed   one of his palms on her cheek, he didn't know. It wasn't important  
anyway. What mattered was that she didn't flinch away; in fact, she even  
leaned into the contact and sighed in bliss.
Biting his lower   lip, Jane closed the distance between them and let their
foreheads meet   in a gentle touch. His skin tingled wherever it came into
contact with   hers, and their breaths mixed together, while the air around them
became   heated in a both literal and figurative way.
"Jane..." Lisbon whispered breathlessly and her hand shivered slightly as she
put it above his.
"Hmm?" he hummed near her lips, enjoying that he was able to both taste and feel
her gasp.
"It's almost midnight."

It   took him a few seconds to come to his senses. "Right!" Reluctantly he  
retreated – not too far of course, since he wasn't ready to let her go   just
yet.
"Come on," he said and offered her his hand. She took it   without hesitation
and allowed him to help her from the horse and turn   her around so that she was
facing their well-lit surroundings.
"What now?"
"Patience,   my dear!" He smirked as he positioned himself behind her. While he 
 grabbed one of the poles to steady them, he was happy to notice that she  
hadn't let go of his other hand. For a moment or two he pondered over   his own
courage, before he finally dared to lay their arms around her   waist and place
their entwined fingers on her belly.
He felt her   froze and held his breath, but after a few seconds she relaxed and
sunk   against him. Jane knew he started to grin like an idiot at that very  
moment, and while the butterflies went wild in his stomach, he tightened   his
embrace, fondly pulling her back against his front.

It wasn't   long after, that the carnies around them started the countdown from
ten   to zero – and just when the old year became the new one, the lights  
around them went off all at once.
"What the...?!" Jane heard Lisbon inhale sharply in surprise and he soothingly
hugged her closer.
"Relax...Everything's   alright," he promised, giving their eyes time to adjust
to the   darkness, before he nudged her head with his. "Now look!"

He knew   exactly when she followed his look and finally realized what he wanted
  to show her. The breath got caught in her throat and she stammered   weakly,
"Oh my God, Jane...That's..."
She gasped for air while she   was drinking in the sight of millions of stars
shining right above   them. Without the blinding lights of big cities or the
carnival blurring   the view and without a single cloud on the dark sky, the
stars were as   bright and clearly visible as if being looked for through a
telescope.

"I've   never seen so many stars before!" Lisbon sighed in wonder, her eyes  
glowing with excitement when she stretched out her hand. "They seem so  
unbelievable close; it's as if I could touch them...!"
Jane, who   held her safely against him to keep her from falling from the
slowing   carrousel, smiled softly and preferred to watch her instead of the  
breathtaking sky above their heads. Not even millions of stars, he had   merely
glanced at, were any serious competition to his enchanting   Lisbon.

"Do you like it?" he whispered into her ear and was   rewarded with a slight
shiver taking over the delicate body in his   embrace. "I know it's not exactly
a firework in the classical sense..."
Lisbon   laughed softly and snuggled a bit more into him. "Actually it's kind of
  the most classical sense of the word ever...And I love it. It's really  
wonderful, Jane."

While Lisbon was still amazed by the various   shades of light dancing beneath
their pitch-dark cover, she and her   partner were listening to the gleeful
exchange of New Year's wishes   around them.
"Thanks for sharing this with me, Jane," Lisbon said,   her voice low and warm,
and Jane was glad to notice that her melancholy   was gone. He pressed a kiss on
top of her head and answered, "Anytime!   Happy New Year, Teresa."
He practically felt the heat of her blush and hid his smile in her hair.
"Happy New Year, Jane."

Happy   indeed, Jane thought over the bubbling happiness in his chest as Lisbon 
 placed her second hand on their entwined fingers at her stomach.
They kept standing like this for a while, enjoying their closeness and the never
ending fireworks in the sky. It was only when Lisbon shivered in his arms that
Jane broke the silence.

"Feeling   cold, California Girl?" he teased, and when she growled in agreement,
  he added mischievously, "I could offer you a place in my coat, you know.   I
don't mind to share."
Lisbon snorted. "I may take you up on that."
"Please! If you dare..."

Without   doubt they were equally surprised when she suddenly let go of his hand
  and turned in his embrace to face him with a glare.
"Well, here I   am!" Lisbon raised her chin in challenge, but the gesture was
followed   by the quick reddening of her cheeks as she realized that she had
acted   before thinking. Yet she was way too proud to back down.
For a   moment Jane was too amazed to react, but then he came back to his  
roguish self and undid his coat without missing a beat. Grinning like   the
devil he left her no time to think and pulled her back to him.

An   indefinable sound escaped her throat when she bumped into him, bracing  
herself with her hands flat against his chest. She stood there stiffly,  
slightly unsure about the situation, until she finally relaxed and leant   into
warming measure with a content sigh, "Aah, that's nice. Better."
"Oh   yeah?" he grunted and tightened the coat around her as far as possible  
to keep out the sudden cold she had brought with her. She hummed her  
confirmation and when she wrapped one arm around his torso, Jane decided   that
it was totally worth it.

Pleased with the world and himself, he nuzzled the soft waves of her hair, when
she suddenly raised her head to watch him.
He   returned the look and smiled lovingly at her, enjoying it immensely   that,
after she lost an obvious battle against it, her own lips flicked   into the
same gesture. The moment was truly perfect and he was sick of   containing
himself, so he simply gave in to the urge and placed a sweet   kiss onto the top
of her nose.

Her eyes fluttered shut and he felt   her gripping his shirt above his heart.
When Lisbon also, probably   unconsciously, tilted her head towards him, he
didn't need any more   encouragement. Another peck on her nose was followed by a
long-desired   kiss on her magnificently velvet lips. And once tasted, he found
himself   unable to let them go. With his heart bursting with pure delight he  
joined their mouths together for good, kissing her as if there were no  
tomorrow.

He just couldn't stop. Her lips were even softer than he   had ever imagined
them to be, and she tasted as sweet as the sweetest   forbidden fruit in heaven.
Also the feeling of holding her in his arms   and the knowledge, that he was
actually doing what he had desired to do   for years, were setting his nerves
and all the fibers of both his body   and soul on fire.
Soon she was panting into his mouth as he   explored hers with his tongue, while
he started to feel dizzy himself,   becoming all fuzzy through her closeness and
the lack of oxygen.

The   sensation was overwhelming and in an exciting way unbearable. It was  
probably for their own good when Jane eventually broke the kiss to gasp   for
air.
"Jesus...that was supposed to be an innocent and sweet   first kiss!" he moaned
hoarsely against the corner of her mouth. When he   felt her smiling, he
couldn't help placing another peck right there.
"I   guess I'm just too irresistible..." Her voice merely was an amused and  
breathless murmur while she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

"That   you are indeed, my love, that you are!" He just sounded so sincere –  
and he did mean that from the bottom of his heart – that it caused   another
rush of heat on her cheeks.
They lapsed into silence,   since Lisbon was flattered enough and Jane pleased
to have said what   needed to be said. It gave both of them time to take a deep
breath and   realize what just happened between them. They had been longing to
be   close, to actually be together for such an extensive period of time that  
it appeared to be a dream, clinging to each other in a tight hug,   frozen for
now, like the old carrousel they were standing on, and   reveling in the bright
panoply of the stars.

"Would you like a cup   of hot chocolate on our way home?" Jane asked after
awhile, being   intent on keeping her near him as long as he could and finally
letting   her know, how much she really meant to him.
Lisbon nodded in agreement and contently sighed a "Sure..." against his neck.
And all he could think about was how hot chocolate would taste if it was nipped
from her precious lips...

Oh, what a sweet way to begin a year.


The End

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