A/N: I work retail full time so mid-November to mid-January is a bad writing time for me under the best of circumstances because I'm exhausted and have no free time. Add some emotional family drama involving my ex-husband over the holidays and my muse decided to pack her bait bucket and go! Since I'm still part of his family although he and I aren't close, I got swept up in the mess, too. Considering I'm just getting back into writing after a year and a half of an AWOL muse - I can only apologize for not posting. Nothing is abandoned - I'm working on new chapters for the stories so recently started/resurrected right now. Unfortunately, my muse isn't back full force so I'm coaxing her out by going with whatever she feels like writing until I get back into the flow of things. This story, like Insanitiy, is free flow nonsense my muse feels compelled to write and may end up getting finished before I turn back to the other stories as promised. Extended periods of not being able to write is nothing new for me. It happens every few years. I always bounce back. It's all part of a very natural, familiar cycle with me. Thanks for your patience and not giving up on me. ~Calla
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Glancing at the figure lying so still in a hospital bed from the open doorway, the thought flickered through Jane's mind she could be lying somewhere else equally still for a very different reason. Shaking that image from his mind, he refused to go where he'd already been. Fortunately, he didn't have to. Lisbon was found alive and well in the end. Or, more accurately, she'd been released alive and mostly well discounting any emotional traumas.
Why that was so, Jane didn't know and wasn't sure he wanted to find out.
But, reservations aside, he wasn't kicking a gift horse in the mouth. Not this time around. He knew better. He'd accept the unexpected benevolence at face value knowing the other shoe would drop somewhere down the line. It had to or their nemesis wouldn't be a twisted serial killer and a nasty little man. No matter. He'd be ready for the next twist RJ wanted to deliver when he was ready to deliver it.
They all would.
He'd see to that or his name wasn't Patrick Jane.
"Hey." A quiet voice penetrated his thoughts. "You coming in or staying out?"
"What do you think?" Jane walked over to sit on the side of the bed resisting the urge to tuck a messy lock behind her ear. "I don't know if you've heard yet; but, they're springing you in the morning."
"I heard." Lisbon fidgeted with the monitor attached to her finger tip. "You picking me up?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Jane informed her. "In fact, I'll probably be here long before the final papers are signed."
"I don't know why they're keeping me in the first place." Lisbon groused staring malevolently at the nurse's station. "It's not like I'm hurt."
"Not physically." Jane agreed. "But you were pretty shaken up."
Enough so that while there hadn't been any notable outward signs of what she'd been through except for overall apathetic grogginess; there'd been enough subtle physiological signs the ever illusive "they" decided to keep her for observation against her will. Personally, Jane didn't think that was a bad idea. Sat least she'd get some much needed sleep. As much as one could get in a hospital bed and probably more than she'd gotten lately given their recent cases.
"I guess." Lisbon agreed. "Finding Partridge wasn't pleasant; but, it's nothing I haven't seen too many time to recall."
Jane nodded agreeing with her.
However, seeing her with a bloody Smiley painted on her face was something he hadn't seen and never want to see again.
"That's not what I'm talking about." Jane stated quietly recalling how he'd felt wiping Partridge's blood from her face. "You came much too close to dying and we both know it."
He didn't need to remind Lisbon it could have just as easily been her body they'd found instead of the Forensic Ghoul's. Or in addition to. It wouldn't have been R.J.'s first double kill if they had. Not by a long shot. Nor would it have been unexpected.
The exact opposite in fact.
While finding her lying on a gurney hadn't surprised him, finding her alive had.
Everyone knew Lisbon was near the top of Red John's hit list in case she needed a stronger reminder than the one she'd been given.
"Yeah, well, I didn't." Lisbon spoke defiantly. "That's got to count for something."
"It does." Jane said quietly. "It counts for the fact Red John's changed the game plan yet again."
"Maybe it does." Lisbon agreed. "Or maybe he just changed a move and the game's the same."
"Maybe." While he didn't necessarily agree with her, Jane was reserving judgement until he knew more. "We don't have to figure it out right now." They couldn't without more information than they currently had. "He's not going to do anything for a while so you might as well get some rest while you can. I'm going to stay here until you fall asleep then I'll let myself out. You can give me a call in the morning after your release papers are signed. I should be here about the time you're ready to go."
Actually, he wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't letting Lisbon out of his sight now that her various visitors had left for the night. The idea of leaving her alone and vulnerable didn't feel right. Besides, he could doze just fine sitting upright. It wasn't like he slept much anyways and he certainly wasn't sleeping now. It would be just like Red John to strike when they thought the coast was clear. It also wasn't like the officer posted outside her door was worth the number imprinted on his badge since they were clueless who was friend or foe.
"Sounds like a plan." Considering she could barely keep her eyes open, that last pill must have been something to make her sleep…She thought she'd recognized the name printed on it. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, you will." Jane took that moment to drop a kiss on her forehead confident she wouldn't remember the gesture in the morning and knowing it wouldn't matter if she did. "I'm not going anywhere."
Cutting his eyes to the bed, Jane was pleased to see Lisbon happily drooling in her pillow oblivious he'd said or done a thing.
Watching Jane easily maneuver into a guest parking place, Lisbon released her seat belt and opened her door. She wasn't in any mood to talk. Now that her mind was clear and drug free, she knew what she'd done was stupid and she'd paid for it. Maybe not the ultimate price. But, one memorable enough the experience would stay with her for the rest of her life.
However, Partridge had willingly paid the other and proven himself the creepy Necro-Ghoul Jane always claimed he was.
"You staying?" She didn't need the confirming nod to know her suspicions were true. "Fine. Make yourself at home. I'm going upstairs for a while."
She'd spent longer in the hospital than she'd expected, try most of the day, and she wasn't happy about it. It hadn't helped she'd opened her eyes to discover Jane hadn't left her side contrary to his promise. While grateful he'd kept vigil, the man looked like holy hell in a way she hadn't seen in a while and didn't want to see again.
Bad enough she'd felt guilty all over again.
"Go ahead." Jane opened his car door. "I'll bring everything in and get settled."
Lisbon's nod said, "You do that." as she rolled to her feet and headed for her apartment intent on getting reacquainted with her space. She hadn't been home in several days and that was several too long. Unlocking the door and leaving it wide, she went inside knowing her shadow was close on her heels. Doing a quick walk through gun in hand, she determined everything was as it should be and there were no knife wielding fiends hiding in her closets. Heading for the stairs, she heard the click of the lock as she turned the corner. Jane would do whatever he did. Probably take a much needed nap on her couch. She couldn't care less.
Right now, the only thing on her mind was a long, hot bath and a fresh change of clothes.
Hopefully, a long soak in fragrant bubbles would dispel the coppery scent of blood lingering in her nostrils. A stench more psychosomatic than real but no less unpleasant than it had been when she'd stared into Partridge's death glazed eyes and listened to that final "Tyger, Tyger" whispered in the night. While she'd shared Jane's distaste for the Forensics Investigator, she could have done without his expiring on her watch. What was it with the Red John freaks? The way they went so willingly to the slaughter made her skin feel like it was literally crawling from her body.
Turning the water on full blast, Lisbon poured a generous cap of bubble bath under the tap before tossing her clothes in the trash. Blood stained or not, she wouldn't be wearing any of those again. Walking into her bedroom, she grabbed her nightshirt from the drawer before returning to the bathroom to peel off her undergarments and slide beneath the beckoning bubbles.
What with Partridge being killed with a linoleum knife, her getting captured by Red John, a short hospital stay, and that whole fake murder-turned-suicide case, neither of them had had time to cuss a cat in a shoe box much less anything else.
Certainly nothing pleasant or relaxing.
Hearing scrabbling next door, Lisbon ignored the fact Jane was overstepping the bounds yet again. Give the man an inch and he'd take a few miles. But, she wasn't going to call him on it. She didn't have the desire or energy to fight over anything so trivial. So what if he wanted to camp out in her guest room instead of on the couch as he'd always done? It was clear he expected a nightmare or two. He might be right. He'd already been through what she'd just gone through.
Maybe he knew something she didn't.
She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that: but, she wasn't going there. Right now, she was going to close her eyes and marinate until Jane disturbed her sanctuary making sure she hadn't accidentally drowned herself. As if.
Sometimes Jane could be such a fool…Like right about now….
Opening her eyes, Lisbon knew she hadn't spaced but a quarter hour or so and Jane was already banging on her door. On second thought, from his tone and the temperature of the water, she'd been soaking significantly longer. Knowing Jane, Lisbon made sure she was adequately covered in a layer of bubbles before answering him fully expecting the door to open the sliver it actually did.
The man wouldn't be happy until he saw she was fine and dandy with his two beady little eyes…Not literally beady…Jane's eyes were quite nice…More than nice actually…Mesmerizing…Lisbon giggled to herself over that one before deciding getting kidnapped by Red John had driven her slightly insane…And Jane's crawling all over her last nerve with his overprotectiveness wasn't helping her equalize.
In fact, his attentiveness was doing more towards keeping her off-kilter than anything else.
"Do you mind?" Lisbon resisted the urge to toss her sopping wash cloth at the door. "I'll be down in a minute."
"Take your time." Jane's voice was muffled through the door. "We're having soup and sandwiches."
"What kind?" It so better be Tomato with a side of grilled ham and cheese on that really good homemade Jalapeño bread from the Deli. "Hey, Jane, what kind of soup and sandwiches?"
"The kind that comes from Fredo's down the street." Jane smirked at the sound of water sloshing and tried not to imagine Lisbon rising naked from her puddle of bubbles like Aphrodite from the sea. "I'm making the grilled cheese now."
Walking down the stairs, Jane shook his head marveling at how easy Lisbon was to bait. All he had to do was promise her a full tummy and she fell into line without a fight. Tossing some butter into the frying pan to melt, he quickly assembled the ham and cheese sandwiches the woman loved so well. He didn't have to worry with the Tomato Basil soup. He'd bought that piping hot from Alfredo as well.
Dropping two sandwiches in the bubbling frying pan, he knew it was only a matter of time before Lisbon appeared. He'd already heard the tub drain and knew she had to be dressed. Probably in a tee and yoga pants. While not cool enough to turn on the heat, it was a little nippy to be running around in the tank and shorts she seemed to favor lately. Hearing bare feet on the stairs, Jane smirked at the thought that while anticipating an evening in his presence hadn't done the trick, the scent of melting cheese wafting up the stairs had brought her running. Who'd have thought it? A man of his caliber taking second place to a slab of cheese.
At least it was real deal, not the processed junk, so that counted for something.
"Want me to ladle the soup?" Lisbon removed two bowls from the cabinet even as she spoke.
"Go for it." Jane placed the sandwiches on two plates and cut them in half. "Alfredo sent the parmesan and croutons in those two little cups." He watched Lisbon open the small Styrofoam containers and doctor their soup with practiced ease. "I'd say we're ready. What do you say to grabbing whatever you want to drink and taking this out to the couch? We can throw in one of those movies you deny owning and I'll deny watching and forget the last few days for a few hours."
"Sounds like a plan." Lisbon grabbed a soda before ambling into the den to select a mindless Chick Flick from the shelf she'd probably seen a hundred times already before turning back towards the kitchen. "Hey, Pokey Butt, get a move on…The soup's getting cold and the show's starting…I don't even want to imagine what's happening to my sandwich."
If there was one thing getting Jane on her bad side pretty quick, congealed cheese clinging to slimy ham would do the trick.
"You didn't have to wait." Taking his seat, Jane brought his glass to his lips ignoring the questioning look she shot his way. "It's been a long few days."
"I guess it has." Lisbon agreed savoring a bite of her sandwich. "I've just never seen you drink Bourbon with dinner."
Maybe Bourbon for dinner on those bad nights that only came once a year they didn't talk about.
"There's a first time for everything." Jane set his glass on the coffee table and reached for his soup. "This is really good. What do you say to eating and watching the movie? We can talk about what happened later."
Hopefully a good while later when he wasn't quite so angry with her for taking stupid chances she shouldn't have taken.
Ignoring the slight tick in his jaw signaling Jane's displeasure, Lisbon brought a spoon of soup to her lips having already devoured half her sandwich. She hadn't realized she was so hungry until she'd gotten a whiff of melting cheese and tomato and heard her stomach rumble. It wasn't like they hadn't fed her at the hospital. They had. She just hadn't felt much like eating although the food was surprisingly good.
"We can do that." Lisbon agreed. Not that she wanted to rehash recent events. Most likely neither of them did. But, they needed to clear the air between them before moving on. She also needed to figure out how far her impulsive actions had set Jane back. "Besides, the movie's worth watching if you wanted to know."
"Yeah, right." Jane leaned in to steal a bite of her sandwich. "You're only saying that because the guy gets the girl at the end."
"Maybe." Lisbon nodded. "But it's more like the girl gets the guy; but, I don't want to give it away."
"You can't." Jane nodded in the direction of the screen. "All those things follow the same formula. They just alter the characters slightly and scramble the order of events."
"If it works, don't change it." Lisbon settled back in her corner of the couch ignoring the mocking crinkle to Jane's eyes. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yeah, Teresa, I would." Jane settled back to nurse his Bourbon and watch the screen knowing Lisbon was talking about more than silly girly movies. "One or the other of us is always going to do something foolish; but, I wouldn't change a thing."
"Neither would I." Lisbon agreed turning her attention back to the move.
They might as well feel that way.
The only thing either of them would really change was far beyond their control.