Situational Reliance

A/N

I know what you're thinking. She's giving up on Brief Glimpse. Nope. Am Not. This was a plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone today as I house cleaned (House isn't clean-dang bunny) so, I couldn't resist it. It came from reading the CBS fourm where someone asked the question about when the team wouldn't rely on Jane. Well, well…the back of my mind went to work and here you go. Reviews begged for.

The dedication here is my dear friend Ratboy who probably won't see this, he's wanting me to work on my novel. I want to as well, but this is writing to get me writing, got it?

CBS owns the rights, I'm just defending them online…

Chapter 1

The first thing Patrick Jane knew was that he wasn't at home. Home was where he had gone to bed, hoping to chase the demons that haunted his sleep for just a few moments when he barely remembered them. They were in ski masks, had guns, and he couldn't move when they entered his room. It seemed so much like a dream he thought he was in one and tried to move. He got up, put his hand on the alarm clock and went to hit one of them with it. He made contact, but was overpowered quickly. There were two of them. The one who he hit with the clock yelped when it hit him, but Jane was not able to fight them both. They took him from his bedroom, he could remember that. The pain of an injection followed soon after and that's when he remembered going back to sleep again. It was no nightmare. He had been taken.

The problem he now had was not being able to focus clearly. His clear mindedness, his stock in trade, was out of commission. He could not think straight to save his life. His life might just depend on it, he thought as he went back into the darkness he came from. The light was bright, he was moving in a car and it felt like morning. It hurt too much to think.

Agent Teresa Lisbon sat staring at the door. Her agents, Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt stared at her, not used to seeing their boss this agitated. Something was wrong. Lisbon knew this and the actions of her team were getting to her. Jane was never late, in fact he was always early. She had set an appointment up with him to meet to go over past paperwork in a review and she was concerned. He wasn't here.

"You guys see Jane anywhere?" she asked slowly, watching the door again.

She wished that he would appear suddenly, slight smile on his face and mug of tea in hand. That was what she wished, but something wasn't right. She could feel it.

"Um, no," Cho said, glancing at Rigsby at the same time, "You call him in?"

"Yeah, we had paperwork to go over and he's not answering his phone," she continued, "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"When did you call him?" Van Pelt asked, looking up from her work, "You know he doesn't do morning well."

"I know that," Lisbon turned to face Van Pelt, "But I called him last night to confirm for today and he didn't answer. This isn't like him."

"Agreed," Rigsby interrupted, "You want me to check on him boss?"

Cho didn't wait for Lisbon's answer as he got up and grabbed his jacket and car keys. He had the same dark feeling. Something wasn't right here. Screw the rules, he was going to check it out.

___________________________

Upon reaching Jane's house, Van Pelt, Rigsby, Cho and Lisbon knew that their own gut instincts were right on the money. His front door hung open. It looked like it had been kicked in. Lisbon stared at the scene, pulling her gun as she heard the rest of her team do the same. She also pulled out her cell phone. The local authorites would be a good backup to whatever they found and she motioned for Cho and Rigsby to go into the house. She would follow. From the look on Cho's face she knew that he would not have stayed there to wait anyway. Rigsby wasn't far behind.

The only time the two stopped moving was to pull gloves on as they entered Jane's house. An open door was never a good sign. Walking into his house though was something they weren't expecting. He was always a mystery to them and they really didn't know what to expect in his house.

The house was primarily barren of life. There were no pictures on the walls and very little furniture.

"Does he live here?" Cho asked, walking through the house, gun drawn, "It seems nearly vacant."

Lisbon and Van Pelt followed them in. In the morning sunlight, the house looked like it had been moved out of. You could see the outlines of pictures on the wall, marks in the carpet that looked like a piano had once been there and marks on the floor that only a tricycle could make. It looked like life had been there.

"Jane?" Rigsby called out.

"Okay, Cho, you and Rigsby check upstairs," Lisbon commanded, "There's a chance he's up there. Van Pelt, please wait outside for the local PD. When they show, tell them we're conducting a search of the house, we believe there to be foul play."

Van Pelt nodded. She was terrified of what they might find upstairs. She really liked Jane, the thought of him being harmed worried her more than she liked to believe. She could see the same feeling in Lisbon's eyes, but her boss hid it a little better.

"Grace, he's okay, he has to be," Lisbon said to her, "Go, I'll check down here and yell if I need you."

Van Pelt left as Cho and Rigsby slowly headed upstairs, guns drawn. They checked every room that lead to the master bedroom slowly, checking every possible angle. It was quiet and like downstairs, devoid of life.

For Rigsby it was hard to fathom living like this. Jane had never revealed much of himself to the rest of the group. They all knew the tragedy, they never really brought it up unless circumstances did.

Cho reached the bedroom door first, slowly opening it to reveal a Red John "Happy Face" blood painting on the wall. He visibly paled.

'No', his inner voice screamed, 'Not him too'

"Rigsby," he said, his voice steady, "Get in here now."

"Now?" Wayne crossed behind him and saw the symbol, "What the hell?"

Cho took a deep breath and headed further into the room. The room shared the lack of decoration of the rest of the house, minus a twin mattress that had been thrown across the room. The alarm clock which he could only assume was Jane's was on it's side under the happy face portrait.

"Do you think?" Rigsby started to ask.

"It's not fresh," Cho answered before he could finish, "All of the Red John sites have had a fresh painting and a body. He's not here."

Lisbon joined them upstairs, looking at Cho and not the wall.

"Downstairs is clear," she said stopping in mid-sentence as she saw the portrait, "Is that fresh?'

Rigsby touched it. It was dried blood, but still had a sense of eeriness to it.

"No," he breathed, "It's not. That means that…"

"He's left it on the wall for five years," Lisbon said, looking away.

Cho was quiet. He knelt down to examine the mattress.

"He slept here," Cho started, "It's obvious."

Rigsby started to look around. While the mattress was thrown, the alarm clock was working, yet it looked like it was shoved against the wall. There was a blood smear on the floor near it.

"This blood's fresh," Rigsby said, "Looks like he tried to fight off what was happening."

Lisbon stopped. This was definitely a kidnapping. Taking a deep breath, she tried to find the professionalism she knew she was going to have to call on. Jane was her consultant, he had become a friend over the past few months, and the thought of him harmed was getting to her. The sound of sirens brought her back to reality.

"Guys, this is a kidnapping case as of now," she commanded, "Gather everything you can and we'll find him. Got it?"

Cho and Rigsby started to take notes and walk the scene. They didn't speak unless necessary and lost the usual banter. This was not the time or the place for it. They had to find Jane. That was the job now.

Lisbon joined them in the silence, bagging the alarm clock. It was time to figure out where he was and hopefully save his life.