Lisbon tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her pale ear, only for it to fall back in front of her eyes seconds later. Huffing exasperatedly, she stretched her arms out in front of her, pushing her paperwork across the desk haphazardly so she could lay her head down for just a moment.
When she pulled herself back up, the clock showed it had gone eleven. The entire building felt strangely hollow and not a single sound could be heard from the normally lively bullpen, which Lisbon found surprisingly peaceful. All too aware that she was in no fit state to get behind the wheel, she dropped heavily into the sofa slotted into the corner of the room, her body deadweight. Within seconds she was asleep again, entirely unaware of the silhouette softly approaching as she slipped into another vivid dream.
Jane heard the cries before he registered what is happening, but he was by Lisbon's' side in an instant. He sat close to her, caressing her face gently and brushing her matted hair out of her flushed face. Unaware of what was troubling her he drew her into him, whispering tender reassurances the whole time.
'No!' She yelled suddenly, thrashing and pushing out against him, her eyes still closed. He contemplated how she hadn't woken herself up with all the noise she was making and reached out to her shoulders to do just that when she screamed a blood curdling, high-pitched scream, the sound of which pierced him to his very core.
After what seemed like an eternity the noise finally relented and Lisbon's shriek was reduced to mere sobs. Her chest heaved inside her regulation shirt and her voice caught as she mumbled his name into the solid arm of the furniture.
Instantly he froze. Jane searched his mind for his latest misdemeanour, but came up with nothing, at least nothing worthy of a reaction this extreme. Terrified of her reaction to the real Jane after her horror towards her reaction to his imaginary counterpart, he shook her firmly, sincerely hoping he wouldn't have to do so more than once.
Real tears glossed her ruddy cheeks and sweat formed in beads across her furrowed brow. Her eyes widened in shock as she registered his presence but immediately she realised she was safe as he held her head close to his chest, running his free hand soothingly down her back in a rhythmic motion.
Eventually silence was restored in the State Agent's office and nothing was said between Lisbon and the consultant, both too afraid of what the exchange of words might uncover. When she finally realised that she was unable to relax, Lisbon made her excuses, heading towards the shower. Jane took this opportunity to make himself scarce, bitter with the knowledge that despite their camaraderie and playful familiarity built up over years of interaction, on some subconscious level, he repulsed her.
The knowledge alone was enough to break his heart.
After a dreadful weekend spent longing to see her again and at the same time resenting the encounter, Jane returned to Lisbon's office with a sense of pained determination. Neither of them would like what had to be done, but he needed to know what had happened between them, where it had gone so wrong.
He knew that she wouldn't make it easy, that much had been made apparent by her refusal to answer his calls the previous night. He had hoped that this could be resolved before that had to work together, though seemingly Lisbon didn't feel the same. As he thudded on her door loudly, knowing she was inside, he was distracted almost immediately by Van Pelt who had the circs for their newest case. Admitting temporary defeat, he ambled behind her into the bullpen, running a hand lazily through his tousled curls as he dropped into the only available space.
It was at this very moment that Lisbon had chosen to make her presence known and she stood gazing at him thoughtfully until Van Pelt coughed to get her attention, too polite to say anything outright. Lisbon chastised herself furiously and turned her embarrassed expression to the junior agent, immediately masking it with her professional persona. Van Pelt talked them through the case summary and looked to her supervisor for a nod of approval before directing the team on their next move. Once she had outlined her thoughts, they fell into their usual pairs and exited with an unmatched efficiently. Lisbon watched the lithe agent leave with Rigsby and bit back a chuckle as he bumped her in the doorway. The broad, dark-haired agent instantly blushed beetroot and offered a jumbled apology before almost shoving her again in his haste to leave.
Rulebook be damned, Lisbon thought cheerfully, something has got to be done about those two, and soon.
Cho had left with the CBI visitor in tow, an attachment from another department of investigation somewhere, but she couldn't recall ever reading the proper title. Making a mental note to chase that up when they got back, Lisbon fought not to roll her eyes as she indicated for Jane to partner with her. As the only two left in the room it wasn't as though they had much choice, though going it alone didn't seem too unreasonable to Libson, who would have welcome the reprieve.
Thankfully, not a word was said about their odd encounter throughout the duration of their working day and in all honestly, that was exactly what Lisbon expected. She enjoyed that she could trust him to focus on the case, or at least respect her focus on the case, even if it was for only one short-lived afternoon. As they searched the student campus which was the crime scene of sickening multiple homicides as yet without any identified murder weapon and more blood than either of them had been prepared to face, the pair fell into their usual routine with ease.
Lisbon documented everything she saw with an astute precision and impeccable care while he stomped around potential evidence making seemingly unfounded observations that would no doubt later close the case. It was infuriating, watching him succeed time and time again while he failed to adhere to policy, while she always did everything to the highest standard and yet felt as though she were playing catch up for the entire duration. Though for some reason, he never seemed to want any of the credit, putting their ridiculous success rate down to 'the team' after every single arrest. It made no sense to Lisbon, who had fought to earn the respect of her male peers and would continue to fight for it as she progressed through the ranks. His lack of interest wasn't just unnerving, it was refreshing.
By the end of the day some forensics had been uncovered that would hopefully point to a suspect but knowing the results would take days to arrive, Lisbon called over to Van Pelt and directed her to send the team home. Giving the case to Grace hadn't been the easiest decision Lisbon had made, but she didn't regret it as she watched the young woman pass on the welcome news and check in with the team individually before sending them on their way. She sure wanted to encourage her and giving Van Pelt opportunities to step up meant that their might soon be another female in charge of a nearby department. Lisbon grinned at the thought, the action lighting her tired eyes, and followed Jane back to the car, questioning the entire way how his three piece suit remained immaculate when it should have been spattered with blood, for all the care he had shown.
He had respected her professionalism at work for a change, but she should have known that wouldn't last as he stepped into the driver's seat of the SUV, forcing her to sit on the passenger side. He did this when he wanted her to pay attention, so that she couldn't use 'the road' as an excuse to deflect.
'We need to talk.' Her heart sunk as she heard how empty his voice sounded.
They were halfway back and still nothing had been said when Jane finally pulled into a layby without signalling. Oh, how she hated his driving.
The frustration finally pushed her stacked up emotions over the edge and she turned to face him, properly annoyed now.
'What is it, Jane? You made things perfectly clear the other night when you disappeared, so I don't see what you have to say that changes things now.'
At any other time, in any other place, she would have revelled in the expression of shock that he wore on his beautifully crafted face. As it was, she wanted him to leave her alone.
'I – I didn't disappear,' he stammered, bewildered. 'I stayed the whole night to make sure you would be okay.' Unsure how to answer this, Lisbon again demanded that he drive her home. Finally he relented, which was unusual in itself, but then Jane appeared to be acting strange all the time lately. Too confused to even try to work things out, Lisbon let her head fall back against her seat and closed her eyes for the briefest of respites.