A/N: Christmas has passed. Holiday depression is running wild. Sacramento or the CBI team are not immune.
Happy Freaking New Year!
Lisbon's Day
Sunny California – wasn't. It was cold, windy and if it wasn't in the forties, you'd think it could dump a blizzard on you in a minute. Teresa waved at the half asleep CBI guard and flashed her ID, though he knew her well.
"Morning, Miss Lisbon. What are you doing in the office on New Year's Day? Don't they ever let you take a day off."
"It's not a problem, Ryan It's not like I have family in the area. I'm just going to catch up on some admin stuff, then bag it for the day. Who knows? Maybe a good book and a hot toddy before bed!" She smiled and headed up to her office, the guards eyes followed her, making it obvious he'd not mind being there with her. He shook his head and returned to his book.
Entering the office, she paused and closed her eyes, allowing the feel of the place to seep into her. Somehow, it felt like home. A bit cold and bleak, but home. Removing her coat, she hung it on the entrance coat rack and headed to her office. Her slow, deliberate pace was indicative of her lack of enthusiasm for the coming chores. The dim light, while moderately depressing, was calming and she felt some of the tension in her neck and shoulders relax. She rolled her shoulders and drew them back, pulling the muscles in a comfortable, almost painful, stretch.
Before going into her office, she walked over to the large window, overlooking the street, and gazed out. It looked as bleak and chill as she felt. She wrinkled her nose. "Bleh," she silently mouthed. Silently, she turned and went into her office and faced the mountain of forms that has accumulated in her in-box. Removing the first one, she opened it.
A case that Cho had the lead on. It had been wrapped up quickly and neatly. Jane, in his normal irritating fashion, had managed to agitate the prime suspect to get punched. Cho had stepped in, arrested the man for assault, and in the following interrogation, had exacted the easiest confession yet. Case solved. Solving the case: Wonderful. Seeing Jane get punched: Priceless!
She grimaced, signing the final report. "I really shouldn't be so hard on him. He really did contribute to the solution of the case." She smiled. "Even if he didn't mean to."
The next case featured Rigsby and Jane. This time, Jane had insulted a county commissioner, and it had not taken long before she'd received a very irate phone call from the districts representative. Fortunately, by that time, the commissioner had been arrested and charged with the crime. When the 'good' representative had been informed of that fact, his ire quickly evaporated and the team was getting congratulations on doing such a fine job. "Two faced bastard," Teresa muttered. "Jane dodged that bullet."
As she worked through the pile of cases, it was amazing how many had Jane insulting, irritating, angering, or just pure pissing off, so many people. Luckily, CBI had not been sued for over a month, but each lawsuit was a nuisance and an expense. She shook her head wondering, "Is he worth it?"
She scanned to the end of a particularly nasty case involving child molestation; a crime everyone is disgusted by and hates. Van Pelt's hand written note at the end: "Without Jane, this pervert would have walked!" caught her eye. Teresa signed it, threw it in the completed stack, leaned back and thought, "He's worth it."
She looked at the completed pile and smiled. She'd gotten a lot done. Reaching into the bottom drawer of her desk, she fumbled around and extracted a bottle of scotch. "Not as good as the one I gave Jane," she mused, "but not bad at all. It was s smooth 12 year old. She didn't bother with a glass, just took a decent pull from the bottle. She grinned and wiped her mouth, breathing very carefully. "No one around to disapprove!" A second quickly followed the first sip.
The warmth of the liquor was seducing and she put her head down on the desk, on the few remaining cases to review and sign off off on, and drifted into a dreamless slumber.
oOo
Lisbon opened her eyes. It was dark and she wasn't sure where she was or what had awakened her. Sitting up, she realized she was in her office and then she remembered, but what had awakened her? She was very tense and hyper alert.
Good cops, ones that survive, develop an instinct and awareness far beyond normal. She wished she'd turned the lights on, when she'd come in, but she'd not planned on falling asleep till past dark. Her mind flicked back to the massacre on the floor above and she wondered if someone, she didn't even want to think the name, "Red John", was stalking her. Since the last incident, everyone knew it was possible. Not even cops were safe in the office.
She, as silently as possible, slid the tip right hand drawer of her desk open, and grasped her 9mm service auto. "I'm being silly," she thought. "But better silly than dead." She stood and approached her office door, where she was partially shielded by the door. The creaking of the bull pen door opening was very loud in the stillness of the office to her.
Her mind racing, she told herself that anyone who belonged here would turn on or show a light, even if it was just Ryan checking the office. She heard slow, deliberate foot steps, but there was no light. Her eyes were well adjusted to the dark, so she carefully looked into the bull pen area, keeping most of her body behind the door. She could see a shadowy form that seemed to be slowly making it's way across the area. Her muscles tensed, and her breathing accelerated. Only the years of training allowed her hands, the hands she raised the 9mm with, to remain steady and true, aimed at the figure.
"Freeze," she hissed. "Do not move, or I will shoot you!"
oOOo
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