Hey guys.... i haven't really felt like writing, so sorry if i don't UD any of my other fics for a while. But i wrote this ages ago while i was on holiday, have restrained myself from posting. But really wanted to post it. Everything i'm writing feels like the same at the moment... nevermind. this is for all my AWESOME friends on ff. Thank you for what you did last night =D love you guys. And yes, this is my 13th ongoing fic. I'm not in my right frame of mind - i'll regret it in the morning =P

Running

Chapter 1

"Would you kill me if I hypnotized you Lisbon?"

Rigsby tried to stifle a laugh.

"I would shoot you," she said simply. "Why, were you planning to try it sometime?"

"I've thought about it," he said offhand.

"You wouldn't dare." He looked at her, "Ok, so maybe you would. But you couldn't hypnotize me,"

"Why not?" he asked, surprised.

"Because I would know it was coming, the tone of your voice the stuff you do." She shrugged.

"Ah, but I could – in a purely theoretical situation, because I would never do this, I would take advantage of you in a vulnerable state."

She laughed, "I'm never vulnerable around you." She said confidently.

"Oh really?" he said.

"Yeah," she said, not quite as confidently.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Oh come on Jane, I don't get 'vulnerable' at work."

"Of course you do, it's a normal part of your job. You work catching criminals Lisbon there has to be a certain amount of vulnerability in that, well not when you catch the criminals, but afterwards, and seeing the victims etc. Cases that hit close to home..."

"I'm not vulnerable," her eyes darted to his.

"Your denial is very interesting,"

"Oh shut up," she said, but smiling and he watched her.

She had the most amazing smile; it lit up her face, the whole room. It made her eyes seem even brighter, and gave her face a sort of radiance that was usually dulled a little by the serious or even slightly sad look on her face. But when she smiled, his heart leapt. He wished she smiled more often.

He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he didn't really care. It meant something, but he didn't know what yet so there was no use in dwelling on it.

"Boss," Grace said, sighing.

Lisbon's head snapped round, "Yeah,"

"We've got a case,"

"Ok,"

Nobody moved.

"Come on," she said, her comment mainly directed at Jane.

"I'm up, I'm up." He said - he'd been lying on 'his' couch.

A short while later, they arrived at the crime scene.

"What've we got?" Lisbon asked.

"Um, Boss they've turned the case over to us, it's a serial killer's work well, suspected work because we don't actually know-" Van Pelt said.

"What's the MO?"

"Tortured, then throat slit." Grace too a breath in.

"Ok, what's his 'type'?" she asked heavily, she could do without a vicious serial killer case right now. She had her own problems, but looks like as usual, those would have to wait.

"Women, small build, mid to late thirties, brunette - oh my god." Van Pelt said, realizing she was talking to Lisbon.

Lisbon brushed it off, "Anything else?"

"Usually single," she said quietly, glancing again at Lisbon.

"Jane," Lisbon was yelling three hours later at him in her office, "How many times do I have to tell you? I am team leader, if you do things concerning the case you consult me first."

"It worked; it showed that that guy wasn't the serial killer."

She sat down in defeat, "just leave me alone Jane."

"What are you so stressed about?" He asked, this time with concern instead of defiance in his tone.

"Nothing," she said sighing.

"You're lying."

"You know, sometimes you're really annoying Jane."

"Glad to be of service, now what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," she said exasperated, then she smiled, "See, I'm fine."

"Something is niggling away at you," he said, "You're telling yourself it's nothing, but you know that really it is something and you don't get worried over nothing. So what's wrong?"

"There is nothing, you're deluded Jane."

"Fine I'll go for now, but I will persist and I will find out what that thing is." He told her.

"Do what you like," she said.

"Or you could just tell me, and save us both a lot of hassle." He told her.

"Just shut up," she snapped.

"I'll shut up when you tell me what's going on," he said.

"It really is nothing,"

Several hours later, after putting up with Jane's 'persistence' as he put it she collapsed at home. She was jumping at the smallest things, every creak, every noise.

So when she heard a very distinctive clunk outside her door, she got very, very nervous. Cursing inwardly, she told herself she was a CBI agent, and she had a gun.

So when she heard another clunk she got really freaked out. A few minutes later she heard car tires screech, she ran to her windows, and headlights were speeding away from her apartment.

Then she heard a knock on the door, scared she was going mad, but terrified to open the door, she stood rooted to the spot.

"Lisbon I know you're in there,"

Damn Jane.

Damn him.

She ran to the door and opened it, "Damn it Jane, what do you want?" She asked, relieved but pissed off that he was seeing her like this.

"Woah, what's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"Nothing is wrong Jane," she said, trying not to let the stress come through in her voice, and failing.

He walked in, and she sighed but let him without any real protest.

"You can't mess with people's minds like that Jane,"

"What?"

"Well wasn't it you earlier?"

"Me earlier doing what?"

Oh god, it wasn't him. Shit, what had she done? Stupid jumping to conclusions…

"Nothing, it's nothing," she said quickly.

"What's going on?" he asked, staring at her forcefully.

"Look, it really is nothing," he was still staring at her, why was she melting completely under his gaze? She wanted to tell him. For gods sake get a grip, she was telling herself.

So she began to mumble, "Noise, nothing really, car outside drove away… serial killer case…"

"What?"

"Just something Grace said, Jane really I'm fine, you can go."

"Grace? What did she say?"

"Just, the case today had me a bit I dunno freaked out. Seriously Jane, serial killers freak us all out a bit."

In despair she watched it click into place in his head, he was going to blow this completely out of proportion.

"You… you exactly fit the serial killers profile. That's why you're all 'freaked out'."

He looked at her, and she looked away.

"See it's stupid, and that's why I didn't want you to know."

"It's not stupid, it's perfectly normal."

The case today had 'hit home' as Jane had put it earlier, and they didn't even have a suspect yet. She'd related with the victim, in more than just psychical appearance, on a more personal level. And that always made the case that bit harder. That bit more emotionally draining than usual.

"Jane, you can go."

He looked at her, the strain on her face, and the sadness in her eyes. He stepped closer to her and enveloped her in a hug.

"Jane," she said sighing, in response he pulled her tighter so, with no other option left to her, she relaxed.

A tear escaped, damn hormones and damn Jane, she thought praying he wouldn't notice.

She didn't know what was wrong with her, maybe she was being vulnerable or whatever, but she felt good. She certainly felt safer, so, slowly she snaked her arms around his waist in return.

"Doesn't that feel better?" he said quietly into her hair.

Well it did, but she was never, ever going to admit that.

Yeah... see what i mean about the all my writing is the same feeling? Anyways, i have the next chapter written =P so if you review.... =P

Please do. I've had a really crap week, we all have. 'we' being me, Hayley, Hannah, Alice, Rach.... mostly Tay =( Check them out on my favorite authors.

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