Teresa sat at the bar, twisting the rim of her glass with a forlorn look on her face. The music pounded against her eardrums, begging her to join the thrashing mass at the center of the club. She tugged on the hem of her strapless top self-consciously and took another gulp of her drink. She felt completely out of her element but she wasn't going to let that stop her.
"Hey there gorgeous." A voice said and she swiveled on the stool to face him. White male, early thirties with an already receding hairline, clothes suggestive of middle class status, though his watch looked expensive, wearing what he obviously viewed as a charming smile. Lisbon grinned invitingly at him.
"Hey yourself." She replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"You here with anybody?" He asked, surveying her attire. She was modestly attractive, her black and white patterned top matching the black skinny jeans she wore, and her shiny silver flats peaked out from under the slightly flared cuffs. She bowed her head and spoke with obvious self-derision.
"Well, I was supposed to be. Either he's an hour late or I've been stood up." She could see his eyes light up.
"His loss." He said casually, holding out his hand. "Brian." She shook it with a beguiling look.
"Liz." He grinned and settled himself into the seat next to her.
"So whatcha drinking, Liz?"
"It's not him." Lisbon heard from her earpiece. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see Patrick Jane shaking his head. He was standing several yards away, nearly hidden around the corner of the dark corridor that lead to the bathroom and the rear exit. His voice crackled again in her ear. "He moved on far too fast, plus he hasn't got the nerve to brutally attack three women." He also didn't have the right build, Lisbon thought to herself, comparing his rather soft physique to the shadowy figure on the club's surveillance tapes. Suddenly she moved anxiously for her phone.
"You know what, he probably is just running late." She said with feigned optimism. "I'm sure he'll be here any minute." She could see Brian's hope of getting lucky plummet.
"Oh. I could wait with you until he gets here, if you want." She smiled thinly at him.
"No, I wouldn't want to seem like I'm cheating on him. He can be kind of rough when he feels insecure." That got poor Brian running. Lisbon took another sip to hide her satisfied expression.
"Ha!" She heard Jane mutter. "Lisbon you have a unrivaled way with rejection."
"Thanks." She whispered in reply, speaking towards the long dangle earring in her right ear, right under the earpiece. "Cho?"
"No sign." Her agent reported from the club's entrance.
"Nothing here either, boss." Rigsby chimed in from the alley behind them. "Just a whole lot of trash. We've been here for hours, maybe he's not coming tonight."
Taking care to appear as if muttering to herself, she replied, "He hasn't shown yet, Liz, but there's still hope. Stick it out a bit longer."
"Got it." Cho answered for the team.
"I still don't see why I couldn't have been the bait." Van Pelt groused from the car where she sat watching the feed from the club's cameras.
"Because 'Lizzie' is more the killer's type." Jane replied suavely. "While you certainly could pull off the lovelorn look you are neither petite nor brunette. Besides, our fearless leader is always more inclined to put herself in danger rather than a subordinate."
"Shh!" Lisbon hissed discretely into the microphone.
"Hey, it's true." Mentally rolling her eyes, she finished her drink as the bartender approached.
"Need another?" He asked engagingly. She looked him over quickly. Cute, tall, mid or late twenties, simple outfit that showed off his muscles. She bat her eyelashes at him.
"Yes please, as long as it isn't any bother."
"No bother." He told her sweetly as he bent down to fetch it. "Just a ginger ale, right?"
"Yeah." He hummed from under the counter.
"Maybe you should try something stronger, you don't seem to be having a very good time."
"I've been holding off on the alcohol until my date gets here," She told him shyly, "But at this rate who knows when that's going to be." He straightened, holding the glass out, sympathy splashed across his face.
"Oh, I'm sorry." He said, with what appeared to be real sincerity. "That's really too bad, you don't deserve to be treated that way." Lisbon could practically hear Jane's interest being piqued.
"Reel him in." He ordered. Filing away her irritation for later, she leaned closer to the handsome bartender under the guise of taking her soda.
"I mean, I'd been on a date with him before." She told him. "He seemed nice enough. Charming, funny, intelligent, definitely attractive. We got on fine. I don't know what went wrong." She glanced down, giving him the out. "But you probably don't want to listen to my sob story. You've got work to do after all." Immediately he shook his head.
"No, don't worry about it. I'd love to talk." He gestured to someone at the other end of the club and came around the bar to sit next to her. "Please, feel free to let it out. Tell me more." Lisbon held out her hand.
"Proper introductions first. I'm Liz, Liz Van Pelt." She could hear snickers through her earpiece.
"Donny Garrett." He replied, shaking her hand.
"On it." She heard the real Van Pelt say, presumably looking him up.
"So," Donny said, "This guy, what's he like?" Lisbon leaned closer, putting a hand on his bicep.
"Well, he has blonde hair and a smile to make a woman go weak at the knees." She glanced over his shoulder to see Jane flash the same grin her way, gently teasing. "Always dresses smart, and acted like a real gentleman. Thought I'd won the lottery."
"Why Lisbon, I'm flattered."
Feeling the need to deflate his ego and tear down that smug tone of his, she continued, "But he was childish too, and so full of himself. I should've known he'd be unreliable, that man clearly had a screw loose." She could hear Rigsby's muffled laughter.
"There's no need to be harsh." Came the affronted rebuttal.
"He has to be crazy," Donny agreed, and he reached forward slowly. Lisbon held her breath but was relieved when he tucked her hair behind her left ear, the one free of the microphone and receiver. "…To have given you up." She smiled at him vaguely while her mind whirred. She was not the only one.
"Oh yeah, he's definitely the guy." Lisbon leaned her head on her hand in an attempt to mute their voices. She took a long gulp from her soda to cover her silence.
"Jane, how can you be sure?" Rigsby objected. "Maybe he's just into the boss."
"He's into her alright, but with just enough psychopathy to reconcile his messiah complex and deep seated urge for violence."
"Jane's right," Van Pelt joined in, "He's been arrested twice for domestic violence, and both of his then girlfriends were short and brunette."
"Tread lightly, Lisbon." Jane warned her seriously. She lowered her drink and looked at Donny, trying to project attraction instead of apprehension.
"The night's picking up already. Forget him, why don't you tell me about yourself instead?" Donny waved a hand dismissively.
"I'm nothing special, not like you." She scoffed at the compliment.
"I'm not exactly a gem." She told him. He leaned closer earnestly.
"No, no, you are! See that's the problem with women these days. Most men don't treat you right and you take it on yourselves. You don't realize that you're perfect, and you deserve someone who'll worship you like the goddess you are." Lisbon was surprised to find herself blushing. She could understand why the three victims had left with a complete stranger. Donny was incredibly… persuasive.
"That's…" She cleared her throat. "That's very sweet." He grinned at her. She raised her glass to her lips as she asked, "How is it you're still single?" His eyes darkened. The change nearly made her choke on her soda. Suddenly, knowing what he was capable of, he did not look so handsome.
"I'm a very passionate person. Sometimes people don't get that." His gaze flit over her, and it seemed foreboding now rather than appreciative. He took her nearly finished drink and placed it on the bar. Donny jerked his head towards the corridor to the exit where Jane was hiding. "Wanna get out of here?" He asked. Her stomach turned but she kept her smile in place. She stood and reached inside her purse but he stopped her. "Don't worry about paying, it's on the house." Donny held her hand and lead her to the hallway.
"Rigsby, watch out, they're coming our way." She heard Jane say and was startled when she saw him slip out from the shadows and move to the side. He glanced at her once and turned around, pulling out his phone and pretending to fiddle with it. Donny didn't notice him to her relief. They were almost to the door when she stumbled. She blinked rapidly as the hall began to swirl around her.
"W-wha…" She mumbled, feeling her center of gravity shift. She dropped her purse, finding herself wobbling towards the ground. Strong arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her up. Static crackled in her ear making her wince.
"Lisbon! Lisbon what's going on?" It was so loud, as if Jane were yelling, and it made her head pound. Or maybe that was the music. She struggled to lift her arm, managing to pull the earpiece out and letting it fall to the floor. She was just basking contentedly in the silence when, sooner than she could stop him, Donny bent down and kissed her. It was a bruising sort of kiss, one of taking, one that hurt. Lisbon mustered just enough motor control to break the kiss.
"No, no, no, I don't—" She was cut off as she felt herself shoved against the wall, the air being knocked out of her upon impact. She struggled to draw breath but it was as if her lungs were too exhausted to fully expand. Hazily she realized she was being hoisted up, feet dangling off the floor, pinned against the wall by the tall shadow before her. The indistinct mass, the monster, was biting her throat. Sounds, frantic voices, chaotic noise filled the air. She fought the fatigue to raise her hands, pushing against the figure with all her might. It worked halfway. His head reared back, yet he still kept her in place with his body. She saw his face as if through smoke. His eyes were burning, his teeth were bared like fangs, and there was nothing natural in his expression. Lisbon saw his fist coming at her in slow motion. It looked so familiar. She closed her eyes.
She gasped, sitting bolt upright. Her gaze moved frantically around the room. Wires, tubes, monitors, chairs…
"Cho!" She exclaimed and her second in command rushed to her side.
"Calm down boss, you're in a hospital." She flexed her hands, noting the heart monitor on one and the IV in the other.
"Yes, I see that." She grumbled impatiently. "What happened? Why am I here?" Cho watched her, concern barely discernible through his blank facade.
"What's the last thing you remember?" He asked instead. Lisbon felt her brain begin to move sluggishly through the fog.
"I was at the bar, no… I was walking with Donny the bartender, we passed Jane…" She shook her head. "That's not it either… he…" She stopped, memories of the assault flooding her. Her agent noticed her comprehension.
"There was GHB in your system. He slipped it in your soda with a chaser of alcohol."
"How much?" She asked, connecting the dots in her mind. "It had to be a lot to knock me out that quick."
"Over 5000 milligrams. He admitted to us in interrogation that he upped the dosage so he could spend more time with you." His implication was clear. Lisbon shuddered.
"We didn't find GHB in any of the other victims."
"That's because they were all found over a day after their deaths." She nodded her understanding.
"By that time the drug would have broken down. Donny did his research." Cho gave a short scoff. Or was it a chuckle?
"Yeah, the club did a seminar about date rape vigilance a few months back. It's what gave him the idea." She laughed softly and mirthlessly at the irony. She looked to the clock.
"It's been four hours. Where are the others?"
"Rigsby's at the station, helping the perp recover from a couple of nasty falls. Van Pelt was dealing with the club owner who caused a stink about us escorting his employee out through the dance floor. She's probably done by now. Jane is right outside. There's a one visitor at a time rule. Though technically visiting hours are over. We only managed to swing this because Jane argued that you needed police protection." She smiled at the lengths her friends would go to for her.
"It's late Cho. Well, actually it's early. Either way, you should get some sleep. I assume I'm being detained here over night?" He nodded.
"They need to monitor you in case of respiratory arrest."
"Go home." She told him firmly. "I'll be fine."
"Are you going to send Jane home?" He asked.
"Ha." She barked. "We both know he wouldn't listen. It's not like he'd be sleeping anyway. Go on." Cho walked to the door but hesitated before leaving.
"I'm sorry about what happened." He said flatly. She bit her lip.
"Forget it." She replied and her agent quickly left. She was barely alone for a minute before the door opened again.
"Lisbon, you're up." Jane said, a bright smile shining at her. She acknowledged him with a nod. He approached the side of her bed slowly, despite his cheerful countenance. "How are you feeling?"
"A little nauseous, but not so bad." She answered.
"You don't seem tired."
"No, actually I feel wide awake. That's one weird thing about GHB you know, after a couple of hours of extreme drowsiness and unconsciousness you do a complete 180." Jane nodded at the info, but it wasn't a good nod. She recognized it as the gesture he gave when a suspect or victim said something of importance. He had that look he got when he was piecing the puzzle together. Lisbon tilted her head. "What?"
"Hm?" He hummed as he looked up, and this was an expression she recognized too. He'd made some connection but was not in the mood to share it with her.
"Never mind." She muttered, glancing at her hands where they rested in her lap. She started picking at the tape holding the IV needle in place.
"Stop that." Jane chastised her. She did.
"Jane?" She asked timidly.
"Yes?"
"I didn't want to ask Cho," Lisbon began slowly, "He looked uncomfortable enough as it is." She heard him laugh.
"Really?" He countered skeptically.
"Shut up. He was. I can tell." He accepted this graciously and gave her a nod to continue. She looked away. "What happened? I couldn't really tell what was going on once the drug kicked in. I was lucid up until…" She trailed off, figuring he'd know where to start the story. He cleared his throat, drawing her gaze. She found herself really noticing his appearance for the first time. Jane looked haggard and drained. For a man who wore a multitude of masks, he stood bare, as if he hadn't the energy to devote to the deception.
"You were fine when you passed me. A little flushed but I put that down to the excessive flattery Garrett had given you. A couple seconds later I heard you moan. I looked around and saw you leaning on him. I asked you what was wrong, but it clearly caused you pain. You took out the earpiece but not the microphone." He drew a long breath. She realized what he was doing. He was giving her the facts, just the facts, and attempting to keep the emotions out of it. She wondered if he was doing it for himself or her. She appreciated it either way. "Garrett kissed you," He continued, glancing at her, "and you tried to back away. At that point I let the others know what was going on and the team rushed over. It took them a few minutes though. Cho had to get through the throng of people on the dance floor, Van Pelt was all the way in the car, and Rigsby had moved away from the alley so he wouldn't be spotted when you came outside, not that you got that far." He shook his head a little and got back on track. "You, er, mumbled no, repeatedly, but Garrett pushed you into the wall. Again you tried to stop him. Really it's remarkable how strong you were with all that crap in your system. He was about to punch you so…" Jane cut himself off. Lisbon, realizing something, raised a hand to her face. No swelling, no bruising, nothing.
"But he didn't hit me." She stated wondrously. "Someone stopped him." Looking up she noted his distinct embarrassment. "You?" She asked incredulously.
"Yeah, well," He started, a little defensively, "You weren't going to and no one else was there yet. I had to do something." Lisbon clamped down on her grin but he still caught it. "Yes, okay, I protected your honor," A snicker escaped at his phrasing, "Yuk it up."
"Sorry," She chuckled, "It's just funny to imagine you going up against Donny. You don't exactly like to get your hands dirty." Jane rubbed a hand over his knuckles absentmindedly.
"Can we move on?" He demanded shortly. She smiled wider but inclined her head. "I ran at him and barreled into his side, we fell down. You collapsed at that point. Luckily Rigsby showed up just as Garrett was getting his bearings back. The guys took him into custody and Van Pelt and I brought you here." He shrugged. "That's about it."
"Cho implied that somebody attacked—"
"—Best you don't hear those details, plausible deniability and all that." She grimaced but dropped it.
"What about in interrogation? What did Donny say?"
"I wasn't there, but I listened to the recording. He confessed to murdering all three women. He'd find them after their dates abandoned them. It was easy to get them talking, no one has any misgivings about baring their soul to a bartender. He'd slip the… the drugs in their drinks and offer them a place to lie down or just drag them out of the club. He… raped them while they were unconscious. When they'd wake up and freak out he… he'd beat them to death." Lisbon took note of his pauses. It seemed putting her assault and Donny's intentions for her into words was painful for him.
"What's your take on it?" She asked as a distraction. "It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. The way he was talking he didn't seem like a woman hater."
"No, in fact he's the polar opposite. He'd built up this image of the perfect woman, but he soon learned that this was unattainable."
"The domestic violence charges."
"Exactly. The only way a woman could measure up to his fantasy was to be unconscious. He viewed himself as their knight in shining armor and felt entitled to take what he wanted. Once they woke up and rejected him, shattering his illusion, he had no choice but to kill them." She closed her eyes in understanding.
"He only got violent with me when I said no."
"Yeah." He agreed softly. They stayed in silence for a moment. Lisbon resumed scratching at the tape on her hand. She looked up, watching the beat of her heart on the monitor until Jane caught her attention again. He was hovering indecisively by her bedside, rocking back and forth on his heels. He was teetering on the decision to speak. Though she realized he was probably hesitating because what he would say might upset her, she prompted him with an openly inquisitive look. "One more thing." He said, not meeting her gaze. "Why didn't you try to stop him?"
"W-what do you mean?" She sputtered. "I did, several times, I didn't want—"
"Sorry, bad wording." He said quickly, settling her with a wave of his hand. He glanced at her, and she was startled by the odd mixture of accusation and pity in his eyes. "I was watching you the entire time. When he was about to hit you, you saw it. You were more focused then than you'd been since the drug started affecting you." Jane was staring at her now, pointing at her sternly for emphasis. "You knew what was coming, of course you did. But you did nothing. No, actually, you did worse." Pity came to the forefront. "You closed your eyes and braced for it." Her mouth moved soundlessly for a moment.
"I didn't. I… I passed out."
"No." He countered adamantly. "You shut your eyes tightly and moved your head back so it rested against the wall. All your muscles tensed, impressive considering the effects of the drug." He paused, his intense gaze boring into her. "No, you were going to let him hit you. Why would you do that?" Lisbon sat up straighter, pursing her lips slightly and looking him dead in the eye.
"You're wrong." She said, in a tone that brokered no argument. Jane's shoulders visibly sagged. A small note of pride flared in her for stopping him in his tracks. Well, she'd already lied once. "I'm actually getting pretty tired, you should probably go." He watched her inscrutably for a minute. She met his probing look head on.
"Okay." He agreed simply, taking long strides to the door. "Sleep well." He tossed over his shoulder and then he was gone. She wondered how often they did that with each other: reading the other's reticence and deciding it wasn't worth the bother. As she lay down on her side and curled into a loose ball, Lisbon hoped it would eventually come to an end. All of it. She lay awake for a while, thinking about everything and nothing and waiting to see if he'd come back. She drifted slowly into sleep, the scuffle of shoes from the hospital hallway drawing her away to dreamland…
Pinned, immobile, the hard wall against her back and the hot weight pressing into her front. She thrashed her limbs as best she could, but the mass reformed around every blow. There was too much pressure, closing in on her from all sides. She felt teeth and lips against her body, everywhere, too much. She screamed and screamed but no one could hear her, no one ever heard her. His face was suddenly visible, an amalgamation of everything evil, everything she fought against. He hissed and it sounded like 'Tess' and 'Liz'. Then there was pain, so much pain, everywhere pain, and how could she bear all that pain…
"Lisbon! Wake up! Lisbon!" Her eyes snapped open, meeting blue. A face, so close to her own, and with the dream still vivid in her mind she sucked in a startled breath. Immediately it moved away and formed a familiar shape. Jane watched her, worry marring his expression. She realized his hands were clamped over her own, the medical equipment digging sharply into her skin. He loosened his hold as soon as she took notice. "You were hurting yourself." He told her, and she glanced down. Her hospital gown had ridden up and she could see superficial gash marks from her fingernails on her thighs. Self-conscious, she pulled her wrists free and covered herself. She averted her gaze, looking anywhere but at him. "Lisbon?" He asked gently, and she couldn't take his tenderness.
"Could I, uh… could you get me some water?" Jane nodded quickly and left. She could hear his footsteps moving hurriedly through the ward. She turned, back to the door, and shut her eyes. When he returned a few minutes later she feigned sleep. Maybe it worked, because she heard him place the cup on the night table and sit in one of the chairs with a sigh. Lisbon focused on keeping her breathing even, though his stillness was off-putting. After a moment she became aware of the softest of sounds coming from him. He was humming, a beautiful tune she recognized as a long lost lullaby. She could feel her body relax under his soothing song. Without realizing it, she let Jane lull her into sweet dreamless slumber.
A new Mentalist fic! Wow, I'm on a roll.
This was originally a one-shot but it grew too long, so I'll be posting the next installment next Sunday. It's going to center on the team and the aftermath of the assault. There will be a little Jisbon love, but I have to warn you, they will not magically end up together by the end of it. I couldn't honestly write that, it would take more than another dangerous situation to solve all of their problems. But still, baby steps.
I couldn't find consistent information about the dosage of GHB, and I fudged some of the symptoms to heighten the drama. I usually dislike taking artistic license with scientific facts, but it was unavoidable here. Now I'm going to turn this over to Agent Lisbon for a PSA:
Lisbon: Do not leave drinks unattended. Do not consume drinks if you don't know where they came from. Do not accept open topped drinks from strangers or acquaintances. It may seem rude to refuse, but so is passing out in the middle of a conversation. If you believe that you have been assaulted in this manner, please contact your local precinct. Because these drugs can dissapate rapidly it is important to insist on a blood test as soon as possible. And don't forget the most prevelent date rape drug of all: alcohol. Be smart people.
Thank you Lisbon, that was very informative. I'll see you all again next week!
Love,
Laury the Latrator
