So, hi there! This is my first fanfic story ever, and I am not a native speaker so I apologize in advance for all typos and any confusing language usage. Review! Please, it will make my day better :3
Disclamer: I do not, in any form or way, own The Mentalist or it's characters. I barely own this computer.
Enjoy!
Remember the time...
Special agent Teresa Lisbon couldn't believe it. He's been missing again, since 10 a.m. that day to be precise. It was one of his Catch-the-killer-all-by-myself scams, definitely. And today, it also happened to be Don't-tell-Lisbon-about-it-or-else-she'll-talk-you-out-of-it as well.
'Great!' she thought to herself. 'Right what we needed.' While Cho and Fischer were interviewing victim's girlfriend in the interrogation room, he just took off and left them out cold, saying he has a hunch.
She was pacing the bullpen, giving up calling him 20 minutes ago, as he wouldn't answer. Now she was considering bursting into Abbots office, during a very important meeting that took place at the moment. Unprofessional? Yes. But inevitable.
Just as she was about to do something - probably irrational, that she would regret later on – her phone rang. Caller id: Patrick Jane.
"Jane, I swear to God, you better have a damn good reason for this..." she began to speak, when the FBI consultant cut her off.
"Lisbon, don't speak, please, I don't have much time," pain evident in his voice.
All remained anger left Lisbon when she her friend and worry crept up her spine.
"Jane, where are you? Are you all right?"
"I-I've been shot, but that's not why-" he began.
"Oh my gosh," gasped Lisbon, panic settling in as she ran to Wylie's desk and ordered: "Wylie, track Jane's phone NOW!"
Wylie spun around in his chair and started his task without questioning, sensing the urgency in his fellow agent's voice.
She put Jane on speaker and asked him: "Jane, how bad is it? What happened?"
"Well, I was right as usual. Victim's brother did it, because of his unspoken love to his brother's girlfriend and well, not quite enough wheels in his head. He wasn't too happy hearing my theory. I..I didn't expect him having a gun, it-it wasn't a part of the plan. But Lisbon-"
"-Got it!" announced Wylie and almost sprang from his seat. He put the map with a blinking red dot – Jane's cell – on the big screen.
"Here's the location. It's a chalet in the woods, next to a lake, used by a fishermen. About an hour drive from here, if the traffic's good," he informed her.
"Lisbon...Lisbon...?" came Jane's voice trough the phone.
In that moment, Cho and Fisher came out of the interrogation room, followed by dead man's girlfriend and her lawyer.
"What's going on?" asked Fisher with a frown on her face.
"Jane's been shot, we need an ambulance there ASAP."
"Lisbon...Listen-" Jane tried to gain her attention.
Cho looked at the map and said: "We'll have to take the chopper. I'll call it in. It's going to be ready in a few minutes."
"I'll tell Abbot," said Fisher.
"Teresa!" Jane called. Hearing her first name being used, Lisbon focused back on Jane, whom she's been ignoring completely.
"Just listen to me... please," he begged. "Remember the case we had at the biosystems facility? In Los Corrador?" he asked, strength leaving him with every passing minute.
"Yeah, the one where you tricked me into believing a deadly virus has been released. Why?" she asked him back confused, not sure why this has to do anything with the current situation.
"I told you then, that if I were dying, I would call you," he paused to catch a breath. "I'm calling now."
Lisbon felt the air being knocked out of her. Wylie paled and suddenly felt like an intruder and even Cho looked up from his conversation with a pilot over the phone.
"No, Jane... Just hang in there, you hear me? You are not dying. The team is leaving in a few minutes with a doctor and they will take you to a hospital."
Abbot came running out of his office with Fisher on his tail.
"Chopper's ready." said Cho. "We're leaving in two."
Abbot nodded before composing himself and ordering: "Fisher stay here and report on Jane's condition. Lisbon, keep him talking."
Lisbon nodded absently, then Cho and Abbot left to the elevator.
"There's no way they're gonna get to me in time, Lisbon," said Jane with a groan. "I've lost too much blood already."
"No, Jane, listen: You're going to be okay, you hear me?" she said reassuringly, wishing she would believe herself. "You're going to be okay."
"Hey," he tried to comfort her "Look at it from the bright side: at least you won't- you won't have to punch me in the nose... this time."
A sob escaped Lisbon – typical Jane. Joking around and trying to cheer her up even at a time like this.
"Will you just stay on the line with me?" 'till the end' was left unspoken.
"Of course," she breathed.
"Do you remember the time we pretended to be crazy and we tricked that women into believing she was hallucinating?" he said after a few minutes of shallow breathing.
"Yeah I do. That was fun," Lisbon answered, small smile forming on her lips.
"Or the time I got Rigsby high, so we could catch the killer who was selling victim's pot seeds?"
"Yeah, I remember that. He was pretty stoned," she laughed.
"Or when I bought you a pony..."
Wylie was taping on his keyboard, not wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation, which was for a while now, on a very personal level. Fisher on the other hand had to, to report to Abbot about Jane's state. They both knew it was a good thing, that he was still talking, but they could all hear his voice getting weaker and weaker.
"I liked the time we danced. At the reunion, you know. We should do it sometime," Lisbon spoke then.
"We should have," he corrected her quietly. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she refused to cry. Not here, not in front of whole room of people, not in front of him. They needed her to be professional, he needed her to stay strong. She sat down on his couch, as her knees gave up below her.
"Jane-" she began, but he stopped her before she could continue.
"Lisbon, the reason I called was, to thank you. I know I've been hard to work with and you had to clean up messes behind me, bail me out of trouble and save my sorry ass on a daily basis. I've been a jerk and yet you stuck with me, all the way till the end," he said, pain finally taking over him.
"You've seen the worst of me and you kept me sane... I just...I want you to know how grateful I am."
Fisher stopped pacing and said to Lisbon: "They're close now. They'll be there in less than two minutes."
"Hear that Jane?" she asked him, voice breaking. "They'll be there any minute now. Just hang in there." She gripped the leather on his couch in desperation.
He continued, ignoring, or not hearing what she just said, his voice not more than a pained whisper now: "I'm sorry, Teresa. Say hi to everyone. Love...you."
"Jane!" she called him. "Don't do this to me, Jane! Ja-Patrick! Can you hear me? Patrick!" She desperately tried to talk to him again, to hear his voice just one more time, as help was on it's way. But all she could hear were shallow, painful breaths, before devastating silence. Mocking her for trying to reach him. She finally let the silent tears roll down her cheeks.
Brace yourselves, this is a two-shot, and I am not a sadist to kill our favourite consultant.