Thud
A young woman suddenly landed on her feet on the driveway next to consultant Patrick Jane. He jumped back and pulled his hands out of his pockets.
"Get her, Jane!" Cho yelled from the second story window.
Patrick looked up at Cho and then looked back at the woman. She staggered a bit from the impact and then took off at a run. Although encumbered by a heavy denim jacket and slip-on shoes, she was surprisingly fast.
"Jane!" Cho yelled again.
Patrick sighed and made a half-hearted attempt to run after her. He got about 50 metres down the street before Rigsby sprinted past at full speed. Patrick stopped running and held his had to his side, obviously winded.
"She went that way!" he yelled at Rigsby helpfully.
* * *
"I'm sorry boss, we lost her." Cho explained to Lisbon back at the office.
"Jane was right there, he could have caught her if he wasn't so lazy" Rigsby chimed in disgust.
Patrick Jane frowned.
"I'm not lazy. I simply know what my strengths are, and running after suspects isn't one of them. That's your job" he gestured at them.
"That's enough!" Lisbon commanded.
"Rigsby, you can't expect Jane to do the work of a full agent. It's not like he had to pass a physical test like the rest of us did. Jane, you can use your 'strengths' to figure out where she went. The rest of you carry on working on the other leads."
Lisbon stomped back into her office and shut the door.
"You don't exercise at all, do you Jane." Cho stated in a low voice.
"Not if I can help it" Jane replied cheerfully.
"I don't understand why you're not a 300 pound lard-ball" Rigsby complained bitterly, obviously still annoyed.
"All you do is lie on that couch all day."
Jane looked slightly offended.
"I probably would weigh 300 pounds if I ate as much as you" he gestured at the empty noodle box on Rigsby's desk.
"Whatever, man. If we ever have to run for our lives, don't expect any of us to carry you is all I'm saying."
Van-Pelt, sitting at her desk, tried to hide a smile as she watched the exchange.
Jane ignored them all and lay down on his couch.
* * *
Shuffle
"Ouch"
Shuffle
"Ahh"
Everyone in the office watched in bemusement as Jane stiffly walked in the next morning and collapsed on a couch with a sigh of relief. Unusual for Jane, he looked less than immaculately groomed. There was blond stubble on his chin and his hair was more mussed than artfully curled.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Been hit by a bus or something?" Cho asked him.
"No. Went to the gym last night." He replied, his eyes firmly closed.
Rigsby stared at him incredulously. "You? Went to the gym?"
"Good for you!" Van-Pelt exclaimed. "Exercise is good for the soul. But you should have taken it easy for your first time."
Patrick waved away her concerns.
"Nah. They gave me a 12-week training programme but 12 weeks is far too long. So I started at week 6."
Lisbon walked in carrying a bunch of files.
"Alright everyone, here's the schedule for today" she said in her business voice.
Patrick started to sit up but then groaned and clutched his sore abdominal muscles.
Lisbon looked at him in surprise. "What's up with Jane?"
"He'll be fine." Cho said dismissively. "Now, what have we got?"
* * *
It was a crisp spring morning in Sacramento and the sun was just rising over the hills as Teresa Lisbon jogged down to the riverside walkway near her apartment. She enjoyed going for brisk run three mornings a week. It was an excellent way to relieve stress and maintain fitness. She wore black lycra three-quarter pants and a faded blue racer-back singlet. Her long dark hair was pulled up in an untidy pony-tail. Tucked into her waistband was her phone, ipod, and a small stun weapon. If her job taught her anything, it was that women could never be too careful when out alone.
Her stride lengthened and she sprinted along the path, her feet pounding in time with the music from her headphones. She inhaled deeply of the chill morning air and exhilarated in the feel of hot blood and endorphins flowing though her body.
Teresa came around a bend on the path and startled a bunch of ducks. They hurriedly waddled across the path towards the water, quacking in agitation. She looked up again as was surprised to notice someone sitting on a picnic table up ahead. His nonchalant posture looked very familiar, as did the blond hair.
She slowed, paused her ipod, and approached him with hands on hips.
"What are you doing here, Jane?"
"Waiting for you, obviously."
He grinned and jumped down from the table. He was wearing a blue cotton t-shirt, track pants, and blindingly white trainers. Teresa had never seen him wearing anything other than a suit, so his casual attire was a bit of a shock.
"Can I come running with you, Lisbon?"
"You want to go running?" she repeated in disbelief. She didn't bother asking how he knew where to find her.
"Apparently I do."
"But why?"
"Well I got to thinking, what if I find Red John but he tries to run? I can't kill him if I can't catch him now, can I?"
"Don't talk like that." Teresa admonished him. "Well I guess I can't stop you from running on the same path as me. But don't expect me to slow down for you."
"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of it." Patrick replied. Then he took off down the path.
Teresa sighed and jogged after him. She caught up after a few metres and critically observed his somewhat awkward running style. He was pretty lean for someone who never exercised, but there couldn't be much muscle under there. She wondered how long his interest in running would last.
"Nice outfit" Patrick remarked, glancing sideways at her.
Teresa blushed slightly and suddenly wished she hadn't worn her oldest running top. She decided to ignore his comment.
Patrick kept up the pace for a few minutes but the strain was showing. His faced was flushed and his breathing rapid.
"Are those new trainers?" Teresa asked him conversationally. She wasn't out of breath at all.
"Yes" he gasped.
"Well I hope you broke them in first."
"Broke…in..?"
"You know, walk around in them for a few days. You'll get blisters if you run in brand new trainers. "
"…oh."
Patrick gave up a few seconds later. He stopped in the middle of the path, gasping and holding his side.
"Bye Jane. See you at the office" Teresa yelled as she sprinted off towards the next bend in the river.
* * *
When Teresa Lisbon arrived at work, Patrick was already lying on the couch with his eyes closed. He was now wearing a smart grey suit instead of the track pants but still had the new white trainers on. She smiled in amusement and went into her office without saying a word.
* * *
It was 6:30am on Thursday morning and Teresa stared at herself critically in her bedroom mirror. She wore her newest running top, teal green lycra with a low-cut neckline and racer back. She decided the green brought out her eyes nicely. The built-in push-up bra was a bonus. Her legs weren't terribly long, but were firm and toned with shapely calf muscles that came from running regularly. The running tights didn't hide much. She considered putting on some lip gloss then gave herself a mental slap.
"For God's sake Lisbon, it's only Jane. And you don't even know if he'll be there." Teresa scolded herself.
She grabbed her phone and bounded out the front door, locking it behind her.
"Good morning, Lisbon"
"Argh!" Teresa yelled in fright, her hand reaching for the small stun weapon at her waist.
Patrick had been hiding behind a tree and stepped out as she passed.
"Damn it Jane, don't sneak up on me like that."
"Sorry" he shrugged. "Nice outfit again. Is that new?"
"Are you here to chat about fashion or run?" she retorted, secretly pleased he noticed.
She resumed jogging and he fell into step beside her.
* * *
Over the next three weeks Teresa and Patrick fell into a comfortable routine. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday morning he would wait for her at the river bank and they would run together for a while. Patrick's fitness quickly improved. At first he could barely keep up for half a mile, but that distance soon increased to two or three miles.
They usually ran in silence; Patrick because he was too out of breath to talk, and Teresa because that was how she preferred it.
Teresa didn't say anything but was inwardly impressed at his staying power. When Patrick Jane put his mind to something, there was no stopping him. Unfortunately when he didn't want to do something he was stubborn as anything.
A couple of times she tried running a different route, just to throw him off. But he always found her somehow. Perhaps she was too predictable. She didn't even know how he got there, he must have parked his car near the park.
One morning he didn't show up in any of the usual spots. Teresa jogged back and forth along the river twice, looking around for him. She felt oddly irked, as though he had stood her up. But that was foolish, she neither invited nor wanted him there the first place.
Teresa Lisbon finally arrived at work in a bad mood, but was slightly relieved when she discovered Patrick slouching nonchalantly on her desk.
"Miss me, Lisbon?" he asked with a crooked smile.
"Not at all" she declared. She winced inwardly. He would know she was lying.
"I'm sorry to say I couldn't run this morning. My hip is still sore from last time." He patted his right hip with a grimace.
Teresa was instantly concerned. "Your hip is sore? Have you been stretching properly?"
Patrick shrugged. "Guess not."
"Well I'll show you some stretches next time. It shouldn't be too hard to correct. Now, get off my desk."
* * *
On Saturday morning Patrick was back again and they ran for 4 miles before he tired. Teresa realised that she had been unconsciously slowing down to accommodate him so they could run together for longer. It was not entirely unpleasant having someone to share her early morning runs with.
"Let's stop here and stretch." She said, motioning towards an area of dry grass under an oak tree. Patrick was only too happy to comply. He flopped down on the grass, panting.
"Get up, lazybones" Teresa prodded him with her foot. "You need to stretch properly or you'll just injure yourself."
"Alright, alright" he groaned and got up.
"Start with this calf-stretch." She put her hands on her hips and lunged forwards on one knee.
Next she showed him how to stretch the lateral and groin muscles, and finally the hamstring stretch. She made Patrick lie on his back and she grabbed his left heel.
"I'm going to push your leg back. You tell me when it starts to hurt" she instructed.
"Ok. But I'm starting to think this is an elaborate form of torture you invented".
"You wanted to get fit" she reminded him mercilessly.
"Yes but I think you are enjoying this just a little too much…ouch! "
Teresa leaned on his leg and watched as Patrick close his eyes and grimaced. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead. It did kind of feel good to have him at her mercy like this. But she much preferred to see him smiling.
"That should be enough. Now you do me."
Patrick opened one eye. "I…do you?"
Teresa suddenly realised how that sounded and flushed slightly. "Yes, you help me stretch now." Why had she even suggested that? She was perfectly capable of stretching by herself.
Teresa lay down on the grass and Patrick gently held one ankle and pushed her leg back. The park sounded different when lying down, the distant traffic noise seemed muted and she could hear birds chirping in the tree above. She tried to focus on these sounds rather than think about the handsome, sweaty man who was man-handling her leg.
"Push harder. Harder!" she insisted, wanting to feel the burn in her muscle.
"Ok, that's enough." She pulled her legs free and stood up. "I'm going to carry on with my run now."
Patrick smiled and shook his head.
"Lisbon, you are the most disciplined woman I've ever met. I don't think I could do this without you."
Teresa couldn't figure out if that was a compliment or if he was poking fun at her again.
"See you on Monday." She called as she ran off without him.
* * *
The rest of the team at the CBI office noticed a change in Patrick Jane as he continued his quest for fitness. He seemed more cheerful, energetic. Instead of napping on the couch he was more often standing over someone's desk offering to help or amuse them with mental tricks. Unfortunately this soon drove them all to distraction.
Cho, Rigsby and Van-Pelt cornered Lisbon in her office after Jane left for his lunchbreak.
"You have to do something about him." Cho complained. "We can't get any work done.".
"He keeps asking what we're doing." Van-Pelt added.
"Yeah, and he's also been showing up at my boxing training sessions." Rigsby interrupted.
"He's really bad at boxing and it's embarrassing."
"Jane…boxing?" Lisbon repeated in disbelief.
"That's nothing," said Van-Pelt. "He also turned up to my pilates class and caused total chaos. He told the instructor she would be a better teacher if she sorted out her marital problems."
Teresa held up her hands in submission. She was surprised and perhaps a little disappointed that she wasn't the only one Jane had been stalking outside of the office.
"Alright, alright. I'll talk to him. I can't promise anything but I'll try."
Satisfied for now, the three of them filed out. Van-Pelt paused at the doorway.
"It's not that we don't like him. He's just…well, you know"
Teresa nodded slowly. "I know."
Incorrigible. Irrepressible. She thought to herself. But at the same time, she didn't want to change that about him.
* * *
"Jane, get in here please" Teresa called out when Patrick reappeared.
"Yes, Lisbon?" he replied cheerfully, leaning on the door.
"Sit down." She pointed at the chair in front of her desk.
Patrick ignored the chair and sat on the edge of her desk, where she had to look up to talk to him. Just another one of his little mind games. But Teresa knew better than to be fazed by him.
"You're bored." She stated matter-of-factly.
"Well, a little" he shrugged. "We haven't had any interesting cases in a while."
"You need to stop bugging my team. Let them do their jobs in peace."
Patrick considered this and leaned closer.
"Would you like me to stay in your office all day instead?" He asked suggestively.
"No!" she replied just a little too quickly.
"Why don't you scout around and see if anyone else in the bureau needs help with a case. That is, if anyone else is willing to work with you."
Patrick pulled back with a wounded expression on his face.
"What a thing to say. Of course they will want to work with me. Great idea, Lisbon!"
He vaulted off her desk and headed for the door.
"Jane!" she called out. "Don't get me in trouble."
He turned and smile knowingly at her.
"Don't worry Lisbon, I'll be back."
"'I'm so glad to hear that."
She meant to say it sarcastically but it came out softer than she intended. Luckily, he was already gone.
* * *
It was barely an hour later where there was a tentative knock on Lisbon's door. It was a middle-aged woman in a dark grey suit, very professional and business-like.
"Agent Angela Bell. How can I help you?" Teresa greeted her with forced cheerfulness, suspecting she was about to get another earful of complaints about Jane.
"Well, it's about consultant Patrick Jane…"
"Whatever he's done, I sincerely apologise" Teresa sighed.
The older woman blinked in confusion.
"No, you misunderstand. He has been very helpful in analysing a case my team is working on. In fact, I was hoping to borrow him for a few days. He said it would be fine with you?"
Teresa stared at the woman in disbelief. Agent Bell seemed uncharacteristically happy, and was even blushing slightly as she talked about Jane. What on earth had Patrick done to her?
"Well that is fine with me. But you do realise that his methods are…unconventional?"
"Oh yes, I've heard about that. But I think he is just what I…the case…needs."
"Very well. I'll need to clear it with Minelli of course but it shouldn't be a problem."
"Thanks Lisbon."
Angela left with a click-clack of high heels and Teresa felt a twinge of jealousy. Patrick never bothered trying to charm her. Or maybe he had, but she just pushed him away.
"This won't last long." She reassured herself.
* * *
The atmosphere in the office seemed subdued without Jane. Every time someone walked past the door they all looked up to see if it was him. But he was, no doubt, out in the field having a great time with Bell and her team.
Teresa wished an exciting new case would come up, one that they would need Jane's help to solve. She sighed and got stuck into some long-neglected paperwork instead.
* * *
When Teresa left her apartment at dawn the next morning, Patrick was waiting just outside, casually leaning against the fence.
"Good morning" she said in surprise. "I thought you would be too busy to come today."
"You won't get rid of me that easily, my dear." He grinned.
They set off together, stepping in unison. It was a clear, cold morning with a brisk northerly wind that reminded of a winter not far gone.
"How are things going with Agent Bell and her case?" she casually inquired as they ran.
"Quite well actually. She is easy to work with."
"And I'm not?" she demanded.
"No, you're stubborn as a mule and always have to be in control."
Teresa gritted her teeth in anger. She didn't need to listen to Patrick's criticism. She put on a burst of speed to leave him behind but soon discovered this wasn't so easy to do any more.
"Lisbon, wait! I didn't mean that in a bad way."
Patrick was breathing hard but staying doggedly right behind her.
"How can that NOT be taken in a bad way?" she retorted.
"No really, I like stubborn. Other people are far to easy to manipulate but you're not."
Teresa felt mollified but also a bit suspicious that she was being manipulated right now.
"Let's just run." She said shortly.
Patrick impressively managed to run the whole 5 miles without getting left behind. He was drenched in sweat when they arrived back at Teresa's front gate, despite the chill.
"Good run, Jane." Teresa praised him.
"Thanks. I guess I had better rush home for a quick shower if I'm going to make it to the office on time." Patrick said without much enthusiasm.
"Well, I would let you use my shower but that wouldn't help since you have no clothes here."
"Actually I do have some clothes in my car. I will take you up on that offer, Lisbon."
"Wait, you keep clothes in your car?" Teresa asked suspiciously.
"Of course" he said brightly. "I always keep a packed suitcase in there in case we need to go out of town for a case on short notice."
"Oh. That's sensible."
Patrick jogged down the road to his car without giving Teresa the chance to rescind her offer. He returned with an old-fashioned leather duffel bag and she opened the door for him.
She handed him a towel from the closet.
"You go first, I need to do my stretches anyway. And don't go poking around in the bathroom cupboard."
She knew the warning was futile. Telling Jane not to be nosy was like telling a fish not to swim.
Patrick walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later, still buttoning up his shirt. Teresa caught a glimpse of a smooth, tanned chest. He smelled deliciously shower-fresh, with a hint of musky cologne. Teresa felt instantly embarrassed about the thoughts that surfaced in her mind. She knew she couldn't afford to think about Patrick that way. Nothing romantic could happen between them, not while he was still in love with his dead wife. Even if he was interested, it would never work. He would probably drive her completely crazy.
"Would you like some breakfast? There's muesli in the cupboard." Teresa offered.
"Thank you Lisbon, that's very kind of you."
Teresa went into the bathroom and stripped off her sweaty clothes, trying not to think about the previous occupant. After showering and drying her hair, she peeked out the door and checked Patrick was safely in the kitchen before making a dash to her bedroom wearing only a towel.
Theresa re-emerged fully clothed in sensible pants and a tailored shirt. She discovered that Patrick had prepared her breakfast just the way she liked it, muesli with yoghurt and canned peaches on top.
"Thanks" she said self-consciously.
"No problem. Next time I'll bring some fresh fruit." He promised.
Next time?
* * *
Despite Jane's offer of fresh fruit, Teresa didn't invite him inside the next few times. It just felt too personal having him inside her home. Life at the office went on as normal; although Jane was still helping agent Bell and the team didn't see all that much of him. Routine cases came and went. Cho plowed along calmly and methodically as always. Van-Pelt worked hard and pretended to ignore Rigsby's covert staring.
Teresa's desk phone rang and she picked it up automatically.
"Agent Lisbon here."
"Lisbon, it's Agent Bell." Bell sounded annoyed.
"Yes, how can I help?" Teresa asked calmly.
"You can have him back." Bell said curtly, then the call was disconnected with a click.
No need to ask who she meant by him.
Patrick Jane turned up a while later, with a sheepish grin on his face.
"Jane, what did you do!" Teresa demanded.
"I may have said a few things that people needed to hear." He shrugged.
"They'll thank me for it some day. Anyway, I closed the case."
"Of course you did." Teresa sighed.
"Well, since you're here now you might as well help Cho with a missing person case."
* * *
It was Saturday morning and the sky was covered in bloated purple clouds. The air was saturated and Teresa could almost feel a static charge in the air that made her skin tingle.
"We'd better made this a short run, it could start raining shortly" she said to Patrick as they jogged along.
"I like rain" Patrick said cheerfully.
The park was always a bit busier on Saturday mornings, and Patrick liked to make witty observations to her about the people they saw. They passed a teenage boy and girl kissing on a park bench. Teresa averted her eyes but Patrick scrutinized the pair.
"He's worried he might be gay" Patrick whispered conspiratorially.
"You can't possibly know that!" she said in exasperation.
"Yes I do, shall we stop and ask him?"
"No!" she hissed.
Patrick was enjoying her embarrassment, as usual.
"You know, you could learn to read people too, Lisbon. I could teach you."
Teresa thought for a moment.
"No. I don't think I want to know that much about people around me."
The sky suddenly lit up with a flash of lightning. As if on cue, fat droplets of water started falling from the bulging sky.
"Damn it!" said Teresa as thunder rumbled in the distance.
She turned and sprinted for the nearest path that led out of the park. Patrick followed, laughing.
The rain got heavy very fast, and by the time they got back to Lisbon's apartment they were both completely soaked and chilled to the bone. Teresa pulled off her sodden trainers and socks at the doorway. Patrick hesitated.
"Don't just stand there, come in out of the rain you idiot" she commanded.
Patrick obediently took off his trainers and took the towel she offered.
"What a downpour! I'm going to have a hot shower before I freeze."
Patrick looked longingly at the bathroom and the hot water it promised.
"Do you think that shower is big enough for two?" he asked hopefully.
"No!" She exclaimed, shocked at the suggestion. "You can wait until I'm finished."
"If I must. But if you're not out of there in ten minutes I'm coming in anyway" he threatened.
"Don't you dare!"
As Teresa stepped into the shower and luxuriated in the hot water she wondered if Patrick really would barge in while she was naked. Did he just enjoy embarrassing her or was there another reason for the suggestion? She decided to call his bluff and took her time in the shower. But he never came in. Teresa wondered what she would do if he did. Probably yell and hit him or something.
She finally got out of the shower and pulled on a towelling robe. She opened the door and was captivated by delicious cooking smells wafting from the kitchen. Jane was making pancakes. He looked a soggy mess though, and was still shivering slightly. Teresa immediately felt bad for taking so long.
"Finally!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "You finish cooking these while I warm up."
Patrick showered and put on her spare bathrobe, since his dry clothes were out in the car. They sat on the couch to eat the pancakes, with a blanket on their knees for extra warmth. Teresa drizzled large quantities of maple syrup over her pancakes.
"Mmm…these are good, Jane. I don't remember the last time I had pancakes."
"I know. It's good to spoil yourself sometimes." He replied seriously.
It continued to rain outside, and got even heavier if that was possible. It was 9 o'clock in the morning but so dark outside it seemed like night time. With the rain drowning out all other noise from outside it seemed like they could be the only two people in the world.
"Jane – do you want to stay a while? We could watch some movies."
Patrick looked out the window at the dark clouds and lashing rain.
"That sounds like an excellent idea."
* * *
Still huddled in blankets, Teresa and Patrick relaxed on the couch watching the movie channel. It was a romantic comedy, not a bad one. But Patrick kept pointing out all the holes in the plot and predicting what would happen next, making her giggle at the absurdity of it all.
When the inevitable sex-scene appeared Teresa felt uncomfortable and embarrassed. She wondered if it was giving Patrick ideas. Then she wondered if he knew she wondered. She watched him out of the corner of her eye but he just stared at the screen, smiling slightly.
By the end of the movie Teresa was feeling drowsy from the warmth and she found herself leaning on Patrick's shoulder. He smelled good….like strawberries.
"Jane." She said suddenly.
"Mmm?"
"Did you use my strawberry-scented shower gel from the back of the cupboard?"
"Maybe" he admitted. "Were you saving it for a special occasion?"
"Damn it Jane, what did I tell you about not touching my stuff!"
She punched him on the shoulder, a little playfully but with some irritation as well.
"Ow! I'm sorry, I just thought it smelled good."
Patrick grabbed her wrists and pulled her in so she was lying against his chest and couldn't hit him anymore.
Teresa was suddenly pacified by the intoxicating sensation of his body against hers, albeit through a blanket – and his soft warm hands on her arms. She didn't want to move and spoil the moment, but there were questions that needed answering.
"Jane – what are we doing?" She asked softly.
"Yes, this is interesting isn't it." He replied, stroking her arm reassuringly.
"Here we have two co-workers who aren't even on a first-name basis yet very much enjoy being together – when they aren't hitting or yelling."
"That's no answer" Teresa complained.
"Why put a label on it? Labels are for ordinary people. Labels come with rules."
"No rules?" Teresa asked thoughtfully. The idea was intriguing. It was contrary to everything she believed in, but held a powerful attraction.
"So you're saying we should just enjoy the now."
"Exactly." He smiled.
"Let's watch another movie then."
Teresa lay in Patrick's arms and felt more relaxed and safe than she had in a long time. Whatever tomorrow would bring, for now it didn't matter.