A/N: Alright, so this is my first Mentalist fic so any feedback is immensely appreciated. I'm not really sure where this is heading but I plan for Jisbon/Jello in the end. (: Oh yeah prompt was Red Scare so I warn you now I look at the casting calls & press releases on spoiler tv because I'm an impatient little shit. -This has one hell of a lot of spoilers.
Lisbon's mask is beginning to slip.
It had started to do so long before she had gotten herself attached, when she was still in her 'I am still your superior' phase.
But now (although she would never bruise her pride actually saying it aloud), he was more of her equal but with less responsibility.
He is tearing down her façade and she isn't exactly sure if she wants to know who she is underneath it all. And she's as sure as hell that she isn't ready for him to find out too.
He's uncovered too many details about her already, details that she would rather remain private.
But of course, he's Jane. He is Jane, so he waltzes in and pulls out people's skeletons from the back of the closet and then takes them for a tempestuous tango around the room until he's had his fun and he's gotten what he needs. Not caring that they will never be able to fit back into the closet they came from.
So really, she doesn't know why she bothers to hide from him.
Because they both know that he has her wrapped around his little finger. Still, he pretends that she's the one with the control out of utter respect for her. But in a way she guesses it's true. It's unspoken, a taboo topic. Nevertheless - if it came down to it, they would walk to the end of the earth and back if the other asked them to.
She sighs and let's the file she's been reading drop to the surface of her desk. She pushes her chair out and gets up, frustrated that they have more suspects than she would like, no leads and a ridiculous ghost story to work with on their latest case.
Making her way to the coffee machine, Jane creeps into her thoughts. She should be thinking about the Foster case but she can't help but wonder where she went wrong. All her life, she had worked so hard to create an image for herself. She, like Jane despises pity of any kind. It makes her feel incompetent, like she isn't allowed to be coping. She had thought that maybe if she was strong on the outside, she could be strong on the inside too. It had worked for her for so long, it was who she was now. Tough, decisive, a team player, excellent leader, by the book and never lets business mix with personal –our Senior Agent Lisbon.
So where the hell had she messed up and let him in?
Oh.
She remembers.
It wasn't her fault, he shouldn't have been eavesdropping. The one time she had allowed herself to be just a little more than your average cop -of course he had to pick up on it. He was Jane.
To his praise, he had let it go with just a nod. He did understand.
But that doesn't change the fact that he knows she's broken too.
As she reaches for a clean mug she wonders how Jack Tanner's doing.
Once as she passed Van Pelt furiously tapping away on her computer, she realised all she had to do was run a quick search for his contact details. You know, just to see how things were going.
But she knew that she was being silly and all she could do is hope that he took her advice.
As soon as she entered the bullpen armed with a steaming hot mug of coffee, Rigsby approached her.
"Hey Boss, what do you want me to do with Lillian Foster?"
Before she can answer Jane interrupts. "Oh, you can let her go."
She turns to Jane, "Oh?"
"She's innocent."
"She was following the victim the night he was murdered. She's filled with guilt and anger, even Rigsby can see that. She sure doesn't seem innocent."
Rigsby looks up, indignant.
"Uh, well yes. She's filled with anger and guilt but not from murdering her husband."
"Okay, I'll bite. So why was she following him the night he was killed?"
"Fear." He says.
"Fear?"
"Yes. She was afraid that he was being unfaithful. Again."
"Oh really?" She's sceptical, "And what makes you say that? Do you have any evidence to back you up?"
"Not yet, it's just a theory."
"Boss?" Rigsby asks, "I think we've got enough to hold her, what do you want me to do?"
She sighs, god she's such a pushover. "Let her go."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, but keep an eye on her. Take Cho with you."
"Yes Boss." He's pleased that he has an excuse to get out of the office.
She tries not to look at Jane as she heads back into her office, she knows that he'll be looking very smug and she might just have to hit him.
"Care to share?" she asks, finally giving in.
He had appeared in her doorway, hovering and looking like he knows something. She had tried to ignore him but it was hard to concentrate on anything else when she knew he was watching her.
"What do you think of Jeb Haas?"
She frowns, "Who?"
"You know, small town, blue collar, IQ of a C-wrench. Has a record for petty crimes."
"Oh, him. You think he killed Alan Foster?"
"Oh no, he's too dim. But he might know something useful."
"Okay." She says after a moments hesitation. She gets up and slips past him to poke her head out the door. "Van Pelt, I want to bring in Mr. Haas for questioning but something tells me he's not going to come quietly. Find out his address and give Cho and Rigsby a call, tell them to meet us there.
Van Pelt nods, snapping into action. "Yes Boss."
-x-
He watches her as she fires out orders and notes to himself that he loves seeing her like this.
"Jane, you coming?" she asks.
He nods and follows her and Van Pelt out to her SUV. Lisbon climbs into the driver's seat and he rides shotgun leaving Van Pelt the back seat. But he knows she doesn't mind. It's easier for her to strap on her bulletproof vest from the back, more room.
"Did you get hold of Cho and Rigsby?" Lisbon asks Van Pelt.
"Yeah, they'll probably get there before us 'cause they were monitoring Mrs. Foster nearby"
"Good, I don't want to have to wait."
"I almost forgot, I called Deputy Fisher in case we need back up"
"Good thinking Van Pelt."
"Ah, Deputy Fisher" Jane muses. He doesn't like that man.
"What?" she accuses, she noticed his tone.
"Nothing, just making on observation"
Lisbon and Van Pelt shared a glance through the revision mirror.
"Come on Jane. You're clearly dying to say something."
He decides to remain mute.
"Well? Spit it out." He can see that she's getting irritated now.
"Alright, alright woman. Calm down." He says with his hands surrendered in the air. "It seems that you've become very popular recently"
Lisbon frowns, confused, "What do you mean 'popular'?"
He shrugs, more innocently than she would like, "Just that you've been attracting a lot of attention lately" From his position in the front passenger seat he can tell that Van Pelt understands.
It takes a little while longer for Lisbon to realise what the hell he's getting at but she does and she's scornful. "Stop it, you're being childish."
"He seemed very infatuated with you"
"Jane, it's his first homicide. He wants to learn."
He makes it clear that he thinks otherwise but he doesn't get to tease her about it because they've arrived outside Jeb Haas's house.
He can see Cho and Rigsby waiting by their car already clad in protective gear. And not too far away he can spot Deputy Fisher flanked by two young and inexperienced officers.
The three of them emerge from Lisbon's SUV and immediately Fisher (the bastard) gravitates to Lisbon's side. "Agent Lisbon. What a pleasure to see you again, and in the field too!"
She just nods in response, self conscious because Jane's standing next to her and she knows what he's thinking.
"I've got two of my best officers here with me today, you know –for assistance."
Jane snorts, and Lisbon glowers at him.
"Right, everybody ready?" she asks and with receiving an affirmative she says "Let's move."
He frowns, he doesn't like being left behind. He scuffs the gravel with his loafer as he waits.
He can vaguely hear Rigsby's voice shouting "CBI, police, open up"
He hears the sound of breaking glass and then he hears nothing but frightened birds flying away.
Then he hears the pounding of footsteps and finds that they belong to Van Pelt and Cho. They tear past him followed shortly after by Deputy Fisher and his crew.
Jane follows their line of sight and spots the perpetrator fleeing a good twenty five, maybe thirty metres ahead of Cho. He doesn't think that they will catch him without shooting him down.
But then there's this blur of black in a bulletproof vest that takes down the man that has to be at least double her height and weight.
He chuckles to himself as he watches Rigsby help her hold down Mr. Haas. He shouldn't have expected anything less.
-x-
Back at headquarters, they have Jeb Haas in the interrogation room but she's letting Rigsby and Jane take care of this one. She and Cho are behind the glass and she has a niggling pain in her shoulder -probably from taking down Mr. Haas. IQ of a C-wrench or not their suspect isn't talking. As if he read her thoughts, Cho speaks from beside her, "He's not going to talk"
She looks in at them and taps the glass. Jane holds up his finger, asking her to wait.
But she's sore and tired so she goes in and pulls up a chair next to Rigsby.
"Look, Mr Haas. We have reason to believe that you know something about this murder and we're not releasing you until you tell us what that is."
"Like I've been telling these clowns here, I don't know nothing about a murder. You've got nothing to hold me here"
"That was unwise Jeb, sure you don't want to take that back?" Jane asks.
He is silent.
"We know that you've been to the Greystone Mansion, and we know what you've been doing there."
Lisbon resists the urge to roll her eyes -she can't believe that Jane's trying to play bluff, again.
But as she watches Jeb Haas shift in his seat she realises that it may be actually working.
"Hey, I wasn't doing anything wrong."
"No? It's actually a felony"
Lisbon and Rigsby are confused. They look at Jane, demanding answers.
He ignores them. "You could do some serious time"
"It was just some old wood. It wasn't like it was jewellery or something"
"True, but lumber goes for a good price too. Or so I've heard."
Mr. Haas looks uncomfortable.
"Okay, you want my guess? I'll tell you if you get me off these charges."
"Deal" Jane answers.
"Victoria Abner."
Lisbon nods to Rigsby who leaves the room to get Van Pelt to run a search on the name Jeb gave them.
"Who's that?" she asks.
"She's the granddaughter of the original owner. Had to sell it when things got tight. The delusional freak is still convinced the house is hers by right" Jeb snorted, "She's big on all that spiritual crap."
"Ah." Says Jane.
"Alright, he can go" she says to Cho through the glass.
She gets up and leaves the interrogation room with Jane following close behind.
A/N: To be continued. I promise. Feedback please?