Above the Red Streetlights
They rushed up the stairs, Lisbon in lead. Their hearts were racing, all of them knowing that every second counted. Lisbon burst through the door and halted abruptly when she saw the figure standing on the ledge, a perfect silhouette in the night. Jane followed in second with Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt close behind. Lisbon was immediately met by the head police officer on scene.
"No sudden movements. She's says she'll jump if we get any closer." The man explained urgently. The top of the building was swarming with officers, but they all kept a safe distance away from the young girl. She must have been around 17 years old with curly brown hair. She was wearing a school uniform with a plaid skirt, a white blouse, a pair of saddle oxfords, and dark blues socks that reached up to her knees. They all froze at the invisible line separating them from her.
She was an innocent bystander in their most recent case. She was a witness to the murder of her best friend and had given them the description that helped find the killer. Yet, it was apparent now, that the ordeal had been too much for her.
She was threatening to jump and fall to her death.
The CBI team had been called, in hopes that they would better understand her situation, having handled the case, yet it was evident in the police officer's faces that they deemed her resolve unchangeable and that it was only a matter of time before she made the final leap.
"We can't get to her," the man continued grimly, "and the building's too high for the inflatable bag to be of any use." He explained sadly. They had been talking to her all night, but had gotten nowhere.
"She's still here, so that means she's still uncertain." Lisbon concluded, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Jane ignored their conversation, his eyes trained on the jumper. The girl's name was Natalie Beckwitt and she was the mayor's youngest daughter. News of her position had spread across town within minutes and there was a crowd of people watching from below, just waiting to see what would happen next.
"This is sick." Van Pelt commented angrily. "They are just waiting down there in hopes of getting a story for the nightly news."
Jane finally decided to make his move. Without warning, he quickly rushed toward the edge of the building, a few feet from where she was perched.
"Jane!" Lisbon yelled, but he was beyond their reach, none of them daring to cross the threshold. The girl spooked slightly, but didn't jump.
"Get back!" Natalie yelled at him, but Jane didn't back up. Instead, he casually looked over the edge.
"That's quite a drop." He commented nonchalantly, hoping to lessen the tension. Jane noted the tears on her cheeks and the pain in her amber eyes. The girl was silent, her eyes watching the ground below. Jane noted how the police had blocked off the whole block and traffic had ceased below them.
"Why won't you people leave me alone?" She whispered, a hint of anger in her voice. Jane suddenly jumped up onto the ledge and stood so that he was parallel to Natalie. Then he turned around so his back was facing the edge so he didn't have to look down at the street below. He used his arms to keep his balance as he looked over at the girl who was staring at him with wide eyes.
"What the hell are you doing, Jane?" Lisbon yelled, moving towards him before Cho grabbed her arm and pulled her back. If everyone rushed her, she would fall and Jane might fall with her. Rigsby just stared at him and Van Pelt had her hand covering her mouth, not sure she wanted to watch. Jane casually placed his hands behind his back, his eyes never leaving Natalie. He looked perfectly comfortable on the edge, yet inside he was scared to death. It seems mankind can never shake the inherent fear of heights, only bury it under confidence.
"Are you crazy?" Natalie remarked.
"Are you?" Jane countered easily.
"I'm not." She replied defensively, her eyes drifting back to the world below. "What are you doing up here?" She questioned, taking a deep, deliberate breath.
"If you jump, I'm going to have to go after you." He explained bluntly. "Either I'll be lucky and I'll catch you, or I'll die trying." He furthered, hoping to guilt her into backing off the ledge. She doesn't care about her own life, but she may care about his. She took a moment to think about his answer.
"Why are you standing like that?" Natalie questioned, calling attention to how he had his back to the edge. Jane smiled slightly, seeing her calm deferment as a sign of progress.
"To be honest, I'm not too fond of heights." He replied, trying not to look down at the crowd of people watching from far below. Very few things bothered him, but standing on the edge of a tall building fell into the category of things he'd like not to do. Yet, here he was risking his life for a girl he hardly knew. Jane noticed, out of the corner of his eye, a police officer inching towards them and Natalie seemed to notice him too, her eyes widening fearfully.
"Get away from me!" She warned everyone, shifting her feet closer to the edge. Jane watched her carefully and decided to take another approach.
"Do you really want to be the headline on tomorrow's paper?" He asked curiously. She glowered at him.
"I'm not doing this for them." She rebuked angrily, outraged by the implication. "I'm doing this for me!" She raised her voice, pointing at herself. Her hair fell into her face, her eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown. "I watched her die. I saw him kill her and I could do nothing. I was frozen, scared to death and now she's dead!" She screamed, shifting even closer to the edge, her body wavering slightly. Jane hid his worry and easily masked it with unrelenting confidence.
"Jane! Get down!" Lisbon ordered, but Jane wasn't going to give up on her. Sophie never gave up on him and he wasn't going to give up on Natalie.
"I've been where you are." He told her honestly, his tone more serious.
"You have no idea." She growled, her hands trailing the rim of her skirt, nervously rubbing the fabric between her fingers. Jane paused, considering his words.
"I came home one night to find my wife and daughter murdered, brutally stabbed to death by a serial killer." He confessed, hoping that their mutual pain could link them together. There was a flash of sympathy in her eyes, signaling to Jane that she believed his story, but it was quickly replaced by her own despair. "Killing yourself doesn't solve anything." Jane told her truthfully. She looked away, her lips curving into a grim smile.
"Your wrong. It solves everything." She countered softly, taking another deep breath to steady her nerves. For a moment, Jane was sure he had lost her.
"Hear me out." He pleaded, reaching his hand forward to signal her to stay still. Luckily, she obeyed and relaxed her posture. "I didn't threaten to jump off any buildings." He admitted, relating his story to hers. "But I overdosed on pills… more than once." He explained shamefully, glancing over at Lisbon and the team, who were surprised by the confession. Jane wished they weren't there so he could talk to Natalie alone, but he knew they weren't going to leave, so he blocked out their concerned expressions. "I nearly died… and I admit I wanted to." He told her candidly. "I know that it looks like the only answer… the last resort, but it will get better. You'll realize that there's still a lot to live for."
"Like what?" She quickly retorted, her nose flaring angrily. "Nightmares, funerals…." She sneered. "I knew her my whole life. She was like my sister. I told her everything and… I loved her." She said in a softer voice, the memory of her friend flashing through her mind. She wasn't looking at Jane any more, her eyes scanning over the dark cityscape. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't getting through to her and he was becoming more and more frustrated. He couldn't let her die.
"If you had died instead, would you have wanted her to commit suicide? Throw away her life?" He told her forcefully, remembering the many lines Sophie used to tell him. She didn't react to the statement, which was either a signal of progress or regression. "Don't you want to live to see her killer punished?" He added.
"She's dead, not me," Natalie argued indignantly, "and convicting her killer will never bring her back." Jane was loosing her and nothing he could say was bringing her back. Jane's anger started to rise quickly. Normally, he was fairly good at containing his rage, but sometimes it was simply too much. He felt like he was in a duel with his former self and his own self-hate was building.
"Your selfish." He announced. Jane still remained his calm appearance yet his eyes and tone spoke volumes. "Did you even think how your suicide would affect your parents? Your friends?" He questioned, lashing out at the girl. It was now or never. Either she would listen to reason or she'd summon the courage to jump. "You're going to do the same thing to them that her killer did to you." He asserted, watching her eyes carefully. He finally moved sideways, his eyes gazing past the edge. He then returned his gaze to Natalie as he slowly moved forward, using his hands to balance his movements. She was too angry to notice.
"Shut up!" Natalie yelled, moving her hands to her head to cover her ears. "Just because you failed doesn't mean I have to." She muttered. "I want this." She contended. Jane thought her behavior was strange, as if she wasn't yelling at him. He began to think she was hearing voices or hallucinating, but either way the end result would be the same.
"I don't think you do or you wouldn't keep justifying it." He observed, suddenly doubting whether this situation was, in fact, real. He wanted to wake up and find this was some horrible nightmare that his mind devised to make him suffer. He didn't wake up.
"I want this!" She reiterated forcefully.
"There are people who can help." Jane told her, grasping for any last strings of hope, but they kept slipping through his fingers. Her mind was ignoring reason.
"I don't want anyone's help. I don't want their help and I don't want yours!" She declared. Jane knew she was going to do it and that his only chance was to catch her. He inched towards her and carefully slipped his left foot off the ledge on the side facing inward. He hooked his foot under the ledge, hoping that his foothold would stop him from falling long enough for his team to grab him. "There is nothing wrong with me. I just want to die." She cried, tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks. Jane could feel his legs shaking slightly in anticipation of her jump. His mind kept questioning his sanity, but he had to block it out. He had one goal and he had to reach it.
That's when she fell forward.
Everyone on the rooftop rushed forward, but Jane was the only one with a chance. His knees quickly buckled and his hands reached out for her arm. His fingers brushed against her skin and for a moment, he was sure he had missed her. Then he fell completely forward over the edge and caught her saddle oxford just before it moved beyond his reach. His grip was weak, but it was enough to stop her fall. Natalie's body slammed against the brick wall. Jane's foot then released it's hold, the weight too much. He would've fallen had his team not grabbed him in that same moment. Cho reached his hand down beside him in an attempt to grab Natalie's other foot, but it was too far. Meanwhile, Jane tried his best to ignore the fact that he was hanging over the edge of a tall building and how close he was to falling to his death as he used his other hand to get a better hold on her foot. He watched her dangling below him, her long hair hanging down a trickle of blood rolling down her face from her impact with the wall. She had an expression of shock on her face, but luckily, she didn't struggle or kick. Jane took a deep breath, as he felt people grabbing at his shirt to pull him up and Lisbon's worried voice barking out orders.
"Somebody grab the girl! Jane can't hold on forever!" She ordered. "Hold him!" Jane smiled slightly, finding her voice comforting. All he had to do was hold on long enough for them to hoist them up. Then he'd be safe, he reassured himself, the city spinning below him.
"Can someone please grab her?" Jane managed to ask, as he used all his strength to fight the pull of gravity. He pulled her up closer to him so he could wrap his arms around her ankles and enable Cho and Rigsby to grab her. They both grasped her legs and pulled her towards them.
"We've got her." Cho announced and Jane's arms relaxed slightly. He could feel a group of people slowly pulling him up and he smiled when his feet finally hit the ground. They reached a turning point and suddenly Jane was pulled to the floor where he collapsed with his back against the ledge, his heart racing with the adrenaline rush. Of course, Van Pelt was the first person to enter his line of sight. She squatted in front of him, her eyes deeply worried. Jane smiled at her, still recovering from the near death experience.
"Are you okay?" She asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. Jane nodded, still smiling and still shocked by what had transpired. They were safe. "I can't believe you did that." She commented. Jane shook his head, still at loss for words. Natalie was practically dragged across the rooftop, her body limp. Cho and Lisbon supported her alone with the head officer. Rigsby squatted next to Van Pelt, his eyes filled with worry.
"For a moment there I thought we lost you." He remarked. Jane finally recovered his breath.
"What took you so long?" He quipped with a reassuring grin. Rigsby smiled back. Cho and Lisbon showed up behind him. Lisbon quickly pushed through, forcing Rigsby to his feet.
"Don't you ever scare me like that!" Lisbon exclaimed, more worried than angry. Jane's smile faded when he recognized the genuine concern in her eyes, which went beyond his daring stunt. The team knew more about him than he ever wanted them to know. Cho reached out his hand, helping him to his feet. Jane took it and stood up, his legs still shaky. Rigsby patted him on the back. Jane glanced over at Lisbon and could tell that she desperately wanted to tell him something, but was holding back. He figured she'd wait to give him her lecture, at least until they reached the ground floor. Jane then took another quick look over the edge before quickly heading towards the roof door. Many of the officers they met on the way down praised him and some even applauded. Honestly, Jane wasn't too fond of the attention, not like he'd let his uneasiness show. Something had happened back there that he wouldn't soon forget.
Possible second chapter.