Prologue
"He's going to panic. He's going to shut down for a while. He's not going to cope- but then he will. He WILL figure this out." Teresa Lisbon has worked through all the scenarios. She's had plenty of time. After they had drugged her and kidnapped her, they had left her alone tied to a chair in a very dark room. Yes, she's had the time to figure out who has her and what's happening. She was just not sure how long she had been missing- or how much time she still had.
"And, oh please, my love, find me before this all goes too far," she whispered through the darkness.
Chapter 1
Six months had passed since Jane had stopped her from going to Washington, D.C. and marrying Agent Pike. ["The Anti-Jane", as her friend and former colleague, Grace called him.] Well, to be completely honest, he didn't STOP her. He just FINALLY told her how he felt. It was always her choice. However, once she knew that he loved her there was no way she could go to D.C. - not when there was a real chance at happiness.
Nevertheless, it hadn't been easy. Nothing involving Patrick Jane had ever been easy so no surprise there. First, there was the phone call to Marcus explaining her change of heart, or more to the point, the acknowledgement that her heart had never been his but always Jane's. Initially, Teresa thought that his anger and upset were because he was heartbroken but the longer he ranted at her, she realized he was more worried about the potential embarrassment to his reputation and being grist for the office gossip mill. At that moment, she couldn't help comparing him to Jane who had risked jail and public humiliation for her without thinking twice about it. Pike's attitude freed her from her guilt. Cutting into his rant that questioned her sanity, morals, and intelligence she finally said, "Marcus, I'm going to pretend I never heard any of this because it's just making you sound like an angry fifteen year old. Was it wrong to agree to go to DC with you when I knew I loved Jane? Yes. Did I make it worse by accepting your proposal? Absolutely. You don't have to believe me, but I never set out to have all this happen. However, it did and maybe you should be grateful that it occurred now and not later. I'm hanging up now before you say anything else that will make you look like the lesser man. Take care."
Just as difficult was the next obstruction because they had to deal with TSA's charges resulting from Jane's illegal boarding of the plane where he made his grand confession. It took a lot of persuasion and contrition to get the charges reduced to time-served and community service- plus, an agreement never to fly in or out of the Miami airport.
The third hurdle was learning to be in a relationship. When two people have a history of bad relationships or relationships that ended tragically, it takes many walks and a lot of coffee and tea to work through what each wants. Lisbon flashed back to the night five months ago, when they talked the entire night until both were completely hoarse about things that they never imagined the other thought. "I would have thought that you…" "But you don't really think that would ever have…" led to "I always did…", "I always have…" and "I always will…" In between the conversations in those first few weeks had been a lot of hand holding, gentle kisses, and a great deal of nestling until finally Jane sat down, pulled a keepsakes box from the cabinet, took the well-worn and deeply loved gold band from his left hand, and placed it inside. He didn't need the ring to remind him that he had known love and now had a second chance with a woman who was strong enough to face his demons with him and stronger, too, to embrace his past and his memories and include them in their love.
The hurdles that followed were sometimes quirky, sometimes frustrating, but between the two of them, they managed to jump over all of them. The first time she cried out, "Patrick!" in ecstasy but the next day continued to call him Jane at the office confused him until he realized that this was her way of respecting him as her colleague and also keeping their relationship theirs- or as much as a relationship can be kept private when it starts so publicly.
Oh, and that first night? Even in her current dire circumstances, Teresa had to smile just thinking about it. They hadn't planned on THAT night being their first time together. It was a Tuesday evening and Jane had asked her out to dinner at a diner nearby. After they ate, the couple walked back to the parking lot where she picked up her car and drove him over to the campgrounds where he kept the Airstream when not using to get to a remote case. He asked her in to continue the conversation they were having and, well, the next thing they knew she had banged her head a few times on the wall of the camper behind the bed and he had bruised shins from the spot where the mattress didn't quite meet the frame. It didn't take long and only the discomforts, like her fear of a possible concussion and his of knee replacement, and later their laughter made it "memorable."
No, it was that second time that would forever make Teresa's toes curl. That night started special with a beautiful dinner at her apartment followed with dancing on the patio before she took his hand and without saying a word, led him to the bedroom where they slowly and gently undressed each other and made love. His strength tempered with soft touches had given her the assurance to touch and caress him in a way of laying claim not to just his heart but to his very soul. That first night of many saw her cry out his name while he sigh hers.
Oh, that's not to say that there were no more arguments. Teresa could safely say that very few days- probably less than a handful- did NOT contain a moment when she thought about shooting him. He was still the smartest guy in the room and knew it. He was still acting on impulse and she would have to wing it along with him. He still got her into trouble with their boss and he still was the best at closing cases she had ever seen. That last fact was only one of the things that made him redeemable as a partner. He tolerates no fools or liars but he does protect the foolish and the innocent. There was no one she trusted more to do the right thing. There was no one she trusted more with her heart, her life, her soul.
Teresa shifted and felt the restraints. If she was going to get the chance to see her beloved's face again, she was going to have to get out of this.
"Patrick, don't give up on me- on us," she whispers. "Keep working that wonderful brain."
Patrick Jane, a man known for solving the most complicated puzzles and creating ones even more confusing, looked around at the controlled responses of the FBI agents and tried to understand what was happening. If he stepped outside himself, he could see it clearly. Abbott's team, of which Jane supposed he was a member (although Patrick Jane was definitely not a team player), was putting together a plan and assigning tasks; routine and organization being the hallmark of the unit.
Normally, Jane would applaud their rote and quietly do what he needed to do to solve the case without causing too much upheaval- at least from his perspective. However, this wasn't normal and he wasn't normal. He was in full panic and he wanted to shout at them to work harder, faster, bigger. He was desperate. It was a feeling he had known before but never with this much frantic overtone. Years ago, when his wife Angela and daughter Charlotte were killed at the hands of Red John, he was the one who found their bodies. He could still remember walking into the house thinking that it was just another evening when suddenly his world came crashing down around him. He couldn't go through that again. He couldn't sit there and wait for it to happen. Yet that was what Abbott seemed to be telling him he had to do. Who was the crazy one here anyway?
But Jane reminded himself that just like the agents, he had to maintain some control. If he was to find her (and he told himself he would find her), he needed to keep his wits about him.
"Breathe deep," he reminded himself, "You have to focus. So far, she's just- missing."
He looked at the case board and carefully went from one note to the next and one picture to the next. "What are the facts trying to tell me?"
