A/N: This is a dream I had! It was so surreal to have that dream, I mean, normally Jisbon does feature in my dreams but never as clearly as they did now. This story seriously happened in my dream, maybe not completely the same way, but certainly the main lines were there. It was strange.
And I'm still writing on The Great Mr. Jane and Once Upon a Time! Trust me! I just got fed up with revising and revising and revising, so I started writing this piece.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
'Verdant Marbles'
The trouble had all started that very unfortunate day in March – which didn't commence a terrible day at all. In fact, it had begun as a horribly boring day, the trio arriving in the bullpen at the same time they always did. They told each other the same greetings, did the same routines, made their coffee just the way they liked it. It hadn't bothered them at first that the Boss and Jane hadn't come in yet, it happened more often. It didn't mean anything, they knew.
Then, at around eleven, the first one to start worrying was Rigsby. It had crossed the other two's minds as well, of course it had, but they didn't give much thought to it.
"Should we start to get worried?" Rigsby asked. Van Pelt pressed her lips into a thin line, Cho shrugged. As though he didn't care at all.
They had let it rest for a few hours, until the moment came that the people in the building started to go home, that the sun slowly sank, leaving the office with a slight darkness.
The two still weren't there. And now the team started to get worried.
Neither of the couple picked up their phones, Lisbon's was even completely turned off, the call immediately going to voicemail.
They were together, that much was sure, but where were they? Lisbon wasn't the type of person to skip a day of work, just for the fun of it. Perhaps Jane would try to convince her but she would never give in, her job more important than anything in this whole wide world. It was what had kept her going, what had kept her sane all these years, even before Jane had entered her life. Her job kept her occupied, it helped her forget about the truly lonely life she was living – no husband, no kids, hell, she didn't even have a boyfriend. Just her and her job.
Van Pelt tried one last time, and getting voicemail again, she hurried to LaRoche's office, the boys following her closely.
LaRoche hadn't made a big deal out of it. He had actually told them to wait another day and just see what would happen next day. After having argued about it for a good ten minutes, the team obliged and all went home, that nagging feeling never leaving their bodies.
The next day hadn't been different from the previous day – no Lisbon, no Jane.
Van Pelt was so worried she had been close to tears, and just wandered into her friend's office, where she found the little note on Lisbon's keyboard. She had almost tripped in her haste to get to the desk, and started reading, panting heavily.
Catch Red John for me, will you?
No initials, no indication of who had written the note whatsoever, but it gave her a safer feeling. Whoever of the two had written it, they had to be alive. It had been planned.
She fell backwards onto Lisbon's chair, not caring for once that she usually wasn't allowed to sit in it. Lisbon wasn't there anyway.
She lifted her eyes to heaven, which was actually the grey/beige ceiling.
"Just be safe, please. Take care of yourself."
-YulianaHenderson-
Seven months had passed. Still no sign of Jane nor Lisbon.
The team had tried to forget the two, but that wasn't an easy task. They were a family, all five of them. They were much too close to actually forget about their entire existence, just pretend like nothing had happened and carry on with their lives. It hadn't made sense in the first place – family didn't abandon one another, but yet, that was what Jane and Lisbon had done.
The team had established months ago that the two were most likely together – whether in the real physical form or the relationship form. It was too much of a coincidence that they had evaporated into thin air at the same time. If Red John had taken one of them, the other would be panicking with the team, and not be gone as well.
Of course office bets had started. Everybody knew about the disappearance of the CBI's favorite will-they won't-they couple.
Agent Lisbon must be heavily pregnant now. Nobody from the team had joined that one. That was definitely because of the family thing – just because they knew Jane and Lisbon were probably in love with each other didn't mean that they wanted clear visuals of what they were doing right now.
They either got married in Malibu or some place outside the state. Yes, the team had thought about one. They had seen the signs, it had been too obvious. The lingering touches, the smiles, the teasing. Perhaps they just wanted to believe that Jane and Lisbon were in love and married now, because that would mean that they were both safe and happy, wherever they were.
They must be trying to find Red John now, to get closure so they could be together. Nobody knew who started that one, to be honest. There were even bets going round about who had started that one. The team knew, though – Rigsby had. He was so sure about it, had even admitted to the other two that he was running a bit out of money, what with Benjamin 'and stuff', so he had started the bet, knowing he could win a lot of money with it. God, the man was childish sometimes.
Speaking of childish – they had 'earned' two new agents. They had just finished the police academy. Stacey, 21, and Roger, 22. The team guessed the kids were nice ones, but they didn't stand a chance against Jane and Lisbon. Yes, the blonde consultant had been a royal pain in the ass, causing trouble without even trying to, but they had loved him either way because Lisbon did. And they loved Lisbon.
Stacey and Roger were just a permanent reminder of what the team didn't have any longer.
Cho had taken charge, but he hadn't wanted to. It even went as far as him bashing LaRoche completely when the bald man had offered it. Cho didn't want to replace his Boss, even if she wasn't there anymore. Eventually, LaRoche had tried to make the Asian man see reason and he had agreed, on one condition; that he wouldn't get credit if this team turned out to be a massive case-closing one – which they weren't – but Lisbon. Because after all that had happened, or rather, hadn't happened, in the past few months, the team was still loyal to their Boss – like a dog to its owner.
The team knew for sure they wouldn't hear about Jane and Lisbon again. If the two were smart, they wouldn't come back to Sacramento, or even California in general, at least not before Red John was completely out of the picture.
They knew for a fact.
That was why that phone call had surprised all three of them.
Van Pelt got it – and she had boringly looked at her phone, presuming it was some annoying family member that wanted an explanation as to why someone had misbehaved, but she literally dropped her phone when she answered the phone.
Rigsby rushed to her immediately, picking up the phone, only to be greeted by a voice that sounded an awful lot like their missing pain's.
"Hello?"
"Jane?"
"Yes, it's me. Listen, I don't have time to explain things, alright." Jane sounded stressed, panicked. Of course, the only reason for the two to contact the team was when something was wrong. "He's got her. Red John's got her."
Rigsby froze, but let Jane finish.
"I'm on my way to Sacramento right now."
"Okay."
"Good." Rigsby heard a soft, strangled sound, and his heart broke. So yeah, apparently, Jane and Lisbon had been together for the past seven months, and in every sense of the word.
Jane didn't say a word more and ended the conversation.
He turned towards his co-workers, who had all, including Stacey and Roger, gathered around the leather couch – but no one sat on it.
"Red John has Lisbon."
-YulianaHenderson-
Jane came into the CBI almost running, and he looked like crap. His hair was majorly disheveled, like he had been in a few tornadoes on his way to the HQ. He had slight bags under his eyes, and though that had been permanently there when he had still worked with them, this was different. This wasn't because of a slight lack of sleep – this was because of sleep deprivation. He hadn't been sleeping for a while.
"When did you last see her?" Van Pelt immediately asked, acting on what everybody was thinking in that moment.
"Three days ago."
"And you didn't get help before?"
He shook his head, lowered it, to look at his new flashy shoes he had obviously bought because she had wanted him to. This made the team a bit happier.
"We... we were in Chicago, and... and she said she wanted to meet her brothers, but without me... so she went away..." He paused, and he looked up, not meeting anyone's eyes, but instead looking at the ceiling. He was almost crying. "And I didn't think anything of it, because it had been a very long time since she had last talked to her brothers... and I knew that she loved them very much still, so I just granted her that small moment with them... until this morning, Tommy called to ask me how she was doing." He choked on a helpless little sob. "And that's when I knew."
Van Pelt slowly walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's a good thing you turned to us for help," she said, softly. "We will find her. I promise."
Jane just shrugged, and wiped at his eyes, groaning.
"Dammit... I should have insisted that I should join, I shouldn't have let her go all on her own while she is-" He stopped mid-sentence, probably only now realizing what he had been about to say. He averted his eyes.
"While she is so tired..." he added softly. "And... emotional..."
"We will find her," Van Pelt said, again, and pulled him in for a hug. She looked over his shoulder at the rest of the team – Stacey and Roger were confused, Rigsby was highly upset, and even Cho seemed to show some kind of concern. She nodded at the latter man, who nodded back and went into the direction of LaRoche's office.
Van Pelt made Jane sit down on the couch, and his body eased a bit as he felt the familiar texture of his former second home – his former first home being his attic.
"I'm sorry for leaving you, guys."
Van Pelt shook her head. "No, Jane, we understand. We totally do, don't worry-"
"No, you don't understand because you don't know the whole story."
"Well, elaborate then."
Jane shook his head now. "She'll kill me."
They were all silent, and still no one bothered explaining it to the two rookies. They actually were about to interrupt, when Cho re-entered the bullpen.
"LaRoche is calling CPD to start a gross-search-"
"No," Jane interrupted. They all turned towards him. "She never actually reached her brothers' houses. He's had her for three days now. He wouldn't keep her in Illinois, it's too far from me, from you. He wants the thrill of almost being caught. He must be somewhere in California."
"But you weren't in California when he took her," Cho reasoned. Jane shook his head.
"No, but he knew I would go to you for help."
"Do you..." Van Pelt tried to say something, but she couldn't find the words. "Do you think she's..."
"No, she's not death," Jane said, so sure of himself and his brain. It would hurt him one day – like it did now, probably. "That would end all his fun. He wants to see me suffer, killing her would finish me off completely and he knows it."
"Are you sure this isn't a way for yourself to get a clear conscience?"
Oops. So now the team wished they had informed the two rookies about the blonde man's identity.
Jane looked up from the spot he had been staring at so far, and focused on the two kids.
"If you would know Red John, if you would know me and Teresa, you would understand."
Did someone turn up the air-conditioning? Because it was genuinely cooling down in the room.
Cho turned towards Stacey and Roger. "Go to LaRoche and tell him to call SacPD instead-"
"And all the other departments around the state," Jane added. Cho wasn't bothered, just continued talking as though Jane hadn't just corrected him.
"of CPD. Then make him come here."
The two were completely and utterly confused, but nodded anyway, almost running away from the scene.
"Where did you get these guys," Jane muttered, and Van Pelt smiled softly. No matter how he was feeling now, he was still that Patrick Jane he had been before he and Lisbon had run away together.
Which reminded Van Pelt of the matter.
"What happened?"
Jane didn't even need more explanation, he knew what she meant.
"We just... ran away."
Van Pelt nodded. "I noticed... but why?"
He shrugged, and fumbled with the ring around his left ring finger. Van Pelt's eyes darted to it briefly, then she focused on Jane's face, before she almost gasped – the ring was a different one than the one she had gotten so used to in the past nine years.
"Oh, my God, you're married."
Jane nodded, smiling softly. "Yes we are."
They all became very quiet then. Not knowing what to do, Van Pelt wrapped her arms around his neck, and he gave in.
"We are married," Jane whispered, almost inaudibly, but she heard.
"Did you... run away to get married?"
He shook his head. He paused, as if he was trying to come with something to say. "I was getting paranoid. Red John had given too many hints that he knew about my feelings towards Teresa, and if there was somebody I couldn't lose... not ever... it was her. So the only thing I could think of to keep her safe was pulling her out of this dangerous situation and settle somewhere else... though we didn't do much settling at all."
He sighed, and pushed away.
"Where have you been living?" she asked him. Again, he smiled softly.
"Let me just tell you that my geographical knowledge about this country has had a clear brush up." He paused, picking up his thoughts. Van Pelt could see in his eyes that every time he was pausing, he was reminding himself of the fact that she wasn't here. That she might be locked away in a basement right now, fighting starvation, thirst. Van Pelt could also see it in his smile – it faltered with every break there was in his or their speech.
"We've been living anywhere but California and Illinois. California was obvious, I suppose, but I thought that Illinois wouldn't be a safe place to go to either, since her family lived there. But... things changed... and we ended up in Chicago and look what happened now."
He groaned in frustration. She grabbed his hand.
"This could've happened anywhere, Jane."
"No, it couldn't. Half the time, I didn't even know where we were. It was like he was waiting for me and Teresa to go to Chicago, as though he knew that one day, we would be there."
He fumbled with his wedding ring.
It was so... surreal. He had fumbled with his former ring so many times, whenever he was unsure about something, when he was feeling sad, practically every emotion except for happiness, but seeing him performing this very same movement, but then for someone else than Angela, was very strange. Not that it didn't look natural or anything, but Van Pelt supposed she simply wasn't used to it.
That moment, LaRoche and the two rookies decided to walk into the bullpen.
"Well, if it isn't the almighty Patrick Jane. Tired of your little road-trip, I see. Let me guess... it's better to regret something you did, than you... didn't do?"
"Why don't we skip the part where you give your opinion about me or Teresa and actually focus on finding her. I wouldn't be here if she wasn't gone."
LaRoche glared at the blonde man for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Very well then. I called around, mailed the biggest departments in the state a picture of Agent Lisbon-"
"So we just have to wait now," Jane concluded, an edge to his voice. The bald man nodded, and frankly, for the first time since he had become their boss, they actually saw an expression close to sympathy – he felt sorry for Jane.
"We're doing all we can, Mr. Jane."
Ah, so now Jane was Mr. Jane.
"So now I'm Mr. Jane?"
There was a shared eye-roll. God, Jane was despicable sometimes.
"We need all the help possible... so we require your help as well. We're starting a mass-search."
Thank God, Van Pelt thought. After all, Teresa Lisbon was still the SCU's best agent, if not the entire CBI's. No doubt everybody would help to find her.
-YulianaHenderson-
Two days later. Still no sign of Lisbon whatsoever.
Any calm Jane might have felt when he had arrived in Sacramento had completely left his body. He had actually had a few breakdowns, just him sinking onto the floor in the middle of the bullpen and starting to cry. He had obviously realized that the chances of her surviving were getting slimmer and slimmer, and officially, the search would almost be ended. Nobody suspected her to be alive, but every time the team wanted to blow off the mission too, Jane would have them call LAPD, SFPD or whatever department he felt would know something more. But never did they learn anything new, it was always the same – 'we're doing the best we can, but so far, no luck'.
If Lisbon wasn't found soon, there would be a moment that Jane wouldn't get up anymore after another of his small breakdowns. That he would simply sit there, cry his all out and then flee, to probably kill himself.
Yet another reason why they had to find Lisbon.
The rookies had been informed, though. They went into the same state everybody else did when Jane had talked of Angela and Charlotte, and the team could tell it annoyed him. Didn't the two see that he had much more important things to do now?
Jane had almost had another breakdown late in the evening, but then chose to fight it and instead went to the kitchen to make tea. The team had went to LaRoche's office to discuss matters, so the bullpen was completely deserted when Jane returned.
That's when he saw the white envelope on his couch. He almost spilled the tea over his hands, and rushed to read what the letter said.
Old friend,
We've had enough of this, haven't we? I certainly enjoyed looking after your dear Teresa, for as long as it lasted. Now come and be the hero, Patrick. Come and cry over another lost loved one.
Underneath that was an address, and he already picked up his car keys, before he decided against it. He didn't have a gun, didn't have a Kevlar, and he certainly didn't have the courage to go up and face the serial killer alone. In spite of how much he had said that he would tear the man apart, he was afraid of what he would find. After all, the killer had Teresa, and she could very well be dead by now, having faced the same fate Angela and Charlotte had.
The team returned, to be instantly pulled out of the bullpen by a panicking Jane.
-YulianaHenderson-
The address was of an empty warehouse, just outside Sacramento. Cho had called for back-up, and they were all readying themselves to go inside the building.
Jane had gotten specific instructions not to go inside with them, but Van Pelt knew he was too stubborn. And she didn't blame him.
As soon as they kicked down the door and almost all agents had gone inside, Jane followed, not minding that he didn't have a Kevlar anymore. He needed to find Teresa.
They heard a scream, a female one, one that cried and begged. All hell broke loose.
The agents went into the room where they heard the screaming from, and found who they had been looking for the past few days. She was leaning against a wall, clutching at her belly, which to all people except for Jane came as a surprise – it was rounded. Very much so.
She fell to the floor, but most had seen that she had kicked a dark shadow there where it hurts, and the stranger fell to the floor the same moment Lisbon did.
SacPD went to the shadow – the team and Jane went to Lisbon.
Jane didn't even bother with checking up on her, just pulled her into a tight embrace and cried, while still muttering something like 'call an ambulance, now'.
It was a surreal sight – the team hadn't seen the two that close, and though the signs had been there, actually seeing them now together, crying in each other's arms, was a whole different matter.
"The baby..." Lisbon whispered, and that was the moment the team started to move again, being pulled out of their statue-like state. Cho went outside to summon the help from the ambulance they had already called, Rigsby joined SacPD and Van Pelt fell down behind Lisbon, placing a soft hand on the woman's back. Lisbon didn't seem to notice though. Just as her sobs and whimpers started to subside a bit, she cried out again and fisted her hands in Jane's clothes. He held her tight, while looking into Van Pelt's eyes.
"Keep breathing, my love. It'll be alright. Cho is getting help, okay? I'm here... I'm here."
Van Pelt had certainly never seen Lisbon in this much pain before, had never seen the Boss admitting that she was hurt in general, so seeing what was happening now was overwhelming, to say the least.
"How long have you had contractions?" Jane asked gently, whispering, only audible for those who were close enough. Lisbon was almost shaking, and clutched at his hair. The pain ebbed away, and she could focus again.
"I don't... I don't know... I don't know..."
"Shh, it's okay, Reese."
"I... I think for... four hours."
That made Jane gasp, and Van Pelt knew why. They could've been too late, and then Lisbon could've given birth here, in this dark, dirty basement, in the presence of Red John, her lover's – and husband's, as it seemed – nemesis. She wouldn't have survived.
Jane was looking around frantically, but the paramedics didn't come. It took way too long, he was getting impatient, and Van Pelt had had to stop him multiple times when he had tried to lift Lisbon and bring her to one of their cars.
Then finally, when another contraction hit Lisbon, the paramedics finally came downstairs and immediately rushed over to the screaming and crying woman in the blonde man's arms. They quickly checked her vitals, then when the contraction had ebbed away, they made her stand up straight and supported her while walking out of the basement.
Van Pelt stopped Jane before he had gotten the chance to follow Lisbon.
"She was pregnant," she said, unnecessarily, because it was obvious now. So, so obvious. The chocolate cravings, the ranting about nothing in particular, indicating mood swings. Going to the bathroom too many times – why hadn't they seen it before?
Jane and Lisbon had ran away because she was pregnant. And they were afraid that Red John would hurt their baby.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
A/N: Raise your hand if you knew from the beginning why Jane and Lisbon ran away! ^^
Anyway, yes, I do admit that the title of this story doesn't have anything to do with the story itself, but I just like the word 'verdant'. I didn't even know what it meant, but I do now and I'm loving it, lol.
And this story will stay a one-shot, I promise. I don't know what to write anyway, I don't want to do another cheesy 'on-the-run' story where the perspective was from Jane and Lisbon's, because that's been done before. I actually liked writing from the team's perspective - and yes, in that sense, Van Pelt is my favorite character. I don't know why, but it's always from her perspective if it's not from Jisbon's, lol.
But let me know what you thought about this story, please! It really, really, really means a lot!