A/N: Welcome to the fifth story in my season three/four AU series. If you'd like to go back and read this series from the beginning, please click on my name and start with "Red Ryder." If you don't feel like doing that, go ahead and read this one; I'll try to catch you up as I go along, and hopefully you won't feel too lost.
This story picks up where "Red Tape" left off, only a few months later. Imagine that this coincides with what happened in the last few episodes of season three, including the finale, and we are now updated to real time, season 4. Of course, this is AU, so Lisbon and Jane are a couple but have been hiding their romance for months now. So now, without further adieu…
In the Red, Chapter 1
"This is ridiculous," said Jane to himself, as he pulled into the CBI parking lot at the start of a typical work day.
Here he was again, rolling into work by himself when only an hour before he was rolling in bed with Lisbon. They'd driven their separate cars so as not to risk suspicion of their romance. They'd been keeping their relationship a secret for nearly a year now, and Jane was even more in love with her than he'd ever been, but the secrecy was beginning to wear on him, and driving separate cars was just a symbol of how silly it was for two grown adults to have to hide their true feelings.
It was ironic, really, considering he was the king of secrets and lies, but more than ever he wanted to tell everyone what they meant to each other, to proudly walk in with the woman he loved on his arm for all the CBI world to see. But there were rules against that kind of thing, and Lisbon's job was too important to both of them to jeopardize it, especially after the mistakes of the last few months. They were both under a very powerful microscope, and its name was Gale Bertram.
Lisbon pulled in at that moment, pointedly parking a few spaces away, and he got out of his car to walk into the building with her, smelling of her shampoo and still feeling the languor of their early morning interlude.
"This is ridiculous," he repeated softly as they walked into the building. "Not to mention that it adversely affects my carbon footprint."
She rolled her eyes. "If you really cared about the environment, you'd buy a vehicle built after 1975."
"You're missing the point here, Lisbon."
She sighed. "We talked about this last night, Jane. And the day before. And the day before that. I don't think it's a good idea."
He held the door for her and they were forced to drop the conversation, as they smiled in passing to coworkers from other sections of the CBI. Everyone was used to seeing the consultant and the diminutive team leader of the Serious Crimes Unit together. No one would really be surprised if they knew we were lovers, thought Jane petulantly. Cho figured it out months ago, and he's happy for us.
They rode up in the elevator amidst arriving assistants, secretaries and agents, Jane fairly simmering inside with suppressed annoyance. This new boss of theirs (replacing Lisbon, since her suspension made her lose the unit director job), Luther Wainwright, seemed like a reasonable young man, and he was in awe of Jane, (of course) so surely he would help them find some way of getting around the CBI's rule prohibiting team members from being romantically involved. Such a sharp, innovative thinker would see the merit in keeping Jane around. Hell, Jane had already told Bertram there would be problems if Lisbon didn't stay on the team, so that base was covered. Convincing Wainwright should be a piece of cake. He'd told Lisbon all of this last night. And the night before. And the night before that, but to no avail.
Jane reached a brave finger out to touch Lisbon's hand surreptitiously as they stood in the back of the elevator, innocently facing forward. She let him feel her warm skin for a brief moment before moving her hand out of his reach. She heard his offended little huff and shot him a sideways glance of warning.
The elevator door slid open and Jane and Lisbon were the last ones out, then, with a fleeting glance, they went their separate ways—Lisbon to her office, Jane to make his morning tea. He had just filled the teakettle when a familiar but unwelcome voice greeted him.
"Jane, might I have a word?"
He turned to see Bertram, as if he'd summoned him from his very thoughts.
"Good morning, Gale," Jane said pleasantly, purposefully ignoring the man's serious expression.
Bertram was having none of it. "There's an empty office down the hall. We should really discuss this in private."
Jane raised an eyebrow, but followed his de facto boss, noticing that he carried a suspicious manila envelope like it contained the mysteries of the universe.
They entered the unoccupied room and Bertram shut the door, then the blinds, naturally taking the more comfortable chair behind the empty desk. Jane sat in the hard chair before it, crossing his legs in an attempt to get comfortable.
"So, what can I do for you?" Jane asked, sizing up the man's demeanor. "You seem very troubled. How can I help?"
"I wonder if you heard that horrible sound yesterday afternoon?"
"Sound?" Jane inquired curiously.
"Yes, of the shit hitting the proverbial fan. That's what has happened to this unit, and so that's what is about to happen to you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Seems the State AG got wind of what went down with the Fowler case. He's ordering an official investigation into the CBI, and specifically this unit. His re-election bid stems on his promise to fight government corruption. The way you skirted the law, basically blackmailing a state senator to find the killer, isn't sitting well with our esteemed Attorney General. He's hoping to make an example of us."
"Through my minor subterfuge—and it was minor—I got a child killer off the streets. I'm not sorry, and I don't give a rat's ass what the AG thinks. I did what I had to do, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
Bertram sat forward, leaning his arms on the desk, shaking his head in disappointment. "I thought you might say that. I've warned you time and time again, Jane, to stop these antics. Madeleine Hightower wasn't successful in reigning you in, nor was LaRoche, and from what I heard, neither was Minelli. Now Wainwright—for whom I'd had very high hopes—has allowed the most public breach of lawful behavior to happen under his watch. So, what's a CBI director to do?"
"How do you solve a problem like Patrick Jane, eh Gale?" Jane mocked with a grin on his face and absolutely no sympathy for this man whom he considered a politically motivated blowhard.
"So, here's what's gonna happen, Jane. You're going to fully cooperate with the investigation, and you're going to apologize personally to Senator Spears, then to the AG himself, swearing on your life you'll never do another illegal thing in the name of the CBI for the rest of your possibly limited remaining time as a consultant. You'll say you made a mistake, didn't realize what you did was unlawful. Is that clear?"
Jane regarded him dispassionately. He certainly had no intention of apologizing. He'd cooperate to the extent that he felt comfortable, but there'd be no swearing of oaths, no guarantees of anything.
"I thought ignorance of the law was no excuse," Jane said in the tone that had earned him the title of smart-ass among every employer he'd ever had.
"So, that's your final answer, is it?"
"Can I phone a friend?"
Bertram smirked, then looked down at the envelope he'd been absently fingering. He opened the brad and pulled out a stack of four photographs, then pushed them across the table to Jane. Jane reached casually for them, and his amused expression froze on his face as he looked down at them.
The pictures were of a couple having sex, obviously very intense about it, the man on top, pinning the woman's hands above her on a familiar brown couch. Jane's heart began to pound violently. In the first two shots, the lovers' identities were unclear. But the third and fourth pictures were close-ups of their faces, and Jane looked up from them in dismay that not even he could mask.
"That son-of-a-bitch," he muttered angrily, tossing the damning photographs back on the desk.
"Aww," Betram said smugly, "I see you know how I came by these little beauties. So, since you seem so fond of blackmail, I felt you might take my suggestions more to heart if I offered you something by way of...motivation."
"We didn't do anything illegal here, you bastard," said Jane, deadly calm.
"No, that's certainly true. You're two consenting adults, engaging in what appears to be a very enjoyable tête-à-tête. Against CBI's rules, however? Yes, I don't think there's a finer illustration of that than this."
"I'll just quit and be done with it, and watch your crime solving ratios drop."
Bertram leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers and regarding Jane as he would a bug under that microscope he'd compared him to earlier.
"I don't think you'll do that, Jane, because it's not just your job at stake here, is it? I could fire Lisbon outright for this, you realize, or bust her down to a desk job. Or, even worse, ruin her entire reputation by leaking these photos to the press. She'll never be taken seriously again. Sure, the CBI would take a small hit, but we'd recover the minute the next sex scandal came along. So, I think you'll keep your job, and you'll do it better than you ever have—minus the shenanigans, of course."
Jane's hands were in tight fists on the armrests, his thought processes totally frozen. Bertram continued his monologue, his condescending tone increasing in proportion to his new confidence that he had Jane firmly in his itching palm.
"Over the last year and a half, I've watched the two of you, how much you obviously care about each other, how you cover for one another, stick up for each other. It's quite touching, really. That's why I don't think you'll throw Lisbon to the wolves like this. And you won't quit either, because you need the CBI too much; you don't have anything else going for you. So it would appear, Mr. Jane, that from this point forward, I own you."
Jane's stricken face became bland once more as he got control of his emotions and began to think logically. He tried desperately to turn the situation around, and what better way to do that than some taunts and threats of his own?
"I really don't think you have the balls to do anything that you say, Gale. Any scandal that rocks this boat could very well sink yours come time for employee evaluations. Add blackmail to that list, and you might even see prison time, once the AG's bloodhounds get through with you. And you can bet I'd fully cooperate with that investigation."
The two men stared each other down, and finally, Bertram laughed. "You're bluffing, Jane. Nice try, though, really. You're quite good at the mentalism stuff I've heard so much about. You're not trying to hypnotize me now, are you?" He laughed again, and Jane tried desperately to tamp down his fury.
"Look, Jane, I'm really sorry it had to come to this, but I did warn you. Just go back out there, get on with your life, keep solving those cases. Hell, keep having your fun with Agent Lisbon, for all I care—none of my business—unless, of course, it interferes with the business of the CBI."
Jane rose to his feet, his only way of towering over the taller man as he sat in his borrowed chair. His voice was tight and dangerous.
"Let me tell you something, you sanctimonious ass. I got rid of J.J. LaRoche when he crossed me, and I'll have no qualms getting rid of you at my first opportunity. Do we understand one another?"
For the first time, Bertram caught a glimpse of what Patrick Jane looked like when he was cornered, and he had to admit to himself that it was actually a pretty frightening sight. He had no doubt Jane's words were true about LaRoche. Despite his injuries, LaRoche seemed to have left a promising career too suddenly for it to have just been about an old flame. And it certainly explained why LaRoche had felt enough malice toward Jane to send him those pictures. Bertram realized that he'd better take precautions and watch his own back in this dangerous game he'd begun.
"I think we understand each other perfectly, Mr. Jane. And I'll try to protect your job the best I can from the AG. No guarantees there, I'm afraid. He sort of outranks me. So, you see, your best bet all around is to show your complete cooperation with his office's investigation, and do exactly what I tell you to do from now on. Good day to you, Jane." He gave a disingenuous smile, nodding dismissively toward the door.
Jane turned abruptly without another word, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. He was seething, his breath coming in harsh pants, his heart still beating as if he'd just finished a marathon. His first impulse was to run to Lisbon, but he checked himself after walking a few feet back down the hall.
Should he tell Lisbon about the photos? Should he tell her how Bertram was blackmailing him? He wanted to, more than anything. Once he'd finally opened up to her, revealed all his secrets about Red John, he'd become surprisingly used to being honest with her. On one hand, she had a right to know about this—it affected her life and job too, after all. But on the other hand, she would just become worried and angry, maybe do something stupid, like confess and try to undercut Bertram's blackmail attempt.
He sighed, realizing he needed to think about this, to calm himself down and try to make the most rational decision he could. He went to the stairwell and climbed up to the familiar door of his attic retreat. The padlock was gone now—Lisbon had had it removed the moment LaRoche had left-and he slid open the door. But it was too late.
Gone were his bed and his chair and desk, replaced now by old office furniture, stacked nearly to the roof and blocking the pleasant light that had once streamed in through the windows. Boxes, crates and filing cabinets took up all the remaining space, and Jane regarded all with a sense of abject loss. He hadn't needed this place for months, because Lisbon had been his refuge.
LaRoche had ruined this attic for him, and now Bertram was trying to ruin everything else he found enjoyable about working here. He allowed himself a moment of self-pity, hanging his head and closing his eyes against the pain of it all, feeling the hatred settle over him like a comforting blanket. His heart told him to go to Lisbon, but his head was saying something completely different.
A year ago, there wouldn't have been a question; he'd have obviously kept any secret from her that might endanger her or threaten her job. But all she'd ever asked of him was honesty, and she'd nearly left him when his dishonesty had finally taken its toll on her. He didn't think he could bear going through that again. Those pictures had captured his desperation at that time, when he'd sought to seduce her back into staying with him, careless of who might have been watching them. He'd been out of his mind with fear of losing her then and that mistake had been what had come back to bite him on the ass. It was that realization that finally made up his mind.
He'd go tell Lisbon what Bertram was doing, then he'd gather the team together and confess all to them. They'd work together to come up with a solution, just like they'd done to flush out Red John's mole, just like they'd done to get the team back together when he'd been exonerated of killing Carter. Sure, there were risks, not the least of which would be how Rigsby and Van Pelt would react to their flouting the rules that had ruined their relationship. But he had faith in them. They might be pissed off at first, but they were his friends, and he hoped they would be supportive once they heard that Bertram was blackmailing them.
Jane felt the first rays of hope since seeing Bertram slid those damn pictures to him. The bastard would get what was coming to him, and Jane would get to keep Lisbon and their jobs. At least, that was the plan. As Jane well knew, the best-laid schemes of mice and CBI consultants often go awry…
A/N: Okay, so that's the set-up. Next chapter will have more dialogue and less exposition, and more from Lisbon and the rest of the gang. I hope this caught your interest enough to review. I always get a little antsy about my fics when I don't use enough dialogue. My greatest fear is boring you, and that you skipped over paragraphs to try to find the good stuff. So I'm asking for some encouragement now. You still with me out there? Anyone?