Disclaimer: Do we still have to do this? I don't own any rights to any of these characters or situations. And I'm certainly not making any money off this!
Author's Note: I came to fanfiction after Crimson Hat, so I missed out on writing tags for the earlier episodes. I rewatched Red Rum while writing a chapter for my Prisoner of Napa AU, and it got me thinking. This little one shot is the result. I know nothing about Wicca, so please forgive what I'm sure are wild inaccuracies in this story.
And to those who've asked, I have no intention of leaving these characters or this show behind anytime soon. As long as there are readers, I'll keep writing. Maybe even longer, knowing me!
"Agent Lisbon?"
Lisbon looked up to see Tamsin Dove standing in her doorway, wearing her superior smile but waiting to be invited in. In the bullpen, Cho was watching intently, hunched over something. Was that a Mason jar? "What can I do for you, Ms. Dove?"
"Oh, nothing. The goddess will provide. But I wanted to thank you. Truth seekers are special to the goddess, and I am her chosen instrument to express her gratitude." She held out what looked like a little cloth bag that smelled weirdly herbal.
"I was just doing my job. I don't need any thanks, and I'm not supposed to accept gifts," Lisbon said quickly.
"It's not a gift. It's a blessing. An amulet with no monetary value. Here." Tamsin held out the bag.
Lisbon took it reluctantly, sensing that arguing about it would only prolong this visit. "Thanks. What's it for?"
"It's a love charm. I'm quite good at them, if I do say so myself."
Lisbon tried to hand it back. "I'm not looking for love."
"No, I sense that is true. You've already found it, though you may not realize it yet."
Right, Lisbon thought, stifling a snort. "So I don't need it."
"It's not only for you. It's also for Mr. Jane."
A love charm for her and Jane? This time Lisbon couldn't help a snort, though she tried to convert it into a cough. "No, really, I couldn't."
"But you must."
Oh, brother, Lisbon thought. She needed to get rid of Tamsin before Jane wandered in, since he treated her office as his break room. But even though this was all nonsense, she couldn't help asking, "Why?"
"You don't have to be a witch to see that he's in pain. Loss of love is a terrible thing. It can twist a soul, leading it to darkness. Mr. Jane is at risk of letting the evil that was done to him take over his life. Only love can save him."
Lisbon couldn't argue with any of that. "And this charm will help how?"
Tamsin smiled again. "I can see you don't believe me. But you don't need to believe for it to work. Just keep it close to you. As long as it's in your possession, Mr. Jane may go astray, and may even be lost for a time, but he will always be drawn back to you."
Lisbon looked down at the little sachet in her hand. "Against his will?"
"No. No fear of that. Please take it, Agent Lisbon. It can save him. It can save you both." Tamsin nodded to her, then left.
Lisbon held the charm up to her nose, making a face at the scent. Then she opened her desk drawer and tossed it in. She didn't believe a word of it, of course. But it couldn't hurt to hang onto it for a while.
She had a feeling she'd need all the help she could get to save Jane.
mmm
In the early hours of the final day of Jane's trial for killing Timothy Carter, Lisbon tried to keep busy. Her things had been sent over from her office once her suspension had been made formal, and she seriously doubted she'd be taking them back and unpacking them there. The CBI was done with her; Bertram had made that pretty clear. Jane was going to prison for murder, and she was the one who'd been in charge of the operation that had led to the shooting. No matter that Red John wouldn't be killing again; Bertram couldn't get rid of her fast enough. It was all over but the paperwork.
She might as well stash this stuff away until she could get another job, if there was a police force anywhere that would have her now. Maybe a remote little town somewhere would be desperate enough to overlook how her CBI career had ended.
With her arm in a sling, she couldn't lift the box, so she decided to put away each item individually. Lifting the lid, she immediately noticed a weird smell and was dismayed to find the charm Tamsin Dove had given her sitting on top of her stuff. Damn, she'd forgotten she had it.
Hadn't the so-called witch said it would always bring Jane back to her? Nonsense of course. She'd spent hours praying for him, which was surely more effective, if anything could be.
Still, it couldn't hurt, could it? After a few seconds, she slipped it into a plastic bag, sealed it to contain the scent, and tucked it into her jacket pocket. She'd take whatever help she could get.
A few hours later, she found it in her pocket when she went to pay for her coffee, waiting for Jane to be released. Smiling a little, she tucked it more securely in the innermost part. She still didn't believe in witchcraft, but Jane was coming back to her.
mmm
The night Pat told her Jane had been arrested in Vegas, Lisbon nearly threw the charm away. Six long months in, she was losing hope. But what if hitting bottom made him reach out for help? If he didn't now, he never would. She had to pray he'd come to his senses.
When she finally found time to get to church, she left the charm in the car. It didn't feel right to take it inside.
But Jane came back to her anyway.
mmm
In Cannon River, Lisbon's most prized possession became a simple box of letters with a charm tucked inside. From Jane's words, she knew he had no thought of coming back, but he seemed to miss her. Occasionally there were veiled hints he might like her to visit, but without a direct invitation—not to mention directions—she couldn't consider it.
Still, that didn't stop her from dreaming of beaches and sunsets and a dazzling smile under wind-tossed golden curls. If he asked, she'd go. What was there to stay here for? The quiet had been nice at first, but now she felt buried alive.
Then Cho called and told her to be in Austin tomorrow. Jane was coming back.
mmm
Lisbon found the charm again when she packed to move to DC. She'd forgotten about it since she'd moved to Austin, but here it was, with Jane's letters and fragments of a turquoise teacup. None of it belonged in her new life. She should leave it all behind, get rid of it. Hadn't she decided to stop wishing for what she couldn't have and take what she could? Besides, Jane didn't need to be saved anymore. He was free to move on with his life. The last thing either of them needed was a charm binding them together. If she believed in that sort of thing, which she didn't.
She'd leave the box in the house. If she was meant to keep it, it would find her again. If the realtor threw it away, then that was meant to be.
mmm
The problem with having Patrick Jane as her move reversal helping hand was that he couldn't be content putting things where she told him. He unpacked her kitchen one night while she slept, apparently still prey to insomnia despite her having done her best to wear him out, and arranged it to suit himself instead of following her instructions.
When he found the box she'd left behind, he had to open it despite her protests. "Honestly Lisbon, it smells like there might be a dead mouse or something in here. There are health concerns to consider. I promise not to look at your Barbie doll collection or whatever it is you don't want me to know about."
"Don't be ridiculous," she retorted as he opened the box and drew out the charm.
"Phew. Potpourri gone wrong? Don't tell me you went through a Martha Stewart phase." Jane held up the charm, wrinkling his nose.
"That was a gift," she informed him.
"Really? What did you do to this poor person, Lisbon?" He gave her a mock aghast look. It was good to see him so playful. So happy. It filled her with a joy she'd never expected to feel.
"Nothing. You remember Tamsin Dove?"
"Of course," Jane replied immediately, though she suspected his response was automatic and preceded his actual retrieval of the memory from his vaunted memory palace. "Ah. She gave you a magic charm? What for?"
"For you," Lisbon replied.
"Me?" Jane's grin reached alarming proportions. "Agent Lisbon, are you telling me you've been casting a spell on me all these years?"
"There's no such thing as spells," Lisbon reminded him. "Anyway, she told me it would save you. So I just kind of put it away and forgot about it."
"Save me? You did that, my dear." Jane dropped the charm back in the box and slid his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her neck. "Though I'd say it was more through sheer determination than magic."
Lisbon felt her body respond to him instantly, eagerly. Maybe he was the one casting a spell, she thought. "She told me it would always bring you back to me," she managed to say as he slid his hands under her shirt.
"Your nonmagical charms were quite sufficient for that," Jane murmured in her ear. "And in the unlikely event I go astray, you won't need a stinky sachet to lure me back."
Lisbon moaned, pulling at the buttons on his patterned shirt. "What will I need?" she breathed.
"This," Jane whispered, fastening his lips to hers. When he had thoroughly claimed her mouth, he pulled back, then dropped light kisses on her closed eyelids. "These," he whispered, moving his hand over her heart. "And most of all, this." He kissed her again. "You hold my heart, Teresa. It beats with yours. I'll never go far from you, because I'd be leaving my heart behind. And I'll always come back. Not because of magic. Because of love."
As she pulled him to the bed, she thought he meant what he was saying. He loved her, a kind of magic more amazing and alluring than anything Tamsin Dove could ever dream up.
But maybe she'd hang onto the charm. Just in case he wandered off again.