This a sequel to Red Leap, and that's all I really have to say so please read and review. And of course I own nothing.
I had gotten far to used to that electric shock. When the blue light came I was gone again traveling across time. I don't know how long I've been leaping and I had all but given up on going home. Al would never tell me but I think he had given up to, but he was still here supporting me until the end. I was so lost in self-pity I hadn't actually processed my arrival at my most recent destination. I was sitting in the front of an office building. The computer screen in front of me had a desktop of a familiar red head and a young boy. I had seen that women many years ago. I looked around to see if I was alone before looking through my pockets. A gun on my waist wasn't an enthusiastic start. There was a wallet, the pictures were all of the red headed woman or the boy. The ID read Wayne Rigsby. Wait a minute, I knew that name, and the woman, Grace Van Pelt.
"Glad to have you back with us." A blond man in a three-piece suit was leaning against the doorframe. The man was Patrick Jane.
"Jane?"
"Dr. Beckett." He smirked.
"Excuse me?" I tried it was worth a shot wasn't it. I mean he couldn't actually know could he, but then again I doubt he called everyone Doctor Beckett.
"Now would Rigsby need to check his own ID?"
"You're not going to kiss me again are you Patrick?" I gave in.
"I don't think my wife would like that to much, or Rigsby's for that matter."
"Wife?"
"It was your idea after all Sam."
"Agent Lisbon."
"Correct. Now what can we here in California do for my favorite time traveling avenger."
"I'm not sure yet."
"No Al yet."
"I just got here myself Patrick."
"Well then put on a happy face friend." He nodded toward the door, "Yours is Ben by the way."
"My…" before I could finish the door opened and in came three children followed by a pregnant Grace Van Pelt. One boy, the oldest of the group gave me a hug and went straight to a spare desk. "Nice to see you to son."
"Hey dad." He didn't look up as he pulled a notebook out of his backpack. The two other children ran straight for Patrick and didn't hesitate to jump into his arms.
"How was school today?"
"It was so much fun, today a firefighter came and talked to all the preschoolers." The youngest and only girl explained. "We got pencils that change colors when we hold them tight."
"That does sound fun." Patrick put the kids down as Grace came over and pecked my lips before taking a seat at the neighboring desk.
"Did I miss anything?" She questioned.
"Lisbon and Cho went and took our guy to the station. Wayne was just finishing up paperwork." Patrick supplied. "Wayne and I were just catching up on some past cases, do you mind if I steal him for a minute Grace."
"No go right ahead I'll man the office." She smiled, I kissed her cheek and followed Patrick out the door.
"Things have changed." I glanced at the building we had just excited. The door read private investigators.
"Well after Teresa killed Red John we got married a year later Thomas was born, he's six now, and two years later Victoria was born, she's four. Your son is Ben he's ten, he was two when you last paid us a visit. You are married to Grace and she is expecting a boy. Ben is not her son."
"What about the CBI?"
"It fell to pieces when Red John was uncovered, he had followers in pretty much every division of it." He shrugged, "Teresa and I were offered positions at the FBI but turned I t down to enjoy a long honeymoon. When we came back we sat down with the team and made a group decision to stay together and work private cases and consult for different police forces. That way we could have our families. It was pretty easy to pick up cases since we got all that good press after Red John.
"So if everything is so good why am I here?" I wondered a loud.
"You got me." Patrick replied, "It's been eight years Sam how have you been?"
"It's been long." I sighed.
"Still haven't been home?"
"No."
"Well don't give up hope friend." He patted my back, "I never thought I'd have a home again and you made it happen."
"Sam you're never going to believe who we have to deal with again." Al showed up looked around and sighed, "Maybe you will."
"I suppose a nice to see you again is in order Al," Patrick followed my eye line to where Al was standing. "In a manner of speaking."
"You told him! Sam was that necessary!"
"I didn't tell him Al."
"He didn't tell me Al." Patrick mocked, "I mean watching a man pull out his own ID and stare at it is kind of a give away."
"Sam." Al groaned.
"I don't know what you're so upset about Al he helped us last time."
"I don't trust him." Al groaned.
"Why not he did nothing but help us last time." I tried.
"That must have been one hell of a kiss last time around." Al just shook his head.
"That has nothing to do with anything and you know it." I argued.
"Oh must be about time to bring up the kiss." Patrick laughed. "I don't want you arguing on my account. It's okay for Al not to trust me most people don't. Oh and as for the kiss it was very nice but I'm afraid there were no sparks on my end. At least not enough to leave my wife for anyway."
"Patrick do you take anything seriously?" I couldn't help but laugh.
"Yes I do quite often actually, but not when time traveling men from the future and their invisible friends are concerned." He grinned, "But hurry up and have your chat with Al because we must be getting back to the office, and of course I will help you put right whatever it is that you are here to fix."
"Well first off you are actually only about five months in the past from where us. So that's the closest you've ever gotten." Al grinned, and I guess that was good news, this was the closest to current events I've been in years. "Other than that I came here to warn you about Patrick, which apparently I'm to late for again. This Rigsby is freaking out in the waiting room, Beeks is in there trying everything short of medication to get him to calm down. We haven't run any programs yet because well it's only three months in the past it's hard to determine what might need to be fixed."
"Alright well thanks Al I appreciate it. Let me know when you know more." I sighed, I really did appreciate him coming to keep me updated I know I had been hard on him in the past but it's nice to have a familiar face around.
"You keep you're eye on him Sam." Al warned before opening the imaging chamber door. I thought when I was here last time Al had warmed up to Patrick in the end.
"Nothing." Patrick directed my attention back to him.
"Well I'm the closest to home that I've ever leapt." I passed on, "but since I'm so close it makes it hard to determine what needs to be changed."
"You could drive to where ever your project is located and say see everyone." He suggested, why hadn't I thought of that? I was so close to home, if I showed up three months in the past would it really change history a whole lot.
"But what about right here, right now. What about Rigsby and Grace?"
"Sam you know how you would drop everything to save someone else…well so would the both of them. So would Teresa, so would Cho. You probably chose one of the most understanding groups of people in the world. Each person in that office has had their share of upset and would do whatever they can to make sire no one else ever feels that way."
"You didn't mention yourself."
"If you haven't picked up on that by now I'm a selfish bastard."
"That's very true I don't know how I over looked that." I nodded letting him lead me back to the office.
"Everybody is going to dinner tonight and maybe take the kids to the park afterwards." Patrick informed before opening the doors.
"Where on earth were you two?" A short woman I recognized from all those years ago, only this time I wasn't looking at the reflection in the mirror.
"We simply went for a walk my dear. I was talking shop with a co-worker." Patrick kissed his wife's cheek.
"I don't believe that for a minute." Teresa looked us over.
"You see this Wayne she never trusts a word I say. Who told me I should marry this women again?" He harassed his wife and myself in the process.
"Well if I wasn't there I don't know if I'd believe you Jane." I retorted.
"I see how much I'm appreciated here." He plopped down on the couch in between his two children. "You two trust me don't you?" Both kids looked up and nodded enthusiastically. "Well I know who I will be spending my evening with."
"Daddy can we go to the park?" Victoria crawled onto her fathers lap.
"Sounds like the perfect plan to me Tori my dear. Which park should we go to?"
"The walking park with the really big slide." Thomas offered.
"Well I don't know if Aunt Grace is up for a hike." Patrick frowned.
"Well I'm not made of glass Jane, I can handle a hike." Grace argued.
"No but you are very pregnant." I wanted to protect my/Rigsby's wife and unborn child.
"I'm not due for a month Wayne, if I can still come to work I can handle a hike." Grace continued, "You already banned me from field work let me have some form of exercise."
"It's your call Rigsby." Teresa interrupted.
"Yea man it comes down to where you want to sleep tonight." Cho smirked.
"If you think you can handle a hike alright we'll go for a hike." I decided, Grace was a fit young women and as she said a month away from a due date no one else was to concerned about her hiking, she clearly thought she would be fine.
"Well then hiking to the big slide it is." Patrick set his daughter on the floor and made for the door.
"A short hike." I wanted to make sure Grace understood that. "With breaks."
"You don't have to worry about everything Wayne I'll be okay." She kissed my cheek and grabbed her coat. "Come on Ben."
"Patrick can you help me with this real quick." Ben called Jane over, "I don't understand this problem."
"I can help Ben." I volunteered.
"Seriously dad I'd rather have Patrick's help with my math no offense but it's not your strong suit." Ben shook his head.
"Oh be nice to your dad they probably taught trigonometry differently when he was in school." Patrick gave me a look, trigonometry Ben was ten. Okay so I can't really judge I was a lot younger than him when I was doing trig.
"Like you would know you never even went to school." Was the best retort I could come up with.
"Well I do know you probably didn't learn Trig while you were still in the fifth grade." Patrick returned, "Let me see that Ben. Actually no Wayne come over here and try your hand at trig who knows maybe you can crack this one for him."
"Patrick I want to go on a hike to if you explain it, it will be so much faster."
"Ben give your old man a chance." I offered, maybe I was here to offer connect this kid to his dad that would be nice and easy.
"Fine." Ben groaned, and handed over the homework.
"You know what I actually do remember this Ben lets see if we can walk through this together." We moved through it quickly and Ben caught on easy.
"Oh my God thanks dad that really helped. Okay I'll finish it up when I get home." Ben hugged his dad and ran out the door to the car with his backpack. The rest of the team was already waiting outside with the other two kids.
"He can do Trig?" I questioned, "but he's still in the fifth grade."
"The kid is a math wiz, and he's on grade level for the rest of his classes. So they have a teacher come in during his math time and teach him high school material. Wayne doesn't know what to do because he's more of a jock."
"Since when do you know Trig?"
"Since Ben needed someone to help him and I read through the textbook real quick a couple months ago."
"Are you two coming?" Teresa yelled.
"Right behind you love." Patrick smirked and held open the door. I drove behind Patrick and his family with Ben, Grace, and Cho.
"You okay?" I asked Grace a little ways into the hike.
"I'm just fine." She breathed, she didn't really look fine.
"You sure you're fine?" I questioned a little while later.
"Yea."
"No she's not Sam, she's going into early labor." Al showed up. "That's why you're here."
"What?" I turned and coughed into the woods.
"She goes into labor here and now, you're to far out to get to the hospital in time." Al explained, I pretended to look out at a view while the group went on.
"What happens Al?"
"She give birth here they get the baby to the hospital, but the baby is born a month early and in the middle of the woods the baby doesn't make it."
"We have to do something."
"You are a doctor Sam."
"Everything going okay over here?" Patrick came up behind me.
"No, not at all Grace is about to go into labor." I glanced over my shoulder. "The baby doesn't make it Patrick."
"Okay." Patrick hesitated, "Teresa has a first aid kit in the car, toss me that branch." I did as he said and watched as he used it to slice a cut in his leg.
"What are you doing?" I panicked.
"Damnit!" Patrick cursed falling to the ground.
"Patrick!" Teresa ran over with their kids. "Are you okay?"
"It's a pretty nasty cut." Patrick pulled up his pant leg. "Do you have a first aid kit in the car?"
"Of course, Cho can you run and get it." Teresa instructed.
"Quickly." Patrick called, as Cho took off for the car.
"He is smart." Al nodded.
"Grace, come here and sit down, we'll be here for a little while." I instructed.
"Here." Patrick offered his jacket as a back support between Grace and the tree. He motioned for me to come over. "Text Cho and tell him to call an ambulance because she went into labor. That will give the ambulance a head start." I nodded and followed his directions. "But Doc this is your area of expertise. I can help you, I've been through it three time before but I'm no doctor."
"I know." I nodded then glanced at Al, "How much time do we have?"
"I don't know Sam, all I have is she goes into labor while hiking." Al hit the hand link a couple more times for good measures. Patrick looked at me wanting an answer and I just shook my head. Patrick had just started wrapping his own cut with his vest when Grace yelled out. And things were in motion.
"Ben go intercept Cho and the first aid kit, Rigsby text Cho and have him wait for the ambulance at the head of the path. Tommy, Tori go with Ben stay together. And move quickly." Patrick hopped to his feet, obviously the cut wasn't all that bad after all. Teresa, Wayne give me your jackets, Grace lie on these. This is going to sound very bad but you're going to need to take your pants off."
"Excuse me." Grace frowned.
"You're going into labor Grace, calm down and breathe tell me how far apart the contractions are."
"I'm not having a baby in the middle of the woods." Grace argued.
"If Jane is right then I don't think we have a choice. I mean he has been through this before."
"Wayne take over the down below Teresa if he needs anything you help out. Grace listen to me okay everything is going to be okay." Patrick instructed, and I knew that was my cue.
"How far apart are they Grace sweetie?" I questioned, "Lisbon can you time it on your phone, and umm get me the water bottles something I can wash my hands with."
"You got it Rigsby." She seemed to be impressed by something.
"Grace breathe please just listen to me okay." Patrick sat next to Grace and held her hand.
"Don't you dare try to hypnotize me Jane." Grace shouted, squeezing Patrick's hand tighter.
"I'm not going to hypnotize you Grace but you do need to breathe, when Wayne tells you to push start pushing okay until then squeeze my hand and breathe." Patrick instructed, it was probably best that he was handling the calming process while I did the rest because apparently Patrick was very good at making feel calm around him.
"These contractions are coming to quickly." I worried, "this is her first born it shouldn't be happening this quickly."
"It was probably the hike Sam, it probably induced labor early." Al figured.
"I knew we shouldn't have gone on this hike." I vented.
"We got it we got it!" Ben came running with the other two kids right behind him.
"Bring it here, and then why don't you go play over there okay everything is going to be okay I promise." I instructed taking the first aid kit from Ben and opening it looking for anything that might be useful. "I've never done this before." I decided to tell everyone. "Not necessarily my area of study."
"Well I trust you'll do fine." Patrick nodded, "Grace breathe, come on you're doing fine."
"Come on Sam you can do it." Al nodded, "You studied this." I had to give him a glare. "Okay so just because you can't remember it."
"Alright I need you to push for me Grace."
"What no, no I am not having this baby in the middle of the woods, Wayne!"
"Grace honey you don't have a choice anymore you're going to need to push."
"Come on Grace you can do, listen you can here the sirens. The ambulance is on the way. Go ahead and push we will take care of you." Patrick kept talking his fingers were white from Grace's grip.
"Grace honey if you don't push you're putting the baby in danger." I warned.
"It's already in danger! I'm not supposed to be giving birth yet!"
"Grace I know how scared you are but you have to trust us. You know that we only want the best for you. I am not going to let anything happen to our child." I encouraged.
"That's great Sam the odds are going up this baby is going to live keep going." Al grinned, the baby wasn't out yet but I was able to give a sigh of relief that Patrick picked up on.
"Grace you're going to be all right." Patrick held her up, "just push and you and your baby will be in the hospital safe and sound before you know it." I could here people rushing behind me the EMT's were here, and one more push. I was holding a newborn baby boy in my arms. I gently handed him to the EMT and moved to be next to Grace.
"He's alright, he's okay." I held her. The EMT's were lifting her and the baby onto the stretchers.
"The ambulance got here pretty quick." Teresa came up between Patrick and I.
"I think it's their job to answer calls quickly." Patrick answered.
"Yeah and it was pretty convenient that Cho had to head back to the car to get you that first aid kit right before Grace went into labor."
"I know dumb luck."
"I don't think so." She just shook her head.
"Are you accusing me of being psychic Teresa?" Patrick smirked.
"Now that is ridiculous." Teresa rolled her eyes, "but I still don't trust the two of you. Something is not right."
"You better get on the ambulance with Grace and your child." Patrick instructed, "We'll take Ben and meet you guys at the hospital."
"Right, thank you so much." I smiled and hopped in next to Grace. The EMT's were busy attending to Grace they didn't hear me when I covered my mouth to talk to Al, "Why haven't I leapt yet Al?"
"Don't look at me, Ziggy says the baby grows up to be a healthy little boy well, okay he's healthy for the three months we have until it gets to our present time. He spends a week in the hospital under surveillance and then is released to go home with the family."
"This is all great Al but that doesn't explain why I'm still here."
"I don't know what to tell you Sam, I'll go back and check on Ziggy." And with that Al walked out of the moving ambulance and through the imaging chamber door. I sat next to Grace the whole ride to the hospital. while I calmed her down I tried to figure out why I was here and not her husband. I had saved the baby right what else needed to be done there were no cases to solve no relationships to fix this time around.
Sitting in the hospital was just as bad, if nothing was wrong why hadn't I leapt yet. Of course time or fate or whatever might know more than Al and Ziggy at this point they were only three months in the future after all. Perhaps Patrick was right maybe I had done this for them, now I got to head home. Only I wouldn't really be me, but I would at least be able visit until I leapt again right.
"You're still here." Patrick came and sat next to me in the hallway. Grace was asleep in the room with the baby asleep next to her. "I figured you'd be gone by now. Save the day and leave isn't that your style."
"If I knew why I was still here I probably wouldn't be sitting here." I was just staring at the floor.
"Somebody's a little touchy." Patrick smirked.
"How did you know it was still me?" I changed the topic.
"Rigsby would either be pacing out here, or sitting in there next to Grace watching over her." He shrugged. "So who decides when you leap?"
"I don't know." I admitted.
"Don't know?" He repeated.
"We've been operating on the theory that its God or fate."
"Nope." Patrick shook his head.
"Excuse me?"
"How is such a well educated guy so naive."
"You don't believe in God, Mr. Jane."
"I believe in the human mind Dr. Beckett. I believe that the mind is incredible it can remember everything but only recall some things. And I think you have the second greatest mind I have ever known."
"Behind your own of course." I interrupted.
"Well naturally. You can remember everything that has ever happened to you and you can recall everything that has ever happened to you Sam."
"No I can't, not anymore."
"Not since you started leaping." He cut me off, "Like I said the mind is incredible thing. Especially the subconscious mind."
"What exactly are you suggesting?"
"Sam did you ever wonder what you left behind when you leapt?"
"Of course…"
"You like leaping right. You like helping people." He questioned, and I nodded. "What do you think would make you stop doing what you're doing?"
"I don't know…"
"I liked making money, I liked selling my act. You know what made me stop."
"The death of your family."
"My family." He nodded, "I'm going to tell you a story. A couple years back before you and I met the first time around. I was nearly drowned, woke up with what the doctors called amnesia. First thing I did was steal money out of Rigsby's wallet and take off to some bar to perform my act for some oblivious marks. I did a lot of things I hadn't done in years. In the end Teresa took me to my home, where my family was murdered. I remembered everything. It wasn't amnesia Dr. Beckett it was the brain trying to protect me from more damage." He stopped for a minute to collect his thoughts. I was touched that he was sharing this with me but I was still a little bit slow on where he was going with this story. "Sam the mind doesn't forget it blocks out. What I see when I look at you is someone afraid to admit what they left behind."
"You think I'm purposely forgetting something."
"Not at all. I think your brilliant mind is trying to protect you. And once you figure out what it is protecting you from you're one step closer to getting home."
We sat in silence and I thought about what he said I remembered my family though. My dad was dead. My mom lived in Hawaii with my little sister. My brother had survived Vietnam. I saw Al all the time he was my best friend. Gushie and Verbeena worked on the project. Who was I forgetting? Hadn't Al told me I would forget someone, a girl. A young girl…but no that wasn't who I was forgetting well obviously it was but that's not what Patrick was talking about. He had said his family. His wife and child. My wife! I had a wife, Donna. I needed to go home and see Donna. "I have a wife." I finally whispered.
"I thought so." Patrick nodded.
"How does that help me get home, what does me remembering my wife do?"
"Doctor Beckett you have one of the greatest minds of our time, and all you've wanted to do you're entire life is help people. Am I wrong?"
"Not necessarily."
"May I propose something to you?" He watched me for a minute and then continued. "With a mind like that, I am very skeptical of the fact that your project didn't work." He stopped again and thought, "I think you have more control than you realize."
"You think I am controlling where I leap?" I shook my head, "Impossible I don't even know most the people I've saved. How would I know exactly what moment in time to go to, to put things right."
"Am I wrong when I recall that when we first met you mentioned that your brainwaves are linked to both Admiral Calavicci's brainwaves and your computer Ziggy." He questioned and I nodded. "Ziggy is a computer with infinite knowledge." He stated and again I nodded, "So in theory does it make sense that you are linked with Ziggy the same way you are linked with Al. You could again in theory share thoughts. So is it possible that…"
"That my desire to help people links with Ziggy's knowledge of all past events controls my leaps." I finished, "That's a great theory but most the time Ziggy doesn't even know why I'm there."
"Well you didn't know the link was there so it is possible that the computer doesn't know the link is there." He suggested.
"So what exactly?"
"So this is all happening subconsciously but you pick up a person in need in Ziggy's memory banks, without either of you knowing the connection. So when you land where ever it is you land Ziggy has just as much catching up as you do."
"There is one problem with that. I've wanted to go home since I first leapt if I wanted to go home why haven't I?"
"Again this is all a theory based on my experience with people and the human mind." He started, "But here is what I think. You are a good person, and good people always put others first. They don't know how not to help someone. So your desire to go home has always been second to your desire to put people first."
"Patrick this goes against everything that Al and I have been theorizing in the past ten years since I leapt."
"Well no offense Sam you both know machines, you know math, science, and computers. I know people and I know the human mind. And I know you are a good person who should take this opportunity to put yourself first. Or better yet put that wife of yours first. Who knows you leap now and don't go home you might forget this whole conversation."
"That sounds almost like you are trying to manipulate me into going home."
"That's another one of my areas of expertise." He chuckled, "Whose knows maybe I'm wrong and you end up in 1973 saving some women from a tornado. I don't know. Either way I'll be seeing you Doctor." He got up and walked off at the same time I felt that electric shock take over my entire body if he was right I knew the one person I wanted to help more than anyone else in the world. And I wanted to make sure they were the last person I thought about before I woke up somewhere else. Donna.