Disclaimer: I will never own anything as cool as the Mentalist.
A/N: Chapter THREE!! wow, I'm way excited to hear feedback on this one. It's been my fave to write so far and Nellie helped with the middle and the ending so I'm very happy with it. :)Hope you enjoy. (I have a feeling you will) By the way I'm watching Julian Po right now which has Robin Tunney in it. :)
The plan was set in motion, the ball was rolling, the wheels turning and Jane had ordered Chinese for lunch. He wasn't sure anybody would feel like eating after the scene they'd found themselves subject to on the side of the road but it was worth a shot. Van Pelt, Cho and Rigsby had just made it back a few short minutes before the food was all set up in the small kitchen but Jane still needed to get Lisbon to come out of her office. She had let the team in to give her updates but she hadn't set foot out of it yet.
"You bought us lunch?" Cho was the first to speak up, not wasting any time in grabbing a pair of chopsticks.
"Meh, don't get used to it." Rigsby was next but he quickly handed the pair he grabbed to Grace who blushed and muttered a sincere 'thanks'.
"Wouldn't dream of it." The only reason he'd dug into his own wallet for this meal was in hopes of getting Lisbon to eat but he'd let the team think that they were special too. He occasionally bought them doughnuts or something so they really shouldn't be too surprised. Flashing them all a quick smile he headed towards the office door that had the name of his favorite CBI agent on it. The door was locked, no real shocker. He knew she'd open it if someone had news on the case but for now she wanted to be in the solitude to think. He couldn't blame her, seeing that boy had reminded him of that horrible night he'd come home to find his family dead. It had made him remember the little girl he had to bury before her time and to be honest he needed some comfort just as much as the rest of them. Lisbon was the only chance he had at finding any kind of solace.
He chose to take the polite route and softly knocked on her door. The shuffling of her feet could be heard from the other side bringing a small smile to his face. The lock clicked signaling it was open and then the footsteps led back to where she'd come from. His guess was the desk. Obviously she expected him to be the one to actually open the door and he would have but the elevator doors opened and a familiar voice caught his attention before he had the chance.
"Hey, I came as soon as I could." Turning to face the newcomers, he smiled at the sight of little Arabella waddling towards him with her arms wide open while Nellie walked closely behind. She looked adorable in her overalls and pretty green shirt. Her hair was only long enough to pin halfway back but Lisbon insisted on keeping it out of her face and despite the active life of the little one, she always looked well kept.
"Trick!" Jane bent down to scoop up the enthusiastic girl and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Miss you."
"I missed you too Bunny. Thanks for bringing her by." Nellie crossed her arms over her chest and smiled knowingly. "What?"
"Oh, nothing." She wasn't about to tell him that in the year and some odd months she'd been babysitting for Teresa that she noticed his lingering looks and the way he treated Ara like one of his own. Nellie had known him for a little over two years although at first it was more of them just talking whenever he passed her in the park he liked to frequent and she had found out early on that he was a very conflicted man.
"There's Chinese if you want some, the rest of the team is already chowing down and I'm fixing to get Lisbon." Jane watched her face light up as Ara patted his cheek affectionately to get his attention.
"Marvelous! I need to talk to Wayne about the twenty bucks he owes me anyways." The teenage girl stalked off in search of the food and apparently some cash. He'd have to ask her about that one later; right now there was a woman who needed some cheering up and he was holding the perfect solution to her gloomy mood.
"What do you say we make mommy feel better?" The little pair of green eyes stared back at him, her little hands pressed to both sides of his face.
"Her sick?"
"No honey, she's just sad." The small face in front of his own formed a slight pout almost as if the thought of her mother being sad made her feel the same way. In that moment he knew Ara had her mother's heart. Pressing a quick kiss to her chubby cheek he twisted the door knob and opened up the office. Lisbon was hunched over her desk with her head in her hands, she didn't bother looking up as he made his way further into the room and he figured she was still clueless. "Lisbon, I brought you a gift. A surprise"
"The only thing I want is to find this baby alive and then go home to my own baby." Jane knew she probably would have kept her face buried in her hands if the precious little one in his arms hadn't made a noise. She was wiggling around, trying to reach for her mother and the only words that slipped out of her mouth were the ones that mattered the most to Lisbon at this point.
"Mum-mum su'pise." Smiling brightly, he watched her snap up immediately at the sound of the sweet voice struggling with the word surprise. Her eyes met his as she stood from her chair, they were so full of pain and love that he wasn't sure what to do. His vocabulary flew out the window and he suddenly had no idea how to comfort her. Luckily the only thing she needed right now was her daughter and he'd managed that one. A small smile graced her lips as she gently took Ara from his grasp.
"Thank you Jane." Hugging her daughter to her chest, she let out a ragged sigh. Normally the feisty baby would have been wanting down to play but she seemed to sense that Lisbon just needed a moment to hold her. She rested her head against her mother's shoulder and wrapped her little arms around her neck. "Is Nellie here?"
"She's eating, I bought Chinese. Everyone's already got a plate if you're hungry." Closing her eyes, Lisbon hugged Arabella tighter and pressed her lips to the side of her head while straightening out her thoughts. The case was the main thing clogging her mind and there was no way she could push it aside.
"I'm not in the mood to eat. There's an AmberAlert out for baby Evan. Cho said the people in the surrounding houses didn't hear or see anything and...and..."
"Calm down, we've done all we can at the moment. We'll know more soon." Jane placed a comforting hand on her unoccupied shoulder bringing her gaze to meet his. The tugging in his heart intensified at just the thought of her being so broken by this case. He had to make it better, no matter what it took. "You should eat something."
"Ara do you want some food?" The toddler pulled back to clap her hands and giggle in confirmation. Lisbon had learned early on that when she really wanted something or when she got excited, clapping was her favorite thing to do. One look at her smiling face had both of the adults feeling slightly better. She was the one who could keep them going when they felt that there was nothing left. The days when it seemed pointless to even go to work in the mornings, the beautiful little girl perched on Lisbon's hip made everything worth it. They couldn't save the world but they could make it a little safer for her to grow up in and that was what mattered.
Jane followed his two favorite girls out of the office, his hand resting against Lisbon's lower back the entire time. It was a bittersweet interaction that left him a little more than lonely at the end of the day. It left him thinking about the way he used to walk with his wife and daughter, resting his hand in the same exact place. It also led to thoughts of when Christian had been alive, the man was a great guy. Jane hated the thought of Lisbon with anybody but he had to admit that Chris would have treated her right and had loved her wholeheartedly, something Jane wasn't sure he'd ever be able to do. She deserved to be happy and although Jane had been able to tell she didn't love Christian as anything more than a close friend, he still put a smile on her face. He hadn't known they were sleeping together though, that'd been a shock for everyone. They knew he'd asked her out and she'd told him that it was a sweet offer but he was just a friend. Christian had been dead for about a month when Jane had found Lisbon weeping in her office over one of those all too familiar plastic sticks. The ones that changed lives.
It ended up changing everything for the better but he could see that she still thought of the friend, the lover she'd lost. Even now as she walked with him, carrying Arabella he could see the distant look in her eye as she watched the baby so full of life in her arms. Of course Lisbon was still Lisbon and as soon as the team came into view she was masking her emotions with a semi-fake smile. Jane found it comforting that she felt safe enough with him to let her guard down, even if it was only for a short time.
"Hey, there's our favorite cutie!" Hearing Grace's voice, Ara jerked her head towards the young agent and held out her arms. It was no surprise to any of them that Van Pelt had been one to spoil and dote over the little one since the day she was born. She'd taken on the role as Auntie and claimed all the spoiling rights that came with it.
"Van Pelt, really that's very flattering but Rigsby's going to start getting jealous if you keep saying these things."
"You're full of it Jane, I was talking about Ara." His witty remark had done exactly what he wanted it to do; Lisbon was laughing as she handed Arabella to Van Pelt, and Rigsby's face resembled a tomato. Mission accomplished in his book.
"You guys crack me up." Nellie stared at them in amusement from her spot leaning against the sink. It was something she said regularly around the team and they'd all come to the conclusion a long time ago that she was part of their weird little family. She was like the younger sibling that still wore ripped jeans and combat boots. "Oh and Wayne, you owe me that twenty bucks." The broad shouldered agent grumbled while taking out his wallet to hand her the cash she had won. He'd been hoping to double his twenty but now he'd lost it. Lucky girl.
The question as to why he owed her money lingered on the tips of everybody's tongue but no one had the chance to ask before Arabella asserted her way into the conversation by asking for some food. The pretty green eyes and bright smile were enough to make them all melt into submission and it became a pass the baby party. Everyone on the team and even Nellie made it a point to share with the one year old. They'd pass the youngster along each time she pointed out someones plate that had something she wanted to eat on it. Her favorite plate to eat from and lap to sit in had been Cho's. Lisbon had figured he'd be the stand off to the side type when it came to babies but he had proved her wrong from day one of Ara's life. He was great with her, everybody was. Her daughter couldn't have been born into a more loving environment but there was still that one thing missing: Christian.
Watching everyone play around with Ara while she sipped at a cup of coffe, left Lisbon remembering a very interesting day in the cafe just down the street.
*Flashback*
"Teresa Lisbon?" She turned a little to the left at the sound of her name being called by a somewhat distant familiar voice. Just a few feet away stood a man she had thought she would have never seen again.
"Christian? Oh my...I thought you moved to Ohio or something like that." He'd been her only close friend through school after her mother had been killed. It'd been years...too many to count since she'd seen him last but he still looked the same. Older but with the same handsome face and dark curls.
"My God Resa, it's been so long and you still look just as beautiful if not more so. I moved here about a month ago." She could remember the first time he'd said something along those lines to her; they'd been hanging out on the front steps to the school at midnight. Her brothers were at a sleepover and she'd been home alone with their drunken father until Chris had come by. He had been the one who could make her forget the troubles at home.
"I look like hell, its been a long day but I'll take the compliment considering I was about eighteen or nineteen the last time I saw you."
*End*
Lisbon had asked him to sit with her and before she knew it they were talking about old times and new achievements. After just a few months time it seemed like the closeness they'd shared when they were younger was still there. Not quite as intense but still there. It had been so easy to let him back in but she'd noticed something different the second she laid eyes on him in that cafe; her heart no longer fluttered in his presence. The only guy that made that happen anymore was Patrick Jane. Where Chris had been her best friend through school, Jane was her best friend in everything else. She couldn't and wouldn't have ever replaced him with Christian.
"Lisbon? Earth to Lisbon...can you hear me now?" When her thoughts returned to the present, Jane was steadily waving a hand in front of face wearing a worried expression.
"What? Sorry, just sorta spaced out." Everyone in the room was staring at her with a blank expression, including her own daughter who had her head slightly tilted to the side.
"Your phone's ringing." She realized he was right and silently cursing herself, she answered it with her classic 'Lisbon'. The conversation was relatively short and to the point. After about three minutes she hung up and turned back to her team, her work face firmly back in place.
"A woman called in claiming to have seen Evan with a man at the supermarket. The manager's got the place locked down and Local PD is already headed that way. Nellie can you take care of this mess for me and then take Ara back home? I'll pay you extra."
"You don't have to pay me extra Teresa, I'll ju..."
"Nonsense Lisbon, I can already tell you the man is long gone. He would've booked it out of there the second he realized the lady noticed the baby. I'll stay here, take care of the mess and watch Bunny." Jane watched as confusion crossed her features. He knew she would ask why he wanted to stay this time. Normally he lived for stuff like this. It just reeked with potential but he wanted to sit this one out. Later he might tell her the reason why.
"Jane..."
"Nellie could use a little break and I'm free, if I'm absolutely needed I have a car and Minelli loves his Arabella." He knew he'd won this argument the second she sighed and slowly nodded her head.
"Fine. We'll back as soon as this is sorted out." It always amazed him how fast they could move when needed. Lisbon kept her eyes locked onto his the entire time, no doubt trying to figure out what was going through his mind. Two seconds was all it took for them to be out the door leaving him, Nellie and Ara alone with the mess they'd all helped to create.
"You should really just tell her how you feel Patrick." He whipped around to face the teen holding a yawning Arabella on her hip.
"What are y.."
"Oh don't think I'm stupid, the air practically hums with the tension you two put off." Jane had known that Nellie was very bright, observative, and had the ability to read others but he hadn't pegged her as being this in tune with her abilities to read people.
"I can't be what she needs or what she wants."
"Ugh, men! Did you ask her what she needs or wants or are you just going with what you think she needs and wants?" Nellie passed him the little one who was rubbing her eyes, and then set to cleaning up the food they'd left on the table. "Go think on that for awhile and let me clean this up."
Never one to argue with a determined woman, no matter the age, Jane made his way over to the couch cuddling the sleepy baby girl to his chest. He tried to think of anything but the way Lisbon had looked when she was upset but it didn't work. Lying down against the cool leather he shifted Ara around until she had her head resting just below his collar bone. She wiggled around a little trying to keep herself awake but as soon as he had started to softly hum, she was out. He let his fingers gently toy with the waves of her hair which only made her clutch his vest in her tiny hands and bury her face into his chest.
"I couldn't protect my family. How am I suppose to protect you and your mom?" He was thinking out loud again, the question hadn't really been for anyone to answer. It was just one of those things one asks oneself when unsure of what to do. His hand came to rest against Ara's back, rising and falling with each breath she took as the other hand found its place over the backs of her little legs. "Sleep well Arabella."
The sound of Nellie clinking around plus the normal hustle and bustle had his eyes slowly closing in a matter of minutes. He gave in to the heaviness and let the drop but swore to stay awake and think about everything the smart young woman across the hall had said. Too bad Ara's gentle breathing and the warm weight of her lying on his chest relaxed him enough to slip into a peaceful state of sleep.
a/n: My stupid computer froze up and deleted this entire chapter about four times. So this is the fifth time writing it out....hate the computer, love this chapter. ;) ~ Rina
