Chapter 3 Almost Back to Normal

Lisbon sat quietly in the driver's seat as she drove with Jane to the Maximum security prison. She chanced a look at him. He sat silently in the passenger seat in a navy blue, pinstriped, three piece suit. His curly blond hair seemed a little more tussled than normal. She could tell that he hadn't sleep well last night. She focused on the road again and exhaled deeply. She hated how quiet they would get whenever they went out to the prison.

She peeked at him again quickly. He was staring out the passenger side window. She couldn't help but think about how different his countenance was today from yesterday when he'd discovered the mayor's wife's explicit affair. Then, as with almost every day since he'd returned, she could almost believe that things had gone back to normal.

Then there were the days when they went to question Lorelei. On these days she was reminded that things may never be the same again. She took another deep breath and tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

"Lisbon," Jane said startling her out of her thoughts. "Relax."

She looked over at him, exasperated by his comment. "How do you do that?"

"I can see your reflection." He kept looking out the window, and she became suddenly self-conscious—not sure if he was actually looking out the window, or if he was still looking at her. Lisbon could feel her jaw tighten.

"Everything's going to be fine," he told her.

Lisbon sighed again.

"Breathing loudly isn't going to help." Now he sounded a little exasperated.

"I don't think I like this plan."

"You were the one who said you wanted to do this," he reminded her.

"No, my plan never entailed you leading her on," she said coolly, while tapping the steering wheel with her fingers. In reality she felt the total opposite of calm.

Jane ignored her. "Let's just get this over with so we can figure out who murdered David Cane."

Lisbon looked at him again. He'd brought his right hand index finger up to the window, tapping it with his knuckle and his face was somber. It was a good thing too, because she decided she would never let him go through with it otherwise. She looked back at the road and took another deep breath.

"Lisbon!" Jane said in a less than patient and very patronizing tone.

Lisbon glared. "Oh! All right."

Jane walked into the interrogation room that had been set up for their frequent visits. Lorelei sat in her orange scrubs and was slightly reclined against her chair. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and a small sincere smile crossed her lips. He walked slowly to the chair that sat across the table from her and sat down.

"Patrick," she said smooth as honey, "you haven't been to see me in a couple of weeks now. I've missed you."

He gauged her tone before saying anything. "There was no reason to come," he told her honestly.

Her face dropped and for a moment she almost looked genuinely hurt. "You couldn't think of even one reason?"

Jane's face hardened momentarily. Lorelei was one of the best manipulators he had ever met. She had a way of getting under your skin, of making you believe things that weren't true, a way of seducing you into a false sense of calm. This ability on anyone could be dangerous, but what made it particularly dangerous on her was that she truly believed her own lies.

She liked messing with Lisbon, but when she said she cared about Jane she truly meant it, in her own perverted way. And when she told Lisbon that she had been pleased to meet her, she really had been, and when she told Jane that he'd been right about how there was no right or wrong, she had believed it to her core. She was so good at manipulating simply because of her stubborn belief in her own lies. It made her the perfect friend for Red John.

Even though they had her under constant surveillance, switched out guards daily, and had her in a maximum security prison, Jane knew that if Red John had wanted her dead she'd be dead. She wasn't though—she was alive, which meant that Red John still needed her. She still had a part to play in his twisted game.

"Don't do that Lorelei," he told her softly, avoiding eye contact and twiddling his thumbs in his lap. If there was a game to be played, he was going to bring it.

She smiled at him until he looked up, then batted her long lashes. "You really are very adorable."

"What's the game Lorelei?" Even he was surprised by the question.

"Right to the point, huh? We haven't tried this approach in a while," her grin remained.

"You and I both know that you're only here because Red John wants you here." He leaned forward in his chair bringing his hands up onto the cold steely table as he did and pointed at her with his thumb and index finger together. "And he wouldn't want you here unless he could somehow use you to bate me."

Her smile faded. "I think you're giving me more credit than I deserve."

"How so?" He hadn't noticed but he was still leaning across the table.

She leaned forward now too. "Could I bate you?" Her tone was curious, her hands came up onto the table. "I was pretty sure that bridge burned the moment I told you Red John had sent me."

He wanted to lean back, but couldn't. "It did," he told her matter-of-factly. "Which is why I asked you what the game was. Is there any point to beating around the bush now?" he asked in a soft voice.

She followed suit and lowered her voice as well, then gently slid her hands across the table until the tips of her fingers touched the tips of his. "Patrick, don't think I'm cold, please." Her voice was almost pleading, but not quite. "That night meant something to me."

He let her fingers slowly slide further down his hand. "Because of Red John, not me," he managed to say.

She shook her head, but held his eye contact. "Red John gave me the option to be with you or not. I chose to be with you and I'd choose it again."

His hand twitched under her fingers.

Lisbon waited restlessly outside the door to the interrogation room. Jane had asked for ten minutes and she was counting down every second. Her watch was lifted and she had her eyes on the second hand.

Twenty seconds, she thought. She wanted to curse at the warden for the lack of a two way mirror.

Thirteen seconds. Her stomach was twisted into knots and she wanted to curse at Jane, even though it wasn't technically his fault.

Nine seconds. She became suddenly nervous. What would she see when she went in, how would she act?

Seven, six, five. How was she supposed to act?

Three, two, one.

She nodded at the guards at the door, took a deep breath, shook off her nerves after cursing at herself for being so ridiculous, then opened the door. Before seeing them she heard the silence that filled the room instead of the contrary conversation she'd become accustomed too. They weren't talking.

The door finally moved out of her line of sight and she jumped slightly. She knew she had and she knew Jane would have noticed even though he was currently in an intense stare down with Lorelei. Actually she wasn't so sure Lorelei hadn't seen it either.

She shut the door behind her before the guards could see, and felt her skin crawl as she took in the scene before her. Lorelei looked as though she was staring at the love of her life and Jane looked pale, confused, and disappointed. They were leaning toward one another across the table and Lorelei's fingers were caressing the tops of Jane's hands. It was such a small thing, but it was so intimate. Too intimate. Lisbon felt her brow crease. She couldn't remember him saying anything about touching in his plan. She was sure, however, that she could remember what bile tasted like…

She stood there awkwardly for a moment before Jane, reluctantly, withdrew his hands from Lorelei's touch and placed them in his lap. He still kept his eyes on Lorelei. Lisbon was aware that Lorelei was now looking at her that she had been since before Jane had moved his hands away from her, but she couldn't take her eyes off Jane's expression. It made her worried and nauseous.

Lorelei spoke, "Not the best timing, Lisbon. But I'm still happy to see you."

That was enough to pull her eyes away from Jane, and place them on Lorelei. She looked happy and it was enough to make Lisbon want to slap the smug grin off her face. "Oh. Well shucks. Should I give you another ten minutes?"

Lorelei smirked. "Five would be enough."

"Cute," she said addressing Lorelei, then she turned to Jane. "Jane lets go." She walked over to him and grabbed his arm.

He stood up and let Lisbon pull him out of the room.

Just as the door was about to shut, Lorelei called out. "One month Jane. Remember."

Lisbon pulled him past the guards before turning to Jane. "What was that?" she asked in a whisper.

Jane smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Your plan in action."

"Jane, that was seriously creepy." Lisbon felt herself shutter and crossed her arms. "And what did she mean by remember one month?"

Jane looked at her thoughtfully. It made her skin crawl, but she refused to let herself shutter again. "If you are even considering keeping me in the dark about this," her voice was starting to raise, but she caught herself and went back to a whisper, "I swear I will never let you go anywhere near her ever again." Her voice was firm, but not unkind. Jane was off and she didn't want to upset him more than he already was.

He shook his head. "Red John's game."

"Game?" She pulled her chin back. An overwhelming sense of dread was starting to overcome her.

"It starts in a month." His tone was level and it gave her the willies.

She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"Lorelei told me that he'd be delivering a message to me in a month."

Lisbon took a deep breath, let her arms drop and squared her shoulders. "Okay," she said with resolve. She took another breath then lifted a finger and pointed it at Jane, "Stay." She turned and walked back into the room with Lorelei.

She had completely forgotten that she had meant to put on a show before. She knew she'd seemed upset, because she had been, she just hoped Lorelei would take it the right way. Actually she was going to insure that Lorelei took it the right way. She walked over to the chair that Jane had been sitting in and sat down.

Lorelei smiled at her with wide eyes. "Back so soon?"

"You want to talk about Jane?" Lisbon asked calmly. "You wanna tell me how he was in bed, about how you seduced him, or how he seduced you… about every touch… every kiss?" She drew out the word kiss. "Because if you do, now's the time."

Lorelei looked confused. Lisbon felt really quite proud about that, but stayed in character.

Lorelei thought for a moment, and then smiled lightly. "Why the sudden interest Lisbon? Has it finally become too much for you? Always on the outside looking in on what you can't have. Looking in on something that I've had. You wanna live vicariously through me?" She was becoming cockier as she spoke. "I'm proud of you sweetie. I was starting to think you'd never ask." Lorelei leaned toward Lisbon. "But why now?"

Lisbon fought off the urge to roll her eyes and vomit, all at the same time. She leaned toward Lorelei, and placed her elbows on the table between them. "I merely ask, because I'm sure Jane was a highlight in your pathetic little existence and I wanted to give you a moment to reflect on that."

Lorelei's brows brunched momentarily before she let out a little laugh. "Why's that?"

"Because in my life Jane's a permanent fixture and if anything happens to him there will be no Red John, no CBI, no prison guards, no nothing—just me and you and your regrets. You get me, 'sweetie?'" She smiled pleasantly at Lorelei, who now wore a very somber expression. Lisbon leaned back in her chair, and put her hands behind her head. "So go ahead, enthrall me."

Lorelei just stared.

Lisbon lowered her arms. "No. Interesting. You always wanna tell me how he was in bed, but every time you get the opportunity..." she let the sentence hang.

"Touché Lisbon. Red John told me you were smart. He's told me a lot of things, but not even he knew the lengths you were willing to go to for Jane." She spoke serenely. "It's sweet."

Lisbon raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"But what wouldn't a person do—for love," Lorelei clarified.

Lisbon's face dropped. She stood up quickly and walked to the door. It was open a crack and she could see Jane. Her stomach dropped. It'd just been a show for Lorelei, but it made her uneasy thinking that Jane and the guards had heard the whole thing. She pulled the door the rest of the way open, stepped out and made sure to shut it all the way this time.

"We're done," she told the guards. She avoided looking Jane in the eye, but stepped closer to him so the guards couldn't hear them speaking.

"So much for subtlety," Jane said quietly. It was supposed to be a joke, but there was no humor in his voice.

"If there was any doubt there won't be now." She peeked up at him, his face was hard and his eyes were sad. She looked away quickly—she couldn't stomach his expression anymore. "Let's go." She turned from him and headed away from Lorelei.

She didn't hear his footsteps, but a moment later she felt his hand on her shoulder. Not to stop her, or get her attention, but just because. They walked all the way out to the car at a steady pace, without saying a word, and with his hand soothingly on her shoulder.

The Drive back to the CBI was done in silence. Lisbon parked and she and Jane got out and began walking toward the building. When they were nearly at the door Jane stopped. Lisbon stopped too and looked back at him warily.

"What is it?"

"I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off," he told her.

She had to swallow a lump that had suddenly formed in her throat before speaking. "Okay."

He smiled at her, then turned and walked away.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she called after him and even she thought it sounded more like a plea than an 'until later.'

He waved over his shoulder. "Tomorrow."

She turned from him and walked slowly into the building. He hadn't told her everything. She knew that. Even when she'd threatened him, she'd known that. He often kept things from her and the team. It was his way of protecting them and himself. She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat again. Still, whatever it was that he was keeping from her she just hoped it didn't make him disappear again. The uneasy feeling she'd been trying to quell was now back in full force. It was going to be a long day.

A/N: So there it is. I was a little worried that this might be too far out there for Lisbon at this point in time, but I really liked it too. Let me know what you think.