Jane held a silent vigil over Lisbon for hours while they waited for the team to arrive. He wasn't normally a flighty person but every noise seemed a danger; every shadow an attacker. He tried to calm himself by running his fingers through Lisbon's hair and listening to her gentle breathing, but neither distraction helped when there eventually was a real noise; Jane startled so badly he was surprised that he didn't dump Lisbon off of his lap.
Someone was crashing through the bushes.
He gripped Lisbon tighter, readying himself as silently as possible should they need to run. He relaxed at the whispered sound of his name, calling back to Cho at an equally silent volume. The agent poked his head around a tree to the duo's left, rushing forward when he saw them resting against the base of a tree. He crouched in front of them, reaching forward a hand to Lisbon's neck to feel for her pulse.
His dark eyes moved to meet Jane's, "How is she?"
The consultant shrugged in response, "The same since I called you… she hasn't stirred but she's breathing just fine."
Cho nodded in response, "Let's get going then. I'll get Rigsby and Van Pelt; you go get Lisbon into the vehicle."
He then took Lisbon from Jane, balancing her against him on one arm once he'd risen and offering the other to Jane. The man gratefully accepted it, wincing as he stood and stretched his tired muscles out. He reached for Lisbon but Cho shook his head.
"I'll carry her for a minute, man; you look pretty sore."
Jane nodded in thanks and followed the other man toward the road. Cho was still supporting Lisbon on one arm, his other resting on the weapon at his waist. They stepped out of the woods and Jane gave a sigh of relief at the sight of the CBI vehicle before grabbing Cho's elbow.
"Stop."
"What?"
"Something's not right."
Cho frowned at him but drew his gun nonetheless. They stood in silence, both scouring their surroundings.
Jane shook his head, "Just can't put my finger on it..."
Cho shrugged, "Well, lets get you and Lisbon into the car. You can think about it there while I round up the other two."
Jane nodded and followed Cho to the SUV, still glancing around. They made it without incident and Jane opened one of the back doors.
"Shit," came the vehement curse from Cho.
Rigsby was tied up on the seat, unconscious, likely due to the large bump on his temple. Cho shoved Lisbon at Jane, whirling to face the dark woods, gun raised.
"Where are you?" Jane shouted into the dark, holding Lisbon awkwardly under her arms. He tried to pull her up into a more comfortable position for both of them, "We've found Rigsby; where's Van Pelt?"
"Right here," came a voice from the darkness. There was a rustle and Grace stepped out of the woods, Alex behind her and pressing a gun into her back. "I'm not too pleased with what you've done to my brother, Mr Jane."
Jane poked his head over Cho's shoulder, doing his best to hide both him and his boss behind the agent, "And I'm not too happy with what you've done to Lisbon. Or to Risgby or and Van Pelt for that matter."
Alex chuckled, "But I ain't killed any of them... yet."
Cho broke in at this point, "And let's try and keep it that way, yeah? How about you just put the gun down and let Agent Van Pelt go?"
"What, so you can shoot me? Don't think so," he growled, pushing his weapon further into his captive. Van Pelt gritted her teeth, more annoyed that she'd gotten herself trapped than fearful.
"I'm sure that we'd all like this to end without any further incident, right? So what can I do for you to get us all somewhere nicer, sir?" Cho peaceably questioned.
"Give me the car."
"I'm sorry?"
"I said give me your car. Haul that stupid oaf of an agent out of there and then you can all stand back while I drive your vehicle away. And you can hand me your phones so I can have a nice and big head start."
Cho frowned from behind his gun, and opened his mouth to respond. Jane cut him off with a sharp poke from behind.
"Sure, Mr. Roy. Car's all yours," Jane reached into his pocket and tossed a set of keys to the man, "Cho, you want to pull Rigsby out of the car?"
Cho looked at Jane, incredulous; Jane gave him an amiable smiled and a nod, "Go on."
The agent rolled his eyes, "How about I keep an eye on the man who has a gun on Grace and you pull Rigbsy out of the car?"
It was Jane's turn to roll his eyes, "Because I have Lisbon. You know, I'm thinking that way too many of us are incapacitated to be convenient at the moment."
Cho snorted before moving to the side, gun still trained on Alex, and reaching out to drag Rigsby out of the SUV by an ankle. The man hit the ground with a thump and started to stir, groaning. Jane set Lisbon on the ground behind Cho and pulled Rigsby away from the vehicle before moving back to retrieve Lisbon; Alex watched, silent and beady-eyed.
Jane stood up after having placed both of his charges in the dirt a safe distance away, "Well, there you are, Mr. Roy. Car's all yours. We just need Grace back, now, if you don't mind."
The man didn't respond but moved forward, shoving Grace along in front of him. They had almost reached the two when Alex raised his gun and Grace made her move. She ducked slightly, pulling away to spin and attack her captor, but the man was too fast. His butt of his gun was up in a flash and he hit her across the temple with it. She fell away, dazed. Cho leapt to catch her and Alex jumped into the car, giving them one last curse over his shoulder before he drove away and left them stranded.
There ya go; hope that you enjoyed! I was going to leave you with Grace still as a hostage, but this seemed less cliffy. Thanks for all of your great reviews; more are always appreciated! Next bit up as soon as I can.
Love, Moksgmol