Hi there! Happy Easter and Happy Royal Wedding to all!
This is dedicated to all who reviewed and enjoyed the story so far, there's a bit of a twist of fate in this chapter so do let me know what you think!
Much Love, Queen Em
I played the clown,
I pulled you down,
I watched you drown,
I seized your crown.
The man I was,
The man I was.
-Show of Hands
"Boss, are you sure about this?" Cho looked at his Lisbon who was zipping up a pair of high leather boots. She stopped and after a moment and met his gaze, Cho's stoic face that so rarely gave anything away was laced with concern and Lisbon had to look away, distracting herself with the other boot.
"I have to be, Cho."
"There are other ways of doing it."
"We haven't got time, when Red John finds out we're on Salone's tail, which he will do and soon, he'll be dead and we'll be back to square one."
Cho was quiet for a moment as he paced up the and down the bullpen, finally he said in an uncharacteristically worried tone, "You're putting yourself in danger."
"I know." Her voice was quiet but she wouldn't change her mind, they both knew that. "But this is the only way and I'll have the microphone on me which will get everything"
"They might see it," Cho interjected.
"It's sewn into the cup of my bra, I don't think they will." Her attempt at humour faltered somewhat when they realised the nature of her risky plan meant that item of clothing might not be hidden, though it wasn't because of the microphone as to why Cho was deeply concerned by this.
Lisbon sighed uneasily, "I know this is risky, and ridiculously out of character, not to mention somewhat hypocritical but I am willing to try, we have to try. We've discussed the plan, we've got an undercover in there and you'll be right outside. I trust you Cho, try and trust me on this one."
"I do, you know I do. 7 years Lisbon, that's how long we've worked together and you know I still have your back, I always will, but I don't want you to get hurt because of this, because of Jane."
"Jane doesn't know I'm doing this," Lisbon said quickly, "he thinks I'm working late on the Dean case."
"Just be careful, please Tess."
"I will, this is going to work Kim, I know it."
Although a little juvenile, their old nicknames for each other brought a small slither of comfort and reassurance in both their mission and each other. Yet when got into to the unmarked car, they couldn't help but feel they needed a little more than that to get through the night.
Cho checked his watch, if Lisbon wasn't out in the next ten minutes they were going to plan B, whilst the undercover was in there with Lisbon, Cho felt uneasy that he himself was not. Suddenly a small figure emerged from the door he knew Lisbon would be exiting from and his heart quickened and his body tensed. Cho watched in slight horror when Lisbon, still in her thigh high boots, emerged, running as fast as she could. Her shirt was undone, hair wild and blood was trickling from her lip and she leapt into the car as if her life depended on it.
"Shit, Lisbon are you okay?"
"Drive!" She panted and needing no further instruction Cho pulled down the handbrake and sped off, hoping that would be the last they saw of that dreadful place.
Back at the bullpen Lisbon staggered in and said breathlessly, "I got it, I got it all, check the mic recorded it all."
Obediently Cho set the tape up and they listened for the first few minutes to make sure it had worked.
"Well aren't you a pretty little thing," Salone's slimly tone blared through the speakers but they weren't fazed. "What's your name?"
"Betty, ma name's Betty." Cho's eyes monetarily widened when he realised the sultry southern drawl was actually Lisbon, who refused to bat an eye.
"Betty, do you know who I am?"
"Aren't you Mr Salone? I've heard you've done some bad things."
"I've done some very bad things, things that would shock you."
"I don't think anything would shock me Mr Salone."
"Oh you'd be surprised Betty," and the speech broke for a moment when, what sounded like the microphone knocking, occurred and Lisbon hunched her shoulders slightly.
"Right it got everything." Cho said quietly, promptly turning it off, not wanting to listen to Lisbon being touched by Salone who did indeed confess everything to the girl he thought the be Betty the 'exotic dancer.'
"I'm just going to get some water." Lisbon muttered and stood up. Her head was pounding the room was spinning; surely she hadn't just done that? She took a few steps towards the kitchen but felt as if a giant, unseen force was preventing her from moving and an overriding power pushed the back of her knees forcing her to grip the desk for support. Taking a shaky breath she slowly let go, yet she couldn't seem to get her balance, everything was blurring around her and she could no longer stand up. With an involuntary gasp, as tiredness, shock and pain at last got the better of her, Lisbon's legs gave way and she started to fall but Cho, as on the ball as ever, rushed to her aid and caught her before she hit the ground.
"It's okay, I've got you." He placed an arm under her knees and the other round her back and effortlessly picked her up, hating how small she looked in his arms. He placed her gently on the couch and crouched down to look at her, her bloody lip and blackened eye standing out obscenely on her pale face.
"Thanks Kim," Lisbon said weakly, too tired to be strong.
"You're okay Tess, you're okay." Cho put his jacket over her shoulders, though she'd done up her blouse she was barely decent, and got out his phone.
"Jane, it's Cho. I'm with Lisbon in the office, you'd better come, now."
"Oh my God, I came as quickly as I could," Jane burst into Lisbon's office, panting slightly, "Are you okay?"
She looked at him, her eyes wide, face pale, "I'm fine." She muttered. Jane went to sit beside her on the couch and reached to put his arms around her, "don't touch me!" She shrieked. Jane moved his arms away from her in a flash, his face horror-struck.
"Tess I.."
"I'm sorry," she whispered putting a hand to her mouth she looked at Jane with watery eyes, a look of loss shining through, "I'm sorry."
There was a moment's silence.
"Why did you do it?" Jane asked her, not meeting her gaze.
She turned away, "I had to."
"No you didn't."
"He had information, information that was invaluable, there was no other way of getting it. If there was any other way I would have done it, but there wasn't."
"He violated you."
"I got the information." She repeated flatly as if that would end it.
"You let a bunch of sleazy men touch you, do things to you, you went in with no back up, no real way of reaching us, you could have been raped, killed!" His voice was rising, the thought of losing her stirring him.
"But we have a lead on Red John!" She snapped, her voice shrill.
"But you're worth more than that."
"So are you!" She shrieked and tears started to fall, "So are you. You've said how you're not worth saving, how catching Red John is the most important thing, how you would gladly sacrifice your life to find him. Well I'm not letting you Jane, I'm not! I had an opportunity to get information on him, information that could lead to his arrest that would stop you acting like a vigilante and getting yourself locked up for the rest of your life! So yes I did let disgusting, sleazy men touch me, I talked dirty to them as they put there hands down my shirt, I went against everything I believe in and have worked for but I had to, okay! I had to!"
"No Tess, I'm not worth it," he gripped her and tears were welling up in his eyes, "you shouldn't have done that for me."
"I should have and I did. I did it to get the information to get Red John, I did it for the case, for the team and yes for you. And don't give me this I'm not worth it bullshit because that's getting way too old. I did it and I don't regret it."
"But why?" He almost pleaded.
"Because I love you! Okay," her voice was loud and high, her body shaking, "because I love you. Perhaps I'm being naïve, perhaps I'm being stupid and maybe I'm going to get my heart ripped in two, but the fool that I am I've gone and fallen in love with you okay! I love you Patrick Jane and that's why I did it!" She furiously wiped her tears away and hunched over, unable to look at him, "I can't keep doing this, I can't keep fighting you. We are getting so close, we are going to catch him."
"You know my intentions with Red John." Jane said coldly.
"But we're on the same side Patrick!" She exclaimed. "I want him too but you have to work with me, with the team, you have to stop acting like you're the only one trying to bring him down."
"He didn't kill your wife and child Lisbon!" He snapped and Lisbon exhaled shortly as his words hit her like a punch o the chest.
"If you carry on like this, one day one of us is going to have to choose where our loyalty lies and you know what, that's going to kill me, it really is."
Jane ran his hands through his hair, his eyes glistening and said in almost a whisper.
"I don't want you to get hurt Teresa."
"Red John isn't going to hurt me. Please Jane, please, stop fighting."
A tense silence hung over them, Lisbon felt herself becoming desperate, needing answers, needing him to come to their side. She gently touched his thigh blinking back tears.
"I've just told you that I love you," her voice was quiet, pleading with him, "Patrick?"
"Don't do this Teresa, please." He moved away, pain etched across his face, "you know I can't."
"You can't love me? So this is it?" Her voice was high pitched, an air of surprise in her tone.
"I think we need some time to decide what we want, where we can go. I'm sorry Teresa." He leaned in to kiss her cheek but she moved away, snapping her head in the opposite direction. He closed his eyes then stood up nothing left to say as he walked dejectedly to the door.
"Look at me Jane," Her voice was an angry whisper, "I did this for you."
He looked at her again, the bruise across her eye darkening and her bloodied lip becoming swollen. Her torn shirt revealed her lacy bra, a symbol of what she had done for him tonight and Jane had to look away. On both their faces was anguish, regret and sadness, at last the cracks were too much to bear, Red John had won again. Jane's need for revenge, thirst for his nemesis' blood had finally thwarted their relationship which was becoming so beautiful.
"I love you too Teresa, but you know I can't, for both our sakes. I'm sorry." With that he left the office, Lisbon shrieking his name through her tears echoing as he hurried out of the bullpen, his vision cloudy his feet unsteady he did the only thing he could think of, get in his car without looking back.
Lisbon's body shook with sobs, how could he leave after everything she had done, everything they had gone through. In her heart she knew it would be Red John that tore them apart, she'd just longed for them to have a chance, a real chance at a relationship at happiness, but when she saw Jane's car speed out of the parking lot she knew that like most situations concerning Jane, she was the one who got hurt.