Cramming the mascara wand back in the tube and twisting the lid, Lisbon surveyed her appearance one last time in the mirror and decided she'd do in a pinch. She was wearing another pair of bejeweled jeans, a vivid purple top that exposed her shoulders, and short black boots along with a matching black belt she'd feel more comfortable wearing if her trusty handgun and badge were attached instead of hidden under one of the dinette benches. Her makeup was appropriately bright and her hair pulled back in a curly ponytail.
She still wasn't used to seeing herself with this hair color and she still hadn't totally embraced the woman going with it. There was an undeniable disconnect between her soul and the emerald eyes staring back through her reflection. Perhaps it was because the changes had been foisted upon her out of necessity and not accepted freely by choice. Or maybe it was that she now sported a color she wouldn't have chosen for herself. Or maybe it was nothing more than she associated the pretty red gold tresses with Ginger and Kimberly Yates in passing and not with Teresa Lisbon.
It wasn't that she was unattractive this way either. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even she could see that. Jane had picked a becoming hair color and the changes he'd made in her hair style were flattering. It was that the apparition gazing back at her simply wasn't her by any wild stretch of the imagination. Or anyone she'd ever wanted to be.
She'd been Teresa Lisbon, Special Agent, and leader of the Serious Crimes Unit of the CBI long enough for her profession to become her identity. Actually, that wasn't entirely true either. It had nothing to do with the CBI and everything to do with the reality she was a cop and a good cop at that. All the rest was her title. Unfortunately she was being forced to become someone entirely different and that wasn't as easy as one might think. Even under these circumstances.
As if all of that wasn't enough, there was something else she'd yet to get used to.
She wasn't used to waking up entangled in Jane though that was an experience far more pleasant than dying her hair. For one thing, it had been much too long since she'd awoken with a man in her bed even if the circumstances were far too innocent. For another, her bedmate smelled pleasantly of warm man flesh and citrusy body wash first thing in the morning. Not to mention rumpled Jane was easy on the eyes even if he had more cow licks than an electrocuted porcupine. Added to that he was a firmly muscled presence against her body she found irresistible. She didn't even mind his rather endearing habit of snuffling against her neck in his sleep. It beat the heck out of snoring. Right, she needed to stop that train of thought right there.
Putting her makeup and hair brush neatly away in a drawer, Lisbon opened the partition and exited the bathroom. From the closed bedroom door, Jane still wasn't dressed yet. Oh, well, so much for men taking less time than women to get ready. He'd blown that myth to smithereens. Meandering into the kitchen, Lisbon opened a cabinet to stare at four bags of whole coffee beans. The most pressing point of the moment was deciding which flavor titillated her senses this morning. Hearing the bedroom partition behind her, Lisbon closed the cabinet door instead.
"I will never get used to seeing you in jeans." She commented as Jane wandered out of the bedroom clothed in a heathered short sleeve black dress tee and well fitting jeans.
She didn't miss that he was wearing boots and a plain leather belt similar to her own either. Shaking herself, Lisbon decided she was definitely in an Alternate Universe now. Jane did not wear jeans. He did not wear black belts and expensive boots. He did not do sexy casual under any circumstances. The man rocked three piece suits with familiar brown shoes. That was what he did. Lisbon resisted the urge to ask who he was and what he'd done with her Jane.
Shaking her head, she decided this other was so not right. Not right at all. Not in any universe and never in hers.
"Lisbon, honestly, while I'd rather be wearing a suit, we both know doing so would give the game away." Jane said.
"Yeah, I guess it would. But this is so not right." Lisbon said again.
"You need to understand something. I wasn't born wearing a suit. There was a time in my life when I didn't." Jane informed her of what she should already know. "A long time ago before I ever thought about becoming him." Jane said wistfully.
"I still don't believe it." Lisbon said. "Maybe when you were a little kid. Not since you became a man."
Lisbon wondered briefly if Angela had had some part in adopting the familiar suits. Or if his manner of dress was part of the persona he'd eventually developed over the course of his storied career. Maybe she'd ask him one day. Or better yet, she'd ask Sammy and Pete. She was sure one or the other would spill his secrets. Especially if they accepted her presence as she hoped they would.
"Besides, you never became "him." You might have perfected a persona over the years; but, you were always Jane." Lisbon said with conviction.
"Well, believe it. Not doing so is a ridiculous waste of common sense. As for the other, you may be right. I was always into showmanship." Jane said as he opened the refrigerator door. "We need to get a move on. You butter the toast and stick it in the oven while I get the bacon and eggs ready. I'll even let you select the coffee this morning." He'd already filled the water bin in the coffee maker in the corner by the sink and placed the filter in place last night.
"What, no tea?" Lisbon asked as she smeared butter over a slice of toast as she watched Jane sit his bounty on the other end of the counter top.
Space was tight, but they were both getting their jobs done efficiently. As soon as she slid the pan in the oven she'd get out of Jane's way giving him more room to move about as he cooked. She'd grind the coffee over on the galley table in the nifty grinder they'd bought, dump it in the filter, and flip the switch. After she got the coffee started, she might go sit on the couch and look out the window. The RV Park was well landscaped and the flowers lovely.
"As much as I hate to say it, I need to save the tea for our more private moments. It's as much of a dead giveaway as the three piece suits." Jane said as he watched the bacon begin to sizzle before cracking the first egg into a bowl. The toast and bacon would need to be almost done before he scrambled the eggs. Reaching back into the refrigeration he grabbed a sprig or two or herbs and minced them on a paper plate mentally adding a cutting board to list of "to buy" items in his head.
"I think you might be right." Lisbon leaned over to kiss his cheek in passing a few minutes later.
"What was that for?" Jane asked as he contemplated whether it was time to flip the bacon.
"Thank you. You've given up so much for me including your guilty pleasures. I want you to know it's appreciated." Lisbon said in passing. "Oh, and maybe I'm getting into character."
"Then I think this would be more appropriate." Jane snagged Lisbon around the waist and pulled her in for a more believable tonsil flicking kiss.
"Don't push your luck, Buddy." Lisbon said not sure whether to laugh that she'd given him an inch and he'd taken a mile as usual or smack him for making her enjoy it.
"I don't see you fighting to get away." Jane kept his arm around her while he efficiently turned nicely browned strips of bacon.
"Maybe kissing you isn't so bad." Lisbon said wanting to bite her tongue off for letting the words slip past her lips.
"Maybe kissing you isn't so bad either." Jane rejoined.
"But not a good idea." Lisbon reminded him.
"Since we don't really have a choice, I'd say we enjoy the game and worry about the consequences later." Jane suggested as he gave her another kiss before letting her go.
"You might have a point." Lisbon said as she set the table wondering the whole while what she was getting into.
The lines between Lisbon and Jane and their alter egos were getting blurry much too fast. They already danced on dangerous ground and were flirting much too close to forbidden edges. While Jane didn't seem to mind, she wasn't sure she didn't feel differently. One of them had to remain the voice of reason. Jane tended to throw caution to the wind much too easily.
"Lisbon, we have a ten year foundation. I think our relationship can withstand a little judicious exploration." Jane said quietly as he scooped cheesy eggs on their plates.
"It's withstood everything else." Lisbon agreed as she made two strong cups of coffee.
"Yeah, it has." Jane sat the plate with the bacon and toast on the table. "While I don't think either of us wants anything more at the moment, I don't think a few kisses are amiss."
"Perhaps not." There was reluctance in her voice.
Carrying the steaming cups to the table while Lisbon returned the cream to the refrigerator, Jane watched her slide down on the leather bench across from him. Lifting the red mug, she took a long draft of coffee before setting the cup back on the table. While her first cup of the day was normally something she savored in solitude, there was something pleasant about sharing the moment.
"We need to eat and get on the road." Deciding not to confuse Lisbon any more than she already was, Jane changed the subject to what they should be discussing. "We have roughly 400 miles to cover today." Jane informed her as he took a bite of fluffy egg and decided they were cooked just right. "Fully a ten hour day or longer counting stopping in Amarillo. I'm sure you've figured out it takes longer hauling one of these things. How much longer depends on a lot of things like traffic and the weather. I've made a list of what we'll need to make this tin can a home and the basics we'll need in terms of colder weather wear. As tempting as it is, we don't want to buy one thing more than we can comfortably store."
Lisbon flashed Jane a questioning look. He kept mentioning cold weather clothes when common sense dictated they wouldn't be going anywhere there was snow and ice. That didn't make sense. Cooler weather, yes, she could see needing a jacket and a sweater or two if they ran into crisp fall evenings. What he was alluding to didn't make sense at all.
"I don't think we'll need it; but, between the storage in the truck and the trailer we have enough room to prepare for any emergency we might run into. Lisbon, as much as you don't want to think about the possibility, we may find ourselves passing through much colder areas if we have to leave the circuit or if we choose to take a different route in joining up with them." Jane gave voice to what he knew Lisbon had yet to consider.
There was no way to know where they would go before they were done or how long they would be on the run. It was best to be prepared for any contingency. That they were mobile was in their favor. That he'd seen that their truck and trailer were prepared for any conditions was in their favor, too. That he had a supply of license plates secreted away was even more in their favor as well. Hopefully it would never become necessary for Lisbon to find out he had them. How he'd gotten them was something she would never sanction.
"You don't think we're going to get out of this any time soon do you, Jane?" Lisbon asked already knowing what his answer would be.
"This is Red John we're talking about, Lisbon. What do you think?" Jane asked.
"I think we may never get out of this at all." Lisbon responded.
"Oh, we'll get out of it. I'm just not sure it will happen before he's caught." Jane reassured her.
"What if he's never caught?" Lisbon voiced the concern they'd all had for years.
"He'll get caught, Lisbon. We wouldn't be in this predicament if we weren't getting much too close for his comfort. If he'd wanted to end the game, he'd have killed you." Jane watched Lisbon recoil at his words. "He doesn't. He wants to make it more interesting from his perspective and temporarily shut us down until he can completely change the playing field from mine. What better way than to send our lives into turmoil than framing you and getting me away from the CBI?
It wouldn't surprise me if all of this suddenly disappears down the road and we're welcomed back with open arms courtesy of Red John. The only down side is we'll find ourselves back at square one with all the headway I've made recently totally useless. He'll have had time to rearrange his organization from top to bottom and from the inside out.
All I can really say at the moment is just because we aren't in Sacramento doesn't mean I'm not working on catching Red John and getting us out of this mess. I, for one, don't really mind the change of scenery. It's somewhat invigorating. It's also fortunate Lorelei had reached the end of her usefulness before this happened. She'd begun repeating herself in a most annoying manner." Jane said.
"You almost make him sound like God." Lisbon commented ignoring the Lorelei observations suddenly not feeling so hungry anymore.
"He's certainly not God, Lisbon. Not the one you worship. He's an immensely talented, insanely well connected manipulator who also happens to be a narcissistic serial killer." Jane said quietly. "That's quite the opponent without being a deity."
"Yeah, I guess it is." Lisbon dribbled wildflower honey across her toast before forcing herself to take a bite.
"Men like that can be beaten as they're only men." Jane reminded her. "It simply takes time and persistence and learning your prey."
"It's been ten years." Lisbon quietly reminded him.
"It's been longer than that for me." Jane quietly corrected her. "He's been at it at least two years longer than that. It's time to stop him and move on with our lives don't you think?"
Glancing briefly at the hand still gripping hers, Lisbon refused to go anywhere near that thought beyond putting a murderer behind bars. Actually, this one she'd prefer to kill. But, Jane didn't have to know that. Some secrets were better left unsaid. After the last few weeks, she finally understood Bosco's unmentionable actions so long ago and Jane's unrelenting determination to do the same for the very first time.
"Yeah, I do." Lisbon said as she rose to her feet. "I'll wash the pans and clean up in here while you do whatever needs to be done out there. It's almost seven-thirty. We need to get a move on if we're going to make it to Oklahoma City on time."
"Sounds like a plan." Jane released her hand as he rose to his feet. With a little luck, they'd be on the road in a half hour and hopefully to Amarillo in three give or take a few minutes due to factors beyond their control. "I'll take care of everything out there while you do this. Hand me the trash and I'll throw it away."
Lisbon watched him walk out the door before making a final cup of coffee and tossing their plates away. Quickly washing the bowls and pans, Lisbon dried each one before putting them away. At the rate she was going, she could join Jane outside. In fact, she just might do that. Lisbon put the dishcloth she'd been wiping the counters and table down with back on the sink before bounding out the door.
"How's it going?" She asked watching Jane close the outside storage bin.
"I'm all done. You can help me set up when we get where we're going." He said careful not to mention their final destination in case big ears were listening to what they didn't want them to hear.
"Sounds like a plan." Lisbon eased into him as Jane draped his arm around her waist careful not to touch her with his dirty hands.
"Open the door and we'll get cleaned up." Jane watched Lisbon do as he asked before stepping into the trailer and washing his hands in the bathroom. "We need to make sure everything is secure before we can leave."
Wandering around the trailer, Jane showed Lisbon how to ensure all the cabinets and drawers were tightly closed so they wouldn't find their contents dumped on the floor at their next stop. He also tucked the coffee maker neatly under the sink and closed the toilet lid. Glancing about their home one last time, he decided everything was good for the moment though he was sure he'd discover something he'd forgotten at their next stop. Jane only hoped it wasn't something breakable. It had been a long time since he'd lived this way.
"We're good." Jane said as he opened the door and followed down the steps. Closing the door, he listened to the click and glanced at the keypad one last time. "I'm going to check the connections one last time."
"You need any help?" Lisbon hesitated.
"You can get in the truck. I'll only be a minute." Jane's attention was already on the hitch.
"Okay." Lisbon watched him examining the wires and chains connection the trailer to the truck deciding there was so much more to Jane than met the eye.
It wasn't that she hadn't always known that, she had. He just continued to surprise her after all of these years. Shaking her head, Lisbon opened the door and grabbed the grip hauling herself onto the gray leather seat. She wasn't really all that surprised to see Jane doing exactly the same thing on the opposite side of the vehicle. In spite of their squabbles, they were in sync most of the time.
"Lisbon, give me your left hand." Jane said as he fastened his seat belt.
"Why?" Lisbon asked as she complied anyway.
"So I can remove this." Jane said as he pulled the emerald and diamond band from her finger. "Kimberly and Jonathan Yates are gone. Amber and Jack aren't married as you already know. It wouldn't do for you to walk around sporting a wedding band." Lisbon was surprised at how bereft she felt without the now familiar prop. She'd gotten much too used to having that ring on her finger in less than a couple of days and that was a faintly disturbing reality. "Never forget the devil is in the details. That's where most people trip up and we don't want that to happen." Jane returned the ring to the black velvet box he'd pulled from the pouch on the side of his door. "You need to remove mine as well. It goes in there." Jane proffered a second small box to Lisbon.
"Okay." Pulling the ring off his finger, Lisbon decided the gesture felt far stranger than sliding the ring on his finger had. "Here." She stuck the band in the slot and watched Jane click the box shut before sliding it into the same pouch he'd slid the other. "Are you going to be all right with a bare finger?" Lisbon asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Jane said as he shifted into drive.
"Oh, I don't know. Why would it feel strange? Maybe because you haven't had your wedding band off once in the ten years I've known you until we replaced it with that one." Lisbon said hoping to goodness he'd not taken it off with Lorelei. That thought would hurt more than she wanted to admit.
"I can't very well wear a wedding ring while we're playing lovers. It wouldn't look right." Jane reminded her.
"While I understand that, I want to make sure you're okay with the change." Lisbon said.
"Yeah, Lisbon, I'm fine with the change. It's long overdue." Jane said quietly.
"Then I'll take your word for it." Lisbon said as she mentally called herself out for being an ostrich burying her head in the sand over not pursuing that one.
"You do that. Oh, and another thing, forget the Lisbon and Jane. From this point on, you're Amber and I'm Jack. We can't use any other names. Not in public. Our freedom, perhaps our lives, depends on it." Jane said.
He wouldn't expect Lisbon to be her alter ego in the privacy of their home. It would be too much with all of the other changes. She wasn't prepared to become someone else 24/7 even temporarily. Lisbon was having enough trouble as it was and they were just beginning their life of deception. The woman was too much of a straight shooter.
"What happens if someone stumbles on those rings?" Lisbon asked.
"They'll probably ask Jack if he's considering popping the question since he's gone to enough trouble to buy the rings. I've already told you carnies are nosy people." Jane stated the logical conclusion. "I'd expect nothing less."
"And is he?" Lisbon wanted to slap herself for playing along with Jane's silly game and asking the stupid question he was luring her to ask.
"Yeah, Amber, I think he is." Jane said as he looked in his rear view mirror preparing to merge into traffic.
"Then Amber's in for quite a surprise." Lisbon said.
"Yeah, I think she is." Jane said as he eased into the flow of traffic not at all disturbed by their conversation. "Hypothetically, how do you think Amber would respond to such a question?"
"She wouldn't have a whole lot choice but to accept would she? Otherwise she'd blow her cover." Lisbon said.
"Then we better hope nobody finds those rings or Jack might hold her to it." Jane responded.
"Shush, Jane, we aren't having this conversation." Lisbon said. "Amber and Jack are make-believe."
"Jane doesn't live here anymore." Jane quietly corrected her deciding he'd rattled Lisbon enough for the moment.
He'd unintentionally rattled himself as well. He was slipping up entirely too much for comfort. If he didn't watch it, Lisbon was going to call him on his runaway mouth in a way he couldn't wriggle out of without doing serious damage to their relationship which was the last thing he wanted to do. It had all started with that "Love you, Lisbon" in the heat of the moment when he'd not been positive he'd make it out of that con alive and progressed from there.
"Fine. We aren't having this conversation any more, Jack." Lisbon responded.
"No, I don't suppose we are. Don't let me forget we need to hit a beauty supply before we leave Amarillo. We'll stop at that RV Park on the outskirts to put our purchases away, rest, and take advantage of the amenities for a while. While we're there, we'll tint and trim your hair again. It won't take that long. I might do a little work on mine as well. I honestly don't think Amber and Jack need to show up looking like Kimberly and Jonathan Yates."
Actually, he'd pay for an overnight slip; but they wouldn't be coming back once they left. The owners wouldn't care if their plans changed. They'd be fully compensated for a few hours use.
"Whatever you think is best." It would do no good to protest she really didn't want to see yet another woman staring back at her when she'd yet to get used to the first. In this instance she couldn't help thinking Jane knew best. Lisbon wondered again how Jane knew so much about cutting and coloring hair.
There was more to this than his carney background. She suspected Jane's past was more colorful than she knew. Than she ever wanted to know. She'd hazard a guess his cosmetology skills had more to do with being a con than anything else. He'd probably had to learn a lot about drastically changing his appearance to stay ahead of the law. Or more likely the marks who'd gladly take his head off or worse if they caught him.
"I think Amber would look nice with hair the same deep honey gold as her name with a few layers framing her face." Jane said already deciding the tints he would need to buy and the amount of each he would need to get the color he wanted.
He might add a few mahogany highlights to his own unruly mop. He wasn't sure; but, he'd know by the time they got where they were going. He knew as well that Lisbon's mind was churning trying to figure out all the possible ways he might have come by his unusual knowledge. As with most things, he wasn't enlightening her.
She didn't need to know about Felix's wife, Betty, who'd been a waitress and hairdresser before she'd run off with her carney husband-to-be in the hopes of escaping the boredom of small town life. Nor did she have to know about the young kid who'd gladly eaten her cookies and watched her every move in her portable beauty shop every chance he'd gotten. Coloring and cutting hair wasn't that difficult once he'd observed the basics. Or it wasn't for Patrick Jane. It hadn't hurt the long dead Betty had freely shared her secrets with him as well. They'd come in handy over the years. He'd had to do a quick change with his appearance more than once over the years.
"How do you think Sammy and Pete will act?" Lisbon asked the question weighing most heavily on her. Sammy had never really taken to her the first time around.
"Towards you? Pete will be fine. I think you impressed him with your tough lady cop persona. Sammy might be another matter. She's a harder nut to crack." Jane confirmed what she already suspected.
"Because she doesn't like cops and I'm a cop?" Lisbon asked.
"Yeah, that whole Cagney and Lacy had a baby named Pepper thing. Only she might take one look at you and change her mind. You don't look very much like a Pepper anymore." Jane said. "Just take it all in stride. Sammy will come around eventually. What you did for Danny went a long way in changing her opinion."
"I hope so." Lisbon said.
"I know so. Everything will be all right." Jane reached out to pat her hand. "We've got a long journey ahead of us. What do you want to talk about? Why don't you tell me some stories for a change?"
"What kinds of stories?" Lisbon asked not sure she liked the direction this conversation was heading.
"I don't know. Maybe whatever you want to share for starters. The more we know about each other, the easier it will be to pull this thing off." Jane said quietly knowing neither of them were the kind of people to share personal moments easily…especially not the painful ones.
"You want to hear about some more about the Police Academy?" Lisbon asked. There were a few amusing anecdotes she wouldn't mind telling.
It was the other stuff, the real sharing, she wasn't sure about. She'd never told anyone about her personal life. Not at the CBI. As Jane had never really told anyone much about Angela and Charlotte Anne, except the tiny bits and pieces he'd shared with her over the years. He'd told her a little more since they'd started their journey. Actually, he'd told her more than he had in the decade before.
Lisbon had started to get a feel for the kind of woman his late wife had been. More than she'd ever gotten from those files filled with sterile facts and observances. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, Angela was a lot like her in some very basic ways yet they were as different as night and day in others. As for Charlotte, she sounded like the precocious charmer Lisbon would expect any offspring of Jane's to be. Mentally shaking herself, she realized the rare gift she'd received in knowing even that much about Jane's most precious memories.
"That would be fine." A masculine voice broke into her thoughts.
"When I was about five and James was three, Mom took us to the park…" Lisbon began against her will unable to stop the words from tumbling forth.
Jane smiled widely at the thought none of that was anything Lisbon meant to say.
#
Staring at her reflection in the mirror one last time, Lisbon shook her head. Jane had done it again. He'd transformed her into yet a third woman she didn't know. Her hair was now a warm shade of burnished amber gold with long bangs and becoming layers softening her face. Placing both hands on the sink and bowing her head, Lisbon prayer she could handle all of these changes in so little time.
Her head was spinning and she was second guessing her every move already. She supposed it was only to be expected feeling so off kilter. She lived most of her life clearly defined by black and white though Jane had certainly introduced quite a few shades of gray. She'd just never expected to add shades of red and gold to already straining boundaries.
The only constant in her life at the moment was the man in the other room. He tethered her to reality when she felt swamped by the unknown. However, given her tether was Patrick Jane, Lisbon wasn't entirely convinced that was a good thing as his hold on reality was tenuous on occasion.
What had she gotten herself into? As usual, it was Red John's fault. Well, it was actually her own fault for getting obsessed with Rafferty and playing into their nemesis's hands; but she wasn't admitting that out loud. Jane already knew and he was trying to get her out of this mess of her own creation.
"We're out of time, Lisbon." Jane's voice penetrated her thoughts.
"I'll be there in a minute." Swiping a little more gloss over her lips, Lisbon slid the bathroom door open and walked into the living room.
"You look cute." Jane said.
"I don't look cute." Lisbon countered.
"Yeah, you do. But, I'll say you're a wiry little thing who looks fully capable of helping put one of those spinning tea cup rides together if you'd prefer." Jane responded.
"I think I like cute better." Lisbon said.
"Good, so do I. Everything's going to be alright." Jane reassured Lisbon as he studied her.
She was wearing plain jeans, a skimpy black tank that left nothing to the imagination, and the boots she'd taken such a strong shine to. With her new hair color and style, she looked cute. Actually, she looked wickedly delicious. Like some kind of kick butt fantasy Lisbon. But, he wasn't telling her that. She'd hurt him.
"I hope so." Lisbon said as he escorted her out the door.
"It will." Jane said as he wrapped his fingers through hers as they walked across the lot towards the familiar travel trailer Lisbon recognized from before.
Stepping up on the first step, Jane wasn't surprised when Pete opened the door letting them both inside. Blinking at the change in lighting, Lisbon watched the small woman watching her every move.
"Well, Sammy, what do you think?" Jane asked the woman as he noted the questioning look on her face.
"Where's Pepper?" Sammy asked.
"In Sacramento where she belongs." Jane answered. "This is Amber Rhodes."
"Well, Amber, it's nice to meet you I guess." Sammy said deciding maybe everything would be okay.
The cop wasn't looking or acting like a cop and as long as things remained that way she wouldn't spook the rest of the crew. As for Jane, any of the hand full of old timers still around who actually knew him would play along. They'd figure he was running a con and wouldn't want to spoil the game. He'd do the same for them…professional courtesy and all that.
It really didn't matter Jane had taken to consorting with the enemy now he was back in the fold. That he'd gone to such lengths to get Danny out of that bind a while back proved he was the same old Jane. That and they understood exactly why he'd taken up with law enforcement. Not a one of them was sure they wouldn't do the same under similar circumstances.
"Nice to meet you, Sammy." Lisbon shook the extended hand well aware that Pete was watching their interaction with an amused glint in his eyes. "You, too, Pete." Lisbon couldn't help breaking into a grin as she awkwardly shook his hand, too. She hoped she got to see Daisy soon.
"Jack, what do you say to we leave these two to get acquainted while we go see if you've still got the touch? There's a game starting right about now over at Stinky's place." Pete said with a pleased lilt to his tone satisfied everything was going to be just fine.
"I'd say lead the way. Let's go clean out some old timers. Don't wait up for me, Lisbon, I may be a while." Jane said as he leaned over to give her a kiss well aware she wasn't pleased at being abandoned at such a pivotal moment. "That's got nothing to do with Amber and Jack and everything to do with Lisbon and Jane." Jane whispered in her ear before walking out the door leaving a thoroughly confused female in his wake.
"Spill, Pepper." Sammy said as she sat two shot glasses on the table before them and filled them with tequila.
Looking into the curious eyes boring into hers, Lisbon decided for hundredth time since this adventure started that Jane was a dead man.
How was she supposed to explain the nature of their relationship to the woman sitting across from her when she was clueless herself?
"There isn't much to say." Lisbon said as she twirled the glass absently in her fingers not yet ready to knock back the alcohol.
"Oh, there's a lot to say." Sammy said meaningfully. "We wondered what was up when he brought you around the first time. We weren't sure; but, everyone knows that man wouldn't bring anyone around he didn't trust. That was revealing. Jane's still carney whether he accepts it or not and he doesn't trust anyone lightly. We weren't too sure about you; but, we knew it wasn't just one sided when you let Danny go."
"Nothing's up, Sammy. We're friends, I'm in trouble, we're trying to stop a serial killer, and we're playing roles." Lisbon said as she set her glass aside.
"Keep telling yourself that, Sugar. We knew Jane before and we knew Angela. We knew Jane and Angela together. It wasn't love at first sight or any of that nonsense you might expect. Their desire to escape this place was what drew them together before they ever started falling for each other. We watched it happen and we weren't surprised when they made their great escape.
Don't ever doubt they were happy together. Angela knew what she had in Jane and she loved him anyway. Not so much the part you respect but don't really understand; but, the good man that's also a part of him. She loved the good and the bad equally. Jane loved her partially because she was capable of accepting him for the man he is." Sammy knocked back her shot before sitting in silence gathering her thoughts.
"I know Jane loved his wife and daughter. I've never questioned that." Lisbon gazed at her shot before lifting it to her lips. She hoped this was the first and last one offered. She'd turn down another. Well, maybe she'd accept a second. But three would be pushing it on the rare days she decided to indulge. Lisbon wasn't about to sit across from Sammy and let the other woman get her drunk.
"He's got that same look in his eyes when he looks at you." Sammy said.
"No, he doesn't." Lisbon responded. "He definitely doesn't."
"He might not have said the words yet; but, anyone who knows Jane like we do can see it in his eyes." Sammy said with conviction. "I only hope you figure out your feelings before it's too late. Otherwise, this whole thing is going to be one unholy mess before it's over."
"I think we'll be all right before that happens." Lisbon said.
"You don't have to say anything more. I'll let Pete know you're all right in my book." Sammy pronounced her decision. She'd still keep her eye on the other woman. But she'd passed the first test and that would do for now.
Lisbon decided she couldn't ask for anything more at the moment.
#
Since I wanted to get this posted before work since it's been a few days, it has not really been edited so there are mistakes of every possible kind which I will fix when I get home. ~Calla