Chapter 6: Pearls

Monday, 3:15 PM

Jane leaned against the side of a marked police car with his arms crossed and his blue eyes squinting in the harsh, unabated sunlight. The sun reflected off the pavement and intensified the heat at the scene of the car accident, so much so that he had stripped off his jacket and unbuttoned his black vest. He was in the middle of the commotion as crowds of people lined up behind the yellow tape to see who was being hauled away in a body bag. His attention, however, was far removed from the actual accident. He was watching Lisbon, from afar, being reprimanded by her boss.

"What were you thinking? A high speed car chase in a highly populated area?" Patel, Lisbon's boss, admonished her harshly. She held his gaze and stood her ground, yet Jane could tell from the slump in her shoulders and the tired creases around her eyes that this whole incident had taken an emotional toll on her. Having your boss tell you that it was all your fault didn't help.

"I know it was a mistake, but he hurt a member of my team…" Lisbon argued wholeheartedly; defending her action. Patel gave her a stern look.

"You weren't even here to arrest him, just bring him in!" He explained, gesturing with his hands exasperatedly. It was times like this that he hated being the boss. "What you exhibited was poor judgment. More people could have been killed." He emphasized, truly disappointed in her. "I should suspend you."

Jane couldn't take it. He was determined to intervene on her behalf, but as he started forward, Cho appeared and grabbed his arm, and gently pushed him back against the car.

"She can handle it." He told him, releasing him and turning to lean against the car beside him.

"I know she can, but she shouldn't have to." Jane explained, glancing over at Cho.

"It's not worth getting yourself fired." Cho commented, knowing very well that Jane sometimes, though rarely, had a temper and a flare for the dramatic. "She's the boss and this is her battle. She doesn't want or need you to take the fall for her." Cho furthered, glancing around the intersection at the curious surveyors.

"I was the one who said it was Jaden." Jane pointed out. "She blames herself for his death." He observed. He knew that Lisbon, being the boss of the team, felt a great deal of responsibility and that she was quick to blame herself for other's mistakes.

"It comes with the job." Cho stated bluntly, patting him on the shoulder. "She can handle it." Jane smiled, recognizing that under Cho's emotionless façade, he deeply cares for his team members.

"Lisbon," Patel started, his tone softer, "you're an excellent agent, one of the best, and I know you acted with the best intentions." He told her honestly. "Because I know this, I'm not going to suspend you." He explained.

"Thank you, sir." Lisbon responded respectfully.

"I want you to go home and rest and if you're up to it, you can continue the case tomorrow." Patel told her with a weak smile. He didn't like being the bad guy all the time. Lisbon was about to object when Patel affirmed, "that was an order."

"Yes, boss." She replied before Mr. Patel left. She then turned to her right to see Cho and Jane watching her expectantly. Lisbon sighed and walked towards them. They were both silent as if fearing retaliation for any comment they might give. Jane looked around to make sure their boss was out of view, before gently brushing his left hand against Lisbon's arm in a soothing manner.

"You okay?" He asked softly, already knowing she wasn't.

"You know I'm not okay." Lisbon observed, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yeah, but you told me it was 'common courtesy' to ask." Jane replied with a smile, referring back to that morning's conversation. Jane grasped her hand and Lisbon turned so she too could lean against the police car. She hid her and Jane's clasped hands between them, so no one would notice. Jane smiled at her constant worrying. He knew that eventually she would have to overcome her fear of them being caught together and he knew that it wouldn't be hard for him to convince her, but right now, he didn't mind the secret. She had more important things to worry about… like informing Jaden's family and friends and then proving that he murdered Andrew Till.

"We shouldn't." She remarked, feeling noticeably self-conscious sitting shoulder to shoulder with Jane with him gently caressing her hand behind her back.

"No one will notice." Jane assured her, still amused. Lisbon leaned forward slightly so she could actually acknowledge Cho.

"How's your neck?" She questioned, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Better. I still can't turn my head, but it's better." Cho shrugged.

"Has anyone checked on Van Pelt?" Lisbon asked, suddenly remembering their injured friend. Jane and Cho both pointed at the exact same time towards an ambulance parked down the street. "Rigsby." Lisbon guessed.

"Who else?" Cho replied bluntly.

"I'm going to make sure she's okay." Lisbon announced, pulling away from Jane and heading down the street in their direction.

"You two are cute together." Cho commented impassively. Jane smiled.

"I never figured you for a romantic." He replied with a cheery grin.

"What did Rigsby say?" Cho asked suddenly, looking over at Jane.

"His relationship isn't what he thought it would be." Jane explained, not surprised by the question.

"Van Pelt says that she's embarrassed by Rigsby." Cho added. Jane laughed slightly at the excuse.

"Rigsby needs to step up and prove to Van Pelt that they belong together." He expounded, glancing over at Cho.

"You know you could just tell him that." Cho pointed out.

"I could," Jane shrugged, "but when was the last time he took my advice?" He furthered before walking past Cho and down the street after Lisbon. Cho knew Jane had a plan to get the two together, but as of yet, he wasn't sure what that plan actually entailed. Cho followed him.

Monday, 3:25 PM

"Are you okay?" Lisbon asked Van Pelt as a paramedic bandaged her face.

"I'm fine, boss." She assured her with a smile. Her smile then faded and was replaced with shame. "I'm sorry I didn't catch him." She apologized, her gaze shifting to the floor.

"Don't worry about it." Lisbon reassured her. Van Pelt flinched slightly as the paramedic finished.

"You had him running scared." Rigsby commented, recalling the chase. Van Pelt smiled at him.

"You should go home." Lisbon directed.

"I'll drive her back." Rigsby added, agreeing with Lisbon. Van Pelt frowned.

"I'm perfectly capable of driving. It's just a cut." She protested, getting to her feet.

"Let him drive you." Lisbon ordered seriously. There was no room to argue, so she nodded obediently.

"Agent Lisbon!" A voice called from further down the road.

"Stay here." Lisbon directed as she headed towards the police officer. Van Pelt and Rigsby made eye contact briefly before deciding to follow. Lisbon was led to Jaden Peter's white pick-up truck. The officer was standing next to it, holding a blue gym bag in his right hand.

"What is it?" Lisbon asked curiously. The officer opened the bag and revealed a large sum of money, held together in packets by rubber bands.

"Told you it was for the money," Jane commented as him and Cho appeared beside Rigsby and Van Pelt.

"I guess we know why he ran." Van Pelt uttered quietly.

"But not why he was here to begin with." Rigsby remarked, questioning Jaden's reasons.

"Who was he meeting?" Lisbon asked herself, frowning bemusedly. Something was wrong. Some piece was missing from the puzzle, but she wasn't sure what. All she knew was that two people had died for the money that was now in her possession. She began to wonder how green pieces of paper were worth killing over.

It was depressing.

Monday, 9:30 PM

The sun had set hours ago and the only light radiated from the streetlights evenly spaced in grids throughout the crowded parking lot. Most of the cars were generic black SUVs belonging to the bureau, but Lisbon also noted that many cars belonged to agents working late on cases. The cheery voices of other CBI agents heading home for the night echoed across the lot, betraying the illusion that she was alone.

Lisbon was upset. She blamed herself for running their main suspect, Jaden Peters, into a fatal car crash. If only she hadn't been so determined to catch him… if she had considered the consequences of a high-speed car chase in a busy part of town. More people could've been killed, perhaps even herself or her team.

"If this guy slips through our hands we'll never get another chance."

They would've had another chance, but instead she made him run.

She shuddered from the combination of a sudden cool breeze and the memory of informing Jaden's family. Rigsby had kindly offered to make the call, but Lisbon refused, knowing that she had to do it herself. She had called his parents, who lived in Texas, and his brother who lived nearby. His parents had been distraught, breaking into tears on the phone. Then she called the brother, who denied the news at first before yelling angrily at her as if it was her fault. Then his voice calmed and he hung up abruptly.

She hated calling the family… especially since she blamed herself for his death. Even if he was the murderer, there was a family somewhere who loves and misses him.

"Hey, Teresa!" Jane's voice called from behind her. She quickly spun on her heel, surprised by how close he was. He stopped about a foot in front of her. "You drove me to work." Jane explained, slightly out of breath.

"Oh… I'm sorry." Lisbon apologized, remembering that his car was at her apartment. Jane paused, easily reading her guilt-ridden eyes.

"What?" Lisbon asked in a harsh tone. Jane shrugged, smiling slightly. He then stepped past Lisbon in the direction of her car. Lisbon caught up and walked with him, side by side. Jane glanced over at her, hoping to cheer her up. He grabbed her hand in his and caressed it lightly with his thumb. Her red cheeks were barely visible in the dim light.

"I just thought I would remind you that we haven't officially been on a third date." He deferred, knowing that Lisbon didn't want to talk about the accident. If she wanted to talk, she would bring it up. Her eyes softened and a small smile graced her lips.

"So what are you waiting for?" She teased lightly, enjoying the distraction. She leaned into him slightly, wanting desperately to block out the image of Jaden's corpse.

"We could go somewhere tonight." Jane offered, nearing Lisbon's car. Lisbon raised her eyebrow suspiciously. "I'm trying to be spontaneous, remember?" Jane furthered with a cunning grin. They had almost reached the car.

"I-…" Lisbon began, when suddenly a loud sound like thunder erupted in front of them.

Boom.

After the sound came a fiery burst of light that blinded her and a sudden explosion of heat seemed to burn her skin. She closed her eyes and instinctively placed her hands up to protect her face. She could feel a powerful force throw her off balance, making her a victim of gravity. She lost all control and fell on her side, her body smashing into the cold pavement. Then came a shower of shrapnel, mostly glass shards, that cut like knives. She used her left arm as a shield, while her right arm was trapped underneath her. Her skin seemed to sting and she could feel her wrist aching and snapping from the pressure of her body. Lisbon could smell ash and smoke, along with the rising scent of blood. She remained still, fearing to open her eyes.

Suddenly, her ears picked up the sound of panicked voices in the distance, but more importantly she heard a low moan from beside her. She slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She could see the reflection of fire dancing in the puddles remaining after that morning's rain and she saw glass and other remnants of her car scattered on the ground, including a tire that was sitting near her feet. She could feel a ring of pain around her neck from where her necklace had pressed and bruised her skin. She noticed that her necklace had broken when she fell, leaving pearls scattered all around her.

Jane was laying on his back a few feet away, his hand resting on his forehead, his teeth gritted in pain, but he didn't look seriously injured from her vantage point. Then again, she had yet to calculate the extent of her own injuries. At least they were both alive and conscious.

"Patrick? Are you okay?" She managed to ask, deeply concerned. Her voice came out weak and quiet, but was still loud enough for Jane to hear her. She then tried to sit up, but stopped when pain shot through her body like lightening. She froze, willing the pain to pass. Most of it seemed to emanate from minor cuts and bruises, but then there was the throbbing pain in her wrist that signaled to her that she might have broken it. Jane still had his eyes closed as he shifted his body slightly. His face seemed to relax faintly when he heard Lisbon's voice.

"I think…" He replied, overwhelmed by a combination of shock and pain that deterred him from opening his eyes. His voice was just as quiet as Lisbon's. "You okay?" He added softly. Lisbon used her left arm to slowly sit up so she could see the wreckage.

"My car just exploded." She announced, shocked by the flames that had engulfed it. Jane lifted his head slightly, opening his eyes so he could see her.

"But you're okay?" He asked more forcefully, worry evident in his voice and his bright blue eyes. Lisbon turned to him, setting her right arm to rest in her lap.

"Yeah." She nodded, her eyes still wide with shock. She felt paralyzed, her mind slowly processing what had happened. Jane grimaced again and laid his head back down on the pavement. He closed his eyes, pain etched into his face.

"Patrick?" Lisbon questioned, suddenly very worried. She didn't notice the sounds of footsteps rushing towards them.

"I hit my head." Jane muttered, waiting for the throbbing to subside. Lisbon looked up to see a few people arriving at the scene with Cho at the forefront. Cho had left not long after them and had just stepped outside the CBI building when he heard the explosion.

"What the hell happened?" He questioned, squatting next to Jane to see if he was okay.

"Her car exploded." Jane commented, sounding more like his usual self. The pain had obviously lessened as he opened his eyes and tried to sit up. Cho grabbed his right arm, attempting to help him, when Jane's face suddenly tightened, his eyes closed to shut out the vertigo, and he slowly lowered himself back onto the concrete. "I think I'm just going to lay here for a minute." He decided, not wanting to open his eyes for fear that the world would start spinning again. Lisbon got to her feet and shuffled over to Jane.

"Are you feeling dizzy?" She asked worriedly.

"Only when I move." He retorted, opening his eyes into slits. The dizziness seemed to fade, but he still wasn't ready to sit up. "It's just a concussion." He assured her, noting the concern in her eyes.

"You're bleeding." Lisbon realized, noting the blood tinting his blond curls a deep crimson.

"So are you." He replied, pointing limply at her bloody hand. The blood was coming from the wound on her wrist which was covered by her torn sleeve. She also seemed to get the worst of the glass with several scratches on her face and hands.

"I called an ambulance. The police should be arriving shortly." A man announced from the crowd that had encircled the scene. Lisbon made eye contact with Cho.

"Check the perimeter." She ordered, realizing that someone must have blown up her car and that the perpetrator may still be nearby.

"They're long gone." Jane commented, obviously thinking the same as Lisbon. The aching in his head seemed to have lessened considerably and his mind, despite being concussed, was already listing possible suspects.

"Patrick, just stay still." She ordered.

"No objections." He replied, shutting his eyes again.