Chapter 7
Lisbon wandered around her house, idly straightening up, biding the time until Jane came home. It had been hours since he had walked away from the crime scene they had worked, and he had his cell, but Lisbon was hesitant to call. He had looked so shattered, but he assured her that all he needed was a walk. Lisbon headed to the bedroom, changed from her work clothes into her long soccer jersey that barely cleared her butt, and left it. Why bother covering it up, he's seen everything I've got anyway. She smiled at the thought. Of all the paths she ever considered her life taking, this particular one had never even been a blip on the radar, but she knew she wouldn't change it for anything. Sighing, she made for the kitchen. Jane would need to eat when he showed up, and she needed something to do with her hands while she waited for him.
Jane ambled down the side of the road, head bent, eyes focused on the ground. He knew he should call Lisbon, she'd be worried, but he'd be home in half an hour or so, and it wasn't quite dark yet. He felt marginally better, partly from the walk, mostly because he knew he didn't have to go home to a huge empty house or a dingy little motel room. Lisbon would be there. Jane smiled to himself. She was always there for him. He sighed. What a day.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Lisbon arrived at the scene, Jane in the passenger seat. Neither of them had much to say, the officer who'd called in the case had said that it looked like Red John had struck again. Lisbon looked at Jane, taking in the grim set of his jaw, the tenseness in his shoulders.
"You ready?"
"As I'll ever be." He reached for the door handle, stopping when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to face Lisbon. "What?"
Lisbon responded by grabbing a fistful of his shirt, pulling him across the console of the SUV and kissing him. Leaning back, she smiled at the surprise on his face.
"I thought you might need that." And she exited the vehicle. She had had no idea at the time how prophetic her statement would be.
The scene was horrific, as befitted Red John. Lisbon had seen Jane blanch slightly at the smiley face, then at the female victim's blood-painted toes. The final straw was to come later, a young county officer had stepped up to Lisbon, showing her an item in a plastic evidence bag and speaking softly, glancing in Jane's direction. He had immediately walked over, causing Lisbon to turn to him, holding her hand out.
"Jane, I don't think…"
"Let me see, Lisbon. What did the bastard leave this time?" She handed him the bag. Jane flipped the plastic over, reading the note inside.
My Dear Mr. Jane,
As you are no doubt aware, what you see here is yet another sample of my capabilities. And though this brought me less enjoyment than some of my other works, I gather some means of satisfaction in knowing that you are here, and I am gone, yet again.
Pleasant dreams, Mr. Jane.
Lisbon snatched the note from him before he could crumple it. He stood there, fists clenched so tightly that he could feel his nails cutting into his palms, breath coming in hitches as he fought to control himself. Finally, he turned and walked out of the house. Lisbon followed soon after, finding him seated on a bench in the garden. She sat next to him, placing a soft hand on his. Jane threaded his fingers through hers, squeezing her hand.
"You all right?" Her voice was soft, but her gaze was intense.
"No. He's taunting me, Teresa. These people mean nothing to him. They're dead because of me."
"Stop it, Patrick. Don't you dare blame yourself for this. He's responsible, not you. This is what he wants. Don't play in to his sick little game. You're stronger than that." Jane nodded, then stood. Lisbon followed.
"I'm going to take a walk. I'll see you at home, OK?"
"You want to drive?" Lisbon held out the keys to the SUV.
"No, you won't have a way back to CBI if I take the car."
"The team's here, I can get a ride. You sure?"
"Nah. I need to clear my head. I'll be OK. I have my phone if you need me."
"If that's what you want." Lisbon sounded reluctant. "Patrick…" Jane started, she had never called him by his first name at work.
"Yes?"
"Please be careful." Lisbon glanced around to ascertain that no one was watching, then raised herself on her toes to kiss him gently. Jane responded by wrapping his arms around her, lifting her off the ground, deepening the kiss before setting her back down.
"I will. See you later."
"Patrick?" A hand on his arm again. He paused.
"Teresa?"
"I…nothing, just be careful."
"No worries, my love. I'll see you at home." They both turned toward the house at the sound of a scream, followed by a curse, followed by more yelling. Lisbon sighed.
"I'd better get in there before we have a secondary crime scene."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Inside the house, Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby and Grace Van Pelt worked quietly, collecting evidence. Grace meticulously dusted the windowsill of the bedroom for prints, then turned, sneezing into her elbow.
"Bless you." Cho spoke from the other window.
"Thanks." Grace returned to her work, smiling as Rigsby worked alongside her, snapping pictures of the smiley face, the gory scene left on the bed, and the blood trail that ran from the bathroom. After a look to see that Cho was occupied, Rigsby bent, kissing the back of Grace's neck. She laughed and straightened, stretching her back and looking out the window, which faced the garden.
Rigsby was lining up another shot when a sharp elbow to his ribs caused all breath to whoosh out of his lungs. Barely managing to hold onto the camera, he rounded on his assailant.
"Ow! Dammit, Grace! What the hell?"
"Look!" Grace was pointing out the window.
"Look at what? What could possibly be so….wow. Cho? You seeing what I'm seeing?" Cho looked up from the sill he was dusting.
"Huh. About time." He went back to work, leaving the other two agents to take in the scene alone.
Grace sighed. "Awww. Sweet! Wayne, don't you think….Wayne? Wayne?" She waved a hand in front of his face. He blinked.
"What?" Grace shook her head.
"Nothing. I think I can guess why they've both been in such a good mood lately, though. Oh, he's leaving, and here she comes." Van Pelt went back to work.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jane walked up the sidewalk to the house, finding the door unlocked when he turned the knob. He could feel the music before he really heard it, Lisbon had the bass turned way up. He opened the door and walked in, stopping just inside the door. She didn't hear him enter, Lord knew, she wouldn't hear it if a plane would have landed in the front yard, not with that playing. Jane grinned as she sashayed by wearing nothing but her soccer jersey, dancing her heart out.
"I don't wanna lie, I'm gonna take what you're giving 'cause i know you're willing, To take me all the way. you got me right here. Combustible. and I can't wait to finally explode. The big, big bang, the reason I'm alive, When all the stars collide, in this universe inside. The big big bang The big big bang The big big bang"
Leaning against the wall, he grinned. Interesting lyrics. He toyed briefly with turning the system off, but decided to watch a bit longer. This was exactly what he needed.
"Some people like to talk. but I'm into doing, What I feel like doing, when I'm inspired. So, if we take a walk down, the beach tonight, I bet that we could light up the sky. The big big bang, the reason I'm alive, When all the stars collide, in this universe inside. The big big bang The big big bang The big big bang"
Jane, still grinning, edged over to the stereo, turning the volume down. Lisbon started, whirling around, relief flooding her face when she saw that it was him. Jane playfully shook his finger at her.
"That's what you get for dancing in your underwear with the door unlocked. Anyone could come in. Not that I think they'd complain."
"Oh, shut up." Lisbon turned the system off completely. "You OK? Hungry?"
"I'm better now. The walk helped. The show helped even more. Have you already eaten?"
"No, I….got distracted. It's ready, just spaghetti."
"Spaghetti's great. Distracted, mmm? Interesting lyrics, those." Jane sat down at the table. Lisbon blushed.
"I like the song, it has a great beat."
"Yours wasn't so bad, either." Jane ducked the dish towel that Lisbon swung at him. Grabbing it, he used the cloth to pull her to him. "C'mere, woman."
"Patrick, dinner's getting cold." Lisbon allowed herself to be pulled, complying when he eased her down to straddle him, her bare toes just touching the floor on either side of the chair.
"Let it get cold." He tipped her chin up and kissed her deeply, pulling her flush against him, feeling her heat through the thin fabric of her panties. She opened for him, he responded by slipping his tongue into her mouth. Sliding his hands from her waist, he ran the palms over the smooth skin of her thighs, around to her ass, and back again. She moaned into his mouth, tangling her fingers in his blonde curls. He leaned back, grasped the hem of her jersey.
"Arms up, Teresa." She complied, and he whipped the jersey off, leaving her bare but for the cobalt blue bikinis. "I need a shower after that walk, care to join me?" She nodded and moved to get up, but he stood before she could, lifting her with him. She wrapped her legs around him, allowing him to carry her.
Once in the bathroom, he set her down, his hands again skimming over her skin, making goosebumps appear in their wake. Lisbon pulled his shirt from his waistband, unbuttoning it from the bottom and shoving it down his arms, then moving to his belt. After disposing of it, she reached for the fastenings of his pants, but was stilled by his hands on hers. He shook his head.
"My turn." Before she could ask what he meant, Jane boosted her up onto the bathroom counter, then slid the blue satin underwear off, causing her to gasp when her bare skin hit the cold tiles. He knelt, propping a bare foot on each of his shoulders. Lisbon felt his fingers on her, then his mouth. Her eyes rolled back as she sucked in a breath, exhaling with a keening moan.
"Oh, God…." she felt Jane laugh against her, the vibration making her jerk. He looked up at her, blue eyes sparkling, and smiled at her. He rose, stepped away to turn the shower on and adjust the temperature, and then shed the rest of his clothes. He held out his hand, helping Lisbon off the counter and into the shower, following behind her and closing the door. Reaching for the loofah Lisbon kept hanging on the shower handle, Jane loaded it with soap.
"First things first, Teresa." And he proceeded to wash every inch of her, dallying and teasing her, using his hands on her breasts and sliding his fingers into her, causing a gasp, followed by a scream as her orgasm hit her. Turning on him, she snatched the sponge.
"Turn about is fair play, you know." She began the same slow torture on him, finally sinking to her knees and taking his length into her mouth. She heard him groan, and looked up. His arms were braced on the shower wall, eyes closed tight. She continued her ministrations, hearing his breathing become more and more uneven, until he pulled away, pushed her against the shower wall, lifted her, and impaled her. Lisbon let out a hoarse cry, digging her nails into his shoulders. It didn't take long. Jane reached between them, stroking her nub until she screamed again, then shouted along with her as he found his own release. Allowing her feet to hit the tile floor of the shower, Jane waited until he was sure Lisbon could stand, then stopped the water, opening the door and grabbing towels.
They dried themselves, dressed in pajamas, and returned to the now-cold spaghetti. Lisbon heated it, then ate perched in Jane's lap. Afterward, he refused to let her clean up.
"I'll put them in the dishwasher, you go lay down. I'll be there in a minute." She did as he asked, and was waiting for him when he came to bed moments later. He slid under the covers beside her, feeling her move closer to spoon up behind him. She'd shed the pajamas, and her bare breasts pushed against his back. Reaching back, he caressed her skin. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
"Patrick?"
"Mmm?"
"Are you OK?"
"I'm fine, Teresa." He rolled to face her. "Have I ever told you you worry too much?"
"Patrick, it was a horrible case…"
"And I had you there to get me through it." he cut her off. "And then there was the dance recital when I came home, and then the…."
"I get it, I get it. When you came home, huh? You consider this home?"
"I suppose I do. If it's agreeable with you, that is."
"I told you the first night you stayed here, you were welcome as long as you wanted to stay. If you want here to be home, then you're home." Lisbon leaned forward to kiss him. "Welcome home, Patrick."
He was quiet, so quiet that, had his eyes not been open, Lisbon would have thought he'd dozed off. Kissing him again, she rolled over onto her side.
"I'm beat. Goodnight, Patrick." She felt his arms slide around her and pull her back against his chest.
"'Night, Teresa."
A/N Probably mush next chapter, so be warned.
Song Credit- "The Big Bang" Rock Mafia