Author's note: I've was feeling a little fey when I wrote these chapters. I figured that sometimes, some people will only wise up in thier dreams.
Chapter 7—Dreaming Oceans
Jane was dreaming.
He knew with the detached certainty one only feels in dreams. He stood in his grey suit, staring out over the Malibu ocean. He looked behind him and saw his house, but left empty and in disrepair. He frowned as he saw the large windows his wife had loved were broken, leaving jagged shards that cut his hand when he touched them. Cobwebs and vast intricate spider webs filled the corners of empty, spacious rooms, and dust and ocean debris filled the corners.
He looked up at the darkened house, seeing the crumbling paint and where the roof was caving in. What looked like giant black moths would fly out of the broken windows at random intervals. He turned to look out over the ocean again, and saw the figure of a woman walking down the beach.
Lisbon strode easily, seemingly untouched by the churning, storm tossed ocean Jane saw. She paused, and looked out over the horizon, and Jane found himself next to her.
"Beautiful view," Jane said as they stood side by side.
"What happened to you?" Lisbon asked, turning him to face her. She ran a gentle hand over his chest, and he looked down.
Where his heart should be was a gaping, ragged hole. His CBI badge barely covered the wound and was threatening to break in half. Lisbon's touch seemed to make the hole less deep, and he felt less empty.
"He took my heart," Jane replied calmly. "Why are you here, Lisbon?"
Instead of answering, Lisbon turned to look behind her. In the abrupt way of dreaming, Jane found himself walking down the sandy beach, trying to not fall into the angry surf. But the sand was heavy and dragged on him, and kept shifting so he almost lost his balance. Finally he stopped, and just stared at the tsunami wave heading for him. He was strangely unafraid.
The wave crashed at his feet, and he realized he was barefoot. The water relentlessly bore away the sand in front of him, until he was leaning over the edge of a vast cliff. The ocean water churned and boiled far below him, but for some reason Jane had an irresistible impulse to simply fall into those depths and accept the oblivion it offered.
"Second chances," Lisbon's voice said from behind him. Jane didn't turn, just stood staring into the ocean depths, tempted. Then he felt Lisbon's warm hand on his shoulder, and he turned. Her green eyes were soft, and glistened with unshed tears.
"Stay with me, Jane," Lisbon simply said.
"Second chances," Jane muttered and turned fully to face her. She leaned in close, and suddenly the hungry ocean depths behind him stilled as he rubbed her shoulders. She pressed her lips to his, soft and giving like he had always thought they would be. After a moment, Jane felt himself pulling her close, pressing into her kiss.
When they broke apart, Lisbon held her badge and gun in her hand.
With a soft smile, she pulled his CBI badge to the side, placed the metal badge and the gun in the gaping hole, and slide the badge back into place. Jane placed his hands over his chest, and felt only the smooth fabric of his vest and shirt. He pulled the shirt down to look at his chest, and saw only an eerie smiling face painted in red for a scar. But the color was already fading and flaking off. When it was done, there was only the slightest trace of the hideous wound that would never entirely disappear.
"They said I could fix that," Lisbon said.
"Who did?" Jane asked, and Lisbon pointed off to down the beach. The silhouette of two figures, a child and her mother, walked into the now calm, sunny ocean. They walked hand in hand, and Jane suddenly knew they were happy and at peace as the faded into the suddenly blinding sunlight.
"Don't go," Jane whispered after them, his new heart breaking.
"They will never really leave," Lisbon replied, and placed her hand on his chest where the wound once was, smiling up at him. "Second chances."
And then Jane woke.