Disclaimer: I am missing Jane and Lisbon. But thanks for 7 seasons CBS!

Thanks for all the comments. Glad you are emotionally invested!

Patrick is now in a world of his own creation, and can't tell reality from his imagination. Thankfully, his mind conjured up Teresa to keep him company in his final hours. Not a bad way to go

And Their World Came Tumbling Down

Chapter 10 Rescue Me

Lisbon was barrelling down the highway with the feeling that Beau and Colt had eyes everywhere. Even though trucks like the one she was driving were seen on the road every day, she felt sure Beau would recognize this one somehow. The sky was clouding over and she was afraid she and Sally would be caught in a downburst before they could get off the road to safety. Cursing her bad luck, she muttered under her breath a wish for the weather to stay dry. Sally overheard her and smiled at Lisbon.

"Don't you want the rain to come?"

"No, not especially! I was hoping for a fast drive to Austin without the trouble of flooded back roads."

" But we have a better chance of getting there if it rains, don't you see?" said Sally.

Lisbon looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, if it pours Beau and Colt won't want to go out it in. They'll just stay where they are, probably drink another beer, and wait for the sun to come out again. If we keep drivin' and don't stop on account of nothin' we have a better chance of getting to Austin before Beau even knows we are gone!" she explained, satisfied with herself.

Teresa looked over at Sally and smiled.

"You know Sally, you are a very smart girl! Good thinking! Let's pray for a storm!"

Sally just beamed at the compliment. She couldn't remember the last time anyone told her she was smart or that she had thought of something good. It felt nice. Sure enough, a few minutes later fat rain drops started to fall on the windshield of the truck, and the dust blowing up behind the truck became a muddy track. After about 15 minutes of hard driving, Lisbon caught sight of a small convenience store and drove straight for it. Slamming on the brakes, she leapt out of the truck, with Sally running to keep up with her.

"What are we doin' Teresa? Don't we have to keep drivin'?"

"Sally, we need to buy a disposable phone. I need to call my friends at the FBI and let them know what is going on here. We need help to get Beau and Colt off the streets before they have a chance to run off and hide!"

Sally just nodded. Disposable phones, FBI agents, GPS's. Her life had changed so radically since she met Teresa Jane. She was terrified and exhilarated all at once. Lisbon dashed into the store and asked for a disposable phone. The bored clerk waved vaguely to the back of the store and returned to watching her soap opera on a tiny TV screen behind the counter. Teresa found a burner phone and sim card and grabbed some snacks and drinks for the journey to Austin.

She paid with the credit card she had hidden in her bra, and ran out with Sally to the truck. She started to climb in, but changed her mind.

"Sally, help me cover the truck with fresh mud! Cover the license plates a bit to hide some of the numbers, and just throw gobs of mud all over the front and sides of the truck. Make it look like it's been off-roading."

Sally was not following the point of the whole exercise but did what she was told. Soon the truck looked like it had been raced through a bog. The girls rinsed their hands in a large rain puddle and jumped back in the truck. Inside the store, the clerk had watched the whole procedure with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. Who would dirty up a nice shiny truck like that? Stupid city folk, she decided, then turned back mindlessly to her soap.

Lisbon set the sim card into the phone and started to dial the number for Kimball Cho's direct line. It rang and rang, without being picked up. She didn't want to leave a message, this was too important. She needed Kimball!

Steering with one hand, she took the GPS and started to program it for Austin. The back roads all looked the same to her, and she feared she would just end up driving into town, into the waiting arms of Beau and Colt. After much fiddling, the Tom Tom was set with the coordinates that she needed and she was finally able to relax just a bit.

Back in town. Beau and Colt were sitting in the bar, with a rather simple young man wedged between them. They had made sure he was drinking heavily and would find their high pressure sales tactics hard to resist. The kid had been shooting his mouth off about needing a truck, but he sure as hell wasn't going to go broke just to buy one. When Colt heard this, he had quickly called Beau over to rope in their latest buyer. They had been sitting, drinking and making a new friend out of the kid for well over 2 hours, but the kid was no nearer to opening up his wallet than he had been when he first arrived. Beau was growing impatient. This sale was not going to happen today. He would give it one more try, and if the kid was still reluctant to part with his money, they would have to give up and try another day. They had learned that haggling too long in public about a stolen vehicle was a bad idea.

Beau strong-armed the kid into buying another beer, all the while trying to do the deal on the truck.

After another 15 minutes, Colt and Beau realized that the kid was not as dumb as he looked. He had his fill of beer and had no intention of buying that truck after all. Beau threw his money down on the bar and stood up in a huff.

"I'm goin' to the head" he announced to Colt. "Then let's head over to the diner, see if we have better luck over there!"

While Colt sat on a bar stool sucking back his beer, the kid ambled out the door, never realizing how lucky he had been to get away from Colt and Beau with no tragic consequences. Beau made his way slowly over to the men's' room, flirting with some rather questionable young ladies along the way.

Outside the bar, the sun had some out, and was slowly drying up the puddles on the unpaved road leading past the bar. The road was quiet, except for the lone black, mud-covered truck that streaked past the bar with two determined women inside. One was wearing a baseball cap and large sunglasses, while the other had a scarf pulled loosely over her hair and face. For a second, they almost looked like Thelma and Louise, evading the devils that pursued them.

In a blink, they were gone.

The sun had dried up the remaining puddles scattered around the park above the ledge where Patrick lay, unconscious. He had stopped being aware of the sounds of hawks and the rumble of passing trucks on the highway hours ago. And above his head, he didn't hear the sound of two vans pulling into the campground. The van doors slid open and a group of rambunctious young men stepped out, jostling each other and making a joyous racket.

"Ok, ok you guys, keep it down!" yelled an older man. Let's get all our gear out of the vans before we do anything else."

The group quickly got busy pulling camping gear, ropes, crash helmets, harnesses and tents out of the back of the vans. After milling around for a while, the group leader called everyone to attention.

"We're going to get going pretty soon. I think we have time to get one good descent in before we set up camp and get some supper going. I want you to divide yourselves up into two groups, and start to assemble your gear. "

A loud moan came from the back of the group.

'But Sir, can't we set up camp and eat first? We've been on the road for two hours, we need to stretch our legs and relax a bit before we start training."

The leader narrowed his eyes and stared at the brash young man.

"No. If you were going to rescue someone, would you stop and eat first?"

"No Sir."

"Would you say, excuse me - you can lay there and bleed while I set up my tent and roast marshmallows over a campfire?"

"No Sir."

"Good! I thought so. You boys will have to deal with all sorts of weather conditions, day rescues, night rescues, rescues during fires. So don't expect to train in only the best conditions. Gentlemen, remember everything we have practiced over the last 6 weeks of training. I have picked this spot not because it is safe, but because it is scary as hell!"

The young fire and rescue trainees looked solemn.

"Grab your rappelling gear and meet me here in 5 minutes!"

"Yes Sir!"

Five minutes later the men were ready and divided themselves up into two teams, with two older teachers set to watch and guide them. Because they were new to this rescue technique, they were safely harnessed to a framework affixed to the front of the two vans. They could not fall unless they were incredibly inept. Walking to the edge of the cliff, the older leader, Bob, directed one group to start their descent to his left. Once they had gone over, and were out of sight, he directed the other team to begin, using their ropes to rappel down the cliff face to the designated distance. This was a test of their skill, but more of their nerve.

"Ok, team 2, start your descent. Keep your walkies-talkies handy, but they are strictly for emergencies only. Go!"

Team 2 stepped over to the edge of the cliff and began their assigned task. Team 1 was busy going straight down to the desired spot on the side of the canyon wall. Team 2 was 20 feet down when excited voices began to stream over the walkie-talkies they carried.

"Team 2 to Team leader, we have an emergency down here!|"

Bob was not impressed. It was that smart-ass who had wanted to set up camp and eat first, before working.

"Stop fooling around and keep going!" Bob commanded.

"No joke Team leader. Please sir! We have found a dead body!"

All hell broke loose. Bob quickly called his teams back up and stepped into a harness himself. Soon he was rappelling down the sheer cliff face to the spot Team 2 had indicated. The ledge they had found was not at all visible from above, but once the descent had begun, he clearly saw a ledge and a lifeless body sprawled on it. He made his way over to the ledge and stepped onto it.

He kneeled down and looked into Patrick Jane's ashen face.

"Oh sweet Jesus" he whispered. "What happened to this poor man!"

While his frightened and silent students watched, he felt for a pulse on the body. Nothing. He checked the body with his hands and opened the jacket. His eyes grew large as saucers as he beheld the blood soaked shirt and the hole in the man's shoulder.

Then he saw the note.

He took it and opened it. After a moment, all of the colour drained out of his face.

"Send down my cell phone! Now!"

Lisbon and Sally

Teresa was feeling a bit more confident now. They had been driving for at least 40 minutes and there was still no sign of Beau. She had no idea when he and Colt would return to the house and find it empty, and the truck gone. She was happy to see the GPS indicate that she would be in downtown Austin within 20 minutes.

She decided to try to get Cho on the phone again. Grabbing the phone she hit redial and kept whispering 'pick up pick up pick up" under her breath.

The phone rang on Cho's desk and he finally heard it as he was returning from the bullpen. He grabbed it while he was turning on his computer.

"Senior Agent Kimball Cho. How can I help you?"

"Oh Cho! Oh thank God! Cho!" Lisbon shouted.

"Lisbon, is that you? Why are you calling me on your vacation? We are getting along just fine here without you…"

Lisbon cut him off mid-sentence.

"Cho - listen to me! Listen! Cho, Patrick is dead. God Cho - Patrick is dead!"

"Lisbon! Jesus! Lisbon, ok, calm down. Tell me everything." Cho had switched to his calm professional demeanor.

Teresa poured her heart out to Cho and he nodded his head in disbelief as the horrific details of the last fews days came pouring out as fast as she could talk. She told him she would soon be there with Sally. Cho agreed that the FBI office was the safest place for them to be until Beau and Colt were apprehended.

"See you soon Teresa. We'll get them for you. For Patrick. I'll get a team out there ASAP."

"Thanks Cho."

Lisbon stifled an urge to cry in relief and in grief. She had not been able to grieve for Patrick while being held hostage by Beau. She would have time enough to properly grieve for her husband forever after this day was over.

Well it looks like Lisbon will make it to Austin after all. Cho has a big job ahead of him and not much time to do it. Patrick is no longer lost, but what exactly did the rescue team find on that cliff?

Next Chapter up soon - if the weekend doesn't get in the way. Thanks for reading.