Disclaimer: Nope, not owning any of it...besides Anella and Alura, they are mine.

A/N: Okay guys, get ready for the start of some very 'interestingly intense' chapters. Yeah, we kinda started towards that slope in the last chapter but hey just go with it. I seriously think this is my favorite chapter so far...:D Long chapter...it had to be, you'll see why. It just kept growing.

Stubborn. That was the word Lisbon would use to describe Jane's behavior. She was here to help him and to catch a killer and now he wouldn't talk to her. She wouldn't let him get by with it though. He needed some time and she'd given him a few minutes after he'd walked into the trees. Only a few because she couldn't deal with the awkwardness but she was too exhausted to follow him the second he'd walked away. She had to give her body a little rest. After finishing off her chicken and gulping down some water, she forced herself up with a groan and headed in the same direction Jane had went. She didn't know what state she'd find him in, all she knew was that he was there to feed. She knew what the red liquid was, she wasn't stupid but she couldn't bring herself to turn around.

She walked further into the trees and finally saw him sitting on a giant rock sticking up from the ground. He was drinking greedily from the container, an occasional moan slipping out. She'd never seen anything like it and though she knew she should have been appalled, she couldn't bring herself to be. She was intrigued more than anything. She kept walking closer, intent to join him when he abruptly stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. There was a small droplet of blood lingering on the corner of his mouth, dripping down his face and leaving a small trail in it's wake.

He looked wild, fierce and completely sexy. She'd never seen him like that, she figured the shirt and jeans helped with the sexy factor or maybe it was the wild look in his eyes. It was almost as if he was staring through her, into her soul and it sent a shiver down her spine to even think about it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd thought of a man as sexy, usually they were just hot or good looking. Jane had fallen into the good looking category easily after she'd met him but now she wanted to follow him to his tent and forget all about this stupid manhunt. She'd never had that urge before, well she'd never acknowledged it and actually considered doing it. Odd.

The blood was still on his face, she figured he just hadn't noticed and her hands itched to reach out and wipe it away but she controlled them. He watched her curiously, holding what was left of his dinner in his left hand. Away from her. He didn't say anything, he just kept staring at her and it made her uncomfortable. It made her wonder if he was thinking about skipping the rest of dinner and going straight for dessert, meaning her. It wasn't until she positioned herself next to him on the rock that he spoke.

"You're afraid." It was true, she was, but not of him. Her heart was pounding in her chest but not because of him, because of what this place could make him do. She knew if he did try to hurt her, it wasn't really him. He didn't want to, he'd never done anything like that before. "You shouldn't be out here, go back to camp."

"No." Before she could question her actions, she reached up to brush the trail of blood away from his mouth. Something else that should have sent her running back to camp, but she wiped gently with her thumb, staining it red and only serving to smear it into his skin. Something made her want to be closer to him. Something made her want to do this. After the red was gone, she let her fingers brush his cheek for just a second. "Talk to me."

"I," Without finishing, he grabbed her wrist rather roughly and pulled her hand up to his lips. Her heart was really pounding now and she swallowed nervously as his tongue darted out to touch her thumb. She almost sighed in relief when she realized what he was doing but the sensual feel of the moment kept her from expelling the air. In fact she wasn't sure she was breathing. That wild look was still present in his piercing gaze. His eyes cut right through her, intense and slightly darker than usual. She couldn't have moved if she wanted to.

His grip on her wrist tightened, kept tightening and she whimpered in discomfort. He didn't seem to notice, or if he had he simply didn't show it. Her hand was starting to discolor from the lack of blood flow, turning a reddish purple and still he didn't let go. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to follow him after all.

"J-jane, you're hurting me..." She didn't want to say those words to him, but it was really starting to hurt. The pain was making her try to tug her arm away but he was too strong. It was ironic really, she'd never imagined him being strong. He was Jane, slept on the couch and refused to do anything tedious Jane. Then again she'd always read that Vampires had super senses, strength all that kind of stuff. "Patrick please..."

The look in his eyes changed immediately upon hearing his name, from wild to terrified. He let go of her as if she'd shocked him, dropping her hand like a hot potato and scrambling away from her. She flexed her fingers a few times, watching as he started pacing back and forth in front of her. His eyes were downcast, refusing to meet hers and he kept muttering apologies over and over. She didn't want the damn apology. She just wanted him to sit back down. He couldn't do this for the next three days or they'd both go crazy.

"You need to go back to camp Lisbon. I need to finish this." He gestured to the canister still half full in his hand and though she knew that the liquid inside would help keep him from wanting to kill her, she said no. She wasn't going to leave him out here alone when there was a killer lurking about. "I need you to leave."

"No, I'm not going anywhere now finish the damn thing so we can get back." It was the shameful expression on his face that made her see why he wanted her to leave. "I don't think any less of you for this Jane. You have to do it to survive, I could never fault you for that. Now will you please drink so we can go? I'm tired."

He didn't fight her this time, simply nodded in defeat and raised the last of his meal up to his lips. Jane never took his eyes off of her, he had to finish what was in the canister or he'd try to hurt her. He knew that's what Anella had said. If he fed, the urge was lessened and if he was hungry then it intensified. He'd have to remember to stay full at all times around her. He didn't want another vision like the one he'd had earlier. He didn't want it to become more than a vision either. It didn't surprise him that she was being so stubborn but it did surprise him that she didn't seem grossed out by any of it. She acted like it was perfectly normal to watch someone drink blood, just an everyday occurrence. She took all of this way better than he would have if the roles had been reversed. He was pretty sure he would have run away screaming like a little girl by now.

No more words were spoken until they were walking back to camp and then Jane couldn't ignore the silence any longer. It wasn't really uncomfortable just not necessary since there was so much to say. Lisbon looked so drained, he could practically feel her exhaustion and for some reason he wanted to wrap an arm around her and pull her close. Maybe it'd be easier for her to walk if he did.

"I uh, I'm really sorry for hurting your wrist. I don't know what came over me." Lisbon didn't say anything for a few seconds. She knew he was, she knew he'd never forgive himself for such a thing but she was slightly shocked when their hands brushed, she liked the closeness. It didn't stop her from slightly flinching, an old habit from back in her teens. Jane acted like he didn't notice but she knew he had. He just repeated the action, this time gently clasping her fingers and raising her hand to inspect it while they stepped into camp.

"S'fine Jane." He stared at the angry purple already starting to form on her skin, the perfect shape of his fingers. "Uh, there's only two tents."

Jane carefully let go of her hand, looking up to confirm what she'd just told him. It was true, there were two tents, one bigger than the other and two smiling vampires standing in front of them. Alura had her hands clasped behind her back, rocking back and forth and looking extremely proud of herself for something. Jane wasn't sure that she was completely there in the head.

"We only brought two tents, one for all us women and one for you, Patrick. Hope that's okay. We thought it'd be easier to protect Teresa that way." There was a slight pause at Anella's words, as she tossed her hair up into a pony tail. Jane thought it was probably a good idea for Lisbon to stay with them, she'd stay safe that way.

"I'm going to bed."

"Lisbon, it's not even dark out and uh no offense or anything but shouldn't you maybe bathe first." Anella and Alura let their jaws drop when they say the look on Lisbon's face. They did not envy Patrick Jane at this moment.

"Are you saying I stink?"

"Uh, no, well yes but heightened sense of smell and all. No offense." The two women burst out laughing when Lisbon punched him in the arm before muttering about helping him and this being the thanks she got.

To say that Lisbon felt extremely awkward would be an understatement. She was in the woods, naked. Who wouldn't feel awkward about that? She was far enough down stream from camp that no one could see her but it was still strange. She was used to the privacy of her own bathroom. Her clothes hung on a nearby tree branch while the ones she'd just stepped out of lay on the ground, along with a towel she planned to use to dry off. She couldn't believe Jane had told her she smelled, well she actually could but she didn't think he'd say it in front of everyone. The nerve of that man sometimes. She just wanted to strangle him, even more so now. Cautiously testing the water with her foot, she shuddered at the cold sensation. Great, just what she'd wanted, a cold bath. A freezing cold bath. Taking a deep breath in preparation she waded out into a deeper area, gasping the whole time. Tomorrow was Jane's turn, she would force him into this river if she had too but he was gonna pay for this.

Anella had let her use her shampoo and soaps, they were apparently made from all natural materials with no chemicals added. According to the wise woman, it wouldn't hurt the little fish. Lisbon actually didn't remember all the details, she'd been too busy glaring at Jane. It wasn't as if he smelled like a bed of roses either. They'd been hiking all day, they were all smelling a little interesting at this point but of course it was worse for her.

One very deep breath and she submerged herself completely in the water before surfacing again to lather shampoo into her hair. She was going to shoot Jane, either that or hold him hostage in his tent and...whoa, where were these thoughts coming from? Her eyes widened slightly as the image of him and her in his tent filled her head. She'd never actually visualized anything like this before, but she saw it as if it were happening right in front of her and then it was gone.

To clear her mind about the strangeness of what had just happened, she ducked under the water again to rinse the soap from her hair. At least it didn't feel as cold anymore. She continued to scrub herself clean, enjoying the earthy scent lingering all around her mixed with the floral scent of the products Anella had given her. She started humming a little tune completely oblivious to the fact that she was being watched until a twig snapped.

Her eyes flew open upon hearing the sound, searching around until her gaze landed on a large stretch of bushes lining the bank. She could see someone lurking through the mess of leaves and branches but she couldn't tell who.

"Jane? I swear I will shoot you." The figure moved, revealing black and purple cloth. Jane hadn't been wearing purple. Now she was a little scared, she wanted her gun but it was lying with her clothes. Nobody had been wearing purple. "Who's there?"

She didn't know why she expected an answer, but she didn't get one. Instead there was another movement, as the person stood to reveal themselves. A man, tall and rather creepy looking in her book. He smiled and waved making her even more uneasy than before. It was similar to some of the smiles she'd received from killers and such. There was a flash of fangs as she slowly stepped closer to the land, covering her chest in the process. She didn't know what to do in this kind of situation. She was a trained CBI agent but she did not know how to handle a vampire. Jane was different, he was sweet. This man didn't look so sweet. Dark hair and almost black eyes, her body shivered and this time it had nothing to do with the temperature of the water. Her gut told her this was the man they were trying to find. He was the killer they were after and she still wasn't close to her gun. She didn't even know if bullets would stop him but it was better than nothing.

She kept inching her way over to the pile of clothes, covering herself as best as she could. She never took her eyes off of the man, she even considered yelling for help but she didn't. They wouldn't have gotten there in time anyway because in just a matter of seconds he was directly in front of her. She hadn't even seen him move, he was just there. Lisbon never let her guard down, never showed him she was terrified. He reached out to caress her cheek and she took a swing at him but he dodged easily and grabbed her already achy wrist.

"I'll come back for you, feisty thing." Those were the only words she heard him speak, his voice was low and hoarse and then he was gone. That couldn't really happen, at least that's what she'd believed until that exact second. As cautiously as possible she climbed out of the water, half assed dried herself and threw on her clean sleep wear. She left her stuff lying on the ground as she took off. Her heart was still pounding, and with gun in hand, she sprinted back to the camp and ignored the burning in her legs. Stumbling over a fallen limb next to the tents, she crashed right into Jane's chest.

"Whoa, Lisbon are you okay?" She was slightly shaken, gun still in hand but she felt a little safer with Jane's hands grasping her waist. It was rather odd to feel safe with him, usually she was saving his ass. She had the gun, yet at that precise moment it felt good to be back with him. It was a foreign feeling to rely on someone else. "Hey, Teresa you alright?"

"I think I found the man we're hunting." Still slightly fidgety from the experience, she whipped her head around every direction to make sure he hadn't followed. Jane moved his hands from her waist up to her shoulders, then to her cheeks to make her look at him. She gripped his shirt in her hands not really noticing that this had her gun pointing at Jane's chin. Knuckles turning white and chest heaving, she let herself slump into him. "I-I left my stuff...he was watching me. I thought he was going to chase me."

"Can you uh, please get the gun out of my face Lisbon?" She blushed lightly upon realizing that she was technically holding him at gunpoint. Lowering the weapon, she tucked it in the waistband of her pants and pushed her dripping wet hair behind her ear. "He was after you?"

"I don't know. He was there, he waved and smiled then he was gone. He was just gone." Jane let his hands caress her neck as she sighed and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe how scared she'd been, normally she could hide it. Then again, she had no idea what to do when up against something supernatural so maybe she had a right to be afraid. She was vaguely aware of their camping companions coming to see what was going on, as she gave in to the urge to bury her face in Jane's chest. She didn't tell him about how fast the man had moved or that he'd touched her with his creepy hands. She didn't mention the vanishing act or the words that were now bouncing around in her head.

"Anella, Alura, we're gonna need to be on watch through the night. We'll work in shifts. This guy went after Lisbon." The plans had just been changed, and all Jane could bring himself to do was wrap his arms around the frightened woman's waist and pull her closer. Something had happened that she wasn't telling him. He could tell just by her behavior. He could feel her heart beating, just as he'd felt her pulse when he'd hurt her wrist. The wrist that was now bruised because of him. At least for the time being he was full, and he didn't feel any urge to cause her harm. He felt the need to protect her, to keep her safe because her gun wouldn't save her out here.

"I'll take first shift, Alura can take second and if either of us need assistance we'll call for you. We'll go rummage up the weapons we brought now. I figured we needed a sure way to kill him." He simply nodded and nuzzled his face into Lisbon's dark locks. He ignored the fact that they were wet, that even her skin seemed a little damp and whispered a simple 'you're safe' into her ear.

There was no doubt in his mind that Lisbon could take care of herself, he'd seen her tackle men three times her size but this wasn't a man. This was a monster and she wouldn't be able to stop him if he got ahold of her. Jane couldn't let that happen so he didn't protest Anella's plans. He would lend a hand if he had to, but he trusted her judgement. He would rather watch over Lisbon anyway, though he wouldn't hesitate to fight for her. This was not going the way he'd hoped, now he had to worry about two people trying to hurt her and one of them was himself.

Lisbon slowly pulled away from him, a rosy pink dusting across her cheeks standing out against her pale skin. She offered him a shy smile and stepped out of his embrace. It was slightly embarrassing for her, he knew. She wasn't the type to show vulnerability or weakness but she also wasn't used to dealing with the supernatural. Jane knew something else had taken place.

"I don't want to stay in a tent with them, Jane. They're strangers to me, I want to stay with you."

"Lisbon you need protection from me too, remember?"

"No I don't. Stop saying stuff like that." He groaned at her stubborn behavior but did nothing to stop her from grabbing a sleeping bag from the pile and disappearing into the smaller tent that she knew was his. This was going to be a long night and whether she knew it or not, he was going to get her to tell him what happened that had her so worked up. First he was going to ask Alura if she'd go find Lisbon's clothes that she'd left in her haste to get back to camp.

a/n: Everyone of my anonymous reviewers deserves a thanks too, so thank you guys. Little preview of upcoming Jane/Lisbon sharing a tent.
"Stop staring and go to sleep or I will seriously shoot you."
"It wouldn't kill me."
"That only makes it all the more tempting."