A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay of this chapter but my beta had a troubled week. It's a little longer than usual, so I hope it's gonna make up for it.
THANK YOU so much for your overwhelming response to the last chapter, I was blown away. You guys are so awesome and I guess your positive critique gave me such a good feeling, I wrote and write so chapter 12 is finished now too and just waits to be uploaded.
Also a bug thanks to the anonymous reviewers, I'm sorry I can't answer you, but I really appreciate your effort.
Oki doki, now have fun and be prepared for some Jisbon ;)
(11)
The moment she woke up, Teresa felt Jane's eyes staring at her. Without a word, she got up and walked over to the bathroom, not caring that she was naked at all. The only thing she wanted was for him to leave her room, so she could lick her wounds in quiet, but he was still sitting on her bed after she emerged from the shower half an hour later.
"I'm sorry," was the first thing he said and although she didn't want to believe him, his eyes spoke more than volumes.
"Don't be," Teresa answered simply, dropped the towel and put some fresh underwear on.
"But I am, Teresa. Last night, I drank too much and then suddenly, I felt so alone… I just wanted someone to talk to. I didn't mean to seduce you, especially not after you told me about your past." A shadow of sadness flickered over her face, before she slipped into a pair of simple dark blue jeans and grabbed a white top from the closet.
"Like I said, there's no need to be sorry. I'm used to men looking for comfort in me. You're not the first one. I'm a hooker and you hired me, what did I expect?" She simply shrugged while picking up her dress from yesterday, which was lying on the floor.
"I didn't mean to let it come to that," Jane explained honestly, "You don't understand…"
"No, Jane. You don't understand. You don't understand that after everything, everything that happened to me, I thought you'd be some kind of knight in shining armor that would get me out of that hellhole in Vegas – my one and only chance, but I was wrong!" She desperately tried to blink away her tears. "I thought you'd be different from them, from people like Ray Haffner or all the other bastards who take pleasure in fucking a girl that sees this as her only way out. Do you think I like what became of me? My mother would turn around in her grave if she knew her daughter messed up and signed a contract with the devil to sell her soul and be used as men's toy of pleasure."
Teresa picked up his trousers and shirt and threw them in his face. Jane caught them in time, before they could hit him. He gaped at her, his eyes in shock and his mouth wide open, listening to the incredible things the brunette was telling him. What did Haffner have to do with all of this? What did she mean with this "contract with the devil"?
"I can't believe I trusted you to just… not be like them! But you know what? I don't care anymore because he'll kill me anyways for trying to run off. My fate is sealed. I will never see my brothers again, I will never… It's over!" With a loud sob, she pressed her hands on her face and sank down on the floor, her body shaking violently.
Jane's mind had to process everything she'd just said first, before he slipped into his trousers and carefully walked over to her small frame, sitting on the floor, looking like a little child. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his chest. She loosened her position, burying her face in the curve of his neck, crying bitterly.
While he smoothed her hair with one hand, it was hard for him to put the pieces of the puzzle together, because there were still so many blanks she had to fill in. He remembered her telling him she wanted to visit the Police Academy to become a cop, that's what she'd saved all the money for. But how did a strong girl like her get lost in a web of strippers, hookers and men who wanted to kill her? What happened? And which role did Haffner play in all this?
Teresa's sobs became silent after a while, but he didn't loosen his hold on her, because she was starting to shake.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered again, "I'm so sorry this happened to you. But whatever it is, I'm going to protect you, Teresa. I promise."
"You can't. Nobody can. He gets them all in the end," she answered, her voice hoarse from crying.
"Who is he?"
"Red John… If I… If I'm not back in Vegas by 12 am on Friday, Lorelei said he's going to come after you too because you helped me."
Jane decided to not mention the fact that Teresa used him as a springboard to get out of Vegas. If he were in her situation, he'd have done the same. "I know it's hard, but maybe you should tell me everything from the start, so we can figure out a way to get you out of this. Despite everything you think, you can trust me, Teresa."
He pulled back, so she had to lift her head and look him in the eyes. "I promise you everything is going to be alright. I'll do what I can and if that means going to the police…" The sudden panic in her eyes made him rethink what he was going to say.
"Okay, no police, I promise. But I need to know everything. I want you to know that you can trust me on this. What do you think?"
For a moment it seemed like Teresa was looking for something, something in his eyes. She seemed to have found it, because she nodded carefully, taking his hand he offered to help her off the floor.
"Good. You need to be honest with me though. No secrets, okay?"
"Only if you don't have any secrets from me either. You need to be honest with me, too."
"What secrets could I possibly have you want to know?" She gave him a look that made him crack a smile. "Fine, I'll tell you everything you want to know. How about breakfast first? You didn't eat a lot yesterday."
After a boy brought them breakfast with tea, fresh coffee and warm waffles, they settled down on the couch, each of them balancing a plate with the delicious sweet breakfast on their knees.
Teresa told Jane about the day she got the letter from the LA Police Academy in the mail, asking her to come for a personal talk with the supervisor and some sort of physical and mental test everyone who applied had to do.
"After that, everything went down. I managed to pass the test, but I had no chance to get a scholarship, so since I wasn't able to pay, I decided to wait a year and stay in LA and work there, so I could save more money. I worked as a waitress and in a fast food restaurant, but with the rent I had to pay for my little room in the apartment of an old lady and the money I had to send to James for his medical school, there wasn't much left to save. Still, I managed a little."
Jane watched her, feeling sorry, because the only way to get good education in this country was if you had money. If he had known Teresa back then, he'd have given her everything she needed, he decided.
"Do you know what it feels like to be completely alone? To have nobody… Have you ever loved somebody after your wife died?"
"No," Jane mumbled, his voice showing a bit of the pain he was feeling, "I had a few… flings with women, but not anymore. I just realized they can't help me to get one the pain, can't make me forget." Except for you, he added silently
Teresa nodded, like she understood, before she went on: "Then I got to know this girl who kept talking about her brother in Vegas, who was making tons of money with playing poker and black jack. I was so desperate and it sounded so good to me back then, I really thought Vegas would be the solution of all my problems. Winning a little money at poker and so on… Don't give me that look, Patrick!"
"I'm sorry… Did it never occur to you to just go back to Chicago?" he asked, but she shook her head.
"I couldn't. They were so proud of their sister in the big city, I couldn't possibly tell them I screwed up and since I kept sending the money to James, they didn't suspect anything."
"So you went to Vegas," Jane said between a bite of his waffle, "How did you become…?"
"A hooker?" Teresa snorted in disgust. "You know, I thought I was good at poker, but after I lost like all of my money there, I found out I sucked badly. So what do you do if you lost everything and run around Vegas with your suitcase and nothing? I didn't even have a place to stay, because all of a sudden the brother of my "friend" turned out to be nothing but a drunken gambler who was sharing his single-room apartment with three others of this sort. That was no place where I wanted to stay. I still had my pride."
He nodded: "How did you meet Lorelei?"
Her face darkened, but she kept on talking, because she'd promised him to not hide anything. "It was late after midnight, when I decided I couldn't walk anymore and just dropped down on a bench at the park close to the "Red Mill". I was hungry and cold and would have given anything for a bed to sleep in. I still don't know how Lorelei found me, but she did. She looked beautiful, you know, in her white dress with her tanned skin… for a second I really thought she was an angel. She was nice… sat down next to me and talked to me, wanted to know why a girl like me was wandering around at night, all alone in a dangerous big city.
"I told her what she needed to know – though I never mentioned my name to her. That's when she made me an offer… an offer I couldn't refuse at that time. A job, a warm bed, food, money… It sounded like heaven. "All you have to give my boss are five years of your precious time and do a little physical activity", she'd said. I asked her what she meant, but she just winked. At that moment I knew I didn't care anymore, I would do anything.
"If five years working with them meant I could save up enough money to help James financing his medical studies and still have something left for my own… So I agreed and signed the contract she gave me, right after she showed me my room in the house I didn't know would become my prison for the next year. I was desperate and needed the money," she snorted, a bitter smile on her face.
"I learned soon that if I wanted to survive, I had to let go of my pride. The first month, I had to work at the bar. I called myself Tammy back then, wearing the blonde wig, because you get better tips when you're a blonde waitress."
"That's where we met," Jane smiled, reaching for her hand.
Teresa let him squeeze it, before she took a sip of coffee and continued: "After the first month was over, Lorelei called me into a room in the back of the "Red Mill." She said it was time for the second part of our arrangement, the one where I could start earning real money, with which I could pay the rent. I could keep the rest of it. It was okay, you know? I had enough food, a bed… I told my brothers they'd accepted me at the Las Vegas Police Academy, so they wouldn't have to worry about me…
"Have you ever had sex?" Lorelei asked with a sweet smile. Teresa raised an eyebrow, surprised about the question.
"No…"
"Then this might hurt a little. It always does the first time, but it'll get better. Who knows, maybe you'll start to enjoy it. I do. Here, wear this."
She tossed her something that looked like a school girl's uniform. Teresa didn't understand and tried to suppress the panic that was rising in her chest.
"I… I thought…"
Lorelei's smile was as sweet as chocolate: "I know, honey, but it's part of the deal. You don't get enough money if you keep up the waitress thing and sooner or later we all have to do that step. Keep calm, the man Red John sent to try you out has experience with virgins… You're his favourite kind."
"But I don't want to…" Teresa whispered, shocked when she realized what would happen next.
"You signed the contract, Tammy," Lorelei hissed, her sudden calmness forgotten, "So either you go through with this number yourself or Ray will make you do it. He doesn't have a problem if you're a little stubborn. Now get dressed, he'll be here in a minute!"
With this, the woman closed the door and locked it from the outside. Now Teresa knew why all the other girls had watched her with pity when she was asked to come with Lorelei. Why had nobody told her?!
Silent tears were rolling from her eyes, but she forced herself to put the uniform Lorelei gave her on. I have to do this, she thought, I have to get through this for my brothers.
The moment the door opened and a middle-aged man with a cheerful grin entered the room, she took a deep breath and forced herself to smile.
"Oh, there she is… You were a naughty girl, weren't you?"
Teresa took a deep breath. Her body was shaking violently, but she had her tears under control. She needed to finish it, so it was over once and for all. Jane hadn't said a word, but she could see the disgust on his face. What she didn't knew was it belonged to Haffner and not her.
"I cried the whole time and when he was finished, he pulled up he jeans, left a tip on the nightstand and left. I don't know how long I was lying there until I managed to get up and have a shower, to scrub his scent off my skin. When I came out, Lola, a women I've been working with at the bar a few times was sitting on the bed. I'll never forget her look, when she saw me. Then, she told me everything I needed to know about my contract with the devil called Red John. I wanted to leave immediately, but the damage was already done. So… I learned to live with it."
Jane stared at her, his hands balled into fists, before he stood up and went into his room, carefully closing the door behind him.
Teresa could hear the violent shattering noises coming from the room next door, but she didn't move. She'd never told her story to anyone before and to be honest, she never intended to do it again. All the memories came crushing down on her like a monsoon. It was okay if Jane hated her now, because nobody could hate her as much as she hated herself.
When Jane emerged from his room, he looked slightly disheveled. Teresa was still sitting on the couch; she hadn't moved an inch. He stepped in front of her, not sure what to do – hell he'd just ripped his whole room apart like some kind of crazy heavy metal rocker, because he was so angry.
"If you want me to leave," she mumbled, not meeting his eye.
Jane knelt down, taking both of her hands in his. Surprised of his sudden movement, the brunette bit her lower lip, giving him an insecure look. "Why, Teresa, why do you think I'd want you to leave?"
"Because you hate me for what I did?" she whispered so silently and insecure, it seemed like he wanted to shake her for it.
"Don't you ever in your life think I could hate you for what other people did to you. This was not your fault, Teresa, do you hear me?! You did it because you had to, because you saw no other way to get out of your situation. Nobody deserves what happened to you, nobody who did everything for their three little brothers."
"But people will always see me as the worthless hooker that I am now."
His body was so full of rage right now, he had to be careful to not hurt her. Jane put his hands on her shoulders and made her look him right in the eye: "Listen to me. What you did for your family was brave. I don't know any other sister, who'd have done that for her brothers. Stop believing the crap everyone kept telling you in Vegas, because it's just wrong. You are a strong and wonderful woman, Teresa. I'm going to tell you every day, and maybe, one day, you'll finally start to believe it. I haven't met anyone like you since my wife died. You're clever, witty and quick at repartee and now that you told me everything, it makes me love you even more."
She stared at him, her mouth slightly open. No one in her life had ever said something beautiful like that to her. Jane didn't hate her for god's sake, he was just so very overwhelmed all this happened to her, he had to let some steam off. And he… he… he loved her? Was it just something he'd said in the heat of the moment, or was he serious?
The ringing of a phone disturbed their emotional exchange of looks. Jane cleared his throat, before he stood up to pick up the phone with a lightly severe "Hello?", before he turned around and pointed the receiver towards Teresa. "It's for you… It's Grace."
She stood up and let him hand her the phone with a muffled: "I'll go and shower."
"Hey Grace, this is Teresa," she answered, trying to make her voice sound cheerful, "I'm sorry because I didn't say good bye yesterday, but there were some… complications."
"It's okay," Grace said. She sounded tired and exhausted. "I'm actually just calling to tell you that I can't go to the game with you tonight. I'm very sorry."
Well, this surprised the brunette. "What happened? Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, but Virgil… Yesterday shortly after the race was over, he had a heart attack and he's been lying in the hospital ever since."
Teresa almost let the phone drop in shock. She couldn't believe what Grace had just told her. Poor Virgil Minelli. "How… how is he? Is he going to be all right?"
"We don't know yet to be honest, his condition is critical. Wayne's been staying with him the whole night and I'm about to drive over to the hospital to bring him a bag with clean clothes. I'm sorry because of tonight, but after this I'm really not in the mood for a football game. Maybe you could ask someone else to go with you? I'll let the people at the ticket box know…"
"Grace you don't have to excuse yourself for this, I totally understand. I'm so sorry for you and Wayne and of course, Mr. Minelli. Please send him my well-being's, will you? With the game…" her eyes flickered towards Jane's room, "I'll go and ask, thank you."
"Okay, good. I really have to go now, but thanks for your wishes, I'll tell my father-in-law. Take care."
"You too!" With that, the redhead hung up. Teresa let out a deep breath she'd been holding. Poor Mr. Minelli! He was having trouble with his company already and maybe all this stress exploded in a heart attack. Hopefully he'd be getting better soon…
She waited for Jane to emerge from his room, surprised to find him all dressed up in a dark blue suit. "I'm heading to Mashburn's office, because there are some things we have to discuss in person. I don't know how long it'll take, so I don't know if we will see each other before you leave for your football game with Miss Grace."
"Uh yeah, because of that… She can't go tonight."
Jane raised an eyebrow, looking surprised: "Oh, why is that?"
"Because yesterday… Mr. Minelli had a heart attack." She kneaded her hands, deciding whether to ask him to come with her to the game or not. God why did she feel like 16 again?
"I'm very sorry to hear that. Is he going to be okay?" The concern in his voice was unmistakable.
"They don't know yet, but I hope he will be. I liked him… Grace said we could still take the tickets…"
"We?" he asked surprised. Oh yeah, as if a man like Patrick Jane was game for football. What the hell was she thinking?!
"Um yes, I thought… You don't have to if you don't want to. It starts at six and Grace said she'd leave the tickets at the ticket box to pick them up, so…"
"I've never been to a football game, but I'd love to go with you. I'll call you later to let you know if I'm going to pick you up or if I let Cho drive you to the stadium, okay?"
Teresa nodded happily, her heart fluttering a little: "See you tonight."
"Tonight," he grinned, grabbed his briefcase and headed out the doors.
By the time Jane met Teresa in front of the stadium, she was all dressed up in a jersey and a cap that showed the Bears logo. He had no problem recognizing her though - he'd find her in a crowd of a million people. Things at Mashburn's office had been a little longer than he'd intended, so he was already a little late.
"There you are," he grinned, giving her a quick hug, "I'm sorry, Mashburn was holding me hostage at his office. You look good. Spent too much money at the fan-shop already?"
"Well one has to get dressed properly for such a game." She gave him a critical look, before handing him a bag. "Here's your stuff - and yes you have to wear it, because I won't take no for an answer. We're going to have fun tonight and I don't want some crazy fans to beat you up because of your big-mouth-in-a-suit look."
"Do you really thing you can make me quiet down my big mouth by wearing this stuff?"
Teresa gave him a grin and shook her head: "No, but it's fun anyways. I've never seen you wearing anything normal."
Jane pulled the tricot out of the bag and slipped it over his head. It was a little big, but the blue and orange fabric didn't look as bad as he first thought. Smiling, Teresa fished the cap out of the bag and sat it on his head.
"Now you look like a real fan."
"We're twins," he grinned and almost made her stick out the tongue for his sassy comment.
"I got the tickets already. The man at the ticket box was really nice. Come on, we still have to get hotdogs and coke before the game starts!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the entrance. Jane followed, a big smile on his face. He felt like this was going to be a great evening - for both of them.
They bought some hotdogs and Coke, before they walked inside the stadium to find their seats. They were just in time to they could watch the cheerleader heat up the audience with a great performance, while settling down between lots of cheering fans.
"These hotdogs are delicious!" Teresa exclaimed, already eating her second one. Jane nodded approvingly and decided to wait a little before eating his second one, in case Teresa was still hungry.
"The game is about to start! Look, the teams are lining up! Oh god it's been ages since I watched a football game."
Jane couldn't stop staring at her, his eyes fixed on that little spot in the corner of her mouth, where a little spot of ketchup was lingering.
"What?" she asked. "Is there something in my face?"
"Actually there is..." he smiled, brushing away the spot with his thumb. His hand was lingering just a little too long on her cheek, before he removed it and pretended to be watching the game.
The moment he'd touched her, Teresa's heart had made a jump. These looks he gave her... what was behind them? What was wrong with him? Now she didn't dare to ask what he meant with his "makes me love you even more" this morning just yet. She was supposed to be having fun at the game and don't do this heavy thinking, so she turned her attention towards the game.
Xxxxx
Later, Jane decided, watching Teresa being in her element had been the best part of the whole game. All her emotions, from the times she gripped his arm when it got thrilling, to the moment she almost jumped on him, when the Bears did their first touchdown.
To be honest, he'd enjoyed every little time her body had brushed accidentally or on purpose against his, cherished the moments she'd been happy and endured the moments she got mad at the other team. All in all, it'd been a very successful evening.
Jane wasn't much into sports, but doing it with Teresa had awoken a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. That was the weird part - this feeling occurred a lot lately when he was with her. Or was it just because they finally got rid of all the secrets between them and he could see her for the woman she really was?
"It was fun," she said, carefully searching for his gaze, "Thanks for coming with me."
"I guess we have to thank Grace for the tickets. But you're right, I really enjoyed to do something... normal."
"Not as fancy as you're used to, huh? Well this may be just my own opinion, but I don't think you get the spirit of a game if you're sitting in the VIP lounge with all the stiff looking guys. You need the screams of the fans, the throwing of popcorn..."
"The hits on the head with those plastic bars you can blow up from a seven year old..." he added making a face. Teresa laughed remembering the kid behind them, who continued to beat Jane's head because he couldn't see the field with a tall person as Jane standing in front of him. "I'll have a lump tomorrow morning!"
"Oooh, poor baby," she giggled, patting his head.
"Don't you dare making fun of me, this is a serious injury that could cause brain damage..." Now the brunette really couldn't hold the laughter any longer. "Oh wait for it you little minx," he called, grabbing for her, but she was faster and ran down the way towards the parking lots.
Jane followed her half heartedly, because he had to admit running had never been his best discipline. She let him catch her a few feet before they arrived at the lot and laughed, when he slung an arm around her waist and twirled her around so her feet lost contact to the ground.
"Let me down," she gasped giggling, "Let me down, Patrick."
He twirled their bodies one more time, before he sat her down on the ground, both holding onto each other, because of the dizziness. They stumbled towards a wall, both leaning against it and breathing heavily.
"I love it when you laugh," Jane whispered and she looked up, finding his face closer than she'd expected.
It was the perfect moment, Jane thought. The sun was almost down, and the first stars started to sparkle down from the sky. He leaned his forehead against hers, looking her deep in the emerald green eyes that were prettier than anything he'd ever seen in his life.
Teresa's heart pounded heavily, because she knew what would be coming next. She'd seen enough movies to know Jane would kiss her now, but somehow her mind started to think all of these thoughts she'd rather just avoid. Lola had always told her to never kiss a client, because kissing would get you emotionally attached. Hell, she already was emotionally attached to Jane! He knew her like nobody else and still...
When he bent his head down, eyes half closed, Teresa carefully put a hand on his chest to stop him. She could see the pain and disappointment in his eyes, when he opened them and took a step back.
"I..." she started, but he just shook his head.
"It's okay, Teresa, I understand. We should go and look for Cho." Jane turned around, trying to hide the pain he was feeling, but it was just so overwhelming, he'd really thought...
"Wait!" Teresa gasped, grabbing for his hand to withhold him from walking away. He turned around, raising an eyebrow. She looked like a deer that was about to run into a car. "Please," she whispered.
Jane stood stock still when she stepped in front of him and rested both her hands on his cheeks, before standing on tip toes. He made it a little easier for her and bent down a little, but not too much, because he knew she wanted to be the one in charge this time.
It must be something really big for her, otherwise she wouldn't be so careful and insecure. For the first time he asked himself if she ever kissed another guy or if this maybe was her first kiss.
The moment their lips met, it was like an explosion, making his whole body prickle with need and want for more, but he had to use every trick he knew to not scare her off now.
At first, Teresa thought her heart was about to burst, but the moment she felt Jane's warm and soft lips on hers, it was like butterflies were going crazy in her stomach. Carefully, she let go of his cheeks and put her arms around his neck, while he pulled her a little closer. This was what it felt like to be kissed by someone she cared about.
Jane was so tender with her and she could feel he wanted more, but he didn't do anything about it. He wanted her to be in charge, to go as far as she wanted, so the moment she opened her mouth and his tongue slipped inside, she moaned in pleasure.
All of a sudden there was a stirring in her abdomen, something she never felt before, a heat that became more extreme with every second their kiss lasted. She didn't dare to open her eyes right now, wishing this moment could go on forever. In the end it was Jane who stopped doing wonderful things to her mouth with his tongue, gave her one last peck on the lips and pulled away. Only then Teresa's eyes fluttered open.
"Wow," Jane whispered, but she wasn't able to get out a word, staring at him like he was from another world. "Maybe we should go and look for Cho," he offered, although he could have kissed her again right there.
She just nodded and took the warm hand he reached her, before they went down the parking lot towards the street where Cho was already waiting with the limousine.
They hadn't stopped holding hands in the limousine, hadn't stopped when they got out and walked inside the hotel. Jane hadn't even stopped holding her, when they met Bosco at the front desk, who was eying them with a weird mixture of awkwardness and happiness.
Teresa took comfort in his warm touch, her thoughts running circles in her head. The butterflies she felt when they kissed… against her better judgement she thought this could be it, Jane could really be the knight in shining armor she dreamed of when she was in Vegas.
They stepped inside the elevator and rode up to their suite. "Do you want to come over and watch TV tonight?" he asked just like he did every night. Today Teresa felt like it would be different though.
"I'd love to," she whispered and waited for him to open the door with his key. Jane switched the light on, stopping in surprise, so Teresa bumped into his back. When she stepped around him to see what was wrong, she saw a woman lying on the dining table, her whole body covered in chocolate and fruits.
"Hello, Patrick," she smiled seductively, "I've missed you so much. I thought you'd like a sweet welcome gift from your girlfriend…"
"Erica," Jane whispered stunned. This was enough for Teresa to turn around and run.
A/N: Phew another chapter done. I'm really sorry for what I did with Erica but a few months ago my friends and me watched Sex and the City The Movie and Samantha was lying on the table with the sushi, waiting for her bf to arrive and I got this idea of making Erica wait for Jane like this.
I hope you liked it and I'd love to hear your opinion :)
Chapter 12 will be up in a few days, I promise!
Liefs
