Disclaimer: I don't own the Mentalist.
Wow. I feel like I haven't posted in forever, sorry about that. I would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for giving me great insight into my last chapter. They suggested that Jane asking the universe for a sign was not in character, and I full heartedly agree. I kind of got caught up in the drama of it all, oops. I might got back and tweak it slightly, but no promises. For now I'm going to continue with the story. I hope you enjoy chapter 12!
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As the bright green digital letters flashed 5:00, Jane threw himself out of bed. He had set a rule which forbid him from disturbing Lisbon too early; It was easier said than done. All last night Jane was at war. At two am he almost made it to his car before logic was knocked into him. He didn't want to wake Lisbon too early, didn't want her to know just how insane he really was.
Stumbling into his bathroom, he didn't bother to comb his hair. All Jane needed was to throw on a new vest and some slacks, although brushing his teeth couldn't hurt. It wasn't like Jane was expecting anything; he just wanted to keep the possibilities open for optimism's sake.
The words of Lisbon's text ran through his head for the hundredth time. All last night Jane was left to decipher the meaning of those two short lines. Not only had she forgave him, but she had apologized. An apology was rare coming from a stubborn person such as Teresa Lisbon. He was willing to accept it any chance he got. Lisbon had also warned him not to do anything reckless. These words left Jane guilty. He hated to think he caused Lisbon distress, but at the same time, he was overjoyed to think that she cared about what happened to him. Did this make him terrible person? Probably.
Exiting his suite, Jane shot a quick look into a wall mirror. His teeth were white and shiny, but just about everything else was a mess. His hair was matted and he had grey circles under each eye. Jane usually took pride in his good looks, but today he didn't seem to care. He was not out to impress anyone other than Lisbon, and something told him that she wasn't going to care what he looked like. If things went down the way they did last time, she would be too busy yelling at him. Or possibly aiming pillows at his head.
Jane swiftly unlocked his Citroen and slid into the driver's seat. He considered calling Lisbon to announce his impending arrival, but Jane preferred the element of surprise. That way he could catcher her off guard. If Jane alerted her now, she would have a good twenty minutes to prepare a domestic speech. He wanted her words to come from Teresa the person, not Lisbon the cop.
This gave him an unfair advantage. He, of course, had planned out everything he had wanted to say. Jane had even predicted Lisbon's reactions to some of his confessions. The reactions were not likely accurate, Lisbon tended to surprise him. He could only hope for the best.
Soft music played across the speakers. A familiar tune wafted through the belly of the car and filled up the space. It took a moment for Jane to give to song a name, but was delighted upon recognition. It just so happened that Lisbon loved this song. He had grown to love it too.
"Saying I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know"
Jane drove in silence, letting the music take him along. He silenced his brain and brought himself back to that night in the high school gym. He basked in the memory of holding her in his arms, the feel of her warm breath on his neck. He had tried to push past her disguise and discover the teenage Lisbon, but to no avail. She held tightly onto her secret, reminding him that so much of Teresa Lisbon was a mystery. He had made it his mission to find out as much as he could; somebody had to know to real her. He had made remarkable progress, but Jane still wondered the name of the instrument she had worked so hard to cover up.
Before he knew it, Jane was parked along Lisbon's street. He scoffed at the nearest parking sign. The street would be open in thirty minutes, there was no need to find a new spot. He pushed open the nearest door and began to ascend up the stairs. She lived on the second floor, but on the other end of the hall. Counting down the numbers in his head, Jane finally reached Lisbon's door. He took a deep breath and knocked once.
There was no reply.
He tried again, but to no avail.
"Lisbon?" He called. "It's Jane."
Nothing.
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Lisbon was alarmed when she saw bright beams of light shining through her window. Most days she woke up to complete darkness or the weak light of early morning sun. This made Lisbon wonder just how long she had been asleep. A quick glance at the clock confirmed her speculation, it was eight thirty am. Lisbon supposed she should not have been surprised by the length of her slumber. She had after all been awake at two in the morning arguing with Jane—
Jane.
Memories of last night flooded her head. She vaguely remembered her immediate anger and the later sense of panic. She had received a simple response from Jane. It had only consisted of five generic words.
I will see you tomorrow.
Well now it was tomorrow, but where was Jane? Knowing him, Lisbon suspected he would stop by as early as possible. She was currently surprised he had not bothered her yet, so she began to worry something had happened to him. As she got out of bed, Lisbon pushed the silly thought out of her head. Throwing on a robe, she made her way to the living room. Part of her expected to find Jane sorting through her things on the big couch, but that was childish. She peaked around the corner just in case.
Jane wasn't there.
Lisbon sighed and chastised herself for being so foolish. Jane didn't have a key; he would not have been able to get in. She decided to peek out her door to see if he was waiting in the hall. After a cursory glance both ways, no person was to be found. As she was closing the door, a white square at her feet caught Lisbon's eye. She knelt down to pick it up. Upon further inspection, Lisbon recognized the loopy handwriting. It was from Jane.
Hey Lisbon. I stopped by earlier, but you didn't answer. I would have come around again, but I was worried for my safety. It might be beneficial to my heath if we met in a public place. You know, where there are witnesses. Meet me in Helen's Square two blocks south from here at eleven. I was thinking we could grab lunch. –J
Lisbon held the note to her chest. Jane had been here. It wasn't such a childish thought after all. Smiling, Lisbon closed her apartment door behind her. She placed Jane's note next to a portrait of her brothers on the coffee table and headed off to the bathroom. Lisbon needed to get ready, she had somewhere to be.
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Jane bathed in the warm sun. He had some time to kill before Lisbon found her note, so Jane decided to take care of business. He had left his car and walked two blocks to a small restaurant that sat kitty corner to the square. On his drive past this morning, the park had been dark. Now it absolutely beamed with life. He made a lunch reservation for quarter past eleven. There were a variety of small shops and restaurants along the plaza, but Jane had opted to go to Jade Glass. The name sake was not what lured Jane into this small building, but rather the ambiance. The building was rather small and privet, the windows tinted spring green. Jane decided it was a place both he and Lisbon would enjoy.
After making reservations, Jane made his way back to the square. He closed his eyes and began to meditate. Every couple minuets someone would walk by and grab his attention, but for the most part it was quiet. After an hour and a half of waiting, Jane was brought to the attention of clicking heels. They were close together and fierce, no doubt it was Lisbon. Jane didn't even open his eyes.
"Morning Lisbon." Jane called in her direction.
The clicking stopped.
"What?" Lisbon asked bewildered. "How could you tell it was me?"
Jane chuckled and opened his eyes.
"For someone was short as you, you sure do walk with ferocity."
Lisbon raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so?" She asked.
"Yes. Yes it is."
Lisbon took a seat next to Jane on the bench.
"So." She asked. "Why Helen's Square?"
Jane merely shrugged.
"I drove past it this morning and thought it looked interesting. That was before I saw how beautiful it looked in broad daylight."
"Yes." Lisbon agreed. "I don't usually come here often. I drive past it every day, but I seldom have a reason to stop."
There was an awkward pause. Jane was sure she was thinking back to last night. Before they could argue again, he was determined to get her properly fed. He could tell Lisbon rarely ate out. Jane stood up and faced a sun bathed Lisbon.
"So, how do you feel about Mediterranean?"
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Lorelei stood alone in the darkness. Slimy liquid oozing from the floor was seeping into her shoes and dampening her socks. A feeling of unease spread through her bones; they knew what she was doing was wrong. She was betraying Red John by meeting with this man. Her master, who trusted her so dearly, would be engulfed in rage if he ever found out what she was doing. Lorelei wanted to turn away and flee, but her quest for the truth rang through her. She needed to know for sure.
Out of the darkness a man appeared. He hung back in the shadows, hiding his face from view. She could tell from his build he was tall and muscular. She was pretty sure she did not know this man.
Lorelei finally managed the courage to speak.
"What did you—" Her voice broke.
There was a deathly silence before the man responded.
"It was him." The man said in a gruff, heavily accented voice. "It was this man who killed your sister."
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Once again I'm sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoyed some of the Jane and Lisbon moments as well as the Lorelei drama. I was planning for this story to have around twenty chapters, so were over halfway. I'm worried I will have to finish before Sunday next week. That's when the real Lorelei story line is going to be played out. I don't want my story to be obsolete, but at the same time, eight chapters in one week is pushing it for me. Tell me what you guys think?
Up Next: Jane and Lisbon resolve issues over lunch. An unexpected guest goes out of her way to contact Jane.
