Hey I'm back (waving from behind a rock to avoid potential projectiles). I am SO sorry for the long wait (I swear, on top of life interaction, my muse went wild and came back from time to time but never for the same fic and never long enough for me to finish a chapter…geez I hope I'll see the end of every project one day a_a).
Uh…*was about to say something but just forgot what*…never mind. So technically, two chapters left after this one. Hope you'll enjoy it despite the (long time to) update :D. Ah yes! I apologize I haven't written back to every reviewers...promise I'll do better next time!
Thanks to Alkaryco (hee thanks xD) rigspeltforeverxx (Grisby scene was written just for you, hope you'll like it :D); Anna; Lauri-mentalist; Jbon; Simonisthecuttestmentalist; Irises4ever; storystalker; MK; lucyyh; vanilla339; Frogster; BetweenTwoWorlds; watchyouwalk; Jisbon4ever; 13 Jo; Tempest Erimentha (no problem, I do that too with the girl translating this fic in French uu"); Brown Eyes Parker; AM; AlejandraO; Virginia; leelou09 for their reviews !
Thank you for the alerts and favourites too!
And again, thanks to my half-beta (don't know what I'd do without you)!
Disclaimer: I do not own Mentalist, I do not make money on those fics and I definitely don't deny having a thing for AUs. Hope you'll enjoy this (won't blame you if you don't ;D)
Slave 26
Never had she spent a more uncomfortable night on a bed, Teresa thought. Since it hadn't been used for about two years, the roomed smelt so bad she thought even a polecat would hate it. The mattress was so hard she couldn't bear laying on it a second more –even the small couch was more comfy! Since she had been locked in; no-one visited her, except to deliver food and clothes she would certainly not put on. She did slip into her nightdress, not exactly willing to lie down in her current dress.
There was a subtle sound, yet she still noticed it. The experience of years spent in this very room taught her everything she needed when a sound came up. And this particular one gave her chills. The handle of the door was turning. Someone had unlocked the door and wanted to enter for a nightly visit. Teresa breathed deeply in and out before checking her surroundings. No matter who was her intruder, she needed something to defend herself. She turned towards the closest desk, knowing –if nothing had been changed since her departure- that a small knife was hidden there. Samuel had given her one when they were still young, and it saddened her a little to think she might have to use it against him today. Thankfully it was still there, tugged under old dusty-smelling clothes.
The handle finished turning and the door creaked while opening. She stepped closer to the door, the shining little blade firmly held in hand, and backed against the wall, waiting for the intruder to come in. What she did not expect was the hand flying to catch her wrist and disarming her within seconds. She immediately stepped back and stood in shock when she recognized her intruder. Grinning proudly like a Cheshire Cat and dressed in black clothes, a very familiar cook was standing in the doorframe.
"Julian? What are you doing here? And… and how did you come in here?" she asked, eyes wide in surprise.
"First question; I figured you could use the marriage licence for shelter. Second question; former thief" he grinned, eyes laughing and playing with a key. "It's hard to lose old habits, but I'm sure you will not protest about this now. Cho told me where your room was."
"You saw Cho?" she asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah. When I saw you weren't at the inn like you were supposed to, I rushed here and a friend told me where the servant quarters were. I went to see him first, he's okay. A bit pissed by your decision; but fine."
Teresa sighed in relief. If the Asian man had been harmed, she would have never forgiven herself.
"He told me half of what happened 'cause he heard the old fag talking –that's how he knew where you were by the way. I'm not sure you're handling this quite good Teresa."
"I realised that" she shot back, annoyed. "And since I know I am just a kid for my father, nothing is holding me back now. I could sneak out right here and there but I feel I would be running away for real; just like he told my brothers. I just… I just don't know what to do to convince him to let me go."
He frowned in deep thought, his lips twisting in a distorted kind of way.
"I might have an option" he eventually said. "You did tell him you were Mr. Jane's fiancée, right?" She nodded, wondering what the man had in mind. "Then use the untold 'why', and lie about it."
Teresa frowned at his words. What did he mean, exactly? To her untold question, Julian grinned:
"When I met Cho at the inn he told me you've been sick during the whole trip here. Tell them you're pregnant. Even a business man like Bosco or your father will not like it. That will buy me time to get those damn papers official. I have a friend who owes me one and… Teresa? You're all right?"
At his words, the young woman had paled and turned towards her bed as a wave of nausea hit her hard. The little food she had eaten was thrown out on the ground and when she turned back to Julian to apologize, he seemed very, very uncomfortable.
"Oh my, Elise might be right then. You're really…"
-S-
Van Pelt was sitting on the bed in the nursery room, waiting patiently for Elise's diagnosis. A few hours earlier, she had fainted while giving orders to Emma in the living room and Rigsby had immediately carried her to the nursery. After a quick examination (and kicking out the tall man for being too unnerving), the Asian woman smiled reassuringly.
"Everything's fine. I suppose your fainting is due to overwork. You need to slow down a little. Mr Jane isn't here for the moment, you should take some rest."
The redhead groaned and shook her head, buttoning up her maid dress.
"Don't tell Wayne, he'll drag me out of town to the countryside. Since the Red John incident, he is so overprotective!"
Elise chuckled in amusement. If there was one thing the tall man didn't give up to Van Pelt, it was about her health and stress. Despite her swinging moods, no-one really knew how to deal with her. A few seconds later, Rigsby was allowed back in the room.
"Is everything alright?" he asked immediately.
"It's just pregnancy fainting" the Asian woman replied calmly "Don't worry, it happens."
To say the man was relieved was an understatement. His shoulders fell as he sighed, letting the tension leave his body.
"Sorry for the tone Elise" he said then. "I was a bit…"
"Stressed, I noticed" she cut and ended for him with an amused smile. "Don't worry, I wasn't expecting less from you."
Elise then turned towards the closest desk and put the tools she just used in a container.
"May I ask you a question?" Van Pelt suddenly asked. "Why did you encourage Julian to follow Teresa? Cho is with her, isn't he enough?"
The Asian woman shrugged while she washed her hands.
"I felt that she would need the presence of someone with… the abilities he gained from his former profession. And keep an extra eye on her. I am pretty sure you haven't noticed, but lately, she has gained a little bit of weight and lost her appetite."
"And so?" the housekeeper asked, frowning. For once, Rigsby wasn't the only one missing Elise's message. The woman turned towards her and smiled indulgently.
"She also did look very tired. Even Mr Jane was cautious around her lately."
Both nodded, acknowledging the fact.
"Now that you mention it" Rigsby spoke up "She was exhausted…"
"But that meeting with her former fiancé shook her, right? I mean, she's not sick, is she?"
Elise laughed heartily at her words.
"Dear, dear Grace. You were acting the same only a few months ago and you already forgot?"
Van Pelt's eyes widened in surprise.
"You mean she's…"
-S-
Pregnant. As soon as the word left Julian's mouth, Teresa felt another wave of nausea, but this time did not try to fight it and unleashed some leftovers from… whatever it came. Being told she might be… expecting out of the blue caught her off guard; even more when the thought could be realistic. She had been sleeping with Jane for a few months already -on and off given the circumstances. She wasn't stupid; she knew that once married to Jane, carrying his children would be another duty –though she didn't exactly mind this one. Had she been married to a complete stranger, it would be a different story entirely… But still, this soon?
When the feeling passed again and she rose to meet the cook's glance, he was trying at all costs to avoid the disgusting mixture on the floor.
"Are you sure of it?" she asked, her voice so faint he barely heard it. Julian shrugged.
"That's what Elise says at least. And since this woman has a sixth sense or something, I kinda believe her."
Teresa nodded absentmindedly. The man patted her shoulder with a small smile.
"Hey, cheer up. I'm sure you'll be a great mother. I know from Miss Van Pelt Mr Jane was as close to his daughter as…" he frowned in front of her lack of reaction. "Teresa? You're okay?"
She met his eyes again and bit her lower lip.
"I don't know if… Julian, I'm not ready. I can't have kids now. I don't…"
The cook rubbed her shoulder awkwardly.
"You'll have this conversation with Mr Jane. I'm afraid I'm not the best adviser."
Teresa laughed nervously and nodded.
"Sure… yes I… I understand. Sorry it's…" she breathed deeply again and count till five before breathing out. She still felt a little put off, but calmer. "It's unsettling. My mother… She was eighteen when she married my father. I was born soon after" another deep breath and she was back on track. "Anyway, what marriage licence?"
The panicked expression on Julian's face evaporated when she changed subject and he pulled out from a bag he was carrying across his shoulder –black again… oh, that was why she hadn't spot it right away- a sheet of paper rolled in parchment.
"Remember what Mr Jane said about being married would protect you from your father? Well after talking about it, I had that feeling it could be useful to you to have proof of your upcoming marriage with him. I know someone who can take care of it within hours if I ask him to. I just need your signature on the bottom right."
Julian handed her the paper and a fountain pen with ink on the closest desk. This time, she didn't hesitate and, after a quick reading (not that she didn't trust Julian, she just wanted to know what she would be talking about if she had to face her father about it), signed at the said place. The contract was folded in the man's bag and he didn't waste time in ; he locked the door from the inside and sat in front of it. When she tilted her head in wonder, he smirked.
"Sleep" he ordered gently. "I'll make sure no-one else comes during the night. If I hear something suspicious; I will wake you up. Okay?"
She nodded in agreement, too tired to refuse such a tempting offer, and slipped into bed.
The next morning came too fast to her liking. When she opened her eyes, Julian was already gone. Instead, a plate with apple pie and eggs were perfectly in view on her desk. Not wasting a second, she ate the whole and hid the dish behind her closet. She dressed up in her previous dress and sat on the corner of the bed, waiting for Mrs Klein of someone to open the door to get her for the 'family breakfast'. At nine o'clock –she heard the housekeeper open the door and step in, certainly expecting her to be asleep. To Teresa's great satisfaction, the old woman was very disappointed to see her ready to go.
"Breakfast is served" she grumbled without any form of greeting.
"Good morning to you Mrs Klein" Teresa replied coolly. "Thank you. And before you leave, my room needs to be cleaned."
She passed by the maid and headed towards the staircase, mind set straight on putting a term on this absurd situation.
-S-
When she arrived in the dining room, the table was ready and her family was already eating. Peter Lisbon at the edge of the table, and on his right there was –she winced- Bosco, Thomas and Christopher. On his left, a vacant chair was left between him and Raymond. At least, she knew where he would want her to sit. Another huge hint he wanted nothing more but her to marry Bosco. When he caught sight of her, he stopped talking and addressed to her a solemn:
"Good morning Teresa. Why don't you join us for breakfast?"
The general reaction went more or less as she expected: Ray and Tommy stared at her with eyes wide like saucers, Chris grinned widely and Bosco dropped his fork in surprise. None of them spoke at first, and she didn't bother saying anything back.
"Teresa!" the child called cheerfully. He was silent immediately by his two brother's warning glances and reported reluctantly his attention on his half-eaten plate. The moments of surprise passed, the oldest brother was glaring at her menacingly and Thomas was back on his breakfast. So Mashburn was right; Ray wanted her dead and Tommy didn't care. She managed to get a hold on herself and not bust into tears at their reaction. Everything was just so… cold and uninviting. No-one wanted her there for humanly speaking reasons, except Chris who didn't even know why she left.
"No thank you father" she replied coldly. "I don't want to abuse of your hospitality any longer. Mr Cho and I will be leaving now."
Peter Lisbon burst into laugher.
"Leaving? Don't make me laugh any harder. You left us without second thought and now you are leaving again after spilling –pardon me the expression- bullshit around the household?" Her expression hardened at his words; did he really believe what he said; that they had been abandoned by her when she was the victim to begin with? "Don't look at me with those accusing eyes" her father warned. "You put this upon yourself."
The young woman's glowering did not lessen. He was the one who handed her to a slave merchant and still put the blame on her. And it disgusted her. Had he spread the lie around with such conviction he eventually believed it and hoped she was going to follow suit without complain? Inwardly she knew that if he had bought her back during the previous year, she might just have gotten along for her brothers' sake. Now, she was not alone anymore.
"You sold me. I am currently affianced to another man and you have no saying in this."
Her brothers and Bosco stared at her in disbelief; stunned by her telling back to her own father. The man returned a severe glare and uttered:
"Nonsense. I am your father; I will always have a right on you."
She opened her mouth to protest when it hit her again. The urge to throw up, thanks to a possible inhabitant in her wombs. She grabbed the closest dish and gave back the apple pie and eggs she had just swallowed. Puking made her feel weak again, and she closed her eyes in attempt to calm her senses. She wanted to go home. She wanted to go back to Jane. She wanted to lie down next to him, hold him tight and never leave him again.
God, how much she suddenly missed him…
"Teresa!"
Her head was numb and for a few seconds, she could barely think. She just let strong, unwanted arms hold her while she felt so lightheaded; Bosco's arms. This wasn't the scent she wished she could smell. This wasn't the way he held her, the only way she wanted to be held. As soon as the dizziness vanished, she pushed away the half-bald man and held her father's gaze defiantly.
"You are pregnant" he stated, staring at her blankly.
"I told you I was marrying someone. This" she pointed her flat stomach "is one of the reasons why. Now, you will let Cho and I leave this place and never come back again."
Peter's reaction was immediate. He jumped off his chair and glared at her menacingly:
"I will not allow you to leave."
"My family is in Sacramento in California" she replied dryly. "It was a mistake to come here. Good-bye father."
He pulled out a pistol from his belt and aimed at her.
"I will not allow you to leave me again Mary" he growled. "Don't force me to do this; you know I will fire." She didn't move. He pulled the trigger.
I had absolutely no idea of how to finish this chapter, but I do more or less how I'll be ending the next one ^^. That's a start I suppose?
And before I forget; Peter Lisbon is mentionning Lisbon's mother 'Mary' in the last sentence xD.
Thank you for reading so far!