A/N: Belated birthday present for spyglass/forthecoast! Happy birthday, I guess. :p

Thank you to: Ebony10, Holz9364, Viktorija, PhoenixWytch, Famous4it, Indie Sol, anthropologist, Jisbon4ever, imadetheminmydreams, Koezh, IGottaFindYou and forthecoast for reviewing Another Shot to Hell and to Divinia Serit for betaing.

Just one more of these to go. I honestly cannot believe it.

x tromana


Title: Fool's Gold
Author: tromana
Rating: T
Characters: Jane/Lisbon
Summary: A wise man once said that being a homicide detective can be the loneliest job in the world.
Disclaimer: Not mine
Notes: For spyglass/forthecoast. Beta'd by Divinia Serit. Based on the lyrics (below) and a line from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Fool's Gold

Bruised and battered by your words
Dazed and shattered, now it hurts
Haven't I always loved you?
- Almost Here by Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem

"And if you take away my revenge-"

"Your revenge? Your revenge?" she seethes, eyes flickering in anger. "It always comes down to that, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does. That's the only reason I work here, isn't it?"

He gestures expansively and briefly, she averts her gaze to take in the rest of the room. The bullpen, where the majority of the Serious Crimes Unit is stationed, looks much the same as it always does. Except, it's bare. Devoid of any other life. But that's hardly surprising. It is some ungodly hour and virtually everybody else is tucked snug in their beds.

They just have to be different.

Which is to be expected, really.

"Well if that's the case, you better leave now then."

"Why?"

"First of all, I have every intention of getting in the way of 'your revenge' and secondly?" She pauses for breath and for once in his life, he doesn't take the opportunity to interrupt. "If revenge is all you really care about, you would have left a long time ago."

She looks triumphant for about half a second. For that brief moment of time, she thinks, she knows, that she managed to get one over him. Then, he breaks out into a twisted sort of a grin. Her face falls and she waits for the blow. How could she still be naïve enough to believe that she had actually beaten him with words? They are, after all, his strongest suit.

"If that's how you feel…" he trails off. He doesn't even need to look to know this is hurting her far more than him. "I doubt I'll be seeing you again any time soon. And if you want a piece of advice? I'd get that wound checked out at a hospital. It looks pretty nasty."

At his word, she raises a hand to her head and her fingers graze the gauzing taped to her left temple. When she looks down at her fingertips, there's blood. She glances back up again and he's already gone.

A wise man once said that being a homicide detective can be the loneliest job in the world.

Well fuck that, she thinks.

It is the loneliest job in the world and Teresa Lisbon knows the hard way. And there's not a damn thing she can do about it.

Before…

She crouches low. She can see Jane out of the corner of her eye and presumably, Red John standing opposite him. The grotesque mask and clichéd cloak have a lot to be sorry for regardless of identity. Jane has a kitchen knife clutched in his right hand. Well, he had always promised to gut Red John like the serial killer had his wife and child. Red John, however, holds a gun. It isn't his normal of choice, but equally it isn't completely unheard of.

Her heart lurches as she considers the kids he'd killed for emulating, worshipping him. And Wesley too, who carries emotional scars she doesn't even want to think about. They're just the tip of the iceberg, the most recent victims of the trail of destruction which Red John gleefully creates.

And if Patrick Jane isn't careful, he's going to be the next victim.

She strains as she tries to hear the heated words being exchanged between the two, all the while keeping a firm grip on her service weapon.

The situation is already spiraling out of control. It's bad enough that she doesn't have back up - the rest of the team is too busy making a bust on the other side of town - so she's stuck here on her own.

Jane spots her and stares pointedly. It's clear he never expected her to turn up, assumed she would remain faithfully with the rest of her team. Make sure that the other case was neatly dealt with while he dispatched Red John and disappeared into the night. Her turning up isn't part of his game plan and for once, he's not quite sure how to react. Lisbon freezes to the spot as Red John slowly turns to face her.

Milliseconds later, a bullet explodes from his gun.

It's a miracle that she managed to dodge it at all.

xxx

Jane dithers for half a second.

Lisbon, however, recovers faster and makes chase.

For once, she's too slow. She curses, punches a flimsy wall and winces as pain shoots through her knuckles. Jane approaches from behind and she flinches as his fingers brush against her shoulder. Lisbon knows he'll be pissed as hell. She distracted him; he didn't get to do what he intended simply because of her presence. That moment's indecision on his part had changed everything.

"Why did you come? Why did you disturb us?"

"We're meant to be on the same side, catching Red John," she replies with a scowl. "You're meant to be working with us, not against us. This-"

"That's bullshit and you know it," he interrupts and she glares. It has little affect though; he's long since grown used to her temper.

"Listen to me, Jane," she hisses and he stares pointedly at her. "You're heading towards disaster. If you're not careful…"

He silences her with his lips.

xxx

"You're hurt."

She makes a noncommittal noise and opens the trunk of her car. Quickly, she finds the first aid kit and begins to rummage through it.

"Are you going to help or what?"

"You have a first aid supplies with you?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

He shakes his head, the moment lost. Instead, she hands him an antiseptic wipe and waits patiently for him to clean her head wound. Lisbon doesn't know how bad it is yet and frankly, she doesn't want to know just yet. It's not a healthy relationship to have but she hates looking at her cuts and bruises. They remind her of just how fragile she really is and that there's never (usually) anybody to tend to her.

"It looks pretty bad, Teresa. You should probably…"

"It'll be fine. Right now, I just want to get this sorted and get home."

She grits her teeth as he tends to her but doesn't say a word until he's finished.

xxx

Jane drives her and she doesn't argue much. She knows a head injury is something to at least be wary about and that's the only thing that's really subduing her.

He's well-behaved at least and she pretends not to be bothered by his cautious gazes. Instead, she focuses on why on earth he hasn't erupted yet. She distracted him and Red John. Surely he should be pissed as hell, not acting as if she's about to fall apart at any second?

In fact, she's so suspicious that she goes against her every instinct and invites him in for coffee.

xxx

The coffee (or tea, as Jane probably would prefer) doesn't happen.

Instead, they collapse in her bedroom in a flurry of heated kisses and frustrated groans. Fingers don't act the way they should, clothes act as more of a hindrance than a help.

She's shaking, physically shaking as he pushes her firmly down onto the mattress. Lisbon cannot be sure whether or not it's because she's cold, in shock from what happened earlier or for another reason altogether.

She doesn't quite understand how - or why - they got here, either. Jane usually lost it after marginally missing Red John. He certainly didn't tend to show any interest in getting her into bed, regardless of how either of them have indicated they feel in the past. In any other circumstance, she would have been thrilled by the progress they're making instead of merely perplexed.

Eventually, Lisbon tries not to think about it and just to go with the flow.

It's not as easy as it sounds.

Jane buries his head into the crook of her neck and leaves a trail of kisses behind. 'Don't think so hard,' he whispers repeatedly and she snorts in response. He of all people should know that's easier said than done. Besides, it's completely hypocritical but she doesn't say that either.

The whole experience is clumsier, more stilted than she anticipates. When it's over, he wraps an arm possessively around her waist and apologizes profusely. She tries to silence him but he's having none of it.

Perhaps they should never have done this? Maybe they really did know each other too well?

xxx

"Let's get to the office. I think I've worked something out."

He moves suddenly and it takes her off-guard. Jane is already changed by the time she's hauled herself out of the bed. However, Lisbon knows she should have expected this. Once he gets the bit between his teeth, Jane is impossible to stop, impossible to slow down even.

She feels as though they're heading towards the impending fallout she anticipated hours ago.

Instead of saying anything she shrugs and changes. It's easier to just follow Jane and clean up the mess afterwards on a lot of occasions. He isn't exactly famed for understanding the word 'no'.

xxx

The journey to the CBI headquarters is tense and neither say a word. When they actually arrive, he proceeds to turn the bullpen upside down. Unsurprisingly, she feels a little in the way. Still, she remains mute. Eventually he'll get bored and talk to her. Let her know what he's actually thinking.

With Jane, it just takes time.

"You never answered me. Why did you disturb us?" he asks, suddenly pausing in looking for whatever object he's after.

"Because I can't stand the thought of losing you to Red John," she replies simply and knows it's the honest to God truth.

"But you know that this is all I want," he answers back and she shrinks back at his tone. "And if you take away my revenge-"

Present…

"That's a nasty head wound - it'll need stitches," the doctor remarks with a derisive tut. "How did you pick it up?"

"A shooting. Last night."

"Why didn't you come straight here, then?"

She shrugs. What does it matter any more? Sometimes, she wonders why she chose such a dangerous career path. Why she actively decided to shut everyone out. Why she never bothered trying to actually live her life rather than going through the motions.

Just as she thinks she might be getting somewhere, it's ripped out from under her feet. She should stop putting her hope and trust in other people - it only ends in tears.

Besides, nothing ever really works to keep the loneliness at bay.

end