"Hey Abbott - what's up?" Lisbon's eyebrows pressed a familiar line above the bridge of her nose as she waited curiously for her boss's response.
"How's Jane doing?" Dennis began.
Oh, this is just a well-check! she thought, allowing herself to exhale, and allowing a small smile.
"The doctors think he might be able to come home by the end of the week! He'll need someone with him full-time for a while though," she answered, while arranging things in the nursery.
"Excellent news!" Abbott replied with relief. "Are you with him now?"
"No, I ran home for a shower and new clothes. I'm going back for dinner - not that hospital food really passes for fine dining!" She laughed.
"Ha! Enjoy the fancy menu! And Lisbon, when you can, there's been a development in Jane's case - it's something I think you should have a look at."
Lisbon's expression was suddenly all business, as she sat down the diaper pail she'd been positioning. "Absolutely! It might be late though. I've been waiting til Jane's asleep to leave each night, and if I change things up he'll want to know why. Obviously, he needs to focus on healing rather than solving a case right now, so I'd rather he not know about this yet."
"Makes sense. And no worries - we will be working through the night on this one, so you won't miss us!"
"Perfect! See you tonight!"
"Give Jane our best! Bye Lisbon!"
Quickly packing up, she began wondering about all the scenarios she'd suspected, up until now - trying to guess what her colleagues might have found. Especially, she was curious about the need for her presence and input on this new lead. But there was no time to sit and wonder right now, so she pushed her worries to the back of her mind (where her drugged up husband would hopefully not find them), and left for the hospital.
"Teresa, please tell me you're eating healthy foods for breakfast and lunch, rather than more of this hospital tripe?" Jane pleaded
"Jane!" Lisbon rolled her eyes. Honestly, he could be so annoying in hospitals.
"Darling, you have to think about more than just your own welfare now - you need proper nutrition and enough extra calories to grow that precious extra life that's inside of you." His eyes looked at her with concern and adoration. Her heart melted a bit when she realized he wasn't complaining, as much as he was loving her, and their child, when he'd spoken before.
"I'm sorry love, I shouldn't have snapped at you - old habit!" They shared a knowing grin, and chuckled. "I know you simply love us, and want us to be healthy" she smiled, reaching over to hold his face and place a gentle kiss on his lips.
"To answer your concerns: Yes, I've been eating well - and often. I've been following my doctor's advice with what and how much to eat, to properly support Little Jane," she assured him.
Jane chuckled just a bit. "Little Jane?"
She laughed with him, "I don't know, it just came out! How should we refer to the baby, then?"
"Hmm… 'Little Pepper?'" He teased, using the nickname Sam had given her the first time Lisbon came with him to the carnival years ago.
"Very funny!" She shook her head and gently poked his shoulder.
"Owww!" He whined in mock overreaction.
"Oh please! Like you even felt that!" She teased back. Then she leaned in close, looking deeply into his eyes. "I've missed you so much, Love. It warms my heart like you can't imagine to hear you back to your playful, flirty self!"
To punctuate her point, she took her time in fully massaging his lips with her own… daring to probe his tongue with hers - it had been too long since she'd been able to truly kiss him. He began kissing back, with vigor, prompting a low moan from his wife. It felt so good to be able to touch her again, he thought… As a nurse barged in like a fury, causing the lovers to separate with a start!
"Mr. Jane are you alright?! Ma'am, what were you doing to him just now?!" She looked accusingly at Lisbon.
"I'm his wife, and I was just kissing him! Is that against regulation or something?!" She shot back, shoulders tense.
Mortified, the nurse exclaimed in embarrassment: "Oh! I see - I'm so very sorry, Mrs. Jane!" The nurse blushed at her mistake. "Mr. Jane's heart rate had sped up so suddenly that it sounded an alarm at the nurses' station. I ran down to check on him and didn't recognize you right away. I feel so silly!"
Jane and Lisbon both laughed long and hard at that! Lisbon was heartened that he didn't seem to be hurt by laughing anymore - he must really and truly be getting better!
"Her kisses have that effect on me!" Jane grinned, winking at his love.
"Hush!" Lisbon gently slapped his arm, blushing profusely (much to the visible delight of her convalescing husband).
After a much later dinner than anticipated - on account of Jane being more wound up than usual by the kissing AND by the hilarious misunderstanding with the nurse - Lisbon finally made her way to FBI headquarters just before midnight.
"Agent Lisbon! You're a sight for sore eyes!" Abbott crowed, giving her a quick hug. "We have a clue!"
"Mysterious! What is it?" She asked rather impatiently.
"Come with me," Abbott said, more seriously, leading her to Wylie's workstation.
"The lead was discovered by Wylie & Cho - quite by accident - as they were studying surveillance video from a past undercover operation. The art smuggling enforcement team had been involved peripherally (this was shortly before our two teams had worked together), so they weren't initially concerned when they saw his face show up here and there, but when Wylie showed Cho the freeze-frame of - well… you'll see."
Just then, Jason Wylie walked in, sat down, and turned on his screen.
"Now, sir?"
"Yes please, Wylie. Show her what you found."
"Lisbon gasped, and a lump formed in her throat as she recognized the face on the screen. Her reaction wasn't from seeing Pike - though she dreaded having to look at his arrogant face again - It was who he was with in the frame that made her take in a quick breath of shock.
Wylie and Abbott waited, watching her reaction, as she saw the video of Marcus Pike…
passionately kissing Erica Flynn.
"So, Lisbon, I don't want to pry into anything personal, but did Pike ever mention knowing Flynn during the time you knew him?" Abbott inquired.
"Never." She answered flatly, (partly affected by her lingering shock at what she was seeing, but also because she had begun to get a bit angry. Pike had known how Erica had played her and Jane in the past - her name had even come up in conjunction with active cases she'd worked while they were dating! Why the hell hadn't he mentioned anything?! She would have understood if he'd simply feigned interest while undercover or something, and he knew that. He'd come clean about other things he'd been forced to do undercover - why would he have kept this from her?! She could only think of one reason, and that is that Erica must have actually meant something to him. Even if it had been over, by the time he'd met Lisbon, he still had been afraid to fess up about his involvement with her! Lisbon wanted to punch something - Or, rather, someone).
"Are you okay, Lisbon?" Abbott asked tentatively.
"Fine," she replied, through clenched teeth, eyes narrowing more by the second.
"Okay, if that's true, and if you're up to it, we have a witness you might want to interview."
"To the shooting?"
"I'm sorry, no. A witness to what may have actually been transpiring in the video between Erica and Pike."
"Sure, let me in there - I've got lots of questions!" She began marching to interrogation with purpose, before Abbott stopped her, with a hand to her shoulder.
"You got it. But first, remember that this is a witness, not a conspirator or criminal. I know that your adrenaline is going right now - totally understandable - But remain on an even keel for this interview. The witness has been upset by all of this too, so be as gentle as you can."
"Who is it?"
"He says he remembers you and Jane. Says Jane staged a plan that proved to him - in a rather painful way - that Erica was simply using him. He'd been convinced Flynn loved him as completely as he'd loved her."
"It's Peter Clarridge, Erica's assistant from the dating service isn't it."
"It is."
"You're sure he harbors no ill will toward Jane or me after that?"
"On the contrary. He says he's grateful for the wake-up call. He's since moved on and is happily married, with a promising career in software design."
"I'm glad to hear that." Lisbon replied, as she opened the door and sat across the table from Flynn's jilted assistant.
After allowing Peter to express his gratitude, and to fill her in on his current successes, Lisbon began pressing him (as gently as she could tolerate) for information about Erica's acquaintance with Pike.
Slowly, the picture became more clear (and Lisbon's heart began to drop to her stomach). Peter explained that, before he truly moved on from loving Erica, he had followed her from the shadows - always hoping she'd either change her mind, or need a shoulder to cry on (which he would be happy to provide). Even after accepting that she would never love him, he continued keeping tabs on her, but this time his motive was self-preservation. He wanted to make sure the seductive con artist wouldn't screw up the life he was building, out of spite, so he made sure to always know where she was and what game she was currently playing - successfully keeping him and his family out of her line of sight, and out of her conniving clutches.
"So, that's why you have information about Erica and FBI agent Pike?"
"Exactly."
Peter went on to describe a long affair between Flynn and Pike that had begun about a year before he and Lisbon had met.
Lisbon tensed up, realizing that Pike couldn't have simply overlooked the relationship if it was that long. The bastard!
Clarridge explained that Erica had seduced Pike into doing her bidding, per her usual M.O. (he did work around art thieves after all, so had rubbed elbows with the conniving temptress on several occasions, finding her as intriguing as most men did). Peter said that Erica was, in fact, so jealous of Lisbon and Jane's close friendship - obsessed really - that she had convinced Marcus to try and seduce Lisbon away from Jane.
That explains why he was in such a goddamned hurry to pressure me into moving and getting married! Lisbon fumed to herself.
"When that didn't work," Peter went on, "Erica hired him to kill you, so she could have Jane to herself. You see, she not only found Jane attractive and intriguing, but also hoped to use his mental prowess to further her schemes."
Lisbon was reaching her boiling point inside - incensed at how Erica had planned to use her love, Patrick, like a trick pony - then most likely would have tossed him away like a paper bag. She carefully controlled her breathing so Peter could continue without interruption.
"Erica didn't realize, though, that Pike had, in truth, fallen hard for you."
Lisbon tamped down the impulse to roll her eyes.
"So, instead of making you his target, Pike took advantage of the situation by targeting Jane instead, hoping to win you back by being the one to console you in your time of grief."
"Thank you so much for this information, Peter - It's a tremendous help. I'll let Jane know you're doing well. He'll appreciate knowing that," she smiled, struggling against her urge to throw another chair through office glass, after learning about Flynn and Pike's conspiracy against Jane - AND how she had allowed herself to be used - an unknowing part of the plan to manipulate her favorite manipulator.
"Could you also tell Mr. Jane that he's in my prayers? I owe both of you so much. I truly hope he heals fully from his wounds."
She held her tongue about Jane's lack of belief, but simply said, "I'll pass that on to him too! Thank you so much for your prayers!"
