A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews! And I am terribly sorry for the delay. These finals are killing me. Anyway, someone pointed out that the colors of the places where the murders happened are not in the order they are in the rainbow. In case more of you have the same question: The colors can't be in order, because then it would be easy to guess the next location and there wouldn't be any reason for the killer to plant clues in the pictures for his next color. The rainbow, as Jane said, is to show what the game is, not the row of colors. Also, I decided to have a soundtrack for each chapter, starting from this one. Just so you get more in the spirit. For this chapter it is: Tortured Heart – Gothic Storm.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3: Tortured Heart

"Ah, yes, Wiley?"

"Jane, you wanted to talk to me?" Jason's dry voice was muffled, like he was chewing on something.

Jane took a moment, reconsidering his next words.

A few feet away from him; near the coastline of San Francisco Bay, Lisbon was talking to one of the mariners that had just arrived at the scene. Her authoritative posture was conspicuous in the general blur of movement.

"Jane?" Wylie sounded from the speaker.

He made a rush decision.

"Yes. Would it be easy for you to take down Lisbon's profile and mine from the FBI database?" he said decidedly.

There was a sudden surge of coughing. Jane waited patiently for it to be over.

After a while, Jason finally answered.

"Uh… why?" he asked; suspicious.

Jane had expected this question.

"Last time I checked it was me and Lisbon that were going to wait for the real serial killer to make an appearance. We don't want him to recognize us, do we?" he explained.

"You think he'll check your profiles?"

"Maybe. Let's not take any chances, shall we?"

"Oh-kay, I'll see what I can do", he reassured him.

"Thank you", he said and hanged up before Wylie could pry deeper into the matter.

Lisbon was waiting for him. He realized the frogmen had already gone in the water. Behind her, the moonlight blanched the waves that crashed on the brinks of Golden Gate Bridge; exposing the swimmers as they dived into the ocean. It was kind of poetic, he thought,—what the moon would bring to the surface.

The cold aura of the sea infiltrated his skin, as he rushed to get at her side. He rubbed his hands together, trying to produce some heat. Lisbon, on the other hand, was standing motionless; her shoulders cowered, as if to prevent the cold from inserting her body. Smoothly, he moved the side of his body in order to touch hers. While it wasn't as good as putting an arm around her frame-which he knew she would probably not appreciate while being at work-it served enough as a reassurance and warming effect.

"What did Abbott say?" Lisbon asked; her voice ripping the silence of the night.

Jane recalled his earlier conversation with the Boss, before the phone was handed over to Jason.

"He asked if the plan was still the same", he answered.

"So?" she asked; waiting.

He turned to look at her.

"Well, of course it is. He still has to come and set the whole thing up".

"But what if the girl is already there?"

"She's not", Jane said confidently.

"How can you be so sure?"

"If she was already there, that would mean she would have to stay there for a whole month. By that time, she would have starved to death. What's the point of drowning a corpse?" he reasoned.

Lisbon listened to him carefully. She couldn't help the feeling that there was something wrong about him, though his expression betrayed nothing of the sort. It was rather his aura. It lacked its usual peaceful; calming quality. Instead, it was kind of unnerving. She tried to ignore it, thinking that maybe it was just her.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes; moving closer to the edge of the coast. She turned to see what had captured his interest.

Far from where they stood, near the bridge, a crease had started taking form in the water. It was gradually becoming deeper and clearer, stirring the water of the surface.

"Oh my God", Lisbon whispered, as it ripped the water apart to let three frogmen resurface; all three of them holding a sizable squared compartment from one side.

It took several minutes for them to carry it to the shore. The shallower the waters became, the more was the surface of the container revealed, bringing it to a final size that matched that of a human body.

Lisbon felt sick, even before they had placed it on the ground.

The first thing that caught her attention was that it was opened on the top; the interior emitting the awful smell of sewage and salt. She wrinkled her nose with disgust.

Jane balanced on his tiptoes to get a better look on the inside. She mimicked him, trying to breathe only through her mouth.

There was sea weed, starfish and dirt everywhere. But there was something else that had managed to repulse her. Though not very distinctive in the dimness of the night, wild scratches streaked the surface of the walls, like abstract art. She felt her stomach turn.

"Lisbon, have you ever watched an illusionist's performance?" Jane asked then, completely disorientating her.

He steadied himself back on his feet.

Lisbon raised one eyebrow. Was he trying to be funny or was he really asking her if she'd ever watched him perform?

Jane smiled shyly. "Yeah, sorry. I don't mean my kind of illusionist. Not the kind that makes you think you can talk to dead people anyway. I mean the ones that perform dangerous acts on stage. You know, like swallowing burning swords and that stuff".

"Oh you mean like… David Copperfield?" She said the first name that came up in her thoughts.

"Nah, he's just an amateur. Anyway, there's this act-it's called the Chinese Water Torture Escape. They tie the illusionist upside down on the roof of a glass tank filled with water. Then he or she has to escape before the water drowns them".

Lisbon was shaken; realizing where he was getting at.

"You think that's what this is?" she fretted.

"Not exactly".

"Then what?"

"Well, first of all, this one is not made of glass", he said, hitting the metal exterior with his fist. "And if you look closely, you'll notice a tiny puncture on the wall".

Lisbon bent forward; narrowing her eyes.

"Oh my God", she muttered; turning to meet his gaze.

"There's one at every side", he explained.

Lisbon let that realization sink in.

"That's how the water flows in", she finally concluded.

Jane nodded. "He lets them drown in there", he said; his voice gloomy.

…..….

"This seems too easy", Michelle murmured, thinking to herself.

They had just crossed Livermore, which left three more hours of driving to Orange Cove. Jake was sprawled on the back seat of the car; fast asleep. His muffled snores accompanied the silent hum of the engine.

"What do you mean?" Cho asked.

"All this careful planning; water cells, kidnappings, puzzles... Either he is a complete psycho, waiting for the police to figure out his game and catch him or, he's a real genius and this is something more than what we think it is", she mulled.

"Like what?"

"I don't know", she answered. After a moment, she turned to face him. "Do you not find it strange at all that he would create a puzzle that reveals his murder style just to let police catch him?" she inquired.

"Maybe he has a plan. Or at least, he thinks he does", Cho remarked.

"What do you mean he thinks?"

Cho took a deep breath, before explaining.

"That's how Jane's plans work", he said. "He gives the killer the illusion that he has the upper hand, when in reality, we do. That's what always gets them arrested".

"Always?"

"Well, most of the times", Cho admitted.

"Jane fails?" she asked; raising her voice involuntarily.

Cho seemed to be thinking.

"Not when the case doesn't affect him personally", he finally said.

There was a sudden thud at the back of the car. Vega whirled; startled. For a moment, she thought Jake had woken up; stirred by their conversation. But his sleeping figure was completely still.

"Did you hear that?" she asked Cho then, who seemed to be focused on the road.

He turned toward her direction; a quizzical look on his face.

"What?"

Michelle stood still; listening. Seconds passed, but there was only the sound of the car. She started considering the fact that maybe it was her imagination, when abruptly the thud came again.

This time Cho had heard it, too. They both exchanged a worried look.

The next moment Cho was pulling over at the side of the highway. Once he secured the car, he motioned for her to cover his tracks. They slowly got out of the car and walked toward the back; each from either side of the vehicle. Cho laid out a hand to open the trunk; warning her with his eyes. She nodded that she was ready; holding her gun.

The door was yanked out of the way.

Vega froze in her position; completely disarmed.

Two terrified hazel eyes were looking up from inside the storage space directly at her. Slowly, she lowered her gun.

"Max?"

….

"Wylie, can you send me a list of the docks in Orange County?"

"Abbott said you and Jane think the girl's gonna be on a ship?" Wylie questioned.

"Yes, or maybe a pier. But a ship seems more likely. Anyway, Jane and I are probably going to spend the night in a hotel. Send me the list once you're done with it", Lisbon requested, peeking at Jane from her driver's seat.

The latter was far lost in his thoughts; looking through his window at the night that passed in a blur. His index finger was touching his lower lip; a pose of him Lisbon had gotten familiar with over the years.

"Yeah, sure… Oh and Lisbon?"

"Yes, Wylie?"

"Don't worry, you and Jane are completely covered. Your FBI profiles had been temporarily removed, just like Jane requested", he said reassuringly.

Lisbon was silent for a moment, trying to fathom what Wylie had just said. She turned to look at Jane; curious.

"Yeah, ok. Thank you", she said to Wylie and ended the call.

"You asked Wylie to remove our profiles?" she inquired.

Jane seemed to jump out of his reverie. He took a moment to answer.

"Ah yes, I did", he admitted.

"Why?"

"I think the answer is obvious", he said, widening his eyes.

Lisbon remembered what Jason had said about being "covered".

"If the killer suspected we might be waiting for him, wouldn't it be more reasonable to think we would send someone under cover?" she reasoned. "No point in knowing our faces in the first place".

"Yeah but what if he notices us by chance? We can't risk it", Jane disagreed.

There was something in his voice, like an overloaded intensity that was lurking just beneath his words. Lisbon turned to read his eyes, dividing her attention between him and the road. And it was then she saw it. That hint of insanity; or at least the outsets of it.

Oh no, she thought, remembering how she'd sensed something wrong about him earlier.

"You're worried he'll take an interest in you", she realized.

The moment the words escaped her lips, Jane's careful control was stripped away entirely. The desperation she'd only suspected before was now evident all over his face. The transformation was almost terrifying.

She was suddenly very eager to find a place where she could pull over. They were passing through an uncivilized area, which meant there were trees and starlight all around them. When she finally stopped the car, there was darkness and peaceful quiet everywhere, enveloping them like protective cloaks.

"I-I think…" Jane started; his voice a thin wire. He was avoiding her gaze. "I think you of all people can understand why I would be… worried", he said; finally turning to meet her eyes.

"Jane…" she whispered dejectedly.

For a moment, their eyes spoke for them, forming messages that words could hardly shape; speaking implicit truths.

Finally, Lisbon spoke in a clear voice.

"Jane, this is what we do. You can't let yourself think like that", she tried to reason.

"Well, apparently, I can", he said stubbornly.

"No you can't", she scolded him. "First of all, I am involving myself in this, too. If something happens to me, it's going to be because I chose to be a part of this. Not because you did something wrong", she explained.

"Because my guilty conscious is all I care about. Just by involving myself in this, I make myself a target. You think he won't be interested in finding the guy that solved his puzzle? That's exactly what he wants!"

"So what do you suggest we do?" Lisbon contradicted. "Let Cho and Vega take care of the situation all by themselves?"

"I don't know", Jane admitted. "All I know is that I don't want to lose you", he said; his eyes full of sincerity.

Lisbon was startled by the sudden turn of the conversation; the gentleness in his voice. A warming feeling consumed her heart and her chest.

"I don't want to lose you either", she said to him; her voice barely a chirping. She laid out her hand and intertwined her fingers with his. "But we will protect each other. Just like we always do", she reassured him.

Jane stared at her for what seemed like hours. Then, his eyes still apprehensive, he nodded.

Lisbon smiled warmly and squeezed his hand. He looked so vulnerable, she thought. Almost like a lost child. All she wanted to do was stand between him and all the pain that could crash him, protect him with all of her strength.

Slowly, she moved forward, holding his gaze.

It had always been such a challenge for her to touch him at the beginning. He was like a porcelain vase she could break at any moment; closed to himself for so many years that any kind of touch could fracture him; split him up.

However, the longer time they spent together, the closer they got. There was intimacy and familiarity, which made it much easier for her now to close the few inches between them and place her lips on his.

She kissed him gently; tenderly, tasting his lower lip, memorizing its fullness. He kissed her back, his breath hitching. Slowly, he lifted his hand to cap her cheek. There was sweetness and affection in his touch. She returned his caress with equal fondness.

After their lips separated, they remained still; taking in the scent of each other.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

He was looking at her through half-closed lids. It was like the ocean was shining through slits. Her lips twitched to an unconstrained smile. He smiled back at her.

After a while, she found the courage to pull back and start the car again.

They needed to get some rest.

…

New Folsom Prison, Sacramento.

There was an electric sound and a clink.

Susan stood up, expectation in her eyes.

The exit door slowly opened to reveal the man she had spent the last few months trying to get out of prison.

He was exactly as she remembered him. Tall with strong muscles, deep brown eyes, dark hair with hints of grey at the temples.

A limb on his left foot.

Clutching his walking stick, he started walking toward her, flinching at the sound the cane made as it touched the ground. She felt a tingle of compassion for him. She wondered how he was before his injure, picturing a much more confident; strong man than the one she was facing now.

Tommy Volker approached her; a faint smile on his lips.

"Thank you, Susan. It's really good to be out", he said.

She returned his smile.

"Well, part of it was you. You showed enough of a well-mannered behavior to earn your freedom. Though, admittedly, you'vebeen released under license, which means you still have to be in probation for one year the least. See, while I can see that you've completely changed as a person, it's a little difficult for the Parole Board to just let you go".

"It's ok, dear. It's not like I expected them to do otherwise. I guess I'll just have to wait", he mused.

She smiled at him; feeling admiration.

A/N: Whew! I really enjoyed writing this. Hope you liked it! Also, in case you didn't understand the way the whole water torture cell works (I honestly tried my best to describe it), google Chinese Water Torture Cell. There's a picture in Wikipedia that will tell you everything. And as I don't want things to get blurry for you, I'm saying this now: Volker has nothing to do with this case. (What can I say? I love multiple villains in a story!) I would love to know your opinions on this chapter!

Next Chapter: How many of you wonder what's going on in this serial killer's mind?

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