Chapter 14: Personal

She watched the light patterns dance maniacally on the water surface before she turned, her palm pressing softly against Wylie's chest.

"Wylie, where's Vega?" she asked, her voice dry and anxious. Jane met her gaze, his features stretched out. Wylie hunched his shoulders and shook his head once. She stared at him wide-eyed, as he opened his dry lips to say:

"He took her."

The words sank in, leaving a tone of futility. Time paused; streams crept in, licking the bottom of the containers. Jane inspected the floor.

"Lisbon", he urged, his fingers brushing her sleeve. "We have to leave now."

She felt the dampness around her feet. She looked at the ceiling. The water was filling in fast, cascading down the stairs. She nodded with passion.

Jane helped her lift Wylie out of the container. The sea sloshed about their feet as they skimmed toward the trap door. The extra weight on their shoulders made climbing the stairs quite the undertaking.

"If we get out of this alive, I promise I'm never gonna complain about microwaves again", Jane remarked.

"I will keep you to that promise", Lisbon replied.

She recalled the last time he'd complained. It felt like eons ago. It was the day before they'd embarked on this nightmare of a murder case. She was speeding around the house, getting ready for work, while he casually sipped his tea, leaning against the counter. When she walked into the kitchen, his eyes met hers, glowy and questioning. It was like all the heat from the previous night shot through her body. She blushed and smiled despite her morning mood. He raised an eyebrow. She took her gaze and walked to the fridge to put a quick meal into the microwave. She could feel his eyes penetrate the back of her shirt and it pleased her. She wanted to prolong the game of silence, but in the end she turned to face him, as her food heated up. His expression had been one of discomfort. She had immediately inspected her appearance, thinking she'd accidentally stained her clothes.

"Did you know that microwaved food increases your chances of developing cancer?" Jane had asked then.

She had sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Jane, I've been eating like this for years. I didn't have much time to cook. And look! I'm completely healthy."

"Now", he pointed out, taking another sip.

"Enough with the microwave", she said.

He'd spent the entire trip to work throwing subtle remarks about how unhealthy her dietary was.

The memory seemed bizarre now. They were almost out, only five stair steps to the top.

The ocean hissed above their heads. Lisbon looked up just in time to take a glimpse of a giant surge of water gushing through the hole on the ceiling. They all froze on spot. Jane recovered first and threw his arms around both of them. Lisbon clasped his hand.

"Hold tight", she managed to shout before they crumbled under the ocean.

The force of the waves ripped them apart, pushing Wylie out of her grasp. Jane's fingers gripped hers. For a while, everything was a fight to remain together, to stay upright and to hold her ground under the cold, freezing shower. Heavy rocks splashed into the water around them. She panicked, thinking that the ceiling had started to cave in.

They were doomed.

Jane fought against the water and crushed her into his arms. She summoned all her strength to keep her body onto his. She pressed her head to his neck softly and he squeezed a little back. Death would find them together, she thought, and then the same thought brought her sadness. He didn't deserve to die.

She started to fade into the void. In her unconsciousness, she thought she heard Cho's voice. The waters shifted around her. She realized, with some auxiliary power of her brain, the rocks were actually bodies.

"They're here!"

This time she heard him crystal clear.

"Cho!" she whispered, her voice was hoarse.

"I'm so glad to see you", Jane said with a tired smile.

"Cho, Wylie's in the water!" Lisbon said.

Cho's eyes widened. "Vega."

"No, just Wylie. We have to save him".

The other members of the rescue team approached them.

"Pull them out", Cho ordered. "Give me your flashlight. I'm diving in."

Wylie coughed loudly, water surging out of his mouth. Jane heard Lisbon's quiet sigh beside him. They were both bent over the boy, wet to the bone. Wylie's eyes fluttered, as he returned to consciousness. Two paramedics raised him off the ground. They placed him on a gurney and covered his shoulders with a quilt.

The sand crunched as Cho joined their company. He was nervous-Jane could feel it. It was just the three of them surrounding the blond. Abbott was engaged in locating all the possible sites with containers. Now that the boy's safety was guaranteed, the main focus was finding Vega.

"I couldn't save her". His voice was a crying whisper.

"Shh, it's not your fault", Lisbon soothed him.

"Wylie," Cho called for his attention, his voice loud and steady. "We need you to focus. Tell us everything you saw."

Wylie nodded faintly. Then, slowly, as the light breeze relieved the strain from all the gathered faces, he raised his gaze to meet Jane's. His look was a cold hand at his heart. Jane felt stung. All the rest of the team slowly followed the boy's gaze.

"He left a message for you," Wylie said huskily.

Lisbon looked between the two of them, a frown shaping in between her brows.

"For Jane?"

"What was the message?" Jane asked, his voice low and cold.

"He said he was a little afraid you wouldn't pick up the case, with everything that California's meant to you in the past. He hoped he could make the game interesting enough to lure you. He said he was glad that you came, that he gets the chance to meet you… again. After all, this was always personal."

"Can you remember anything about his appearance?" Lisbon asked, her voice underlined with quiet urgency.

"He was tall with a slight accent…I couldn't trace it. He was wearing a mask, a long black coat and a pair of squeaky boots."

Jane felt Lisbon's gaze scanning his face secretly. But he couldn't turn to her or respond. He was fighting, teeth and claws, trying not to listen to his fears, trying to stay focused and recall all the cases from his time at the CBI. Another long list.

Author's note:

This chapter is small because I felt I would never get to continue this story if I didn't publish something to put me in schedule again. Sorry for the long hiatus. I really hope to finish it at some point and that you haven't lost your interest over the time that passed.