Chapter 18: In Danger's Way

It was strange how words with simple meaning could complicate relationships.

Lisbon's lower jaw flexed inwards, as she strained to hold her breath. God she hated this ill-omened, tragedy-marked place. California only ever brought her pain. Why had she returned? Why had she taken the God-damned case?

Jane's lips parted and trembled. He pressed them shut, dooming them to more seconds of silence. He was so close. She could feel the song of his aura. She wanted to press him to her heart. Just like she would have done in their airstream.

But that place was far away. She realized now, with a pain that cut deeper than before, it would hurt her to return to Texas, but not to the airstream. She hadn't said her goodbyes.

She sniffed. Jane inhaled and cleared his throat. His eyes were clear, when he looked up. Focused.

"I know it's not fair," he admitted, his voice steady. "I don't know if I can ever fix the part of me that's utterly scared of losing you. I'm broken beyond repair… and hoping at this point feels like exposing myself to more pain. I'm not ready to face that. I don't know if I'll ever be." He shook his head, sincerity glowing in his irises.

She watched him in silence. At that moment, she was torn between two people-the woman that had fallen in love with him beyond any measure, and his best friend. Her heart broke twice. Once, because of the man who'd lost his daughter and had never recovered since, and twice, because she'd truly believed she could have saved that man. And she was so wrong.

She still didn't understand why he'd come here, if not to chase the inevitable.

"Jane," she whispered, "why are you telling me this?"

Jane took a fortifying breath.

"Because I can't bring myself to run again," he blurted out. She searched his eyes and shook her head, feeling unable to understand.

"When I heard you visited Tommy Volker today…" His voice trailed off. He turned to her. "What were you thinking, Lisbon?" His tone became intense, his eyes filling with disbelief. "The man probably spent every night in prison dreaming about killing you."

She shook her head, disoriented, then shrugged. "I had a gun."

"That's not enough," he protested.

She stared at him in confusion. And then suddenly, she was angry.

"So what? Now you're worried about my choices? And how exactly are you going to prevent them when you're not around? Because with you or without you, Jane, I am still going to put myself in danger's way if it means it will put psychopaths like Tommy Volker down."

"I know," he nodded, holding her gaze. "And I love that about you"-the ghost of a smile touched his lips-"but Lisbon, you keep putting yourself in harm's way. I understand that it is part of the job to take risks sometimes—I admire your strength in doing so—but you act as if you're alone, as if you're the only one that has got something to lose if things go wrong. And that's not okay. Because if you keep fighting in the front line, what are the odds of you not getting hurt?"

For a while, they stared into each other's eyes, his words setting in.

She had a thousand types of responses building up. But in the end, curiosity prevailed. There was one question that had been troubling her ever since he had started verbally expressing his objections about their way of living. And now it had surfaced, demanding to be let out.

"Jane," she started quietly, "you watched me chase danger for over a decade. Most of the times you followed me into it. According to what you've said, you had feelings for me even then. So what's changed things now?"

Jane lowered his face, shame and guilt crawling on his features.

She stared at him and stared until it dawned on her. "You didn't expect to survive," she muttered.

They sat in silence. It was mostly dark in the room, so she couldn't really focus on anything. Just their rhythmic breaths. After a while, she snuffled and cleared her throat.

"So what are you asking me to do exactly? Lay off my job? Play on the safe side?" she asked.

"No Lisbon, I'm not asking you to do anything." He shook his head, his voice soft. "I just needed to tell you my side of things. Because you deserve to know. You deserve more than how I ended things today. I know how important your job is for you and I don't want to get in your way. Just..." His voice broke a little, he inhaled and exhaled and steadied his gaze. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling, as she stared into his eyes. She nodded.

A smile pressed into his cheeks, his eyes shining with tears. She watched him rise to his feet, the exhaustion of ages weighing down his features. Her eyes flickered with panic. All her cells screamed for her to grab him, to not let him go-It couldn't be over yet. But logic restrained her. This was goodbye. This was actually goodbye.

Jane started walking toward the door and she knew that as soon as he shut the door she'd give in to her tears.

Then, right in the middle of the hall he stopped. Her heart fluttered. He turned around and she stared at him with wide eyes. His cheeks were wet.

"Can I at least sleep with you one last night?" he asked, his voice harsh.

She began to frown.

"—I mean just sleep," he scurried to add. "Please, you know I wouldn't suggest anything to dishonor you."

She stared at him, knowing very well that her heart had decided before her. How could she deny a last night to the love of her life?

She nodded, but as she did, her mask cracked and all the emotions she'd tried to inhibit spilled through. She had only needed to meet his gaze once. The next moment he was crossing the room just as she was standing up.

She caught his face just as he wrapped his hands around her. His eyes flickered between her eyes and her mouth, seconds before his lips touched hers. She opened her mouth to him, tasting salt and wine and Jane. Her hands slipped down to his neck and she wound them around him, pulling him closer, down to her. He responded quickly by deepening the kiss. His mouth was hot, his tongue thirsty. Their kisses were long and desperate, then became soft, quick touches of the lips until they deepened again. And then when the passion of their first encounter started to wither, they still remained close, exploring each other's mouth slowly. Jane caressed her lips one more time and then parted from her, not moving further than a few inches.

He placed a kiss on her forehead and then bent down and lifted her in his arms. She smiled despite herself and let him carry her to the bed. He placed her down softly and lied down next to her. Then, he reached over her, turned off the light and pulled her closer. She curled into his side.

She knew she would regret it tomorrow. The more time she spent with him, the more the pieces she would shatter into later. But at that moment, it didn't matter. That moment was infinite. Hers and Jane's only.

Sleep found them like that. For as long as it would last.

It lasted exactly 4 hours.

Dawn came with heavy knocking on the door. Lisbon groaned at the time on her alarm. She leaped out of her bed, slipped into her robe and ran across the room.

"Lisbon!" Cho's voice ripped the serenity, seconds before she opened the door.

"Cho, what is it?" she asked, squinting at the sunlight.

The agent looked at her, breathless.

"The SDPD patrollers-there's been an attack," Cho said. His eyes moved over her shoulder. She glanced back and realized Jane was there, still in his three-piece suit, looking shocked with the news. Cho looked between them, but didn't ask any questions. Lisbon nodded.

"I'll be ready in a minute."

They parked the car behind a row of vehicles.

The scene that unraveled before them was a nightmare. There was a truck-a huge truck-lying on its side, blocking the way. Most of it was reduced to a black skeleton. Just like the dozen or so patrol cars that had crashed on it.

It was a jarring contrast to the mansion towering on the right. Lisbon absorbed the trimmed bushes lining the fence, the tall black metal gate, the breathtaking fountain shimmering under the sun and the infinite hectares of land. She wondered for a second, how life felt amongst such beauty and wealth. Then she remembered the job she was here to do.

She and Jane opened their doors and joined the crowds outside. The place was in a loop of constant movement. Stretchers carried dead bodies and injured cops. Several reporters were on the scene, speaking to the camera. They spotted the rest of their team members down the road.

"…Patrick Jane, former consultant for the Californian Bureau of Investigation, which was shut down due to allegations of corruption among its members, has just arrived at the scene," a voice slowly approached them. Lisbon thought it sounded oddly familiar.

A blond woman with sharp eyes blocked their way, shoving a microphone into Jane's face.

"Patrick, can you give us a statement?"

"Hi, Karen," he greeted her, then smiled politely and pointed to the front. "I must meet with my colleagues. Perhaps another time."

"What do you have to say about your former employment-?"

Jane elbowed past her and joined Lisbon, rolling his eyes.

Lisbon smiled in amusement.

"What's so funny?" Jane asked, as they started walking.

"Nothing, it's nice to see someone annoy you for a change."

"Haha," Jane mocked, still annoyed.

They reached the others then. Abbott's eyes sparked upon seeing them. He had been waiting. Cho stood by the rear of his car, his hands curled into fists at his sides. Van Pelt was questioning a woman and Rigsby was examining the singed truck.

"What happened?" Lisbon asked, taking in the scene.

Abbott gave her a grave look. "According to radio conversations, some of the patrollers at the front noticed action near the mansion. Two men. They started running, so they chased them. This truck had been waiting for them a few blocks down. It all ended up in a crazy car chase. We found a bomb inside the truck."

"The two men?" Lisbon wondered.

"Burned to death. We've sent dental records for scanning."

"Sacrificed themselves willingly or did the serial killer deceive them?" Lisbon asked.

"Rigsby is currently investigating the details of the explosion," Abbott said.

"No, they knew. This was suicide," Jane said.

All heads turned to him.

"How can you tell?" Lisbon asked.

Jane lifted his palms. "How else would the other cars get destroyed? A simple crash has too many factors to count in a plan. An explosion on the other hand is more simple. All they'd have to do is wait for the cars to surround them. Hence, this was planned."

Abbott waved his head, his lips pursed.

Rigsby joined them then, wiping sweat from his forehead. He had removed his jacket, his shirt was smoked.

"The bomb could have only been set off manually," he said.

Lisbon looked at Jane. She could discern the little micro expressions that revealed he enjoyed being right. She could also discern his outward effort to hide it. She rolled her eyes.

"Could have been hypnotized," Cho commented.

"That or he has created his own clique of religious associates," Jane muttered.

Lisbon frowned. "This is no Red John," she rose her voice. "We've already come in contact with some of his accomplices and they were all hypnotized."

Jane simply shrugged, which irritated her. Why couldn't he just admit his remark was just an attempt to make everything sound more dramatic?

"What can we do?" Van Pelt wondered then.

Lisbon looked at each one of her colleagues, sharing their troubled expressions.

"I know how to help," came a voice then. They all whirled around.

Wylie was standing on the asphalt, holding a small tablet. They all stared at him shocked. Wylie turned over the screen. "I solved the puzzle."

Lisbon recognized the picture of the last victim hanging over a violet sea which gradually gave way to a purple-blueish sky. She sighed.

"Wylie, you should be in hospital. What are you doing here?" she scolded him.

"I'm okay. I couldn't stay in bed anymore. Please, hear me out?" He took a step closer and joined their circle. Without waiting for anyone to disagree, he started.

"It was difficult to link color with meaning. There are no 'Violet' places in California"-he frowned-"so I thought maybe there was a deeper meaning to the color. Then I noticed that the bright violet only covered the sea. I've never seen waters this color. But then, maybe he wasn't pointing to a sea in its literal sense, but using the image in a broader sense. Like a sea of flowers. A sea of violets'."

He made a pause. If there was anyone ready to make an objection before, now all was still.

"All the gardens and farms that I found were irrigated via lakes and rivers far away from them. But there's a violet farm a few miles outside of San Diego, with an old well. "

He took a breath.

"As for the second color-a purple-blue sky just behind the hanging victim. In this case the sky may be representing heaven, or in a broader sense, a resting place. I thought, maybe a cemetery. But nothing matched. Then I found a hotel here in San Diego, the Indigo Hotel. It is a place of rest and... famous for its pool parties."

There was silence for a while. Lisbon stared at Wylie, half-shocked at his findings and half astounded by his line of thinking. It was almost like Jane's.

"You thought all of that by yourself? " Cho asked, echoing her thoughts.

Wylie nodded. "Yes."

"Hmm," Abbott said amused. "Nice job, Agent Wylie," he praised.

Cho looked at his boss. "So that's our plan? We follow the puzzle? With no leads, no back-up, just the seven of us against him? "

"We can send SWATs," Lisbon suggested.

Abbott gave her a look.

"What?" she asked.

"They won't be able to aid us. They received information from an anonymous source for a possible threat of drug smuggling into the state."

"Have they traced the anonymous source?" Jane asked.

Abbott gave him a negative answer and Jane nodded to himself.

"You mean we are out of reinforcements to back us?" Lisbon fretted.

"Here in San Diego, yes," Abbott answered.

"I don't understand," Rigsby interfered, his face troubled, "He could have stolen the containers the same night. Why just kill the cops?"

"Because he has a better game in line," Jane said suddenly, his eyes glinting.

Abbott tilted his head "Care to elaborate?"

"He's going to set up a huge shell game. That's why he's taken away our reinforcements. He needs the water traps for his gig. But he won't risk coming himself. Instead, he'll send others. Then he needs a way to make sure they won't be followed. The answer is multiple truckers. The one who remains unfollowed will drive back to him."

"What if we bugged all the containers? " Lisbon questioned.

"No signal can be tracked within them, we'd have to place them on the exterior, where they can be easily spotted and removed. "

"So what do you suggest we do?"

Jane smiled.

"Simple. You'll hide me inside one of the containers, then the rest of you will make sure I don't get followed."

Abbott nodded, a smile climbing on his face.

"And then what?" Cho asked, unconvinced.

Jane turned to him and waved his palm. "Then I'll call you and reveal my location."

"What if we can't come there in time?" Van Pelt asked.

"Yes," Rigsby agreed, "what if they find you or leave before we get there?"

"It's too dangerous," Cho said with finality.

Jane looked at Abbott, as if waiting for a vote of confidence. But their boss rubbed his chin with skepticism.

"Oh come on, guys. When have I ever failed you?" Jane complained.

Lisbon studied all her team members one by one, reading their frustration and their persistence to save their colleague. She thought of Vega, the young recruit who had only just started on her career. She deserved to have the same chances Lisbon had. She deserved to live. And then she heard Jane's voice in her memory.

"Be careful," he'd pleaded her.

He was wrong about one thing. She didn't act as if she was alone. Lives depended on her. Justice depended on her. And she would see it served.

She took a step forward.

"Boss?"

"Yes, Lisbon? "

All eyes focused on her.

"Send me with Jane. I know we'll still be outnumbered, but we can try to sneak in. I know how to escape the water trap. All I have to do is replace Vega and then when the time comes, I'll escape and catch the killer the moment he comes to take my picture."

"That's insane," Jane jested.

She faced him. "It's also our only chance to save Vega and catch the killer once and for all."

Jane's eyes gradually lost their light as he took in her seriousness. "There must be another way," he insisted, gripping her eyes.

"Lisbon, are you sure you're willing to take such a risk?" Abbott asked calmly.

Lisbon turned to him and straightened her shoulders. "I am."

Abbott nodded. "Then it's a deal."

"No-NO!" Jane shouted. He looked at her betrayed. But she didn't know what to say to him. After a moment, he shook his head and turned on his heel. They all looked at her as he walked away, as if waiting for her to call him back.

She didn't.

A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus. This chapter is longer than usually, so I hope that can make up for the absence. It might also have upset you. All I'm asking is that you wait to see the rest of it first. (I'm not trying to show Jane as an a****le neither Lisbon as the rightful one. They both have feelings and issues and they will come to terms with them in the next chapters.) Other than that, I hoped you enjoy the case and that it is not too confusing. I would love comments!