All had to keep from laughing as Agent Lisbon's sogging form, wet hair plastered to her sour face, slowly swam and climbed into the boat. No one spoke, and Jane kept his eyes on the bouncing bow, trying to hide his smile till he felt cold water dripping down onto his shoulder. With terror he slowly looked up to see Lisbon, staring down at him, her hair a mess and her expression even messier.
"If anyone so much as smiles," she darted her eyes about the boat then back to Jane. "They're fired." Rigsby panicked, and silently handed her towel without making eye contact. She violently dried herself off. "Do you think this is funny? You think this is some sort of a joke?" Jane raised his brow. "I didn't ask to be thrown around and drowned."
"Well I didn't ask to be run over." Lisbon didn't seem to hear him.
"I could have died."
"Hm," he faced her. "I happen to recall a time, a few hours ago, when I narrowly escaped becoming road kill." Lisbon jutted her jaw in frustration and marched to the bow of the boat. "I thought so." He smiled to himself, but she darted her eyes back at him.
"Just because I mistook you for some slow-ass redhead, doesn't give you the right to drown me." Jane started up the boat as Rigsby pulled in the tube, and looked to her as they headed back to the marina.
"Oh, so then you must hate Grace." The two women looked to him.
"What are you talking about?" Grace shared an unsure look with Rigsby as Jane continued.
"Well you just said you mistook me for a redhead, implying that in your own sick little world you are just fine with running down a redhead." He looked in the mirror to Grace. "I'd watch out if I were you."
"That is not what I said. You know what," She threw up her arms. "I'm done with this." She shoved on her sunglasses and silently stared ahead. Jane looked over to Cho, his lips curving up in amusement.
"Did I say something to upset her?"
The sun had just begun to set as the group un-piled from the boat, it's last rays kissing the shimmering lake whose boaters and kayakers gradually dwindled the further it sank. The ride back to camp was quiet, save for Jane for he hummed to himself as he drove, knowing that was another thing that Lisbon did not like. When they all arrived, changed their clothes and began to speak again, Rigsby and Grace made a run up to the Campground's store to buy whatever was available to serve as their dinner. Back at camp, Cho avoided Lisbon, and Jane did the same by taking a lengthy time to change into the remains of his suit. However, in the midst of changing he sorrowfully looked down at his tattered vest, and sighed, knowing this day would be its last. When he emerged from the tent, he wore his torn suit pants that he rolled up and his button up with his torn vest hanging loosely around him. He walked over to the table and sat next to Cho.
"i never liked camping. annoying people screaming. bears eating your food. bugs. dirt."
"You never camped as a kid did you? Too caught up with sports, and your dad was never willing to go was he?"
"only in motor homes. i hated motorhomes. they remind me of hospitals." Jane nodded.
"Your experience there after you got your appendix taken out wasn't very fun was it?" Cho stared.
"you read my medical records."
"No, your scar sorta says it all." He gestured to Cho's torso where he had noticed the small scar in the boat. Jane sat quiet for a minute. "How is a motorhome like a hospital?" Cho looked away from him as Rigsby and Grace pulled up.
"foods here."
The 5 of them ate what they were able to buy, which consisted of candy bars, ice cream sandwiches, cookies and chips. It was a dream meal to Rigsby, and he ended up eating most of it for everyone else got sick of the sugary overloads after eating 1 or 2 candy bars and a few chips. As the sky darkened, Grace and Cho collected wood for a fire, Rigsby finished off the last bag of Cheetos, Lisbon fiddled with her phone, and Jane carefully eyed the site beside there's, which was empty still. As Grace set up the fire, and the others were distracted, Jane silently wandered off into the neighboring site, unnoticed by his busy colleagues.
"Girl scouts?" Rigsby asked. Grace blew on the fire as it began to hiss and dance.
"You can know how to make a fire without being in Girl Scouts, Wayne." He shrugged.
The music and sight of the fire slowly drew everyone near to it. Soon all but Jane had taken seats around it, the constant music of the burning wood soothing and enrapturing all their senses.
Lisbon sighed and looked about the shadowy campground, where now sounds of neighboring fires and families eating gathering for their dinners crawled out from the darkness. "Where's Jane?" Rigsby looked up form the fire.
"Good question." The group looked about for a moment.
"He better not have gotten himself killed." She flicked her blue gaze about the shadowy trees. "Jane?" Lisbon barked. As she began to rise a shape emerged from the shadows.
"I am the ghost of Christmas future," Jane strolled up behind them, creating a ghostly tone with his voice "…Tiny Tim is going to die." Lisbon stared.
"Tiny what?" She asked as Jane walked up and strolled to a seat a across from the still scowling agent.
"Ah, that pains me here." He dramatically pressed his hand to his heart before falling into his chair. "If you don't know who Tiny Tim is, you don't deserve to know." Lisbon gave him annoyed look before looking back to the flames. Jane watched them for several moments then said, "I'm bored." When no one answered he wiggled his fingers. "Let's play some charades."
"i don't like charades. no one ever knows what i am."
"I will. Go ahead and I'll guess."
"no."
"Yes."
"fine." Cho rose and stepped to the other side of the fire in front of the group. He stood still for a minute, and everyone waited for him to do something, but he didn't. He took a few steps and mocked writing something on a notebook, still deadpan , when Jane jumped from his seat.
"Oh, you're Cho!"
"how did you know." He walked back to his seat and Jane smiled to himself.
"Guess it's my turn now." He rose and cleared his throat, resting his hand on his hip and thinking of what to be. Lisbon stared for a moment before barking out.
"Prostitute." Everyone looked to her, appearing surprised by her sudden outburst.
"I haven't even gone yet." He grumbled and Lisbon leaned back in her seat.
"Oh sorry, I guess that's just the way you look." Jane ignored her before he bent his arms, held them up almost chicken-like, and then raised them to his head, letting his hands flop about by his ears. He began to stomp around, kicking up dust, when Lisbon called out again.
"Prostitute." Jane continued his act, but shot her an annoyed stare. The others tried to ignore Lisbon's strange behavior and began making guesses.
"A dog!"
"Tyrannosaurus Rex?"
"a chicken."
"Prostitute." And with that Jane threw his arms down and stared at her.
"You know I'm sure I'm not the only one who is bothered by these sexist and immature comments. Is there a part of your past you're trying to share with us, Lisbon? Because if so please do tell."
"Sexist?"
"Yes, you are unnecessarily calling me a Prostitute."
"Oh, wait, I'm sorry I guessed wrong, I meant to say a hooker." Jane looked to Grace.
"Grace, do you have anything to say about this?" Grace instantly became nervous for he was tempting her to side against Lisbon.
"I don't agree." Was all she mumbled.
"See, in sweet Grace Language that means 'Yes, Lisbon is a pig.'" Grace tightened and shook her head.
"I would never say that." But Lisbon ignored the redhead.
"Fine if you aren't a prostitute than what are you?"
"I can't tell you that." He continued on his way, trying to mimic that animal he had chosen and after several minutes of silently wandering, stomping, making strange faces and miming sounds, he gave up when Rigsby guessed he was a piece of Broccoli.
"I'm an elephant!" He let out exasperatedly while miming a trunk for the first time.
"Why didn't you just do that from the start?" Rigsby asked.
"It would've given it away." Jane stumbled to his seat and flopped into it, before resting his shoes on the edge of the metal fire pit. "Why don't you go Rigsby?"
"Yeah," Grace urged, smiling. Rigsby gave her a humble crooked Rigsby smile before stepping in front of the fading flames. The night had fully come in by then, the only light being from the dying fire that chased shadows about the audience's half lit faces. Rigsby chuckled to himself before beginning his act. He slowly kneeled half way down, and held arms in front of him, his fists tight together, before shifting on his heels, leaning to one side then the other. Jane always spoiled charades, for he always knew what people were right off the bat, and this was no exception. He knew what he was being, and once it was revealed, he knew there was nothing he could do but laugh.
"Um, a, car?" Grace called out. Rigsby shook his head and continued leaning from one direction to the other, then all knew instantly what he was, when he leaned back, miming a scream, before jumping backwards letting his arms fly into the air.
"Are you serious?" Lisbon growled, and Jane fought his chuckle. "Are you kidding me?" Rigsby's smile vanished and appeared like it had never been there.
"I, I thought…is it not funny yet?" Lisbon stared with a sour face.
"9/11? Really Rigsby?" Everyone looked to Lisbon with unsettled faces.
"What did you just say?" Jane asked, staring at her.
"He's being Bin Laden, crashing into the buildings. You know if it wasn't rude, I might laugh." And no one did laugh as she smirked, unaware of how crude she sounded. Grace stared for a moment before licking her lips and speaking.
"My best friend's father died, on 9/11." Lisbon looked to her and her smile began to fade.
"You do know how horrible you seem right now?" Jane said, sitting up in his seat.
"Does everyone here seriously have an out for me? It was just a guess. It's Rigsby's fault."
"Actually it's not, because he was not pretending to be that horrible massacre, he was pretending to be another one." Lisbon raised her brow at him.
"Oh really?"
"Yes," he spoke quickly. "He's you, flipping in the tube, and nearly 'drowning.'" Lisbon instantly bolted from her seat, stomped silently to her tent, violently unzipped it, before turning to Jane, flipping him off, and disappearing into it. But it was good she did so, for Jane began to laugh silently to himself, followed by the rest of them.
"You know, even for our tiffs this is getting a little out of hand." Jane said through a large smile, staring at the fading flames. He sat quiet for a minute before letting out a sigh. "Oh," he moaned and languidly strolled over to the side of her tent. "Come on Lisbon, it was only a joke."
"Don't you need your rest? You're probably working a full day tomorrow, prostitute." Jane couldn't help by smile, and be bit unsettled before heading back to the fire.
"That's not really what I had in mind for tomorrow." Rigsby was wearing a half smile, and glanced from her tent back to Jane.
"Is that some sort of inside joke between you guys?"
"No…but I think she thinks it is." Jane raised his brow and leaned back into his seat.
"I didn't mean to you know, make things worse with you guys. I thought it would be funny." Cho stood up.
"it was funny. im going to bed." The three of them watched him as he went up to an empty tent looked back at them and said, "this is my tent, goodnight." And tightly zipped it up.
Jane smirked at his odd friend and looked back to Rigsby who appeared exhausted, his eyes already weighing down from the stress of the day.
"Eh, she deserved it." Jane said as he looked up at the black sky, that was dotted with shining white stars who's glow was so much stronger than in Sacramento. Rigsby yawned loudly and looked from Jane to Grace.
"I think I'm going to hit the sack too. But I guess," he looked from Cho's tent to the tent that was left. "The rest of us have to sleep in there?" He raised his brow and looked to them both.
"Nah, you can have it. I don't sleep."
"Jane," Grace butted in as she rose from her seat.
"No really, I don't."
"If you're sure." Jane flicked his hand in a "go" sort of manner and nodded. Grace caught up to Rigsby who had began to head to the tent. She raised a brow at him and whispered.
"Well, I guess I'm sleeping with Lisbon…" Rigsby cleared his throat, and shifted his weight. Jane watched him from over the back of his chair as the firelight skipped across his smirk, knowing what was going through the agent's head.
"There is, room in my tent, if you want to…" Grace tensed nervously. When the awkward silence pierced Jane's skull he groaned and spoke up.
"Oh, just go Grace. All he wants to do is sleep anyway, look at him. He's about to pass out. And besides," he pointed to Lisbon's tent. "She might bite you, or worse"
"I heard that." Came a gravely voice form the tent. They all looked frightened then waved goodnight to Jane. The couple disappeared into the tent, leaving Jane beside the vanishing fire, and alone. But being alone was what he wanted. For all day long he had been waiting for this time, waiting for all to bed and fade away from this world. Because he was not the only one who waited, who had yearned for this time to come. And now Jane knew, as campground slowly drifted into dreams and the crickets began to sing with the hums of the bullfrogs and the gentle lapping of the lake, all he had to was wait. Just a little bit longer.