Disclaimer- They are like little action figures I do not own, but have the incisive need to play with. CBS owns them. Mr. Heller made them. No money is, was, or ever will be made from this.

[Chapter 7]

"Are you okay? You look a bit perplexed," Jane asked.

This is not how he pictured his day would go. Concussed, speeding down the side of a hill with his spun colleague at the wheel, while being chased by his ex-best friend whose lackey was shooting at them, getting ambushed in traffic, kidnapped, then being tossed into a car trunk in sweltering heat and humidity. Rigsby shook his head and ran that sentence by himself one more time.

"Kinda like a movie," Jane said as he bounced in his seat. The trucks shocks were worn making their escape a very bumpy ride.

"What?" Rigsby asked not entirely sure if he said that last though out loud. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Did we lose them?" Jane jerked the car to the right, narrowly avoiding a tree before he looked back to see if Troy and Humpty were giving chase. "You just might want to put your seat belt on. This really is an interesting sensation."

He knew he should have insisted on driving, but Jane was right. Their speed and trajectory was not helping his nausea. Rigsby took a breath, trying to calm his nerves and his stomach. At least his vision wasn't blurring as frequently, and his headache was now a consistent dull throb instead of a sharp pain. Jane jerked the car to the right again and Rigsby smacked his shoulder into the door hard.

"Ow. Slow down! You don't want the truck to flip," Rigsby warned.

"It's weird, but in a good way. How's my driving? I thought I was driving slow. Must be the momentum. I think I'm doing well. Right? Everything seems so- vivid. I think I can see every shade of brown in the trees, sepia, umber, fawn, russet, tan, sand, that rhymes... My hand aren't at ten and two..." Jane took his hands off the wheel and stared at them. They looked so weird to him and he couldn't figure out why. His hands were shaking, but he couldn't feel them shake. "I don't feel nervous. I should be nervous, we have two sociopaths chasing us. Is that why my hands are shaking?"

"Jane!" Rigsby grabbed the wheel and pulled the car to the left.

"You don't have to yell. I'm fine. I can hear you just fine. It was just that first rush, whoo..." Jane let off a whistle and put his hands back on the steering wheel. "Alert and euphoric, but my mind is racing, from thought, to thought, to thought. I can see why people like this. And for the record I saw that tree. I had time to swerve around it. Have you ever tried...?"

"No."

"Not ever? Anything?"

"No! Pay attention." A branch smacked into the windshield cracking it a little more.

"You're lying. I'm gonna say as a teen. Young teen... Tried it once or twice to see what the allure was? The question is was it meth or weed..." Jane mimicked Rigsby now scowling face, but grinned after a few seconds. "Didn't your mother say not to make faces. It might get stuck that way. When you lie, you ducked your head and avert your eyes ever so slightly, a subconscious response. You need to work on it. If you're going to lie, believe the lie. Say it like you believe it to be true. Don't worry, I don't intend on repeating this experience, especially not driving. And if you're going to throw up please do it out the window. You look a little green, like a pistachio or a honeydew or an asparagus. Definitely not a forest, lime or a pine, ha, that rhymed... Chartreuse. No. Heart problems, seizures and paranoia and all that other jazz. We have enough excitement working for CBI without throwing those into the mix. Why are most of the shades of green named after food? Is there anything to eat or drink in here?"

"I could use less excitement right now. Rocks! Watch the rocks!" Rigsby pointed though the cracked windshield.

Jane easily turned away from them and they continued their decent downhill.

"Stop yelling. You're getting all worked up and making me kind of anxious. I should be anxious. There are people shooting at us. That can't be good for your blood pressure or mine. All that blood rushing to your head. How's your head?"

"I'm okay! I'd be better if you'd pay attention to driving and not getting us killed."

"Really, stop making that face. It's like Lisbon's 'why did I listen to him? I'm gonna regret this and have to fill out a lot of paperwork' face."

"We're gonna die..."

"Nonsense. It'll all work out. When have I steered you wrong?"

"Lately?"

"And we are not going to die. Relax. I promise you by before the next sunrise we will be sitting on my couch drinking ice tea and eating cobbler."

"Yeah right."

"What? You don't believe me. Don't be so pessimistic. I bet you twenty bucks, plus you buy me ice cream everyday for the rest of the month and at least once a week one of them has to be a sundae. And if I'm wrong I will buy you and the team sundaes everyday for the rest of the month plus give you twenty bucks. Okay?" Jane turned towards him.

"Fine! Whatever! Just watch where we are going and keep your hands on the wheel. The trees!"

Jane banked a hard left around the trees. "All right bet! You know I've had similar rushes doing other things, without the use of chemical stimulation."

"Have you?"

"I could be faking it right now."

"Are you? Cause that would be really uncool," Rigsby said slightly miffed.

"No, but we went from horrified to annoyed. I'm used to people looking at me like they're annoyed," Jane grinned. "Is the phone really dead? I have no idea where we are going. I don't even see the main road. Are they behind us? Can you call Lisbon? Wait, do we want to call Lisbon? We are currently committing a misdemeanor under California penal code 1155. You're the law enforcement agent who let me drive. Doesn't that make you an accomplice? Oh, whatever."

"Let you? I remember you insisting."

"Mint cream is also green and the first cone you're gonna buy me. Just go with it. Wait, wait, wait!" Jane said with some urgency and slammed on the brakes. The car skidded a few feet then stopped, then the engine died.

"What what's wrong?"

"Was I rambling? I think I was rambling."

"You stopped for that?"

"You were getting all bent out of shape about me not paying attention to the road. So I stopped. Was I?"

"Yes, maybe a little. Let's go. I don't know if they are behind us."

Jane gave it a little gas and tried to restart the car. The car made a clicking sound, but didn't start.

"Uh oh," Jane frowned.

"You've got to be kidding..." Rigsby grumbled.

TBC

I know it's a little short.

Gingersnaps...