A/N: First off, I'm SO, SO sorry for not getting this chapter up before this! I didn't expect that to happen and I never meant to leave you all hanging like that!

Secondly, OMG! Thank you SO, SO much for all the fantastic reviews! Big hugs to the 'guests' out there that continue to review and everyone else that signs in, I promise I'll get back to you personally :)

Anyway, here's the next chapter - hope you like it :)

CHAPTER 10

Cho burst through the motel door just in time to see the consultant crash to the floor.

"Are you OK?" he asked Lisbon urgently as he glanced over to where Harding lay in a heap a short distance away. Quickly surmising that the killer would no longer pose a threat, he lowered his gun and turned his attention back to his hypnotised boss.

"Yes, but he's not. He's been shot, you have to help him," she replied, the panic evident in her voice as she dropped to her knees next to the prone blond and gently laid a hand against his cheek.

Cho hurried over and knelt down on the other side of Jane grimacing slightly when he saw the wound. The sound of someone entering the room had him go for his gun and look round. He relaxed when he saw that it was Van Pelt with Meyer close behind her. He'd called them after Jane had cut off their call.

Meyer ran straight to his colleague and crouched down by his side. "He's dead," he announced, shock evident in his voice and on his face as he stood back up and turned to the agents.

Cho nodded, he could understand the man's upset but he didn't have time to waste on trying to offer consolation right at that moment. "Did you call an ambulance?" he asked Van Pelt.

"Yeah, and Danville PD like you asked. They should be here soon," the female agent informed him as she hurried over to his side and looked down at the unconscious Jane. "Is he OK?"

"I think so. It's nasty bullet graze though," Cho replied as he carefully parted the consultant's hair and inspected the bloody gash. "Looks deep." He removed his hands then glanced over at Lisbon. "Where's Rigsby?"

She shook her head and quickly dashed away a tear that rolled down her cheek as reaction over the last few minutes began to set in. "I don't know. He went out for food and never came back," she answered, her voice shaky.

Van Pelt shot Cho a concerned look as he stood up. "You stay here with Jane, I'll go look for him," he ordered before hurrying out.

The female agent nodded and tried to keep her own fears for her former lover at bay. If anything happened to him…

"He'll be OK," she said aloud. Although she directed her words to Lisbon, she knew she was trying to console herself as well.

Sarah nodded and brushed away another tear before reaching out and taking hold of the consultant's left hand, clasping it tightly. "I know."

xTheMentalistx

Cho jogged through the parking lot looking for Rigsby. In the distance he could hear the sounds of sirens approaching and was thankful that he'd soon have extra people to help him search. He came to a halt and turned around slowly as he called out his friends name a couple of times. A movement in some nearby bushes caught his eye and he went over to investigate.

Just as he reached the greenery, Rigsby suddenly lurched out clutching at his head. Obviously unsteady on his feet, Cho reached out and grabbed the injured agent. "I got you," he said as he put an arm about the taller man's waist and helped him walk slowly back to the room.

"It was Harding," Rigsby rasped, fighting to stay conscious.

"I know. Don't worry, he's dead," Cho told him.

"Good."

They got back to the room and Van Pelt let out a gasp of horror when she saw the state that Rigsby was in. Cho helped him sit in a chair and she hurried over to check on his injuries.

"Do you want me to get a towel?" Meyer offered, trying to be helpful. He couldn't help but think some of this was his fault. That he should have known Harding was the killer.

"Yes, thank you," the female agent answered with a grateful smile.

"Has Jane woken up yet?" Cho asked. Both women shook their heads and he felt a sliver of alarm that the consultant's injury might be worse than he'd first thought.

The sounds of the emergency sirens grew louder and he went outside to await their arrival. Once they turned up, everything seemed to move at a lightning pace.

One of paramedics quickly checked Rigsby over and while he didn't think his skull had been damaged, he wanted him to have an urgent scan just to be sure.

The second paramedic tended to Jane. He still hadn't regained consciousness and they removed him to the ambulance as soon as they could. Rigsby was helped in too and they were taken swiftly away.

Sarah stood with Cho and Van Pelt and watched as the emergency vehicle went out of sight. She'd managed to keep her tears at bay so far but she knew it wouldn't be long before she had a complete breakdown. There was something within her that was desperate for Jane to be alright and the not knowing was upsetting her greatly. She assumed it had to do with her alter-ego.

"You're shaking," Cho suddenly observed from by her side. "It's probably shock."

She looked at him in surprise and realised that he was right. She hadn't even noticed.

"I'll take her to the hospital," Van Pelt was quick to offer. "I can keep you posted about Rigsby and Jane too."

Cho nodded. "OK, I'll come by later and take your statement then," he told Lisbon.

The women walked away and Cho was left to deal with the crime scene. He headed back into the room and spent the next few hours supervising and ensuring everything went as smoothly as possible. He didn't expect there to be any charges brought against Lisbon as it was evident that she had shot Harding in self-defence, but he wanted to ensure that everything was checked and double-checked just to be certain.

It was the early hours of the morning before he finally made it to the hospital. He flashed his badge at the tired looking woman on the reception desk then headed to the room that Van Pelt had informed him Rigsby was in. The injured agent was asleep and Van Pelt sat dozing in a nearby chair. She woke up as soon as Cho entered the room and gave him a small smile.

"How's he doing?" he asked.

"Good. There's no brain damage or skull fracture," she informed him quietly so as not to disturb Rigsby. "He's got a concussion but the nurse isn't due in to wake him again for another hour or so."

"What about Jane?"

"They've treated his wound but he's still hasn't woken up yet. A couple of things come up when they checked him over and they thought he might be suffering from mild dehydration, possibly exhaustion too so they put him on an IV."

"Yeah, he hasn't eaten or slept much over the past couple of weeks," Cho recalled with a sigh. "And Lisbon?"

"She's OK. They treated her for shock and she's been in with Jane ever since." She smiled softly. "Some things never change."

"I'll go and check on them. You want a coffee or anything?"

Van Pelt shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks."

Cho walked out and headed down the corridor to a room a couple of doors down. He went in quietly and saw Lisbon sleeping awkwardly in a chair by the bed.

"You should wake her up, she's going to have a bad neck in the morning," came Jane's tired, croaky voice from the bed.

Relief flooded through Cho that his friend was finally awake and he gave the consultant a rare smile. In the dim light, the exhaustion was still evident on the man's face and although his eyes were open, he looked as though he were fighting to keep them that way.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" the agent asked in a low voice as he moved closer.

"Like crap but that's nothing new," the blond replied wryly. "What happened to me?"

"You don't remember?"

The consultant gave him a withering look. "Would I ask?"

"Harding got off a shot. Bullet grazed your head. You've been out ever since. Doctor's are treating you for exhaustion as well."

Jane smiled. "Very concise, thank you, Cho." He sighed and licked his lips. "Could you get me some water please? My mouth feels like cardboard."

Cho poured some out of the container that stood on the bedside cabinet and handed him the cup. Jane took a grateful few sips then gave the cup back.

"That's better. Thanks," he said, his voice sounding a little stronger. "What about Rigsby?"

"He's going to be fine."

"Good." The consultant's gaze strayed to Lisbon again. "Is Harding dead?"

Cho looked at the sleeping woman too. "Yeah. She nailed him. One shot. Just like Lisbon would've done."

The consultant smiled. "That's my girl."

The subject of his perusal stirred suddenly then slowly woke up. Her eyes lit up when she saw him looking back at her. "Hey, you're awake," she said with a sleepy smile.

"I am," Jane replied with an answering smile of his own.

She went to sit up then grimaced and let out a groan of pain as she clutched at her sore neck.

"I told Cho to wake you but he never listens to me," the blond commented.

The stoic agent let out a snort. "I'll get the doctor."

"Yes, do, I can't wait to out of here," Jane announced, pushing himself into a sitting position.

"You're not going anywhere," Sarah told him firmly as she got up and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "You've been hurt and you're exhausted."

"I'm fine," he refuted with a shake of his head. "Even better when I get out of here." He threw back the covers then, belatedly realising he had a hospital gown on and not much else, he hurriedly covered himself up again. "Uh…clothes?"

"After I fetch the doctor," Cho said, biting back a smile at how Jane looked a little flustered. It was an unusual occurrence…and one to be relished.

The consultant frowned and glared at the agent as he walked out of the room. "Traitor," he muttered unhappily.

Sarah stood by his bedside and looked down at her hands briefly before bringing her gaze back to his once more. "I…um…I asked Agent Van Pelt about calling your wife," she began, gesturing to his wedding ring. "And she told that she'd passed away. I'm sorry."

Jane felt the familiar pain that clutched at his heart whenever he thought of his family and wondered quite when or if the hurt would ever lessen. He hoped that now that Red John and his followers were gone that he would begin to heal. He certainly wanted to. He'd got the revenge he'd desired for so long and even though it wasn't by his own hand, he found that he didn't mind as much as he'd thought he would.

"Thank you," he finally replied with a sad smile. "It was a long time ago."

Sarah's eyes widened at that and she glanced at the ring once more before nodding and looking down again. "Oh."

Jane sighed. Everything was still so complicated. He wanted to assure her that the ring was more of a reminder than anything else. A symbol of what he'd vowed to do to Red John. What he felt for his family would always be in his heart, he didn't need a physical token for that. But that was a conversation he wanted to have with Lisbon…not Sarah.

Cho came back into the room followed by a young woman and for once Jane was pleased to see a doctor. He did his best to charm her as she checked him over and it wasn't long before she agreed that he could go in the morning. She told him that she'd get a nurse to come in the remove the IV needle from the back of his hand but after another flash of that megawatt grin and some obvious flattery, she eventually did it herself.

"Wow, you're really something," Sarah commented dryly.

"I know," the consultant replied, ignoring her disapproving gaze. "Now, Cho, could you get me my clothes please?"

The agent did as he was asked, knowing there was no stopping the blond.

"The doctor said you could go in the morning," Sarah pointed out.

Jane swung his legs around out of bed but kept the covers over his lap as he reached over and grabbed Lisbon's arm, holding it up to look at her wristwatch. "It is the morning," he pointed out decisively.

Sarah pulled her arm out of his grasp and determinedly ignored the tingling feeling that lingered where his hand had clasped her briefly. "I'll wait outside," she muttered as Cho handed the blond his clothes.

Jane got dressed quickly and although he still felt a little unsteady, he hid it well as he was more than ready to leave.

Cho eyed him suspiciously but remained silent until his phone chirped, alerting him to a new message. "It's Meyer," he said as he read the text. "He's sent me directions to another motel just outside Diablo. He says he's got us all booked in and he's taking our bags over and some of Lisbon's clothes."

The consultant nodded and they joined Sarah outside then headed down the corridor. They made a brief stop at Rigsby's room to let Van Pelt know where they were going and Cho said he'd forward the directions onto her.

She was pleased to see Jane up and about although her concerned comment, that it might be too soon, was brushed aside by the consultant as dismissively as he had done Lisbon's. He just needed to sit down somewhere quiet and have a nice cup of tea.

They walked out of the hospital then got into the SUV and Cho drove them to the new motel. It was quite a large place and looked more expensive than the one in which Lisbon had stayed. The agent checked them all in and the man at the desk brought out their bags while they signed the register. They took their keys and things then went in search of their rooms. They were all quite close to one another so they took Lisbon to hers first but before she went in she turned to Cho. "What about my statement?"

"We'll do it this afternoon," he replied. "You should get some rest."

She nodded and looked at Jane with a slight frown. "That trigger you said about…"

"Don't worry, we'll do that when you're ready, Sarah," the consultant cut in firmly. "There's no rush. I'm not going anywhere."

Sarah stared at him as if unsure whether to believe them and then nodded. "OK. Goodnight."

Both men said 'goodnight' back and once she was safely inside, they headed off to find their own respective rooms.

"I'm just going to grab a shower and change my clothes then go back to the hospital," said Cho as they came to a stop at Jane's door about three down from Lisbon's. "You should get some sleep, you look like hell."

"That's exactly what I'm going to do once I've had some tea," replied the consultant as he inserted his key card.

"Make sure you do," Cho countered, looking pointedly along from where they'd just come. "She needs rest, she's had a rough few hours…so have you."

"I know," Jane answered seriously. "I won't bother her, Cho, don't worry."

The agent nodded then walked off to his own room another couple of doors along. He waved his hand as a goodnight and Jane did likewise before entering his own room. He glanced around and found the furnishings to his taste for a change. He dropped the key card on a nearby table then headed over to the bed and placed his bag on it before heading straight for the tea maker to make himself a drink. While he waited for it to heat up, he shed his jacket and vest and hung them up in the small closet before rolling up his sleeves and toeing off his shoes.

Once the machine was ready, he methodically made his tea trying not to think about the woman who was probably fast asleep by now just a few yards away. He'd said he wouldn't go to her and he'd meant it. There was still that tiny part of him that wanted to put off attempting to break the hypnotism because he was petrified that he wouldn't be able to do it. Wouldn't be able to save her this time.

He picked up his tea and took a sip, closing his eyes as he relished the feel of the soothing brew running down his throat. Turning around, he took a step towards the bed only to stop when there was a soft knock at the door. He frowned slightly then realised it was probably Cho.

Carrying the cup and saucer in one hand, he went to the door and opened it up. To his surprise he found a nervous looking Lisbon standing there. "Are you OK?" he asked, immediately concerned.

She nodded and looked down then back up at him with some trepidation in her eyes. "I know it's late…or early…or whatever, but…I'm ready, Mr. Jane. I want to do this. Now. I want to be Teresa Lisbon again."

Jane stared at her for a moment, conflicting emotions suddenly surging through him until finally, he made his decision and nodded. Taking a step backwards he said, "You'd better come in then."

END CHAPTER 10

A/N: As always, I'd LOVE to hear what you think! Please review :)