Radioactive Roses

A/N: I apologise for the delay, life is returning back to normal, and I will be back to relatively regular writing. Thank you all who have read this story, and who have followed me through this story.

Chapter eight

The negotiator had been talking to Agent Stevens for over half an hour, with no result. James refused to budge from his demand, and Lisbon's team refused to meet it. Jane had been messing around with the air conditioning, turning it up and down, to make their captors uncomfortable. It was sitting on ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit, and even Lisbon and her team were sweating.

Lisbon could hear that the men with James were becoming restless. James has told them it would be a quick job, where people would either resign or die. Lisbon glanced at Cho. 'Boss,' he thought, 'I'm not sure we can make it out of this one. They won't let us go.'

Lisbon shook her head. She didn't agree with Cho's thought, because she would find a way to get them out. Jane had shifted the couch enough to provide quick cover should a shootout ensue. James paced the room, agitated with the developments. He looked at Van Pelt, and scowled. "You," he pointed his gun at her. "Stand up."

Van Pelt looked sat her husband, and he nodded. Only Lisbon could hear their thoughts, and she hurriedly brushed away a tear. This was no time for crying. 'I love you, Wayne.' Van Pelt had thought.

Rigsby had echoed her thoughts, with an attachment. 'I love you, Grace. Please don't do anything stupid.'

Lisbon watched the youngest member of her team stand up and walk over to James. He grabbed her by the arm and led her off to one of the interview rooms. Rigsby glanced at Lisbon, his face pale. 'Teresa, please help her.'

Lisbon shut her eyes, and focussed on Van Pelt's thoughts. She was in the interview room, sitting at the table. James circled her, and had put his gun away.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Van Pelt had her hands on the table, and she stared straight ahead. "Grace," said James. "I know you want to survive. I won't kill you, but I just want your boss to resign and admit she committed an act of brutality."

Van Pelt didn't react. She had stared down her fiancé while he had tried to kill her. This man was nothing. James became frustrated with her. He pulled out the gun and brandished it in her face. Van Pelt turned her head and stared up at the man. Her gaze was cold, and her brown-grey eyes were cold and steely. She realised she had used this look when staring down her therapist after Craig's death.

James turned away from this woman's glare. She had sent a chill down his spine. He stood looking at the one way glass, and contemplated his reflection. "Grace, I will cut you a deal." He turned to face her, but avoided her glare. "I will release you and your husband, unharmed, if you can convince Agent Lisbon to resign from her position in the CBI."

Van Pelt stood up. "We're done here, Mr Sullivan."

James pointed his gun at her. "I suggest you sit, Grace, before I decide to remove the deal and shoot you here."

Van Pelt lifted her hands, and sat back down. James headed towards the door. "Now, I will go and fetch your boss, and give you half an hour to convince her, or your dear husband gets shot."

James left, locking the door behind him. He walked back out to the bullpen and pointed his gun at Lisbon. "You, bitch, get up."

Lisbon set her gaze and stood up. The thoughts behind her were alarmed. 'Teresa,' thought Cho. 'Please be careful. And don't give in.'

Her boss and the other five agents all showed concern. Rigsby was still concerned about his wife, and expressed again his desire for her protection. But Jane's thoughts pulled at her heartstrings. 'Teresa, please don't hurt yourself. I need you to survive. I can't live if you die.'

The last flash Lisbon had from Jane was of a grotesque smiley, then she blocked the thought and headed to the interview room where Van Pelt was waiting.

James pushed her into the room, and shut the door behind her. "I know you're okay, Grace. But we can't stay here."

Van Pelt stood up. "Lisbon, I have half an hour, or they will shoot Wayne."

Lisbon put her hands onto her colleague's shoulders. "We will get out of here, Grace."

Grace nodded. 'Do you have a plan?'

Lisbon shook her head. "Not yet, but we are working on one."

Lisbon turned towards the door, and Van Pelt spotted the gun in Lisbon's waistband. 'Where did you get a gun?'

Lisbon turned to Van Pelt and smiled. "Jane. And don't worry; he can protect Rigsby from any bullets. I promise you that."

Lisbon began to pace. They needed a distraction, but she had no way to convey any ideas to Jane. He could provide the prefect distraction. Fifteen minutes in, and Van Pelt hadn't said anything else to Lisbon. Lisbon could tell she was panicking, and had begun to break down internally. Lisbon sat opposite her. "Did you feel this way after Craig?"

Van Pelt looked up at her. "Teresa, then I felt hollow, empty. Like I had lost the will to live. I had no reason to want to live anymore. Rigsby changed that for me. If he gets shot, I would probably end up losing my career and everything I've worked for because I wouldn't make it out this time."

Lisbon reached across and took Van Pelt's hand. "Grace, nobody we love will die today. I know we will all make it out alive."

The door opened, and Jane was tossed in. The door slammed, and he pulled himself to his feet. "The time has been extended another ten minutes."

Lisbon stood up. She glanced at Van Pelt, who nodded. 'We need a plan.'

Jane looked at Lisbon, and then at Van Pelt. "We need a distraction."

Lisbon looked at Jane. "Could you break windows?"
Jane nodded. 'Of course, Lisbon. But I need to focus, that means protection from you.'

Lisbon nodded, and turned to Van Pelt. She walked over, and handed her the gun. "We need you to cover for Jane."

Lisbon hurriedly whispered their plan, and Van Pelt agreed it was the best. Lisbon knocked on the glass door. James stepped over to the door. He opened it and stepped in. "have you come to a decision?"

Lisbon nodded. "I will resign, if the rest of my team is let go once I've signed."

James smiled, and led Lisbon, Jane and Van Pelt from the room. Van Pelt kept the gun hidden securely under her jacket, and walked over to where Rigsby sat. She stood next to him, and he rose to his feet. As Lisbon settled at Cho's vacated desk, a piece of paper was brought to her. She began to write her letter of resignation. Cho stood, as well as Stevens and the remaining five agents.

Van Pelt whispered the plan to Rigsby, who in turn passed it down the line to the rest of the agents. Jane stood next to Van Pelt, and shut his eyes. He visualised the room around him, and highlighted the windows. He pushed on them, but nothing happened. He relaxed, and focussed on the windows again. Slowly, the glass began to rattle. The agents all pretended they couldn't hear it, and continued to watch their boss write her career-ending letter.

Lisbon glanced up, and heard Jane's relaxed thoughts. She glanced at Van Pelt, who nodded slightly. Lisbon went back to writing, and James stood over her to see what she had written. Jane chose that opportunity to smash the first window. It shattered into the room, showering the couch with glass. The next one shattered, and the men ducked and ran for cover. They thought bullets were flying into the room. Jane opened his eyes, and lifted his hands. All at once, the remaining windows in the immediate vicinity shattered.

Lisbon took the opportunity to dive for the ground, as James turned to open fire on her. She held up the letter, and held it at arms length. James lunged for the letter, but Lisbon was too fast. She had read his thoughts just before he lunged. She pulled it back, and tore it in half, dropping the pieces to the floor. James levelled his gun at her and pulled the trigger.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon watched the bullet fly towards her as if in slow motion. Jane watched it too, and his instinct moved faster than he had imagined possible. Because he and Lisbon had shared that radioactive connection, it was almost as natural as breathing. The bullet flew towards Lisbon's heart, potentially ending her life. But it stopped and shattered a foot from Lisbon's body. James shot again, and the second bullet also shattered. James turned to face Jane, and put up his gun. Before anybody could blink, the sound of a gunshot rattled through the bullpen.

Jane had dropped the shield the moment the gun had pointed at him. Van Pelt was fast, and had pulled the gun out. She fired a single shot, hitting James squarely in the forehead. He crumpled to the floor, his gun still in his grasp. The three other men stood up and dropped their weapons, their hands in the air and shaking.

Cho and Rigsby moved quickly, cuffing the three men. Jane went quickly to Lisbon, and embraced her. "Are you okay, Teresa?"

Lisbon nodded, and picked up a shattered bullet. "The shield, it worked."

Jane smiled. "It was so natural. It must have been the connection we have."

Lisbon looked up at him. "Thank you, Jane. Now, let's charge these bastards."

Lisbon picked up her torn letter, and scrunched it into a tight ball. She tossed it into the trashcan on her way out of the destroyed bullpen.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Three days had passed, and Lisbon sat at her desk in her office. She had been through three days of hearings, and was cleared of any brutality charges. The three men with James had been charged with their crimes, and were in the holding cells at SacPD. Jane pushed the door on Lisbon's office open and sat down on her couch. He shut his eyes, and the door closed slowly.

Lisbon stood up, and sat next to him on the sofa. Jane rested his head back against the sofa, and opened his eyes. Lisbon listened to his thoughts, and nodded. "It was a scary situation. But we made it through."

Jane turned his head to face Lisbon. "Teresa, I nearly lost you. It was scary for me to watch you nearly get shot."

Lisbon watched as he leant forwards and put his one hand onto her shoulder. The smiley flashed through his mind again, and Lisbon shuddered. "Why do you keep thinking about that night?"

Jane sighed. "I lost the woman and child I loved. It broke me. That moment he pulled the trigger, that fear hit me again."

Lisbon felt his hand tighten, as he pulled her towards him. She wanted to pull back, but heard the determination in his thoughts and decided against it. He pulled her into a hug, and she felt his thoughts relax. She pulled away slightly. "Jane, you don't need to panic anymore. I'm still here, and not going anywhere."

Jane looked into her eyes, and she listened to his mind go blank. He leant in and gently pressed his lips to hers. She froze, but found herself relaxing into his embrace. After just a few seconds, she pulled away and smiled. Jane smiled back, and Lisbon's eyes widened at his thoughts. 'Thank you, Teresa. I love you, you know. Even if we lose our abilities, I will always love you, as long as I live.'

Lisbon smiled back at him. "I love you too, Patrick."

Lisbon stood up, and Jane followed suit. He pulled her into his arms, and she rested her head onto his shoulder. Through all of the drama they had survived over the last week, they had both come to realise that they had been denying their feelings for each other. Jane pulled her tighter, and Lisbon could only feel warmth coming from his thoughts. She held him tighter, thankful that he had saved her life.

Epilogue

Twenty years later

Teresa and Patrick Jane were in their kitchen, preparing dinner. The front door shut, and a face peered around the door. It was their sixteen year old daughter, Esther Charlotte Jane. Esther had been at school, and she gave both of her parents a hug. She had suffered no ill effects from being born from two radioactive parents, both of whom had retained their abilities.

Esther put down her satchel. She headed off to her room momentarily, to fetch a gift for her parents. It was their seventeenth wedding anniversary. She went back into the kitchen, and handed her mother a gift bag. Teresa smiled at her daughter. "Esther, you know you didn't need to."

Esther laughed, her blonde curls bouncing. "I know, mom, but I wanted to."

Patrick took the gift back, and opened it. Inside was a cube of glass. Set within the glass was a single, shattered bullet. Teresa looked at her daughter, tears glistening in her eyes. "Thank you, Esther. It is so beautiful. Where did you get the bullet from?"

Esther smiled, happy to see how touched her mother had been. "Uncle Kimball still had it after all these years. Setting it in glass was my idea."

Patrick gave his daughter a hug. "Thank you, Esther. It's beautiful. Now, let's eat."

The family sat down at the table, ready for their meal, and grateful that they all had one another. The bullet sat amongst them, a strong reminder that there were no boundaries when it came to the love between them all.

A/N2: thank you all for following me on this journey. I appreciate your support, and thank you for sticking with me. Please leave me a review.

Until next time,
SJ