A/N: Thank you for your reviews! I can't say it enough. They mean so much to me!
Disclaimer: Not mine.
CHAPTER 14: Terms of Endearment
She tossed her body to the other side of the bed for what seemed like the thousandth time. She groaned, staring at the ceiling, wide awake. Lisbon pushed herself up to her elbow and craned her neck to look at the digital clock. "You're kidding me," she whispered to herself, huffing. 2:37 in the morning. This could be put off no longer.
She threw the covers aside and got out of bed. She grabbed the pair of jeans that were lying in the middle of her floor and changed out of her sweatpants and into the jeans. She walked over to her closet and plucked her favorite sweatshirt from it, pulling it over her head. She was just putting her shoe on her good foot when she stopped, thinking of Jane, asleep on the couch downstairs. Would she be able to sneak past him? Sometimes he was a light sleeper, and sometimes he wasn't.
She grabbed her cell phone and searched for a flashlight in the mess that was her closet. She should really get around to cleaning this out one of these days. She found the flashlight in the back of her closet and she snatched it up, flicking it on to make sure it worked. She flicked the light off and quietly crept down her apartment stairs, holding her breath and watching Jane's sleeping form the entire way down. His chest rose and fell, and one hand was hanging over the edge of the couch. Her heart sank as she looked over to the front door. There was no way she was getting out of here without Jane catching her. She bit the inside of her cheek and continued to creep past him, willing to take her chances.
When she reached the front door, she glanced over her shoulder, shocked to see that he was still sleeping. Lisbon rested her fingers on the lock of the door, squeezing her eyes shut and turning it the other way. When she opened them, she looked back at Jane again. He still hadn't woken.
"My lucky day," she breathed quietly, slowly opening the door. She never took her eyes off of Jane as she slipped through the door and gently pulled it shut, being as silent as she could possibly manage. She eased herself down the steps that led to the parking lot, never removing her hand from the railing. When she reached the pavement, she folded her arms across her chest and began her journey to the canyon.
X
His eyes snapped open after another one of his merciless Red John nightmares. His heart was pounding and his breathing had accelerated. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked around himself, confused. He suddenly remembered he was on Lisbon's couch and relaxed a bit, sighing. He glanced over to the ticking clock on the wall, which was dimly lit by the moonlight flooding through the living room window. It was quarter after three in the morning. He rubbed his eyes and swung his legs over the end of the couch, getting to his feet. He yawned as he sauntered over to the staircase and ascended the stairs. He was just making his way to the bathroom when he noticed that Lisbon's door was open.
He peeked inside, making sure she was getting a good night's rest, and froze. Her bed was empty. He stepped inside the room and glanced around, flicking on the light. "Lisbon?" he whispered, feeling silly. Where, and why, would she be hiding? He scrunched his brows together, backing out of the room and walking to the bathroom. The door was open, the light was off, and Lisbon was nowhere to be seen.
Déjà vu.
Dread flooded through him. No, he thought, turning and flying down the stairs. He snatched up his shoes and sprinted out the front door.
X
It took her a good forty minutes to trek through the pitch-black woods. Not only did the lack of light make it extremely difficult to find her way to the canyon, but that damn walking boot also made it almost frustratingly impossible. She had to take a break every ten minutes or so to rest her leg. When she kept going, the only light that guided her was the moonlight.
When she finally reached the cliff, she stopped at the edge of the woods, staring at the edge of the cliff. This is it, she thought to herself. This is where it all happened.
She took a deep breath and slowly moved toward the ledge. Her hands shook slightly and her heart pounded in her ears. She looked around, hoping something might seem familiar to her, that something might trigger her memory. So far, nothing. She took another step toward the ledge, held her breath, and peered over the edge.
She could barely see the bottom due to the darkness, but she could make out a bit of the sharp, jagged rocks and shuddered. Had she hit those? Was this the place it had happened? How the hell had she managed to survive that?
Lisbon stared a bit more, scanning the edge of the bottom of the cliff, concentrating.
Nothing seemed familiar.
She remembered nothing.
Tears welled in her eyes and she sank to the grass, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her head between them. She felt her shoulders start to shake and she cursed herself for being so ridiculous, so childish and disappointed. What had she honestly expected? That the sight of the canyon would help her remember everything?
"Lisbon!" she heard behind her, and she jumped, whipping around.
Jane was emerging from the trees in a sprint, a crazy look in his eyes. "What are you doing?" he shouted.
She slammed her fist into the soil and let out an exasperated shriek. "I hate this!" she screeched. "I hate not knowing!" Tears streamed freely down her face as Jane fell to his knees before her. "I came here because… I guess I thought it would help me remember," she blubbered. "It didn't! I don't recall anything, and I'm so damn sick of this!"
Jane didn't say anything. He simply stared at her, jaw clenched.
"I'm sorry, Jane," she sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut and cursing herself, again, for being so weak in front of him. "I'm sorry I let you down. I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I'm sorry I can't remember, can't give you answers." She dropped her face into her hands.
The next thing Lisbon knew, his warm hands were around her petite wrists, pulling her hands away from her face. She tried to fight back, to pull away, but she was too weak. He pulled her to his chest and rested his chin on the crown of her head. She relaxed into him as the tears continued to fall. Lisbon felt his arms tighten around her, as if he were determined to keep her there forever and never let her go. "Lisbon," he murmured as his hand squeezed her shoulder, pulling her impossibly closer. "You never let me down."
She moaned in disagreement.
"No, really," he said softly. "I don't need answers." Reluctantly, he gently brought her away from his chest so he could look into her red, swollen eyes. He brushed a curl away from her moist face and tucked it behind her ear. "I just need you to be okay."
"I am okay," she whimpered.
He chuckled without humor. "Sweetheart, you're not."
Lisbon forced herself not to flinch at the newest term of endearment he had given her.
"I promise you," Jane said, looking into her eyes. "I will do whatever it takes to find out what happened that night."
She tried to swallow the huge lump in her throat and gave a small nod, leaning into his chest again and letting her eyes close. She would have fallen asleep there, like that, but his lips came down to her ear and whispered, "Let's get you home."
A/N: Kind of short, I know, but let me know what you think!