Disclaimer: Have no rights to the show.
A/N: A big thank you to those who helped me with chapter. Also thank you to all those who left reviews on the last chapter.
Red Clouds of Darkness
Hightower moved aside and allowed them to enter the cabin.
"I see you got the message." She told Jane as she closed the door and locked it.
"Is she here?" Jane asked anxious.
"Yes."
"What is going on?" Van Pelt asked as she looked at Jane and Hightower.
"It's a long story." Jane told Van Pelt before looking back at Hightower. " I need to see her."
"I'm not sure she wants to see you." She replied to him.
"Please." Jane pleaded. Hightower motioned to the back door. Jane nodded and made his way out of the cabin.
"They might be out there a while." Hightower told Van Pelt as she headed to the small kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?"
"That would be great." Van Pelt stated as she followed Hightower. "So how are the kids?"
"They are good." Hightower told her as she filled the kettle with water. "They are with a family friend for the moment."
"Do you know what is going on?" Van Pelt wanted to know.
"Only the basics." Hightower began. "They contacted me a month ago and told me of this plan,if you could call it that. They needed somewhere to hide in case everything they knew came crashing down."
"And after last night they had to put everything into motion." Van Pelt added.
"With what I have been told that is correct."
"What do you know?" Van Pelt questioned.
"I know enough to know that they are risking everything for an uncertain future." Hightower responded as she pulled some tea out of the cupboard.
"Hopefully it will be worth it."
"Love is always worth it."
Jane opened the back door and noticed that Lisbon was sitting on a small bench chair that was overlooking the scenery. Even though she had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders he noticed that her shoulders were slumped down and she had her head bent down. He made his way down the steps and headed over to her so quietly that the minute he said her name she reached for her gun. The blanket dropped to the ground as she jump to her feet and aimed her gun art Jane.
"It's me." Jane said as he raised his hands in defense.
"Don't sneak up on people." Lisbon stated as she placed her gun back in the holster, grabbed the blanket and sat back down.
"Sorry."
"And quit saying that." Lisbon snapped at him. Jane made his way to the bench and sat down next to her. He noticed her stiffen at once when he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, he removed it slowly.
"Did you destroy the phone?" Jane asked.
"No, I thought I would keep it." Lisbon rolled her eyes and inched away from him. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, then when was it ever easy for them.
"How are you doing?" Jane winced as the words left his mouth.
"Fine." Lisbon lied as she wrapped the blanket around herself tighter.
"Talk to me, please."
"Jane, I don't want to talk to anyone."
"What do you want me to say?" He asked suddenly. Lisbon looked at him suddenly.
"What?!"
"You want me to say I'm sorry again, because I will if that is what you want to hear."
"Your apologies are never true." Lisbon hissed.
"Well how about this, I'm truly sorry for what happened to Tommy, but I'm not sorry for what happened between us." Jane explained to her, but Lisbon just looked away from him. "You want to blame me for this then that is fine, but we both were willing participants in last night."
"Yes, I know." Lisbon replied to him. She wanted to blame him for everything but he had a point. She just didn't want to admit it.
"Teresa, I know better than anyone what you are going through." He once again placed a hand on her shoulder; he was thankfully that she didn't move away from him. "I just want to be there for you."
She didn't look or replied to him. Sighing to himself he removed his hand and got to his feet. He would give her all the time she needed. "If you need me then I'll be inside." He headed back to the cabin when he heard her "Patrick."
"What?" He stopped to look back at her.
"Don't go." She whispered. Jane nodded and headed back over to her, sitting down once again he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him.
"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered against her hair. Lisbon nodded and pulled away from him.
"What is it?" He asked her as he watched her get to her feet and tried to pull the blanket even more around her.
"How did we end up here?" Lisbon her voice was trembling as she put some distance between her and Jane.
"Well I drove here." Jane joked. Lisbon glared at him.
"That isn't what I'm talking about."
"I know." Jane got to his feet and walked over to her.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." Lisbon said when he got closer. "When we first met I swore that I would help you, I didn't plan on falling in love with you."
Lisbon looked down suddenly as the words she just said sank in. She knew that he knew that she was in love with him but admitting it out loud was another thing. Lisbon felt Jane place his hand under her chin and use his finger to lift her chin so she was looking at him.
"I didn't think I deserve a second chance at a life or love, but you gave me that." Jane whispered to her.
Lisbon felt the tear slip from her eyes as he looked at her. Lisbon placed her head against his chest and his arms automatically came up and held her closer. She allowed the tears to fall for the first time that day. She cried for the death of Tommy, for Annie, her brothers, and for herself and Jane. Jane tightened his grip around her. There was no need for words between the two as they held each other in the darkness.
After her tears had stopped falling she pulled slightly away from Jane and looked up at him. "Did you find out anything?"
"I was too worried about you to focus on finding clues." He told her as he raised a hand to her face and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"You weren't followed were you?" Lisbon asked as she broke away from Jane and straightened up. Jane couldn't help but laugh as she went back into her cop mode.
"I'm positive."
"And Van Pelt didn't contact anybody?"
"No, I destroyed both of our phones before leaving."
"I bet she was thrilled when you did that." Lisbon smirked slightly. But Jane just smiled.
"Let's just say she can be as loud as you when put in the right situation."
"We need to contact Cho and Rigsby before they get worried." Lisbon ignored his previous comment and started to pace back and forth.
"I'm pretty sure they already sent a search party out for us." Jane told her as he sat back down on bench. "I do suggest that we send Grace back to the CBI."
"And have her say what?"
"That this is all a plan that we concocted together."
"No, this was your plan and I willingly went along with it." Lisbon corrected him.
"Willingly?" Jane smirked.
"Well, I wasn't about to let you pull another con that had you disappear for god knows how long." Lisbon snapped.
"Meh."
"Don't you "meh" me, this is important." Lisbon shook her head and sat back down.
"I know how important this is." Jane was now serious.
"This isn't just your personal quest for revenge anymore." Lisbon looked at him. "It is mine as well."
"I never wanted it to be yours." Jane grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Jane we are in a serious mess here." Lisbon said as she motioned to the area around him. "This idea of ours was not well thought out."
"On the contrary it was and still is."
"How do you figure?"
"Well we made the deal that if something happened then we would contact Madeleine and have her set up a safe house for us to meet in." Jane explained.
"No, the plan was for you and the team to meet at the safe house if something was to happen to me." Lisbon corrected him.
"Plans change."
"And look where we are now. Cho and Rigsby have no clue where we are and we haven't told Van Pelt anything." Lisbon continued.
"We are going to continued with our plan." Jane told her.
"Fine, but we need to tell them." Lisbon motioned to the cabin where Hightower and Van Pelt were in.
"Fine." Jane smiled and got to his feet. He offered his hand to Lisbon who took it.
"I want you to promise me one thing." Lisbon told him before he started to walk away from her.
"Anything."
"When this is over that you don't ever disappear again on me." Lisbon knew that she asking the impossible from him but she needed to her him say that he wouldn't leave.
"I promise never to leave your side." Jane whispered before leaning over to kiss her.
Jane broke the kiss and then smiled at her "Unless you move my couch then I will follow it to the new home."
Lisbon slapped him on the arm. "Damn, woman that hurt."
"Just be grateful it wasn't your nose."
Jane laughed as he wrapped an arm around Lisbon and the two of them headed back to the cabin. They walked up the steps but stopped short of opening the door. Lisbon turned to Jane and leaned up to give him a quick kiss. He smiled at her as he opened the door and placed a hand on her lower back to guide her inside the cabin.
"Still no location on their phones." Rigsby told Cho as he hung up the phone.
"No one is answering their phones, they aren't home, and no one has heard from them in several hours." Cho told Rigsby as he looked over the board that contained pictures of each team member and a map of their last known location.
"Do you think he got to them?"
"It is a possibility." Cho dropped into his seat and turned around to look at Rigsby. "I'm thinking there is something else going on."
"What?"
"I think this is part of a plan."
"One that Jane constructed." Rigsby added.
"Do you know anyone else who would go through so much trouble?" Cho asked.
"No, but why would Grace go with it?"
"Maybe she didn't have a choice?"
"And Lisbon."
"The boss is willingly to do anything to save Jane." Cho said simply as he looked back at his computer.
"So why not tell us about it?" Rigsby inquired.
"That is what I want to know." Cho stated as he picked up his phone and started to call in some favors.
Lisbon and Jane entered the living room and noticed that Van Pelt and Hightower were sitting on the couch talking. Van Pelt noticed them first and was the first one to speak.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes and no." Jane told her as he headed to the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Lisbon asked.
"To make some tea, would you like some, dear?" Jane smiled as Lisbon glared at him for saying dear.
"No."
"I have coffee in there as well." Hightower told Lisbon. Lisbon nodded gratefully and followed Jane into the kitchen.
"We need to know what is going on." Hightower said as her and Van Pelt entered the kitchen.
"Lisbon and I slept together, Red John killed her brother and now he is after us." Jane explained.
"Jane!" Lisbon was shocked at what he just said.
"Van Pelt already knew and Madeleine probably already figured it out." Jane replied.
"I meant what happens now?" Hightower stated.
"We keep the plan in motion." Jane said as he placed the kettle on the stove.
"Which is what exactly?" Van Pelt looked at the two of them.
"We allow Red John to think he has won." Lisbon told him.
"Didn't you already try that once?" Van Pelt was thinking about to the Vegas fiasco.
"I had given up that time, this time I'm going to find him and agree to be friends." Jane told her as he pulled out a few cups from the cupboard.
"Are you insane?" Hightower blurted.
"See I told you it was a stupid plan." Lisbon said triumphantly as she took a seat at the kitchen chair.
"It isn't stupid if it works." Jane replied as he placed a tea bag in the cups.
"And he is just going to take you up on your offer?" Hightower seemed dubious of the entire thing.
"Not exactly."
"Meaning?" Van Pelt pushed forward.
"Well, the original plan was to occur if Lisbon was taken or killed by Red John." Jane told her but she watched him shudder as he mentioned Lisbon being killed.
"But, he went after Tommy instead." Lisbon spoke softly.
"Which means that he is playing by a different set of rules than before." Jane concluded as he pulled the kettle off the stove and went about making his tea. "Here." He handed a cup to Lisbon who looked at it disgustingly.
"I don't want tea."
"It will help you sleep tonight."
"I highly doubt tea will help me sleep tonight." Lisbon said as she pushed the cup away.
"Well, there are several other methods I could use to make sure you sleep."
"You wouldn't dare." Lisbon growled.
"Then drink." Jane smiled and took a sip of his tea.
"If you two are done then can we please decide on what is going to happen?" Hightower shook her head at the two.
"It is easy." Jane began. "We stay here tonight and then tomorrow Grace will head back to the CBI and you back to your kids."
"And you two?" Van Pelt inquired.
"We will take the other car to the city then go our separate ways." Jane answered.
"Is that wise?"
"It is the best option we have. We need him to believe that we can't trust each other and that we would kill the other one if it meant getting to him." Lisbon disclosed.
"So you two just go off and risk your lives while we do nothing." Van Pelt said exasperated.
"Grace this has nothing to do with you or the team." Lisbon spoke softly.
"It has everything to do with us." Van Pelt cried. "He used me and with all due respect I want the bastard dead as much as you do."
"You three will be safer if you don't know what is going on." Jane reminded her.
"We are family." Van Pelt shot back. Lisbon looked at Jane and pleaded with her eyes to let her take charge for the moment. Jane gave her a nod and turned his back on the group.
"If we keep you in the loop then you must realize that you might not survive this." Lisbon expressed.
"I understand." Van Pelt said firmly.
"Then tomorrow head back to the CBI and inform Cho and Rigsby. If they agree then you can tell them more but let them decide for themselves." Lisbon ordered.
"How do I contact you with their decision?"
"You don't, we will contact you when we feel the time is right." Jane stated as he turned around again.
"You destroyed my phone." Van Pelt pointed out to Jane.
"We will contact Cho." Lisbon stated. "For now I suggest that you get some sleep."
"I think we all should." Hightower told the group. "There are only three rooms so…"
"I'll take the couch." Jane interrupted her.
"Good night then." Hightower gave them a brief nod and headed to one of the bedrooms.
"How sure are you two about this plan?" Van Pelt asked before she got to her bedroom door.
"Not very sure." Jane told her truthfully. Van Pelt nodded and opened the door to the room, walked in and then closed it.
"This is getting out of hand, Jane." Lisbon said as she got to her feet and placed the cup in the sink.
"Don't think about it right now." He told her as he led her to the last bedroom.
"Hard not to." Lisbon said as she opened the door and started to walk in with Jane right behind her. "I thought you were going to sleep on the couch?"
"I was going to make sure there were no monsters in the room." Jane smiled at her.
"Yeah, right." Lisbon closed the door swiftly leaving Jane alone.
"Night." He whispered through the door before making his way to the couch. He had just sat down on the couch when Lisbon opened the door to the bedroom again.
"What is it?" He asked as he studied her face.
"I don't want to be alone." She replied softly. He nodded and got to his feet. He turned off all the lights before heading over to the bedroom.
"Are you sure?" He asked as he approached her.
"No funny stuff, just sleep." She told him as she moved aside and let him in.
"My thoughts exactly." He smiled as she closed the door.
"What are you thinking about?" Lisbon asked over her shoulder at Jane later in the night.
"Nothing." He replied.
"Liar."
"You are supposed to be sleeping." He answered and pulled her closer to him.
"I just-" Lisbon whispered as she intertwined her hand with the one that was resting on her side.
"What is it?" He asked concerned.
"I just can't stop thinking about Tommy." Her voiced trembled.
"I know."
"Every time I close my eyes I see his face." She explained as she tightened her grip on his hand.
"You need to try and sleep, Teresa," He whispered.
"How do you do it?" She referring to the occasional time in which he did manage to get some sleep.
"Breath in on one, breath out on two." He replied.
"Does that really work?"
"It will help you relax so just trust me." He responded. Lisbon gave him a small nod and starting to breath deeply, within minutes she was starting to fall asleep. "Sleep well, my dear."
Jane listen to her steady breathing as time passed slowly for him. He was used to not sleeping and right now he was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep if he could. He was worried about Lisbon, the team and himself. He closed his eyes and focused on the sound of her breathing, hoping it would allow him to drift off for some sleep. Within moments he was fast asleep next to the woman he loved.
Lisbon woke just as the sun was starting to stream through the curtains. She went to move when she felt an arm tighten around her waist, looking over her shoulder she noticed that Jane was fast asleep. She slowly turned around in his arms hoping that the movement wouldn't wake him; thankfully by the time she was done he was still sleeping. She smiled as she noticed that he looked truly relaxed in his sleep. She couldn't resist the temptation of running her hand against his cheek.
"Don't you watch me sleep enough at the office?" He asked suddenly causing her to remove her hand just as quickly.
"You are never this relaxed at the office." She finally told him after getting over the shock of him being wake.
"Must be the company I'm keeping." He replied as he pulled her closer with his arm and buried his head into her neck.
"As much as I'm enjoying this we have more important matters to take care of." She said runninger her hand through his hair. She muttered something against her neck before he disentangled himself and got out of bed. He walked over to the other side of the bed and gave her a quick kiss before heading over to the bedroom door.
"I'll see you out there." He told her before opening the door and walking it out. She waited until he closed the door before getting out her bed herself.
"So how did you find this place?" Van Pelt asked as the four of them sat around the kitchen table eating some eggs that Jane had cooked.
"A friend of mine owns it, when they called me to let me know that they needed my help I called my friend." Hightower explained.
"So you used this as a safe house." Van Pelt stated and then added, "Which was the text you were waiting for."
"Yes, Lisbon send each one of us a text that when decoded would say safe house." Jane remarked.
"But, how can you be sure that Red John doesn't know where you are at?" Van Pelt inquired.
"We can't which is why we need to leave as soon as possible." Lisbon told her.
"You two take one car while Lisbon and I will take the other." Jane stated as he handed Van Pelt the keys to the car he had driven in. "You need to head back to Sacramento."
"And where will you two be heading?"
"That is our secret." Jane replied to Van Pelt.
"Of course it is." Van Pelt said dejected.
"Trust me, Grace, Jane is right, it is better that you don't know." Lisbon gave her junior agent a quick smile before getting to her feet, the rest followed her.
"I just need to lock up and then I'll meet you out there." Hightower told them as she led them out the front door.
"If you don't hear from us within the twenty-four hours then I want you to call Bertram and tell him everything." Lisbon told Van Pelt as the three of them approached the cars.
"Are you sure?"'
"Yes, she is because it will mean that most likely we are dead." Jane replied as he unlocked the nearest car.
"Boss?" Van Pelt asked frightened.
"Just do as I say." Lisbon ordered as she watched Hightower come out of the cabin.
"Everything is secure." She told them.
"So this is the part in which you two wish us luck." Jane smiled.
Hightower gave Jane and Lisbon a long hug before speaking "Be careful and trust each other."
"And don't do anything foolish." Van Pelt added before hugging Jane and then Lisbon.
Van Pelt got into the driver seat of the second car while Hightower got into the passenger seat. Van Pelt started the car up and gave once more glance up at Jane and Lisbon. Jane gave her a curt nod and she placed the car into drive before driving away from the cabin.
"And then there were two." Jane told Lisbon as he watch edthe car disappear.
"Hopefully they will make it back to the city safely." Lisbon remarked.
"Well, Red John isn't after them, he is after us." Jane reminded her as he opened the driver's side door and got in.
"Don't remind me." Lisbon told him as she sat down in the passenger seat.
"Hey, in case I haven't said it before now, I just want to say thank you." Jane looked at her.
"For what exactly?" Lisbon was playing dumb with him but she wanted to hear him it say it.
"For being there for me countless times over." Jane smiled.
"Oh, that." Lisbon said as she leaned over and kissed him. "I wouldn't do it for anyone else."
Jane started the car up but didn't put it into drive. "Teresa, if anything should happen I want you to know that I love you."
"I love you, too." Lisbon told him before giving him a quick. "Let's finish this shall we?"
"Yes." Jane put the car into drive and started down the path that lead back to civilization.
Jane had been driving for about an hour when he suddenly straightened up and looked out of the rear-view mirror.
"What is it?" Lisbon asked as she glanced behind her shoulder.
"That car is coming up pretty fast." Jane stated as he looked back at the road.
"Get off this road." Lisbon stated as pulled her gun out of the holster.
"Plan on shooting out the tires?" Jane asked sarcastically as he took the next exit.
"Just in case." Lisbon answered him as he looked back to see if we they were being followed.
"Seems like I was wrong." Jane said unconvincingly as he slowed down a bit and looedk behind his shoulder.
"Thankfully." Lisbon sighed as she turned back in her seat. "JANE!"
Jane turned back quickly and saw another car heading directly towards them. He turned the steeling wheel sharply just as the car swipe past them. Slamming the brakes down the car came to a screeching halt right against the side of the ravine.
"Are you okay?" Jane asked Lisbon.
"Yes." Lisbon replied breathless.
"That was close." Jane told her as he tried to calm his breathing down.
"Your telling-" Lisbon began to say just as a truck slammed behind them.
The impact forced the car down the side of the cliff. The car came crashing down at the bottom of the ravine. Jane opened his eyes to completely blurriness around him, he yelled for Lisbon but no words came out of his mouth. Using all his power he tried to focus on the area around him but he could only make out blurry objects. He closed his eyes and opened them again and he could see a little bit better, he turned his head and noticed that Lisbon was slumped down against the seat unmoving. He reached for her just as he heard voices from outside the car. Looking up he just made out two figures before blackness took over him.
"Jane."
Jane woke suddenly at the sound of his name then immediately regretted it as he felt pain throughout his body. He groaned and tried to move his arms but they refused to move. Opening his eyes he noticed that he was in a plain white room and more importantly he was in a sitting position.
"Lisbon?" He asked as he twisted in the seat.
"Stop moving." Lisbon stated from behind him.
"What?"
"We are handcuff and every time you pull on them they pull on my wrist." Lisbon informed him.
"Are you okay?" He asked suddenly.
"Other than a major headache, I'm fine." Lisbon reassured him. "And you?"
"I'm a little sore." Jane said as he felt some pain while he breathed.
"You might have bruised some ribs." Lisbon guessed. "I don't remember anything after you stopped the car."
"Neither do I." Jane told her as he used his eyes to get a better picture of his surrounding. A door opened to his left and a man walked in.
"Ah, you are awake finally."
"Who are you?" Lisbon ordered.
"No one of any importance." The man replied as unlocked part of the handcuff and pulled Lisbon roughly to her feet. The man used his free hand to move the chair she had been sitting in next to Jane and then forced her to sit once again. He then grabbed her arm and pulled it roughly behind the chair before clicking handcuff closed again.
"Why are we here?" Lisbon demanded as the man started to move away from them.
"Because my master wanted you."
"Your master?" Jane questioned.
"Yes, he will be pleased to know that you are both awake." The man told them before leaving the room.
"Jane." Lisbon was now scared.
"I know." Was the only thing he said as he kept his focus on the door.
"Mr. Jane it is a pleasure to finally see you again." A man in his late forties said as he entered the room.
Jane looked at the man who was about six foot, had brown hair, blue eyes, and a small scar across his cheek. He had seen that scar from his psychic days. Jane knew then without a doubt that the man before him was the one he had been searching for. He was Red John.
"And Teresa it has been far too long." Red John smiled as he laid a hand against her cheek. Jane turned his head and starred at her in shock.
To Be Continued.
2nd A/N: That is it for this chapter so if you want please leave a review.
