A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews! Sorry, it's been a couple of days, I hope everyone had a GREAT holiday :) So I think I figured out where this story is actually going, so yay :) Enjoy the chapter.
Two days. Two , long, days. Saturday and Sunday.
After Jane didn't go after her Friday evening, they hadn't spoken since. Lately they had been getting together for a late dinner or a coffee or something. Random text messages, anything Jane found interesting that he wanted to share with Libson, he knew she would always respond.
But now, he lay on his twin mattress in the lonely room, the setting sun glistening off the red smiley facey above his head late that Sunday afternoon. He closed his eyes and fiddled, once again, with the ring on the finger of his left hand, letting out a deep sigh. He could mull over thousands of different scenarios and options set before them, but he knew it came to down to only a few things. He cared for Lisbon. He wanted to be with her, be there for, be her support, like Rigsby was for Van Pelt. He didn't want an amazing kiss and then total awkwardness. But if that was the case then there were two things he needed to lay down: his wedding ring, and the gun and flashlight, metaphorically speaking, he had in his hands for Red John.
He slid the ring up and down his finger as he pondered his thoughts. At one point, taking the ring off and looking at it, but then quickly sliding it back on. It felt weird not wearing it, but it felt even more weird knowing things weren't right with Lisbon and that he hadn't talked to her in two days.
Two days he had spent, drinking tea, staring out at the ocean and laying on his bed, images flashing back to him of their few moments together. Her skin so soft and smooth, her lips warm and tender against his. Her scent of cinnamon, he believed, he could still smell on his suit.
Rolling off the mattress he wandered into the part of a house he hadn't been in a long time. The door creaked slightly as he opened it, and in the light cascading in from the moon, he see everything that room still hold, although white tarps had been thrown over everything. Slowly walking past the furniture filled with beloved memories, he made his way to his wife's sitting armoire. Pulling off the tarp, he watched dust fill the air and he could help but smile a little as the light danced off the flecks that flew around the room. Turning back to the armoire his fingers played across the top of it, wandering around aimlessly, recalling memory after memory of times with his wife and daughter. A tear slipped down his cheek as he sat down in the little chair in front of the mirror, recalling the many times he watched from the bed as his daughter sat in his wife's lap, as she played with her hair.
Swallowing the hard lump that formed in his throat, he looked down at his hands and slowly pulled the ring off his finger. He stared it for a good minute or two, images of his wedding day, honeymoon, life with his wife, passing in front of his eyes. He brought the ring to his lips and kissed it softly. "I'll always love you girls, but...it's time for me to go," he said softly, another tear slipping down his stubbly cheek.
He reached over and opened one of the small drawers of his wife's jewelry box and dropped the ring inside. Letting out a deep breath he got up and left the room, closing the door, firmly, behind him.
Monday came fast after that and Jane found himself sitting on his couch, greeting away everyone as they came in for the first day of the week.
"Good morning Van Pelt," he said , more cheery than normal.
Van Pelt looked at him oddly, tilting her head. "Hi," she said, almost cautiously.
Cho followed with Rigsby behind them all equally suspicious of Jane's more than cheery behavior. It was a little past 8 and they were all just standing around chit chatting when Grace suddenly realized it. "You're ring!" she exclaimed, interrupting Rigsby's sentence of his latest weekend excursions.
Jane froze, but then let a small smile creep onto his face. "Yeah, it was time," he said softy, his right hand going to twirl the ring without thinking about it, but then when there was no metal to be found, he settled with folding his hands together.
"Does Lisbon know?" Rigsby asked.
"No...no.." Jane said.
Grace and Rigsby looked at each other, both holding back attempts to break out into huge grins, while Cho just stared at him, grunted and then went back to his book.
The elevator pinged and somehow they all knew who it was and scooted back to their desks.
Jane took a sip of his tea as Lisbon came into view. She looked tired, with bags under her red, glassy eyes. She met Jane's gaze and quickly looked away, not even greeting the team, she made a beeline line for office, shutting the door behind her.
"What's wrong with boss?" Grace asked, looking over at Jane, who merely shrugged his shoulders.
Lisbon shut the door the to her office and let out a deep breath. She had made it to her haven without having to talk to him, even though their brief glance at each other made her breath catch in her throat, she willed herself to look away and that's exactly what she did.
Dropping her briefcase next to her desk, she dropped into her chair. It had been an exhausting weekend. Well, exhausting in the sense of sleep eluding her, so she stayed up till all hours of the night working on reports and reviews. Keeping her phone by her side, waiting for him to contact her, but he never did. So she decided to put it behind her, pretend it had never happened, it would never be mentioned again and they would just move on. Chalking it up to the events of the day, both of them being emotional, blah blah blah. She tried to spin it any way she could but she knew , for her, it all boiled down to the ring he still wore and the dead wife he still loved. She didn't hate it him for it, but she didn't want to start anything with him while he was still living in the past. She knew she cared for him, and all the little things he did for her since that night they "slept" together up in the attic, she appreciated and noted. Letting all that happen was a sign she was willing and she knew he knew that. But yet he still wore the ring, and until he could close that part of his life and open another chapter, fresh, with her, she couldn't let it go any further.
Her phone going off, pulled her from her thoughts.
"Alright guys. We got a one. Diamond Springs, let's take two cars in case we have to split up. You guys go in the van, I'll take my car,"
Everyone nodded as they gathered up their things and headed for the elevators.
"Oh, good, road trip," Jane said, a little too delightful for Lisbon's liking.
Lisbon got in her car and immediately locked the door. She knew soon the blonde headed consultant would be wanting to join her, but she was hoping she was fast enough to elude him for this trip. Turn the ignition she put the car in reverse when a slight tapping noise stopped her from hitting the gas pedal. She looked up into the eyes of her consultant and hesitated.
Jane cracked a small smile and propped his eyebrows up as he looked down at the door lock and then back at Lisbon.
With a roll of her eyes, she unlocked the door.
Jane hopped in. "Thanks. I would ride with the other guys, but there is a weird smell in the van when Rigsby is in it," he mumbled, quickly strapping on his seat belt.
"What do you want Jane?" Lisbon asked quietly.
"Oh, you are going to the crime scene aren't you? I thought..isn't that what we are doing?"
Fifteen minutes into the road trip, Lisbon had set her cruise control and Jane watched her relax a little in her seat. He thought this seemed like the best time to talk.
"So, how was your weekend?" He asked, after settling himself so that he was facing her more.
Lisbon glanced at Jane out of the corner of her eye. "Uneventful. Yours?"
"Meh," he shrugged his shoulders, uncharacteristically biting his bottom lip, as if nervous. "Teresa, I-"
"Look, let's just...let's forget about Friday night," Lisbon cut him off, getting right to the point.
"Well what if I don't want to?" Jane asked stubbornly, almost jack ass like as if he would actually listen to what she was saying. Slightly offended that she would just want to discard the moment that had shared that night
"It was...a mistake," Lisbon kept her eyes on the road, her hands gripped on the steering wheel, not even bothering to cast a glance in his direction to see his reaction.
"Well why do you get to make that call?"
"Why are you being so stubborn about this?" Lisbon's voice raised, he was starting to annoy her with his defiance on the matter. "Our emotions were going, it had been a long day..."
"Well, what if I enjoyed what happened Friday night,"
Lisbon scoffed. "Apparently not, I didn't hear from you all weekend,"
"I'm not that one that got up and walked away!"
"I'm not the one that didn't chase after what they wanted," Lisbon shouted back. "Ugh! I knew I should of made you ride in the van!"
Jane was slightly infuriated at the women beside him. "You could of if you wanted to, you wanted this to happen,"
Lisbon glared over at him. "Don't even presume to know what I want, Jane,"
Jane's glare over at Lisbon was one of lust and anger. He didn't know what was coming over him, but he knew the woman beside was all he wanted and it frustrated him to know that she REALLY had wanted him that night and she was just too scared to chase after her. Although, the time apart had been good and he was able to clear his head and figure out things, he could see it might not of been what Lisbon had needed.
As for Lisbon, she was NOT expecting to get so angry about everything. But his flippant attitude about it all, saying that he cared and he liked it, but then not chasing after her when she left, just really pissed her off.
"Pull over Lisbon," he said in a low voice, his eyes never wavering from hers.
"What? No! We are on a case. We are on the highway, better yet,"
"Teresa, pull over now," his voice got lower, and Lisbon couldn't tell what was getting into him. Why he was acting so calm all of the sudden, yet his voice sounding like he could burst with anger at any moment. Whatever it was scared her enough she , she glanced around at the desert around them and pulled off the side of the road.