A/N: Here's chapter two. Since this story is already written, I imagine this will be my usual updating schedule unless life decides to interfere. Thanks for all of the favorites and alerts - your guys' confidence in me/this story is pleasantly surprising!
Thanks to lysjelonken, Iloveplotbunnies, xanderseye, Liz, yaba, Jisbon4ever, forthecoast, 13 Jo, STVVGHPDWMfan, and dwennie for reviewing the prologue - especially to Liz, who I couldn't reply to. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!
Chapter One
Lisbon arrives at work an hour early the next day, as requested. Sleep had evaded her the night before, and as a result, it had taken her even more time in the morning to look presentable. Minelli's office is brightly lit a few feet in front of her, and she heads right in without bothering to knock – they have known each other far too long to care about such courtesies.
"Boss?" she queries, standing in front of his desk in an inquisitive stance.
"Agent Lisbon! Thank you for coming in early. I'd like you to meet Patrick Jane, your team's new consultant." Minelli states enthusiastically, injecting more professionalism into the conversation than there normally is between them.
She turns to face him, only to find that he's standing a whole lot closer than she's comfortable with, that charming grin from the picture plastered on his face. Something akin to surprise in his eyes causes her to frown as she takes a step back, putting a decent amount of distance between herself and the notorious psychic with the beautiful face.
"Surprised to find that your new superior is a woman, Mr. Jane?" Lisbon asks, allowing a bit of her disgust to creep into her tone.
"Oh, not at all. They informed me that you were a member of the fairer sex, but mention of your pretty features was sadly neglected," he quips with a wink. "And please, call me Patrick." Another charming grin as he offers his hand for her to shake.
She can't resist the urge to roll her eyes at his horrible attempt to flatter her. "Jane." She emphasizes the use of his surname this time around. "This is a professional work place; last names are to be used at all times." She stares at the proffered hand somewhat skeptically before gripping it in her much smaller hand. She barely holds back a gasp as a shock of electricity seems to jump from his hand to hers, shooting its way up her arm. Well, that's new.
She pulls her hand back quickly, finding herself suddenly averting his gaze.
"Shocking, isn't it? I seem to have that effect on women." He sounds a bit smug, and she prepares to roll her eyes before she looks up and finds a reason to scowl instead. Attached to his hand is a buzzer, and he waves at her, perfectly pleased with himself.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Lisbon mutters in disgust as she flees the room.
He catches up to her in no time and, much to her annoyance, begins to ask questions. "So, Agent Lisbon. Do you have a first name?"
Oh please. "You're the psychic, Jane; you figure it out."
"There's no such thing as psychics." He states matter-of-factly, using a tone that implies she should be smart enough to know such things.
"Well thank you, Captain Obvious. I already knew that." Her tone is now dripping in sarcasm. Does this man not realize his listed occupation?
He flashes another perfect smile in her direction before replying, "You're quite welcome, Lieutenant Sarcasm."
She utters a sigh of relief as they enter the bullpen, Jane seemingly attached to her side. He observes his new surroundings with apparent interest, finally bringing his gaze to rest on hers. A mischievous twinkle lights up his eyes, much to her discomfort. "Hm. Teresa. It fits you very nicely."
Her jaw drops slightly in shock, but she regains her composure enough to stammer some instruction at him. "Sit." She points to an empty desk on the opposite side of the room. "That's your desk. Just… stay there, okay?" She stalks off to her office, preferably away from the unnerving consultant. Understanding and a bit of unacknowledged disappointment hit her as she breezes past the door. Her name is engraved on the plaque that resides there - the man is no psychic! Then again, she already knew that.
Lisbon plops down into her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose; she can already feel the beginnings of a migraine, no doubt triggered by the blond who has now made himself comfortable on their couch. Great. He's already disobeying orders. A smile tugs at her lips at the awkward picture he presents, dressed in a crisp three-piece suit while lounging quite comfortably, completely spread out on the couch. Even more amusing is the expression on Rigsby's face; he looks absolutely dumbfounded with his jaw a little slack, the potato chips he was in the midst of eating having stopped midway to his mouth. His focus is on Jane, more than a little confused, as he has no clue whom the man is. Cho, not surprisingly, looks the same as always, acknowledging Jane's presence merely with a glance in his direction before focusing once again on the paperwork in front of him. Van Pelt breezes in just then, punctual as ever. She stops short of her usual greeting when she spots a strange man lying on the couch in the corner and shoots an inquisitive glance in Cho's direction. He simply shrugs, and she takes that as her signal to come ask Lisbon about it.
"Uh… Boss?" she sounds perfectly bemused, and Lisbon can't help but smirk. "Why is that guy you asked me to run a search on sitting on our couch?"
She rises, a bit hesitant to remember her manners and properly introduce the man. She motions for Van Pelt to follow her as she walks back into the bullpen. Rigsby, who has now resumed his task of munching on some greasy potato chips, and Cho look up as she enters, both looking at her somewhat expectantly.
"Jane!" she grumbles loudly, barely hiding her amusement as he pops straight up, his expression that of a kid caught stealing from the cookie jar. "That couch is not your desk. Sit!" She points once again at his desk, and he saunters over somewhat regrettably. "Okay. Patrick Jane-" Lisbon gestures in his general direction while addressing her team- "is our new consultant. Jane-" she turns toward him, noting his child-like amusement as he spins around in his chair- "these are Agents Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt."
He hops up immediately, giving them each a firm handshake while addressing them by their first names. "Kimball, Wayne, Grace. Nice to make your acquaintances." He nods at each of them, his mega-watt smile back in place.
Even Cho is a bit confused at this point, and Jane looks extra pleased with himself as he sits back down, resuming his spinning act.
"Name tags, guys." She nods at their desks. "We all have them."
She relishes the look on Jane's face, seemingly disappointed that Lisbon foiled his tricks. She finds it very easy to take pleasure in his misery – somewhat surprising, having only been acquainted with the man for a little over an hour.
Cho shrugs, expectedly unimpressed, while a light bulb appears to go off above Rigsby's head and Van Pelt utters a simple, "Oh..."
Lisbon shakes her head, tapping the newly-acquired case file against her leg. She clears her throat, effectively earning the attention of the rest of the team. Well, all but Jane.
"We have a case." She scans the file once more. "Looks like we're heading over to the carnival."
That seems to get Jane's attention. "The carnival? That sounds like fun!"
She rolls her eyes... again. Apparently he's forgotten that a case at the carnival means someone was murdered there. "Yea, Jane. Maybe they'll even let you ride the carousel!" She quips sarcastically.
"Oh, goodie!" he chimes in a sing-song voice. At this point she wouldn't be surprised if he jumps in the air and claps.
"Uh, Boss?" Rigsby pipes up. "Can we, uh, really ride the carousel?"
Lisbon throws her hands in the air. "Are you serious? Just... let's go!" She stalks out of the bullpen and heads toward the elevator, the team now scrambling to catch up while Jane trails behind at his own leisurely pace. It's going to be a long day.
-xxx-
Less than an hour later, Lisbon is observing her surroundings with a shiver. She had never liked carnivals much – the people, the noise, and most of all, the clowns. The appeal of those people dressed in frilly, obnoxiously-bright outfits and permanent smiles painted on their faces is completely lost on her.
Jane's voice penetrates her thoughts from somewhere to her left. "Well, that's not exactly a pleasant smile." Her blood chills at his words, images of bloody smiley faces racing through her mind. Not today…
She can feel her heart rate accelerating as she turns toward him. To her surprise, she is greeted with an enormous, masochistic-looking stuffed animal, patterned in funky colors with a crooked smile stitched across its face. "If you want to make a child happy, this is really not the way to go!" Jane chirps, clucking his tongue while peeking his head out from behind the toy.
She practically melts with relief, mentally berating herself for overreacting, before pulling her professional mask back into place. "Jane! Put that down! We have a crime scene to analyze!" she barks, smirking inwardly at his defeated expression.
She raises her hand to her head, rubbing her temples to relieve some of the tension gathering into a dull ache. "Just so you know, Jane, crime scenes are not exactly pret-" she stops her apparently unnecessary warning as she lowers her hand to see him heading under the crime scene tape, and into the... house of mirrors? Oh great...
She ducks after him, glancing around hesitantly as the prospect of a clear path diminishes into a maze of mirrors. It just had to be in the house of mirrors. She manages to bump into a hidden wall only five times before stumbling into an open space where she blinks back her surprise at the sight of Jane leaning over the body, a studious expression creasing his forehead. The man doesn't even bat an eyelash at the sight of blood or the victim's lifeless body. Interesting.
Giving a slight shake of her head, she heads toward Jane to get a closer look at the body. The female victim appears to be no older than twenty with long auburn curls and brown eyes that Lisbon suspects must have held some sparkle before her life was ended, resulting in the dullness present now. Lowering her gaze, she quickly deduces that the source of the monstrous pool of blood is a single, and apparently deep, stab wound to the girl's chest, which Jane is now studying with seeming interest.
"Notice anything of importance?" She grumbles at him, still not entirely sure how he could be of any help to them.
"Meh," he stands with a shrug, "nothing much to notice, though I find it odd that she wears this ring on her wedding finger. It's definitely not your typical engagement ring. By the way, Lisbon, next time you might try running your hand along the right wall – impossible to get lost that way. Are there any witnesses I can speak to?"
A bit of excitement brightens his tone at the question, and she fixes him with a glare before pointing to a group of three slack-jawed and bleary-eyed girls huddled by a police officer in a brightly lit room off to the side – without the lights on, you would never know it was there with the way the door blends into the wall. "Perfect," he states, flashing a smile before turning to join them.
He saunters over, seemingly nonchalant attitude in place. "Jess didn't deserve this," one manages to sniffle out to the officer. "I have no idea why anyone would-" All three girls shift their gaze to him as he gets closer, and he takes the opportunity to study their faces and mannerisms. Though the first two convey all the usual signs of grief and remorse, the third is sure to divert her gaze from the body and shifts nervously from foot to foot, all the while twisting some sort of ring on her left ring finger. Aha!
"So!" he points to the one on the far right, a tall and leggy girl with cropped blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. "Jess must be the secret gay lover that you were hiding from your parents, and-" he glances at the faces of the other two girls who are now in complete shock- "judging by their reactions, these two here as well."
Jane stares at her expectantly, noting the varying emotions that flicker in her eyes before she finally decides on indignant embarrassment. "I'm not… we weren't… ugh!" she trails off with a huff, while the other two continue to gape and stare, not bothering to hide their disgust at this revelation.
"You m-mean, you two w-were…? Oh, my God!" the girl closest to him manages to stammer, her vibrant hazel eyes open wide with surprise. She makes a move to sweep her near-black curls from her eyes before muttering under her breath, "I can't believe this."
"Believe it." Jane chimes in. "Jess and…" he quirks his eyebrow at the accused.
"My name is Analeigh," she mumbles through gritted teeth, tightening her grip on a messenger bag slung over one shoulder.
"All right then. Jess and Analeigh here were having a little love affair behind everyone's backs. Analeigh didn't want anyone to know, but Jess was tired of hiding. She was going to tell, wasn't she, Analeigh? She was going to tell her parents and your parents and anyone who would listen, and then you would be ruined! Isn't that right?"
Analeigh is wide-eyed at this point, but she's quick to answer. "No! No!"
Too quick.
"Are you sure about that? Because I say that she told you she wasn't going to keep your little secret anymore, and something snapped. You were angry and scared, but mostly angry. So you lured her into the house of mirrors ahead of the other two, and before they could catch up, you stabbed her! Because hey, if she's dead, who's she gonna tell? Hm?"
Analeigh's eyes are brimming with hot tears, the fear in her expression replaced with anger. "Yes! Of course I did! That little slut was going to tell everyone! Do you think I could just let that happen? No! No, I couldn't! After so long, and after how hard I worked to make sure no one would find out, she thinks she can just blab our secret to the world? I don't think so!" Her hands are clenched into fists as her voice rises with every word.
Jane shrugs, rocking back on his heels. "Well, I was just bluffing. But that works too."
The girl's face has completely drained of color upon realizing that she was baited, and her bag drops to the floor, a bloody knife clattering out beside it.
Lisbon, who has had no problem hearing the very loud confession from a few feet away, quickly jumps into action, masking her surprise while she cuffs Analeigh and recites her rights before handing her off to the officer.
The other two girls couldn't possibly be more lost. The dark-haired one squeezes her eyes shut tight, hand over her mouth, while the redhead has gone completely still, tears silently streaking down her cheeks. "Rigsby, Cho! Finish up here," she nods toward Jess's body. "Van Pelt! Bag the weapon for prints, just in case."
"You got it, Boss." Rigsby pipes up, while Cho just nods and Van Pelt grabs an evidence bag.
"Anybody seen Jane?" she asks, just noticing that he seems to have disappeared from the immediate vicinity. Rigsby and Cho share a look before shaking their heads. "Van Pelt?"
"Sorry, Boss. Haven't seen him."
Wonderful.
She stalks out of the house of mirrors, remembering to run her hand along the wall and realizing with a bit of regret that it really does work as she squints into the sunlight outside.
"Lisbon! Over here!" A cheery voice rings out from somewhere behind her.
She turns toward him slowly, not even close to returning the enthusiastic wave he greets her with before growling at him, "Get off the carousel, Jane!"