Author's Note: I humbly apologize to those of you who were disappointed in the M section of the last chapter! I guess I erred on the conservative side of the rating. I'll try to do better (or worse, depending on your point of view) next time. Meanwhile, back to the plot. And can I just say this week's episode almost made me wish this fic wasn't a Volker-free zone. Was glad to see the poker game again too, since I'll get back around to that eventually. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for sticking with this—reviews and alerts are better than chocolate!
Chapter 17
They were on the road by ten, after a large, delicious breakfast and a stop at the first Starbucks they encountered. Lisbon originally hoped to make it to the office before it got too late, but she hadn't reckoned with Jane's desire to check out every scenic overlook or fruit stand they passed.
"What is with you?" she finally asked, after they finished with their third stop. She knew she should stop indulging him, but seeing him happy was such a nice change, and she didn't want to ruin this day by sending him into a whiney mood.
"It's a beautiful day, Lisbon. Why be in a hurry to shut ourselves up in the office?" He flashed her a broad smile.
"Who says we'd be cooped up in the office? There might be a nice mysterious crime scene in a scenic state park waiting for us," she pointed out.
He gave a little laugh and reached for her hand. "True. But having rediscovered the joy of recreation, I find I'm not overly anxious to return to work. I'm enjoying that secretive little smile of yours every time you think about last night, and I'm sure once we're back at work, I'll mostly get pursed lips or frowns. Everything back to normal."
"Normal is good," she said, glancing over at him. "Isn't it?"
He lifted their clasped hands and pressed his lips against her fingers. "The new normal is good. The old normal...meh."
She couldn't contain her smirk. "The old normal led to the new normal, you know. Since the only way I could get you into bed was to read you the riot act and insist I wouldn't sleep with you, I'm thinking I need to continue being hard on you."
He looked closely at her. "Oh, so you're saying it was all your idea?"
"Mm hm." She was savoring this moment. She didn't often manipulate Jane without his being aware of it.
"Please," he scoffed. "You're taking credit in retrospect. While it's true that I needed to know you were fully yourself before beginning my campaign, that is the extent of your contribution to yesterday's happy ending."
"Yesterday morning I figured out that the reason I couldn't convince you was that you are a total control freak who wasn't going to do anything you thought wasn't your own idea. So I decided to let you carry out your longstanding plan to seduce me." She smiled. "I have to say, it was a very good one. It probably would have worked anytime in the past four years or so. Except maybe right after the whole Lorelei thing."
"It would have needed some amending at that point," he acknowledged.
"Like groveling," she said. "Or at least sincere apologies."
"I plan to make all that up to you," he said. "Shall I begin by letting you carry out your own longstanding plan to seduce me?"
"I don't have one. I'm your boss, remember?"
"Supervising agent. A slight but critical difference. And you can't tell me you never thought about it."
"Not enough to constitute a plan," she said. "You were really good at seeming untouchable for a long time. And after that, I was way too pissed at you."
He gave her hand a squeeze. "I can understand that, I suppose. Well, if you do have any requests, just let me know."
"Not a request so much as an observation. Regardless of whatever angry sex fantasies you may have, your bad behavior at work will have correspondingly bad consequences at home. And you should not take that as some kind of perverse challenge." She glanced at him.
"Message received," he said pleasantly. "I suppose I should warn you that one of the first things we have to do is meet with Bertram."
"Why?" she frowned.
"About turning over the case to the FBI. He wants us to convince him this isn't part of a scam. I think we should do it tonight or first thing tomorrow." He paused. "First thing tomorrow, preferably. I'll call and make an appointment." He gave her hand a final squeeze before releasing it.
She listened in amazement as he did so, being perfectly polite to Bertram's beleaguered assistant. After he hung up, he said, "I'll make a big breakfast to fortify us. Any requests?"
"Since I won't need pancakes," she smiled slyly, "you can surprise me."
He smiled back, and they drove in comfortable silence for a while. But eventually Lisbon noticed Jane was fiddling with his wedding ring, which she'd found him staring at when she emerged from the bathroom that morning. She'd told him to put it back on to avoid questions from Mrs. Moreland, and he'd done so without comment. But that didn't seem to have put the matter to rest. She'd known it wouldn't be easy for him, despite the fact that he'd taken it off before they made love, reminding her that he was making a new commitment.
"You should wait until you're ready," she said.
"Hm?" He looked at her, then down at his hands. ''Ah. No, I need to start getting used to it. People will be looking for signs that I'm serious about giving up." He pulled the ring off and slid it into his vest pocket.
Her concern grew. "You don't have to do everything at once."
"I don't think it's going to get easier." He looked out the window. "And I don't want you to worry about it."
She pondered that for a few minutes. "I can handle it, Jane. You don't have to do this alone. I want to help. And that means not pushing you to do things you're not ready for."
"It's not you," he assured her. Then he gave her a brilliant smile. "Anyway, believe me, you are worth it."
She smiled back and let the subject drop. There was no talking to him about things he wasn't ready to discuss, she knew from long experience.
mmm
Lisbon spent some time in front of the mirror the next morning trying to make sure there was no evidence on her face that she'd just spent the second night in a row having mind-blowing sex with Bertram's least favorite person. She was sure Jane wouldn't give them away, at least not unintentionally—and if he did it intentionally, he better be ready to quit, because she wasn't giving up her job. Oh, God, what if he did decide to quit?
She didn't realize she had moved until she was halfway down the stairs, but by then the need was too strong to deny, and she continued into the kitchen to wrap her arms around him as he stood at the stove.
"What's the matter?" he asked immediately, apparently feeling the desperation in her embrace.
"You aren't going to quit without telling me first, are you?"
"I'm not going to quit at all," he replied. "At least not in the near future. Lisbon, this meeting is just about convincing him to give the case to the FBI. I have no other goals." He pulled back to look at her. "Relax. There's no need to worry. He's not going to know that you're sitting there thinking about how we nearly broke your bed and what color we should paint the wall after we get done repairing it."
She felt herself blush despite her best effort. "Jane, behave yourself in that office, or else. And stop trying to make me blush!"
He grinned, giving her a quick kiss. "I promise to be on my best behavior."
She tried to summon up a glare. "Do better than that."
mmm
Bertram kept them waiting nearly fifteen minutes, so they sat on the leather couch in his reception area while the assistant tried to ignore them. Lisbon resolved to keep a normal distance between herself and Jane, but when she tried to figure out what that would be, she realized she had been sitting way too close to him for years. And he kept scooting closer. At one point, she suddenly noticed he had slid an arm behind her shoulders and elbowed him sharply. His startled "oof!" made the assistant look up, then roll his eyes.
"Stop that," she hissed.
Jane merely smiled in reply. Fortunately for her sanity, the assistant's phone buzzed, and after he hung up he said, "He's ready for you. He has a nine o'clock with someone important, so please be as brief as possible."
"Thank you," Lisbon said firmly, cutting off whatever Jane was about to say.
When they were seated in front of his desk, Bertram leaned back in his chair and regarded them both with an expression that managed to be both suspicious and resigned. "So what's this all about?"
Jane said, "We've decided to give the Red John case to the FBI. They want it, and we're not getting anywhere with it."
"Really." Bertram obviously didn't believe a word.
Lisbon said, "The FBI has resources we don't. They have Lorelei Martins, and with the case files they'll have a better chance at catching him."
"So you're both just going to give up?" Bertram said incredulously.
"It isn't important who catches him, as long as he's caught," Lisbon said reasonably. "And my team is too close to the case. It'll be better for us not to have it." She felt the words catch in her throat and hoped it didn't show.
Bertram grimaced at her and turned to Jane. "And you? I have no doubt you're behind whatever ill-advised scheme this is."
"I agree with Lisbon."
"So that's it." Bertram tapped a finger on his desk. "You just give up your obsession with Red John, which you've endangered your job, Lisbon's job, and the entire bureau's reputation for, just because Lisbon suddenly thinks her team can't handle the case."
"I didn't say that!" she protested reflexively.
"This was my idea," Jane said. "I've let him ruin my life for far too long. I have other things I want to do. And this has become much too personal. It's time to have fresh eyes on it, give Red John new people to think about. He's gotten too used to toying with me. He's responsible for Wainwright's death, and he asked for Lisbon's. It's getting too dangerous. We need to step back."
"I'm not saying it's not a good idea," Bertram said. "Let the FBI keep it on their unsolved list instead of ours. But if we give the case to them, we can't get it back. And I won't try. This is not reversible. Do you understand that?'
"Yes," Jane said impatiently.
"Yes, sir," Lisbon added in a placating tone. "We won't ask you to try to get it back."
Bertram took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "And you won't pull any dirty tricks on the FBI—or any of its agents—to get it back?"
"We don't want it back," Jane told him.
"No dirty tricks," Lisbon promised. "Even if Jane changes his mind, we won't assist in anything that would endanger our good relations with the FBI. I speak for everyone on my team."
Bertram gave a little snort at "good relations" but was only partly sarcastic when he said, "Very reassuring."
"Look," Jane said, "what would convince you? I'm happy to do whatever is necessary to demonstrate my sincerity." He reached up to scratch his nose with his left hand, and Bertram's eyes widened as he noticed the absence of Jane's ring.
Lisbon realized Jane hadn't been concerned only about moles, but also this meeting. His determination made sense now. She couldn't figure out if she was reassured or worried that his decision to take his ring off again really hadn't been about her.
Bertram was thinking hard. "How about this: If I find out you're sniffing around the Red John case after this, you're out of the CBI. No excuses, no appeals. Both of you."
Lisbon knew better than to look at Jane, but it took a real effort not to. "Yes, sir," she said with a calm she didn't feel.
"Agreed," Jane said.
"No second chances," Bertram warned. "The first time the FBI complains to me about you, you're done."
Jane said, "I think I have to insist that there be some evidence of wrongdoing on my part. I don't have any friends in the FBI, unfortunately."
"That seems reasonable," Bertram sighed. "Very well. And speaking of friends in the FBI, Agent Mancini's funeral is tomorrow afternoon, Agent Lisbon. I'll approve leave for you to attend."
"Thank you, sir," she managed to say, hoping her dismay looked like grief. She got to her feet, wanting to get out before Bertram noticed anything odd about her reaction.
Jane stood too, pausing behind her on his way to the door. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate this. You won't regret it."
"Time will tell," Bertram grumbled. Then his eyes widened in shocked realization.
"Yes, it will," Jane said, squeezing the arm he'd slid around Lisbon without her noticing.
Crap, he had his hand splayed across her stomach again! She knocked it away, heading for the door in blind fury.
She didn't trust herself to speak until they were in the elevator, which they mercifully had to themselves. The moment the doors closed, she punched him in the stomach, hard enough to hurt but not damage. He doubled over with a gasp of pain, unable to speak for a moment.
"So that's what your stupid game was about," she hissed. "You were getting me used to you touching me like that so I wouldn't notice when you used it to make Bertram—our boss!—believe I'm pregnant!"
He nodded, rubbing at his stomach with a pained expression. "And now he has a good reason to believe I'm serious about giving up."
"And what's he going to think when I don't actually have a baby?" she demanded.
He shrugged. "By then it won't matter. Come on, Lisbon, it was either this or the truth. Would you rather go back in there and tell him the real reason?"
"No," she muttered. "God, what if he thinks it's Mancini's?"
"He's not allowed to ask you," Jane pointed out. 'That doesn't make it that much less convincing, though. I'd want to protect you and the child no matter who the father was."
She snorted, folding her arms. "You are not going to pull that crap on the team."
"No, why would I? They know the truth." He managed to straighten up as the elevator doors opened.
mmm
Lisbon's fury lasted impressively late into the day, and Jane realized it was going to be a long night indeed if he didn't persuade her to forgive him. He was getting used to a few hours of blissful post-coital sleep and had no desire to give it up.
Before he could come up with a campaign to reduce her anger, his phone rang. It wasn't a number he recognized. "Hello?"
"Mr. Jane? Barrett Denton here."
"Ah yes, Mr. Denton. What can I do for you today?"
"I have great news. We've received an offer on your house for the asking price!"
Jane blinked. "Really? That was fast."
"Apparently the buyer's had his eye on it for some time and was thrilled to find it on the market. I can overnight the paperwork if you'd rather not come back down here."
"Yes. That would be fine. Thanks." Jane hung up on Denton's cheerful good-bye. Then he looked around the bullpen, where three pairs of eyes were watching curiously. Jane affected a cheery tone. "Well, good news! It appears my house won't be hard to sell after all. Afternoon coffee run is on me. Grace, fancy a latte?"
They congratulated him and put their orders in, and Jane escaped as quickly as he could. It wasn't as if he couldn't guess Lisbon's order, after all.
mmm
"Where's Jane?" Lisbon looked around the bullpen curiously. It had been days since she'd had to ask.
Cho said, "He went for coffee to celebrate selling his house."
"Celebrate what?" she asked, shocked.
"He got an offer on it," Grace said.
Lisbon took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Jane was in no way ready to actually sell his house, and the fact that he hadn't told her couldn't be good. "Great. Let me know when he gets back."
She went back to her office and sat, biting her lip. Then she picked up her phone and found the newest entry in her contact list. "Mr. Denton? Teresa here. Patrick just told me the good news, but he didn't have any details. I was hoping you could fill me in."
He was only too happy to do so, and minutes later she was back in the bullpen. "Grace, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Boss. I'd be happy to," Grace replied, surprised. "What do you need?"
"A quick background check." Lisbon handed her the sticky note she'd jotted the name down on.
"On Rufus Forster? What am I looking for?"
"He claims to be a real estate investor. I want to make sure he's on the level."
"No problem. Is this about Jane's house?"
"Yeah. Don't spend a lot of time on it." Lisbon hated asking for favors, especially on CBI time.
"It won't take long," Grace smiled.
mmm
Lisbon was enormously relieved when Jane appeared with a large, delicious coffee, making sure their hands brushed as he gave it to her. "Thanks. Hey, I heard about the house. You okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" He moved toward the door.
She frowned. "I was thinking I don't have any real reason to stay late tonight, but—" She wrestled with how to ask him his plans. "Should I borrow a sleeping pill?"
His hesitation lasted only a second. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Teresa," he said with a wink. Then he was gone, leaving her to puzzle out his behavior.
mmm
Jane sipped a calming cup of tea and then pretended to nap. There was no point being upset, after all, he told himself. He had no choice. There was no reason to turn down an offer for the price they'd set; no excuse to delay by negotiating, even if he wanted to. He could look over the paperwork but he doubted he'd find any reason not to sign off on it. And in some ways it would be a relief to get rid of the place and stop paying the enormous property tax bill. Especially since in its place he got to sleep in Lisbon's bed. Now that she was worried about his state of mind, he was no longer in any danger of being kicked out tonight, he realized.
He just...hadn't had time to really wrap his mind around it. Even though the worst moments of his life had occurred there, a lot of the best ones had too. He wasn't ready to face never going through that door again, remembering how Charlotte's laughter had echoed off the walls and how Angela had obsessed over paint colors.
But this wasn't about him. This was about ensuring Lisbon's safety. A house was just a house, in the end. A thing. It couldn't compare with her sweet kisses and the sleepy smile she gave him in the mornings, not to mention the other lovely things she did in bed.
Oops. He should not be thinking those kinds of thoughts lying on a couch in public view. He took a deep breath and worked on some biofeedback, keeping an ear on the bullpen to make sure nobody was too close.
Grace inhaled sharply, then gave an uncertain "Huh."
"What's up?" Rigsby asked.
"I found something I didn't expect."
She sounded unnerved, so Jane opened his eyes and sat up. Rigsby and Cho had gone over to look at her computer screen, and Cho looked over his shoulder at Jane. "You better come see this."
Jane reflected that he never saw anything on Grace's computer that made him happy. It was all mysterious videos or downloads or instant messages from untraceable sources. He resigned himself to more of the same as he hauled himself off the couch, straightened his jacket, and took the few steps to lean over her shoulder. "What am I looking at?"
"Rufus Forster, the guy who made the offer on your house? He owns a couple of real estate investment firms. Including Cut Iron Properties, Inc." Grace pointed it out, as if his eyes hadn't been drawn there immediately. For a moment he was back in that dusty basement with Tanner pointing a gun at him, talking about how this was the old family place. Cut Iron Properties' purchase of the farm had been the clue that had gotten them so close to Red John that time.
"Erase that," Jane said angrily. "Make it look like you never saw it. Who told you to look into this?"
Grace looked taken aback. "Lisbon did. What's the matter?"
"We are no longer on the Red John case." Jane knew he was coming across harshly, but he didn't care. "In case it has slipped your minds, that is because he will kill Lisbon if we keep investigating him. If you value her life, forget you saw that. When she asks, tell her you found nothing."
"Lie to her?" Grace was appalled.
Rigsby said, "But you're not really going to sell your house to Red John, are you?"
Jane wanted to strangle someone, fists clenching. He shouldn't have to explain this, dammit. "Yes, I am. Because if I don't, he'll know we know it's him. And I'm not risking Lisbon's life for a house. Or anything else. And if I find out any of you are doing it, I will make you regret it. Bitterly."
Cho nodded. "Erase the search," he told Grace.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard. Rigsby looked at her face and then at Jane. "Take it easy, man. She couldn't have known. I mean, how twisted is that, buying your house?"
"He's testing my resolve. And this won't be the only test," Jane snapped. "We all have to be careful. Next time Lisbon asks you to do something under the table, clear it with me first."
Cho, Rigsby, and Grace exchanged meaningful looks. Cho said, "She'll kill us if she catches us doing that."
"Doing what?" Lisbon asked, walking up behind Rigsby, who jumped.
"Lisbon, a word please." Jane jerked his head toward her office. She frowned but followed him, passing him when he stood aside to let her precede him into the room. He closed the door behind them, then started yanking the blinds closed.
"Jane," she protested.
"Don't worry," he bit out. "I have no intention of seducing you in the office."
"Just starting rumors," she retorted, going around her desk to sit in her chair.
"Just giving us a modicum of privacy for what is sure to be an unpleasant conversation." He settled a hip on the corner of her desk, forcing her to look up at him. She made a face at him to let him know she was onto his attempt to intimidate her and that there was no way in hell it was going to work. "What the hell were you thinking, Lisbon?"
"I'll tell you what I'm thinking right now. I'm thinking this is not an appropriate way for you to speak to me," she said. "What have I done that you object to? We've barely spoken all afternoon."
"You had no business telling Grace to look into the buyer for my house. It's not related to a case, and it's not your house."
He saw the flash of hurt in her eyes, but she didn't back down. "I admit my interest is purely personal. But you have no moral high ground to lecture me about using CBI resources for personal ends."
"Maybe not," he said. "But selling my house is a sensitive topic. I'd appreciate it if you'd let me handle it. I don't need your help."
"That isn't what you said while we were there," she reminded him. "Jane, I know this is a sensitive subject for you, but I was just trying to help."
"When I need your help, I'll ask."
He could see her trying to hold on to her temper; her impulse was always to strike back when hurt. "Fine. I'm sorry I upset you. I won't do anything about your house unless you ask me to."
"Thank you." He tried to calm down. "If you don't mind, I'll knock off a little early today."
She nodded, searching his face in concern. "Sure. I think that's a good idea."
There was an entreaty in her eyes that he couldn't resist, so as he got to his feet he said, "Don't work too late. I feel like cooking something spicy."
She was so relieved that she didn't protest at all when he leaned down to kiss her, not even when he parted her lips with his tongue and plundered her sweet, warm mouth. Apparently he was allowed to behave outrageously when she thought he needed comfort, he was pleased to note. He had a feeling he was going to need her comfort—and her understanding—very much in the days ahead.