The room was quiet and cold; full of stainless steel, glass, and stark white furnishings - not so much as a plant or a non-fluorescent light to be found.
Teresa Lisbon shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wondering if she'd made a foolish mistake by being here. Ever since deciding to take a leap of faith in Patrick Jane and the promises of the FBI, she'd felt out of place. Sure, she had received a warm welcome from Cho, and half-hearted nods of acceptance from agents Abbott and Fischer, but since her arrival no one had been willing to tell her anything; not about her new role on the team, not about Jane's deal, nothing…
Her worries were interrupted by a whooshing sound from behind her.
She turned as the door swung open to reveal Cho, ushering in a quite relaxed-looking Patrick Jane. The consultant brought with him the scent of pineapples and coconut, the look of the beach, and a smile as warm as the tropical sun.
Nervously, Cho nodded to Teresa before closing the door. Despite his misgivings about how Jane and the FBI might blend - or not - Kimball owed it to his former teammates to wait outside; allowing the longtime partners some private time to catch up.
"Hey," Patrick began tentatively.
"Hello!" Teresa stood to wrap her arms around him and squeezed tightly, basking in the comfort of his presence; hoping to prove to herself that he was indeed real.
"Oh, I've missed you…" Jane murmured into her raven hair.
"I missed you too…" Lisbon purred with affection, before quipping: "You smell like the beach!"
Jane breathed deeply and paused, before saying: "You smell like home."
Teresa choked back tears at her long-lost partner's deep sincerity. "Thank you for the letters," she managed, squeezing him all the more tightly.
"It was my pleasure Teresa… I wish I could've given you a route to send replies but- "
The two leapt apart suddenly when the door swung open without warning, making way for Dennis Abbott, Cho, and Kim Fischer.
"Kim!" Jane chimed with pleasant surprise.
"Kim?" Lisbon wondered how they knew each other, uncomfortable that Jane had used the agent's first name, and with such familiarity.
"Agent Fischer," Kim corrected.
"Agent Fischer…" Jane parroted slowly in stunned realization. So, he'd been played by the FBI on his island after all.
Lisbon had a decidedly alarmed and suspicious look on her face, prompting her partner to lean closer and whisper: "it's nothing to worry about, I'll explain later."
Teresa guardedly nodded, her facial expression softening only slightly, her mind still sifting through a multitude of unsavory explanations as Abbott proceeded to renege on his deal with her partner.
A flurry of words were exchanged between Abbott, Fischer, and Jane, resulting in the former CBI consultant refusing to accept the amended terms of Abbott's deal. Without delay, Jane was taken to detention in handcuffs, and the FBI agents swiftly filed out of the room.
Stunned, and once again alone in the unwelcoming space, Lisbon steamed about how they'd treated her partner and stewed about what to do next. For several minutes she muttered out loud, practicing the verbal beat-down she wished she'd given to that rat Dennis Abbott for his trickery. "Not to mention Agent 'Kim' Fischer," she grumbled in a mocking tone.
Finally fed up with being kept in the dark about her partner's fate, Lisbon stormed out of the stark conference room and barreled into Abbott's well-appointed office.
"Listen Abbott, I came all the way out here under the auspices of working with Patrick Jane for the FBI! If he's in prison then I'm going home to Washington!" The agent spewed her words with venom, irritated and angry with both the Austin FBI for pulling tricks on her vulnerable partner, and also with herself for being coerced into this situation in the first place.
The truth was: She no longer had a home in Washington though; and honestly, that place - though quite beautiful - had never been home. So, Lisbon stuck with what possibilities were left to her, and argued on Jane's behalf: "What do you have to say for yourself, Dennis?!"
"What would you have me say, Teresa?" Abbott countered with a smirk that showed he held the cards and he knew it.
"I would have you say that you will honor the original demands Jane made of you, and that you'll give both of us a chance to show you why it's best to do things his way. Our success rate together speaks for itself, yet here you are wasting time playing games," she spoke in a strong but carefully controlled tone of voice; the kind that hinted at the boiling anger that lay beneath, should the FBI brain-trust choose poorly.
Abbott's eyebrows pressed together, as if he hadn't actually expected a response to his rhetorical question. "Interesting…" He stood suddenly and walked around his desk to the petite but tough agent he'd just hired. "Very well, Lisbon; In that case I insist the two of you help us on our current case - we leave tonight so pack quickly. BUT if your promises don't pan out, and if your and Jane's involvement is not absolutely pivotal to the closure of the matter, then my written contract becomes law, your boyfriend stays in detention to await his murder trial, and YOUR fate will be… undetermined." Abbott's eyes bore into Lisbon as he firmly pronounced his final words.
Unshaken, the former CBI Senior Agent shot back: "First: He's not my boyfriend," she spat (despite her deepest hope that that would soon become a lie). "Second: That's great news! I'll tell Jane. We both look forward to our imminent acceptance as full members of the team!" With a confident swagger, Teresa turned quickly enough to flip her hair in a decisive way, and marched out to share the news with her imprisoned partner.
Later, in Jane's detention cell, the partners were holed up privately for the moment.
"So, you were gonna tell me about Kim Fischer and the island?" Lisbon's eyebrows lifted with firm expectation.
Jane swallowed some discomfort and explained how the two had met, how he'd been tricked, and shared the details of his night out with Kim. He was quite fearful of Lisbon's possible reaction, but he owed her the absolute truth; anything less would create distrust that could become a cancer in their partnership. He couldn't afford to take that chance.
"So, you went on a… sort of a date with her? Thinking she was simply an attractive civilian woman?"
Had she been speaking with any other human, Lisbon's efforts to hide her bruised heart would have been successful. But Jane saw the shadow behind her eyes, and hurried to correct her spiraling internal misconceptions about that night: "I wouldn't call it a date, Teresa… More like a test run, or a prototype launch."
"A… prototype launch?!" Lisbon snorted. "I can't wait to hear this," she chided playfully, feeling a bit lighter in the process.
"Okay, okay, ha-ha," Jane rolled his eyes with a smirk, feeling better after hearing his partner's sarcastic tone returning. "What I mean by that is this: The island was a sort of therapy - no white coats, mind you, only the sand, the sea, the sky, and the amazingly warm local residents. All of those forces allowed me freedom to work through a lot of pain, and a lot of feelings. They also allowed me to rebuild myself to some degree, though I lacked confidence in that new self: the self devoid of vengeful mission… the self free from my previous levels of haunt - though some guilt and sadness remained, obviously."
Lisbon moved closer and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, her eyes full of empathy and care. She had an idea of the levels of sadness he may have held - and may still hold.
"But anyway, my point is: I had an ultimate goal of getting back to the U.S. and finding you. I wanted to be a man who could live up to the type of partner you deserved."
"Oh, Jane… You- "
"I'm not finished Lisbon, have patience," he winked, hoping he hadn't interrupted too snappily, "what I mean is that I was still feeling unsteady in my new skin, and Kim was a chance to try out my 'new self' in public, with an actual person, and see how it felt… see how I felt… see if I could pull off the feat of being out in a close social situation without melting down or regressing into a ball of tears."
Teresa slid her hand from his shoulder to the far side of his back, squeezing him in a half-hug for support.
"Because I wanted to be strong enough to be with you… to be closer to you… without fears of worrying you with unexpected emotional drama and the like. Kim was the test run. I tried to imagine that she was you, to give my heart the same level of electrical charge you'd always garnered, and I hoped my social stress-test would produce accurate results… Because I had missed you terribly, 24/7 for two years, and I wanted a reunion… and I wanted it to be as close to perfect as I could manage… so that you'd hopefully agree to stay and work with me again… and maybe more."
"Jane…" Teresa's throat closed before any more words could be spoken. Instead, she responded with a full embrace, holding him tighter than ever. Her trembles dissolved Patrick's fears that she'd misunderstood his night with Kim; he could feel the relieved emotion in her body. With tender gratitude, he relaxed into her strong embrace, threading his fingers through the thick locks at the nape of her neck, and gently massaging his affections into the tender surface of the skin there.
After a long, warm while, Lisbon pulled back quickly. "Oh! I almost forgot - I brought you something!"
Jane took a step back to allow her space to rifle through her bag, then sat on the opposite end of his detention cell-standard twin bed watching her progress with interest. "You brought me something? Really?" His grin was wide and his eyes were shining with anticipation.
"Here!" She held out a package for him to unwrap.
In record time, Patrick had unveiled the mystery gift: "Aw… you bought me socks!" He held the blue speckled wool rag socks to his chest in touched appreciation. "Thank you!"
"Handmade in Washington!" Lisbon sparkled, fully gratified with how wonderfully he'd reacted to her gift. "But put them on quickly - we have a case!"
Her partner's eyes widened: "We?!"
"MmmHmm!" She nodded back with an excited grin.
With relish, Patrick quickly put on the new socks, laced up his brown shoes, and grabbed onto Teresa's hand.
"Federal Officers, coming through," he crowed as they made their way out of his cell and to the waiting FBI transport.
In the first week, Jane had successfully solved the Abel Schneiderman case, with Lisbon's clever help and sturdy guidance. Also, the FBI had gotten their first dose of Jane being Jane - complete with his typical amount of anxiety-producing hijinks; then solving the case with snark and style. As a result, Abbott had been forced to keep his word; retracting his threats to Lisbon and honoring most of Jane's demands - the ones the consultant had deemed most important, anyway.
This morning, the partners were on their way to join the rest of the team in Corpus Christi, where they were helping the local cops investigate the murder of some DEA agents. The popular belief was that a notorious drug ring was involved.
"Why so glum Lisbon?"
Puzzled eyebrows "I'm not glum."
"Well, something definitely seems off about your mood this morning? Care to share?"
"You might be seeing some leftover apprehension from when you ran off in Brooklyn," she admitted rather sharply, looking away.
Jane deflated, expecting this might be the case. "I'm sorry Teresa, I wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been absolutely necessary for the plan."
"Maybe so," she spoke carefully, with fire in her eyes, "but if we're gonna be partners again - in any way - then you need to let me in on your little plans. God, Jane I thought I'd lost you again and maybe forever," she struggled through thick emotion as she spoke. "You're lucky that the carnies found me before our flight home. If they hadn't delivered your note explaining things, and if I'd had to wonder and worry for the length of the return flight, I'm not sure I could have forgiven you. Not when I knew that you knew how deeply it hurt the last time."
Pulling up to a stop light, Patrick's eyes were full of tears. He'd known there was risk to his disappearing act in New York, and had written the note with that in mind, so she wouldn't worry. But he'd also considered that even that may not be enough. His heart sank, hearing how close he'd come to ruining things. "You're right to be cross with me, Teresa. It will never happen again - not without my sharing the plan beforehand, my dear... Promise." Gently he reached out and cradled her quivering chin with his fingers, guiding her closer for a tender, conciliatory kiss. Then repeating: "Promise, love… never again."
The weight of the world seemed to fall from Lisbon's features as she returned his kisses, wearing a relived smile. "Thank you, Jane… This promise, it means everything to me… You mean everything to me."
"It's my pleasure, Teresa. I'm only sorry I didn't make it sooner, my dear."