(A/N: welcome to the rest of the story! It's a bit dark and angsty because of where it lives in canon, but any tensions between Jisbon are out of concern about RJ - happy ending as always :) )
Later, the two were cuddled close under the thin blanket on Jane's homemade cot, looking deeply into one another, half lit by the stars and street lights that softly filtered through the smeary windows.
"Mmm…" Lisbon kissed him tenderly, "I've had dreams that didn't feel this good."
"Wait. This is real?"
"Very funny Jane."
"Please Teresa…" he breathed, "can I hear you say my name again? Just once?" He wiggled his eyebrows, resorting to mischief, "It would help me concentrate better."
"Oh please," she snickered. "Concentrate on what?"
"On the important things, my dear."
"And what are the important things…" she pressed into him more firmly, pausing for effect before purring: "Patrick?"
He responded wordlessly, concentrating on the things that were most important… most important to making his cute-as-a-button partner lose her mind with ecstasy.
Ironically, his name - murmured with delight and delirium - was all she could manage after that.
A few days after, in retribution for a mistake Jane had made that resulted in the shooting of a Sacramento police officer, Director Bertram sent the two partners to the middle of nowhere California on a case - reasoning that the further from Sacramento they could get for now, the better.
Despite the fact that the suspect CBI Director had framed the out-of-town assignment as a good thing, both partners harbored subconscious worries that perhaps Bertram was isolating them for more diabolical reasons; if he was Red John, he'd have motive for sure. Those suspicions were heightened when Brett Partridge, a CBI crime tech and another of Jane's suspects, was already onsite as they arrived at their off the beaten path crime scene. Regardless of their underlying concerns, though, the two investigated the case, and were as businesslike as they ever were.
During the course of things, they stopped at the only diner for miles to question locals about the skeleton that had been found in the desert near the Salton Sea. After gathering enough information to solve the case, they stayed to share lunch while waiting for the rest of the team to arrive.
Teresa took the opportunity to share an idea she had cooked up for their other, more private, pursuit. Nestled safely in a somewhat isolated booth, she pitched her plan: "Listen Jane, remember all that crap you told me in the church after your Vegas disaster? The part about 'he'll see what he wants to see' and 'giving him his heart's desire?' "
"Yes," Jane answered fearfully. He didn't like where this was going - not in the least.
"Well, his heart's desire is… my head in a box - wasn't that it?"
"Teresa absolutely not - I won't allow it," he whispered with stern agitation.
"In the words of my little brothers: 'You're not the boss of me' Jane. Be reasonable; why not dangle me on a string, then you and the team can wait and-"
"NO!" He sprung up in his seat; immediately noting that he'd grabbed the attention of other diners so slowly lowered himself again.
Lisbon leaned in: "Jane I'm a cop; come on, this could work."
"And if it doesn't?! Teresa I couldn't-..." He stopped mid-sentence.
"You couldn't what, Jane?"
Patrick took a moment to gain control of himself, avoiding the ferocious comeback that threatened to boil over in the broth of his terror. "I couldn't handle it if things went wrong and you were harmed… in any way…" both his palms wiped a line in the air between them for emphasis of that point. "Teresa, I trust that you're well trained and that you can take care of yourself - you've proven that over and over again. But he has used and abused law enforcement personnel before, and it sometimes seems like he gets to them even more easily than civilians. Remember Bosco?"
Lisbon looked down, falling pale for a moment. "Of course, I remember Bosco," she whispered, flashing back to the shock and pain of that day for a split second.
"Well so do I. And I don't want you to be next. Remember: that all happened inside the CBI and again when his treacherous secretary was poisoned while in custody."
"Yes, but if the plan works then we're done with this insanity he puts you through," she huffed with frustration. She just wanted him to be free of the nightmare… free of the monster… free of the game.
Jane's eyes bore into her: "That was my exact excuse for Vegas, my dear." His gaze was narrow, flat and serious.
Those evenly delivered words clapped Lisbon's heart sternly. She remembered that desolate time, and how she had underestimated her partner's reasoning then; underestimated what he was capable of and how low he was willing to go for his vengeance; underestimated how desperate he was to be done with the maniac. She hadn't given him enough credit for what he was trying to do then, and now she was beginning to understand - Though her current plan seemed, to her, much more pedestrian than faking a drunken breakdown for six months and sleeping with a Red John disciple.
"Get up," she charged, standing quickly - with a level of authority that showed she was in no mood for argument.
"Why? Where we going?" Jane stuttered as he stepped out of the booth to find himself being shuffled in a direction.
"In here." Lisbon nudged and guided her infuriating partner into the kitchen - which was nearly empty, now that the lunch rush was through. She flashed her badge and motioned for the remaining staff to leave the area, then put her shoulders back and began jockeying, ready to take this argument up a notch.
"Okay Jane, since you brought up the past, here's my take on what you yourself might say if this plan involved anyone other than me, based on my past observations working beside you: You'd insist this was a good plan. You'd say I was a good choice for bait because as we learned from Vegas, he knows - or at least suspects - what we mean to each other and has used that connection to toy with you in the past. We ALSO know that he doesn't want to break you - not completely. As you've said: 'he's having too much fun playing the game.' If he took me or killed me, you'd be- "
"I'd be dead." He snapped in a quick, low voice, wearing a pained look that pulled the wind from Teresa's sails with its gravity.
Deeply affected, she quickly pulled him into a tight embrace, her eyes darting around the room with pained discomfort as she held him. She hated being his Achilles' heel… hated how weak even the mere thought of her harm could make him. When Lisbon sensed he was stable again she stepped back and regained her cop voice:
"As I was saying, you'd be out of the game. SO, I don't believe he will actually seek to hurt me - not seriously anyway. He wants the game to continue, and you are his grand prize, more so than me or anyone else, I think. He seems to feel you're his only worthy adversary. Seems to have a creepy sort of man crush on you actually."
"Lisbon I can handle him."
"How do you know?" She flung her hands up in irritation. "His game seems to be: 'slowly brainwashing victims until they go crazy or until they turn out just like him' - and I don't want to lose you!" Lisbon's voice broke just a bit on the last few words as she grabbed his lapel with both hands, betraying her fears of just what Red John's end game might be.
"What if it doesn't work? … I've underestimated him before; there have been mistakes… "
"This is a good plan, Jane. God knows I've tolerated dozens of more idiotic plans from you over the years - almost all of which were successful despite my resistance by the way."
"I'll give it one chance Teresa. Only one," he punctuated with his index finger holding sternly in the air. "And we need to have at least two viable failsafes… backup plans… "
"I'll get with the team."
"NO ONE can know. This has to be a plan between you and me only."
"But the team- "
"Will be put in danger - and your danger will increase the more people who are involved."
"Well- …If you'd just-" she huffed, rolling her eyes and beginning to pace. "Fine then. You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"
"Yes, I'm aware."
Van Pelt burst through the kitchen door just then, having been dropped off by Cho and Rigsby - who were continuing on, to pick up some paperwork and evidence from local police. Grace was awkwardly aware that she'd interrupted a rather personal and heated conversation. "Shall I… come back?" She asked haltingly.
"No," Lisbon waved her in as Patrick studied the red-headed agent's face with great interest.
In a split-second Jane's expression turned to irritated suspicion. "Great," he rolled his eyes.
"What?" Lisbon defended.
"She knows?" Jane's hands flew to his sides in an irritated shrug. "I told you: 'tell no one.'"
"Look I had to tell her."
"Nonsense!" He spun, turning away for a moment before snapping back to face her, pointing as he accused: "So you've already started this insane plan of yours - even before telling me?! This whole lunch conversation was an afterthought meant to soften the blow?!" Jane was extremely agitated.
"I have to do my job Jane! And I thought the lunch would be a good opportunity to-" Teresa stopped, suddenly struck by the irony that her partner was all up in her grill right now about something that he had been doing to her on a routine basis for years. Her attitude turned immediately: "You know what? To hell with this," Lisbon fumed, marching past Jane and leaving a mortified Grace Van Pelt in her wake.
Stunned, Jane was jolted to action by a fresh wave of fear. This wasn't good; Lisbon would be in even more danger starting her plan alone. He left Grace, running after Teresa - only managing to tap the back fender of her SUV with his hand as the vehicle sped away from the parking lot in a cloud of angry dust.
Before the dust settled, Cho and Rigsby pulled in, quickly jumping out of their SUV.
"What'd you do now?" Kimball asked.
"Meh," the consultant threw his hands at his retreating partner. His eyes read something on Cho's face when he glanced back, and he grew even more disgusted, gesturing at the agent and glaring at Van Pelt. "Oh great; he knows?"
"I had to tell him; we're partners," Rigsby defended. "Plus, he couldn't be the only one left out."
"Rigsby, too…" Jane sighed dejectedly… "And then there were none," he grumbled.
"How can we help?" Cho asked in his typically unaffected tone.
"You can start by getting us back to Sacramento." Jane muttered with disdain.
"Wayne, come help me with the suspects?" Van Pelt was happy to get back to business.
"Sure Grace."
Within minutes, the murder suspects were securely cuffed in the back, and the four CBI teammates were on their way back to headquarters.
Meanwhile, Lisbon was at her desk, brow furrowed in a serious posture, mindlessly switching screens on her laptop and scribbling notes that served as nothing more than receptacles for her angry venting about Jane's hypocrisy and lack of reason regarding the team's involvement in her plan. As if she wasn't a seasoned professional?! As if she hadn't gained her current position as Senior Agent through successful experience and commendation?! Teresa was more determined than ever to prove her know-all partner wrong.
After a while, she stopped to massage the palm of her writing hand. She'd been using more pressure than usual in her furious scribbling so the thumb and heel of that hand had tired more quickly than usual. As she relaxed, her mind flashed back to Patrick's reflection in her rear view as she'd sped away from the diner today…
Her heart sank.
He had worn such a fragile look of terror on his face in that moment... Yes, Jane could be annoying when his controlling nature took over, but she'd known deep down that he'd only been worried for her safety. She'd known that his agitated words in the kitchen - hypocritical or not - had in truth been his heart crying out, begging her not to tempt fate; pleading with whatever forces existed in the universe not to rip his heart from his chest again with another devastating loss. He'd flat out told her he wouldn't survive something like that.
She'd been too hard on him; especially now that they were both clear about their intentions toward each other. Teresa lamented how she'd allowed her pride to get in the way today. God, she was a terrible person; how could she have left him in the dust like that? Knowing what he'd already been through at the hands of the monster she'd just intentionally poked?
Lisbon jolted as her phone buzzed with yet another voicemail from Jane. She looked at his grinning profile photo as it glowed at her from the screen and she smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry, love…" she whispered guiltily, reaching to call him back and apologize.
Before she could touch her cell, though, the desk phone rang. Dispatch said there was an anonymous tip directed to the unit: "Person or persons in distress." Teresa quickly jotted down the address given. As she absentmindedly muttered a goodbye to the dispatcher, she wondered why the address in question sounded so familiar. On a hunch, she opened the screen she and Grace had set up, tracking the GPS coordinates of Jane's Red John suspects.
"Brett Partridge is there?" Lisbon wondered to herself; eyebrows pressed together in thought. With the rest of the team still en route from the Salton Sea area, she'd have to check it out herself. Teresa called for backup from the Sac PD, took a deep breath of determined courage, and put on her game face. Next, she grabbed her phone, her bag, and her keys, then walked with purpose to the elevator.
Close to an hour after Lisbon had driven off, the SUV transporting her team and the suspects from the diner pulled into the gravel CBI lot.
Much to Cho's annoyance, Jane jumped out of the agency van before it even stopped, practically sprinting up the stairs to the bullpen.
"Anyone seen Lisbon?" Jane was quickly calling to anyone in the office who would listen, turning from one face to another working his way down the hall until he found the only mug he recognized from their unit: "Excuse me Ron - have you seen Lisbon?" The consultant asked hopefully while catching his breath.
"Nope, haven't seen her."
"Okay, thanks…"
Ron continued on his way as Jane turned to the side, sullenly focusing on Lisbon's empty desk; thinking hard about where she might be: Was she still angry and maybe had stormed home? Had she done something reckless to try and prove herself? Had Red John sent one of his law enforcement minions to her office and had her kidnapped - or worse? Jane had never wished harder to be truly psychic than he was right now.
His mental 'worst case scenarios' were interrupted by his ringing phone. The caller ID read: Teresa Lisbon.
"Lisbon! FINALLY!" He sighed with a mix of relief and annoyance.
"I'm sorry Patrick," Jane's blood ran cold as he heard the mocking high-pitched voice from the receiver. "Teresa can't come to the phone right now..."