Vacation Blues (7 + 8/16)
Part Seven
“Thank you for your time,” Agent Decosta stated warmly as they left the morgue. “And I truly apologize for ruining your vacation.”
“I wouldn’t say you ruined it,” Lisbon answered cagily.
“No, she’s practically thrilled that you’ve given her something to do instead of getting bored.”
“Would you like to interview the family with us? I’d love to see Mr. Jane in action,” Halligan added before his boss had a chance to
object.
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Lisbon started warily.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Decosta replied, taking them both off guard.
“We’d love to,” Jane answered quickly.
“We would?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, we would.”
The two Hawaiian agents thanked them once again and then politely bid them farewell. Lisbon watched as they walked off into the distance. She still wasn’t entirely sure what to make of either of them, but it didn’t matter. Since they had discovered the body in the room she had meant to be staying in at the hotel, Lisbon had felt intrinsically involved in the case. The irony of it all wasn’t lost on her; only she could go away for a break and find a dead body in her hotel room anyway. Or maybe, it was just Jane. He always seemed to attract trouble and if not, create it for himself.
Eventually, they headed in the direction of their rental car in silence. Lisbon didn't much like feeling out of control when it came to the case, but she knew there was little she could do about that. Besides, she really shouldn't have been thinking about work at all. When there had been developments which they could assist with, Lisbon knew that Decosta and Halligan would call them up straight away. They seemed very keen to make amends after the initial misunderstanding, and desperate to learn from them. She still suspected that that had something to do with the fact the unit was clearly still in its infancy. Decosta definitely hadn’t been a team leader for long; she didn’t need Jane’s skills to be able to tell that. She could see it in his demeanor, but knew he would grow better with time. With very little warning, Jane suddenly clasped hold of her wrist to take a glance at her watch. Stubbornly, Lisbon ignored the way that her heart skipped at the brief touch. As far as she was concerned, those feelings were completely inappropriate.
But then, Jane had found some sort of closure when it came to the death of his family. He'd told her as much a couple of months ago and for a change, she had no reason to believe he was lying to her. For a start, he had seemed more cheerful and content, and less like he was hiding his pain behind a mask. Besides, she could tell when he was telling the truth now. There was a slight note of sincerity in his voice which even he failed to conceal on occasion. And despite how broken he'd been, despite how flawed he still was, Lisbon knew that she had long since held a lingering attraction for him. He was a challenge and nothing about that would change. However much closure he found, there were always going to be chinks in the armor. Regardless of all that though, he was still a coworker - and her subordinate at that. She repeated the mantra that it was inappropriate over and over in her head, but to no avail.
Since when did Jane do anything appropriate anyway? She hadn't invited him to join her on this vacation; he'd done so on a whim. What, precisely, had been his motive for doing this? Lisbon shook her head slightly as Jane let go of her wrist. She didn't doubt that she would get the answers to those questions sooner or later. That was regardless of whether or not she actually wanted said answers as well.
"I thought the concept of this vacation was for me to relax and yet, you have offered our services to them?" she muttered under her breath.
"Please. Like you don't want to find out who did this," Jane answered back.
"That's not the point."
"I'm hungry,” Jane stated, immediately changing the subject. “Bethan recommended a fantastic fish place nearby. They serve the very best lobster in Honolulu, apparently. I think we should go there."
She didn't argue. It had been a long while since she had last eaten and they had spent longer than she had expected in the morgue. Only Jane pointing it out had made her realize that she was actually hungry at all. Still, Lisbon couldn't resist shooting Jane a withering glare. It was very typical of him to subvert her authority and just take control like this. However, at this moment in time they weren't boss and consultant. In truth, she had no idea what the hell they were. Any definitions and boundaries she had used to describe them in the past all seemed to filter into irrelevancy these days, anyway.
"And who is Bethan, might I ask?"
"The receptionist at the hotel,” Jane answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “She may be young, but she's lived here all her life and knows where the hidden gems are."
"Doesn't mean she's particularly good at her job, though."
"A little harsh, Teresa. It's her first job and she's been delegated tasks inappropriate for her experience. It'd be like asking Grace to lead the unit in your absence."
Lisbon couldn't help but shudder at the very thought of that. Although Grace Van Pelt had developed into a very fine agent, she still wasn't anywhere near ready to have a taste of leadership just yet. Maybe one day she would be, though. In fact, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the youngest member of her team left relatively soon, to broaden her horizons and for a more challenging position. It was, after all, fairly unusual for somebody to stay in a rookie position for quite so long. But then, over the years, they had all become a surrogate family for one another, so it did make some sort of sense that she had opted to stay put too. Quickly, she conceded that Jane did have a point when it came to the receptionist girl’s experience (or lack thereof) and it wasn't long until they were well on their way to the restaurant.
When they arrived, she was pleasantly surprised by the tipoff. Mercifully, it was quiet and slightly off the beaten track, so it wasn't crawling with other tourists. Within minutes of arriving, they had been seated in a nice corner table with a decent view. Gentle music played quietly in the background, loud enough to fill the silence but quiet enough not to be a disturbance to any potential conversations. Finally, it appeared that she was actually going to get the chance to slow down and relax. Or at least, relax as much as she could with a certain Patrick Jane staring intently back at her. The employees were polite and cordial; ordering drinks and taking a look at the menu allowed Lisbon to avoid talking to Jane for a while. As she had a chance to think over the situation, she was beginning to find it all the more awkward. Really, Jane appearing here unannounced had set her completely on edge. There were too many unknown variables as to why he was there and what his intentions were. And Lisbon wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know the answers anyway. It seemed a little too dangerous to think too deeply about it.
"What do you think the motive for murder was?" Lisbon asked as she took a sip of her white wine, keen to avoid more difficult subjects.
"You complain about consulting on a case and then insist upon talking business at the table?" Jane replied with a smirk. "You're quite the contradiction, Teresa."
"Well you've known me long enough," she answered back coolly. "But fine. If you won't talk about that, why, exactly, did you come out here anyway?"
Part Eight
"I knew I'd miss you."
"Oh," she said quietly.
Her voice sounded a lot smaller than she had initially anticipated. In a way, she had expected him to say a little more than that, but then, this was Jane. She could never have expected him to start telling her precisely why he was here, right down to the smallest of details. Jane had never been the kind of person to share his innermost thoughts. It took a lot for him to dare to divulge important details about his past, even to her. On cases, he still concealed things from her on a regular basis and then claimed that it was for the greater good when things invariably went wrong. In reality, Lisbon knew that she should have been grateful that he had said anything at all instead of just avoiding a direct answer.
"And in all honesty, given the choice between your company and the rest of the team's...." he trailed off and smiled at her.
Lisbon was left momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected for a second that he would expand upon his statement, hence her initial disappointment. It took a few moments for his words to settle around her and then, she began to consider the repercussions of what he’d just admitted. Jane wasn’t one to state things directly; he always preferred to make people work it out for themselves, or invariably trap themselves because of his wordplay and actions. Tentatively, with her heart thumping a military tattoo against her rib cage, she reached over the table and allowed her fingers to brush gently against her wrist.
"Thank you. I think."
"So am I forgiven for gate-crashing your vacation?"
"I still haven't forgiven you for tricking me into it in the first place," she answered with a smirk.
"Touché," he replied with a grin.
The rest of the meal passed by quickly and Lisbon actually began to enjoy herself. Whatever concerns she had about Jane joining her now seemed irrelevant and besides, she was determined to enjoy herself one way or another. Just because the vacation already hadn't turned out in the way she expected, it didn't mean she couldn't have fun. And if she spent the whole trip worrying about Jane and his intentions, then she wouldn't have a chance to relax as it was. For once, she decided that she would just let things happen. Somebody wise had once told her that everything happened for a reason and she should just go with the flow. It may have been a bit late, but it was about time she took that advice seriously. Besides, beyond Jane, there was nobody around to judge her if that decision went spectacularly wrong. If it did, then she would easily be able to pretend nothing had happened.
As it turned out, the person who had tipped Jane off about the restaurant had been entirely correct. The food was fantastic and service impeccable. She was glad that she had put her faith in him; Lisbon would never have been able to find this restaurant had she been on her own. Jane had insisted that she spoil herself with a dessert of some variety and now, they were left sipping coffees and watching the sun set.
"Have you ever been here before?" Lisbon asked, intrigued and Jane shook his head.
"I always wanted to bring my wife here, but it never happened."
"The fear of flying?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. I kept putting it off and then..."
He trailed off and shook his head. Immediately, Lisbon felt guilty for bringing up the subject matter. Despite the fact he was now more open about his family and seemed capable of thinking about them in a more positive light now, it didn't stop the feelings from being bittersweet. Although she had come to terms with what her father had become after her mom's death, there were still times she felt resentful of it, even now. And she knew, therefore, that Jane would always feel the same way. For more than a decade, he had put his life on hold in order to track down their killer; it was only natural that it was still difficult. It was a huge shift in mindset to undergo and she couldn't expect it to change overnight. Red John had only been apprehended a year ago; he was still alive and presumably well, in a prison cell. Maybe, once he had been executed, it would be easier for Jane again. However, that was still an unknown entity. She couldn’t know for certain how Jane would react until it had actually happened.
When he took her hand as they left the restaurant, she didn't object for a while. Ordinarily, she would have thrown him off as she wasn't really one for being tactile. However, she didn't know anybody else here and she had genuinely appreciated just how frank he had been with her during the meal. At least, that was what she decided it meant. Besides, she had never felt as close to anyone as she did to Jane; whatever their relationship was, she knew that she couldn't live without him. Not anymore.
The night passed by painfully slowly. Lisbon slept badly, constantly tossing and turning all night. It didn't help that she could practically feel Jane's eyes on her at all times. True to his word, he'd curled up on the couch with just a comforter thrown over his pajama-clad body and left her in peace. However, it wasn't enough to stop her from feeling awkward. Once again, she found herself wishing she had her privacy when she knew that was virtually impossible at this moment in time. But then, she was the kind of person who needed her personal space on occasion and right now, she was being denied it.
All she could do was hope that Jane didn't intend to spend literally every waking and sleeping moment with her during these two weeks. If she could just spend a couple of hours alone, to either distract herself from thinking about him or at least, set her thoughts straight, then she knew she would be fine. And if he refused to give her that one thing, then she would have to find a way to make sure he understood the necessity for it.
In the morning, they shared breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. The room overlooked the ocean and Lisbon vaguely considered the idea of heading down there later on. Jane remained as attentive to her every need as he had the evening before and that in itself had her wondering. It was very unlike him to try to impress her with good behavior and listening to her every whim. Usually, he waited until everything went wrong and then tried to make it up to her using elaborate gifts instead of apologies.
When her cellphone rang off, she quickly excused herself. She wasn't surprised to hear Agent Decosta on the other end of the line. Swiftly, he informed her that he had managed to organize a meeting with the family and with some bemusement at the requested location, she confirmed her and Jane's attendance.
"More tea?" Jane asked as she sat back down and Lisbon shook her head. "What did Decosta want? Has he organized the interview?"
"Yes, here. In an hour," she responded with a wry grin.
To Part Nine
“Thank you for your time,” Agent Decosta stated warmly as they left the morgue. “And I truly apologize for ruining your vacation.”
“I wouldn’t say you ruined it,” Lisbon answered cagily.
“No, she’s practically thrilled that you’ve given her something to do instead of getting bored.”
“Would you like to interview the family with us? I’d love to see Mr. Jane in action,” Halligan added before his boss had a chance to
object.
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Lisbon started warily.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Decosta replied, taking them both off guard.
“We’d love to,” Jane answered quickly.
“We would?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, we would.”
The two Hawaiian agents thanked them once again and then politely bid them farewell. Lisbon watched as they walked off into the distance. She still wasn’t entirely sure what to make of either of them, but it didn’t matter. Since they had discovered the body in the room she had meant to be staying in at the hotel, Lisbon had felt intrinsically involved in the case. The irony of it all wasn’t lost on her; only she could go away for a break and find a dead body in her hotel room anyway. Or maybe, it was just Jane. He always seemed to attract trouble and if not, create it for himself.
Eventually, they headed in the direction of their rental car in silence. Lisbon didn't much like feeling out of control when it came to the case, but she knew there was little she could do about that. Besides, she really shouldn't have been thinking about work at all. When there had been developments which they could assist with, Lisbon knew that Decosta and Halligan would call them up straight away. They seemed very keen to make amends after the initial misunderstanding, and desperate to learn from them. She still suspected that that had something to do with the fact the unit was clearly still in its infancy. Decosta definitely hadn’t been a team leader for long; she didn’t need Jane’s skills to be able to tell that. She could see it in his demeanor, but knew he would grow better with time. With very little warning, Jane suddenly clasped hold of her wrist to take a glance at her watch. Stubbornly, Lisbon ignored the way that her heart skipped at the brief touch. As far as she was concerned, those feelings were completely inappropriate.
But then, Jane had found some sort of closure when it came to the death of his family. He'd told her as much a couple of months ago and for a change, she had no reason to believe he was lying to her. For a start, he had seemed more cheerful and content, and less like he was hiding his pain behind a mask. Besides, she could tell when he was telling the truth now. There was a slight note of sincerity in his voice which even he failed to conceal on occasion. And despite how broken he'd been, despite how flawed he still was, Lisbon knew that she had long since held a lingering attraction for him. He was a challenge and nothing about that would change. However much closure he found, there were always going to be chinks in the armor. Regardless of all that though, he was still a coworker - and her subordinate at that. She repeated the mantra that it was inappropriate over and over in her head, but to no avail.
Since when did Jane do anything appropriate anyway? She hadn't invited him to join her on this vacation; he'd done so on a whim. What, precisely, had been his motive for doing this? Lisbon shook her head slightly as Jane let go of her wrist. She didn't doubt that she would get the answers to those questions sooner or later. That was regardless of whether or not she actually wanted said answers as well.
"I thought the concept of this vacation was for me to relax and yet, you have offered our services to them?" she muttered under her breath.
"Please. Like you don't want to find out who did this," Jane answered back.
"That's not the point."
"I'm hungry,” Jane stated, immediately changing the subject. “Bethan recommended a fantastic fish place nearby. They serve the very best lobster in Honolulu, apparently. I think we should go there."
She didn't argue. It had been a long while since she had last eaten and they had spent longer than she had expected in the morgue. Only Jane pointing it out had made her realize that she was actually hungry at all. Still, Lisbon couldn't resist shooting Jane a withering glare. It was very typical of him to subvert her authority and just take control like this. However, at this moment in time they weren't boss and consultant. In truth, she had no idea what the hell they were. Any definitions and boundaries she had used to describe them in the past all seemed to filter into irrelevancy these days, anyway.
"And who is Bethan, might I ask?"
"The receptionist at the hotel,” Jane answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “She may be young, but she's lived here all her life and knows where the hidden gems are."
"Doesn't mean she's particularly good at her job, though."
"A little harsh, Teresa. It's her first job and she's been delegated tasks inappropriate for her experience. It'd be like asking Grace to lead the unit in your absence."
Lisbon couldn't help but shudder at the very thought of that. Although Grace Van Pelt had developed into a very fine agent, she still wasn't anywhere near ready to have a taste of leadership just yet. Maybe one day she would be, though. In fact, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the youngest member of her team left relatively soon, to broaden her horizons and for a more challenging position. It was, after all, fairly unusual for somebody to stay in a rookie position for quite so long. But then, over the years, they had all become a surrogate family for one another, so it did make some sort of sense that she had opted to stay put too. Quickly, she conceded that Jane did have a point when it came to the receptionist girl’s experience (or lack thereof) and it wasn't long until they were well on their way to the restaurant.
When they arrived, she was pleasantly surprised by the tipoff. Mercifully, it was quiet and slightly off the beaten track, so it wasn't crawling with other tourists. Within minutes of arriving, they had been seated in a nice corner table with a decent view. Gentle music played quietly in the background, loud enough to fill the silence but quiet enough not to be a disturbance to any potential conversations. Finally, it appeared that she was actually going to get the chance to slow down and relax. Or at least, relax as much as she could with a certain Patrick Jane staring intently back at her. The employees were polite and cordial; ordering drinks and taking a look at the menu allowed Lisbon to avoid talking to Jane for a while. As she had a chance to think over the situation, she was beginning to find it all the more awkward. Really, Jane appearing here unannounced had set her completely on edge. There were too many unknown variables as to why he was there and what his intentions were. And Lisbon wasn’t even sure if she wanted to know the answers anyway. It seemed a little too dangerous to think too deeply about it.
"What do you think the motive for murder was?" Lisbon asked as she took a sip of her white wine, keen to avoid more difficult subjects.
"You complain about consulting on a case and then insist upon talking business at the table?" Jane replied with a smirk. "You're quite the contradiction, Teresa."
"Well you've known me long enough," she answered back coolly. "But fine. If you won't talk about that, why, exactly, did you come out here anyway?"
Part Eight
"I knew I'd miss you."
"Oh," she said quietly.
Her voice sounded a lot smaller than she had initially anticipated. In a way, she had expected him to say a little more than that, but then, this was Jane. She could never have expected him to start telling her precisely why he was here, right down to the smallest of details. Jane had never been the kind of person to share his innermost thoughts. It took a lot for him to dare to divulge important details about his past, even to her. On cases, he still concealed things from her on a regular basis and then claimed that it was for the greater good when things invariably went wrong. In reality, Lisbon knew that she should have been grateful that he had said anything at all instead of just avoiding a direct answer.
"And in all honesty, given the choice between your company and the rest of the team's...." he trailed off and smiled at her.
Lisbon was left momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected for a second that he would expand upon his statement, hence her initial disappointment. It took a few moments for his words to settle around her and then, she began to consider the repercussions of what he’d just admitted. Jane wasn’t one to state things directly; he always preferred to make people work it out for themselves, or invariably trap themselves because of his wordplay and actions. Tentatively, with her heart thumping a military tattoo against her rib cage, she reached over the table and allowed her fingers to brush gently against her wrist.
"Thank you. I think."
"So am I forgiven for gate-crashing your vacation?"
"I still haven't forgiven you for tricking me into it in the first place," she answered with a smirk.
"Touché," he replied with a grin.
The rest of the meal passed by quickly and Lisbon actually began to enjoy herself. Whatever concerns she had about Jane joining her now seemed irrelevant and besides, she was determined to enjoy herself one way or another. Just because the vacation already hadn't turned out in the way she expected, it didn't mean she couldn't have fun. And if she spent the whole trip worrying about Jane and his intentions, then she wouldn't have a chance to relax as it was. For once, she decided that she would just let things happen. Somebody wise had once told her that everything happened for a reason and she should just go with the flow. It may have been a bit late, but it was about time she took that advice seriously. Besides, beyond Jane, there was nobody around to judge her if that decision went spectacularly wrong. If it did, then she would easily be able to pretend nothing had happened.
As it turned out, the person who had tipped Jane off about the restaurant had been entirely correct. The food was fantastic and service impeccable. She was glad that she had put her faith in him; Lisbon would never have been able to find this restaurant had she been on her own. Jane had insisted that she spoil herself with a dessert of some variety and now, they were left sipping coffees and watching the sun set.
"Have you ever been here before?" Lisbon asked, intrigued and Jane shook his head.
"I always wanted to bring my wife here, but it never happened."
"The fear of flying?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. I kept putting it off and then..."
He trailed off and shook his head. Immediately, Lisbon felt guilty for bringing up the subject matter. Despite the fact he was now more open about his family and seemed capable of thinking about them in a more positive light now, it didn't stop the feelings from being bittersweet. Although she had come to terms with what her father had become after her mom's death, there were still times she felt resentful of it, even now. And she knew, therefore, that Jane would always feel the same way. For more than a decade, he had put his life on hold in order to track down their killer; it was only natural that it was still difficult. It was a huge shift in mindset to undergo and she couldn't expect it to change overnight. Red John had only been apprehended a year ago; he was still alive and presumably well, in a prison cell. Maybe, once he had been executed, it would be easier for Jane again. However, that was still an unknown entity. She couldn’t know for certain how Jane would react until it had actually happened.
When he took her hand as they left the restaurant, she didn't object for a while. Ordinarily, she would have thrown him off as she wasn't really one for being tactile. However, she didn't know anybody else here and she had genuinely appreciated just how frank he had been with her during the meal. At least, that was what she decided it meant. Besides, she had never felt as close to anyone as she did to Jane; whatever their relationship was, she knew that she couldn't live without him. Not anymore.
The night passed by painfully slowly. Lisbon slept badly, constantly tossing and turning all night. It didn't help that she could practically feel Jane's eyes on her at all times. True to his word, he'd curled up on the couch with just a comforter thrown over his pajama-clad body and left her in peace. However, it wasn't enough to stop her from feeling awkward. Once again, she found herself wishing she had her privacy when she knew that was virtually impossible at this moment in time. But then, she was the kind of person who needed her personal space on occasion and right now, she was being denied it.
All she could do was hope that Jane didn't intend to spend literally every waking and sleeping moment with her during these two weeks. If she could just spend a couple of hours alone, to either distract herself from thinking about him or at least, set her thoughts straight, then she knew she would be fine. And if he refused to give her that one thing, then she would have to find a way to make sure he understood the necessity for it.
In the morning, they shared breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. The room overlooked the ocean and Lisbon vaguely considered the idea of heading down there later on. Jane remained as attentive to her every need as he had the evening before and that in itself had her wondering. It was very unlike him to try to impress her with good behavior and listening to her every whim. Usually, he waited until everything went wrong and then tried to make it up to her using elaborate gifts instead of apologies.
When her cellphone rang off, she quickly excused herself. She wasn't surprised to hear Agent Decosta on the other end of the line. Swiftly, he informed her that he had managed to organize a meeting with the family and with some bemusement at the requested location, she confirmed her and Jane's attendance.
"More tea?" Jane asked as she sat back down and Lisbon shook her head. "What did Decosta want? Has he organized the interview?"
"Yes, here. In an hour," she responded with a wry grin.
To Part Nine