Bloodless Bonds Chapter Three
Title:Bloodless Bonds Chapter Three
Words: Total fic, about 10,000
Spoilers: All four seasons.
Summary: After Red John is killed, Lisbon must convince Jane that quitting the CBI is not what he should do next. Includes flashbacks to the final confrontation with Red John.
The house - if one could call it that; it was more of a barn that appeared to have been lived in at some point - was oddly large for the middle of the desert, and oddly old fashioned, with an outhouse just to the left of it and a fire pit outside. It seemed very out of place to Lisbon, but when she turned to Jane, his posture and expression were unlike anything she had ever seen. He’d never been more sure that this was it. This is where it all would end.
“Jane,” Lisbon said quietly, “Jane.”
“Hmm?” He spoke like she had jolted him from a dream.
“Listen to me,” she said. “I know what you want. I’m not even beyond letting you kill him if we get the chance. But we have to be careful first. One wrong move and you could be dead.”
“I will die to avenge my family,” Jane said. “I’ve always been prepared for that.”
Lisbon didn’t like that comment any more than she ever had before. “Jane, listen to me,” she said, suddenly realizing that she had a different approach. “Whenever you go and pull a crazy stunt you never tell me because you want me to have deniability.”
“Yes,” Jane said. “Of course. This is my fight. You shouldn’t lose your job over it.”
“And if you do something stupid today,” Lisbon said, putting the car in park, “I could lose my life over it. If you were wrong about which Red John is the real one…”
“I’m not.”
“…then Rigsby, Van Pelt, or Cho could be killed. It’s important you act smart. Okay?”
“I’ve killed leads to Red John for you before,” he reminded her. “I would never let one of you be killed for my own revenge.”
“Don’t try to get me to let you do this your way by playing the I’m Protective Card,” Lisbon warned.
Jane looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. “Understood, ma’am.”
She smiled at him. “Good.” Opening the door, she grabbed her gun and swung her legs outside of the car. “Let’s go get him.”
* * *
“Hey boss,” Rigsby said, leading the way into their boss’ hospital room and offering up one of his awkward smiles.
Lisbon was sitting up a portable DVD player resting on her upper legs, some unintelligible conversation barely reaching her team’s ears. Raising a bandaged hand, she used her lower arm to close the player, and then looked up and smiled at them. Seeing her team would be a lot better for her mind then trying to distract herself from replaying that day in her head with the stupid DVD. “Hey guys. Rigsby. How are you feeling?”
“I assume a lot better than you,” he said. “How you doing?”
“Okay,” she said. “You hear about Jane?”
“Yeah,” Rigsby said, looking at the floor.
“We tried to call him,” Van Pelt said. “He won’t answer his phone.”
Lisbon shook her head. “I had a feeling that this would happen.” At her team’s questioning looks, she went on. “His reason for being here was to kill Red John. It was the only thing driving him. I always had a feeling that…that once we got Red John, and Jane had his revenge, he’d just be done.” She shrugged slightly, ignoring the dull ache in her shoulders. She wasn’t injured there; she was simply sore. “I…I guess I was right.”
“So, what?” Van Pelt asked. “He’s not going to work with us anymore? What’s he going to do? Just sit at home?”
Rigsby raised a questioning eyebrow at her, and she shrugged. “But seriously,” Rigsby said. “What’s he going to do? Red John was what kept him going. Is he just going to…he’s not going to kill himself, is he?”
Lisbon sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t think he would. He doesn’t believe in an afterlife, so it’s not like killing himself would reunite him with his family. But…” she shook her head. “Go to his house. Make sure he’s not going to do anything stupid. I can’t leave this place just yet.”
“Jane,” Lisbon said warningly. “Jane, stay behind me.” She jogged a step forward, putting herself between the house - which really was more of a barn, if she thought about it - and the consultant and glaring at him just as her phone rang. The mentalist darted around her, heading for the barn. “I smell gasoline,” she shouted ahead to Jane. “Be careful.” She put the phone up to her ear. “Lisbon.”
“Boss,” came the voice on the other end of the line. “This isn’t the real Red John.”
“Cho?” Lisbon said. His voice sounded funny. “Are you okay?”
The phone signal was breaking up, and she only heard stray words as Cho continued on. “…security…Van Pelt…shots…”
“What?” Lisbon put a hand over her other ear as if it would help the reception. “Is Van Pelt okay?”
She heard a loud noise from behind her. And that was when everything had gone black.
Lisbon jolted out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of a door slamming shut. “Sorry,” said the nurse. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But it’s your first night not to be on sleeping drugs, so before it gets too late, I’m going to take these couple I.V.s out of your room.”
“Okay,” Lisbon said. “Thank you.” She was actually glad that the nurse had interrupted her thoughts. She didn’t want to think about the next part. “Did the doctor say when I’d be released? He wouldn’t tell me.”
“He told you,” the nurse said, smiling. “Two days, if all goes well. But you’ll need to watch those hands. You can’t work for week, and that’s at the very least.”
“I need to work,” Lisbon said, closing her eyes.
“Right now, you just need to rest,” said the nurse, wheeling the I.V. carts away. “Don’t think about anything else.”
Chapter Four
Words: Total fic, about 10,000
Spoilers: All four seasons.
Summary: After Red John is killed, Lisbon must convince Jane that quitting the CBI is not what he should do next. Includes flashbacks to the final confrontation with Red John.
The house - if one could call it that; it was more of a barn that appeared to have been lived in at some point - was oddly large for the middle of the desert, and oddly old fashioned, with an outhouse just to the left of it and a fire pit outside. It seemed very out of place to Lisbon, but when she turned to Jane, his posture and expression were unlike anything she had ever seen. He’d never been more sure that this was it. This is where it all would end.
“Jane,” Lisbon said quietly, “Jane.”
“Hmm?” He spoke like she had jolted him from a dream.
“Listen to me,” she said. “I know what you want. I’m not even beyond letting you kill him if we get the chance. But we have to be careful first. One wrong move and you could be dead.”
“I will die to avenge my family,” Jane said. “I’ve always been prepared for that.”
Lisbon didn’t like that comment any more than she ever had before. “Jane, listen to me,” she said, suddenly realizing that she had a different approach. “Whenever you go and pull a crazy stunt you never tell me because you want me to have deniability.”
“Yes,” Jane said. “Of course. This is my fight. You shouldn’t lose your job over it.”
“And if you do something stupid today,” Lisbon said, putting the car in park, “I could lose my life over it. If you were wrong about which Red John is the real one…”
“I’m not.”
“…then Rigsby, Van Pelt, or Cho could be killed. It’s important you act smart. Okay?”
“I’ve killed leads to Red John for you before,” he reminded her. “I would never let one of you be killed for my own revenge.”
“Don’t try to get me to let you do this your way by playing the I’m Protective Card,” Lisbon warned.
Jane looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. “Understood, ma’am.”
She smiled at him. “Good.” Opening the door, she grabbed her gun and swung her legs outside of the car. “Let’s go get him.”
* * *
“Hey boss,” Rigsby said, leading the way into their boss’ hospital room and offering up one of his awkward smiles.
Lisbon was sitting up a portable DVD player resting on her upper legs, some unintelligible conversation barely reaching her team’s ears. Raising a bandaged hand, she used her lower arm to close the player, and then looked up and smiled at them. Seeing her team would be a lot better for her mind then trying to distract herself from replaying that day in her head with the stupid DVD. “Hey guys. Rigsby. How are you feeling?”
“I assume a lot better than you,” he said. “How you doing?”
“Okay,” she said. “You hear about Jane?”
“Yeah,” Rigsby said, looking at the floor.
“We tried to call him,” Van Pelt said. “He won’t answer his phone.”
Lisbon shook her head. “I had a feeling that this would happen.” At her team’s questioning looks, she went on. “His reason for being here was to kill Red John. It was the only thing driving him. I always had a feeling that…that once we got Red John, and Jane had his revenge, he’d just be done.” She shrugged slightly, ignoring the dull ache in her shoulders. She wasn’t injured there; she was simply sore. “I…I guess I was right.”
“So, what?” Van Pelt asked. “He’s not going to work with us anymore? What’s he going to do? Just sit at home?”
Rigsby raised a questioning eyebrow at her, and she shrugged. “But seriously,” Rigsby said. “What’s he going to do? Red John was what kept him going. Is he just going to…he’s not going to kill himself, is he?”
Lisbon sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t think he would. He doesn’t believe in an afterlife, so it’s not like killing himself would reunite him with his family. But…” she shook her head. “Go to his house. Make sure he’s not going to do anything stupid. I can’t leave this place just yet.”
“Jane,” Lisbon said warningly. “Jane, stay behind me.” She jogged a step forward, putting herself between the house - which really was more of a barn, if she thought about it - and the consultant and glaring at him just as her phone rang. The mentalist darted around her, heading for the barn. “I smell gasoline,” she shouted ahead to Jane. “Be careful.” She put the phone up to her ear. “Lisbon.”
“Boss,” came the voice on the other end of the line. “This isn’t the real Red John.”
“Cho?” Lisbon said. His voice sounded funny. “Are you okay?”
The phone signal was breaking up, and she only heard stray words as Cho continued on. “…security…Van Pelt…shots…”
“What?” Lisbon put a hand over her other ear as if it would help the reception. “Is Van Pelt okay?”
She heard a loud noise from behind her. And that was when everything had gone black.
Lisbon jolted out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of a door slamming shut. “Sorry,” said the nurse. “I didn’t mean to scare you. But it’s your first night not to be on sleeping drugs, so before it gets too late, I’m going to take these couple I.V.s out of your room.”
“Okay,” Lisbon said. “Thank you.” She was actually glad that the nurse had interrupted her thoughts. She didn’t want to think about the next part. “Did the doctor say when I’d be released? He wouldn’t tell me.”
“He told you,” the nurse said, smiling. “Two days, if all goes well. But you’ll need to watch those hands. You can’t work for week, and that’s at the very least.”
“I need to work,” Lisbon said, closing her eyes.
“Right now, you just need to rest,” said the nurse, wheeling the I.V. carts away. “Don’t think about anything else.”
Chapter Four