Into The Red Forest

Chapter 5- Seeing Red

Chapter 5: Seeing Red

The next day went painfully slow for both Jane and Lisbon. Jane wanted to reconcile with Lisbon and corner Red John's servant. Lisbon wanted to find out whether he really loved her. Lisbon's sprain had healed considerably and Jane had deemed her well enough to go rock climbing with the team at a gym quite a few miles away from the campsite. Jane had elected to watch them instead of climbing on the wall.

"This is so much fun, Boss!" Van Pelt remarked, climbing behind Lisbon. Lisbon climbed up higher and smiled. "Yeah, I'll admit, it is pretty fun."

"Race you to the top, Cho." Rigsby challenged with a smirk.

"You're on." Cho said, starting to climb, Rigsby close behind.

Lisbon felt the strings on her harness tangle and when she tried to fix it, her harness unlatched somehow and she fell, but Jane rushed over and she fell straight into his arms.

"Thanks." she breathed, smiling a little.

Jane smirked, putting her down. "Are you ok? I think that's the second time I've saved you on this trip."

She smirked back. "Oh, so are you keeping score now?"

Jane chuckled. "Of course, that way I know how many times you owe me."

Van Pelt rappelled down the wall and got out of her harness, she looked concerned. "You ok, Boss? I saw you fall."

Lisbon brushed herself off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Jane caught me."

Rigsby and Cho rappelled down soon after. "You ok, Boss?" they asked in unison, after getting their harnesses off.

"She's fine, gentlemen, I caught her." Jane assured them.

Later, the team headed back to the campsite.

After dinner that night, the team retired to their tents and Lisbon waited until she was sure they were asleep to sneak into the forest to meet Jane. She shivered in her t-shirt and jeans because it was a particularly windy night. She found herself wishing she'd brought her leather jacket, but she'd left it in her tent. Her shoulder-length hair blew lightly in the breeze as she walked into the dark forest. Her boots crunched over twigs and branches until she came to the clearing. She crossed her arms, waiting for Jane.

"Hello, Lisbon." she heard Jane say as he entered the clearing.

Lisbon frowned at him. "It's about damn time, Jane. I'm tired and I'm cold. This better be good."

"Oh, it is, I can assure you. First, I wanted to apologize for acting the way I did and secondly, I wanted to tell you something…something that I've waited too long to tell you and I can't keep that secret anymore. I've already almost ruined everything we have because of that letter, but I think it's time you know. I'm in love with you, Teresa."

Lisbon looked kind of shocked. "So, when you said you loved me after-"

Jane nodded. "After I pretended to shoot you last year? Yes, I meant it."

Lisbon studied his face. "Why did you lie to me when I asked about it?"

Jane let out a heavy sigh and came closer to her, still leaving some space between them. "Because I wasn't ready to face the gravity of what loving you would mean. It would've meant that I was ready to move on, to start a new life, and maybe, in the future, a new family. Last year I wasn't sure that I was ready for all that but now I couldn't be more sure. Every day we ever spent together has brought me closer and closer to the truth. I want you, Lisbon. I'm in love with you. I thought I could never fall in love again but then we met and everything changed and you made me feel things…things I haven't felt since Angela was alive. It's taken quite a lot for me to feel like this again and you're the only one that can do it. The only way I'm truly happy is when I'm around you. You're the first reason I've had to be happy in a long time. You even remind me of her quite a bit, beautiful, headstrong, firm but at the same time able to be compassionate. Angela and Charlotte will always be in my heart but I think that they'd want me to move on and be happy. And like I said, the only way I can be happy is with you, Teresa. No one else but you."

Lisbon looked at him. "Didn't you tell me once that bad things happen to anyone you get close to? And what about the CBI? Or Minnelli?"

Jane closed most of the distance between them and looked straight in her eyes. "None of that matters. The CBI doesn't have to know and I'd sooner die than let anything happen to you, Teresa."

Lisbon looked back at him. "How do I know what you're saying is real? That you're telling me the truth and that this isn't some stupid game?"

Jane smiled, coming as close to her as he could. "Well, I guess you're going to have to learn to trust me."

Lisbon smiled back. "I don't trust easily."

Jane's eyes twinkled. "Let's see if we can change that, shall we?"

And he kissed her, a kiss full of passion and love. He always imagined what it would be like to kiss her but he never could've imagined anything like this. His tongue explored her mouth and then hers explored his. After only a few minutes, it felt like they'd been in love forever. The cold was forgotten and fire started in both of their stomachs that kept them warm. Lisbon finally had the answer to her question, he loved her. It wasn't a game. But she wasn't thinking about that, all she was thinking about was the she'd finally realized how much she needed him and how much she loved him.

A noise from the bushes soon startled the couple apart, and out of the trees came a deer.

Lisbon frowned. "I hate deer."

Jane chuckled. "It won't hurt you, Teresa."

"Are you kidding? That thing could have-" she started, but Jane pointed at the deer's hindquarters and she stopped talking abruptly as she saw it. Illuminated in a sliver of pale moonlight, was a smiley face, painted on the deer with human blood. Jane's face suddenly set into a grim line and Lisbon looked at him, concerned. That was the last thing they saw before they smelled something sickly sweet and blacked out.