'Don't tell me if I'm dyin'/ 'cause I don't wanna know'

Episode Tag: Carnelian Inc.

Jane guided his Citroën through another sun-drenched valley, humming happily along with the jazz tunes coming from the speakers. He shot Lisbon, who had been gazing pensively out the window since they'd started heading back to CBI headquarters, a decisive look before speaking.

'You're okay.'

She started a bit, whipping her head towards him, 'What?'

He smiled at her before looking back to the road; her face remained bewildered.

The silence stretched on and Lisbon knew that he was waiting for her to break it. She bit her lip, unsure of whether or not she wanted to play his game, but her curiosity got the better of her rather quicker than she would have liked.

'Fine, Jane, I'll ask again: what are you talking about?'

'No need to get touchy, woman,' Jane said calmly, but Lisbon could tell that he was pleased to have made her respond, 'I simply stated that you're fine.'

There was a stiff silence for a moment before Jane spoke again, suddenly much more serious, 'I saw your face when Jesse Skelling took off her wig. It surprised me, I'll admit, but it really rattled you.'

He had nailed the root of Lisbon's contemplation squarely - had he not she would have been able to respond, to brush him away before he really found her out - but as it was she couldn't find her tongue to form words.

She gave a soft little 'oh' instead, which Jane didn't think she was even aware of vocalizing, but it confirmed for him that he was on the right path. Another glance towards her made him frown - her eyes were distant; she was far away - and he gently guided the car to the side of the road. He killed the engine and turned to face her; when she didn't react to his stare he reached for her hand.

She flinched at the contact and he tightened his hand around hers before she could pull away. He wasn't sure what to do with her for a moment - she had faced messy crime scenes; sick individuals; had taken down perpetrators more than twice her size, all without batting an eye - but he had never seen her shaken, least of all to this degree.

She looked up at him before he had decided on what to do, her gaze locking onto his before she spoke.

'Let's just keep going, Jane.'

He knew he was losing her and took a risk that even he wouldn't normally take, crossing a line that he wasn't sure he'd be able to step back over.

'Teresa,' he said softly, reaching forward with his free hand to lay it on her shoulder. She trembled slightly under his touch and he desperately wanted to hug her but he knew that moving any closer than he already was would cause her to completely close off to him.

'I-' she started, stuttering, 'I just don't want... I just want it to be quick! I don't want to know that, that I'm... for months; I just...'

She trailed off, unable to find the right words, dancing around others, and she looked away from his concerned visage; Jane felt a pull on his heartstrings that he couldn't quite place and suddenly knew exactly what to do. He stepped in to rescue her, the hand on her shoulder moving quickly up to her face, the pad of his thumb wiping away a tear from her cheek.

'You're fine.'

'What are you now, a doctor?'

He knew that it was a defense mechanism, that she was trying to make face, but he couldn't help but smile at the sarcasm that laced her tone; this was the Lisbon he knew, 'Nah... I really am a psychic. Just don't tell Van Pelt; she's still much too fun to mess with.'

She laughed at this, the corners of her eyes crinkling in the most wonderful way, and Patrick felt himself responding in kind.

'Come on; let's go,' he said, clicking open his door.

'Where? We're in the middle of nowhere, Jane!'

He grinned at her, 'I'm hungry-'

'Of course you are,' she said, rolling her eyes.

'-and there's this cute little farmer's market that we passed on the way up here. I'll buy you some strawberries.'

She smiled and moved to get out of the vehicle – of course Jane knew that strawberries were her favourite fruit - but he reached out a hand for her own one last time.

'For whatever it's worth, it would be just as bad for me whether it was quick or slow. But… you're fine, alright?'

She stared at him, time seeming to stretch on forever, before nodding and responding in a whisper, 'alright.'

Okay, hope that you all enjoyed that! Just loved that scene in the episode; everyone seemed so raw and open for a change, haha.

Anyhow, here is my goal with this: I'm aiming for 100 (that's right folks, the big one-zero-zero) unrelated one-shots (I'm sure that a couple will end up tied to each other, though; I'll let you know). Each will be at least 500 words and will be focused on Jane and Lisbon, though not necessarily romantically. Lastly, every chapter will be inspired by a song, but they will NOT be songfics. The lyrics will not be interspersed throughout the writing; there will only be the specific lyrics used to inspire the writing located at the start of the chapter. The lyric will then be properly cited at the bottom of every chapter, very last thing. I will be citing(as one would a direct quote in a paper and with apa formatting), not simply copying. 's guidelines specify to not copy, which I am not doing if I properly cite my resources. If anyone reading this story has any concerns regarding this please contact me and I will address the issue. Please keep in mind that many famous authors use quotations from songs and other written works in their own writings; I only wish to include music, which is a big part of my life and something I find very inspiring as a writer, as a part of another of my passions.

Hope that you enjoyed this and I look forward to working on this fic in the future.

Ciao, Moksgmol

Lyrics from:
Jason, S.; Stroope, C. (2003). Angels on the Moon. Thriving Ivory (CD). Wind-Up Records