Fic: Picking Up The Pieces (Mentalist Big Bang 2011) 3/6
Written for the 
mentalist_bb.
( One)
( Two)
Three
Lisbon woke when her phone vibrated off her end table and landed loudly on the wooden floor of her apartment. She reached out to the surface of the table and ended up tumbling out of the bed after it. In a half-asleep state, she retrieved her phone and answered it on the final ring.
‘Lisbon,’ she mumbled, still caught up in sleep.
‘Reese?’ said the voice on the other end of the phone. Lisbon opened her eyes and sat up quickly, as she so often did with an unexpected call from one of her brothers. She prepared herself for the worst as the potential conversation ran through her mind.
‘Tommy, what’s wrong?’
‘Why do you assume anything is wrong?’
‘It’s the middle of the night.’ Lisbon yawned and leant back against the bed. It was three in the morning, just four hours before an early work shift; the last thing she wanted was to make pleasant conversation.
‘Oh.’
‘Are Joe and James okay?’
‘I assume so.’
Lisbon couldn’t hide the frustration in her voice, she didn’t want to. She was pissed, simple as that. ‘Then why are you calling?’
‘I need you to come and get me.’
‘From where?’ she rolled her eyes and awaited the words she half expected to come.
‘The cop shop, I’ve been arrested.’
xxx
The sun began to rise on the horizon as Lisbon drove through the state. If only her brother had set up home where they grew up, or better still, on the east coast, then she wouldn’t have to bail him out. Literally. She didn’t even know he was living in California until that call. She kept her hands firmly on the wheel, only taking one off to take a sip of her coffee, which was the only thing keeping her awake. She considered the whole thing to be practice for when she headed up her own team at the FBI or another prominent organisation.
The radio had been off since she set off towards Bakersfield, something which rarely happened in her car. She loved to spend her morning drive listening to the hosts’ banter in order to prepare her for another busy day.
‘Officer Teresa Lisbon, I’m here to bail out my brother, Tommy; Thomas,’ she informed the officer at the front desk, flashing her badge in the hope they’d go easy on him.
The man barely glanced up as he waved a hand across the entrance hall. ‘Take a seat.’
Lisbon sat with her arms across her middle as she waited, impatiently, for Tommy. Eventually she stood up again and marched back towards the front desk.
‘Excuse me,’ she said loud and clearly which was enough to make the officer look her in the eye for the first time. ‘I’ve been waiting for a half hour; my brother should have been released to me already. I know his rights and you have no right keeping him here any longer.’
The man rolled his eyes and pointed towards the seating area with his hand once more. ‘Take a seat.’
‘Not until you guarantee that my brother will be brought out right away.’ Lisbon stood firmly on the spot, her arms folded across her chest. She wasn’t about to be fobbed off by some sexist, small town officer who couldn’t even respect a fellow cop.
xxx
‘Have you even listened to a word I’ve said?’ Lisbon groaned as they stood by her car.
Tommy rested his head on the frame and shook it from side to side, he looked a little worse for wear and Lisbon considered hitting him across the head in order to make him listen. Instead she let out a loud sigh and leant against the bumper.
‘If you do anything while they investigate you, you’ll be thrown straight back in jail and I won’t be able to help you. They only let you out under the proviso that I stay with you.’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ Tommy muttered, throwing his jacket over his arm and opening the car door. ‘The cops told me everything I needed to know, now get off my back and take me home.’
Lisbon walked around the car and slammed the door shut before Tommy could even move to sit down. He jumped back and stared at her as she glared back at him. He could misbehave all he wanted when she didn’t have to bail him out, but she wouldn’t stand for it now.
‘Do you think I wanted to come here? I’m supposed to be at work. The only reason my boss allowed me out is because I’m owed leave. Now stop being such an immature punk and start answering my questions because I didn’t come here to get your ass out of jail, I came here to help you.’
Tommy rolled his eyes. ‘You always want to help me; don’t you think I’ve had enough of your helping?’
‘If it wasn’t for me you’d be on your way to the county jail, don’t start counting your chickens Tommy ‘cause they sure as hell aren’t going to hatch without me holding your hand.’
‘Fuck off, Reese.’
Lisbon raised an eyebrow and brushed him off, she opened the door again. ‘Get in the car and start telling me why the cops think you helped a known drug dealer steal prescription drugs.’
Before Lisbon could climb into the driver’s seat a plain clothed officer came running towards her. She squinted as the sun shone brightly overhead stunting her view.
‘Teresa Lisbon, I thought it was you,’ the officer said with a smile spread wide across his face. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you were still up in Sacremanto?’
‘David Harper?’ she gasped, her smile growing as wide as his. ‘I don’t believe it; I forgot you moved down here. How are you?’
‘I’m good, so what brings you down to Pixley?’
‘My little brother got arrested, had to bail him out.’
‘Still saving Tommy’s ass?’
‘What can I say? I’m the only parent he’s ever really known.’
‘Hey, is that the drug case? It sounds pretty open and shut but then he didn’t really say anything in interview, maybe you could get a little more out of him.’
‘I’m certainly gonna try.’
‘If you find out anything useful bring him back down here and we’ll amend his statement.’ David pulled a card from his shirt pocket and handed it to her. ‘Or if you wanted to catch up.’
‘I’ll probably take you up on that,’ she smiled, pocketing the card and reaching out a hand for him to shake. He ignored it and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, something which took her a little by surprise.
‘I’ve missed you.’
She nodded and pulled back. His eyes never moved from hers and she stared up into the dark blue pupils she knew all too well. She smiled and turned back to the car.
‘I’ll see you around,’ she shouted as he walked away, before she climbed into the car and started up the engine.
xxx
Lisbon sat on the couch of Tommy’s apartment clutching her purse. She’d called David Harper for an update on the case and somehow he talked her into a date. She’d not been on a date in a couple of years, was too busy working hard to bother with the simpler aspects of life. Contrary to how simple she’d assumed dating to be her heart fluttered at great speed inside her chest. When the knock came she sprang from her seat, then dropped her purse on the couch and attempted to look not quite ready.
He drove her to a restaurant downtown, a little Italian with foliage inside and bottles of olive oil on the table. He opened doors, he pulled back her chair and he took her sweater to hang on the back of her seat.
‘It’s lovely to see you again, Teresa,’ he said, his smile reaching the corners of his eyes.
‘Likewise.’
‘It’s a pity it’s under such circumstances.’
‘You know Tommy,’ she joked. ‘Sometimes I think I’ll be bailing him out until the day he dies.’
‘He’s lucky to have someone as wonderful as you looking out for him,’ David said as he reached out and took her hand into his. She moved to pull it back but he held it steady and she gave in to the feelings she’d long since put to one side. ‘I’ve really missed you.’
‘I’ve missed you too.’ Lisbon tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared up at him coyly. ‘When I’ve not been working that is.’
He leaned closer, his face lit up under the candlelight. ‘And I bet you’ve been doing a lot of that.’
‘You know me, Davey.’
‘I do.’
He stared into her eyes a little too long for comfort. She cleared her throat and pulled her hand back, looking down at her glass of wine. She was there to look out for Tommy not date an ex-boyfriend, what was she thinking? She stood up and placed her napkin on the table.
‘I should go,’ she said, but as she moved away from the table his hand clasped hold of her wrist and she stopped.
‘Teresa,’ he whispered and before she could stop him his lips had covered hers. She tried to push away but then she settled into his embrace and allowed the kiss to deepen.
xxx
They pulled out outside Tommy’s apartment a few hours later. He turned off the car and rested a hand on the small of her back. She turned to face him and allowed his lips to touch hers again.
‘Can I see you again?’
‘I don’t know Davey,’ she hesitated. ‘I’m here to help Tommy.’
‘We can help him together.’
‘I have to go back to Sac eventually.’
The reality stood taller and wider than any moment of passion she could give into. Whether she wanted to see David again or not was beside the point, all that mattered to her was progressing in her career. He knew that, it had broken them up once already.
‘That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy each other’s company for now.’
She nodded. ‘Tommy told me that one of his friend’s friends forced him into handing over the drugs. He’s been in with the wrong crowd and if he didn’t do what this guy told him to do, or if he went to the cops; he threatened him, David.’
The atmosphere in the car turned bitter as the subject of their romance came to a grinding halt. ‘I’ll see what I can find out.’
‘Thanks.’
They shared a brief smile before she climbed out of the car.
xxx
Tommy was still up when she opened the front door. He jumped up from the couch and stared at her with expectations.
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Can I help you with something?’
‘What happened with Detective Dish?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Oh yeah, no tongue action?’ Lisbon blushed. ‘Oh there was, how about a little baby making?’
Lisbon slapped him gently across the arm. ‘Quit with the joking around. He’s going to get your ass out of this mess.’
‘Really?’
‘I hope so.’
( Four)
( Five)
( Six)
mentalist_bb.
( One)
( Two)
Three
Lisbon woke when her phone vibrated off her end table and landed loudly on the wooden floor of her apartment. She reached out to the surface of the table and ended up tumbling out of the bed after it. In a half-asleep state, she retrieved her phone and answered it on the final ring.
‘Lisbon,’ she mumbled, still caught up in sleep.
‘Reese?’ said the voice on the other end of the phone. Lisbon opened her eyes and sat up quickly, as she so often did with an unexpected call from one of her brothers. She prepared herself for the worst as the potential conversation ran through her mind.
‘Tommy, what’s wrong?’
‘Why do you assume anything is wrong?’
‘It’s the middle of the night.’ Lisbon yawned and leant back against the bed. It was three in the morning, just four hours before an early work shift; the last thing she wanted was to make pleasant conversation.
‘Oh.’
‘Are Joe and James okay?’
‘I assume so.’
Lisbon couldn’t hide the frustration in her voice, she didn’t want to. She was pissed, simple as that. ‘Then why are you calling?’
‘I need you to come and get me.’
‘From where?’ she rolled her eyes and awaited the words she half expected to come.
‘The cop shop, I’ve been arrested.’
xxx
The sun began to rise on the horizon as Lisbon drove through the state. If only her brother had set up home where they grew up, or better still, on the east coast, then she wouldn’t have to bail him out. Literally. She didn’t even know he was living in California until that call. She kept her hands firmly on the wheel, only taking one off to take a sip of her coffee, which was the only thing keeping her awake. She considered the whole thing to be practice for when she headed up her own team at the FBI or another prominent organisation.
The radio had been off since she set off towards Bakersfield, something which rarely happened in her car. She loved to spend her morning drive listening to the hosts’ banter in order to prepare her for another busy day.
‘Officer Teresa Lisbon, I’m here to bail out my brother, Tommy; Thomas,’ she informed the officer at the front desk, flashing her badge in the hope they’d go easy on him.
The man barely glanced up as he waved a hand across the entrance hall. ‘Take a seat.’
Lisbon sat with her arms across her middle as she waited, impatiently, for Tommy. Eventually she stood up again and marched back towards the front desk.
‘Excuse me,’ she said loud and clearly which was enough to make the officer look her in the eye for the first time. ‘I’ve been waiting for a half hour; my brother should have been released to me already. I know his rights and you have no right keeping him here any longer.’
The man rolled his eyes and pointed towards the seating area with his hand once more. ‘Take a seat.’
‘Not until you guarantee that my brother will be brought out right away.’ Lisbon stood firmly on the spot, her arms folded across her chest. She wasn’t about to be fobbed off by some sexist, small town officer who couldn’t even respect a fellow cop.
xxx
‘Have you even listened to a word I’ve said?’ Lisbon groaned as they stood by her car.
Tommy rested his head on the frame and shook it from side to side, he looked a little worse for wear and Lisbon considered hitting him across the head in order to make him listen. Instead she let out a loud sigh and leant against the bumper.
‘If you do anything while they investigate you, you’ll be thrown straight back in jail and I won’t be able to help you. They only let you out under the proviso that I stay with you.’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ Tommy muttered, throwing his jacket over his arm and opening the car door. ‘The cops told me everything I needed to know, now get off my back and take me home.’
Lisbon walked around the car and slammed the door shut before Tommy could even move to sit down. He jumped back and stared at her as she glared back at him. He could misbehave all he wanted when she didn’t have to bail him out, but she wouldn’t stand for it now.
‘Do you think I wanted to come here? I’m supposed to be at work. The only reason my boss allowed me out is because I’m owed leave. Now stop being such an immature punk and start answering my questions because I didn’t come here to get your ass out of jail, I came here to help you.’
Tommy rolled his eyes. ‘You always want to help me; don’t you think I’ve had enough of your helping?’
‘If it wasn’t for me you’d be on your way to the county jail, don’t start counting your chickens Tommy ‘cause they sure as hell aren’t going to hatch without me holding your hand.’
‘Fuck off, Reese.’
Lisbon raised an eyebrow and brushed him off, she opened the door again. ‘Get in the car and start telling me why the cops think you helped a known drug dealer steal prescription drugs.’
Before Lisbon could climb into the driver’s seat a plain clothed officer came running towards her. She squinted as the sun shone brightly overhead stunting her view.
‘Teresa Lisbon, I thought it was you,’ the officer said with a smile spread wide across his face. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you were still up in Sacremanto?’
‘David Harper?’ she gasped, her smile growing as wide as his. ‘I don’t believe it; I forgot you moved down here. How are you?’
‘I’m good, so what brings you down to Pixley?’
‘My little brother got arrested, had to bail him out.’
‘Still saving Tommy’s ass?’
‘What can I say? I’m the only parent he’s ever really known.’
‘Hey, is that the drug case? It sounds pretty open and shut but then he didn’t really say anything in interview, maybe you could get a little more out of him.’
‘I’m certainly gonna try.’
‘If you find out anything useful bring him back down here and we’ll amend his statement.’ David pulled a card from his shirt pocket and handed it to her. ‘Or if you wanted to catch up.’
‘I’ll probably take you up on that,’ she smiled, pocketing the card and reaching out a hand for him to shake. He ignored it and wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders, something which took her a little by surprise.
‘I’ve missed you.’
She nodded and pulled back. His eyes never moved from hers and she stared up into the dark blue pupils she knew all too well. She smiled and turned back to the car.
‘I’ll see you around,’ she shouted as he walked away, before she climbed into the car and started up the engine.
xxx
Lisbon sat on the couch of Tommy’s apartment clutching her purse. She’d called David Harper for an update on the case and somehow he talked her into a date. She’d not been on a date in a couple of years, was too busy working hard to bother with the simpler aspects of life. Contrary to how simple she’d assumed dating to be her heart fluttered at great speed inside her chest. When the knock came she sprang from her seat, then dropped her purse on the couch and attempted to look not quite ready.
He drove her to a restaurant downtown, a little Italian with foliage inside and bottles of olive oil on the table. He opened doors, he pulled back her chair and he took her sweater to hang on the back of her seat.
‘It’s lovely to see you again, Teresa,’ he said, his smile reaching the corners of his eyes.
‘Likewise.’
‘It’s a pity it’s under such circumstances.’
‘You know Tommy,’ she joked. ‘Sometimes I think I’ll be bailing him out until the day he dies.’
‘He’s lucky to have someone as wonderful as you looking out for him,’ David said as he reached out and took her hand into his. She moved to pull it back but he held it steady and she gave in to the feelings she’d long since put to one side. ‘I’ve really missed you.’
‘I’ve missed you too.’ Lisbon tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared up at him coyly. ‘When I’ve not been working that is.’
He leaned closer, his face lit up under the candlelight. ‘And I bet you’ve been doing a lot of that.’
‘You know me, Davey.’
‘I do.’
He stared into her eyes a little too long for comfort. She cleared her throat and pulled her hand back, looking down at her glass of wine. She was there to look out for Tommy not date an ex-boyfriend, what was she thinking? She stood up and placed her napkin on the table.
‘I should go,’ she said, but as she moved away from the table his hand clasped hold of her wrist and she stopped.
‘Teresa,’ he whispered and before she could stop him his lips had covered hers. She tried to push away but then she settled into his embrace and allowed the kiss to deepen.
xxx
They pulled out outside Tommy’s apartment a few hours later. He turned off the car and rested a hand on the small of her back. She turned to face him and allowed his lips to touch hers again.
‘Can I see you again?’
‘I don’t know Davey,’ she hesitated. ‘I’m here to help Tommy.’
‘We can help him together.’
‘I have to go back to Sac eventually.’
The reality stood taller and wider than any moment of passion she could give into. Whether she wanted to see David again or not was beside the point, all that mattered to her was progressing in her career. He knew that, it had broken them up once already.
‘That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy each other’s company for now.’
She nodded. ‘Tommy told me that one of his friend’s friends forced him into handing over the drugs. He’s been in with the wrong crowd and if he didn’t do what this guy told him to do, or if he went to the cops; he threatened him, David.’
The atmosphere in the car turned bitter as the subject of their romance came to a grinding halt. ‘I’ll see what I can find out.’
‘Thanks.’
They shared a brief smile before she climbed out of the car.
xxx
Tommy was still up when she opened the front door. He jumped up from the couch and stared at her with expectations.
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Can I help you with something?’
‘What happened with Detective Dish?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Oh yeah, no tongue action?’ Lisbon blushed. ‘Oh there was, how about a little baby making?’
Lisbon slapped him gently across the arm. ‘Quit with the joking around. He’s going to get your ass out of this mess.’
‘Really?’
‘I hope so.’
( Four)
( Five)
( Six)