Ignite (4/5)
Previous Parts: Part One - Wayne Rigsby, Part Two - Teresa Lisbon, Part Three - Patrick Jane
Part Four - Grace Van Pelt
The first sign that something untoward was happening was, of course, the sound of the fire bell blaring out. A couple of people rolled their eyes, assuming it was merely a drill or a false alarm and carried on with their business. After all, the sprinkler system hadn’t started to work, so that meant it was probably fine. Grace Van Pelt, meanwhile, frowned at their cynicism and got to her feet. Something felt wrong, and she wasn’t quite sure what. Quickly, she shot Rigsby a look and he shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. She was glad to see that he, at least, had gotten to his feet even if Jane was still sitting at his couch and sipping at his Earl Grey tea.
Briefly, she took a couple of steps out and into the corridor so that she could get a clear view of Lisbon’s office. Her boss, too, had gotten to her feet and was grabbing her jacket. Van Pelt took that as a sign to move; if Teresa Lisbon was concerned enough to make steps to leave, then so should she. Mentally, she told herself that it could still be a drill; Lisbon would probably say something about the fact they should react as if there were a real fire regardless. After all, you never knew when something disastrous could happen, so it was better to be cautious. That was her argument for any sort of training, so this, obviously, was no different.
Then she heard the thundering echo of distant footprints. They got louder and louder until Cho almost ran into her. She knew that he had been downstairs, into the underground parking lot. Before he’d left, he’d muttered something about leaving some paperwork in the SUV and thus, Van Pelt had thought nothing of it. But then, he yelled out ‘fire!’ at the top of his voice and that was when the dread really started to creep in. She had never seen him look so panicked in her entire time with the CBI. Kimball Cho was famed for keeping his cool, with working well under pressure. If he was freaking out, then there really was something to worry about. And so, it seemed, that the vast majority of her co-workers agreed with her sentiment. Chaos promptly ensued, with people running in every direction, not even giving time to think about their fellow co-workers. Everybody simply wanted to get out - except for the few people who had gone into a state of shock - they just couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Patrick Jane, surprisingly, was amongst that number.
Cho had already disappeared and Van Pelt couldn’t blame him for that. From the brief interaction, she had seen the burns to his shirt and pants and wouldn’t have been surprised if he had picked up an injury. She shuddered; burn pain was the absolute worst. Van Pelt could remember distinctly about the time when she had learned the stove was hot and she still had a small scar on her elbow to prove it. But for now, that was all irrelevant. What she had to do was get these people out of the building as fast as feasibly possible. She didn’t want any one of them losing their life to something like a fire. The building was replaceable; she had faith that the CBI would be able to come back bigger and better from this. But while there was a risk that the fire couldn’t be contained, every single one of her colleagues’ lives was at risk.
The first thing she did was head towards Jane. Normally, he was the first to react in such a situation, but then it also wasn’t unheard of for him to cower in fear. Despite the fact he had killed a man - a dangerous criminal, albeit not Red John, Van Pelt firmly reminded herself - he often still cowered in fear at the sound of a gunshot. Besides, he never coped well with loss. The fact that he was still chasing his family’s killer was evidence enough of that. Van Pelt knew that Jane had found some sort of stability within the CBI and that he even considered them to be a second family of sorts. The very idea of potentially losing a place and people he had fallen in love with, after the devastating loss of his wife and child was probably too hard for him to even dare to comprehend.
“Come on, Jane, you’ve gotta get moving,” she pleaded, but Jane continued to merely stare vacantly out into space.
She turned on her heels, desperate and was revealed to see that Lisbon hadn’t left yet. “Boss,” she called.
“Van Pelt, you should follow Rigsby’s lead and go. I’ll handle Jane,” Lisbon said. She sounded as confident and professional as ever, but there was an obvious hint of fear that was un-disguisable. They all felt that.
In response, she did half a nod, but then cast her eyes around the room. There were still a couple of other people beyond Jane who hadn’t found the ability to move yet, in spite of the alarm, in spite of Cho’s calling and in spite of the panic. And then, she knew that Caoimhe - her old school friend who worked with ballistics - had disappeared into the restroom, feeling ill - shortly before the alarm began. She had to check that she got out okay; she wouldn’t have been able to forgive herself if something happened to Caoimhe. After all, Van Pelt had been the one to give her a tip when the CBI started hiring again. She wouldn’t have been here at all, would have gone back to Iowa, if it hadn’t been for her.
She explained as quickly and concisely as possible to Lisbon and her boss, although concerned about the risk she was taking, accepted that it was something she needed to do. Van Pelt was relieved when she saw that Lisbon had managed to get Jane out of his stupor, had already dragged him to his feet, but then she stopped thinking about it. She had more important things to worry about; she hadn’t lost her senses due to fear, but several other people had.
Quickly, Van Pelt scouted round the bullpen. A woman she didn’t recognize - a witness for another case that the Serious Crimes Unit wasn’t involved in, she figured - was cowering in the corner. She urged her towards the exit, and it was only after a few brief comforting words from her that the woman felt capable of moving. Then, Van Pelt moved onto Ron, who was still studying his computer screen, as if that would be able to keep him alive through the fury of a fire. She tapped him on the shoulder, calmly lied through her teeth, informing him it was a drill and that Lisbon was expecting him outside immediately. That was enough to get him to move and make his way out of the building in a sensible manner. Finally, there was the Hispanic cleaner who had only recently been hired, who was trying desperately to gather together as many of his resources together. Taking the objects out of his hand and placing them back on the trolley, she reminded him how he was meant to react to a fire alarm and then, after nodding his head submissively, he followed Ron towards the exits.
A few wisps of smoke had already infiltrated the bullpen and Van Pelt shuddered. The fire was getting bad; she had hoped that she would have more time than this. Soon enough though, she was by Caoimhe’s side and was instantly concerned when she saw her friend vomiting violently.
“Caoimhe,” she spoke, loudly enough to be heard over the din, but quietly enough to be soothing. “We need to get out.”
“I’m tired, Gracie. I have been for weeks.”
“You can tell me later,” she assured her and placed an arm tightly around her waist. “But for now, we need to get out. It’s not a drill.”
Stumbling slightly, she guided her friend down the staircases. Rigsby had taught her so much about fire safety, and naturally, it had all sunk in. As much as she would have preferred to take the elevator down, both for her sake and Caoimhe’s, it was far too dangerous. Van Pelt breathed a sigh of relief when the exit was finally in sight and she could feel renewed strength in her bones.
“I’m pregnant, Gracie,” Caoimhe whispered suddenly at the same time as she saw the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
Van Pelt bit down the urge to congratulate her enthusiastically; there was still work to be done. In the end, she didn’t get a chance to say the words at all. Instead, she merely returned Caoimhe into the loving embrace of her wife. Van Pelt was thrilled that they had finally been able to find the right sperm donor for them. Both women were going to be great moms. But, she wanted to see her team, find out what was happening and reassure her boss that she - and Caoimhe - had got out okay.
Everyone but Jane had huddled around together. That didn’t concern Van Pelt too much; Jane was prone to wandering off. Just so long as he hadn’t wandered straight back inside, it didn’t matter. She hadn’t past him on her way to the team, so she figured it was probably okay. That was until she glanced at the main entrance to the CBI headquarters and saw a splash of navy blue pinstripes disappear back in. Her eyes briefly caught with Lisbon’s and she could tell her boss was thinking exactly the same thing: Jane had decided to be utterly foolish and go back inside. If this was something to do with Red John, Van Pelt made a mental note to strangle him. Red John wasn’t worth risking his life over; they all told him that, but it never seemed to sink in.
Her heart started to pound when she listened to a heated conversation between Lisbon and Rigsby. When she began to understand the ramifications of what they were saying, she felt sick to her stomach. Both of them were more than willing to risk their lives to save Jane, but she would never have expected anything less of either of them. Even so, Jane’s idiocy had made things worse. If something happened to one of them, then she honestly believed she would never forgive him for it. Not only was his life going to be in danger, but theirs too - and damn it, she could see smoke coming from the roof and flames licking the bottom of the building now. That was never going to be a good sign.
“Wayne,” she breathed and he turned around to face her.
She felt his calloused hands gently brush across her cheeks and the feeling of electricity jolted through her body, just like it had done every single time he’d done this to her in the past. It felt like forever had passed since their relationship had ended, and at the same time, no time at all. But this, it was something she missed, the way his lips gently brushed against hers and his tongue dampened her lips. She always loved it when he pulled her in close, almost enveloping her entire body with his. It made her feel safe and loved. When he deepened the kiss, she responded obligingly; how could she not? She had always been convinced that love would eventually find away. Maybe, just maybe, this was going to be the trigger for them to start working as one again.
But first, he had more important things to do.
“Be careful, Wayne,” Van Pelt murmured, acquiescing to his request that she remained safe, with Cho. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The words warmed her from the very pit of her stomach. It had been far too long since she had heard his warm voice direct those words to her. Even so, as she watched him disappear back into the building with Lisbon, she couldn’t help but say a little more.
“Please come back to me, Wayne. I need you.”
Part Four - Grace Van Pelt
The first sign that something untoward was happening was, of course, the sound of the fire bell blaring out. A couple of people rolled their eyes, assuming it was merely a drill or a false alarm and carried on with their business. After all, the sprinkler system hadn’t started to work, so that meant it was probably fine. Grace Van Pelt, meanwhile, frowned at their cynicism and got to her feet. Something felt wrong, and she wasn’t quite sure what. Quickly, she shot Rigsby a look and he shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. She was glad to see that he, at least, had gotten to his feet even if Jane was still sitting at his couch and sipping at his Earl Grey tea.
Briefly, she took a couple of steps out and into the corridor so that she could get a clear view of Lisbon’s office. Her boss, too, had gotten to her feet and was grabbing her jacket. Van Pelt took that as a sign to move; if Teresa Lisbon was concerned enough to make steps to leave, then so should she. Mentally, she told herself that it could still be a drill; Lisbon would probably say something about the fact they should react as if there were a real fire regardless. After all, you never knew when something disastrous could happen, so it was better to be cautious. That was her argument for any sort of training, so this, obviously, was no different.
Then she heard the thundering echo of distant footprints. They got louder and louder until Cho almost ran into her. She knew that he had been downstairs, into the underground parking lot. Before he’d left, he’d muttered something about leaving some paperwork in the SUV and thus, Van Pelt had thought nothing of it. But then, he yelled out ‘fire!’ at the top of his voice and that was when the dread really started to creep in. She had never seen him look so panicked in her entire time with the CBI. Kimball Cho was famed for keeping his cool, with working well under pressure. If he was freaking out, then there really was something to worry about. And so, it seemed, that the vast majority of her co-workers agreed with her sentiment. Chaos promptly ensued, with people running in every direction, not even giving time to think about their fellow co-workers. Everybody simply wanted to get out - except for the few people who had gone into a state of shock - they just couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Patrick Jane, surprisingly, was amongst that number.
Cho had already disappeared and Van Pelt couldn’t blame him for that. From the brief interaction, she had seen the burns to his shirt and pants and wouldn’t have been surprised if he had picked up an injury. She shuddered; burn pain was the absolute worst. Van Pelt could remember distinctly about the time when she had learned the stove was hot and she still had a small scar on her elbow to prove it. But for now, that was all irrelevant. What she had to do was get these people out of the building as fast as feasibly possible. She didn’t want any one of them losing their life to something like a fire. The building was replaceable; she had faith that the CBI would be able to come back bigger and better from this. But while there was a risk that the fire couldn’t be contained, every single one of her colleagues’ lives was at risk.
The first thing she did was head towards Jane. Normally, he was the first to react in such a situation, but then it also wasn’t unheard of for him to cower in fear. Despite the fact he had killed a man - a dangerous criminal, albeit not Red John, Van Pelt firmly reminded herself - he often still cowered in fear at the sound of a gunshot. Besides, he never coped well with loss. The fact that he was still chasing his family’s killer was evidence enough of that. Van Pelt knew that Jane had found some sort of stability within the CBI and that he even considered them to be a second family of sorts. The very idea of potentially losing a place and people he had fallen in love with, after the devastating loss of his wife and child was probably too hard for him to even dare to comprehend.
“Come on, Jane, you’ve gotta get moving,” she pleaded, but Jane continued to merely stare vacantly out into space.
She turned on her heels, desperate and was revealed to see that Lisbon hadn’t left yet. “Boss,” she called.
“Van Pelt, you should follow Rigsby’s lead and go. I’ll handle Jane,” Lisbon said. She sounded as confident and professional as ever, but there was an obvious hint of fear that was un-disguisable. They all felt that.
In response, she did half a nod, but then cast her eyes around the room. There were still a couple of other people beyond Jane who hadn’t found the ability to move yet, in spite of the alarm, in spite of Cho’s calling and in spite of the panic. And then, she knew that Caoimhe - her old school friend who worked with ballistics - had disappeared into the restroom, feeling ill - shortly before the alarm began. She had to check that she got out okay; she wouldn’t have been able to forgive herself if something happened to Caoimhe. After all, Van Pelt had been the one to give her a tip when the CBI started hiring again. She wouldn’t have been here at all, would have gone back to Iowa, if it hadn’t been for her.
She explained as quickly and concisely as possible to Lisbon and her boss, although concerned about the risk she was taking, accepted that it was something she needed to do. Van Pelt was relieved when she saw that Lisbon had managed to get Jane out of his stupor, had already dragged him to his feet, but then she stopped thinking about it. She had more important things to worry about; she hadn’t lost her senses due to fear, but several other people had.
Quickly, Van Pelt scouted round the bullpen. A woman she didn’t recognize - a witness for another case that the Serious Crimes Unit wasn’t involved in, she figured - was cowering in the corner. She urged her towards the exit, and it was only after a few brief comforting words from her that the woman felt capable of moving. Then, Van Pelt moved onto Ron, who was still studying his computer screen, as if that would be able to keep him alive through the fury of a fire. She tapped him on the shoulder, calmly lied through her teeth, informing him it was a drill and that Lisbon was expecting him outside immediately. That was enough to get him to move and make his way out of the building in a sensible manner. Finally, there was the Hispanic cleaner who had only recently been hired, who was trying desperately to gather together as many of his resources together. Taking the objects out of his hand and placing them back on the trolley, she reminded him how he was meant to react to a fire alarm and then, after nodding his head submissively, he followed Ron towards the exits.
A few wisps of smoke had already infiltrated the bullpen and Van Pelt shuddered. The fire was getting bad; she had hoped that she would have more time than this. Soon enough though, she was by Caoimhe’s side and was instantly concerned when she saw her friend vomiting violently.
“Caoimhe,” she spoke, loudly enough to be heard over the din, but quietly enough to be soothing. “We need to get out.”
“I’m tired, Gracie. I have been for weeks.”
“You can tell me later,” she assured her and placed an arm tightly around her waist. “But for now, we need to get out. It’s not a drill.”
Stumbling slightly, she guided her friend down the staircases. Rigsby had taught her so much about fire safety, and naturally, it had all sunk in. As much as she would have preferred to take the elevator down, both for her sake and Caoimhe’s, it was far too dangerous. Van Pelt breathed a sigh of relief when the exit was finally in sight and she could feel renewed strength in her bones.
“I’m pregnant, Gracie,” Caoimhe whispered suddenly at the same time as she saw the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
Van Pelt bit down the urge to congratulate her enthusiastically; there was still work to be done. In the end, she didn’t get a chance to say the words at all. Instead, she merely returned Caoimhe into the loving embrace of her wife. Van Pelt was thrilled that they had finally been able to find the right sperm donor for them. Both women were going to be great moms. But, she wanted to see her team, find out what was happening and reassure her boss that she - and Caoimhe - had got out okay.
Everyone but Jane had huddled around together. That didn’t concern Van Pelt too much; Jane was prone to wandering off. Just so long as he hadn’t wandered straight back inside, it didn’t matter. She hadn’t past him on her way to the team, so she figured it was probably okay. That was until she glanced at the main entrance to the CBI headquarters and saw a splash of navy blue pinstripes disappear back in. Her eyes briefly caught with Lisbon’s and she could tell her boss was thinking exactly the same thing: Jane had decided to be utterly foolish and go back inside. If this was something to do with Red John, Van Pelt made a mental note to strangle him. Red John wasn’t worth risking his life over; they all told him that, but it never seemed to sink in.
Her heart started to pound when she listened to a heated conversation between Lisbon and Rigsby. When she began to understand the ramifications of what they were saying, she felt sick to her stomach. Both of them were more than willing to risk their lives to save Jane, but she would never have expected anything less of either of them. Even so, Jane’s idiocy had made things worse. If something happened to one of them, then she honestly believed she would never forgive him for it. Not only was his life going to be in danger, but theirs too - and damn it, she could see smoke coming from the roof and flames licking the bottom of the building now. That was never going to be a good sign.
“Wayne,” she breathed and he turned around to face her.
She felt his calloused hands gently brush across her cheeks and the feeling of electricity jolted through her body, just like it had done every single time he’d done this to her in the past. It felt like forever had passed since their relationship had ended, and at the same time, no time at all. But this, it was something she missed, the way his lips gently brushed against hers and his tongue dampened her lips. She always loved it when he pulled her in close, almost enveloping her entire body with his. It made her feel safe and loved. When he deepened the kiss, she responded obligingly; how could she not? She had always been convinced that love would eventually find away. Maybe, just maybe, this was going to be the trigger for them to start working as one again.
But first, he had more important things to do.
“Be careful, Wayne,” Van Pelt murmured, acquiescing to his request that she remained safe, with Cho. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The words warmed her from the very pit of her stomach. It had been far too long since she had heard his warm voice direct those words to her. Even so, as she watched him disappear back into the building with Lisbon, she couldn’t help but say a little more.
“Please come back to me, Wayne. I need you.”