Fic - A Fire That Burns
Title: A Fire That Burns
Author: rollieo122
Rating: PG
Characters: Jane, Lisbon
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None
Summary: Watching a fire gets Jane thinking.
Word Count: ~268 words
Disclaimer: Don't own The Mentalist, it belongs to Bruno Heller and CBS.
Notes: First story for the show! Also, response to prompt 7, 'Fire', at mentalistprompt. Title from 'This Fire' by Franz Ferdinand.
~~~~~
I leave Lisbon talking to the man in his study, politely excusing myself to take a look around the apartment. After a couple of minutes, I have grown bored of listening to the man droning on about how he doesn't know the woman who has been killed. He's lying. They've been having an affair for months.
For some reason, the fire burning in the grate in the living room catches my attention. I kneel down in front of it and watch it crackling away, destroying the wood and papers and turning them to ash. Just like when Red John ruined my life by murdering my family. My poor girls… Just thinking about them makes me so sad I could cry, and so angry I could happily kill the man who caused not just me, but many others so much misery. It's as if every time I think of that horrible man and what he did, there's a fire in my soul, burning away until one day when it will explode, and someone else will have to pick up the pieces.
I'm still watching the fire intently when Lisbon puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Jane…" she says, bringing me back to the present.
"Yeah?" I reply, turning to look at her.
"We're going…" I stand, and wait while she thanks the man before we leave the house.
As we get in the car to drive back to the CBI building, I am conscious of the fire which is there, smouldering now, and hope that it isn't Lisbon that will have to deal with the fallout when it comes.