Ignite (3/5)
Previous Parts: Part One - Wayne Rigsby, Part Two - Teresa Lisbon
Part Three - Patrick Jane
“Come on, Jane, you’ve gotta get moving,” Van Pelt urged, but Jane merely stared into space.
He had never conceived that something like this could happen to the CBI headquarters; this was a place where he felt safe. Virtually everyone around him was panicking, rushing to the exits at breakneck speed, but he had frozen to the spot. It was almost his worst nightmare; he’d already had one family destroyed and now, fire was threatening to do the same to his new family, his new home. Jane hated to admit just how close he had gotten to the team; he had to remain aloof in order to be able to focus on catching and killing Red John. However, it was foolish for him to deny just how successful each and every one of them had been at crawling under his skin and creeping into his heart. Cho, Rigsby, Van Pelt, they weren’t just his friends anymore; they were like his siblings too. He needed them to keep a grasp on his sense of reality and more importantly, sanity.
And then there was Teresa Lisbon…
She was striding towards him, and he could see his fear mirrored in her eyes. Van Pelt moved aside swiftly, turning her attention to other people in the bullpen that had regressed to a catatonic state. Somewhat roughly, she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to his feet. After a brief exchange with Van Pelt, they headed towards the door. It was funny, how it was always Lisbon who could spur him into action. Not since his wife had somebody had quite the same effect on him, never mind for so long. Jane had half expected her to ensure that her team as a whole was safe, but her priority seemed to be him. Of course, he appreciated the fact - he always did - because he didn’t know what he would do without her.
Once they were finally outside, they headed towards Cho, who was waiting in the parking lot opposite the CBI headquarters. He had been the one to discover the fire, and had come away with minor injuries as a consequence. Jane hoped that EMTs would be on the scene soon, to treat his burns. As far as he was concerned, it was always the worst kind of injury to deal with. Briefly, Jane turned his attention to Lisbon and he could tell that she really wouldn’t be happy until she was certain that both Rigsby and Van Pelt were safe as well. He admired Van Pelt’s decision to try and shift the people who had been stunned by the shock of a legitimate fire threat. And he knew it wouldn’t be long until Rigsby was out either; if any member of the team truly understood the severity of the situation, it would be him. Jane also expected that he was the one who would ultimately work out what the cause of this fire was - and why the sprinkler system had failed - but for now, the evacuation was far more important.
But, as glad as he was that Lisbon was taking care of him, a wave of fear had taken over his body. There was something that he needed to get out of his attic, something which was priceless to him. The fire had started at the opposite end of the building and while fires spread fast, Jane knew that if he hurried, then he would have time to get back in there and retrieve it. The only problem was that he knew Lisbon just wouldn’t see sense - she’d probably believe he was after something relating to Red John - and would refuse point blank to let him do something as stupid as re-enter a burning building. Therefore, he needed to get away from her and slip back in and outside, unnoticed.
“You can let go of me now, Lisbon,” Jane stated quietly as they wound their way past the CBI employees who had already made their way outside and towards Cho. “We’re out of the building now; we’re not in any danger.”
“Don’t go back into the building, Jane. Everything in there is replaceable; you’re not,” she said seriously, but she finally let go of his wrist, much to his relief.
“What do you think I am, seven?” he joked.
She slapped him lightly on the arm, but he didn’t care. Jane knew that light violence was her way of showing affection to him. If she didn’t feel comfortable around him, then she wouldn’t have dared to do it. As a consequence, he wasn’t offended in the slightest; if anything, he quite liked it. Besides, it didn’t hurt at all, and that was how he could tell what she meant by it.
“I’m going to see if I can flag down any of the first responders,” Jane informed her quickly. “They must be here soon."
Lisbon believed the lie in an instant, and immediately turned her attention back to Cho. Jane only felt momentarily guilty for deceiving her. Besides, she had known him for more than long enough to know exactly what he was like; lying was behavior she expected from him. He quickly put her from his mind; she was a distraction from the task in hand. Carefully, he made his way back to the headquarters. The fire immediately seemed far more ferocious now that he was back up close, but Jane was still more than convinced that this was a risk he was willing to take. He cursed his inability to move earlier; it had certainly made things that little more difficult. If he had thought properly, he would have been able to go and get what he was looking for before Lisbon had found him sitting on the couch instead of leaving the building. However, he couldn’t change the past, but it was still possible to do what he needed to do. All he had to do was find a little courage.
Steeling himself, Jane took one last glance around the crowd. He was almost certain that everybody who had been in the building had been evacuated now. When he could see that nobody was looking, he slipped inside. The air was still clear, but he could tell that the fire was spreading quickly. That meant he didn’t have much time, maybe five minutes or so, but that was going to be enough for what he needed to do. Immediately, he darted up several staircases and straight to his attic. There was no point in him delaying any more than he needed to; Jane knew that he had already wasted far too much time as it was.
Within approximately forty-five seconds, he was already in front of the door and unlocking the padlock. His chest felt tight; he wasn’t used to that kind of physical exertion and he made a mental note to do something about it. It wasn’t that he was unfit - he did exercise on occasion - but he could tell it would be worth putting that little more effort into maintaining his health. After all, he wasn’t getting any younger. And, if he wasn’t quick about this, there was every possibility that he wasn’t going to get any older either. However, it was hard to know where to start. He cast his eyes around the small room, and was stunned by what he saw. It was so unlike him to be so disorganized and to leave things in such a mess.
Ordinarily, Jane would have known exactly where everything was thanks to his impeccable memory palace. However, he’d been engrossed in the Red John case lately; a few recent leads and realizations meant that his small attic space had become overrun with mess. Papers, photographs, old case files, maps, everything was strewn across the floor. And soon, it would all go up in smoke. But he had to find what he was looking for; he couldn’t let this one thing get destroyed in the same way that everything else would be. He didn’t intend to be in here for long, but he knew that the fire was restricted enough just to give him time to look. That was why he had given Lisbon the slip. Jane could imagine just how furious she was, but then, she wouldn’t understand his sentiment.
He grabbed hold of a file on Red John and shoved it underneath his arm for safekeeping as he rummaged amongst the detritus. The smoke was beginning to make its way into his attic and he knew that he was running out of time. If he wanted to get out of here alive, he had to find what he was looking for soon or find a way to accept that it was lost forever. However, the very idea of the latter made him feel sick to the stomach. He’d promised her that he would look after it and he’d already let her down so many times; he just couldn’t do it again. Jane paused in his search for a second; the smoke triggered a small coughing fit, but it wasn’t enough to distract him for too long. Eventually, his fingers brushed against a familiar hard surface and he smiled. Digging out the large scrapbook, he breathed out a sigh of relief. It was one of the very few remaining links he had to his precious daughter and it meant so much to him. It had been their pet project, their thing. Charlotte adored it and Angela kept out of the way; she knew it was a daddy-daughter thing and she didn’t want to interfere with their bonding. Jane held it close to his face and inhaled deeply. Sometimes, he liked to imagine that her smell - strawberries and cream, chocolate, and freshly laundered clothes - still lingered on it. Deep down, he knew that it was his imagination, but he just didn’t care.
Suddenly, he started to cough again, and more violently this time around. He didn’t regret his decision in the slightest, but he wished he had been a little quicker in finding the scrapbook. Now, he realized just how foolish and reckless he’d been. Jane was used to facing dangerous situations, but everyone knew that you just didn’t run back into a burning building. And yet, he’d done just that. But as detailed and vivid as his memory palace was, he still needed physical reminders of his family to ensure they still felt close to him. That was why he had taken this scrapbook out of his daughter’s very pink bedroom in Malibu and brought it here. It may have been small, but it held so many irreplaceable memories. It had so much sentimental value.
There was a loud knock at the door and he soon heard a very familiar voice calling his name. A rush of guilt washed over him; nobody was meant to follow him inside. Teresa Lisbon wasn’t meant to risk their life for him, at least not in this situation. And yet, he didn’t know why he hadn’t expected her to do anything less. It was simply ingrained into the both of them. If she needed saving, he was there in a heartbeat. And he had long since lost count of the number of times she had saved his life in return, both literally and metaphorically.
He finally managed to open the door to greet her, to promise that he would make his way out the building - and make sure she got out comparatively unscathed too. However, the first thing he was met with was the palm of her hand smacking hard, across his left cheek. Jane knew that he deserved it but still, they couldn’t waste any more time. They had to get out of the CBI headquarters before it crumbled down around them - or they succumbed to the blaze, whichever came first.
To Part Four
Part Three - Patrick Jane
“Come on, Jane, you’ve gotta get moving,” Van Pelt urged, but Jane merely stared into space.
He had never conceived that something like this could happen to the CBI headquarters; this was a place where he felt safe. Virtually everyone around him was panicking, rushing to the exits at breakneck speed, but he had frozen to the spot. It was almost his worst nightmare; he’d already had one family destroyed and now, fire was threatening to do the same to his new family, his new home. Jane hated to admit just how close he had gotten to the team; he had to remain aloof in order to be able to focus on catching and killing Red John. However, it was foolish for him to deny just how successful each and every one of them had been at crawling under his skin and creeping into his heart. Cho, Rigsby, Van Pelt, they weren’t just his friends anymore; they were like his siblings too. He needed them to keep a grasp on his sense of reality and more importantly, sanity.
And then there was Teresa Lisbon…
She was striding towards him, and he could see his fear mirrored in her eyes. Van Pelt moved aside swiftly, turning her attention to other people in the bullpen that had regressed to a catatonic state. Somewhat roughly, she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to his feet. After a brief exchange with Van Pelt, they headed towards the door. It was funny, how it was always Lisbon who could spur him into action. Not since his wife had somebody had quite the same effect on him, never mind for so long. Jane had half expected her to ensure that her team as a whole was safe, but her priority seemed to be him. Of course, he appreciated the fact - he always did - because he didn’t know what he would do without her.
Once they were finally outside, they headed towards Cho, who was waiting in the parking lot opposite the CBI headquarters. He had been the one to discover the fire, and had come away with minor injuries as a consequence. Jane hoped that EMTs would be on the scene soon, to treat his burns. As far as he was concerned, it was always the worst kind of injury to deal with. Briefly, Jane turned his attention to Lisbon and he could tell that she really wouldn’t be happy until she was certain that both Rigsby and Van Pelt were safe as well. He admired Van Pelt’s decision to try and shift the people who had been stunned by the shock of a legitimate fire threat. And he knew it wouldn’t be long until Rigsby was out either; if any member of the team truly understood the severity of the situation, it would be him. Jane also expected that he was the one who would ultimately work out what the cause of this fire was - and why the sprinkler system had failed - but for now, the evacuation was far more important.
But, as glad as he was that Lisbon was taking care of him, a wave of fear had taken over his body. There was something that he needed to get out of his attic, something which was priceless to him. The fire had started at the opposite end of the building and while fires spread fast, Jane knew that if he hurried, then he would have time to get back in there and retrieve it. The only problem was that he knew Lisbon just wouldn’t see sense - she’d probably believe he was after something relating to Red John - and would refuse point blank to let him do something as stupid as re-enter a burning building. Therefore, he needed to get away from her and slip back in and outside, unnoticed.
“You can let go of me now, Lisbon,” Jane stated quietly as they wound their way past the CBI employees who had already made their way outside and towards Cho. “We’re out of the building now; we’re not in any danger.”
“Don’t go back into the building, Jane. Everything in there is replaceable; you’re not,” she said seriously, but she finally let go of his wrist, much to his relief.
“What do you think I am, seven?” he joked.
She slapped him lightly on the arm, but he didn’t care. Jane knew that light violence was her way of showing affection to him. If she didn’t feel comfortable around him, then she wouldn’t have dared to do it. As a consequence, he wasn’t offended in the slightest; if anything, he quite liked it. Besides, it didn’t hurt at all, and that was how he could tell what she meant by it.
“I’m going to see if I can flag down any of the first responders,” Jane informed her quickly. “They must be here soon."
Lisbon believed the lie in an instant, and immediately turned her attention back to Cho. Jane only felt momentarily guilty for deceiving her. Besides, she had known him for more than long enough to know exactly what he was like; lying was behavior she expected from him. He quickly put her from his mind; she was a distraction from the task in hand. Carefully, he made his way back to the headquarters. The fire immediately seemed far more ferocious now that he was back up close, but Jane was still more than convinced that this was a risk he was willing to take. He cursed his inability to move earlier; it had certainly made things that little more difficult. If he had thought properly, he would have been able to go and get what he was looking for before Lisbon had found him sitting on the couch instead of leaving the building. However, he couldn’t change the past, but it was still possible to do what he needed to do. All he had to do was find a little courage.
Steeling himself, Jane took one last glance around the crowd. He was almost certain that everybody who had been in the building had been evacuated now. When he could see that nobody was looking, he slipped inside. The air was still clear, but he could tell that the fire was spreading quickly. That meant he didn’t have much time, maybe five minutes or so, but that was going to be enough for what he needed to do. Immediately, he darted up several staircases and straight to his attic. There was no point in him delaying any more than he needed to; Jane knew that he had already wasted far too much time as it was.
Within approximately forty-five seconds, he was already in front of the door and unlocking the padlock. His chest felt tight; he wasn’t used to that kind of physical exertion and he made a mental note to do something about it. It wasn’t that he was unfit - he did exercise on occasion - but he could tell it would be worth putting that little more effort into maintaining his health. After all, he wasn’t getting any younger. And, if he wasn’t quick about this, there was every possibility that he wasn’t going to get any older either. However, it was hard to know where to start. He cast his eyes around the small room, and was stunned by what he saw. It was so unlike him to be so disorganized and to leave things in such a mess.
Ordinarily, Jane would have known exactly where everything was thanks to his impeccable memory palace. However, he’d been engrossed in the Red John case lately; a few recent leads and realizations meant that his small attic space had become overrun with mess. Papers, photographs, old case files, maps, everything was strewn across the floor. And soon, it would all go up in smoke. But he had to find what he was looking for; he couldn’t let this one thing get destroyed in the same way that everything else would be. He didn’t intend to be in here for long, but he knew that the fire was restricted enough just to give him time to look. That was why he had given Lisbon the slip. Jane could imagine just how furious she was, but then, she wouldn’t understand his sentiment.
He grabbed hold of a file on Red John and shoved it underneath his arm for safekeeping as he rummaged amongst the detritus. The smoke was beginning to make its way into his attic and he knew that he was running out of time. If he wanted to get out of here alive, he had to find what he was looking for soon or find a way to accept that it was lost forever. However, the very idea of the latter made him feel sick to the stomach. He’d promised her that he would look after it and he’d already let her down so many times; he just couldn’t do it again. Jane paused in his search for a second; the smoke triggered a small coughing fit, but it wasn’t enough to distract him for too long. Eventually, his fingers brushed against a familiar hard surface and he smiled. Digging out the large scrapbook, he breathed out a sigh of relief. It was one of the very few remaining links he had to his precious daughter and it meant so much to him. It had been their pet project, their thing. Charlotte adored it and Angela kept out of the way; she knew it was a daddy-daughter thing and she didn’t want to interfere with their bonding. Jane held it close to his face and inhaled deeply. Sometimes, he liked to imagine that her smell - strawberries and cream, chocolate, and freshly laundered clothes - still lingered on it. Deep down, he knew that it was his imagination, but he just didn’t care.
Suddenly, he started to cough again, and more violently this time around. He didn’t regret his decision in the slightest, but he wished he had been a little quicker in finding the scrapbook. Now, he realized just how foolish and reckless he’d been. Jane was used to facing dangerous situations, but everyone knew that you just didn’t run back into a burning building. And yet, he’d done just that. But as detailed and vivid as his memory palace was, he still needed physical reminders of his family to ensure they still felt close to him. That was why he had taken this scrapbook out of his daughter’s very pink bedroom in Malibu and brought it here. It may have been small, but it held so many irreplaceable memories. It had so much sentimental value.
There was a loud knock at the door and he soon heard a very familiar voice calling his name. A rush of guilt washed over him; nobody was meant to follow him inside. Teresa Lisbon wasn’t meant to risk their life for him, at least not in this situation. And yet, he didn’t know why he hadn’t expected her to do anything less. It was simply ingrained into the both of them. If she needed saving, he was there in a heartbeat. And he had long since lost count of the number of times she had saved his life in return, both literally and metaphorically.
He finally managed to open the door to greet her, to promise that he would make his way out the building - and make sure she got out comparatively unscathed too. However, the first thing he was met with was the palm of her hand smacking hard, across his left cheek. Jane knew that he deserved it but still, they couldn’t waste any more time. They had to get out of the CBI headquarters before it crumbled down around them - or they succumbed to the blaze, whichever came first.
To Part Four