A/N: So I wondered what would happen if Lisbon and Jane got stuck down a well together, and this is the result. I don't actually know if Lisbon is claustrophobic or not, but I thought it would add an interesting twist. Please let me know if there's anything I should fix, and I'm not a doctor so I'm not sure if all the medical stuff is correct. I googled, though!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mentalist or anything associated with it. I'm just playing with the characters.

Walls

The late afternoon sun glinted off the windows of the old farmhouse, setting them ablaze with golden light. The house was silhouetted against the deep blue sky. Some time in the past few days, the light had changed; the sky's hue had shifted from summer's light, hazy blue to the crisp, focused light of fall. The change was slowly starting to set in all over California, and Teresa Lisbon could feel the subtle traces of coolness in the breeze, just a hint of the coming of autumn.

She walked through the hip-length grass, smacking it out of the way as it snagged on the rough tweed of her dress pants. The heels of her boots kept punching into the soft earth so that she had to extricate herself with every step.

Looking ahead, she couldn't help but envy Patrick Jane's tall, lithe frame. With her petite stature, the long grass was hampering her movements a little more. He was walking a few steps ahead of her as usual, hands tucked casually in the pockets of his pants. His face was upturned to catch the remaining rays of sunlight like a daisy.

"Jane," said Lisbon suddenly, voice sharp in the silence.

"Hm?" He stopped walking and turned to face her.

"Does it look to you like anybody's even home?" she asked, pausing for a second to look up the gradual slope at the house.

"Nope," Jane replied, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Lisbon sighed, exhaling a frustrated breath that ruffled her bangs. "Guess we still have to check it out," she said, eyeing the slope ahead of her with distaste. "Joy."

"Pretend it's an adventure, or a safari or something," Jane suggested, grinning and running his fingers through his golden curls.

"Some adventure," muttered Lisbon drily, resuming her stride up the hill. She hadn't gotten very far when she felt the ground splinter beneath her boots with a sickening crunch. Before she could cry out, she plunged straight down into the darkness.

As usual, Jane had been in his own little world, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face and the way the wind worked its fingers through his hair. He whirled at a small sound, just in time to see a mass of dark hair – Lisbon's – disappear, seemingly into the ground. "Lisbon?" he called out, confused.

"Down here," she shouted, sounding far away.

"Lisbon?" asked Jane, kneeling at the edge of the hole, peering down into it. It seemed to be some kind of well, badly covered by a rotting board that had given way under Lisbon's admittedly petite weight. "Are you okay?"

A small whimper of pain rose to greet him, sealing his decision. He sat on the edge, swinging his legs over the side, before letting himself fall into the pit. Unlike her, he was prepared and landed on his feet, rolling sideways to absorb the impact. Still, the breath was violently knocked out of his lungs from the force of his landing. Breathing hard, he got to his feet slowly, aware of a mild pain in his right knee.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, looking him up and down.

"I'm okay," he replied, brushing the earth off his suit, and turned to Lisbon, expecting to see just a little warmth on her face.

Instead, she glared at him; her face was livid and glowed palely in the darkness. "What the hell, Jane? You could have called someone and gotten us out of here. Now we're going to be stuck down here for God only knows how long!" Her voice shook, and she turned away, unable to look at him. Her head was tipped down, hair falling in front of her face like a dark curtain, and her shoulders were shaking.

"What's wrong?" Jane asked, concerned.

Lisbon looked up, tucking her hair behind her ears, and made a small hiccupping noise. "I'm claustrophobic."

"Oh." Jane paused, frowned, and then looked curiously over at her. "I didn't know that."

"It's never really been an issue before," she said, with an almost imperceptible semi-shrug. "It's kind of an issue now." Her breath was coming fast and hard, and she was trembling. In the light, he could see the thin sheen of sweat sitting on her skin. It was weird, almost wrong somehow, to see her so scared.

Jane wasn't entirely sure how to react to this, so he busied himself with trying to think of an escape strategy. By his estimation, he guessed that they were about 18 feet down. The walls were steep, lined with rocks. He stood and propped a food up on one, and began to climb, pulling himself off the ground with one hand on a rock a few feet above his head.

"Jane, what the hell are you doing?" Lisbon snapped, her head jerking upright as the blond tried to scale the wall. Who did he think he was, Spiderman?

"Trying to get us out of here," he replied without turning his head, before a rock jarred loose under his hands and sent him tumbling the few feet to the ground where he landed with a soft thud on his side, sending up a puff of dirt.

"Are you okay?" Lisbon's voice shot up an octave and she dragged herself over to him, rolling him over only to be greeted with a lazy smile. She smacked his arm as hard as she could. "You bastard, I was worried!"

He let out a wheezy laugh, rubbing the painful spot on his chest gently. "You're getting mouthy, Lisbon."

"I'm stuck down a well with you. How am I supposed to feel?" Lisbon spat.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Hey, do you have cell service?"

Lisbon felt around in her blazer pocket, and pulled out the remains of her Blackberry. The case was smashed, the screen was cracked, and the body was in pieces. She punched the on button repeatedly, to no avail. "Jane, I don't even have a cell phone. Do you have yours?"

"Battery's dead, so I left it on my couch," he explained. "I guess we're out of options."

Lisbon arched an eyebrow and folded her arms. "You, Patrick Jane, out of ideas? I don't believe it."

"Relax, Lisbon. Van Pelt will realize when we don't come back. They'll come looking for us," he said, putting a gentle hand on her arm, but she shrugged it off.

"They won't be able to look for us until morning. Face it, Jane, we're stuck here! There's only a few hours left of daylight," she said, sounding on the verge of tears. She was huddled against the stone wall, one knee pulled up to her chest and the other pulled up halfway. Her fingers clutched tightly at her left ankle, and her face was ashen, lips trembling in their fixed pout.

"Are you hurt? I was going to ask before." Jane's eyes widened, and he scooted towards her in the tiny space, arranging himself so he was sitting in front of her. "May I take a look?"

"Be careful – ow!" she said, nodding her assent and then pulling away, wincing, as his fingers tugged at the zipper of her high-heeled boots. Her face tightened and she curled up more tightly, pushing his hands away.

"Let's just get your boot off, okay? You can hold my hand as tightly as you want," he said, offering her his hand. With a roll of her eyes, Lisbon took it. He worked at her zipper, and slowly trying to ease her boot off. She muffled her scream of pain against his shoulder, fingers tightening like a noose around the fingers of his left hand. He felt tears dampen his shirt.

Rolling down her thin grey sock, he assessed the damage to the best of his ability in the dim light. "I think it's broken," he said quietly.

"No shit," she snapped, tilting her head back and exhaling shakily. "I could feel it break when I landed." She tried to take in a breath, but it got stuck halfway.

"Oh God, I feel like I'm going to faint." She rubbed her eyes and put her head between her knees, entire body trembling. She looked up at a soothing warmth on her back, and found Jane looking at her.

"It's okay, Lisbon. You're not going to faint. Just breathe," he said quietly, rubbing slow circles in her back. He looked up at the circle of light above their heads. It was fading fast. If she was scared now, he figured it would multiply exponentially once dark fell in an hour or so.

"It hurts, Jane. It really hurts," Lisbon admitted, digging her fingernails into the swollen skin.

"I know." He continued rubbing her back, trying to calm her down. "They'll get us out of here. Van Pelt has probably already realized that we're missing. She'll have people out here soon. In the mean time, let's get your leg up."

He took off his vest and rolled it up, before helping her out of her blazer. Motioning for her to lie back, he slid the vest under her head to act as a pillow and propped her injured leg up with rocks and her blazer.

"Not soon enough," Lisbon gritted out, tilting her head up and looking at the gathering darkness. She shivered, curling into herself like a turtle.

"We might as well amuse ourselves," Jane suggested, settling himself back against the damp stone wall next to her and twiddling his thumbs.

"Or figure out what we're going to do tonight," returned Lisbon with a sigh. "It's going to get a lot colder."

Neither one of them were dressed appropriately, but at least Jane had his three-piece suit and a long-sleeved shirt. Or, he had had them. Now, he was only wearing his thin blue dress shirt.

On the other hand, Lisbon's outfit consisted of her typical black dress pants and a tight-fitting pink V-neck t-shirt. She was glad she had worn a blazer, but it wasn't going to help much in the warmth department.

"We can huddle together for warmth," he suggested, blue eyes twinkling impishly in the dark.

"I guess we're going to have to." Lisbon heaved another sigh and wrapped her hands around her ankle, which was huge, purple and black, and throbbing.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Jane worriedly, eyeing her ankle with concern.

"I don't know, telepathically communicate with Van Pelt and get units over here," she replied flatly, shivering again.

"You're in shock. Here." Jane shrugged off his jacket and tucked it around her shoulders, helping her put her arms through its sleeves. They were way too long for her, and covered her hands. "It's not much, but it's the best I can do."

"Thanks, Jane, I appreciate it," Lisbon said, wrapping her arms around her upper body and trying to repress the shivers running through her body. Her skin felt cold and clammy with its slick of nervous sweat, which stubbornly refused to evaporate.

"What now?" he asked, bored already. "Want to play Truth or Dare?"

"No, you already know everything about me." Lisbon pulled his jacket a little more tightly around her shoulders, inhaling the smell of his cologne and him, and leaned forward, yawning. "I just want to sleep." Her gaze slid up to the circle of sky visible far above her head, which was the bluish-mauve colour of approaching darkness.

"Sleep, then," replied Jane, settling himself so that the rocks didn't jut into his spine. "We'll be here a while."

Lisbon grunted, extremely uncomfortable with the idea of being down here overnight, but closed her eyes and let her head drop forward. She sat up again, adding his vest to the pile propping up her leg.

She covered her yawn with her palm, moving her head so it rested lightly against Jane's shoulder. She was vaguely surprised when he slid an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and allowing her to nestle in so she fit the curves and contours of his body perfectly. With a soft smile, he let his chin rest gently on the top of her head, breathing in the smell of her fruity shampoo until he fell asleep.

"Rigsby, have either you or Cho heard anything from Lisbon or Jane?" asked Grace Van Pelt, looking up from her computer screen, where she'd been running financials for the past hour, rubbing her eyes, smudging her eyeliner and blinking at the change of light.

"Nope," replied Cho, without taking his eyes off his computer screen.

"Shouldn't they be back by now? It's 7:00 and Lisbon called at two to tell me they'd arrived," she said, twisting the ends of her sleek ponytail between her fingers nervously.

"Relax, Van Pelt, I'm sure they're fine. They're probably just getting food or something," added Rigsby through a mouthful of meatball sub.

"Not everybody is obsessed with food like you, Rigsby. Doesn't anybody else find it odd that they're not back yet? It doesn't take five hours to search the house, and they're only half an hour out of town," Van Pelt said, giving up her focus on the lines of text filling her screen and rolling her chair away from her desk in order to fix the other two agents with an intense stare.

"I'll phone Jane now. I'm sure there's a logical explanation," said Cho, taking out his phone and dialing Jane's number. His ringtone went off from the couch.

"I'll get Lisbon," said Rigsby, swallowing his sub and dialing Lisbon. After a few seconds, he stopped dead in the center of the room, then snapped his phone shut. "Straight to voicemail, then nothing."

"I'm sure everything's fine," he added a beat later, putting a comforting hand on Van Pelt's shoulder.

Grace shook off his hand. "Honestly! Can't you two tell that something's wrong?" she burst out, before standing up, phone in hand. "I have to go make a call," she continued coldly, before stalking out of the room, phone pressed to her ear.

Five minutes later, she returned, eyebrows pinched together and looking worried. "I just talked to Sheriff Davis. He said he'd swing by the McLaren House on his way home, make sure there's no trouble. He also told me that there's an old well somewhere on the property. He thinks they could have fallen into it," she said, trying to stay calm.

"He's only doing it because he likes you," said Rigsby teasingly, spraying crumbs from his cookie everywhere.

"I'm sorry, at least he likes me, unlike that deputy that you can't impress," Grace shot back.

"At least he's not 60," Rigsby snickered, causing Van Pelt to roll her eyes and turn away.

"There's no water in this well, is there?" asked Cho, looking up from his computer screen, alarmed.

"Thankfully not. Davis said it's been dry for almost a century," Grace said. "He also told me he'd check it himself but it's too dark and he doesn't know the exact location of the well. We're going down there at first light." She looked pointedly at Rigsby and Cho, gathering up her purse and jacket. "I'll see you all then."

Lisbon woke up to Jane moving restlessly beside her. His elbows made contact with her ribs and she shot upright, eyes open, and irritated at being woken.

"What's wrong with you?" she demanded, whipping to face him.

"I have to pee," he admitted, shifting again.

"Oh, honestly. Can't you hold it?" she asked, restraining herself from rolling her eyes with some difficulty. She looked around in the dark, surprised at how at ease she felt, now that the initial panic had worn off.

"No." Jane shook his head and gave her puppy dog eyes. "Lisbon, do you want me to pee my pants?"

In response, she scooted a few inches away from him, trying not to disturb her ankle. Her leg had fallen asleep, but she figured pins and needles were better than the alternative. "Fine, go over there," she said, flapping an arm feebly at the opposite wall.

He stood, joints cracking, and got halfway across the tiny space before turning back to her with a wink. "Don't look."

"Trust me, I'm not," she sighed, allowing herself to roll her eyes. Under the circumstances, it was completely justifiable. She closed her eyes, shifted her weight, and tried to go back to sleep.

"Ahh, much better," Jane said, stretching his arms over his head as he walked back to his dark-haired partner. "Are you sure you don't have to go?"

Unfortunately, he was making her far too aware of the pressure building in her lower abdomen. "No," she lied, regretting that cup of coffee before leaving. "I'm fine."

"You're lying," he chuckled, looking far too delighted with himself.

"Anyway, I can't move," she admitted, glad it was dark so he couldn't see her blush.

"I'll help you," he said with an impish grin. "And no looking, I promise." He held up two fingers, Scout's honour.

"I still have my gun," she growled, reaching down to tap her holster for emphasis. Making up her mind, she pushed herself up into a kind of squat, and then stood up, hopping painfully on one leg over to the other side of the well, stumbling and almost falling as she tried to squat again.

"This is painful to watch." Jane exhaled, eyes dancing, and then stood. "Okay, go over there. Just lean back against that wall with your back against it and go from there. I won't look, I promise."

"Better not," she said, lowering her voice to a threatening growl and trying to find a relatively stable position. Checking to make sure he wasn't looking, she found his eyes pressed firmly shut with a hand over them. She sighed, fumbling with her buttons in the darkness, and wondered why the hell she'd ever thought pants with five buttons were a good idea. She eventually succeeded in popping all of them and slowly wiggled her pants and panties down over her slim hips. She shuffled her feet forward and released, cramped muscles unclenching.

Once she was done, she pulled her pants back up, standing up on leg, and managed to do up all her buttons. She hopped back to Jane, face aflame with embarrassment, and settled herself next to him again, propping up her leg. "Are you sure you didn't peek?" she demanded.

"Positive. Anyway, it's too dark down here to see anything," he replied. "Your blue panties are cute, though. I wouldn't have put you down as the lace type."

Lisbon gasped, punching him on the shoulder again. "I hate you, Patrick Jane!"

He chuckled, putting both hands up in surrender. "I'm kidding, please don't shoot me. Are you going back to sleep?"

"Sure, sure." Lisbon snuggled into his chest again, feeling safe and secure with his arms around her.

"But seriously though, those panties were cute," he added softly, lowering his face so it met her hair again.

"Jane!" Lisbon snapped, hiding her smile in his shirt.

He woke up a few hours later to her head resting heavily in his lap. She'd somehow migrated from being curled up next to him to having her head in his lap, lying next to him on the floor, leg propped up on the rolled up vest and blazer.

On a normal day, this wouldn't have been a problem. Well, it wouldn't have happened on a normal day, period, but they'd been pretty close already, and so he considered these last few hours extenuating circumstances. Her head was warm and heavy, bringing some long submerged feelings to the surface.

The fact of the matter was that if she didn't move her head soon, he was going to start getting hard, and he just didn't want to explain that one. It also had something to do with the fact that one of her arms had slid around his waist, catching it in a firm grip.

"Teresa, wake up," he said softly, shaking her shoulder.

"Jane, go away, I'm tired," she mumbled, turning so that her face was pressed into his belt buckle. The cold on her cheek made her shoot straight up as she realized exactly what she had been doing. "Oh God, Jane, I'm so sorry!"

He chuckled softly. "It's okay, you were asleep."

Lisbon unwrapped her arms from around his waist and busied herself pulling her long dark hair into a braid so he couldn't see the way her cheeks were colouring. "So what time is it anyway?" she asked, letting herself relax against the stones.

"About 4:30," replied Jane, gaze drifting up to the patch of dark sky sprinkled with stars, soaring high above their heads. He paused for a few seconds and then continued, "I'm hungry."

"Me too," she replied, suddenly aware of the pulling, gnawing sensation in her abdomen. "Do you have any food?"

"Nope," replied Jane, turning his pockets inside out to prove his point. "Normally I'd have a packet of gummy bears or something, but I'm all out. Sorry."

"It's alright," Lisbon said, with a brave attempt at a smile. "I'm sure we'll be out of here in a few hours anyway."

"What do you want to eat?" asked Jane curiously.

"Stop it, Jane. You're making it worse," Lisbon snapped, as her stomach growled at the mere mention of food. Annoyed, she clamped both hands around her midsection, pressing down hard.

"I want a big breakfast. Eggs Benedict, bacon, toast," continued Jane thoughtfully, ignoring her. "And of course, a nice hot cup of tea. Now, what about you?"

Lisbon sighed, realizing that she might as well go along with it, because Jane wasn't going to give up until he got a somewhat satisfactory answer. "I guess I'd want a coffee and a bearclaw."

It was still dark as Grace Van Pelt pulled the CBI's signature black Suburban up the seemingly endless gravel driveway. She immediately recognized Jane's car, his blue Citroen standing out against the landscape.

Parking the car, she pushed the door open and stepped out into the chill pre-dawn air, trying to figure out the direction Lisbon and Jane had gone in. When she turned around, Rigsby and Cho were leaning against the hood of the SUV, drinking identical coffees in order to keep their fingers warm and their eyes open. Rigsby had a massive chocolate glazed donut in his other hand, and she knew he also had a bagel sitting on the dashboard for good measure. He was taking huge bites of the pastry, shedding sprinkles everywhere while Cho looked on with his usual tolerant face.

Van Pelt had her flashlight out, and was pacing up and down in the thigh-high grass, moving the beam restlessly over the uneven ground.

She looked about ready to go find Lisbon and Jane herself, darkness and lack of personnel be damned. She had gotten about two metres out of the relative safety of the driveway when Rigsby reached out and grabbed her arm more forcefully than he intended, jerking her backwards.

"What was that for?" she demanded, breaking his grip and rubbing her arm.

"Sorry," Rigsby said, looking down and inspecting his shoes, "I just – don't go out there without light, okay? We don't know where the well is."

Van Pelt's facial expression softened, her glare fading. "I know. I just want to find them. Where are the emergency vehicles, anyway?" She fidgeted against the hood of the car, frowning and forcing a sip of coffee past the knot of nerves in her throat.

"They should be here!"

"Van Pelt, calm down. They'll be here," Cho said, hoping he sounded reassuring. He checked his watch: 6:07. "The sun will be up in 20 minutes."

"We got here early," added Rigsby, hoping for the distant rumble of an emergency vehicle, ambulance or fire truck, he didn't care. He just wanted to get Lisbon and Jane out safely. He nodded, sipping his coffee.

The three lapsed into silence for the next 17 minutes, watching the darkness gradually lift and melt away into streaks of orange and fuchsia on a mauve background. The sun slid over the horizon, warming the air and allowing them to begin searching.

"It's light," commented Van Pelt a few minutes later, toying with her long red ponytail, twisting the ends between her fingers. She opened the car doors and pulled out the supplies they'd brought: four blankets, granola bars and bottles of water, and two lengths of sturdy rope.

"We're still waiting on the fire truck," Cho pointed out quietly.

"They've been sitting down there for far too long," said Grace. "We need to get them out of there now! Can we just find the well first?"

"Grace is right," said Rigsby supportively, moving behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "We should find them first, and then if back-up isn't here, try to get them out." He took the rope from Van Pelt and coiled it around his shoulder.

"Alright, let's go," conceded Cho with a sigh, taking out his flashlight and starting into the long grass, running the beam over the uneven ground.

"Lisbon! Jane!" called Van Pelt, hurrying across the field in front of the other two agents, shining her flashlight and fixing her eyes on the ground, searching for the inevitable gap.

Lisbon had been asleep, trying to ride out the waves if pain that had been steadily washing over her for the past few hours, her head tucked into the hollow of Jane's shoulder. She'd always been a light sleeper, and now was no exception. Sounds of life roused her immediately, and her eyes flew open, magnetically drawn to the patch of open air above her head. Frantically, she shook Jane's shoulder, trying to wake him up. "Jane! Did you hear that? I can hear voices!"

Jane cracked an eye lazily. "That's never a good sign, Lisbon. You can get medication for that."

Stifling a smile, Lisbon punched him halfheartedly on the shoulder, hard enough to make her point but not hard enough to do serious damage. "I'm serious, Jane! I hear people outside," she said, hope lightening her voice. She forced herself to stand, wobbling unsteadily on one foot, supported by the wall. "We're down here!"

Van Pelt's face appeared, eclipsing the light. As soon as she caught sight of the two of them, her face lit up and she smiled. "Are you guys okay?" she called down, sitting on the grass but keeping them in sight as she bent over the top of the well.

"Am I ever glad to see you! Can you get us out of here?" Lisbon asked, the tense lines etched on her face melting in relief.

"Are you hurt?" shouted Cho, sticking his upper body over the well so his face slid into view next to Van Pelt's.

"Jane's fine," Lisbon said, rolling her eyes at her luck, "but I think I broke my ankle when I fell."

"Oh, it's definitely broken," Jane chimed in from his position on the floor.

"Ah, another country heard from," said Lisbon drily, rubbing her eyes and sinking back against the stones for support.

"Can you get us out of here, please?" asked Jane, standing up gingerly, stretching out his stiff muscles and brushing the dirt off his suit. He tipped his head from side to side, trying to massage the crick out of his neck.

"Where's our back up?" Van Pelt whipped her head around and looked at the driveway, which was still infuriatingly empty. She huffed out a short breath of irritation.

"Screw them, we're getting you guys out of there, fire department or not," said Rigsby, nodding decisively as he waved to Lisbon and Jane. He uncoiled the length of rope from around his shoulder, and quickly tied a bowline in one end, securing the loop and lowering it slowly down into the depths.

Next to him, Van Pelt switched on her flashlight. "Sorry guys, it's about to get bright," she said apologetically, shining the beam down into the well.

The loop swung unsteadily down until Jane reached out and grasped it, helping Lisbon slide into it so part of the loop sat just underneath her butt. She clamped her hands tightly around the length of rope above her head and nodded her assent, closing her eyes against the wave of dizziness as Rigsby and Cho pulled back on the rope, lifting her off the ground. Her head and shoulders emerged from the pit a few seconds later, and she breathed in great gasps of clean, fresh air as strong hands pulled her into the early morning sun.

"Lisbon! I'm so glad you're okay!" exclaimed Grace, throwing her arms around the petite brunette and pulling her into a rib-cracking hug.

Lisbon let out a dry chuckle from between cracking lips. She patted the redhead's back a few times before flopping back onto the grass, feeling the droplets of dew seep through the thin material of her shirt to make contact with the skin underneath.

"Jane, are you ready to come up?" called down Rigsby, lowering the rope to the curly-haired man.

Jane slipped the rope around his body, and the loop tightened around his waist. He reached up and wrapped his fingers tightly around the rope, feeling himself being lifted slowly off the ground. He swayed precariously in mid-air, before lunging upwards to grab Cho's hand.

A few seconds later, he was lying on the wet grass next to Lisbon, looking up at the blue sky, too exhausted to move.

"Here, I brought some food," said Van Pelt, returning from the car with the bottles of water and a few granola bars in her hands. She held them out to Lisbon and Jane, who took them eagerly, ripping the foil open.

"I hear an ambulance," said Rigsby, his ears detecting the increasingly loud wail of a siren in the distance. "Don't worry, they'll get you fixed up in no time."

"Do we have to go to the hospital? I hate hospitals," whined Jane, looking over at Rigsby and doing his best wide-eyed innocent look.

"Jane, we just spent 16 hours down a well. This is not optional," said Lisbon firmly, turning around to fix him with a glare, lips pressed tightly together. It was surprising that she could even muster the strength to pull her dark brows down over her clear jade green eyes, but in true Lisbon style, she managed it somehow. She rolled over and took his hand, just as the ambulance stopped at the top of the driveway. The doors flew open and two paramedics jumped out.

"It's about time you showed up! Where were you?" demanded Van Pelt as they neared, jumping to her feet. "You were supposed to be here at dawn, and it's," she paused, narrowed her eyes dangerously, and checked her watch, "7:45."

"Dawn was over an hour ago," added Cho, folding his arms over his chest and staring down the taller paramedic. He moved over to Jane and helped pull the slender blonde to his feet, giving him a discreet push towards the paramedics. The second one was loading a stretcher out of the back of the ambulance and heading in Lisbon's direction.

Rigsby slipped an arm around her, pulling her gently to her feet. She buckled her own weight with a small whimper. With a grunt, he picked her up, lifting her bridal-style and easily making his way over to the ambulance. He set her as softly as possible on the stretcher, and she lay back, closing her eyes, running her tongue over parched lips.

"Thanks, Rigsby," she murmured, lips cracking.

"No problem, Boss," he replied, patting her on the shoulder awkwardly and backing away. He headed back to where Van Pelt and Cho were sitting on the grass, engaged in trying to convince Jane to go quietly to the hospital.

"Just go Jane, please," pleaded Van Pelt, giving him puppy eyes. "Please?"

"I'm fine," he protested, swiping a hand across his eyes. Black spots were beginning to dance around the edges of his vision and his whole body felt weak. It had been creeping up on him since he got out into the fresh air, and now the adrenaline had faded, leaving him feeling as limp as a rung-out dishrag. Now, as he realized that he hadn't eaten since yesterday's lunch, the wave of dizziness and hunger fell over him, sucking him under. His entire body felt heavy, as if his appendages had suddenly turned to lead. He swayed precariously, putting a hand on the grass to steady him, but the earth was rolling slowly under his palm, gentle waves in the ocean.

"Come on, Jane," said Rigsby, pulling the blond to his feet by his armpits. He sighed as the slender man sagged loosely against him, half-dragging him across the grass to the waiting ambulance, taking advantage of his temporary weakness.

Jane forced his eyes open, trying to push Rigsby's hands away. Unfortunately, his colleague had a good six inches on him and he found himself being bundled into the back anyway.

Lisbon rolled her eyes as he settled himself next to her, attempting to shuffle over the stretcher to give him more room.
"Come on, Jane. You've been stuck down a well for 16 hours without food. You need to go to the hospital," she said, a tiny smile dragging at the corners of her lips.

"I need breakfast, not an IV," grumbled Jane, stretching. His muscles were stiff, and he didn't have to look to know that he was bruised from the force of the impact, but she didn't have to know that. Judging from the way she was observing him, she already knew.

"Jane, can you please make this as painless as possible? For me?" she asked, closing her eyes and leaning back against the pillow. She winced as the movement jarred her foot, pain running through her entire body.

"Are you okay?" Jane's blue eyes flickered worriedly up to her face, which had paled another few shades. He reached up and took her small hand, tucking it between his two larger ones. Her skin was cool to the touch, but he didn't mind, running his thumb over the delicate bones of her hand.

"I'll be okay once I get this set," she gritted, wiggling her exposed toes experimentally, breath hitching as a sharp pain shot up her legs again, radiating outward.

Jane placed her hand gently at her side, giving it a small pat, and ducked past her to stand framed at the back of the ambulance. "Hey, can we get going? Teresa here's been sitting here with her ankle broken for hours," Jane called out to the paramedics, crossing his arms.

With a small sigh and a roll of his eyes, he swayed back to his seat next to Lisbon, who had her eyes closed. Her lashes rested dark against waxen skin. He smoothed her dark bangs off her face, and her eyes flickered open, lips parting in a faint smile.

Jane immediately grinned in response, sitting down and taking her hand again just as the female paramedic shut the doors.

"I'm Clara," she said with a sweet smile as she began to fasten an armband around Lisbon's bicep, taking her blood pressure. She moved down to her ankle, pressing cool fingers against the inflamed flesh. A massive shudder ran through her and she wriggled weakly away from the prodding fingers, grip tightening involuntarily on Jane's fingers.

"Definitely broken," she said, "and your blood pressure and blood sugar are low. I'm going to get an IV going okay? Nothing major, just some glucose to get things back to normal and some painkillers."

"Sounds good," murmured Lisbon, opening her eyes for a split second before allowing them to drift shut again. She was so tired and everything hurt. She felt the cool touch of alcohol on her left hand, and then a small pinch that she knew was from the needle. She swallowed hard, trying not to think about that.

"Are you okay?" asked Clara, bending over her again with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said hoarsely. She could feel the glucose helping to perk her up, and the painkillers were flowing through her, already helping to deaden the pain.

The nearest hospital was 20 minutes away. The ride was spent mostly in tense silence, except for Clara's occasional whisper as she bent over Lisbon, and the beeping of several machines, all of which set Jane's nerves on edge.

After making sure Lisbon was okay, Clara had proceeded to take Jane's blood pressure, which was low, but not too low. She handed him a bottle of water and a packet of Sour Patch kids. Jane guessed the tiny packages were meant to appeal to kids, but sugar was sugar, so he wasn't going to complain. He ripped open the package, and popped the tangy candies into his mouth with the hand that wasn't entwined with Lisbon's fingers.

Her eyes opened as the ambulance pulled into the bay. Clara stood up; she quickly swabbed at the tape with alcohol to loosen it, before ripping it off and deftly removing the IV she'd started from Lisbon's hand. The two paramedics lifted the stretcher out of the ambulance, Jane following on their heels.

The hospital was small enough that it was silent as Clara and Michael carried Lisbon up to Emergency and past into a waiting room. She shifted from the stretcher to the table, trying to shield her ankle from the worst of the jolting.

"I'm Dr. O'Malley," said a petite red-haired woman dressed in teal scrubs with her hair pulled into a curly ponytail as she entered the room. "I hear you fell down a well and broke your ankle."

"That's about right," Lisbon agreed, wincing as she sat up. She noticed Jane trying to slip out the door unnoticed through her fog of painkillers and exhaustion. "Jane! Get back here!"

Sheepishly, Jane slowed and turned around. He tried out a charming smile. "Really, Lisbon, I'm fine. I'm going to get some gelatinous matter."

"Bullshit!" she snapped, ignoring Dr. O'Malley's widening blue eyes. "You need to get checked out. Humour me." With a ghost of a smile, she turned back to the doctor, who stood up and poked her head out to call one of the nurses.

"I'm fine, really," Jane objected, wandering over to settle himself next to Lisbon on one of the hard plastic chairs. He pulled a cherry lollipop out of his vest pocket and put it in his mouth, sucking on it absently. The red was already beginning to stain his tongue and lips.

A young, dark-haired nurse appeared in the doorway, wearing sky blue scrubs and a stethoscope draped around her neck. She looked toward Jane with a smile. "Hi, Mr. Jane, my name's Avery and I'd just like to check you over for injuries," she said, voice as sweet and cool as whipped cream.

He eyed her skeptically. "Are you sure it's necessary? I'm fine."

Lisbon narrowed her eyes. "Jane. Enough. I mean it."

"Mr. Jane," Avery said in a polite, but steely tone, "it would be negligent to discharge you without first making sure you're fit to leave."

He raised his hands in surrender and stood to follow her out of the room. "Are you even out of medical school yet?" he asked curiously, scrutinizing her.

Avery threw back her head and laughed, not in the least bit offended. "I can assure you that I'm old enough to be a nurse," she replied, still chuckling. "Now, are you going to come willingly or do I have to make you?"

"I'm going," he said, following her out of the room and leaving Lisbon alone with Dr. O'Malley.

"Are you sure she can handle him?" asked Lisbon dubiously, eyes tracking the two down the hallway. "He's a handful."

"Trust me, Avery's fully capable," Dr. O'Malley replied with a small smile. "She's got nerves of steel, that one."

The petite redheaded doctor began to examine her outstretched leg and foot. "It's definitely broken," she said slowly, removing her cool fingers from Lisbon's swollen ankle. "I'm going to send you for x-rays to figure out the severity and locations of the break, and then we'll get you a splint and crutches and let you go home. You'll need to come back in a few days once the swelling has gone down for a hard cast. I imagine it's been a rough day and you just want to sleep."

"Pretty much," Lisbon agreed with a shrug. "Could I get some painkillers too?"

"Of course. I'll get you something now and a prescription for later. I'll get your friends to fill the prescription for you while you're getting x-rays," Dr. O'Malley replied, with a sympathetic smile. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back with a wheelchair to get you down to radiology."

Lisbon visibly wilted. Crutches were bad enough, but a wheelchair was just humiliating. At least it was early enough that the hospital was still relatively deserted.

The doctor returned a few minutes later with a packet of pills and a paper cup of cool water in the other hand. Lisbon accepted both gratefully and forced down the pills.

A neat, lean man with warm hazel eyes followed the redhead into the room, pushing a wheelchair. "I'm Emmanuel, and I'll take you over to radiology," he said with a smile, pushing the chair up to her bed and helping her transfer from the bed to it. Once she was settled, he took her through the maze of corridors until they reached the radiology unit.

"I'm just going to take your blood pressure and temperature," said Avery coolly to Jane, fastening the cuff around his arm and poking the thermometer into his mouth despite his muffled protests. She waited until it beeped a few seconds later and then pulled it out, giving it a brief glance. "Well, your body temperature is a little low, but after some food and rest you should be fine."

"Good to know," he said, settling comfortably into his hard plastic chair. "Anything else?"

"I need to check for injuries. Up on the table, please, and waistcoat off."

"That's a little forward," he smirked, blue eyes twinkling as he complied.

"I can be very forward," she countered calmly, running her hands deftly over his upper body, checking for abnormalities and pain. When she pressed over one of his ribs, he winced and drew in a sharp breath.

"Pain right there?" she asked, eyeing him as she pressed down again.

"Yes," he replied, letting out a long breath.

"Pain over the R4 rib usually indicates a fracture or bruise," Avery said, with another push. This elicited another gasp and he tried to wriggle away. "There's a little movement, so I'm going to send you down for x-rays to make sure."

She continued down his body, flexing his legs and stopping when she indicated pain when she moved his knee. "Looks like a hyperextension or strain caused my the impact of your landing. It's mild, so you won't need crutches but you can wear a brace if you feel it's necessary," she said, making her way down to his toes and straightening up.

"Well, Mr. Jane, I'll send you down to radiology and then I think you'll be good to go," she said, giving him a smile.

"Thanks, Avery," he replied, standing stiffly. "Down and to the right?"

"That's it," she confirmed, "but I'll walk you there. I don't want you making any escape attempts."

Jane heaved a sigh as he retrieved his suit jacket and vest from where he'd draped them over the back of the chair. "If you feel it's necessary."

"Unfortunate, I do," she said wryly, rolling her eyes. She led him out the door and walked him down to radiology, where he found Lisbon sitting in a wheelchair and looking grouchy and a little out of it.

"Lisbon, what's going on?" he asked, hurrying over to her.

"I'm waiting for results," she replied with a somewhat dreamy smile. "Whatever they gave me, it's working." She paused for a second to regard him with unfocused green eyes. "Wait, why are you here?"

"Chest x-rays," he said honestly.

"Jane!" she exploded, but the effect was somewhat diminished by her droopy eyes and slouched shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?"

Jane sighed and placed a placating hand on her shoulder. "Teresa, calm down. Avery said it's probably just a bruised rib or a partial fracture. Nothing serious." His eyes slid over to the nurse in question, who was engaged in talking to the nurse at the desk.

"Mr. Jane?" Another nurse, this one with a blonde braid, materialized in the hallway, carrying a clipboard. "I'll take you for x-rays now."

"Guess I gotta go," Jane said, shooting Lisbon a reassuring smile. "I'll be back."

"How convenient," she retorted, through a dry smile. "Good luck, I hope it's nothing serious."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he replied over his shoulder, before disappearing down one of the hallways.

The x-ray room was dark and cold and smelled like metal. Jane swallowed convulsively, tightening his grip on the bundle of jacket and vest in his arms. The air was cool and still, and goosebumps broke out on his arms beneath his shirt sleeves.

"All right, let's make this quick, shall we?" The blonde nurse reappeared; she was carrying a lead apron draped over one arm, which she proceeded to tie around his waist. She directed him in the direction of the x-ray machine.

He moved robotically in front of it, complying as she instructed him to breathe in before hurrying back to take the shot.

"Breathe out," she called, as she took another shot. She emerged again, gently repositioning him and taking another set, this time from the back.

Once it was over, he was free to leave. This was a massive relief, because now that the initial adrenaline rush had subsided, he found to his surprise that he was bone tired and there was a headache gathering behind his eyes. His chest hurt a little, but not much. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he made his way slowly down the hall, back to the main radiology desk, where Lisbon wasn't, and then on back to where Rigsby, Van Pelt, and Cho were waiting patiently.

Van Pelt looked up at the sound of slow footsteps, and immediately smiled when she saw him standing there, looking unsure of what to do. "Come, sit down," she offered, patting the chair beside her. "We're just waiting on Lisbon."

"Any word?" he asked, running his hands through his disheveled curls.

"Yeah, they're getting her a splint and crutches and then she's good to go," answered Cho, looking up from yesterday's newspaper.

"I got her prescription," added Rigsby through a mouthful of doughnut. He leaned out from next to Cho and waved the tiny bottle and its accompanying pamphlet for emphasis.

"Yeah, yeah, good for you," Van Pelt said drily, looking like she was wrestling a smirk off her face. "How are you doing, Jane?"

"Me? I'm okay," he replied, not straightening from his slouched position. "Just a little tired."

"Well, we brought your car here so you can drive home, you know," she said kindly. "One of could drive you home."

Jane yawned again, blinking his watering eyes rapidly. "No, no, it's fine. I'll wait for Lisbon."

Van Pelt raised an eyebrow, surveying him with obvious concern, but too well-versed in his character to try to object. "If you're sure."

The rolling of wheels diverted their attention, and then a familiar figure appeared, her leg in a splint. She had obviously been drugged, because her normally alert eyes were unfocused and half-closed. She was drooping in the wheelchair. "Oh look, everybody's waiting for me. I must be popular," she slurred, lifting one hand in a half-hearted wave.

"How are you feeling, Boss?" asked Rigsby, gulping down the last of his bitter hospital coffee with a grimace, and jumping up to take the wheelchair from the nurse.

"Oh, you know," Lisbon answered vaguely, lifting her injured leg slightly. "I've been better, but whatever they gave me is go-ood."

"If you're okay to leave, then let's get you out of here," Van Pelt said worriedly, eyeing the splint with consternation.

"Before you leave, you should know that Ms. Lisbon will have to come back in a few days for a cast. We'll get in touch with Mercy General and let them know what's going on. Until then, you've got your T3s, which you can take every four to six hours and ice should help, too," Emmanuel said, helping her stand up and get her balance on crutches.

"We'll make sure she does," said Van Pelt, nodding her head decisively. These facts were no doubt already committed to her memory. She stood up, gathering her purse and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Before you go, I need to speak to Mr. Jane!" Dr. O'Malley called as she hurried down the hallway, auburn curls bouncing with the movement. She had a file with his name on it tucked under her arm.

He stood reluctantly, stretching his stiff muscles. He could feel the dull ache in his chest that had been getting worse since Avery had pushed on it. After the fall, the pain had died away a little, but now apparently, it was back. Dragging his feet, he followed the doctor down the hallway a few paces, until he knew they were out of the team's earshot.

"I just got the results of your x-rays," she said, indicating the folder in her hand. "They showed a partial fracture of one of your right ribs and some bruising around the area. It's not severe and should heal on its own, but please promise me you'll be gentle and not do anything strenuous over the next few weeks. No heavy lifting, or tackling, or falling down wells, okay?" He blue eyes twinkled warmly, before she continued, "You can take some over-the-counter pain meds, but if it gets worse, we can get you a prescription for something stronger. Please don't bandage it or anything, and remember to breathe deeply to prevent any chance of pneumonia. If anything changes or gets worse, get yourself to a hospital or doctor immediately. Understood?"

"No heavy lifting or strenuous activities, plenty of rest, painkillers. Got it."

"Now, you go home and take some Tylenol and plenty of rest." Smiling kindly, she turned and headed off in the opposite direction before rounding a corner and disappearing, leaving him alone and somewhat dizzy and disoriented under the bright fluorescent lights. He straggled back to the group, where Van Pelt was lingering, waiting for him. Rigsby was trying to help Lisbon navigate with her crutches, but she kept on stumbling and swearing, whacking her crutches against the ground in frustration.

"You got this, Lisbon?" he asked gently, smiling as she tripped and staggered yet again.

"No," she admitted, with a sigh of defeat. "Six to eight weeks is going to kill me, Jane." She paused, and then looked up suddenly, hair sliding away from her face like a curtain and her jade eyes searching his lapis ones. "Are you okay, Jane?" She frowned slightly, looking a little confused. "Did I ask you that already?"

"Yes, you did, but I'm okay, I promise." He gave her a tired smile before deciding to be honest and tell her the truth. "Actually, they found a partially fractured rib, but they told me it'll heal on its own."

"Jane!" She glared at him and tried to stomp on his foot with one of her crutches, before lurching forward and narrowly avoiding faceplanting, before strong arms reached out and pulled her back, rescuing her nose. Before she could protest, he had swept her off her feet and scooped her up wedding-style, crutches abandoned.

"Should I help out?" Rigsby asked Van Pelt, crinkling his eyebrows and looking confused. She looked over to where Jane was trying to carry their boss, and put a staying hand gently on his arm. "Nah, let's give them a minute."

"Jane! Put me down! I don't want you injuring yourself further!" she ordered, struggling in his arms, not caring a bit that she was making a scene in the hospital parking lot.

"It doesn't hurt," he lied, lips against her hair. Actually, it did hurt, just a little, but the pain was nothing compared to the warmth flooding his body at the feel of her weight in his arms. The way she leaned against him, head on his chest was oddly vulnerable. He leaned forward and smiled into her hair, inhaling the scent of her fruity shampoo. He picked out notes of strawberries and green tea.

"You know what, Jane?" she murmured sleepily, eyes drifting half-closed as he made his way across the parking lot.

"What, Lisbon?" he asked, genuinely curious about what she had to say.

"There's no one I'd rather get stuck down a well with than you," she said slowly. She tilted her head up to give him a dazed smile.

Chuckling, he bent his head down to brush his lips tenderly against her slightly chapped ones. "You're not so bad yourself, Teresa."

She pouted. "We spent 16 hours down a well and you waited until now to kiss me? If I'd known, we could have occupied our time a little better." She wrapped her arms a little more tightly around his neck, pulling him down for another kiss.

He smiled against her lips, disentangling himself from her arms and placing her gently in the passenger seat. "Lisbon, you're drugged, but for what it's worth, you're my favourite person to be trapped down a well with."

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time," she said, leaning back against the seat and closing her eyes. "We could have a lot of fun."

A/N: I hope you liked it! Please leave me a review if you did, because I guarantee it'll make me smile. Thanks for reading!