Disclaimer: I own nothing and only borrowed these characters for a little while.
It was a pleasant day as Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon sat comfortably side by side on a park bench.
Jane was sans jacket, his vest unbuttoned as he crossed one long leg over the other. Lisbon sat close, but not too close, her long hair covering the frequent looks she made around her.
Between them was a pram. Inside the pram was a small figure covered in a yellow blanket, a stuffed teddy bear pressed to one side. Not a sound came from within.
With a nonchalant air, Jane raised his arm and prepared to extend it behind them. "Touch me and Joseph Hopkins won't be the only one preparing to meet his maker," said Lisbon in a low tone.
Jane thought about disobeying for a second before he dropped his arm along the wooden rail of the bench instead. "Most people think I'm charming," he offered conversationally, not in the least perturbed by her rebuff.
Lisbon didn't miss a beat. "Most people don't know you," she replied, her eyes never shifting from surveillance.
"Touché," concurred Jane comfortably.
Silence fell between the two of them as Jane looked around with the very appearance of a bored husband, though his sharp eyes took in everything. Lisbon's eyes were equally active, though not as apparent.
It was Lisbon who spoke next. "I sincerely hope you know what you're doing," she muttered, checking her watch.
"Have I ever led you astray?" posed Jane in a faux tone, one hand on his heart as turned his head back to hers.
Lisbon looked into his face. "Where would I begin?"
Meanwhile at Headquarters, Gale Bertram, continuing to listen in, shook his head as he turned to an agent. "Do those two ever stop?" he asked incredulously.
Cho looked at his boss's boss blandly. "Is that a question?"
"Right..." trailed off the director. He listened for a moment longer before he gave orders to Hightower that he wanted regular updates and left the room.
Half an hour later and Lisbon was getting restless. Making another conspicuous sweep of the semi-busy park, she leaned forward into the pram, extending her arm inside.
"The baby's fine," soothed Jane.
Her mind took it literally before she brought herself quickly back to reality. Of course they both knew by "baby" he meant the gun hidden amongst the doll's blankets.
Pressing her hand against the hard weapon through the blanket to reassure herself, the agent was ill-prepared for when Jane easily placed a hand on her back.
Lisbon jumped, startled at the touch, then moved swiftly to hide it.
Jane didn't comment on her reaction, but when she sat back up, and his hand was on the bench once again, she could see the grin on his lips.
Sparing another look to her watch and noting that the foot traffic through the park was increasing as workers began to make their way home, Lisbon turned to Jane.
The still grinning man turned to her with a clueless expression on his face belied by the amusement in his eyes.
His expression swiftly changed though when he saw Lisbon's face change from annoyance to horror.
"Lisbon?" he queried, concerned.
Seeing her reach into the pram for the gun, Jane immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Wow," he said in placating tones, "surely whatever I did this time, it can be resolved via non-violent means?"
She wasn't laughing and it took him a moment to realise that gun wasn't on him. "Teresa?" Jane probed, and when she still didn't reply, he turned, following her line of sight.
"Oh shoot," he said, seeing a man throwing people off to the side as he ran full-pelt toward them across the grass, gun in hand.
Patrick Jane did what he did best next, ducking down. Bringing his hands up to cover his head, he spared a glance to where Lisbon was now easing up from the bench, turning and ready to take her pose, gun in hand.
It was like in slow motion as he tilted his head and looked up to see her holding the gun firmly, her eyes intent on her target. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words never came into being as a gunshot sounded and ...
... all went black.
Next chapter: