Chapter 12

"You did what?"

His mind is reeling! How could she have done this!? Both husband and wife glare each other down, tension rising in Lisbon's office.

"Patrick it was the only way to get her to stay!"

"Teresa how could you!?"

"Don't argue with me! You were scaring Scarlet away and no I don't believe that she's Marie. I needed evidence, and you needed her to stay so I made the deal and now she's here!"

It felt like such a betrayal, what did he do to deserve this!? He had felt it the moment she ran into him, looking at Scarlet was like seeing into a mirror. She got her features from Teresa and her blue eyes from him, Jane was getting close he knew he struck a cord bringing up the ice cream. The more he was with Scarlet, the more he knew she was Marie. But because of his wife Jane can't say a word.

"Fine, I'll back away but you have to tell me everything she told you!"

"Jane, I can't if she knows I told she would never open to me again!"

"Teresa-"

"Jane. I can't, if you want I'll give you an outline okay? Her mother is abusive and this 'amazing' father of hers has been abandoning her. You cannot speak a word of this to Scarlet! You have no idea what she's been through!"

Jane begins to whine, not understanding his wife's stubbornness.

"Then why can't you just tell me?"

Teresa rubs her temple and groans.

"Because she's been abused. You don't understand what it's like! Scarlet has no confidence she's a runaway, she's scared and confused and angry. Her mother beats her and her father does nothing about it, do you not see the chaos in her life? Do you know what he did when she finally confessed? Divorced her mom, didn't even call the cops. What father does that? Who lets his child be abused by his wife?"

"The doctor didn't say anything about abuse, wouldn't he have seen something?"

"I don't know Jane I don't have the whole story, you have to promise me not to push her. Maybe this is as bad as she says or maybe it isn't anything at all, now if you excuse me I have to find some reason to keep her from Visualize. I don't want her anywhere near her so called 'father'."

Jane let his wife go on that notion, he already knew that if Red John saw Marie with her true parents he-no don't think about it. This time is different, he thinks to himself, this time I'll keep her safe.

Likewise he was going to have to talk to Teresa, during the years of their marriage she began to tell him the extent of what her father had done to her as a child. Jane began to fully understand and anticipate her reactions to other abused kids/drunk fathers, what she was doing with Marie was one of those reactions. The doctor didn't note any signs of abuse, the only one Jane could find was Marie's frail frame. This was more or less Teresa reliving in a way what anxiety her father had caused and she was reacting to that fear by targeting Scarlet's 'parents'. Usually the anxiety occurred when someone confessed to their parents abuse, so clearly Scarlet opened more then Teresa is letting on.

Jane walks out of the bullpen towards the small kitchen craving a hot cup of tea, already smelling the sweet scent of chamomile. A familiar brunette bumps into him opening and closing drawers, the tea kettle already on the stove.

"Hello Scarlet."

She doesn't look at him and instead continues her search.

"Oh look Patrick Jane knows my name. Hey I can't find the tea anywhere do you know where it is?"

"Third drawer on the right."

"What drawer?"

"The third one."

"There is no fourth drawer!"

Jane gets closer to her his concern growing as she reads his lips when he repeats his response again and she opens the corrects drawer.

She opens it only to groan in complaint and heads to the fridge.

"Need something?"

"I'm starving!"

"Scarlet? I need to talk to you-"

Teresa attempts to chime in but Jane quickly interrupts her. Still to upset to let his wife bond with their daughter.

"You can't, I'm taking her out."

His daughter blinks at him in surprise.

"What?"

"You're starving right?"

Teresa interjects putting on her motherly tone.

"Patrick, the doctor said no solids. We've only had her for two days."

"Goodbye Teresa."

Jane attempts to leave when Scarlet stops him.

"She did tell you right?"

"Yes. I can't talk, now are you hungry or not?"

The girl shrugs in response and follows Jane out of the CBI.

---

Jane focuses on Scarlet as she studies her menu noting the previous incident at the kitchen. The diner he had taken her to was getting noisier as more people took their seat.

"They have tea if you-"

"Can I really have no solids?"

She asks a little louder then usual only to become embarrassed when she realizes Jane was talking. He had a feeling Scarlet wasn't afraid of him anymore due to taking the DNA test, she probably thinks it'll prove him wrong. So why is she not hearing him, this isn't her simply ignoring him this is....something else. Jane begins to talk carefully as she watches him form his words. Could it be this place is to loud for her?

"Once you've gotten some weight on you, you can have all the burgers you want."

Scarlet was about to interject when a little girl comes running into towards her dad giggling furiously as the man picks her up. Jane falls silent and simply watches as the wife comes to the husband and wishes him a Happy Father's Day. Scarlet follows his gaze and watches with him before setting down the menu, already knowing the right thing to do.

"On second thought, I'm not hungry anymore. Let's get out of here."

The mentalist doesn't even argue and the two make their leave immediately, not looking back. When they get into his car Jane doesn't even turn it on, he just stares out the window and she could tell he was hurting.

"Can I ask you something?"

The man mumbles something that she takes as a yes.

"What happened anyway?"

He lets out a sigh and turns on the car pulling out of the parking lot and into the road.

"I thought I can't talk about this?"

"You can't call me Marie or try to convince me that I am your daughter but that doesn't mean you can't give me the story."

"..."

Jane can't help but note that she's talking and responding normally, maybe it could have just been the noise in the diner. It was pretty loud at the CBI as well so her blunder would make sense. It was as though as long as she was in a more quiet environment Scarlet was completely normal when he knew something was wrong.

"I was this way with Julia to."

"What?"

"The day after she died? I saw her ghost everywhere: the cafeteria at the lockers...just....everywhere. Someone would say hello but I could've sworn it was her and then I'd look up only to find it wasn't. California's nice, it's so unfamiliar I can't see her anymore except for the nightmares but those are just bad dreams."

"Scarlet have you ever considered a counselor?"

"Oh no it doesn't work that way, I tell you my story and then you tell me yours."

This was going to be a long drive.

----

Lisbon's POV

I had texted Jane for the tenth time, letting him know that dinner was on the table and getting cold. They left around midday and it was now nightfall so he had plenty of time to spend with her. Jane was so behind on things because of this, the team and I have a few new suspects in that girl's murder the one we found on Stile's stage and I needed my Jane to get them talking. I take a spoonful of the soup and its frigid, great now I have to heat it up, I had decided that this was the best dinner for Scarlet since tomato basil soup has no solids whatsoever and it's supposedly healthy for you. At least that's what the cookbook says.

"Teresa!"

Jane sings as he finally enters our house with a somber looking Scarlet trailing behind. He looks so happy but I can't help but snap at him.

"You're late and dinners cold."

"Whaaaattt? Are you saying I'm late?"

He proclaims innocently not a glimmer of guilt in those bright blue eyes. Patrick wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a kiss already knowing how to nullify my anger. It was true, I can never stay angry at him for long and kissing me sweetly seems to make my rage disappear every time so of course Jane uses it to his full advantage.

He pulls away from me when Scarlet drags her seat out from the table so she can sit down and I take her bowl of soup to heat it up in the microwave. I can't help but wonder why she's so quiet and apparently neither can Jane but before he starts the conversation Scarlet beats him to it.

"How do you do it?"

She peers at Jane in complete confusion as I place her bowl of now hot soup in front of her and take Jane's away.

"How do I do what?"

"Bounce off of it like that. I thought if I talked about my friend it wouldn't bother me but it still does, it still hurts. You just told me what Red John did to your family and here you are smiling and having a great time."

"Scarlet when you find someone to love and they love you back then as much as it still hurts the emptiness is gone."

"You are so weird."

She says focusing on her soup and avoiding Jane's gaze. I am finally able to set my own bowl on the table and take a seat when Patrick gives me a look as if telling me to talk to her.

"I hope dinner's not to cold?"

"What?"

Scarlet looks up at me a little confused before realizing what I said. It's strange because I am sitting almost directly across from her to the right of her so she should be able to hear me.

"Oh dinner's great thank you."

My phone chimes to let me know I have a text from a certain someone sitting next to me.

Watch what she does.

"So Scarlet what's your favorite show?"

At first I don't notice it but then it gradually becomes clear that she's reading Jane's lips? How odd.

"Anything with superheroes and vigilantes of course."

"Yeah? I like animal planet but Teresa here is more into police shows."

More reading.

"Well she is a cop!"

They both laugh at their somewhat insulting joke but I take it in stride and interject with what I have to say.

"Scarlet?"

Her eyes lock with mine and it's as though she's making sure to analyze how I say my words.

"We reached an issue with Bret Stiles, I don't know how tomorrow is going to work. Do you think you could wait another day?"

The young girl frowns at me, full of disappointment but she says she can wait so long as we find him. I tell her about the clothes I've bought her so that she can shower and change into something clean maybe it could fix those headaches she's complained about. For a while it's just mindless chatter only interrupted by her desire for more food, I wasn't going to argue I was glad Scarlet was finally eating something and a lot of it to. When we were all finally done with dinner she bolts towards Marie's room grabbing a bag of clothes and immediately enters the bathroom. Jane waits to here the shower run before he offers to help with the dishes.

"We have suspects in custody Jane! Didn't you get my text?"

I begin to chide.

"Yes I got all ten of your texts."

"Then why didn't you come back?"

He looks at me with a seriousness I've only witnessed during Red John cases and a pit forms in my stomach, my gut telling me that something's wrong.

"Teresa, there's something wrong with her. She can't seem to hear correctly."

"It's been a long day for all of us-"

"No! She can't hear Teresa, if it's loud she can't seem to concentrate on my words and if any noise comes from the right she can't hear it at all. I know he's hurt her, Marie was perfectly fine before...before..."

Jane looks away from me and sets down his towel, glaring at the clean dishes. Taking a scoop full of bubbles I smear the foam on his arm startling Jane out of his sudden depression.

"Hey!"

"Relax Patrick, we've already discussed this and keeping her from her father is the best thing right now. We are doing all we can for her and right now that's enough."

"This is my favorite shirt!"

"Sweetheart you're not listening."

"I will have my revenge Teresa just you wait."

"Not tonight-"

He gets some foam from the sink and the next thing I know I have bubbles all over my shirt, but I can't handle his antics right now and it must be apparent because he backs down.

"I just wanted to play."

He whines acting like a total child.

"I said not tonight and you went for it anyway! I'm going to talk to her about this tomorrow and if Scarlet's willing we can take her to a doctor. Patrick this would be the third doctor in two days, let's try to keep things at a minimum."

He mumbles something along the lines of yes ma'am and we finish the dishes, finally ready to sleep. I can feel Jane's gaze on me as I get in bed and like every night he wraps his arms around my waist.

"You panicked today, is everything alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"She told you what her parents did and it reignited your anxiety, I was just wondering if you're okay?"

"Oh...I'm fine it's just-"

"That you're not."

"Could we discuss this tomorrow? I'm really tired."

"Alright, but I won't let you run forever."

"I love you Patrick."

He nuzzles up against me, just as tired as I am.

"I love you to."