A/N: Yep, another me missing Bosco fic. This one is an episode tag to the Season 2 premier with a twist. Somewhat angsty because the angst monster needs to be fed. Enjoy!

Warnings: I said a bad word. Or rather Bosco does.

Spoilers: 2x01 Redemption.

Disclaimer: Yeah we're here again. And as always, I own nothing.

Beyond Redemption

Today had been filled with unexpected surprises. When she arrived at work that morning, she hadn't expected to end up dealing with a dead suspect. She hadn't expected to be unceremoniously taken off the Red John case. And she definitely hadn't expected Patrick Jane, her pain in the ass consultant, to hug her. It was awkward more than anything else, but a hug nonetheless, completely uncalled for and completely inappropriate, particularly with Van Pelt standing just a few feet away. Although to be fair, she hadn't exactly pushed him away as quickly as she should have. Once she had gotten over the initial shock of contact, she suddenly remembered how nice it was just to be held. She felt safe and, even if she refused to acknowledge it, wanted.

The words he said earlier had hurt her. It took some convincing on her part, that what he thought didn't and shouldn't matter so much. The only reason he was working with her was not because he wanted to fight injustice, but rather it was for his own selfish pursuit for vengeance. She had foolishly thought he had changed. But in the aftermath of the Hardy incident, she saw his happy-go-lucky veneer quickly eroding. He had been hurtling towards the edge of insanity for a long time, now he was travelling at record speed and she had no idea how to cope. Whenever she looked at him, she was unwittingly taken back to her shattered childhood. She became that young girl, trying to mourn a mother's death while watching the man who was supposed to be a source of comfort and protection, spiral out of control before her innocent eyes. She wasn't prepared to relive those memories. She had shut that part of herself off years ago.

They hadn't yet spoken about what had transpired that night at Sparrow's Peak. Hardy's death was just another necessary kill and nothing more. Nothing worth losing sleep over. She had said it enough times that she almost believed it to be true. And her plan would have worked had she been living in a contained bubble, shielding her self-destructive behavior from the outside world. But she wasn't, as much as she wished it and the team had been paying the price for her silence. Even her psychiatrist's patience was beginning to wear thin and they only had a single session.

How her life had ended up such a screwed up mess, she had long stopped trying to figure out. She was angry, exhausted and completely stretched out beyond her limits. And when Jane had his arms around her, there was definitely a part of her that didn't want him to let go. Was it crazy that she couldn't even recall the last time she had any real physical contact with another person? She felt slightly disappointed when he released her from his grasp, yet unable to keep a smile from spilling across her face, if only for a fleeting moment. She recovered by grabbing another strawberry and popping it into her mouth. Van Pelt had been staring at her inquisitively, but with the glare that she had shot back, she made it very clear to the younger woman that there was nothing to discus.

The rest of the case wasn't as spectacularly exciting as the start of the day. Not too many hiccups, aside from Jane breaking into a house and setting up camp. It did end up netting Monica Duninger's killer, so she really had no reason to complain. He could have done a lot more damage. She'll let him have this one. Her eyes snapped open, the cause barreling sharply to the forefront of her thoughts. Minelli was right. They had gotten way too close. Had the supervising agent witnessed the hug they had shared, no matter how awkward it may have looked, he would have had a field day.

Sighing, she heard Van Pelt saying her goodbyes to the boys before heading out of the bullpen for the evening. Shortly after, Rigsby followed and then Cho, leaving Jane all alone, who was most likely lounging on his leather couch. She heard him padding down the hall before his head popped into her office. She tried to look away but his gaze caught hers through the open doorway before she could.

"Like what you see?" he called out with one eyebrow cocked.

Lisbon rolled her eyes in response, closing the file on her desk. The faster she packed up, the shorter this conversation would be.

"Don't try to be cute with me," she warned.

The grin on his face faltered as he made his way inside her office.

"Is this about us breaking into Thorsen's house? Because if it is, I already told you it was Cho's idea."

Typical Jane response, topped off with that idiotic smile of his. No matter the situation, he had to always be right, with no blame or consequence. He got to sit high and pretty while everyone on the team, her in particular, had to take the fall and set straight whatever and whoever was unfortunate enough to cross his path. Trying her best to ignore him, she started to reach for her jacket. Jane was quicker on his feet. Today definitely wasn't her day. Her hand landed on top of his and lingered far longer than she should have allowed. Thankfully the delay seemed to go unnoticed by Jane as she tugged the leather garment out of his grasp. Wordlessly, she turned around to gather the rest of her belongings while trying to still the unexpected tremor in her hands. She could not wait to get home. Taking one last calming breath, she barely got her jacket on when she felt herself being forcefully spun around. An unexpected hug from Patrick Jane was one thing. An unexpected kiss? That was a whole different ballpark entirely. No, she wasn't sure if she was even allowed to call what happened, simply a kiss.

He had backed up against her desk, her arms forced against his chest. Mouths, fighting for control. Pure, unbridled, uninhibited passion, beyond anything she had experienced before. She didn't fight him, not that she could, fingers catching the loose curls at the nape of his neck, a soft moan escaping her lips. And just as the rational part of her brain was admitting defeat, it all came to an abrupt halt. She stared at him, wide-eyed, head swimming, heart pounding in her ears. Had it not been the fact she was literally sitting on the edge of her desk, she probably would have ended up on the floor.

"Teresa, I…"

He was still so close. She could feel his warm breath against her skin, the taste of his lips on hers. She should have expected the guilt, regret, evident on his face. He didn't offer an explanation. He simply released her, turned around and was gone.

It took her a moment to pull herself together after Jane left. Shakily she reached up and touched her mouth. She felt like a cheap whore, her john bailing because he realized what he was doing was wrong. That was when she saw him. Bosco. The cosmic powers hated her today. Arms folded across his chest, brows pulled together in a frown, he was leaning against the entrance to the bullpen. Immediately, she dropped her hand and wondered briefly, just how long he had been standing there. She shouldered her bag as she approached him, armed with a relaxed smile, any lingering effects of her encounter with Jane, erased.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked casually.

"Stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life. But it seems my timing was a little off."

"That's very kind of you, but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"So what I just witnessed was you taking care of yourself?"

She tried to brush past him but he grabbed her by the elbow before she could get any further.

"He's playing you, Teresa. He's playing you like a fucking violin and when he's had his fun, you're going to be left alone to pick up the shattered pieces of your heart."

She chuckled darkly.

"Reminds me of someone else I know."

"I'm nothing like that lunatic. I actually care about you."

"Lucky me," she exclaimed sarcastically. "Why don't you go home and tell that to your wife?"

With a parting glare, she shook off his hand and briskly took the stairs down to the lobby. Anger rose from the pit of her stomach. Anger at Bosco for thinking she was still a rookie in need of protection. Anger at Jane for pulling another unforgivable stunt. Anger at herself for allowing both men to get under her skin. She climbed into her SUV and stared blankly out into the nearly empty parking lot. Bosco's car was a few stalls over and across from it, Jane's Citroen, both unoccupied.

She tried her best to dismiss Jane from her thoughts, but that was proving very difficult for her mind to handle. His kiss had been burned into her lips and forever in her memory, underscored by Sam's warning. It was too late. She couldn't forget how perfectly his body molded to her own or how she shivered at sound of his voice when he uttered her name. She couldn't possibly forget, not with the scent of his cologne still lingering on her.

Fin for now, Jello forever