Title: Follow The Yellow Brick Road
Author:
tromana
Rating:
T
Characters:
Teresa Lisbon, Red John, Patrick Jane, Sam Bosco
Summary:
[AU] Lisbon has always been a loyal person. Just how much can her loyalties be tested if her childhood friend turned out to be a certain, infamous serial killer? And just how much affect do they have on one another's paths?
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Mentalist. This was written for fun.
Author's Notes:
Thank you to weaselett for producing some magnificent artwork which can be found on LiveJournal. Also to Miss Peg for betaing. This piece was written for Round 1 of the Angst Big Bang over on LiveJournal.

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Part One

John was a strange child.

He seemed like the kind of child that pulled the legs off of spiders, set things alight and pushed old ladies into the street. It was all for fun, kids like that didn't realize the repercussions that their actions had. They just didn't care and even by looking at them, when they were not doing anything untoward, they just have that air of trouble about them. There was nobody who was willing to take responsibility for them either; they were just left to their own devices. And no discipline naturally lead to trouble. It always did.

Except, he didn't do these things. Maiming animals, destroying inanimate objects and generally wreaking havoc, that was. He thought about it, yes, but didn't actually do it. Not alone, anyway. John always needed somebody else to show off to, to encourage him to go slightly too far and it was only then that he became a hell-raiser. No, when he was alone, he just had a way about him, one that reminded people of those kind of kids. Something in the eyes, the way he couldn't quite meet the gaze of others, just suggested it. Then there were slight tics and mannerisms that suggested he wasn't quite all there. That he was either dim or retarded.

Or that he was just very good at deceiving people. At making sure he went unnoticed, pretended to be invisible and the like.

Some children were always a little precocious like that.

Teresa was a strange child too. But that was more a case of hidden potential, than anything specific. She was quiet, especially for an eldest child; very intelligent, but not ostentatious about it. She generally didn't go actively seeking the limelight, or praise for her many talents. Unlike the other girls, she was more than happy to hide in the shadows, to go unnoticed. It meant that she could do her own thing, live in a world of her own and just get on with life. A busy family, bursting at the seams and especially one so full of testosterone meant that sometimes, a girl just craved space.

It was only natural that, sooner or later, the two of them were thrust together. Sometimes, friendships could form out of the most unexpected of connections. Even loners got lonely from time to time. Age differences didn't always mean much to children; especially not young boys, who were ignored by their parents and found the adulation of an even younger girl flattering.

And that was just what happened.

xxx

It didn't take long for John and Teresa to become well known as the tear-aways of the neighborhood. Naturally, it helped that Teresa had always had a bit of a tomboyish streak, thanks to her three younger siblings. Somehow, John and Teresa quickly discovered a way to ensure they complimented each other, rather than clashed. She found him calm and encouraging, at least in comparison to her brothers. That was mostly because he was several years older than her and therefore, she saw him as the elder sibling she never had. He enjoyed her attention; nobody else particularly put the effort in to making him come out of his shell.

And so, they hung around together. Terrorized cats, broke plant pots and the like. It was all just silly stuff, really. They were mostly John's ideas, but that didn't stop Teresa from being a willing participant. It let her get pent-up rage out of her system and the frustration at being surrounded by so many boys at home. Being the eldest child and the only girl had led to her being sidelined in favor of demanding younger siblings, one of whom was disabled. Yes, John got her into trouble with her parents, but not enough to make her clean up her act. It was a thrill, breaking the rules. Every time she wondered whether or not they would they get caught or if they'd get away with it this time.

Everything they did never caused any real damage and therefore, her parents didn't attempt to stop her from hanging around with this destructive elder child. All it meant for Teresa was that she got told off by her dad and gained the sole attention of a loving parent every once in a while. John, however, remained apathetic to the whole situation. His parents just didn't care, just so long as he wasn't bothering them. Having Teresa in his life, meant that he had a distraction and left them to their own devices. They weren't the most naturally gifted of parents, unlike Teresa's.

The one thing John didn't understand was how she coped with such suffocating, attentive parents and even less so at her desire for attention from them. She, meanwhile, didn't understand how he didn't want that love, that care, that understanding from the people that were supposedly responsible for him. How he could live with being ignored constantly by the two people who brought him into the world, especially when being an only child.

But neither focused on their differences too much; they had far more important things to worry about. They were deeply invested in their games, where they played cops and robbers, visited other planets and pretended they were in the Wild West. Though the neighbors thought their actions were abhorrent, for them, it was just a part of their own world. They simply didn't realize that it had repercussions outside of it.

xxx

Nothing lasted forever. The pair of them, in their childish naiveté, had thought that it could, but sooner or later, something had to change.

It took the death of her mother for Teresa to realize that. Her mom had been proud of her daughter, really she had. Despite her recklessness, Teresa had still managed to find the time to excel at school and was always good with her brothers. She still attended mass with the rest of the family and offered up prayers on a nightly basis, as a good little Catholic girl should. It was just something about John's presence that seemed to make her choose to do bad things on occasion. However, her parents had always been wise enough to leave them to it. If they tried to prize the two children apart, it could have backfired and had disastrous consequences.

Teresa missed her mom and bitterly so. She had always resented the attention she lavished on her youngest brother and never appreciated just how much she had actually done for her until she was gone. It hurt Teresa to know that she hadn't told her mom that she loved her often enough. Nor had she realized just how much work it took to run the household; something she was now having to do herself because her father had fallen off the rails. Things were beginning to get scary; she dreaded seeing that familiar plastic bag, the one that would inevitably be filled with beer and spirits. Every time their father drank alcohol, he turned violent and he inevitably always ended up picking on the youngest of her brothers. She suspected that was because Joseph was the weakest and therefore, the most vulnerable target. Even without his disabilities, he didn't have the strength - nor the confidence - to stand up to him.

And thus, the responsibility of looking after Joseph - and the other two fell on her shoulders.

Besides, Teresa knew that she had done enough damage to society and her family in her short twelve years. That she couldn't remain a child forever and it was about time that she grew up. There were only so many times she could have pretended to arrest John without getting bored of their silly little games. And there were only so many stones they could throw at Mrs. Larsson's house before they accidentally broke a window.

Now, she felt inordinately guilty for all the hassle she caused her mom before she was cruelly snatched away. Her accident had been preventable and Teresa knew that. If the driver hadn't gotten behind the wheel while drinking, then she would most likely have still been with them today. The worst thing was that the last thing she'd said to her was 'please be good, Teresa'. What kind of last words were those meant to be from a mother? And it was something she was going to have to live with for the rest of her life; knowing that she had driven her mom to despair.

But she had automatically known that she could make it up to her. Sort of, anyway. Or at least, honor her death by cleaning up her act. By making sure that her brothers didn't get into trouble, like she did with John. In making sure they were all well-fed and that the house was at least reasonably clean and tidy. By protecting them from their father and making sure they didn't pick up life-threatening injuries because of him.

That was something which she was quickly discovering was harder than she would have ever anticipated.

It was only natural that sooner or later, she would have to give up something in her life. At thirteen, she was far too young and immature to be able to handle so much in one go. The first expendable thing, the easiest thing to sacrifice, was her closeness with John. For while she had recently suffered a life-changing experience, he continued along on the same track as he always had done, despite being nearly eight or so years older than she was. He still didn't have any responsibilities, or a care in the world. As far as he was concerned, it didn't hurt anybody if he nicked a candy bar from the local convenience store. They weren't worth much and nobody really lost out. It didn't matter if he torched a trash can or two, because it didn't hurt anybody. He needed entertainment and without his only friend, he had to improvise.

It hurt that she didn't have the time for him anymore. More than he would have ever cared to admit. John was a young man now; he shouldn't have been worried about what young teenagers thought of him.

Still, he kept knocking on her door, waiting patiently for her to come out and spend some time with him, but she always made feeble excuses. Her dad wanted his dinner, the washing needed doing, her brother had to go to ER, or the like. John was used to being neglected by his parents, but his best - his only - friend?

That was something new.

xxx

The contact slowly dwindled, especially once John realized she never answered his questions the way he wanted her to anymore. Eventually, he got the hint and just stopped knocking. He knew that she didn't have the time of day for him anymore, so what was the point? It wasn't that Teresa didn't want to know her childhood friend any longer; they'd known each other for nearly twelve years and she didn't want to throw everything away for the sake of her family. It was just that her responsibilities had shifted onto far more important things.

Though she already had very little time for John, it wasn't surprising that she had even less for him once her father selfishly took his own life, when she was aged just sixteen. He may have been crippled by alcoholism, but that didn't mean she didn't still need or want her father. At least with him still alive, there was the vague hope that maybe one day, he would actually recover from the debilitating disease. Instead, her hopes and dreams had been cruelly crushed, like so many of the spiders she and John had picked on when they had been younger. She had cried at his funeral; not for what he had become, but for what he could have been, had he been brave enough to face the world. Then, Teresa had grown angry at herself. For years, she had let her father control her and now, even in death, he still seemed to have a tight grasp around her shoulder.

Now, she had to focus on the more important things. Like paying the household bills, making sure her brothers actually went to school and everyone was fed and clothed. John, despite being in his twenties, was still as reckless as he'd ever been and that worried her. It seemed like he just hadn't bothered to grow up, simply because he didn't know how to whereas she had had no choice but to give up her childhood too soon. Teresa didn't need that influence in her life now. She had moved on from it because she had to. It took a terrible tragedy to make her realize her childish naiveté could have led her down a terrible track.

John, however, hadn't learned that lesson. Nothing had shaken him and he hadn't had any tough life lessons to force him to do so. If she had had the time, then she would have intervened and told him to sort himself out. He was a grown man and it was about time he started acting like one, rather than a teenager with a short attention span. However, part of her doubted that he would even listen to her anymore. They hadn't shared a proper conversation with one another for a good six months. The last time Teresa had seen John, she had only had time for a swift 'hello' before rushing her brothers on the way to their aunt's so that she could get on with the weekly food shop. He, however, had barely been able to hold her gaze.

Naturally, she hated that, but there was little she could do. She didn't have the time or energy to invest in rekindling old friendships. Or at least, she wouldn't until Tommy and James were responsible and old enough to get jobs of their own, and she found somewhere more appropriate for Joseph's needs.

xxx

"I got into the academy!"

"The what?"

"The academy, to become a cop," she explained, sounding more patient than she felt. "Honestly, don't you know anything?"

John was the first person she had told. He wasn't meant to be; he had just happened to be there when she was on the way to visit Joseph at his new care home. Teresa had never really wanted to put him into care, but his problems were getting increasingly worse and she felt like she had no longer had a choice. Still, at least it meant that she could finally get her life on track. That was the main thing.

Her old friend looked slightly bemused at the concept of her, of all people, choosing to become a cop. Teresa, however, had seen it as a very natural step. She'd grown used to protecting people, to wanting to do what was right. It was a far cry from what she had used to do with John, but it didn't matter. People changed; some, drastically so and she had managed to put her youthful recklessness behind her. She was just lucky enough to be one of those kind of people who had managed to move on, to change, to grow up properly and become a responsible member of society. Besides, one of her eldest cousins had become a cop and since her parents' deaths, she and him had grown inordinately close. It was him who had actually urged her to take a chance and to apply for a place in the academy.

And he'd been right. She was accepted first time, with no questions asked.

"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."

He stated it so simply. Then, she recalled what she assumed were exactly the same memories as he was thinking of. The silly games of cops and robbers that they had always indulged in. Teresa had always played the role of the cop and John had been the criminal, despite the fact she was so much younger and smaller than he was. Part of her was convinced that it was simply coincidence, mere serendipity. The other half, somewhat more uneasily, questioned whether or not it was fate. That they were always going to choose these two different paths and be almost forced to take them.

As she bade him farewell, she could only hope that she would be proved wrong. After all, everything he had ever done was merely petty crimes. Teresa knew that he'd been in trouble with the law occasionally, and been let off with one or two cautions or fines. There was still more than enough time for him to clean up his act.

Wasn't there?

TBC...