A/N: Ok, so, Strawberries and Cream was sooo intense, am I right? And, well…Wow!

I am putting my other fics on hold for this one, because I want to finish it quickly.

Disclaimer: I do not own the shows. I don't own anything but my ideas!

Lisbon leaned over her desk, studying the paperwork in front of her. The case had been very tiring, and everyone had suggested she go home, but she decided she needed time to think.

Suddenly, Grace popped her head into the office.

Without looking up, Lisbon commented, "I thought I told you to go home-"

"Boss." It wasn't the word, but the way she said it-her voice shaky and high-that caused Lisbon to look up. And she knew.

She knew right away what had happened.

She didn't really know how she knew.

However it was, she simply asked, her voice deceptively calm, "What's wrong?"

Grace took a deep breath and answered, "Red John's dead. Shot. Jane pulled the trigger."

She had known it was going to happen one day.

Jane had been crystal clear about that.

So she wasn't sure why she felt so shocked, so broken.

She had cared about him. More than she cared to admit, in fact. And she thought that he had cared about her.

But in that moment, all she could think was, he cared about them. Never me. Just them.

"Boss, I-I'm so sorry…"

Lisbon shrugged. "It's-It's not your fault…"

"I know, but you lov-"

She paused. It was clear Lisbon didn't want to face this.

So, she was faced with a choice: She could leave, just walk away, and let her boss deal with this by herself-the professional thing to do-or, she could do exactly what her friend needed at the moment. It didn't take her long to decide.

So, for the second time in twenty-four hours, she walked over to her boss, and pulled her into a tight hug.

Lisbon wasn't a hugger.

Never had been.

Her dad would only hug her after he had beaten her or one of her brothers, when he was swearing up and down that this would be the last time, that he was going to get clean and sober, that he was going to get help.

She had practically raised three brothers, and none of them were huggers, except Jared, and him only when she had bailed him out of jail again.

Naturally, hugs had never really been something she liked.

But at that moment, it was exactly what she needed.

A few moments passed, and then she pulled away.

"Thank you."

Grace nodded sympathetically. "Um, they want you to come down to the station. They're hoping you can get him to talk. All he would give is his name, and the fact that the man he killed was Red John."

Lisbon closed her eyes for a moment. "Um, ok, um, you need to, you need to go home."

Grace shook her head. "Not a chance. I'm coming with you."

In spite of her hurt, Lisbon grinned. "Thanks."

Grace nodded.

In the car, Lisbon had about fifteen minutes to process. About half-way through the drive, another emotion hit her.

Anger.

How could her just throw it all away-their friendship, his job, his new life-for revenge?

She had finally gotten to the point where she trusted him.

She knew it was stupid, she knew it was dumb, she knew she was playing with fire, but she trusted him, and he had gone and betrayed that trust!

She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.

Grace winced at the sight.

"Um, Boss…"

"What?" She snapped, then immediately felt terrible. Grace didn't have to ride with her, didn't have to practically hold her hand as she faced the hardest conversation she had ever had, and yet she was.

And Lisbon had snapped at her.

"Sorry…"

Grace nodded softly. "It's ok."

The rest of the ride was silent.

Lisbon walked into the station with Grace, suddenly slightly afraid.

Would he say he was in the right?

Would he roll his eyes, scolding her for trusting him?

Would he be heartbroken, wishing he could go back in time?

Scratch that-she was terrified.

One of the cops walked up to them and asked, "Can I help you ladies?"

Grace glanced at Lisbon, who seemed frozen in place. So, she spoke up, "I'm Agent Grace Van Pelt, and this is my boss-Agent Lisbon."
A knowing look crossed his face. "Right this way."

He led them back to a cell, where a man they soon recognized as Patrick Jane sat on a bench.

"Lisbon." His voice echoed his demeanor- free, calm, and relaxed. "Grace."

Grace spoke tightly. "Hi, Jane."

Lisbon took a deep breath and asked the one question that, through all of her emotions, had plagued her- "Why?"

He smiled, and for the first time in a long time, there was no shadow, no extra darkness. "I had to."

Lisbon shook her head. "No. You didn't."

Grace studied him silently. His face was clear of darkness. He looked free. Then, something caught her eyes, something that made her heart skip a beat.

"Your ring is gone."

She hadn't meant to speak out loud, but when all eyes turned to her, she realized she had.

He nodded. "I don't have to wear it anymore."

Lisbon took back control of the conversation. "What happened, Jane?"

He shrugged. "I saw the person you called from Hightower's, I walked over, we talked, he had a gun, and I shot him."

Grace and Lisbon blinked in surprise. "He had a gun?"

Jane nodded. "Yeah."

His face grew serious. Lisbon couldn't help but note that, even when he was serious now, he didn't look so…weighed down.

"Lisbon, I really am sorry if it hurts you. He murdered my wife and child. I had to kill him."

Lisbon nodded. She felt tears in her eyes.

Grace noticed quickly and said, "Jane, we'll be back. Tonight, it's late. We all need sleep."

He nodded.

The women turned to go. Grace paused for a moment, before turning back to him.

Looking him dead in the eyes, she stated, her voice cold, "Congratulations, Jane. You got him."

He nodded. "Yes, I did."

When they were back in the main room of the station, Lisbon had calmed herself enough to softly say, "I'm going to go to the restroom."

The cop nodded. "Right that way, Miss."

Once she was gone, Grace pulled out her phone, and dialed a number that was getting very familiar.

"Hey, Madeline? It's about Jane. Yeah, can we come over? Yeah, we're going to need plenty of ice cream, and several boxes of tissues. Yeah, he found him. Oh, yes, Jane's still alive…Thanks. Bye."

A moment later, Lisbon returned. Her eyes were again full of tears. Grace took advantage of this by saying, "Maybe I should drive…"

Lisbon didn't argue.

She didn't even realize they weren't heading toward her house until they reached the gate.

"Yeah, let us in please."

Grace flashed her badge.

Lisbon frowned. "Wha-where are we?"

Grace smiled. "How long has it been since you've had 'girl time'?"

Lisbon shrugged.

The three women spent the evening together, just crying, eating ice cream, watching sappy movies, stuff they all needed very badly.

There was even some laughter, though mostly at the expense of Jane and O'Laughlin, but it was needed.

Early in the morning, Hightower spoke up, "Listen, I have a friend who owes me a favor. Her name is Erin Strauss...her team might be able to help. They study behavior. If it was really self-defense, they'll prove it."

Lisbon nodded. "That'd be good. And guys…" She paused. This wasn't something she was used to doing, but she knew they deserved it. "…Thanks."

A/N: So…that was a long chapter. I promise, the Criminal Minds' team will be focused on more throughout the story, but for the first chapter, I needed to set the stage. Please, review and tell me what you think.