Well the writing bug has bitten me again, so here we go with a new story. Enjoy!

Return to Me

Chapter 1

Much Ado About Nothing?

The pile of books in the small condo was growing taller by the day. One more addition, and the whole lot of them would be toppled into a pile all over the living room floor. Teresa never minded that Patrick read so much, it's what made him so well informed and interesting to speak with. Because of his love of reading, Teresa had started to read much more than police reports and fluffy romance novels herself, so really, it was all good...except for the mountain of books on every surface in the small condo. Almost all of these books belonged to Patrick, so Teresa couldn't get rid of them, instead, she had been on a campaign lately for her lover to take books from the large library in downtown Austin instead of constantly buying more books to add his personal library, now located in her house.

Eyeing the flow of his most prized possessions throughout her small home, Teresa had to laugh at the sight of it all. She loved Patrick more than life itself, and this relationship was something she could only have dreamed about until recently, when they finally confessed their love for each other. Now Patrick was busy renovating a small tumble down house by a pond just outside Austin proper, which he had purchased on a whim, and once it was done, she would move there with him to start a new phase of her very unusual life with him. But for now, she had to find a better spot for all of these darned books!

The ringing of her cell phone distracted her from her musings about the state of her condo since Patrick moved in with her. Seeing that it was Cho on the line, she quickly switched gears and became an agent in a nanosecond.

"Whaddawe got?" Lisbon asked, verbal shorthand so deeply ingrained in her that she had to remember to speak in full sentences if anyone other than FBI agents or Patrick called.

"Three missing men, all around early 40's, no sign of them for months. All in the area of Lost Wells, just outside Laredo. Boss wants us to investigate and find them ASAP."

"Why us Cho? Surely local PD would be working this case for their precinct?" Lisbon asked, not understanding why three missing men in a small town in Texas was their concern.

"Ordinarily it wouldn't ever cross our desks, but one of the men is an FBI agent out of Houston. Abbott is friends with the Special Agent in Charge over there and was asked to lend a hand. It's a personal favour."

"Hmmm...Ok. So, an agent goes missing in Lost Wells...never heard of it. Do we know why the agent was there in the first place?" Teresa asked, more interested now.

"He grew up not far from there, was back home closing up his Grandmother's house as she had recently died. Should have been a quick visit, in and out. He never made it back to Houston and no one has found a lead yet" Cho explained.

"Could have decided to leave the life behind and pull a runner to a beach somewhere" mused Teresa.

"Could have, but he was in line for a promotion, was working on writing some exams to step up into a leadership role at his office. Seems he was a dedicated agent and not in any hurry to become a civilian again. So, that's a dead end" Cho said.

"How soon do we leave?" Teresa asked.

"Abbott wants us to be at the Airport tonight, you, me, and Jane. We'll fly out at 8 and should expect to be there for at least 3 days. Work for you?" he asked in his usual clipped manner.

"I guess it will have to. When Jane gets in I'll tell him the latest. See you at the airport."

"See you."

Lisbon hung up the phone and headed for the bathroom for a quick shower before she began to pack a small bag. Supper would have to be ordered in and eaten quickly before they left for Austin Bergstrom Airport. As the hot water rained down on her, Teresa considered how a well trained FBI agent could suddenly go missing on such a benign trip to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Surely with his training he would be able to get himself out of a situation against a local hoodlum. Were gangs even a thing out there in Lost Wells? She would have to do some research while they killed time on their flight, short as it would be.

By the time she emerged from the shower Patrick had arrived home from his trip downtown to the library, a few new books carefully chosen to occupy his curious mind tucked under his arm.

"Teresa? You up there?" he yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

"Just drying off, come up and take a shower! We have a case out of town!" she called back, rubbing her hair dry as she gazed at her closet, deciding what to take for such a short trip.

A moment later two large warm hands were massaging her moist shoulders as a kiss was delicately placed between her shoulder blades.

"Did you say we're going away?" Jane mumbled, trying his best to undo her heavy towel while she held on tightly. Much as she enjoyed his romantic overtures, she just didn't have time for it right now. Turning to face her smiling lover, she hated to disappoint his enthusiastic intentions.

"Unfortunately, yes. Cho just called and we have to be at the airport soon to catch a flight to Houston. An agent from the office there is missing in a town called Lost Wells and our help has been requested."

"Pffft! Those big bad FBI agents in Houston can find one of their own in a tiny town without our help. Whose idea was this anyway?" Jane groused, seeing that his chances of a roll in bed were slim to none tonight.

"Abbott asked for us specifically, as a favour to his friend at the FBI office in Houston. We can't refuse. Shouldn't be too hard...how big is Lost Wells anyway?" Teresa asked as she quickly dressed in black jeans, a ruby t-shirt and comfortable black ankle boots. Even without jewellery or makeup she looked impressive, gifted by nature with thick lustrous hair and a naturally beautiful complexion. Jane sighed in resignation as he stepped around her to run the shower for himself. If Abbott promised his friend at the FBI in Houston that his people would help, then it was a done deal. Hopefully they would be home by mid-week. At least he had some new books to read while he was away…

Teresa ran downstairs to call in an order of Chinese food while Jane was in the shower. Then she pulled together her belongings and jammed them into her suitcase, making sure she had everything she needed. 40 minutes later she and Jane were eating a delicious take out meal while they discussed the town of Lost Wells, thanks to the internet's help.

Cho was already seated with his boarding pass when Teresa and Patrick arrived in the waiting room at the airport in Austin.

"Cho. Is it just the three of us?" Jane asked, looking around for Wylie or Abbott.

"Yup. Abbott got tied up at the office and can't come. Wylie is needed for training some new recruits so it's just us."

"I hope this turns out to be a big misunderstanding. The agent turns up looking foolish, everyone pretends they didn't over-react and we get to come home. Done!" said Jane, smiling at the certainty that this was a wild goose chase.

"I hope you're right" smiled Lisbon, taking a seat next to Cho while Jane went off in search of...whatever Jane looked for in an airport. Why sit down until you had to? Once on the plane interesting places to wander were sadly lacking, so, he wandered now, while he had the chance.

"Be back here in 10 minutes!" Lisbon warned Patrick, worried he would get busy talking to someone or he would find a magazine that took his attention away from gate announcements.

"Yes Mom" he quipped as he sauntered off.

Cho watched Jane stroll off into the crowd, then turned back to Lisbon.

"It's like travelling with a two year old."

Lisbon smiled at the receding form of her man and nodded in agreement.

"It certainly is…"

Lisbon switched on her laptop to research the town of Lost Wells a bit more while Cho kept his nose buried in a book. Lost Wells was a small town of only 800 people. While it had once been a booming centre of commerce 100 years ago, the oil wells had dried up decades earlier, and when they left, so did most of the townsfolk. Only stubborn die-hards remained, most of them nearing or over retirement age. Once local kids graduated from high school, they left, almost never to return to the dying town. Crime was non-existent, and the local police station had pulled out years ago. Anything of a criminal nature could called in to the State Troopers one town over. The online write up was short and depressing and Lisbon felt that whatever was waiting for them in Lost Wells, it wouldn't be excitement.

She was wrong.