Fractured

Hi guys, this is my first ever fanfic so apologies if it's not the best ever. This is set directly after S3 finale and my take on what will happen in S4. I have plans on how i want to take the story further but i would greatly appreciate your comments seeing as it's my first effort.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Patrick felt incredibly guilty. Not about shooting Red John, he was extremely happy about that, but over the past few days he could see what his actions had done to those he cared about.

Killing the low-life who butchered his family had been his life's mission, his whole purpose for getting up in the morning and carrying on with his life; therefore he had always assumed that after exacting his revenge he would be content to spend the rest of his days behind bars, safe in the knowledge that he had achieved all he had set out to do. Prison, after all, was a piece of cake compared to his own personal hell that he had been living in since the fateful day his beloved wife and daughter were murdered; he could charm the guards into giving him favours, hypnotize the other inmates so that he had an easier time and if he ever got bored then he could always escape, again.

However it was only now that he was sat in the visitor's room, opposite his best friend, whom he hadn't seen since they planned the sting operation together, that he could begin to understand what sort of repercussions his little act of revenge were having on her. Ignorance really was bliss.

Lisbon looked exhausted; her green eyes were devoid of their usual sparkle. It was obvious that she hadn't slept a wink, she was probably working flat-out and taking all kinds of crap from Director Bertrem, the AG and the DA; not even getting shot would be enough to convince her to take a day off. Typical Lisbon, Jane thought to himself and a smile emerged across his face, which didn't go unnoticed.

'What the hell are you smiling at?' Lisbon asked in her typical no-nonsense manner, 'We're currently in the middle of a legal crap-storm right now so i would love for you to share whatever it is that's got you looking so happy.'

'Oh, nothing,' he replied trying his best to sound nonchalant but not sounding all too convincing.

Lisbon didn't even have the energy to argue with him which was Jane's main indicator that this whole situation was seriously getting to her.

He always had a soft-spot for Lisbon, they had grown close in the seven years since they first met and he couldn't deny that seeing her so worn down broke his heart a little bit. When he first started to work for the CBI he never intended to grow close to any of them. From his experience everybody that he ever grew close to would end up hurt in some way, so he was very careful not to open up to anybody; his aim was simple and that was to use his position within the CBI to find and kill Red John.

But alas he had become close to somebody who was just as private and scared of getting close with someone as he was. It was ironic really how two people who were emotionally unavailable could become so close and in tune with one another. He respected her; she was strong minded yet smart enough to realise that his methods of crime-fighting actually worked, she had gotten herself into so much trouble trying to help him out and without knowing it had given him the help and support to keep going all these years. She knew he would stop at nothing to catch Red John, she herself had bent over backwards to finally nail the serial killer but they had always argued about what course of action should be taken once they caught him. Lisbon had practically begged him to let justice run its course but she knew that deep down Jane couldn't face the possibility that Red John might walk free. Still, it was this disagreement between them, the source of many an argument, that prevented him from fully relishing in Red John's death.

'I'm surprised you didn't come to visit me sooner.' He chirped, trying to diffuse the obvious tension between them.

'Well believe it or not Jane but things have been kind of busy since you... you know,' she couldn't even bring herself to say it. She shifted uncomfortably; she was obviously still in a lot of pain.

'How are you feeling anyway? 'He gestured towards the sling she was now forced to wear since that bastard O-Laughlin shot her in the shoulder. 'I've been worried about you.'

'Well don't.' She snapped back. 'You should be worried about yourself. The case has been assigned to a different team, Hightower is still a suspect in the Todd Johnson case, there's no hard evidence that the man you... you know is actually Red John and all of our jobs are in jeopardy.'

She buried her head in her hands before quickly regaining her composure. The truth was that she was only giving him half the story. Herself, Van Pelt, Cho and Rigsby were all suspended until further notice for gross insubordination, Hightower had actually been taken into custody and she felt herself beginning to crack under the stress and strain of the past few days. She could barely bring herself to look at Jane; not because she was angry at him, even though she was, but she couldn't admit that everything was falling apart. Their water-tight plan to catch Red John and his mole within the CBI was bursting at the seams.

'Why is Hightower still a suspect?' he asked with a great sense of urgency to his voice. She expected this to be one of the many questions he would ask and she honestly didn't have the energy to answer them. After all she barely knew what was happening herself.

'I guess they don't have enough evidence to suggest that O'Laughlin was the only mole or something,'

'Wait, you guess?' he interrupted, 'What do you mean, you guess?'

'Dammit Jane I told you that I've been taken off the case. We all have which means that none of us have a clue what's going on! They found no gun with Red John's body that you claim he held at you, no trace of a phone call between him and O'Laughlin and so far it looks like you killed a man in cold blood, in front of hundreds of terrified witnesses who are willing to testify against you.'

Her cheeks were flushed; he knew that she had been hiding something. There was just one question that was bugging him more than ever.

'Then might i ask Lisbon, why are you here?'

'Your bail has been posted so I'm here to collect you. We're all staying at Cho's place; we thought it best to all stay together given the current circumstance we find ourselves in. There's something awfully strange about how this has taken a turn for the worst and we're all being kept in the dark.'

Patrick began taking in all of this new information and a sudden wave of guilt hit him square in the gut. His team, who were like a family to him, now, were bearing the brunt of his behaviour. He never meant for them to get hurt; his quest for vengeance was fine when it was him and Red john involved, but it was obvious that this was no longer the case.

'What do you mean my bail has been posted? My bail was set at $3 million dollars, and no offence Lisbon but there's no way that the five of you could scrape that together, I've see what you get paid.'

Teresa stalled herself as she knew the answer was sure to lead to a fair amount of teasing. 'Walt- erm, Mashburn insisted on bailing you out.' She said, trying her best to play it cool.

A smile spread instantly across Jane's face and she could tell exactly what he was thinking.

'And what did you have to do to persuade him to be... so generous?' He asked trying his hardest not to laugh.

'Nothing!' She protested just a little bit too much. 'Believe it or not but you've actually made quite the impression on him.'

'As have you Lisbon, as have you.' He quipped, and for the first time since her visit he could see the smallest hint of a smile form on her face.

'Right let's get you out of here,' she added, desperate to change the subject. ' We've got a lot of work to do.'