At the end, Red John's departure wasn't what they had been waiting for. Had they awaited drama, fireworks, or some big event… nobody got it. Life just went on like it normally did; it was just all a little bit simpler because there wasn't a serial killer breathing down their necks any longer. But, really, at the end, life was normal. Jane kept working with the team, staying on his couch and causing troubles; Lisbon kept staying in her office and going to crime scenes with him, doing her best at damage control. The team was still there- with the exception on Van Pelt, who was currently on maternity leave, and was tempted to turn into a staying-at-home mom just like her own.

Everything was still the same. And yet, it wasn't. Lisbon was scared by how things were frozen in time. It was like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, to Jane to wake up one day and suddenly realize he didn't need to be there any longer -she hadn't told anyone yet, but she was adamant that the only reason Jane hadn't left yet was because he was in some kind of denial about the whole thing. Everybody could see how edgy she was, but Cho, as usual, just looked at her, trying to get a reaction, staying silent as to mind his own business; Rigsby didn't like to get involved and Jane just looked at her quizzically, inquiring about her sex life (or rather, lack of) chuckling. Only one person was "sane" enough to act as, indeed, a sane and normal human being would.

And that person was Grace Van Pelt-Rigsby.

Although now married to Wayne, the couple had both managed to stay on the team, but a series of facts – least but not last, the fact that technically she and Teresa weren't working together any longer- had gradually made sure that the two women got closer. After entering maternity leave, Grace and Lisbon had started having dinner together at a nice restaurant once a week, and twice a week they took a coffee (strong for Lisbon, decaffeinated for Grace) together, and talked about everything and anything.

Lately, the main topic of Lisbon's (lack of) conversation had been Teresa's fear- and determination- that the consultant was going to leave.

Every time they talked, a little piece of Grace's heart broke at the sight of Teresa in such a state. Lisbon, strong and determinate, the woman who had inspired Grace for over half a decade, was already broken-hearted over a man who had never even kissed her. The red-head couldn't help but think about a school-girl crush, and she didn't know if it was pathetic , or sweet, that Senior Agent in Charge Teresa Lisbon could feel, and behave, in such an uncharacteristic way at her age.

Actually, she thought it was rather sweet- and dumb, because she had always felt Lisbon and Jane had this huge connection, and that they were going to share this great life together, that they were destined to live the kind of love you could see only in movies and in novels. But even if Teresa didn't have any troubles admitting- to Grace and Grace alone- of her feelings for Jane ("I know I feel something for him, I know it's deep, but I'm not sure I love him. I mean… I'm not even sure I've ever been in love before!), the brunette wasn't going to say it at loud. It was too dangerous. A rejection by Jane wasn't something a woman could easily survive to, and what if he decided to stay? No. Teresa wasn't going to risk losing a friend just to get in return complete solitude.

Yet, that was what drove Grace mad. Lisbon was seeing the glass half-empty, thinking about Jane not loving her. But what if he did? Couldn't she see that there was room for eternal love as well? Grace and Wayne had been lucky, after all, they had found each other again, despite her attempt at marriage with O'Laughlin and his son with Sarah. Maybe, despite everything, there was room for happiness for the boss and Jane too. And Grace, even if now was as hard-assed as Lisbon, she still loved fairytales-like happy endings. And that was what she wanted for the two of them. And that was when, and why, she decided to take matters in her own hands, and be a cupid of sort for her second favorite couple in the whole wide world.

"I think you should start dating." Grace suddenly said, as casual as possible. Lisbon just lifted her eyebrows as she was simply questioning either Grace's sanity or she didn't know what the other woman was talking about. Grace blushed- and it made her hair look redder- but still, the (former) cop went on. "I mean… I'm not saying you should sleep around or get married. Just, you know, meet people."

On a conscious level, Lisbon knew Grace was right. It was a good move, after all. "Dating" could help knowing people- and maybe could also help her knowing a decent enough guy- and God only knew if she wasn't going to need an emotional safety net/support group once Jane decided that he had enough of them and of crime fighting. Her subconscious, though, and her stubborn heart, didn't want to hear anything about starting a relationship, of any kind, or even just dating, with someone who wasn't called Patrick Jane.

Then, there was also another problem, a little issue that her conscious mind didn't have any problem pointing at out loud. "I think that in the last… twelve years or so, even my one night stands have been work-related." Lisbon sighed. After she had made it to the CBI, she had been just too busy to get around to meet people. Everybody she knew, she did so through the job. And after she had gotten the Red John case and then Jane, the situation had just gotten worst: when she had slept with Mashburn, she had been over eighteen months without having had sex.

"Well, then, I think we should thank modern technology." Grace smirked, and took her brand new, shiny Blackberry Z-30 out of her purse and lifted her right finger before Lisbon's eyes, as to signal her friend to wait a minute. She kept looking at the screen, and touching it and then humming just to press the buttons, and then, as she put the device on the table, Teresa's phone rang, signaling an incoming message.

"You didn't." Lisbon sighed, but still, she was smiling , almost laughing. After all, hanging around with a younger woman could be fun, and Grace was full of surprises.

"You mean, did I just solve your problem of meeting people, by singing you with a free on-line dating site? Yes, I did." Grace smiled, shining. The years had been kind with hers, and despite everything, she would have never taken back her time with the CBI. Yes, bad things had happened, but there was also a lot of good. Not only Wayne, but also the way she had grown as a person, maturing. Like she had once told her husband: when she had joined the team, she had been just a kid. "I know you don't like this sort of things, so I was thinking that maybe I could, you know…"

"Pretend to be me?" Lisbon asked, lifting her eyebrows once again. She didn't know if Grace was a genius or plain crazy.

"Pretending is such a bad word! No, I was thinking about… skim your suitors. I would answer for you only if you would, And never in any other situation. I swear."

Lisbon looked at the welcoming message on her phone, and then looked at Grace. She wasn't wrong. This wasn't about getting married or being serious. This was about meeting people, making friends, having fun. In a certain sense, it was about getting ready for life after Patrick Jane- didn't matter if it seemed the title of a comic book or a b-series movie, it was the truth. So, smiling, Lisbon shook Grace's hand.

And she never saw the redhead crossing her fingers behind her back.