Chapter 1:

Approximately six months post-serial killer)

xxx

"Jane," Lisbon called as she walked out into the bullpen. "Did you take the Stringer file?"

"Why do you ask?" her consultant asked from his position stretched out on his couch.

Rolling her eyes, Lisbon shared a look of exasperation with Van Pelt. "No reason, I just like to know where all copies of my files are at any given time," she said sarcastically.

"Well, that's very conscientious of you, Lisbon," Jane assured her. "Although some might say a little obsessive."

She swatted him with the file in her left hand, the one that she wanted to compare to the Stringer case. Then she nudged him over so she could sit next to him. "No, you idiot," she replied. "I need it because I want to compare it to..."

Jane shook his head and interrupted her. "The pattern of the bruises isn't the same between it and the McCleary case. I already checked. Implement, pattern and force used aren't the same, so I don't think the cases are linked. We'll need to find a lead on Jeanine McCleary's killer somewhere else."

Lisbon stared at him in shock.

Jane let himself enjoy her befuddlement for a few seconds. "No need to look so concerned, Lisbon. I didn't read your mind or anything. Remember, I'm not actually psychic. And I was in the same meeting you were, the one where the Director wished there was an easier way of comparing cold cases given that there's a good chance several of them are the result of the same offender. Since I got to leave the meeting early..."

"Because you got thrown out," Lisbon muttered.

"Not my fault I got bored," Jane said with a small shrug. "Anyway, the fact that I had a few unexpected free hours this afternoon gave me the opportunity to compare our current case to a few recent cold ones. The fact that you had the same idea is to be expected. After all, they say that when people spend a lot of time together, they begin to think alike, and we've known each other for a decade now. I wouldn't worry."

"So I'm starting to think like you now, am I?" Lisbon checked. "Dear god, kill me now."

Jane smirked. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Lisbon. Look on the bright side. Maybe I'm starting to think like you."

Lisbon pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can I have my file back, please?"

Jane reached up, and without looking, grabbed a file from the top of his couch and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"I need caffeine," Van Pelt said suddenly. "Good caffeine."

"The coffee shop on the corner?" Jane asked.

"Exactly," she agreed. "Either of you two want anything?"

"No thanks," Lisbon told her. "I'm trying to cut back."

Jane snorted.

Lisbon elbowed him in the side.

"I'm fine too Grace," Jane assured her. "Their coffee may be superior, but their tea is second rate at best. Thank you for offering though."

"No problem," Van Pelt said absently as she grabbed her coat, leaving the two of them alone.

Lisbon glanced down at Jane and decided to take advantage of the situation.

He beat her too it with a sigh. "I'm fine, Lisbon."

She scowled. "How did you know I..."

"I told you, people who spend a lot of time together start to think alike. Besides, you had your concerned face on," Jane told her. "Although, you have managed to go four days in a row without asking me that question this time, which might be a new record for you since we buried Red John."

Lisbon shrugged awkwardly, "Yeah, well..."

Jane smiled. "I'm doing okay," he told her, knowing that it was something she might never get tired of hearing (and if he was honest, something he might never get tired of telling her).

Lisbon's expression lightened. "Good."

"You know what might make me feel even better though," Jane added, deciding to take advantage of the opportunity.

Lisbon's expression shifted from pleased to wary in less than a second. "What?"

Jane sent her his most charming grin. "Tonight's two-for-one hamburgers at Joe's," he said hopefully.

Lisbon tried to contain her own smile. "You should eat healthier," she murmured.

Jane poked her. "A little red meat never hurt anybody. Besides, I had a salad for lunch yesterday."

"Only because I bought it for you," Lisbon retorted.

"Irrelevant," Jane countered. "Besides, most people agree that indulging from time to time doesn't hurt anybody."

Lisbon pretended to consider his offer. "I suppose I wouldn't mind not cooking tonight," she admitted after a second. "And if in the interests of improving your mental state..."

"Excellent!" Jane said cheerfully. "Let me know when you're done your paperwork."

"I'd be able to finish my paperwork more quickly if I had my paperwork," Lisbon reminded him.

"I returned your file," Jane replied neutrally.

But Lisbon was in no mood to back down. "Yes, but if I hadn't had to search for it in the first place..."

"Then I wouldn't have had the opportunity to remind you of two-for-one Tuesdays," Jane interrupted.

Lisbon stared at him. She was sure his logic made sense somewhere. "Yes, had I not had to walk out here, there would have been absolutely no other opportunity for you to talk to me."

He simply smiled at her. "Let me know when you're ready to go."

She shook her head, stretching slightly as she stood. "Mmkay."

Jane watched her go.

All teasing aside, Lisbon had been looking more relaxed lately. Jane knew her increasing level of calm was directly proportional to the amount of time that had passed since Red John's death. He thought they might now be approaching the point where Lisbon didn't spend at least an hour a week lying awake at night, wondering if he was about to fall off the edge.

Not that Jane begrudged her the time to adjust. It'd taken him a couple of months to achieve any kind of stability after Red John had died. Looking back now, he could admit that some days his behaviour had been positively erratic. Thankfully when it came to some things, Lisbon had the patience of a saint.

He'd definitely had cause to be glad that she was stubborn when it came to people she cared about. Over the past few months he'd really begun to let himself appreciate her friendship. It'd been odd at first, even after he'd finally accepted that Red John was dead, not having to look over his shoulder all the time. Not having to carefully weigh every move, ever visit, every outing, every touch, even every conversation, all just to make sure he wasn't putting her in further danger.

Now the need for caution was gone.

Now he could simply enjoy her company, which was a bit of a novelty in and of itself. And he found Lisbon's company a powerful draw. She'd been the dominant relationship in his life for years, but there'd always been the unspoken limit, the unspoken danger. Once it was gone, well, Jane couldn't resist pushing the boundaries a little. At first he didn't even realize he was doing it. It was completely instinctual. He'd been feeling lost, at loose ends, and Lisbon was stable. He'd needed stability; leaving the CBI hadn't really occurred to him. There was a massive gap in his world already, one that his brain was desperately trying to fill. He couldn't deal with another.

Then Jane had felt things start to even out. And he began to notice how much he enjoyed Lisbon's friendship. He'd always known he liked her, but he'd started to... pay more attention somehow. He'd gone from appreciating that he didn't have to worry about spending too much time in her company to actively seeking it out.

Oh, he'd still been cautious. Couldn't help it, part of him still felt like the world might come crashing down around his ears any day now. And every time he coaxed her out for coffee, or tentatively suggested a movie, he had to remind himself that she was safe now. That he didn't need to worry about making her a serial killer's next target.

That he was allowed to have a friend now.

He was allowed to have a friend, and he wanted Lisbon. He could have others too, of course, but Jane figured he'd start with Lisbon and go from there.

He'd never had that many close friends anyway. Better to keep things simple for the time being.

Smiling to himself, Jane began to plot how best to wangle an invitation back to her place for coffee after dinner. In spite of her supposed plans to cut back (which would last at most a week), he didn't anticipate it being difficult.

xxx

In her office, Lisbon was reviewing her files. She sighed when she realized that Jane was right, there was no reason to suspect a combination between the two cases. Of course there wasn't; that would have been too easy, and would have provided a whole other source of clues for this latest (incredibly frustrating) case. Technically it wasn't even theirs. Local law enforcement hadn't been able to solve Jeanine McCleary's murder, so Lisbon's team'd gotten the file to review, increased expertise, fresh set of eyes and such. It was all part of the increased inter-agency cooperation the governor (and as a result, their new Director) was pushing.

Well, nothing stood out yet. But Lisbon hated to give the file back empty-handed, so she decided to hope something would turn up in the next twenty-four hours. If all else failed, she'd just pick Jane's brain until he gave her a series of unanswered questions to send the locals down in Modesto.

He could be useful like that.

Lisbon smiled to herself.

Yes, her consultant could be very useful. He really did close cases. And even if he did still manage to antagonize every second person he came in contact with, he also livened things up a bit. At least she was never bored.

And she wasn't lonely. Jane could be lovely company. They'd started spending a bit of time together lately, which was nice. And Jane was staying with the CBI. He'd told her he was, and it had been six months since Red John's death, so Lisbon figured that Jane meant it. That was even nicer.

He was even starting to make casual comments about the state of the housing market in Sacramento. He didn't seem to find it particularly favourable, but that was beside the point. The point was that Jane had been looking into the housing market, that he was considering something permanent.

For the first time in what felt like years, things seemed to be going relatively well. Her team was fine. Jane was fine. Her job wasn't in jeopardy. Their closed case rate was high. Nobody was on the verge of a mental breakdown. She didn't need to worry about a creepy serial killer murdering her in her bed.

All things considered, the unsolved McCleary case notwithstanding, things were going really well.

Life was actually kind of good.

Lisbon closed her files ruefully. There really was nothing there. She'd come back tomorrow with a fresh mind.

Besides, it was two-for-one Tuesdays at her favourite hamburger place. And she had Jane to share the deal with.

Shaking her head softly, Lisbon tried to suppress the rush of affection bubbling up. Jane would be insufferable if he discovered how much she was looking forward to the evening.

It was just, well, she hadn't really had a best friend since the sixth grade.

xxx

Jane watched Lisbon walk out of her office.

His mood lightened when he saw her. Because she looked happy.

He'd been afraid that she'd spend the evening obsessing over the fact that she hadn't been able to solve their latest consult. The fact that it wasn't even directly her case was irrelevant. Lisbon had an unstoppable urge to fix everything, to make everything better.

Not that he could really fault her for it; he'd benefited from her compulsion himself more than once.

But sometimes she needed to relax. She deserved it.

Besides, she was always more fun when she wasn't worrying about something she had absolutely no control over.

Not that she always needed to be fun, but... But he liked it better when she wasn't unhappy.

"I see you've capitulated to the allure of a homemade hamburger," he said neutrally.

"I've capitulated to nothing," Lisbon countered. "I told you, I'm just too lazy to cook."

"Liar," Jane said succinctly.

Lisbon raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's what you're going with?"

Jane looked her over. "Yes," he admitted after a minute. "That's exactly what I'm going with. Even if there are elements of the truth to your statement, it's not the whole truth."

"There are more than elements of the truth to it," Lisbon retorted. "I genuinely don't want to cook. And you should be pleased. You're always telling me that my usual late-night meals at home alone aren't healthy. Going out should be something you encourage."

"Oh, I do encourage it," Jane agreed. "Just as you're constantly encouraging me to exercise."

"Which, as far as I can tell, you never do," Lisbon interrupted.

Jane ignored her. "But even if you don't want to cook, you're conveniently overlooking the other reason that you're coming to dinner."

"And what's that?" Lisbon demanded.

"I think you like me," Jane said slyly.

Lisbon barely paused. "Of course I like you. God only knows why, you don't deserve it."

"Thanks for that," he said dryly, feeling a little put out.

"You asked for it," Lisbon reminded him, ignoring her guilt and his sulk. "You couldn't just let it go."

"If if buy you dessert, will you forgive me?" Jane asked, semi-seriously.

Lisbon smirked. "I think you'll buy me dessert either way, if I ask you to."

Jane leaned forward. "But you won't ask me to unless you think I deserve a little punishment."

Lisbon paused, idly wondering (for about the millionth time) why she put up with him. "I want the chocolate cheesecake," she said eventually.

Jane's smile lit up the room. "Of course."

Lisbon glanced sidelong at him as they walked to the elevator together. "Why does every meal with you seem to start with an argument?"

Jane looked down at her affectionately. "Because dear, you'd hate it if I was boring."

She picked up her pace, leaving him a few feet behind her and ignoring his last statement.

Because she also hated it when he was right.

xxx

Dinner was a general success. Lisbon found herself more relaxed. By midmorning the next day, she'd already ordered (okay, technically it'd been a request... okay fine, a bribe) Jane to come up with a series of potential questions for the locals to help them solve the McCleary case.

Since that was done, she was currently going through her e-mail when Director Stephens called her into her office.

Lisbon went willingly of course. The newest Director wasn't the most animated person in the world, but she was smart, straightforward and competent. She didn't smirk at you maddeningly. Her interpersonal skills weren't non-existent, and she didn't look like she was about twelve. All things considered, Lisbon would willingly admit that, when it came to a boss, Director Stephens could have been much, much worse.

"You wanted to see me, ma'am?" Lisbon said as she walked into the Director's office.

Director Stephens put down her file. "Agent Lisbon, yes come in," she said with a welcoming wave of her hand.

Lisbon sat down on the chair opposite the desk and waited. She'd learned early on that trying to rush the conversation would do no good. Director Stephens would only tell you what she planned to tell you when she was good and ready.

"It seems your people are quite popular," Stephens said in opening.

Lisbon winced, wondering what exactly Jane had done recently that had resulted in a barrage of public complaints. She couldn't think of anything, meaning that she might have at least a day to prepare for damage control.

Luckily, the Director continued before Lisbon could begin apologizing. "As you might have heard, Agent O'Connor was injured last week in the field. He usually heads the fraud division. That team is still pretty green, and they're looking for a temporary lead with a bit of experience for the next two or three weeks. I thought Agent Cho would be just the man for the job."

Lisbon nodded; she couldn't help but agree. Just because Cho showed no signs of wanting his own team didn't mean he wasn't good at leading one.

"After all, he's a competent agent, and it will give him a good experience in case he ever decides he wants to run his own team," the Director added.

"Yes, that's right," Lisbon agreed, suddenly feeling somewhat subdued. After all, eventually Cho would probably get an offer he couldn't refuse, and he'd leave her. She'd already had him longer than she had any right to expect.

"And there's Agent Rigsby," Stephens said, gesturing to another file on her desk. "The Arson division's had an illness. Agent Messing should be out for about a month. I think Rigsby should fill the vacancy. He's familiar with the subject matter and it will give him a bit of an unofficial refresher course, let him update his skills."

"True," Lisbon agreed, unsure what else there was to say. It was obvious she wasn't being asked for her opinion.

"And Van Pelt has a vacation coming up," Stephens continued. "I believe she's planning on taking three weeks starting in a few days?"

"Yes," Lisbon agreed, panic welling up in her chest. From the sounds of things, her entire team was going to be gone for the better part of a month. What on earth would she and Jane do with themselves? Maybe they were about to be separated and glommed onto different teams too.

"Which makes it particularly convenient timing," Stephens finished.

Lisbon blinked. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Convenient timing for what?"

"Actually, we should probably wait for Jane to get here before I tell you," Stephens admitted.

"Jane?" Lisbon asked. She hadn't been aware he'd been called to this meeting. Great. Just great. That probably meant he really was about to be shipped off somewhere too, while she was given some tedious, bureaucratic task of some kind. She nearly groaned.

At that moment, Lisbon heard the Director's secretary laugh, right before Jane himself swung into the office. "Hello ladies," he greeted. "Tanya, Lisbon."

"Hello Jane," the director said with a nod. "Have a seat. I was just informing Agent Lisbon that your teammates will be on assignment over the next few weeks."

"Except for Grace, who's going on vacation," Jane supplied.

"Yes, except for Agent Van Pelt," Director Stephens agreed patiently. "Anyway, that brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm sure you've both heard of the latest serial killer case up in Oregon."

"Impossible not to," Lisbon nodded. Even if the California news was only carrying the highlights, the media coverage was still pretty constant. Particularly since there were elements of the case that were more similar than she'd like to the Red John case.

"Well," Stephens replied. "What you haven't been told is that in spite of another body being found just a few days ago, the police are no closer to finding the killer than they were three months ago, something that they're obviously keeping from the public. Trying to prevent mass panic and all that."

"Understandable," Lisbon nodded.

"Especially given that there's no forensic evidence," Stephens added with a glance towards the other woman.

Lisbon winced. It was one of the more unfortunate similarities between the two serial killers.

Her boss continued. "No forensic evidence, no eye witnesses. Just a serial killer and a mark on the wall near the victims."

Lisbon looked up sharply. That particular detail had been kept out of the press.

"Oregon PD is requesting CBI assistance given our expertise solving the Red John case," Stephens told her.

"Ma'am?" Lisbon asked, beginning to become concerned.

"No one thinks you got the wrong guy six months ago and now he's back," the director hastened to assure her. "This isn't actually Red John. There are enough differences for that. And the guy in Oregon's not nearly as perfect."

"Well that's a relief," Lisbon muttered with a quick glance at Jane, who'd been oddly silent thus far. He had a neutral expression on his face so she had no idea what he was thinking.

Stephens smiled slightly. "Portland PD still requested a consult with Jane though."

To Lisbon's surprise, Jane smiled. "Ah."

Stephens nodded, "I've got you on a flight out tomorrow morning, if that's alright."

Lisbon took a deep breath. She'd known this was coming. The next few weeks were seriously going to suck. Still, there was nothing she could do. May as well make the best of it. "It's fine with me, if it's okay with Jane."

"This isn't sounding much like a request," Jane said dryly.

"Jane," Lisbon said in warning.

To her surprise, he smiled at her, obviously amused. "Lisbon,"he relied in the same tone. "But, yes, I'll go."

Stephens looked obviously relieved. "Great."

Lisbon ignored her sinking stomach. "How long do the Oregon police think he's going to be gone?"

The director looked confused for a moment, before suddenly smiling. "There seems to be some sort of misunderstanding, Agent Lisbon. You'll be accompanying him."

Lisbon looked at her boss blankly. "What?"

Jane was really amused now. He'd suspected that was coming. It was the reason he hadn't put up a fuss when the assignment was thrust on him. Alone it would have been intolerable, but with travelling on a special assignment with Lisbon while she struggled with the notion of not being in charge of an investigation? That was a whole other thing. "Of course you're coming too, Lisbon," he told her, his tone patronizing. "Why else would you be in this meeting?"

She scowled at him. "I'm your nominal supervisor?"

Jane grinned. "And also, Tanya is afraid to send me all the way to Oregon without supervision."

His remark did nothing to placate his direct boss. "Well, of course he is. Who knows what you'd do? You definitely need to be watched."

Director Stephens decided to take Lisbon's remark as tacit agreement to the plan. She grabbed a pair of files and handed them to the pair. "Great. I'm glad that's settled. All the details are written here for you. You both leave tomorrow for three weeks to a month, depending on how things go. Your flight's at 8:30 in the morning"

"Ma'am," Lisbon tried to object feebly.

The director ignored her. "There have been four deaths already, the last one a week ago, as I'm sure you've heard. And as far as I can tell, the Portland PD are no closer to finding the killer than they were when they found the first victim. Oregon wants you," her boss insisted, before Lisbon could object further. "You two solved the Red John case. You're the closest thing to experts on this that we've got. And given that the rest your team is going to be out of the office for most of the month anyway, I thought it'd be an ideal time for you two to go. You know how much the governor is emphasizing inter-agency cooperation."

Lisbon pasted a smile on her face. She knew any argument would be fruitless, particularly given that the team was wrapping up the McCleary case and would soon technically be at loose ends. "Of course ma'am."

"Excellent. I appreciate both of your cooperation," Director Stephens said cheerfully. "Pack your bags. Tomorrow morning you're flying out to Oregon!"

"We won't let you down, Tanya," Jane said, far too cheerfully in Lisbon's opinion.

This time it was the Director's smile that became somewhat strained.

For her part, Lisbon wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry.

She supposed it could have been worse. At least she wasn't being relegated to three weeks of paperwork.

xxx

TBC