Life Goes On

Chapter 4 - Changing Your Stars

Some people say that if you want to change your stars you have to do it yourself, but that wasn't always true. Mandy Bosco had changed Teresa Lisbons stars completely.

She had stayed with Mandy for only 2 weeks, Mandy hooked her up with a friend of hers who was moving to England as a result she got a brilliant deal on a rented apartment just 5 minutes away from the Bosco residence.

The same day she moved into her wonderful apartment with a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge she had met Dean Harken, well for the 2nd time anyway.

She had just started to unload her car when she dropped a suitcase on her foot and cursed loudly. A chuckle from behind her made her cheeks feel hot and when she turned around she saw a familiar face smiling at her.

The moment she noticed it was Harken she expected him to glare at her or shout because of the last time they had met, but he just took the suitcase from her arms, "I'll help you carry these upstairs, 4th floor right?" He asked.

She nodded, a little dumbfounded, but grabbed a few bags and followed, at first she wondered if he hadn't recognised her, but when they reached her apartment and dumped the suitcase and bags he turned to her and said, "I heard you quit the CBI."

She frowned at him, wondering how he had acquired such knowledge, but he chuckled, "Mandy told me, I went to college with Sam, I'm surprised we never met sooner."

Teresa cracked a smile at the man, "You're not as much of an ass as I thought when we first met." She told him grinning.

He shrugged, "You have Mr Jane to thank for that." He said in mild distaste, "Is that all of your bags?" He asked and she nodded, "Thanks for the help."

"My pleasure." He told her and images of Jane and Kristina kissing flashed through her mind, 'my pleasure' Jane had said before Kristina kissed him.

"I live across the hall by the way." Dean told her, "So if you ever need anything, want to know where anything is here in San Francisco, just let me know."

She smiled, still bemused at how different this man was when he wasn't at work surrounded by his judgemental colleagues.

"I will." She said with a smile and he made his way to the door, she had turned to drag her suitcase into the bedroom when he stopped in the doorway, "Would you like to go out for a meal sometime?" He asked, looking a little anxious.

She wanted to say no, she wanted to say she wasn't ready yet, but then she remembered that she had moved here to get away from Jane, to move on with her life and she smiled, she could change her own stars (with a little help from Mandy), "I would like that."

He grinned and her heart fluttered a little, "Saturday at 8." He said, "I would say I'll pick you up, but all I have to do is cross the hall."

She chuckled, "I'm looking forward to it." With another smile the door snapped shut and she was gone. The ghost of a laugh on her face she sat down on the sofa, thank goodness for furnished apartments.

She had to make a start on living a life in San Francisco or she would forever live in the shadow of her love for Patrick Jane, she knew that no matter how amazing a man was, how sweet Dean Harken was that no one could replace the mark he left on her heart, but she supposed if she let someone in they could get pretty damn close.

Mandy had been delighted at the prospect of a date and had taken her out for the day to, in her words, "Make you even more gorgeous than you already are!" At that point Teresa had reminded her that Dean had asked her out when she was covered in sweat from heaving boxes up the stairs whilst wearing old joggers and one of Jane's old shirts.

Mandy had only grinned and said that he already liked her for who he was and that it must be love. Rolling her eyes Teresa had agreed to let Mandy spend all of Saturday pampering her and as a result the date had gone down brilliantly. She and Dean clicked, they had the same taste in movies; action was a preference and chick flicks were bearable if they were funny. They both loved rock music, but with an indie twist. They both thought TV shows were over-rated and they both hated mushy holidays like Valentines Day. She went home that night feeling happier than she had in a very long time.

It had only taken a week for her to start spending most of her time across the hall in Dean's apartment rather than in her own and when she had been in San Francisco for 2 months her stars changed again.

She hadn't been working, not properly at least, she was working from her apartment for the San Francisco police force, but she hadn't wanted to start fieldwork yet, she occasionally went into the offices, but they screamed 'SAM' at her and it was hard with so many memories within the walls.

She had slept in one morning and had 5 missed calls from the office and a missed call from Dean when she woke up at lunchtime feeling awful. Her head felt heavy, she felt dizzy and very nauseous. Running to the bathroom she had found herself throwing up and falling asleep on the bathroom floor. It was the way Dean had found her when he came home at 6pm and for the next 3 days it was the same, feeling dizzy and sick until finally she agreed to let Dean take her to the Doctor.

When she emerged from the room after seeing a Doctor, Dean looked at her nervously and she didn't know what to say.

"Do you know what's wrong?" He asked as they made their way to the car, Teresa nodded, "I'm having a baby." She said and his eyes widened. He looked shocked at first and then afraid.

"We're having a baby?" He asked and she nodded, "We're having a baby." She couldn't be happy about it yet, she was still shocked, she had only been dating Dean for a month and a half.

When she told Mandy the woman had screamed her delight at the news and began to plan the baby shower straight away. Teresa had stopped renting her apartment and Dean had put his up for sale as they began their search for somewhere bigger to stay.

When Aubrey Grace had been born they had debated on the second name, Dean had grinned and proposed in front of all the nurses who swooned as she happily said yes and christened her baby girl Aubrey Grace Harken. The wedding had taken place only a few months later with Teresa's brothers, Deans family and co-workers and of course the Bosco family.

Mandy had been the bridesmaid, Thomas the ring bearer and Deans niece Shantelle had been the flower girl. It was a quiet, but wonderful day and Mandy (her saving grace) had offered to watch Aubrey for a week whilst the newlyweds went to Paris on their honeymoon.

Occasionally she looked back and regretted leaving Sacramento in the happy years, but she always remembered how much happier she was now, the things she had now that she had only dreamed about having in Sacramento. It usually worked, but sometimes she found herself wishing she could have had these things with Jane.

As Aubrey got older she resembled her mother even more, but sadly had not inherited Teresa's love for rules, the older she got the more trouble she seemed to get in and Teresa (not for the first time) felt a pang of guilt as her husband asked why Aubrey didn't seem to be at all like him.

Of course she covered it well, but even though he didn't see her pain she still felt it and when Dean had gotten into drugs and all the other crap he was doing Teresa found herself spending much more time with Mandy who could tell that soon the marriage that had satisfied her friend so much would break apart.

She hadn't wanted to address the issue, always hiding the truth from Aubrey and trying not to believe it herself until that night, the night when he appeared in the kitchen covered in blood, looking terrified.

"Teresa." He gasped, out of breath from running, "Teresa I'm sorry." He said as her eyes welled up with angry tears, "Dean why are you covered in blood?" She asked, cursing herself for leaving her cell in her bedroom.

"I didn't mean it Teresa, it was an accident." He said, his wide eyes darting around of their own accord, he was high again and she wanted him out of her house.

"Dean, I don't want you here get-"

"No! Teresa! I need to go!" He said frantically, "I need the car keys Teresa where are the keys?" He asked, searching through the kitchen leaving blood on everything he touched, at least there would be DNA when the police came to arrest him.

"I'm not giving you the keys Dean, you're not going anywhere like this." She told him firmly and as she feared he turned violent, punching her across the first, the blood on his hands mingling with her blood.

He spotted the keys for his car hanging up next to the door; he grabbed them and said, "If you call the police I'll kill you!" And left the house, his car revved up and zoomed off. Breathing a sigh of relief she turned around, heading for the living room to call the police, but she saw something that made her stop in her tracks.

Aubrey was staring at her mother with wide terrified eyes. When she saw the blood on her mothers face her baby blue orbs welled up with tears and although Teresa knew it wasn't her fault she still felt guilty, "Its okay sweetie." She soothed, "Daddy's gone away, he isn't going to hurt anyone anymore okay?" She said.

Aubrey nodded, a veil of dark brown hair covering up the pained look on her face, quickly Teresa wiped her face so that her daughter wouldn't be scared and she settled her on the sofa, telling her she had a call to make.

Once she had called the police she got a blanket and snuggled up next to Aubrey on the sofa, they fell into a troubled sleep, both of them waking up throughout the night with nightmares, but they both soothed each other, everything was going to be okay, it would all be okay in the morning.

To Be Continued

A/N- In the next chapter the CBI team arrive!

Thanks for Reading!