Author's Note: Thanks for all the kind reviews on the last chapter! Unfortunately I didn't make it to the date in this chapter, but next one, I promise! My muse is apparently feeling leisurely. I blame those rocking chairs on the back porch of the Janes' farmhouse.

Chapter 6

Teresa sat down with her laptop to catch up on some work, leaving Patrick to putter around unpacking and inspecting the depredations Moore and the kids had made on his food supplies. From the lack of muttering, she gathered it hadn't been too bad.

A few minutes later she heard the kettle whistle and caught a whiff of coffee, and shortly afterward a mug appeared at her elbow. He'd put extra sugar in it, she realized with the first sip. He must think she needed comfort.

"A kidnapping doesn't make sense," she said. "And a kidnapping by one person when there were at least two people in the house makes even less sense."

"Agreed," Patrick said, sitting in a chair nearby and humming in satisfaction as he sipped his tea.

Of course he'd figured that out, she thought. Probably long before she had. "So...testing our security or horny boyfriend?"

He winced. "Visualize isn't going to kidnap our kids. If they were going to do that, it would have been when they were little. If they come after one of them, it'll be through subterfuge."

"So horny boyfriend it is."

"I prefer to think he thought of himself as a Romeo, come to admire Juliet on her balcony," Patrick said.

Teresa grinned a little. Of course he preferred to think of Victoria and Brett in a romantic rather than carnal pursuit, being such a romantic himself. "How do you want to handle this?"

"Depends on whether she was in on it," he said. "It's not fair to punish her if she didn't know. And canceling the big date would cause operatic histrionics I'd rather avoid."

She grimaced, knowing he was right. "Parenting is hard. Suck it up."

"Meh. I hope our daughter is smarter than to arrange a tryst with her brother and Stan down the hall."

"Me too, but boys aren't the only ones who do dumb things when their hormones run wild."

Patrick grinned at her. "Speaking from experience, love?"

"Don't change the subject. If she wasn't in on it, fine. What if she was? Grounding seems...not severe enough." Teresa tried not to think that Victoria, like her father, might not be deterred by any punishment she could devise. But she and Patrick had resolved early in their marriage to parent as a team. He was very good at getting people to do what he wanted, and their children were rarely exceptions.

"True. Attempting to circumvent our home security puts all of us at risk. I think we're talking confiscation of her phone." Patrick grimaced, probably imagining the scene.

"The nuclear option, huh? Agreed." She devoutly hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Patrick finished his tea and got up to put his cup and saucer in the dishwasher, Belle trotting behind him. He returned and stretched out on the couch, then helped the dog up to lie on his legs. A few minutes later they were both asleep, their soft snoring making her smile a little.

It had been a long time since she'd watched him nap, she reflected. It brought back memories of the CBI. Now that he was clean shaven again, he didn't look that different from the irritating consultant who'd replaced her couch, closed her cases, and apologized with the occasional pastry for the stacks of paperwork he generated.

Could they recreate that magic? Did she want to? Their marriage was solid, partly because they stayed out of each other's careers. Mixing work and home hadn't been easy in the early days, but maybe it would be better now that they knew each other so well. And without Red John to make him crazy, he might be better behaved.

Oh, who was she kidding? The first time he thought she might be in the tiniest bit of danger, he'd do the craziest thing he could think of to ensure her safety. That was what had prompted them to separate their work lives, after all. She'd been so angry that he'd risked orphaning their children to end the hostage situation she'd found herself in, and she'd resented Hightower punishing her for it to make Patrick suffer.

That was another thing. Being responsible for her husband's behavior was unappealing, but the idea of sharing the same risks was even more so. Victoria and Liam still needed them. It would be bad enough to lose one parent, but both at once would be crushing. Maybe she owed it to them to leave Patrick safely in retirement.

She didn't have to decide now, at least. She had to put her team together, get relocated, and settle in while Patrick stayed with the kids until the end of the school year. He wouldn't be available until the fall when they went to college—or at least Victoria did.

It might be nice if Liam stayed home for a while. It would give Patrick something to do besides obsess over the safety of his daughter on her own for the first time and his wife possibly confronting new dangers. Plus, she had to admit to herself, she loved having her son around. He was good company most of the time.

She loved Victoria equally of course, but their daughter had always related better to Patrick, it seemed. And he'd once remarked, when they were arguing about how to respond to some minor transgression, that he didn't want her to punish Victoria for his sins. It was all too easy to do; sometimes her daughter was so much like Patrick that Teresa went into boss/damage control mode out of long habit. She didn't want her little girl to skate through life on charm and manipulation. Patrick's tendency was to spoil both the kids, but especially the beautiful girl who was living the life her sister had been denied, so Teresa often felt she had to be the disciplinarian.

She was just turning her attention back to her email when she heard a car approach, so she got up and went to greet the arrival. A minute later, Liam came in, setting his guitar case by the front door and grinning at her. "Hi, Mom. Congratulations on the job!"

"I haven't accepted it yet," she replied, hugging him. "But thank you."

He hugged her back, surprising her with his strength. Like his father, he was stronger than he looked. He was about the same height, too, she realized. Not her little boy anymore.

"Don't you want the job?" he asked as he stepped back, sweeping his bangs back out of his face.

"I do," she said. "But it would mean a lot of changes for us, so we should all talk about it."

He shrugged. "It's not like we're gonna say no, Mom. If you want it, you should have it."

"I'd have to move to DC before you graduate. I'd come back as much as I could, but I'd miss a lot."

"Yeah." He shrugged again and picked up his guitar case. "But we can call. And don't worry about Dad. Vic and I talked about it, and we'll look after him for you."

Teresa's heart squeezed painfully, and she grabbed him in another big hug, which he returned one-armed. "Thank you," she whispered. "My sweet boy."

Liam made gagging noises and grinned as he pulled away. "Glad you're back," he said as he headed upstairs.

"Hey, where's your sister?" she called after him.

"Brett's bringing her," he called back.

Teresa was surprised, but as she walked back to the den, she decided she was pleased. She and Patrick could put to rest at least some of their questions about what happened while they were gone.

Patrick's eyes were still closed, but Belle was awake and listening intently. Her tail started wagging as Teresa walked into the room, and Patrick said sleepily, "Want to order in pizza?"

"Sure." Since he liked to cook, they rarely ate out or ordered in. Getting a pizza delivered was a great treat, especially for the kids. He had apparently decided Victoria wasn't going to turn out to be the guilty party.

It was pointless, she reminded herself, to expect transparency in Patrick Jane's investigative process. Not even his deep and lasting love for her would change that. Especially since part of his reason for holding his cards close to his chest was because he loved to surprise her. If he could present the surprise on a silver platter with a flourish, so much the better, she thought with a smile.

She sat back down with her laptop, finished what she was doing, and shut it down. She still had a list of reports to review, but tonight her family was her priority.

"I'll make a salad for starters," Patrick yawned.

Belle grunted and carefully got down from the couch, casting Teresa a meaningful look as she walked toward the back door. Teresa followed her into the kitchen to open the door for her, remembering the argument they'd had about a dog door when they'd moved in. Patrick had judged it an unacceptable security risk, so she'd declared it was his job to let the dog out, especially at night. That hadn't lasted long.

Teresa followed Belle out into the yard, looking around as the late afternoon light gave the leaves and grass a gentle glow. It really was beautiful here, she thought. She was looking forward to city life again, but she couldn't deny she'd be sad to leave the farm. There were so many good memories of life here as their children grew into young adults.

Belle finished up, sniffed around a bit, and then climbed the three stairs to the back porch and whined to be let back in. She probably hadn't liked being alone the past two days, since she was used to Patrick being here.

"Don't worry, girl. He'll be all yours again for a while," she said softly.

Patrick was taking things out of the refrigerator when she and Belle entered the kitchen. "None of the vegetables were touched," he said, amused. "Stan's eating habits haven't changed, I guess."

"He probably just reheated some of your frozen emergency meals," Teresa pointed out.

Liam joined them in time to say, "Yeah, but he's not any better at reheating than cooking. He burned the lasagna. Vic took over meals after that."

"It's good practice. You two will be feeding yourselves soon," Patrick replied, pausing to hug his son. "But it's nice to know I was missed."

Liam grinned. "Yeah. Belle really missed you."

"You'll miss me when you're on your own and reduced to canned soup and ramen noodles," Patrick chuckled.

"Yeah, well." Liam bit his lip and looked to the side, a tell Teresa recognized as one he'd gotten from her. "About the college thing."

"Yes?" Patrick kept tearing lettuce. "Teresa, can you slice these radishes?"

"Is that what those are?" She eyed them dubiously. They didn't look at all like the round things she'd bought at the store back when she was trying to get vegetables into her brothers.

"Homegrown," Patrick chided. "Sorry, Liam. You were saying?"

Teresa tried to look like she was concentrating on her chore. Patrick said it was easier for Liam to confide in them if they weren't staring at him. It made her wonder if that was why he'd spent all that time in her office lying on her couch at the CBI.

Liam took a deep breath, then said, "I was thinking...what with everything else going on...maybe I'll take a gap year."

"Really?" She tried to sound surprised.

Patrick rolled his eyes at her before turning to smile at Liam. "I think that's smart. I'll certainly appreciate having your help relocating to DC."

Liam rarely surprised his father, so he wasn't shocked at having failed to do so. "Did you get a place with a room for me?"

"There's no place yet, but of course there will be a room for you," she said firmly.

Patrick said, "I found a great three bedroom condo with a decent view, close to the Metro. We can hit the museums to our hearts' content. Oh, and your Uncle Cho wants to take you to a baseball game. Though that may just be a way to get you to like his girlfriend."

Liam was used to his father's way of throwing out facts in clumps, so he wasn't fazed. "Cool. Will I like her?"

Patrick chuckled. "I do."

"Good." Liam looked positively cheerful now that he'd gotten his big announcement out of the way.

Patrick went back to his salad making. "You want to order the pizzas, Liam?"

"Sure!" Liam pulled out his phone to access the app. "Can we get the drone delivery?"

"Of course," Patrick said.

It was Teresa's turn to roll her eyes. What was it with boys and their toys?

When Liam finished, he sat at the table, doing something else on his phone. "So," she said, slicing the tomatoes Patrick pushed her way, "What happened last night?"

"I dunno," Liam said. "An alarm went off. Uncle Stan acted like aliens landed or something."

Teresa said, "It's always a bad idea to sneak up on an FBI agent."

"Any idea who was sneaking around the house? The perimeter alarm was tripped," Patrick asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"That was a dumb thing to do."

Teresa shot a look at Patrick, who looked back. The non-answer was a red flag. "Yes, it was," she agreed.

They heard a car door slam out front, and Liam said, "That must be Vic."

Teresa put down her knife and washed her hands as Patrick headed for the front door, Liam trailing. She got to the living room to find Victoria hugging her father while Brett stood awkwardly to one side clutching a bouquet. "Brett, hello," she said in surprise.

"Hi, Mrs. Jane." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and held out the flowers. "Uh, congratulations on the new job."

"Thank you." She took the bouquet, a little puzzled. Was he going to bring her flowers every time they met?

"And, uh." Brett shot a furtive glance at Victoria, who let go of her father and gave him a meaningful look in return. "I came to apologize. I didn't think it would be any big deal, but Victoria said you'd freak out thinking it was a criminal or something. But it was just me, and I won't do it again."

Teresa resisted the urge to throw the flowers at him. "Are you saying it was you trespassing on our property at 2 a.m.?" she demanded.

"Yeah. I'm really sorry."

"Why?" She realized a second too late that she'd gone into angry interrogator mode, but after all, the boy deserved it.

To his credit, he didn't fall apart. "I wanted to give her something. I was going to leave it at the front door so she'd find it this morning. And know I was thinking about her."

Victoria cut off whatever Patrick was about to say. "And I told him he had to come explain or you'd lock me in my room or something and we'd have to postpone our date."

Patrick cleared his throat, and Teresa was a little alarmed to realize his fists were clenched. "And what makes you think I'm going to allow you to go anywhere with someone so lacking in good judgment? Or even common sense?"

Victoria frowned angrily, but it was Brett who responded. "I deserve that, sir. I realize now it was really stupid. And I'll never do something like that again."

"I hope not," Teresa said. "Do you realize you could have been shot?"

"Well, no. I knew you were out of town. I didn't know 'Uncle Stan' was an FBI agent too until Victoria told me this morning."

Liam said, "You should probably assume all our aunts and uncles are FBI. The only ones who aren't are in Chicago."

"Yeah." Brett turned to Liam. "Sorry I interrupted your night."

"No worries." Liam seemed unconcerned, and Teresa thought he was enjoying the show.

She was angry and exasperated, but mostly she didn't want Patrick to lose it and do something they'd all regret. "Well, we appreciate you owning up to your mistake, Brett. We're very disappointed in your behavior, but at least you've done the right thing by confessing. What do your parents have to say?"

From the look of panic that crossed his face, she gathered it hadn't come up. "Uh, I, uh, they don't know I was out."

Teresa sighed. "Then you're not finished confessing. If I don't hear from one of your parents before tomorrow night, the date is off. Indefinitely."

"Mom," Victoria protested.

"No, Victoria," she said firmly. "If it was my child out in the middle of the night trespassing and scaring someone's family, I would want to know so I could address it. Brett deserves whatever punishment his parents decide."

"You're right, Mrs. Jane," Brett said miserably. "I'll tell them when I get home."

"Best get on with it, then," Patrick said. "I'll see you out."

Brett said, "I'll text you," to Victoria, nodded to Teresa, and headed for the door. Patrick opened it, and Teresa could barely hear him as he said in a low but intense voice, "You ever do something like this again, and we'll be talking about it one on one, without ladies present. Understand?"

Brett swallowed hard and nodded, then made his escape.

Teresa handed the flowers to Victoria. "Take care of these, will you? I think he would rather you had them, anyway."

"All right." Victoria refrained from pouting, but just barely. "Welcome home, Mom. And congratulations on the job."

"Thank you, sweetie. We'll talk about it over dinner." Teresa hugged her, then stepped back.

Patrick said, "What did he give you, Victoria?"

"Oh. Just this." She reached into her school bag and pulled out a little teddy bear with a heart sewn on its chest. "Belated Valentine's gift."

"Hardly worth the fuss," Patrick said with false cheer.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "I think it's cute. He could hardly buy me diamonds. When's dinner?"

Liam checked his app. "Half an hour."

"Drone pizza? Cool." She headed upstairs.

Liam said, "I'm gonna get some practice in before dinner." Then he followed his sister.

Teresa and Patrick went back to the kitchen and salad prep work.

"Well?"

Patrick wrinkled his nose. "Stupid kid. The question is, did someone put the idea in his head or did he come up with it himself?"

"Hm. Maybe talking to his parents will shed some light."

"Maybe." He suddenly leaned over and kissed her. "I forget how much of a hardass you can be. I almost felt sorry for him."

"Almost," she said dryly. "You're sure he wasn't just taking the fall for Victoria?"

"Yes. She was annoyed, not guilty."

Teresa let out a long breath, relaxing. "Good."

"Case closed," he observed. "Pending any new information. And I'm relieved that Victoria handled this right. Any other kid might have been tempted to let us believe it was a stranger prowling around."

Teresa snorted. "She knows you. And like me, she doesn't want to live behind a barbed wire fence with security cameras everywhere. Smart girl."

"Yes, she is. So I wish she'd picked a smart boy."

"She will, when she grows up. It's satisfying to be the smart one when you're immature, but when you grow up you want to be with your equal," Teresa observed.

"True," he replied. "And thank you for the implied compliment."

"You're welcome. And ditto. I've always been flattered that the smartest man in the room picked me to spend his life with." She smiled at him.

"Thereby proving my intelligence."

They exchanged a kiss, and she thought how much she would miss their conversations. "I promise I'll call every day."

"Considering the time difference, I'd prefer every night," he teased.

"Are you really going to be okay?"

"For a few months, yes. I'm sure I'll hate it, but I'll be fine, and so will the kids."

mmm

Teresa was both relieved and disappointed that her children took the news of their impending separation in stride. She felt guilty for hoping they'd miss her more than they expected, but she couldn't blame them for looking forward to more freedom with the family disciplinarian gone. She'd have to make a point of checking that they went to Mass, since Patrick wouldn't care.

They seemed to take her acceptance of the job as a done deal, which she was sure was due to their father, and the talk over pizza was about their new lives on the East Coast.

The only sad note was when Victoria asked about Blueberry. "You won't sell him, will you?"

Patrick shook his head. "Not unless we find him the perfect new home. We'll hire a caretaker for this place who knows about horses and will look after him. If we decide to sell, we'll make arrangements for him then. I've been thinking he might make a good therapy animal."

Victoria tilted her head to the side, considering. "Like visit hospitals and stuff? I thought that was dogs mostly."

"Ponies do it too, especially in children's hospitals. Blueberry is calm and loves kids. It would be good for him. I'll see about a training program. If he can do that, I'm sure we can find a handler for him so he won't be bored when we're gone."

Victoria's face lit up. "There are always kids looking for community service credits. I bet any of them at the riding school would love that. And Blueberry wouldn't be lonely. Thanks, Dad."

"Don't thank me yet. But we won't abandon him, Princess. He's part of our family, like Belle is."

Victoria jumped up from her chair and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, and Teresa smiled as she remembered how much her daughter loved her pony. As a little girl, she'd even slept in the barn with him whenever she could. Teresa was glad to be reminded that she was still that girl beneath all the teenager attitude.

Liam was won over by all Patrick's talk of museums, concerts, and Uncle Cho, but he was obviously nervous about the rest of it. "Should I get a job?"

"If you want. I'd rather you check out the schools and maybe travel a bit," Patrick said.

Teresa said, "A job is a good idea, at least while you figure out what else you want to do. I expect you to keep busy and not sit on the couch with your guitar all day."

He grinned at her. "I could sit on the couch and watch movies instead. Or do both."

"Not for long," she warned, but she smiled, knowing he was just teasing her.

As they ate dessert, Victoria said, "What are you going to say to Brett's mom and dad?"

"That depends on what they say. If he's grounded, you'll have to wait for your date."

"I know," she sighed. "I get that he was trying to be romantic, but that was really dumb. When he told me, I wanted to shake him. He was so surprised I was angry. Like I should have swooned or something."

Liam snorted. "He should run his bright idea past somebody next time."

Patrick said, "Let me tell you, son, no woman wants to have to bail you out of jail."

"I can tell you that from experience," Teresa muttered.

Victoria said, "But you married him anyway."

"Your father's arrests were all related to catching criminals," Teresa pointed out. "His romantic escapades were all law abiding."

"Mostly," Patrick grinned, winking at her. She fought a blush as she realized he was thinking about a drunken cab ride in Seattle.

It was time to change the subject, she decided. "Any concerns about moving other than Blueberry?"

Liam asked, "Are we taking our furniture, or can I pick new?"

Patrick said, "I was thinking we'd leave this house furnished for when we want to come back. The condo will have a modern feel to it, so our furniture wouldn't really fit in."

"Cool."

Teresa reflected on how different this conversation would be if Patrick didn't have access to a seemingly limitless supply of money. Though the list of casinos he wasn't welcome in had grown over the years, he remained confident he could score big when necessary. Plus, he'd invested wisely, and they'd lived off their salaries comfortably after buying the farm outright. Never worrying about money was a great gift she never took for granted.

She was a little concerned that the kids didn't know what it was like to really not be able to afford something, though. Well, Victoria would learn to live on a budget at school, and if Liam got a job she would make a case for reducing his allowance accordingly. She wanted them to know how to live within their means.

It was Victoria's night to clean up, so Liam left after dinner to meet his band, rehearsing for a party they were playing at tomorrow. She was surprised he was so enthusiastic about going on stage, but he loved to play so much it apparently overcame his natural shyness. That, and he loved praise, like his father.

Teresa sat down to catch up on some more work while Patrick read. It was a normal Friday night, but she realized with a pang that those were numbered. She would probably be spending Friday nights flying for the next several months. Even after they were settled, there would be only three of them. Without Victoria's whirlwind presence, currently manifesting as humming, clinking dishes, and talking to Belle as she hung out hoping for scraps, the dynamic would be different. Plus, Patrick might be hoping to whisk her off to the Kennedy Center for date nights, or Liam might find himself a band in DC. She bet he was already avidly researching the area's music scene.

This job was a godsend in more ways than one. At least she and Patrick wouldn't be alone in this big house mourning their empty nest.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Victoria went upstairs, and Teresa heard her talking cheerfully, no doubt chatting with a friend, and walking around, probably making wardrobe choices for her date. That was a little surprising, since if Brett were her son his ass would be grounded for at least a week. Were the Masons lenient parents? She supposed she'd find out soon. She wasn't expecting them to call until tomorrow, since they'd need to discuss and agree on their disciplinary measures.

But around 10 p.m., Patrick's phone rang. He'd just taken Belle out, so she glanced at it and, seeing an unfamiliar local number, answered. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Jane?"

"Yes."

"This is Melinda Mason, Brett's mother. I'm sorry to call so late, but I didn't think I'd be able to sleep until I apologized to you for my son's behavior."

"We're still up, so it's no problem," Teresa assured her. "And no harm was done, thank goodness. But we are pretty security conscious, so it was dangerous, and I wanted to make sure he realized that."

"Of course, and thank you for insisting he tell me. He's very ashamed of himself, and I hope he apologized to you."

"He did, yes."

"Good. He'll be doing his least favorite chores for quite a while. But I've decided not to forbid the date tomorrow, as long as you agree. You see, Brett's always been impulsive, and this was just an especially unfortunate instance of that. But your Victoria is such a smart and organized girl, and I'm hoping her ability to think things through might rub off on him. I was so pleased to hear he'd asked her out. And I want to assure you that I've pounded it into his head that he must act like a responsible adult on this date, so there won't be any crazy jaunts to the beach in the middle of the night or other nonsense."

Teresa raised her eyebrows, wishing Patrick was here to offer an opinion. "I would hope Victoria knows better than that, but I appreciate it," she said. "Since no one is immune to impulse."

"Exactly. I'm so glad you understand. I know you work in law enforcement so you've probably seen your fair share of impulses gone wrong."

"Yes, you could say that."

Mrs. Mason sounded relieved. "Thank you for taking it so well. You'd be within your rights to banish him from your property and lecture me for raising an idiot."

Teresa chuckled. "I raised three brothers. I know sometimes you can do your best and they still act like idiots."

"Yes, but I bet they didn't sneak up to an FBI agent's house knowing the girl's father lost a child to an intruder!" She sounded exasperated, which Teresa could identify with.

"No, but it wouldn't have shocked me." Sounded like something Jimmy would do, she thought. "We all make mistakes, and as long as it isn't repeated, we can put it behind us."

"Thank you so much for giving him a second chance. You'll see him tomorrow, then."

"Victoria will be thrilled. Have a good night."

"Oh, you too. See you at graduation, if not before!"

As she hung up, Teresa realized that graduation was much closer than it seemed and was probably the big event looming in most of the twins' classmates' families. Her new job and the move had overshadowed it in their own, which wasn't fair. She needed to make sure she didn't lose sight of it no matter how busy and chaotic things got.

"Who was that?" Patrick asked as he and Belle came in.

"Melinda Mason. She apologized, and she's letting the date go forward. Apparently she's hoping our daughter will be a good influence on him."

Patrick grinned. "Now that's a first for a Jane."

"Are you okay with this?"

He shrugged. "No good reason to say no. I don't like him much, but I'm not sure I'd like any boy who wanted to date my teenage daughter. How did she seem?"

Teresa thought for a moment. "Normal. Embarrassed and exasperated."

"If this turns into more than one or two dates, I want to meet his parents," Patrick said. "I mean, I know we've met them at school, but really get to know them. Have them over for dinner or something."

"Good idea. As long as you do it when I'm here."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He leaned down to kiss her cheek and retrieve his phone.

Victoria came into the room. "Brett says his mom called."

"Yes, I did." Teresa kept her poker face on.

"Well?" She looked from one parent to the other.

Teresa smiled. "The date is on."

Victoria squealed with delight, then flung her arms around Teresa. "Thank you!"

Patrick accepted his hug happily, but said, "As far as I'm concerned, he's on probation."

"Don't worry, Daddy." She winked at him as she turned toward the door. "I won't do anything you wouldn't do!"

Patrick groaned as she left, looking at Teresa. "I'd rather she not do anything you wouldn't do."

She grinned. "That might not be as comforting as you think, Paddy."

He grinned back. "True. Since we have a kid free evening tomorrow, what shall we do for date night?"

She became serious. "I was hoping for a home cooked meal, a bottle of wine, and maybe looking at condos and furniture online."

"Perfect." He kissed her again. "Then that's what we'll do."