Chapter 6 - Changes

Melanie got to her feet quickly. 'Never mind that, you're freezing Patrick. Where the hell were you to this time? I'll go run you a bath.'

She went to go into the bathroom but Jane stopped her, pulling her wrist. She winced at the icy touch.

'Sorry' he mumbled, withdrawing his hand and rubbing his hands together to warm them up.

She stood in front of him and saw him trying to articulate something important.

'What were you doing until this time? It's gone nine you know. I thought you said you would only be an hour or so.'

He nodded. 'Yeah, I'm sorry. Time kind of got away on us.'

'You should have called me.'

'Melanie-'

'Did something happen between you?'

The question stunned him into silence momentarily. He looked at her wide eyed. 'You're kidding me, right?'

She swallowed, looking from side to side, a blush rising in her cheeks. 'I'm sorry; I know you wouldn't do that. It's just that as the time went on and I didn't hear from you my mind began to wander.'

'You should have called me.'

'I was trying to give you your space; I know you hate it when I'm possessive.'

He sighed, sitting in the armchair. 'I told you before Melanie, it's not like that with Lisbon this week. How could that thought even cross your mind? She just lost her husband for Pete's sake!'

She surprised him by laughing, a glower on her face. 'And that's really the crux of the problem isn't it, Patrick? Nothing's going to happen with her because her husband's just died, not because of the fact that you have a wife!'

He bit the inside of his cheek and shifted his eyes to the floor. He had decided to end things on the way back here but had hoped to do with some sensitivity, not this car crash.

'I'm sorry' he said softly, his eyes fixed to his shoes. He exhaled and looked up at her. The least he could do was to face her. He saw the hurt and pain across her face as she tried to keep the tears from flowing. 'I thought I could make this work, Mel, I really did.'

She nodded, sitting on the end of the bed opposite him, the fight already knocked out of her. A look of acceptance hovered over her features. 'I know you did. I did too. I thought I could make you love me. That in time I would be enough for you.'

'I thought so too. Or at least I hoped that would be the case. You have no idea how much I hoped that would happen. I do...I do care for you. You know that, Mel. In my own way I do love you.'

She huffed quietly. 'Yeah, I know you do. Just not as much as her. I didn't realise that fully until I saw the way you looked at her the other day. I knew then you wouldn't be able to just go back to where we were and pick up our life together again. I just tried to kid myself into believing the opposite.'

'I'm sorry.'

'You said that already.'

'I don't know what else to say.'

'Well that's a first for the great Patrick Jane.'

He nodded.

After staying up all night discussing the practicalities of their separation Melanie was planning to fly back to Austin the following day. She was going to speak to Abbott about separating their partnership at work. There were enough cases to ensure they didn't have to work in the field together all that much. Jane understood the distance she needed from him. She was going to keep the apartment they shared and the car. Jane said he would drive it back to Austin and leave it with her. It had been her idea to buy the Prius anyway. Jane had kept the Airstream for cases so he was going to move back in there. Lawyers would be the next step he assumed. He told her to get the papers drawn up and he would sign whatever terms she laid down.

As daylight began to shine through he asked her, 'Why did you do it, take on someone like me?'

She shrugged. 'Because I fell in love with you, why else?'

'But why? I'm a disaster area.'

She spoke the words softly, sitting cross legged on the floor opposite him. 'Maybe I'm a masochist like yourself. Or maybe I'm a little bit like Lisbon. At least what you've told me about her.' She smiled faintly. 'I wanted to fix you.'

He looked away from her. 'Some things can't be fixed.'

'I think you were fixed once. I think she did, or at least as much as you could allow yourself to be anyway. But you broke again when she left and even more when she got married. I saw that. I even took advantage of it in the beginning. I was arrogant to think I could do the same as she had and make you fall in love with me.'

He stared out the window to his side. She didn't need it pointed out that one of the reasons he had fallen in love with Lisbon was that she would never have manipulated or used him in that way. She had plenty of occasions to seduce him when he had been feeling vulnerable in the Red John days but she never crossed that line. And he was hardly blameless in the matter himself, he should have resisted Melanie but he hadn't. He knew when he went to her apartment that day that he wasn't just seeking out a friend's shoulder to cry on over a lost love. Truth was they had used each other back then.

'Can I ask you a question, Patrick?'

He looked back at her. 'Of course.'

'Why did you never tell her how you felt? Why did you let her marry a man you knew she wasn't in love with at the time?'

'You know why, I've told you before.'

'Yes. That she didn't deserve a train wreck like you.'

'I told you the same many times if you recall but you were...persistent.' A soft smile fell across his face, matched by one of her own.

'Do you regret it, marrying me?'

The look he shot her before he could cover it gave her the answer she didn't want to hear. 'Okay, then, do you regret our time together?'

'I don't know what I would have turned into without you. I'll always be grateful to you for that.'

She smiled sadly.

After she left Jane lay on the bed and fell asleep. He woke up a couple of hours later, refreshed enough to begin the drive back to Austin. He looked down at his wedding band. With one quick gesture he removed it and placed it on the bedside table. He had worn his previous one for fourteen years. He felt a familiar pang of remorse for entering into his marriage with Melanie with such haste. A feeling that he had made a mockery of his marriage to Angela by rushing into it like he had. At the time he had tried to justify that decision but in his heart as soon as she had placed the ring on his finger he knew he had made a huge mistake.

He retrieved his bag and left the room.

A month later Abbott called Jane into his office. Jane sat down on the chair opposite him, a cup of tea in one hand and a saucer in the other.

Abbott had been looking increasingly nervous as the past weeks had gone on. He had offered Jane a new contract but Jane had kept telling him he didn't have time to look over it but that he would get around to it. In truth he had been busy. He had to hire a lawyer for his impending divorce and to trawl through the paperwork involved in it.

He hadn't told Lisbon about his separation when he had called her over the past few weeks. She would only worry about him despite having enough on her plate. She had gone back to work the week after the funeral despite Annie's protestations. Emma was already enrolled in a day care facility and Lisbon wanted both of them to get back into their routine as soon as possible. He had called her every day to begin with to try to make up for the years he didn't but she had told him after a week to stop bugging her every day and to cut the calls to twice a week or only when he had something interesting to say. He had smiled at that, the familiar banter between the two of them being established once again making his heart soar.

He had kept calling every other day, filling the calls with his thoughts on literature, wildlife programmes and the like, knowing his idea of what was interesting was driving her crazy but could tell she was smiling on the other end of the phone. When she got bored talking to him she handed the phone over to Emma on occasions and he made up stories for her. He never asked Lisbon how she felt or how she was coping. She had enough people doing that on a daily basis still he assumed. He had told Annie to give him the heads up if she thought he ought to be concerned but Annie had said she was doing okay. He knew she would. She was the strongest person he'd ever known. He was sure she had terrible nights where she cried herself to sleep but she had a beautiful daughter to take care of. She knew what the death of a parent could do to a family from firsthand experience and that she would ensure her daughter never felt how she had, abandoned and worthless. When she asked about Melanie he told her everything was sorted between them and she had sounded relieved. He felt a wave of guilt rush over him that he had wanted her to sound disappointed.

Things between he and Melanie were strained but, being the professional she was, never let it affect her work. They had even worked on a few cases together but the awkwardness between them was evident. He didn't joke with her like he used to and hadn't embroiled her in any of his schemes. He didn't know how long this was going to continue but hoped some of it would subside in time.

Jane focused his attention back to Abbott. He had been wrapped up in his own thoughts and only now realised that Abbott wasn't nervous this morning. He looked happy even, a self satisfied smirk on his face. Jane was thrown immediately. This was something either very good for him or very bad. He wondered if Abbott had found a clause in his current contract that meant he was tied to the FBI for another five years.

'So, Dennis, what's up?' Jane managed to say breezily.

Abbott passed a contract over to him (by Jane's reckoning this was the fifth one he had seen) without a word.

Jane pretended to scan the document; he had read the first two and had enough paperwork to go over at the moment never mind reading another one.

'Oh, the new contract? I keep on forgetting, Dennis. I'll have a look and get back to you.' He smiled and went to fold it to put it in his jacket but Abbott's hand landed on the document before he had a chance.

'You might actually want to read this one, Patrick.'

Abbott removed his hand and leaned back in his chair, the smirk back on his face again.

Jane watched him for a second and then put his cup and saucer down on the desk. He leaned over and began to read the document.

Abbott smiled as he saw Jane's expression change from one of suspicion, to surprise, to guarded happiness.

He had him.

Jane reached the end of the document and looked back at Abbott. He saw the self satisfied smile on his lips and knew his expression whilst reading the document had given him away.

'Is this for real?' Jane asked.

'Yes. We don't all resort to tricks to get what we want, Patrick.'

'You're going to be in charge I take it?'

'It'll be a joint command but yes, I'll still be your boss, god help me.'

Jane nodded, biting his bottom lip before he grinned. 'Who else, apart from me?'

'Cho and Wylie.'

'Not Melanie?'

Abbott shook his head.

'Dennis, just because of our...situation doesn't mean she shouldn't be given this opportunity. She shouldn't have to be penalised for her, well for our, personal life.'

'I'm aware of that Patrick. I've spoken to Carson already and offered her a position there but she wants to stay here. She'll get Cho's job so she's happy, it's still a promotion for her.'

Jane nodded and thought for another moment. He suddenly flipped over the page and signed his name with a flourish.

In a month's time he would be working in D.C.

A/N: I think this is the chapter a lot of you were waiting for!

I know there is still a lot to be explained in the Melanie/Jane relationship in how it grew from something casual into a marriage but it will covered in later chapters I promise (even though Melanie as a character is pretty much out of this story now).

Thanks again for all the lovely comments on this fic, despite the shaky start I'm so pleased so many of you are following it.