A/N: So it's taken me 9 months to post a fic that was completed last December? That's got to be some kind of record for laziness, hasn't it?

Thank you to everyone who supported me whilst writing this (last year!), especially to ch19777, Miss Peg and lil smiles. Also to those who have stuck by me with my very lax posting.

Thanks also to: BrokenDaisy, Kaslyna and Famous4it for reviewing part twenty four.

x tromana

Part Twenty Five

Three months quickly passed and Lisbon was relieved to get back to work. A lot had changed at the CBI during that period of time. Minelli had quietly retired: losing Bosco, Garza and Lisbon's near-death experience had taken its toll on him. Madeleine Hightower had been drafted in as his replacement and thus far, had settled in nicely. Lisbon liked the woman and appreciated the support she had given her since returning from her extended leave thanks to the shooting. Though many agents were reluctant when it came to change, Hightower's decisions generally made sense. It felt like she was rebuilding the CBI from the ashes she had inherited.

While she was away, she had been forced to see a psychiatrist. Lisbon had immediately requested Sophie's help; the woman was the only shrink Lisbon had ever trusted. It had taken them a short while, but finally she was beginning to get things straight again. She had finally come to terms with the fact that Patrick Jane had been lying to her since day one. Well, sort of anyway. There were still times when she couldn't believe just how gullible she had been, that she had managed to believe that he really loved her the way she loved him. When all the time he'd just wanted to…

She shook her head and tried to blink away the tears that were gathering in the corners of her eyes. This was ridiculous. Lisbon had discussed this time and time again with Sophie and still, she couldn't get him off her mind. At this rate, despite the fact that Jane was securely locked behind bars, he was going to continue ruining her life. It was bad enough that she knew, deep down, she would find it hard to trust another man again. Especially after what Jane had done to her.

Red John certainly hadn't lied about destroying her life, figuratively speaking anyway. Though, he probably hadn't been quite as successful as he'd anticipated. She still had her family, her life, her job. Lisbon knew that she had plenty to live for. The only difference was that she didn't know if she would ever truly be capable of loving somebody again. The idea just seemed too daunting.

But it was early days yet. Maybe she would feel different about it in a few years time?

Then there was the matter of Charlotte and Angela's deaths. They were still classified as a cold case and people were still convinced that Red John was responsible. However, Lisbon was growing more and more confident that Jane himself had been responsible. If she could just find the conclusive evidence to link him to the murders, then maybe she would be able to put the whole thing to bed. Then, it would be well and truly over.

She glanced down at the form she was filling in. It was to do with the Solokov case. While Lisbon had been indisposed, Cho had managed to close it. Apparently, it had been one of Adrik's many lovers who had killed him, because he refused to leave his wife for her. Lisbon smirked slightly. What was it that made spurned lovers decide they had to try and kill one another? She herself had nearly been a victim because of that. Well, sort of anyway. Her situation had been considerably more complicated than that.

Having finally caught up with some paperwork, she pushed herself to her feet and wandered through the bullpen to the kitchenette. As far as Lisbon was concerned, she had definitely earned her mid-morning coffee break. She winced a little as she did so; the old wound didn't hurt anywhere near as much as it did two months ago, but occasionally it caused her the odd problem. It seemed like it just wanted to remind her that it was still there. She smiled briefly as she glanced into the bullpen. Van Pelt was staring at her computer screen, alone, but offered Lisbon a bright smile when she caught her gaze. The youngest agent had doted upon her during her recovery and Lisbon hoped it would be the beginning of a lasting friendship. She would just have to be careful and make sure they maintained the boundaries of professionalism. Whatever they did together in their personal lives, whether that be yoga or having a few quiet drinks at a local bar, she was still Van Pelt's boss.

As she inhaled the rich aroma of coffee, Lisbon smiled briefly to herself. After a turbulent time, the whole team was coming back together again. She knew she could rely on Rigsby and Cho to do whatever she needed without her presence. That she could trust them to do almost anything and they wouldn't let her down. Unlike so many others who had done so in the past.

They were a constant she needed in her life. Lisbon had her team and that was the main thing. She didn't need anyone else.

xxx

It had taken far longer than she had liked for Lisbon to get a warrant to search Jane's apartment in Sacramento. She snorted derisively to herself; four months ago, she would have been more than willing to just walk in here and find whatever she needed without any qualms. Now, she insisted upon doing everything by following protocol to the letter. In a twisted way, Jane had taught her that. If you didn't do things by the book, you were only going to land up in trouble. His current predicament was evidence enough of that.

She held her breath as she unlocked the door and slid inside. Nothing had changed since she had last been in here, to pick Jane up after he'd been shot. The only difference was a thin layer of dust that now covered every surface. It was kind of sad, in a way. Lisbon leaned against the door and took a couple of deep breaths. She was glad that she had decided to come on her own; she didn't want anybody else, least of all the rest of her team, seeing her in such a state. They had seen her vulnerable side more than enough times of late. Her reaction to Jane's home had been inevitable though; she'd expected it. Being back here was like ripping open old wounds, reminding her of what she had had and what she'd lost. She had been so naïve back then, to think that Jane would ever consider leaving Angela for her. That he could still feel anything for her at all post-breakdown.

Eventually, she gathered together her wits and began the painstaking operation of searching through his belongings. After a good hour or so of searching in the lounge, she paused to catch her breath. She was going about this all wrong. If Lisbon wanted to find anything, then she would have to start thinking like Jane.

Soon, she drifted towards the master bedroom. The first thing she noticed was a picture of the two of them, together on his bedside table. Irritably, she threw the photo frame to the floor and the glass smashed reassuringly. A flicker of a smile briefly appeared on Lisbon's face. That felt surprisingly good. Then, she continued her search. It didn't take long for her eyes to linger on the set of drawers, nor for her to empty them one by one.

In the last drawer, she found the knife. It was already in a plastic bag, almost as if it were waiting to be picked up as evidence in a murder investigation.

With a determined nod, Lisbon placed it into an evidence bag before leaving the house without a second look. She was fairly certain that the reddish stains on the blade would be Angela's blood and that the handle would be covered with Jane's fingerprints.

If she was right, this would be the proof they needed that Jane, not Red John, had killed his family and tried to cover it up.

It was over a week before Lisbon got the results back. She quietly thanked the man who had informed her before placing the telephone receiver back down. Afterwards, she called Cho into her office. It didn't take him long to arrive and she smiled as he stood, as always, directly opposite her.

"Cho?"

"Yes, boss?"

"I need you to make a call. We're adding the murders of Angela Ruskin-Jane and Charlotte Anne Jane to Mr. Jane's charges."

"Where are you going?" he enquired as she pulled on her jacket.

"To tell him in person," she stated and he nodded gently. "It's about time."

xxx

Lisbon took a deep breath as she sat down in the plastic formed seat. It dug into her sides uncomfortably. For some reason, she felt overwhelmingly vulnerable. That was probably because she had had to surrender her gun to security before being granted access to the visitor's room. There wasn't anyone else in there just yet, but knowing she was merely yards away from criminals, several of whom she had personally sent to jail, was disconcerting.

And then there was the little fact that she was about to see Patrick Jane for the first time since he'd shot her.

In all honesty, Lisbon knew she had been putting this off. As far as she was concerned, she hadn't wanted to see him again before the trial. That was until she received the confirmation that he was responsible for his family's death.

He'd asked to see her. Probably so that he could apologize. Up until now, every single time, she had declined.

She knew she had to come here on her own terms.

And that was why she was here now. That, and she needed to formally charge him too.

But still, she couldn't wait for it to be over and done with. As far as Lisbon was concerned, this was going to be a short, sharp visit and then, she would never have to directly face the bastard again. She would attend his court cases, watch as justice was served, but that would be for her sake, not his. It would give her closure.

Hell, if he got the death sentence, which as things stood, was entirely possible, she would seriously consider watching him die.

Lisbon barely recognized the shackled man shuffling towards her. Jane hadn't been looking after himself and he was a far cry from the man who had swept her off her feet years ago. Though it saddened her for some inexplicable reason, she was also somewhat relieved. It made this whole situation just that little bit easier.

"Teresa," he said as soon as he sat down. "I'm glad you've come."

He went to grab her hands, but Lisbon pulled them back and placed them gently on her lap. Jane looked a little hurt. What was he expecting from her? To fall back into his arms willingly after everything that he'd done?

"We can start again. We can…"

"You fucking bastard," she snapped, interrupting him.

"Pardon?"

"You fucking tried to kill me. Do you really think there's any chance for us whatsoever?"

"I… you're right," Jane admitted. "But I had to try."

She snorted derisively. Lisbon just didn't want - or need - to hear it.

"And you lied to me," she continued angrily, the months of pent-up rage finally exploding. "For years. You killed your own family and pretended everything was normal. Is that how little respect you have for me?"

Jane remained silent, clearly not knowing how to respond. Lisbon was glad of it; she knew that if he'd tried to justify any of his actions, then it would just break her. It was bad enough that she had decided to try and face him at all without hearing any more of his lies.

"In addition to your pending charges, you're being formally accused of the murders of Angela Ruskin-Jane and Charlotte Anne Jane."

"So you've found the evidence then?" he enquired.

"Yes," she answered bluntly.

Once more, silence enveloped them. Lisbon knew that realistically, she should just leave but for some reason, she couldn't. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, maybe an apology? Then again, it was Patrick fucking Jane. Since when did he ever admit to being sorry for any of his actions?

"Teresa, you should know that Brent Garza is…" Jane eventually spoke, knowing it was a last-ditch effort.

"Garza has gone missing. He went AWOL at the same time as your… kidnapping."

"So you know he was involved then?"

"Obviously."

Lisbon stood, not wanting to spend any longer in Jane's presence. It simply hurt too much.

"Goodbye, Patrick. Have a nice life."

"I'm sorry," he murmured, though even if she heard it, she didn't show it.

xxx

Barely thirty minutes later, Jane was alone in his cell. He lay on the mattress, shifting from side to side, attempting to get comfortable.

It wasn't as if he had anything better to do than attempting to sleep, anyway.

"Hello, Patrick," Red John said with a smirk, jolting Jane from his reverie. "It's been such a long time…"

xxx

"Boss, we're up."

It was Rigsby who informed her. Lisbon nodded and quickly slid on her jacket. The sooner they got to the crime scene, the sooner it would be processed and they could get on with doing some real work. Rigsby lingered in her doorway for a second and Lisbon cocked her head quizzically at him.

"What is it, Rigsby?"

"It's… it's a Red John, boss."

"And?"

"I just thought…"

Lightly, she touched Rigsby's forearm and smiled reassuringly at him. His concern for her was sweet, but really, there was no need. Lisbon wasn't afraid of Red John; she just wanted to catch the bastard and bring him to justice. He'd screwed around with so many people, ruined so many lives.

And if she wasn't going to do it, who would?

The Red John case seemed like a poison arrow to so many agents now. Touch it and you died, or at least, your career would be over. Nobody wanted to run the risk of angering the serial killer, not since Bosco's death and Garza's disappearance. Not since he had managed to convince Patrick Jane to shoot a woman he'd so obviously loved.

That meant she still saw it as her responsibility. She needed to show him that she was stronger than before. That Red John had tried to break her and failed.

"Thank you, but I'm fine, Rigsby," she stated calmly. "Really."

It wasn't long until they reached the crime scene. The journey was silent; everybody was feeling tense. This was the first time Red John had struck since the Jane debacle and naturally, tensions were running high. The coroner greeted them quietly and it wasn't long until they were facing an all too familiar smiling red face.

Lisbon glanced down at the body.

It was ex-Senior Agent Brent Garza.

Well, that solved the mystery of what had happened to him, then. Lisbon couldn't feel sad for him. He had been a mole for Red John, worked closely with him. Had helped to set up the whole trap that nearly cost Lisbon her life. However, she maintained that nobody deserved to be murdered as brutally as he had been, not even a scumbag like Garza. It was simply the case that she didn't regret his passing as she would if he had been a nameless victim.

"Boss?"

She turned to face Van Pelt. In the rookie's hand was yet another piece of paper, folded over. With some trepidation, Lisbon took it off her and quickly scanned through the words. Eventually, she muttered something indistinct and despite it being evidence, Lisbon automatically scrunched it up.

Dear agent Lisbon,

It's you versus me now.

Are you ready?

end