A/N: Thank you all for your continued support, including your reviews and follows! It means a lot, and I'm sorry I've not had time to respond individually recently. What started out as a fun story (and I hope it still is) got worked through some of the darkest places in my brain, and now we are here!

Exercise was always great for the mind and body, especially after moments of great stress, but after drinking? All exercise felt like death. Being there with the girls took some of the pressure off because they didn't expect her to be an athlete extraordinaire. In fact, they were all moving a bit slow. She even saw Erica hit the mat a few times. She certainly was not coordinated.

As soon as their exercise class ended, Kim yelled out: "Brunch! Please!"

As Lisbon wiped her face down, she heard Michelle laugh. Erica was back to a rather reserved mood. She merely mumbled, "Well, then, lets go." So the four of them, clad in their workout clothes, made their way downstairs to get brunch.

"I'm also starving." Lisbon left out the part that she'd already eaten a few donuts this morning because she was actually hungry. She'd be glad when all of this was over and she could get back to her normal diet without external pressure.

First thing was first, the women ordered a round of waters and coffees. "What a crazy night!" Michelle was clearly ready to talk about last night.

"Yeah, it could have been a little less crazy. I just wanted to celebrate." Erica sipped her water.

"Same here." Lisbon said as she gave Erica a reassuring smile. Kim remained quiet.

"Gracie?" Michelle was looking directly at her.

"Hmm?"

"How are you doing? Did your ex try to contact you again after last night?" Kim looked up at that question.

She shivered involuntarily. "He has not tried to contact me."

"I'm sorry that happened to you. Are you sure you don't want to contact the police? I've read that's the best thing to do in this kind of case. If he's stalking you, it could escalate. The police can help you."

"Unfortunately, I think that would just piss him off more. He's generally a good guy when he's not drinking. He came here last night, thinking he could get me back. He and Finn have a lot of bad blood."

Erica sat up straighter, clearly interested in this part of the story. "Oh? Did you leave him for Finn?"

Shit. She hadn't considered that fielding that question. Mustering up all of the skills she still had from that college improv class and Patrick's encouragement to keep lies as close to the truth as possible, she answered. "It...things were over between us before they even got started really. Ray just never wanted to accept it. It got worse when he found out about Finn. He said that no one could care for me the way he did. He pulled out all of the stops to get me back, even a marriage proposal. I just wasn't interested. Finn is a great guy, and he's shown me so much love and all of the good that exists in the world. From time to time, Ray just shows up and tries to convince me to come back to him."

"So he has been following you and inserting himself in your life? Because I've read…"

"You know, Michelle, it's not uncommon for exes to not let go, especially if they think they can prove themselves. I don't know that whatever pop psychology books you've been reading are applicable here. Besides, no need to worry Gracie even more." While she appreciated Kim's intervention and getting the conversation moving elsewhere, she was a little harsh on the young woman who delivered an assessment they both knew they would give in a similar situation.

Michelle lowered her eyes in shame. "I didn't mean to frighten you, Gracie. I'm just worried. That guy was an absolute creep. I'm glad Kim came up with a plan though. You were awesome!"

She noticed that Kim played with her water glass. "Thanks, Michelle! You read interesting books."

Michelle scrunched up her face. "I'm reading Pride & Prejudice right now." The other women laughed.

"Well, all of this what? Self-defense stuff that you're reading? When did you read that?"

"Oh, well I took courses on violence against women in school. I wanted to be a victims' advocate." Lisbon noticed how she bit back the part about wanting to be an FBI agent. Clearly, she wasn't comfortable enough to say that to the group at large. However, Kim nodded her approval.

Michelle stood up and looked around. "If you will excuse me, I will be right back!"

"Oh, are you going to the ladies' room? I think I will join you." Michelle nodded. Kim's eyes met hers for just a brief second.

Erica placed her hand on top of hers, and she looked up and met her brown eyes. "You were very brave last night."

"Me?"

"Yes, you saved all of our lives. I didn't get a chance to thank you."

"It was nothing. I just remembered football with my brothers. I couldn't let anything happen to Darla and her baby. Lorelei was clearly off her rocker."

"Whatever it was that you did, it stopped her. I just...I never saw that in her, you know?"

She sighed. "Erica, none of us did. When a person is like that, they usually don't show themselves until the moment they want to reveal themselves."

"I mean, she seemed so happy."

"She did? She never really talked to me very much."

Erica chuckled drily. "She never talked to anyone very much. She usually gave one word answers here and there except when she mentioned her loverboy."

This was an interesting development. "Her loverboy?"

"Mmmhmm. That's what she called him. I'm not sure which one, but it's either Mr. Bertram or Mr. McAllister of the Miss America Organization. She never told me which one, but I figured it out based on when and where she was disappearing to. She's been dating him for a little while now. She said it was supposed to be top secret, but she was so excited because the man was taking her places. At least that's what she said. He probably caught on that she was crazy and broke things off."

Lisbon blinked rapidly. "They were dating? Isn't that like against the rules?"

"It's why she wanted to keep things quiet until they could take off."

"Take off?"

"Yeah." Erica looked around them and leaned in even closer. "So she told me this, but it's top secret. You can't tell anyone. Apparently, they had talked about moving somewhere tropical when the pageant was over."

"Moving? That seems a little fast. Doesn't he run the pageant?"

Erica swallowed a sip of her mimosa before giggling. "Not anymore." Lisbon looked on in stunned silence as Erica continued. "They are both being fired from the organization. The Board of Directors want new blood running the organization and pageant."

"Marcus."

Erica nodded. "Yes, they want to promote Marcus to Pageant Director. They appreciate his demeanor-and probably his age and attractive nature-a lot more." Lisbon nodded along, suddenly recalling the rather tense looking conversation McAllister had with Marcus the other night.

She shrugged, trying to think of how to keep the conversation flowing as her head suddenly swam with new information. "Well, I guess she's not moving away with him anymore."

"I guess not. I wonder if he even knows what happened."

Lisbon shrugged as Kim and Michelle returned. Erica readjusted herself to sit up straight. Throughout the remainder of brunch, Lisbon continued to mull over Erica's words, remembering the conversation she had with Madeleine a few days ago. Something didn't feel right about it. She made a mental note to get with the team as soon as she could.

Midway through their meal, her phone started buzzing nonstop. Finally, she pulled it out to see several missed calls and messages from Van Pelt.

The message read: "We've gotta go see our Uncle. All of us. Now."

She responded. "Ok. Give me a few minutes. I have to meet with Madeleine soon."

"Madeleine was told to report, too." Oh God. Haffner. Joining Erica's story, her head was now swimming with reasons why Ray Haffner would demand their presence at command this morning. She wasn't ready to call him, and she wasn't ready to see him again in person yet. Her heart fell to the bottom of her stomach. If she hadn't already finished eating, she wouldn't be able to finish now.

"Ok, I will come find you in just a few minutes. Let me make an exit here."

"I will be in the lobby. Jane is already here."

Putting her phone face down on the table, she let the other women know she needed to go meet up with Darla and Finn for a moment and that she would be back for rehearsal.

Patrick and Grace were waiting for her in the lobby area. He placed his hand on her lower back as they walked out of the hotel. "Do either of you know what's going on?"

Van Pelt answered. "No, but Haffner started blowing up my phone saying to get to command now and to bring everyone who's supposed to be here and not be here. I just told him we would be there in 20."

Cho and Rigsby were already in the SUV waiting for them as the three of them slid into the backseat. Her heart was racing. She did not have a good feeling about this. Sitting between Grace and Patrick, she felt him reach for her hand, which she slid into his for the remainder of the car ride. As they arrived at the command center room, she did her best to calm her nerves, remembering that at least they were all there together.

As the door opened, she saw Madeleine already sitting inside. Though, it surprised her to see who had opened the door to allow them entry.

"Agents, thanks for joining us. I'm glad to see you all, even some of you who aren't even supposed to be here anymore." In the years she had known Virgil Minelli, she'd come to expect the barbed comments he could make when he was in a state of barely contained frustration. She made eye contact with Rigsby and Cho and sent a silent prayer that they would let her do the talking. "It would seem that Agents Haffner and Lisbon have apprehended the man we believe to be Red John. Congratulations, agents." She raised her eyebrows.

"This Haibach guy?" She hadn't prayed for Jane to stay quiet because she knew that was a futile effort. She didn't even try.

Haffner, who had a small shiner from where Kim's fist connected with his jaw, answered. "Yes, he's Red John."

"What proof do you have?"

Haffner scoffed before proceeding. "He's guilty. He's been linked to several women who've gone missing."

Jane pushed back. "But no evidence of the terrorist activity? Past victims?"

"It's him."

"What did he say in the interrogation?"

Haffner ran his hand through his hair, growing agitated. "Nothing much. What's with the 21 questions? We caught him. Me and Lisbon. Just because we used good old fashioned detective work instead of the tactics of a mad man doesn't mean it's not him."

"But he's saying nothing? A guy like Red John would never stop talking, trying to convince you how smart he is. And what about Lorelei?"

Across from her, she saw Wainwright lower his eyes, looking incredibly uncomfortable. "She's dead."

"What? How?" She wasn't totally surprised. "Wasn't she in protective custody?"

The dark haired young man looked uncomfortably to Haffner, who shrugged his shoulders. "Agent Haffner didn't approve her placement into protective custody."

Her temper flared as she made direct eye contact with him for the first time that day. "Why not? Red John's helpers end up dead, either by their own hand or someone else's. It could've been helpful if we could've questioned her."

Haffner answered. "Well, didn't you talk to her last night? She wasn't much help was she?"

"That's besides the point, and you know it. We should've placed her in protective custody. That's our protocol. If Jane could've spoken to her..."

Haffner scoffed loudly, "What does it matter? One lunatic is dead, and her partner is in custody. I don't need Jane to tell me that."

"It's not him." Jane spoke up just above a whisper. To some it may sound like he was uncertain, but she could sense he was trying to suppress his anger.

"Oh, I forgot you're a psychic. Please tell me more."

As many Red John cases as they'd worked over the years, Jane's eyes held an anger she'd never seen in him before. Before he could say, or do, anything, she thought she would try a different approach. "Agent Haffner, I think what Jane is pointing out is that Haibach makes little sense. Lorelei's association with him makes even less sense. And based on what I learned this morning…"

"What you learned this morning?"

"Yes, I went to brunch with the other contestants, and Erica gave me some information about Lorelei. She may have been involved with either Gale Bertram or Thomas McAllister. We need to check them out."

Haffner laughed. "Why? Haibach isn't cute and rich enough to be Red John? Did one of your friends break a nail? I can't wait to hear what a bunch of little pageant girls think."

"Women. We are women, Haffner. And if you'd let me…"

"I'm just saying. Gossip is not evidence of something foul."

"If you'd let me finish a god damn sentence, you would know what I have to say, but I get the distinct impression you don't care. Little pageant girls couldn't have anything valuable to say, right?"

"No, Teresa. I don't care. Once again, carnie freak is in your ear feeding you bullshit that you're just all too eager to lap up."

She could feel her chest tighten. Every shred of anger and frustration she had felt over the course of the last few months was bubbling to the surface. As she spoke, her words felt airy and light. "I feel like we've had this conversation before, but in case you need a reminder, I'm your equal. So while this may not be the height of professionalism, fuck off, Ray."

"Agents!" Minelli attempted to intervene too little too late.

"You have no interest in working together or hearing out any viewpoint or information that doesn't fit your theory. Do you really think if it was this easy to catch him we wouldn't have figured this out in a few days and saved countless lives?" She could practically feel her heartbeat between her ears.

"Honestly, I don't know, Teresa. Jane loves following after you, or leading you around, however it works with you two."

Jane had the darkest of expressions on his face as he laughed. "Either you really don't want to catch him for a variety of reasons that could include you working for him or you're just a fucking moron. And I only have a slight interest in determining which it is because all roads lead to you being worthless. You want to be hailed as a superhero, but you're really just a weak, useless little man."

Haffner was seething. "Shut your pet up, Teresa." Before she could get in a word, he continued.

Jane moved in closer to Haffner as she extended her arm in front of him. "Oh there it goes, you think if you're a hero you could finally have the woman of your dreams. She'd just fall into your arms, but no. I don't imagine many women like to be condescended and abused by a second rate man." Jane laughed again as she looked at him with pleading eyes to stop. "You like to call me a carnie freak or whatever other pedantic, childish word you can think of. Well, I might be a clown, but you're the whole damn pathetic circus, pal."

Jane moved away with very cold looking eyes, as she heard someone in the room trying to stifle a laugh. She looked at Minelli who was simply gawking at both men. Haffner was fuming, but it was rather obvious he was trying hard to be on his best behavior in front of the boss. This way, he could later gaslight every complaint they had about him and this operation. He'd make this their fault by saying Jane was clearly uncooperative or he had a grudge against him that he'd convinced the team to take up as their own crusade.

Minelli finally intervened. "Jane, what makes you so certain this isn't Red John?"

"He's too unsophisticated, and it's all a little too neat. Don't you think? Besides, why was Lorelei attacking after the man was in custody already?" Jane's eyes connect with her own. "And what did you learn at brunch, Lisbon?"

"Erica told me that Bertram and McAllister are being fired from the Organization. This is their last year. Lorelei was romantically involved with one of them, and that's most likely how Red John was able to convince her to do his bidding last night."

"Miranda." She heard Madeleine gasp. She'd forgotten her consultant was even there. Other than Jane, it was unusual to have civilians present at these sorts of meetings. And boy, was she getting quite the view of the inner workings of the FBI today! "McAllister was with Miranda, my former contestant."

"Boss, this can't be coincidental. Either of those guys is in a prime position to recruit women like Miranda or Lorelei to work for them. It makes more sense than Haibach."

Minelli considered her words for a moment. "Agent Haffner, why have you concluded Haibach is Red John? Perhaps tell Agent Lisbon what you found."

"He had a woman stuffed away in his house. He'd been abusing her. He's a real sick bastard."

Jane interrupted once more. "Again, he's guilty of something. I give you that. He's Red John. It doesn't fit."

Minelli sighed. "Jane, I'm not inclined to agree with you. You are constantly chasing any and every shadow you can to turn over Red John, seeing things that aren't there and creating messes that we later have to smooth over."

Lisbon intervened. "Boss…"

"Oh no, let me finish, Agent Lisbon. I want my words to be crystal clear to you since you have a hard time understanding my orders and directives." Her stomach fell. She couldn't believe Minelli was falling for this hook, line, and sinker. "Haibach looks very good for this. Unfortunately, we can't ask Lorelei Martins. She's dead. I am satisfied that what you and Agent Haffner have found here is the man we know as Red John. I don't agree with Jane's assessment that he would be talking. Why would he talk to us and tell us everything?"

She could see Haffner's shit eating grin on his face. How he managed to twist things and win this argument, she would never understand. "Sir, we don't have any confirmation. Also, Red John has always been about the flash. He would be telling everything he's done, especially when presented with the fact that we have concrete proof that we know it's him."

"Nor will you get confirmation because it's not him."

Minelli continued. "We are continuing to interrogate him. I'm sure it will come out. We have to respect the process. Now, as for you, Agents Lisbon, Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt, I am highly disappointed in your actions on this case. I sent you here and told you that you needed to work together."

Here comes the blow. "Sir, if I may explain…."

"Do not interrupt me, Lisbon. You are already in deep enough shit as it is. I'm not interested in these little he said-she said stories. Whatever has transpired here has caused a deep rift amongst you all. I asked if you could control Jane. You said yes, and he promised to be on his best behavior. I ordered Cho and Rigsby back to Sacramento, and you permitted them to stay on in violation of my direct orders. This is an absolute mess."

"Sir, she didn't order us to stay on. In fact, she didn't know we'd violated a direct order until much later. At that time, she directed us to follow your orders and return to Sacramento."

"Oh? Well then, Agent Cho, tell me: do you and Agent Rigsby just not respect her orders, my orders, or any orders at all? What is the truth?"

Lisbon shook her head. "Boss, that's not true. Any actions that Agents Cho and Rigsby took should be laid at my feet."

Rigsby and Cho were clearly in disagreement as they started to speak. She glared at them to remain quiet.

"Don't worry, Lisbon. Like I said, there's more than enough shit to go around here. All four of you will be getting official reprimands in your files. You're lucky I don't push you directly through to OPR."

Jane scoffed aloud. "Reprimands for what? Doing their jobs?"

Minelli turned on Jane. "And you! You are much more hassle than you are worth." Oh, Haffner's look of glee was more than he could contain no more. She thought she might actually be sick. "You are dismissed. Your services are no longer needed."

She had no time to react, as she immediately came to his defense. "Sir, that's not fair. Jane has been incredibly valuable in the pursuit of Red John, and I am unclear as to what either he or Agent Van Pelt have done to deserve discipline. As I said, any and all of my team's actions here should be laid at my feet." She steeled her face before continuing. "And if I may be so bold, sir, why is all of your anger directed at us? Agent Haffner has been far from easy to work with on this case. I agree things could be smoother, but he's not exactly created a healthy working environment. In fact, he came in and immediately started trying to assert himself and causing disruption."

Haffner's smile fell. "Please, Teresa. I came in here and took charge to prioritize your safety. Whichever one of Jane's insane plans you decided to follow did not place your safety as its top priority. We all know you don't use your best judgment where Jane is concerned. I'm just looking out for you like I always have."

There was a moment of tense silence. Frankly, she was too stunned to speak. Nothing that Haffner had done in her presence over the course of the last year or so made her feel even remotely safe.

Minelli spoke once more. "Agent Van Pelt actively worked to subvert Agent Haffner's operation and assisted Agents Cho and Rigsby. I realize that it may be difficult for you to take direction from an equal, but I sent Agent Haffner here to look after your security. He's right. Jane has a terrible track record when it comes to working anything related to Red John. I don't have the time and energy to listen to your petty squabbles and grievances."

She felt rage flood her entire body as her supervising agent explained why he couldn't at least hear them out. Nothing ever changes. She should've known: it was all Jane's fault. They'd scapegoat him and get rid of him, all while claiming they'd saved the day. They didn't save shit. She steeled herself before her next question. "So then, if I had called into you first to tell you of my squabbles and grievances with Ray Haffner being put in charge of my security, would you have accepted my story on its face or would you have told me to stop being petty?"

Minelli merely gawked at her. "Agent Lisbon, your team has a track record that's not very good. With that record and your obvious blindspot…"

She could read his answer before he even fixed his mouth to speak. Her chest was pounding again, but she did everything she could to school her features. There was no need to let him finish that sentence. Her voice was as deflated as her soul. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

The older man sighed as he rubbed his face. "Agent Lisbon, let's speak outside." He led her into the hall and waited for the door to close behind them. "Look, this is nothing personal. I know Haffner can be a prick, but from my read of everything, he's tried to ensure your safety and a smooth running operation. We did this quietly and professionally-and he also credited you for the bust. Jane is a wild card. He always has been. He's good at convincing you to go along with him. I never should have allowed him to come here. This case has been a success."

"Why is it always Jane's fault? He didn't do anything wrong. Haffner came in hot, but you refuse to hear me, or anyone else for that matter, out."

His eyes bore into hers for a moment. "Our objective was reached. Red John has been caught. And you know Jane is way more of a burden than he is a help. How many times have you complained about his antics?"

"And what if we don't agree with that assessment? Where do we go from here?"

He sighed. "We don't. The case is over."

She shook her head. "I don't think so. Can I at least have permission to stay here with a small team, or even alone?" Never in a million years did she think she would have to plead with her boss to stay on a case to ensure an outcome.

"No. I don't give you permission to stay. Why are you being so obstinate? We've caught him. I'm not going to authorize you playing beauty pageant on the FBI's dime for no reason."

"It's not for no reason. It's called being safe."

He shook his head. "No."

She looked at her hands. "Then, I'll put in for PTO."

"If you take PTO and try to work a case, that's an automatic suspension. You know that."

"But boss, you just said there's no case. What's wrong with a private citizen seeing through something she started?"

"No, if you do this, we are done."

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "We're done?"

"Teresa, I've given you a lot of grace, especially since Bosco and his team. This is it. Haffner has a clear, level head about this case. It's a perspective that you're missing, and being around Jane makes it even worse I'm sure. It's personal for both of you. We've caught him, and I'm tired of being on a limb to clean up the messes you let Jane drag you into. There's some level of co-dependency there that's just not healthy. You need to get back into real work. Remember why you're doing this."

They believed she couldn't run her own team or make her own decisions, that Jane was somehow controlling her, that she needed to be saved from him. She nodded her head in agreement. "Ok, Virgil." She walked back into the command center room.

As soon as she re-entered the room, she met Jane's blue eyes. "Agents Cho, Rigbsy, and Van Pelt. You should go back to Sacramento as SAC Minelli has directed. You're a great team of agents with promising futures at the FBI, if you follow orders. I want to thank you all. It has been an honor working with all of you. Jane has been dismissed." She took a brief pause. She expected to feel a lot more panicked at this part, but suddenly her mind was crystal clear. "I am also resigning effective immediately."

She heard Madeleine gasp and saw Jane blink rapidly several times, indicating his own surprise. She had an audience that was much larger than she would ever want for something like this, but it was done. She was done.

"Agent Lisbon…" Minelli started to speak as her former team members gawked at her. They all looked completely shocked and surprised. Perhaps later on, she'd discover her own shock and surprise at her rash acting. But what could come of a situation so toxic that her own colleagues told her point blank, in a room full of people, that they didn't trust her judgment, especially when she didn't trust theirs?

She just looked at Jane and pointed toward the door. "You wanna get out of here?"

He nodded and made his way over to her near the door. Madeleine interrupted their departure. "Wait a minute! Teresa and Patrick, are you sure this guy isn't Red John?"

She and Jane both turned and nodded affirmatively to the woman's question. She grabbed her purse and got up to join them. "Then, you will need my help to get ready."

"Miss Hightower, we can't pay you for anything after this meeting."

"Do you think I care? Red John took my life from me. I won't be able to sleep until he's caught. Is the FBI going to stop one private citizen from helping another private citizen?" Minelli shook his head. "Good. I'd hate to have to call a reporter."

Patrick paused, as he raised his hand in the air like he had an "aha" moment and moved back into the room. "Oh wait. There is one more thing. Agent Haffner?"

"What is it, Jane? Haven't you done enough?"

"No, I don't think I have." Patrick drew his fist back and hit Haffner in the jaw. "That's still not enough, but there you go. That should even you up there with a matching bruise. Maybe that will teach you to keep your hands to yourself, you creep."

"You son of a…" As Haffner lunged for Jane, she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and pulled him out of the door. What came next in the room, she couldn't say. She couldn't be bothered to care. It certainly wasn't her problem anymore.

She'd taken an oath to serve and protect. She knew the difference between right and wrong, and this was right. They were right. Red John was still out there. In the end, Minelli spoke the truth, and that was all she needed to hear. She remembered exactly why she was doing this.

A/N 2: We are in the home stretch! We have about 2-3 chapters left. Thanks for reading!