A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I was mourning over Vega's (totally unfair) death. It will be the hardest thing for me to write about her now. Anyway, I'll try to ignore the show and pretend that in this universe this brilliant girl still lives and thrives. Again, thanks for the reviews! The score for this chapter is: No Prisoners, Only Trophies by Steve Jablonsky (I think it really fits the mood and it has sort of a Mentalist tone to it).

Chapter 6: Ghosts of the Past

Redondo Beach, Los Angeles

Jane gazed directly into the lifeless eyes of the girl that rested in the middle of the air, struggling to retain the veil of numbness that prevented his inner chaos from making it to the surface.

She was so young, the voice in his mind kept repeating with a hint of despair. So full of life.

Yet here she was, hanging brutally from a rope bolstered on two successive pillars. The famous Municipal Pier of Redondo Beach would be forever smeared with her vicious murder.

He'd done it again, he thought, flinching at the words as they crossed his mind. He had provoked a serial killer and it had resulted in the death of someone.

Of course, the mere guilt he felt now was only an echo of the unbearable pain and regret that had crippled him the first time. Still, it was there.

Instinctively, his eyes sought Lisbon, trying to convey some ease to his agitated soul. She was with the rest of the team, helping the local police force to bring the body down. He watched her petite frame; the way it set off the firmness of her movements, the strength of her personality. She was so determined to maintain the safety of the world, she didn't realize her own frailty. How long would they go around playing detectives, before she realized the real danger it portended?

Withdrawing his eyes, he caught Abbott examining him from his orchestrating position near one of the columns; his face ridden by the staid expression he took when he was valuing situations. Jane felt surprised for a moment. Could he see him?

"Jane", Cho called for his attention then, coming toward his direction.

Jane drew his eyes away; trying to hide his bafflement. He didn't realize what Cho was holding out to him at first. Soon though, the pulsating colors of the picture forced their way to his attention. His eyes fixed on the gruesome work of art as he laid out his hand to take it from Cho.

It was a compression of the sickness that lay before his eyes. Only somehow, enlarged. For one thing, the lower part of the image was washed in a luminous violet that painted the entire ocean on the background. And as it reached the top, it faded in the azure of the sky. The result was a purplish-blue color.

"Where did you find this?" he asked Cho then.

"It was stack on the column", he answered.

"Where exactly?"

Cho gave him a dubious look, obviously wondering how this mattered to the case. But the agent knew better than asking him questions. He walked him to the column in question and pointed toward a spot that hovered just above their heads. Jane could discern the remnants of glue on it.

"Hmm…" he remarked.

"What?"

It was Abbott who asked, taking an interest in their query. Jane threw him a furtive glance, but otherwise tried to act like their former silent exchange never happened.

"Usually when you write or put something on the wall, you target the spot that is directly opposite your eyes. This guy is seemingly tall", he explained.

"I see your point", Abbott said. "But still, it doesn't really help finding his identity".

"Well, it's always good to have an idea of what you're dealing with", Jane said.

…

"So, how was your first session?"

"My shrink is quite delightful", Volker remarked, his lips thinning to a smile.

Susan helped him climb the stairs of his porch. "Glad to hear you liked it. You know, usually these things can be quite overwhelming", she commented. "Anyway", she said as they reached his front door. "Tomorrow you will be assigned your fair share of community work. Remember, you can't leave the house at nonworking hours—visits to your shrink excluded of course", she reminded him, using her professional voice.

"Yes, I know", he said conformingly. "Report to my probation officer whenever I'm asked to—which can be at random times in the day—or the monitor at my foot will be activated. Then, I'd better be sleeping or in the bathroom, because…"

He crossed his hands as if he was being handcuffed; his face ridden by a waggish expression.

Susan smiled. "Well, be glad I managed to convince them of giving you the standard supervision, instead of the intensive one, which would mean constant GPS monitoring and computer management", she told him.

"Yeah", he remarked, locking her gaze. "Again, thank you", he said with his usual charm.

"Goodnight, Volker", she said as she turned around to leave.

"Goodnight to you, too", she heard him say in return.

The door of the quiet; secluded residence opened and Volker walked inside. Once he was secured in his privacy, he straightened up his body and got rid of his walking stick, the wood producing a clattering sound as it fell on the floor. Every smiling muscle on his face had receded in a shadowy expression.

His eyes fixed on the dark abyss of his living room, imagining shapes that were not quite there. Shapes that had a permanent incision in his thoughts.

Not bothering with the lights, he made his way to his bedroom at the rear of the house.

His laptop was as he had left it on the desk near the window. He walked around his bed and seated himself comfortably in the chair in front of it. For a few seconds, he just stared at the dark screen. Then, with a smooth tap of his finger on the touchpad, the screen illuminated the room. And finally, there, the shapes in his mind acquired a substantial existence.

All the tabs that were opened on the browser displayed her name.

Teresa Lisbon involved in the murder of Thomas McAllister… Chief of police in Washington… Transferred in the FBI department in Austin, Texas…

And about a dozen other articles of cases she'd been involved in.

Images of his time in prison flashed before his eyes; the most vibrant of them all: a knife landing on his knee, his hand clutching the hilt.

Of course, injuring himself had been the easiest part. So had making it seem like his cellmate had done it. The hardest part had been using his injure to evoke sympathy. And of course, having to use a walking stick wherever he went. Even after his injure was properly healed.

It was during the second year of his incarceration that he'd heard the whispers: the prison was getting overcrowded, the judges were considering candidates for release. He knew that just playing nice wouldn't be enough to have him considered. On the other hand, making himself look like the victim of another prisoner's wrath had a member of the Council vouching for his eligibility. As it turned out, Susan Warth was quite an easy person to beguile.

It had taken him years to get out, but his patience had been rewarded. Now all he had to do was find her.

"Please, report your current situation", said the recorded voice in the intercom.

Volker pressed the button to answer. Briefly, he named his whereabouts. Once he was done with that, he turned off his laptop and rose on his feet. An idea crossed his mind then. The next report wouldn't come for hours. That gave him enough time for a little walk.

….

Abbott observed his unit from afar. They had borrowed the interrogation room of the local police department to let Jane have his way with the hypnotized man, whose name they'd found was Alan Loop. The consultant had the man's gaze locked and was using his calm; practiced voice to guide him out of his trance, his hand occasionally tapping him on various parts of his body. It was the first time he was seeing of this ritual and he had to admit, it was quite fascinating.

But the pale expression he'd witnessed on the man a while ago was still hovering before his eyes. He knew Jane long enough now to understand when the consultant was getting out of his depth. He also knew the exact reason this was happening. It was currently standing right next to him, watching the process.

As a Supervising FBI Agent, there were times Abbott had to make some tough calls. And if you asked him, this was one of those times. Because while he valued Jane and Lisbon's contribution to the team, he couldn't ignore Jane's tendency to overreact when the other agent's life was threatened. Especially when his insight wasn't one hundred percent accurate.

"Lisbon", he called.

The agent heard him at once and turned toward his direction. He gestured for her to join him. Lisbon spared one last look toward Loop—probably unwilling to miss the moment of his "awakening"—before she came to meet him.

She waited for him to speak. Abbott chose his next words carefully.

"I'm afraid I'll have to take you and Jane off the case", he said.

He saw the agent's growing disconcertment in her eyes before he heard it in her words.

"What? Why?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice low.

"You two are…" Abbott fought to find the right word, one that wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable. She obviously didn't know he knew. "…close", he finally said.

The agent blushed anyway. But the most dominant feature on her face was the infuriation in her eyes. Abbott continued. "Don't worry. I'm just observant. It doesn't mean the rest of the team can see it, too. Anyway, thing is… Jane can't function properly when your safety is threatened", he said.

"What? That's nonsense. I'm a cop", she protested.

"And a very good one", he agreed. "But Lisbon, you have to understand. I can't let you and Jane near the rest of the team considering your involvement with each other".

"Involvement! It's like you don't know me, Boss. I would never let my personal life interfere with my job", she asserted.

"I know that. But I can't say the same thing goes for Jane. From now on, you will offer your services to this case as consultants", he announced.

"You mean Jane will be a consultant. I will just sit down doing nothing. And meanwhile, my teammates will be risking their lives somewhere out there".

"Fair enough. Let me tell you my point of view. Jane has done a mistake. He failed to see a very important detail in the killer's puzzle. So suddenly he doesn't have the upper hand. Now let's say you and the others involve yourselves in a dangerous situation—a close call with the serial killer. Don't you think he would risk the team's safety to save you?"

"No, he wouldn't do that", she said, shaking her head to highlight her answer.

"Well, of course, he wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. But in the rush of the moment, he wouldn't be able to think clearly", Abbott reasoned.

"So what, every time the action gets too dangerous now, you'll pull me off?"

"This is a special situation Lisbon. We both know Jane's history with serial killers. I'm not questioning your skills as a cop here. I assure you I consider you one of the best we have. And I know you'd sacrifice your life for your team. It's just that you can't help Jane's investment in you".

Before Lisbon could answer to that, the man in question appeared at her side.

"I can't find his trigger. It's probably something verbal", Jane said casually. Then, as he seemed to notice their expressions, his face grew serious. "Something wrong?" he questioned, looking at both of them.

"I'll let you two talk", Abbott said, sensing the sudden tension between them. He went to join Cho and Vega.

…..

Jane had learned by now that when Lisbon wore that particular expression—eyes blazing with anger and disappointment, jaw tensed and lips stubbornly sealed—she needed time and space to make peace with her own deranging thoughts, before she unleashed them on him. Only difference now was: he had no idea what those thoughts were about; which was equal to having a bomb and not knowing how to defuse it.

He watched her reticently as they rounded the car to occupy their respective seats, trying to guess at her thoughts. What could Abbott have said to her to make her angry at him? The tentative look the man had cast toward him at Redondo Beach flashed before his eyes.

On second thought, the sooner he let the bomb explode, the faster things would get back to normal.

"What's wrong, Lisbon?" he asked, at the same time that she said: "Did you talk to Abbott?"

"I talked to Abbott many times, though I don't know which topic of conversation you're referring to exactly", he quibbled.

"Fair enough. Did you ask Abbott to take us off the case?" she demanded.

For a moment, he was stunned. "I swear I didn't say anything", he said truthfully.

"Are you sure?" she insisted.

"Yes", he answered, locking her gaze.

Her green eyes dipped in his, not sure if he was lying to her. He couldn't take this anymore. "What did Abbott say to you?" he asked her.

"Well, as you've already heard, we are suspended", she said each word separately.

Relief washed through his body. Though, admittedly, part of him was unhappy for her unhappiness. So he had to ask. "Why?"

"Because… Abbott thinks your feelings for me would probably put the rest of the team at risk".

So Abbott did see him earlier that day. "Well, can't say he's wrong", he admitted, lowering his gaze.

He heard her heave a weary sigh. "Jane…" she whispered, but other than that, said nothing else. For a while, she was soundless. He knew this was against her best instincts. Saint Teresa defying her duty toward the country; her loyalty to her teammates? He hated himself for doing this to her. She deserved to be able to decide for herself. He had no right interfering with her love for her job. After all, it was one of the reasons he'd fallen in love with her in the first place.

If only his fear of losing her was at a normal level. If only it was a thought he could push at the back of his mind and tell Abbott he could handle himself. Instead, it was a constant nuisance in his consciousness. An echo of the unbearable pain that would follow her death. A palpable reality held in reserve by a very thin, breakable wall.

"So what? We go back home now?" Lisbon said, much to his surprise.

Jane turned to look at her, his hope rehabilitated. "Well, I can think of one or two places you'd been dying to visit the moment we got here", he said; feeling much lighter.

"Really?" Lisbon said, a reluctant smile flickering on one corner of her lips.

"Really", he said craftily.

….

Wylie kept glancing at the entrance of the local police department, waiting for his colleagues to come out of the building. Up until now, he'd only seen Jane and Lisbon, who had hurried in their car. Judging from the expressions on their faces, it was better for him not to join them. Hesitantly, he cast a look toward the rearview mirror.

Meeting the boy's keen stare, he withdrew his eyes at once; feeling suddenly awkward.

Finally, much to his relief, he saw Vega coming toward the car; Cho and Abbott following her. The three agents crossed the street and sat in the vehicle; Abbott occupying the passenger's seat and Cho with Vega sitting in the back with Max. He realized then that Jane and Lisbon's Chevrolet Trax was no longer in sight.

"Where did Jane and Lisbon go?" he wondered aloud.

The focus of attention shifted toward Abbott. Apparently, the other two agents had the same question.

"They won't assist us in this case anymore", said the Boss.

"What? Why?" Vega protested.

"This case does no good to Jane. And since I can't trust he will stay away from it, I need Lisbon to keep him in check", Abbott explained. "Now, what are the leads we have?"

"Well, since Alan Loop remains hypnotized, they're not much", Vega answered.

"What about the colors?" Wylie suggested. "Jane said they're violet and indigo".

"We can't follow that lead", Abbott said. "We would be playing his game again and we all know how that turned for us. Plus we don't really know when he's going to kill again".

"So what then?" Wylie asked.

"Well, you said Maria Fletcher's kidnapping was reported one month ago. Which means he kept her somewhere all this time. We need to find that place".

"You think he keeps other girls there?" Vega inquired.

"Maybe".

"How do we find it?" Cho asked, taking part in the conversation.

"We need to interrogate each of the victims' relatives for starters", Abbott answered.

"Well, we already have three of them", Wylie remarked, casting a glance toward Max, who watched them quietly from his position between Cho and Vega.

"Three?" Vega inquired.

"Jake, Max and Laura Gonzalez, the third victim's girlfriend. She tried to attack Jake earlier today, but Abbott prevented it", Wylie explained to her.

"Ok, let's question them first and then call in the rest of them", Abbott ordered.

Wylie was about to turn the key in the ignition, when abruptly, Max's voice sounded for the first time.

"It's funny", the boy remarked.

They all drew their eyes upon him.

"What's funny?" Cho asked him.

"Well, first Jake, now this Laura girl", he mused.

"What about them?"

"They both seem to be on a quest to avenge their lovers' killer. If I was him, this kind of devotion would really satisfy me".

….

Few hours later

Volker paid the taxi driver and got out on the dark street.

Once the sound of the engine was lost in the distance, he turned around to face the massive building he had come to visit.

The last time he had been there, the site was full of cops walking in an out. Now the aura of abandonment was surrounding every part of its territory.

So it was true. The Californian Bureau of Investigation had been shut down. Much to his disappointment. It just made finding her much more complicated now.

Just then, a car appeared on the far corner of the street. He couldn't risk being seen. Quickly improvising, he hid himself behind a bush.

….

"I can't believe I agreed to do this", Lisbon said regrettably.

She looked outside her window. After a two-hour flight and a fifteen-minute drive they were finally at their destination. Though, now, she wasn't really sure if it was the best idea to come here.

Jane stopped the car and took the key off the ignition. "Oh, I'm sure that you're just as thrilled", he said in a playful voice, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

She smiled despite herself. "Thrilled to sneak in an abandoned building at night?" she scoffed.

"Well, it's not just any building. It's the building we used to work at for more than ten years".

A/N: Haha I feel bad for doing this to you. I'll try and update as soon as I can. Also, it turned out it was really painful just writing "Vega" :'(

Next chapter will be rated M.