Hi so its been almost 2 years and…Im sorry. Assuming someone is still reading this, Im gonna try and update sooner in the future because now ive got an outline for the rest of the chapters. This is probably going to be 6/7 chapters long and im committed to finishing it.
I want to thank all those who reviewed and to answer Idonthaveaname
It's AU so Abbott is still their boss and fischer hasn't left either in this fic.I should probably have added it in the first chapter.
Also I absolutely don't ship Pike and Lisbon.
I hope the story meets your expectations : )
Lisbon saw amazement flit across Abbott's face as he saw her enter his office. It had been 2 years since she'd left so his surprise was inevitable. Arranging her face in a friendlier expression, she approached his desk.
"Teresa, hi! What a surprise! How are you?"He spoke enthusiastically.
"Im fine," she tried to smile. "What about you?"
"Oh you know me. Healthy as a horse. Take a seat so we can catch up." He said pleasantly to her.
"So what brings you here? Did Pike and Alaina come along?" he asked coming to the matter at hand.
"Uh..no he didn't. I came alone with Alaina." There was a pause before she continued. " I actually wanted to talk to you about my job. Im moving back from DC so I was wondering if there was an opening in any of the investigation departments?"
"Well as it happens we have an opening in our department. A new member Rick Tork joined after you left but transferred to the cybercrimes unit just a couple of days ago and Fischer is on a 2 week holiday so we're actually one member short." Abbott looked like he wanted to ask more questions but answered nevertheless. "Jane drove tork crazy without you to control him." He added with a grin.
"Thank you so much." She smiled with relief at his words and his mention of Jane.
She made to get up however before she could, Abbott asked the question she dreaded the most, "So are you and Pike moving back to Austin?"
"No", her voice was harder than she intended.
"Is everything all right between you and Pike?"he pressed not seeming too eager to quit the topic.
After a moment of strained silence she got out, "We're separating."
She saw the surprised look flit across his face which was soon replaced by that of pity. He seemed to want to know more but before he could open his mouth to ask anything else, Lisbon cut him off with a firm, "I don't really want to talk about it right now."
Saying it out loud that she and Pike we're separating seemed to make it more real and bring back the sore memory of her fight with Pike to the forefront of her mind. The brief moment of happiness at the news of getting back her job was now replaced with her anger with Pike. She meant it when said that she didn't want to talk about it. The last thing she wanted right now was to lose her composure in front of abbott.
"So when can I come back to work?" She tried to break the uncomfortable silence that had descended upon them.
"Well you'll be able to join in a week unless you want a couple of weeks to sort out your…personal problems ." Abbott finished awkwardly.
"Sure. Um thanks. That would be great. I'll see you in a couple of weeks then."She replied thankfully getting up.
"It's great to have you back Agent Lisbon." Abbott said as she was at the door.
This time the smile wasn't forced. "It's great to be back boss."
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Lisbon saw Jane holding Alaina while Wiley, Cho and a red headed women she'd not seen before were standing at his side. Alaina had woken up and was punching her little fists in the air while babbling up at them.
She made her way forward, sighing under her breath as she would have to tell her colleagues the reason for her return sooner or later. Her showing up with her daughter without Pike was bound to arise questions. She decided sshe would first talk to Jane then tell the others once she returned to work. They probably could guess and maybe Abbott would tell them so she wouldn't need to answer any questions.
She wanted to talk to Jane first. To tell him why she came back, why she left in the first place and more so than anything, she wanted to ask him if he really meant what he'd said two years ago.
Alaina raised her arms up at her on seeing her and Lisbon took her from Jane. Their hands brushed and it was then that she noticed that Jane was not wearing his wedding ring. She didn't have time to dwell on it though because just then Cho asked the dreaded question.
"Good to see you. So you and Pike coming back to Texas huh?"
"Well not really. Listen, you can ask Abbott he'll tell you. Im joining the team in a couple of weeks though and I'll explain then." She didn't want to give any explanations in front of the women she didn't know.
Just then the red head said something about security footage and gestured towards the desktop. He said a quick bye before following her. Lisbon briefly wondered if they were dating.
"It's great to see you back Lisbon." Wiley said with a grin before adding, "Your daughter is really cute."
"Thanks" Lisbon grinned back as he too went to join Cho with a wave. Both had realized that Lisbon wasn't really in a conversational mood. This left her alone with jane who until now hadn't really said anything.
Jane broke the silence. "It's great to see you again. Wiley's right, Alaina is beautiful. She looks just like you." He didn't mention how it was beyond great to see her back and how much he'd missed her. How he'd had a sliver of hope two years ago that she might actually stay. How he'd been broken when she hadn't though he understood that he'd been too late and how much it had broken his heart again to see the wedding invitations and a year later; the pictures of her and Pike's daughter.
Lisbon blushed remotely at the veiled compliment before once again mumbling another "Thanks."
She wanted to talk but after being out of contact for two years aside from the invitation to her wedding, she didn't know what to say. However she was save any more worry by Jane.
"Let's go downstairs. We can talk there."
She agreed with a ready "sure" and walking downstairs with him, felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. She remembered how easy it was before and wished she'd never left. Maybe the only good thing she got out of it was her daughter. Seeing him again made her regret, for the first time in a long time the last two years of her life.
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They were both sitting on a bench in the parking lot. There was awkwardness in the air around them and Jane could sense that she was rather nervous.
He could tell that she and Pike had had a fight and he wondered if they were splitting up. If they were he was sure that it was Pike's mistake. He'd
always been to pushy and controlling.
He did not want to see her unhappy as she was right now but now that she was here…As much as he tried ignored it and as much as he hated it, he could not help the flicker of hope in a part of his heart, dormant for long.
He'd felt resentment towards her sometimes in the past for leaving and settling so easily in her life but the happiness of seeing her there and in front of him had overrode it all.
In the past two years he'd dated three women. He thought he could settle down but in the end when he thought of a future with them he'd ended up comparing them to Lisbon and a future with them to a future with Lisbon.
In the end, this was what had led to him ending his relationship with them. After the confession to Lisbon he'd finally gotten to be at peace with himself but had been unable to move on completely with someone else. He'd decided that it was because he needed more time. More time to forget and move on.
Getting the news of lisbon's daughter had proved a turning point and he had bought a cabin, a house for himself and taken off his wedding ring but still he could not feel that way for another woman the way he had felt for Lisbon. The way he still felt now. He had resented her for leaving, resented himself for being too late but that couldn't compare to now.
As he looked at her, he realized that the reason why he could not settle down with those others was that he was still truly in love with her.
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Hope you enjoyed! And once again sorry for being back from the dead after so long.
If someone's still reading it plz review and let me know : )
PS plz also let me know if you prefer long paragraphs or shorter ones.