Note : Teresa Lisbon, Patrick Jane, CBI are characters copyrighted to Bruno Heller and The Mentalist. I have never owned and will never own them.

Thank you reviewers, those who clicked favourites and follows. I am HUMBLED. If you like my story; please do review...it helps a LOT. Different views etc. I apologise for being a lazy researcher; a good writer always does good research. I hate that job.

Dear reviewer who commented that Joe might be Jude Law; honestly I never thought of Jude Law but good match. I'm sorry if this is a boring chapter but like any book...

Kissing you is not what I had planned

And now I'm not so sure just where I stand

I wasn't looking for true love

But now you're looking at me

You're the only one I can think of

You're the only one I see

All I need is just a little more time

To be sure of what I feel is it all in my mind

'Cause it seems so hard to believe

That you're all I need

Jack Wagner - All I Need Lyrics

As expected; she threw herself into work. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything but she knew she didn't fool Jane but to give him credit he never once broached the subject. He was the amiable, happy-go-lucky, don't give a damn about anything member of the team. Although once or twice she did catch him watching her.

She had left a heartfelt message on Joe's cell-phone; revealing her inner demons and her uncertainties. That was a month ago, 3 days and 24 hours. With Joe it was all or nothing at all; he wasn't a pushover unlike her Mashburns and others that passed through her life plus he had been brutally honest with her - no games. Ms Know-it-all had screwed up. Would you know it….a St Theresa's parish in good ol texas. Wasn't overly crowded and Ms Self sufficient, I can do it all had signed up for counseling on relationships at the church. She had nearly backed out….walking half a dozen times up and down in the parking lot. Ironically it was a dog barking at some distance that propelled her into her worst nightmare….therapy.

It wasn't all bad; they were a lively bunch...her counselor Deidre a seasoned woman of 62 who had buried 2 husbands, had 5 grandchildren and a colourful history. There was Gladys whose husband woke up one day and decided he was a woman; Stephen, wife left him after 35 years of marriage because she suddenly realised he was too childish for her, Nina classic case of child abuse; paranoia, bipolar and unable to form relationships of any kind. She laughed remembering Trevor whose main problem was he didn't know who he wanted. Devastated Pete who lost his 1st wife to cancer and 2nd wife of only 3 years to a congenital heart defect leaving him with a 1 year old baby girl and seemed to think all his relationships were doomed to death. There were Alfred and Regina who had lost their beloved spouses to just plain old age. Married for over a decade; it was like losing a part of their body. And her; finally admitting that her 'failure to launch' into any romantic relationship stemmed from her mom's death, dad's abuse, death and repressed anger. She had only said that she worked in 'security' but nobody seemed intrusive or bothered enough; she felt cleansed after the 3rd meeting as if washed thoroughly, a weight lifted off. She had talked about Jane (not revealing his name of course); of Joe, Boscoe even Greg. Unlike Jane who had found peace when he killed RedJohn; she had never laid her ghosts to rest; SHE had allowed them to rule her mind and her life. She had made a trip to where her parents lay; just talking to them...she had cried, got angry….and then said goodbye.

It was worth it; to see the unguarded emotion, amazement that swept across his face and his speechlessness when she presented him a collector's edition of PETER PAN. Sheer whim and some unexplained….something had made her buy it for him…a very expensive gift. Maybe it was closure and forgiveness on her part. She watched as his hands gently caressed the cover. Unlike most people her postscript was a quote in the book which she had neatly underlined. Happy hunting Jane.

Now she was toying with the idea of moving; she hated moving but Deidre had asked her to think about it. How could you miss a person who had been with you such a short time so dreadfully? A one room apartment; less space, in a complex...more people to meet and greet. After all this was about change of course she drew the line at fitness centres..just something so tacky in those places. The past was past but her future was yet to be shaped.

End of Chapter 2