A/N: This fic is driving me mad. No jokes about what do I mean 'driving'. *glares at twin and Cat.*
Thanks to Frogster, Koezh, forthecoast and Famous4it for going back and reviewing part eight. Thanks also to: The Mentalist Rules, boutondor, April, Frogster, Koezh, dwennie, yaba, phoenixmagic1, forthecoast, Famous4it and Divinia Serit for reviewing part nine. Especially so to April, who reviewed anonymously.
x tromana
Part Ten
The Red John case had been handed over to Samuel Bosco, nominally at least.
He would appear to work the case, along with the rest of his team, even appear to shut Jane out of it. Behind closed doors, he would keep both him and Lisbon updated, however, but no one else could know about it.
Minelli's orders.
The team had been horrified. Because of Jane and his connections, they viewed the case as being theirs. They wanted to finish what they had started, prove they could manage it. It didn't help that their most recent run-in with the serial killer had somehow made them all feel closer to him either.
Jane appeared to be equally furious, but in reality, he was just confused.
Minelli had 'officially' given the case to Bosco and his unit because he wanted Lisbon to be less of a target for Red John.
It defeated one of the two major purposes of Jane's plan altogether.
They were both still prime targets, that much was obvious, but it also drew Bosco directly into the line of fire as well.
The director was clearly going mad, but couldn't be budged. Obviously, his affections for a certain Teresa Lisbon had clouded his judgment. He was just acting like the father figure he saw himself as.
Jane didn't know much about Bosco; he'd only recently joined the CBI, transferring from one of the highest positions in the SFPD. Teresa, however, insisted he was a decent man who was very good at his job.
Decent.
Because decency would be enough to protect him from Red John.
Though he normally loved being proved right, he hated it when he saw Bosco fighting for his life after being shot.
It proved several other things too.
One, that they weren't even safe within the CBI headquarters.
Two, Red John wanted direct contact with them and them only.
Three, he was getting closer to attacking them as well.
They hadn't even proven it was linked to Red John yet, but Jane could feel it. Who else could it be? Only the serial killer would be that daring. Only he would have the nerve to have state agents shot to death on their own soil.
He just hadn't seen the link yet.
As Bosco was wheeled away, Lisbon had gone into shock. That was a rare sight in itself, but Jane immediately knew when he saw her fumbling with her cell phone. And still, she was managing to give orders, insisting that Jane himself went to calm down too.
He'd never seen her tremble quite so much before though. Besides, he was okay. He'd almost been expecting this whereas Lisbon had clearly expected herself to be in Bosco's instead.
It didn't help that she was blaming herself either.
If Sam hadn't followed her to Sacramento, if she'd never given into that urge to kiss Jane, if she'd never agreed to Jane's stupid plan.
If she'd never allowed their lives to become so entangled in deceit and lies that it was becoming virtually impossible to tell what was the truth and what was mere fabrication.
Jane decided that the moment she had finished cleaning up, he would force her to sit down with a mug of hot, sweet tea.
Tea may not really have all the restorative properties people claimed it had, but it did do a damn good job at making things seem better, if nothing else.
000
"We should stop this, it's getting too dangerous."
"Teresa…"
"Sam's in hospital, Jane…"
She choked slightly on her words as she slammed the front door behind her. Jane didn't stir from his seat on the couch, there was little he could do to calm her down.
Besides, he recognized the look on her face. The look of somebody comprehending that a loved one had been snatched from them by Red John.
But Bosco wasn't dead. Yet.
"And do you want his sacrifice to be for nothing?"
"Don't say that," she snarled, immediately rounding on him. "He's not going to die."
"You keep telling yourself that."
"He's not."
She stalked upstairs immediately, not even bothering to either say goodnight to him or kick him out of her house.
Lisbon knew that she should have expected this. That Jane would turn into an ass, focused on one thing and one thing only: Red John.
Everything else came second: Bosco's wellbeing, her sanity, everything. He simply did not care so long as he got his man.
Not that they were likely to this time. From what they had, it all appeared to be moles planted by the serial killer. Certainly no direct intervention of his own.
Apart from Hicks and Doctor Morning, of course. Both killed off-site. Probably at the hospital.
But it was clear he was long gone from there too.
No, everything crucial that they were investigating involved the happenings at the headquarters, naturally.
Lisbon hated that. She hated how somewhere she used to feel so safe, so secure had become a crime scene. How someone she cared about deeply was now fighting for his life because of her own misjudgments. Her whole team were running scared and Minelli was acting odd and Jane…
Jane.
She roughly pulled off one of her shoes, threw it across the room and it collided with her bedroom door.
She hated Jane just a little at that very moment.
Was that exactly what Red John was aiming for?
000
He felt like he was intruding.
That was why he left the four of them, united in their grief, mourning one of their fallen.
He wasn't an agent, it wasn't the same for him. It was never going to be, unless it was one of the select few he was particularly close to.
One of the SCU, that is.
Of course, Jane attended the funeral along with Lisbon and the team. It was the least he could do.
He didn't listen to the words much; it was all mindless drivel, offering hope where there was none and the like. But others seem to take comfort in it, Grace especially. That was a good thing.
Lisbon didn't say or do much though. She simply sat there, in silence. Occasionally, she fought back a sob, deeming it inappropriate to be seen crying in public. Shed tears wouldn't bring Bosco back anyway.
He hated seeing her like that, always had done.
But still, there was nothing he could do. It was more productive to go and reclaim the Red John files, to actually start working on them again.
At least Lisbon had seen sense in the week that had just passed. Backing out now would be just counter-productive and besides, this was Red John.
He didn't forget. He wouldn't forget.
He was just planning his next move.
The trick was to work it out before Red John had time to pull it off.
Jane placed the first two files to one side and dug out the third. With a gentle sigh, he opened it before frowning.
The envelope that was staring back up at him was sealed and addressed to Lisbon. Beside her name, a small red smiley.
"Lisbon!"
Not caring about the fact he knocked the box of files to the floor, Jane pelted towards the bullpen. It was quiet, there was no one there to tell him to slow down, that running was inappropriate inside.
She frowned when she saw him, but made her excuses anyway. Jane rarely looked like that unless he had something very important to say. Something told her it was also something she didn't want the rest of the team hearing too.
They walked to her office in silence. She closed the blinds as he shut the door.
It was only then that he felt comfortable pulling the letter out of his pocket and handing it over to her.
As soon as her eyes fell onto the letter, he saw the panic creep into her expression.
Wordlessly, he handed it over and she shook as she tore the envelope over.
Lisbon didn't say anything and instead turned the piece of paper around so he could see.
Two words.
You're next.
TBC…