Hey guys, hope everybody is enjoying the Chritstmas break. So apologies for not updating for what seems like forever. Uni work has been hectic and my laptop decided to break down on me. Now that I have it back you can expect regular updates. All reviews are greatly appreciated. This chapter takes place directly after chapter seven, as did chapter eight but this time from both Jane and Lisbon's perspective.

Disclaimer: Not mine, maybe for Christmas though...

Chapter Nine

'What are you doing here?' Samantha repeated.

'I could ask you the same question.' Jane replied.

Samantha backed away from the candles and made her way over to sit in one of the pews, Jane accompanied her.

'I guess you're here for the same reason as myself, that is lighting a candle for somebody that you love and is no longer with you,' Jane stated quietly.

Samantha nodded in agreement before the tears began streaming down her face.

'I lost my brother ten years ago today,' she hushed quietly; 'This is just something I do once in a while to remember him by.'

All of a sudden, it made sense to Jane; why she seemed so cold and distant and why she had that look of familiarity to him. She looked familiar because he could recognise the pain he himself felt. It was why he always tended to stay away from the victim's families on cases; because it reminded him all too clearly of the pain he was still living through every single day. When you yourself had gone through loss in your life, you could always spot someone who was experiencing the same kind of emotion. Maybe that is where the saying, misery loves company, comes from.

'Murder?' he asked, although he already knew the answer.

Samantha merely nodded in reply.

'What happened, if you don't mind me asking? Jane could sense that she was resistant to talk about it but he continued nonetheless. 'Believe me; it helps to talk about it sometimes.'

Samantha looked at Jane, his eyes seemed so open and full of promise, something about him made her open up about the pain she had experienced; she had read all about Jane and therefore knew his past, the pain and guilt he must be living through. It was this feeling that allowed her to open up to him; something that she rarely does with anyone.

Samantha cleared her throat as an attempt to prevent the tears from falling further. 'My brother, James, well he was my hero; my big brother,' Jane saw he eyes light up at the mere mention of James' name, 'He was a policeman, a detective and a bloody good one at that. He was the reason i got into the force in the first place.' Her face fell again as she began to slowly recount her story and Jane sat there and listened intently, 'Anyway he was looking into this network of killers, they had been going around the city, kidnapping young girls from wealthy families and killing them once the ransom had been paid. Nobody had managed to lay a finger on them before James came along, but like i said he was a bloody good detective. He arrested one of the many men involved in the gang who gave him a tip-off as to where their safe house was...'

All of a sudden, her voice became shaken with emotion and the tears fell faster down her cheeks.

'But the tip-off turned out to be an ambush and James was murdered?' Jane interjected, sympathy laden in his voice.

Samantha nodded, her whole body trembling with grief. And then Jane did something he never usually does; he put a comforting arm around her and attempted to sooth her clearly troubled soul.

After a few minutes Samantha continued, 'Not just him but his whole team, dead. Killed in a cold blood in a filthy ambush by a bunch of evil men who feed off fear. I, myself, hadn't been a policewoman for very long and my unit was called out to the safe house where there had been reports of gunfire and screaming...'

'And it was you who discovered your brother's body?' Jane whispered.

'Yes, ten years ago today.'

xxxXXXxxxXXXxxxXXXxxx

'Man this tequila is good stuff!' Lisbon exclaimed as she finished her third shot.

'Of course it is,' Harry laughed, 'I wouldn't try and fob you off with the cheap stuff now would I?'

The tequila was certainly helping with the mountain of paperwork that they had to get through, although after a few shots Teresa had to make doubly sure that she could still write legibly and that her spelling didn't become too atrocious. But after only two hours it was all done.

'So I guess that this is a regular occurrence for you, all this paperwork? Since you work with Patrick on a regular basis?'

'Yes, yes it is. But I don't mind the majority of the time. I mean he does close A LOT of cases.'

'So I've heard. We've heard all about your team on this side of the Atlantic. You're putting the rest of us to shame. They must love you over in Sacramento.'

'You'd think so but no.' Teresa said, a little startled. 'We either piss off the local sheriff's department because they feel that we are just spotlight stealers or we end up in massive trouble for pissing off someone who happens to be related to someone who plays golf with the Attorney General or some crap like that. So believe it or not the one good thing to come out of this trip is meeting someone who actually gets where I'm coming from you know?'

Harry poured them another shot of Tequila, the last in the bottle, much to their disappointment.

'Damn we got through that quickly.' Lisbon mumbled, disappointment laden in her voice.

'Yes we did. Fancy heading to this bar I know just around the corner. Great crows, great music and cheap drinks. What could be better?'

Lisbon was caught completely off guard. Was he asking her out? What should she say? Rejecting him in her usual standoff fashion would do nothing to improve trans-Atlantic relations, but accepting his offer would be completely un-professional. She didn't even know what she actually wanted to do herself. Sure, Harry was attractive and during the evening her mind had indeed wandered off to naughty thoughts involving the pair of them- she was a woman after all. Truth be told she was a woman who needed a little male company from time to time. She had a casual understanding with Mashburn whereby if he was in the country and she was feeling particularly stressed then they would hook up but these encounters where very few and far between. Maybe a holiday fling is exactly what she needed right now, things at work- and with Jane had been weird lately. As her thoughts turned to Jane she felt Harry lightly touch her hand, shocking her back to reality.

'Teresa, are you okay?'

'Uh, yeah sorry mind went blank for a moment there. Listen, I'm not sure that this,' she gestured at the pair of them, 'is the best idea. I mean we don't want anything to compromise our abilities while on this case.'

Harry let out a small laugh, and Lisbon was left with the feeling that she had just made a fool out of herself.

'Teresa, I wasn't hitting on you. Sure, If circumstances were different then I would definitely think about it. You're a beautiful woman but I was simply thinking that we could do with some light relief. I can tell that working with Jane isn't the easiest thing in the world and trust me when I say that I have a vague understanding of what you're going through.'

'I'm sorry, god I feel so embarrassed,' Lisbon felt her cheeks go red either from the alcohol or the embarrassment. 'What do you mean you know what I'm going through?'

'I'll tell you all about it, but first we need more drinks.'

'You're on.'