Finding it very hard to keep Jane in character; he rarely speaks to anyone off-work. I also need to retain Lisbon's brashness and strength — it's too easy to flip into a Jane-led mode.

Anyway, I can't keep editing this one or I will go crazy. Time to post.

Thanks for the encouragement re my take on Lisbon. I hope I can keep that mood.

The ice-cream chapter

The next day was a reset. She was in early, but her night had not been the victory over fate that she craved. This emotional delay had eroded some of her confidence.

Cho came in, greeting her with a nod. She smiled, tapped her watch, "Eight thirty," pointed at the conference table.
She had been up to look for Jane, but his cave was empty. One call was all she spared to his cell, with similar results. Grace was next and Teresa caught her eye; waved her over.

"Morning." Teresa put all her usual verve into the greeting, no point spreading her melancholy. "It'll damn well be temporary." She muttered, aloud.
Grace looked puzzled, drawing her head back a bit, "Scuze me?"
"Sorry, not you Grace — Busy," she waved her hand in a circle.
"Right." Said Grace.
"Have you seen—"
"Jane?"
Am I that predictable? "Yes," she finished.
"Sorry. He's been gone since yesterday morning." Grace softened, "What did you say to him Boss?"
Teresa felt some of her old iron return. "None of your bee's Van Pelt. Meeting at eight thirty. Be there."

After Grace melted out, she collapsed in her chair. Plan A was to catch Jane despite the monster that dogged them, catch the threads of her tapestry before they all fell away.
Plan B was to visit Walter again. There was no way she was going to spend another morbid night at her place.
Her phone burst into life, "Go."
"Teresa." Jane.
"It's about time!" She put more than a dollop of scorn into it.
"You not interested in this case anymore Jane?"
"On the contrary, my fiery Agent."
"Well, don't let me slow you down."
"I'll be in a little later. Just wanted to hear your voice. I'm still here."
That was unexpected. Could he have just a spark of humanity in him?
"You better not be jerking me around."
"Perish the thought. Tra-la," and he was gone. Damn him; but she smiled.

'Later' turned out to be around lunch. Teresa tried to not feel the seconds pass. She tried not to keep looking around at every sound. The energy this took was making her angry.
Time was spent by her and Cho, in turn, uselessly interviewing Lorelei. The crazy woman remained silent, but for one request: to speak to Jane.
Where the hell was he? She hoped he had done some thinking of his own.

"Miss me?" — So, he'd caught her by surprise after all.
"As a matter of fact, no." Yes. She thought.
He looked hurt for a moment. "Ice cream?"

Before she knew it, they were on the roof, sharing a Sundae. Always ice cream, that's what he'd said.
"You know how I feel about this?" he said, indicating with his spoon.
She smiled and took a scoop, still cooling-down from earlier.
"It's always there while the ugly world turns. Hmm smooth."
She laughed despite herself.
"You're like ice-cream," he carried on, the spoon still in his mouth.
"Do tell." She had to hear this.
"You're always here and," he went for another scoop, "not ugly." He grinned.
"Huh!" She snorted.
He smiled that nuclear Jane smile. "See? It's not so bad? I like ice cream. They should call this one the Lisbon Sundae."
"What are you saying?" She asked him directly. Tick tick, Jane.
He licked his spoon and placed it on the table, completely unaffected by her testy mood. His hand crept around the glass and stole it away from her.
"Hey!" She complained. Was something different about his hands?
"Alright, here, you finish it." He pushed it back with a cheeky grin.
"So, any thoughts on the case?" She asked him, taking the Sundae in greedy fingers.
"Meh." He sat back.
"Nothing at all? This is a wonder."
"The wonder is that I almost don't care." He folded one leg across his knee, "I left yesterday to go be angry. Turns out I wasn't in the mood."
"Took you long enough."
"I had to try," he laughed, "Being angry and intense is my thing."
What was the difference? She felt like a kid trying to spot the changes between two pictures in a puzzle book.
Jane waved his hands about and folded his arms. His fingers kept tapping and moving about. She took another scoop.
"So you're not angry and you don't care about that psycho ex-lover of yours?"
"Nope and nope." He rubbed his lip with a long finger.
Teresa sat back to look at him. "What's going on Jane?"
"Nothing. Perhaps." He winked at her. "Finish your Lisbon."
She barked a laugh. He could be so disarming.
"Fine." She grabbed the glass and shoved her spoon in. There was an odd clunk, a solid something at the bottom. Teresa fished around.
"I also made a decision, you know." He was saying.
"Uh-huh?" She said absently, poking the spoon about. She caught the thing and dragged it up the side of the glass.
"Yes. Time to let-go."
"What is? Is this?" She held a ring in her fingers and stared at him.
"Better lick your fingers, they're dirty." He was rubbing his own — bare of his wedding ring.
"Wow."
"I agree. They do make the best Lisbons here."
He stood, held her gaze for a moment and then whisked off.

Teresa could not leave the table. In her hands she held — well — the past, the future. It was so small and stupid. A little gold ring. She flipped it over and over. Heads he's saying yes. Tails? He's free to — what? Leave?

"Boss?" She palmed it and looked up at Rigsby.
"Uh. Yes?"
"You might want to be downstairs in interrogation. Jane has the bird singing."
"What?" She jumped up, "Why am I always the last to know!"
She dashed after Rigsby, taking the stairs three at a time.

Cho and Grace were behind the glass. On the other side Jane faced the suspect.
"What have I missed?" She asked.
"Weirdness." Replied Cho, "Listen."

The strange scene went on for over forty minutes. Jane coaxed a story out, but not everything they heard made sense.
"This is so frustrating." Grace said. Darcy nodded to agree.
"More and more layers," said Cho, "is this gonna help us?"
Finally Jane left the room.
"Well, conference room everyone." Said Teresa.