Returning to Sacramento: Chapter 3

Thanks for all the feedback, guys! I promise, the drama begins today! But this chap might be just a little bit shorter. Also, I had Cho be engaged – but not to Elise. I've got nothing against her, but I didn't want the fic to be a "oh-all-the-established-couples-worked-out-and-married-in-the-end"-fic. So I'm introducing an OC – named after my cousin who once said something cool about Cho I can't remember. Thus the association is now forever made, and his fiancé's name will be Claire.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine

The restaurant was only a few blocks from the hotel and it took a short cab ride to get there. Though it was a little past the usual dinnertime rush, the restaurant was packed to the brim with a jovial and laughing crowd; this particular restaurant was apparently quite the hotspot with the locals. It had enough ambience to be classy, but it was warm and family-orientated enough to appeal to the masses. Candlelight bathed the room in warmth and a pleasant glow and sharply-dressed waiters rushed between tables, serving red wine and beer alike with remarkable speed.

Thankfully, the team had a table reserved – Cho and his new fiancé, Claire, were sitting at the table waiting for them.

When Cho saw the group enter through the wide front doors, he immediately stood up to greet them.

"Boss! Jane!" He greeted Jane with his firm handshake and Lisbon with a hug. "This must be Jess." He said, looking down at the blue-eyed little girl with a rare smile.

"Hi Cho. You know I'm not your boss anymore right?" She said, smiling as she hugged her old colleague and good friend.

"Ignore her, Cho, she's just a little jet-lagged. Yes, this is Jess. Isn't she gorgeous?" Jane said, smiling proudly as he introduced his daughter.

"Say hi, Jessie, don't be rude." Lisbon shifted her hip just a bit.

"Hi." She said, shyly hiding her face in her mother's shoulder.

"Why don't we got sit down? I want to introduce you to Claire!"

"Yes! Finally we get to meet the girl!" Rigsby said loudly, as he led Grace to her seat.

The team sat down, pleasantries being exchanged with Cho's bride-to-be, and they found out she was owned a boutique in Sacramento; her brother's wife was murdered and she was interrogated during the investigation. That's how she and Cho met; the toughest interrogator the CBI has ever had finally met his match in the little window-less room, and days after the case was closed they had their first date.

Rigsby and Grace, now newlyweds, both worked in New Orleans, but not on the same team. So far their young marriage was faring relatively well, but they were quick to admit that marriage was far from the moonlight-and-roses ideality they painted beforehand.

That much is clear by the way they sat just a tad too far apart, Jane observed. They were in mid-fight, he quickly realized. Probably had a falling-out over travelling difficulties before coming here. They've made peace, but not quite made up yet. He smiled to himself, remembering the early days with Teresa as well.

Just after their wedding, she started having terrible morning sickness and mood swings – just some of the discomfort she had to endure to carry a baby Jane – and he'd never lie and say it was easy. They had a few pretty huge fights; though he always tried to be patient and remember it was the hormones talking, they both said some terrible things, and he was exiled to the couch more than one night. But they made up every time, and he was extremely grateful. The fact that Grace and Wayne were fighting was a good sign; it showed they could work through bumps in the road.

Soon (as the waiter brought the first bottle of Chardonnay) the stories began to flow easily. Highly exaggerated tales about greasy case-closed pizza parties, not-so-subtle make-out sessions in the break room (this earned a bright red blush from Grace) and ponies in offices (this earned a blush from Lisbon) started flying. The second bottle followed and emptied pretty soon. The table was buzzing with laughter and conversation.

But across the street, from the high vantage point of an apartment, someone was watching. The laughing, smiling faces of the team were being watched through a telescope. The beady, black eyes peered through the eyepiece; a cruel smirk peeked out behind the piece of equipment.

Behind the man, the apartment was an absolute mess; pictures were pinned against the walls, messily.

Below, Jess had dozed off in her high chair, her little face smudged with chocolate icing from her dessert. The man in the apartment watched as Lisbon tucked her daughter's raven curl behind her ear lovingly. As she smiled, whispered something in her husband's ear, probably in the line of 'it's time to go'.

The man adjusted the telescope the close up on the profile of Patrick Jane – his face was now turned as he talked to his wife, he smiled at the sight of the sleepy Jess.

"There you are, Patrick. It's been a while..." The man said to himself.

Down in the restaurant the party was breaking up. Everyone started standing up, exchanging hugs and companionable handshakes; agreements to meet up somewhere tomorrow, for lunch or something before the fundraiser were made. They all exited, trying to signal passing cabs to pick them up.

Jane held his daughter in his arms now; her little head rested on his shoulder as she slept deeply, dreaming sweetly and soundly.

The man stepped away from the telescope, smirking as he did. His features were illuminated by the moonlight; deep crevices at the corners of eyes and his mouth, revealing his age. That smirk; that cruel, cruel smirk...

Behind him, framed by the flurry of pictures, was the red face; smirking just as cruelly as the man who drew it.

Ooh. So Red John's in the fic... Or can he be? I mean, didn't the plotline say it was five years post-season 3 finale? As in Jane killed RJ?

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, ZANNY? OUR BRAINS ARE EXPLODING WITH CONFUSION! Well, hypothetical reader (who seems to get really easily upset over very non-upsetting plot-twists), you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? And maybe if you insert a little suggestion there in your review, I'll put it in. Just cos' I love ya!

Much love, Zanny