INTERNECINE
Guess that's why they call it window pane, all I know is I love you too much; (I Love the Way You Lie, Eminem feat. Rihanna)

In a different story, Patrick Jane doesn't fall in love with his not-wife in an extravagant restaurant named Red. In a different lifetime, he and the blonde-haired beauty are stopped in the parking lot by a man giving out brochures. They get to the restaurant exactly twenty-four seconds later than they would have, which is just enough time for the three grisly businessmen behind them to stride briskly by and get seated before Patrick Jane and his not-wife.

In this story, Patrick Jane never does get the last table on the terrace. Instead, he and his not-wife and seated near a window with a breath-taking view. And when the little boy at the next table points excitedly at a bird outside the window, the glass that is flung by his arm doesn't splash its contents on the shortest of the three businessmen. Instead, Patrick Jane's white dress shirt soaks up the purple grape juice while the boy's father apologizes profusely.

When Patrick has at last assured the father that he will be fine, he sweeps around the corner leading to the bathroom and promptly crashes into Teresa Lisbon. He drops his cell phone and is mildly impressed when she manages to catch it in the air, impressed enough that he notices the Strength+ gym membership wristband that she wears.

In this story, Patrick Jane briefly meets Teresa Lisbon at Red, and in a month he and his date that night mutually agree that they won't work out (because how can they possibly, when he can't forget about the greenest eyes he's ever seen and the brush of a stranger's fingers against his?)

Eventually, Patrick Jane finds Teresa Lisbon at the local Strength+ fitness center and decides to give up pride and fame and fortune, because why does he need trickery, when instead he can dazzle and amaze her, create a brand of magic that isn't fake (and smug and arrogant and maddeningly deceitful)?

In this story, a hopeless man looks into a fancy restaurant and never sees Patrick Jane sitting with his date, never decides to make the happily ignorant (perfect little dancers, their ignorance as a result of their arrogance) people inside suffer; he never looks up and decides to paint their world red, red, poppies growing row on row red.

In this story, Patrick Jane marries Teresa Lisbon and he has a hundred thousand possibilities instead of just one terrible road to go down (and losing her is never an option).

But that is a different story.

In reality, the man handing out brochures never does stop Patrick Jane, and he does get the terrace seating and doesn't meet Teresa Lisbon until years and years later (and it is too late by now) because the man walking by becomes Red John when he decides that life isn't fair.

In reality, there are only couches and lonely nights and there is only one terrible road for Patrick Jane; there are only two options on this road (and in both options he loses her).

If you got to the end of that, thanks for reading! Leave a comment with your thoughts? :) Oh in case it wasn't clear, the two options are: Jane kills RJ or RJ kills Jane. Sorry. Whatever I post next will be less unhappy, promise.