A/N: I have now finished editing my friend's two books, or will have by tomorrow. I've also just edited and submitted one of my original novels. Fortunately, I do a much better job of editing the real deal than I do rough draft fanfics. The bad news~I have two more novels to finish editing over the next month. If I don't set the goal and just do it, it won't get done. Therefore, updates will be slow.

Unfortunately, a byproduct of reworking my original novels is that my Muse starts hopping all over the place and I can find myself 10,000 words into a new story with a very clear eye to where it's going which is more than I can usually say. So here she is. That being said, some of you will like this one and some of you won't. It is what it is.

However, the line is now officially drawn in the sand for my irresponsible Muse. There will be no more new stories from here on out. I basically have two old stories on temporary hiatus and four or five I'm currently writing chapters on which will be posted soon. All I can say is writers are crazy. Or writers like me are crazy and thanks for putting up with me. ~Calla

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"You okay?" Lisbon came to stand beside Jane where he was resting against the terrace railing.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He turned slightly to look at her.

"It's a difficult case." Lisbon blinked back at him through the darkness.

"We get a lot of difficult cases, My Dear." Jane said bluntly. "What you mean is Katia Stokes bears a striking resemblance to my dead wife, her daughter was the same age as Charlotte when she died, and they were all killed by a knife wielding maniac. Feel free to say all of that."

"Fine." Lisbon said. "All of that."

"Then, yes, it's a difficult case for obvious reasons. Just not the one you're thinking." Jane agreed, and disagreed, softly. "A woman and her children died unnecessarily and that should never have happened."

"Yes, they did." Lisbon agreed. "And no it shouldn't have."

"While I wish I could say the similarities don't weigh heavily on me, we both know they do. Just not like they used to. Red John's been locked in a box he'll never get out of for a good solid year. So, that chapter's closed. My life's moved on. You don't have to worry about me losing it in the middle of a case." Jane reassured her. "Not even this one."

"I'm not worried about that." She knew he wouldn't as he'd gotten a lot more stable in the months since Red John's capture. "I just hate the unnecessary pain you're going through."

A lot had changed over the course of the last year. Not the least of which was Jane had settled into a townhouse and developed a fairly normal routine. He still wasn't dating; but, he'd kept his position with the CBI and they were still good friends. Truthfully, he'd expanded his position. He now did occasional consults with other units and outside Agencies when his "Boss Lady" deigned to part with him. Lisbon admitted that was probably not as often as he'd like. But, hey, he was her Consultant and she liked having him around. Pain in the ass, or not, he made her day a lot more interesting.

"Yes, well, I'm not the only one suffering." Jane reached out to drape his arm innocently around her shoulders. "The fact we have proof the ex-husband did it; but can't catch the bastard to bring him in is weighing heavily on you as well."

"Yes, it is." Lisbon agreed leaning her head against his chest. "I still don't know what set him off. They had an amicable divorce considering the circumstances."

She wasn't all that concerned about the guys in Security misinterpreting what they were seeing. The terrace camera system was temporarily down for a couple of days for repairs. As for anyone coming up to the terrace for a smoke, they'd go down to the parking lot where there was adequate lighting instead. The only person hanging out here in the darkness like a vampire hugging the shadows late at night was Jane. While he'd gotten a lot more "normal" since Red John's capture, some things still stayed the same.

"The motive is simple." Jane said quietly. "While David Stokes might have cheated on his wife, he never wanted the divorce. As nuts as it sounds, he loved her. He gave into Katia's desires because he felt he deserved to lose his family for his carnal sins. He never expected it to be permanent or for her to move on."

"Wouldn't it have been better to try to work it out in the first place?" Lisbon asked quietly.

"I think he'd blown it too well." Jane observed. "I'd say it wasn't the first time he'd gotten caught for infidelity.

But, he never gave up believing he would win his wife back. Unfortunately, Stokes was forced to accept that wasn't happening when Katia informed him she was engaged to, and pregnant by, another man. He clearly snapped at that point. You know the rest."

"Yeah, he grabbed a butcher knife from the drawer and slaughtered his ex-wife and daughter." Lisbon said quietly as she wove her fingers through his.

"And Katia's unborn child." Jane added.

"I hate these kinds of cases." Lisbon stated emphatically as Jane held her hand a little tighter. "They make my blood boil."

"You know they're not going to catch David Stokes tonight don't you?" Jane asked no one in particular. "He isn't in New Mexico any more. He's probably somewhere in Texas or Oklahoma or even Mexico City by now. The sightings are coming in too slow. There's really nothing for us to do here. So, that being said, you want to go back to my place and put on one of those ridiculous action flicks you like so well?"

"Yeah, I think I'd like that." Lisbon agreed. "You still have that bottle of Tequila in your freezer?"

"I haven't touched a drop of it since you and the guys came over for that case closed pizza party a few weeks ago so there's all of four inches missing." Jane offered recalling how they'd all had one lone shot before calling it quits.

Well, all of them except Cho who didn't drink. He might as well say that for the rest of them as well. An occasional beer, an occasional Cognac or Brandy, an occasional glass of wine...Bosco was probably flipping in his grave that Lisbon had the only team of virtual teetotalers in the CBI. Jane had a feeling tonight might be a little different. His companion was in one of those rare moods he'd only seen a few times in all the years he'd known her. Ones where she proved she could really hold her liquor for such a little thing. He'd have to wait and see if his guess was right.

"Then, yeah, I can do that." Lisbon said. "Oh, and we can watch one of those chick flicks you like instead."

"Don't tempt me." Jane said. "It beats the hell out that violent nonsense you force me to watch."

"You know I can't force you to do anything you don't want since it's your house." Lisbon calmly reminded him.

"You have a point there." Jane agreed. "Unless you claim guest's priviliges as you always do."

"Yes, I do." Lisbon nodded her head. "You have any chips or do I need to stop by the store on the way?"

"I will have by the time you get to my place, so no, you don't need to stop by the store." Glancing at her snarky smirk, Jane shook his head in resignation.

Lisbon was definitely in one of her moods. She'd be downing a few Tequila shots and stuffing her face over the course of the rest of the evening. He seriously doubted he'd be letting her drive home later tonight when she'd probably stop about three shots short of plastered and he sure as heck wasn't driving her anywhere to leave her alone. Even her place. She could bring her go bag and sleep in the guest room. It wasn't like it would be the first time. She'd just better not turn up in his bed when she decided she was freezing her bottom off because he kept the A/C too low and she wanted a Jane blanket. He wasn't playing that game again. She could just start sleeping in real pajamas instead of sleep shorts and tank tops.

While they were really close and it might not mean anything more to Lisbon than cuddling her human heater; being back to front with the woman in such an intimate setting did things to him he'd rather not share. That a certain part of him a little fonder of Lisbon than she was ready to handle was something he preferred keeping under wraps until something changed. He'd put Lorelei's announcement he was "a little in love" with her on the back burner not to be visited any time soon just as Lisbon had done with Barlow's pronouncement she was "a little in love" with him. That being said, it wouldn't do for a particular brunette to figure out his body had a mind of its own where she was concerned.

"Why don't you get some of those jalapeno poppers from the deli while you're at it?" Lisbon asked. "The ones stuffed with cheddar, not cream cheese."

"I can do that." Jane made a mental list in his head of all the things he should pick up since he was going to the store anyway. "I'll get some of those wings you like as well."

He didn't need any sauces since he already had both Ranch and Blue Cheese Dressing in his refrigerator.

"That sounds really good." Lisbon could almost feel her tongue tingling from the heat in the wing sauce.

"Good, then why don't you go back to your office and finish your paperwork so we can blow this joint?" Jane suggested. "You can meet me at my place in say," He looked at his watch. "Forty five minutes to an hour."

"What are you going to do?" Lisbon asked more for conversation's sake than she didn't know.

"What do you think?" Jane dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Fetch everything you need for your Tequila party."

"How about some of those doughnuts?" Lisbon asked. "You know, the long, rectangular ones with the clear sugar icing."

At least it wasn't cinnamon dusted Apple Fitters. Patting her hand agreeably, Jane wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or throw up. The idea of sugary doughnuts and Tequila made his stomach roil. Maybe Lisbon would settle for a cup of coffee instead. Somehow he doubted it. The woman could eat anything without getting sick. Personally, his tastes were a little more fastidious.

"On the list, My Dear." Jane said over his shoulder as he exited the terrace.

Watching him leave, Lisbon continued leaning against the railing lost in thought. Jane was a different man since they'd finally caught Red John. And strangely enough, he hadn't been one of the men on the infamous list. He did, however, have ties to several of them including Heffner and Homeland Security Bob and, inadvertently, to Gale Bertram who was still their Boss's Boss. But, his biggest tie lay precisely where Jane had always suspected, at Brett Stiles feet. The monster was a product of Visualize.

Shaking her head, Lisbon refused to think any more about Red John, his true identity, or his crimes. Jane didn't. Once they'd gotten the arrogant bastard's signed confession and he'd been put away to await his execution, Jane had wiped his hands of the situation and taken very definite steps to move on with his life. He'd sold Malibu and rented a townhouse in Sacramento. He'd renewed his contract with the CBI. He'd started building a life.

What he hadn't done was find a woman. Jane hadn't been on a single date in the eleven months and fourteen days since Red John's incarceration. Or she didn't think he had. Then again, neither had she. What they did do was spend a lot of time together outside the office. She occasionally even slept over in the guest room when it got too late. Jane said he owed her for all the times he'd crashed on her couch.

Once in a while, when it got too cold, she'd even sneak into his bed. Jane didn't seem to mind. He'd just snuffle into her shoulder and go back to sleep. It usually took her a little longer. She tended to get too caught up in the feel and scent of Jane…and she so wasn't going there…no way in Heaven or Hell...Not now and not any time soon.

Waving at Jane as he walked across the parking lot, Lisbon turned on her heel and headed back towards her office to dispose of that small stack of unfinished paperwork so she could finally call it a day.