A/N: I'm still around. Unfortunately, I've been distracted by RL since mid-August. That's when I accepted a job where I have to meet a quota to keep said job. Being the first time I've worked in such a situation, the stress wreaked havoc with my Muse. I completed my first review a couple of days ago and did fine so things are evening out on the work front.

The next thing wreaking havoc with my Muse is how fast Heller & Co. decided to wrap up the whole Red John Arc. Not that I have a problem with how things were done. It just sent Musie skittering for the hills never to be found again. As for the change of circumstances, I find them interesting and exciting on a lot of levels. Interesting enough I'm ready to try my hand at writing a different kind of AU in this new CU.

As for the unfinished stories I recently put on Hiatus, it isn't that I can't finish them or that I'm not interested in finishing them. I don't have a problem writing extreme Alternate Universe. I never have.

It's more a question of why would you be interested in reading more of Darkness into Light, After He's Gone, or Passing the Point of No Return since the show has headed in a totally different direction these stories clearly can't go in? ~Calla

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Carrying her cup of coffee to her desk, Lisbon slid into her chair. Staring at the open file she'd left a few minutes ago, she wasn't sure whether she was grateful to write "closed" across another case or embarrassed her latest culprit was a chicken thief. Who stole chickens in this day and age? Pet chickens at that. The up side to the embarrassing situation was Carmine was more interested in eating eggs than poultry so all six hens had been returned to their rightful owner none the worse for wear. She still wasn't sure what the fool thought he was doing. He hadn't explained that one yet.

Sighing, she resisted the urge to beat her head on her desk. Exactly why had she taken this job again? Oh, yeah, because while the CBI had gone the way of the wind, she still needed food on the table and a roof over her head. It made sense now.

Once the storm cleared, she'd found herself jobless and clueless what to do next. Fortunately, she'd not ended up in a cell which seemed likely for a while until she was cleared of all charges instead. They all were except Jane. Not that there was anything unexpected about that. He had killed a man. While having her freedom was well and good, she'd been left at loose ends with no way to support herself and no real hope for the future. She'd never really been anything but law enforcement. It was a good thing she'd had a substantial next egg to tide her over the lean months she'd spent job hunting.

For a while no one was willing to touch her. They wouldn't let her get a foot in the door. It seemed the stench of the CBI's scandalous demise still oozed from her pores. She hadn't really blamed anyone. Between Bertram and Jane and their many Press Conferences, her name was intricately entwined with a certain corrupt Law Enforcement Agency. Added to that was the whole Red John mess and how it finally ended. Not that she thought John Q. Public really cared Jane choked the life out of a vicious serial killer. They didn't. Unfortunately, the people most likely to hire her felt differently.

To her relief, she'd eventually stumbled into a promising position four months into her exile. So what if it was in Washington State? She needed a job. This was a good one and they were actually willing to interview her before giving her the boot. Besides, beggars couldn't be choosers and, while she wasn't quite at the begging stage, she'd already made a significant dent in her savings. Considering it had taken two more months of interviews and discussions to reel the position in, she'd made an even bigger dent before she was done.

Fortunately, the "town fathers" of this quaint, podunk town had decided to applaud her twenty years of dedicated service rather than dwell on the rough spots. They'd realized most, if not all, of her "indiscretions" were Jane related and chosen to overlook them for the most part. The man was clearly out of her life. He had been for a while. Given the charges awaiting him, he wasn't stupid enough to come back so there was little danger from that quarter.

While she'd never responded to their assumptions one way or the other, she hadn't corrected their thinking either. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Jane was thousands of miles away and she wasn't about to rock the boat. Her potential employers were willing to pay a great deal more than other towns of comparable size to snag a candidate with her field experience. She was willing to seriously consider their offer.

With her wealth of experience and education, Lisbon had known she was more than capable of fulfilling their needs. The town fathers seemed to feel the same. She'd read their thoughts on their faces. They'd taken one look at her and her credentials and seen a major political coup in bringing her on board. She was tough, tiny, good looking, and undeniably female all of which would play well to their significant younger, more progressive, voter base. All in all, she'd been an ideal candidate for Chief of Police.

One they were more than willing to take a chance on. As long as she did a reasonably competent job, which from all appearances she would, they were all shoe-ins for another term. It was a clear win-win for everyone.

To ensure their most viable contender remained enrolled in the program, the powers that be had upped the ante. They'd offered her a much higher salary than stated in their ad and more than they'd offered any other candidate to seal the deal. Enough to make her eyes water. Realizing she wouldn't get a better proposal and knowing she could handle anything this place threw at her, she'd gladly signed on the dotted line. It didn't hurt the benefits package wasn't anything to sneeze at either.

Eighteen months later Lisbon gladly admitted she loved her new home and her life for the most part. In fact, she'd almost convinced herself to drink the Kool-Aid on this one. Almost believed she was happier than she'd been in a very long time…Maybe ever…Almost, but not quite….

She did love getting home at a decent hour. She loved the people she worked with. She even loved that her life was more normal than not. Oh, and she loved that there were no serial killers or insane conspiracies breathing down her neck the most. That she now had time for a social life and had even managed to carry on a pretty hot and heavy romantic relationship for a few months was icing on the cake.

Shoving the closed file in her desk drawer, Lisbon admitted on the negative side she was bored out of her mind. She hadn't expected that to happen. It kind of snuck up on her. She'd figured the dreaded paperwork would fill her down time. Unfortunately, she hadn't expected to have quite so much of it. She was wrong. She had alot of down time.

Added to the inactivity, she missed her old team and she missed Jane. She missed them badly. Him most of all but she wasn't dwelling on that. Right, like a day passed she didn't think about Jane entirely too much. He occupied more of her thoughts now than he had when they'd worked together. She wondered what was happening with Abbott and the FBI. If he was still in that detention cell, or if he'd finally seen the light and decided to cooperate. The last she'd heard from Cho, they were at a stalemate he wasn't expecting to end any time soon.

Shaking her head, Lisbon turned her thoughts back to events of the past couple of years. It wasn't like she had a whole lot more to do at the moment. The next football game wasn't until Friday night and she didn't expect any trouble before then. Not that she'd have a lot to do then. Just keep a few mouthy hotheads from decking each other over a thirty year team rivalry. What she wouldn't give for a Friday night with her team eating Case Closed pizza and sipping wine. At least she'd feel alive. What she wouldn't give to have a shaggy Jane ring her doorbell in the middle of the night silently begging to crash on her living room couch knowing she'd never turn him away.

Sadly, none of that would ever happen again.

It didn't matter she hadn't expected to survive the implosion when the CBI collapsed. She'd clung to the impossible hope they'd all be together in the end. They'd fought so many years to stay together and they'd beat the odds up to the end. Until the nightmare proving bigger than any of them caused their world to crash around their ears.

She still wasn't sure how any of them walked away with salvageable futures. How they'd all landed on their feet including Jane. She'd known he was still out there wild and free from the letters he'd managed to smuggle to her via the Carnie Express. She thanked God Sammie and Pete had continually found creative ways to get his missives to her. She'd have gone insane worrying about him otherwise.

That Jane wasn't quite so free any more was his own bloody fault. He should have stayed where he knew they couldn't touch him. He probably would have if he hadn't been ready to come home for some insane reason known only to him. He was neither naïve or stupid. That Abbott would eventually figure out he was getting word to her and how was a forgone conclusion. But, Jane clearly hadn't cared if they found him. It wasn't like the Feebs could do anything to him. Or he couldn't move on to another "safe" place if they'd tried. He would have figured out another way to get word to her or stopped communicating all together if it got too hot. She'd have understood.

She always did.

There was honestly no good reason why Jane should have penned that ridiculous list of terms or why he should be stateside. It didn't make sense except to say he wanted to be. He'd had enough of life on the lam. She wasn't stupid enough to think missing her had a lot to do with his actions. That they'd ever be together like that was an impossible fantasy. That he'd even want to be even more so. For all she knew, Jane had a woman waiting somewhere in the wings. With him, anything could happen. But, if he did, she was pretty darned sure Agent Fischer wasn't her.

While she'd been glad to see the bane of her existence in Austin, she hadn't liked seeing his wings so thoroughly clipped. Then again, knowing Jane, he had something up his sleeve. He had to have. What, she didn't know, and didn't want to know. She did know he was too savvy to have fallen for "Kim" the first American to suddenly appear on his island hideout in two long years. Even she could see something off with that scenario. In spite of the strange look on his face when the woman first joined them at that noxious room, she knew Jane had seen through her act from the start. He had or he wouldn't be Jane.

From what she'd seen, he was definitely still Jane.

She knew as well that he was playing the FBI every bit as much as they were playing him. She certainly hoped so although she wasn't entirely sure he hadn't slipped up. Then again, she found that hard to believe. Two years out of the game wouldn't have dulled Jane's senses that much. She couldn't see that happening. Chicanery was in his blood. You might take the boy out of the carnival; but, you couldn't take the carnie out of the boy. Not with Jane.

But, if he was off his game, it wouldn't last long. He'd be back to his old self in no time. She was sure of it.

Before he was done, Abbott and the higher ups would know what it meant to tangle with Patrick Jane. They wouldn't know what hit them. She'd seen it too many times before. Her old friend wouldn't up and basically throw himself on the mercy of the FBI without a few backup plans bouncing around in his head. She could only hope Agent Fischer was ready to meet the real Patrick Jane. He would lead her on a merry chase before he was done.

Lisbon was almost sad she'd had to leave a day after leaving her ex-Consultant to his new handlers and his detention cell. Personal feelings aside, she didn't want to get dragged back into Jane's messes. She'd gotten used to her new life and it wasn't that bad. Besides, she didn't have a lot of options. She was a cop. She always had been and she always would be. End of story. However, she had a feeling her wants weren't playing into things. Jane would find a way to embroil her in his universe in spite of her wishes to the contrary. He didn't appear willing to live without her now that he was back.

Under different circumstances, she'd be flattered. Maybe a whole lot more. Under these, not so much.

Idly twirling her empty cup, Lisbon admitted every last one of them was a walking miracle. She couldn't help going over the last couple of years yet again. It wasn't like she had anything better to do than going round and round in mental circles at the moment. She didn't. Seeing Jane a few days ago was causing her to wax even more poetically than usual. She kept going over everything to see if she'd missed something over the last two years. If there was something they could have done differently. She honestly didn't think so.

At least Grace and Wayne had made a solid life for themselves in San Francisco. She couldn't be happier for her friends. Lisbon laughed at the thought that whole "I don't do personal" had fallen by the wayside a long time ago. She did do personal and she did it very well. The Rigsbys were two of her closest friends and Maddy was her goddaughter. You didn't get more personal than that. Their marriage was thriving and their security business was doing well. She couldn't be happier for them and she loved their occasional visits.

Cho was a Feeb already doing quite well from what she'd seen. Like she didn't see that one coming once their names were finally cleared. Abbott had taken a liking to her tough, Korean Agent. He'd also realized the incredible asset the man could be to his team. He'd offered him a job as soon as he finished training. Cho had asked her opinion and accepted her blessings. The rest was history.

As for her, here she was giving talks to grammar school students and catching chicken thieves. It wasn't as exciting as tracking serial killers or working with Jane. But, what could she say? She was content. She truly was. She'd exited her old life with far more grace than expected. She'd gotten that elusive second chance to build a comfortable life doing what she loved. She'd even briefly had a love interest who'd wanted too much too fast. Dan had quickly exited her life soon after he'd headed down that road. They were still friends; but, that was as far as it went. She wasn't ready to settle down and get married. She wasn't sure she'd ever be. She wasn't really the 2.5 kids and a dog type although the canine would be nice. She might look into that now she had her own place.

Contemplating her circumstances, Lisbon laughed out loud that she was even entertaining regrets about leaving her old life behind. How stupid could she get? As long as she kept reminding herself she was happy, she could force herself to believe it. Even on her darker days. So what if the worst she had to worry about was the occasional robbery or a rowdy bout of public drunkedness at the biker bar outside of town? Thankfully their last murder was the year before she moved here. It had been a fiasco leading the old Chief's early retirement. She didn't need any more fiascos in her life. She'd take the status quo any day which meant she was out of here by 6:00 pm at the latest and after hours calls were rare.

Rising to her feet cup in hand, Lisbon started at the sound of a voice she shouldn't be hearing anywhere near the vicinity of her office. Much less through a door she knew darned well she'd locked behind her a while ago. It was the only way she could get a few minutes peace. Henry was almost as pesky as a certain fair haired wunderkind she'd worked with a lifetime ago.

"So, this is where you've been hiding for the past year and a half." Jane poked his head through her doorway. "Before you ask, it's really me and both Abbott and Fischer know I'm here. Well, they know I'm around here somewhere. I gave them the slip back at the hotel."

"Do not tell me I'm going to have your frantic handlers on my doorstep in the next few minutes." Lisbon shook her head. "Damn it, Jane, I've had two years of peace. I don't need your crap starting with picking my locked office door."

"Come on, Lisbon." Jane rolled his eyes. "Would I do that? The office door, yes, the other, no. I left Abbott a note saying I was dropping by to see you. It's not like I'm getting that far wearing this anyway."

Jane motioned towards the ankle bracelet monitoring his every movement.

"How did you get past Henry?" Lisbon placed her hands irritably on her hips thinking some things never changed. "He's supposed to screen my visitors."

"You mean the kid with the glasses out front?" Jane's brow rose in affront. "It wasn't hard."

"I guess it wasn't for you." Lisbon smirked. "What are you doing here? I thought I left you back in Austin with Agent Fischer."

"You did; but, we've got our first case." Jane agreed. "It's in a town about thirty miles away."

"That's nice." Lisbon said. "But, what does that have to do with me?"

"You know the answer to that." Jane said. "Working with you is the only way I'm cooperating with them. They know that. Since this is in your neck of the woods, it's my job to convince you to give us a hand while we're passing through."

"Convince away; but, it's not getting you anywhere. I've already told you I'm not giving up my job because you decided to come back to the States." Lisbon reminded him. "That's not happening. I like my job and I've built a comfortable life here."

"You're bored out of your mind." Jane countered. "It's written all over your face."

"Maybe on occasion; but, I have a nice house, a good life, and job security." Lisbon reminded him. "I even have friends. I'm not ready to give all that up any time soon."

"You'll have job security at the FBI." Jane reminded her. "Besides, you won't have to. Since our cases are all over, you can live anywhere."

"There hasn't been an offer." Lisbon commented not actually believing she'd said that. "Not that I'd accept if there was."

"There will be." Jane promised. "Once I prove just how necessary you are to the team. In the meantime, you can take a few hours here and there to assist me and the FBI. It's not like there's much going on here."

"I like my job." Lisbon reminded him. "It's tranquil."

"Keep telling yourself that." Jane repeated. "Maybe you'll start to believe it although I seriously doubt it. You're too much of a realist to deny the truth. You're chafing at the bit to sink your teeth into a real case. Stop lying to yourself."

Right, she'd been doing just that for years. All she had to do was admit how happy she was having Jane back in her life to realize that. Feelings she'd managed to shove into the darkest recesses of her mind were starting to bubble up in unacceptable ways. Shushing her wayward thoughts, Lisbon moved on to safer things.

"Stop it." Lisbon demanded not wanting to be psychoanalyzed since Jane had a habit of hitting too close to home. "I'll see what I can do with giving you that hand. But, I'm not quitting my job so get that thought out of your head."

"That's my girl." Jane held his arms out smiling when Lisbon walked willingly into them. As much as he'd enjoyed hugging her back in Austin, he was enjoying this hug a whole lot more. He didn't have to worry about prying eyes or people walking in on them. He could just squeeze the life out of her and let his feelings show. It wasn't like she could see his face anyway. "I'm not doing this without you, Lisbon. You have to know that by now."

"Jane, we aren't going there." Lisbon refused to restate her stance yet again preferring to hug him instead deciding he felt really good. "I'm happy where I am."

"Hey, Boss, there's a couple of Feebs out here asking for you and that blonde guy." Henry poked his head in the door before doing a double take at seeing his Boss tangled up with the stranger in a much too friendly way. Dan wasn't going to like that turn of events. Not that he was telling him. The Boss would kick his tail if he did. While he liked working for the Chief, she was one tough little woman he had a lot of respect for. More than he did that sniveling attorney so he wasn't saying a word even if he probably should. "I'll let them know you'll be out in a minute."

"That won't be necessary, Henry." Lisbon stepped out of Jane's embrace mildly surprised Abbott and Fischer were showing her enough respect not to barrel into her office unannounced. "You can send them in."

"Jane, pull another stunt like this and you're back in that detention cell." Abbott announced to no one in particular. "Hello, Lisbon."

"Abbott, Fischer, why don't you have a seat?" Lisbon motioned to the empty chairs. "There's no reason to stand around glaring at each other when we can talk this out instead."

Lisbon said a silent prayer of thanks the two FBI agents were doing as she asked. All she had to do now was defuse the uncomfortable situation Jane was doing everything in his power to create. Shooting him a dirty look, she dared him to step out of line again. He'd already done enough by coming to her office without permission. Catching his responding smirk, Lisbon realized she was in for a very long battle.

Jane would see to that.

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While I already know the upcoming episodes are going to play out far differently than anything I write, it's still fun to pretend you can read Heller's mind when you know you can't.:) ~Calla