A/N: Hi! Here is one of my contributions to the Super Duper Tag Project. See starry19's new tag for "Red Handed" for an introduction to what we are trying to do with this.

"Red John's Friends" is one of my favorite episodes, which is why I chose it. It perfectly displays Jane's investigative and intuitive skills without being too over-the-top. The Red John aspects (as with all such episodes) are compelling though not as dark as we see in later episodes, and gave us some of our first clues to RJ's identity. I hope I do the episode justice.

Episode Tag: "Red John's Friends," 1x11

Whenever Red John reared his maniacal head, Lisbon thought, it was as if Jane became another person. A darker person. More dogged. More obsessed. Willing to sacrifice his job (and those of others') and put himself in danger in order to exact his revenge. At those moments, he genuinely frightened her.

This time, with the Renfrow case, he'd been no less determined, though she was surprised at his calm acceptance of Jared Renfrow's death. She thought that maybe he was in shock, but then she decided it was because he had begun to realize that he had grossly underestimated the breadth of Red John's power.

He is man? He is mar?

What the hell had Renfrow been trying to tell them?

"Whoever he is," Jane whispered, as they rode to the Tijuana Airport in the back of the local policia van, "he has the ability to gain access into government communications. He seems to know what we're going to do before we do."

"You don't think he's-?"

"Psychic? Of course not. Just…connected. I have to start rethinking things."

"Like what?" she asked, worry furrowing her brow.

"I don't know, but his reach is definitely exceeding my grasp," he said dryly.

They were quiet a moment, as the poor shocks of the van jounced them along the already crappy streets. Lisbon regarded her team, how tired they looked as they sat on the uncomfortable benches designed for either strike force police or, if needed, suspect transport. Rigsby stifled a yawn, and even Cho closed his eyes, no doubt telling himself he'd just rest his eyes for a moment. She knew Van Pelt was still at the office back in Sacramento, manning the phones and the computers long into the night.

She was proud of her team. They showed a loyalty to both her and Jane that they certainly hadn't been obligated to, risking their fledgling careers on a man who more often than not was a pain in the ass, and generally the cause of a lot of extra paperwork for all of them. But they were behind Jane's quest one-hundred percent, and this case more than proved it. She hoped Jane appreciated that.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "I can only hope that one day he'll screw up, and I'm there to catch him when he does."

"We will be there," she corrected firmly, reviving their usual argument. She nodded toward the rest of the team meaningfully. Red John belonged to all of them, and if this didn't prove it…

Jane's eyes flitted from Rigsby to Cho and back to Lisbon again, clearly taking her meaning.

"We," he amended with a small smile.

But before she closed her own eyes for a brief rest of her own, she saw his face go dark again, and she knew he was only placating her.

One day there would be a reckoning, she knew, whether in this life or in the next. For the millionth time, Lisbon said a silent prayer that no matter who got Red John, Patrick Jane would be able to survive with his soul intact.

A/N: Short I know, but it really is hard to add to what I deem a perfect episode. Look for my next Season One tag to be for 1x14. And by the way, click on my name to find past tags I've written for this season, including the Pilot episode, as well extended tags for "Red Brick and Ivy" (1x10) and "Bloodshot" (1x16). I'm proud to be part of this project and look forward to reading everyone's tags!