A/N: Final chapter. And that means, finally the last of my Summer Secret Santa stuff is uploaded. It only took a month and a half to do that. Not too much time at all. Er...

Thank you to: Viktorija, Sarcastic Pygmy, Famous4it, autumnftw, TNBC, anthropologist, Frogster, Ebony10 and Jisbon4ever for reviewing part nine. Especially so to Sarcastic Pygmy, whom I couldn't reply to. Also to Yana for betaing this thing in super fast time, so it was done before the Summer Secret Santa deadline.

Oh and before I forget: voting has just opened in the Jellies over on Jello Forever. Just so people know. :-)

Also: I have a few things in the works, but nothing I can post imminently. I apologise if that means I've appeared to go quiet, but I will be back.

x tromana

Part Ten

Two Weeks Later

"You okay?"

Jane stood tentatively at the door, waiting for her to actually invite him in, manners temporarily overcoming him. Nodding gently, she waved him in and gratefully, Jane took a seat opposite her. It felt strangely good to be back at the CBI, especially knowing that Red John was back behind bars, where he should be, from where he should never have been released in the first place. He didn't even mind that he wasn't dead because Lisbon had survived - and so had the rest of the team. It had been a close call, closer than he cared to imagine. If Cho hadn't come in at just the right moment, then things could have been very different.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Lisbon scowled. There was no need for everyone to be so overprotective. All she had was a little more emotional scarring, something which wasn't exactly foreign to her. She'd have even come back to work earlier than she did if she hadn't had a funeral to deal with. Besides, Rigsby had just started back too and he was recovering from a gunshot wound rather than just a little shock and a couple of small lacerations from where Red John had managed to inflict on her mere seconds before he was apprehended. Jane himself had received far worse injuries; the bruise on his cheek was still present, if already fading. They both deserved the concern whereas she would have much preferred to disappear into the background. As far as she was concerned, they still had a job to do and things needed to get back to normal. There would be more problems if they dwelled on it for too long.

She certainly didn't want to spend any more time thinking about Red John. He didn't deserve her time and energy to any further extent. She'd dealt with the fact she had nearly died again and was already over it. Next time, she wouldn't be so impulsive and run headfirst into such a dangerous situation. She should have known better than to do that anyway. At least no one died and for that, Lisbon was exceedingly grateful.

The rest of the team was still pretty shaken up though. Rigsby had been cursing the fact he'd been shot in the first place, swearing that if he hadn't, he would have been able to accompany them to the apartment complex and then Red John wouldn't have been able to kidnap them. Van Pelt didn't seem to know what to do with herself either - Lisbon had told her that she'd done the right thing, but as with anything, the red head still doubted herself. And Cho, though he didn't say much, Lisbon knew he was angry with her. She didn't much like the idea of trust issues between herself and her second in command, but she knew time would heal that rift; it was just going to take a while. At least it hadn't been shattered beyond repair, that would have been devastating and it would have been another small victory for Simon Morton.

"I'm going to go and get a coffee. Do you want to come?"

"No thanks, Jane. I have paperwork to do."

"Form A47b by any chance?"

"Yes and they're overdue as Hightower has kindly reminded me."

"I'll bring you one back instead then."

"Thanks."

Jane quickly withdrew with a brief smile. There was no point in even trying to pull the woman away from her paperwork. He had a feeling she wouldn't be too receptive to putting the work off until a couple hours later, even if it was already late. As he left, he decided he'd make sure he distracted her later instead. It was her first day back, she shouldn't overdo it. He glanced briefly into the bullpen as he headed to the elevator. At least, Rigsby was taking it easy, as he should.

000

"You didn't come to the funeral."

"I didn't think you'd want me there."

"He's your brother too; you should have come."

Lisbon bit into her chicken sandwich and eyed her brother seriously. Half an hour after Jane had decided to go bother somebody else; Tommy rang, demanding that she meet him for lunch. After the last time she saw him, when he'd stormed off shortly after she informed him that Andy died, she felt she owed him a meeting at the very least. Besides, her brother never called to invite her anywhere; it took a lot for either of them to dare call one another these days. The call left her feeling a little optimistic about the possibility of them reconciling. After their last meeting, she'd feared she had lost her chance to reconcile with him. The call had almost been like a bolt out of the blue, a second chance.

"Agent Cho told me you nearly died," Tommy muttered, changing the subject. "That that Red John bastard nearly killed you."

"He did. Cho saved my life… Jane's too."

"Jane?"

"A colleague."

"Oh."

"Red John, he was a real psycho, wasn't he?"

She nodded.

"I looked him up, after I left. Even if you'd warned us, he'd have probably come after us regardless, wouldn't he?"

"Yes."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Lisbon kept picking up and placing her sandwich back down periodically. This reunion was harder than she anticipated, but then again, she never imagined it would be easy. There was so much water underneath the bridge, that it was hard to know what to talk about and how to maintain a conversation with her youngest brother now.

So much had happened in ten years and they were both very different people. The only thing they really had in common now was that their brother had died. It felt wrong though; families should never be so distant, unless they had a genuine reason to be so. Andy's death made their squabbles seem so petty and pointless now. Lisbon just hated that it required yet another death in their family for them to see that.

"Teresa, I'm sorry," he muttered, looking away from her. "For that thing… I…"

"It's in the past. Don't be."

He nodded, relieved but the dreaded silence enveloped them once more.

"We should stay in contact," Tommy suddenly announced and Lisbon looked at him quizzically. "We've lost too many people already."

She opened her mouth to snap back, to remind him that that was what she had been trying to say last time. Instead she merely nodded and took a sip of her orange juice. At least he was willing to try now instead of just giving up like before.

000

"One coffee, as promised."

"That was hours ago."

"Meh, it's your fault," Jane remarked flippantly as he sat down opposite her. "You went out for lunch so I had to go and get you yet another fresh one."

"You didn't have to. I could have just-"

"I know coffee tastes like industrial sludge anyway, but microwaving it would have made it even worse."

"It's…"

For the second time in a day, Lisbon let a retort die on her tongue. Explaining the virtues of coffee to Jane would be as pointless as trying to teach a cat to tap dance. Both were doomed to wind up with messy consequences. Instead, she took an appreciative sip of the drink. He was right though - the new drink was much better than having to reheat the first one he'd bought.

"I heard from the A.G.," Lisbon remarked quietly and Jane's ears perked up. "They're going to fast-track the Morton case. They want it over and done with as soon as possible."

"Will he…"

"Yes."

She didn't much like the death penalty, but they did still have it for a reason. Morton had been lucky to escape last time, so in a way it was his own fault that he was facing it yet again. Besides, if anybody deserved to die due to the crimes he'd committed, it was Simon Morton. He'd slain so many innocent victims and her brother was just the last in a very long line. She was meant to be the next and had only escaped by the skin of her teeth. Though she was fine with that, it wasn't something she was going to forget in a hurry.

"What do you think you'll do now?"

"What do you mean?"

Lisbon never assumed that Jane was going to stay on once the case was closed. As far as she was concerned, it was going to be the same as last time, with a resignation hitting her desk before the dust had even had a chance to settle. Instead, he was still sitting in front of her and she thought that he was waiting for the right time to bid them all farewell and walk out of their lives again. Then again, she also remembered the hug they shared, just after Cho wrested Morton out of the apartment and into one of the CBI vans. After Van Pelt had released them both from their bonds, Jane had clung onto her, almost desperately and she returned every emotion with equal fervor. It was only when Van Pelt had told her that there was a paramedic waiting outside and they both urgently required medical attention that she actually dared to let go. It was strange to think that had happened two weeks ago already.

"Last time…"

"I don't know why I did that."

She quirked an eyebrow and waited for him to elaborate.

"I left because I thought it was what I wanted. I don't have anything else I can do."

"You're staying then?"

"If you'll have me."

She smiled and nodded and Jane beamed in response. He hadn't coped well when he originally left and knew he'd made the right decision. Lisbon glanced briefly at her computer screen and he knew that was a sign that he should probably leave her alone. He was fine with that; his couch was calling him anyway.

"You know that fine you gave me a month ago?" Jane said hopefully, as he stood to leave her be. "Can you…"

"Absolutely not. You got off lightly; I should have arrested you."

Jane pouted. Some things would never change.

end