They say it's a cold place

Icy and grey

With a wind that cuts through

Marrow and bone

I've heard the earth cracks open wide

Before your eyes and might

Swallow you whole

They say you can get lost for days

In landscapes of big emotions

In the endless night when the sun doesn't care

To crawl out of bed behind the oceans

Teresa remembered when the concept of true north had been explained to her. She thought it might have been when she was still in middle school. Perhaps it was an eighth grade science class. The idea that there was not only a magnetic north but a geographic north this had confused her initially but she got used to the idea. She sometimes thought about it during a particularly hard case. There was always one saying or another about trying to get your heart to point north. Of course they always meant that a cop's heart should look to what is right. Teresa tried to find this metaphorical 'North' but she knew very well what is right and just are often two very different things and that they may never agree in some cases. But she hoped for true north, she longed for it, she wanted a way to tell what is truly veracious and unbiased.

We never learned to use a compass

We never learned to read these maps

We always yearned for far-off countries

We never found a straight way back

And it's a miracle

A miracle

She could not apply the concept of being honest to Patrick, he could not be considered completely honest. He was a trickster if one ever needed to define him in one word. He liked to trick criminals, that was his way of having fun. Proving that he was the smartest person in the room that was the game, and it was always his game, when he played as if the other participant didn't exist. While it was fun to watch and occasionally fun to get the chance to participate, but it worried Teresa. It was a game he was playing by himself, he was keeping to himself, and he kept the truth close to his chest. She wasn't always sure if what he was saying was true or if it was just an easy way of getting a reaction or a rise out of her.

We found true north

True north

Patrick was a strange country to Teresa, he did things differently this mostly manifested itself in the way he treated people. It could be arrogant but behind the arrogance there is always a certain amount of truth. It is conceit of others that wouldn't let people admit their faults. In a way it was beautiful that he felt free to say what was on his mind but that he was also capable of self-control. His movements were fully controlled and they presented him as something nonthreatening. Teresa felt that he didn't present a façade to her, when they were in bed together they responded to each other's movements to the different sensations that touch created between them. That couldn't be faked, when they were naked, they were exposed and open to each other's happiness and pain. And between them there were was much pain and happiness.

They say it's an old place

With ancient tales

Of violence and war

Passion and soul

But I've seen the West bleed into the East

Like a slow breeze

Blowing ripples of hope

And I know I could get lost for life

Inside these stories I've heard

'Cause it all just shows that what we know

Is just the tip, the tip, the tip of the iceberg

How do you trust someone completely? How long do you have to know each other to trust each other unequivocally? They had known each other for several years they had learned to trust each other. Perhaps that level of trust was best demonstrated when she and Patrick went to Illinois. It had been a stressful visit, full of personal problems. Teresa had desperately wanted to get away. It snowed very hard one day that the only way they could get was using a snow plow. Teresa had driven it and Patrick had sat behind her. He had his arms around her waist. Though they were bundled up to a 'T' she could still feel his body heat coming off of him. His breath on her neck was reassuring it helped her cope with the murder and she felt protected by him even if things seemed hopeless in the cold. She felt she could trust him that time, and when she tried to relive that moment she would remember everything.

We never learned to use a compass

We never learned to read these maps

We always yearned for far-off countries

We never found a straight way back

And it's a miracle

A miracle

Teresa had sometime wondered what Patrick would sound like in another language. She wondered if the meanings of the things he said would become clear maybe the meanings would point to some sort of truth that was not always fathomable in English. Teresa knew some French; she knew enough to know that 'Savoir' and 'Connaître' were two verbs that mean 'to know' but that they have a very specific usage. One means to know facts and the other means to know of someone or something. She wondered which verb Patrick would use the most. She supposed that that verb would be connaître after all he seemed to know about people even when he didn't know them. It was a gift, a fairly annoying gift at that. But in some ways it brought them both joy and pain. It's useful to know what a criminal is thinking, but after a while you don't want to contemplate anymore what they are thinking because it becomes terrifying instead of useful. It brings joy because if you have someone you love in front of you, and you know what they are thinking then you are very lucky because you know what will make them truly happy. Patrick despite his fault and his non-truths made Teresa very happy.

We found true north

True north