Through The Looking Glass: A White Tulip

Patrick Jane stood in a dimly lit office at the Jeffersonian. He and Teresa had spent the day warning and checking in with old friends along with gathering old case work before arriving near dark to meet the other players. Now he stood alone amongst the memories of his long battle against Red John. Boxes of papers, documents, photos, and evidence was stacked in a furnished office room.

Hours had passed since Teresa had gone to bed. They had decided to mention her pregnancy during the presentation in the morning. Pregnancy. Jane took hold of a crime scene photo with Red John's infamous smile on a wall. Hearing he might get his family back from the Narrator was quite a hook, but throughout the day he grew worry of the consequences.

"I know what your thinking", Teresa had said during their long drive.

"Then enlighten me please.", he requested.

"You're wondering how to live if manage to bring them back" she explained, putting a hand on his leg as he drove, "I know we'll figure it out. But I'll expect a second husband if you get another wife, haha!"

Jane smirked, "You're right, and I've got it. I'll just ask the Narrator to clone me.", he took a moment to make eye contact with her to judge her reaction with interest and whimsy.

"Two of you?", she chuckled, surprised, "I don't know if there's enough room in the world."

A sinister and familiar whistle cut through the air. The doorway. Jane was frozen. He was already here. Taking a pen holder and turning he threw it full force at the empty doorway. His eyes scanned the room, but found no one.

"So jumpy!", came a disembodied voice.

Jane's hands shook as he neared the doorway and found he had left his phone on the desk near it. There wasn't a caller ID, or even a call shown on the phone.

"Pelant I presume?", he asked, shaken.

"Patrick!", Pelant began, "Your old friend had quite an impression to share of you, though between us I think he may be prone to exaggeration. Personally, my impression of you"-

"My impression of you was that you were a little shadow that hid behind a screen, and it's getting worse by the minute. Why are you calling?", Jane spoke short and spitefully.

The lights in the room began to flicker rapidly in the office, then the hallway, then cars began to wail their alarms in the parking lot. Jane held his composer as his hand shook, the Bones team had warned him about this earlier.

"I'm calling to get a sense for myself. Patrick, if you could be a chess piece, which would"-

"Chess?", Jane interrupted. He knew Pelant was playing a game, and he had to figure it out.

"Interruptions will cost you Patrick. It's a shame, knight's usually thrive in chaos, but they're also quick to fall. Do you know what happens to a cornered piece? Oh, check in five."

Jane breath caught, the lights, the car horns, Angela's warning came back to him, "Pelant doesn't just hack systems, he takes control of them. Hacked us through bones ones… actually, don't even ask sorry"

Taking out his flip phone battery Jane's steps echoed squeaks on the polished floor and down the shadowy hallway as he sprinted. Bursting through a door he found the large IT room, with its desks of panels and screens. Angela and Penelope were typing like mad as windows and code rushed by the screens .

"Angela!"- he began, breathless.

"No talking Golden Boy! Angela, you got anything left?", said Penelope with a hand pausing Jane.

"No.", Angela sighed, "He's gone. Couldn't get through the upgrades we've been making. Had some competitions and prizes for young hackers to help our defense since Pelant." The ladies turned to Jane, who made a sly attempt to regain his demur.

"That guy's code reeks of attention seeking. You rang blondie?" asked Penelope.

"Red John, they're together. What if it's all of them?", Jane explained.

"Ha! Then it's just a matter of time till they do our job for us", Angela laughed, "I know Jane , I know, but honestly, I dont see them working out. Have faith, we've already beaten these guys remember?"

Jane smirked and nodded, having stopped shaking, "You ladies get some sleep tonight OK?"

"Your one to talk", laughed Penelope, "Shouldn't you be with your lovely wife?"

"On my way now.", he smiled and left the offices to find Teresa.

The teams were staying at the Jeffersonian for a few days till their FBI friends could get them proper lodging. Teresa was fast asleep on an air mattress in an office. He didn't bother to change as he laid by her side. Hand on her belly, he quickly doing sleep.

…

"Mama!", said the Bishop child Henrietta, running out of a black FBI van in a dim parking garage.

"Pudid cup!", laughed Olivia as she picked her up.

Booth, Chloe, Lucifer, Aubrey, Sweets Daisy Angela and Jack had parked just minutes earlier and were now meeting Amenadiel, Linda, and Broyles, along with Henrietta and the Lucifer teams three children.

"Come a long way to trust me like this Booth. I won't let you down.", said Aubrey.

"Yea just remember what I said"-

"No donuts, no sweets after four"- Aubrey interrupted Booth, only for Angela to do the same, "And no screens please," she said.

"Agent Booth", Colonel Broyles had stroke over to give the man a firm hand shake, "Colonel Broyles, you've got an impressive team here agent."

"Yes sir I do sir", Booth smiled before using a hand to reference Amenadiel and the Lucifer team speaking with their children, "Sir , permission to speak freely?"

Broyles nodded, "Permission granted Agent, at ease", he smiled.

"You trust this clown car Colonel?", Booth asked.

 Broyles chuckled, "It's way above top secret, but I can assure you our friend Amenadiel here is the safest place on or off world at this time."

Amenadiel noticed them and sent the kids back to the van as he, Chloe, and Lucifer joined them. Olivia still spoke to Henrietta close by.

"Agent Booth, a real pleasure.", Amenadiel said, extending his hand.

Booth hadn't noticed before, but there was an aura around this man. His anxiety had vanished. And he found himself lost in the handshake momentarily. Clearing his throat he said, "So you're the brother?"

"Brother?", asked Angela, "Is there a whole calendar?"

"Well actually"-

"Not now brother.", Amenadiel cut Lucifer off, "Aubrey I'm told you'll be joining us. Are you sure you don't mind the blindfold?"

Aubrey looked to his team and then to Broyles, who nodded. "Guess I am."

Olivia joined them and got Broyles attention. "Safer than she's ever been.", he assured her.

Amenadiel's calming presence helped as the parents said their goodbyes. Chloe took the opportunity to meet with Broyles. "Detective Decker.", she said with an extended hand.

Taking her hand Broyles nodded, "Colonel Broyles, It's good to be working with you Detective, you've certainly got a long and interesting set of files to read.", he looked to Lucifer, "I want to keep your teams ace in the wings, keep the villains guessing, but not if it starts to break trust. If the time comes, we'll with the Narrator I think it won't be a big problem."

"Sir am I to understand you're taking things here?", she asked.

"That's correct. Once we start presentations, everyone here will be an honorary member of the Fringe division. Is that a problem Detective?", he asked.

"No sir.", Chloe answered respectfully.

"Good, I'm going to need to count on everyone here 100 percent. If there's anything you need", he looked to Amenadiel, "Anything you can't get through other means, you let me know."

"And set! You're ready to go agent.", said Linda as she finished Aubrey's blindfold.

"I feel like I'm heading into a carnival.", he retorted.

"Indeed" said Lucy, looking to the van, "Though I do hope you'll keep my daughter from any rebellious phases doctor."

"Lucifer she's an infant! Besides, its you I've got to keep in line", Chloe retorted with a laugh.

"Aubrey.", said Jack.

"I know, you can count on me Hodge!", Aubrey said, facing blindly in another direction.

"Yea… So Amenadiel, what do you do?", asked Jack.

"I watch over everyone. I make sure they get to where they're going.", Amenadiel answered.

"Right, the Devil's brother…", Jack was still irritated despite Amenadiel's best efforts.

"Honey", Angela took his hand, "It's the only play."

"I promise they're in safe hands. We should leave before dawn.", said Amenadiel. The children were excited to travel in the hush if night, especially with Amenadiel's soothing presence. "Remember, were only a pray away!", he said before the cars were full and driving away.

The parents stared in silence for some time until the cars were well put of sight.

"We all heard that right?", asked Sweets.

"Alright everyone we've got presentations I'm three hours, I want to hit the ground running before the sun goes back down tonight. Dunham, you're up first.", Broyles lead the still unifying team. Olivia nodded, her eyes on the van till it faded into the night.

"Well, we're no strangers to having an audience!", Lucifer's smirk returned, "Let's dazzle them, shall we?", he said while taking Chloe's arm.

…

Dexter kept his face cool. The dark passenger. The urge to take life. It hummed like the desk fan near him. For now the red hadn't climbed high as he sat in a large and active office room meant for meetings. A large projection screen and several boards full of pictures, red lines, and highlighted locations decorated the room.

The Fringe team was setting up, a older fellow named Walter was arguing with a clever woman named Astrid at the projector. Clenching his fists Dexter's thoughts wondered.

"What if one of them fits the code? Could be a lot of grey people here?", asked imaginary Debra in his ear. With the real Debra sitting next to him, back from the dead, his inner voice was now more distracting than ever.

"I'll handle it. The stakes are too high.", he said internally to the voice.

"Like you handled me and your son? Where do you think he is Dex?"

"I will find him.", He thought.

"And when you can't reach anyone not on this team? What will you do then? What happens when Angela Bishop finds you? Real Debra already got Batista and Vince on the way!", ranted imaginary Debra.

Angela Bishop, two names shared with the team here. Would she be able to find him here? He found himself longing to see her, to get her input, but after leaving one of her cops dead to get to his son he knew Angela Bishop would hunt him down. He had agreed to stay at the Jeffersonian to help with labs and blood work, not to mention going onto crime scenes. It was just like old times, the prey and the hunter intertwined into one.

"Ah I've got it!", shouted Walter.

"Alright everyone we've got a lot of big hitters here so listen up.", Olivia got the rooms attention at the screen. "Fringe division takes on cases that shouldn't exist. Where the weird meets impossible."

"Supernatural, telekinesis, other universes, shapeshifters…", Peter Bishop helped lead the presentation. Slides of the first Fringe case on a plane were shown. Along with shapeshifter autopsies.

"Fascinating", said Reid and Bones.

"The shapeshifters are from another universe closely tied to our own, formerly with a bridge at the statue of liberty, but that's gone. We don't think Walternate would send them again, but with the narrator things could get unexpected.", Olivia explained.

"Walternate?", asked Prentis.

"Ah my mirror. What a dark man I could become. Ah but not with you two here.", said Walter, referencing his adopted sons Peter and Michael.

"Walternate is the other sides head of defense and a larger Fringe division and… my father.", explained Peter.

"Wait, you're from another universe?", asked Reid.

"Well come now follow along, remember the Narrator?", asked Lucifer.

"The shapeshifters were lead by this man.", said Olivia as a picture was shown. Newton, a shapeshifter himself may now be back at large, they will be looking for a way to extend their lives, or worse." Images were shown of the devices they used and the mercury in their blood.

"Mercury?", asked Dexter, the slides having caught his attention.

"Yes it's one of the many tests well all be having frequently here.", Walter chimed in.

"The shapeshifters will slowly die if they don't change hosts, lose their device, or run out of mercury. This man", a picture was shown, "David Robert Jones is also a highly suspected target. He so lead the shapeshifters in an attempt to destroy both universes and replace them with a new one." Images were shown of the creatures William Bell had created, before showing a picture of the man himself.

"Bell…", Peter mumbled.

"William Bell, we haven't determined his… allegiance at this time, or even if he's alive. The narrator could have changed the stakes for all these factions.", said Olivia.

"The Observers", began Peter, "Originally from the future, super geniuses with no emotions. They observed the past, before trying to colonize it. They also possess abilities in and out of combat.", images were shown of observer weapons and melee, "We narrowly stopped them by giving the future another way.", Peter referenced Michael who nodded.

"Michael here has both emotions and another layer above his cerebral cortex!", said Walter with pride.

"This covers who we think were you against , but there's loads of individual cases and criminals that could be out there.", said Peter.

"So we're really not in Kansas anymore…", said Jane, somewhat mystified.

As the Fringe team traded places with the Bones crew, Broyles walked to the front. "I know this is a lot to take in everyone, and there's still more, but I'm sure we have the best people to deal with this right here in this room. Now, Massive Dynamic have been kind enough to lend us secure access to their new A.I. Using our data and watching cases nation wide we can track and find these… villains.", Broyles let the unfamiliar word leave his lips.

 "The AI will be on your mobile devices and PCs under LIV. It won't manage without you, don't use it as a crutch. I want you all to know your families are safe and the nations resources are at your full disposal until this threat is eliminated. If you need anything just come to me. I've read all your files, well as much as I could, I'm proud to lead this fine team.", he concluded. Broyles nodded and let Bones and Booth take the scene while Angela took the projector from a fumbling Walter.

"Alright everyone, less magical, and um… well it's technical. This is Pelant.", the screen showed a picture of a man without an eye as Booth began. "He dismantles lives piece by piece before the final strike. It's all a game to him, and now supposedly he's working with a team, but more on that from Jane.

"Pelant will cross any line to get to you, past, family, trust, money"- Brennan began.

"Especially money.", Jack grumbled.

Dexter stirred in the chilly office as the couple continued to present a few awful criminals and the room took on an uneasy silence as the presentations continued. He knew somewhere out there the villains were also plotting. How long before he gets caught, surely his Angela would have gotten a warrant out and a search… No, even if he was arrested, they would use him, and once they won, Debra would fix him and set him free with the Narrator.

…

Hannibal Lector was a thorough man, but no one could account for the Narrator. In truth whether he would have survived his fall with Will was unknown to him. A moment stolen by an uncaring God. Not all was lost however, not at all. Carrying a plate of Fava Beans with a Red Wine Reduction he served one of two guests in the dim dining room. Far from the old carved wooden décor, the fancy lights and high ceilings of one of his safehouses sat a simply clothed, middle-aged man in a small cowboy hat. Not the kind of man to catch someone's eye, but Hannible saw through that façade, this man, this beast, would be quite entertaining, or tasty.

"A simple meal for complex minds. I thought we might start with something… raw.", Hannible said calmly over the crackle of an ornate fireplace.

"Pelant finishes typing but doesn't look up from a laptop at the mid table, "Raw, yet carefully refined, much like our host."

Hannible gives a small incomprehensible grin and sits at the far end of the large wooden table, "Such could be said of each of us. This raw… passion, all coming together to make an entirely new dish."

The sound of Red John playing with a red marker on the other table end pierced through the tranquil scene, and Pelant sighed.

"No luck?", asked Red John with subtle sarcasm.

"There is no luck. Only when one sets the board can victory be obtained. The Jeffersonian managed to make a heavy door, but with a simple key… 1 to D4." Pelant smiled, then frowned as the marker squeaked. "Is that necessary?

"What exactly are you asking my pieces to do Pelant?", asked Red John without looking up.

"Your pieces… What have you done to set the board?", asked Pelant, his voice dripping with venom.

"Gathered, nudged, infiltrated. We're already getting into local departments-"began Red John.

"Just who do you think is getting rid of all those paper and digital trails? Face it John-", Pelant interrupted before Red John placed down his marker and stood.

"Now gentlemen, we're all predators here. It's not often I get to dine with such exceptional individuals. Our prey has chosen to make a tight nest, but one snake can send the pigeons soaring. Patience and cooperation are the signs of a truly great hunter. So, I ask you both, will you be able to take the shot when the birds fly?", Hannible eased the tension as both other men went back to eating. Tonight, he had left a clear message to leave Will, something he could never miss. But first, he would fill the bellies of pigs.