AN: Alright, everyone. Last chapter alert! I need to go prepare myself for the finale. Thanks so much for sticking with me, and I hope you've enjoyed this.

Depths and Determinations

Chapter Six

The first time they were separated on a case, he remembered what it was like to be an insomniac. He'd grown so used to sleeping beside her, touching her, that going back to an empty hotel room bed was like a slap to the face.

Although he realized he wouldn't be with her every moment of every day, he'd always planned on ending them with her.

Instead, he was three hundred miles away, wondering if it was in any way feasible to drive back, if only for a few hours.

Deciding it probably wouldn't work, he called her, hoping her voice would bring him at least a little peace.

She answered on the second ring. "Hey there," she told him, and he smiled.

"Hey yourself. How's Austin?" He could hear her clattering around the kitchen, pictured precisely how she looked.

"Just fine," she replied,. "How's it going there?"

He shrugged, remembered she couldn't see him. "Not as well as I'd hoped," he admitted. "I'm going to try to wrap this up tomorrow, but it might take another day." He hated to say the words. Hated to think that they might be true, too.

There was obvious disappointment in her voice. "It happens that way sometimes," she said, and he knew she was reminding herself, too. "Just promise me you're not going to do anything stupid to get it solved early."

"I promise," he said easily. Their definitions of stupid varied greatly, so he wasn't precisely lying to her.

"I'm not looking forward to tonight," she said, sounding very matter of fact.

His smile took on a sadder cast. "Me, either."

They chatted for a while longer. He caught her up with the case details, and she gave him an overview of the rest of her day. It had been boring, by her standards, but he still hung on her every word.

Yes, tonight was going to be bad.

When their call ended, he paced around the room. He had spent so many nights doing this exact thing that he should have been used to it. In point of fact, he had been, right up until he had a warm, cinnamon-scented Lisbon to sleep next to.

The hours passed slowly. Once or twice, he wondered if dawn was ever going to arrive.

Around three in the morning, his phone beeped.

I love you.

He smiled. Very apparently, he wasn't the only one awake.

Love you too. Get some rest.

He tried to imagine what she looked like, jersey ending just above her knees, snuggled into the bed, hair tumbling around her shoulders. The room was probably dark, the only light coming from her phone.

This sounds stupid but the bed feels too big.

His heart gave a tug. I plan on being there to take up needed space tomorrow night.

In another minute, he had her reply. You'd better be. Now go to sleep.

Of course, he didn't.

When it was a reasonable hour, he wandered off in search of breakfast. He had a big day - murderer to catch, quick flight to make, woman to come home to.

In the end, his plan went slightly awry, and he found himself in danger of being shot by a very perturbed and very armed drug dealer.

Fortunately, Cho took control of the situation, and two short gunshots later, it was all over.

He leaned forward, hands on his knees, breathing deeply.

"Wow," he whispered. "Wow, that was unexpected."

"You're an idiot," Cho told him after checking to see if he was injured. "Be more careful," he went on. "I don't want to answer to Lisbon if you get killed on my watch."

Although they had made no public announcement about their relationship, most people seemed to know, and Cho was smarter than the average bear.

"She'd let you off the hook," he answered, chest still heaving. "It's me she'd kill again."

Still, four hours later, he was in Austin, the sun just starting to set. The city had never looked more appealing to him, never looked more like home.

In the corner of the parking lot, the Airstream sat, looking dark and forlorn. He was grateful he didn't have to go there.

In contrast, all the outside lights were on at Lisbon's, the yellow siding looking warm and welcoming.

For just a moment before getting out of the car, he paused, taking in the scene. He could see Lisbon through the kitchen window, most of the lights on inside, too. It was bright and cheery and looked so much like home that he forgot to breathe for just a moment.

And then he walked forward, using his key, not bothering to knock.

She was in his arms approximately six seconds later, and he pressed his face against her hair, feeling her body against his, her small hands linked at the back of his neck.

"I missed you," he said, kissing her temple.

"Missed you too," she murmured, voice muffled by his shoulder.

When he pulled back, she smiled at him, and he felt himself truly relax for the first time in days. "Something smells good," he noted.

"I made dinner," she announced, sounding impressed with herself.

"Why, Lisbon," he teased, walking towards the bedroom, his small bag in one hand, "did you get all domestic when I was gone?" The house was spotless - wooden shelves gleamed, the floor was clean enough to eat off of, and he could still see the tracks the vacuum had made on the carpet.

"I was bored," she admitted, tone a little embarrassed.

He was in for another surprise. For the past few weeks, he'd been living out of clothes baskets that he'd stacked on her washer and dryer. They were empty now, and he felt a moment of fear, wondering if she was going to tell him to keep his stuff in his own place.

She looked...nervous, and he felt another thrill of apprehension. "I thought," she started, shrugging. "I thought since you were here so much that I might as well hang your clothes up. I mean, they were getting wrinkled and I sort of wanted my baskets back and so I just put them in the guest closet." All of this was said quickly, in one breath, and he knew she was hoping he was alright with this new arrangement.

It was more than just convenience, he understood that. She was tentatively going forward with their relationship, and wasn't sure he would be on board.

So he kissed her, deeply, was rewarded with her hands in his hair.

"I love it," he said against her lips. "Thank you."

They made love in the shower after dinner, and he gratefully fell into bed beside her. There was something on his mind, but it wasn't until she'd drifted off that he figured out what it was.

No one ever took care of him.

He was a Grade A loner, used to looking out for himself. Lisbon occasionally stepped in, but it was mostly in a professional capacity. Not tonight.

He'd come here, come home. And he'd been met with a spotless house and dinner waiting and clean clothes in an honest-to-God closet.

Unexpectedly, he felt tears prick his eyes, and he blinked them away.

He felt...loved. Cherished.

He had been missing this for so long that he hadn't even realized it until he had it back. Lisbon wouldn't have recognized the significance of doing these things; she just did them because she wanted to.

And that made it even sweeter.

Abruptly, he shifted, putting his head on her chest, arms around her waist.

"Mm," she murmured sleepily, instinctively running her hands down his back. "Everything okay?"

"Yes," he nearly whispered, and he was utterly truthful. "Everything is perfect."

"'Kay," she replied, voice heavy.

He kissed her collarbone. "Everything is perfect," he said again.

And it was.