Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist. El diablo, Bruno Heller, does.

Author's Note: You know, I'm still curious about those three secrets that Jane promised Lisbon back in season five. This is my way of satisfying my own curiosity; maybe it will satisfy yours as well, good readers! It will definitely take more than this one chapter.

He was surprised to hear knocking on the door of his Airstream at this hour. Normally, if there was a case late at night Abbott, or Fischer, would call him (they would usually add threats to make sure that his arrival was timely).

Knocking, however…knocking was odd. He debated opening the door for moment; perhaps this late-night caller would be dissuaded if he acted like he wasn't home.

The next knock was accompanied by a stern voice, "Open up, Jane, I know you're in there."

Oh, well, Lisbon at his door was a different matter entirely. And, while her presence was anything but unwelcome, it was slightly confusing.

Still, best not to keep her waiting any longer; she might take exception to his sluggish response time and break down the door.

Therefore, it was with a small of amount of trepidation, and a large amount of curiosity, that Jane opened the door to his mobile home.

As predicted, Lisbon was beginning to stew in her own juices, so Jane was hoping to forestall the impending explosion with pleasantries, "Good evening, Teresa. What brings you to my door this late? Shouldn't you be at home, perhaps packing up all your worldly goods in anticipation of your grand future with Special Agent Marcus Pike."

Despite himself, Jane winced at his delivery. His greeting contained a bit too much honesty, and even though he wasn't happy with the situation, and even though he longed to throw himself onto his knees before Lisbon and beg her to stay, he knew that his emotions would only cloud the issue. Lisbon didn't need that from him right now.

Luckily for him, she decided to ignore his outburst, and instead went straight for his jugular.

"You owe me three secrets, Jane. And I think I need to collect before I make my decision."

Jane was right.

She should have been home packing, but every time she picked something up, she was overwhelmed by the memories contained within the object.

She hadn't realized how many of her possessions were, in some way, marked by her time with Jane.

The memories were everywhere. They were in a blouse that Jane had said complemented her eyes every time she had worn it; they were in a wood-carved pen that Jane had bought her on a whim, he'd said that if she was forced to do paperwork, it should be done with the best. She'd continued to buy ink refills for it over the years despite using it sparingly.

They were heavily concentrated in the pseudo-shrine that she had built for him in the two years that he had been gone. Conch shells, dried flowers, newspaper clippings, and a button from his favorite shirt surrounded the box filled with his letters. In the letter containing the button that he'd sent, he'd claimed that it was the last remnants of his favorite shirt.

Lisbon had another shirt of his, tucked away amongst her own. On nights that she had felt particularly lonely, she had brought it out and held it to her nose, desperately trying to find some hint of his scent within.

Marcus had never asked about the shrine, or about the shirt. Lisbon is sure that he is afraid or her answer; Lisbon is afraid that she won't have one.

Memories of Jane were in every corner of her life, filling her up.

She knew that she could not leave without finding out, once and for, if Jane could be more than a memory to her in the future.

Lisbon also knew that the next move was on her; Jane had taken white this time, opening with a cautious advance.

For all the time that Jane had spent on attempting to teach her chess, Lisbon was still not a very good player, and she was terrified that she might overextend her grasp, causing her gambit to fail.

So, she showed up at his door in the early hours of the morning, armed with a challenge that she knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

"You owe me three secrets, Jane. And I think I need to collect before I make my decision."