I figure I should explain why I started the "reviews = updates" thing. It was because my hit counter stopped working and for a few days it said I had 0 hits on my new postings, thus the only way for me to know if anyone was actually reading my story is if they posted a review. Thankfully, Fanfiction fixed the problem, but it still shows I have a lot less hits than I actually do.

Anyways, I digress. Enjoy the final chapter!

Chapter 10: Change

Friday, 6:37 PM

Lisbon stepped outside into the humid night air. The lights in the buildings were mostly off and the parking lot was silent and empty save a few cars. She had not seen Jane in the lobby and he was nowhere to be seen outside. She saw her car on the right side of the parking lot. She stepped into the street and started towards it, when suddenly Jane's blue Citroen pulled out in front of her. It came out of nowhere and stopped only a foot away from her, as if Jane had purposely been hiding in the shadows. His window was rolled down already. "Sneaking out, are we?" He asked with a clever, knowing smile.

"You could have hit me!" She exclaimed, still surprised by Jane almost running her over.

"But I didn't." Jane replied casually. Lisbon smiled slightly and started walking parallel to the car. Jane moved forward with her.

"What are you doing?" Lisbon finally asked, stopping in the street. The car also stopped.

"Kidnapping you." Jane remarked, leaning across the seat and opening the passenger-side door. Lisbon stepped back as the door swung open.

"It doesn't help if you tell me." Lisbon reminded him, smiling.

"Well, I'm hoping you'll go along with it." Jane confessed, waving for her to take a seat. She glanced around the parking lot, but saw no one.

"Where are we going?" She asked, still standing outside the car.

"Road trip!" Jane exclaimed emphatically. "Just kidding. It's a surprise." He added honestly.

"Now, why would I go along with this?" Lisbon questioned, placing her hand on the top of the car door.

"Because you trust me and you're stubbornly curious." Jane reasoned. Lisbon smiled, sat down, and closed the door. They left the parking lot.

The two were quiet for a while before Lisbon felt the need to talk.

"We can drop this you know." She reminded him, throwing it out there. She was giving him an easy way out, but he refused.

"You don't really want to do that." Jane countered quickly, as if he had expected her to rationalize the situation. Lisbon paused.

"It's not going to work out." She stated doubtfully, her eyes drifting to the floor.

"You're very pessimistic." Jane observed, never loosing his confident grin.

"You seem very self-assured… which means you have some kind of a plan." She retorted, suspicious.

"Maybe." Jane shrugged. Lisbon avoided Jane's eyes as her mind searched for any logical excuse for why a relationship between them would be a bad idea.

"It was just a date and it was just a kiss." She explained. "It didn't have to mean something." She added, glancing over at Jane, who obviously did not buy a word of it.

"You're a terrible liar." He responded bluntly. Lisbon sighed and shifted her eyes to the ceiling, so she could stare at something other than the floor.

"Jane, what did you want to tell me?" She questioned impatiently.

"We're not there yet." Jane reminded her.

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?" She asked, finally turning her eyes to face him. Jane paused, his focus on the road.

"If you insist." He finally conceded as they pulled onto a residential street. Lisbon waited for him to continue, but realized he was not going to say it because they had already arrived. Jane pulled into a curved, pebble driveway and parked in front of a modern style home with at least two levels, geometric lines, and an array of trees surrounding it. Jane stopped the car and got out. Lisbon stared at the house for a moment before doing the same.

"Is this your house?" She asked incredulously, wondering why Jane would bring her here. She suddenly felt nervous.

"Just, trust me." He assured her, quelling her discomfort. Lisbon turned her gaze back to the house.

"How can you afford this?" She remarked, clearly impressed. She had never seen his house before and she knew he could never afford this place on a CBI paycheck. Jane smiled slightly.

"I was a really good psychic. If you can pull it off, it pays very well." He commented, heading towards the front door. Lisbon followed. Jane hesitated briefly before unlocking the door and entering his house. Jane hit the lights and Lisbon entered behind him and closed the door.

The room had wooden walls, and long, vertical windows, but what Lisbon noticed immediately was the fact that the room was completely empty save a desk by the front door, which was covered by files and loose papers. There was no furniture and nothing hanging on the walls: no pictures, no memories, nothing. Lisbon walked into the center of the barren room, her shoes echoing on the hardwood floors.

"It's empty." She stated softly, trying to understand why a man would live in a house with no furniture; there was no place to live in it. She noted the stairs at the far end of the room and suddenly it occurred to her. She recognized the staircase… "You live in the same house." She remarked quietly, slowly turning to face Jane. Lisbon could see the answer flash in Jane's eyes, but other than that he seemed to be his usual confident self, notably unperturbed by her discovery. "Why'd you bring me here?" She asked curiously. For once, Jane was not smiling.

He paused thoughtfully.

"I don't have that much. I have this job and I have…" He began, but drifted as if considering where he was going with his speech. "I'm going to find Red John and I'm going to kill him for what he did." He announced willfully, making eye contact with Lisbon. She watched him intently. "And no matter how much… I care about you, I'm not going to let you stop me." He admitted. Lisbon realized that Jane was working through his own excuses. There were several valid reasons for why Lisbon and Jane should stay friends and only friends, but both Lisbon and Jane wanted to ignore all those reasons.

"When that day comes, I need you to know that I can't let you." Lisbon explained, understanding Jane's reasoning. Jane wanted to make sure that Lisbon knew he would not stop his pursuit of revenge on her behalf, but to be honest, Lisbon never expected him to. Jane deserved to see Red John caught, but what they disagreed on is how he should pay.

"I know." Jane replied, satisfied with her answer. He paused again, composing his thoughts.

"The kiss meant something." He announced, his blue eyes meeting her green eyes. "I never thought I could move on. I never planned to and… until now I never wanted to." He admitted honestly. He did not particularly enjoy putting his heart on his sleeve, but Lisbon needed to hear it. She needed to know that he goes home to an empty house every night because he cannot deal with the memory of his family and his life before. She needed to know that he will not rest until Red John is dead, but most of all, she needed to know the dramatic effect she would have on his life… and that she's wanted.

"Patrick…" Lisbon started, but she was not sure what to say. She was speechless. He had said so much in so little time that she could not think how to respond.

"You're worth it, Teresa." Jane told her, taking a couple steps closer. His eyes scanned over hers, trying to read her reaction. "No protest?" Jane asked, somewhat unsure of what Lisbon was thinking. "Teres-" He began, but Lisbon gracefully stepped forward, placed her arms around his neck, and pushed her lips against his, in hopes that a kiss could say everything she could not say in words.

And it did.

Jane stumbled backwards, obviously surprised. He quickly regained his balance, moved his hands just above her hips, and returned the kiss with an equal intensity. Lisbon's fingers began to toy with Jane's curly blond hair and she found she loved running his hair past her fingertips. Lisbon could feel Jane's lips curve into a smile and she wondered whether he always smiled when he kissed. Then she realized she would have plenty of tries to test out that theory. This made her smile too.

She broke off the kiss, but her face remained only an inch away from his.

"I can't believe you didn't see that coming." She commented happily, her lips almost brushing against his.

"I did." He defended, leaning forward to give her another brief kiss.

"You're lying." She countered knowingly. Jane smiled again.

"Maybe." He replied, moving his hand up to her face, delicately tracing her jaw line with his fingers. "So I'm guessing you're okay with this?" He asked.

"I'm perfect with this." She replied, feeling unbelievably content with being so close and so intimate with Jane. He rested his forehead against hers.

"We take it slow?" He asked and for the first time since they started the conversation, Jane's voice exhibited a tinge of hesitance and uncertainty.

"Slow." She assured him, glad when he visibly relaxed. He smiled brightly.

"Does this count as a second date?" He asked lightheartedly.

"Are you kidding?" Lisbon responded cheerfully, the two of them pulling apart. "I haven't had dinner." She announced.

"I'm sure we can find a place." Jane replied with a smile as Lisbon took his hand and led him to the front door. Lisbon opened the door, stepped outside, and waited while Jane pulled out his keys.

Just before he left the house, Patrick Jane took one last look around the room knowing that things would never be the same for him. He knew today signified a huge change in his life, a turning point. And for the first time in a long time, he had more to live for than a red smile painted on a wall.

THE END

One word. Sequel!

I'm sorry that there was no Rigsby/Van Pelt in this chapter.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Hadley