Chapter 9: Happily ever after…

Either she had developed instant Parkinson's disease, or she should really have taken some Prozac, because she was trembling like a newborn Chihuahua.

Everything she had ever wanted lay in the balance of the two envelopes she held clutched in her hand. That and Patrick's willingness to listen to her. At least he was home and in her current state of mind she decided to regard that simple fact as a good sign.

After Patrick had left the CBI building, she had locked herself into her office, fiddling with the documents, waiting for the expected relief to wash over her. And realizing that it would never happen. The only thing she felt rushing over her like an ice-cold tidal wave was bitter disappointment.

Right now, she should have been at the courthouse, delivering the annulment to the judge to have it verified and filed away. Instead, when she had tripped over a certain object in her office, another idea had hit her in the face and instantly, she had known what to do. And what not to do.

What not to do was go to the courthouse. What not to do was to let two ink scribbles determine her marital status and therefore her future happiness. What not to do was never to let Patrick know that he was the one she wanted to spend forever with. Till death did them part. That document was signed and verified too. And without the physical proof of the annulment document…

One glorious minute later, that physical proof was…eh…tragically misplaced.

Oops.

Gathering the remnants of her almost lethal mistake, she hurried out of her office and sped through the Sacramento streets to get home as fast as possible. If any coworker would be stupid enough to book her for speeding, she'd make sure that said rookie would work nightshifts only until he retired.

So now she was standing before her home, fumbling with her keychain and trembling. The Chihuahua in her also caught a bout of Parkinson's disease.

For a moment Teresa feared he had changed the locks on the front door, but soon she found out she was trying to push a wrong key into the hole.

Damn nerves.

When she finally did manage to open the door, she was greeted by boxes. Dozens of them. Making her way to the living room, she found Patrick standing in front of their book case, taking out book after book, glancing at the title and either putting them back on the shelve or into a box marked 'Lisbon's books'.

She bit back a sob. Patrick was packing her stuff, ready for her to move out. Well, what had she expected? That he would have been waiting for her with champagne on ice? She might still have believed there was a way out, but he seemingly didn't agree with her.

What if he was happy to get rid of her?

Her sound made him look up. The mask was firmly in place again, she noticed. God, why was it so much harder to deal with than his anger, his open hostility? He acknowledged her presence with a nod and a question.

"This novel yours? I can't remember."

Without looking at the book he was showing her, she shrugged. What did she care? He put in it the box.

"Yours then."

A knife in her belly. Ouch.

"Patrick?"

"Could you hand me a new box? This one's almost full."

Twisting the knife. Double ouch.

"Patrick?"

"Oh…and the tape, please."

Was she still breathing?

"Patrick, can we talk? Please?"

She must have sounded as desperate as she was, because he actually looked up.

"Fine. Let's talk." He sat down on the couch, while she remained standing.

He was not about to make it easy on her and she didn't deserve anything else. She only hoped, prayed, her gesture wouldn't be too late.

"I eh…I have something for you." She started.

"A parting gift? Lisbon, really, you shouldn't have," he sneered.

"Would you please look at it first, before judging it?"

Don't do as I did to you…please give me the benefit of the doubt…

She handed him the first envelope and he opened it, his face still impassive. A mass of shredded paper fell into his lap.

"You shredded our wedding papers?"

Oh no…no, just understand, you idiot! To make him see, she gave him the other envelope as well. He tore it open to reveal…

"These are the wedding papers."

"The intact, still legal wedding papers," she added.

"Then these are…" He gestured to the heap in his lap.

"What's left of the annulment papers. They were never filed. Nobody even knows they were drawn up. Like they never existed."

"But…why?"

She smiled at him and finally, as the truth hit him, he smiled back. His true, glorious, wonderful, bone-melting smile.

"I want to stop pretending too," she whispered.

Patrick stood, letting the pieces of shredded document fall on the carpet, with one step, he had reached her. His hand brushed along her jaw line and pulled her head in closer.

It was their first kiss since the mandatory kiss when they were being pronounced husband and wife. It lasted for many minutes, but it hardly lasted long enough to even start making up for the damage she had done to their relationship. But she figured she would have years to do that.

"So…you really want to be my wife?" He asked, for some reason needing to hear her say it out loud.

"Yes, I do…I love you Patrick Jane. And I love being married to you."

"On one condition."

"What's that?" Anything, he could have anything he wanted.

"I want to do it again."

"Do what again?"

"Marry you again. Renew our vows. For real this time. I want to see you in a white wedding gown. I want guests and a cake and flowers and a proper party. I want the world to know that we meant it. That I love you. We deserve a fresh new start, don't you think?"

"Yes, I do."

"Save those words for the judge, my darling wife." He kissed her soundly, before thinking of something and pulling away.

"What?"

"Are you gonna make me wait until our next wedding to consummate?"

THE END.

Epilogue…

Like hell she was…

AN: Sorry 'bout that. Couldn't help myself. Again, a happy New Year to all of you!!!