Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Well this is it. The epilogue that will explain the future and answer some questions. This journey has been incredible and I am so proud how this story turned out. Thank you all for reading this fic and loving it. You guys have made it all worth it.

Epilogue: A Second Chance

Nine Months Later

Patrick watched Alaina toddle around the living room, she loved chasing after things, and there was no doubt she was going to be fast like her mother. He liked to joke that she'd never actually learned how to walk but instead had skipped straight to running. That was fine with Teresa who was already planning out where she would sit in the stands while watching Alaina lead the track team to the national championships.

Here she was, over a year old now and he couldn't be more proud of his daughter. Especially since things had never been smooth for her or her parents, and it wasn't just her unorthodox conception that was the problem.

He had been quietly waiting for Red John to make a statement ever since Alaina's birth. He'd made the decision to come out and be a father to her without any regret but he'd also known that it would mean letting everyone, including the monster he was chasing, that he had a child and was certainly in love with her mother. It was an opportunity too good for Red John to pass up.

The message had come only days before Alaina's first birthday and Jane had seriously considered keeping it to himself. He hadn't wanted to frighten Lisbon or to ruin Alaina's first birthday. But he had committed himself to honesty, no more secrets. At first when he'd shown her the message he'd regretted that action immediately, Lisbon was plagued with nightmares and Jane hated that she was so afraid.

Two weeks after Alaina's birthday they had both heard their daughter crying out. Nothing unusual there, Lisbon had volunteered to put her back to sleep. After several minutes Jane had realized that she was taking an inordinate amount of time so he'd gotten up to investigate. What he'd found was terrifying.

Lisbon standing in by their daughter's crib, Alaina standing up trying to get to her mother for comfort but Lisbon couldn't move, she's just stood there staring at the monster that was only a few feet from her.

Jane knew this had all been a part of Red John's plan. He wanted him to be there and watch this time as he took away his family again. The dialogue that followed had been calm and measured while Red John boasted of this triumph and sneered at Jane's chance of happiness. Lisbon had been just as terrified as he was but she'd been calm. In the end Jane had to admit that being completely honest with her about Red John's message was the best thing he could have done. It had been her idea to tape the gun to the bottom of Alaina's crib, so while Red John was distracted with his showmanship she'd been able to sneakily grab it and finally end this decade long game with three well aimed shots to the chest.

She'd apologized a lot the rest of the night for killing Red John instead do giving him the chance, as the rest of the team showed up and the cops took Red John's body away. Jane had found that a little amusing mostly because he had long since stopped caring over how Red John was taken out. In the end all he cared was that Alaina and her mother were safe, he wasn't going to lose his family again.

One thing they had agreed on was that they could not have Alaina grow up in the room where Red John died. They found a small home that they both liked and moved in as soon as they could, finally putting every part of the past behind them and moving on as a family.

Jane grinned and checked the time, Lisbon would be home soon. A meeting with Bertram had meant he'd had the opportunity to come home from the CBI first. Now all he had to do was wait for her to walk through the door and he could see if she would finally be honest with him about the little secret she was hiding.

Ten minutes later, the front door opened and Jane heard her walking through the hallway towards the living room. Alaina's face lit up as soon as she saw her. "Mama! Mama!" She exclaimed, running over to hug her mother's leg.

She leaned down to pick up her daughter, kissing her hello with a big grin. Jane walked over to greet her with a kiss as well. "Ah so Bertram finally let you go."

"Yeah, it took a little longer than I thought," she admitted, setting Alaina down onto the carpet. She was nervous about what was going on. "Patrick, you and I need to have a talk."

He hid his amusement and waited. "Oh?"

She nodded. "It's something important and…and I'm not sure what you'll think about it." Lisbon took deep breath and let it out, rubbing her palms on her pant legs. Finally she worked up the courage to say it. "I'm pregnant again."

Jane kept the same smile on his face; actually he didn't react at all to the news. "I'm glad you finally told me. What would you like for dinner? I was thinking chicken marsala but what would you prefer."

She stared at him as if he'd lost him mind, she probably thought he had. "Did you even listen to me?"

"Yes, you're pregnant. Now dinner?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

He laughed. "Nothing, I assure you. But why should I be surprised over something I already knew."

"How did you know?"

"It was rather obvious. You've been sick for the past two weeks, you haven't felt the urge to kill me for the past two months and there is the fact that your figure is…" he grinned now turning his eyes to her breasts, "blossoming." She smacked him for that comment which only made him laugh again. "I also found the pregnancy test in the trash last week, what I want to know is why it took you eight days to tell me."

She looked down now at her hands. "I was afraid to tell you."

He nodded, expecting that statement. "Why?"

Lisbon met his eyes. "You didn't take it well the last time I told you I was pregnant."

"Circumstances were very, very different then," Jane reminded her, "you shouldn't have been afraid. Especially since I'm unbeleiveabley excited about this baby."

"Really?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he told her, "Alaina is going to be a big sister, I'm going to be a father again, everything is exactly as I hoped and this time…this time I'm going to be with you. I'll get to fix you whatever you are craving, go to the doctors apppointments, feel our son kick inside of her."

Her eyes were watery with unshed tears of happiness. "Our son?"

"It's a boy," he assured her, "I'm certain of it."

"It's just as likely that it's another girl."

"It's a boy."

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "You can't know that for sure but far be it from me to declare you wrong though it would be funny it—what the hell are you doing?" Her exclamation came from Jane forcing the engagement ring he'd been plying her with for months onto her finger.

He had asked her to marry him thirty-four times. The first time was two days after Red John's death and she'd told him no, she didn't want him to propose to her just because he was still feeling the relief and joy at catching Red John, she wanted a proposal sober. Thirty-three proposals later and she was still telling him no.

"I'm putting this on your finger where it belongs," Jane declared.

"Aren't you going to ask me first?"

"No," he told her honestly, "I've asked you long enough and now I'm just going to demand that you marry me."

Lisbon stared at the ring on her finger, the ring she'd seen several times now. "I would have said yes this time."

"I couldn't take that chance."

Now she looked slightly guilty. "I've always wanted to marry you, Patrick. Since you first asked me. I only said no because…because I needed to be sure that this is what you wanted."

"I've had that ring for almost a year," he explained, "since I realized I couldn't live without you. I just wanted to wait until Red John was gone so there were no more reasons to keep us apart."

Lisbon nodded. "I understand…but I needed to know for sure too."

He pulled her into his arms, letting one hand rest on her stomach where their new baby was happily nestled in her womb. "Then be sure of this, nothing will take me away from you, Alaina and our new baby. I love all three of you more than anything else in this world."

She turned her head to kiss him sweetly. "I know."

They basked in the moment of tenderness between them, soft kisses and a warm embrace. But Alaina came toddling over and batted his leg. "Daddy! Up! Up!"

Jane laughed and hauled his daughter into his lap but kept Lisbon close. This was exactly what he wanted.

This is what happily ever after looked like

A/N: That's it folks, the end LOL but not quite. I've had numerous requests for more and I can't seem to let Alaina go. So be on the look out for a few companions to this fic including one that shows Jane, Lisbon and Alaina on a family vacation LOL. Any requests, send them and I'll consider them. I promise LOL

Meanwhile I hope you guys be on the look out for my new story The Wages of Sin, it'll be an AU from the episode Fugue in Red where Lisbon actually let Fugue Jane go but when his memory comes back a year later he is furious with Lisbon for her decision and finds out that a lot has happened since he left. Red John is playing a new game...but it isn't with him.

Thank you for reading this story and remember, watch out for the continuing adventures of Alaina LOL