Chapter 2

It was hours later, Lisbon sat on her couch in her old oversized jersey eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream and watching the latest romantic comedy. She sighed as the credits started to roll on the TV screen. "It's late and I should get to bed" she thought "since I have to get up early and go back to the CBI tomorrow to pick up my stuff and say good bye to the team, well three of them." She was glad she'd been able to give Jane the news privately but annoyed that in her desire to make a grand exit she had extended the misery of saying goodbye. Now she had to look forward to going back in the morning to get her stuff and say goodbye to Rigsby, Van Pelt, Cho and if she was feeling very generous maybe even Hightower. She briefly wondered if she could get that guy from the personnel department that had a crush on her to just mail her stuff to her. She'd never been good with emotional scenes but she owed it to her team to say goodbye in person. Groaning as she got up to throw away the empty ice cream container she thought "ugh, I am really not looking forward to tomorrow."

She tossed her spoon in the sink, washed her sticky hands and turned off the light, going through her nightly before bed routine. She had just turned off the TV and was getting ready to go upstairs to her room when there was a knock at her front door. Glancing at the clock, it was after midnight, she wondered who could possibly want to see her this late at night. She walked to the door, stopping make sure the side table drawer contained one of the guns she kept for protection at home. She'd had to turn in her badge and service weapon to Hightower before she left the CBI but that didn't mean she was helpless, Teresa Lisbon didn't believe in being unprepared. She approached the peep hole and before she could look through it the knock sounded again, this time a little louder and more insistent. She had a sudden premonition of dread and said "Oh No." Sure enough looking through the tiny hole she saw a blond haired, blue-green eyed, pain in the ass in a three peace suit. "Great," she thought "maybe he'll think I'm not home and go away?" The knock sounded again along with a "Come on Lisbon I know your home I saw you car in the parking lot." /Jane/

"Great," She whispered, thinking. "If I'm quiet he'll think I'm asleep and go away, right?"

"I know your awake Lisbon; I can practically hear you breathing through the door. I'm just 'gonna keep knocking until you answer. Or maybe I'll start singing; your neighbors will love that. I could always just pick the lock."/Jane/

At that Lisbon lost her patience tearing open the door she started yelling "If you dare pick the lock on my door Jane I swear to god I'll call the local P.D. and have you arrested for breaking and entering!"

Seeing his opportunity Jane stuck his foot in the doorway and grabbing her shoulders he backed her into the hallway and against the wall. Keeping his hands on her shoulders he held her in place using the heel of his shoe to kick the front door closed.

Lisbon stood, her back pressed to the wall, Jane pressing to her front and her eyes wide. She opened her mouth but before she could deliver what would no doubt be a colorful diatribe Jane had his hand over her mouth and his nose pressed up to hers.

"Ah ah ah." He said shaking his head slightly at her "Not this time woman. You wouldn't let me get a word in edge wise this afternoon and then you put that sweet mouth of yours on mine and flounce out before I can even gather my wits to respond. Not this time, this time you are going to listen to me and you going to be quiet until I'm done. Is that clear?" He felt her nod under his hand then added "okay I'm going to take my hand off your mouth and you going to stay quiet, then when I'm done your can say whatever you want." He once again waited for her nod to move his hand off her mouth. Brushing his knuckles lightly against her cheek he put his hand back on her shoulder.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

"Jane you don't have to"/Lisbon/

"Shhhh…" He interrupted sternly, "you agreed to be quiet."

"Like I was saying. I'm sorry for being such a coward and so..… so selfish. I've known, for a while now, how much you mean to me. How much I lo uh, care about you. And I'm sorry that I ever even for a second made you think you weren't important to me." Lisbon's eyes filled with tears at his words but he continued on. "You mean more to me than anyone else in the world, more than working for the CBI, more than my plans for revenge."

Hearing Jane say the words she never imagined him saying broke the dam. Lisbon gave a sob and the tears she'd been holding at bay spilled down her cheeks.

Jane cupped her cheeks with his hands and using his thumbs to wipe away her tears saying "oh, no sweetheart, no, don't cry, please just let me finish before I lose the nerve to say this."

Lisbon controlled her sobs and seeing for the first time the great Patrick Jane look nervous she couldn't help but give a small watery smile.

"That's my girl." Caressing her cheek again he continued. "I guess I was afraid if I told you how I felt you would reject me. I mean look at me, I'm emotionally stunted, I constantly irritate you and I cost you your job. Oh god what am I doing? I'm not exactly selling myself here am I?" He said burying his face in the crook of her neck. Hearing Lisbon's soft giggle he looked up with a small smile. But it faded when he continued. "The worst of it is that I'm selfish. I didn't keep quiet just because I was afraid of being rejected I did it because I thought I could have it both ways. I thought I could just continue with my plans to kill Red John and you would be there waiting for me when it was all over. You haven't really dated anyone seriously since we've been working together so I never really worried about some other guy stealing you away. And I could tell you were attracted to me, that you cared about me, so I took advantage of it. I just took for granted that you would always be there so I wouldn't have to make the hard decisions, wouldn't have to choose which I wanted more."

"I was a coward and I was selfish. When Red John killed my family I felt like I had lost everything like he had taken my entire world and when you walked out that door I felt that pain all over again. I don't believe in god Lisbon or heaven, when we die we're just gone, we turn back into the dust we came from. And my family, i'll always love them but they're gone so any revenge I get from killing Red John it's just for me, they're not going to get any satisfaction from it, it will be purely selfish. After you walked out I realized that if I choose Red John over you he wins again, even if you stay and we catch him and I kill him. You'll have to arrest me and I'll lose you, my life will end all over again. Red John already took everything from me once if I let him do it again he wins. I'm not going to let him take the person I love the most, the most important thing in my life again."

Jane might have had more to add but that point Lisbon had heard enough; she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck she fused her mouth to his pouring all her feelings into the kiss.

With an "Ooofhh" Jane stumbled back hitting the opposite wall, he just let himself slide to the floor enjoying the feeling of Teresa Lisbon in his lap, her legs wound around his waist, fingers buried in his hair and her lips pressing kisses to his neck.

It was hours later and Lisbon was still in Jane's lap, pressing lazy kisses to his neck and throat, only they're location had changed. Jane having decided that the comfort of her recliner was more conductive to kisses and affectionate whispers. He watched, his finger tracing abstract patterns on her exposed thigh, as she nuzzled her face into his neck. She stifled a yawn with her hand, murmuring "I should go to bed; I have to get up early and go pick up my stuff tomorrow."

"No need for that," Jane replied, "you're exhausted, you should sleep in. As a matter of fact I think we should take the next two days off, you can lay around on the beach in your bikini, I can sit and watch you lay around in your bikini."

Lisbon smirks and slaps his arm lightly in retaliation, asking "Hey did happen you bring my stuff with you?"

"No, I told you there's no need for you to pick up your stuff, you're not quitting and Hightower is not firing you."/Jane/

"Patrick it's too late, I eeeek!" Whatever Lisbon was going to say was lost in the squeak she gave when Jane pinched her bottom.

"Now that I have your attention," Jane said with a smirk "will you let me finish? I talked to Hightower. I told her if you were no longer working with the CBI than neither was I."

"But Jane, what about your job, the cases, Red John, you'll lose access to the files!"/Lisbon/

"Woman has anyone ever told you; you have a problem with interrupting people." He said lightly pinching her bottom again "and you're not allowed to call me Jane when you're sitting on my lap."

"I want you to know that I meant it when I said you are more important to me than anything else."

Lisbon leaned over cupping his face in her hands "I can't let you do this Jane, when I said I wanted you to give up on revenge I didn't mean for you to give up trying to catch him at all. I just don't want you to die trying or end up in jail for the rest of your life because you killed him."

"Oh we'll catch him weather I'm helping the team or not. Red John's good but he's not all powerful, he'll make a mistake eventually." Jane covered the delicate little hands on his face with his larger rougher ones and looked Lisbon in the eyes before continuing. "Teresa I love you, but I'm still me, still the same impulsive and occasionally selfish and inconsiderate Patrick Jane. And I know I can't do this without you. If I stay on and we catch him I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself from doing something stupid. I need you there with me. I know if I have you there, if I can see, remind myself of what I've gained and what I have to lose I'll be able to control myself." He smiled "besides Hightower already agreed to reinstate you, after we have the little two day vacation I insisted on. It's not even going to go on your record." He frowned as a thought struck him, "you know I have a sneaking suspicion she planned for something like this to happen."

At the end of his speech Lisbon leaned in, giving him a long lingering kiss. "Well it looks like I have a long day of lying around on the beach ahead of me, so I should get to bed." She stood and walked slowly out of the living room.

Jane watched her as she walked away. This time instead of feeling like he'd lost everything it felt like he'd gotten a second chance at life. Then just before Teresa rounded the corner she stopped, glancing over her shoulder she gave him a sultry smile and said "Well, are you coming?" before she turned and continued up the stairs to her bed room.

Jane sat for a second, a stunned look on his face before he jumped up, 1000 watt smile on his face.

He stood at the bottom of her stairs looking up at them; his life was up there, his future, the second chance at happiness he never thought he'd get. Still smiling he bounded up the stairs taking them two at a time. He couldn't wait to get started.

The End

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