Author's Note: Here's chapter two guys! This actually ended up completely different from how I first planned it. I went to start typing and it turned out different from my original blueprint, but that stuff happens. I hope you all enjoy it anyway!

Jane waited impatiently for the nurse so that he could get the tests over with. He, thankfully, didn't need surgery as of yet. They were running tests and each seemed to take more time than Jane wanted to spend on them. He needed to talk to Lisbon. Needed. Where the hell was this nurse? This was the second test and the other one had taken just over an hour. He'd been waiting to go through this one for at least twenty minutes and he ran out of patience waiting for the first one. He'd asked a nurse before to go check if Lisbon was in the waiting room and after much pestering she had gone, but had come back to inform him that Lisbon was not there. However, that was just before they started the first test. She might be there now.

"Okay, Mr. Jane. We're ready to start." A new nurse entered the room. She was short and well built with scrubs.

"Can you go see if my friend is outside?" Jane asked. "I really need to talk to her."

"I'm sure she'll still be out there when the tests are done." The nurse replied calmly. "There's only one more after this."

"I need to talk to her now, though. It's important."

"Well, you're not dying today, Mr. Jane. And, if she's in the waiting room, I wouldn't think she is either. Everything's fine. We need to get this test started. Other patients are waiting as well."

Jane pursed his lips together, resisting the urge to insist further, and did as he was told.

-Mentalist-

After the tests were over and they determined that he was badly bruised, but hadn't sustained any serious injuries, they gave him back his clothes and released him.

Jane walked down the hall briskly and looked inside the waiting room, disappointed when he didn't see the woman he was looking for. He was very unsure of what to do now. Where did he go? What did he do? He needed to talk to her still. He had counted on Lisbon being in the waiting room or coming to see him while he was waiting for a test. Confused and a little let down, Jane headed for the elevator so he could get some food from the hospital cafeteria. He was hungry and he wasn't willing to leave the hospital quite yet. He checked his phone. Maybe Lisbon had called...Nope. Not even a text. He frowned, placing his phone back in his pocket and pushing the elevator button for the ground floor. Maybe he should call her. Ask her to meet him somewhere. He debated this as he entered the cafeteria and did a double-take when he saw a familiar figure waiting in a line to his left. He went to run, but stopped when the bruises forming on his abdomen protested greatly. He held back a groan and settled for a quick walk. "Teresa." He strongly resisted the urge to wrap her up in a tight hug again.

Lisbon turned around quickly to look at him, surprised. "Jane. They let you go already? Sorry. I got hungry and I thought I'd get us something to eat. Long line."

Jane looked at the rest of the people in line. "Then why did you pick this place?"

"They were the only ones with blueberry muffins. I thought you might like one as a treat." Lisbon glanced away, shyly.

"Next?" The cashier called.

Lisbon stepped up to place her order and Jane stepped up next to her, standing closer than was really necessary. A blueberry muffin, a small coffee, small tea and a maple donut.

"I'll get it." Jane said, reaching for his wallet.

"No, it's fine." Lisbon told him with her wallet already out and pulling out money.

"I insist."

"It's fine."

"But-"

"Would you just take your damn tea and muffin? Jesus, Jane." Lisbon rolled her eyes, picking up her half of the order.

"Fine, fine." Jane gave in, picking up his part of the order and following her. "Where's everyone else?" Jane wondered out loud. Yep. Because that's what he really wanted to talk about. Not.

"Van Pelt is with the ex and Rigsby and Cho are guarding Jeff's hospital room. He needed surgery." Lisbon told him as she sat in an empty seat, Jane sliding in to the one next to her. "I should let them know that you're fine. I said I would let them know what the doctors said."

"I'm just a little bruised." Jane shrugged.

"Your cheek is swollen."

"Thank you. I can feel that." Jane took a bite of his muffin and had to chew on the side of his mouth without the swollen cheek.

"I'm sure it'll go back to normal soon." Lisbon assured him as she pulled out her phone to text the others.

"Hopefully." Jane agreed. A moment of silence passed between them before he spoke again. "Look, Teresa. I really have to talk to you. It is important."

"What is it?" Lisbon asked as she put her phone away, looking at him with concern.

Jane opened his mouth, but decided not to tell her yet. "I don't think it's something appropriate for this setting."

Lisbon glanced around at the busy, noisy hospital cafeteria and then back at Jane even more worried.

"Don't look so worried." Jane smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm not dying or anything. I'd just rather not tell you here."

"Okay." Lisbon nodded and they quickly finished their food before getting up and leaving the cafeteria. They made their way out of the hospital and onto the path that ran through the grassy property that the hospital stood in front of. The sun was getting low in the sky. "So, what is it you need to tell me? What's this important news?"

Jane stopped walking and Lisbon did the same.

"Jane?" Lisbon asked, turning to face him.

Jane took a step towards her, wrapping her up in a tight hug like he had wanted to do when he first saw her in the cafeteria.

"Jane!" Lisbon squeaked in surprise.

Jane didn't say anything. Just hugged her as tightly as he could. Her hair was no longer in a ponytail, like it had been when he'd been rescued, and he gladly pressed his good cheek into it. She should just wear her hair down when he was around. He liked that much better.

"Seriously, Jane. What is with you?" Lisbon looked at him when he pulled away and they could look at each other.

"You have to promise to hear me out." He told her very seriously. "No interrupting or walking away half way through." Because he was scared of that. Scared that even though he was ready to tell her, she wasn't ready or willing to hear it. However, he also knew that he had to tell her now. Before his resolve faded and he returned to his cowardly logic and lonely existence.

Lisbon just gave him a nod, not able to come up with any words.

They sat down on a nearby bench. "I..." Jane struggled for words. He'd thought about this the entire time he'd been going through the tests. What he was going to say to her, how he was going to say it, how she might react. Everything. But now...he had no idea what to say. He'd had this wonderful declaration outlined in his mind and now he couldn't recall any of it, except for the actual declaration itself. This didn't happen to him. This happened to normal people. Not Patrick Jane. But it was happening. To him. He turned his head to see that Lisbon was looking at him curiously, if not a little worried. "Today was an eventful day."

"Indeed." Lisbon nodded her agreement.

"And I...I reflected on some things..." Reflected on some things? God, he sounded so stupid. If only she'd just let him tell him when he'd gotten out. When he had adrenaline pumping through him and he would have just blurted it out. That seemed so much easier. Now he felt the need to think it through and make sure he said everything he wanted to say. It wasn't going very well for him.

"Reflecting is good..." Lisbon encouraged. "I guess...?"

"I almost died today, Teresa." Jane was slowly giving up on being poetic and fancy. "And I was really scared, if you really want me to be honest. Jeff was going on and on and I had to think of something to stall him. Finally, something just clicked in my mind. It was supposed to just stall him, but I realised that what I was saying was true."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him he and I had something in common."

Jane locked his gaze with Lisbon's. "We both love someone."

Lisbon's eyes widened and her lips parted slightly like she wanted to say something, but no words came out. They sat on the bench for a moment, silently holding the others gaze.

"What...are you saying, exactly?"

Jane's throat constricted. His resolve was disappearing like an echo of his adrenaline, it was just slipping away. He wasn't sure he'd ever say it if he didn't just tell her now. "I love you."

A blush rose to Lisbon's cheeks as she glanced away from him, down at her feet. "Jane, I...it's been a long day-I'm sure you're confused..." She couldn't believe he'd said that to her! And, now, of all times. There had been plenty of times for him to have told her that in the past. Plenty of flirtation and sweet gestures that could have been followed up with such a statement. So much so, that on some of those occasions she found herself wondering if they'd been meant to show something more than friendship. But, then Vegas happened. And Lorelei happened and she refused to let her mind wander there at the expense of her feelings. She'd given up. She'd thrown in the towel and wanted nothing more to do with the topic of love, especially when Jane was involved.

"I've been a coward." Jane's words pulled Lisbon back from her thoughts. "I'm sorry for that. But, today made me realise that I don't want to die knowing that I never told you. I don't want to die with that kind of regret or end up like Jeff, trying to desperately make something of nothing when it's too late. I want to protect you from Red John. That's why I try to keep my distance from you. If you're important to me, then you're an important target to him. However, if I wind up like Jeff, then he wins anyway. Red John will have succeeded. Either way, I'd lose. I think my odds might be better if I can admit how I feel about you. He's still got his eye on you, even after what happened with Lorelei. There isn't anything I can do to shift his attention from you, no matter how much I want to. So I guess I'll just have to keep you close. You always ask me to be honest, and I'm being honest." Jane reached out, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear and she met his gaze again.

"This isn't funny, Jane." Lisbon whispered, voice quivering slightly.

"I'm not joking." Jane replied seriously. Lisbon looked away again and tried to shift away from him, but he stopped her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her tightly to his side. He kissed the top of her head.

"Stop it." Lisbon tried to sound angry, but only sounded sad. "You're going to 'forget' this later, when it's convenient for you to 'forget' it. Just like before. And then I'm not going to push it because I don't want you to confirm what I already know. That you didn't even mean it in the first place."

"That's not true." Jane whispered into her hair.

"Like hell, it's not." Lisbon tried to push away, but Jane held tightly, despite the fact it put pressure on the bruises present on his abdomen.

"Teresa-"

"And stop calling me Teresa." She demanded. "Who gave you the right to call me that? You don't get to just sit down on a bench and tell me you love me after everything that's happened. After 'forgetting' you told me that once, after leaving me for six months without a single word, after your thing with Lorelei." She was speaking quietly, but with plenty of force, losing her fight against tears as they spilled down her cheeks. "And I still-" She shook her head. "And I was so stupid."

"You're not stupid." Jane assured her.

Lisbon rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry I put you through all of that. I really am. I didn't forget the first time, and I did mean it. I was lonely the entire time I was away. A casino had this fireworks display and I watched it and the first thing I thought was, 'Teresa would love this'. Lorelei was a promising lead and that's all. That doesn't make anything I did fair to you, but that's how it was. I'm not going to take this back again and I'm not going to leave again. And Lorelei can't possibly get in the way again."

Lisbon closed her eyes and shook her head.

"You wanted the truth and I'm giving you that." Jane placed his palm against her cheek getting her to open her eyes and look at him, running his thumb over her tearstained cheek. "I realised how stupid I've been and I don't want to make the same mistakes over again. You've never been a mistake. Not to me. You were always the best choice I ever made." He leaned forward slowly to give her a chance to protest his advance, but she didn't. He pressed his lips to hers and the hand that was on her cheek slid back to entangle itself in her hair. He'd told her a few times that she had the bone structure to support a short haircut. He hoped she never took that advice. He liked her long hair better. Her gun was pressed between them and against his hip. Normally, Jane would have found the presence of a gun worrisome, but it was Lisbon's gun. However, it was more comforting now. It was the gun Lisbon relied on to protect herself and others. It was almost like an extension of her.

"I'm still upset with you." Lisbon murmured when they broke apart.

"I guess I'll have to fix that. Maybe I'll buy you some new bullets for your gun."

"You hate guns."

"Except yours, Teresa." Jane reminded her.

"So, Patrick Jane does make exceptions."

"Only for you." Jane kissed her again. As long as the gun was an extension of Teresa Lisbon, it was a wonderful piece of metal to him.

The End

Author's Note: Ta-da! I hope you all liked it as much as the first chapter. Please let me know what you thought in a review. It's always appreciated. Thank you to everyone that reviewed, favourited and followed this short little story of mine!