A/N: Before you scold me for getting all the characters and their relationships wrong in this story – this was written after The Desert Rose, so I had no clue that Jane would be so protective all of a sudden. If I wanted to, I could've changed it all but I kind of also liked Jane being mad at Lisbon for doing what she did in the Season Premiere so yeah. Though don't get me wrong, I totally love what they actually did in the show and I wouldn't want them to change anything about it but just so you know, this doesn't follow canon.

Oh, and tHAT EPISODE I JUST UGH I MEAN THERE WERE SOME POINTS I DIDN'T LIKE BUT OVERALL IT WAS SO AMAZING ASFGHJKL.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

'Stubborn'

Lisbon smiled as she watched the happy bride and groom. She felt almost like the proud big sister, watching her baby sister get married to the love of her life. With, of course, that stinging feeling that she herself wasn't married and probably never would. She tried not to think about it and pushed the thought away.

Grace was smiling almost to the edge of tears, constantly clutching her now husband close to her, ever the blushing bride. She gave Lisbon a few hints to join Jane on the dance floor but Lisbon ignored them.

Jane didn't like her anymore; she even doubted if he had ever liked her at all. Ever since he had found her in that house, her face tainted with Partridge's blood, he had ignored her like the plague. He hadn't even given her an angry look. She knew she had ruined it all by being so unbelievably stupid. Only afterwards had she realized what she had done. Damn, she could have gotten all of them killed!

She felt a hand touch her wrist and she let out a high yelp. She hadn't expected anyone to contact her this evening, especially not touch her. She turned around, ready to kill the drunken idiot who tried to hit on her, but she froze when she saw who was standing excruciatingly close to her.

Neither of them said anything. Jane just gestured towards the hallway and before she could ask him anything, he was gone.

She frowned, but still followed him.

She found him leaning against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest.

"Jane, if you only brought me out here to tell me that I'm stupid, you need to-"

He had silenced her by pushing her roughly against the wall. She gasped with shock but she didn't have much time to do anything – he closed her in between his arms and all but attacked her lips. Her knees went weak and he caught her. She whimpered in need for more, and when she was about to wrap her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss, he pulled away.

She stared into his stormy eyes. What was he trying to do here?

"God, you look delicious in that dress," he breathed.

She instantly pushed him away from her. No. Not like this, and not now.

"Jane, are you drunk-"

"I was stupid," he whispered as he forced his way back to her body. She could swear he was drunk but she couldn't smell any alcohol, and she hadn't tasted anything on his lips either, except for the delicious taste of him. "I'm sorry, I've been so stupid."

"Jane-"

He tried to kiss her again but she pushed him away with a forceful shove against his chest.

"Teresa-"

"Shut up!" she exclaimed. "Just shut up! For weeks, you don't say anything, you don't even shout at me or give me an angry look! And now I'm supposed to just let you kiss me?!"

"Yes."

"No! No, Jane, I don't know what you were thinking with this, but it isn't working. Now leave me alone. I'm going home."

She turned around briskly. She was expecting him to stop her, but he didn't. He remained absolutely silent until she had reached the door. She heard a soft sound, one she hadn't heard in a very long time aside from when she had been producing the sound herself.

She turned around. Jane was looking right at her – and he was crying.

Her heart broke, but she was still determined to leave. She took a step backwards and was ready to turn around when he turned around first, sobbing now.

She closed her eyes. No. Please don't cry over me.

She stepped towards him and made him turn back to her. She wiped his tears off his cheeks and sighed.

"Jane... I don't understand you, a lot of the time. And I try to decipher what you're thinking or what you're trying to accomplish... but I'm sorry. I don't follow you anymore."

"I'm so in love with you," he managed to say in between his sobs. She sighed again.

"I wish you would show it a bit more."

He shook his head. "I can't. He'll kill you."

"He would have killed me anyway. Hell, he could've killed me right after he'd killed Partridge all those weeks ago, but he didn't."

"He was trying to warn me-"

She pushed him away.

"He's been warning you for months! All you ever do is push me away! What good did it do to ignore me? He took me anyway and you weren't there to stop him! Staying away from me! Staying close does!"

"Okay, then marry me."

Out of shock, she pushed him further away from him but he prevented her from doing so. He pulled her close against his body but kept looking her in the eyes.

"You want me to stay close? I'll do it, gladly. But I won't do it pretending not to love you anymore. So please; do me the honor of becoming my wife."

Her mouth fell open but she closed it immediately. She had no idea what to say at all so he continued to speak.

"I want to protect you, even though you claim you don't need it. I want to be with you in every sense of the word. I want to be able to hold you like this any moment I feel like it – and vice versa. I want to kiss you, take you out for dinner, have you dress up for me..." He hesitated with voicing the rest of that sentence, but after stroking her hips with his open palms, he continued anyway. "I want to make love to you, when you're ready for it, of course. But... if you don't want to marry me... I suppose it's fine. I don't like it but-"

She roughly pulled him down and linked their lips, running her hands through his soft curls.

"Shut up and be close to me," she almost hissed. She linked their lips and he did exactly what she told him to.

She didn't answer his proposal for a long time, all the while leaving him in agony. While they kissed in the hallway; while they had secretly danced together on the dance floor; while they drove back to the hotel. Only when they entered her room and watched the view over their precious Sacramento, she turned in his arms and said a whole-hearted 'yes'. And she continued to tell him that throughout the entire night.

~...~

Van Pelt kept ignoring Rigsby for a few minutes, kept pushing him away when he was trying to kiss or hug her.

"Grace, what-"

She skipped away and onto the hallway, watching the two love-struck teenagers leave the building, holding hands and smiling like fools. Van Pelt sighed contently and turned back to the room – Rigsby stood behind her and he instantly linked their lips.

The guests around them cheered but she didn't really pay attention. When they pulled away, she smiled at him. He could read in her eyes that she wasn't only happy about seeing him. He kept looking at her until she smiled brighter.

"I think we might have another wedding coming up soon."

"Why? What do you mean?" He looked around him for a few seconds. "Where are Jane and the Boss?"

She chuckled and kissed his cheek.

"My big, ignorant idiot. I love you."

A/N: So, let me know what you think!