Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist or any of its characters. Bruno Heller is not sharing, sadly.

*SPOILERS FOR RED JOHN'S RULES*

Breaking the Rules

Lisbon looked up at Jane as he stared pensively out of the attic window. She wasn't sure what to say, let alone if she should even say anything. The DVD Red John left for Jane, no, gave to him was beyond belief to say the least, and she could see the tangible pain emanating from him. Lisbon wanted desperately to console him, to ease his pain, but she didn't know how.

"Jane..." Lisbon spoke up, finally breaking the silence that had been piercing the room.

Jane did not move. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. "How do you think he knows all this information?"

Jane remained silent as he stared out the window. "Talk to me." Lisbon urged Jane.

Still receiving no response, Lisbon quietly stood up and turned around, preparing to leave the attic. She stopped when she heard Jane's voice.

"I don't know, Lisbon." He said quietly.

Lisbon turned back to face him. "I don't know." Jane finally turned from the window to look at Lisbon. "All I do know is that Red John is going to start killing again and it is my fault."

"It's not your fault, Jane." Lisbon immediately assured him. "You can't control the actions of a serial killer."

"No, but he can control mine." Jane replied flatly.

"That's not true, Jane-" Lisbon objected until Jane shook his head.

"I thought I had made progress." Jane said. "I narrowed down my list of suspects to seven. Seven suspects! And guess what? Red John correctly names all of them and he does so before I even knew who they were, based on when this DVD was made."

Jane looked down at the floor sadly. "Not only that, but he took a precious childhood memory of mine-one that I kept to myself-and murdered it and marked it in blood with that mocking face of his. He killed another part of me, Lisbon, and he's going to keep killing until one of us ends up dead. I don't know how he always is one step ahead of me, but he is."

"Maybe he really does have powers," Lisbon suggested with a shrug.

"Come now, Lisbon," Jane scoffed. "We've been partners for how long now and you still don't know this? There's no such thing as psychics."

"What makes you so sure?" Lisbon challenged.

"Easy. I'm me. I'm not often wrong."

Lisbon rolled her eyes.

"Why is it hard to believe that someone, it doesn't even have to be Red John, has a gift?" She asked. "Your observational skills are a gift, Jane. How hard is it to fathom that someone could have a gift of psychic abilities?"

Jane looked at Lisbon curiously.

"Sean Barlow got to you, didn't he?" He asked.

Lisbon folded her arms across her chest as she shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Lisbon, you can't believe what Barlow 'read' about you. He's a conman, a trickster. I know because I used to make my living the same way when I worked on the carnival circuit. There's no validity-"

"What he said was true, Jane," Lisbon blurted out before she realized what she was doing. "Everything Barlow said was true."

Jane looked at Lisbon, seemingly at a loss for words.

"Assumptions, Lisbon." He tried to reason. "Barlow made a guess the same way that I make mine. No magic. No special abilities."

"Jane, he picked up on my father being an alcoholic. That's something I didn't even tell some ex-boyfriends." Lisbon told him. "And he openly announced one of the deepest secrets that I had been denying not only to the world, but to myself."

"Lisbon, please," Jane pleaded, knowing what she was referring to. "You don't want to do this."

"I don't have much of a choice, Jane." Lisbon replied. "Barlow was right when he said that I am a little bit in love with you. Actually, it's more than a little bit. I'm very much in love with you."

Jane shook his head slowly and then increased its fervor.

"No, Lisbon, no," He began to say. "You can't love me..."

"It's not like I planned this!" Lisbon stated becoming frustrated. "Falling in love with you was the last thing on my to-do list, Jane, believe me. But I did, heaven help me, I did. I don't expect you to return my love. Like I was trying to tell you earlier, I can't work like this, without you knowing. Do what you will with what I've just told you-"

"Lisbon, stop." Jane said suddenly.

He looked as though he was on the verge of tears. "Please stop. Just tell me you don't love me."

"You know I can't do that."

"But you can't love me. Red John already knows how I feel about, and if he finds out that the feeling is mutual, he will take you away from me." Jane said. "I can't do it again. I can't let the woman I love die again. I wouldn't be able to make it back from the abyss this time."

"Jane," Lisbon said softly, now on the brink of tears herself.

"If you don't love me, you're safe." Jane said. "And if I pretend I don't love you, you're safe too."

"Pretend?" Lisbon questioned.

"What do you think has kept me going all these years?" Jane asked in response. "Hunting a sick and twisted maniac? At first, but only up until I came to the CBI and met you. As soon as I met you, my life changed. My dark existence suddenly had some light in it and before I realized it, I had fallen in love with you. I never thought I'd love again and yet here I am, in love with you. I should be over the moon to know that the woman I love loves me back. But I can't be because I don't want Red John to take you away from me."

Lisbon lost her self-control and her tears began to stream steadily down her face. Each teardrop that fell tugged on Jane's heartstrings. He walked over to Lisbon and pulled her into his arms. "Please don't cry," He said to her.

"It's not fair," Lisbon said as she buried her face in Jane's chest. "Why don't you and I get a chance to be together and be happy? Why does Red John get to decide what we can and cannot do?"

"I've been asking myself that same question for years now." Jane said as he gently stroked Lisbon's hair.

Lisbon wriggled herself free from Jane's arms. She wiped the tears from her face and let out a breath.

"You know what? I'm tired of playing by Red John's rules and letting him control our lives." Lisbon declared. "That's it, I'm breaking the rules."

Lisbon crushed her lips to Jane's. He pulled her to him again, wanting to savor the first moment of true happiness that he'd had in a long time. "I quit playing by Red John's rules," Lisbon said when they finally broke apart. "I don't care what the risks or dangers are. I'm done."

Lisbon looked Jane square in the eye, challenging him. "The decision is now yours, Jane."

After a moment or two, Jane's trademark smile slowly crept onto his lips.

"Come now, Lisbon," He began to say. "Since when have you ever known me to play by the rules?"

Lisbon gave Jane a smile of her own.

"Then let's get him." She said. "Together."

I loved Lisbon's face when Barlow said that she was in love with Jane out loud. It was priceless. Did anyone else notice the way that Barlow said "you're a little bit in love with him..." is similar to the way Lorelai said that to Jane? Coincidence? Who knows? All I know is that I don't want to wait until September for Jane and Lisbon to come back!

Reviews are most appreciated :)