A/N Kind of a 6x20 tag and kind of something else. Based on minor speculations for upcoming episodes. Obvious spoilers for the last episode. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own TM. If I did, there would be many more seasons left. :'(


Turbulence

Jane was relieved to finally make it to his seat after the seriously awkward ride to the airport. Security was a breeze thanks to the FBI so now they just had to make it through a two-hour flight sitting next to one another. He took the window seat so Lisbon wouldn't feel as trapped in the small plane. She, on the other hand, sat and promptly opened the large file to their latest (and her last) case, a cold case with new evidence from a witness living in the sunshine state.

They hadn't spoken other than rhetorical statements as Lisbon had guided them though the large airport to their gate. She was upset, that was obvious but Jane wasn't sure if it was because Abbot had practically forced her to take this last case even though she had planned to leave with her beloved Pike the previous evening, or because of the argument they had after the completion of the previous case three days ago. Probably a combination of the two, Jane surmised. He hated that she would leave angry with him. Heck, he hated that she was leaving at all but that was out of his hands now. He had vowed to let her decide on her own, telling himself it was because he didn't want her to regret the decision later, blaming him for influencing it in any way. Truthfully, he was just a coward. He was never good at being honest with his feelings.

The captain announced that they were about to taxi onto the runway. He informed them their flight path would be longer than anticipated due to a storm brewing in the gulf and that their flight would be extended to two and three quarter hours. Lisbon visibly sighed and Jane wondered if it were really that miserable sitting next to him.

Jane made an effort to make the trip as stress-free as possible, keeping silent as Lisbon reviewed the files. Instead, he spent the time memorizing her every feature. It wasn't that his memory palace lacked a crystal clear image of Teresa Lisbon but he wanted as many memories as possible for when the real Lisbon wouldn't be around for him to appreciate.

"Please Jane, stop staring. I can hardly concentrate as it is on this stuffy airplane without you ogling me."

Jane was surprised she had noticed. She hadn't seemed to notice much about him as of late. Besides, he had intentionally watched her through his peripheral vision just to be on the safe side. He didn't reply but moved his gaze out the small airplane window to the cloudy sky below. He wondered if the weather was nicer in DC. Probably.

Pike was a good man. He treated Lisbon the way she should be treated. He didn't put her in harm's way or ask her to do things that made her uncomfortable. Lisbon had made that perfectly clear three days ago. They had crashed the smuggling ring but not without some unconventional trickery. Jane had led her and the team straight into a dangerous situation…again. He didn't regret solving the case or saving a couple of dozen young women's lives but he did regret the necessary methods and the ramifications of those methods. He had apologized, again, and hadn't been prepared for Lisbon's response.

"Whatever Jane. At least that's one thing I won't have to worry about in DC."

So she had decided. Jane, having lost both the argument and any chance he possibly had with Lisbon retreated to his airstream to ponder what the rest of his miserable life would look like.

"Sir, Ma'am would you like a complementary beverage?" The flight attendant snapped Jane out of his thoughts.

"Just a water, thanks." Lisbon said.

Jane just shook his head.

The flight attendant handed Lisbon a bottle and moved down the isle.

"What, no tea?" Lisbon asked unscrewing the cap of her water. "Or is airline tea not quality enough for you?"

Jane didn't bother to respond, not wanting to start another argument with her on the airplane. Instead, he resumed his gaze out the window as large droplets of rain began pelting the window.

"Peanuts?" She tried, offering one of the small baggies to him.

He shook his head.

"Look, I'm sorry ok?" Lisbon suddenly said determined. "You shouldn't have found out about my decision to move to DC that way. I agreed to go along with your plan so I can't blame you for all of the headache."

He didn't move.

"I wish you would just tell me what you're thinking. Please, say something."

He let out a half-hearted chuckle.

"What?"

Still looking out the window, "It's just , the last time we were on an airplane you were telling me not to interfere with your life."

"That's not what I said."

"No, you said I was difficult and exhausting. You couldn't wait to get the case over with so you could go running back to your exciting life as a sheriff in the middle of nowhere."

"I stayed didn't I?"

Jane turned and simply stared at her. Sure she had stayed but not for long. He had tried to do as she asked and she was leaving anyway.

It was Lisbon's turn to look elsewhere, unable to handle the intensity of Jane's eyes as they screamed for her to read him. That was the problem. She had no bloody clue what was going on in that mind of his. She might have an idea but it was only a guess.

Any hypothesis vanished as the airplane cabin began to tremble. The seatbelt light came on as the captain announced they were flying though a bit of turbulence from the nearby storm. Lisbon hated flying. She hated being out of control, at the mercy of the pilots and a flying hunk of metal thousands of feet in the air. Lisbon didn't realize she was grasping the armrests of her seat until Jane pried the hand nearest him with his left.

"It's going to be okay Lisbon. It's just a little shaky but we'll be out of it soon. After we meet with the witnesses this afternoon, I'll take you to one of those overpriced bars on the beach and you can order one of those girly fruit cocktails with the umbrellas."

She barely registered the words and didn't notice Jane's thumb tracing lazy circles on her hand until her heart rate finally began to slow down. Eventually, she realized the plane was barely shaking anymore and she loosened her grip on Jane's hand. It was then that she saw it.

Jane must have noticed her heart rate increase again and looked to see what had caused the alarm.

His wedding band was absent. "Where…?" Lisbon managed.

"Back in Austin, in the Airstream. "

"When?" Her and her one-word questions.

"Last week."

Lisbon's mind raced backwards to the previous week. They had still been working on the trafficking case. Abbott had forced the two of them to scope out the Italian restaurant. Could that have been it? But then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Jane had come by the following evening, with cannolis. He had wanted to talk to her, she knew but only had managed to tell her that her happiness was the most important thing to him and that she should do what brought her that happiness. She hadn't missed the catch in his words or how broken he looked as he walked away, leaving her with a bag of pastries and an aching heart. How had she missed it then and in the days since then?

"I don't understand." She was up to three words, an improvement.

Jane took her hand again and she noticed with regret that his broken stare had returned. "I meant what I said. You deserve to be happy Lisbon. I want that for you. I just…" He hesitated, not sure if he should bring this up now, her decision made.

"You just what Jane?"

"I just thought that maybe I'd present to you another option, one where you would stay in Austin with me."

"Why? Because, how did you put it, DC will be boring?"

"I think we both know that wasn't the option I intended to present?"

"Then why the hell did you walk away Jane? You never let people get in the way of what you want so why start now?"

Jane suddenly found a loose thread on his jacket very interesting as Lisbon once again hit him with her questioning eyes. "Because for once in my life I didn't want it to be about me. I know you have no reason to believe me but I meant it when I said you mean more to me than you'll ever know. I'd do anything for you if I thought it would make you happy, including watching you walk away with someone who isn't me."

They sat hand in hand for the rest of the flight, both trying to keep their emotions in check. By some miracle they made it to the witnesses' house in one piece and took the necessary statements. Then, as promised, Jane took Lisbon to the first drinking establishment they could find along the beach. They sat just as the sun was setting, the irony lost to neither of them.

"Let me fetch us some drinks." Jane stood and paused. "I have something for you."

Déjà vu crashed into her like the waves on the nearby shore. He held out his clenched hand and she offered her palm.

The small paper frog didn't jump until Jane had disappeared to fetch the drinks. After ten years, she still had no idea how he did it but something told her she may just have to stick around to find out.

Fin