Title: A Choice to Bite the Bullet
Rating: T
Disclaimer: If I ever intentionally steal The Mentalist, I give Lisbon and the team full permission to shoot me.
Summary: "I do love you. Please believe that."
She stood there a gun in her hand. Pointed at the man she loved. She had a choice. She could either pull the trigger or walk away. Walk away and tell her team, who were rushing to the scene at the moment, that he had gotten away. That they had, once again, failed to catch Red John; he looked at her with those deep, brown eyes and smiled slightly.
"I-I…" She couldn't get the words to form. She couldn't tell him how sorry she was for all of this. She hadn't had a choice. Jane had figured out the location. She had been the first on the scene. She had told Jane to wait for the phone call, but he had said no. She had told him to go with the team and they would figure out what would happen from there, but instead she disobeyed her own orders and had gone in by herself, without back up.
"Teresa," he soothed, "you don't have to do this. Walk away."
She felt the tears streaming down her face. This had not been how she had wanted the relationship to end, but she most certainly did not want Jane to be the one to have to do this. That would have been even more heartbreaking. More than Jane would have ever understood.
"I do love you. Please believe that." She said this through her tears. Her hands were shaking, which caused the gun to shake as well. She watched him step forward, while she continued to point the gun.
"Of course I believe you. You have honest eyes, Teresa." He was trying to make her lower her weapon. If she didn't do this, she risked everything she had ever worked for. She risked her job at the CBI, her trust with the team, and more importantly her close friendship with Jane. She valued his friendship more than he knew, but this was not about Jane. This was about him and her. No one else. Jane wasn't there to tell her different.
Her eyes darted upwards. She heard footsteps overhead. The team and Jane must be here, she thought. This only caused her to cry more, but she had to stay strong. She couldn't show emotion, especially if Jane were to see her. She heard footsteps behind her.
A shot rang out.