Coffee was exactly what she needed right now, Lisbon thought as she helped herself with a mug of her favorite beverage. Though she ostensibly ignored the presence that was looming behind her she was acutely aware of it all the time; there was nothing for her to do but deal with it, even though that was the last thing she felt like doing at this moment of time.
"I'm still angry at you, you know," she murmured without looking at him.
"I know," Jane replied apologetically, the sound of his voice so near and yet so far at the same time.
That was when she gave up any pretense and turned to face him. He looked just the same as always, and that only made it harder for her to handle the whole debacle.
"What do you expect me to do?" she threw at him in bitterness. "I don't think I can forgive you this time around."
He shook his head. "You have to move on, Teresa. Forget about me."
A mirthless laugh fell from her lips. "Right. It's easy for you to talk like that. You didn't have to watch as someone you cared about met their death right before your very eyes."
"I'm sorry," he said for what felt the umpteenth time; and yet she knew it would never be enough, no matter how many times he offered her his belated apologies.
"How do you think I felt as you fell off that cliff along with your personal Moriarty? Do you have any idea, Jane?"
Tears trickled down her cheeks, and he reached his fingers to brush them away. However, even such a simple gesture was denied to him now; and all of a sudden she realized how much she missed his gentle touch.
"I had to do it. And while you don't agree with my motives, we both know that deep in your heart you can understand them."
"I do," she capitulated at long last, sadness washing over her like a tide.
The look in his eyes told her that he longed to wrap his arms around her and hold her to his chest; he let out a soft sigh instead, and finally averted his gaze.
"Take care of yourself," he whispered as he slowly faded away.