Taking Flight
A/N: Episode tag for 6x22.
Disclaimer: No rights to the show.
"I love you," he smiled as his hand cupped her cheek. Lisbon smiled back as her fingers curled against his cheek, they were finally free to touch each other, the way they'd always wanted.
"And I love you," she whispered before leaning up to capture his lips with her own. Like the first kiss they shared this was soft and full of promise, she was about to deepen the kiss when she felt the hand on her cheek start to shake. He broke the kiss and moved back to sitting down in the chair.
"Sorry, kinda hard to remain on one foot," he apologized with a grin. She'd all but forgotten about his foot the second his lips had touched hers.
"You shouldn't have jumped a fence," she countered with a smile of her own and then reached out for his hand.
"It was worth it," he laced his fingers with hers. "So when do I get out of here?"
"Abbott is still talking to TSA but it's…" she sighed and looked away.
"What?"
"Jane, it doesn't look good. They are not in the mood to budge," she told him truthfully, she dropped her head.
"Hey," he squeezed her hand and waited until she was looking at him again. "I will take whatever punishment they give me."
She raised an eyebrow. "Even if it is jail?"
"They have visiting hours," he smirked.
"Not funny," she shook her head. Lisbon didn't find any of this amusing when he was finally being honest and now being taken away…again. "I just don't want to..."
"I know," he interrupted then place his other hand over their combine ones. "Teresa, I am not going anywhere."
"Awfully confident."
"Always," he smiled just as the door opened. Lisbon quickly removed her hand from his and instantly both of them missed the feeling.
"Jane, Agent Lisbon," Abbott acknowledged them as he walked in and closed the door. Either they had managed to pull away with lightning speed or he was choosing to pretend he hadn't noticed the hand holding for the moment.
"What is the verdict?" Jane asked with concern in his voice.
"TSA made a deal with the FBI," Abbott placed his hands in his pockets. "You are to spend a month in the detention center."
"That isn't too bad," Jane said with a sigh of relief.
"And," Abbott added on "You will also extend your contract with the FBI."
Jane didn't like the sound of that. "For how long?"
"As long as we deemed fit," Abbott told him.
Nope, he really didn't like it. No man owned him, certainly not the government. "Is there an option B?"
"Jane," Lisbon hissed.
"Actually there is an option B," Abbott informed him with a smile. "You spend the next five years in jail."
"Only five years?" Jane asked, as if he was seriously considering that.
"I told them you would take the first option, am I wrong?"
Jane looked over at Lisbon and smiled. "No." He'd fix things with the FBI later to suit his own needs, for now he just wanted to be free to be with Lisbon.
"We leave within the next two hours. You have enough time to go back to the hotel and grab your stuff before meeting us at the airport. A TSA agent will escort you both back to the hotel," Abbott told them before leaving the room.
"I swear you have spent more time in that detention center than actually working for the FBI," Lisbon commented as she got to her feet.
"At least it is cozy," he smiled as she came over to stand in front of him. She held out a hand, he grabbed it and slowly got to his feet, trying to avoid putting pressure on his swollen ankle. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as hers wrapped around his waist.
"Ready?" She asked just as the door opened and a TSA agent appeared.
"Mr. Jane?"
"Yes?"
"I am here to escort the two of you to the hotel," the agent informed him before moving away from the door in order to allow Jane and Lisbon to walk through.
"You know you really shouldn't be left alone," she told him as she helped him sit on the bed in his hotel room.
"You have fifteen minutes," the agent told them before closing the door.
"Fifteen minutes?" Jane smirked as he wrapped his arms around her slim waist. He pulled her closer and leaned up to capture her lips but she pushed him away. Apparently he had some ideas about what to do with those fifteen minutes.
"Down cowboy," she walked away from him. "Where is your suitcase?"
"The closet," he told her. "What happens now?"
"Huh?" Lisbon asked as she opened the closest door and pulled out his suitcase.
"Between us?"
"I honestly don't know," she told him truthfully as she started to place his clothing or lack of clothing in the small suitcase.
"What are you going to tell Pike?"
Lisbon stopped what she was doing and walked over to him, she sat down next to him on the bed. "I am going to go to D.C and talk to him in person. He deserves to hear it in person, not over the phone."
"I know," he told her before leaning over to kisses to her softly on the lips. She smiled and patted his knee before getting up from the bed and walking back over the closest to grab his clothes.
"Will you write?" He asked with a grin.
"They didn't take my letters last time what makes you think they will this time?" She asked as she finished grabbing his stuff. "Is this all you brought with you?"
"Yes, why?"
"When you get out of the detention suite you are buying a new suit," she told him under no circumstances.
"What is wrong with my suit?" He looked as if she'd insulted him.
"Jane, you wear the same thing every day, right down to the socks," she told him just as they heard someone knock.
"What is your point?" He asked as she walked over to open the door.
"It is time," the agent told her, she nodded and walked over to help Jane off the bed.
As they walked out of the hotel room he leaned down and whispered into her ear "So what is your point?"
She looked at him a bit confused. "What?"
"My clothes, what is wrong with wearing the same thing?"
"It's strange," she told as they made their way out of the lobby and towards the car that was awaiting them. After they got situated into the car he reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers.
"There is a solution to that problem."
"Yes, you buy new clothes."
"Or I wear nothing at all," he smiled as he watched her face blush several shades of red.
"You're blushing my dear," he squeezed her hand. He was looking like the cat that got the cream.
"Hush," she whispered and looked away from him.
"You two will sit here," the agent told them as they were privately escorted onto the plane. Lisbon took the middle seat while Jane took the aisle seat in order to stretch his foot out.
"Jane?"
"Yes," he looked over at her.
"I am glad you stopped the plane," she told him as she dropped her defenses and allowed her head to lean against his shoulder. It was time for her to make a few confessions too.
"So am I," he whispered as he leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes.
The flight home ended much sooner than they wanted. They were once again escorted off the plane and into a waiting room where a FBI agent was waiting.
"Jane, I am here to take you into custody," the younger agent told them as they entered the room. This man was all business, following orders was his mantra.
"Give me a few minutes Lance," he told the young agent.
"Sir?" Lance looked past them and towards Abbott for approval.
"Jane will meet you outside," Abbott assured him before looking over at Jane and Lisbon. "Only a few minutes."
"I'm sorry," Jane told her immediately after Lance and Abbott left the room.
"I know," she whispered just as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Very reminiscent of the time they had met again after two years.
"I should have told you sooner and this could have all been avoided," he whispered.
"When have you done anything without causing a scene?" She asked as she smiled into his shoulder. She took a deep breath of his scent, the one she had come accustomed to over the years, the one that only during the darkest hours of night she would admit made her feel safe.
"I love you," he pulled back a little and leaned down to kiss her.
She broke the kiss and raised a hand to his cheek. "I love you too, Patrick." It was the first time she'd actually said it aloud, and just like Jane had said on the plane, it felt good to finally say it.
"We should go," he told her as he placed his hand in hers and the two of them walked out of the room. They followed Abbot and Lance out of the airport and to another car that was waiting for them.
"Will you wait for me?" He asked jokingly as he opened the car door.
"I waited twelve years, what is another month?" She replied with a smile and took a step closer to him. "Behave yourself."
"I will," he leaned over and gave her one last goodbye kiss before getting into the car.
"Your transfer papers will take a few days to clean up," Abbott told her as they watched the car disappear out of sight.
Lisbon turned and looked at Abbott. "Thank you for that and for understanding. It was never my intention to cause any problems for you or the bureau."
"Teresa, as far as I am concern my team stays intact and that is all that matters. If you had left then my record would have dropped," he told her with a slight smile.
"Sir?"
"Closed case record. Jane is great at closing cases."
She couldn't argue with him there, that is the reason why the FBI hired him in the first place."Yes, he is but I don't see how that would have changed if I had left."
"He is always at the top of his game when you are with him, that is why I accept his proposal to have you be his partner," he told her. "I did my research long before I went in search of Jane. It was always the two of you that made the difference. Every report from every boss said the same thing about you two being partners. Everyone saw it before you two saw it," he explained before adding on "well not everyone."
She blushed a little now. "Sir, I can promise he will behave when he gets out."
Abbott laughed. "No, you can't but you will sure try. I wish you both all the luck with your relationship just keep it out of the office."
"Yes, sir," she nodded and blushed again. Abbott nodded and walked away just as Cho appeared by her side.
"Need a ride?"
"Yes, thank you," she followed Cho to his car in silence.
After several minutes of driving, completely quiet and awkward, Lisbon finally spoke up.
"Kimball are you going to talk or is it always going to be like this for the rest of our lives?" She hoped that by using his first name he would open up.
Cho remained quiet as he focus on the road, he sighed softly and then spoke "I never saw it."
"You are not the only one," she muttered as she looked out the window.
"When?"
"What?"
"When did it happen?"
She knew what he was referring to but that was a question she didn't even know the answer to. Maybe Jane knew but she had a feeling even he would be at a loss, they hadn't known until they were in the middle of it. "I just don't know, it just sorta of happened over the course of the years."
"Do you love him?"
Lisbon smiled and turned back to look at Cho. "God help me but I do."
"Good." Cho nodded and went silent again. Several minutes later he looked at her again.
"What?" She asked.
"If he hurts you I will kill him."
"Get in line," she told him with a laugh. "Wanna get something to eat?"
"Yes but you are buying," he told her as he took the nearest exit. They'd been talking about her love life and he had probably been imagining a few scarring things since. She owed him.
"Fair enough."
Lisbon had taken a flight the next day to Washington D.C. She had called Pike beforehand and asked him to meet her at the airport, she hadn't told him that she had booked a return flight for later in the day. She had briefly spoken with Jane in the morning and had asked him to tell her once again everything would be okay, he had reassured her, but not as the plane was descending upon her destination she felt her stomach tying up in knots.
"Teresa," Pike yelled as he nearly ran to greet her at the baggage claim. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "God, I have missed you," he looked around "what color is your luggage."
"Hmm, I didn't check anything," she told him softly, and it was already starting to get awkward.
"Oh, well that is easy," he draped an arm around her shoulder and led her out of the airport. "So there is this amazing house that I have an appointment for us to see, the place is in the ideal spot for us—"
"Marcus," she interjected.
"And it is close to excellent private schools—" he told her as he led her to his car.
"Marcus stop," he pulled away from him.
"We are just looking, no pressure," he smiled at her. No pressure. No pressure to move, no pressure to get engaged…she never realized how much she hated those two words since they procured the exact opposite of what they intended. And she'd fallen for it.
She just had to say it, get it over with, taking a deep breath she shook her head and look at him. "I'm not staying."
"What?" He asked confused, it was like he couldn't believe she'd said it.
"Something happened."
"With the case? I know, that is why you delayed your flight."
She dropped her head and focused on the ground. Time to drop the bombshell. "It wasn't the case."
Pike took a step back and sighed, she looked up in just enough time to see him shaking his head. "It was Jane wasn't it?"
She couldn't lie to him, not about this. "Yes."
"Wow," he sighed. He sounded a bit angry now. "How long has this been going on?"
"I never cheated on you if that is what you are wondering," she told him. A part of her was annoyed that he would think of her as a cheater.
"No, but you did use me."
"Excuse me!?" She shook her head in disbelief. "I never used you."
"You dated me while in love with him," he pointed out with rage.
"I never expected him to the feel the same way. Marcus you once told me when you have to hang on to something that is serious because it doesn't happen often. I owe it to myself to see where he and I can go. I have loved him for so long that being without him hurts," she told him as she felt tears start to sting her eyes.
"You didn't see him for two years and you survived that," he reminded her.
"He wrote letters," she admitted.
"What?"
"He wrote me letters, which I kept. Marcus, I thought, and I even hoped, we could be something but I am in love with Patrick, completely in love with him."
Marcus was quiet for a long moment. "Well, I can't say I am surprised that this happen," he told her with a shrug.
"What?" It was her turn to be shocked.
"He was always there even when he wasn't. He was always on your mind, heck you even mention his name several times in your sleep."
"No, I didn't," she denied, more than a little mortified by the thought.
"Yes, you did," he leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I just hope he is worth it."
"He is," she whispered. "I am truly sorry."
"I only wish you happiness Teresa," he told her before walking away.
"You too," she whispered to herself before heading back into the airport to head home.
One month later.
Lisbon leaned against the car door and waited impatiently for the person she wanted to see the most. If she were lying she would say it had been an easy month but the truth was it was hard as hell. The FBI had only allowed her and Jane to talk every once in a while and they had once again denied her letters. To top it off she had stayed in his damn airstream as she tried to find another place, which thankfully she found in a week but still that cramped spaced had started to make her go crazy. The only good thing was that the sheets smelled of him and she had found one of his older shirts and slept in it. Those comforts she was positive that had helped her get through the month.
The sound of a door opening caught her attention; she smiled as she watched him walk out of the building with a smile on his face. She waited until he was close to her to speak.
"A free man again?" She asked.
"Yes," he smiled "God, I have missed you."
He pulled her to him and crashed his lips upon her in a searing kiss that made both of them breathless. When they finally caught their breath he just pushed her back against the car and trapped her with his body.
"Jane," she warned as he leaned down and started to kiss her neck. He continued his kisses even when she slightly pushed on his chest to make him move. "Patrick!"
He stopped kissing her and looked at her "Yes, dear?"
"Not here," she told him as she pushed him away. "Get in."
She opened the driver's side door as he made his way around to the passenger side door, he slid into the seat and reached for her hand as soon as she was settled and ready to go.
"So where to?" He asked.
"My place?" She asked nervous.
"Good idea," he smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss.
Later as their bodies cool against the sheets of her bed she found herself wrapped safely in his embrace.
"That was incredible," he told her as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Incredible was certainly one word to describe it, there was a whole dictionary that could be added too.
"Hmm," she agreed and snuggled closer to him. "Only took how many years?"
"It took long enough," he replied as he rubbed her arm. "So work tomorrow?"
"Yes, there is a new case," she yawned as she closed her eyes. "Also we need to set up some rules."
"Rules?"
"Yes, I won't go around having sex with you in every room," she told him. He just laughed; she opened her eyes and looked at him "what is so funny?"
"How much do you want to wager that it won't be me pulling you into a interrogation room?"
"I would never do that."
He studied her and smiled "Liar,"
"Jackass," she replied as she hit his shoulder. He just laughed as he rolled her over and kissed her deeply.
The End.