Dear Jane,
I hope you're doing well back in Austin, I haven't heard from you in a while. It feels odd to be the one writing you a letter for a change, but I thought I would give it a try seeing as everything here feels so odd anyway.
I can't help but wake up every morning and wonder if I have made a huge mistake. The people I'm working with are great, but it's not quite the same as the team in Austin (and nothing like the CBI). I keep telling myself that I need to give it time – it's only been two months after all – but I can't help feeling that it'll never be normal, and that I'll always feel like my life here is missing something.
Marcus seems happy enough though; he loves his job here and I couldn't ask him to give that up and move back to Austin. Speaking of Marcus…I never got round to telling you that we're engaged. I keep putting off doing anything to organise a wedding though; maybe I'm being silly, but part of me seems to be waiting for something, although I don't quite know what it is. It's probably just fear of commitment; you would know that just from looking at me.
I keep thinking back to that day on the plane. We never really talked about it; I hope you didn't get yourself into too much trouble with security - although you always seem to have a way of getting of things like that. I never apologised for running off like that and not saying goodbye. I was angry and hurt, but I wish I hadn't let that get in the way of saying goodbye to my best friend. I regret that the most..
I keep wondering what would have happened if I had got off that plane. I considered it at the time but I was too scared. I keep thinking about the 'what if's, but I guess I'll never know, it's too late to go back and change my mind.
Anyway I hope that you've been missing my calls recently because you're busy solving hundreds of cases with your bizarre plans, and not because you're avoiding me for some reason. I miss you; maybe you could come and visit me in DC sometime? I understand if you don't want to though, just a phone call or a text would do.
With love,
Lisbon
Jane put down the letter after reading through it for the fifth time. He was fairly sure it was completely embedded in his memory palace by now.
It had been just over two months since Lisbon had left. In many ways the past two months had been more painful for Jane than the two years he had spent away from her. At least then he could believe that she was carrying on with her life as normal, oblivious to any relationships she may or may not have had. Now every time he thought about her, all he could remember was that she was there falling in love with Marcus Pike.
He had known when he picked up the letter from his FBI pigeonhole that morning that it was from Lisbon; he recognised her writing on the envelope. He'd tucked it in his jacket pocket and waited until he was safely in his airstream to read it. Whatever it said, he didn't quite feel able to read a letter from Lisbon in the middle of the bullpen.
He was very glad he had done that now, even though he still didn't quite know how he felt about what she had said. Finding out that she was engaged to Pike had hurt a hell of a lot, but he couldn't help but feel pleased to hear that something was holding her back. Even if he was a deluded fool, it felt like maybe he had a tiny smidgeon of hope. She'd said she missed him as well, that meant something right? It wasn't quite the letter of undying love he had hoped for, but it was better than nothing.
Jane folded the letter up neatly and tucked it into the wooden box on the shelf beside his bed, alongside his wedding ring and a photo of Angela and Charlotte. Then he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number.
"Hi Abbot, it's Jane…no, not in trouble…I was just ringing to tell you that I need to take a few days off…it's nothing serious or illegal, don't worry about me…ok, thanks A-man…what do you mean? It's a great nickname…brilliant, bye"
He dug a bag out from under his bed and threw a few clothes in it, and then called a cab. He was going to DC.
As the plane landed, Jane started to question exactly what he was trying to achieve. Deep down he wanted Lisbon to run into his arms and tell him that she loved him and that she was leaving Pike. Realistically, he knew that the chances of that happening were very slim. After her letter he decided that it was more likely than he had previously thought, but all in all, not something he should set his heart on. Instead, he decided to focus on the fact that he had suddenly decided to come and visit his best friend, and apologise for being too busy to answer her calls the past month. It was a lie she would see through in seconds, but it was better than the alternative; that hearing about her new life with Pike was just too painful for him.
Jane wandered aimlessly around the arrivals lounge. He didn't have a plan, and it was a particularly disconcerting situation to be in. He realised that he didn't even have Lisbon's address, so he couldn't just turn up at her apartment and surprise her. Pike would be there as well, and the last thing Jane wanted to do was see him. Jane looked at his watch, and realised that they would both still be at work anyway. He could go to the DC FBI offices and surprise her there, but again Pike would be there. Plus, Lisbon might not be so happy with him suddenly apprehending her at her place of work. In the end Jane decided that the best way forward would be simply to call her.
"Lisbon" she answered quickly. Obviously she hadn't looked at the caller ID before picking up.
"It's me, Jane"
Lisbon didn't say anything for a few seconds, and Jane was fairly sure that she had taken the phone away from her ear to check the name.
"Jane? How are you?"
Her tone was suddenly much warmer and friendlier, and Jane smiled at the change.
"I'm good…I'm actually in DC"
"Right now? How come?"
"I'm at the airport, I um…I was just wondering if maybe we could meet up for a bit?"
"I…hold on a minute"
Jane could hear a muffled conversation in the background between Lisbon and a man. He couldn't work out what was being said, but he was pleased that it didn't seem to be Pike.
"Which airport are you at?"
"Ronald Reagan"
"I'll be there in half an hour"
Jane didn't say anything for a moment, too shocked by the realisation that he was actually going to see Lisbon.
"Jane? Is that ok?"
"What? Yes, brilliant. See you then"
Lisbon hung up and Jane sat back in his chair, amazed. After a few moments he jumped up, and rushed around the airport to purchase the nicest bunch of flowers he could find.
Lisbon texted him twenty minutes later and asked which terminal he was in, giving him time to quickly check his appearance in the restroom mirror, before settling down in a seat where he could clearly see the entrance. He saw her come in a few minutes before she spotted him. She had a black pantsuit on with a blouse, and her hair tied back in a ponytail. Again, he'd forgotten quite how beautiful she was in their time apart. When she finally saw him her face lit up in a grin, and he waved to her. As she came nearer Jane became increasingly aware of how tired she looked. She had obviously lost weight, and her skin was slightly paler with light bags under her eyes.
"Hey you" she said to him when she was a few metres away.
Jane grinned and then stood up and engulfed her in a big hug. His nose was buried in Lisbon's hair, breathing in that familiar scent he had missed more than he could have imagined the past two months. He didn't want to let her go at all, but he knew that he couldn't keep hold of her forever.
"Oh, these are for you" he said as they finally broke apart, handing her the flowers which he'd left on the seat beside him.
"Oh, thanks Jane" Lisbon looked surprised "they're lovely"
"So what are you doing in DC?" she asked as they walked towards the exit.
"What, am I not allowed to surprise visit my friend?" Jane joked.
"Very funny, but why are you here? Not that I'm not happy to see you that is"
"I came to see you" Jane responded simply.
"Oh"
"I would have given you more notice, but…well, I only decided to come last night" Jane admitted.
"I'm glad you're here anyhow, I've missed you"
"I've missed you too, Lisbon"
They walked in silence to Lisbon's car, which Jane wasn't surprised to find was an SUV just like the one she'd used at the CBI.
"Have you had lunch?" Lisbon asked.
"No"
Jane suddenly realised that he hadn't actually eaten since lunch the previous day, having got so caught up in all the excitement of getting to the airport and waiting around for his flight.
"I know a place that apparently does great eggs"
"You know me so well" Jane smiled at her.
"So how's life in Austin?" Lisbon asked, once Jane had tasted his eggs and deemed them acceptable.
"Same old" Jane shrugged "they finally replaced you, but now Fischer's left"
"Fischer left? Why?"
"Promotion"
"What's my replacement like?" Lisbon asked, intrigued.
"She's called Vega, fresh out of Quantico. She's good, but she just needs to get used to breaking the rules a bit more"
"There's nothing wrong with following the rules" Lisbon reminded him, eyebrows raised.
"And I thought I had you well trained by the end" Jane replied wistfully.
"I'm glad she'd good anyway; and that you haven't managed to corrupt her quite yet"
"She'll never be as good as you though" Jane added "Oh and Wylie is completely in love with her"
"Lucky girl"
"I don't think she'd noticed yet, funny how detectives can often miss the obvious" Jane nodded, before taking another mouthful of eggs "these are really good" he added, mouth full.
"Have they replaced Fischer yet?"
"Not yet, I think Abbot is still secretly hoping that you'll come back" Jane chuckled.
Lisbon laughed with him, but a little half-heartedly.
"Come on then Lisbon; share the gossip about the DC team"
"There's not that much to share" she replied "I mean it's the same old serious crimes stuff, just with fewer illegal plans"
"Well where's the fun in that?" Jane joked.
"In not getting into trouble all the time" Lisbon shot back "but they're a good team; really welcoming"
Jane nodded absentmindedly as he took his last forkful of egg.
"How come you're not at work now?"
"I left early" she explained "I worked all of last weekend, a Friday afternoon off isn't going to hurt when we don't have a case. That last case reminded me of you actually…"
She proceeded to tell him all about their latest case, and a few others where she'd wished that they had his skills on the team. They wandered around the city for a bit and stopped for some ice cream later in the afternoon.
"I should get going" Lisbon said reluctantly, as it approached five "where are you staying? I'll give you a ride"
"Oh don't worry about me; I still need to find a hotel"
"You don't have anywhere to stay? I would offer you the couch in our apartment-"
"I'll find a hotel" Jane maintained. He had no intention whatsoever of spending any time with Marcus Pike, especially not to sleep on a couch whilst Pike got to share a bed with Lisbon.
Jane did some quick research on his phone, and Lisbon persuaded him to let her drop him off at the hotel he had chosen. It wasn't too far from her apartment anyway. She arranged to pick him up at 12 the following day for lunch, and then they said goodbye and she drove away.
"Hi love" Marcus greeted her as she walked in the door, kissing her quickly on the lips "what are those for?"
"The kitchen" Lisbon lied, turning away from him to find a vase for the flowers. She had decided on the way back that she wasn't going to tell Marcus about Jane being in DC.
"I ordered Chinese takeout, I got you the normal"
"Great"
"Are you ok?" he asked, sliding an arm around her waist from behind and kissing the side of her head.
"I'm fine" she said quickly "just tired?"
"I hope you're not too tired" Marcus said softly, pressing more kisses onto the side of her head "the takeout won't be here for half an hour, that's plenty of time for-"
"I'm not really in the mood" Lisbon admitted. Suddenly the idea of having sex with Marcus seemed…uninviting.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?" he asked.
"Yeah, just a long day" she sighed "do you mind if we just watch have takeout and then go to bed?"
"Sure, of course not love"
That evening, Lisbon lay awake long after Marcus had given up trying to get her to respond to his advances and gone to sleep. What was Jane doing in DC? He hadn't mentioned her letter, but he must have received it by now. Why else would he have come so suddenly? His sudden appearance had thrown her off. Before she felt like she could try and move forward with her life, but now she'd seen him again all she could think about was how much she had missed him.
You're being ridiculous, Teresa. She told herself, you're laying here in bed with your kind, handsome, lovely, fiancé and all you can think about is Patrick Jane, once again.
The thing was, that had always been the case. Whether or not she had liked it, she always seemed to end up thinking about Patrick Jane and his charming smile and his blond curly hair and mind reading skills. She had thought that by moving away and trying to start a life with someone she would forget about him and move on. Today had proven that actually nothing had changed. She still felt that attraction and pull towards him which she had for years, and she wasn't so sure she would be able to let him go again…
"Lisbon"
Lisbon searched the hotel lobby for the source of the call, finally spotting Jane standing at the reception desk where he was chatting with an elderly woman.
He finished his conversation and said a few things that made the woman laugh and pat his shoulder graciously, before coming over to meet Lisbon.
"Are you done chatting up all the old women?" Lisbon asked, smiling slightly.
"Just about" he smiled back "I've found somewhere for us to eat today, I hope you don't mind"
"Not at all" she replied "but I'm still driving; you can direct me"
"I wouldn't expect anything less of you, Lisbon"
They ate lunch in a cosy restaurant that was hidden down a street in the city centre. Lisbon didn't bother to ask how Jane had managed to find out about it after only being in the city for 24 hours, she had a feeling that it had something to do with that elderly lady.
They chatted about everything and anything. It was amazing how they fell back into their usual familiar banter, without a touch of awkwardness. After their lunch Jane persuaded Lisbon to walk down to the Washington Monument, where they found themselves sitting on a park bench that looked out over the river.
"Where's your ring?" Jane asked her suddenly, having noticed the previous day that her left hand remained empty.
"I don't have one" she shrugged, looking at the hand in question "Marcus proposed without one, and I didn't really see the point in getting one after"
"Hmm" Jane nodded.
"Hold on, you're not wearing a ring either"
"No, I took it off"
"When?" she asked softly.
"A couple of months ago"
The relevance of the timing wasn't lost on Lisbon.
"Do you ever think about coming back to Austin?" he asked before she could ask him about his ring any more.
"So you did get my letter" she smiled.
"You're getting good" he said, looking into the distance absentmindedly at a small dog that was rolling around in the grass.
"I...I don't know to be honest. I mean when I said that there was something missing I think it was clear what" she paused for a moment, and let it sink in "but I can't ask Marcus to move back, I really can't"
"You could go without him" Jane said softly in a tone that could very well be taken as a joke.
"I don't even know if Abbott would give me my job back" Lisbon continued, ignoring Jane's remark.
"Of course he would, no question about it"
"Would you even want me back? I mean…" she trailed off.
"Nothing would make me happier" Jane replied, finally catching her eye and holding her gaze.
Lisbon held his gaze for a bit and then looked away.
"I uh…I should go. Marcus will be back from racquetball soon, and I said we'd do some wedding stuff this afternoon"
"Sure" Jane nodded. He'd actually forgotten all about Marcus and their engagament just then, and he wasn't so happy to be reminded of him.
"I'll drop you back again"
"You don't have to-"
"Jane" she said, her tone warning.
"Well, thanks Lisbon"
Jane pulled Lisbon into a hug when she got out of her car to say goodbye to him at the hotel. Lisbon had to blink hard to prevent the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly on the edge of tears, but it was almost certainly to do with the blond man who was currently embracing her tightly.
"I should probably head back to Austin tomorrow or Monday" he told her as he let go of her "Abbott will start to miss me"
"Oh, sure" Lisbon nodded.
"You could come with me" he joked, slightly hopefully.
"I can't Jane" she replied.
"I know" he nodded "well night Lisbon, sleep tight"
"You too Jane"
The tears that had gathered in Lisbon's eyes let themselves out as soon as she pulled away from the hotel. She hated having to drive away from him and go back to the little apartment she shared with Marcus. She hated that she had to go back to Marcus, when the man she really wanted to be with right then was Jane, but as she'd said in her letter, it was too late to change her mind. Or was it…? Jane was here, and he'd made it fairly apparent that he still had feelings for her. No, she couldn't. It wasn't fair to Marcus. But then….neither was continuing a relationship with him when she knew full well that Patrick Jane still held her heart, and probably always would.
Lisbon still hadn't made up her mind when she stepped into her kitchen 20 minutes later, after having checked that there was no evidence of her crying. The moment she saw Marcus relaxed on the couch watching a soccer game however, she knew what she had to do.
"Marcus?"
"Hey" he smiled at her and patted the seat beside him.
She sat down, a little further from him than she normally would have done.
"I…I need to tell you something" she said decidedly.
"What is it?" he frowned "there's nothing wrong is there? You're not…?"
"I'm really sorry Marcus" she gushed suddenly "I really am; I never meant to hurt you"
"What is this Teresa? What's wrong?"
"This isn't working" she indicated the two of them "and I guess I've known for a while now, but seeing Jane just-"
"Jane? When did you see Jane?"
"Today, and yesterday. He turned up suddenly"
"Did you-"
"I didn't do anything" she reassured him "I just…I guess it made me realise how much I've been lying to myself about this working recently. I like you, I really do Marcus. You're a great guy, and I really wish that you could be the guy, but…"
"But I'm not" he finished for her.
"No"
"I…well, I didn't see this coming"
"Neither did I" she admitted.
"Are you sure-"
"I am" she nodded sadly.
"Wow"
"Sorry" she said again "I'll go and get some stuff"
She left him on the couch to go and pack as much of her stuff as she could into the suitcase in her closet. She would come back for the rest of it another time.
Marcus was waiting for her in the kitchen when she came out with her case. He gave her a sad nod as she walked in.
"Where will you go now?" he asked.
"I don't know, a hotel somewhere. I can't really stay here"
"Will you stay with him?"
"I don't know" she said honestly "please don't blame Jane for this, I mean I don't even know if he still feels that way…"
"You knew?"
"Only just before I left, and I didn't think…I wasn't using you to get over him" she said finally "I really like you Marcus, and one day you're going to make someone really happy. You have no idea how much I hoped that person would be me"
"I hoped so too, Teresa"
"Bye Marcus" she said, smiling sadly at him before she turned to leave "I'll come back and get the rest of my stuff soon. And good luck, really. I mean it"
"Bye. You too"
Lisbon wasn't really sure where to go once she got in her car and left the apartment. She felt guilty for what she had done to Marcus, but also relieved. It didn't feel like she was living a lie any more. She wasn't really sure what was going to happen with getting her job back in Austin either, but she had a sneaky suspicion that if Jane got involved then it wouldn't be a problem. She found herself parking outside Jane's hotel before she had really thought it through. She took her case out of the trunk and walked into the lobby.
"Hi" she said as she approached the reception "I need the room number of a Mr Patrick Jane"
"I'm sorry Ma'am; we're not able to give out personal details or room numbers"
"This is an FBI matter" Lisbon told her, digging into her bag to find her badge. She felt a little bad for using it for something like this, but she was worried that if she tried to ring him and ask that she would freak out and run. Again.
"I…uh" the man behind the desk looked around for another member of staff.
"It's urgent" she added, trying her hardest to look serious and bring out her 'cop' self.
"Ok, but please don't tell my manager, it's my second week and-" the man said, typing something into his computer.
"Which room?" Lisbon pressed.
"157" he said quickly.
"Brilliant, thanks" Lisbon smiled at him and then remembered that she was in cop-mode and quickly rearranged her expression.
Lisbon arrived outside Jane's room and realised that she had absolutely no idea what she was going to say. Half of her wanted to run; the other half was desperate to see him again. Her hand appeared to belong to the latter half, and she'd knocked on the door before she had really registered what was happening.
Jane answered the door after a few seconds. He was still wearing the pants and shirt he had been earlier, but the shirt was untucked and his jacket was nowhere to be seen. His hair was ruffled and half of it was hanging slightly over his face; he looked like he'd fallen asleep in his clothes.
"Hi" Lisbon said. She wasn't really sure what else to do.
"Hi"
"Can I come in?"
Jane's pause made Lisbon wonder if she had made a huge mistake, and completely misread his feelings towards her since he'd arrived in DC. He looked at her for a few seconds, and then his eyes lowered to her feet where her bag was.
"Of course"
She picked up her bag and stepped over the threshold.
"Have a seat" Jane indicated, waving towards the bed.
"I broke up with Marcus" she said quickly "I'm coming back to Austin. If I can, that is"
"Well…wow. I wasn't expecting that at all" Jane admitted "Well done Lisbon; you really have managed to surprise me this time"
"I try" she shrugged, allowing herself a small smile as she settled on the edge of the bed "Can I sleep on your couch tonight? I don't really have anywhere else to go, and I can't go back to the apartment…"
"Of course, Lisbon" he shot her his best 'charming smile' and sat down next to her.
Lisbon took a deep breath and tried to summon all the courage she had to ask the question she had wanted to ask since she'd seen Jane in the airport the previous day.
"You know what you said to me on the plane?" she began slowly, and he nodded "did you mean it? I mean do you still…well…"
"Yes" he said softly, looking her in the eye.
"Oh"
Lisbon couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face.
"We are talking about the fact that pigeons mate for life right?" he added after a moment "from that flight in February to-"
"Jane!"
"Oh, you mean that plane" he said, pretending to realise "I mean, I…"
Lisbon shot him one of her best death glares.
"Yes, I still love you"
"Good" Lisbon nodded with satisfaction "because I think that I might possibly…maybe…love you too"
"That's lucky" Jane grinned at her.
They sat grinning in silence for a few minutes neither particularly sure exactly what one was meant to do after admitting their love for another. Thankfully they didn't have to find out, as Lisbon's stomach groaned loudly.
"Sorry" she muttered, blushing lightly "I haven't had anything since lunch"
"I'll order room service" Jane decided, getting up to find the menu.
They chose some food and Jane called down to order, and then they resumed their position at the end of the bed.
"How did Pike take it?" Jane asked her, leaning back on his elbows.
"Really well" Lisbon nodded, and then frowned "actually, a little too well. He didn't even try and stop me"
"Probably because he knows that you can't fight with a Lisbon who's made her mind up" Jane pointed out before she could jump to any conclusions.
"Maybe he knew it wasn't working as well" Lisbon conceded "I mean moving states with someone you've only known for a couple of months was a massive risk, and we both worked long hours"
"He'll be fine"
"I just feel so stupid now" Lisbon admitted "I mean really, what was I thinking? Jumping on a plane and going to live halfway across the county with some guy I barely knew"
"You weren't being stupid Lisbon"
"I really hope Abbott will give me my job back in Austin though" she continued "I don't think I could stand staying here by myself, constantly bumping into Marcus around the office"
"Oh he will, don't you worry"
"Please Jane, no illegal threats"
"Oh don't worry; there won't be any illegal threats"
"Why does that sound like there will be other illegal happenings?"
"Abbott found himself in a bit of trouble" Jane explained "with Lena getting that promotion, and I was able to help him. Besides, he'd jump at the chance to get you back, regardless of what he owes me"
Lisbon looked unconvinced.
"I'll call him right now and you can hear for yourself if you want" he suggested.
"No, I need to call him" Lisbon sighed "this is all such a mess"
"Ah that's what makes life interesting" Jane said, sitting back up beside her.
She turned to look at him and smiled.
"Thank you"
"For what?"
"I don't know, just…being so positive, even when I was planning on leaving and you could have manipulated me into staying so easily"
Jane looked away for a second.
"Oh wait, you did try that actually" she admitted, remembering the case he had reopened and the drama that ensued "what exactly were your plans for that evening? If Abbott and Cho hadn't been there, and I hadn't found out that it was all a massive plot"
"Well" he said slowly "we were going to have a nice dinner where I'd let you choose your own food, even if I knew exactly what you wanted" he paused and smiled at her "and then we would have gone for a walk along the beach and sat down on this little rock I'd found. And then I'd have told you that I'd been in love with you for years, and apologise for all the problems I had caused you and told you that I completely understood if you wanted to forget about it all and go to DC with Pike, and that I'd be happy for you whatever"
"Oh"
"Would you have stayed? If that had been the case"
"Probably" she said softly "almost definitely, actually. If only you'd come and told me all of that before"
"I did try, that night I came to drop off the Cannoli"
"Instead you came out with all this stuff about me being happy"
"I did mean it" he maintained "but what I really meant was that I wanted you to be happy with me"
"You are so soppy" Lisbon muttered, looking away from him.
"And you love me for it" he reminded her, putting his hand on her thigh.
She turned to look at him again, and then found that their faces were only inches apart. Jane leant in slightly, giving her plenty of time to turn away if she so wished. She didn't. Lisbon moved forward and pressed her lips against his, and for a few moments they remained like that. Then Jane moved his hand from her thigh to the side of her face and slid it into her hair as their kiss deepened.
Kissing Jane was a wholly different experience to kissing Marcus, Lisbon decided. Kissing Marcus had been pleasant and enjoyable, but with Jane it felt like he was trying to show her all of his love in this one kiss. She kissed him back hungrily, trying to take in everything which she'd been missing out on for so long. He slid his tongue along her lower lip, and she willingly opened her mouth a little to allow him access.
They broke apart upon hearing a sharp knock at the door.
"That'll be the food" Jane said, a little breathlessly.
Lisbon nodded, unable to form words whilst she was still reliving the past few minutes. She felt giddy with happiness, until she remembered about Marcus and the feeling of guilt tried to take over.
They sat on the couch and ate their food in front of the TV. They were watching a crime show, pointing out everything which was unrealistic about it and guessing (correctly) who the killer was. As Jane pointed out, it was fairly easy to guess who it was from the first 10 minutes of any crime show. It had to be someone who was involved from the start, but who was either quickly discounted, or not even considered a suspect.
"If only real life crime solving was that easy" Lisbon commented, yawning "they don't cover the endless hours doing background checks, or ongoing cases which carry on for weeks without a lead, or the huge quantities of paperwork"
"We'd better get to bed" Jane told her, and she raised her eyebrows "no, not like that" he added "well, unless…"
Lisbon hit him gently on the arm, and then got up to go and change into her pyjamas. When she came out of the bathroom, Jane had already changed and was waiting to brush his teeth. Lisbon grabbed a blanket from the bed, and then settled down on the couch just as Jane walked back into the room.
"Really Lisbon? I thought you were joking about the couch" he commented.
"What?"
"This is a double" he pointed out, nodding his head towards the bed.
"I…I'm not so sure that's a good idea" Lisbon admitted.
"Oh come on Lisbon, I'm not going to try and ravish you in the middle of the night"
Lisbon glared at him, and then eyed the bed with suspicion. It was a big bed.
"Fine" she said with a glare.
Lisbon awoke the next morning to find the bed beside her empty. She sat up suddenly and glanced around the room. Jane was nowhere to be seen, and since the bathroom door was open he couldn't be in there either.
She started to panic. What if he realised that it had all been a huge mistake? She spotted his suit jacket on the couch and immediately relaxed a little, and then she climbed out of the bed and stepped across the room to retrieve her bag. With a twinge of guilt she read the couple of texts from Pike telling her that he'd rather she got her stuff when he was out, but nothing from Jane. She ignored Pike's messages for the time being and dialled Jane's number. Surprisingly, it went straight to voicemail.
She settled back into bed, and frowned around the room as she contemplated the mystery. Before she could spend too long picturing a variety of increasingly wild possibilities, the hotel door opened and Jane walked in. He smiled widely at her, and then handed her a paper bag and a polystyrene coffee cup.
"Good morning, beautiful"
"I thought you'd gone" she said, ripping into the bag to find a blueberry muffin.
"Only to get you some food, and make a couple of calls" he explained, kicking his shoes off and climbing back in beside her.
"Oh?" she raised her eyebrows at him in question.
"Your job in Austin is safe" he smiled at her "in fact, Abbot filled in all of the paperwork the moment I rang and told him I was going away"
Lisbon smiled and took a bite of her muffin.
They spent most of the day sorting out flights and trying to find a place for Lisbon to live once she got back to Austin. Jane told her that she was always welcome in the airstream, at which she looked a little less than impressed. She also rang Pike and warned him that she was coming over that afternoon and collect the rest of her things, and then apologised profusely a bit more. She was only going to take her clothes and random knickknacks back to Austin, since they'd bought the furniture together and she would rather just leave it with him.
Whilst she packed and sorted out things with the removal company to transport her belongings, Jane wandered round the local park and smiled at everyone who passed him. Lisbon was in love with him. She was moving back to Austin, and leaving Pike. He couldn't be any happier.
Since the next flight back wasn't until the following afternoon, they returned to Jane's hotel for the night. After a dinner of sandwiches bought from a local shop, Jane flicked on the television and pulled Lisbon into his arms.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her, kissing the top of her head.
"This is crazy" she told him "I can't believe I'm coming back, that I get to be with you again"
"You are crazy" he said with a grin "the best type of crazy"
"You're a bit crazy too" she pointed out "you chased down a plane just to talk to me. Speaking of that, I never got round to asking how you fixed all of that?"
"Abbot" Jane shrugged "that man likes to look like a tiger, but he's actually a teddy bear underneath. He didn't even tell me off, he was more bothered about whether or not I had got to you in time and why you hadn't got off"
"Sorry" she said quietly "I should have done"
"It wasn't your fault" he reassured her, stroking her hair "I shouldn't have set all of that stuff up"
"But I shouldn't have reacted like that" she sighed.
"It doesn't matter now, it's all fixed" he soothed her, kissing her head again.
She twisted in his arms so that she was facing him, and then smiled at him. He recognised that smile from the previous evening; it was ever so slightly cheeky and very enticing. He leant in and kissed her gently. After a good few minutes of kissing she started to undo his shirt buttons and eventually he carried her over to the bed where he spent a long time showing her quite how much he loved her. Twice.
As Lisbon fell asleep in his arms that night she murmured a quick prayer of thanks to God, and then thanked her past self profusely for finding the courage to actually send that letter.
Jane was right; it had all tuned out ok in the end.