Once again I've had this idea for a while and it cumulated until my mind threatened to burst. I'm pretty happy with it, but how about you read it and tell me what you think?

Remember Me

Lisbon walked down the corridor. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. What was it this time? She felt like she was going to the principle's office, like she'd been called down for something that wasn't her fault. She felt like she was in elementary school again. Except in elementary school, she was a model student; she never got called down to the principle's office. But now, here she was on her way to Hightower's office yet again for some stunt or other that Jane had pulled, most likely. Lisbon took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself before knocking on Hightower's door.

"Come in." was Hightower's muffled reply. Lisbon walked into her office with her head held high; if she was going down, she was going down fighting. "I assume you know what this is about."

"Actually Ma'am, I'm not entirely sure. What is this about?" Lisbon asked. Although she'd assumed Jane had pulled a stunt for which she was in trouble, she couldn't recall any happening recently.

"Red John." Hightower replied, shocking Lisbon.

"Ma'am we are doing our best. We're closer than we've ever been now that we have his DNA and I believe it's only a matter of time before he makes another mistake." Lisbon started to explain her way out of any trouble.

"Lisbon relax, I know. You're not in any sort of trouble and neither is anyone on your team. I want to talk about what happens when you catch him, because I believe it will be soon. You know that this has to be done exactly by the book. We cannot afford to have any mistakes whatsoever because there is no way this son of a bitch is getting off when we charge him." Hightower said with a stern look on her face.

"Of course ma'am." Lisbon said.

"I know that we are both well aware of Jane's plans for when we catch him." Hightower said. Lisbon started shifting in her seat; she was starting to get uncomfortable. She'd known that this would come up sometime but she'd been hoping that it would be later, much later. "So I'm charging you with the task of stopping him."

"I've tried but he doesn't listen to what I say." Lisbon said, recalling that night they'd been so close and Jane had said he'd rather die than lose Red John. Remembering that, Lisbon felt her heart break all over again.

"I don't mean like that." Hightower said with a strange glint in her eye.

"Ma'am?" Lisbon said with an arched eyebrow.

"Jane is a stubborn man Lisbon. I don't think that anything you say can change his mind about this." Hightower said.

"Then what exactly am I supposed to do?" Lisbon asked, thoroughly confused.

"You two are friends, right?" Hightower inquired.

"No, I…I mean yeah, uh…"Lisbon stuttered.

"Lisbon, right now I'm not talking to you as your boss." Hightower said.

"Oh. Okay, we're friends." Lisbon said.

"When you find him, and I have no doubt that will be soon, you're going to…occupy him so that he can't go after him. You're going to make sure that Jane doesn't even know that you guys are getting Red John." Hightower said.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Lisbon asked.

"You'll think of something." Hightower said.

"Okay, but I don't think I'll be able to keep that from him for long." Lisbon said.

"Why not?" Hightower asked.

"Apparently he knows when I'm lying. Or when I'm hiding something." Lisbon said in a small voice, a blush crawling up her neck. "But if he does find out?"

"Make him not want to leave." Hightower said.

Xxxx

Just as Hightower predicted, less than two months later, they had a lead. It was unusual, they'd just had a case about two months ago. Lisbon hadn't been lying when she'd told Hightower they had Red John's DNA. The last case they'd had that involved Red John also involved Red John's second mistake. Only this time no one had died like Bosco and his team had. It was not for lack of trying though, Lisbon had come pretty close but she'd narrowly escaped death's grip yet again. And here they were with another Red John case. One with yet another mistake, he must be getting old. Only this time Jane hadn't caught it, Lisbon had.

And that is why Lisbon was in her office well past sundown with Cho and a team of highly trained agents who had been vetted and cleared for the capture of Red John.

"So you guys all know the plan?" Lisbon asked. "You're going to go to his last known location and apprehend Red John, or Johannes Sanguine as we know now. Make sure that you get him alive and that there is maximum security around him at all times. We are not letting him get away. And none of this is to get anywhere near Jane, are we clear?"

A chorus of yeses sounded throughout her office in hushed tones.

"Good. Now get going." Lisbon said.

"Um, boss?" Cho asked, unlike his usual self.

"Problem Cho?" Lisbon asked.

"What are you going to be doing?" Cho asked.

"Keeping Jane far, far away from Red John." Lisbon said, walking out of her office herself. She walked past the bullpen and went up the stairs to Jane's new hideout.

"Jane. Get up. We're going." Lisbon said upon entering.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Jane asked.

"You are not going to sit here all night, it's not good for you. So we're going to my apartment and we're going to eat a late dinner and you are going to sleep in a real bed. Now let's go." Lisbon said.

"Lisbon, I never thought you'd be this forward but if you insist on seducing me…" Jane said in a half-hearted attempt at teasing her. But she could see in his eyes how much he was hurting.

"Jane I've told you before, as a friend, this doesn't look good. It's not going to continue. Come on." Lisbon said.

Xxxx

About a half hour later, Lisbon found herself back at her apartment, bringing some food to the table for Jane and herself. She'd just put some left over pasta in the microwave but Jane didn't seem to mind. She sat down and started to eat, she'd skipped lunch and was very hungry. She looked up to find Jane staring at her. She noticed when he stared at her sometimes at the office but this was different, she felt like he was trying to read her like a suspect.

"What?" Lisbon asked, putting her fork down.

"Why did you ask me to come home with you?" Jane asked.

"I told you, staying in the attic isn't good, it's unhealthy. You need to go home, and since you won't go to yours, we're at mine." Lisbon said, feeling slightly uncomfortable but pushing it down. She couldn't afford to have him find her out and leave.

"Okay." Jane said, accepting her answer even though he knew it wasn't the whole truth. They were silent for a moment before he spoke again. "Oh, and Lisbon?"

"Yes Jane?" Lisbon asked.

"Thank you." Jane said with a small, genuine smile. "For everything."

"Anytime. I mean that." Lisbon said with a meaningful look that showed that she was being completely honest at that moment. They went back to eating their dinner, both thankful for the company but for different reasons. Jane was happy that he didn't have to spend the night alone, Red John cases were always so hard on him. Lisbon was glad that Jane was allowing her to help him and that he was far, far away from Red John. She also enjoyed his company more than she liked to admit.

"You done?" Lisbon asked when Jane put his utensils down.

"Yes, thank you for a lovely meal Lisbon." Jane said with a smile that almost met his eyes, but not quite.

"Please, it was reheated leftovers." Lisbon said with a scoff.

"All the same." Jane said, following her over to the sink. "Let me do the dishes. Everyone knows that the cook never cleans."

"I'm just going to throw them in the dishwasher, but I appreciate the sentiment." Lisbon said with a smirk.

"Thank you so much Lisbon." Jane said, he couldn't express how thankful he really was. "I didn't realize you cared so much."

"You're a member of my team, you're no use to me if you burn yourself out." Lisbon said, staring at the floor. She was getting increasingly aware of Jane's close proximity. She was leaning against the counter and Jane was less than two feet away.

"Liar. You do care." Jane said.

"Yeah, okay, I care. So what?" Lisbon said, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"So…I care too. About you. I care a lot." Jane said, taking a step closer. He was now officially in her personal space and she'd be lying if she said she didn't like it. He was so close, just one more step and they'd be pressed firmly against one another. He leaned towards her, brushing his nose along her neck towards her ear to whisper softly in it.

"So what are you hiding from me Teresa?" He whispered. He stepped back from her, searching her eyes for the truth.

"I'm not… I'm not hiding anything." Lisbon said softly.

"Yes, yes you are. I can tell." Jane said. Lisbon knew he was right and that he knew he was right. She racked her brains for a truth to tell him instead of what she needed to keep from him.

"I love you." She said quietly, so quietly that if Jane had been farther away, he wouldn't have heard it. But he was and even so he couldn't believe his ears. "But you know how you get when there's a Red John case. You can't…I can't…"

"What do you expect? I have to avenge my family, I have to. I let them down, I failed to protect them and I keep letting them down every time he slips between our fingers! And we have absolutely no idea who he is, where he is or anything!" Jane said, walking away. He was clearly frustrated with himself. He turned back around to meet Lisbon's eyes and saw in them what she'd been keeping from him for three days. "You do though, don't you? I can see it in your eyes, you know who he is or where he is or both. Why didn't you tell me Teresa? How could you keep this from me?"

"Like you wouldn't have done the exact same thing if our roles were reversed? Like you wouldn't have got up and left the second you figured it out without a word to anyone?" Lisbon said in a defeated tone.

"You know how much this means to me! Who is he? Tell me!" Jane said, getting somewhat angry but mostly distressed.

"His name is Johannes Sanguine. We have reason to believe he's at 964 Red Road." Lisbon said with the same air of defeat.

"How did you figure it out? How come it was you and not me?" Jane asked. He was so confused, how had he not caught it?

"The husband of the last victim, the one we interviewed? Not really the husband. I had a hunch and tracked down the real husband. He knew Red John and led us straight to him. He's now under the protection of the CBI until Red John is prosecuted." Lisbon said.

"Us? You said us." Jane said.

"Cho, Hightower and I." Lisbon said. "She didn't want you to know, but I was surprised when you did figure it out yourself."

"You want to why? Because ever since you almost died two months ago, I can't focus. I can't do anything without thinking of you. Because I love you and now that I finally have the chance to avenge my family, you kept it from me. I can't even look at you." Jane said, outraged. "I'm leaving and I'm going to kill Red John, once and for all."

"Remember me." Lisbon said, just loud enough to make him pause in his departure.

"What?" Jane asked.

"Remember me. When you find Red John, when you're about to kill him, remember me and everything we've been through together. Remember what we've done and the trust that we've built. Remember that I love you and that I'm telling you killing him won't make it better. Remember me and everything we could be. When you pull the trigger, Red John isn't the only thing you'll kill. Before you ruin it all, remember me." She said.

Jane couldn't stay any longer, he couldn't listen to her speak those words and not be affected so he left. He left and drove away with one destination in mind. But as he drove, Lisbon's words played like a broken record in his mind and he couldn't do it. He couldn't even drive to where Red John was supposed to be. Why was it that now when he could avenge his wife, he'd found someone to love again? When had she become his reason to live instead of revenge?

Xxxx

As soon as Jane had closed the door, Lisbon leaned against it and took deep breaths in and out. He'd left, just like deep down she always knew he would. What she hadn't counted on was him taking her heart with him. She slid to the ground and silent sobs wracked her body and strangled tears fell from her face. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there crying when someone knocked on the door she was leaning against. Lisbon got up and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes but as soon as she did new ones replaced the old and she was right back to where she started. She opened the door, wondering who could possibly be here this late.

"Jane?" She asked. He was the last person she expected to see.

"Teresa. Can I come in?" Jane asked timidly, trying to get through the doorway and into her sanctuary but Lisbon blocked him.

"Did you do it?" Lisbon asked, her face a mask of steel.

"Did I do it? Do what…Oh. Teresa, I left twenty minutes ago. There's no way that I could even be halfway there by now. No, I didn't kill him." Jane said, honesty shining through his eyes, sincerity leaking into his voice.

"But… I. What?" Lisbon stuttered.

"I couldn't do it. You were right, as you usually are about these things. I can't just throw away everything we have and could have. I love you. Before, I had tried to kill myself, that's why I spent time in that locked room. I had no reason to hang on and every reason to let go. I built walls around myself just as you've built them around your heart, trying to keep others at bay so I never have to lose them. But then you came along and you sneaked past my walls before I even knew anyone could. I fell in love with you gradually, it snuck up on me and I didn't realize it until I was too far gone. Until I was driving towards my goal of nearly ten years and realized that I couldn't got through with it, not now that I had a reason to live. You are my reason, you are my life, my love. Please. Forgive me, if you can." Jane said.

"You've done nothing that needs forgiving. You came back, back for me. Thank you. Thank you Patrick." Lisbon said. She threw herself into his arms, whispering her thanks into his shirt. And that's how they stayed that night, completely intertwined in each other's arms. Neither one daring to move and risk losing the other even for a moment. And they would stay like this for the rest of their lives, never forgetting how much they meant to each other, what they had done for and because of one another. When life threw them hurtles they would manage because all they'd have to do was remember and they'd run right back to where they belonged. With each other.

:D Was that alright? I'm not too sure about the ending. :s Any comments? Questions or concerns? Please review! It's almost midnight and I have a test tomorrow, I think that your reviews will make it all worth my while! :D