A/N: I don't know what to say about this wonderful finale except that it was everything we ever could have hoped for. I love The Mentalist so much and it's so sad to see it end, but the ending was one of the best endings TV has ever seen.
I hope you guys enjoy the little tag I wrote. Actually it turned out to be quite long. I was just wondering how Lisbon would react to the whole case with the baby in mind.
Thanks to Idan for betaing and waterbaby for the mental help with this tag.
To me, The Mentalist will never end and I hope this fandom will continue to be as amazing as it is.
When Jane told her he had to show her something on their way home from work, she wasn't really sure what to expect. With Jane she never knew what to expect next, which made their relationship exciting and scary at the same time. It had only been a few days since he came back – or rather since she'd made him come back – so she wondered what he was up to next.
They stopped the car at the side of the road, and he walked around the vehicle to open the door for her. Most of the time she enjoyed Jane's gentleman-like behavior; sometimes it was a little annoying. But he had to make up for running off once again, so he could pamper her a little, right?
"Okay, you must close your eyes. No peeking, promise?" he asked, excited like a kid.
"How can I be sure you won't let me run into the nearest tree?" she mocked but did as asked.
"Have a little faith, Lisbon. It's a surprise."
"I hate surprises." Still, she did as asked and closed her eyes, smiling.
"No you don't." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before he stepped behind her and covered her eyes with his hands.
"My eyes are closed Jane, I can't see anything," she replied in fake annoyance.
"You've been with me for so long I'm afraid you might have taken over some of my bad habits."
"Like cheating? I'm not cheating!"
Jane laughed and gently pushed her forward. "Walk, I'll stay right behind you. If it makes you feel better, you can guess the surprise."
"I'm not as good at guessing as you are, Mr. Know-it-all." Well, he doesn't know it all… She thought, but forced the thought out of her head quickly. To be honest, she was wondering if he'd guessed already and was just waiting for her to tell him, or she wasn't the open book to him he'd always said she was. She'd proved with the cup that she could still surprise him… sometimes she wondered what he'd say if he ever found the box with his letters in the basement of her house.
Yeah, Teresa Lisbon had become very good at hiding things, which she was very proud of.
Jane guided her through what felt and smelled like forest, while she was guessing what the big surprise could be. Honestly, she had no idea. "Did you buy me another horse?" she joked, really hoping it was not an animal. Okay a dog maybe. She'd like a dog, but you didn't surprise people with dogs in a forest.
"Just a little farther…"
"Is this a trick?" she joked uncertainly. What was he about to show her? She could hear the sound of ducks quacking. Please don't let it be a boat, please…
A few steps later and Jane made her stop, telling her to breathe in the air.
She did as asked. It smelled like forest and nature. Had he found a new spot for the Airstream?
Jane stepped away, giving her the chance to open her eyes. The scenery revealed a little lake in the middle of the woods, a little old shack which had seen better days on the other bank. No boat, no Airstream, no pony. What the hell were they doing here?
"Voila!" he grinned.
Lisbon didn't know what to say or do. She didn't know what she'd expected, but this wasn't it.
"Jane? What is this?"
"It's a little shack," he pointed out, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Yeah. She could see that. Now he was talking about renovating it, about changing things, that he needed something to do. The question was, where was her place in all this? Or rather their place. Lisbon swallowed.
"So… you're gonna build us a house?" she asked, stricken.
"That's right. And when I'm done, if nothing else, we have a place to live. It's a start." Jane made it sound like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Wow. Okay. Move in together. Into a house that Jane built for them. A start. A start for what? Had he even thought this through? Had he thought about how she'd feel about it? Once again she felt like Jane was trying to tell her how to live her life. He hadn't asked; he just confronted her with fait accompli.
She asked him about the FBI, if he'd decided on quitting, growing even more dissatisfied when he told her he hadn't decided yet. Had he even thought this whole thing through? He wanted a house at a lake, he maybe wanted to quit the FBI but he didn't really know. He wanted to live with her, but what else?
Lisbon was scared. Yes maybe he wanted her, but would that be enough to keep him? He'd abandoned her for the fourth time if you counted that evening on the cliff. What proved to her he wasn't going to run off again when the house was finished? She… she didn't have only herself to think about now. She needed some sort of commitment. Oh god, she felt sick.
Jane was smiling back and forth between the house and her, his smile slowly vanishing when he saw her face. "What?"
"I'm glad you got it, but… I have needs too," she managed to say.
"Like what?" He sounded a little surprised but seemed eager to hear what she had to say.
Lisbon took a deep breath. It was now or never. "I need to know that you're not gonna run away again. I need to know that you're committed to this, to us." She left it open whether that implied them, or her and the baby.
"I am. That's why I wanna do this." Jane reassured her while pointing at the little yellow house.
He really seemed like he was into this. Jane grew up in the carnival. He lived in a motel when he worked at the CBI and when he came to the FBI, he'd requested the Airstream. Jane had never had a steady place to live, a home to go home to.
If building them a house was his proof that he was going to stay with her, she could accept that. Jane only ever had a home when he had a family, when he had Angela and Charlotte. That he wanted to build a new home with her was something, right? She was his new family, wasn't she?
If that much was true, she needed one more thing from him. "Okay. When are you going to take off your wedding ring?" If he really wanted to start a future with her, he had to let go of his past.
Jane stared at her, his face falling, which made the feeling in her stomach grow even worse. She had never even considered asking him before, always thought when the time was right, he'd take the ring off himself. Shit.
Quickly, Lisbon tried to explain herself. "It just… it seems like you just don't wanna let go of it."
"No, no, it's not that," Jane started, but Lisbon continued. If it wasn't that, then what was holding him back? She needed him to be committed to this, to not dwell in the past, especially not when she had someone else to think about now, too.
"I understand why it's difficult for you." She really did. She'd dealt with his grief and quest for revenge long enough. But over ten years was a very long time.
"It's just that I'm used to it," he defended himself.
"I know…" Her phone started ringing and for a moment she considered just throwing it into the lake. Why the hell did someone have to call her every time she was trying to have an honest conversation with Jane? God, this was a mess.
Abbott told her they had to come back to work because they found another victim of the serial killer. Their conversation had to wait.
Lisbon turned back around to Jane, who was staring at the shack and the lake. He really wanted this, but he didn't want to take his ring off.
She searched for his gaze. "We have another victim."
Without another word about the house or their issues, they walked back to the car. Lisbon wondered if he would maybe change his mind if she just told him she was pregnant. For a second, her hand went to her belly, but she let it drop again like she touched something hot. She had to be careful now to not give too much away. Jane would know within an instant. Perhaps he'd change his mind if he knew about the baby, but Lisbon wanted him to change his mind because of her.
Xxxxx
The case took up most of their time that day. Jane wasn't acting weird, which she was thankful for. He probably knew that she had to make a point and he accepted it. The question was just what he was going to do about it in the near future. They had each other. That had to be enough for the moment.
Lisbon was surprised to see Agent Tork entering the bullpen with Abbott and Cho. She didn't really like him because after the CBI went down and Jane left, he'd been one of the agents to blame her for losing his job and having to undergo an internal investigation.
However, he couldn't be such a bad agent since he'd made his way up in the FBI. Sadly, Lisbon had to rescind her assumption when Tork had the idea to use Jane as bait for the serial killer.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
"Last time Jane did something like that it didn't turn out so well," Cho replied, annoyed.
Agent Richard Tork was not only a dick, but also a dork! Angrily she got up, going after Jane, who'd left the bullpen to go to the kitchen.
"Aaah, the wife and kid," Tork remembered.
"Yeah, the wife and kid," Lisbon shot back angrily. This idiot. Wasn't it enough he was constantly reminded of them by his wedding ring? Did there really have to be a case which repeated everything that happened to him? He must be incredibly upset. It probably didn't help she'd been pressuring him to move on this morning either.
It was best to approach him with some light case talk, Lisbon decided. She didn't want him to shut her out again because he thought he was better off alone.
"Poor kid. No wonder he thought he was psychic," Jane answered after listening to her summary of the coroner's report.
"There's no such thing as psychics," Lisbon smiled, hoping to lift the mood.
When Jane didn't answer, she felt even worse. This case was tough enough on him. She apologized for saying anything about the ring this morning. "I need you to do what you need to. I'm okay. I swear."
She was going to be okay, as long as Jane wouldn't run away again. They could do this. Together.
Xxxxx
Lisbon was furious. She was furious and afraid at the same time. Perhaps she could blame some of it on the pregnancy hormones, but when Jane agreed to go through with the plan of playing the bait for a serial killer, she couldn't stop thinking about how dangerous it was.
Would history repeat itself?
Her job was a dangerous thing, she knew, but for the first time she understood why Jane had taken her off the team in that hotel a few cases ago. He wanted her to be safe. Now the only thing she wanted was to keep him safe.
This crazy killer was going after psychics. Jane had his doubts about the whole thing, but he realized it was the only way to flush him out.
She'd tried talking to Abbott, telling him it was a mistake, warning him, but he didn't listen. Sometimes she thought his trust in Jane was a little too much. Yes, Jane was the smartest person in any room, but what if this serial killer was even smarter? His lucky streak could end at some point.
It was dark in the Airstream. Lisbon stared at the ceiling since she was not able to sleep. She really hoped she wouldn't feel the morning sickness in the morning, or Jane would know what was going on right away.
"Teresa," he mumbled sleepily.
"I'm here," she whispered back, curling into him. He smelled good. Jane always smelled good and it calmed her down. Their baby must like its father's smell too, or she would be feeling sick like she had been this morning when she'd been in the elevator with Agent Sanders from Special Victims Unit. If she could arrange it, she would not go anywhere near that guy any time soon.
"Don't worry about tomorrow." Jane kissed the side of her head, nuzzling her hair.
"Of course I'm worried, Jane." How could she not be?
"It's going to be okay. You'll be with me all the time."
"You don't have to do this. It's not worth it." Think about what happened last time, she added silently.
Jane stiffened, just like he'd read her thoughts. "This man is killing people, Teresa. If I'm the only one who can stop him, I'll do whatever it takes. I want you to be safe."
"That's what I want, too," she answered.
"I made this decision because I know you have my back. I trust you, Teresa."
Lisbon felt him lift his head and search for her lips. He kissed her reassuringly, his hands going around her belly to pull her closer to him. She wasn't able to stop a single tear from running out of the corner of her eye, overwhelmed by the feeling Jane had just touched her belly in which his child was growing. He always held her like this when they were sleeping in the same bed, but now that she knew, his touch held much more significance to her.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too."
Xxxxx
When they were standing in the TV-studio, she had her hands folded a little below her belly. "I'm going to tell you one last time. You don't have to do this."
For a moment she really hoped he'd grab her hand and walk out of the studio with her, but he didn't. Instead, he gave her a longing look before walking over to the host to sit down next to him.
Jane was nervous and kept looking at her. While she was worried about what could happen to him, he was worried about what could happen to her. Lisbon was glad she hadn't told him about the baby, or he would be scared as hell right now. On the other hand, there was always the possibility he wouldn't have done it in the first place with this knowledge.
After this case was over, she would tell him, she decided. He deserved to know all the factors when making his decisions. His ring being gone or not.
Lisbon watched him doing his thing. Jane was the best at what he did, and if he hadn't told her a hundred times there was no such thing as psychics, she would have believed him. Still it stung a little when Jane mentioned the host's wife just had a baby girl.
She couldn't hide a grin, shaking her head lightly. He'd never met this guy before and could tell just like that he'd just become a father, but he couldn't tell his girlfriend was pregnant.
If she needed more proof of Jane not being a psychic, here it was.
Xxxxx
The interviews continued. Lisbon felt more than exhausted and was glad Tork came to watch out for Jane. She needed to go to bed. Not being allowed to have more than one cup of coffee a day, she really felt she was missing some energy.
Yawning, she drove home and was just about to change into her night clothes when Abbott called her. He probably just wanted to know if she'd made it home safe, so she picked up with a tired "Yes, boss?"
The message from Abbott hit her like a baseball bat. No. No, no, no, no, NO! Her phone slipped out of her hand and fell on the floor. No. This couldn't be true. No. She sank down on the floor, grabbing the phone while Abbott was still talking.
"I need you to come to the office now."
She hung up, resting her head in her hands. It took a while before she realized she was crying. He should have never done these interviews. She should have stayed with him. Oh God.
What if this crazy psychopath killed him? The thought made her stomach rebel so hard, she almost didn't make it to the bathroom in time. Her hand went to her belly. Their child was growing in there, as tiny as a bean, you couldn't see it nor feel it, but you knew it was there. Jane didn't know about their child. He didn't know he was going to be a father again.
Panic rose in her chest and it was almost impossible to hold it together, but she had to—for Jane's sake, for their child's sake. Determined, she got up. She would find Jane. Her baby would not grow up without its father.
It was good to hear that Abbott had every available agent on the case. What didn't help though was him coming over to tell her she was right. Just because Lazarus took him didn't mean he wasn't going to kill him. She really hoped Jane found a way to give them time to find him, otherwise….
Xxxxx
Cho and Abbott stared at her like she'd grown a second head. Never in her life had she been this angry and demanding in an interrogation. But this was different. This man had information which could help them find Jane. In this moment nothing else mattered to her. All she wanted to do was find Jane…which she did.
The ride to the house felt like eternity. Although it was the first time since she became a cop that she willingly broke the speed limit, it seemed like she wasn't getting any closer to her destination.
She wondered what she'd find at the house. Would Jane be there or was Lazarus keeping him somewhere else, torturing him or even worse, already getting rid of his body? Frightened, Lisbon gripped the steering wheel tighter.
What did he do with Jane? Did he torture him, then kill him, then place him somewhere everyone was going to see it? If she had learned one thing from the decade-long hunt for Red John, it was that you don't mess with serial killers. Deep down she'd known their plan would backfire.
For the first time, she really regretted that she hadn't considered Jane's wish to just leave all this. They could be in Europe right now, traveling through Italy, Switzerland and Austria. Jane'd told her about Vienna and the beautiful Castle Schoenbrunn, about the Zoo they had there and about the Sacher torte they served in this cute little café. They could have been visiting places she only knew from TV by now, but instead she'd insisted on keeping her job.
Would she still continue with it once the baby was there? If Jane didn't survive this, she would be all alone. She'd have no one and she wouldn't dare to let her baby lose another parent.
"Stop it!" Lisbon told herself. "Jane is not dead. Jane is not dead. I swear, Patrick Jane, if you leave me after all this crap you pulled, I'm going to come and hunt you down." Her little speech made her feel instantly better although it didn't give her an answer to her questions.
If she was going to have this baby, she would have to cut back. If she could cut back for her baby, maybe she should cut back for Jane, too. She was this close to a happy ending with the man she loved; she never thought she could have one in the first place.
"Please God, please don't take this away from me," she whispered, playing with the cross around her neck. "Please don't let my baby grow up without a father. Please give me one last chance to save him. He's a good man, he tries to be a good man, please don't let all of this be in vain. I love him so much. So please God, let him live."
A few moments later, Lisbon arrived at the house, scared she would find Jane's dead body somewhere around here. She had just left the car when the explosion went off. She ducked down behind the car, arms protectively going over her stomach. It felt like Red John all over again. Jane was gone, she was in a car trying to reach him before it's too late. Jane. Oh God. What if he was really in there? Last time she found him he was barely even alive, what if now…
She got up and ran over to the front door, the gun in her hands. She had to find Jane. He had to be alive. "Jane?" she called, terrified, hoping to get an answer.
The explosion came from the basement, so she took the steps, coughing because of the smoke. "Jane, are you here?" Please don't let him be dead. Please!
She kicked the door open and walked inside the burning room. The flames were hot and the smoke was making it hard to see. "Jane?" Had the explosion torn him up? Was the last thing she was going to see of Jane a burnt hand or head?
A cough coming from the corner of the room scared her to death and made her turn around. Jane. Jane was alive. She found him. Relief flooded her while tears sprang into her eyes. He was weak and disoriented because of the explosion, but she somehow managed to make him stand up.
Thank you, God. Thank you. Thank you for not letting him die.
He leaned on her heavily, making it hard for her to walk. They had to get out of there before either of them got smoke poisoning.
"Don't you ever do that to me again, ever!" she said, her voice heavy with emotion. Her body was still shaking from shock and relief she had found her love. She escorted Jane over to the car, helping him to sit down. Carefully, she opened a bottle of water to make him drink.
Jane was too weak to protest, so instead he took a few sips from the bottle she was holding to his lips only to turn his head away once he was done.
"It's going to be okay, Patrick," she whispered and then called Abbott. When she turned back to him she could see he was looking at her, his lips moving like he was trying to say something but didn't have the strength to voice his words.
"Jane. I'm here. You're safe." She found him. He was safe. Sometimes she wondered if he really was that lucky or if God took pity on her and heard her prayers. Probably both. Although she knew Jane didn't believe in any higher power, she was sure that Patrick Jane had at least ten guardian angles.
Her look must have given her away, because he gave her a weak but thankful smile. "If there's one angel walking on this earth, it's you, Teresa." Tears sprang into her eyes.
He reached for her hand, pulling her right into his arms with the last bit of strength.
"I'm never going to let you go. Ever again," Jane whispered, barely audible. The emotions of the past hours came crashing down on her, so she cried into his neck and they didn't let go of each other until backup arrived.
