A/N: It has literally taken me this long to get my head together after the finale (still not entirely together). So this is just my rambling muse about what could have happened post White Orchids, and is a work in progress so updates will be sketchy and infrequent (SORRY!)
Disclaimer: Is there an unlimited number of seasons? Did Jane and Lisbon get together in Season 1? No, I don't own The Mentalist.
"Teresa …" he mumbled silkily into her hair
She drew back slightly and lifted her eyes to his "Patrick …?"
His heart leapt at the sound of his name on her tongue. A sweet, sweet symphony that he did not often have the pleasure of hearing "Don't you think they'll start noticing we're gone? I mean, it is our wedding" the feeling that thought gave him was incomparable.
"Probably" she muttered. As much as she loved her friends, and family, she love sitting here with her new husband even more. The memory of his face when she had revealed her secret to him was imprinted in her memory. It always would be. The delight on his face was something she did not see often, so she revelled in it. Yet still she could not shake the fear that she might one day wake up and he might not be there. He had left her so many times before that she was nervous, and so she clung on to him as if for dear life.
He pulled back from her even further, trying to disentangle himself from her desperate grip. "Teresa …" he whispered to her, his face right in front of hers, his hands on her cheeks "I am not going anywhere. I love you! And I love our baby, and I will not leave you alone. I promise I will never leave you again"
Her voice came out like a whisper "Okay. Okay" She sat almost still as he lent forwards to kiss her, only moving a couple of centimetres towards him.
Jane sat back and took Lisbon's hands in his "Come on, my dear" gingerly he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"I love you, Patrick" her voice was still quiet, tear-filled, it almost broke as she spoke.
He squeezed her a little tighter, letting her know that he felt the same, and that he was there for her no matter what.
"Is the great Teresa Lisbon crying?" Stan mocked his older sister as they re-joined the party.
"Bite me, Stan!" she hissed at him. Not in an angry way, but once again in a joking way "And it's Teresa Jane now!"
Jane physically jumped at the name "You … you" he stammered "Want to change your name?"
She looked at him as if he was mad "Of course, Jane! We're married now"
"Teresa" he mumbled, now it was his turn to cry "You didn't have to do that" he trailed his fingers lightly over the freckles on her bare arms.
"I want to" she smiled up at him devilishly, standing on her toes to kiss him tenderly. Quietly, so only he could hear him she whispered "For all three of us".
Jane's eyes welled up with tears once more, his face morphing into a joyful, loving smile "Teresa Jane. Sounds good … I love you so much" he stroked her face, tracing all her freckles. His thumb ghosting over her soft flesh. Memorising the way her face felt when she was smiling. He had done this before, when he had been blinded, but today was the first day of the rest of their lives. He wanted to remember her beauty forever.
Jane stood at the side of the party, watching his new wife as she twirled around with her brother's. In all the time he had known her he had never seen her so carefree; so happy.
"Hey, Jane!" Grace said as she came to stand next to him.
"Hi" he replied, casting her a momentary glance before returning his gaze to Teresa.
Grace followed his gaze with a knowing smile "We're all really happy for you two. It's about time you two found happiness"
"Took us long enough!" he chuckled.
"Yeah it did. Hey, you and Lisbon – er – Jane … Teresa need to come out with us some time. We don't see any of you nearly enough"
"Yeah we should. When are you guys going home?"
"Oh, tomorrow. We can't stay for long, we need to get back to the kids"
"Well then why don't we meet up tomorrow then?"
Grace looked a little shocked "Are you two not having a honeymoon then?"
He shook his head, smiling at his little workaholic "Teresa doesn't want to miss work" she had always thrown herself into work, and it had always worried him a little. Right now he was hoping
"She works too much" she sighed.
"I know! So tomorrow? It'll be like old time" he nudged her with his elbow affectionately. The years they had spent together in the bullpen had forced them all close. Now the five of them where the best of friends. Grace and he were admittedly the least friendly out of all of them, but they still got on very well.
"Sure. Go out for drinks?. I'll talk to Cho"
"Ok-ay" he nodded. He looked away from the red-head and back to the dance floor where Teresa was still spinning around with Stan. She was beginning to look a little dizzy and tired "I think I should go and rescue my wife from her brothers before she collapses"
He came up behind her and as she paused to take a breath he grabbed her from behind. She let out a little shriek as he hoisted her into the air, like he had done earlier.
"Patrick!" she squealed at him "Put me down!"
"Okay, okay" he conceded before she started to hit him. He let go of her and she dropped onto the floor, wobbling a little and grasping at her husband to support herself.
"What is your sudden obsession with hugging me?" she teased him.
"I want everyone to know that you are mine, and I am never going to let you go"
She let out a low chuckle "Out of context that could sound quite creepy!"
"Hmm" he agreed.
"What were you talking to Grace about?"
"Oh they have to go back home tomorrow so were wondering if the old CBI team could go out for dinner"
"As long as it's just dinner and no alcohol" her hand slid down to rest on her flat stomach.
"I can't make any promises, but you are definitely not having any young lady!" he said with a mischievous smirk.
"Young lady?" she scoffed "I'm hardly young!"
"You're younger than me, and -" he leaned in closer "- Young enough to get knocked up" he sealed her lips with a kiss before she could reply. He felt like a young man having his first taste of true love, his first exhilarating; tempting; whirlwind of a romance. One he would always remember. But this time he would never forget not because it was his first dip in the pool, but because this was his last. This was the one he was never going to let go, never going to put in danger. This new family, this second chance was going to be his forever and no one could take that away from him.
"Ssh!" she snipped at him when they pulled apart. She leant against him heavily, using him as her own personal, extra spine.
"Are you okay?" he asked her worriedly "Do you want to go?"
"I'm fine Jane!" she insisted slightly exasperatedly. He had asked her the same question many times over and over again.
He threw her a smile "Sweetie" he passed his hand lightly over her arms and they eventually settles on her face, caressing her smooth cheeks "I just want everything to be okay"
Teresa snuggled herself into his chest, the height difference made it impossible to touch their foreheads together so she settled for this amount of closeness "It is and it all will be" she whispered into the soft fabric of his clothes.
"T, we're gonna go back to the hotel now. Kids need to go to bed"
"Okay Stan" she pulled her younger, but taller, brother in for a hug "It was good to see you all again!"
He gave a slight chuckle at that "You need to come up to Chicago more often! The both of you"
The newly-weds exchanged a mutual look "Yeah. We'll have to arrange that"
After Stan and his family left it did not take long for some of the other guests to start disappearing from the crowd. Gradually the numbers thinned and thinned until barely any one was left: the Janes, Cho, the Rigsbys, Abbot, Wylie and Jimmy and his girlfriend. Without agreeing so they all began to clear up, there was not much mess but they still tidied up together. Eventually it was just the old CBI team left – standing there is awkward silence, no one knowing what to say, not even Patrick Jane.
"Well … I guess congratulations are in order" Grace started off the conversation.
"Yeah. Uh … congratulations guys" Rigsby stuttered, at a loss with the immensity of the situation "Well always knew you'd get together"
"Never thought we'd get this far though" Jane chuckled at the bewildered expressions on their faces. He wrapped his hand around his wife's hip and pulled her flush against him. She blushed as he leant down and kissed her tenderly on the nose.
Grace giggled at Lisbon's embarrassment and Jane's cuteness "I'm glad you did"
"So," Cho interrupted the conversation "What's happening tomorrow?"
A/N: Yes/No? Thoughts people? Should I continue or what?
