• So, here we are. The finale was perfect and I can't stop thinking about it, basically. Perhaps I'm a little late with the tag but I'm not an expert writer, so it took me a while. Anyway, since we're "orphans" now, I guess fanfiction is a perfect world for us to stay and keep our favorite TV show alive. Also, there's the The Mentalist 3.0 fanfiction project, so let's help ourselves and prolong this beautiful friendship that TM provided us :)

• This story is just kind of an extended version of the episode. Not saying the episode wasn't enough, of course, but my fangirl heart always asks for a little bit more. I'm pretty sure you guys know how I feel.

• This happens right before the explosion on Lazarus place and jumps straight to the marriage, since these are one of the most important scenes, and I didn't want to make a too long story. Also, I chose to write it mainly on Jane's point of view, because I really needed to put it out how I think he had felt about his whole new life.

I'm truly sorry for all my English mistakes since it's not my first language but I hope you enjoy! And please, review your critical thoughts if possible.

Disclaimer: I only own my fangirlingness over The Mentalist. That's all.

Based on s07e12/13, Brown Shag Carpet and White Orchids:

That was it. Lazarus was now into Jane's trap, and he wished with all his soul that it would work. Quickly, but nervously, he took his handcuffs off one more time, expecting to open the door and run away from there as fast as he could, escaping from the coming fire, going back safe to the arms of the woman he loved. But all his effort to escape from the explosion had collapsed when he found the door locked. He tried to open it, even threw all his strength against it but without any success. His world fell apart for a brief moment. He thought he wouldn't survive, he thought he wouldn't survive to see her again.

After insisting so much on how dangerous her job was, he found himself on the situation he was most scared of seeing her. He couldn't just die there, leaving her again, permanently. He couldn't. It wasn't like he hadn't survived to an explosion before, but this time he had her and had plans to make a future with her, so leaving for death scared every inch of his body.

His time was running out, he knew, and the storm of bad thoughts in his mind didn't help at all to find a solution, all he could do was to shoot himself on the ground and protect his head with his both hands, hoping he'd be okay, hoping the fire wouldn't reach him nor wreck the house down.

"Jane!?"

He felt dizzy. For a moment he forgot where he was and what was happening, then he realized his ears were whizzing, he could barely hear his own accelerated breathe, and his head ached like he had been hit by cannon-ball.

"Jane, are you here?!"

He tried to control his breathe so his system could get back to normal, but his lungs were then so full of smoke that half of a deep breath made him choke, and he cough out that disgusting taste out of his throat. Meanwhile, he thought he had listened to a voice somewhere near, her voice, but he didn't believe his instincts, everything was so messed up and distorted that he only believed when she had approached and touched him.

"Can you stand up? Come on, let's get you up."

Her voice sounded like an angelical sound. Even with all the pain through his body, knowing she was there to save him and help him out immediately made his heart and mind feel better. He was alive. He felt alive.

He stood up with her help, with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. He couldn't even bear with the weight of his own body at that moment, but luckily, he had a strong girlfriend who was there by his side.

"Don't you ever do that to me again. Ever!"

Well, now you understand how I feel, he thought, but didn't say anything. He just allowed himself to feel the warmth of her arm around him, the touch of her body on his. He felt comforted, he felt safe.

As she helped him sit on the passenger seat, she made her way to her seat, wiping the tears off her cheek as she was in position.

"Don't cry", he said with a weak and hoarse voice, closing his eyes to breathe in a clear air, trying to let the pain through his body and mainly in his head go away.

"I thought you are dead", she said, broken. "I was almost sure I had lost you forever!", and the tears came up again on her face with more intensity between sobs.

He opened his eyes to view her pale skin, with her face covered by her hands. He should had listened to her when she said he didn't need to follow Tork's idea. It was a stupid plan and he damn well knew that. But of course, his stubbornness acted with more strength, as always. He just needed to finish with that serial killer story, because he couldn't bear with the idea of having a serial killer out there destroying innocent people's lives. He couldn't and he had all the reasons in the world to feel that.

"You didn't", he said leading one of his hands to find hers and take them off from her face so he could look at her eyes, "I'm here. I'm safe now."

"Thank God for that. I need you, Jane. I can't lose you", and she held his hand tight, understanding that he hadn't energy enough to do the same but he was doing his best.

"I need you too. That's why I didn't allow myself to die."

In response, she gave him a sad little smile, showing him that even with all the weight and fear on her heart at that moment she was above all grateful for having him alive.

She started the car and drove straight to the airstream where she took care of him. His whole body ached so she had helped him change his clothes and had cured the little wounds over his face with a first aid kit, ordering him then to get some sleep.

"Stay. You're tired too, you need to sleep as much as I do", he said, already laying down and watching her preparing to leave.

"I need to go back to the office and be 100% done with this case. I'll be quick, I promise."

"Then be quick tomorrow. No offense, but it's not like they would be lost without your help to finish a case. They're the FBI", he insisted.

"I'm responsible for it, Jane. All the paperwork."

"Teresa... please."

He really just wanted her to stay by her side. He wanted to fall asleep on her arms while she caressed his head. He needed her. He had been through hell one more time in that day so he just needed her heavenly peace and placid presence. And fortunately, for his comfort, he had what he wanted. After his last words that were pronounced like a begging, she had lay the closest she could next to him and involved him on her arms, letting one arm between the mattress and his neck, with her hand suspended to touch his forehead and caress the curls of his forelock.

"How are you feeling?", she had asked as they were curled in each others arms.

"With a headache, but I'm better now."

"You'll survive."

"Yes, I will."

And they stared at each other for a few moments, just admiring each others eyes and facial expressions.

"Thank you", Jane said almost whispering but breaking the silence, too involved on her affections to measure his voice tone.

She leaned a soft kiss on the side of his head as a "you're welcome" and it took 5 minutes or less for him to fall asleep completely. The serenity of his expressions took all the weight against her heart away, because he was happy, happy to have her by his side, happy to feel alive for the first time in a long, long time.

Initially, her plan was to make him fall asleep and then head back to work, but as she had watched his tranquil gestures while he breathed slowly in and out, gathered in the most deep sleep, she forgot about it. Work could wait.

He stood there, watching the wind making little waves on the surface of the lake that now owned to him, to them. His hands were slightly trembling, his heart beating fast and consequently his breath was also accelerated. After so many years, so many situations and ups and downs, he was there, waiting for her, waiting for his near future wife.

Of course he couldn't avoid the memories from his first marriage, but he was ok with that. He got over it, she made him get over it. And when he had seen her coming next to him, wearing that beautiful white dress, he thought he wouldn't handle.

"Hey you."

She was so beautiful. So stunning. She was his heaven.

"Hi."

He wished he could had told her that, how wonderful she was, how wonderful she had ever been, but he was speechless, he was in the moon. But like an insight, his heart gave him the words that would show her how decided he was to make their lives together a good one.

"Well… No matter what happens, from this point on, we have to promise each other that we will always look on the bright side."

"I promise", she said with a determination that made Jane's heart melt, like his whole body had received a wave of warmth.

"Me too."

He would have lied if he said he hadn't felt fear thinking that a serial killer was about to show up there. He knew they were safe, but his overprotective heart was stubborn. Quickly, thought, he had forgot about it. He was now staring at his woman, watching, happily, the happiness on her eyes. After a real struggle, he had let her go to the dance floor with her brothers for a while, because since they had said their "I do", he hadn't let go of her for one minute. He even had stole her from her brother's and Abbott's arms when they tried to hug her. But bear with him! He had waited for that moment for too long.

Two minutes was all he had endured, though. He didn't want to stay away from his wife anymore, he couldn't. So he invaded the dance floor and took her for his arms, once again.

"Hey", he said, holding her hips as their bodies followed the slow and romantic music that started playing.

"Hi", she answered with her most wild smile, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I remember the last time we danced like this…"

"Oh…", he chuckled, amazed that she had kept that memory on her mind and had brought that up on such a precious moment. "How could I forget? Too bad it took so long for us to repeat it."

"We're here now, that's what matters. Bright side, remember?"

"Yes. Yes, of course." He grinned at her and didn't stop when she had touched his lips with hers, starting a lovely, warm and soft kiss. As her fingers played with his curls, he involved his arms on her waist and raised her up, making her chuckle between the kiss that still kept going until they weren't able to hold their breaths any longer. Jane let her step on the ground again, and both of them were still wearing their best smile on their faces.

"I, uh... Have a little surprise for you", Jane said leaning his forehead on hers.

"What?! Are you never done with surprising me?", she chuckled.

"Hmm... I don't think so."

"I'm not complaining, though."

And with another smile, Jane had turned around to make a signal to Abbott, Cho, Rigsby, Wylie, Jimmy and Stanley, who were all reunited at the stairs of the porch's cabin, pointing some objects to the sky that Lisbon couldn't identify at first. But right after she had felt Jane's hand holding hers tight, the shrill explosion put all her doubts away.

"Oh!", she shouted, startled and surprised with the first explosion, immediately going after her husband's arms and holding him tight, as if she wanted protection, even though it wasn't something to be scared at all.

Jane felt that warmthness through his body again when she instinctively ran for his arms, and that feeling growed up when they were curled in each other's arms, watching the sky getting different colors at every new explosion. He watched her laughing and pointing at the sky, her eyes brimming with joy, showing to him how amazed she was with that surprise, and he saved every frame of that scene in his memory palace.

As the fireworks were done, she thanked him with another lovingly kiss, and the dance floor were invaded by her brothers and the rest of the men who helped with the fireworks, so they sneaked out to their favorite place, just to enjoy each other's company while watching the new best day of their lives going on, with happiness and fun floating in the air with the crazy dances their guests kept doing.

He wasn't used with all that hyperactivity on his life as the one he had seen on Lisbon's brothers personalities, but he could get used with that. They had supported him with their sister, and as long as they were important to Lisbon, they were important to him. They were also his family now, and this time he wouldn't fail, he wouldn't disappoint any of them nor himself.

"How are you feeling?", he asked breaking the silence.

"I am so happy."

Again, he felt the most comforting feeling rule his whole body, and it was like he was waiting for that moment for the last 12 years, to find the true happiness. Of course he had found it since the day she had stayed with him instead of going to DC, but this time, this time everything was even more intense. They were married and about to finally start a new life together, so hearing from her mouth how happy she was could definitely be the best thing that could ever be told to him to end that day with completeness. But in fact, that was only what he had thought it could be the best. He could never imagine that things would end up way better than he had ever imagined.

"Me too… me too."

"... There's something I need to tell you…", she said with hesitation and anxiety.

He looked up at her, a little startled to see her expressions. What in the world could cause her that?, he wondered, and he felt a little scared for a brief moment, he didn't know exactly why. Everything seemed to be too good to be true, and deep down he was afraid to wake up and find out that everything was just a dream. But he was just being silly, of course. Things were real, and he would feel the real happiness, the real feeling of being alive, with the next part of their lives that he was about to discover.

Her hands held his tight, while the other one touched her stomach. He looked down.

When Angela had told him she was pregnant, tears immediately came up to his eyes. He had never imagined that him, a boy who never had a proper family, a proper house, would be so lucky to have an amazing woman by his side that would also give a birth to his child. He had felt blessed in all possible ways, even if he wasn't a religious man at all.

And then he had lost everything in less than 24 hours. Everything he never had when he was young but had been able to conquer when he was older. His whole world had fell apart, and after that, he was sure he had a curse above him and he would never have a happy life again. So he had blamed himself for 12 years. He had put all the fault upon his shoulders and sacrificed all his peace over a revenge, because in his mind, he deserved that suffering, he had deserved all that pain for being responsible for the death of his happy and dreamed life, of his precious family.

But there he was, staring at his new wife, his new precious life, with her hand over her belly. He knew exactly what that meant, but he couldn't believe it. It was when he realized, like he had been hit that he was really there, getting married for a second time after falling in love again, and finding out that he would become a father for a second time. Was he really receiving that gift one more time? Was he really getting a second chance to make things work for real now? He just couldn't believe.

"You are...?", he said in complete disbelief.

"I am."

And the tears came up, immediately. He was speechless, even though his heart, his mind and his whole body were overflowing with happiness. He wished he could had said how he was feeling. He wished he could had thanked her for every single day she had spent with him since they met. But he was beyond words, and luckily, she understood that. All he had managed to do was to give her a kiss followed by a hug, and it was the best way to describe how thankful he was.

For the first time in 12 years, he found true happiness and peace again.

For the first time, he forgave himself.