A/N: Wow! You guys must have liked this idea! Thank you for the wonderful response. I was so excited myself, that I got right to work on chapter 2. I think you'll like where this goes, Jisbon fans :). And yes, it's shamelessly romantic. I'm not apologizing.

Chapter 2

Lisbon had had the long hours on the plane to get ready for this moment, but still, she couldn't have prepared for the overwhelming rush of feeling when she was once more in the presence of Patrick Jane. She stood on the beach, her wet dress clinging to her legs, her heart beating wildly as he approached her, just as he had countless times before in her dreams. Her eyes grew misty and she couldn't stop smiling at the sight of him.

She had rehearsed what she was going to say when she saw him, but her mind went totally blank, and all she could do was feel—a mixture of gratitude, happiness, and yes, deep, abiding love. His steps on the warm sand quickened, and she expected him to stop a few feet before her, but he walked right into her arms, gathering her tightly against his lean frame, his hands hot on her back. He smelled of sunshine and the sea and the hauntingly familiar scent that was his alone. She felt his face in her hair, breathing her in as well, and her arms snaked around his much trimmer waist. Her sandals slipped from her fingers, and her eyes squeezed shut with emotion.

"Teresa," he said in wonder. "You're here."

"Yes," she replied, and she pulled him closer still. They swayed imperceptibly from side to side for a several long moments, the breeze blowing around them, ruffling their hair, the sea a dull roar in the background as their minds tried to absorb that this was actually happening.

Finally, he pulled back to look at her, his smile nearly as bright as the morning sun, and she basked in it joyfully. Reverently, he smoothed her hair away from her eyes before framing her face with his hands. The air seized in her lungs when he lowered his beach blonde head and found her trembling lips with his own.

She had the vague thought that he tasted of tea, just as she'd always imagined he would, and then she didn't think at all. His mouth on hers was filled with longing and welcome, and a heady passion that had her clinging to him, returning his kisses with equal fervor. Her hands moved up his back to delve into his hair, curlier and wilder than she remembered. She opened her lips to let in his seeking tongue, and she gasped into his mouth, then whimpered softly as the kiss went on and on.

When at last they parted, breathless and shaking, he hugged her to him again.

"I guess this means you missed me," said Lisbon, finding her voice.

Jane laughed as freely and happily as she'd ever heard him, and she joined in, her face buried in the soft cotton of his tailored shirt.

He pulled away from her and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers and smiling into her eyes.

"You look great," he said. "You've let your hair grow longer."

"You too," she said with an answering smile. And then she reached up with her free hand to touch his tan face. "And I like the beard." Her fingers lingered there, enjoying the softness of his golden beard, caressing it because he was letting her. He kissed her palm and grinned.

"But I'm not feeling the sarong," she said with a frown.

He laughed. "Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it. You wouldn't believe how comfortable it is."

She gave him a skeptical glance, then picked up her discarded shoes. They began walking back toward where he'd dropped his, but he couldn't stop looking sidelong at her, couldn't believe she was here, couldn't believe he'd finally gotten the courage to kiss her, as he'd always wanted to do.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here? How did you find me?"

He'd never told her his exact location in his letters, so she could have some amount of deniability.

Her smile dimmed, and subsequently, so did his.

"The FBI found me, eh?" he deduced. "I guess it was only a matter of time. So they sent you to arrest me?"

"No. Not exactly. They've sent me to entice you."

Her lips quirked a little at the irony, considering what they'd just been doing.

"I admit it; I'm enticed. What do they want?"

"A deal. They want you to come back and work for the FBI."

"And they'll drop all the charges, right?"

"That's what Abbot said."

"Aw, Abbot. Mr. Stick Up His Ass. You can tell him I wouldn't work for him even if he kissed me."

She blushed. "Jane, it's a good deal. You could come back to the States. You wouldn't have to live your life looking over your shoulder all the time."

"I don't do that now," he said. He gestured around him with his hand full of shoes. "Look around you, Lisbon. This is paradise, not a prison. No extradition treaty with the US, so the government here wouldn't let the FBI take me back by force." He shook his head in realization. "But that's why you're here—an offer I can't refuse."

"Yes."

"Do you want me to take the deal?"

She hesitated, thinking of the letters Abbot had confiscated, how he'd use them to ruin her newfound career if she didn't get Jane to come home. But she looked at him now, living as he pleased, as if they weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. He was a new man, and she was beginning to like him this way.

"No," she said honestly. "I don't think you should take it. You seem happy here. At peace."

He nodded. "So I am. But there are certain things I do miss," he told her meaningfully. "And I admit that this place, while relaxing, is lacking a bit in mental stimulation."

"Then maybe you should think about it a bit more first. See the offer on paper. Abbot has it at the hotel."

"He's here?"

"Yes."

"So he sent you out here like a lamb to the slaughter."

"I prefer a Christian to the lion."

He grinned. He'd really missed this—this bantering they had always done. It pleased him that they could fall back into it so easily.

"So why are you here, Lisbon, if you aren't that gung ho about my coming back?"

"It's not that I don't want you to come back. I—I miss you too," she admitted, blushing. "And your letters—they've meant the world to me. I've only gotten through our separation this time because you've kept in touch…"

"You're not answering my question," he prompted gently.

She sighed. "Abbot's blackmailing me. I've been in communication with a fugitive from the FBI and didn't notify them, either as a citizen or as an officer of the law—that's a pretty big no-no. And then…well, they confiscated your letters as evidence."

Jane squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Lisbon. My actions have caused you problems yet again. I'd hoped that by keeping my distance, you would have had a chance to be free of all that."

She snorted a little. "Even half a world away and you're still a pain in my ass."

"Sorry," he said again sheepishly, and for the first time since she'd known him, she actually believed his apology was sincere.

"The letters were worth it, though" she told him. "And for the record, I'm glad you are okay, that you like your life now. There's something so…different about you."

"It's the sarong," he said with a laugh.

"Yes, there's that." She glanced surreptitiously at his legs, beautifully tan and muscular as revealed by the knee length garment.

"But I think you know what I mean. As much as I wish you were back in the States, I value your happiness more, Jane. You deserve it, after all those years of pain…"

He stopped and turned to face her. "Pain is relative, Teresa. The idea of not seeing you again, so soon after that wonderful welcome you just gave me, seems pretty painful to contemplate."

He bent with the intention of kissing her again, his lips a barely a whisper from hers.

"Wait," she said, her hands going to his chest. "I won't be the reason you take this deal. You need to do this only if it's what you really want. Read the contract; make an informed decision."

"Weren't you supposed to be enticing me?"

He smiled seductively at her, and she felt her legs go weak.

Seeing this sensual side of Jane was new too, and a bit overwhelming, especially up close like this, their kisses still hanging in the air between them. She laughed nervously and stepped out of his personal space.

"Let's go meet with Abbot."

He sighed dramatically, but took her hand again as they walked up the beach toward the village.

"Okay, I'll meet with the bastard. But afterwards, regardless of my decision, let me show you around my island."

"Your island," she mused.

"Yes. Two years here, and they're already thinking of renaming it after me."

"Yeah, I'll bet," she said dryly. "But isn't there already a Jane's Island somewhere?"

"Yes, In Maryland, I believe. Actually, they were thinking they'd call it, Isla de Huevos Grandes"

Lisbon burst out laughing. "You just said Island of Big Eggs. But I suppose, given your ego, that's probably a good name for your island."

"I actually meant Good Eggs, because Alfredo cooks the best ones, thanks to me."

"Then you probably should have said Buenos Huevos. Two years here, and your Spanish is still atrocious."

He grinned affectionately. "Aw, Lisbon, how have I made it this long without you?"

How indeed, she thought, loving him beyond reason.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Five years?" said Jane to Abbot in disbelief. "No way in hell." He slid the contract back across the table.

The three of them were sitting in the hotel's al fresco restaurant, an amazing view of the Caribbean over Abbot's left shoulder.

"That's really not much of a commitment to working for us, given you could be facing life in a Federal prison. You shot and strangled a law enforcement officer, Jane, serial killer or not."

"I'm not facing anything if I stay right here," Jane countered. His hand snuck beneath the table to find Lisbon's, who was looking upon the negotiations with conflicting emotions. Her small hand was cold in his.

"Well, that's the truth," replied Abbot with irony. "But, now that we know where you are, the minute you step out of this country, you'll be arrested and expedited to the US for trial. So, in a way you're in prison here—a beautiful prison, but a prison just the same."

"Better a prison of my own choosing," Jane said, sitting back in his chair and taking a sip of his tea.

Abbot looked narrowly at Jane, gauging his sincerity, looking for a chink in his sarong-clad armor. He noticed the man's brief glance of reassurance at Lisbon, and realized he'd found Jane's weakness easily enough. He smiled.

"Well, our plane doesn't leave until tomorrow night, so I'm going to play a round of golf this afternoon and give you a chance to think a bit more about it. Maybe I'll do some sightseeing tomorrow. Lisbon, you game?"

"No thanks," she said. "I'd like to visit some more with Jane if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Just be ready to leave at five tomorrow evening. Oh, and you might want to start making some arrangements for your replacement back in Washington. You may have to take off a few months—or up to a year, depending on the way things go. Have a good day, you two."

Abbot tossed his napkin onto the table, having finished his late breakfast. The big man rose and left them to ponder his words. Lisbon squeezed Jane's hand, and looked hopelessly out to sea.

"That manipulative son-of-a-bitch," he bit out under his breath. "He seems to forget I've killed four men."

"Stop," she said. "He's obviously bluffing."

Jane shook his head. "I don't think so. He has no qualms about putting innocent people through hell if he gets what he wants."

Lisbon raised an amused eyebrow. "Pot, meet Kettle."

"That used to be me," Jane admitted. "No more. I can't abide bullies, Lisbon."

She turned to look deeply into his eyes. "This is the right decision for you-don't worry about me-I know lots of good lawyers. We have a day and a half together, Jane. This time is a gift that I never thought I'd have; let's not waste it on regrets or anger." She gave him a mischievous smirk. "Show me your Huevos Grandes."

Despite Jane's anger and the sharp pain in his heart, he smiled at her attempt at humor. "My pleasure, Senorita."

He took her on a tour of his favorite places, showing her off to the kind people he'd grown to love. Everyone looked surprised and pleased to see him with a lovely woman, his smile even wider than usual as he proudly introduced her.

Alfredo seemed especially happy for him. "At last we meet the beautiful Teresa," he said in stilted English (though it was still better than Jane's Spanish). "Senor Jane has spoken of you often. You should be ashamed, Senor. She is much more beautiful than you said."

Lisbon smiled. "Gracias, Alfredo." It was exciting for her to finally meet the people Jane had so lovingly described in his letters. She felt like she already knew them, his descriptions had been so accurate.

They took a longer walk on the beach, Lisbon catching Jane up on the fates of their former CBI team. Since she hadn't been able to write back to him, she had a lot to tell.

"Another baby," said Jane of Rigsby and Grace. "Good for them."

"They're visiting me in Washington in a few days. This will be my first chance to see little Maddie."

"Well, give her a kiss for me," he said, and his voice was filled with longing. Lisbon had forgotten how much Jane adored children.

"And Cho figured if he couldn't beat them, he'd join them," Lisbon said, after giving Jane the news that her former second in command had become an FBI agent.

"Traitor," said Jane in amusement, but there was more than a hint of pride there. "Good for Cho," he said truthfully. "And I'm glad you were all cleared of any conspiracy with The Blake Association."

"We were, but I faced a lot of suspicion when I tried to find another job in California. It was big news for months as the FBI cleaned house. But Cannon River is home now. It's beautiful there, and I have finally started to feel a part of the community."

Jane smiled. "I bet you were quite the curiosity, a lady police chief."

She grinned in remembrance. "You can't even imagine. Oh, the stories I could tell…"

"Please do," he said. "I'd love to hear them. Besides, you don't know how wonderful it is to be speaking in English."

"With your Spanish, I don't doubt it."

He laughed, and she found she was loving the unfamiliar sound more and more; Jane's laughter had been such a rarity before.

They spent the rest of the day talking, buying their lunch from street vendors and eating it while they walked. She bought souvenirs and presents for home, carrying them in a woven basket she'd procured first thing. His hand rarely left hers, or at times she'd feel its warmth on her lower back or shoulder, guiding her. He hadn't kissed her again, but she found she wanted him to, more than anything.

He saved showing his second-floor apartment for last, and she couldn't help her brief frown before she quickly masked it with a bright smile. It was a dump, and he knew it, but that's all he allowed himself in order to conserve his money.

"It's very…functional," she said diplomatically.

Jane chuckled. "It's awful; you can say it."

She walked around the two-room place, touching the shells he'd collected, sniffing the herb plants he was keeping to make the place a bit homier. He had a small stove with a teakettle, a bed and nightstand, and a small desk lined with books, most of them in Spanish. She would be sure to get his mailing address now so she could send him some books in English. Her throat tightened as she thought of the endless years before her without him.

"It's not awful," she replied, taking a seat on his lumpy bed. "It's exactly as you described."

"I admit I probably made it sound a bit more romantic than it really is."

She smiled. "You did. But I can see the attraction." She looked toward the open window, where the colorful village stretched out before them, rolling down to the edge of the clear blue sea. It was nearing sunset, and the sky was starting to change from blue to varying shades of pink and orange. "The view is spectacular."

He was leaning against his desk chair, watching her closely, memorizing what it was like to have her here for the long days ahead, when he would have nothing but his memories to sustain him. The ache in his heart returned with such violence that he actually put a hand to his chest.

"Are you hungry?" he asked suddenly, trying to forget the pain.

She smiled. "Sure."

"I know a place that has the best seafood on the island."

She stood. "Okay. But I'd like to run back to my hotel to change, if you don't mind. I feel like I'm carrying half the beach in my dress."

His eyes roamed up and down her colorful sundress, noting how she was a bit pink on her bare shoulders and nose from her afternoon in the sun, her hair full and wavy from the wind.

"You look lovely to me, but I'll take you back if you like."

"No, I remember the way."

"But—"

She held up a hand. "I'm a cop, Jane. I'll be fine."

Now this Lisbon he remembered quite well. "Okay, Chief, I'll meet you at that open-air café I showed you near the fountain, say, in about an hour?"

She moved toward the door, pausing to look at him one last time, her green eyes filled with unspoken promises that had his pulse racing. "I'll be there."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

An hour later, and Jane was sitting at a little wooden table amidst strings of colored lights, nervous as he'd been in years. He'd ordered them two cervezas, and he took a fortifying pull from his bottle, his foot tapping impatiently as he waited for Lisbon. He could still feel the phantom weight of his wedding ring, though he knew he'd left it on the table by his bed. If this was to be his only night with Lisbon, he wanted nothing of his tragic past between them.

He'd known the moment she'd left him an hour before that he wanted her in his bed, and that look she'd given him on her way out of his apartment told him it was what she wanted too. So, he'd showered in his tiny bathroom with the extremely low water pressure, thought about shaving but hadn't, since she'd genuinely seemed to like his beard. He wore slacks again for the first time in nearly a year along with his newest patterned shirt from his favorite local tailor, Victor. He wished he'd had some aftershave, but he didn't even own any anymore, so he hoped she liked the scent of coconut soap and deodorant.

Quit overthinking this, Jane, he told himself.

On his way to the café, he'd stopped at the small tienda for condoms (avoiding the knowing eyes of Ricardo, the proprietor) and the three he'd brought with him seemed to burn a hole in his wallet. He ran a shaking hand through his still damp hair, his eyes on the door. And then, as if summoned from his dreams, she appeared. He rose to greet her.

He recognized the dress as one she'd bought in the market earlier, a turquoise blue with a fitted bodice and flowing skirt. Silver strappy sandals revealed bright pink toenails, and her familiar gold cross rested above an enticing hint of freckled cleavage. She'd pulled up one side of her hair with a shell bedecked comb, and when she leaned in for his kiss on her soft cheek, she smelled of jasmine and roses. Had Jane believed in Heaven, he would have thought he'd awakened that morning, suddenly transported there by her very presence.

"Muy bonita," he exclaimed appreciatively.

She smiled, shamelessly admiring him as well. "Back at you."

They sat, the first time the silence seemed awkward between them.

"The paella here is really delicious," he offered.

She nodded, just at their waitress arrived. "Sounds good."

He ordered for them in Spanish, and she took a grateful sip of her beer.

"I missed you," he blurted out, once the waitress had gone. She didn't point out that it had only been an hour.

"Me too," she said. "Every day."

"I wish—" he began.

"No. Let's not do that. Let's enjoy our evening, okay? Live in the moment."

He brought his bottle up. "I'll drink to that."

She clinked her beer against his, sealing this deal, at least. From then on, the conversation flowed as easily as it always had between them.

The food was as wonderful as he'd promised, and as they enjoyed another drink—this time margaritas-Jane took her hand across the table, his thumb massaging her delicate knuckles. An inspired thought occurred to him.

"You wanna go dancing?"

Her smile lit up her face, that kind of smile he loved the most. "Sure."

He swung her around to the lively rhythm of the street band, both of them dancing with abandon and much laughter, Jane feeling intoxicated by her nearness as much as with the alcohol. When the music finally slowed, he pulled her close to the cadence of a mellow guitar, her body warm against his, her perfumed hair tickling his nose as they moved.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispered, and he felt her tremble a little at his words.

"Yes," she said on a sigh, and before the song had even ended, he took her hand and led her down the darkened streets toward his apartment.

A/N: Yes, I started this with a kiss, because that's what we all wanted them to do, right? Please forgive any mistakes in my Spanish. Believe me, I speak it much worse than Jane. More to come very soon, I imagine. I find I'm enjoying writing this very much.