A/N: Okay, as promised here it is. I had intended to write the whole wedding thing in one chapter, but while writing I realized that it`s gonna take much longer than anticipated. So, I decided to split it. I`m not sure how many more chapters there will be but I promise not to let you wait too long for the next one. I`m a little handicapped at the moment because I hurt my right arm during the weekend and writing is a little difficult. But then again, I gained a week off work, so I will have more time to write. Hope you enjoy reading!

Breaking Free

Chapter Three

It was 6.30 am on a Saturday morning and Teresa Lisbon found herself sitting on a plane. To Las Vegas. She couldn`t believe it. Less than 10 hours ago she`d been on a date – a date she didn`t want to have with a man she didn`t have any feelings for except some fondness, while the man she truly loved with all of her heart seemed to be as unavailable as never before. Her whole life had felt like a big mess and all she wanted to do was vanish, leave it all behind and forget about it.

And now here she was. On a plane to Las Vegas – to get married. Not to the man who technically still was her boyfriend, but to Jane. Patrick Jane. The man who had caused her more troubles than she could remember, who had been the biggest pain in the ass, had been unreasonable, difficult and childish – but who had also been the one man she found she could trust completely, who`d been there for her whenever she needed him and who had never given up on her, even when she was about to make the biggest mistake in her life. The one man she really truly loved. Jane.

She turned her head to look at him and found him smiling at her, though she could see a little uncertainty in his eyes. He`d been watching her, almost seeing the wheels turn in her head as the realization of what they were about to do was truly registering on her mind. He feared that she might have changed her mind. Even though he didn`t question that she loved him, he had started to doubt that she would really run off with him and marry him just like that. It just wasn`t something that Lisbon would do.

"Having seconds thoughts?" he asked softly.

She just looked at him for some moments, studying his beautiful face, amazed at how open he was to her, not hiding his feelings behind a mask anymore. The deep love she saw in his eyes almost overwhelmed her. She reached out to stroke his cheek, his lips, leaning over to place a soft kiss on them. She smiled at him.

"No" she said "no second thoughts." She snuggled up against him, her head resting on his shoulder and fell asleep, feeling safe and warm in his embrace.

Seeing the unhidden love and tenderness in her eyes, Jane knew that he had nothing to worry about. Her decision was final and although he would never quite understand why this amazing woman had chosen him of all men, right now he just wanted to embrace this chance of being happy again. With his love safely in his arms Jane began to relax, his exhaustion getting the better of him. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep as well.

Though Jane had originally planned to make the trip to Las Vegas with his Airstream, Lisbon had convinced him that it would take way too long to get there by road. So instead they had returned to Austin, making a short stop at Lisbon`s place for her to pack some clothes and headed straight to the airport. Luckily there were early hour flights from Austin to Las Vegas.

They used the time they had before boarding to do some research on the internet, checking out different hotels and offers to find the perfect place for their wedding. They finally decided for a wedding package at the Wynn which would even include a limousine to pick them up at the airport, take them to the courthouse to get their license and then on to the hotel. A very convenient solution they agreed.

They made the bookings by phone and although everything was on very short notice, they had no problems whatsoever, finally arriving at the Wynn around noon. Though at that point both of them wanted nothing more than to have some time alone with each other, the receptionist informed them that their private wedding consultant would be waiting for them in the lobby in 30 minutes. She gave them their keys and showed them the way to the elevators. Sighing in defeat, Jane picked up their luggage and steered Lisbon in the right direction, one hand placed protectively on the small of her back.

As soon as the elevator doors had closed behind them Jane had Lisbon in a tight embrace, his warm lips descending upon hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him close. Their kiss was deep and loving, tongues sliding against each other sensually. They were both so immersed with one another that they didn`t notice the elevator stopping nor the ping when the doors opened on their floor. Only when someone cleared their throat loudly did they separate, Lisbon blushing heavily, Jane with a broad grin on his face. He took Lisbon`s hand and pulled her out onto the floor and into the direction of their suite.

He opened the door and stepped in after her, barely noticing his beautiful surroundings, his eyes fixed on the woman in front of him. Jane closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her from behind, pressing her against his body. He leaned down and whispered into her ear "We`ve got 25 minutes. Shower together?"

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, rubbing her nice little butt against his obvious arousal. "Let`s go" she breathed.

They didn`t waste any time, undressing as fast as possible, hungrily pressing their naked bodies against each other. Kissing passionately they stumbled into the large walk-in shower. When her back hit the tiled wall, Jane grabbed Lisbon`s ass and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist instinctively. He didn`t bother to test if she was ready, just let her slide down onto his cock until he was buried balls-deep inside of her.

Lisbon broke the kiss to sink her teeth into his shoulder, the sensation of his huge erection stretching her tight sheath almost too much to take. Jane growled deep in his chest, the slight pain of her bite fueling his passion and he started pounding into her without hesitation. His rhythm was hard and fast, his strong hands holding her in place mercilessly. Lisbon held on to him desperately, crying out in pleasure every time he slammed into her forcefully.

It only took a couple of powerful strokes to make her shatter all around him, her walls gripping him, sending him over the edge with her in a mind-blowing release.

When he had his breathing back under control again, Jane let Lisbon slide down his body again, keeping her in a tender embrace. She put her arms around him, stroking his back lazily. Her face buried in his neck she whispered "That was amazing."

Jane looked down into her smiling face, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you" he said.

"I love you, too."

For some moments they just held each other, then started washing each other tenderly. They were a little sad that they didn`t have the time to fully explore one another as they wished to, needing to hurry up to meet with their wedding consultant on time. This was a very important date, after all. Grinning, they promised that that would take their time with each other that night – their wedding night.

Their wedding consultant was a young man named Dean who was very eager to provide them with any information they might – or might not - require. They sat down in one of the hotel`s restaurants where Jane and Lisbon had some delicious lunch while politely listening to Dean`s detailed and overly enthusiastic exclamations and suggestions and answering questions about flowers, music and many other things neither of them had any particular interest in.

After an hour of more or less boring conversation, Dean finally left them happily to do whatever he had to do to make their wedding day "an unforgettable memory". They had decided to hold the ceremony outside at the beautiful Primrose Courtyard at 8 pm. That left Jane and Lisbon with enough time at hand to go shopping for clothes and rings and get dressed up properly. Dean had provided them with some of the best addresses in Las Vegas to help them along. Watching him walk away, they exchanged a bemused look.

"That was – interesting" Jane said.

"Don`t complain, this was your idea" Lisbon teased.

"Oh, I`m not complaining. I would gladly suffer through another hour of boring nonsense or whatever else is necessary to make you say "I do" tonight."

"Aren`t you the romantic?" She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

"Yes, I am. That`s why we`re here, my dear."

He put his arm around her waist, placing a soft kiss on her temple. Together they went outside, looking for a taxi that would take them to Western Avenue. They wanted to go ring shopping first at the Jewelers of Las Vegas – according to Dean the most trusted jeweler in Nevada.

The store was big and elegant and obviously very expensive – too much so for Lisbon`s liking. She felt a little out of place in her jeans and simple shirt. Jane sensed her discomfort and put his hand around her waist, smiling at her reassuringly. Lisbon had always admired his natural grace and elegance and sometimes even envied him his slightly arrogant "the-devil-may-care" attitude. He never felt intimidated by anything and today she was more than willing to let him take the lead.

The Jewelers had a vast selection of all kinds of wedding bands. One thing Lisbon knew for sure was that she wanted something entirely different from Jane`s old wedding band – though she would never admit it out loud. The clerk showed them some sets of yellow gold rings, all of them modern but elegant and Lisbon suggested a pair of simple plain rings.

Jane had watched her closely while studying the different rings and he knew immediately that her choice was just about being sensible, not what she really wanted. His sweet, sweet Lisbon, always holding back when it came to her own needs and wishes. Well, he wouldn`t let her do that anymore. She deserved everything she wanted and he would gladly give it to her.

He picked out a delicate ring that was half-way set with sparkling diamonds. "What about this one?" he asked. "It would look wonderful with your eyes." He winked at her, remembering a night a long time ago when he had said something similar to her.

Lisbon looked at the beautiful ring in his hand, licking her lips. She had fallen in love with it right away but thought it was way too expensive and extraordinary – and besides, not quite appropriate for a tough FBI agent. She looked at Jane, not quite knowing what to say.

"I think this is a little too much" she tried, but didn`t sound very convincing, even to herself.

Jane turned to the sales clerk. "Would you give us a minute alone, please?"

"Of course" the man politely nodded at him and left them alone.

"Jane, I really don`t think this is – " Lisbon tried again but before she could finish her sentence Jane had taken her hand and slipped the ring on her finger. She gasped, looking at it with big round eyes. It fit perfectly.

Jane stepped closer to her, gently tilting her chin up to make her look at him. "Teresa, I know that this is the ring you want. Don`t deny yourself. It`s the perfect choice. And it DOES look wonderful with your eyes."

"But it`s so expensive" she whispered.

"Don`t worry about that. We can afford it. Anything that you want, my love."

Lisbon tilted her head, raising her eyebrows questioningly. Jane deliberately ignored her and signaled for the clerk to come back. She decided to let it pass for now but he would have to make some explanations. She handed the ring back to Jane who gave it to the clerk, saying "This one it is."

They chose a matching plain ring for himself, asking the clerk to engrave their names and the words "eternal love" for them. He promised to have the rings ready in two hours.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Jane said "Well, that went pretty well, don`t you think? So, where to next?"

He turned to look at Lisbon, grinning happily. She had crossed her arms in front of her, staring at him. "What was that about?" she wanted to know.

"What was what about?"

"Oh, come on, Jane, don`t play dumb with me. You know what I`m talking about. You just spend a couple thousand dollars in there like it`s nothing. Don`t tell me the FBI is paying you so well that you can afford it without even thinking about it. Where does the money come from?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "You know where the money comes from, Teresa."

She took a step closer, glaring at him. "I wouldn`t be asking if I did!"

"Oh please, Teresa. Of course you know how I made my money before I joined the CBI."

She looked at him incredulously. "You still have the money you made as a psychic? That was 13 years ago! How can there still be money?"

He shrugged. "I never touched any of it after… well, you know. Didn`t think it was right."

"But you spent two years in South America. I thought you lived on that money during that time."

"Yeah, I did. But believe me, life down there is cheap, you don`t need very much. Most of the money is still there. Of course, the FBI had frozen my accounts, but thanks to Dennis they cleared them a couple weeks ago."

Lisbon wasn`t sure what to think about it. "Why do you want to spend the money now?" she asked.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking up into the sky, contemplating her question. When he looked at her again, his expression was serious. "I think I punished myself enough for what happened. And although I admit that I am not particularly proud of what I did, it was my job and I worked hard for it. And I want us to have a good life. I want you to have everything that you want because you deserve it more than anyone else."

Lisbon was touched by his words and went to put her arms around him, kissing him softly on the lips. "I don`t need any luxury, Patrick. All I want is you." She whispered.

He held her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks tenderly. "I know that you don`t need it. And I`m not saying we should live in luxury from now on. Just some little niceties every now and then. There`s nothing wrong with that, is there?" His eyes were pleading with her to agree with him.

"I suppose not." She gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen on her face, her cute little nose wrinkling when she said "I really wanted that ring."

"I know you did." He leaned down and captured her lips, his arms wrapping tightly around her. Neither of them cared that they were standing in the middle of a sidewalk, people passing all around them, staring at them. They just enjoyed their new-found closeness, happy to be in each other`s arms.

To be continued