Straight From The Heart
Chapter 3
Lisbon rolled over and glanced at her clock. She sighed when she saw it was only four in the morning. She hadn't been able to fall asleep, so she got out of bed and headed to her kitchen. As she put the kettle on to boil, a sound at her front door caught her attention. She wandered through to the door, but stopped when she saw the white envelope sitting on the floor. The letterbox was still swinging slightly. Lisbon picked up the envelope. Her name was neatly printed on the back, and she recognised the writing. She took the envelope back to the kitchen and carefully removed the letter.
"Dearest Teresa. I can't get you out of my mind. I love you. Please give us a chance. You are my only reason to live anymore. Before you argue that I still love my wife; I do still love Angela and Charlotte, and probably always will, but you're alive, and I want to be with you.
If you do reconsider, please meet me at Harrods at six o'clock tonight. I love you, Teresa.
Patrick.
P.S. Before you start arguing that it's against the rules, I've checked the CBI handbook. It's completely legal, as I'm not actually an agent."
Lisbon placed the letter down on her counter and rested her head in her hands. Around about midnight, Lisbon had finally accepted that she loved Jane – she could still feel his warm lips pressed against hers – but had accepted the fact that they could never be together. He was still in love with his wife, she had decided, and he was still seeking vengeance for their deaths. She couldn't finally get what she truly wanted, only to lose him when he was arrested for murdering Red John. Lisbon sighed. She made herself a cup of coffee and got ready for work. It may have only been half past four in the morning, but Lisbon figured that she could get her paper work finished if she started early.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
Jane sat in his attic, reading over his Red John files. He knew every detail of what was in the files, but still read them anyway. It helped him pass the time until he saw Lisbon again. He toyed absentmindedly with his battered wedding ring. He knew that he still loved his wife, but he also knew that Angela would have wanted him to be happy. And Jane knew that he could only truly be happy with Lisbon. He sat reading his files until the sun rose.
Van Pelt and Cho arrived at the bullpen at the same time and found Lisbon hard at work in her office. Three empty cups were scattered across her desk, and Van Pelt raised an eyebrow. She poked her head around the door. "Morning, Boss," she said. She eyed the cups curiously.
Lisbon glanced up at her. "Morning, Van Pelt."
Van Pelt nodded and disappeared off to her desk. Rigsby arrived, and soon the team were busy working on their paper work. Jane spent most of the day holed up in his attic, but appeared shortly before lunch. Lisbon was drinking her sixth cup of coffee, and idly wondering if she would receive any song lyrics that day, when Jane strolled into her office. "Lisbon," he scolded gently. "How many of those have you had today?"
Lisbon glanced down at the cups and blushed. "As many empty cups as you see," she replied, placing the cup on the desk with the rest.
Jane produced a pastry packet from nowhere and placed it on her desk. "You should probably eat something." He paused on his way out, his face serious. "Will I see you tonight?"
Lisbon smiled and stood up. "Of course, Jane. I'll see you at six."
Jane's face broke into a huge grin. "Thank you," was all he could say.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
Lisbon pulled into the parking lot of Harrods and got out of her car. Harrods was an upper-class restaurant that was definitely out of her usual range. She wore a short black dress and a pair of heels. Her attempts to impress Jane had made her fifteen minutes late, so she hurried to the door.
Jane was waiting nervously off to the side. He wasn't oblivious to the looks he was receiving from other female patrons, but he chose to ignore them. He wore a dark suit with the top button on his white shirt undone, and his hair was pushed casually up off his face. He had counted at least six different women who had been subtly undressing him with their eyes, and their efforts almost made him smile.
He spotted the tiny brunette agent before she saw him, and his mouth went dry. He had to work to control his expression as he strode over to her. Lisbon stood nervously in the hallway of the swanky restaurant, completely out of her depths. "Teresa," he said. "I'm so glad you could make it."
Lisbon turned to face him, but stopped in shock. "You look, terrific." She stammered, stepping closer to him.
"Shall we go eat?" he asked, offering her his hand.
"I'm starving," replied Lisbon, taking his hand with one of her own.
The table they sat at was situated in the back corner. Music was being played from several speakers mounted around the room as they sat in the dark cream room. The carpet was dark orange and complemented the seat cushions. Jane just stared at Lisbon as she sat nervously opposite him. "Jane," she began.
"Please, Teresa," he replied. "Call me Patrick. This isn't work, after all."
"Fine." She said. "Patrick, we still need to talk."
"No, Teresa," he replied. "We need to relax and enjoy our date."
Lisbon sighed. It could wait for later.
Lisbon returned back to their table after a visit to the bathroom. She found Jane frowning ever so slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked curiously.
Jane just shook his head and smiled. He had noticed a few of the men watching Lisbon as she walked from the room, and his possessiveness had burned. He reached across the table to cup Lisbon's cheek with his hand. Her eyelids fluttered slightly as he leant forward and gently pressed his lips to her cheek. Lisbon blushed and glanced down at the table. That was when she spied the piece of yellow paper resting in front of her. She picked it up and read the words, smiling as she did.
"It's a long way up
And we won't come down tonight.
And it may be wrong,
But, baby, it sure feels right.
The moon is up and the stars are bright,
And whatever's wrong is gonna be alright,
'Cause tonight you will be mine
Up on cloud number nine.
And there ain't no place that I'd rather be,
And we can't go back, but you're here with me.
Yeah, the weather's really fine,
Up on cloud number nine."
As if on cue, the music in the background changed, and that very song started playing. Lisbon smiled as the song finished. She glanced at Jane, who leant back over the table and pressed his lips to hers. She slid her hand up into his soft curls and pulled him closer. He pulled away, and smiled at her. Lisbon felt her heart pounding in her ears, and Jane carefully flipped the piece of paper over. There was writing on the back. "Cloud Number Nine – Bryan Adams". Underneath was written, "I'm on cloud nine with you. Be mine."
Jane watched as many emotions flicked across Lisbon's face, before she glanced back up at him. He could see the love in her eyes, and she gave him a small smile. "Yes," was all she said.
After their meal, Jane helped her to her feet. He rested one hand on the small of her back and guided her through the restaurant. He glared coldly at the men who dared to peek at his Lisbon's legs as she passed. Outside, he wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her up against his chest. She rested her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for the amazing evening, Patrick," she mumbled into his jacket.
Jane held her tighter. "Anytime, my dear Teresa."
Lisbon sighed and stepped away. "You want to come back to my place?" she offered.
Jane thought for a moment. "I would be honoured to."
They stepped away from each other and got into their own cars. Jane followed Lisbon back to her apartment.
Once inside, Jane began walking around the room, examining the framed photos and little trinkets. "I know you're exhausted, Teresa," he said over his shoulder. He knew that she hadn't slept the night before, and that she must be exhausted. "You go to sleep, and I'll make myself comfortable on your couch."
Lisbon laughed and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his face down to hers. "I love you," she whispered in his ear, pressing a light kiss to his cheek.
Jane smiled and watched the woman he loved retreat into the depths of the house. He made himself comfortable, and dropped off to sleep. A real, dreamless sleep, like one he hadn't had in years.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
Lisbon awoke that Saturday morning to the sound of movement elsewhere in the house. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She knew the piece of yellow paper would be there before she spotted it. She picked it up and read it.
"Give it to me straight from the heart.
Tell me we can make
One more start.
You know I'll never go,
As long as I know,
It's coming straight from the heart."
Underneath that was written, "Straight From The Heart – Bryan Adams," along with, "These words are true. I love you, my darling."
Lisbon smiled and got out of bed. She walked through to her kitchen and found Jane cooking breakfast for both of them. The portable CD player was on, and Lisbon stopped to listen to the song. Jane turned to face her. "Good morning, beautiful."
She blushed and walked over to him. The song, obviously, matched the lyrics from that morning, and so Lisbon stretched up and kissed Jane on the cheek. "Thank you, Patrick."
Jane wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers. The song in the background seemed to get louder as Lisbon slid her hands up into his hair and pulled the man she loved closer.
Jane smiled. He knew that this was his new beginning, with the woman he truly loved.
The End
A/N: So, this is the end of this story. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. I encourage you to find the songs mentioned in this story and listen to them. Please review. Until next time,
S.