A/N Thank you to those who have reviewed. This chapter is for you.

Chapter 4 - A New Day

I was waiting for so long
For a miracle to come
Everyone told me to be strong
Hold on and don't shed a tear

Through the darkness and good times
I knew I'd make it through
And the world thought I had it all
But I was waiting for you

Hush, love
I see a light in the sky
Oh, it's almost blinding me
I can't believe
I've been touched by an angel with love
Let the rain come down and wash away my tears
Let it fill my soul and drown my fears
Let it shatter the walls for a new, new sun
A new day has...come

Lisbon was forced to make a decision far sooner than she expected. When she awoke at eight the next morning, the first thing Lisbon noticed was that it was raining outside. The second, being her phone, which was ringing on her nightstand. She picked it up and answered groggily.

"Hello?"

"Hello, my name is Steve Franks. Is this agent Theresa Lisbon?"

"Um, yet it is. Can I help you?"

"I hope so ma'am. I wasn't sure who to call but I remembered you from the news. Someone at CBI forwarded me to this number."

"Ok…" Lisbon hoped the guy got to the point soon.

"Yes, well I work downtown here at the Amtrak station. Last night a guy showed up here, bought a ticket and then went to sit outside. Every hour or so he comes back in, buys another ticket, and then goes back outside. Normally, I wouldn't get involved. I mean, we're making a fortune on the guy so who the heck cares but people started recognizing him from the news and…"

"Jane?" She asked.

"Uh, yes ma'am. Patrick Jane. He's been here all night. It's pouring out there, and like I said, he's collecting attention."

Lisbon sighed. Damn. "No, that's ok sir. You did the right thing. Give me a half an hour and I'll be down."

"Thank you. We appreciate it."

Lisbon hung up and looked down at Sadie. "Well girl, I guess here goes nothing."

A half an hour later, Lisbon pulled into the station. She had decided to leave Sadie at home, telling herself at least the dog may be saved some grief. From the lot, Lisbon could see the boarding platform. Handfuls of people waited underneath the covered platform for their prospective trains, sheltered from the elements. Everyone that is, except Jane. She could just make him out, sitting on the bench against the fence. He was in his traditional suit, which was completely plastered to his skin in the rain. He was facing away from her, head down as if staring at his hands.

Lisbon took a deep breath before turning off the engine, grabbing her umbrella, and exiting the dry warmth of her SUV. She had to go through the station in order to reach the loading platform. No one approached her as she made her way through the crowd. Once outside, Lisbon had a better view of the drenched man. He was indeed staring at something in his hands. Her necklace.

Lisbon's heart constricted. She had done this to him. He was sitting here all alone, no doubt contemplating what to do with his life because she had told him to stay away. No, Lisbon argued with herself. This was not her fault. Jane had brought this upon himself. Still, she made her way over to the bench. The man didn't move to look at her but Lisbon was sure he was aware of her presence. She had picked up on the almost unnoticeable tensing in his shoulders and the fist which clenched around the necklace, effectively concealing it from view.

Lisbon collapsed on the wet seat, as if she didn't have the strength to stand and fight this any longer. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Lisbon looked at the soggy tickets in his other hand. They were fanned like a deck of cards and she was able to make out most of the destinations. Finally, she spoke.

"Why a train?"

Jane didn't move but quietly muttered a "Hmm?"

"Why a train? All these places are far enough to take an airplane which would be quicker…"

Jane shrugged. "Why rush? It's not like I have any time constraints."

Good point, Lisbon thought to herself. She looked at the tickets again.

"You bring your passport?"

Jane shook his head.

"Well, that rules out Tijuana and Toronto which leaves Colorado, Florida and…Vermont?"

Jane shrugged again. "Seemed like a good place to disappear for a while."

"Hmm… well, Florida is probably the furthest within the country."

For the first time, Jane looked up at her with hollow, sad eyes and she realized what her comment implied.

"Sorry, that was low." Lisbon let the apology linger and then continued. "You're going to leave Sadie? She, ah…she misses you."

Jane's gaze fell away from Lisbon and out somewhere in the crowd. "I uh, figured I'd leave her with you. Now you just need the house and…"

Lisbon stared at him. The anger she had managed to effectively bury, made itself known. She wasn't exactly sure what he was implying but had a pretty good idea. "What?"

"Well. Let's see. You have the man and the dog. Now you just need the house with the white picket fence. Oh, and don't forget the 2.5 kids."

She stood. "I don't have to sit here and listen to this."

"And why are you here?" It was a genuine question.

Neither of them talked for a few moments. Lisbon had come because the man from the station had called her hadn't she? She supposed she could have told the man on the phone to call security on Jane but instead, Lisbon had agreed to deal with the matter herself. Why was that exactly? Lisbon wasn't sure or maybe she wasn't yet ready to admit the true answer. Instead, Lisbon changed the subject.

"He told me you know." She wasn't planning on bringing this up so soon but it just came out.

"Who?"

"You know who. Walter."

Jane nodded.

"And he's going to ask me to marry him." Lisbon watched for a reaction in Jane. There was one but it was slight.

He slumped his shoulders and took a breath before replying. "Say yes."

Now, THAT surprised Lisbon. She had found him sitting out here in the pouring rain staring at the necklace he had given her after all.

"Why?"

"He told you the truth. He obviously loves you. Plus, he can give you…"

Lisbon cut him off. "No. Jane I need to know why. Walter told me I don't know everything about that day in the mall."

Jane nodded slowly. "Coal Tar soap," He simply said.

"Your wife. Red John said she smelled like it right? When he…" She let the comment trail.

"He was wrong, or at least I thought he was."

"What do you mean?"

"My daughter, she used the strawberry no-tears shampoo. We had to keep it in stock at all times. She wouldn't use anything else but my wife, she never used Coal Tar soap in her life."

"So… he what?" Lisbon was grasping for answers.

"I thought he was wrong. I thought it proved he wasn't Red John but then it hit me. She may not use the stuff but.."

"But?"

"You do."

It hit Lisbon at full force. Fear, depression, and understanding nearly knocked the agent off her feet. Why hadn't she thought of it before? Her brothers got her hooked on the stuff. True, the soap cleaned like nothing else she'd ever used.

"O'Loughlin wasn't just after Hightower. He wanted to finish the task he started at the fairgrounds. He almost succeeded."

Lisbon knew it was going to take her a while to fully comprehend the information. It was beginning to come to her in pieces, starting with the fact that Jane's phone call had most definitely saved her life that day. Following closely behind, was the realization that Jane had indeed been thinking of her at his moment of decision. She probably would never know if his final resolution was based on fear for her or his need for revenge but it definitely gave her something to think about. It seemed like she, too had an important decision to make.

She took two steps back towards the waterlogged Jane and gently grasped his elbow. "Come on Jane, I have some dry clothes in the car. There's a coffee shop around the corner. Let's get you dry and warm. Then we can figure out what to do with those tickets of yours."

Lisbon was pleasantly surprised when Jane followed, as the pair slowly made their way out of the station.

Present Day

Lisbon absent-mindedly stared down at the engagement ring on her finger. She wondered if she had made the right choice in the end.

As if reading her mind, Walter walked over to her. He hugged her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry Teresa. You chose correctly. In fact, I think I knew your decision even before you did."

Lisbon had to roll her eyes at his enthusiasm. "I'm sure Walter."

"I'm telling you, Teresa I knew it." Mashburn's childlike eagerness faded slightly at his next words. "I didn't however, expect you to jump on a train for an unexpected jaunt across the country."

The truth was, no one had expected it, including herself. Lisbon didn't really remember what led to the idea but when it hit her, nothing had felt more right. She would be lying if she said she had forgiven him by the time she and Jane had made their way into the coffee shop but Lisbon no longer detested his face. They had made small talk. Jane had mostly asked her about the things he had missed while he was in jail.

Lisbon had appreciated the light subject matter, eagerly filling him in on the four whole cases they had solved over his six-month incarceration. The whole time, she had stared at his face, trying to pinpoint what it was that was different about him. Lisbon was going to reason that it had to be the fact that Red John was indeed gone when she noticed it. A scar, about an inch long ran parallel to his right eyebrow. She resisted the sudden urge to trace her finger across it. Instead, she simply pointed and asked, "What happened?"

Jane averted his gaze but had answered her question. "I uh, was in a different block than last time. Let's just say there were a few inmates who knew of my reputation. A couple even knew me personally. Even though my skull may be thicker than most, it was no match for the metal sink in my cell. Only took them two days to figure out that roommates were not an option for me."

Lisbon swallowed, recalling the emotions that had flooded her at Jane's admission. She remembered feeling anger first. They should have been aware of the potential dangers to Jane in that place and yet they hadn't figured it out soon enough. Jane had been hurt. This flooded Lisbon with sadness. Not only had she been completely unaware of his injury but she also came to the understanding that Jane must have been completely alone for those six months. Inmates weren't exactly ideal companions but Lisbon knew how Jane's mind worked when he was left to himself.

Maybe it was those emotions that had prompted Lisbons final actions that day. More likely, it was the realization that both she and Jane were in desperate need for a fresh start. Whatever the reason, Lisbon's mind had been made. Back in her SUV, Lisbon remembered observing Jane as she drove back to the train station. He had stared out the window the entire way, fists clenched so tightly that she wondered if he had cut off the blood flow to his own fingers. He must have assumed she would simply drop him back off at the station and then abandon him again. She had given no hints to anything otherwise.

Instead, Lisbon had followed a surprised Jane back into the station and walked right up to the ticket counter.

"Two tickets please." She had stated.

"Ok ma'am. And where would you like to go?"

Lisbon hesitated only a moment. "Chicago."

Yes, it was crazy and very unlike her but like she said before, it felt so right. There had been a time, even though it seemed like ages ago, that her and Jane had been unbelievably close. Even so, Lisbon hadn't shared much of her childhood with the man. She figured if they were going to attempt at a new start, there was no better place. Lisbon needed a change and the familiar surroundings of her childhood niche were drawing her to the windy city.

The sound of Sadie running in from her walk drew Lisbon out of her daze. Van Pelt followed closely behind.

Mashburn smiled "Ah, now everyone's here. May I suggest we leave? We cannot have you late now can we Teresa?"

The two women gathered their necessary belongings and then Van Pelt helped Lisbon outside. Once in the sunshine, Lisbon took a deep breath. "Yup, today is going to be a good day." She said to no one in particular.

Van Pelt just smiled.

Mashburn was waiting outside, holding the door of the new black Mercedes open for the women. They slid into the back seat and Sadie took the passenger seat. Mashburn closed the door and then got into the driver's side. He looked over at Sadie and chuckled. "I would say something about dog hair on the brand new leather seats but then again, this isn't my car."

Lisbon had to chuckle herself. She then reached forward and scratched the dog behind the ear. "Get used to this Sadie."

Van Pelt spoke for the first time in the car. "I can't believe you got them a car; this car, for that matter!"

Mashburn just shrugged and said "That's what friends do," as if buying a new Mercedes as a wedding present was an everyday thing. He looked in his rearview mirror at Lisbon. "So, no cold feet? Cuz you know I have a jet at my disposal. Just say the word."

Lisbon shook her head, smiling. No, there was no changing her mind today. It was mostly a joke anyway.

"Ok then", Mashburn said pulling out of Lisbon's driveway. "Let's go get you married. In two hours, you will no longer be Teresa Lisbon but Teresa Jane."

Teresa Jane. Lisbon liked the sound of that. Oh yeah, today was definitely going to be a good day.

Phew... ok, I can come out from hiding now I think. Wow, took 4 chapters just to set the stage for this one. Don't worry, at some point you'll get to read about what happened on their trip to Chicago and... the proposal. :o) I decided not to make this a linear story so there will be a lot of back and forth. Also, this is in no way the end of the drama although I think I'll give you a couple fluffy wedding chapters for putting up with Mashburn for so long. Please review.