A/N: Here's the next chapter of this story, I'm really sorry it's a little late. I want to say a big thank you once again for everyone who reviewed the last chapter. :-)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Mentalist.

By the time they got back to Patrick's house it was 2.37am. Teresa pulled up into the driveway and turned off the ignition. She looked at Patrick for a moment with mixed emotions. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of him. She felt sadness for all the pain he had gone through but at the same time she also felt a rush of affection for him. She reached out her hand and softly stroked his arm as he slept in the passenger seat next to her and wondered how she had managed to get herself involved in all this. She let her hand linger a while before she decided it was finally time to wake him up. "Patrick," she told him softly. "Patrick wake up, we're here."

Patrick stirred slightly, groaning a little and then slowly opened his eyes. When he realized where he was he sat up straight. "How long have I been asleep?" He asked, slightly embarrassed.

"About thirty-five minutes." She replied and then opened the door. "Let's get inside, I could use some coffee."

The two of them went inside the house. Teresa headed straight to the kitchen to put on a fresh pot of coffee. It was not long before he joined her, sitting down at the breakfast bar. She turned around to find him watching her. "You okay?" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah, the vest took most of the impact." He told her as she joined him at the breakfast bar.

"That's not what I meant," she said.

He looked down at the table, "I know."

There was a moment of silence between them before Teresa got up to make the coffee. Patrick just continued to stare at the table but Teresa knew his mind was somewhere else. She knew that he was still thinking about what he had said to her even though he refused to admit it. She poured some coffee for Patrick and herself and then sat back down next to him again. He made a face at the sight of the warm drink in front of him and under normal circumstances Teresa would have found it funny, but at that moment, all she could think of was what he must be feeling. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose a child; and it was clear to her that he had come to think of Emily as his own daughter. She reached out and put her hand over his, which was resting on the tabletop. He looked into her beautiful green eyes and saw that they were filled with worry. He wanted to tell her that he was grateful that she was there but after telling her what had happened with Vicky he felt too exposed. "Coffee?" he asked her. "You know I drink tea."

Teresa found herself unexpectedly relieved at his manner and let a small smile show. "I know." She said and took a sip from her mug. "But I've just had a hell of a day and I'll be damned if I'm drinking tea now." Patrick was also relieved, glad that they could fall back on the banter once more to lighten the mood a little. "I'm actually surprised you had some."

"I keep it for...guests." He said and he knew that she understood what he meant. He looked at her face to gauge her reaction and was shocked to see a sliver of hurt cross it just for a second before she shook her head and smiled.

"Off course you do." She said and then put her mug down. Another round of silence ensued before Teresa jumped off the stool. "Maybe coffee isn't a good idea, I think I'll just go to bed, I'm tired." She poured the rest of the coffee down the sink and then walked up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her.

Patrick watched as she walked away, mentally berating himself. When he heard her close the door he too got up off the stool and went to lie down on the couch. He took some more painkillers, hoping they'd help him sleep but even though they helped numb his physical pain, inside he was hurting badly. He lay awake for about half an hour when he decided to get up and go upstairs. He quietly made his way up and walked down the hallway towards his bedroom but as he passed Teresa's door he stopped. He knew she was developing feelings for him and if he was completely honest with himself he was feeling the same way towards her. She had been one of the few people who had really seen through his act and recognized him for whom he really was. He thought about everything that had happened to bring them together, the memories of which made him reach out and place his hand on her door. He stood like that for a moment, his palm pressed against the wood, thinking about the woman inside. He moved closer and pressed his forehead against the door, listening for any sign of movement. When he heard her walking around he knocked twice. "Teresa," he said, quietly. "Teresa," he called again, louder now. A few seconds later she opened the door slightly and peered out at him.

"Patrick, it's late, I need to sleep." She told him and he noted that she did sound tired. Guilt filled his mind once more and he almost turned to leave but then he looked into her emerald eyes and he knew he had to tell her what was on his mind, no matter how difficult it was. After everything that had happened, he had to set things straight.

"I know it's late, but I just needed to talk to you." He said and she reluctantly opened the door and let him in, looking up at him with tired eyes.

"What is it?" She asked, fatigue evident in her voice.

"Can we just stop this, please?" he asked as he entered.

"Stop what?"

"Pretending like there's nothing going on here." He gestured between the two of them.

"There's nothing going on here, Patrick, you said so yourself, remember?" She turned around and started to walk away when he took hold of her arm and stopped her.

"I think we both know I didn't mean that." His voice was softer now and she looked him in the eyes.

"You sounded pretty sincere to me." She replied.

"Teresa, I'm sorry if I hurt you."

She smirked, "Please, I know the way you are with women."

He pulled her closer, noting that she wasn't trying to pull away, even though her words told him otherwise. "Not with everyone Teresa."

"Don't think I don't know that's just another tacky pick up line." Her voice was cool and steady but her heart had begun to race, she so wanted to believe him. "You just want to pick up where we left off in the shower yesterday but it's not going to happen."

He smiled at her, "Isn't it?"

She glared at him then and shook her arm free of his grasp. "Go away Patrick, I just want to sleep."

"No fun sleeping alone." He teased, he knew he should stop winding her up but he found that he just couldn't help himself. She looked so beautiful when she was worked up.

"Well, you should know." She told him and Patrick could sense the jealously in her tone.

"Look, Teresa, I can't change my past." He said.

"I'm not asking you to, but I just can't play the games you do."

"I know you have feelings for me Teresa."

"No, I don't." She lied, "I just want to get this whole case wrapped up so I can go home."

He looked at her, amused, "You're lying, it's written all over your face. You feel something; why else would you feel so jealous over all the other women I've been with?"

She could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes and cursed herself for being so weak in front of him. "I'm not jealous and I won't be another of your conquests. Look if it's company you want why don't you go down to a bar and pick up someone. I'm sure you'll have no problems finding women, they just fall for your charms, don't they?"

He moved closer, "Doesn't seem to be working on you." He noted in mock disappointment.

"That's because I know it's all just an act." She replied, raising her voice just a little now.

"You mean to get you into bed?" He asked, intrigued now as to where she was going with this.

"Yes...well not entirely." She said, "You put on this whole act to avoid what you feel inside."

"And just what is it that you think I feel?" He asked, moving even closer, their bodies inches from each other.

"You're hurting, after all these years you still carrying around the pain. You still blame yourself for Vicky's death."

He was quiet for a moment, eyes to the floor in thought but when he finally looked up at her she could see the tears threaten to fall. "Yes." He replied, his voice a whisper and if she were not so close to him she would not have heard it.

"That's probably the first honest thing you've said to me since you walked in here."

Patrick began to feel the frustration in him grow, "Okay, okay if it's honesty you want, then fine; here it is! Yes, I'm hurting over Vicky and her daughter. I loved her, I loved them both and losing them sliced my heart into pieces! I want to find out who killed her so I can cut him open too. I can't sleep at night, because each time I close my eyes, I see their lifeless bodies hovering in front of me. I can't live with myself knowing what I did to cause their deaths. Do you know what that feels like Teresa?" He asked, his hands gripping her arms, "Do you know what it's like to know you're responsible for the death of someone you loved?"

A few tears escaped her eyes as she answered, realising that he had virtually admitted to wanting to end his own life. "No." She said.

There was a moment's silence before she spoke again, "Is that why you do this? Kill people for a living?"

"I only kill bad people; abusers, rapists, child molesters, murderers, people who hurt the innocent. I'm not an evil man Teresa. If you never believe anything else I say, please just believe that."

She looked him in the eyes and placed her hand on his heart. "I know that Patrick. I know that now."

He looked at her, relief evident on his face. "So, can I ask for some honesty from you now?"

She was taken aback by that comment. "What do you want to know?"

"I want you to tell me the real reason you came to me for help. The truth Teresa."

Teresa looked away for a second before firmly fixing her gaze on him once more. "The part about the death threats was true. I had a strong hunch it was connected to the time I was undercover, but with McVickers in jail I could only think of two other people it was likely to be. Patterson or you." She explained and he listened intently. "Patterson was supposed to get to go instead of me, it could have made his career, I thought maybe he still held a grudge. I mean his life was going down the toilet, I thought maybe he blamed me for that. Then there was you. I just couldn't figure you out. You spent a lot of time around me and yet it was clear you didn't belong there. You weren't one of them and everyone warned me to keep my distance from you."

"But you didn't." He said.

"No, while I was there I honestly thought you were trying to protect me. But afterwards I found out about what they said you had done to Vicky…"

"Wait, you knew?" He asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yes," She admitted, "Sort of. It was all rumors but Vince had mentioned something about it to me before they took him away. He told me he thought you would do the same to me if I wasn't careful. You know, if we didn't arrest him when we did I think he would have come after you."

"Hmm, and all that time I thought he was grateful to me for taking out Harris for him." He smirked, "That's gratitude for ya."

Teresa continued, "When I got back to the CBI I thought about researching you some more but I didn't. To be honest, I just wanted to forget about that whole thing, but when the threats started I had to find out if you were the one behind them."

"You really believed that?" He asked.

"You're a dangerous man Patrick, capable of anything; so yes, I believed it, and when that guy posing as McCoy confirmed my suspicions...well you know the rest. But after we made a plan to get you onto that rooftop, before I called you I called a colleague of mine at the CBI. I asked her to pull up his file to make sure he was legit. When she told me the guy was fifty six alarm bells went off in my mind. I asked her to describe his appearance to me and he looked nothing like the man claiming to be him. I knew then he had an ulterior motive for getting you there, and the way he kept insisting that you did it made me believe that you were innocent."

"I still could have been guilty," he suggested.

"No, I knew he would have shot me after he shot you. I could see it in his eyes; it's a look I've seen a hundred times before while working homicide."

He took a deep breath at her revelation. "I knew him Teresa, at least I saw him around, he hung out with Mcvicker's crew. On the rooftop tonight, when he pulled a gun out I also knew he would double cross us. The thought of him hurting you...I couldn't let that happen."

She sighed, "Yes I know, you haven't been paid yet."

"Screw the money, screw this job! I don't care about any of that anymore!" He told her. "God Teresa, I swear if he had hurt you I would have done far worse that just shot him!" He moved his hand from her arm to her face where he softly caressed her cheek, wiping away the falling tears. "And I don't want any woman from a bar, I want you Teresa. You coming back into my life has changed things for me. It's like a gift and I don't want to lose it...to lose you."

"Let me get this straight? Patrick Jane is telling me he actually wants a relationship?" She started to laugh but when she saw the hurt in his eyes at her joke her face took on a serious expression. "Oh."

"I don't know what this is between us Teresa but I know I haven't felt this way in a long time."

"It's just the adrenaline rush from getting shot tonight." She said, unwilling to believe his words for fear of getting hurt again.

"I mean it." He told her.

"I wish I could believe you." She whispered.

"Then let me prove it to you." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly. Teresa was completely taken off guard by his actions, this kiss was unlike the one from the day before. When he pulled back she was surprised to see the tears begin to form in his sea-green eyes. "Let me show you how I feel about you." He kissed her again, more passionately than before and Teresa's head began to spin.

As he deepened the kiss, reality seemed to slowly begin to dull. She became vaguely aware of his hands on her hips as he lifted her up off the floor and she wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively, feeling her body begin to pulse at his touch. "Let me show you that you're the one that I want." He told her between kisses and he moved her towards the nearest wall and pressed her back into it. His mouth was hot as it hungered on hers, and he heard her moan as he brushed her tongue with his own. His mouth then moved to her neck and he sucked at the delicate skin there, eliciting another series of soft moans from her as her hands wound their way through his hair and her fingers pulled his shirt from his jeans and expertly teased his spine. It wasn't long before Patrick found it difficult to stand, the woman in his arms was driving him wild with desire. He carried her over to the bed and began undressing her and was breath-taken with every inch of skin he revealed. She was perfect and he could not believe this was finally happening. The hunger in him grew with each item of clothing she removed from his body and he could see wanted him just as much. "I want you Teresa, I need you. Not just for one night, but every night from now on." He breathed in her ear as they began to make love. "For as long as we're both breathing."

Teresa was speechless, she never thought it would be like this between them. She had never thought him capable of such tenderness, but the way he touched her made her feel like the only woman in the world. The things he was saying to her caused both her mind and body to explode with deep pleasure and it was not long before he followed her into ecstasy. When it was over he lay beside her, watching her as she came back down again. He gently stroked her hair as he watched her eyes begin to close, the sound of their breaths the only thing that could be heard. Then, as her breathing began to slow, he whispered softly to her, "Sleep now, I'll see you in the morning." He then leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'll be here Teresa."