Author's Note: This is the last chapter! I'm sorry if it seems kind of Affair to Remember/Sleepless in Seattle- esque... in its ending. Please review! Don't be afraid to critique it so that I can try to make my next stories better.

Disclaimer: Oh how I wish...

Jane stood outside, knocking for what felt like hours when in reality it was something more akin to minutes. Unfortunately for him, Lisbon was in the shower and could not hear a thing going on outside her door. Jane stood on his tip-toes and grasped on to the window sill for support as he looked into her window to try and see where she was or if she was just ignoring him. He didn't see her but he noted that she had numerous suitcases littering the room. It looked like she was planning on driving to the East coast…

Suddenly Jane noticed the interior door open and a towel-clad Lisbon walk into the bedroom. As much as he wanted to stay where he was and watch, Jane figured that he had a better chance of making things right with Lisbon if she didn't catch him peering at her through the window. He gave her a couple minutes to change before knocking on her door once again. This time she answered it within seconds.

Lisbon let out a small gasp when she realized that it was indeed Patrick Jane standing on her doorstep. She smiled, however, as she stepped aside to let him in. He walked past her without looking up and made himself comfortable on the chair in the corner while she went to take a seat on her bed. They sat in something of an uncomfortable silence for a couple minutes before Jane spoke up.

"So, you're leaving?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," she replied. "I got a job back home and it is a great opportunity, plus it allows me to live closer to my brothers. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She finished weakly.

He looked up at her with such intensity that she felt suddenly ashamed of the fact that she didn't tell him she was leaving. She quickly cast her eyes downwards in the attempt to avoid his gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She hesitated for a moment. "I just couldn't… I've hurt you enough in the past few days; I just thought it would be better for you if I just left." Her eyes filled up with tears and he could see her chin starting to tremble from across the room. He wanted to get up and hug her but before he could act she started to speak again. "I'm so so sorry, Jane. I'm sorry for what I said, it was stupid and I didn't think. And then when you… you…" she was sobbing at this point and Jane could not understand what she was saying but he knew what she meant. He couldn't take it anymore; he walked over to the bed and sat down beside her, pulling her into a tight hug. She didn't pull away this time, rather she laid her head against his shoulder and ran her hands through his hair, feeling the spot where the bullet had penetrated his skin.

"I looked down and all I saw was b-b-blood," she continued shakily, "and I thought you had died!" She started to bawl uncontrollably at this point and Jane just held her, stroking her hair gently and rubbing circles on her back. He felt all of his former anger evaporating as he sat there. She had clearly tortured herself because of what had happened and he hated seeing her like this.

Eventually she pulled away from him, wiping away the remaining tears from her eyes as she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Jane, can you ever forgive me?" He looked at her before thumbing away her tears and nodding gently.

"Of course, Lisbon, you've done so much for me in these last few years and I cannot imagine what my life would be like without you." He blushed suddenly before he was able to catch himself and hastily rearrange his facial features, hoping that she didn't notice. She did. They sat together in a comfortable silence before Lisbon spoke.

"I should probably go to bed," she started. "I have an early flight tomorrow." She pulled back the covers on her bed before climbing in and pulling the blankets up to her chin. Jane leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead before heading towards the door. He was glad he came to say goodbye, but he could not bear the thought of her leaving. He turned around to look back at Lisbon but she had already fallen asleep. He scribbled a quick note and placed it carefully on her nightstand for her to find when she woke up. Then he turned around and left her hotel room hoping with all he had that she would find the note before it was too late.

Lisbon awoke to bright sunlight and the sound of birds chirping. She was a little disoriented since she wasn't used to sleeping anywhere but in her room at home. Then she remembered that she was supposed to catch a flight out east at 6:30 this morning. She turned to look at the clock on her nightstand and was shocked to see it read 6:25. Lisbon hopped out of bed in a panic as she quickly realized that there was no way that she would be able to make it to the airport in time. She scrambled around her room trying to get everything together so that she could go catch a later flight. In her haste to leave the hotel room, she never found Patrick's note.

She checked out of the hotel and started to make her way to her car only to realize that someone was leaning against it with two coffees in hand.

"Please don't go."

One look into his eyes and she could see that he was actually pleading with her. He took no notice of the shocked expression on her face as he continued to speak.

"I need you. You are the only person who has ever given me a reason to get up in the mornings and you mean so much to me. I can't lose you too."

She wasn't sure how to react. She smiled a small smile as she took the keys from his hand, brushing it slightly with her own as she did. "Do you think that you can convince Hightower to give me my job back?" she asked. Jane looked genuinely surprised; that was not the response he had expected. He held out a coffee to her, which she gratefully accepted. Together they loaded all of her bags into the car and headed off towards the CBI headquarters.

It would take a while for both of them to get back to their regular routine and banter, but they were both content to try. After all, looking out for each other was their cardinal responsibility.

End.