The next morning, Lisbon woke with a feeling of melancholy she associated with the last day of vacation. The vacation wasn't over yet, but you knew it was about to be, which inevitably gave the day a bittersweet quality, no matter how nice of a day it was.

They had a late breakfast. Annie and Lisbon had slept in after getting in late the night before. Jane rose early and cooked them breakfast. He sat down to eat with them, but then insisted he had to be on his way, despite their repeated protests.

"It's your last day together," he said. "You should have some time to yourselves."

He left, and Annie and Lisbon looked at each other. "What do you want to do today?" Lisbon asked, sipping her coffee. She had the day off work, so they would have the whole day together before Annie left the following morning.

Annie opened her mouth, then hesitated.

"You have something in mind?" Lisbon prompted her.

"Well… yeah." Still, Annie hesitated.

Lisbon raised her eyebrows. "But?"

"I'm afraid you'll say no," Annie admitted.

"Okay, well, if you want to try your lock picking skills on my neighbors' houses or you want me to take you to get a tattoo, or something, the answer is definitely no," Lisbon said firmly. "Otherwise—try me."

"The lock picking is just for fun," Annie protested.

"I take it you don't have a visit to the tattoo parlor in mind, either," Lisbon commented. "So what is it?"

"Will you train me?" Annie blurted out.

Lisbon blinked. "Train you to do what?"

Annie looked down. "To, like, fight and stuff."

"You mean self-defense moves, things like that?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." Lisbon considered this. "Sure."

Annie's head shot up. "Really?"

Lisbon shrugged. "I don't see why not. I think it would be good for you to know how to defend yourself if you were ever in a situation where someone was threatening you."

Annie gave a very un-Annie like squeal and rushed around the table to throw her arms around Lisbon. "You're the best aunt ever."

Lisbon grinned, amused and pleased. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

"I'll go upstairs and get changed," Annie said, giving her an impulsive kiss on the cheek.

"Don't you want to finish your breakfast?" Lisbon asked, laughing.

"I'm done," Annie insisted. "What time can we start?"

Lisbon looked at her half-finished pancakes. "Give me fifteen minutes."

Xxx

It was another beautiful day, so they decided to go to the park for their training session. Lisbon warned Annie that they wouldn't be able to cover much in one day, but Annie insisted she would take whatever she could get. Accordingly, Lisbon showed her a few basic movements and set to drilling her in each component in succession.

Lisbon thought they'd spend an hour or two at most in this exercise before Annie would be ready to give up for the day, but Annie proved tireless, insisting she wasn't ready to stop yet, so they kept going.

Lisbon was a merciless teacher. She made Annie repeat each movement until she was confident she could do it in her sleep. She explained that the first moves she'd shown her were the building blocks for everything that would come after. She wanted her to master the basics before she tried to move on to anything more intricate. She corrected her stance, adjusted the set of her arms when Annie showed signs of letting her guard down. She taught her to fall properly, to roll with the momentum from the fall when she hit the ground instead of fighting against it. Above all, she drilled her in endless repetitions, escalating her own pace when she thought Annie was ready for it.

Annie didn't complain. She wore a determined look on her face, one that Lisbon recognized as one she'd seen in her own mirror. She accepted correction and praise alike with a curt nod and the occasional question about how she could do better. They took a quick break at lunch time, but Annie looked so disappointed when Lisbon suggested they call it a day that she relented and agreed they could keep going if Annie really wanted to. Annie insisted she did. It became apparent as the afternoon wore on that Annie would keep going until she had to go to the airport the next morning or she dropped from exhaustion, whichever came first.

Lisbon made her quit at four.

"I can keep going," Annie panted.

Lisbon shook her head. "You've already overdone it. I should have made you stop much sooner. You're going to be stiff as a board tomorrow."

"I'm fine," Annie said indignantly.

Lisbon put her arm around her. "Come on. I'll buy you an ice cream. You've earned it."

They found an ice cream stand and settled down with their cones on a bench overlooking the park.

"You did good, kid," Lisbon remarked, licking her scoop of strawberry ice cream. "You're a quick learner. I'm impressed."

"Really?" Annie asked eagerly.

"Yeah. You're a hard worker, and you don't complain. I know grown men who would have cried like a baby if I'd tried to work them as hard as I worked you just now."

Annie grinned and took a huge bite of her ice cream, looking incredibly satisfied.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, eating their ice cream. Lisbon closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sun. She knew this would inevitably result in even more freckles than she already had, but the warmth on her face felt so good she couldn't bring herself to care. At least she had remembered to put on sunscreen that morning.

"Hey, Aunt Reese?" Annie asked tentatively when she'd finished her ice cream.

Lisbon opened her eyes and looked over at her niece. "Yeah?" She took the last bite of her own cone and waited for Annie to respond.

Annie looked nervous, but determined. "Why don't you want me to be a cop?"

Lisbon was startled. "What makes you ask that?"

"Last time I was here, you tried to warn me off it."

"I didn't—"

Annie gave her a look.

"Okay, I might have," Lisbon conceded. "But it's only because I want what's best for you."

"Becoming a cop is what's best for me," Annie said stubbornly.

Lisbon sighed. "I meant what I said the last time you were here. Being a cop isn't just a job, it's a way of life. It involves certain sacrifices. It's been worth it for me, but it might not be for you. I want you to have a clear understanding of what you're getting into."

"I do," Annie insisted.

"I'm serious. Five hours of sleep a night is just the tip of the iceberg."

"But you obviously love it," Annie argued. "How can you tell me it's all bad when you've dedicated your life to it?"

"I'm not saying it's all bad. Just that it's not as glamorous as you might think."

"I know that," Annie said, frustrated. "My dad's a bounty hunter. Do you have any idea of the kind of scum he chases after?"

Lisbon shook her head. "You're too young to know what you want to do for the rest of your life."

"How old were you when you decided to become a cop?" Annie demanded.

Nineteen. Only three years older than Annie was now. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but she remembered with absolute clarity how determined she'd been at the time. "That's not the point, Annabeth."

Annie huffed in exasperation. "What is the point?"

Lisbon took a moment to answer. "It's a dangerous job," she said finally. "You're my niece. I want you to be safe."

"Isn't that hypocritical?" Annie asked. "When that's what you do for a living?"

"Maybe," Lisbon acknowledged.

"But that's totally illogical, expecting me to sit safely on the sidelines when you aren't willing to do it yourself," Annie argued.

Lisbon smiled despite herself. "Love isn't logical. It's completely irrational."

"Don't you think me and Dad and Uncle James and Uncle Michael worry about you? You almost died last month."

Lisbon looked her in the eye. "Right. And I never, ever want you to go through anything like I went through fighting Russo—Red John—at the end of all of that."

Annie cut her eyes away and tried a different tack. "Why did you decide to become a cop in the first place?"

"Because I was good at it and I wanted to make a difference."

"I want to make a difference too," Annie said immediately. "And I would be good at it, too."

"I know you would be," Lisbon said. "There's not a doubt in my mind about that."

"Then why won't you support me on this?" Annie said, obviously frustrated.

Lisbon regarded her niece, whose jaw was set with determination. She thought about how enthusiastically she'd applied herself to the task of learning to pick locks, the focus she'd displayed when Lisbon was teaching her how to hotwire the car, and above all, how she'd pushed herself past the point of exhaustion today, trying to learn everything she could in the short amount of time available to her. Lisbon recognized that tenacity as a quality she possessed herself—no amount of wishing by a doting aunt was going to make it go away. This wasn't childish whim. It had been almost a year and a half since Annie had first told her of her ambition to become a cop, and after all this time, she was still committed to the idea body and soul.

"Look," Lisbon said finally. "I won't pretend I'm crazy about the idea. I love you, and there's a big part of me that wants to wrap you in bubble wrap and protect you from the rest of the world for the rest of your life. But I recognize that I would hate it if someone tried to do that to me, so I'll try to respect the fact that you are capable of making decisions about your own life." She took a deep breath. "So if this is really your dream, then I will support you one hundred percent."

Annie looked at her sharply. "Really?"

Lisbon nodded. "If you're going to do this, I want to make sure you're as prepared as possible."

"So you'll help me train, and like, give me advice and stuff?" Annie double-checked.

"Yes," Lisbon confirmed. "I have a condition, though."

"What's that?" Annie asked suspiciously.

"I want you to try other things, too."

Annie looked wary. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Trying out for the soccer team. Studying abroad your junior year of college. I want you to have other experiences before you decide for sure what you want to do with the rest of your life."

Annie scowled. "I hate soccer."

"Fine, softball then. Whatever. The point is, I don't want you to worry so much about the future that you miss out on stuff along the way. You don't have to have it all figured out right now. Be young and irresponsible. Have fun."

Annie looked skeptical. "But you never have fun."

"Thanks a lot," Lisbon said, laughing.

"You know what I mean," Annie muttered.

"I'm having a lot more of it now," Lisbon said, thinking of Jane and his sandcastles. "But that's kind of the point. Your dad and uncles and I… we weren't the most fun household. I'm kind of hoping you'll break the family mold on that point."

Annie considered this. "You think I can do that by studying abroad?"

Lisbon shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

Annie shook her head. "Dad could never afford to send me."

"I'll pay for it."

Annie's eyes widened. "For real?"

"Yes," Lisbon said firmly.

"Where should I go?"

"France, maybe, or Italy. Wherever you want."

"Cool," Annie said, sounding awed.

"So… does that mean you accept my deal?"

Annie grinned. "You drive a hard bargain, Aunt Teresa. But yeah, I'll take the deal."

"Good," Lisbon said, satisfied. "There's one more thing, though."

"What's that?"

Lisbon reached up and unclasped the necklace from around her neck. "I want you to have this," she said, pressing the delicate chain into Annie's hand.

"I can't," Annie said, shocked. She tried to give it back to Lisbon. "It's your mom's."

Lisbon refused to take it. "I've been thinking about this for a while. I want you to have it."

"But you always wear it," Annie objected.

"I hope you'll be the one to wear it from now on," Lisbon said. "You don't have to wear it every day or anything if you don't want to. I know it's not exactly fashionable. But even if you never wear it, it's important to me that you have it."

Annie looked down at the cross in her hand. "But I'm not—you actually go to church and everything. Me—I'm not so sure about God and all that stuff."

"It's not about that."

Annie looked at her inquiringly. "What do you mean?"

Lisbon touched her finger to the cross in Annie's hand. "My mom gave me this necklace the year before she died. After she died, it was a kind of touchstone for me. A talisman. One that meant no matter where I went or what happened in my life, I always knew how much my mom loved me. I know I'm not your mom, but… I want you to have that feeling, too. No matter what."

Annie's eyes were wet. "I'll never take it off," she said, sounding a little choked up.

Lisbon helped her fasten the necklace around her neck. When the clasp was securely fastened, Annie turned around and gave her a rib-cracking hug. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Lisbon said, stroking her hair just like she had when Annie was a little girl.

When they parted, Lisbon gave Annie a small smile. "Come on. Let's go home. Maybe Jane broke in and left us more food."

Xxx

There was no sign of Jane when they got back to the apartment, but he had indeed broken in again. This time he'd left them a pan of lasagna with instructions to put it in the oven for thirty minutes to warm it up when they were ready to eat. Lisbon put it in the oven immediately, even though it was only five o clock. Ice cream or no ice cream, she was starving. When it was ready, she and Annie both ate as if they'd been starving for weeks. They rounded out the meal by polishing off the last of the brownies Jane had made the other day.

Lisbon did the dishes while Annie showered. Reaching for the dish soap, she noticed a single peach rose in a vase on the window sill above the kitchen sink. She gazed at it for a moment, bemused, then realized it was Monday. Apparently Jane's intention to help her appreciate nature more was not limited to the bounds of her office. She smiled to herself. It was amazing how sweet he could be when he wasn't busy being a pain in the ass.

She made Annie pack after her shower, since there wouldn't be time before her flight the next morning. Her niece thus occupied, she got in the shower herself. After she'd dressed and Annie had finished packing, the two of them settled on the couch, intending to rot their minds in front of the television for the rest of the evening.

Annie fell asleep twenty minutes in. Her body listed to the side and her head lolled onto Lisbon's shoulder. Lisbon smiled, and let her sleep. It was barely eight o clock, but she wasn't surprised Annie had crashed after the hard labor she'd put in that day.

She let her sleep on the couch until nine-thirty, then woke her and shepherded her half-asleep form upstairs to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. She was convinced that Annie somehow managed to brush her teeth without actually waking up. This task accomplished, Annie staggered, zombie-like, into the guest room and fell onto the unmade bed face first.

Lisbon pulled the blanket up over her shoulders, then bent and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. She turned out the light and left her to her slumber, hoping she was having sweet dreams about kicking bad guy ass.

Xxx

Annie's flight was at an ungodly hour the next morning. Lisbon shook her awake at quarter past four.

"Nooo," Annie moaned in protest.

"Sorry, kiddo. It's a twenty minute drive to the airport. You need to be ready to leave in fifteen minutes."

Annie sat up and groaned. "I feel like I've been run over by a tractor."

"I told you that you overdid it yesterday," Lisbon said mildly.

Annie threw back the bedcovers and got gingerly to her feet. "Don't you think 'I told you sos' at this hour are kind of cruel?"

Lisbon shrugged. "Just calling 'em like I see 'em."

Annie scowled. "It was worth it."

"Glad to hear it." Lisbon stifled a yawn. "Be ready in fifteen minutes."

Seventeen minutes later, they were out the door.

Jane was waiting for them at the car.

Lisbon blinked at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to see Annie off, of course," Jane said, sickeningly cheerful. He handed Annie a brown paper bag. "I packed you breakfast for the plane."

"Thanks," Annie grunted.

Jane raised his eyebrows. "I see 'Lisbon morning personality' is a family trait."

"Oh, shut up and get in the car," Lisbon said irritably.

He let Annie take the front seat and climbed into the back without another word.

The ride to the airport was mostly silent. Annie and Lisbon were both grouchy about being awake at this early hour, and Jane wisely kept his mouth shut for the duration of the ride. When they got to the airport, Annie suggested that they just drop her off at the curb, but Lisbon insisted on seeing that there were no last minute changes to her flight and that she get safely checked in. Accordingly, Lisbon parked the car and the three of them walked into the terminal together.

Everything went smoothly in the check in process. Annie's flight was on schedule. Before Lisbon knew it, it was time for them to part ways.

When they stopped in front of the security line to say their good-byes, Annie hesitated, then gave Jane a quick hug. "Thanks for all the food. And the lock picking lessons."

"You're most welcome," Jane said, looking surprised, but pleased.

Annie turned to Lisbon and gave her a hug, too. "Thanks for having me."

"Of course," Lisbon said, holding onto her for an extra moment. "I loved having you here."

Annie pulled away. "Seriously. Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome." Lisbon bit her lip. "You sure you have everything?"

Annie rolled her eyes a little. "Yeah, Aunt Reese. I've got everything."

"Okay," Lisbon said, pulling her back in for one last hug. "Stay safe."

"Yeah. You, too." Annie patted her on the back. "I gotta go, Aunt Reese."

"Right." Lisbon let her go reluctantly.

Annie gave her a peck on the cheek and disentangled herself. She headed for the security line and gave them a little wave. "Bye. See you soon!"

"See you soon," Lisbon echoed.

Annie wended her way through the maze of line dividers as she made her way through the nearly empty security line and didn't look back.

Lisbon watched her go, feeling oddly bereft. Which was silly, because she was going to see Annie again soon. Thanksgiving was only a few weeks away. Still, she felt an ache in her chest, watching her go. How could she miss her niece more now, when she was still in her line of sight, than after months of not seeing her at all?

Jane put his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder, grateful for his presence.

This was why he was here, she realized. It wasn't just about saying good-bye to Annie. He knew how she'd feel when Annie left and hadn't wanted her to go through that alone.

She turned slightly and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "Thanks for coming with me."

He looked back at her affectionately. "Anytime, my dear. Anytime."