A/N: This is it! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and taking this ridiculously long journey with me!

xxxx Jane POV xxxx

Even through constant reassurances that she would be fine, Teresa's doctors kept her intubated and lightly sedated throughout the day. They said it was to alleviate some of the discomfort of the tube in her throat, but it didn't make it any less unnerving. He refused to leave her side, and she would acknowledge his presence every so often when her green eyes fluttered open. She would always tap her hand on the bedside, and eventually he figured that she was trying to communicate, so he gave her her phone.

Almost immediately, she typed on her phone for him: "Go sleep."

As she lay in a hospital bed recovering from a gunshot and collapsed lung, of course she still worried about him. "I did get some sleep."

"Not enough. Worse than me."

He smiled at her message. "Of course I look worse than the most beautiful woman in the world. That's not hard to do."

She rolled her eyes at him before falling back to sleep. When she woke up again, she typed: "Clean yourself up."

"Not a chance I'm leaving your side, little lady." She narrowed her eyes at him. He imagined that once that tube came out, he'd have hell to pay. He had no intentions of leaving her side. Why would he when his entire world was right here in front of him?

Well, that's what he thought until Madeleine showed up, looking like an action hero who had come to join Teresa's crusade.

"Patrick, have you even been back to your hotel? I can stay here with Teresa for a while. Go take care of yourself."

She typed on her phone. "Yes. Go."

"Fine. If you want me to go, I will. I'll be back in two hours." Both women rolled their eyes at him.

"TOMORROW IS FINE!"

He stroked her hair back. "You know, you're usually cute when we argue, but well..." She narrowed her eyes at him. He knew if he finished that sentence he wasn't coming back from it anytime soon, breathing tube or not. Getting up from his chair, he kissed her forehead. "Ok, I will go. Text me when Madeleine leaves. I'll be right back here if you need me. I love you."

"Love you. Won't need you here. Rest. See you tomorrow."

"I'll be in touch." He kissed her forehead again. With a squeeze of her hand, he walked out of the door.

Madeleine reached for his arm. "I will call you when I leave just to check in." A kindness. He nodded at her words as he exited the room.

He watched as Madeleine took his seat and held Teresa's hand, much like she had held his last night. Even after the door closed behind him, he continued to watch the two women on the inside. The loss of her presence stung, but he was suddenly becoming aware of the fact that he hadn't eaten since early the day before.

He reached out to the team to see if there were any updates before going back to his hotel. Minelli had given Van Pelt, Rigsby, and Cho leave to stay in Los Angeles for the next few days. He also stayed. After all, there would be a lot of questions to answer, and he had an agent in the hospital in critical condition.

When he got to his hotel, the busyness of the place seemed outlandish. Then, he remembered today was the day of the pageant. That's why Madeleine wanted to go sit with Teresa. "It's the beauty consultant's job to see her contestant through the pageant no matter what," she had said on the phone. Even though she used that as her reason to sit with Teresa, their quick, well bonded friendship was something great that emerged from such an awful situation. A month ago, he would've had to work hard not to call someone a moron for thinking "good things" could come from anything remotely linked to Red John. Yet, here he was.

Be that as it may, he felt useless. Bertram and McAllister kidnapped Teresa, she fought like hell to survive, and because of her, Red John was finally gone. Bertram and McAllister were both dead. He was glad that the doctors said she was on the mend and that things looked good. It still made him incredibly anxious to leave her side. The last 24 hours was a whirlwind, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her again. Finally, he could move on. They could move on.

xxxx Madeleine POV xxxx

After a long night, her morning seemed even longer as she recounted everything she knew of Red John and her experiences with Teresa to the FBI. She never expected to have been so close to Red John this entire time. Gale Bertram and Thomas McAllister had always set off all of the alarm bells, especially after Miranda. They were creepy men, but so were a lot of men who thought they could hold power over, extort, and bend women to their will for the hell of it. She just never imagined the rot went this deep.

Red John's interest in making her life a living hell also made a lot more sense now. Though she was never capable of the things Miranda accused her of, it was easy to convince people that a perceived outsider like herself must've destroyed her innocence and pushed her to her limit. Who else would they blame? Even if this was truly her last pageant (because who knew if her reputation could ever recover), she was glad Teresa took a chance on her. Even knowing her story, she believed her. So did Patrick.

Receiving the updates on Teresa, she knew that she wanted to watch the pageant with her in her room. It's why she reached out to Patrick. Well, that and she knew he probably needed the rest that he wouldn't allow himself to take. In that waiting room last night, the situation was tense for obvious reasons. She wanted to support Patrick because she doubted that without his support and encouragement any of this would've happened-which is exactly why he was so upset. In the end, Teresa caught the bastard, but at what cost? She spent the evening holding Patrick's hand and silently praying that her friend would pull out of it.

As she arrived in Teresa's room, she was glad to see that she was well enough to argue with Patrick. Surely, that was a good sign. After the women sent him off, Madeleine took her seat beside the bed.

"I thought we might watch the pageant together on tv since we can't be there."

"You could go."

She smiled. "Not without my contestant. Besides, you are much more interesting than anything happening there. I can guarantee it." She noticed that glint in her eyes that suggested she would have smiled if she could.

"Thank you for getting him to go. Needs rest."

"He's worried. We all are, Teresa. They weren't sure if you would live when they brought you in." Almost immediately, her words tasted bitter. That was a lot to put on her as she lay here in bed still needing the use of machines to help her breathe.

"I'm sorry." Teresa waved her hand at her before reaching for her phone once more.

"It's ok. I am alive."

She nodded at her friend as a tear fell from her eye. "You are." Teresa reached for her hand and squeezed. For whose benefit, she was unsure. In spite of her obvious bravery, she couldn't imagine what horrors she'd faced in that short amount of time.

They watched the pageant together, as Teresa dozed in and out. Patrick told her the medications would make her do that. She struggled to stay awake as they watched the winner be announced.

Teresa's face lit up when they announced Michelle as Miss America 2017. She typed out a message to her. "She did great."

"Yes, she did. And so did you!"

"Don't have her number on this phone. Can you congratulate her for me?"

"I will. I am sure they will be by to see you. They were here last night as well." Teresa's brow furrowed in confusion. "Apparently, Kim joined the search for you. From what I could gather sitting in the waiting room and talking to Erica, they listened to you, looking for clues. Erica provided the last bit of information they needed to find you. They stayed here as late as they could before Kim and one of your agents took them back."

A look passed over Teresa's features that she couldn't quite make out. Once again, she typed out a message. "Thank you." Not much longer after that, she was asleep. Madeleine stayed with her for another few hours, reading as her friend slept peacefully.

Keeping her promise to Patrick, she called him. "Patrick, I'm leaving. Everything is fine here. She's sleeping."

"Ok. Is anyone else there? I think I may come back so she's not alone."

"She is alone, but I think she really wants you to rest though."

He laughed a bit. "There's no way I can rest so long as she's there recovering."

"It's not what she wants though."

"I know. She's always made me take care of myself, even after Angela and Charlotte died. She was the first person to make me remember what it is like to be a human."

"You really love her, don't you?"

"She's my world."

"So take care of yourself tonight. Come see her in the morning."

She heard a long sigh on the other end of the line. "I will wait until the morning."

"Have you eaten?"

"A little bit ago. Hey, um, who won?"

"Michelle."

"Good for her."

"Teresa wanted me to congratulate her because she doesn't have her number on her regular phone. I told her they would likely be by to see her."

"They will. Kim reached out to me. Erica and Michelle were asking about when they could see her. I told her that I would let them know when she's up to visitors. I don't imagine she's up for much talking right now with the sedation and the breathing tube."

"I think she would like their visit. It would be good for all of them. They got very close. Even during pageant season, it's rare to see that kind of friendship flourish amongst contestants."

"It's nice for others to see what I see. She has a lot of love, and she's easy to love. I'm glad that she was able to find these friendships, especially yours, Madeleine. Thanks for calling."

"Get some rest. I'll talk to you tomorrow." With that, she hung up her phone.

Teresa Lisbon was a living, breathing hero, whether she knew it or not. But more than that, and maybe even more importantly, she was a person people admired.

xxxx Lisbon POV xxxx

Waking up with this tube in her throat was an absolute nightmare. Though, she was sure it was better than not waking up at all. Thankfully, when she woke up early the next morning, the doctors in her room assured her she was healing well and making great progress. Trading an oxygen mask for that blasted tube was exciting. She could finally talk again.

The tube was out before Patrick arrived. Hopefully, this meant he had found sleep last night. In any case, she called him after taking some sips of water. She was quite thirsty.

"Hello?" There was a great deal of uncertainty in his voice.

"Hey, stranger." Her voice was so hoarse that she nearly croaked the words out.

She heard a heavy exhale on his end of the line. "Baby, you scared me."

"I scared you by calling you? You were my first call you know."

"I'm glad to know I'm your first call. So they took the tube out?"

"Just a little bit ago. My voice will be funky for a day or two. I'm incredibly thirsty."

"I'm on my way over now. Would you like me to bring you a smoothie? Or maybe a coffee?"

"Mmmm coffee sounds good. And maybe a muffin?"

He chuckled. "For you? I'll bring you the finest coffee and muffins in the land. Michelle and Erica had me come over and get your things a little bit ago, so I'm bringing a little bag of clothes for you. That's why I wasn't there already. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Did you at least sleep?" She had to replace her oxygen mask. She might be healing well, but recovery was no joke.

"A little. It would've been better if you were here."

"I'm sure. I've been told that I improve sleep quality." She could hear his smile on the other end of the line.

"You definitely improve my sleep. I don't plan to ever sleep apart for the rest of our lives, so I hope that's ok."

She let out a wimpy laugh. "So you're already moving into my place? Bold of you, Patrick Jane. Thought we'd at least get a week in first. What's next? Marriage?"

"Teresa Lisbon, are you asking me to marry you? Just want to be clear. Because my answer is yes."

Her eyes went wide. Did she just propose to him? "Shut up! Not nice to take advantage of a woman coming off of sedatives and on oxygen." She noticed Marcus, in a wheelchair in her doorway, as he laughed. "Hey, I'll see you when you get here. I have a visitor."

"A visitor?"

"Marcus is here to see me."

"Ah ok. If he tries to hit on you, just remember that you're a betrothed woman now." Without another word, she hung up her phone. He could be insufferable when he wanted.

"Hey! How are you?"

"Gracie...Teresa. It's good to see you're awake. I'm doing pretty well. I might get released the day after tomorrow."

"That's good. They just removed the tube from my throat. Sorry my voice sounds so horrible."

He waved his hand as he flashed a smile. "Seriously, don't worry! I'm glad to see you're doing well. I already gave a statement, and I'm sure you're not able to tell me anything, but I wanted to thank you for saving my life. A serial killer wanting you dead is quite a shock to say the least."

"I can imagine. So are you getting promoted?"

He nodded. "The board has reached out to me to apologize profusely and offered me the position of President. I'm sure they're trying to head off any lawsuits. They were unaware of any danger to the pageant or that any operation was happening."

"Well, I'm not surprised they kept a lid on it. They would've gladly killed us both and rode off into the sunset while pretending to know nothing."

"I don't doubt that's true. There's actually another reason I'm here."

His brief pause put her on edge a bit. "Marcus, I didn't lie when I said I have a boyfriend. I really do. He's on his way here."

"Oh." He laughed. "That's not it at all. Believe me: I know how to take no for an answer, and I've seen you in action. I was just trying to think of a way to ask you this, but I would like it if you came on board as my Pageant Director."

She blinked rapidly. "What? Me?"

"Yes, you! You've got the personality for the gig. The Organization has to rebuild its image as one that's not associated with creepy men who want to harm women. We want to encourage women to reach their goals, not prey upon them. Out with the creeps, in with people who respect our contestants."

"Truly, I'm flattered."

"You're my first pick. I know we've not worked together, but from our conversations and seeing you in action the other night, I can tell that you're just the right fit for this job."

She regarded his words for a moment. If she actually wanted to make a break with the FBI, this would be just as good a stepping stone as any. She didn't mind being in the pageant world, but was it really her world, the one she could best support and change? "Marcus, can I make a suggestion?"

xxxxxxxxx

A week later, and she was still in the hospital. Her team, though they'd been by to see her, returned to Sacramento days ago. From evidence at McAllister's residence, they'd confirmed he was Red John. Once they cast a net for Bertram, they found former pageant contestants who came forward to detail his cruel treatment, assaults, and threats he used to keep them quiet. She was healing decently. Her doctors seemed optimistic that she would be able to go home soon. Her doctors wanted to make sure she was fully healed and well enough to sit during the six hour car ride without complications, and she could not wait to get out here!

Today though, she would be Skyping into the pageant's closing ceremony. For obvious reasons, the ceremony had been delayed. Madeleine came by that morning to help her get ready for the camera, helping her into her floral print dress and taking care of her hair and makeup.

"You look great, Teresa. I'm glad you're healing well."

"Hopefully, I will be out of here in the next couple of days. I'm starting to go stir crazy in here."

Her consultant-no, her friend-clad in her pink, wool skirt suit smoothed her hair down. "I hope you get out soon, but I'll be sad to see you go back to Sacramento. I'll be all alone here in Los Angeles!"

"All alone? What about Max? Do his house calls end after the pageant is over?"

Madeleine let out a very loud laugh. "No comment."

"I don't suppose this is the part where I do the cheesy 'let's keep in touch' and sign your yearbook, is it?"

"No, I know where to find you. Don't forget I run a wedding planning business, too." She winked at her.

"Haha. You're hilarious."

"I give you guys six months before you're engaged or hitched." She gave her friend a sidelong look. Suddenly, everyone was convinced she and Patrick were getting married. When she'd informed Minelli, informally of course, that the status of their relationship changed, he didn't even pretend to be shocked! "I will be talking to him to make sure he does right by you and understands how to treat a precious gem," he'd said-making her blush profusely.

Erica and Kim were standing in the doorway, also wearing their nicest tea dresses. Kim waved to her as Erica greeted her. "Teresa, how are you doing today?" Immediately following the event, which is what she'd taken to calling her run in with Bertram and McAllister, Erica and Michelle both had expressed their shock that she was actually an undercover agent. The first time they dropped by a few days ago, it had taken some getting used to for them to actually call her by her name.

Madeleine looked her over once more. "Well, you're good to go, Teresa. I have to get going. I hope you ladies will have fun, and stay out of trouble!" She squeezed her good shoulder before departing. She really was going to miss Madeleine.

"Seriously, how are you today? You look amazing." Kim was by her side in no time as she started to make them cocktails out of the vodka in her water bottle. Without a doubt, she knew the vodka in a water bottle was Kim's idea. That was Law Enforcement Events 101 if you were interested in anything other than cheap, disgusting beer. To her credit, she did make sure that she wasn't on heavy painkillers before deciding to bring a build your own screwdriver set up.

"I'm feeling just fine. I'm down to barely using the oxygen machine at all."

"I'm glad to hear that! So you'll be going home soon?"

"Hopefully, in the next few days. How about you guys? Off on your next adventure?" Erica rolled her eyes, telling her exactly what she needed to know.

"Actually yes, but I've been wanting to talk to you about that."

"We're going to be joining you in Sacramento."

"Oh? Really?" That was a surprise. Surely, they'd want Erica nowhere near anyone related to her old life.

"You're the first person to have a breakthrough with Erica."

Erica rolled her eyes. "I am standing right here."

Kim shrugged her shoulders. "It's true. Up until this little adventure, you were hard as hell to handle. It seems we've found a way to help you settle in with folks."

Lisbon blinked in confusion. "Wait. Aren't you based out of New York?"

"Nope. I never was. However, I am now based out of Sacramento, out of your office in fact."

"Oh?"

"Erica will still have a detail with the Marshal's Service, but Agent Minelli offered me a lateral transfer into your unit. He said there was suddenly an open position, and he liked my work in...well, in finding you."

"An open position?"

"As co-lead in counterterror."

"But that's...that's Ray Haffner's job."

Kim blinked. "Oh. Minelli didn't tell you?"

She shook her head, and raised her hands in a shrugging gesture. "No, he was much too busy thinking of how he could threaten Patrick within an inch of his life."

Kim laughed. "Haffner is out of the FBI. Well, not officially out. The investigation isn't going well."

"Investigation?"

"He came the night you were shot. Minelli laid into him, presented him with a restraining order requiring him to be far away from you, and told him that his ass was done at the FBI if he had anything to do with it. He started a sexual harassment and misconduct investigation the very next day. He also demanded Haffner's removal from counter-terror. From my understanding, the investigation is not going well for him."

"I-I didn't know any of that. They probably didn't want to stress me out."

Kim shrugged. "Well, I didn't mean to stress you out. From what I could gather, Minelli is leading the charge to get him removed."

She sighed. "At least I'll know if he tries anything crazy."

"I doubt he will. Minelli was clear on the point that this came from him, not you. And that is why I would not want to piss that kindly-looking man off, especially when it comes to you."

"She's like his daughter." She didn't know he was standing there, but Patrick made himself know the same way he always did. Teresa smiled a bit at that.

"I'm not." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She was glad they could do this part again.

"Please. He gave me the talk."

Kim smiled. "Patrick."

"Kim. So you're joining us in Sacramento?"

"I am! I didn't know that Teresa didn't know anything about me replacing soon to be former Agent Haffner."

She waved her hand again. "It's not a problem, Kim. Seriously. I'll even act surprised when they tell me." The three women laughed as she put on her faux shock face.

"Cute. See, this is why Minelli loves you."

"Hush!" She swatted at him. Returning her attention to Kim and Erica, she continued. "Erica, if you want to be in Sacramento, I am happy to help you get settled in and show you the ropes of the city."

The brunette smiled at her. "Thank you. That's a really kind offer." Her smile held the words that someone like Erica would always be too proud to say.

At that moment, it was like she could see through Erica. So much of her attitude in the beginning of their relationship, as well as how she took to being around Michelle, made so much sense now. So much of her life must've been putting on a show that she'd never been welcomed anywhere before. "You're welcome in Sacramento as long as the Marshals are ok with that placement. We'd even love to have you over for dinner from time to time."

Erica squeezed her hand. "Thanks."

They talked for a bit before the awards ceremony began. Teresa thought it was nice to be included, but she didn't know why exactly they wanted her on Skype so bad. She barely talked to women outside of her group or did anything of note. She was just an FBI agent, infiltrating their space.

The ceremony began with Marcus addressing the crowd. "Good afternoon, everyone. I'm glad to welcome you all here to this year's awards ceremony. As you know some things happened during pageant staging, and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and our new Pageant Director Madeleine Hightower and share our vision for Miss America." She noted how proud, regal even, Madeleine looked standing at his side. If anyone had earned and deserved this job, it was Madeleine.

After the introductions, they wasted no time getting down to the awards. Near the end of the ceremony, Michelle stood and went to the podium wearing her crown and Miss America sash. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her cream colored dress. She was beaming.

"I'm here to introduce this year's Miss Congeniality. As you may know, Miss Congeniality is voted on by the pageant contestants and awarded to the woman who shows the most courageousness and kindness. She's the kind of woman we all want to be. This year, I would like you to join me in congratulating our Miss Congeniality. We know her as Gracie, and she will always be our Gracie. She kept us safe, while also spreading warmth and kindness in every place she touched. I am proud to call her my roommate and my friend. So please join me in congratulating Miss Congeniality 2017 Gracie Lou Freebush!"

She heard an eruption of applause in the room as she choked on her drink. Madeleine's insistence that she come prep her for the awards show, and Kim and Erica's insistence that the sit here with her instead of attending in person, made a lot more sense now as Kim pulled the Miss Congeniality sash from her bag. Carefully, she placed it around her shoulders. Patrick flashed her a smile and kissed her hand as the two women in her room clapped.

"Gracie is in the hospital recovering from injuries, so she couldn't be here in person today. We welcome her to accept her award via Skype."

She honestly had no idea what to say and hated situations like this. At least she was staring at a room of like 100 people. "Wow! I can't believe anyone thought enough of me to nominate me for this award. I'm not sure what I did to deserve this honor, but thank you all. When I first set out on this pageant journey, I wasn't sure how well I'd fit in, but you all made me feel extremely welcome. I'm glad I was able to participate in the pageant and to meet all of you. I wish I could be there today to accept this award in person. Thank you again." Patrick, who had slipped out at some point, was back with a bouquet of flowers. Obviously, he was in on this as well.

Marcus took the microphone once again. "No, Gracie, thank you! Thank you for making sure this pageant and every woman here and beyond is safe from men who would harm them. You've done work that touches so many lives, even those of people not in this room."

Once again, there was an eruption of clapping hands over the screen. She felt herself start to cry a bit once she was off screen. Some time after the event ended, Madeleine and Michelle joined her in her room. In the way that he was able to talk perfectly reasonable people into doing questionable things, Jane convinced the nurse (not that she wasn't grateful) to agree to let her out of bed and outside for a few minutes for photos.

He snapped photos for them. After she took a photo with Michelle, both women proudly displaying their sashes, Michelle pulled her aside.

She leaned in to hug her, careful not to lean into her wound. "Teresa, thank you so much for everything. I really mean it."

"No need to thank me, Michelle. I was just doing my job."

"That's not what I meant. I wondered why you didn't immediately laugh at me when I told you I wanted to be an FBI agent. Everyone else always had. A dumb beauty queen wanting to carry a gun and fight for justice?"

"You're not dumb."

"That's what people think of me. Everyone I've ever told except you." She looked at her hands for a moment. "But it's because you're an FBI agent, so it didn't sound ridiculous to you."

"No, people always have something to say. I always remember the jokes I got when I brought Grace-Darla-on board my team. Lots of slumber party, hair braiding jokes. It can be hard to be taken seriously and we shouldn't do that to each other. We can be beauty queens, law enforcement professionals, doctors, lawyers-whatever we want to be!"

Michelle smiled at her. "Well, I'm glad to hear you say that. I'm applying to the FBI this year."

Teresa's eyes went wide. "Seriously? That's great, Michelle." She hugged her friend. "Call me anytime if you need anything. Okay? I mean it!"

After her talk with Michelle, the girls practically screamed for her and Patrick to get a photo together. He whispered in her ear as they settled in to take photos. "I think I overheard Madeleine say she wanted to use these for our engagement announcement in the paper." She chuckled softly. Without a doubt, Madeleine was the ringleader of all of this.

She smiled at him. "Madeleine loves photos, and we all have a lot to celebrate today."

"I've got several photos of you two. I'll pick the best one and send it to you."

She nodded. "Thanks, Madeleine."

"Not a problem. We will see you back inside." She couldn't help but notice Madeleine made eye contact with Patrick before turning and walking away, giving them a moment alone.

"Nice of them to give us a moment." She eyed him suspiciously.

"Whoa! What's with all of the suspicion? Can't a guy just want a moment alone with his girl?"

He gently pulled her into his embrace, kissing the side of her head. "I guess."

"Maybe he wants to properly congratulate her."

"Well, he can't do that for at least another two to three weeks, sadly." He laughed, immediately catching her meaning.

"I think we can figure something out. Besides, I wanted to tell you that you look absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."

"Are you going to hassle me today? Make things difficult for me?"

"Depends. What are you guys up to? You knew I was winning this award, didn't you?"

He exhaled sharply. "I was sworn to the greatest secrecy. Just like Madeleine wasn't allowed to tell you about this."

She noticed he was holding a little jewelry box in his left hand, which no longer had his wedding band. "What's this?"

"Open it." With a bit of nervousness, she opened the box. Inside was an antique cut emerald on a gold band with what looked like small diamonds on either side of the stone. She looked into his eyes, waiting for him to talk. "It's a promise ring."

"A promise ring?"

He nodded as he turned to face her. Placing his right hand to her left cheek and stroking her jawbone, he continued. "I can't spend a minute without thinking about you or wanting to be near you. You're my everything. You're an incredible woman, and I am honored to be in your presence. I only hope I can show you how much you really mean to me. Even after a little over a week as your boyfriend I know that I'd like to be your husband some day-when you're ready. I promise to love you, to commit myself to you, and to us, for as long as you will have me. I hope that you'll have me forever because I love you, Teresa Lisbon."

She felt the tears start to run down her face as he wiped them from the left side with his thumb. The man never did anything in half measures to be sure.

"Patrick, I love it...I love you…but I don't want your promise ring."

"What?" His voice was slightly above a whisper and she could immediately detect the hurt-which had not been her intent at all.

"That's not what I mean. Ask me...just ask me."

He blinked rapidly a few times before kneeling before her. "Will you marry me?"

"Of course! I love you. Slide the damn ring on my left hand!"

He laughed. "No need to be impatient, woman!" After sliding the ring onto her left ring finger, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. As he leaned out, he smirked. "You know, if I'd known we were getting engaged today, I would've gotten you a proper ring."

"A proper ring? Babe, this one is perfect! What were you going to get me? Some gaudy thing that I wouldn't be able to wear from day to day?"

"Damn straight. Let the entire world know you're a Jane!"

She laughed as she kissed him again. "I think you at my side is a big enough clue."

He rubbed his nose against hers. "One day, Teresa, you will let me spoil you."

She looked into his eyes. "I said you could have forever. What more could you possibly give me?"

He smiled. "That all depends on how the future looks to you." With that he kissed her once more, wrapping her into his warm embrace-all the promise of a future with him that she needed.

A/N 2: This almost seemed anticlimactic considering the last few chapters, but I really wanted to wrap everyone's story in a way that made sense-and give Jane and Lisbon the happy ending I wanted them to have at the end of this. Seriously, thanks for reading. I didn't envision this story would be quite so long when I started out, but I'm glad I got to write this story!