Chapter 1: How Lisbon got there
Lisbon's plane was grounded after Jane's stunt and it was too late to get another, so she got a hotel room nearby.
When she walked into her room, it only took her a few minutes to start sobbing, everything she was holding back from the last few weeks came out.
She laid on the floor in a ball for about an hour before feeling emotionally and physically depleted.
She crawled up to the bed and stretched out on her back, staring at the ceiling, determined to sort out everything that had happened.
As she played it out in her mind, tears started to come back again.
She was angry at Jane…
She was angry that he had tried to trick her, that it was all a set up and she was a part of one of his cons. She wondered when he started planning it and thought through all of the conversations they had from that moment.
Emotions swung as she remembered: adoration, compassion, joy, satisfaction, irritation, anger, and confusion.
He had gone too far and why did he wait until I was on a PLANE to be with another man to tell me how he felt!
She was shaking as she stood up and her head hurt from crying. She went to draw a bath, knowing that the warm water would comfort her.
The hot water relieved all of her tension and she laid her head back against the tub. She could think more clearly now and she was so drained she didn't want to cry anymore anyway.
Why am I so angry at him? She started her rational thought process.
Because he hurt me and treated me like someone he could control.
Why does it hurt so much?
Because he doesn't care about my needs or feelings, he never does.
She automatically corrected her thoughts as she remembered some of the things he had done for her.
She let Jane hypnotize her, he comforted her when she needed it and he never told a soul.
Her mind wandered to the letters he sent her and the words flooded her mind.
I can trust him… when it matters.
And she started to remember all of the things he trusted her with, things he never told anyone else.
She knew he needed her.
Does he love me or does he just need me?
She considered the words he spoke on the plane and the tears in his eyes.
He loves me, he always has.
She remembered back to when he said he loved her before.
Will he just deny it and run away again?
Her bath water had started to get cold and she was getting pruny. She was starting to feel a little better and realized she needed to eat something. She got out of the bath and threw on some clothes with the hopes of grabbing some food from the hotel store since it was too late for room service.
She grabbed her bag and saw that Pike had called.
Pike! How had she forgotten about him? Her plane should have landed by now and he was probably worried. She didn't really want to talk to him, but she felt obligated so she sat down on the edge of the bed and called.
"Teresa!" Pike sounded concerned, relieved, and excited.
"Hey Marcus." Lisbon replied unemotionally.
"You ok? Where are you? What happened?"
"The flight was grounded; sorry I didn't call. I was so tired when I got a hotel room I just passed out. I didn't realize what time it was when I woke up."
"Teresa, it's ok. I was just worried. I'm excited for you to get here!"
"Yeah me too." She said flatly.
"You sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, just hungry I guess. I was going to get something to eat when I saw your call and realized what time it was."
"Ok, well get some food and some rest. What time is your flight in the morning?"
"Oh, uh… I still have to book it. After they directed us off the plane, the line was so long, I figured I'd do it in the morning." She was already getting impatient at the length of the conversation and that he sounded so excited.
"Ok." There was a slight pause of concern. "What happened that delayed the flight anyway?"
She really didn't want to talk to Pike to begin with, at least right now, but the last question made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn't want to tell him, but she felt like she should.
"Teresa?" Pike asked because of the silence.
She yawned loudly into the phone.
"Marcus, can we chat tomorrow? It's late, I'm exhausted. I'll text you my flight information in the morning."
He could hear the hesitation in her voice.
"That's fine. Are you sure you're just tired? Are you having second thoughts about getting married? If you need more time, I understand."
Lisbon's stomach sank and she started to panic. In all of the excitement, she had forgotten she told him she would marry him.
"I'm just overwhelmed. There's just a lot of change all at once." Her voice was high and she spoke quickly.
"I understand, but you are still coming right?" There was a small silence and Pike filled it out of unease of her response. "Did something happen?"
Teresa was getting frustrated at the truth Pike was trying to draw out of her and it came out in her voice, nearing anger.
"I'm just tired. I booked the last flight to DC and rushed to the airport to get there in time, then the flight was delayed, and once we finally got on the flight it was grounded for the night. We got hurried off the plane and the line to rebook was long and I still had to find a hotel room and I haven't eaten yet either. I'm exhausted, Marcus, and I really don't want to talk about anything right now."
She knew that Marcus could tell something else was going on, but she didn't really care at that point.
"Ok. Um, Teresa, would you like me to fly out there to meet you?"
She sighed, "No. I'm fine. I'll call you in the morning."
"Ok, well… goodnight Teresa. I love you."
"Goodnight".
She hung up quickly wanting to cry at the mess she'd made, but quickly switched to anger.
This was a mess Jane made.
She laid back on the bed again.
You're an idiot Teresa, Jane didn't make you tell Marcus you would marry him.
Lisbon sat up. She looked at the time on her phone, it was late. Very late.
She would answer if I call…
Lisbon dialed Fisher's number.
She explained everything that had happened that night including Jane's con, which Abbott had already told her about, agreeing to marry Pike, what Jane did and said on the plane, and her conversation with Pike on the phone.
Fisher listened to all of it and then there was silence.
"Lisbon" Fisher said gently. She was smiling and although Lisbon couldn't see her, she could hear it in her voice.
"Yeah." Lisbon replied inquisitively and with slight annoyance at the smile she could hear.
"I've known you and Jane loved each other the moment I saw you together… before then even. We all have. Marcus has."
Teresa's tense body relaxed completely for the first time since leaving the Blue Bird Lodge.
"Yeah…" Lisbon replied quietly, slowly, thoughtfully. "…but he's… not ready."
"Maybe, but he did detain a plane just to tell you how he felt."
Lisbon, still hesitant in her response, "But he was backed into a corner. He didn't want to lose me." She got angry, "he tried to con me!"
Fisher replied, "Well, that's Jane. He does that, he's always done that."
Lisbon, still angry, "Not to me! This was…" her voice faltered and softened "personal"
Fisher didn't reply and there was silence for a bit.
Lisbon spoke again, "He's told me he loved me before."
Fisher, surprised, "When?"
Lisbon told her the story where he pronounced it before he shot her.
She continued, "but when I asked him about it afterwards, he pretended he forgot what he said. We never talked about it after that."
There was another long silence before Fisher spoke up, "I understand."
Fisher did understand, more now than she ever had. They were both scared.
Jane was afraid to be happy, afraid he wasn't good enough. Lisbon was afraid Jane couldn't get past his fears, afraid of rejection, afraid she'd be in unanswered love with him forever.
"Teresa?"
"Yeah."
"It took a lot of courage for Jane to get on that plane and say he loved you. Not just to you this time, he did it in front of everyone."
Lisbon didn't reply, so Fisher continued, "It's a risk. He's got a lot of baggage. Maybe he'll deny it again, but you risked a lot for him many times…" she trailed off.
Lisbon nodded simply because she couldn't speak.
Fisher continued, "Can you go with Pike without knowing?"
There was a pause, Lisbon sighed, and responded confidently, but quietly, "No."
They sat in silence for a bit and Lisbon said, "I can't marry Pike."
She paused again, "Fisher, I can't go. I have to talk to Jane, but even if he denies it, I can't go. Can I stay? Keep my old job?"
Fisher replied, "I'll let Abbott know. Why don't you take some time off to figure everything out for yourself too? You've got plenty of vacation time."
Lisbon smiled, "Thanks. I will. I have to go. Fisher, thank you."
Fisher smiled too, "Anytime, good night Teresa."
"Goodnight."
Lisbon was excited and nervous. Fisher was right, she had to know if Jane meant it.
She couldn't sleep now; she was too excited. It was nearly morning.
Lisbon tried calling Jane's phone. He didn't answer. It could have been that it was too early, but she didn't think it was likely that he was sleeping considering all that had happened. He was probably still at the airport.
There was time before she'd be able to talk to someone about him. She put on the same clothes she took off before she got her bath. Excited and nervous, trying to fill the time, she also put on make-up, fixed her hair, packed everything up and checked out of the hotel.
She told the cab driver to take her to the airport, it was just opening up for the day. She used her badge to find out where Jane was and asked to see him… she got more anxious and excited with each step she took.