A/n This is the final instalment of this particular fic. I've been really struggling to know how to end it, but I hope this is okay. Thank you so much for your lovely and interesting comments throughout, I am so glad that this wasn't a total car crash! To say I am looking forward to writing something a little lighter, fluffier, would be an understatement.

So, thanks again and until next time…

/

Therapy – His Future, Their Future

"You look happy." Lisbon comments on seeing her husband almost bounce into the kitchen sporting a grin from ear to ear. "Is today the day?"

"Today is the day." Jane replies before planting a soft kiss to her cheek and then leaning down to kiss her swollen belly like he does every day. It has by no means lost it shine however, it is one her favourite times of the day.

Today is his last therapy appointment. He may have a few top up sessions in the future when he needs them but after three months of spending an hour every Wednesday in Dr Bailey's company, he is finally being discharged. It has helped him, much more than he thought it would, and he's glad that not only he persevered but also that his partner suggested it in the first place.

It has been timed very well, his wife had her last day of work yesterday before going on parental leave – probably a little earlier than expected down to some not-so-nice pregnancy symptoms – and now they have a lovely week planned, getting a few bits and bobs for their son's nursery. So of course, he is in a good mood. The future is not only exciting, but it seems less clouded by the tragedy of his past. "I am really proud of you." She gushes and snakes an arm around his waist. "I was worried about how you would take to it, but it has done you good."

"It really has." He agrees. "I will be going straight to the house after my session, just some finishing touches before tomorrow I show you the final result." It was always going to be a steep task, getting their forever home ready before the birth of their child but somehow, he has managed it. She doesn't know why she is so surprised; he tends to excel at anything he applies himself to and this was no different. He is greatly looking forward to showing off his work, his vision of their family home.

When he bought the cabin and the twenty-four acres of land that went with it, it was a promise to her of a future after he lost his head a little. That was before he knew about the baby, but that just affirmed the conscious decision he made.

The journey to his appointment is easy and also relatively pleasant. The sun is shining, there are upbeat tunes playing on the radio and there isn't a queue of traffic in sight. In his previous sessions he would wait until the exact time he is expected before knocking on Doctor Bailey's door, despite knowing that she doesn't have a client just before him. He didn't want to spend any unnecessary time there, it virtually scared him, but now he walks up the path, early, almost with a skip in his step. He meets his therapist with a wide smile on his face that she mirrors and despite some of the horrors he has told her, she is going to miss this particular patient. He's been… interesting. "Today we are going to focus on the future." The redhead begins, getting her notebook at the ready. "So Patrick, what does the future look like to you?"

He doesn't want much from his future but the safety of his wife and son. He wants them to be able to enjoy being snuggled up together on the cooler evenings in front of a roaring fire. He wants to be able to cook them delicious meals in their new kitchen and put on dinner parties inviting anyone and everyone they hold most dear. He wants to be able to spend the weekends playing games in their garden which is acres wide, big enough to play baseball without running the risk of losing the ball in the trees. Maybe, they could even get a dog to go and fetch it. Jane has always wanted a pet.

They now own so much land though that perhaps they could have many animals, a farm maybe. He would definitely much rather spend his days doing that than working in the dangers of the FBI, watching Lisbon get repeatedly put in harm's way. Plus, would it be wise for them both to be in danger? Who would raise their son if something were to happen to them?

Stop. He tells himself and uses some CBT exercises he was taught by his brilliant therapist to calm himself, to relax his body and shake off any unnecessary dark thoughts. She observes him with a soft smile on her face. It was always going to be a big task, getting this particular client to find his happy place, to help him work through the traumas of his past, but she believes that she has largely succeeded. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a patient get better, to feel like you are actually making a difference. It is why she started this line of work in the first place. "It isn't unusual to think about what would happen if." She carefully explains, "And it is okay. As long as it doesn't consume your thoughts most of the time."

"I get that." He murmurs. "I-I think I am doing better at that."

"I think so too." She agrees with a nod.

It is obvious how much these sessions have helped him because before it was almost paralysing, envisioning the hazards that life carries. Too many nights were plagued by nightmares, if he weren't keeping busy then he would be musing too much about what he has lost and what he could potentially lose. It wasn't healthy. Far from it.

Even though it was Dr Mary Bailey who has been his aid, it was Lisbon who got him to take the leap. She is the reason why he is now better, much better, than he used to be. He has wanted to be better because of her, and that was the case long before they were in a romantic relationship. At first, he couldn't have given a damn what other people thought of him but the longer they worked together, so close in each other's company, he wanted to improve, be less selfish, give back – and that's all down to her. "My final piece of advice for you Patrick is, don't run from your anxieties. Try and face them head on." The psychiatrist recommends. "Your wife has a right to return to work after having your child-"

"I know that." He retorts.

"May I suggest that you return to work part time?" He hasn't contemplated the possibility of returning to the FBI. He has been so busy with the remodel that he hasn't had time to have such thoughts, but he supposes now that he is almost done, he will be kicking his heels a bit – not when the baby comes of course. Jane didn't do much of the day to day looking after of Charlotte, he worked, and Angela was a stay-at-home mom but now he wants to do it. It was, is, one of his biggest regrets that he wasn't there for them both as much as he should have been, and he isn't going to make that mistake again. "Your final weeks at the FBI were troubling to say the least so when you think of Teresa working there all you can think of is that. It will be shadowing your judgement. It could put your mind at ease seeing her working again, you would see that it isn't all bad."

It isn't bad advice, and he finds himself nodding. Maybe it is something he can discuss with his wife, see what she thinks, because sometimes he believes that she knows him better than he knows himself. That's okay though because it definitely works both ways in their relationship.

Jane is a little surprised when he is hugged by Dr Bailey before leaving but he doesn't mind it. There are not many people in this world that he has been so open with, and he supposes they have formed a bond. In fact, it is going to be a little weird to not have this hour a week to vent in her company. Although he is sure he will forget about that very quickly, especially as it won't be long until he will have a wailing infant in his arms.

He sits in his car for a few minutes, in silence, he hasn't even reached to turn the key in the ignition. He watches as another car pulls into the small carpark and shortly after two people climb out of it, most likely a mother and her son – the son looks to be in his late teens, he may even be an adult – but he looks broken. His clothes hang baggy on his frame, and he tries to conceal his gaunt, pale face with the hood of his jumper. The woman is obviously concerned enough to be dragging her child to see a therapist, but the mentalist can tell that their relationship isn't great. Some vast trauma has caused a wedge between them. An abusive father? Maybe.

Patrick may have not been in this sort of physical state when he started his sessions, but it would be an honest reflection on how he felt inside. He hopes the boy gets the help he needs and takes to the whole process of therapy well – like he has done. He has amazed himself and to think he was so disgusted by the prospect when his wife first broached the subject with him a few months ago. She was right, he needed this, they needed this.

A beep from the phone in his pocket pulls him out of his thoughts and when he sources it, he sees her message on the screen.

Can you buy some milk on your way home? Xx

It is a simple message of a basic request, but it makes him smile, beam even.

Fifteen years ago, he was a shell of a man with no prospects and certainly no future to speak of. He thought at times that he was better off dead before he was taken over by a mind destroying obsession that almost finished him off too many times.

Angela and Charlotte may be gone but they will always be his family, they live through him, it is just now he has found some happiness again through his Teresa and their soon-to-be-born son. He may not be a religious man, but he is blessed.

Once-upon-a-time Patrick Jane felt like one of the unluckiest men in this world but now he feels like one of the luckiest. He has a future and an exciting one too.