SILHOUETTES
Teresa Lisbon followed the coastal road until she arrived at the familiar cliffside pullout, parked, and looked around. She grabbed her jacket, since the sun was getting low and the ocean breezes were cool. As she walked toward the water, she put her hands in both jacket pockets to keep them warm (and to keep the jacket wrapped tightly around her).
What was that in her pocket? She hadn't even worn this jacket in weeks!
With her left hand, she pulled out a large wad of crumpled paper.
Wait, no… it was… A SWAN?!
She cried softly and smiled wide as she looked at the origami masterpiece, no doubt left purposefully by one Patrick Jane!
And - were those words in the folds?
Carefully, she straightened the paper until the writing came fully into view:
"Dearest Teresa,
I meant what I said - all I want is for you to be happy. It's my greatest hope that being with Pike in DC is all you've dreamed and more. But my biggest regret today is that I didn't clear the air about certain things before we parted.
First, I offer my sincerest apology for everything I've ever done that hurt you (and yes I know that that is an extensive list that no single apology could hope to cover).
The second part is more difficult. I regret keeping certain things to myself when I should have shared them with you. Most important of those is this:
I love you with my whole heart. I have been hopelessly in love with you for years, Teresa, but an egotistical liar like myself does not deserve a woman as real, or as beautiful, or as good-to-her-core as you. So I thought the selfless thing to do would be to walk away - allowing you to have everything you want with Pike, without tricks or games from me.
Still, I couldn't walk away without telling you that I also meant what I said, that night on the beach. I need you to know how much you've meant to me… how much you mean to me… and even more, how much I regretted walking away from you that night. Regretted it every day since.
I truly wish for you the wonderful life that you so richly deserve. But know that I will always love you, and I am always going to save you, Lisbon, whether you like it or not.
Yours Always, Patrick"
She stood staring at the writing, and at the lowering sun, in disbelief at what she'd read.
He'd left her a breadcrumb. Even knowing she was most likely leaving for good he'd still had a shred of hope… still had a shred of faith in her… still had left her a single lifeline, just in case there was any shred of a chance at all. That had to mean something, right?