PLANS

"So!" he said, clapping his hands together in elation, "Now that we're never parting, is there anyplace in particular you'd like to be whilst we cling to one another? Eiffel Tower? Great Pyramids? Ayers Rock?" He grinned the biggest Jane-grin she'd ever seen.

"What about the Space Needle?" she mused, smiling.

"I caught a glimpse of the Pacific Surfliner after I landed in Burbank. It made me wonder what it would have been like to travel with you by train… Made me regret all the time we've wasted," she breathed, with a far-off look into the darkened sea. "We could have spent years loving each other, and seeing the world together."

Hearing Lisbon's sadness at their past of missed opportunities, his demeanor tempered into melancholy, as his hands moved to cradle her waist.

For a long time, his mournful eyes held her gaze - communicating what he hadn't the words to express. He trembled a little as he nestled his face in the crook of her neck, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, against her skin, "I would have absolutely loved being able to do that with you…"

After a long embrace, he straightened quickly, with a full smile, a sparkle in his eyes, and renewed passion.

"But we have from now until forever, starting today – so let's plan wonderful adventures together! I'm sincerely so excited for this, Lisbon – Let's start now!"

His giddiness was almost boyish, and she loved it – he was so light and full of joy as he spoke!

"Well," she started, "We're in LA already, so a trip north on the Coast Starlight would be a romantic way to get to Seattle!" She daydreamed out loud.

"Fancy a private sleeper car?" He grinned, as she shot him a flirtatious glance.

He winked at her, but then shot back a questioning look.

"Lisbon - Won't the FBI miss you if we just drop everything and take off like this? I don't want you getting into trouble with Abbott or Cho."

She smiled & held his hands.

"With the transfer to DC, they were giving me two weeks leave for the move & to get things in order before my start date there. When I told Abbott that I had changed my mind about DC, I asked if I could please retain the two weeks of leave to go and look for you. He seemed more than happy to agree - said you'd 'revel in being found by me,' or some such thing!" She laughed - sure that Abbott had been overly dramatic in using such flowery terms.

But Jane gave a knowing smile & answered, "Ah, Dennis! He's been cheering for us as a couple ever since he lured me home from the island with promises that you would be in Austin!" He rocked on his heels, hands to his chest in affection for the supervisory agent who had become such a confidant over the past several months.

With some alarm, Lisbon made a note to bring this up later. What the hell did he mean, Abbott had been cheering for them? She blushed a little at the thought of her boss and Jane discussing her personal life - which had nothing to do with Patrick Jane, as far as Abbott knew - Right? She put it to the back of her mind before her anxiety on the subject spiraled out of control.

Then, with her practical side back in charge, she said,

"We will plan, tomorrow - but tonight, we sleep." Stifling a yawn, she took Jane's hand & led him back toward the parking area.

As they walked, Jane said, with some embarrassment, "I'm afraid the Airstream isn't very presentable right now. I haven't been in a good place these last few weeks and the mess currently inside it rivals the one in my mind."

Lisbon stopped short - her heart dropping, before capturing him in a huge hug.

"Patrick I am so very sorry for any part I may have played in that."

Her heart compressed, imagining this man who'd been through so much, going through even more pain, because of her. She still had plenty of tears stored up from the nightmare, and they fell freely now.

Jane returned the hug, squeezing hard (but not too hard - Lisbon was still so tiny, despite her tough exterior).

"Teresa, I'm thankful you're not the type to keep score. Because if you were, you'd see how severely my transgressions outnumber yours. Even if I've been sad or hurt by your near-recent decisions, it wouldn't bring us at all close to being even, on that scale - AND - your most recent words and actions have cleansed any remaining pain I have on the subject, so please don't fret, my love."

She looked gratefully into his eyes, for a long moment, and held his beautiful face in her hands. "Thank you for saying that, Patrick. I do love you, so very much," she smiled,

"And you're right - I don't keep score unless there's a game on. So I don't want to hear any more about past mistakes. What's done can't be changed, but we start with a clean slate today. It will take a minute for my brain to get used to us as a couple (despite the fact that I'm truly ecstatic just saying it out loud!), but that's exactly what we are now: a couple! And that means the scorecards are empty because this is a whole new ballgame!" She grinned & brushed away the quiet tears that had begun to wet his cheeks.

"Thank you, my love," he whispered, leaning down for a tender, deep, healing kiss.

Energized, he then proclaimed, playfully: "I plan to build up my scorecard to a similar lead in this new era - but instead of gaining points for tricks & hurts I plan to gain them with kisses and flowers and chocolate and surprise dates and 5-star dinners and - "

"I get the idea, Jane!" She giggled, and kissed him back, before settling against him & breathing in, deeply. And yawning fully-wide, despite herself.

"We need to get you to bed, my dear - you must be exhausted from crossing the country to save me from myself" he joked, "How about we stay at the Malibu house for tonight? There are a couple of rooms that still have furniture, and that have been kept up over the years. The Airstream can stay here for one night - I'll drive us over in your rental car so you can rest on the way."

Lisbon nodded, and they left for the house.