He made his way slowly down the stairs to the lobby, where he found a stand with brochures about local tourist attractions. He stared at them for almost a minute and then just grabbed a bunch and sat down on a small couch by the window.

There he sat, the brochures in one hand, while he stared sightlessly out of the window. All he could think about was Lisbon on the phone with Pike.

It's not that he didn't trust her. She said she had made up her mind and was happy with her decision. But still, what if she thought better of it? What if she realized that Marcus Pike was a much better deal than Patrick Jane.

What was it she had said? That she wanted a normal life? Well, Pike could offer her that. He was a smart, decent guy. He was handsome, had a great career and was just plain nice. What wasn't there to like about him? Hell, what wasn't there for a woman to love about him.

And what did he, Patrick Jane, have to offer a woman like Teresa? He didn't have a real career, other than working as a consultant with the FBI. But it was a go nowhere position. There was no possibility of advancement because he wasn't a regular employee. And what other kinds of jobs were there for someone like him?

He didn't have a college education and his job history was spotty, at best. He could just picture his resume: experience as a carny, a magician, a fake-psychic and a grifter – oh and a few years as a consultant to the CBI – the disbanded law-enforcement agency, searching for a serial killer.

What woman in her right mind would choose him over Marcus? He could begin to feel himself fall back into that deep, dark place he'd been when Lisbon told him she was leaving for DC.

At that precise moment a family, a mom, dad and little girl, walked up to the front desk. The girl couldn't have been more than three years old. She was holding her mom's hand, but was swinging back and forth, looking around the lobby. She spotted Patrick and stopped and stared. She was biting her lip, when suddenly she smiled at him.

He smiled back and gave a small wave. She waved back with her tiny little hand, but then turned back to her parents. Jane watched her for a few seconds noticing that she had long brown hair and looked quite the imp. This must have been what Lisbon looked like as a little girl. The thought was comforting somehow – and created in him a sudden yearning for normal, something he had never really had.

The family was soon gone, but the feeling remained. He realized, at that moment, that he had to stop obsessing about Pike. Teresa had stayed here, with him. So now it was up to him to make sure she didn't ever regret her decision. Sitting around, feeling sorry for himself, or somehow inadequate compared to the FBI agent, wasn't going to do anything but drive her away.

So, what did he need to do? He couldn't suddenly get a degree and a nine to five job – although he was pretty sure Teresa didn't want that anyway. So, what did she want?

A moment later it came to him. Lisbon didn't care about possessions or status. What she wanted was the same as him – someone who would love her, imperfections, and all. She wanted someone to be there for her, someone she could lean on when she needed him. Those are the things she needed. And he would be there for her.

Although Teresa's upbringing was different in most ways to his, there were some things they had in common – and those things had shaped them both. They both had lost their mothers, the person who had loved them unconditionally, too young. Afterward, both were left with disfunctional and selfish fathers. They'd been forced to grow up too soon, to take on responsibilities that no young person should be faced with.

In Lisbon's case she was also left with three younger brothers, whom she had practically raised. Although he was an only child, he had had to be the adult when his father, often drunk and usually broke, relied on his act as the Boy Wonder, for both their survival.

Neither of them had had a stable life in their early years. Neither of them had had someone to look after them, to love them and be there for them. Instead, they were pushed out into the world too soon.

He had had love for a short while, with Angela and Charlotte, but his own ambition had destroyed that.

Well – never again. He was in a much different place in his life. Ambition, success, those things meant nothing without someone to love and someone who loved him. Now he had Lisbon and he loved her totally.

So, going forward he was going to make sure she never, ever regretted staying with him. His loyalty was a given. He knew the type of person he was, and he would never, ever be unfaithful. It wasn't in his nature.

But what about trust? He knew that he had used and abused Teresa's trust over the years. In fact, he was surprised that she hadn't given up on him years ago because of that. Things had to change. From now on, he had to do everything he could to prove she could trust him. No more trickery, obfuscation, or downright lies. He'd have to be open and honest with her.

And that wasn't going to be easy because those were skills he'd never really learned. He was taught at his father's knee to never trust anyone – to never allow himself to be vulnerable.

Somehow, he knew that if he and Teresa were to last, he'd have to change that once and for all.

"Here's to openness and honesty," he said to himself. He just hoped that that, and the intense love he had for Teresa would be enough to hold her – because that's all he wanted out of life, to be able to hold and love Teresa.

He looked up, to see her walking down the stairs towards him. She had obviously been crying. Her nose was slightly red and her eyes looked bruised. But as soon as she saw him, she stopped and smiled. The sadness faded and he could see the look of wonder and hope on her face.

All his fears melted away as he stood up and walked towards his love.