RECEPTION #1

After the ceremony, the Jane's stayed at the fountain for pictures, and to greet the many friends who had traveled from so far to celebrate with them - a fact which had totally surprised, and deeply touched them both.

Jimmy handed out cards to them all, providing the address of the pub hosting the reception.

At the pub, after everyone was seated, Jimmy announced the arrival of Patrick and Teresa Lisbon Jane - garnering a raucous cheer from the attendees.

As Patrick escorted his bride across the dance floor, toward the head table, a song began to play. Upon recognizing it, they both stopped where they were, and began to dance.

Smiling at the familiar lyrics, Teresa said to him, "I guess we took a wrong turn and ended up at a class reunion!"

He laughed - beaming at the memories of their first dance, and of the moment she'd said yes to a shared life with him.

"No wrong turns today, my gorgeous bride! We are both exactly where we should be!"

She couldn't agree more, as he pulled her close, and she relaxed into his warm embrace.

Later, as the servers began bringing food to the tables, Jane spoke to their friends and colleagues:

"Thank you, everyone, for journeying on short notice to celebrate with Teresa and I! We are blown away by the response from you, our dearest friends and family. You all know that I'm better with slight of hand than I am with sincerity, but on such a truly wonderful occasion I will try."

"I owe my very life to all of you," he said, as the gathered friends quieted even more, realizing the weight of his words.

"When I met some of you, I was merely a shell. But still you tolerated my… erm… 'non-traditional' methods,"

Laughter broke through the crowd on those words.

"and you supported me. It is largely because of all of you, that I grew strong enough to think that I could possibly someday be worth something to somebody. You've all led me - led us -' (gesturing to Lisbon) 'to this day."

Then, he turned to his new bride.

"Teresa Lisbon Jane,"

He briefly closed his eyes, and took a breath. Hearing himself call her by his own name did things to him he could not explain.

"You are my every breath. You have been nurturing me, building me, teaching me… tolerating me…" (drawing laughter from the crowd), "loving me, and saving me ever since we first met in the CBI bullpen. I cannot believe that we have made it to this place together, but the reality of standing here as your husband is one of the most overwhelming joys I've ever experienced."

"My darling Teresa… my love… my protector and closest friend, I can't begin to tell you what you've meant to me… What you mean to me,"

They shared a knowing, tearful smile at that phrase.

"But I promise to try. From this day forward I will work tirelessly to be deserving of your love and friendship."

He glanced quickly to the crowd of friends & back before adding,

"I promise to keep things interesting too, of course,"

He grinned as the crowd and his wife shared a knowing chuckle,

"But nothing in my life will ever be more important to me than you. I love you with all my heart, all my mind, all of me is yours, my dear Teresa."

The guests applauded as he kissed her, and there wasn't a dry eye to be found.

Clearing the lump in her throat, being so moved by her husband's words, Teresa spoke next:

"Most of you know how I hate being the center of attention, but Patrick, I adore being the center of yours. So for you I'll try to speak with some sort of eloquence."

She chuckled quickly, as did some friends. Then she continued,

"Before we met, I was existing in life, but not really living it. You showed up one day and grabbed my attention with your fragility and your tragedy - your tricks and eccentricities. But slowly you became my closest friend, my most trusted confidant, and now my truest love. You've shown me that it's okay to color outside the lines sometimes. You've taught me to see the world - and people - in a new way. But more than that, Patrick, you are simply magical."

For once it was Jane who was blushing.

"You make me laugh everyday, whisking me away to one adventure or another - and when there is no adventure to be had, you bring your unique brand of fun to what would normally be mundane - even when that fun includes extra paperwork for me."

That drew a huge laugh from the gathered friends, as Jane simply nodded in agreement with a smile.

"Patrick, Love, You have made me a better person,"

His eyes immediately filled at that sentence, and he struggled to keep his composure at the idea.

"You make me feel more like myself - The self I'd always been too buttoned up to become before I met you."

He smiled, loving the 'self' she'd grown into so fully, over the years he'd known her.

"And Patrick, you are the best man I've ever met - more full of goodness than any person I know. You may not believe it, but it's true, my love. There is such a beautiful light in you - it illuminates every room you enter, and I'm weak in the knees just thinking of how wonderful it's going to be, basking in that warm glow for the rest of my life."

Jane couldn't take it - blushing and looking at the ground with overwhelm.

"I could never love anyone as much as I have grown to love you. You hold my heart in yours, from now til forever. Thank you for choosing me, dearest Patrick."

She had to sit, to hold & kiss him then, because he had collapsed into his chair, so overcome by her sweet words.

The friends offered applause, muted by tears (Grace was a complete mess) as they realized how right she was..

Jane really was good, at his core. Always had been. Struggled mightily to maintain it in childhood, and struggled just as mightily to deny it as an adult. But they had all seen him go out of his way to comfort victims, to right wrongs, and to protect the innocent - even those innocents who'd managed to be wrongfully convicted.

The evening continued as the friends and family - new and old - enjoyed food, dancing, and conversations til closing time.

Grace hugged the newlyweds so tightly, before continuing to collect signatures and wishes for the commemorative group photo their CBI friends had taken at the engagement party. She promised to deliver the final copy, framed and matted with all of the messages in the margins.

As Lisbon and Jane waved their goodbyes to the crowd, the friends offered one more parting cheer: "Et VOILA!" (The couple laughed in delight at that!)

Walking down the concrete stairs outside the pub, hand in hand, both of them stopped in surprise when Cho drove up in a familiar blue sports car.

"Thought you'd prefer nostalgia and style to an RV - plus have you ever tried to drive an Airstream through city streets?" He quipped, opening the rear door acting as chauffeur.

With amazed, happy smiles, the Jane's slipped into the smallish back seat, cuddling close and staring into one another's eyes.

Never more glad that Cho wasn't much of a conversationalist, the two found many pleasant ways to pass the time as the Citroen made its way to the yellow house in the suburbs.

When they arrived, Cho quickly opened the doors, and grabbed their things from the trunk. He carried the bags inside, waved a quick farewell, and a parting congratulation (garnering a group hug that made him slightly uncomfortable, but entertained Lisbon & Jane tremendously).

As Cho drove away, Lisbon noticed the entry door had something hanging on it. Moving closer, she laughed at the crayoned words (clearly Stan & Karen's kids had helped): Honeymoon Suite.

Jane opened the door, holding Lisbon tightly. Then he gently lifted her over the threshold - smiling wide as he recalled doing the same with a sleepy Teresa at the Malibu house not that long ago. He had dreamed of this moment then, and was beside himself now that it was actually coming true.

Once inside, they were surprised to see that the interior of the house had been decorated and filled with supplies also. Roses, wine, champagne, every possible hors d'oeuvre and snack. Two spa-worthy, fluffy robes with slippers, bubble bath and a giant framed photo of a Pacific Coast sunset, complete with the words "what you mean to me," and their wedding date inscribed on the frame.

Lisbon noticed a boom-box on the coffee table that she thought had been lost back in the 90's! Curious and a bit suspicious, she pushed 'play.' As expected, their song began to play, eliciting smiles and kisses from both of them.

Upstairs, they found that the Lisbon brothers had arranged stylish, hotel-worthy furniture in their sister's old bedroom - so the happy couple wouldn't spend their wedding night on a frameless mattress.

After taking in the new decor, they got into more comfortable clothing, and held each other for hours, sipping champagne, snacking, sharing memories from the day, and from other days, gazing softly at each other, and at the Pacific Sunset on the wall.

Not wanting the day or the moment to end, they ignored their exhaustion and yawns until they couldn't any longer. Pretending to fall asleep on the couch, Lisbon teased that if they didn't move quickly, Jane might miss out on his wedding night fun. With that, he jumped up quickly and scooped her into his arms, sprinkling kisses on her as he carried her upstairs - both of them giggling all the way.

As they caught their breath, arriving in the bedroom, they looked at each other intently.

"I thank God everyday that you stumbled into my life, Patrick. In my mind, we needed each other more than either of us knew - it was such a miracle how our lives were connected that day."

"I love you, Teresa," he smiled that warm, glorious Jane-smile and kissed her tenderly. "And I would have to agree."

The kissing continued, until Lisbon stopped him. "Wait just one minute, gorgeous!" He smiled in anticipation as she slipped into the bathroom with a nondescript bag.

A few minutes later, she returned, wearing a long, white, satin nightie, complete with a revealing side-vent, and very high heels.

Eyes wide with admiration, Jane wasted no time in restarting the kisses - with added passion and desperation - closing the bedroom door as he moved them toward the newly upgraded bed.

"I am so very thankful to be here with you Teresa. My heart is so full, it can barely take the saturation. I'm forever grateful that you came to look for me that day. I love you so much, dearest Teresa! Thank you for loving me!"

"I do love you, Patrick. So completely, my love. So much that my knees barely have the strength to hold me up, I'm so happy right now!"

"Well maybe you should lie down, my dear?" He hummed, with a glint in his eye, gently lowering his beautiful bride onto the luxurious sheets.

The first time they made love as a married couple was different somehow. It was more tender. More healing. More deeply connective.

"You have never looked more beautiful," Jane whispered against her skin.

"Mmm… I was just thinking the same thing about you, my love. My one true love. Oh Patrick… I… am… so…"

Her panting words trailed off as he sent her further down a path of sensual pleasure that only he could provide. Wanting her to feel him in every way. Wanting his every breath to be full of her, and nothing else.

It was magical.

The next morning he woke smiling, holding his pint-sized wife in his arms. As she began to stir, he nestled into the curve of her neck and took in a long, slow breath - filling himself with her lovely scent.

"Good morning, Mrs. Jane!" He chipperly hummed.

She stretched & made the most adorable squeaky sound, before replying contentedly, "Good morning, gorgeous husband!"

"So, I want to make it clear that I'm in no hurry to leave our current position, but where shall we go next, my dear?" Jane asked playfully.

"Hmm… you mean, like a honeymoon?" She asked with a smile.

"That sounds lovely!" He grinned wide.

"You're gonna laugh at this," she warned, "and it's so cliche" she apologized, "but what if we go to Niagara Falls?"

"I would never laugh at your wishes or dreams, Teresa. All I want is for you to be happy," he purred warmly. "There's a hotel on the Canadian side with breathtaking views! I could call today?"

Lisbon smiled gratefully at his loving response. "Thank you Jane! And you have made me happier than I've ever been, my love."

She guided him closer for a tender, deep kiss. "Could you call, maybe, later today?" She asked, with a seductive grin.

"Absolutely!" He grinned, reading her thoughts, "I have other more pressing plans for the immediate future!"

He growled irresistibly as he began caressing her in the most intimate places, weakening her every defense - not that she wanted to defend against another round of passionate lovemaking with this man, whom she'd loved to her core for so long.

She gave in to every pleasure, as her new husband took her to the edge of ecstasy once again.

She couldn't believe she was here with him

Couldn't believe how far they'd come from that first night at the beach

Couldn't believe how wholly opposite this life was from the imagined marriage in her nightmare just weeks ago

Couldn't believe how alive she felt every time she was with him

Couldn't believe how beautiful he was - especially when he looked at her that way

She reciprocated his gifts of touch by offering some of her own, relishing every second, tasting his delicious skin, breathing his intoxicating scent, feeling the softness of his gorgeous curls brushing her face, hearing his accelerating heartbeat as she pressed against him.

She felt like she'd won the husband lottery. All of her life choices leading her to this moment of rapture with the most amazing man on earth.

Thank you, God, for dropping him into my life - so squarely centered in my path that I had no choice but to notice. Thank you for our past and for our future.

Especially… thank you… for… Right… Now…

Then, fully together, they tumbled into the wonderful abyss of love, relaxing into one another in complete euphoria.