My, my, this is already last chapter (sniff snif). Funny how fast it goes when you take a step back and realise you've written and complete something
I've realized I haven't included Grace's opinion a lot, so she'll be more "aggressive" in here. Bon, enough rambling now, here is the last chapter of Wanderer (can't believe it's the end…)
Thanks to: Ebony10, Jbon, BFangz and Simonisthecuttestmentalist for their review
Thanks to all those who had reviewed, put the fic in their alerts and favourites too!
Same warnings:
W1: don't like AU and Mentalist? Give it a try, you never know ;)
W2: My English grammar isn't the best; I voice it better than I write it. Hope you'll still enjoy (won't blame you if you don't ;D)
Wanderer
Instead of waiting in Bosco's house, Teresa and Jane went back to Minelli's office. The man wanted to confirm he accepted the offer of settling in town, and Teresa to suggest she'd share her house with them until a new one was built. Minelli had eyed them suspiciously but didn't push the issue. No doubt he had noticed the holding hands and the glances they threw each other.
"He considers you like a daughter" Jane said, once they were out the building after Minelli had dismissed them, and ordered Lisbon to take a day off to organize her new 'arrangements'. She blinked in surprise and frowned at him.
"Who? Minelli?"
"You didn't noticed the death glare he threw me when you weren't looking, did you?"
At her astonished expression, he concluded with amusement she didn't. Grace and Connor were already awakened when they went back to Bosco's place. The teenager was warming up by stretching her legs and arms, and Connor watching, humming a song. At their sight, both young jumped on their feet and ran to them. When Jane told them they would be settling in town for good and not walking anymore, Grace simply asked, eyeing Teresa –not far behind- suspiciously:
"She's it, right? The one you were looking for?"
When he approved, to both Jane and Connor's surprise, she managed a small, very small, but real smile.
"Good. Don't lose her this time."
--
"It's nice" Grace commented, leaving Teresa to wonder if she was being sarcastic or just polite. The main room was a mess and she hadn't cleaned the kitchen from earlier. Living with a three disorganised brothers before the Dark Night, and with a twenty-four young man afterwards didn't develop her need of neatness. For once however, she whished she had tidied the house a little bit more.
"You can…just leave your bags in there" she said, pointing her brother's bedroom. "The bathroom is behind this door over there and…well I'll wait for Ray for the sleeping details but I'm sure we'll manage something."
"Got it."
An awkward pause ensured. The four glanced at each other, unsure of how to act. Jane cleared his throat before asking Connor if he wanted to put down his bag. Both males left in direction of the room while the teen walked closer to Teresa. She had a determined and curious glance on her face; and despite being sick earlier, the teen seemed to have get better in a short amount of time, even though her cheeks were still a little bit reddish.
"You want him to settle definitively with you, but you're still unsure" Grace stated, observing her with great interest. Teresa blinked, surprised.
"Wh…what makes you think that?"
The teen tipped her head and stared at her even more. For a second, the older woman thought she saw a reflection of Jane's expression in hers. The thoughtful frown, the twist of her lips and narrowing eyes under concentration…Yep, she was definitely Jane's 'daughter'.
"He always smiled, when he talked about you" the redhead finally blurted. "He likes you a lot, so don't hurt him or Connor and I will make sure you'll regret it. He was our only family for six years, that's most of Con's life. So don't think he'll choose you over father and me."
Teresa's eyes widened at her harsh words. She could tell the teen meant every single of them, and despite her apparently quiet and convenient attitude, the older woman realised Grace was more protective of her family that she originally thought. Jane and Connor came back from the room at that moment, and the man was about to make an observation when someone knocked on the door.
Teresa opened and was greeted by the anxious face of her beloved brother. Before she managed to say a word to chase him away though, he blurted out quickly:
"Teresa I'm so sorry! I went to talk with Marine and I realized how much of an asshole I've been to say those things to you and…" he stopped talking when he caught a glimpse of three strangers over her shoulder. "Oh…I didn't know you have guests."
Yeah, guests. Her ex-but-soon-to-be-again lover (she'd make sure of it), his adoptive possessive daughter (she couldn't decide if Grace liked or disliked her), and their lost-and-found-again kid brother. But Ray didn't know that yet. For a few seconds, Teresa wondered about his reaction; would he be angry? Surprised? Happy? Would he react at all? No matter the result, if he reacted badly, she swore she'd break his nose for good this time.
She smirked at the thought and stepped aside, inviting him to enter. Ray was uncomfortable, but still walked in. His entrance started various reactions among the newcomers; Jane stared at him puzzled and with a hint of jealousy, before realising he was a member of her family and relax; Grace ogled him top to bottom with an appreciative glance, and Connor eyed him a second, bit his lower lip before his face lighten. He pointed at the young man and looked back at the woman, saying:
"He's Ray, right?"
Teresa nodded, glad he recognized another member of his blood family. The two other ex-hobos glanced at each other, slightly amused; as if they knew something was about to happen. Connor grinned back before turning to face the young man and introduced himself:
"Hi Ray. My name's Connor" he turned round to point at Jane and Grace: "He's father and she's Grace."
She knew something was intriguing her brother when she saw him frown at the boy. Ray was observing the newcomer with unusual interest. Had he noticed the resemblance? Or was he going to stop digging further with the word 'father'? Not seeing the expected recognition in his features, Teresa decided to explain:
"I offered them to stay here for a while. Do you mind sleeping at Marine's place for a few nights?"
"No problem" he replied immediately; Teresa wondered if his quick acceptance was due to the fact she didn't seem angry anymore. "I think it's time to ask Marine to move in together anyway. There's still the couch and the extra bed in Teresa's room."
"Connor and Grace will sleep together, they're used to it" Jane said, glancing at his 'children', waiting for their approval. Both nodded, seeming content at the perspective of a real bed.
"And what about you, Mr Jane?" Ray asked. "You're taking the couch?"
"Jane will sleep in my room" Lisbon finished with such nonchalance it shocked her brother. Inside, she was grinning at his wide eyes.
"But…"
"On the couch? Ray, that's not hospitality."
"You really have a strange sense of hospitality sis'. If you sleep in the same bed…"
Lisbon and Jane exchanged a soft glance, ignoring Ray's uneasiness.
"Nothing will happen more that already happened" she said quietly.
Grace surprised them again by smirking and coughing to hide a laugh, while Connor was frowning, not quite understanding.
"What happened?" he asked with a cute clueless face. Of course, when Jane had talked about Teresa, he avoided to mention exactly what they have been doing in front of the little boy.
"I'll tell when you're older" Jane replied quickly, ignoring Ray's sudden glares. "It's settled then, for night's arrangements?"
Everyone nodded. Connor's eyes suddenly widened, frowned, and then huffed, glaring at Ray after crossing his arms. Teresa wondered if he just remembered something about their brother.
"What's with you kid?" Ray grumbled, noticing the boy's dark look.
"You never gave me my blue car back Ra-coon."
Ray's face paled suddenly, and if Teresa still had any doubts; they were blown off now. She also knew he made the connexion when his lids flickered.
"You're Chris?" he wondered in disbelief. "I mean…you're…"
"My name's Connor, mind you Ra-coon" the boy snarled, before adding softly: "But I used to be called Christopher before the Dark Night, so yeah, I'm 'Chris'."
Ray blinked. Once. Twice. And fainted.
--
After half an hour of hysterical laughs from Grace and Connor and a huge smirk from Jane, Teresa finally admitted that her brother's reaction wasn't the most virile she'd ever seen. They set him on the bed and went in the kitchen, where the underage ones drank and ate a bit –fruits and water had said Jane, dinner would come later. Little words were exchanged, but it was an atmosphere comfortable enough. Just after cleaning the dishes the redhead announced:
"We'd like to walk around town, Con' and I; just to learn the neighbourhood" Grace said, glimpsing at the boy who nodded firmly in approval. Teresa thought they both needed to be alone, to sort things out. She felt she could use a distraction too. Seeing the man –Patrick Jane –again and finding Chris alive was a lot in one day.
"All right, it's a good idea" she said. "Jane and I will have a discussion while you're out."
Talking to him first then taking care of Chris's situation; that was her former plan…though after meeting with Jane's eyes, she doubted their communication would be limited to words.
The woman accompanied the two others at the door; informing them that if they needed anything or had troubles, they'd just ask for her or Minelli or Cho and that people would be glad to see them settle anyway. Before Teresa closed the entrance though, Grace caught its side, leaving a small opening and leant towards her, whispered:
"While I can say something without the others listening; please don't scream too much when we come back, or I swear I'll open the door and you'll be the one answering every single tactless questions of Connor's."
Teresa's cheeks flashed red. Grace winked with a smirk and turned round to catch the boy's hand and walk away smoothly. Jane's arms circled her waist and when she didn't seem to protest, pulled her back against his chest.
"What did Grace tell you?"
"Something about me screaming when they come back" she replied, still embarrassed. He didn't need a drawing to catch the meaning.
Jane chuckled and pressed his lips against her temple. She stopped breathing when his hands became a little bit more adventurous and caressed her stomach. She'd been dying to feel his touch for so long; she barely restrained herself and turned to kiss him fully on the lips. He pushed her against the wall, pinning her body and started devouring her neck. Teresa encouraged him by slipping her hands in his curly hair and arching her back, resulting in making them both moan. Despite a jerky breath, the woman managed to whisper:
"Connor and Grace…"
Jane silenced her by pressing his lips against hers and smiled.
"Grace will manage to keep him out of troubles for an hour. She's too perceptive for her own good sometimes."
Her decision was immediate, and she said with a tint of amusement and suggestiveness in her voice:
"Then I guess we'll have to start now, if we want to be 'done' before they come back."
--
No matter how many times he kissed her, she was still craving. Arms tightly wrapped around his waist, digging her nails in his back, as he moved into her. It was all skin on skin, sighs of pleasure and moans swallowed by lips and breathless kisses. Again, and again, the melting, the heat, loss of control, blur of sensation and feelings until they lay once more in a tangled mess of sweaty limbs. Panting heavily, Teresa rested her head on his bare chest and closed her eyes.
"It's weird" she whispered, tracing shapeless patterns on his skin. "We don't even really know each other, yet it feels like…"
"We've had for years" he whispered back, kissing the top of her head. "People call that fate or insanity."
She chuckled and made herself comfortable on his torso. Minutes passed in a comfy silence before she spoke again.
"Tell me something about yourself."
Jane's finger slowly caressed the smooth skin of her shoulder. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her before holding her again.
"I have strong mentalist abilities. My father took me in the circus tour to gain money by tricking people until I was eighteen. You?"
"I hate when people underestimate me. Because I'm a woman and I'm small they think I'm fragile. You?"
"My favourite colour used to be blue. It became green after meeting you."
"I use to be in love with Bosco, before the Dark Night. It faded when he married Mandy."
"I found Grace when she was eight, chained to a tree. I don't even know if 'Grace' is her real name, she never told me."
"I wanted to kill my father when he started drinking. When the earthquake killed him, I regretted feeling that way."
"I was married with child. A man killed them for revenge and I kill him in return."
Lisbon closed her eyes and sighed when she felt his embrace tightened, bringing her closer to him. He was holding her like he was afraid she would disappear. Was that what Grace was talking about earlier?
"Yeah, I heard it from Minelli. Was that the reason why you couldn't stay?"
He kissed the top of her head and nuzzled her neck.
"I had to. I couldn't have forgiven myself if I hadn't managed to punish him with my own hands" he paused before adding: "Can't say I regret it. Afterwards when I came back to Lodi, I found Connor and thanks to those two, I learnt what the word 'family' meant again."
"Grace threatened me" Teresa confessed, closing her eyes. "She told be to treat you good. They love you, you know."
They fell into a comfortable silence again. A few moments later, the woman stated, half-looking for confirmation:
"You're not leaving anymore."
"I'm not" Jane replied softly. "I'm yours now."
Teresa straightened and straddled his waist, hands caressing his torso. Jane touched her hipbone gently. She leant on him, kissed his lips sweetly. They sure still had issued to deal with; on her part the general reaction of the village, Ray and Bosco's more personal reaction, the reappearance of Chris –or Connor, since she bet he'd keep that name; on his part perhaps the sudden change of status not being a wanderer anymore, Grace's possessiveness and the mixture of understanding and hostility towards her. But each thing had its time, and right now, her time was with the man laying underneath her and staring at her longingly.
"I trust you" she whispered in a low, husky voice.
"I know" he replied, seriousness in his eyes. He slid a hand in her beautiful dark haired, brought her face to inches of his, and added in a whisper: "My beautiful soul."
Okay, the last part of the chapter looks a bit apart from the rest -well, it is to me at least :3 - since I wrote it same time I was dealing with chapter 1. Had to rewrite some parts though, otherwise, it would have been completely off subject and made no sense (when I'm saying this fic never leads me to where I want I mean it lol)
Anyway, thanks for reading the whole thing, and I hope you all enjoyed it (even those who haven't reviewed to let me know xD)
See yaa!