Okay, I'm very sorry for a delay! I started writing this chapter weeks ago and expected it out…weeks ago, but that obviously didn't happen and I am furious with myself for it. I don't know what to blame, and it is indeed my fault as I haven't managed my schedule all too well, but I have just been busy since returning back to school. Also thank ShunKickShunKers for giving me a friendly prod to finish writing this chapter. Merci beaucoup!

School+ Play/Theatre+ Homework/Studies/Must make good marks+ slight personal issues+ The need for sleep = no time

Liann – Thank you so much for reading and enjoying!

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I do not own this show and it's characters.

Once Lost, Now Found

Chapter Four

Jane took a slow step into the room. It was softly illuminated by an orange glow and a slight pulsing look as the lamp faded in and out. He stopped and his eyes locked onto a figure lying on their side. Jane took another step forward, wincing as the floorboard creaked beneath him. The figure stirred slightly, mumbling something incoherent. Only then did Jane realize that Lisbon was definitely alive. She lay before him – despite her back being turned from him – asleep. Her body moving up and down clearly showed of the life within her. His heart swelled and tears pricked his eyes. These past five years have been complete utter hell for him, and he knew for sure he did not make it any easier on Cho, who had also lost a dear friend.

Jane moved closer to the bed, looking over at her. Her skin was a healthy colour, though the dark circles underneath her eyes caused some worry. She was also extremely thin, which was consistent with Virgil's story of her being sick with the influenza. Other than the dark circles and the lack of weight, she looked decent. She had aged in these past five years, but not by much.

Smiling softly, he leaned down and pressed a kiss on her temple, "I love you," he murmured, wanting nothing but to wake her up and gather her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her until neither could breathe no more and make love to her until he was void of energy.

Moving back only a little, he kneeled down on the woven rug beside her bed. He gradually moved his head down until it lay on the mattress along with her sleeping body. He sighed and shut his eyes, feeling a lot of the tension he had sustained in his body quickly dissipate.

Opening his eyes, his adept gaze landed on a small black book. It was lying open near her pillow, a few of the pages bent as she had no doubt rolled over on it countless times. His curiosity got the better of him and he reached forward and grasped onto it. He held it up towards the dull lighting and squinted.

It has been five long years since the once great unsinkable ship met its match in the Atlantic. Since then I have delivered a strong son, and until discovering of my condition I felt no reason to live without Patrick. After our son was born I took one glance at him and realized that I had to stay strong. And for five years I have done that. Now I must move onto the next chapter of my life. It will be painful, but by accepting Mr. Mashburn's engagement I have found a way to move on with my life, despite not loving him as much as he deserves.

Jane dropped the book, his eyes open wide. After five long years he had finally found her, but only to realize that she now was about to belong to another man. He gripped onto the book tighter and set his jaw straight. He then looked up as Lisbon shifted before him and he almost wanted to awaken her, but he didn't. Instead he found the fountain pen and scribbled a note for her and stood up. He ripped the page out of the book and lightly placed it on the pillow beside her head.

With sad eyes, he turned to leave her room. He would return back downstairs and complete his business in Sacramento before having to head back to New York. Jane knew that if he stayed around her or in California longer than needed he would take her away and merely elope with her.

He took one last glance at her still form before smiling gravely. Looking down and pressing his hands into his jacket pockets, he walked out of the room, fingers barely grazing the cold brass door knob.

…

She woke the next morning with the sun's slight rays leaking through the linen drapes fastened to her window. Today she felt stronger than ever, maybe even strong enough to do a couple of her chores that she had been neglecting for the past few weeks. Junior would be happy to see her up and walking around the house, although he may get too excited and wish for her to play a game outside.

Smiling, she sat up in her bed and pushed the light blanket off her legs to swing them off the side of the bed. Sighing, she reached back to pull her hair back away from her neck and pull it into a soft bun. It was something she had always been able to do with great ease and always had been the most comfortable with her hair that way. She stood up and began to stretch when her black book fell to the ground near her right foot. She quirked her eyebrow and slowly bent down to pick it up.

A page was missing.

Lisbon's mouth moved into a frown as she looked up and around her room. Surely Junior wasn't in here yet today. By the light illuminating from the linens it wasn't that late in the morning yet. By this time Junior was usually downstairs in the kitchen trying to put some jam on a too big a slice of bread. Shaking her head, she looked over her shoulder and paused. There near her pillow was a bent piece of paper resting on the mattress. Narrowing her eyes in its direction, she moved to pick it up.

Immediately her breath hitched in her throat. The words written on the paper had tears coming at her eyes and her heart beating like mad. Surely this wasn't real? What was written on the paper could only be brought on by feverish dreams, but she had gotten over her fever weeks ago. Maybe she was just dreaming? Or Wayne decided to play some childish joke on her. But Lisbon knew one thing for sure, Wayne did like to pull childish jokes from time to time, but never like this. He had a strange sense of humour, but it wasn't sick.

Patrick Jane was dead.

She had spent two years telling herself that and another three grieving over her loss. She would walk around Sacramento in an emotionless manner. That was until Walter Mashburn came into her life. Granted she did not love him like she loved Jane, not even close at that, but he was nice and somewhat reminded her of him. The reminder was the main reason why she accepted his proposal, she knew that marriage was something she would probably have to endure anyway, mostly because Minelli wouldn't be around forever.

But what if he wasn't dead?

Lisbon shook her head and folded the bent paper and tucked it beneath her pillow. She slowly stood and walked gracefully over to the wardrobe at the far end of the wall. She opened it and picked out a skirt and silk shirt. The petite woman slipped her soft linen night gown off her body and pulled out her newer clothing articles. Adjusting them to the correct places, she looked at herself in the mirror and picked up her brush. Swiping it through her hair a couple of times and pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she set the brush back down. Softly inhaling then exhaling, she turned towards the door and set out towards the kitchen.

As she moved down the hallway towards the staircase, she felt at ease hearing Junior's happy chatter directed at Rigsby, but angry and sad at the same time. Words could not describe what she felt. Lisbon felt as if Rigsby had betrayed her, the one man that had treated her like his sister and less like husbandless mother. He of all people knew how long it took her to bounce back once arriving to America, and especially to Sacramento. For someone who tried to protect her for the past five years he turned out to be a real awful man at heart.

Angrily biting her lip, she braced her hand on the wooden railing of the staircase and started her descent. The hurt and anger was starting to move in and cloud her judgment. She would have no control over her words or actions, regardless if Junior sat beside the large man. She hated for Junior to see her like this, but she could not control her anger. Tightening her hand on the railing, she felt her heart begin to beat ever faster and she blinked a couple of times, not so surprised to find a few tears rolling down her cheeks and falling down her chin.

"Teresa?" she heard Rigsby call out. He must have heard her when she stepped on that God-awful wooden plank that had become old over time, "Are you there? I have wonderful news!"

She refused to reply to the man and made it off the staircase and turned into the kitchen, "Mummy!" she saw Junior leap from his chair and bound straight towards her with open arms, "Mummy I missed you!" he wrapped his arms around her skirt-covered legs and waited for her to pick him up and twirl him around, like always.

"Mummy?" he looked up at her, wondering if the influenza had changed his mother.

Lisbon did not look down at him, instead she stared straight at Rigsby's astonished face. He too was not accustomed to her behaviour with Junior. Especially after all this time with her being to spend only so much time with him, he had expected her to show more affection o her son immediately.

"How could you?" she spat, clenching her hands into fists and letting another tear fall, "After all these years how could you do this to me?" Junior let go of her leg as she moved more into the kitchen.

"What did I do?" Rigsby rasied his eyebrows and his hands up in defense, "What do you mean?"

Lisbon moved until she stood right before Rigsby, her hands still clenched up tight and her jaw set, "You played with my thoughts!" her voice grew louder, "How dare you!" the sound that came out was almost pitiful as tears began to flow in greater quantities down her cheeks.

"You knew I loved him!"

"Teresa, if you would just lis-Ow!" Rigsby yelped and immediately recoiled back as he promptly felt long fingernails cut against the flesh of his cheek, "Lisbon!"

She heard a gasp behind her and stopped. Lisbon looked over her shoulder and saw Junior staring at her in shock, wondering what had came over his mother to cause her to resort to physical violence. Looking down, Lisbon felt guilty. She knew that Junior should not have heard nor seen any of this and that is why she moved back from Rigsby.

Quickly looking him over, she noticed that the scratches weren't too deep and would not scar. They may pucker slightly and be red for a while, but he would be okay. Shutting her eyes and breathing in a sigh, she spoke, "Wayne, I am sorry."

Turning away, she moved out of the kitchen and passed Junior. She walked into the living room and made way for the door. Once her fingers brushed against the knob, a voice spoke behind her. It was calm, collected, and smooth with an alluring sense to it.

"You look well, Teresa."

The voice made her pause and turn around towards the unknown. At the sight of the man before her, she stopped completely. Her eyes widened and her lips parted. What she saw before her was definitely a trick of the mind, and seeing him here only made her angry with herself and feel the sudden need to go back to Rigsby and slap him this time. More tears ran down her cheeks and she hunched her shoulders up. Balling his hands into fists, she opened her eyes and locked them with his stare.

"You bastard!" she raised her voice and moved towards him, opening up her palm and promptly pushing the end of it up into his nose. A sickening crack was heard and his head snapped back. The blond man yelped and stepped back as he held his nose while the blood began to flow out of his nostrils.

She seemed to always aim for his nose, just like everyone else as of late.