A/N: BIG thank you to all those reviewers and readers who are still keeping with me on this! I'm really enjoying writing it and I hope you all continue to enjoy reading it!

On to...

CHAPTER 9

Jane closed the bathroom door behind him and took off his jacket. Rolling up his sleeves, he walked over to the washbasin and turned on the tap. He let the cold water run for a couple of seconds then cupped his hands beneath the flow. As soon as he held enough water, he bent forward and splashed the liquid onto his face, welcoming the refreshing coldness. He repeated the action twice more then turned off the tap and stood, head bent and arms braced against the basin. Drops of water rolled down his face and fell into the sink but he made no move to dry himself off.

His shoulders slumped a little as a feeling of exhaustion suddenly washed over him. For the past couple of weeks he'd kept going bolstered by love, fear and a healthy dose of adrenalin. Now they'd found Lisbon and were dealing with the last of Red John's disciples, his body had decided that enough was enough and the energy he'd been feeding off of seemed to evaporate into thin air, leaving him feeling incredibly bone weary. His hand shook a little as he ran it tiredly through his hair, the dampness of his fingers causing the ends to curl a little tighter.

He let out a heavy sigh and stared at himself in the mirror above the sink. The last time he'd looked this bad was when he'd been in Vegas for six months. He grimaced slightly as he thought back to that time then resolutely turned away from his haggard reflection. It did no good to dwell and they weren't out of the woods just yet. Until he heard from Cho that Adams was in custody, he had to be on his guard.

He grabbed a towel and dried the remaining moisture off his face then rolled down his sleeves and put his jacket back on. He stepped towards the door then paused not quite ready to face Lisbon again so soon. When she asked him those questions about his ability to help her, it had made him face up to an answer he'd not even tacitly admitted to himself let alone say out loud.

What if he couldn't save her?

Worse than that, what if he pushed just that little too hard and he caused her some very real harm? What if after all this she ended up like Kristina Frye anyway?

The thought scared the hell out of him and now it had risen to the fore, he couldn't seem to push it back down. It sat at the back of his mind taunting him constantly.

Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to locate the inner tenacity that had seen him through years and years of obsession. It took him a few minutes but when he latched onto it he determinedly shook his head in negation. He refused to believe that he wouldn't be able to bring her back. Deep down inside her psyche, Lisbon was trying to break free of her cage and he be dammed if he wasn't going to do everything in his power to help. She was relying on him and he wouldn't let her down again.

Resolve firmly in place once more, he straightened his vest and opened the door.

xTheMentalistx

Rigsby walked swiftly back from the service station carrying a bag full of food in one hand and a tray of drinks in the other. He was crossing the motel parking lot when his cellphone began to ring. Letting out a huff of annoyance, he stopped and looked at his occupied hands in frustration then placed the food bag down and fished around in his jacket pocket for his phone.

He was so distracted by his task that he failed to hear the footsteps behind him until it was too late. He turned just in time to catch a glimpse of his assailant before he felt something hard hit him on the side of the head, knocking him out cold.

Harding gave a cursory glance around to make double sure that no-one was watching then bent over the prone agent and hit Rigsby on the head once more. Blood ran down the side of the agent's face and dripped onto the tarmac. Harding retrieved a used tissue from his trouser pocket and wiped the butt of his gun clean before putting it back in its holster.

He heard the sound of Rigsby's phone ringing again and took it out of the agent's jacket. Seeing it was Cho calling, Harding dropped the cell on the floor and stamped on it hard. There was the sound of glass crunching and he kicked the now useless equipment clear across the lot. Grabbing Rigsby under the arms, he dragged the agent's prone body behind some nearby bushes then picked up the food and drinks and threw them in a nearby trashcan.

He had another quick look around then headed for Sarah's room.

xTheMentalistx

Cho cursed when he couldn't get through to Rigsby the first time and tried again. When it went to voicemail his concern grew and he pushed down harder on the SUV's accelerator in order to get back to the motel as quickly as he could.

Looking at his phone again, he touched the second number on the list and held it to his ear. If he couldn't get through to Rigsby then he'd try Jane.

xTheMentalistx

Sarah looked up as Jane came out of the bathroom and gave him a small smile. He smiled back and she immediately felt some of her tension ease. She hadn't meant to upset him, she just needed to know what the ultimate outcome would be if all else failed. She'd been so consumed with how it all affected her that she really hadn't given any consideration to what it was doing to him…or anyone else. How must they feel seeing her, but not the real her…at least according to them?

"I'm sorry for pushing you," she said as he came back over to the table.

"You didn't. It's fine. You have a right to know."

His tone was dismissive but she didn't believe him for a moment. "Look, you asked me if I trusted you; if I could trust you again and for some reason that I can't explain…I do; I can," she admitted decisively. "It's just the…the believing that I'm this woman that you say I am. I'm so certain I'm Sarah Parsons that my head won't even entertain the possibility that I…was…am Teresa Lisbon." She picked up the photo then dropped it back on the table face down. "Even if you do have a picture backing it up."

Feeling frustrated and annoyed, she folded her arms and frowned, her chin tucking down towards her chest as a slight pout presented itself on her mouth.

Despite all his earlier inner turmoil, Jane couldn't help the chuckle that escaped at her familiar mannerisms. "Oh, you're Lisbon alright, there's no doubt about that. No two women could sulk so adorably."

Sarah looked at him in surprise, a faint blush staining her cheeks. His words and tone were warm and affectionate. Now she thought back on it, it hadn't been the first time he been that way with her and she wondered just what kind of relationship he and her alter ego had.

Jane turned away feeling a little self-conscious. The words had just slipped out. For a moment it was almost as if he were watching Lisbon and the feeling of longing had been overwhelming.

A sudden loud knocking followed by a muffled voice saying, "Food," interrupted the potentially awkward moment and he felt relieved that Rigsby had returned to quickly. As he walked to the door, his phone rang and he pulled it out of his inside jacket pocket. He saw it was Cho and answered, hoping to hear good news about Adams.

"Hi," he greeted down the phone at the same time as he pulled open the door.

"Adams is dead. Harding did it. Van Pelt saw him visiting Johnson in the photo's from Danville. I think he's the third disciple, Jane. I can't get hold of Rigsby and he's probably coming after Lisbon," Cho quickly explained.

Jane stared at Harding standing on the other side of the open doorway and felt a streak of fear run through him as he saw that the gun the officer was holding was aimed squarely at his chest.

"He's already here," the consultant replied before cutting off the call. Raising his arms, he backed up as Harding moved forward into the room and shut the door behind him. "Rigsby will be back any minute," he said with more bravado than he felt.

Harding laughed. "No, he won't."

His stomach fell but he pushed aside his concern for his friend and concentrated on the man in front of him. From behind him, he heard Lisbon gasp and tried to keep himself between her and Harding. "So you're the third disciple," Jane commented casually.

Harding's mouth twisted in contempt. "Adams and Johnson were disciple's. I'm something a lot more than that, Patrick."

"Really? How so?" he asked, trying the keep the other man talking.

"Red John was a very good teacher and I was his star pupil. There's nothing I didn't want to learn."

Jane realised suddenly that he'd been wrong. All those veiled comments at the station…they made sense now. Harding was the protégé and had been misdirecting everything from the outset. It was an amateur mistake and no matter what excuses there were, he knew he'd be flagellating himself for a long while after this was all over…if he actually got out alive of course.

Harding took a step to the side and cricked his head to look at Lisbon. "Stand up," he ordered.

Jane felt rather than saw her do as she was told and shifted slightly so that he made it difficult for Harding to maintain any kind of contact. He needed the man's focus on him not Lisbon. "What are you going to do?" he asked, bringing the officer's attention back to him as he'd planned.

"I'm going to finish what Red John started. I thought that was obvious, Patrick," he replied with a smile.

"Cho knows you're here. He's on his way as we speak."

Harding shrugged. "This will be over and I'll be gone by the time he arrives."

"No long drawn out torture then?"

"As nice as that would be, especially with the lovely Teresa here, I just need you dead," the officer told him. "I'll have time to play when you're gone. Maybe find my very own Patrick Jane to torment for years."

Jane swallowed but forced a smile to his face. "Don't you think Red John would be disappointed in you for not putting an end to this the right way?" the consultant queried with practiced indifference, trying to plant a seed of doubt. "All those years of Red John making me suffer and now you're going to what? Shoot me? I think I'm a little offended."

Harding shook his head and smiled. "I can see why he liked you so much, Patrick. Why he wanted you as his friend. You two could've have been brilliant together but your loss was my gain. Now, get out of the way," he ordered as he jerked his gun, gesturing for Jane to move to the side.

The consultant grew serious and let his arms drop to his sides as he shook his head and took a small step nearer to Harding. "No."

"Patrick, don't be stupid. You're no hero, we all know that," the officer goaded complacently. "Accept your fate and move aside. You can't stop me, I'll just shoot you in the leg. Or the arm. Either way you'll still get to watch Teresa die first. It's what Red John wanted."

The sound of a car screeching to a halt outside in the parking lot could be heard and the tension in the room deepened considerably.

"You're out of time," Jane said as he took another step towards Harding.

"No, Patrick, you are," the killer replied as he levelled his gun.

The consultant barely had time to register Lisbon's terrified shout of, "No" as he lunged at Harding determined to do whatever it took to protect his love at any cost. In that split second it didn't matter if she'd never be herself again, all he cared about was that she would live. Even if it meant he died.

Before he reached Harding, however, two shots rang out one after the other and he felt a sharp sting on the side of his head. He let out a cry of pain then reached up and touched a hand to his right temple. Bringing it down again, he was shocked to see blood smeared on his fingertips and swayed slightly at the sight. The sound of Harding groaning harshly caught his attention and he looked up to see the man clutching at his chest. There was a look of surprise etched on the killers face and he opened his mouth to speak but before any words came out he suddenly slumped and fell forward in a heap.

"Lisbon!" Jane said his urgent tone laced with fear as he turned to look behind him. He blinked rapidly as a wave of dizziness hit causing him to stagger a little but he ignored the feeling, desperate only to see that she was alive. "Lisbon, are you OK?"

Sarah stood breathing heavily, Rigsby's gun in her hand as she stared down in shock at the lifeless body of Harding. She couldn't believe she'd just killed a man. Tearing her gaze from the body, she stared down at the lethal piece of metal she was still holding and suddenly dropped it as though it had bitten her. Tears gathered in her eyes as she felt warm fingers gently come to rest under her chin and she looked up to stare into the concerned face of the consultant.

"Are you OK?" he repeated, swaying a bit in front of her. The edges of his vision were blurring now but he just needed to hear her say that she was alright.

Blinking back the tears, she nodded and said in a stunned tone, "I think I believe now."

Jane smiled then felt his body grow suddenly lax. He fell to the ground and distantly heard the sound of the motel room door being broken open followed by Cho's urgent voice. He tried to make out what was being said but gave up and let his body succumb to the darkness, his last conscious feeling being that of someone tenderly touching his cheek.

END CHAPTER 9

A/N: As always, let me know what you think please! And, as always, I'll reply to all those reviewers that were logged in. To any 'guests' that leave a review, here's a big hug :)