A/N: Sorry for not uploading before! In the night between Thursday and Friday I suddenly got so freaking ill I threw up twice and ended up with a fever of 101,2 °F. I was so stubborn I just couldn't call in sick, I hate that, so I went to Schiphol anyway to work but when I came home yesterday evening I was so tired and feeling so horrible I went to bed immediately and slept for 12+ hours. So I hope you'll understand why I didn't upload sooner, but sorry for delaying, anyway!

This chapter, things will go downhill. Good luck.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

'Light years away'

Chapter 6

He had been forced to be admitted into the hospital due to his severe lack of sleep and his abandonment of his own well-being. As though he cared how he was feeling, while she was still locked up far away from him.

It was trial day, he knew. In his long and lonely days in the hospital (six days too much, if they asked him) he had gathered as much evidence that would work in her defense as possible. Somewhere at the bottom of his stomach, he knew that it wouldn't help anyway. It was a lost cause, but he still fought for it with every single inch of him. No matter what, he would fight for her. She didn't deserve this.

The team had come and picked him up to bring him to court, but as he was standing in front of the door of the courtroom, he couldn't go on anymore. He knew where this would end up at. He didn't want to have confirmation.

Eventually it was Fischer who forced him inside. A few minutes later, Lisbon was brought in, her skin awfully pale and her eyes glassy. All he wanted now was to hold her in his arms, even though he knew that wouldn't happen anymore. His heart cried out for her.

The accuser was treating this case as one where Lisbon would fit the criminal profile – she had a tons of books on serial killers and mass murders on her bookshelves, she had killed before and she had a lot of guns at her home, too much for it to be legal. It was a strong case, Jane knew. The only thing her lawyer had was that she was emotionally abused by Pike, but that was all. The accuser was going way too fast and they couldn't keep up with it. Somehow, Jane had always known that it was a lost cause anyway. They would lose.

More importantly, he would lose her. His heart broke.

"Your Honor, we find the defendant, Teresa Lisbon, guilty of murdering Marcus Pike."

Fischer had to hold him back before he had the chance to cry out and jump over all people present to take Lisbon with him and bring her somewhere close.

There was no going back now. She was found guilty, and she would have to face the consequences.

It didn't help that he knew the average prison sentences for murderers in the state of Texas. If only, it made him anxious for the rest of his life, no matter what would happen.

~…~

He longed to brush her cheek and hold her. Let her revel in his warmth – he personally knew how cold it could get in prisons.

"Well, at least we tried," she whispered. He hadn't heard her voice at full capacity for ages now. He knew she wasn't capable of that right now, if she ever would be.

"It doesn't have to be that bad," he tried, definitely not about to tell her about the minimum of thirty years. It would only serve to make her nervous. And even though he knew it would definitely be bad, it was the only thing he could do not to grow insane, or her for that matter.

"It will be," she replied. He lowered his head, nodding.

"I know."

~…~

"I hereby sentence Teresa Lisbon to an imprisonment of thirty-five years."

Now, Jane actually jumped out of his chair before any of the team could stop him. He cried out, against everything he had told himself he wouldn't do. He cried out for her, for her soul, her heart, her everything. He pleaded with the Judge to spare her, to let her pay a huge fine, make her work for years to repay her debt to society.

But nobody listened. Instead, all they did was escort him out. As they did, he could have sworn he'd seen Lisbon's gross sobbing.

And still, he knew he wouldn't give up. He would find a catch in the deal that allowed him to do what he was best at – break the law in an attempt to save the people he cared about.

A/N: ... You still there? Good! Please let me know what you're feeling, it would mean a lot!

Btw, the average prison sentence in Texas is 30-99 years, can you imagine? Here in The Netherlands, people will get away with a three-year-sentence after killing two people, and in Texas you might go to prison for the rest of your life! I almost got a heart attack when I found out, lol.