Hey there! I hope you guys had a nice weekend so far. Thank you so much for your nice reviews, I always get quite excited when I receive a new one. I have a new chapter for you and I really hope you'll like it. I definitely enjoyed writing it :)

A huge thanks and a hug to my beta tamariskie :)

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

Patrick and Teresa checked out of the lodge the next morning and booked a flight back to Austin, both well rested and ready to start a whole new chapter of their lives. It was another hot and sunny day in Miami and it fit their moods just perfectly.

Perfect.

It was a word neither of them had used in a long time, but somehow everything had started to feel that way.

Perfect.

There was, of course, a lot of stuff they needed to work through, but for that very moment on that beautiful morning in Miami, everything seemed to be perfect.

„I don't even know where to stay in Austin. I already sold my house. I'll have to get a new one." Lisbon said when they were sitting next to each other on the beach, looking out over the deep blue sea.

„Well, you could…" Jane started and Lisbon gave him one of her deadly glares.

„I'm not going to live in your silver trash can, not even for a day."

„It's actually quite cozy. Well, the bed is not all that comfortable, but…"

She cut him of again. „I'm not going to live in that thing, Jane."

He smiled then and shrugged. „Well, I wasn't talking about the Airstream in the first place anyway. I was talking about my house."

Lisbon raised an eyebrow. „Your… house?"

„Yes. I bought it a few months ago. It's in a good living area in Austin. A lot of families and older people."

„Wait. You bought a house?"

„Yes."

„Why would you do that?"

„I don't know. I felt like buying it. It's beautiful, it has a huge backyard and a patio and a white fence…"

„How can you even afford this?"

„Well, I still have some savings from my time as a con and also I've sold my summer residence on Hawaii."

Lisbon's eyes widened.

„You had a house on Hawaii?" She shook her head in disbelief.

„Uh, yes. So what do you say then?"

„To what?"

„Do you want to live in my house?"

She stared at him, not quite sure what to say. Was he serious? Did he suggest … moving in together? She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, so she closed it again.

Jane laughed at her shocked expression and shook his head.

„I didn't say I'd also move in. I'm fine with my trailer."

„Why don't you live in your house?"

„Well, it's way too big for one person and I'd go crazy in there alone."

„But I am supposed to live there alone?"

Jane sighed, grinning at how ridiculous their conversation was.

„You don't have to. It was just an offer. Although we could live there together… I mean, if you want."

So he really did suggest moving in together, he just did it in his very own Jane-way, by playing mind games to trick her into thinking it was her idea.

„You know, I've known you long enough to see through your mind games. You could just have asked me directly if I want to move in with you."

Jane shrugged, grinning mischievously.

„Well, do you?"

Lisbon looked down on the sand next to her and played with a handful of it. It was a good question. She'd never really lived with a man before, except her father and brothers. It was a tempting offer. She liked the prospect of finally settling down and of course the thought of spending all her days and nights with him… but on the other hand it was a huge step, and they'd only been together for roughly 40 hours.

„I… I don't know. I mean, it's a huge decision and…" she looked at him and suddenly remembered how many times she'd said those words to Pike. Because she hadn't been sure. Because it had all seemed rushed and she'd felt the pressure on her shoulders. But this wasn't Pike. And this wasn't rushed. It had been in the making for almost 12 years. Did she really want to waste more time? She was sure she wanted this, so why wait? She smiled, her head tilted slightly to one side.

„You know what? Actually… yes. Yes, I do. I want to move in with you."

Jane smiled at her. „I was hoping you'd say that."

With a quick move he grabbed her arm and dragged her down into the sand with him. She laughed and crawled half on top of him, so that she could face him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close, her face mere millimeters above his. She was giggling at his childish move.

„Be careful, if you don't behave I might have to reconsider my decision."

„Meh. You're bluffing. I can see it in your eyes. You're still such a bad liar. We'll have to work on that."

Lisbon leaned down to kiss him, only to playfully bite his lower lip.

„Ouch." he wailed half-heartedly, pulling a face.

She smiled again, but only shortly, before her expression turned serious.

„We have a lot to discuss then. I mean, should I pay you back a part to buy me in? What about furniture? How is this even gonna work? What if we…" she sounded a bit frantic, but that was no small wonder considering how much of a control freak she was. Jane rolled his eyes, sighed and cut her off by pressing his lips on hers. Lisbon broke apart, bringing out an almost desperate „Jane!", but he just kissed her again and she had a hard time resisting him. But he felt how anxious she was, so he pulled back with a sigh and brushed a strand out of her face.

„It doesn't matter, Teresa. It's all going to work out. Just let it go for once. Don't try to control everything."

„I'm not…!" she protested, but Jane just shook his head.

„Yes, you are."

„I'm not a control freak, but this is a serious matter and a huge step. I want to do it right."

„And you will, Teresa. Just… just calm down, okay? It's all going to work out."

„How can you know that?"

„Because I love you and that is all that matters to me."

Lisbon sighed, rolled down from him and sat up again.

„Look, Jane, I… I really want this. Don't even ask me why, it's probably because I'm a masochist. But I want to be with you and I want this to work. And in order to make it work you can't just shrug off any form of responsibility. We're not 16 anymore."

Jane sat up and raised his hands in surrender. „Okay, okay. You're probably right. First, I don't want you to pay me, because I already bought the house for us. Second, it's already furnished - but you can of course either trust my taste or make changes, if you want. Third, you'll get used to it. We'll develop a routine pretty quickly, I can assure you that. And fourth, no ‚what if's because that is never gonna happen."

„You should know best that there are always ‚what if's in this world."

„Maybe. But I can't think about them now. I don't want to."

Lisbon sighed and gave him a small smile. „All right. No ‚what if's." She paused for a moment, then: „I have to call Marcus again and give him the address, so he can send my stuff back to Austin…" She said it more to herself, but it was obvious that she wasn't keen on dealing with him again. She was still ashamed and felt guilty just thinking about him, let alone talking to him.

„If he didn't already burn it, of course."

„Meh, he doesn't seem like the most vengeful kind of guy." Jane said, grabbing her hand to give her some comfort.

„Mhm. I wouldn't be so sure."

„This is your house?!" Lisbon asked with widened eyes, when they arrived at their new home in the late afternoon.

„Our house." Jane emphasized with a big grin on his face.

Lisbon ignored him and walked towards the front door, stunned by how huge and beautiful it was.

„It is HUGE. You didn't tell me it was that HUGE."

„Well, I said it is too big for a single person."

„It's also too big for two people. Holy crap, Jane!"

Lisbon looked around the huge garden and shook her head.

„Do you want to see the backyard or the inside first?" Jane asked when they stepped onto the patio in the front and put down their bags.

„Backyard." was all she managed to say, speechless because of her surroundings.

So Jane grabbed her hand and led her around the house to let her find the huge pool, imbedded between beautifully arranged flowerbeds, lawn and bits that were paved with fancy looking stones.

Lisbon's jaw dropped open and she couldn't stop shaking her head in disbelieve.

„How can you even afford this?"

„Uh, I think you underestimate how much I made with conning people, my dear."

„But… but you used to sleep on a makeshift bed in a stupid old attic at the CBI! Or in a shabby motel! And lately in a stupid old trailer… while you were a rich little shit all this time? I can't believe it."

„Well, I never said I was poor."

„I think I don't even want to know how much you paid for it…" Lisbon looked around, still in awe. „It is too much, Jane! I can't live in a house like that, I'm…"

„You're what? You're worth everything I can give, Teresa and you know I don't care about money."

She smiled a little at him, but she couldn't stop shaking her head. The house wasn't just a usual house, it was a mansion. Her old place in Sacramento would probably fit ten times inside it. It wasn't too snobbish, though. It was beautiful, with a slight Mediterranean touch. In fact, it looked exactly like the house she'd always dreamed about living in one day. She didn't even wonder anymore how he could possibly have known that. He was Patrick Jane after all.

„What are you drawing, darling?"

Teresa looked up from the piece of paper in front of her, a blue crayon in her hand.

„My future house."

Her Mom knelt down beside her and picked the drawing up to have a closer look at it.

„Well, that is a big house. And so beautiful. Who is that?" She pointed to a figure that looked like a man who was holding hands with a brunette woman.

„That is my husband. He is nice and he loves me." Teresa said with a broad smile and took the drawing back from her Mom to finish it.

„Oh, I'm sure he loves you more than anything, my dear." The young woman patted the head of her daughter lovingly. She was a beautiful little girl, with big green eyes and dark brown hair, the spitting image of her mother.

„Just like Daddy loves you."

„Yes. You'll find someone who means the world to you, I promise. Someone who makes you laugh and cry and who makes you happy, despite all difficulties."

„I have it all planned!" Teresa said.

„You have?" Her mother smiled at how much of a „planner" her little daughter was. She made plans for everything, and she'd done it since she'd started to talk.

„Yes! I meet him at work. He's a cop, just like me. And he's smart and handsome and funny. And we get together and we marry and move into my house and have children. Oh, and he gives me a pony, because Daddy won't give me one."

„Sounds like a good plan, sweetie."

Teresa nodded, excited about her plan. Everything was going to be good. And she would live like a princess - like Pocahontas! She would be strong and brave, but also a princess. She wanted to be both. And she would get her happy end with her prince. She was certain.

She would never tell him that he fit almost exactly into the plan she'd made as a little girl, never. Because he would never stop talking about it if she did. It hadn't worked out exactly like she'd planned, but for the first time in decades, she believed that she could get a happy ending. Or at least a happy life. A good life.

The house was just as stunning from the inside as it was from the outside. Lisbon tried to protest another time, but Jane cut her off with a kiss and shoved her backwards against the fridge. She knew she couldn't win this fight. They would live in this house and, if she was being honest, she loved the idea. Of course she did. It was the secret house of her dreams after all.

„How did you…" she started between to kisses.

„… know that you always wanted to live in a house like this?" Jane finished for her and she nodded, a bit disappointed when he pulled back to look at her.

„Well, you know I can read your thoughts, my love. Also, I saw your drawing in your old flat in Sacramento. You framed it and hung it up over your desk, so it was obvious that that drawing must mean something to you. Most people don't hang up drawings from their childhood."

Teresa smiled at him, once again amazed by his talent to perceive and remember everything around him.

„Yeah, actually, it reminds me of my Mom. And of my dreams that went out the door the moment I became an orphan."

Jane brushed a strand of hair out of her face and gave her a smile.

„Well, here you are now. Moving into the house you always dreamed of. Seems like your dreams stayed with you anyway. Deep down."

„I guess they did."

Lisbon knew he was right of course. Deep down she'd never stopped dreaming. There was still the same little girl in her, who wanted nothing more than to be brave and happy and loved. And when she thought about it, she had all of that right in that moment. She was strong and brave and independent, the cop she always wanted to be. She knew now that Jane loved her, because he'd finally found the courage to tell her - overall she had everything she could wish for. She had no reason not to be happy. Truly happy. Not that kind of happiness she'd talked herself into when she'd been with Pike, but true happiness. And she realized once again that she'd made the best decision of her life by getting off that plane to DC.

Lisbon was pacing around the waiting area in front of the TSA section at the airport. She could still hear Jane's voice in her head, she heard his little speech again and again, repeated it herself a million times. It was hard to comprehend the recent developments in her relationship with him and she couldn't quite believe that he'd actually declared his love to her. In front of an airplane full of people! Actually, she couldn't even believe that he really loved her. Like, loved her. For real. She needed to hear it again, that was for sure. He'd already said and taken it back once after all.

He'd cried. Patrick Jane had cried because of her. Because he loved her and he'd been about to lose her forever. She'd never seen him cry before. Not like that. And certainly because of anyone else but his murdered family.

What was she supposed to do now? What was she supposed to say?

She ran her fingers through her hair in a nervous gesture. Where would this be going? What would happen once she was in there with him?

Lisbon took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Jane had found the courage to tell her what she desperately needed to hear and what he desperately needed to say. Now it was her turn. He'd put himself out there. Now she had to do the same thing.

If someone had told her a few years earlier that she'd be in a situation like this one day she'd probably have had a good laugh. She'd spent so many years working with Patrick Jane. They had solved countless cases together and somehow become close friends along the way, ultimately falling in love with each other. They'd been through good and bad times, through darkness and light…

Patrick Jane was a phenomenon. He was unpredictable. His mind was like a labyrinth that she'd never be able to find her way through. He was fascinating.

He was also captured by darkness, broken and full of grief. Yet he managed to break out and love again. Because he had a heart. He was a good man, even though he didn't believe it himself.

And Teresa loved him. She loved him so much.

She'd let him hurt her, let him mess with her, always knowing that she would forgive him. Because she understood him. She understood his pain. And he'd always come back to her. She'd always been there for him when he came back. Just like he'd always been there for her when she really needed him.

She could name a lot of people who would call her a fool for loving him. She probably was a fool. But the truth was that he made her happy. He made her smile. And she knew he needed her.

Revealing his feelings to her had been a huge step for him. Now it was her turn.

And she wasn't nervous anymore. She knew what she needed to say.

The house turned out to be even bigger on the inside. It had five bedrooms, each connected to its own bathroom, two hobby- or workrooms and a huge living room with an even larger open kitchen. In addition, there was a gym room and a sauna in the basement. The furniture was tasteful, just like Lisbon had expected and there were a lot of windows that provided every room with enough daylight. It was cozy and beautiful, even though a bit too big for two people.

„What do we need five bedrooms for?" she asked after he'd showed her everything and they sat down on the big couch in the living room. „We" sounded still a bit strange to both of them.

„Well, I could think of some things." Jane grinned salacious and Lisbon slapped him on the arm.

„Seriously. I have no idea what I am even supposed to do. I've lived alone since I was 18… and this…" she gestured around herself „…is weird and strange and I don't know if I like it."

Jane chuckled at the horrified look on her face and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

„It's going to be great. We've always been a good team, right?"

„Yeah, at work. How am I supposed to handle you 24/7?" Teresa tried her best to sound serious, but he knew she was joking.

„Well, the house is at least big enough for you to hide somewhere."

„Fair enough."

Feeling that she needed some time for herself to process everything, Teresa excused herself to the bathroom to take a long bath. Jane decided to use the time she was away to make dinner. They'd done some grocery shopping after arriving in Austin, along with moving his stuff from the airstream to their new home.

He felt a wave of excitement as he was standing in the kitchen slicing vegetables. It had been a long time since he made dinner for anyone. And it had been an even longer time since he'd lived in a house. Or with a woman. Or anyone. It all felt new and exciting, even though he had to admit he was terrified too. But so was Teresa. It was a completely new situation for both of them and they'd need some time to get used to it. It was just natural.

Their whole lives had changed completely within the past 48 hours and it was hard to process it all. He'd admittedly been a bit surprised when she agreed to move in with him, but then again there was really no need for them to wait any longer. They knew each other in and out, they'd been close friends for 12 years - and she had nowhere else to sleep anyway. It was just logical to move into the house he'd bought for them months ago. He hadn't realized back then that he'd subconsciously bought it for her - for them. At least he hadn't been ready to acknowledge it. But it was true, the house was astoundingly similar to the one Teresa had drawn when she'd been a little girl.

As Jane thought about the past two days he couldn't help but smile a little to himself. In the end, the truth had made everything right. No masks, no games, just the truth. Just him. The man he was behind his facades, behind his tricks and schemes. Because that was the man Teresa wanted. She wanted him as he was, with all his scars and flaws, with all his quirks and sins. She'd always seen that man in him, his real self, even when nobody else had. She had always believed in him, just like Angela had. He'd almost lost them both because of his stupidity. Almost. He still shuddered at the thought of just how close he had come. Realization had hit him just in the nick of time. He'd finally realized that he needed to unburden himself to her, that he needed to tell her how he felt, even if it was too late. He owed it to her to give her a choice. And luckily, she'd decided for him. She loved him back.

And he knew that finding the courage to tell her was the best and most right thing he'd done in years.

Well, a huge step, but at least for me, a logical one. I really hope they'll move in together on the show too... :P