Chapter 7

After releasing every tear she had in her body, she ran dry. Glancing at the clock, she saw it read 6:30. The team would have already gone home and Jane would most likely be heading here. Sure enough, a knock came at her door no more than five minutes later. She only wished that she could ignore the persistent knocking and pretend it was all a dream. But the knocking kept her from her wishes. Reluctantly, she got up from her place at the base of the wall and dragged herself to the door. Standing there a moment, she composed herself as much as she could, preparing herself to break the heart of the only man she ever truly loved.

Sighing, she opened the door to see a grinning blond consultant. As much as she wanted to smile back and let her heart melt in the familiar way it does whenever she was around him, she just couldn't give him a false sense of security.

Jane stood there, looking into her eyes, noticing the red rimmed, glassy stare that matched his gaze. Reaching up to swipe away a tear stain she missed, he was surprised to see Lisbon jump away from his touch rather than lean into it like she normally did. There was something wrong and he was determined to find out what. Ready for a battle, he moved past her and sat down on her couch, instantly comfortable in her small apartment.

She shut the door, but he noticed she didn't lock it. That wasn't a good sign. Patting the empty space next to him, Jane gestured for her to come join him. She shook her head, looked at the ground, took in a deep, ragged breath, and locked her green emeralds with his icy orbs. Jane, unusually nervous, broke the silence first. "Teresa? What's wrong?"

"Jane," she whispered, forcing herself to use his last name, "We have to end this."

He kept a calm expression on his face, but he was falling apart on the inside. "Why?"

Running her fingers through her hair, she got ready to recite the speech she had put together. Unfortunately, one look into his eyes made her lose everything she had prepared to say. "Minelli found out about us. I don't know how, but he did. So I can either lose you as a team member and have you transferred somewhere else, possibly not even in the same building, or keep you on the team and lose you outside of work. I thought it over and I realized that as much as I love seeing you outside of work, I don't think I can deal with not having you there during cases and by my side during interviews. As much as I hate to admit it, I depend on you during those hard cases, Jane. I need you there more as a team member than as a lover. I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind."

Letting out the breath she had been holding since she started her speech, she worked up as much courage as she could and looked into his very emotional face. There was no mask up, just pure, raw emotion and she didn't like what she saw. He was hurt and angry, sad and shocked. He quickly stood and closed the distance between them in two long strides.

He placed his hands on either side of her face and captured her lips forcefully, passing all of his emotions to her. Lisbon went weak at the knees and had just started kissing back when he broke off. He stayed very close to her and held her gaze with such an intensity that it made her look away, hiding her shame.

"You're willing to give that up without a fight? I thought I knew you better. The Lisbon I know wouldn't give up without a fight, especially if it's something worth fighting for, but I can see that I'm not worth fighting for. If this is the case, then forget me working for you. I can't work for someone who can't fight for what they really want. I'll give my two weeks notice tomorrow morning." With that, he brushed past her aggressively and left the apartment, slamming the door one last time.

Closing her eyes, Lisbon brought her shaking arms around her middle and hugged her stomach and she double over in sobs of tears she didn't know she could have left. She clumsily made her way to her bedroom and slipped under the covers, crying herself into a very restless sleep. Her sobs were loud enough to drown out the angry yelling from the parking lot below.

Jane got to the parking lot when he started screaming and yelling, punching and kicking, taking all of his anger out on his car. He took one quick last glance up at her window, hoping to she her standing there with a smile, yelling down at it was al a joke, but he knew he wasn't that lucky, only seeing her lights out. Getting behind the wheel probably wasn't the best choice at that moment, but he couldn't sit there knowing she was only a few floors above him. To hell with going to work to give my resignation, he thought. What was the point? I might as well just call and leave this horrid place.

Before he could change his mind, Jane pulled out his cell phone and called the office, knowing that Minelli would be there. He knew he should be more angry at him than Lisbon for the stupid rule, but he couldn't find it in him for forgive her for something that wasn't in her control. "Hello?"

"Virgil. It's Jane. I'm just calling to give my resignation. Something has come up and I have to leave right away."

Minelli knew the real reason for this sudden plan, but he decided not to get in the middle of things and let the lie slide by. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm positive."

"Okay. Well I'm sorry that you have made this decision-"

"I didn't exactly make it. It was more made for me."

"Well, either way, I'm sorry that you have to leave. It was good working with you, Patrick. Good luck in your future endeavors."

"Thank you. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Jane slammed his cell phone shut and started his car, peeling out of the parking lot. The anger that stung him blurred his vision. He wasn't able to clear his mind enough to see that he was drifting into on-coming traffic. He also didn't see the SUV that he was headed for before it was too late.

They hit head on and the collision sent Jane from his driver seat to the pavement outside of the two cars. He only had the strength to open his eyes for a moment, unable to process what had happened before he gave himself to darkness, unable to find a reason to fight it.

Author's Note: Sorry for the angst and tragedy towards the end, but I just kept writing and couldn't stop. I didn't even expect the chapter to end this way. Anyways, happier times to come. There will probably only be another two chapters after this. Please read and review!!

Thanks for reading :)

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