From One-shot,. the story has been promoted to multi-chapter, although I'm not quite sure how many more you'll have; Many of you asked for a sequel, and so, I thought about giving a bit more of space to Annie and the marvelous Jisbon romace we're still waiting to see in "reality" ...
As always, thanks to everyone who, with reviews, or putting my and the story on alert or on fav, gave me resons to go on with this story.(And yes, faithful readers, Annie's back in this one as well!)
And, please, keep in mind: I still don't ow the mentalist...
"Ok, people, listen, today, I need you to do as I'll ask you." When Van Pelt left the elevator at 8 exacts, Jane left his spot on his couch, and reached the rest of the team (the just arrived Van Pelt, Rigsby, busy eating a sandwich, and Cho, already lost in a book) in the bullpen, rubbing, satisfied, his hands together and grinning at the same time.
"Why do I have the impression that the boss will not like it?" leaning against his desk, Rigsby broke the silence for first, looking directly at Jane, a bit uncomfortable.
"Lisbon will not have anything against it, believe me. - he scrolled his shoulders, like to say, it's nothing – I know Lisbon, she could never get mad for something like this."
"I highly doubt it, but I'm curious." Cho was, as always, didn't showing any particular interest; if he hadn't actually told them that he was curios, they had never believe him…
"Are you sure she'll not get mad – as Grace asked, he just nodded, trying to seems serious – and you'll not get suspended? – another nod – and neither will Lisbon – nod – or us?- Jane nodded for the final time, before Grace looked at Cho and Rigsby and then turned to face him. . Ok, we're in, let's hear, what do you want us to do?"
"Oh, Grace, nothing. You'll have the easiest task to perform – he gave her a piece of paper with an address wrote on it – Since today is Friday and on Friday you're supposed to leave work earlier than usual, you'll just have to be at this place at 5 pm, dressing nicely, ok?" As he said so, he left, ready to prepare step 2, reaching Lisbon's office.
"Whatever you are planning, Jane, my answer is no"
Lisbon didn't lift her head from the papers she was studied, as she felt him entering in her office that Friday morning; technically, they'd be both on leave, but she was still drowning into paperwork while Jane was doing his best "I just want to annoy the hell out of Lisbon" act at the door of her office, while, truth to be told, he simply didn't had anything better to do. Besides, he needed her to be mad at him, if he wanted to set in motion the events as he wanted.
"Lisbon, Lisbon, Lisbon, you don't even know what I want to tell you!" He had it; here there was the damn smirk, a sign that everyone at office knew as a clear sign that he was, indeed, plotting something.
"I know you, Jane, and it's enough. Either you did something, or you are going to do something" As she made the mistake of looking at him in the face, Lisbon had to bite her lips to not laughing; she had been totally honest, he had indeed the expression he had when he was guilty, but this pretending thing they had going on was starting to be a bit too much, and sometimes, just sometimes, she found hard resist him; not that she felt the need to jump at him at work, just, the little things, like holding hands, hugging, the quite kisses on her hair, or, simply, being on first name basis…
"Well, Lisbon, you know me, I always get what I want…."
Yes, she admitted smiling, she knew that, because many time, in the few months they had been in a relationship, he had shown her enough times that Patrick Jane always got what he wanted…
"Any idea what he is planning?" As she left the back of the car she had driven with Cho and Rigsby, Grace was hyperventilating; she was worried, she was very, very worried, because, normally, when Jane pulled one of his stunts, things tended to not end well, and she hated when things didn't end well… her hands were sweating, and the redhead felt relieved when, smiling, Rigsby gave her a white handkerchief; he thought that she was simply stunning; listening to Jane's extravagant request, she had changed into something elegant yet simple, a grey dress, knees long, with a pattern of dark grey roses, completed by black heeled shoes, while, they he and Cho had simply changed outfit, both ending wearing a dark grey suit with a red tie.
"Knowing Jane, nothing's good will come out of this - Rigsby scratched the back of his neck, looking in the distance: no trace of Jane yet, but, in the distance, he could clearly see a small group of people… - why do you think he asked us to come here in this park of Woodland?"
"Lisbon agreed with him, and she'd never put our careers at risk. Would she risk her own one for Jane? Yes. Would she risk our own ones for him? No, she'd never do something like that, not even in a million of years. – Cho paused, s his eyes found a familiar head among the gathered people, who had left the group to approach them – Jane's coming here"
And it was in that moment that, for the first, but not last, time of the day, Grace and Rigsby remained speechless, wide-eyes and open mouth.
"Jane, you are, it's just that, you are… you always wear 3 pieces suits, but… - she paused, looking at him, dressed in a dark grey pinstripe suit with white shirt, black tie and the most elegant and expensive pair of black shoes she had never seen on a man before – wow, you're so elegant."
"Man, what's the deal? It looks like you're going to your own funeral!"
"Mr. Patrick, when are we going to start?" as a girl run at him and hugged his knees, they immediately recognized the figure, dressed with a white milk lace dress with a ivory ribbon and a fake rose at her hips, as Annie, Lisbon's niece; she was trying to convince Jane to do something, they saw it in her eyes, while she played a little with the small little basket she had in her hands, where petals of light colored flowers had been put.
"Soon, Annie, don't worry, everything will go as I told you, ok?" ruffling little or nothing her perfectly styled hair with his left, Jane smiled at the kid, and Van Pelt couldn't help but smile as well, tears of joy seeing the man she considered close to a friend or even family being finally content and at peace.
"Jane, you're not wearing the…" Rigsby hand' ended the sentence yet, that Grace, noticing the same thing, gave him a quick hit in the kidney with her elbow, hoping that Jane wasn't going to notice it."
"He had stopped to wear the ring weeks ago" Cho pointed out, as it was obvious, walking in direction of Annie and Jane, reaching them face to face.
"Really, I don't understand why he…" as he said so, again Grace hit him, just, this time, harder.
"When I'm going to throw petals? I want to throw petals!"
"If the lady and the gentleman will follow me – Jane opened his arms, showing them the group of people gathered on the grass of the park, guiding them towards the others, while leaving Annie a bit behind, on purpose – you'll soon have your moment, Annie. Cho, I'll need you assistance, if you don't mind."
As Annie stopped at their backs, so did Jane, in front of a man in his late fifties, almost martial, serious, but still easy-going, from the look, while Cho, under Jane's order, moved to the man's left, while, at his right, was standing a young woman, dressed with a yellow summer dress.
"You know, I'm confused. Normally, I get this feeling when Jane is involved, but this time, well, it's quite…"
Rigsby didn't ended the sentence, because a stereo released the notes of a well known song, a song that almost everyone knew in the world knew, even him: the classical "here comes the bride" wedding march, and soon they saw first the little girl, Annie, jumping towards Jane and who, at this point, they guessed was the master of ceremonies, throwing in the air and on the soil petals of yellow roses, and, then, a woman who was at the arm of a man who have some resemblances with Lisbon, dressed with a wedding dress that remembered Annie's one, white milk lace with a ivory ribbon at her hips, knee-long and strapless, with in her hands a bouquet of the same flowers Annie had thrown in the air; the third thing they saw was who the bride actually was, and, except Cho, both Rigsby and Van Pelt risked a heart attack.
"Ladies and Gentlemen – the man started as a smiling Lisbon joined a never so happy Jane - we are gathered here today to bring together in marriage Patrick and Teresa; they have formed a close bond of love and wish to formalize their marriage with this legal ceremony.
Patrick and Teresa know there will be wonderful times ahead as well as challenges and their combined love and strength will help them achieve a happy and successful life together.
Both Patrick and Teresa feel they are now committed to being formally, spiritually and legally married as husband and wife.
The experience of their love touches us all and it is fitting we should celebrate their happiness with them; this wedding gives public recognition to the private experience of their love.
At a different level we share it, we rejoice for them and we support them. Now, who presents Teresa to be married to Patrick?"
"I do" Mick, Annie's father, said, as he looked at his sister, who was radiant, while lost in Jane's dreamy gaze.
"I, Roger Stern, with the authority vested in me as a deputy commissioner of marriages by the County of San Francisco and the State of California,
I am duly authorized to solemnize this, your marriage.
Before you are joined together in marriage in my presence, and in the presence of these your family and friends, I am bound to remind you publicly of the solemn, serious and binding nature of the relationship into which you are about to enter; marriage, as most of us understand it, is the voluntary and full commitment of a man and woman to each other. It is made in the deepest sense to the exclusion of all others, and it is entered into with the desire, the hope and the firm intention that it will last for life – smiling at them, as he could actually seeing his words coming true by just a look at the couple, he took another breath and went on - Patrick, you have come here today to celebrate the love you have for Teresa. Do you promise to take Teresa as your wife in the special bond of matrimony, to care for her and love her through whatever may come, in your lives together as husband and wife?"
"I do" as he said so, holding her hand, Teresa did her best to avoid tears.
"Teresa, you have come here today to celebrate the love you have for Patrick. Do you promise to take Patrick as your husband in the special bond of matrimony, to care for him and love him through whatever may come, in your lives together as husband and wife?"
"I do" she smiled, still fighting back the tears, while Jane released a breath he didn't know he was holding, making her laugh.
"Teresa, I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife; before these witnesses
I vow to love you and to care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with both all your faults, which aren't many, and your strengths, that you showed to have enough for the both of us, as I offer myself to you, with all my too many faults and my little to nothing strengths. I will help you when you'll need help, and I'll turn to you when I'll be the one who will need help, this time I'll really do. Teresa, I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."
Lisbon smiled, as she listened to his "remade" version of the traditional vows, and, talking his hand in her one, said her own, while Van Pelt cried and Rigsby hugged her forcibly.
"Patrick, I take you to be my lawfully wedded husband; before these witnesses I vow to love you and to care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with both all your faults and your strengths the both, as I offer myself to you, with all my faults and my strengths. I will help you when you'll need help, and I'll turn to you when I'll be the one who will need help. Patrick, I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."As she said so, Jane took the rings he had abruptly put into Cho's hands just a minute before, at ceremony already begun.
"Teresa- he said proud as he put the simple white gold wedding band on her finger, close to what they saw was an engagement ring - I give you this ring as a token of my endless love
There is no Ending or Beginning to the circle on this ring
and that's why I have chosen this ring to be a pledge to you that my love will last through all Eternity."
"Patrick, I give you this ring- she said with emotion as she repeated Patrick's gesture- as a token of my endless love
There is no Ending or Beginning to the circle on this ring
And that's why I have chosen this ring to be a pledge to you that my love will last through all Eternity."
"Patrick and Teresa, in the presence of your family and friends, you have made special promises to each other that have been symbolized by joining of hands and the giving of rings. Therefore on your behalf, on the behalf of family and friends and according to the authority invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now both seal your marriage with a kiss - the man said, smiling, witnessing their kiss, a quick, kiss that was more like a peck on the lips, who seemed to send Lisbon's knees on jelly, who ended a second before the few gathered friends and relatives clapped their hands - May I introduce to you, for the first time, Patrick and Teresa Jane"
"Congratulations, Boss! I'm so happy for you and Jane…- Grace hugged Teresa as soon as she and Patrick had left their spot in front of the master of ceremonies, just to release her immediately, looked at her in the eyes a bit shocked – Oh My… how are we supposed to call you now?"
"Lisbon will be fine, Van Pelt, I'm not going to call my name"
"Yet" Lisbon turned, a bit annoyed, to face her 2 minutes husband, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat, like he had took the habit of doing while using the damn word.
"Not that I'm happy for you, boss, but… where we were when it happened, I mean, I've never noticed anything, and Jane had still the ring until few weeks ago…"
"He was deceiving us, Rigsby. It's simple strategy, really."
"May I see the engagement ring? Have you been together long? And, how long have you been engaged?" Lisbon was quite sure that she had never seen Grace so happy and enthusiastic for something, nor exited over someone who wasn't Rigsby…
"Yes – she said showing the co-worker the engagement ring with the diamond and the rubies – few months, and… 5 days"
"You're pregnant!" Grace's face stated to enlighten with joy the entire place, as she hugged again Lisbon.
"No, no, I'm not pregnant! Why do you all have to ask me the same question?"
"Yet"
Lisbon turned to Jane as he said again the word, then faced Grace again "It was Patrick's idea, actually. He was scared that I'd change my mind."
"Really, wasn't it the other way around, Terrie?"
"No, because I'm the only one who can keep up with you, while everyone would love to have me at their side."
"Oh, like you could resist my charm and my antics. C'mon Teresa, you know you love me for all this reasons. Consider yourself lucky, Mister."
"You mean I love you because you're an annoying jackass? – She collapsed into laughs, joined soon by Jane who kissed her, her hands around his neck and his ones around her hips –yes, I definitely love you, then…"
"Then, I guess the last thing left to do is telling Hightower, right?"
"We're still here" Cho remembered them, arms crossed in front of himself, without showing any kind of emotion, if not for a minuscule grin that appeared for a second as he showed his right to Rigsby.
"How the hell did you know it was going to end this way right from the beginning?" As he thrown few bills in his partner hand, the dark haired detective was a bit enraged and annoyed, while Cho, again, showed a small grin that disappeared as soon as he got again in control of his usual composure.
"Wayne, how much did you bet?" Grace was a bit enraged as well, while Lisbon was shocked and Jane just laughed, with his arm on his wife's shoulders.
"You were betting on us? I want to know how long it went on!"
"It started as soon as he joined our unit – Cho explained with his usual tone, looking at the newlyweds – no, he didn't bet that much, but he accumulated money with the years, since he never changed his mind – he said to Grace, before to face Rigsby again – and I've worked long enough with the both of them to know that there were only two possible scenarios: one culminating with Jane dead, the other with them married. Knowing Lisbon, the last was more likely."
"God, I'll really have to tell Hightower to promote you, sooner or later…" Teresa didn't know if laugh or being annoyed at Cho right now, since, it seemed that he had outrun her as a cop, knowing things that she wasn't even aware that were there in the first place…
"Mr. Patrick! Do you want to come to play with me and Tony?" both Grace and the rest of the team were amazed to see how bright Lisbon's smile was, when she saw her now husband scooping his "niece" in his arms, happy, with tears of joy in his eyes.
"Annie, I'm sorry, but I can't do that, and you know why?" he asked her serious, while the girl simply made sign of no with her head, sad – because you don't have to ask to Mr. Patrick to play with you. And you know why?"
She nodded, smiling, her voice higher, ecstatic "Because you promised me that you were going to become my uncle, and that I could be the flower girl at the wedding!"
"Where was I when it happened?" Teresa asked from her spot, at their side, smiling, but really curious.
"You were sitting on the floor of your office, shocked because Annie had just asked us if we were planning of getting married, but already fantasying about how your name could work with my surname"
"I wasn't!"
"Yes you were! Don' lie, Teresa, because it's pointless. I always know when you lie to me…"
"I said I wasn't!"
"As you wish, my dear, but we both know you were, so, why deny it?"
"I wasn't day-dreaming about you!" she so wanted to close the "argument" that, smirking and laughing, hit him in the chest, lightly, with her bouquet of yellow roses, white tulips and freesias and ivy.
"Oh, Teresa, you know you always day-dream about me! You used to day-dreamt about me even before Annie decided to speak her thoughts!"
"I wasn't day-dreaming…."
Hearing her names, Annie decided that it was time for her to remember the adults that she was there and, being the nicest girl of the planet, she was supposed to be the centre of their attention. "Uncle Patrick, when are you going to maintain your promise of giving me a cosine?"
Differently from the other times she had heard her niece's outburst of truth, Teresa didn't felt herself mad, but, instead, as her husband took her in his strong arms, smiling, joined him in the quiet and happy laugh that left his throat.
"Soon – Patrick said giving a quick kiss on Teresa's hair – we'll maintain our promise soon, Annie."
