Hello all. Hope you are all well?
Please excuse this chapter if it isn't as good as it perhaps should be, it was written really rather late at night, but i needed to write it.
...

Of Many Things
Chapter Twenty

Lisbon couldn't hardly contain her joy at the prospect of being held in the arms of the man she loved. A man who had made her a dance floor out of candles, and kissed her passionately despite knowing that her lips would taste of sickly black coffee. It was a reality she had never thought possible, but one that was going on around her that very instant. Patrick Jane, perhaps the most wonderfully handsome man in the entire world, was asking her to dance. Of course, they had done so before; but that was on a case, more a plan to annoy her than anything else. This was different, his love filled gesture had shocked her to the very core. She was never one for Cinderella, but she was certain that this was the night that all little girls secretly dream about. It felt so good to be loved so intensely. She had in all her girlish excitement forgotten about the robotic prison that her body had become. Lisbon rushed forward too quickly for her broken system to handle. Pain seared through her like lightening, and tears stung at her already blotchy eyes. But there was a warming hand at her side, and reassuring eyes staring into hers.
'Hey, hey.. Teresa, you don't need to rush ok? Let me help you.' and in the moment of fleeting terror, she knew that she would. Jane was her knight in shining armour. Too many years of Lisbon's life had been filled with pain simply because she refused to accept help off of anyone. Something deep inside prevented her from even contemplating it. But Jane was different; he didn't make her feel small and insignificant. It was like allowing him to help her was a sign of strength, not of the weakness that she was so fearful of.

Lisbon stood with the confidence that one does after being trapped in the same place for far too long; the desperate need to stretch her aching legs was almost overpowered by the trembling of her bones. Jane had helped her to slowly sit on the edge of the bed, lowering it so that her bare feet lay flat against the cold vinyl floor. She had grasped at the flimsy hospital gown that was lagging at her shoulders, suddenly feeling all too exposed. Seeing her discomfort Jane had placed his earlier discarded suit Jacket over her beautifully pale back and helped her into the baggy arms. He had to admit, it gave him a funny feeling of lust to see Teresa Lisbon wearing his grey suit jacket. Like they had truly been on a first date; walking through the park at midnight. The air crisp and new. Then he had pulled her gently to her feet, one arm expertly placed to keep her steady, and the other detangling any wires that found themselves to be in the wrong place. She clung so tightly to Jane that it scared him a little, but she soon found her feet. And then she stood, amidst a sea of candlelight, looking more like the Teresa Lisbon he knew than she had done in hours. Letting go of his strong arms, she looked up at the concerned eyes of Jane, and graced the corner of his lips with her own. 'Thank you' she whispered.
'Not at all,' he responded, 'now, wait just a second, we need music my little egg plant.' and with that he quickly turned to the old record player that Lisbon had seen earlier, and placed the needle onto the only record that they ever needed.

Lisbon's breath all but failed as the first crackling note of 'More Than Words' played out across the softly glowing room. Jane was once again staring deep into her eyes; one hand taking her own, and the other creeping under his jacket to hold tightly onto her lower back. He lent his head down, 'Someone very beautiful once told me that you love this song.' his smile evident in the hot breath that tickled the back of her neck.
With her hand tangled into his golden curls, Lisbon took in all that she could of Jane before the lyrics began, and then she tucked her head tightly under his strong jaw and pressed against his chest, wanting to forget everything except the man she had wholeheartedly fallen in love with and the beautiful lyrics of her favourite song.

They moved together to the heart felt lyrics, closer than they had ever been before. Neither noticed the wires that were sandwiched between them. Neither cared that hospital machines continued to ring out. Neither thought of the terrible sadness that was to come. No, for now, they were simply two people who were completely and utterly in love with one another.
Jane was singing softly to Lisbon as they danced as if they were the only two people left on the entire world.

Now that I've tried to talk to you, and make you understand

Lisbon cried tears of uncontrollable love, one that she once thought of as impossible. A love that she had always thought she didn't deserve. And yet here she was, in the perfect arms of her perfect man. She had found the one thing that had always been missing from her life. Happiness.

All you have to do is close your eyes, and just reach out your hands

Jane could feel her tears soaking again into the blue material of his shirt, and finally allowed his own to fall. He had tried desperately to hold them in the entire night. This was about Teresa, his pain had for too long been her burden to carry.

And touch me

But these were not tears of pain or sorrow. They were of acceptance, and hope, and love. After the devastating loss of his beloved wife and daughter, Jane had thought that he would never again feel anything but desperation and grief. But then he had found Teresa Lisbon, and with her a light. A beacon in the night, telling him that things might just be ok again.

Hold me close, don't ever let me go

He would never forget the pain that Red John had cause him, but Teresa had saved him from a life of hatred and seeking revenge. She was more important than that. She was his saving grace, and perhaps the love of his life.

Even as the final sleepy notes played out, and the room was again encased in the broken silence of a hospital room, Jane and Lisbon carried on with their final dance. Not wanting to break the warmth that such close contact brought. It felt right to be in each others arms. Both wishing desperately that they had been brave enough to show each other how they felt before it was too late. Both knowing that they could have brought about something truly great if they had.
Lisbon's eyes were growing ever heavy, and she could feel herself pressing deeper into Jane's body. His strength the only thing preventing her from collapsing into a shattered pile on the floor. And she thought to herself that perhaps they should stop dancing. Perhaps she needed the confines of her hospital bed. Perhaps she didn't even have the strength to stand any more. Perhaps it didn't matter. She was safe for a little while longer. Jane wouldn't ever let her fall. Like a little girl who had been sent to bed, she just wanted a little minute more. To capture every memory possible of the one and only Patrick Jane.

There we have it. The idea that has been floating about in my head for weeks, which was actually very hard for me to write.
I'm going on holiday for a week on monday, so this may be the last chapter until next weekend, but i will try to update it tomorrow if i get the chance. If not, please stick with me, i will be updating as soon as i am home.

Please leave me a review.. i'd love to know what you thought of this one, as i'm not really sure myself.
Thank you for reading, Katie.