Hello all. I hope you are all well?
We have come to the point in the story where Lisbon's life has to end. It was an odd chapter to write, and she is a character that i really do love. If this were to happen in the show i don't think my heart could take it. I tried to make it happy (that isn't the right word.. but i can't think of a better one) I guess, i'm trying to say is that this story in it's very nature is supposed to be sad, but not completely. There are moments of light and joy in it too.
I will stop rambling now, i hope you like my take on the end...

Of Many Things
Chapter Twenty Two

'Tell me something beautiful.' Lisbon's voice was hoarse and scratchy; like someone who hasn't spoken in many hours. In truth, she wasn't exactly sure of how much time had passed. She didn't even know what day it was anymore. It all seemed so surreal; like no time had passed by what so ever, as if the world had come to a complete standstill. Of course, she knew that this wasn't reality. The earth didn't stop turning for a single person. Great earthquakes could shake the entire planet, and hurricanes wash away a thousand cities. The world never stopped turning. Human beings, as a whole, never stopped living. Personal tragedy and loss, it wasn't felt across the world. No, it concentrated itself into a burning inferno of heartbreak and pain, contained only by the people who knew of it's existence. The rest of society simple carried on as if nothing at all had changed.

Patrick Jane wasn't quite sure what to say. How could he tell her something beautiful? For all the beauty that was in the universe, he couldn't think of how to put it into words. It was too great; way past a single beings understanding. But then he realised, all the beauty he needed was snuggled close into his own body. He had her entire lifetime to pick from. Teresa Lisbon was beauty; inside and out. He intended to make sure that she knew this, before it was too late for his words to reach her.

He kissed her softly on top of her head, and pulled her a little closer to him. Inhaling her magical scent as he took a breath. Making sure she was listening to all that he was about to say. 'You are beauty Teresa Lisbon, every single thing about you. So much so that it scares me; you scare me. But in the most wonderful way possible, because, with you, i can feel again. All those years ago, after Red John and all that he stole from me, i was nothing. An empty shell of the man i used to be. I went through days at a time of feeling completely numb, only to be washed over by a great wave of anger and desperation. All i knew was that i needed revenge, and i would stop at nothing to get it. To destroy the monster who had destroyed me. But then, i found you. The woman with forest green eyes, who spoke with such conviction about every single thing she saw. Who had a clear boundary between right and wrong; one that she crossed a little for me. A woman who smelt like cinnamon toast and something that was a pure lust for life. A bright burning spirit. And you have this great heart that has somehow found it's way into my own. And mine to yours. You showed me that it was ok to feel again. That my beloved wife and child could always have a place in my heart, without allowing their memory to destroy me. I found happiness when i met you. I don't believe in religion, but i do believe that a greater power sent you to me. We met when i was at my lowest, so close to the point of no return that i could barely breath. And yet, you still managed to rescue me. You never gave up, even if sometimes it would have been far easier for you, if you had just left me in the darkness that i was so encased in. I owe my life to you. I know that i wouldn't have survived if i didn't have you. First as a colleague, then as a friend, and now as a great love that burns through my entire being. I love you, Teresa Lisbon, and that is the most beautiful thing i have ever experienced in my whole life. We are both of us broken; broken and beautiful. An oxymoron in every sense of the word. We shouldn't work, but somehow, when brought together, we do. I believe that you are my soul mate. The one person in this cold and desolate world that i was supposed to find. Not in a fairy story way, but something that is far more real. You are my best friend before you are anything else. The person i want to share everything with; from a stupid office joke, to the deepest chasm of my heart. You make everything you touch beautiful. You shine Teresa Lisbon, and you always will.'

They were both openly crying as Jane spoke; every word making the end more real than it was mere seconds before. Lisbon wished with all her heart that she could have heard those words spoken on another night, in another setting. The start of the rest of their lives, instead of the premature ending of hers. She looked deep into Jane's eyes, and he did hers. Lisbon reached up to meet Jane's blushed lips, and kissed him with the passion of a thousand suns. Giving all of herself to him in the last moments of her life. She had so much that she wanted to say, and yet none of the strength needed to do so. Instead, she opened up her heart in her kiss, and showed Jane all that he meant to her. All of the beauty that he had shown her in their time together. All of the cherished memories they had shared. And when the need for oxygen overpowered them both, they pulled apart just enough to breath again; still ghosting against each other's lips. And with the last remaining strength that remained in her crumbling body, Lisbon whispered the words that they had both be dreading the entire night. Three little words that would bring about the end of something that would have been so wonderful, but was never given the chance to be all that it could. 'It's time Patrick.'

Patrick Jane knew that it was now his time to be strong; to think selflessly and to prove his love for the women that lay dying in his arms. With one last kiss to memorise every little piece of Lisbon that he could, and tears falling so hard that he could barely see, he untangled his right hand from her soft, raven hair and pushed down on the switch that would cut off her last tie to the waking world. It seemed so insignificant to him, a simple flick of a switch, but it would bring about so much. He wrapped his arms as tight as he could around Lisbon, a last hope of sharing his own life with her. But, her beautiful light was fading fast, and all he could do now was to make sure she felt his love as she slowly slipped away.

Teresa Lisbon had heard the deafening flick of the switch echo out across the room. It was odd; how could something seemingly so small, cause so much? It wouldn't be long now, her body was weak and failing quickly. The warmth of Jane's body battling hard against the ghostly cold that was spreading through her whole being. Burning like wildfire through her veins; leaving behind a pile of lifeless ashes. She could hear him whispering words of love and reassurance to her. She could feel the hot tears of the man she loved soaking into her hair. Her world was growing increasingly dark. Her ears started buzzing, like someone had stuffed them full of cotton wool; muffling his beautiful voice ever more. The foul and metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She was grateful of the morphine she had been given; enough to block out all of the physical pain that her injuries had caused. And as her lungs became heavier, her body colder, her heart rate slower, she knew she only had seconds left on this earth. It wasn't like anything she had expected. It was much like the last moments of the night before you drift off to sleep; nothing spectacular, but nothing ordinary either. It was, for lack of a better word, like being at complete and utter peace with the world. All the cares and the pain disappeared, and only the good remained. The smiling faces of her little brothers before their mother had died, the alcohol induced hilarities with her best friends from her days of police training, the CBI summer ball and the wonderful team that she had been a part of, and lastly, the soft lips and tea stained kisses of Patrick Jane; the most incredible man she had ever had the pleasure to call a friend, and a lover. Her final breath was spent thinking of him. All of the magical times that they had together, without a second thought to the regrets that had earlier raged through her body and mind. She had loved with her whole heart, and nothing else really mattered. Her last thought was a wonderful one. The only time in her life that she could wholeheartedly say that the only thing she had felt was happiness. And she realised that death should never be feared, no matter how premature or unexpected. In that final second of life, the whole world shone with the light of a million flickering candles, and Teresa Lisbon said goodbye to a life that she would cherish until the day that the earth did truly stop turning.

There we go. Please, tell me what you thought?
I would love to know what you thought of the way i wrote that chapter, as i really wasn't too sure of how to. I just hope i did it justice.
There will be a little more to this story. The funeral, of course, but also some added extras too.
Leave a comment if you are able, and i will update as soon as i can.
Thank you for reading, Katie.