Hello everyone :)
Moving quickly on to chapter two..
The Yellow Light
Chapter Two
And then suddenly the world didn't need to wait anymore. The Earth began turning again. The lights shone. The wind blew. The night welcomed the life that sparked all around them, and the world braced itself for whatever may come next. Lisbon's feet, that had seemed so rooted to the ground moments ago, were now striding bravely towards the man that didn't quite look himself, and she was sure her brain had not the power to stop them. Her body was being led by her heart, and yet her mind was ever determined to fight back. Her heart that wanted to cling tightly to his chest, and feel his strong arms at her back. Her heart that needed him so much closer; needed to be swallowed whole by his deliciously unique scent. Her heart that had missed him with every beat in the weeks that they had been separated. Her heart that had always, in one way or another, loved the man that stood before her. But her brain; her ever rational and compartmentalised brain, was screaming bloody murder inside of her head. Her brain that remembered the pain of her heart and the horror of having him gone. Her brain that was fuelled by an anger that burned so bright it threatened to consumer her entirely. Her brain that knew she couldn't simply melt into his arms and expect everything to be alright. Her brain that was determined to fight her corner and tell him how terribly stupid and selfish he had been. With each step Lisbon was more and more confused. She always had a plan; always knew what the next move had to be, at least, she had used to. But this man; this infuriatingly wonderful man, had her well and truly stumped. Lisbon had not a clue what she was going to do once she was stood before him; and she was vastly running out of time to decide. One more step and she would be there; looking up at his tired features and too long hair. So she took in a deep breath; stepped forwards with as much confidence as she could muster, and decided to simply go with whatever her body decided.
Patrick Jane was truly in shock; the unmistakably ring of her soft hand contacting hard against his rough cheek vibrated off of the walls and shook him to the very core. She had slapped him. Teresa Lisbon had slapped him with a strength he had always known she possessed. And even though his face stung with the fire of a thousand flickering candles, he took a moment to enjoy the pain. Because it meant that she was ok. That he hadn't broken her entirely. Teresa Lisbon had always been so full of fight and passion, and he had feared that he may have been the one to destroy that. Jane had spent almost every waking moment that he was in prison wishing that he could just make sure that she was still the Lisbon that she had been before he had changed their lives forever. He should have known that she was far stronger than that; that she would never let his actions determine the rest of her life. Teresa Lisbon was independence personified, and only a very foolish man would doubt that. And if there was one thing Jane hoped to never be, it was foolish.
'I'm sorry.'
'I deserved it.'
Their words seemed to tumble out into the night at the same time; emotion dripping from even the simplest of letters. And then they were ghostly silent again. Staring deep into each other's eyes; searching for a sign on the life they once knew. A flicker of the people who had spent so many nights huddled up in this forgotten attic together; with tea for him, and coffee for her.
And once again it was her that took the first leap, if only to stop herself from falling mercilessly into his arms and curling deep into their warmth.
'I had meant to just talk, but then you were so much closer than i thought you would be, and i just felt so angry. You make me so much angrier than i ever thought possible Jane. You stupid, selfish man, who never even stopped to think about what would happen to everyone else. What would happen to me. You just go through life doing exactly as you please and you never even look back to make sure that everyone else is still ok. You just keep on going, and going, and.. and i, i..' Lisbon's breath was ragged and painful, and tears threatened to silence her altogether, but she had started speaking, and she refused to stop before she had said all that needed to be said, 'and i can't run as fast as you. I can't keep up with you. I try so hard to always be next to you; to run right alongside you, no matter how dangerous the road ahead appears to be. But i can't run as fast as you. You left me behind. You left me here, and you didn't even tell me where you were going. I could have helped. We could have caught him together. But you were so damn determined to get your revenge that you didn't even tell me what was happening. I know i have always said that i wouldn't let you do it; that i wouldn't let you kill him, but i think that i would have. I gave up on trying to stop you a long time ago, but Jane, i never stopped helping you. I never left you behind. I thought we were a team. I thought you trusted me. I thought.. i though you loved me. Because Jane, even though you are the most infuriating man on Earth, i have always trusted you. I have always loved you.'
No. She had not just said that. She hadn't meant to say that. She hadn't even known she felt that. Tears left salty tracks across her translucent cheeks and her eyes burned so hot she could barely see. Her breath tugged at her chest as she desperately tried to suck in the damp air. She searched for his eyes; for the key to his very soul, and found them filled with far more than she could ever interpret. Fear. Longing. Sadness. Guilt. Grief. Pain. Suffering. But what did any of that matter? All she wanted to see was love; to know that she wasn't alone in her confession. It wasn't something she had ever witnessed before. It wasn't an emotion she had ever truly felt before she had met him. All she needed was a sign. The briefest flicker of love in his magical eyes. The anticipation was literally crushing her; it seemed as if she had been searching out his heart for centuries, when in reality it had been a mere heartbeat ago. She just needed him to love her back. But she couldn't ask. Couldn't speak. Couldn't move. It was his turn now; the cards were in his hands. It was now or never. Teresa Lisbon had exposed her heart in the most beautifully vulnerable way imaginable. Patrick Jane simply needed to find the courage to do the same.
To be continued..
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& thank you to those who left one for the first chapter. As always, thank you very much for reading.
Stay tuned, Katie.