Return to Sacramento: Epilogue
Thanks for all the lovely feedback and support you guys gave me during this fic! I really have the single most awesome bunch of readers ever. Even though this fic was a bit of a toughie at times, it was a blast to write and I hope you all liked it.
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine
"C'mon, Jessie, please put on the pretty pink dress!" Jane whined, holding up a sparkly, ruffle-y dress up.
"No." Jess said, crossing her arms and frowning in her signature little manner. She was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed, dressed in jeans, scuffed and covered in grass and mud stains, and a T-shirt with chocolate milk discoloring the collar.
"Come on, sweetie, the people are coming for dinner in ten minutes and I want you to look pretty."
"I don't want to wear a dress!" Jess stubbornly insisted.
"But you'll look so pretty in it!" He said, giving her a shamefully pleading puppy-dog look. "Come on, put it on so Daddy can show off his favourite little girl!"
"Patrick, stop blackmailing our child." Lisbon said as she walked into Jess' room. "Oh no. You don't want her to wear that monstrosity, do you? I thought I told you she wouldn't wear a princess dress!"
"Well excuse me for wanting to spoil our daughter a little. The only clothes you ever buy her could pass for boy's clothes! I think my little princess deserves to look like a princess."
"She's a tomboy! She wears jeans and T-shirts." Lisbon said, rolling her eyes in amusement. "But Jess, honey, you're gonna have to change before the company gets here. You can't be walking around with stains on your shirt."
She fingered Jess' brown-stained collar and Jess giggled wildly at her mother's scrunched-up nose.
"Why don't you wear that pretty blue shirt we got at the mall the other day? Patrick, help her." She lovingly kissed Jane's cheek as he begrudgingly put the ridiculous pink dress away.
"Alright." He pulled the bright blue tie-dye from the closet. "This is pretty too, anyway."
"Aw, are you upset that your daughter takes so much after her mother?"
"Not at all." He kissed her gently. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
They stood in tender embrace for a few moments.
"Teresa..." He murmured, still smiling dreamily at her.
"Yes?"
"I think your roast beef's burning." He whispered.
Her eyes widened in shock as she smelt the slight smell of burn in the air and she jetted down the stairs.
Jane sighed, smiling, then turning to Jess. "C'mon Princess. You might not be wearing a dress, but you're still the prettiest girl in the world to me." He said, kissing his giggling daughter's chubby little cheek and starting to change her into her dinner outfit.
X
Downstairs, Lisbon was trying to save her roast beef from utter disaster. Or, more accurately, Jane's roast beef that she basted with the little kitchen brushy-thingy. She wasn't exactly an ideal homemaker, but she was lucky enough to have a husband who was not only ridiculously skilled in the kitchen, but was sweet enough to let her contribute just a bit.
The roast beef was maybe a little more roasted than was traditional, but with some creative carving and a lot of gravy the burnt bits were all gone. She set the food out, feeling very much nervous for this night. Not only was it one of the very first times she was actually playing hostess (and not the role of Jess' mom during the play dates), the guests weren't just anyone.
Almost six months after the little reunion in Sacramento, the team had decided to try again – this time not including any situations were a nemesis might try to murder them. They were coming for a weekend with them, starting with tonight's dinner.
The doorbell rang and she pulled her face. She had thought she had more time.
"JANE!" She called to him upstairs, and she heard him come stomping down the staircase.
"Are they here yet?" He placed Jess, freshly dressed and looking excited to see her favourite aunts and uncles again, on the countertop.
"Yup. Can you get the door? I just want to get the green beans and stuff out, then I'm done."
She finished transferring the beef and vegetables in the serving dishes and carefully placed them in the oven on a low temperature to keep it warm until serving time.
She could hear Jane and the team exchange jovial greetings, Jess giggling excitedly as she was twirled around in the air by Rigsby. She went to stand in the doorway, looking at the scene unfolding before her. It brought a smile to her face.
There they were, Wayne and Grace Rigsby, now established in a comfortable young marriage, Cho and Claire (with a diamond glittering on her left hand finger, already observed by all, but yet to be explained), smiling and laughing, happy.
Her husband and beautiful daughter, greeting the old friends with abandon, both thriving in the spotlight. Happy and safe and sound.
Her heart still clenched in her chest every time she thought about that night. The image was still embedded in her mind and has left her waking up in cold sweats in the middle of the night after having horrifying nightmares. She thanked the heavens every day that she had Patrick. His warm arms were the best kind of comfort; it reminded her that he was still here. Her family was still here, safe and mostly unscathed.
And absolutely perfect. Was she ever given an opportunity, she would never change a single thing about them.
Jane looked over his shoulder and saw her standing in the doorway. He flashed one of those beautiful, bright smiles of his that charmed her into falling for him in the first place. "Teresa! Would you stop lurking in doorways and get over here?" He said, teasing.
She couldn't help the smile from spreading over her face as she stepped into the room and went to greet her team.
Finally, they would have the weekend they were promised, a weekend to catch up and hang out.
Maybe not back in Sacramento, but that's not what counts. The people she loved were here with her and that was all that was important.
Okay, so there it is! Hope you guys liked it? I tried not to cheesify it too bad there at the end, but you know... This is what I do with epilogues. I can't seem to shake it.
Much love, Zanny