A/N: Happy New Year everyone! I hope you're enjoying the holidays and had an awesome start in 2015! One of my New Year resolutions is to write more often than I did in the past 6 months and don't let real life interfere too often.

I apologize for the long wait and hope you enjoy this chapter!

(9)

Jane held her close to his chest, his hand carefully caressing her shoulder. They didn't talk, just waited for the team to arrive. It was nice to hold her again after so many months. He'd never realized how much he missed the vanilla scent of her hair or the soft skin of her hands until now.

Her even breathing made him wonder if she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He hoped she didn't have a concussion and that she would agree to get checked out by the paramedics. She'd never liked hospitals, but who did? She'd be lucky if she got off lightly with the cut on her lip and a little whiplash instead of a concussion.

Jane swallowed hard, imagining what would have happened if the person in the car had really aimed for killing her. She would have stood no chance. The images of the car flashed up in his mind, the hand with a gun reaching out of the window. Four shots – one through the windshield and three through the tires which had exploded immediately. He'd seen the car losing control, how it spun around and finally came to a stop when it crashed against the tree.

They were lucky there had been the grass verge. Less than a mile farther and her car could have crashed over the railing of the bridge and fallen several feet until it hit the ground. The more he thought about it, it became clearer all of this had been planned in advance. They wanted to scare Lisbon, not to kill her, and that's what they'd done.

Also Jane could be sure now, Carmen wasn't working alone. There had to have been two men inside the car – one driving and one shooting. He was confident the shooter hadn't been Carmen, because he wasn't sure even Lisbon could aim that well and she was the best shot he knew. No, someone else was involved in this, someone who had enough money and connections to hire a professional hit man.

The arrival of sirens and blue light at the scene made Jane loosen his hold. "The team is here, Lisbon. Do you think you can walk to the ambulance?" He didn't ask if he should carry her, because she'd never agree to something like that in front of the other team members.

"Yeah, I'll try." She looked up to meet his eyes, a wave of gratitude overcoming her. "I never thought I'd say this, but thanks for following me."

Jane couldn't resist giving her his most charming smile. If she only knew; he'd follow her to the end of the world to protect her. "You have to thank Annie for this. I just followed her orders."

"You're an idiot," she whispered, cracking a smile. But you're my idiot. Lisbon closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't be angry with Jane right now, not when he'd been there to help her. However, she'd been on her way to the airport picking up her fiancé. There was so much unfinished business between the two of them, she didn't want to allow herself to think about Jane the way she just had.

"Lisbon, are you okay?" Jane asked, concerned when she remained in the same position.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Sorry." Her legs were still shaking a little when she climbed out of the car. She waited a few seconds before she took her first step, feeling Jane's hand supporting her back like he always did.

Cho and Fischer emerged from their car, two police officers following them, while the paramedics opened the back of their vehicle, ready to check her for injuries.

"Lisbon!" Fischer gasped when she saw the scene. "Are you okay? What happened? Jane just said there was an accident… we came as fast as we could!"

"My car was shot at. I was just on my way to the airport… I don't remember much. There was a car coming up behind me and suddenly my windshield cracked. I ducked down and lost control over the car. Everything happened so fast. Luckily Jane was there." Lisbon aimed a smile at him.

Fischer watched the exchange curiously but didn't say anything.

"I'll take her to the paramedics," Jane announced, slightly pushing Lisbon in the direction of the waiting ambulance. Two men were already walking toward them with a medical case. The paramedics took care of her and guided her to the ambulance. Jane watched as they made her sit down and answer their questions while they did a check up.

Once he was sure Lisbon's injuries weren't serious, he walked over to Cho and Fischer, who were surveying the crashed vehicle.

"Looks like Annie needs a new car after this is over," Jane joked.

"How'd you know she was here? How'd you manage to be at the scene so quickly?" Fischer wanted to know.

"I was following her. And before you say anything, yes I had a right to do so. You shouldn't have let her out of your sight in the first place." He scowled at Cho, who looked more than guilty. He didn't look for excuses, didn't apologize out loud, but Jane knew he was mentally punishing himself.

Quickly, he told them everything that happened, because he wanted to get back to Lisbon and see if everything was okay. When a phone from the inside of Lisbon's car started ringing though, Jane walked to the passenger's side to check for Lisbon's phone. It must have fallen out of her pocket when he'd pulled her out of the car earlier. Of course, it was Pike. He didn't really want to talk to the man who stole Lisbon away from him, so he passed the phone to Cho, who was giving him an annoyed look.

Cho answered the phone and explained the situation to the other FBI agent, who seemed more than worried about Lisbon. Good, it was good he worried about her. A man should worry about the woman he was going to marry in two days. The lump in his throat tightened.

"Pike will take a cab to the house. Is she alright?" Cho asked the consultant.

Jane nodded slowly. "I hope so. She didn't have any injuries, it's just her head which worries me a little. She might have whiplash and a concussion, but we will see." Without another word, Jane walked back to the ambulance, where the paramedics were fussing over Lisbon. She looked a little exhausted and annoyed, but all in all, she seemed fine.

"I'm not going to the hospital. Jane! Help me out here." She tried to get up, but one of the men pushed her back down.

"Miss, it's important you stay a night in the hospital, where someone can watch you."

"Enough people are watching me these days," she countered, shaking off his hands.

Jane cracked a smile, before he took pity on her and stepped in."It's okay, guys. If she's feeling worse, I'll see myself that she's brought to a hospital as soon as possible. Thanks for your help, I'll watch over her."

The paramedics looked at each other; then they made Lisbon sign a form, packed their belongings together and drove off. Meanwhile, Cho and Fischer had finished checking the crime scene. Not that there was much to be checked anyway.

"How are you feeling?" Fischer asked, concerned. Lisbon just shrugged. The adrenaline was finally wearing off and all she felt was exhaustion.

"To be honest, I just want to go home… no wait, I have to go to the airport. Marcus…"

"Pike just called, he will take a cab and meet you at your brother's house. We need an official statement, Lisbon." Cho acted all professional about the situation but was brooding inwardly. He should have never left Lisbon alone. He knew the accident would have likely happened with him inside the car, too, but he wouldn't feel like he'd abandoned her.

While Fischer gave the instructions to clean everything up, Cho and Jane walked Lisbon over to Jane's car. She got inside the passenger's seat, waiting for Jane to take a seat in the back of the car, but he remained a few feet from her window, hands shoved in his pant pockets.

The Korean took the driver's seat and started the car. "Is Jane not coming?" Lisbon asked, a little confused and disappointed at the same time.

"No," was Cho's answer as he drove off.

Jane watched the car leave. It was obvious Lisbon was surprised he wouldn't accompany them home, but he had his reasons. Pike would wait for her, would embrace her in a tight hug, get to kiss her and mumble sweet nothings to her. She would hug him back, happy he was finally here, happy they could be together. He wasn't sure he'd survive seeing his Lisbon in the arms of another man, ready to marry him in two days.

"Jane, are you coming?" Fischer called, pointing toward her car. Sighing, Jane began to move, the enchanting scent of Lisbon's hair still clouding his senses.

Xxxxx

From the moment he met Teresa Lisbon, Marcus Pike never had any doubt she would be The One for him. She was tough and ambitious, hard working and admirable, sweet with a very big heart. He'd had various girlfriends over the course of time, but none of them could compete with Teresa. She understood the long working hours of their job, that they were always on duty no matter what and even if she liked to watch football games instead of old movies, she was the most flawless person he'd ever met.

Yes, it hadn't taken long for them to get together, but she was a treasure. He would go so far as to say she was one of the best things that ever happened to him. Not every woman would give up everything for a man she'd known for a few months, move to DC, take a new job and accept his weak proposal sans ring. Teresa Lisbon had and he admired her for it. He loved her. Loved her so much sometimes he thought his heart was bursting by just looking at her. She would probably freak out if she knew how much, but he knew about her history with Greg. That's why he always told her there was no pressure. That's probably why Gina was doing most of the organization for the wedding. Although he knew his little sister went a little overboard with some things, Pike was sure Teresa didn't care as long as he was waiting in front of the altar with her. They would be married on Saturday, would finally be husband and wife. He was happy. The problem was for some reason, she seemed not as happy.

When she'd arrived at her brother's house after the accident, she must have been still in shock. Her face had been almost white, her expression exhausted. He'd hugged her, kissed her and after she'd refused to eat something, taken her to bed. She'd fallen asleep after only a few minutes, rolling away from his embrace to the edge of the bed. Teresa did that when she was upset, so he let her be, trying not to pressure her. Maybe she wanted to talk tomorrow and if not, well, then not.

It bothered him that Jane was here, but he didn't say anything so as not to make the situation worse. He knew the murders in Chicago were somehow connected to Lisbon, that the killer was probably her old shrink from the CBI. Pike didn't know him, but when he thought about it, there was so little he knew at all about her time at the CBI. Teresa didn't like to talk about it, so he didn't ask.

She wasn't good at sharing stuff, especially not from her past, but that was okay. He wouldn't pressure her. Once they were married, everything would be fine. If it weren't for Jane. Patrick Jane.

Pike had heard a lot about the famous consultant who caught and killed Red John. However, the relationship between him and Lisbon has always been a puzzle for him. He knew they've never been a couple, knew she'd given up her job as a sheriff in Cannon River because Jane had made her one of his ridiculous demands. But he also knew something must have happened between the two of them, something Teresa never talked about. Something connected to Miami.

Pike turned to the right. Lisbon had turned her back to him, her knees tucked to her upper body. She looked so small and fragile in the light coming from the streetlamp outside, almost like a kid. He sighed. It couldn't be easy for her to deal with all the murders – her former teacher, her priest, the others – but he was there to help her, to support her. Pike knew the situation was serious. She could have been killed in the accident, after everything Cho had told him. He'd have to thank Jane at some point for saving her. He didn't like it, but he owed the consultant that much.

Hopefully, the Austin team would catch the man who was responsible for all of this soon, so Teresa and he could enjoy their honeymoon. Everything would be fine. He was sure of it.

Lisbon groaned in her sleep, followed by a short whimper. She started shaking, as if she was crying. Pike switched the bed lamp on, concerned about what was happening. "Teresa? Teresa, shhh, it's okay. It's just a dream." He scooted over and pulled her against his torso.

The shaking didn't stop and from the frantic breathing Pike could figure she was having a really bad dream. Thankfully, she didn't start kicking again. "It's okay, I'm here, Teresa."

"Please, no!" she whispered. "Jane."

Pike swallowed. "It's Marcus. I'm here, Teresa." He pulled her closer to him, embracing her in a tight hug, pressing little kisses on her forehead. She started to relax, slowly, but she did.

"Marcus... no. Jane," she whispered again. Finally, she was fully relaxed; her head leaned against his shoulder. She pressed herself to him, like he was some hind of safe haven. "Jane." Her voice sounded almost relieved.

"I love you Teresa." Pike mumbled, a bit disappointed, and kissed her temple.

His heartbeat increased when she answered. "Love you, too…" It was the first time she'd said it and he knew she really meant it. The thing was just… he wasn't sure whether she was dreaming of him… or Jane. Suddenly it felt like her words had stabbed him in the back.

Pike sighed. He'd been sure that once she moved to DC, she would forget about Jane, but apparently he'd been wrong. He loved her and he wanted to be the right man for her. Lisbon had to decide who she wanted though: Jane or him. She would finally have to tell Jane to leave her alone, or he was sure their marriage would end before it even began.

Xxxxx

He didn't sleep well for the rest of the night, although Lisbon was pressed tight against him. He was wondering if he should wake her up with lazy morning sex. She was usually more talkative afterward, more honest with him when she was still shivering from her orgasm. Lisbon took the decision out of his hands when she stirred and carefully entangled their limbs. Pike pretended to be still asleep at first, but once she brushed his hair out of his forehead and gave him a light kiss on the chin, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"Morning sleepy head," Lisbon whispered. She looked exhausted and tired, the dark shadows under her eyes more visible than usual. She still had to be in pain from the accident last night. He hoped she didn't have a headache this morning because that would mean she likely had a concussion.

"How are you feeling?" Marcus asked, concerned. "Do you have a headache?"

She shook her head. "No, no headache. My neck hurts a little bit though. Nothing serious, I promise. I'll just take one of the pain killers and it'll be okay. I'm glad you're here, Marcus."

She sounded sincere, like she was really happy to see him. Their meeting last night had been a little bit awkward after all. He leaned down to press a kiss on her lips, Lisbon responding eagerly.

"Me too, Teresa. I can't wait for the wedding tomorrow. I'm sorry everything here's been kind of a mess for you. If I'd have known, we could have gone to Vegas right away."

Yes, Vegas sounded very nice to him. A quick ceremony in the chapel by an Elvis impersonator and then off to the airport, then anywhere they wanted to go.

She smiled, resting her head on his chest.

"Yeah Vegas would have been less problematic I guess… But Gina and my brothers would kill us if we decided to run off now. Annie would hunt us down. I should rethink my offer of giving her shooting lessons…" Both of them shared a laugh.

"Oh, I love you, Teresa." Marcus looked down at her, patiently waiting for an answer.

There was this uncomfortable silence between the two of them, Lisbon thought, the kind of silence that shouldn't be there. He just wanted her to say it back to him. Three little words, why was it so hard? She couldn't pretend she'd fallen back to sleep, nor could she pretend she hadn't heard it. Her feelings concerning Marcus were a complicated mess.

"Me too," she finally said, looking up to see a flash of disappointment in his eyes. He didn't say anything, but she could feel he wasn't happy at all about her answer.

Slowly, she started kissing his chest, her wicked fingers moving down to the waistband of his boxer shorts. Pike hissed when she touched his morning erection, a knowing smirk on her face.

To her own surprise, he grabbed her wrist and slowly pushed her hand away from its delicate position. "I think I need a shower."

Pike got up, dragging a part of the sheets with him so it left her partly uncovered. "Marcus… What's going on?"

He turned around looking at her like she was out of her mind.

"If it's because of Vegas…" she started, knowing Vegas was the last thing on his mind right now.

"Don't. Just don't. I'm sorry Teresa, but I need you to say it. I need you to tell me you love me or I think this wedding is a very big mistake neither of us should make. Yes, I know the past few days have been very difficult for you, but I can't do this any longer. I have been patient, I have tried to not pressure you, but I have to know how you feel about me." Pike grabbed a towel from the top of his suitcase, not able to look at her sitting on the bed half naked with her deer-in-the-headlights look.

"Do you love me?"

"Ma… Marcus," she finally said, making him stop in his movements. "I want to marry you, otherwise I wouldn't have said yes."

"That's not an answer to the question, Teresa." He sounded angry.

"I… I do. I do, that's why I want to marry you…"

Marcus shook his head. "There are many reasons why you could have said yes and excuse me if I'm wrong, but one of them is Patrick Jane. I know you two have a history together; I knew it when I asked you out that night after the Violets case. I have to know that I can make you happy, that I'm enough for you, Teresa. If not…" He left it there, letting the silence speak for both of them.

"Tell me tonight how you decide, because I don't want to be that guy who's left at the altar."

With this he left the room, heading for the shower. Lisbon was speechless and didn't really know what to do. She couldn't blame Marcus for wanting an answer. A wedding was a huge step for both of them. Therefore he was right. She had to make a decision and finally come to terms with whatever – or rather whoever – was holding her back from this marriage. It was time to make a decision and stop running from her problems and Patrick Jane.

Lisbon grabbed her phone.

5 pm Tommy's house. We need to talk.

She pressed send before she could start thinking about it. Jane's reply came less than a minute later.

You sure that's what you want?

Yes.

I'll be there.

Good. She could survive one conversation with Jane; tell him to leave her alone once and for all. She could do this, couldn't she?