SEVERAL YEARS LATER:

"You said that to Sean Barlow?! THE Sean Barlow?!" He shouted, over the crashing waves, to his favorite human - and to the seagulls flying over the Santa Monica pier.

Trey had always been amazed at the courage and toughness that resided beneath Meghan's delicate blonde curls and sparkling green eyes. He had met Mr. Jane once or twice, and had seen his coin tricks. He had also heard stories from Brendan about their late grandma having been a magician's assistant. He totally saw the resemblance. His Megs was quite magical indeed.

His Megs was also puzzled. She leaned into him, wondering, as his arm wrapped around, shielding her from the cool ocean breeze. Trey acted like he knew the man? Was the old faker a national celebrity or something? She needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Yes. One and the same. Why? Is that some kind of big deal? How do you know Sean Barlow?"

"I don't. Not really anyway. He used to have a psychic booth over on Venice beach. His name came up in the papers now and then. My parents always said the man was seriously bad news."

"Interesting… Well, he's in federal prison now, so…" she ended with a shrug, one hand extended palm up.

Trey had been very wise, all those years ago, when he'd convinced Meghan Elizabeth Jane to be pen pals with him. In tandem with the frequent video calls they had shared with her brother Brendan and their whole group of LA friends over the years, those pen pal notes had been the very foundation of what had become a remarkably close friendship.

When the time had come for each to choose a college or university, the choice had seemed obvious. USC and the whole of Southern California had felt like a second home to both of them for years. And the thought of being in the same city together, year-round, was a welcome one for the pair. The decision had seemed even more serendipitous for Meghan, when she learned about the full-ride journalism scholarship she'd been awarded (though her father insisted they had the money to cover everything even without it).

Jane had gleefully pointed out how convenient it would be to have a friend already on campus. He had also dropped several thinly-veiled reminders about the fact that she and Trey had slow-danced that one time, enjoying her flushed arguments that he was reading too much into things.

Yet here they were. She and Trey. And it seemed that her fake-psychic father and highly intuitive mother had seen things clearly all along; More clearly than she'd been willing to admit, until this school year. She knew when it had happened. She could pinpoint the exact moment her heart and mind were in agreement about just what Trey Hernandez meant to her.

It was a home football game, and USC were playing their rivals from UCLA. The Crosstown Showdown had always been a big deal, but especially so this year, since they were seniors. Trey wasn't a huge sports fan, but he enjoyed watching Meg get into the games; So much so, that he had taken her to every one since he'd first caught sight of her in action. He had heard legendary stories from Meghan and Brendan about their mom getting worked up, watching her favorite Chicago teams. The young man was absolutely fascinated by the transformation, when his usually controlled, put-together Megs turned into a twelfth man… er… woman, worthy of a Lisbon offspring.

Trey insisted, though, that they always had to stay in their seats to watch the marching band. Meghan didn't mind. Not only did she find the constantly-moving drill formations fascinating to see, she also agreed that it was important to support their many friends who were members of the group.

On this rivalry week, the show featured songs from yesteryear, including the 1961 hit "Mr. Postman." As a music major, Trey knew this fact ahead of time, having heard the band's practice sessions throughout the week. He had decided to take a chance on something he'd been building up the courage to say for months… years, really.

The stadium announcer's voice rang out: "and now, here's our rendition of the Marvelettes classic: 'Mr. Postman!'"

When the band played the opening notes of that Motown hit, Trey grabbed Meghan's hand, quickly led her up to the nearest landing, and started dancing her all around the concourse. Meghan had no idea what had gotten into her best friend, but was giggling uncontrollably as they danced, completely entertained by the spontaneous and ridiculous disco she'd been pulled into. "I've loved dancing with you ever since music camp!" Trey chuckled, knowing he'd thoroughly surprised her with this crazy waltz.

By the time the song was done, they had danced all the way to the parking lot. With just a few minutes to go before the kickoff to the second half, Trey found the quietest spot he could and handed his bestie an envelope.

"What's this?!" She could have sworn it had her handwriting on the front. And the postmark was from several years ago. She had suspicions, but wasn't confident enough to guess what she was holding. Not without hearing it from Trey first.

"The postman was one of my favorite people for all of those years when we were pen pals, Megs."

"Aw, that's sweet! I was pretty fond of the postman then, too. Every letter from LA seemed like a gift!"

Trey glimmered at that validation. "Well, I kept all of them. Every last note from Austin is in a special box at home… Mom and Dad's house, I mean."

Meghan nodded her understanding. "Okay…"

"So that one in your hand is the first one you ever sent me. I've felt a little like a dork for having held onto them for so long, but with this being our last year at USC, I had to let you know about them. Special letters from a special girl." He smiled, blushing a little.

He was so cute when he got this way. Meghan was charmed by Trey's whole presentation, from the crazy dance party in the stadium to the sentimental and sweet appearance of her first pen pal note. And since she was a Jane, she read the deep sincerity in her closest friend's warm brown eyes as he admitted, with a shaky voice, to his collection of saved letters. "Aw, Trey, thank you! This is so thoughtful of you!"

"It's… it's my pleasure, Megs." He stuttered, clearly nervous, feeling quite vulnerable. "It was important to me that you… that you know what you mean to me."

That was the moment.

Her mind was immediately in a time warp, hearing her parents tell her a bedtime story. One about the scripted words that had been painted on her bedroom wall since before she'd been born. The story about how those very words had been what led her mother to search for her runaway father on a Pacific Coast bluff near Malibu. They had always said that those words, 'what you mean to me,' had been the magic that finally brought them together. "Those words saved me. Saved both of us." Her dad had said, as he looked deeply into her mom's eyes.

Meghan had always prayed to meet someone she could love like that. Someone who would love her the way her dad clearly adored her mom. Someone to whom she could feel that deeply connected. She had prayed for a sign, so she would see him clearly, when the time came. And now her closest friend in the world had just said those words… to her.

She took a deep breath and smiled, feeling suddenly softer than usual as she looked at her friend; the dark-haired, tan-skinned, brown eyed, adorably quirky composer who had been her near-constant companion since freshman year. He looked so much more comfortable with himself this year, his wavy locks pulled back in a longish ponytail, and a healthy scruff peppering his chin. The funny thing was that the years had flown by. She couldn't believe this was their last year together. Meghan didn't want to think about the possibility that they might be so far from each other again, after graduation.

"Well, you need to know what you mean to me, as well, Trey Hernandez. I have to confess that I am also a dork." She giggled at herself. "Every last one of your letters is in a shoebox under my bed back home."

She was completely delighted by the way he lit up at that confession.

"Well, hey, fellow dork, what would you say to getting some ice cream after the game?" Trey asked, laughing at their mutual dork-dom.

"I would say 'chocolate ripple' to that!" She grinned, playfully slapping his arm.

"Excellent! It's a date!" Trey beamed.

Meghan thought she saw a brief look of alarm in her friend's eyes, as if he was afraid he may have shown his cards a bit too much with the 'date' terminology. So, she quickly rescued him.

"Yes, it is!" She sparkled back, linking her pinky finger with his as they walked back toward their stadium seats.

Trey couldn't stop smiling.

Jane and Lisbon had shown some surprise when Meg had announced her journalism major. They thought for sure she was headed for forensics. But she told them that though she truly was fascinated by that discipline, her interest was less in crime fighting and more in finding 'the truths that lie all around us.'

"Very heady and highbrow, my dear!" Jane said, trying to veil his true relief at hearing her say no to any law enforcement careers.

"Dad. Stop." She smirked knowingly and rolled her eyes at her father's typically goading response.

"Well, I for one think it's a brilliant move. You've always been wonderful at research and with people - plus, you're courageous enough to not back down from the tough questions. This direction couldn't be more on-point for a young woman like you, Meg!"

"Thanks Mom!"

Lisbon was rewarded with an appreciative hug.

Jane pouted, over-dramatically, at being left out of the hug. In response, his wife stuck her tongue out and grinned triumphantly.

Mom wins this round! She thought, giggling inside.

Jane's eyes pivoted to mischief, as he began a list of ways to pay back his lovely Lisbon for her behavior just then - with most of the options involving various stages of undress.

Six-months had passed between that first ice cream date and Trey's pier-side exclamations of disbelief about Sean Barlow. The two lovebirds were flying to Austin tomorrow to spend spring break with the Janes, and Trey was slightly nervous about how Mr. and Mrs. Jane might react to them being a couple now. It was nothing new to them, but this would mark the first time they were meeting in person since he and Megs had gotten together.

Meghan was planning to write an in-depth study on the ways psychology, human behavior and law enforcement intersect, so had arranged things to allow herself time to pick the brains of her parents, Uncle Cho and the whole FBI team. She was excited to include her cousin Annie Lisbon in her interviews, too. Annie had joined the FBI team, shortly after the Barlow altercation. And, with Annie in Austin, Tommy had actually decided to leave bounty hunting and learn a trade, which had been a thorough relief for Annie's Aunt Teresa.

Trey was hoping to get to know Meg's family better, since they were graduating soon and he had a question to ask her… something special like being pen pals, only different. Plus, the composer and audio engineer had a side-interest in how audio analysis is used in forensics, so was going to use the trip as an excuse to find out more. Wylie had been forewarned, and was thrilled to have a pupil on the topic.

Both were excited, too, for the chance to catch up with Brendan and his current girlfriend, who were also flying in from Boston for the week. It was lucky that Berklee had their break during the same time as USC, this year. Brendan was looking forward to getting reacquainted with some local musician friends he used to play with, and had set up a couple of gigs too. He couldn't wait for everyone to hear the pipes on his girl - she could belt a tune like no other, and when she did, it always melted him completely - as long as he wasn't onstage with her, that is. There he remained all business until the after party. Brendan planned to sit in on Wylie's forensic audio chat with Trey - the memory of how his preschooler tape-recordings had helped rescue them all those years ago, still fresh in his mind.

Understandably, both Lisbon and Jane were anxiously awaiting the homecomings of their beloved children, and were especially excited to host the 'significant others'. The house had grown much too quiet with the kids practically on their own, living on either side of the country, and despite the ever-presence of video calls each week, nothing compared to an in-person visit or a hug.

Jane had some suspicions about Trey: "I'd be surprised if this young man doesn't have some sort of presentation to make during the week." Jane had said cryptically.

"Presentation?"

"To Meghan Elizabeth."

"Oh! You think he's making plans for the two of them?" Teresa smiled, remembering how Jane's 'presentation' to her had changed her life so wonderfully. Plus, she had always liked Trey, from the moment Meghan had met him at Brendan's music camp showcase.

"I think he's been making plans ever since The Hotel Cafe!" Jane glimmered.

"You may be right about that," Lisbon agreed, "There's always been something special between those two!"

"Well, you should know, my dear. Because there's always been something special between us." Jane's warm baritone rumbled close to her ear, as he leaned in to hold her tenderly.

Teresa kissed his nearby cheek and leaned back to look into those glittering blue eyes she loved so much. "Yes, there has." She smiled, warmly. "From day one."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For giving me a chance. For seeing past my 'homeless vibes' outer shell."

After a knowing chuckle, at his use of her own words from their earliest days, Lisbon pulled him close, and whispered truth into his ear. "Best decision I ever made."

The two held each other tightly for a moment, love and gratitude pulsing through them. They had survived so much to get here. The expansive life that surrounded them now seemed miraculous. And they still couldn't get enough of each other. Each feeling quite lost whenever they were without the other.

"So… we're only gonna have the house to ourselves for another couple of days, Lisbon. How should we spend that time?" Jane winked.

It had been nearly twenty-five years since that first night of passion on the island, but Patrick still found ways to make her lose her mind with ecstasy at his touch. Jane also remained breathless anytime his lovely Lisbon's sage-green eyes caught his, seemingly looking straight into his heart and soul. (And after two and a half decades he was willing to at least entertain the idea that he may actually have one of those.)

"I bet we can think of something." Teresa glimmered seductively, leading her love toward the staircase.