After a flurry of last-minute trips, determined to get to every last one of their hopeful destinations before baby Charlotte Jane's due date, Jane and Lisbon finally did get to that carnival Jane had requested, back at the cemetery. But on the way there, they stopped for a nostalgic game of ring toss at Stoney Ridge, where Pete and Samantha Barsocky were camped in their retirement.
"That island sounds amazing!"
"You've no idea Sam! It's the most relaxing place I've ever been," Lisbon admitted.
"Me too!" Jane grinned.
"I'm happy for you, Paddy, my boy!"
"I'm hardly a boy, Pete!" Jane guffawed.
"To me, you'll always be a boy, Patrick!" Pete chuckled back, giving Jane a healthy slap on the back - 'healthy' for a man of his advanced age, that is.
They shared food and drink around the campfire, as the Jane's told their friends all about their recent happy reunion with their old CBI family.
"Can you believe how many kids Ron ended up fathering?!" Lisbon was so caught off guard by the steady, under-the-radar agent's family of eight.
"I know! That surprised me, too - didn't even realize he and that receptionist had been dating all those years! Good for him - playing his cards close, and keeping his family life out of the water-cooler gossip," Jane proclaimed.
"And those Rigsby children are no longer children either!" Sam chimed in. They had met the Rigsbys once or twice at Jane family functions, and had since become honorary grandparents to Maddie and Ben over the years. Being in Southern California, it was easy to drive their camper up to the Bay, or to host the kids at Stoney Ridge when the digital detectives had needed a break.
The Barsockys leaned in, to hear the details of Jane and Lisbon's second train trip to Seattle. Laughing with recognition at the couple's jokes about how much harder it was, at their more advanced age, to walk the quite-hilly streets of Seattle.
"Chicago was a cinch after that!" Jane crowed.
"Easier walking, for sure!" His wife agreed, "But significantly chillier," she shivered to amplify her point.
"This from the girl who claims to have grown up on the mean streets of that city, immune to the gusts from Lake Michigan?" Jane goaded.
"And the girl who learned how to handle herself with troublemakers there," she joked, making two fists, "Ya want one, Paddy?"
Jane couldn't hold back his widest grin; he had no defenses against his wife's punches - be they physical or metaphorical. And he especially adored when she played along with his games and teases like this. He put both hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay… I give!"
"I always knew this one would keep you in line, Paddy!" Pete chortled.
"It's true! So, for my safety let's move on. Want to tell them about the UK and Ireland, love?"
"You sure you'll find safety there, Jane?" Lisbon glimmered, knowing that story was just as wrought with potential land mines of opportunity for teases, pokes and playful punches.
"Excellent point, my dear!" Jane conceded. "Still, the story needs to be told."
"Oh, here we go!" Teresa rolled her eyes and crossed her arms with a smile that said: "I dare ya!"
Jane took great pleasure in relaying the tale: They had always wanted to see the Emerald Isle, with both their ancestries being strongly represented there.
Apparently, Francis Slocombe had invited them to Westminster to celebrate his own retirement from Scotland Yard. He had stayed on well-past his expected date of separation, since he had no other family to speak of. But he had begun feeling less-than-able to tackle miscreants - a point that Lisbon had quite identified with, and so was finally stepping down.
After celebrating their British friend, the Janes had ferried to Ireland. Between Lisbon's penchant for research and detective work, and Jane's proclivity for nosing around and reading people, they discovered quite a bit about their Irish forebears.
"Pete, imagine my shock and surprise when I found that the original Alex Jane - dad's great-grandfather - had actually been an agent with the Gardai!"
"You don't say?!" Pete gasped before laughing at the ridiculousness of this truth.
"I don't know, Pete," Sam chimed in with a thoughtful look. "I can kind of see it."
"Really?!" Jane questioned with surprise.
"Really." Sam answered with great sincerity. "Your father was a bit of a rebel - and his father before him, but I remember hearing chatter over the years that the original Janes were 'marks.' It was usually tossed out as an insult, but I always thought that Alex was a better man than he ever let on. And we'd all heard the story of how he'd lost your mother - and how he'd never really healed."
Lisbon took Jane's hand, in support; in case his mind started spinning with the old memories Sam was referencing. "Yeah, I saw the possibility too. Alex did eventually come around. In his later years he became a really good man - and was a wonderful grandfather to our kids. Brendan especially connected with him - named his son after him, actually! And I've always seen Patrick for the good-hearted man that he is."
"Lisbon," Jane hissed jokingly, "not around the carnies! I have a reputation!"
Laughter echoed around the fire as all the friends reacted to his mock embarrassment.
"Did you also find out that the original Janes were partners with the original Lisbons?" Samantha posited.
"Oh no." Lisbon hung her head with a suppressed smirk, waiting for the next part of the story. When she'd told her brothers about their earliest ancestors, every jaw in Stan's backyard had hung low. And from the moment Jane had discovered the truth of her earliest heritage, she'd known that she would never live it down… never ever…
Jane lit up with glee as he shared the dark secret he'd uncovered about his Saint Teresa's family. "I'm glad you asked, Sam! As it turns out, Teresa's great-great grandfather was actually…" Patrick paused for effect… until Lisbon kicked him in protest - setting off a round of belly-laughs.
"Out with it, Paddy!" Pete demanded, through a trail of chuckles.
"Just say it, Jane - he was a BARKER!" Lisbon held her arms to her sides, palms up. After an amused eyeroll at her husband's typical dramatics, she nudged him to continue.
"It's true! Our early ancestors were exactly OPPOSITE of who the two of us were when we met!" Jane couldn't hide his amazement at the irony. "So, who knows - maybe that's why we've always been so inseparable?" He turned suddenly sincere, as he wondered aloud. He turned to Lisbon, and looked deeply into her eyes. "Teresa? Could it be that this fact is why you've always, as you say, been able to see past the games and into my true heart? Could the whispers of our ancestors have coaxed us into each other's arms somehow?"
"How romantic!" Sam bubbled.
"That is a romantic thought, sweet Patrick!" Lisbon glowed at her beloved partner. Truth was, that she could completely see that being a possibility. Truth also was, that she was delighted to hear any such talk of spiritual mysteries springing from the lips of her dearest love. She might save that boy's soul, yet.
The Barsockys shared a glance of recognition that the evening should wind down soon. Their campfire was suddenly outshone by the sparks they were seeing between their two guests, and they wanted to give the Janes their privacy - in case those sparks turned to full flames.
"Well, Patrick, Teresa, it's getting late for old carnies like me and Pete," Sam opened. "But it has been wonderful spending a day with you both. We have missed you mightily - those precious kids, too!"
"Aw, we've missed you both, so much!" Teresa crooned with a daughterly hug.
"Don't be strangers, huh?" Pete called out.
"Wouldn't dream of it!" Jane stood to shake Pete's hand, before being pulled into a strong, man-hug by the retired strongman.
As they walked to the Airstream, Jane and Lisbon shared teases and flirts.
"I noticed you didn't tell them about that Bluebird Inn we discovered in the Keys last month?" Teresa purred into her love's ear.
"That stop was an absolute highlight - almost equal to the island! But the Bluebird, my dear, is just for us. Those are memories I plan to forever keep private… The tender moments we shared there belong to us, and us alone, my love."
Lisbon couldn't argue with his logic. Instead, she smiled gratefully, and leaned into him fully as they neared the Silver Bullet. Besides, they still had plenty of stories yet to tell, from their second-chance trip to Lebanon - pleasantly devoid of arms dealers and sketchy seductresses this time; and there were at least some stories they could share in public from their second honeymoon at Niagara Falls.
The next day, Jane finally found himself suspended in an old-school Ferris wheel gondola, with his beloved Lisbon; fondly remembering the first time they'd shared such a ride. He also recalled how his heart had so ached for Angela during that first ride. Patrick was delightfully pain-free this time, but the reminder of Angela prompted a familiar inner-debate. His thoughts were spinning, once again, about the mysterious connections between his two dearest loves, and now those mysteries were blending with his recent thoughts about the whispers of their ancestors. With a determined sigh, Patrick brought up his most vulnerable thoughts on the apparent coincidences between Teresa and Angela, and he shared his tentative theory about Angela's posthumous involvement in his current happiness. These were mysteries he still couldn't explain, or let go of.
"…And then, when you told me what Angela had said to you in your dream, my mind was blown! I still can't figure out how that was possible - what are the odds?!"
"That is amazing, Jane!" Teresa was smiling as wide as ever, pleasantly surprised by her husband's musings. Yes, she had been there to overhear his graveside conversation with his lost wife, on that topic; but he had never directly discussed his curious thoughts about it directly with her. She knew that he counted on her judgement and direction whenever he bounced meandering thoughts off of her in such a way; so, she gave him an answer she'd been saving for just such a moment as this:
"Well, if you ask me, all those mysterious coincidences sound a lot like God. Maybe you're right? Maybe he has allowed Angela and Charlotte, both, to reach out to you from the afterlife?"
"But there is no afterlife, Lisbon, when you're dead you're dead." Jane spoke his internal debate out loud.
"You don't know that. You can't know that." Lisbon argued, with animation.
"We'll see." Jane hadn't intended to get her ire up, but was delighted to have procured such a fiery reply.
"Yes, we will." She dialed back her words suddenly. Her intention had been to emphasize the real possibilities to her dear husband, but she had played things a bit 'big' with her last volley, and hoped her words would have an impact, despite that. Please God, show him the truth. Please Father, see his loving heart, and save him a place at your table. Please, allow us "forever" together, I love him so dearly…
As Lisbon prayed (at least, that's what Jane imagined had struck her so silent in that a moment), a strangely familiar child-voice broke into the Ferris wheel conversation: "Gampa? You show me the magic trick?"
Jane's daydreaming mind snapped back to the present, and out of his vivid memories of their last days on the road, back before the grandchildren had been born.
"Of course, my dear Charlotte Jane!" He grinned his most sunshiny grin, and delighted fully in purloining a penny from the thin air behind his precious granddaughter's left ear.
After a whirlwind five months of travel, as recounted in their conversation with Sam and Pete, the retired FBI partners had settled-in, back at their family home in Austin. With wonder and excitement, they had watched the young Hernandez and Jane families grow quickly, after their return.
They now cared for their beloved grandchildren every day - and occasionally hosted the young cousins for slumber parties, allowing Meghan, Trey, Brendan and Briar to work, tour, and stay connected as couples without breaking the bank on childcare.
Jane had insisted on setting up their Texas-sized backyard to mirror the carnival he and Lisbon had first visited together. His wife's suggestion that they hire an artist to re-create his "Boy Wonder" marquee was met with an eyeroll, followed by a barrage of tickles.
Charlotte Jane Hernandez and her little brother, Manuel Luis (Manny), ran around the makeshift midway giggling endlessly as they played chase with Grandpa Jane and their dear cousins. Brendan and Briar had named their two children after family, as well: Alicia Blue (after Briar's grandmother Dr. Seberg, and blues singer Billie Holliday), and Alexander Charles (after Brendan's grandpa Alex, and jazz great Charlie Parker). Lisbon happily watched the chaos from the porch, sipping coffee. Her heart still fluttered madly when she caught sight of Jane twinkling so brightly; he always lit up in a special way around the grandchildren. For only the millionth time, she thought to herself how fully magical he was.
An hour or so later, as the toddler and preschool-aged grandkids napped, the Janes enjoyed a quiet couples' moment, cuddling on the couch. The former "Boy Wonder" had his arm resting comfortably around his favorite retired cop, and was nestled close, nibbling tenderly on her earlobe, between mumbles of gratitude and affection.
"After all these years, I still can't get enough of you, my dear."
"Aw, sweet Patrick. I feel the same way… I love you so very much." Lisbon gave her love a squeeze, and he squeezed back, in response.
"I also can't get enough of those beautiful bundles of joy when they're going full-tilt in the yard!" Jane sparkled. "Can you believe that we started such an awe-inspiring sequence of events together? I mean, I always assumed I wouldn't live a day past my plan of vengeance - but just look at all of the wonder that surrounds us now, Teresa." He traced her cheek lovingly with the back of his fingers, in adoration. "I can never repay you for what you've brought to me, love… for how you've brought me to this amazing life."
"Jane, you already have," she smiled softly, snuggling closer to him. "All I ever wanted during those early years was for you to be honest with me, and for you to be truly happy… truly past your pain, guilt, and self-hatred. It's a dream come true, a true-life miracle, seeing you now."
"You rescued me from that pain, Lisbon. Little by little, over so many years."
"And for all of that time, you were rescuing me, too, sweet love. I don't think I even knew what love truly was, before I met you, Patrick. And, true to form, once you started loving me, you had to be sneaky about it, creating possibly the most delightfully complex marriage proposal ever." They both chuckled at that truth. "So, I didn't even realize your plan until you were ready to show me your end-game."
"True story! And this was the end-game. This is the exact scene I'd always pictured in those days. You drew me in, in such a way that I allowed myself those daydreams… those happy - no… absolutely joyful - hopes for my future… I had such painfully strong hopes that the dreams barely living in the center of my damaged, charlatan heart would one day come true. And, most importantly, that you would be at the center of all of them."
Both overcome by the weight of their feelings, and the memories of the before-times, when they had been so afraid to be honest about their hearts, Jane and Lisbon clung desperately to one another for the longest time, not even breaking their grip on each other for a glance or a kiss until the last sob of amazed gratitude had passed.
"Even with its past tragedies, I wouldn't trade my life for anything, beautiful Teresa. I love you, beyond measure," Jane rumbled, in that way that turned her every fiber to mush.
"I wouldn't trade my life for anything, either, Jane… Even the parts that were annoying, alarming, infuriating, embarrassing…"
"Hey!" He protested defensively, as his wife failed to stifle her playful giggles. She loved turning the tables on him this way, and he loved being played by her. "Do you know what happens to Chicago girls when they get too cheeky for their own good?" The mischief danced in his eyes, in anticipation of Teresa's countermove.
"I know what happens to carny boys when they overestimate themselves," she winked, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly open in a teasing grin.
With a squeal, Lisbon jumped as Jane began his tickle attack. In a flash, the backyard carnival scene was host to another game of 'chase;' this time with only two, substantially older participants. Giggles and shouts filled the air as Patrick called out teasing threats, and Teresa shouted back playful challenges. The game continued for a minute or two, a tickle here, a tickle there, until the partners fell gently to the ground in a lighthearted tackle, full of laughter, clinging happily to each other.
"God, I love you, Jane!" Lisbon panted.
"And I adore you, my dear!" He glimmered back, pulling her closer, kissing her deeply.
Within seconds, the yard was once again populated with preschoolers, as the recently-napping grandchildren burst into the pretend carnival with renewed energy. Jane and Lisbon, still lying on the grass, in full embrace, smiled fully at one another.
"This is the exact scene you dreamed about, Jane?" She giggled at the heartwarming craziness surrounding them.
"Yes, my dear. This exact scene!" He grinned his biggest Jane-grin and held her tight; just in time for all four grandkids to jump onto the pile, tackling their beloved grandparents with hugs and delightfully drooly kisses.
Lisbon smiled full-wide as she heard a conversation, in the din of child voices and grandparent laughs, that made her catch her breath, and tear-up a bit:
"Gampa, I love you!"
"I love you and all your cousins beyond measure, my dear Charlotte Jane."
THE END
(A/N: Look for the upcoming epilogue to Lost & Found/Hide & Seek: "Ever After" is coming soon! It's a short multi-chapter that shows Jisbon in their final days, and how their legacy endures - and what if Lisbon was always right about life after death?)