The day had arrived, and it was time to put into play Jane and Lisbon's newest plan - and last-ditch effort - to catch McAllister. Abbott and the FBI were on their heels and it seemed clear that it was now or never.
The fugitive Director Bertram had unwittingly played right into their hands by calling to insist that he and Patrick meet. Jane hoped his choice of venue - namely the chapel on the grounds of his lost wife and daughter's final resting place - would be niche enough to keep the FBI from guessing their location.
Teresa had refused to allow Patrick to go it alone, despite his pleas and explanations in support of a solo effort. Her alternate plan involved the whole team, but each in a covert role that would hopefully protect Jane without detection from Bertram, Red John or any minions who may come in support of the murderous psychopath. They were instructed to not interfere unless Jane was in imminent danger or unless ordered by Lisbon:
Ron stayed behind to keep an eye on the CBI building - corralling the FBI and throwing them off the scent of the team's Red John trap.
In the chapel, Jane took his place in the pews, focusing intently on the plan, and his vengeance, as he waited - with Lisbon's service weapon taped under the seat in front of him. He'd promised her it was just a prop and that he'd only use it as a last resort. Lisbon still had her backup, so allowed the lend.
Cho took position in the front rafters. He had a bird's eye view of the full sanctuary from just behind a statue of St. Francis - a point that amused Jane, seeing as how Francis is the patron saint of animals and McAllister was petrified of birds.
Grace's vantage point was from the rear balcony, while Rigsby kept eyes on the chapel's side-entrance from the parking lot - hidden behind the tinted windows of the car Jane had borrowed from Danny's tow-truck friend for the proceedings.
Lisbon kept watch on the Narthex and back entrance; suspending herself near the top step of a wrought iron spiral staircase leading to the choir loft. She wasn't particularly thrilled about having such a bad sightline to Jane, but had insisted on taking that specific assignment - reasoning that she'd always promised to have the man's back, so guarding the rear of the building had felt right to her. She couldn't explain why she'd felt so strongly about it, actually; but she believed wholeheartedly in divine guidance, so refused to second guess her gut instinct on the matter.
It wasn't long before she heard voices from the main sanctuary space: Director Bertram and an unknown male were arguing with Jane. It actually seemed like Bertram and the other man were arguing with each other, more than they were with Jane. As their words grew louder, a small-framed figure seemed to float across the Narthex floor moving toward the sanctuary. Lisbon readied herself, pouncing right when a gunshot rang out from the other room. Petrified for Patrick, she leapt from the top step, swinging from the railing like a gymnast onto the mysterious woman in the black hooded robe.
"Who's there?!" A new voice called from behind the closed sanctuary doors.
Teresa's blood ran cold; it was McAllister. She would not be alone for long if she didn't think quickly. Her partner's years of influence ran through her mind as she looked desperately around the space for ideas. She turned her eyes to where she'd landed, on her swing down from the staircase, and saw her answer:
The mystery visitor was knocked out cold, her robe puddled on top of her like a blanket. Stealthily, Lisbon cuffed the woman to the iron staircase before wrapping the dark cloak around herself, pulling the hood down low over her face, and walking ceremonially into the sanctuary, literally undercover.
The eyes of those who remained on the sanctuary floor snapped to the slight figure that processed slowly down the aisle. One green eye could be seen peering out from the hooded darkness; an eye that showed great relief at seeing the sparkling showman standing across from the sheriff, alive and well.
So, it was not Jane who was shot… Thank God, she prayed in the holy space.
The seconds that followed passed in a flash: Recognizing that the hooded figure was an imposter, McAllister pulled his gun, aiming for Lisbon. With no time to reach for her ankle holster, Teresa grabbed a nearby candlestick, throwing it like a javelin in defense. With Red John distracted, Jane reached under the pew and grabbed his partner's weapon, aiming at McAllister. Lisbon leapt to the side quick as lightning, slotting herself between the seats right as Jane's gunshot glanced the side of his target, sending the sheriff running out the door for his life.
"You okay Lisbon?" Jane asked without taking his eyes from the door Red John had escaped through.
"I'm fine! Everyone else okay?"
"All clear Boss!" Cho and Van Pelt chorused.
"Okay be right back," Jane announced as he took off like a fury after his vengeance.
"Jane! Wait!" His partner popped her head up, taking stock of the situation from behind the seat backs of the fourth row. Quickly recovering from her death-defying dodge between the pews, Teresa glanced briefly at the deathly still body of Gale Bertram and nodded to Kimball and Grace before dashing out the door after McAllister and Jane. The agent feared for her partner's safety as he pursued the serial killer but also hoped to stop Patrick from committing felony murder. She was confident she could talk him down… if only she could reach him in time.
Her full sprint took her through the cemetery to an expansive green space, with a paved path winding through. She took to the path, head on a swivel looking for Jane as she navigated the twists and turns. When she finally had him in her sights, she did not like what she saw.
"What did you do?!" Lisbon panted as she rounded the corner to see Jane staggering away from a lifeless body; her own handgun on the ground nearby.
"I did what I had to do Teresa. You've always known this day would come," he said gravely.
In a smaller than normal voice she answered: "I guess I hoped that I'd have more influence… that I would change your mind." She looked truly crushed by her apparent failure on that front.
"But you did influence me, my dear. You did change my mind."
"But he's still dead?!"
"Yes… But I am not."
"What do you mean, that makes no- " she stopped cold, her heart pierced by an icy, terrible realization. "Wait… you weren't going to- "
"Well, I didn't… Couldn't… I will always love and miss Angela and our sweet Charlotte; and that man is dead to avenge them and to keep him from harming anyone else."
"Followed through with your plan," she said tightly, holding back tears of disappointment and fear: How would she go on after they put her best friend in the electric chair?
"But not all of it; I didn't follow him into the grave. Teresa, I couldn't hurt you that way. I knew that you'd feel responsible somehow - much like you're putting unnecessary guilt on yourself now, since I went through with my plan; which, by the way, is as misguided as my feeling guilt that first night in the attic for involving you in the first place. But I couldn't go through with offing myself, which had been part of the original design all along, my dear. And not only because it would hurt you, but because I - unexpectedly and quite miraculously - have a life worth living now; and that is a truth I would have never believed when I started this quest."
"Jane…" Lisbon's eyes were shiny and full of heartbroken care.
"Teresa…. Come on we have to leave. Now. Quickly," he took her hand and soberly coaxed her into motion.
"Where we gonna go?" Lisbon snarked anxiously, "You're a fugitive."
"Got a plan; but let's go before the FBI shows up."
At the mention of the FBI, Teresa snapped to attention as if awakening from a trance: "Jane, I have a job to do," she planted her feet, shoulders back.
"Not anymore," Jane's face was soft with sympathy, "Ron texted. The FBI has taken over; the CBI is shut down. Permanently. I'm so sorry."
"What?! I need to be with the team," she paced side to side anxiously.
"The team are fine," he answered calmly, tossing both their phones into a nearby garbage can.
"What's gonna happen to them? … What are my brothers going to think? I can't just disappear!"
She was getting worked up… He'd prepared for this: "Your brothers think you're on an undercover mission. Now come on, Teresa; we really must go. Now!" He said with stern insistence, taking her hand and jogging from the crime scene.
One month later:
"Penny for your thoughts," Jane hummed as he presented his loving partner with her morning coffee by the tropical sea.
"I should've stayed with the team…" she worried; eyes focused on some distant waves.
Jane read her expression correctly - it wasn't that she regretted being here with him now, but her sense of responsibility was causing her to feel guilty: a senior agent doesn't run into exile as the agency goes down. "What? And miss this view?" He tried to lighten her mood.
"I wish I'd have at least had time to…"
"They are all fine Teresa, and have come to terms with the end of the CBI in their own way."
"How do you know?"
"I've been in touch with them - via secure measures - and have gotten reliable intel."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Lisbon's tone was a blend of curiosity and challenge - not completely trusting her partner to be truthful. She wouldn't put it past him to make up some story in the name of relieving her worries.
"Cho saw the writing on the wall and signed on with the FBI. He's still loyal to the team though; has stated that he plans to find workarounds when asked to incriminate or investigate any of us."
"I'm touched, but he shouldn't put himself at risk that way; he should follow orders."
"Rigsbys are starting their own digital security agency. Grace is expecting and they want a safer line of work."
"She is?!" Teresa briefly glowed with joy for her friends, before her face returned to melancholy. "Will we ever see them again?" She got sadder, looking back out to sea… "Will I ever see my brothers again?"
"Of course, my dear! As promised, this is only a temporary vacation. And Cho's placement in Abbott's FBI is actually working a treat to my plan!"
"You have a plan to get home?!" Lisbon was skeptical but tentatively excited.
"Of course! Teresa, I would never have dragged you away from your whole life if it was to be permanent."
"Dragged me?! Like I had no will in the matter?!" Now he'd riled her inner tough girl.
"You know what I mean," he smiled.
"Oh yeah?! Well- " she stopped short, having just come to a realization. In a softer tone she mused: "well okay yes… I didn't question you when we made a run for it; there wasn't enough time to think things through like I normally would have done…"
"I know, Lisbon; and I'm so sorry about the rush. I wouldn't have hurried you if it hadn't been absolutely necessary."
"I know," she smiled warmly, reaching to touch his hand. And besides, I was just thinking… you said you'd 'dragged me away from my whole life,' but I realized just now that… "
"That what? … What did you realize?" Jane peered at her with concern.
She looked up at him softly, "That my whole life is wrapped up in you. I miss our team and I miss my brothers, but if things had happened differently, and I'd had the opportunity to stay in Sacramento or the U.S. but had been cut off from you, I would have been truly inconsolable - not to mention worried sick… And with the questions surrounding Red John's death and the way the CBI was shut down I likely wouldn't have had much of a future there anyway."
He squeezed her hand, "I admit I was worried about what Abbott might put you through; and selfishly I couldn't imagine being out of touch for even a few days let alone a few months or years. But still I'm sorry that I caused such a disruptive ripple in your life plan," he looked truly sad for that; sad, and worried that she may think less of him - or harbor silent resentment because of it…
"Not a ripple, Patrick, but a wave; a crazy, beautiful tsunami of life and love, that's what you've caused. I miss parts of my old life, but here and now I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be; and I'm with the only person my heart could have never let go of if things had gone differently."
"I feel the same way my dear," Patrick was overcome with gratitude for his partner. It was so very 'Lisbon:' her anticipating his inner concerns and knowing just what to say to calm them. Pulling his love into a gentle hug, he whispered warmly: "My heart is yours, lovely Teresa."
"And mine's yours, gorgeous," she kissed him with abandon.
"You sure you want to go back?" He teased.
"Not currently, no; got plans for today."
"Oh really?" Jane growled flirtatiously.
"Really," she winked.
Enjoying the closeness of her partner and the beauty of the distant waves, Lisbon's mind wandered to the last time Jane had brought up the topic of 'permanence,' back in Napa. All thoughts of 'remaining with the team' instantly vanished as she remembered that intimate conversation, and looked to see his sparkling eyes and amazing smile beaming back at her. How she'd allowed this man to overwhelm her strong independent heart she had no idea - and also didn't care. She hadn't felt so perfectly aligned with her own life in years. Sitting here by the sea with her gorgeously multilayered love, everything felt exactly right.
"So, Teresa…" Patrick took a deep breath, "speaking of permanence…"
It was timing like this that made Lisbon question if her partner wasn't truly psychic after all. She looked into his sea-colored eyes, trying to speak but only managing a breathless whisper: "Yeah?"
"Rigsby was on target when he spoke his vows to Grace: 'No more wasted time, I want to spend every day with you.'"
"I remember; it was sweet," Lisbon hummed.
"Well… I happened to be peeking in the door just then, and as he spoke, I couldn't take my eyes off of you my dear; my heart was throbbing madly with recognition that I felt… that I feel the same way about you." Jane said showing more nerves than usual, practically swimming in emotion. "And that nightmare I had the week before, it was about me on an island just like this… only I was alone - completely cut off from you. And Teresa it was torturous. Between the dream and Wayne's confessions I realized that I don't want to waste any more time, love. I want you t- … I want you to be my wife…" Patrick looked elated and petrified at the same time. "Teresa, will you marry me?" Please say yes, please say yes, please… he silently pleaded.
Lisbon was mostly successful in holding off her tears, but a drop or two leaked through anyway. "You know, Patrick, I really… Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" She wiped at her shiny cheeks then relaxed into her fiancé's warm arms, holding close for the longest time. "I don't ever want to be without you either, love. And honestly… that talk in Napa… thought you might ask me that very night," she squeezed him tighter.
"I actually wanted to… desperately… But couldn't - not before the other thing was settled."
"Makes sense," she knew which other thing he meant and was infinitely glad to never have to mention that murderous creature's name again.
Knowing her answer was yes, Patrick's heart felt confident enough to allow him to have some fun with her:
"So, Lisbon, you sure you're ready to marry a fugitive ex-con? - ex-conman, that is," Jane twinkled mischievously
Teresa's eyes sparkled back with some playful trouble of their own: "Worth a shot," she winked before covering him with kisses.
THE END