Jane and Lisbon had just left Daniela's hospital room after checking in with her about their search for her sister and the other trafficked women. As the partners discussed the case, walking toward the main doors, Jane noticed Marcus Pike standing patiently in the waiting room vestibule.

Wow. This agent was becoming a fixture. Jane reasoned that he should poke around a bit to see what he could learn - without seeming like he was curious.

"So, he was just standing there the whole time?" The consultant said with teasing disbelief. "I guess the art department people aren't that busy," he mused.

Lisbon corrected: "it's the 'art crimes division' and he's very busy." She made more direct eye contact, brows high: "He just makes it a point to be there for me."

Touché, my dear, Jane thought. "You really like this guy, huh?"

Lisbon deflected: "He got a promotion… It's in DC…"

"You didn't answer the question Lisbon," Jane teased.

"He asked me to go with him," Lisbon's eyes projected the weight of the statement.

Silence.

She thought for sure he would say something - at least tease her about it… something… anything…

Jane's apparent lack of opinion quickly sent Lisbon's eyes glancing here and there, in an anxious duet both of hope that her partner would eventually protest, and worry that he would not.

Despite his best efforts, Jane's face fell; and for a split second his eyes betrayed the inner destruction that threatened, should Lisbon leave for DC in the arms of Marcus Pike. The showman recovered just before his partner's nervous eyes fluttered back to him.

"So… What do you think about it?" Teresa's eyes were honest and deep as she searched her partner for any hint of his feelings on the matter.

After such a gut-punch, Jane could barely find air. His heart was screaming that he should talk her out of such a sudden life commitment; knowing not just that Pike was wrong for her, but that his own life would basically be over without her by his side. Meanwhile, his inner voice was sneering about all the ways he'd hurt her over the years. That hissing voice in his head whispered a simplistic question before he could fully think things through: "Are you happy?" He had just asked, leaving a most perilous door open. And if she answered in the affirmative, he reasoned that he should sacrifice his happiness for hers; it only seemed fair… it was the only just move…

"I'm happy!" Lisbon stated with a slightly overacted level of insistence. She reasoned she'd learn nothing about her partner's heart - not truly - if she let on about her doubts and feelings; he would be too likely to jump into 'fix it' mode; putting her best interests first - even fabricating artificial affection if he thought he would be keeping her from making the mistake of a lifetime. And wanting or pretending to love someone wasn't the same as actually really loving them, she thought sadly. She desperately wanted to pull her partner into a tight embrace and confess her answer had been a lie, but she couldn't entrap him that way - not if he didn't really love her. So, she answered with as much sincerity as she could muster - teeing up the only opportunity, as she saw it, for him to bare his soul without being prompted by some misguided need to save or protect her from herself.

"If you're happy I'm happy," he crowed with the confident smile he always hid behind. Patrick was proud that he'd managed to say those words believably. Of course they were true, in a way; he'd always only wanted Lisbon to be happy… truly and deeply happy… But behind the spry words, his heart began to disintegrate as soon as Teresa's confirmation struck his ears.

So, she realized, he wasn't going to fight for her. All their years together, and his insistence on her partnership after his two years of basically wooing her by mail, and he didn't really love her after all.

"That's all you're gonna say?" The lump in Teresa's throat was growing as she spoke. "I thought that you—"
No, Teresa, she silently disciplined herself, hold it together; you wanted an answer and you got one. Lisbon took a pronounced breath of fortitude: "You know what: never mind - it's nothing."

Jane could swear he saw something more than 'nothing,' though… could swear he heard something more than 'nothing' in the momentary break in her voice. But he convinced himself he'd been imagining things - that his heart had been clouding his perceptions - as he watched his heart's desire greet Marcus Pike with a kiss and a hug, leaning into the Art Squad agent as they happily walked away together.

For her part, Lisbon did a remarkable job of holding back her tears and covering her heartbreak as she leaned into Marcus' side, feeling immediately guilty for simultaneously daydreaming about the warmth of a different pair of arms; feeling small for internally conniving a way to pretend to be okay with this… even though, as she knew, pretending to love someone wasn't the same as truly loving them.

With Cho at the helm of the human trafficking case, neither partner had been aware that the FBI had recently installed audio/visual surveillance in the hallway outside of Daniela's room. Neither realized that their tender, tiptoeing tango around their feelings had been captured on tape.

Cho stumbled across the video footage of their convo in the course of his work. At first Kimball was embarrassed; feeling like a voyeur, after unexpectedly hearing such a painfully personal exchange between his old boss and one of his good friends. Once he realized what he was seeing he felt he should fast-forward through the conversation; but that feeling changed quickly:

He knew right away when he saw it; Jane always wore a confident face, but when the man allowed himself to get emotional it was a change that anyone who knew him could see. Despite any shame Kimball may have felt for inadvertently listening in on part of his friends' intimate conversation, he knew one thing for sure: Lisbon's leaving was tearing Jane to pieces. What's more, he had a similar insight into Lisbon's demeanor and was equally certain that: one - she had been looking away, so missed the anguish that had flashed across Jane's face, and two - she was crumbling under the weight of her decision as well. The stoic agent hated getting caught up in people's personal lives but he was compelled to save whatever chance his friends might have at happiness. He would need to say something to Lisbon.

The opportunity arrived quickly, as his former boss exited the elevator shortly thereafter.

"Hey Boss."

"Kimball, I'm not your boss - in fact it's you who'll soon be mine!" Lisbon chuckled lightly, happy for the distraction.

He smiled briefly, then got down to business: "Sorry. But Lisbon, there's something you should see."

"Okay," she said suspiciously, brows pushing together with concern. "What is it?"

Cho gestured her over to his desk. Once Lisbon was seated and ready, her future boss hit the spacebar and Teresa gasped in surprise.

"Where did you get this?!"

"Starting this morning, we had surveillance set up in a few spots outside Daniela's room for security. I was investigating the case and stumbled on it…"

"Well, this is embarrassing," Lisbon shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Hey, it's okay Bos- I mean… Lisbon… I didn't really hear anything, but I saw something that- Well… you just need to watch this… and keep watching to the very end."

Cho nodded and left her to it.

Teresa blearily turned to the screen and restarted the footage. She gasped with a hand to her mouth as she watched Jane's expression change after her disclosure about Pike's invitation. Her hand remained in place to the very end, as Patrick stood alone in the hall, watching as she and Pike exited. She paused on the final frame, leaning closer to the screen. Her jaw dropped lower as she focused on her partner's face. "Son of a bitch," she muttered as she stood and stormed out of the bullpen.

On his way back to his desk, Cho stopped short as Lisbon marched past, abruptly crossing his path without even seeing him - clearly on a mission. He couldn't help the knowing smirk on his face as he walked to his desk feeling quite validated indeed. He'd called it: Lisbon hadn't seen, but now she had. And it had meant something. He sighed once he sat back at his desk; he hoped it wasn't too late for them to clear up whatever they needed to with each other.

Jane was likely so frazzled he could have run off anywhere, but Teresa guessed correctly when she chose to look for her infuriating consultant at the Airstream. On second knock, the silver door opened to reveal Patrick in his blue pajamas; ready for bed, but puffy-eyed and clearly no closer to sleep than he ever was - aside from couch time, anyway. He looked surprised, but not unhappy to see his partner as he ushered her inside.

Teresa wasted no time in jumping into her interrogation: "Jane," she jockeyed, cornering him in the small space. "I want you to explain something to me."

Alarmed by her ferocity, Patrick trod lightly: "Oh… kay?"

"How is it that you say 'the only thing that matters to you is that I'm happy,' and yet you were standing in tears after Marcus and I left?!"

Damn… busted… his mind spun into action: "Listen, Lisbon…"

"No, YOU listen!" She pressed closer, poking his chest with an accusatory index finger. "Jane?! …"

Then she stopped. As if breaking from an angry spell, Lisbon's eyes diffused suddenly to her trademark empathy, and she lowered her voice, peering into Jane's misty pools more deeply: "Patrick?"

He caught his breath at her soft tone and caring expression. "Yes, Teresa?" he breathed.

"Are you truly okay with me leaving? I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me," her eyes threatened but also pleaded, betraying her heart in the process.

"The truth?"

She stepped closer. "The whole truth and nothing but." Her eyes remained soft, but her brows held high in stern expectation of compliance.

Jane's expression showed he didn't think she'd like hearing the truth. He knew it could throw a wrench in her future plans. Still, he owed her his honesty. She deserved so much more, but at the very least she deserved to hear him say it. "Okay then, if you insist - but you're not gonna like it," he wagged his finger in defense.

"Try me," she challenged, arms out wide to her sides.

Jane closed the already narrow gap between them, moving so close that Teresa felt the sudden warmth of his skin radiating onto hers. She let go an overwhelmed sigh of air as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him gently but insistently. She held her breath for a moment before nudging him with a slight playfulness: "Okay out with it!"

Jane puffed a quick chuckle of air, grinning with affection for his favorite bantering opponent. "Very well, my dear," he glistened with what seemed like relief at not having to hide himself any longer. "The truth is, Teresa, that I am not at all okay with you leaving." His eyes were heavy with sincerity.

Lisbon trembled slightly at the admission, praying thanks for a dream possibly coming true, but remaining a little short of breath. As he continued to share his honest truths and feelings, she became fully aware of her apparent high status in his eyes; no one that she knew of had ever been privy to such weighty truth from the man - not since Angela at the very least.

"The truth is, that I have been slowly dying inside ever since you took up with Pike, and the thought of living life without you is an absolutely suffocating proposition that terrifies and crushes me, Teresa…" he sniffled. "And I'm so sorry for disrupting your plans, but you've insisted that I be honest and this is the truth of the matter. If it were up to me, you and I would be linked for life and I would be spending my time crafting master plans for bringing you the utmost joy and happiness my dear. I simply cannot imagine a life without you in it. Please stay, Teresa…" Noting the slight 'deer in headlights' expression on his partner's face, Patrick snuck in a lighthearted tease: "Don't break up the team,"

Lisbon replied with a playfully sarcastic poke: "That's why you want me to stay? For the team?" she grinned, leaning into the comfort of the banter she'd desperately missed in Austin.

"In part," Jane grew quite serious, "but mostly it's for me. … Your leaving would break my heart, Teresa… I love you… I'm nothing without you… please stay with me - I promise to make time for you…"

Lisbon strained to stay in control as she countered: "Wait… what was that one part? You love me?" She grinned hopefully, raising those adorable eyebrows again.

Jane's lips inched closer, "Yes, my dear; I love you… more than you could imagine."

"Mmm…" the corners of her mouth crept into a sly grin, "I wouldn't be so sure about that," Teresa purred, capturing his lips tenderly in hers.

Jane held her even tighter, returning her affections in a flood of relieved emotion. His hands massaged her back and sides as he inched the two of them closer to his bed, slipping his palms under the hem of her blouse, reveling in the soft, warm feel of her skin under his fingers.

As things heated up, Lisbon suddenly tensed - as if some internal switch had been thrown.

"Teresa?" Jane breathed in concern. "What is it? You okay?"

She smiled holding up a finger: "Hold that thought; there's something I need to take care of real quick. Wait here," she winked then slipped quickly outside into the night.

Patrick wasn't quite sure what she meant, but nonetheless did as he was told, holding onto the thoughts and feelings she'd recently unleashed in him with her unexpected advances.

There was a contrarian voice sounding quietly in his mind that she deserved better than him… that he would do her a disservice by allowing this to continue. But his heart loudly protested. He knew Lisbon better than anyone, and everything about the last couple minutes had confirmed his deepest wishes: it surely appeared that his partner felt as deeply for him as he did for her. Tonight seemed like an answer to so many aching questions. For the first time in so long, he felt his heart winning out over his mind, and he had no intention of stopping it.

No sooner had Jane fortified his position to himself, than Lisbon came back in through his front door. He was alarmed to see she'd been crying.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly, eyes full of worried concern. "I'm sorry if I was moving too fast before, we can-"

"No," she sniffled, "it's okay, I just…"

Patrick peered gently into the emerald eyes he so adored. "You just what, my dear?"

"I have wanted to be with you for so long Jane… I have loved you for so long, and I'm so happy right now, but…"

Jane's heart stopped. "But what?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"But I just spoke with Marcus to break things off, and he tried to be gracious but he was so heartbroken and I'm a terrible person for not seeing the truth earlier and how could I have led him on like this because I really was just projecting my feelings for you onto him and now I've basically ruined his life and I just can't-" she broke into sobs of guilty regrets.

Flooded with equal parts relief and compassion, Jane wrapped her gently in his arms and absorbed her tears for as long as she needed. "Oh Lisbon, you are a wonderful person, my dear," he whispered with affection and understanding. After all, no one understood guilt like he did. "It stands to reason that he'd be heartbroken for a little while from losing you - how could he not?"

"You're not helping," she sniffled with a corrective nudge.

"But he will come out of this just fine, Teresa. And you've done nothing wrong or underhanded."

"Tell that to him," she whimpered.

"I don't need to; he already knows. Lisbon, it was clear to everyone that you weren't faking your affections for Pike - even I was convinced, and you know you can't hide things from me." Jane chuckled comfortingly, before pausing to get a grip, as the memory of almost losing her stung at his eyes. "Teresa, your intentions were pure, and when you knew better you took great care in being transparent with the man without hesitation. He's hurting tonight, I'm sure; BUT the truth would have been much heavier had you waited longer, or tried to outsmart your heart only to end up in divorce court after giving him time to be even more invested."

Lisbon knew he was right about that last part, but it didn't stop her tears or her sobs. "I know you're right, and… thank you for saying it." She tightened her grip on him. "Thank you for being here for me."

Jane melted inside. The privilege of being with her right now… of being trusted with such a level of vulnerability from her… He instinctively tightened his supportive embrace. "Of course, Teresa. Nowhere I'd rather be."