Work Text:
They exit the building and are immediately met with the sun that lands on their faces. Jane closes his eyes at the sensation, taking a deep breath in to enjoy the newfound freedom. The air is crisp, much better than the inside of the detention suite. What is more important though is the fact that he walks into this light as a fully innocent man. Well, innocence is debatable in this situation but the fact matters - he is cleared of all charges, he is left to do as he likes.
He is free.
The memory of that court day when he heard the verdict pops into his head without thinking. The same scenario - sunlight on his skin, wind in his hair, Teresa there with him. He remembers when he walked out and she was there, a coffee cup in her hand, enjoying her drink while leaning against the chair. She smiled at him then, all teeth, happiness written all over her face. When he strode her way and joined her by her car, there was similar joy bubbling in his chest, this need to be close to her, to be in her presence. But there was also fear and guilt. A bitter realization that it was not over, that he killed a wrong man, that he still had a fight to finish before he could stop feeling chained.
That feeling is gone now. And when he stands here, in this sunlight of a new day, he feels it - the overwhelming sense of peace. He made it. And she is still by his side, still here with him. After all those years, that must mean something, right?
He looks at her and smiles, his fingers tightening around the bag she gave him. The soft socks are safe inside it and he can’t wait to wear them the next chance he gets. He still can’t believe she gave him a present, one so simple yet so meaningful. His heart thuds in his chest, filing it with warmth.
“Did they tell you when I start work?”
“When we start.”
We.
Him and her.
Together as partners.
Yet again ready to face the world hand in hand.
He sighs heavily and the sound makes her glance at him. She lifts her eyebrow and grins.
“I’m feeling very generous right now so I’ll allow one thing and one thing only. What do you want to do now when you’re a free man?”, she asks him, tilting her head to the side. “Anything you want”, she adds happily.
Let’s see what kind of trouble we can make.
“Anything I want?”, he repeats, squinting curiously at her.
“Don’t make me regret it”, she warns but her voice is still a little playful. Jane chuckles, shaking his head in amusement. Lisbon joins his laughter, her own beautiful sound completing the symphony. Oh, he’s never going to get tired of this. He missed her so much. It feels like he was stuck in a desert for the last two years and it’s the first time since that he caught a glimpse of an oasis.
God, he loves her. He’s so in love with her it almost feels unreal to admit it.
There’s his love for Angela, so lovely but worn-out and painful, marked by years of heartbreak and guilt. Then there’s his love for Charlotte, beautiful and heartwarming but forever leaving a gaping hole in the middle of his chest.
And in the end, there’s Teresa. Kind, overwhelming type of love, the one that makes his fingertips tingle when he’s holding back from touching her. It’s the love that has been haunting him for years, a cruel reminder how in the world where he lost what’s unthinkable, there was still a way to hurt him more. This love was a burden but it was also a salvation, a light in the dark tunnel, brightening his way, leading him on the right path. This love is the reason why he’s alive, why instead of pulling the trigger, he lowered the gun and ran away.
He is here because of her.
And what he wants most is to stay here with her.
“So what’s it going to be? Any special wishes?”, she prompts him, a gentle smile decorating her features. “We can try some food you’ve missed over the years, we can take a walk and see what the streets of Austin can offer us. There must be something you want more than anything”
Jane stares at her, his breath catching in his throat.
Oh, there is. There definitely is.
He licks his lips, suddenly nervous.
He could ask her out on a date or he could just propose dinner, a little escapade to test the waters.
But he can’t find the right words. For the first time in his life he’s absolutely speechless.
“Teresa”, he breathes, a lump forming in his throat. He’s so tense it’s actually ridiculous.
She looks up at him and frowns. She opens her mouth, a question forming on her lips. He doesn’t let her ask it, he steps closer and lays his hands on her cheeks, his calloused fingers feeling foreign against her soft skin.
She takes a sharp breath and her eyes widen impossibly large. Her hands shake when she grabs his jacket.
“I really want to kiss you right now”, he admits, realizing that no other words will be able to convey the inner dilemma he’s having.
She blinks. Once, twice. An exhale. Her fingers clench into fists where they’re gripping his clothes.
Her voice is hoarse when she whispers. “Then what are you waiting for?”
He shakes his head, their gazes unwavering, glued together by invisible force. “I have no idea”
And then, because he’s apparently allowed, he kisses her.
A soft moan escapes her when their lips meet and Jane melts at the sound, his whole body leaning closer to her like a flower chasing the sunlight, trying to get more of it.
Oh. Oh.
This is what coming home should be like.
This is home.
One of her hands travels up, her delicate palm finding the sensitive skin on his neck. He lets out a trembling breath and flickers his tongue along her lip so he can deepen the kiss. She lets him, her other hand moving to his back, fingers digging into his spine when their chests meet.
Oh, he’s never going to be tired of this.
If he can decide, this is what he plans to be doing for the rest of his life.
He draws back for a quick breath and Teresa lets out a soft ‘Patrick”, trying to coax him back. The sound destroys him. He is completely and utterly ruined. He dives back in without thinking, one of his hands moving up, fingers tangling in her hair at the nape of her neck. He pulls her closer, willing their bodies to fuse together, entirely too close for a public eye.
He couldn’t care less.
Their lips meet in a symphony, dancing to the music only two of them are privy to.
He never wants it to stop.
Someone honks in the background, the sound of cars moving hits them like a wave. The street materializes in front of them, the FBI building is still there. There are people running around them, joining in the buzz of the city.
“I missed you so much”, he confesses when he finally catches a breath.
She licks her swollen lips and smiles at him. “I missed you too”
“Teresa”, he inhales once again. He catches her hands and lifts them to his lips, planting a kiss on each of her fists. “I love you”
Her breath hitches,
“You don’t have to say it back”, he smiles softly. “But you need to know, you deserve to know. I needed to say it aloud at least once”, his voice cracks at the end. “I love you”, he repeats quietly. “And I can’t tell you just how many times I wanted to write it in the letters”
She blinks and he notices her eyes getting a little glassy. She doesn’t say anything, just pulls him closer, her lips locking over his. When she draws back, she runs her thumb from the corner of his mouth, all over his jaw, her fingers touching his earlobe and then finding their place in his hair. She moves her palm a few times and he can feel the locks twisting around her skin.
“Now this is what I wanted to do for years”, she chuckles and then bites her lip to stifle a smile.
He laughs. “You have my permission to do it whenever you like”
“Whenever I like?”, she smirks. “This may come in handy”
He clears his throat, any resemblance of control slipping from him. He licks his lips, gaze roaming all over her face.
Is this what happiness feels like? He truly forgot.
His hands find her hips, bringing her closer to him, his wrists crossing at the small of her back. He leans down again, his lips ghosting over hers. “I really want tacos right now. And then I want you to take me to your hotel room and I want to show you what I wanted to do for longer than I can remember”
“Hm, so as an insomniac, I believe you mean sleep”, she grins at him. He likes a challenge. He loves it so much.
Jane snorts. “Oh, sleep is an option too, I wouldn’t mind a good nap. Among other things, that is”, he pecks her lips once, lingering for a second, letting the press engrave into his skin. “I know there are things we have to talk about and it’s probably a fair amount but—”, he takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry. For everything”, he smiles at her, his thumb running along her cheek. “For leaving you at the beach and then after”, he takes another breath in. “All of it, everything that followed”, he admits with shame. “I’m sorry for making you feel like I was trying to choose your life for you. In a way I probably was, I know that now, but back then all I could think about was coming back here and meeting you again, being with you again, talking to you. There is nothing I missed more in my exile. I guess my longing got a little out of hand”
“You don’t say”, she replies but there is a soft grin on her face. Her fingers tap against his chest, up and down, up and down, up and down. “So there’s going to be a lot of talking involved?”, she teases.
“A whole lot, I presume”, he answers cheekily. “We have to talk over all trouble we plan to make”
She shakes her head, amused. “You know, Jane, you just smell like trouble”
He laughs at this, the sound bubbling out of his chest. He leans closer, his lips grazing hers. “You, my dear, taste like it”, and he lets himself drown in her lips again.