I didn't make you wait as long for this one, that's good right? Here's the conclusion to this story that took me way too long to write than is acceptable. Aha. I want to thank everyone who reviewed this story, especially anyone who I couldn't respond to. Also, thank you to everyone who favourited/alerted this story. Enjoy :)

Sententious Subterfuge

"How are you feeling boss?" Van Pelt asked as she put her hand on Lisbon's shoulder. Lisbon could hear Rigsby munching on his apple from across the room. He was really trying to stick to that healthy food kick of his. Underneath the crunch of the fruit, Lisbon felt Cho's unwavering gaze assessing her condition.

"I'm fine, really guys," Lisbon replied. She was surrounded by faces of disbelief. It was just as well, she was lying through her teeth. In truth, she could feel every bruise, scrape and break her body had suffered.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear?" Van Pelt said sternly.

"Isn't that my line?" Lisbon joked. She tried to let out a laugh, but her bruised ribs protested. Her discomfort must have been evident on her face because Rigsby left the room hurriedly to get a nurse before Van Pelt could even voice the request.

"Guys, you're overreacting," Lisbon said in a strained voice. "It's nothing, really."

"Boss, you're obviously in pain, probably more than you're letting on," Van Pelt said sternly. "If nothing else, the nurse will up your pain killers."

"Guys, really," Lisbon started, but she stopped short at Cho's glare. The look he was giving her rivalled her own. She didn't really want to fight them on this, so she didn't utter a single protest when the nurse arrived and gave her another dose of the pain medication.

"Boss," Cho said. "We're going to have to ask you about what happened, for the report."

"Just because I'm in the hospital, doesn't mean that paperwork doesn't have to get done, huh?" Lisbon said. She tried to push herself into a more comfortable sitting position but stopped herself when she felt a sharp pain in her side. Rigsby was immediately at her side and helped her sit upright. She smiled her thanks and he mumbled something about checking up on Jane. She didn't want to think of what kind of trouble he could have gotten himself in, so she let Rigsby take care of it. She wasn't going to worry about him this time, give that job to Rigsby too.

"Okay," Lisbon said. "I guess I should start at the beginning?" With that Lisbon told Cho and Van Pelt everything she could remember. She couldn't give them much, not having been conscious when she was kidnapped. She tried to give details about the man who had revealed himself as Red John, but they were all hazy and indistinct. It was infuriating. As a cop, she didn't put much stock into a witness's description because it was subject to discrepancy. But as a witness herself, she wanted nothing more than to give her teammates a description that would lead them straight to Red John. Another issue was that he'd never come out and said that he was Red John. He'd certainly implied it and there was no doubt in Lisbon's mind that he was Red John, but it made it more difficult should she testify in a court of law. She paused in her recounting of the events when she saw Rigsby return with Jane in tow.

"He knew things," Lisbon said quietly. "He knew things about my family, about my father. He said some things to make me doubt whether or not I'd make it out alive. He's good at mind games, I'll give him that, but after working with Jane for all these years, I like to think I've grown resilient." She shot Jane a small smile at this, trying to diffuse some of the tension that was thick in the air and in her lungs.

"What happened next?" Cho asked when she didn't continue.

"Red John left after he made it clear that his motive was to get Jane out of hot water with the FBI," Lisbon said. "Then the guy you found showed up. He was supposed to kill me while Jane met up with Red John. Obviously, that didn't happen." She looked at Jane, trying to decide whether or not to include what she'd learned about Red John's plans for him. Despite wanting to shield him from unnecessary pain, she knew she had to tell them, him and the team. She took a deep breathe to mentally prepare herself, and to buy her a little extra time.

"Red John wanted the team to arrive just as I died," Lisbon said, her voice shaking slightly. "He didn't think that Jane would be able to kill him when they met. He also wasn't going to kill Jane. He wanted you guys to blame Jane for my death, pushing him away. Jane would be isolated and ready for the next part of Red John's plan. That's what the second guy said."

Lisbon described her struggle with Red John's man in as much detail as she could recall, knowing that it would be needed if this case went to court. She never once took her eyes off Jane's as he processed the new information. When she was done, the team left. They wished her well, telling her they'd see her at work when she was fully functional. That left Jane and her at opposite ends of the room in a staring match. One that she ended up losing when she couldn't repress her smile. She should be worried about his emotional temperature, but she couldn't get their previous encounter out of her head. He'd stayed.

"Get over here," Lisbon said. A small grin mirrored hers as Jane started taking a few small, very slow steps towards her.

"We should probably talk about what happened," Jane said. Despite the seriousness of his words, he kept the smile firm on his face.

"There's plenty of time for that," Lisbon said. She reached towards him so she could thread her fingers through his. "Later."

Jane didn't offer any more resistance, letting their lips meet as their hands had. She felt just as he remembered, both against his mouth and palm. He smiled into the kiss as he realized he'd be feeling this more often now.

xxx

"I hope you like Indian food," Jane called as he entered Lisbon's hospital room. She was only staying the night for observation, but she wasn't about to eat that detestable hospital food, not on his watch.

"You're in luck," Lisbon said. "I happen to love Indian food, but you already knew that." Jane smiled at that, it was true after all.

"You should at least enjoy the food on our first date," Jane shrugged. "I can't guarantee that you'll enjoy the company."

"You'll just have to try extra hard to be on your best behaviour," Lisbon said. "Maybe then your company will be tolerable."

Instead of responding to her cheeky comment, Jane tossed the plastic cutlery at her. They bounced off her collarbone before landing on her lap. Jane let out a short chuckle as he set down the brown paper bag that contained their dinner onto the end table next to Lisbon's hospital bed. He pulled up a chair before opening the bag and passing Lisbon her food.

"Your favourite, I believe," Jane said.

"You know me so well," Lisbon said sarcastically. "Seriously though, how did you know? Have we ever had Indian food together before?"

"Ah, ah, ah Lisbon," Jane said with a wave of his finger. "That's for me to know."

"Right," Lisbon said. She was already thinking of ways to get Jane to talk. The way he was smiling at her triumphantly made her want to rid him of his smile one way or another. "Just shut up and kiss me Jane."

"I think you'll find that societal norm dictates that the kiss happens at the end of the first date," Jane said, making no move to close the distance between them.

"That didn't stop you before," Lisbon said with a raised eyebrow.

Jane shrugged, conceding that she was correct. He still didn't make a move to kiss her though, merely taking a bite of his food instead. Lisbon shot him a glare. It didn't work as well as it normally did. Jane just sat there staring at her with an amused expression and ate his dinner.

They didn't say another word until they'd finished their dinner, the silence speaking volumes. In place of conversation they had secretive gazes. Instead of jokes they had the affection in each other's gaze. It wasn't obvious, but they spent a better part of half an hour looking for it. When they finished eating, Jane picked up their garbage and quickly disposed of it.

"We really should talk about Red John, as it seems that he's not through with me yet," Jane said, his face contorting into a more serious expression. He made his way back to the chair beside Lisbon's hospital bed.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Lisbon said with a small, reassuring smile. "Until then, let's just enjoy our moment of peace."

To Jane, it sounded like the best idea he'd heard in a very long time. She gazed up at him, her eyes repeating her earlier request. This time he didn't resist. As he joined their lips he thought to himself, he could get used to this.

The end. :) Thank you for sticking with this story! I hoped you liked it as much as I did. Until next time!