Hello folks,

because so many of you wanted me to continue this, this has become a two-shot. So here's the second chapter to this.

Sunlight was slowly worming its way through his eyelids. He couldn't remember when he'd last slept past dawn. But then again, he hadn't been this exhausted in over a decade. Or well, maybe he had been, but for other reasons. Reasons, which had rather caused insomnia than blissful sleep.

He couldn't stop the smile that was creeping up his face. Finally he had been brave enough to tell her how he felt. Had felt for years.
Well, it might have been under really pressured circumstances and if he was being honest, in a rather embarrassing way, but nothing was ever really normal with him, was it?

Now, feeling awake enough to actually open his eyes, he turned around and froze. Next to him wasn't the brunette, beautiful woman he'd expected there to be, but the cold, white sheet. Her smell being the only evidence this had really happened.

He felt cold and nauseous when he realized Lisbon had fled the bed and obviously the airstream, too. After quickly scanning the room, he noticed that all of her things had vanished a well.

Lisbon had run off.

"Damn it," he cursed, quickly leaving his bed and fishing for his boxers. He hissed in pain when his weight pressed down on his ankle. But this was more important. He would swallow the pain for now. Throwing on a shirt, he decided to hurry. Maybe he could still catch up with her and ask what the hell was going on because he had no freaking clue.

Everything had been great between them last night. They had established they both loved each other, she hadn't gone to DC and their coworkers had been fine with this new developed aspect to their relationship. They had come to the airstream, hat kissed and made love, quite thoroughly if he dared to say so, before falling content, sated and happy asleep in each other's arms. So what the hell had caused her to run?

About to dash out of the airstream, he noticed a note on the door.

Jane,
I'm sorry if you are confused or hurt not to find me next to you anymore and believe me, I'd have rather stayed with you, too, but I think we both need a little space to process things.
I believed you when you said you loved me, but I fear once you really understand that I'm not leaving you'll realize you aren't ready for this. Don't get me wrong, loving and missing your family is something I'd never want you to stop, but I need to be loved equally. To be honest, after Red John I hoped you'd be able to remove your ring, but you're still wearing it. I want you to be committed to this, to really want this and not force yourself to do this, to be with me, because you think I'm leaving. Because I won't. Texas is my home now. Even if you decide you aren't ready or might never be, I won't leave, but I need to know where I stand with you.
So once you figure that out and decide you're ready to face the consequences of this decision you have to make, you know where to find me.
With all my love,
Teresa

His heart beat madly in his chest and he took a few shaking breathes to calm himself.
So, Teresa Lisbon really didn't understand what she meant to him. She didn't realize there was no turning back for him. He loved her, period. To be honest, he hadn't thought about his wedding band for weeks and he was sure he wouldn't have for quite some time. He had truly forgotten he was even wearing it.
After he'd come back to the states, he had packed a small box which contained most of those little reminders of his previous life and he couldn't remember why he hadn't taken off his ring and packed it as well.

But seriously, was this stupid piece of jewelry actually the reason why Lisbon had run off? Obviously, she hadn't exactly understood him when he'd confessed his feelings, because to him it meant that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and he was pretty sure of that. He really didn't need another freaking second to think about that!

Clutching the note in his hand, he ran out of his home to make his way to Teresa Lisbon to make sure she had no doubt of his intensions ever again.

Gently massaging the shampoo into her hair, she felt of the stress leave her body. The hot water was doing wonders to her strained muscles, to her tired mind and she planned on actually using the next two days to relax a little and take care of herself, even though Abbot clearly had had other things in mind when he had "suspended" them for three days. She still blushed when she remembered his grin upon having caught Jane and her making out. Well, this clearly wasn't going to happen again anytime soon.

Jane needed a little time and while she loved him dearly, she couldn't be a second choice.

Washing her hair out, she rubbed her hands over her face a few times and was about to turn off the water, when all of a sudden the curtain of her shower was harshly pulled aside and an angry looking Patrick Jane stood right in front of her.

"Jane!", she shrieked, "are you insane? What the hell?" Lisbon couldn't even say what exactly she was feeling right now because there was embarrassment, shame, anger and confusion.

What the hell was he thinking, breaking into her home (which wasn't exactly anything new) and invading her privacy like that? She was in her shower, naked, for god's sake!

Which wasn't really his main concern obviously, because he threw a piece of paper angrily at her.

"Yeah, what the hell? You want me to be committed to this? Well, as it turns out, apparently I've got more reason to doubt your commitment."

What?

Grabbing her towel from besides him, she wrapped herself up modestly before frowning at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You are the one that fled my bed today. Instead of waking me up and just talk to me, you ran off. So I think I am the one that should be worried about your commitment."

Lisbon blushed first, then paled and blushed again. He thought…what?

Shaking her head to clear it, she slowly said: "Jane, I just need you to be sure about this. And I can't be with you, knowing I'm just your second choice."

He stared at her and Lisbon started feeling uncomfortable.

"Why can't you see that you are not? I told you I loved you and I meant that, but apparently you don't really understand what that means." He became agitated and Lisbon was already moving to lay a soothing hand on his arm, but he just shrugged her off and continued.

"So I figure I need to make things plainly obvious for you: I love you, I want you. When we make love there's no one else I see or think about. When I'm imagining my future, I only see you by my side. When I read or hear something, anything, my first thought is: what would Lisbon say to that? You are my first thought when I wake up and my last one before I go to sleep. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So if you think in order to really believe me and agree to that, I need to take off my ring or propose to you or shout it all from the rooftop of the FBI-building, so be it. I don't care. I just don't want to wake up without you next to me ever again. Is that clear enough for you now?"

He was breathing heavily when he finished. His pupils were dilated and he felt sweaty. Lisbon felt tears streaming down her face, her heart beat madly in her chest and wow, Patrick Jane felt exactly the same way as her. He felt like she thought he never would. So instead of bothering to come up with an equally romantic answer to his amazing speech, she just let go of the towel which was still wrapped around her and stepped forward to launch herself into his arms.

When Lisbon woke up for the second time today, she panicked again, but this time for different reasons, because she was naked in a bed while her left hand was cuffed to the bedpost.

Her heart pounded wildly, but before she could start on freeing herself, her brain caught up to the fact that this was her bed and that a sleeping, equally naked man was lying next to her. Calming down, she turned around to wake Jane.

"Are you crazy? Why did you cuff me?"

At that her former consultant grinned, sleepily and amazingly sweet, and god, she loved him. She really, really loved him.

"Just wanted to make sure you wouldn't leave me again."

And even though this was crazy, insane and so annoyingly Jane-ish that Lisbon couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Don't worry, baby. I'm not leaving you ever again." And with that she pulled him closer until he was on top of her, pressing his body against hers and showing her yet again that she really had no reason to doubt the love and want he felt for her.