A/N: Mayzee here with the final chapter of this one. Apologies for the length of time since this story has been updated. My fault entirely and not my co-authors. Want to say a big thanks to them for all their hard work and encouragement to get us here. 'We make a good team sometimes!'

And, of course, thanks to you on behalf of us all for reading and following this light hearted and hopefully at times humorous tale. Hope you like how we've ended it!

Chapter 19 – The Ring

"A boat tour?" Abbott snapped, scanning Wylie's expression, his dark eyes penetrating the younger man's increasingly nervous blues. "Have you lost your mind along with the rest of my team on this trip, Wylie? This is not some company outing. We came here to do a job."

Wylie licked his lips and swallowed. "Well," he began, his voice shaking under the strict stare of his superior, "haven't we already done that? Case is closed, isn't it?" He chanced a smile, only wishing he had Jane's confidence to match it. "And we don't leave until this evening. I thought it could help with...team building. You know, the team being new and everything...might help us all settle in. Especially Jane, make him more comfortable joining the FBI."

Abbott sighed heavily. It didn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that quite a bit of team building between his two pairs of agents had already been going on. And that Jane was more than comfortable now he and Lisbon had been reunited again. He'd also guessed they had finally decided to turn their relationship romantic so was more than convinced there was no risk of Jane running off again while she remained with the FBI. At least that was something to be grateful for after the shenanigans the past few days.

He could imagine his wife's words if she were here right now. Ease up, Dennis. Have some fun for a change. Sometimes you get further with the carrot than the stick.

Certainly beating Jane with the stick had done him no favours. And although the blond haired pain in the ass consultant would see the carrot a mile off perhaps it might harness some trust between them and get better results by allowing the brilliant but conniving man some latitude. On occasions. And maybe with Lisbon at his side she could curtail some of his more elaborate ideas. He chuckled at that rather hopeful possibility, earning him a surprised look from the young blond man in front of him who appeared too terrified to say more than he already had and was still waiting for an answer.

Finally, Abbott slapped Wylie on the shoulder and smiled. "What the hell, it's been a crazy case, might as well end it that way. Count me in, Wylie."

"Well, that was different," Lisbon beamed as she and Jane walked out of the spa, freshly showered. It had taken them thirty minutes to remove the mud from their bodies. As they'd found a shower cubicle that could accommodate them both another very enjoyable twenty minutes had been spent after that. Jane's opinion was that they should make sure every square inch of them was clean and he'd proceeded to inspect Lisbon's body meticulously as the warm shower spray cascaded over them. That, of course, had led to another lovemaking session against the cool tiled wall where they were pleased to find that the soap dish there was more securely fitted than the one in their hotel room bathroom.

"What do you mean? I know it's been a while for me but I'm pretty sure I did everything right," he laughed, his hand at the small of her back as he steered her towards the elevators.

She kissed him quickly as they stepped inside. "Looking for compliments, huh?" she grinned. "I was talking about the mud."

"Oh, that. I think it's done wonders for your complexion, Lisbon." He bent down and whispered in her ear as another guest came to stand beside them, "You are positively glowing, my dear."

When they entered their room their eyes lit up when they saw the camera had been removed. Jane immediately took Lisbon into his arms and kissed her passionately. She reciprocated fiercely and he began to pull the blouse from her jeans. "Seriously? Again?" she laughed but immediately began to unbutton his vest nevertheless.

Trailing kisses down her neck he said, "I have a lot of time to make up for."

She brought his lips back to hers. "We have a lot of time to make up for," she smiled.

"Then why are we wasting time talking?" he chuckled as he began to guide her towards the bed.

"Good point," she said, grabbing his belt buckle and pulling him to it faster.

As they were about to collapse onto it a knock sounded at their door, stilling their movements.

"I swear if there's been another murder I'm jumping into those damn Falls," Jane huffed as he went to answer the door while Lisbon smoothed down her hair and fixed her clothing.

"Hey!" Wylie chirped when Jane opened it. "Where have you guys been?" Then he took a longer look at Jane's dishevelled curls and open vest along with Lisbon's flushed face. "Uh...doesn't matter," he said, blushing as he answered his own question. He got the feeling wherever they had been had kick-started something much more than a few kisses between them. Plus when he added in the lack of a camera in the room now it meant...

"What can we do for you, Jason?" Jane asked, interrupting Wylie's thoughts, his tone pleasant but slightly impatient.

"Uh...three things," the younger man replied quickly. "First is we got proof Thomas is the serial killer. Cho and Fischer found IDs of the victims in his room. And they discovered the link to daisies. When they talked to his ex she confirmed he always used to make her daisy chains when they were together. Kept sending them to her even when they broke up."

"Well, that's normal behaviour," Lisbon deadpanned with an eye roll.

"Second thing is," Wylie's smile lit up the room, "we're all going on a boat trip to see the Falls before we get the plane back to Austin later."

Jane tried to suppress a smile when he saw Lisbon's horrified expression. "A-A boat?" she stammered. She had thought she had thankfully escaped that particular sightseeing adventure.

"Yeah!" Wylie exclaimed, ignorant to her reticence, "should be good, huh? We're all going, even Abbott. Team building exercise." He added proudly, "My idea."

Lisbon knew there was no way out of it now. She couldn't cry off an activity that had something to do with her job. Especially when she'd just acquired it. And Jane's expression where he was unable to hide a hint of amusement told her he knew that too.

"Good idea, Jason. We can't wait," Jane grinned.

Lisbon half hoped she'd throw up on him for that comment. "The third thing?" she asked to get her mind off the second thing.

Wylie glanced at her left hand ring finger. Now it was Jane's turn for his face to fall, followed swiftly by Lisbon's.

"Since the case is closed..." Wylie began, "I have to er..."

"Of course," Lisbon nodded, composing herself quickly. She took a final look at the beautiful ring and briefly nibbled her bottom lip before she yanked it off her finger in a swift fluid motion and handed it to Wylie.

Wylie palmed the ring and handed her a receipt to sign which she did without looking at Jane for fear her emotions would get the better of her. She knew it was just a ring and inconsequential compared to what she and Jane had found with each other but wearing it the past few days had given her a glimpse of what being Patrick Jane's wife might be like. And, rather than being terrified of getting close to a man like she normally was when things started to get serious, she had began to feel comfortable and cherished instead. Maybe she'd become so engrossed in the role she'd been playing that by taking it off it almost felt to her as if they were breaking up for real, as ridiculous as that sounded. Nevertheless a wave of melancholy suddenly washed over her that she hoped she could shake off.

"That it?" Lisbon asked Wylie, handing him back the piece of paper.

"Yeah, thanks." As he headed to the door he said to both of them, "We're meeting in reception in half an hour. Abbott says to make sure you check out first."

Jane closed the door after him and glanced in her direction. She barely looked at him but shrugged and pulled her suitcase onto the bed to begin packing, all thoughts of sex gone from her mind. He came up behind her and kissed her neck. "This isn't stopping just because you had to take the ring off," he said softly, pecking her cheek. "It'll take more than a ring to break this up, Teresa."

"Yeah, I know," she nodded, attempting a smile and patting his left hand as it circled her waist. The cold metal she felt made her take a step away as his words rang in her ears.

"Everything okay?" he frowned, noticing the tenseness in her demeanour.

"Yeah, of course," she smiled, pecking his lips. "Just hate packing, that's all."

He narrowed his eyes as she walked into the bathroom and glanced at his left hand. "Hmm. Of course that's all," he muttered under his breath.

"Well that was an experience," Jane said to Lisbon as they walked off the boat, droplets of spray from the Falls cold on their rosy cheeks. Lisbon was quickly out of her waterproof jacket as soon as they were on dry land. Thankfully it had done its job on this occasion and kept her dry. He chuckled at her side as he removed his own jacket. "Cho is worse than you with boats. It was hardly the high seas." He paused for a moment then began laughing again. "I doubt Abbott will get that vomit out of his suit."

"His seasickness doesn't appear to have put a dampener in the romance department for them," Lisbon replied as she saw Cho and Fischer disembark, his arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist, his complexion noticeably changing from green to olive as he stepped onto solid ground.

"Don't speak to me again until we get back to Austin," he told Jane as they passed them, having already put up with a litany of jokes and sea related puns from him whilst onboard.

Jane put his hands up and feigned innocence. "I didn't book the trip!" he called after them with a grin. "I was just trying to get your mind off the waves! I offered to hypnotise you to help, didn't I?"

Cho muttered, "Never in a million years," and what sounded like a few Korean swear words along with something about Wylie needing to watch his back in future. Fischer walked by his side, rubbing his back as their images drifted into the distance.

"Let's get out of here before Abbott disembarks," Lisbon said to Jane, realising he was waiting to mock his superior. She took his hand, drawing him away from the boat.

"What about Wylie? Shouldn't we wait for him?"

"Nope," she smiled, glancing over his shoulder. The young man was talking to a girl his age and by his eager expression and her beaming smile back at him he appeared to have found a love interest of his own. Jane turned around quickly and grinned. "Well, what do you know? There must be something in the water here."

"Yeah," Lisbon nodded before she frowned slightly. Then she took off without him back towards the hotel. He quickened his pace to catch up with her. "What's the hurry? We don't leave for another hour, Lisbon."

"Yeah, just...just looking forward to getting back to Austin. Been quite a trip."

He took his hand in hers and brought it to his lips. "I'd say it was a pretty worthwhile one."

She stopped and turned to look at him. Her eyes penetrating his she asked clearly, "Would you?"

His brow creased and he chuckled. "Of course, wouldn't you?"

"How do we know this isn't some kind of holiday romance?" she asked him. "Like you said, maybe there's something in the water here. Maybe when we get back to Austin we'll discover-"

He rolled his eyes and interrupted her. "Are you serious, woman?" He took her in his arms and kissed her. "Stop trying to sabotage this. Frankly, I won't have it anymore. Not after all this time. This is real. We are real." He kissed her soundly again and took her hand. "Come with me," he said softly.

Soon they were in the grounds of the hotel as Jane led her to a bench under a cherry blossom tree that overlooked the Falls, the sweet fragrance of the blooms pervading the air. "This'll do," he said quietly as they took a seat together.

"I'm sorry," Lisbon said as soon as she sat down, her fingers around her cross. "I know this is real-"

"But it's scary too," Jane finished for her. "I get that. Believe me, I get that," he said gently as he took her left hand from her cross and held it in his right hand instead.

He rubbed his index finger over the spot where her ring had been. "You seemed to be coping better until you removed your ring." His tone was gentle, coaxing.

She blushed and shrugged, realising there was no point in trying to lie to him. "I know it makes no sense but...but...it being there...even though I knew it was just for this case...although I knew it wasn't a real one...and that I know it's much too soon to even think about that for us...but it made me feel like what he had-"

"Was more real than it feels now," he finished for her, lowering his head to look in her eyes that were downcast.

"I know it's only a stupid damn ring. I'll be fine. Really." She nodded and looked him straight in the eye and took a breath.

"Hmm," he frowned. "I'm not convinced."

"Jane-"

His eyes pierced hers. "I don't want you to ever doubt this, Teresa. I never want you to doubt this again. To doubt how much I love you. How much I'm in love with you."

She swallowed as tears threatened, her voice lost as he continued. "I'm in a pickle, though-"

She shook her head furiously. "No, you're not. I told you, I'm sure I'll be fine once we get back to Austin, back to a semblance of normality. We'll see how this goes between us when we get back. No expectations, no pressure. We'll just...go with the flow, do what feels right for us."

He nodded slowly then made a discontented sound. "Do what feels right, huh?" he repeated morosely.

She smiled, "Yes. We'll take things slow, see where this goes."

He placed his right hand in his vest pocket and pulled out the ring she'd given back to Wylie earlier. Her eyes widened immediately upon seeing it as a hint of a smile played on Jane's lips. He held it in his fingers and said, "See, this is my dilemma. What I want to do is to put this ring back on your finger. Right back where it belongs from the first second I put it there. For me, that would feel right. But you've just said that it's too soon for that." He stared into her eyes. "So, you see the pickle I'm in?"

She gazed at the ring, open mouthed. Finally, "Tell me you didn't steal that from Wylie."

He grinned, "You think that little of me I'd try to propose with a knocked off ring?"

The next word stuck in her throat as her voice turned high pitched, "Pro-Propose?"

He laughed softly. "What did you think I was trying to do, Teresa? To put your fears at rest I've paid the FBI for this ring. I even cleared it with Abbott before we got on the boat. And, surprisingly, he seemed genuinely happy for us. If you agree, that is. I think he hopes you'll be a calming influence on me. He's an optimist," he chuckled.

"When you said you were going down to the pharmacy to get me some Dramamine," she said slowly, putting the pieces together of when he had time to get the ring back without her knowledge.

"Yes. So it's mine. Well...I hope that it'll be yours. Again. For real this time. And for good."

He waited as she blinked, her eyes fixed on the ring again.

"Should I ask you?" he said after a few moments. "Or should I put it back in my pocket and hypnotise you to forget we ever had this conversation for the time being to save my embarrassment?"

She laughed softly at the mention of hypnosis before she looked up at him. "You don't think it's too soon? We've only just started this, Jane. I don't want you to feel that my insecurity about a ring I've only worn for a few days has made you do this."

"Too soon? We started this over a decade ago, Teresa. I don't see why we should waste another second." He arched an eyebrow. "And since when do I do anything I don't want to do?"

He paused, took a breath, growing more nervous with every second. "Unless you're really not ready. I understand why you might not be. I-I haven't done this in a very long time, been with someone-"

"Ask me," she said suddenly, a smile creeping up on her lips.

He grinned and let go of a breath he didn't realise he was holding. His voice breaking as the words slipped out he said, "Teresa Lisbon, I told you once you had no idea what you meant to me. Hopefully, by now, I've left you in doubt just what you mean to me. That you know I love you with every fibre of my being. For...for longer than I probably even know myself. So I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

She nodded mutely for a few seconds as she blinked tears away. "Yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you!"

He slipped the ring on her finger quickly and followed it with a long kiss as they embraced. After a moment to get their breaths back she added, "Wow, this has been quite a life changing trip." Then she laughed as she wiped tears away.

"That it has," he agreed, wiping a few of his own.

After a deep breath she smiled, "We better get back to the others," and made to get off the bench.

"Not yet," he said, pulling her back down to sit beside him. "One more thing, first. Something I probably should have done before I proposed that might have made you more amenable to the idea a little sooner. But...well I've never particularly done things the easy or traditional way."

She frowned as her eyes questioned him.

He looked at his wedding band and ran his fingers over it as he smiled. She placed hers on top of them immediately. "Jane, are you sure-"

"Quite sure," he smiled, gently pushing her fingers aside. "You know...you know I took this off once before."

"You did?" she asked incredulously. "When?"

He shrugged, "Not long ago. Before I came back to the US."

"What happened?"

He thought over what to tell her and briefly thought about concealing the absolute truth. But she was going to be his wife and he owed her total honesty from this point on. He licked his lips nervously. "When Fischer came to the island. Before we went to dinner."

Lisbon's mouth parted slightly and she nodded, swallowing slightly. He could see her try to hide the hurt that sentence had inflicted.

"I didn't take it off for her, Teresa."

"But you took it off before you went on a date with her."

"Yes, it was a date. But nothing ever happened with her, you need to know that."

"But part of you must have wanted it to or you'd never have taken your ring off."

He sighed and shrugged slightly. "I thought about it, yes. About...about something romantic happening between us. But...it never materialised. It just couldn't. She just reminded me...well the more time I spent with her the more I knew she was a placeholder for what I really wanted. Who I really wanted. She made me realise just how much I missed you, Teresa."

She was struck almost speechless by his heartfelt words but she just got out, "But your ring?"

"It's what you do, I thought. When you take a woman out to dinner she doesn't want to see the ring of your late wife on your finger, does she? Kind of a mood killer, right?"

"I guess."

"Plus I wanted to see how it felt. To be without it for an evening. To act like...well act like a normal human being without a truck load of baggage."

"And how'd it feel?"

"I put it back on the next day," he shrugged.

"So you obviously weren't ready, then. So how do you know now it's going to be any different now?"

"I thought that at the time too, that I wasn't ready. I'd always imagined when I removed it I would suddenly feel ready to move with my life or know it was the wrong thing to do, that I'd have some grand epiphany either way. But the truth is I didn't, no epiphany materialised, nothing changed. I felt the same with it as without it. So I figured I might as well put it back on again if that was the case. Then it hit me this afternoon. I'm ashamed how long it's taken me to realise the significance of something – that I felt the same with it as without it. I had simply got used to wearing it as the years passed. So...so that means it doesn't matter if I wear it or not anymore. That tells me I'm more than ready to move on. So...out of respect for our relationship I take it off. Simple as that, really."

Before she could respond he pulled the gold band off and held it between two of his fingers. "I've worn this ring a long time but it's time for a new one to take its place." He grinned, "Hopefully soon. I don't much fancy a long engagement."

She kissed him quickly. "You know if it hadn't been for that ring we'd never have met," she said softly.

"I know. I've been thinking about that today."

She started to speak then stopped herself.

"What is it?" he asked.

She touched her cross. "You know I wear this because of my mother?"

He nodded, "Of course. Makes you feel close to her still."

"It does. Well...I know...I know it's not the same thing as your marriage to Angela...not at all but...well my mother was the first person in my life ever to show me unconditional love-"

"Doesn't sound that dissimilar to my situation when you put it like that," he suggested.

She smiled and nodded. "Well...if you like...I mean if you wanted me to...-"

"You'd wear my ring with your cross?" he asked, catching up with her train of thought, blinking in amazement.

"I'd be honoured. But only if it was something you wanted."

A tear escaped his eye and he choked up. "I would...I would love it if you would do that." He laughed softly. "To be honest part of the reason why I haven't taken it again was that I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it when I did. It didn't seem right to put it in a box or something. To me it seemed like I was trying to hide my past if I did that. And, like you said, if it weren't for my past we'd never have met."

She kissed him softly. "Then we're agreed."

"You're sure about this?" he confirmed.

As a response she quickly unfastened her necklace. Jane kissed her quickly before he threaded his ring through the chain reverently. Then she turned her head and lifted her hair out of the way as he refastened the clip before kissing the nape of her neck.

"How does it look?" she smiled, turning back around.

"Just like our future. Absolutely perfect."

- THE END -