A/N: Okay, so I didn't expect to write this chapter so soon, but I'm not complaining. At least it means I know this fic is completed in time for the challenge. Heh. Hopefully, I won't tie myself down with another multiparter next month so I can focus on getting more of Pretty Lies and Unbound done. I've neglected both of those fics terribly - I'm sorry.

Thanks to: WildDaisies10, Viktorija, boutondor, Ebony10, lisbon69, phoenixmagic1, yaba, Iloveplotbunnies, Divinia Serit, Famous4it, lil smiles and mtm for reviewing part five.

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER DEALS WITH SUICIDE. If this is a sensitive subject for you, I advise you don't read.

x tromana

It's never enough
No matter how many times I've tried to tell you
This is love
If tomorrow never comes
I want you to know right now that I
I'm gonna love you until the day I die
And if tomorrow falls asleep
Can you hold me close?
I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on earth
-Last Night On Earth, Delta Goodrem

Part Six

"Go on then."

Blue eyes leered at him expectantly, daring him to carry out the reckless promise he'd made years ago and Jane found himself having to swallow down fear. When it came to this moment that was one emotion he'd never expected himself to come across. He'd always thought he'd be confident, to know exactly what he was going to do and just get on with it. That he would probably land up dying and take Red John down with him. But things were… different. Though, yet again, they had completely ignored the fact that they had kissed, he and Lisbon were closer. More understanding of one another, more in sync. As the malicious serial killer took one step closer, then another, Jane realized that he wouldn't exchange that for anything.

Not even seeking revenge for killing the family he should have appreciated all those years ago.

His knife clattered to the floor and the sound of metal hitting concrete echoed around the warehouse. The sound appeared deafening, though Jane knew that was just his imagination playing tricks on him; there was no way that it could actually be as loud as it had appeared. Red John puffed out a sigh of exasperation as a van pulled up outside. Jane backed away as the man approached him, scooping the knife up from where it lay amongst the spiders and dust. Both men paused as they heard Lisbon bark orders at the rest of the team through paper-thin walls. They both knew that she'd be on the scene sooner or later; this was just far sooner than either of them had expected. Jane couldn't help it - for half a second the relief was apparent on his face. Of course, the murderer, who was astute at observation as Jane himself, noticed the change in the blond's expression.

"Ahh… the little spitfire has arrived," Red John remarked nonchalantly while allowing the knife blade to run across his own forearm. "You're soft on her. She was the one you spent the night with when I had the pleasure of meeting your wife and child, wasn't she?"

Jane, feeling like his throat had suddenly been stuffed with cotton wool, could only nod wordlessly in response. Of course Red John knew the connection. It seemed that the bastard had eyes and ears everywhere. It would take Lisbon and the team forever to work out all of his connections, all the people who could be responsible for aiding the criminal. Him too, if he got out of this alive. Jane didn't want to die, nor did he want to leave the team and especially the petite senior agent. He'd never dreamed of actually having a purpose and it was quite a novelty to have one. Life worked in mysterious ways; if he'd been told a decade ago that one of his one night stands would turn into someone he, well, loved, he'd have laughed in their face. Red John turned his back to Jane and after dipping fingers in the blood he'd already drawn from himself, proceeded to draw his trademark smiley face on the wall. Silently, he wondered just how many other people had observed the murderer as he drew the symbol. He had a shrinking feeling that he was the first and he wasn't quite sure what that meant. Eventually, Red John turned around and smiled slightly at Jane. It was nearly time.

"I'm surprised you don't blame her for it rather than yourself," he continued, "after all, she made such a pretty little distraction."

"Don't you…"

The door suddenly swung open and Lisbon appeared, eyes blazing with fury and gun drawn. Both men paused to stare at her before Red John threw his head back, let out a hollow laugh and plunged the knife straight into his own arm, far deeper than the mere grazes he'd inflicted on himself before. He was never going to let Jane kill him, nor Lisbon take him in, denying them both the ending they required for the case. Everything was happening just as the serial killer had planned.

***

"Dammit, Jane, he's severed his artery," Lisbon hissed as she tried desperately to stem the flow of blood from Red John's arm. "Help me."

Jane stood, frozen to the spot as Lisbon desperately tried to stop the man from bleeding out. She hadn't expected Red John to commit suicide; in all honesty, she'd thought that the serial killer had a higher sense of self preservation than that. Then again, it was just like him. To dictate how he was going to die as well as how he lived. Still, she wasn't going to stop fighting to save his life, because she needed him to pay in a court of law. It wasn't until a strong pair of arms, Rigsby's, pulled her away from the pale, bloodied body that she stopped. In an unusual moment of comfort, Rigsby wrapped his arms tightly around his boss' waist and let her bury her head in his chest for a couple of seconds while she processed everything that had just happened. When Jane's hand tightened around her shoulder, she pulled away from Rigsby's shirt and they shared an embarrassed smile. Quietly, they left the room and Red John's body alone. The whole team had work to be getting on with - statements to be writing, paperwork to fill in and the like.

It took several hours to finish up everything, as expected. It didn't take long for the media to get wind that Red John was finally dead and therefore everybody wanted to know about the demise of one of California's most notorious criminals. Lisbon was relieved; it kept her busy, away from Jane and allowed her to focus on something she knew and understood. As she finally marked the case as closed on her whiteboard, she wasn't quite sure how to feel. They'd been dealing with Red John for years and finally it was over, except for a few details from the scant clues they'd found in the warehouse. They may not have been able to bring in Red John, though the fact that he was laying on some cold slab in a morgue was an acceptable compromise, but they might just be able to catch some of his associates. But still, by some unbelievable luck, they'd all managed to get through it unscathed. She spent several minutes just staring at her own handwriting and only jumped from her reverie when she heard her office door open and close once more. Not even bothering to turn around, she just murmured a quiet hello to Jane as he entered the room.

"Hi," Jane muttered in response, sounding uncharacteristically nervous.

"If you're resigning now, just leave the paperwork on my desk. I'll finish it for you in the morning."

Lisbon sounded sullen but she couldn't help it. Jane had made it rather clear when he'd first been attached to her team that the main reason he'd joined at all was to apprehend Red John. There was no reason for him to continue now that the murderer had killed himself.

"I'm not leaving."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me."

She turned around and looked him up and down, waiting to find out the catch. When he appeared entirely genuine, she approached him, wiping her sweaty palms across her pants. Swallowing deeply, she hoped that nerves wouldn't get the better of her. Their reunion had always been rather like a tennis match, trying to score points off one another one way or another. Lisbon still had an ace up her sleeve and she hoped that it wouldn't scare the blond away. That it wasn't too soon to be pulling such a move.

"I don't want to leave you."

After he uttered those six words, Lisbon felt renewed confidence. As she attempted to swallow away the nerves, she closed the gap between herself and Jane. Staring him directly in the eyes, she rolled onto her tiptoes before placing her hands on his cheeks and covering his lips with her own. Though her actions had taken him completely by surprise, Jane wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss, delighting in the way that she moaned in response to him turning the tables on her. Eventually, she broke it off and looked at him defiantly, daring him to question her actions.

"Where do we go from here?"

***

Lisbon was a surprisingly deep sleeper. He'd forgotten that, but then again he'd forgotten a fair bit about her in this kind of position. He'd thought it would be one he'd never see again, but he was grateful for the reminder. Silently, Jane hoped that he would have regular refresher sessions and appreciated the second chance. He smiled to himself as she hardly responded to his touch, the fingers that he lazily allowed to trail across her bare flesh. Gently, he placed a kiss to her nose before allowing his head to flop back down bonelessly onto the pillow. Sleep was unlikely to come, but he felt relaxed, laying by Lisbon's sleeping form and that was better than tossing and turning elsewhere.

She'd suggested taking it slow and yet, they'd fallen into bed with one another within hours. So much for that then. Still, he could hardly complain. At least they hadn't thrown up barriers instead, at least they'd let each other into their lives again willingly. He couldn't be sure whether or not they'd last the distance, but he had certainly learned his lesson the hard way. Silently, he vowed to treat her with the respect she deserved instead of subjecting her to the ways he'd treated his wife. She deserved that, at the very least.

After all, he'd thought their song was over before it even had a chance to start.

Oh how wrong he was.

end