When she looks at him, she’s brought back to that moment years ago when she told him that at the right time he’d choose life. She’s seen it in his gaze back then, this trace of hope, a need to live and breathe again without this weight on his chest.
She sees it again, now, the clarity in his gaze, no hidden tricks, no lies, just pure honesty. There is a slight smile on his face which she traces with her fingertip, his delicate wrinkles disappearing under her touch. His pupils dilate, darkness eating the colour almost completely. And it hits her with the same burning magnitude that in this moment he chooses something again.
He chooses her.
And this is all she needs.
________
6x22 but what could happen if Jane didn't make it to the airport on time?
Read on AO3
Dedicated to the most wonderful @queeenpersephone ❤
Moodboard by the amazing @someonesaidcake, thank you again!
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disclaimer: these are my personal favorites, and i am not objective. i tried to keep it to only one rec per author, but that rule does get broken a few times. suffice to say, if i've recced one of their fics, i rec their entire catalogue. i tried to make sure all tumblr @ i know personally are included, but if you see one that i didn't catch, let me know and i will update! there are currently seven categories, and only up to five fics per category. and yes i did include one if my own fics, so please don't fight me.
JISBON FUNDAMENTALS (these are fics that everyone should read)
if I loved you at the start by missymeggins (e)
this is my favorite jisbon fic. canon divergent from 6x02, jane decides he can't live with the threat to lisbon's life. i could wax poetic for ages.
the tiger and the lamb by inkstainedfingers97 (t)
if i could recommend this author's entire library i would, but this is a very gritty, plotty, but still jisbon-y reimagining of the red john plot. and probably the only fic that's convinced me it's better than the red john reveal in the show.
in the cards by idan (t)
another brilliant very plotty s5 fic. no list would be complete without it. the attention to detail is insane.
long lost long last by hardly loquacious (k+)
this fic is just so special to me because it is an exemplary example of showing and not telling, and i think it really dives into what makes jisbon so inevitable. even as jane resists, he's drawn to lisbon's care for him, which is self-sacrificing and pure and so deeply kind that of course he loves her. of course he does.
inside your mind by excel_siors (t)
a 4x10 au that will change your brain chemistry, guaranteed. the mantra that jane keeps repeating in this fic... god.
BEST COMPLETE AUS
go easy on me now by walltree (m)
this author understands lisbon in a profound way, to the point where of course this version of jane is drawn in by her competence and kindness. i love fics that highlight why jane would fall for lisbon, and this is one of those.
red violin by inkstainedfingers97 (t) (plus sequel!)
such a fun au where jane is so crazy. like this could be in the unhinged section. but the way jane instantly falls in love is how i picture he would if there was no red john.
purrson of interest by denxuement (t)
unbelievably sweet! neighbors!au
teresa by donnamour1969 (t)
an inspired by jane austen's emma! this author has great aus but this is my favorite. love a good regency au.
the tea shop by heclosescases (t)
this author is excellent, but i especially love this au! it's so sweet, so in character (difficult for a complete au) and just so fluffy and nice.
ANGST
suspicion by daphnaea (t)
the best angstier view of the lorelei situation, and a great, character-accurate view of what would happen to jane should lisbon have really put her foot down about any of it.
and the saints go marching in by excel_siors (m)
this fic will hurt you. it will be worth it. a 6a au.
choices made in blue swirls by fbiwoman223 (t)
if you want hurt!lisbon and jane losing it over that fact, this is the fic for you!
the proper incentive by laurythelabtrator
6b!au and sometimes i really realllly wish this is what they had done with canon.
THEY'RE UNHINGED, YOUR HONOR
blue phoenix by TheWaywardGospel (e)
the fact that this fic is unfinished is my roman empire, but don't let that stop you. this author intertwines seasons 6 and 7 in such an original way, and jane and lisbon are so crazy for each other. it's perfect.
dayspring by light_loves_the_dark (t)
i'm not going to talk about myself too much, but this is an au 6b where jane gets his act together <3
wedding planning by idan (t)
jane just... deciding that lisbon and he are engaged. it all goes pretty well from there and it's a joy to read!
reset by j. roddam (t)
this is a complete au where psychic!jane meets lisbon when she's on the verge of becoming a single mother and like, one meeting makes him decide he wants to be in her life. unhinged. perfect in every way.
shatter by ruuger (m)
4x10 but jisbon share an insane little blimp of a moment.
BEST SMUT
you bite my lip, you spike my blood (e) by someonestolemyshoes
the perfect first time fic.
(not much i can change) i give it up to you by whatsaterrarium (e)
obligatory hypnosis fic. you will melt.
i feel like i die 'till i feel your touch by @dreamyairy (e)
the smut in this is incredible. the profound moment that jisbon share in the airport in this 6x22 au is even better.
like a thousand suns (anything for you) by @whereyourtreasureis (e)
this author is a master at these little intimacy gaps we have in the show. and her jane makes me melt.
eulogy by lilythistle (e)
obligatory jisbon-playing-poker fic that ends with a beautiful expression of feelings
BEST CANON DIVERGENCE (ONE-SHOT)
between the devil and the deep blue sea by @someonesaidcake (e)
6x08 canon divergence, introducing my favorite oc ;)
27 minutes by idan (t)
a lovely divergence from early s6 where jane faces the fact he can't lose lisbon and actually talks to her.
beneath the blue stars by sierrasilver (t)
just a super soft 6b au where jane wrote more letters to lisbon than in canon
reichenbach by half agony half hope (t)
red john finds out that jane is faking in vegas and puts a very awful task in front of him. angsty, but with a happy ending
BEST CANON DIVERGENCE (MULTI CHAPTER)
someone else's life by wldwmn (t)
4x10 au where jane wakes up thinking lisbon is his wife. so so good.
learning to breathe by starry19 (t)
post 6x22 au with jisbon finding their legs as a couple and a little angst. very sweet and perfectly in character.
combine and complement by hardly loquacious (k+)
in which jisbon go consulting after an au version of the death of red john. very sweet getting together fic.
blooming violets by dkateri (g)
6x16!au where jane doesn't fumble - just a really lovely and in-character portrait of him.
undercover by maxine_gold (e)
one of the best multi-chapter fics in the fandom. i almost didn't include it because i feel like everyone's read it, but that would be disingenuous.
BEST POST-CANON
bluebells by inkstainedfingers97 (t)
LAST ONE by them i swear. i have to put this one in because it's my fav post canon, which i tend not to like. which is not saying there's not excellent post canon out there, but i just personally want no major angst, all rainbows for jisbon after the end of the show. and this is that.
the turquoise teacup by itsavolcano (t)
a case fic post-series where there's a bit of angst but i love this fic so it gets a pass on the above rule
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‘The truth is that I can’t imagine waking up, knowing that I won’t see you.’
He had to wait for so long to be able to look at Teresa openly, letting his love show for her to notice it. It must be such a delightful sensation for them both, him expressing what he feels and her absorbing it and returning those looks and emotions. What a beautiful transformation, I’ll never get tired of it.
"Because nothing, not hope, not life, not revenge, means anything any all if she is not safe and well.
You breathe deep, slow, and let yourself feel the anguish, the hope, of a new reason to live." — by @queeenpersephone
aka when jane realized he was in love.
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I hate 6b so much, fvck, the anxiety is killing me. HOW THE FVCK AM I SO ANXIOUS WHEN I KNOW THERE IS A HAPPY ENDING? I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT, I WILL CRY WTF
Ive been having this idea in my head for some time now and you write the best Jisbon I’ve ever read so please hear me out I’m desperate 😂 Lisbon cuts her hair like in mid-late season 1 and Jane loses his marbles because he now can f*ck “CBI agent Teresa Lisbon”
Hi, hi, hello
Sorry it has taken me so long to answer this one, but trust that I keep and hoard every prompt like Smaug and his treasure until I'm able to give you something back xx This idea made me grin SO HARD because I do think he would absolutely lose his mind.
Hope you enjoy this xx
Jane checks his watch while their son works his way through a sliced apple, juice slicking his fingers as he clutches a fistful of grass in his other hand.
It’s ridiculous, he knows that. A few minutes is nothing. No one is scrambling helicopters. No emergency alerts are going out. Still, his chest knots, and his blood cools like iron in his veins.
Their daughter shrieks with laughter when a duck snatches the bread from her hand and waddles off. The sound is pure radiance. It fills him up. He holds it for a second, trapping it in his lungs and letting it warm him the way the light dapples through the canopy of leaves above them.
Then he looks at his watch again.
And remembers she’s late.
He flips his phone face-up on the picnic blanket. A quick glance – just long enough to confirm nothing’s changed in the seventy-three seconds since the last time he looked. No missed calls or messages.
The dark screen stares back at him.
Call her, a small, persistent voice urges.
He doesn’t. She needs this. He told himself that. It’s only a few minutes.
“Hey, sorry I’m a little late.”
Her words rushed into his lungs like oxygen, and her arms closing around him from behind were even better.
Their children squeal as if they’d both been bracing for it too. He shifts to make room for her on the blanket and finally lays eyes on his wife.
The sun seems to be in on it, bathing her like a blessing, as though Apollo himself had volunteered for the job.
Shielding his eyes, he fights against the brightness – then he notices.
Her hair.
Shorter, curly, framing her face in a way that steals the air right back from his lungs.
“Do you like it?” She squints back at him, tugging at the ends where they brush her shoulders, their son perched on her hip. “It’s a little shorter than I meant, but I–”
“We need to go home.”
Teresa blinks, caught off guard, as she sets their son down with his apples.
“Is something wrong?”
He blinks too. Once. Twice. Takes her in again. And again – his smile stretching wider each time.
A renegade breeze lifts the ends and spills them across her face as soft waves of caramel and coffee against porcelain.
Memories flood him. A worn leather couch. The Californian skyline through dusty glass. Poker games in her office. Thoughts he’d shoved down deep and never let breathe.
The attraction.
The what-ifs.
“It looks like how you used to… back… when…” The words tangle and fall apart. For all his wordsmithing, he’s got nothing. He wants to get on all fours and howl into the grass. “CBI.”
“Oh.” She laughs softly. “Yeah, I suppose it is a bit like when we first started working together.”
She runs her fingers through it.
He bites the inside of his cheek, hard enough to swallow the moan.
His gaze flicks to their children – busy and oblivious – then he leans in, close enough that only she can hear.
“Do you still have your old leather jacket?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“Good.”
He settles back, grinning.
Tonight, he’s digging up a fantasy he’d buried years ago.
Tonight, he’s finally going to fuck CBI Agent Teresa Lisbon.
