Being graced with a memory like his own was both a blessing and a curse for Patrick Jane. There were remembrances that still plagued him in spite of all the years that had passed by, no matter how hard he tried to push them to the back of his mind.

Even after his marriage to Angela a small part of him couldn't help thinking back to the brief encounter he'd shared with a Chicago girl just a week before he turned eighteen. He'd fled his trailer after one of the many arguments with his father, looking forward to drowning his sorrows in a bottle of cheap beer; he'd ended up in the arms of a petite brunette instead, who definitely looked like she could use some comfort as well.

His heart had broken when she'd burst into tears later on; he'd done his best to soothe her, but he doubted that he'd actually succeeded. And though he didn't even know her name, he'd spent years hoping that fate was going to reunite them again.
In the space of just an hour the girl had carved her own place in his heart; she was equally strong and fragile, and he instinctively knew that they could complete each other.

However, he never got to see her again when they stopped in town with the carnival; a couple of years later he'd met Angela, they'd fallen in love with each other and finally plucked up their courage to flee from the carnie life they both hated.

Their happiness had been just like a dream, until he made a terrible mistake and his precious family was taken away from him forever.
He'd always prided himself as strong, but that was before the tragedy happened. Now he was nothing but the shadow of a man, had spent six whole months in a mental facility before he could get to his feet again.

As soon as he was out of Sophie Miller's care he drove all the way to Sacramento and did his best to get hired by the California Bureau of Investigation. Luck seemed to be on his side; not only did he achieve his goal, but the leader of the Serious Crimes Unit took him immediately under her wing.

Teresa Lisbon was exactly what he needed right now. She gave him strength, helped him stay sane in spite of all the voices in his head.
There was something familiar about her, but he couldn't quite place it at first; his mind was still a mess, he was just starting to pick up the pieces of what was left of his memory palace.

Then he overheard Virgil Minelli making a casual remark about Lisbon's hometown, and suddenly everything fell into place. As incredible as it sounded, she was the very same girl he'd been searching for so long; but now the circumstances were entirely different, there was no way he could tell her about it.

For one he'd no idea how she would react; then there was the fact that for the time being he couldn't focus on anything but getting his revenge. He owed it to Angela and Charlotte, and anyway the last thing he wanted was making his friend another target for the serial killer.

There was nothing for him to do but to push the matter resolutely to the back of his mind once again. Only time would tell if they ever got the chance to discuss it at some point in the future.