Patrick Jane was a man who enjoyed living life to the fullest. In a way it was payback for everything that he'd lacked in his childhood; he'd never known his mother, while his father was nothing but a tyrant who took advantage of his child's skills in order to make the money he promptly wasted on gambling.

He had come a long way since he left the carnival; the lonely boy had turned into a somewhat cynical man, who only looked at people as a source of income or a means to an end. Women were his favorite prey; with his silver tongue and his charming smile he always managed to wrap them around his little finger, so that he could lure them into his bed and get a substantial payment for his supposed services at the same time.

It wasn't difficult for him to play the part of a psychic, all he had to do was tell people exactly what they wanted to hear. He could read them like open books, and felt no guilt whatsoever about deceiving them; as a matter of fact they needed the lies he told them, otherwise they wouldn't have turned to a psychic in the first place.

However, there was a nagging voice at the back of his mind that always reminded him how all of this was not enough. He wasn't actually happy, though he struggled to pretend so; there was still something missing, even if he couldn't say what.

Until he started consulting for the California Bureau of Investigation.

At first he thought it funny that the police would ask for his help; he'd never believed there was such thing as psychics, and he for sure wasn't one. However, their latest victim was one of his former clients; it was a piece of cake for him to give them some useful pointers, so that the case turned out to be an open-and-shut one.

The CBI boss was utterly pleased with it, and begged him to consider the option of becoming a regular consultant for their agency. Virgil Minelli was no fool; he'd probably seen right through his act, and yet he still valued his insights into human nature as utterly precious.

In the end Jane decided he had a very precise reason to offer his services to the Bureau, and that had very little to do with Minelli's speech. The simple truth was that he'd laid his eyes on the petite brunette that was the leader of the Serious Crimes Unit; the same one who had barely managed to restrain herself from punching him on the nose several times throughout their brief cooperation.

Teresa Lisbon was different from any other woman he'd met so far; her no-nonsense attitude was a pleasant novelty to him, and the idea of throwing her off balance thrilled him to no ends. She was also extremely attractive, though she always tried to hide the fact behind her professional façade and her bossy attitude.

He could tell she wasn't pleased at all about her superior's decision, but she accepted it as a necessary evil. Anyway, he had a feeling that she wasn't so unaffected by his charms as she wanted him to believe; that was why he started flirting mercilessly with her, and he truly enjoyed the easy banter they fell into after a couple of weeks.

Little by little his fascination with the petite firecracker grew deeper. She was his exact opposite: strong, passionate, honest and caring; they always said that opposites attracted, and he couldn't agree more this time around.

When he first asked her out on a date he felt as nervous as a schoolboy; that was probably what finally prompted her to say yes, which earned her the first genuine smile on his part. He discovered the pleasure of being himself that night; no masks, no acts, just the real him and the woman who felt like home to him now.

There was a tiny hint of disappointment in her eyes when he walked her to the door, and his kiss landed on her cheek. However, he wanted so much more than a one-night stand from her; he had to make sure she understood that before taking the next step in their relationship.

Of course he couldn't refrain from some wildly extravagant gesture, like getting down on his knee in the middle of the bullpen and presenting her with a beautiful solitaire ring. Teresa blushed crimson, all eyes were on her as she struggled to find the words; he counted each of his breaths until she eventually said yes.

They got married in Malibu, then spent their honeymoon in the house that was his refuge when he wanted some space from the madding crowd. That was what happiness felt like, how he would always remember it in the years to come; just him and Teresa, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

Reality set upon them as soon as they were back in Sacramento. Teresa wasn't happy with him still giving private readings from time to time, said it wasn't fair of him to deceive vulnerable people who'd just lost their loved ones. He simply couldn't make her understand he actually did it for her; the meagre paycheck he received from the CBI wasn't enough to ensure them the kind of life he wanted to give her, but in the end he just gave in to her request.

There was a child on the way, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset his expectant wife.

Also, the prospect of becoming a father finally prompted him to question the mistakes in his past; he vowed he was going to be a better man for the sake of his child, make sure they could be proud of him someday. The day Kaitlyn was born was one that would be permanently engraved in his memory palace for the rest of his life; his daughter was the most beautiful thing in this world, he would go to the ends of Earth to make sure she was safe, loved, and happy.

He still had no idea what fate had in store for his precious little family.