A Pumpkin for Charlotte
This little one shot came to me while I was going to a apple orchard that has a Fall Festival with a maze and a pumpkin patch and many kid friendly activites. I know in Our Life from Now On Jane and Lisbon's little girl is still a baby, but in this one she's a four year old. Halloween is coming up and I wanted to share this little story.
Warning: Pure Family Fluff Ahead.
Disclaimer:Don't Own anything
The sun barely rose over the Jane residence and the sound of a little girl feet pitter pattering echoed through the house and finally stopping at her parents' room.
"Daddy, Daddy!" Lisby Michelle called and ran excitedly into her parents causing them to stir sleepily.
Lisbon looked at the alarm clock by the bed, "It's 6 in the morning. What does she want?" Lisbon said yawning not really wanting to get up on the October Saturday morning. A couple of days ago they had early morning calls for a murder and now all she wanted to do was sleep. Sleep was a rare thing with their little girl since she was born. Early morning feedings plagued them when she was a baby and now that she was a little older, she still wanted early morning attention.
Jane didn't mind it so much. He adored her completely and wanted to be the best father he could be to her. When he married Lisbon, he didn't expect to be so lucky with having a chance to be a father again. Finding out she was expecting was the best wedding gift he could imagine. Now he was going to enjoy every aspect of their little girl growing up.
"I promised to take her to pick out a pumpkin today." Jane admitted yawning himself and stretching out his arms. Finally looking up, they noticed the four year old dark haired, green eyed girl staring at them with hopeful eyes and dressed in a little flowered dress that was hastily put on inside out and backwards with the tag showing in the front.
"Are we going to pick out a pumpkin today, Daddy?" Lisby Michelle asked innocently.
"Of course we are, but a little later." Jane grinned at her excitement and yawning himself in the process.
"Sweetie, I know you're ready but the pumpkin place won't be open yet." Lisbon said yawning sitting up.
"You want to come up with us?" Jane asked. Lisby Michelle nodded positively and put her arms out waiting for her father to pick her up.
Jane got up and scooped Lisby Michelle up in his arms and placed her in the middle between he and Lisbon.
"Honey, you're so excited." Lisbon noted. "You're all backwards." Lisbon looked at the dress.
"I dessed all by myself." Lisby Michelle said with a big cheshire grin.
"You're becoming such a big girl." Jane said smiling at her.
"We're twiking and tweeting?" Lisby Michelle asked as she snuggled by her mother.
"Of course, what do you want to be?" Lisbon asked.
"A princess like in the fairy tale book." Lisby Michelle said seriously.
"That's what you are, sweetie." Jane said.
"Are you going with us, mommy today?" Lisby Michelle asked innocently.
"Yes, of course." Lisbon said giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead.
A few minutes later the family rose from bed and dressed, Jane prepared a breakfast of pancakes, Lisby's favorite and eggs his favorite. Lisbon redressed Lisby Michelle in jeans and a her little pumpkin shirt Jane had bought her when he promised the trip to get pumpkins. Getting ready to go out the door, Lisby Michelle picked up and carried Pumpkin the calico cat by the neck. The cat didn't react much since she had been used to it but still didn't like being held by the little girl.
"Can we bring Pumpkin?" Lisby Michelle asked Jane as he was going out the door. He turned seeing her grasp the cat while the cat started struggling to get free.
"Honey, she'd prefer to stay home." Jane laughed. "Pumpkin will see it when we bring it home."
"Come on, let's go." Lisbon waited impatiently by the car.
Lisby Michelle dropped the cat and Pumpkin went off her way to jump on the couch and Jane picked up his daughter.
Jane hooked Lisby Michelle up in the backseat while Lisbon was already waiting to take off.
Arriving at the Barton Hill farm with the large pumpkin patch, a Fall Festival was being held with a maze, activities for children and music. Lisby Michelle excitedly walked ahead of her parents and into the long line to the pumpkin patch wagon. "Stay close, honey." Lisbon said.
Finally, Jane and Lisbon caught up with their daughter; while waiting in line Lisby Michelle looked up to her father, "Daddy, did my big sister pick out a pumpkin?" Lisby Michelle asked innocently.
"Well, yes, she did." Jane confessed. He had shared stories of Charlotte, her older sister who never made it past six years old. He figured Lisby Michelle deserved to hear about her. His good memories started coming back more than the dark day. Ever since Lisby Michelle was born, he slowly introduced what her sister was like and even went back to California to the storage unit that he kept pictures and momentos of his previous family and retrieved them.
The family made it to the wagon being pulled by a tractor bringing various parents with their young children to pick out pumpkins in the patch. Jane picked up his daughter and carried her to a bench. Lisbon and Jane took a seat beside their daughter.
"Did you go with her?" Lisby Michelle asked.
Jane thought about what to answer. He nearly wasn't as good being involved with Charlotte as he was with Lisby Michelle. He was at times, of course, but Angela was the more involved parent. He traveled so much for being a psychic with tv appearances and shows it was hard to enjoy moments like this, as simple of picking out pumpkins. He felt guilty now and he was being the best father he could to Lisby Michelle.
"No, her mommy took her. I saw it when I got home." Jane said guiltily. Lisbon noticed.
The tractor finally arrived at the patch and finally the load of adults and kids exited and excitedly walked through the rows of pumpkins. Jane and Lisbon walked through the a row following Lisby Michelle "Can we get pumpkins for all of us, Mommy?" She looked hopefully to her mother.
"Yeah, can we?" Jane begged too.
"For all of us?" Lisbon asked.
Lisby excitedly went to pick out one big pumpkin. "I like it." Lisby Michelle grinned.
"That's a very nice one." Jane said.
"It's very nice." Lisbon responded.
"I'm picking it for Charlotte." Lisby Michelle grinned.
"I'm sure she would've liked it." Jane said starting to tear up. Lisbon couldn't help but tear up as well.
Lisby Michelle attempted to pick it up with her little hands and failed to lift it even a little.
"Let me get that for you." Jane bends down to pick up the pumpkin. "This is bigger than you are."
"It looks like Daddy's finally doing some heavy lifting."Lisbon teased.
"Hey, I've done it. I built a whole house for us." Jane reminded.
They picked out one more pumpkin, a little smaller one. After arriving back at the main building, they picked out a little pumpkin in the basket of mini pumpkins since Lisby Michelle couldn't carry a larger pumpkin so she could carry one.
On Halloween night Jane was seated at the kitchen table covered with newspapers attempting to carve the pumpkin. Lisby Michelle watched intently in her booster seat. "What face is that Daddy?" She looked at the the pumpkin face with the mouth shaped as an O. Ever since his little girl asked him to carve the pumpkin, he wondered what he could carve since the normal Jack O Lantern faces looked like smiling faces. Smiley faces he saw on billboards and various places always caused him to have a sinking feeling in his stomach. Therefore smiley faces weren't his favorite symbols to see and tried to avoid them.
"That's what your mommy looks like when she's surprised at something I do." Jane answered finishing the eyes.
"I don't look that way." Lisbon said as she walked in the kitchen observing the Jack o'Lantern. "Are those pumpkin's eyes rolling?" She was carrying the pink princess dress over her arm. She came to the table and looked carefully at the Jack o'Lantern.
"I've been helping daddy!" Lisby Michelle held out her hands covered in pumpkin insides and seeds. "I took the gooey stuff out."
"I see that." Lisbon looked at her daughter's messy hands. "You better clean up so you can put your dress on." Lisbon said.
"She's been a good help." Jane said grinning. "She got to do the best and easiest part."
Lisby Michelle jumped down and headed towards the bathroom with her mother following. Lisbon placed the little stool on the floor and Lisby stood on it so she could reach the sink. She scrubbed her hands with soap and water and then finally dried them.
Lisbon pulled the dress over Lisby's clothes. "Are you excited about trick or treating?"
"Yes, Mommy!" Lisby said excitedly. "I look like the princess in the book?" Lisby Michelle grinned.
"Of course you do, but why did your daddy help you pick out the most brightest and frilliest pink dress ever?" Lisbon asked straightening the hot pink, frilly dress on her daughter and added the tiara on her head. "Well, Uncle Cho and Wylie will be excited to see you."
Jane finished the pumpkin and carefully set a battery operated candle in the base. He quickly cleaned up the table and went to find his girls.
"Well, look at you, Lisby Michelle. You look beautiful, your highness." Jane bowed to his daughter. She grinned. "Mommy should've gotten a matching dress."
"Yeah, right. You won't see me in that." Lisbon rolled her eyes and made a pout at the thought of wearing hot pink.
"Of course not, angry little princess." Jane grinned and Lisbon rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips and smirked.