A Daughter's Love

A/N: I Regretfully Own Nothing.

Perhaps Patrick Jane's daughter was resuscitated the night Red John attacked, and her father was too overwhelmed by the death of her mother to care for her. What if she was secretly placed into foster care and whisked away, never to see her true parents ever again. Until now, that is. Eighteen years old and practically a woman, Charlotte Jane reaches out to the CBI – but will Jane accept her, especially now that he is so close to moving on? ENJOY! :) Please Review! You all are amazing! :)

Chapter One – I'm Sorry, But I'm Your Daughter

The day began normally as usual.

It was a humid and hot June day, and the air was thick and sticky. No one wanted to spend the day at the CBI office, but work was work and there was much that needed done. Today was what the team referred to as a 'paperwork day', in which there wasn't a particular case to be closed up, but instead boring and tiresome reports to fill out and file from past cases.

In other words, it was a slow day.

Patrick never helped much with paperwork. He often spent days like this one asleep on the couch or pestering Grace while she typed. Sometimes, he wandered his way into Lisbon's office and took a shot at irking her as well. However, even he knew when it was best to leave her alone for fear for his life; paperwork days were classified as one of those times.

And so the day began, Patrick claiming his normal spot on 'his' couch, Grace arriving early as usual to get a head start, followed by Cho, who settled in quietly and without expression into his work station. Rigsby was always down-to-the-wire with him timing, running late and covered in either baby powder or baby food or baby scent. Teresa arrived sometime during this period, and, after a quick 'not-so-good morning' to her team, ventured into her office and stayed there for quite some time.

This was how that muggy June morning had started out, according to routine, just as Patrick Jane liked it. He had never been a fan of change. He liked things the way they were, and wanted to keep them that way. Especially now that everything was finally falling into place for him.

A few months after his hallucination of his daughter, he realized that she(his subconscious) was right after all; it was time for him to move on. And so he tried, taking baby steps at first but eventually taking larger strides toward 'moving on'. The greatest leap of all, of course, was trying to open his heart to Teresa Lisbon.

Patrick approached her office door that morning, and, although he was polite enough to knock, entered before she gave him permission. She barely glanced up from the work in front of her, and let out a small noise from the back of her throat in an attempt to greet him. He smirked.

"Well, good morning to you too, sunshine."

Teresa looked up into his sparkling blue eyes and couldn't help but crack a smile. "There's no sun here. You must have the wrong room."

"Ah, I don't believe so," Patrick replied, his smile growing larger as he approached her desk. He bent down to her level so that he was practically whispering into her ear. "Because you certainly are the one who brightens my day."

Teresa let out a laugh and playfully pushed him away. "Oh, shut up. You're so cheesy." Patrick chuckled as he brushed his lips with hers. Even the slightest touch with her filled him with joy and passion. He went to deepen the kiss, but Teresa pulled away.

Noo, Patrick." She said in a fake-scolding manner, although she sounded rather disappointed at herself for breaking off the kiss. "Not at work."

He let out an exasperated sign and backed away from her desk. "Oh, fine." He winked at her. "I suppose I'll just have to save my emotions for tonight."

Teresa cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Don't tease me, Jane."

"I'm not teasing you; I'm simply…informing you on the events for the night, is all." He retorted, a mock-innocence in his voice.

Teresa smiled, but before she could reply there was another knock on the door.

"Come in!" She called, and Jane stepped to the side of the room as though to get out of the way. In the doorway stood a young lady in her late teens with an expression of nervousness yet excitement shown through her eyes. The sight of her brought an aching into Patrick's heart that he could not fully explain; then again, young girls with blonde hair always made him think of his own blonde-haired daughter. But this was different. He felt almost a connection to her very being that he had never felt before. It was feeling so odd and unusual that he felt faint and had to sit own in one of the chairs across the room.

"Hello there." Lisbon spoke to the girl, apparently not noticing Patrick's reaction.

The girl took a step into the room. "Hi." She said a bit awkwardly. "You're Teresa Lisbon, correct?"

Patrick looked over the girl slowly, still trying to understand why he was feeling so strange. Of course, his underlying emotions were telling him that the girl in front of him had to be his daughter; after all, she surely did resemble a grown-up Charlotte that he had always imagined. But his rational mind pushed his feelings away; his baby girl was dead, and nothing could change that.

The teenager in front of him – who he assumed to be eighteen or so – had the crazy blonde curls for hair that his own Charlotte had inherited from him. She had them neatly pulled to the side in a ponytail, and they cascaded around the one side of her neck and chest. She had stunning blue pools for eyes, and her light skin was unblemished and smooth. She had soft features and an overall beauty about her that practically made her illuminate the room.

"I am." Teresa responded. "Can I help you?"

The girl nodded. "I hope so. I'm looking for one of your agents, actually."

Teresa nodded as well, signaling the teenager to go on.

"His name is Patrick Jane." Patrick's eyebrows snapped up as his name was mentioned, but he wasn't sure if the girl noticed. In fact, she seemed so anxious and focused on Teresa, he wondered if she'd even really taken note that he was in the room at all. She continued, "I've been told that he's blonde, dresses well, a bit of a troublemaker…" The girl trailed off as Teresa smiled slightly.

"Yes, I know Patrick well. That description was rather perfect, may I add."

The girl smiled a bit as well. "That's what they told me about him at the front desk."

"Well, luckily for you, Mr. Jane is right here." Teresa signaled to her right, where Patrick was already standing up from the chair. "May I ask why you're looking for him?"

But the girl did not reply. It was unlikely by the look on her face if she had even heard Teresa or not. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and her face white as a sheet as she stared up at Patrick. He peered back down at her, surprised by her reaction.

"I still remember…" The girl breathed out the words so softly, it was hard for Patrick to even decipher what she had said at all. She seemed to be filled with genuine shock.

A little bit louder, she went on. "And my angel, off to sleep. Tomorrow we'll make more memories to keep." Her eyes became glistened with tears.

At her poetic words, it was Jane's turn to react with shock and fear. He shook his head, slowly at first, and then more quickly, as though he was trying to wake himself from a dream. "No, no, no, no, no. How can you know those words? How can you –" He trailed off, and then suddenly did something Teresa had never really witnessed him do.

He openly wept.

"Because," The girl ran up to Patrick and took his hands into hers. Tears fell freely from her eyes as well. "You used to say that verse every night to me before I went to sleep. And then you would tuck me in and kiss me on my forehead. I still remember it. I still remember."

Patrick continued to shake his head and pulled his hands away from her grasp. "You're a liar." He managed to whisper. "My Charlotte has been dead for a decade. You can't –" He trailed off once again. Lisbon watched the scene unraveling in front of her in confusion and utter disbelief.

"But I am." The girl's soft voice whispered through her tears. "I'm your Charlotte, daddy. I've finally found you again."

TO BE CONTINUED…