A/N: Hello all. I decided to do a longer fic that focuses on my Jane family for a year, just to see what its like. I will apologise now, I am British and I am sure that I will get things wrong! I am reliant on Google, but if I do make a mistake, I would appreciate it if you DM'd me or left a message in the review box! But I hope you enjoy this longer fic. The plan is to upload every week, depending on how busy I am. So hopefully see you next Sunday. But for now, enjoy January!

The kids ages at the beginning, incase anyone wants to know: Willow is 14, T.J is 12, Chris is 7 and little Sophie is 4! A/N

January

"Toby! Will you fly that blasted helicopter somewhere else!" Teresa Jane shouted through the house. She had no idea where her eldest son was but the helicopter, they had got him for Christmas was flying round the house and currently disturbing her as she tried to look over a recent case file.

"Sorry Mom!" he called back, and the flying contraption left her in peace.

"How goes the worker?" asked her husband, Patrick Jane from the shadows of the kitchen.

"Jesus, Patrick, you scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Sorry, I only came in to make some tea but could see you were working hard and couldn't resist."

"Oh, thank you very much!" she said, massaging her temples.

Jane, seeing that his wife was stressed, came and sat at the table. He took her hands in his and kissed her on the cheek.

"What's the case?" he asked softly.

"Two shootings in San Diego. No prints, no weapon, no leads." She sighed.

"May I?" he asked, looking at the case file.

"Sure. You may have better luck than me!"

Jane looked over the file while drinking his tea while Teresa sat with her head in her hands.

"It looks like one was stabbed while the other was strangled." He remarked.

"Hmm, that's what Hernandez concluded. But he thinks they were killed by the same person as the blood of the victim who was stabbed was found on the man who was strangled."

"Yes, that looks about right."

"I wish you would come in and work cases more often." She looked at him.

He smiled sadly, "And who would keep the rabble out there under wraps!"

Teresa smiled, "I know. I miss working with you, that's all."

"I come in and work the smaller cases!"

"I know! But it's not like the old days!" she moaned.

"Of course it's not, we have four kids!"

She laughed, "I know!"

"MOM! T.J WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!" shouted Willow from the living room.

"I've got it!" said Patrick, getting up from the table, "Only a few more days and they'll be back in school!"

"Is it bad to say I can't wait?" she asked.

Jane smiled and kissed her on the forehead, "I don't think so! Especially when we have Willow and T.J to contend with!"

She laughed as she walked out of the kitchen and then groaned when she looked at the case file in front of her. She glanced once more over it and decided to give it up as a bad job. Instead, she made a pot of coffee and went off to rescue her husband from her squabbling children.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

In late January, the temperature warmed slightly so Patrick and Teresa decided to have the firepit out one evening. They had bought marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate to make smores. Teresa had sighed and fussed about the kids having a sugar high right before bed, but Jane had grinned and said it was a treat and they didn't do this very often. Jane got the pit going around 5.30, just as Teresa was sitting the kids down to dinner. As he came back in, they got a whiff of smoke.

"You kids are definitely having a bath after we finish!" smiled Teresa, as she cut up Sophie's food for her. She looked at Patrick, "And you are definitely having a shower!"

Jane mock saluted and said, "Yes, ma'am!"

Teresa rolled her eyes, handed the dinner to her four-year-old and began to eat her own dinner.

Once the plates had been cleaned and put away, Patrick and Teresa persuaded Chris, T.J and Willow into jackets and helped Sophie to put hers on. They then all walked out into the garden.

"Woah!" remarked Willow in amazement, looking around at the garden. Jane had gone to town on the garden. The fire pit was set up in the middle of the garden and he had strung fairy lights up round the fencing. He'd also put lea lights in bowls and put them round the edge of the garden. "Dad, it looks amazing!" she headed for one of the chairs set round the fire and grinned, "This is great!"

"Thanks, Wills!" he smiled.

"Yeah, who knew you were so creative Dad!" grinned T.J, walking off to sit with his sister. Chris followed.

Sophie looked up at Jane and held out her arms. Patrick picked her up and walked over holding Lisbon's hand.

"Do you have to hold hands?" Chris asked, rolling his eyes, "No one over the age of 21 should be doing that in public, or at all!"

Patrick looked at his youngest son, a cheeky glint in his eye. He put Sophie in her chair, placed one hand on the small of Teresa's back and kissed her, in front of the children.

"Eww!" said Chris and T.J in unison.

Patrick grinned against Teresa's lips and he could feel her smile back too. He pulled away and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Eugh. I'm off to my room!" moaned Chris and he got up to leave.

"Sit down, Chris!" smiled Teresa, "Your father's just winding you up!"

"I'm sorry!" Jane smiled, putting his hands in the air, "I promise not to touch your mother for the rest of the evening…. Until you're all in bed that is!"

The three eldest children squirmed, and Jane laughed.

"Leave them alone!" reprimanded Teresa, although she was smiling.

"They make it so easy!" he protested.

Lisbon sighed and shook her head.

"Marshmallows?" Sophie asked, looking at her parents, wondering why they were smiling, and her siblings were all blushing and cringing.

"Of course, Soph!" smiled Jane, "What would a fire pit be without Marshmallows!" He pulled out a big bag of marshmallows and the packet of graham crackers.

"Smores!" cried Chris and T.J, throwing their arms in the air in excitement.

Teresa laughed and Jane grinned. "Smores!" he replied.

He handed each of his children and Teresa a stick and a marshmallow. While they were toasting, he handed round the packet of graham crackers. It was such a pleasant evening and laughter and chatter filled the air. It was a good excuse to catch up with the kids as they spent so much time apart these days what with work and school and extra-curriculars. Willow, with her photographic memory, was taking on extra work and also tutoring her friends at the weekends as a means of earning some money. T.J had joined his middle school football team and turned out to be quite a gifted player. Neither Patrick nor Teresa knew where he got it from. Chris was beginning to show that he was academic like his sister, but he also was showing a talent for baseball. Chris was a mix of Willow and T.J both school-wise and in temperament. And Sophie. What could be said about Sophie? She was just sweet and innocent. She could make Patrick and Teresa bend over in fits of laughter and she could melt butter. She was the splitting image of her father with the same eyes and a mop of curly blonde hair. Patrick was the first to admit it. He had been very lucky to have had a second shot at being a family.

"Dad, did I tell you that coach wants to try me on the main school team?" T.J asked.

"No, but that's fantastic news T.J!"

"Just don't let it interfere with your schoolwork!" reminded Lisbon.

"And don't think I'm going to do it for you!" added Willow.

T.J rolled his eyes, "I promise I'll keep my grades up."

"Atta boy!"

"Daddy, when can I go to school?" asked Sophie.

"You start Kindergarten in September, Soph." said Chris, smiling at his younger sister.

"I wanna go school like Lo and Teej and Chris!" she replied, her bottom lip wobbling.

"And you will," replied Teresa, kissing her cheek, 'You just have to be patient is all. You'll get there!"

"You'll have so much fun in kindergarten!" smiled Willow, "Sure beats High School."

Jane smiled sympathetically at his daughter, "You'll be at college in no time!"

She smiled, "Thanks Dad. I was thinking about applying to San Fran State?"

"Really?" asked Lisbon, "That close?"

"Why? Do you want me to go halfway across the country?" she asked grinning.

"Yes!" said T.J, "Then I'd get your room and it's in the attic and…"

"Like hell are you getting my room!" Willow glared at her brother, "Maddie goes to San Fran even though she lives in the city and she likes it there. Plus, they do my course."

"What if you get offers for Harvard and Princeton? You're a smart kid." Said Jane.

Willow blushed, "I'm not that smart…"

"Are you kidding me?" said T.J, "You remember everything you've ever read even if you've only read it once!"

"I'm sure your just…"

"Don't say I'm exaggerating! Cause I'm not!"

"Name every twentieth century president in order!" smiled Chris. It was one of his favourite things to do with his sister, get her to list things and give him a weird and wonderful fact.

Willow blushed.

"Go on!" egged T.J, "We know you know so why hide it?"

"Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, James Carter, Ronald Regan, George Bush Sr and Bill Clinton." She recited.

Jane winked at her and she blushed even deeper, if that was possible.

"You have a gift, Wills." Said T.J, catching a marshmallow that Chris had thrown his way, "Me, I'll be lucky to get into college with my brains, that's why I play football, maybe I can get a scholarship, but you, you've got a gift. You're so smart, Wills, I wish I was like you. Maybe I wouldn't be such a jerk if I was."

Willow wiped a tear from her eye and grinned, "No, I'm pretty sure you'd still be a jerk!"

T.J smiled and threw a marshmallow at her, "I'm never getting sappy again!"