Disclaimer: I don't own The Mentalist and have no rights to anything related to it. I also used the state park Devils Postpile; however I have never been there. Other than that the entire story is my own, so please read and enjoy.

No matter what he did, Jane couldn't get comfortable on his couch. He had been changing position for the last half hour. Sighing to himself, he got up and headed towards Lisbon's office.

"What is it, Jane?" Lisbon asked as Jane pushed the door open.

"I'm going to sleep in here," Jane answered as he dropped onto the couch.

"What is wrong with yours?" Lisbon asked.

"Nothing, just can't get comfortable," Jane replied as he closed his eyes.

"I thought you were finally getting some sleep," Lisbon stated as she closed her laptop.

"Somewhat," Jane said indifferently. The truth was the only good night sleep he had managed to get was when he had stayed over at Lisbon's place for Christmas Eve.

"Jane, I know...," Lisbon began when her eyes caught Bertram coming towards her office.

"Crap, we got a case," Lisbon growled right before Bertram entered the office.

"Agent Lisbon, I have a personal favor to ask," Bertram stated as sat down in the chair across from her.

"Yes, sir."

"A daughter of a close friend of mine has disappeared in the woods of Devils Postpile. I want your team to investigate the matter," Bertram explained.

"Sir, no disrespect but wouldn't the Missing Unit team be a better option?" Lisbon inquired.

"Not for this case. I want the best team for the job. The parents are already out there, as well as the local law enforcement. You will take lead," Bertram informed Lisbon.

"I understand, sir. We will leave immediately," Lisbon responded. Bertram nodded and stood up.

"I want this solved as soon as possible, Agent," Bertram said as he headed towards the door. "Oh, and one more thing. Please keep him in line." He motioned to Jane before heading out the door.

"Well, so much for a quiet New Year," Lisbon told Jane when Bertram was out of earshot.

"Meh, just another day of the week," Jane commented from his spot.

"One I was hoping to spend time sleeping," Lisbon snapped as she headed out the door.

"We have a case of a missing person in Devils Postpile."

"Missing person?" Van Pelt asked, surprised.

"This a personal favor to the director. A daughter of a good friend of his is missing," Lisbon answered as she handed the file to Van Pelt. "Rigsby, I want you to drive. Let's try to solve this one as soon as possible."

"A nice trip to the forest is always nice," Jane commented as he walked up behind Lisbon.

"Oh, yeah," Lisbon replied sarcastically.

"I promise I won't wander off," Jane remarked as the team entered the elevator.

"I know you won't, because you are staying in the car this time." Lisbon smiled.

Devils Postpile in Reds Meadow Valley, California:

"Captain Ryan. I am Agent Lisbon and this is my team." Lisbon shook hands with the older gentleman.

"Agent. I have my officers checking the forest but haven't had any luck. The search dogs have already been through and haven't found anything yet," Ryan stated as he motioned the team to follow him.

"Who was the last person to have contact with her?" Van Pelt asked.

"Her boyfriend. A Sean Mayer who is sitting in the visitor station at the moment. We don't believe he had anything to do with the case of her gone missing," Ryan answered.

"Why is that?" Jane asked as he sped up to walk with the captain.

"He said they both had been drinking, and he collapsed in the tent around 10pm. He woke up this morning around 7am and Stacy Miller was nowhere to be seen," Ryan explained.

"Where are her parents at?" Lisbon asked as they approached the visitor station.

"They are in the visitor station with one of my officers. The mayor is quite upset about her daughter missing," Ryan stated as he walked into the station. "Agent, my team could have handled this entire situation but I was told by the mayor that she wanted the best people to find her daughter. I assume you are those people but I don't have to like this situation."

"We can take it from here, Captain," Lisbon answered, annoyed. Ryan gave them a quick nod before leaving them alone. "Cho, Rigsby, go check the campsite and see what you can find. Van Pelt, go talk to the boyfriend. Jane and I will talk to the family." Lisbon ordered before opening the door.

"Mayor Miller, I'm Agent Lisbon and this is Patrick Jane," Lisbon shook each of the parents' hands.

"Agent, you need to find my daughter," the father stated desperately.

"Sir, we will do everything in our power to find her. But we must ask some questions first," Lisbon answered as she sat down across from them.

"My daughter is out there in those woods and you are insisting on asking questions," the mayor spat.

"Ma'am, I understand but we must ask these questions," Lisbon responded softly.

"Sally, sit down and let them do their jobs," the husband pleaded as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Sally nodded her head and sat down.

"When was the last time you saw your daughter?" Jane piped up as he took a seat next to Lisbon.

"Two nights ago at dinner. She had a fight with her mother and then took off to a friend's house," the husband explained.

"John!" Sally cried.

"We are not going to hide anything from them," John said sternly.

"What was the argument about?" Lisbon asked.

"I wanted her to do some work with me during the summer instead of spending it with friends. She is going to be a senior and I wanted her to have some more extracurricular activities before she applies to college. But she straight-out told me she wasn't going to go to college but rather travel around the world," Sally explained irritated.

"Why not let her travel?" Jane asked. Lisbon glared at him.

"Mr. Jane, do you have children?" Sally asked. Lisbon averted her eyes from Jane.

"No," Jane answered quietly.

"Then how can you begin to understand that a parent only wants what is best for their child and her going off to travel wasn't that. She needs to go to college, get a degree then a good job," Sally lectured.

"You don't want her to make the same mistake as you," Jane replied, angered. Sally opened her mouth to protest but Jane waved her off. " You think if you tell her what she should do then you can protect her from the world, well you have another thing coming then."

"Jane!" Lisbon hissed. Jane shrugged her off before getting up and heading out the door.

"I want that man removed from the case," Sally demanded.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, I can't do that. You requested the best people for the job and he comes with the team," Lisbon stated before headed out the door to find Jane.

Lisbon found Jane outside near the cars, staring up at the sky. She walked over and stood next to him. She was always unsure of what to say to him when someone asked if he had children but she couldn't blame him for what he had said. Hell, she would have said the same thing.

"Are you okay?" Lisbon asked softy.

"I'm fine," Jane answered nonchalantly.

"I know you better than that, Jane. She got to you," Lisbon stated.

"Really, I'm fine," Jane answered but didn't meet her eyes.

"Fine. Cho said they found something interesting at the campsite," Lisbon whispered before heading into the woods. She knew Jane would be right behind her like he always was.

"What do you have, Cho?" Lisbon asked as they entered the campsite.

"We only have two sets of footprints," Cho replied. Lisbon motioned him to continue. "The boyfriend said he was asleep when she disappeared but these tracks suggest that a struggle took place."

"Maybe the boyfriend hurt her then tried to cover it up," Rigsby suggested.

"Let's not start making assumptions until Van Pelt is done talking with the boyfriend," Lisbon reprimanded. "Why don't you two head back, I'll stay with Jane and see if he can come up with anything else."

"Yes boss," Rigsby stated as he and Cho walked away.

"What is your take?" Lisbon asked Jane. "There are several beers inside the tent and the sleeping bag looks like it has been slept in but the tracks seem off."

"In what way?" Lisbon asked as studied Jane.

"The struggle seems to lead to the tent. And if you look closely it seems the bigger set of prints are the one being dragged," Jane stated as he pointed to the prints.

"Maybe she was trying to get the boyfriend into the tent, but why?" Lisbon asked.

"Hmm, that is the question, isn't it?" Jane replied as he got up and headed away from the campsite.

"Where are you going?" Lisbon asked as she caught up with him.

"Just wanted a nice walk through the woods," Jane remarked with a smile.

"Liar, tell me the truth," Lisbon observed. Jane smiled at her but didn't answer. "You know, sometimes you can be incorrigible."

"There was no car at the visitor station, and they didn't walk from her house to here. So how did they get here?" Jane asked as he started down a trail.

"Maybe one of their friends dropped them off," Lisbon suggested.

"I don't think so," Jane said as he stopped and looked around. "The beer is not something sold in stores, so more than likely they got it from someone. So we are looking...," Jane began.

"For someone off the beaten path that would have given them the beer," Lisbon interrupted. Jane nodded and headed off the path.

"Aha," Jane said as a small cabin came into view.

"Looks like something out of a horror movie," Lisbon observed as they got closer.

"Meh, it is just another cabin in the woods," Jane stated as knocked on the door.

"Famous last words?" Lisbon smirked.

"I guess nobody is home," Jane said as he turned the door handle. The door opened with a slight creak.

"I don't think anyone has been here in a while," Lisbon commented as she looked inside. The place was empty except for a mattress and several layers of dust everywhere. The windows were boarded up from the outside.

"There must be other cabins around here," Jane said, disappointed.

"Why so disappointed? You are bound to be incorrect sometimes," Lisbon smiled.

"This was the most direct path to the campsite," Jane explained, a little annoyed.

"Jane, this isn't even close to a direct path," Lisbon shot back.

"Not counting the trail path, the one I took leads straight to the campsite," Jane explained. Lisbon rolled her eyes.

"Let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps," Lisbon stated as she headed towards the door.

"Hmm, sure," Jane said, a little distantly as he looked around.

"What is it?" Lisbon asked, as she knew that look.

"Not sure but something doesn't seem right," Jane said truthfully.

"Well, when you figure it out, let me know," Lisbon stated as she grabbed his arm to move him towards the door.

"Do you hear that?" Jane asked as he stopped.

"Hear what?" Lisbon asked. Jane placed a finger on his lips to silence her and walked quietly to the door. There were several clicks and then a crashing sound against the door. Jane gave Lisbon a look as he placed his hand on the door handle.

"Hmm, I think we might be in trouble," Jane stated as he turned the door handle but the door didn't open.

"Don't play games Jane," Lisbon stated as she walked over to the door and tried the handle herself.

"You don't, by any chance have cell reception?" Jane asked as he looked at her.

Next chapter is coming soon.