Author's Note: This fic has a lot of OCs, but in later chapters it will be revealed who all they are. Most of them are from Jane's past and his past's past.

Disclaimer: You should know by now, I just cannot own this… or we wouldn't have waited six years for the magical kiss.

It is 5am on a Monday morning and Patrick Jane is sitting at his desk, typing away on his laptop. Working? No, checking Facebook. He intently scrolls through the page of a certain Nevaeh Carlson, as well as daughters Quinn and Zarina Carlson. There are family pictures of the three at the beach, a video of Quinn singing at a school variety show and another of Zarina winning her school-wide spelling bee. From two separate links, Jane checks his balance and an event calendar. He frowns at the date, and then selects around eight thousand dollars to be sent to an anonymous account. This transfers to a couple others, then directly to the Carlson family bank. He slightly smiles when a message pops up, stating the currency arrival.

Jane exits the Carlsons' pages then turns to click on 'Rodney Ridgley.' The man is older than Jane, maybe in his late sixties. His profile picture is of the African-American man wearing a camo cap and overalls, holding a dirt-covered shovel with a gloved hand. Jane murmurs to himself the last status update.

Been invited to a wedding… blessing or sick joke? – Feeling uneasy.

The last thing before that hadn't been for a few months. An uploaded picture of a gravestone, with the marker reading 'Mary-Cae Ridgley, Dearly loved mother, daughter and sparring-partner.' Jane sits back, closes his eyes and relives a short memory.

Flashback

Patrick Jane, aged thirteen is visiting an alternate carnival circuit. His father is missing and his mother had been dead for two years. He arrives with long-time family friends, thirty-something Madge Carlson and her ten-year-old daughter Nevaeh. A bright smile appears on young Patrick's face when he finds Rodney feeding the cycling monkeys. Rodney catches the grin and returns it by tossing a quarter in the air. While Patrick watches it flip, Rodney disappears – to right behind the sightseers.

"Ridgey!" Nevaeh squeals, being the first to turn around.

"Neva!" He shouts with the same enthusiasm. "Paddy! Madge, what brings you all out here?"

"Alex is on a business trip." She purses her lips and Rodney seems to immediately understand. "So, I thought the kids could stay here for a while. Maybe feed George and Michael? Take some rides on Ol' Jackson?"

The kids perk up at this news and without delay start begging for Rodney to take up Madge on her proposition. A little later, Rodney had agreed to watch Nevaeh and Patrick. Madge had said her goodbyes and the kids are off to the animals.

Patrick pauses from feeding an upside-down monkey when he hears a school bus pull up. Neva continues as Patrick runs to the front of the carnival. Sure enough, a thirteen-year-old dark-skinned girl in a tracksuit is running down the edge of a fencepost with a set of papers in one hand and an instrument case in the other.

"Daddy! Daddy! I got in!" She screams.

Patrick meets up with her before she reaches her dad, well tackles into her really. After brushing herself off with an alert shout, she squints into the dust to catch a better glimpse of her attacker.

"Paddy Jane! You old fool!"

"Hey! I ain't tell you get up there. 'Sides, I'm the same age as you!"

"Says you!" She bickers back. "No one tells me what to do and where's your proof?"

Before he can do anything, Rodney excitedly runs out with grease all over his clothes. "Did I hear you right?"

"Daddy, look!" She thrusts the papers in his face. "I got in!"

"Shoot!" He replies after scanning the top paper. "My little Mary-Cae's going to Riverview Academy. My little musical prodigy."

He gives her a quick squeeze then chuckles as he notices Patrick changing from the corner of his eye. He picks up a nearby lance and places a mask on his head. "Ready for that proof?"

"You are so on." She unzips her tracksuit, revealing her already donned fencing uniform. She removes her mask from her bag and grabs a ready lance from Patrick. "Let's go for that proof."

End flashback

Jane grunts then moves from that page. He glances at the time. 7:47am. He exits from his balances and the calendar. He then sets out to find one last page. Ricky Dense.