Chapter 2
It was her seventh birthday when Charlotte finally waved goodbye to Sophie Miller and walked out of the hospital for the first time since her mother's death. The last year had been a tough one, especially for Jane. Charlotte's slow (and still partial) recovery had required her father to face his own wounds as well.
There had been times when he'd been afraid he would lose his own mind instead of helping his daughter to heal. Luckily he'd had Lisbon constantly at his side, giving him the support he needed and yelling at him whenever he deserved it.
Jane paused on the threshold of his new apartment. Maybe he wasn't ready for this; he doubted that he ever would, actually.
"Home?" his little girl asked as she trotted inside.
Lisbon gently nudged him forward. "Everything's going to be fine, Jane."
He took a deep breath and went inside. The apartment they'd chosen was very nice, but he wasn't sure it would ever feel like home; not after all he and his daughter had been through. Wearily he plopped onto the couch and stared at Lisbon as she busied herself around the kitchen. She'd promised Charlotte a special birthday, and she was going to stick to it. When the kid was done with snooping about every room she barged into the living room again.
"There's no monsters, daddy."
"Well done, sweetheart. Now look at what Aunt Teresa has made for you."
Charlotte's eyes widened when she saw the tray of chocolate cupcakes; they had always been her favorites. She immediately reached for one, then paused midway and looked up sharply at Lisbon.
"Is this a present?"
"Nope. It's a belated breakfast, since you only had tea this morning."
The girl smiled and bit into the cupcake. Jane knew it had been over a year since she last had one, and the look of pure joy on her face made everything worth it.
xxx
When Lisbon had agreed to sleep in the spare room of Jane's apartment for a couple of nights she wasn't expecting him to wake her up at half past five in the morning.
"Jane, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare or something?"
"I went downstairs to fetch a glass of water for Charlotte, and I found this letter. Someone must have slipped it under the front door."
She snatched the note from his hands and quickly read it.
I'm glad to hear that your beautiful daughter is now feeling better. Maybe I'll come and visit her one of these days.
There was no signature at all, but neither of them had doubts as to who might have written such a message.
"I won't allow Red John harm her, I promise."
"He's going to kill her this time. I have to find him, Lisbon."
"We have to find him, Jane."
"I'll do whatever it takes to save my daughter. You have to understand that."
She placed both of her hands on his forearms. "I won't let you kill him. Charlotte needs you, and you know it."
He bowed his head in defeat. "I know."
"If it ever comes to that, I'd rather be the one to kill him. But I still want him to stand trial and be sentenced to death."
"Okay."
For the first time since they'd met Lisbon wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. Jane closed his eyes and let her comfort him this way. She was the best friend he'd ever had; beyond Charlotte, she was the only source of strength he could turn to nowadays.
He clung desperately to the hope that together they might really be able to protect his precious daughter. Even Lisbon wouldn't be able to save him if anything else happened to her.
xxx
"Mr. Jane. It's nice to finally meet you in person."
He took a few steps towards the man that was grinning pleasantly in spite of the guns leveled at him. "I hope you're going to rot in hell, you delusional freak."
"As you well know, Patrick, there is no hell. When I die, I won't be punished."
"I'll be there to look you in the eyes as you die. That will be enough."
Red John shook his head and addressed him a deprecating smirk. "What happened to all your talk about revenge? Are you giving up already? Here I am. Do what you have to do."
Jane's lips began to tremble, and his hand closed around the gun he was secretly carrying into his pocket. There was no point in denying how much he wanted to do this.
Images of that fateful night flooded back into his brain. His wife's butchered body among bloodstained sheet, and the haunted look in his daughter's eyes as she lay in a heap on the floor.
His finger went to the trigger. He only had to pull it, and all of this would be over right now. Charlotte would be safe, and he would have the revenge he longed for.
"Come on, Patrick. Don't tell me that you lack the guts to do what you've promised on your wife's grave."
Lisbon suddenly interposed between them. "Shut up, Red John or I'll shoot you myself."
"Ah, Agent Lisbon, it's nice to meet you as well. I might have underestimated you, I'll give you that. Guess you're the reason why our common friend has forgotten his poor wife so soon."
"We're not together; we're just friends."
With that she forced him on his knees and handcuffed him. As Cho and Rigsby dragged his foe away, Jane stood rooted to the spot; his mind suddenly void of any thought. Then Lisbon ordered Van Pelt to take him home, while she drove back to the headquarters in order to supervise the operations.
She wouldn't allow Red John to escape the punishment he deserved.
xxx
A month had passed since Red John's execution.
Jane and his daughter were slowly adjusting to some sort of normal life again. Charlotte still had trouble sleeping, and she panicked whenever she was left alone in a darkened room. Yet Sophie Miller said it was only natural under the circumstances, and certain fears were never going to disappear completely.
However, Charlotte was quite fine all things considered. Lisbon was more than happy to spend her spare time with the kid. That was something that the little girl had been seeking more and more frequently in the last few weeks. She'd started talking about her mother of late, and that was a very good sign according to the psychiatrist. Teresa told her about her own childhood in return, in spite of how self-conscious she was about Jane hearing those things as well.
It made her feel as if she was a part of their family somehow.
One evening Lisbon was doing the dishes after dinner, while Jane and Charlotte were in the living room watching TV. Suddenly, someone crept behind her and slid an arm around her waist, she almost dropped the teapot to the floor.
"Jane. What… what are you doing?"
He rested the other hand on her cheek and searched her eyes for a moment. Then leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly against hers. She couldn't help responding to his kiss, as her arms instinctively went to his neck.
"I'm not… your wife, Patrick."
"I know," he replied quite breathlessly.
Teresa moaned softly when his tongue traced the seam of the mouth. The last thing she was expecting was him suddenly pulling back with a horrified look showing on his face. As she followed his gaze she saw Charlotte standing on the threshold and staring at the two of them.
A wave of guilt rushed through her. What had they done?
xxx
She left Jane to panic alone in the kitchen and immediately followed Charlotte. The girl had retreated to her bedroom, and was now sitting on her bed. A deep frown creased her brow, just like Jane's.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's my fault. I promise it won't ever happen again."
Charlotte considered her words for a moment. "Why?"
Lisbon bit her lip. "We're friends, your daddy and me and I care for him. But I promise you I would never…"
"No. Why won't it happen again?"
"I want you to be happy, Charlotte. I won't put myself between you and your dad. I know how much you love and miss your mom."
The kid shrugged. "Mommy's dead. Daddy can marry again."
"It was just a kiss."
"Would you marry my daddy if he asked you?"
She took a deep breath. "He's not going to ask; we're just friends. I'm really sorry for upsetting you, okay?"
Charlotte gave her an impish smirk. "When you get married, I want to be a bridesmaid."
With that she jumped off the bed and rushed out of the room, leaving a bemused Teresa to mull over what she'd just said.
xxx
"Dad! Be careful! You mustn't step on my photos."
"Don't you think it's a bit difficult, honey? You covered the whole floor with photos…"
Charlotte tilted her head to one side. "They were so many. Where was I supposed to put them?"
"And what are you going to do now, if I'm allowed to ask?"
"Watch them. Sit here with me, Daddy, and I'll show you."
Obediently he crouched on the living room carpet beside her.
"Here's you and mommy the day you got married. And this is uncle… uncle…"
"Danny. He's your mom's brother."
"Then there are Uncle Kimball, Uncle Wayne and Aunt Grace."
"Where did you find this one? Cho's almost smiling, I can't believe it!"
A proud look showed on the kid's face. "I went through all the drawers in the whole apartment, and took every photo I could find."
Jane sighed softly. He could easily picture the mess she'd left behind her. Well, they could always tidy up later, couldn't they?
"This is me, right?" She held up a photograph from the day she was born.
"Yes. You were the most beautiful baby in the whole hospital. All the doctors loved you."
"And this is me again, this time in the bridesmaid dress. Where did you put my dress, Daddy?"
"It's in the wardrobe in my bedroom. Don't tell me you're planning to wear it again."
Charlotte shrugged. "Maybe Aunt Grace will get married?"
"And you really think she'd have a little imp like you as a bridesmaid?"
His daughter always looked so cute when she was pouting. "I'm not an imp, Dad."
He kissed her on top of her head. "I was joking, sweetheart."
"I was a very good bridesmaid at your wedding. Teresa always says so."
"Of course you were."
"Where's the photo of the wedding? Ha, here it is! There's Uncle Tommy with Annie, and also Grandpa Virgil wearing a tie."
"I wouldn't advise you to call Minelli grandpa when he's within earshot."
"Are you kidding me? He loves it when I do!"
"Where's Teresa?" he asked, swiftly changing the subject. "I thought she was going to take a nap on the couch."
"She's been sick again, and then went to bed."
The girl paused and put the photo back on the floor. "Dad, what's wrong with Teresa? Why is she always sick?"
Jane stroked her golden curls, wondering if the time had come to tell his daughter about it. She would have to know sooner or later. At ten, she had turned into quite the precocious little thing, in spite of everything she'd been through. But there were things she still needed to be told.
"Your mother was sometimes sick too, when she was pregnant with you."
Charlotte stared at him speechless for a full minute. "You mean that you and Teresa are going to have a baby?"
"Well, it happens sometimes, when a man and a woman love each other very much..."
"I'm going to have a baby brother or sister?"
"Yes, you are – in a little less than six months. Are you happy about it?"
"Yes, Daddy!"
Something seemed to be clouding her happiness though. Her father ran a gentle finger on her cheek.
"Charlotte, if you need to talk about this…"
She shook her head slowly. "You'll make sure that no monster hurt Teresa or my baby brother or sister, right?"
Jane fought the sudden lump in his throat as he drew her into his arms.
"I will, darling. I will."
