- SIX YEARS LATER-

Chapter One: Sunshine Fun

"Daddy! Daddy! Catch me!"

Patrick Jane looked around just in time to see his six-year-old daughter launch herself off the swing and into his arms. She giggled as she flung her arms round his neck. Jane took a few steps backwards as the impact hit him, but he quickly wrapped his arms round her and hugged her tightly.

"Did you see how high I went, daddy?" she asked, grinning.

"I did, Willow, you were so high, I thought I was going to have to call the International Space Station to see if they had seen you!"

She giggled again and Jane put her down. She ran off to the tree by the lake where Jane and Rigsby had built a tree house for the children to play in. Maddie and Willow were three years apart in age and were quite close. Jane watched his daughter climb up the ladder and disappear into the house where she was probably having a tea-party. He stood there for a few minutes, reminding himself how lucky he was to have a second chance at this, at a family life. When Angela and Charlotte died, he never dreamed he would be that happy again. But then he met Teresa Lisbon and everything changed. And now he had a second chance.

"Ouch!" Jane was brought to his senses by a crashing sound. He spun round and saw his son lying under his bike. He ran over.

"Toby? Are you ok?" he asked, pulling the bike from on top of him. Jane's eyes connected with his son's and he was lost for a second. Toby had his mother's eyes, beautifully green but they were brimming with tears. He quickly scooped his son up and held him tight.

"Hey, it's ok." He said softly, stroking his golden curled hair, "It's just a little bump, happens all the time."

Toby sniffed, "Did you ever fall off your bike?"

"All the time." Jane smiled reassuringly. He placed Toby back down on his two feet and picked up the bike, "The trick is always to get back on, even if you fall off."

"But… what if I fall off again?" Toby asked, his bottom lip tembling as he looked at the bike, fear in his eyes.

Patrick crouched down and looked his four-year-old in the eyes, "You will. Plenty of times, but that doesn't mean that you stop. Never ever stop trying, Toby." He held the bike firmly in one hand and picked up Toby with the other. Carefully, he placed Toby on the bike. "Go on!" he encouraged, standing back.

Toby placed his feet on the pedals and began to move. He was wobbly at first, but when he stayed on the bike, he gained confidence. He began to laugh, "Look, Daddy, look! I'm…I'm riding a bike!"

Patrick smiled, "Of course you are!"

Teresa poked her head out of the house just in time to see her son whizz past on his bike. She looked in the direction that he had come from and saw her husband, stood with one hand shielding his eyes, watching his son, grinning from ear to ear. She wandered over to where he was stood and linked her arm with his, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So, since when could Toby ride his bike?" she asked him, smiling.

"Since about three minutes ago." He replied.

"He was determined to do it."

"Now it will be hard to stop him."

"Where's Willow?" Teresa asked, looking around.

"In the tree house." He replied, "She was on the swing."

"Ah."

Jane looped his arm round his wife's shoulders and pulled her in. They stood like that for a while, watching Toby race around on his bike and see Willow poke her head out of the tree house window every now and then. Eventually, she descended, and the family played chase, running in and out of the trees. After a while, Teresa took Toby inside to use the toilet and Patrick and Willow went for a walk around the lake. For a while, they walked in a comfortable silence, Willow holding onto Jane's hand. Then they stopped by the log that Patrick had proposed to Teresa on. He sat down in the shade and watched his daughter laughing and throwing sticks and stones into the lake.

He couldn't help but imagining what life would have been like if Charlotte and Angela hadn't died. Would they have had this kind of a life? Would he still be a psychic, conning people out of their money, or would he have become an honest man? He supposed he would never know. Sometimes, if he looked at Willow, there were certain things that she did or phrases she used that reminded him of Charlotte. She could make him laugh, make him dizzy, make him crazy, but he loved her and he would never stop loving her.

"Daddy? Why are you sad?" a small voice brought Jane out of his musings.

"Hmm?" he looked up and saw Willow standing over him, "Oh, I'm not sad, sweetie, I'm just thinking."

"You're crying."

Jane placed a hand on his cheek and it came away damp. He smiled at her and patted for her to sit down. "I'm not sad, Willow, I'm actually very happy."

"Then why are you crying?" she asked.

"I was thinking about my other daughter." He paused, "She was a lot like you!" and he tapped her nose.

Willow giggled, "Where is she?"

"She died, a long time ago now."

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "Don't be. It happened a long time ago now." He looked at her, "I have you, and Mommy, and Toby, and I think she would want me to be happy now, which I am."

"I'm very happy you're my daddy." She said, holding his hand and looking into his eyes, "I wouldn't want anyone else to be my daddy."

Jane felt a lump form in his throat. He kissed the top of her forehead, "Thank you, Willow. I love you."

She smiled, "I love you too."

"Now, how about you show me what you were doing?"

They spent the next half an hour skimming stones until they heard Lisbon shouting for them. They ran hand in hand back round to the house and washed up for dinner.

Lisbon smiled as he walked over to her.

"Have fun?" she asked.

He nodded, "Of course."

She smiled, "Good."

"I love you." He said, kissing her gently.

"I love you too." She replied, and with that, they all sat down to eat together.