Thanks so much for the reviews. I'm glad people are enjoying this story. My plan is for a short, few chapter story - but I never know - it may go longer (depending on reviews of course - blatant bribery).

It had taken a full week to get everything sorted out concerning Lily. He'd also found out that he was executor of Danny's will – which didn't mean much more than packing up his and Emma's things and taking most of them to Goodwill. Danny hadn't really left anything. He and his wife looked as if they'd been living pretty much hand to mouth. He did keep a few items – picture albums and personal mementos to give to Lily when she was older. Still, it made him horribly sad when he saw how little there was to show for two lives gone.

But then he looked at Lily and realized that wasn't true. They'd left something precious; something incomparable to the world and that was how it should be. He thought briefly of Charlotte and he wanted to weep.

But he didn't really have the time. After he'd disposed of her parent's things, Jane had to gather everything of Lily's and pack it all up. Some of it he decided would be easier to simply replace rather than having it shipped. In the end there were only a few boxes. Again, the Ruskins hadn't had much.

He'd asked Anne if Lily could stay with her for a couple of extra days while he ran around and did everything that needed to be done. He remembered enough about looking after a small child to know it would be almost impossible to get anything done if he had to take her with him. Fortunately she agreed and he was able to move quickly and efficiently to finalize everything.

The day finally came when he was ready to take her back with him to Austin. He had rented a car and had purchased a new car seat and was all set to go. He had a small diaper bag with the necessary items for the trip, a plane ticket and all her papers. He also had a letter from Danny. This one had been addressed to him and remained sealed. He was going to wait until he was home before opening it and reading it.

"Okay Miss Lily", he told the little girl who was giving him another big grin as she gnawed on a teething ring. "It's time to go."

He shook Anne's hand and thanked her and then picked up the baby and headed out to a new life. He didn't know whether to be excited or terrified.

By the time he got home to Austin he realized that neither emotion was at the top of his list. The emotion he should have been thinking of was exhaustion – or maybe he should say the reality. He'd forgotten how much work a young child could be. She was a sweetheart and was happy most of the time – but she had grown fussy half-way home and he'd had quite a time keeping her from driving everyone on the plane crazy. He knew it was mostly her teeth, but had to figure she was also missing her parents. Besides that he had heard that planes – and the changing pressure – often bothered young babies.

Whatever the cause, by the time he got back home he was ready to collapse. Of course Lily was now wide awake, hungry and not in the least interested in taking a nap.

Jane got back to his Airstream and quickly set up the travel crib and plunked the baby down in it so that he could get a bottle ready for her. Not surprisingly, she began to wail, sounding as if she was being tortured by the evil man in the suit.

He stripped off his jacket, sweaty and sticky from travelling. The spit up and drool on the shoulder were also rather unattractive and reminded him of Rigsby. "Just a minute", he called to the crying baby. He made the formula and put it in the warmer. He took the opportunity to change her – causing even louder cries but knowing they'd both be happier if she had a dry bum.

"Okay, okay", he told her breathlessly. "It's almost ready. Do you know you're as bad as Wayne when you're hungry!" He carried her over to the little kitchenette area and tested the bottle. It could be a bit warmer, but he figured it was worth his life to wait.

He sat on the bench seat and held Lily in one arm and offered her the bottle. Of course she fought it with all she was worth, now so upset that she was refusing to eat. Closing his eyes he wondered if this had been a good idea after all. He really wasn't cut out to be a father to an infant.

Or to an older child, he scoffed. He didn't have a good record in the fatherhood department so what had made him think he could do this?

He finally set the bottle down and readjusted Lily so that she was sitting up a bit more. He then began to speak to her in a soft monotone.

"Hey baby, don't cry. It's okay. Patrick is here and soon everything will be all right. I love you and you're safe. Don't cry." He repeated the words over and over until slowly she began to calm down. She was looking at him directly, her beautiful blue eyes connecting with his, almost as if she understood. Finally, after a few minutes she settled down completely. This time, when he gave her the bottle, she leaned back and sucked hungrily on it.

By the time the bottle was finished Lily was sound asleep and Jane stared at her for a long time. While he still saw something of Charlotte in her, he now saw her as her own person. She was Lily and she was his responsibility. He lifted her slowly and kissed her soft cheek. But she wasn't just a responsibility. He smiled and suddenly wondered if maybe – just maybe – his life had just taken a turn for the better.

He spent the next few days looking for childcare for Lily. He'd have to go back to work soon and needed to have somewhere dependable to leave her. It was Abbott that gave him the solution by telling him about the FBI sponsored daycare. It was not on the premises – since the Oklahoma bombing they no longer allowed that – but it was only a couple of blocks away. Dennis told him that it had a great reputation and that they had someone available after hours in case an agent got caught up in a case. He helped get Lily in as they were not actually taking more children.

It was hard to leave her there, that first day, although he liked the caregivers he met. The children there looked happy and like they received lots of love and attention. He'd waved goodbye to the little girl – his little girl and she'd giggled and bounced in the arms of one of the childcare workers. It had been hard to leave her, but he still had lots to do before going back to work.

The first thing was to try to find a place to live. He contacted a real estate agent – also on the recommendation of Abbott – and was soon checking out apartments. He finally found a townhouse that was reasonably close to work and had a nice, enclosed yard. He put down a deposit and then began to look for furniture. The apartment was vacant and simply needed a bit of painting and repairs before he could move in so he had another week in the Airstream. It wasn't ideal – in fact it was way too cramped for a baby – but it was better than nothing.

Monday finally rolled around and he was ready to go back into work. He dropped Lily off with a big kiss and then headed to FBI headquarters. He still hadn't decided what, if anything to say to everyone.

He knew that eventually he'd have to tell them, but not right now. He was still trying to get his head around the idea of having a small child to look after and didn't want to deal with people's reactions.

In actual fact, if he was honest, it was Teresa's reaction that frightened him.

Dennis had informed him that all he'd said to everyone was that Jane had had a personal matter to deal with and would be gone for a few days. Patrick was sure that Teresa, at least, would be dying of curiosity, but knew that he could trust Abbott not to say anything.

He headed up the stairs and towards his couch, feeling exhausted even though the day hadn't even started. Lily had been up half the night crying because of her teeth and he hoped that they didn't catch a case today so that he could sleep. Then there was the fact that he worried about her. He knew it was crazy. He'd only had her for a few days but was already panicking about leaving her at the daycare.

"Hey Jane – you're back!" He stopped suddenly, almost having walked right into Agent Fischer. Damn it, but he had to pull himself together.

"I am indeed", he smiled. He decided he really needed a tea and switched direction but not before Kim had reached out and gently grabbed his arm. He regarded her enquiringly.

"So, is everything okay? We were worried."

"Were you?" he raised his brows. "That's nice. But everything's fine." He gave her another smile and headed off to the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cho lift his head. Although he knew that Kimball would never let on that he was curious, he was also probably dying to know where he'd been.

He got a cup of tea and instantly felt better. He made his way to his couch, just in time to see Teresa waltz in with Marcus. She gave her boyfriend a smile and a quick hug and then watched him as he headed off to his floor. She then meandered over to her desk, a rather serious expression on her face.

It took her a moment to realize that Jane was back on his couch. When she did she stopped and immediately looked relieved. A moment later and her expression flattened out as she headed toward him.

"Jane! Long time no see", she commented cheerfully.

"That's true." He gave a single nod of his head and then took a sip of tea. For some reason, which he refused to analyze, he felt irritated. He wasn't about to let it show so instead replied calmly, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"So, where did you go?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I was away on personal business. Didn't Abbott tell you?"

She laughed, although he could tell it was strained. She was trying to appear as if nothing was bothering her but obviously something was. He wanted to shake his head at the two of them. Why had they come to this after so many years of friendship?

"He did. But I know you don't really have any personal business", she said, making air quotes around the words, "I figured you just wanted a break so you invented something. That was it, wasn't it?"

He stared at her blankly, although he felt an unaccustomed surge of fury at her words. Was he so pathetic that she didn't think he had any business outside of the FBI and her? "No, that wasn't it", he told her abruptly. He took another sip, needing the fortification. "I had personal business – and that means it was personal. Anything else you wanted to know?"

She looked shocked at his unaccustomed sharpness. It's not that she hadn't heard it before, but rarely if ever directed at her.

"Uh no. I'm sorry Jane, I didn't mean to imply -"

He waved his hand, interrupting her. "It's okay. Normally would be true anyway. It's not like I have a lot going on in my life."

"I didn't mean -"

"It's okay Teresa, leave it."

She nodded and began to head back to her desk. At the last minute she turned. "I'm glad you're back."

"Mmm", he nodded, although he didn't look up. If he had he would have seen her hurt look, although the way he was feeling right now, he probably wouldn't have cared anyway.

He sat and read some files that Abbott wanted him to check out. At the same time he kept glancing at his watch every few minutes, wondering how Lily was doing at the daycare. He wished he could go and get her. She was quickly becoming essential to his life.

A few minutes later his phone dinged and he pulled it out of his pocket, wondering who could be texting him. One look and he smiled. It was the daycare and they had sent a note, along with a picture of a laughing Lily.

"Lily doing fine and fitting in nicely. Here's a picture of her smiling."

He kept looking at the picture, a soft smile on his own face. He didn't notice the looks of the others as they watched him.

"What's up with Jane?" Wylie whispered to Cho. "Looks like something nice on his phone."

"I don't know", Cho answered, although he too looked curious.

"I bet it's a woman", Wylie answered. "That's probably why he was gone. He's met someone and just spent a romantic week away. Now she's sending him texts and telling him she misses him."

Cho raised one brow and scowled. He didn't say anything though because Wylie's scenario was likely. It's not that he'd ever really known Jane to date – except for a case – but the man had been alone for a lot of years. It was about time he met someone and restarted his life. "I hope that's the case", was all he said.

Lisbon too had noticed Jane as he kept looking at his phone. Unlike Wylie, her mind didn't immediately go to the thought of another woman. Instead she came up with a number of likely scenarios. Jane had to be plotting something, and she was sure she'd find out soon. At least she hoped he was. She frowned, unused to wishing for one of Jane's schemes. But something was wrong with him and she wished she could figure out what it was. He'd been acting strangely lately and she didn't know what to make of it. She was also curious at to where he'd been the past week and felt hurt that he hadn't confided in her.

Jane looked at his watch, but this time it was because he was getting hungry. He pushed himself to his feet and headed towards the cafeteria to grab a bite. Normally he brought himself something but hadn't had time that morning. Getting Lily ready had taken all his extra time.

He returned a few minutes later, sandwich in hand, and ran into Abbott in the kitchen. "Jane, how are things going?"

"Fine Dennis, just fine. Uh, thanks for the time off."

"Everything work out okay? You look a bit tired."

"Everything is great", he grinned. "Although I am a bit tired. Lily kept me up most of the night."

"They'll do that", Abbott laughed. "But I'm sure she's worth it. I bet she's a charmer."

"That she is" Jane agreed, with an even bigger grin. "She's beautiful and she's the best thing to come into my life since -" he shrugged and smiled, not needing to say more. "But I'm not used to how much work she is. I thought I remembered, but it's been a lot of years. It's the nighttime activity that gets me." He sighed. "I guess I'm just not as young as I was the last time."

"No, but you're still young enough to enjoy her. I'm happy for you Patrick and if there's anything I can do, let me know. Oh, and by the way, Hope says she'd love to meet Lily so bring her over anytime."

"Thanks, I will." Abbott headed back to his office and Jane sat at the kitchen table to eat his lunch. What he didn't see was Teresa standing outside the doorway, her face blank with shock.

Jane had a girlfriend and according to him she was the best thing that had happened to him since he'd lost his wife. She slowly made her way back to her desk, feeling like her world had just crumbled.