Disclaimer – As cool as it would be to be a member of Team Heller, it's evident I'm not. Therefore I don't own any part of the Mentalist TV series and am not making any money off these stories.

Thanks, CRR, a.k.a. Beta Extraordinaire!

Chapter 14

In the working class neighborhood of Bridgeport where Tommy and Annie lived, parking was at a premium. Patrick double parked in front of the two story frame building and insisted that Teresa stay with the baby, ready to move the vehicle if a cop should come to write a ticket. It took three trips, but he carried everything to the second-floor apartment alone. Then he helped her release the carrier and gave her Tommy's keys.

"There's a bit of a surprise upstairs," he said, closing the car door and starting for the driver's side.

"Oh, no…what now?"

"It's nothing bad…exactly. Just something else to take care of before we return to California. I'll be right back. I'll find a parking spot."

She sighed and started toward the building, dreading what thing she'd find that surprised Jane. Was it an abandoned pet? A starved cat? An aquarium full of dead fish? An apartment destroyed by a dog left alone for two days without food and water or being allowed outside to do its duty?

Actually it was things – hundreds of things. Boxes and boxes of baseball cards piled next to the computer desk in the living room. When she looked more closely, she saw print-screens of individual online auction site pages taped to the cartons. The auction numbers corresponded to the numbers written on some of the boxes.

"Crap…" she muttered. Yes, one more loose end to tie up.

The rest of the living room was in excellent shape. She knew it wouldn't be extravagant. This was her little brother Tommy, after all. However, it was a lot cleaner than when she'd visited three years before. Cleaner than Teresa's apartment in California, that was for certain!

Evidently Annabeth had matured a lot since they'd last seen each other. The room was homey and warm. Despite being a college student and a newlywed and a new Mom, Annie did a great job keeping their lives comfortable.

The conclusion she'd thoughtlessly drawn made her feel guilty. There was no way Annie could have stayed on top of her Dad's mess-making abilities all on her own, and it was sexist for her to assume that Jared didn't help around the house. No doubt Jared helped. Look at how much Jane had helped in just the last 24 hours! Talk about sexist assumption; she was the helpless one in the face of changing a diaper but Jane knew all about it. Thank God not all men were like her dad. As far as Teresa was concerned, hard-drinking, macho grunters like her father were the least attractive men on the face of the planet. Most of the men Teresa was attracted to were globally-opposite her father. She was somewhat disappointed with seeing some of their dad's 'traditional roles' thinking in her brother and frankly it wasn't a shock that Tommy's marriage didn't last. He and Lucilla married way too young and both of them were immature, even for their ages. And as much as Annie loved her dad, Teresa wasn't in the least bit surprised that Annie didn't marry "her father".

But who did she marry? For example, what did Jared Vogelstein do for a living anyway? Not wanting to be nosy, 'Aunt Reese' never asked Annie too much about the man she'd married, while at the same time Teresa had felt protective of her niece. She even resisted using CBI resources to look up the young man's name and record. There was mention of classes they were taking together, so it seemed likely that Jared planned to go into law enforcement, and sometimes Annie referenced Jared's second job as a waiter at a local restaurant, but Teresa never found out what his first job was.

Baby Daniel coughed lightly in the carrier, drawing her from thoughts. After checking on him and determining he was fine, she put the carrier on the living room floor next to the piles of things Jane had brought in.

She crossed to the kitchen to see about making a pot of coffee. At the hotel Jane had offered to make more in the in-room coffee maker since she expressed how much she'd enjoyed it, but there really wasn't time.

She opened the cabinet over the coffee pot and smiled at the sight of a plastic container familiar from her last visit to Chicago. The sides were covered with gray patches of duct tape residue from where Tommy had taped it shut after Teresa kept stealing her brother's Oreos during her visit.

As she reached to withdraw it, there was a crisp knock on wood.

What the hell? Had she locked Jane out by accident? She returned to the living room and opened the front door.

A little old lady stared at her, worried. Her rheumy eyes were big and ice-blue in a sea of wrinkles that made up her face. Yet as Teresa started to greet her and ask what she could help with, the woman's face softened in happy recognition.

"You're Tommy's sister from California!" she exclaimed.

"Er…yes…hi, I'm Teresa Lisbon."

"Oh, I know! I know! 'Reese', Tommy calls you. He was telling me all about how you stopped that serial killer guy. He always let me read all the news articles. He'd print them off the computer for me. He was so proud of your achievements."

Not knowing how to respond, Teresa nodded.

"Are you visiting to see the baby? I know Annie was anxious for you to come to Chicago and meet Jared and Daniel."

It was an unintended stab to the heart, but how could this woman know that?

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name," Teresa said, diverting the subject.

The old lady's face flooded with color.

"Oh, I'm Lillith MacGyver. I'm Tommy's landlady. I live downstairs."

Teresa swallowed hard, remembering how Tommy made certain to avoid her three years before. It wasn't that she was a bad woman, just a bit talkative.

Now Teresa stared at the woman in dread for a different reason entirely. Get hold of yourself, Lisbon! You're going to have to do this task repeatedly during your entire stay in Chicago. She sighed heavily.

"It's nice to meet you at last, Mrs. MacGyver."

"Oh, call me 'Lilly'. Everyone does."

"Lilly," Teresa repeated. "Well…Lilly… won't you step in, please?"

The old woman entered and crossed to Daniel in the carrier, making cooing noises and touching the baby's nose.

"When Tommy told me he was taking the kids up to Milwaukee to look at a house, he didn't mention that they were staying a couple nights." Lilly straightened and smiled at Teresa before glancing around the room as if looking for Tommy. "Although it must not have been a very good place. Usually he'll stop by and tell me about what they've seen. With you being in town, he must have gotten busy." She leaned in conspiratorially and lowered her voice. "You know, I don't mind telling you that I'm afraid one of these days they'll find something they really like and I'll lose the best tenants I ever- Why, whatever is wrong, my dear? Why are you crying?"

Teresa pulled another one of Patrick's handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her face. The front door opened, and both turned to Patrick entering. He stared into her eyes before glancing at the visitor and then back to her. He hurried forward and placed his hands on her upper arms.

"You okay?" he whispered.

She wiped her cheeks again and nodded as she turned back.

"Mrs. MacGyver, I have some terrible news to share." She paused, taking a deep breath. Patrick's hand on the small of her back helped a lot. Something about his contact left her stronger. Was it just a reminder of what she thought he expected her to be, stoic and firm? Or did she just know deep down that no matter what, he was going to be there from now on? "When Tommy and the kids were driving back from Milwaukee, their car was involved in a head-on collision. They're all…" She swallowed hard. "They didn't survive."

"Oh, dear," Lilly said, softly. She placed her hand on Teresa's arm and squeezed. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" The woman peered desperately into Teresa's eyes. "Anything at all? Can…can I make you some lunch?"

"Thank you, Mrs. MacGyver," she replied, stifling her tears. She hated to see how they were distressing the woman. "We had breakfast not too long ago."

"Perhaps we can impose upon you. You wouldn't have the makings for a cup of tea, would you?" Patrick asked.

Teresa glared at him, getting a puzzled-innocent look and a shrug in return. She shook her head at him and looked at the landlady.

"May I introduce my friend Patrick? He's helping me settle Tommy's affairs."

"Patrick?" she asked, accepting his handshake. "Patrick Jane?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, smiling his "glad-to-have-such-a-good-looking-audience" smile that Teresa knew would lead to Mrs. MacGyver providing teabags. "Have we met before?"

"No, no, I don't believe so. Annie told me her aunt's boyfriend is named Patrick Jane, so you must be him."

Patrick nodded indulgently, squeezing the woman's hand before releasing it. "Yes, that is me, Aunt Reesie's boyfriend." He quirked an eyebrow at Teresa in that cocky way he possessed before helping to remove his overcoat from her shoulders.

Teresa felt the blush rise around her neck into her face.

"Mrs. MacGyver," she said when she found her voice. "I should let you know that we're going to be staying here for a few days while we're in town. I hope that's okay."

"Oh, that's perfectly all right. Tommy is paid up through the end of the year." Her voice took on the tone of someone settling into storytelling mode. "He always paid ahead of time when the construction season ended. His job as a bounty hunter sometimes kept him out of town for weeks on end, and he wasn't always here at the end of the month to pay his rent, so he always paid a couple months at a time. I don't know why he didn't just have Annie pay it. Her name was on the checking account so she could have easily written the check. It was always such a mystery to—"

Teresa stopped herself from rolling her eyes as it became clear that the landlady was the biggest busybody in Bridgeport.

"Mrs. MacGyver, do you know if Tommy was renting garage space nearby?" Patrick interjected.

Her old lips puckered and her wide eyes looked at him in surprise. Again he gave her the showman smile. Teresa thought she saw a little blush.

"Yes, actually, he used mine." She leaned towards Teresa. "I don't drive anymore. When I need to go someplace, my great-granddaughter comes and—"

Patrick showed the woman Tommy's keys. "Are one of these the key to the garage?"

After she pointed to one, he slipped on his overcoat and waved to them both.

"Going to move the car," he said and dashed out the door.

Coward, she thought. Leaving me here to deal with Chatty Cathy…

"Mrs. MacGyver, if you wouldn't mind terribly, could you leave me alone for a bit? It's been a very trying twenty-four hours, and I think I just need to rest quietly for a while."

"Oh! Oh, dear, yes! Let me know if you need anything. I'll be right downstairs. Just knock."

"Patrick may come by for some teabags but otherwise I think we're fine. Thanks so much for everything."

She closed the door after the woman and locked it, suspecting Mrs. MacGyver was the type to justify letting herself in. After taking Daniel from his carrier, Teresa put him on her hip and walked around the apartment a bit, reacquainting herself with it.

The biggest shock was about the smaller of the two bedrooms. Gone was the teenager's posters of rock stars and silver screen idols. The smaller bedroom of the apartment was now Tommy's room, messy and crowded.

Tommy's former bedroom, the bigger one, was also crowded, but with baby stuff. Yet despite the crib and the changing table and the matching dresser taking a majority of the space, it had charm and style. Soothing pastels and light fabrics dominated the esthetic, feeling peaceful and relaxing. Annie and Jared had definitely made themselves a home.

And she was proud of her brother for giving up his room for them. What a good grandpa!

She turned to exit the room and jumped in surprise. Patrick stood in the doorway, watching her. Then he glanced around the décor.

"How lovely," he said, not acknowledging that he'd startled her. "Annabeth had really matured into a young lady of taste."

He smiled and stepped back so she could pass. He followed her to the main living space.

"Tell you what. Let's get a bottle ready, and then I'll move my things into Tommy's room and yours into the kids' room while you feed Daniel."

She glanced back at him. "Feed him? Already? Didn't he just eat?"

"He's a baby, Lisbon. Babies may not seem to eat much but they eat often. And afterwards, he'll probably sleep some more."

She followed him first to the pile of items he brought in and then to the kitchen, feeling lost and helpless on how to assist. As much as she wanted to put her undivided her attention to watching how he prepared the bottle, she also felt a need to keep Daniel occupied and happy. Besides, the baby was so adorable, she kept looking and talking and snuggling with him.

When the bottle was ready, she settled into the rocking chair in the living room. With a few bits of advice from Patrick, she was soon feeding him, rocking gently as she watched in fascination. Gradually his enthusiasm for the nipple waned and he stopped suckling, instead blinking at her and even yawning once. She stood and looked around for Patrick. The pile of luggage and baby things had been cleared from the floor.

She set the half-empty bottle on the table and started for the bedroom where the crib was. Patrick was headed out of Tommy's room toward her, adjusting a towel on his shoulder.

"I'm going to put him in the crib," she whispered.

"No, not yet, Auntie Reese. He probably has a big burp due and we'll give him ten minutes sitting up to settle everything before we lay him down to sleep."

Oh, yeah, she'd forgotten that he did that this morning. The first part was kinda gross to witness, although interacting with Daniel afterwards had been fun. She hadn't realized it was a two-part system.

"May I?" Patrick asked, patting the towel on his shoulder and then holding out his hands.

"Be my guest," she said. With care she handed him over. Patrick settled the little dear against his shoulder and began to bob at the knees, all the while murmuring and patting very softly. Within a minute, Daniel rewarded him with a healthy burp.

"That's a good boy," Patrick said, still patting and bobbing. "Got any more?"

Another one issued forth, not nearly as loud nor as wet.

"Could you fold the towel so there's a dry part towards him?" Patrick asked putting his shoulder toward her.

As she did as requested, she realized he wasn't wearing his vest. Patrick in shirtsleeves? It was an odd sight. How long had it been since she'd seen that?

Well… since that morning, actually, when he was in that form-fitting, sexy, white t-shirt and the soft flannel bottoms that hung on his nice butt.

She watched him hold the child close, murmuring soft assurances as he paced. Something came over her – a deep desire to be part of the intimate contentment he was sharing with the little boy. When he stopped and stared out the window a moment, she came up close and ran her hand down his back, fascinated with the peace on Daniel's face. Her finger tips lingered a moment on his side before dropping to his lower back. Yep, those muscles were still there. It had not been an illusion or a mentalist's trick.

"Hey, what's going on back there?" he said lightly, trying to look over the baby at her.

She jerked her hand back and moved so he couldn't see her face that felt tingly.

"Sorry… you…have lint from the fleece blanket on your back. Just thought I'd…I'd brush it off."

"Oh. Okay, thanks." Then he chuckled. "You really are a terrible liar, Lisbon. I don't even need to see your eyes to tell you're lying. Next you'll be trying to tell me you never said I'm your boyfriend. Geez…"

Then he walked into the bedroom where the crib was.

To be continued in a while, a few more days than usual. I'm having a little difficulty writing the J&L argument. Stay tuned…