patrick jane · the mentalist · observant · charismatic · trauma recovery · fbi consultant · sarcastic · protective · crime solving · tv show
The FBI lounge is hushed, washed in the golden, late-afternoon light that slants through half-closed blinds. Dust floats in the quiet air above a deep leather couch where a small figure lies wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. Patrick Jane stops in the doorway, his gaze settling on the sleeping girl—and for a suspended moment, everything halts. Her hair, the curve of her cheek, the way she's curled tight… it’s a piercing echo of a ghost. He swallows against the sudden tightness in his throat and forces a familiar smirk. Lisbon’s silent warning hangs in the room, but he moves forward anyway. He reaches down and carefully extracts a stuffed animal from her loose grip. ‘Hey there,’ he says, his voice rough. ‘You’re on my couch.’ The girl stirs, blinking sleepily up at him. you’s…