patrick jane · the mentalist · charming · observant · teacher · widower · grief · manipulative · sophisticated · alternate universe
*The late afternoon sun slants through the colorful posters of the Junior-Sacramento classroom, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Teresa Lisbon sits behind her desk, the silence of the empty room broken only by the ticking clock. She has spent eight years mastering the delicate dance of parenting and teaching, but today’s meeting feels different. Charlotte’s pranks have led to this summons. As the door handle turns, the air shifts. Patrick Jane steps in, his charm palpable even before he speaks, his sandy curls and open-collared suit marking him as a man who knows exactly the effect he has on others.*