Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters.

Rating: T - for violence (especially in pt2)

Author's note: Well, it has been a while since my first fic and this little one just came to my mind this afternoon. It will be in two parts. Hopefully the second part will be posted tomorrow or early the next day. This is something that I haven't seen done yet so I figured I would give it a shot. Enjoy!

Sadie

"Gear Up." Lisbon announced as she strolled into the bullpen. "Bring your Jackets, this one's in the mountains."

The team complied as they gathered their necessities before piling into the SUV for the 165mi trip to Mount Lassen National Park. Jane took the ride as a prime opportunity for a nap as he dosed against the passenger seat window. Lisbon had noticed that since they had found Kristina, Jane had seemed even more tired and ragged than he usually was so she was glad he was getting at least a little rest.

Three hours later, Lisbon was maneuvering the CBI vehicle around twists and turns of the snow-covered mountain road that led to their destination when the sign for the Nation Park on Lisbon's left meant that they had finally made it to their destination. She parked amongst the other law enforcement vehicles before gently shaking Jane from his precious slumber.

"Ok guys. This is it. We'll find the officer in charge of the crime scene and then go from there." Lisbon grabbed her jacket as she climbed out of the SUV. She stretched her arms and which were sore from the drive before slipping on her jacket. She glanced around to see her team doing the same.

The first thing Lisbon noticed about her surroundings was the crisp cold air that she was clearly not accustomed to. It was amazing how much the climate could change in only a three-hour drive. The second thing she noticed was that everyone on her team managed to scrounge up something warmer to wear except for one person.

"Jane, you are going to freeze to death out here in that." Lisbon glared at Jane as he stood in his normal attire.

"Meh." Was Jane's only response as he ignored Lisbon's concern.

Lisbon sighed and decided not to argue and instead made her way over to the crime scene. "Teresa Lisbon. CBI. What do we have here?" She asked one of the officers. Before the first officer could answer, a second from Lisbon's right appeared offering his hand.

"Officer Paretti, glad you and your team made it. Our victim has been identified as Sean Kelly, a 43 year old caucasian male. Looks like he was planning on going for a hike early this morning but was beaten to death before he even set one foot on the trail."

Lisbon thought the scene almost looked poetic. The cruel sight of the victim's severely beaten face was starkly contrasted by the fresh blanket of white snow covering the entire area.

"Any witnesses?" asked Cho, braking Lisbon from her mental imagery.

"Not unless you count the coyote who visited the victim sometime between then and now." Paretti pointed to the tracks in the snow.

"Well, obviously it wasn't the wildlife that did this to him." Jane finally chimed in. "The weapon of choice in this case is our victim's own snowshoe. If you look at the shoe that's no longer connected to his foot, you can see an obvious dent in the frame and I'll bet you'll find the victim's blood somewhere on that shoe. Someone had to overpower him enough to pry off the snowshoe before giving him a good bashing. Also, our canine entered the scene while all this was going on. See the drops of blood in the tracks leaving the scene? The killer defended himself from the coyote as well. You'll probably find mysterious traces of canine hair in that snowshoe as well."

"We haven't been able to find any details about the victim," added Paretti. "His parents live in the northeast and have been contacted. Other than that, we know very little."

Jane looked up at this statement. "Uh, usually the outdoorsy type like our friend here like to shop at a local sport supply shop. I'm guessing there are a couple in town. Match the brands advertised here with those sold in the shops, and you'll find someone who can answer your questions."

Lisbon turned to the team "Van Pelt and Rigsby go hunt down our supplies shop. Cho, find out what we learned from the phone call to the parents. Jane, get yourself inside before you catch hypothermia."

"Yes mom," grumbled Jane as he headed toward the inviting warmth of the welcome center.

Forty five minutes later Lisbon found Jane lounging on a wooden bench in the welcome center clutching a steaming cup of tea.

"You know where a girl can get another one of those?" Lisbon asked, gesturing towards the tea. "It too damned cold out there." She added rubbing her hands together in an attempt to warm them up.

"Anything for you my dear." Jane said as he got up and disappeared into another room. He returned less than a minute later with a second hot beverage.

Lisbon took the tea and inhaled the warm aroma before sighing. "Thank you."

Jane smiled as Lisbon began updating him on the case. "Rigsby and Van Pelt finally found that outdoor sports shop where our victim frequented. The store owner gave us an address so Rigsby is going to pick us up before heading over there. It's only a couple miles away but since you didn't feel the need to bring any warmer attire, we're waiting for Rigsby. Cho is still gathering information from the parents. "

Sean's apartment was pretty much what Jane expected. The place was small but just enough for a man who enjoyed spending most of his time outdoors. The apartment consisted of a small kitchen, a living room (furnished with only a single couch and a bookcase) and a bedroom which was where Jane was at the moment. Jane picked up a picture from Sean's nightstand. The picture showed Sean standing in a fairly large field and a brown dog sprinting away from him, chasing whatever Sean must have thrown. The picture triggered a memory and Jane froze.

***flashback***

Jane's daughter was sitting amongst a giant pile of birthday presents and she was not happy.

"Sweetie, don't you like all your birthday presents? It looks like you have everything there you could ever ask for."

At this, Charlotte's big blue eyes filled with tears. "I got everything but the one thing I wanted the mostest. I even wished for it when I blew out my candles but my wish didn't come true. Daddy, why didn't my birthday wish work?"

"Maybe your wish didn't work because you didn't tell me what you wished for." Jane responded.

"But…But…mommy told me if I tell my wish then it won't come true." Charlotte sniffled.

"Well mommy is mostly right. You're not usually supposed to tell what you wished for but there is one condition where it's ok to tell…"

"When?..."

"It's ok to tell when the person you are telling knows you sooo well that they already know what you wished for."Jane pulled something shiny out of his pocket and handed it to his daughter. "This is a magic whistle." He explained to Charlotte. "When you blow on it on your birthday, it will make your birthday wish appear in front of your eyes."

Charlotte tentatively took the whistle from her father's hand and gently blew on it. Her face fell when no sound came out. "Daddy, it doesn't wor…" but before she could finish, a brown ball of fur with four long legs came bounding into the room.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look! It worked. Is it really mine daddy?" she asked as the puppy ran to the girl with the whistle.

"Yes sweetie. She's yours. Now you just have to come up with a name for her."

Charlotte clung to the puppy as her eyes filled with delight at the sight of her wish becoming a reality. "You're the best daddy in the whole wide world."

Jane realized he would do anything for his daughter if it meant he got to see her smile like she was right now.

"Sadie. I want to name her Sadie daddy."

"Sadie it is then."

*** End Flashback***

Jane hadn't even realized that Lisbon had walked into the room until he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Jane?" Lisbon questioned.

Jane turned slightly to see Lisbon's hand on his shoulder before placing the picture back on the nightstand.

"You zoned out on me for a minute there."

"The coyote," Jane began "I don't think it was really a coyote. Sean had a dog and took it everywhere with him. He must have tried to protect his owner but was injured in the struggle with our killer."

"I don't really see how this helps us with the case but ok. Anything else?"

"No but I would like to talk to the store owner. It's right down the street isn't it? I'll just take a stroll down there and have a chat with him."

"Yeah, and you might as well buy yourself a jacket while you're there."

Jane took the short stroll over to Tiny Tim's which was no more than a glorified shack at the end of the block. As Jane walked through the front door, a bell rang announcing his entrance.

The man at the front register looked up at Jane."Hiya there. You're not from around these parts. You with them police folks about the murder on the mountain?"

"Uh, yes, Jane, Patrick Jane." Jane glanced at the man who must be Tim by looks of him. He was a scrawny red-haired man. Definitely not their killer Jane decided.

"Tim." The man clarified shaking Jane's hand. "So what can I do for ya?"

"Oh, I just had a few questions. You knew Sean?"

"Yeah, he was a frequent customer. Nice fella. He was good for business, always telling other people about this little place."

"I noticed he had a dog?" Jane questioned.

"Yeah, never left home without that dog. She was a gorgeous one, purebred no doubt. Rescue dog though. He picked her up from a shelter a few years back. Remember she had a scar above her right eye. Must have been a pretty nasty cut."

**Flashback**

It was Saturday. One of the few days he got to spend the entire day with his family. He had been gardening all afternoon with his wife. Angela usually took care of the garden but this was one of the rare moments he got to share with her. She was a natural at it and Jane spent more time watching her than he actually spent working. His utopia was shattered by the sound of screeching tires and young feminine scream.

Jane immediately assumed the worst as he and Angela sprinted out of the garden to the front yard screaming his daughter's name.

"CHARLOTTE!" he cried as his legs weren't moving nearly fast enough. "Please be ok..please be ok…" he kept repeating as his daughter finally came into view.

She was standing on the curb bawling in reaction to the scene in the road in front of her. Jane and Angela embraced their daughter as they asked her what happened.

"I….I…. was playing catch with Sadie and I accidentally threw it too hard. It…it rolled out of the yard and into the street. I kept calling for her but she just wanted her ball. A car was coming and didn't see that Sadie just wanted to get to her ball. The car hit Sadie and she screamed. Daddy Sadie screamed so loud and now she's not moving!"

Jane's gaze left her daughter's tear-stained face and went to the crumpled canine in the road. Angela held Charlotte close while Jane went to check on Sadie. Jane crouched down and called the dog's name. Sadie opened her eyes weekly to look at Jane, gave a half-hearted wag of her tail before placing her head back down on the pavement.

Jane could see an obvious gash on her forehead above her right eye but no other injuries were apparent. He turned to his wife and asked her to go get a blanket from inside of the house. When she returned with one, he carefully wrapped Sadie up in it before walking her over to his car.

"Angie, I'm going to take Sadie to the emergency vet. Keep an eye on Charlotte and I'll call you when I find out more."

Angela nodded as Charlotte turned around in her grasp. "But Daddy," she pleaded. "I wanna go with you. Sadie needs me."

"Hunny, now Sadie needs the hospital and someone needs to stay home and look after mommy. Can you be a real sweetheart and watch her for me? I'll stay with Sadie I promise."

"Oookay daddy. Tell Sadie I love her."

"I will sweetheart."

**End Flashback**

"Mr. Jane?" Jane jumped a little at Tim's question. "I asked if you had yourself a dog."

"I used to. A long time ago."

"Dog's are great." Tim continued "And that Sadie, she was a real gem."

End of Part 1