Summary: How do you even begin to explain death to a toddler? (A Jane/child story since we don't get enough of those IMO)

Disclaimer: I don't own the mentalist but if I had enough money to buy it, I would so it could go on forever and ever.

A/N: So I've come up with another one. This one isn't as long as my usual multi-chapter (only two parts) but If y'all like this first one I may make this into a series. I've already got some plots swirling in my head of all sorts.

Butterflies and LonelyCaterpillars (part 1)

"We're up." Lisbon announced as she strolled into the bullpen early on that particular Saturday afternoon. It was only supposed to be a half-day for the team so groans were heard all around as everyone began to move. Everyone that is, except for Jane who was snoozing on the leather sofa. Lisbon felt momentarily sorry for the consultant as he had only just left her office only fifteen or so minutes ago which meant he hadn't been sleeping long.

Lisbon restrained herself from kicking the cushion and instead, resorted to a more subtle approach. "Jane, get up. We have a case. It's a bit of a drive so you can sleep along the way."

Jane yawned, stretched out like a cat, and then slowly stood. "Let's go then." He said, following the rest of the team out of the office.

Lisbon didn't notice that Jane had taken the throw off the back of the couch with him until they were settled in the SUV; she driving of course and he in the passenger seat. He bunched up the old woven blanket and tucked it snug against the window, using it as a pillow.

It was probably a good thing they took two vehicles, she concluded. Sure, It was always nice to have an extra in case they needed to split up for investigative purposes but the whole lot of them could be quite noisy, especially Rigsby when he remembered to bring his MP3 player. The quiet was nice. It gave her a few minutes to relax and Jane a few moments of precious slumber.

The solitude was shorter than both she and Jane would have liked as they pulled into the long driveway. Lisbon parked the car and was about to shake her passenger awake when he sat up, the engine's silence no doubt alerting their arrival.

As they climbed out, Lisbon could see the rest of her team heading over to where she had parked.

"Let's go see what we got." She said.

The house was large, and its occupants clearly in some serious money by the look of things. They found the first victim in what Lisbon assumed was a sitting room. An officer noticed their entrance and met them halfway.

"Two victims. Husband's here and the wife is down the hall a ways. Both shot at relatively close range sometime last night." He explained.

Jane was already doing his thing, weariness long forgotten as the excitement of a new mystery to solve flooded his veins like caffeine. Lisbon followed Jane as he left the sitting room and headed down the hall, clearly already done with the first victim. She caught a glimpse of the him as she walked by. He was fit, clean cut, dressed nicely in tailored pants and a collared shirt. Coming up to the second victim, Lisbon could see that the wife was also well dressed. She wore an elegant yet tactful black dress. Her brunette hair was fashioned nicely and her jewelry was high-end.

"So," Lisbon began. "They were about to leave for an evening out, fancy restaurant, the theatre?"

"Hmm." Jane mumbled as an answer. He placed his forefinger over his lips in thought and stepped over the corpse into what looked a bathroom. "Nope." He said from inside.

Lisbon was about to follow Jane to see whatever it is he found but the man stepped back outside with something in his hands.

"I was thinking the same thing at first, until I found this." Jane held up a bottle of pedialyte and handed it to Lisbon before continuing down the hallway to a closed door. He paused momentarily before twisting the knob and opening the door.

"We've cleared the whole house." An officer called after him. "The daughter isn't home. We're still trying to contact relatives to clarify her location."

Lisbon ignored the officer and followed Jane into the child's bedroom. He had flipped on the switch and was looking around the room thoughtfully.

"When your child has a cold, you don't drop her off at a relative's or a sitter's and then go out for a night on the town." Jane stopped at the large canopy bed and crouched. "No, my guess is that they were planning to go out and then found their little one ill. One or both of her parents decided it would be better if they stayed home. Probably just called sitter and cancelled." Jane lifted the pink bed skirt and peeked under. He smiled.

Lisbon kneeled on all fours and peeked under the bed. There, pressed against the back wall curled in a little ball was a girl of maybe four or five years old. She had dark brown ringlets and the widest chocolate eyes Lisbon had ever seen. In her hands she clutched a raggedy old stuffed dog.

"Hello there sweetheart." Jane said quietly. "My name is Patrick and this here is my friend Teresa. She's with the police." He told Lisbon to show the little girl her badge. Brown eyes stared at the gold metal but she neither moved nor spoke. As if by magic, Jane reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small red lollipop. Lisbon realized, she shouldn't have been surprised.

If it was possible, the little girl's eyes widened even further.

Jane continued."Now, I know your mommy and daddy probably told you not to talk to strangers and that's very smart of them but we're here to help you. Tell you what. I'll give you this lollipop if you tell me your little dog's name." He said.

For a moment, there was just silence and then in the faintest of voices, "Lucky."

Jane smiled again. "Lucky. What a nice name. Why don't you and Lucky come out here because neither me nor Teresa can fit under that bed."

Slowly, Lisbon watched as the little girl crawled out from under the bed. She stood to her feet and sneezed.

Jane turned around and retrieved a box of tissues off the pink bureau and offered them to the child.

"Th…" She started but sneezed again, this time into the tissue. "Thank you…"

"Patrick and this is Teresa." Jane offered again.

"Trick…and Tree." The girl repeated.

Lisbon chuckled at the mispronunciation of their names. Trick was definitely an appropriate name for Jane. "What's your name sweetie?" Lisbon asked.

"Emma." She said quietly, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to divulge that information.

There was a knock at the door. The officer from a moment ago poked his head in and was surprised to see the girl with the agents.

"Do you want me to…?"

"We'll take care of it." Lisbon cut in. "Tell my other three agents to come down here and let us know when the hallway is clear. I don't want her seeing anymore than she already has."

The officer nodded and closed the door.

Jane nearly forgot he was still holding the lollipop and handed it over to the obviously still-frightened Emma. She tentatively unwrapped the sweet and popped it into her mouth.

When the rest of the team entered the room, Emma grabbed on to Jane's leg, holding on for dear life.

"Emma, this is Grace, Wayne and Cho." Jane said staring down at his new static cling. She was staring up at Cho who stood with his arms crossed.

Jane bent lower and whispered in Emma's ear. "Don't worry. He looks scary but he's a real softie."

Emma smiled shyly into Jane's pant leg.

"How's it going out there?" Lisbon asked.

"Coroner is nearly finished processing the bodies. They should be moved out of here in a few." Cho replied.

Lisbon nodded. "Good. Van Pelt I want you to see if you can get in contact with any of the Gables' relatives. A grandparent would probably be best in Emma's case. If you can't reach anyone, we'll have to call social services but I'd like to try and avoid that. We still have a potential killer on the loose after all. Rigsby, Cho, start canvassing the neighborhood. Someone must have heard or saw something. Jane and I are going to get her checked out." Lisbon gestured towards Emma. "Meet us back at the office when you're done. We'll see if Emma can tell us anything about our killer."

Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt left the room to begin their perspective tasks while Jane and Lisbon helped Emma gather some of her things into a bag.

"What your little friend Emma here has is a simple case of the common cold." The doctor said as he finished his checkup. Emma was sitting up on the examination bed her legs dangling over the side. Jane mirrored Emma almost exactly on her left. His legs too, were dangling off the side of the bed, swaying slightly. If it wasn't for size, it would be difficult tell which one of them was the patient. Lisbon sometimes forgot that Jane was an adult with all of his juvenile behaviors.

"Make sure she drinks plenty of fluids and gets some rest." The doctor finished, slipping his pen into his lab coat.

Lisbon took the copy of the medical form as Jane helped Emma climb down from the bed.

"Jane, make sure she's buckled properly." Lisbon said as they got to the SUV. He was way ahead of her, already leaning in the back seat before sliding in himself, right next to Emma.

"Why does she call you Jane?" Emma asked. "Jane's a girl's name. There's this girl Jane in my preschool. The teacher is always scolding her. She eats rocks."

Both adults laughed. "Jane is my last name." He explained. "Just like Lisbon is Teresa's last name."

"You call each other by your last names?"

"Sometimes when people work together, they do that Emma." Lisbon said.

"But you're not working now."

Jane grinned. "She has a point."

Lisbon glanced at them through the rear-view mirror. "I guess it's more of a habit now."

"When can I see momma and daddy?"

Lisbon locked eyes with Jane in panic. She was so hoping they would be able to avoid this conversation until they got in contact with Emma's relatives. How do you even begin to explain death to a toddler?

"What do you know about caterpillars Emma?"

Or, if you're Jane, you change the topic and talk about insects. He had to know that this change in conversation would only prolong the inevitable.

Emma was silent for a moment, thinking. "I think they eat leaves?" She half asked, half stated.

Jane nodded. "You're pretty smart. Do you know what happens to caterpillars when they grow up?"

Chocolate eyes lit up in understanding. "They turn into butterflies!"

"Correct you are. Once caterpillars become butterflies, can they ever be caterpillars again?"

Emma thought real hard again and then shook her head no.

"Now, Emma, what I'm about to tell you may be difficult to understand. It's difficult for even grownups like Lisbon and I."

"It's ok Trick. I'm smart remember. I can even count all the way to ten."

"That's real good now I need you to listen to me carefully. Sometimes bad people, they like to hurt other people for no good reason."

"Like when they boys hit the other boys at school?"

"Yes, in a way only worse. Me, you, your mom and dad, we're kind of like caterpillars. If a bad guy happens to come around, we can't run very fast and when we get really hurt, sometimes the only way for us to get away is to turn into a butterfly and fly away."

"My mommy and daddy can run really fast. They always catch me."

Jane sighed. "Emma, when the bad man broke into your house, your mom and dad didn't know he was coming. They didn't have time to run away. I'm sorry but they're gone and like the butterflies, they can't come back." He placed a tentative hand on her lap reassuringly.

Emma's eyes filled with tears but when she turned to Jane it wasn't grief he was met with but pure anger. "You're lying! Mommy and daddy would never leave me! You just don't want me to see them."

"No Emma. If I could get them back for you I would." Jane insisted.

"I don't believe you!" She cried, the tears now spilling over.

Lisbon finding it difficult to keep her concentration on the road and not on the outbursts behind her. The best she could hope for was to arrive at the CBI before Emma went completely hysterical.

"I can prove it."

Lisbon glanced up to see Jane reach into his suit jacket pocket. What was he going to do? Pull a butterfly out of his pocket?

Jane pulled out his wallet and dug through the well-worn folds. He handed the small picture to Emma who hiccuped, with tears still flowing but less frantic.

"The little girl was my daughter. She was about a your age when a bad man hurt her."

"She left you?" Emma asked innocently.

"Yes." Jane managed, his own tears flowing silently now. "My wife, her mother too."

"Why did they leave? Why can't we just turn into butterflies too?"

"Cuz that's not how things work Emma." Jane said, now hugging the little girl and placing a delicate kiss on her head. "That's the part that's so hard to understand. I want my family back just as much as you want yours but we can't have them back. Some things just aren't fair."

Lisbon prayed their exit would come up soon as she tried to clear her own blurry vision. She blinked frequently, listening as the frequent sniffle sounds slowed. Then a new sound filled the otherwise silent vehicle softly at first, and then more defined. Humming. Jane was humming.

By the time Lisbon finally pulled into the CBI parking lot, Emma was sound asleep on Jane's lap. She put the SUV in park but the consultant didn't seem to notice. Lisbon spent a minute taking everything in. This must really be having an effect on Jane, she concluded. There was no way he would be so unaware under normal circumstances. He was right though. Some things weren't fair like how there could be so many fathers in the world who didn't deserve children and then there was Jane, a perfectly capable father who's child was ripped away from him.

"You need any help with her?" Lisbon asked quietly as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"No, I think I've got it." Jane said just as quietly. He managed to unbuckle Emma and adjust her in his grasp without waking her.

They walked quietly into the building, nodding to the security guard on the way in. The office was fairly quiet for the late evening hour. Lisbon stopped once entering the bullpen so as to update herself on the team's progress while Jane walked straight over to his couch and gently placed Emma on it. He covered her with the throw, kissed her cheek and then strolled over to the team. They, in turn watched the whole progression silently until Jane was standing amongst them.

"What do we have?" Lisbon asked.

Van Pelt answered first. "I managed to contact Emma's grandparents, on Mrs. Gables' side. They live in Connecticut and should fly in sometime tomorrow morning."

Lisbon nodded. "Well, at least there's that. Cho, Rigsby anything from the neighbors?"

"Two of the Gables' neighbors heard shots fired around 4pm. One of them called the authorities but no one saw anything." Cho said.

"We talked to Emma's babysitter. She was supposed to pick up Emma early that afternoon. She knew the Gables well and often kept Emma overnight. Said Emma's parents called her to cancel late that morning because Emma had a cold." Rigsby added.

"Sounds about right. Jane, I think we should wake Emma. Ask her what she knows. It's been a long day for her but it may be the only way to find out who killed her parents."

"I got an idea." He said, walking over to his desk and fiddling through the drawers. He pulled out a giant box of crayons. Why Jane kept crayons in his desk was anyone's guess. He then went and sat next to Emma, shaking her shoulder gently. "Emma, honey."

She blinked and yawned. "Trick?"

"Hey sleepyhead. How do you like my couch? Comfy isn't it?"

Emma nodded.

Jane pulled the crayons out from behind his back. "Do you like to color Em?"

Her eyes lit up and she nodded.

Jane grinned. "Good. I've got paper, and a nice big desk you can use if you want." He helped Emma up on to the chair and handed her a plain piece of paper which she immediately started doodling on while the rest of the team looked on.

"Emma, has anyone besides your parents and your babysitter been over to your house in the last few days."

Without looking up from her artwork, Emma replied, "A man came in and was looking inside of our walls."

Lisbon looked at Jane questioningly. He shrugged.

"Momma said he was fixin the air. I don't know what was wrong with the air. I mean you can't see it but it seemed ok to me. Oh, Uncle Billy and Aunt Penny were over for dinner the other night too."

"That's very good. Rigsby, see if you can find out who was servicing their house. Van Pelt, get a last name for this uncle and aunt. Try getting them on the phone. I need to go talk with Wainwright."

With nothing to do, Jane collapsed on his couch and rested his head back on his arms, watching Emma doodle.

They regrouped a half an hour later, all but Jane that is since he had nothing to add to the investigation for once.

"I got in contact with Penny Gables, sister in law to Mrs. Amy Gables. She confirmed that they did have dinner with the victims last night and that they left around seven in the evening. Billy wasn't home to confirm his involvement but Penny is going to have him call us as soon as he returns." Van Pelt reported.

Rigsby was next. "A Barry from Clean Air services was at the Gables house to change the filters on the family's central air conditioning unit. Work logs confirm he was there for less than an hour the afternoon before the murder."

"Ok, I think that's as far as we're going to get tonight. Why don't you all head home. Emma's grandparents should be arriving around ten tomorrow so we'll meet back then."

The team dispersed to shut down their computers and ready things for the morning. Lisbon walked over to where Jane was now sitting on the couch. Emma was still coloring away but by the looks of it, Jane held her first masterpiece. Lisbon sat down next to Jane and peered down off the drawing, attempting to decipher it.

Emma noticed and hopped down off of the wooden chair. "Tree!"

"Looks like you've been busy. You seem to be quite the artist."

"Did you see what I drew for Trick?" She asked eagerly.

"I was just looking at it but I'm sure you can explain it best."

"See, that's me." Emma pointed to a circle-ish figure with squiggly hair. "And that's Trick." Jane looked like an orange with Shirley Temple curls.

Fitting, I suppose. Lisbon thought. She was going to ask Emma what the four, colored objects were floating around the two people but the answer came to her before the question made it to her lips. Butterflies.

"I talked to Wainwright. We agreed that I should take Emma home with me tonight. She needs a real bed to sleep in and I have an extra guest room. Since she seems to be so attached to you, I thought I'd extend the invitation to you as well."

"Whaddya say Em? You want to stay with Teresa and I tonight?"

Emma yawned. "Can Lucky come too?"

Lisbon smiled. "I think we can manage one more."

It was past nine in the evening when they finally reached Lisbon's townhouse. Lisbon led Emma to the quest room where she and Jane helped her change into her pajamas and get tucked into bed.

"I'm going to make some tea and get Emma's pedialyte. Would you like some?" Lisbon asked.

"I think I'll hold off on the pedialyte." Jane joked, sitting on the edge of the guest bed. "But I'd love some tea."

Lisbon moved into the kitchen and filled the kettle for tea. She was about to turn on the burner when she heard giggles coming from the guest room down the hall. Unable to resist, Lisbon went to investigate. She stood just outside the door out of sight.

"Trick, your hair kinda looks like the tops of the Truffula Trees."

"I guess it does." Jane chuckled back.

"Why did they cut down all the trees Trick?"

"Well, I guess since the trees couldn't talk, nobody knew they were harming them."

As Lisbon forced herself back towards the kitchen, she wondered where on earth Jane had scrounged up the Dr. Seuss book. Maybe from the strange collection of books he kept in the bullpen?

When Lisbon returned to the room with tea and child's beverage in hand, she found the sight completely different than the one she left only twenty or so minutes ago.

Emma saw her enter and raised a finger to her lips. "Shh. Trick is sleeping." She whispered. "He read me a story, then I told him one, and now he's asleep. Trick makes a lot of noise when he sleeps."

Jane was indeed asleep, half-propped up on a couple of pillows with the Dr Seuss book lying in his now lax fingertips on his chest. He snored quietly.

Lisbon tip toed over to Emma and waited as she drank the red liquid and handed back the empty bottle. Then, Lisbon re-tucked her in and gave her a kiss goodnight on the forehead.

"Goodnight Emma."

"Can Lucky have a kiss too?"

Lisbon kissed the stuffed dog as well. "Night Lucky."

On the other side of the bed, Lisbon ever so gently pried the book out of Jane's grasp. She retrieved a blanket out of the closet and draped it on the slumbering man who was still fully clothed. With the flick of the lamp switch, the room was plunged into darkness say for the small night light that Lisbon had taken out of the bathroom.

"Tree, you' forgot Trick's goodnight kiss."

How could she forget? With a small sigh, Lisbon left a small feather-light kiss on the corner of Jane's temple. "Goodnight Jane."

Lisbon walked out of the room and quietly closed the door.

A/N The second part is longer and I throw in some drama for good measure. I should have it finished by tomorrow or Monday xD I'd love to know your thoughts.