Blue Sapphires Chapter 6, a mentalist fanfic

June

Finally, the summer vacation was upon them. For the kids, it meant hours to run and play in the sun. For Patrick and Teresa, it meant sorting out what they were going to do with four kids and four months off. They knew that in July, they were going to D.C to see Dennis and Lena for Independence Day and Teresa's birthday and in August, they would be heading for the cabin in Texas, where they would see Cho and Wiley. June was a fairly quiet month for the Jane's. At the end would be T.J's birthday and he would be a teenager. They would then have to endure five months of T.J winding Willow up because he was only a year younger than she was when in fact she was 2 years and eight months older than him.

Seeing as it was summer vacation and the weather was pretty much guaranteed to be good, Patrick and Teresa decided to take the kids camping for Toby's birthday. They were all outdoorsy kids, with Willow, Toby and Chris having spent their formative years in a shack in the middle of nowhere. So, it seemed like the perfect idea. Over dinner one night, they put the idea out there.

"Toby, have you given much thought to what you want to do for your birthday?" asked Patrick

Toby shrugged and continued eating.

Patrick looked at Teresa and she gave him a wink, before helping Sophie finish her dinner.

"Would you like to go like to go camping the week of your birthday?" he asked, taking a sip of squash and looking at his son.

Toby looked up, eyes bright with excitement, "You mean it?" he asked, breathlessly, "You mean we can go camping?"

Jane chucked, "If you want to?"

Toby nodded, "I want to, I so want to!"

"Willow, Chris, you guys ok to go camping?" Teresa asked.

Chris nodded and Willow smiled, "Can we do smores?"

"I should think so!"

"I'm in!" she replied.

"That's my girl!" replied Teresa, "Priorities!"

Patrick laughed, "Wasn't there a case where I'd been prodded with a cattle prod for three days and you asked me where your apple was?"

"You said you were getting me an apple, so I wanted an apple! You were alive weren't you?"

"Barely."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" she smiled, beginning to clear the plates.

Toby smiled, "And you guys think we're bad?"

"So, we're going camping then?" asked Chris as his parents chuckled

"I think so!" grinned Sophie

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

In the last week of June, the Jane family were packed up and ready to go. Sophie was strapped into her seat and Chris was sat next to her. Willow and T.J were sat in facing them in the back with Jane and Lisbon in the front.

"Willow, T.J, it's a two-and-a-half-hour trip to Yosemite. I would like it if we can get there without an argument." Lisbon twirled in her seat to look at her eldest two.

"Yes, Mom!" they replied, looking at each other. Then Willow took out her iPod and stuck her headphones in.

Lisbon shook her head and smiled as Jane pulled out of their street and they started on their way.

They stopped once, cause Sophie needed the toilet, but other than that, it was an uneventful journey. Willow and T.J were civil and Chris and Sophie played 'I-Spy', and Jane and Lisbon sang along with the tunes that came over the radio. Soon, they were pulling into Wawona campground and unpacking the car, looking for the tents. They had three, one for Jane and Lisbon, one for the boys and one for the girls. Patrick got his and Lisbon's tent up in no time, amazing both his wife and his children.

"What?" he asked, looking at the amazed looks on their faces, "I've been camping. Don't forget, I grew up on the carney scene!"

"Yeah, but still. You were a kid then now and your like…" began Toby.

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if you want to see your fourteenth birthday young man!" interrupted Jane, pointing a finger at his son and smiling and he went to help the girls with their tent.

The first night went smoothly and they awoke to the sounds of birds singing in the air and water flowing in the nearby crook. Willow and Sophie headed off to wash in the stream and the boys had gone for a walk. Jane was the only one awake in the 'adult' tent, as Teresa was still fast asleep. She was the only one of them who hadn't been looking forward to the trip. She was very much a stay indoors kind of person and would have much preferred to take the family to Disney for the whole week. Instead, she found herself sleeping on a blowup mattress that deflated every time she moved, was a million miles from the nearest shower and civilization. Jane, however, was acting like it was Christmas and seemed to be having more fun that the kids. He had cooked them sausages and beans on an open fire last night and they had spent the next few hours playing poker for chips and sweets and telling stories and roasting marshmallows. Even Lisbon had admitted that was fun. And now he was watching his wife sleep, looking as peaceful as she did at home. He treasured these moments when the kids were busy occupying themselves and he had time alone with Teresa. He found he was willing for her to wake up, even though she looked so peaceful.

But just then, Teresa stirred and blinked slowly. She stifled and yawn and rolled over to see her husband smiling down at her.

"Morning." He said, leaning down to kiss her softly.

"Morning." She replied

"Sleep okay?"

"As well as can be. Where are the kids?"

"Sophie and Willow have gone to the creek to have a wash and the boys went for a walk. It's just you and me." And he kissed her again. She smiled and gave into the kiss. Soon her hands were unbuttoning his pyjama top and he was lifting hers off. Things were just getting interesting when;

"Mom! Dad!" Toby's voice was calling them, "Chris found a snake and he's too scared to move!"

Teresa sighed, "He is scared of snakes." She grabbed her top and pulled it back on, "Maybe later?" and she kissed him quickly as she left the tent.

A few days into the trip, Toby's birthday dawned warm and sunny. Patrick and Teresa were the first up. They had strung bunting and balloons up around their campsite and got the fire going. The next person up was Sophie. She stumbled out of the tent rubbing her eyes.

"Momma? I need the toilet!" she yawned

"Good morning to you too!" smiled Patrick as he tied the final balloon to a tree.

Teresa gave him a look and escorted their youngest child to the bathroom. Patrick went and tended to the fire waiting for the others to wake up. It was now ten to seven. He estimated that Willow would be up in the next ten minutes, having been disturbed by Sophie waking up and the boys would be up by half seven, if they weren't already awake and talking softly in the tent.

Teresa and Sophie returned, and she sat on her dad's knee, watching the fire get hotter and stronger. They were hoping to do French toast for breakfast, over the campfire with strawberries and raspberries that they got from the store last night. It was Toby's favourite and seemed befitting a birthday breakfast. Patrick couldn't believe that his eldest son was going to be a teenager. Toby was a difficult child at the best of times but couple that with being a teenager and they were going to be in for an interesting few years. Willow would be annoyed for a while as there was now only one year between her and her brother, but things would be back to normal by the time they got to the end of October.

By the time Willow climbed out of the tent, Sophie was climbing the tree that they had found earlier in the week with her father and Teresa was sat preparing breakfast. The two women sat by the fire and chatted about school and beginning High School and Noah. Just as Willow was filling her mother in on her recent outing with Noah, the boys climbed out of the tent.

'It's ma birthday and we're gonna party like its ma birthday!" Toby chanted, waving his hands in the air, grinning from ear to ear. Chris laughed and went and hugged his mother.

"Happy birthday, ass hat!" Willow smiled, hugging her brother and smiling.

"That was almost nice, Wills" Toby smiled, returning the hug. "Just think, we're only a year apart!"

"Until October!" she replied, poking her tongue out at him and ducking back into the tent.

"Don't wind her up, T.J!" sighed Teresa, "Even if it is your birthday!"

Toby smiled, "She makes it so easy!"

Teresa gave him and look and then smiled, "Happy birthday, kid!"

"Thanks Mom!" he said, sitting on a log by her.

Just then, Patrick and Sophie came back through the clearing, Sophie sat on his shoulder.

"Ah-ha!" he smiled, "The birthday boy arises. Just like a true teenager."

"Daaad!" Toby groaned, rolling his eyes and smiling, "It's half seven!"

"And?" Patrick grinned, "We were all up at six or just after!"

Toby just rolled his eyes in response.

"Lord save us all, he's a teenager!" Jane cried, becoming dramatic.

Teresa grabbed him by the elbow and sat him down. Sophie, Chris and Willow were all giggling, and Chris actually fell off his log, he was laughing that hard. Patrick picked him up and sat him on his knee.

"The fire is ready!" smiled Teresa, "Shall I make the birthday toast, or shall we do presents?"

"French toast!" the four children cried, grinning from ear to ear.

Teresa soaked the bread in egg, milk, cinnamon and vanilla while Toby, Willow and Patrick cut up the strawberries and placed them on plates with the raspberries. They then sat and ate together, laughing and chatting about the week's events. They would be leaving tomorrow afternoon to get ready to fly to D.C for July 4th with the Abbotts. Toby then opened his presents and they got washed and dressed. Toby wanted to go for a hike, so they got their boots on, packed some sandwiches and water and they headed out for a hike. They spent a good three/four hours walking along the trail and explore everything the Yosemite had to offer. Toby and Chris found plenty of trees to climb and Willow and Sophie went looking for fairy trees.

They had a picnic on the banks of the river and started back to camp. Toby was teaching Chris and Sophie campfire songs as they marched along the path.

"Everywhere we go…" Toby began

"Everywhere we go!" replied Sophie and Chris. Willow walked behind them, smiling.

"People always ask us!"

"People always as us!"

"Who we are!"

"Where we come from!"

"So we tell them…"

"We're from Sacramento!"

"Sunny Sacramento!"

"And if they can't hear us…"

"We shout a little louder!"

It continued until they were screaming, and Patrick and Teresa called it quits. Toby, Chris and Sophie were breathless and laughing.

When they were about a mile from the camp, they found a rock that was big enough to fit all the kids on.

"Come on, guys climb on the rock and we'll take a photo!" said Teresa, trying to organize her rabble.

Willow and Toby stood behind Chris and Sophie and they all smiled. Then Teresa let them take a silly photo. Sophie did an impressive headstand, with her hands on the forest floor and her legs hooked on the rock. Willow threw her hands above her head and grinned and Chris jumped on Toby's back, legs wrapped tightly round his waist and his hands in the air.

"What about you guys?" asked Willow, as they climbed off the rock, "Can we take a selfie and then one of you two?"

Patrick looked at his wife and smiled. "C'mon, Reece. You get in with the kids and I'll take the selfie. So Willow and Toby climbed back on the rock and their mom sat in the middle. Sophie and Chris sat on either side of her. Jane then moved around trying to find the right position. Eventually, he took the photo and showed it to everyone.

"Happy birthday Toby!" smiled Teresa, pulling her son in close and kissing him on the forehead as she looked at his smiling face, "Happy birthday!"