Well, fuck guys. I have been slacking like there's no tomorrow. I've just been super stressed with school, and I've been writing some supernatural one shots that aren't even finished, and just swlKJDBLAUGFUGWF;U. I'm super sorry you guys. But here's the LAST chapter. No worries though, there will be an epilogue. I hope you enjoy it. :DD

Chapter 17.

Patrick's PoV.

Patrick watched as Lizzy sat on the couch in the bullpen upside down, with her head hanging off, fiddling with a stuffed hippo that Rigsby had bought her at the circus. She was telling Cho and Grace all about how astonished the circus folk were when they saw how well she dealt with the animals. Johnny had apparently taught her everything she knew. Grace smiled and asked questions while Cho chuckled.

Lisbon and Rigsby then came in from a coffee run and when everyone was in the bullpen Lisbon gave him a slight nod and he strode over. Wrapping an arm around Teresa's waste he looked at all of them and cleared his throat.

"Teresa and I would like to tell you all something." he said quietly. Grace's ear's perked up like a small puppy, Cho just looked up at them, Rigsby looked puzzled and confused and then Lizzy, Patrick saw, had a knowing smile slip onto her face.

"Well, what is it?" Rigsby asked impatiently.

"Patrick," Teresa said looking up at him and smiling, "Has asked me to marry him…and I've said yes." she held out her hand to reveal the ring and Grace and Lizzy jumped for joy, held each other's hands and giggled like school girls.

"Oh, Patrick! I'm so glad you kept your promise!" Lizzy said happily and jumped up so that she was hugging Lisbon and Patrick at the same time.

"What promise?" Lisbon asked her, and Patrick blushed a little looking away. He'd never blushed in public and he didn't intend on letting anyone see that he was. It would ruin his reputation.

"Well tell her silly" Patrick said to Lizzy, and Lizzy whipped her body around to face Teresa, excitement and happiness filling her face up like light.

"Patrick promised me he'd tell you his feelings when Red John was dead, and turns out he did it sooner which lead to this, me having the most wonderful sister-in-law anyone could ever have." Lizzy explained.

Patrick watched in awe as he saw Teresa's eyes welled with tears just a little. His little sister was really a remarkable person. He wouldn't ever get over it. Maybe not God, but someone or something, decided to give him a second chance at life, and he was blessed with a beautiful little sister that filled him with love every chance she got and the most amazing and ravishing and beautiful fiancée he could ever ask for. It was almost unsettling, because he hadn't had this much happiness in his life in a very long time.

"You made him promise… I'm wonderful?… oh Lizzy you're wonderful!" Teresa's speech stumbled out of her mouth as she brought Lizzy in for a hug and a wild giggle erupted from his sister's mouth as she returned the embrace.

"Alright, alright. I think the spotlight had been on us for long enough." Patrick said, "there's something else I would like to bring everyone's attention to." this time everyone including Lizzy and Teresa looked at him confused.

He'd mentally scolded himself for not remembering, considering he remembered everything, well almost everything. But with all that had happened with Toolkin and Red John, and his plan to ask Lisbon to be his bride the small fact had slipped his mind.

"What?" Grace asked.

"It seems, that with all the commotion that's been happening lately, we've neglected to celebrate Lizzy's seventeenth birthday." Patrick explained.

"But Patrick I told you I didn't want any-" Lizzy began but he cut her off.

"No I've given everything you've wanted accept one thing. A trip to the beach kiddo."

Lizzy beamed up at him and it made him feel so loved and happy that he could just barely remember how he'd survived life without her.

"When? When?" she asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Tomorrow, if that's alright with you, I wasn't sure because of you're scars but.." Patrick began but she cut him off.

"Are you kidding?! Patrick tomorrow's wonderful! But wait… will everyone else be able to come too?" she asked worriedly.

"I've already talked to Bertram and he didn't even hesitate, said we all have the day off tomorrow." Patrick said and everyone smiled so widely, they were all happy.

"It's going to be hot though, so bring you're sunscreen" He said chuckling, knowing full well that himself, Lizzy and Cho didn't really burn all that much.

"Oh goodness, I cant wait." he heard Lizzy whisper as she hugged him.

This moment, this period of time where they were all happy and slowly becoming care free? This was when things started to get better, better then they'd been for a while.

XXXxxxxxxTheMentalistxxxxxXXX

Lizzy's PoV.

"Teresa! They don't fit! What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Lizzy asked walking out of her own bathroom to stand in front of Teresa Lisbon who was perched on her bed. Her lip was jutted out in a pout and her hands hung helplessly at her sides.

"It's not that bad,.." Teresa began looking up from the frayed piece of yarn she was messing with.

"Teresa. I don't have enough bathing suit to tie it tighter in the back, this is pointless. Do you think Patrick would be willing to give me some money so we can buy a new one?" she asked worriedly.

Even though she was only held hostage by Red John, (she'd stopped referring to him as her father in her head and out loud) but she refused to eat the moldy bread that he tried to feed her, so she'd lost a significant amount of weight. She was already ridiculously thin to begin with, but now she was almost unnaturally thin, but not quite. Her bathing suit top hung low and loose and her bottoms were so baggy that her butt was the equivalence to a 93 year old hag.

"Of course I will!" they heard Patrick yell from the other side of her bedroom door. Lizzy and Lisbon rolled their eyes. He was always trying to listen in to their conversations.

"Patrick! Why do you always eavesdrop?" Lizzy asked exasperated and added a quite "Damn" at the end.

"I like hearing you bond, its wonderful" he yelled through the door again.

"Well let me change and then you can give me the money and me and Teresa, JUST Teresa, will go shopping for bathing suits." Lizzy said and heard him mutter something under his breath but couldn't make out what it was.

Lisbon chuckled and Lizzy grinned at her. Lizzy really did like Teresa. She'd never had an older sister, and if having one was like having an older brother she was more then happy to have Teresa as her sister-in-law.

They hopped into Lisbon's car after saying goodbye to Patrick, leaving him in the driveway sporting a mock sad face. They got to target not long after, roughly a 10 minute drive from Lisbon's apartment. When they walked in they were almost the only people there, which was nice but also a little bit creepy.

As they were browsing through the bathing suits Lizzy decided to start up a conversation, why not right?

"So Rigsby and Grace huh?" she said casually, and Lisbon's head snapped up.

"What about them?" Lisbon asked confused.

"Oh gosh, you don't know do you… Patrick told me you were slow on the uptake last time too apparently." Lizzy said smiling. She forgets sometimes that people don't notice all of the things that she notices. Herself, Patrick, and Cho, were the only people who know that Grace and Rigsby have started dating again. According to Cho it was "inevitable".

"They're together again aren't they?" Teresa asked looking down at Lizzy and Lizzy nodded. She noted the worry lines forming slightly in between Teresa's eyebrows.

"Don't worry, Teresa. I seriously doubt that Bertram would have the heart to make them choose between each other and the team. He's way too soft." she explained.

"good, because I wasn't about to separate them a second time, and I am not having anyone kicked off my team. We're a family now. So Bertram can go screw himself if he decides to stiffen himself up a bit." Lisbon almost growled.

"We won't let him. Patrick and I have our own ways of preventing anything too drastic from happening." Lizzy informed her, mentally adding, some examples would be blackmail, framing him for murder, making him loose contact with the outside world… but she didn't bother saying those out loud and risk upsetting Teresa.

Teresa just rolled her eyes and smiled. She then held up a red bikini that was strapless, "How about this one?" she asked.

"No way" Lizzy said crinkling her nose, "Maybe for Grace, but I like having straps." she explained.

"Teresa you should get this one!" Lizzy said holding up a wonderful deep green bikini that had very thin straps that tied around the neck and tied on the sides of the bottom.

"I shouldn't…" she began but Lizzy cut her off.

"Are you kidding? You totally should! Do you realize how flustered Patrick is going to be when he sees you in this? It'll be amazing. You're the only person I know that causes him to loose his cool in public and I love it. Plus it accents your eyes perfectly." Lizzy said persuasively.

"Oh fine." Teresa said blushing a little and grabbing the bathing suit from Lizzy while looking at her feet. "But if I get this then you have to get this one." Teresa showed Lizzy a royal blue bikini, that had an extremely low riding bottom and almost triangular shaped top, it was almost as skimpy as the green one.

"If I have to make Patrick loose his cool, then you've got to make Johnny go weak at the knees. You're eyes will pop while wearing this and that poor boy won't be able to speak while you're wearing it." Lisbon said chuckling.

Lizzy blushed as well but took the bathing suit.

Teresa ended up having to come inside the changing stall with her because it was too confining and the smell was almost exactly like the one in the creepy basement where she was kept. She almost went into a panic attack.

She'd rushed out of the stall and ran up to Teresa who had already tried hers on, she was trembling and tears had threatened to spill over her eyelids, lips quivering she tried to explain to Lisbon, who just nodded and went inside the stall with her.

When they were about five minutes from the house Lizzy looked up at Lisbon and whispered, "Don't tell Patrick. About my panic attack."

"Lizzy honey, he should kno-"

"No. I don't want his guilt to come flooding back full force. You know that it will. You don't even have to lie. If he asks how the shopping went then you talk about the shopping. Its that simple." Lizzy explained.

"And if he doesn't say shopping?" Lisbon asked.

"Just use the same method accept with whatever word he uses. Its not that hard Teresa. Please?" she asked.

"Okay, okay. But if it happens again we tell him." Teresa said solidly and Lizzy merely nodded. She knew for a fact if they told Patrick about her panic attack he'd either go into some sort of guilt ridden depression or wouldn't let her leave the house… or both.

Patrick never found out about the panic attack and he didn't seem suspicious that anything had happened, so that night Lizzy breathed a sigh of relief before she went to bed.

Every night before she went to bed she would give Teresa a hug and then she'd go over to Patrick and hug him as tight as she possibly could, he would return the embrace, kiss the top of her head, and then whisper "dulcis vel nullos prorsus somniis" in Latin, which meant "Sweet dreams or none at all" in her ear. It always helped. Once she was in her room, she'd do her nightly routine, a put on a CD, a different one every night, then go to bed. Without the music or Patrick's blessing she wouldn't be able to sleep. As she's said before, she wouldn't be able to sleep in silence ever again, and that would never change.

XXXxxxxxTheMentalistxxxxXXX

Lizzy woke up the next morning to someone gently stroking the bridge of her nose. Her eyes slowly opened and focused on a toothy but charming smile and a mess of bushy curls.

"Wake up sleepy head." Johnny said chuckling.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Ummm… I dunno. Round' ten?" Johnny said guessing and then leaned to give her a kiss but her hand shot up to cover her mouth.

"Wha?" Johnny questioned.

"Nope" she said, her voice muffled by her hand, "I have morning breath. Lemme brush my teeth first silly." Johnny nodded reluctantly and she trudged sleepily to the bathroom, that was conveniently located next to her bed.

After brushing her teeth furiously, removing any remnants of morning breath and plaque she rinsed off her face and walked back into her room to find Johnny jumping on her bed, killing time she guessed.

"Get down before Patrick comes up here!" Lizzy giggled.

"Fine-uhh" he said and plopped down into a sitting position. "Can I have a kiss now?" he whined.

"Of course." she said smiling and they kissed. She was absolutely positive that this would never get old.

"Alright you guys! Come eat some breakfast and get ready we need to meet Cho, his girlfriend, and Rigsby and Grace at the beach by 11:30!" they heard Lisbon yell from the first floor. Lisbon was always better at the yelling than Patrick was.

Lizzy grabbed Johnny's hand and they stampeded down the stairs, laughing and yelling and when Lizzy spotted Patrick with his back to her, she jumped onto his back and linked her ankles around his waste and hands around his shoulders.

"Help! Teresa!" Patrick mock shouted in fear, "Heathen remove yourself!" Lizzy giggled wildly as Patrick dumped her on the couch, and gave her a yogurt and some granola.

They ate their breakfast in a peaceful silence and then went to go change. The boys changed in the downstairs bathroom while the girls changed in Lizzy's room.

"Are you sure this looks okay, Teresa?" Lizzy asked self-consciously.

The blue bikini bottom was hanging on for dear life to her jutting hip bones and the top emphasized her breasts as much as they could for a 34 B cup. She turned to face Lisbon who looked absolutely stunning in her green bikini, it was almost unfair.

"Lizzy you look… hot. Trust me." Teresa said, and Lizzy noticed that when they were just with each other Lisbon's girly side would come out just a little, she'd let her cop flow drop just a smidgen. It was nice.

"Well you look amazing. Patrick's going to faint when you take your cover up off. I cannot wait." Lizzy complimented her, grinning.

Lizzy threw on her yellow cover up sun dress while Teresa threw on her white one. She then tied a blue bandana around her head while Lisbon put on a sun hat and sun glasses.

Sliding on their flip flops they headed down the stairs to find the boys leaning on the island waiting for them patiently. Johnny was wearing black trunks that had dark blue Hawaiian flowers and a white t-shirt while Patrick was wearing plain white ones with black piping and a black t-shirt. Johnny had sunglasses set into his puffy curls, while Patrick's were hooked to the collar of his shirt.

"Are we ready to go?" Patrick asked smiling up at them as they came down the stairs.

"Yes! Gosh I love the beach!" Lizzy said happily and hopped down the last few stairs and Johnny caught her, his arms slinging lazily around her waste.

They piled into Patrick's blue Citroen, at his request, and headed to the beach that was closest to Lisbon's apartment.

When they pulled into the parking lot next to the beach the rest of the team plus Cho's girlfriend were waiting for them leaning against Rigsby's truck.

Rigsby bent down and lifted the gigantic cooler without effort and Grace picked up a ridiculously huge tote back and they all headed towards the waves and sand.

"So you excited to get thrown into the ocean?" Rigsby asked Lizzy slyly.

"Wha? Pfffttt.. Only if you can catch me Rigsby." Lizzy said giggling.

"You are so on kiddo" he said hefting the cooler higher in his arms to get a better grip.

Grace and Cho's girlfriend smiled at each other as they watched the encounter. Everyone loved how amazingly Rigsby and Lizzy got along. They were best friends.

The beach wasn't super crowded but it wasn't too quiet, just perfect, Lizzy thought smiling wide as they made their way to a spot that was empty.

Rigsby and Cho set up the umbrella three different times because each time Patrick insisted that they had done it wrong until finally they gave up and Patrick was too lazy to "fix" it by himself.

Then the guys stood up from their beach chairs and each of them removed their shirts, and to be honest, it almost unfair. Almost.

Johnny and Patrick both had wonderfully golden skin, and Patrick's hair glinted in the sunlight. All of them were finely cut and the girls couldn't help but ogle just a bit but unlike men, they were able to keep their composure much better.

The first to take off their sundresses were Cho's girlfriends who wore a simple white bikini and Grace who wore the same red bikini that Lizzy and Lisbon had saw at the store. Cho looked at his girlfriend appreciatively but not obviously while Rigsby kind of just gulped and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand nervously. Then Lizzy removed her sundress.

It felt good to feel the sun against her skin, she felt warm and happy. Removing her bandana her hair glinted in the sunlight in the same way that Patrick's did. You could still see the pale pink scars on her stomach, JANE clearly scrawled on her skin. Johnny looked up from putting some sunscreen on and dropped the bottle then hastily picked it back up. Grace and Lisbon chuckled and she blushed.

Then Lisbon removed her sunglasses, took off her sunhat and then removed her dress and set it on the back of her beach chair. She adjusted the tie in the back absent mindedly and looked up to see not just Patrick staring but Rigsby as well. Rigsby was obviously surprised not having seen his boss in anything other then jeans. But Patrick, oh Lizzy was enjoying Patrick's reaction way too much. You could actually see him looking her up and down appreciatively and the slightest of blushed graced his cheeks. He swallowed a few times before he realized he was frozen and unmoving then asked Lisbon if she wished for him to apply sunscreen to her back.

Keeping good on his promise Rigsby picked Lizzy up when she wasn't paying attention and ran her down the beach dropping her into the cold waves. She screamed and giggled and got him to give her a piggy back ride back to the rest of the gang.

Lizzy was able to engage almost everyone in a game of chicken. Who didn't play chicken while they went swimming anyways? Cho couldn't because of his back so him and his girlfriend relaxed on the sand and watched the game play out.

Lizzy was on Johnny's shoulders, Grace was on Rigsby's and Lisbon was on Patrick's . They stood in a circle and tried to knock each other over. Lizzy lost first because although she weighed almost nothing, Johnny wasn't nearly as big as Patrick and not even close to as gigantic as Rigsby so he tipped easily. In the end it was Teresa verses Grace and it was very entertaining to watch. She could see Cho grinning to himself up on the beach.

In the end Grace and Rigsby won but Patrick claimed it was because Rigsby tripped him, even though they all knew that Wayne wasn't that clever, nor did he cheat.

The adults got out of the water and relaxed in the sun not long after that. Lisbon and Grace sunbathing on their backs while Patrick and Rigsby sat next them occasionally applying a kiss or two, and making small talk. Lizzy and Johnny decided to make a sand castle, and later enlisted Patrick's assistance, he was an excellent sand castle maker.

This was probably one of the best days of Lizzy's life, and she was loving it.

"Lizzy hey, we gotta go back up the beach. The grownups want us." Johnny said grinning at her as they washed off excess sand. She looked up to see them all waving for them to come up the beach.

"Alright let's go" she said and then hopped onto Johnny's back and as he carried her to the umbrella she shouted "Hurry peasant! These people request to be graced by my presence!" Johnny chuckled loudly and Patrick lifted an eyebrow at her questioningly.

Johnny set her down and she looked to Patrick, "So what's up?" she asked.

"Well, I think it's about time to open presents." Patrick informed her.

"What? Patrick! I thought I told you I didn't want any presents!" she said, "You guys, I didn't want to bother you wi-" but Rigsby interrupted her.

"We wanted to kiddo" and then he ruffled her salt dried curls.

"Alright." she sighed and sat down in her beach chair, while Johnny leaned on her knees.

It's not that she didn't want presents, but the way she grew up presents were always a burden for people. She just wasn't used to people actually being able to afford it.

"Here open ours first." Patrick said smiling down at her with an arm flung around Lisbon's shoulders. As he handed her the present she couldn't help but notice the women that eyed Lisbon and Grace enviously as they saw they Rigsby and Patrick weren't the type to admire other women while in a relationship.

They had handed her two boxes. One was medium sized while the other was small and square. She tore open the larger one and peeked inside to see a tea cup. It was the perfect size and on one side it had a picture or Lizzy's hands holding one Patricks, and the rest of it was a deep blue.

"I took that picture when you and Patrick fell asleep on the couch in the bullpen a few weeks ago." Teresa explained.

Lizzy looked up at her a smiled with so much emotion.

"Teresa… thank you. Thank you so much. I love it. I'll use it everyday, just like Patrick uses his." Lizzy told her. Teresa smiled a chuckled lightly. She then picked up the smaller box and opened it slowly. Inside was a simple silver ring, on the outside there was a small simple heart engraved and on the inside "Jane" was engraved on one side and the blessing that Patrick whispered to her every night, "Sweet Dreams or none at all" was engraved opposite it.

Her eyes began water just a little but she didn't cry. This one of the best gifts she'd ever gotten, she slid it onto her ring finger and it fit perfectly. She looked up at her brother, "Thank you Patrick. I love it." she said and got up to hug him tightly.

After she sat back down Cho and his girlfriend handed her a simple brown paper bag that contained the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe, and ever novel by Jules Vern. She was worried it was too much money but Cho assured her that they weren't expensive at all.

"Thanks Cho" she smiled gently and he nodded to her and rubbed her head affectionately.

"Oh me next! Open mine!" Rigsby said nearly jumping on the balls of his feet as if he were the one receiving the presents. He handed her a medium sized box that was a little heavy.

She opened it to find a Polaroid camera that was in perfect condition.

"I thought they stopped making these.." she thought aloud.

"They did. It used to be my moms, and I'm never going to use it so I figured you might want it. To take pictures of you're newly found family and stuff, ya know?" Rigsby explained.

"It's perfect Rigsby. Thank you." she said smiling so much now that her cheeks were a bit sore. She jumped up so he was hugging her in the air. He chuckled, spun her in a circle, and then set her down again so she could open Grace's gift.

"You don't need to take it out, just peek in the bag." Grace suggested and so Lizzy did so and was shocked to find four sets of different colored lingerie.

She gaped up at the red headed CBI agent. Grace winked and said, "Everyone needs some nice underwear." Lizzy blushed furiously, and Patrick chuckled, but Lisbon elbowed him in the ribs, so his chuckling was stunted, but she noticed it anyways.

"Uhh, here ya go." Johnny said shyly handing her a paper bag with a string handle. Peaking inside she saw that there was something square wrapped in some news paper and then there was a smaller box.

She pulled out the square and found that it was a picture frame, and inside that picture frame was a picture of Johnny and her when she was around 8 and he was around 9. She was wearing a giant red t-shirt that covered her shorts, the same red shirt she wore her first day at the CBI, and her legs were so thin it almost scared her.

Johnny was wearing a pair of holey jeans and no shirt. They were standing in front of Johnny's trailer looking up at the camera. Gramps had taken that picture from on top of the trailer and they were grinning like there were no worries in the world. Holding hands and in bare feet. She had mentioned to him that it was her favorite picture of them, it usually hung on Gramps' fridge.

"I had a copy of the one in my trailer made and framed cause I know you love it." Johnny explained.

"You're right I do love it. Oh my goodness. I remember this." she said grinning almost exactly like she was in the photo. She handed it to Patrick so he and Lisbon could see what she looked like as a little girl. She could tell Patrick was trying to hold back tears. As the adults passed around the picture and admired it she reached into the bag for the small box. She opened it to find a bracelet. It looked homemade, vaguely familiar actually. It had a thick leather band and tied in the middle was a small white heart.

"I umm, went to see Miss Violet the jewelry maker at the Carnival and she helped me carve a heart out of one of the Tiger's old teeth and set it into that leather band." Johnny explained again.

"Oh Johnny,.." she whispered bringing one hand up to cover her mouth, the other still holding it.

"I love it, oh my gosh. Help me put it on my wrist." she said and held out her arm and the bracelet which he put on her wrist and made sure it was secure. She had him put it on her right wrist which was naked before while her left one was littered with over 6 different bracelet's she'd made at the carnival.

"Thank you so much." She said wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing and appropriate but deep kiss to lips. He smiled against hers and wrapped his arms tightly around her waste.

Patrick cleared his throat. "There's only about an hour and a half of sun left. So get you're last swim in kids." he said grinning at them.

Lizzy and Johnny headed down to the waves hand in hand. This was honestly the best birthday that she'd ever experienced and she would never forget this day. Ever. It was permanently burned into the foundations of her memory palace.

Patrick's PoV.

Patrick watched as the kids swam in the water. He couldn't help thinking how good Johnny was for his younger sister, as he watched the teen boy kiss each of Lizzy's scars while she floated on her back in front of him.

He was decent, and smart, just a good person all around. A normal older brother would be worried for when this teen boy would move on from his little sister, but Patrick wasn't. He didn't see either of them separating for a very long time.

A lot had had happened to Patrick in the last two and a half months, it felt like two and a half years to be honest. But even though there was some extremely bad things that had took their place in that time his life truly started getting better when a scrawny toe headed girl, curls and pointed features, and as petite as could be walked into the bullpen and stuttered out her story to his awaiting ears.

People say that you don't really appreciate the things you have until they're gone, and that was true for him at first. After Red John had killed Angela and Charlotte he'd only ever realized how much he truly loved them after he watched his daughter die in his arms. But now, right now, sitting on this beach with all of the people he loved, that saying wasn't necessarily true.

For him, it was more like people don't appreciate things until you get the chance to have them. He's gotten the chance at a new life, anew beginning. He had friends, best friends, which he's never had before. And he had a wonderful little sister that brightened up his life as if he'd been living in a dark cave for years, and he had the most beautiful and amazing fiancée that he could possibly ask for. He had a second chance at love. How often does someone get that?

FIN.

OKAaayyyy. So that's the end! Last chapter es fin. But hey, their will be an epilogue, I promise. I suck at endings so I hope you enjoyed it, I hope there was enough Patrick in there for you, if not let me know and I'll put a bunch of him in the epilogue.

Also, if you guys are into supernatural please read my Destiel fic? It's my first oneshot and my first supernatural fic and I'd really like some feedback. :D

Please Review! Reviews earn virtual hugs! Who doesn't want one of those?

With love, Liz.