Alright I know it's been done before but what would happen if things were different and Jane and Lisbon had met under different circumstances.

disclaimer:I don't own anything.

I don't know how they talked me into it, but here I was pulling my beat up car into the grassy lot that surrounded the carnival. I would be starting my first year of college in a week and the boys thought that I wouldn't be allowed to have any fun anymore.

"Alright we have until the money runs out so chose what you do wisely." I warned locking the car behind us.

"Hey Tommy I heard that hot senior girl you've been crushing on is supposed to be here tonight." James teased his older brother.

"Are you talking about the girl dating the football player that graduated with me?" I questioned nearing the brightly colored tents.

"Yep." James laughed, watching his older brother blush.

"She is soo out of your league." I laughed along with James.

"I don't have a crush on her." Tommy argued, his face almost as red as the girls hair.

"Can we go on that ride?" Michael finally spoke up pointing to a spinning ride called the tilt a whirl.

"Sure thing kid." I nodded, and that's when I saw him for the first time, he was tall and good looking with curly blond hair and piercing blue eyes. On top of that he had to be the best-dressed person at the carnival in his three-piece suit. He was talking with a pretty blond girl while holding the hand of a small child. The child was pulling on his hand toward one of the nearest carnival games.

"What are you doing tonight?" He asked her not letting the little girl get away.

"I'm going out tonight." The women answered watching the child squirm. "There was a guy here earlier who was kinda sweet."

"Your going out?" He questioned, looking a little disappointed.

"Not until after you're done of course. I'll watch her while your working." She reassured.

"Angela I take care of her all day everyday. You watch her for an hour and a half on work nights." He sighed, I thought I saw him glance in my direction but shook it off.

"Come on Reese lets go get tickets." Michael pulled me away from the conversation I was eavesdropping on.

"Give mommy a hug good bye." I instructed Charlie.

"Bye sweetie." Angela picked up her little girl and swung her around. "I'll see you later tonight." She called to both of us over her shoulder. I looked around for that cute brunette it only took a couple of seconds before finding her in line for the tilt a whirl with three younger boys.

"Daddy I want to go play the shooting game." Charlie whined going back to pulling on my hand.

"Don't you want to go on a ride?" I tried.

"Later daddy." She answered pulling me toward the game running into some people on the way. "Here you go." She smiled handing me the wallets she had grabbed from the people she ran into.

"Only three?" I teased pulling the cash out and pocketing it. Ninety dollars wasn't bad I thought to myself. "I counted five people."

"My hands are to small daddy." She frowned, before reaching into my pockets and pulling out the two wallets she had missed.

"You did a good job princess." I laughed taking the two wallets back from her and putting the fifty dollars with the rest in my vest pocket.

"That couple, right daddy." Charlie asked looking as a young couple holding hands and looking at the game in front of them.

"Come on Wayne that is the cutest stuffed bear in the world." The red headed girl begged.

"These games are impossible to win." Wayne argued, "There rigged to make sure you lose."

"Daddy can I play?" Charlie pouted making sure the couple saw.

"Alright just one try." I smiled pulling two dollars out of my vest. "How are you today sir?" I smiled at the vender letting my daughter hand him the money.

"Not bad how about yourself." He smiled in return. "Here you go little lady." He handed Charlie the water gun and explained the rules to her.

I stood back and watched as she won the game and picks out a spotted puppy as her prize.

"See Wayne it's not impossible to win." The girl grinned at my daughter hugging her puppy.

"Alright one try and that's it." Wayne groaned, pulling two dollars out of his wallet. He tried once and missed.

"Oh come on Wayne you want to be a cop and you can't even aim a water gun." His girlfriend teased.

"One more time then." Wayne frowned pulling out two more dollars. Again he missed.

"Here mister I can help you." Charlie offered walking forward with her puppy and twirling her skirt.

"No I got this." Wayne growled pulling out another two dollars. And again there is nothing.

"I can help you." Charlie offered again.

"No Charlotte baby, leave the poor man alone." I stepped in sensing the man's rising anger. He threw two more dollars down and was going for a forth time, and then a fifth.

"Come on Wayne I don't need the bear that badly." His girlfriend stepped in realizing he had just thrown ten dollars away.

I waited as the couple walked away. "Five dollars Jake." I smiled, "Plus the two dollars at the start."

"I know Patrick." He laughed, handing over the seven dollars, while Charlie went to give the puppy back to him.

"Go ahead and keep it Charlie." He smiled, "I got plenty to give away."

"Thank you Jake!" Charlie ran around the counter to give the man a hug.

"You earned it kid." He hugged her back, "You going to daddy's show tonight?" He asked.

"No, mommy is taking me out to dinner." She smiled skipping back to me.

"Well you lucky girl, I've been trying to get you mommy to take me out to dinner for years." Jake teased.

"Come on Charlie where to next?" I asked, as she jumped into my arms.

"Lets go find that girl you were looking for." She smiled at me, her blue eyes were like looking into a mirror.

"You really are my daughter aren't you?" I laughed, handing her the five dollars she earned at the game station.

"That's what people keep telling me." She grinned, kissing my cheek.

"You want to put that puppy in the trailer?" I wondered wandering around with her in my arms.

"Nope, Marty is coming with us." She smiled, "Can I get a corndog?"

"Marty?" I laughed.

"Yes his name is Marty." She grinned, "Can I have my corndog?"

"Lets go find you a corndog." I nodded, "in the meantime you need to tell me how you chose the name Marty." That's when I saw her, she was hanging out by the Farris wheel counting the tickets in her hand.

"You want to go ride the Farris wheel?" Charlie asked.

"Am I really that obvious?" I questioned.

"Not at all." She laughed, "I'm just learning from the master."

"You are the smartest four year old in the world." I kissed the top of her head. "Let's get you a corndog, and then we can go find daddy a girl." I knocked on the back of the food stand, no immediate answer. "Hey it's Patrick and I got a four year old back here in need of a corndog!" I called through the door.

"Do you have any patience?" A man in a baseball cap laughed opening the door.

"Daddy's in a hurry he wants to catch a girl." Charlie laughed.

"Oh daddy's going to go catch a girl is he?" The man laughed, "In that case I better go get that corndog. Does daddy want anything?"

"Grab me a soda Mikey." I smiled.

"As you wish." He nodded going back in and hurrying back out with a corndog and a soda. "Good luck with that girl it's been long enough."

"See you later Mikey." I shook my head.

"Look daddy she's still over by the Farris wheel." Charlie giggled.

"So you want to go on the Farris Wheel?" I asked.

"No, you want to go on the Farris Wheel." She teased.

Oh God he was walking this way with that little girl in his arms.

"Come on Teresa, we have enough tickets, lets get on the Farris Wheel." Michael called.

"But not if you want to ride something else later." I pointed out.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but over hear that you were short on tickets." The blond man had walked up behind me.

"What's it to you?" I snapped.

"Well I would like to suggest something to you." He responded without seeming phased at all by being snapped at.

"I'm listening." I crossed my arms.

"Well I can get you and your brothers on the ride without using your tickets, if you wouldn't mind sitting with me and my little friend here." He offered.

"And why would I sit with you?" I argued.

"You see Charlie is to small and they won't let her on the ride without two adults, because they think it's a safety hazard." He answered setting the little girl down.

"I guess maybe if it's for the little girl I'll ride with you." I shrugged, "As long as you're covering the price of the tickets."

"Trust me I got the tickets." He smiled, taking the little girls hand and leading the way. "You boys coming?" He called interrupting an argument they had been having amongst themselves. "Hey Kelly, you got two chairs available?" He asked the girl running the ride.

"For you Patrick I think I can arrange that." She smiled looking the boy up and down. "Where's Angela?" She asked him.

"On a date I would assume." He shrugged.

"And leaving you with little Charlie again." She smiled at the girl who was munching away on the corndog. "What a lucky little girl."

The boy let my brothers into the first one, and then helped me and then the little girl into the second one before getting in himself. "What's your name?" The little girl asked grinning all the while.

"Teresa." I answered, "What's yours?"

"Charlotte, but you can call me Charlie." She smiled, "And this is Patrick."

"How do you do?" Patrick shook my hand.

"You didn't give the girl any tickets?" I frowned after sitting in silence for a minute.

"That's true." He smiled, for some reason I had no doubt he could get whatever he wanted with that smile.

"How did you know they were my brothers?" I questioned.

"The same way you know she's my daughter." He grinned again, something about that grin was making my knees weak, it was a good thing I was sitting down already.

"I never said she was your daughter." I stated.

"No, but your observant." The girl chipped in, "Just like daddy, well not just like daddy, because no one is as good as daddy, but he says I'm really close." I couldn't help but smile at the little girl in front of me.

"They look like you." He concluded, after letting his daughter finish.

"She looks like you." I answered, we sat in silence a little longer, I was taking the opportunity to observe this man in front of me.

"No wedding ring." He stated, I looked up at him, "You're staring at my hand, I'm not married to her mother."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize I was staring." I apologized, I could feel my cheeks turning red, embarrassed by being caught in the act.

"Yes you did." He smiled, what was with that smile? No one should be able to look that good. "What did you learn?"

"Nothing." I confessed, I had learned absolutely nothing about him.

"I'm not surprised." His daughter cut in, "He doesn't like people getting to know him. He's scared." I watched as Patrick just smiled at his daughter. If she was telling the truth that was something I could relate to. The ride had come to an end and Patrick helped both his daughter and myself off of the ride.

"Well what ride next boys?" Patrick turned to my brothers.

"What do you mean?" I frowned stepping up to him.

"Well in an attempt to woo you I was going to pay for your brothers to go on as many rides as they wanted." He grinned, it was unsettling how honest he was being.

"Do you actually mean to pay or just talk up the person controlling the ride?" I questioned.

"I'm offended, you think I would flirt with one girl while trying to impress another." He faked offense.

"I don't even know you." I reminded him.

"Fair enough." He chuckled before turning his attention back to my brothers. "So which ride is it boys?"

And that was how I spent my afternoon. The more time I spent with him the more I couldn't help but enjoy myself. Somehow he never paid for a ride, or the food he got us, he even won me a purple teddy bear at one of the impossible games.

"Patrick, Charolette!" Someone called through the crowd, "There you are." It was the blond girl Patrick had been talking with earlier, she was dragging along an almost angry looking Asian boy. He graduated with me, but I had always stayed out of his way the rumor was he was part of a gang. "We've been looking for you everywhere."

"Angela." Patrick grinned, "Is it that time already?"

"It's 5:30 you got a half hour before starting time you better go get ready." Angela grinned back, looking from him to me. "Who are your friends?"

"This is Teresa and her brothers Tommy, James, and Michael." He smiled before turning to me, "This is Angela, Charlie's mother."

"So nice to meet you, Patrick doesn't usually have friends to introduce to me." Angela just kept smiling, "Oh right this is Kimball Cho." Patrick offered his hand but Cho just stared at him.

"Well Teresa I must go, I have to go to work." He smiled looking into my eyes, I couldn't help but stare back his eyes were so gorgeous, just like what I imagined the ocean to be. "I would like to see you again, if at all possible."

"I guess we could meet sometime." I shrugged trying to act causal.

"Tomorrow night, can we meet at the pizza place by the river?" He offered.

"Tomorrow night?" I repeated, well that was really soon.

"She's free." Tommy cut in.

"Yep she'll be there." James added.

"She'd love to see you tomorrow." Michael finished.

"I guess I'm free." I tried to act cool as my face turned three different colors of red, while Patrick just smiled. "What time?"

"Is eight okay?" He frowned, "I know it's late but I don't get off work until seven thirty tomorrow."

"Um no eight o'clock is fine I guess." I nodded, what was I saying eight o'clock was really late."

"That's great." Angela cut in, "Come on Charlie Daddy's got to get ready for work." I watched as Charlie hugged her father and then skipped off with her mother, Kimball just kind of following behind the two.

"Tomorrow night." Patrick smiled, kissing my hand, before turning to follow the other three away.