Title: Counterplay
Author: Divinia Serit
Rating: T
Art Collaboration with Agent_ERA

A/N: For the Mentalist_bb Reverse Big Bang Challenge on LiveJournal.

This story is complete! Woohoo! It's 7 chapters long, and I'll be posting a chapter every day. To see the beautiful artwork agent_era made to accompany this story please look it up on LJ community, or search for snowbunny91 on DeviantArt. I'll also link to it in my profile!

She did such an awesome job!

Counterplay: In chess; Active maneuvering by the player in an inferior or defensive position.

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."
-C.S. Lewis

Chapter 1

Kimball Cho knew she was aware of his presence. He had seen a shadow hover at the living room window some twenty minutes ago, before eventually flicking on the porch light. He appreciated her patience. Instead, he continued to drum his fingers along the leather rim of the steering wheel while occasionally glancing at her house. The light remained on. His gaze returned to the dark, night sky in front of him. A few street lights dotted the road and cast shadows along the perfectly manicured lawns and meandering sidewalk. It was a nice neighborhood- family oriented with a mix of single professionals who wanted the normalcy of suburban America. He glanced at her door once more, and swallowed. Moving slowly, he opened the car door and stepped out.

It wasn't the first time he had been to her house. Contrary to popular belief, Teresa Lisbon hadn't been solely focused on her career and Patrick Jane until trouble started piling up in unmanageable heaps. Not that he could blame her. Jane did require an extraordinary amount of focus. And although he tried, he couldn't help but feel a small bit of resentment at the consultant's careless treatment of the petite senior agent. Before Patrick Jane entered the picture, he had been several times. The first time she needed help unpacking and assembling new furniture. The second time her old SUV refused to start. He often house sat- collecting her mail and watering the plants- when she needed to take care of family business.

He had known Lisbon for over six years, and although she had always been a work-a-haulic, she was unquestionably loyal to her friends even though she held them all at arm's length. He had taken pride in the fact that she felt comfortable treating him as an equal; giving him a chance despite his background. Others had told her to pass up his application- that a former gang member would only cause her grief and would stab her in the back if a situation arose. Instead, she stood up for a man she didn't know and had taken him under her wing. She had been his mentor, and then became his friend. Both of them felt different from the other agents- traumatic pasts were difficult to overcome. But she understood his need for silence. He owed his entire career to her.

Now, he was standing outside her front door wondering how to explain that he had made a mess of his life and career. Earlier, she had softly pressed him for information, and he could easily see the concern in her eyes. She knew something was wrong, but he couldn't confide in her. Not this. Everyone knew she had a sore spot for addictions. He couldn't disappoint her after everything that had happened with Jane. He knew she was hurt by his abrupt dismissal, and they both knew he was lying. There was a time when he would have shared this secret and she would have helped him work things out. She had always told him that no matter what happened, she would always be there for him. But not now. Not since Jane.

But now he had no choice. He just hoped it wasn't too late to salvage their friendship.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Lisbon stepped onto her doorstep clad in a bathrobe. Her hair was twisted up in some sort of messy bun, and she squinted at him in concern. That's when he realized how much time had passed since he first parked in front of her house. She cocked her head to the side, and then opened the door wider. Turning, it was implied he follow her, and he shut the door behind him. She silently walked through the entry and turned on a small lamp beside the couch. Yawning, she met Cho's gaze.

"Tea?"

"Sure," he responded.

"Hmmm, I think I have Oolong, Darjeeling, and good 'ole Lipton." She shot him a half smile.

"Oolong's fine."

"Honey?"

"Please."

She nodded and padded into the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, he let out a soft sigh and sunk onto her couch. Slowing his breathing, he let his eyes wander around the room. Nothing had changed in months other than a new stack of mail and a few less boxes. The familiarity made him smile. He had always been able to depend on her. He just hoped that what he was about to tell her wouldn't change her opinion too much. He could handle the possible repercussions to his career, but the thought of disappointing the one person who had always believed in him was too much. Leaning his head back against the cushion, he closed his eyes and waited for her to return.

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Teresa Lisbon wasn't a fool. She had known for a few months that something was bothering her second in command. Not that it had affected his work. It was the little things. At first, he seemed happier, lighter. She had learned to read the way he carried himself and to judge the abruptness of his replies. She was happy for him, especially after Elise. She'd had an inkling of what might have been going on, but she didn't want to know and she wasn't going to speculate. As time passed he became more sullen and withdrawn. He continued to keep Van Pelt at a distance and wasn't quite as willing to jump into Jane's harebrained schemes as quickly as he once had. She knew something was going on, but she also knew she wouldn't get anything from him if she pushed.

She assumed he'd show up in her office one day, and he had, but even then, he still couldn't confide in her. That one moment made her stop and think. She had always prided herself on the fact that she was there for her team. She wanted them to be open with her. Before Jane entered the picture, Cho had been the closest thing she could call a friend. But somewhere along the last four years, dynamics had shifted and Jane slipped in beside her. It made her feel guilty that she allowed so much of her attention to be focused on the consultant. She promised herself she would take more interest in the well being of the other members of her team now that he had left. It was clear they would follow her into the black and back, but now she needed to regain their trust. She owed them.

All in all, she wasn't completely surprised that Cho had shown up in front of her house at eleven at night. She was heading to her bedroom when she noticed the glimmer of headlights bouncing across the wall. Her hand hovered where her holster normally was before she remembered she had taken her gun off for the night. Peaking out the blinds, she recognized his car immediately, and prepared to wait. The one thing she wasn't prepared for was how ragged he appeared. Kimball Cho wasn't devoid of emotion. Like her, he had once learned that emotions were a liability, only he had been able to hide them. To see such a large crack in his façade was unnerving, and she prayed he would finally tell her what problem was plaguing him.

Walking back into the living, she set two steaming cups of tea on the coffee table. Sliding onto the other side of the couch, she curled her legs beneath her as his eyes flickered open. He nodded his thanks for the tea, and she knew he was grateful to have something to keep his hands busy as he grasped the cup tightly. She had learned long ago that when Cho was extremely agitated, his hands fidgeted. She hadn't seen him this worked up in quite some time. It made her nervous. She pulled the fleece blanket from the arm of the couch and tucked it around her, snuggling into its warmth. She reached for her tea, and met his gaze- silently urging him to begin. Inhaling the pleasant aroma of her Oolong, she took a small sip and watched as he weighed his words.

"Kimball," she paused. "What is it?"

"It's my own fault, but I never expected this to happen," he started slowly.

She furrowed her brow.

"Red John contacted me."