Into The Dark & Wonderful Unknown

A Cho & Fischer Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Author's Note:

This story was inspired by a Twitter conversation with Donna on Twitter, she posted something about how everybody in the Mentalist got married like in an Austen novel and I pointed out that Cho didn't. . . but I had a headcanon where he went and got Fischer. She told me it would be a good fic idea and encouraged me to write it. So, here you are. . . it's a one-shot for now, but there's room for more if it suits my fancy. There are spoilers for 7x13 if you haven't seen it yet.

The title comes from Wonderful Unknown by Ingrid Michaelson and her husband, Greg Laswell.

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

For Donnamour1969

.

Here we go, going in alone, into the dark and wonderful unknown. Let us go, let us go."

Wonderful Unknown, Ingrid Michaelson & Greg Laswell_

Kimball Cho was lonely.

Everybody in his life had found somebody. Minelli had found May with the help of Jane. Rigsby had Van Pelt, and Jane had Lisbon and a baby on the way. Even Wiley had found somebody for a short amount of time and even though it hadn't gone the way he had wanted it to, he was young. With time, his heart would heal and he would find somebody new. It would go right for him the second time around and he would join the exclusive married only club, the one where he and his pretty little wife would go on double-dates with the Janes and trade stories about their children's accomplishments.

Cho would be married to his work; there wouldn't be anybody for him to go home to at the end of the long day. Nobody to kiss away the pain of an unsolved case or kids to entertain him with funny stories about how their day had gone. He would probably be a shadow in the Wiley and the Jane kids' lives, they would ask their parents why Uncle Kimball never came to dance and violin recitals or to see them in the Nativity at church.

There had been a time when he thought maybe there could be something with Kim Fischer. They had flirted and given each other appreciative looks for months, but neither of them had been bold enough to make the first move. He didn't want to mess it up between them because he liked having a friend to talk to, somebody to get a beer with at the end of work while Jane had pretended not to love Lisbon and Lisbon pretended not to love Jane, too wrapped up in their game of make believe to really notice their friend. It had been fine with him, he much preferred Kim's sensible company over theirs those days.

Everything had changed after the Bluebird case, Jane and Lisbon had disappeared. Lost in the early stages of a relationship that Abbott said was twelve years in the making. And Kim's mother had a stroke; she transferred to Seattle to take care of her. He had helped her make her house then driven her to the airport. He had wished he could have pulled a Jane then, told her how he felt. How he had felt about her since the first day they had talked. But he hadn't been able to find the words and she had been distracted, kissing him on the cheek and promising to e-mail him as soon as she was settled.

Their relationship had become a series of emails, each one longer than the next. Her last e-mail to him was still in his inbox, unanswered. He didn't know what to write without sounding forlorn and he was pretty sure that Lisbon had probably already filled the other in agent about her new life with Jane.

He sighed and fiddled with some papers on the desk in his new office. He tried not to think about her anymore, but he failed. Ever since Lisbon and Jane had gotten married, she was in the forefront of his mind.

She never complained or spoke of being lonely in her e-mails, but he couldn't help but wonder if she felt as lonely as him even though she never said it in black and white and Sans Serif words. He logged into his email account and with a few strokes of the keys, he was rereading her e-mail and thinking about how to reply to it. His fingers were poised over the keyboard, ready to compose an answer when he stopped short. Suddenly, he wanted to see her face-to-face again more than anything else. He wanted to really talk to her; it had been a while since they had talked with their voices.

He opened a new tab and typed in the name of a popular travel site, wondering if it were too soon as the head of the team to take a weekend off and go visit her. He wondered if she would want to see him or if she would be welcome him with open arms.

He battled with himself for a few minutes on why jumping on a plane and flying to Seattle was a bad idea. He still had a team to rebuild, Fischer might be too busy to see him . . . he didn't want to have a long-distance relationship because neither of them had the time or energy for one. In the end, they could only end up hating each other.

But he didn't want to spend his whole life wondering either. He didn't want her to be his favorite what if; he didn't want to be dateless at a party or a victim of his well-meaning friends' attempts to set him up so he could be as happy as they were (even though he didn't really think anybody could be as happy as Jane and Lisbon were).

He stopped thinking about it and booked a flight, Abbott was still around for a few more days. He could go to Seattle and be back in Texas in time to fill his new obligations.

.

Wiley drove him to the airport even though Cho told them that he could easily take a taxi. In the end, he was grateful for the younger man's company. His easy chatter about the Jane wedding was a distraction that he needed.

When they pulled up to the airport, Wiley smiled at him encouragingly. "You should tell her how you feel."

"Wiley," Cho said.

"Sorry," Wiley answered, looking a little guilty before breaking out into an easy smile. "Have a good trip; I'll see you on Monday morning."

"See you on Monday," Cho replied, unbuckling and getting out of the car.

Wiley popped the trunk and got out too, to wave him off. He didn't say anything except for goodbye, but Cho knew the younger man was dying to wish him 'good luck'. Knowing he felt that way was enough to give him more of a push towards his goal of speaking to Fischer about deepening their relationship.

She was waiting for him at the airport on the other end, just as sexy as he remembered her to be but looking a little tired. The strain of taking care of her mother and working at the FBI was taking its toll on her. Cho frowned, wishing he could lighten her burden just a little bit. But there would be time to think about it.

He accepted her hug and breathed in the familiar scent of musky Japanese cherry blossoms. For a fleeting second, he wondered if this was how Jane had felt when he had finally returned to Lisbon after their two year separation. It overwhelmed him, to know that he might not have ever gotten to smell her again or know what it felt like to have her in his arms or hear her voice again. Suddenly, he knew why Jane had risked jail time. Seeing the woman who made you dizzy with desire, the woman who made you feel things you hadn't felt in a long time would be worth the prison sentence.

Because without her, you were in a cell already.

They pulled apart after holding each other for just a little bit too long and smiled almost shyly at each other, looking for something to say to each other besides hello. She spoke first and he tried to look at her face, tried not to let his eyes wander away from her's to her lips, to her loose, olive-colored t-shirt and black jeggings. It was a hard task not to look her over and take her in.

"Did you hear a word I said, Kimball?" Fischer asked.

"No," Cho admitted.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go and get some dinner," Fischer answered. "One of my mom's friends is staying with her, so I don't have to be home for a couple of hours. I know this great place that servesfish & chips that are out of this world."

"Sounds good," Cho answered as she opened her car trunk and put his bag inside even though he wasn't very hungry, his stomach was a mess of knots and nerves and he was close to second-guessing himself and the trip out to see Fischer.

But it was too late to turn back now, she had to know he wouldn't make a frivolous trip out to see her and he didn't want her to question his motives. He sucked in a deep breath and got into the passenger side of the vehicle, unsure of what to do next. . . not wanting to come right out and tell her what he was thinking or feeling, even though he usually spoke with a trademark bluntness, pulling no punches. . . speaking with brutal honesty.

He wasn't a great speech maker. He didn't use pretty words and he had never had to before.

"Do you think you'll enjoy being supervisor?" Fischer asked, breaking into his jumbled thoughts again.

"Yes," Cho answered. "The only thing is, I have to rebuild the team and I don't know how much I'm looking forward to that. We had a good unit going and now I have to rebuild that rapport."

"Teresa is still staying even though she's married now, isn't she?"

"Yes," Cho replied. "But we'll see how long it'll last; she might decide she likes the civilian life after all. And she has a life now, there's no need to stay late hours and come in early anymore."

"I'm sure neither Patrick or Teresa will leave you in the lurch though," Fischer said. "Besides, she loves her job. I don't think she'll give it up that easily. Now, why did you come out all this way to see me? Did you come to offer me my old job back?"

"Is your mother well enough to move to Texas?" Cho asked because a fake conversation about giving her her old position back was easier than talking about what he had really come to say.

"Sure, she's well enough," Fischer answered. "But I can't take her away from her life here and I don't feel right about leaving her all by herself. And I don't want to uproot my life again, not only after just settling in."

"Well, you know you always have a spot on the team if you ever change your mind," Cho said.

Fischer smiled at him. "Well, I appreciate the offer but you didn't have to come all this way to offer me a position on the team. You could have just called me, you know."

"I wanted to see you again," Cho confessed, feeling a rush of adrenaline come with his honesty.

Fischer smiled even wider. "Well, I'm glad you came to see me. I've missed you, I've missed all of you and I was sorry that I couldn't make it for the wedding. I wanted to but we caught a case and I couldn't get away."

"They understand," Cho assured her.

"I'm planning on taking some vacation time to come and visit them when their new house is finished," Fischer told him.

"I wish you'd come sooner," Cho said, another nugget of honesty falling from his mouth easily and without fear of her reaction.

Fischer pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car; she pulled on a leather jacket and fished around for an umbrella just in case it decided to downpour. "I wish I could come sooner too, but I don't think if I come now that I'll be able to come and visit again for a long time."

Their eyes met and they held each other's gazes for a long time, caught up in an undeclared staring contest.

"There's more," Cho told her.

"Don't say it right now," Fischer whispered, breaking eye contact. "If you do, we might not have anything to talk about this weekend."

Cho couldn't honor her request though, there was so much to say and he was tired of not saying anything. He was tired of being alone and he knew she probably felt the same way, unless she had already found somebody to date in the new FBI building where she was working, which he didn't think was likely, not with everything going on in her life.

"I'm not asking you to marry me," he told her.

"You might want to one day though," Fischer answered. "And then what are we going to do? You have a good job waiting for you in Texas, an opportunity you probably won't have here. And I told you I can't leave, not right now."

"I'm so tired of being alone," Cho told her, surprised by how easy it was to wear his heart on his sleeve. "It seems like everybody has somebody, everybody that is except for me."

"Don't you think I know that?" Fischer asked. "I can see for myself. I envy Patrick and Teresa and their happiness, I really do. But just because I want something they have doesn't mean I'm going to try and force it."

Cho frowned. "We both know we wouldn't be forcing it! It was just you and me before they came, we were always good together. We had a natural sort of chemistry from the first day we met. I understand if you're scared, I'm scared too. But don't for a moment say that we'd be forced! If you had been able to stay, we both know that we would have ended up together in some manner or the other. You can't work too closely together and not develop some sort of attachment."

"Teresa and Patrick, and your other friends. . . they're the exception. I'm always the rule."

"Is there somebody else?" Cho asked, his signature bluntness coming to the forefront without his letting it.

Fischer gave him a look. "I don't have time for anybody else," she answered as she opened her door and popped her umbrella open. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry and I'd like to eat. You can come with me or you can stay here. It's your choice."

Cho followed her, not willing to give up so easily. She waited for him to come around the car, shared her umbrella with him so he wouldn't get wet from the heavy downpour that had come out of nowhere.

Fischer ordered Seattle's famous draft beer and fish & chips then led him to a secluded corner, trying to get him to talk about anything else except for what he really wanted to talk about. They were both determined, so they sat across from one another, nursing their drinks and trying not to look at each other.

She was the first one to break under pressure. "I don't think I'd be good at a long distance relationship," she told him.

"The least we can do is try," Cho replied. "You never know what could happen if you don't at least try. I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering what if, I don't want you to be my favorite could have been. I just want to try. . . because I like you, Kim. I like you a lot."

"I like you too," Fischer admitted.

"We should at least try us, don't you think?" Cho asked.

Fischer shook her head. "This is just a reaction to the Janes getting married. You probably realized that you're all alone, that you don't have anybody and you want me because I'm a woman in your life who is available."

"So what if their marriage was something that gave me the push to come and talk to you?" Cho answered. "At least I'm here; at least it gave me cause to form a plan of action. I want you and even if you tell me 'no' after this weekend, I'm going to keep coming back until you say yes."

"What if I find someone else? Are you going to let me go then?" Fischer challenged.

"Maybe. If I'm sure you really love him. . . if I'm sure you really want to be with him," Cho answered. "Like it or not Kim, I'm not giving you up that easily."

Their orders were delivered before Fischer could answer him. She dipped her fried fish in malt vinegar and chewed, trying to buy herself some more time to think of what to say next. She swallowed and looked at him. She took a deep breath and released it, reaching out to touch his hand.

"What if we get it wrong?"

"I worked with four people who always got it wrong," Cho answered, covering her hand with his free one. "But they always worked it out; we can work it out to if we get it wrong. I'm done being alone, Kim and I decided you're the one I want to be not alone with."

She bit her lip, her resistance fading because she was tired of being alone too. "Kimball. . ." she tried again.

"Just give me this weekend and on Sunday night, if you still don't know what you want then I'll give you some space to decide."

Fischer still hesitated, knowing if she spent the weekend with him then her decision would be made for her. She wouldn't need space to decide, she might not even be able to let him go. She couldn't say yes, she needed to let him go and do what he was called to do while she did what she was called to do. Cut her losses before there were losses to be cut. But one look in his dark brown eyes and she knew where it was going to end up.

For once in her life, she wasn't in control. She was powerless, swept away by a wave of powerful emotion. She was clear-eyed and sober, following braver women than she, women who had lost more than her into the beautiful unknown.

She pushed away her basket full of food and led him out into the rainy night, surrendering herself to him completely.

When she woke up the next morning, she wasn't wondering anymore how Lisbon had come back to Jane again and again. She knew the answer now, without words or reason or explanation. There wasn't any reason, love made you do the uncertain thing because that was what you did when you loved somebody.

.

"You'll come to Texas in two weeks?" Cho checked as she let him go at the airport early Monday morning.

"I'll try," Fischer answered, trying to keep the moment she was dreading from coming too quickly. "No, I'll be there. . . I promise, Kimball. We're going to make this work. In between times we can Skype and talk on the phone."

Cho kissed her goodbye on the cheek, never the one for huge public displays of affection. "I have to go if I want to check in before my plane leaves," he told her.

"I know," Fischer said, feeling her gut tighten up. "Call me when you land."

"I will," Cho answered, smiling at her and feeling a little bit fuller than when he had landed in Seattle on Friday night. "I'll see you soon."

Fischer nodded. "Yes. Soon," she assured him.

They were going to make this work.

_End_

.

Author's Note II:

I hope you'll tell me what you think. I always have trouble writing in Cho's voice and Fischer's too, for that matter. Mostly because I am accustomed to Jane and Lisbon's, I write for them the most.

Awaiting your thoughts with anxiously bated-breath!

Love,

Holly, 2/22/2015_