A/N—I deleted stuff on my little flash thingy a few days ago by accident. One of said items was this chapter. (#%#!!!!!) I managed to retrieve most of the stuff, but I have to start this over. (#%$^&!) Turns out, stuff deleted off "removable media" doesn't go to the recycle bin. It's GONE! (Word to the wise, there.)
I wasn't going to do this, but you guys requested, and I am obliging. :D
Chapter Two
"We're incredible!" Jane said as they walked back to the cruiser.
Cho sighed. "I'll bite. Why are we incredible?"
"Because it's only one in the afternoon, and we already solved the case." There was a pause. "So what do we do with the rest of this fine day?"
"Paperwork. Which, of course, you do not do," Lisbon told him tartly.
Jane looked as if someone had just kicked his dog. "Well, I can help…"
"No, it's not part of your job," Cho told him.
Lisbon laughed. "Of course you'd take his side."
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Four hours later, and the Special Cases Unit were completely finished with the paperwork. Of course, the secretary was now laden with work, but that's a different story.
"Are you all done?" Jane asked.
"Yeah. How'd you know that?" Van Pelt asked.
"How do I know anything?" he responded. Van Pelt just smiled. "The reason why I wanted know if you were done," he continued, "was because I wanted to treat you all out to dinner instead of the pizza."
"Why?" asked Lisbon, who had been standing at the door.
Jane looked at her. "Are you really questioning a free dinner?" Lisbon rolled her eyes and went to get her coat.
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As they were driving on the freeway, Jane started to get curious. "Where are we going?"
"To that little dive we went to one time. Remember that?" Rigsby told him.
"Wasn't that in Nevada?"
"Yeah, but it was right over the line. Not very far, so we're okay. Besides, no other place has a promise attached to it," Lisbon said with a smile.
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The five agents packed into a booth in the back of the restaurant. As they waited for the waitress, Jane was stalling: "Well, I have no idea where to begin. There's so much to tell, I guess."
"The craziest thing you ever did," Cho prompted.
"You get back here, you little twerp!" the man screamed. Patrick didn't respond, he just ran. Even though he was innocent.
"For once," Rigsby snorted.
He really was innocent. A man at the carnival had lost his wallet, and somehow he thought Patrick stole it. But he didn't. So, anyway, Patrick was running as fast as he could. However, it wasn't fast enough; the man was gaining on him. Then he looked up: the Ferris wheel! He had climbed it before for routine maintenance, and his pursuer couldn't reach that high. He summoned the rest of his stamina and latched on to the side of the wheel. He began to climb to the top. He paused to rest, and realized that the wheel was moving underneath him! The operator hadn't seen him. Not only that, but he was about to be pinched between the wheel and its support structure. He was transfixed for a moment by fear; then he began scrabbling the opposite way to safety. As his lungs were about to give up, he felt the wheel lurch to a stop. Exhaustion was taking over his small frame. Remember, he was only 10 at the time. Then someone called to him from the ground.
"Jump! We've got you!"
"Are you sure you aren't making this up?" Van Pelt asked.
Anyway, Patrick didn't really want to jump, but his arms were shaking, and the cold night air was making early hypothermia set in. So, he fell.
"And then?"
"I don't remember." Groans erupted from the table. "Hey, now. I can tell you the aftermath. I broke two ribs, but I would have died if it wasn't for Tom."
"Who was Tom?"
Tom was Patrick's guardian angel. He stood only 4 metres, but his heart was the largest of them all. He did set design, and trapeze. He taught Patrick to be safe, always. That included self-defense. Knife fighting, blending in, escaping crowds, the whole bit. Anyway, Tom caught Patrick. How he did it is something that men will never know. The reason he broke the ribs is because Tom dropped him. Thankfully, he absorbed most of the momentum, so Patrick was mainly all right.
"You know how to knife fight?" Cho asked incredulously.
"Yeah. How do you think I saved my skin all these years?"
"I have no idea."
Tom sighed. "Pat, you're gonna get yourself killed one of these days."
"Why?"
"Because, I could go like this," he grabbed Patrick's wrist and rotated it, "and then go like this," he brought the arm up over Patrick's head, "and bide my time." After a few seconds, Patrick's arm went numb, and he dropped the prop knife.
"Aggh! How do you do that?"
"Practice, and thinking, both of which you lack."
"I can beat anyone in a knife fight any day of the week."
"Humble as always, huh, Jane?" Rigsby chuckled.
Jane smiled. "Anyway, enough about me. How about you guys?"
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Okay, more chapters on the way! (I am purposely not deleting anything off my drive from now on! :P )
