Last night's episode was amazing. Not the story itself. Frankly the crime seemed a lot more Scooby Doo than THE MENTALIST. But I digress. My fave couple FINALLY got it together. But the Angsty Bunnies beat the crap out of the Fluffy Bunnies today, and said I had to continue this story!!

DISCLAIMER: Just his lips? 'Cause he seems to be very good with those! Ok, they are not mine!

**********************************************************************

Choices of the Heart, Part 2

Cho was actually looking forward to this Monday morning. Most weeks, he listened to Rigsby whine about his lousy and lonely weekend. When Cho left on Friday night, Rigsby and Van Pelt were getting pretty cozy. If that big jerk didn't make his move on Van Pelt then, he gave up. Cho even left early so they could be alone. He wasn't a big fan of office romances in general, but Rigsby was a goner. This was way past drooling over the hot chick at work. He was so into her and who she really was. Cho was sure Van Pelt returned Rigsby's interest, but wasn't sure how far it went. He got himself a cup of coffee and settled in to watch the show.

Rigsby came in first. Shoulders hunched, jaw set, he radiated anger. His normal rangy stroll was replaced by clipped steps. When Cho began to speak, he shot him a look that would have cut steel. Those large expressive blue eyes were narrowed chips of slate. The happy over sized puppy of a guy was replaced by an angry wolf. You could almost see his large muscles flexing and tensing under his shirt. For the first time, Cho could see the man who had been raised by a hardened criminal. The change was frightening.

"Don't. No. Conversation. Ever."

The words were chipped out from clenched teeth. Cho was no fool. He backed away. Whatever happened was huge. Rigsby got coffee, but nothing to eat. This was bad, even worse than Cho could have imagined. He only hoped Jane didn't try to poke this tiger.

Van Pelt's miserable face told another part of the story. She had obviously spent the weekend in tears. She was wearing make-up to cover it and color on her cheeks. That too was unusual, Cho noted. She generally kept her makeup pretty minimal. He only knew that because it was one of the virtues that Rigsby had been extolling. She attempted a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes as she greeted Cho. They avoided even glancing at each other. For Cho who had spent months watching the "I look when the other person doesn't know it" dance, it was another sign of a disaster. The trained agent in Cho told himself to watch carefully.

Jane came in trailing Lisbon who was ranting about some damn fool thing he had done. It took Jane less than 10 seconds to pick up the vibe. He stopped short and looked at the two miserable agents. As he started to open his mouth, Cho cut him off with a look and an innocuous question about a past case. Cho shook his head at Jane and prayed he would leave it alone. If Jane opened this all up, it would likely explode. Even if Jane was annoying, Cho didn't relish having to collar Rigsby for his murder. Jane's eyebrows raised, but obeyed the unspoken order in Cho's eyes. He would find out all soon enough.

Thankfully, Lisbon was pretty clueless for a day or two. By Thursday, she was beginning to give them both serious looks. Her dilemma was simple. If she said something, she would have to acknowledge a relationship. If she didn't, it looked like her unit was pulling apart. She decided to give them another weekend to resolve it. After that she would ask if everything was alright with them. Nothing more. If they wanted to talk fine, but at least she could say she asked.

By the following Monday, the unit began to morph into what it would be for the next few months. Lisbon had pulled each one in separately and asked if there were any problems. Not surprisingly, neither gave an inch. You didn't get to be an agent in the Major Case Unit of CBI by being fluff. Each had their own core of strength. Lisbon could only hope the explosion when it came wouldn't destroy them all. However, she tried never to assign them together.

Rigsby became the quintessential tough cop. Lisbon knew he was an expert arson investigator, but now he took those skills and honed and used them on every case. He took to working out constantly. His large, lean frame got bigger and but still not overly muscled. Rumor had it that no one would spar with him any longer. He still reminded Cho of that Wolf, all pent up muscle, but alone. There were no more good natured bets or eating constantly. He had a sharp edge to him. He was even more stoic than Cho. He only spoke about work. No joking. He was all serious business, and it didn't take Patrick Jane to see he was miserable. Jane did try to speak to him. Using his height, he stood very close to Jane and bit out one word. "No." Any other attempts were met with silence.

Van Pelt became quieter, if that was possible. She only spoke when spoken to directly by Cho or Lisbon. While Rigsby got bigger and stronger, she lost weight. The bright eager agent was still there, but now she too had an edge. She came in earlier, and stayed later. She took to ignoring Jane and his antics. She knew if she gave him the slightest opening, he would be all over it. He had tried to get to her, using a softer tack. Her soft brown eyes which had become deeply shadowed regarded him steadily and had ironically echoed Rigsby's words. "No"

They spoke only to each other when absolutely necessary. Their conversations were all business and horrible to hear. Neither would allow any expression to creep into their voices. The team still had an amazing close ratio, but the heart had gone out of it. Jane tried to insert levity into the tension. It was usually met with a stony silence. Cho expected a blow up, but not what happened next.

**********************************************************************

OK people, I get the alerts, you are adding the story…thank you….but you are not reviewing…I really want your feedback!! PUWEEEZE?