I apologize for the slow update! I have so much that I'm working on! Plus, it's finals week, but I have my last presentation of the semester on Tuesday night! YAY! I'm almost done! Anyways, the next few chapters will be a flashback leading up to the situation! Everything will make sense in time, and thanks for trusting me so far! I forgot to mention, this takes place before 2x07 Red Bulls. And it's obviously a little darker than canon. I just love that Tromana and I are writing crazy, dark, angst fics for each other for Christmas. Hahahahaha, I love my Twin!

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! I enjoyed reading your thoughts and predictions! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! Thanks to: ELODIE WOLFE, TROMANA, YABA, LISBON69, CELTICGINA, CURELESS, EBONY10, EMERALD RAMBLINGS, MTM, JADESTAR, FROGSTER, WISHER93, and TELLTHETRUTH. Big hugs to those of you who are new reviewers! Y'all are the best!

Oh! This was definitely finished around 1 AM, and all mistakes are my own. I really need to stop writing so late, but apparently my muse is most cooperative after midnight!

Chapter 2

Monday, 10:23 AM
One Week Earlier

Teresa Lisbon clamped her fingers down on her temple with a groan. The day had barely begun, and Jane had already caused a ruckus. She eyed the bottle of Aspirin on her desk with interest. Technically, she wasn't supposed to take another dose for three more hours, but that didn't stop her longing look. However, she had a feeling she was going to have enough to worry about without adding painkiller overdose to the list. She drained the last of her coffee with a scowl and pushed the empty Styrofoam container to the window sill where a collection had already started to form. If anyone asked, she would just tell them she was creating an abstract art sculpture entitled 'Caffeine Addict'.

Jane had been particularly insufferable as of late. Ever since the case had been wrenched away from them his level of petty, childish behavior had drastically increased. He snapped at everyone with a cold look in his eye, and she was tired of walking on eggshells around him. Just because things weren't going his way, did not give him the excuse to throw a temper tantrum. Even Bosco had privately mentioned Jane's hacking attempts, and she didn't want to deal with the fallout of his actions. She was lucky Bosco came to her instead of Minelli or Jane would be out in the cold. She could only imagine the amount of trouble that man would get into if he wasn't supervised.

Grumbling, she searched through the top drawer of her desk for the pack of multicolored sticky notes she used for important notices. Maybe it wasn't the most professional way to organize reminders and appointments, but there was something that made her smile at having several brightly colored squares littering the wall. Flipping through her calendar, she proceeded to make a note of several upcoming appointments and firmly stuck them to the wall beside her computer. Feeling much more productive, she turned to the large stack of files covering the corner of her desk and pulled them closer to her. Flipping through them, she continued to highlight several important leads to follow up.

Her stomach rumbled loudly and she glanced at the clock with a wry smile when she realized she had worked through lunch once again. Briefly organizing her desk, she grabbed her wallet and headed out of her office. She figured she deserved a break today, and the café on the corner did have the best chicken salad sandwiches. Her mouth watered as she envisioned the tasty sandwich. Entering the bullpen, she watched suspiciously as Jane stuffed a small piece of paper into his suit jacket. Raising an eyebrow, he refused to meet her gaze and she chalked his behavior up to another one of his upcoming tantrums.

"I'm headed to Lou's. Anyone care to join me?" she asked her team.

Van Pelt just waved her on as she pulled out a sandwich from her brown paper lunch bag. Rigsby looked slightly torn, but announced he'd brought leftovers from home. Cho shrugged and grabbed his coat with a nod toward her, and she sighed in relief. Her second in charge was always good company. He respected her need for silence and didn't try to force a conversation out of her. Sure they engaged in a lively banter occasionally, but they didn't have to fill the silence with pointless drivel. She enjoyed the calming presence of the Asian man especially on days like today. Pausing at the door, she waited for him to catch up before heading down the stairs. Heading out down the sidewalk, she turned when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her.

"Nice of you to join us, Jane," she said with a hint of annoyance. She just hoped any conversations wouldn't escalate into another argument.

"You did extend an open invitation," he saucily replied.

"An invitation to which polite people verbally agree to before tagging along," she answered shortly while quickening her pace.

"I didn't realizing I was interrupting something," Jane voiced with an insinuating tone. Lisbon froze. Turning sharply on her heel, she jabbed her index finger into his chest.

"Grow the hell up, Jane. You're acting like a brat." His eyes narrowed briefly and they stood in silence, each daring the other to make the next move. She watched in frustration as a slow smirk spread over his face, and she knew he wouldn't leave it at that. The man didn't know when to stop pushing, or else he just didn't care.

"Says the woman with the scowl. Are you going to stick your tongue out at me too?"

"Damn it, Jane! You've got to stop treating us like this just because things aren't going your way!" she exclaimed. She could feel her temper rising as unspoken words that had been building up threatened to explode. She ignored the stares they were receiving from passers-by and continued to glare at the man in front of her. She saw Cho standing off to the side, and a wave of exhaustion hit her. She was tired of dealing with him..

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" he pressed, his voice lowering into a sharp hiss. Closing her eyes, she huffed in frustration and decided to give up.

"Screw it Jane. Come talk to me when you can stop acting like a child."

Turning on her heel, she left him staring intently after her his hands clenched into fists. Cho didn't say a word when she rejoined him, but he did shoot her a look of concern which she promptly ignored. Shoving her hands into her jacket pockets, she ground her teeth together as a tiny hint of remorse came over her. She shouldn't have lost her temper with him. Shaking her head, she decided there would be plenty of time to rectify the situation later. Now, it was time for lunch.