Thanks for all of the reviews so far guys, it means a lot. If anyone has any requests for particular characters then let me know. I'm not too fond of this chapter but it's just a tool to get me to the next chapter which i promise will be awesome.
Disclaimer: I still own nothing, except my own imagination.
'Rigsby! Hurry up in there and don't use all the hot water.' Grace yelled as she banged on Cho's bathroom door. The morning was incredibly hectic; they were all rushing around each other, all used to different routines and none of them used to having to wait for the bathroom in the morning.
Cho, who had sensed that this could well become a problem , had gotten up just that little bit earlier and was fully washed, dressed and was now sat reading the morning paper and letting the madness wash over his head. It was all rather pointless really, getting up so early, rushing to be ready because it's not like they had anywhere to be in particular.
Cho couldn't deny that he was slightly amused by the sight of his boss in the morning; Lisbon was usually so sharp and alert that it was certainly a shocker to see her stumbling around in a daze, it was like watching Bambi learning to walk. She was currently faffing around in the kitchen making herself yet another cup of coffee; as if she needed anymore caffeine, it was no surprise that she hadn't been getting any sleep. He saw Jane trying to help her and it almost looked like he had slipped something into her drink without her noticing. Cho just shrugged it off; probably just a sweetener or something.
Once everyone was dressed and functioning properly they all gathered around the kitchen table to suss out their options. It was the first time they had been able to think clearly for nearly a week now.
'So what did Minelli say on the phone earlier?' Rigsby asked as he handed out steaming mugs of coffee for everyone and a cup of tea for Jane. Even though he was retired, Minelli still had friends within the CBI; his soft spot for Lisbon and the team meant that he was still keeping them informed of new developments where possible.
Lisbon replied silently, as if they were in hiding or something. 'Here's the deal. The good news is that nobody is after us, exactly. The only reason we've been suspended is our inability to prevent Jane from doing what he did. The whole CBI is in complete disarray what with the whole mole working for Red John scenario and the truth is that nobody is really sure what to do. O'Laughlin has been confirmed as a mole who had been double crossing the CBI and the FBI for some time now so Hightower and Van Pelt won't be facing any charges for shooting him.'
Grace let out a huge sigh of relief, as did the rest of the team; the last thing they needed was another member of their team hauled up on a murder charge.
'And the bad news?' Rigsby asked tentatively.
Lisbon tried to avoid eye contact with Jane as she continued but she couldn't help but watch him from the corner of her eye as she addressed the table. 'We've got no positive I.D on the man Jane... you know,' she still couldn't bring herself to say it, 'no identification, his fingerprints aren't on the system and we can't even use his dental records because all of his teeth are fake.'
'So basically this man is a ghost?' Grace ghasped. 'We still don't know what Red John's real name is, where he came from or anything about him.'
They all looked over at Jane, to gage his reaction; but like always it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. He then asked a question that had slipped all their minds.
'What's happening with Hightower?'
'She was released without charge this morning,' Lisbon said with a huge smile across her face, 'I guess they finally found enough evidence to suggest that was set-up and not in cahoots with Red John.'
Cho looked up at her with a small glimpse of hope in his eyes. 'Does that mean we can go back to work now?'
'Nope, Minelli said that we're on indefinite leave until Jane's situation is resolved.' Lisbon could see the faces of her colleagues and how disappointed they were. But she had a plan to keep them occupied to stop them from going crazy and getting cabin-fever.
'Cho and Van Pelt, i want you to meet Hightower at her house. She told Minelli that she has information for us but only feels comfortable giving it face to face. Rigsby, I need you to meet Minelli at his house; he managed to sneak out copies of the security footage from the mall that day so it's worth taking a look at it.'
As Lisbon continued to dish out orders she suddenly remembered that she had no authority over them anymore. They were suspended yet she was still bossing the around in Cho's house.
'I'm sorry guys.' She apologised, 'I guess old habbits die hard.'
The team apparently didn't seem to mind; even Cho mustered a small smile as he put his suit jacket on and headed towards the door with Rigsby and Van Pelt. ' You bossing us around is just what we need. Makes us feel normal again.' And with that they were out of the door, happy as can be now that they had purpose again.
Lisbon made her way over to the couch and sat down. A sudden wave of tiredness hit her and it took every effort and will power she had to keep her eyes open.
'So Lisbon, what are we to do now?' Jane asked as he followed her into the living room and stood over her with his hands behind his back.
'We strategize.' She replied whilst trying her hardest not to yawn. As she took another sip of coffee, she caught a naughty glimpse in Jane's eye and something immediately clicked.
'You son of a bitch, you drugged my coffee!'
'Yes.' He said simply, as if stating the obvious. 'You need your sleep Lisbon or you're no good to any of us, I'm worried about you.'
She was so mad at him right now, all she wanted was to punch him square in the nose but she could barely keep her head upright as the sleeping pills he had drugged her with were starting to take full effect. 'You son of a-,'.
