Whew. I apologize for the lateness. It's a bit ridiculous, but I have been stuck in the worst rut. I haven't been able to write ANYTHING. It's been horrible. *sniff* Anyways, a big thank you to Twin who helped me get through my writer's block and listened to me complain and rant. *hugs* Anyways, the big action comes up in the next chapter! Woohoo! I wrote it late at night, so I apologize for any typos!

Thanks to: ELODIE WOLFE, TROMANA, YABA, SOPHIE FATALE, LISBON69, MISSNITAGIRL. MTM, MAGGIER, FROGSTER, JADESTAR, FAMOUS4IT, THEFLAMINGDRAGONFLY, FINDINGTHESILVERLINING, SIMONISTHECUTTESTMENTALIST for reviewing the last chapter!

Chapter Nine

Her palms were sweaty. She took a moment to glare at the offending appendages before wiping them on her pants and entering her password into the waiting laptop. She looked around once, satisfied she was alone. For a cop, she sure was lousy at sneaking around even if she was in her own office. She never had a problem with undercover assignments, and could always be counted on to keep her cool even in the most extreme situations. However, there was something ominous about this unofficial assignment. Screw it. This personal assignment. It was something she swore she'd never do.

She wanted to believe that Jane just needed a break, or that maybe he had just forgot to tell her he was visiting an old friend. As she made her way back to her office after dark, she half expected to see him lounging on the couch, amusement dancing in his eyes as he presented her with some miscellaneous token for causing her trouble. But he wasn't. The couch was empty, and there was still no word from her wayward consultant. She was seething inside. He could at least have had the decency to answer his phone or leave a message.

'Gone to catch Red John. Be back soon!'

She shook her head to clear the comical thought from her head. Van Pelt would be faster at this, but she didn't want to risk bringing in anyone else. Besides, she knew her way through the systems. It would just take a few minutes. Running a hand through her slightly tangled hair, she sighed as she waited for the coordinates to triangulate. He had a few hours head start, but she should still have time to catch him. She doubted he had anything else planned for the day. In fact, the blond was probably running into this whole scenario blindly, and she was willing to bet that whatever was happening would occur the next afternoon.

Her computer chirped and she practically leapt up, cursing her skittish behavior. She quickly scanned the document, and breathed a small sigh of relief when she realized the transmitter had remained stationary for the past 20 minutes in a motel parking lot several hours away. Her eyes widened. Unless he was now moving on foot…. She groaned and reached for the lukewarm coffee on her desk. She was being ridiculous. She needed to step back, analyze the facts, and go from there. Printing out a set of directions, she programmed a set of alerts to go straight to her phone if the transmitter moved, and grabbed her laptop.

Jogging down the stairs, she threw her belongings in the passenger side of her car and sped out of the parking lot. There was no time to stop by her house, but thankfully she had learned to keep a spare change of clothes in her trunk. She hoped she wouldn't need them. Keeping her eyes peeled for the next gas station, she filled up and loaded up on a few granola bars and an energy drink. Hopefully she'd be able to catch a few hours of sleep in the motel parking lot. It wasn't the most ideal situation, but she'd be damned if Red John slipped through her fingers once more. Tightening her grip on the steering wheel, she gritted her teeth and headed towards the interstate.

A few hours later, she pulled into the darkened lot of a low budget motel and quickly caught sight of a familiar baby blue Citroen. A strange mix of relief and apprehension washed over her, and she took a moment to plan her next actions. Parking out of sight, she set the alarm on her phone and reclined her seat back as far as it would go. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax and let exhaustion take over. She was jolted awake several hours later, right as the sun began to rise. Her gaze instantly flickered to Jane's car and she wondered just how long she'd have to wait. An hour later, a familiar head of hair meandered down the stairwell and into the parking lot. She waited a few minutes, then started her engine.


Kimball Cho couldn't sleep. His fists tightened in the sheets as he rolled over and tried to get comfortable. Frustrated, he rolled back over and stared at the ceiling. His eyes shifted over to the bedside table, and he groaned at the time. Normally, thoughts of his coworkers would never keep him awake, but this time he had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right. Lisbon had sent them home earlier than normal and although that wasn't completely the cause of his unease, he was worried about what his boss was doing after. She often stayed late during an important case, but they had nothing urgent at the moment. Her behavior was irregular.

Teresa Lisbon had an uncanny ability to deflect questions away from herself, and as a result it was hard to push to find the truth. He liked to think that she trusted him enough to ask for help or advice, and in turn he always supported her in every decision. She had been closed off tonight- her movements jittery and somewhat erratic. She met his gaze once, and he knew she was up to something. Rolling over once made, he made a mental note to call Rigsby and Van Pelt in the morning. They had the weekend off, but he had a feeling Lisbon was going to need some back-up. Pulling his pillow over his head, he wondered if counting sheep would help. Probably not.