A/N: thank you again, everyone who reviewed the latest chapter! Especially Jisbon4ever and lysjelonken for reviewing both chapters - amazing! But of course I am incredibly grateful to all of you, so keep 'em coming! I intentionally left the end of the last chapter slightly ambiguous as to whether it was Jane or Lisbon who threw Millar into the filing cabinet; I wanted to see what people thought. But I think it's very in-character of Lisbon to react like that, so you're all correct - she's far too feisty to give into Millar! Also figured that a case should come into the plotline at some point…seeing as it is, y'know, their job.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters…except Millar, and therefore reserve the right to kill him at any time for obstructing Jisbon. So have faith, his time will come.

It was still the early hours of the morning when Patrick Jane strolled into the CBI. He always arrived first; he enjoyed making himself tea and then assuming his usual position upon his couch, prepared for the arrival of his colleagues. This routine was sacred to him, he loved to observe the other agents first thing in the morning - for most of them, this was their most vulnerable time, before their first injection of coffee for the day. He mused that it must be mandatory for detectives to have caffeine addictions before they are allocated their badges and guns.

This morning, however; this morning proved to be a morning disruptive to his customary ritual. This morning, he was not first.

As he approached the Homicide department and saw that lights were already lit, he checked his watch in perplexity. Still way too early for anyone else to have arrived, he thought to himself.

Curiously, he scanned the room, to find it empty, until his eyes landed upon Lisbon's office. Of course. He confidently approached her door to see her already engrossed in paperwork. He knew she was a workaholic at the best of times, yet usually not so much that she forgot to get herself a morning coffee…

"Good morning, Lisbon! Bright and early I see."

She jumped at his voice as he entered the room, before realising his identity and composing herself immediately. But not before Jane's sharp senses took note of her reaction.

"Morning, Jane. Just needed a head start on these files…"

He was surprised at that excuse - they were both excruciatingly aware of their lack of cases, let alone urgency lately. He construed that something must be intently on her mind if that was the best she could come up with. He raised one eyebrow at her questioningly.

She blushed slightly, and the sight softened Jane. This was Teresa, again, changing his perspective - vulnerability was not just an opportunity to analyse his co-workers, Lisbon looked vulnerable when she blushed, and in that moment he could not think of a vision more beautiful.

Shying away from Jane's intense gaze, Lisbon glanced through the window, to the CBI parking lot below. All at once, it clicked into place in Jane's head, the reason she was acting skittishly out of character must in some way be involved with…

"Are you avoiding agent Millar?"

Lisbon looked alarmed at his question, but instead of telling him where to go with such a personal question and looking him in the eye with that fierce expression in her eyes that he so adored, as she would have usually done, he noticed that she wouldn't - or couldn't - meet his eyes. Her mouth opened and closed awkwardly for a few seconds, attempting to fabricate some sort of half-truth that Jane might accept. But even she knew that there was no way to wriggle out of such a direct question.

Jane, slightly amused at her efforts, yet far too intent on the subject of agent Millar to tease her, took her silence as an affirmative response.

"Why?"

His mind cast back to the previous week, the sight of Millar, limbs akimbo in the filing cabinet caused a smile to tug at the corners of his mouth. But in a flash he collected himself and concentrated on the crucial conversation at hand. He had no idea what had happened after that evening - he managed to escape the scene undetected just in time to see Millar storming out of her office, a look of fury and humiliation on his face.

With a small sigh of defeat, Lisbon shrugged. "He asked to drive me to work today."

Yet again, this woman shocked Jane into utter bewilderment that no other could induce. An internal battle ensued in his mind; on one hand, Millar's proposition was a very intimate action that one would usually associate with a relationship. However, Lisbon had obviously declined - yet if she had, why was she avoiding him?

Noticing his confused expression, she elaborated; "He wouldn't take no for an answer."

This changed Jane's tact completely; that was very unlike Lisbon - she was not one to give in to persistence. He, of all people, was well aware of that.

As he was about to probe further, he heard spirited footsteps approaching the office, and didn't need to look any further than the expression of dread on Lisbon's face to know that they belonged to agent Millar.

When Millar was aware of Jane's presence, he calmed slightly, and smiled convincingly at them both, before shooting Jane a look that clearly intended to intimidate him out of the room.

When it became apparent from the steady expression on Jane's face that he had no intention of leaving, Millar turned to Lisbon and breathed something barely audible in her ear.

"You shouldn't have done that to me, Teresa…"

She winced at his words, but as quickly as he came, Millar swiftly exited the office, leaving them alone again.

Jane was no way going to let that go unexplained, yet just as he opened his mouth, Hightower entered, with news of a new case.

It was with a groan of frustration that Jane realised he had again been robbed of an opportunity to find out who this creep was, and what hold he had over Lisbon to make her act so submissively.

He would get to the bottom of this personal mystery, he vowed - something was not right with this man, nor Lisbon, and the world be damned if there's a case that Patrick Jane can't solve.

Any thoughts on Millar? Lisbon was initially pleased to see him, yet now…?

How should Jane discover the truth about Millar and Lisbon's past? What IS the truth? Reviews/ideas please!