I know, it's not Wega Wednesday! But it IS "Internet Best Friend Day" (apparently) and Roxanne's my best Wega buddy. Also I'm still on a huge high from American Pharoah's victory in the Belmont yesterday, so I guess Roxanne + Triple Crown = an extra update!


"Do you want one of us to stay with you tonight?" Lisbon asked gently.

She shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I want to be alone." The words sounded odd as they crossed her lips. Of course she didn't want to be alone. But the person she wanted to be with wasn't there. What she really wanted to do right now was help out, but Cho was sending her home under threat to not update her if she stayed here. If Lisbon came along, she would just try to comfort her, and she knew that would only make her more distressed. "I'll call you if I need anything," she promised.

"Mkay," Lisbon said, stepping forward and pulling the younger woman into a hug. Behind her, Mimi was sucking her thumb...something she hadn't done in at least a year. When Lisbon and Vega broke apart, Mimi walked up to Vega and held her arms out.

"Madeline," Lisbon said. "Leave Aunt Michelle alone. She's had a hard day."

"It's okay, Mims," Vega said, reaching down and picking the girl up. "You don't worry," she told the girl. "You just go home with Mama and Daddy, okay?"

"Where is Uncle Wylie?"

"He's...we'll find him, okay?"

"Why did he goed somewhere?"

"That's what we want to find out," Vega said. "That's our job. Your job is to go home, get some food in that little belly and get to sleep."

"Vega, a moment?"

She nodded, setting Mimi down and giving Lisbon a small smile. She headed toward where Cho stood at the opposite end of the room, not feeling the energy to acknowledge the sympathetic look Jane threw her when she walked by. "Yes, sir?"

"I'll come by tomorrow when we know more, okay?"

She gave a small nod. "That's fine. You can call me," she added, feeling an extra twinge of fear as she wondered why Cho felt a house call would be more appropriate.

"We'll play it by ear," he said, giving her a nod. "You hang in there. You're the toughest person I've ever met, this is just another obstacle. It's going to be okay."

She nodded. "Thank you." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then shifted her weight. "Um..."

"Come here," Cho said, understanding, and Vega moved toward him, letting him put his arms around her. "We'll find him, Michelle," Cho said in a low voice, his tone sounding oddly like the way her father used to comfort her. Vega wondered if they always had similar comforting inflections or if she just really, really needed her dad right now.


When Vega got home, she pulled leftovers out of the fridge and ate slowly as she skimmed the troubleshooting forums for the upcoming game release. Then she sank down on the couch, pulling a blanket around her and flipping through the channels, not finding anything that struck her fancy – but not really registering what was on before hitting the next channel button anyway. The whole night was very reminiscent of her life before Wylie, and she didn't like it.

Vega turned off the television and sat up. This wasn't Before Wylie. She wasn't the woman she was Before Wylie. That woman would have listened to her boss's instructions, politely accepted the sympathy of her co – workers, then gone home and, despite her worry, waited until the following day to keep working.

Because the old Vega always followed orders and never deviated from procedure.

But that was Before Wylie. That was Before Jane, Before Lisbon, Before Cho. Vega wasn't that person anymore, Hell for all professional and legal purposes she wasn't Michelle Vega anymore either. She knew there were things she could do tonight, and she wasn't going to wait around while Wylie was out there somewhere. I lived. Against all odds, I lived. Like Hell I'm going to let you die.


"Vega," Cho said in surprise when he re-entered the bullpen past midnight to find the woman at her computer. "What are you doing?"

"Setting up trackers when they call us."

"Vega, we have Wylie's new implementations all set up," Cho said. "If they call us..."

"When they call us." She bit her lip. "They took him as a bargaining chip. So they can sell the drugs."

"I know," Cho said gently. "When they call, then. We're all ready to go." He put a hand on her elbow. "You should be at home."

"I know, I was just..." Vega gestured at the screen. "Checking..."

"You want to help," Cho said. "I understand that. But you know that you can't partake in this investigation any longer. Hey," he said when her eyes flashed upward. "We will keep you updated of course. But..."

Vega stood. "Agent Cho?"

Cho raised an eyebrow a fraction.

"When I was shot..." Vega took in a deep breath. "You guys stayed on the case. You fought for me even though as far as you knew, I hadn't made it. You guys made sure justice was served. And with all due respect, sir, none of your relationships with me then were near what they are now. And none of our relationships with Wylie were what they are now. You saw my body, you thought I was dead. We haven't seen Wylie's body or been given any indication that he isn't alive. So, with all due respect, I'm helping you find my husband."