A/N: Third addition. Thank you for the reviews for last chapter! Very much appreciated. Hope you continue to enjoy.

Chapter 3

Cho took a deep breath and finally pulled his eyes away from the words and letters littering the pages of his book. Both Jane and Lisbon were nowhere to be seen. Jane had been gone for over an hour now. Not that Jane was the one he was worried about. Lisbon. Lisbon was never this late. Not in his whole history of working at the CBI, had Cho ever experienced Lisbon walking in more than 30 seconds late. He silently made a decision, his expression remaining as flat as shaken lemonade.

Rigsby slowly dragged himself up off the desk and looked around through hooded eyes.

'Where's Jane?' he mumbled, grabbing the thousandth tissue, wiping his nose and disposing off the soft white material in his close to overflowing wastebasket.

'I don't know. He hasn't come back yet,' Cho said, folding the corner of his page and placing the book on his desk.

'He left?'

Cho simply stared at Rigsby.

'What?'

Cho shook his head hopelessly and stood up, gathering his jacket off the back of his chair and passing through the bullpen on his way out. He briefly greeted Minelli in passing as the CBI boss headed into the area Cho had just left.

'Where's Lisbon?' Minelli demanded, striding into the bullpen, looking around expectantly.

Van Pelt and Rigsby immediately shot up in their seats, the motion causing Rigsby to cough loudly.

'I don't know, sir,' Van Pelt said.

'She hasn't called any of you?'

Looking round, Minelli was granted with two blank faces. Cho's desk was empty, and a sad looking indent in the leather couch was all that was left of Jane.

'Ok, where are Jane and Cho?'

'I don't...know, sir,' Van Pelt replied again, feeling slightly incompetent, not having the right answers.

Minelli rolled his eyes impatiently.

'Cho just left though,' the young agent tried to make up for her lack of helpfulness by pointing towards the now moving elevator.

Minelli nodded curtly and marched out again in the direction of Cho.

Van Pelt visibly relaxed, her posture becoming slack again. The pressure she put on herself to be a good agent was a little too much sometimes.

'How are you feeling?' she offered to Rigsby.

The senior of the two looked back at her for a few seconds before dropping his head onto the desk and groaning loudly.

'I told you. You should have taken the day off,' she spoke sternly, maternally.

Cho stepped out into the sizzling Californian sunlight, pushing on a pair of black tinted sunglasses before surveying the parking lot. Lisbon's car wasn't there, and neither was Jane's. Working over the situation in his head, he guessed Jane would have gone in search of Lisbon, and considering Lisbon's car wasn't here, the first logical place to look would be her apartment. Locating the SUV, Cho pulled the keys out of his jacket pocket and pressed the button, causing the vehicle to unlock with a soft 'chunk'. He stepped up inside and dropped into the driver's seat, discarding his jacket onto the passenger seat. Slamming the door shut, he flicked on the air con, followed by the radio, and took the vehicle out of the front gates and towards Lisbon's apartment.

Patrick finished off his third cup of tea, humming quietly to himself. Since leaving Lisbon to rest, two and a half hours had passed by. He'd stood up several times and took himself on a tour around the pictures and various other objects in the room, but none of the information seemed to want to sink in. Maybe he was just worrying about Lisbon too much. There was never usually a time when he wouldn't be able to concentrate properly, but here he was, unfocused.

His shoes lay underneath the coffee table as he now lay out on the peachy coloured lounger, flipping a shiny quarter he'd found on one of the shelves absentmindedly. The soft repetitive chink of the metal against his thumbnail almost sent him into a hypnotic state. He watched the coin turn in midair, catching the bright sunlight leaking through the blinds and twinkling in his eyes every so often.

He sighed heavily, thinking of Lisbon. She should never have to endure such pain as this created. She was too innocent, too wonderful, for something like this. Tommy had gone the same way as his mom. It was like a healing cut being sliced open again, but deeper. Right now, Patrick could see the wound in Lisbon. He could see the blood flowing, the pain unhindered. And he recognised it all too well...

Suddenly, he was jolted out of his silent reverie by a knocking on the front door. Patrick snatched the coin from midair and froze, listening. Another three knocks. He jumped off the lounger and moved towards the door, pausing a moment before looking through the spyhole. Cho? What was he doing here? Ok, obvious question...but still.

Patrick quickly shifted out of view of the spyhole as Cho looked in, trying to find anyone inside.

'Jane! Open up! I can see you in there!' Cho called in, spotting the blur of Patrick Jane's shoulder flashing past.

No. Patrick didn't want Cho in here. Lisbon was sound asleep and he was quite happy just sitting on the lounger, waiting for her to wake.

'I'm not in here!' Patrick called back innocently.

'I'm not falling for that, Jane. What are you doing in there?'

'Damn...' Patrick muttered, a smile flitting across his lips. He moved back into view of the spyhole.

'Let me in, Jane.'

'No can do, Cho.'

'Why not?'

'Because.'

'Because what?'

'Just...because.'

'Let me in, now,' Cho replied. 'Or so help me I will pick the lock.'

'...Don't do that.'

Cho put his hands on his hips.

'Let me in then!'

'Nope,' Patrick shook his head like a stubborn child.

'Open the door or I'll tell Minelli you and Lisbon were sleeping together.'

'Ouch...' Patrick replied, 'That hurts me Cho.'

'I know. Open the door.'

Patrick shook his head once again, a wide brimming smile taking over his features.

'I can't let you in,' he replied amusedly.

'You can't? Or you won't?' Cho said, fishing his phone from his pocket threateningly.

'You wouldn't...' Patrick watched as Cho flipped his phone open and dialled what he could only presume was Minelli's number.

Cho lifted the phone to his ear. 'Minelli? Yeah, we've got a problem with Jane and Lis-'

Patrick dashed for the door handle, pulling it open roughly.

'Fine!'

Cho paused in his sentence, letting Minelli's voice echo down the phone line. Hello? Cho? Hello?

Suddenly a cheeky smile lit up Patrick's face and he seized the phone, diving back inside and slamming the door before the agent could react.

'JANE! What the hell!?'

Patrick grinned happily from the other side of the spyhole, waving his prize in front of the small glass hole to the other side.

Still smiling, Patrick raised the phone to his ear.

'Yeah, hi Virgil. Cho's having a bit of an iffy day...doesn't know what he's saying...very sad...'

Cho glared through the spyhole.

'Give me the phone, Jane.'

'...the doctors don't know when he'll recover...no, we live in hope...I know he only just left the CBI building...he just lost it when he saw me...oh, harsh words Virgil...I'm not that bad am I?...well, love to chat, but Cho's just going a bit...y'know. Yup...Bye.'

'GIMME THE DAMN PHONE!' Cho yelled.

Patrick grinned triumphantly, snapping the phone shut. About to step forward and check the expression on Cho's face, he was stopped dead in his tracks as a loud crack radiated from the door.

'Um...Cho?'

CRACK.

The door was thrown open in a cloud of wood dust and splinters, the lock torn off the frame.

Patrick leapt back, shielding his face with his arm. He gingerly peered over at the splintered door...and Cho stood in the threshold.

'You're in trouble my friend,' Patrick said slowly.

Cho narrowed his eyes threateningly at Patrick and snatched his phone back.

'What...what's going on?' a quiet voice came from the stairs.

Locking his hands behind him, the consultant raised his eyebrows at Cho, rocking on his heels, before turning to Lisbon.

'Cho? ....What the hell happened to my door?'

'He did it,' Patrick motioned behind him with his thumb.

Lisbon looked from Cho to Patrick and back again.

'I can't leave you alone for ten minutes without you breaking something, can I?' Lisbon stared pointedly at the cause of most her problems.

Patrick's jaw worked open and closed, trying to think of an answer. 'Wellll...two and a half hours.'

Lisbon rolled her eyes.

'Cho, what happened?'

'Jane wouldn't let me in. And snatched my pho-'

'Oh come on! You were going to tell Minelli that Lisbon and I were sleeping together!'

Lisbon's brow knitted together.

'Wait, what?'

Patrick turned back to Lisbon again. 'Cho here was going to tell Minelli that you and I were sleeping together if I didn't let him in...so, naturally, I took the phone.'

'Why didn't you just let him in Jane?'

'Because you needed your rest.'

'And what? You think Cho would have come charging into my room and prevented me from doing that?' Lisbon asked, raising an eyebrow.

'No...but-'

Lisbon silenced him. 'Jane, you're paying for the door.'

'Sorry for breaking it in, Lisbon,' Cho told her apologetically.

'It's not your fault, Cho. Jane was just being an ass.'

Patrick's jaw dropped, clearly insulted, but he wasn't about to sound like a complete softy by telling them that he hadn't let Cho in because he wanted to be the only one there with Lisbon. Cho would surely start spreading rumours. Like his secretly childishself.

'Lisbon?' Cho asked, remembering the main purpose for being there, 'Why didn't you show at work today?'

Lisbon's jaw clenched as she remembered what her sleep had seemingly made her forget, at least for a little while. She fought back the tears prickling at the back of her eyes.

'I'm sorry Cho; I'm not ready to tell everyone yet. Tomorrow,' Lisbon replied, looking away so as not to show the tears creeping from her eyes, 'You...you should probably get back to CBI.'

Cho simply observed for a moment before replying with a simple, 'Ok.' He tried catching Lisbon's eye, but when it seemed obvious she wasn't about to turn around to face him, Cho left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

'Jane?'

'Yes?'

'Leave too.'

'Lisbon, I don't think you should be alone.'

'You were wonderful. Patrick. Right up until you broke my door.'

'...You don't want me to leave Lisbon. You need me to stay.'

'I do want you to leave.'

'The very fact that you just called me Patrick and not Jane, and you said I was wonderful, shows that you're not ok. And therefore, I can't leave.'

'Sorry that I'm not in the mood to keep up with who you expect me to be Jane, but I'm not always as strong as I appear to be. I'm only human.'

'And that's exactly why you need me here.'

Lisbon almost fought back against him, but she was too tired, too shattered to bother.

'Fine.'

She climbed the stairs again and disappeared back into the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Patrick sighed heavily, just thinking.

Then he had the perfect plan...

A/N: How ominous does that sound? :P Well, tell me what you think. Love to hear it.