Chapter 33 – Dining & Differences

"So, how's D.C.?" Lisbon asked Cho as they dined at a steakhouse.

Cho swallowed a piece of tenderloin and shrugged. "Cold. Meant what I said, Minelli misses you. We all do. You should think about coming back. He'd sway it with the higher-ups."

"Actually I think I'm good here," she smiled. "But thank you. It's taken some adjusting but it feels right being here. I think I needed the change if I'm honest. In D.C...there were so many memories I couldn't escape. Here it's like a fresh start. You know somewhere I can get on with the next chapter in my life I guess."

"All right then." He studied her for a moment as she waited for his inevitable change in topic. "Must be interesting working with Jane."

She laughed softly. "Yeah, that's one way to put it. But you saw him today Kimball, there's more to him that meets the eye. More than the arrogance and showmanship."

"He's smart, I'll give you that," he admitted. "But dangerous too. It's obvious what his plans are for Michael. He's not interested in arresting him."

She shrugged and bit the inside of her cheek, unwilling to lie to one of her oldest friends. "I'm trying to talk him out of that particular course of action."

"Think you'll be successful?"

She cut into her rib eye and pondered the question for the 100th time. "I hope I am."

Cho nodded slowly. "If you can't he'll ruin his life. Make sure not to get caught up in the crossfire."

"He wouldn't allow me to," she assured him. "If he decides to take matters into his own hands he'll make sure I'm as far away as possible to prevent that."

A beat passed where she felt his eyes on her while she ate. Then, "How long have you been sleeping with him?"

She choked on her water as she took a sip. "I'm...I'm not!"

He leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest, looking at her curiously.

She glared back at him. "Don't treat me like a suspect, Cho. I was the one who taught you how to interrogate, remember?" she said with a smirk.

"Okay," he said before resuming his meal in silence.

She sighed and put down her knife and fork. "Jeez, think I trained you too well. You're good. Okay, we are...seeing each other I guess you could say. It's...we're trying not to make it anything too serious, early days you know. He said you noticed something between us."

"Hard not to. Sure your judgement's not clouded about Michael because of him? He can be persuasive."

She shook her head. "So can I. Don't worry about it, okay? I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." She paused and smiled as she tilted her head. "Well, no more than he usually does."

"Okay."

They ate in silence again for a few moments. She took a deep breath. Nervously," So...what do you think about it?"

He shrugged as he speared some asparagus. "None of my business."

"Cho, you were the one who brought it up. I know you well enough to know you have an opinion on the matter."

He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "You sure you want to hear it?"

She made a face. "I thought I did but now I'm not so sure. Go on, then. Give me both barrels."

"You see a future with him?"

She puffed out a mouthful of air and played with her mashed potatoes. "Like I said it's-"

"Early days, yeah, I know." He paused. Finally, "He's different to David."

The difference between her late husband's and Jane's personalities were like chalk and cheese in many ways and his comment was not news to her. "Yeah, I know. You think I'm making a mistake?"

"Not up to me. He treat you right so far?"

Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "As far as that side of things go he...well he really couldn't be sweeter. Or more understanding and patient."

"Good. Cause I'd kick his ass if he was pressuring you into something you're not ready for."

She laughed softly. "You think I'd let any man pressure me into doing something I didn't want to do?"

Cho's lips quirked into a half smile. "I'm glad you're doing okay. You seem better. More like yourself. Any more leads in David's murder?"

She shook her head, "Nothing lately. More scalpers come to town next month so we're planning on having another run at it then. See if we can catch a break in case one of them recognises him."

"Unlikely after all this time."

"I know." She sighed heavily. "Look I should have said this at the funeral. I wanted to thank you-"

"There's no need."

Determinedly, "Yes. There is. After David went missing you were there for me, Kimball. And I know you covered for me in my job more times than I deserved. I'm sorry I was such a lousy partner the last couple of years. And for shutting you out. Shutting everyone out come to that. It's only now I suppose...that I have some space and closure or whatever that I see what a bitch I was. What a bad cop and terrible friend I was. I-I apologise."

They fell into an uneasy silence after Lisbon's apology, both uncomfortable with the openness she expressed until Cho broke it. "David trusted me with your life. Told me that once. To look out for you. He meant on the job as your partner. I saw it more in general terms. I saw no difference when he disappeared. Still no difference now he's dead."

Tears pricked at her eyes and she nodded. "He was a good man, wasn't he?"

"Undoubtedly. But he'd want you to move on," he continued. "Not waste the rest of your life. You did that enough when he was missing. If being with Jane helps you feel stronger, more like the person you were when I first met you then he'd be okay with that."

A soft rap on the door interrupted Jane as he surveyed the sheets of paper that covered his living room floor. He'd pushed his couch back and interview notes scattered the entire space in front of the fireplace. He set his teacup down and checked the peephole, smiling when he saw Lisbon outside. He opened the door immediately still smiling, "Hey you, this is a nice surprise." He nodded his head for her to enter, kissing her quickly on the way in.

She held up a silver foil package shaped like a swan. "Hope you don't mind me popping in. We had some chocolate cake left over. Figured you might-"

She stopped talking when she saw the papers littered over the floor. "Wow, you've been busy this evening too I see."

"You could say that," he replied, taking the silver swan off her as she removed her coat. He whistled appreciatively at the sleeveless black dress she wore underneath it.

"Oh shut up," she smiled, whacking him on the arm as she surveyed the paperwork again. "What is all this?"

"Like I said I figured I'd sort interviews based on what we know now."

"What we're assuming now," she corrected.

"Yeah, tomato, potato, whatever." Excitedly, "I figure we should look again at the people involved in manual work first, especially those that use their hands for a living."

She nodded, "Good thinking. More chance someone who works with their hands all day to acquire some kind of repetitive strain on them, arthritis, whatever. So where does that leave us?"

"There are thirteen dressmakers, nine are women and I'm ninety nine percent sure that we're not looking for a woman."

"Agreed. So four men left from those. What else?"

"I've whittled down photographers, bakers, even chefs. Some other professions that could come under same umbrella. I'm left with twenty four viable suspects."

She scanned the folders in front of her. "This is them? Your interview notes on them?"

He nodded beside her. "I know you probably think I'm getting ahead of myself. That a lot of what we're assuming is still conjecture but...I feel it in my gut, Lisbon." He stared at the folders in front of him with a steely gaze. "He's one of these people. I'm sure of it."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye as his expression darkened to match his thoughts. She touched his forearm gently. "How about some of that cake?" she asked softly.

He roused himself immediately and smiled, "Sure, sounds good."

As they stood at his kitchen counter eating cake and drinking tea he asked, "So, enough about my night. How'd it go with Cho?"

"Well you were right, he knew about us, called me out on it in fact."

He smiled as he narrowed his eyes at her, studying her. "Hmm. Interesting. He has reservations, most likely with regard to my plans for Michael, but it doesn't appear he thinks I'm the big bad wolf after all."

She put her cake down on the countertop. "I didn't realise how much his opinion mattered until he said he was okay with it," she admitted. "I mean he wasn't jumping for joy exactly-"

"You ever seen him jump for joy about anything?" he interjected, smirking.

She glared at him before her lips curled into a smile.

"Nothing wrong in wanting your friends to approve of a new man in your life," he continued, serious again.

"Yeah...but with him..." She bit her lip as she considered what she would say next. "David and Cho were friends. Good friends. And Cho and well David too I guess...they aren't, well weren't in David's case, the type to make friends easily. But as soon as I introduced the pair of them they were as thick as thieves." She laughed softly, "Well, as much as Cho is capable of being close to someone."

"So by gaining his approval or at least not his disapproval you see it as somehow gaining David's too," he confirmed quietly.

She shrugged. "I suppose it's something like that."

He placed his cup on the counter and wrapped his arms around her. "Then I'm exceedingly pleased we have Agent Cho in town," he smiled, kissing her.

She kissed him then nodded to the strewn paperwork once more. "You'll be re-interviewing some of those people tomorrow. Van Pelt may even find something in their online activities that make them look more likely a candidate and push them further up the pecking order." She dipped her voice as she stared at him, "You might have a decision on what you intend to do when you find him sooner rather than later, Patrick."

He sighed and licked his lips. "I know," he said quietly. "Been thinking along those lines myself."

"And?"

He released her with another breath. He chuckled softly as he shook his head. "I've been looking for this man for years, Teresa. And now when I might be on the cusp of finding him..." He laughed again humourlessly as he leaned on the counter and looked down as he shuffled his feet.

She stood in front of him expectantly, waiting for him to continue.

He took another breath before he looked at her, his face set in a smile but sadness and disarray apparent in his eyes. "Now...now a part of me doesn't want to catch him so I don't have to make that call at all."

"But a greater part of you still wants to catch him," she confirmed.

He nodded, his lips pursed. "Of course. He's all I've thought about for years, Lisbon. I-I don't know if I'm ready to do what you want me to do. To walk away from everything I've planned. Even for you. Even for us."

He hung his head as he struggled with the opposing thoughts running through his head. She came closer and put her arms around him. "Damn you," he chuckled as he brought his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her head. "Why couldn't I have met you after all this was done with?"

She laughed softly. "Well I didn't exactly meet you at the best time in my life either."

"Suppose not."

She drew her head back, kissed him softly on the lips. "But I'm glad I did."

"You are?" he smiled. "Even still with all this going on in my head? I somehow get the impression that your husband never gave you this kind of trouble. Even before all this Michael stuff re-emerged."

"Well no...he was...different. Not quite so much...drama attached."

"You said Cho and he were friends. That they were alike. Straight shooters by the sound of it, then. Like you."

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, guess you could say that."

"So then why are you with me at all? It sounds like I'm not remotely your type."

"You looking for compliments?" she smiled.

"More like some solid reasoning."

"I could ask you the same question. Am I anything like Juliette?"

"I asked you first," he insisted.

She shrugged and smiled. "You're right. In some respects you're really not like him at all."

When she saw his face fall slightly she added, "But if I wanted someone like David then I'd still be seeing Peter O'Leary. He was more like him. But...well because he was I was more prone to making comparisons between them. With you on the other hand-"

He grinned suddenly. "I'm more one in a million?"

She rolled her eyes. "If that means I've never met anyone like you before then I concede that is true."

He remained grinning and she laughed softly moulding her body closer to his. "And well I suppose you do have a certain aesthetic and charismatic appeal at times," she said quietly.

He wrapped his arms around her tighter. "Oh I do, do I?" he smiled, kissing her slowly. As his hands travelled down her sides he whispered in her ear as he kissed it, "By any chance is this also part of my appeal?" he smiled as he captured her lips again.

She felt heat rise in her as their kisses intensified. She was ashamed to think it but she had to finally admit to herself that no one's touch had ever instilled such desire in her before, even her late husband's. As they continued to kiss he began to nuzzle her neck as his hands danced their way to her derriere, "Stay," he breathed.