So- I just posted on the jello-forever forum that I had no inspiration for the August challenge. What do ya know?! An hour after that comment, I had a brilliant idea! I hope everyone enjoys the fluffy humor. I'd advise you not to eat of drink anything while reading! I'm not responsible for any damages incurred while reading this one. Hehehehehe

This is written for the August Challenge at the Jello-Forever Forum: Mistakes

A Slip of the Tongue

By Divinia Serit

One

Five hundred and twelve. Five hundred and thirteen. Five hundred and fourteen.

"Hey Rigsby, did you know there are five hundred and fourteen cracks in the ceiling?" Jane asked. Rigsby turned away from his computer and shot Jane a quizzical look.

"No man, why would I care?" Jane sensed he was about to lose the attention of the stocky agent and thought up a quick retort. Cho was giving him the silent treatment after he had replaced all his novels with comic books and Van Pelt was being a good little agent and doing her paperwork while Lisbon was in a meeting.

"The more cracks a ceiling has, the more likely the building is weak," Jane announced loudly. The consultant glanced over in Cho's direction. Yup, the Asian man was still glaring. He was probably plotting hundreds of ways to kill him with crazy ninja moves. Jane shivered and continued to stare at Rigsby. Rigsby grinned as he slowly raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"You're crazy, Jane."

"I really think we should get the structural integrity of the building checked," Jane added seriously as Rigsby's happy expression began to falter. Jane laughed quietly to himself before digging in the cushions of the couch. Smiling, he pulled his hands out to reveal two colorful bouncy balls.

"Who are you? Mary Poppins?" Cho asked disdainfully as Jane began to experiment with the trajectory of the small toys. Van Pelt ducked occasionally, but otherwise ignored the consultant.

"Where is Lisbon anyway?" Rigsby asked as a pink rubber ball flew past his head. He raised his eyes warily to the ceiling again.

"She's with Minelli," Van Pelt responded. "The director from the FBI is an old friend of Minelli and stopped by for a debriefing." The red head continued to click away on her keyboard when Minelli, Lisbon, and another man entered the room suddenly.

Rigsby and Cho straightened up while in view of their guest, but Jane continued to test the durability of the bouncy balls. Slouching over the couch, he bounced the balls as fast as possible using his hands like tennis rackets. Minelli glared, but continued to introduce the director to his best team.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Boing.

The agents stared in shock when a purple ball struck the director in the forehead. Minelli turned bright red as he took in the scene. Lisbon grabbed her bottled water in an attempt to hide her smile.

"LISBON!" Minelli roared. "Grab Jane's balls!"

Water spewed out of her mouth as she started to choke. Minelli turned even redder and began to splutter as he rethought his last order. Meanwhile, the visiting director just smiled a tight smile and left the room with Minelli close behind him. Her eyes watering, Van Pelt silently handed her boss a paper towel and the team stared at one another in silence.

A moment passed and Cho began to laugh. His laugh became a cackle as Rigsby and Van Pelt joined in with a snigger. Clasping her hand to her forehead, Lisbon headed to her office and locked the door. Jane leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes with a petulant sigh. He allowed a small smile to creep over his face as he remembered Lisbon's expression. It had been priceless.