Disaster Story (1/1)
Title: Disaster Story
Author: tromana
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Jane/Lisbon
Summary: Jane and Lisbon consider their next move after the apocalypse has struck.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Spoilers: None
Notes: Written for 15genres1prompt. Genre: post-apocalypse.
Disaster Story
So, it appeared that the Mayan calendar was entirely correct. The world was doomed to end in 2012. The four horsemen of the apocalypse - Death, Famine, War and Pestilence - had ridden out, figuratively speaking at the very least. All that was left was a steaming mess, virtually uninhabitable and a few stragglers that had somehow hung on through the mayhem.
Teresa Lisbon wriggled out of the bolt hole she had found herself ensconced in and straightened up to observe the damage. Yes, it was pretty bad to say the least. That was if pretty bad meant virtually destroyed, of course. Another aftershock shook the ground she was standing on and she carefully steadied herself against a crumbling brick wall until the worst had passed over.
"So you can cope with the little ones, then?" Patrick Jane asked with a smug grin.
Lisbon turned around to shoot him a dirty glare. Of course he had to mock her for that. He wouldn't have been Jane if he didn't. She was ashamed enough of the fact she had whimpered several times during the worst of it. Lisbon was meant to be the strong one; something as mundane as a quake wasn’t meant to faze her. California was on a fault line; they happened often enough for her to be a seasoned pro when it came to riding out earthquakes.
Only thing was, this time, it was so much more than just an earthquake. Even the biggest ones they’d endured in the past. This was the end of everything. Part of her was surprised at just how well they were both handling this. Then again, the end of everything was something that was very hard to comprehend. That was probably a good thing as it would have been rather useless if one - or both - of them had fallen apart in an emotional wreck. It just wouldn't be useful when what they really needed to do was work out how to survive after the end of everything.
She took a few steps forward and started half-heartedly sifting through the detritus. It didn't take her long to find a cell phone, broken and unusable, of course. Then again, even if it were operational, it wouldn't have worked anyway. The systems set up to ensure they worked were probably shot to pieces. She threw it away. There was no point in clinging onto anything like that. She couldn't even justify it to herself as being of sentimental value.
Briefly, she thought of the last person she had talked to on her own phone, Van Pelt. The younger agent had been visiting her family for Thanksgiving just before disaster struck worldwide. Lisbon hoped the woman had, along with her family, found cover, had survived even. There wouldn't be any way of finding out now, regardless.
When a soft hand grazed upon her shoulder, she turned to face Jane. He was wearing his grave expression, the one she had always associated with him thinking about Red John.
"It’s bad, isn't it?"
She could only nod in agreement. This kind of tragedy was the sort of thing that put the trouble that Red John had caused into perspective. Eventually, Lisbon knew she would start thinking properly about her loved ones, her colleagues, her friends. Though there was a slim chance that some of them may have found shelter and gotten out of this scenario unscathed, but it was a virtual impossibility that all of them had done so.
In the silence, Lisbon wondered what the trigger had been. What it was that had pretty much destroyed not just humanity, but the planet as a whole. She had always thought that the species was generally doing a very good job at bringing about its own destruction, but she had never believed for a second that it would happen so suddenly. Lisbon had thought it would have taken years for resources to be so thoroughly depleted that there was an obvious effect on human life; longer than her lifetime at any rate. Though war was always a rather sudden way to destroy homes and lives, of course. Had two of those Asian countries she was woefully unknowing about managed to develop super weapons that had brought about the destruction of the Earth itself? What about the potential of outside influences? Another asteroid hitting the planet, maybe? She has watched a documentary once, while sick, and this didn’t match up to how they'd described it on that television show.
Maybe it really was just the fate of the planet? Perhaps the Mayans really did have the insight when they’d constructed their calendar? Maybe the four horsemen of the apocalypse had ridden out? Whatever the cause was, Lisbon suspected that it would remain beyond her comprehension for a good long while and if not, forever. With a despondent sigh, she eyed up a relatively safe looking track and made her way along it. It didn't take long for Jane to fall into step beside her, matching her pace for pace. Though she would never dare to vocalize it, Lisbon was relieved that not only had he survived, but he had been the one to keep her company, to keep her relatively calm as disaster struck.
“So,” he started.
“So?” she echoed.
“Where are we going? What are we doing?”
That was a rather interesting question, she considered. What could they do, really? From the looks of things, saving the world was a little bit beyond them and probably too late. There was no point in the locking the gate after the horse had bolted, as some said. Really, the only options they had were to cling on as long as possible or to give up and die a slow and painful death. Or they could make it quick and relatively painless by committing suicide, of course. However, Lisbon was in no mood to give up, never mind to orchestrate her death sooner rather than later. The fighting spirit was very much ingrained into her being so she didn't give the options of giving up more than even the slightest of thoughts.
“I don't know. And we're going to find others, find somewhere safe to stay-“
“Save the human race?” he quipped, interrupting her as he did so.
“Something like that,” she answered wryly.
“What if there are no others?” he questioned.
“Come on, Jane. If we survived, other people must have.”
“Yes, but...”
She shot him another dirty glare, one which quickly silenced him. Though Jane was more than happy to consider the concept of them being the only survivors, she believed that theory was all too depressing to consider at the moment. They hadn’t even had a chance to really assess what had happened just yet. Besides, the look on his face suggested he was just toying with her, that he didn't really believe they were the only two humans to survive on the entire planet. His question had just been hypothetical.
“If we are,” he eventually said, breaking the silence, ignoring the look on her face this time around. “Are you and I going to become the saviors of the human race? Save it from the brink of disaster?”
“Jane!” she said loudly, almost shouting as she did so. At the same time, she punched him on the arm.
And then, she took the time to consider what he was saying. All this time, they had spent repressing feelings, ignoring them and pretending they didn't exist. Him because he just needed something to happen to put his family's death into perspective. Something to prove to him that it was possible and was acceptable for him to fall in love again. That he didn’t have to deny himself the comfort of a relationship just to honor his dead wife. Her, simply because she had deemed it inappropriate to fall in love with somebody that wasn't just a colleague and friend, but also clearly in love with another (admittedly, deceased) woman. Those issues, somewhat conveniently, had been brushed carelessly aside by the apocalypse.
She grabbed his jacket by the lapels and forcibly pulled him down so his lips met hers. It didn't take Jane long to take the initiative either. His hands wrapped around her back and he held her close, twisting her hair around his hands. Lisbon shuddered as his tongue, wet and eager, traced patterns on her lower lip before demanding entrance to her mouth. Though he was driving her to distraction, Lisbon didn't remain passive. Why would she when she was the one to instigate it? She battled his every move, trying to assert her dominance.
It was only when they parted, gasping for breath that she considered that their battle had most likely ended in a draw.
“So?” he asked again, his eyebrows waggling.
“I'll have to think about it,” she answered coyly, though it didn't take a mind reader to know that her answer had really been a resounding yes.
Jane smiled and she laced her fingers around his. Yes, saving the world, or at least making it inhabitable once more was a big ask, but she was going to be damned if she wasn't going to give it her best shot. Besides, they'd already all but given one another something to carry on living for. Now they just needed to make sure that any other survivors could share the hope imbued in them.
Author: tromana
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Jane/Lisbon
Summary: Jane and Lisbon consider their next move after the apocalypse has struck.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Spoilers: None
Notes: Written for 15genres1prompt. Genre: post-apocalypse.
Disaster Story
So, it appeared that the Mayan calendar was entirely correct. The world was doomed to end in 2012. The four horsemen of the apocalypse - Death, Famine, War and Pestilence - had ridden out, figuratively speaking at the very least. All that was left was a steaming mess, virtually uninhabitable and a few stragglers that had somehow hung on through the mayhem.
Teresa Lisbon wriggled out of the bolt hole she had found herself ensconced in and straightened up to observe the damage. Yes, it was pretty bad to say the least. That was if pretty bad meant virtually destroyed, of course. Another aftershock shook the ground she was standing on and she carefully steadied herself against a crumbling brick wall until the worst had passed over.
"So you can cope with the little ones, then?" Patrick Jane asked with a smug grin.
Lisbon turned around to shoot him a dirty glare. Of course he had to mock her for that. He wouldn't have been Jane if he didn't. She was ashamed enough of the fact she had whimpered several times during the worst of it. Lisbon was meant to be the strong one; something as mundane as a quake wasn’t meant to faze her. California was on a fault line; they happened often enough for her to be a seasoned pro when it came to riding out earthquakes.
Only thing was, this time, it was so much more than just an earthquake. Even the biggest ones they’d endured in the past. This was the end of everything. Part of her was surprised at just how well they were both handling this. Then again, the end of everything was something that was very hard to comprehend. That was probably a good thing as it would have been rather useless if one - or both - of them had fallen apart in an emotional wreck. It just wouldn't be useful when what they really needed to do was work out how to survive after the end of everything.
She took a few steps forward and started half-heartedly sifting through the detritus. It didn't take her long to find a cell phone, broken and unusable, of course. Then again, even if it were operational, it wouldn't have worked anyway. The systems set up to ensure they worked were probably shot to pieces. She threw it away. There was no point in clinging onto anything like that. She couldn't even justify it to herself as being of sentimental value.
Briefly, she thought of the last person she had talked to on her own phone, Van Pelt. The younger agent had been visiting her family for Thanksgiving just before disaster struck worldwide. Lisbon hoped the woman had, along with her family, found cover, had survived even. There wouldn't be any way of finding out now, regardless.
When a soft hand grazed upon her shoulder, she turned to face Jane. He was wearing his grave expression, the one she had always associated with him thinking about Red John.
"It’s bad, isn't it?"
She could only nod in agreement. This kind of tragedy was the sort of thing that put the trouble that Red John had caused into perspective. Eventually, Lisbon knew she would start thinking properly about her loved ones, her colleagues, her friends. Though there was a slim chance that some of them may have found shelter and gotten out of this scenario unscathed, but it was a virtual impossibility that all of them had done so.
In the silence, Lisbon wondered what the trigger had been. What it was that had pretty much destroyed not just humanity, but the planet as a whole. She had always thought that the species was generally doing a very good job at bringing about its own destruction, but she had never believed for a second that it would happen so suddenly. Lisbon had thought it would have taken years for resources to be so thoroughly depleted that there was an obvious effect on human life; longer than her lifetime at any rate. Though war was always a rather sudden way to destroy homes and lives, of course. Had two of those Asian countries she was woefully unknowing about managed to develop super weapons that had brought about the destruction of the Earth itself? What about the potential of outside influences? Another asteroid hitting the planet, maybe? She has watched a documentary once, while sick, and this didn’t match up to how they'd described it on that television show.
Maybe it really was just the fate of the planet? Perhaps the Mayans really did have the insight when they’d constructed their calendar? Maybe the four horsemen of the apocalypse had ridden out? Whatever the cause was, Lisbon suspected that it would remain beyond her comprehension for a good long while and if not, forever. With a despondent sigh, she eyed up a relatively safe looking track and made her way along it. It didn't take long for Jane to fall into step beside her, matching her pace for pace. Though she would never dare to vocalize it, Lisbon was relieved that not only had he survived, but he had been the one to keep her company, to keep her relatively calm as disaster struck.
“So,” he started.
“So?” she echoed.
“Where are we going? What are we doing?”
That was a rather interesting question, she considered. What could they do, really? From the looks of things, saving the world was a little bit beyond them and probably too late. There was no point in the locking the gate after the horse had bolted, as some said. Really, the only options they had were to cling on as long as possible or to give up and die a slow and painful death. Or they could make it quick and relatively painless by committing suicide, of course. However, Lisbon was in no mood to give up, never mind to orchestrate her death sooner rather than later. The fighting spirit was very much ingrained into her being so she didn't give the options of giving up more than even the slightest of thoughts.
“I don't know. And we're going to find others, find somewhere safe to stay-“
“Save the human race?” he quipped, interrupting her as he did so.
“Something like that,” she answered wryly.
“What if there are no others?” he questioned.
“Come on, Jane. If we survived, other people must have.”
“Yes, but...”
She shot him another dirty glare, one which quickly silenced him. Though Jane was more than happy to consider the concept of them being the only survivors, she believed that theory was all too depressing to consider at the moment. They hadn’t even had a chance to really assess what had happened just yet. Besides, the look on his face suggested he was just toying with her, that he didn't really believe they were the only two humans to survive on the entire planet. His question had just been hypothetical.
“If we are,” he eventually said, breaking the silence, ignoring the look on her face this time around. “Are you and I going to become the saviors of the human race? Save it from the brink of disaster?”
“Jane!” she said loudly, almost shouting as she did so. At the same time, she punched him on the arm.
And then, she took the time to consider what he was saying. All this time, they had spent repressing feelings, ignoring them and pretending they didn't exist. Him because he just needed something to happen to put his family's death into perspective. Something to prove to him that it was possible and was acceptable for him to fall in love again. That he didn’t have to deny himself the comfort of a relationship just to honor his dead wife. Her, simply because she had deemed it inappropriate to fall in love with somebody that wasn't just a colleague and friend, but also clearly in love with another (admittedly, deceased) woman. Those issues, somewhat conveniently, had been brushed carelessly aside by the apocalypse.
She grabbed his jacket by the lapels and forcibly pulled him down so his lips met hers. It didn't take Jane long to take the initiative either. His hands wrapped around her back and he held her close, twisting her hair around his hands. Lisbon shuddered as his tongue, wet and eager, traced patterns on her lower lip before demanding entrance to her mouth. Though he was driving her to distraction, Lisbon didn't remain passive. Why would she when she was the one to instigate it? She battled his every move, trying to assert her dominance.
It was only when they parted, gasping for breath that she considered that their battle had most likely ended in a draw.
“So?” he asked again, his eyebrows waggling.
“I'll have to think about it,” she answered coyly, though it didn't take a mind reader to know that her answer had really been a resounding yes.
Jane smiled and she laced her fingers around his. Yes, saving the world, or at least making it inhabitable once more was a big ask, but she was going to be damned if she wasn't going to give it her best shot. Besides, they'd already all but given one another something to carry on living for. Now they just needed to make sure that any other survivors could share the hope imbued in them.