'If you must know, I can't stand it,' Jane shouted at her, his volume now matching hers. She stood up from the sofa in order to convey to him her anger by seeming to tower over him despite his height.

'What, Jane, what can't you stand?'

Jane shook his head, wishing he hadn't said a thing, 'you know what Lisbon, don't you worry you're pretty little head about it,' he spat, almost as if he was taunting her, 'you just go back to your own idealistic world in DC where everything is perfect and you and Pike are married with little kids and a big house with a massive garden on a lane where you go out for walks each day.'

'What on earth are you getting at,' demanded Lisbon, this time determined to get to the bottom of Jane's less-than-friendly behaviour. However when asked this, Jane refused to speak again, though he looked like he really wanted to. Lisbon wanted him to too. She didn't want it to be like this. Why couldn't they have argued last week? Why did it have to be today- when she was so close to leaving him? She didn't want to end on bad terms or anything. There was nothing else for it: she'd have to try and resolve things with him which meant she had to let him win the argument.

She put on an expression of defeat and said calmly, 'okay, Jane. What's you're point.'

Jane gulped, 'it wasn't supposed to be like this.'

This hadn't been the response Lisbon had been expecting at all. In fact, she'd been bracing herself for an explosion of smart comebacks and intelligent well-reasoned arguments.

'What?' Was just about all Lisbon could say to this.
Once again, Jane didn't seem like he was able to go on. Nevertheless he forced himself to do so, 'you leaving for DC with Pike, I never wanted it to be like this.'

'Wait,' Lisbon stopped him, 'you're saying that the only reason you're acting like a hormonal teenage girl and making everyone's life harder is that you don't want me to go?' Jane didn't reply however his look was enough to confirm her suspicions. Far from being flattered by this, she was infuriated that he couldn't just be happy for her- that was what friends were supposed to do.

Jane's eyes kept flicking from Lisbon's face to his own feet, as though staring at her for too long would make everything more painful for him.

'How dare you,' growled Lisbon, her tone strangled with unsuppressed rage, 'I'm happy. Can't you understand that? Can't you accept that?'

'Of course I can,' coraked Jane, 'its just that, if you leave-'

'Yes if I leave no one will be around to put up with your stupid lies and clap at your amazing discoveries which- may I just say- are incredibly intimidating not to mention irritating after a while.'

'That wasn't what I was going to say, although thank you for the feedback,' replied Jane coolly, 'what I was actually going to say was that accepting your move to DC is one of the hardest things I've had to do in a while.'

Lisbon shook her head dismissively, 'you're just saying that.'
'Lisbon I'm not.'
'But you are though,' exclaimed Lisbon, laughing even though there was nothing funny about the situation, 'because it's what you do. You lie and you mess with people's thoughts and how they feel and,' her voice lowered so that she now sounded weak and fed up, 'and I'm sick and tired of it. Jane listen to me. Perhaps an idealistic world in DC is exactly what I want. Perhaps I do want kids and a massive garden. Perhaps I do want to live on a road where everyone knows everyone and the ice cream truck comes once a day after the children finish school, while they're riding their bikes up and down the lanes.'

'You really think about that?' asked Jane.

Lisbon nodded, 'all the time. I always wanted children. I always thought we'd- I mean I'd- have two. A boy and a girl. Pike may be my only chance to have that.'

'What if he's not,' whispered Jane, 'what if there's someone else. Someone who would do anything to make sure you're the happiest woman alive.'

'That person doesn't exist,' answered Lisbon simply.

Jane gulped, 'if you leave tomorrow, I'll have nothing left. You are the most important thing to me. You mean the world to me.' Unable to bear any of what was happening, Jane dropped down to his knees, screwing up his eyes, forbidding himself to do what he longed to do.

Lisbon surveyed him for a second. She looked at his helpless body, at how it trembled and shook.

How could she be mad at him anymore…

'Jane,' she whispered in a soft, gentle voice. She dropped to her knees too so that she was close to Jane- within reaching distance.

She touched his chin with her hand so that he looked up.

'I'm going to miss you too Jane, so much,' she said in a hushed motherly tone.
Jane grinned in spite of himself, 'I'll miss you more.'
'Not possible,' whispered Lisbon, smiling.

'Lisbon,' asked Jane, 'can I tell you something.'

'Depends what it is,' she replied.

'Promise you won't get mad though.'

'Like I said, it depends what it is.'

Jane took one deep, shuddering breath, closed him eyes, bit his lip, and said, 'I think I'm falling in love with you, Lisbon.'

Alarm bells went off in Lisbon's head, the tenderness of the moment was gone.

'Jane!' She yelled as she got to her feet, 'how dare you.'

'What, its true!' said Jane, getting to his feet, louder.

'I don't care if it is Jane, you-' however both their shouts were drowned by one another. They couldn't hear the insults they were throwing at one another due to the fact that their voices were constantly getting louder and louder and louder.

'You idiot, Jane, I hate you! I wish you'd just get out of my life.'

There was a split second where they stared at each other.

Then… the ground gave a judder, making both Lisbon and Jane lose their footing and land to the floor.

The building gave an ominous rumble as the ground began to shake.

'Earthquake!' shouted Lisbon. She was right- and it was a powerful one. It felt like the ground was a bucking horse, determined to make them stumble and fall.

Lisbon, coughing what with the dust coming from the ceiling where it was shaking and rubbing up against the walls, crawled under the table and Jane made to join her.

However the ceiling was starting to cave in as the room collapsed. There was a thump, and Jane was nothing but a slump on the ground.

Lisbon let out a blood-curdling scream that no one could hear over the crashes and bangs of the building and the surrounding houses as they all suffered the impact of the earthquake.

'Jane! Jane! Jane!'