Okay. I lied in the last chapter. This one isn't sooner at all, huh? What has it been, more than a year since I've updated? To be honest, I haven't really watched, well, any of the new season. I like this one better, less angst. Again, sorry for the wait. No promises on another chapter after this anytime soon, lets just see where it goes from here.
BIG AUTHORS NOTE AT THE BOTTOM! Mostly about me, but there is something for y'all in there somewhere!
What are you doing, still reading? Get down to the story that took a YEAR to write.
;)
7
"Teresa."
Huh? Lisbon squirmed, closing her eyes tighter and covering her eyes with the thin sheet. Her body, just now accustomed to the time zone of Florida, was telling her that it was too damn early. Another hand nudged her shoulder, and she remembered that she was in the same bed as Jane. Waking up too early was inevitable.
"Wha…?" Lisbon groaned, only turning her torso slightly to acknowledge him, keeping her head buried under the blankets. His hand reached over to the side of her face nearest to the bed, and gently turned it upward. Her eyes refused to open, and she tried to smack his away weakly. "Too… early…"
A sigh, and the mattress shifted on either side of her. She mutedly felt her wrists gently restrained on the pillow beside her head, and in the blink of a metaphorical eye there were warm lips on top of her own.
It had the same effect as having cold water thrown onto her, along with the side effects of painful heart throbs. Her eyes opened wide, blindly into the dark, and she caught a glimpse of his familiar playful eyes. Damnit, she really didn't want to start off the day with Patrick Jane kissing her, no matter how enjoyable it was. She jerked her knee upward in a thrust, while breaking away from his hold and shoving him off from his chest at the same time.
It was very effective.
He seemed to have wanted to groan out loud, but his voice pitched an octave higher, so all that came out was a squeak. It was too dark to see the expression on his face, which gave her a thought; why the hell did he wake her up if the sun wasn't even up? She felt the smug satisfaction when she was able to sit up and turn on the lamp, finally superior to him once again, but the irritation from being woken up overruled it by far. He was on the other side of the bed, back curled over into the fetal position to protect his… family jewels.
She sighed airily, propping her body on her elbow and running a hand through her slight bedhead. "Jane, why the hell did you wake me up this early?"
It took him a moment. "To show you the damn sunrise, Satan."
"You're an atheist, you don't believe in Satan."
He turned himself so his back was to the sky, still somewhat curled. "After feeling the pain you've caused me, I'm thinking of converting to a religion that has some sort of beautiful seductress that, in the end, ultimately kills you. I could relate to that very easily, to be honest. I would pray every day, and…"
She kicked off the covers, arching her back to pop it before sliding off the bed. "You're rambling, which means you're fine. So stop being annoying."
"I know I'm fine. At least aim your swings of anger a little higher." He paused once more for effect, and then rolled off the bed onto his feet. She just noticed that, in his eyes, he was also very tired. Why wake her up? He needed the sleep.
"So, you said you wanted to show me the sunrise, right?" He nodded, and she crossed over the floor, peeking behind the blackout curtains. Yep, it was still a musty purple outside, the savannah below them nearly nonexistent. Even the moon went back to sleep. Why couldn't she?
Oh, she could. "Well, Jane, I know what a sunrise looks like. Hell, I could draw one right now if I had a box of crayons. So, without further adieu, I'm going back to sleep."
And with that, she walked swiftly back to the bed and plopped down on it, sinking into her soft pillow with no regrets.
"It's 6:30 in the morning, Lisbon. The park opens at 8, and I wanted to eat breakfast there at a nice pastry shop there. So we should start getting a move on before it gets too crowded." His tone was factual, but she wasn't really listening to about half of it. So, therefore, it didn't matter.
"Mmhm, that's great." Nothing could get her out of bed. Okay, maybe something. But she doubted that this breakfast shack even remotely had a pastry like-
"You know, they have tres leches there," he said nonchalantly, settling himself into the chair by the desk and spinning it around in a circle. "They also have coffee, but I figured that you would enjoy the cake more."
Lisbon paused for a moment, and then turned her head to peek at him. "Tres leches, you say?"
He nodded slightly, innocent. "I say."
She bit her lip slightly, trying to balance sleep and desire. Tres leches was her favorite pastry, ultimately. It's originally from Latin America, and the cake itself is soaked in three types of milk, placed in caramel, covered in creamy buttermilk spread and topped with a berry. She's only ever had three times, once in Jane's presence. So, of course he would have known that it was her favorite. And with coffee…
"I'm up," she groaned, literally falling out of bed and using the nightstand as support to get back up again. Jane watched her with playful eyes.
"You know, I'm genuinely hurt that it has to take cake to get you out of bed. I even kissed you, for goodness sake!"
"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me." She stretched once more, scratching her head and heading over to her drawers. Jane halted her with his words.
"For Hollywood Studios, clothing should be a step up, matching with the 'red carpet' feel. I got you something; just look in the bathroom."
"You got me something? Isn't that a bit too much?"
He shrugged, not even the slightest embarrassed. "I got everyone in the team clothing to wear, too, so they'll feel the same way." His voice grew softer, but still amused. "Go ahead; try it."
She sighed, and headed to the bathroom. Hanging on the shower bar was the most… indescribable thing she's seen. The main outfit was normal; black shorts, slightly ragged at the edges with a loose black-and-white striped tank. But, Superman had a big part in the outfit, too. Superman flat-billed hat, shoes, and a belt buckle. Sure, she read DC a lot when she was a kid, and Superman outlined a big part of making her a '(Wo)Man of Steel', but how did Jane kn… Oh, yeah, that's right; it was Jane, of course he knew. His voice appeared just outside the door.
"I know you're surprised now, but the whole team has to wear something similar. Including myself. I can help you, if you'd…"
She chucked a bar of soap at the door.
"Hey! … Alright, alright, I can take a hint." She heard him plop into a rolling chair just yards away, by the T.V. She sighed, retrieving the soap and plopping it back into the sink. She looked back to the clothes with a grimace.
When she walked out, Jane stopped flipping through channels and looked at her with an appreciative eye. "That suits you, Lisbon. Very nice. I'll get the team up in a moment."
She ignored his words and squinted at the T.V. through any remaining sleep in her eyes.
"Since when does Castle come on this early?"
He looked up and the screen, and shrugged. "It's the summer, so all of the usual schedules are on shuffle until autumn." He stretched widely with a yawn, relaxing back into the chair with his hands folded on his flat, bare stomach.
Lisbon took off her hat, shoving it over his curls and swatting it down over his eyes playfully. "Put a shirt on."
He swiveled the chair around to face her and cock his head back, the hat dropping to the ground. He only paused for a moment to straighten her belt buckle to broadly stand out over her shirt, his blue eyes nonchalantly avoiding hers. "I don't know why it bothers you so much."
She rolled her eyes. "Jane, you pretty much know everything. So, that's just an outright lie."
He stretched his arms out again. "It was easier than admitting the real reason, which you would just get angry about."
"Oh yeah? And what is that?"
He straightened out the elastic waistband on his sweatpants lazily, brushing his thumb over his defined 'v'. "Because you find me… what do they say? Oh, yeah. Hot."
She was taken aback slightly, but not exactly from his intent. "Of course you're attractive. Is there a reason I shouldn't think so?"
He laid his head back on the chair to look at her upside-down, his eyes calculative. "You've chosen not to lie to me. That's good. To be fair, you expel an appearance that is more that attractive." He spun around to face her again, face calm, and he raised a hand to lay it heavily on her hip. He hummed deep from within his chest. "I can wake them up in a few minutes. What do you suppose we do, beautiful? Take in mind that we can't be too loud; Rigsby has a case of the early bird and is in the living room watching T.V. as we speak."
She swore incoherently and glared at him, but nevertheless didn't move away. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to go join Rigsby, and be free from you and your perverted thoughts."
He sighed loudly. "Hmm… Fine, I'll join you."
"Not without a shirt, you aren't. Do you want him to think that we're… ugh…"
"Lovers?" He asked.
"Yeah, that." She leaned away from him to open his drawer, pulling out a gray shirt and leaning back to slide it over his head in finality.
He gave her an amused smile, but straightened it down his chest nonetheless. "Alright, I suppose. We don't need him to suspect the truth."
She playfully shoved him, and in return he nudged her back. A slightly more physical banter, but still the same one from back home.
"Oh, hey guys," Rigsby said, looking up from the plush sofa as they descended from their room. He furrowed his eyes at Lisbon. Well, more specifically, her clothes. "That's… interesting. Were we supposed to get dressed early?"
She took note of her appearance, and she shook her head quickly, cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the outfit. This trip was starting to lower her defenses, letting her wild side make an appearance. And she didn't know how she felt about that. "No, but in about 5 minutes we were gonna wake you all up to eat breakfast at Hollywood Studios. So I figured that I might as well get ready early, so I won't make us late."
Rigsby nodded, stretching widely in his outfit of a plaid pajama bottom and his plain white t-shirt. Despite being so big, Lisbon thought, he was really adorable; he reminded her so much of her brothers that it almost hurt. She chose to sit next to him, and Jane sat in the armchair across the room to the right, in front of the sliding doors to the balcony. The sun was just starting to peak over the building across the savannah, and it sent bloody colors that dyed the grass and the leaping antelope.
"Pretty," Rigsby murmured, turning his face away from the news to look out the window. Lisbon thought that the colors were quite beautiful, like someone up there took paint and splayed it across the landscape. After a few moments of silence, she crossed her legs on the sofa, and her stomach rumbled. Jane, of course, somehow managed to hear it, despite being across the room.
"Yeah, I'm hungry too," Jane said, stretching one last time and popping his toes. "In about ten minutes we can wake Grace and Cho up. Whenever they're ready, we can leave."
"Hey, I'll go ahead and wake them up right now," Rigsby said, jumping up and running a hand over his hair to keep it down. "The faster, the better, I guess."
"I laid out outfits for you all to wear; they're hung up in the closet."
"Really? Thanks." Well, he didn't ask questions much.
Jane chuckled as the man nearly jogged into the team's section of the hotel room. Lisbon got up, too, and walked over to where Jane was, leaning on the arm of his chair. He wrapped his arm around her waist, but didn't really try to pull her closer. "Yes?"
She shrugged, reaching up to tame her fringe with a yawn, a bit out of it. At this point in time, she was already used to Jane's rule of constant affection, and along with her tiredness, she really didn't care what he did at the moment, too. "What does Hollywood Studios look like? I don't know if you've already told us or not, because I've forgotten it anyway." In reality, she just wanted to pass the time without being too indulged in the conversation.
He closed his eyes for a moment, probably reviewing the map, and kept them closed as he spoke. "Well, it's not exactly a circle, like Magic Kingdom, so not really as organized. When you enter, the tallest thing seen is the Hollywood Tower of Terror, slightly to the right. Really, when you walk in, any way you go there is a good ride there. If you decide to go left after entering, you end up passing Echo Lake and to Star Tours, which is like riding a spaceship across different scenarios in Star Wars. So, that's a pretty good one.
"If you choose to go straight, you will see the Great Movie Ride, a very memorable tour, or you can veer slightly left while going straight and pass Commisionary Lane, to the Streets of America. The only thing really important there is Muppet Vision 3D, which is kind of like the Mickey's Philharmagic from yesterday. After passing that, if you take a sharp right you can enter Pixar Palace, and into the fun shooting game of Toy Story Mania." He yawned, and ran a hand through his hair, something he did while in deep thought. "Going back to the entrance, and if you take a right, you walk down the all-famous Sunset Boulavard. Walking down it, with food stands left and right, it's best to do at night, for the 'famous red carpet' feel. Straight ahead, the Tower of Terror. Before hitting the 'hotel', in a separate section to the left, Rock N' Rollercoaster. Which does go upside down, I might add.
"Lastly, at 10, Fantasmic! It's the most famous spectacular events in all of Disney World, more important than the Wishes fireworks we saw last night. It's held in a huge stadium, the seats themselves curled into a 'c' and probably more spacious than the set itself. It snakes right at Sunset Boulavard, past the Beauty and the Beast stage, and almost completely separated from the whole park."
Her ears perked up. "Beauty and the Beast stage?"
He stretched, removing his arm from her hips. "Well, yeah. We can see it, if you'd like. Judging by that wistful look in your eye, you definitely like."
She leaned her body slightly away from his chair, a defense mechanism. "Sue me."
He chuckled, a hearty sound, and shifted his position ever so slightly. "Hum… so you're the type of woman that places a man by his beauty within, personality and all of that. In a way, it makes sense, not that I'm an example." He was pretty proud of himself, it seemed. She sighed, looked out the window once more to the rising sun. Something caught her attention.
She reached a hand out to unlock the door and slowly slid it open. She looked back to smile at Jane.
"Look, there's a giraffe," she said to him with a point of her hand, stepping out onto the concrete to the fresh air of the savannah. She heard the slight creak of the chair, and felt him brush beside her.
"Reticulated giraffe, if I'm not mistaken," Jane said, lifting a finger to the exact spot on the savannah. What a silly question. Of course he wasn't mistaken. "Yes, yes, I forgot that they're your favorite."
She shrugged. "I had a giraffe stuffed animal when I was younger."
He leaned against the railing, letting the sun spill light over him. "Meh, I never really cared for stuffed animals. Too mundane, even when I was six."
"Weren't they prizes? At the carnival, I mean. Seeing all the kids happy around you, why didn't you ever take an interest in them?"
He rubbed his face, scrubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes. "I was always five years older than I really was, Lisbon. Those type of things weren't really an issue to me."
She sighed. "If you say so."
"I do." He straightened his back, leaning down to peck her cheek and playfully slap her hat back over her eyes before walking down the concrete path, to the sliding door in their room. "Be right back."
When did he pick the hat back up? She never saw him with it... she didn't even bother to think about it, straightening the bill and turning to the sliding doors to the living room. A visitor was just walking in. The redheaded woman yawned, glancing at Lisbon with her tired hazel eyes. "Good morning, boss. Nice outfit. Jane, right?
She nodded with the hint of a grimace. "You'll have to wear something similar, along with Rigsby and Cho. I love Superman, but don't you think this looks kind of… Hipster?"
Van Pelt grinned. "Not really, but that's a pretty funny term for it." She yawned once more, scratching her head before looking at Lisbon once more. "Are we eating breakfast here?"
Lisbon shook her head. "When everyone's ready, we'll leave for Hollywood Studios and eat at a pastry shop there." She turned around, sliding her park admission and room card from the table beside the sofa into her pocket. "Hey, I'll be right back. I wanted to check out the gift shop downstairs."
"Okay, I'll tell Jane whenever you get down." She brushed passed her and plopped down on the plush cushions, letting out a wide yawn. "Ah, I'm so tired."
Lisbon chuckled, and slid out the door, calling out "See you in a few," before venturing down the hallway. She clicked the down button on the elevator when she got to it, and immediately her phone rang. She held it up to her ear without bothering to check whom it was.
"Jane, I'm only going to check out the-."
"Jane, huh?" A seductive voice commented on the other line. "Come on, Teresa, I think you and I have more history, if you catch my not-too-subtle drift."
She rolled her eyes, but was quite surprised nonetheless. "Hello, Walter."
"Hello, lover. I broke into your apartment, but you weren't there. I dearly hope that you aren't at another secret boyfriend's house, but I've been wrong before."
She clicked the button to the lobby, a smile on her face. "Oh, you're back? That's nice. And, no, nothing like that. Just on vacation."
"Who are you and what have you done with Teresa Lisbon."
She sighed. "I know, I know, but it was Jane's idea. Something to… unwind the team and such."
"Uh huh. So, where are you vacationing? Somewhere big, considering that you agreed to go."
"Oh, um…" Jane had told her not to tell Walter, and she wasn't about to have the tempermental blonde on her case once again. "I can't really tell you."
The elevator door opened, and she heard an almost feminine scoff. "That hurts, you know. It's like you just shattered my ego."
"Your ego is your wallet."
"Correction: it would be, if I weren't so filthy rich."
She quirked a smile, even though he couldn't see it, and walked under an arch to the lobby. "So, how was Europe? Anything special?"
"Just business fancy-shmancy stuff, nothing important. But I want to learn more about you. What's your favorite gem? Diamond? Sapphire?" She could hear him dramatically tapping his chin from there. "Oh, Emeralds! Those would just be lovely with your eyes."
She sighed, running her hand along a hoodie hanging by the outdoor entrance. "Well, glad to see you were checking up on me. I'll see you when I get back, okay?"
"Leaving so soon? Is that 'it's a small world' I hear in the background?"
She smiled knowingly. "Goodbye, Walter."
"You're in -!"
She flipped her phone shut, and dropped it in her pocket. She missed her work phone; it was thinner, had a full keyboard and everything. This one was just so clunky. She swept the large gift shop once more, but it was no fun looking at all the interesting things without anyone to marvel them with. Almost right on cue, the team appeared from the entrance.
Where to begin on their outfits?
First, it was van Pelt. She was totally Hulk'd; looking from the top-bottom, Lisbon had to hold in a laugh, even though the clothing really suited her body. She had on black converse folded over classically in the back, inside purple that matched her vibrant shorts. Above that, she had on a green tank top under a black top with rips throughout it, as if she'd tried to tear out of it. Her green hat matched her tank top, and it had Hulk's angry eyes on it, almost covering up her own. All-in-all, it was well suited with a hint of hilarity, Janes' classic style. She walked her way over to her boss.
"Isn't this cool? My dad always called me the Hulk!"
Lisbon eyed the calm and kind-hearted woman gingerly. "And why is that?"
"Well, I liked to scare of boys by yelling and stomping at them…"
"Thought they had cooties?"
"Yep."
This time, Lisbon laughed. "Alright. Now, who's coming in next?"
"Cho was right behind me…"
Her second-in-charge walked through the door, and Lisbon was shocked. He had on red Sperry's, matching his crimson shirt with the word 'Muggle' printed in old-timey-font white. Harry Potter was his going theme, it seemed. He had on solid black cargo shorts, some super-dark aviators covering his eyes, and, get this, a wand in his hand. A Rolex and small gold chain completed the look. He found the women and sulked over to them. Ah, he had the same reaction she had in the beginning. Granted, something of literature did suit him, in an odd way.
"I look silly."
Lisbon shook her head. "No, Cho… you look good. I like the wand; nice touch."
Some kid snickered at him, pointing at the wand. Lisbon and van Pelt looked at each other, hiding scoffs. In a hushed, Cho-like voice, but just loud enough for the kid to hear, he said, "Avada Kadavra." With the help of batteries, no doubt, the tip of it glowed bright and made a zipping noise when he flicked it.
And then, after the kid screamed his way out of the shop, Rigsby walked in. Or should he be called Batman? He had on black, slim jeans, and a bright yellow shirt with the Batman symbol over the chest. He had on black high-tops with a faded yellow bat on it, and a black and yellow Batman drawstring bag to match. The funniest part? On his right hand, tight to his skin and almost to his elbow, a black glove with leather spikes fit him nicely, like he forgot to take off all of his costume. He tightened that hand once, as if trying to get used to it, and then waved at the three, jogging over. It matched together well, no doubt, different than his usual clean-cut attire.
Lisbon reached up to ruffle his hair. "Hey, look, you're DC, like me! Except for Marvel… Make sure not to associate with them." Between van Pelts' mock laughs and Cho's half-hearted snickers, she heard his voice.
"What about me?"
She turned around, and found Jane standing just a few feet away. His outfit was probably the most casual, but still stood out in it's own way. He had on a navy, V-neck shirt with the Captain America shield on it with matching, plain nevy converse, and slim jeans the same as Rigsby's, only pure white. Red frames around black lenses covered his eyes, and he had the United States of America flag as an expensive-looking watch. So, yeah, he stood out as much as them.
And all they got were laughs and thumbs ups, not strange looks or whispers. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad Lisbon had imagined.
"Oh, hey Jane." She grinned, and he returned it slightly before reaching into his back pocket.
"I meant to give you something upstairs…"
"What is it?"
He pulled out something thin and black. "Why, you're disguise, of course! Every hero needs one."
He slipped on a pair of Clark Kent glasses on her nose, nicely fitting under her hat. He pretended to look around. "Where did Lisbon go?"
The team copied his movements, calling to her. Except for Cho, of course, with embarrassment bringing his usual wall up. She pushed Rigsby away playfully, and took off her hat to air off her head. "Thanks, Jane. Usually, Mondays suck for me, but today… This isn't half bad. It's pretty fun, in fact."
"I'm glad," Jane said, bumping his head to her forehead with a grin before chasing the team outside.
Everyone was just so hyper today.
And they haven't even had breakfast yet!
XXXXXXX
The bus ride was pretty standard, like the other day. Since it was early, everyone got a seat on the bus, because barely anyone was there to begin with. Not that it would've mattered, anyway. The ride to Hollywood Studios was shorter that to EPCOT, and definitely shorter than the ride to Magic Kingdom, especially with the constant, excited talking from everyone on the team. So, just as the giant golf ball had towered over them that Saturday, a tall withered building did the same as they neared the popular park, haunting their arrival. Or, at least, the park would be popular, if there were more people. But, Jane had pointed out that Hollywood Studios was one of the most popular parks there for adults, considering their two main thrill rides. And if Magic Kingdom was any example…
"Follow me!" Jane cawed like Peter Pan, weaving them through the scarce crowds. Whenever they left the greenery of the bus station, Lisbon was nearly blinded by the morning sun shining on a lake of water to her right, bordered in Hollywood palm trees. It was a Ferry Service, for people who drove there to park across the water. Overall, it was obvious that Disney was convenient, no matter what.
They all dived to the left, where the entrance was, and Jane appreciatively whistled at the site.
"Nice. Very nostalgic to my times in Hollywood, Disney did good." He ran a hand over the stringy bark of one of the many palm trees, and grinned back to Rigsby. "How much longer do you want me to stall the food, Rigs?"
"He's not the only one that's hungry," Cho replied.
"Yeah, I skipped my favorite cereal for this." Van Pelt seemed genuinely hurt.
"I want my cake," Lisbon grumbled.
"And you will get it, my dear," he said, sliding his card in for admission. "Starring Rolls Café, just between Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard. The things that they serve can be different every time. I know for a fact, though, that today they're serving tres leches today. And assorted éclairs. So I kind of want to get there, too."
After they were all admitted, Jane stopped with the whole stalling crap. Sure, they weren't running there, but he was getting straight to business. They cut across a jumble of ice cream and assorted carts, veering slightly to their right, parallel to the long-necked dinosaur on a sparkling pond to their far right.
They stumbled upon a quaint little shop, right in sight of a tall, looming building, Hollywood's Tower of Terror, in the ever-stormy-looking distance. But, no, not stormy in the 'it's going to rain' way. It was just dark and stormy-looking over there, right near the old, unsafe-looking hotel, if you could call it that. Lisbon rushed inside with a bit more fervor, right past the red umbrellas.
The place was modest, if anything. It reminded her very much of a hotel gift shop. The floors were neutrally carpeted, and treats were displayed in glass cases organized around the café. The smell of coffee and sweetener hit her as she walked through the door, the air conditioning nice and icy from being out in the morning heat.
Jane called her over to the case he was looking at. She spotted the tres leches easily. The cake was yellow and bubbly, lying in a pool of milky caramel and frosted with fluffy white buttermilk. A shiny blackberry rested on top of the square slice. Her mouth watered.
The team all picked out a variety of things, and went to go get drinks. About a minute later, there food was sprawled out on one of the tables up front, under on of the red umbrellas. Van Pelt had ordered, surprisingly, a bear claw with her treats, and was gnawing on it. Lisbon laughed internally and took a sip of her coffee.
"Well," Jane began, watching her with his trademark squinted eyes. "Try a piece."
"Don't rush me," she grumbled, though with a smile. She grabbed her plastic fork, shoveling the prongs into the corner of the cake, scooping it up. Jane took a bite of his éclair, casually glancing away. She swirled the severed piece in the caramel before scooping it up into her mouth.
Cool milk seeped onto her tongue, sugary icing coating her whole mouth. She sighed happily. Rigsby did the same; he'd gotten a few foreign sweets.
She quickly finished the small cake, tossing the blackberry at Cho when she caught his eye. He caught it in his mouth easily, a classic routine.
Everyone finished pretty quickly. Lisbon finished her last drop of coffee before throwing her trash away. They gathered at a corner at the front of the café, not exactly knowing what to do in the foreign land. Well, all except one.
"Alright," Jane began, taking in Hollywood Studio's wonders with his ocean-current eyes. Lisbon couldn't blame him. With her stomach full, and the magical music beginning to dribble in through the speakers, the colors seemed twice as bright. "I think a bit of The Great Movie Ride is in order to start the day. We can save Sunset Boulevard-," he tilted his head to the left, where the Tower was, "-for tonight."
"Movie Ride?" Rigsby asked, strolling along with Jane as they walked past another restaurant next to the pastry shop, taking a quick right towards a giant wizard hat, the one Mickey had in Fantasia. Behind it was a Asian-Styled building. "What movie?"
Jane snorted. "A lot of them. It's just a ride that goes through scenes from many movies, like you're actually in them. Enough to be counted as an Attraction, but not enough to be counted as a thrill ride."
Cho nodded, like, other than Jane, he was the only one that understood. Jane knew that he'd appreciate it; very classic movies were featured.
It didn't take long to reach the teal-ish attraction, its slicked obviously-Chinese roof pointed up to the sky. The entrance, underneath a burgundy mural of a dragon and between two burly statues, was wide and short. They walked to it between scarce palm trees.
Lisbon was wow'd whenever she entered. Really. The inside was like the outside; ropes separating invisible lines, the walls and lights the same shade of rust as the mural outside. She could hear music, the kind that they used in the older, black and white films; dramatic and bold. Jane cut them through the ropes, something the people waiting do whenever there aren't any people filling up between the ropes, and started heading to the source of the music.
To their left was a heavily-jeweled emerald dress in a glass case. The one from Shakespeare in Love, used for Queen Elizabeth the I, all in it's untouched peacock-y glory.
To her right, where more rows of vacant ropes stood, was another glass case. One of the Merry-Go-Round horses from Mary Poppins, scratched from age but in nice condition. It's grin was contagious.
"Wow, look at that dress!" Van Pelt sighed, glancing back at the jewel-encrusted clothing. "It's beautiful."
Lisbon nodded with her, and that was when they walked through the archway, the room where the music was.
The walls were covered in black-and-white movie posters, and to her left was a gigantic tarp, where the gigantic film made up of old movie clips and previews was being displayed. The room was dim, so the projection was the main source of light, other than the lit up floor-to-ceiling strips of bulby lights spaced out from each other.
"'The Searchers'," Cho said, reading the red logo that flashed across one of the previews. "Good movie."
"It really is," Jane laughed. "Very Wild West. I knew you had good taste, Cho."
"Okay," Lisbon began, cutting into their bromance. "What exactly is this ride? You were pretty vague on the description."
Jane pretended to think about it for a moment. "I'll let it surprise you. I can't be a walking Google; some of it you have to find out for yourself."
She sighed, but nodded. They looped around the ropes and bars until they got behind a small line of people, separated into a few sections behind closed doors, which would probably open when it was time for them to load. They watched the previews with mild interest, mostly awaiting the opening of the doors. And still marveling in the fact that they were in freakin' Disney World.
And then the doors opened to a room in front of them, old-time trumpets blaring fun music from ahead.
"Show time," Jane murmured, and Lisbon chuckled. He winked at her.
They walked through the doors, and were immediately grouped into one of the many different spaces that separated row from row. On the wall on the other side of where the car would be, behind palm trees and fake bushes, a dramatic painting of hills in front of a billowing sunset. White words laid on the center point of interest: "HollywoodLand."
Jane grabbed Lisbon's hand, turning the jumpy old-time music around them into something kind of romantic. She sighed.
"What?" She asked, a slight undertone of irritated.
"Oh, nothing," He said, letting a grin grow on his lips. "Nothing at all."
"You have stubble, you know." She pointed to the bronze-gold sandpaper on his cheeks and chin. He rolled his eyes.
"Don't I always? It's blonde; it's not like it's that noticeable anyway."
"I like stubble," she defended.
"Baby, I'd grow a beard for you." It was hilarious how easily he could slip into that accent, the one you hear people use all the time in old movies. Theatrical. It was the perfect setting, too.
"You'd look silly with a beard."
He nodded in approval, but added a shrug to the mix. "True, but I'd still do it, if you asked me to."
She sighed again, but this one was more airy, light as a cloud. He took that as an incentive to kiss her cheek. She didn't stop him.
Whenever the long, wide car pulled up, with multiple long rows of seats, the whole team fit into one, leaving space on the end. They were in the middle-front, about the third row, and had a good view of the conductor that climbed aboard whenever they were all settled in, right when the music was building up. The woman, dressed in a neutral cast-member looking ensemble, grabbed the microphone and cheerfully held it up to her lips. The music in the back was probably rigged to let her enter at just the right moment, making everything seem perfect. Classic Disney.
"Welcome aboard! Nice. I'd like to ask for everyone to please remain seated throughout the show, please keep your arms and hands inside the vehicle at all times, and, for the safety of our cast, we ask that you please refrain from using flash photography and external video lighting."
Jane, on the side all the way to the left since he was first to board on the row, leaned in to whisper something into Lisbon's ear. "You'll like this one."
She nodded as the woman began to speak again. "Now that we've taken care of business-," she swung an arm up to point at her chest- "Let's talk about me. My name's Ashton, and I'll be your guide into this magical journey of movies. It's the perfect job for me, because I love movies! Now, is everybody ready?"
And enthusiastic cheer waved through the vehicle, Lisbon included. Ashton smiled.
"Great. And now that the cameras are ready to roll, I'm ready when you are, C.V." She looked to a spot right above where their car will come out in the end of the show, behind the vehicle with a point of a finger. The guy who controlled the rides' operating function, Lisbon assumed. She held a thumbs up, probably copying his movements. With a few twists at the operating functions up front, and the yell of a director's 'ACTION!', the lights in the cinema-styled entrance in front of them blinked dramatically, and the car surged forward as more music started up again.
"And… we are rolling!"
Ashton made casual small talk with the first few rows off-mic as they slugged forward, a nice speed. Jane saw how much she loved her job and let himself relax. Rigsby widened his eyes.
"Where're we going?"
"Into the past, my friend," Jane called out with a grin. "Just go along with the ride."
Cho snorted. "Like we have a choice."
Finally, the car turned under the neon lights slightly, entering the attraction for real.
"Well, hello everyone, and welcome to The Great Movie Ride! Once again, my name is Ashton, and past the fabulous Hollywood sound stage above us, I'm about to take you on a tour into the world of movies! And, just between you and me, this isn't no ordinary tour. There'll be a few extra surprises thrown in here and there. But, in an extrodinary way, it'll be like you're in the movies!" She grinned widely at the cars, emitting her cheers from the crowd. She nodded, satisfied.
As she spoke on, Jane wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Now, isn't this exciting?"
It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Obviously."
It seems that this was going to be a reoccurance of Spaceship Earth the other day. As they passed, to the right, manaquin ladies in swimsuits stacked on top of each other into a pyramid behind a hazy screen, Jane whispered into her ear: "The 1930s musical, Footlight Parade." He was basically copying what Ashton was chatting on about, but in his own Jane way.
Next was, to the left, an automatron hooked onto a pole with fake rain shimmering around him, singing: "I'm Singing in the Rain." A very good automaton, at that. Jane whispered tidbits about each movie as they passed.
After that scene, they were surrounded by shadows, brooms laid on their shoulders, swinging back and forth on rooftops. A bit to the left was a woman in a pink gown with an umbrella held over her, and a more prominent man dirty and just chilling on the chimney. That's right, fanatics: Mary Poppins!
They passed under the brick roofs into a… ratchet part of town. The Ghetto, she assumed, as she's been there multiple times before for a case. Broken motel signs and rank buildings with flickering lights, sounds of glass crashing and people arguing in thick Italian accents, all in the dead of night.
Lisbon shivered. The 'Chim-chimney' music from the scene behind them made the place even more ominmous.
"This is where it gets good," Jane said, removing his arm so he could lean forward on his knees. He had that curious, mischievious look that Lisbon loved. His eyes traced the buildings.
"Hold onto your wallets and purses, folks. This doesn't look like a very good neighborhood. In fact, it looks a lot like the Underworld. The scene of such classic gangster films like the Public Enemy. Starring one of my favorite tough guys, James Cagney." The vehicle creeped to the right, underneath the premise of a building, but entering the same theme, just a different scene as she named off a bit about the movie. James Cagney, as an automaton, was moving in a corner against a door, classy in his tuxedo and thick accent. His – its – words were threatening.
"Aw, you dirty, double-crossing - open up in there, you hear me?"
We passed the door he was banging on, deeper into the concrete jungle. Or, more like the concrete Shark Week.
The ride stopped. In front of us was a broken-down door, above it a green light. Loud voices, or whispers they accented so we could hear them, echoed around us. Automatons slinked down below gasoline barrels. They had the same accents as Cagney, only more rough.
"Ah, ah, is it them?"
"Nah, just a bunch o' rubberneckin' tourists."
"Sorry for the delay, folks," Ashton began over the microphone, pointing to the door in front of us. Lisbon noticed the light had changed. "I don't want to run a red light, even if it's just a movie." She moved to replace the microphone back in its spot.
"Psst, hey, you."
A quiet, low voice slinked from the shadows, but loud enough for us to hear. Ashton feigned surprise, and held the mic back up to her lips. "You talkin' to me? Hey, you talkin' to me?" She giggled to the people in the cart. Some laughed at the movie-quote, others watched in wonder.
"No, sweetheart, 'm talkin' to da dame in da funny-lookin' outfit over dere. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you. Come 'ere."
"Uh, I'm not supposed to leave my vehicle…"
"I said get over 'ere." The well-dressed man stepped out into clear view, a pistol evident in his hand. A fedora shaded his face.
"Whatever you say, Mugsy," Ashton mused, hopping over the door to the cart and jogging up towards him.
Whenever she got close to the concrete stairs he was standing on, he looked at her curiously. "Hey, how'd you know my name anyway?"
"Oh, I've seen this movie before."
Suddenly, guns began to fire all around them, but Ashton was ducked behind a barrel, in the safe. "I could go for some popcorn!" She exclaimed. Before Lisbon even knew what was happening, though, Ashton had disappeared and Mugsy hopped over the door to the control panel, frantically jamming buttons. "Everybody sit tight."
He looked back up to the stoplight, the thing that made them stop in the first place, and chuckled darkly. "Runnin' a red lights against the law, and I never break the law! Watch this!" He raised his gun and shot, simultaneously popping the light. "No more red light!"
Someone called from him back on the set, and he yelled: "Sorry boys, I'm makin' my getaway! Give my reguards to the warden, suckers." He looked behind him, to a little boy staring at his gun, and snapped: "What're you lookin' at? Everybody mind your p's and q's, and maybe nobody'll get hoit."
As the vehicle slinked out, Jane leaned back with a childish smile. "I like this place."
Lisbon rolled her eyes. "I bet you do."
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Shh."
They rolled into a Western town, the sun beating high on the wooden buildings and tumbleweeds. "Whoa, what's this? Where am I? New Joisey?"
A male announcer voice from the vehicle itself acted as an Ashton, revealing the movie. "And now, the Old West, and two of Hollywood's legendary stars: Clint Eastwood and John Wayne."
John Wayne was on a porch, smoking a cigarette and spouting something in a thick Texas accent. He reminded her strikingly of Eli. They ventured a bit further, and passed Clint Eastwood on a horse: "Well, that's a mighty tough territory you're headin' into, pilgrim. I'd think about turnin' back if I were you."
Mugsy ignored him, turning back to the mother of the former child he ranted at. "All right, now that we're in the clear, it's the perfect time for me to collect up all your value-ables. We'll start with the je-"
And suddenly, Lisbon found that they were in another gunfight, only this time it was with the sheriff and cowboys, not any more gangsters.
"Look at it this way, things can't get any woise," he commented as they were sliding through the barn doors right after, into a very eerie scene. Fog was billowing out of control panels, and it was deserted.
"OK, it's woise. I dunno about youse guys, but this is gettin' kinda creepy, what is dis?"
The male announcing voice was back. "This is Alien. You are with Sigourney Weaver aboard the spaceship Nostromo. Something has gone wrong. One by one, the crew has vanished, and somewhere in the ship, a terrifying creature waits to claim its next victim."
"Hey, Pal, I ain't no victim!"
Suddenly, alarms wailed all around them.
"Warning! Remain in your vehicle. The area you are entering is extremely dangerous. Proceed with caution."
A female voice came, but this time it was from the scene, not the ride. "Danger. The emergency destruct system is now activated. The ship will detonate in 10 minutes. The option to override the system will expire in T-Minus 5 minutes."
"Look out!" Mugsy yelled.
Fog erupted from overhead, and through it the Alien emerges, spitting slime (water) over it's victims, i/e the team. Lisbon and van Pelt yelped into the arms of their respective male counterparts, while Cho just sat there being Cho. All was silent as the Alien retreated.
But it wasn't like that for long. The same thing happened to the narrow side they were curving around, but thankfully it was on the right side of the vehicle, opposite of Lisbon. It was still frightening, though.
"There it is again! All right, I think that's enough creepy crawly things for one day right?"
The audience silently agreed.
They slid out of the murky ship, and into a dimmed cavern. Familiar music jolted from above. To the right was Indiana Jones and someone else, struggling to lift a tomb out of the Earth. To the left were dozens of snakes, slithering rigidly and hissing to attack. Jane was all the was to the left, so Lisbon hid behind his shoulder.
"Here, in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' amid a thousand deadly snakes, Indiana Jones unearths a great treasure. Will Harrison Ford escape with his discovery? And what will be your fate? Beware."
They rolled past that scene, but still in the relative location, and stopped in front of a large stone statue, a glowing jewel pulsing from the rock. A figure veiled in black stood next to it, guarding the bloody gem wordlessly. The ride announcer spoke again.
"The dust of three thousand years lies undisturbed in this ancient burial chamber. And on the chest of the great stone god, a priceless jewel!"
Mugsy licked his lips, rubbing his palms together while hungrily eyeing the ruby. "Wow! Get a load o' dat chunk of ice! Time for me to get back to woik. Don't none of yas move while I get the goods. I don't think they'd notice a few extra bodies around here, if ya know what I mean. Heheheh."
"But the jewel is guarded by a curse! And those who dare defy that curse ... must pay with their lives."
He ignored the man's words and jumped over the door, briskly jogging around the vehicle and up the rough stone steps. The veiled person held up a hand to the gangster. "Halt, unbeliever! Disturb the treasure of the gods, and you shall all pay with your lives."
Mugsy went for the jewel anyway, but it was too late. Smoke billowed out over the whole scene, and when it cleared... Ashton was there, fanning off the smoke with the cloak she had worn with a big smile. We all cheered, and she threw the clothe behind her, bowing slightly.
"See, I told you I was going for popcorn! That just goes to show you, anything can happen in the movies. Now let's get on with the show!"
XXXXXXX
"That was awesome!" Rigsby exclaimed, pumping his batman-clad fist as they exited the ride. The rest of the team mutually agreed, letting out a sigh as they walked out under the hot sun. After a brief moment of relapse, the team raised their eyes to look expectantly at Jane. He smiled at the dependency.
"It's hot out here. I think some under-the-sea action is in order, hmm?"
Lisbon let out a low whistle. "They have The Little Mermaid here, too? Nice."
He nodded towards the Chinese-style building they just walked out of, aiming his eyes over it. "Right behind there is Pixar Palace, Animation Courtyard, etcetera. The main two, Mermaid and Toy Story Mania (a ride you have to see before it can be explained), are usually crowded. Mainly the latter, because Mermaid is a show with designated times, but Toy Story Mania can get well up into the mid- to late-hundreds regarding wait times in minutes." He flashed a smile, along with his metallic gold card, the one that gave him permission to do whatever the hell he wanted in the park. "We're exclusive, though."
Van Pelt nodded slowly, her own card sticking up a tad from her back pocket. "So... Little Mermaid?"
Jane grabbed Lisbon's hand nonchalantly. The team just rolled their eyes with an inaudible scoff, and turned to walk around the big building. Lisbon laughed and, ripping off her fake glasses, she threw them on Jane's own face. His own sunglasses were stored in Rigsby's bag, as of entering The Great Movie Ride, so there was plenty of room for her frames on his nose. She jogged away, to catch up with the team.
He watched her leave. Cocking his head, he absentmindedly rubbed the smooth plastic of the legs, right next to his temple. He tsked under his breath. "You little minx," he murmured. And then, with a devilish smile, he ran a hand through his curls and followed after her.
Time to take the next step.
Had to cut Hollywood Studios in half, 'cause holy chicago that was long. Well, this is long. Whatever, English. The language is confusing to be put simply.
So, what have you missed this past year in my life? Let's see... I turned 15 in November. Freshman, baby! Also, Marching Band. Made it to State this year in San Antonio (Texas), an amazing experience. I've been playing flute since 6th grade, so MARCHING along with playing at the SAME TIME was more than awesome. As crazy as it sounds, I'm waiting for August to come back for Summer Band! Basically, for a month before school starts, you are outside in the morning for 5 hours doing drills (IN TEXAS SUMMER HEAT) and learning marching sets. You have a 2-hour break, AND THEN you go back to work on the actual music, but inside and safe from the sun.
I'm not the most fit person. I'm overweight, but not obese, but most of my weight accounts for muscle. But I was born for running and doing sports (which I did until 5th grade consistently), I was just too lazy to do it. But yeah, band is my life now. The Mentalist? Haven't watched one episode this season. I'm still waiting for that kiss, though.
Something I am into now? KPOP. KOREAN MUSIC. OMGOMGOMG KPOP. And KDRAMAS. ANYTHING KOREAN REALLY. Blame my cousin for introducing it to me a year ago.
I think that's about it. Honestly, I don't know how long the next chapter will take. Another year? 2? It would be different if I still had patience for this season, constantly with The Mentalist on my mind. But, alas, no. Until some Season 5 Castle shit goes down, I have no reason to watch it. I might make the season finale, though, because it would be a good opportunity for a KISS. Pff. Yeah, right.
Anyway, here you go. Have any ideas on what should happen next chapter to conclude the Hollywood Studios saga? PM me your ideas! Or comment them. But PMing them will ensure that I'll get them. Also, it'll save me a good deal of thinking on my part, and get the chapter done faster. KEEP IN MIND, other than the next one we have a good four or five chapters left, so no wrapping up yet.
I love you all! Keep the reviews coming, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and yes, in the dirty way c:
Nah, jk. Te quiero, saranghae, and all the I love you's in the world!
See y'all around! ^^