A/N: Thanks for your reviews.
Chapter 5
"It's three minutes until midnight," the man on the radio announced. "We're still in the midst of a major blackout…"
"No kidding," Johanna remarked. "I thought we were just sitting in the dark with no fans, tv, or air conditioner for the hell of it."
Jim chuckled quietly. "Don't blame the radio man, sweetheart."
"I'm not…I just think it's ridiculous to state the obvious that we're still in the dark."
"I guess you have a point there. What do you miss the most right now out of the things you mentioned?"
Johanna sighed. "My tv."
"I had a feeling you'd say that," he laughed.
"What do you muss the most?" she asked.
"The air conditioner…our goal of the day was getting one and we got it…and now we can't use it…and I'm getting hot," Jim replied as he wiped away a bead of sweat on his brow.
She nodded. "I'm hot too…I'd just be able to forget about it more easily if I could watch tv."
"Distraction would be nice…I guess we're lucky we have the radio at least."
"Yeah, but even that is getting monotonous…I wish they'd play more music instead of just keep repeating what's already been told. They've already told us that it was caused by lighting strikes at the power facility; we already know how long we've been without power…and we know they have no estimated timeframe of restoration. It really doesn't seem like we need that repeated every few minutes."
"I know; it's different when they have something new to add to it but there hasn't been anything new in the last hour. Do we have any ice cream left in the freezer that we can save from its fate of melting?"
Johanna shook her head. "No; that carton we ate was the only one…believe me, I wish we had another one."
"This day is just full of disappointments," Jim replied.
She smiled. "Well look at the bright side, in about a minute and a half, it'll be a new day of disappointments."
He gave a soft laugh. "That's harsh, Jo."
"I know…I'm getting cranky," she admitted.
"No, you're not cranky," Jim replied. "It's just the situation…we're bored."
"That's the truth…it feels like we're just sitting here waiting for something to happen and I hate that feeling."
"I don't enjoy it either."
"I feel like we're cut off from the world," Johanna remarked. "They keep talking about how they can't get anything from the news wires because the system is down…we don't even know what's going on outside of New York now."
"Don't worry, sweetheart; the world will be waiting for us when everything gets straightened out."
"I know…it's just a weird feeling; I mean I'm not a religious news watcher, as you know, I'd rather read it than watch it or listen to it…but you still know it's there if you want to turn it on…and now it's not available in any form to tell us what's going on elsewhere, if anything, and I'm sure it's all just business as usual with the rest of the world, but it's a weird feeling to know that we're basically cut off at this point."
Jim pondered that for a moment. "I guess when you put it that way, it does make it seem weird. I usually do watch or listen to the news a little bit in the evenings even though I read the newspaper. I know you prefer the newspaper…and I'm guessing there's probably not going to be a paper in the morning."
"I'd say that's a safe bet. I doubt they were finished getting it ready for print when the lights went out…and even if they had been, they probably didn't get through the printing process."
"That's true…and you're right, they probably weren't ready to print yet; the ballgame at Shea Stadium was still going on and they would've wanted the final score for the sports news."
Johanna glanced at him. "What will they do about that game since it wasn't finished?"
"Suspend it," Jim replied. "When the two teams can meet again, they'll pick up from where they left off in the bottom of the sixth."
"They pick up where they left off?!" she exclaimed. "What if they can't get the teams back together for a month or so? Shouldn't they just start over?"
"No; they have to pick it up where the game was interrupted."
"I think a fresh start would be better."
"Only for the losing team," he laughed. "And since it's the Mets, who are last in the league, it wouldn't even matter if they did start over, they'd probably still lose."
She glanced at him. "Isn't that one of your teams?"
"Not when they're losing all season."
She smirked at him. "So what are you saying, there are conditions on your supportiveness?"
"When you're last in the league and embarrassing yourself, the state, and your fans, yes."
Johanna laughed. "Maybe they feel your judgement and that's why they're losing."
"They're losing because they're playing worse than a little league team. Mikey can field a ball better than they can lately."
"So I'm guessing no World Series for the Mets this year?"
"Sweetheart, they're not even going to let them hand out the programs."
She giggled merrily and he smiled in response. "Who will be in the World Series?"
"It's too soon to tell. Hopefully the Yankees get in there."
"Didn't they lose last year…badly?" Johanna asked.
Jim cut her a sharp look. "We don't talk about that."
"I see," she said with a nod. "So apparently for the Yankees, your support continues despite their losing status and you just pretend it didn't happen."
"Exactly."
"Why aren't the Mets entitled to that same loyalty?"
"Because the Yankees are better, everyone knows that."
"Except for when they lose the world series," she commented.
"I told you; we don't talk about that."
Johanna was quiet for a moment but she couldn't resist teasing him. "They didn't even have to play all those games they had scheduled for the series last year, did they? Because the Yankees lost all of the ones they did play…"
Jim glared at her. "Do you want to get married or not?"
Her laughter rang out in the dim room. "Oh you're not getting out of that."
"No?" he quipped in amusement.
"Definitely not, Mr. Beckett," she retorted lightly. "The invitations have been sent, a donation made to the church, the flowers and cake ordered and a venue secured. Your window to opt out closed months ago."
He laughed. "And I didn't even know it."
"That's the beauty of it; that window closed and locked and you weren't even aware of it."
"Well, in that case, I guess I'll just have to spend some time training you to be more loyal to the Yankees," he stated.
"I've been wearing the hat and t-shirts you bought me, what more do you want?" she teased.
"I want complete loyalty to our team," he stated.
"Oh, are they 'our' team?"
Jim nodded. "Yes."
"But I didn't get a vote on that."
"You don't need one, I decided on it for us so that we'll have a good marriage…complete loyalty to the Yankees, even in their darkest hour."
"Like when they're losing the first four games of the World Series; bringing the whole thing to a premature end?"
"Now you just stop that," he laughed as he reached out and tweaked her side.
"What if I don't?" she giggled, swatting his hands away as he tried to tickle her.
"Then I'm going to take that air conditioner back and you can sweat that cute little behind off all summer," Jim said as he captured her wrists.
"That would just be punishing yourself as well," she quipped. "You're here more than at your place…and soon enough, you'll be living here full time so…"
Jim smirked at her. "You always have to win, don't you?"
She shrugged. "Pretty much."
He couldn't resist the urge to kiss away the smug hint of a grin on her lips and when she allowed it to linger and turn into a few more kisses as her fingertips trailed softly along his chest, he pulled back, catching her gaze in the dim light. "I thought you didn't want to be sweaty?"
Johanna shrugged once more, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Well, I'm already getting sweaty from the lack of fans and air conditioning and it isn't like we have anything else to do."
"So we're alleviating our boredom?" he asked.
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"Hell no," Jim replied. "I'm all for distraction."
"Then we should get to it," she replied. "Before the moment passes."
"Then we should adjourn to our makeshift bedroom," he said with a nod at the mattress on the floor.
Johanna moved from the sofa to the mattress on the floor, giving him a smile. "You coming or not?"
"That's a question you never need to ask," he replied as he joined her; drawing her close so that they could pick up where they had left off.
They managed to get lost in their own little world, his hand tugging at the hem of her nightgown when the phone rang and startled them apart. "Who the hell could that be?" Jim demanded to know. "It's after midnight!"
"There's only one way to find out; answer it," she replied.
He frowned. "But I don't want to…we don't really have to."
"I think we probably do."
"Why?"
"Because we're in the middle of a city-wide crisis and something else could be wrong. It might be your mom, maybe your father found the keys."
Jim sighed deeply and got up from the mattress. "I guess you're right," he said before moving to the stand and snatching up the phone. "Hello?" he said gruffly.
"Hey, buddy, there you are," Jeff stated on the other end of the line.
Jim blew out a breath. "Has anyone ever told you that you have the worst timing in the history of the universe?"
"You've mentioned it a few times," his friend replied. "Did I interrupt a romantic interlude again?"
"Don't you always?"
"Seems that way," he laughed. "But you know if you wanted a special edition blackout rendezvous, you should've been like me and did that as soon as the lights went out…you see, as soon as that happened, I got right to business with Maggie just in case the world was ending. I wanted to go out doing something I loved," he stated before Jim heard a smack. "Ouch!"
"Did she hit you?" Jim asked.
"Yes! She's getting a little cranky now."
"Good, that's what you get."
"Now don't be like that; I tried calling your place first and when you didn't answer, I figured you were with Sassy."
"Why the hell are you calling me at midnight?" Jim demanded to know.
"I wanted to know if you think we have to go to work in the morning if the lights are still off," Jeff replied. "We're not sure if we have to report in or not."
"I don't think anyone is going to go to the office and willingly climb six flights of stairs or more depending on what floor you're on, in a heat wave just to sit in an office with no electric, no air conditioning and no fans. I'm sure as hell not going and neither is Johanna. We're staying right here."
"Hey, I'm in total agreement, I was just checking. I don't want to have to go to work in a blackout, during a heatwave, without a shower."
"Why wouldn't you have a shower?" Jim asked.
"We don't have any water," Jeff replied.
"Why not?"
"Because water pumps are electric, doofus," his friend replied. "Maggie's on the eighth floor, without the pump working, water isn't making it here now. We were lucky and able to fill a bucket once we heard the neighbors in the hallway talking about a loss of pressure awhile ago. Do you have water?"
"We did a little while ago but I guess we'll have to check and see; we're on the fourth floor so hopefully that's working in our favor on that angle."
"Hopefully; and if it is for the moment, you better fill a bucket or something just in case."
"Good point."
"Does that mean I'm forgiven for my late-night call that interrupted the blackout edition of romance?" Jeff asked lightly.
"No," he replied.
"No?"
"Nope."
"That's harsh, Jim," his friend quipped. "I hope Sassy can mellow you once you're married."
"I hope Maggie hits you again."
Jeff laughed. "She probably will before this mess is all said and done. I'll let you go now and we'll check in tomorrow."
"Alright," he said before ending the call and hanging up. He sighed a little as he caught Johanna's eye. "Let's go see if we have water because Jeff and Maggie don't."
"I hope we're not going to end up like that," Johanna replied as she he reached for her hand to help her up.
"Me too; and even if we do have water, we're going to fill a bucket just in case…and maybe fill the kitchen sink too."
"That's probably a good idea," she said as they made their way to the kitchen.
Jim grabbed a flashlight from the table and turned it on, aiming it at the sink as Johanna reached for the faucet handle and turned it, breathing a sigh of relief as the water ran. "Thank God," she muttered, allowing the cool water to run over hand hands.
"Put the plug in and let the sink fill a bit," Jim told her. "Then we'll fill a bucket in the bathtub. Hopefully we won't have any issues with water but I'd rather us be prepared just in case."
She allowed the sink to fill up as if she was going to wash dishes and then she turned the faucet off. "I have two buckets in the pantry," she remarked. "Should we fill them both?"
"I guess it wouldn't hurt," he replied.
Jim held the flashlight as Johanna went to the pantry and found her buckets and then they made the trek through the apartment to the bathroom. "I'm going to open the window in here," she remarked after sitting the buckets down. "I don't know if it'll get any of the stuffiness out or not but we have to try, it's so damn hot back here."
"We can open the window in the bedroom too," he suggested.
"I already did that when you were getting the flashlight out of the car; I just didn't think to do this one. I should open the kitchen window too…at least until the sunlight gets too hot in the morning."
"I hate the thought of this dragging too far into the day," Jim remarked.
"Me too," she sighed before she set about filling the buckets with water.
Once their task was completed, Jim met her gaze and gave her a smile. "Now that we're prepared for the next possible step of this disaster, we can get back to what we were doing."
She shook her head. "I don't think so."
"No?"
"No."
"Why not?" he asked. "You said we could alleviate our boredom."
"I know, but the thought that I might not be able to take a shower in the morning just kills the mood."
"You can take a shower now," he suggested with a grin. "Matter of fact, we both could…."
"You can't be serious."
"Oh I am," he said lightly as he reached for her. "You know you want to."
"It's dark in here!" she exclaimed.
"We have the candle…and a flashlight."
"Oh yeah, a flashlight in the shower is real romantic," Johanna said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"I didn't say we'd take the flashlight in with us, we could let it lay out here somewhere…or we can get the candles from the bedroom and light them for added light…see, there's your romantic setting."
"You said we needed to save those candles," she reminded him.
"We'd just use them for now and then blow them out," he said before dipping his head to press a sensual kiss against her neck.
She couldn't help but laugh. "So you're willing to use our backup candles for this endeavor?"
"Absolutely," he said, his hand slowly dragging up the hem of her nightgown.
"Jim! The window is open," she said, pulling her hem from his fingertips.
"We can close the window," he replied.
"But it's hot in here."
"That's why we're going to get in the nice cool shower."
"So much for you saying you weren't in the mood earlier," she quipped.
"Well what can I say, you gave the greenlight and now I'm ready…and you know, you talked badly about our team so really, you should do this to make it up to me."
Johanna laughed. "I should have shower sex with you all because I reminded you of the Yankees losing the World Series in the first four games?"
"Yes," he said with a nod. "Then I'll know you're sorry."
"What if I'm not sorry?"
"Then you should get in the shower anyway."
"Why?"
"Because this is our first natural disaster as a couple and we need to commemorate it," Jim replied.
"Really?" she laughed. "We're commemorating this occasion by getting in the shower?"
He nodded. "It's better than getting a bumper sticker or a t-shirt."
Johanna shook her head at him. "I guess I can't argue with that."
"So are we commemorating our first disaster or not?" he asked.
She slipped her arms around him. "I suppose we should; after all, who knows when they'll be another one."
A smile slid across his lips. "So you're giving the green light again?"
Johanna pressed a kiss against his lips. "It seems that way…after all, we do have time to kill…and it is our first disaster together."
"I knew you'd see it my way," he told her.
"I'll close the window and you get the other candles," she told him. "But there is one condition."
"What's that?"
"If we end up injuring ourselves in pursuit of your commemorating this event; you're going to have to think up the lie to tell about it."
He grinned. "Babe, it's a blackout, we blame the darkness, the excuse writes itself; but don't worry, we'll be careful."
"Alright," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips. "Let's get this show on the road before someone else calls us."
He hurried from the room to grab the candles from the dresser in the bedroom; maybe the evening wouldn't be a total loss after all.
