A/N: Thanks for your reviews.

Chapter 6

"It's two a.m., still no power or an estimated time of restoration but crews are working on the issue," the announcer on the radio stated.

Jim sighed deeply, part of him wanted to turn the radio off since it wasn't giving them any hint of good news but he didn't move from his spot on the mattress. It felt like the world was on fire as far as New York City was concerned, he thought to himself. It was hot and humid, no power…the radio full of news about fires, looting and violence. Through the open windows they could hear people in the streets, their music, their yelling, the sounds of things being broken…the sound of restlessness and unease. He didn't like the feeling that laid in the air or how long it was taking to solve the current issue. Another sigh slipped across his lips as he turned onto his side; the heat building in the apartment was almost as oppressive as the darkness, he thought to himself as he focused on the glow of the candle on the coffee table. The air of silence felt oppressive too, he couldn't help but think as he reached out and toyed with the ends of Johanna's hair as she laid beside him. The humidity was making her hair curl…the silence between them unnerving as he knew she was awake.

His thoughts drifted back to their fun romp in the cool shower; that had been just after midnight…and yet it felt like it had been days ago. The hours were dragging…as if when the power had gone out, so had the ability for time to move at its normal pace. A trickle of sweat slid down his back, making him long for another shower but it wouldn't do any good; he'd just be hot again before long. The night felt endless and sleep wasn't coming easily in the heat and the feeling of unease pressing in against them. He shifted once more, moving closer to Johanna.

"You okay?" he murmured, draping his arm over her waist.

"As much as I can be," Johanna said softly, turning over so that she could face him.

The sound of breaking glass somewhere outside in the darkness floated through the window, making her flinch.

"It's okay if you're scared," he told her, drawing her closer.

"I don't know if I'm scared or just nervous," she admitted. "I mean, I'm used to the noise of the city…but this is different."

"I know, to tell you the truth, it makes me a little nervous too."

"Really?"

Jim nodded. "Yeah…I'm worried about my car being out there."

Johanna sighed softly. "That thought has crossed my mind too; so many people outside…and other cars trying to drive around in the darkness. I hope your car will be fine too."

He breathed deeply. "We did lock it up, right? I didn't think to check when I was down there. I just got in the trunk and got the flashlight."

"Yes; I do remember us locking the doors. We've been extra careful, making sure it's locked at all times," she replied.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," he said, but his tone was less than convincing.

She found his hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's probably too dark out there for them to notice your car; it'll be alright."

"I'm sure it will…if not, I have insurance…if it comes to that. What's worrying you the most?"

Johanna shrugged. "I don't know…I guess how people act when something like this happens. The radio is talking about looting and fires…I've lost count of the number of times we've heard sirens…and that killer they've been looking for is probably out there somewhere too and it just makes my skin crawl. I know we're probably safe in here…but I worry."

"I won't let anything hurt you, sweetheart," Jim promised. "We've got the door locked and the chain on…but if you want, we can push something up against it. We already have the coffee table moved since we dragged the mattress out here…do you want me to push it up against the door?"

It seemed stupid but she did appreciate the idea. "You wouldn't think it was stupid?" she murmured.

"No," he said as he moved to get up. "I'll move it up against the door."

"I'll help you."

"I can get it," he told her as he carefully moved across the room and gently shoved the coffee table up against the door. He double checked the locks and then moved back to their makeshift bed. "You move over on my side, sweetheart; that way I'm closer to the door than you. You'll have the couch at your side; that might make you feel like you have a little barrier from the window."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Move over," he told her as he settled back down on the mattress.

Johanna moved over into Jim's spot and settled down as he laid back down, wrapping an arm around her once more. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"It's no problem," he murmured, grabbing the sheet and pulling it up to her waist; knowing that despite being hot, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep without the sheet covering her in some way.

She snuggled closer, glancing up at him with a small smile. "I know it's too hot to be cuddled up…but I can't help wanting to be close tonight."

Jim brushed a kiss against her forehead. "It's alright, sweetheart, I don't mind. It might be hot but it's also a nerve-wracking kind of night, so I get it…and I don't mind keeping you close."

She strained to hear the soft sound of the radio they had left on but had turned down in hopes of going to sleep. The news cycle continued; the cause being discussed but no word of how much longer they'd be plunged into darkness. "How long do you think it will last?" she murmured to Jim.

"I don't know…I was hoping things would be back on in the morning but honestly, it's not sounding good."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"If it is still out in the morning, we're going to need to blow out these candles as soon as we get some daylight coming through the windows so we can save them in case we need them again tomorrow night."

"I hope it's back on before nighttime again…I don't want to spend another night like this."

"Me neither, but I guess we better think of being prepared by saving the candles as much as we can…we have extra batteries for the radio so we should be okay with that. We have the flashlights too when we need to use them."

She nodded. "I'm going to have a lot of food to throw away in the refrigerator if this drags through the morning too. I just went to the market the other day."

"I know," he murmured. "I'll help replace the groceries."

"You don't have to do that."

"Sweetheart, I eat here more than at my own place; I'll help pay to replace the groceries…we're going to be splitting those costs soon enough anyway," he said with a laugh.

Johanna smiled, drinking in the feel of his fingers threading through her hair. "That's true. When this is over; we're going to have to go to your place and clean out anything in your fridge too."

"I know…thankfully there's not as much in mine. My mother won't be happy throwing out most of the stuff in her fridge."

"Mine won't be either," Johanna replied. "There's going to be a lot of spoiled food from this mess…and now that I'm thinking about it; the markets are probably going to have to throw out a lot of stuff too and order more; so replacing groceries may not be a quick easy process either."

"I hadn't thought of that," Jim admitted. "We'll even have to throw out our leftover pizza. What are we going to do for breakfast?"

She shrugged. "I guess we'll eat cereal…I know you like milk on yours but you're going to have to eat it dry."

"And wash it down with a warm drink," he added.

"You don't know how much I hate for a drink that's supposed to be cold to be warm."

"I know, babe; but you have to stay hydrated, especially in this weather."

"I know," she muttered. "I just hate it. I guess if we still don't have power at lunchtime, we'll have to eat snacks for lunch…which isn't so bad…but we might be getting hungry for something better at dinner time if this continues that long."

"Don't tell my stomach that, it gets depressed."

She giggled softly. "By then I might be a little depressed too."

"We'll be okay," he assured, pressing another kiss against her forehead. "We're safe here and we're going to follow the advice of staying put until this thing is over. We know our parents are safe; you know that your grandmother was thankfully already at your mother's so she's safe from the mess in Brooklyn right now. Jeff and Maggie are accounted for; your mother said your siblings are all where they should be. We'll get through this…we'll be a little hungry for a meal but we'll be fine."

"I hope so," she murmured.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you," he said quietly before capturing her lips in a kiss.

Her fingertips caressed the line of his jaw. "I'm so glad I'm marrying you," she whispered.

"That's mutual…now we don't have to go through disasters alone," he quipped.

She laughed softly. "I'm glad."

He gave her a gentle squeeze. "Try and relax so you can get some sleep, sweetheart. I'm here, everything will be okay."

"I trust you but it's still easier said than done."

"I know…believe me, I don't see me enjoying a deep restful sleep either."

Johanna breathed deeply. "I can't fall asleep to the sound of the TV…it's too hot and nerve wracking to relax, they're not playing as much music as I wish they would on the radio…and we don't even have enough light to read by since we don't have as many candles as I wish we did."

Jim nodded. "I guess when this is over; we'll stock up so if this happens again; we'll be prepared."

"That's right; we're going to make sure we always have enough just in case."

"We'll put that on our to do list along with replacing the groceries."

"We're going to get a box and have candles, flashlights and extra batteries always at the ready for our household…maybe if we're well prepared we won't have to go through this again," Johanna replied.

"That's not a bad idea; it might ward off the bad vibes."

"Or at very least, keep us from being in near total darkness so we can at least read."

"That too," he agreed.

She sighed deeply. "I hate this."

"Me too…but there's nothing we can do about it."

"I know," she murmured. "I just wish I could go to sleep so I could forget about it for awhile."

"Let me see if I can find us a different radio station," Jim said as he pulled away from her. "Maybe one that's playing more music than this one."

"They're all probably heavy on news right now."

"I'll try anyway," he replied as he moved to the radio on the stand, turning the dial to flip through the stations. He encountered static for the stations that weren't running on generators, but finally he found one that was playing music instead of talking about the current situation. "Let's try this one," he told her as he moved back to his place beside her.

Johanna cuddled up to him once more, hoping that she could get her restless mind to relax so she could sleep. She was so tired and hot, sleep would be a welcome escape from the problem they were dealing with but it didn't seem to be coming easily. "I need happy thoughts," she murmured to him.

"I thought you used those for nightmares," he commented as his fingers found their way into her hair.

"This is a nightmare."

He nodded. "Good point, I'll give you that one."

"You didn't really have a choice."

Jim laughed softly. "Don't get too smug."

"I'll try to rein it in…but I need happy thoughts…so tell me some happy thought that I can think of to help me sleep."

"Thinking of happy thoughts late at night is always your thing, sweetheart," he murmured.

"That doesn't mean you can't learn to help when I can't think of one," she replied.

He figured that was true, that he should have a few tactics in his arsenal for when she needed soothing to go to sleep. "I guess you could think of our road trip…that's always a happy thought," he said quietly. "We had a lot of fun."

"Yeah, we did…it's one of my favorite times."

"Then you just think about that," Jim told her. "Think about our time at the beach, how peaceful and beautiful it was…the cool water and the breeze coming off the ocean, the sand under your feet."

She sighed with contentment as the memories swept across her mind. "It was beautiful. I know we'll be at the beach on our honeymoon but I wish we could sneak away again for a day to the beach."

"We can always take a day and go up to Coney Island; or even to New Jersey to one of the beaches; just have a day trip one Saturday."

"That sounds nice."

"We'll make it happen," he promised. "But for now, just think of our road trip and our time at the beach in North Carolina."

She nodded as his fingers threaded through her hair and after awhile, she drifted off to sleep, leaving Jim alone with his thoughts as he kept her close to him, praying that the noise outside would stay muted so that she could rest. He forced himself to focus on the soft sound of the radio, knowing that he would sleep lightly if he ever got to sleep at all. Time continued to move slowly until finally he drifted off as the radio announced that it was three a.m. with no end in sight to the blackout.