The V.Di Journal submits its second story...

Good For Another Season

By: V.Di

Prologue: THE THIRD ACT.

Laura Wheaton threw her leather itinerary and cell phone viciously into a plush chair at one of Ryan's safe houses. "There is no one left!" She screamed back, her voice breaking, "There is absolutely no one left!"

She collapsed onto the sofa half laughing, half crying as she pressed a bloodied hand to her forehead.

Ryan, who had been pacing, stopped, and glared at her, "Why can't you just shut up?" He lowered his voice as her observed her with a swear, "Jesus... Look," He tried to explain as Laura glared at him balefully, "I'm trying to figure things out – I don't know what to do..." He said desperately at the end.

He turned back and resumed pacing, muttering to himself. Every time an idea crossed his mind and he realized it wouldn't work, he became agitated and grabbed his hair, swearing.

All the while, Laura who had literally never been so discomposed in her life, not even at her sister's funeral, stared wide-eyed at the floor, breathing in short gasps.

"Fuck!" Ryan swore, "Laura-." He said through clenched teeth, trying his hardest not to yell at her again, "You really need to stop doing that!"

She threw her hands down, "You want me to stop breathing?" She screamed, her eyes widening further, "Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"No, god damnit!" He roared, "I just want to get you out of here, and I can't! I can't!" He screamed.

Laura burst into tears as her cell phone began to ring. She wailed, "Oh my god – what now?" She shakily opened it, "What?" She sobbed.

Carter was already mid-sentence, "-the fucking news! It's all over the fucking news!" He was screaming in a panic, "Where the hell are you?!"

Laura sobbed over Carter's frantic banter, "I can't do this right now, Carter – I can't do this now." She threw her phone down and clutched her head, "Oh my god..."

Ryan stormed over to the liquor cabinet.

Laura glared at him, wiping her eyes, "You're going to get drunk, now?" She asked him shrilly, "Over half the BC are dead and the only thing you can manage to think up is to be drunk?"

Ryan threw the glass he had picked up past Laura, causing it to shatter at the door of the safe house apartment. "I'm trying to calm down for a second to fucking think instead of sitting there and sobbing like some petrified princess!"

Laura was so shocked and hurt by his choice of an insult she stopped crying for a moment. "I'm calling Nikoli." She said finally, going for her phone.

Ryan was across the room in seconds, grabbing her wrist violently, "You can't!" He screamed shaking her.

Laura cried out as the pain from her wrist, "Why?" She sobbed, "Why?"

"Because he's been under surveillance for months!" He answered furiously, "Why the hell else do you think Griffin's been calling?"

Laura dropped the phone with a defeated whimper and Ryan softened his grip, "We can't stay here much longer, Laura." He stated hollowly.

"What are we going to do?" Laura asked, breathing in gasps.

Ryan came to sit next to her, "We," He said, "Aren't going to do anything."

Laura looked at Ryan slowly coming to understand what he meant, but refused to believe it, "What?" She asked.

"You're going back home. You'll have more than enough alibis there and you'll be safe... I'm going on my own."

"You can't." Laura begged.

"I have to, Laura." He reasoned, his own idea now ingrained in his mind – for it had to work he thought furiously; failure had long since ceased to be an option. "It's harder to go together – they'll be looking for us."

Laura knew he was right, "What..." She shook her head. She could barely focus her thoughts, "What about you?" She closed her eyes, that hadn't been what she had wanted to say.

Ryan clasped her hands, "I'll be fine."

Laura didn't believe him, but she nodded anyways.

He stood then, letting go of her hands and went to get his coat and guns. Laura followed suit, standing shakily as she collected her things together, occasionally sniffling.

"Okay." He said after a while, "A car is going to come to pick you up in an hour. You'll be okay." He reassured her.

"Ryan." Laura called out as he moved to open the door to leave.

"Yeah?" He asked softly.

"Am I going to see you again?" She whispered, staring at him as if she could etch him into her mind.

He cleared his throat, "I don't know." He answered truthfully.

Laura expected such an answer and watched sadly as he opened the door.

"Ryan... I-." She began to say, but Ryan turned to look at her one last time.

He smiled, "I know."

Ryan shut the door quietly and left Laura to her demons and a life long society she never should have left.