A Hard Rain-
The Barkeep aka Ducky5

Author's Note: Hey, kids. It would be me, Ducky, the author of such "greats" as Where Darkness Fell and So Far Away From Home. Well, I'm embarking on that oh-so-tantalizing looooong story at last. In fact, I already have two chapters done-- that's why you don't have to stop here tonight. This first chapter is my prologue, and basically just sets the scene. I'm sure it seems cliché, but, please, just give it a chance. Not only do we get JJ angst; we get Meg angst, Roxanne angst, Pryor family angst, and Beth angst. It'll be great fun for all. Please. Bear with this first installment. I had to get the ball rolling and I had a really hard time beginning the story. If I get some feedback, I'll love you all forever and give you my first-born child.

Disclaimer: The recognizable characters aren't mine- although I might wish that I could get my hands on JJ- so, for all intents and purposes, we'll just say that they belong to NBC. I'm just borrowing them for my own entertainment. Taking me to court would definitely not be in your best interest. I'm a teenager, I have nothing other than issues and pocket lint. The plot, etc. are all mine, so I don't want to see it under anyone else's nom deplume. The title of this story is derived from the song "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," written by Bob Dylan. Some of the lyrics might show up here and there. In addition, the lyrics to "I Saw Her Standing There," were penned by the late, great John Lennon and his fab buddy, Paul McCartney. Ciao!

"She was just seventeen! You know what I mean!"

Meg Pryor bounced around her room, howling the words of the latest Beatles tune into her hairbrush. It was raining outside, and Meg had nothing better to do on a dreary Sunday afternoon than to avoid her homework with John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Sister Mary Frances' assignment could wait at least until after "Bonanza," and her date with Drew.

Downstairs, she could smell dinner beginning to simmer on the stove. Meg's mother, Helen, saw to it that they ate earlier on Sundays. Her father, Jack, was tinkering around in the garage. Nobody actually knew what he was working on, but he did stick to it. Patty, her younger sister, was, of course, doing her homework, while their little brother, Will, was holed up somewhere with a comic book. Beth, her older brother's fiancée was due for dinner anytime. The only person missing was her older brother, JJ. And Meg could only imagine what he could be doing.

If JJ were here, he would've been yelling at her to turn down the music. He had never been a big Beatles fan. They were "just four hairy guys from England," as far as JJ was concerned.

But JJ wasn't here.

It had been almost a year since JJ had left for Okinawa, and almost nine months since he had gone into Vietnam. No one in the Pryor house had stopped counting the days or holding their breaths since he had been gone. Letters were few and far between, and Meg could count the times that JJ had been able to call home on just one hand. Still, she tried not to think about it much.

Meg began to twist with a non-existent partner. "How could I dance with another... OOOOOOOOOO! When I saw her standing there?"

There was a knock at her door. Rolling her eyes, Meg turned down the record. "What?"

"Meg?"

"Patty, I'm busy."

Meg could hear her sister sigh on the other side of the door. "Meg, Beth's downstairs."

"Well, she's staying for dinner isn't she?"

"Meg," Patty pressed.

Meg reluctantly opened her bedroom door, to save Patty the trouble of barging in. Patty was carefully examining her hands, as if the might leap off her arms at any second. She didn't even look up when Meg opened the door. Considering that, usually, Patty didn't wait for an invitation, Meg knew that something was bothering her sister.

"Patty, what's wrong?" Meg asked.

"It's JJ."

"What?" Meg said. Her heart skipped a beat. "What about JJ?"

"He's been... wounded, Meg. And Beth says they don't know if he'll..."

Without a word, Meg flew down the stairs, Patty still standing in her bedroom. She could hear Beth sobbing, and Will asking questions. Her father's voice was unusually calm. "It'll be okay, Thrill. It'll be okay," he kept saying. He had his arms around her mother, and they were both shaking; Jack with anticipation, Helen with a silent and gripping fear.

And suddenly, Meg felt the bottom drop from her world.