DISCLAIMER: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel, That's So Productions, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment, Warren-Rinsler Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories.
New Author's Note: This story is my baby. It was the first story I ever wrote. I never intended to write anything beyond this but I was so inspired by the reviews and PM's from everyone that I continued. This story that you are about to read is the first in a network of stories that will eventually link together three Disney Channel series'; That's So Raven, Suite Life of Zack and Cody (On Deck does not exist in my universe) and Hannah Montana.
I know I put this in my profile page, but in case you missed it:
For the three connected series - Thunderstorm, Requited and Both Worlds - here is the order in which I recommend you read them:
Thunderstorms, The L Word, For Them The Bells Toll, Requited, The Best of Both Worlds, The Search For Tomorrow, Back to the Future and finally Love Conquers All.
You want to read it in that order because the first three Thunderstorm stories take you from the beginning of Raven and Chelsea's relationship up to the day they get married and then has a chapter at the end of For Them The Bells Toll that moves them ahead to The Best of Both Worlds storyline. But before you go there, Requited, the Londie story, takes you through London and Maddie's budding relationship. Near the end of that story, London, Maddie, Raven, Chelsea and Miley meet up and helps set the stage for the beginning of The Best of Both Worlds. Then the Londie sequel (Search for Tomorrow) along with the Liley sequel (Back to the Future), have an interwoven subplot to their main stories that eventually leads to the final Thunderstorm fic, Love Conquers All.
Now that you have the road map, time to take the first step. Welcome to the world of LaughLoveLive. Welcome to the Disney Diva Nation.
Original Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is my first entry in the world of fan fiction. The wonderfully talented authors of TSR femslash have inspired me through their vivid imagery and emotion to write this. Please let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy!
Thunderstorms
Chapter 1
Damn Thunderstorms
Saturday, February 18, 2006 – Raven and Chelsea's dorm – University of California at Berkeley
Raven's POV
There's a thunderstorm outside. Great. Another Saturday shot.
Thunderstorms. They're raw… unpredictable… dangerous… scary… sometimes deadly. They're also … awe inspiring… powerful… breathtaking. The lightning generated inside them can up the whole sky in a flash.
The first couple of drops warn you. Drop. Hey! Drop, drop. Look! Drop, drop, DROP. The storm is coming! DROP, DROP, DROP, DROP. Are you ready! Then without warning, the sky opens up. The breathless exhilaration you feel as you run for cover, the rain pounding down on you harder with every step. The helpless feeling you have as you witness nature's rage. The anticipation you feel knowing that when the clouds break, the rainbow appears. Unrestrained joy washes over you as the bright colors are instantly converted into a feeling of delight in your heart.
Thunderstorms and love. Who knew they had so much in common. SNAP THE HELL OUT OF IT, RAE!
Damn thunderstorms. Knockin' out all the power in the dorm. No TV, no stereo. I-Pod's dead. Can't charge it. Now I have sit here and listen to my mind wander.
Why do I have to feel like this? Why did I have to fall in love…with HER of all people?
She is my best friend. I've known her all my life. Recitals, sleepovers, dates, breakups, more trouble than you can shake a stick at. We've laughed together, cried together, raged against the world together and promised we'd always be there for each other. I love her. I'm not supposed to be IN love with her.
She puts her heart into everything that she does. That's one of the things I love about her. It also makes me worry. This is our second semester in college and she's already auditioned for a musical and two plays, while carrying 15 credits and maintaining a relationship. It stresses her out, big time. I tell her to slow down all the time but she has this insatiable need to keep going.
She had it going good for a while – classes were going well, rehearsals for the auditions were going off without a hitch, the boyfriend was sweet and understanding of her busy schedule. And then last night, it caught up to her… and knocked her on her butt. Sometimes you see it, sometimes you don't. I didn't see it before. Last night, I saw it. I had no idea this was coming. I needed a vision about last night. Last night something caught up to me and knocked me on my butt too.
Last night, I fell in love with Chelsea Daniels.
Flashback to Friday Night
A light sprinkle of rain had just started outside late last night. I decided to take it easy and crash; no school, no work, no date, just me, my TV, pizza and a pillow. I figured Chels would be out for a while, engaged in a much needed night of blowing off steam.
I was well into my third round of dozing off when the door slammed, shaking everything in sight. I jumped up off the bed screaming. "I knew it! That was it! The big one! Nine point five on the Richter scale! Ev'rybody gon' die!"
Then I saw her. She came into the room as pissed off as I've ever seen her. For Chelsea, it was like in movie "The Ten Commandments" when the plagues hit Egypt back-to-back.
Wednesday: The molecular bio test that she stayed up every night till 3 in the morning to study for… D-minus
(Drop, drop)
Thursday: The female lead in the theatre department's production of The Distance From Here, a character that she lived and breathed for two weeks straight to get it right… didn't get it
(Drop, drop, DROP, DROP)
Friday: The boyfriend was smart and funny and good-looking and thought it was cool that she was so involved on campus… caught cheating. Yeah, gettin' busy. He "forgot" about their date. He said something about her not having enough time for him and deciding to find someone who would. Asshole.
(DOWNPOUR)
Books, umbrella, shoes, clothes and F-bombs were flying everywhere. Thunderstorm. Raw… Unpredictable… Dangerous… Scary. Five full minutes of pure venting. Nature's rage. Every hurt, every slight, every painful emotion that had welled up inside her - every bad grade, every missed date, every flubbed line, locked away because she had no time to deal with them… came exploding out of her at one time. She couldn't stop herself if she wanted to. It was coming out. Mount Chelsea just blew. And I was at the foot of the mountain, witnessing the eruption. Saddam Hussein? Child, please! Right now, Chelsea was a Weapon of Mass Destruction.
When she was done, she did the only thing she had the energy left to do. It started with a single tear. I held her as she cried. I knew if I said anything it would make it worse, so I just let her cry.
Normally, this would do the trick. A few minutes of water works would be enough and it was ice cream and 1950's romantic comedies all night. But this was deeper. This was anguish. There was something else there. Something at the core of her being that was coming out through her tears. I closed my eyes as my tears fell, wishing I could stop the pain. I wished that she could crawl inside my soul and be safe. Whatever it was, I wanted to make it go away. I felt the full range of emotions – hurt, anger, suffering, despair, helplessness. I felt everything she was feeling. At that moment, more than any other in all of our years of friendship, our hearts were one.
And then I felt something else. It started in the pit of my stomach, lingered in my heart, went to the top of my head and came all the way back down, making a serious pit stop just south of the waistband of Victoria's Secret.
Cory has this football DVD called "Playmakers". One of the characters has a drug addiction that he calls "The Grip" – a pull so strong that no matter what you do, you have to get a fix. That's what I felt.
I felt an overwhelming, all-consuming urge to comfort her with more than a girlfriend-type hug. The stronger the pull, the tighter I held her, knowing that if I let go, that "grip" would take control. It was like being in the eye of a hurricane. Staying in that spot was safe, but move, and the storm blows you away. So I held on for dear life. What seemed like an eternity lasted for two, maybe three minutes. As the minutes ticked by, the sobs started to subside. "The Grip", as if on cue, followed soon after.
When I thought it was safe, I slowly released my hold on her. After we dried our eyes and gained some semblance of a voice, I asked her if she wanted to talk. She said no, that she just needed to vent. As she turned to go to the bathroom, I dropped my head and took a deep breath – my mind racing with all the emotions that I just experienced. Then she turned around, with another round of tears welling up in her eyes.
"I love you SO much, Rae." With that, she turned on her heels and disappeared into the bathroom.
You can tell when someone says something to you and cuts it off. There was more that she wanted to say, but couldn't. Her heart was too full. Mine was too. One more word and I would have lost it.
What I wouldn't have given at that moment to have one of my visions. When I don't expect them, they pop-up like popcorn. When I need them, they're nowhere to be found. "The Grip" found me though. And it gently pulled on me, until I forced myself to sleep.
END OF FLASHBACK
Another loud thunderclap boomed outside, shaking Raven to her core.
So here I am. What am I gonna do? Chelsea went home early this morning for the weekend. I guess she didn't want to rehash last night with me, which is cool. I couldn't have handled it anyway. She'll be back tomorrow night. I've got less than 24 hours to get my crap together before I have to look her in the eyes again.
Eyes. She does have big, beautiful brown eyes…
Come on, Raven! What would you have done last night, anyway? That IS Biscuithead after all.
But… well… I mean… Biscuithead is fine with a capital F-I-N-E.
Drop dead gorgeous…
Soft silky skin…
Long, thick auburn hair…
And she got body for days…
STOP IT! That damn "Grip" again! I swear, the next time I see Cory, I'm gonna kill him for making me watch that crap! Playmakers. I'll make my foot play when I put it in his…
Raven paused for a second and sighed.
Forget him. I HAVE GOT TO FOCUS. She'll be back tomorrow. What am I going to do? She said before another large thunderclap sounded outside her window.
Damn thunderstorms.
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