Author's Note:
` Re:Kitten Kisses: *edits away the typos* Ha! Now no one will ever know that I mistyped- ... drat.

Chapter 1: Drought of Good Fortue

"Okay. This storm must be bad." Sain noted. "Cell's non-existent."

"That's... not really surprising." Kent replied- not daring to take his eyes from the road. He continued to navigate their truck through the slushy streets undeterred.

Sain pocketed the useless cell phone and turned to watch the scenery move past them; with the snow blanketing everything it was all a bit monotonous for his tastes. Wave after wave of snow fell from the sky in thick blankets. The houses and trees were covered with the stuff. As if that wasn't enough of a problem, a thick sheet of ice had begun to form as well.

Kent was doing a fine job of navigating the roads and driving safely in spite of the snowstorm, Sain noted. But then, that was pretty much expected. Kent knew every quirk of the vehicle and displayed a deftness and familiarity with the controls that only came with time. For quite some time now, Sain had been urging Kent to upgrade to a newer, sportier, model... he was beginning to be glad that Kent hadn't.

A few moments ticked by and then Sain straightened in his seat. Was that his imagination or... his eyes narrowed in an attempt to pierce through the storm's gloom. No. He definitely wasn't mistaken. The flickering of hazard lights was starting to break through the gloom. Judging from their position in the center of the lane someone had pulled, or skidded, off to the side and was parked on the shoulder.

He asked: "Kent, you see that?"

"I do."

The lights increased ever so slightly in intensity and then one of them winked out of existence. Sain's eyes burst open in surprise, a motion that was followed by an outburst of: "Kent!"

His companion had already let off the gas and turned the wheel to the side in a controlled bank. Something, someone big and brawny, had dissolved out of the powdery mist to stand before the car. In the figure's hand was a big red scarf that was twisting and turning through the air. The person was desperately trying to flag their attention.

The move had worked, albeit perhaps a bit too well. Kent attempted to keep the truck from fishtailing across the lanes and then attempted to slow down to a stop. He managed to bring the vehicle to rest on the road's shoulder several long feet past the stranded car. Thankfully, no one had been hurt in that little exercise.

"Whew... that was a trip and a half." Sain quipped in an effort to diffuse the tension. "That guy could go into business giving ghosts lessons on disappearing."

"Wearing a white coat in the middle of a snowstorm isn't the best of ideas, no." Kent shook his head; he then turned to glance out the back window. "Come on, let's go see what he needs."

Sain popped his door and let loose a hiss as the icy wind immediately chased all heat out of the cab. It would take quite a while to get the place all warm and cozy again. He dropped to the ground, noting the crunch and snap of frozen snow as he did so, and then began working his way back towards the stranded car. On the opposite side of the truck, Kent was doing the same.

The one being rescued turned out to be a big, brawny guy- the sort that looked like a stereotypical lumberjack. He waved at the two as they approached. Sain turned his eyes over the man's predicament and felt a sense of dread fill his chest. A woman was seated in the stranded car's passenger seat. Her head was resting lifelessly against the back of the seat.

"Hello!" The brawny man shouted over the storm.

Kent returned the greeting and then posed the question that was on their minds: "Do you need help?"

"Not me, exactly. But Natalie, m'wife, does." The big man gestured at his passenger. "We were headin' for home when some speed demon sideswiped us. I managed to keep us from goin' in the ditch but the car's dead, now."

Sain's attention drifted to the side of the car. He winced. The front driver's side fender and hood had been brutally crushed. Someone had definitely blindsided the car; the big man must have been fairly skilled to keep from being knocked right off the road. With the front bashed in like that, it was fairly obvious that the car wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

The big man continued: "Natalie needs help, though... she... she has a sickness. The storm's not doing her any favors. I can't leave her out here much longer."

Sain risked a glance at Kent. His companion was standing there with pursed limps and a face of consternation. He could understand his friend's hesitation. Their truck was only designed for two people. Packing four into the cab, one of whom was having some kind of physical attack, was neither safe nor legal. But, then, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Let's get her out of the cold and into the truck, it's marginally warmer there." Kent rendered his decision. "I can't take you too far, but we'll stop at the next house we come to and try to borrow a phone. Maybe we can get some help your way."

The man's face visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

At first, Lyn wasn't sure if she'd heard anything or no. She cast a quick glance over the kitchen area and frowned as nothing stood out as the source of the disturbance. The dishwasher was rumbling in the corner. The stove and range weren't running. The lights were still casting their glow about the area...

Then came the realization that it wasn't anything in the kitchen that was making a ruckus. Something was pounding on the front door. It begged the question: "Who on earth would be out in a storm like this?"

Turning away from the kitchen area, Lyn moved through their little house towards the front door. As she stopped before the doorway, she risked a glance into the main room. Her grandfather was seated in his usual chair, by the window, and was peering through the blinds. A look of concerned was draped upon his features.

He noticed Lyn's presence and then explained. "It looks like someone's truck has stalled..."

Lyn nodded and then unfastened the latch and twisted the doorknob. The wind did the rest of the work as slushy air slapped at the door and knocked it open. She snatched the door before it could rebound into the back wall and then turned her eyes towards the person on the other side of the screen door.

It took her a moment to attach any recognition to the man. When the afternoon's events came crashing back to her, she almost slammed the door in his face despite the howling wind's efforts to the contrary. It was the red-haired man from earlier at The Trading Post. From the look of him, he recognized her as well.

"Ah..." Kent stuttered for a moment before partially regaining his composure. "Excuse me, but... could we borrow your phone for a moment? We need to phone an ambulance, this man's, ah, wife has taken to a bad time."

Lyn realized that there was another man standing next to the redhead. Immediately she wondered how she could have missed him. He was as big as an ox and looked about as strong. She turned her attention past the two men towards the truck idling in the driveway. There were two other figures in the truck's cab that could just barely be seen through the snow. If one was that sandy-haired fellow from earlier, then the other was probably the aforementioned wife.

"I'd have used our cell phone to call for help, but there's no reception." Kent snagged her voice once again. Lyn turned her gaze to the contraption in the man's hand. The screen flashed with a simple message: No service.

"Alright. You had best bring her inside where it's warm." Lyn unlocked the screen door, for all of the good that it would have done, and pushed it open. "You can use the land line in the kitchen to call for help."

A relieved smile of appreciation passed over the big man's features. He gave her a heartfelt 'thank you' before turning to race back to the truck. Lyn stepped back as Kent entered the front walkway.

The first words out of his mouth were: "I want to apologize for Sain's behavior this afternoon. He was out of line; there's no contesting that."

"I'm glad that one of you understands that. I can give him a second chance under the circumstances- but he'd better behave while he's here." Lyn allowed her voice to soften- slightly. This one, Kent, seemed to be the more honorable of the two. She found it easier to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"I think he will. He knows all too well how serious this is." There was something in Kent's voice that spoke of absolute certainty, like there was a story behind the remark, but Lyn decided it prudent not to ask about it.

Speak of the devil, the big man and Sain appeared in the doorway. Between them they carried a visibly smaller woman whose eyes were closed and whose skin was convulsing. A pang of sympathy and guilt spread through Lyn's system. They hadn't been lying.

They looked at her and so she began to direct them.

"You can put her on the couch in there. There's some blankets that you can use as well."

The men moved past her and Kent left in the opposite direction towards the phone. Lyn left him to his own devices and turned to follow after the two men and the woman. As she crossed the threshold into the living room, she was taken completely off guard as an audible gasp came from her grandfather.

"Natalie?" He asked. "Is that really her?"

Had he been in better help, Lyn knew that he would been at the woman's side in an instant. But he wasn't in good health any more. All that her grandfather could do was stare across the room in shock and amazement at this turn of events.

The big man, having just finished draping a blanket over his wife, turned to her grandfather with a surprised look.

"You know her?" He asked.

"We both go to the same hospital for treatment, usually about the same time." Grandfather explained. "After spending a fair amount of time in the same reception area we began to use the time to visit. You must be Dorcas. I've heard a fair amount about you."

"Aye. That's me." The newly christened Dorcas nodded slowly. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Caelin."

Lyn, for her part, was slightly taken aback at the coincidence of it all. It was hard to believe that so many people with so many connections could be brought together by random chance. But such was exactly what had happened. This was the sort of thing that gave mathematicians nightmares.

Kent chose that moment to re-appear from the kitchen. Upon receiving an expectant look from Dorcas, he gave a quick report of the overall situation: "They're going to send someone out to help, but with the storm and roads it will probably be a while before anyone can reach us."

A wince passed over Lyn's mind. She had suspected that things would not be easy for Dorcas and Natalie, but had wanted to believe otherwise. Whatever good fortune that had seen fit to bring them together must have dried up by now, leaving them firmly placed in the grip of reality.

"If only we could afford that operation." Dorcas grunted. "Then Natalie wouldn't have to suffer like this."

A great weight began to gather over those present only for Sain to break it. The sandy-haired man coughed, loudly, to seize everyone's attention. Then he donned an all too sunny smile that contrasted a little too greatly with the overall situation.

"Moping around isn't going to do us any good, and its certainly not going to help Natalie any. We need to lift her spirits and give her encouragement." He said.

Lyn handed Sain an incredulous look. Grandfather Caelin gave a small nod of approval.

"He has a point." Mr. Caelin replied. "A heavy atmosphere won't help us at all. Furthermore, you are our guests; it's only right that we entertain you. Lyndis, why don't you play something for them?"

"Grandfather," Lyn had to check to make certain that she was hearing correctly. Somehow, the notion didn't seem fitting given the circumstances. "are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I've learned a few things in my years that your fancy doctors don't. Go ahead. It will help."

She nodded and then vanished from the room. Lyn re-entered moments later with a well-used guitar in one hand. She slid the guitar strap over one shoulder and began a quick warm-up exercise. As she did so, her eyes turned over those present. Kent was looking at her somewhat strangely. Sain was busy trying to cheer Dorcas and her grandfather was just looking at her with approval. The entire situation almost felt surreal.

Nevertheless, her course was set. Lyn put her mind to work and began putting notes together in sequence. Those notes were then bundled together into chords and then further put to rhythm. A slow folksong began to drift from the strings of her guitar and she began to relax and ease herself into the demonstration.

Whether it was because of Sain's comradeship or something else, Lyn wasn't entirely sure, but Dorcas didn't seem quite as distraught as he was moments ago. Everyone seemed to be calming down and Lyn began to realize that this hadn't been such a bad idea after all. It certainly seemed to be the opposite.

As the last notes of the song faded away, Kent snapped his fingers, breaking the spell.

"Now I remember why you're familiar." He said. "You were in the Elibe High talent contest."

Lyn nodded slowly and then spoke. "I was. I take it you attended EHS?"

"Both Sain and I attended there, yes. I don't think we were in classes together, but I've always remembered your part in the show." A sheepish grin passed over Kent's features. He did seem genuinely embarrassed. "I guess you made an impression."

"I guess so." She said with a shrug.

Not wishing to dwell on this any more than necessary, Lyn turned her fingers toward plucking out another song. When that was complete, she rolled into another. Time passed in this manner until the paramedics arrived and the long evening came to a close. Despite the general craziness of it all, Lyn would admit, many years later, that it was a nice one.

End