Author's Note: Prompt suggested by Sheofthelongshanks.


T is for Thunderstorms


The fire was so hot against Blade skin that the helicopter could feel his paint starting to peel. It hurt worse than anything he had ever experienced in his life, but he couldn't pull himself away from the inferno. He could hear the scream of sirens but it was clear that the rigs that the firefighting rigs were not going to get there in time, but perhaps it was okay to let himself be consumed by the flames. As he breathed in the caustic smoke, Blade opened his mouth to howl…and a loud crash snapped him awake.

It took several long rotor beats for Blade to orient himself.

As the newest member of the Piston Peak Air Attack team he was located inside the trainee hanger, a rough structure that was crowded with shelves of assorted junk. It was not a comfortable place, but Blade didn't have space to complain. No other Air Attack team had even considered taking him on…and even though he suspected that the only reason that Piston Peaks had agree to give him the chance was because Maru had tag along and a good mechanic was worth their weight in gold, Blade Ranger was grateful for the opportunity.

He worked his aft off trying to make sure that Air Boss would let him return next year…but even in the wilderness there was a ghost in Blade's past that he was unable shake. So, the helicopter worked even harder. He tried to exhaust himself past the point of dreaming every day, but he didn't always succeed. On those nights he closed his eyes only to find his tires on a familiar stretch of tarmac, the roar of flames filling his ears, and the unbearable heat that peeled paint and melted metal. Blade Ranger knew exactly what the source of those flames were, and he could bear to look at the twisted wreckage…but he also could bear to look away.

Blade tired to slow his panting breath. His pumps were whirring at overdrive. He needed to calm down. He was safe here….he wasn't there. He breathed and tried to focus on his current surroundings. Normally he would have stayed in the nightmare far longer. He would have watched as the first fire engine had thundered up. He would have felt the agony of cold water hitting his blistering side. Then there would be darkness and Blade would awake screaming…

Then there was a flash of light and a deep rumble that could be felt as much as heard and the helicopter realized what had rescued him from the clutches of his nightmare. It was a thunderstorm. Nosing his way out of the hanger, Blade Ranger stared at the sky. While storm hadn't brought any rain to base yet, a flash of sheet lighting caused the approaching storm to glow from within.

For a moment, Blade considered rolling back into his hanger but glancing back into the building's cavernous blackness he knew that he didn't have the mental energy to face his nightmares again. So, if he wasn't going to back to sleep and he didn't want to sit in a dark hanger, he needed to figure out what he was going to do with the next couple of hours.

Blade's first instinct was go find Maru, but he quickly decided against that. His friend was exhausted and didn't need his sleep interrupted by a needed helicopter. There was always the option of just sitting out on the tarmac and watching the storm come in…but the boom of approaching thunder made him doubt that would be a wise idea. Scanning the base he noticed that there was a flicker of light coming from the main hanger. It appeared that someone else was a wake and catching some late-night TV. With no other viable options in front of him Blade decided to see if he could join whomever was occupying the common area.

Even though he was exhausted rolled across the tarmac, nosed the main hanger door open and peeked in. Blade expected one of the smokejumpers fed up with his teammates' snoring or maybe one of the little planes. He wasn't planning to see the biggest most intimating member of base parked in front of the TV watching infomercials. A lump formed in his throat and he couldn't help but wonder just how big of a mistake he had just made. Not wanting to disturb the behemoth, Blade tried to quietly turn around and retreat without being noticed…he failed at his mission.

"Couldn't sleep?" Cabbie's voice stopped Blade in his tracks.

"Nightmares…" Blade admitted unwilling to meet the old plane's eyes.

"Me too." There was a warmth to Cabbie's statement that instantly made him just a little bit more approachable and Blade finally allowed his gaze to meet the planes. Cabbie gave him a small, sad smile. "Thunderstorms and I are not good companions…" Blade tilted slightly in curiosity so the C-119 continued to explain. "When my eyes are closed the thunder becomes the explosion of bombs and the flashes of lightning becomes muzzle fire…so it is best to be watching something else when these types of storms blow up. Would you care to join me?"

Blade simply bobbed an affirmative. He didn't want to be alone and after a few minutes, he could tell that watching TV helped. Still, Blade couldn't stop himself from shaking from the adrenaline of his nightmare. It caused his focus to keep slipping back to the memory of that terrible day. He needed a distraction, he needed something to pull him back to earth…he wanted Maru to just be there are talk him back into the moment. To have his friend save him from this feeling of being dragged under by the past.

"You are a bit large for this…" Cabbie muttered under his breath before shifting his weight and levering himself into a position that would allow the plane to slip one of his wings carefully over Blades rotors.

The action startled the helicopter. At first Blade though that the feeling of Cabbie's wing above him would make him feel trapped and claustrophobic, but as he settled into the moment, he realized that that couldn't be further from the truth. Blade finally understood why planes would shelter each other with their wings. There was something about having something protectively held above you, a solid barrier between you and the sky. Even inside the protection of the hanger, the act of being under Cabbie's wing made the helicopter feel safe…feel grounded. A certain level of stress that Blade didn't realize that he had been holding slowly started to leak out.

"Thanks…" Blade muttered as the full weight of exhaustion rushed in to replace his tension.

Cabbie didn't give a verbal reply, he simply allowed his wing to drop a little closer to Blade. It was a protective posture that promised that the plane was there to provide protection as long as the helicopter needed it. Then the C-119 changed the channel until he found a documentary about ocean life on the Discovery channel. The two vehicles sat in front of the TV allowing the light from the screen to play across them but not really watching it. The sound of rain on the roof replaced any needs for words…and for once Blade Ranger slept and there were no dreams of death.