She stands at the game, finally watching her number 33 on the field, smiling proudly at the sight.
"You must be proud." Mrs. Taylor comments, touching her shoulder. Rae watches as Tim jogs off the field, cheering at their amazing comeback win. She's standing next to her and Julie, holding Gracie.
"Yeah." She says softly when he looks up at her, with crossed fingers. She raises her fingers as well. "I'm pretty damn proud of him."
"You bringing him to Gracie's christening?" Mrs. Taylor asks, smiling at her. Rae stutters, surprised at the offer.
"Mrs. Taylor, I haven't been to church in a long time." She finally admits, looking at Gracie so she doesn't have to look up.
"So? It's not about the church Rae, it's about the fact that you're like Gracie's other big sister." Mrs. Taylor says firmly, kissing Gracie's head then kissing Rae's forehead as well.
"Does Tim Riggins even own church clothes?" Julie wonders thoughtfully and they all laugh.
"Tim, don't lie to me if you can't actually tie a tie." She requests, brushing Carden's hair in the bathroom. Tim appears in the doorway, with a tangled tie at his throat and a crabby expression.
"Ok, I'm not lying." He deadpans and Rae groans and throws her hands up while Carden doubles over in laughter.
"Not funny Carden." Rae threatens. "Go load up the car while I try to fix this mess. Don't forget Gracie's gift. What did you do?" She frets, trying to figure out where to even start.
"Rae, I haven't been to church in years." He says, looking up so she has better access to his tie.
"That makes two of us." She mutters, pecking at the tie futilely. "Three, if Carden was here to input."
"When was the last time you went?" He asks, looking down at her. She grunts and pushes his chin back up.
"When my mom got diagnosed for the second time. I told her that her God could shove it and I was putting my faith in something else." She informs him, finally fixing the tie.
"Yeah? And what's your faith in now?" He asks, looking at her. She looks up at him then smiles slowly.
"You, Tim Riggins. I put my faith in you a long time ago." She says sweetly, kissing his nose.
"That dress looks real nice on you." He says and she smiles, shimming her hips slightly. "Oh, don't do that to me before taking me to church." He groans lowly, ensnaring her in his arms.
"Afterwards." She mutters, giving him a kiss. They sit through the service and Mrs. Taylor smiles at them and Mr. Taylor shakes Tim's hand and tells him he cleans up pretty nice. And afterwards, as they walk hand in hand, as Carden tosses the football with some buddies, Tim looks down at her.
"Do you think I could get into some of those Minnesota schools you're always talking about?" He asks offhandedly. Rae looks up at him, startled.
"What?" She demands. He shrugs.
"My 18th birthday is coming up. We could become guardians of Car. I could apply up there, we could move, bring Car with us. Get a house, he could finally play hockey again. You know, just like you've always had planned. I mean, if Oklahoma is looking at me, won't some of your Minnesota schools look at me?" He says thoughtfully and Rae stares up at him, speechless. "You don't have to say anything, just think about it, ok?" He says then darts in and picks the ball from out of Carden's hands, laughing when he protests. Rae watches him tussle with the neighborhood boys, absolutely wordless.
"Thanks for letting us stay with you, Mrs. Taylor. If the storm wasn't so bad, we'd be out of your hair." Rae insists, watching the rain pour down.
"Rae, you're fine." She says dismissively then lowers her voice. "Besides, who knew how good Tim Riggins was with babies?" They watch him holding Gracie above him head, making faces at her. She gurgles and reaches for him.
"He makes sure it's a closely guarded secret, I can promise you that." Rae asks, grinning.
"So they have you at tight end, correct?" Mr. Taylor demands of Carden, who nods seriously. They're seated at the kitchen table, intently discussing football, nearly oblivious to the storm raging outside.
"Yes sir." He says earnestly.
"Alright, come here, let's look at your plays." He says and Carden jumps at the chance.
"Sometimes I think he wishes I was a boy." Julie says thoughtfully, watching him point things out to Carden.
"Don't all dads?" Rae points out, amused.
"I don't know. Gracie's pretty cool. I wouldn't mind having a girl." Tim says and Rae looks at him in disbelief. They're all laughing at the idea of Tim with a daughter, when the sirens starting going off.
"Is that for a tornado?" Julie asks lowly.
"Bathroom. Now." Mr. Taylor orders and they all scramble, Tim protectively holding Gracie's head. They crouch in the bathroom. Mrs. Taylor is cradling Gracie while Julie is curled next to her. Mr. Taylor has his arms around them.
On the other wall, Carden is holding tight to Rae, who is huddled under the protective arms of Tim. When the power goes out, Rae reaches out her hand and Julie grabs it, hanging onto it tightly.
"I love you." Tim whispers in her ear. "You too, Car." He says, as the sirens wail and the windows howl.
"You're my big brother Tim." Carden says, trying not to tremble, but his body betrays him.
"I know buddy." Tim says, squeezing them in a hug. They remain in the bathroom long after the sirens stop sounding. Finally, Mr. Taylor stands.
"Tim, come with me, lets go check it out." He orders and Tim kisses Rae and rubs Carden's head, then follows him.
"You guys ok?" Carden asks, scooting over, once the men are gone. "Is Gracie ok? Is she scared?" He asks and Mrs. Taylor laughs shakily.
"Yeah, yeah, I think she's fine, she's too little to know. She sure does see how strong you are though, Carden. I wish she had a strong older brother like you to watch out for her." She says, talking just to fill the silence. Rae slides over and pulls Julie into a tight hug. They rock back and forth, until Tim and Mr. Taylor come back and promise that it's safe.
"Hey, Mr. Taylor?" Rae asks quietly as Tim ponders over the cable box and instructs Carden on what to do. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure Rae, what do you need?" He asks without looking, clicking the remote with a vengeance.
"Tim… Tim's getting some interest from colleges… I mean, it's pretty basic and they're not begging him by any means, but still. And I know Tim's not really college material, but I wanted…Wanted to ask you what I should do. To help him." She stammers and he finally looks up, slightly incredulous.
"Tim Riggins? College?" He says and she nods.
"I know. I know. It's insane. But hear me out. His grades are… Ok? Maybe? But he can play and you know that. What can I do?" She asks and he takes a deep breath, scratching his head.
"You can do a highlight reel. Talk to some recruiters. Have you do the talking, rather than him. What colleges are you thinking?" He asks and she shuffles her feet, biting her lip.
"Uh, Duluth, Bemidji, the U, those kinds of schools." She admits. His eyebrows fly up and she shakes her head.
"Well, see if you can get them interested. Once they're interested, you come to me, I'll help you out." He promises. "Hey!" He shouts when the TV switches from black and white static to Oprah.
"Nicely done." Rae says when Tim comes in, screwdriver in hand, grinning. "Look at you, handyman."
AN: My favorite scene of all time, the tornado, aka Tim Riggins being adorable. Please leave me reviews and thoughts and comments and everything else pretty please!