The excitement I felt when I saw that Twisters was now on the fandom list was second only to how I felt after seeing the movie itself.
Fingers cross there's a few of us out there who felt the fanfic bug hit when the credits started rolling!
Sypnosis: When Cathy invites the Tornado Wranglers to stay with her after their harrowing experience in El Reno, the team finds solace in her home and discovers a new side of each other. As old and new wounds come to light, it's going to take more than a few cold beers to get through the night.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or world of Twisters, I'm just borrowing them for my own lil' idea.
As soon as Cathy hears from Kate that the team needs a place to stay for the night, she insists they stay with her. With every motel, hotel, and spare room full for miles, the team is more than happy to take her up on the offer.
By the time they pull into the driveway late that afternoon, Cathy is waiting for them out on the porch.
The Lion is the first vehicle to pull down the drive. Cathy recognizes it immediately—it's the third time she's seen it in her drive. She takes note of just how much it's changed since Javi had been there a month ago. There are multiple scrapes and dents that definitely were not there previously, and she can't help but notice that the driver's side appears to be more damaged compared to the rest. Her eyes flick to the young man driving—Javi looks tired, but he seems to be nodding in response to something being said. She doesn't recognize either of the passengers traveling with him, but she has a good guess as to who they might be. Javi must have sensed her watching him—his eyes meet hers, and he waves at her with a smile. She waves back, watching as he pulls right by the house before turning it around to face back towards the road. She feels a tiny pang of sadness when she realizes it's the exact spot where he used to park all those years before.
A campervan follows them a minute later, the rest of Tyler's crew inside. Cathy isn't sure if it's the type of van that always looks beaten up, but she figures it's taken a few hits in the last storm. The back window is cracked, a thick layer of grime covering up whatever the original paint color was. Dents and scrapes cover it, and the engine does not sound healthy. But the driver seems unbothered as he pulls to a stop, parking just out front of the house.
The moment Javi shuts off the engine, Boone is halfway out of the truck, practically bouncing over in his excitement to introduce himself. Ben is the next to exit, stretching his back as he takes in the view around them. He stops to wait for Javi, but the younger man waves for him to join the others.
"I'll be there in a second—go meet Kate's mom, she's great," he assures the reporter.
"Oh, well. If you're sure, then." Ben responds awkwardly. He doesn't need to be told twice—he hurries off to join the others.
Lily, Dani, and Dexter pile out of the RV, rushing towards Kate's mom. There are a few moments of chaos as they introduce themselves—Cathy wastes no time on formalities, pulling each of them into a hug. Ben, ever the journalist, takes a moment to capture the moment with a few snapshots before joining them. Finally, everyone steps back, Cathy still with one arm around Boone, who's clearly more than comfortable with her already.
"Now, you treat this place like it's your own. We've already got y'all set up inside—figured you could all use a hot shower, good meal, and a few beers."
"Oh, you're a woman after my heart!" Boone gasps, only to be promptly slapped over the head by Lily. "I mean, thank you, Mama Carter," he adds, flashing her a charming grin. She shakes her head at their antics.
"Go on, get in there. Tyler and Kate are in the kitchen, just down the hall." She opens the door, half-pushing Boone inside to lead the others.
Dani is the only one who doesn't move, hesitating and looking back down the drive to where Javi is only now exiting his truck. He moves slowly, pulling on a grey sweatshirt before closing the door. He seems to pause for a second, his eyes focusing not on the farmhouse but on the old barn instead.
Admittedly, she doesn't know Javi too well, but she knows enough to sense that something's up.
"Dani, are you coming?" Lily's voice calls from inside the house. Cathy eyes the mechanic, following her gaze to Javi. She reaches out, patting Dani on the arm.
"Don't you worry about him—I've got it. You head on in, get something to drink."
Dani looks back at Javi, just as he starts making his way over to them, before nodding. As the door closes behind her, she hears Cathy call out to him.
"You're here twice in a month, Javi? I'm feeling honored."
"Aww, you know I missed you, Mrs. Carter!" It fades as she walks away from the door, but she's glad to hear Javi's light tone.
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As soon as he's within reach, Javi throws his arms around her. Cathy pulls him close.
Eventually, she feels him shift slightly, and she pulls back but doesn't let him go entirely. Instead, she keeps one hand on his forearm, thumb lightly on his pulse point. It's a habit formed in the days following the incident, to track Kate's heartbeat during the night, to calm her down when she woke from a nightmare. She'd quickly found back then that it also worked with Javi, helping her know when he was heading to a panic attack.
"How you doing, Javi?" She asks softly.
"Ah, you know me, Mrs. Carter." He avoids her eye, shrugging. "I survive." She raises an eyebrow at that. She looks towards his truck, the damage clear even from here.
"Huh." Is all she says. He looks over too, his smile a little forced.
"You noticed that? It's nothing. Just a close call." His words start tumbling in a wave of rambling. Cathy quickly feels his heart rate building rapidly. "Not the first time it's happened, you know that. At least this time I wasn't alone, huh? And did I tell you 'bout the time the jeep rolled when I was on duty? Driver lost control on a corner—"
"Javi—"
"Came to in the field hospital two days later, left eye swollen shut. Craziest—"
"Javi."
He goes silent, eyes still not meeting hers. Cathy pulls him back into her arms. This time Javi practically melts into her motherly embrace, all the tension slowly leaving his body as she holds him, letting him have the comfort he clearly needs but can't ask for.
A few minutes pass before he shifts again, withdrawing slightly.
"We should, uh, we should probably head on in before they send a search party," he suggests, clearing his throat. She nods, letting him go.
"Good idea. I need to make sure my kitchen is still in one piece."
She leads the way in, pretending not to notice as Javi takes a moment to compose himself before stepping after her.
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When Dani enters the kitchen, the conversation is already in full swing. She settles in easily, pausing only to give Kate a quick hug before hopping up to sit on the bench.
"The van actually survived the storm?" Kate asks, awe in her voice. Dexter smiles proudly, nodding.
"It appears that we picked the perfect place to park it. We had to change out a tire, most of the windows are cracked—all things that can be fixed in a day or two."
"Speaking of things needing to be fixed—any word on what happened with my girl?" Tyler asks, frowning slightly.
"A mechanic we've worked with a few towns over saw your truck on the news. Drove her tow truck out and picked it up while we were there." Dani pipes in as Lily hands her a glass of cold water, before hopping up beside her. "Swears she can get it running in a few days."
"Hell, if she can get it running in a few weeks I'll be impressed." Tyler laughs slightly.
"So, where are we bunking, Kate?" Dexter asks. "Not that I want to interrupt this moment, but we should probably start freshening up before we stink out your house."
"Oh, yeah. C'mon, I'll show you what we've set up." Kate is slow to get to her feet, still ginger despite the strong pain meds in her system. Tyler moves to support her, steadying her with a hand on her elbow. They all follow her into the next room, which has clearly been moved around from its normal state. The sofas are pushed back against the wall, and a mismatch of mattresses covers the rest of the floor. There are piles of blankets and pillows too, ready to be claimed.
"Mom wanted to set everyone up in their own spaces, but…I figured that this might be a better choice." She looks around at the group, who all voice their appreciation.
"As long as I'm not sharing my bed with anyone, I am more than happy," Dexter proclaims. "No offense to anyone in particular," he adds with a laugh.
"Hell, with the time we've had, I'd share with anyone, long as they don't mind snugglin' at night." Boone chimes in as they each move to claim their spots.
It takes a few minutes before they're all in agreement—Lily, Dani, and Boone claim three of the spots on the floor, while Dexter and Ben claim two of the sofas. It's not long before the pillows and blankets are flying around, beds hurriedly being set out.
"And what about you two?" Ben asks suddenly, looking over to where Tyler and Kate are both leaning against the wall. Tyler raises an eyebrow and Kate flushes ever so slightly before clearing her throat.
"Well, mom's decided I'm in with her for the night. Just so she can keep a close eye." She replies, before turning her attention to the man beside her. "What about you, Owens? Sofa or floor?"
"Well, that depends. Figured I'd wait and see where Javi wants to be. I know we ain't shy about getting cozy, but he might feel more at home on the sofa."
Footsteps catch their attention as Cathy enters, Javi right behind.
"I'll sleep wherever, man. Long as I've got a pillow, I'm easy." He joins in the conversation, leaning against the wall beside Kate. Cathy makes a noise, shaking her head.
"Tyler, I'm gonna set you up in the same room as last time. You need to be keeping that leg up while you sleep." Her tone was firm, indicating no room for argument.
"Looks like sofa's mine then," Javi adds light-heartedly. There's a flash of disappointment on Boone's face, but an elbow from Lily quickly distracts him.
"Better grab what you can then, Storm Par. Dani's a blanket hog and Boone will build a fort with any unclaimed pillows," Tyler warns.
"Dude, c'mon. That's slander." Dani shoots Tyler a dramatically hurt look, which Lily takes advantage of. She throws two of the five blankets Dani's already claimed onto the spare sofa.
"Boone's already claimed all the pillows, so you're gonna have to fight him for those," she tells Javi as he joins the chaos, stepping over her to reach his spot. Boone rolls onto his back, a wicked grin on his face.
"Ay, ay—y'all know…I'd take a bribe instead." He grabs at the last three pillows possessively.
"Boone, I'd suggest you hand one over willingly—I've seen Javi fight for way less and he plays dirty." Kate pipes in, making a face at Javi. "That, or he'll take all of them while you sleep."
"Nah Kate, don't go giving away my secrets like that." Javi laughs, just as a pillow is tossed in his direction. He catches it with one hand. "But I will say that's a smart move." He adds, grinning at Boone.
There's a few minutes of general chatter between the group before they finally start to slow down. Eventually, Dexter and Tyler head outside to collect some spare clothes for everyone, while Cathy heads back to finish working on the dinner. From seemingly nowhere, Dani produces a first aid kit before pulling a kitchen chair out into the hall. Lily moves to it without a word, and Kate sits herself on the arm of the closest sofa to watch her work.
"Are you medically trained, Dani?" Ben queries from where he's writing in his notebook, looking on as she works. Dani looks over, a half-smile on her face.
"Tried to become a medic a few years back, 'fore I met this bunch of weirdos," she tells him as she begins cleaning a graze on Lily's arm, apologizing when she hisses. "Fell out of it before I could finish the program but kept the skills."
Javi's watching from where he's now resting on the sofa, a small frown on his face.
"You always check your crew out after a rough day, or just Lily?" He asks awkwardly.
Kate raises an eyebrow at him, which he ignores.
"Ain't no special treatment around here, Javi. Everyone gets a turn before they get to sleep for the night." Dani tells him, not looking over. "You'll get a turn, don't worry." As she speaks, Dexter squeezes by with an apology, followed by Tyler, who groans dramatically when he sees what's going on, dropping the pile of clothing onto the closest sofa.
"You're already at it?"
"You know it, Tee," Dani quips back.
"I figured it's best not to fight her." Lily gives as a way of explanation as to why she's voluntarily sitting there. Tyler shakes his head.
"In that case, I'm gonna get started on the fire outside. Boone, you with me?"
"Hell yeah, man. Anything to avoid bein' the next in line for torture." He quips, dodging a swipe from Dani as he heads towards the door. He glances back at Javi, who's watching Dani work with a worried expression on his face.
"Javi, wanna give us a hand?" He asks, causing the younger man to startle. "Sooner we set up out there, sooner we can grab a beer." He adds. Javi laughs slightly in response.
"Sure, man. Anything to escape Dr. Doom over here." He responds, following Boone towards the door.
"Hey! None of y'all are escaping me—not even you, Storm Par!" Dani warns good-naturedly. "It's been a hot minute since I got to sew one of y'all up!"
Kate watches as the three men head outside, the banter between Tyler and Boone echoing back even after the door has closed.
Every ounce of her wants to relax now, to accept that the rollercoaster is finally over. But she can't help but feel it's the calm before a storm—though she can't pinpoint what storm exactly.
She just hopes they can stop it before it arrives.
Please leave a review, or just a small note to let me know if you're reading! Chapters will be uploaded over a few weeks, and i'd love any feedback and/or suggestions.
And as the wise Tornado Wrangler says, if you feel it- chase it. (Or in this case, drop a follow!)