Thank you to everyone who followed and favourited, each end every one made my day! And thank you to the reviewers as well- I was nervous posting here as the first Twister 2024 fic, and having such a lovely response from you all meant the world to me.
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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. No Beta either, so apologies for any mistakes you find!
As soon as Dexter emerges from the bathroom, he insists on helping Cathy prepare dinner. Dani immediately claims the bathroom next, practically flying down the hall in her haste.
Ben settles at the kitchen table with his laptop, recording everything they've been through while it's still fresh in his mind. He and Cathy start chatting, and she promises to share stories from Kate's earliest days chasing storms.
Twenty minutes later Kate finds herself wandering outside, gingerly easing into the comfiest looking camp chair that's been set up. Tyler shoots her a wink from where he's setting out the last of the chairs they've managed to find, while Boone focuses on building the most perfect firepit, rearranging the wood every few moments while humming to himself.
"Beers in the cooler right beside ya. Should be an opener in there too." He points to the beaten up cooler, one she immediately recognises, recognises the fading scrawls of different hands that decorate it. "Hope it's okay we're using it." Tyler continues on, seeing the look on her face. "Javi mentioned it used to be his back in college." He seems unsure as he says it, eyes locked on her face.
"No, it...it's great." She assures him, forcing her eyes off of the cooler and back to the man in front of her, smiling. "It's just been a while. Since I saw it, that is." She explains awkwardly. She clears her throat. "Shouldn't you be resting?" she asks suddenly as Tyler pauses, catching his breath.
"Don't worry about me, Sapulpa. I feel light as a feather." Tyler makes a show of limping over to the chair directly across from her, dropping into it. He sighs as he stretches his injured leg out before him, earning a raised eyebrow from Kate.
"Uhuh. So the drugs are still working?"
"Oh, yes ma'am. Not looking forward to when they stop." He winces at the very thought. "Can already feel the bruise thumpin'."
"Seriously though, you probably need to rest, let someone less hurt help out."
"Hey, you want to drag the pyro from the flames, be my guest. I'm not willing to take that fight in my condition. Boone's got a reputation for playing dirty." He jokes, ducking a flying stick as if it's an everyday occurrence.
"What about Javi? Wasn't he helping y'all out here?" Kate asks with a frown, glancing around as if he might suddenly appear. Tyler's eyebrows crease slightly as he looks around as well.
"Well...Credit to him, he was helpin' for a bit. Got all the supplies for Boone's fire gathered, dragged all the chairs and that cooler out from the lil' campin' shed of yours next to the house, then vanished. Only been about ten since I spoke to him last."
"Storm Par said something about needing to clear his head- Speed he took off, looked like he was runnin'. Crazy dude." Boone looks up from his work, "I like him though." He adds, nodding slightly to himself. "Almost hope he sticks around." His eyes travel to Tyler, who nods in agreement.
"Once everything settles, let's see how attached to the folks at Storm Par he is after the week. Might be able to get him over to the dark side." Boone laughs at that, before frowning.
"Since when were we the dark side, Tee?"
The soft sound of crunching gravel pulls Kate's attention. Javi's walking down the driveway, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. For a the briefest of moments, he looks utterly exhausted, and Kate wonders if he's managed to get much sleep since they'd argued a few nights before. But then she blinks, and Javi's a different person. His posture is relaxed once more and a smile lights up his face when he sees her watching him. As he nears them, Kate silently holds out a beer, which he accepts with a thanks.
"Where'd you go?" she asks as he slumps into the camping chair beside her.
"Ah, you know. Just went for a walk to clear my head. A lot's changed since last night." He shrugs, grimacing slightly. "I'm not sure what's next, but I know Riggs won't be happy when he hears what went down."
"What happened, exactly? We… after the… When you joined us in Reno," she hesitates, unsure how to word her question. "I didn't see Scott. Did you have a fight?"
"You could say that. Left him a few miles from town."
"You left him out there? Javi!" She fixes him with a hard look, a mixture of horror and shock.
"Hey, don't look at me like that- I let the guys know where they'd find him. Last I heard, he was with Tinman, cussing me out over the radio before I switched it off." His eyes shift, dropping his gaze as he picks at the label on his beer bottle. "Dude had it coming." He mutters it under his breath, before taking a sip of his beer, looking around. "Feels like nothing's changed around here, though. Your mom's great for hosting everyone." He adds, trying to change the subject. Kate's known Javi long enough to sense when she needs to drop the conversation- so she does.
"I don't know. The more you look around, the more you'll notice. Mom finally painted the chicken coop." She makes a face, earning a chuckle from her old friend.
"Seriously? I'll have to check it out tomorrow before I head back to reality. Been feelin' like I owe some chickens an apology." Kate snorts slightly, shaking her head.
"I'm sure they'll let their buddies know how sorry you are." She teases back. "Be careful though. you might find yourself named their top fowl enemy."
"Oh, that was terrible, even for you." Javi groans. " But hey, if you hear a bunch of squawks and me yelling, just know I went out tryin' to make amends." They both laugh—the mental image of Javi trying to apologize to the birds while under a feathery attack ridiculous enough for them both. After a moment, Javi sighs, sinking back further in his seat.
"Nah, for real though, it's nice being here again. Feels like home, you know?"
A sudden and unwelcome pang shoots through Kate's stomach, because she does know.
It suddenly occurs to her that the last time they were both here like this was several years back, in what feels like a different world. A world where Jeb, Addie, and Praveen were still alive. Even now, she can almost still hear the carefree conversations from those days…
……
"Javi, you planning on helping me with this pile at all?"
"And deprive Kate of the lumberjack show you're putting on? Think I'll stick to s'more duty."
"You're hilarious. Addy, how about you? You want to pick up a few logs and help me out?"
"Oh no, I'm with Javi on this. Can't interrupt the free show. And don't bother asking Praveen, we all know he's gonna say no. He's too scared he'll get his foot instead—"
"Hey! That's only because I DID do that one time—"
"Didn't you drop the axe on your foot before you tried swinging it?"
"I'm not responding to that."
"You know, if none of you feel you CAN help, that's fine. Just admit none of you would look as good as Jeb would as a lumberjack."
"A'ight, now you KNOW that's offensive. Hand me that axe…"
……
Kate shakes herself out of her memories, the sound of voices and laughter from the past fades away, replaced by the sounds of someone cheering. She looks over just in time to see the fire roar to life, lighting Boone's gleeful face as he lets out a laugh.
"There she goes! Perfect!" He jumps back to his feet, clapping his hands together as Tyler lets out a hoot of support.
"Exactly what we need tonight. Great work, Boone." Tyler shoots a grin in Kate's direction but finds her attention is turned elsewhere. He follows her gaze to Javi, who now sits completely still, eyes locked on the flames. His easy smile is still on his face, but the sparkle in his eye has been replaced with an eerie look of…nothingness.
Tyler opens his mouth, intending to interrupt whatever thought process is racing through the younger man's head, when Dexter's voice rings out from the other side of the house.
"Chow's ready to go—ribs, steak, peppers…Even mushrooms for those freaks amongst us. Get it while you can!"
There's a flurry of activity as everyone seems to move at once, making their way to the large picnic table Cathy's set up for the meal. Dexter carries a large tray piled high with a variety of barbecued goods, while Lily emerges from inside with a giant bowl of the fluffiest looking potatoes Tyler has ever seen. Dani and Ben follow her out, adding platters and bowls of charred corn, coleslaw, and gravy to the table wherever they can find the space.
Boone's mouth drops open at the feast before them, his stomach rumbling in a betrayal of how long it's been since any of them last had a proper meal. He leans over and kisses Cathy on the cheek in joy, earning a surprised laugh from her.
"You're practically a god amongst mortals, Mama Carter!" he declares, hurrying to take a seat on the other side of the table. It's not long before they're all settled down, passing plates and cutlery around.
Tyler clears his throat subtly, tilting his head slightly when he finally catches Kate's attention over the general conversation.
"Where's Javi at?" he mouths with a frown. She frowns back, looking over her shoulder at the path leading to the front of the house. There's no sign of him. For a moment, Kate considers getting up to search for him, but then he emerges the house with two large pitchers in hand, an easy smile on his face. When he sets them down, Kate realizes they're full of fresh lemonade.
"Mom, when did you make lemonade?" she asks, staring at Cathy.
"While I was waitin' for y'all to get here. I'm surprised Javi's the first one to discover it- there's plenty more in the fridge." Cathy quips back with a wink. "Alright, no ceremonies here. Eat up, y'all—before it gets cold."
They settle into an easy conversation around the table, passing bowls and plates around as needed. Any time something seems to be running low, it's Boone, Cathy or Javi who moves to get a refill or clear the space. Even with nine of them eating, there's still plenty of leftovers by the time they're all full.
"We've got plenty of ice cream in the freezer if anyone wants dessert." Cathy announces as Boone sets the large water pitcher down on the table, before returning to his seat. "Plus, I ran into town to make sure we've got more than enough s'more supplies to last the night," "Hope that's okay with all of you."
Ben perks up, an excited look on his face. "Oh, wonderful! I've never had a s'more before- though, I've always been intrigued by them."
"S'mores are a real delicacy, Ben." Boone jumps in. "Gotta be done properly, or they ain't worth having."
"Oh, I see. I'm assuming you know how to do them properly, then?" Ben replies seriously.
"Course we do! We're just as good at makin' them as we are at chasing twisters." Lily chimes in proudly.
"Don't listen to 'em, Ben. You've got real s'more experts here." Kate gestures towards Javi and herself. "We practically lived off 'em one Summer. We'll show you how they're done."
"Hell yeah we will." Javi agrees, fist-bumping her across the table. Ben looks around at the group, eyebrows high.
"I didn't realise that there were multiple ways of making them." He admits. "But I'm more than happy to try multiple."
"Oh, you won't have to try more than two, Ben. Soon as you try one of ours, you won't wanna go back to theirs." Kate's tells him with a serious nod.
"Oh, are you suggestin' that you two can make better s'mores than we can?" Tyler takes the bait, eyebrow raised high."
"Oh she ain't suggesting it, she's stating it. You'll never find better s'mores than the ones we make." Javi declares, earning a gasp from Boone.
"Sounds like nonsense to me." Dexter joins the war. "You may make delicious ones, but they won't compare to the culinary expertise of the S'more Chefs." He nods seriously, earning a snort from Dani.
"S'more off?" Kate suggests, making a face at Tyler.
"Oh, you're on, Sapulpa." He replies, wrinkling his nose at her slightly. "Be prepared to lose."
"I'll get everything set up!" Boone volunteers.
"Oh, no you won't- Shower's next for you, then you can relax," Cathy orders as she starts collecting the empty plates, earning a dramatic pout from Boon. She fixes him with a hard stare.
"Ooh, now you've done it, Boone. That right there's a mom stare!" Javi warns, leaning back from him. "You better do what you're told!" Boone sighs, shaking his head.
"Fine- I'm going, I'm going! But no s'mores without me." Boone hops up with ease, pointing at each of them individually. "If I smell a HINT of a burning mallow, I'm coming right out." He adds, before bouncing off to get his things, the groups laughter following as he vanishes.
"He wouldn't actually come running out, would he?" Cathy asks suddenly, looking around at the remaining Wranglers.
"Oh no, he's serious," Lily tells them, the others nodding in agreement. Cathy, Javi, and Kate share a look.
"He'd put clothes on first, right?" Kate ventures, on behalf of the trio. Tyler clicks his tongue, leaning back in his seat.
"You know, Sapulpa… I wish I could say he would, but based on history, it ain't a guarantee." Javi snorts, and Kate's jaw drops slightly. Cathy lets out a small hum, her eyes narrowing. She gets up, balancing several empty plates.
"If that boy tries runnin' around out here in his birthday suit, I'll throw him in the pond myself," she promises, before heading back to the house. The Wranglers laugh while Kate shakes her head, sharing a knowing look with Javi, who attempts to hide his smile with his hand.
"You don't think she wouldn't? Think again," Kate warns. Her eyes flicker back to Javi, who stops laughing immediately, pointing at her.
"Kate! Don't you dare!"
"Javi can vouch for it with personal experience," she continues, ignoring his interruption. The others let out a variety of oohs and laughs, enjoying the banter. "That's if he can remember...He was slightly wasted at the time."
"Oh, we sharing these stories now, are we?" Javi sits forward, a glint in his eye. "First of all, we were all completely wasted. And secondly, if we're sharing, should I bring up the time in Edmond when—"
"Javi. Rivera. You share that story, and it's open war," Kate threatens, pointing back at him with a serious glare. There's a moment of silence as they stare each other down in unspoken conversation.
"Truce?" Javi finally offers, holding out two fingers.
"Truce," Kate agrees, leaning over slightly to tap his fingers.
"Hey, hey—that's the second time you two have done that," Dexter points out. "Is that some sort of secret handshake, or a coincidence?"
"Don't know what you're talking about, Dex," Kate says with false confusion. "Javi, you know what he's talking about?" Javi offers no help, mimicking her expression.
"Nah, I'm as lost as you. How many beers have you had Dex?" He raises an eyebrow at him. There's a moment of silence, followed by another outburst of laughter.
Inside, Cathy looks out of the kitchen window, smiling softly at the sound of their laughter. She sends up a small prayer of thanks for the return of such a comforting sound to their lives, even if it's just for a little while.
Hope you've enjoyed the nice fluffy family life- Because the clouds are about to burst. Please let me know what you think, reviews rally my spirits to get each chapter up and online quicker. Suggestions are very welcome as well, it's never too late to make some tweaks.
Chapter 3: When The Rain Pours...