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violetswritingg · 9 months ago

Text

Thunderstruck

Tyler Owens x OFC!

Description: When cowgirl meets cowboy after a year of no-contact and chaos ensues during storm season!

Rating: M (Mentions of blood and death in Tornadoes and storms alike, angst and loss of loved ones, car accidents, Tornado aftermath, and injury to characters, slight age gap (5 years))

Hey! I don't normally post my writing on here, I'm normally only on Wattpad but I decided to cross post and so here is the first of many fics to be moved over here and enjoyed as well! I hope you guys enjoy the story, I honestly have no idea who many chapters this is going to be lol.

Want to read the other chapters?

Click here

April, 2005

Oklahoma

The sound of silverware on plates was all that could be heard, but that was normal for a Thornton-Harding-St. James family dinner. Nathan and Juliette had been tense all dinner barely saying a word to each other. All since Jo and Bill had arrived all smiles. The women's mother Michelle, and both Jo and Bill watching the parents as if they were an active bomb ready to go off at any moment. Nathan was at least trying. Smiling, as best he could, and making polite conversation when prompted, the father mainly focused on Riley who sat on his other side. Making sure she wasn't playing with her food.

At six she should know better, and he needed to teach her it was rude to waste the food someone had worked really hard to make for them. But now that the food had been eaten, there wasn't much distraction left to hide behind.

"Uh, so, Julie, how's Riley been doing in school?" Jo tried; she really did. But Juliette was mean on a good day and that day was not today. The empty wine glass next to her being her fourth, and once she got to drinking her temper just got worse.

"She's doing fine." Juliette sniffed as she sat up straighter, a forced smile on her face. Eyes narrowed as she settled into a defensive position. "Why?"

"No reason, just making conversation." Jo sighed, looking at Bill for a second before meeting Nathan's grimaced grin. Trying not to cause a scene in front of everybody was taking all his will power, wanting nothing more than to snap at Juliette and shake her. Hoping that would maybe change her entire personality, the one he hadn't seen until she was telling him she was pregnant and that it was his all those years ago.

"Right." Juliette scoffed, "You have no right to judge me, you don't even have a kid!" her jaw snapped shut, eyes blistering as she spat her words at her older sister. Jo tensed up and Riley had started to pay attention to the adults at the table instead of finishing her little slice of pie. Nathan wanted to crawl into a hole and die, take Riley with him far far away from Juliette. Riley loved Jo and Bill though and he couldn't just do that. Michelle was over the moon when she found out she was going to have a grandbaby, she's 75 now and doesn't have a lot of time left to spend with anyone, much less Riley, not with how her health had been declining recently. The stress of living in Tornado alley having taken its toll after her husband was taken in that fateful storm.

Riley was her whole world. Michelle watched her when Nathan, Bill, and Jo were out storm chasing. Juliette, even though she lived in the same house, the Harding family farm. Being rebuilt on the same land, Michelle couldn't bare to leave it behind after the original house was destroyed. Riley didn't mind it, even though she missed her dad, she loved getting to hang out with Grandma. They were like best friends. But Nathan had needed to start taking Riley with him and his team because of her health issues, and because he knew that Juliette would leave Riley to her own devices for however long he was gone, the almost 6 year old hanging out in the tech van usually a couple miles behind him and always a safe distance from the storm in pursuit.

"I am very much aware of that Juliette." Jo grit out, Bill reaching out an arm around her shoulders, the couple had hit their early 40's, still childless, still chasing. But had been entertaining the idea of settling down after one too many close calls. The topic of having kids was a sensitive one, they had been trying quietly for about a year now and no luck. Something Jo had shared with her sister and Nathan in confidence.

"The food was great Michelle-" Bill tried to move onto another topic, but got blocked.

"I'm not surprised though, I'm sure there's cobwebs up there at this point." Juliette cruelly laughed. "I'm sure Bill will move on to a younger model when he finally realizes you'll never be able to produce."

"Juliette May Thornton! You watch your-"

"What mom?" Juliette turned on Michelle next, the elderly woman sitting taller in her chair, white hair pulled back in a simple style, warm eyes worn and normally full of life. Now though, they only held disappointment in her youngest daughter. "There it is. There's the look. I'm not going to take this; I am not going to be attacked in my own goddamn house." Julliette huffed and pushed out her chair with a sharp scrape against the wood flooring and stomped upstairs.

Nathan let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, as Riley's little voice called out for her mom. Only to be ignored.

"Why don't you go turn on some cartoons okay baby? You got 30 minutes until bedtime, you get one show and then in the bath for you okay?" Nathan picked up his daughter and hauled her into his lap, booping her nose, causing light giggles to erupt.

Riley's dark blonde curls bouncing as she nodded quickly, Nathan setting her on her feet and the adults chuckled as she all but ran. Already hearing the Scooby-doo theme song playing over the air. The tension leaving his shoulders now that the cause of all his stress was no longer in the room.

"I'm sorry." He breathed, "She's been in a bad mood all day, picking fights just because."

"Hey, I grew up with her. If I'm not used to it at this point, then I need a thicker skin." Jo chuckled, despite the hurt still lingering in her eyes.

"Still, what crawled up her ass and died?" Bill scoffed, pulling Jo to his side and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. Nathan watching, his sight going green for a second. That's what he wanted, it's what he didn't know he wanted until he saw it with them, until he had to spend his days attached to Juliette. Riley was the bright spot, the good thing to come out of a shitty situation. Nathan would deal with Juliette every day for the rest of his life as long as he got to see Riley.

"I have been asking myself that question for years Billy." Nathan sighed out, laughing to himself, resigned to dealing with it later.

~~*~~

"What you said at dinner was uncalled for." Nathan puffed out, pulling off pillows from their shared bed. He may as well be sleeping alone though.

"Are you gonna attack me now too Nathanial?" Juliette scoffed, rolling her eyes at him from the bathroom vanity mirror as she got ready for bed. The slight slur to her voice telling him the wine was starting to hit her full force now.

"I'm not attacking you, simply stating you went too far. And that maybe you owe Jo an apology?" He tried, but got nothing but a single, indignant laugh in response.

"You think she's better than me huh? Is that it?!" Nathan hung his head, abandoning the task of making up the bed. He pushed back the tears of frustration and looked back at the woman he was sure he had been in love with, or at the very least liked at one point.

"When have I ever said that?" He started, voice heavy with exhaustion.

"You don't have to say it, you've always liked her better than me. Just like everyone else! I thought you were different!"

"You are 36 years old Juliette! When are you going to let this go?" He never raised his voice when they argued, never wanting Riley to hear, but Juliette seemed to want to wake the whole house which included Jo and Bill who were spending the night before heading out in the morning. Thunder rolled in the distance.

"You aren't denying it! God! I am so stupid! I never should have stayed. Never should have-" She kept muttering under her breath every seeming regret she had as she stormed into the room, yanked open the closet, grabbing a duffle bag from inside and throwing her clothes in it haphazardly. "This place is suffocating! You are suffocating with your judgy eyes and every comment about how I raise Riley-"

"You don't! That's the issue! What are you doing?" Nathan sighed as she plopped the duffle bag on the still made up side of the bed, her side.

"What does it look like. I can't stay here. Not with you or them. All of you just hate on me all the time, look at me like I'm nothing but a disappointment. I'm sorry I'm not perfect! I'm sorry I'm not golden girl Jo!" Juliette finished, throwing an arm towards the door, chest heaving as she zipped up her duffle bag and yanked open the bedroom door. Slamming it shut behind her.

Nathan listened to her as she went down the stairs, taking a breath before he was going after her, repeating over and over she is the mother of your child in his head. When they first met, it was in the middle of storm season and Jo's kid sister decided she wanted to come with her chasing that year, she was just as wild back then. Less mean, less insecure. She was all bright eyes and wide smiles, soft skin and warm affection. Until she got pregnant. That's when everything changed.

"Jules! Jules!" Nathan whisper-shouted, as he tripped down the stairs.

"What's happening?" Bill questioned, opening the door to the guest room on the first floor, in a white t-shirt and his boxers, yawning and scratching his face. Jo's voice behind him asking the same thing, sleep slurring her words though.

"I don't know William, ask your wife." Juliette spit as she past him and Nathan was still trying to get to her.

"Just go back to bed, sorry for waking you-"

"Oh shut up Nathan!"

"Was I talking to you?!" He finally snapped and Bill's mouth dropped, Juliette looked like she had been slapped.

"Well, I never..." Juliette huffed, holding a hand to her chest. Crocodile tears in her eyes, Nathan had seen them enough to know she was just trying to make him feel guilty. It was at that moment that Jo decided to get out of bed and come to the door to see what was going on.

"Bill, Jo, please, go back to bed. We're fine-"

"No! We're not fine. You know this is all your fault? Right?! If I had never gotten pregnant, my life wouldn't be like it is now. Miserable. If I had never met you or had Riley I would be happy. I wish I had never met you! I wish I had gotten rid of the baby, keeping her was a mistake-"

"Hey!-" Nathan could only see red.

"Mommy?"

Everything stopped and it felt like a lead weight had been dropped into Nathan's stomach. He turned around and looked up at the bottom of the stairs, the dirty-blonde head of his daughter, her big blue eyes, his eyes, staring up at her mother with confusion.

It was clear Juliette didn't know what to say, and Nathan was ready to swing if she said anything negative to his kid. There was a tense silence, Riley pulled her blanket and stuffed rabbit closer to her, looking unsure.

"Do you want a hug? You look sad." Riley pattered slowly up to the woman, stopping at her feet and looking up at the much taller adult who had given birth to her. Tugging on her sweatpants gently, looking for a connection. It broke Nathan's heart, knowing Riley would never get that. At least not with Juliette.

"I'm not your mommy anymore." With that Juliette turned on her heel and left. Slamming the front door behind her.

"Daddy?" Riley, with tears in her eyes looked to the man who was instantly there. Picking her up and holding her to him, her tears dampening the shoulder of his t-shirt. "Where did mommy go?"

"I don't know baby. I don't know." With one last look over his shoulder to Bill and Jo, the couple grinning sadly at the father-daughter pair. Nathan doing his best to not shake in anger. Juliette was gone for now, he had to focus on Riley. Make sure she was okay. And so, he took his daughter back up to her room and three bedtime stories, a lullaby, and a forehead kiss later she was back down and snoring softly. Hair sprawled crazily behind her, her favorite dino pj's on, blanket and rabbit next to her.

Nathan's love-filled gaze was like honey, his fingers petting her hair back from her face. When Juliette told him she was pregnant he had been terrified, convinced she was lying. He didn't take it well. He was still in his PhD program, had just been offered a huge grant to keep working on his already existing research, he couldn't see himself able to have a kid without throwing everything he had been working towards his whole life away.

Which wasn't true, he had to defer the grant for a year, finished out that year at school and then dropped out of the PhD program, it killed him, but he couldn't go to school back home in Arkansas if Juliette refused to leave Oklahoma. He may not have wanted the kid in the first place but he was raised right and was going to step up however he had to.

He wanted to be there for Juliette as she carried the baby, support her. She was miserable, she lost close to twenty pounds due to morning sickness and had to be on bed rest for months. It wasn't fun and she was horrible every minute of it. Michelle and him had to walk on eggshells every second of every day, and even then they still would set her off someway somehow. They let it slide during the pregnancy because it was understandable, she was constantly uncomfortable, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't walk. But after Riley was born the behavior stayed, and only got worse as Riley struggled to breast feed and Juliette struggled to bond with her baby.

The connection with Nathan and Riley had been immediate though and that pissed Juliette off, it was just one more person who hadn't chosen her first. That, in her mind, didn't want her. Nathan suggested therapy but was met with a scoff and another argument about her being scared he was trying to take Riley away from her by claiming she was crazy, which was so not the case.

He could still remember when he first held Riley in the hospital, how perfect she was in every way, and still is. He hadn't ever felt the kind of love he did when he first laid eyes on his daughter, her little fingers wrapped around his pointer finger and his entire heart. She was an easy kid, at least with him. Juliette never seemed to figure out how to calm Riley down when she was fussy or upset, and would get frustrated with her quickly, yelling, berating. Nathan had walked in one time when Riley had gotten a fever and needed one of them up with her at all times, he could have sworn Juliette was about to shake the, then months old Riley, who had been wailing for what felt like hours that night.

He stopped trusting her to be alone with Riley at that moment in time. In the back of his mind he always knew Juliette wasn't going to stick around, she never did when things got hard. Fact of the matter was this had happened before, multiple times, Nathan just hoped that one day Riley wouldn't remember any of this. Or the hurtful words her mom said to her that night.

~~*~~

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violetswritingg · 9 months ago

Text

Thunderstruck

Tyler Owens x OFC!

Description: When cowgirl meets cowboy after a year of no-contact and chaos ensues during storm season!

Rating: M (Mentions of blood and death in Tornadoes and storms alike, angst and loss of loved ones, car accidents, Tornado aftermath, and injury to characters)

Want to read the other chapters?

click here

May, 2024

Oklahoma

"Well, at least we got data from inside the vortex, that's always fun." Sarah chirped from her curled up position inside the Warlock, the wing doors open as Riley was elbow deep in the engine. Oil and grime on her face as her hair started to fall from its ponytail. Bare fingers going through components and wires, yanking, pulling, and throwing over her shoulder. Grabbing the extra parts she needed from the paper plate set up on the corner of the open hood. "The doctors also said you need to take it easy!"

“I wouldn’t call ex-pre-med Sam who gave me my stitches a doctor, but okay, besides I am taking it easy!” She could feel the continued stares of every chaser in the lot, new or veteran. She knew what this vehicle meant not only to her but also to the community. The Warlock had been going since before she was born. She's replaced the engine and just about every part in it before at least twice. It was a money pit. It would be cheaper to just make a new one. Their grants would pay for it easily, but she couldn't let go of this one. She wouldn't.

She grunted as she leaned over a little farther, arm almost completely swallowed by the huge piece of machinery. She knew this vehicle like the back of her hand, and it showed. She pulled back and grabbed a wrench from an undergrad, muttering a 'thanks' under breath before tightening something and then putting her flashlight in her mouth to wrap some wires in electrical tape. Ripping out old ones and putting in new ones. She kicks the bumper and bangs the wrench against a component to the side. Leaning around side and wiping her hands off on a rag.

"Try it now Sarah!" Riley called, her head bowing down as her eyes closed. "Come on, come on, come on." She muttered under her breath.

When it roars to life her head snapped up and she fist pumped with a whoop, Sarah coming out to hug her. Swaying them back and forth.

"Not finished yet." Riley looked to Sarah and smirked, the brunette let the blonde go, allowing her to carefully climb into the front seat, flipping up the switch over the trigger for the spikes. "You filming this?" She called out, a little louder than normal, so Sarah could hear it.

"You bet your cute behind I am!" Was Sarah's response. And Riley chuckled inside the vehicle, shaking her head.

"Spikes deploying on 3!" Riley called out, knowing what was about to happen. "2!" The whole lot had joined in, the chorus of voices in the night one of the best sounds Riley had ever heard. "1!" It reminded her just how many people her dad had inspired or had loved him, that his memory lived on. Through her. "Deploy! Deploy! Deploy!"

The sound of the two foot long solid spikes striking through the asphalt sent a shock through the cab and Riley laughed raucously at the sensation. Next, she swung herself out of the vehicle with a huge smile, laughing some more when she felt arms around her and the next thing she knows she was on Daniels shoulders. The college junior grinning up at her with bright eyes, Riley looked back to the lot and took in all the chasers for a second. Feeling her eyes prickle a bit, her smile going wobbly for a second before she pulled it together.

"It lives!" Riley screamed to the parking lot, throwing up her left fist in the air in celebration.

"It lives!" Her hoard of undergrads echo, jumping and screaming together. Jenny, the only other theatre major on their team, who was corrupted by Sarah on her way out following it with the evilest witch cackle Riley had ever heard.

The parking lot erupted into cheers and Riley subtly wiped around her eyes as she was lowered to the ground. Small laughs still bubbling past her lips as she shared in a few more moments of pure joy with her team. The one she put together and chose, everyone really becoming like a family over the months of prep for this storm season making this moment all that much better. Because they believed in her, they thought she could do this, they supported her and drive. They would never dream of telling her to slow down, to give up on her dreams.

"Wonderful, now will you go shower? You are literally still covered in your own blood." Sarah winced and gestured to Riley and how she was still in her bloodied, cut up tank top, and dusty cargo pants from the chase earlier.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Riley swiped at her and Sarah dodged, her still damp hair just out of reach of Riley's oil stained skin. "I'm going, I'm going."

"Good, because you smell like storm and diesel and it's giving me a migraine." Sarah smiled and gestured to the staircase down the walkway from where they were able to get the Warlock. After it decided to stop running a mile before they got back to the motel. They had to have it hooked up to the tech van while pushing it with six of the biggest guys they had that last mile with Riley in the driver's seat steering it. It was horrible. "Also there's pizza on the table, eat something."

"Yes mom." Riley dragged out and turned while taking off, feeling higher than she had in months while covered in mud, grime, and blood. She had barely taken a couple steps before she ran into another body and her hand darted to her side as she hissed and took a couple steps back to steady herself.

"I'm so sorry-"

"It's fine Kate, I shoulda been watching better." Riley's accent came out a little heavier than she meant because of the stinging radiating through her ribs. But she still grinned, even if in pain, nothing could ruin her good mood right now.

"How are you, I saw you get hit, I thought-" Kate cut herself off, looking to the ground for a second, "I'm happy you're okay, looked pretty rough out there."

"Thanks." Riley went to lay a hand on Kate's shoulder but stopped herself, Kate saw the movement and chuckled. "I would but uh- I'm kind of dirty, sorry." Riley laughed, though her grin carried an awkward stress in the corners as she tried to keep smiling, wiping her palm down her thigh as if trying to clean it against the dusty fabric would actually do anything.

"You headed up?" Kate motioned to the staircase, resituating her backpack on her shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks." Riley started walking and Kate followed, side by side in easy silence. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier, with my questions. I tend to let myself get carried away when I get curious."

"Oh, it's fine." Kate waved her off but Riley pushed on.

"No. It's not. My daddy raised me better than to go snoopin' in someone else's business. So, I apologize. Please just take it." Riley chuckled tightly, she couldn't take any more guilt, even just this one thing.

"Thank you." Kate breathed after taking a moment, meeting Riley at the bottom of the stairs before they both started up.

"There is pizza in my room if your hungry," Riley started, "Unless you already-"

"I haven't but I'm okay. Thank you though."

"Yeah, of course." Riley breathed, trying to remember when it suddenly became so hard to make friends. Turning the corner at the landing and stopping dead in her tracks when her name was called out. Well, a name she hasn't been called in a while.

"Rocky!"

"Rocket!"

Kate stopped as well, looking to Riley with eyebrows drawn tight, head tilting to the side, "Rocket?"

"Just an old nickname. Uh Hey guys." Riley waved, her smile tense but softening when her eyes met Lily's, "Hey Lils." Her eyes darted around the whole group in greeting before landing on the one pair she had hoped to avoid. "Owens."

Tyler worked his jaw when Riley's grin dropped and his last name spit from her lips.

"Go east, she said, the west will choke each other out, she said." He quipped, sarcastic grin on his handsome face. Hands pausing their work on the spinning sensor on top of his truck. His eyes cut to Kate for a split second before drilling back into Riley, "Hey Storm Par."

Kate frowned at him, her eyebrows pulling down as she rolled her shoulders back. Riley stepped a little in front of her, leaning her elbows on the siding.

"Well, I still didn't manage to throw you off the scent, did I?" Riley grinned, her eyes glinting in the dim lighting of the parking lot, anger festering under the surface. "I must be losing my touch."

"I-I wouldn't say that." A voice she hadn't heard in person before piped up from beside Tyler, his pink cheeks, big brown eyes, and warm looking skin all very inviting. His smile wide and carefree, she was a little jealous. "I mean, that was great, with the Warlock. Just awesome..." Boone trialed off, holding up a finger as his face went through a couple different emotions, Riley's anger simmering as she allowed herself to enjoy the show. Enjoying the new character. "Have you ever thought about, and hear me out here, putting rocket launchers on the Warlock?" The man punctuated the words 'rocket' and 'launchers' with his hands before gesturing to the chasing vehicle with her small army surrounding it, only the older undergrads still lingering.

Riley can't stop the laugh that bubbles from her lips, "No, I have not." She shakes her head a bit as a more bitter thought filtered in and it showed on her face as she wet her lips, "I'm not exactly trying to run around firing fireworks up into tornadoes. You know you could have caused a fire like that? The sparks could have gotten carried into the dry wheat field. People could have gotten hurt."

Boone's smile dimmed a little and he looked back to Tyler when Riley's eyes shifted from his. Locking onto the blonde, her words cutting his soul. The look of disappointment flashing in her eyes was just the twist of the knife.

"Tyler knew that wouldn't happen, that's what makes him famous." Boone defended his friend, a small frown on his face as he looked up to Riley.

"On Youtube?" Kate piped up for the first time, head tilting to the side as she also stared down the blonde now. Stepping up to Riley's side, mimicking her position.

"Yeah!" Boone got excited again, missing Kate's sarcasm and other members of the crew confirmed over 1 million now. Riley was impressed, last season they were no where near that. That was a far far away dream. A tinge of pride streaked through her chest and she shared a more genuine smile with Lily.

"Riley St. James correct? Just in case I include you in my article." Riley looked down into the spectacle covered eyes of the British reporter that was following Tyler around. Riley grinned, genuinely, not like he had ever done anything to her. Tyler huffed, biting down on the inside of his cheek to temp the green eyed monster.

"That's correct. At your service, if you need anything or these chuckles are giving you a hard time let me know, I'll straighten them out for ya okay?" Riley chuckled when Ben smiled up at her, nodding at her before looking to Kate.

"And your name? For the same reason, if you don't mind." Ben was so polite. So different than the rough and tumble rag tag team Tyler had created for himself.

"Just Kate is fine. Not Storm Par." Some low whistles come from the group when Kate bared her claws. Riley looked to her with raised eyebrows, her grin easy.

"Don't be fooled Ben, Riley is a tricky one. I'd bet Kate here is too." Tyler comments and Riley does her best to ignore him.

"You made a good call, you know, earlier. The other storm looked stronger, but the cap never broke." Boone complimented and Riley nodded.

"I'm sorry, what's a 'cap'?" Ben asked, looking like a confused puppy and Riley took a breath. Her mouth opening at the same time Dexter went to answer.

"It's a temperature inversion-" They both started at the same time, Riley's voice much more enthusiastic and Dexter zipped his mouth shut grinning up at her before gesturing up to her. Riley grinned bashfully, tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"It's a temperature inversion inside the mid-part of the lower atmosphere. Inversion meaning that the temperature of the air get's hotter as it rises instead of cooling like normal. It creates a stable environment that can and will keep a storm from forming or from getting severe. Sometimes when it's really strong looking, you can't always trust what's there." Riley explained, "That make sense?" She checked and Ben thought about it for a second, Riley glanced at Kate and rolled her shoulders back before continuing, "If not I have some videos on my channel that go over it in better detail, they're pretty short and sweet, and explain it in a more non-meteorology way." The Brit sent her an appreciative grin before nodding and thanking her.

Lily taking a sneaky picture of Tyler and how he was smiling a bit, catching him perfectly as he glanced up at the dirty blonde on the landing.

"So where did you all meet?" Kate gestured to Riley and the others, "Did you all study Meteorology at the U of A?" It was quiet for a second before the majority of the group was laughing. Riley doing her best to keep her amusement at bay. Kate looking to Riley confused, while Riley could only give the woman a kind grin.

"Yeah. No. None of us did. But Tyler did. He's a cowboy scientist. Got a natural feel for this kind of stuff." Boone threw an arm over Tyler's shoulders from his spot next to the blonde in the cab of the red truck.

"Him?" Kate asked immediately, her filter obviously failing in that moment. Riley barked out a laugh before clapping her hand over her mouth. Feeling her cheeks gone bright red. Kate looked to her with raised eyebrows.

"Nothin' uh, I'm in the PhD program right now. But uh, their crew isn't like yours, or even mine really." Riley started to explain before Tyler cut her off. She wanted to kill him.

"We don't need fancy PhD's and gadgets to do what we do." Tyler looked up from where he had previously been looking, in his head about something. His words struck a particularly soft spot and when his eyes cut to her, he could tell the effect his words had on Riley and he wanted to kick himself. But he pushed on, being the asshole she though he was, "I bet these guys have seen more tornadoes than anyone in this lot combined. Minus Riley, she's been doing this since she was 12, she doesn't count."

"Nice Tyler. Still the same I see."

"No need to fix what ain't broken." He grinned caustically and Riley frowned. Her mood officially ruined.

"We apparently have different definitions of broken." Riley grinned right back, eyes squinted in fury.

"Do you think we'll see another one tomorrow?" Ben asked, putting himself right in the firing line, poor guy. He couldn't tell they were all walking on the mine field created by Tyler and Riley issues.

"Oh absolutely!" Riley nodded a little too enthusiastically.

"It's an outbreak baby." Tyler answered over the top of her and Riley took a deep breath.

"Where are you chasing tomorrow?" Lily asked, "It'd be cool to see you out there again, it's been so long, almost felt like the good old days."

Riley softened again and was about to answer honestly before Tyler was kicking up dust again, "Oh no, we're not falling for that again. I mean, it may feel like she's back but she's not part of the crew anymore, we don't need her to navigate for us."

That was her limit.

"Fuck you, Tyler." Riley spit and stormed up the stairs, ignoring the calls of her name.

"Well, you know what they say, you can always trust a guy who puts his face on a t-shirt." Kate rolled her eyes and went up after Riley. The reaction of the chasing group below them dulled in Riley's ears, "Hey, you okay?" Kate called, getting to Riley's door just before she closed it.

Riley was obviously just putting on a brave face when she waved Kate off, and the slightly older blonde frowning but taking it. It's not like she had a right to dig. What was it Riley said earlier about not getting into other people's business?

But she had so many questions, specifically about the trailer of empty barrels and Dorothy on the back of them.

But that wasn't her business.

~~*~~

Riley's shower had been quick, used to hurrying through everything just in case a storm warning rolled through. It was something that Tyler always complained about, that she never allowed herself time to breathe, to rest. A workaholic who had no sense of self-preservation. Is how she believed he phrased it.

She did feel better though, now that her skin was clean, and her clothes weren't stiff with dried blood. Having changed into another tank top, this one a medium toned brown with a white embroidered cloud and a couple yellow stars on the chest, a pair of blue jeans, and her work boots. Which were just heavy-duty hiking boots really.

Padding to the table after she tied her shoes, pawing at the open pizza box, pulling out a slice of pepperoni, and taking a bite. Building her courage to head back down to the parking lot, there was still work to be done tonight. She had to prep the mixture all over again, as she was the only one who knew the measurements besides Sarah, and Sarah was already working on crunching the numbers for tomorrow's storm cells and the data they needed to get out asap. There were some data sets from inside a vortex, due to her, her dad, and her current team. There was no one else doing this kind of research right now and that's why grants kept coming their way.

And then she had to make sure the undergrads with responsibilities didn't shuck them off till the morning when they were planning an early start.

Making a checklist, she finished her pizza, tossing the rock-hard crust back into the box for Sarah who liked to knaw on it like a fucking dog to a bone. Riley was honestly too scared to ask about it, psycho behavior, truly.

Her hand hovered over the door nob and slowly opened it, locking it behind her and taking a breath as she approached the stairs. Ignoring Tyler's looks as she walked past the first landing without even a glance in his direction.

"You look better, than before. Less tired, less bloody." His voice stopped her in its tracks, the genuine concern she could hear. Picturing the way that he used to look at her. After she had gone down another research rabbit hole and hadn't slept in 48 hours, probably also hadn't eaten in that time either. Soft concern and gooey warmth dripping over her every frayed nerve as he would drag her to bed and make her comfortable before pulling up the covers around them and holding her so tight she thought there was never going to be a time it wouldn't be like that.

"Thanks." She whispered over her shoulder and darted down the rest of the way.

~~*~~

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