#storm aftermath

"Leave me alone, Owens," you called back, already moving back to your car. You had a mission here, and he wasn't part of it. Nor would he ever be if you had your way. He'd done enough in your mind. You were better off keeping your distance.

When you would've reached for your car door, a hand shot out and stopped you.

"Your car is totaled," Tyler said, your name a whisper itself as he made sure you heard him. His grip remained firm yet loose enough for you tug away should you choose to. "Come on, we're heading back out ourselves. You can come with us."

Staring at your car, it took several moments for it to sink in.

While you'd known you'd gotten caught up in the storm itself, you hadn't realized just how much so until you took in the devastation before you. All your windows had been blown out, not reinforced as those on Tyler's truck. Then again, you'd always kept to the outskirts of a storm, tracking it as you'd been trained to do. Not only were your windows gone, you could make out huge dents throughout the body. What was most concerning was the relatively large branch sticking out the front grill. From what you could make out, your radiator had long run out of fluid, most of it pooled beneath your car. How you'd been able to drive that woman and her granddaughter to the emergency room was beyond your comprehension.

As Tyler had pointed out, your car was well and truly totaled. Inside and out, your car wasn't going anywhere any longer.

"You okay?" Tyler asked, breaking through your thoughts.

You nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go."

He didn't say anything nor did he let go of your wrist, guiding you towards his truck. Without a word, he nodded at Boone, who quickly jumped out of the front seat and held the door for you.

"Hey, Whisper, you good?" Boone asked, leaning on the door and studying you. His usual grin had been replaced with a small frown, his brows drawn together.

You nodded again, but you didn't say anything.

All you could do was strap yourself into the front seat, grateful Tyler had finally let go of your wrist. Your hands clenched in your lap as you stared out the windshield of his truck. You refused to acknowledge the fact how close you'd come to potentially losing your life. Just as your younger brother had done not six months ago.

As careful as you'd been, too.

Not like your foolhardy brother who'd thought himself another Tyler or rather Wrangler in the making. No, he'd taken chances you'd never thought to, always watching and chasing from safer distances to track storms and do your part to help those in their paths.

While you tried not to blame Tyler and his Wranglers, you couldn't help but do so. Without their YouTube channel, your brother might still be alive. He might've listened to you more, taken more precautions, still be alive today.

It's why you'd put greater distance between you and the Tornado Wranglers. Between you and Tyler. The possibility of a friendly rivalry between you and them lost, possibly forever. You'd almost give anything to have had them in that storm over your brother. Yet, you hated yourself more for wanting that to be the case.

Memories kept you preoccupied enough that you didn't realize Tyler had driven some distance away. It was only when he cut the engine and Boone had once again opened your door that you realized.

A glance over Boone's shoulder showed you even more devastation, far greater than the bit you'd witnessed earlier.

"Oh, my god," you gasped.

"Yeah," Tyler and Boone both murmured simultaneously.

Not sure where to begin but ready to dive in wherever, you quickly created distance between you and the Wranglers.

At least, you'd hoped to, but Tyler proved stubborn. He was never far from your periphery, something he'd made sure of. While you couldn't say why, his presence soon became a balm to your frayed nerves, settling you in a way you hadn't been since your brother's death. Certainly not since you'd set eyes on this latest storm and saw the beginning of its devastating path.

As much as you hated to admit it, you worked well near him.

It was almost as if the two of you had become synced in a way that should've been impossible for two rivals. You couldn't bring yourself to call him enemy, so you'd settled on rival in your mind. It gave you a sense of distance you believed you still needed from him and his charm, something he dished out more often than not to his adoring audiences. He knew well how to work a room in ways you never wanted to, preferring to play a quieter though no less helpful role.

"Whoa there, Whisper," he said, stopping you from lifting a fallen section of someone's home. His voice grew incredibly soft, softer than you'd ever heard before, as he added, "Careful of the glass there."

You glanced down to find you had indeed placed one of your hands close to the broken pane. A jagged piece stuck out, lying ready and willing to slice through someone's unsuspecting hand. You'd been within inches of doing just so with your hand.

Shaking a little, you stepped back and away from both the house and Tyler. Your voice wavered as you mumbled, "Thanks."

"Hey, we've been working for over an hour now. How about we take a small break? Grab something to drink. Maybe something to eat, too. We're no good to these people if we're not taking care of ourselves, too."

"I'm fine."

Even as the words escaped you, you knew they weren't the truth. You were anything but okay.

Tyler seemed to know it, too, as he stepped forward and took your wrist back in his grip. A gentle tug was all he needed to do in order to have you give in and follow him back to his group's RV.

"Ten minutes," he promised.

True to his word, he brought you to the RV where he quickly set a box of food and a bottle of water in your hands. He even made room for you in the cooler confines of the vehicle, sitting you down at the small dining table. Sinking down across from you, he wasted no time in eating and drinking his simple meal. No words passed between you during this time, but then, you didn't really need them at the moment.

It was only after you'd both finished that Tyler finally said, "I haven't really gotten the chance before now to say this, but I'm truly sorry for your loss, Whisper. Your brother was a good man and a great chaser."

The food in your mouth turned to ash, and it was with some difficulty you swallowed it.

Rather than say something you'd regret, you simply nodded.

With your appetite now gone, you pushed to your feet and moved towards the RV's door.

"Hey, Whisper," Tyler said, hurrying after you, "if there's anything you need…"

Even as he let the words drift off, the offer wasn't lost on you. Neither was the thought you would never take him up on it.

You couldn't.

Not with his way of chasing being so intertwined with your brother's untimely death.

No, you were better off on your own. Just like you've always been.

*****

You weren't sure what woke you, but you recognized well the pain coursing through you. Even under the haze of some heavy pain medications, you could feel the way your body ached in ways it hadn't before.

What had happened you couldn't say, but you were certain you didn't like the sounds and smells surrounding you. The blinding lights of your room had been muted as if someone had cared enough to dim them for you.

Shifting in the bed, you could make out the crinkle of the sheets under you against the plastic of the thin mattress.

"Hey, hey, easy there. Take it easy, Whisper. You're okay," Tyler said, moving into your view. Deep shadows lined the skin under his eyes and deep lines had etched into his face, but you couldn't say why. His hand sought out your wrist, taking care of the IV line and the few scratches you soon discovered.

You had to swallow a few times to wet your dry mouth before you could manage to rasp, "What happened?"

"You fell through a floor in a house we were clearing. One minute, you were next to me, and the next, you were gone. Scared the hell outta me, you know that?"

His hand tightened a fraction on your wrist as he spoke, his fingers pressing into your pressure point. It took you a moment longer than it should've that he was making sure he could still make out your pulse. Almost as if he needed proof that you were indeed with him.

"Your head took a pretty good knock. You were unconscious before I could even get down to you. It took medics longer than it should've to get to you as well. You're lucky, you know that?"

Unsure what to say, you decided to say nothing.

It didn't seem to matter as Tyler felt the need to fill the silence himself.

"Look, I know you dislike me, but you need someone to watch out for you." He held up his free hand as you did open your mouth to protest those words. He even dared to arch a brow at you, daring you in a way. He only continued when he was certain you wouldn't start, saying, "You're more than capable. I know that, Whisper. You're the best in our field, but you're also alone. The Wranglers and I really want to help, okay? We wanna make sure you're going to be all right. Let us help. Please?"

Well, now that had your attention more than the rest of his pretty speech. You couldn't recall the last time you'd heard Tyler say 'please' to anyone, let alone yourself. This was definitely a moment to remember, even in your current sorry state.

Before you could say anything either way, a slight rap at the door announced another visitor.

"Ah, well, it's nice to see you awake once more, Mrs. Owens," the doctor said, coming into your room. "You gave us a little scare there for a bit, but seeing you awake as soon as this is a good sign indeed. We're going to keep you another day, possibly two, but then, you'll be free to go home as long as your husband here promises to keep a good eye on you."

"Won't let her out of my sight, doc," Tyler promised, winking at you even as you glared right back.

You had some sense to wait until the doctor had checked you over and left before turning towards Tyler again. Your brow cocked upward even as you spat, "Husband?"

Tyler shrugged. "They wouldn't let me stay unless we were family. Boone offered himself, but let's be honest. He's not really your type despite him being a good guy."

"Oh, yeah, what is my type then if you know so much about me?"

He shot you a cocky grin that had you rather embarrassed to admit had an effect on you.

Oh, boy, how you wished it didn't. Then again, that's how Tyler rolled and you knew it. He'd always had a larger female fan base due to his larger than life personality. You couldn't even blame them really as you apparently fell in that same category.

Damned if you were going to let him know that so easily though.

"You wish, Owens."

"I do, you know," he countered calmly, further upending your balance.

Sputtering, you could only think to say, "You're messing with me."

"Nope."

"You don't like me, Owens, as much as I don't like you."

"Professional jealousy at the beginning, sure, but then I got to see you in action. You're pretty amazing, Whisper, and you're an incredible woman. Any man, including me, would be lucky to be able to call you theirs."

You could see the sincerity in his tired features. Those same features that had you asking, "How long have you stayed up watching over me?"

Another shrug. "Did what I needed to. Not a big deal."

But it was. It was a big deal to you.

You'd spent so much time these last several months damn near hating him for something he ultimately wasn't responsible for. He'd known your animosity towards him as you'd made it no secret in the few interactions you've had before recreating the distance you wanted most from him.

Yet, he'd stayed with you since that first emergency room visit. Yesterday, was it? Maybe the day before? Who knew how long you'd been out? Hours? Minutes? Doubtful on that last one since you could make out the darkened sky past the drawn curtains of your room.

At last, you finally said, "I accept your earlier terms. You and the Wranglers can watch over me until I get better. Not one second longer, you understand?"

"I understand."

He perked up at your words even as his exhaustion seemed to grow heavier by the second.

"Get some sleep, Owens," you groused, even as you settled back in your hospital bed. "The TV can keep me company while you rest."

To your surprise, he pulled the room's chair closer to your bed so he could continue to hold your wrist. His fingers never left their place against your pulse point, either, as he slowly let sleep claim him.

To your even greater surprise, it turned out you were never quite 'well enough' for the Wranglers to ever leave you alone again. No, they adopted you into the fold, and you soon found yourself not only with a new family of your own, but a very proud and happy Tyler Owens who soon claimed you: heart, body, and soul.