ATWT: Memorial Day (1/2)

[noelleleithe.livejournal.com]

Title: Memorial Day (Part 1)
Author: noelleleithe
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Luke/Noah, half of Oakdale
Word count: ~5,450 for this part, ~10,685 total
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything here except my own words. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's notes: Dedicated to evl_bbw88, who shares a brain with me and thus was apparently able to send me this story idea telepathically. Hee. Snugs and hugs to escapes and freakykat for editing duties.

Also: screwy soap timelines aside, if Noah's a senior in college now, then he and Luke met almost four years ago, not three as airdates would indicate. I have no idea when they skipped a year, but there it is. Continuity, ATWT; do you speak it??

More notes at the end (because they're spoilery for the story).

~~~~

Luke's body shook like a leaf, like the leaves spinning around outside in crazy circles as they'd run for cover. The cellar felt like a trap as the farmhouse creaked and groaned above them, the roar of the wind sending spikes of fear through his heart.

Noah, oh my God, please, please be okay.

~~~~

Memorial Day dawned bright and hot, the thermometer reaching 80 before nine o'clock. Oakdale had been socked into an oppressive heat wave for days, roasting in the unusually high temperatures along with the rest of the state. Thunderstorms had rolled through every afternoon, but instead of cooling things off, they just ramped up the humidity and made things even muggier.

Noah tried to breathe normally as he walked across Old Town toward Java, but the sauna-like atmosphere wouldn't allow it. His green t-shirt was already dotted with sweat by the time he stepped into the artificially cooled air of the coffee shop just before ten.

"Hey." Jeff grinned at him from across the counter, which he'd been wiping down as Noah walked in.

"Hey," Noah replied, looking around. The place was deserted. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen it so empty in here."

Jeff shrugged, tossing the cloth under the counter. "It's a billion degrees out there," he pointed out. "Even the prospect of an iced coffee isn't enough to pull people out of the AC on a holiday."

Noah chuckled as he walked behind the counter, conceding the point. "Do I even need to be here?" he asked. "I mean, I know it's only for four hours, but it looks like it's going to be dead, so if you need the hours, man--"

"No, no, I need to go ahead and get on the road before the daily storms start brewing again," Jeff said. "The wedding festivities start on Wednesday, and I promised my mom I'd be there early to help them get everything together."

Noah grinned, leaning back against the edge of the counter. "Not every day your sister gets married," he said. "Well, at least, you'd hope not."

Jeff laughed as he washed his hands. "No, I think she's in this one for good," he said. "They've been together for almost four years. I think this falls into the category of 'it's about damn time they made it official.'"

Noah smiled again, thinking of Luke, as he so often did these days. Heck, for the past four years, to be exact. He paused and chewed his lip. That anniversary was this week, wasn't it? He grinned, considering.

"Uh-oh," Jeff said, pausing in his shift-ending ritual. "You've got that plotty-face thing going on."

Noah grinned wider. "Oh, you just reminded me of something," he said.

Jeff snorted. "Something Luke-related, I assume?"

"Yeah, it's just, this week will be four years since we met," he said.

Jeff shot him a look. "Don't tell me you're going to propose," he said.

Noah laughed, surprised. "No, I don't think that's on the agenda," he replied. "At least not yet. We've only been back together for a couple of months."

Jeff shrugged. "Dude, you know you were never really apart. That so doesn't count."

"Still," Noah said. "No, I was just thinking maybe I'd do something all sentimental to surprise him. You know how he loves that romantic gesture stuff." He grimaced. "Well, as long as it's not too girly."

Jeff laughed. "How about a manly steak dinner followed by some hot, sweaty man-sex?"

Noah barked out another surprised laugh. Jeff had certainly gotten much more comfortable with Noah and Luke's relationship in the years since they'd first started working together. Heck, sometimes Noah thought Jeff was more comfortable with some aspects than Noah was--at least in public.

Noah grabbed the cloth from under the counter where Jeff had stashed it and lobbed it toward his head. "Get out of here, you perv," he said. "Have a safe drive, and try not to strangle anyone this week, like your sister, for example."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "I swear, if she tries to get me to make little bags of rice or something, I am so outta there." He retrieved his keys and cell phone from the drawer under the register and headed for the door. "Try not to die of boredom!"

Noah waved him out and turned to start assessing the damage he'd left behind. Jeff was great, but not so much at remembering little details, like keeping the napkin holders filled and restocking the sugar packets.

~~~~

As with nearly every holiday, a big meal at Snyder farm was a Memorial Day tradition. Luke pulled into the driveway just after eleven, a bag full of chips and dips in the seat beside him. He could see Jack and his dad huddled together over the gas grill in the backyard where they'd dragged it out from the barn, checking it out carefully one more time before firing it up for the first cookout of the season.

Snagging his and Noah's contribution to the feast, Luke slammed his car door shut and headed toward the back door. Jack looked over his shoulder as he approached and smiled.

"Hey, Luke," he said. Holden followed Jack's gaze and repeated the greeting

"Hey Jack, hey Dad," Luke replied. "Need any help?"

"Nope, think we got it covered." Holden stood up, wiping his hands on a cloth. "Noah's not with you?"

"No, he's covering part of a shift for Jeff," Luke said. "He'll be here in time to eat, though." Mid-afternoon mealtimes were another Snyder holiday tradition.

"Great." Holden smiled. "Your mom's inside with the kids, but I think they're going to swim in a few minutes." He glanced up at the sky, a hint of concern on his face as he watched scudding clouds intermittently blocking the sun. "Supposed to get some nasty storms later, so I told them they'd better hit the water now if they want to."

Luke grinned. "Guess I'd better get in there," he said. "I told Mom I'd play lifeguard."

Jack broke in. "Oh, hey, could you keep an eye on Liberty?" He looked a little sheepish. "I mean, she's still pretty weak from her treatments. I just don't want her overdoing it."

Luke blinked. "Liberty's here? I thought she and Janet ..." He trailed off. "Oh. Guess Janet's here, too?"

Jack sighed, planting his hands on his hips. "Liberty wanted to come," he said. "She said she just wanted some normalcy."

Luke nodded, understanding that feeling all too well. "What about, um, Carly?"

Jack brought up one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, and Luke almost felt sorry for him. "She'll be here later," he admitted.

Now that could get interesting, Luke thought, but he managed not to say it. "Okay," he said instead. "I'll watch out for Liberty." He grinned. "I've certainly had a lot of practice with Noah the past couple of months."

All three of them chuckled a little at that. Luke was glad they were all in a place where they could laugh about it. It was kind of nice having everyone in the family healthy and (relatively) happy for a change.

It certainly never seemed to last.

~~~~

Java's standard background music was too bland to keep Noah awake when it was this slow, so he switched over to the local news-talk-radio station for a change of pace. Maybe they'd be running Rush Limbaugh or some other blowhard that would keep him annoyed enough to stay alert.

It took him a minute to realize that the announcer sounded somewhere between worried and excited as he talked about the day's weather forecast.

"Seriously, folks, this looks like it could get bad," the man was saying. "The Storm Prediction Center is watching some supercells building up along the Illinois-Iowa border, and one of them has already dropped a small EF-1 tornado over near Cedar Rapids. There's a tornado watch out for most of the state, so keep your radio tuned right here for updates."

Noah frowned. He wasn't one for overreactions, but he also knew a little something about tornado outbreaks. They'd had a bad one his junior year of high school, at Fort Leonard Wood, although thankfully none of the storms had hit the base directly. Still, one of the positives he'd picked up from his years as a military brat was the importance of being prepared.

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he hit speed dial number one and waited for Luke to answer.

"Hey!" Noah couldn't help but smile at the happiness in his boyfriend's voice. "Having a good shift?"

"Having a boring shift is more like it," Noah said. "I just wanted to give you a quick call and make sure you guys know about the weather forecast for later. They're saying it could get pretty nasty."

"Yeah, Dad mentioned that when I got here," Luke said. "He's keeping an eye on things. The horses are pretty restless, too, and that's usually as good as any weather forecaster on TV."

Noah grinned. "I can imagine," he said. "I've got the radio on over here, so I'll hear if they give any more specific updates or warnings or anything. Just ... be careful, okay?"

He could almost see Luke's smile through the phone. "I will," he said. "You too. See you in a few hours. Love you."

"Love you too." Noah ended the call just as the bell over the door dinged. He straightened up, recognizing his customer.

"Hi, Mr. Montgomery," he said. "What can I get for you?"

"Coffee, extra large, black, to go." Craig glanced around at the empty café. "How does this place stay in business?"

Noah fought not to roll his eyes. "This is the slowest I've ever seen it," he replied as he poured the coffee. "Guess the heat's keeping people at home."

He capped the cup and slid it across the counter. "That'll be two-sixty-three with tax," he said, ringing in the coffee. Craig flipped three ones onto the counter.

"Keep the change," he said, picking up the cup and taking a long sip. He looked around again. "Someone should really overhaul this place," he said. "It looks like it's run by some poor college kids."

Noah bit his lip to keep from snapping. In the few times they'd spoken, Craig Montgomery had always managed to rub him the wrong way, but from all he'd heard about the man, that could apply to almost anyone in Oakdale.

"Well, most of our customers are college kids," he said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. "Most of the employees, too. I just graduated myself."

Craig turned back and looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "And you're still working here?"

Noah shrugged. "For a few more weeks," he said. "I'm working part-time at WOAK, too, but that goes full-time in July."

Craig sneered. "Small-town television," he said. "That's a real upwardly mobile career track."

This time, Noah bit his tongue and counted to five before replying. "Everyone's got to start somewhere," he said, proud at how even his voice sounded.

"Yeah, sure, kid." Craig took another sip of his coffee as he wandered the room, scrutinizing the tables, the décor, even the selection of sandwiches and pastries in the cold case and the lineup of flavored syrups behind the counter. Noah wondered why the man had taken his coffee in a to-go cup when he clearly had no intention of going anywhere anytime soon.

He sighed and shrugged to himself, getting back to his reorganization and cleaning of the shelves under the counter. They were wiped down for dust several times a week, but somehow drips of syrups and cream seemed to accumulate along the edges, and those took a more intense scrubbing to remove. He was scraping off the second shelf when the bell over the door rang again, and he straightened up to greet his next customer.

Reid Oliver.

Noah forced something approximating a smile. He did owe the asshole his eyesight, after all.

"Dr. Oliver," he said. "What can I get for you?"

"Coffee, extra large, black, to go."

Craig turned on his heel at that. "Well well well, doesn't that sound familiar."

Reid glanced over at him. "Excuse me?"

Craig curled his lip. "Let me guess," he said. "You're that crack neurosurgeon I keep hearing about. Who got himself stuck in Oakdale for six months because he smashed into the wife of the hospital's chief of staff."

Noah knew when to butt out, and this was definitely a stay the hell out of it situation. He moved as slowly and softly as possible, not wanting to draw any attention to himself as he poured Reid's coffee, put on the lid, and set the cup next to the register.

"I don't see how it's any business of yours, whoever you are," Reid said, in his I'm dealing with children again tone of voice. He flipped three bucks onto the counter in almost exactly the same spot Craig had, and Noah had to choke back a snicker. Birds of feather, these two were.

Craig stepped forward. "Craig Montgomery," he said, holding out a hand. Reid looked at it as if it were a rotted corpse, then glanced over at Noah.

"Do your customers always accost other customers?" he asked, and Noah lifted a hand in defense.

"Not my battle," he said. "There's your coffee, here's your change"--he dropped thirty-seven cents on the counter--"and have a good day."

Reid sighed loudly, the second-most-common sound he made, condescension being first. He turned to face Craig. "Oliver," he said. "Reid Oliver." He made no move to shake Craig's hand, and Craig smirked as he shoved the hand into his pocket instead.

"So how much longer before you get sprung from hell?" he asked.

Reid scooped up his coffee, leaving the change behind. "Not that it's any of your business, but if you mean when do I get to kiss Oakdale's red neck goodbye and go back home to Dallas, the answer is at the end of June."

Craig moved to a table and pulled out a chair, settling himself in and waving at the seat opposite him. "And what are your plans until then?"

Noah watched, fascinated, as Reid stared Craig down for long moments before stepping over and taking the offered seat. Now that was a sight Noah thought he'd never see, and that's even without considering the four-plus months that he couldn't see at all. He breathed a sigh of relief that maybe he wouldn't be breaking up any brawls or cleaning blood off the floor, again.

~~~~

Luke stretched his legs out in front of him on his towel, propped up with his hands behind him as he watched the kids splash in the pond. Well, not all of them were kids any more. Faith and Parker were shepherding Natalie and Ethan, and Liberty was concentrating on Eliza, who seemed a little scared by the water. Sage alternated between the groups, bouncing around like she'd been overcaffeinated, and maybe she had. There were certainly enough sodas in the house to quench several deserts.

A sudden wind whipped his hair into his face, and he turned his head up automatically to check the skies. Overhead was still puffy clouds, but off toward the horizon was a wall of darkness. As he watched, a streak of lightning jumped through the clouds, and remembering what Noah and his dad had said, he made a quick decision, scrambling to his feet.

"Okay, guys, we're going to have to cut this short," he called, shoving his feet into his flip-flops and pulling on his t-shirt. "Storm's on the way, and I just saw lightning. Out of the water, everyone!"

A chorus of groans and protest met his ears, but he just crossed his arms and tried to look stern. Sometimes he hated being the grownup, but he'd put up with the complaints as long as everyone stayed safe.

It took a good ten minutes to get everyone out of the pond and gather up the gear they'd brought down from the house. By then, the black clouds were much closer, and the flashes of lightning were coming more often. Luke heard the first rumbles of thunder off in the distance as he hustled everyone back to the farmhouse, taking up the rear to be sure no one wandered off.

They were almost to the corner of the barn when Holden appeared in the path in front of them, stopping short as he caught sight of the parade. "Oh, good," he said, relief in his voice. "I was just coming to get you guys."

Luke grinned. "Got 'em all rounded up," he said. He glanced back over his shoulder as the others continued toward the house. "Looks pretty nasty," he said, nodding back toward the cloud wall.

"Yeah," Holden said. "Just got a report that there's rotation in that cell, and another one right behind it. We're pulling everyone inside and setting up the cellar just in case. Jack's gathering up flashlights, Meg's checking the first aid kit, and your mom and Janet are moving some chairs and stuff downstairs."

Luke nodded, running a hand through his hair, damp with sweat rather than pond water, since he'd never actually gotten a swim in. "I need to get my phone so I can call Noah really quick to be sure he knows what's up," he said. "You need any help?"

"Yeah, I could use some help getting the barn secured," Holden said. He pulled his own phone out of his pocket. "Here, call Noah while I get started."

Luke scrolled through his dad's contacts list, finding Noah's number quickly and waiting while it rang. It rolled over to voicemail, and he figured Noah was tied up with customers, so he left a message.

"Hey, just wanted to check in and be sure you knew about the storms headed our way," he said. "You might want to dig out a flashlight and be ready to hunker down in the storeroom if you need to. Whatever you do, don't head over here, not until this blows past. Don't want you on the road if we do get some twisters nearby. Love you."

Luke ended the call and followed Holden into the barn, where he was already working on checking the horses, closing up stalls, and making sure anything that could get thrown around by 100-plus-mile-per-hour winds was stashed away. Luke handed over the phone. "Voicemail," he said. "I'll try again when we get inside. Can't remember the number to Java, but it's in my phone."

Holden slid his phone back into his pocket. "I'm sure he'll be fine," he said. "Probably won't amount to anything anyway. It's been years since we had a tornado."

Luke shrugged as he gathered up some loose gear and shoved it into one of the storage boxes along the wall. "That could just mean we're overdue," he said. "Not to be pessimistic or anything."

Holden laughed briefly. "Better to be pessimistic and prepared," he said, finishing up with the stalls and looking around. "I'll check the tack room if you'll take care of the rest of this stuff."

"No problem." Luke grinned up at him, another pile of random gear in his hands. "As long as you don't make me help you try to find all this stuff later."

~~~~

After his first two hours at work, Noah was surprised to see so many people suddenly gathering in Java. Besides Craig and Reid, who actually appeared to be carrying on a semi-civil conversation, he'd served Emily Stewart (who took her iced latte to go), Kim Hughes (picking up drinks and sandwiches to share with Bob, who was on duty at the hospital for the day), and Carly Tennant (who was on her way to the farm), in addition to a steady stream of people he knew only by sight or not at all. For such a small town, there sure seemed to be a lot of people he still hadn't met, even with college out of session.

Finally with a minute to himself, Noah dug out his phone to check his voicemail. He'd felt the vibration when he'd gotten a call a good thirty minutes earlier, then the voicemail signal a couple of minutes after that. Checking his missed calls, he saw, as expected, it was from Luke. He dialed into his voicemail and listened to the message, straightening up as he did. He'd switched the radio back to music once customers started coming in, but as the voicemail was ending, he crossed back over and put the news station on.

"--repeat, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for southern Whiteside County and northeastern Henry County in northwestern Illinois until one-fifteen P.M. Central Daylight Saving Time. Doppler radar has indicated a tornado on the ground near the town of Galesburg. This cell is moving east-northeast at 50 miles per hour. Other towns in the path of this storm include Galva, Kewanee, and Princeton. If you are in the path of this storm, take shelter immediately."

Noah reached for his phone again, hitting the buttons to call Luke quickly. He held the phone to his ear, waiting while it rang, and rang, and--

"Noah?"

Noah breathed a sigh of relief. "Hi, Luke," he said. "Got your message, and I've got the radio back on the news station. Are you guys okay out there?"

"We're good," Luke replied. "I just got inside from helping Dad secure the barn. We're ready to head into the cellar if needed, and Dad and Jack are keeping an eye on the weather reports and the sky. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Noah said. He crossed back behind the counter and reached for the flashlight they kept there, clicking it quickly on and back off. "Got a flashlight, and the back room's in pretty good shape if we need to get people in there." He paused and scanned the room. "Actually, there are only four people here right now, other than me." He lowered his voice. "And you'll never believe who two of them are."

"Who?" Noah could just picture the look of curiosity on Luke's face.

"Craig Montgomery and Reid Oliver."

Luke snorted. "And they haven't come to blows?"

"No, actually," Noah said. "I wondered about that myself when Reid first came in, but they ended up sitting down together and have been having what appears to be a civil conversation for nearly forty-five minutes."

"Guess we really should batten down the hatches," Luke said, sarcasm oozing. "Because if that isn't a sign of the end times, I don't know what is."

Noah chuckled. "Well, I'll keep on my toes," he said. "And I promise, I'll check the weather before I head to the farm." He paused. "Oh, did Carly make it out there? She was here not long ago and asked if I was coming out."

"Hang on." Luke's next words were muffled. "Guys, did Carly get here?" A pause, and then he spoke into the phone. "She just pulled up," he said. "So she's fine. You take care of yourself, and I'll see you later. Okay?"

"Yes sir," Noah said, smiling. "Love you."

"Love you too, baby."

Noah smiled wider as he hung up. He never thought he'd be one for endearments like "baby," but then, Luke had turned most of his world on its ear, so why not that, too?

He moved back behind the counter, keeping one eye on the weather outside and one ear on the weather reports.

~~~~

Chaos didn't begin to describe the inside of the farmhouse. Emma was in the kitchen putting together sandwiches, since they didn't have time to cook the hamburgers and hot dogs they'd planned, and Lily and Carly were packing them into paper bags with fruit, chips, and sodas, so they'd be easy to carry down cellar if needed. Janet had taken Liberty to the downstairs guest room to lie down; she'd been much too pale once they'd gotten back from their swim. Faith led Natalie and Sage upstairs so they could all change out of their swimsuits, and Luke got Ethan and himself into regular clothes and settled the little boy at the table with milk and cookies. Meg sat across from him, feeding Eliza, also changed after their swim.

Luke moved over near the doorway, watching his dad, who stood outside watching the skies. After a few minutes, Jack came in from the living room, where he'd been checking TV weather reports. "Still nothing for us," he reported immediately. "But that storm west of here is still headed our way, so we need to stay on alert."

The words were barely out of his mouth before a siren started to sound off in the distance. Jack froze, spun on his heel, and disappeared back into the living room. He returned within seconds, just as Holden dashed in from outside.

"Everyone downstairs!" The order came almost in unison from the both of them. Luke ran for the stairs, but the ones going up, not down. "The girls are still upstairs," he shouted. "I'll get them!"

He took the stairs two at a time, stopping at the top as he saw Faith pushing Sage and Natalie in front her. All three pairs of eyes were wide as saucers. "C'mon, we've got to get to the cellar fast," he said. He grabbed Natalie's hand and hurried back downstairs, Faith and Sage just behind him. He stopped again at the bottom of the stairs and pushed the girls ahead of him.

He looked around the room, suddenly empty except for him and his dad. "Everyone downstairs?" he asked, and Holden nodded.

"Jack's getting Janet and Liberty," he said. "Here." He grabbed a flashlight off the counter and tossed it to Luke, who grabbed it neatly. "You head on down, I'll be there in a minute."

"Dad--"

"Go on, Luke," Holden said. "I'll be there, I promise."

Luke hesitated another second but then heard Ethan crying, a sound that always broke his heart. He turned and started down the stairs, pausing long enough to dig his phone out of his pocket so he could call Noah again.

No answer again, and this time, no voicemail, either. His heart clenched in his chest. "God, Noah, please be okay," he whispered as he joined his family in the cellar.

~~~~

Noah jerked in surprise when the sirens started, and at almost the same moment, the radio announcer cut into a commercial.

"Okay, here it is, folks. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Lee County, including the towns of Luther's Corners and Oakdale. A tornado has been spotted on the ground headed toward this area. Doppler radar indicates--"

Noah didn't hear the rest; he'd already sprung into action. "Everyone into the back room!" he ordered. To his surprise, Reid was already moving, pausing to grab the arms of the two terrified-looking teenage girls sitting nearby and drag them out of their seats. Noah looked at Craig, who was still leaning back in his seat, sipping his second cup of coffee.

"Mr. Montgomery," Noah said. "We need to take cover right now."

"Psh." Craig let out a derisive snort. "It's a false alarm. These things never--"

He was cut off by a crashing sound from outside, and a huge tree branch smashed against the door to the shop, cracking the glass. Noah leapt back into the hallway, just as the lights went out. "Mr. Montgomery, move it!" he demanded, flicking on the flashlight in his hand. "I'm not going to be held responsible for you if you don't."

Craig sighed theatrically. "Okay, okay, if it'll make you feel better," he said. He stood up and walked slowly toward the hallway. "So many drama queens in this town," he muttered, shaking his head.

Noah ignored him, just following him into the storeroom and locking the door behind them. The room was barely big enough for the five of them, but it was windowless and in the center of the building, so it fit the bill for shelter perfectly. Noah reached into the small closet and pulled out a camp lantern they kept stashed there for power outages. He turned it on and set it on the counter.

Hand shaking only slightly, he pulled out his phone and tried dialing Luke. Nothing. He checked the phone; no service. The power outage must've gotten the nearest towers, too.

Another crash sounded outside, and one of the young girls squeaked; there wasn't another word for it. Noah looked at her and was surprised to see Reid sitting with one of the girls on each side of him, an arm around them both. He stared up at Noah, as if daring him to make a comment, and Noah bit his lip to keep from laughing in response.

He looked at Craig instead. The older man stood leaning against the wall next to the door, hands in his pockets, head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed. "Let me know when it's over, will you?" he said dryly, and Noah rolled his eyes before lowering himself to sit on the floor.

He wasn't much for prayer, but he figured if ever there was a time for an exception, this was it.

~~~~

As soon as Luke's feet hit the floor of the cellar, a small body hurtled into his legs.

"Hey, buddy," he said, reaching down to peel Ethan's arms from around him and lift him up. "It's gonna be okay."

"I'm scawed." Ethan's voice was barely above a whisper, and tears were still running down his face.

"It's okay, Eth," Luke said, moving to sit on a stack of boxes next to the stairs. "We're all safe here, okay? Dad will be here in just a minute, and we're all going to be fine."

Ethan snuggled closer in to Luke's body, breathing tremulously, and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Luke raised his head and met his mom's eyes from a few feet away, where she had Natalie in her lap. Ethan had given up thumb-sucking a couple of years earlier, but every now and then it would make a return appearance. Usually when he was so scared he needed the extra comfort.

Truth was, Luke was plenty scared, too. Not just because he had no idea if Noah was okay, but because he knew tornadoes were nothing to mess around with. They'd been lucky so far, with no twister touching down any closer than within a few miles of them. But Luke had spent plenty of time in the cellar here and the basement at his parents' house, waiting out storms like these, and he'd seen the damage they could cause even without an actual tornado. He still vividly remembered seeing a piece of wood that had ripped off the side of the barn driven deep into the trunk of a nearby tree, so he knew exactly what even straight-line winds could do.

He heard footsteps overhead, and a couple of seconds later Liberty and Janet came carefully down the stairs, Jack just behind them. Jack caught Luke's eye. "Your dad's on his way," he said, and sure enough, a few seconds later they heard the door close above them and the sound of the wide wooden bar sliding into place, securing them inside. Holden came halfway down the stairs and stopped, running his gaze over the faces below him. He nodded, satisfied, then lowered himself to sit.

Jack reached over to a shelf next to the stairs and switched on a small radio Luke had forgotten was there. He had to adjust the tuner to get the news station to come in clearly enough for them to understand.

"--warning remains in effect for Lee County, including the towns of Luther's Corners and Oakdale. A tornado is on the ground headed toward this area and has already caused damage in Princeton and nearby areas. If you haven't taken shelter already, do it now. That means moving to the lowest, most central point in whatever building you're in. If you're in your car, pull over and do not leave your vehicle. You may have heard recommendations that you lie down in a ditch, but that's been changed. Stay in your car with your seat belt fastened and duck down as far as you can in your seat, below window level if possible. If you're outside and can't get to shelter of any kind, that's the time to lie down in a ditch."

Jack turned the volume down slightly and looked at Holden, then at Emma. Emma cleared her throat. "Let's say a prayer for the safety of those this storm is putting in harm's way," she said. Luke bowed his head obediently, but only one name resounded through his mind as Emma prayed.

Please, God, please let Noah be okay.

~~~~