Outage (Part One)

The mid-summer thunderstorm, complete with crackling thunder and white lightning, didn't rouse Jesse from her blissful slumber. What did wake her was the air conditioner snapping off, causing her to kick the covers off the bed and wonder why the midday heat of the Louisiana sun was penetrating her sleep so thoroughly.

She found the answer in her blinking alarm clock. Looking at her cell phone, which she obviously kept on her night stand at all times, she realized the power had been off for almost three hours. She groaned, thinking about all the groceries she had bought just the day before and how her warm refrigerator was going to turn it all to mush. Action needed to be taken, but for now, she just wanted to listen to the storm. In a few years, thunderstorms would absolutely terrify her. She wouldn't be able to sit through one without thinking about the Barrow case, the gruesome crime scene photos, demented foster children-slash-serial killers, and broken skulls. But for now, she still loved to listen to the rain tap on the glass. It made her think of what she wanted; of what could be, and what should be. And as usual, her thoughts turned to Luke Bowen and their ever-changing relationship.

Then she thought again of her spoiling groceries. Thought about Luke. And then she thought of a plan.

She opened and closed her cell phone, and then did it again. The glowing screen taunted her, knowing what she wanted to do, ready to carry it out for her. So she called him. What was the harm, really? She just wanted to talk, that was all. But, as with everything else lately, her conscience wasn't buying it, and neither would Luke. She knew this, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

"Bowen," he answered on the first rang. He almost sounded like he expected her call.

"Are you asleep?" She asked, skipping the formalities. They'd been beyond formalities for many years at this point, but only just recently allowed themselves to skip them altogether.

"No, the thunder woke Bailey up from his deep sleep. He jumped on my head to make sure I knew he was scared. The drool woke me up. Why are you awake? You don't have a forty pound puppy to wake up from your deep sleep."

Jesse chuckled. Luke had shown her pictures of the Boxer puppy he had acquired from the side of the road recently. He explained Bailey's name--something about baseball, of course--when Jesse looked confused. Now she knew two dogs named Bailey. At least one of them was cuddly.

"I lost power, and with that, my air-conditioner. It's too hot to sleep. Plus I'm obsessing over the groceries I bought earlier today."

"Hmm. I have power. My groceries are cold and delicious."

Jesse enjoyed this teasing side of Luke. It was coming out much more often, and while she wasn't sure what to do with it, she was glad he was finally lightening up. If she didn't know him any better, she'd think it was even out of character for him. But when they first met in '99, he was the same way--happy, jovial, excited about the small things. It was a relief to see he was finally getting that back.

"I'm jealous," she said, grinning. She hoped he would say it. She wished he would say it.

"Well, I have plenty of freezer space if you want to store some here until your power comes back on. The sheer amount of tofu and soy might be a shock to its system, but I think it'll get used to it."

He said it.

"Well, I don't want to overwhelm your freezer. Are you sure it's okay?"

He considered this for a moment, as did she. Of course they weren't going to acknowledge the fact that if she came over; things were going to inevitably happen that would change the course of their friendship and hopefully their relationship.

"I'm sure," Luke finally said. She tried not to let him hear her sigh of relief. "My freezer is not the boss of me. Come whenever you're ready, and promise me you'll be vigilant on the way over. It's a mess out there."

"I promise. I'll see you soon."

She took the shortest shower in history. Threw on a tank top and jeans, and wondered if she should at least try to put some effort into her appearance. She decided he'd seen worse, grabbed her keys and made a mad dash for the Prius. It was then that she realized her groceries were still spoiling in the refrigerator. Even though she realized she was at the point of not giving a shit about the groceries anymore, she dashed back inside to assemble them.

Twenty minutes and three near-accidents later, she found herself in front of his townhouse. She gave herself a little pep talk before allowing herself to walk up those steps into a new life.