Thunder

(At some point in the middle of CXIX: Leditor)

Annie woke to the sound of thunder. It was distant, so distant that Glorious Master slept on soundly. But it was coming, and from the south.

In the summer, water vapor boiled out of the Gulf of Mexico and rained across Florida, just about the same time, just about every day.

This was fall, though, and this was the leftover bits of a hurricane. It was going to be a storm to remember. She squealed, but softly into her pillow. Then she climbed up out of her drawer and jumped to Ray's bed.

"Master? Master?" She slowly raised her voice in volume, letting his subconscious raise the alarm before he woke. He blinked and came to, not moving until he knew where she was.

"What?"

"There's a rainstorm coming, Master. A big one!"

"Ah," he said. "Is it my turn to protect you from the storm?" he joked.

"Yes, please, if you don't mind." He nodded and slid out of the sheets. She watched him spread the curtains wide on the windows next to the bed. They faced south, yay.

Then he took down a box from the top of his bookshelf. The one he thought she couldn't climb.

Inside the box was a little roll of fleece. He shook out her footsie pajamas and climbed back into bed.

She stood still, cooperating as he stripped off her nightshirt, then dressed her in the pajamas. They were soft and thick, warmer than her hunting-sock sleeping bag.

The sylph lay back on Ray's pillow and stretched, enjoying the feeling of being encased in the garment. From there she watched him arrange the blankets and the other pillow.

In the end, master was on his side, one pillow in his armpit, one tight against his chest.

Spare socks covered the alarm clock and the computer's power light and the LED on the computer's power transformer and the light on the power strip.

All light sources were blocked as he picked her up. She floated in a warm, dark space. Being as he was a giant, there was no way to ignore his presence, but he settled into immobility. And his breathing became very regular. He was a big dependable barricade between her and half of the universe.

But not between her and the lightning.

At first there were flashes in the clouds. The thunder followed so late it was impossible to track which flash had made which muffled, grounded growl.

They started to crackle, then crash. The flashes became forks and the storm got closer… Closer…

Ray's hands held her firmly but not tightly. She had support for her whole body, neck and head. It just felt like protection. Like shelter. She giggled.

She'd been outside a time or two for the three o'clock shower. That was just a matter of finding a little shelter for a little time. Anything thicker than a few sheets of paper wouldn't soak through before the clouds passed.

This, this was what made her glad to be a pet. A roof over her head, central heating, and a voice-activated furnace keeping her safe.

Lightning started to crash, thundering without a delay. Trees outside were lit up, showing every single leaf.

Then the rain started to hit. Great huge drops splattered the window, the gutter, the top of the air conditioner.

Branches heaved in the wind and the window screens rattled.

The wind worked the rain into and against every surface. If they'd been outside, even being in Ray's pocket wouldn't have kept her from being soaked.

Under his jacket probably wouldn't have completely protected her. She wriggled in glee, whispering 'there's no place like home.'

A tree branch cracked somewhere. They never heard it, not over the storm, but one flash it was sticking out, branches flailed, then it was gone.

Eh, the car was parked on the north side of the house. No trees there.

The violence of the storm front passed, then it just settled down into constant, unending, overwhelming rain. There was so much water running down the window it softened the impact of the raindrops.

The lightning was out of view and most of the entertainment was gone. She stretched out one hand, the only thing she could move.

But Ray didn't take it as the 'I'm done now' signal. His hand closed around her and he stood.

"Master?"

"Just a thought," Ray said. Then he extended his hand. She heard his knuckles come to rest against the window, skin squeaking slightly on the glass.

From this angle she could see a streetlight. That allowed her to see the glass next to Master's skin. The heat from his body was raising a fog.

"Oooh," she cooed. She reached out to touch the glass. It was ice cold. The chill in her hand made her that much more aware of the heat from Ray's hand, gently broiling her own torso.

She trilled in happiness and yanked her hand free. Holding it against her PJ's didn't warm her up, though, so she brought both arms inside the sleeves and curled up.

Just as she opened her mouth to thank Ray, he said, "You're welcome," and went back to the bed. He didn't undress her, just lay back down on his pillow and rested her against his chest.

They lay there in silence, listening to the rain.

"The drive to the supermarket's going to be a bitch," Ray said.

"Then don't go," she replied.

"Okay," he said. "The only thing in the house to eat is granola."

"Oh. I could… I could eat an oat. Or maybe a sunflower seed."

"Or lose your teeth in a raison the consistency of grape-flavored blubber," he replied.

"Don't quote me!" she snapped. Or tried to snap. He breathed out and warm air softly coursed over her head. The gentle breeze wasn't as delicious as the window, but it did serve to remind her just how warm she was under his hand. It mostly came out slurred, like a toddler at bedtime insisting 'Ah nawt sweepy.'

"That was a whole different batch of granola," she said after a moment of silence.

"Still," he said, "your opinions are well-known. On granola as well as on chocolate, pizza, hot wings, shrimp and fried ice cream."

She felt his heart speed up at the mention of ice cream. She liked that about him, and suspected there would be fried ice cream in the freezer soon.

"We could order pizza," she suggested.

"I'm not against pizza, as a meal or an industry, but I'm not going to ask a delivery guy to go out in weather simply because I don't want to."

"Ethics?" she asked. "When did you get ethics?"

"Some time after President Kendall signed a law that said that I got to keep you. Suddenly a lifetime of ethical behavior loomed…"

"Awwww." She nuzzled against his bare chest. "Well, we're all in this together, then. If you go, I go. We'll face the vicious elements with our chins tucked down to-"

"You don't have to go," he said.

"Oh, thank you, Master, THANK you!" "No, I'll just let you clean out the gutters."

"What?"

"Give you a shovel, a snorkel, you'll be done by the time I get back."

"I'll tell Mom."

"Ah," he reconsidered.





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