Storm

Esther smiles down at the stove as she hears boots on the front porch. The front door swings open and her Mistress and Tabby, both heavily dressed against the bitter cold, enter and start stomping snow off their boots. The stove in the far corner glows brighly, and Tabby peels her gloves off and trudges inside to warm her hands by it. Rachel takes a moment to hang up both their winter coats, then follows her into the living area. Her gaze finds Esther and she smiles brightly.

It's really starting to get heavy out there, Tabby says, gazing out the window. Esther glances outside; all she can see is a wall of white, with the faint glow of the lights on some of the outbuildings just barely visible through the driving snow. There's already a heavy blanket of the stuff over everything, two feet deep and rising quickly. On nights like this Esther is especially glad for their sturdy home, warm fire, and well-stocked pantry.

Mom!

Both children come barreling out of their shared bedroom and beeline for Tabby, who manages to stay on her feet as the kids plow into her and wrap their arms around her legs. She smiles down at them both, and Rachel pads over to the fireplace as well to gently peel Lucas off her coparent, leaving Tabby to pick Katie up. The kids giggle, and Esther's heart warms as Rachel leans over to kiss Katie's forehead.

Were you two both good today?

Lucas, always the more shy of the two, nods, then buries his face in Rachel's neck. We were, Mommy! chirps Katie. Rachel looks over at Esther. Were they?

Esther smiles. They were, Mistress. Lessons went well and apart from a brief... distraction when the snow started getting heavy, both of them were absolute angels all day.

Does that distraction have anything to do with the snowman out by the front?, asks Rachel, eyes sparkling.

No comment, Mistress. I've been sworn to secrecy.

Rachel laughs. Fair enough. Dinner soon, pet?

About ten minutes, Mistress. Beef stew for us, spaghetti for the kids, and... I've heard a rumor there might be dinosaur nuggets in the oven.

Lucas looks up at her abruptly, eyes widening. Nuggets?

We'll have to see, Esther murmurs. You'll have to be at the table to find out.

Tabby bounces Lucas a bit in her arms as she carries him over to the table and sets him down in one of the chairs. If there's nuggets I get first dibs, she says, taking the seat next to the boy.

Well, Rachel says. If that isn't an incentive, I don't know what would b-

Oh fuck, says Tabby suddenly. Esther glances at her; Tabby is staring down at her phone. A moment later, Tabby reads off the screen: Apparently Krissy is missing. The Andersons are asking for help looking for her.

Rachel, not normally one for profanity, swears as well. Krissy is the Anderson family's seven-year-old daughter, one of Lucas and Katie's closest friends. If she's out alone in this kind of weather... it doesn't bear thinking about. Rachel, Tabby, and Esther all make eye contact, and the decision is made in an instant.

Without a spoken word, Rachel sets Katie down at the table, then she and Tabby make their way into the mudroom to start pulling their still-damp foul weather gear back on. Esther quickly runs to grab Rachel and Tabby's winter day packs, drops them both on the mudroom floor for the other two women, then fills two thermoses with stew and two more with the tea she'd fortunately already been brewing. She comes into the mudroom, hands the thermoses to her two coparents, and receives a kiss from her Mistress in return.

Good luck, she says. I'll watch the kids. You have your radios?

Rachel reaches into the side pocket of her day pack, pulls out a handheld radio, and flips it on and off. Yup. We'll be in touch.

Rachel and Tabby hurry outside, and Esther shuts the door behind them against an encroaching flurry of snowflakes; she faintly hears the truck starting up over the howl of the storm. She leans her forehead momentarily against the door, saying a silent prayer for her family's safety, then takes a deep breath and turns back to the business of parenting. The two kids look surprised and worried, so Esther puts on her best reassuring adult face and dishes up two plates of spaghetti, with plenty of dinosaur nuggets for both. She serves, then sits between the children and stares out the window, ignoring her own food.

Is Krissy alright?

Esther looks over at Lucas. I hope so. She's lost, and your other two moms are going to help look for her.

Lucas frowns. Mom and Mommy will be alright out there, right? They won't get too cold?

Well, Esther says, they have their winter coats, and they have some hot tea, and they can always go back in the truck if they get too chilly, so I think they'll be just fine. Plus, they have their radios, so we can call them and ask if we want to.

Katie breaks in: Can we call them now?

Esther laughs, even though she agrees on some level with Katie's impulse. They're working on something very important, sweetheart. Let's do our best to trust them and to not distract them, okay? Now, let's all eat our dinner, otherwise we'll be worried and hungry.

After dinner is eaten and cleaned up, normally it'd be time to start getting both kids ready for evening story time and bed. Esther doesn't usually get to do story time, since Rachel and Tabby both enjoy it a great deal and she's usually busy with her own assigned evening housework. Tonight she decides that both kids can stay up a bit later than usual, and gathers both of them on the couch with her, warm and cozy in front of the fire. She works her way through three entire childrens' books; by the end of the third, Lucas is asleep and Katie is well on her way too. Esther carefully extracts herself from the pile, gathers Lucas into her arms, and carries him into the bedroom he shares with his sister; he doesn't stir while she tucks him into his bed. When she gets back into the living room, Katie is stretching, half-awake.

Mommy?

Esther smiles. Me, sweetheart. Ready for bed?

Katie nods slowly. Thank you for story time, Aunt Esther.

Of course. Want me to carry you to bed?

Katie shakes her head. Are Mom and Mommy okay?

Esther glances at her watch - it's been over an hour, a respectable length of time to wait before checking in. Plus, she thinks, it'll make Katie feel better. She picks her own handheld radio up out of its charger, and offers it to Katie. Do you remember how to use it?

Uh-huh, Katie says, then holds the radio up by her mouth and presses the transmit key. Mommy?

Esther stifles a giggle. While both kids know how to use the radios in case of emergencies, they haven't actually learned any radio protocol yet. A few moments later, she hears Rachel's voice through a wash of static.

Sweetpea? Is that you? Is everything alright at home?

Yep! Aunt Esther read us three books and now it's time to go to bed. Are you getting cold?

We're all nice and warm, hon. We're still out looking for Krissy, but I'm sure we'll find her. How about you give the radio back to Aunt Esther and get yourself off to bed?

Esther takes the radio from her and makes a shoo-ing gesture with one hand, sending Katie towards her bedroom. I'll come tuck you in in a minute, sweetheart. Go get into bed.

Once Katie's gone, Esther keys the radio again. How's it looking out there, Mistress?

Esther can almost hear Rachel's grimace through the radio. Honestly, pet, it's... even a prepared adult out in this weather would be worrying. For a little girl in her day clothes, I - I don't know. We're still looking.

Esther's heart aches. Good luck, Mistress. I'll hold the fort here.

Thanks, pet. Cell service is pretty spotty where we are, so if you get a call, get us on the radio, alright?

Yes, Mistress.

We'll be in touch, pet, replies Rachel, and then the radio falls silent. Esther clips it to her belt so she'll have it ready to hand, grabs her own day pack and leaves it by the mudroom just in case, and then starts aimlessly tidying. It's part of how she handles anxiety, but as coping strategies go, there are a lot of worse ones. She keeps glancing out the windows as the swirling drifts of snow, which are rapidly piling up more deeply outside. Luckily Tabby and Rachel got all the animals under cover before the weather really rolled in, so the goats and chickens ought to be nice and snug right now. She wishes she could say the same for her two housemates... and for the little girl they're searching for.

There's only so much stress-cleaning one can do, especially without waking a pair of children sleeping nearby, so eventually Esther finds herself reduced to curling up on the couch and failing to read a book. She sets her radio next to a warm mug of tea on the end table, glancing at it every so often. She's just finished trying to re-read the same page for the sixth time when the radio crackles to life, and she almost fumbles it in her haste to pick it up.

This time, it's Tabby calling. No luck yet. Are the kids okay? Not too worried I hope?

Esther pads softly over to the door to their room, cracks it open slightly, and peeks inside. Both fast asleep, she reports.

Great, Tabby says. It's cold as hell out here though. We're going through those handwarmer things really quick and we're just about out of tea. If we swing by home can you have some more ready for us?

Of course. How far out are you?

Well, normally a few minutes, but right now - who knows. Twenty?

Okay, I'll be ready. See you soon.

Esther busies herself in the kitchen, brewing so much tea she has to use one of the stovetop burners underneath a big pot to do so. It's probably overkill, but she'll be damned if Rachel and Tabby are going to be any colder than they have to be on her watch. As she's stirring, the radio on her belt abruptly chirps.

We found her! Pet, we found her. Can you call the Andersons right away? We can't get a signal. Please tell them we have her, she's alive but very cold, and we'll be at their home in... ten minutes, maybe fifteen.

Of course, Mistress, Esther replies, digging her phone out and dialing Moira Anderson's number. Moira picks up instantly and dispenses with every pleasantry. What?

Moira? Rachel and Tabby just found Krissy. They say she's alive but very cold. They're bringing her back to your place now and they'll be there in fifteen minutes or less. Okay?

There's a taut silence on the line for a moment, and then Esther hears a single sob of relief from Krissy's grandmother. Oh - oh, thank God, Moira murmurs, then Esther hears her turn away from the phone raise her voice. Frank! Tell the boys the Frosts found Krissy and they're bringing her here!

There's a good deal of excited conversation barely audible over the line, and then Moira returns. Thank you, Esther, she says with great feeling. We won't forget this.

We know you'd do the same for us, Esther replies. Good luck, and a quick recovery to Krissy. If there's anything you need, give me a call back - I'll be up.

Moira thanks her effusively, and then hangs up, and Esther is left with an enormous sense of relief. Soon Rachel and Tabby will be home and out of the storm, and she's very grateful for that; neither Rachel nor Tabby (nor Esther herself, for that matter) would give up on searching for a lost kid in this sort of weather until they were about to drop dead themselves, and Esther's glad that won't be necessary. She finishes brewing the now-hopefully-unnecessary tea, decants it into a few travel mugs, then paces back and forth, waiting for the other two women.

After nearly thirty interminable minutes, she hears the faint sound of the truck pulling up outside, then boots stomping across the front porch. She runs to the door and hugs Tabby and Rachel in turn as they enter, not even waiting for them to shed their winter coats.

She's okay?

Rachel smiles, pulling off her scarf. I think so. We found her in an old shed on the north edge of their property, curled up with Max and Betty. Looks like the two dogs were probably with her and when the storm kicked up, she went to try to wait it out in the shed and they just stayed with her. Pretty lucky really, since the two of them kept her a lot warmer than she would've been. I don't think she'd have made it without them.

The thought makes Esther's stomach turn. I'm really glad.

We all are, Rachel agrees. Now, I heard something about tea?

Oh! Yes, of course, Mistress. If you two want to sit on the couch and warm up, I'll serve you both.

That'd be lovely, pet. Tabby, do you want to peek in on the kids?

She might as well not have asked, since Tabby is already pushing the door to the kids' bedroom open. From the dead silence within, it seems like they're probably both asleep, but Tabby steps inside anyway. Rachel pulls off her outer layer, handing it to Esther to hang up, then makes her way to the couch. She curls up, pulling a blanket over herself, and Esther pours a mug of tea for her. She kneels in front of her Mistress to serve it, and her Mistress accepts the mug gratefully. She sips it, staring into the fire, while Esther looks up at her.

Feeling any warmer, Mistress?

Rachel looks down at her. Yes, thank you, pet. I was just thinking.

Mm?

Rachel smiles. Yeah. I've never worried... I mean, the Andersons need every adult hand to work their land so they've had to leave Krissy to her own devices sometimes. I get that. Nobody's blaming them. Still, though, I've never had to worry about Lucas and Katie like that, and I - I mean, that's partly because of you, pet. Having three parents is just... it's so much easier. I really like that Tabby and I can be outside tending to the animals or working the land and I can be confident that the kids are safe, warm, and being taken care of by someone who loves them very much.

Esther blushes deeply. Um. Th - thank you, Mistress. I love helping run your household.

Rachel leans down and lays a soft kiss on Esther's forehead, letting the tips of a couple of fingers trail over her collar. I couldn't imagine doing this without you, pet.

End