Alex led the way back into the apartment, Jessie closing the door behind them.

Steph was still facing the fire, sipping at her mug of hot chocolate as they walked into the kitchen. “So, what’s Ryan doing here?” she asked over her shoulder, not looking at them.

“Running around, helping Pike check on the rest of the town.” Alex shed her hoodie, tossing it onto the nearby kitchen chair before setting down the radio. “And dropping off Jessie to hang out with us.”

The blonde walked around the couch and plopped down beside Steph, startling her. “What’s up?”

“Wh- dude!” Steph grabbed the blanket, pulling it tighter. “What the hell?! I’m in my underwear!”

“Yea, I heard you were dumb this morning.” Jessie ignored her as she bent towards the fire, removed her mittens, and held her hands towards the heat. “Man, that feels good. My apartment was basically an ice box when Ryan and I woke up this morning. Alex, is that hot chocolate I smell?”

“You want some?”

“I would love some.”

“Hello?!” Steph exclaimed disbelievingly. “I’m not dressed here!”

“Then go get dressed,” Jessie replied with a casual tone, as Alex began refilling the pot with water. “You’re the one making this awkward.”

Steph fumed, but stood up, making sure to keep the blanket wrapped around her as she walked towards her boxes and pulled open the first one she saw. The water had just started to boil when she reappeared in a pair of grey sweatpants, pulling on a maroon Blackwell Academy hoodie.

Alex frowned as she began preparing two new mugs. “I thought you hated that shirt.”

“I do hate it.” Steph dropped a pair of slippers on the floor, sliding her feet into them. “But I’m still cold, so I can’t afford to be picky.”

Jessie looked over as Steph sat back down. “What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s from my old high school.” Steph retrieved her mug from the floor as she answered. “Which I hate with a burning passion.”

“Why?”

“Jesus, how much time do you have?” Steph sipped from her mug before continuing. “For starters, it was the living definition of ‘classist’. The poor students on scholarships were under a microscope, while the rich kids and athletes could buy their grades and do whatever the hell they wanted.”

Jessie winced. “Which one were you?”

“I was an outlier. On account of being gay, a nerd, and selling bootleg DVDs at the same time.”

“Wow.”

“And our principal was a massive dickhead,” Steph added. “Guy was a raging alcoholic who drank in his office like it was an Olympic sport. You could get a measurable blood-alcohol level just by smelling his breath. And when he wasn’t getting loaded, he was yelling at poor students for stupid bullshit while letting the rich ones alternate between bullying and doing drugs by the truckload.”

Alex hummed as she finished making the drinks, walking over and handing Jessie a hot chocolate. “Sounds like a real stand-up guy.”

“When he was sober enough to be able to stand up. Oh, and I found out two years after I graduated that the photography teacher was basically a serial killer.”

Jessie blinked. “Wait, what?”

“Excuse me?!” Alex asked incredulously. “How have you never told me that your teacher was a serial killer?!”

“Well, that’s… not entirely true,” Steph allowed. “He just drugged teenage girls and took sick photos of them. One of the other students that he turned into a protégé killed for him.”

“You’ve still never talked about this before!”

“Because he was never my teacher. He wasn’t hired until the year after I graduated. I never even met the guy.” She bit her lip. “Also, the girl that they killed was a friend of mine. I don’t like talking about it.”

Jessie leaned forward. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure. They caught him the day before the town was hit with a tornado and practically wiped off the map, so there isn’t a ton of info available.” Steph sighed. “Which suits me just fine, because I really liked that girl, and I don’t want to know what that sick fuck and his student did to her.”

“I mean, are they still in jail?”

“Nope.” Steph looked at them both and smiled. “Karma’s a bitch, and those two got exactly what they deserved.”

Alex cocked her head as she turned one of the kitchen chairs around to sit on. “In what way?”

“They were locked up in the police station when the storm hit. And their cells were in the basement when the building flooded.” Steph leaned back into the couch with a wistful look on her face. “I like to imagine that the water level rose nice and slow, so they had time to realize that they were going to drown, and nobody was coming to save them. I hope they both cried like little girls.”

Jessie and Alex traded looks. That’s… disconcerting.

Leave it alone. It was her friend.

“So, yea. Fuck Blackhell.” Steph looked at Jessie. “How are things going with Ryan? You haven’t run screaming yet, so they must be at least okay.”

Okay, guess we’re done talking about that.

The blonde rolled her eyes. “I really don’t know why you give him so much grief. He’s a great guy.”

“Yea?”

“Definitely outshines everyone else I’ve dated.” Jessie paused. “Admittedly, the bar wasn’t really that high. But still.”

Steph smirked. “Have you two gone birdwatching yet?”

“A couple of weeks ago.” Jessie sipped from her mug before continuing. “I think we were up in the mountains for a few hours.”

Alex frowned. “You saw that many birds?”

“No, we only saw a few. But you have to be patient when birding.” Jessie shrugged. “It was still nice. We talked a lot, about him growing up here and me in Wyoming.”

Curiosity struck Alex. “Did he talk about his dad?”

“… a little. Once.” Jessie squirmed as she looked at her. “Enough that I, uh, know I shouldn’t mention him in front of you.”

Steph looked at Alex, too, as the black-haired girl shrugged. “I’m more-or-less over it.”

“Then you’re a lot more resilient than I am.”

“What about your family?” Steph interrupted quickly, ostensibly very interested in changing the subject. “Have you introduced him to them yet? Or made plans to?”

Jessie looked relieved to move on as well. “We Facetimed with my mom last week. She seemed to like him.”

“What about your dad? And brothers?”

“No, I don’t want to do that yet. Not that I’m worried about their reaction, but…” Jessie grimaced. “Look, I’m the youngest child and the only girl. Try and imagine how protective my dad and four older brothers are.”

Alex winced. “That bad?”

“I mean, you can’t pit an amateur boxer against an arena full of pros without some prep work.” She hesitated. “Not that Ryan couldn’t hold his own. But he at least needs to know what he’s walking into.”

Steph tilted her head. “Do they ALL work on your family’s ranch?”

“Yea. It’s the family business. Has been for three generations.” Jessie shrugged as she took another sip from her mug. “I’m the rebel who went to college and then left the state. We own something like twelve thousand acres.”

“Twelve THOUSAND?!” Steph gaped. “That’s bigger than Haven Springs!”

“I know.”

“And it’s all for raising cattle?”

“Most of it.” Jessie set her mug in her lap. “My family, plus my dad’s older brothers’, work it with a bunch of hired hands. And the whole family lives in houses on the property.”

Steph hummed. “Sounds like you guys make good money.”

Jessie snorted. “Not as much as you think.”

“Really?”

“I mean, the cattle business is lucrative, don’t get me wrong. But then you pay wages to my dad, four brothers, three cousins, sixty other employees, plus the cost of raising all those cattle… shit, try and imagine what twelve thousand acres of property taxes looks like.”

Alex twisted her face. “I’d rather not.”

“Yea. We aren’t poor, my family did pay tuition for me and my older cousin. But we’re hardly in the one-percent.” Jessie took a short breath. “I… have been thinking of asking Ryan if he’d come back with me for Christmas. But that would leave you by yourself for the bar, Alex, and I know Steph’s dad is coming out to see you guys.”

“Mm.” Alex leaned back in her chair. “Well, we have been considering hiring another bartender. If we can do that, it would give us both more free time.”

Jessie perked up. “Really?”

“We need to talk about it some more. But yea, totally.”

“If you did, would you be mad at me if we went to Wyoming for a week or so?”

Alex scoffed. “Of course not. Besides, I’ll still be here, living above the bar. I can help if need be.”

“I would totally owe you if you did.”

The radio behind them burped, reminding them all that it was there. “Pike, you out there?”

“Yea, Ryan, go ahead.”

“Do you know if the urgent care is open? And are they running ambulances?”

Alex sat upright. “Uh oh.”

“Yea, they’re open, but there’s no ambo services until the storm’s over. What’s wrong?”

“I’m at the Clark’s house. Tyler’s inhaler is frozen, he’s having trouble breathing, and Lindsey’s car won’t make it in this snow.”

“You’re gonna have to take him, Ryan. There’s no way they can come to you.”

“I’m about to, but I can only take the two of them in my truck. We can’t leave Kelly and Melissa by themselves, they’re only six and the house is freezing. How soon could you come and get them?”

“Not anytime soon. I’m on the other side of town. Can you get them to anyone nearby?”

“Tyler doesn’t have the time to wait, Pike. I have to leave right now.”

“Lindsey Clark only lives a few blocks from here,” Steph said quickly. “We could go get the twins.”

Alex nodded and grabbed the radio, pushing the transmit button. “Ryan, it’s Alex. We can go get them if you need us to.”

“You’d have to walk in the snow, Alex. It’s too dangerous.”

“It’s only a few blocks. And unless you have a better option, I don’t think we have a choice.”

The radio was silent for a few moments. “Okay,” he acquiesced. “But you guys need to hurry.”

Steph and Jessie were already standing up. “Let me get dressed really quick,” the brunette said.

“No. You already almost froze once today.” Alex nodded at Jessie, who grabbed her coat. “WE’RE going to get them. You stay here and keep the fire burning.”