Bottles of every size and colour lined the shelves behind her, glistening under the warm glow of naked light bulbs strung along the ceiling, and an old radio crooned forgotten country songs into the bustling atmosphere.

Her typically guarded brown eyes shone under the glow of the lights, flickering over each patron that approached her counter, passing out beers with a smile and a thank you. Her light brown hair fell past her shoulders in loose waves, a contrast against her black t-shirt that bore signs of wear - faded spots here and there and a rip along one sleeve that hinted at its age.

"Hey, Carter!" hollered a man from the corner of the bar, raising his empty beer bottle in an impatient gesture.

"Yeah, I see ya," Riley shot back without missing a beat, throwing the spill-stained dishcloth over her shoulder as she moved towards him, a playful roll of her eyes being sent in his direction as she exchanged it for a fresh one. "That's the last one tonight, Wayne. Closing up in five."

Even after five years of working here, Riley was still friendly with the rowdy regulars. Heck, even the old bar still brought her some excitement - the rough texture of the wooden counter under her fingers, the clink of glass bottles as they knocked against each other, the crisscross pattern of boot marks on the worn sawdust floor.

"Ain't gonna argue with that, Carty," Wayne chuckled, tipping his hat in respect before taking a long sip of his newly procured beer. Grinning, Riley shook her head at the old cowboy and turned to face the chaos around her. It was high time to start shutting down for the night. The once bustling rodeo bar was starting to empty out, the patrons slowly trickling away, their laughter echoing faintly as they stumbled into the cool Oklahoma night.

Riley moved methodically through the rounds; wiping down tables, stacking glasses, feeling the echo of her worn in boots against the planks of the wooden floor. She found herself humming along with an old Garth Brooks song on the radio as she worked, losing herself in the familiar melody.

The clang of an empty bottle hitting the inside of a trash can broke her reverie.

The last of her co-workers, a tall lanky fellow named Benny who always wore a faded Stetson way too big for his head, leaned lazily against a post as he watched her work. He rarely helped with closing and Riley had given up on making him years ago.

"Hey, Carty," Benny drawled out, a smirk playing on his lips as he twisted his oversized hat in his hands. "Apparently you've got company."

Riley paused in mid-swipe, turning her head slowly towards Benny. Her eyes narrowed slightly at the cryptic message, curiosity piqued despite herself. It wasn't often that someone waited out closing hours to see her.

"Who?" she asked cautiously, giving Maggie a skeptical sidelong look as she placed the rag back on the counter and mentally prepared herself for whatever – or whoever - was about to come her way. The man shrugged, flashing Riley a grin that spoke volumes about his own curiosity before motioning to the bullpen, one long figure leaning against the metal railings while the rest of the guests filtered out now the event was over.

"Why don't ya find out and let us all sleep easy?" He said with a chuckle before strolling towards the back door for his end-of-night smoke break.

Resisting the urge to throw her wet rag at his retreating back, Riley simply shook her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth despite herself. Benny knew how to rile her up.

She turned, dropping her rag and placing her arms on the wooden top before climbing over the bar and landing on the soft sawdust on the other side. The late-night mystery guest had their hands shoved deep into the pockets of a battered jean coat that was speckled with drops of an unexpected drizzle. A low baseball cap obscured their face, leaving an air of mystique that snagged Riley's curiosity tighter.

Riley came to a stop in front of her guest, crossing her arms over her chest in an unconscious defensive posture. She raised an eyebrow in silent question. The stranger straightened up slowly, removing their hat to reveal a face that sent Riley's heart into overdrive.

"Javi?" Riley's throat felt as dry as a summer drought in Oklahoma.

"Hey," Javi replied, a warm smile on his face as he held out his arms for her to step into a hug.

When Riley didn't move, he dropped them to his sides awkwardly. Unspoken tension hung between them like a storm cloud threatening rain.

Javi scanned her face for a moment, as if searching for an answer to an unasked question. Riley felt her own eyes narrow further, the surprise of his appearance quickly giving way to a mix of curiosity, confusion, and mild annoyance.

"Been a long time, Riles." Javi said, his tone soft, devoid of any arrogance she remembered him carrying all those years ago. The familiar nickname hung in the air, echoing around them like a reminder of days long past.

Riley looked him over, a jolt of nostalgia rushing through her. Javi was still tall and lanky as ever, with that same crooked grin that used to annoy her relentlessly. His hair was no longer the unruly mass of curls it one had been but was shorter and looked more tame - something that seemed almost too refined for the guy who spent his college years causing havoc on the back roads of their small town.

"What brings you here?" she said, motioning to the near empty rodeo with a sweep of her hand.

Javi shrugged, his eyes downcast for a moment before meeting hers. "Felt like it was time to come home."

Riley absorbed that without saying anything, studying his face in the dim lighting. He looked older, lines etched around his eyes that hinted at laughter and hardship in equal measures. His once lean face was now filled out slightly and speckled with stubbles of beard hair. His brown eyes, once full of boyish exuberance were now infused with a quiet maturity.

"Home," she finally echoed, tasting the word like it was something foreign to her palate. She glanced around at the rodeo – at the worn-out bar stools, at Benny leaning against a post smoking a cigarette, at Wayne who was still nursing his last beer of the night – and tried to imagine Javi fitting into this picture. It seemed too odd - especially after almost five years of this only being her home now.

"Riley..." Javi began hesitantly, shifting uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Why are you really here, Javi?"

Her eyes flickered over him once more as he struggled to string a sentence together, noticing that underneath his jean jacket he was wearing a crisp, white button up shirt. She'd never seen Javi in a shirt before - but a lot had changed from when she'd once known him.

Her eyes trailed over the words that she could just see from the edge of the jacket - Storm Par.

"Storm Par?" Riley's voice held a disbelieving edge, her brow furrowed slightly as she read out the visible words. Alarm bells rang in her head and a sudden chill spread through her. After all these years, it seemed like the past was intent on catching up with her.

Javi's face shifted from surprise to mild embarrassment as he zipped up his jacket with an apologetic shrug.

"I've been chasing storms," he said softly, meeting her gaze with an expression that was both apologetic and hopeful. "Well, not chasing - tracking. We have the ability to get 3D scans of a tornado now, and with you and Kate on board..."

Riley felt her eyebrows furrow deeper at his words; her distaste at the very concept evident on her face.

"I'm going to stop you right there," Riley snapped, no longer interested in what Javi had to say. "You show up here, after almost five years, wanting me to go and do the one thing that literally ruined my entire life? For what? To fulfil some little dream that you and Kate had? A dream, by the way, that ended my own dream."

"Look, I need your help," he added, ignoring the glare she had fixated on him.

"My help?" Riley asked incredulously, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. Out of all the things Javi could have said, this was the last thing she expected to hear.

"Yeah," he said sheepishly. "There's something going on with the weather patterns... something strange, and I figured since your sister is... I stopped by your house earlier and your mom told me she hasn't been around in a while. Said you worked here, and I thought if you were on board you could come with me..."

He trailed off awkwardly when Riley's expression hardened.

"Taking into consideration the fact that you and my sister are the ones who put me in this position, you figured I'd be the perfect one to help you out?" Riley finished bitterly. Javi winced at her tone.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly. "I just... I thought maybe she'd be interested in what's happening, and I knew you could get me in touch with her."

Riley waved him off without a single moment more, already turning to head back towards the bar. Her feet stomped on the sawdust as she walked away from him, ignoring his shouts of her name as she headed back to finish up closing the bar.

"Riley, I—"

His hand latched around her wrist.

"Don't!" Riley's voice was stony as she cut him off, snatching her wrist from his grip and causing him to stumble slightly. "Get the hell away from me, and go back to whatever corporate hell you've been living in. Listen to me Javi, because I'll only say this once..."

Javi winced as he waited for the final blow.

"You, Kate and all of your tornado chasing buddies can go and fuck yourselves."

And with that, Riley turned her back on him once more.

_____

FIVE YEARS PRIOR

_____

"Riley...Riley!"

The shrill sound of her name being called rang through Riley's ears, jolting her into a state of semi-consciousness. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she tried to respond, but all that escaped were stifled whimpers.

Riley's world was a blur of chaos and pain. She could hear voices surrounding her, commanding her to stay awake, but she couldn't find the strength to respond. Her mind was clouded by fear and confusion, unsure if this was reality or some twisted nightmare.

"Stay with us, Riley," one of the paramedics ordered with firm severity. His eyes – painfully blue beneath his furrowed brow – held hers with a desperate intensity. The ambulance jostled over the rutted road, each bump sending shocks of agony through every nerve in her body.

She could taste blood and dust in her mouth. Somewhere between her mind clouding over and the erratic beeping of the machines tethered to her body, she wasn't sure if she was even truly alive or if this was some sick nightmare.

"Do you feel this?" A paramedic asked over her half-conscious form, squeezing her arm gently.

She wanted to answer him – to tell him she could feel everything far too much. But all she could manage was a weak nod before darkness crept into her vision again. Back into consciousness. Back out. A repeating pattern so confusing that she wasn't sure if she was awake or not.

Her fingers flexed, reaching out for some semblance of control in their desperate search over roughened fabric – her mother's hand that held hers so tightly she thought it might break as well. Her mother's voice was a low hum vibrating against Riley's skin as she whispered reassurances that everything would be alright.

Riley could hear her mother's voice reaching out to her as if through a foggy tunnel, a distant echo filled with urgent worry. First responders mumbled in low voices, their grim features shadowed by the flashing red lights.

The pain in her shoulder and hip felt almost surreal, like she was hovering above herself, just watching it all play out. The immediate shock had worn off, and everything now felt amplified tenfold. The sensation of movement was disorienting as the ambulance rushed through the twisting back roads, every turn wrenching a groan from her.

As her mind slipped further into a foggy haze, she realized she'd lost track of where they were. One moment they were at the storm-chasing site, the next moment they were hurtling down a road slick with rain. She struggled to remember how she'd ended up in this ambulance. Bits and pieces came back to her—a violent gust of wind, debris flying everywhere, Kate's panicked shouts barely discernible over the roar of the storm...

The rest was a muddle of excruciating pain and brutal clarity: the sight of her own blood stark against her torn shirt; the sickening crunch of bones that should've stayed intact; the numbing realisation that she couldn't move her arm.

With great effort, Riley managed to open her eyes again. Her mother's face swam into focus above hers—lines creased deep with worry, eyes brimming with fearful tears but an unyielding determination etched across her features.

"Kate..." Her voice was weak, barely more than a whisper.

"Kate's okay, Riley," her mother reassured her, and Riley was sure her mouth kept moving after that but with no sounds. Kate was okay.

"Riley!" her mother's voice rang out again, echoing in the confined space of the ambulance as Riley's eyes had began to flicker shut again. "Stay awake, baby girl!"

Riley tried to latch onto the words, to respond, but it was increasingly difficult as darkness wrapped around her like a suffocating blanket. The pain was ebbing away, replaced by an ethereal numbness that scared her more than any physical hurt ever could.

Her breath hitched as a sudden wave of nausea washed over her. She tried to voice out what she was experiencing, but everything came out in nonsensical mumbles. A paramedic frowned at her before turning his attention back to the other first responders.

Suddenly there was more urgency – frantic commands and rapid movements around her fragile form. But Riley couldn't keep up; couldn't comprehend what was happening anymore. She wasn't sure whether it was seconds or minutes that passed by in a blurry haze of white and red lights before everything had went black.