Fix Me, Fix You: A Jesse Pinkman Story

Chapter Thirteen

Jesse found himself unable to sleep that night as the storm raged vehemently outside. The swirl of the hurricane covered them on the Weather Channel map, and there was nothing left to do but ride out the storm. He fell in and out of consciousness out of sheer boredom until a loud pop erupted throughout the house. All the lights quickly faded and the humming of the air conditioner and electricity whirred to a halt as the power went out.

Lia's frightened little voice rang out immediately after, screaming bloody murder for her aunt.

Jesse frowned at the thought of the terrified little girl waking up to total darkness. He hoped she had remembered to bring a flashlight with her to bed or that Jolie had remembered one for her.

Suddenly realizing he had forgotten to bring his own flashlight with him to his room, he groaned. Annoyed, he threw the covers off of his lower half then climbed out of bed. Moving cautiously, he made his way into the house, slowly feeling around for objects and furniture to guide himself through the darkness to his destination.

When he finally reached the kitchen, he could hear muffled voices upstairs. It sounded like Lia was upset and crying and Jolie was trying to console her.

He shuffled around with the flashlights and batteries, mentally scolding himself for waiting until it was already dark to set up his light. After four or five different tries, he finally got all the batteries properly into place and put the light back together then tested it to see if it worked.

When the light flickered on, it caught Jolie's attention as she walked from Lia and Lucy's room to her own.

"Hello?" She called in a semi-whisper from upstairs.

"Hey," Jesse mimicked her whisper from the kitchen. "It's just me. I forgot my flashlight earlier."

Happier than she would've liked to admit, she smiled at the sound of his hushed voice. Instead of walking back to her room, she ventured down the stairs to see the face she adored so much – the face that was on her mind constantly.

Jesse's face broke out into a full-blown smile when he heard her coming down the stairs. When she rounded the corner into the kitchen, he could barely see her face in the darkness but could make out her silhouette. Even her silhouette was beautiful.

"Is Lia okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," Jolie replied, walking over to him. "The noise freaked her out. This is the first bad storm they've experienced since the accident."

"Lucy's okay too?" He wondered.

"She handles it better than Lia, but her little face always looks so scared," Jolie sighed.

Jesse frowned. "They're brave little girls."

"They are," she agreed. "I think I'm gonna sneak out for a cigarette. You coming?"

"In this insane storm?" He wondered.

"We'll sit on the porch away from the rain," she laughed as she reached out and grabbed his hand, not taking 'no' for an answer.

He didn't mind one bit.

Though the porch was covered and they stood against the house, the wild wind managed to whip sprinkles of rain in their direction, misting them ever so slightly. It felt good in contrast to the humid heat, though it nearly put out their cigarettes more than once.

Out of seemingly nowhere, the wind and rain picked up significantly, nearly knocking them both to the ground. It frightened Jesse for a moment as he watched the nearby trees almost snap in half from the gusts.

"Yo, should we go back inside?" He wondered. His voice was full of concern.

"Wait," Jolie replied, knowing what was happening. "I want you to see this."