Thunderstorm

Phoebe stood once again on the balcony of Maria's house on another dark New Year's Eve night watching the thunderstorm thrash through the sky and the rain beat the ground to mush. As another flash rocketed across the sky, she closed her eyes and wished, just like every other time. Although this time, she knew it wouldn't come true. She wished to be sat at her window again, to watch the rain fall and the lighting flash through the black sky, but she knew that she never would sit there again; not after everything that had happened. The storms didn't have the same effect on her any more anyway, all she saw was his face, his questioning eyes. She took a deep breath, smelling the fresh, musty scent of the night air, before attempting to head back inside to face everyone waiting for her, but her feet wouldn't move from their spot. She didn't want to see any of them, let alone speak to them and the feeling was probably very mutual. But here she was, trying to work up the courage to leave the thunder outside to face the thunder inside.

"You going to stand out here all night?" Phoebe jumped at the voice, her eyes widening at who had come to find her. James raised his eyebrow at her and waggled his fingers in a wave. Phoebe swallowed hard, her eyes moving from the floor to him and back.

"Didn't think someone would come find you?"

"Didn't think it would be you," She confessed turning back to stare into the storm. James bobbed his head a few times at his feet as they moved closer to Phoebe.

"Cause I hate you...right?" His question was answered with a huff of laughter, but nothing else. They stood in silence for a long moment, the rain serving as their white noise.

"You're being too hard on yourself, Phoeb," James' voice startled her again when he spoke. She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised defiantly at him as she scoffed.

"Am I now?" Answered with only a nod of his head, Phoebe turned to face him, a hand on her hip, her eyes like fire, "What the hell would you know about it?" James' own eyes hardened as they met her stern glare.

"I know overthinking and I know beating yourself up," he listed grimly, "And since Ben, you've been doing both." Phoebe tried to swallowed the giant lump in her throat but only managed a little as she shrugged her shoulder at him and turned back to face the storm.

"So?"

"So, none of it is your fault." Her hands gripped tighter around the railing as his words buried themselves into her heart and her walls threatened to burst.

"How can you after everything...everything I've put you though?" she croaked, turning slightly to watch his face. James only shrugged and smiled weakly at her.

"What can I say? I'm a big ol' marshmallow," he muttered, nudging her shoulder with his. Phoebe's barking laugh made him laugh a little himself.

"That's the last thing I would call you, James," she bit back, a tiny amount of humour in her voice.

"OK, fickle, pig-headed, old-fashioned, wrong most of the time," he marked each trait with a finger, "But not now." Phoebe rolled her eyes at him and pushed his shoulder, only for him to bounce back. They stood in silence again, James listening to the rain, and Phoebe finally turning her ears to listen to the bustling of everyone inside, fighting her battle between her head and her feet.

"They have some pretty good tarts inside, you know," James muttered, adding, "Apricot, Blackcurrent, Strawberry." A flash of lightning struck the smile from Phoebe's face as she swallowed hard.

"They don't want to see me," she told him sternly, shaking her head.

"And what makes you say that?" he countered immediately, trying to keep the mood light in the gloom.

"Did you see their faces when I came through earlier?" she cringed, "Noah didn't want to look at me, Jordan looked like he wanted to throw me against the wall, even Alex looked pale when he saw me." James shrugged at the last statement.

"No big change there then," he grumbled lightly, earning another shove from Phoebe. Once again, the smiles only lasted for a second before they stopped to listen to the pouring rain once again.

"Look, I know that your great and mighty plan didn't work, but we were meant to figure this out as a team, Phoeb. You know, how family is supposed to be?" James said carefully, "This one plan doesn't mean anything." Phoebe shook her head, her tears threatening to break through.

"It means that everything I did was a waste," her voice cracked as James' arm came to rest on her shoulders.

"Not everything," a voice from the door startled the both of them. They turned to find Alex leant against the door frame, arms crossed a small smile playing on her lips.

"I think we have something." With that, Phoebe's shoulders relaxed as she and James joined the party inside, ready to agree on a plan to save the world. Again.