Title: Keeps on Raining, Part III
Characters: Cameron, Summer, James & Beatrice, Hayley, Will, and Evie; Jimmy; Robert
Word Count: 4051
Rating: PG-13 [language]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: Summer has difficulty leaving New Orleans. James worries about his mother. Cameron resorts to Jimmy's help to rescue his wife and child. Summer & Evie make new friends. The storm is coming. Canon with my epic. Contains spoilers.




Saturday, August 26th, 2005
New Orleans, LA

Passing the nearest gas station to the house, unsurprised that it was abandoned and empty, Summer worried that they would run out of gas before finding an open pump. Each passing minute made it much more unlikely she would find any gas at all and then miss the flight out of New Orleans. If that happened... she supposed she could phone Jimmy for the jet, but she really did not want to. She just wanted to get home to her husband.

As that thought crossed her mind, the car began to stutter. Summer's eyes widened, flicking between the fuel gauge and up the road – at another closed gas station. They were screwed, completely screwed.

“Let me talk to Daddy,” Summer held out her hand as the car shuddered to a halt and turned off.

“Daddy, Mommy is going to talk to you now,” Evelyn declared before handing the cell phone over.

“Cam? We have a problem,” she stated.

“Oh no. What?”

She leaned her head back on the headrest, her eyes going to the ceiling of the car, “No gas.”

“Fuck.”

“I tried the nearest station. It was empty. On our way to the next one, the car died,” she explained, glancing over at Evelyn. “And I can see it's empty at the end of the street anyways. I don't know what to do now, Cam.”

He sighed, “Give me a minute to think.”

“Mommy, I thirsty,” Evelyn announced.

Opening a bottle of water for the young girl, Summer handed it over with a smile. The girl gulped it for a minute before returning it to her mother. Ruffling the girl's dark brown curls, Summer screwed the cap back on, place the bottle back in the cupholder.

“Cam?”

“Shit. I don't know. Flag down another car.”

She sighed, “Okay. I'm going to hang up and figure something out. We'll call you once we do. But Cam... I don't know if we'll make the flight.”

“Then we'll call Jimmy and get you out of there that way. We will get you out, Summer. No doubt in my mind.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. I'll talk to you soon.”

Turning to Evelyn again, she leaned over and kissed her daughter's forehead, “Stay right here, sweetie. Mommy's going to get us out of here. Keep the doors locked.”

Yanking her keys out of the ignition, Summer got out of the car, locking the doors in the same motion. She stood by the car for a minute, looking both ways down the street. Letting full cars drive pass without even considering flagging them down, she hoped for a car with at least enough room for her to sit in with Evie in her lap would appear. Any way to get out of New Orleans.

After more than a dozen cars drove by without stopping – a few that pointedly ignored Summer's waving – one finally stopped. A handsome black man rolled down his window as the mini van approached the blond woman. Their eyes connected and before he even spoke, Summer knew this was the one.

“Hi,” she smiled, as the van stopped. “I have my three-year-old daughter with me. We ran out of gas before being able to find an open gas station. I can pay for anything, gas, food, lodging, whatever. If we could just... get a ride anywhere safe.”

“Hey there, darlin’,” he smiled. “I’ve got room for two more. Grab your little one and hop on in.”

Relief filled Summer’s face, “Thank you so much.”

Turning back to her car, she unlocked the door as the man’s teen son climbed out of the van to help get their luggage. Summer pushed the interior button to open the trunk before reaching for her daughter’s seatbelt. Unbuckling Evelyn, she pulled her out of the car and set her down. Quickly retrieving her purse, her daughter’s elephant, and her small airplane bag, she glanced as the teen loaded the two suitcases into the back of the van. He then climbed into the very back seat, leaving the front passenger seat and the nearest to the sliding door in the middle open.

After buckling Evelyn into the back seat and pressing the stuffed elephant into her arms, Summer kissed her quickly and slid the door closed. Quickly jumping into the vacant seat, she smiled once more at the kind stranger.

“Thank you again, so much,” she muttered, snapping her seatbelt. “I don’t know what we would have done...”

“Ain’t no worry,” he smiled, putting the van into gear. “Name’s Dean Rafferty. My little girl is Lydie. And the two boys in the back are Sam and Alan.”

“I’m Summer Crowe and she’s Evelyn,” she glanced back at her daughter who softly spoke to the girl next to her, apparently introducing the elephant. “How old is Lydie?”

“She’ll be four in November.”

“Evie will be four in December,” she grinned, turning back to face forward. 

“She your only?” he asked conversationally, easing back into the stream of traffic headed to the highway.

“No. My eldest lives and works in New York. And my other two are with my husband... in... California,” she realized she needed to call Cameron in that moment. “Not that it matters that much to me, but where are you heading? I need to call and let my husband know.”

“No worries, darlin’,” he glanced sideways at her, another grin on his face. “We be going to Baton Rouge. We got some family there.”

“Great. Thank you. If you’ll excuse me,” she dug her cell phone out and quickly pressed Cameron’s number.

“Summer? What’s going on? Where are you? Are you okay?”

She smirked, “We’re fine. We’re heading to Baton Rouge with a Mr. Dean Rafferty and his three beautiful children.”

“Oh thank God. How long do you think it will take to get you there? Can he drop you off at the airport in Baton Rouge?”

“Take a breath, Cameron. We’re okay. We’re going to be okay.”

“Summer... baby...”

“I know, sweetheart. But we’re going to be okay.”

He sighed, “When will you be in Baton Rouge?”

“I’d say two hours at least with the traffic,” she glanced ahead at the congested highway. “Traffic is moving, but slowly.”

“So... two o’clock? Three o’clock?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll call you when I get closer, okay? I don’t want to run out of battery before then.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Will you call Jimmy and let him know?”

Cameron groaned, “Fine.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”



Staring at the television screen, James lost focus on the latest update on the storm roaring towards his mother. He was unable to think anything except... the mortality of his mother. Never before had he really considered Summer anything but immortal. Not only did she not look her forty-five years, but she had already triumphed over so much: the tragedy of losing her half brothers and sisters to the compound fire and thinking she lost her mother as well, the stillborn child prior to his birth, the death of Bonham and the ripples it caused throughout her life, the heartaches caused by his father and subsequently by Robert as well. That alone was more than anyone should have to deal with, especially his mother. The universe seemed a cruel place to be hurling breast cancer and a hurricane at her simultaneously. It was too much for him to process; how could she?

A hand on his shoulder shocked him back into the moment. His eyes went first to the television screen, second to his girlfriend. Though he forced a smile, he could not disguise the worry in his dark eyes. However, Beatrice smiled warmly and leaned down, kissing him gently.

“She’s going to be okay,” she commented softly.

“God I hope so,” he muttered. “I don’t know what I’d do without...”

“Your dad and Jimmy won’t let that happen. You know they’ll move the world to save her,” Beatrice pointed out.

“Jimmy has failed her many, many times.”

She moved around the sofa and slipped into his lap, “But your dad never has.”

His arms settled naturally around her, “What if he does? He can’t stop a hurricane, not even with as much as he loves her.”

“No, he can’t. But he will do everything to get her out of harm’s way. I know you trust him, Jamie. Your mom is going to be just fine. I’m sure of it.”

He sighed again, “I just...”

“Your mother is strong and resourceful. She has Evie with her too. We both know she would walk through fire for any of you kids,” Beatrice pointed out. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“I don’t know...”

“It’s been awhile since you talked to anyone. Why don’t you call your dad and get an update on the situation? He’ll probably tell you that she’s flying back to California right now.”

“Okay,” James agreed and reached for his cell phone, keeping one arm wrapped around Beatrice to keep her in his lap.

“Hello?” Cameron answered a moment later.

“Hey, Dad. I... I haven’t heard anything from or about mom since a text earlier today. Is everything... okay?”

“Oh shit. I’m sorry. I should have called you.”

James sat up straight, nearly dumping Beatrice onto the floor, “What? What happened?”

“She wasn’t able to get to the airport. But she should be reaching Baton Rouge soon. I hope to get her on a flight out of there as soon as possible.”

“So she’s getting out of New Orleans?”

“Yes. She and Evie are going to be safe.”

He sighed in relief, “I should let you go then, in case she calls. Let me know as soon as you do, Dad?”

“Will do. Hopefully I’ll call back soon.”

Beatrice wiggled out of James’s lap, “There you go. Everyone is going to be fine. How about we go find some lunch?”

“I don’t know that I could even eat.”

“I’ll go get it and bring it back here. Maybe hot dogs?”

He smirked, “Did I ever tell you how my mom and Cameron met?”



Staring at his Blackberry, Cameron sighed. He had only received a single text from Summer, telling him they were outside of New Orleans and that she loved him. It had calmed him slightly, but he really needed to talk to her, to hear her voice, to tell her again how much he loved her. There had not been many times in the thirty years of knowing each other when he couldn’t call her on the phone. He knew nothing was keeping him from that, other than the threat of her cell phone battery dying on her. He could wait.

Besides, he did not have good news anyways. Despite all his efforts, Cameron could not get his girls on a plane until late the following day. The mayor of New Orleans had issued a voluntary evacuation a few minutes ago, instantly lighting more worry in the filmmaker. He knew his wife and daughter were already out of immediate harm’s way, but for all he knew, Baton Rouge could be hit as well. He needed to have them both home and safe.

Suddenly remembering that Summer asked him to call and inform Jimmy of her change of plans and that he had a jet waiting for her in New Orleans, Cameron groaned. Clearly the solution to his problem lay before him. If he wanted to be certain his two loves were safe, he would have to work with Jimmy.

Sucking up his pride, he reached for the house phone, not wanting to tie up his cell phone on the off-chance Summer called. He pulled her small, handwritten phone book out of a nearby drawer, and flipped open to Jimmy’s page. Taking a deep breath, he carefully dialed the international number. Part of him hoped the call would go unanswered. The rest of him knew it was his best chance at getting his wife and daughter home, damn it all.

“Hello?” a feminine voice answered.

Not expecting a woman, Cameron paused much longer than he should have, “Um, hello. I’m trying to reach Jimmy. I think I have the wrong number.”

“No, no. I’ll get him. One mo’.”

Shaking his head, he waited until Jimmy greeted him, “Uh, hi, it’s Cameron. Summer wanted me to call you and let you know what’s going on.”

“I presume she is on a plane bound for California.”

“Not precisely. But that’s exactly what I need to happen and I need your help to do so.”

“Oh really now?”

He sighed, “Look, this isn’t about you or about me or any of our history. It’s about getting Summer to safety. I can’t get her on a flight from Baton Rouge until late tomorrow. You have a private plane waiting for her to show up in New Orleans. Clearly the solution to the problem is–”

“Consider it done.”

He sighed in relief, “Really?”

“I want her safe just as much as you do, Crowe. I will see that it’s taken care of. Give her my regards.”

Hanging up the phone a moment later, he stared at it incredulously. Even though by all reports Jimmy was happily married, Cameron always felt uneasy with his seemingly unending possessiveness of Summer. While he recognized they had a child and therefore a forever connection, he did not like relying on the guitarist at all. In any other circumstance, he would have turned away from Jimmy’s assistance. But it was for Summer’s safety. That was paramount.

Picking up his Blackberry, he quickly texted Summer, informing her that a private plane would be waiting for her and Evie at the airport. He smiled as his phone quickly beeped with a reply, instantly smoothing his nerves with a promise to call once she was at the Baton Rouge airport. His queen was coming home, safe and sound. Everything was going to be okay, finally.



As the van pulled up at the smaller airport, Summer’s blue eyes went Dean, “Are you sure? You and your family are certainly welcome to stay with us in California. We have the space. It’s the least I can do.”

“I appreciate it, darlin’, but I think it’d be best if we hunker down with family,” he responded.

“Okay,” she glanced back at the two girls who seemed to already have become friends. “But if you change your mind...”

“I have your cell number,” Dean declared.

Summer reached for her purse, pulled out her wallet, and emptied it of cash, “It’s about four hundred dollars. I want you to have it.”

“Oh no,” he held up his hand, refusing to accept the bills. “I can’t.”

“You will,” she pressed the bills against his palm. “You saved me and my daughter. And I’ve got a feeling you will need it more if you stay behind than I ever will.”

“I...”

Summer held his gaze, her determination shining in her eyes.

“Thank you,” his hand folded over the money. “Truly.”

The adults climbed out of the minivan a minute later. Summer quickly hugged the tall man before turning to help Evelyn out of the vehicle while Dean retrieved their luggage from the trunk. Thanking the older boys for their funny stories on the drive to Baton Rouge, she settled her daughter on her hip and waved at Lydie. Surprising to Summer, Evelyn instantly held out her beloved Ellie.

“Evie?”

“Ellie wants to stay with Lydie,” she declared.

Her eyes flicked from her daughter to the other girl and back again, “Are you sure?”

“He protect her. Daddy will protect us.”

Summer lifted the stuffed elephant out of her daughter’s hands and offered it to the girl still buckled in the van. The young girl hesitated for a moment before accepting the stuffed animal. Her large brown eyes went to Evelyn, looking for some unspoken toddler signal that it was okay. A moment later she hugged the stuffed elephant tightly.

“What do you say, Lydie?”

“Dank you,” she muttered. “I take real good care of him.”

“Bye-bye, Lydie!” Evelyn waved before Summer turned towards Dean.

“Thank you again,” she stated softly.

“It seems our paths were destined to cross.”

“I hope they do again,” she smiled. “If you need anything...”

“I know. Go fly to that worried husband of yours,” he stated.

“Thank you,” she hugged him with one arm before setting her daughter down.

Suitcases in hand after slipping the small backpack over Evelyn’s shoulders, Summer led her daughter into the airport. After briefly inquiring for directions to the private check-in, she made her way to the waiting private jet. Lifting her daughter up the steps after leaving their luggage with the flight crew, she shook her head. The plane had Jimmy’s signature all over it. From the soft shag carpet to the richly upholstered seats, it was opulent and in her mind excessive. Whatever it took to get back to her husband, she was willing to bear.

“We are cleared to take off once you are ready, Mrs. Crowe,” the pilot declared as Summer situated her daughter in one of the seats.

“Thank you. Let me just call my husband and let him know we made it to the plane safely. How long do you think the flight will be?”

“I expect the flight to Los Angeles to be four-and-a-half hours,” he responded.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “This will be a brief call.”

He nodded, “We will depart soon.”

Flipping open her phone, Summer smiled at the wallpaper image of her and Cameron together. Just knowing she would soon be back in his arms made her soul feel lighter. Her thumb hovered over the ‘2’ briefly before pressing and holding the number down. Watching the screen change to dialing, she lifted the phone to her ear, her heart fluttering slightly.

“Hi, love,” she quickly greeted.

“Summer, I miss you. Are you okay?”

She smiled and slipped into the seat next to Evelyn, “We’re good. We’re on... I presume this plane is Jimmy’s doing from the look of things. We should be in LA in four-and-a-half hours.”

“I will be there. Summer...”

“I know, sweetheart. I know. But this is almost over. You’re not going to guess what Evie did.”

“Is she okay?”

She reached over and tickled the young girl, “She is. She gave Ellie to the girl we rode with here.”

Cameron was silent for a moment, “Really?”

“Yep. So I guess this means we’ll have to find some sort of a replacement.”

“Whatever she wants.”

“I’m going to get off the phone now that the plane has started up. We’ll be home before eight, LA time. Think of where you’re taking us to dinner,” she teased.

“Done. I love you, Summer.”

“I love you too, Cameron. I’ll see you soon.”



With a small bundle of flowers and a small stuffed cat, Cameron paced nervously in the waiting area of the airport. Though he briefly considered tossing celebrity around to be able to meet his wife and daughter at the plane, he opted out. Instead, he avoided the crowd, finding an empty location to worry about their arrival. He knew he had nothing to worry about. They were on the plane and it would arrive any moment. Yet he knew his fears would not truly disappear until his arms circled his girls.

Pacing the length of the waiting area once more, Cameron jumped when his Blackberry buzzed in his pocket. Quickly shifting the stuffed animal to the same hand as the flowers, he pulled the device out. A smile lit his face upon seeing a text from Summer. Struggling to open it, he scanned the message before turning to the gates. Minutes passing felt like hours. She was so close; he could practically feel her.

His brown eyes landed on her figure stuck behind a small crowd. Not caring about anything at all, he shoved his phone back into his pocket and hurried through people to the exit. Their eyes connected a moment before she reached the glass doors and his heart stopped. She made it quickly through the doors and the seemingly million people between them, their daughter on her hip. He ignored the small gifts in his hands and quickly embraced both, his lips brushing Summer’s.

“I was so worried,” he muttered into her hair.

“We’re safe. We’re home. We’re safe,” she responded softly.

“DADDY!” the little girl chirped.

Trading the flowers for the little girl, he grinned, kissed her forehead, and offered the small stuffed animal, “Mommy said you gave Ellie up, so I thought this would be okay to take his place until we find something special.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she grinned, hugging the small stuffed cat. “I misseded you.”

“I missed you too,” he squeezed her again. “Are you hungry? Do you want to go have some dinner before we go home?”

Evelyn nodded eagerly, “I only had crackers on the plane.”

“Oh no!” Cameron responded, shifting her to his hip so his arm could slip around Summer’s waist. “Let’s go grab your suitcases and then get some dinner.”

After dinner out, joined by the two teenagers, the family returned home. Hayley and Will retreated to their bedrooms after hugs from their little sister and mom, leaving their parents tucking the toddler into her bed. With kisses, cuddles, and a bedtime story, Evelyn snuggled down in her bed, allowing the two adults to tiptoe out the door. They retreated to their bedroom at the end of the hallway. Though Summer wanted to know what happened in New Orleans, her thoughts swirled around her husband as his arms circled her.

“I was so worried,” he muttered before kissing her.

“I know. But I knew you wouldn’t give up on us. I knew we would be home safe,” she breathed. “I knew I would be back in your arms.”

Cameron kissed her deeply, “I never want to go through that again.”

“I don’t either.”

“Summer... they called for a voluntary evacuation today before you got on the plane. If you were still there...”

“Shhhh,” she placed her fingers on his lips. “We’re not. We’re home with you. Just where we belong.”

“But–”

“We’re home, safe and sound,” she declared, removed her fingers, and kissed him. “All because of you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Cam. So much.”

“I–”

“Mommy? Daddy?” Evelyn’s little voice came from the door.

Both turned to see their youngest standing at the entrance to the master suite, her brown curls messily framing her worried face. Without pause, Summer pulled out of Cameron’s arms and approached their daughter, squatting before her. The little girl released the door handle and instantly threw her arms around her mother’s neck. Standing up, she carried Evelyn over to the large bed and quickly tucked her in the monster-free bed. Understanding the young girl would be joining them for the night, each parent changed into their nightclothes in the bathroom, separately, before climbing into the bed on either side of her. They both kissed her cherubic cheeks and settled down to sleep. Evelyn rolled over, cuddling with Summer, her cheek pressed to Summer’s left breast.

Sighing, Cameron leaned over and kissed his wife before reaching over to turn off the bedside lamp, “I love you, Summer. Forever.”