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Thunder boomed, rattling the window panes in their neat white frames. The sky was dark, despite the fact that it was still early afternoon. Clouds were covering the sky in a thick black and gray blanket. Every twenty seconds or so, the edges of them illuminated with silver and white as lightning split the sky in its ghostly spiderweb.
Lorraine leaned against the kitchen countertop, her elbows resting on the window sill so she could prop her head up. A small smile tugged at her lips as thunder rumbled again, rain pattering heavily on the roof in quarter-sized drops.
It was beautiful, she thought breathlessly. Especially by the candlelit glow due to the lack of power from the storm. Ed was frustrated by it of course, worried that he’d knock over the candle and set his paperwork on fire and have to stomp it out, since the lamp wouldn’t work. But Lorraine loved it. The golden light, the ambience, it was all so perfect. And romantic, she’d told Ed, but he hadn’t seen the appeal.
“Still storm watching?” He sighed, coming into the kitchen. She turned around, smiling. “You don’t like it?”
“I think it’s cute,” Ed smiled, shaking his head. “But the storm is so loud, and that lightning looks pretty close.” His eyes drifted to the window, looking almost paranoid.
“Are you scared?” She teased lightly, smiling wider. It felt good to just act normally around Ed, without him feeling he had to walk on eggshells. She knew what had happened after Maurice had worried him, but she was alright now.
“Scared?” Ed looked very offended. “Of course not! It’s just some lights in the sky!”
Lorraine tried to stifle her smile. “Okay, okay, I get it. You’re not scared at all; very macho.”
Ed glowered at her. “That’s not funny!”
“What? I’m being serious!” She said, still smirking. He glared harder, if possible, and she almost busted out laughing. To her it was almost as adorable as Ed thought it was when she pouted.
“No, you’re mocking me, and I refuse to stand here and take this kind of verbal abuse.” Even he cracked a small smile at how ridiculously defensive he sounded.
She rolled her eyes playfully. “Okay, Mr Masculinity. If you’re so sure, why don’t you grab a metal stick and wave it around in the backyard? I’m sure you’d be fine.”
Ed chuckled. “I love how casually you suggest that I go electrocute myself.” Thunder boomed, rattling the window panes violently. Ed tensed just the slightest bit. Completely unnoticeable if you weren’t Lorraine Warren.
That was her real gift: knowing Ed better than herself. Being able to read him like a book. She reached out for his hand, tangling their fingers together, so you couldn’t tell where her hand began and his ended. He squeezed her hand softly, as though he were the one comforting her, though Lorraine knew it was his way of seeking comfort from her without asking.
“It’s just a storm,” she said lightly, but not condescendingly. Despite her jokes, she wasn’t giving him a hard time. After everything they’d been through, it was reasonable for their fears to manifest in places that didn’t have to do with the paranormal.
“I know,” he sighed. “Come on,” she tugged on his hand, leading him to the living room. “What are you up to?” He asked her, and she smiled wryly. “Telling would be no fun,” she informed him. He rolled his eyes.
“You’re just full of surprises today, aren’t you?”
She laughed at his comment, releasing his hand and moving over to the record player. It wouldn’t work, she realized, because the power was out. But they did have an old radio from before they got their record collection.
She tuned it quickly, getting static on most stations because of the cloud cover. Finally, she found a suitable slow song, and turned the volume dial up a few notches.
Judy was napping in her room by now, meaning they had all the time in the world for her to keep his mind off the weather raging beyond, without interruption.
Lorraine turned back to face him, the melody of the tinny radio filling the room with soft-spoken words and steady strumming of a guitar. She reached her hand out to his again, smiling softly in the golden glow of the flickering candle flames.
The light seemed to form a halo around them as Ed took her hand and pulled her close. The storm and the thunder and rain and lightning all faded and slipped into the background of their little oasis of magic and peace.
They danced, spinning and smiling and holding each other close. Ed closed his eyes and lost himself in the moment with his wife and the perfectly obscure song that he wasn’t sure anyone had ever heard before. But as he’d said, it was perfect.
Everything was just perfect with Lorraine around.
It was exactly what he needed.
Always and Forever.