"Logan?" I leaned out the truck window, watching him pump gas.
"Yeah?" He grunted.
"Can I run across the street?"
He looked over, then back at me. "Whatcha need at a pawn shop, kid?"
"The sign says books. I'll just be right over there. I won't even go inside."
He didn't say anything, so I cheated and gave him The Look.
"Please, Logan?" I asked.
"I better be able to see you at all times, you got it kid?" He tried to act tough, like he hadn't just caved.
"Yes, Logan." I replied in my best good girl voice.
He grunted and opened my door, helping me out of the truck. He'd started doing that ever since my birthday, and it made me smile every time. I knew he wasn't the type to do something like that normally, and I felt special. I gave him a quick hug before I ran off, only slowing down to check both ways before I crossed the street.
There were several other large pickup trucks parked near the pawn shop, which had bars on the windows. It wasn't exactly a welcoming sight, and had no ideas of going back on promise. I stayed outside the shop, just browsing through the tables set up on the outside, underneath a grimy pavilion that had barely staved off the recent snow. I opened the box next to the sign and sighed grimly when I saw that most of the books were warped and water damaged. What would possess the owner to just leave them out in the snow like this?
One title caught my eye, A Hard Knight, written in loopy script. I always was a sucker for a good pun, so I pulled it out and read the back cover.
Forced by her family to give up the newborn son she had out of wedlock, Elaine faked her death in order to search for him. But she finds only the charred ashes of the monastery he was sent to. Her only hope is that she didn't find his body, and he had been adopted before the fire. Unable to give up her search, she poses as a peasant boy and healer in order to safely travel in medieval Britain. But when the wounded knight she healed in exchange for food turns out to be the bastard Prince Mordred, she gets more than she bargained for...and a clue to her son's true whereabouts.
My heart clenched. A mother searching for her abandoned child hit...well, it hit close to home. Right at my home actually, or more accurately, lack thereof. And I loved historical fiction. I flipped the book over to look at its price sticker and nearly dropped it when I saw the cover. I guess Mordred really was a...ahem...hard knight. And I don't mean tough. Although he did look that too, with his broad shoulders and cut abs and erm, broadsword. And weren't knights supposed to wear armor or at least...clothes?
Plus, I was pretty sure Logan's muscles were bigger. Wolvie snickered in my head.
"Nice choice, sweetie."
I jumped about a foot and whirled around, while at the same time trying desperately shove the book back into the box and out of sight. A large man loomed in front of me, so tall I had to crane my neck to look up at him.
"Ah-Ah was jus' lookin'." I stuttered.
"If it's a big ole man you wanna look at, sweetie...I gotcha." He leered, taking a step closer.
I took a step back, practically sitting on the table. His arms did look pretty big...but then again, so did his stomach. He looked like a bear that was only just squeezed into human form, and I didn't like the way he said that last part. Wolverine was in full agreement, snarling at the man and ordering me to call for Logan. I opened my mouth, but another voice cut me off.
"Back the fuck off, bub. She's with me."
I broke away from the table and ran to Logan, slipping behind him. I probably could have run away from the creep on my own or at the very least, hit him with a jolt of poison skin, but I really didn't want his voice in my head. And Logan looked so good standing there in his leather jacket, chomping on an unlit cigar, just when I needed him.
"Hey, like the girl said, I was just looking." The creepy bear man said.
"Yo, Sid. You got a problem?" Another man asked, stepping out of a pick up truck.
"Naw. Got a real pretty sweetheart. 'Cept little man here says she's his." Sid replied.
The other man walked over from our left, blocking the way back to the truck. Wolverine growled at me to back up and let Logan handle them until the coast was clear for me to make a run for it.
"That a fact? Huh. Guess we should teach him a lesson."
I tugged on Logan's sleeve. "Want meh tah hold yah jacket, sugah? Blood doesn't come outtah leather real easy."
Logan looked down at me and raised an eyebrow, then shrugged out of his jacket. I grabbed it and followed Wolverine's advice, backing up slowly and keeping Logan between me and the other men.
"Lookit that! Little man thinks he's tou—"
Logan stepped forward and straight kicked the man in the balls. He doubled over, and Logan punched him to the ground, then caught Sid's arm before his punch could land. My butt hit another table, and I turned around, looking across the table and hoping to find a knife or something on sale in case one of them made it over here—
Not gonna fuckin' happen, kit.
Or if there was a third one. Wolverine stayed silent in agreement at that, and I grabbed at the first silver gleam I saw buried among the junk, but all I pulled out was an old gameboy. Someone screamed behind me, and I started to turn and look, but then the game cartridges caught my eye. They had the original Yellow, where you got Pikachu as your starter.
The fuck kitling?! Make sure there's no one else and get yer ass back to the truck!
I looked up and around the parking lot, but I didn't see any other creeps. I heard a crack from behind me and turned around to see Logan twisting one of the guy's arms at an angle that just seemed wrong, then shove him to the ground. The other man tackled him, and they both went down, but once they were on the ground, the larger man didn't have a height advantage anymore. Logan flipped them over in seconds and started slugging him in the face.
See Wolvie? Logan clearly has this covered.
From now on, ya carry yer goddamn knife on ya, not jest in ya backpack.
Agreed.
I grabbed the cartridge and rooted through the table to see if there were any more games, keeping a careful hold on Logan's jacket. I found Red and Blue, but nothing else. The gameboy was twenty bucks and the games were marked as five dollars each. Thirty five dollars wouldn't be too much, right? And then I'd have something to do while Logan went out, because frankly, it got kind of boring sometimes.
Several loud thumps and what sounded like metal bending, and when I turned back around, the two jerks were both on the ground and their truck had several head sized dents in it. Logan had blood on his knuckles and splattered on his shirt, so it was a good thing I took his jacket. I'd have to wash his shirt and probably his wife beater too. His eyes gleamed, almost entirely golden.
I walked over and picked his cigar off the ground, then handed it and his jacket to him. He shrugged his jacket on and put the cigar in an inside pocket. One of the guys started to twitch, and Logan casually turned and kicked him in the head. When he turned back, I hugged him, carefully avoiding the blood stains. He kept his hands at his sides and didn't hug me back.
His blood's still up, kit. Give Logan a moment to come back.
Should I stop?
No, there's still a lotta me in his eyes. I like it when ya touch me. It'll calm him down to know yer safe.
I nuzzled into his neck and Logan...or maybe it was Wolverine...growled softly in approval. His hands stayed at his sides though. I could hear his heart thumping loudly and quickly in his chest. Finally, it slowed and he hugged me back. When I lifted my head, his eyes were hazel again. He dropped his hands, and I stepped back while he cleared his throat.
"Whatcha got there, kid?" He asked, voice deep and husky.
"I found a gameboy!" I said, unable to keep from grinning excitedly.
"The fuck kid?! Yer too goddamn young fer that shit!" He growled.
I gaped at him. "What?"
He grabbed the gameboy out of my hands and examined the screen, then mashed a few buttons. When it didn't turn on, he glared at me and pointed at the screen.
"Is this where ya watch the porn?" He demanded.
"Watch the..."
In desperate confusion, I turned to Wolvie in my mind and just barely skimmed over his thoughts to figure out what was going on. He reluctantly provided images of busty, scantily clad or even naked young women strutting around wearing bunny ears. He thought my gameboy was a playboy.
The thought was too much, and my jaw dropped even lower even as a blush worked its way across my face. A laugh threatened to get out, but all I could make for several seconds was a choked noise. Then it broke free, and I started laughing so hard I couldn't keep my eyes open. Logan was just too adorable—like a grumpy old man who didn't know how to work a computer.
"Is...is this where...you watch...the porn?" I gasped out through my laughter.
Logan growled at me, his face the perfect picture of angry, suspicious confusion. It only made the situation funnier, and I had to grab onto him to keep from collapsing completely. He let me hold on, but kept up the low growl until I finally managed to straighten back up and calm down.
"No, Logan. That's...a gameboy. What you're thinking of...is a playboy. Totally different." I said, still giggling a bit.
He frowned and examined the gameboy again, then looked back up at me. I thought I saw a hint of a blush across his cheeks, but his muttonchops were so big it was hard to tell.
I giggled again. "You're so cute, Logan."
"I just beat the ever-lovin' shit outta these two, and I'd like to get going before the cops get here. Just...take yer damn...thing." He snapped, shoving the gameboy back in my hands.
"It's a gameboy, sugah. An' yah know that bah cute, Ah meant, manly as hell." I said, smiling up at him.
He snorted and grabbed my waist, opening the door and guiding me into the pawn shop. We didn't make it very far though. The moment we stepped in, the owner started yelling at us.
"I already called the cops, and they'll be here in ten minutes! Get out of here!" He shouted, cringing back behind the counter.
"Aw, fuck. C'mon, kid." Logan growled.
"But—"
"Get back, I have pepper spray!" The owner screamed.
Logan shoved me back out the door, and I didn't protest this time. Guess the thirty five dollars wouldn't be a problem after all. Logan kept his hand around my waist and a steady pace as we walked back to the truck. We were out of the town in seven minutes, but I was too busy trying to capture a Pidgey to pay attention. When the pokeball wiggled three times and let it go, I swear I nearly punched out the window.
"You alright there, kid?" Logan asked.
"Ah'm. Having. Fun." I snarled through gritted teeth and threw another ball.
"You don't look like you're having fun."
The ball stopped after the second wiggle and the Pidgey escaped.
"Yah don't even know what fun is!" I shouted.
Logan looked over at me and narrowed his eyes. "Ya wanna rethink that fuckin' tone, kid?"
I blushed and winced, instantly apologetic. "Ah'm sorry. Ah jus' get...competitive."
He raised an eyebrow. "Better...what's your game about?"
"Well, you get a starter Pokemon and you use it to capture other, wild Pokemon and—"
"The fuck are Pokemen?"
I just looked at him, and he stared blankly back. I felt like Logan was the type of person that if I told him to open a window on the computer, he would get up and open an actual window. In short, there was no hope.
"Uhh...never mind. Jus'...I'm..." A thought clicked, and I went with it. "I'm hunting things and trying to catch them. But it's not working out very well for me right now."
"Try setting a trap." He suggested.
"No, Logan. Yah can't...it's not like..." I trailed off and stared at him in pity.
"I'm never gonna understand this, am I?"
"...probably not."
He grunted and looked back at the road. "Just keep it down over there."
I nodded and went back to my gameboy. A moment later, the guilt got to me and I looked back at Logan and hugged him.
"Thanks, sugah. Ah'll wash yeh shirts at the motel."
He shifted and wrapped his arm around me. "Ya don't mind...uh..."
I knew saying something or looking at him wasn't going to help, so I just stayed quiet and waited.
"I can get pretty violent." He muttered.
Now I looked up at him. "They would've ended up like that anyway, except Ah would've had their voices in mah head. Yah saved me from that."
"I fight in cages too, kid. And that don't have a reason."
"It's who yah are." I replied.
He glanced down at me, and I shrugged.
"No one forces the other guys in the cage." I said.
He tightened his grip on me and we sat like that for a moment before he let me go. I smiled at him and returned to the game, still wading through the grass to catch a lvl 4 Pidgey.
I woke up to the sound of Logan moaning. He sounded like he was in pain, and I flopped over to look at him. His eyes were screwed shut, his lips drawn back in a snarl.
"Logan."
He didn't wake up, just moaned again.
"C'mon, Logan."
When he didn't respond, I put my hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. He made a choked noise in the back of his throat.
"Yeh alrahght, sugah. Yah jus' gotta wake up."
He stirred and made a confused noise, and I shook him harder.
"Jus' wake up, Logan."
He finally did wake up, gasping for air. He raised his head, took one look at me, and bolted for the bathroom. The door slammed shut behind him, and seconds later I heard another muffled choking noise. I wondered if he was throwing up and felt a pang of sympathy. I pretty much hadn't had a bad nightmare since I started traveling with him, and I was pretty sure he and Wolvie were to thank for that, but I could still remember how bad they could get.
Logan stayed in there for nearly ten minutes, and I struggled to stay awake for him. But when he came out, he had that look in his eyes, and he didn't answer for a long time when I asked him if he was staying or going.
"Kid."
He stopped again, like he wasn't sure where to go from there. I scooted over on the bed and smiled at him, trying to reassure him.
"Yah can stay, Logan." I said.
He walked over, but he crouched down in front of me instead of sitting next to me.
"I'm kinda fucked up right now, kid."
I didn't say anything about that. We both had our problems, and I could wait for him to work out what he needed to say.
"But I'll stay if ya want."
I couldn't keep quiet at that though, and my smile widened, but he cut me off before I could say yes.
"There've gotta be some rules though."
He stopped again and gave me a serious look, so I nodded to let him know I was listening, even if I didn't understand yet.
"I'm gonna sleep in that bed for the rest of the night, and yer gonna stay in yers. No showerin' together in the morning, either. Ain't nothing ya done, I just don't want to hurtcha." He said.
I frowned. "Yah wouldn't hurt meh."
"I ain't gonna take that risk." He growled.
"But—"
"Those are the rules, Marie. Either ya play by 'em or I gotta go."
I looked down and glared at my hands. This still felt like he was leaving again, just more slowly. He always acted like he was so bad, but I had him in my head, and I knew how hard he worked to protect me. Now if I could just get him to stop running away. He put his hand beneath my chin and lifted it up so I had to look at him again.
"I'm trynta give ya a choice here." He said.
I scowled. Some choice.
He's jest tryinta keep ya safe, kit. We ain't used to dealing with other people.
I hated it when Wolvie was right, and I sighed. "Ah'll follow yah rules, Logan."
He rubbed my chin the way he rubbed my hand and sometimes even my waist when he held me. Despite my lingering irritation and urge to pout, it relaxed me.
"I ain't trynta ignore ya, and I promised I wouldn't leave ya. I just need some space to calm down and get my head straight again. Alright, kid?" He asked me.
That explanation actually made sense, and I relaxed even more, feeling a bit guilty for being selfish.
"Alrahght." I agreed.
He nodded at me, stood up, and climbed into the other bed. I resisted the urge to sigh again at the loss. But on the other hand, it meant that I had more room. I preferred to sleep spread eagle like a star fish, and I got too hot and fidgety to ever really cuddle up next to him. The extra space seemed like a poor consolation prize for Logan though.
"Goodnight, Logan." I whispered.
"Night."
A/N: I'm posting this just past midnight because I don't have work tomorrow, thus I have no pressing reason to get up. Yesterday I slept in until 1:25 (yes, that's PM), and I don't want you lovely readers to wait that long to see the update.
In the last chapter, I mentioned my new blog and added a promise to put up a sneak peek for the next chapter of BBW. Children beware however, that chapter has smut in it, and the preview is a portion of that smut. However, the link I posted didn't actually show up on the site, and there was some confusion about it. So here's a repeat of the link, just in case you missed it: morganofthefey . wordpress . com. Just remove the spaces in between the dots and you're good to go.
Also, I know this chapter ends at a different point than its BBW companion. I don't plan to have the two stories to cover exactly the same material, and once they get to the mansion and start having lives outside of each other, they won't sync up quite so closely. I really like writing "new content" for TBH too, because I think it keeps it fresh. If I were a reader, I wouldn't want to pretty much re-read BBW each chapter.
Let me know if you like reading new content or if you'd prefer TBH and BBW always cover the same events.
PS: I apologize for the title of this chapter...
...not really.
