Asha's Arrival
by pari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Chapter 6
Logan's POV
Sudden recognition hits me. I can't believe it.
Asha Copeland is lying, barely clothed, in my arms. It has to have been…
Jesus, it has to have been a whole *decade* since the last time I saw her. When she left to study in Europe.
I just can't believe it.
"Asha?" I say, almost afraid to say the name aloud, as if it will make her disappear. A thousand questions
flood my mind. Where has she been? What's happened? But mostly I just wonder if she's really here, or
if Bling's right, and I have finally lost my mind.
She looks up at me, eyes just as green as I remember them…
And she faints.
"Shit…"
I scoop her up into my arms and lift her, then carry her into the guestroom, lying her down on the bed.
She's freezing! I pull the blankets she is lying on up around her like a cocoon, trying to get her warm.
"Asha?" I call out to her.
I continue to brush the red-gold strands of her hair out of her face.
She's so pale. And she's lost weight since the last time I've seen her…when's the last time she must have
eaten?
As I've said, so many questions flooded my mind when I realized it was her who'd broken into the
penthouse. What had happened to her since I'd seen her last? What was she doing here? Asha's brother
Mike is probably one of the best friends I've ever had. He was like a brother to me. Him and Park. Mike
and Parker. Jesus, it's been a lifetime since I've thought of them. They're like family to me. Back when I
was at Yale we were inseparable – them, me, and Asha, Mike's baby sister.
Well, she'd been his baby sister.
Once upon a time.
I'd long ago learned that the "baby" half of the term "baby sister" is a largely relative term.
But I haven't heard from any of them in so long. It was like she, Mike, and Park disappeared from the
planet. And I was hardly in a position to force my acquaintance on anyone by trying to seek them out. In
my line of work, friendships can be dangerous liabilities. Dangerous to my friends, mostly, as I've learned
the hard way from first Peter, and then Max. I never sought them out after we lost touch because I never
wanted to involve them with what I'd gotten myself into.
And now Asha shows up, sneaking through my skylight.
And all my questions take back burner to my concern.
"Asha?…Asha, can you hear me?"
I try to wake her up, not knowing if she's passed out from fright, or pain, or exhaustion. Is she hurt? Sick?
There are rings beneath her eyes, so she has to be tired. What the hell happened to her?
I pull back the blankets I'd just covered her with, with a lot more hesitation than I would have felt
comfortable with.
'Come on, Logan. It's just Asha.'
This thought does not help as I'd hoped it would.
I pull back the blankets and check for any injuries; any gunshot wounds or lacerations that I might have
missed, carefully diverting my eyes from certain areas of the anatomy with which I refuse to concern my
attention. That done, I cover her back up, and check her head and neck for bumps or bruises.
Nothing.
As I look her over, I berate myself. Why the hell did I let her fall down the goddamned skylight? Why did
I point my freaking gun at her? Why…
Then I notice that her eyes are open.
"Asha…"
She blinks, seeing me. And for a moment her eyes are still vacant. She doesn't recognize me, I can see it.
She starts to struggle.
"No!"
But I keep the blankets tight around her and I stroke her hair, trying to soothe her.
"It's okay! Asha, it's okay. It's Logan." I search her eyes, hoping to find realization dawning there. "I'm
Logan. Remember me?"
Despite the situation, I smile, and the gesture is tender. 'I'm the guy who took you to the senior prom,
remember?' I'd been her date. Then I stepped on her foot so hard she sprained something. It was horrible.
Ash said it was okay – that the "coolness factor" of showing up at the dance with a hot college guy more
than made up for having to leave with a limp.
I can see that she's starting to come to now.
"Ash, you remember me?
Slowly, she comes to her senses and begins to really look at me.
"Logan?" she asks, weakly. She sounds so frail, I actually feel my eyes sting. What could have possibly
happened to make her this way?
"Logan?" she repeats.
And I give her a smile.
"Yeah, Ash, it's me."
She immediately bursts into tears.
Not just little tears, but big, wracking sobs. The kind that steal your breath and shake your entire body.
I can't do anything but just take her in my arms and hold her, rocking her. I feel a tear of my own slip out
the corner of one eye.
Funny, I'd cried rivers after Max died. And since then I'd come to the conclusion that I was no longer
capable of it. I guess I was wrong.
My hand fists in Asha's hair as I hold her to my chest. She's grabbed my waist and she clings to me as if
her life depended on it.
"Jesus, Asha, what the hell's happened?" I ask, my voice cracking just a bit.
She can't answer. She just continues to cry until she doesn't have the strength to shed another tear. She
cries herself to sleep.
And I hold her the entire time.
by pari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Chapter 6
Logan's POV
Sudden recognition hits me. I can't believe it.
Asha Copeland is lying, barely clothed, in my arms. It has to have been…
Jesus, it has to have been a whole *decade* since the last time I saw her. When she left to study in Europe.
I just can't believe it.
"Asha?" I say, almost afraid to say the name aloud, as if it will make her disappear. A thousand questions
flood my mind. Where has she been? What's happened? But mostly I just wonder if she's really here, or
if Bling's right, and I have finally lost my mind.
She looks up at me, eyes just as green as I remember them…
And she faints.
"Shit…"
I scoop her up into my arms and lift her, then carry her into the guestroom, lying her down on the bed.
She's freezing! I pull the blankets she is lying on up around her like a cocoon, trying to get her warm.
"Asha?" I call out to her.
I continue to brush the red-gold strands of her hair out of her face.
She's so pale. And she's lost weight since the last time I've seen her…when's the last time she must have
eaten?
As I've said, so many questions flooded my mind when I realized it was her who'd broken into the
penthouse. What had happened to her since I'd seen her last? What was she doing here? Asha's brother
Mike is probably one of the best friends I've ever had. He was like a brother to me. Him and Park. Mike
and Parker. Jesus, it's been a lifetime since I've thought of them. They're like family to me. Back when I
was at Yale we were inseparable – them, me, and Asha, Mike's baby sister.
Well, she'd been his baby sister.
Once upon a time.
I'd long ago learned that the "baby" half of the term "baby sister" is a largely relative term.
But I haven't heard from any of them in so long. It was like she, Mike, and Park disappeared from the
planet. And I was hardly in a position to force my acquaintance on anyone by trying to seek them out. In
my line of work, friendships can be dangerous liabilities. Dangerous to my friends, mostly, as I've learned
the hard way from first Peter, and then Max. I never sought them out after we lost touch because I never
wanted to involve them with what I'd gotten myself into.
And now Asha shows up, sneaking through my skylight.
And all my questions take back burner to my concern.
"Asha?…Asha, can you hear me?"
I try to wake her up, not knowing if she's passed out from fright, or pain, or exhaustion. Is she hurt? Sick?
There are rings beneath her eyes, so she has to be tired. What the hell happened to her?
I pull back the blankets I'd just covered her with, with a lot more hesitation than I would have felt
comfortable with.
'Come on, Logan. It's just Asha.'
This thought does not help as I'd hoped it would.
I pull back the blankets and check for any injuries; any gunshot wounds or lacerations that I might have
missed, carefully diverting my eyes from certain areas of the anatomy with which I refuse to concern my
attention. That done, I cover her back up, and check her head and neck for bumps or bruises.
Nothing.
As I look her over, I berate myself. Why the hell did I let her fall down the goddamned skylight? Why did
I point my freaking gun at her? Why…
Then I notice that her eyes are open.
"Asha…"
She blinks, seeing me. And for a moment her eyes are still vacant. She doesn't recognize me, I can see it.
She starts to struggle.
"No!"
But I keep the blankets tight around her and I stroke her hair, trying to soothe her.
"It's okay! Asha, it's okay. It's Logan." I search her eyes, hoping to find realization dawning there. "I'm
Logan. Remember me?"
Despite the situation, I smile, and the gesture is tender. 'I'm the guy who took you to the senior prom,
remember?' I'd been her date. Then I stepped on her foot so hard she sprained something. It was horrible.
Ash said it was okay – that the "coolness factor" of showing up at the dance with a hot college guy more
than made up for having to leave with a limp.
I can see that she's starting to come to now.
"Ash, you remember me?
Slowly, she comes to her senses and begins to really look at me.
"Logan?" she asks, weakly. She sounds so frail, I actually feel my eyes sting. What could have possibly
happened to make her this way?
"Logan?" she repeats.
And I give her a smile.
"Yeah, Ash, it's me."
She immediately bursts into tears.
Not just little tears, but big, wracking sobs. The kind that steal your breath and shake your entire body.
I can't do anything but just take her in my arms and hold her, rocking her. I feel a tear of my own slip out
the corner of one eye.
Funny, I'd cried rivers after Max died. And since then I'd come to the conclusion that I was no longer
capable of it. I guess I was wrong.
My hand fists in Asha's hair as I hold her to my chest. She's grabbed my waist and she clings to me as if
her life depended on it.
"Jesus, Asha, what the hell's happened?" I ask, my voice cracking just a bit.
She can't answer. She just continues to cry until she doesn't have the strength to shed another tear. She
cries herself to sleep.
And I hold her the entire time.