Author's Note: Many thanks to the betas who worked on this chapter: haleyhazz, His_Beautiful_Girl, and pyrodaemon, and the idea factory: Luner Kat.

Chapter Six

Have I Judged a Book by How It's Bound?

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Logan's Inspirational Message

'It is not 'forgive and forget' as if nothing wrong had ever happened, but 'forgive and go forward,' building on the mistakes of the past and the energy generated by reconciliation to create a new future.' — Alan Paton

Logan woke before the sun the next day with a knot in his belly about the upcoming meeting with the D.A. later in the afternoon. The nerves caused tossing and turning all night and brought even more frequent nightmares than usual.

The dreams alternated between two different ones. A little boy huddled in a corner of a bedroom crying would morph into the crack of a belt and flashes of pain in his back. Then the scene would return to the little boy and start all over. A third nightmare, the last of the night, though, of Aaron beating Veronica woke him up screaming and prevented him from falling back asleep.

While sitting on the couch a few hours later, playing with PopPop's lighter and biting his lip, he stared at the phone sitting on the coffee table. What he wanted to do was call Trina and warn her about Keith and Alicia's custody bid. The siblings may not have always gotten along, not even most of the time, but he owed her a heads-up at least.

Every morning, Trina woke with the sunrise regardless of when she went to bed. So, she should be awake already. With a deep, eye watering breath, he picked up the phone and pushed speed dial number five before bringing the cell to an ear. The phone rang six times, and before he could disconnect the call, the line picked up. The sounds of Clair de Lune came through the earpiece; Debussy was Trina's standard driving music.

With a grimace, bouncing knee, and sweaty hand, he tightened the hold on the phone. "Little Brother, I'm driving right now. Can I call back? If the traffic keeps cooperating, I should get where I'm going in about half an hour and then we can talk."

'Fuck.' That meant Aaron already called and spun a tale about Logan moving out. A heavy breath escaped, causing a wince when ribs protested. "Okay, um, don't forget, though, it's important. Things have happened and I need to fill you in so no one can blindside you."

While he leaned back on the couch, she snickered. "Promise, we will have a nice long talk today as soon as I get where I'm going."

After closing his eyes for a moment, and stretching a little and then slouching, his eyes opened. "Okay. Drive safe."

"Will do. It will all be okay, Little Brother."

Even though Aaron might have spilled the news, she must not have been mad. The corners of his lips tilted up. "I sure hope so, Big Sister."

After hanging up a moment later, he placed the phone on the coffee table before sitting back and wondering what to do for half an hour. Cassidy woke up at five and had gone with Wallace to work to discover how the little people lived, leaving Logan home alone. The corners of lips tilted farther upward. His gut thought Cassidy and Wallace would wind up best friends.

Half an hour later, he paced in the living room when a knock reverberated through the apartment. After jumping a foot in the air, he rubbed all his jarred wounds.

The sun had only been up for a little over an hour, so still early in the morning. Most of his friends would sleep in during spring break, so he had no idea who could be knocking. With a sigh and rubbing his ribs, he strode over to the door, pulling it open. Jaw gaping open, a grin broke out on his face.

Mouth closing, his lips curved upward until both wore matching expressions. "Trina, what—what are you doing here, shouldn't you be living the high-life in L.A.?"

After taking the two steps up and squeezing between the door, she hugged him with a gentle grasp. "Daddy called late last night. The news he gave excited and pleased me so much I couldn't sleep. Once the sun rose, I gave up trying and hopped in the car, driving here at the butt crack of dawn."

After wrapping his uninjured arm around her, he dropped a kiss on the side of her head. "Aaron let slip I moved out?"

Trina tightened the hug for a split second. "Yes, now, can I come in and see your new digs?"

With a chuckle, he stepped away, pushing the door all the way open. "Come on in. Move-In Day was Friday, so the place is still a mess…"

After entering, her lips turned up. With loose limbs and fluid movements, she glanced around. "Give a girl the grand tour?"

Laughter bubbled out before he showed off the whole place. Then the pair sat on the couch. Once seated, she turned and faced him with a knee resting on the cushion and a foot hanging off the seat of the couch. When he tried to follow suit, his ribs didn't like that position, so he sat facing the television and just turned his face.

"I approve, Logan. The space is smaller than we're used to but has the bonus of being Daddy free." After brushing a hand along his, she lingered on the splint supporting the broken pinkie and ring fingers.

While the sun began shining through the window, his hand flipped and squeezed hers. "You're not mad?"

With a small uplift of lips, her head shook, hard. "Not even a little. Um, I have some confessions to make. I need you to listen, and you can yell when I'm done, okay?"

Furrowed eyebrows, with lips pursed. "Are you okay? You're not in trouble?"

Trina's features softened. "No, I'm fine, perfect actually. So, will you listen?"

The somber tone of her voice had a note of some unknown thing, too. So, after receiving a nod, she shifted in the seat and took one hand in hers. "I wrote a letter, but now I should say all this to your face, so, I want to start with I love you."

A grin spread across his face. "Only gonna interrupt this one time, promise, but I love you, too."

With eyes that sparkled, she moved a little closer on the couch. "Thank you. So, um, I know you told the truth about the broken noses, black eyes, and cigar burns right before my eighteenth birthday. I could hear the ring of truth when you said it. And you might not remember this, but one night a few months after my birthday I came home for a visit. That night was the best because we got along and stayed awake into the wee hours watching campy horror movies and laughing together."

He gave a knowing look. "The Friday the 13th Franchise is still the best."

With a laugh and a playful scowl, she ran a hand through her hair and rested it on the back of her neck. "You're going to keep interrupting, aren't you?"

With a chuckle, he picked at a thread on the couch cushion. "You know me, I always have something to say and have never been good about following the rules."

A giggle escaped and then she turned serious once more before taking his hand in hers again. "True, anyway, what you might not realize is that I left my camera on the floor when I headed to bed. The next morning, I snuck into the room while you were still asleep and grabbed it. And when I looked at you, well, I'm still surprised my sobs didn't wake you. Your bare back faced me, and had bruises, angry infected cuts and burns, and scars, so many scars. The sheer number of fresh wounds and scars and various states of healing made it obvious that the abuse had been happening for years. After I threw up in the bathroom and then ran to my room, I cried until I ran out of tears. But I didn't know what to do. So, I found Lynn and told her, who just looked at me over a morning glass of bourbon. Then she told me it would be best if I forgot what I saw and never mentioned it to anyone again."

The air left his lungs in a painful rush. 'Fuck, she told an adult I was being hurt by her precious daddy? When it counted, she chose me, and I was clueless that she tried to help. And Mom said to forget about the whole thing?'

A gasp for air, stomach twisting, while he tried to breathe around the lump in his throat. "The two of us didn't stand a chance, did we? Everyone did everything in their power to make us hate each other."

With nimble fingers, she traced a heart on the back of his hand. "I never hated you, though."

Despite the pain, he reached over and pulled Trina into a hug. "I never hated you either."

The pair held onto each other for a few minutes and when they pulled apart, both wiped the tear tracks from their faces. Then she let out a heavy breath. "I'll be honest, Lynn's response shocked me. But I was just an eighteen-year-old girl back then. And I don't get my trust funds until this May so at the time I couldn't kidnap you and run away. And I was sure no one would believe us, especially if Lynn denied the allegations, even with the obvious signs carved into your back."

He patted the hand laying on Trina's leg, while she ran the other over her face. "Still, knowing the terrible Echolls' family secret, I didn't see what you saw until Daddy beat Dylan bloody. That broke my heart. For once I wasn't looking at the daddy who showered me with presents and love. No, I was staring at the monster who abused his own flesh and blood, my baby brother, for over a decade. Everyone else, me included, looked the other way and flattered the bastard with accolades and adoration, but day in and day out you saw the monster. That night I saw it, too."

Eyes widening, his mouth fell open. 'She called Aaron a bastard? Has he fallen from his pedestal?'

Her shoulders slumped. "I should've helped you get out of the house the moment you confided in me. When I saw your back, I should've helped, and I should've helped you after your mom died and the Dylan thing happened. At the very least, I should've admitted I believed you. I'm—I'm not strong like you, Logan. At heart, I'm weak and my fear prevented me from helping my little brother. The fear no one would believe me took over, that and the fear I'd lose you because Daddy would forbid me from seeing you. And instead by not fighting for you, I lost what we could've had and been to each other anyway…"

'She loves me and has as many regrets about how she treated me as I have about how I treated her.'

His head shook, and he squeezed her hand. "But you're here now, so you haven't lost me. What you're telling me blows my mind. You're not blinded by Aaron anymore. We can start fresh and build the relationship I always wanted, the one it sounds like you always wanted, too."

When he told her the secret, it hadn't been because he wanted help. What he wanted was for her to see Aaron for who he was. A part of him always feared she'd find out the hard way one day if Aaron snapped and she was too close. So, he was open to building a relationship with her now because he didn't think she failed him.

She allowed a tremulous lift of lips. "Thank you, I don't deserve that, but I'm too selfish to refuse the olive branch. I'll always regret not helping, but I don't want to miss out on any more time together. I'm humoring Daddy because we might get some information from his bitching, and I figure that might prove useful. So, I've decided, and hope you'll agree, that not alienating him now that you're safe is the wise choice. But I choose you, Logan. Now and forever. Our love is thicker than blood…"

She used to say that when he was little. But she hadn't used those words in a good decade, so with a grin he finished the phrase, "… And more vital than air."

With a light touch, she placed a hand on his battered one. "You need to be careful, Little Brother. Despite the charges against him, Daddy is still too powerful to take down completely."

After turning his head further so he could face her more, he explained about Duncan and the fact that he taped everything he eavesdropped on. Then he described about Aaron putting him in the hospital and Veronica's revenge.

When he got to the end, Trina's lips turned upward. "I always liked Veronica. She's a keeper, Logan."

With lips parted, he brought his injured hand up and covered his heart. "I agree and already have plans to keep her for the rest of my life if she'll let me. So anyway, I'm free now. And the D.A. is certain Daddy Dearest will hand over custody. Anything to keep the public from knowing the true monster that lurks behind the mask."

She pulled him into a hug. "I think so, too. Daddy's top concern has always been public opinion more than anything else."

When she released him, she sat straight. "Um, I have one more related sore subject to bring up and then maybe I can help unpack a little or something. I need to say this so we can clear the air between us and start fresh."

He squeezed her hand, so she nodded. "Okay, so, I can't pretend to understand why Lynn didn't get you out of there. The news didn't surprise her. That much was obvious, and she seemed—angry that I had discovered the truth. I can't imagine why she thought it was okay to say nothing or to leave you to fend for yourself against that monster."

'Fuck.' The one thing he held onto after his mother died was the firm belief that Lynn loved him. Now, he was realizing even if she loved him, it wasn't enough. She didn't love him the way a proper mom should have.

Trina's next words showed agreement. "Still, she knew and did nothing and that blows my mind. For Pete's sake, she was the great and beloved Lynn Echolls. If anyone would've had a chance at swaying public opinion, it would've been her."

Her head shook. "I'm sorry, Lo', I'm not here to trash talk your dead mother. We'll never find out why she did nothing so there's no point in obsessing."

A tear slipped out, and he brushed it away, and when he put the hand back on his knee, she patted it. "That's why I didn't come to the funeral, though. I was furious with her for her selfishness, leaving you alone with a man she knew is a monster. And I was sure that I wouldn't be able to keep the charade going in public or private. Even I'm not that good of an actress and the thought I'd mess up and Daddy would find out you told me, and he'd hurt you worse terrified me. So, I figured leaving you to do it on your own, while nowhere near ideal, was the safer bet."

'Damn. That's why she stayed away? She feared she'd tip Aaron off that she knew, and he'd hurt me, so she chose the lesser of two evils? God, the more I hear the more I hate the bastard while the more I love Trina.'

When a warm, soft hand squeezed his, he gave a watery smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you during that time. I didn't know what to do and the one thing I never wanted was to hurt you even if it would've been unintentional. This family only seems to hurt you. Burying your mom would be the hardest thing you'd ever have to do. And I didn't want to make it harder. Though, I realized after the fact that I made it harder anyway by being absent. And I'm sorry for giving you the false hope that Lynn was still alive. I should've known Veronica would put a trace on the credit cards. Most of all, I'm sorry for the horrible things I said at the Regent when you caught me rage spending Lynn's money out of spite. A friend of Daddy's was there, and I panicked. The ass-kisser would mention seeing us if anything appeared out of the ordinary. The jackass was always on the lookout for an opportunity to know something Daddy didn't and rub his nose in it. So, I came across bitchy and unfeeling and made sure you would react the same. I hated every second, but my main concern was not getting you into more trouble than necessary."

The guy's name always escaped him, but he saw the man when he and Veronica left the hotel after his little breakdown. He had said a little prayer at the time that the ass hadn't noticed or overheard him or Trina.

After rubbing a hand over her face again, she dropped it. "What I want you to understand here is that I'm one of those people who failed you over and over through the years. And I'm so sorry."

He threw himself into her arms and grunted a little with watery eyes when the impact jarred his still broken ribs, but he held on tight and cried. The sobs brought physical pain, too. The tears were cleansing, though, so he went with the flow.

When all that remained were the sniffles, he pulled back. "Sorry, but I needed that. You didn't fail me, though, Trina. You were a kid, too, and he's your dad. I only told you, so you'd have a heads-up if he turned on you one day. But I wasn't trying to make you choose, though I'm grateful that you seem to choose me."

She stroked his cheek. "I am. I choose you, Logan. You're my little brother. I'll always love you. And I haven't done right by you so far. But I'm saying all this because I plan to make it right and be there for you the way I should've been all along. That's why I got in the car at six in the morning and drove an hour. But it was worth risking waking you up at seven in the morning. Last night while Daddy bitched about you abandoning him in his time of need, I realized that this is it. This is my one and only second chance to love you the way you deserve. And I'm unwilling to pass it up because I won't get another one like this ever again. I'm not strong, Logan, not like you, but you make me want to be better and stronger for you."

He leaned into her soft touch and covered her hand with his own. "You don't realize your own strength. What you did, coming here today with no guarantee that I wouldn't slam the door in your face that took courage. And I believe that you came for what it'll mean for me, not yourself. While we're apologizing, I'm sorry for always being such a little jackass. I'll try to do better this time around."

She dropped the hand from his face and pulled him into a hug again. "Okay, enough tears, I blew off an audition to come here so entertain me, Logan."

'She did what? God, Hell just froze over. She must be serious.' Trina never missed auditions if she could help it. 'Wow, I'm more important than the career she wants? That's never happened before.'

Still, he laughed. "I re-discovered the box set of The Friday the 13th series you bought me last year. Want to see how many movies we can get through before I have to visit the D.A.?"

With a grin, her head inclined. So he got up and found the DVDs before they sat down and watched the first three movies. At the end of the third one she took the camera out of her bag and held it up. "For old time sake?"

A grin spread across his face and he paused the screen on Jason's hockey mask before she beamed. And despite the pain it caused him, they hugged each other tight and took a few shots. When she had gotten at least one decent picture, she stared at the last one. "Proof of the new page in our relationship."

Except for the healing bruises and watery eyes, the picture was a perfect replica of the original photo they took seven years ago.

After leaning over, he kissed a cheek. "Make sure I get a copy of that to go with the one I have on the bedside table."

Her head tilted to the side, but she stared at him. "I didn't see it, show me?"

So, he brought her back into the bedroom and she fingered the frame. "That's my favorite memory before today."

His eyes closed halfway, and the corners of his mouth rose into a lazy smile. "Until the night Veronica and I made love for the first time, that night was my fave too, now the two tie."

With a grin, she walked to the end of the bed. When her eyes landed on Nana's open trunk, she jerked her head up and made eye contact. "You opened the chest. How?"

After he beamed, he detailed their adventures the previous weekend and when he finished, her lips turned upward until they were ear splitting. "Good, now you don't have to play nice with Daddy to make sure you're taken care of. Lynn's legacy will make sure you never need or want for anything ever."

His head inclined before the alarm began ringing, signaling it was time to dress to go see a man about a horse. Before he turned towards his closet, he looked at Trina and took a leap. "Um, do you want to come to the meeting? I mean, I uh, I'd like you to, but if—"

She didn't let him finish stumbling over the words. "I would love to be there for you as support. If my life wasn't so entrenched in L.A., I'd move back and seek custody myself. But I need to stay in L.A. at least until I get the trusts. If I got custody now, you'd have to move there but all your friends are here and more to the point, Veronica is here. Since Mr. Mars and Mrs. Fennel are willing… you're not mad that I'm not trying to get custody, are you?"

'What?' His head shook. "Not at all. I love that you've thought about it, but I get that your life is there, and I'd rather not move if I can help it."

Her eyes sparkled again before she brushed his shoulder with a hand. "I'll go wait in the living room while you throw on a monkey suit. You think the D.A. will mind me in jeans?"

With a snicker, he bumped her shoulder with the healthy one. "You're so fabulous she won't even notice. But you can explain that you came to town and wanted to show your support, so you came even though you are underdressed. Besides, most people weren't raised by Hollywood royalty to believe that official meetings require a suit or a dress."

"True." Another giggle escaped before she left the room, closing the door on the way out.

Veronica showed up just in time to go. Since he still couldn't drive, the three rode in Trina's car.

The meeting was quick, and the Deputy D.A. repeated everything said over the phone the previous day. Overall, everyone agreed that Keith and Alicia would try for custody.

Trina only spoke once. "If the judge doesn't grant them custody, make a motion for me to get custody. Logan and I agree that the best-case scenario is he stays here with Mr. Mars and Mrs. Fennel. That way he won't need to start at a new school for senior year and leave all his friends behind. But I'm willing to move here. However, it'd be best to do that after my birthday. The less Daddy knows about my finances, the better. If it's after May ninth, then Daddy won't wonder where the money for the house came from. Once my birthday rolls around, Daddy will have less control over and less knowledge of my day-to-day expenses, too. Anyway, after the ninth of May, I'd be more than willing to move here for the year. I don't want to do anything to cause Daddy to question too much about my finances, though. So, once I get my trusts out from under Daddy's control, I'll be home free and supporting us both will be easier once that happens."

With wide eyes, his mouth gaped a little. "You'd stop trying to get roles? You wouldn't be able to do any movies if that happened."

Her lips turned up and the muscles in her face and body relaxed. "Yes, times a thousand, and besides, it'd only be until you graduate high school. Once you're an adult, I could go chase those dreams again. You are way more important than being famous, Little Brother. There are other options but if necessary, I'll put my dreams on hold. You're worth it, and I choose you. I meant everything I said this morning."

After getting up, he walked around the table before pulling her into a hug. When they pulled apart, both wiped their eyes again.

The Deputy D.A. made a note on a pad. "In that case, I'll prepare the paperwork as a back-up plan. However, I'm confident that the judge will agree Mr. Mars and Mrs. Fennel are appropriate guardians. Mr. Mars is a former law enforcement officer and a certified foster parent which only adds to his already stellar qualifications. And, Mrs. Fennel is the mother of two well-adjusted sons which is a testament to her own abilities."

After Franklin, Logan's personal lawyer, the Child Advocate Attorney, and Keith and Alicia all signed a mountain of paperwork, the group headed home.

Once home, they put the fourth Friday the 13th movie into the DVD player and sat down. However, before he could press play a knock resounded through the apartment, so he got up and answered the door. Wallace, Cassidy, and Mac smiled when he opened it. After he let them in and introduced everyone who hadn't already met Trina, they all sat and watched the rest of the series.

When the evening ended, Trina stood, and he made eye contact. "Are you good to drive home? Because I can relegate Cassidy to the couch, it folds out so…"

She chewed the inside of a cheek for a moment. "Maybe not, but as much as I don't want to, I was considering going to the house. I'll just tell Daddy I came to see him after his call. Make it seem like I'm here to support him because I might get some piece of information from his bitching that might help."

With a shake of her head and upturned lips she reached for a hand and took hold. "Anyway, it'll mean spending the day with Daddy tomorrow. But after today I can put on the performance of my life because the bastard didn't cost me my brother."

Her lips bent down. "Once he knows about the bid for custody, I'll explain I will stand by your side. I'll suggest he must have asked for the courts to place you in Mr. Mars' care and that anything else must be a huge misunderstanding. I'll play it up that I think Daddy wants to keep you away from his scandals and that we as a family support this decision. That should appease him at least a little if I make it look like I don't believe the allegations. Everything should be fine if he thinks I am doing my best to make him look like a good and caring father. If he thinks my belief is that he's more worried about your emotional well-being than saving face, then everything should work out."

After standing, he bumped a shoulder. "That's brilliant. I'll have to remember that when the press asks why I'm in Keith and Alicia's custody. For tonight, though, be careful. Dear Ole Dad might have a shorter fuse than usual, and I want you to call if you need anything regardless of what time it is, okay?"

While she nodded, they hugged and held each other for a few minutes. When they pulled apart, both had tear tracks again. She grinned. "This is the start of something great, Logan. I can feel it."

He shifted on his feet and bumped shoulders again. "I feel it, too."

Then she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'll text before I go to bed, so you know I'm safe in my room with the door locked."

"Good, thank you."

She hugged everyone else. "It was lovely meeting all of you and hanging out. I hope we get to do it again soon."

Everyone echoed the words, and she walked out of the apartment with a broad grin.

A moment later, he fell onto the couch and grabbed his ribs. "Oh, plopping down is a bad idea right now."

His friends chuckled and within a few minutes they all left until it was just him and Cassidy sitting in the living room. He stood and looked down at Cassidy. "Well, I'm beat, so I'm heading to bed. Go dig in the boxes if you want to watch a movie or play a game I haven't unpacked yet."

Cassidy's head inclined, and he left and shuffled into his bedroom. He stripped down and for once remembered his injuries and eased onto the bed. Then he stared at the dark ceiling for a minute. "Thank you to whoever gave me back Trina. I won't waste this opportunity."

After having woken up so early that morning, once in bed, he rolled over and fell asleep a lot quicker than expected.

Author's Note: Just a reminder about the Pinterest board for the story called 'Pictures for ALMH Series' under the name Saoirse Kinnardy: kinnardy/pictures-for-almh-series/.

The Pinterest board will also have recipes for at least four items mentioned in the story that I will add as they're mentioned.

There is also a playlist for this story on Spotify called 'ALMH 02: The Winds and Rains and the Scorching Sun.' You can find the playlist by searching for the title under playlists or follow this link: playlist/7MsLS2SqrrPWy5FGKFBa31?si=XFzuMmu3TLKUVQcPnWakOA.