Chapter 21: Home Again: Beauty and the Former Beast?

Awaking to Maka lying on his chest she was staring directly at him smiling. Logan rubbed his eyes and yawned out his words,

"Maka, what are you doing?"

She snuggled to his chest and kissed it,

"I was sleeping but I heard you say my name. I woke up and you were sleep talking. It was really cute so I was watching you talk."

"Oh yeah? What was I saying? Nothing dumb I hope."

She shook her head as he blushed a bit. Her face turned red as she straddled him putting her face close to his. She kissed his neck sending a shiver down his spine. Her lips moved to his and moved them elegantly making him close his eyes. She lightly sucked on his lower lip breaking the kiss,

"You talked a lot about me. It was like you were begging for forgiveness. You kept pleading for me to save you."

Logan turned away and let his longer hair fall over his eyes. Half a year with no hair cut and made his hair considerably longer. Logan bit his lip and opened his mouth,

"When I was trapped in my soul, I cried out for someone to save me and your name became the only name I called out for. You said you love me. But, I hurt you, I ran away from everything I love. I thought I was doing it to save you and everyone else, yet you came for me. I love you, I love you so much and even though I feel warm and deeply comforting, it hurts knowing that I caused you to waste half a year of your life."

Her voice was calm as she moved his hair from his eyes revealing shining tears,

"Shut up you stupid, adorable boy. I didn't waste half a year. I knew I had to find you, to let you know that I do love you. I couldn't ever leave you. When I'd dream at night I'd think of you and I'd be in your arms again. I'm no beauty queen. I wear torn up jeans, I never found myself attractive at all, but I am beautiful with you. I have never felt this way, I love you and it won't change."

Logan wrapped his arms tightly around her and sobbed lightly and whispered in her ear,

"You know how to really get me to fall in love with you. By the way your torn up jeans are cute"

Their little moment was interrupted by Ethan walking in in a hurry throwing a book onto the table his voice was shaky but excited,

"Logan, I found something. You definitely need to see this."

The couple stood and casually walked to the table marked with old writing and it read,

"Cursed Record"

Ethan opened the book and pointed to the name, Wolfgang Lieben I. Logan examined the picture that had him with his family and the painting of his wife was all too familiar. Aline Espirit, She was the wife of the first Lieben. She was the perfect image of the woman who killed the brother's little sister. Logan turned the page to see a second picture of the same man yet a different woman. The different names, Aline and Cossette Lieben,

"Ethan what does this mean? I don't get it. Aline couldn't be her."

"Logan this picture hasn't had any doctoring. This is real. I only have one theory and Lord Death seems to think it pans out. The birth and death ledger along with the marriage records; Wolfgang Lieben I married to one Aline Espirit and divorced two years later and after only six months he married one Cossette Espirit. This must be Aline's sister. They had three children and when the eldest reached the age of fifteen, the parents were found dead at their home that…burned….to…the ground. This is just like us Logan! Aline must have killed our parents too. It has been the same all the way down our generations. Logan when I consulted with the Reaper he told me a forbidden way of gaining immortality, at least age wise. Eating the souls of deeply hated individuals or those connected with them grants vanity to the person performing the ritual. Yet the power does fade if more souls aren't consumed"

"Ethan, that means that our family has been nothing but lambs to slaughter. She has hunted our family for over three hundred years! We were next once we had children of our own, or at least one of us. She was probably trying to bring us down to one successor so we would all be easier to track and kill. Damn it all! She knew exactly what she was doing. We are just a cursed family in the world's eyes but now we know. We aren't cursed just animals in a pen from a sadistic woman. We need to figure out what to do, but for now we need to rest and recuperate for a few weeks. She won't try to hurt us while in Death City. Not with Lord Death around."

Ethan left to see Patty wanting to tell her everything they had learned that day. The sun was finally setting as Logan sat contemplating his past and future. Maka sat next to him her knees tucked firmly to her chest the door locked so that no one would interrupt. She finally rested her head on his shoulder and he turned to her and his hair lightly swayed as he smiled at her and kissed her lightly as she straddled him again and he felt her skirt as he rested his hand on her leg and felt her warmth on him and she kissed him deeper and added her tongue to his mouth. Logan kept playing along until she started to rub lightly against him. He broke the kiss and looked down,

"Maka what are you doing?"

Her face turned bright red as she looked to his open shirt and bigger muscles plus his long hair made him something that she felt she couldn't resist. Her body was acting in a way she never felt before. She felt his hand move on her leg and she shivered and let a small sound escape her mouth. Logan smiled and just let his hand fall down but she fell to the side and started to blush deeper but pant lightly. Logan stood and Maka scrambled into the other room and stammered out to him,

"Don't come in right now. Just wait there….um hold on. Will you close your eyes?"

"Um sure…are you okay?"

Logan heard rustling and a small thud. He started to open his eyes but Maka told him to keep his eyes closed and after about two minutes of rustling, her voice lightly came out,

"It's okay now…y-y-you can open your eyes."

Logan slowly opened his eyes only to blush deeply at what he saw. Maka was standing her slender arm over her bare chest and her hand in front of her pale waist covering her soft delicate skin, her eyes darted from side to side but fixed on the ground. She opened her mouth stammering out,

"No walls to hide behind anymore…So here I am….all yours to have…..what do you think?"

"Maka….I….you're…You're beautiful…."