DISCLAIMER: Dark Angel borrowed, no profits realized.
A/N: The events of Asylum from Bling's point of view...
Thanks to those of you hanging in with this. If you're still out there, please drop in a comment and let me know if this is working for you or not ...
A very special thanks to Mari 83 for giving this a once-over and sending me her thoughts & ideas. Thanks once again for taking the time from your endless stack of books! (Don't know if it turned out quite as you anticipated, but you'll see what you helped add! ;)
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Asylum:
Book II
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May 17, 2023
Bling walked into the school at 8:50 a.m., as planned. Even when taking a rare day off, Sandra felt compelled to get to the school before anyone did, to be sure all was ready for the morning and to be available for her teachers or parents before the students arrived to start their day. She'd been there for over two hours already, and as he walked down the hall toward her office, Bling could hear that things were humming along, classes underway.
In the two months since he'd arrived, Bling had been in this school, this hallway, countless times, to the point where it too had become home, familiar and comfortable. But this morning, acutely aware that Max and Logan were here, in this peaceful, pleasant town, Bling found himself looking at all this again through new eyes, and thought yet again that they might actually have a chance for a normal life here, in such a quiet, normal setting.
During dinner the night before, he'd watched both Logan and Max carefully, wanting to get a sense of this trip, for them. He'd wondered endlessly, after Logan had called to say they were coming, just how ready either of them were to make a move cross-country. And what he'd suspected had been borne out so far: Logan had mulled it over, analyzed and considered and then mulled it all again, before finally deciding that it was possible. Bling was certain that Logan wouldn't have even spoken it aloud, let alone actually come all this way, if he wasn't ready to go.
And the demeanor Bling saw in him fit that description perfectly: at first, Logan had seemed tired and drawn, fatalistic, even, but as the evening went on, seemed to bounce back. Even as they spoke before dinner and after, it was as if Logan had already left Seattle for good, the moment of his arrival his lowest point as he mourned for all he'd left behind. But it appeared that his arrival was also the point at which he allowed himself to let Seattle go... and almost immediately, finding his friend waiting there, Max at his side and Sandra welcoming them both, it was as if Logan began opening himself up, to find his way out of the worst and see what this place had to offer...
... but Max? She too fit his expectation, but it was precisely that which worried Bling for her ... and for Logan. Ever since her aborted escape to Canada with her brother, not even twenty four hours away from Logan, Max had clearly made her choice in life, and that was to keep Logan close, to stay with him, no matter the price, ready to follow him to the ends of the earth, if need be ...
...some might even say that this rural Indiana town was the 'ends of the earth...'
No question, Max would be safer here, probably for a good long while. And probably happier, if Logan were safer, too, and if he could finally leave behind all the pain of Eyes Only and what had become of it.
But she's never really given up her drive to find the others, Bling considered, and out west, she was so much nearer to the siblings she'd managed to find. And she has another 'family' there too, no matter how strange, in Jam Pony. Original Cindy and she were closer than sisters. The city was broken but vital, edgy... exciting. And this place was definitely not 'exciting.' Even if she had wanted to try working in a school anyway, would it be enough for her? And what if she decided it wasn't the place for her, after all...?
The hallway took him past some of the younger kids' rooms, where clusters of children with their teachers and other adults filled the air with that rare sound, the pure joy of learning. Far from the tense, grey atmosphere of Seattle's still-struggling public school system, this building was old but bright, with fresh paint and fresh faces, and with a comfort and affection felt in the air, as if the place was one big, happy family. Sandra cultivated this, Bling reflected. She may not have started it all, but knowing her, she encouraged the sense of fun, dialed back the stress on the staff and the kids. It's just the sort of place that will let Max grow just as much as it does the students...
Bling stopped to peer into a room of pre-schoolers, a mixed group of three to five year olds, as they stood around table-top pool of shallow water, playing with buckets and other containers. Science class, he guessed with a small grin. One of the changes Sandra had instituted was to group students by ability and not merely their birth dates. In such a small population, even drawing kids from some miles away on family farms and the barely-a-town communities nearby, some grade levels barely had a half-dozen kids. Sandra did some major planning and created a system that grouped children for the work they were ready to tackle, and allowed even the young ones to change classes on occasion if they needed to be with a different group for a different skill set. It provided the best use of those teachers she had, with optimal class sizes.
In the classroom before him, one of the children suddenly squealed in delight, laughing devilishly at whatever he had just done, and Bling felt a smile cross his face. Without dropping a beat, the teacher, crouching alongside one of the youngsters, looked up to see they had an audience, and she waved hello to Bling, smiled at his answer. Logan has said more than once how much kids seemed to matter to Max, he remembered. If there was ever a place for people who wanted to spend their day with children, this was it...
Kicking himself to get moving, Bling went further down the hall and walked into the office to the greetings of Sandra's administrative assistant, promising him that Sandra was almost ready to go. He saw a teacher he knew from some consulting work he'd done there, some special programming for a couple students with orthopedic involvement, and they spoke briefly about the kids and their progress. As the teacher left for his class, Bling couldn't help consider the fact that in all his time in Seattle, he'd never been asked to consult for any of the schools there, and never heard of any other therapists who had. Whether it was about money, or time, or interest, he didn't know, but tucked away the thought to ask Sandra about it later. This place is just healthier, in every possible way...
His thoughts were interrupted as Sandra emerged from her office and smiled cheerfully to him as she breezed past. "Hey, BL," she called, "two more minutes..." She crossed on to a back office, but returned almost immediately with another sparkling smile for him.
Anticipating our day, he suspected, this own thoughts coming closer to earth. His smile in return came without conscious thought.
"Angie, we'll be in town most of the morning, so I'll be only a few blocks away." Sandra stopped at the desk outside her office door. "Call if anything comes up. If this afternoon's quiet we might go out to the lake, but we'll play it by ear, okay?"
"Go have fun!" Her assistant shooed her off. "We'll be here when you get back."
Bling stood aside for Sandra to pass him, and followed her out of the office and down the hall toward the doors. "This has worked out so well for their first day here, BL," Sandra said happily. "They'll be able to see the open market their very first day here, and the weather is just perfect..."
Bling's smile softened as he agreed, again imagining what Logan would make of the market, filled primarily with the crops and wares of the Old Order Amish families in the area. Too bad it was so early in the season; while they would have a few things from early crops, the bulk of the food they would have today was still winter fare, mostly canned goods or stored grains and flour. But even so, the home-grown items were canned the old-fashioned way, in glass canning jars at the height of their sweet ripeness, and Bling half-believed that the market alone could convince his obstinate friend to come join them in Indiana.
He barely gave any consideration now to the warnings he had given Sandra over the past few days: he knew how much she hoped that Max and Logan would embrace this town as readily as she did, from the beginning agreeing with her that it would be the perfect place for them to start over, free from all the hard times and danger they'd faced in Seattle. But Bling had also reminded her to take it easy on them, and to remember how rough the last months had been, especially on Logan. Maybe it would be better to walk softly, to temper their hope and eagerness and just keep things cool...
But Sandra's irrepressible enthusiasm and innate need to heal broken spirits couldn't be dampened, and from the moment she'd seen Max and Logan at her door and she threw her arms around them, her warmth and joy had bubbled over and it was pointless – and unfair – for him to expect her to be any other way. Sandra's sweet interest in their visit, and her ease in helping them feel at home here, made dinner the night before a comfortable, happy welcome for them.
At least it was clearly genuine, and maybe her open reception of them and her love for this place would help them make the choice to come here permanently. It hadn't been a late night, with Logan and Max still needing to check in to their hotel, but it had been such a good one. Bling was ready to start believing that it really might happen as he hoped...
So he nodded. "Even the weather is on our side." He stopped at the end of the sidewalk, the parking lot in one direction and the hotel in the other. "Want to walk over?"
"Of course," she twinkled. "You know, at home this morning, I saw some lilacs blooming out back,"she began wistfully as they set off. "I could have brought them some, for their room..."
Bling grinned, appreciating even more her wholehearted involvement in Max and Logan's visit. "We can take them some later, if you like." Lilacs, he mused. Had Max ever even seen any, smelled them, on a warm spring evening? What would she make of a place that didn't smell of kerosene heaters and diesel exhaust and a population struggling to get by?
Their walk was almost too brief, each enjoying this rare morning together, away from work, that they'd arranged so they could enjoy Max and Logan's first full day in town. As they approached the beautiful old hotel, over one hundred years old, Bling was yet again reminded of how different this place was from Seattle, touching each sense with reminders of how far they were from the city, how the town had managed to avoid the worst of the Pulse thanks to the generations of families so close by who had never relied on electricity or gas powered machinery, who got by on their own and who saw the townspeople through those early, rough times. What had come of it all was an amazing mix of the old and the new, the Old Order families and the 'English.' As he and Sandra walked up the brick walk that led to the wide, double doors of the entry and stepped into the large, open lobby, Bling reflected fleetingly that maybe, someday, he'd find that he missed city life -- but so far, with what he'd found, he had no sense of it yet...
The front desk was unattended at the moment, but they heard voices nearby and saw that the french doors at the other side of the lobby-foyer were open, leading to the garden patio, in full advantage of the warm spring morning. Heading out that way, as they came closer, Bling could hear the animated voice of the hotel's owner mid-story about the hotel and the various legends and tall tales that had grown up about its more colorful past during the era of the nearby Chicago gangsters and Prohibition. But he also heard a sound that brought an involuntary smile in response: the voice responding, in genuine interest and surprise at the lore, belonged to Logan Cale...
No, not Logan, Bling reminded himself firmly. Robert Eastman...
They stepped out into the sweet-smelling breezes and warm sunshine to see Emily Hostetler holding forth on one of her favorite subjects for her guest, as Logan at a linen-covered table set for breakfast with juice, coffee, and a basket of Emily's popular muffins. As Emily's eyes flickered up to meet them, Sandra spoke first. "Good morning!" she called.
At the sound, Logan turned to see them enter and smiled his welcome too, looking better rested than he had the previous day. "Hey, you two," his eyes lit up at their appearance.
"Hey, Robert. I see you found the place and Emily's getting you fed." Bling wasn't all that worried, but he was sure to add 'Robert's' name to his greeting – just as an extra reminder to Sandra...
Who didn't seem phased in the least. After speaking to him too, Sandra smiled up at his hostess. "Emily, your garden is beautiful! Have you started opening for Sunday brunch yet?"
"Next weekend." The round face beamed.
Sandra explained to 'Robert' as she took a seat beside him, "We came too late for last season, but everyone has said the outdoor Sunday brunch they started a couple years ago here is just wonderful. We should come over this weekend."
"Sounds good," he nodded, obligingly. "Have you two heard the history of this place? Emily has some great stories about Al Capone and some of the others..."
Emily blushed, clearly pleased that her tales were well received and, Bling suspected, even a bit more taken that she'd engaged the interest of such a handsome visitor. Bling helped, "I thought you might enjoy hearing about some of things that went on here."
"Too bad Linda isn't here yet," Logan said, looking back at Emily to add, "you'll have to save some for her, too."
"She sleep in?" Bling asked, casually. He wasn't really concerned, but had been curious about Max's absence, and was glad Logan brought it up.
"Yeah, right," he snorted in humor at Bling's words. "Actually, she was up early for a run. She'd just finished her shower when I left the room so she ought to be here any minute..."
"How about right now?" Max stepped out of the doorway into the sunshine, smiling as she came toward them, at the table. Sandra had stood to reach out in a greeting to Max, and Bling smiled too, offering his own soft hug. Max's response was warm to them both, but immediately then moved close to Logan, circling her arms around his shoulders in an tender, almost protective gesture. At her appearance, a relaxing Logan seemed to settle in even more, covering her hands with his as he leaned back slightly into her embrace. At that, Max's eyes glittered, and the cheekiness Bling was used to seeing faded, ever so slightly. In its place a more hopeful look appeared, and the smile was softer – almost relieved, Bling thought.
Almost
immediately they were discussing, with Emily, Max's run that
morning, where she'd gone and what she'd seen. None
of them, except, maybe, for Logan, would recognize the reconnaissance
for what it was,
Bling reflected. Max
would enjoy the run, but would use it as an opportunity to take a
look around, get the town's layout, observe the locals observing
her ...
Bling followed the conversation, but having noticed Max's expression, felt a renewed interest in the reactions of his friends. Logan was Logan, he still believed, overworked as usual but already looking even better this morning. Maybe he's resting better away from all the headaches Seattle presented now. But Max ... Bling couldn't put his finger on it, exactly. As usual, she looked beautiful and composed; her genetics rarely allowed otherwise. She looked happy and rested as well. But yesterday, in her looks at Logan, the way she touched him, the feeling he had that she was watching Logan for a sign of his reaction to the place, Bling felt a sense of worry from her. And with this, today ...
Bling tried to watch them both more closely without being obvious and he began to see it: Max lingered there, close to Logan, her arms still around him, her fingers intertwined with his, still, drawing him close. As Emily moved off to get their breakfast, Max leaned down to place a soft kiss on the top of his head, and when Logan grinned his reaction, looking up at her, Max caught his eye and seemed to be searching for something, evaluating...
He'd lifted her hands and brushed them with his lips; she responded with a lift in her smile. Glancing up at that moment to see Bling watching them – watching her – Max colored a little and came around to sit at Logan's right. "Thing about a run is, it makes me famished," she announced, seeming to shake off her mood of moments before, more at ease...
... more like Max
Logan looked at her, amused. "More than usual?" he teased.
If anything was amiss, he didn't see it, Bling reflected. So it's just Max who's worried ... and that probably means it's about Logan...
"Then you came to the right place," Sandra was laughing, "start on these, because they're wonderful. And Emily will keep bringing more 'til you just can't fit another in." She lifted the basket of muffins toward Max, and sighed, "Life just isn't fair ... if I even look at those muffins I gain five pounds." Sandra then chuckled, and added, "maybe I ought to get back to running, so I can feel a little less guilty when I do eat them."
Bling watched as Max took one of the sweet muffins and Sandra offered them to Logan, then to him, with a private little smile of enthusiasm for their morning, clearly unaware of Max's reaction earlier, or his own concern about it. Sandra asked their guests how they slept, eliciting comments from both Logan and Max, who each seemed to settle in a little more with being there. Bling managed an appropriate comment or two, and soon Sandra was telling Max and Logan about the open market they'd be visiting after breakfast.
As they spoke, Bling managed to study both his guests again, and it all finally shifted into place: Maybe Max is just a woman in love, and wants desperately to make things better for Logan, he surmised. When they were teaching her to evaluate and act, to take charge and control the situation, they didn't bother to tell her that some things, like seeing your lover hurting, aren't so easily overcome...
Bling felt his muscles relax, not really aware until that moment that seeing Max's concern had put him on alert. It's not a direct threat that has her worried – she'd never have left Logan, even for a short run, if it were. This was what he'd sensed between them, what he saw now: Max and Logan had grown even closer in the past months, any remaining walls between them finally gone. And having given her heart to him, Max felt Logan's frustrations and pain at the demise of Eyes Only, in all its forms, more than any pain of her own...
She wants this for him, he realized. She wants anywhere for him, any place, to take him away from Eyes Only and all the associated danger, all the suffering he's done for the cause, for his belief that he still wasn't doing enough... Bling was as certain now as if Max was speaking it all to him. She wants it to be here because Logan's connection to me, and mine to this place, but if it doesn't work out here she'll find a place it will...
"Hey, these are good," Logan offered innocently, and Max's expression immediately lifted in happiness. With each moment he's happy, she's happy, Bling reflected, noting with irony that there was so little in this that she sought for herself. He realized that it was even more important that he work to show the couple how good a place this was for them – now, more than ever, not only for Logan ... but for Max, too...
–TBC--
