Chapter Text
The first thing that woke Logan this morning was the sound of hurried footsteps outside the bedroom door. Squinting against the bright light, he yawned, stretching his limbs and sleepily trying to focus on the room around him for a few moments.
The bedroom was illuminated by the rising sun. From the yard outside the open window came a low mechanical humming: Rosie had already started her chores, probably moving the scrap metal delivered from Eufaula Salvage to the recyclers so that Evie could sort it later. After a few moments, it was joined by an enthusiastic bark, accompanied by Andy's loud laughter.
‘'Course,’ Logan thought with a sigh. ‘Leave that boy for a minute in the morning and he'll run off to play with Nemo instead of getting ready for school.’
Stretching again, Logan automatically glanced at the clock on the wall and blinked in surprise. It was already half past seven.
Well. Maybe Andy stayed alone a little longer than a few minutes. Apparently they both overslept.
..Not surprising, considering that they were able to take their hands off each other and fall asleep well after 3 a.m.
The small smug grin on Logan's face at the memory of last night's activities was replaced by a tender smile as he turned to look at the woman next to him. He froze for a moment, letting his eyes slide over her sleeping form, half covered in a blanket.
Sometimes he could hardly believe that this wasn't some kind of fever dream. That this magnificent woman had really chosen him, loved him - him, of all people, with all his flaws and mistakes and bad temper - and had become his wife. Nothing short of a miracle.
Without a second thought, Logan moved closer to Evie. His hand ran from her disheveled hair down her back, but except for the goosebumps on her skin, she didn't react in any way. He nuzzled into the nape of her neck and began to plant feather-light kisses on her exposed shoulder. Finally she stirred, wincing against the light. Logan smiled against her skin as he watched her burrow deeper into the pillow.
"Mornin’, hon," he murmured into her shoulder, rubbing his stubble lightly against her skin - after all, it had been her choice for him not to shave it, and now he was smiling as he watched her squirm. After a few seconds Evie turned and squinted at him.
"Wh’t time is’t?" Her voice was muffled. Logan moved closer to her, pressing his body against her and breathing in the familiar scent of her hair.
"Half past seven. We’re a bit late today." Logan chuckled as she wrinkled her nose and tried to hide under the covers.
It was one of the funniest and most unexpected things he learned about her: the star builder of Sandrock, the most hardworking woman he had ever known, hated mornings.
She had trained herself to get up at dawn out of necessity, of course. But more often than not, she was not ready to really communicate with anyone until she had her first cup of coffee.
(Rumor has it, Yan was the first in Sandrock to find out about this funny fact. Ever since that memorable day, he has never tried to annoy her with his antics again in the morning, until she has had a full breakfast with an enormous cup of coffee.
Mi-an and Elsie both adore this story.)
Leaning over her again, he kissed her cheek, half-covered by the blanket, and ran his fingers lightly down her sides, making her flinch at the tickle.
"Come on, darlin’, time to get up. Andy’s already up, and I reckon we've gotta start his breakfast ‘fore he comes here and demands it himself."
"It's your fault we slept for so long, so breakfast’s on you," she grumbled in response. Logan snorted and buried his face in her neck, rubbing his stubble against her soft skin with renewed vigor. He continued to tickle her sides, making her squeal and laugh as Evie tried to wriggle out from under him. After a short struggle, she turned her head to look up at him with sleepy, warm eyes. "What time are you leaving?"
Oh yeah. His departure. The reason why they couldn’t let go of each other yesterday.
Logan sighed. "Roughly in the mid-afternoon. I ought to check the equipment, talk to Elsie, run a coupla errands. The team will be waitin’ to leave at the bus station."
She ran her hand over his chin, lightly scratching the stubble, and Logan turned his head to catch her fingers for a playful bite. She giggled and withdrew her hand out of his reach. Logan grinned and pulled her closer to him, pressing his forehead against hers and just holding her for a moment.
He must've looked like a lovesick dope, but he didn't care.
There weren't many places now where he felt completely safe. However welcoming Sandrock had been upon his return, it didn't feel the same anymore. More than 2 years on the run left its mark. Logan loved this town, he was ready to give his life to protect it, but the feeling of wariness toward the people who had turned their backs on him so quickly still lingered in the back of his mind.
Except for her. Evie didn't know him before the temple, she didn't turn on him because of someone's lies. She came to Sandrock as a builder, but found herself caught up in a larger conspiracy than she anticipated, and she chose to judge his motives for herself and give him the benefit of the doubt. And once she realized what was at stake, she stood firmly by his side, both on the battlefield and after the dust had settled.
She was one of the few people Logan no longer felt on edge around. And those moments of peace, when he just held her close and breathed her in, were the centerpiece of his existence now. His safe place and his most treasured memory when he was far from home.
As their eyes met, Logan's breath caught in his throat from the tenderness in her eyes. But just as he leaned in for a kiss, the door slammed loudly on the floor below. Andy's voice rang out.
"Heeey, sleepyheads! Will I get some food in this house? Ain't wanna starve to death y'know!" approaching footsteps on the stairs forced Logan to get out of bed and get at least some clothes on at lightning speed. Evie, on the other hand, tried to cover herself with blankets. Yesterday they didn't even bother to get dressed, just fell into bed after a quick shower - thank Light for not having a water shortage like it was before. "Riiiiise aaaaand shiiiiiine!"
By the time Andy’s voice rang out from just outside the door, Logan was already decent enough to meet him on the threshold, blocking the entrance to the room.
"Hush, you. Ain't no need to holler like an injured buzzard, for Light's sake."
Andy playfully pouted.
"Hey, ain't my fault that both of ya decided to sleep a day away fer some reason! And on a weekday, no less! Why are ya both still in bed anyway?"
"Just stayed a bit late. We’re gettin’ up now," Logan tried his best to keep a nonchalant expression on his face and not start stuttering excuses. This boy was too darn observant. "Go check with Rosy, will ya? See if she’s already brought fresh eggs from the coop. I’ll be down in a minute."
Andy made a dramatic groan. "So it’s yer turn to cook breakfast today? Heck, I shouldn’t even have tried to wake ya up. Better to starve to death fer real." Logan pretended to grab him, and Andy yelped and rushed down the stairs and into the yard. Closing the bedroom door, Logan threw his head back and sighed with the exaggeration. Evie giggled behind his back, and he glared at her with a fake-stern look.
"Don’t worry, some day he’ll learn to appreciate your efforts." She gave him an equally fake sympathetic smile, and Logan couldn't help but laugh.
"I’m more lookin’ forward to the day when he’ll learn not to show up at the perfectly wrong moment," he muttered, shaking his head and finishing dressing. Evie stretched out on the bed, following his movements with an appraising gaze, and smiled dreamily.
"And he’s the only one doing it now. Can you imagine when there will be another one?"
This made Logan pause. The thought of another child, a part of him and Evie, who wakes them up crying at night or crawls into their bed in the morning…
"Well…" he said very carefully, trying not to give away how hard his heart was beating just at the thought of it. "Reckon I could get used to this kinda interruption after all."
She met his burning gaze with her own, and just as he was about to throw caution to the wind, forget about any obligations and return to where they had left off last night, the sound of the door slamming downstairs brought him back to reality. Evie smiled at him knowingly and nodded her head towards the door.
"Go, before he comes here again. I’ll be down soon."
Logan leaned in for a quick kiss and then made his way down the stairs to the kitchen. On his way he looked at the photos on the wall, as usual, smiling at some of them.
It was another strange quirk of Evie’s that he didn’t really understand at first, but over time he began to appreciate it more. She was positively obsessed with photography. From the moment she found and managed to restore her first camera, she basically didn’t let it out of her hands. In her office, which she set up above her factory to store some equipment, weapons and work clothes, as well as to work on diagrams, she made a separate space with a desk littered with many photographs that she had taken herself or found in the ruins. Also there were old rare diagrams from the Old World for cameras of that time, as well as her experiments for camera improvements.
Her obsession was contagious, and by now there were several folks at Sandrock who shared her passion: Unsuur, who spent his days off photographing every rock in the area; Jane, who hung photos of the children's productions and projects, along with their drawings, on the walls of the classrooms; and Jasmine, who now wanted to be an event photographer and even received her own camera for her birthday last year from Vivi and Heidi (with the help of Evie, who found the necessary parts for the device and made sure it was suitable for the child).
The photos on the wall here were just a part of Evie’s large collection - landscape shots of Sandrock and Eufaula, numerous moments with their friends and photos from the town festivals. In her office, she hung up photos from various missions (Logan wanted to yell at her for some of them, because - who in their right mind would take pictures of geegler’s meeting about the taking over of Sandrock?!). The living room was mostly filled with pictures she’d found in the ruins, the only exception being a large photo of their wedding day, with Logan, Evie and impossibly pleased Andy happily posing in front of the filled Oasis. There were also more informal photos of the three of them in the kitchen and other rooms downstairs - her and Andy sandfishing, her and Logan with goats near the outpost, and the three of them at various town events. And the most personal ones were in their bedroom - Logan’s child pictures with his father, her photos from Highwind, some of their tender moments caught on the tape.
Warmth and love radiated from each and every photo. Love for Sandrock, love for her friends and family, love for them. And it may have been just her home at first, but she did everything she could to make it a real home for Logan and Andy too.
In the kitchen, Andy had already put a set of eggs on the countertop and was now busy trying to get cookies from a box on the top shelf that Evie's parents had sent from Highwind. Logan snatched the cookie out of Andy’s hand and put it out of his reach.
"Heeey!" Andy pouted and tried to grab Logan's outstretched arm. "I found it first, so it’s mine! I have to feed m’self somehow, since y’all refuse to!"
"You know the rules: no sweets ‘till the actual food,'' Logan easily dodged Andy's bounce and put the cookie back in the box. "After breakfast it’s all yers."
"We’re the outlaws, ain't no rules for us!" Andy puffed out his chest and put his hands on his hips, looking defiantly at Logan. Logan looked back at him unimpressed.
"There are rules if I’m the one makin’ ‘em."
Andy huffed in a mock annoyance. "Life isn’t fair."
"Ain’t that true," Logan snorted and started to get what he needed. However true Andy’s resentment was at Logan’s cooking skills in general, Logan was able to put together a decent breakfast. After a minute of fake pouting Andy joined him, and by the time Evie came down to the kitchen, the table was almost set.
She smiled at them as they bickered over the amount of sugar in Andy’s tea, ruffled boy’s hair and kissed Logan’s cheek, and then busied herself with the coffee pot. The routine was familiar, like the dance they had repeated countless times as they moved around each other, exchanging laughing glances at Andy’s increasingly ridiculous statements.
This was the family, the one he had been dreaming of ever since he had truly come to understand what it meant.
Inevitably (and not at all intentionally) losing the battle to Andy’s absurd reasoning, Logan made sure the boy had everything on his plate and walked over to Evie, pretending to look for something on the top shelf while snuggling up to her from behind. He couldn't help it - if at first he had blamed his desire to constantly be closer to her on the fact that he was simply starving for a human touch after years on the run, later he realized that it was precisely her. She drew him in like a magnet, even before he fully admitted to himself just how much he was into her. And she never complained, only occasionally holding him back in Andy's presence. Just like now - she gave him an amused look and pushed him away lightly with her butt. Logan stifled a chuckle as he returned to the table.
"So what did you do yesterday? Why'd you sleep so long?" Logan barely managed not to choke on Andy's question. He saw how Evie, who had obviously just been about to turn to them, now tensed up and froze with her back to the table, making it seem like she was still busy. Traitor.
"Uh, well… you can blame the builder over here." Evie twitched as if she wanted to object, but remained standing with her back to them, and Logan continued as casually as he could. "She, uh, stayed late at the factory workin’ on… Trudy's project. This one… quite urgent, y'know, on a deadline. So I stayed with her and helped." Andy nodded and went back to his breakfast, losing interest, and Logan tried to hide his relieved sigh.
It's not like he outright lied. They were at her factory until late, or more particularly in her office above the factory. It's just that the project they were working on here didn't have anything to do with Trudy.
And it wasn't like they limited themselves to only her office…more like just started here.
Anyway, it's not something Andy needs to know about. Kid had a sharp mind, but fortunately he was still too innocent to catch up with the real reason for their sudden oversleeping. But he was growing up fast; Logan was sure that soon enough he wouldn't be able to escape his son's teasing so easily.
Evie’s shoulders shook as if she laughed at his struggle, but when she finally turned to join them with her steaming coffee, her face was calm. Only her eyes sparkled with mischief as he promised to pay her back for this with an intent look.
As usual, Andy devoured his breakfast in record time and, after bargaining for extra cookies, rushed to pack his things for school. Evie wasn't far behind and started to clear the table. She looked deep in thought - no doubt she was already checking her to-do list for the day and thinking about the deadlines for commissions.
As she absentmindedly went through the routine, Logan found himself staring at one of the photos in the frame. This one was made by Jasmine a couple of years ago. In this photo, Logan and Evie, who weren't even dating at the time, suddenly found themselves too close to each other because of Pebbles, who wanted to hug "uncle Lo" and "aunt Vi" at the same time. Startled expression with a growing blush on Evie's face as she looked past Logan and refused to meet his eyes, a slightly amused look from Logan as he watched Evie with barely concealed adoration… Jasmine caught the perfect moment to take a shot, and it was one of Logan's favorite photos.
(No one knew, but that photo, along with a few others, was the reason he finally pulled his head out of his ass and admitted his feelings for her. Back when they were still just friends, he happened to be in her office one day while she was showing Andy some relic toys. As he waited, he entertained himself by going through her photo collection (with her permission, of course). While doing so, he found her hastily hidden folder with some photos of him.
If in real life he could be very boneheaded about any signs of affection towards him, in these photos he couldn’t not see the way she looked at him. The way he himself looked at her.
Adding these photos to her one conversation with Grace that he had accidentally overheard before that... All of this was enough of a push for him to finally do something about their "friendship," which was starting to look like a weird, prolonged courtship.
Maybe he’ll tell her about this. One day.)
Breaking out of the memories, Logan found his wife hunched over a notebook, writing something down with an almost completely worn out pencil. Smiling at the familiar sight of sudden inspiration, Logan stepped closer and pulled her to him, hugging her from behind. She jumped slightly, but immediately relaxed and leaned into his embrace.
Logan wrapped his arms around her, kissing her lightly on the temple and letting his hand rest on her stomach, caressing it lightly. Her remark earlier and this photo with Pebbles now made his thoughts wander in one particular direction.
They talked about it in passing, but they didn't really talk about it. He knew Evie wasn't opposed to the idea, they were both on the same page about it, and basically they just... let it go. There wasn't any rush, but after the wedding they both stopped being too careful about it, letting it go by chance.
Except for last night. Was it the anticipation of their separation for a few weeks, or was it just the rush of the moment, but from the outside it might seem like yesterday they were actively trying to get her pregnant.
Maybe they even succeeded. Maybe by the time he returned they could confirm it with Fang.
And if not... there's nothing stopping them from trying again.
"What's gotten into you?" Evie asked in a surprised voice, and Logan realized that in his thoughts he had mindlessly squeezed her in his arms.
"Dunno," he murmured in her hair. "Guess I'm just catchin’ last minutes of peace before goin’ out there."
She cuddled up to him, silently caressing his hands that were still on her midsection. The silence between them was, as always, soothing.
"So," he let his voice drawl, knowing how much she liked it. "Have you decided which piece of your collection will go with me this time?"
"I'm still thinking about it," she turned in his arms and looked at him slyly. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"Actually, I have one." Evie raised her brows questioningly, and Logan nodded at the photo with Pebbles. "This one. I wanna take it."
She smiled in recognition as she looked at the photo.
"Interesting choice. I think I have a copy somewhere. But the thing is…" She innocently ran her hand over his chest, as if contemplating something. "The thing is, I don't think one photo will be enough for… how long will you be gone, again? About five weeks?"
"Closer to six, I reckon. Might even be more - ya know how the hunt can be." He caught her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "And if ya decide to give me the whole pack of ‘em, I won't mind."
It had become one of their little traditions ever since they got together. Whenever he went out on the trail for more than a day, Evie would pack a bag with useful little things: some extra dry meat or berries, medicine and first aid supplies for emergencies, a small sharpening stone and even a piece of good hardened leather in case of needing an armor repair. And on top of all this, she always added some photos of her choice to cheer him up. Most of the time it was a silly picture of Andy, taken by the boy himself with a ridiculous expression on his face, or a picture of Andy with her, her with Logan, or the three of them together. Those pictures always warmed his heart on nights far from home, and they never failed to make him want to return as soon as he could. Perhaps this was her plan all along.
"Then it's settled," she smiled brightly at him. "What're your plans for now, before afternoon?"
Logan thought for a second. "Gonna take a ride to the outpost, get some huntin’ gear and check everythin’ out ‘fore leavin'. Also ought to catch Elsie, go through all the patrols with her again. Reckon I'll be at the Blue Moon around 11. Think you'll be able to stop by?"
"I think so," she nodded, thinking through her plans for the day. "I need to make a quick run to the Eufaula Salvage ruins to get some clay - promised Amirah I’d bring her some, and my supplies are empty. After that I’ll talk to Rocky about upgrading their sorting machine. And then I'll have some time before meeting with Wei, so I might as well stop by at the Blue Moon. So you’ll get your special delivery at the saloon." She smiled at him teasingly. "And maaaybe I’ll even pass by the bus station on my way to the desert some time after noon. If you'll be still here, I might even wave you goodbye! How's this for a plan?"
“Oh really?" Logan grinned at her cheekiness. “Just a ‘wave goodbye’? Hardly a proper farewell from my own wife." When she stuck out her tongue in response, he frowned playfully and swooped down as if to nibble at her. Though Evie managed to pull away, he tightened his arms, not allowing her to move far from him. She tossed her head back with a breathless laugh, and Logan leaned over and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The distance between them was not more than a breath. Logan brushed his lips against hers, barely touching as he whispered softly. "So, how ‘bout the goodbye kiss instead? And not waitin’ ‘till the afternoon. Right now?"
Evie's eyes sparkled. "Like I could ever say no to you."
They didn't really hear Andy rolling down the stairs until he started complaining loudly about ‘keeping this face-sucking business somewhere else’.
The contrast between the hot summer air outside and the freezing, almost icy air of the Blue Moon Saloon struck Logan the second he stepped inside. He suppressed an involuntary shudder and looked questioningly at Owen, who responded with a sympathetic smile and a shrug.
"Sorry, pardner. Something's happened to the regulator on this new cooling system, and I can't figure it out by myself. It's either turn it off and surrender to the heat from outside, or leave it as it is for now. And considering how hot it was since this morning…reckon this is better." Owen sighed, rubbing his hands together. "I'm waiting for some of the builders to pick up my commission, I placed it this morning. Hopefully Evie or Mi-an will find the time to take a look at it by tomorrow."
Logan grinned, leaning on the counter. "Well, if Mi-an had seen your commission, she’d be here by now. And Evie’s gonna come here before the Guild. And y'know, as soon as she walks through the door, she'll be neck deep in your device without any commissions."
Owen sighed, laughing. "You're probably right. So, what can I get you? Late breakfast, early lunch, or maybe something from the bar?" Then he frowned. “Wait, ain't you supposed to leave today? Or am I mistaken?”
"No, that's right. We’re headin’ out in ‘bout three hours.”
Owen nodded. “Do you need anything, supplies?”
“Nah, I’m good. Right now I need whatever Elsie usually has for breakfast." At Owen's confused look Logan rolled his eyes. "I was gonna talk to her about handlin’ the outpost while I'm gone, but apparently this girl was on some ‘night critter observation’ yesterday. She barely keeps her eyes open and refuses to talk any business until she's fed enough to stay awake."
Owen nodded with amusem*nt. "Okay, you've got it. And for you?"
"Nothin’ for now. I might take a bite later, when Evie gets here."
"Okay, breakfast for Elsie it is. I take it she'll come here soon?"
"Yeah, she'll be here in ‘bout ten minutes."
Owen went to the kitchen and Logan took a moment to check his mental list of necessary preparations. It wasn't the first time he'd gone away for more than a few days, but this promised to be his longest expedition since traveling with his Pa.
A group of mercs approached him a few weeks ago. At first it was a letter from an old Howlett's acquaintance, whom Logan remembered very vaguely. But the lead they had looked interesting.
Apparently there was some kind of activity on some Old World ruins near the remains of Doss. This area was abandoned many years ago, after some large monster from Peripheries destroyed the city. Few adventurers were brave enough to go exploring the remaining ruins, and not all of them were lucky to return.
Howlett had been there once, a long time ago, before Logan was born. According to him, with time this area has become the extension of the Peripheries itself, filled with monsters and rogue AIs. Sad, but predictable ending for the people who dared to settle so close to the borders.
Nothing had been heard from this region for a long time, but in the past several years rumors began to surface. As some of the villages around Walnut Groove began to expand and fill up with more people, there were more and more rumors of monsters prowling the area. According to these rumors, the monsters were coming from the direction of the destroyed Doss.
Fortunately, there have been no casualties so far, but after some monster got to Portia a few years before, no one wanted to take any chances.
Usually, Howlett would be the one who was called to help in such cases, as he was the most famous monster hunter in the Free Cities. But after his premature death and widespread news about Logan's banditry, the question hung in the air for a while, and without proper attention of authorities fears continued to grow.
Now, after several new run-ins with some creatures in this area, the mayor of Walnut Groove has turned to Randall, who was known to have worked with Howlett on occasion in the past. He was asked for help in putting together a qualified team to deal with the threat. Randall, in turn, turned to Logan for his vast experience.
(Logan would have wondered why the main request hadn't come to him in the first place, but he wasn't really surprised. Although news about Sandrock's occupation and following liberation had spread throughout the Free Cities, Logan's role in everything that happened wasn't known to the general public. That didn't bother Logan at all, since he wasn't doing it for glory. But at the same time it meant that news about his amnesty wasn't as well known as the widespread legends about the "nefarious bandits".
Logan had already had to deal with his fair share of sidelong glances from some of the tourists here. Once, when he, Evie and Andy decided to take a short trip for a few days, he even had to explain himself to a very suspicious captain of the local Civil Corps in Portia. Thank Peach for Evie's foresight in taking the Alliance documents with Logan's name on them.)
This request looked exactly like the kind of job Logan wouldn't miss. But he still thought it over carefully anyway. The distance to the area in question and the level of danger required him to leave Sandrock for a few weeks at least, and even though the town was relatively calm about the monsters now, he still felt a little uneasy about leaving the town and, more importantly, his family for so long.
Maybe that was the reason why monster hunters and the most ardent adventurers rarely started a family in the first place. Not like Logan would change anything though.
Evie wasn't happy about the separation. But with people's safety at stake, she knew Logan would accept this request, perhaps even before Logan had fully decided it for himself.
Besides, trying his hand at exploring the Peripheries was his long-time dream, and she knew that as well. And this request was as close to this dream as he could get.
The most important factor in Logan's decision was the team. Going on a mission like this alone would be a death sentence, but Randall promised to put together a reliable team. And Logan's skills as a monster hunter, along with his experience, were among the most necessary for the task.
Randall was mostly successful. They'd arrived in Sandrock about two weeks ago to meet and talk face to face, share whatever knowledge they had about the area and possible dangers, assess each other's skills and weaknesses, and work out some basic plans. The team was pretty decent, although Logan was a bit biased in his judgments after having worked with his father for half of his life, and later with Haru, and the perfect team they had become with Evie over the last few years. But for the most part, Randall's team was fine, even if Logan had some questions about certain members.
"Hey, Logan! Fancy meeting you here, man!"
Speak of the devil.
Turning around with a sigh, Logan saw a familiar group coming down the stairs. Randall, the oldest of them, was looking down at the map in his hands. He was talking quietly to Pete, whose furrowed brows were in stark contrast to his usual distant expression. The one talking to Logan now, Cole, was the youngest of them all. He wore his co*cky grin as he walked over to the bar, his eyes briefly scanning the half-empty saloon.
Randall insisted that Cole was a pretty decent shooter and a master with explosives. Logan had yet to put these skills of his to the test, but at first glance, the guy looked like nothing more than a too-young, too-arrogant, and too-careless thrill-seeker. Loud, always fidgeting, with eyes that always wander, as if they were looking for a good fight or a quick f*ck, and with complete disregard for anything serious.
He tried to blatantly hit on Logan within the first ten minutes of meeting him. After receiving a firm rejection he just laughed and shrugged as if nothing had happened, and less than half an hour later he tried to flirt with Grace, who happened to be nearby. Evie also caught his attention as soon as she was in his line of sight, and she quickly put him in his place before Logan could intervene. But even though Cole had kept his distance after finding out that they were married, and only made overly flirtatious remarks once in a while, Logan would sometimes catch him eyeing both him and Evie, together and apart.
When Logan mentioned it to her, she remarked after a fit of laughter that from the look in Cole's eyes, this guy clearly wouldn't mind having both of them in his bed at the same time.
Sometimes Logan wondered if he looked the same in his younger days - co*cky, brash, eager to prove himself and try everything at once.
He hoped not.
(But he most probably did.)
Cole landed on the seat next to Logan and gave him a big smile, tapping his fingers on the counter. Logan gave him a polite nod and turned his attention back to the rest of the group. Seeing him at the bar, Randall smiled as well and walked over to them, rolling up the map. Pete nodded at Logan and turned to look at the menu; usually he seemed indifferent to everything, but now the frown on his face didn't go away. Logan raised a brow in mild curiosity.
"Good afternoon, Logan. Here for lunch? Or was there anything else we should discuss before leaving?"
"Or did you just miss us so much that you wanted to see us sooner?" Cole's cheeky voice made Randall grimace a little, but Logan just ignored him.
"Just ought to finish some things ‘fore we leave. The plan is the same, as agreed, right?" Pete huffed behind them, and Logan noticed a hesitation in Randall's face. "What's wrong?"
Randall let out a sigh. "Nothing...at least not yet. I just got a telegram early this morning. There has been another run-in with a strange mutated creature, and it came from the same direction again." At Logan's concerned look he shook his head. "Nobody was hurt too badly. They managed to chase it away, and the area where this creature showed up is under strict guard right now. But it was close. We can't wait any further."
Logan nodded thoughtfully. "You wanna head out earlier?"
“I wish we could, but we can only do one hour ahead of schedule," Randal shook his head regretfully. "I'm waiting on your town's blacksmith – left my weapon with him yesterday for upgrades. Won't be ready until after midday, at the earliest."
Pete exhaled irritably at these words and scurried out of the bar to the farthest table. Rainfall looked at him sympathetically. When he saw Logan's questioning look, he lowered his voice. "Pete's family lives in one of the villages further up Walnut Groove. The attack happened not too far from it. They're safe now, but he's very nervous at the moment."
Logan nodded in understanding. Randall had mentioned earlier that Pete had a personal interest in this mission. Now it made perfect sense.
"Well, it's not like leaving a few hours early would make much difference. We can always make up for it on the road." Cole's voice was more somber than usual. Randall shook his head.
"Sometimes these few hours might be crucial. But the situation is under control now, every direction from which these creatures might come is being watched. I know that we won't be able to do much from here anyway, and so does Pete. But knowing that doesn't make him worry any less."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open. Logan turned to see a very disgruntled Elsie, shuddering a little from the sudden change in temperature and giving him a demanding look.
"So. I'm here. Where's m'breakfast?"
"Comin’ right up," Owen walked out of the kitchen, gave a nod to Randall and Cole, and then turned back to Elsie. "You can go and find a place to sit, your breakfast will be here in a minute."
"You're always welcome to sit with us if you want," all seriousness in Cole's voice vanished and he looked at Elsie with interest. She gave him an unimpressed look. Logan stood up, blocking Cole's view.
"Well, I take it we're movin’ out an hour earlier?” at Randall's nod Logan nodded too. “Then I need to have a talk with Els now. See ya later."
He turned to Elsie, who was already on her way to one of the tables. The girl landed on the seat with her back to the other tables and leaned back, closing her eyes with a feigned look of agony, and Logan sat down in front of her, smiling amusedly at her dramatics. She squinted at him.
"Ain't funny." She grumbled and Logan couldn't contain the snort. "I woulda look at you after half the night up."
Well, you're lookin' at me now, thought Logan to himself. But out loud he just smirked at her. "Reckon you shoulda think ‘bout it yesterday. You knew I was gonna leave today and the outpost would be on you, ain't ya?”
“You don't get it! There was a new nest, and…” at his amused look Elsie just made a face at him. “Dang, ya gettin’ boring now. Is it all the age? You're already gettin’ old, huh? With yer hair it ain't so easy to tell, but once you open yer mouth…”
Logan threw a crumpled napkin at her in response. Owen, who had just brought in the tray, chuckled at their bickering before turning to other customers.
Logan watched Elsie's devouring of the food with a slight sense of bewilderment. “Y'know that no ones gonna take it from you, right?” At her grunt, he just shook his head. Despite her changed appearance and acquired maturity, Elsie was in some ways just like Andy.
“You're sayin’ this now,” Elsie pointed at him with a fork. “But if my Ma'll hear that I ran off without breakfast and ate here instead…”
Logan suppressed an involuntary shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature in the salon. Mable's culinary competition with Owen seemed to be playful at first, but Evie had once told Logan about the intensity with which the two of them had tried to get from her some receipt of the Mystery Man.
He secretly hoped to head outta town before Mable found out about Elsie's choice of breakfast place. The girl would be able to explain it herself, he was sure of it.
“So,” Elsie leaned back in her seat after emptying half her plates in less than two minutes. “Think I'm awake enough now. Get on with yer borin’ stuff, will ya?”
They spent about half an hour going over the outpost and patrol routes. When all the major points were covered, their conversation quickly moved on to other related matters, such as the possibility of setting up another post on the other side of Portia's tunnel. The whistles inside the tunnel worked fine, but the path through the desert in front of it was sometimes attacked by critters. For now, it was up to Portia's Civil Corps to arrange patrols of the area. But Elsie was convinced that it should be up to the monster hunters.
Just as she was in the middle of her list of arguments, Logan's attention was drawn to the opening door.
Evie was looking a little disheveled, as if she had run all the way to the saloon. Just as Logan predicted, she caught his eye for a second, smiled at him, and immediately frowned and turned her attention to the cooling system on the wall. She was already pulling out a pocket tool kit, nodding absent-mindedly at Owen's explanation. Logan couldn't keep the corners of his lips from curling into a smile. When he met Owen's eyes, he raised his eyebrows with an 'I told you so' look.
“You're ridiculous, y'know?” Elsie's mocking voice brought him back from watching as Evie grabbed the nearest stool and climbed up on it to inspect the damaged detail. “It's been how long since you've met? Heck, ya married her months ago, and ya still watchin’ at her like a hungry mudfish on shellipede every time.”
“Shuddup,” Logan huffed, a little embarrassed at being caught eyeing his own wife. “I do not.”
“Sure ya do! Soooo cuuuute,” Elsie wrinkled her nose mockingly at him, and he rolled his eyes at her childish antics.
Well, it wasn't something to be too ashamed of, to be honest. They had been married less than a year. As far as Logan was concerned, they were still in the honeymoon phase. Especially considering that they hadn't really had an actual honeymoon, with how busy they both usually are.
The only thing that came close to it was their weekend trip to Portia with Andy. Logan still had the fondest memories about their hot springs.
When Elsie kept giggling, Logan couldn't resist shooting back.
“By the way, how's it going with Mi-an?”
Elsie stopped laughing and looked at him warningly, her face flushing. “Ain't yer business.”
Logan answered her with a satisfied grin.
Watching these two dance around each other was both adorable and exhausting at the same time. For months these two were adamant about being only friends and nothing more, even though everyone around them saw the way they looked at each other. They basically spent all of their free time together. Mi-an couldn't stop fidgeting when Elsie was delayed during her flights on Daisy, and any tourist who smiled at Mi-an caused Elsie's jealousy to flare up. Mable invited Mi-an to every family dinner with meaningful glances. But every time it looked like one of them was on the verge of making a move, the other one was pulling back, and they fell back into awkward ‘friendship’.
Well, Logan couldn't really judge. The way he circled around Evie himself was as entertaining to watch as it was tiring, he was sure of that. Even Haru's reaction to the news that they were together had been a letter with only one word "Finally".
But he got his sh*t together…eventually. And so did these two.
No one was able to get the two of them to admit exactly how it had happened. But in the ongoing bet with Evie over who would make the first move - Mi-an or Elsie - his bet was on Elsie.
Them runch kids weren't raised as cowards.
Still chuckling, Logan glanced around the half-empty saloon. His gaze immediately landed on Cole; he was openly admiring Evie, still busy with repairs. As if sensing Logan's stare, Cole shifted his gaze to him and, not at all bothered by being caught, just smiled cheekily and winked. At Logan's slight frown, he just laughed and turned back to the conversation at their table.
Logan just shook his head at the guy's audacity.
In the old days, before the Temple, such behavior toward someone he was involved with might have infuriated Logan to no end; his temper and hotheadedness wouldn't let him just leave it.
A couple of years ago he wasn't so easily riled up, thanks to dealing with the whole Duvos situation. But the amount of people who were openly seeking builder's attention still made him quite nervous - even before she was his builder. It wasn’t until they got married that he managed to get over it.
Now Cole's open glances caused only minor irritation, not even real anger.
Maybe Elsie was right and he really was getting too old for such nonsense.
But maybe it wasn't that. More likely it was the fact that Cole - surprisingly - actually accepted and respected their disinterest, and those looks on his part were nothing more than mild entertainment.
Because in any other situation, if someone with a little too much nerve tried to approach Evie and didn't get the hint that she wasn't interested, Logan always took the opportunity to let those people know that they should back off now.
For some, the mere sight of his towering presence near her was enough. Others recoiled at his intent gaze, along with his hand on her back or hip.
Logan wasn't above using his appearance and reputation to his own advantage.
(Every time Evie caught him doing it, she snickered and rolled her eyes, complaining about overbearing yakboys who couldn't control their urge to mark their territory. But Logan saw the twinkle in her eyes and the suppressed smile at the corners of her lips, so he assumed she wasn't really opposed to his antics.
Besides, it wasn't like she hadn't openly claimed him in front of some persistent admirers. More than once.)
A triumphant shout from the side of the bar caught the attention of the few customers present. Turning, he saw Evie jump down from the stool and smile brightly at Owen's relieved face. She went to pick up her things, which she had left on the barstool before jumping into work. They talked in hushed tones for a minute (no doubt Owen was trying to convince her to charge him for the job as a full commission), and then she finally walked over to their table.
“Hi, Els! How's your observations yesterday, everything went as planned?” She sat down next to Logan as he moved to make room for her, then turned to face him, grinning a little. “Hey.”
“Darlin’,” he held himself back from pulling her into his arms. Probably the impending separation made it hard not to pull her closer each time. She obviously felt his impulse, and her eyes lit up with a gleam of laughter as she gave him a quick wink.
“Ugh,” Elsie in front of them rolled her eyes with exaggeration. “So ya both are ridiculous. Ya were apart for what, two, three hours? How's Andy puttin’ up with you two?” she squinted at them with a feigned indignation. Evie just chuckled.
“Why, are we supposed to be bored with each other already? I thought we're still in our honeymoon phase, aren't we, love?” Logan had to stifle his laughter at their identical thinking. He just nodded and grinned at Elsie, who pretended to be nauseous. Evie's eyes lit up mischievously and she added with an innocent voice. “Oh, and speaking of a honeymoon. Where's Mi-an? I thought she would be here with you…”
Logan had to hide his broad grin behind his hand as Elsie gave Evie an indignant look, puffing and rolling her eyes.
“What is it now? Are you two in cahoots?” Logan tried to do his best to keep a straight face at her intent stare. Evie's eyes widened in innocent surprise, and Elsie pushed her empty plate away with a huff and started to get up from the table.
“That's it, I'm outta here.” As Logan opened his mouth, she nodded before he even made a sound. “Yeah, yeah, I heard ya. Outpost’s on me, I'm on regular patrols. Anythin’ too suspicious, I call the Corps guys. Or yer wife. It's the same thing anyway.” She poked her tongue out at Evie, then turned her eyes back to Logan, pointing a finger at him. “Ya better come back quickly and in one piece, y'hear? Or I won't forgive you!” At Logan's nod, she gave him a smile and waved goodbye before turning to head for the exit.
When she was near the door, Evie called out to her. "Hey, you gotta stop by my workshop tomorrow, I'll take a look at this saddle that's bothering you." Elsie gave a thumbs up and walked away. Evie turned to Logan with a warm, slightly tired smile. "Sorry I'm a little late. Hope I didn't keep you waiting?"
“Lost track of time m’self, to be honest. Been talkin’ to Elsie,” he admitted, glancing at the clock. Indeed, it was already almost noon. “What took ya so long?”
“You know Rocky,” she rolled eyes warmly. “If he gets the opportunity to talk about Pebbles and Krystal, he can challenge Cooper sometimes.” Logan nodded in understanding. It was true; the man was willing to share his adoration for his wife and son with anyone who would listen. "How much time do you have? Do you have anything to get done before you leave?"
Logan glanced at the table in the far corner. Randall and his team were still sitting here, no maps on the table, just their plates; Cole was enthusiastically telling something, waving his arms around; Pete was visibly calmer, he returned his usual distant expression and only occasionally huffed at the story. Logan turned back to Evie.
“Reckon I still have some time. What about you? Ain't you had some meetin’ with Wei?”
"I have, but it's not a specific time. I just need to come by the guild sometime today. So, if my husband is willing to spend some time with me before he has to run off into the wilds..."
At her teasing tone, Logan just smiled lazily and moved closer, burying his nose in her hair and lowering his voice. "Well, when you put it that way..."
Before they could lose sight of where they were - really, maybe they are too ridiculous about each other - Owen came over to their table to collect Elsie’s plates. Except for the hidden smirk, he didn't look like he saw or heard anything.
“So, what about lunch now? Evie, Logan was waiting for you before ordering. Do you want anything in particular, or can I interest you in today's special?”
“Oh, I ain't hungry, really. Logan's the one who needs to…”
“Have you eaten?” Logan didn't let her finish her usual excuses.
"I'll just have a cup of coffee, and maybe some sand-jujube cake..."
"Have you eaten?" Logan repeated again, quietly but firmly, and gave her an expectant look. She looked at him for a moment before she let out a defeated sigh.
"Not yet." Logan gave a satisfied nod.
“We'll have two of your specials, Owen. And sand-jujube cake.”
“Coming right up,” Owen nodded and headed back into the kitchen with Elsie's plates. Once he was out of earshot, Evie playfully nudged Logan's shoulder.
“It wasn't necessary. I could've just grabbed lunch at home later.”
Logan nodded knowingly. "Sure, you could've. But would ya?" He raised an eyebrow at her determined look. "I know how absorbed ya get in yer work. Proper food tends to be the last thing on yer mind." He couldn't help but grin as she rolled her eyes. "Hey, at least this time I ain't have to haul ya over my shoulder from somewhere just to make sure you eat yer lunch." Despite her glare, a blush crept onto her cheeks. Logan nodded with satisfaction.
Because it was true. Logan had done just that back in the days when they had just started dating and were still trying to figure out how this relationship thing was supposed to work.
He'd gotten tired of her constant disregard for her own well-being and health even when they were still friends. But he couldn't really do anything about it back then. She was no less stubborn than he was. And she was a master at deflecting such concerns and changing the subject. It worked with most people. But not with him. Logan was too familiar with this kind of deflection, having done it himself for many years. But as he became more and more aware of his own feelings for her, he also grew increasingly bothered by her constant dismissal of his concerns.
When they started dating, not much changed at first. She was still too stubborn and brushed off any concerns about her, and he was too cautious to press the question. But when it was Heidi who voiced her worry about Evie's relentless work schedule at the site, mentioning that she skipped lunch and worked well into the evening - he snapped.
Heidi was very amused by the show. Evie - not so much.
They talked about it later, of course, and came to a compromise, promising - both of them - to take care of themselves more seriously and not to shut each other out. It also was one of the biggest steps for both of them to realize how serious they were about their relationship and their future together.
Since then he hasn't had to use those methods with her. Well... at least not over food.
Carrying her on his shoulder somewhere private for…other purposes worked just fine for both of them.
Owen served their food a few minutes later, and the rest of the lunch went on as usual. Occasionally someone would come up to them to say hi, ask about some Evie's commission, or just wish Logan a safe journey. By the time they had finished their dessert, the group led by Randall had also gotten up from their table and made their way to the stairs, apparently to start getting ready to move out of the rented rooms. Before they left, Randall came over to their table, said hello to Evie, confirmed the new departure time with Logan once more, and then left with the others. Evie looked at them as they left and then turned back to Logan.
“So, do you have something else to do before you go?”
"Gotta go visit Vivi, she won't forgive me if I don't say goodbye to her in person. Also need to stop by my old house and pick up my pa's notes, reckon I can read ‘em on the road." Logan sighed. "I was hopin’ to get up to the school to see Andy, but now I might not have time fer that, since we're leavin’ early." Evie nodded.
“He'll be sad about it, but he'll understand.” She took Logan's hand in hers and began to play with his fingers. "I don't know how long this meeting with Wei will take. But I hope to see you on your way out. Even if from a distance.”
“Why are ya goin’ to the desert today anyway?” Logan intertwined their fingers.
“Xena asked me to bring her some supplies and new quilts. She's too busy with their little ones right now, and Larry won't leave them alone either.”
Logan gave her a perplexed look. “But geeglers, they usually ain't allow anyone near their offspring so early on.”
"Well, I'm not just anyone. I'm the 'strong human' of Sandrock, remember?" she smiled cheekily at him. Logan just shook his head.
It shouldn't have been a surprise to him that she became the most valued member of his town, even though she wasn't a native here. But every time he saw with his own eyes what a special place she held in the hearts of the townsfolk, old and new, and even not human ones - it amazed and impressed him to no end.
They said goodbye to Owen and left the saloon. The heat outside had gotten worse in the last hour. Logan walked over to Rambo, who hid from the sun along with Merle under the roof over Grace's now-empty drink stand beside the saloon, and rubbed his neck. The goat snorted disgruntledly at him.
Evie came closer as well and unhooked a familiar bag from Merle's saddle.
“Here you go, yakboy. Small helping package for a long road.”
Logan weighed the bag in his hand. “Ain't it heavier than before? What did you put in here?"
"The usual." She looked at him innocently. "Just a few things that I thought might come in handy, nothing more than that. Oh, and a bit of rutabaga too."
“Rutabaga?” Logan looked at her incredulously. Rambo turned his head to her and let out a curious bleat. Evie just gave him a light laugh and rubbed the goat under his chin.
“Of course. How can I send my favorite boy so far away from home and not make sure he has his favorite treat?”
“Uh-huh. Yer favorite boy. I see how it is now.” Logan watched as she continued stroking Rambo, who melted under her hands. "You spoil him too much, woman.”
“Who, me? Not at all. We made a fair deal with him, that's all."
“Oh really?” Logan watched her suspiciously. Her overly innocent look next to the obvious superiority of Rambo's gaze made it hard not to chuckle. “And what sort of deal is that?”
“Yeah, you see, we've come to an agreement. He takes care of you when I'm not here, and I give him all the rutabagas he wants. It's a win-win, right?"
Logan could only keep a straight face for a few seconds before he burst out laughing at her mischievous smile. He moved closer and pulled her into his arms, burying his face into her neck.
“Light I'll miss you,” he whispered against her skin, enjoying the instant goosebumps and her sharp intake of breath. He smirked lightly at the marks on her neck after the last night, right under the collar of her shirt, and lifted his head to look into her eyes. “And who will take care of you, darlin’, while I'm not here?”
"Oh yeah, like you didn't tell everyone you could here to keep an eye on me, right?" At her knowing look, Logan tried to keep an innocent expression on his face, but to no avail. So he simply shrugged.
"What can I say? With a gal as active as you, I usually have my hands full as it is. Someone ought to check that you’re not in over your head in yer rush to save this town from itself. And when I ain't here, I know I need all the help I can get.” He tucked a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear and just chuckled at her indignant look. Evie huffed with feigned indifference.
"Whatever. We both know that you're going to be on edge about being away from Andy and me until you get back, Mr. Won't-Let-Anything-Happen-To-You. That's why it's better for all of us if you just hurry up with your hunting."
“You know I’ll do my best, darlin’,” he pulled her closer and nuzzled her temple. “The further I go, the more I can't wait to run back to you, y’know.”
He had never seen himself as such a smooth talker, so it was always a wonder to him how some of his words could send her into a flutter. Just like now, when her face turned crimson and her eyes sparkled with such tenderness that Logan's heart skipped a beat.
“You better. Besides…” her voice turned to teasing. “If you manage to get back a few weeks early, you can be my partner in the Dance-off!”
Ugh. Logan grimaced in pretended contemplation. “On the other hand, we probably ought to take a week or two to observe the area, even if we're done with the monsters sooner. Y'know, to make sure it's safe and all…” She punched him lightly on the shoulder, and he laughed. Evie sighed in exaggerated disappointment.
“Well, that's a pity. I thought the sooner you'd be back, the sooner we'd be able to work on that project we started,” she grinned at his puzzled look with a twinkle in her eye. “The one we've been working on together? You know, yesterday... the urgent one, as you said yourself to Andy. But if you must stay longer…”
Logan unconsciously squeezed his hands on her waist, looking into her deceptively innocent eyes. The implication of her words made the fire inside him to flare up, and from the slight smugness in her expression, she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Logan lowered his grip to her hips and made a step further into the shadow drawing her with him, away from any prying eyes, and pulled her into him even tighter.
“Ain't time nor place to tease me like this, darlin’, y'know?” He lowered his voice to a whisper, rubbing his nose against hers. She just smiled, pleased by his reaction.
“Not a tease, just extra motivation for you,” she widened her eyes innocently. Logan moved his hands on her ass and grabbed it tighter, making her involuntarily gasp.
"Reckon we've already worked on this… project... quite thoroughly, if I may say. Perhaps the results are already here."
“Maybe they are, maybe they aren't.” She squinted at him mischievously. “Either way, you won't know that for sure until you get home, ain't ya?”
Logan laughed softly against her lips.
Before meeting her, the only other thing that made his blood run with such intensity was the thrill of the fight. Now, the rush of emotions stirred by her teasing, her touch, her presence alone surpassed even the fiercest battles he had faced.
Unable to contain himself, he pulled her into a quick, searing kiss, pulling away after a few moments to rest his forehead against hers and take a deep breath.
“You're a cruel, cruel woman. Cruel and dangerous, distractin’ me like that.”
“How could I? I wouldn't dare do such a thing,” she teased breathlessly in return, but any continuation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and voices from the Guild.
Regretfully, they let go of each other and stepped back to the street.
On the other side of the street, Wei and Catori were standing on the porch of the Guild. It wasn't until they jumped away from each other at the sight of Logan and Evie that Logan realized that they were standing suspiciously close to each other. Interesting.
“Ah, hey, lovebirds! Nice seeing ya here! Howdy?” Catori's overly cheerful voice added to Logan's suspicion. Before either of them could say anything, she added. “Oh, but look at the time! Sorry, can't really stop and chat, gotta get back to the Game Center. Commissioner,” Catori nodded at them and quickly, without even waiting for anyone’s response, ran off toward the alley next to the saloon. Wei nodded at her with a perfectly neutral expression and turned to the couple.
“Good afternoon, Evie, Logan! How are you? Logan, you're leaving today, if I remember correctly?” Logan answered at his genuine smile with his own. He was wary about the man at first - well, to be fair, they all were. But over time, Wei proved that he could be trusted. And more importantly to Logan, he strictly followed the Guild's rules, not only with regard to the fair pricing, but also with regard to work schedules and builder's workloads; he proved to be one of Logan's main allies when it came to keeping Evie from overworking herself.
“Howdy, Wei. Yeah, I'm leavin' in a few hours. Last preparations.”
Wei nodded. “Okay, I won't distract you. Evie, do you think you'll be able to stop by the Guild some time before three? I would like to turn in a bit earlier today, if it's possible.”
“Of course, commissioner! In fact, I was just going to come in five minutes.” Evie innocently smiled at him. “I wouldn't dream about keeping you from your plans on Friday’s evening.”
Wei kept his even expression despite the light blush. “Wonderful! Then I'm waiting for you. Logan, have a safe trip.” He nodded at them both and retreated back to the building.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Evie giggled. “I wasn't the only one who saw it, right? Wei and Catori. Who would've thought?”
Logan smiled at her delight. “Don't tease him too much. Let the poor man live a little. It's about time for them both to have somethin' beside work.”
“I would never! How can you think about me like that?” she widened her eyes in pretend surprise. “Besides, he's my boss! Why would I tease the person I depend on for my income? Catori, on the other hand…” she squinted mischievously, and Logan couldn't help but laugh. He pulled her in his arms - any witnesses be damned - and kissed her with all emotions he had. Her arms wrapped around his neck, prolonging their connection even after the kiss ended, and his insides warmed with tenderness as usual at the sight of her standing on her toes just to reach for him. He hugged her back tightly, savoring the feeling of her in his arms.
She looked up at him with a hint of sadness.
“There's not much time left. You need to go.”
“Yeah.” He held onto her, unwilling to let her move away.
She squeezed him tightly once more, whispering in his ear. “Don't risk yourself too much. Remember, no matter what wildlands the trail takes you to, we're waiting for you to return home to us.”
Logan swallowed the lump instantly formed in his throat. “And I'll do whatever I can to come back home to you, darlin’. Always.”
He held her for a moment longer before reluctantly letting her go.
She gave him the last chaste kiss, smiled at him with her dashing smile and disappeared behind the Guild’s door. Logan stood there for a few moments, taking deep breaths.
He loved his job, he really did. Ever since his father had started taking him around as a child, he had been used to throwing himself headlong into any opportunity, driven by the thrill of the hunt.
But now... darn it, it was hard to leave at times like this.
After a moment to compose himself, he turned towards Rambo, brought up from the ground discarded bag - seriously, what did she put here this time? - and attached it to Rambo’s saddle. But before he could get on the goat himself, he heard a familiar warm voice from the side.
“I hope you're not going to leave without saying goodbye to your grandma, are you, boy?” Vivi was sitting on her favorite rocking chair with a full view of the saloon's porch and stall, looking at him over her glasses with her usual all-knowing smile, and Logan realized that she'd probably been here the whole time.
Oh well. It's not like moments like this are anything new to everyone in Sandrock at this point. He never was prone to hiding anyway.
…except for his ‘bandit’ days, of course.
“Wouldn't even dream of it, Vivi.” Sending her a smile, he patted Rambo and turned towards the woman.
There's really not much time left before they had to head out, but he would never dare to refuse her the opportunity to fuss over him before the long road. Knowing Vivi, she won't let it slide to any of her grandchildren - and she saw every one of Sandrock's kids as one. Logan included.
He wouldn't have it any other way.
After receiving his share of well wishes from Vivi, as expected, Logan only had time to stop by his old house and get his Pa's notes about his travels to the Periphery along with some spare weapons (more better than less; he learned it the hard way).
By the time he arrived at the bus stop, the group was already here, making last-minute checks on their mounts and equipment. Throughout the usual bickering between Randall and Cole, accompanied by quite humming from Pete, Logan kept an eye on the path from workshop to the bridge, but it remained empty.
The meeting with Wei was probably longer than expected.
Logan sighed, patting Rambo's neck reassuringly. The goat snorted with indignation.
“I know, buddy. This sun is burnin’ us all out. Just wait for the tunnel, it's gonna be cooler than outside.”
When all the preparations were over and the group finally saddled their mounts, ready to move out, Randall's voice distracted Logan from examining the path to the tunnel for monsters.
“Hey, isn't it your son?” Logan looked back and swore under his breath. It was indeed Andy, running after them as fast as he could.
Logan nodded to the man.
“Can we wait for a coupla minutes? I’ll have a word with him”.
The men nodded and stopped where they were. Logan dismounted and just took a step towards the boy as Andy ran into him. Logan barely left standing from the impact.
“What is this, boy? Ain't you supposed to be at school now?” as Andy took a few seconds to catch his breath, Logan's thoughts turned to worry. “Is everythin’ alright at home? Is Evie okay?”
Andy shook his head dismissively, and Logan let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.
“Nah, it's been over fer a day. I just wanted to see ya before you go!” at Logan's skeptical stare he straightened up with an offended look. “I ain't lyin’! Miss Jane let us go ‘cause of some emergency. Jas went to spend time with her ma, and m..Evie promised to take me to desert today!” he beamed proudly, and Logan couldn't hold back an amused smile at the boy's restlessness.
It wasn't the first time Andy had almost slipped up about his and Evie's names. Logan had talked to him about it in the beginning, when they'd first moved back to Sandrock and were getting used to living as a family instead of a gang. What Andy would call him, and later Evie, was up to him.
Mostly boy stuck to their names, and Logan was perfectly fine with that. But sometimes - not to their faces, but when talking about them - Andy almost dropped "ma" and "pa."
Logan never brought it up. Whatever was holding him back now, it would remain the boy's decision.
Clearing his throat, Logan tried to hold a stern look. “Did she really?”
“Yeah! She went to workshop, get everythin’ she'll need. And I decided to try and catch y'all ‘fore ya left. I hafta make sure ya didn't forget yer Super Shield!”
“Ain’t never left home without it,” Logan laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. “Does Evie know you went after me?”
“Yep! She told me to go ahead and she'll catch up to me at the bridge!” Andy's beaming smile left his face as he raised a demanding gaze at Logan. “Why can't I go with ya?!”
“We've been over this.” Logan sighed wearily. “I'll be away fer a while longer this time. And if I have to keep an eye on you as well as m’self, it could drag things out. Plus, it's mighty risky for a kid."
“I ain't kid! You brought me with ya already, why not now?”
“I brought ya, yeah - when I knew what we're dealin’ with, and I was sure ya would handle yeself just fine. But this time it's dangerous even for me. My pa didn't take me on the hunts like that too.” At Andy's pout, Logan sighed again and crouched down to be level with Andy's eyes - by the Light this boy grew up fast. “Tell you that. When I'll return from this, we can take Evie and go fer a trip - just the three of us. Go somewhere fer a week or two, get y’self a little adventure. What d'you think?”
Andy's eyes lit up instantly.
“Like last time in Portia? But this time we shouda go on real trail!” Logan nodded, and the boy jumped on the spot from delight. “And we shoulda take Nemo! I'll teach him to track critters, and we'll be takin’ him on the hunt with us!”
“We'll see about that,” Logan snorted and then became serious, putting his hand on Andy's shoulder. “Now there's somethin’ I need to ask of ya.”
At his change of tone Andy straightened up and looked at him with an expectant look.
“While I'm away, you’re stayin’ as the only man in our house. And ‘cause you ain't kid no more, I wanna ask you to do somethin’ for me, will ya?” Andy nodded excitedly, and Logan barely suppressed a smile. “I wanna ask you to keep an eye on Evie while I'm gone. You know I'm always tryin’ to watch over her, and I’ll sleep better if I know you'll do the same fer me here. Heck, I'm already mighty relieved you are goin’ to desert with her, so ya can watch over each other.”
Andy puffed up a little and nodded enthusiastically. “I'll make sure nothin’ will get close ta her, you can bet on it!”
Logan chuckled and nodded. “Ain't doubt it for a second, or I wouldn't ask you of this. And one more thing,” Logan fixed his gaze on Andy's expectant face. “Try to stay out of trouble for a while, will ya? She always has a lot on her plate, and now she's gonna worry over me bein’ gone too. Don't wanna add to her worries, right?” Andy grimaced, but at Logan's look he sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll try. But ya have to get me somethin’ reeeally cool from these ruins, ya hear me?”
Before Logan could answer, they both heard insistent bleating from the rails and looked up just as Merle came into the sight. Evie on her back was looking at their direction worryingly, and her expression softened when she spotted them together. She smiled at Logan, and he nodded at her in return. He pulled Andy into a hug before standing up.
“Go, don't make her wait. Our builder is one very busy lady, ain't she?” and as Andy already turned to go, Logan added. “And try to see what she ain't stayin’ in her factory fer the whole night, too!”
Andy turned back and snorted.
“Hey, don't make me promise what's impossible! You weren't even able to do this!” at Logan's raised brow he rolled his eyes. “Come ooon, you told me this y’self this mornin’! How she was workin’ all night, and you were helpin’ her instead of sendin’ her to bed, no? Ain’t this the reason you both overslept today?”
“Um… Yeah… That.“ There were snickers behind his back, but Logan did his best to ignore them and to hold face. This boy.
Waving at him, Andy turned away and ran up to Merle, and Logan watched as Evie helped him to hop on the saddle behind her. Making sure he was holding on tight, she turned one more time to Logan and raised her hand too. Logan tipped his hat at them and, after watching them go towards the bridge for a few seconds, he returned to Rambo. As he mounted up and was straightening the reins, Pete looked at him with unexpected warmth.
“Your son, hah?” at Logan's nod he nodded too. “Smart lad. You're lucky to have him.”
Randall rode up to them and added with a smile. “If you want to go say goodbye to your wife, we can spare another minute, you know.”
Logan only briefly looked at him and shook his head before returning to check on Rambo.
“There's no need. We've already had our farewells.”
Cole behind them snorted. “Oh yeah, we've heard. Looks like you were saying goodbye to her all night.”
Others snickered, but Logan refused to react. Instead he turned one last time to the bridge. Evie and Andy were almost gone out of sight now, but at the last moment she turned to him and, when she saw him watching her, she smiled and waved her hand.
He wasn't as big of a fan of photography as her, but at that moment all he wanted was to capture her like this - lighted up by the sun, hair disheveled in the wind, sparkle in her eyes and a dazzling smile.
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