The night was cool and damp, but I was pleasantly warm, as the moonlight gave ample light through the windows, the sheer white curtains unable to hinder it's intensity tonight. Laury's house was a three bedroom home, so Kent and Mom volunteered to share a room with me, while Jean and Logan would share the other. I was currently sandwiched in between them, Kent's arm draped over me while Mom was cuddled close, her steady breath on my cheek. I knew that they were worried about me - Kent because he feared what I was capable of, and Mom because of what she'd witnessed. It surprised me that Mom was even speaking to me, after all I'd put her through, but I didn't question it. I didn't want to. I looked over at her sleeping face. Tired dark circles under her eyes seemed deeper under the shadows the moon cast, and she seemed more aged since I last saw her. The youthful face I'd always admired faded long ago with Dad's betrayal. I was just too stubborn in my defense of him to realize how much pain this must have caused her. Dad caused us all pain.
I turned my gaze over to Kent. My brother. It was hard to believe I had made us drift apart so much. We used to be joined at the hip as kids. He was my protector - and sometimes tormentor, as big brothers usually were, but then again I gave it right back - and I looked up to him. Now I was just glad to have him speaking to me again. I let out a long sigh. They'd be angry with me again. No matter how much they would understand, they'd be angry. But Victor was in danger and I couldn't just leave this alone. I've had my day of peace. Now it was time to raise hell.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to them both, "I have to leave for just a little longer."
I carefully lifted Kent's arm from me, settling it down next to me as I slipped underneath the covers and carefully slid my way to the end of the bed. Careful not to jostle them too much, I slid off the end of the bed and into the floor, turning my gaze to see if I'd woken them. They simply shifted positions and stayed sound asleep. I let out a breath of relief. I stood up, brushing myself off as I headed over to the backpack that Logan had gone to grab for me from Victor's house. I picked up my leather jacket which he'd so kindly grabbed for me, and pushed open the door as I swung my backpack up onto my shoulder. I would change clothes once I got far enough away to stop at a hotel - at the moment I was in Victor's T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants.
I sighed as my thoughts rested on Logan. He'd attempt to come after me, if I knew anything about those brothers. Logan had been quiet all day, his thoughts probably on too many things to be able to concentrate on anything else. My goodbye with him was more painful than with the others, as I knew that even if I did come back our relationship wouldn't be the same. He couldn't see me as less than a lover and I couldn't let myself see him as more than a dear friend. I shook my head as I walked down the hall, careful not to make any noise with my bare feet. I was tip toeing and humming the mission impossible theme under my breath, which caught in my throat as my toes pressed down on an extra squeaky board in the floor. I winced as picking my foot up only made it creak more, and froze in place as I listened for any noise at all.
None. Excellent.
I carried on into the kitchen, where my new phone sat with my wallet. I picked it up, shifting the backpack on my shoulder as the light illuminated the area around me, as I searched for the number I kept in my contacts list for things like this. The taxi service. It was always a nice contact to have.
I was just about to hit the call button when the light flipped on. I jumped, my phone flying from my hand before I reached out and caught it with both, whirling to find out who it was. Logan leaned in the doorway of the kitchen, shorts hanging low on his hips as his shirt was messily rumpled, though he didn't look as though he'd been sleeping, as his alert blue eyes stared at me, eyebrow raised.
"Going somewhere?"
His voice was rough, and frighteningly sexy--I meant angry. I held my phone to my chest, where my heart attempted to escape from, and then smiled and laughed.
"Going? I was just gonna go...get my car from Victor's," I sputtered, nodding.
It wasn't a lie.
"With your backpack?" He gestured to the bag that hung loosely from my shoulder. "At two AM?"
"Ah-heh-heh," I scratched my head as I glanced down at the incriminating evidence. "I...uh...wanted to grab some stuff I might have left...at Victors...?"
"At two AM?" He repeated, and I winced, and then sighed.
Logan knew he had me, crossing his arms as he tilted his head with an expectant expression. I dropped my bag to the floor.
"Look, you're not going to stop me from doing this," I told him, looking up to finally meet his gaze.
He narrowed his eyes. "So, what? What are you going to do?"
I leaned against the table, running a hand through my hair as I set my phone down next to me. "I'm going to get him back."
"How do you plan on doing that, Jane? How in the hell do you plan on even finding him? They let me listen in to you when they were done interrogating me. They didn't tell you where he was, Jane--," He stopped, as my expression smoothed over. I didn't look away from him, but I didn't say anything either.
"No," He realized, lifting his hand to point at me, "You... were lying."
I pressed my lips into a thin line, as Logan put the pieces together. "You were, all this time, planning to go and...and what, Jane?" He asked, and this time he pushed off of the door and stepped forward, "What were you planning on doing?"
I stared at him, unaware of what my expression portrayed as I opened my mouth and sucked in a breath. "I'm going to return Victor."
"Return him?" Logan's eyes hardened. "You say that like you don't plan on returning with him."
I swallowed, Ike's image coming up in my mind as I thought of what was going to happen up there. "If...if it comes to that-,"
"No!" The word was loud enough to make me flinch, as Logan stepped forward and grabbed me by the arms, "No, Jane! Not again!" His expression was angry, as he pulled me toward him and forced me to look into his eyes. "I won't lose you a second time. Not like this," His voice faltered, as did his expression, "Not again."
My own eyes were wide, as I took in his broken expression and tone. He was frustrated, but also hurt. Extremely so.
"Why are you doing this to me, Jane?" He shook me, as if doing this would relieve some of his pain, but it only jostled me a little, as I didn't look away from his gaze.
"Logan, you have to let me go."
The words seemed to shock him. Or perhaps it was the tone I used. Firm, and with underlying implications. If he didn't let me go, I would resent him for it. I would hate him even as I loved him. Carefully, he let me go, allowing me to slowly ease back onto the ground where he'd picked me up slightly when he grabbed me. He backed away from me, glancing around the kitchen for a moment, before settling his eyes onto my backpack. He thought for a moment, narrowing his eyes on the bag, before turning his gaze up to me.
"If I can't stop you, than I'm coming with you."
And without waiting for my response, he whirled and left the kitchen. I was speechless anyway, my mouth hanging open as I blinked, noiselessly asking what the hell I just heard. No, no, no. This wasn't a part of the plan. Logan couldn't accompany me! It was me Ike wanted. Logan would only get hurt. But Logan would only chase me down, now, if I tried to leave. He'd alert the police - there was no telling what he'd do if I left now that he knew that I was leaving.
I'd have to wait and get away from him. Wait until we were far enough out that he wouldn't know where I was going, or how to get me back. It was cruel, but it was the only way to get him to let me go. Properly.
When he came back, he had his keys in hand and an empty bag slung over his shoulder. "We'll drop by my apartment to grab some things."
I didn't say anything, simply letting out a heavy sigh as he grabbed his keys from the counter.
"Leave those," I instructed, as I picked up my backpack from the floor, and then slid my phone off of the table, "You won't need them." I ignored his inquisitive gaze as he set his keys back on the counter, giving a resigned look as I made my way over, knowing that protesting wouldn't sway Logan in the slightest. he'd do as he pleased.
I switched the kitchen light off, and my eyes adjusted to the moonlight. Logan stood close, his eyes staring at my face from the darkness. I tilted my head in the direction of the back door, raising my finger to press to my lips - telling him to be quiet. He followed behind me, as we carefully made our way across the kitchen. I slid open the door, taking in the damp air that hit my face with a deep breath. I let it out on a soft sigh as I said one last mental goodbye to my family, and stepped over the threshold with Logan in tow. We skulked across the backyard, and I peeked through the slats of the wooden fencing, out at the cop car that sat just in my view. Logan's chest pressed against my back as he looked through the slats above me, and I tried to ignore the feeling of my heart stuttering. I slipped out from underneath him as I headed over to the metal fencing that separated this backyard and the neighbor's. It wasn't too tall, and the house next door was peacefully still. I carefully scaled the fence, making sure not to jostle it too much or alert any dogs in the area. I reached the top and hoisted my leg over, and then the other, dropping down onto my toes into the soft-packed dirt and grass below me. Logan was a little less graceful, jostling the fence with just a little more force than necessary as I watched with a dry expression. He scaled it quicker than me, though, dropping down next to me in no time.
"Why do I want to apologize to the Hilberts?" Logan said to me under his breath as he followed me across their backyard.
"It's their fault for having such an unguarded backyard. I mean get a dog, for goodness sake," I said, as we reached wood slats of the neighboring backyard. "Gimme a boost," I murmured, staring up at the much more difficult wooden fencing.
"Oh no you don't," Logan grunted, and I turned just in time for him to leap past me, and grab onto the top of the wood. He easily scaled the wood with his feet, managing to reach the top and perch there like some gigantic cat. He looked around for a moment before he braced one hand onto the wood and reached down for me.
"Come on," He whispered, "Coast is clear."
I rolled my eyes at him as I grabbed onto his hand. "I wasn't going to book it, you know," I mumbled through a squeezed breath as I used the traction of my shoes to scale the wood.
He grinned down at me in the moonlight, as he pulled me up easily to perch onto the wood along with him. I had to work to keep my balance, both from the precarious place I sat and from the way his expression glowed in the limited light. "How am I supposed to know?"
"Trust?" I blurted, and then as he gave me a dry glare I nodded. "Yeah, okay, you're right."
I sucked in a breath to brace myself as I swung down from the fencing, landing hard on my feet with a sharp exhale. Logan followed suit, landing next to me with a low grunt.
"Still," I grinned at him as we made our way across, "I'm surprised you're able to scale these so easily."
He shot me a mischievous smile, as we slowed our pace to listen for any signs that we'd been caught. The night was silent save for a few dogs around the block, which had been barking since earlier.
"I wasn't the goody-goody in the family."
"Hmm?" I stopped in front of the next fence to scale, "I would have never guessed."
"Save your sarcasm," He rolled his eyes, "I sneaked out a few times, is all."
"And yet you're such a pro," I grinned at him, as I took a running step and leaped to grab onto the wood, swinging myself up and over in one foul swoop.
I hit the ground with a grunt, my legs bending under my own weight. As I straightened up, Logan was already following me, crawling his way over the top of the fence and then swinging himself down. We stood for a moment to catch our breath, and then I walked to the left, towards the gate that had a simple hook-latch. I unlatched it and peeked from the crack that I made, ignoring Logan standing above me, looking along with me. I looked for the other police car that I had predicted would be nearby, and as I gently opened the gate a little wider, I caught site of them a little ways down the road.
"There," I pointed, "Black Toyota. Two men are inside. We'll move on from here and get to the end of the street."
"And...what then?" He asked, watching as I closed the gate and started towards the far side of the yard.
I glanced back at him with a smile, "We call a cab."
We were making progress, talking little after that as we scaled and scurried across each yard. I was getting a little worried about dogs, as I knew at least a few neighbors had them, and I was just about to mention it to Logan as we were scaling another fence, but I slipped as I turned, reaching for anything I could. Logan grabbed for me, but lost his balance as well and we both tumbled into the next yard. I hit the ground with an audible thump, the air knocking from my lungs as I laid there wheezing for a moment. Logan reached out, panting as well.
"You," He wheezed in a breath, "You okay?"
I opened my mouth to answer, and in my muddled mind was slightly confused when a growl came out. Logan and I both looked at each other for a slow second, before it hit us, and we both reluctantly looked behind us. Of course it couldn't have been like a yappy Pomeranian or a damn pug for god's sake, it had to be a damn pit bull. Now I loved pitbulls - I'd own twenty if I could have found the space for them - but they could be protective of their homes. Fiercely so.
Slowly, Logan and I shifted up to our knees in unison, hands raising up in caution.
"It's okay puppy," I began to speak, eyes wide as I looked around for something, anything as means to escape. "Goood puppy," I cooed.
I looked down at my side and I saw a bone, so ever so slowly I reached down and picked it up, holding it out to point at the pit.
"You want the bone?" I goaded, shaking the piece of rubber.
The dog's lowered ears perked slightly, eyes lighting up in the moonlight. Eagerly, I shook the bone again, "Yeah, you wanna play?"
He approached little by little, as I offered him my only means of peace. Logan watched me with eyes that wondered at my sanity, as I let the dog get closer.
"Come on, that's it! Let's play fetch!" I whispered to him, as I swung the bone around, letting his eyes follow it.
"Jane," Logan hissed, "This dog has bitten people before."
"Well did they ever offer him a bone?" I hissed back.
"No, I don't think so," He admitted.
"Well there you go," I raised the bone a little higher, and flung it over the dog's head.
He watched it fly, ears perked, and then he turned his gaze back to me, and his ears slowly lowered once again. I gulped. Not good.
"Logan," I mumbled, slowly scaling my hands up the fence as I my body followed close behind, until I was standing up.
"What?" He hissed back, following my lead.
"Plan B," I told him, wincing as the dog took a step closer.
"What? Plan B? Did we have a-?"
"Now!" I turned and with a yelp that I was sure probably woke up the entire neighborhood leaped as high as I could.
I grabbed hold of the top of the fence just as I heard a snarling bark follow my yelp, and felt teeth clamp down on my ankle. Suppressing a scream that wanted to let itself out so bad, I was glad that most of what he got was my yoga pants, as I kicked out with my other foot and caught him in the face. I attempted to scramble my way up to the top of the fence as a yelp was followed by another snarl, and the scraping of claws as he attempted to follow me. My ankle throbbed, but I clambered my way up and attempted to perch on the fence so I could drop down, but my injured ankle slipped and I went sailing into the air. I felt the back of my shirt tighten before I was yanked back, but it was only for a moment before I was falling again, only this time arms came around my waist and I was suddenly being cradled.
The impact of the ground was still jarring, knocking the breath from my lips and causing me to make a noise that was close to the sound that a dying animal would make. Logan's grunt was audible, and as the dog scraped and barked at the fence right next to us, we had seconds to recover before the porch light of the house that this back yard belonged to came on. I had little time to think before I was dragging Logan up, and we were sprinting to the side of the house, as fast as we could with no breath in our lungs and my injured ankle. I fumbled to unlatch the gate as we heard the door next to us slide open, and we bolted as soon as it swung wide. With little preamble I shoved Logan and we both went tumbling into the bushes next to us. We sat with our backs to the wall, panting, but as soon as the gate opened I grabbed Logan's face and covered his mouth with my palm, doing the same with my own hand. Our breath mingled even through the filter of my hands, and I tried my hardest to ignore the fact that his face was hovering inches from mine.
The dark shadow of Logan's mother's neighbor came out and looked around, flashlight in hand. He swept the light over the bushes that we hid in and I tensed, my breathing stopping altogether. When the light glided over us without stopping, and he finally clicked it off muttering about "damn neighbor cats," we finally breathed again. He went back into the backyard and snapped at the still-barking dog to shut up. I decided I didn't like him.
"Let's go," I whispered, ignoring Logan's eyes intent on my face, "We're almost there so we'll just stay close to the bushes for now."
Logan didn't answer, but followed along behind me, sticking close to the shadows of the house. We moved silently through the bushes, and I could feel Logan's eyes on my back as we traveled. I didn't want to ask him - I knew what the answer would be, but I was trying to avoid the chicken-shit part of me so I asked anyway.
"What?"
He was silent - hesitant for a few moments, only the sound of our breathing accompanying us as we scurried down low in the bushes. Finally, after letting out a long sigh, he replied,
"You said that...if you had met me first, you would have loved me just as much."
I winced, my heart dropping, but after a thick swallow, I mumbled out, "I did."
I could hear his intake of breath, as we scurried past the front door of the house and quickly made our way to the end of the road.
"So...does that mean that if I don't let you go, you'll fall just as hard for me?"
We had made it to the sidewalk, and as soon as my feet hit the concrete, I stopped. I had my eyes closed because I didn't want to see his expression. His tone was hard enough to take in. An edge of hope, but also trying not to get his heart set.
"I-I don't...no Logan, that's not what I meant," I said, finally, my tone firm as I opened my eyes.
His expression, however, made my words stick in my throat. Words wouldn't work. I could see that as I stared at him. His eyes were set, his mouth turned up in a tiny smile, one that showed a hint of his normal self. I suddenly remembered something about Logan, something that I hadn't exactly forgotten, but that had pushed itself to the back of my mind. Logan would do whatever he wanted.
"That's not what you meant, sure," He started, his small smile growing just a bit, "But that doesn't mean that's not what it could mean."
I stared at him, my mouth set in a thin line. The fact that he very well could have been right about that irked me. I obviously felt something for Logan. If I allowed it to continue, it might have one day been as strong as what I felt for Victor.
But. My mind warred with me. Victor is still in the picture, and remember how you felt when you heard his voice? Felt his arms? Kissed him?
The memory in that moment was much appreciated, as I could just almost feel the heat of Victor's lips on mine. I wouldn't be swayed, not with that memory so deeply routed in every part of my being.
"Logan, I've already told you," I said, my voice coming out a little more pained than I intended, "We can't do this."
He appraised my expression, his smile dropping a bit. But I could still see that he wasn't going to give up, as he began walking. He walked until he was so close that his arm brushed mine, and his hand reached out and caressed my wrist as he passed. I gulped at the shiver that ran down my spine.
"I'll make you see," Logan said in a low voice.
When I finally pulled myself together enough to turn around, Logan was already a ways down the street, as he called.
"I'll make you love me ten times more than him!"
Damn Price men. Damn them both!
*****
Okay! So yeah, this took a while. But some real nice stuff between Jane and Logan, eh?
The boy still won't give up, amirite? But ey, it's Logan. He's gonna do what he wants and no one's going to tell him otherwise. In fact that just makes his willfulness worse. SOOO watch out Jane!
What did you guys think? Will she fall for Logan like she did Victor? THE DRAMA.
Will she and Logan set aside their....differences, and save Victor? DOUBLE THE DRAMA.
Will Kent ever win candy land against Jane again? Less drama but alright.
WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN Y'ALL? Find out next time on
DATELINEEeee~~~ *ehem* I mean Love Bird.
Love you guys, don't forget to comment and tell me your thoughts, because you know I love them!
TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS~~~~ I ain't no mind reader :P
ANyway! I love all my beautiful fanions, stay gorgeous! Maybe you're born with it, maybe it's- nah you're totally born with it screw maybeline.
Emily. <3