Marie was sprawled on her belly on the bed when he returned to the motel room they had gotten for the night, her nose buried in a book she had picked up at a second-hand bookstore while exploring Grand Prairie two days earlier. He had dinner for the two of them.
Marie had spent the nine-hour drive to Fort Nelson sleeping, claiming reading while they were driving was making her feel sick. As soon as they had unloaded into the motel she started reading, barely paying him any attention. Even when he had asked what she wanted to eat, she had just mumbled 'food', without even looking up.
"Dinner's here kid," he said, louder than necessary, dropping the greasy take out bags on the dresser as he shrugged out of his jacket. "What are you reading?" he asked, as he pulled the food out and settled himself down on the couch with a burger and a beer.
"Words," Marie mumbled, again without looking up. Logan just chuckled and shook his head.
"If you're not eating by the time I'm done I'll eat yours too," he teasingly threatened.
"Shh, I'm trying to finish the chapter," Marie finally looked up, just to glare at him, before turning back to her page. A few minutes later she dog eared a page and snapped the book shut. "Sorry, I get grumpy when I'm interrupted while reading," she apologised, as she reached for her food.
"So, what are you reading?" he asked yet again, curious about just what held a sixteen-year-old girls interest so deeply that she'd ignore all else.
"Um, it's Nietzsche's 'Beyond Good and Evil'," she answered with a blush, and stuffed a handful of fries in her mouth.
"Philosophy!?" Logan replied surprised, "Wow, I didn't expect that."
"What, you think all teenage girls are into that pointless vampire romance crap," Marie replied, "Some of us require more substance to our literature."
"I'll admit, I'm impressed, learned anything yet?" Logan asked.
"Well, I'm only up to the first chapter, and I'm not sure I understood all of it, but I get the impression he's spent most of it trying to say people lie even when they don't necessarily mean to, and that truth and lies, and good and evil, are, in a way, subjective, because people care more about power than about being right, but also that just because something looks evil doesn't mean good doesn't come of it. I'll have to finish it though, and maybe read it through a couple more times and see if anything changes," she finished with a shrug.
"All good points whether that's what he's trying to say or not," Logan commented.
"You're fighting again, tonight, aren't you?" Marie asked suddenly, changing the subject entirely.
"Yep, I'll leave in about half an hour, let you get back to your book," he added.
"I was actually going to ask if I could come with you again. Don't look at me like that, I had fun last time," she replied, with a laugh at the incredulous look he shot at her.
"Well, I suppose so," Logan agreed, after a moment’s consideration, "Same rules as last time though, and there's no Alice to watch out for you this time so you'll have to stay aware of everyone around you."
"Yes Logan, same answer given as last time," Marie replied with a grin.
Once she finished her food, she pulled out her pack and dug through it for a change of clothes, while Logan sprawled on the couch dozing. Marie felt a little apprehensive about him fighting tonight, after all, he had been driving since early that morning. He didn't seem to share her concern though, and he had been doing this for longer than she had been hanging around, if anyone should know his stamina levels it was him, she supposed.
She took her change of clothes into the bathroom and set about getting herself ready. She pulled on a pair of thermal pants, because fuck it, it was cold, a pair of black skinny jeans went on next. She then pulled a pair of thermal socks on quickly over her bare feet, scrunching the sock tops around her ankles over the bottoms of her jeans. On the top she pulled on a white tank top and layered it with two long sleeve V-neck shirts, one black and, the top one, a dark forest green.
When they had been in Grand Prairie two days earlier, Logan had given her some cash and told her go nuts and get herself whatever she wanted, he had stressed 'wanted' not 'needed'. So, in addition to a couple of books, she had gotten herself some makeup. She hadn't bothered bringing any with her when she left home, she didn't wear much, or wear it often, so it had seemed unnecessary but now, she felt like being pretty again, and her new bag was big enough to carry extras.
She pulled out the small make up bag she had put together, she didn't need much, definitely didn't want to end up looking like those skanks she had seen trying to catch Logan's attention at the last bar he had taken her into. She settled on a touch of eyeliner and lip gloss. Then she had to decide what to do with her hair, eventually deciding to put it all up in a messy bun. She wasn't going to win any style awards but she looked okay, and she was comfortable which was all she really cared about.
Logan called through the door to hurry her up so she raced out to bundle up. She pulled on and laced up her boots, before pulling on her black wool gloves, tucking her shirt sleeves into them, before she pulled on her jacket and a grey woollen scarf. Logan looked at her oddly as she ran past him out the door he was holding for her, before she dove into the truck out of the biting wind.
When they got to the bar Logan did the same thing he had done the time before, wrapping his arm around her, and she, hers around him, as he led her inside. This time though he led her straight to a table at the back of the room near the cage. Drinks arrived in short order, and Logan left the table long enough to talk to a fat balding guy at the bar, obviously the MC. When Logan came back, he looked annoyed.
"What's wrong?" Marie asked, sipping at her soda.
"They're short fighters tonight, they wanted me to go in back to back from eleven until three," he grumbled.
"No breaks?" Marie asked surprised.
"Mmhmm, I managed to talk him around to ten to twelve and then one to three, with a half hour break before the second hour but you're going to be on your own most of the night kid, and this is a rougher crowd than I was expecting... If anything happens come straight to me, even if I'm in the middle of a fight, if you’re feeling unsafe out here hell get in the damn cage with me, got it?" he stated plainly.
"Got it," she replied seriously. Logan's attitude clearly said now was not a time for joking around and being a smartass. He seemed to relax though as the night wore on.
After a while he asked curiously, "Where did you get the make-up darlin?"
She blushed, she wasn’t sure he had noticed. "You told me to get whatever I wanted,” was her reply.
"I did," Logan agreed. "You look nice, not that you didn't before but you did a good job keeping it classy, not like these painted hussies," he murmured to her, discreetly nodding toward a group of scantily clad women standing at the bar, eyeing him up like a side of beef.
Marie sniggered. "You sure seem to attract a lot of them,” she pointed out with a grin.
"My curse," Logan replied, only half joking, "I prefer my women less desperate."
It wasn't long before Logan was called to the cage the first time, and Marie watched as he worked his way through several challengers. These men fought a lot dirtier than the ones Logan had been fighting last time she had gone with him. It wasn't until after his first break that trouble started; an opponent was caught with brass knuckles. Thankfully Logan had seen them before the guy's punch had connected and had managed to knock the hit away, throwing the guy off balance before coldcocking him.
When Logan went back in the cage again for his second two hour stint the trouble kept coming, this time it was for Marie. Two, seemingly drunk, men approached, and tried to sit at her table, despite her attempts to get them to leave.
"Aww come on sweetheart, we're just being friendly, bet we can be way more friendly than that hairy fucker you came in with," guy one leered at her.
"Turn around and take a look," Marie snapped exasperated, thinking quickly, "You really want to be here when my boyfriend gets here?" Guy one turned, just in time to watch Logan punch out his opponent, the guy now on the ground had almost a foot on height and a good hundred pounds in weight over Logan, who was quickly out of the cage and heading for their table before the body had even stilled; he had been watching what was going on the table and obviously recognized her subtle cry for help.
Both guys tried to make a run for it, but Logan caught one, picking him clear up off the floor and throwing him bodily at the second, knocking both of them into the bar. Before either of them could get to their feet Logan had slugged one in the face, knocking him out, and the second in the gut. "Throw them out," he growled at the bouncer, "And if you've got any sense you won't let them back in, ever."
He strode over to the table then and took Marie's drink. "I told you to be careful darlin," he reminded her gruffly, as he poured what was left of her drink out into a mop bucket before turning the cup back to her, showing her the grainy residue at the bottom of the cup. "Divide and conquer, one distracts you while the other drugs you."
Marie paled. "Did I drink any of it?"
"No, don't worry, you didn't," Logan replied, a mite gentler, as he pulled her forward and kissed her forehead, before waving the waitress over with a fresh drink. "Got to go," he told her as the next round was called. "Watch your back, and watch your drink,” he reminded her with a grin, as he headed back to the cage.
Unfortunately for the both of them, this night wasn't over yet.
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