xp_logs | Family affairs.

In which Marie finds the college she wants to go to and decides she needs Logan to go with her to look at it.

Logan had gotten out of the shower a few minutes before and had slipped on a pair of jeans and settled in his armchair, reading The Sun Also Rises by the light of a rather dim lamp. Three chapters in and he was thus far unimpressed.

"Logan!" Marie knocked on his door quietly, almost bouncing in her excitement. A small sheaf of papers, a far cry from the stacks she had been carrying around for days, was clutched in one hand. She bit her lip to keep most of the enthusiasm out of her voice for the moment. "You busy?"

"C'min!" He waited for the door to open and close, craning his neck to see her walk in. "Not busy," he assured her, putting down the book without bothering to disguise his relief.

She ducked in and closed the door behind her, then stood looking at him for a moment, hands behind her face, face alight. "Guess what?!" She didn't wait for him to answer before she flew across the room and leapt into his lap. "I found it!" she proclaimed triumphantly.

He wrapped his arms around her, grinning. "Found what?" He noticed the stack of papers. "College? You found the one you want? That's great, Marie." He gave her a little extra squeeze.

She wriggled happily in his embrace, sitting back on his thighs, and laid the papers out on his chest, selecting one with a photo on it. "Look!" she squeaked. "It's so tiny! Liberal arts with emphasis on ethics and social responsibility and a pre med program. And... it's right near here."

"Pre-med /and/ nearby. And..." He looked closely at the photo of the college. "And a castle." His grin stretched into a smile. "This is the one, huh?"

"Oh, I hope so. I qualify, so it's really a matter of essays and interviews and recommendations and all that." She wiggled more. "I'm so excited. I want to go look at it, just to walk around it and see what it's like and I could pick up my full admission forms in person so I don't have to wait. I'm so nervous," she said suddenly, eyes wide. "It's such a huge decision. I have second choices but none of them are quite the same and I know I shouldn't get my hopes up but it's just so right... I'm so silly."

"You're not silly," he said decisively. "This is what you want. Now you've just gotta make sure you get it." He squeezed again. "Is there anything I can do?" he offered, determined to do whatever he could to make sure she got into this college that had already made her so happy.

"Come with me tomorrow to see it?" she asked hopefully. "Please?"

"Anything," he said, smiling.

"Oh, good." She threw her arms around him and hugged him gratefully, crushing the papers between them, then kissed him on his cheek, where the sideburns covered his skin. "I couldn't go on my own," she explained, sitting back to look at him again, arms still around his neck. "I mean, Mama and Daddy would have come with me if I was still at home, to look at colleges. I just couldn't do this all by myself, it's just too big a choice. It's a family thing, y'know?"

"I think I get it, yeah." He was just glad to be included in such an important decision. She'd be going away for /years/ to whichever school she chose; he was glad he'd get to help her choose. "Family," he said, still smiling.

"I can't wait," she said brightly. "It's better than Christmas, it really is." Then her face grew serious. "I wouldn't want to do it without you, you know, any of this." She bit her lip and her voice got solemn. "I'm so glad you're home. It's not the same without you."

He reached up to brush a hand over her hair, his face serious. "I'm glad I'm home, too. And I'm glad you want me with you, for this stuff."

"You see anyone else around wanting to put up with me?" she asked him and then shook her head before he could reply. "Even if there was... there's only one you. I can't imagine it being the same with anyone else." She gave him a little smile and tapped the middle of his chest with a finger. "Only you.

"I'm...honoured, Marie, that you wanna share important stuff like this with me." He tugged lightly on a chunk of her hair. "It means a lot."

She kissed her finger and put it to his mouth. "You're my good thing, remember? Besides... you and me, we'll still be you and me four years from now, right?"

He kissed her finger and drew her hand away from his mouth. "We'll still be you and me /ten/ years from now, hon."

"Then you get to help," she said firmly. "I wouldn't want it any other way. Besides. You at least have to come and hold my hand for the first visit, right?"

"At least," he said, grinning. "I'll try not to get in the way too much."

Marie laughed. "You won't be in the way, silly. But, I don't think they'll let you stay in my dorm with me. So, you know, eventually, you'll have to go home... but I'll come back on weekends. You won't even know I'm gone."

"I don't think /that's/ very likely. Who's gonna knock on my door every night, lookin' to chat?" he said, still grinning to show her he was kidding. Mostly.

"Oh, you know, you'll find someone when I'm gone," she said with a dramatic sigh, and then laughed and hugged him. "I love you. I couldn't have hitched a ride with anyone better in the world. Thanks for letting me come with you."

He chuckled. "Was my pleasure." He snuggled her close. "I love you, too. I couldn't have picked up a better hitchhiker."