xp_logs | [Marie, Logan] If it's not broken, don't fix it.

Marie and Logan discuss Paige/Jono/Angelo and then revisit the subject of the fight they had while up north, only without the yelling.

After an unreasonably long bubble bath - a requirement when thinking serious thoughts - Marie dried off, dressed in comfortable old clothing, and trotted upstairs. She let herself into Logan's room and closed the door behind her, frowning and biting her lip while she finished braiding her damp hair.

Logan had wandered out to the garden for a while, enjoying the chill and thinking about Mac and Heather. He owed Puck a game of poker; the thought brought a smile to his face as he walked inside. By the time he reached his room, he'd decided to email his old friend and propose a date. He opened the door, though, to find Marie sitting on his bed. "Hey, baby," he murmured, closing the door behind him, all thoughts of emails gone.

Marie was frowning down at the screen of her laptop when Logan came in. Her expression lightened when she glanced up at him. "Hey yourself."

"What's with the frown?" Logan asked, tossing his jacket onto a chair and bending to untie his boots.

"Just thinking." Marie went back to frowning at her computer screen. "About Paige and all. Not sure I like the idea of a last ditch sitdown talk with her or anything, but... it's getting a little silly."

"What about Paige?" He dropped the boots and pulled off his socks, then dragged the flannel shirt from his shoulders and left it puddled on the floor. "What's gettin' silly?"

"Well, Paige is kind of going out with Jono, right?" Marie closed her laptop and put it aside. "And she's kind of seeing Angelo too. And Jono and Angelo know about it and seem okay with it and you would think that that would kind of be the end of that, wouldn't you?"

Logan considered this, then nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like they got it all worked out." He dropped himself onto the bed beside her, leaning back on his elbow to look at her.

"But they don't, see?" Marie frowned at this. "Paige doesn't want to choose and she's all stuck in the middle and it's like none of them can figure out that it's okay as long as everyone's honest."

Logan frowned, thinking it over. "Is it? I mean, I don't care if Paige's fuckin' a monkey, really, but...is it gonna be okay with everyone else?" He figured this probably mattered, to kids Paige's age.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me. Or Shinobi, or Jane, or Amanda, or Bobby, or Doug, or Sarah... and since when is being okay with other people a good reason to do anything?" She shook her head angrily. "Like I said to the others, we're breaking the bloody laws of physics all the time in this place, we're supposed to let someone else's rules about how we're supposed to live make our choices for us? Not a chance."

It occurred to Logan, all of a sudden and far later that it should've, that this was why Paige had been just a bit off-kilter in training, recently. "I dunno. Mebbe that's what she's worried about? She's just a kid, ya know." Only a year younger than Marie, but still, she seemed so much younger, to him. "Angelo an' Jono are good kids. She could do worse'n havin' both of 'em."

"Well, that's just it," Marie said, a little exasperated. "They manage to live together fine, they hang out together when they're out clubbing, they both love her so much they're willing to put up with the other being in her life. So. It comes down to the fact that it's Paige's move to clear things up, and to get over whatever about it's bothering her. I think Shinobi's thinking that if she knew we were all okay with it, it might smooth things out for her."

Logan shrugged. "Might work." He was quiet for a moment. "'s long as y'all ain't gonna play matchmaker'r anythin'. Don't think y'should interfere, like that. But lettin' her know it's okay, that seems a'right."

"No one's playing matchmaker. It's already all there, it's just that... Paige is so unhappy, like she's doing something wrong." Marie slumped back on the bed with a sigh. "It's no one's damn business but her's and theirs, but she's so miserable and wound up and hurt, and I know this is part of it. We can't just sit around and watch them wind themselves into knots over something that should be making them at least content, if not happy."

Logan nodded, reaching out to tug on her hair. "An' how're ya plannin' on lettin' 'er know it's okay?"

"Not sure yet. Though Bobby's suggestion of locking them all in Jono-proof room sounds pretty good about now."

Logan laughed. "We got one a those, I think."

"Well, it might get used," Marie grumbled. "Seriously, the whole idea of deserving the people in our lives is bullshit, and so is that idea that there's any right way to do any of this. If there were, it'd be a hell of a lot better world out there."

Logan didn't have much to say in response to that. He obviously didn't deserve someone like Marie and she sure as hell didn't deserve to be stuck with him, but here they were and he was going to make the best of it. "Yeah," he muttered, not sure what else to say.

Marie elbowed him sharply in the ribs. "Cut that out before I have to kick your ass," she said irritably.

Logan snorted and elbowed her back. "Mebbe t'morrow mornin'."

Marie punched him in the shoulder and then rolled out of his reach, twisting to stand up beside the bed with her hands on her hips. "Definitely tomorrow morning. And don't you give me any crap about the right thing or deserving, boy. I /know/ what you're thinking. I think it too sometimes, that I don't deserve you. So there."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "I know y'don't deserve me. See, we're on th'same page." Reading from different directions, though.

"I love you though, and you're just fool enough to love me back, lucky me." She crossed her arms and shook her head. "And that's all that should matter, right?"

He nodded, in full agreement this time. "Yes. 's all'at matters."

She came back and crawled up over him where he still lay on the bed, and kissed him lightly. "I never thought I'd get to have you. Even when you piss me off, I'm grateful that you're there to do it."

He wrapped one arm over her back and nuzzled her neck. "Even when y'scream at me for wantin' t'be with ya, I'm glad you're doin' it, 'cause it means y'care."

"I still don't like it." The memory of their fight up in Canada was still freshly scraped open by her discussion with Angelo earlier. Her stomach twisted again, remembering how he'd laughed with Mac and Heather, the affection and comfort palpable in the room.

"Y'don't hafta like it," he sighed. "Jus' accept that's what I'm doin'. For now, at least, this is where we are."

"Accepting, I can work on." Marie kissed his ear, then nipped his earlobe. "I'm never going to like it. Why do you have to be right?" She was suddenly irritated, sitting back and looking down at him with a dark glare.

Logan gave her a surprised look. "You're kiddin', right?" he asked dryly, suspecting that she wasn't. He felt like he was almost always wrong, almost always doing or saying something wrong.

"No. I hate that you're right that I'd regret leaving. I want you to be wrong, so I can pack my bags and take you somewhere else." Marie sighed heavily and kissed him. "But. You're right. So."

"Mebbe it'll get better. Or mebbe you'll decide this place ain't fer you." Logan shrugged and tugged her hair. "In th'meantime, we'll deal." And he'd go and visit Mac, Heather, Puck, Lil, Mike, and Walt more often.

"You'd leave, right, if you... if you started to feel like it was my fault or something?" she asked quietly, not looking at him.

Logan reached out, nudging her chin, trying to get her to look at him. "I'd tell ya," he promised. "If I started feelin' like it was yer fault, I'd tell ya." Which wasn't exactly the same, but it was close, and gave them a chance to work it out.

"But would you leave?" She persisted, ignoring his attempts to get her to look up.

He sighed. "I dunno," he said honestly. "If we couldn't figure somethin' out... I dunno."

"I'd rather you missed me than resented me. I'd rather miss you." She met his eyes then, biting her lip. "Promise me you'll go, if you need to. I... I hate that this place changes you. I don't want it to do that more than it has. It's not just for you, it's for me... I don't want to lose what I love."

He could see the sense in what she was saying, but he wanted to be honest. "I'll try t'remember that, if it happens, baby. I promise."

"It's already happened too much for my liking, the changing," Marie said sadly, reaching out to touch his cheek. "But I'm in love with you and I'm selfish and you're so damn stubborn. I'll remind you. You just have to listen."

"I don't like it much either," he answered, "but I'd rather be here, with you, than somewhere else, bein' me all by myself. If that changes, I'll listen."

Marie shook her head and kissed him. "No sense of self-preservation."

It wasn't true, he knew. It wasn't going to kill him, to be civilised for a while. It wouldn't be forever, he figured, and maybe it would get better. "Takes one t'know one, I guess."

"So, you want to be pot or kettle?" Marie managed a ghost of her usual impish grin.

Logan considered the question with mock seriousness. "Kettle, I think."

"Top or bottom?" she teased, the sparkle coming back to her eyes.

A grin blossomed on his lips and he dragged her over him. "Depends on where we're sleepin'."

Marie thought about this for a moment. "Here, I think. No classes today, so it's sort of a weekend night."

"Bottom." The expression on his face, the look in his eyes was an obvious challenge.

"Right answer." Marie kissed him hard, biting at his lip as she pulled away. "But this time, I like you being right."