Toulouse and Royal

Chapter Fifteen

"And So It Begins"

She was moved in within the week.

Her trip home to Mississippi lasted only as long as it took to pack her one room of belongings and make the necessary arrangements to have them shipped. Logan accompanied her under the pretense of being "a big strong man" to help pack; really, to mediate the news to her aunt and uncle. Hugh took the change of plans surprisingly well. He'd seen the look in his neice's eyes on their visit, recognized the long past glint of another woman in his family. The siren song of the Big Easy was particularly alluring to their lineage, it seemed, and he had come to terms with losing his sister to it already. Irene took some tears and promises before she was willing to let go, only settling when she realized a college in New Orleans was a hell of a lot closer than one in California.

"We'll miss you, you know," they told her as she boarded the plane.

More tears fell as she hugged them again. "I'll miss you, too. Thank you for everything."

Logan excused himself to give them some time for farewells; the plane didn't depart for another half hour.

It was Hugh who finally cracked, even with the speech he'd given his wife the night before about supporting her in her decisions. "I don't want you to go, kiddo." She smiled despite the situation at the nickname he hadn't called her since puberty.

"I'm right next door," she laid a hand on his arm. She couldn't bear one more hug without coming completely undone. "Just right across the river." They just shared each other's company until the flight attendent started fidgeting, casting glances from them to the door as if mentally urging them to hurry it up. Mustering all her courage, Marie gave her aunt and uncle a final hug before starting down the gateway towards the plane.

-x-x-x-

It was a softer, snivelling Marie who slid into the seat beside Logan, busying herself with getting the seat area around her organized Just So. "Remind me again why we fly?" she asked him, shuffling through the two magazines in the pocket ahead of her obsessively. "It's longer to get through security and on the plane than the flight itself!" The complimentary pillow was fluffed within an inch of its life. "Not to mention the layover in Houston. What's the point?"

His hands clenched uncomfortably on the armrests as the plane began to taxi down the runway. "I don't do boats." His voice was gruff and strained.

She raised an eyebrow and glanced pointedly at his white knuckles. "Don't do planes either, eh?"

Logan growled low in his throat, his eyes falling shut in a desperate attempt at regaining equilibrium. "Just keep talkin' to me and don't expect many answers."

She had turned her attentions back to the magazines, shredding the edges of the cover between worried hands. "I... I wish Remy had come."

Logan grunted; the plane was taking off.

"I just," she cast her eyes downward at her now confetti-covered lap, only a small intake of breath as the plane left ground to indicate her discomfort. "I wish he was here right now."

"Remy had to work," came the answer, just a tiny level too loud. It's summer, she thought. "Y'know, plannin' the semester and all," again, just a second too fast. Logan's voice had been going through all sorts of changes every time she mentioned Remy's name. Sammie's too. She wondered if they were uncomfortable with their now physical relationship, and made a note to ask Sammie about it when they got home.

Home.

She'd called it home.

She found herself doing that more and more with their townhouse. First it was an innocent "I think I'll stay home tonight" when Sammie invited her out. Then an "I'll race you home" to Remy when they took the larger dogs for a walk. And then she noticed it was a "I have to leave for Mississippi at the end of the month," and not an "I have to go home," and that was when she had made up her mind to stay. Remy, Logan, Sammie, the townhouse, New Orleans... she'd finally found a place to call home.

"Your stuff will be getting' in before we do," Logan finally spoke. His eyes hadn't opened, but his breathing had slowed enough that she could almost imagine he wasn't terrified. One eyelid twitched, and cracked open as he turned his head towards her. "Remind me again why we ain't driving?"

-x-x-x-

Sammie met them at the airport, although contrary to the bets they'd placed right somewhere over Texas her luggage, sent by truck, did not. "Well girl," Sammie greeted her with a hug that felt like she hadn't seen her in months, when she'd only left the day before. "You're officially one of us now."

"Lord help me," came the retort, but the smile she got in return was just a bit too small and a moment too delayed. What was with everyone today?

"Remy's still at the school," was all Sammie said in response, although Marie didn't quite feel like she'd asked a question.

Another grunt from Logan. "Hrrmph. Boy couldn't even meet us at the airport?" They were doing that Thing again, that almost something there she couldn't quite understand thing they'd been doing since her birthday. She once again made a note to ask Sammie about it later.

"Oh come on," she laughed and took each by the arm, dragging them away from whatever Thing had joined the conversation and towards the baggage claim. "We were gone maybe a day, it's not like he hasn't seen us recently. Besides," she reached for Logan's backpack when it came around the carousel, "He's-"

"Working," they both chorused, and then the Thing was back.