Last Updated: February 6, 2004 by Blake Sorensen
The characters of Colin and Logan MacGregor are © 2003-2004 Blake Sorensen, and may not be used without permission.
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Logan set off at an easy lope down the driveway. Christmas had dawned with Atlanta's usual weather unpredictability, and even in the northern reaches of the state the temperature was climbing. In no danger of a white Christmas, Logan stripped off his t-shirt as a fine sheen of sweat erupted from his muscles and enjoyed the continuation of Georgia's Indian summer.
As he reached the gate at the end of the driveway, he broke left to remain on the grounds, seeing no reason to tempt fate and find himself once more shut out of the property. It was then he noticed the movement behind him, and he spun about quickly even as his hand pulled the small revolver out of the holster belted at the small of his back.
He had no idea how someone had managed to sneak up on him so silently…until he turned around and saw Colin coming to a halt with a surprised, and amused, expression on his face.
"I hope yuir nay planning tae use tha' on yuir own brother", the young ghost cracked, his eyes on the gun in Logan's hand.
The skimmer let out a breath and slowly tucked the Smith & Wesson back into its hidden holster. "Colin. I didn't see ye there."
"Obviously." The boy's grin stayed firmly in place, oblivious as to how close Logan had come to firing before he realized who was behind him.
"Ye shouldn't sneak up behind someone who's armed. It can lead tae mistakes." Logan's words came out more harshly than he'd intended, but Colin's sudden appearance – and the own taut strain that almost let his reflexes get out of control – bothered him greatly. Normally, the assassin held himself under tight control, even when something unexpected happened, but the events of the last day had shaken his confidence badly.
Colin shrugged. "I ha'e e'ery confidence tha' ye were nay gwan tae make any more colossal blunders this soon."
Logan grinned weakly. “Let’s hope.”
Colin looked at the new addition to their crucible, a man who had ostensibly been their enemy until some common foe had pushed them into an uneasy alliance.
The man’s resemblance to the pictures he’d seen of their mother was uncanny, though Logan wore his hair far shorter than Moira’s waist length tresses.
“How did ye know?” Logan asked softly, and Colin started. The question hit close to his own thoughts, but he shrugged, trying to match his brother’s nonchalance about the question.
"A bi' o' memory, I s'pose, and ye look like...like mum." Colin looked away as Logan took a few steps towards him. "Why did ye nay tell me?"
It was Logan's turn to look away. "I didn't want...I wanted tae give ye a chance tae know me, I think. Both me past and, hopefully, a different future. I guess I wanted ye tae have a brother ye could be proud of, before I let meself be yuir brother."
Colin nodded slightly, grinning as the start of a blush spread across the older man's face. 'Ye were afraid I'd reject ye, if I learned ye were a bastard and me brother a' the same time, wi'ou' any chance tae prove different. Well, we all know yuir a bastard now."
Logan winced. "I can't deny that."
Colin chuckled. "In case ye had nay noticed, nay anyone else here is a shining saint. Though why ye chose tae le' i' all ou' tae CJ..." The ghost clucked his tongue in a scolding gesture.
Logan shrugged and started jogging again as Colin scolded him. "Was nay one of me brighter ideas, I'll grant." Nor the best judgment call, either. "She asked about the worst, and stupid me", he sucked in a deep breath as he continued running, "I gave it to her."
Colin nodded beside him, effortlessly keeping pace. "Aye, so I gathered. Of e'eryone on the team…why CJ?"
"She asked", Logan said simply. Never mind that his normally infallible sense for reading people seemed to have deserted him when it came to that woman. But that wasn't quite true either – part of him had indeed known that she didn't really want the truth of the worst, that she wasn't ready for it.
He'd gone ahead anyway, telling himself he was being overly paranoid, that maybe he had misread her, that somehow, she'd understand why he'd done such things.
Hindsight being 20/20, of course, he now realized that he'd convinced himself to tell all partially because he'd wanted to shock her, but mostly because he was tired of the secrets.
A line from a movie he'd seen crossed his mind. "No more secrets", he said quietly.
"Huh?" Colin asked, a confused expression on his face.
Logan ran for a few more minutes in silence, slowly pushing up the pace. "I'm tired of keeping secrets. Just wish I could forget them all, and talk about things normally for a change, without worrying I'm going to give something away."
Colin nodded. "Well, ye cannae really be too surprised by CJ's reaction. She's…well, she's a good person, and tha' sor' o' thing's jus' nay gwan tae sit well. On the o'er hand, ye ha'e nay managed tae chase me away yet."
Logan ran a hand through his short hair, trying to sweep out the sweat, and grinned at the boy. "And it's glad I am for it."
The two made a turn as they reached an old wooden fence that marked the edge of the property.
"Good. Ye wan' nay more secrets?" Colin asked with a grin. "Ye go' i'. Nay secrets between us."
Logan smiled as he ran, stretching out his legs to an even faster pace. "No secrets."
Last Updated: February 6, 2004 by Blake Sorensen
The characters of Colin and Logan MacGregor are © 2003-2004 Blake Sorensen, and may not be used without permission.
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