4.4.2--Trouble in Paradise

Dasia takes it upon herself to redecorate the spare room into an exercise lair for Ellis.  After all, everyone else has their own space - so why shouldn't she?

Despite the retina burning color, Ellis loves her new exercise room.  Shedding a few baby weight pounds was her goal in the beginning, but exercising has since transformed into her "alone" time.

Her alone time isn't always relaxing.

Logan spends his time alone in a completely different manner.  Talking to yourself is totally normal - right?

Lachlan and the downstairs bathtub have a love/hate relationship, as of late.  This is his third time breaking it this week; he wishes he had a younger sibling, or someone else in general, to blame it on to save himself the embarrassment of telling his mother that it's broken... again.

Ellis can tell that Logan is growing restless the longer he is in Meadow Glen.  He often leaves the house just to get out for a while and returns clearly unsatisfied with his short trip.  

"You don't have to stay."  Ellis offers.  "We'll both be fine."

Logan frowns.  "Am I that obvious?"

"A little, yes.  If this is too much for you -"

Logan looks at his son in his crib and shakes his head.  "I'm just not sure I'm ready for this.  Any of this." He says, holding his hands up and looking desperately around the room. 

Ellis grimaces.  "If you're not ready, then maybe you should go.  I don't want Harlan to be exposed to a father that isn't going to be there."

"That's not what I meant."

"Yes, it is."

"I want to be apart of his life, Ell."  Logan says, angrily.  "I just can't stay here any longer.  I'm getting claustrophobic and, I don't know, too settled."

Ellis isn't sure what to say to that.  She doesn't particularly like that Logan is referring to their son as if he's a chore or a setback - but she also doesn't want to start a fight.  "You need to make up your mind."  Is all she manages to say before giving Harlan a kiss goodnight and leaving the room.

Lachlan gets a call from his father, as he does every couple of days when he can't visit.  Duncan has since been promoted to a Fighter Pilot position within the military and has to spend most of his weekdays at the base either practicing or training others.  He misses being able to see his son as often as he did when he was just starting out, but the phone calls are nice too.  Lucky for him, Lachlan is still at the age where he actually likes to speak with his parents, although that won't be the case for very long.  Once he's a teenager, well... Duncan and Dasia will cross that bridge when they get to it.

The night before Harlan's birthday, a burglar, an amateur no doubt, attempts to rob the Harris household.  Surprisingly, Ellis is the first to respond.  She isn't entirely sure if it is her recent exercising or the chance to work off the frustration she's been experiencing with Logan, but she comes out victorious. 

Logan, on the other hand, just can't handle all of this violence. 

Harlan's birthday!

There's no denying he's his father's son.  Traits: Genius, Light Sleeper.

True to his word, Logan is still here - although he's already packed his bags in anticipation of hitting the road again.  He's had business call after business call during his long stay and can't ignore them any longer, nor can he stay in this little town playing family.  He needs to go, and soon.

So he spends the next couple of days with his child, before calling the taxi and getting the hell out of there.

"Will you be okay without me?"  Logan asks.  He knows the answer, but he feels obligated to ask the question anyway.

"Yes.  Harlan and I will be okay."

"I'll call and visit when I can."  He promises, looking at his son.  Harlan has grown so much during his stay and will grow even more while he's gone.  A sense of guilt rushes through him when he realizes he feels relieved that he gets to leave; that he doesn't have to be there.  He has an out.

"Don't make empty promises."  Ellis chides.  "This isn't a fling like you had with me, this is your child."

Logan frowns. "I'll call and visit when I can."  He repeats.

Ellis releases a frustrated sigh and nods.  "Be safe, Logan."

He smiles briefly and waves at his son, giving him a quick peck on the cheek...

...and then leaves for his taxi.

Once he's gone, Ellis hugs her son close.  "Logan better not let us down." She whispers.

-----------------------------------------

I'm not going to lie - it's really strange writing contrasting father experiences for Lachlan and Harlan.  I mean, Duncan is the model father and is always there when he can be... and then there's Logan; gallivanting around who knows where, doing who know's what, with Watcher knows who (and I do!) - and I think you can see where this is going. <--I think this is what heaven was responding to; man I'm slow.  Probably not the best wording on my part - what I meant was, I've written Duncan and Logan as two completely different people/father's and it's difficult for me to not only keep track of whose father I'm talking about and when, but to be able to expand two children's perspectives fully without feeling like I'm skipping something important.  Bleh - I'm tired. 'Tis nap time, I say!

Harlan is seriously so adorable.  I can't wait for everyone to see the little butt chin he develops later on (thanks to Logan).

4.2--Unexpected

Ellis meets up with Logan at the bistro, glad to see that he didn't dress up for the occasion as well.  While she talks awkwardly about this and that, Logan simply listens - and asks questions like he's genuinely interested.

"So - tell me about yourself."  He interrupts.  Ellis looks at him wearily, but his encouraging smile creates comfort; which makes Ellis even more anxious.


"What is there to say?"


"Do you like sports?"  She shakes her head. "Is your favorite color pink?"


She laughs. "Surprisingly, it's green."


"See?  You have plenty to say."


Ellis blushes and changes the subject.  "What about you?  You said you're just in town for...?"


"Business.  I own some small book stores and I was looking to open a new one here in Meadow Glen."


"How long are you staying?"


Logan shrugs.  "Until we finish the paperwork."

"I'm not interested in being anyone's one night stand."  Ellis blurts, reddening when she realizes what she just said.  "I mean -"


Logan raises his hand and laughs. "No, no.  I hear you.  It may come off that way, but I'm not trying to convince you do anything other than hang out with me.  If it goes further than that, I won't protest -" he smirks, "- but I won't push this, or you, in any one direction."


Ellis smiles, relieved.  "Good."

After the date, they realize that Logan's hotel is on the way to Ellis's house - so they share a taxi.  The ride is quiet, but not awkward and Ellis can feel herself slowly growing comfortable with him.


"I had a great time."


"You sound surprised."  Logan laughs.


"I am, to be honest."


Logan leans in, quirking his brow.  "Is it too early to ask for a second date?"


Ellis smiles.  "No. And I would love to."

Cedric loves being a grandfather.  Besides Lachlan's parents, Cedric is the one that spends the most time with him.

And despite his usually grumpy manner, Lachlan enjoys his time with his grandfather - even when he watches his boring mystery shows.

Duncan joins Dasia every weekend to spend time with his son.  His and Dasia's relationship may still be awkward, but he's willing to endure it for the sake of Lachlan.

"So -" Dasia starts, "- how are things?"


Duncan stares intently at Lachlan, wondering if he should ignore the question.  "Everything is fine, 'Sia."  He finally answers.  "I - uh, actually went on a date a few days ago."


"That's great!" Dasia smiles. "If you don't mind me asking, who was the lucky girl?"


Duncan sits back and rubs his knee nervously.  "Abigail Shawn."

Dasia knows of Abigail - purely from rumors, of course; but she's still heard enough to be worried.  "She doesn't seem like the type to enter a steady relationship, Duncan."


"Yeah, I'm aware of that."  He blurts angrily.  "I'm done with relationships."


Dasia looks at him worriedly, but before she can utter anything further - Duncan leaves the bench to give Lachlan a quick kiss on the forehead.  "I have an early morning tomorrow training the new recruits." He says, turning back to Dasia.  "I'll be by on Sunday for his birthday."  


Dasia wants to say something, but Duncan shakes his head cutting her off.  "Don't."  He mutters.  "I'm fine."


Dasia scoffs, but nods and after a second goodbye to his son - Duncan leaves.

The day before Lachlan's birthday, Harper became an old lady.  She can already feel her age weighing her down and when her grandson begs for her to hold him so he can blow out his candles, Harper obliges - even though the added weight makes her back hurt.  Glory years my ass! She thinks, shooting Cedric an angry smirk.

Lachlan becomes a child.


With an unfortunate haircut.

"Dad - why don't you live here?"  Lachlan asks.


Duncan looks around for Dasia, hoping for some back-up, but she's preoccupied with Gideon - no doubt bickering about something.  "Um - because I have a place of my own?  Me and your mom's relationship is complicated."


Lachlan nods, as if he understands.  "You'll still visit me, right?"

Duncan leans down and pulls Lachlan into a hug.  "You never have to worry about that.  I'll always be here for you."

The source of Dasia and Gideon's fight.


"Gideon!" Dasia yells. "You can't do that to dad.  He's old!"


Cedric takes a moment to catch his breath.  "No."  He says, patting his daughter's shoulder and laughing. "I'm okay.  I'm not too old to take a joke."

Gideon is pleased with himself.

Kris, however, agrees with Dasia.  Gideon may have sidestepped a lecture from his sister, but he can't avoid Kris when they get home.  Gideon looks over to Kris with his self-satisfied grin only to be met by a cold glare - he's in trouble and he knows it.  It's a good thing that Kris is cute when he's angry. Gideon mutters.

"How did your date go?" Ellis blinks in surprise.  She hasn't told Fawn yet, how does she know? Fawn laughs. "I came over last night and Dasia told me.  Well?"


Ellis shrugs. "It went well, I suppose.  I still don't know much about him."


"You don't need a background check to have a little fun, Ell."

"I know."  Ellis frowns.  "I would just prefer to know a little more about him, is all." 


Fawn smirks. "Uh-oh.  Is Ellis in fear of falling for him?"


Ellis doesn't dignify that with a response and instead turns on the TV.  Fawn laughs, but doesn't ask anymore questions.  If there's one thing she's learned since their childhood, it's that Ellis' silence is sometimes more telling than her words.

The following day, Harper and Cedric decide to retire.  They both made it to the top of their careers and there wasn't much progression left for them - plus, they were ready to spend their last days in relative calm rather than worrying about staying relevant enough to not be forced to retire later on.

They also decide that it's time for them to move out.  Pacey being gone, and likely to move out himself as soon as he returns, and the rest of their children grown - they can't find a logical reason for potentially burdening their daughters with their old age.  


"We want you both to have the opportunity to be adults without your parents bothering you."  Cedric says, smiling.

Ellis and Dasia exchange a glance.  "You guys don't bother us."  Ellis starts.


"We like having you both around."  Dasia chimes in.


Harper smiles.  "And we love being around, but it's time we got a place of our own.  We won't be far and we'll still annoy you with our frequent visits."


Dasia sighs, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder when Ellis openly airs her disapproval of the idea. "If you both want this..."


"We do." Cedric nods. "Trust us - it won't be so bad and we'll be just around the corner."

The next couple of days went by quickly.  Harper and Cedric found a house a couple of miles from Ellis and Dasia (and even closer to Gideon and Kris) and settled in quietly.  However, things didn't remain that way when a couple of unexpected visitors stopped by.


"Adamaris!" Harper gasps.

Adamaris and Uther smile in response.  "Hello."


-----------------------------------------
Harper actually only reached level 9 of the music branch, but she started glitching.  It kept saying she had two or three days off or that she didn't have work that day (when she's clearly scheduled); and being that I couldn't be bothered with it anymore - I just had her retire.


Also, uh-oh spaghettios! I love Harper's face when she see's Adamaris.  Just putting that out there. 

A close-up for the lulz.