Title: Unconditional 3/? Reunited
Author: sharonmjl47
Rating: NC-17
Category: Movieverse./AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing, and no one. Sad, isn’t it!
Feedback: Please, bad or good. If no one tells me it’s bad, I won’t know!
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“First off, what the hell is that woman still doing here? She should have been placed in protective custody hours ago.” Captain Markham was your stereotypical overweight policeman with a perspiration problem. The only difference was he had an expensive suit, Rolex watch, and a nice set of rings on one hand.
Logan sat in front of his desk on one of the chairs. “We can’t just let her go home when the son of a bitch is trying to kill her.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway. The FBI is getting involved.”
Scott sat on the corner of Markham’s desk. “Why?”
“The two servants from the house this morning. They were being transported to FBI headquarters for questioning when the car was ambushed. They and the two cops in the car, all dead.”
“Shit!” Logan stood up and went to the window of the office. He watched Marie silently drink her coffee. “So we got nothing: no witnesses, no one to actually place Palmer at the house or at the club when our agent got murdered last night. Nothin’.”
“We can tie him up with hearsay and red tape for months, but we’ve got nothing concrete. Unless she knows something or the boy saw something?” Markham joined Logan to look at Marie. When she saw them, he turned his back and went back to his desk.
“She doesn’t know anything, and if she does, she doesn’t realise it. She just wants her kid back.”
All three men turned as Markham’s phone rang. He picked it up. “Markham.”
“Ok, I’ll send them to join the patrol already there. If there’s only three of them, they won’t need backup.” He put the phone down and looked at Logan and Scott. “A patrol at the airport has spotted them in the underground parking lot. They have the boy and look like their going to charter a private jet. Get over there now. Take the mother. She can handle the boy once you have him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Logan was first out of the office and over to Marie. “Marie, he’s been seen at the airport. He has Warren. You’re coming with us.”
She put her coffee on Logan’s desk and took his jacket off, giving it back to him. As they left the office, he put it back on, noticing with a smirk that he could smell her a little on it. He liked it and briefly wondered if he had ever liked that kind of thing before he met her.
Markham watched them leave and then picked up his phone again. Getting a scrap of paper out of his pocket, he dialled the number on it. When the phone was picked up at the other end, he spoke quickly. “There’s a patrol watching you. Howlett and Summers are on their way. Deal with the patrol and get out of there before they arrive.” He listened to the person on the other end speak. “I want her dead. She’s a liability, and you should have taken care of her years ago. I still have no idea why you let it go on this long.”
He went to the window, and, looking out, he watched Logan and Scott help Marie into Logan’s SUV and speed off. “Just kill her, and be done with it. I don’t care about the kid… He would have fetched a price, but it’s not worth it anymore. I don’t care. Dump the boy or the next move we plan will be from the inside of a cell!” He hung up and rubbed his hand over his face nervously.
They pulled into the underground lot and parked behind the patrol car. Gunfire was already being exchanged. Logan turned to Marie in the back seat. “You do not leave the car.” She nodded.
Scott turned to Logan “Why aren’t we calling for back-up?”
“Markham’s orders. He says we’ll be enough.”
“Hope he’s right.”
Logan quickly took his jacket off again, and he and Scott got out of the SUV to join the pinned uniformed officers behind the patrol car. They ha parked the SUV on the neighbouring ramp to prevent anyone else from coming into that area of the lot. Marie watched nervously from inside the car, but she couldn’t see much from inside. Slipping out of it silently she crouched just beside, partially obscured by the barriers, so she could see the events unfolding below. She prayed that Warren was ok.
Two men, one of them Creed, were shooting at the patrol car. She could clearly see Creed; he was taking cover behind a green car shooting from around its back bumper. The other man she didn’t recognise was two cars back doing the same. She couldn’t see Ethan or Warren.
She watched Logan and Scott give the two other cops some instructions. Then as the cops covered them with fire, Logan and Scott moved in opposite directions obviously in an attempt to box in Creed and the other man. She found herself watching how Logan moved: athletic, dominant and full of confidence. She bit her lip and told herself now was not the time for such thoughts.
Scott was moving in from Creed’s right and Logan to his left. From the back seat of the car, Marie could see the whole thing. Something out of the corner of her eye moved, and she turned her head.
She saw Ethan dragging Warren away from the cars towards the garage elevator. Ethan had his hand over Warren’s mouth so he couldn’t shout for help. His eyes were wide with fear, and he was struggling to get away. He was still in his school uniform and had his backpack on.
Neither Logan nor Scott had seen them, Ethan had managed to sneak round behind them. She looked from Logan to Ethan and tried desperately to think what to do. She made up her mind; she jumped out of the SUV and ran towards Ethan. “WARREN!”
Logan heard her shout, and as she got close to Palmer and Warren, Palmer raised his own gun to shoot her. Kicking himself for not seeing Palmer behind them, Logan turned and moved quickly, grabbing her around the waist. They landed on the ground behind a truck, bullets missing her narrowly. She had landed on her back and he on top of her in a tangle of legs. Their faces were inches apart, and he couldn’t stop himself. He kissed her. Quick, hard and passionate. She returned it but blushed when they broke apart a second later.
He sat up and pulled her with him, then shoved her behind him. “Next time I’m cuffing you to the fucking steering wheel!” She shrieked and put her hands over her head as another hail of bullets hit the side of the truck.
“YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD, BITCH!” She cringed at Ethan’s words. Warren could hear and see everything, in addition to the fact that his own father was using him as a human shield.
Scott ran up behind Marie and crouched down for cover, speaking to Logan. “Got one in cuffs, but Creed got away.” His voice was a whisper. Logan nodded.
Logan whispered back. “Palmer’s behind that Blue Plymouth next to the elevator. He’s got the kid.” Scott moved round the other side of the truck to get to the other side of Palmer. Logan edged forward so he could see round the front of the truck. Then he shouted to Palmer, “PALMER, YOU CAN’T GO ANYWHERE. WE HAVE YOU PINNED. LET US HAVE THE BOY.”
There was silence. Logan could hear Marie breathing behind him. She was so scared, and he found himself hating that she felt like that and wanting to do anything to make her smile again.
He turned to her and pointed his finger at her. “You do not move, understand?”
“Yeah.”
“I mean it this time.”
“Yes, ok. I won’t move.” Logan stood up and nodded at Scott. Both of them moved slowly towards the Blue Plymouth, guns raised. They got close, and Scott gave Logan the signal to move in. Scott went round one side of the car and Logan the other.
Marie crept to the edge of the truck so she could see, her curiosity and fear for her son getting the better of her. She saw Logan and Scott move in around opposite ends of the car. Then she saw Logan scan around by the elevator while Scott bent down behind the car.
Logan was walking back to Scott when he stood up. Marie gasped. He had Warren, and the boy’s arms were wrapped around his neck tightly. Marie got up and ran to him. Logan holstered his gun and rolled his eyes at her. “You don’t take instruction well, do you?”
Warren was looking around for her immediately and as soon as he saw her, he struggled away from Scott and ran to her. She fell to her knees and held him to her as tightly as she could, afraid that if she let go it would be a dream and he would be gone again. “Mommy!”
He was crying into her neck, gripping her clothes with his small hands, while she stroked his hair and kissed his head. “It’s over, baby. It’s all over. I’m here. I’m here!” She didn’t even notice the tears of joy and relief freely tumbling down her cheeks.
Logan smiled. As he looked at her hug her son, he truly felt his chest tighten. He didn’t know what the feeling meant, but he knew he liked it. He felt something so strong for her, and it scared him. Scared him to think he could actually feel something for someone other than just a basic need or urge to have sex. It excited him as well.
Scott noticed the look on his partner’s face, chuckled and rolled his eyes muttering under his breath, “Dig a hole. The man’s going down.”
The parking lot had been roped off with police tape and a forensic team had been brought in to search Palmer’s car and surrounding area. The man that they had managed to handcuff was being searched and questioned by Logan and Scott. All they had got out of him was that his name was Mortimer.
Scott had him face down over the hood of the patrol car while he searched his pockets. Logan was leaning on the car next to him, smoking a cigar. “So, you don’t know anything?”
“No, man, all I know was that he wanted his son, and then they were getting on a plane. I don’t know where to, I swear. Hey, watch the suit!”
“And you expect me to believe that, *Mortimer*?” Logan chuckled at his name.
Scott spun Mortimer round so that he was facing him and Logan, hands still cuffed behind his back. “I dunno, man. I’m not exactly let in on the info. I just hold the gun. Know what I mean?”
“I’m getting tired of this.” Quicker than the man could register, Logan punched him in the stomach. He doubled over in pain and started to cough.
“LOGAN, what the hell are you doing?” Scott grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “If you get another assault charge, Markham will have your badge.”
Logan brushed off Scott and continued to talk to the man. “Remember anything now, *Mortimer*, you little toad?”
Mortimer spat at Logan. “Fuck you, pig!” Logan punched him again, this time in the face. He spun around and landed face down on the hood of the patrol car, blood coming from his nose, and as he lost consciousness, he sunk slowly to the ground.
Scott threw his hands up in defeat. “Just great!” While Scott helped the uniformed cops put an unconscious Mortimer in the back of the patrol car, Logan stomped off to see Marie. “Logan, LOGAN!” Scott gave up and got out his cell phone.
She was sat in the back of the SUV with Warren lying on the seat with his head on her lap. He had fallen asleep a little while ago, and she was gently stroking his hair, thanking God or whoever would listen that he was safe. Logan and Scott had asked him a few questions about what happened at his father’s house, but luckily for him, the boy hadn’t seen anything.
Logan leaned on the car doorframe, watching her tend to him. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a contented smile on his lips. He fidgeted a little when she turned to talk to him, scratching the back of his head almost shyly.
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
He shrugged his massive shoulders. He could think of a few ways, but none were appropriate. “It’s what we do. I know how you’d feel without him.”
“Have you got kids?” She secretly hoped he would say no, because chances were if he said yes, that meant he had a wife or girlfriend.
“No, I got a niece. Scott's, even though he’s an ass, we’ve known each other since college. Joined the force together, and he ended up marrying my sister Jeannie. They’ve got a little girl; she’s nine, Ellie. Red hair, blue eyes and cheeky as hell. So I know what it’s like to want them to be safe.”
“We’re still not safe though, are we?” She looked into his eyes and had to look away again. It was dark now and the lights in the parking lot made his eyes evermore intense, and they held a hint of danger. Which, she was embarrassed to admit, excited her.
“No, darlin’, you’re not. You’ll probably be put into protective custody until we can catch him.”
“I understand.”
“Marie, about earlier… I didn’t mean to overstep the mark when I kissed you…”
She met his eyes. “It was nice.” He leaned into the car and put his hand on the seat behind her head.
“Yeah?” He was so close to her lips, he could feel her breath when she spoke.
“Yeah.” His mouth closed on hers. She put her hands on his chest, and he brought his other hand up to cup her face.
Scott was by the patrol car on the phone. He snapped it shut and turned to the SUV to see Logan half in the back of the car kissing Marie. He saw the look of utter trust in her eyes as Logan pulled away from her, trailing his thumb over her bottom lip as he did. “Great, just great. He finally falls for someone, and she’s got more baggage than an airport check-in.”
He walked over to the car and called to Logan to join him for a moment. When they were out of Marie’s earshot, Scott spoke. “Were you kissing her?”
“Don’t start, Scooter.”
“Logan, she’s involved in the case, and you can’t…”
“I know she’s involved in the case, and I can’t, but I couldn’t help it.”
“That’s gonna be your excuse when Markham tears you down a strip or two? You couldn’t help it? Just like you couldn’t help hitting a suspect!”
“Don’t be an ass.”
“You’re unbelievable!”
“Why, thank you, Scott. I never knew you cared so.”
“Just shut up and listen...”
“To think I actually *let* you marry my sister.”
“Logan!”
“What?”
“I’ve just spoken to Markham. He said that there has been a contract put out on her.”
“Fuck! Guess the fucker wants her dead, no matter what.”
“Yeah, he probably figures he’s got nothing else to lose now he’s been caught on CCTV shooting at cops, even though that’s still all we’ve got on him.”
“Shit! What’s the boss say?”
“He wants you to take her and the kid to the safe house in Westchester. Keep them safe for the night. Then the FED’s are gonna pick her up for questioning sometime in the morning. They’re convinced she’s seen something or knows something she shouldn’t.”
“I’m convinced of that, too. Ok, I take them, but I’m taking them to mine. I never liked that safe house: too many entrances and exits. What about you?”
“His exact words were, ‘You have a wife and kid. Go home to them and let Logan get shot.’”
They both laughed, and Logan slapped his friend on the back. “Nice to know the man gives a shit.”
“I’ll let him know you’ve disobeyed another order!” They both laughed again.
*************END OF PART THREE
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Gamma, keep cracking that whip lady!! Thanks.
Summary: “We can’t just let her go home when the son of a bitch is trying to kill her.”
Summary: “We can’t just let her go home when the son of a bitch is trying to kill her.”