Marie's allowed back in. She says it's evening. I've always had a good grasp on time, or at least I did before time travel. Before that hole.

"Have you been sitting in the same spot the whole time?"

I grunt a reply.

She sits down next to me and elbows me in the ribs. Wishing to please her, I take the beef jerky she offers.

"About earlier…when you found me…" I know I need to apologize for the way I acted. Part of it anyway.

"That's okay." Though she passes it off as nothing, I can see the blush spread across her cheeks.

"It was crude." Maybe if we'd been lovers for a while, but we haven't been. Not here. She shifts uncomfortably. I smell a hint of arousal that will linger long after she leaves.

"I thought you were a hallucination."

She laughs softly. The first sign of happiness I've had in a long time. "Do you make out with all your hallucinations?"

"No, only you."

There is a flutter of her eyelashes and she looks at me coyly. I remember this look, it is the one she used to give me before we became lovers. It's all trust, compassion, and love rolled into one. With a smidgen of hero worship thrown in for good measure.

"Did you mean what you said…the first part?"

"Yes." I don't hesitate. "I love you."

She stares at the open door, exhaling a held breath. "Logan, I…"

"It's okay." I want to reassure her that she doesn't have to love me in return. It's not like I'm in my right mind or even acting like the man she knew. She nods slowly; we still understand each other with minimal communication.

Reaching down, she hands me the juice box she brought. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Jean says it's fine for you to have juice." She peels back the little foil piece and sticks in the straw. The smile she gives me is one of conspiracy. "Drink up."

I take a sip, feeling like a toddler with the little box in my big hand. It's not what I expect and take another sip to be sure. Now I feel like a toddler at a bar.

She presses her finger to her lips. I don't know how she's done it, but she brought me beer to go with my jerky.

"Time's up," Jean calls from the door.

Marie takes the empty juice box. "Tomorrow?"

There's a hint of playfulness in her chocolate brown eyes. I nod. "Tomorrow." I watch her stand up to leave, and find myself already wishing it was tomorrow.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Darlin'," I murmur. She pauses in the doorway to look back, then she flashes me a smile and slips from the room.

~*~
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