It had been a day. Twenty-six hours had passed since she had seen Logan. Since Logan had been taken away from her. Marie felt like just crawling into a hole and dying. Marie knew that there was something wrong with Logan. The pain that she felt in the pit of her stomach hadn’t faded in the least. On the contrary, it had gotten even worse. The entire time she had been in labour, Marie had felt like there was a hand around her heart, squeezing tighter with each moment that passed. Marie knew how much Logan had wanted to be there to see their baby born. He had been counting down the days till she was due for the past two months.
The only thing that kept her from freaking out completely was that she had given birth to their daughter. As soon as she had heard Alexandra’s first cry Marie had fallen in love with the tiny infant. At the moment Alexandra was all that she had of Logan. Marie could see so much of Logan when she looked at the dark-haired newborn.
“Is there any word yet?” Marie demanded as Kurt entered the her room with Ron.
Marie didn’t even have to wait for them to answer before knowing the answer. The sorrow on their face told it all. “Not even a hint?”
Kurt sat down next to Marie and grabbed hold of her hand. “They’re doing everything they can, Marie. The police are searching everywhere for Logan. They’ll have him back in no time.”
“Promise?” Marie whispered, struggling to keep the tears at bay.
Kurt nodded his head. “I promise. Now what say I go find a nurse and have her bring the little munchkin in?”
“Please,” Marie said softly, longing to hold her little girl.
While Kurt went off in search of a nurse, Ron stayed behind with Marie. He stood silently by the wall for a few moments before heading to her side, a ghost of a smile playing on his face. “You know, you still have to break it to Kurt that I’m the Godfather and not him. I’d tell him myself, but I thought I’d leave that privilege up to you.”
Marie managed a smile as well. “That so? An’ what if Ah want Kurt t’ be Alex’s Godfather?”
“Oh that’s not nice,” Ron said, a hurt expression on his face. “You and Logan both agreed that I could be Godfather. I’m not about to let you back out of this. Who else is gonna help little Alexandra Marie keep you and Logan on your toes?”
At the mention of Logan’s name, Marie was hard pressed to keep from crying. As much as she wanted to keep from mentioning Logan until he was found, it was impossible. She and Logan had become so much a part of each other, that you couldn’t mention one of them without the other. Normally Marie loved how close she and Logan were. It was an amazing feeling to be so close to Logan, to know that he loved her so much. At that moment, though, it was her love for Logan that was breaking her heart. He was in danger and there was nothing she could do to help him.
“Do ya think that Logan’s still alive?” Marie asked in a strained voice, barely able to restrain the tears that were once again threatening to fall.
Ron looked horrified by the very thought. He quickly composed himself and took her hands in his. “What does your heart say, Marie? Do you honestly think that Logan’s dead?”
Marie shook her head, a watery smile on her face. “No, Ah know Logan’s still alive. Don’t as me how, but Ah can feel it.”
“Then you have your answer,” Ron told her. “If anyone would know whether Logan was still alive or not it would be you.”
“Ya really think so?” Marie asked nervously.
Ron grinned from ear to ear, nodding his head. “I know so. You’ve got a sixth sense where that ape is concerned. You’d know in an instant if anything was wrong with him.”
“That’s what has me worried ‘cause Ah do know that somethin’ is wrong with Logan. Ah can feel it with every fibre o’ mah bein’,” Marie whimpered, placing a hand over her heart. “Logan has been hurt very badly an’ there’s nothing Ah can do ‘bout it. That’s what hurts the most. Knowin’ that Ah can’t help him or be there fer him.”
Ron cupped her cheek, making sure that she met his eyes when he spoke. “Logan knows that you won’t give up on him. He knows it. Right now that’s all he has to hold onto. Logan is counting on you to find him so you can’t doubt him. Doubt him and he’s dead. You hear me, Marie?”
“Ah hear ya,” Marie whispered, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. “Thank you.”
Ron grinned again and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Yeah, well that’s what the Godfather of your firstborn is for.”
Marie rolled her eyes and couldn’t keep from giggling. “All right! All right! Ya win! Yer Alex’s Godfather!”
“Knew I’d wear you down eventually,” Ron teased. “So when do I get to break the news to Kurt? Or would you rather do it?”
“Yer awful, Ron. Ya really are,” Marie said, swatting him on the arm. “Ah’ll break the news t’ Kurt thank ya very much.”
“What news?” Kurt demanded as he entered the room with a little bundle wrapped in pink.
Marie held out her arms, wanting to hold her little girl. Her little Alexandra. “That Kurt’s gonna be Alex’s Godfather.”
“But I thought you said that I was?” Kurt pouted as he handed his sister the infant.
“Ah know. Yer both gonna be her Godfather. A girl can never have too many people lookin’ out fer her,” Marie said softly as she held the sleeping child against her.
“Speaking of which,” Kurt said, gaining Marie’s attention. “I got a call from Kitty while I was looking for the nurse. “The plane landed and she’s bringing Dad, Scooter and Jean to the hotel before coming here.”
“Ah really don’t know why they came. There was no need t’,” Marie protested, smiling as Alexandra clutched at her index finger.
“You’re family, Marie. And Logan is gonna be family too. That’s all the reason they need,” Kurt informed her.
Marie nodded her head, smiling down at the tiny infant she held in her arms. Alexandra was completely oblivious to what was going on around her. Alexandra was too young to realize that her Daddy wasn’t there or that her Mommy was real close to losing her mind. All that Alexandra cared about was whether she was fed or had a wet diaper. For the time being, Alexandra had a very simple life. She would never know the events that surrounded her birth or why she had been born over two weeks before she was supposed to have been.
Three days after Alexandra’s birth, when Marie was allowed to return home it was all that she could do to keep from crying non-stop. Logan’s mark was on everything in the house. In every room Marie had countless memories of Logan. Going into their bedroom that first time was the hardest. Not knowing whether she would ever see him again, ever get to hold him again, ever get to hear his voice again.
No matter how much she tried to be confident, every time there was a phone call from the police telling her they had no leads on Logan, a little bit of her hope was shattered. Marie would never give up hope completely. It was impossible for her to give up on Logan. She knew that somehow Logan would come back to her.
Wanting to have Alexandra as close to her as possible at all times, Marie had taken to having the infant sleep with her at night. Marie kept Alexandra within arms reach at all times. She didn’t want to lose her only living link to Logan.
The first few days, when Marie had still be in the hospital, her family had hovered over her, barely giving her a moment’s peace. Once she was home, though, and the third day turned into the fourth which turned into the fifth, they understood Marie’s need to be alone with her daughter. So now instead of being at her house from eight in the morning till nine at night, they would come with lunch around noon and stay till about four o’clock., giving Marie the rest of the day to spend with her daughter.
“Ya know, yer as hungry as yer Daddy. The two o’ ya never seem t’ stop eatin’,” Marie said as she guided Alexandra to her breast. “Maybe when ya get a little bigger ya can help me turn yer Daddy onta chocolate. Ah’ve been tryin’ since the day we met, but Ah just can’t seem t’ get him t’ eat any. Hopefully ya can talk him inta eatin’ some. When ya can talk, that is. Till then Ah’ll keep tryin’.”
Marie wished that she could share moments like this with Logan. There was something so amazing about watching Alexandra suckle at her nipple. To see the way her little pink lips were filmed with white milk when she would doze off in the middle of her meal. Marie loved watching Alexandra sleep. There was something so spellbinding about watching the little person who had before only been a feeling in her stomach. Until she had actually seen Alexandra and held her in her arms, Marie hadn’t fully believed that she was real. Now Marie never wanted to be parted from the little girl and was longing for the day when Logan would return and share it all with her.
There was a knock on the door, interrupting Marie’s vigil over Alexandra’s crib where she slept during the day. Knowing that someone in her family would get the door, Marie didn’t so much as bat an eye. It wasn’t until Kurt appeared at the at the door of Alexandra’s room that Marie reacted.
“Marie, Officer Tomolski wants to talk to you,” Kurt said in a hushed voice so as not to wake up the sleeping infant.
Marie looked away from Alexandra and nodded her head. “Could ya stay here with Alex while Ah talk t’ Pete? Ah’d rather not leave her alone.”
“No problem, Marie,” Kurt assured her, stepping further into the room.
As soon as Kurt was in the room, Marie ran the back of her index finger along Alexandra’s arm before heading to the living room where Pete was waiting. He was talking quietly with Marie’s father, their hushed voices revealing nothing of their conversation.
“Have ya got any leads on where Logan is?” Marie asked softly, staring hopefully at the police officer.
Pete looked down at a photograph that he held in his hands before passing it over to Marie. “I’m not sure, Marie. This guy was seen around town a few days before Logan went missing. He was driving around in a van, but still keeping a pretty low profile. Then one of our officers saw him at the hospital the morning after you gave birth. He was at the window outside the newborn window and took a couple pictures. At the time we thought he was just a new father, but we found out from some nurses that he’d never visited anyone. Just took the pictures....”
Pete continued to go on and on, telling Marie all sorts of things about the man in the picture. He was a frightening looking man. Long blonde hair, broad shoulders and dark, intense eyes that seemed to have no white in them.
“He looks like a monster,” Marie said softly, shuddering slightly. “Who is he?”
“His name is Victor Creed,” Pete revealed, stopping in the middle of his speech. “He’s a smuggler. Or at least he was until one of his crew tipped the police off to what he was doing. Now he’s on the run.”
“Why would he want t’ hurt Logan?” Marie demanded, her eyes bouncing from the picture to Pete and back again.
Pete reached into a large envelope still in his hand and pulled out another picture. “Meet Morgan Nathaniel Vance. Army lieutenant and only son of Maureen and Charles Vance. He and Creed were best friends in their childhood so when Creed became a more well known smuggler, he allowed Vance to join his crew. Only problem was that Vance had too much of a conscience and turned his friend in. Two months later, Vance made a phone call to his mother and was never heard from again. That was roughly twenty months ago.”
Marie stared at the picture in shock. It was Logan. Her Logan. Only he wasn’t Logan in this picture. Dressed in his military uniform, this picture was of Morgan Vance, Logan’s lost identity. There was no doubt in Marie’s mind that Logan Hunters and Morgan Vance were the same person. Not only were they completely identical, but the time frame matched up.
Logan’s accident, the one where he had lost his memory, had happened twenty months before. The same time that Morgan Vance had disappeared.
“Logan is Morgan,” Marie whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.
“That’s our guess,” Pete confirmed. “We’re thinking that Logan knew Creed was looking for him and simply disappeared. Only problem is that Creed caught up with him.”
Marie shook her head, tracing Logan’s features with a shaky index finger. “Logan’s not hidin’ from Creed. He prob’bly didn’t even know Creed existed till he took him.”
“Do you know something we don’t, Marie?” Pete asked, his eyes trained on her.
Raising her head, Marie took a deep breath before telling Pete about Logan’s lost past. About the accident and all of the confusing details surrounding it. The lack of plates on his truck, the missing ID numbers on the engine, and the fact Logan’s wallet had been gone when he was pulled from the wreckage. There was no doubt in Marie’s mind that Creed had caused Logan’s first accident and was undoubtedly behind what was now happening to him.
“Are you sure Logan didn’t make up that story in order to keep you from the truth?” Pete inquired, a confused expression on his face.
“Logan would never lie t’ me,” Marie hissed, his eyes darkening. “Even if he could remember bein’ Morgan Vance, Logan would have told me. He wouldn’t keep me in the dark ‘bout somethin’ so serious. There’s no way he’s put me in danger like that.”
Pete held up his hands, making a series of hushing motions. “Calm down, Marie. I wasn’t accusing Logan of anything. We just want to be thorough, make sure that we’re right about this before we go ahead and search Creed’s place.”
That information through Marie for a loop. They knew where Logan was.
They knew where Logan was....
And they weren’t doing anything about it.
“Why the fuck haven’t ya searched Creed’s place yet if ya know that he has Logan?!” Marie screamed, finally snapping after five days of constant pressure. “If ya knew Logan was there ya shoulda gone there right away an’ gotten him out!”
Marie’s father came up and wrapped his arms around his daughter’s shoulders, pulling her back against him. “I’m sure that this man has a good reason as to why he and his fellow officers are willingly leaving my soon to be son-in-law in such serious danger.”
“We just got this file on Vance half an hour ago,” Pete explained quickly. “Up until then there was no connection between him and Logan. As soon as I got the file and saw the picture I headed right over here. No one knows much about Logan’s past and since he doesn’t have a police file and his medical record dates back less than two years so I came to you hoping that you could fill in the pieces. Now that we are sure that Logan and Vance are the same people, we’re heading out to the place Creed has rented and get Logan.”
“Well Ah’m goin’ with ya,” Marie announced, pulling away from her father and glaring at Pete. “Ah’m goin’ an’ there’s nothin’ ya can do t’ stop me.”
“Marie--” Pete attempted to protest, but was silence right away by Marie.
“No! Ah have spent the last five days scared t’ death that ya were gonna call me an’ tell me that Logan’s dead. Ah’m not waitin’ ‘round this time. Ah’m gonna go with ya an’ be there when ya find Logan. He needs me, Pete. He needs me so much right now an’ Ah’m gonna be there. So go call whoever ya need t’ an’ let’s get goin’! Logan’s already waited long enough fer us t’ find him so let’s get with the findin’! NOW!”
Pete was silent for a few moments before nodding his head. “All right, you can come. But you have to do exactly what I say. Got it, Marie? That means you stay in the car until we get the place secure. No heroics, no nothing. And if you even try to get out of the car before I say it’s okay I’m gonna handcuff you to the door. Are we understood?”