"Good morning, love."

Patton's eyes opened as Logan ran his hands through Patton's hair, smiling. Patton smiled back, adjusting his head on Logan's chest slightly and sighing.

"Morning, Lo. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept well. How about you?"

"Really good. I'm excited for tonight. Where'd you put the papers you printed?"

"They're on my desk, on top of my laptop. You seem very excited."

"Well, of course I am! We get to fill out a paper and then become dads!"

Logan smiled, nodding. "We sure do. We have to wait until tonight, though, right?"

"Right. We should do something to distract ourselves. Uh... I don't know."

"How about we start with breakfast?"

"Oh, yeah! I'm hungry, sure, definitely."

The two quickly got dressed into something comfortable, and made their way downstairs. They quickly whipped up some pancakes, and sat in their kitchen together, eating them.

"Okay. So what can we do all day? What time does the news come on?"

"The news comes on at nine thirty. It's around eleven right now. So we have about ten and a half hours."

Patton sighed. "That's such a long time, though!"

"I know, I know. Maybe we could get out our Wii and Nintendo Switch again? There's a few games we never got out last time we played. I believe we have Mario Cart, we could start with that."

Patton gasped gently. "Yeah! That sounds so fun!"

So, that's how they spent the next two hours- playing Mario Cart. Logan often made it easier for his husband to win video games, as he just liked seeing him happy, but Logan wasn't able to do that for this one. Patton was, surprisingly, really good at the game.

When they eventually got bored of playing, it was around one, so they decided to eat some lunch. They only ended up making small PB&J sandwiches, since they had just eaten only two hours ago. The two still owned at least another eight jars of Crofter's jam since the last time Patton had gone to the store.

They finished eating at one-thirty, and they both plopped down on their living room couch.

"Won't it take us a while to get through all the paperwork, anyway? We should get started early," Patton suggested.

"It's not going to take us eight hours. We can get started at nine-fifteen, perhaps. We'll get through it in less than twenty minutes, I'm sure."

"What else do we do, then?"

"Uhm..."

Both leaned back, crossing their arms in thought.

And suddenly, Patton got an idea.

"Ooh! We should dance!"

"...Dance?"

"Yeah! All we gotta do is move the coffee table over to the side of the wall, we'll have plenty of room to move around, then! And we can just play some songs on Spotify or something!"

Logan chuckled. "Patton, I'm not a good dancer."

"So? That doesn't matter! And you are a good dancer, did you even see yourself at our wedding?"

"Well, our wedding was different. I was filled with adrenaline. I mean, it was the happiest day of my life, of course I was able to dance well."

Patton blushed lightly, and smiled, taking his husband's hands.

"Who says this can't be one of your happiest days, too?"

Logan blinked.

"...I suppose you're right."

And with that, both stood up off the couch. Logan helped Patton push their coffee table up against a wall, and Logan grabbed his phone, making sure it was on full volume before putting on a playlist of their favorite songs. The song Shut Up and Dance With Me coincidentally came on first.

Smirking gently, Logan outstretched a hand to his husband.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

Patton giggled, taking the hand. "Of course you can."

Of course, this song wasn't slow, it was rather the opposite. But it was one of Patton's favorite songs, and because of that, Logan had grown to enjoy it, too. And you can't just not dance with someone to a song with that kind of name.

Logan lead Patton in a faster-paced version of a normal slow dance, also adding in a lot more spinning than would normally be seen. Every time Patton was spun, he giggled, and honestly, that sound still made Logan's heart flutter even to this day.

Eventually, Patton started singing along with the music, running out of breath every once and a while but still trudging on. Logan kept silent until eventually he decided to join in a bit, too.

Song after song went by of the two dorks, dancing together in their living room, singing along or even just flat-out screaming the lyrics to the songs. They went through songs like Dancing Queen, I Gotta Feelin', Uptown Funk, and a whole lot more.

Time definitely passed quickly. The two took water breaks every once and a while when a song they liked a little less than the others cane on, but as soon as the song ended they'd both be dancing again. By the time they had gotten through the entire playlist, it was six at night.

Three hours and forty-five minutes to go.

At that point, Logan and Patton were absolutely exhausted. If they hadn't eaten dinner yet and didn't have anything to do later, they would have called it an early night. Logan turned off his phone and moved the coffee table back as Patton collapsed on the couch. Logan soon sat down next to him, and they shuffled around with their position for a few moments until Patton was resting comfortably on top of his husband. Logan sighed gently, moving his hands to rest on Patton's back.

"Jeez, I'm exhausted." Patton commented, taking deep breaths. "My sides kinda hurt."

Logan chuckled. "I'm sure they do, from all the singing."

"Can we take a nap, maybe?"

"We should eat dinner first."

"But I don't wanna get up..."

"Me neither, but we have to." Logan sighed. "I promise we can take a nap as soon as we're done eating."

"I wish I could just use telekinesis to grab food from the kitchen. Maybe if I focus really hard."

Patton lifted his arm up, outstretching it over his head and towards the dining table that was located next to their front door. He tried to focus on an apple that was sitting in a fruit bowl on that table, but he was unable to make it move even the slightest bit.

"Darn..." he mumbled. Logan reached his hand up to Patton's, intertwining their fingers and moving Patton's arm down from the air.

"It won't take long. We just eat something very quick. I'll go upstairs and get the papers, and after we wake up, we can get started on them. Alright?"

"Mmm, fine." Patton agreed, stretching out the last word.

They made their way to their kitchen, quickly making themselves dinner. They made a small helping of pasta together, scarfing down all that they could and putting the rest in the fridge that they could heat up and eat later. Logan made a quick trip upstairs, grabbing the light brown folder that held the adoption papers in it.

Patton set an alarm for nine-fifteen on his phone before laying down on top of his husband once more on the couch. Both were out in a matter of seconds.

•~~~~•

"Alright, just take a turn here."

Patton drove down the open road, Logan in the passenger's seat next to him. Logan was giving him directions as they drove, and quite frankly, it was nice.

Patton always trusted Logan- of course he did. Logan was his husband.

"Left or right?"

"Left."

"Thank you!"

"Of course, love."

Patton turned left. The road was clear, and everything was going fine.

"Ooh, look, a crow!"

Patton's eyes caught on a single crow, sitting on a road sign. Patton smiled at the bird, and the bird stared blankly at him.

Patton blinked and looked back to the open road, but suddenly, it had changed. It was now a dirt road, completely surrounded by trees. Also, it was suddenly night. It looked like it might be one in the morning, maybe even earlier.

"Where are we?" Patton asked.

Logan didn't answer.

Every once and a while the car headlights would spot a single crow, but then the car would drive past it. There would be no crow in the road for a few silent moments, and then one would appear again and the cycle would continue.

Patton and Logan continued in complete silence. The road got narrower and narrower. Eventually, Logan put his hand on Patton's shoulder, and Patton hit the brakes just as seven crows appeared in the middle of the road in front of him.

"I'm getting out," Logan said. He unbuckled his seatbelt.

"What?"

"I'm leaving."

"Oh."

Logan opened the car door and climbed out of the car, closing the door behind him. Patton waved at Logan, and he didn't wave back. He walked into the forest until the darkness completely engulfed him, and he couldn't be seen at all.

Patton sighed, and after waiting a few moments he hit the gas petal, going full-speed towards the seven crows that were in the road in front of him.

•~~~~•

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Patton's eyes shot open and he sat up, accidentally elbowing Logan in the stomach.

"Ah- ow."

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you alright? You look scared."

Patton blinked, and sighed, reaching for his phone to turn off the alarm. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just had a really weird dream."

"Oh. What happened?"

"Uh, so we were driving. Or, I was driving, and you were in the passenger's seat. You were giving me directions. And then I saw a crow. When I looked back at the road it was suddenly like really creepy, like a dirt road and there were a bunch of trees and stuff. And I kept seeing more crows. Eventually you just kinda were like "I'm getting out of the car" and just walked into the forest. And then I ran the car right into a bunch of crows right before I woke up."

Logan blinked. "That is... extremely odd. It might have some sort of meaning, though. We can google it later maybe. But your alarm went off, so..." he smiled, "you know what that means."

Patton's eyes lit up, and he gasped lightly. "Yay! Adoption papers! Finally!"

Both grinned at each other, sitting up. Patton ended up in Logan's lap, and Logan quickly picked up his husband bridal-style before lowering him to the ground. Patton giggled as Logan got down off the couch to sit next to him.

Logan quickly turned on the TV to the channel they would watch for the news. There was a game show on at the moment, so they'd just have to wait fifteen minutes. Patton opened the folder that held the papers, and both grabbed a pen, sliding the top paper towards them.

"Okay... full name of first guardian? Who do we put first, me or you?"

Logan chuckled, tapping his pen against his leg. "I don't believe it matters."

"You go first."

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just think you should be first."

"Well, alright then."

Logan reached his pen forward, quickly filling out his name on the form: Logan Andrew Croft.

"Your middle name is Andrew?" Patton asked.

"Yes, I thought you knew that. It's after my father."

Patton blinked. He forgot Logan's dad was named Andrew. He had immediately thought of one of his high school classmates, quite honestly.

"Oh yeah." He giggled. "My turn!"

Patton reached forward and filled out the "second guardian name": Patton Joseph Croft.

"I've always liked your middle name, it suits you well."

"Awwwe, thank you, Lo!"

Logan chuckled. "Of course."

The two worked diligently, getting through every single question on the form. Time passed, and eventually, the news did come on.

And Patton didn't know it at that point, but in the moment before the TV switched from game show to news...

...It was the last time he would be happy for a very long time.

"BREAKING NEWS: Remy Cafe's-"

"Here we go!" Patton squealed.

"-location has been miscalculated-"

"What?!"

"-and he has believed to been spotted in a neighborhood along the following street..."

Both were silent. Patton's pen tumbled out of his hand as the road name was listed off, pictures being shown on their screen.

That... that was their street.

Before either of them could verbally react, a picture of a figure that was believed to be Remy was shown on the screen. Logan and Patton quickly recognized the house to be their neighbor's.

Patton couldn't breathe. He couldn't- he couldn't think.

After a few more moments of listening to the person on the screen ramble, Logan rushed to grab the remote and pause the TV. He looked at his husband.

Thoughts were swarming in Patton's head- he could barely hear anything around him at that point.

"...Patton-"

"No. No, no, this isn't happening."

His world was untangling right before his very eyes. Why was this happening? Was this even happening? Could this all be an illusion?

"Pat-"

Patton's hands slowly went into the air, and they shakily clasped over his ears. It was all too loud. Everything was fine a moment ago... why couldn't things just be okay again?

"Oh my god, no, this isn't- it's not. It's not. No. No, no, no, no."

Everything was wrong. This was all Patton's fault. If he would have... he just... he could have done better. He could have done something differently.

"No, no, no."

And now, all because of him...

"No, no."

Logan was going to die.

"NO!"

Patton practically screamed, and Logan immediately moved forward, pulling his husband onto his lap, knowing he craved physical touch in times like these. Patton's hands moved down from his ears and clutched Logan's shirt tightly. He started to cry, leaning his head on Logan's shoulder. Logan held Patton tightly, but Patton held Logan tighter.

He thought everything was okay. Everything was okay, at some point. But no, of course that was all a lie. Of course it was. Nothing in Patton's life ever went right. He should have known this would happen- it was all way too good to be true.

If Patton has just done a little more, none of this would have happened. None of it.

None of it.

"Patton, hey, I want you to take a deep breath for me, alright?" Logan said after around five or so minutes of silence. Or, was it five minutes? It could have been ten. Fifteen. Twenty, even.

"Bu- But-"

"I know, I know. I need you to breathe."

Logan took deep breaths, and Patton slowly copied his husband.

"Can you look up at me, please, love?"

Patton looked up, and Logan's stern-but-worried face completely melted, until he was one hundred percent worried. He brought a hand to his lover's face, trying to wipe away the many tears that were streaming down his face.

"Look, I know you're scared. I'm scared, too. But I want you to take a deep breath for me, alright, love? Now that we know he's nearby, we have to take precautions. If you need another moment, that's fine, but when you're ready, I need you to help me go around our house and lock all of the windows and doors, alright?"

Patton sniffled and nodded, sitting still for a moment before nodding again and climbing off Logan's lap. He stood up, wiping his face with the back of his hand. Logan turned off the TV, and they started moving around their entire house, locking everything they could possibly think of and checking behind every corner to make sure he wasn't already in the house.

The adoption papers were left on the coffee table, completely forgotten about.

When Logan and Patton were done, they walked to their bedroom, and Logan sighed, sitting down at his desk.

"Shouldn't... shouldn't we go to bed?" Patton asked.

"Yes, but I need to buy us some security cameras. I..." Logan huffed, burying his head in his hands for a moment before looking back up and opening his computer. "I should have bought these sooner. I really should have gotten security cameras and an alarm system when all of this started."

"It's not your fault, Logan..."

Nothing could ever be Logan's fault.

Logan sighed. "...I'm sure you probably want to sleep, Pat, and I know you probably need me nearby to do so. But I can't be in bed with you right now since I have to search for these things. You can try to fall asleep on my lap, if you'd like."

Patton sniffled gently, and nodded. He walked over to his husband and sat down in his lap, nuzzling his head into Logan's neck.

"I love you, Logan."

"I love you too."

"...I really, really love you, Logan."

Logan frowned, wrapping one arm around his husband and pulling him closer. "I'll always love you too, Patton. Always."

Minutes passed. Patton tried desperately to fall asleep, but he just couldn't. Not when the life of the man he loved was so at stake.

What could he do? He just wished his life could be perfect again...

...

Perfect.

He hadn't daydreamed in a long time, but if he remembered correctly, last time he stopped, him and Logan were about to go on their second date. They hadn't had their first kiss yet... and they probably would during the date.

...

That sounded... perfect.

And so, Patton slipped into a dream land, where nothing else mattered. Where everything was perfect, and nothing was his fault.

•~~~~•

This was all Logan's fault.

It was true- he couldn't deny it. Not that he ever had, of course. Everything he had done leading up to this point had caused this.

First, it had been the murdering. Joe. Andrew. Benjamin. Ethan. If Logan hadn't of killed those four, his husband wouldn't be traumatized, and maybe they could have lived a normal life together.

Why had he done it, anyway? For love. But Logan was never going to loose Patton. At this point, with how obsessed Patton truly was with Logan, it would be so strange to see him end up with another man.

That's the second thing, though- Logan had caused that, too.

Logan knew Patton was scared of Logan dying. That was obvious. That fear had been caused by Logan himself. If he would have never angered the man who was out for him now like he had in high school, his life wouldn't be at stake.

...Remy and Patton's romantic relationship probably would have never lasted, anyway. They were just too different. Patton was- and still is- this... heaping ball of pure joy and sunshine, while Remy is just Remy. He's sarcastic, dominating, and quite frankly a gigantic bitch. Even if Remy wasn't a murderer, him and Patton would probably never make it together romantically.

Logan looked down at his husband, who by now was snoring very quietly in his lap. It was around midnight, maybe even closer to one in the morning, at that point. It doesn't take long to try and search for an alarm system, but Logan kept getting distracted by his thoughts.

"You'll fucking pay for this, Croft!" is what Remy had screamed when he got arrested. Logan was pretty sure that would come true, and it would come true soon.

After a moment of doing nothing, he sighed gently to himself, moving a hand to Patton's back and underneath his legs. He stood up, picking his husband up gently off his lap. Logan carried him to their bed and laid him down underneath the covers, making sure he was definitely asleep before walking back over to his computer.

He should keep researching. If he can keep Remy out, he can avoid a situation.

...

Logan really didn't want to have to kill anybody, honestly.

He was past that- he hadn't had a murderous thought in years. And he knew that if he ever did, he'd probably be able to ignore it.

He really didn't want to have to kill anybody. He really hoped this whole situation wouldn't come to that. Who would he have to kill, anyway? Someone trying to get close to him and his husband, most likely.

...Logan didn't want to kill anyone, except for one person. There was one person in this world that he wanted dead, and if he got the opportunity to kill them, he'd sure as hell do it.

And that person was-

Knock Knock Knock

"Oh my god," Logan mumbled, turning around in his swivel chair.

His eyes traveled to his husband- sometimes he would move around in his sleep. He had accidentally knocked on the side of their bed or on their nightstand in his sleep before, with his foot or sometimes his hand. But Patton was completely still. He was in a state of sleep where only the loudest noise or the largest shove would be able to wake him.

Logan's eyes traveled to their bedroom door.

It was closed.

Logan gulped, and his hand groped around behind him on his desk until landing on a pair of scissors. He grabbed them and stood up, holding the pointed end out in front of him.

He took a step forward. Another one. Another one. He kept slowly inching forward, glancing over to his sleeping husband every few seconds. When he reached the door, he practically froze, unsure of what to do.

Opening this door could mean... anything. He might die immediately. He might kill someone immediately. The promise that had been made to him in highschool could finally come true.

Logan wasn't sure exactly what would happen. All he knew is that as soon as he opened this door, his life would change forever.

...

He took a deep breath, gulped, and turned the knob.

"Hey, babes."

•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•
Hey, so uh....

You know how in a musical, Act One often ends with uncertainty and then in Act Two everything just absolutely goes to shit?

Yeah.

We're in intermission now.

See ya in the next chapter!½

P.S.-

I know some of y'all might be mad at me for ending this chapter on a cliffhanger, so I got a little treat for ya.

If you haven't seen, I posted on my community/message board that I'm done making Logan and Patton's house in The Sims 4. Due to spoiler reasons, though, I can't post any of the pictures to Tumblr until this book is done.

But...

I think I'll give you guys one photo. Just one.

Ya'll ready? Ya'll ready to see it? I don't think you are.

...

Here it is:

That's in their living room, by the way.
And-
I hid a lot of references to the story throughout the entire house. Many of the photos I'll be posting have a little "secret" in them that relates to something that happened in the book. Or, it doesn't relate too much to anything, it's just there because it can be and it's mildly creepy lmao.
Now: are one of the secrets visible in this photo?

...Maybe.

Have fun with that, now! :))