After dinner, Logan and Verena both helped Mary with the dishes, their hands moving in sync as they washed and dried. Laughter and small talk flowed between them as naturally as the breeze through the open windows. For a fleeting moment, Verena felt a sense of normalcy, almost like they were a family. She caught herself thinking it was nice, a reminder of what could have been. Mary asked her about Italy, and Verena found herself opening up about the rolling vineyards and narrow cobblestone streets of her childhood—carefully omitting the parts about her brother and the bloodstains she left behind.

When the last dish was placed on the rack, Logan and Verena bid the elderly couple goodnight, their gratitude sincere. They walked side by side to the barn, where a makeshift bed of hay, topped with a few blankets, awaited them. The arrangement was large enough for two but just intimate enough to make Verena suspect Mary had intended it that way.

With a quiet sigh, Verena dropped onto the pile, stretching out on her back and staring up at the wooden beams. "Logan," she called softly, waiting for him to join her. Instead, he lingered by the barn door before eventually lying down on the cold dirt floor, his back turned to her.

"Logan, don't sleep on the floor." She tried to keep her voice light, but a note of concern crept in.

"I'm fine, Vee," he muttered, rolling over onto his side. "You take the blankets."

"No, seriously, there's enough space for both of us," she insisted, shifting to make more room. She patted the hay beside her, her eyes almost pleading. "Please. You won't sleep on the floor."

For a moment, Logan hesitated, but then he grumbled under his breath and crawled onto the hay beside her. The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't exactly restful either. There was a tension between them—unspoken but palpable. Verena kicked off her boots, and they fell to the ground with a soft thud, echoing in the quiet barn.

After what felt like an eternity of listening to each other's breathing, Verena raised her hand and let her claws extend with a familiar metallic "shink." She turned her hand in the moonlight, watching how the now-shiny metal glinted where bone once was. There was something about it that felt wrong, like a part of her had been taken and replaced with something cold, unforgiving.

"It's different," she said softly, her voice almost swallowed by the quiet. Her claws retracted with a slow hiss as she turned her head to face Logan.

Logan, who had been watching her, nodded. "We're different," he echoed. His words were simple, but they carried the weight of everything they had been through—everything they had become. He reached out, his rough hand patting hers in a gesture that was both comforting and distant. Then, he turned onto his side, his back facing her, leaving her to stare up at the rafters once more.

Verena shifted, her mind racing too fast for sleep to come. She felt the weight of the metal in her bones, the ghosts of wars fought side by side with Logan, and the agonizing guilt she couldn't shake.

"Lo?" she whispered into the darkness.

Logan grumbled, his voice low and rough. "What, bub?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, her voice cracking. She turned on her side to face his back, the words trembling on her lips.

"For what, Vee?" Logan asked, though he already knew.

"For Kayla... for not doing more to protect her."

Logan's body tensed for a moment before he rolled over to meet her gaze. His eyes were shadowed, filled with a deep sadness that mirrored her own. "It wasn't your job to protect her, Vee," he said quietly. "I should've been protecting both of you."

She shook her head, her voice rising just a little. "Logan, I don't need to be protected. I can handle myself. We fought wars together, and I'm still here, aren't I?" Her tone was edged with frustration, but it was laced with a pain she couldn't quite hide.

Logan let out a heavy sigh. "Don't put that on yourself," he said. His voice was thick with regret. "What happened to Kayla is on me. And I swear to you, we'll make Victor pay. But for now... just get some rest, Vee."

Verena's lips pressed into a thin line, but she said nothing more. She lay back, staring at the barn roof, the weight of the conversation settling over her like a lead blanket.

"Goodnight, Logan," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Night, Vee," he replied softly, turning away once more.

But sleep was slow to come for either of them. Logan stayed awake, listening to the sound of her breathing—slow, steady, and occasionally broken by the small twitches of her body as it healed from the fight. His own chest rose and fell in rhythm with hers, and it wasn't until her breath had fully evened out that he allowed himself to drift off, lulled by the sound of her presence beside him.

When Verena awoke, dawn's light trickled into the barn, casting a soft glow across the hay. A heavy weight rested on her waist, making her tense. She turned her head to find Logan sleeping beside her, his arm draped casually across her. Her gaze traced the length of his body before she carefully lifted his arm, mindful not to wake him. "Dio mio," she muttered under her breath, slipping free.

Gingerly, she rolled off the makeshift hay bed, catching herself before hitting the ground. Once she was upright, she began putting on her boots from the night before. In her quiet haste, she stumbled, letting out a surprised squeal as she hit the floor with a thud. "Merda!" she groaned, pressing her face into her hands.

Logan stirred at the noise, waking with a slight start. He blinked away the sleep, spotting her sprawled on the floor. A small smile tugged at his lips, and he let out a quiet chuckle. "Vee? What're you doin' down there?"

Verena groaned, her face still buried in her hands. "Please, Logan, it's too early."

Logan smirked, his voice laced with amusement. "I'm not the one rollin' 'round in the dirt, Bub."

"I didn't mean to wake you, I was trying to get my boots on." She says rolling over onto her back. He stands over her and offers her a hand to get up with a stupid grin on his face. She rolls her eyes and takes his hand, pulling herself up and dusting off. While she finished her previous task of putting her boots on, Logan looked around the barn. He examined the chopper that sat off to the side, a little dust had started to gather on the paint.

He leans against it, a hard look on his face as he ponders. Verena is wary to approach him, he looks deep in thought. She's about to speak when Travis enters the barn. She looks up at him and he's holding something leather in his hands. His gaze floats from her to Logan, before he speaks, "Y'all sleep okay?"

Verena nods her head and Logan looks up at the mans sudden intrusion. "You look like a pair of people fixing to do a bad thing." Verena looks down at her hands, suddenly more interested in her fingers. "You know what happens to people who go looking for blood?" Travis continues. Verena's eyes find a chair near the motorcycle and takes a seat as Travis speaks. 

"What?" Logan asks, his voice deep and unsure

"They find it." Verenas head perks up at this. "We all got a choice."

"Ours got taken," Verena says softly to the man, acknowledging the suffering that her and Logan went through to end up here. 

"Bullshit." Both Verena and Logan's brows furrow but the man continues, he unfolds two leather jackets from his grasp and holds them out for them to take, "These were my son and daughter's, they used to ride together all the time. Try 'em on." The pair takes the jackets and puts them on, looking at each other, then looking back at Travis. 

Verena holds a small smile of gratitude on her face and Logan nods towards the man, "thank you." 

He waves his hand as if to say it's nothing, "Take the bike for a spin why don't ya, test the suspension." He smirks at them as if they're two teenagers who are trying to hide something from parents. 

Logan smiles and gets on the bike, "'64 huh?" With the new weight of his skeleton, the seat dips low under him, earning a shocked look from Travis and a giggle from Verena. 

"You're heavy aren't you?"

"Yeah I put on some weight recently." Verena laughs, that was the understatement of the year. Their bones were bound in metal. 

"You get on too girl, gotta know if you're a good ridin partner." She laughs as she swings her leg over the side, and gets settled, making the bike dip more. Travis notices but doesn't say anything and she situates her arms around Logan's torso and leaning into him as if they were ready to take the bike out now. She breathes in and the smell of the barn and Logan hit her all at once; the smell of tobacco and pine radiating off of him. Logan looks over his shoulder and smiles at her, "Looks like the perfect fit for you two," Travis smirks at them.

Mary barges through the door, a tray of food in her hands, "Good morning!" She exclaims, her voice chipper and bright for the morning time. She comes around the corner and sees Logan and Verena sitting on the bike. They sit up straight when they see her and she lets out a quiet, "Oh." followed by a somber smile, "It fits you both beautifully." She looks back down at the tray in her hands, "I brought you some..." The air shifts, and suddenly aa bullet goes through her, shattering the glass on the tray, and then a second one.

"Mary!" Verena cries out as her and Logan hop off the bike rushing to Travis's aid as another shot goes through him. They pull him back into the corner of the barn and he's dead. Verena's head perks up as she hears the sound of a chopper growing closer, "Logan," She says warningly, knowing he can hear it too.

Verena's gaze stayed locked on the barn as shells struck the walls, wood splintering like kindling. Her pulse quickened, dread coiling in her chest. "Logan, we need to move. Now!" Her voice cracked with urgency. 

Logan didn't hesitate. He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the motorcycle. "Hop on," he commanded, his voice tight and sharp. Verena mounted the bike, her arms instantly wrapping around his waist. The roar of the engine nearly drowned out the sound of bullets tearing through the air as Logan revved it up. The barn behind them exploded in a spray of fire and debris, a loud crack echoing as they sped off into the open.

Verena glanced over her shoulder, her heart pounding as she saw the chopper closing in fast. The wind whipped her hair into her face as she shouted over the roaring engine. "It's gaining on us!"

The chopper unleashed a burst of heavy machine-gun fire, tearing through the ground and trees around them. "Cazzo!" Verena swore, her grip tightening on Logan.

Logan veered the bike sharply, swerving into a dense patch of forest. The gunfire intensified, raining down around them like a fiery hell. Trees splintered and leaves scattered, but the forest provided some cover, the canopy breaking the chopper's line of sight.

As they burst out of the woods, Verena caught sight of an armored truck pulling up alongside them. "Logan, truck!" she warned, just as another one swerved in from the opposite side.

"Hang on!" Logan shouted, yanking the handlebars to avoid a collision. The truck's machine gun aimed at them, but Logan popped the bike into a wheelie, slashing at the gun's barrel with his claws. Metal clanged against metal before the truck veered off course, its gun useless.

"Take the lead!" Verena shouted, excitement building in her veins. The bike steadied beneath them, and her claws shot out with a sharp shink. Logan weaved between the trucks, allowing Verena to lean over and rake her claws along the side of one of the vehicles. Sparks flew as she shredded through metal and rubber, her claws slashing deep into the tire. The truck spun out of control, flipping into the air before crashing into the dirt road behind them.

"Attagirl!" Logan hollered as they sped ahead. His grin was wild, his eyes gleaming with adrenaline. "Vee, get ready to drive."

"What?" Verena barely had time to protest before Logan jumped from the bike and onto the armored vehicle beside them.

She clenched the handlebars, her knuckles white as she fought to steady the bike on her own. Logan landed hard on the truck, ripping through the roof with his claws and dispatching the soldier inside with ruthless efficiency. Then, without missing a beat, he wrenched the machine gun toward the helicopter overhead.

The chopper dipped, aiming for the truck as Verena circled the scene on the bike. "Logan!" she screamed, her heart in her throat as she watched the chopper prepare to fire. "Jump!"

Logan leaped just as the chopper unleashed a barrage of firepower. He soared through the air, claws outstretched, and slashed through the rotor blades. The helicopter spun wildly out of control, the tail whipping around as it plummeted toward the ground in a ball of flame.

Logan hit the dirt hard, rolling to a stop in the gravel as Verena skidded the bike to a halt next to him. "You okay?" she asked breathlessly, dismounting and helping him up.

"Been worse," he grunted, brushing off the dirt. His eyes flickered toward the burning wreckage. Together, they stalked toward the downed helicopter, the heat from the flames licking at their faces.

As they approached, Stryker's voice crackled through the wreckage on the radio. "Zero, Zero, come in. Are they dead?"

Zero's voice fills the air, "I don't know, I'm down." He says pained. When they get to him, hes crushed up against the front of the plane, stuck and bleeding from all places. Logan snatches the headset from around his neck and Verena crosses her arms over her chest. 

"You tried to kill us," Logan speaks into the headset, calm and collected. "Where's Victor?"

"Why don't you two come back to base, and I'll explain everything. We'll take Victor down together" Verena knew he was stressing on the other end. His voice tried to remain calm but deep down she knew he was freaking out.

She takes the headset from Logan and breathes into it, "Wrong answer, Cagna. Once we kill Victor, we're coming after you"

"Both of you listen to me, once you go down this road, you're not gonna like what you find."

"You wanted animals, Colonel?" She questions, her voice sickly sweet, almost taunting. "You've got them." She throws the headset down and Logan smashes it under his foot. 

They face Zero now, and Logan speaks, "Those were good, innocent people back there." Zero laughs through his pain and the pair turn to walk away.

Zero calls out after them, "Funny how good, innocent, people tend to die around you two."

They pause and then let out their claws, swiping them against a piece of metal, igniting the trail of gasoline from the chopper. Logan threw an arm around Verena's shoulders and they walked away, the remains of the helicopter blowing up behind them, killing Zero. 

They make their way back to the bike and get on, Verena wrapping her arms around Logan once more and leaning in to him, and they drive along the road, heading toward Las Vegas by nightfall. 

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Word count: 2615

Translations:

Dio Mio - Oh my god

Merda - Shit

Cazzo - Fuck

Cagna - bitch 

A/n: Sort of a short chapter but I figured not every chapter should be 3000 words. Almost done with Origins for real, I think there's like, 50 minutes left of the movie so that's like 5 more chapters and then act 2. Thank you all for reading and don't be ghost reader, I love reading comments

Love Y'all,

Allegra 💙