Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Crisp air gently caressed her skin, emitting a peace within her. Lucy’s trek to the Mole Cave was long, but well worth it in the waning rays of the sun. The evening was a welcome reprieve to the heat of the day, and it made her walk easier to handle. She needed to gather more ores and any relics to add to her growing collection—she thrived on the thrill of slowly improving Sandrock. The way Catori’s eyes lit up with a newly completed relic to add to the museum, or how excited secretly Qi became when he received dozens of data disks for his schematics. It made the intensity of the climate more bearable when she had so many fond memories.
Soon she neared the entrance of the ruins, her eyes counting the plethora of monsters littered in the valley below. She could take care of them, but did she really want to deal with that and waste more time? She didn’t need achy arms before having to traverse intricate ruin levels, which seemed like such a hassle. Stealth seemed easier. Her mind was made up.
Slowly, meticulously, Lucy edged to the entrance. Her steps were light, well practiced on being silent since she’d lived in this area for a year and a half. Light footfalls sometimes meant a difference in a scuffle or not—and she really didn’t feel like testing fate today. Eventually she slipped inside, no monster ever being alerted to her presence. Sometimes she wasn’t so sure footed, but she let out a sigh of relief at her one shred of luck. Her eyes adjusted to the light within. The ruins would be a piece of cake today, no doubt about it. She needed a distraction from her hurried brain, something repetitive, something calming. She needed the ores, and this would do the trick.
The light filtered softly through the cracks in the ceiling as Lucy pilfered around—searching, endlessly searching for more ore and relics. Lamp light floated over her pale lithe frame, casting scattered shadows around the ruin. “Is Sandrock more convoluted than I realized?” she muttered, as she slammed her pickhammer into another pile of rock. “I thought I was just signing up for an easy gig to help people;” which was something she enjoyed doing immensely, but one bandit’s face kept haunting her. Those mesmerizing blue eyes that poked over that dark mask seemed like he saw through her. It didn’t make any sense why he would kidnap Matilda, but had eyes only for her when her group had burst into the cave that sweltering day. Almost as if he wanted her to find them. Intentionally. What was she missing?
It didn’t make any sense. It seemed that the bandit was almost… testing her. His calculated expression was constantly on her during that fateful encounter, like he was sizing her up. In their short lived fight it seemed that he was holding back and didn't want to hurt her, which had only infuriated her further as it seemed that he was toying with her skills. But why? Why? It was the unknown that frustrated her. She hated being left in the dark.
Her spiraling thoughts had Lucy miscalculate her step and her pickhammer bounced harmlessly off the side of a wall. Bewildered, she took a deep breath and wiped the sweat off her brow. She needed to calm down; she needed to take it slower before she carelessly keeled over. The embarrassment of being found passed out in front of Gecko Station by the Civil Corps was almost unbearable her very first summer—it couldn’t happen again. Ever. Justice had given her a stern talking to and it wounded her to be scolded so fiercely. That would haunt her for the rest of her days.
Lucy continued on her merry way as she kept collecting ores. Aluminum was a hot commodity ore right now, and she needed to continue gathering it for her many commissions. So many items she kept crafting required increasingly difficult items to procure, thus sending her deep into various ruins to scavenge for parts and pieces. It was peaceful (most of the time), but her thoughts continued to drift. They always drifted as she tediously split rocks apart, always leading back to those captivating icy eyes. She had only seen him a handful of times—why was he plaguing her thoughts so intensely? Stars, she had only spoken a few words to him in their tussle. Honestly it only agitated her more.
Why did Logan seem like he was also holding himself back when he fought her? Why did he let them all go and then disappear, especially after Pen showed his face? He blatantly did crimes; blowing up the water tower was proof of that. Was it for revenge for his Pa? Pettiness against the town? She only knew bits and pieces of this man… and the more she thought about it, about him… she couldn’t help the intrigue. He was something that she wanted to figure out, desperately. Lucy scoffed at her guard letting down—she couldn’t afford that while she was making a name for herself. That’s the reason she moved to a new town; moved to get a fresh start. Logan had to cause all sorts of ruckus to make her job difficult. She guessed it was a silver lining, him providing her with difficult work; it had her think creatively to reinforce the town to withstand his actions.
He had made direct eye contact with her after racing off from the water tower explosion. Their gaze was electrified when their eyes locked, but he kept going, and he eventually disappeared down the railway tracks. The intense gaze had sent her heart racing—she didn’t realize that Logan actually was such a good looking and rugged man (Unsuur did get his facial features right in the wanted poster, not that she spent time ogling it).
The whys of every single question running through her head would surely kill her. There were too many damn questions. With a shaky sigh, Lucy lifted her pickhammer above her head to strike another cluster apart. “I just can’t wrap my head around this nonsense,” she thought. It was maddening.
Abruptly the ground started slowly shaking, building up into a steady roll. She frantically grasped her pickhammer before it went flying out of her hands, eyes wildly looking around. Light, where was the exit? What in the ever loving Peach was happening? An earthquake? But it didn’t seem like this area was known for those. Did she accidentally set off an old barrel of dynamite again? Knowing her, she probably did that—she didn’t want to stick around and find out the consequences of her actions.
The ground in front of her broke apart. Screeching, Lucy threw herself aside to miss a newly created cavern in the floor. Did this day have to get any worse? Her endless questioning continued to plague her mind as she scrambled around for her things. She was not going to lose her newly crafted iron pickhammer. Her raging questioning almost gave her a headache. Surely her curiosity would be the end of her.
With another cry, Lucy chucked her bag and tools across the ravine and ran through her list of options. One, get a running start and leap. Two, try to go farther down to see if the broken line in the earth was less hazardous, but could cost a lot of time she could possibly not have. Three, lay down and accept fate… no. She was nothing but determined, she’d give herself that.
Without a second thought, she got up and made a run for it. Her legs pumped ferociously as she catapulted herself over the ravine, heart plummeting as she was suspended for too long—there. Her body slammed into the ground jarringly, but she had made it across as she scrambled for purchase. Even though she was shorter than average, she thanked her lucky stars for being able to make it across. No stopping now, not with the ground still slightly shaking. The smell of gunpowder filled the air, fueling her suspicions of idiotically setting off dynamite. Her bad luck was endless these days, it seemed.
Lucy shakily rose to her feet, her bag slung across her shoulder as she located the exit just right in front of her. What a laughable thought that she was so close to the end and she had to screw everything up. Her body hurt everywhere, and the slight twinge of metallic blood floated into her nostrils. Her steps were shaky, but she slowly kept inching her way outside. It was agonizing; her legs kept buckling. She just needed to make it… closer…
Everything went dark.
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Awoken with a start, the cool night air tickled through her fiery hair across her face. She peered up to the night sky as she tried to gather herself. How long was she in those caves? She loved to lose track of time. Oh Light, her body hurt so badly. “Did I manage to crawl out here?” she wondered aloud. Her voice echoed off the walls of the ruin behind her.
Taking inventory of the situation, Lucy allowed herself a moment of reprieve. The moon’s light bounced off the cliff side, and the soft sounds of night life floated toward her. Pain flared throughout, but most of all on her right leg.
“I need to assess the damage, see how much I can stand…” she muttered as she meticulously stretched her foot. “Nope!” Her breath came out shakily as shooting pain flew up her leg once more. If it was broken, she was done for. How far away was Mole Cave from town again? More than an hour, especially since she hadn’t managed to build the yakmel cart station up yet. Another list of tasks to do that she hadn’t quite reached yet. At least the monsters that dotted the landscape in front of the ruins were gone. The silence was deafening.
Wait, gone…?
“Evenin’ missy. Looks like ya got run over by a yakmel.” Lucy instantly chucked a rock in the direction of the voice, her heart rate flying through the roof. A tall silhouette stood a couple yards away, but the horned hat was a dead giveaway.
“Whoa okay, I see yer an “actions first” lady—I didn’ mean to startle ya.”
“Wha—Lo-Logan? What are you doing here?” she replied, completely taken aback by his presence. Of all the people, he had to show up? He came around the old mine cart. Those eyes… there they go again, staring into her like he could see into her soul. It was aggravating having to lock eyes with such a beautiful man, especially in such a vulnerable state.
“Mighty fine crash heard ‘round here, had to see fer myself,” he murmured, his tall frame towering over her as he meandered his way over to her sprawled body. “Looks like ya took a tumble.”
“No shit. I… I can’t move my leg,” Lucy’s voice wavered, the adrenaline slowly dissipating as more pain made its ugly head apparent.
“Hey, it’s gon’ be ‘right.” Logan crouched down, silently looking up for her permission to look at her leg. With a nod, she relented. What other choice did she have?
“Seems like ya’ve got some deep scratches, some burn marks an’ bruises; but it don’ look broken,” he softly wiped away some of the blood dotting her leg. He fished out a roll of gauze in his pack and bandaged her leg as best he could. “Ya need to see a doc.”
“I walked here and lost track of time; I’m not sure how I’ll make it back to town!” she exclaimed, the reality of the situation catching up to her. This was so much worse having him find her. The man who haunted her dreams. Worse, her thoughts, practically daily, were plagued by him. The way she’d imagine his hands on her, especially after their brief touch after the kidnapping. Lucy needed to snap out of it before she said something stupid. She’d take Justice’s chastisement any day over this. This was going to be the new memory haunting her every time she was out here, out of sheer embarrassment.
“Did you clear the area? I had to dodge so many Bandirats to make it through! Are you okay? Did something happen?” Her thoughts spiraled out of her. She was nervously babbling, she needed to fill the silence before it consumed her.
“Don’t ya worry. I know how t’ handle a pistol,” he replied with a laugh, looking up at her face as he finished the wrap. The nerve of him just brushing his skills aside! Such arrogance… that definitely was not attractive. No. “I can take ya back; ‘course we need to be… careful,” his chuckle threw her off guard, his words slowly sinking in.
“Wa-wait, why? The whole town wants you to answer for your crimes, Logan! You don’t need to risk yourself for me. I can… think of something,” came her reply as tears threatened to spill. She couldn’t fathom being left here in the dark and alone. But did she want to trust this man? In reviewing his actions against Sandrock, he never did anything to intentionally hurt anyone. It all seemed like a big plot for something, or maybe she was just thinking too much into it. But that something was a problem to solve for another day… leg problem first.
“No need to cry, Lucy—I have ya,” he murmured, reaching out to ghost his hand across her cheek. His eyes scanned her as he gave her entire body a once over. She shivered under his calculating gaze. “Rambo ‘n I can drop you in front of Fang’s an’ vanish. No one’ll be the wiser.”
“I can’t, I can’t accept—” she squeaked as her thoughts narrowed in on one specific detail. “How in the Light do you know my name?”
“I keep tabs on my town. Now c’mon,” he rose to his feet, reaching down to offer her his hand. That was a thought she had to mull over later. His calloused hands brushed hers, gently grasping them to pull her up. As soon as she tried to put her weight on her leg, she faltered, falling over with a sharp intake of breath.
“I do not need your help!” she exasperated. He tucked his arms around her lower back and knees, dismissing her. He effortlessly lifted her short frame. Oh Peach, he was so strong—tall, too. Easily over a foot taller than she was. Her cheeks blushed furiously as her thoughts drifted. He could easily pick her up, who knows what else he could do to her—
“What’s spinnin’ in that pretty little head of yours?” he chuckled, his eyes crinkling as he took a good look at her. She was suddenly very sad that he covered his face with a mask; what she’d do to see the whole picture.
“No-nothing! Not everything revolves around you!” she sputtered.
“Seems easy to rile ya, sorry, just funny,” his body shook with laughter.
“Now can we just… leave? I can’t take this anymore,” she whined, burrowing her head into his chest. He really was such a defined man. “I’m delirious, my leg feels like it’s been beaten half to death, and I’m being carried by a really fine lookin’ bandit,” she sighed. Gasping, she threw her free hand over her mouth. Inside thoughts did NOT need to be spoken aloud. “I uh, didn’t mean to say that.”
The tips of his ears turned red as he looked up to the sky to try his hardest to hide his blush. “It’s quite ‘right, I can always ‘cept a compliment from a beautiful lady.”
Lucy tucked her head back up against his chest, a soft smile ghosting her lips. His arms briefly held her tighter to his chest, and she sighed—she could get used to this. How long had it been since she’d been so lovingly held? The pain in her leg was making her think crazy thoughts.
“Here’s Rambo. Now I gotta put you in the saddle; you gon’ be okay?” he looked down, really taking her in. Her long, fiery red hair was coming out of the braid down her back, her blue eyes were half lidded, and the freckles that covered her entire face were probably hidden under the bright red tint of her cheeks—she probably looked a mess. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
She nodded, bracing herself for the pain that came with being jostled. He boosted her up, carefully setting her atop the goat. It wasn’t so bad. She could do it. Maybe. If she just didn’t move her leg at all, which was a laughable thought.
Strong arms wrapped around her as he got into the saddle. “It’ll be quick. Rambo’ll treat ya well,” his voice whispered into her ear, sending her body into shivers. “We’ll be there faster than ya can blink.”
Logan clucked his tongue, urging the goat forward. They broke into a brisk trot, easing their way into a gallop. His arms tightened around her as they shot forward. Lucy was going to die if he kept this brutal pace up on top of caging her body in flush against him. Her face blushed dark crimson again, but fortunately he couldn’t see it this time. Small blessings on this overall shit day.
They shot through the night, the desert landscape blurred by. She drifted in and out of consciousness, the absolute insanity of the day catching up to her weary body. She occasionally shifted her frame since she was so overly aware of his presence. Did he have to be pressed up against her body like that? Not that she minded… secretly she pushed herself back up against him, a small smirk on her face. She succeeded when she heard his sharp intake of breath.
“Yer fightin’ fire with fire,” Logan exclaimed, grasping her hip with one hand. The pain in her leg was nothing compared to the fire she felt where he touched her. This was getting to be too much for her. She couldn’t get enough. She wanted his touch on her everywhere.
Ducking her head, she slowly tilted to the right to get a better look at him. His eyes caught hers instantly, seemingly ablaze with a new intensity. “Missy, ya better halt while yer ahead. Don’ need to get mixed up with a bandit like me,” he uttered. At the same time, his hand slowly reached up to lift her chin.
“You’re a mystery I plan to solve,” came Lucy’s bold reply, all thoughts of pain and fear thrown out the window. Logan’s eyes widened in surprise at her honesty. Again, she was delirious… her focus was solely on him. His tall frame kept caging her against the saddle, sending delicious heat throughout her body. His hand lowered from her face as he tightly gripped Rambo’s reins, looking away from her with a flush. She hoped she wasn’t too brutally honest, but Light, this man made her want to erupt.
Suddenly mortified, she curled inward as best she could. What had come over her? She was never this outrageous or bold! Lucy inwardly groaned at her stupidity. Fortunately he dropped it, settling back to focusing his attention on the trail in front of him.
Before she knew it, they had arrived at the north end of Sandrock. Most lights were off, and no one would be up walking around at this hour, and the clinic was at the edge of town. Thank the Light for that small miracle. How was she going to explain this scenario to Fang? For once, she thanked her lucky stars that he was quiet and never asked more than what was necessary. She shifted in the saddle, trying to dampen the fire that had consumed her with such intensity.
“This is yer stop, Lucy. Make sure Fang gets ya settled right,” Logan whispered. “I‘ll see ya. Hope ya get to feelin’ better.”
Lumbering off of Rambo, he carefully got her down, rapped his knuckles on the clinic door, and scampered back onto the goat. With a tip of his hat, he vanished back into the night.
“What in the Light was that about?” Lucy mused, watching his form shrink off into the distance. She knew the feeling of him being pressed up against her was going to show up in her dreams; why did she always have to be interested in people who she shouldn’t be?
“Lucy! Come… inside.” Fang appeared in front of her, helping her hobble to her feet. The trek was slow, but they managed to make their way to one of the clinic beds. She fell onto it with a defeated huff. Logan was a much needed distraction; however, now with him gone, all her pain was made forefront on her mind again.
“What… happened,” Fang stated. She looked up toward him, wincing with the effort but managed to place herself in a sitting position against the pillows.
“I must’ve set off one of the old dynamite barrels in the Mole Cave ruins; a chain reaction of them. The ground suddenly started shaking and opened up a ravine and I had to leap across, thus the leg being charred and beat,” Lucy let out a shaky breath. She didn’t elaborate on how she got back, or the gauze around her leg. It wasn’t important.
The evening was getting to her. First the endless mining, the explosion, seeing Logan face to face, boldly flirting with him… her hand rested over her temple. It was too much.
“We’ll get you back… to normal.”
“Thanks, doc.” Lucy sighed and prepared herself for a long night. Luckily he didn’t ask her how she managed to make it from those ruins, especially since they were so far away. She didn’t need him to chastise her either—the Civil Corps did that already which she wasn’t looking forward to. She really hated getting patched up and of course, she had to get herself in this mess. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the bandit, as she decided to focus on their exchange to try and block out the pain of being patched up. Thank Peach Fang was skilled.
Logan… what was she going to do about him? Was he waiting for her outside the ruins? His explanation of being there was plausible; she probably did make a ruckus with the dynamite barrels exploding. It just seemed too convenient. Fang offered her medicine; she fell back onto the bed already feeling the effects. Who cares what happened and if he was there for other purposes? The meds finally made her feel like floating on cloud nine.
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Her consciousness was desperately trying to hold on. She felt slender fingers grasp her arm to help her off of the clinic bed, and a flash of short blonde hair—“Grace…?” Lucy uttered. “How’re you, here to take care of little ol’ me?” She had a hard time not slurring her words, but it was increasingly more difficult as time passed.
“Hey Lucy, I’m just going to help you home. Fang said you’re able to go home and recover, so I volunteered to come take you. We’ll take it nice and slow!” Grace slung her arm under Lucy’s shoulder to help her along, slowly leading her outside. “Thanks again, Doc!”
“Be careful, birdies! Squawk!” Came X’s reply. Fang’s raven darted to and fro around the pair. Slowly, carefully, Lucy and Grace made their way outside. Lucy had a hard time putting her feet in front of the other; everything was still slightly blurry around the edges of her vision.
“How’d ya know I’s here—I’m smart to figure it out… I don’ need help,” Lucy bit out, finding it increasingly difficult to string coherent thoughts together. Grace almost outright laughed at the difference in Lucy’s character.
They continued on the trail toward the tunnel that led back to her workshop. Soon, a figure emerged from the shadows. “I told her, Luce—couldn’t necessarily walk in and demand ya be fixed up without raisin’ suspicion,” came Logan’s soft reply. He came around Lucy’s other side. “We’re near yer workshop. It’s past midnight; let’s get ya home to bed.”
“Lo-Lo hiiiii. I see your pretty face again, wish you wouldn’t wear that silly mask. Grace’s so nice to help me,” Lucy grinned, her hands reaching up to slide along his cheek, tickling his jaw. Her glazed over expression fell back on the ground as she concentrated on completing her walk. She needed to go home. Place one foot in front of the other.
“Lo-Lo? I’m so using that,” Grace snickered. “Fang said her leg isn’t broken. Just had some stitches, so she should be bouncing back soon! Thank goodness for us.”
“Don’t even think ‘bout usin’ that, but that’s good,” came his exasperated reply. “Here’s yer gate, Lucy. Do ya need help gettin’ inside?”
“Oh yeah, you should definitely stay the night,” Lucy flirted unabashedly, trying to give Logan a sly grin, but realistically it looked like a grimace. With an extremely concentrated effort, she grasped her keys from her bag and swung the door open. Upon wobbling inside, she fell on her couch with a muffled “hmph.”
“Yer definitely not right in the head now; I can’t just leave ya here like this. C’mon, let’s get ya upstairs,” Logan softly murmured. He definitely wasn’t going to be thinking about that comment for the next several nights.
He slowly scooped her into his arms, not wanting to jostle her any farther. He got a good look on her as her head lulled; she was fighting consciousness as whatever the Doc gave her was strong. Her hair was a frizzled mess, but still softly fell to her lower back, the freckles that dotted her face were such a beautiful mosaic. They complemented her complexion—she really was a refreshing sight. Her face scrunched up as they moved up and away from her comfy couch.
Grace followed the pair up the stairs. Gently, Logan placed Lucy in her bed. “I feel bad leavin’ her in her mining clothes, ‘specially covered in dust. I feel better with ya rummagin’ in her drawers to find her somethin’,” he turned his eyes toward Grace expectedly. With careful exploration, she managed to find a soft purple matching set while he carefully removed Lucy’s boots and outerwear. Thank Peach she had underclothes on. “‘Least take me outta dinner first,” Lucy murmured, her eyes slightly fluttering open, but quickly shut closed again.
Logan’s face flamed. How’d he get himself in this mess? All they needed was a confident and strong Builder to help them protect Sandrock and return it back to its former glory. Now here he was, helping said Builder get into bed after an unfortunate tumble in one of the local mines. He did not need to let his already complicated feelings for her ruin this; especially when she was so vulnerable. He shoved his feelings aside and tucked her into bed. She was already snoring softly.
“I’m jus’ gonna write her a note, so she ain’t confused tomorrow,” he murmured, hurriedly scratching down a quick letter. He propped up a walking stick against the railing that he had noticed downstairs against her bed frame. “Let’s go ‘fore someone sees us.”
Grace clapped him on the shoulder, and the pair tiptoed down the stairs as softly as possible. They exited Lucy’s property and split for the night. Logan slowly made his way to where he had left Rambo; with practiced ease he swung himself up and over the saddle. Gripping the reins, he urged the goat into a brutal gallop to ease his troubling thoughts.
He was already so down bad for her, even with barely interacting. All Logan had was their brief interaction from earlier, their brief rendezvous out in the Eufaula with Matilda, and the times he saw her ‘round town from a distance when he was doing surveillance. Hopefully she recovered soon, so they could continue their plans for Sandrock. Grace had said her leg wasn’t broken, so Lucy should be back on the mend sooner than she thought.
It was going to be an interesting journey, and he hoped the fates were kind to them. For Sandrock.
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