RP LOG with nograndma | For better or worse
Eddie didn't need anything else. The moment she saw Austin she was running up the stairs, oblivious to Rory's presence at first as she just threw herself at her husband and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Don't you fucking tell me to never fucking come back to the fucking UK when your fucking brother fucking dies ever a-fucking-gain," she murmured against his ear before she just started to kiss every inch of his face. "I'm just sorry it took me so long."
Austin felt like he was dreaming. In fact, the only reason he was even at the top of the stairs was because Rory was going to take him outside for some fresh air. He had fallen asleep in one of the armchairs in the sitting room upstairs, but five minutes later was having a nightmare. Some attempt at sleep that was. He wanted a smoke and another coffee, but Rory had started to put his brotherly foot down. All it took was Eddie's arms around him before he broke down with a sob, though, hugging her back reflexively like he never wanted to let go. Sure, she was swearing at him and bitching him out, but he didn't absorb much of the reason why. He felt dazed as he just let her look him over, though it felt like he couldn't stop crying. "Aye, it's okay, I'm fine," he still said, even if the words sounded ridiculous around another sob when he tried to bury his face in his hand.
"Shh, shh..." Eddie brushed her hand over his face and tried to clear up the tears, but she just hugged Austin to her again as she rubbed her hand against his back. "Oh, love. This is fine, huh? Remind me again what not find looks like. You're tired, and you're not eating. Don't think I didn't find that out. You must be exhausted, Austin. Your brother died. It takes a lot out of a person. It's okay to cry. Just let it out. I missed you. And I'm so, so sorry."
Rory hovered off to the side awkwardly, and looked down at Riley, who managed to not look so awkward, probably felt it. In all honesty, Rory wanted to run down there and kiss the guy, but that would be far too weird. He felt like he was intruding on a moment, at the same time rather impressed his baby brother had bagged himself a wee hottie. She didn't seem like she should be a soldier at all, and he wasn't even sure if he ever knew if Austin had a type. He never really dated much for anyone to know that. He took a couple of steps back, contemplating the best escape route, but just nodded in agreement when she said about the not eating and tired thing. That was true, even if he wondered how the fuck she knew.
Austin's tears were coming thick and fast as he gripped at the back of her shirt. "I cannae believe you're here," he choked out as his other hand swept over her back like he was feeling to make sure she was real. He had worked himself up so much in the past forty eight hours thinking she was in danger, kidnapped, trapped, and that it was only a matter of time before he got that phonecall. He never wanted to be weak, but she was the one who had nursed him back from the brink, and it was like she was some sort of angel for him. In fact, it was pretty much the pet name he used for her the most... at least, after she stopped pulling the piss out of him for it.
Eddie glanced at Rory from over Austin's shoulder and smiled at him as her own tears started to fall. She had her husband back in her arms. She had her husband in her arms and they were nowhere near a war zone. At least not one that she knew of. He was at least still upright, and breathing. He just needed rest, and he needed food. She turned her head to kiss his cheek and then caught his lips in a soft kiss. "I'm really here, love. I promise. I'm not fake, or imaginary. You going to introduce me to Rory so he doesn't feel like such a third wheel? I'm here, Austin. I'm here for you."
That was when Austin remembered his brother had been there. In fact, Rory had practically been dragging Austin along the hall by the hand when they got to the top of the stairs. He pulled back a little, wiping his hand over his eyes to try and get rid of some of the tears. "Oh... aye, aye," he confirmed hoarsely, trying to sniffle back more tears. He was a mess, and it was probably only the beginning. He didn't know how it was Eddie had gotten here, and he would want to know eventually, but now he didn't care. He was just glad she was there. "This is Rory, my brother," he said, still feeling teary and then gestured from Rory to Eddie. "Ror, this is Eddie... Edith... my wife."
Rory cleared his throat, not sure how he was supposed to immediately respond. He held his hand out to her with a small smile. "Nice to meet you, love. Sorry it couldnae be in better circumstances," he murmured.
Eddie took Rory's hand and shook it firmly before she stepped in closer to him and gave him a light hug before she returned to Austin's side and slipped her arm around his waist. "Nice to meet you too, Rory. I can't tell you how sorry I am about Logan. I don't know if I should say I hope he becomes Kindred, but I don't really know what else to say. I know you're both still waiting to hear what happened." She cupped her free hand against Austin's cheek before she started to try and brush his tears away again. "Does this place have a kitchen?"
Rory nodded gratefully at the sympathy. He knew how hard it was for people to find the right things to say when someone had died. When he lost his wife, it became harder and harder for people to know what to say, so in the end, it was why Rory started cutting himself off from everyone. Grief and loss were horrible things to deal with. "Aye, doonstairs, like. Somewhere off to the left. At least, according to Buffy. You'll find it. I might just leave you guys to it and go take Willy oot for a pee." He squeezed Austin's shoulder softly and then gave them a small wave as he discreetly left them alone, noticing that even Riley was gone from downstairs now.
"I know you have a shag list for when we got back from service, but I dinnae think the kitchen bench in someone else's house counts," Austin joked, only because he was sure if he said anything, he was going to just end up in a sobbing mess. In fact, the tears welled up all over again, despite the joke. The lack of sleep was getting the better of him and he was still stunned she was even here in the flesh and he could touch her, feel her.
Eddie managed a shaky laugh before she choked on a sob, and cupped Austin's face in her hands again as she kissed him. "Oh, love... I really did miss you. It was killing me not having that reassurance of even just catching a glimpse of you. I know we have to learn to let each other go when we're in the field, but not like this. Not so that you can come back home to watch your brother die. And for the record, as much as I wish that I did want the kitchen to make a start on our shag list, it was more so that I could make you eat something."
Austin's hand gripped around hers and he rested his head against her forehead. He wasn't normally the sort to cry. He usually kept it all together. The only other time he had cried even remotely like this was when news came that his sister-in-law and niece were assumed dead. That had come as a horrible shock to the whole family. But Logan's death had been with warning, but it didn't hurt any less and everything was rushing to the forefront now Eddie was here. "He just died--" he sobbed, shaking his head against hers. "He was standing there one minute and then next, he was on the ground, nay breathing. Nay nothing. His colour. He was so pale. He just... he was gone."
Eddie bit her lip as she watched her husband, staying close to him as she tried to hold her own tears back so that he could just cry. "But you kept his heart beating..." she urged quietly, trying to remember everything Riley had told her in the car. "You kept him going because you knew how important it was for the Embrace. I can only imagine how you must have felt, Austin. I won't even begin to try. He had a tumour, love. You have to understand that when it was his time, there probably wasn't going to be anything more than him just going. Suddenly brain activity would be gone. It's horrible, I know. If this Kindred thing is meant to be, then all that will change. He'll be healed. He'll be different, but he'll be healed."
Austin drew in a shaking breath and swallowed heavily to reign in his emotions again. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, knowing they were only doing that because he was trying to keep himself buzzed on caffeine until news came of Logan. The wait was excruciating, and Austin was just starting to feel more sick than tired now. The nightmares weren't exactly new. He had them now and again during the more stressful times of his life. They were just worse now than they usually were. He shook his head. "No, I didnae. I didnae know about any of that at that. I didnae know about the Embrace. I knew Logan had been informed about it, but he hadnae made the choice. I just... panicked. He didnae want resuscitating, but I just panicked. It's all such a blur. I feel like I should've known it was coming or something. Like that whole day, and the whole flight, he was so sick. Worst I've ever seen him. He could hardly stand, he felt chilled, there was nay light in his eyes. But I didnae want to believe it. I didnae want it to be the end. Now I dinnae know how I'm supposed to feel. I just feel numb. Sick and numb."
"Do you have a room here? Maybe we should just lie down together before I worry about trying to force feed you. You don't need to know how you're supposed to feel. This is a huge change. Logan died in front of you. It's okay to not know how to feel. I know we see a lot of death but not like this. Not blood. You haven't seen Logan in a while, and then you watch him deteriorate before your eyes and then just... stop." Eddie reached up again to touch his face before she pulled him back into a hug and kissed his cheek. "Baby, I don't know how you did hold it together for long enough to just know to even try CPR. Maybe he was a DNR, but you just went into autopilot. You didn't want to lose your brother, and no one will blame you for that. Okay? Not even Logan. You did what you felt you had to do. Even if you know it's coming, death is never something you will ever truly be prepared for."
Austin nodded tiredly and gestured somewhere behind him with a small wave. "I have a room. I've been sharing with Rory because I havenae really technically been sleeping and he was stopping me from going mental, but I have my own room where my stuff is. Nay that I brought a lot of stuff with me, mind. God, he was so sick even when I got there. In hospital, and his mind was all over the place. I cannae believe he had a tumour. He was always the invicible one, you know? He hardly ever got sick, he was just always on the go. I mean, he wasnae even thirty years old. My folks arenae doing so well. Doing as good as they can, but my aunty and uncle are staying with them because they arenae coping. They had said goodbye to him when they came back hame from Paris, but they thought they had more time. We all did. I mean, Rory and me will see him again... hopefully, but it's the end for them. It was killing me. My head feels like it'll never switch off."
Eddie kept her arm around Austin as she turned him him around so that he could start to lead him to his room. "I just had my duffel, but the butler disappeared with it. I don't actually... I didn't know what to pack, so I just packed everything I had with me. It was stupid, but..." Eddie pressed her lips together as she reached up to brush a couple of her own tears away. "I don't know. Part of me felt like we might not be going back. I know it's probably premature, but if you do see Logan again, if this Embrace works out, you're probably not going to want to stray too far. I know you. It'll make you more protective of your brothers than ever. And I'm your wife now. I go where you go. There's no way I'm leaving you to look after yourself when you've already got so much on your mind." She gave him a gentle squeeze. "Your parents will need you to. They'll need both you and Rory. I don't know how you're going to cope not being able to tell him if he does end up Kindred, but they'll still need their sons. I feel so sorry for them. It's awful to lose a child. They're not supposed to die so young."
"I just had my pack. Rory laughed at me when I was sleeping on my bed roll for the first few days. I dinnae mind, it just felt more comfortable." Austin looked at her in confusion. It was the first he was hearing about not going back to service. It hadn't even crossed his mind at all. More like, he hadn't wanted to think about what would happened once Logan had died and then once he had, it had been a messed up haze where his brain wouldn't work anyway. "Aye, I'll be going back. I mean, why wouldnae we go back? What else is there to do? I havenae done anything but the military, and I'm nay sure I would really want to. Like, aye, I'm worried about what's going to happen to my brother, but I dinnae know anything but the Army. That's what I am. I'm a soldier. I dinnae think I could just do a normal job. I just... didnae really think..." He trailed off, the frown deepening and he was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly went arse-over when Wee Willy came running out from up the hall to intercept him. Austin cursed softly and then bent down to scoop the tiny dog up. "Are you trying to kill me, furball? We dinnae need anymore casualties aroond here. It is awful. I think that's why Rory's struggling so hard. He knows exactly how they're feeling."
Eddie bit her lip as she looked at the furry addition to Austin's arms and reached out to scratch the dog behind his ears. "Aww, he's so cute! Is this Rory's dog? You mentioned him once before, I think. Rory had the dog. Logan had the Kindred lover. I didn't mean to make it sound final. If you want to go back, then go back. But they need to allow for the fact that you've just lost your brother. There has to at least be some leave while you work through this." She gave the dog another pat and smiled a little. "Is there anything we can do for Rory? Is there anything I can do to help with your parents?"
Austin nodded. "Aye, this is Willy. Willy, this is Eddie. She's really good with belly rubs, so you treat her well, aye? We just picked him up from our folks. They were dogsitting while Rory was in France, but Rory's really missed him. He's a good wee dog. Very cluey. He was all Rory had left after his wife and bairn went missing. We dinnae mind if Ros will want him here, but she isnae gonna have much choice. Rory needs him, plain and simple. Rory's at his most content when he has someone to take care of." He scratched the dog's back with a sigh. "I dinnae mind what to do. Nothing, until we can know Logan is okay. He might nay, um, transition so well. I dinnae think there is anything we can do for anyone. We're just all trying to cope. Then there is the fact Rory is... sort of a wee bit uncomfortable with the whole Kindred thing. Like I said, we didnae know Logan had made the choice. He was dead, and then he was being taken away from us."
"Hello, Willy. It's true about the belly rubs. Uncle Austin can tell you all about how I rub his belly." Eddie nodded as she listened, even if some of it was still going over her head. She actually couldn't imagine anyone close to her being Embraced out of the blue. Only now her brother-in-law was. She had a whole family to care about now. It wasn't just Austin. Coming to Scotland was starting to open her eyes up more and more to the fact that marrying him was a pretty major thing. There was also this other world that she had stepped into. They were in a lush manor owned by the Kindred Scottish Prince. It was huge. "If he's so uncomfortable with it, then what's he going to do with a Kindred brother? I know you two didn't get much warning, or time to process, but I'm assuming that there's a bit of a timer on the Embracing process. It had to happen then, or it wouldn't happen at all."
Austin gave a small snort of a laugh. He couldn't deny it, though. She used to just sit and brush her hand over his chest and stomach when he was injured that time. It was a lot of what kept him anchored and hanging on. "Rory's... how will I put this? He's loyal, aye, but it goes beyond that. It wouldnae matter if any of us were drugged up prostitute murderers. He would still stick by us and try to help. Logan's our brother, by blood. That reaches above all else. Apparently it is why Logan was a prime candidate for Toreador, though I cannae even begin to understand all of that. It goes over my head. Rory will deal, it just might be a struggle for him. See, he thinks his wife and bairn were taken by Kindred. He's also been attacked three, possibly four times against his will. And hurt by Juliette. He's vulnerable and hurting. But Logan is still our brother. Oh aye. It had to happen while his heart was still beating. The Sire has to stop the heart by draining them, basically. Then they die and there is a wee time while they transition, and they wake again."
Eddie let out a low whistle as she shook her head. "I really know how to pick 'em. I just had to pick the soldier who's brother's maybe about to become a vampire," she said as she flashed him a teasing smile. "I'm joking. Really. I wouldn't change a thing. You know that, right? As insane as this all is, there's no way I would change being your wife. I'm crazy about you. I'm in this the whole way. I'm in this to do whatever you need me to. Rory needs some TLC of his own, but I won't even suggest Juliette again. She hurt him, and I get that."
Austin smirked and kept scratching Willy's soft ear. The pup was like a furry hot water bottle and Austin just felt chilled all the time lately. Willy had been sharing himself between Rory, Austin and Buffy for days now, and had bitten the toe of one of Ros' butlers when he got too close to Buffy. Seemed there was that doggy sixth sense working knowing Buffy was incubating Rory's baby or something. "Hey, I did warn you when you married me I wasnae a simple guy. That just happens to extend to my family, too. We were normal, once upon a time. Just arenae anymore. I already suggested Juliette. In fact, I pretty much blackmailed him, but he cannae be all stubborn arse aboot her. As weird as it sounds, she's practically Logan's sister. They have the same Sire. At least, they will if it was successful. Logan's going to be naturally protective of her, so Rory needs to deal with his issues a wee bit. He's just hurting. Rory's heart is a fragile wee thing. She's just copping the harder brunt. I can see that now."
"Maybe because he knows she can take it," Eddie suggested quietly. "Maybe because he knows that she's strong enough to take it all. Whatever anger he has to dish out at her, she can take it. She's Kindred. Maybe the fact that he is letting her absorb all of that means something. At least he has an outlet. They stopped outside one of the rooms, and Eddie stuck her head in to see if she could tell if it was Austin's or not. There was just an army pack inside with a duffel next to it and Eddie smiled. "They really are ninjas, aren't they? So Juliette's Logan's sister. Well, okay. It's weird, but she's not exactly related to Rory by blood. She's just related to this Scottish Prince's blood that will be inside Logan. And c'mon, we're dealing with Kindred here. There's always going to be some sort of incest."
"Maybe. I think he's just scared of being hurt again. It wasnae just, hey, she fucked with his heart and threw it under a bus. He got physically attacked because of it. Nay because of it directly, but if she hadnae turned him away, he wouldnae have been where he was when he got attacked. They nearly Embraced him. He was drained almost to the point of Embrace, so much so that he took on the traits of that Clan. Blaise had to step in and drain him to stop him seriously injuring someone. He was seriously angry. Furious. At least, that's what they said. He hit Logan when Logan tried to restrain him from Juliette. That's when Logan hit his head and set the tumour off. It's why Rory is feeling ridiculous amounts of guilt right now. He has that, on top of knowing how much time he lost with Logan. I think Juliette's just been collateral damage, so to speak. She hurt him at the time he really needed to least be hurt," Austin said regretfully with a sigh. He followed her into the room with a small shrug, still nursing Willy in his arms. "Aye. Because when you're Embraced, it's a blood link. So, in Kindred sense, they're siblings. It wasnae the incest I was referring to. Aye, they fuck aroond, like you wouldnae believe. I've heard them at it. I just mean for a peace-keeping sense. Rory and Juliette are going to have to be aroond each other because of Logan, whether they want to or not. Logan's going to be a magnet for all emotions aroond him for awhile. They say it's nay good for him to be aroond negative shit. He'll absorb it."
Eddie drew her eyebrows together as she looked around the bedroom and at the walls. "Are we next to any of them that will be fucking around? I don't know that I have the energy to try and keep up, and I don't think you do either. Sometimes quiet sex is nice," she offered with a helpless wave of her hand. "So maybe they'll just be friends. And that's okay, but my god, Rory's a good-looking guy. It's mental that he hasn't found love again. I'm thinking a lot of girls would be chopping off their arms for him. What about the baby mummy? They're not... you know, more than friends?" Eddie was still wrapping her head around the fact that Rory had been kicked in the balls by his ex-Kindred, only he was also apparently the father to a kid with another woman. "I know I haven't said much to Rory but I can't imagine him so angry at his brother that he'd actually hit him. Do you really think he does feel responsible? He has to know that it could have been anything that would have kicked that tumour from dormant to active. It wasn't anything he did."
Austin exhaled heavily as he put Willy down on the bed and then stepped forward to pull Eddie into a kiss. He had tried not to let him miss her that much because it would have killed him if he let it engulf him, but now she was back, it was all coming to the forefront. This had all been one of the hardest things he ever had to face, and he had hated every minute of it. He probably really didn't have the energy for hot and heated sex, but he needed something. They pretty much hadn't done much more than some hot groping since they consummated their marriage, and even then, it had been sort of awkward and uncomfortable. When the kiss eased off, he just looked over her face with a small frown, shaking his head. "Nay, they arenae around this wing... or whatever they call it. That's probably the reason why. It's just me, Rory and Buffy up this end. I couldnae keep up with them even if I wanted to. Some days I'm nay even sure I remember how to do it it's been so long. Aye, they're more than friends. They're best friends, but they fight like an old married couple, just nay romance there. Nay beyond a few times they fucked, I think. She's linked the French Prince, only he cannae come to the party because she's pregnant. See, I cannae imagine it either, but they tell me this Clan. Brujah, is it? Are the rebels, like. If you have anger in you, it's gonna come out. Rory has a lot of inate anger in him from losing his family like he did. Aye... he very much feels responsible. He thinks Logan would have had more time."
Eddie smiled at her husband in the wake of the kiss, and ran her hand over his short-cropped hair before she kissed him again, her hand dropping to his waist before she pushed it up under the hem of his shirt. Sooner or later the jetlag was definitely going to catch up with her, but right now all she wanted was to be with Austin. It didn't have to be spectacular, gymnastic, fireworks-exploding sex. It just had to be the two of them together. The two of them without camo gear, or a war zone interfering. "Best friends that fight like an old married couple? They sound like they're going to be great parents. They already have half of it down. So she's linked to the French Prince... wow. He's the runway model bloke, right? Riley told me about him. Kind of sucks that he can't go near her just because she's pregnant. She's got to be climbing the walls having a guy who's meant to be that hot that she can't touch. She could always still give Rory TLC if there's a history there. Just means they won't get lost in the emotion of it. They'll still know they're friends and that's it." Eddie pressed her lips together briefly before she kissed Austin softly again. "There's no guarantee how much time Logan would have had. He might not have had any. What happened when he died could have happened at any moment, and there would have been no warning."
Austin raised his arms up so she could take his shirt off. Luckily, it had only been a few days that he hadn't been able to eat much. He was still built, and hadn't lost any weight. He knew he had to eat to keep up his strength, it was just hard to find an appetite when all he kept thinking about his brother dead beneath him. "Aye. It's quite amusing to watch. It isnae that the Prince willnae go near her. He does. He touches her, remains in her presence. He just has no urge to be intimate with her, the way I heard it. And that's because she has Buchanan spawn in her. Something to do with natural instincts. It's gotta be hard, because he claimed her. He must feel like his brain is being pulled in ten directions, while his cock in another five. Poor dude. I personally like the simple human emotions. They're hard enough to handle as it is. Thing is. Rory willnae touch her unless she asks. He's nay a cock at all. We were all raised to respect women, and she's basically hooked to someone else. We're nay cheats. At least, we werenae until Logan was Embraced. He apparently might be when he comes back." He nodded tiredly. "Aye, well, Rory burdens himself with that responsibility. It's something he has to work through himself, he doesnae really easily listen when people talk at him aboot it all."
Eddie dropped Austin's shirt to the ground and ran her palms over his torso, reacquainting herself with his body. Her gaze dipped down, watching the trails her fingers were starting to make as the corners of her mouth curled up. She leaned forward to kiss at Austin's collarbone as one hand snaked around to his back, fingers searching out the scar she knew to be located near his hip. It was just below the waistband of his jeans and she slipped her fingers past it to touch the scar. It was the reason they'd fallen in love, the bullet wound changing everything for them. "It makes my head hurt just trying to think about how they all must be feeling. Personally I am all for simple. Even if simple means you getting shot just so I can play nurse to you. How does it feel knowing you're going to be an uncle in amongst all of this? You okay with it? Logan's coming back a slut?" Eddie couldn't help but ask as her jaw dropped a little. "I guess I can't blame him, but he does need to take the time to figure it out. It's not his fault. It really isn't."
Austin's eyes fell closed as he exhaled softly and slowly. He definitely needed this. He needed to feel that she was actually here, and that they weren't oceans apart, they weren't in a war zone. It was unfamiliar territory for them. He might be exhausted, and might not have slept properly in days, but there was no way his dick wasn't going to respond to this. He could deal with erectile autopilot, he really could. "Ach, well, it was going to happen sooner or later, wasnae it? Me getting seriously hurt oot there, I mean. Nay us. I mean, I wouldnae say we were expected. You just wanted to make moony eyes at me over your pointy injection needles as you stuck them into other dudes butts," he teased, opening his eyes to smirk faintly at her. "I've always been an uncle, remember? How does it feel to be an uncle again? Amazing, and worrying all at the same time. Rory is going to be super over-protective of the laddie. We might need to spend time with him by watching him through a plastic bubble. I feel weird aboot it, to be honest. I value that side of our morals, but he's gonna need to do what he needs to survive, plain and simple, so I guess my military morals kick in a wee bit there too. I just want my brothers to be okay. To be happy might be pushing it. I can settle for okay."
"And what about you, love? Are you okay?" Eddie asked him quietly as she pulled back enough to start working on getting rid of her own clothes. She hoped she hadn't forgotten how to have sex, but there was just something reassuring about the slow, sleepy, comfort sex. This really was new to them, though. She hadn't actually done it on a proper bed with her husband yet. She hadn't even done it anywhere there was proper running water. She got down to her bra and knickers before she started to work on Austin's fly, grinning just a little at the fact his body definitely hadn't forgotten her. "Right, sure. An uncle again. Only this time nothing will happen to the bubble boy. We'll make sure of it. I still can't believe Rory had to suffer such a tragedy. It's awful. I still can't even imagine how he must have felt, and the hits just kept on coming, didn't they? He's got to be wondering when he'll catch a break. I don't blame you for just wanting them to be okay. As for Logan, well, we'll just... um, it is about survival. At least it must be for some of them. It's not just because he's being a bastard."
Austin nodded, but then shook his head with a shrug. "I dinnae know. I really dinnae. No. Probably nay. I havenae been able to sleep or eat much since it happened. Too much going on in my head. Plus, we're waiting on news for Logan. You have a sense that you dinnae want to check oot and sleep too deeply in case something happens. Nay like I'm foreign to that sense anyway. I'm used to running on empty. It's just different when everything feels so heavy and sad." He ran his hands over her hips and up her back to unclip her bra, letting it fall loose around his hands as he moved on to softly cup one of her breasts in his palm. He dipped his head to kiss the soft swell of flesh and then at the peak of her cleavage before he raised his head again to kiss her lips. "The thing with Rory is people seem quick to want to point fingers because he's overreacting to things, but they forget just how much he has been through. He isnae overreacting. He's reacting to what he's been through. Rory's a survivor. He'll keep getting back up and keep going, but that isnae going to come withoot weaknesses. Aye, well, Logan can be a bastard when he needs to. It's going to be interesting to see how he is. I dinnae think he's just going to lie there and let them control him."
Eddie let out a soft sigh as Austin kissed her breasts, her body melting against his as she managed to push his jeans down and out of the way. One hand went to the back of his neck as the other found the scar on his back again, fingers brushing against it in soft circles as she murmured his name and let her eyes fall closed as she pulled him into another kiss. "I know news isn't coming as fast as you want, but it'll come. As for the rest of it, I'm here now. You can at least get in a little rest and sustenance. Even if it's just to keep me from becoming the nagging wife. You take care of your brothers, and I'll take care of you. That's the deal, okay? Take it or leave, Buchanan. I suggest taking it," she told him with a small smile. "Also means he'll have a hard time feeling weak when he thinks he shouldn't. Like it or not, your brother's become a bit of a soldier. You're all survivors, just for different reasons. Logan will be a survivor too. It's just how he survives that's the big question mark."
Austin wrapped his arms around her and then walked her back towards the bed. Willy had, at some point, probably gotten bored and gone to find someone who wanted to stroke him and not each other. He wasn't proud, he'd take it where he could get it. They fell down onto the bed together and Austin smiled down at her, his eyes still heavy-lidded from tiredness. He kissed her again, softly and slowly and then settled down on his side beside her, wrapping his leg around her thigh and pulling her close. "Rory's just a typical natural dad. He puts everyone else's needs before his own, and if he has to admit any weakness, it's like drawing blood from a stone. He'll push you away first, and that's where the issues all come in. I just dinnae think he is ever going to change in that sense. That's who he is, he's always been like that. Logan was always sort of the opposite. You screw him over, he'll call you out on it, plain and simple. I probably lie somewhere in between that. Fuck, I hate being weak. I try nay to be as much as I can. Admittedly, that's nay always a good thing. I know. I've been put in dangerous situations because of it."
"Oh, I don't know, you still let me scratch your belly," Eddie commented with a soft laugh as she caught his hand to look at the wedding ring that was now displayed on his finger. She'd put her own wedding band on her finger as soon as she and Riley had been up in the air on the first place trip. It was one of the luxuries she wanted to indulge in while she was away from her job. She kissed the gold band before she kissed his lips and then nuzzled in against the crook of his neck to breathe in his scent. There was no sand, no dirt, no smell of gunfire to interfere with it. Now it was just pure Austin Buchanan. "It really is going to be interesting being around all three of you. Now I get to see the Buchanan family tree in action."
Austin hooked his fingers into her panties and slowly pulled them down over her thigh and then shifted a little so he could get them off. They were both naked now, and there was even a slight sensation that this could actually be their first time. It wasn't that he didn't count sleeping together when they got married as important. He still cherished the fact they even got to have that at all, and they never would if a couple of his colleagues didn't stand outside the tent barracks and keep watch. There had been a couple of times before that when they had some down time in a lull in battle, but this was the first time they had been completely naked, on a bed, with nothing else to worry about but each other. He took some quiet moments to just run his hand softly and slowy over her body, his eyes locked with hers, their faces close together. It was nice to just talk and be together at the same time. "I might have to get you a helmet and full body armour," he joked and then shook his head slightly as he wet his lips. "Nay, we arenae that bad. Well, granted, I dinnae know what Logan will be like. I hope he isnae too different. I think that's the thing I'm most scared aboot. That he is going to be someone I dinnae like anymore, dinnae know how to like. He's my big brother. It's going to hurt if he wants nothing to do with me. Rory's just... Rory. You're gonna love him when you get to spend more time with him. You cannae nay."
Eddie bit down on her lip as she watched Austin looking over her body, the fact that this was practically their first time together not lost on her either. Being naked on a bed together had never seemed like such a luxury until she compared it to their time together in Afghanistan. She stroked her fingers through his hair and down along his jaw before she followed an invisible line down his shoulder and arm, and then over his hip. Austin really was something pretty special. She smiled at him before she kissed his shoulder and bit the inside of her cheek to stop any inappropriate giggling. "I love you, Austin Buchanan. And I'm pretty sure I'll love your family. Even if we don't know what Logan's going to be like. He is still family. Sometimes you don't have to like them to love them."
"Aye, I'll slap him doon if he's too much of a bastard. Wouldnae be the first time we've had a fist-fight." Austin was pressed right up against her and felt that prickle of anticipation sweep over his skin, but he stilled, eyebrows shooting up a little. "Wait. Are you still on the pill? Oh shit, if you arenae, I'm going to have to go ask my brother for, erm, supplies so to speak. Cannae say it's been a habit to carry them on me lately. Rory will just love that," he said with a small groan. He could only imagine the piss-pulling Rory would come out with if Logan had to approach him for a condom. It would probably keep him going for weeks.
Eddie did let out a giggle this time and pulled Austin into a slightly heated kiss as she wrapped her leg tighter around so that there was no chance he was escaping this bed. "Of course I'm still on it. It's part of my daily routine. Plus, I wasn't going to stop when I was in an environment surrounded by men. Who knows what could have happened if I'd tripped and one of their penises fell into me?" she asked with a teasing smirk. "No need to go ask your brother for supplies. He can hold onto his piss-pulling until later. Right now you need to stay here. Nurse's orders, Sergeant."
Austin raised his eyebrows. "Oh aye? I know what would happen. I would fecking cut their dicks off. That's what would happen," he resolved with a nod. "And it isnae like he can talk. He knocked Buffy up, so he cannae be the condom guru or anything. I didnae ask him how that all happened, actually. Remind me to. He might need some piss-pulling of his own." His hand found it's way to her breasts again, his fingers brushing over them, exploring how they felt again. He seriously hadn't had enough time doing that. She wasn't foreign to the knowledge that he was very much a boob guy, it was just easy to forget any sexual attraction out in a war zone. He pulled her close, hugging his leg tighter around her and pressed his lips to hers as he entered her slowly, growling softly in his throat at the sensation.
Eddie arched her back slightly as she felt him fill her, a moan catching in her throat as she focused on kissing him back and letting her hands sweep over his body again. She didn't mind that he was a booby guy. In fact it was nice that he appreciated hers so much. She couldn't deny that she liked the attention when he gave it to her. She also had to admit that hearing he'd cut the blokes' dicks off was a bit of a turn on. She had her own personal birth control in her husband. He was definitely hot in soldier mode. She was ready to remind him already about the piss-pulling, but any further words died on her lips as Austin started to move, and her world was nothing but her husband.
Word Count | 7,457
Austin felt like he was dreaming. In fact, the only reason he was even at the top of the stairs was because Rory was going to take him outside for some fresh air. He had fallen asleep in one of the armchairs in the sitting room upstairs, but five minutes later was having a nightmare. Some attempt at sleep that was. He wanted a smoke and another coffee, but Rory had started to put his brotherly foot down. All it took was Eddie's arms around him before he broke down with a sob, though, hugging her back reflexively like he never wanted to let go. Sure, she was swearing at him and bitching him out, but he didn't absorb much of the reason why. He felt dazed as he just let her look him over, though it felt like he couldn't stop crying. "Aye, it's okay, I'm fine," he still said, even if the words sounded ridiculous around another sob when he tried to bury his face in his hand.
"Shh, shh..." Eddie brushed her hand over his face and tried to clear up the tears, but she just hugged Austin to her again as she rubbed her hand against his back. "Oh, love. This is fine, huh? Remind me again what not find looks like. You're tired, and you're not eating. Don't think I didn't find that out. You must be exhausted, Austin. Your brother died. It takes a lot out of a person. It's okay to cry. Just let it out. I missed you. And I'm so, so sorry."
Rory hovered off to the side awkwardly, and looked down at Riley, who managed to not look so awkward, probably felt it. In all honesty, Rory wanted to run down there and kiss the guy, but that would be far too weird. He felt like he was intruding on a moment, at the same time rather impressed his baby brother had bagged himself a wee hottie. She didn't seem like she should be a soldier at all, and he wasn't even sure if he ever knew if Austin had a type. He never really dated much for anyone to know that. He took a couple of steps back, contemplating the best escape route, but just nodded in agreement when she said about the not eating and tired thing. That was true, even if he wondered how the fuck she knew.
Austin's tears were coming thick and fast as he gripped at the back of her shirt. "I cannae believe you're here," he choked out as his other hand swept over her back like he was feeling to make sure she was real. He had worked himself up so much in the past forty eight hours thinking she was in danger, kidnapped, trapped, and that it was only a matter of time before he got that phonecall. He never wanted to be weak, but she was the one who had nursed him back from the brink, and it was like she was some sort of angel for him. In fact, it was pretty much the pet name he used for her the most... at least, after she stopped pulling the piss out of him for it.
Eddie glanced at Rory from over Austin's shoulder and smiled at him as her own tears started to fall. She had her husband back in her arms. She had her husband in her arms and they were nowhere near a war zone. At least not one that she knew of. He was at least still upright, and breathing. He just needed rest, and he needed food. She turned her head to kiss his cheek and then caught his lips in a soft kiss. "I'm really here, love. I promise. I'm not fake, or imaginary. You going to introduce me to Rory so he doesn't feel like such a third wheel? I'm here, Austin. I'm here for you."
That was when Austin remembered his brother had been there. In fact, Rory had practically been dragging Austin along the hall by the hand when they got to the top of the stairs. He pulled back a little, wiping his hand over his eyes to try and get rid of some of the tears. "Oh... aye, aye," he confirmed hoarsely, trying to sniffle back more tears. He was a mess, and it was probably only the beginning. He didn't know how it was Eddie had gotten here, and he would want to know eventually, but now he didn't care. He was just glad she was there. "This is Rory, my brother," he said, still feeling teary and then gestured from Rory to Eddie. "Ror, this is Eddie... Edith... my wife."
Rory cleared his throat, not sure how he was supposed to immediately respond. He held his hand out to her with a small smile. "Nice to meet you, love. Sorry it couldnae be in better circumstances," he murmured.
Eddie took Rory's hand and shook it firmly before she stepped in closer to him and gave him a light hug before she returned to Austin's side and slipped her arm around his waist. "Nice to meet you too, Rory. I can't tell you how sorry I am about Logan. I don't know if I should say I hope he becomes Kindred, but I don't really know what else to say. I know you're both still waiting to hear what happened." She cupped her free hand against Austin's cheek before she started to try and brush his tears away again. "Does this place have a kitchen?"
Rory nodded gratefully at the sympathy. He knew how hard it was for people to find the right things to say when someone had died. When he lost his wife, it became harder and harder for people to know what to say, so in the end, it was why Rory started cutting himself off from everyone. Grief and loss were horrible things to deal with. "Aye, doonstairs, like. Somewhere off to the left. At least, according to Buffy. You'll find it. I might just leave you guys to it and go take Willy oot for a pee." He squeezed Austin's shoulder softly and then gave them a small wave as he discreetly left them alone, noticing that even Riley was gone from downstairs now.
"I know you have a shag list for when we got back from service, but I dinnae think the kitchen bench in someone else's house counts," Austin joked, only because he was sure if he said anything, he was going to just end up in a sobbing mess. In fact, the tears welled up all over again, despite the joke. The lack of sleep was getting the better of him and he was still stunned she was even here in the flesh and he could touch her, feel her.
Eddie managed a shaky laugh before she choked on a sob, and cupped Austin's face in her hands again as she kissed him. "Oh, love... I really did miss you. It was killing me not having that reassurance of even just catching a glimpse of you. I know we have to learn to let each other go when we're in the field, but not like this. Not so that you can come back home to watch your brother die. And for the record, as much as I wish that I did want the kitchen to make a start on our shag list, it was more so that I could make you eat something."
Austin's hand gripped around hers and he rested his head against her forehead. He wasn't normally the sort to cry. He usually kept it all together. The only other time he had cried even remotely like this was when news came that his sister-in-law and niece were assumed dead. That had come as a horrible shock to the whole family. But Logan's death had been with warning, but it didn't hurt any less and everything was rushing to the forefront now Eddie was here. "He just died--" he sobbed, shaking his head against hers. "He was standing there one minute and then next, he was on the ground, nay breathing. Nay nothing. His colour. He was so pale. He just... he was gone."
Eddie bit her lip as she watched her husband, staying close to him as she tried to hold her own tears back so that he could just cry. "But you kept his heart beating..." she urged quietly, trying to remember everything Riley had told her in the car. "You kept him going because you knew how important it was for the Embrace. I can only imagine how you must have felt, Austin. I won't even begin to try. He had a tumour, love. You have to understand that when it was his time, there probably wasn't going to be anything more than him just going. Suddenly brain activity would be gone. It's horrible, I know. If this Kindred thing is meant to be, then all that will change. He'll be healed. He'll be different, but he'll be healed."
Austin drew in a shaking breath and swallowed heavily to reign in his emotions again. He ran a shaking hand through his hair, knowing they were only doing that because he was trying to keep himself buzzed on caffeine until news came of Logan. The wait was excruciating, and Austin was just starting to feel more sick than tired now. The nightmares weren't exactly new. He had them now and again during the more stressful times of his life. They were just worse now than they usually were. He shook his head. "No, I didnae. I didnae know about any of that at that. I didnae know about the Embrace. I knew Logan had been informed about it, but he hadnae made the choice. I just... panicked. He didnae want resuscitating, but I just panicked. It's all such a blur. I feel like I should've known it was coming or something. Like that whole day, and the whole flight, he was so sick. Worst I've ever seen him. He could hardly stand, he felt chilled, there was nay light in his eyes. But I didnae want to believe it. I didnae want it to be the end. Now I dinnae know how I'm supposed to feel. I just feel numb. Sick and numb."
"Do you have a room here? Maybe we should just lie down together before I worry about trying to force feed you. You don't need to know how you're supposed to feel. This is a huge change. Logan died in front of you. It's okay to not know how to feel. I know we see a lot of death but not like this. Not blood. You haven't seen Logan in a while, and then you watch him deteriorate before your eyes and then just... stop." Eddie reached up again to touch his face before she pulled him back into a hug and kissed his cheek. "Baby, I don't know how you did hold it together for long enough to just know to even try CPR. Maybe he was a DNR, but you just went into autopilot. You didn't want to lose your brother, and no one will blame you for that. Okay? Not even Logan. You did what you felt you had to do. Even if you know it's coming, death is never something you will ever truly be prepared for."
Austin nodded tiredly and gestured somewhere behind him with a small wave. "I have a room. I've been sharing with Rory because I havenae really technically been sleeping and he was stopping me from going mental, but I have my own room where my stuff is. Nay that I brought a lot of stuff with me, mind. God, he was so sick even when I got there. In hospital, and his mind was all over the place. I cannae believe he had a tumour. He was always the invicible one, you know? He hardly ever got sick, he was just always on the go. I mean, he wasnae even thirty years old. My folks arenae doing so well. Doing as good as they can, but my aunty and uncle are staying with them because they arenae coping. They had said goodbye to him when they came back hame from Paris, but they thought they had more time. We all did. I mean, Rory and me will see him again... hopefully, but it's the end for them. It was killing me. My head feels like it'll never switch off."
Eddie kept her arm around Austin as she turned him him around so that he could start to lead him to his room. "I just had my duffel, but the butler disappeared with it. I don't actually... I didn't know what to pack, so I just packed everything I had with me. It was stupid, but..." Eddie pressed her lips together as she reached up to brush a couple of her own tears away. "I don't know. Part of me felt like we might not be going back. I know it's probably premature, but if you do see Logan again, if this Embrace works out, you're probably not going to want to stray too far. I know you. It'll make you more protective of your brothers than ever. And I'm your wife now. I go where you go. There's no way I'm leaving you to look after yourself when you've already got so much on your mind." She gave him a gentle squeeze. "Your parents will need you to. They'll need both you and Rory. I don't know how you're going to cope not being able to tell him if he does end up Kindred, but they'll still need their sons. I feel so sorry for them. It's awful to lose a child. They're not supposed to die so young."
"I just had my pack. Rory laughed at me when I was sleeping on my bed roll for the first few days. I dinnae mind, it just felt more comfortable." Austin looked at her in confusion. It was the first he was hearing about not going back to service. It hadn't even crossed his mind at all. More like, he hadn't wanted to think about what would happened once Logan had died and then once he had, it had been a messed up haze where his brain wouldn't work anyway. "Aye, I'll be going back. I mean, why wouldnae we go back? What else is there to do? I havenae done anything but the military, and I'm nay sure I would really want to. Like, aye, I'm worried about what's going to happen to my brother, but I dinnae know anything but the Army. That's what I am. I'm a soldier. I dinnae think I could just do a normal job. I just... didnae really think..." He trailed off, the frown deepening and he was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly went arse-over when Wee Willy came running out from up the hall to intercept him. Austin cursed softly and then bent down to scoop the tiny dog up. "Are you trying to kill me, furball? We dinnae need anymore casualties aroond here. It is awful. I think that's why Rory's struggling so hard. He knows exactly how they're feeling."
Eddie bit her lip as she looked at the furry addition to Austin's arms and reached out to scratch the dog behind his ears. "Aww, he's so cute! Is this Rory's dog? You mentioned him once before, I think. Rory had the dog. Logan had the Kindred lover. I didn't mean to make it sound final. If you want to go back, then go back. But they need to allow for the fact that you've just lost your brother. There has to at least be some leave while you work through this." She gave the dog another pat and smiled a little. "Is there anything we can do for Rory? Is there anything I can do to help with your parents?"
Austin nodded. "Aye, this is Willy. Willy, this is Eddie. She's really good with belly rubs, so you treat her well, aye? We just picked him up from our folks. They were dogsitting while Rory was in France, but Rory's really missed him. He's a good wee dog. Very cluey. He was all Rory had left after his wife and bairn went missing. We dinnae mind if Ros will want him here, but she isnae gonna have much choice. Rory needs him, plain and simple. Rory's at his most content when he has someone to take care of." He scratched the dog's back with a sigh. "I dinnae mind what to do. Nothing, until we can know Logan is okay. He might nay, um, transition so well. I dinnae think there is anything we can do for anyone. We're just all trying to cope. Then there is the fact Rory is... sort of a wee bit uncomfortable with the whole Kindred thing. Like I said, we didnae know Logan had made the choice. He was dead, and then he was being taken away from us."
"Hello, Willy. It's true about the belly rubs. Uncle Austin can tell you all about how I rub his belly." Eddie nodded as she listened, even if some of it was still going over her head. She actually couldn't imagine anyone close to her being Embraced out of the blue. Only now her brother-in-law was. She had a whole family to care about now. It wasn't just Austin. Coming to Scotland was starting to open her eyes up more and more to the fact that marrying him was a pretty major thing. There was also this other world that she had stepped into. They were in a lush manor owned by the Kindred Scottish Prince. It was huge. "If he's so uncomfortable with it, then what's he going to do with a Kindred brother? I know you two didn't get much warning, or time to process, but I'm assuming that there's a bit of a timer on the Embracing process. It had to happen then, or it wouldn't happen at all."
Austin gave a small snort of a laugh. He couldn't deny it, though. She used to just sit and brush her hand over his chest and stomach when he was injured that time. It was a lot of what kept him anchored and hanging on. "Rory's... how will I put this? He's loyal, aye, but it goes beyond that. It wouldnae matter if any of us were drugged up prostitute murderers. He would still stick by us and try to help. Logan's our brother, by blood. That reaches above all else. Apparently it is why Logan was a prime candidate for Toreador, though I cannae even begin to understand all of that. It goes over my head. Rory will deal, it just might be a struggle for him. See, he thinks his wife and bairn were taken by Kindred. He's also been attacked three, possibly four times against his will. And hurt by Juliette. He's vulnerable and hurting. But Logan is still our brother. Oh aye. It had to happen while his heart was still beating. The Sire has to stop the heart by draining them, basically. Then they die and there is a wee time while they transition, and they wake again."
Eddie let out a low whistle as she shook her head. "I really know how to pick 'em. I just had to pick the soldier who's brother's maybe about to become a vampire," she said as she flashed him a teasing smile. "I'm joking. Really. I wouldn't change a thing. You know that, right? As insane as this all is, there's no way I would change being your wife. I'm crazy about you. I'm in this the whole way. I'm in this to do whatever you need me to. Rory needs some TLC of his own, but I won't even suggest Juliette again. She hurt him, and I get that."
Austin smirked and kept scratching Willy's soft ear. The pup was like a furry hot water bottle and Austin just felt chilled all the time lately. Willy had been sharing himself between Rory, Austin and Buffy for days now, and had bitten the toe of one of Ros' butlers when he got too close to Buffy. Seemed there was that doggy sixth sense working knowing Buffy was incubating Rory's baby or something. "Hey, I did warn you when you married me I wasnae a simple guy. That just happens to extend to my family, too. We were normal, once upon a time. Just arenae anymore. I already suggested Juliette. In fact, I pretty much blackmailed him, but he cannae be all stubborn arse aboot her. As weird as it sounds, she's practically Logan's sister. They have the same Sire. At least, they will if it was successful. Logan's going to be naturally protective of her, so Rory needs to deal with his issues a wee bit. He's just hurting. Rory's heart is a fragile wee thing. She's just copping the harder brunt. I can see that now."
"Maybe because he knows she can take it," Eddie suggested quietly. "Maybe because he knows that she's strong enough to take it all. Whatever anger he has to dish out at her, she can take it. She's Kindred. Maybe the fact that he is letting her absorb all of that means something. At least he has an outlet. They stopped outside one of the rooms, and Eddie stuck her head in to see if she could tell if it was Austin's or not. There was just an army pack inside with a duffel next to it and Eddie smiled. "They really are ninjas, aren't they? So Juliette's Logan's sister. Well, okay. It's weird, but she's not exactly related to Rory by blood. She's just related to this Scottish Prince's blood that will be inside Logan. And c'mon, we're dealing with Kindred here. There's always going to be some sort of incest."
"Maybe. I think he's just scared of being hurt again. It wasnae just, hey, she fucked with his heart and threw it under a bus. He got physically attacked because of it. Nay because of it directly, but if she hadnae turned him away, he wouldnae have been where he was when he got attacked. They nearly Embraced him. He was drained almost to the point of Embrace, so much so that he took on the traits of that Clan. Blaise had to step in and drain him to stop him seriously injuring someone. He was seriously angry. Furious. At least, that's what they said. He hit Logan when Logan tried to restrain him from Juliette. That's when Logan hit his head and set the tumour off. It's why Rory is feeling ridiculous amounts of guilt right now. He has that, on top of knowing how much time he lost with Logan. I think Juliette's just been collateral damage, so to speak. She hurt him at the time he really needed to least be hurt," Austin said regretfully with a sigh. He followed her into the room with a small shrug, still nursing Willy in his arms. "Aye. Because when you're Embraced, it's a blood link. So, in Kindred sense, they're siblings. It wasnae the incest I was referring to. Aye, they fuck aroond, like you wouldnae believe. I've heard them at it. I just mean for a peace-keeping sense. Rory and Juliette are going to have to be aroond each other because of Logan, whether they want to or not. Logan's going to be a magnet for all emotions aroond him for awhile. They say it's nay good for him to be aroond negative shit. He'll absorb it."
Eddie drew her eyebrows together as she looked around the bedroom and at the walls. "Are we next to any of them that will be fucking around? I don't know that I have the energy to try and keep up, and I don't think you do either. Sometimes quiet sex is nice," she offered with a helpless wave of her hand. "So maybe they'll just be friends. And that's okay, but my god, Rory's a good-looking guy. It's mental that he hasn't found love again. I'm thinking a lot of girls would be chopping off their arms for him. What about the baby mummy? They're not... you know, more than friends?" Eddie was still wrapping her head around the fact that Rory had been kicked in the balls by his ex-Kindred, only he was also apparently the father to a kid with another woman. "I know I haven't said much to Rory but I can't imagine him so angry at his brother that he'd actually hit him. Do you really think he does feel responsible? He has to know that it could have been anything that would have kicked that tumour from dormant to active. It wasn't anything he did."
Austin exhaled heavily as he put Willy down on the bed and then stepped forward to pull Eddie into a kiss. He had tried not to let him miss her that much because it would have killed him if he let it engulf him, but now she was back, it was all coming to the forefront. This had all been one of the hardest things he ever had to face, and he had hated every minute of it. He probably really didn't have the energy for hot and heated sex, but he needed something. They pretty much hadn't done much more than some hot groping since they consummated their marriage, and even then, it had been sort of awkward and uncomfortable. When the kiss eased off, he just looked over her face with a small frown, shaking his head. "Nay, they arenae around this wing... or whatever they call it. That's probably the reason why. It's just me, Rory and Buffy up this end. I couldnae keep up with them even if I wanted to. Some days I'm nay even sure I remember how to do it it's been so long. Aye, they're more than friends. They're best friends, but they fight like an old married couple, just nay romance there. Nay beyond a few times they fucked, I think. She's linked the French Prince, only he cannae come to the party because she's pregnant. See, I cannae imagine it either, but they tell me this Clan. Brujah, is it? Are the rebels, like. If you have anger in you, it's gonna come out. Rory has a lot of inate anger in him from losing his family like he did. Aye... he very much feels responsible. He thinks Logan would have had more time."
Eddie smiled at her husband in the wake of the kiss, and ran her hand over his short-cropped hair before she kissed him again, her hand dropping to his waist before she pushed it up under the hem of his shirt. Sooner or later the jetlag was definitely going to catch up with her, but right now all she wanted was to be with Austin. It didn't have to be spectacular, gymnastic, fireworks-exploding sex. It just had to be the two of them together. The two of them without camo gear, or a war zone interfering. "Best friends that fight like an old married couple? They sound like they're going to be great parents. They already have half of it down. So she's linked to the French Prince... wow. He's the runway model bloke, right? Riley told me about him. Kind of sucks that he can't go near her just because she's pregnant. She's got to be climbing the walls having a guy who's meant to be that hot that she can't touch. She could always still give Rory TLC if there's a history there. Just means they won't get lost in the emotion of it. They'll still know they're friends and that's it." Eddie pressed her lips together briefly before she kissed Austin softly again. "There's no guarantee how much time Logan would have had. He might not have had any. What happened when he died could have happened at any moment, and there would have been no warning."
Austin raised his arms up so she could take his shirt off. Luckily, it had only been a few days that he hadn't been able to eat much. He was still built, and hadn't lost any weight. He knew he had to eat to keep up his strength, it was just hard to find an appetite when all he kept thinking about his brother dead beneath him. "Aye. It's quite amusing to watch. It isnae that the Prince willnae go near her. He does. He touches her, remains in her presence. He just has no urge to be intimate with her, the way I heard it. And that's because she has Buchanan spawn in her. Something to do with natural instincts. It's gotta be hard, because he claimed her. He must feel like his brain is being pulled in ten directions, while his cock in another five. Poor dude. I personally like the simple human emotions. They're hard enough to handle as it is. Thing is. Rory willnae touch her unless she asks. He's nay a cock at all. We were all raised to respect women, and she's basically hooked to someone else. We're nay cheats. At least, we werenae until Logan was Embraced. He apparently might be when he comes back." He nodded tiredly. "Aye, well, Rory burdens himself with that responsibility. It's something he has to work through himself, he doesnae really easily listen when people talk at him aboot it all."
Eddie dropped Austin's shirt to the ground and ran her palms over his torso, reacquainting herself with his body. Her gaze dipped down, watching the trails her fingers were starting to make as the corners of her mouth curled up. She leaned forward to kiss at Austin's collarbone as one hand snaked around to his back, fingers searching out the scar she knew to be located near his hip. It was just below the waistband of his jeans and she slipped her fingers past it to touch the scar. It was the reason they'd fallen in love, the bullet wound changing everything for them. "It makes my head hurt just trying to think about how they all must be feeling. Personally I am all for simple. Even if simple means you getting shot just so I can play nurse to you. How does it feel knowing you're going to be an uncle in amongst all of this? You okay with it? Logan's coming back a slut?" Eddie couldn't help but ask as her jaw dropped a little. "I guess I can't blame him, but he does need to take the time to figure it out. It's not his fault. It really isn't."
Austin's eyes fell closed as he exhaled softly and slowly. He definitely needed this. He needed to feel that she was actually here, and that they weren't oceans apart, they weren't in a war zone. It was unfamiliar territory for them. He might be exhausted, and might not have slept properly in days, but there was no way his dick wasn't going to respond to this. He could deal with erectile autopilot, he really could. "Ach, well, it was going to happen sooner or later, wasnae it? Me getting seriously hurt oot there, I mean. Nay us. I mean, I wouldnae say we were expected. You just wanted to make moony eyes at me over your pointy injection needles as you stuck them into other dudes butts," he teased, opening his eyes to smirk faintly at her. "I've always been an uncle, remember? How does it feel to be an uncle again? Amazing, and worrying all at the same time. Rory is going to be super over-protective of the laddie. We might need to spend time with him by watching him through a plastic bubble. I feel weird aboot it, to be honest. I value that side of our morals, but he's gonna need to do what he needs to survive, plain and simple, so I guess my military morals kick in a wee bit there too. I just want my brothers to be okay. To be happy might be pushing it. I can settle for okay."
"And what about you, love? Are you okay?" Eddie asked him quietly as she pulled back enough to start working on getting rid of her own clothes. She hoped she hadn't forgotten how to have sex, but there was just something reassuring about the slow, sleepy, comfort sex. This really was new to them, though. She hadn't actually done it on a proper bed with her husband yet. She hadn't even done it anywhere there was proper running water. She got down to her bra and knickers before she started to work on Austin's fly, grinning just a little at the fact his body definitely hadn't forgotten her. "Right, sure. An uncle again. Only this time nothing will happen to the bubble boy. We'll make sure of it. I still can't believe Rory had to suffer such a tragedy. It's awful. I still can't even imagine how he must have felt, and the hits just kept on coming, didn't they? He's got to be wondering when he'll catch a break. I don't blame you for just wanting them to be okay. As for Logan, well, we'll just... um, it is about survival. At least it must be for some of them. It's not just because he's being a bastard."
Austin nodded, but then shook his head with a shrug. "I dinnae know. I really dinnae. No. Probably nay. I havenae been able to sleep or eat much since it happened. Too much going on in my head. Plus, we're waiting on news for Logan. You have a sense that you dinnae want to check oot and sleep too deeply in case something happens. Nay like I'm foreign to that sense anyway. I'm used to running on empty. It's just different when everything feels so heavy and sad." He ran his hands over her hips and up her back to unclip her bra, letting it fall loose around his hands as he moved on to softly cup one of her breasts in his palm. He dipped his head to kiss the soft swell of flesh and then at the peak of her cleavage before he raised his head again to kiss her lips. "The thing with Rory is people seem quick to want to point fingers because he's overreacting to things, but they forget just how much he has been through. He isnae overreacting. He's reacting to what he's been through. Rory's a survivor. He'll keep getting back up and keep going, but that isnae going to come withoot weaknesses. Aye, well, Logan can be a bastard when he needs to. It's going to be interesting to see how he is. I dinnae think he's just going to lie there and let them control him."
Eddie let out a soft sigh as Austin kissed her breasts, her body melting against his as she managed to push his jeans down and out of the way. One hand went to the back of his neck as the other found the scar on his back again, fingers brushing against it in soft circles as she murmured his name and let her eyes fall closed as she pulled him into another kiss. "I know news isn't coming as fast as you want, but it'll come. As for the rest of it, I'm here now. You can at least get in a little rest and sustenance. Even if it's just to keep me from becoming the nagging wife. You take care of your brothers, and I'll take care of you. That's the deal, okay? Take it or leave, Buchanan. I suggest taking it," she told him with a small smile. "Also means he'll have a hard time feeling weak when he thinks he shouldn't. Like it or not, your brother's become a bit of a soldier. You're all survivors, just for different reasons. Logan will be a survivor too. It's just how he survives that's the big question mark."
Austin wrapped his arms around her and then walked her back towards the bed. Willy had, at some point, probably gotten bored and gone to find someone who wanted to stroke him and not each other. He wasn't proud, he'd take it where he could get it. They fell down onto the bed together and Austin smiled down at her, his eyes still heavy-lidded from tiredness. He kissed her again, softly and slowly and then settled down on his side beside her, wrapping his leg around her thigh and pulling her close. "Rory's just a typical natural dad. He puts everyone else's needs before his own, and if he has to admit any weakness, it's like drawing blood from a stone. He'll push you away first, and that's where the issues all come in. I just dinnae think he is ever going to change in that sense. That's who he is, he's always been like that. Logan was always sort of the opposite. You screw him over, he'll call you out on it, plain and simple. I probably lie somewhere in between that. Fuck, I hate being weak. I try nay to be as much as I can. Admittedly, that's nay always a good thing. I know. I've been put in dangerous situations because of it."
"Oh, I don't know, you still let me scratch your belly," Eddie commented with a soft laugh as she caught his hand to look at the wedding ring that was now displayed on his finger. She'd put her own wedding band on her finger as soon as she and Riley had been up in the air on the first place trip. It was one of the luxuries she wanted to indulge in while she was away from her job. She kissed the gold band before she kissed his lips and then nuzzled in against the crook of his neck to breathe in his scent. There was no sand, no dirt, no smell of gunfire to interfere with it. Now it was just pure Austin Buchanan. "It really is going to be interesting being around all three of you. Now I get to see the Buchanan family tree in action."
Austin hooked his fingers into her panties and slowly pulled them down over her thigh and then shifted a little so he could get them off. They were both naked now, and there was even a slight sensation that this could actually be their first time. It wasn't that he didn't count sleeping together when they got married as important. He still cherished the fact they even got to have that at all, and they never would if a couple of his colleagues didn't stand outside the tent barracks and keep watch. There had been a couple of times before that when they had some down time in a lull in battle, but this was the first time they had been completely naked, on a bed, with nothing else to worry about but each other. He took some quiet moments to just run his hand softly and slowy over her body, his eyes locked with hers, their faces close together. It was nice to just talk and be together at the same time. "I might have to get you a helmet and full body armour," he joked and then shook his head slightly as he wet his lips. "Nay, we arenae that bad. Well, granted, I dinnae know what Logan will be like. I hope he isnae too different. I think that's the thing I'm most scared aboot. That he is going to be someone I dinnae like anymore, dinnae know how to like. He's my big brother. It's going to hurt if he wants nothing to do with me. Rory's just... Rory. You're gonna love him when you get to spend more time with him. You cannae nay."
Eddie bit down on her lip as she watched Austin looking over her body, the fact that this was practically their first time together not lost on her either. Being naked on a bed together had never seemed like such a luxury until she compared it to their time together in Afghanistan. She stroked her fingers through his hair and down along his jaw before she followed an invisible line down his shoulder and arm, and then over his hip. Austin really was something pretty special. She smiled at him before she kissed his shoulder and bit the inside of her cheek to stop any inappropriate giggling. "I love you, Austin Buchanan. And I'm pretty sure I'll love your family. Even if we don't know what Logan's going to be like. He is still family. Sometimes you don't have to like them to love them."
"Aye, I'll slap him doon if he's too much of a bastard. Wouldnae be the first time we've had a fist-fight." Austin was pressed right up against her and felt that prickle of anticipation sweep over his skin, but he stilled, eyebrows shooting up a little. "Wait. Are you still on the pill? Oh shit, if you arenae, I'm going to have to go ask my brother for, erm, supplies so to speak. Cannae say it's been a habit to carry them on me lately. Rory will just love that," he said with a small groan. He could only imagine the piss-pulling Rory would come out with if Logan had to approach him for a condom. It would probably keep him going for weeks.
Eddie did let out a giggle this time and pulled Austin into a slightly heated kiss as she wrapped her leg tighter around so that there was no chance he was escaping this bed. "Of course I'm still on it. It's part of my daily routine. Plus, I wasn't going to stop when I was in an environment surrounded by men. Who knows what could have happened if I'd tripped and one of their penises fell into me?" she asked with a teasing smirk. "No need to go ask your brother for supplies. He can hold onto his piss-pulling until later. Right now you need to stay here. Nurse's orders, Sergeant."
Austin raised his eyebrows. "Oh aye? I know what would happen. I would fecking cut their dicks off. That's what would happen," he resolved with a nod. "And it isnae like he can talk. He knocked Buffy up, so he cannae be the condom guru or anything. I didnae ask him how that all happened, actually. Remind me to. He might need some piss-pulling of his own." His hand found it's way to her breasts again, his fingers brushing over them, exploring how they felt again. He seriously hadn't had enough time doing that. She wasn't foreign to the knowledge that he was very much a boob guy, it was just easy to forget any sexual attraction out in a war zone. He pulled her close, hugging his leg tighter around her and pressed his lips to hers as he entered her slowly, growling softly in his throat at the sensation.
Eddie arched her back slightly as she felt him fill her, a moan catching in her throat as she focused on kissing him back and letting her hands sweep over his body again. She didn't mind that he was a booby guy. In fact it was nice that he appreciated hers so much. She couldn't deny that she liked the attention when he gave it to her. She also had to admit that hearing he'd cut the blokes' dicks off was a bit of a turn on. She had her own personal birth control in her husband. He was definitely hot in soldier mode. She was ready to remind him already about the piss-pulling, but any further words died on her lips as Austin started to move, and her world was nothing but her husband.
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