Homecoming (Logan)

[blueeyeddevil]

Wes Harlow

It had been a very tough couple of weeks for Wes. In fact he was still sort of in shock from everything that had happened. It seemed like yesterday really that he'd gotten the phone call that his father had passed away...liver failure. Apparently his hard drinking had caught up to him. He'd spent the last two weeks back in England making arrangements and taking care of things like distributing his father's will. Seriously, it was nothing any 22 year old should have on their shoulders.

Wes hadn't even had any idea that his father had been sick. It wasn't like they talked to each other. The man had terrorized him most of his life, beat him and berated him. He'd driven Ian to go to college halfway across the country and when the opportunity had presented itself Wes had taken a page from his brother's book and fled with the band, never looked back. He hadn't heard anything about his father since that phone call telling him he was dead.

Wes hated that man, but in the end it was up to him as the only living son to take care of things. It was his sole responsibility and he'd had to do it. But he was back and he was so sick of people telling how sorry they were especially when he wasn't sorry at all. Right now all he wanted was for his life to go back to how it had been; for things to just go back to normal.

Having lunch with Logan seemed like a pretty good start to that. Wes had gotten in late last night but had gotten in touch with his best friend first thing that morning, making a meeting for lunch at the Bistro. They sat there now, going over the menu as he tried to just put the last two weeks behind him.

"By the way, I'm really sorry," he told Logan. "I mean, it seems like you just got here and then I have to go and leave for two weeks. I really didn't mean to leave you all by yourself in a new country like that." He gave a smile that didn't quite reach his tired green eyes. "Knowing you, though, you probably did okay though..."

[The Exodus]

Logan Bell

Logan looked at the menu nervously. It had been two weeks since he’d seen Wes; two weeks since Wes had gone to England for his father’s funeral. Logan didn’t know much about grief or death or anything like that and he didn’t know how Wes was taking it or what he could do to help.

Until now, Logan had always thought death was about sadness in a very straightforward way. But whatever emotional residue hung in the air didn’t feel like sadness. It felt like relief and Logan hadn’t known until this very moment that death could bring relief.

He knew Wes didn’t have the best relationship with his dad – and that that was possibly the understatement of the year – but… Well, it wasn’t like it was an insignificant loss or anything. Who knew if Wes was really “relieved”?

Just drop it. Wes will be fine.

“Don’t apologize. You had to,” Logan said. “Besides, it was an adventure. I think I finally learned how to use the metro system here.” Then, giving up the charade with the menu a little, he added with a wry sort of grimace, “Still can’t really read French all that well. I have no idea which things on here are even edible.”

[blueeyeddevil]

Wes Harlow

His whole life, Wes's father had been the person he hated. Growing up, he'd abused him and Ian, beat them and cursed at them. Then he'd become the reason why Ian left. Ian had gone to college far away and only ever returned for holidays and that was only for Wes's sake. And because of that, their father had eventually become the reason Ian was dead. Ian wouldn't have gone off to college so far away if not for their father and wouldn't have been there to get killed in that car crash. With each passing year that hatred had burned a scar on Wes's heart.

But he didn't want to think about that now that he was back home...at least back in the place he now considered home. This was where his friends were. This was where his career was. That was all he needed. At least he kept insisting to himself that it was. He hoped that this lunch with Logan would put him in a better place.

“Don’t apologize. You had to,” Logan assured him when apologized for his leave of absence. “Besides, it was an adventure. I think I finally learned how to use the metro system here.”

A tired smile flickered to Wes's lips. "Oh yeah...the metro system is a real adventure, alright. You're a wild man, Bell," he said with a note of joking sarcasm. "If it makes you feel any better, you beat me. Took me at least a month to get the hang of it."

Logan set the menu down. “Still can’t really read French all that well. I have no idea which things on here are even edible.”

Wes shook his head. "What are they even teaching you at that school," he asked teasingly. Wes held out his own menu and pointed to a word. "That is a hamburger. You'll just have to trust me on the edible part."

Wes sighed softly. It felt good to talk about something other than his father's funeral. But he got the distinct feeling that Logan was avoiding the topic. It was inevitable that it would come up eventually during this lunch. Wes just hoped they could put it off for a while longer.

[The Exodus]

Logan Bell

"What are they even teaching you at that school?" Wes asked teasingly. Wes held out his own menu and pointed to a word. "That is a hamburger. You'll just have to trust me on the edible part."

Logan laughed. “I didn’t tell you. I’m eating vegetarian these days.”

He was joking, of course, and the hamburger would suit him fine. Since arriving to Paris, he had learned only a handful of useful food words. “Fromage” was cheese. “Vin” was wine. And “bouillabaisse” was not something he was keen to try again. Logan shook his head.

“Now that you’re back, we can go sight-seeing as planned,” he said. “If you’re up for it.”

[blueeyeddevil]

Wes Harlow

It had occurred to Wes when he'd gotten home the night before that he was officially alone now. Sure he had Logan and Amorette and other friends. But he no longer had a brother or mother or dad. He had no family to speak of. In a way he'd been alone ever since Ian died. That was almost ten years ago. But in those ten years he'd always had the knowledge that his dad was still there. He'd always foolishly held out hope that someday his dad would apologize for having treated him like total crap for so long.

But now his dad was dead and Wes had never gotten his apology. Honestly it made him more angry than anything. After everything he'd been through, his father should have at least had the decency to apologize. It wasn't like his death was sudden either...it was liver cancer. He'd had plenty of time call. He just obviously hadn't thought Wes was worth the effort.

“Now that you’re back, we can go sight-seeing as planned,” Logan said, bringing him back to the current conversation. “If you’re up for it.”

"Hmmm?" Wes said distractedly, looking back at his friend now now that he'd was back in the present and not thinking about the funeral. "Oh, right! Of course...We'll go site seeing. No reason I shouldn't be up for it. Believe me, I'm fine."

His words were casual as he gave his friend a rather forced smile. He hoped the sudden urge for a high of some kind didn't show in his eyes.

"So was there any place you wanted to see in particular?" he asked. "I could show you around the Opera House if you want. It's actually a pretty fascinating place."