Log: Lexie and August. WHO: Lexie Cash and August Hart. WHAT: August finally gets out of prison and Lexie's there to give him a very enthusiastic greeting at the gates. Which can only mean one thing really: a certain cowboy duo is back in business. WHEN: Friday afternoon.
AUGUST: August Hart had watched the final paperwork of his release being passed from administrator to warden with a level of blank disbelief. It was difficult to register that this was really happening, that his days of keeping his head down and his mouth shut were finally paying off, and that soon he'd be outside the prison walls, touching and tasting and seeing a world that wasn't enclosed in a penitentiary bubble. He hadn't been suited for prison life. The plain clothes that he'd changed into were hanging off of his body like he'd just recovered from a long illness, and there was no mirror, but his reflection in on the clear plexiglass windows that he passed in the hallway seemed wan and lifeless to him. Worst of all, there was this lead bullet in his heart. He'd felt it for a long time, the hope sluggishly bleeding out of him and the weight of his fear digging deeper into the muscle, a sharp twinge of painful loneliness every time he moved too quickly, and he could still feel it hidden there even as he was escorted towards the door. It wasn't anything that could be removed surgically or with a good dose of freedom. He had the feeling that he might end up carrying it for a long time, and that there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it until it broke apart on its own. Lost in his self-reflection as usual, he almost missed the front door opening -- his guard escort had stopped, so he did as well out of habit, and needed to be prodded into awareness before he took stock of his surroundings. There was a churning purple sky above him, and a wet curtain of rain pouring across the street and sidewalk in front of him. What he focused on last of all but most intently was the figure with the umbrella standing just across the street. Without a word, without hesitating or glancing at the guard who had brought him to his freedom, he stepped over the threshold into the downpour and started walking towards her. He'd recognize his Lexie anywhere.
LEXIE: There wasn’t much Lexie wasn’t willing to do for August. She readily followed his lead on jobs -even if she did deviate from the plan occasionally- and if possible she would’ve traded places with him too. She’d waited for him while he’d been locked up, barely even glancing at other men despite the interested looks that had been sent her way. It had been strange though, having to adjust to life without him. Suddenly she’d been without someone at her back, hadn’t had that person keeping her in check and out of trouble. Losing Aaron had been bad enough but when August had been imprisoned Lexie had lost a partner in every sense of the word. So naturally she’d been elated when she’d got the call to say he was being released early. It showed on her face in the form of a smile that she couldn’t wipe off and in the way she stood tapping her foot, full of jitters and butterflies in her stomach, as she waited eagerly to see August. The minute she recognised the man walking towards her Lexie dropped her umbrella, forgot all about the rain and ran into his arms. She was too happy and excited to notice the changes that were visible in August, just pleased to be with him again instead of separated by glass and the law and bars.
AUGUST: He didn't have time to process the sudden dropping of his stomach, the seizing of tension in his chest, when he was suddenly clinging to an armful of skinny brunette. His long arms wrapped tightly around her, lifting her off of the ground and actually spinning her around in a flight of fancy that sprung straight from his romantic core, and he buried his face in her hair; breathless, he tried to keep all the emotions crawling up his throat from exiting his mouth. He wanted to say something -- her name, that he missed her, how much he loved her and how grateful he was to see her -- but he couldn't just yet. They were getting soaked and he didn't even slightly care. Dragging in long, deep breaths, he ran his hands down her back and up again, touched her arms, nuzzled along her cheek until his lips could touch her neck. Just smelling her was incredible. And touching her. August had never been particularly good at staying celibate for long anyway, but it was that much more inconceivable when he had this incredible girl waiting for him. When words finally escaped him, they weren't necessarily what he'd meant to say, but they were honest and true. "I'm never fucking going back there, Lexie. Never."
LEXIE: She couldn’t help the delighted shriek that escaped when August swung her around unexpectedly, lifting her off her feet and holding her close. It was little things like that which Lexie loved about him, the fact that he could surprise her even now. She’d miss touching him so much, hadn’t realised how much she relied on and needed it until it wasn’t there. So Lexie was more than happy to let August touch her back, her arms, her hair because she needed it as much as he did. When he finally broke the silence her hands moved to cup his face, big brown eyes staring into his own. “You won’t have to, I promise. We’ll be smarter about things now, yeah? No more screw ups.” There was no way Lexie was going to let anyone take August from her again, and certainly not because of something they’d done. If that meant they had to tone things down a little or go the more legal route for a while, then so be it. Being on the straight and narrow would be a small price to pay for staying together. “You’re stuck with me, Hart,” she added with a smile, knowing full well he wouldn’t mind that one bit.
AUGUST: Cleaning up their act was a good idea, sure. August might have agreed with that now, if he'd been thinking about the future beyond this reunion. But he'd only just gotten out from behind bars. Once he had time to settle, think about his freedom and the basic human rights that had been taken away from him in prison, he might start to change his tune. When she touched his face, he pulled back slightly to lock gazes with her; the fact that they weren't married and might never be had never managed to make those words ring any less true, since the first time August had gotten Lexie to admit that she loved him. Of course he was stuck with her. He wouldn't want to be anywhere else. The rain had flattened his hair into dark blonde streaks down his forehead, and he shook his head slightly to flick aside some of the rain gathering on his nose, but he hadn't lost any measure of his serious sincerity. Maybe just a bit of dignity, but he'd survive that. He always did. "Which makes me a lucky man." August leaned in at last to kiss her deeply on the mouth. Making out in the rain could get a little bit soggy, but he wanted to have this moment with her before they went anywhere. Or before he started asking questions, like whether she'd talked to Aaron recently, or how she was doing financially, or to ask for the news on his friends.
LEXIE: She smiled a little when August flicked his head, a smile that grew even bigger with his next remark. It still amazed Lexie that they’d been able to find each other, find such a perfect fit given all the people in the universe. She settled happily into the kiss, returning it with just as much enthusiasm and wrapping her arms round August’s neck so she could lean against him. It was a gesture that was long overdue and Lexie put everything into that kiss; her happiness at having him back again, the desire she felt for him and all the pent up frustration that had built up while they’d been separated. “You ready to go home?” she asked when she drew back.
AUGUST: "So ready," came his quick reply. Still, he glanced for a moment back over his shoulder at the penitentiary behind him; his eyes darkened, suddenly a touch flat, some of the vivacity drained from them like the building itself could suck the life from him simply by being there. Existing. In some way, it didn't matter that he'd gotten out, and early release to boot -- he'd lost time to that place, and maybe some tiny fragment of himself that he might never get back. He wasn't the type to give up and just let that evil institution keep that part of him, but he didn't know how or where to begin retrieving it, either. August hoped that going home with Lexie and getting lost in her all over again would inspire him. Give him solid ground to stand on once more. Sliding his hand down her arm, he caught her fingers and knitted them tightly in his own expansive grasp, squeezing before he allowed himself to put more than a few inches distance between them. "Let's get out of here." They could finally go home.