A/N: Here's a Christmas in July story for Marcus Sylenus. I think I'm the last contributor, so I hope the hurry doesn't show too much in my writing. I'll list the preferences at the end for those of you who like surprises. I'll keep posting every day or two till it's done.
It's set after Out fairly early S1, hence the UST level. I tried to include as many of the requests as possible.
I purposely left a spot for a future fic and I'd be happy to take suggestions if you have any ideas. I write a lot of action, so I thought it'd interesting to leave out the action this time and write everything else around.
Please read and review!! I promise to try my best with your suggestions.
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Last Strand
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Fogle Towers.
"Great place, America. Kid's walking home from school. Next thing she knows, she belongs to the highest bidder working in a brothel on the other side of the world someplace and Bronck's been making a killing on every planeload.
"And I almost let him get away with it, Logan"
"Max, the bottom line is he's out of business. You did good.
"I just wish I could've done something about those kids on the plane that other night."
"Got a lead they're being held by a middleman in L.A. Got some people on it. "
"So, do I finally get my Eyes Only secret decoder ring?"
"Listen," Logan had followed her out of the kitchen. "I'm sorry…about the other night. I, uh…I guess I have been a little too focused on my mission. I don't know, maybe Eyes Only has been a way of not having to, uh..think about the less…pleasant aspects of my life." He had paused and had rubbed his hands over his legs. He had finally gotten used to the fact that the unfeeling limbs were really his own."
"Maybe it is a Halloween mask I've been hiding behind."
"You don't have to. Not from me," Max had answered.
Logan headed back to the kitchen, "I've got everything we need to whip up a Pasta Tricolore."
"I can boil the water."
"You can."
The cell phone had interrupted the moment. Reluctantly, Logan had answered it
"Yeah. Word on the net is he's a weapons dealer? - Okay, this is definitely something Eyes Only's going to have to get into. - Really? When? Tonight? - No, I can't. I'll have to call you tomorrow. Yeah. Bye."
It had felt good to put Eyes Only on hold, for once.
"Don't hold up the war on my account," Max had said hesitantly.
"The world will still be broken in the morning," Logan heard himself answer.
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Fogle Towers. Later that night.
The clock ticked toward 11 P.M. as Max licked the last of the tomato sauce off her fork.
"It's almost as good as your sauce, don't you think?" Logan teased.
"Oh, I don't know, Logan. It could have used a little more oregano." Max ventured a smile at Logan from behind the brown locks that hung down her forehead as she bent over the empty dishes. Now it was Logan's turn to laugh out loud.
It was good to hear him laugh. While Bronck had held Logan, Max had only allowed her brain to think of the mission. But she knew how close they had come to Logan's laugh being silenced.
Logan continued, "The girls were being held by a middleman. I got word that they've been pretty much reunited with their parents."
"Then, what's wrong?" Max tried to read Logan's serious face.
"One of the girls is still missing. I think she was sent straight to Thailand when the other girls went to L.A. Said a buyer wanted a specific kind of girl and I guess she fit the profile."
"Are the police going after her?" Max stopped what she was doing now to listen.
"They said they'll try, but it's a long way to Thailand.. You know how it is. Since the Pulse, we don't even have a real airport in Seattle where you can get on an international flight. Bronck must have flown her out on one of his private jets." His voice had trailed off.
Max fingered the cork for a moment before pushing it back into the bottle's mouth. She started to say something, but, biting her lip, stopped herself.
"I know what you're going to say," Logan threw back at her. "That we can't save everyone. But she was someone's daughter… someone's sister."
Max eyes flashed angrily, "Why do you think I would say that? I'm the one who almost let all those girls be shipped off forever. If I could make that right, I would."
"OK, then. But you wouldn't go chasing this girl halfway across the world, would you? Even if there was a way to get on a flight to Thailand?
Max shrugged, "Well, there isn't a way to get there, so I guess it's a moot point."
They finished cleaning up. The chess set sat on the coffee table, but the mood of the evening had changed and neither of them felt up for a game.
"Well, I'm going to get some rest Thanks for dinner." Max finally said, handing Logan the bottle of wine and reluctantly sliding down from the kitchen stool. "I'll see you tomorrow."
The door clicked shut quietly.
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Fogle Towers. Still later that night.
It was midnight. Max 's reminder to go to sleep still rang in his ears, but Logan wasn't tired. He pulled up the photo of the missing girl that Matt had sent him. Her name was Amy. Her brown eyes stared back at him. It was a school picture, taken in front of a fake backdrop of a bookshelf. She wasn't more than 12 years old.
Logan's fingers played over the keyboard. Max had only been partly right. Seattle's international airport hadbeen out of commission since 2009, but that didn't put a trip to Thailand out of reach for Eyes Only. For once, he wasn't using an Eyes Only contact. He hated to admit it, but it was a Cale contact. Logan clicked over to the window that showed the Cale Industries shipping schedule. There were no longer any passengerflights flying out of the Northwest, but commercial flights still ran. And Cale Industries ran air cargo planes filled with hoverdrone parts to Asia once every week or two.
He ran his hands over the wheels of the chair and let out a long, slow breath. He hadn't been on a regular flight since the shooting, let alone stowed away on a cargo plane. And being thrown into a car by Bronck's goons a few days ago had not added to his confidence.
Logan leaned forward on the desk, rubbing his eyes. The incident with Bronck and Matt had bruised his confidence as much as it had his body. Max had tried to reason with him that Matt had been as much a captive as Logan, despite full use of his legs, but Logan had still come out of the experience a bit shaken. He just wasn't sure he could do it himself anymore. Max and Bling had really come through for him. Perhaps, he needed help this time too.