Title: Poulet Chez Cale
Name: Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
Rating: PG 13
A/N: This is the response to a challenge I received from Rachel/ LitBit.
What would have happened if Zach hadn't interrupted Max & Logan's date?
Blue are Logan's thoughts. Purple are Max's thoughts.
A/N 2: Thanks to all those who corrected my spelling of chicken in French.
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Max and Logan sat uncomfortably in the penthouse, each thinking of the words of their dear friends about the evening. She was engulfed in Cindy's words about them getting busy and he couldn't shake Bling's 'the gun is loaded' comment. Anxiety was high, as they each put too much pressure on themselves. "So," they said in unison. Deep breathes and sips of wine, until once again in unison, "So."
/Saved by the timer. /
Logan thought as he headed to the kitchen, only to discover he hadn't turned on the oven. "Oh no!" /I have never forgotten to turn on the oven… Bling, I'm going to kill you the next time I see you! /Max walked into the kitchen to stare at the chicken with him, very uncooked. "Chicken Tar-tar?" she said with a laugh. Tension began to melt away, as they both laugh hardly. /I wonder what got into him that he forgot to turn on the oven? /
"That's so wrong," he said with a laugh. /At least she's not mad or just sitting anymore… Why did I let myself get so wound up over this dinner? / Max met his gaze with a genuine smile that made her face light up. Logan felt the smile through out his being. /Oh yeah, that's why! /
"Turn on the oven," she commented.
"Oh… right…" he said playfully. "Well, what should we do? I can fix something else, that will take less time and we can have this tomorrow? Do you mind waiting?" /Oh, come on Max. I know you have a large appetite and you get cranky if you don't eat… I don't know if I can go through another day of anxiety… One of these days I will move past the emotional maturity of a twenty-year-old. /
"Nay… I was looking forward to the chicken. You got anything I can nibble on?" she asked. /That sort of sounded like a come on didn't? Did I mean it? From the look on his face, I think he's hoping so. That definitely looks like desire in his eyes. /
/Wow… She meant food, not me… OK, so I did want it to be me. Is that so wrong? /
"Uh… I think I have some… Wait, I have mash potatoes for dinner. You really like my mash potatoes, right?""Yeah… I'll eat some to tide me over… till dinner," she said. / OK, why was that sentence hard to say? It was potatoes. I love his potatoes. Tide me over and then pause… Oh, God that sounds like I wasn't thinking about dinner… Was I thinking about dinner? /
Max ate some potatoes to fill her stomach until the chicken was ready- at least in theory. Logan just watched and for some strange reason she let him look at her openly, wantonly. He watched each bite brought up to her mouth, be lightly deposited and enjoyed. With each swallow, he wanted into her mouth more and more. He finally shook it off, knowing that it wasn't the best thing to be fantasying about kissing her passionately while she was sitting next to him, that would only lead to confusion.
He got up to pour them both some more wine, having found his glass empty. Pensively, he stared at the kitchen floor. /What's up with him now? For a while there, I thought he was going to make a move. / "Hey, Logan. What could possibly prompt you not to turn on your oven for dinner?" she asked. /OK so I'm fishing. I don't care. I want to know… Wait his cheeks are turning pink. Maybe I hit something? / "What? A lady friend distracting you from a culinary miracle?" /Wait he is turning redder? It's a woman… I didn't want to know that…/
/My cheeks are burning. I know I'm bright red… Why does she look so disappointed? Wait… Maybe… Oh just say it idiot. /
"Max, you're the only 'lady friend' I have in my life." /That's a definite smile. She likes that… Ok, my heart can stop racing now. /"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Max asked. /Let's see if he has the guts to answer that one? /
/She wants me to squirm… I won't give her the satisfaction. /
"It's a good thing," Logan answered confidently."Then why did you blush?" she looked at him quizzically.
/OK. Now she isn't trying to make me squirm, but I am… Just tell her the truth. So far you have always been amply rewarded for your confessions…/
"Well, Bling made a big deal about dinner tonight, so you were the lady friend that distracted me…" /Ok, I said it out loud. What reaction will that get me? Nothing… She's not reacting at all. // Bling is giving him a hard time about us. Wait, there is no us. Now, I'm confused. Original Cindy and Kendra think we're an us & so does Bling. /
"I understand; Original Cindy gave me the same static before I left."/Static? She thinks it's static… Wait, don't I think of it the same way…? Hold on- Cindy thinks we're a couple! That's got to be a good thing. /
"Really?" he asks."Really… So, it's a good thing I'm your only lady friend?" she asked. /So I'm fishing again… He never talks this much about himself. What wine are we drinking? That's the only explanation. /
/Why is Max so curious about the 'lady friend' thing? Does she actually need affirmation? Maybe I'm better at hiding my feelings then I thought… Then again I've said some pretty moronic things to her since we met. /
"Yeah, it's a good thing. Being in a wheel chair did a great job in decreasing the flake population in my near vicinity… I swear, there is something seriously wrong with me," Logan said running his hands over his face and into his hair."Why do you think that?" Max asked. /Where did that come from? /
/Do I really want to get into this with her? Why am I being so open? It's got to be the wine. Mental note- never serve it again. /
"Max, you've met my two serious relations. It's almost a joke. One is a lesbian now, which unfortunately I'm a man, therefore, I have a bruised ego. Like why didn't I know that? Then there's Valerie, all I can say is thank you for watching my back or whatever it was that prompted you to check her out."/Nice job not identifying the emotion as jealousy Logan! That earns you some points. But not enough to get around the obvious next statement…/
"So, I'm confused. What do the two of them have to do with me?"/I set myself up for that one, didn't I? I think this topic will be dodged as best I can for the time being…/
"Well, come on Max. You're not like them, thus being why it is good you're my only lady friend." / Ok, did I pull that off? I can't tell yet. Will she let it die there? /Max gazed at him trying to decide whether to let him off the hook. She decided to turn the conversation elsewhere for the time being. "What was the all mighty Eyes Only like at Yale?" she asked pointedly, causing Logan to nearly swallow his tongue.
/Deciding to change routes on me, huh? I can handle this. /
"Why are you asking?""Curiosity. You never talk about yourself. You've been doing a good job at it, so I was hoping to keep you going," Max responded. /Deflection will not help you this time. /
"I thought you didn't like the sound of my voice," he said, knowing it would confuse her greatly.
"When did I say that?" she countered.
"You implied I talked to much that first night I met you at Crash…" /Get her concentrating on something else and maybe I can get out of this…/
/That was lame Logan! /
"I asked if you liked to hear yourself talk. I never stated an opinion on your voice, but for the record, I do like the sound of your voice. Now with that marvelous voice, I'd like to hear what you were like in college," she said with great seriousness./OK I got a complement out of that one… Just give her what she wants. /
"I was a flake. I was no better the blueblood crowd I ran with… Maybe that's why I push so hard to make the world better. I took a lot for granted."/His face just got all sullen. He doesn't want to think about it. Why? /
"I thought for sure you were going to tell me you were a player.""More like a cad," he said gritting his teeth in self-loathing. Max wrinkled her head with concern. She reached out her hand to lay on top of his as he looked down. "Truth is, I envy you Max."
"Why?"
"You have this balance between child like innocence and strong will. I just muddle it up, coming across as pretentious or naïve," Logan said, still degrading himself internally.
Max did lay her hand on top of his at that point, saying, "I know no one else who truly wants to save the world from corruption. I think that's pretty noble." /He looks so hurt or hard. I don't understand the source of that pain… He doesn't ever show me. /
"I had it easy… God, I look at my life, even the things that I said when we were at my cousin's wedding. I make myself sick sometimes… It's like, why do I want to be around those people at all? It only serves to resurface some of my least admirable qualities," he said gritting his teeth again taking a large swig of wine.
Max's face softened, trying to figure out how this had gotten so out of control. "Logan, what are you talking about? That night, you delivered your speech, served as the best man, dealt with an ex, saved a priceless American treasure, and got a killer brought to justice."
"Yes, and I also was a jerk to you, leaving you to suck up to my ex to find out why she dumped me. I even made some stupid comment about some dress that she had mentioned being hard to take off… I mean, I'm not like that anymore and I don't want to be, so why the hell did I say it? The truth is, you did the saving and most of the hard stuff and I had the gall to ride your ass about it. I don't know… I guess I don't see anything very noble about myself." /Where did all that come from and why did I say it out loud? She's going to think I'm psychotic. She is looking at me with such care… How long have we been holding hands? Jeez, I'm so self absorbed I didn't even notice she had entwined her fingers with mine. Her eyes are so deep. She seems to be looking into my soul… I can't stop her; she isn't looking away. My heart is racing…/
/My heart is racing… He's never opened up to me like that before. I never would have thought he sees as many flaws in himself as I do in myself. He struggles with that same self-hatred of imperfection… It's almost funny. We seemed tethered to each other now… When did I entwine my fingers with his? I don't want to let go. He's not letting go either. Take a deep breath Max. /
She squeezed his hand to get him to look at her, "I think you definitely have the prince charming thing working for ya… Sorry, that was cheesy." She smiled at him, which he smiled in returned."But it did successfully make me feel better…" He looked at her deeply. /She is so beautiful, it takes my breath away… Prince Charming? Maybe spilling my guts wasn't a bad thing after all. She is still holding my hand. /
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she said nearly blushing at the intensity of his gaze.
"I was just thinking how beautiful you are," he said, softening his eyes. His throat became dry as his stomach began to turn over in excitement.
/I wonder if he knows what he does to me when he says things like that? I don't like feeling girly, but it is amazing to feel every inch of my skin when he looks at me like that or tells me I'm beautiful. /
"Well that may have been true the night of the wedding, but I just plain old Max tonight," she said trying somehow to remove the weight in his statement./ She can't possibly believe that? Plain old Max? /
"Max, you're always beautiful. Your beauty is a fact, like the year that the pulse hit. It's not about what you look like, but who you are. You were beautiful the night you were caked in mud…" he paused for a moment noticing her cheeks reddening. / All right moron! You've gone this far… You've been meaning to apologize for real about that night for a while. Just do it. / His eyes dropped slightly as he licked his lips and tried to swallow so he could get the words out, "I don't think I every really apologized properly for that night… I mean, I apologized for putting you in danger, but not for really messing up a nice dinner you had for me."/OK, what's up? He is complimenting my beauty and doesn't give me a chance to refute it by going head long into an apology for something that happened a few weeks ago… He's been thinking about this… Let him talk, this might get good. /
"Max, you still with me?"
"Yeah, sorry. Just thinking."
"About what?" he asked.
"Don't worry about it… You were saying," she commented.
/Ok, what was she thinking about? Well, she wants you to continue- so continue. /
"I guess, the real apology I owe you is for not really acknowledging you went way out of your way to do something nice for me, something I know wasn't easy for you.""Logan, its OK. We made the meal at your place."
"Yeah, that's the point. That was easy for me. I do that a lot, make things easy for myself… That period of time was…well, intimidating…for me… You sacrificed so much…" /Just say the words idiot! / "It scared me," he said casting his eyes down.
/I'm really under his skin. He did get it. He's going to stay like this if you don't hurry up and change the subject or lighten the mood or something. *Smirk. I know what I'll do…/
"I have an idea for something we can do while we wait for the food and it won't be easy for either of us," she said with a cocked-eyed look. "We'll dance. I've never done any formal dancing and I know you're all worried about your legs, so we are at the same level of discomfort.""So, why are we doing it?" /Why'd you say that moron? It's an opportunity to told Max in your arms. Don't screw it up! /
/I know he wants to. I can see him mentally berating himself for saying anything. Should I make him squirm? Oh, yeah! /
Max pouted and then said, "Well if you really don't want to…"/Oh she's pouting. I just want to catch that lip… Her mouth…/
He pulls her to himself and looks at her deeply, "I'll never turn down the chance to hold you close to me." /Did I just say that? //Did he just say that? Omigod… I think… Maybe… He's coming closer…/
He let go of Max's hand and walked away. The confusion and frustration mounted on her face. /Where's he going? / Logan went to the CD player and put on some soft classical music, then returned to Max, who had sat down on the side of the couch. He placed his hand at the small of her back; she shuddered at the touch. /Oh please, don't let him notice I did that. //She just shivered at my touch… Wow. Maybe she does have feelings for me? Why else would she quiver… Just take her hand and lead her round the room… Dancing isn't that hard… This is amazing; I want to hold her like this always. /
Logan shut his eyes and let his body move rhythmically around the room. They didn't speak at first, not wanting to ruin the moment. Max closed the gap between their bodies. There was only a whisper between them. Hormones and body heat began to wrap around her brain, as she instinctively laid her head on his shoulder. He moved his hand from the small of her back to all the way around her waist. If anyone had seen them, there would have been no question of feelings. / I have wanted to hold her this way since the dream I had in the hospital. I can't believe this is real. Nothing can possibly feel better than this. //I fit perfectly in his arms. Why haven't I been here before? I guess I came close this morning. I have been waiting for this since that dream I had when I gave Logan the transfusion. I always wondered what it would be like in real life. Nothing can possibly feel better then this… I want to see his eyes. I want to see if there is the possibility in his eyes, before I totally succumb to the feelings in my chest…/
Max brought her head back a little to look at Logan, who opened his eyes as she pulled away slightly. Their eyes met with curiosity and fear.As the seconds ticked by, neither noticed a new song had begun. They changed tempo on instinct. His eyes became soft and darker somehow. They darted from her eyes to her mouth and back again. Her eyes followed suite, but became fixated on his mouth. She tilted her head to the right a little and moved closer to Logan, looking into his eyes again. She heard his heart beat faster. /He wants this…/
/She wants to… I can't believe…/
His eyes stared into hers as he tilted his head to meet hers. The pouty lips that he dreamt about at night were so close. His heart was pounding so fast he could hear it in his head. The first brush of their lips was gently and brief. Max let go of his hand and brought it up to the back of his neck. They kissed again, holding each other close, enjoying the sensations. Lips met lips over and over in the form of little nibbles and slight pressure. /I was wrong; this is a much better feeling. Why haven't we done this before? Ruin a nice friendship? Who am I kidding? /Logan ran his hands over her back enjoying the feeling of touching her and having it be welcome. The flare to her waist and her size was fascinating to his hands. /She can't weigh more than a hundred pounds. I bet I could reach all the way around her with both hands. /
She began to relish in the feeling of his strong body against hers, so solid and stable. His hands were actively caressing her back hovering close to her rear, but never venturing below the waistband of her jeans. She played with the hairs at the back of his head concentrating on trying to make him shudder. She scratched her nails up the nape of his neck. /Success. He shivered all over… I liked that. I had to affect him the same as he affected me… It's not fair otherwise. /
Having gotten what she desired, Max opened her lips slightly on their next kiss, which took Logan a millisecond to respond to. His tongue slid along hers, caressing much in the way his hands were. He gently moved his hands to frame her face. /I was wrong; nothing could feel better than this… Why haven't we done this before? We're not like that, my ass. I wonder how long we're going to…/
/Oh, I don't ever want to let go. I wonder when we're going to have to…/
At the end of both their thoughts, the buzzer for the over went off. "Never mind that. It can wait," he said against her mouth, not wanting to stop.
"Hey! I got that for you special…" she said, brushing her lips against his. "I've been waiting for that for a long time. I don't want it ruined."
With an annoyed look, Logan grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into the kitchen. With one hand he got the food out of the oven, then turned back to her mouth, "I have been waiting a long time to do this & I don't want this ruined." With that he returned to kissing her lips.
/I'm going to have to have fun with him. /
"I'm hungry," She said in between kissing. "We can continue after dinner.""Forgive me for being suspicious of you letting us continue after dinner," he stated clearly.
"Why would you think I wouldn't?" she asked with a genuine confusion.
"Well, last time we kissed, you denied it meant anything!"
"So did you!"
"I lied!" he said with enthusiasm against her lips.
"So did I!"
Their passion, from months of denial, came to the surface in seconds. Starvation for each other is the only way the scene could be described. The gentleness that had punctuated their kisses in the living room were replaced with mouths devouring one another and hands roaming freely over each other's bodies. A few minutes of seriously heavy petting lead to weak knees and lack of oxygen. Their embrace was broken to gain stability and air.
Logan was wise enough to lay his head on hers and hold her to him rather then to continue on the path they had started. /I have to… stop for now. If not… I'll be thinking entirely… with my smaller head. Breathe, just breathe. There is food that can be eaten as a distraction. / "As much as I love this, why don't we eat," Logan managed, trying to steady his heart.
/Why did we stop? We were…connecting. /
Max's face revealed her disappointment. To date, Logan could not think of a thing he liked better, then her pouting that they weren't going to continue making out. "We can re-heat the food," she offered."Yes, we could. However, I know where I was headed and I respect & care about you too much to let things go that fast." /Dear God, I never thought I would have to say those words out loud. /
"I thought you wanted to go fast," she said pressing her body to his again, biting his bottom lip. /If I tease him enough, he'll cave. He is a guy after all. /
/Oh, she is evil. I'm trying so hard to be good here… She wants to… No. If we do, she'll be gone in the morning. You know that! /
"Max," he started with, removing her hands from his chest but still holding them, "Desire is one thing. Feelings are another… I couldn't handle it if I woke up alone tomorrow… You mean to much to me to lose you, by me becoming a mistake in your history." He paused and stroked her cheek with one hand, "You might you find you like taking things slower. Plus, it gives me a chance to do all the dorky things like get you flowers and… what was it? Oh yes, jewelry.""I don't wear jewelry…" she said, knowing very well what he was making reference to. /He wants to do the boyfriend thing…/
"You said you were open to the idea…" he said with a smirk. /I think there is acceptance in her eyes. She going to let me do the boyfriend thing…I didn't think tonight would turn out like this. /
"Well, now I'm starving, so let's eat," Max said turning around to get the silverware. Logan smiled and got the plates and food. Several laughs and giggles rose over the meal, which was exquisite. The enjoyed a quiet dinner with him being childish playing footsy under the table. Max retaliated with running her foot all the way up his leg. When dinner was done, he attacked her from behind. A tickle war ensued that traveled from the kitchen to the living room and soon became a pillow fight as well.
Logan pinned Max to the sofa and she counter attacked pushing him over. In a few seconds, the playful air bled away, and the intimate kissing began again. Her body lay over his entirely, pressing down on him. It was very hard for him not to be aroused by the situation. /I have to sit back up or I'm a goner. I won't be able to control myself much longer…too much for one evening. /
/I have to let him up or his eyes are going to pop out of his head… Is he? Yeah, I'm way to close to him, if I can tell he is turned on hard core. Poor choice of words… Here we go, leaning up and away. /
"That was fun," she said with a smile."Yeah," he said looking at her wistfully. Then a pained look came over his face, "Max, can I… Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Tomorrow?"
Max wrinkled her forehead, "That's not a question."
"What happens tomorrow? Will tonight not have happened? What if I end up back in the chair, will that change things?" Logan's heart weighed heavily on him. /I feel so weak and dumb, having to have her reassure me… But, I need to know. /
/He looks so lost. I can't blame him for asking. Its not like I haven't waffled around with my feelings… Should he be worried? Will I flake on him? /
"If you end up back in the chair, we'll work on it till you're out & needing no assistance at all. That'll never be an issue. You were way too cocky before- I like the 'patience in all things' boy. As for tomorrow, I'm sure I'll have some… set back, but…" /Oh, just tell him about the wedding. It will make him feel better. / "I think this will put your mind to rest. At your cousins wedding, I told Original Cindy to keep an eye on your ex. She knew she was supposed to keep the two of you apart… That was a couple weeks ago… before anything happened tonight. I think it is fair to say I might try to hide some tomorrow… but I won't go far," she said with a weak smile./It took a lot for her to say she's been interested before tonight… But I have a hard time believing…/
"You really sent Cindy to run interference?" he asked suspiciously."Yeah."
Logan got a boyish grin on his face, "I feel special… It's late."
"Yeah… I don't feel like dealing with the Sector police," she said as they walked to the door to say goodnight. "I'll come by tomorrow after work…" /I can do that. No big deal. /
"I'd like that. Goodnight."
"Goodnight…" Max said, as they kissed lightly. The kiss began to become more passionate, each pulling away out of breathe. "Goodnight," she said as she walked out the door, shutting it behind her. When she reached the hall, Max let out a long sigh and leaned back. She let the door hold her weight and slid to the floor. /I really don't want to go home… My baby will take me to the Space Needle…to calm myself. /
"MAX!" Logan called through the door.
"Yeah!"
"Are you leaning on the door?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Laughter came from the other side, "Because I'm doing the same thing." She heard shuffling and then she was falling backward. Logan caught her, kissing her upside down. "I don't want you to go either…" /We could play chess or dance some more… but I'm not ready for tonight to be over. /
"That is probably the best reason for me to leave now… I have a date with the top of the Space Needle, otherwise Cindy is going to have me up all night doing girl talk," Max responded.
"Can I come?" he asked quietly. /I hate heights…/
"You hate heights?"
"I know, but I'd be with you."
/Oh, he's gonna make this hard. /
"Another night… I need to go," she said standing up and heading for the elevator. She turned around only to have Logan lean in to kiss her again. After one quick kiss, she pushed him out and closed the doors. "Goodnight, Logan!" she called./Just breathe. There's always tomorrow. /
/Just breathe. There's always tomorrow. /