Disclaimer: The characters belong to Mr Cameron and Mr Eglee. I borrowed them to write this fic. Please don't sue.

AN: My Project 21 Piece.

Dedication: To Jessica Alba for her 21st birthday. Thank you for bringing 'Dark Angel' to our screens wherever we are.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Today was a very, very bad day. Like a red letter day, only worse. You know what I mean if you were here. Valentine's Day. Ugh.

First of all, pink is not a colour, it is an abomination. And why on Earth would some guy give 'his girl' a prickly flower? I mean, come on! Actually, it's a perfect flower to use when you break up – you know, hurt yourself, your guy dumps you. Well, it worked in theory.

"Come on Boo," Original Cindy laughed. "Tell me you wouldn't be pleased if your man didn't walk in here with a bouquet of pink roses and told you how much he values you – as a friend, of course."

"Bite me," I retort. "Besides, Logan and I are just friends. And I hate the colour pink."

"Yeah Boo, yeah."

Anyway, so if it just being Valentine's Day isn't enough, I had to work at a messenger service, didn't I? Didn't I?

I cut my hands up on badly wrapped roses, I have paper cuts, God damn it, from cards and I had a sudden craving for chocolate after some melted in my backpack.

And I'm not even getting paid over time.

But, even I, a genetically engineered killing machine can appreiciate some things that happened today.

Sketchy came into work and talked Normal into getting someone to deliver this huge bunch of red roses around to Natalie for free (well, red is an improvement over pink!)

Anyway, after I finished cleaning the melted chocolate from my backpack, I went outside, where Herbal and Sketchy were tossing a package around and Normal was extremely red.

"What's that?" I asked, pulling on my backpack.

"Love letter to Normal," Original Cindy smirked.

"Please tell me that is some kind of joke…a love letter? To Normal?" I asked, incredulous.

"Hey boo, it's Valentine's Day – even a white ass republican white dude deserves something," she looked at me. "You are way too bitter for your age, girl."

"Have you got anything?" I demanded to know, snatching Normal's letter mid air and handing it back to him, waving off his thanks.

"Actually…" Original Cindy held up a card. "You know, old…"

"Yeah. I think I need to go and curl up in a ball," I said. "You, Sketchy, Herbal, Normal…I don't even want to think about what Kendra's up to…ugh, bad mental images." I made a face and turned away to get coffee.

"So, anyway Boo, you got any plans tonight?" Original Cindy followed me.

"Yeah – Logan invited me over for dinner," I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee.

"Ahhh," Original Cindy nodded knowingly. "Original Cindy thinks that your Boo has plans tonight."

"What? Logan and I aren't even like that," I glared at her. "I already told him what I thought of Valentine's Day in general. It's just two friends getting together for dinner."

"And what was that poem he wrote for you again?" Original Cindy asked. "Come on, remind me again?"

"Forever eyes. Dark. Somebody's Angel," I said, allowing a small smile.

"Aha! There is no doubt Boo – someone wrote that about you, it's obvious he's got it bad. And judging from your reaction, I'd say you do to," Original Cindy crossed her arms.

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, have you noticed that Normal hasn't been on our case today? It's like he doesn't care."

"Don't change the subject Boo," Original Cindy began.

"Sorry, but I need to blaze – gotta go home and change," I grinned.

"Whatcha going to do if Logan does expect a whole Valentine's Day deal?" Original Cindy retorted.

"I'm going to tell him that Manticore never celebrated holidays and I hate pink," I called back.

Oh my god. I hate Valentine's Day.

*~*~*~*~*~*

So, I'm late to dinner. After everything Original Cindy said, no wonder. I showered, I shaved and then I had to pick out an outfit and all.

Stress will end up killing me, you know.

So, anyway, I made it over to Logan's, only half an hour later. I had swiped a bottle of wine from one of those 'return to sender' packages that lie around Jam Pony waiting to be claimed.

The ride in the elevator was the most stressful ever experienced. Should I have got him something? I mean, we are best friends and all…

Tomorrow has never been so welcome.

I knocked on the door and sighed. It was going to be okay. All I had to do was act all Max and this dinner would be fine.

"Hey Max," Logan swung open the door and grinned at me.

"Hey Logan," I smiled at him and barged on in. Keep on smiling, Max. Just keep smiling.

"How was Jam Pony today?" Logan asked, as we walked into the kitchen. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief. No candle lit dinners or huge bouquets of pink roses.

I snorted with laughter. "Well, we delivered a ton of packages – but this afternoon, Normal found the love letter from his…friend and we didn't get anything else down for the rest of the day," I grinned. "Tomorrow I'll be working over time, getting all the left over Valentine Day gifts delivered."

"Fun," Logan laughed, stirring a pot on the stove.

"Yeah – it was nuts, all these wilting flowers, melting chocolates and crumpled cards. So, what are we having for dinner?"

"Pasta A La Cale with salad and garlic bread," Logan said. "But, unfortunately, I'm short on a bottle of wine…"

"Voila!" I said, brandishing the bottle with pride. "Max saves the day."

Logan blinks at the label. "Nice. I didn't think you knew much about wine?"

"I don't."

Dinner was excellent – Logan really does cook a bitchin' meal. We joked a lot and ended up playing chess with a plate of chocolate next to us.

"Check," I sighed, examining my nails.

"Darn," Logan examined his pieces and moved his knight.

"Check mate. That's…six games to me?" I asked, taking a chocolate.

"Five, actually," Logan chuckled. "Want anything to drink?"

"I'm good," I bit into the chocolate, the pink center oozing everywhere. An omen, I'm sure. But I love strawberry centred chocolates – but with the white or red centres. But I'll put up with pink this once.

Just as Logan stood up, the lights flickered and then switched off.

"These brownouts are a real pain in the ass," I sighed, standing up. "I'll get the candles." My eyes can see through the dark a lot better than a normal human, or Logan cause he wears glasses and all.

I find the box of candles and light a couple. We sit on the couch and gaze out the window. It's started raining again and the drops seem to shimmer on the glass like some sort of dream.

"Max?"

"Hmm?"

"Happy Un-Valentine's Day." He drops and envelope in my lap and stands up. "Coffee?"

"Please," I gaze at the envelope and open it. A card with a rose on it – and it's a white rose, not pink.

'To Max – I would rather spend one lifetime with you as my friend than a million lifetimes not knowing you. With Love from Logan.'

You know, Seattle never looked this good. Especially in the rain.

*~*~*~*~*~*