Title: To Be Believed In
Author: Anna V.
Pairing: Max/Logan
Summery: AU. Logan never expected to fall for his student. Max never expected to fall for her teacher. Crazy idea of mine that finally took some shape.
A/N: I'm trying to do this to the best of my writing abilities, so forgive me if some parts don't seem believable. Things will get explained in the next few chapters but it's nothing completely AU. Max is still running from Manticore. Logan isn't Eyes Only yet. I don't want to give too much away but I've change Max a little. She still wants nothing to do with becoming an individual but she wants to be normal as possible, and like any 18 year old, she goes to school. Please go with it.

One - A Night In Heat

Divorce wasn't something that he imagined occurring in his life. A part of him still loved his ex, and a part of him never did. He was confused on how he could love a woman who would break his heart in the end. The apologizes wouldn't stop coming his way. I'm so sorry, she would say. Every time another sorry was said, another crack in his heart began to show.

He wanted to forget about Valerie Cale, or the soon to be Ex-Valerie Cale. He wouldn't drink away the redhead that kept appearing on his doorstep begging forgiveness. That would be Valerie's forte. Instead, he searched for a woman he could set his eyes on. A pretty thing that would get her immediately out of his mind and allow him to start fresh.

When he entered the bar he felt like a sleaze. He knew what he was doing wasn't any better than picking up a hooker off the street. But he was still propelled through that door by the memory of his wife sleeping in his bed with another man. He told himself not to wait that long. If he couldn't find someone who was as equally attracted to him, he would go home.

But, the fates had something else planned for Logan Cale than a night of solitude.

He set his eyes on an angel. Her lovely smile kept the men flocking to her but it was those brown eyes that mystified him. As soon as Logan's heart stopped at the gorgeous sight of his lovely angel, her chocolate eyes met his. She immediately dismissed them and sauntered over. Logan watched as her hips swayed provocatively before she licked her full lips to entice him. Every seducing movement she made, he fell ten times under her spell.

The black curls fell back from her rosy, round face when she looked up at him. Just that lick of her tongue on those plump lips sent him over the edge.

"Wanna get out of here?" She leaned up and began to breath deeply on the stubble of his neck. Logan shivered at her hot breath and thank God for making a girl that beautiful and just happened be at that bar. The heavens must have been shining on him suddenly. All he could do is smile down at her with a boyish grin and comply with anything she wanted.

"I'll take you to my apartment." Logan automatically offered. She purred at his offer. God, she purred. Logan could barely wait after that. He lowered his head and took those teasing lips she kept licking and slid his tongue between them. Like heaven, Logan thought. She was like an angel. Just by kissing her, the girl automatically pressed her body against him. Logan moaned before his arms automatically came to his hips and encouraged the dark angel to press just a little more.

He parted from her lips. "You should be careful, I could be that murderer on the loose." Logan teased her as his hands began to caress the curve of her hip.

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." She flirted back. Her hands lifted up his shirt and began to scratch at his warm skin. "Your apartment." She reminded with a sassy smile. Logan automatically led her out of the bar, thankful he didn't have to stay long in that disgusting building. He wondered why such a beautiful girl would be in such a sleazy bar. Of course, the girl was all over him, but Logan wasn't complaining. In fact, he was encouraging her.

The girl hardly made it possible for him to drive. She teased him with her tongue and tickled his ear with her breath. She was amazing, nothing of the modest and insecure women he had met around the social circles of Seattle elite. When they made it to his apartment she hardly remarked about his wealth. She didn't care that he lived in the high-rise section, or that he owned the penthouse, or equally loaded in the bank. Instead, all she cared about was how fast he was going to take off her jeans.

As his apartment door closed, she immediately pounced on him and wrapped her legs around his waist. He did the best to keep her up until he pressed her against the wall. He kissed her neck, moving her hair out of the way he began to nip at her lovely skin. His eyes saw the mark on the back of her neck.

A barcode.

Nothing connected in his head yet, not when she was pressing against him so cunningly. All Logan wanted to do was to thank her for being there, choosing him, and making him feel this wanted again.

Logan managed to push her into the bedroom and they both landed on the mattress with a thud. He laughed as the lamp fell on the floor, but no laughter came from the girl. Instead, she ripped off her shirt and threw it across the room. Logan went wild when all he saw was the little black bra that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Absolutely nothing.

Logan began to question her when she literally ripped off his shirt. She was animalistic and dangerous, and he loved it. Still, something wasn't right. That dark mystery around her concerned him. But, the question automatically flew out of his head as fast as she got his pants off. Who ever she was, she was good.

"What's you name?" Logan asked breathlessly as the girl's lips began to turn blue from all the kisses and nips at his skin. He cupped her face as she threw back her head, elongating her lovely neck and the curves of her chest.

"Max. My name's Max."

Logan smiled before his lips. His angel had a name.

They looked at each other and for a short moment, Max was taken out of her heat-crazed frenzy. Her black eyes looked up at his and knew there was a moment of control. She could say yes or no, he wouldn't care. All he wanted was her, and she wanted that the most. She would remember that very moment for the rest of her life.

In that moment, Manticore lost. She found herself in another man's eyes and not her own self-loathing reflection. For once, she felt something different than a killer, a whore, or a soldier. She felt accepted.

She told herself it would be good if she left. However, she stayed.

Not because she was a victim of her genes, but because she wanted to.

-----------------------

"Logan, you saved my ass." Andrew told him. "You won't regret it, Logan, I promise. I'll find some way to make it up to you."

"No need. I'm happy to help." Logan said groggily before he massaged his shoulder. Andrew looked up at his good friend from Yale and smiled like he was nineteen-year-old fraternity brother.

"Hungover."

"I wish." Logan replied. He wasn't hungover, but he still felt like he was hit by an oncoming train a night before. He remembered the dark beauty that seduced her way into his life. Valerie seemed a million miles away now. All he could think about was her. She affected him with those piercing dark eyes and the darkness that eluded her.

He still couldn't forget the sadness that he felt sleeping against her. Her sadness that had crept into his bones as she closed her eyes and allowed him to hold her. When he woke up, his angel was gone. The girl gave him his heart back. She made him feel again. If only she was still besides him to thank with breakfast.

"Midterms are coming up and if we go decrease even to a minus, we'll loose all funding. We need it, especially now that the Mayor has halved the education budget." Andrew explained as he escorted him down the hall of the reconstructed high school. It used to be a prep school before the pulse, but it had been shut down for nearly a decade before Andrew reopened it to the public district. Now families bribed their way to live in the district so their children could attend his school. "Everyone is still mourning Cynthia. I hope they get that guy soon."

Logan knew it was going to take the mayor's death before the Seattle police would get of their lazy bums and do anything about it. "I send my sympathies," Logan replied.

"Thanks." Andrew said gratefully. He automatically dismissed it, knowing he had a school to run. "I'll never find anyone as smart as you. I really think you can change these kids lives. It would only be for the rest of the year. Even shorter if I can find someone sooner."

"Okay, Andrew, enough with the flattery." Still, Logan was awkward about this situation. He had never been a teacher, nor would he ever consider being one. Freelance journalism was good to him as of lately. He had grown in contacts and reliable sources. He happened to uncover major city conspiracies. Still, he still didn't feel like he was making a huge difference. Maybe this was opportunity Logan had been waiting for.

"You're going to love your curriculum. It's basic government, political science 101. You're in charge of basic debate and current event study. This is where the real change happens for these kids." Andrew smiled proudly as he stood outside of the door. "You're ready?"

Logan shrugged. "More than I'll ever be."

When he entered the room he didn't realize what he was getting himself into. As Andrew introduced him, Logan looked upon each of the kids faces. They might have been younger than him, but they would soon be adults with the power to change the world if they believed they could. All he wanted to do was give them that encouragement.

But when he saw the dark, hollow eyes of his angel among the crowd, he nearly fainted. She looked as shock, pale, and frightened as he must have. The girl could have possible looked even lovelier in daylight, but her eyes remained the same sullen orbs he remembered them to be. She was like a porcelain doll, waiting to be played with and hoping to be loved.

If only he could have shown him how loved she really could be.

Than the realization hit him. She was only a girl. A girl.

And he was her teacher.

Please tell me if it's worth continuing. I might not finish it since, after all, it's a crazy idea.