A/N: This chapter contains scenes that are graphic in nature. In other words, there be smut here!!! This is a short filler chapter. There is much excitement coming in the few chapters and we will be meeting more X5s and Mantra graduates. My son send his regards to everyone who sent a review as he got to see the happy dance. And I like to say thank you for all the reviews!! I really appreciate all the feedback, and I am glad that there are so many people who enjoy this little story.

Chapter 10:...From Our Friends

Max woke violently aroused and more than a little confused. The room was darkened, but no light was necessary for the X5 to see, and what she saw stopped her heart beating in her chest. Logan was sprawled next to her, eyes fever bright, one hand casually splayed across her hip, the other making lazy circles around one of her nipples. She blinked, swallowed hard, and took in the fact that he was naked; every glorious inch of him was bare for her perusal.

Looking is good, but I'm sure you want to touch.

The thought slid through her, caressing already heightened nerves and causing heat to pool low in her belly.

She turned her body into his, pressing them together from chest to groin. The contact of his body against her's set her to trembling and had her desperate for him to be inside her. She watched in fascination as he lowered his head slowly until their lips were but a breath away.

I know your body wants this, but if you have any doubts, now would be the time to push me off this bed.

Max smiled, there was no way in hell she was pushing him off the bed, unless she was following him down to the floor. She pressed her lips to his in a slow, sultry kiss that belied the tempest that was roaring through her at the moment. She didn't know where she pulled the control to go slowly, to taste him, to savor the feel of his soft warm lips against her's.

He still tasted like that fine mellow wine, and it made her want to stay and drink forever from his mouth. He nibbled lightly on her bottom lip until she opened up for him and he plunged his tongue in to duel with her's. Max took in a deep shuddering breath and arched against him, his answering groan was sweet music to her ears. She felt him gather her in closer, his erection pulsing against her already damp curls. She knew if she shifted just right, he would slide deeply into her.

Not yet Max. I want to take my time and enjoy every inch of you. I want to taste you with my tongue, feel you with my hands.

She should have known that he could read her mind. His words sent small shivers up and down her spine, and his mouth was working a diligent path down her neck in sweet butterfly kisses. Max's breath shuddered in and out of lungs like a runaway freight train, and she damn near bucked off the bed when she felt his hot mouth suck in a hardened nipple.

Like that do you Max?

She could feel his chuckle racing through her mind as his mouth continued to suck, nip and caress her breast. He took his slow tortuous time making his way to the other breast to lavish the same mind numbing attention. Max had been gently caressing his shoulders and back, but when he bit down gently on her nipple, her hands turned to raking claws that had Logan arching his back and growling deep in his throat.

Damn Max, but I can't think with your hands on me.

The words were like a purr through her mind, and the combination of him caressing her body and talking to her at the same time was driving her insane. She wanted him now, she wanted him deep, hard and fast. And she was tired of waiting. Max used her enhanced strength flipping Logan onto his back, pinning his arms above his head and straddling his hips. She shifted a little until he was pressed firmly against her entrance, the heat of her making his eyes go black and his hips thrust forward.

Have you done this before Max?

The question was gently asked, moving through her mind like gossamer, yet it still had the strength to startle her. Max released her hold on his wrist enough that Logan slipped his hands free, trailing them light up and down her rib cage. He splayed his hands wide across the small of her back forcing her down against his chest.

I don't wish to cause you any pain. I don't care if anyone came before me, cause none will come after.

Max looked deeply into his gorgeous blue eyes, and felt something in her chest loosen. She wasn't sure what it was, at the moment she really didn't care, but it touched her none the less. She wasn't embarrassed that she wasn't coming to him pure, she never had a chance for something like to worry her in her life, but that he treasured her enough to ask, made her giddy with pleasure.

Max kissed him deeply holding back none of the emotion that was so foreign to a X5. His answering kiss was as much a pledge as a desire to match her in emotions. She shifted her hips a little, and brought him slowly, inch by glorious inch into her. She stretched to take all of him in, and he filled her unlike any before him. Max wasn't aware at first that this was more than the act of fulfilling an aching desire. She wasn't use to feelings being involved in sex, she wasn't aware that there could be more to it than just simple fulfilment. She was learning differently right now.

For all their frenzied hurrying to get to this point, both of them wanted to go slow, wanted to savor the feel of the other. But what had been done to them took the moment to rear it's ugly head, and had Logan flipping her over onto her back, so that he could answer the tempest that roared through his blood. He pounded into her, chasing after the all encompassing need to posses her, and answering thrusts only managed to spurn him on.

He felt the small tremors that wracked her body turn to violent shaking as she quickly approached orgasm. He heard her all but panting his name over and over, and the tightening of her around his shaft managed to drive the breath from his lungs. But he didn't need air to talk, he had his mind for that.

So you like the way I feel, do you Max. Like how wet I make, how you tremble in my arms.

His voice slid through her, deep inside where the tension had built so that she wanted to let go and fly apart, but she was afraid. She'd never lost control like that, and she wasn't sure she could come back if she just let go. Max felt him sliding through her, stroking her with his length, his hands braced to keep his weight off of her. He leaned down to take one nipple deep into his mouth, sucking hard, pushing her over the edge.

That's right darling, give me everything you've got. Don't ever hold anything back. Say my name Max, I want to hear you say my name.

"Logan!" It came out as a hoarse cry as she crashed into a feeling of euphoria , sensation pounding through her as wave after wave claimed her.

Logan bucked against her, thrusting faster as Max screamed out his name, clenching violently around his penis. After only a few more thrust he couldn't hold back any longer, and felt his own orgasm rip from somewhere near his toes and slamming through him until his vision went nearly black. He was rendered speechless, both physically and telepathically as his mind went blank, his body went limp and he crashed back to earth.

He had enough where with all to fall onto his side, dragging Max with him to cradle her in his arms. He didn't know what the 20 had done to them, not really, but he wouldn't be complaining any time soon. It took several minutes, but his breathing finally returned normal, even if his vision was still a little blurry.

"Are you alright?" He asked Max, concerned that he had pushed her too far. She was still healing from her wounds, and he hoped that he hadn't hurt her.

"Be quiet," she rasped. "I've died, and I'd like to enjoy it in peace."

Logan chuckled lightly and squeezed her gently. She sure as hell knew how to stroke a man's ego. Max allowed herself to succumb to his embrace, thrilled that for the moment the overwhelming desire to mate with this man was quiet. There was no clamoring need clawing at her belly, no blood roaring in her ears and no maddening need to tear his clothes off. Just a post coital bliss that she never experienced before, and one she'd be more than happy to do experience again.

"We need to do that again," she remarked hoping that he'd agree with her. She felt his body shake as he laughed and sputtered at the same time.

"Max, your priceless," he replied looking at her. "I'd be happy to give you a repeat performance, but it's going to have to wait. There are some things we need to attend to." Max looked at him quizzically as he sat up on the bed, grabbing a shirt and dragging it over his head.

"Are we going to finish talking?" She asked as he threw on a pair of dark pants, followed by socks and boots.

"No," he replied turning to look at her. "How do you feel?"

"I told you I was fine," she said starting to feel a little snappish.

"I mean do you feel up to a little recon," he said picking up on the pique in her tone. She looked absolutely adorable, sitting naked in the bed where he had just made love to her, the sheet pooling around her waist. Looking at her now, you'd never know she was a highly trained, genetically altered killing machine.

"What are you up to?" She asked a little wary.

"Your bosses, or jailors, depending on how you look at," he said coming to sit on the edge of the bed. "They have found out that they may have been a little hasty when they shut down Project Mantra. Now that they know that is was successful, they are planning on using the X5s to set up a trap. They desperately want to get their hands on us, they are also eager to start the last and final phase of this joint endeavor. That's not something I can let happen, and Zack agrees with me."

"Wait a minute," Max said pushing herself up. "You've talked to Zack? You didn't hurt him?"

"I'm sure he appreciates your concern, while I'm a little hurt that you have so little faith in me," Logan his eyes going a little hard.

"You are the one who stopped his heart," she replied with a wry smile.

"I asked him nicely the first time not to touch you," he said in his defense. "Not my fault he's a little hard headed and needed to understand that I was serious. But that's all behind us now, and we have a much better understanding."

"I'm glad you boys have decided to play nicely," she said sarcastically.

"As long as he realizes I don't share what's mine, then were good," Logan replied with a meaningful look at her. Max rolled her eyes, and decided they could shelve this particular argument for some other time.

"So what is it you and boy wonder have decided needs to be done?"

"You're not going to like some of this," he responds bracing for an argument.

"Try me," Max replied leaning back against the pillows.

"The X5s currently at Manticore are on lock down," he starts. Max's eyes go wide, but before she can say anything, Logan holds up a hand to forestall her. "There's nothing we can do right now to help them. We need to apprise the X5s outside those gates of the situation, get to Ben, regroup in an undisclosed location and come up with a plan to take own Manticore. Nothing less will ensure our safety of freedom. The alternatives are unacceptable."

"We can't just leave them there!" Max exclaimed. "If there in danger we need to help them."

"Max, we are the ones currently in danger, as are your brother and sisters outside my gates," he explained hoping she would hear him out. "Right now Lydecker is being given orders to abandon all current orders and return the X5s currently under his command to Manticore. He'll balk at first, but the leave him no choice, telling him that all the X5s are in danger and the only way to protect them is to bring them in house."

"We have a limited window to work with. If Lydecker figures out that you and Zack are here in the care of Logan Cale, he may relay that information to his superiors. They now know who and what I am. They'll order him to use the X5s to try and take this place down, casualties won't concern them as long as they get just one of us alive."

"What do you propose we do?" She asked beginning to understand that he was not only worried about protecting his friends, but her nd her siblings as well.

"We have to neutralize Lydecker and the other handlers," he said standing to pace the small confines of the room.

"You're going to kill them?" Max asked in horror.

"I find that amusing that both you and Zack felt horror at that," Logan said stopping to look at her curiously.

"We've known them our whole lives," she said hoping to convey the feelings that they all felt. Her unit had always been under the watchful eye of Lydecker, and even though he often pushed them too hard, they all knew it was because he was training them to survive, to come back home.

"Zack pretty much said the same thing," he said stopping at the foot of her bed. "So because of that, we won't kill them. Killing has never been acceptable to us anyway, just a last resort when all else fails."

"Ok, so we do this without killing anyone. I can accept that," she said.

"We'll need to strike fast, but that also means that you and Zack are going to need to talk fast, or we'll bee fighting X5s. Let's just say, been there, done that," he said coming back to sit on the bed.

"Then let Zack and I go out alone," Max suggested. Logan began to shake his head, the thought of her leaving his side unacceptable. "They listen to us. Right now I'm sure you are not high on their list of people they want to get to know better."

"Max, don't ask me to stay in here while you go out there to convince 7 hard headed X5s to follow you back inside," he all but pleaded.

"Logan, you have to trust me," she said placing her hand on his cheek. "They're my brothers and sisters, I know what to say to them. I know were pressed for time, but they'll be more inclined to listen if we're the ones doing the talking."

"She's right," Amanda said from the doorway. She came into the room carrying a set of clothes and placing them on the bed by Max.

"The lab in Seattle has been breached," she said glancing meaningfully at Logan, while Max scrambled into the clothes.

"Are...did they..," Logan stammered his mind reeling from the possible implications.

"It was a near thing," Amanda said. "They've gone to ground and were able to dump the information before they fled."

"We need to move fast. We're running out of time," he said pacing and running his hands through his hair. "Max, I'll agree to let you and Zack deal with the X5s. We'll disable the handlers and let you out the gates."

"It's better this way Logan," she said coming to stand in front of him.

She reached up and took his face into her hands, bringing him down for a long deep kiss. Max looked over at the door, and saw Zack standing there, an inscrutable expression on his face. She refused to be intimidated by that look, or feel guilty about anything that happened between her and Logan. Some one had changed the rules on them, and they all needed to get on the same page.

"Let's get this part done, so we can move onto the next," Amanda said slipping from the room, Max following her out.

The two men stood staring at one another. Logan decided not to delve into Zack's mind to find out what had passed between him and Delilah, it wasn't his right to know, just as Zack had not right to know what had passed between him and Max.

"We'll be quick," Zack promised him. "Take care of the handlers for us, we'll get the X5s in here."

"You'll watch out for her," Logan said not quite wanting to ask.

"She doesn't need anyone to look out for her, but I will any way," Zack said turning to leave. "She's important to both of us."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Logan mumbled as he turned to follow Zack down the hall.

A/N: Almost makes me wonder who was Max's first? She's not telling me, and I really don't think that's fair. Please hit that review button and let me know what you think!!