A special "Merry Christmas" goes to Griever11. I wrote this chapter for her. Thanks honey, for sending the perfect wishes. :-) I'm happy I can finally complete this story.
A/N:This is a response to the "Christmas At Christmas Challenge".
It's not absolutely necessary that you've read the whole story to read this chapter, but I promised to write some ML goodness (as Griever so accurately put it in her wish list) and having a Christmas Challenge seemed to be perfect to complete a Christmas story.
Things
Griever didn't want to see in her story:
1) Crying (for either
one of them)
2) Asha
Griever's wish list:
1)Sweet
fluffy ML goodness duh ... :P
- (I did my best … duh. :-P)
2) Presents
- (Yes.)
3) Logan's relatives... Margo would be cool (The Cales
are only shortly mentioned.)
4) Santa(Sorry,
no Santa ;-))
5) FOOD!
(Definitely.)
I'd like to say thank you again to Maria656, who helped me to make this a better story. Thanks for all the time and effort she spent to beta "Christmas Party". xx HUGS xx
And a special thanks to Shywr1ter for jumping in at the very last minute to beta this chapter because Maria had some problems with her Internet connection and wasn't sure she'd be able to send CP back in time. As this chapter had two betas now, (Shy and Maria) I hope there are no mistakes left (I just hope I didn't miss something). ;) You guys rock!
Hope you enjoy!
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11. Just A Beautiful Day, Part Two
… Seattle was still a broke city in a broke county, where corruption reigned and people lived in fear of authorities. But it was Christmas after all. A clever man once said that you have to seize any opportunity you can to celebrate in this short, brutal life, and that's exactly what the people were doing.
It was going to be a beautiful day. …
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December 25, rooftop of the building across from Fogle Tower
The town was dipped into darkness, and a chorus of bell ringing sounded from a church near the sector border at 7 p.m. sharp. The sound was deep and a bit nostalgic, spreading a festive atmosphere over this part of Seattle.
The lonely figure on the rooftop of one of Seattle's most attractive buildings stood motionless, her face set in a stony expression, arms folded protectively in front of her chest.
You can do it, she thought, not exactly convinced, right foot lifting from its soldier-like stand, trying to dig its tip into the solid concrete. Max's pupils widened as her glance was drawn to the windows of a certain penthouse apartment. The flickering candle-light seemed to lure her in, and oddly enough it created a lump in her throat at the same time.
Coward,she thought, sinking her front teeth deep into her bottom lip.
Seconds ticked by. And the mass of butterflies that seemed to fight inside of her stomach grew into an army. She knew she was already late. And somehow imagining Logan, his glance wandering with growing concern to his kitchen clock, did nothing to reduce her anxiety. He's waiting, she inwardly kicked herself but nevertheless remained rooted to the spot, unable to move.
It's just dinner, she rolled her eyes at herself. We have dinner all the time, and he promised not to overdo this Christmas thing.
Her fingers loosened their iron grip around her upper arms, and Max put her right hand into her pocket, where she found a small wrapped package that dug its edges into the soft material of her jacket.
No presents had been one of her adamant conditions as Logan had invited her for Christmas dinner. Her demand had been followed by Logan's soft chuckle and an okay that came out just a bit too fast … too eager.And somehow she suspected he hadn't taken her seriously.
Men, Max rolled her eyes again, glad that she'd taken her own precautions. She wasn't big in celebrating … she wasn't great in making presents, but hey, if Logan thought he could outmaneuver her, he had to think again. Definitely.
A small smile crossed her face.
Did that mean she'd really go?And how great where the chances that she' muster enough courage to give him the present?
A wry grin followed in the wake of her smile. She couldn't let him down, right? Logan had canceled his participation in "the Cales'" traditional Christmas dinner after all, just for her. He had seemed determined not to let her wriggle out of his invitation, promising her a first class culinary miracle and some games of chess. And who was she to turn down an offer of being fed?
She had promised her brother on this very morning that she wouldn't let Lydecker keep her from being happy. So yeah, she'd probably break her "ignore-Christmas" rule a second time. Who cared, anyway?
And admittedly, as unpleasant and even dangerous as her meeting with Lydecker at the Christmas party had been, it had been worth it. She had found her brother Ryan … someone who understood her … someone she could relate to … and another source for the search of her siblings. Just thinking about their last meeting brought this warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach back. Oh, how long had she waited for something like this to happen?
So, maybe, just maybe, there really was something special about Christmas.
And the food had been (and would be) great as well, Max acknowledged to herself. Her eyes got a predatory glint.
Come on, Max finally urged herself, easing through the roof door into the building, her mouth getting watery just as she thought about food.Hurry up!
And even though she told herself she'd much rather ignore Christmas … even though she stubbornly insisted she'd love to have the evening to herself … Max wasn't able to suppress the excitement that slowly bubbled up inside her.
Maybe it really was a beautiful day.
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Fogle Tower, 10 minutes later
Somehow it didn't feel right to pick the lock today. It wasn't as if Max thought a higher power was watching or something. NO! But still, there was something special in the air, and not even Max was able to evade the spell. That's why she knocked on Logan's door rather than forcing her way in, feeling how her stupid little heart was suddenly beating out of her chest.
Damn, I'm not gonna fall for this silly Christmas stuff.
The soft sound of rubber wheels on the hardwood floor was audible as Logan approached the door and Max shifted her weight nervously from one foot to the other, forcing a smile on her face when the door opened widely.
"Hey," the boyish grin on Logan's lips let her head spin.
"Hey yourself," she managed weakly.
Max wrapped her fingers tightly around the package in her jacket pocket as if it was a life buoy. She noticed the blue flannel shirt that seemed to give his eyes a completely different color. Or did that come from the sparkle in his eyes?
The apartment seemed so warm and comfortable ... a safe haven … enticing her to step in. But all she could do was stand in the doorframe, paralyzed, unable to take that one step forward.
Logan just stared at her. And finally Max felt the hotness of a blush creep along her neck … and over her cheeks. Damn. She shifted her weight to the other foot again, and her eyes narrowed.
"Wanna-let-me-in?" / "I-was-afraid-you-wouldn't-make-it." – Both of them forced the words out in a rush, speaking at the same time.
The silence that followed was quickly interrupted by Max's giggle as Logan moved the chair to the side to let her in, an embarrassed smile on his face, green eyes darkening.
Max slipped out of her shoes and jacket, still grinning, and then took a few more steps into the apartment, once again feeling the hammering of her heartbeat against her ribs, realizing that it was too late now to secretly abscond, her escape route being blocked by Logan who followed on her heels in his wheelchair.
Not sure this whole thing was such a clever idea, Max thought, noticing a soft pull in her chest as she let her eyes wander through his apartment …
The living area was lit by a dozen candles. Here and there some Christmas decorations were unobtrusively scattered about the room, spreading a festive atmosphere without yelling "it's Christmas". A dark red tablecloth and a few fir twigs decorated the table, and the huge bellied glasses were already filled with dark red wine, reminding Max of their first evening together, when Logan had announced that cats always seem to turn up around dinner time. Oh, he'd been so full of himself, and although this had happened only a few months ago – somehow it seemed like a lifetime away.
A soft smile lit Max's face as she noticed how much trouble Logan had gone to make her feel comfortable tonight.
He's done this for me, Max realized astonished, a lump forming in her throat.
She felt Logan's expectant glance, felt that he watched her warily and finally she turned around to look into eyes.
"Wow," Max's smile widened into a goofy grin, showing two rows of perfectly white teeth. "This looks beautiful." She nodded into the direction of the living area. She took in a deep breath through her nose, the predatory glint back in her eyes and added: "And it smells like heaven."
"I always keep my promises," Logan smiled, then scratched the back of his head, narrowing his eyes. The smile faded away, and he added with a sheepish shrug. "Okay, mostly."
"As if," Max scoffed, hip thrown out provocatively, one hand placed on her side. "Mr. Eyes Only."
Both shared a conspiratorial glance, knowing how many times Logan had stayed in front of his highly efficient computers late into the night. Max could almost see Bling's reproachful expression when the PT caught Logan, wrapped up in his most recent Eyes Only mission instead of getting out, doing his workout or even eating. Whenever Logan felt "duty call," all promises given went quickly out of the window.
At least Logan had the decency to look guilty. He scrambled for something plausible to say, wanted to defend himself, but fortunately the oven came to his rescue, demanding his attention with a piercing alarm.
"Dinner/ Dinner," both of them whispered simultaneously, sharing another smile.
Max's focus shifted in a split second. This time it was Max who followed on Logan's heel, curiosity evident on her face, a soft bounce in her steps. And when Logan opened the door of the oven, she leaned forward to get a better look at his most recent creation.
A look of awe crossed her face, and Max couldn't help the deep "hmmmm" that escaped her lips as the smell of the crisp, brown roast duck invaded her sensitive senses. The duck was bedded on slices of bacon and onions, and the sauce that was sizzling around it already had a rich brown color.
Max's eyes grew big like saucers and she unconsciously licked her lips.
"Logan, you're my hero," the dark haired girl announced enthusiastically with a grin, shocking both of them equally.
"Am I?"
Logan quickly turned his chair around, looking up at her, a dangerous glitter in his eyes, challenging her.
He was close … too close, Max realized, goose bumps forming on the back of her neck. She stared mesmerized into his eyes. Her X5-super-soldier-brain yelled at her to back-pedal, a flippant comment already waiting on her tongue, where it died a quick, harsh death. Her throat felt dry like sand paper, and all clear thoughts seemed to have tumbled out of her super-intelligent brain.
Maybe the magnificent smell had sent her senses into overdrive? Had she ever noticed how beautiful his lips were?
And suddenly all she really wanted was to kiss him. An overwhelming longing ached in her chest and every single fiber of her body seemed to push her forward … closer.
His eyes looked almost black now.
Max hadn't even noticed that she'd really bridged the gap between them, but suddenly her lips touched his, softly at first, like a feather stroke. Her hands gently held his face, and her heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears, skyrocketing as she realized that he kissed her back, his tongue carefully exploring her mouth, wandering over her lips and teeth.
What am I doing? A desperate voice whispered inside her. But the voice was weak – too weak to have a chance against the kiss that was getting more passionate with every elapsing second.
Max felt off balance now, as dizzy as if everything was rotating around her (she wasn't used to losing control), but Logan's strong arms held her. One hand was securely placed on her back and the fingers of the other hand toyed with her hair. Max had to suppress the urge to purr like a kitten. She'd never before felt this safe … had never before really trusted … and she had never before let down her defenses like this.
She stroked the soft material of his shirt, feeling the hard muscles of his chest beneath.
The thing that astonished her the most was that everything felt so right – Logan's lips on hers, his fingers gently stroking her hair, the ringing in her ears. And when they finally let go of each other, minutes later, both of them looked a bit forlorn, as if they'd lost something.
Max reluctantly straightened and took a half step back. She never broke off the eye contact, but noticed with some satisfaction that the green in his eyes was almost gone.
"The roast," Logan said guiltily, his voice rough. He quickly turned his chair around to switch off the oven. A soft red tinted his cheeks as he turned back to her, raking one hand through his already disheveled hair.
"I'll be back in a second," Max whispered, not trusting her voice to speak aloud.
And before Logan was able to say anything, she stormed quickly out of the room and into the entry, retrieving the present from her jacket pocket.
On her way back into the kitchen she grabbed both wine glasses from the dinner table. She had to restrain herself not to blurr, already fearing that something had changed in the short time of her absence. But Logan still sat where she'd left him, rooted to the spot, watching her approach, a soft, amazed smile on his lips.
She would have expected to feel nervous; she would have thought she'd rather run than facing him. But instead incredible warmth spread out inside her. It filled her completely, crept through her body and into the deepest core of her soul. Okay, her knees felt a bit weak, her heartbeat was still too fast, but it felt good all the same. And somehow she felt the both of them deserved a bit of happiness.
"Logan …" she said, her voice clear, kneeling down in front of him. She gave Logan one of the wine glasses and lifted her own. Her dark eyes bore into his green ones, trying to tell him that everything was going to be okay. The look of pain in her eyes and the wariness that normally seemed to cling to her like a second skin were gone. She pressed a small package into Logan's right hand and added, as the silvery ring of their clinking glasses filled the room:
"Merry Christmas."
XxxThe End. XxX
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WOW, I started this story two years ago and now it's finally completed. Thanks to everybody who read, and a huge bear hug to everybody who left a review.
Like it? Too fluffy? Please drop me a note and let me know!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
