disclaimer: nothings changed, still dont own DA, i do however own Aften. also, the songs that i used in this very fluffy chapter with hardly any plot are both by Bob Dylan.


AN: Thanks alot for the feedback, and thankyou to Michelle DRAKE who betaed all of this before i posted it, without her help you guys would be reading gibberish.

The Casa Bar was a small tavern like bar, tables were scattered in no particular order throughout the room. There was a small platform that served as a stage in one corner oposite the bar. Aften was standing next to the bar talking with the bartender when she saw Max and Logan enter, "Hey!" she called across the fairly small room, and motioned for Max and Logan to join her.
"Nice place." Logan said looking around
"Yeah, I like it better than Crash." Aften nodded "It's a different crowd, a more artistic, idealistic crowd."
"Idealistic huh?" Max looked at Logan, "Well I don't know if I could stand more than one idealist at a time."
"Right," Logan cracked a smile at her "idealists are a pain in the ass, we should all be as synical as you."
"Not synical, realistic." Max hit Logan lightly on the shoulder and smiled back at him.
'A blind man could see that they are into each other as much more than friends.' Aften thought, then spoke to the bartender "Hey, Chris, I'm gonna start my set. Put these people's drinks on my tab." then she walked up to the mic on the stage and started bantering with a few people at the table directly in front of her before starting to play.
"So how do you guys know Aft?" Chris, the bartender set a pitcher of beer and two glasses on the bar in front of Max and Logan.
"We met a few weeks ago." Max replied, "And we figured we'd come hear her play."
"She's good." Chris said, "She used to play guitar for a band. They gigged here every wednesday night."
"Really?" Logan said inquieringly, he had been curious about Aften's past since he met her. He figured a talkative bartender was as good a source of info as any.
"Yeah, they were good." Chris nodded "Jazz rythem mainly, Aft played rythem guitar and sang. A few Dylan covers and other pre-pulse stuff. But the most amazing were the stuff that started as little jams that they pulled out of nowhere, then Aft would ad lib lyrics and turn it into a really good song."
"Why don't they play here anymore?" Logan asked
"Aft's the only one left?" Chris shook his head sadly "The drummer and bass player got shot to death after a late night gig at a bar just outside Portland. It's a real shame, those guys had alot of talent, they wouldv'e been able to make a good living for themselves, even in today's economy."
"Who shot them?" Logan asked
"I have no clue." Chris said matter of factly, "Aft's the only one who witnessed it, and every time I asked her, she shook her head said something about 'Russian mother fuckers'. Maybe it was the Russain mafia?" Chris ventured a guess
"Maybe." Logan said, then Chris went to talk to some other people who just walked in. "Want to sit at a table?" Logan asked Max
"Sure." Max grabbed the pitcher and glasses and followed Logan to a table. "Think it was those Commies that killed her friends?" Max asked Logan when they sat down.
"Positive of it." Logan said, but they let the subject drop and enjoyed the music. Overall Aften put on a good show, a guy at the front table kept requesting various songs, most of which Aften played. After a while Max and Logan slipped into a comfortable silence, listening to the music and sneaking looks at each other while the other wasn't looking. After at least two hours, Aften was finishing up her set,
"Well, these songs," Aften said "these last two songs that I'm gonna wrap up with, were written by Bob Dylan." Aften strummed a few intro chords before starting to sing,

*We have got to come together
How long can we stay apart?
You may get it maybe never
But this is coming from th heart.
Your mind is filled with indecision
You can't make up your mind.
We must get in in position
And move it on down the line.*

Max looked away from Aften and glanced at Logan, who was looking at her. 'Why's he looking at me like that?' Max asked herself. There eyes met for a second, then they both looked away.

*And the road is long, it's a long hard climb
I been on that road for too long of a time.
Yes the road is long, and it winds and winds,
If i think of this love, that I'm leaving behind.

Don't talk to me about tomarrow,
'cause i really don't care.
This home is filled with too much sorrow
That nobody's heart should bear.
Someone else has hurt you honey,
why mush I pay for that part?
Our love can't be bought with money,
'cause it's coming from the heart.*

Max was studying her feet, 'I'm not in heat, am I?' She thought to herself, trying to make sense of her feelings. She could feel Logan's eyes on her, and that wasn't helping her figure things out.

*Please, please give me indication,
stop and talk to me.
Like a river that is flowing,
My love will never cease to be.*

Logan almost suddenly became aware that he had been staring at Max throughout the entire song, but he had the craziest feeling that Max had been thinking about him too. 'Must have had a little too much beer.' he thought to himself, 'She'd never think about me romantically, I'm a goddamn cripple.' But as Max looked up at him and their eyes met, whatever previous sense of reason he had left flew straight out the window. He wheeled himself closer to where Max was sitting and reached out to hold her hand, as soon as he touched her his voice of reason kicked in again, 'What the hell am I thinking?' he thought, 'She's never going to speak to me again.' But to his surprise, Max didn't pull away, instead she rested her head on his shoulder. Both of them were thinking about how right it felt, just sitting there so close to one another.

*When the rain is blowing in your face,
and the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace,
to make you feel my love.
When evening shatteres and the stars appear,
and there is no one there to dry your tears,
I could hold you for a million years,
to make you feel my love.
I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
but i could never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met,
no doubt in my mind where you belong.
I could make you happy make your dreams come true,
there's nothing that I wouldn't do,
go to the ends of the earth for you,
to make you feel my love.*





THE END


so, finnaly i finished this, i wonder how many of u are still reading at this point, if u are one of those few people who made it to the end of this "story", let me know what u thought about it. also, i'm thinking about doing a prequel about Aften's life after her escape until the beginning of this story, i dont know though, so let me know what u think of that idea too.