Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

A/N: Thanks to the ever-betaing alaidh and catherder.

Chapter 36: Uninvited Guest

"Car keys," the voice said. Logan hesitated. "Keys," the voice prompted again. He felt the pockets of his jeans, knowing full well the keys weren't there. The pockets were awkward for him to use, so he seldom did. He could sense Eva becoming restless, perhaps picking up on some of his tension. "Well?" the voice came a third time, closer to his ear, as if the owner had bent closer to him. The point of the knife, or whatever it was, dug a little harder into his neck.

"Pocket of the wheelchair," Logan answered tersely. His voice sounded strange to him. Eva chose that moment to let out a whimper. Logan directed his eyes to his daughter. She sat upright in the stroller looking at whoever was behind him. He was no longer leaning against the rock but had moved forward to sit with his legs crossed in order to repack the picnic basket, the cushion from the wheelchair behind him.

Logan felt his captor's grip change as he reached across to the wheelchair. In a brief moment of grim humor, he regretted not setting a mousetrap in the pocket – something that popped into his head from a long ago remembered animated movie, "Nice booby trap…"

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Max, crouched over the running water of the stream, talked to both Ben and Joshua as she rinsed the dishes off, handing them back to Joshua as she finished with each. She heard Logan's voice dimly in the distance, but thought he must have been talking to Eva, or even to himself.

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Logan cleared his throat. "You…won't be able to drive it," he found himself saying, and wondered why he was being so helpful.

"What?" the voice said, the keys jingling as he pulled them out.

"The wheelchair's not for decoration. You won't be able to…" Logan sensed a momentary distraction as Eva's whimper gained volume. With both hands, he grabbed the arm that now circled his neck, falling sideways and pulling hard as he did. He held on with all his strength. His opponent fell with him, pulled off-balance. "…drive it," Logan ground out, finally.

Logan's opponent writhed under him, kicking, punching with his free hand and generally trying to get away. Logan knew he wouldn't be able to hold on for very long against larger, stronger opposition. All the upper body strength in the world couldn't compensate this time. "Max!" he called once, and swung a lucky elbow back, catching the man in the jaw, slowing him for a moment. It was enough to give Logan the chance to grab his other arm, although he still bucked and kicked out. Max was suddenly beside them, as was Joshua.

"Okay, you can let go now," she said to Logan grimly.

Joshua grabbed the man by his shirt collar and roughly hauled him to his feet, holding him tightly with an arm pulled up behind his back. "What're we gonna do now, Max?" Joshua asked.

"Got any rope?" Max asked Logan.

Logan had scooted over to the stroller and was reaching up to release Eva. "Should be some in the car," he answered undoing the harness. Eva reached out to him, almost tumbling out in her haste to get to her father.

"You okay?" she asked, seeing Logan's strained face as he cradled Eva.

Logan looked up at her, "I'm…I'm fine," he said with a half-smile.

Max nodded, satisfied. "Ben!" she called as she turned toward the car. "You can come out now."

Joshua adjusted his grip on the escaped prisoner and, with a warning growl, shoved him in the direction of the car, where Max efficiently trussed him hand and foot, and tossed him into the hatch.

Ben quietly appeared clutching the cooler bag, abandoned by Max when she'd heard Logan's call. He was white-faced and shaking.

"Hey, it's okay now," said Logan as Ben knelt beside him. He gave the boy a reassuring one-handed hug around the shoulders. "You wanna get me my chair? I think the sooner we're outta here the better, don't you?"

"Sure, Dad." Ben smiled and quickly did as he was asked, putting the seat cushion into place and positioning the chair, with the brakes locked ,behind his father. .

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Logan brought the car to a stop outside the sheriff's office. Max smiled as she handed him the pieces of his wheelchair to assemble. They'd kept the chair in the front seat for the trip into town, wary of leaving anything that remotely resembled a weapon near the prisoner in the back in case he got loose. With the kids in the car, neither Max nor Logan was prepared to take any chances. "You don't want me to do this?" Max asked.

"I got it covered," he replied, preparing to transfer. Logan shut the door and made his way up the gutter, making use of a driveway to mount the pavement and popping a small wheelie to get up a small step into the office. The front desk was deserted. He rapped on the timber a couple of times but there was no response. "Hey! Anyone there?!" he called.

There was a noise from the rear and one of the men from that morning emerged holding a steaming cup of coffee. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. We…appear to have found something that belongs to you." Logan gave a wry grin at the deputy's puzzled expression. "Come with me," he said, smoothly turning to face the door. "It's outside in the car." Logan stopped and looked back when the man didn't follow him immediately. Logan headed for the door as the deputy came to a decision and took a few steps in its direction. He popped down to the pavement and did a small wheelie to drop down to the roadway behind the car. Max had already opened the hatch and let down the tailgate and was standing beside the car.

The deputy did an instant double take on seeing Max and Joshua's handiwork. The prisoner, his hands and feet tied, lay on the floor of the hatch, his face mashed into the carpet. "How the heck…"

"My…brother-in-law is kinda strong," Logan replied airily by way of explanation. "Now, if you'll take your trash, I'd like to get out of here."

"Sure." The deputy turned back to the door of the office. "Mason! Killeen! Get your lazy butts out here!"

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Night was drawing near by the time they dropped Joshua at his home and drove into the parking lot of the apartment building. They had gone back to the cabin and packed up, not wanting to linger after the events of the day. Although Joshua had waved them off happily enough from the front porch of his house, he had been subdued for the trip home. Ben was also quiet. Max took her time with both children, presenting at her most motherly. While she bathed Eva and listened as Ben read out loud to her, Logan prepared a basic dinner and started the laundry, deliberately trying to show Ben that life went on despite the external factors.

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Max slid gratefully into the hot water, stirring the bubbles. She lay back against the edge of the tub and closed her eyes with a blissful sigh.

Logan pushed into the bathroom a few minutes later, sliding the door shut behind him. She opened one eye, then snapped the other open and smiled appreciatively, while he, in his turn, studied her, his head tilted to one side. He enjoyed seeing her up to her neck in bubbles and totally relaxed. Max, for her part, was taking pleasure in looking at him. He sat in the wheelchair wearing nothing but a pair of gray silk boxer shorts. She ran her eyes over his shoulders and arms, and down his chest, taking in the curling hair scattered there, then back to his face.

"All quiet. They're asleep," he said softly. "No problem with Eva in her new room tonight."

"Well, it's about time. How long is it since we shifted her out of our room?" Max replied, equally softly. "Does that mean that mom and dad can play now?" she asked in mock-seriousness. "Come on in, the water's warm."

Logan edged closer to the bathtub and worked his way out of his boxers before sliding into the warm water. Max weighted his legs down with her own, moving around until she was partly sideways to him on the opposite side. The bathtub was large enough to comfortably accommodate the two of them, in fact, it would hold more. Max often joked that the bathtub was big enough to hold swimming races. Logan's long legs easily fit across the width with a little room to spare. Max slid down one more blissful inch and closed her eyes as Logan smiled at her indulgently. A long, hot bath full of bubbles was one of Max's few vices, just as basketball and fine wine were his.

"Sorry…'bout today," he said hesitantly.

Max shrugged, rippling the surface. Logan wasn't sure if it was a "no big dealio", or "shit happens" or even "next time I may not be there" shrug. "What were the chances in all that wilderness," she said.

"What is it that OC says?" Logan continued thoughtfully. "Trouble follows us like the tail on a dog?"

Max snorted. "Foh real foh sure, boo."

That resulted in a smile. The clefts in Logan's cheeks deepened appreciably. She looked at him critically, his face covered with four days' worth of stubble, the almost-healed bruise on his cheek, and decided that enough was enough. Normally, she didn't mind the scruff; it was part of him, like Eyes Only, the wheelchair, and Bessie. But tonight a change was in order. Smiling lazily, she reached behind her, groping blindly for the razor and the can of shaving cream. "That'll kill the bubbles," Logan observed as she slid around closer to him.

"I don't mind," she replied mildly, then, putting a hand out to steady herself on the side of the tub, straddled his legs. "Hold still," she said, working the foam over his face. She frowned in concentration, a tiny pink triangle of tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth. Logan put a hand on either side of her waist and held her steady. He was amazed that, even after all this time, he could all but link his fingers around her. Even after two children, she still maintained the figure of a much younger woman. He kept his eyes on her face as she plied the razor, her upper body clear of the water, the skin smooth, covered in drops of water that made her shine like a seal. He restrained himself from touching anything other than her waist for fear of what she might do with the razor, but only succeeded by keeping his eyes firmly on hers. She finished quickly and wiped his face with a washcloth, then sat back on her haunches to survey her handiwork.

"Mmm, nice," she smiled, then gasped as Logan loosed his hold of her waist and roughly pulled her face to his. She put her hands on the side of the bath, pinning them both to the side of the bathtub, deepening the connection, mouth searching mouth hungrily. Then she backed up and looked at him wonderingly, face flushed, lips swollen. Without a word, she stood, grabbed a towel and got out. She scrubbed herself fiercely dry, making her skin glow, before wrapping herself in the towel and walking into the bedroom. Logan smiled to himself as she vanished from view. He pulled the plug and got out carefully, one hand gripping the grab rail and the other on the side of the tub. He sat with one towel loosely wrapped around him while he dried the rest of his body before going back into the bedroom. Max wasn't there, but he heard a noise from the kitchen as he transferred into the bed.

Max came back a few minutes later, her arms wrapped around something or somethings she clutched tightly to her body.

"Whatcha got?" he asked curiously, then realized she held a number of thick candles and a box of matches.

"Thought you might enjoy some…ambience," she said, smiling. "Setting the mood, so to speak."

He nodded and settled into the pillows more comfortably as she set the candles in several different locations around the room, taking care to keep them out of range of the curtains, and lighting them as she went. The last thing she did was turn out the overhead light before dropping the towel over the top of the laundry hamper and sliding into the bed.

Logan wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Ya know, there was a time I thought cuddling was weird."

Logan gave a silent laugh. "Did you really?"

"Mmmm-hmmm."

"Well, I guess it sort of depends who you're with at the time."

Max looked up at him, her eyes reflecting the light of the candle on the dressing table. "Only one person I want to be with."

"And that is?" he teased.

"Shut up," she said, grabbing his head and claiming his lips.

They paused to catch a breath, eye contact established and maintained. Max idly stroked Logan's shoulder with gentle fingers, while the solid weight of his arm created a warm spot on her side where it lay on top of the covers.

"And now?" Logan prompted, resuming the conversation.

"Weird but nice?" Max raised a questioning brow, expecting a laugh in response. Instead, she was rewarded with a glowing smile.

"I can live with that," he said, pursing his lips as he considered her statement.

Max became aware of a presence in the doorway to the room and turned her head to look. "Ben? What's up, sweetie?"

"I had a bad dream, Mom."

Max exchanged glances with Logan. "Okay, honey. Just go back to bed. I'll be there in a minute." She watched Ben leave hesitantly. "Guess we shouldn't be surprised after today."

"He's my kid, too," Logan said simply, watching as Max slid out of the bed and started to pull on her robe. "I used to suffer from nightmares at his age."

"Used to?" Max asked.

"Well…" he responded.

Max gave a small laugh.

"Still, it's a shame."

"What is?"

"Covering up all that perfection," he grinned lasciviously, rolling onto his back and folding his arms behind his head.

"You bad boy!" she said.

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"Hey! Wake up!" Max demanded, giving Logan a shake.

"What?" he mumbled.

"Logan, wake up!"

"What's the matter," he asked, opening one sleepy eye.

"Nothing," Max said, sliding back into the bed. "Come on, wake up, Logie…."

"Argh, you had to call me that name!" Logan grimaced.

"Got your attention, didn't I?" she laughed.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Ben?"

"Asleep, finally. Guess today was too much for him."

Logan nodded. "Come here, woman," he said. "We're wasting all this…ambience."

"I was hoping you'd say that," she laughed, snuggling close. "You weren't really asleep, were you?"

"Nope."

"Didn't think so. Breathing didn't sound right."

"Shut up," Logan said, pulling her head down and claiming her lips again.