NOTE: Part of the UST between Max Winter & Miranda Blake on the show is created from the fact that Max has a girlfriend, Carmen. Not usually an introspective person, Max seems to have begun to examine his almost casual relationship with Carmen in contrast to the closeness he has with his partner, Miranda. Carmen and Miranda are friendly and accepting of one another in Max's life. Thus, neither Max nor Miranda is ready yet to acknowledge their deep attraction and feelings for one another; except, of course, in fanfic, they can!
I do not own "The Mallorca Files" in any way, shape, or form. I just love to watch this wonderful show and then take the characters out of their comfort zone in fanfic.
Miranda was emotionally hurt by a man she had been dating. Max's kind, loving nature came to her rescue.
Love Is...
One quiet Saturday morning found Detective Max Winter working alone at his desk in the office. He absolutely had to catch up with paperwork and reports; if he did not meet Ines' deadline, she threatened him with permanent desk work. Max was slightly irritated that his companera and "favorite lady," Detective Miranda Blake, was not working alongside him. But ever since Miranda had met Scottish businessman Duncan Ardis almost two months ago, her random Saturdays and evenings after their cases wrapped were no longer spent with Max and the group at Joan's Bar.
Of course, Max had done a surreptItious background check on Duncan, and the guy came up clean. Still, Max had a gut feeling that there was something about Duncan, but he couldn't quite explain to himself what it was. So for Miranda's sake, Max put on his smile and his good humor and pretended to be happy for her when she had introduced him to Duncan. Max also teased Miranda that she finally had a social life.
Max made good progress on the reports and hoped to not be sidetracked by phone calls, since he wanted to get out of the office by early afternoon. No sooner had he put forward that thought than the phone rang. "Winter…Ja…What? How long? How much?…Thanks, Ulli."
Max replaced the phone and rushed from the office to his car, speeding off. Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up in front of a bar called Ulli's and ran inside. At a table in the back, Miranda Blake sat slumped over with her head on the table. "Oh, Miranda," Max whispered. "Let's get you home." Max took her shoulders to get her to sit up and open her eyes, but she was so drunk that her head lolled forward again. Then as Max tried to help her stand up, her legs would not support her. So he scooped her up and carried her to his car, depositing her gently on the passenger seat.
Just as Max was ready to drive away, his friend ran out of the bar toward Max's BMW. "Senor Winter! Wait! You forgot her bag." He tossed Miranda's purse onto the back seat.
"Gracias, Ulli. Do you know how much she had?"
"I think about six or seven whiskeys and she finished with gin and tonic. She was in a bad way, Senor Winter."
"Scheisse! She never drinks whiskey!" With a wave to Ulli, Max roared away.
Seven hours later…
Miranda Blake awoke with a pounding headache. She slit each eye open just enough to examine her surroundings but was puzzled by what she saw. She mumbled and began to fuss with the blankets. When Max Winter appeared in the doorway, she squealed. "Max! What the hell!? What am I doing here?"
He grinned teasingly. "Well, it's about time you rejoined the living. How do you feel"
"Max!" she yelled again. "Why am in your bed?!"
He couldn't resist continuing the teasing. "Miranda," he fake pouted, "I am very hurt that you cannot remember the night we had."
Miranda looked despondent, hyperventilating, near tears. "What?! Nooo!"
Max approached the bed, but Miranda backed away to the very edge. He changed to a gentler tone, chagrined at seeing her scared. "Whoa, whoa, Miranda. It's okay. I was just teasing. I took you to your apartment first but couldn't find your key anywhere. So I brought you here."
Seating himself on the edge of the bed, Max gently touched her arm. "Seriously, now, Miranda, tell me why I had to haul you out of Ulli's bar so drunk you couldn't even hold your head up."
She avoided eye contact and snapped at him, "I didn't ask you to find me or take me out of the bar! You should have just left me alone!"
Max moved closer, his eyes filled with concern and tenderness. "What happened, Miranda? Talk to me."
She still refused to look at him. "I don't want to talk about it." She threw back the covers toward Max and started to climb out of the bed. "I'm going home."
"All right. Why don't you wash your face and take something for your headache. Then I'll take you home."
"Don't talk down to me, Max! I'll walk home! And how do you know I have a headache, anyway?"
Firmly from Max, "Miranda, you are NOT walking home!"
"You can't stop me!"
"That's right, I can't. But I can drive the car alongside you all the way. And when you kept frowning and whimpering in your sleep, that told me you have a headache."
Miranda realized that he had been watching over her, and it surprised her how warm and cared for his words made her feel. She was able to face him now. "Okay, Max. I will let you drive me home."
Max smiled. "Good. As soon as you're ready, we'll go."
Arriving and parking at Miranda's apartment, Max asked if he could go in with her to make her some coffee. Comforted by his presence and his kindness, she agreed.
"Don't make the coffee too strong, Max," she requested.
"Not even a little bit?" he asked.
"Nope."
Max grinned and finished making the coffee. Along with the coffee, he put together a cheese and crisps sandwich as a surprise for her.
Since it was dark, Max and Miranda opted to have their coffees inside. When Max set her coffee and the plated sandwich on the table in front of her, she looked up to thank him with a radiant smile. At that point, Max thought the evening a success because he considered it his mission in life to make Miranda Blake smile, with bonus points whenever he made her laugh.
After the coffee and sandwich, they moved to the sofa. Max asked, "Miranda, will you be okay here by yourself tonight? I could stay with you and take the sofa, if you want."
"Absolutely not, Max! I stay by myself all the time and I'm perfectly fine."
"I know that, Miranda. But I'm worried about you, given what happened today." They sat in silence for several minutes, until Max spoke again, "So before I go, won't you please tell me what happened?"
Miranda remained silent until Max asked, "Was this about Duncan?"
"Yes."
Max tried to control his surging anger at Duncan as he asked, "Did he hurt you?"
"No, not physically."
"Emotionally then?" Max knew that expressing her feelings was usually difficult for Miranda.
Miranda nodded.
Max gently tipped her face up so that she would look at him. "Tell me."
"I-I found out last night that Duncan is married."
Max growled, "Scheisse! That piece of scum!"
Miranda's voice shook as she continued, "And when I confronted him about it, he laughed... and said he wanted me to be his third mistress, that I could join the first two."
"Oh, Miranda! I'm sorry you had to go through that. Scheisse, the way he used you!"
Seeing Miranda near tears, Max opened his arms. Usually unreceptive to a Max hug, this time Miranda gave an almost imperceptible nod and slid forward as Max enveloped her in his arms. Feeling safe and protected, Miranda wept quietly while Max rubbed her back.
After ten minutes holding Miranda, Max felt he was becoming too comfortable. As much as he had wanted to stay with her, it had been her decision otherwise. He slowly broke the embrace as her tears subsided. "I really do need to go."
"Yes, of course," she acknowledged. "Good night, Max."
He rose and strode to the door. "Good night, Miranda. Promise you'll call if you need me?"
Miranda nodded, then hesitantly said, "Max?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for taking care of me." This admission from her was music to Max's ears, since she always said she didn't need anyone.
"Always. Thank you for letting me take care of you, Miranda." Holding her gaze, Max blew her a kiss and stepped out the door.
NOTE: One of the show's threads is Miranda's disdain for foreign or exotic foods. Her favorite food is a cheese and crisps (potato chips) sandwich, which Max, being a gourmand, has never heard of and can hardly believe. That doesn't stop him, though. At the end of one episode, Max brings a picnic supper to share with her, which of course consists entirely of two cheese and crisps sandwiches!