An hour later...at the Space Needle.

Max sat staring out at the dark city. The brown out seemed fitting. Everything was growing dark around her...Manticore always closing in, Zack mad at her for not leaving Seattle, and Logan...

She thought of him made her close her eyes. They had been so close. They worked together but it was more than that. (Wasn't it?) He was one of the only people that she could really be herself with. Well, at least that had been the case before tonight. Now, he was locked in this depressive state and she couldn't seem to do anything to help. She had always been able to reassure herself that she would see him because of her Eyes Only work. Now, she didn't know. He was shutting that out as well. What reason would she have to go back? There was none now. Going there without a reason was seen as just an act of pity. Didn't he realize that she enjoyed being around him...that it was the few moments with him that gave her the strength to get through the trying times?

It had all changed so quickly. She didn't even know if she wanted to go back. He wouldn't talk to her, wouldn't listen and didn't want anyone around. Being helpless was not one of her favorite things and putting herself in that position willingly was not on her list of things to do. (So he wants to be alone, let him. What good is it being with someone who doesn't want you around?)

Somewhere from deep inside, she got a chill that spread throughout her body. She knew it wasn't from the cold outside. It was from the cold she had seen in Logan's eyes. Thinking about how warm those eyes had been at one time, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She began to rub her arms absent-mindedly as if trying to get rid of the invisible thing that chilled her to the bone. Her eyes snapped open as she realized it...she had left her jacket at Logan's apartment. Closing her eyes with a sigh, she put her head down on her arms. It would have to stay there until tomorrow. There was no way she could bear going back there again tonight.

*******

The same time...at Logan's

The room blended in with the rest of the city as Logan blew out the candle he had lit earlier. He wanted to crawl into the darkness and disappear...get away from the thoughts and feelings that been plaguing him. He knew there was no way that he could run from them. Time after time, he had immersed himself in work, listened to music, thought of Max...nothing seemed to be able to dispel the demons that haunted his mind.

Max thought it was all about the wheelchair. That was just the finishing touch on his useless existence. He had been brought up in a wealthy family. Everything had been given to him. His life had been so easy and yet he had done nothing with it. He went to school - which his family paid for. He wore clothes - which his family paid for. Even now, with his parents gone, he was still living off of the family. Starting Eyes Only had been his way of paying back the world. For every pair of shoes he owned there were a hundred people who had none. For every decent thought, there was a crooked politician or cop who was abusing their power. He thought that through Eyes Only, he could make up for the fact that he had it easy. Maybe he could make life better for someone else to take his mind off of himself. If anything, his plan had backfired. Every time he saw someone who had suffered injustice, poverty, or starvation, he had been reminded of what a hypocrite he was. Sure, it's always easy to help the down-trodden from the penthouse.

Leaning over in his chair, he closed his eyes and held his head in his hands. Could he do it? Could he really close Eyes Only? Stop the searching. Stop the hypocrisy. Stop the worrying about Max...the thought of Max put a lump in his throat. He hadn't planned on telling her the way he did. Actually, he hadn't been sure if he was going to mention it at all. Then, the lights went out, she startled him, and his defenses took over. He had been taken care of for all of his life. Now, along came someone whom he was closer to than any other and guess what...she takes care of people too...imagine that. It wasn't her fault that she had been used to make some freak's dream come true. Now, he had really done it. Even though it was dark, he had felt the look that she was giving him before she left. She was searching him for a sign, any sign, a glimmer of hope. Her silence meant that she had found none. After that performance, he didn't know if he'd ever see her again.