Title: Dark Angel

Title: Dark Angel

Name: Joy

Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com

Rating: PG

I dreamt about her last night. I felt her watching me. I could sense her next to me. She whispered something, but I didn't understand. She smelled so good. I don't want o open my eyes. I don't want to face the world yet. I don't want to face how things are going to be now with me feelings out there on paper. It wasn't too intense… I'll just open my eyes slightly and warm up to the idea of the day.

What is that? Why do I have a piece of paper lying beside my head?

Oh my god! This is Max's writing! Where are my glasses? I need my glasses! She wrote me a poem! She wrote me back… How in the world did I get to be this lucky? OK I can breathe…what'd she write?

Life and Love, whoa! I hope… she may just mean I'm full of life and love. Then again maybe she means… nah, she couldn't… maybe, her life and her love. Oh god, if only. Purpose and Mission, well, I have that coming… a glass of wine and a fine meal, there she goes thinking with her stomach again.

I can't believe she wrote me this… I can't believe she did this for me. She has no idea what this means to me. OK, since I have known her she has cooked me dinner, brought me a grapefruit and a chicken, and now this. This is the only non-food related object. This is the only thing that won't fade…the only proof I have of her involvement in my life if she were to leave tomorrow… that and the ton of blood circulating in my system. I forgot that… Why do I do that? The most basic and sacrificial thing she gave me and I always forget. I guess that's because it is so basic and sacrificial. It shows my need for her… I'll just lie here a few more minutes and think about her.

Bling just arrived. He is going to massively chew me out for not being out of bed yet. Oh… Wait, he can help me do something for Max. "Bling!" I yell.

"Why are you still in bed?" he asks.

I hand him the poem that Max wrote. I watch his expression grow in confusion and pleasure over the words. "Max?" he asks. I nod. "That is not an excuse to stay in bed."

"It is when we've been going back and forth about my poetry for the last several days. I showed her one I wrote about her last night. She liked it enough to swipe it… so I wrote her another one. I left it out for her to find. It was just like this one… I'm savoring the fact that she echoed my sentiments and tried her hand at poetry for me. I know Manticore did not have a poetry class."

Bling is making a face at me. "What?" I ask.

"Sounds like the ball is in your court… I promise your next move should not be conducted from your bed or anywhere near your bedroom, so get your ass up!"

I chuckle at him, knowing he's right. I maneuver myself to my chair as Bling busies himself making breakfast. What am I going to do now? She liked the poem… Hey I can… Yeah, I can. In a few minutes I'm ready to face the world and am ready to get my next move together.

I search my hall closet for my ink well and calligraphy pens mom got me in high school. I next find a pad of drawing paper. This is perfect. Now to find a suitable frame. I don't ever look at this picture of Uncle Jonas and Margo, so this will do for my mission.

"Logan, what are you doing? You need to eat, man," Bling calls from the kitchen.

"I'll be there in a minute," I retort, having all the parts of my present set up on my desk. I roll into the kitchen laughing to myself about the conversation I had with Peter, my dearly departed bodyguard, about Max.

"What are you giggling about?" Bling asks with a disapproving look.

"First, I was not giggling… and second, I was remembering Peter's reaction to my looking for Max after she broke in here."

"Oh yeah… What'd he think of our favorite superhero?"

"He asked if I was identifying the perp or my new girlfriend. I responded I'd be more likely to drop it if I had been man handled by a size three."

"The man knew his stuff," Bling says to get a rise out of me.

"Hey, I wasn't looking for a girlfriend."

"No… You were looking for a superhero to manipulate into working for you and, wow look, you did it!" Bling says dripping with sarcasm. I had no idea that he thought that is what I did to Max.

"Whoa… You believe that?"

"Hey, you and Max have a complicated relationship, but I honestly believe if you hadn't been shot, you'd never have seen that lovely lady again… You do have to admit Logan, you do have a tendency to manipulate her for your own purposes. I mean now, you're finally getting down to your real feelings for each other, but initially you were a prick!" Bling says bluntly. OK. I'm totally at a loose. Dammit. I hate to think my best friend feels that way about the way deal with the woman I love… whoa… Where'd that come from?

"Bling, how often do I do that to Max?" I ask honestly.

"Not so often anymore, but you do have a way of implying that because your desires are to save the world, you're always right. You hide behind the mission to get your way. It's kind of childish."

"Will you hit me the next time you catch me doing that?"

"With pleasure!" Bling says offering me my food.

"Will you also run something down to Jam Pony for Max for me?" I ask.

"Sure… What are you up to?"

"I'll show you when it's done."

I'm ready to start putting it together. Where is my book? There it is. Now, to find the poem I wrote the night we met… There it is. OK. Now, let's see if I can remember how to make words look pretty on paper…

No ink smudges or anything. It only took me three tries, but oh well. It's done drying so I'll just mount it in the frame. All right. "Bling!" I call.

"What's up?"

"You wanted to see what I was making Max," I say as I hand over the framed poem.

Dark Angel

Silently approaching

Creeping about my apartment

The black cat that just crossed my path

A Thief

My belongings in a bag at her side

My bodyguard in a heap on the floor

She could be Bast

The goddess of all goddesses

Eye of Ra, Protector, Defender,

Who lives forever

Forever is my wish,

To stare at this goddess before me

Gorgeous

Eyes, dark and foreboding

Lips I long for

A body to die at the touch of

Curls descend the face of perfection

A dark angel

Crash

My angel has wings

Landing below unharmed

Sleep will not come

I must find you

Just to gaze at you again

My Dark Angel

Bling's eyes hoops over the words and finishes. "Well, at one point you had it right. At one point you did know how you felt about her… If you ever dare to tell me that you aren't like that with Max or 'It's not a date,' I will beat your skinny ass."

I have to smile. Bling is probably more attuned to how I feel about Max then I am. "I'll wrap it up and you'll take it down to Jam Pony?"

"Sure- Mind if I hide out there until I see her reaction?" Bling asks.

"Only if you tell me her reaction."

"Not a chance rich boy… I get so little joy from this psycho third grade relationship you have. I will not contribute to the problem."

Oh I'm third grade, am I? "What do you call spying on Max's reaction?" I ask.

"Voyeurism!" he responds. Damn. I can't argue with that.

OK. The poem is wrapped and labeled. Now, if everything goes well maybe I'll know where this is going by dinnertime.

"Bling. It's ready!"

"OK lover boy… I'll take this over then see you tomorrow. Good luck."

"Thanks!" I say. OK. Now all I can do is wait.