Gift of Darkness, part 9
by pari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Disclaimer: All established Dark Angel characters and ideas belong to Cameron, Eglee, and Fox. All I
own is an eccentric doctor and the occasional miscreant.
Rating: PG-13, as always.
A/N: This is where I send out all my thanks, once again, to those of you who have reviewed – especially a
fan and, also, Zanna. Aegean … here it is. I tried using a little of your idea. (I told you I didn't think I
could do it justice, but…oh well, I tried. Let me know what you think. )
Gift of Darkness, part 9
by pari106
Back at Crash, things were going well. Or at least they seemed to be.
But, eventually, somehow, between "let's go back to your place" and discussions on who actually *could*
make it there the fastest…eventually the evening took a dramatic turn.
One that landed Logan flat on his ass in an alley not far from the bar they'd just left.
Grumbling a little, and rubbing at what would eventually become dark bruises, he assumed, covering most
of his lower body, Logan conceded the last point to Max.
"Okay…so you *do* have better scaling abilities than I do," he told her.
'Duh,' he thought. 'What the hell were you thinking?'
Despite that, he was grinning. He'd just lost, and lost bad, to his…well, his girlfriend, essentially…in a
physical contest. And he'd never enjoyed losing so much in his life.
Max laughed, coming to sit down, cross-legged, next to where Logan had fallen.
"All that cat DNA. Guess they didn't give you as much."
Logan smiled. It was weird. He'd heard Max make off-handed references to her unusual genetics before,
but he'd never been able to say he could truly relate. Now it was weird knowing that he could.
Funny, he'd found plenty of reasons not to feel good enough for Max before. He couldn't walk, like other
men could, therefore he couldn't protect her as well as another man might….and, if he were in the mindset,
he supposed being a genetic super soldier could offer him even *more* inferiority complexes, if he let it.
Crazy as that sounded. Logan could just imagine it now: He didn't have enough feline DNA as an another
man might, nor quite as much puma….
Logan broke off into something remarkably similar to giggles.
"Now what?" Max asked, laughing with him. Her hand was on his chest and she could feel his sides
shaking as he laughed. She could also feel his heart beat unusually fast. But she didn't take much notice to
it, as she concentrated on his laughter.
"Oh…nothing," he finally said. He tugged the wrist resting on his chest until Max fell across him with
surprise. He looked up at her, completely serious.
"Just thinking…thinking that maybe I shouldn't be so worried about Lydecker, after all."
Max's smile died as she looked at him. She raised a brow.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Maybe I should be thanking him." Then Logan sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe not. I don't
know. The last person in this world who deserves a word of thanks, for anything, is Donald Lydecker.
After what he did…" Logan cordially avoided mentioning Lydecker's part in Max's horrific childhood.
"And now Jack…"
Logan stared up, past Max, at the stars visible through the building tops and pollution overhead. What the
hell was he trying to say?
"I just…there's a lot, that's happened, that I can't be thankful for," he told her, looking back at her now,
hoping she'd understand. "I've learned to be thankful for something, even a little something, when I can.
And this…being able to walk again. The sound of footsteps." The mention reminded her of their moment
in the park. "Those seem like things to be thankful for," he finished. "Regardless of why they came to be."
'Or of the consequences,' he secretly thought.
Max sat up. She did understand, and she brushed a lock of hair out of his face, looking at him with
understanding. "Yeah," she said. But she couldn't quite take it further than that. There was still too much
bad blood between her and Lydecker – literally. And Logan still didn't have any idea just what the "why"
he mentioned entailed.
"I'd hold up on the Hallmark card," she said, trying to shrug off the discomfort of hearing Lydecker's name
spoken aloud, here, between her and Logan. Then she smiled, taking the edge off. "After all, he's the
reason you and I are 2 to one."
Logan groaned, sitting up, as well.
"I can't believe you out jumped me, too," he said.
Max laughed. "You did okay. And you were faster than me," she reminded, her tone of voice belying her
words in its patronizing effect. It was fun competing with Logan, each trying to outdo the other like a
couple of kids. It momentarily diffused the heated atmosphere that had developed between them while they
were kissing in Crash.
Granted, it was a little eerie. But it was fun, too. And exciting. Not long ago, Logan was still confined to
his chair or the exoskeleton. Now he could run rings around her.
"Yeah, I was, wasn't I?" he finally said, laughing, and Max gave him a playful slap on the arm, rolling her
eyes. Then Logan's laughter faded away. And Max was suddenly very aware of how close they were
sitting. Out here in the dark. Alone.
"Not too fast, I hope," he finally said, bringing a hand up to the side of her face.
And that peculiar rise in temperature began to take place again.
Max was aware that she was the one that had sidestepped what was beginning to happen tonight. She'd
steered the conversation away from her and Logan and into safer subjects. Like jumping contests and 100
yard dashes. But now she wasn't quite sure why.
Their faces were inches away from each other, and as they leaned in closer, Max whispered "Just fast
enough."
She leaned forward…and the next thing she knew, she was on her back beneath Logan. He'd flipped her.
She laughed, even as she prepared to get up and kick his ass. But then he stopped her with a kiss.
A deep kiss.
And then he was the one laughing, albeit with huskiness that hadn't been there before.
"So…what's this Sketchy tells me about Val and the mayor's twin-sister-mistresses?"
Max practically cracked up.
"Oh, yeah, that," she said, when she finally could.
"Yeah that," Logan told her, trying to regain the crossness he'd felt through the first, mortifying moments
of Sketchy's explanation of Logan's predicament. The explanation Max had given him.
"Well, you know," she said, having the decency to at least look a little bit guilty. But just a little.
"Sketchy's very possessive of his 'bachelor pad'."
Logan looked absolutely serious when he said, "You're kidding."
"No, it's true." Max grinned again. "I had to give him a reason to let you crash. A reason he'd
understand. And, well, Sketchy understands woman trouble."
Logan rolled his eyes. "I bet."
Then he reached over, threading his fingers through her hair. "Well, I guess your explanation wasn't all
that far off. After all, I do have a bit of woman trouble."
"Oh, really?" Max asked, smiling.
Logan smiled, too. "Yeah. There's this woman I can't get off my mind." But then suddenly neither of
them were smiling anymore. "Thing is…I don't want to get her off my mind."
Max reached up, touched Logan's cheek. "Doesn't sound like such a problem. At least, not one we can't
fix."
"Fix?" Logan leaned in closer. "Now how do you suggest we do that?"
Then Max reached for him, just as Logan reached for her, and they were locked in a passionate kiss once
again. This time it was one that neither one of them was going to stop.
Neither one of them would have to.
Because then Zack showed up.
A/N: Don't you just hate that? :) Please review!
by pari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Disclaimer: All established Dark Angel characters and ideas belong to Cameron, Eglee, and Fox. All I
own is an eccentric doctor and the occasional miscreant.
Rating: PG-13, as always.
A/N: This is where I send out all my thanks, once again, to those of you who have reviewed – especially a
fan and, also, Zanna. Aegean … here it is. I tried using a little of your idea. (I told you I didn't think I
could do it justice, but…oh well, I tried. Let me know what you think. )
Gift of Darkness, part 9
by pari106
Back at Crash, things were going well. Or at least they seemed to be.
But, eventually, somehow, between "let's go back to your place" and discussions on who actually *could*
make it there the fastest…eventually the evening took a dramatic turn.
One that landed Logan flat on his ass in an alley not far from the bar they'd just left.
Grumbling a little, and rubbing at what would eventually become dark bruises, he assumed, covering most
of his lower body, Logan conceded the last point to Max.
"Okay…so you *do* have better scaling abilities than I do," he told her.
'Duh,' he thought. 'What the hell were you thinking?'
Despite that, he was grinning. He'd just lost, and lost bad, to his…well, his girlfriend, essentially…in a
physical contest. And he'd never enjoyed losing so much in his life.
Max laughed, coming to sit down, cross-legged, next to where Logan had fallen.
"All that cat DNA. Guess they didn't give you as much."
Logan smiled. It was weird. He'd heard Max make off-handed references to her unusual genetics before,
but he'd never been able to say he could truly relate. Now it was weird knowing that he could.
Funny, he'd found plenty of reasons not to feel good enough for Max before. He couldn't walk, like other
men could, therefore he couldn't protect her as well as another man might….and, if he were in the mindset,
he supposed being a genetic super soldier could offer him even *more* inferiority complexes, if he let it.
Crazy as that sounded. Logan could just imagine it now: He didn't have enough feline DNA as an another
man might, nor quite as much puma….
Logan broke off into something remarkably similar to giggles.
"Now what?" Max asked, laughing with him. Her hand was on his chest and she could feel his sides
shaking as he laughed. She could also feel his heart beat unusually fast. But she didn't take much notice to
it, as she concentrated on his laughter.
"Oh…nothing," he finally said. He tugged the wrist resting on his chest until Max fell across him with
surprise. He looked up at her, completely serious.
"Just thinking…thinking that maybe I shouldn't be so worried about Lydecker, after all."
Max's smile died as she looked at him. She raised a brow.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Maybe I should be thanking him." Then Logan sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe not. I don't
know. The last person in this world who deserves a word of thanks, for anything, is Donald Lydecker.
After what he did…" Logan cordially avoided mentioning Lydecker's part in Max's horrific childhood.
"And now Jack…"
Logan stared up, past Max, at the stars visible through the building tops and pollution overhead. What the
hell was he trying to say?
"I just…there's a lot, that's happened, that I can't be thankful for," he told her, looking back at her now,
hoping she'd understand. "I've learned to be thankful for something, even a little something, when I can.
And this…being able to walk again. The sound of footsteps." The mention reminded her of their moment
in the park. "Those seem like things to be thankful for," he finished. "Regardless of why they came to be."
'Or of the consequences,' he secretly thought.
Max sat up. She did understand, and she brushed a lock of hair out of his face, looking at him with
understanding. "Yeah," she said. But she couldn't quite take it further than that. There was still too much
bad blood between her and Lydecker – literally. And Logan still didn't have any idea just what the "why"
he mentioned entailed.
"I'd hold up on the Hallmark card," she said, trying to shrug off the discomfort of hearing Lydecker's name
spoken aloud, here, between her and Logan. Then she smiled, taking the edge off. "After all, he's the
reason you and I are 2 to one."
Logan groaned, sitting up, as well.
"I can't believe you out jumped me, too," he said.
Max laughed. "You did okay. And you were faster than me," she reminded, her tone of voice belying her
words in its patronizing effect. It was fun competing with Logan, each trying to outdo the other like a
couple of kids. It momentarily diffused the heated atmosphere that had developed between them while they
were kissing in Crash.
Granted, it was a little eerie. But it was fun, too. And exciting. Not long ago, Logan was still confined to
his chair or the exoskeleton. Now he could run rings around her.
"Yeah, I was, wasn't I?" he finally said, laughing, and Max gave him a playful slap on the arm, rolling her
eyes. Then Logan's laughter faded away. And Max was suddenly very aware of how close they were
sitting. Out here in the dark. Alone.
"Not too fast, I hope," he finally said, bringing a hand up to the side of her face.
And that peculiar rise in temperature began to take place again.
Max was aware that she was the one that had sidestepped what was beginning to happen tonight. She'd
steered the conversation away from her and Logan and into safer subjects. Like jumping contests and 100
yard dashes. But now she wasn't quite sure why.
Their faces were inches away from each other, and as they leaned in closer, Max whispered "Just fast
enough."
She leaned forward…and the next thing she knew, she was on her back beneath Logan. He'd flipped her.
She laughed, even as she prepared to get up and kick his ass. But then he stopped her with a kiss.
A deep kiss.
And then he was the one laughing, albeit with huskiness that hadn't been there before.
"So…what's this Sketchy tells me about Val and the mayor's twin-sister-mistresses?"
Max practically cracked up.
"Oh, yeah, that," she said, when she finally could.
"Yeah that," Logan told her, trying to regain the crossness he'd felt through the first, mortifying moments
of Sketchy's explanation of Logan's predicament. The explanation Max had given him.
"Well, you know," she said, having the decency to at least look a little bit guilty. But just a little.
"Sketchy's very possessive of his 'bachelor pad'."
Logan looked absolutely serious when he said, "You're kidding."
"No, it's true." Max grinned again. "I had to give him a reason to let you crash. A reason he'd
understand. And, well, Sketchy understands woman trouble."
Logan rolled his eyes. "I bet."
Then he reached over, threading his fingers through her hair. "Well, I guess your explanation wasn't all
that far off. After all, I do have a bit of woman trouble."
"Oh, really?" Max asked, smiling.
Logan smiled, too. "Yeah. There's this woman I can't get off my mind." But then suddenly neither of
them were smiling anymore. "Thing is…I don't want to get her off my mind."
Max reached up, touched Logan's cheek. "Doesn't sound like such a problem. At least, not one we can't
fix."
"Fix?" Logan leaned in closer. "Now how do you suggest we do that?"
Then Max reached for him, just as Logan reached for her, and they were locked in a passionate kiss once
again. This time it was one that neither one of them was going to stop.
Neither one of them would have to.
Because then Zack showed up.
A/N: Don't you just hate that? :) Please review!