I know it's been a long time since I'd updated this and in my avoidance of the next chapter of Extra Ordinary, this popped out. Read and review please, don't forget me. Special thanks to Cat for reading all this crap, and Karen for giving me the grammar advice I don't follow. J
Big Apple
Chapter 8
Logan stuck his head in the steamed filled bathroom. "Are you going to hurt me if I come in?"
"Not so long as you hurry it up." Max reached across the small guest bathroom and dragged him into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. "You letting all my hot air out." She said accusingly.
"My apologies." He said with mock sincerity and a small smile. He leaned against the counter next to Max as she pulled a comb roughly through her hair. His face turned serious as he took catalogue of the bruises and scratches that marred her bare shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
Max laid the comb on the counter and turned to look Logan directly in the eyes. "I am fine." She said. "Everyone needs to believe me when I tell them that there is nothing wrong with me."
"Your sure your fine?" Logan asked
"Yes." Max reassured
"Good." Logan said, lacing his fingers with hers, then lightly kissing her hand. "Now that you've made a complete recovery, I can yell at you properly." Max narrowed her eyes and silently pulled her hand away. "You scared the hell out of me last night. First I see you take a dive out a window and then you disappear for half the night."
"Well, excuse me, Logan." Max snapped irritably. "I had several Manticore soldiers following me and I didn't think it was the best idea to bring them back here and compromise everyone. It was standard escape and evade." Logan hated the icy edge her voice took on when she was in full Manticore mode.
"Does standard escape and evade mean running around in below zero temperature soaking wet?"
"I know what I can handle and I handled last night just fine." Max said, picking up the comb and turning away from Logan.
"Brushing this off like it was nothing is just going to piss me off, Max." Logan grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her so she faced him. "If you'd been a minute later or Niva had been a minute slower you wouldn't be here right now."
Max kept her eyes fixed on a spot over Logan's shoulder. "You can't expect me to take this without a second thought. I almost lost you." He said quietly. Max felt all her carefully constructed defensives melt away and the utter helplessness in his voice.
"Logan." She said, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm fine." She laid her head against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat, trying to think of the words she knew he needed to hear. None came.
They remained like that for several minutes, their silence more healing than any words could be. Logan doubted he'd close his eyes without seeing Ben laying Max's barely conscious body on his kitchen table for a long time.
Finally, Max leaned back with a small smile. "I promise next time I get knocked out a window by a Manticore TAC team into a freezing bay I'll bring a change of clothes."
Logan returned her smile with a weak laugh. "Thanks."
"In any case," Max said with a bright smile, "You'll have to excuse me. I think I'm going to go kick Ben's ass now." She ran a brush through her hair a final time.
"Care if I watch?" Logan asked with just enough boyish excitement to have her laughing.
She was dressed and out of the room in a flash and Logan followed her with a mixture of curiosity and sick, twisted pleasure.
'Merry Christmas to me.' Logan thought as he heard Ben's first yelp of pain.
Big Apple
Chapter 8
Logan stuck his head in the steamed filled bathroom. "Are you going to hurt me if I come in?"
"Not so long as you hurry it up." Max reached across the small guest bathroom and dragged him into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. "You letting all my hot air out." She said accusingly.
"My apologies." He said with mock sincerity and a small smile. He leaned against the counter next to Max as she pulled a comb roughly through her hair. His face turned serious as he took catalogue of the bruises and scratches that marred her bare shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
Max laid the comb on the counter and turned to look Logan directly in the eyes. "I am fine." She said. "Everyone needs to believe me when I tell them that there is nothing wrong with me."
"Your sure your fine?" Logan asked
"Yes." Max reassured
"Good." Logan said, lacing his fingers with hers, then lightly kissing her hand. "Now that you've made a complete recovery, I can yell at you properly." Max narrowed her eyes and silently pulled her hand away. "You scared the hell out of me last night. First I see you take a dive out a window and then you disappear for half the night."
"Well, excuse me, Logan." Max snapped irritably. "I had several Manticore soldiers following me and I didn't think it was the best idea to bring them back here and compromise everyone. It was standard escape and evade." Logan hated the icy edge her voice took on when she was in full Manticore mode.
"Does standard escape and evade mean running around in below zero temperature soaking wet?"
"I know what I can handle and I handled last night just fine." Max said, picking up the comb and turning away from Logan.
"Brushing this off like it was nothing is just going to piss me off, Max." Logan grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her so she faced him. "If you'd been a minute later or Niva had been a minute slower you wouldn't be here right now."
Max kept her eyes fixed on a spot over Logan's shoulder. "You can't expect me to take this without a second thought. I almost lost you." He said quietly. Max felt all her carefully constructed defensives melt away and the utter helplessness in his voice.
"Logan." She said, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm fine." She laid her head against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat, trying to think of the words she knew he needed to hear. None came.
They remained like that for several minutes, their silence more healing than any words could be. Logan doubted he'd close his eyes without seeing Ben laying Max's barely conscious body on his kitchen table for a long time.
Finally, Max leaned back with a small smile. "I promise next time I get knocked out a window by a Manticore TAC team into a freezing bay I'll bring a change of clothes."
Logan returned her smile with a weak laugh. "Thanks."
"In any case," Max said with a bright smile, "You'll have to excuse me. I think I'm going to go kick Ben's ass now." She ran a brush through her hair a final time.
"Care if I watch?" Logan asked with just enough boyish excitement to have her laughing.
She was dressed and out of the room in a flash and Logan followed her with a mixture of curiosity and sick, twisted pleasure.
'Merry Christmas to me.' Logan thought as he heard Ben's first yelp of pain.
