Pitter Patter
by pari106
Disclaimer, etc. found in part I.
A/N: I know this is predominantly Max/Alec…but there is Logan/Asha and Ralph/Bullet story lines here,
as well. So be ware: major L/A coming up. After the part where it says
"The night before…" you might want to skip to the next section if either sex, or sex between Logan and
Asha exclusively, offends you) Okay? Don't say I didn't warn you.
Chapter Three…
Later that day…
No answer.
Logan called the number again and again. After his fourth call went unanswered, he sighed, rubbing at his
brow with one hand as his eyes closed.
"Come on, Asha, I know you're there," he muttered to himself with a sigh. Jesus, he'd screwed things up.
Royally.
When it became clear that Asha wasn't going to answer her phone, Logan went back to paging Max. As if
that endeavor would be any more successful. Both women were ignoring him…albeit for different reasons.
Well…sort of different.
With another sigh, Logan returned the phone receiver to its base and dropped his head in his hands.
That's how Alec found him.
The X5 stood, uncertainly in the doorway, watching Logan. He was nervous…and that was pissing him
off. What the fuck was he doing here? He already knew, but he still couldn't quite believe he was actually
here.
'You should just turn around and get the hell out, 494,' he thought to himself. But when Logan hung up
the phone, his demeanor caught Alec's attention. He found himself staying put rather than turning to leave.
"Knock, knock," he finally said, rapping on the partition beside him. Logan still hadn't become aware of
his presence; something curious. For a human, he was usually relatively alert.
Logan stilled in his seat at the sound of another voice in the room. At the sound of Alec's voice. He turned
slowly to meet the other man's gaze.
Alec. About a month ago, Logan would have gladly killed the man, if he could have, for having ruined his
chances with Max. He understood that what had happened hadn't really been Alec's fault, but he couldn't
help his anger at the X5 for interfering. In more ways than one. He'd known…even before he'd known
about the baby, that there was more between Alec and Max than Max had been willing to let on. He'd
known there was some sort of chemistry between them, he could see it just by looking at them. The very
thought had always thinned Logan's mouth into a grim line, just as it did now. He could admit it…the
sight of them together had made him jealous. Because he knew there was more there between them than
Max was letting on, and he knew that, if she wanted to, she could act on it. She and Alec weren't divided
by some damned virus, like she and Logan were. The only thing keeping Max and Alec apart…were
himself and that damned smart-ass attitude of Alec's. Which didn't seem to bother Max as much as Logan
thought it should.
But none of that really made a difference any more, did it? It didn't make a difference what Logan thought
was going on between Alec and Max…he knew. He couldn't be jealous of Alec and Max if Max chose to
be with the other man…how could he? She was carrying Alec's baby. And he couldn't very well hate
Alec for coming between him and Max. If Alec had interfered with what was developing between Max and
Logan, Logan had ended it all together by what he'd done last night. Besides, there was someone else
besides Max in this equation that Logan had to worry about… Asha. He hadn't meant to hurt Max or
Asha, and yet he'd ended up hurting both. He could hardly condemn Alec right now. He was feeling
pretty damned condemnable himself.
He didn't say any of this aloud, of course.
He just sat there staring at Alec as Alec stared at him, coming to terms with all that had happened, and how
things had changed. Then he turned his back on the other man, pretending to be very involved in the file
displayed on his computer. He wasn't even sure what it was.
"Max isn't here," he told him.
Alec raised a brow. "Yeah. I noticed," he quipped. But he couldn't hide behind his mouth forever. Alec
sighed. 'This is ridiculous…just go ahead and do it already.' He'd come here with a purpose; no use
procrastinating about it.
"Listen, Logan, I know I…"
But Logan interrupted him. He turned back around in his chair. "And I can't help you find her," he added.
Alec stiffened. He planned to tell the other man to back off, he wasn't here to find Max anyhow. He
wasn't going to try to stand between her and her beloved Logan; he'd learned his lesson. But then he saw
the look on Logan's face. It wasn't territorial; it was defeated.
"Max isn't talking to me right now," Logan confessed. "I…made a mistake."
Alec just stood there, too surprised to know what to say.
"She's probably at home," Logan continued, not facing him. "If you see her…just tell her I said…I'm
sorry." Then he finally met Alec's eyes again. "Okay?"
Alec just stood there. Then, finally, he whistled.
"Man, if she'll listen to anything I have to say…that was one hell of a mistake."
Logan just sighed. "That's an understatement."
**** ****
The night before…
Hands were groping…lips were making a sloppy trail from a small mouth, down the smooth skin of a
neck…
"Logan…"Asha sighed, as she twined her fingers in his air. He was all over her. He couldn't quite
remember how they'd got this way…when had they moved to the couch? After dinner, certainly. Just a
friendly, little dinner…a little moaning about Max, a little whining about the fate of the S1W. A little
sympathy from both sides.
Why had they scooted so close to one another…no, strike that. The question was: when had they ended up
with him lying on top of her? Logan couldn't focus. His memory had turned to static some time after the
sixth glass of scotch. He did recall a few heated looks…a few "innocent" brushes of the hand as they each
reached for a glass or a bowl or something over the dinner table. He did recall that moment…that moment
when he first lost the ability to recall anything else. The moment he'd first leaned over to kiss her…
Everything after that was a blur of alcohol and skin and clothing coming off.
"Oh, God, Asha…" he moaned into her mouth as he kissed her roughly, fisting his hand in her hair at the
back of her head.
He'd forgotten, a long, long time ago, why this all might be bad. All that continued to register on his mind
was the beauty of her face, the softness of her body…the sweetness in her eyes… All he could remember
were those few heated looks and stolen caresses over dinner. All he could think was that he'd needed this
for so long…not just to make love. But to make love with Asha. He'd needed Asha for so long. Had
needed so much more than the strained friendship they'd endured, both wanting the other but not being able
to act on it. He'd needed to love her… He needed her; just her.
That was the thought crossing Logan's mind as he looked down into her eyes. Surprising, that thought. Surprising, but true. Surprising that he'd never realized it before.
Why hadn't he ever realized how much he needed her?
"Logan…" She moaned his name as she kissed his neck.
"Asha…"
He repeated her name again and again. Her name was the only that had been on his mind as they'd loved
one another. It was the only name on his mind as they drifted off to sleep, still there on the couch, still in
one another's arms. Luckily there had been a blanket
lying nearby – the one Asha had used when she'd stayed over the night before. She'd slept on the
couch because she'd gotten home late and hadn't wanted to disturb Logan by rummaging around in the
guestroom. As if she would have…Logan always stayed up late, then woke early.
If he'd only done so that night, the next morning might not have happened. But it did. And no one was the
same because of that.
**** ****
They were talking about her, Max knew it. She lay in her bed, and with her Manticore hearing she could
make out each of their words just perfectly if she wanted to. But Ralph was speaking quietly…and Max
didn't particularly want to hear what she was telling Cindy. She'd been there that morning; she'd seen all
she'd needed to see. She didn't need the whole account verbalized for her now.
Cindy, however, was less easy to ignore. She had no idea what was going on…why blondie there was
suddenly shackin' up with them, why her boo had come home crying… And she was getting just a little
tired of being kept in the dark. She didn't know what Max and Ralph had seen at Logan's, and so she
didn't realize it might hurt Max to hear her talking about it.
Lying in her room, Max listened and a tear slipped down her cheek.
"…the hell you're talking about!" Cindy continued to rant.
"Shh!" Ralph threw a nervous glance at Max's door, and back at the formidably vocal black woman in
front of her. Her eyes were wide and sad. Poor Max…
Ralph had already taken her own conclusions from the situation. From the way Max talked about this
Logan…the way they always seemed to be together…Ralph figured this was the one. The father of Max's
baby. She'd never told Ralph why the baby was "complicated", as she'd put it…but now Ralph knew. It
was because Max and the baby's father were having problems. It was obvious that they were…Max had
looked sad when she'd mentioned him. Scared, even. And now they'd shown up at his place, only to find
him wrapped up on the couch (literally) with another woman…
"…and stop shushing Original Cindy, or you'll be shushin' while I put the sma…"
Now, Ralph was not the aggressive kind. Not in the least. In battle, maybe…or when she was really, really
hungry… But usually, she was as passive as they came. But Max was hurting, and she didn't want to hurt
her further…or to see Cindy unintentionally do the same. With a speed impossible of a human being, she
reached out and grabbed the hand Cindy had raised, for effect more than anything else, and shoved it back
down to the woman's side. Cindy's mouth hung open for a full moment before she recovered herself
enough to snap it shut.
Ralph shifted from foot to foot in embarrassment. "Uh…I really don't think that's necessary."
Original just raised an eyebrow, and Ralph sighed.
"Listen…Max … she's…had a hard morning." Duh, Ralph. Trying again, Ralph cast a wary eye in Max's
direction, and lowered her voice yet again. "She caught the father of her baby…well, you know." She
didn't want to say it.
Cindy just waited. "No. I don't…" Then realization hit. Something about the blush on the younger girl's
face gave her an idea. "Oh. You don't mean he…"
Ralph nodded. "We found them together at his place."
Cindy cursed under her breath. "That son of a… He's got a place here in town?"
Ralph nodded again, with a slightly puzzled frown. But Cindy had known that, hadn't she? "Yeah, Max
says she goes to see him all the time."
Cindy stiffened. So Max had been seeing Alec…that Manticore smart-ass that had knocked her up. She
hadn't told Cindy he was back in town…but then she hadn't told her much today. Maybe it was a new
trend. OC pushed these thoughts aside, however. It wasn't time to get all uppity about Max and her
business. If she had a reason for keeping these things to herself, then she had a good reason. Right now,
Cindy just wanted to concentrate on cussing that miserable little prick who'd gotten Max pregnant till he
was red in his genetically engineered ears. Max had talked about him a lot…like every five minutes.
Cindy had never met him, so she couldn't say either way what she thought about him. Max had talked like
he was a good guy. But now Cindy knew otherwise. He'd been seeing Max all this time, and he had some
bimbo at his place last night? Forget red. She was gonna cuss that bastard till his ears fell off. Then she
was gonna figure out how to kill an X5 in the most gruesome way possible…without getting killed first.
But before that could happen…
"Hey, go easy on the guy. Not his fault." That was Max, walking back into the room with dry eyes that
weren't fooling anybody.
Cindy and Ralph turned.
"Not his fault?" Cindy asked. Then whose was it? The tramp he had over? Feminine wiles and all that
bullshit…the eternal excuse of the three-legged gender. Max knew better than to fall for that crap.
"Max…" Ralph began, but Max didn't want to talk about it. There wasn't anything to talk about. She
really didn't know why Cindy was getting so mad. Yeah, it sucked to catch Logan that way. It hurt…
But they weren't together. They had called it off, officially, a month ago. It had been off for long before
that. It wasn't his fault she'd decided to pop in, unannounced, at the wrong time. Wasn't like she had a
claim on him anymore. The virus, and her relationship with Alec, had ended that. She didn't want to be
with Logan anymore; it was just tough seeing him with someone else. Seeing him *naked* with someone
else… But that was entirely on her. Why get mad?
"I'm going out," Max announced. Both women began to protest, but Max cut them off, as she began
wheeling her Ninja out the door. "Later."
She got out of there before she could cry again.
by pari106
Disclaimer, etc. found in part I.
A/N: I know this is predominantly Max/Alec…but there is Logan/Asha and Ralph/Bullet story lines here,
as well. So be ware: major L/A coming up. After the part where it says
"The night before…" you might want to skip to the next section if either sex, or sex between Logan and
Asha exclusively, offends you) Okay? Don't say I didn't warn you.
Chapter Three…
Later that day…
No answer.
Logan called the number again and again. After his fourth call went unanswered, he sighed, rubbing at his
brow with one hand as his eyes closed.
"Come on, Asha, I know you're there," he muttered to himself with a sigh. Jesus, he'd screwed things up.
Royally.
When it became clear that Asha wasn't going to answer her phone, Logan went back to paging Max. As if
that endeavor would be any more successful. Both women were ignoring him…albeit for different reasons.
Well…sort of different.
With another sigh, Logan returned the phone receiver to its base and dropped his head in his hands.
That's how Alec found him.
The X5 stood, uncertainly in the doorway, watching Logan. He was nervous…and that was pissing him
off. What the fuck was he doing here? He already knew, but he still couldn't quite believe he was actually
here.
'You should just turn around and get the hell out, 494,' he thought to himself. But when Logan hung up
the phone, his demeanor caught Alec's attention. He found himself staying put rather than turning to leave.
"Knock, knock," he finally said, rapping on the partition beside him. Logan still hadn't become aware of
his presence; something curious. For a human, he was usually relatively alert.
Logan stilled in his seat at the sound of another voice in the room. At the sound of Alec's voice. He turned
slowly to meet the other man's gaze.
Alec. About a month ago, Logan would have gladly killed the man, if he could have, for having ruined his
chances with Max. He understood that what had happened hadn't really been Alec's fault, but he couldn't
help his anger at the X5 for interfering. In more ways than one. He'd known…even before he'd known
about the baby, that there was more between Alec and Max than Max had been willing to let on. He'd
known there was some sort of chemistry between them, he could see it just by looking at them. The very
thought had always thinned Logan's mouth into a grim line, just as it did now. He could admit it…the
sight of them together had made him jealous. Because he knew there was more there between them than
Max was letting on, and he knew that, if she wanted to, she could act on it. She and Alec weren't divided
by some damned virus, like she and Logan were. The only thing keeping Max and Alec apart…were
himself and that damned smart-ass attitude of Alec's. Which didn't seem to bother Max as much as Logan
thought it should.
But none of that really made a difference any more, did it? It didn't make a difference what Logan thought
was going on between Alec and Max…he knew. He couldn't be jealous of Alec and Max if Max chose to
be with the other man…how could he? She was carrying Alec's baby. And he couldn't very well hate
Alec for coming between him and Max. If Alec had interfered with what was developing between Max and
Logan, Logan had ended it all together by what he'd done last night. Besides, there was someone else
besides Max in this equation that Logan had to worry about… Asha. He hadn't meant to hurt Max or
Asha, and yet he'd ended up hurting both. He could hardly condemn Alec right now. He was feeling
pretty damned condemnable himself.
He didn't say any of this aloud, of course.
He just sat there staring at Alec as Alec stared at him, coming to terms with all that had happened, and how
things had changed. Then he turned his back on the other man, pretending to be very involved in the file
displayed on his computer. He wasn't even sure what it was.
"Max isn't here," he told him.
Alec raised a brow. "Yeah. I noticed," he quipped. But he couldn't hide behind his mouth forever. Alec
sighed. 'This is ridiculous…just go ahead and do it already.' He'd come here with a purpose; no use
procrastinating about it.
"Listen, Logan, I know I…"
But Logan interrupted him. He turned back around in his chair. "And I can't help you find her," he added.
Alec stiffened. He planned to tell the other man to back off, he wasn't here to find Max anyhow. He
wasn't going to try to stand between her and her beloved Logan; he'd learned his lesson. But then he saw
the look on Logan's face. It wasn't territorial; it was defeated.
"Max isn't talking to me right now," Logan confessed. "I…made a mistake."
Alec just stood there, too surprised to know what to say.
"She's probably at home," Logan continued, not facing him. "If you see her…just tell her I said…I'm
sorry." Then he finally met Alec's eyes again. "Okay?"
Alec just stood there. Then, finally, he whistled.
"Man, if she'll listen to anything I have to say…that was one hell of a mistake."
Logan just sighed. "That's an understatement."
**** ****
The night before…
Hands were groping…lips were making a sloppy trail from a small mouth, down the smooth skin of a
neck…
"Logan…"Asha sighed, as she twined her fingers in his air. He was all over her. He couldn't quite
remember how they'd got this way…when had they moved to the couch? After dinner, certainly. Just a
friendly, little dinner…a little moaning about Max, a little whining about the fate of the S1W. A little
sympathy from both sides.
Why had they scooted so close to one another…no, strike that. The question was: when had they ended up
with him lying on top of her? Logan couldn't focus. His memory had turned to static some time after the
sixth glass of scotch. He did recall a few heated looks…a few "innocent" brushes of the hand as they each
reached for a glass or a bowl or something over the dinner table. He did recall that moment…that moment
when he first lost the ability to recall anything else. The moment he'd first leaned over to kiss her…
Everything after that was a blur of alcohol and skin and clothing coming off.
"Oh, God, Asha…" he moaned into her mouth as he kissed her roughly, fisting his hand in her hair at the
back of her head.
He'd forgotten, a long, long time ago, why this all might be bad. All that continued to register on his mind
was the beauty of her face, the softness of her body…the sweetness in her eyes… All he could remember
were those few heated looks and stolen caresses over dinner. All he could think was that he'd needed this
for so long…not just to make love. But to make love with Asha. He'd needed Asha for so long. Had
needed so much more than the strained friendship they'd endured, both wanting the other but not being able
to act on it. He'd needed to love her… He needed her; just her.
That was the thought crossing Logan's mind as he looked down into her eyes. Surprising, that thought. Surprising, but true. Surprising that he'd never realized it before.
Why hadn't he ever realized how much he needed her?
"Logan…" She moaned his name as she kissed his neck.
"Asha…"
He repeated her name again and again. Her name was the only that had been on his mind as they'd loved
one another. It was the only name on his mind as they drifted off to sleep, still there on the couch, still in
one another's arms. Luckily there had been a blanket
lying nearby – the one Asha had used when she'd stayed over the night before. She'd slept on the
couch because she'd gotten home late and hadn't wanted to disturb Logan by rummaging around in the
guestroom. As if she would have…Logan always stayed up late, then woke early.
If he'd only done so that night, the next morning might not have happened. But it did. And no one was the
same because of that.
**** ****
They were talking about her, Max knew it. She lay in her bed, and with her Manticore hearing she could
make out each of their words just perfectly if she wanted to. But Ralph was speaking quietly…and Max
didn't particularly want to hear what she was telling Cindy. She'd been there that morning; she'd seen all
she'd needed to see. She didn't need the whole account verbalized for her now.
Cindy, however, was less easy to ignore. She had no idea what was going on…why blondie there was
suddenly shackin' up with them, why her boo had come home crying… And she was getting just a little
tired of being kept in the dark. She didn't know what Max and Ralph had seen at Logan's, and so she
didn't realize it might hurt Max to hear her talking about it.
Lying in her room, Max listened and a tear slipped down her cheek.
"…the hell you're talking about!" Cindy continued to rant.
"Shh!" Ralph threw a nervous glance at Max's door, and back at the formidably vocal black woman in
front of her. Her eyes were wide and sad. Poor Max…
Ralph had already taken her own conclusions from the situation. From the way Max talked about this
Logan…the way they always seemed to be together…Ralph figured this was the one. The father of Max's
baby. She'd never told Ralph why the baby was "complicated", as she'd put it…but now Ralph knew. It
was because Max and the baby's father were having problems. It was obvious that they were…Max had
looked sad when she'd mentioned him. Scared, even. And now they'd shown up at his place, only to find
him wrapped up on the couch (literally) with another woman…
"…and stop shushing Original Cindy, or you'll be shushin' while I put the sma…"
Now, Ralph was not the aggressive kind. Not in the least. In battle, maybe…or when she was really, really
hungry… But usually, she was as passive as they came. But Max was hurting, and she didn't want to hurt
her further…or to see Cindy unintentionally do the same. With a speed impossible of a human being, she
reached out and grabbed the hand Cindy had raised, for effect more than anything else, and shoved it back
down to the woman's side. Cindy's mouth hung open for a full moment before she recovered herself
enough to snap it shut.
Ralph shifted from foot to foot in embarrassment. "Uh…I really don't think that's necessary."
Original just raised an eyebrow, and Ralph sighed.
"Listen…Max … she's…had a hard morning." Duh, Ralph. Trying again, Ralph cast a wary eye in Max's
direction, and lowered her voice yet again. "She caught the father of her baby…well, you know." She
didn't want to say it.
Cindy just waited. "No. I don't…" Then realization hit. Something about the blush on the younger girl's
face gave her an idea. "Oh. You don't mean he…"
Ralph nodded. "We found them together at his place."
Cindy cursed under her breath. "That son of a… He's got a place here in town?"
Ralph nodded again, with a slightly puzzled frown. But Cindy had known that, hadn't she? "Yeah, Max
says she goes to see him all the time."
Cindy stiffened. So Max had been seeing Alec…that Manticore smart-ass that had knocked her up. She
hadn't told Cindy he was back in town…but then she hadn't told her much today. Maybe it was a new
trend. OC pushed these thoughts aside, however. It wasn't time to get all uppity about Max and her
business. If she had a reason for keeping these things to herself, then she had a good reason. Right now,
Cindy just wanted to concentrate on cussing that miserable little prick who'd gotten Max pregnant till he
was red in his genetically engineered ears. Max had talked about him a lot…like every five minutes.
Cindy had never met him, so she couldn't say either way what she thought about him. Max had talked like
he was a good guy. But now Cindy knew otherwise. He'd been seeing Max all this time, and he had some
bimbo at his place last night? Forget red. She was gonna cuss that bastard till his ears fell off. Then she
was gonna figure out how to kill an X5 in the most gruesome way possible…without getting killed first.
But before that could happen…
"Hey, go easy on the guy. Not his fault." That was Max, walking back into the room with dry eyes that
weren't fooling anybody.
Cindy and Ralph turned.
"Not his fault?" Cindy asked. Then whose was it? The tramp he had over? Feminine wiles and all that
bullshit…the eternal excuse of the three-legged gender. Max knew better than to fall for that crap.
"Max…" Ralph began, but Max didn't want to talk about it. There wasn't anything to talk about. She
really didn't know why Cindy was getting so mad. Yeah, it sucked to catch Logan that way. It hurt…
But they weren't together. They had called it off, officially, a month ago. It had been off for long before
that. It wasn't his fault she'd decided to pop in, unannounced, at the wrong time. Wasn't like she had a
claim on him anymore. The virus, and her relationship with Alec, had ended that. She didn't want to be
with Logan anymore; it was just tough seeing him with someone else. Seeing him *naked* with someone
else… But that was entirely on her. Why get mad?
"I'm going out," Max announced. Both women began to protest, but Max cut them off, as she began
wheeling her Ninja out the door. "Later."
She got out of there before she could cry again.