Disclaimer: Any characters that appear in Dark Angel are not mine. I have
no association with the show and I'm not making any money from this story
Spoilers: Season 1, Between "Camera" and "Meow."
Reviews: Please!
Thanks to those who've reviewed, especially Kyre – thanks for taking the trouble.
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"Logan, it's not a race you know." Max strode behind him on the boardwalk as it meandered gently down the hillside. "It might be nice to take the time to look at nature, now that we're actually out in it."
"Sorry." The mumbled response was barely audible over the sound of birdsong and the branches of the evergreens straining in the brisk spring breeze. He slowed his pace but kept his eyes purposely on the trail ahead.
Max rolled her eyes upward. "Original Cindy said I should watch out for bears. Guess she was right." Logan offered her a half-hearted grin as she drew level with him, but showed no sign of wanting to make the conversation a two-sided one. They had already covered a good mile of the journey and were now approaching the section running along the fenced off ravine. Here the boardwalk ended, but the trail was compacted and relatively smooth.
Suddenly Max ran ahead, vaulting the rickety old picket fence and catching the outstretched branch of an ancient oak, that soared majestically above the pines. With the ease of a gymnast, she swung herself up. "Max!" She grinned at the panic in his voice.
"Finally got your attention. Now what do I have to do to get you to talk to me?" She walked, arms outstretched, along the thick branch until she reached the trunk. From there she could look down into the narrow valley at the small stream flowing rapidly below.
"Get back here now!" Logan was obviously not amused. She crossed her arms and legs, leaning against the rutted bark, and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.
"OK we'll talk, just come down. Please Max"
"We'll since you asked so nicely…" She retraced her steps and jumped, landing in front of him in a perfectly balanced crouch.
He wanted to be mad at her but all he could think of was sliding his hand around her neck, pushing his fingers through her soft disheveled hair, and drawing her toward him for a kiss. Instead, he tightened his grip on the wheels of the chair. "Even cats can fall, you know."
"Oh yeah?" Her reply almost seemed like a challenge. He held her steady gaze and finally started back along the path. Sometimes he felt that he could read her so well, though maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. Other times he felt lost, like a sailor trying to navigate a fog bank.
"So you're going to accept your Grandmother's offer, right." Whether this was a question or a statement was hard to tell. They were moving slowly now, side by side, enveloped by the evergreen forest all around them. " We could come back in the summer, it would be so pretty here then." Logan looked up at her in surprise. She was willing to commit herself to future plans with him. He couldn't help grinning.
"Whatcha looking so pleased about?"
"Nothing, just never figured the word 'pretty' as being part of your vocabulary that's all." Nice save Cale, think you can be more of an idiot if you really try? He watched her walk a couple of steps ahead unfazed by his flippant remark. "She's right, you know." Max turned, raising an eyebrow in his direction. "I need to keep connected to this place." He met her inquisitive stare. "A visit this summer sounds good. We could find some more rats to keep Normal busy." They smiled at each other and continued their journey.
"You came up here a lot as a kid?" Her question was tenuous. He knew there were other ones she would rather ask if she had the courage, or maybe he was the one who needed the courage.
"Yeah, well until I was twelve or so. My mother would bring us up for the whole summer and Dad would join us for a couple of weeks and a weekend here and there. Then he got more and more involved in the company as it grew." Logan kept his eyes on the trail, maneuvering around tree roots that rutted the surface occasionally. "Anyway, he didn't have time for Canalee anymore and thought I should be doing better things with my time."
"Your mother must have resented that."
"She always saw the good in him, thought she could save him from himself. The more distant he became the harder she tried to be his companion and help him focus on things other than work."
"Doesn't sound like the Dad of the Year."
"He was a good man. He just lost himself along the way. At least that's what mom said before she died. I don't know, maybe we're all doomed to accept our real nature in the end. Look at Jonas, believe it or not he used to be fun and charming but that killer instinct was always there under the surface."
Max kept pace with him, her eyes also looking ahead. "My brother Ben was what all the X5s are capable of being, a killer. Logan, I never told you what happened in the woods when Lydecker was after him. I…" She stopped abruptly, her eyes desperately searching his as he sat in front of her, silence stretching between them.
"I know. You did what you had to do."
"Afterwards, in your apartment, I sat wishing that I could kill that part of me as quickly as I killed him, that I could just be normal. All I proved is that I'm a monster too, not a creature the Blue Lady would care to have in her universe."
"You acted out of goodness Max. You saved innocent people from a man who was no longer sane and you gave him the only release he could have under the circumstances."
"Don't you believe that we are what we are, no salvation possible?"
He looked into her dark eyes, now brimming over with tears. "Maybe we just need to find our way." They started walking again, following the path around the curve from the valley toward the farmhouse as the pale sun sent shafts of light through the trees.
Spoilers: Season 1, Between "Camera" and "Meow."
Reviews: Please!
Thanks to those who've reviewed, especially Kyre – thanks for taking the trouble.
_______________________________
"Logan, it's not a race you know." Max strode behind him on the boardwalk as it meandered gently down the hillside. "It might be nice to take the time to look at nature, now that we're actually out in it."
"Sorry." The mumbled response was barely audible over the sound of birdsong and the branches of the evergreens straining in the brisk spring breeze. He slowed his pace but kept his eyes purposely on the trail ahead.
Max rolled her eyes upward. "Original Cindy said I should watch out for bears. Guess she was right." Logan offered her a half-hearted grin as she drew level with him, but showed no sign of wanting to make the conversation a two-sided one. They had already covered a good mile of the journey and were now approaching the section running along the fenced off ravine. Here the boardwalk ended, but the trail was compacted and relatively smooth.
Suddenly Max ran ahead, vaulting the rickety old picket fence and catching the outstretched branch of an ancient oak, that soared majestically above the pines. With the ease of a gymnast, she swung herself up. "Max!" She grinned at the panic in his voice.
"Finally got your attention. Now what do I have to do to get you to talk to me?" She walked, arms outstretched, along the thick branch until she reached the trunk. From there she could look down into the narrow valley at the small stream flowing rapidly below.
"Get back here now!" Logan was obviously not amused. She crossed her arms and legs, leaning against the rutted bark, and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.
"OK we'll talk, just come down. Please Max"
"We'll since you asked so nicely…" She retraced her steps and jumped, landing in front of him in a perfectly balanced crouch.
He wanted to be mad at her but all he could think of was sliding his hand around her neck, pushing his fingers through her soft disheveled hair, and drawing her toward him for a kiss. Instead, he tightened his grip on the wheels of the chair. "Even cats can fall, you know."
"Oh yeah?" Her reply almost seemed like a challenge. He held her steady gaze and finally started back along the path. Sometimes he felt that he could read her so well, though maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. Other times he felt lost, like a sailor trying to navigate a fog bank.
"So you're going to accept your Grandmother's offer, right." Whether this was a question or a statement was hard to tell. They were moving slowly now, side by side, enveloped by the evergreen forest all around them. " We could come back in the summer, it would be so pretty here then." Logan looked up at her in surprise. She was willing to commit herself to future plans with him. He couldn't help grinning.
"Whatcha looking so pleased about?"
"Nothing, just never figured the word 'pretty' as being part of your vocabulary that's all." Nice save Cale, think you can be more of an idiot if you really try? He watched her walk a couple of steps ahead unfazed by his flippant remark. "She's right, you know." Max turned, raising an eyebrow in his direction. "I need to keep connected to this place." He met her inquisitive stare. "A visit this summer sounds good. We could find some more rats to keep Normal busy." They smiled at each other and continued their journey.
"You came up here a lot as a kid?" Her question was tenuous. He knew there were other ones she would rather ask if she had the courage, or maybe he was the one who needed the courage.
"Yeah, well until I was twelve or so. My mother would bring us up for the whole summer and Dad would join us for a couple of weeks and a weekend here and there. Then he got more and more involved in the company as it grew." Logan kept his eyes on the trail, maneuvering around tree roots that rutted the surface occasionally. "Anyway, he didn't have time for Canalee anymore and thought I should be doing better things with my time."
"Your mother must have resented that."
"She always saw the good in him, thought she could save him from himself. The more distant he became the harder she tried to be his companion and help him focus on things other than work."
"Doesn't sound like the Dad of the Year."
"He was a good man. He just lost himself along the way. At least that's what mom said before she died. I don't know, maybe we're all doomed to accept our real nature in the end. Look at Jonas, believe it or not he used to be fun and charming but that killer instinct was always there under the surface."
Max kept pace with him, her eyes also looking ahead. "My brother Ben was what all the X5s are capable of being, a killer. Logan, I never told you what happened in the woods when Lydecker was after him. I…" She stopped abruptly, her eyes desperately searching his as he sat in front of her, silence stretching between them.
"I know. You did what you had to do."
"Afterwards, in your apartment, I sat wishing that I could kill that part of me as quickly as I killed him, that I could just be normal. All I proved is that I'm a monster too, not a creature the Blue Lady would care to have in her universe."
"You acted out of goodness Max. You saved innocent people from a man who was no longer sane and you gave him the only release he could have under the circumstances."
"Don't you believe that we are what we are, no salvation possible?"
He looked into her dark eyes, now brimming over with tears. "Maybe we just need to find our way." They started walking again, following the path around the curve from the valley toward the farmhouse as the pale sun sent shafts of light through the trees.