TITLE: To Reach Out and Touch
AUTHOR: Mystic25
EMAIL: yellowrubberduck31@hotmail.com

RATING: PG
SUMMARY: What was it like for them? Knowing that they couldn't touch again after that day. Inspired by the scene in the movie "Ghost" Spoilers From "Borrowed Time" (If you haven't seen it read at your own risk)

DISCLAIMER: We know who has'em, no one likes someone be redundant. "Unchained Melody" is sung by the Righteous Brothers, and "Ghost" is done by whoever..i forgot.

A/N: To me the saddest part of "Ghost" is where they get to touch each other for only about five minutes, she can't see him, and they play "Unchained Melody" That, whoo..it killed me. The song fit well with the whole M/L thing.

And to the people have been wanting me to do something with Borrowed Time, here it is. This is sorta a fill in the blank piece from when Max and Logan held hands for the first time before the cut off to commercials. This is an M/L ditty..all M/A, M/Z, M/(fill in blank) people, read only if you don't have a prob. with it.

A/N 2: YES "Choices" and "Return to Innocence" will have updates. When? I don't know. I started "Choices 15" this weekend, but right now I have two research papers, a speech, a history essay, a humanities presentation and paper, plus about a million and one books on Harriet Tubman I have to read for one of my papers..whole thing's makin' me pull my hair out...and this is just undergrad stuff. So my fics have had to take a back burner (not my choice). Hopefully this will tide you over.

*****

Oh, my love,
My darling, I've hungered for your touch..

******

Their hands connected, for the first time in months they were able to do something so simple, so easy, but so profound, especially now, in such a moment like this.

For once in her life Max, the smart mouth, live wire super soldier was rendered speechless. She didn't know what to do, how to act. She waited for something else, but it didn't come, at least not right away.

*****
a long, lonely time..

*****

Max.." her name spoken like the request for air from a drowning man. Logan looked at her, cobalt blue eyes held her gaze with an expression of longing in his face, longing, not real happiness. This cure wasn't forever, it was 12 hours short. One day to touch the face of someone he loved for a long time, one day to remember it all, what it felt like, so there would be something to hold onto when this borrowed time ended, when it would just become a memory.

She didn't say anything still, but there was a rare, genuine smile on her face. A beautiful, sad smile gracing her features above brown soulful eyes.

This smile was contagious, and as much as Logan felt cheated, as much as he felt robbed from something he longed for more then his brigade, or his own life, as much sad and angry emotions that were swirling around his brain, Max's smile caught on, and he answered back.

*****

and time goes by so slowly,
and time, can do so much,
are you still mine?

*****

Was it the same? He loved her, that much he knew. But did she love him? So much had happened since, forever ago now. They weren't the same people were they? How much love lay behind her chocolate irises?

*****
I need your love,
I need your love
God speed your love to me

*****

/His hands are warm/ She caressed his fingers through the leather grips she wore on her hands. /So warm, like safety itself or somethin' I forgot what it feels like/ "All for holding hands" she had to say something, her thoughts were going to kill her "But never gonna get to third base at this pace"

He laughed, that low one in his throat, a familiar sound, comforting, he hadn't reason to do it in a long time. "What happened to second?" Their banter was flowing, like the old days, when the only barriers presented were their own messed up thoughts.

"Over rated" she answered back with a spitfire remark

"Yeah I guess so" he said this with a serious face, no joking, no shyness. He traced her hands with his, removing the grip from her left one and stroking golden bronze skin

*****

Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh, wait for me, wait for me
I'll be commin' home, wait for me

****

"You hungry?" his fingers still worked patterns on the metacarpals of her hand, tracing them and the tendons they were housed in. Food was his out, not because of tension, or escape route because of the pace, but because he could spend all night just touching her hand, and he wanted to do so much more.

"Always make myself available for your cookin'" her hand remained where it was, she tried to hide the sigh that was rising in her throat.

"I'll get it started then" he answered back like they were in another time, before this crap all had started. When he tried to unlock her mystery each night, figure out what lay beneath a tough genetically enhanced exterior. Tonight though, he didn't want to unlock her mystery, he just wanted her.

She watched him, traced his path towards the kitchen with agile eyes. How many nights had she sat here in the past months, fighting the urge to run because it was too hard not to touch him, want to get lost in him so deep that she wouldn't ever find her way out again. But she loved him, so hard core no drug high could equal it, and that's why she had to stay away. She had to let him go, get over the wreak she presented him and allow him to be happy.

He'd be happier without her...wouldn't he? She heard him turn on the oven eye, ready to dazzle her with something. Funny how cooking could now hold her attention the way shooting down pea size targets with point black precision from the barrel of a thirty off six use to have her every thought. But it wasn't the activity this time, it was who was doing it.

Such a passionate man, who took and threw back what she spat at him, proving her weaknesses to her, but never taunting her with them. Was he her soulmate? Or someone that chance threw at her to see how she would handle understanding someone besides herself. Either way, it brought her now, on this night, watching him.

The water was starting to form tiny bubbles just below the surface, on the verge of boiling. He watched it, like it held the answers to every question he ever wished to know. /Is this all real, maybe some messed up dream, hell it IS a messed up dream, a date with an angel, ONE time between now and forever/

He turned, the water wasn't the focus of his attention anymore. She walked in so quietly, like a cat on the prowl, the prowl for him.

"Be ready in about twenty-five minutes" he answered what he thought she wanted to know

"Kay"

"So-" he turned the pot handle away from his body. "Yeah" the cat had his tongue, a cat in the form of a raven haired beauty named Max. He stepped closer to her, wanting to say something, witty, romantic, sarcastic, but his voice failed him. His hand traveled up to her straight brown hair "Dust" he brushed the tiny white fleck out of the long locks

Both their eyes met from this touch, locking on each other like it was staged. He touched her hair again, this time in a caresses, it glided through his fingers like water, he brushed it back from her face. She held his gaze the entire time.

"You look beautiful" he was a nice guy, nice guys always had compliments. She WAS beautiful. The red off shoulder blouse fit her perfectly, showing toned bronze skin and muscle beneath.

"Thanks" again another one word response.

The hand in her hair moved, very slowly, it found her face, and he kissed her. No explanation given. He wasn't always a nice guy, he had needs of his own. He wanted to touch her for real.

She was surprised, but her startle response defenses were blotted after she felt the contact point on her mouth. It was warm, but hard, all pent up energy releasing itself. But she could handle hard tonight, she wanted to feel just as much as him.

The kiss was veracious, an act of pure need, but not in the same manor as Max's heat, or the chance encounter for a screw between two strangers. It was need for contact after months of nothing, a search for common ground.

The pasta was forgotten for now, Seattle, White, Manticore, Eyes Only all blurred away. They was only them, two people with everything to loose this night, but there was only 12 hours, and right now it was better to be lost.

*****

WHOA my love, My darlin'
I've hungered, hungered for your touch,
A long lonely time,
And time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me..

*****

(fade out)

******

END R/R Please