Logan ran for the door like a kid on Christmas morning. *His package was
here! It was here! * He opened the door and froze.
"Jam Pony messenger." Alec said leaning against the doorjamb.
"Hi Alec." Logan said stiffly and grabbed the package out of Alec's hand.
Alec smirked and held out a clipboard.
"Signature." Logan grabbed the pen and scribbled his name. He was preparing to slam the door in Alec's face when Alec stepped into his apartment and went straight to his refrigerator.
"Hey Logan do you have any pie?" He asked. Logan glared at him. "Just joking man. So what did I bring you?" He said rummaging through Logan's cupboards. He found a box of doughnuts and began munching on them. He went to the fridge and pulled out some milk. He chugged it straight from the bottle and popped another doughnut in his mouth. He could hear Logan grinding his teeth in frustration. "Alec what are you doing?" Logan said harshly.
"Eating." Alec replied "You know these doughnuts are a bit stale?" He said tossing them in the garbage. " Do you have any Oreo's?"
"Alec!" Logan said frustrated
"It's ok I found them." Alec said and pulled a full bag out of the cupboard.
Alec smiled inwardly to himself. * The plan was working perfectly. All he had to do was keep Logan occupied for the next ten minutes while Sumo and Salaziah copied Logan's computer files and scrounged the apartment for whatever information they could turn up. *
Logan watched as Alec twisted an Oreo and scraped the filling off with his teeth. He discarded the remainder of the cookie on the counter and grabbed another. He proceeded to devour the filling of an entire bag of Oreo's. Alec tossed the empty package over his shoulder and rummaged through the cupboard for another bag of Oreo's.
Logan grabbed the package from him.
"Alec you can't have anymore cookies until you finish the ones you've already started."
Logan said sternly. Alec looked around confused.
"I've finished all my cookies." He said.
"What about those?" Logan said pointing to the pile of cookies on the counter.
"Oh! I was saving those for Max."
"Saving them for Max?" Logan repeated.
Alec nodded. "Yeah. She loves the outsides but hates the filling. I'm exactly the opposite. I guess that's why we're perfect for each other." He said smiling. *He got such a kick out of messing with Logan's head. * "Can I have a baggy?" Alec asked and waved to the Oreo's on the counter.
Logan found a bag and Alec put the cookies in the bag and stuck it in his pocket. He glanced at his watch. He needed to stall for three more minutes. He glanced around the room. His eyes fell on the package sitting on the table.
"So Logan what do you have in here?" Alec said picking it up and shaking it.
"Nothing much" Logan said avoiding the subject.
"Ah c'mon you can tell me! Hey it's not a blow-up version of Max is it?"
"It's computer equipment." Logan said.
"Oh let's see." Alec said ripping open the box. "Normal must have messed up badly Logan because this looks like hair dye and contact lenses. I guess I'll just take it back and tell him there was a screw up." Alec began rewrapping the package.
"It's mine." Logan said quietly.
"Excuse me could you say that again?" Alec asked. Logan glared at him. They both knew that Alec had heard perfectly well.
"It's mine." Logan said louder.
"It's a very nice shade." Alec said examining the box and handing it to Logan. "Of course someone as old as you needs to dye his hair on a regular basis."
"Just wait Alec. You'll be my age some day."
"Yeah but I'll age gracefully. It's in the genes." He glanced at the contacts. "Coloured contacts?" He asked. His expression turned serious "Logan is someone on to Eyes Only?" Alec asked concernedly.
Logan considered lying but he knew that that would be one lie too far. "No," he said finally. " I just thought it was time for a change."
Alec nodded. He glanced at his watch.
" I have to get back to work now." Alec said and abruptly left the apartment.
Logan stared after him in shock. *How could Max stand to be around that annoying excuse for a human? *
He pulled out the dye box and read the instructions.
As soon as Alec had ridden around the corner he pulled the cookies from his pocket. He popped one in his mouth. *Logan's up to something. * He thought as he munched. *But what? * Sumo appeared beside him and jumped on the back of his bike. "A little subtlety maybe?" Alec called back to the giant squirrel. Sumo glared at him and told him that the mission had gone exactly as planned.
The next day
After work Alec and Max had ridden over to Logan's apartment. Alec had tried to wheedle out of it but ended up going because he knew Max didn't want to go alone.
They now sat waiting uncomfortably on Logan's couch.
Logan immerged from the bathroom still swathed in bandages.
"He dyed his hair." Max whispered to Alec.
"And he's wearing colour contacts." Alec whispered back.
Logan went into the kitchen and returned with a plate heaped high with fillingless Oreo's.
Max stared at the cookies. She picked one up and studied it carefully. Logan was grinning as best he could under the bandages.
"Where is the rest of the cookie?" She whispered to Alec.
He shrugged. "I told you. He's gone completely off the deep end. Just play along."
Max smiled fakely at Logan. "Wow Logan these cookies are awesome."
Two hours later.
"Logan that's enough cookies!" Alec snapped getting near the end of his rope. "Are you going to take off your bandages or can we go?"
"Logan I think it's time." Max said as patiently as she could.
"Ok Ok." Logan said. He took the cookies back into the kitchen. 15 minutes later he immerged hesitantly. A hand reached up to peel the bandage away from his face. Familiar features peered out at them. Alec's features. Ben's features.
Alec choked on his last bit of cookie as the face was revealed. Max gasped in horror.
"What have you done?" she cried.
"Jam Pony messenger." Alec said leaning against the doorjamb.
"Hi Alec." Logan said stiffly and grabbed the package out of Alec's hand.
Alec smirked and held out a clipboard.
"Signature." Logan grabbed the pen and scribbled his name. He was preparing to slam the door in Alec's face when Alec stepped into his apartment and went straight to his refrigerator.
"Hey Logan do you have any pie?" He asked. Logan glared at him. "Just joking man. So what did I bring you?" He said rummaging through Logan's cupboards. He found a box of doughnuts and began munching on them. He went to the fridge and pulled out some milk. He chugged it straight from the bottle and popped another doughnut in his mouth. He could hear Logan grinding his teeth in frustration. "Alec what are you doing?" Logan said harshly.
"Eating." Alec replied "You know these doughnuts are a bit stale?" He said tossing them in the garbage. " Do you have any Oreo's?"
"Alec!" Logan said frustrated
"It's ok I found them." Alec said and pulled a full bag out of the cupboard.
Alec smiled inwardly to himself. * The plan was working perfectly. All he had to do was keep Logan occupied for the next ten minutes while Sumo and Salaziah copied Logan's computer files and scrounged the apartment for whatever information they could turn up. *
Logan watched as Alec twisted an Oreo and scraped the filling off with his teeth. He discarded the remainder of the cookie on the counter and grabbed another. He proceeded to devour the filling of an entire bag of Oreo's. Alec tossed the empty package over his shoulder and rummaged through the cupboard for another bag of Oreo's.
Logan grabbed the package from him.
"Alec you can't have anymore cookies until you finish the ones you've already started."
Logan said sternly. Alec looked around confused.
"I've finished all my cookies." He said.
"What about those?" Logan said pointing to the pile of cookies on the counter.
"Oh! I was saving those for Max."
"Saving them for Max?" Logan repeated.
Alec nodded. "Yeah. She loves the outsides but hates the filling. I'm exactly the opposite. I guess that's why we're perfect for each other." He said smiling. *He got such a kick out of messing with Logan's head. * "Can I have a baggy?" Alec asked and waved to the Oreo's on the counter.
Logan found a bag and Alec put the cookies in the bag and stuck it in his pocket. He glanced at his watch. He needed to stall for three more minutes. He glanced around the room. His eyes fell on the package sitting on the table.
"So Logan what do you have in here?" Alec said picking it up and shaking it.
"Nothing much" Logan said avoiding the subject.
"Ah c'mon you can tell me! Hey it's not a blow-up version of Max is it?"
"It's computer equipment." Logan said.
"Oh let's see." Alec said ripping open the box. "Normal must have messed up badly Logan because this looks like hair dye and contact lenses. I guess I'll just take it back and tell him there was a screw up." Alec began rewrapping the package.
"It's mine." Logan said quietly.
"Excuse me could you say that again?" Alec asked. Logan glared at him. They both knew that Alec had heard perfectly well.
"It's mine." Logan said louder.
"It's a very nice shade." Alec said examining the box and handing it to Logan. "Of course someone as old as you needs to dye his hair on a regular basis."
"Just wait Alec. You'll be my age some day."
"Yeah but I'll age gracefully. It's in the genes." He glanced at the contacts. "Coloured contacts?" He asked. His expression turned serious "Logan is someone on to Eyes Only?" Alec asked concernedly.
Logan considered lying but he knew that that would be one lie too far. "No," he said finally. " I just thought it was time for a change."
Alec nodded. He glanced at his watch.
" I have to get back to work now." Alec said and abruptly left the apartment.
Logan stared after him in shock. *How could Max stand to be around that annoying excuse for a human? *
He pulled out the dye box and read the instructions.
As soon as Alec had ridden around the corner he pulled the cookies from his pocket. He popped one in his mouth. *Logan's up to something. * He thought as he munched. *But what? * Sumo appeared beside him and jumped on the back of his bike. "A little subtlety maybe?" Alec called back to the giant squirrel. Sumo glared at him and told him that the mission had gone exactly as planned.
The next day
After work Alec and Max had ridden over to Logan's apartment. Alec had tried to wheedle out of it but ended up going because he knew Max didn't want to go alone.
They now sat waiting uncomfortably on Logan's couch.
Logan immerged from the bathroom still swathed in bandages.
"He dyed his hair." Max whispered to Alec.
"And he's wearing colour contacts." Alec whispered back.
Logan went into the kitchen and returned with a plate heaped high with fillingless Oreo's.
Max stared at the cookies. She picked one up and studied it carefully. Logan was grinning as best he could under the bandages.
"Where is the rest of the cookie?" She whispered to Alec.
He shrugged. "I told you. He's gone completely off the deep end. Just play along."
Max smiled fakely at Logan. "Wow Logan these cookies are awesome."
Two hours later.
"Logan that's enough cookies!" Alec snapped getting near the end of his rope. "Are you going to take off your bandages or can we go?"
"Logan I think it's time." Max said as patiently as she could.
"Ok Ok." Logan said. He took the cookies back into the kitchen. 15 minutes later he immerged hesitantly. A hand reached up to peel the bandage away from his face. Familiar features peered out at them. Alec's features. Ben's features.
Alec choked on his last bit of cookie as the face was revealed. Max gasped in horror.
"What have you done?" she cried.