Disclaimer: It's sad, but they don't belong to me. They belong to James
Cameron and all the others.
Summary: Just a nice shipper fic. Max/Logan stuff. Sort of doesn't have a plot.
AN: Wow, thanks for the feedback. There are really some people out there reading my story! I still can't believe it.
Well, thanks to my beta readers Michaela and Trice. Girls, you are awesome! Without you I'd be lost and this story would be sh*t. They work pretty fast too and that's definitely a good thing because I'm not very patient.
This part is set years later, after Rising because that means that Logan can walk and things aren't as screwed up.
-----------------------------------
Athena
- the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature.
~ My angel, she's like Athena. Wise, independent and strong. She knows about the world and what's going on. She does everything with self- confidence but she is intelligent enough to think before acting. Strategic - like a soldier. ~
Her small, cold hands carefully opened the door as she broke into the penthouse. The lights were off but the darkness outside hadn't really settled yet. There was still enough light to see, even for a normal human. And Max didn't have any troubles at all. She paused in the middle of the room, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. All she wanted was to concentrate on the noises coming from the room to her left, enjoying the
silence and the knowledge that he was there, not yet aware of her presence. Smoothly she made her way to his office.
He was sitting in front of his computer, illuminated by dim light. His fingers were gently touching the keys on the keyboard, without actually writing something. He starred at the screen but his eyes weren't moving at all.
Logan was lost in thoughts.
"Hey." Max casually leaned onto the doorframe, smirking. She expected him to be startled but he just blinked several times and didn't even turn around.
"You are early. It isn't dinnertime yet." His eyes returned to the screen and his hand moved to cover the mouse.
She simply shrugged.
"Got bored. Plus Cindy and her new lover wanted to have the apartment to themselves. I thought we could play a game of chess before you cook one of your culinary miracles."
She went over and rested her body against his desk. He finally turned around and looked at her.
"What do you know about Toulouse-Lautrec?"
Max sighed inwardly. That definitely didn't sound like playing chess, it sounded like work.
"Not much." She let her eyes wander around the room before she looked at him again. Finally she added, "Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French artist, lived from 1864 to 1901. Born in southern France, spent most of his life in the Montmartre section of Paris. He had abnormally short legs and because of that he lived completely for his work. Wanna know anything else?"
Logan leaned back, a small smile forming on his face. Of course Max knew about him. She knew about nearly everything. She hadn't disappointed him.
"Tell me about his paintings!"
She looked at him, irritated. Why did he ask all these questions? She didn't like games like that. But then she saw the smirk he was giving her and realized that he was challenging her. She would accept his challenge, she had never resisted a dare.
"Mostly lithographs. Dance halls, nightclubs, racetracks and prostitutes."
She raised her eyebrows and smiled triumphantly. Score, Eyes Only seemed to be impressed.
Logan took his time. He locked his eyes with hers and slowly stood up. She still hadn't really gotten used to the fact that he was able to do it and was dwelling on this thought when she realized that he had reached out and was now touching her upper arm. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt his thumb gently caressing her shoulder. Then her heart started beating a mile a minute when he leaned closer to her. She shut her eyes as she felt the warmth of his body and his soft breath tickling her neck as he whispered in her ear.
"You seem to know the facts but I bet you wouldn't recognize his paintings."
It took a moment for her to let the words sink in and another one to understand them. It was hard to concentrate with him being that close. She took a deep breath and inhaled his scent before her eyes opened again. He had already turned around and was about to leave the room. Although she could only see the back of his head she knew that he had an impish smile on his face. Damn, he had done it on purpose, he had intended to make her squirm. He knew exactly what he did to her and just acting like that was enough to piss Max off.
She angrily shook her head and followed him to the kitchen. There she sat down next to the counter and faced him.
"What do you want, Logan? What was this all about?", she snapped.
He noticed the change in her behavior, her dark eyes and the blank look on her face as well. He sighed. He had no clue what he had done wrong this time but now was definitely not the best time to get on her bad side. An apology would be good but how do you apologize when you don't know what you did wrong?
"Well, you know, you did a pretty good job with the Rockwell at Bennett's wedding."
He was satisfied with his choice of words. Compliments and a little charm were as good as saying that you're sorry, weren't they? He looked up with hope but when he saw Max's emotionless face he knew that he had to change his tactic. Women, who was he that he tried to understand them?
"Max, I know that it's a lot to ask for and I also know that I already owe you and that you had to do a lot of work for me lately, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." He stopped his rambling and once again turned towards her. Relieved, he noticed that he finally got a positive reaction. The corners of her mouth moved upwards slightly and her eyes started to sparkle.
"Logan, you still haven't told me what you actually want." She laughed as she saw him blush and move his hand to his head. He combed through his hair, feeling embarrassed.
"Right."
She folded her arms on her chest.
"Let me guess. There's this bad guy, who stole a famous Lautrec from a charity organization, and now he wants to smuggle it to Amsterdam or London or something. And Eyes Only just can't let that happen because it's a bad thing. So his personal thief has to get it."
Logan chuckled at her sarcasm. He seemed to have done the right thing because his normal, bitchy Max was back.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but you aren't right. It's true, there is a Lautrec painting missing and I want you to get it, but this isn't an Eyes Only quid-pro-quo thing. It's something personal. Just Logan Cale asking a friend for a favor."
"Well, I always thought that a Lautrec would make your apartment even more beautiful." She took an apple and polished it with the hem of her T-shirt before she took a bite. Truth to be told, she was surprised. She wondered why Logan wanted this painting and what he was going to do with it. 'A personal thing', well, that was something new. His life always was about work, wasn't it?
He had heard the unspoken question in her statement.
"I don't want it for myself. It belonged to a friend of mine, an Eyes Only informant. But he can't go to the police because they are sort of looking for him."
Max silently finished off her apple. She didn't like how this afternoon had turned out. She had intended to spend a nice evening with Logan, playing some chess, eating a wonderful meal and maybe crashing in his guestroom. She sighed. Well, she should have known that Logan wouldn't be up for it. 'I'm gonna get this b*tch over with, the sooner the better. Maybe afterwards I still can manage to get something to eat.'
"No big dealio. Do we know where it is? Or who stole it?"
Focus on business that wasn't really business but a personal thing. Logan wasn't so sure if it had been a good idea to make Max steal the painting. It had nothing to do with her. But he had to get it somehow. He never broke a promise.
"Word is that it's hidden in the backroom of a small shop in Clemson Street. The owner has some special friends in Europe and Asia. And pretty good connections here as well. Mixed with some pretty tough guys working for him." Logan knew that Max had had much more difficult missions and that this sounded pretty easy. But he was afraid that Max would take it too lightly. To her, it was just a small job and she didn't put much effort in it. He was sure that one day she would make a foolish mistake just because of her lack of concentration.
"So just in, take the painting and out again? Can't be that hard." She shrugged her shoulders and placed her feet on the ground.
"Max, that's your plan? 'Cause it doesn't sound like one." Worry crossed his face. He knew that he shouldn't think about it so much. Max knew how to defend herself and she could kick a**.
"Be careful! And bring the right painting!" She rolled her eyes as he mentioned their earlier conversation.
"Don't worry, I've got it all covered."
Logan chuckled.
"Brilliant strategy you have there." She went closer to Logan and batted her eyelashes. Then she talked in a sugar sweet voice.
"*You* dare to talk about strategy? I'll remember that the next time we play chess. I *am* strategic and I'll show you when I'm back."
He laughed at the self-confident look on her face but he also didn't miss the glimpse of logic and lucidity in her eyes. And that helped to calm him down. She would make it, he shouldn't worry about her. He probably should worry about the men whose a**es she was going to kick that night. Alone the thought of it made him smile. "Well, I'd wish you good luck but Zack once told me that success depends on having a well-thought-out plan that's executed with precision. And since your plan is so fantastic......"
Max watched him with an unreadable expression on her face. She then opened her mouth, her face still giving nothing away.
"I better go now or I'll end up going all Zack on you." She stated matter- of-factly.
She unconsciously licked her lips as the thought of her pressing Logan against the wall crossed her mind. She shook her head. That was not the right time to think about such things. Well, in fact it was never the right time to think about something like that. Not that kind of relationship, remember?
Logan watched her silent battle in bewilderment.
"Just remember that Clemson Street isn't one of the nice parts in this town." Max looked up at him, questioning. "Did I miss something? Since when are there nice parts in Seattle?" He sighed at her lack of seriousness.
"Be careful."
She shot him a big smile.
"Later."
She fled through the door of the apartment and left Logan standing in the darkness.
TBC
Are you still reading? Now I'm impressed!
So, liked it? No? Any suggestion or comments? Just tell me (lucia_at2001@yahoo.de).
Summary: Just a nice shipper fic. Max/Logan stuff. Sort of doesn't have a plot.
AN: Wow, thanks for the feedback. There are really some people out there reading my story! I still can't believe it.
Well, thanks to my beta readers Michaela and Trice. Girls, you are awesome! Without you I'd be lost and this story would be sh*t. They work pretty fast too and that's definitely a good thing because I'm not very patient.
This part is set years later, after Rising because that means that Logan can walk and things aren't as screwed up.
-----------------------------------
Athena
- the Greek virgin goddess of reason, intelligent activity, arts and literature.
~ My angel, she's like Athena. Wise, independent and strong. She knows about the world and what's going on. She does everything with self- confidence but she is intelligent enough to think before acting. Strategic - like a soldier. ~
Her small, cold hands carefully opened the door as she broke into the penthouse. The lights were off but the darkness outside hadn't really settled yet. There was still enough light to see, even for a normal human. And Max didn't have any troubles at all. She paused in the middle of the room, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. All she wanted was to concentrate on the noises coming from the room to her left, enjoying the
silence and the knowledge that he was there, not yet aware of her presence. Smoothly she made her way to his office.
He was sitting in front of his computer, illuminated by dim light. His fingers were gently touching the keys on the keyboard, without actually writing something. He starred at the screen but his eyes weren't moving at all.
Logan was lost in thoughts.
"Hey." Max casually leaned onto the doorframe, smirking. She expected him to be startled but he just blinked several times and didn't even turn around.
"You are early. It isn't dinnertime yet." His eyes returned to the screen and his hand moved to cover the mouse.
She simply shrugged.
"Got bored. Plus Cindy and her new lover wanted to have the apartment to themselves. I thought we could play a game of chess before you cook one of your culinary miracles."
She went over and rested her body against his desk. He finally turned around and looked at her.
"What do you know about Toulouse-Lautrec?"
Max sighed inwardly. That definitely didn't sound like playing chess, it sounded like work.
"Not much." She let her eyes wander around the room before she looked at him again. Finally she added, "Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French artist, lived from 1864 to 1901. Born in southern France, spent most of his life in the Montmartre section of Paris. He had abnormally short legs and because of that he lived completely for his work. Wanna know anything else?"
Logan leaned back, a small smile forming on his face. Of course Max knew about him. She knew about nearly everything. She hadn't disappointed him.
"Tell me about his paintings!"
She looked at him, irritated. Why did he ask all these questions? She didn't like games like that. But then she saw the smirk he was giving her and realized that he was challenging her. She would accept his challenge, she had never resisted a dare.
"Mostly lithographs. Dance halls, nightclubs, racetracks and prostitutes."
She raised her eyebrows and smiled triumphantly. Score, Eyes Only seemed to be impressed.
Logan took his time. He locked his eyes with hers and slowly stood up. She still hadn't really gotten used to the fact that he was able to do it and was dwelling on this thought when she realized that he had reached out and was now touching her upper arm. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt his thumb gently caressing her shoulder. Then her heart started beating a mile a minute when he leaned closer to her. She shut her eyes as she felt the warmth of his body and his soft breath tickling her neck as he whispered in her ear.
"You seem to know the facts but I bet you wouldn't recognize his paintings."
It took a moment for her to let the words sink in and another one to understand them. It was hard to concentrate with him being that close. She took a deep breath and inhaled his scent before her eyes opened again. He had already turned around and was about to leave the room. Although she could only see the back of his head she knew that he had an impish smile on his face. Damn, he had done it on purpose, he had intended to make her squirm. He knew exactly what he did to her and just acting like that was enough to piss Max off.
She angrily shook her head and followed him to the kitchen. There she sat down next to the counter and faced him.
"What do you want, Logan? What was this all about?", she snapped.
He noticed the change in her behavior, her dark eyes and the blank look on her face as well. He sighed. He had no clue what he had done wrong this time but now was definitely not the best time to get on her bad side. An apology would be good but how do you apologize when you don't know what you did wrong?
"Well, you know, you did a pretty good job with the Rockwell at Bennett's wedding."
He was satisfied with his choice of words. Compliments and a little charm were as good as saying that you're sorry, weren't they? He looked up with hope but when he saw Max's emotionless face he knew that he had to change his tactic. Women, who was he that he tried to understand them?
"Max, I know that it's a lot to ask for and I also know that I already owe you and that you had to do a lot of work for me lately, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." He stopped his rambling and once again turned towards her. Relieved, he noticed that he finally got a positive reaction. The corners of her mouth moved upwards slightly and her eyes started to sparkle.
"Logan, you still haven't told me what you actually want." She laughed as she saw him blush and move his hand to his head. He combed through his hair, feeling embarrassed.
"Right."
She folded her arms on her chest.
"Let me guess. There's this bad guy, who stole a famous Lautrec from a charity organization, and now he wants to smuggle it to Amsterdam or London or something. And Eyes Only just can't let that happen because it's a bad thing. So his personal thief has to get it."
Logan chuckled at her sarcasm. He seemed to have done the right thing because his normal, bitchy Max was back.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but you aren't right. It's true, there is a Lautrec painting missing and I want you to get it, but this isn't an Eyes Only quid-pro-quo thing. It's something personal. Just Logan Cale asking a friend for a favor."
"Well, I always thought that a Lautrec would make your apartment even more beautiful." She took an apple and polished it with the hem of her T-shirt before she took a bite. Truth to be told, she was surprised. She wondered why Logan wanted this painting and what he was going to do with it. 'A personal thing', well, that was something new. His life always was about work, wasn't it?
He had heard the unspoken question in her statement.
"I don't want it for myself. It belonged to a friend of mine, an Eyes Only informant. But he can't go to the police because they are sort of looking for him."
Max silently finished off her apple. She didn't like how this afternoon had turned out. She had intended to spend a nice evening with Logan, playing some chess, eating a wonderful meal and maybe crashing in his guestroom. She sighed. Well, she should have known that Logan wouldn't be up for it. 'I'm gonna get this b*tch over with, the sooner the better. Maybe afterwards I still can manage to get something to eat.'
"No big dealio. Do we know where it is? Or who stole it?"
Focus on business that wasn't really business but a personal thing. Logan wasn't so sure if it had been a good idea to make Max steal the painting. It had nothing to do with her. But he had to get it somehow. He never broke a promise.
"Word is that it's hidden in the backroom of a small shop in Clemson Street. The owner has some special friends in Europe and Asia. And pretty good connections here as well. Mixed with some pretty tough guys working for him." Logan knew that Max had had much more difficult missions and that this sounded pretty easy. But he was afraid that Max would take it too lightly. To her, it was just a small job and she didn't put much effort in it. He was sure that one day she would make a foolish mistake just because of her lack of concentration.
"So just in, take the painting and out again? Can't be that hard." She shrugged her shoulders and placed her feet on the ground.
"Max, that's your plan? 'Cause it doesn't sound like one." Worry crossed his face. He knew that he shouldn't think about it so much. Max knew how to defend herself and she could kick a**.
"Be careful! And bring the right painting!" She rolled her eyes as he mentioned their earlier conversation.
"Don't worry, I've got it all covered."
Logan chuckled.
"Brilliant strategy you have there." She went closer to Logan and batted her eyelashes. Then she talked in a sugar sweet voice.
"*You* dare to talk about strategy? I'll remember that the next time we play chess. I *am* strategic and I'll show you when I'm back."
He laughed at the self-confident look on her face but he also didn't miss the glimpse of logic and lucidity in her eyes. And that helped to calm him down. She would make it, he shouldn't worry about her. He probably should worry about the men whose a**es she was going to kick that night. Alone the thought of it made him smile. "Well, I'd wish you good luck but Zack once told me that success depends on having a well-thought-out plan that's executed with precision. And since your plan is so fantastic......"
Max watched him with an unreadable expression on her face. She then opened her mouth, her face still giving nothing away.
"I better go now or I'll end up going all Zack on you." She stated matter- of-factly.
She unconsciously licked her lips as the thought of her pressing Logan against the wall crossed her mind. She shook her head. That was not the right time to think about such things. Well, in fact it was never the right time to think about something like that. Not that kind of relationship, remember?
Logan watched her silent battle in bewilderment.
"Just remember that Clemson Street isn't one of the nice parts in this town." Max looked up at him, questioning. "Did I miss something? Since when are there nice parts in Seattle?" He sighed at her lack of seriousness.
"Be careful."
She shot him a big smile.
"Later."
She fled through the door of the apartment and left Logan standing in the darkness.
TBC
Are you still reading? Now I'm impressed!
So, liked it? No? Any suggestion or comments? Just tell me (lucia_at2001@yahoo.de).