Disclaimer: Jim Cameron should claim back his rights on Dark Angel and FOX
should disclaim Dark Angel… Don't sue me. (I didn't cancel dark Angel!) Sue
FOX!
A/N: As usual, the story got the better of me and I could not anymore include the meet here. This should have been the meet, but it just won't fit in. But hey, we got to witness another M/L scene! Please Review. Tell me I'm dumb, tell me I'm stupid, I don't care. Just PUHLEASE review.
[edited to say: I forgot to tell you that all the words within (*) (*) are thoughts of the characters – be it Logan or Max.]
*****
EP1 CHAPTER 4: PRE-MEETING JITTERS (EDITED)
A look of surprise crossed Logan's face, "Who is this?"
"No one you know," said the voice on the other line. "You want the ops on this address or not?"
"I do."
"Good. My boss wants to schedule a meet."
"That can be arranged" He said sarcastically. "Of course if you double cross -"
"Tomorrow…" the man waited for Logan's response, when he didn't get any, "…at zero-3-hundred hours. There's an abandoned building in…"
JOSHUA'S PLACE
Max stopped her ninja in front of Joshua's. Again, she walked her baby at the side of the house and covered it with the huge cloth meant for her bike. Walking up the porch, she entered the house slowly wondering why there weren't any lights on. Logan should have been here by now, she thought as she opened the door. Even before she scanned the room with her night vision, her ears already told her no one was there. But she noticed that the boxes were missing. Frowning, she scanned the room again for any sign of Logan having gone back to the apartment. "He's been here," she muttered as she decided to go into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she got a pear and decided to wait it out for Logan to come back.
Minutes later, Logan parked the Aztec and stepped out to go into the house. He didn't know who told the anonymous guy what he was searching for, but word sure got out. Frowning as he walked up to porch and opened the door, he could not help the feeling that this guy might double cross him, but he has no other choice. He has to go to the meet if he and Max are to get any nearer to Sandeman. He opened the door and stepped inside the hall, automatically opening the lights. Turning, he stood still at seeing Max plopped on the couch eating a pear and staring at him. He could feel his heart beat faster and his breath catch as he gasped, "Max!"
"You seem to be screaming my name often these days," Max quipped. "Hey, I didn't enter the window this time. Window at the back is still open though."
Finally regaining from his initial shock, "I didn't know you were in here. The lights -" Max looked pointedly at Logan knowing fully well he knew and remembered at that instant about her night vision, " – right." He motioned at her pear, "Dinner good?" smiling at her.
With all the bravado she could muster, Max tried to smile and throw Logan's comment Back at him, "Never better." Inwardly followed by, *God! I wish I knew how to do this!*
As Logan stepped into the kitchen, Max stood up to follow him. "So, what do you say to some dinner? Gazpacho with Galic Coutons – on old family recipe of fresh vegetables flavored with oil and vinegar –"
"Ummm…"
"Veal Peccata – veal cooked in chicken broth, lemon juice and parsley -"
"Mmmmm"
"Rosotto Alla Milanese, and Strawberry Shortcake for dessert?"
Max could almost hear her stomach grumble at the all those different kinds of food, but she has to put up a fight, "It's late Logan. You don't have time to put all those things together." She sat down on the table to look at Logan.
Hiding his smile, Logan bent towards the oven. "Right. I don't." He took out something from the oven and revealed a black bowl filled with Veal Pecatta and placed in on the table. Bending, he took another bowl filled with Rosotto Alla Milanese and placed it on the table to Max's widening eyes. "That's why -," Logan stood up to open the fridge and took out another black bowl, "- I took the liberty of preparing before I left this afternoon." He turned, placed the bowl of Gazpacho on the table. Bracing himself on the table, he leaned down and looked closely at Max. "The strawberry shortcake is in the fridge. You just have to go and get the wine over there." He motioned at one of the cabinets near Max, "while I get the plates and dinner is up for the taking."
Max, recovering from her initial shock, stood up to get the chiller where the bottle is from the cabinet, "Sounds good to me." She sat back on the table as she looked at Logan, "Logan?"
Logan looked up from the plates, and utensils he is placing on the table, "Yes, Max?"
"You read my mind!" She took her plate and spoon from the table where Logan shoved them to her.
"You can start, I'll just be a minute." Logan rushed from the kitchen and came back within minutes – wearing his latex gloves.
Max took one look at his hands and stopped eating, "Right." He face a mask devoid of emotions. She looked up at Logan, muttering, "We can't be too careful."
Logan sighed, "Max, let's just enjoy dinner." He sat down in front of her.
"Forget it. Forget I said anything."
"Max. Please." The look in Logan's eyes is enough to let Max keep her sarcastic remarks to herself. It was also enough to stop her from shoving her plate forward and jumping on her ninja to head back to Terminal City.
"Right." And Max focused her attention to her meal. She tried to make the atmosphere lighter by smiling up at Logan as saying, "…after all, you did go through all this trouble."
Logan relaxed and smiled his understanding, "…not to say you want a piece of that strawberry shortcake for dessert."
LATER
Max and Logan are in the living room. Logan is in front of his computers checking out the Eyes Only informant net as he continued to tell Max about the phone call he received right after delivering the boxes to Alec and the gang. "…we scheduled a meet with his boss at 3 am tomorrow."
Max is pacing up and down the living room, trying to think of how to tell Logan about why she's really here. "That's still less than 7 hours away," she told Logan to indicate that she's still listening to him. She was fidgeting with her hands and fingers.
"Yes, but that's not the point." Max continued pacing. "He knew my number."
"Uhuh." Her thoughts were running fast in her mind. She can't tell Logan. Not now. *Why did he have to cook that dinner? …And deliver those boxes?* she thought. She sighed her exasperation as she thought of a way to make this easier.
Logan looked up from his computer and noticed for the first time that Max is pacing up and down before him. He raised his eyebrows and decided that teasing her would be the best approach if she's to tell him what she was thinking, "If you go any faster, you'd be digging a hole down the basement."
"Yeah." This got another frown from Logan as he continued looking at Max idgeting with her hands and fingers, lost in her own thoughts.
Meanwhile, Max couldn't stop herself from thinking about the whole idea of her ebing here besides Sandeman… and Logan. *Oh God! What am I supposed to say to him? That I'm some kind of a wacko who figured lying to him is better than being with him? That the sky cleared my eyes and I realized Alec was not for me? What would be his reaction? He'd probably get so angry at me, he'd throw me out if he could. Should I just tell him the truth?* She remembered how Logan utilized all his resources as Eyes Only for the negotiations that would allow transgenics to live off at Terminal City. How Logan would drop off supplies to them when they could hardly go out. How he used the informant net to tap people into convincing others that the transgenics were not harmful. It wasn't much of a success, but at least everything didn't turn up into a bloody battle. He deserved her honesty. "Oh God!" she groaned.
Logan was still staring at her wondering at what she was hyped up against, "My point exactly."
That stopped Max in her tracks, "Huh?"
Knowing fully well that Max wasn't 100% into what he had been debriefing her for at least 30 minutes now, Logan decided to play it dumb – as if he didn't know she was thinking about something else -, "They know my number. Hell, for all I know they might be able to track me."
"Who?" She stared at Logan unable to move.
"The informant we are supposed to meet" he looked at her pointedly, "at 3 am -?"
Max shrugs it off, "I know about that. He knows your number. So? I know your number." Logan gave her a level look and then it hit Max, "Oh. No."
"Yes, 'oh. No.'"
Max walked to stand in front of the computer behind Logan, "Have you found anything on the guy?"
"Got his number on my cell. DoD files tells me he used to work for them. But no illegal records whatsoever. No files on what he's been up to since the pulse, except for the truck registered to him indicating he works for a ranch in Montana."
"Do WE know anyone in Montana?" Max emphasized the 'we' part due to Logan's extensive network of informant in various parts of the country. Heck, maybe even various parts of the world!
Logan sighed, Max clearly haven't been listening to anything he'd been saying, "One of the 5 Eyes Only informants I met today was with Marianne Forseblad, a teacher in 64th who grew up in Montana and…"
"I know, I know. I heard ya."
"So?"
"So you meet up with them while I watch from the upper part of the building. You can drop me at the back while you go and meet with them at the entrance of the warehouse." With that, Max started pacing back and forth again. Then it hit her! She could tell Logan while they were on the road and well, she won't have to wait for his response since they'll be meeting with his informant! She turned her head towards Logan and stated, "I need to sleep."
Logan looked at her in shock. He knew she would sleep for 4 hours maximum, but it's not like Max to just tell him she needs to sleep as she plopped herself on the couch and made herself comfortable. A frown forming on his brows, he went into his room – a formerly vacant room in the house -, got some blankets and pillows, went back into the living room, and bent down before max lying on the couch. He lifted her head and placed the pillow under her head, stood up and covered Max's sleeping form with a blanket, his face inches from hers as he stared onto her face and brushed off a lock of hair on it. He got up and went to sit in front of his computer, looking from his jacket-covered arms and staring on his latex-gloved hands. On the couch, Max opened her eyes and looked at Logan seated on his computer vowing to tell him the truth. With that, she closed her eyes snuggling under the covers to try and sleep it off.
------------------
Author's Note: *BECKY She's about to tell him, don't worry! If you didn't want to take a swing at me with that 2x2, you might now. Sorry! It was getting too long. I hope I get to finish the next chapter soon so you can have what you want. *X-6_494, JOE, MARGARET thanks! And here's the next chapter. *VANESSA They will find out. I hope they find out soon. But see, they're also looking for Sandeman so there are 2 stories in this and well, it might take a bit longer, but not too much. They will, don't worry. I know how it will happen, just trying to unload the other pre- empting stuff first. Hehehe. *JOE here's that update. Oh and how do I know about the food? I love cooking. Funny thing is, I don't eat what I cook. Thanks for reviewing people!
A/N: As usual, the story got the better of me and I could not anymore include the meet here. This should have been the meet, but it just won't fit in. But hey, we got to witness another M/L scene! Please Review. Tell me I'm dumb, tell me I'm stupid, I don't care. Just PUHLEASE review.
[edited to say: I forgot to tell you that all the words within (*) (*) are thoughts of the characters – be it Logan or Max.]
*****
EP1 CHAPTER 4: PRE-MEETING JITTERS (EDITED)
A look of surprise crossed Logan's face, "Who is this?"
"No one you know," said the voice on the other line. "You want the ops on this address or not?"
"I do."
"Good. My boss wants to schedule a meet."
"That can be arranged" He said sarcastically. "Of course if you double cross -"
"Tomorrow…" the man waited for Logan's response, when he didn't get any, "…at zero-3-hundred hours. There's an abandoned building in…"
JOSHUA'S PLACE
Max stopped her ninja in front of Joshua's. Again, she walked her baby at the side of the house and covered it with the huge cloth meant for her bike. Walking up the porch, she entered the house slowly wondering why there weren't any lights on. Logan should have been here by now, she thought as she opened the door. Even before she scanned the room with her night vision, her ears already told her no one was there. But she noticed that the boxes were missing. Frowning, she scanned the room again for any sign of Logan having gone back to the apartment. "He's been here," she muttered as she decided to go into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she got a pear and decided to wait it out for Logan to come back.
Minutes later, Logan parked the Aztec and stepped out to go into the house. He didn't know who told the anonymous guy what he was searching for, but word sure got out. Frowning as he walked up to porch and opened the door, he could not help the feeling that this guy might double cross him, but he has no other choice. He has to go to the meet if he and Max are to get any nearer to Sandeman. He opened the door and stepped inside the hall, automatically opening the lights. Turning, he stood still at seeing Max plopped on the couch eating a pear and staring at him. He could feel his heart beat faster and his breath catch as he gasped, "Max!"
"You seem to be screaming my name often these days," Max quipped. "Hey, I didn't enter the window this time. Window at the back is still open though."
Finally regaining from his initial shock, "I didn't know you were in here. The lights -" Max looked pointedly at Logan knowing fully well he knew and remembered at that instant about her night vision, " – right." He motioned at her pear, "Dinner good?" smiling at her.
With all the bravado she could muster, Max tried to smile and throw Logan's comment Back at him, "Never better." Inwardly followed by, *God! I wish I knew how to do this!*
As Logan stepped into the kitchen, Max stood up to follow him. "So, what do you say to some dinner? Gazpacho with Galic Coutons – on old family recipe of fresh vegetables flavored with oil and vinegar –"
"Ummm…"
"Veal Peccata – veal cooked in chicken broth, lemon juice and parsley -"
"Mmmmm"
"Rosotto Alla Milanese, and Strawberry Shortcake for dessert?"
Max could almost hear her stomach grumble at the all those different kinds of food, but she has to put up a fight, "It's late Logan. You don't have time to put all those things together." She sat down on the table to look at Logan.
Hiding his smile, Logan bent towards the oven. "Right. I don't." He took out something from the oven and revealed a black bowl filled with Veal Pecatta and placed in on the table. Bending, he took another bowl filled with Rosotto Alla Milanese and placed it on the table to Max's widening eyes. "That's why -," Logan stood up to open the fridge and took out another black bowl, "- I took the liberty of preparing before I left this afternoon." He turned, placed the bowl of Gazpacho on the table. Bracing himself on the table, he leaned down and looked closely at Max. "The strawberry shortcake is in the fridge. You just have to go and get the wine over there." He motioned at one of the cabinets near Max, "while I get the plates and dinner is up for the taking."
Max, recovering from her initial shock, stood up to get the chiller where the bottle is from the cabinet, "Sounds good to me." She sat back on the table as she looked at Logan, "Logan?"
Logan looked up from the plates, and utensils he is placing on the table, "Yes, Max?"
"You read my mind!" She took her plate and spoon from the table where Logan shoved them to her.
"You can start, I'll just be a minute." Logan rushed from the kitchen and came back within minutes – wearing his latex gloves.
Max took one look at his hands and stopped eating, "Right." He face a mask devoid of emotions. She looked up at Logan, muttering, "We can't be too careful."
Logan sighed, "Max, let's just enjoy dinner." He sat down in front of her.
"Forget it. Forget I said anything."
"Max. Please." The look in Logan's eyes is enough to let Max keep her sarcastic remarks to herself. It was also enough to stop her from shoving her plate forward and jumping on her ninja to head back to Terminal City.
"Right." And Max focused her attention to her meal. She tried to make the atmosphere lighter by smiling up at Logan as saying, "…after all, you did go through all this trouble."
Logan relaxed and smiled his understanding, "…not to say you want a piece of that strawberry shortcake for dessert."
LATER
Max and Logan are in the living room. Logan is in front of his computers checking out the Eyes Only informant net as he continued to tell Max about the phone call he received right after delivering the boxes to Alec and the gang. "…we scheduled a meet with his boss at 3 am tomorrow."
Max is pacing up and down the living room, trying to think of how to tell Logan about why she's really here. "That's still less than 7 hours away," she told Logan to indicate that she's still listening to him. She was fidgeting with her hands and fingers.
"Yes, but that's not the point." Max continued pacing. "He knew my number."
"Uhuh." Her thoughts were running fast in her mind. She can't tell Logan. Not now. *Why did he have to cook that dinner? …And deliver those boxes?* she thought. She sighed her exasperation as she thought of a way to make this easier.
Logan looked up from his computer and noticed for the first time that Max is pacing up and down before him. He raised his eyebrows and decided that teasing her would be the best approach if she's to tell him what she was thinking, "If you go any faster, you'd be digging a hole down the basement."
"Yeah." This got another frown from Logan as he continued looking at Max idgeting with her hands and fingers, lost in her own thoughts.
Meanwhile, Max couldn't stop herself from thinking about the whole idea of her ebing here besides Sandeman… and Logan. *Oh God! What am I supposed to say to him? That I'm some kind of a wacko who figured lying to him is better than being with him? That the sky cleared my eyes and I realized Alec was not for me? What would be his reaction? He'd probably get so angry at me, he'd throw me out if he could. Should I just tell him the truth?* She remembered how Logan utilized all his resources as Eyes Only for the negotiations that would allow transgenics to live off at Terminal City. How Logan would drop off supplies to them when they could hardly go out. How he used the informant net to tap people into convincing others that the transgenics were not harmful. It wasn't much of a success, but at least everything didn't turn up into a bloody battle. He deserved her honesty. "Oh God!" she groaned.
Logan was still staring at her wondering at what she was hyped up against, "My point exactly."
That stopped Max in her tracks, "Huh?"
Knowing fully well that Max wasn't 100% into what he had been debriefing her for at least 30 minutes now, Logan decided to play it dumb – as if he didn't know she was thinking about something else -, "They know my number. Hell, for all I know they might be able to track me."
"Who?" She stared at Logan unable to move.
"The informant we are supposed to meet" he looked at her pointedly, "at 3 am -?"
Max shrugs it off, "I know about that. He knows your number. So? I know your number." Logan gave her a level look and then it hit Max, "Oh. No."
"Yes, 'oh. No.'"
Max walked to stand in front of the computer behind Logan, "Have you found anything on the guy?"
"Got his number on my cell. DoD files tells me he used to work for them. But no illegal records whatsoever. No files on what he's been up to since the pulse, except for the truck registered to him indicating he works for a ranch in Montana."
"Do WE know anyone in Montana?" Max emphasized the 'we' part due to Logan's extensive network of informant in various parts of the country. Heck, maybe even various parts of the world!
Logan sighed, Max clearly haven't been listening to anything he'd been saying, "One of the 5 Eyes Only informants I met today was with Marianne Forseblad, a teacher in 64th who grew up in Montana and…"
"I know, I know. I heard ya."
"So?"
"So you meet up with them while I watch from the upper part of the building. You can drop me at the back while you go and meet with them at the entrance of the warehouse." With that, Max started pacing back and forth again. Then it hit her! She could tell Logan while they were on the road and well, she won't have to wait for his response since they'll be meeting with his informant! She turned her head towards Logan and stated, "I need to sleep."
Logan looked at her in shock. He knew she would sleep for 4 hours maximum, but it's not like Max to just tell him she needs to sleep as she plopped herself on the couch and made herself comfortable. A frown forming on his brows, he went into his room – a formerly vacant room in the house -, got some blankets and pillows, went back into the living room, and bent down before max lying on the couch. He lifted her head and placed the pillow under her head, stood up and covered Max's sleeping form with a blanket, his face inches from hers as he stared onto her face and brushed off a lock of hair on it. He got up and went to sit in front of his computer, looking from his jacket-covered arms and staring on his latex-gloved hands. On the couch, Max opened her eyes and looked at Logan seated on his computer vowing to tell him the truth. With that, she closed her eyes snuggling under the covers to try and sleep it off.
------------------
Author's Note: *BECKY She's about to tell him, don't worry! If you didn't want to take a swing at me with that 2x2, you might now. Sorry! It was getting too long. I hope I get to finish the next chapter soon so you can have what you want. *X-6_494, JOE, MARGARET thanks! And here's the next chapter. *VANESSA They will find out. I hope they find out soon. But see, they're also looking for Sandeman so there are 2 stories in this and well, it might take a bit longer, but not too much. They will, don't worry. I know how it will happen, just trying to unload the other pre- empting stuff first. Hehehe. *JOE here's that update. Oh and how do I know about the food? I love cooking. Funny thing is, I don't eat what I cook. Thanks for reviewing people!