Reaching for the Moon by ThePekingNoodle

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Chapter Seventy: The Top of the World

In which our hero is forced to confront his fears with the help of our heroine of course…

After breakfast Logan headed off to take a shower, and Max took the opportunity to use his computers. When he came out she was seated at the console absorbed in what she was doing. He stood in the doorway with a smile on his face, watching her for a moment. She didn't notice him so he quietly walked up behind her. He lifted her hair, then leaned down and dropped a light kiss on her barcode. Max jumped.

"Oh." She turned to him with a smile. "Don't you know you're not supposed to be able to sneak up on me like that?"

Logan grasped her hands and pulled her to a standing position. He smiled down at her. "I guess that got left out of my education." 

Max gave him a mock frown. "Guess so."

"But I did learn other things of value."

"Such as?"

He was running his hands lightly up and down her arms, and she shivered slightly.

"Oh, this…" he pulled her to him and leaned in to gently kiss her neck. "…and this…' He feathered kisses across her throat. "and most definitely this…" His lips were on hers and his hands were on her back holding her close against him.

Max sighed softly as she savored his taste and feel. When he broke the kiss several moments later and stepped back, she smiled at him. "For that, I guess I can forgive the sneaking up on me."

 Logan's smile was smug. "That's only the beginning. But I'm not going to show you everything I learned now."

"Why not?"

"Anticipation, Max." With a sudden change of mood he looked at the computer. "Doing some hacking?"

"Not really. Just doing some research on the Space Needle. In preparation for our visit."

"And what did you find out?"

"Anticipation, Logan." Max winked, and having neatly turned the tables on him, she turned to walk away. "I'll let you do whatever it is you do on these. I'm for the showers."

Logan laughed as he watched her leave, enjoying the gentle sway of her hips as she headed back to what he now thought of as their bedroom.

Instead of immediately starting in on his work he sat there for a few moments thinking about Max. He was amazed at how easily they seemed to have slipped into a comfort zone with each other.  It had started to seem like sometimes Max could almost read his mind and vice versa.

Whoa there, Logan. You're on dangerous ground here. Very dangerous ground.

Shut up, I don't care.

You're gonna care when everything falls apart around you, the way it always seems to.

It won't this time. I won't let it. Max is different.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

I won't. Now shut up.

Logan squared his shoulders and turned to work on the Informant Net.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Max stood in the shower letting the hot water wash over her, savoring the feeling. She had a smile on her face. She grabbed a puffy loofah and lathered it up with soap and then she began to smooth it over herself. As she did, her thoughts wandered to memories of Logan's lips and hands moving over her body. He was an incredible lover, but recently it seemed like there was something more going on when he made love to her. Sometimes it almost felt as if he was inside of her head, reading her thoughts.

Watch it girl. You're gonna get yourself in trouble with him.

I know what I'm doing.

Do you? I doubt it. You have no experience with someone like Logan. You don't even know very much about him and who he really is. There's more to him than meets the eye.

I know enough. Anyway my father trusted him.

Just be careful.

Just shut up.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After her shower, Max wandered around the apartment gathering up various items of equipment.

"Logan, do you by any chance have any camping gear around?" she asked him at one point.

He looked up from his computers. "Actually I do. Check the closet in the back hallway. Anything I have would be in there."

"Thanks." Max was gone before he could ask her exactly what she was looking for.

He shrugged and went back to the conversation he was having with Sebastian. Sebastian agreed with his plan to play Lydecker and he was going to help Logan set up some fail safe security.  Logan knew Max wasn't going to be happy about it, but that wasn't going to stop him. He needed to know everything Lydecker knew if he was going to keep her safe from him, and this was his chance to accomplish that goal. Max would just have to accept that.

It was late afternoon before he finally finished up with what he was doing and got up from the computer. He wandered out to the kitchen where he found Max pouring herself a glass of juice.

"Want some?" she asked him.

"Sure." He opened a cabinet and handed her a glass. "Thanks. So when's the big excursion?"

"Tonight. After dark."

"You're serious?" He looked at her in surprise.

She shrugged, "Why not? We still can't go out in public, so it'll be something to do." She looked at him suspiciously, "You aren't backing out on me are you?"

"No." Logan answered.

"I hear a but in there."

"There's something I didn't tell you."

"And that is?"

"I'm afraid of heights."

Max burst into laughter. "You live in a penthouse, Logan. Or hadn't you noticed?"

"That's not the same. We're inside. Behind thick windows. Anyway, I don't have to look down if I don't want to."

Max just shook her head at him. "Too bad, because you said you'd come with me. You aren't getting off the hook. I'm all ready for tonight."

"I said I'd come." Logan answered shortly.

Max just smiled at him. "I need you to do something for tonight."

"And that would be?"

"Can you make us a dinner that we can take along?"

"Max, isn't it going to be enough getting both of us up there without dragging a dinner along?"

Max grinned and produced a large picnic basket that she had found in his closet with the camping gear. "All you have to do is make something you can pack up in here. The glasses and plates and knives and stuff are all here.  Piece of cake. Please, Logan?"

He couldn't resist her look. "Give it to me. I'll put something together for us."

"Don't forget the wine."

He wasn't so sure he wanted to be up on top of the Space Needle with wine. But on second thought he decided maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea, given his feelings about heights. With a sigh he opened his refrigerator and looked to see what he could make that would transport easily.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was full dark when Max pulled her motorcycle to a stop at the fence that surrounded the Space Needle grounds.  "Wait here a sec." She left the engine idling and jumped off. She pulled something out of one of the packs she had lashed to the bike behind Logan and walked over to the fence. The area they were in was completely dark with no nearby streetlights, at least not ones that worked, so that Logan couldn't see what she was doing.

Max returned a few moments later and placed the object she carried back into the pack. Then she climbed on the bike. She headed it straight at the fence. Logan started to say something but then they were through the opening Max had cut in the chain links. She stopped the bike once again, jumped off and went back to the fence. "Just had to pull our door closed behind us" she explained. "Wouldn't want some nosy Sector Patrol coming along and wondering why there was a hole in the fence."

She was back on the bike and within moments they were at the base of the Needle. Max drove slowly around until she came to what had clearly once been the entrance. It was boarded up with plywood now. "We're here." She announced. "Let me just get the door."

Once more she jumped off of the bike. Striding over to the plywood she examined it for a moment. Then she scanned the ground around them. She leaned down and picked up a piece of metal which she slid between the plywood and the building. With one quick yank she tore the plywood away from the building. Logan stared in amazement at the reminder of Max's exceptional strength. He knew intellectually that she was stronger and faster than any normal human, but it wasn't something he thought about when he looked at her petite frame and beautiful face.

Max set the plywood to the side and came back to the bike. She rode it inside the building and then finally turned off the ignition.  

Logan climbed off the bike and stood there in the dark as Max went to the opening and pulled the plywood back across it. Now they were in complete blackness.

"Uh, Max. Did you forget something?"

He heard her approaching and she laughed as she brushed against him. There were sounds and then there was light as she switched on a camping lantern. "Is that what you needed?"

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"I can see in the dark. Like a cat. Built in night vision. Handy thing for a soldier. Eliminates having to rely on things like infra red goggles that can go out on you in a critical moment."

"Right." He looked at her. "What else don't I know about you?" he asked her curiously.

Max stared at him for a minute as if weighing his words. "Let's see, you know about my strength and speed, my seizures, my heat and my night vision. I also have a sort of telescopic vision, like a zoom lens on a camera. That pretty much wraps it up. The super soldier in one complete package." Logan detected a faint bitterness in her words.

"You forgot something."

"What?"

"You're beautiful and smart and caring. Those are the really important things about you."

Max stared at him. "Thanks, Logan." There was a silence between them. He's getting to you again.

Be careful, Logan.

"Let's go." Max broke the silence as she turned away from Logan. She pulled two packs off of the bike taking one for herself and handing one to him. Logan slipped the straps over his arms, settling the pack on his back as Max did the same with hers.

"Where?"

"Up of course."

Somewhere around 800 steps later, Logan called a halt. "Max, how much further?"

"We're almost at the restaurant. If you make it to there, you can take a short break."

Logan sighed. "I thought I was in good shape but I never planned on this."

Max just laughed and kept climbing. Logan followed her. In minutes they came to a door and Max pushed it open. Logan followed her. They found themselves in the remains of an elevator lobby. Opening off of the lobby was a deserted and derelict restaurant.  The tables and chairs were still there, probably spared from looters by the non- working elevators which had made it impossible to carry them away. They were covered in a thick layer of dust. Debris littered the floor, blown in through the broken and gaping windows.

Logan flashed the light around. "I was thinking we might be able to eat in here but I don't know…"

Max grimaced. "Not exactly the most inviting atmosphere. That's okay. Picnics are for outside anyway. Lucky it's not raining tonight. Come on."

Logan followed her once again as she led him to another stairway. It was narrow, clearly meant for service personnel and not visitors. At the top there was a hatch. Max set down her pack and looked up at it for a minute. Then she reached up and pushed. It resisted for a moment but then it swung upwards. She gave it a shove and it fell open with a clang. Max clambered up through the opening and reached down a hand.

"Give me the packs."  Logan silently complied, handing her first one and then the other.  "Be right back." She said cheerfully.

He waited in the dark at the top of the steps, not particularly anxious to climb out to wherever it was they were. After what seemed like too short of a time, Max reappeared. She reached her hand down. "Come on."

Logan reached up and took her hand. With amazing strength, Max pulled him up through the opening.  He took a moment to gain his balance and then dared to look around.  They were standing on the top of the Space Needle on what he guessed was the roof of the observation deck. It sloped gently away from them. Logan took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Max asked him.

"I'm…fine." Logan looked around nervously.

"Come over here. You can sit down."

Logan looked to where Max indicated. She had spread out a blanket and the picnic basket sat in the middle of it. Thankfully it was set well back from the edge of the Needle. He gingerly made his way over there and sat down on the blanket. Then he took a deep breath.

Max had wandered over toward the edge.

"Don't you think you're kind of close to the edge?" he called to her.

She looked back at him with a smile. Her hair blew gently around her face. The moon came out at that moment and backlit her figure as she stood there looking at him. "I'm fine. Isn't this wonderful? I feel like I could reach up and touch the moon from here."

Logan smiled at her obvious pleasure. "Come on. I'm starving. You brought me here for a picnic so let's have one."

Max walked back to him as he marveled anew at her catlike fluidity of movement.  Max moved like no one else he had ever known. Here on top of the Needle it was more apparent than ever. She didn't even appear to notice the sloping surface that she was walking on, adjusting to it effortlessly.

By the time she got to the blanket, Logan had set out the food. She dropped down gracefully into a lotus position across from him. Logan handed her a plate heaped with the food he had prepared and then poured her a glass of rich red wine.  Then he took his own plate of food.

There was a companionable silence as the two ate and drank. Finally finished, Max set her plate down and leaned back on the blanket on her elbows, stretching her feet out. "That was great, Logan. Thanks."

"You're welcome."  Logan picked up the plates and glasses and paced them all back in the basket. He set it aside and sprawled out next to Max, leaning on one elbow so he could look down at her.

"Lean back, Logan."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

He obeyed and saw why she had wanted him to. The sky was clear and a silvery moon rode high above them. Stars twinkled around it. The wind blew gently over them at this height.

"Nice." He said.

Max sighed. "It is, isn't it?  It makes me forget all about everything down there. All the problems and my parents and…" she hesitated.

"And?" Logan prodded.

"Nothing."

"Max."

"Well us. I know I messed up your life and I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about. I'm fine. I'm a big boy, Max. I make my own decisions and I don't do anything I don't want to." His eyes were intense as he looked at her.

She stared back uncertainly at him.

"Did you ever study any astronomy?" Logan switched the subject and Max sighed in relief.

"A little bit."

"I had this big ass telescope when I was a kid. Got it one Christmas. I used to go out in the back with my dad and he'd help me find the constellations. I think I remember some of them." Logan said.

"My astronomy was more in the way of direction finding. Manticore didn't give a damn about constellations."

"We need to fix that then." Logan leaned back and searched the sky. Then he took her hand and extended it out pointing to a group of stars. "There. Sight down your arm. See that star group?" Max nodded. "That's Ursa Major, the great bear…"

Finally he stopped talking and looked down into her face. Max stared back at him. He held out his arms and she came to him.

"Now let me show you what else I learned in my education."

"I can't wait. Oh that's nice…"

Suddenly he stopped. "Is this safe? I mean we won't roll off of here?"

She laughed softly. "I won't let us. I promise. Now stop talking, Logan and show me what else you know."

"Yes Ma'am. As I was saying earlier today I learned this…and this… and I think you're really going to like this…"

End of Chapter Seventy…TBC…