Reaching for the Moon by ThePekingNoodle

-------------------------

Chapter Eighty-Nine: Back Down to Earth

With the morning comes the end of dreams and a return to the cold hard realities…

The breakfast provided by the hotel was ample and the food was good, even if it wasn't quite in a class with Logan's cooking. By the time they finished eating, a package of clothing had been delivered and Max slipped into the bedroom to dress.

When she walked back out wearing a pair of tailored cream pants and a deep rose sweater; Logan was engrossed in a conversation on his cell phone. His laptop was open on the desk in front of him. She listened in unabashedly as he finished his call.

"…we'll be back in Seattle by tonight. If you could have that stuff waiting for me I'd appreciate it. Thanks, Sebastian. I owe you for this trip. That little diversion you engineered on the security cams saved our asses last night."  He listened a minute and then laughed. "Talk to you soon."

"What's going to be waiting for us?" Max asked curiously.

Logan looked up at her. "More information Sebastian has on the escaped X5s. No current locations but some past sightings of a few of them. He's going to send the encrypted files over later today. I don't want to access them on this – the security isn't quite as good as it is on my main setup." He looked her over and smiled, "You clean up nice."

Max smiled back at him. "Only one problem – this isn't the best outfit for riding my bike."

"Where is your bike anyway?"

"Stashed in a deserted office park outside of the city checkpoints. I came in on foot. Easier to find the holes that way."

Logan nodded. "I have your passes to get out with me today. Appropriately stamped to show you coming in with me yesterday."  He handed her the paperwork and she glanced over it.

"Logan…" she began and then stopped.

"Yeah?" he asked absently, looking at something on his laptop.

"When are we going to talk? About us?"

He looked up at her, the smile gone from his face. "We can do it now, or we can wait until tonight when we get home. It's up to you."

"Whose home?" Max got right to the point. "Yours or ours? When we get there are you going to try to send me away again? For my own good? "

Logan sighed.  "Max, I…"

"I meant what I said last night about not leaving." Her tone of voice left no doubt of her determination.

Logan reached up and pulled her onto his lap. For a moment he buried his face against her shoulder. When he raised his head she could see the pain reflected in his eyes. "Max, I meant what I said about being in love with you.  I want to keep you with me. More than anything.  But I also need you to be safe.  How can being with me be safe for you, when Colonel Lydecker has me on his radar? He isn't going to go away and I need to pretend to work with him. For now anyway."

"He has no idea who I am. He thinks I'm just your not-too-bright, spoiled, European heiress bride." Max argued.

"Don't underestimate the Colonel. One slip up could be fatal. For both of us." Logan warned her.

"I'm willing to take my chances," Max said calmly.

"The thing is, Max, I'm not sure I am. Not where you're concerned." Logan matched her calm, but his resolve was clear in his tone.

The stared at each other, once again at an impasse. One that was harder than ever because of the words that had been spoken. This time there was no pretending to themselves or to each other that it didn't hurt.

"What are we going to do?" Max unconsciously echoed Logan's words of the night before.

"I don't know." Logan ran a hand through his hair, a habit he had when he was nervous or worried.

Max shifted on his lap. "I love you. How can you expect me to leave you knowing that Lydecker is watching everything you do? Knowing that at any time he could decide you're no use to him and send in an assassin to kill you? I won't do it, Logan.  I can't."

"Damned if we do and damned if we don't," he muttered. "I think we need to let this wait until later, Max. Let's go home."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The two made it out of Portland with no problems. Logan was careful to use a different checkpoint than the one he had used entering the city even though the risk of encountering the same guard was small.  Once past the checkpoint, Max directed him to the location where she had left her bike.

Things went smoothly there as well. The debris she had piled in front of the door was in place and the Ninja was sitting safely inside where she had left it. She wheeled it outside to where Logan waited and then looked down ruefully at her clothing.

"You really should have just gotten me some jeans and a T-Shirt," she told Logan.

He smiled and reached inside the SUV and pressed a button. The top of the back hatch opened outward and the bottom dropped down to form a ramp.  Max looked into the vehicle. There was more than enough room to roll her bike inside.

"Custom made. I thought it might come in handy sometime." Logan explained to her.

Max nodded in approval as she stowed the Ninja in the back of the vehicle. Logan waited in the driver seat until she had it safely inside and had come back around and climbed into the passenger seat. With another touch the back of the SUV closed and they were on their way.

The trip to Seattle was uneventful and they passed it with small talk. Both of them avoided the difficult topic that still lay unresolved between them.  Within three hours they had passed the city checkpoints and arrived at Fogle Towers.  Max rolled her bike out of the SUV and parked it in what she had come to think of as her space next to it and then the two of them entered the elevator.

When they entered the penthouse Max suddenly put out a hand to bring Logan to a halt. She stood frozen. He looked at her in alarm.  Before she could make a move a familiar voice broke the silence.

"It's about time you got here." Zack stood there in front of them. His clothing was muddy and torn and blood streaked his face.  Before either of them could answer he staggered and would have fallen if Max hadn't jumped forward to catch him.

"Put him on the couch." Logan directed her.

"There's no time. Lydecker's about to grab two of our siblings. We've got to help them." Zack managed to get out as Max supported him.

Max and Logan stared at each other and an unspoken agreement passed between them.

"Now what?" she said.

"It's time to get to work." Logan responded.

End of Chapter Eighty Nine…TBC…