"A Spoonful Of Sugar"
by Kirsten Tapp

Disclaimer:

Dark Angel doesn't belong to the author, but to James Cameron, etc. The characters of Edward, Stan, Blake, Regis and Mathew however do belong to the author. No copyright infringement intended.

Summary:

As Jondy helps Max get Logan back on his feet; a bounty hunter and an admirer are hot on Jondy's trail.

Timeframe:

Occurs after "And Jesus Brought a Cassarole".

Rating:

PG 13


You could have heard a pin drop as Blake watched the Seattle streets from a darkened alley. He wasn't even sure what he was watching for. He had lost track of Devon Saunders in San Francisco and his red headed friend had come to Seattle and then disappeared as well. Since the Pulse had hit, people had found new improved ways to just vanish, sometimes right under your nose. So Blake had backtracked to where the red head had last been seen. If anyone knew where she was, they weren't saying. He remembered an old school friend of his lived in a penthouse some where in Seattle. Word on the street was that the Cale family had hit hard times, so Blake couldn't help but wonder if Logan was still living in the same place. Only one way to find out. Blake cast the street one more glance before heading down the street.

"Damn it." Logan threw the exo-skeleton on the polished wood floor in disgust. This was the second time in as many days that it had shorted out on him. It didn't help that Max hadn't gotten back yet. She had phoned him before she and Jondy had left to come back to Seattle. It was getting darker and darker outside and although Logan knew that Max and Jondy could take care of themselves, it didn't stop him worrying.

Bling walked in the room to see what the racket was. Seeing the exo-skeleton on the floor, he realized it was only half the problem.

"Max not back yet?"

"No," Logan snapped. "They should have been back hours ago. Probably stopped off to do some shopping." He half-heartedly attempted a joke.

Bling nodded as he picked the exo-skeleton up off of the floor. "There's someone here to see you. Says he's an old friend."

Logan frowned as he wheeled himself towards the living room. "I didn't hear the door bell."

Bling chuckled. "I think your mind was somewhere else." He headed for the door. "See you tomorrow. Tell Max I said hi."

"Nice pad." Blake turned around and was surprised to see Logan in a wheelchair. "It's been a long time, Logan."

"Yeah." Logan was slightly irritated by the look of shock on Blake's face. "A few things have changed. I'm guessing this isn't a social visit. What do you need?"

Blake felt a twinge of guilt. He should have visited before now and not just when he wanted something. "I'm trying to track down someone. I lost her trail here in Seattle and thought you might be able to help."

"Logan! You home?" Max's voice rang out as she came into view. She looked Blake up and down. "Sorry. I didn't know you'd have company."

"Max, this is Blake, an old friend. Blake, this is Max." Logan did a quick introduction. He looked behind her. "Jondy go back to your place?"

"No. I'm right here." Jondy appeared behind Max with an armful of groceries. "Here." She reached into the grocery bag and pulled out a couple of shirts and tossed them to Logan. "These should replace the ones I borrowed." She looked over at Blake. "What's he doing here?"

"You two know each other?" Logan felt as if he had missed something. Then it dawned on him. "Jondy's the woman you've been looking for? Why?" It was never a good thing when someone was looking for an X5.

"My employers want a friend of hers to honor his contract." Blake eyed Jondy up and down. By all rights, she should have stuck out in a crowd. So why had she been so hard to find. "Where's Devon Saunders?"

Jondy laughed at him. "Why would I tell you? The South Africans don't have a signed contract. Therefore, there's nothing to honor. Devon would never work for those butchers." She turned and walked into the kitchen.

"Now just wait a minute." Blake charged after her, but Logan blocked his way. "What do you think you're doing, Logan? She's hiding Devon Saunders. That guy took the money for the job and ran."

Logan didn't budge. "First of all, do you have a copy of the signed contract or even a receipt for the payment to Devon Saunders?" When he got no comment from Blake he continued. "I didn't think so. Second," he pointed towards the kitchen where Jondy had gone. "She is like a sister to me, so back off. And third, do you have any idea what your employer does?"

Blake looked smug. "They're in the medical business."

Max snorted at his reply. "That's one way of putting it. They're out to create the perfect soldier. The last medical experiment that I came across was a criminal from death row with an implant in his head. Thing is, the implants gave them only a year to live."

"Where's your proof?" Blake shot back at her.

"Well, I'd take the defused implant that's still in my head out and show you, but it would probably kill me and I've already been dead once this year, so you'll just have to take my word."

Blake crossed his arms across his chest. "Next you'll tell me that you can fly." Max shook her head.

"No, but I can jump really high." She looked in the direction of the kitchen. "Jondy. What did you get us for dinner." A muffled reply came from the kitchen. "Ooh, that sounds good." She edged past Blake and headed for the kitchen.

Blake turned to Logan. "I suppose you're going to tell me that one's like a sister to you as well." Logan glared at Blake. "You leave Max out of this. I think you had better go. I'd say it was nice to see you again, but considering all you've done since you got here is harass the women in my life, that would be big lie."

Blake stood in front of Logan for a moment. "I'll be seeing you." He glanced in the general direction of the kitchen before turning and walking away.

"Alright you two. Come on out here." Logan knew that he didn't have to raise his voice for the two women to hear him.

Max and Jondy peered around the corner of the doorway--a look of pure innocence on both of their faces. They had found the banged up exo-skeleton and guessed that Logan wasn't in the best of moods.

Logan decided to start out calmly. "How did your trip go?" He wheeled himself to the sofa and moved so that he was sitting on the sofa. Max sat down beside him and passed Logan a plate with a sandwich on it.

"It was alright. Charlie said he had pretty much guessed something had happened to Tinga. He was grateful that we went and told him personally rather than just phoning. We had a hard time leaving. Case wouldn't let go of Jondy. We had to promise we'd go back and visit soon."

Logan reached over and squeezed her hand. He looked over at Jondy who had curled up in an armchair. "You want to tell us what's going on with Devon? He's not even gay is he?"

"Yes, he is." Jondy looked quite insulted at Logan's question. "He's the safest man to be near when I'm in heat cause he really doesn't want to have sex with me."

Logan rolled his eyes. He knew she was trying to change the subject. "What's the deal with your friend, Devon. Hey, I just kicked an old friend out of my apartment for you. You could at least bring me up to speed."

Jondy stared cautiously at Logan for a moment. "Devon is one of the top biochemists in the country. He's also the youngest. About a year ago he was approached by some South Africans who were interested in creating the perfect soldier."

"Devon is also an expert in building DNA structures." Max took a bite of her sandwich. "Any of this sound familiar?"

Logan nodded. "So the South Africans wanted to build another Manticore. Devon was the key to it being successful I take it."

Jondy took a deep breath. "Here lies the problem. Devon had grown up with a certain genetically engineered redhead who had become like a sister to him. Devon knew all about Manticore and the experiments they performed. He was determined he wasn't going to be part of a clone of Manticore. So he turned them down. The South Africans offered him a whole heap of money and Devon still turned them down. So they started the scare tactics."

Logan could barely believe what he was hearing. "So Devon turns to the one person he can trust, who's also an expert in disappearing."

Max raised and lowered her eyebrows. "Manticore taught us well. Bet they never thought it would come back to bite them in the ass."

Jondy continued, "When the South Africans couldn't locate Devon they hired a Bounty Hunter, your friend, Blake. The few people that would actually talk knew that he came to see me at the bar I worked at in San Francisco. Unfortunately for Blake, it appears I'm a rather hard person to give a description of. I got word someone was looking for me. Thought it might be Lydecker. Realized when Blake turned up that he was trying to find Devon. So I thought it might be a good time to go visit some family and the rest is history."

Max groaned. "If it's not one group of sadists it's another." She leaned her head on Logan's shoulder. "How big an expert is Devon really?"

"He stopped my seizers. I don't have to take Tryptophan anymore." Jondy still couldn't pick what sort of mood Logan was in. Logan ran his hand over his face. "I'll see if I can find some sort of background on the South Africans. Something tells me their agenda might be slightly different to Manticore, if only because they don't have the caliber of staff that they need."

"We just got back and you wanna work?" Max couldn't believe Logan sometimes. His dedication to saving the world could get to be a bit much.

"Max! Devon is having to hide out and Jondy is constantly being followed. I would have thought you would have jumped at the chance to help your own sister." Logan knew he didn't really have just cause to loose his temper. With the exo-skeleton not working properly, the look of shock on Blake's face, it was all of the little things getting to him.

Max knew Logan wasn't really angry at her, but she couldn't help feeling a little hurt. "Fine. You go save the world. Again. But in case you haven't noticed, Jondy isn't that bothered with the whole situation, so why should I be." She got up and stormed out of the apartment.

"It really can wait one night, Logan," Jondy spoke softly, not wishing to upset Logan further. "Devon is perfectly safe at the moment and I can quite easily lose Blake. I've done it before. Don't think I don't appreciate the help. I do. But not at the expense of you and Max."

Logan grinned sheepishly. "Don't worry about me and Max. We do this all the time. I'll make it up to her tomorrow once we've both cooled down."

Jondy stood and headed for his door. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Stan phoned while I was in the kitchen. Seems Harold called in sick, so it looks as though I'm working tonight."

Logan watched her walk away. "Be careful. If I remember correctly, Blake is pretty determined. He won't give up too easily."

Jondy waved goodbye. "Neither do I," she muttered under her breath.

"So it's my first night back and he wants to work." Max paced back and forth angrily in front of Original Cindy. "The thing is, he's probably just feeling sorry for himself cause that damn exo-skeleton's broken."

"But you've told him it doesn't matter to you about the wheelchair, right?" Original Cindy knew the drill with Logan and Max by now. She waited for her friend to nod. "But he's still sensitive about it. Have you still got his file that you stole from that Manticore doctor?"

Max frowned. "Yeah. Why?"

Original Cindy crossed her arms in front of her. "Well, we have a doctor in the house, maybe Jondy can come up with something."

Max's face lit up. "And if she can't, Jondy knows somebody who probably can. Where is she, anyway? I thought she followed me out of Logan's."

"You were in such a huff, you just assumed she followed you out of Logan's." Original Cindy replied. "Jondy phoned just before you got here. She got called into work."

"Speaking of work." Max sat down beside her friend. "Do you think Normal will welcome me back tomorrow?"

"Sure." Original Cindy grinned. "Especially when you hand over a note from your doctor."

Stan chuckled as he watched Jessica walk towards the bar through the crowded room. The whole place seemed to come to a stop when she walked in. Men stopped to stare women turned green with envy. Jessica wasn't flashy. Her outfit was simple: black jeans, white top a short leather jacket, and black high heeled ankle boots. She always walked tall, head held high.

"Thanks for coming in, Jess." Stan took her jacket that she past over to him and slipped it under the bar as Jessica eased herself over the bar.

"No problem, Stan." Jondy started working one end of the bar while Stan took the other.

"A couple of people came looking for you." Stan kept on the move as did Jondy. "One of them was that guy you found here a few nights ago."

"Mathew?" She watched Stan nod. "Alright. I don't think that's anything to worry about. Who was the other one?"

Stan shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't leave his name. Looked like some sort of military type. Said to tell you the South Africans are in town. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Yeah. Thanks for the warning." Jondy continued working.

The only sign that anything was wrong was the irritated look that crossed her face when Mathew came in. Mathew didn't seem to notice that Jondy wasn't exactly thrilled to see him.

"So you're back."

Jondy kept working. "It would appear so," she quipped. "Did you want a drink?"

Mathew nodded. "Beer." He watched her pour his drink, desperate to keep her close by he attempted to continue the conversation. "Did you have a good trip?"

"Yes."

Jondy moved further down the bar and spotted Blake in the crowd. "Great. Just what I always wanted: a stalker." Jondy knew he wouldn't try anything in the crowded bar. He was just waiting to see if she led him to Devon.

Mathew moved further down the bar. "So what time do you finish?" Mathew tried to spot what Jondy was watching in the crowd.

Jondy frowned. "Why?"

Mathew shrugged. "I thought I could walk you home? You know it's not safe out at night?" He grinned. He knew she could protect herself better than he would be able to. "Or you could walk me home."

Jondy's frown changed to a 'You've got to be kidding me' look. "I don't think so. I prefer my own company. Thanks, anyway."

"Is it really fair to judge me by my brother's actions." Mathew was constantly being compared to his brother and it was starting to wear thin.

Jondy placed both palms on the bar and leaned towards him. "Did it ever occur to you that I'm just not interested. Apart from that, I don't expect to be in town for too much longer and the last thing I need is another one night stand, which by the way is all your brother was." With that, she turned and walked down the other end of the bar, her red hair flying around her like fingers of fire.

Max waited for Jondy as she helped Stan lock up for the night. For a moment they walked silently side by side. "I need a favor. Actually, it's for Logan, but he doesn't know I'm even asking." Max felt awkward asking Jondy for a favor.

Jondy waited for Max to continue, but all there was, was silence.

"What is it Max?" This must be big for Max to be so hesitant.

Max decided it would be best to tell Jondy the whole story. "Okay. Here we go. Logan got shot in the back not long after I first met him. Part of the bullet had to be left in his back, which is why he's in the wheelchair. The bullet gave him some trouble and he ended up back in the hospital where I gave him a blood transfusion cause the blood banks were tapped. What with our souped up blood in him, Logan got the use of his legs back for a little while." The words were coming out faster and faster. "But then he started rejecting my blood cells and he started loosing the use of his legs again. So Logan hooks up with Doctor Vertes, remember that witch?" Jondy nodded, so Max continued. "Who seemed to have some cure. But Lydecker killed her when she tried to turn Jace and her unborn baby over to him. So here's the thing, I still have Logan's file from Vertes office and I was wondering if you could look at it. You know, see if you can help Logan get the use of his legs back. Maybe if you can't help, your friend Devon can."

Jondy hugged Max. "You know I'll help if I can. But can we loose the two guys following us first."

Max grinned with relief. "Sure."

Blake and Mathew walked into the alleyway at precisely the same time.

"Okay. Where did they go?" Mathew looked for an open doorway or even some sort of alcove. There wasn't even a dumpster for the two women to hide behind.

"Two women can't just disappear into thin air like that." Blake turned around in a full circle as if he expected them to be standing behind them. "Where the hell are they?"

"Obviously they knew we were following them." Mathew looked at Blake. "Which one do you have the hots for?"

Blake looked at Mathew as though he had gone mad. "Neither. I'm trying to track someone and the red head's my only lead. How well do you know them?"

Mathew shook his head. "Not that well. They sort of saved my life. I'd like to get to know the red head better. Unfortunately, she had this brief thing with my twin brother and I don't think that she wants to make the same mistake twice."

Blake was confused. "So you thought stalking her would make you more appealing to her. I don't think that usually works."

Mathew frowned at him. "I'm not stalking Jessica. I was hoping to talk to her, but it looked like she and her sister were deep in discussion about something serious."

He turned and walked away. He had a bad feeling about this guy. He wasn't about to mention that he would try and catch up with Jessica tomorrow morning at her apartment.

"Jessica. So that's the name you're going by." Blake grinned. "Thanks, Pal. You just gave me another piece to the puzzle." Casting the alleyway one more look, he turned and headed back to his hotel room.

"Well that was interesting." Max watched the whole scene from the roof top beside Jondy. "Looks as though Blake doesn't give up too easily. Good job Devon's in San Francisco. It'll make it harder for our friend to find him."

Jondy arched her eyebrow. "Mathew knows where we live and didn't tell Blake. Why?"

Max rolled her eyes. "Cause he wants you bad. He probably thinks Blake is competition for your affections."

Jondy shook her head. "I don't think so, Max. I think he just covered for us."

Max nudged her sister. "Come on. Let's go before either of them come back. I don't want to rush you, but I'd really like you to take a look at that file I was telling you about tonight."

"Sure." Jondy was still trying to get her head around the fact that Mathew had just covered for them. Shaking her head as if to clear it, she followed Max.

v Logan watched the rain hit the window panes. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He couldn't shake the look of hurt on Max's face when he had chosen to work tonight. He didn't really blame her. It was after all her first night back. It wasn't as though he could concentrate at the moment anyway. Knowing Max and Jondy would still be awake, Logan grabbed his car keys and wheeled himself to the door.

Max sat curled up on the sofa watching Jondy go through the file she had given her. "So. You think you can help Logan?"

Jondy was sitting on the floor with pages of notes all around her. "Possibly. My question is: Why on earth would Logan go to a butcher like Vertes?" Jondy wrote some notes on a pad of paper beside her. "He had to know she was from Manticore."

v Max shrugged her shoulders. "He did the research and decided she was the only one who could help him. She probably could have if she hadn't been out to save her own neck."

Jondy chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "I'd need to confer with Devon before we even try anything." She brushed her hair off of her face. "Not to mention the fact that Logan is going to have to agree to us playing scientist with him."

Max nodded. "If he has a chance of walking again, I'm pretty sure he'll agree. Are you going to have trouble getting the supplies for the antidote?"

Jondy shook her head. "Not if you help me. The biggest problem we have at the moment is Blake. Lydecker left a message for me at the bar. It turns out the South Africans are in town."

Max raised an eyebrow. "I guess they're not satisfied with Blake's progress. How long has he been looking for Devon?"

Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. "About eight months I guess. He nearly caught up with me when I got together with Edward, the first time. I managed to disappear right before his eyes. Gotta love the smog in Seattle."

Max laughed. "Yeah, I guess so." She frowned as she heard something approaching the door. "Are you expecting visitors?"

"No." Jondy started to gather up the pages of the file. "It's a bit late for company isn't it?" She glanced over at a clock. "Or should I say early?" She shoved the file under one of the cushion on the sofa.

Max yanked open the door to the apartment. "Logan. What the hell are you doing here at this hour?"

Logan peered over his glasses at Max as he wheeled himself past her into the apartment. "It's not as though either of you were asleep. I came to apologize. I didn't exactly welcome either of you back."

Max rolled her eyes and shut the door. "You were too busy trying to save the world." She was still hurt that he would rather work than spend time with her.

"I'm sorry." Logan could see Max was still annoyed with him. "If it makes you feel better, I couldn't get any work done cause I was too busy thinking about you." He winced when he realized how corny that sounded.

"Really?" Max almost laughed at the expression on Logan's face. "I guess that at least gets you a cup of coffee."

"Thanks." Logan was relieved. At least Max hadn't kicked him out. He saw Jondy watching him thoughtfully. "What?" Jondy waited until Max had gone into the kitchen.

"Are you two always like this?" She saw the puzzled look on his face. "The whole you think more of your work than you do me argument."

Logan scratched his head and looked at her sheepishly. "It's sort of a sore point with us. You've never had this sort of problem I take it."

Jondy shook her head. "No. But then I've never been close enough to anyone for it to have been a problem. Devon's like a brother to me and apart from that the only guys I ever came close to, it was always a chemical imbalance not love."

Logan cocked his head to one side. "I got the feeling there was something a bit different with Edward."

Max came back in the room with a couple of cups of coffee. Jondy still had a cup of tea beside her, so Max hadn't bothered getting her another drink.

"What was it about Edward anyway. If his brother is anything to go by, it wasn't his looks." She sat down beside Logan, who had moved onto the sofa while Jondy was still sitting on the floor.

Jondy thought back to when she had met Edward. "He could actually make you feel really special. At least until he got what he wanted from you. When that happened, you just became disposable. You can't always go by looks, you know. Looks can fade." She self-consciously pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Logan could see how it would be difficult for Jondy to trust men if that was how she had always been treated. It had taken him a while to break through the wall Max had built around herself. The same could be said about him as well. Logan still found it hard to let people in.

"I know how that feels. I guess that's why I tend to hide behind my work." He looked over at Max. "The problem is when you spend so much time hiding, you forget the people that are the most important to you." He laughed uncomfortably. "I guess that sounds like some cheesy soap opera line."

Jondy giggled. "Yeah, but I get the meaning behind it." She stood. "I'm going to go for a walk. You two probably need some time to talk." She headed for the door.

Max stared down at the coffee cup in her hand. "So is that what you did while we were away? Work?"

Logan shook his head. "No, actually I spent most of my time staring out of the window watching the rain outside waiting for you to come back."

Max looked up at him. "So you waited for me to come back before you started working. What's up with the exo-skeleton?" She wasn't letting him off the hook easily.

"It keeps shorting out. Look, I'm sorry about before. Just before you walked in, Blake had this look of pity on his face. I can't stand it when people look at me as though I can't do anything for myself. I guess I took it out on you. I really am sorry."

Max begrudgingly gave in. "I pretty much figured it was something like that." She chewed nervously on her lip. "I sort of have some news for you, but I don't want you to get your hopes up."

Logan's curiosity got the better of him. "What is it?"

Max looked like a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Max wasn't sure what Logan's reaction was going to be to her news. "I showed Jondy the file that Vertes had on you." No reaction yet so she continued. "Jondy says that she'll have to go over a few things with Devon, but she thinks that she can probably pick up where Vertes left off."

Logan knew that it wasn't important to Max whether he could walk or not. She had gone to the trouble for him. "I'm grateful for any help she can give me, but not if it's going to put her or Devon in danger."

Max's eyes searched his face. "Jondy wouldn't endanger a friend. She was more concerned that you would feel like an experiment."

Logan was touched that the two women thought so highly of him that they were willing to go to this much trouble. "I know that's not the case." He looked into her deep brown eyes. "I missed you."

He leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips with his. She was like a drug for him. He couldn't get enough of her. He deepened their kiss, unable to believe how much he had missed her. Logan felt her arms go around him pulling him closer and he forgot where he was.

Original Cindy eyed Jondy in the kitchen when she got up for work. "Logan stay the night?" She accepted the cup of coffee that Jondy handed her.

Jondy chuckled. "What gave it away? The trail of clothes on the floor or the crashing and banging going on in Max's room."

Original Cindy shook her head. "Watching those two trying to work out what's going on between them, just makes me glad I'm a Lesbian." She looked at her watch. "Much as I hate to disturb them, we're going to be late for work if Max doesn't get up soon."

Jondy listened for a moment. "It's alright. Max is on the move. She'll be ready shortly."

"Damn. With your hearing, you must have heard everything last night." Original Cindy really didn't envy Max or Jondy sometimes.

"I went for a walk." Jondy smiled at the shocked expression on Original Cindy's face. "I only got back a few minutes ago."

"Hey." Max quietly closed the bedroom door behind her.

"You ready to go?" She glanced at Original Cindy, while she gobbled the slice of toast Jondy handed her.

Original Cindy stood with her hands on her hips. "Didn't you forget something? Or do you have a supply of Logan's clothes in your room."

"Oh, God!" Max quickly grabbed the clothes off of the floor and took them into her room. A few minutes later she returned. "Well, you could have ended up seeing a whole new side of Logan." She grinned mischievously at Jondy.

Jondy clicked her fingers in front of her. "Damn. Missed out again. Better get going. I'll see you later."

"See ya." Original Cindy and Max headed out to work.

Jondy spread the contents of Logan's file out on the floor again. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, coffee cup in one hand, a pen in the other, she started jotting down some more notes. She could hear Logan moving around in the bedroom. From what she could tell from Vertes' notes, it looked as though the treatments were working, but very slowly.

"Morning." Logan hadn't wished to disturb Jondy, but he had guessed she would have heard him moving around. "Is that my file?"

Jondy nodded. "I'll get hold of Devon, see if he can add anything. I can't risk bringing him to Seattle, especially with the South African's here."

Logan frowned. "They're still in Seattle? I would have thought they would have made a run for it after the first attack on Manticore."

"They may have gone and come back." Jondy kept working. "Especially if Blake has told them he has a lead on Devon."

"While you stay in Seattle, it keeps them further away from Devon. What does Devon have to say about you putting yourself in danger for him?" Logan was starting to feel as though the whole situation was getting totally out of hand.

"He's not too happy about it, but he's not exactly in a position to debate it." Jondy stood and walked to the kitchen. She popped a couple of slices of bread in the toaster and poured a cup of coffee. "Besides, I know he would do the same for me. In fact, he has done the same for me." She buttered the toast and put it on a plate. Handing both the toast and coffee to Logan, Jondy went back to her seat on the floor.

"Thanks." Logan sipped the coffee. "Much as I want to be back on my feet, I don't want either you or Devon putting yourself in danger." He knew it had been Max's idea for Jondy to look at his file, but he also knew that she would never forgive herself if she lost another sister. "Max doesn't need to loose anymore of her family."

Jondy's eyes searched his face. "I'm going to need a secure line through to a mobile phone. Can you help me out?" When Logan nodded she continued. "I get the distinct impression that if your friend Blake had proof of what his employers really got up to, he might not be so eager to find Devon."

Logan agreed. "I can probably help you with both of those things, but I need to get back to my place." He saw her look towards the door. "What's wrong?"

"Mathew's here." Jondy groaned and gathered up the file and her notes and shoved them into the pocket on Logan's chair. "Better finish your breakfast, I'll go and grab a change of clothes." She opened the door and ran to Max's room.

A few seconds later, Mathew appeared at the door. "Hi." He nodded to Logan. "Is Jessica home?"

"Yeah. But we're sort of on our way out." Logan finished the last of his breakfast and took the cup and the plate into the kitchen. "Jondy! You ready?"

"I'm ready." Jondy finished shoving some clothes into a shoulder bag and grabbed her jacket. "Let's go." She followed Logan out of the door and locked it behind her. She walked straight past Mathew without a word. No sense in giving him any encouragement.

"You could have at least said hello to him." Logan mentioned as they made their way down the hallway.

Jondy looked down at him, when they got to the lift. "Hello appears to mean 'take me I'm yours' in his language."

Logan chuckled. "Are you telling me there's a downside to being a distraction," he mocked her. "And here was I thinking it was a gift constantly being the center of attention."

Jondy took his comments as they were meant, as a joke. "Well, I'll swap places with you sometime and give you an insider's view point." She walked into the lift behind Logan and pushed the button for the ground floor.

Max let herself into Logan's apartment. She figured that he would probably be working on his computer. Sure enough she found him so engrossed with what was on the screen that he hadn't heard her come in. She had been standing behind him a few minutes before he registered that she was there.

"Hey. What's so fascinating." She bent down and gave him a quick kiss hello. Reading the information on the screen, she realized what Logan had tapped into. "You found the South Africans."

"We thought we might be able change Blake's opinion on his employers if we had some proof." Logan printed the information he needed and added to a growing pile beside the computer. "I tracked down Blake's hotel so who can I get from Jam Pony to do a delivery." He scooped Max into his lap.

Max tried to look thoughtful. "Well, let me see. You need someone who's absolutely clueless, so they won't be able to give any information away. Of course we could always send someone who nobody can understand, so even if they do give away important information, they won't realize it." Logan started kissing Max's neck. "So that leaves us with Sketchy or Herbal." Max giggled. "Want me to make the call?"

"Jondy's using the phone at the moment." Logan saw the cordless phone on the sofa. "Or maybe she's in the shower." He leaned back slightly. "Jondy? Are you finished with the phone?"

"Yeah. Where are the clean towels?" Jondy's voice drifted out the door with the steam from the shower.

"I'll show her." Max went to get up, but found Logan still had his arms around her waist. "Or maybe I won't ."

"First cupboard on your right," Logan called out towards the bathroom, but never took his eyes off of Max. "I think I've earned a break." His eyes sparkled teasingly at her.

"Oh, you do, do you." Max teased back. "So I'm a break now." She laughed as Logan's grin widened. "Just let me call this delivery in." She reached over for the phone, then stopped. "We should probably get somebody who's voice they don't recognize at Jam Pony."

Logan nodded thoughtfully. "We can always ask Original Cindy to pick it up, but Normal may recognize my voice if I call it in and he's sure to recognize yours."

Neither of them heard Jondy walk into the room and pick up the phone.

"Yeah, hi." Jondy changed her voice to sound like the bubbly airheads that she had seen in some old movies. "Like, I need a pick up. Original Cindy knows where I'm like at. But it has to be like delivered by Herbal or Sketchy. Is that like ok? Like bye." She put the phone on the desk after switching it off and went back to finish changing.

Max and Logan looked at each other in disbelief. Max shook her head. "That has to be the most frightening thing I have ever heard come out of her mouth. I'd better call Original Cindy, let her know what's going on." She dialed the number and was explaining things when Jondy walked back into the room. "Yeah. That's the deleo. You heading down to Crash. Okay. Jondy will have it with her."

Jondy took the envelope from Logan, waved goodnight and walked out the door. Logan waved back. "Well I'll say this for her, she's certainly a woman of few words." Max hung up the phone and put it back on Logan's computer desk. She put her arms around Logan's neck. "Now what were you saying about taking a break?"

Bling had bumped into Jondy on her way to work. From what she had described Max and Logan's moods to be when she had left Logan's apartment, he thought it best to stick with her. He had no intention of walking in and interrupting them. As Bling watched Jondy work, he got the distinct feeling that she was being watched. It wasn't the normal attention that she always got. As he looked around the bar he could see several men, stratigically placed by the exits. These men weren't just watching a beautiful woman. It was as if they were stalking prey.

"Jondy." Bling kept his voice low, knowing Jondy's hearing would easily pick him up. "I think the South Africans are here. They've got all of the exits blocked."

Jondy wrote something on a piece of paper and slipped it into Bling's hand as she walked past. She stopped briefly and said something to Stan before moving out to the storeroom. Bling looked down at the piece of paper. Bring the car around the back. He slip the piece of paper into his trouser pocket and made his way to the door.

He noticed that the men had already made their way towards the direction Jondy had gone. "Damn." He quickened his pace. Jondy pulled herself through the storeroom window out into the dark alley. Unfortunately, the South Africans had anticipated her move and were waiting for her armed with tasers. As they edged cautiously towards her, Jondy turned slowly, working out her options in her head. When the tasers were fired, Jondy leapt into the air, off to her right, onto the fire escape.

Before the tasers could be fired again, a car came screaming into the alleyway knocking a couple of the South Africans flying out of the way. Jondy jumped down from the fire escape onto the hood of the car. Jumping on one leg, she kicked out with the other, kicking another man out of the way and knocking his gun into the air. Spinning into a spin kick, she sent one man flying into another. Returning to a standing position, she caught the gun as it came down and fired the taser at the remaining men, causing them to leap out of the way. Jumping off of the car, she climbed into the passenger's seat as Bling threw the car into reverse and floored the gas pedal.

"So much for going to work to get away from it all, huh?"

Bling grinned at Jondy. "Always gotta be the center of attention, don't you."

Jondy giggled. "Yeah. I've really got to get past my shy phase."

Logan wheeled himself to the door. "Alright! Hold your horses." The knocking at his door just got louder. He wasn't surprised to find Blake at his door. "Back so soon." He moved aside to let Blake in. Blake stormed into the apartment.

"What the hell is going on?" He waved the envelope that Herbal had delivered. "First some guy I can't even understand delivers this. And then," he pointed to Max who was curled up on the sofa reading Jondy's notes. "Your sister takes out eight men in an alleyway without getting a hair out of place. What are you?" "A genetically engineered killing machine." Max turned the page of the pad she was reading. "So you took out eight guys?"

"Actually Bling took out two of them with the car."

Jondy and Bling walked in the still open door. Blake couldn't believe the two women seemed so unconcerned about the whole thing.

"So you two aren't even human?" He turned to Logan. "Your girlfriend's not human."

"She's mostly human." Logan closed the door. "It's only her DNA that's mostly feline." He made it sound so normal.

Blake sat down in a chair as though he had suddenly lost all the feeling in his legs. "You had those experiments performed on you?" He lifted a couple of pages and moved them in their general direction.

Max nodded. "Just one of the many reasons we broke out of Manticore eleven years ago and you want to help one of the groups who want to put us in cages."

Max's whole body started to shake. Logan shoved the coffee table out of the way so that he could get his wheelchair beside Max.

"Bling, go get Max a glass of milk. Damn seizures are starting again."

Jondy searched Max's pockets. "When was the last time you know that she had the seizures?" She pulled a bottle of tablets out of Max's jacket pocket.

Logan helped Max sit up while Jondy put a couple of tablets in Max's mouth and held the glass of milk that Bling handed her, so that Max could drink it. Logan slid onto the sofa behind Max so that she could lean against him.

"A couple of days after you broke her out of Manticore. I started keeping Tryptophon in the medicine cabinet after her last bad attack."

"The implant makes them worse." Max's violent shaking had subsided slightly. She glared at Blake. "Your bosses have a lot to answer for."

Blake sat watching in amazement. "The Red Series had the implants right?" Logan nodded in answer to his question. "How the hell did she get hold of an implant and what is it doing in her head?" This was all a bit much for Blake to take, but he had to know what he had gotten himself into.

"Your bosses had my best friend kidnapped so that they could get hold of an actual X5 to play scientist with." Max settled into Logan's arms. It seemed to help calm the seizures. "I can take on the Reds one at a time, but they weren't really that keen to stand in line and wait their turn."

"So you decided to give yourself an advantage." Blake had guessed that there was something he wasn't being told when he took the job. With the considerable amount of money he had been paid, he didn't see why he needed to ask questions.

"Damn implant nearly killed me." Max snuggled closer to Logan and closed her eyes. She had a killer headache. "If it hadn't been for Logan and Original Cindy shooting 5000 volts into my head, it would have killed me."

"Well, that's a nice memory for your fiftieth anniversary." Jondy's British accent only highlighted her sarcasm. "Well, kids what really convinced your father loved me was when Daddy shot 5000 volts into my head."

Bling struggled not to laugh at Jondy's comments. The seriousness of the situation took over. "The South African's aren't going to give up until they have Devon or an X5, will they?" He reached out and laid his hand on Jondy's shoulder. It offered him some reassurance of her safety when she reached up and covered his hand with her own.

Blake shook his head. "No. But they may look elsewhere if Devon or the only X5s in town suddenly up and left."

"Why would they think that?" Jondy eyed him suspiously.

"They would want proof and it would only be a matter of time before they came back to Seattle." Blake raised an eyebrow. "Not if I keep supplying proof that you're in Florida, Kansas, Dakota, Utah or maybe Portland." Blake had no idea why he wanted to help them so badly, but he needed to.

"How are you going to supply proof." Logan stroked Max's hair, she had dozed off, as she was prone to after a seizure.

"We can't get Max, Jondy, and Devon to make guest appearances in different states just to keep the South Africans guessing." Blake grinned at Jondy. "You know what? I bet you are really photogenic." He turned to Logan. "And I'm going to need to borrow your computer."

Bling guessed what Blake was going to do. "You've got a digital camera, haven't you?" When Blake's grin widen. "I hope that you've also got some photos of Devon."

Blake nodded. "Yeah. I managed to get some before he disappeared in San Francisco." He turned back to Jondy. "I'm not even close to finding Devon, am I?"

Jondy shook her head. "Miles off course. Do you really think that I'd still be sitting here if Devon was just around the corner?"

Blake eyed her thoughtfully. "If I was close, I doubt that I would have even found you." "Blake."

Logan gave his friend a warning look. "There's too much riding on this, too many people's lives. Don't mess up." Blake nodded that he understood and reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a packet of photos.

Max woke to find Logan's living room a central point of what looked like controlled chaos. She stood, but was still shaky on her legs.

"What did I miss?"

Logan turned his chair around and wheeled over to her. "Hey, look who's up." He reached out to steady Max. "How are you feeling?" Concern was written all over his face.

Max smiled at him. "I'm fine. Just a little shaky. What's going on?"

"All done." Blake got up and brought what looked like a handful of photos over to them. "What do you think?"

Max sat back down on the sofa. "Wow. Where did you get this shot of Jondy in a bikini?" She looked over at Jondy, who was sitting on the arm of the chair that Bling was sitting in. "Girl, you've got to be the whitest woman on the face of the earth."

v Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "I try. That's not a bikini I'm wearing." She grinned michieviously. "Recognize the waiter?"

Max looked at the photo more closely. "Bling?" She gazed over at the two of them. "This is a doctored photo of Jondy in her underwear, sunbathing in Florida with Bling serving her a drink." She laughed. "Think this will really work?"

v Logan nodded, a determined look on his face. "It has to. Jondy can't afford any more gunshot wounds this month."

Jondy beckoned Max over to the kitchen. She kept her voice low and her back to the others. "Listen, you got Logan's file from some sort of lab that Vertes was working out of, right?"

Max nodded. "Yeah. You can pretty much guarantee that Manticore went over there and grabbed all her files. Why?"

Jondy gazed out of the window. It had started to get light, they would have to hurry, if they were to get in and out of the lab without being seen.

"It's not the files I want, it's Doctor Frankenstein's equipment. My guess is that Manticore wanted it to look as though someone broke in and shot Vertes trying to get drugs. Most of the equipment probably remained untouched. You up for a trip downtown?"

Max nodded. "Definitely. Better grab Bling. The more help we get the quicker we'll be in and out of there." She walked over to Logan. "We're going out to get breakfast."

Logan looked doubtful. "I don't know, Max. If we want to convince the South Africans that Jondy's out of the city, we can't afford for either of you to be spotted."

Max nuzzled his neck. "That's why we are taking the van and Bling can drive us."

Logan had a feeling she was up to something, but at least Max and Jondy were willing to take Bling along. "Don't be long, okay."

Max gave him a quick kiss and headed for the door. "No problem."

She waited until the three of them were down in the car park before turning to Bling. "So you up for a road trip?"

Bling grinned. "I had a feeling we were picking up more than breakfast. Where to, ladies?"

Max climbed into the van. "I'll give you directions." She took a seat, then noticed that Jondy was staring into the shadows. "What's wrong?"

Jondy climbed into the van and slid the door shut. "Just a feeling I've got. Let's do this quickly." She punched a number into her mobile. "Logan." She spoke into the phone while keeping an eye on the direction they were going. "I need you to ask Blake something. He may need to contact the South Africans for an answer."

Mathew watched Max and Bling climb out of the van, look around them and walk into a nearby broken down building. There was no sign of Jondy. Suddenly he was slammed up against the brick wall he was peering around.

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Jondy had a tight grip on him.

Mathew smiled at her. "I didn't know you cared." He felt her grip loosen slightly. He slid his hands down her arms to her waist pulling her closer.

"I hardly think this is the time or the place for this." Jondy looked Mathew straight in the eyes. She could see the armed men standing behind her reflected in his eyes.

Mathew lent down towards her. "I can't help it." He whispered. He knew the South Africans wanted to take her back to their lab, but he couldn't see a reason why he couldn't have some fun with her as well. He gently kissed her lips; when she didn't push him away, he deepened the kiss. A quiet moan escaped from her. It was all the encouragement Mathew needed.

"Does she know what she's doing?" Bling whispered to Max as they quietly carried the equipment past the two guards watching Mathew and Jondy and loaded the van.

Max glanced over her shoulder at Bling. "She's good, but we'd better do this fast."

They hurried back into the building to get the rest of the equipment. A few minutes later the van was loaded and Max and Bling watched the scene in front of them. Jondy and Mathew were keeping the attention of the guards with their increasingly steamy actions. Jondy had actually removed Mathew's shirt and Mathew's hands had disappeared up Jondy's blouse.

Bling shook his head. "Are they actually going to come up for breath anytime soon?"

Max chuckled. "We were trained to hold our breath for long periods of time. She can keep this up for some time yet." She looked at her watch. "We still have to pick up breakfast and Logan is going to start wondering what we are up to."

Max picked the crow bar up out of the van and clubbed the nearest guard around the back of the shoulders knocking him out. As the other guard turned around, Bling punched him out cold.

"Jondy! Time to get you to the airport."

Jondy stepped back from Mathew. "Coming." She turned and ran over to the van. "See ya." She climbed in the van and slammed the door shut as Bling hit the gas and the van sped off down the street.

Mathew stared at the two guards lying on the ground. "Get up. Your bosses need the girl."

When the guards didn't move, Mathew started to run in the direction the van had gone, only to end up flat on his face. Jondy had managed to undo his trousers and had slipped them around his ankles without him noticing. Mathew shook his head in disbelief.

"I didn't feel a thing."

Max, Jondy, and Bling were laughing all the way back to Logan's, stopping long enough to pick up some breakfast.

"So." Max passed Jondy a muffin across the breakfast table. "Is he better than his brother?"

Jondy shrugged her shoulders. "Well, he's certainly a better kisser, but apart from that all of his moves are the same as his brother's. Right down to the double crossing me."

Blake wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. "How did you know Mathew was working for the South Africans?"

Logan had been thinking about that very thing since Jondy had phoned him. "Manticore wanted him out of the way pretty badly. We just assumed it had to be because of his twin brother. Then he started conveniently turning up at the right places at the wrong time. A lot."

Max agreed. "Jondy draws more than her share of unwanted attention, but nobody has ever been this persistent before."

"After a while it starting becoming obvious there was something more to Mathew than being your basic stalker." Jondy pushed her hair off of her forehead. "That and every time I turned around, he was lurking in the shadows." She looked over at Logan. "Are you finished? We really should get started if this treatment is to work."

Logan screwed up his paper napkin and tossed it on his plate. "Yeah. I'm not looking forward to the stinging of those injections though." He started wheeling his chair to where they had set up the equipment.

"A spoonful of sugar should help that." Jondy tugged at Max's jacket sleeve. "Come on, Sugar."

Logan chuckled. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."

Mathew looked at the photo he had been handed. "She's in Florida? What about her friend, Devon?"

"He was also sighted in Florida." Regis was not amused. "We could have had the woman if you hadn't decided to tongue wrestle her. Blake is following up the lead in Florida but he seems to think someone may have tipped Devon and the girl off."

Mathew ran his hand through his hair. "So they are both on the move again." He could see Regis was getting more and more furious by the minute. "I'll be heading back to the lab then." He paused. "Can I keep this photo?"

"Get out!" Regis practically launched himself from his chair.

Jondy cast the monitors a quick glance. "That's enough for today, Logan." When he opened his mouth to protest, she cut him off. "If you push yourself too hard it will only reverse the progress you've already made." She smiled kindly at him. "There's always tomorrow."

Logan knew that she was right. It was just so frustrating. The process was slow and Jondy had basically had to keep herself hidden so that Blake could convince everyone that she was pretty much touring the country.

"Thanks for helping me out, Jondy. I know I've done nothing but complain this past week."

"What's a few complaints between family."

Jondy waited for Logan to pull his shirt on. "You ready to try this? Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work. We're only in the early stages yet."

Logan understood. "Yeah, I know." He eased himself to the edge of the table. "Okay. I'm ready."

Jondy stood in front of him. "How about we give you a little inspiration." She glanced over her shoulder. "Max, have you fixed that thing yet?"

"Yeah." Max walked into the room carrying the exo-skeleton. "It just needed one or two minor adjustments." She looked up at them suspiciously. "What are you two up to?"

Jondy took the exo-skeleton off of Max and positioned Max in front of Logan. "Let's try this then. Remember, take it slowly." She warned Logan.

Logan never took his eyes off of Max. Cautiously he shuffled his body forward until his feet were flat on the floor. Shifting his weight forward slightly he stood up. Although he was shaky, he was still standing up all by himself.

"What do you say, Doc, can I try a bit more?"

Jondy put the exo-skeleton down on the table and moved to stand beside Logan. "One step. No cartwheels or fancy moves."

Max held out her arms enough to help Logan if he needed it, but far enough away so that he didn't feel as though she didn't have faith in his efforts. "Let's see what you've got."

Logan stayed concentrating on Max, secure in the knowledge that both women were close enough to help him if he needed it. "Here goes nothing," he muttered more to himself than anything. Carefully he lifted his foot and stepped forward. Relief coursed through him. "We're on our way."

He was rewarded with a hug from Max and a smile from Jondy.

"Okay, Speedy. How about you put the exo-skeleton back on now that Max has fixed it. It will keep your limbs moving but keep the pressure off of you so that you can heal more naturally." Jondy helped him back to the table and then left Max and Logan alone.

"How do you feel?" Max hadn't seen Logan this pleased with himself for ages.

Logan felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of him. "Like I can fly," he laughed. "Maybe Jondy will let me try that next week."

Max moved closer. "Not without me you won't. Remember, Jondy said you'll have to go slow." She leaned forward and kissed him.

Logan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer. "Slow huh?" he whispered against her neck. "How slow?"

Max giggled. Her giggles were halted when Logan moved his mouth back to hers. So engrossed with each other were they, that they never heard Jondy leave.

Mathew had been working day and night since Jondy had disappeared. Regis had insisted on it. He was still no closer to finding the answers he needed. "Where are you?" he spoke to the photo hanging on his wall. Shaking his head, he went back to work, the memory of her kiss playing over and over in his mind. "One day." His promise hung in the air like the smog outside.

The End