Disclaimer and Spoilers: See Chapter 1

A/N: Sorry for not posting sooner, but ffn was down last weekend and I was out of town and offline until yesterday. But here you go: Another chapter, another night and more Max and Logan. Hope you like it.

And - as usual - a thankful bow to Kasman. Hope you didn't forget anything with me interrupting your packing. :-)

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6. A NIGHT OUT

Back in the cabin Logan took the food to the kitchen while Max made sure the skis and her skiing boots would be safe in the small shed behind the cabin. On her way back, she grabbed some wood from the pile at the cabin's outer wall to light the fire once she was back inside.

Logan came to her and asked, "Do you mind if I take a shower first?"

Max shook her head. "No, go ahead. Just don't use all the hot water."

He smiled. "Hey, this is not Seattle. The economic infrastructure seems quite intact, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Living outside the city has it's advantages, I have to admit."

"Maybe you should think about leaving Seattle?" he asked, his tone still light, but the seriousness of his question evident.

"No way," she replied. "Seattle is my home. All my friends live there. And I think it's easier to hide in a big city. So I'm going to stay. You don't get rid of me that easily. Didn't I already tell you that yesterday?"

"Yeah, you did," Logan laughed. "And that's good to know. I'm in the bathroom then."

Max watched him leave and smiled. Sounds as if he doesn't want me to leave.

She strolled to the kitchen and looked for a snack to eat before dinner. She grabbed an apple and sat down on one of the chairs. I wish I could cook, she thought. I'd love to cook dinner for him, to return the favor, but without Kendra I'm completely lost. Maybe I could take him out to dinner? Not a fancy meal like he's used to, but I think I can afford something small. Yeah, that's an idea. And hopefully a nice ending to this great day.

When Logan returned from the bathroom she was waiting for him in the living room.

"You can go in there now," he told her. "I'm going to start dinner."

She cocked her head and smiled. "Don't do that. I thought we could, maybe, go out for dinner. If it's okay with you I'd like to invite you to the bar I went to yesterday. It's nothing great, but…"

"Don't do that, Max. It's not…" he interrupted her, but couldn't finish his sentence either.

"But I want to," she told him. "I want you to know that I think of you as way more than my meal ticket."

Logan immediately remembered yesterday's evening. "I reacted pretty aggressively, didn't I?"

"I didn't know why you were so angry," she said. "But it's okay. And I still owe you dinner."

"Okay, if you really want to. What we bought will still be fine tomorrow. But you don't owe me dinner. I made you do my legwork that night."

Max smiled. "Yeah, I remember. But no more talking. I'm gonna take a shower and then we'll leave, okay?"

Logan nodded and she went to the bathroom.

Half an hour later they were on their way to the bar. When they entered, Matt saw them and came smiling.

"Hey! Hi Max! Good to see you again."

"Hey, Matt. You got a table for us?"

"Sure. Follow me." He led them to a table at the wall, removed a chair and lit the candle. "You need the menu?" he asked.

"Yes, please," Max nodded and Matt handed it to them.

"Want to look first or do you already know what you want to drink?"

Logan looked up at Matt and said, "A beer please."

Max was surprised, but didn't say anything. "For me too, please."

"Two beers. I'll be back."

Matt disappeared behind the counter and Max looked at Logan. "I always thought you were a wine person?"

"Sometimes. And sometimes beer. This guy seems nice."

She followed his look. "Matt? Yeah, he is. He's a friend of Chris, I met them here yesterday. This bar belongs to him."

Logan nodded and buried his face in the menu. When Matt came back with the beer they ordered their meals and, without his menu to hide behind, Logan let his gaze travel around the room. It was small but tidy. Not a bad place to go to. Not as dark and loud as "Crash", most of the interior here was made from light wood and there was no loud rock music playing. Only soft pop music in the background. He had to admit that he liked it.

Max had been following his looks. "Is it okay for you?"

"Sure it is. It's a nice place." He giggled silently. "So maybe I should insult you more often. Perhaps you'll find some nice places in Seattle too."

She grimaced at him. "No, I won't. In Seattle there are too many places I'd go to before searching for something new."

"Like where?" Logan asked.

"Like home?" she said, raising her eyebrows. "Or like Crash? Like the Space Needle?"

"You still go up there?" he asked.

"Sure I do. It's a great place to think. I feel so free there, as if I was a part of all that's happening beneath - as if I wasn't any different," she added after a moment of hesitation.

Logan smiled at her. "You'll always be different, Max. But that's a good thing. Be proud of it. So many people try everything to separate themselves from the crowd. Take it as a gift, not as a curse."

She shrugged. "I think it's both. But I'd prefer to have to color my hair pink to be different." She smiled.

"No ordinary girl would have been able to get me to this town and especially not up on the mountains today. But I'm really glad you did. I'm really glad that you are special."

He thinks I'm special? Wow. He's so incredible. So sweet and cute and…romantic? Wait! Candlelight? And did Matt dim the lights? What's happening here? Well, I'm quite sure Logan did not arrange this, so I'm going to ignore it. Or maybe…I'm going to enjoy it. Why not? It's been a great day and Logan is a great friend. For one evening I can pretend that I'm just a regular girl, right? Just for one evening.

Logan watched the light of the candle being reflected in Max's eyes. He too had noticed that the lights had been dimmed and he smiled when he heard soft piano music playing instead of the pop that was on before. She is so pretty. It's so easy to lose yourself in her eyes. She's definitely one of the most incredible people I've ever met. No, wait. Make that THE most incredible person I've ever met. This whole day…I wouldn't have thought I'd ever have so much fun in my life again. I can't believe it was just yesterday that we had this fight. Today everything has been so easy. Thanks to her. I don't know where I'd be without her. Not here, that's for sure. He didn't realize that he was still staring into her eyes with a wide smile on his face, until Max waved her hand in front if his eyes.

"Hey, Logan?! Somebody there?"

"What? Oh, sorry Max. I was just thinking."

"Yeah, it looked like that. But for the first time since we left Seattle it looked as if you were thinking about something positive," she stated.

He grinned. "Yeah, I was. Thinking about something positive, I mean."

She raised her brows, questioning. "So, are you going to tell me about it?"

"No," he grinned. "Don't want you to become all big-headed."

"You were thinking about me?" she asked, trying to hide her surprise.

Thinking about me…he is thinking about me and it makes him smile. That's another 'wow'.

Logan was still grinning. "Yep. But I'm not going into details, so don't ask."

"I won't. But I'm allowed to smile at that myself, okay?"

"Okay."

They were looking at each other, both thinking about the person on the other side of the table, smiling. They didn't talk, but this time it was an agreeable silence, no words were needed to enjoy the moment.

When Matt brought their plates they started eating and Logan had to admit that the food was very good. Not a Cale culinary miracle, but very good.

They'd already finished dessert when Chris entered the bar and waved to them. Logan gestured him to come closer and when he stopped next to the table, Chris asked, "So, how did it go?"

"Great. It was really great. So it's definitely me who owes you a beer," Logan said.

Chris laughed. "No need for that. Glad you liked it. Where've you been?"

"Everywhere," Max answered. "Logan was awesome."

"No crashes, no falls?" Chris asked surprised.

"Well, I fell a couple of times, but nothing serious. It was fun. It really was," Logan explained. "I'm really glad you two persuaded me to try it out," he added and waved for Matt to come over.

"I owe Chris a drink, so please bring him anything he wants," he told him.

Chris shrugged. "I'll take a beer," he ordered at his friend, who nodded and went to the counter.

Max stood up and nodded to the men in the wheelchairs. "I'll be right back."

She went to the ladies room and came back a short time later, only to see the two engrossed in an obviously important conversation. Both looked very serious and she decided that it would not be nice to overhear them and went over to Matt.

He looked up from what he had been searching and smiled at her.

"So you two have been skiing today?" he asked and started to clean up the glasses.

"Yeah, we have. Thanks for introducing me to Chris, by the way. Without him Logan would still be all depressed and frustrated. It was exactly what we both needed."

"You like him a lot, don't you?"

"Who? Chris?"

"Logan!"

Max grimaced. "Why do people keep saying that? Yeah, of course I like him. He's maybe my best friend. But we're not like that. We're friends and that's it."

Matt shook his head and grinned. "Yeah, whatever you say." He continued cleaning the glasses and asked, "So do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"I think we're going down the slopes again. Who knows when we'll ever have the chance again." She smiled at him and suddenly raised her hand to her forehead.

Not now, please! Damn seizures.

Her hand reached into her pocket but came back out empty.

I forgot my pills. They are in the cabin.

"Matt?" she asked weakly. "Can I have a glass of milk?"

"Milk?" Matt asked surprised.

"You have some?"

"Yeah, sure. Wait a moment, I need to get it from the kitchen."

Max sat down on a stool and watched Matt disappear and come back only seconds later with a bottle of milk. He eyed her concerned. "You okay?"

She shrugged. "Not feeling too good right now," she admitted and smiled thankfully at the glass of milk he handed her. She swallowed the whole content in one sip and put the glass back on the counter. "Can I get a refill?"

Matt smiled and filled her glass again, but even after a second refill, Max still had to wait a few minutes for the trembling to cease.

"Thanks, that's better."

The look she earned was that of a professional barkeeper. Friendly and surely surprised, but not asking any questions.

Max bit on her lower lip, hesitating. Then she said, "Thanks for not asking. And could you do me a favor and not tell Logan about it?"

Matt nodded, smiling. "I'm the bartender, remember? Your secret's safe with me."

"Do you think it's safe for me to join the guys?" Max asked.

Looking over to the table where Chris and Logan were still talking, Matt shrugged. "I don't know. Looks like guy-talk to me."

He looked at Max and their eyes met. No one said it, but both of them knew that those guys weren't talking regular guy-talk. Maybe they said or two about women in general and Max in particular, but most of the topics they talked about were different. More serious and more paralysis-related ones. That was clear from the way Chris was enthusiastically talking and the way Logan looked so skeptical. He asked a question every once in a while, but it seemed as if it was Chris who was doing most of the talking.

"I think I'll stay here a little longer," Max said.

"You want some more milk?" Matt asked.

"No, thanks. I'm really okay, now."

"So, how long have you known Logan?"

Max smiled. "It'll be a year next month."

"And there's nothing going on between the two of you?"

She grimaced. "No," she said, as if this was the most natural thing on earth. "And why should there? We're good friends, that's all. And I think that's enough."

"Of course that's enough - usually," he added. "But I'm not sure it's enough for you. I promise not to tell Logan about whatever problem you had, but I want to ask you for a favor too."

Max grinned. "Oh, a quid pro quo. I have experience with those."

"Yeah, a quid pro quo. Just think about what you want from your relationship with Logan, okay? He seems like a nice guy and he really seems to like you, but I'm not sure that he's brave enough to take the next step. I'm not telling you that changing the relationship is the right thing to do for the both of you, I'm just asking you to think about it."

She looked down at first, as if the words needed time to sink in. "I promise I will think about it," she then said, looking up again. "And you're right, Logan is not brave enough. Not now. There've been…changes…recent…changes and since then I'm sure you're right. He will not change our relationship. So it's my turn, if I want it to be changed. And that's something I'm not completely sure of myself. So I'll think about it. I promise."

"Good girl," Matt smiled. "And I think it's safe for you to go back now. They finished their guy-talk."

Max smiled back at him. "Yeah, looks like. Thanks for entertaining me."

"No problem."

She jumped from the stool and went over to the table where Chris and Logan sat and from where she got one of the warmest smiles.

It feels as if the world stops turning when he smiles like that, she allowed herself to think. He is so cute. What am I supposed to do about it?

She sat down on the vacated chair opposite Logan and asked, "You guys up for girl's company?"

Chris grinned. "Well, depends on the girl."

Max grinned back. "Assuming it was me?"

Logan gave her another of his genuine smiles. "In that case, we are up for company. Where have you been?"

"Talking to Matt."

They continued teasing each other and talked small talk, until Logan yawned. "I don't wanna prove that I'm an old man, but I'm afraid it's time for me to go to bed."

Chris nodded. "Yeah, for me too. See you two tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure, we'll bring back the skis tomorrow evening," Logan promised. When Chris turned around and started to wheel away, he shouted after him, "Bye, Chris. And thanks!"

Chris turned his head back to Logan and nodded. "You're more than welcome. Just don't forget about it."

Logan nodded, and for a moment he was oblivious to anything around him. He shook his head, as if to wake himself and looked at Max. "You're coming home with me?"

"Of course. Don't plan on staying here all night," she added. "Let me just pay the bill."

She stood up and went over to Matt to pay. When she came back, Logan had already put on his jacket. She grabbed hers and together they walked to the car.

Nobody spoke a word in the car. Logan was still thinking about his conversation with Chris and Max didn't want to disturb him. If he was so engrossed in his thoughts, it really must have been a serious talk.

When they arrived at the cabin Logan went straight to bed, leaving Max alone in the living room. She took the book she had started reading in the morning and made herself comfortable in the armchair.

She heard Logan in the bathroom and later in his bedroom. She could again hear his steady breathing, indicating that he was asleep. Suddenly she saw the book shaking, and in the same moment she felt another seizure hitting her.

Damn, damn, damn, she cursed. It had to be this weekend. Of course.

Slowly she stood up and careful, not to wake Logan, she went to the bathroom, where she'd kept her bottle of pills in the wash bag. She opened it with trembling hands and swallowed some of them. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub she waited for the seizures to disappear.

I really hope that was it, she prayed. Logan has had enough troubles, I really don't wanna ruin his trip. I'll go to bed and try to sleep. Usually that works quite well after I have my seizures.

She tried to stand up, but the trembling started again and she needed more tryptophan. Swallowing some more pills, she decided not to wait in the bathroom any longer, but to go to bed right away. There she pulled her blanket up over her shoulders and held it tight, just, as if she was trying to tuck herself in. It took some time, but finally the seizures subsided and sleep welcomed her.