Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel, I don't own anything.

Authors note: It has been a while hasn't it? Well for those of you who waited, just know that there is another chapter sitting here (my computer) waiting to be loaded, so that will be done, when I deem fit, which could be soon or far.

Story note: This and the next 2 chapters are really filler, fun filler, but filler nonetheless. Not to say they aren't enjoyable, well I had a bit of fun writing them. It's your decision what you think about it. Enjoy.

Special thanks: Marvel Milla, wonderful beta reader. Ta.

Chapter 4 – A Formal Affair

Logan stood stilted in the shadows, trying to slow the amazing speed of his thumping heart. The dark figure stood tall and erect, peering to where he had heard the voice coming from, trying to decipher Logan's movements in the shadows. Logan was at first petrified with the intruder when he discovered it wasn't Max, but after a small while he decided that he probably relied on Max too much for his protection. After all, he was walking again, and he had never felt better. Why shouldn't he be able to eject this unwelcome guest from his home?

"Who are you?" he asked bravely, suddenly realising he was still wearing only a robe. What happened next took Logan, and the trespasser by surprise.

The door exploded open, and at the sound they both looked around to see the two halves of the now broken door flying across the room before crashing into the opposing wall.

"Logan!" came the pained cry of Max, with a flood of light from the corridor. Logan noticed for the briefest of moments a dark blur caught in the light before it merged with the blackness of the room. He realised that the prowler was in for a very unpleasant time. He happened to be standing by the light switch, and turned it on just in time to hear a muted grunt and then a dull thud. When the light caught up with the sound, he noticed Max rushing at him, her face upset and worried. She immediately wrapped her arms around him in an intense hug, her hands searching his body desperately for signs of injury. As Logan hugged her back he noticed the incredible heat and humidity radiating from her body, and as he looked down at her he noticed a thin sheen of sweat covering her face. It appeared as if Max's trip up to his apartment had been a hurried occurrence.

"Logan… I thought… Zack…" Max whimpered slightly, as she buried her face deeper into his shoulder. Logan felt a swelling in his chest, for someone to care this much about him, and a small smile made its way to his face.

"Come on, Max. I'm alright," Logan said in a comforting voice as he gently eased her head back from his chest so he could look at her. When he saw her face he caught his breath. He had never seen anything so beautiful, yet so upset and almost lost. He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, and continued to push a lock of hair behind her ear, and smiled at her warmly before bending down and stealing a quick kiss. These few acts cheered Max up quite a deal, and she smiled back at him, but was not willing to let go of him yet, as her head returned to the reassuring warmth of his chest.

The polite clearing of a throat behind them interrupted their utopistic moment. Max snapped around whilst absently pushing Logan further away from the figure standing once more erect in the middle of the penthouse. Her fists were clenched threateningly by her sides, and it was quite evident from her stance that the person behind her was going to be protected by any means. The intruder observed this deadly package before him, and he knew that he didn't want to get on her bad side again. Max had only just noticed that the person in Logan's apartment wasn't Zack. In fact, he looked nothing like Zack, as he was far taller, and his build was incredibly athletic with extensively broad shoulders, but not bulking.

"Who are you?" Max inquired scathingly, almost in a growl, as her eyes narrowed and expression darkened fiercely. Both men in the room study Max intently for a few seconds, and each of them took a small step backwards. They were shocked at the sudden change in her, and the immense power she was radiating as she stared down the unknown figure. Logan could not help but smile a little, as such was the presence of Max, and the energy, that he was finding it hard not to be proud that she was his. The stranger decided to speak; otherwise he had a feeling this situation wouldn't turn out well for him.

"My deepest and most humble apologies for disturbing you, sir," he said with an incredible air of elegance and a slight bow, sweeping his arm out in front of him until it rested on his hip. Max and Logan stopped, and blinked widely, vaguely resembling goldfish. Max stepped back until she was in front of Logan, and then she leant back until her body was slightly resting on his, but her face was in line with Logan's, and she was still able to keep both eyes on the bowing stranger.

"Logan. What the hell? Why does he sound so funny?" Max couldn't hide the confusion on her face with the response they received, and she also couldn't place his accent. Logan chuckled slightly as he placed his hands on Max's waist, gently moving her to the side. He started to walk toward the man, and on his way he bent close and spoke in Max's ear.

"He's English, Max." Her mouth opened in a silent 'Oh', as Logan came to a stop at her side. All of them stood there for a few moments, studying one another and puzzled with the situation, until finally the intruder once more spoke.

"I must say, this is an awkward situation, is it not? Allow me to introduce myself. Lord Thomas Montgomery, at your service." He bowed once more, and waited patiently for Logan to introduce them. Max and Logan looked at other, completely taken aback.

"Lord?" they said together, looking from each other to their guest. Thomas smiled back at them warmly; this was about as much as Max could take.

"That's it. I'm getting him out of here. He's a complete whack job," Max said to Logan, as she once again took on an aggressive stance.

"Oh yes, the deliciously eclectic verbalisation of a young American." Logan couldn't help but laugh at this comment, and the twisted look on Max's face as she was riddled with bewilderment.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing in my house?" Logan asked politely, not feeling scared by this person anymore, and especially since Max was standing next to him defensively.

"I am dreadfully embarrassed with this whole situation," Thomas said, as he straightened once more and held himself in a very regale manner.

"You see, along with inheriting the title of Lord, I inherited an appalling amount of money." Logan nodded slightly, as he felt he knew where Thomas was coming from, even though he had a feeling that Thomas probably had a lot more money than he did.

"I've always been very interested in the delicacies of night time travel, and making ones way around in a stealth like state." As he was explaining how he would slip into high-rise or high security places, steal something, and then send it back to them, Max became distracted by the remarkable suit he appeared to be wearing. It seemed to be constantly changing shades of grey and dark, swallowing all light that came near. It was only a thin material, that was drawn extremely taut across his body, which Max could tell was incredibly fit, since all his muscles could be seen with the utmost detail. Then it dawned on her. She knew what it was he was wearing, and her mouth parted slightly in awe and appreciation, as it was something she had always wanted to get, but couldn't, because there was no way she could obtain anywhere near the amount of funds required for such extravagance.

"You've got a Reflex-Suit," Max suddenly said, interrupting a story he was telling about breaking into the White House. Thomas blinked suddenly, then looked at Max, a huge smile breaking across his face.

"Why yes, although I prefer to call it a Sneaking-Suit," he proclaimed proudly, and slightly puffed his chest. Logan was completely lost, and glanced between Max and Thomas a few times. Just as he was about to speak again, Max did.

"Where did you get it? I mean they're real expensive and stuff," Max asked. She was clearly very enthusiastic with the suit, which made Logan feel a little jealous, since she was paying so much attention to this thief from the night.

"Like I said. I have an absurd amount of money. Enough about me, however. Whose place is this that I have so rudely encroached upon?" Thomas inquired very politely, while easily steering the conversation in another direction. Max was astounded with the eloquence of his speech and the way he pronounced everything with such air. It was Logan's turn to speak now, and he did so with great vigour, trying to regain himself in front of Max. He had seen how she had kindly regarded Thomas as he started speaking about his suit, and it made something broil inside gently.

"I am Logan Cale, and this is my frien… this is Max." Logan said, with an embarrassed stumble as he pointed at Max. He still wasn't sure what he should be telling people about their relationship. Thomas took the sentence in stride and smiled warmly at Logan, before turning to Max, and sweeping up her hand and bending down to it.

"Max?" he asked, in an attempt for one of them to expand on just 'Max'.

"Guevera," Logan sputtered, becoming more aware of the way Max was looking at Thomas. It wasn't as if she was attracted to him or anything. It was just the look of admiration radiating from her beautiful eyes. Thomas bent and kissed the back of her hand he had been holding, which caused Max to blush slightly.

"Guevera? Not of the Greenwich Guevara's?" Thomas asked after a slight pause of consideration, still holding Max's hand. She looked over at Logan and gave him a full smile, unable to believe what she had just heard.

"Apparently." She laughed, pulling her hand from Thomas' grasp. Logan moved up to Max protectively, placing a hand on her elbow. She felt better immediately, as for some reason she had tensed up incredibly with the interaction between the Lord and herself. Logan also felt better when he moved closer to Max, as he felt the warmth still radiating from her body, and he could have sworn she seemed to relax with his proximity.

"Would you like a drink Lord Thomas?" Logan asked politely, not quite sure why he was inviting someone that had just broken into his house for a drink.

"Oh, god! Call me Tom, please. I can't stand all that Lord business." Max and Logan each breathed a sight of relief; they would have felt very stupid saying 'Lord Thomas' all the time.

They were sitting in the kitchen, all drinking red cordial after Max had gone for some and Tom saw it and decided to 'partake in a sup', as he put it. Tom telling them many interesting stories of the various places he had broken into over his life. Logan started to relax a lot more and enjoy himself when he discovered that the Lord was 53 years old, and had proclaimed his disinterest in the prospect of coupling with anyone. During a pleasant lull in the conversation, Max decided to broach the subject of the suit again, since she had been keenly interested in one for a long time. She lent forward and pressed a finger against the material on his wrist, and it felt like it came alive under her touch. Tom looked up at her and smiled.

"You like this suit don't you? Well it's my greatest possession, so you can't have it. Besides it's far too big for you," he said playfully. Max looked at him and smiled sweetly.

"Does it really help? I mean with mobility and everything," she questioned sincerely.

"More than you can imagine. It also makes moving around quieter, dissolves into dark areas more efficiently, it's completely waterproof, and can be worn in minus 30 degree temperatures." As he explained, Max's eyes opened wider in appreciation. This was the ultimate cat suit.

"Minus 30? Are you serious?" Max asked incredulously.

"Yes, minus 30 degrees Celsius my dear," Tom explained reassuringly.

"If I may intrude? Why did you select my apartment to break into tonight?" Logan suddenly asked, after a few moments of silence on his behalf.

"Intrude? My kind man, it is I who has intruded into your house, and as to why. It's quite simple. I've been in the area for a while, as I am in Seattle for a function, and I noticed that for the past three days, there have been no lights on in this apartment day or night. So when I see something like that, my general assumption is that there is no one there, and I felt like stretching my legs a little." Tom finished explaining, and was searching the faces of Max and Logan, attempting to evoke an explanation as to why no lights were on. Max and Logan shared an embarrassed glance, realising why no lights had gone on.

"Something came up… that resulted in the lights not being turned on." Max said, trying not to make things to obvious, but still trying to remind Logan what had happened. Tom noticed the silly expressions on Max and Logan's faces as they looked at each other. He couldn't believe the concentration of passion between the two sets of eyes in front of him.

"Well I've definitely outstayed my very unwelcome visit. Once again I must apologise for the inappropriate nature of my entry, and I beg of you not to inform the police." Tom interrupted the gaze between Max and Logan, and began to stand.

"Not at all. All the best people come in the way you did. Unannounced," Logan said, unable to stop himself from squeezing Max's shoulder, who turned to him and smiled coyly. Thomas turned to Logan and looked questioningly.

"That's how I met this one, her intentions identical to yours. Except she planned on keeping the stolen goods for reasons of commerce," Logan said playfully, as he patted Max on the shoulder.

"Really? My dear Max, we must talk more but not now, as I fear I have disturbed you long enough." With that, he started to head back to his rope still dangling through the skylight. Just as he reached up, and placed his hand around it, he turned and addressed Max and Logan, who had followed him.

"I have a smashing idea, if you are interested that is. You see, the reason I am in this city is because there is a function I am hosting in a few nights. If you two would like to come, I would be most delighted." Max and Logan looked at each other for a bit, not sure how to reply.

"It is a formal event, a ball if you will. There will be a lot of dancing and people in fancy clothes. Usually a terrible bore, but I am sure it would be a lot more interesting if you were to attend." Thomas had turned and placed his other hand on the rope, and started to pull himself up slightly. Logan made his decision, and moved behind Max so her could wrap his arms around her from behind, bringing them down across her shoulders to join his hands around her waist.

"Sounds great," Logan responded, breathing into Max's ear, which caused her to shiver, and she couldn't say anything for the next few seconds.

"Excellent. I'll send a man around in the morning with the invitations. Don't worry, I know your address," he said wryly, as he quickly hoisted himself out of the apartment, and once again Max and Logan were alone.

"What a nice guy," Logan said, looking up at the dark gap where his skylight was. Max still hadn't recovered from Logan blowing his hot breath in her ear.

"Do that again," Max said distantly.

"What? This?" Logan said, purposely dragging out each word as his steaming breath wisped across Max's ear. He could feel her shake, and a small giggle escaped her mouth.

"Look!" she exclaimed excitedly, grabbing the leg of her three quarter pants and pulling it up, exposing a limb completely covered in goose bumps. Logan smiled at Max's playfulness.

"But Max, that's your right leg, and I blew in your left ear." Max eyed him with a mischievous look on her face.

"Okay then, this ear," she said, happily turning her head so Logan could breath into her right ear this time. Logan laughed and shook his head slightly.

"If you say so." He bent down, and blew hot breath into Max's ear, gently grazing his lips against her soft lobe. This had an even greater effect on Max. She shook greatly, and involuntary pulled her head down between her shoulders, making a noise somewhere between a laugh and a giggle.

"Ha, look!" Max proclaimed again, this time pulling up the pants on her left leg, to reveal a shin and calf muscles crowded with little bumps.

"I'm sure that could be useful at some stage," Logan said benevolently, grinning at Max.

They stood there for a while, Logan behind Max, arms still wrapped around her, and Max with her arms on his, holding them in place. Logan then noticed the remnants of his once fine redwood door.

"Coming or going. You just love to break something, don't you?" Logan said jokingly, as he released Max and made his way over to the pieces of door on the ground. He picked up a half and placed it in the doorway, laughing at the absurdity of having a door that was only 3 feet tall, and resting against the doorframe to stay in place.

"Ah well, nothing I can do about it now. I think as penance, you need to stay and protect me in case some of the nasty elements decide to jump over my door."

"If I must," Max replied, and then she turned and headed over to her window, and out of Logan's sight. Logan walked into the room and saw Max standing there, thinking intently. Instead of bothering her, he took a place on the couch, and just enjoyed the magnificent view of his raven haired beauty reflected under the silver light of the stars.

"Max, why did you call out Zack's name when you first got in here?" It had only just occurred to Logan that she had said her brother's name. Max turned and looked at him, he could see the anguish on her face, as her big eyes looked down at him.

"Logan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run out on you. I just…" Max trailed off, looking back out the window, and Logan had a sudden sinking feeling.

"You just couldn't stand the closeness? So you ran away?" He didn't want to finish that statement, but he needed to know. Max snapped around with Logan's questions.

"No, it's not that. I love that…I just had a bad dream." 'Okay, you said the big word, just keep speaking and he might not notice you slipped up.' Max became hot and nervous, with her Freudian slip.

"You see, when we were in bed, I fell asleep, and I had this dream where Zack came in and killed you. It was so terrible, Logan. And then when I woke up, it was exactly the same as how the dream started, so I panicked and had to leave. It was just too familiar, and I expected him to come crashing through your door at any second and shoot you for real." Logan hadn't said anything, and was sitting there blankly, almost stunned.

"And then when I was coming over tonight I saw Tom on the roof, and thought it was Zack coming to kill you. That's why I said his name. I still thought it was him until Tom started speaking." Max had ranted on for quite some time, and was feeling a little hopeful that Logan might not have noticed what she said earlier. When she looked at him, however, she knew that was the only word he had heard, and everything else had just been meaningless background sound. Max nervously toed the ground behind her with one foot, as she bit her lower lip.

"Logan?" She probed.

"Y-You… love it?" 'Oh god, he did hear it.'

"Umm… yeah, you know? Like I love food and stuff." She didn't want to say that, but she couldn't stand the pressure of the moment. Logan knew however, so he smiled at her calmly.

"Right." Logan stood slowly and made his way over to Max, stopping a few feet in front of her.

"What now, Max?" Logan questioned, with arms open, palm side up, in front of Max. Max looked at him nervously, shifting her weight slightly.

"Um… you want a drink?" Max asked coyly.

"Yeah. I do," Logan replied warmly, and together they headed for the kitchen.