Disclaimer: They still don't belong to us.
A/N: Thanks a lot to all our readers and all the nice reviews. Special thanks to our beta Alaidh who again helped us expertly to eliminate mistakes and inconsistencies.
We hope you enjoy this chapter. Let us know what you think!
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Sour cherries.
_________________
Logan followed Max into the room and slammed the door shut. He suddenly realised how exhausted he was. His shoulder was throbbing constantly now. Maybe he had overdone it a little.
Max gratefully sank down on one of the beds and carefully eyed Logan. "How's the shoulder doing?"
"I've felt better," he said, closing his eyes. "You can go ahead in the bathroom. I'll rest a little. Wake me up if I fall asleep."
Max hesitantly nodded her agreement. She knew that it hadn't been the right thing to do, dealing with Logan's injury like that. He should have seen a doctor, gotten rest...
"Do you want me to get you some painkillers?"
Logan sighed. "No, it's okay. Don't worry. I just need some rest and I'll be fine."
"I don't think so", Max mumbled under her breath, but there was no use in upsetting Logan.
She grabbed her bag and went to the bathroom, looking forward to a nice, hot shower.
Logan was lying there, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder, which seemed to be screaming at him now for straining it all day. Maybe he'd have to accept Max's help after all, he admitted to himself, frustrated. But right now all he wanted to do was take a quick nap, just a couple of minutes....
He slowly drifted off to sleep while he could hear the soothing sound of the shower next door.
Max enjoyed the shower, but in the back of her mind a thought was returning. They were on the run. This was no vacation, and it was dangerous to relax, to let the guards down. The escape might have bought them some more days, but eventually they would have to face the challenge. She just hoped Logan would get enough time to regenerate. With his shoulder injured, he was an even easier target.
Suddenly she heard Logan's cell phone ring in the next room and she stiffened immediately.
Logan snapped out of his slumber and felt his heart leap into his throat. The sudden ring of his cell phone had brought him back to reality. He took a few seconds to get his bearings and then struggled to sit up, but with his shoulder screaming at him he fell back into the cushions. His cell phone was in his bag and from his position definitely out of reach.
"Max!!" he yelled. "Can you get it?"
Max quickly dressed in a hotel bathrobe. When she entered the room, she was greeted by Logan's painful groan. With a worried look at him she reached for the cell.
Logan finally managed to prop himself up into a sitting position as he watched Max pick up the phone.
She sank down on her bed. ""Bling? What's up?"
She listened intently, her face a stony mask.
From the look on Max's face, Logan could tell Bling didn't have good news.
He had seen Max display that stony look every time she had received bad news, be it about her siblings or Manticore or whatever. Something was definitely wrong. He shifted in bed, trying to get back into the chair. Max still hadn't said one word.
"Max! What's wrong?!" he asked impatiently.
She held up one hand to stop him.
"Let me talk to Bling!" Logan insisted.
"Are you sure, Bling?" She didn't even acknowledge Logan's plea.
"OK, thanks for the heads up." She took a deep breath. "Yes, I will. Bye."
Logan shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh.
Finally Max turned to look at him.
Giving up his attempt to get into the wheelchair, he dropped back onto his back and ran his hands over his face.
"Bling said they're coming after us." Her voice was deadly calm; she was all soldier.
Logan awkwardly sat up again. "How does he know?" he asked, alarmed.
"I don't really know, he apparently overheard them when they were in your apartment. That's not the point."
"They came back?"
"Logan, focus. We have to get out of here, now. Who cares what happened back in Seattle?"
"I do. I mean, they could have caught Bling..."
"They didn't," she snapped, and got up. "Can you get up on your own or do you want my help?"
"I think I need some help," Logan admitted, reluctantly. "Think I overdid it today. If you could just help me back into the chair I think I can handle it from there. You've gotta get dressed. I'll grab our things in the meantime."
"No problem." Max easily lifted him back into his chair. "You don't have to play a hero, you know." Her voice was softer now. She retreated to the bathroom and two minutes later she returned, their toiletry bags in her hand.
"Done?"
Logan nodded and positioned himself in the chair. Then he lifted their bags onto his lap with his good arm and turned to Max. "Mind pushing me? That'll be faster," he admitted.
"Sure. Hold tight." Max scanned the room one last time. "Got my new dress?"
"Yup. Maybe we should use the back entrance, in case they spotted the hotel."
"They wouldn't be that fast, but 'better safe than sorry'. Too bad, this would have been a nice evening."
"Yeah, sure would have been," Logan sighed, "But we can make up for that later."
"Yeah." Max waited for the elevator to come and spied a cart with food, apparently for one of the guests. Without hesitating, she grabbed the lunch bags and threw it into Logan's lap. She quickly pushed Logan into the open elevator and pushed the button.
"Hey Max, what the hell are you doing?" Logan asked, surprised.
"Getting dinner."
"Oh right! Girls gotta eat? I can't believe you can think about food right now!"
"Take what you can get." She shrugged. "You're gonna be grateful, believe me."
Logan had to admit that his own stomach was rumbling. He had only eaten the doughnut for breakfast so far.
When the door of the elevator opened, Max took a careful look. "Damn," she hissed, "Faster than I thought." Logan glanced down the hall. He could see two suspicious looking guys lingering at the reception desk.
"OK, we gotta be fast." She got hold of Logan's chair and pushed him to the left, away from the reception and out through a small staff exit. Outside they both looked around for any other suspicious looking people. "Okay, let's hope they're stupid enough not to cover the back doors," Logan whispered.
"They're not exactly expecting us to know they're here."
"How are we going to get to the car? It's parked in front of the hotel!"
She would rather have taken another car, but knew that, for Logan's sake, they would have to stick with the Aztek as long as possible. "I'll get it, you wait here. Be ready."
Catlike, she sneaked around the corner, praying that Logan was safe. On her way to the Aztek she spied a car with Washington plates. Grinning, she let the air out of the tires. Simple trick, but efficient.
Sitting by the backdoor, Logan steadied himself for getting into the Aztek as quickly as possible. He didn't actually know how he would manage without Max's help and hoped that Max would be observant enough to help him without asking for permission this time.
Max sneaked past the entrance, sat down behind the steering wheel and manoeuvred the car past the entrance. Apparently those guys were dumber than she had thought. She stopped the car right next to Logan and jumped out to get him, the bags, and the chair inside as quickly as possible. There was no time for gentleness and questioning.
Logan was relieved to see Max round the car. The next moment she was with him, lifting him onto the passenger seat and dismantling the chair in record time, throwing it behind the seat. Next thing he knew, she was sitting next to him, squealing the tires as she peeled away. She drove by the front entrance right as the two guys stepped outside, staring after the Aztek open-mouthed. After one long second they started to stumble toward their own car. Max noticed, with satisfaction, that she had chosen the right car. It would take them some time to get it road-worthy again.
They changed directions a few times and took a few small streets to make sure no one was following them.
"Did you see how many there were?" Logan asked.
"I think just the two of them. They'd probably been in that area anyway and were contacted to check on us." She observed him carefully. "You OK?"
"Yeah, fine...You?"
"Sure. I'm the soldier, remember?"
"I'm sorry to put you through all this, Max," Logan said, looking at her still emotionless face.
"Don't worry. You've done so much for me already. Besides, I like kicking ass every once in a while."
"You shouldn't have been involved in this in the first place. You got enough problems of your own."
Her features softened as she realized that her attitude wasn't helping Logan relax. "This way I can get away from my own ones. Really, it's okay. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I don't want to put you in danger." Logan continued his own line of thought. "Still, I'm grateful that you're here with me," he added sincerely.
"You're welcome." She smiled at him. "But where should we go now?"
"I don't know."
"Let's just get out of this city."
"Okay."
"We can decide on exactly where later."
"Make it up as we go along, huh?"
She grinned. "That always works."
"Yep. And lets see what you got us for dinner. I'm starving!" he added, with a smile.
Max shifted in her seat. "What have we got?"
"Tuna salad sandwich, cheese sandwich, something that I can't identify...Ahem, and some fruit, a squished cheese cake and...a bottle of mineral water."
"Can I have the tuna sandwich, or can we at least share that?"
"You can have it," Logan said, unwrapping the sandwich partly and handing it to her.
"Thanks." Max eagerly took a big bite and chewed in a rather unladylike manner.
Logan was amused by Max's good appetite. He suspiciously eyed the food in his lap. "We really need to stop and get something real soon."
"Don't you like it?" Max asked before her second bite.
"I don't know. Doesn't look very appetising. Do you want some water?"
"Yeah."
He handed her the bottle and she dropped the sandwich in her lap, cursing at the piece that landed on her jeans. "Driving with hand controls and eating is really hard!"
"That's why I usually don't eat and drive," Logan said, with a sarcastic grin, "Want me to feed you?"
She glared at him. "Nah, I think I can manage."
"I can drive for an change if you want to get some rest."
"No, I'm doing fine for now. I'll let ya know."
"You're sure? You look tired."
"I'm sure. Listen; let me drive for another hour, then you can go on. Okay?"
"Okay. Would you mind stopping at the next roadhouse, though? I'm starving and this sandwich is not very good. Besides this is the first thing I have eaten since...that doughnut this morning, well, and the burger last night..." He made a face thinking about the events of the previous night.
"Okay. What should we look for? Another fast food restaurant okay?"
"As long as they have some pasta. My stomach is asking for a lasagne." Logan smiled. "Just no more burgers for me," he added, realizing that he was probably asking too much.
"If that's what it takes to satisfy you. " Max grinned back at him.
"So, which direction are we going anyway? Did you manage to read the signs?"
"Logan! What do you take me for? Of course I could read the signs!!" She shook her head in mock disbelief. "LA."
"That's good. I think I may have an idea where to stay for the night there," he said secretively.
"Do you know of any luxury hotels with huge Jacuzzis?" She beamed at the idea.
"No, just a nice little house, a few miles outside the city, with a small garden pond." He chuckled at her obvious disappointment. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I think we might find some good food there," he added.
"It might take another couple of hours to reach LA," she warned him. "We'd better grab a snack here.?"
Logan hesitated for a second.
"Okay, let's do that. Besides I'd better use a bathroom soon. Forgot about that all afternoon." He blushed a little and turned his head toward the window.
"Sure," Max nodded. She hadn't really thought about that either. Hell, he'd never ever mentioned things like that to her. How was she supposed to know? But maybe this was really none of her business, right?
"I could drive then. So you can get some rest. It really is my turn," Logan added quickly to overcome the awkwardness of the situation. He cursed himself for not having taken care of that at the hotel.
"Can you hold on for another few minutes?" She had no clue if that was an appropriate question.
Logan smirked at her helpless question. "Sure. A couple of minutes won't make a difference now."
"As for the driving, if it means so much to you..." she sighed. "Guys always think they have to do that, huh?"
"You deserve some rest. Plus, I know the way," he insisted.
"Fine! Do what you want." She smiled, trying to make it obvious she had only been joking.
They drove in silence for a while until Max pulled the car into the parking lot of a huge, brightly lit place.
"How's this place?" She didn't really wait for an answer but jumped out of the car, stretching.
"Sure. It'll only be a couple of minutes. You want to look for yourself or do you want me to bring something from the shop?" Logan said while he was getting busy transferring into the chair and searching his bag for what he needed. He felt very uncomfortable with Max watching him, so he was glad to see her leave the car to stretch.
"I'll have a hotdog and some chewing gum!" he heard Max yell from the opposite side of the car.
"What?...Oh yes, a hotdog and some chewing gum, all right. What kind do you like?" he asked confused .
She yelled over, still trying to relax her hurting back muscles, "Whatever. Just has to make huge bubbles." she grinned.
"Okay." Logan flashed a quick smile and made his way toward the building.
Max watched him leave, and then started to pace around the car. She sighed. She was not created for sitting that long. She needed to go running or she would burst with all her energy.
***************************
On his way back to the car, Logan stopped by the shop. He ordered one hotdog and a homemade turkey sandwhich and went on to the cashier. There he was greeted by a whole arsenal of chewing gums. Now what the heck should he choose?? There were at least twenty different flavours, some advertising big bubbles, some extra big ones, some said "hot" on them, some "juicy". There hadn't been this many flavours when he was young; of this he was sure. He thought for a second about which to choose, then went for a juicy blueberry one and one with "sour cherry"flavour. Smiling to himself, he paid for the food, carefully placed the paper bag into his lap and returned to the car.
Max was nowhere in sight. He began to panic. Had they been followed? Had those guys gotten hold of her? He grabbed the wheels of his chair and hurried toward the car, yelling her name, "Max?!! Max!!! Where are you?"
Max heard somebody shout her name; she turned around in surprise. She had not even realised how far from the car she had run. She had only meant to jog a few meters. Not wanting to scream back and draw attention, she sprinted back.
"Right here, sorry."
"Max! You scared the shit out of me! Why did you leave the car?" Logan exclaimed.
"I said I was sorry! Would you relax? It's no big deal!" Max rolled her eyes.
Without a word, Logan rounded the car to the driver's side. He put the bag with the food onto the dashboard and climbed into the car. Max watched Logan transfer and stow the chair behind the seat. Then she climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. She suddenly felt angry; he was not supposed to control her every movement.
"I thought you might have been caught by those guys!!!" Logan said accusingly when Max crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"I'm not that easy to catch," she shot back. "Would you stop worrying about me? I'm not a baby!"
"There's no need for you to prove that, though," Logan stated angrily, then grabbed the bag from the dashboard and took out his sandwich. "Here's your hotdog...and the chewing gum." he said holding the bag out to Max. Max took the bag eagerly and began munching her food contently.
*********************
When Logan had finished his sandwich, he started the engine and pulled back out of the parking lot. "Buckle up, will ya," he said, glancing over at Max, who was licking some ketchup from her fingers. Max rolled her eyes, but did, as she was told. She didn't want to start another discussion.
Logan turned back onto the highway and stared straight ahead. He couldn't understand how she could be so careless, even if she was a super soldier.
Having finished her hotdog, Max took out the gum, "Thanks for this." She said checking the two packs more closely . Then she grinned "Cherry's my favourite! ... Anyway, where are we going?"
"Where are we going?? I'm not saying," Logan teased, easing up a little.
"Right, I'm not curious anyway. Curiosity killed the cat, right?" She leaned further down in her seat and pretended to be totally engrossed in the landscape.
Logan grinned at her, but didn't say another word. Instead he switched the radio channel and earned himself a sour look from Max. "We're gonna be there soon. We're on the right side of LA. We don't have to go all the way through the city
TBC........
A/N: Thanks a lot to all our readers and all the nice reviews. Special thanks to our beta Alaidh who again helped us expertly to eliminate mistakes and inconsistencies.
We hope you enjoy this chapter. Let us know what you think!
******************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Sour cherries.
_________________
Logan followed Max into the room and slammed the door shut. He suddenly realised how exhausted he was. His shoulder was throbbing constantly now. Maybe he had overdone it a little.
Max gratefully sank down on one of the beds and carefully eyed Logan. "How's the shoulder doing?"
"I've felt better," he said, closing his eyes. "You can go ahead in the bathroom. I'll rest a little. Wake me up if I fall asleep."
Max hesitantly nodded her agreement. She knew that it hadn't been the right thing to do, dealing with Logan's injury like that. He should have seen a doctor, gotten rest...
"Do you want me to get you some painkillers?"
Logan sighed. "No, it's okay. Don't worry. I just need some rest and I'll be fine."
"I don't think so", Max mumbled under her breath, but there was no use in upsetting Logan.
She grabbed her bag and went to the bathroom, looking forward to a nice, hot shower.
Logan was lying there, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder, which seemed to be screaming at him now for straining it all day. Maybe he'd have to accept Max's help after all, he admitted to himself, frustrated. But right now all he wanted to do was take a quick nap, just a couple of minutes....
He slowly drifted off to sleep while he could hear the soothing sound of the shower next door.
Max enjoyed the shower, but in the back of her mind a thought was returning. They were on the run. This was no vacation, and it was dangerous to relax, to let the guards down. The escape might have bought them some more days, but eventually they would have to face the challenge. She just hoped Logan would get enough time to regenerate. With his shoulder injured, he was an even easier target.
Suddenly she heard Logan's cell phone ring in the next room and she stiffened immediately.
Logan snapped out of his slumber and felt his heart leap into his throat. The sudden ring of his cell phone had brought him back to reality. He took a few seconds to get his bearings and then struggled to sit up, but with his shoulder screaming at him he fell back into the cushions. His cell phone was in his bag and from his position definitely out of reach.
"Max!!" he yelled. "Can you get it?"
Max quickly dressed in a hotel bathrobe. When she entered the room, she was greeted by Logan's painful groan. With a worried look at him she reached for the cell.
Logan finally managed to prop himself up into a sitting position as he watched Max pick up the phone.
She sank down on her bed. ""Bling? What's up?"
She listened intently, her face a stony mask.
From the look on Max's face, Logan could tell Bling didn't have good news.
He had seen Max display that stony look every time she had received bad news, be it about her siblings or Manticore or whatever. Something was definitely wrong. He shifted in bed, trying to get back into the chair. Max still hadn't said one word.
"Max! What's wrong?!" he asked impatiently.
She held up one hand to stop him.
"Let me talk to Bling!" Logan insisted.
"Are you sure, Bling?" She didn't even acknowledge Logan's plea.
"OK, thanks for the heads up." She took a deep breath. "Yes, I will. Bye."
Logan shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh.
Finally Max turned to look at him.
Giving up his attempt to get into the wheelchair, he dropped back onto his back and ran his hands over his face.
"Bling said they're coming after us." Her voice was deadly calm; she was all soldier.
Logan awkwardly sat up again. "How does he know?" he asked, alarmed.
"I don't really know, he apparently overheard them when they were in your apartment. That's not the point."
"They came back?"
"Logan, focus. We have to get out of here, now. Who cares what happened back in Seattle?"
"I do. I mean, they could have caught Bling..."
"They didn't," she snapped, and got up. "Can you get up on your own or do you want my help?"
"I think I need some help," Logan admitted, reluctantly. "Think I overdid it today. If you could just help me back into the chair I think I can handle it from there. You've gotta get dressed. I'll grab our things in the meantime."
"No problem." Max easily lifted him back into his chair. "You don't have to play a hero, you know." Her voice was softer now. She retreated to the bathroom and two minutes later she returned, their toiletry bags in her hand.
"Done?"
Logan nodded and positioned himself in the chair. Then he lifted their bags onto his lap with his good arm and turned to Max. "Mind pushing me? That'll be faster," he admitted.
"Sure. Hold tight." Max scanned the room one last time. "Got my new dress?"
"Yup. Maybe we should use the back entrance, in case they spotted the hotel."
"They wouldn't be that fast, but 'better safe than sorry'. Too bad, this would have been a nice evening."
"Yeah, sure would have been," Logan sighed, "But we can make up for that later."
"Yeah." Max waited for the elevator to come and spied a cart with food, apparently for one of the guests. Without hesitating, she grabbed the lunch bags and threw it into Logan's lap. She quickly pushed Logan into the open elevator and pushed the button.
"Hey Max, what the hell are you doing?" Logan asked, surprised.
"Getting dinner."
"Oh right! Girls gotta eat? I can't believe you can think about food right now!"
"Take what you can get." She shrugged. "You're gonna be grateful, believe me."
Logan had to admit that his own stomach was rumbling. He had only eaten the doughnut for breakfast so far.
When the door of the elevator opened, Max took a careful look. "Damn," she hissed, "Faster than I thought." Logan glanced down the hall. He could see two suspicious looking guys lingering at the reception desk.
"OK, we gotta be fast." She got hold of Logan's chair and pushed him to the left, away from the reception and out through a small staff exit. Outside they both looked around for any other suspicious looking people. "Okay, let's hope they're stupid enough not to cover the back doors," Logan whispered.
"They're not exactly expecting us to know they're here."
"How are we going to get to the car? It's parked in front of the hotel!"
She would rather have taken another car, but knew that, for Logan's sake, they would have to stick with the Aztek as long as possible. "I'll get it, you wait here. Be ready."
Catlike, she sneaked around the corner, praying that Logan was safe. On her way to the Aztek she spied a car with Washington plates. Grinning, she let the air out of the tires. Simple trick, but efficient.
Sitting by the backdoor, Logan steadied himself for getting into the Aztek as quickly as possible. He didn't actually know how he would manage without Max's help and hoped that Max would be observant enough to help him without asking for permission this time.
Max sneaked past the entrance, sat down behind the steering wheel and manoeuvred the car past the entrance. Apparently those guys were dumber than she had thought. She stopped the car right next to Logan and jumped out to get him, the bags, and the chair inside as quickly as possible. There was no time for gentleness and questioning.
Logan was relieved to see Max round the car. The next moment she was with him, lifting him onto the passenger seat and dismantling the chair in record time, throwing it behind the seat. Next thing he knew, she was sitting next to him, squealing the tires as she peeled away. She drove by the front entrance right as the two guys stepped outside, staring after the Aztek open-mouthed. After one long second they started to stumble toward their own car. Max noticed, with satisfaction, that she had chosen the right car. It would take them some time to get it road-worthy again.
They changed directions a few times and took a few small streets to make sure no one was following them.
"Did you see how many there were?" Logan asked.
"I think just the two of them. They'd probably been in that area anyway and were contacted to check on us." She observed him carefully. "You OK?"
"Yeah, fine...You?"
"Sure. I'm the soldier, remember?"
"I'm sorry to put you through all this, Max," Logan said, looking at her still emotionless face.
"Don't worry. You've done so much for me already. Besides, I like kicking ass every once in a while."
"You shouldn't have been involved in this in the first place. You got enough problems of your own."
Her features softened as she realized that her attitude wasn't helping Logan relax. "This way I can get away from my own ones. Really, it's okay. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I don't want to put you in danger." Logan continued his own line of thought. "Still, I'm grateful that you're here with me," he added sincerely.
"You're welcome." She smiled at him. "But where should we go now?"
"I don't know."
"Let's just get out of this city."
"Okay."
"We can decide on exactly where later."
"Make it up as we go along, huh?"
She grinned. "That always works."
"Yep. And lets see what you got us for dinner. I'm starving!" he added, with a smile.
Max shifted in her seat. "What have we got?"
"Tuna salad sandwich, cheese sandwich, something that I can't identify...Ahem, and some fruit, a squished cheese cake and...a bottle of mineral water."
"Can I have the tuna sandwich, or can we at least share that?"
"You can have it," Logan said, unwrapping the sandwich partly and handing it to her.
"Thanks." Max eagerly took a big bite and chewed in a rather unladylike manner.
Logan was amused by Max's good appetite. He suspiciously eyed the food in his lap. "We really need to stop and get something real soon."
"Don't you like it?" Max asked before her second bite.
"I don't know. Doesn't look very appetising. Do you want some water?"
"Yeah."
He handed her the bottle and she dropped the sandwich in her lap, cursing at the piece that landed on her jeans. "Driving with hand controls and eating is really hard!"
"That's why I usually don't eat and drive," Logan said, with a sarcastic grin, "Want me to feed you?"
She glared at him. "Nah, I think I can manage."
"I can drive for an change if you want to get some rest."
"No, I'm doing fine for now. I'll let ya know."
"You're sure? You look tired."
"I'm sure. Listen; let me drive for another hour, then you can go on. Okay?"
"Okay. Would you mind stopping at the next roadhouse, though? I'm starving and this sandwich is not very good. Besides this is the first thing I have eaten since...that doughnut this morning, well, and the burger last night..." He made a face thinking about the events of the previous night.
"Okay. What should we look for? Another fast food restaurant okay?"
"As long as they have some pasta. My stomach is asking for a lasagne." Logan smiled. "Just no more burgers for me," he added, realizing that he was probably asking too much.
"If that's what it takes to satisfy you. " Max grinned back at him.
"So, which direction are we going anyway? Did you manage to read the signs?"
"Logan! What do you take me for? Of course I could read the signs!!" She shook her head in mock disbelief. "LA."
"That's good. I think I may have an idea where to stay for the night there," he said secretively.
"Do you know of any luxury hotels with huge Jacuzzis?" She beamed at the idea.
"No, just a nice little house, a few miles outside the city, with a small garden pond." He chuckled at her obvious disappointment. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I think we might find some good food there," he added.
"It might take another couple of hours to reach LA," she warned him. "We'd better grab a snack here.?"
Logan hesitated for a second.
"Okay, let's do that. Besides I'd better use a bathroom soon. Forgot about that all afternoon." He blushed a little and turned his head toward the window.
"Sure," Max nodded. She hadn't really thought about that either. Hell, he'd never ever mentioned things like that to her. How was she supposed to know? But maybe this was really none of her business, right?
"I could drive then. So you can get some rest. It really is my turn," Logan added quickly to overcome the awkwardness of the situation. He cursed himself for not having taken care of that at the hotel.
"Can you hold on for another few minutes?" She had no clue if that was an appropriate question.
Logan smirked at her helpless question. "Sure. A couple of minutes won't make a difference now."
"As for the driving, if it means so much to you..." she sighed. "Guys always think they have to do that, huh?"
"You deserve some rest. Plus, I know the way," he insisted.
"Fine! Do what you want." She smiled, trying to make it obvious she had only been joking.
They drove in silence for a while until Max pulled the car into the parking lot of a huge, brightly lit place.
"How's this place?" She didn't really wait for an answer but jumped out of the car, stretching.
"Sure. It'll only be a couple of minutes. You want to look for yourself or do you want me to bring something from the shop?" Logan said while he was getting busy transferring into the chair and searching his bag for what he needed. He felt very uncomfortable with Max watching him, so he was glad to see her leave the car to stretch.
"I'll have a hotdog and some chewing gum!" he heard Max yell from the opposite side of the car.
"What?...Oh yes, a hotdog and some chewing gum, all right. What kind do you like?" he asked confused .
She yelled over, still trying to relax her hurting back muscles, "Whatever. Just has to make huge bubbles." she grinned.
"Okay." Logan flashed a quick smile and made his way toward the building.
Max watched him leave, and then started to pace around the car. She sighed. She was not created for sitting that long. She needed to go running or she would burst with all her energy.
***************************
On his way back to the car, Logan stopped by the shop. He ordered one hotdog and a homemade turkey sandwhich and went on to the cashier. There he was greeted by a whole arsenal of chewing gums. Now what the heck should he choose?? There were at least twenty different flavours, some advertising big bubbles, some extra big ones, some said "hot" on them, some "juicy". There hadn't been this many flavours when he was young; of this he was sure. He thought for a second about which to choose, then went for a juicy blueberry one and one with "sour cherry"flavour. Smiling to himself, he paid for the food, carefully placed the paper bag into his lap and returned to the car.
Max was nowhere in sight. He began to panic. Had they been followed? Had those guys gotten hold of her? He grabbed the wheels of his chair and hurried toward the car, yelling her name, "Max?!! Max!!! Where are you?"
Max heard somebody shout her name; she turned around in surprise. She had not even realised how far from the car she had run. She had only meant to jog a few meters. Not wanting to scream back and draw attention, she sprinted back.
"Right here, sorry."
"Max! You scared the shit out of me! Why did you leave the car?" Logan exclaimed.
"I said I was sorry! Would you relax? It's no big deal!" Max rolled her eyes.
Without a word, Logan rounded the car to the driver's side. He put the bag with the food onto the dashboard and climbed into the car. Max watched Logan transfer and stow the chair behind the seat. Then she climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. She suddenly felt angry; he was not supposed to control her every movement.
"I thought you might have been caught by those guys!!!" Logan said accusingly when Max crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"I'm not that easy to catch," she shot back. "Would you stop worrying about me? I'm not a baby!"
"There's no need for you to prove that, though," Logan stated angrily, then grabbed the bag from the dashboard and took out his sandwich. "Here's your hotdog...and the chewing gum." he said holding the bag out to Max. Max took the bag eagerly and began munching her food contently.
*********************
When Logan had finished his sandwich, he started the engine and pulled back out of the parking lot. "Buckle up, will ya," he said, glancing over at Max, who was licking some ketchup from her fingers. Max rolled her eyes, but did, as she was told. She didn't want to start another discussion.
Logan turned back onto the highway and stared straight ahead. He couldn't understand how she could be so careless, even if she was a super soldier.
Having finished her hotdog, Max took out the gum, "Thanks for this." She said checking the two packs more closely . Then she grinned "Cherry's my favourite! ... Anyway, where are we going?"
"Where are we going?? I'm not saying," Logan teased, easing up a little.
"Right, I'm not curious anyway. Curiosity killed the cat, right?" She leaned further down in her seat and pretended to be totally engrossed in the landscape.
Logan grinned at her, but didn't say another word. Instead he switched the radio channel and earned himself a sour look from Max. "We're gonna be there soon. We're on the right side of LA. We don't have to go all the way through the city
TBC........