Disclaimer: Still the same as always
A/N: Sorry guys, not much action in this one either. But there is gonna be some eventually, for now just enjoy our fluff!!!
Ferris wheel
"How many tickets do we need?" Eric asked, when they reached the Ferris wheel. He was already counting how many people they were. "Mom, are you coming?" He turned towards Beth.
"No, you young people go ahead. There's only room for four adults in a car anyway."
"Besides, somebody's got to be waving, right?!" the old lady added with a smile.
"Okay, makes it four adults and two kids, right?" Eric concluded.
Logan ruffled his hair nervously. "Make it three. I'll stay with Beth," he said, trying to sound casual.
Max looked at him, not really surprised. She remembered him telling her about his fear of heights. She honestly thought this might be a good chance to overcome it, but she knew better than to press.
Julie and Eric weren't as easy to turn down though. "Aw, come on, Logan. Don't be a spoil sport It'll be fun!" Eric said. "And the view is really nice from up there," Julie added.
Logan cleared his throat. "Ahem, I'm sure it is. But I'd rather stay down here anyway." I maintain that Logan would stay firm on this point and would never go up in a Ferris wheel...but if you insist...
He looked at Max, who was watching him apprehensively now. She would love to have him with her, but she kind of understood his reluctance. She decided not to interfere though. He would have to stand his ground against Eric and Julie alone, and if Eric in fact was his uncle and had the same genes, he would have a hard time doing so.
"Your cousins will be really disappointed if you bail out, you know," Eric insisted.
"And I'm sure your girlfriend will be, too," Julie winked at him. "There's nothing more romantic than this!"
Max held her breath now, curious what would happen next. She had seen Logan shut down when pressed and feeling forced into something and it wasn't fun for anybody involved.
Logan looked back and forth from his uncle, to Max to Beth and back. Well, what the heck, he thought. If it made them happy, he'd go along. He'd just close his eyes and get it over with quickly.
"So what do you say?" Eric didn't give up.
Logan threw his hands in the air and sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll come, for heaven's sake! Go ahead, buy the tickets."
Max grinned happily and leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll hold your hand the entire time," she promised.
Eric went to buy the tickets, while Julie got busy wrapping and zipping the boys up in their jackets, so they wouldn't be cold during the ride. Max looked up to check out the cars and to come up with a plan on how they would get Logan in without much fuss. She could easily lift him, but to everybody else she was just a petite girl. Would be kind of a give-away.
She leaned down to Logan while the others were still busy. "Wanna go ahead, check out the cars?"
"Sure." Logan answered, very nervous now. He had no idea whatsoever how he was going to get into the car.
Max stepped closer to the car that was waiting on the ground. She knew that Logan wouldn't like it one bit, but she would need Eric's help. "Think your ego can stand that?" she dared to tease him, knowing everything she would say now might prove to be the wrong thing.
Logan snorted. "I don't have much of a choice now, do I?"
Max shrugged. "Not really." When Eric got there, she instructed him to get into the car and then help Logan in. The older man did as he was told after handing his son to his wife.
Eric climbed into the car then bent back down so Logan could put his arm around his shoulder. Max took the other side. They lifted him up enough to set him down on the step of the car. From there Logan could reach onto the seat with one hand and the railing with the other and push himself up onto the seat. Beth took care of the wheelchair and gave her grandson an encouraging nod.
The others followed him inside and the attendant secured the door. Moments later the car started to move.
Logan grabbed the handrails tightly with one hand and Max's hand with the other, still trying to keep a straight face. Max tried to hide the grin that threatened to spread across her face. He was so cute! In order not to show her amusement she addressed the two kids. "This is great, huh? Do you like it?" Both boys nodded, staring out, fascinated.
After a couple of minutes, Logan asked, "So how long is this going to last?"
"Don't you like it?" Julie asked, surprised. Their car had been stopped at the highest point and five passengers enjoyed the view.
"No, actually. I mean it's a great view. But I can have that from inside a building, right?" Logan said nervously.
"Come on, don't be silly. Have a look; it's not that bad, really." Max pleaded with him. "Please."
Eric laughed. "Are you seriously afraid of heights?"
Logan leaned a little closer to the edge to look over it, but backed away instantly. Max could feel his hand tremble slightly in hers and small droplets of sweat were forming on his forehead. "Apparently yes," she said, a little worried now, putting her arm around Logan. "It's okay, really. We're safe."
"I can't believe I let you talk me into doing this," Logan mumbled under his breath.
He closed his eyes to escape the view, but the slow movement of the Ferris wheel and it's slight shaking in the wind made it even worse. He felt like he was losing his balance.
"Come on Logan, the kids will laugh at you when they notice their big cousin being such a baby." Max enjoyed teasing him.
Logan heard Max talk to him but he couldn't quite grasp her words. She sounded like she was teasing him. He grabbed the handrail even tighter and let go of her hand to steady himself on the seat. This was not funny at all. He was absolutely terrified.
Max watched him with admiration. She suddenly realized how hard this really was for him and that he hadn't joked about being afraid of heights. At Manticore they had been indoctrinated to believe that fear was a figment of your imagination, and it was not acceptable to be afraid so she had never understood how people would let fear control their behaviour, or how hard it had to be to overcome it.
Now she saw just that, and to her it seemed so much more courageous to try and overcome than to not let the feeling come up at all.
Logan was breathing heavily now. "This....is...not ...funny...at all, Max!" he gasped between breaths. "I ...don't know...what's...happening...but I gotta get out of here...please!"
"Listen. I actually can't get you out of here right now, and you know that. But do you trust me?" She grabbed his arms in order to steady him.
Logan's voice trembled slightly. "Yeah."
"We have to make our way down first, and I swear that nothing is gonna happen, aiight? When we're down we're gonna stop this thing and you can get out."
"I feel like everything is spinning. I can't keep my balance!!" Logan gasped as if he hadn't heard Max.
Max cast a worried look at Julie and Eric, frowning. "I'm sitting right beside you, and you can't lose your balance, okay?" She moved closer and put her arm around his shoulders, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I'm here," she repeated, regretting having talked him into doing this.
Logan let go of the handrail and took hold of Max's hand, trying to concentrate on breathing. It helped a little to feel Max's arms around him. At least he didn't feel like he was floating anymore.
Max whispered into his ear. "You okay? Won't be much longer. I'm sorry."
Logan just nodded. He didn't feel okay at all but at least this would be over soon.
Finally the car came close to the ground and Eric made a sign that they wanted to get out. Max could see Beth coming closer, pushing the chair and pulling the stroller after her, a worried look on her face.
When the car had stopped, Max motioned for Eric to help Logan out. He handed his son to Julie and lifted the trembling Logan out of the car. One of the attendants helped Logan into his chair while Max climbed out quickly to be by his side.
"You okay?" the man asked, with a worried look on his face. "What happened?"
When Logan didn't answer, he helplessly turned towards Max. "What happened up there? He okay?"
Max nodded and gave him a quick smile. "He's okay. Just a little afraid of heights." She glanced over at Beth whose expression relaxed visibly.
The others had climbed out of the car and Max waved to them. This went unseen by Logan, who was trying to adjust himself in his chair with trembling hands.
Even the kids didn't complain about the abrupt end of their ride. They seemed to sense something was wrong.
"He's okay. We're gonna be with you in a minute."
Max got hold of the wheelchair and pushed him away from the crowd. When she felt like they had some privacy, she stopped and kneeled down in front of him. "You okay? What happened up there?"
Logan ran his hand over his face and let out a deep breath. Then he looked up at Max, shaking his head. "I don't know. I guess I had a panic attack or something..." his voice was still trembling.
"I felt totally out of control up there."
"I'm sorry I talked you into it, but I really didn't think it would be that bad or I wouldn't have..." she trailed off, and laid the palm of her hand on his cheek. "Sorry."
Logan took hold of her wrist and looked into Max's eyes. "It's okay, don't worry. I didn't know myself..."
"I guess, having avoided heights for so long doesn't make it better..."
"We're gonna work on that, but we're gonna take it slow." Max was relieved.
Logan smiled a little. "Boy, am I glad you were there to save me from falling out." he winked.
"I could have toppled off that bench any minute!"
"You're welcome, and you know, even if you had fallen, I guess I'm good at catching you."
She grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I've done it before, you know."
"Oh, right! I vaguely remember. Thanks for reminding me !" he shivered, thinking back to the day he had been thrown off a building." He sighed and unlocked the brakes of his chair. "Anyway, let's go find the others. ...And let's buy something to drink. My throat is as dry as a desert!"
"Sure." Max stood up and laid a hand on his shoulder while they slowly made their way back to the rest of the group. They all knew better than to ask what was wrong. Instead they eagerly agreed with the idea of having a drink.
The remainder of the afternoon passed without incidents and they returned home after a nice dinner at a Greek restaurant, all tired and ready for bed. Even Max felt somewhat tired, a feeling she didn't quite like.
TBC...
A/N: Sorry guys, not much action in this one either. But there is gonna be some eventually, for now just enjoy our fluff!!!
Ferris wheel
"How many tickets do we need?" Eric asked, when they reached the Ferris wheel. He was already counting how many people they were. "Mom, are you coming?" He turned towards Beth.
"No, you young people go ahead. There's only room for four adults in a car anyway."
"Besides, somebody's got to be waving, right?!" the old lady added with a smile.
"Okay, makes it four adults and two kids, right?" Eric concluded.
Logan ruffled his hair nervously. "Make it three. I'll stay with Beth," he said, trying to sound casual.
Max looked at him, not really surprised. She remembered him telling her about his fear of heights. She honestly thought this might be a good chance to overcome it, but she knew better than to press.
Julie and Eric weren't as easy to turn down though. "Aw, come on, Logan. Don't be a spoil sport It'll be fun!" Eric said. "And the view is really nice from up there," Julie added.
Logan cleared his throat. "Ahem, I'm sure it is. But I'd rather stay down here anyway." I maintain that Logan would stay firm on this point and would never go up in a Ferris wheel...but if you insist...
He looked at Max, who was watching him apprehensively now. She would love to have him with her, but she kind of understood his reluctance. She decided not to interfere though. He would have to stand his ground against Eric and Julie alone, and if Eric in fact was his uncle and had the same genes, he would have a hard time doing so.
"Your cousins will be really disappointed if you bail out, you know," Eric insisted.
"And I'm sure your girlfriend will be, too," Julie winked at him. "There's nothing more romantic than this!"
Max held her breath now, curious what would happen next. She had seen Logan shut down when pressed and feeling forced into something and it wasn't fun for anybody involved.
Logan looked back and forth from his uncle, to Max to Beth and back. Well, what the heck, he thought. If it made them happy, he'd go along. He'd just close his eyes and get it over with quickly.
"So what do you say?" Eric didn't give up.
Logan threw his hands in the air and sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll come, for heaven's sake! Go ahead, buy the tickets."
Max grinned happily and leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll hold your hand the entire time," she promised.
Eric went to buy the tickets, while Julie got busy wrapping and zipping the boys up in their jackets, so they wouldn't be cold during the ride. Max looked up to check out the cars and to come up with a plan on how they would get Logan in without much fuss. She could easily lift him, but to everybody else she was just a petite girl. Would be kind of a give-away.
She leaned down to Logan while the others were still busy. "Wanna go ahead, check out the cars?"
"Sure." Logan answered, very nervous now. He had no idea whatsoever how he was going to get into the car.
Max stepped closer to the car that was waiting on the ground. She knew that Logan wouldn't like it one bit, but she would need Eric's help. "Think your ego can stand that?" she dared to tease him, knowing everything she would say now might prove to be the wrong thing.
Logan snorted. "I don't have much of a choice now, do I?"
Max shrugged. "Not really." When Eric got there, she instructed him to get into the car and then help Logan in. The older man did as he was told after handing his son to his wife.
Eric climbed into the car then bent back down so Logan could put his arm around his shoulder. Max took the other side. They lifted him up enough to set him down on the step of the car. From there Logan could reach onto the seat with one hand and the railing with the other and push himself up onto the seat. Beth took care of the wheelchair and gave her grandson an encouraging nod.
The others followed him inside and the attendant secured the door. Moments later the car started to move.
Logan grabbed the handrails tightly with one hand and Max's hand with the other, still trying to keep a straight face. Max tried to hide the grin that threatened to spread across her face. He was so cute! In order not to show her amusement she addressed the two kids. "This is great, huh? Do you like it?" Both boys nodded, staring out, fascinated.
After a couple of minutes, Logan asked, "So how long is this going to last?"
"Don't you like it?" Julie asked, surprised. Their car had been stopped at the highest point and five passengers enjoyed the view.
"No, actually. I mean it's a great view. But I can have that from inside a building, right?" Logan said nervously.
"Come on, don't be silly. Have a look; it's not that bad, really." Max pleaded with him. "Please."
Eric laughed. "Are you seriously afraid of heights?"
Logan leaned a little closer to the edge to look over it, but backed away instantly. Max could feel his hand tremble slightly in hers and small droplets of sweat were forming on his forehead. "Apparently yes," she said, a little worried now, putting her arm around Logan. "It's okay, really. We're safe."
"I can't believe I let you talk me into doing this," Logan mumbled under his breath.
He closed his eyes to escape the view, but the slow movement of the Ferris wheel and it's slight shaking in the wind made it even worse. He felt like he was losing his balance.
"Come on Logan, the kids will laugh at you when they notice their big cousin being such a baby." Max enjoyed teasing him.
Logan heard Max talk to him but he couldn't quite grasp her words. She sounded like she was teasing him. He grabbed the handrail even tighter and let go of her hand to steady himself on the seat. This was not funny at all. He was absolutely terrified.
Max watched him with admiration. She suddenly realized how hard this really was for him and that he hadn't joked about being afraid of heights. At Manticore they had been indoctrinated to believe that fear was a figment of your imagination, and it was not acceptable to be afraid so she had never understood how people would let fear control their behaviour, or how hard it had to be to overcome it.
Now she saw just that, and to her it seemed so much more courageous to try and overcome than to not let the feeling come up at all.
Logan was breathing heavily now. "This....is...not ...funny...at all, Max!" he gasped between breaths. "I ...don't know...what's...happening...but I gotta get out of here...please!"
"Listen. I actually can't get you out of here right now, and you know that. But do you trust me?" She grabbed his arms in order to steady him.
Logan's voice trembled slightly. "Yeah."
"We have to make our way down first, and I swear that nothing is gonna happen, aiight? When we're down we're gonna stop this thing and you can get out."
"I feel like everything is spinning. I can't keep my balance!!" Logan gasped as if he hadn't heard Max.
Max cast a worried look at Julie and Eric, frowning. "I'm sitting right beside you, and you can't lose your balance, okay?" She moved closer and put her arm around his shoulders, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I'm here," she repeated, regretting having talked him into doing this.
Logan let go of the handrail and took hold of Max's hand, trying to concentrate on breathing. It helped a little to feel Max's arms around him. At least he didn't feel like he was floating anymore.
Max whispered into his ear. "You okay? Won't be much longer. I'm sorry."
Logan just nodded. He didn't feel okay at all but at least this would be over soon.
Finally the car came close to the ground and Eric made a sign that they wanted to get out. Max could see Beth coming closer, pushing the chair and pulling the stroller after her, a worried look on her face.
When the car had stopped, Max motioned for Eric to help Logan out. He handed his son to Julie and lifted the trembling Logan out of the car. One of the attendants helped Logan into his chair while Max climbed out quickly to be by his side.
"You okay?" the man asked, with a worried look on his face. "What happened?"
When Logan didn't answer, he helplessly turned towards Max. "What happened up there? He okay?"
Max nodded and gave him a quick smile. "He's okay. Just a little afraid of heights." She glanced over at Beth whose expression relaxed visibly.
The others had climbed out of the car and Max waved to them. This went unseen by Logan, who was trying to adjust himself in his chair with trembling hands.
Even the kids didn't complain about the abrupt end of their ride. They seemed to sense something was wrong.
"He's okay. We're gonna be with you in a minute."
Max got hold of the wheelchair and pushed him away from the crowd. When she felt like they had some privacy, she stopped and kneeled down in front of him. "You okay? What happened up there?"
Logan ran his hand over his face and let out a deep breath. Then he looked up at Max, shaking his head. "I don't know. I guess I had a panic attack or something..." his voice was still trembling.
"I felt totally out of control up there."
"I'm sorry I talked you into it, but I really didn't think it would be that bad or I wouldn't have..." she trailed off, and laid the palm of her hand on his cheek. "Sorry."
Logan took hold of her wrist and looked into Max's eyes. "It's okay, don't worry. I didn't know myself..."
"I guess, having avoided heights for so long doesn't make it better..."
"We're gonna work on that, but we're gonna take it slow." Max was relieved.
Logan smiled a little. "Boy, am I glad you were there to save me from falling out." he winked.
"I could have toppled off that bench any minute!"
"You're welcome, and you know, even if you had fallen, I guess I'm good at catching you."
She grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I've done it before, you know."
"Oh, right! I vaguely remember. Thanks for reminding me !" he shivered, thinking back to the day he had been thrown off a building." He sighed and unlocked the brakes of his chair. "Anyway, let's go find the others. ...And let's buy something to drink. My throat is as dry as a desert!"
"Sure." Max stood up and laid a hand on his shoulder while they slowly made their way back to the rest of the group. They all knew better than to ask what was wrong. Instead they eagerly agreed with the idea of having a drink.
The remainder of the afternoon passed without incidents and they returned home after a nice dinner at a Greek restaurant, all tired and ready for bed. Even Max felt somewhat tired, a feeling she didn't quite like.
TBC...