Disclaimer: Always the same.
A/N: Many thanks to Sammi and thanks to everyone for the encouraging reviews! This is a rather short chapter, but the next one's already waiting in line.
Where do you want to go?
***
When Max came back from her walk, Logan had already changed and packed their things.
"Hey," he said, when Max strolled towards him.
"Hey you. Wow, you've been busy." She sank down next to him and stretched out in the sand. "You really wanna leave already?"
"I'm growing kind of hungry. What about you? I would have expected you to be starving by now," he smiled at her. "How was your walk?" he asked.
"I loved it, it's so peaceful here. And clean."
Logan looked around and inhaled deeply. "Yeah, it's real nice. Exactly what we needed."
"I could get used to this, you know. Feels so much safer than Seattle." Max shrugged. "Guess this is just a temporary feeling, huh?" She sat back up. "But we should try to enjoy it for a few days, aiight? Who knows what's awaiting us next."
"I don't know if it's such a good idea…" Logan hesitated. "If they still decide to follow us." But he had to admit that he liked the idea of a nice holiday in the sun with Max.
"Yeah, but there isn't much we can do right now. We've gotta wait for Detective Sung to contact us, anyway."
"I guess so," Logan admitted uncomfortably. "Maybe we should enjoy this as long as we can. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's get something to eat," he added.
"Okay, fine by me. But I have to take a shower first and dress up." Max grinned and stood up, grabbing the bag and waiting for Logan to transfer into his chair. While doing so she let her gaze wander out to the ocean, she was amazed by the vastness and eternity she saw in front of her. In Seattle the sky was usually dark and foggy, so she had never had the feeling of actually looking out that far.
"Okay, ready?" Logan asked from next to her.
Max snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. "Sure. Want some help?" Without waiting for an answer she dropped the bag into his lap and stepped behind him to push him towards the path.
"Sure." Logan said defeated. But there was really no point arguing.
**
They entered the motel room twenty minutes later.
Max went straight for the shower while Logan transferred to the bed and made himself busy clearing the chair of the fine sand. Realizing that he was probably sandy himself, he frowned. Now he had spread the fine sand all over the bed.
"Max?" he yelled out. "You don't happen to have a vacuum cleaner in that miracle bag of yours?" he joked, looking around him with a big frown. He had seen her get out tons of stuff he'd never thought to fit in there.
Max could hear him through the closed door and grinned. "As a matter of fact, no. Sorry. But we left kinda in a hurry and I didn't manage to pack the entire apartment. Why do you need one anyway? I thought the maids did the cleaning in hotels."
"Well, ahem…I managed to get the bed all sandy!" he called back.
"Cool, so it's gonna feel like sleeping at the beach!" Max stuck out her head through the door and grinned at him. "You don't wanna go to bed right now, do you? Why are you on it anyway?"
"Just wanted to clean the chair." He transferred back and tried to brush the sand off the sheets. "Which was probably in vain anyway. There's sand everywhere! I ought to take a shower…You done?"
"We could have had one together…" Max stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a white towel, her hair still dripping.
Logan was taken aback by her suggestion. He was having trouble getting into the shower in the small bathroom as it was. He didn't need Max to crowd in there with him, let alone watch him. He made a mental note to look for another place to stay first thing in the morning.
Max frowned when she sensed him tense. "What's up? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, nothing. It'll be quicker like that," Logan snapped.
Max glared at him for a second, preparing an answer but instead took a deep breath. "Yeah, right," she said coolly. Then, without giving him another look, she busied herself with getting dressed.
Logan suddenly felt bad for being so insensitive. He turned around to Max. "We can still do that, all right? I'll go look for another place to stay tomorrow. With a bigger and more accessible bathroom," he said as a way of explaining. Although Max hadn't pressed this time, he felt like explaining it to her.
Max looked up eventually and smiled at him slightly. "Okay." With that she had accepted the unspoken apology.
Logan took his time to shower, knowing that Max would like to take her time getting ready. He showered, washed his hair twice to get rid of all the sand, then got out off the shower and shaved thoroughly. He even used the aftershave lotion he didn't use normally. Bling had packed it for him. He smiled. That old bastard. He had even added two test size vials of perfume. He chuckled at the thought at how Bling had always seen right through him when it had come to hiding his feelings for Max.
*
Max took her time getting dressed, trying to ignore the slight trembling of her legs and the growing headache that started to built up in her temples. That wasn't a good sign, but maybe it would just go away as it sometimes did. She sure as hell wasn't going to tell Logan. She was looking forward to a special dinner with him, and if he knew he would probably insist she stayed in bed.
*
Logan put on his black pair of pants and the blue shirt. Checking himself in the mirror he had to admit to like what he saw. He ran his fingers through his damp hair, in an attempt to make it look more orderly. Giving up on the attempt, he quickly started brushing his teeth.
*
Max sat down on the bed and felt some sand under her hand; she grinned and tried to get it out of the bed. She was wondering what Logan was doing in the bathroom for so long. It wasn't like him.
Bored, she stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror; the dress she had gotten in San Francisco really made her feel special. She spun around, smiling slightly. Yeah, she felt good in it.
Just then Logan returned to the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Max, turning in front of the mirror, which made him smile. Apparently she was more of a girlie girl than she'd like to believe.
When Max noticed Logan in the door, she blushed and pretended to just check if her barcode was completely covered, twisting her neck to take a look at it in the mirror.
Logan's smile broadened but he bit his lip not to say anything. Instead he wheeled closer. "Let me check that," he said, inviting her to sit down in his lap.
Logan stroked a few strands of her hair aside and leaned closer. "Looks perfect," he said softly, placing a light kiss onto Max' neck.
Max giggled. "Good, so let's go." She didn't make a move though.
So Logan continued to place soft butterfly kisses onto her neck, trailing down to her partially exposed shoulder, sending chills down her spine. When he tickled the side of her neck, she giggled and leaned back into him, their faces touching cheek to cheek. Max's hand flew up to Logan's other cheek in surprise. "Clean shaven?" she asked in disbelief, inhaling his fresh scent eagerly. "Mhh, soft. I like that."
Logan wrapped his arms around Max's waist contently and kissed her cheek. "I could stay like this forever," he said, surprising himself by this statement. It really felt perfect right now, right there. Nothing in the world could be better than having Max there with him, close to him, relaxing into him and making him relax in turn. "You make me feel so good." He added honestly. "I had almost forgotten what it's like to be happy," he finished his thought.
Max turned around and looked into Logan's face, studying every feature, running her index finger along his cheek, then pausing her hand at his lips for him to kiss it. Then she picked up his hand and entwined their fingers playfully. "I'll be there to remind you." She said softly. "Anytime."
Logan looked at the beauty before him for a long moment. Then he drew her close into a tight embrace.
All of a sudden, Max pulled away and climbed off Logan's lap. "Hold on for a second."
She went over to her bag and searched through it, throwing things onto the floor until she finally found what she had been looking for. Closing her fingers around the small item she climbed back onto Logan's lap. Grinning at Logan's curious expression, she opened her hand, letting the silver amulet dangle in front of his eyes. Logan squinted. "What's that?" he asked although he thought he knew what Max was holding in her hand.
"That's the lucky charm we saw back in that Chinese shop in San Francisco! I nearly forgot about it!"
She could tell from Logan's expression that he didn't appreciate the fact that she obviously had stolen it. So she smiled apologetically and put on a little pout. "I had to have it." She twirled the amulet in her fingers. "Besides, it's not for me. I want you to have this." She grew serious again. "For when I'm not there to remind you…" She slipped the leather band over his head before he could object. "If you don't believe in it as a lucky charm- fine. Maybe it will give you some luck, maybe it won't. But it will remind you of this very moment."
Logan looked at her and nodded, reaching for the amulet to look at it closer. "Thanks. But honestly…." he paused, watching Max's eyes grow big in anticipation of his reaction. "Honestly, I prefer to have you by my side all the time." He tilted his head and sized her up and down. "Can I wear you around my neck instead?" he teased.
Max slapped him lightly on the chest, laughing. "Nope, sorry, but you can't tie up a genetically engineered super soldier with a dash of feline DNA on top of that. You should know that," she said half jokingly. But both of them knew it was the truth.
Logan smiled and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. "I know." He said kissing her more passionately this time. "And I'll never tie you up in any way you don't like. You know that, too, right?"
Instead of answering, Max returned his kiss until the rumbling of her stomach reminded her that they had been about to leave to have dinner. She pulled away reluctantly, smiling. "We better get going or your lucky charm will starve," she said, getting up from his lap and reached for the keys.
So they took off, strolling along the shoreline, finally settling into a small but comfortable Mexican bar, choosing a table outside on the patio.
Max relaxed in her chair and stretched out her feet. "So this is what it feels like to be on vacation. I definitely could get used to it."
"Yeah, feels good. Definitely. I can't remember the last time I went on holiday, actually."
"Tell me about the places you have been to." she asked curiously.
Logan took his glass of Sangria and took a sip. He thought for a while. His former vacations seemed ages away.
"My parents used to travel a lot. Sometimes my dad had to go somewhere for business and took us along. During the summer holidays we travelled to all kinds of different places all around the world. One summer, we went to Thailand, another one my dad took us on a real safari in Africa." He smiled at the memories of his past. They were so far away, they almost seemed unreal. "Those were the most exciting, I think. But I've been to many places in Europe, too. Italy, Spain, France..." he stopped, noticing Max's sad expression. He probably sounded like a complete snob.
"I wanna see the world too. You know, when I was a kid they would tell us about different countries, but all they had in mind were political systems, corrupt groups or the extent of threat they pose to the US. They would teach us languages and habits, but just so we would fit in in case we ever had to go there on a mission. At night when I was in bed, I would make up stories about people living there and beautiful places."
Max smiled at the memories. "I was dreaming about climbing the highest mountains in Switzerland, and seeing kangaroos in Australia. I thought those places were so cool."
Logan smiled lovingly at his girlfriend. He loved how she could be so enthusiastic about some things. "They are from what I know," he said. "Maybe, one day we can go there." He was beginning to like the idea. "Where do you want to go first?" he asked, picking up a bit of her childlike enthusiasm.
Max didn't have to give it another thought. There had always been that one place she'd dreamt of seeing ever since she first heard about it. "Paris. I wanna go up that tower and overlook the city."
When Logan didn't answer she asked. "Have you been there?"
"Yes, a couple of times." A little grin escaped him.
"Why are you laughing?"
Logan's grin widened. "At some point I even considered moving there," he chuckled at the memories that came flowing back to his mind.
"Wow. Why didn't you?"
Logan waved his hand dismissively. "I was young and crazy. Should have known it could never have worked out."
"What are you talking about?" Suddenly it dawned on her. "A woman?" Max felt a twinge of something she couldn't quite place. Could it be jealousy? That was ridiculous! She wasn't like that.
There was that grin again. "I met her when she was doing a High school year in the States. Visited her a couple of times…we had fun…you know."
"Fun." Max grinned. "To what extent?"
"Max! Don't be so nosy! We had fun, that's it. We were only 18 or 19!" Logan bit his tongue, realizing that Max wasn't any older than he had been back then.
Max shrugged. "Why didn't it work out?"
"She wanted to marry me, I wasn't so sure about that. Wouldn't do my uncle that favour."
"So she was a society chick?" Max concluded, frowning.
"No she wasn't, which kind of appealed to me. But me moving to France would have been my uncle's dream come true."
"Why? Because you were far away?"
"Sure. He'd have generously taken over my shares of the business, so I'd have been clear to start off my new life in Europe." Logan answered in a sarcastic tone. "Thing is, it worked out for the first exciting couple of months, with all the distance between us and stuff. But for life?" he grew serious.
"How could you know? I mean if you're in a relationship don't you always want it to work out? What's the point of being with each other if not?"
Logan thought for a moment before responding, "No. It was just mad infatuation. Nothing that could have lasted. Neither of us were ready for that type of commitment back then. Maybe it was just a romantic fantasy of hers."
"So with Val it was different?" Max bit her lip, maybe she shouldn't have brought it up again.
Logan smirked and shook his head slightly. "You seem to have it in for Val, don't you, Max? Every time we come anywhere near the subject you seem to jump at it," he said good humouredly. "Could it be you're jealous?"
"Me? Jealous? Don't be silly. Why should I be jealous of her?" Max slightly blushed and hated herself for it.
"Anyway, we were talking about your travelling. What other places did you like?" She continued quickly, not really giving it a second thought.
"Oh I absolutely loved Barcelona. It's such a charismatic and vibrant city. Friendly people, beautiful architecture. I should really take you there some day. And you can do all the talking. I won't embarrass myself again!" he hinted at Max's earlier display of perfect Spanish.
"Cool, deal." She smirked at him, knowing fully well what he was talking about. "You won't hold a grudge because of that, will ya? You were so cute when you tried to speak Spanish."
Logan narrowed his eyes and drew a face in mock anger. "Great! I'm trying to be a gentleman for you...and all I get is…a 'cute' for making a fool out of myself?…I'm not sure if I can forgive you that easily." he joked.
"So what will it cost me?" She asked, trying to keep a serious expression.
Logan looked into the distance, pretending to think hard. "Mhhh…don't know yet. I'll think about it. But for now: I get the strawberry," he said, motioning to the huge bowl of ice cream the waiter was just carrying towards their table.
Max shrugged. "If that's what it takes to make you happy, go for it." She thanked the waiter than shoved her bowl over so he could take the strawberry. But before he could react she had reached over and stolen the one from his bowl, grinning. "This is what being a couple is all about, right? Sharing food…"
Logan rolled his eyes "If that's what makes YOU happy…" he grinned, plunging his spoon into her scoop of chocolate ice cream.
"Well, might take a little more than a strawberry, but we are getting close." She winked at him.
After they had paid, Max felt the headache intensify. She hated to admit it but it would be better if they went back home, she didn't want to come down with a seizure in front of all those people, maybe relaxing and a few pills of tryphtophan would take care of it.
"Logan? Do you wanna go back to the hotel, I feel kinda tired," she tried to sound casual, but knew that Logan would be alarmed.
"Sure we can go back...But are you okay, Max? You have been tired a lot lately. Do you think another seizure is coming?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, don't worry," she snapped at him, then took a deep breath. "Sorry, I'm just feeling a little shaky, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm having another seizure. I just need a couple of hours of sleep, aiight?"
"I hope Bling will get hold of Sam soon. Maybe he can tell us what's happening…" Logan said more to himself than to Max. He had tried to reach Sam on his cell phone earlier but hadn't gotten through. Considering it too dangerous to call him in hospital, he had asked Bling to try and talk to Sam later.
"Well, let's get you to bed, Max. I really don't like this. You being in such a bad shape just isn't normal," he stressed.
Max nodded tiredly, she didn't like it, but Logan was right. If her seizures were getting worse she would need some help. She hated not being able to rely on her body, and right now they just couldn't afford that. "Stop making a big deal out of it, okay? It's nothing, I'm fine." She knew it wasn't true, her condition scared her, but she didn't need Logan to worry.
A/N: Many thanks to Sammi and thanks to everyone for the encouraging reviews! This is a rather short chapter, but the next one's already waiting in line.
Where do you want to go?
***
When Max came back from her walk, Logan had already changed and packed their things.
"Hey," he said, when Max strolled towards him.
"Hey you. Wow, you've been busy." She sank down next to him and stretched out in the sand. "You really wanna leave already?"
"I'm growing kind of hungry. What about you? I would have expected you to be starving by now," he smiled at her. "How was your walk?" he asked.
"I loved it, it's so peaceful here. And clean."
Logan looked around and inhaled deeply. "Yeah, it's real nice. Exactly what we needed."
"I could get used to this, you know. Feels so much safer than Seattle." Max shrugged. "Guess this is just a temporary feeling, huh?" She sat back up. "But we should try to enjoy it for a few days, aiight? Who knows what's awaiting us next."
"I don't know if it's such a good idea…" Logan hesitated. "If they still decide to follow us." But he had to admit that he liked the idea of a nice holiday in the sun with Max.
"Yeah, but there isn't much we can do right now. We've gotta wait for Detective Sung to contact us, anyway."
"I guess so," Logan admitted uncomfortably. "Maybe we should enjoy this as long as we can. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's get something to eat," he added.
"Okay, fine by me. But I have to take a shower first and dress up." Max grinned and stood up, grabbing the bag and waiting for Logan to transfer into his chair. While doing so she let her gaze wander out to the ocean, she was amazed by the vastness and eternity she saw in front of her. In Seattle the sky was usually dark and foggy, so she had never had the feeling of actually looking out that far.
"Okay, ready?" Logan asked from next to her.
Max snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. "Sure. Want some help?" Without waiting for an answer she dropped the bag into his lap and stepped behind him to push him towards the path.
"Sure." Logan said defeated. But there was really no point arguing.
**
They entered the motel room twenty minutes later.
Max went straight for the shower while Logan transferred to the bed and made himself busy clearing the chair of the fine sand. Realizing that he was probably sandy himself, he frowned. Now he had spread the fine sand all over the bed.
"Max?" he yelled out. "You don't happen to have a vacuum cleaner in that miracle bag of yours?" he joked, looking around him with a big frown. He had seen her get out tons of stuff he'd never thought to fit in there.
Max could hear him through the closed door and grinned. "As a matter of fact, no. Sorry. But we left kinda in a hurry and I didn't manage to pack the entire apartment. Why do you need one anyway? I thought the maids did the cleaning in hotels."
"Well, ahem…I managed to get the bed all sandy!" he called back.
"Cool, so it's gonna feel like sleeping at the beach!" Max stuck out her head through the door and grinned at him. "You don't wanna go to bed right now, do you? Why are you on it anyway?"
"Just wanted to clean the chair." He transferred back and tried to brush the sand off the sheets. "Which was probably in vain anyway. There's sand everywhere! I ought to take a shower…You done?"
"We could have had one together…" Max stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a white towel, her hair still dripping.
Logan was taken aback by her suggestion. He was having trouble getting into the shower in the small bathroom as it was. He didn't need Max to crowd in there with him, let alone watch him. He made a mental note to look for another place to stay first thing in the morning.
Max frowned when she sensed him tense. "What's up? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, nothing. It'll be quicker like that," Logan snapped.
Max glared at him for a second, preparing an answer but instead took a deep breath. "Yeah, right," she said coolly. Then, without giving him another look, she busied herself with getting dressed.
Logan suddenly felt bad for being so insensitive. He turned around to Max. "We can still do that, all right? I'll go look for another place to stay tomorrow. With a bigger and more accessible bathroom," he said as a way of explaining. Although Max hadn't pressed this time, he felt like explaining it to her.
Max looked up eventually and smiled at him slightly. "Okay." With that she had accepted the unspoken apology.
Logan took his time to shower, knowing that Max would like to take her time getting ready. He showered, washed his hair twice to get rid of all the sand, then got out off the shower and shaved thoroughly. He even used the aftershave lotion he didn't use normally. Bling had packed it for him. He smiled. That old bastard. He had even added two test size vials of perfume. He chuckled at the thought at how Bling had always seen right through him when it had come to hiding his feelings for Max.
*
Max took her time getting dressed, trying to ignore the slight trembling of her legs and the growing headache that started to built up in her temples. That wasn't a good sign, but maybe it would just go away as it sometimes did. She sure as hell wasn't going to tell Logan. She was looking forward to a special dinner with him, and if he knew he would probably insist she stayed in bed.
*
Logan put on his black pair of pants and the blue shirt. Checking himself in the mirror he had to admit to like what he saw. He ran his fingers through his damp hair, in an attempt to make it look more orderly. Giving up on the attempt, he quickly started brushing his teeth.
*
Max sat down on the bed and felt some sand under her hand; she grinned and tried to get it out of the bed. She was wondering what Logan was doing in the bathroom for so long. It wasn't like him.
Bored, she stood up and looked at her reflection in the mirror; the dress she had gotten in San Francisco really made her feel special. She spun around, smiling slightly. Yeah, she felt good in it.
Just then Logan returned to the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Max, turning in front of the mirror, which made him smile. Apparently she was more of a girlie girl than she'd like to believe.
When Max noticed Logan in the door, she blushed and pretended to just check if her barcode was completely covered, twisting her neck to take a look at it in the mirror.
Logan's smile broadened but he bit his lip not to say anything. Instead he wheeled closer. "Let me check that," he said, inviting her to sit down in his lap.
Logan stroked a few strands of her hair aside and leaned closer. "Looks perfect," he said softly, placing a light kiss onto Max' neck.
Max giggled. "Good, so let's go." She didn't make a move though.
So Logan continued to place soft butterfly kisses onto her neck, trailing down to her partially exposed shoulder, sending chills down her spine. When he tickled the side of her neck, she giggled and leaned back into him, their faces touching cheek to cheek. Max's hand flew up to Logan's other cheek in surprise. "Clean shaven?" she asked in disbelief, inhaling his fresh scent eagerly. "Mhh, soft. I like that."
Logan wrapped his arms around Max's waist contently and kissed her cheek. "I could stay like this forever," he said, surprising himself by this statement. It really felt perfect right now, right there. Nothing in the world could be better than having Max there with him, close to him, relaxing into him and making him relax in turn. "You make me feel so good." He added honestly. "I had almost forgotten what it's like to be happy," he finished his thought.
Max turned around and looked into Logan's face, studying every feature, running her index finger along his cheek, then pausing her hand at his lips for him to kiss it. Then she picked up his hand and entwined their fingers playfully. "I'll be there to remind you." She said softly. "Anytime."
Logan looked at the beauty before him for a long moment. Then he drew her close into a tight embrace.
All of a sudden, Max pulled away and climbed off Logan's lap. "Hold on for a second."
She went over to her bag and searched through it, throwing things onto the floor until she finally found what she had been looking for. Closing her fingers around the small item she climbed back onto Logan's lap. Grinning at Logan's curious expression, she opened her hand, letting the silver amulet dangle in front of his eyes. Logan squinted. "What's that?" he asked although he thought he knew what Max was holding in her hand.
"That's the lucky charm we saw back in that Chinese shop in San Francisco! I nearly forgot about it!"
She could tell from Logan's expression that he didn't appreciate the fact that she obviously had stolen it. So she smiled apologetically and put on a little pout. "I had to have it." She twirled the amulet in her fingers. "Besides, it's not for me. I want you to have this." She grew serious again. "For when I'm not there to remind you…" She slipped the leather band over his head before he could object. "If you don't believe in it as a lucky charm- fine. Maybe it will give you some luck, maybe it won't. But it will remind you of this very moment."
Logan looked at her and nodded, reaching for the amulet to look at it closer. "Thanks. But honestly…." he paused, watching Max's eyes grow big in anticipation of his reaction. "Honestly, I prefer to have you by my side all the time." He tilted his head and sized her up and down. "Can I wear you around my neck instead?" he teased.
Max slapped him lightly on the chest, laughing. "Nope, sorry, but you can't tie up a genetically engineered super soldier with a dash of feline DNA on top of that. You should know that," she said half jokingly. But both of them knew it was the truth.
Logan smiled and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. "I know." He said kissing her more passionately this time. "And I'll never tie you up in any way you don't like. You know that, too, right?"
Instead of answering, Max returned his kiss until the rumbling of her stomach reminded her that they had been about to leave to have dinner. She pulled away reluctantly, smiling. "We better get going or your lucky charm will starve," she said, getting up from his lap and reached for the keys.
So they took off, strolling along the shoreline, finally settling into a small but comfortable Mexican bar, choosing a table outside on the patio.
Max relaxed in her chair and stretched out her feet. "So this is what it feels like to be on vacation. I definitely could get used to it."
"Yeah, feels good. Definitely. I can't remember the last time I went on holiday, actually."
"Tell me about the places you have been to." she asked curiously.
Logan took his glass of Sangria and took a sip. He thought for a while. His former vacations seemed ages away.
"My parents used to travel a lot. Sometimes my dad had to go somewhere for business and took us along. During the summer holidays we travelled to all kinds of different places all around the world. One summer, we went to Thailand, another one my dad took us on a real safari in Africa." He smiled at the memories of his past. They were so far away, they almost seemed unreal. "Those were the most exciting, I think. But I've been to many places in Europe, too. Italy, Spain, France..." he stopped, noticing Max's sad expression. He probably sounded like a complete snob.
"I wanna see the world too. You know, when I was a kid they would tell us about different countries, but all they had in mind were political systems, corrupt groups or the extent of threat they pose to the US. They would teach us languages and habits, but just so we would fit in in case we ever had to go there on a mission. At night when I was in bed, I would make up stories about people living there and beautiful places."
Max smiled at the memories. "I was dreaming about climbing the highest mountains in Switzerland, and seeing kangaroos in Australia. I thought those places were so cool."
Logan smiled lovingly at his girlfriend. He loved how she could be so enthusiastic about some things. "They are from what I know," he said. "Maybe, one day we can go there." He was beginning to like the idea. "Where do you want to go first?" he asked, picking up a bit of her childlike enthusiasm.
Max didn't have to give it another thought. There had always been that one place she'd dreamt of seeing ever since she first heard about it. "Paris. I wanna go up that tower and overlook the city."
When Logan didn't answer she asked. "Have you been there?"
"Yes, a couple of times." A little grin escaped him.
"Why are you laughing?"
Logan's grin widened. "At some point I even considered moving there," he chuckled at the memories that came flowing back to his mind.
"Wow. Why didn't you?"
Logan waved his hand dismissively. "I was young and crazy. Should have known it could never have worked out."
"What are you talking about?" Suddenly it dawned on her. "A woman?" Max felt a twinge of something she couldn't quite place. Could it be jealousy? That was ridiculous! She wasn't like that.
There was that grin again. "I met her when she was doing a High school year in the States. Visited her a couple of times…we had fun…you know."
"Fun." Max grinned. "To what extent?"
"Max! Don't be so nosy! We had fun, that's it. We were only 18 or 19!" Logan bit his tongue, realizing that Max wasn't any older than he had been back then.
Max shrugged. "Why didn't it work out?"
"She wanted to marry me, I wasn't so sure about that. Wouldn't do my uncle that favour."
"So she was a society chick?" Max concluded, frowning.
"No she wasn't, which kind of appealed to me. But me moving to France would have been my uncle's dream come true."
"Why? Because you were far away?"
"Sure. He'd have generously taken over my shares of the business, so I'd have been clear to start off my new life in Europe." Logan answered in a sarcastic tone. "Thing is, it worked out for the first exciting couple of months, with all the distance between us and stuff. But for life?" he grew serious.
"How could you know? I mean if you're in a relationship don't you always want it to work out? What's the point of being with each other if not?"
Logan thought for a moment before responding, "No. It was just mad infatuation. Nothing that could have lasted. Neither of us were ready for that type of commitment back then. Maybe it was just a romantic fantasy of hers."
"So with Val it was different?" Max bit her lip, maybe she shouldn't have brought it up again.
Logan smirked and shook his head slightly. "You seem to have it in for Val, don't you, Max? Every time we come anywhere near the subject you seem to jump at it," he said good humouredly. "Could it be you're jealous?"
"Me? Jealous? Don't be silly. Why should I be jealous of her?" Max slightly blushed and hated herself for it.
"Anyway, we were talking about your travelling. What other places did you like?" She continued quickly, not really giving it a second thought.
"Oh I absolutely loved Barcelona. It's such a charismatic and vibrant city. Friendly people, beautiful architecture. I should really take you there some day. And you can do all the talking. I won't embarrass myself again!" he hinted at Max's earlier display of perfect Spanish.
"Cool, deal." She smirked at him, knowing fully well what he was talking about. "You won't hold a grudge because of that, will ya? You were so cute when you tried to speak Spanish."
Logan narrowed his eyes and drew a face in mock anger. "Great! I'm trying to be a gentleman for you...and all I get is…a 'cute' for making a fool out of myself?…I'm not sure if I can forgive you that easily." he joked.
"So what will it cost me?" She asked, trying to keep a serious expression.
Logan looked into the distance, pretending to think hard. "Mhhh…don't know yet. I'll think about it. But for now: I get the strawberry," he said, motioning to the huge bowl of ice cream the waiter was just carrying towards their table.
Max shrugged. "If that's what it takes to make you happy, go for it." She thanked the waiter than shoved her bowl over so he could take the strawberry. But before he could react she had reached over and stolen the one from his bowl, grinning. "This is what being a couple is all about, right? Sharing food…"
Logan rolled his eyes "If that's what makes YOU happy…" he grinned, plunging his spoon into her scoop of chocolate ice cream.
"Well, might take a little more than a strawberry, but we are getting close." She winked at him.
After they had paid, Max felt the headache intensify. She hated to admit it but it would be better if they went back home, she didn't want to come down with a seizure in front of all those people, maybe relaxing and a few pills of tryphtophan would take care of it.
"Logan? Do you wanna go back to the hotel, I feel kinda tired," she tried to sound casual, but knew that Logan would be alarmed.
"Sure we can go back...But are you okay, Max? You have been tired a lot lately. Do you think another seizure is coming?" he asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, don't worry," she snapped at him, then took a deep breath. "Sorry, I'm just feeling a little shaky, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm having another seizure. I just need a couple of hours of sleep, aiight?"
"I hope Bling will get hold of Sam soon. Maybe he can tell us what's happening…" Logan said more to himself than to Max. He had tried to reach Sam on his cell phone earlier but hadn't gotten through. Considering it too dangerous to call him in hospital, he had asked Bling to try and talk to Sam later.
"Well, let's get you to bed, Max. I really don't like this. You being in such a bad shape just isn't normal," he stressed.
Max nodded tiredly, she didn't like it, but Logan was right. If her seizures were getting worse she would need some help. She hated not being able to rely on her body, and right now they just couldn't afford that. "Stop making a big deal out of it, okay? It's nothing, I'm fine." She knew it wasn't true, her condition scared her, but she didn't need Logan to worry.