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Floating Scene

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Max and Logan just stood in the pool, their hands and mouths explored each other. Logan's hands were roaming over Max's bare arms and shoulders. Max held Logan to her with one arm supporting him above the water, the other caressing Logan wherever she could reach.

Logan didn't even hear the small bell that signaled that dinner was ready. Nor did he notice as Max moved him toward the stairs out of the pool. It wasn't until they were rising out of the water that he broke the kisses.

"Dinner is ready," Max said as she carried him to his chair, which was somehow by the stairs.

"I've missed you, Max."

"I've missed you too. We need to get you out of those wet clothes." Max was smiling at him but Logan still went stiff at the suggestion. "It's OK. I've got a warm robe for you."

"Max, I …" Logan looked so anxious.

Max took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Logan, it's OK. I know you were shot. I know you're … wounded. I just want to be with you. No matter what that means." Max kissed him and slowly began unbuttoning his shirt. She was trying to reassure him with her hands and her mouth as she slowly, gently undressed him and kissed along the bare flesh as she exposed it to the chill night air.

"Max, I don't know …"

"Shhh." Max silenced his concerns with a kiss as she lifts him up and slides the wet pants down his body. She looks up at the pained expression on his face and decides to not push it. She reached out and took the thick terry cloth robe off the heating rack. The robe was warm against Logan's skin and he gratefully slipped into it. She set him back down into his chair and wrapped warmed blankets around his legs.

"Max," Logan looked at Max with such sorrow, he held her arms when she tried to sooth his concerns with kisses. "I want to be with you…in every way, but I don't think I can. I just don't know what …still works, probably nothing." Logan let out a deep sigh and simply hung his head.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know'? They didn't tell you?"

"Dr Carr and Bling tried to 'talk' to me about it but …I wouldn't listen."

Max knew she should simply reassure Logan, but her feline DNA was curious. Darn feline DNA. "Why not?"

"I was humiliating enough what I did listen to about…and …I …I didn't think I'd ever need to know." Those simple words conveying a world of hurt and insecurity that only strengthened Max's resolve.

"Logan," Max took his head in her hands and made him look up at her. "It doesn't make a difference to me. You are still Logan Cale, great and powerful Eyes Only and the only man I have ever trusted. The only one I …want. And if all you can manage are a few kisses then I am still happy to be in your arms. What will it take to convince you?"

"It's just, you could do so much better, Max …" Logan whispered.

"I've been telling her than for months. Does no good. Her mind is made up," Jondy replied, startling both Logan and Max.

"What are you doing here?" asked Max.

"I chilled the wine for you," Jondy answered as she set the wine in a bucket of ice by their table.

"I brought wine …." Logan started, when he realized that the bottle in the bucket was indeed the one that had been in his bag. With the feline and felonious tendencies both Max and Jondy shared, he wasn't ever sure why he was surprised. Darn feline DNA.

"Happy Birthday. Just whistle when you want the cake." Jondy said as she turned to leave.

"It's not my birthday," Logan protested.

"I figured it would be by the time you actually showed up." Jondy glanced at her watch. "Close. It's your birthday on most of the planet right now. Don't sass me. I was just starting to be fond of you …" then she muttered something under her breath that Logan could not make out.

"And here I thought you didn't like me?" Logan asked, even though he should have known the sarcasm would be completely lost on her.

"Nah, I just didn't like the way you were treating Max. I thought that you were taking advantage of the fact that she is in love with you to get her to run all errands and save the world missions. Apparently you are just very insecure about your injury and, may I add, not a little oblivious."

"I want to help with … that stuff!" Max protested. She didn't want to let Logan know just yet that Jondy found out that he was Eyes Only all on her own a long time ago. "There is nothing wrong with caring about people."

Jondy knew Max wanted the subject changed and, as always, was happy to play along to help her sister out. "People? The people whose tax dollars made us? The people who did experiments on us? The people we were conditioned from birth to view as disposable? Those people? Excuse me if I don't feel I owe them anything. Besides, the worse things are the easier it is for us to hide. It's not like they are going to get bad enough we can't hack it! You have let your feelings for him cloud your judgment!"

"Look who's talking!" Max accused back.

Jondy threw her hands up in defeat. "You're right! Who am I to talk? The man I fell in love with has been dead for five years and I haven't been able to change how I feel. Maybe Manticore designed us that way so we could never switch loyalties?"

"Or it was a trade off. Our bodies will regenerate, but our hearts will not." Max ventured.

"Could even be because for the first nine, ten years of our life they didn't even give us any words for feelings or emotions. Lydecker pretended they didn't exist. Who knows how that would mess up a normal person?" Jondy wondered out loud.

Both women looked to Logan to see how successful the distraction had been. Logan was staring at Max in awe. "You love me?" Max nodded. Jondy rolled her eyes.

"But, Max, I'm …broken …"

Jondy interrupted Logan's pity-fest. "So you have to wait awhile to consummate …"

Logan interrupted right back. He was pretty used to arguing with Jondy by now. "It's not a matter of waiting! I can't"

Jondy turned to Max and asked, "You didn't tell him?"

That got Logan's attention. "Tell me what?" He looked from Jondy to Max. When neither answered immediately he decided his best bet of getting an answer was from Max. He took her face in his hands and looked directly into her eyes. With his lips inches from hers, he asked "Max, tell me what?"

"First, I want you to know that, whether it works or not, I want to be with you. In whatever way we can manage. Second, you need to not get so depressed if this doesn't work. We will keep trying, and I will be here. That said, we are pretty sure we figured out how to alter the protein coating on the pluripotents so that it looks like yours. Sebastian, and his people, were able to genetically alter the cells so that the outer coating won't trigger your immune system, then it was just a matter of culturing enough of them for some treatments. There's enough. You can drop by anytime tomorrow. His have been doing fine, but each batch has to be custom designed." Logan just sat there, frozen. "If this doesn't work, we'll keep trying." Max looked at Logan for a reaction, but he just sat there. Max fidgeted, shifting nervously from one knee to the other as she kneeled at Logan's feet. Eventually Max ventured, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

That snapped Logan out of his shock! "I want to! Max, I … thank you. This is … incredible. Am I awake or dreaming?" he asked. She pinched him, strategically on the chest. Logan gasped and clutched her more tightly too him. Logan was overwhelmed by everything that had been thrown at him in the last five minutes. Max laughed in joy. "Max, I don't know how I can ever thank you." Max blushed, Logan grinned and pulled her closer to him.

"And he was married? Jeez, I'll go get him a book," Jondy quipped as she beat a hasty retreat.

"Jondy!" Max yelled. She looked shyly at Logan. "Sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. This is wonderful! It's a dream come true!" Logan said as he held Max to him. "Several dreams."

"For me too, Logan. I've wanted to dance with you. I've dreamed about doing this with you, Logan. It's the only good dream I ever had. Thank you for helping it come true." Max leaned in to kiss him, but Logan stopped her.

"When you transfused me in the hospital?" Logan couldn't believe this was happening.

"How did you know?" Max looked up at Logan, suddenly uncertain again.

"I remember that too." Logan stared at Max in awe.

"I didn't know people could do that." Max was unsure what Logan was thinking.

"They can't," Logan said simply.

"How is it possible?" Max asked.

"It's not," Logan just smiled at Max.

"I don't understand."

"Me, neither." Logan leaned in and kissed his love, inexplicably confident that this was right. Logan pulled Max into his lap and held her. "Maybe you just somehow bond deeper. I don't know. I am very grateful. Max?" Logan nibbled passionately on Max's neck. "There are a few things I can do. For you…. If you want me too."

Max moaned and clutched him to her. "Logan!" she gasped. "I can wait. I know you can't yet." One quick kissed reassured him. "Soon. I'll wait for you." Max's stomach picked that exact moment to rumble.

Logan stared at Max with an intensity that made her shiver. "After dinner, I want you. I want to show you what I can do for you regardless of whether the treatments work or not. I want to give you pleasure. I want to learn exactly how to pleasure you best. I want to feel your body tremble. I want to taste every part of you."

Max could only nod breathlessly.

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To be continued ….