Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel. And of course all hints to Bling's background are just borrowed from Shywr1ter's "Still Water's".
A/N: Many thanks to Mia / RT4ever for betaing and suggestions. Especially for pointing out the difference between 'demise' and 'premise' (quite important;-p) and for reminding me that such a manly guy like Logan would never say 'Ouch' but 'Oww'.
Sorry Maria, still no Bling-on-a-bear-rug. Should be the next-but-one chapter.
(But Bling still is in shorts and shirt, maybe this helps your imagination a bit…;-)
Logan's penthouse, 4 PM
"Oww!"
Max tensed, carefully closing the door whose lock she had just silently picked. It definitely had been Logan who had just let out that yelp of pain. For a split second she froze, petrified by the thought that Eyes Only's cover had been blown.
And now some scumbag has gotten through his security system…
Then the soldier in Max kicked in, coolly assessing the situation and telling her there had been enough startled indignation in Logan's voice to make evident he wasn't in immediate danger. Besides, with her revved up hearing Max could easily recognise that the second person present didn't pose a threat, but – judged by the deep, calm breathing – must be Bling.
Cool down. No reason to panic.
So, after closing the door again, this time with enough noise to announce her presence, Max made her way over to the exercise room. Striding around the divider, she saw she'd been right: The cyber journalist and his therapist were down on the floor, on a big, rectangular mat which she hadn't seen before.
Bling was first to acknowledge her presence, welcoming her with a gentle "Hey Max" that was followed by the same from Logan, albeit his greeting was a bit muffled from his position flat on his stomach.
Returning their greetings, Max took in the scene before her with interest – and with just a fragment of her earlier worries remaining. She had caught quite a few of Logan's therapy and workout sessions before, but this – with Bling kneeling beside his patient who was evidently in pain – was something new. As he twisted around to sit up she gave him a quick once-over to check for any injuries and, finding none, threw him a questioning glance. But – of course – with typical stubbornness he ignored her, forcing Max to shift her gaze to Bling, who was more liable to spill it if something was wrong.
After all, it's not his macho pride that's at stake.
She had experienced on more than one occasion how easily Logan could misinterpret a simple question about his well-being as an act of belittling him because of his injury – and the result of a grumpy Logan was the very last thing Max needed right now. Might spoil my chances for tonight's culinary miracle. But… if Logan was ill or hurt she wanted – needed – to know.
With all this in mind Max veiled her query with a breezy, lax tone that betrayed nothing of her underlying ruminations. "Everything all right with you two?"
Logan's answer consisted solely of a friendly, yet not exactly explaining "Sure," which wasn't elaborated further even as Max continued to stare at him with sceptical disbelief. So again Max raised her brows in silent questioning to Bling, hoping he would be a bit more forthcoming about what was going on. And she had been right. The trainer's reaction showed once more why he was held in so high respect by everyone around as he managed to corporate two seemingly contradicting interests: Keeping up Logan's dignity with an agreeing "Everything's right" while at the same time assuring Max with a calming look of the unneccisity of her fears. "I'm just teaching Logan a bit of self defence."
That earned him an annoyed glare from Logan which made it perfectly clear that this wasn't something he wanted to share with Max. So, with just the tiniest bit of amusement tinting his voice, Bling allowed his boss an easy way out. "We've just finished though."
Bling's minute grin was returned by a grateful smile from Max, which soon changed to one of open appreciation for Logan and his new project. "Good idea. Eyes Only could use some moves... You never know when your own personal cat burglar might need a trusty sidekick."
Yet her teasing attempt to show him that his self-conscious secretiveness wasn't necessary went sideways. An unbelieving glance upwards was the only answer to her approval, paired with a snorted, uneasy "Yeah, right" as he reached back with one hand to gingerly rub his neck.
The sight of him in his workout gear, propped up on muscular arms, face slightly flushed from his workout did strange things to Max. Suddenly she felt like she was the one who'd just finished a training session with Bling as her cheek started to burn and the urge to fan herself at nice scenery made her shove her hands into the pockets of her pants. Logan in a T-shirt wasn't that common a view – after all Seattle wasn't exactly Hawaii – and Max was sure she hadn't caught a glimpse of him in those light blue running shorts before. Somehow this simple change to vacation-like attire let him appear in a whole different light. The workaholic driven by endless corruption and misery seemed to vanish for a fleeting moment to give space to a Logan Cale who could just kick back and relax – enjoy life. Unbidden, Max's mind drifted off, conjuring a clichéd little fantasy of a tropical beach at sunset, palms arching over the white sand … and of Logan in swimming trunks, just about to shed his shirt…
"What about you, Max?"
Bling's question barely registered with her, the absent "Me?" an unconscious, automatic function solely meant to placate him. In exclusive concentration that ridiculed her normally outstanding multi-tasking abilities every single strand of Max's attention was focused on the man before her, who was about to transfer into the wheelchair, but hesitated, as if waiting for something.
"I always wondered how you keep up your fighting abilities?" The question was posed with Bling's typical calm – interested, but not overly curious. Nevertheless Max head jerked around in wide-eyed surprise, caught utterly unawares by this unexpected query. Fazing the tricky decision of how to play this, she hesitated, all silly daydreams about Logan instantly forgotten.
"Well, you know there's never a lack of dumb sector cops or ogling guys… Not to mention some occasional escape and evade with Lydecker" A light, easygoing tone probably was the best solution, the least obtrusive way to get their conversation back on safer ground.
As she'd expected him to, Bling smirked at her street-wise come-back – and almost Max relaxed again into her previous careless stance. But then his next remark made her defences slam up anew, effectively reminding her of Bling's military background.
"I had a bit of training myself. So… if you ever feel like you need a sparring partner… You know how to reach me." The offer came casually, the usually so perceptive trainer for some reasons not giving in to Max's unspoken request to let go off the subject. "Who knows, even might be fun."
The idea of 'fun-fighting' elicited a perplexed look from Max; the very notion of doing martial arts for recreational purposes sounding absurd to her. The training fights of her childhood had been everything but amusing games, had, in their grim seriousness, often resulted in severe injuries – and in harsh punishment for the losers.
Shooing away those gloomy memories Max observed the trainer with guarded vigilance. Without a doubt he'd caught her discomfort with the topic with her first evasive answer and the too-casual behaviour. He was a smart guy after all, had seen a lot in his life, and normally his judgement was dead-on even with someone as complicated as Logan. However, Max wasn't normal; the experiences that steered her decisions were even out of Bling's vast knowledge. In her case, his usually so unerring instinct misguided him as his questions probed Max into showing him what she was capable of.
The mere thought horrified Max. She didn't even wanted to consider what effect it might have on these two men whom she valued so deeply if she gave them a little demonstration of how easily she could snap a neck, of how natural the movements of killing and injuring came to her.
They'll see you as what you are – a killing machine.
Hiding her unease under a nonchalant demeanour, Max gazed over at the waiting trainer, politely declining his offer. "Thanks, but I don't do fun fighting."
Bling accepted her answer with a solemn nod; then, with the quiet determination that normally heaved Logan out his self-pitying melancholy, he carried on with his plan. "Okay. Then, how about we make it no fun and all training? I'm a bit more of a challenge than your ordinary drunk, so there might be some benefit in it for me… and for you."
He'd stressed the last, a not so subtle hint at Manticore and the very reason why she needed to be ready and capable to fight for her freedom at every single moment, night or day, at Crash or while pretending to be just an ordinary bike messenger.
Thanks, Bling. Like I could ever forget.
The rational part of Max appreciated that it only was his concern for her safety that had lead him to this suggestion. And some other, not so rational part couldn't help but feel warmed by his kind thoughtfulness. Apart from Logan, Bling was the only person who knew of her real identity, and to see he considered her as a friend gave Max an odd, tender feeling of affection and gratitude that she couldn't quite explain.
Maybe… this is how it feels to have a home, a sheltered place with people you trust…
However – trusting people wasn't something Max was used to do. Her whole life was built on the premise of never putting confidence in anybody beside her siblings. Mistrusting everyone around her, never exposing who she really was probably was the only reason Lydecker hadn't found her yet. It seemed to be the one thing about which Manticore had been right. The last years in Seattle – meeting Logan – had somewhat tampered with her philosophy of self-afflicted quarantine… but yet Max wasn't ready to put these new and confusing emotions to a test. And so, lead by her old, reliable attitude of cynical solitude her reply to Bling's well-meant query was inappropriately harsh. "I said no, didn't I?"
Max's sharp tone caused Logan to look over from adjusting himself in the chair with the distinct feeling he'd missed something important. Taking in with a good deal of bewilderment Max penetrating stare and Bling's perplexed, contrite expression, he tried to remember when exactly their amiable conversation had turned into such a tight test of wills. Max fierce reaction had come out of the blue for him, as well. He could only guess that the reason behind this complete, sudden shut-down must be the result of some painful incident in her past. Logan cringed, remembering that growing up in a military institution must have provided Max with an abundance of bitter memories.
It was no thought he could dwell on though. Seeing his friends facing each other like adversaries unhinged Logan, and, acutely aware of the heavy, tension-filled silence, for an instant he pondered what in the world he could say to make things right again.
But neither Logan nor Bling were given a chance to react Max's strange behaviour. Unable to keep up the hostile glare at Bling's good-natured face any longer Max gaze dropped down to the floor. Then, with a hasty "Have to go" she was out of the out of the door, leaving it to the two startled men to figure out what had just happened.
To be continued…