Authors Note: Well, I didn't expect to get this one out so fast but, inspiration struck. Here you go. I had planned on adding a Lulu/Maxie confrontation but, it didn't fit. There's a flashback in it's place. But, Lulu/Maxie will be up next. As well as some Coop/Maxie. So please comment and let me know what you think!

Chapter 9: LoveStoned

"You're beautiful."

"Corny."

"Shut up." Came Logan's gruff reply. There he was trying to pay her a compliment and all she could do was tease him. That was so like her. He practically predicted her response before he could even finish getting the words out. He knew her. And, that- made him smile. His grin only widened as Maxie raked her perfect teeth against his stubbly chin. She drove him crazy. In so, so many ways.

"That's more like it." She giggled, yes giggled, in response to his previous statement. The two entranced bodies had stumbled their way towards the bed now, never letting go of one another. So close that each and every part of them was touching.

"No more talking." Logan softly almost pleaded. It wasn't pig like or rude. It was simply him voicing what they both needed. Simplicity. Just, a moment of pure feeling, not to be questioned until daylight. Or at least until the storm was over. Maybe it was strange but, everything about their current situation brought Logan back to the summer before 8th grade. He played baseball for the Cardinals and he's just saved up enough money for a new glove. He'd been beyond excited to buy it. Giddy even. But, when the purchase had been completed he was left feeling let down. The glove didn't fit the way he'd wanted it to. It was too big in some areas and too small in others. Through out the whole summer he tried to break it in. But, regardless, it never quite fit. It wasn't until a pick up game in the park that following spring that Logan tried it on again. It still didn't fit. Instead of forcing something that would just never work, Logan through the glove away. Right in the trash barrel. Of course, that had left him with no glove and a game of ball to play. Luckily one of his friends brought over a big bucket full of baseball equipment. It was all pretty old, though some of it was in good shape. Logan scrounged through it until he came upon a dark brown leather glove. It was beat up a bit, but hell if it wasn't the prettiest damn thing he'd ever laid eyes on. Logan remembered that he had pulled it out of the bucket slowly, almost as if it would fall apart. Slipping it on his hand had been almost like a dream. The perfect fit. Perfect. That day he'd gone home with the glove. Never returning it. Maybe it was stealing. Hell, maybe it was even stealing from a friend. But, the way Logan looked at it... the glove was made for him. It was his all along. There was no way he'd give it up. Ever. He could admit that it was weird to be comparing Maxie to a glove. Yeah, he could admit that. But, she felt perfect in his arms. So, so perfect.

"Mmm." She sounded, making a noise of compliance. It could have been the way his hand felt on her skin while removing her shirt, like a puzzle piece being put into place once again. It could have been the feeling that was left after his lips, wet and soft, reached out all over her body. Or, it could have just been the the way that even in the dark, Maxie could still see every inch of his face in all it's beautiful glory. It could have been a number of things that made Maxie shut up that night. But, regardless of the reason... she was done talking.

There was a strange power of senses controlling both Logan and Maxie throughout the whole thing. Their ears pounded and the sound of one another's breath became prominent and loud. They could no longer hear the thunder, though it was still sounding off. They could no longer see flashes of lightning, though it had yet to cease. Only the pitter patter of rain was audible, mixed with rhythmic breathing and beating hearts. They only saw each other. It was Logan, it was Maxie, and somewhere far off there was the rain. Them and the rain.

Sometime later, neither could or would say how long, the rain was letting up. Logan stared up at the water stained ceiling and found himself smiling. It looked different now. Not dirty and repulsive. He noticed the way it was shaped, almost like a key. Maxie stirred beside him, he knew she was only minutes away from falling asleep. Briefly he wondered what ungodly hour it must be by now. He didn't dare check the clock.

"Maxie." He whispered, his voice sounded horse and raw to his own ears.

"Hmm?" She responded, scooting closer to him. That action alone made him feel as though what he was about to say was unneeded. He continued anyway.

"Just uh," He cleared his throat before continuing, unsure of himself. "Don't... well, promise that- even if we don't talk- even if everything's screwed up- promise you'll be there when I open my eyes." He finished lamely. He was never good with words. He was never good at making people understand. But, somehow Maxie did. She brought her head to his chest and found his hand, the one with out the scare, and took it in her own. She brought their joint palms to rest above his heart and he felt her lashes against his skin as she let her eyes flutter shut.

"Promise." She whispered sleepily before letting herself fall into a peaceful slumber. Maxie knew, way in the back of her head, that the whole situation with Logan was going to get messy. Like, selling drugs to a cop messy. But, at that very moment she didn't have the energy or the heart to leave him. Even as she entered her dreams, she could feel him. Everywhere...

"Logan?" She questioned.

"No, Maxie. It's me." Came the familiar dream voice of Georgie Jones. It had been weeks now, that Maxie would see her sister in her dreams. At first it was unsettling. It scared her even. But, she had gotten past that. Now, she yearned for these moments. It wasn't every night. It wasn't even that often. But, when she did see Georgie... she was left with feelings she couldn't quite put a name on. It was almost bittersweet.

"I haven't seen you in a while." She commented. It had been a while since the last time her dead sister had encompassed her slumber.

"You haven't been sleeping much. You need to do something about that Maxie. Tell doctor Winters." Georgie instructed in her all knowing way. This time, Maxie didn't even mind.

"Yeah, so I can come off even more crazy. I think I'll pass." She responded rolling her eyes.

"Your in therapy to talk about those kinds of things." She pressed.

"Georgie, no." Maxie stubbornly replied.

"Fine, if you won't tell her then... will you tell... Logan." Came her teasing suggestion, accompanied by a smirk.

"Oh god." Maxie groaned. Of course her sister would find out about that, even from the grave.

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into Maxie?" She questioned with worry.

"It's not like last time. It's not... a game. And, he's single now." She defended.

"Look, I know you well enough to know that no matter what I say, you'll do what you want." Georgie relented.

"So, you're gonna' let it go?" The blonde questioned hopefully.

"Just- be careful. Logan is, he's a lot like you. Even when he doesn't want to hurt someone, he can't always help it. I mean, I really do think he cares about you Maxie. Just- hold onto that. Okay?" She softly voiced her opinion. Maxie would never admit it but, Georgie's approval meant the world to her. She was happy with her sister's words, even if it was only in a dream.

"Yeah, yeah." Smiled playfully.

"Oh, and if he DOES hurt you, I'm haunting the little jerk until he swears off girls and goes completely Brokeback." She finished chuckling to herself. The two sisters laughed together, the sound ringing through Maxie head. She heard it even as she began to wake up.

"Are you okay?" Logan questioned. He had been asleep when he felt Maxie begin to wake. It was morning now, the sun shining in that way it does right after a storm. He could faintly hear the customers downstairs enjoying their morning coffee and chatting carelessly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Maxie responded, her eyes still fogged with sleep. She felt his hand on her back as they both sat up. Making sure to keep the blankets around her, she turned to him and smiled slightly.

"Just a dream." She continued when he still looked concerned.

"What was this dream about?" He inquired more curious now than worried. She seamed okay, a little out of it but, okay.

"It doesn't matter." She whispered looking down.

"Please tell me."

"I- you'll think I'm crazy." She shook her head. He reached out and grabbed hold of her chin. Bringing their mouths together for a short time he admonished her fears.

"I already think that Maxie." He joked lightly causing her to smile. This in turn, made him smile too.

"Well, I've... sometimes I dream about her." She finally admitted. First she looked down, not wanting to see the look of disbelief cluttering his normally clear eyes. But, something about the way his hand sat on her thigh, steady and unmoving, made her look up.

"I'd like to hear more." He encouraged her surely. His eyes were still clear, believing... honest.

"I talk to her. About...anything. Mostly about stuff that's happening now. I mean, I know it's weird. I'd say it was insane if I didn't see it myself. But, it's just like talking to her when she was alive. Her advice is the same. Her voice hasn't changed. She even looks just like she did before." Maxie explained, surprised that he still seamed to understand.

"Maybe you should talk to Dr. Winters about this." He added when she seamed like she was finished talking. Maxie had already started shaking her head by the word 'talk'.

"No. No way." She said becoming upset. This caught them both off guard a little. Things had seamed okay up until this point. But, all of a sudden she was pulling away from him, fighting back tears. That, Logan considered, was a part of Maxie's life. The constant back and forth of emotions was left over from years of hope followed by disappointment. Maxie could become angry in the time it took most people to comprehend a situation. She could then turn the anger into bitchiness even faster. Knowing when to press and when not to press was another part of being in Maxie's life. And this time, Logan knew not to press. Not yet anyway.

"Hey, woah. It's fine okay? It was just an idea. I won't tell anyone, scouts honor." He promised reaching out to her again. She looked unsure as to whether or not she should move closer. Finally she rolled her eyes and tangled her limbs with his. And there she went again, changing moods at the drop of a hat. Her eyes were dry again, mostly that is. Her eyebrows were dancing with curiousity and her tongue was ready to lash out at any given second with an insult or possibly something more pleasant.

"You were never a boy scout." Was her only reply.

"Maybe not but, you did say a little something about it at the ball if I remember correctly. Plus, I'd look damn fine in the uniform." He chuckled wrapping an arm around her petite frame and remembering the Black and White Ball. He'd almost lost her that night. He didn't even have her, and he'd almost lost her...

The music had stopped playing long ago, but in the hearts of each guest a song of despair rang loudly. It didn't stop. It never stopped. The chaos was quiet, in that eery sort of way. No one would scream but, inside they all were. The lights were low and the seemingly beautiful atmosphere was a nightmare. Logan just wanted to wake up.

"It's okay to be worried about her." Came a voice from beside him. The calm, sincere comment didn't startle him as much as he would have thought. He was standing alone, off to the side near a piano of some sort.
"Lulu is fine. She's with her family." He responded dryly, turning to see Nadine. The logical nurse had been surprisingly level headed through out the whole ordeal. Had he not been intertwined with two incredibly complex blondes already, he might have given her a second glane.

"I didn't mean Lulu." She quietly told him, though he knew who she was talking about all along.

"Maxie." He stated plainly. It wasn't a question, or even an answer. It was a fact. Just a fact. Maxie was missing. A stupid flash of the lights and she was gone.

"Spinelli told me about the bet." She offered, stepping closer to him. She was setting this up to be some sort of intimate talk. The poor kid thought she would get Logan Hayes to spill his guts to her. Yeah. Right.

"Spinelli needs to learn to keep his mouth shut." He answered shaking his head.

"Or maybe you need to learn to be honest with yourself." She suggestion annoyingly. Who did she think she was? Some sort of therapist?

"Who are you again?" Logan asked, not because he didn't know. But, to remind her that she was uninvolved and that the whole thing was none of her business.

"Just an observant third party. Want to hear what I've observed?" She questioned completely un phased by his rudeness.

"Not really." He replied flatly.

"Well..." She began. He rolled his eyes, knowing that she was going to tell him anyway. "I think that you care about Lulu a lot. And, you're so worried about ruining your relationship with her again, that you completely cut off the one thing that ruined it before. Maxie." She explained as if she were lecturing a class.

"Oh, I did, did I?" He played along.

"Yes. Which is why you started treating Maxie like something on the bottom of your shoe. You think you somehow proving something to Lulu. Which is crazy, it's not like you can just forget the feelings you had for Maxie." Nadine finished smiling as if she were proud of her character assessment.

"See, that just goes to show that you really have no idea about anyone in this town. The only thing I feel for Maxie is hate. That's all there ever was." Logan smirked.

"Really? Is that why you risked what you had with Lulu? To sleep with a girl you hate?" She taunted knowingly. Yeah, she'd figured him out. And, that- just killed Logan.

"Shut up." He grumbled, ready to walk away from this discussion all together. As if there wasn't enough bad blood going around, now he had to hear about his past mistakes.

"Uh oh, did I hit a nerve. Look, Logan it's perfectly natural to have left over feelings for Maxie. You guys kind of ended abruptly from what I heard. And, you weren't 'supposed' to be together." She paused to roll her eyes at the last part. "So, naturally you just wrote the whole thing off as a mistake. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe there was really something there.

"There was nothing there except a stupid bet that got way out of hand." He told her.

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way I can tell you're worried about her right now." She quietly spoke, almost as if he would break at the impact of her words.

"She's just messing around like usual. Trying to be the center of attention." He argued.

"What if she isn't?"

"She is."

"But, what if-"

"SHE IS!" He yelled causing a few people to turn. He coughed a little and looked down sheepishly. This was not going well for him.

"Sorry, guess you feel pretty strongly about the whole thing." She continued raising an eyebrow.

"Oh please, don't twist this around." He glared, his face was turning red now.

"Look Logan, you're right. I don't know you. But, I do know people. At the hospital I see dozens of people come in every day. And, whenever someone is waiting for someone they love to make it out of a surgery or something okay, they react differently. Some people cry and do that whole thing. But, some people sink into denial." She finished.

"You think I'm in denial?" He questioned in disbelief.

"I think... that- it's easier for you to believe that Maxie is off playing one of her games and being a bitch, than for you to face the fact that she could be in real danger." Nadine wisely summarized. Damn. Logan couldn't even respond. All he could think of were her last words. 'Real danger'. No, Maxie had to be okay.

"She has to be okay." He whispered to himself. But, in the quiet stillness of the room, the blonde nurse heard his honest plea.

"Let's pray." She whispered back, taking his hand and bowing her head. Logan looked at her strangely before following her actions.

"God, please let Maxie be okay." He whispered aloud. And, just this once Logan relied on God to fix things and make them right. Because the world wouldn't be the same if Maxie was gone. A big chuck on him would sweat that it would stop spinning. It would just stop

"Well, personally, I'm a fan of you...out- of- the uniform." She spoke saucily breaking him from his thoughts. Grinning with mischief, Maxie trailed a finger down his chest until it hit the sheet. Teasingly she debated whether or not she would go under. It was time for them to forget all the serious BS and get to the fun. For a little while anyway.

"Of course you are darlin'." He smiled in that way that only he could truly pull off.

"So, what do you say you show me how the west was really won cowboy." Came her ridiculously tacky reply. Any other girl to utter a string of words like that would probably get pushed out of the bed. But, this was Maxie Jones. And, hell if she couldn't get him to buy just about anything with those damn eyes. Not to mention that knowing smile, that adorable nose... He was a goner.

"Yes Mam." He grinned before pulling her on top of him. And, this time they were anything but, quiet.