AN: Question: How much more of this story do you folks want? It has an end chapter that takes place a couple weeks from this point. So the question is do you want a couple more chapters that have strong points, issues, events or do you want excessive randomness of daily existence? And please remember there are PLENTY of other stories for me to be writing, so don't let that sway your decision.

And Then There Were Two

"What the hell was I thinking?" Max asked herself softly as she looked at her reflection in the cracked mirror in the bathroom of Jam Pony, courtesy of some long forgotten fight.

"You say something Sug?" Original Cindy called out from behind the stall, tentatively frowning as she attempted to keep her balance and flush with her foot in the cramped stall that was starting to show signs of Normal needing to bribe someone to clean it. Not like that was hard though, always someone in need of extra dough.

"Nothing important," Max called back and splashed more water on her face.

"You sure?" she asked stepping out, "You've been kind of out of it all day."

"Lack of sleep," she smiled as convincingly as she could.

A long sideways glance from OC as she turned on the water next to her, "Think you're going to get that sorry old line pass Original Cindy? She knows you too well girl."

Max sighed and looked at herself in the mirror, her hair was a mess, there were little crinkles around her eyes that normally only showed up after a rough bout with her screwed up genetics, luckily the last two pieces of clothing she had at Logan's, a realized necessity after her dive into a mud bath not too long ago, matched. Black pants, long sleeved gray thermal.

Not exactly high fashion though.

" Logan's coming by, you up for pizza and Crash?" she turned and tried to insert as much pep as she could.

"Sure you don't want to be alone?" Original Cindy asked with a teasing smile.

"Considering I told him I promised you I'd go to Crash," she looked wearily at her best friend.

"Never seen you act this way before," Original Cindy said holding in a laugh at Max's very 'regular girl' behavior, not one of those things she'd normally associate with her very best homegirl.

"Never normally sleep with Logan," she pointed out the obvious.

"Not like you've-" Original Cindy paused in her mentioning's of Max's less than angelic past, when she smiled, "you like him," she teased, that had kind of been obvious from the get go, well aside from that whole drug dealio.

"Shut up," her brows lifted as she gave her friend a death glare.

"Come to think of it, I suppose sharing blood and plunging a knife into your neck…Guess that could bond a couple."

Max's frown increased.

"What's the problem Sug?" Cindy asked knocking her head to the side as she leaned against the wall to study her friend.

"Problem? What problem?"

"You don't swipe a 6 thousand dollar dress for someone you're not trying to impress."

"Didn't want to make him look bad in front of his fam," she said in a small voice that she paired with innocent eyes and a shrug.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself," Cindy's eyes rolled as her head shook.

Max turned back to the mirror and sighed, nothing had changed in the past 30 seconds.

"What's wrong Max?"

She looked into the mirror as her head shook and she spoke the truth, "I don't know." She had this nagging feeling that she should be happy, blissfully insanely happy and she was up until she allowed any type of thought into her head.

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"Gotta go," she said hanging up the phone as she saw Logan walk into Jam Pony looking slightly confused. "Hey," she said rushing over before Normal or anyone else got a chance to say anything to him.

"Hey," he smiled back.

"Sorry Original Cindy got held up, she's meeting us at Duarte's."

"Isn't that Portuguese?" A peculiarity considering they were supposed to be getting pizza.

Max's head shook, "I don't know, everyone speaks English. Got something wrong with-"

"No, not at all," his head shook before she could go any further.

"Well OC's gonna be awhile, so got any interest in dropping off my bike and giving me a few to change? Crash wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I left this stuff at your place."

"Not a problem," he nodded wondering if he'd ever felt like this in high school when he'd gone to pick up a girl. For some reason he didn't think so.

"Let me grab my bike," she nodded.

He stood continuing to look confused, unsure of what he was supposed to do as she dashed away, quickly returning bike in tow as she realized Normal had left the safety of his ivory tower to be amongst them. The elbow to Sketch's ribs as Normal didn't stop staring at Logan made Sketchy jump. A few words in Sketchy's ear that she didn't need to be a psychic to guess. Last two times Logan had been here, he'd been in the chair. She wasn't dumb enough to leave Logan alone with her boss's advancing movements, despite how idiotic she knew she looked rushing at him.

"Let's bail," she said not even pausing.

Startle was added to the confusion as he turned and followed her.

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"What was that?" he asked once they were in his car.

"Didn't think you were interested in playing twenty questions with Normal."

"He have some paternal tendencies I didn't know about?"

Her turn to look confused.

"The third degree when you pick a girl up for a-" the word date froze on his tongue.

She smiled and shook her head, " Normal's never concerned for my well-being unless it's jeopardizing his insurance premiums. More like your chair pulling a disappearing act."

"Ah," he looked down at his legs as he started the car. How quickly he forgot. Not surprising with all the changes as of late. "Thanks," he nodded.

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Shit, she tried to remember the status of her apartment as she left it on Friday. Her guess was it wasn't too hot. She definitely hadn't picked up any of the clothing she'd dumped out of her closet looking for the perfect, 'I'm not trying outfit.' All she'd done this morning was run in and grab her bike, she hadn't paused long enough to take in anything aside from the vague memory that everything had looked fine.

That had to be a positive sign, right? After all wasn't as if OC had her bras strung up across the living room or no foul stench of week old food.

"Something wrong?"

Damn, what is it with people calling me out on that today? She realized annoyed with herself for lingering at the door. She turned with a lighthearted smile, "I'm not responsible for anything that lay beyond these doors; I haven't been here since Friday."

"I know," he cockily smiled back, "I was there."

Oh shit, I think I just blushed, her smile fell a bit as she turned back realizing that and opened the door. "Home sweet home," thank you OC, thank you OC, she thought to herself seeing the clean apartment. That was a pitcher all on her tonight, hell might even be two.

"I know, I have been here before," he pointed out.

"It was more of a pit stop than an actual visit, didn't know if you'd remember," her words had bite.

He flinched and debated apologizing for the dozenth time for that night and he decided to definitely not mention that fact that he'd broken in just over six months ago.

Nice being a bitch Max, make him wonder why he came back. "Make yourself at home," she nodded, "I'm going to go change." Oh nice so you run away instead. Run away to change when the guy's barely even seen you in clothing this weekend, nice Max.

He nodded as his eyes scanned the area for what to do.

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Once in the safety of her room she could hear the soft squeak of the sofa Logan had apparently decided to sit down on and she cursed the tangle mess she'd made of her clothing just a few nights before. Great not only do you need to come up with something to wear, it needs to be non-wrinkled. She sighed and sifted through the shirts that had been repeatedly changed in the last fifteen minutes before leaving to go to Logan's, most seemed to have made it through the weekend none worse for wear.

Black's always good, she thought lifting up a low-cut v-neck she'd discarded for the 'we're not like that reason,' well they were now.

Hmm black and bags do not go together, she realized lifting it up and looking into the mirror.

The gold tube top? Quickly discarded. Trying waaay too hard for a Monday at Crash.

That tiny little fuchsia camisole Kendra had passed along from an old roommate. She lifted it up. Yea no not going to Crash without a bra, not to mention it's not like I haven't already announced to Logan I'm easy.

Hmm, she realized and tossed down the shirt before going to smell her sheets. Clean, thank god. Then she frowned, not like Logan's coming back here tonight. I mean even if we…

FOCUS MAX! She ordered herself realizing she was getting completely off track and Logan was sitting outside doing god knows what.

Forget this, she told herself as she stripped down. Dragging on clean clothing. Fresh undies, a slightly more appealing non-sports bra because there was a difference between trying too hard and not trying at all. A white tank, a green and white track jacket and the jeans every time she wore them she'd catch Logan checking out her ass. She left her sneakers off realizing she'd been wearing them all day, at the same time she realized her breath probably wasn't all that fresh either. A pit stop in the bathroom was definitely required.

"That was quick," Logan said as the bedroom door opened, looking up from the bike magazine Cindy had brought home from work one day, about ready to stand.

"Not that quick," she looked down at her feet.

"Crash change their dress code since the last time I was there?" he smirked.

She smirked back, "I'm gonna go wash my face, you okay?"

"Yea," he nodded once more looking back at the magazine.

Her face was covered in suds as she heard, "I would probably end back up in the chair if I attempted any of these things right?"

Her head popped out of the bathroom to look at him pretty sure he'd gotten to the extreme biking photos.

He looked back, "It was just a question," was his response to the shocked look she was giving him. Her head shook and she returned to the bathroom leaving the door slightly ajar this time around.

Logan remained quiet as she rinsed off her face and proceeded to brush her teeth, of course as soon as she had her feet in the tub washing off what riding around a seemingly perpetually damp city did to one's feet the door opened, preceded ever so slightly by Logan's words, "Do you really have such little faith in my physical abilities?"

She turned back, eyes half rolling, "Says the guy who had issues with a stool."

"I told you," he smirked, "it's that spot."

She laughed.

"You know if want to take an actual shower, I don't mind waiting."

"Nah," she shook her head and hopped out, "I'm good. Didn't want to put dirty feet into clean kicks."

"Makes sense," he nodded.

"Gimme a minute, I'll be ready to go," she smiled brushing past him.

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"Max wait," his voice called out after her as his body paused.

A new wave of nerves passed through her as her hand was so close to being on the knob, safe from any questions, any changes, in the outside world. She turned back, no ability to plaster a smile on her face.

He looked startled, partially amazed he'd called her out, he brushed it off, he could handle this. "I need some idea what's going on here." There, he'd said it, perhaps not as eloquently as he'd developed the words in his head as she repeatedly retreated behind the safety of doors as he sat on the couch.

"Pizza then Crash," she played it off, "unless you were in the mood for something else."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

This is uncomfortable, she thought standing just feet away from him with nothing else to do but look at him. "I answered your question, not my fault if it's vague and ambiguous." Okay where had the lawyerese come in?

"Okay Max, how's this do you want to forget everything that happened past say around ten on Saturday." That's when he saw it, a flicker in her eyes, pain maybe? Or was that just a reflection of his own because just saying it had hurt like hell.

"If that's what you want," she shrugged.

"I didn't say that's what I want; I asked if it was what you wanted.' Maybe she had just been hungry this afternoon, maybe she'd only asked him to join her tonight because he asked about her plans.

"So what is this another round of Logan Cale, sacrificial lamb?"

All his head did was tilt for that one.

She grew a little agitated and it showed in her tone, "You'll be with me if I want you to, even though you don't want to or you'll walk away even if you don't want to?"

Deniability either way, he realized. "Okay Max how's this, I liked where things stood between us around 8 o'clock this morning. But I have no idea what's going on now."

"So what does that mean?" her head shook and she continued to try her hardest to look unaffected.

What did she want him to say! His mind roared. That he loved her? No, no, too strong. That he liked her? Too freshman in high school. He wanted more than friendship? That just made him sound like a loser. "Maybe that I would have given anything in my power to keep you in bed and away from whatever caused this change."

"So you just want me in your bed," she said rather blankly.

Had he said that? Granted he wanted Max in his bed, in his shower, on his couch, maybe the islands and the dining room table…No, no but there was more to that. "Well to be honest I think that's the only place we have any idea what we're doing.'

Can't fault him on that one Max. They were like fish out of water outside of the bed. "So why don't you break it down for me Logan, what do you want."

He stepped in closer, removing any hint of personal space between them. "I want you in my bed, I want you in my shower and just about any other place that strikes our fancy. But I also want you raiding my fridge, I want to share meals with you, I want you next to me with our feet in Elliot Bay. I want to see how your face scrunches up at the word tofu."

Her face automatically skewed.

"That would be the one," he said with fingers coming to rest upon her jaw.

She smiled, "Okay now that we've got that settled, can we eat?"

He smiled back, "That's all you've got to say?"

Her head tilted and she looked at him, "This whole depriving me of food thing has got to stop or we seriously are reverting back to pre-Saturday around ten because it feels like that was the last time I had food within my grasp."

He smiled, "Feeding of Max, I suppose we can shift that back up to top priority."

"Let's," she nodded and turned leaving him chuckling behind her.

"Oh," she turned, "and Logan no cuddling or hand holding or cutesy nicknames in public, I've got to work with these people," she was halfway smiling at the same time being completely serious.

"Noted," he nodded with a matching smile and followed her out into the hallway. "So public," he pondered aloud as they headed towards the stairs, "so that mean's private's okay. Hmm let's see Human Garbage Disposal, Bottomless Pit, those qualify as cutesy?" he asked trailing behind her down the stairs.

She smiled liking this new day suddenly.

"Maybe Cookie Monster, he was kind of cute…"

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!