See I think the story needs a point for the simple fact that that way I'd know what to write about next. Thanks for reading guys!

Chapter Five

Concessions

"Yea no Bennett I'm sure" She walked in to find Logan pacing around the living room.

"What are you sure of?" she asked butting in.

He turned not looking too surprised to see her, he was pretty used to just randomly seeing her in his apartment; he started to smile, but quickly frowned, "No Bennett, I'm not asking her, I told you I'm busy."

"What are you not asking me?"

"Dinner," he said dropping the mouthpiece back, "Bitsy finally found a nanny she likes and she wants to go out."

Max made a face, "You're turning down food?" This wasn't sounding too positive for her, especially since she had come over after work with the hopes of him eventually feeding her.

"There's food in the fridge if you're hungry," he said ignoring Bennett on the phone.

"But those are leftovers, where did they want to go?"

"D'Amores"

"Ooooh Penne alla Vodka," she made a pleading face.

He laughed and then raised the mouthpiece back up, "No Bennett, we're still not coming."

She pouted.

"I'm meeting someone," he said to both of them.

"Business or pleasure?" She asked knowing if he was ditching feeding her for some other female her feline DNA was going to make an appearance and he was having his eyes scratched out, totally blaming the animal instinct on the fact that food was involved.

"Business. No Bennett I'm talking to Max."

She gave another pleading look, thinking not only of the various entrees, but dessert, a cannoli, a napoleon, some tiramisu.

"Okay Bennett, if I get out in time I'll call you," he said shaking his head and she started to smile and hung up the phone. "I've got a meeting in forty five minutes Max. A kidnapped six year old," he explained.

"Didn't know Eyes Only did missing persons," she said feeling bad for the kid, but not liking what this did to her dinner plans.

"The mom reached out through an informant I've known for a long time. The police have dead-ended. The Olsens are desperate. Plus her husband's a big-time ad exec and she's offered to make a sizable donation to the Streaming Freedom Video Foundation."

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," she smiled.

"Hey, even Eyes Only's gotta pay the bills," he said walking over to put the phone back in its cradle.

"Does this mean we really aren't meeting them? I mean how long could dinner take? You make a few calls before we go in, get the ball rolling…"

He shook his head, they both knew very well that would have been the game plan anyway, Logan wasn't likely to find a missing child just sitting behind a computer. "I'll go change," he said finally fully conceding.

Max smiled before making her way towards the guest room and her stash of clothing for last minute Eyes Only missions.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They arrived inside the restaurant fifteen minutes late. Logan had sat in the car making calls to try to track down a gardener who had been fired abruptly three months ago and a nanny who had resigned just a few weeks back, the most promising leads they had and Max hadn't felt like going in without him to make small talk with his family and explain his absence.

"At least turn it to vibrate," she said walking through the door he held open for her, knowing he'd pick up and walk away on the phone without a moment's hesitation.

He stopped and gave her a look.

"What?"

"I can't feel anything in my pockets," he reminded her.

"Oh," she made a face, "yea."

He shook his head slightly, "There's Bennett," he said looking across the crowded casual restaurant. "We see our party thanks," he said to the approaching Maitre d' before placing a hand on Max's elbow to lead her over and make their apologies for being late.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sure enough three bites into her penne his phone rang and he was walking away from the table after a quick excuse. She shook her head to his family and took the opportunity to spear the piece of veal Logan had just cut for himself.

"So how long have you known Logan Max?" Bitsy asked a few moments later.

"A year and a half."

"Did you know Logan before…" she watched Bitsy flounder looking for the words to describe Logan's paralysis and Max suddenly hated the blonde woman seated across from her.

Then again, she thought about it some more, the words 'before he took a shot gun blast to his lower back,' might be a little hard to say at the dinner table, "Yea."

"Really?" Bennett looked at her surprised, "I never saw you at the hospital."

Max suddenly felt the need to defend herself, "Went the first night, but exploding rooms aren't really my thing so I kinda stayed away after that." It wasn't really the reason, but it would do.

The table suddenly grew silent and remained that way until Logan returned, a few moments later.

"Everything all good?" she asked.

"Yea," he nodded sitting back down. "What'd I miss?"

"I was just asking Max when you met."

"It was before I was shot Bits," Logan replied curtly.

"Yea, she told us that."

"Personally Max," Bennett said trying to break the mood, "I'm amazed you still talk to this cousin of mine if you met him then." He said knowing Max's attitude pretty well after their dinners together.

"Trust me; she had a few choice words for me Bennett."

He laughed as he took a sip of his wine, "I can imagine."

"So even your family thought you were a cocky bastard?" Max said not mincing any words; she had long since felt the need to impress his family.

"I think that's a little harsh."

"Seems like a decent description to me," Bennett said chuckling.

"Is self-righteous included in that title because if it is I'm inclined to agree also," Bitsy asked.

"And you wonder why I avoid my family," Logan turned and deadpanned.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He smiled watching her walk towards her building pushing her bike dressed in heels, a black halter dress and grey sweater and thought back to the dinner they'd had with Bennett and Marianne last spring to celebrate their new house.

"Max and I aren't t like that."

"I thought the doctor said…"

Logan took his cousin's hesitation as an opportunity to cut him off, "That's not the reason. Aren't, not can't Bennett."

"Why not?" He asked leaning back to look through the doorway to where Max and Marianne were standing and looking at some pictures. The girl was positively flawless, even Marianne had said it last time, 'If Max weren't so nice I'd hate her.'

"Just not like that," Logan said shaking his head and handing off a drink for Bennett to carry.

He sometimes wondered if they would be that couple others saw them as if only Zack had walked in a few seconds later.

'Happy anniversary,' he had said in a voice lower than usual, their faces so close together, he had given up finally, conceded that he couldn't stay away anymore, no more near misses, no more almosts.

But then Zack's words of 'Looks like I caught you at a bad time' had sent them separating. Max standing quickly to grab his chair, the plans that followed rapidly, Max being taken….Sitting up on the Needle with her, being told he was her family as much as anyone else and knowing she meant it. Then Zack being gone.

She'd shut down then and he didn't blame her, she'd lost two siblings in as many days. It had taken her a few weeks, but she had returned to normal and their almost kiss, was just that another almost in a long line.

He shook his head and chuckled to himself driving off, if Zack had only interrupted them a few moments later they probably would have made the same excuses as last time. She would have blamed it on heat; he would have blamed it on the exo. It was for the best Zack came in when he did or at least that's what he told himself.