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 Chapter 1: Ripple In The Pond

A/N- Here it is! The sequel to Thoughtful Gifts. Since so many people asked for one, I decided to try one, and here it is. I hope that you enjoy it as much as you did it�s predecessor.

Aimee- you rock for helping me out with this. Without you, there is no way it would have been printable. ;) Also, it�d be sadly lacking in the title area. :)

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�You know, I�m not too impressed with you for loosing my favorite shirt.� Max was swamped in one of Logan�s old T-shirts, and was cocooned in a blanket, staring out into the night sky, as she sat beside him in his Aztec on their way home from their little getaway.

�It�s not my fault.�

�How is it not your fault? I seem to recall you being the one pulling it off my body, and promptly throwing it over your shoulder.�

�I forgot where we were!�

�How could you forget? Nothing rocks as much as a boat does when you�re having as much fun as we did.� Max smiled coyly at Logan.

�I�ll buy you another one, how does that sound?�

Max once again put on her face of mock anger. �That doesn�t bring my shirt back, does it.�

Logan looked over at Max and smiled. �No, but did you at least have fun?�

Max looked at Logan and allowed a sly grin to cross her face. �You could say that. And I have to say, you definitely kept your promise about this being a weekend that I�ll never forget.� Max looked away, and tipped her head slightly to one side. �Of course, how could I ever forget a weekend that includes my favorite shirt geting lost.� The statement was simply dripping in Max�s usual sarcasm.

Logan reached out with his one arm, and put it around Max�s shoulders, pulling her into him. He kissed her lightly on the head, but kept his eyes on the road. They were nearing his building, and he didn�t want to run the risk of crashing into any of the cars that were parked on the side of the road, if something were to �distract� him. Replacements for some of those cars would be difficult to find if the original were ever to get involved in a crash. �Well, I�m glad that you�ll never forget that weekend, because I know I won�t.�

Max snuggled closer to the warmth of Logan�s body. �I must say, that was a very good fantasy.� She pulled her head up so that she could look into Logan�s eyes. �Are there any more of these fantasies floating around in your head?�

Logan looked at Max and smiled. �Of course, but you don�t get to experience them yet.�

Max started to pout. �Why not?�

�Because, if we did them all now, what would we do in the future?�

�You know, you could show me some of them now, and still have others for later.�

�I don�t think so, and nothing is going to get me to show you anything right now.�

Max shifted her position so that she was kneeling on the seat, facing towards Logan. �We�ll have to see about that.� Max grabbed Logan�s face in her hands and pulled him in for a very passionate kiss.

Luckily, just before Max had shifted her positions and grabbed his face, Logan had managed to park the car so that he could divert all of his attention to the woman who had this incredible power over him. As passions flared, a thought flitted through Logan�s mind. Pulling breathily away from Max, Logan tried to get the words to come out of his mouth. �We have... to..... get the bags..... upstairs.�

Max smiled against Logan�s lips. �All in good time Logan.�

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After a particularly fun elevator ride, Logan was now holding Max�s body against the door with his own, while he furiously and passionately kissed her. Fully wrapped up in the moment, and because of the luggage that he held in his hands, Logan was having problems trying to open the door, and hold onto Max at the same time. Max, finally realizing the problems Logan was having with the door, pulled one of her hands out from under Logan�s shirt and put it over his hand on the door handle, and helped him to open it, all the while never letting his mouth break contact with her own. The door finally flew open, causing the two of them to stumble into the apartment. Logan dropped the bags unceremoniously on the floor, and immediately, his newly freed hands flew up Max�s shirt and he ripped both her shirt and her bra over her head as she quickly tried to undo the buttons on his shirt. The two never broke their lip lock as they backed into the bedroom. They were both so wrapped up in the moment that neither of them bothered to close the front door, or notice the dark figure that entered the room behind them.

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Max laid down on top of Logan, and was just about to go after his pants when she suddenly stopped.

Breathing heavily, Logan looked up at Max. �What�s....wrong?�

Max quickly got off of Logan, and went to his closet to grab a shirt. All of her senses were on full alert because she could sense someone else in the apartment. Completely forgetting about what she was just doing, Max allowed her training to overtake her. As she quietly stalked out of the bedroom, she put a hand up in the air to tell Logan to be quiet. �I hear someone.� Max slipped out of the room, leaving Logan laying on the bed, in no position to see anyone at the moment.

Logan laid back on the sheets, trying desperately to calm his racing heart, but having no progress whatsoever. He kept telling himself that they were in no danger, because Max could take care of everything. He let out a sigh, but not too loud, because he didn�t want to alert the intruder that he was in the room. He probably already knows I�m here, but maybe he�ll forget.

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Max stalked out of Logan�s room, keeping herself fully immersed in whatever shadows there were to find in the apartment. Whoever the intruder was, was good. Max couldn�t see him, or her for that matter, anywhere. They were keeping to the shadows as well. Max went through the entire apartment, ending back near the door to Logan�s room. She took a quick glance in and could see Logan, laying on the bed, with his chest rapidly rising and falling from their earlier exhersion. Max began to feel herself losing concentration, and she quickly looked back out into the hallway. She still couldn�t find anyone, but she knew that someone was still there. It�s got to be Zack. Only he can avoid me this much, but why is he here? I KNOW that Lydecker isn�t anywhere around here, so what�s the dealio? Maybe something�s wrong with one of the others! Max straightened with her realization, and as soon as she did, someone grabbed her from behind. Her heart stopped for a split second, and she reached up to try to pry the arms off of her, but to no avail. She then relaxed in the familiar grip. �Zack. What are you doing here?� The arms dropped from their grasp on her, and Max was able to turn around and look directly into Zack�s cold eyes.

�Maxie, what are you doing here?�

�I think I have more reason to be here than you. Besides, I asked first.�

Zack looked down at what Max was wearing, and a wave of jealousy and anger overtook him as he recognized her shirt as one of Logan�s. He quickly dissolved the feelings and got back to the task at hand, setting his face, and steeling himself against Max�s emotions. �We have to get you out of here.�

Max pulled away from Zack, and allowed her anger to fully rise. �What is it with you? Is that the only reason you ever come to see me? That�s all you ever seem to do. You show up out of nowhere and tell me that I have to leave. Doesn�t anything ever change with you? Can�t you at least say, I don�t know, maybe �hello� before you tell me that I have to leave?� She began to pace the hallway, and after thinking for a second, grabbed Zack�s arm and led him away from Logan�s room to the couch in the living room. She sat down, and looked up at him as he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. �Ok Zack. Why is it not safe this time, huh? And it better be good.�

Zack glared at Max�s apparent disinterest in him, and his being there. He lowered his voice so that any recording devices that may have been in the room would not be able to pick up what he was saying, and only Max would be able to hear his words. �In case you missed it, it seems that your little �friend� is dealing with Lydecker. He called you out and said he knows where you are.� Zack watched Max�s face, and was surprised to say the least when she started to laugh.

�Zack, that was like three weeks ago. Aren�t you a little late in bringing me this information?�

�Max, didn�t you hear me? Lydecker knows where to find you.�

�Of course I heard you. And I�m not concerned. I�ve dealt with the situation already, thank you very much. And anyway, how come it took you so long to come here?�

Zack turned away from Max. �I had things to do.�

�Like what?�

�It doesn�t matter.�

Max smiled at Zack. �I think it does Zack. Were you giving into all that phony sentimentality crap you�re always worried about?� She had to laugh when she saw the face he gave her as he turned around.

�If you must know, I was helping Jondy out of a jam.�

This caught Max�s attention. All of her sarcasm was lost, and all seriousness took over. �Jondy? Where is she? Is she ok?�

�She�s fine, no thanks to you.�

Max looked away, hurt at the words Zack said to her. She regained composure and once again looked at Zack. �I want to see her.�

�No Max.�

Max stood up and walked until her face was within inches of Zack�s. �And why the hell not?�

�Because, you�re a loose cannon Max, and I can�t have you knowing the locations of everyone. I can�t risk you being captured by Lydecker and spilling everything I�ve worked so hard to keep from him!�

�In case you haven�t noticed, Lydecker seems to be set up on me, and I haven�t been caught yet.� Max stated this through gritted teeth.

��Yet� is the operative word there Max. If you insist on staying here with him...� Zack motioned towards the door of Logan�s bedroom. �..you�re just asking to be caught. Especially if Lydecker is able to hack into Eyes Only, who knows what he can find out about you. Besides, we still haven�t ruled out your buddy Logan�s connection to that hack. He must�ve had something to do with it.�

Max chose to ignore Zack�s accusation of Logan. �Forget it Zack, I�ve told you too many times. I�m not leaving with you. I�ve built a life for myself here in Seattle, and I�m not leaving it.�

�I�ll take you to Jondy if you do.�

This made Max start. If she left with Zack right now, she could see the one person she had been looking for ever since the escape. And if she was in trouble, now was as good a time as any to go see her. But in order to do that, she would have to leave Seattle, and, well, Logan. And that was something she just couldn�t make herself do right now.

�Why won�t you just let me see her?� Max looked to Zack, but he wasn�t going to budge. There was no way that he would let Max know of Jondy�s location unless she was willing to leave her life behind to go on the lam with Zack. She looked to the floor, and whispered her response in an almost inaudible manner. �I can�t go with you.�

Zack, oblivious to Max�s feelings leaned in towards her ear, and hissed into it. �You�re throwing your life away Maxie, and I�m not going to be a part of it anymore.� Zack pulled back, and walked away, leaving Max stunned.

Before he was out of earshot however, Max began to speak to him. �That�s fine Zack, I�ve survived without you this long, and I know I can do it even longer; as long as I have to. I�ll find Jondy eventually, you know I will.�

Zack stopped upon hearing Max�s voice, thinking that maybe she had finally come to her senses and had reconsidered. However, when he heard her response, he continued towards the door, without even looking back, leaving Max by herself. Max stood stunned, and then as her emotions caught up with her, she fell on the couch, burying her head in her hands.

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Logan stayed on the bed listening for any sort of motion coming from his apartment, but could hear none. It�s got to be someone from Manticore. No one can be as quiet as Max. Logan continued to listen, and when he heard a scuffle, his heart began to race once again, but as soon as he heard Max�s voice, he let out a breath of relief. Of course it�s Zack. It�s always Zack. He�s going to try to get her to leave again, and there�s nothing I can do to stop her. Logan felt like someone had stabbed him through the heart. Reluctantly, he got up off the bed to investigate the conversation, but remembering what he and Max were up to minutes before, he decided against it. Besides, the voices had gotten further away, so Max had obviously pulled Zack further into the apartment so that Logan wouldn�t be able to overhear the conversation. Shrugging, Logan walked towards his bathroom, deciding to take a shower instead. After gathering up some pajamas and a towel, Logan went into the bathroom, and turned on the shower allowing the water to run so that it would be warm when he got in. He puttered around the bathroom for a few minutes, and then climbed into the hot water of the shower. As the hot water cascaded down the front of his body, washing away the sweat from his latest interaction with Max, Logan could feel the door of the shower slide open. As the cool air from the bathroom rushed into the steamy cubicle, a chill ran down his spine. His entire body tensed up as a cold, soft-skinned hand slid from his lower back to the base of his neck where it reached around to grab his face. The hand cupped around his chin, and pulled his head around. Logan closed his eyes and slowly turned around to face the owner of the hand. He opened his eyes, only to gaze down into the chocolate colored eyes of the one woman he felt complete with. She wrapped both hands around the back of his neck and pulled his head down so that his lips could meet her own. Logan tilted his head slightly, and as he closed the shower door with one hand, his other grabbed the back of her head and pulled her waiting lips to his. As the kiss finally broke, Logan found words coming out of his mouth. �How did your conversation with Zack go?�

Max put her head down so that she didn�t have to look into Logan�s eyes. �I don�t want to talk about that right now. Is that ok?� Max looked up hoping to see acceptance in Logan�s eyes, and that was exactly what she found. Smiling, she pulled his lips to hers once again, and whimpered slightly when he once again pulled away. �What�s wrong?�

�Nothing. It�s just...you remember how you said that you wanted to experience a few more of my fantasies?�

�Yeah...�

�This is one of them.�

Max looked into Logan�s eyes which were filled with desire for her. �Well, why don�t we make use of it then?�

Logan pulled Max even closer to him. �My thoughts exactly.�

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The next morning, as Max took a shower to get ready for work, Logan went to his desk to listen to the dozens of messages that had been left for him over the weekend. Leave for a few days, and everyone and everything decides to need help or create trouble at the same time. Logan half-hazardly listened to the first few messages that were mostly some of his informants checking in. A couple were wrong numbers, and one was a particularly erotic one from none other than the girl who was now standing in his shower. When on earth did she do this? Oh well, whenever it was, it�s being saved, that�s for sure. After making sure the message was saved, Logan continued through the messages. As he neared the end of the run, one message in particular, caught his attention.

Logan turned off his answering machine so that he could absorb the information that he had just received. If this was true, and if Max ever drank some of this water, she could fall into the hands of these government people, who were more than likely Manticore. The sudden sound of Max�s voice broke Logan out of his thoughts.

�That�s what Zack was talking about.�

Logan turned to see Max standing in the doorway wearing only a towel, which was wrapped tightly around her body. Normally this would have sent his head spinning, but he was too focused on work right now. �What?�

�Last night, when Zack was here, he said that Jondy was in trouble. That�s why it took him so long to come and see me. What if she lived somewhere in the western states and drank that water? Lydecker could have found her.�

Logan could see the fear creep through Max�s eyes. �Did he say if he was able to help her?�

�Not exactly, but he told me that I could see her if I left with him right then and there.�

Logan�s fears from the previous night had just been confirmed. Zack had in fact come to take Max away, but she had turned him down, making Logan feel ten times better, and now understanding Max�s reluctance to talk about her conversation last night. �That�s why you didn�t want to talk about it last night then. Obviously you told him to shove it.�

Max crossed the room so that she could sit down on Logan�s lap. �Of course I did. I couldn�t leave you. But now I know why he wanted me to go. He didn�t want me to drink any of that water. Why didn�t he just tell me?�

�Max, Zack isn�t exactly the most forward person in this world.�

�But still, not telling me was putting me in danger.�

�That�s true, but Zack has his reasons for everything.� Logan looked towards his computer screen as a message came in. �What�s this?�

Max got off of his lap so that he could have easier access to his keyboard and watched as he pulled up the message. �What�s that?�

�It looks like a girl in San Francisco was caught trying to break out of custody. Reports say that she was being helped by a young male.�

�Do you think...?�

Logan turned to Max with concern very apparent in his eyes. �Max, whatever you do, do not drink any water from now on. Stick to milk or something until we figure this out.�

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Chapter 2