Chapter 2: Talk To Me
- You know I have to do this, Aimee, you rock for helping me with this. :)
And now, on with the show!
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�Milk?! Logan, as much as I like milk, I NEED my coffee. You know what I�m like without it.�
Logan held out his arms to Max, inviting her to settle on his lap once again. As Max snuggled into him, he held her close and kissed her softly on the head. �And why do you NEED your coffee?�
Max put her arms over Logan�s, and tucked her legs up onto his lap. �I need something to wake me up in the morning.�
�I think I can think of something to help you wake up in the morning.�
Max tilted her head back so that she could look up at Logan. �Oh really? And what would that be?�
Instead of replying, Logan simply allowed a sinful grin to play across his face, leaving Max to fill in the blanks on what he was suggesting.
Max quickly clued into what Logan was suggesting, and playfully hit him on the chest. �Logan!�
Logan mocked surprise. �What?�
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Max walked into Jam Pony that morning with a grin on her face that no one would be able to remove. Not only had she had one of the most memorable weekends of her life, her latest workout with Logan was simply amazing. Even the knowledge that she couldn�t have coffee, failed to put a damper on her morning mood. Logan was right. He DID have something that would wake her up in the morning. And, if she was able to wake up to that every morning, she would be one happy girl. As Max walked in the door, Normal tossed her a package, that she neatly caught. Not even bothering to look at the address on the package, Max walked to the back of the building to her locker. As soon as she opened it, Original Cindy walked up beside her.
�Hey boo! Didn�t hear you come in last night. Or, leave this morning for that matter.�
Max smiled into her locker, not even looking at her friend. �Oh, so you�ve moved in then?�
�Yeah, Kendra helped me while you were away this weekend, and at this point in time, Original Cindy is quite sure she is off banging the gong with that Mr. Multiples of hers.�
�Ugh, don�t even try to put that picture in my head. That�s one image I can live without.�
�Yeah, well, so can Original Cindy, but don�t you go all changing the subject here. We want details as to why my home girl decided to not come home last night.�
Max sighed, closed her locker and sat down on the bench that was right behind her. �I�m not getting out of this one, am I?�
�Damn straight, now spill.�
Max was about to start, when Normal came in, saving her from her explanation. Sometimes that guy does come in handy.
�Max, I gave you a package already this morning, and you haven�t even looked at the address. Is it really that hard to get on your bike and ride over to deliver this?�
Max began to reply, but Cindy cut her off. �Normal, didn�t you get much sleep last night? I mean, my home girl here already delivered that package, and this is another one that you gave her.�
�I don�t recall doing anything of the sort.�
�Well it�s true. See? This one has a different address.� Cindy held up the package for a brief second, and then pulled it down again before Normal could get a good look at the address. Normal looked to Max to see her reaction, only to get a small smile and a shrug of the shoulders out of her. Seeing that there was no way he was going to win this battle, he sighed, and walked off, screaming at a couple of riders who had just crashed their bikes into each other, right in front of the sign that said �no riding indoors.� �Can�t you people read!�
Original Cindy turned to Max. �Aiight, Original Cindy just bought you some extra time, so these details betta be worth it.�
I still don�t feel like telling everything that went on this weekend. It makes it a little bit more special that way. Maybe I�ll tell her the whole story tonight. For now, I�ll just give her something to make it through the day. �Well, the reason why I didn�t come home last night was because we left kind of late from the cabin, and on the way back, the Aztek got a flat, and we had to fix it. By the time we got into the city, it was so late that I just decided to crash at Logan�s.�
�Mmm hmmm.� Original Cindy raised an eyebrow, fully not buying the story that Max was sprouting to her.
�What?�
�Yeah, and that�s why you�ve got a grin on your face like you just got a visit from Santa Claus.�
�What? I got a good sleep is all.�
�Yeah, or lack there of.�
�And what�s that supposed to mean?�
�Girl, you can make it mean whateva you want it to. Original Cindy knows what you two got down to last night, and is going wit that. Now, a girl�s gotta make some chedda, so, see you for lunch?�
�Yeah, why not?� Max just shook her head as she watched Cindy walk off. There is nothing in this world that I can hide from that girl.
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Logan stepped out of his second shower that morning. The first one didn�t really count, because, well, he and Max had gotten a little �distracted�. After getting ready, Logan went out into the kitchen and made himself a light lunch. When that was done, he decided to get down to work and see what was up with this tampering of the water supplies in the major cities. I have to get this figured out soon, because I don�t want Max to accidentally drink some of this water, and then go spouting off about how she�s a genetically revved up female. I think that that would throw up some red flags no matter where she was when she said that. Logan began hacking into some of the major cities� records, and couldn�t find anything that would be of any use. He kept going back to the message that had come in that morning about the attempted escape. I wonder if this was Jondy and Zack. But like Max said, why didn�t he warn her? He must�ve known that she would come in contact with this water sooner or later, and would be caught. There�s got to be something else going on here that I�m missing. Maybe I�ll call Matt, and see if he�s got anything else. Logan picked up the phone and dialed. After a few rings, someone picked up. �Hi, I�d like to talk to Detective Matt Sung? Ok, thank you.� Logan continued to type away at different records while he waited for Matt to pick up.
�Hello?�
�Hey Matt, it�s Logan.�
�Oh hey Logan, what can I do for you?�
�Well, it�s actually about that water tampering scandal that you left me the information on. My guy is extremely interested in this, and was wondering if you had anything else on it?�
�Actually, I do. I figured that this would be something that Eyes Only would be interested in, so I�ve done some digging. Apparently this truth serum, or whatever it is, is proving to be a double-edged sword for the police in the affected areas. People are coming out of nowhere, confessing to crimes that they have committed. The only problem is, the jails are so flooded with convicts, there�s no room to put these people. As well, with all the crooked cops out there, they themselves are confessing to crimes they�ve committed, causing even more problems in the districts.�
�Wow. Sounds kind of interesting.�
�It gets better. You know these government groups that I told you about?�
�Yeah.�
�Well apparently, they�re setting up some kind of marriage counseling conferences all over the place. Their advertisement promises that with everyone telling the truth, this is the perfect opportunity to find out what is really going on in your significant other�s mind. The whole thing is apparently trying to get these couples to deal with their problems, but it seems to be a front for something deeper. Reports are that a few people who have gone to the conferences have never returned.�
�Really. That�s interesting. Have you found anything else?�
�No, that�s it so far. Would you like me to keep looking?�
�That�d be great Matt. Oh, and, do you think you could get me some dates and places of a few of these conferences? They might be worth looking into more closely.�
�Yeah, sure. I actually have some information on them right in front of me here. According to this, there�s a conference starting this coming weekend in Portland that runs for two days. I�ll see if I can find some more dates for you.�
�Thanks Matt.� Logan pressed the button on his computer that turned off the phone. He pulled the earpiece out of his ear, and put it down on the table. He ran his fingers through his hair, and let his head stay in his hands. How on earth am I going to get Max to go to one of these things. Well, it�s a bit of research for finding her siblings. Maybe she�ll be willing to do it, I�ll call her and see. Logan picked up his phone and dialed her pager, and put in his number. After he hung up, all he had to do was wait.
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Sitting by herself at a marriage counseling conference was bad enough, but it didn't help that she had to clip her hair up, wear glasses, and try to look comfortable in a lot of short summer dresses that were so uncharacteristically her. Max was pissed. Not only because she had to basically �dress the part�, but also because she and Logan just had their first big fight. Sure they had always argued before, but it have never come to them not speaking to each other for more than a day. The argument had happened soon after Max had arrived at Logan�s the day he had paged her. She had walked in and he was in his office, at his computer, and had listen to Logan explain all about the marriage counseling conferences, and how some of the people who attended them, had never come back. After listening to Logan�s ideas on the conferences, Max had agreed with him that Lydecker was probably behind the conferences, and that it was a good idea that she and Logan go to the one in Portland to try to see if that was the case. Max and Logan had worked on a plan as to what they would do while at the conference, and after a lot of talking, Max had left Logan working on his computer, while she went to the living room to look out the window to think about her siblings. Entirely lost in her thoughts, Max didn�t hear Logan come up behind her. After finishing making reservations at the hotel for the weekend, Logan had felt that he needed some time away from work, and Max was the perfect distraction. Coming up behind her, Logan wrapped his arms around her waist, and began to nuzzle her neck. Not in the mood for what Logan obviously had in mind, Max had ripped away from Logan�s grasp, and asked him how he could think of doing something like that when her siblings were so obviously in danger. Logan had countered with the fact that she was dwelling too much on something that she couldn�t control, and that she should focus on herself a little more often. Logan�s comment hit a nerve with Max. No matter what was going on in her life, helping her siblings always came first, and he should have known that by now. Max let a few choice words slip by that she shouldn�t have, and after a few minutes of yelling back and forth with Logan, Max had stormed out of his apartment, and went right back to her own. Being the proud person that she was, Max never wanted to be the first to apologize, and Logan didn�t want to either. Assuming that their plans for the weekend were still on, Max had packed her things, and rode her motorcycle to Portland, expecting Logan to already be there. The thing was, he wasn�t, and now here she was, sitting in on a marriage counseling conference session, and her so-called �husband� was no where to be found. Perfect, just perfect. I can�t believe Logan had the guts not to show. Typical male. Now, here I am, flying solo, and I really don�t want to be this time. Max glanced around the room, and didn�t see anyone that fit the profile of a government agent. Just a lot of people with a lot of problems. Most of which will never be solved by going to a stupid conference. Max sighed and felt her heart sink as the director announced that the next session would begin shortly. How the hell am I supposed to confess all of my deepest feelings to my partner, when he isn�t even here? Oh well, maybe I can just sit in the back and listen in to everyone else�s deepest feelings. Should provide a laugh or two. Max sat idly near the back of the room listening to the couples who went up on stage, talking things over with their spouse, in front of everyone.
�I figured I�d find you near the back.�
Max didn�t even bother to look at the speaker, but instead, kept watching the latest couple on stage, erupt in a massive argument. �Yeah well, I tend to try to stay innocuous when in large groups.�
�I don�t think anyone could forget someone like you, especially when you�re wearing something as daring as that dress.�
�A girls gotta look good.� Max smiled as yet another couple walked off the stage in a fit of rage. Loosing the smirk on her face, Max continued to talk. �Nice of you to finally show up.�
�Better late than never, right?�
Max finally turned to look the person right in the eye. �Cut the crap Logan. Where the hell have you been?�
Logan never even got the chance to answer.
�Oh, I see that number 358�s spouse has finally decided to join us. Why don�t you two come up now?� The mc of the conference motioned for Max and Logan towards the front of the room.
Logan leaned in to Max so that he could whisper in her ear. �Number 358?�
Max whispered back, while getting up out of her seat, grabbing Logan�s hand, and keeping a fake smile on her face. �You�d understand if you had been here for registration.� Max led Logan to the front of the room, and calmly walked on the stage. She could feel Logan�s hand gripping hers more and more tightly the closer that they got to the front. Oh, poor boy. He�s getting nervous. I�ll show him what nervous really feels like. If he thinks that he can stand me up and get away with it, he�s got another thing coming. Max sat down in the one chair, and Logan sat across from her. Logan gave her a nervous smile as the mc helped them to begin their discussion.
�So, what has brought you two to this conference?�
Without skipping a beat, Max jumped right into her complaints. �Well, my *husband* here, never leaves his computer. All day long, all he does is sit at his computer and work. He never even looks at me when I come into the room when he�s at that darn computer.� Max smiled at Logan as a couple of boo�s echoed throughout the room. �I�m worried that he�s chatting online with another girl since he�s so caught up in his computer. He used to be quite a ladies man a few years ago. Did you know that? Sometimes I think that I could just disappear and he wouldn�t even notice.� Max allowed a few tears to descend her face, so that she could get the audience to play more to her side. Logan looked like he was in shock when she said these words, because they both knew that they held some truth to it.
�Well, now that we�ve heard number 358�s side of the story, let�s hear her husband�s, shall we?�
Logan was flabbergasted and couldn�t get the words out of his mouth. It didn�t help that Max was starting to flirt with the mc. She was up to something, and he couldn�t figure out what. It wasn�t to get him jealous, was it? Can�t be. The only problem is, she�s got the audience on her side. I hate it when she play acts like that. She can make herself turn into such a, well, girl. Oh well, here goes nothing. �Well, my job is really demanding, so it requires a lot of work. But it doesn�t help that every time I want some time alone with my wife, her brothers and sisters always need some kind of help, that she just has to provide, no matter the consequences.� Logan was about to continue, when the mc interrupted him. That�s why Max was flirting with him, she wanted to make sure that he wouldn�t let me talk for very long. I have a bad feeling this is not going to go too well.
�Ah, but sir, family is important to everyone.�
�That�s right Lo.... ah, honey. You know how important my siblings are to me. I can�t believe that you think I worry too much about them!� Max could feel her anger start to rise again, but there was no way in hell she�d have an argument about his in front of everyone. Besides, Lydecker could be out in the audience somewhere, and once he heard this girl say how much all of her siblings meant to her, it could throw up a few warning signals.
The mc chose this moment to break in. �Well, now that the two of you have voiced your concerns about the other, you should be able to talk things through more easily. Come to a compromise. Maybe you, number 358, could try to worry about your family only when your spouse is working, and in return, he will try to work a little less often. Do you think you two could come to some sort of compromise?�
Both Logan and Max looked at each other and smiled. Logan looked at the mc, who was only focusing in on Max. Ok buddy, don�t let your tongue hang out too far. We may be at a marriage counseling conference, but our relationship is stronger than ever. �I think we can come up with something.�
�Huh? Oh, good. Well, as with how we end all of these discussions, the two partners must tell their significant other some good qualities that they possess. It helps to bring the two that much closer together.� The mc turned to Max. �So, number 358. What are the good things about your husband?�
Max turned to look at Logan, and allowed a grin to cross her face. �Well, he writes the most amazing poetry. He let me read one of his poems, which was about me. It was so sweet.�
Logan could feel his face start to burn as the crowd let out an �awe�. I knew this wouldn�t turn out good. She�s going to embarrass me for standing her up this weekend. I deserve this, but I don�t know if I can handle the level of embarrassment she�ll give me. She knows everything I�m uneasy about. The poetry was the big thing. What else can she throw at me?
Max continued to talk. �I�d have to say the best part about him though, are those eyes of his that you can just get lost in, his scruffy beard, and those cute little glasses that make him look all sexy and intellectual.� Max raised an eyebrow to Logan�s and was pleased at the way he was starting to squirm in his seat.
�Well, and your reaction to that?�
Logan was at a loss for words. Max had just told everyone in that room exactly what she thought of him, and it was nothing but good thoughts. �She�s the best girl in the world.� Logan never broke the staring contest that he was having with Max, even as they both stood up. They left the stage, hand-in-hand, and walked back to their seats, listening to the mc as he told the audience that everyone would be able to be as happy together as number 358 and her husband.
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Logan was sitting on the bed, and was pulling off his shirt as he watched Max finish on the phone. The phone had been ringing when the two of them had made it back to the room, and after a great debate, Max had reluctantly answered the phone. As far as he could figure, it was Original Cindy, so Logan knew that he had awhile to himself. He couldn�t believe what Max had said about him in front of everyone at that session. She had fully embarrassed him by mentioning his previous past with women, and his poetry. The parts that attracted her to him, also made him a bit uneasy, but after looking like an idiot for a humiliating five minutes, Max had finally led him off the stage, throwing him a wicked grin in the process. Logan knew that there was and underlying meaning to it. The two of them had managed to sneak out of the session, and had silently decided to come back to the room.
Max was busy talking to Original Cindy, telling her that for sure she would be back at work tomorrow, when some movement caught her eye. She turned to see Logan sitting on the bed, pulling his shirt off. Max�s eyes almost bugged out of her head, and she quickly ended her conversation. As she locked eyes with Logan, Max crossed the distance to the bed, and quickly straddled his legs. Before he could even say anything, she attacked his neck, kissing and sucking at the same time, trying to mark her territory, so to speak, by giving him a hickey that only a genetically enhanced female could ever hope to give. Max pulled back to admire her handiwork, only to see a red spot about the size of her thumb, that was quickly receding.
�So, how did it come out?�
Not too pleased with the outcome of her effort, Max�s reply came out more bitter than she had hoped. �I guess this is one task that Manticore failed to make me the best that I could be at.�
Logan chuckled, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. �It�s ok.� He slowly slid his hands under her shirt, and pulled it over her head, leaving Max with only her undershirt and pants on. He looked deep into her eyes, and then turned his full attention to her neck.
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Logan and Max walked towards the restaurant to get something to eat. They both decided that they had better play it safe, and stick with only meat, because anything else could have been contaminated with the water. Max had on blue jeans and a black turtleneck, that helped to cover the very large bruise that spread across the side of her neck. As she unconsciously put her hand up to the injured area, Logan bent down slightly to give Max a quick peck on the head. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. �Finally I found something other than cooking that I�m better at.�
As they turned into the restaurant, Max looked to Logan and gave him a pout. �Oh sure, kick a girl when she�s down. And don�t think for a second that I�ve forgiven you yet.�
�Maybe we�ll have to have another make-up session after dinner then.�
Max smiled and turned to find a table. When she looked towards the table in the far back corner, which would be perfect for a mid-dinner necking without too many observers, the people that sat there made Max come to a standstill, and made her heart skip a few beats.
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