Dealing
By Callao

Feedback: Please? (DarkAngelGirlie@aol.com)
Rating: R
Summary: Sequel to Glass. Max copes. Includes the last conversation 'tween Max and Logan
that wasn't in Glass.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I do not own them
Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback! Gave me a total happy. Sorry it took so long for this.
Long week, exams and all and I lost the disk this was written on. Found it though :)
* * * * *
Max lay comfortably in Logan's strong arms. The conversation she'd just had with Logan still fresh in her
mind.

"Logan?"

"Yes"

"It all started when I was about 6. We had checks everyday. Lydecker would come in and we all hurry to
stand at the end of our bunks and be perfect for him. His perfect little soldiers. One day during checks, I
had a seizure. I tried to be still and look ahead but I was shaking too much to do it. Lydecker got one of his
soldiers to come over and pick me up. I was terrified. I didn't even know what it was, but I was completely
terrified. The soldier carried me into a part of Manticore I'd never been and threw me in the room. It was
the white room. He walked out and locked the door. I tried, but I couldn't open the door. I back against the
door and watched the door. It felt like days later when Lydecker came in. He had two soldiers with him.
And then he..." Max started to cry.

"You don't have to finish Max."

"No. I have to." She took a deep breath. " He... he raped me. The soldiers did too. Then they sent me back
to training. He threatened to kill me if I told anyone. So I didn't. By the time we escaped, it had happened
around 25 times. I blocked it out of my mind. Then last night I had to deliver a package. These two guys
were there. They... they raped me too. I couldn't fight back. It was like I was someone else watching. I was
so scared." She looked down. " I closed my eyes and when I opened them, the two guys were gone. I was in
the white room with Lydecker and the soldiers all over again. I woke up this morning naked in the living
room. I went home then to work. God. I freaked out in work. I yelled at Original Cindy. I ran out then came
here."

"Are you okay Max?"

"I don't know. Will you stay with me?"

"Always"

They'd been sitting in silence in that position for about an hour. Max stood up and walked into the living
room. Logan followed after her. She was standing by the windows looking out.

"Max?" She continued looking out the window. "Max?"

"Can you go do something? I wanna be alone."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll be in the computer room if you need me." Logan rolled into the computer room, shutting the
door behind him. He turned on the computer and tried to concentrate on his Eyes Only work. His mind kept
wondering back to Max. He'd never seen her like that before. She's always been strong. Never one to cry or
be scared. Logan had seen the terrified little girl inside Max that never had a chance to get out. He sighed
and went back to work. After about an hour, Logan gave up and went to look for Max. He found her
cuddled up on his bed asleep. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and pulled the a blanket over her.
Giving her one last glance, he left the room.

* * * * *

When Max woke up, it was dark outside. She was surrounded by the comforting smell of Logan. She
cuddled further into the blanket, trying to ignore the hunger pain in her stomach. She got up and walked
into the living room. Her body was hurting all over. Logan was watching the news.

"Logan?" Max's soft voice startled him. He turned to her. "I'm kinda hungry..."

"What would you like to eat?"

"Anything's okay."

"Alright." He went into the kitchen and pulled food out of the refrigerator. Max leaned against the
doorway, silently watching him cook. He finished up and carried a plate of food over to her. "I ate earlier.
Hope you don't mind." Max shrugged.

She sat down at the table and slowly ate the food. When she was finished, she went into the living room
and curled up in an armchair. Logan wheeled over beside her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"What happened." Max looked up at him.

"It was nothing. Alright?"

"It wasn't nothing Max. It was something. Something bad. You can't keep it all bottled up inside you. It's
okay to get help.'

"Yes I do. I'm a Manticore soldier." Max replied bitterly. "We don't get help."

"You stopped being a soldier when you escaped, Max. And you don't have to be strong all the time. You're
only human."

"Barely." Max put her face in her hands. "God, Logan. It's so hard."

"I know it's hard. But it'll get easier. You have friends that will help you through. Myself included. Do you
know how much it meant to me earlier when you opened up to me? You are so protective of yourself, so
tough. But you let me in. You told me more than you probably have told anyone. You trusted me. And I
want you to trust me. You mean the world to me."

Max looked up at Logan. "Really?"

"Really. You're my best friend. If I could, I'd go beat the people that hurt you to death. But I can't. I can
help take them down though. But not if you pull away from me. Let me help you. Let your friends help
you." Logan tilted his head to the right and gave Max one of his most adorable smiles. "Please?"

"Alright. Max paused for a minute. "Logan? Did you really mean it? What you just said?"

"Every word of it." Max grinned at him.

* * * * *

Max walked into Crash and looked towards the place her friends usually sat. Original Cindy, Kendra,
Herbal and Sketchy were sitting around the table sipping beers. She took a deep breath and walked over to
them.

"Hey guys." The four at the table turned to her.

"Max? Are you okay Boo? Why'd you run away? Where'd you go?" The two females shot questions at
Max.

"I'm okay. I'm kinda going through something right now. And I went to Logan's."

"Oh my God! You're pregnant, aren't you?" Kendra's eyes grew wide.

"Hell, no!" Max answered quickly. "Chill. This is serious."

"Well go on wit' it my sister!" Herbal exclaimed. Max glared at him.

"Okay. Yesterday, in the run I had last, something happened." She took another deep breath and looked
down, speaking quietly. "I was raped." All four gasped.

"Oh Max, I-" Max cut Original Cindy off with her raised hand.

"I kinda freaked. It brought back a whole lot of bad memories that I didn't want. It wasn't the fist time I've
been ra… It happened when I was little a lot. I went to a military school until I was 9 and ran away. The
man who ran it and some of the soldiers did it to me around 25 times." Max looked up at her friends. They
had shocked looks on their faces.

"Are you alright? I mean…" Sketchy said.

"Yeah. I'm okay… or I will be. I wasn't going to tell you guys but I got a lecture from Logan about some
stuff and some of it actually made sense. Like the part when I can trust y'all." Max stood there for a few
minutes. No one talked. "Well, I'll just go home now. See ya later."

"No!" Kendra exclaimed.

"No?" Max asked amused.

"Not by yourself. I'll go with you."

"I'm a big girl. I can make it home by myself."

"Well I'm still going with you."

"A'ight then." Kendra grabbed her coat and followed Max out.

* * * * *

"Listen, I know you're all concerned but you're killing me with kindness here." After Max told her friends
about the rape, they wouldn't let her go anywhere by herself. "It's just work. I can deal."

"Don't care. If you go to work, then we'll follow you on your runs." Max sighed. Original Cindy would not
back down.

"Fine." Max walked in to Jam Pony X-press with Original Cindy trailing closely behind.

"Max! Where the fire truck have you been?" Normal demanded as soon as they walked in.

"Out."

"That's no excuse! You are this close to getting fired!" Max shrugged. "You won't be shrugging it off
when you're living on the street Missy!"

Max turned and saw Original Cindy open her mouth to yell at Normal. "Chill. It's okay."

"Max. Run to 10th and Washington. Now." She grabbed the package and walked to her bike. Original
Cindy followed.

"Where are you going now Cindy?"

"With Max."

"No you're not. You're staying here."

"Nope. Original Cindy ain't takin' this…" She started yelling at the clearly confused Normal. Max looked
at them and shook her head. She left to deliver the package.

* * * * *
I had total writer's block about the ending so… Feedback please?