Author's note: This is an independent fic with potential spoilers of every episode to date (HASB). The title inspired by a scene from an episode of FULL HOUSE where the twins sang to their mom: "What day is today? Today is Mother's Day!" As always, the characters are not mine, I just borrow them. Any song lyrics probably are not mine either; they're borrowed too. Thanks, as always, to my incredible beta-boos, LadyCallie and Evil Twin. Happy Mother's Day everyone! (I realize it was yesterday, but I wrote this yesterday)
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It was May in Seattle. As Max rode her baby through the streets, she looked around at the signs of spring and wondered if springs post-pulse were the same as pre-pulse springs. She had read, somewhere, that signs of spring used to include new flowers, buds on trees, and the appearance of birds. Max couldn't remember the last time she saw a bird in Seattle. The hoverdrones scared most of them away, and those that weren't scared off were deterred by the lack of food; most birds didn't take kindly to rotting, decrepit food in dumpsters. And those birds that did knew to stay away because they would be fought tooth and beak by the starving humans for the scraps of spoiled food.
Max knew she was lucky. She had a job, unlike many people in post-Pulse America. She had a roof over her head, even if it was in a ramshackle building; a roof and walls were a roof and walls, period. She had friends and a place to hang. And she had food to eat. Especially when she went to Logan's. He always made her lunch, dinner, or at the very least a snack. For a while, she had suspected he only gave her food to placate her into running Eyes Only errands for him. But lately, she had realized he gave her food because he liked to, because he liked her. He looked forward to their meals as much as she did.
As much as she was today. Original Cindy was off with her latest lickety boo, and Kendra had been MIA since she started playing house with Walter. Herbal and Sketchy were probably at Crash, but after a week with the Rastafarian and the Moron, Max felt she needed a break. Bored, she had hopped on her bike and was heading for Foggle Towers, hoping to spend the day with Logan. She wondered if she could convince him for a day of cooking and chess. Maybe some good old fashion verbal banter. And, if she played her cards right, Max was planning on getting Logan to show her more of his poetry. Especially the ones he had written about her.
Max hid her bike in the bushes on the far side of the Towers, like she usually did, using some scrap metal to make a makeshift boot to deter any would-be thieves (the irony did on escape her). Then she entered the apartment building and rode the elevator up to the penthouse floor. Instead of breaking in, Max decided to knock. She smiled, anticipating Logan to open the door. To her surprise, she was greeted by Bling.
"Hey Max," he said, smiling.
"Hi," she said, slightly surprise. She ducked past him into the apartment, asking, "Is Logan around?" She began searching for him, heading first for the office.
Bling followed her in. "Actually," he began as she took off for the living room. "Logan's not here right now." He followed Max into the kitchen. "Max!" Bling hollered, getting her attention. She whirled around, looking at him puzzled. The physical therapist smiled, "Did you hear me? I said 'Logan's not here right now.'"
Max frowned and grabbed an apple off the counter. "Where is he?" she asked, taking a bite.
Bling shrugged, "Dunno. He just said he had to run a few errands and didn't know when he was going to be back."
Max raised a brow, "The last time this happened, he was off getting his legs worked on by the bride of Mengele." She hopped up on the counter. "Are you sure you don't know where he is?"
Bling shook his head, "Honest."
Max tossed him an apple and jumped down, exiting the kitchen. She stalked around the apartment, inspecting each room. Bling followed her curiously, eating his apple. "Now what are you looking for?"
She turned to face him, "Nothing is missing, so he couldn't have gone to pawn or sell something to get money." She returned to the kitchen and opened his fridge. She inspected its contents then began rummaging through his cupboards. "He's got plenty of food, so he couldn't have gone to the grocer." She stared at Bling, "You honestly don't know where he went?"
Bling shook his head.
"Is he tight on money? He didn't go to Margo to get a loan, did he? She probably doesn't have any money either, you know. Why didn't he just tell me? I could have swiped and fenced something for him. I-"
"Max!" Bling said, cutting her off mid-tirade. "It's not about the money."
Max smiled and threw away her apple core, "I know." She chuckled as Bling grimaced, realizing he had slipped up. "I figured you knew where he was."
Bling sighed.
Max approached him, '"Why doesn't he want me to know where he is?"
Bling's eyes were sad and Max grew alarmed. He took her hand and led her into Logan's bedroom. Sitting her on the edge of the bed, Bling began rummaging into Logan's closet. He found a shoebox and held it up for Max to see. "Do you know what today is?" he asked quietly, sitting beside her on the bed.
Max shook her head, "The second Sunday in May. So what?"
Bling smiles slightly, "Max, it's Mother's Day."
"Huh?" Max was confused. She had never heard of that particular day. "It's what?"
He smiled, "Mother's Day. It was a big holiday before the Pulse where people got their mothers or the mother figures in their lives flowers, cards, and gifts as a sign of appreciation and love. It's not quite as celebrated now as it was then, but those who remember it still try to keep up the tradition."
Max frowned, "I don't get it. What does that have to do with Logan?"
Bling slowly opened the box and pulled out a small, gold and silver photo album. "Has Logan ever talked to you about his family?"
She frowned again, "You mean like Jonas and Margo and all them?"
He shook his head, "No I mean like his parents."
Max took in a sharp breath, "No," she said quietly. "All I know is his really values his mother's locket and his father was 'one of those manly men who thought introspection meant you were weak.'"
Bling chuckled, "When I first started working with Logan, he wouldn't talk. I tried everything, but he was pretty despondent." Bling saw Max blanche at the word 'despondent' and wondered why. Nevertheless, he continued on with his story, "Eventually, I got him to talk about his parents. I talked about mine and waited for him to return information."
"What'd you find out?" Max asked, edging closer to Bling, clearly intrigued.
"Well, like you can probably infer from what little you know about his father, Logan did not have a very close relationship with the man. He was quite similar to his brother Jonas," Bling said, speaking with quiet respect, as both Cale brothers were dead.
"What about his mom?" Max asked.
Bling smiled, "It's hard to get him going about her, but once you do, he can convince you she hung the stars and the moon."
Max smiled at that, "So I'm thinking he had a better relationship with her."
Bling nodded and held up the photo album. "This was hers. I've seen him looking at it when he doesn't know, or forgets, that I'm here. It's full of her favorite pictures, from what little glances I've seen. Like wedding pictures and vacation pictures and pictures from Logan's childhood."
Max grinned at the thought of Logan as a toddler or awkward teenager. She reached out and gently touched the cover of the album. "Put it back," she said softly. Bling nodded and rose to return the shoebox to its rightful hiding place.
"It hit him hard when she died," Bling said from inside the closet.
His words hit Max like a ton of bricks and she suddenly realized where Logan was. "Where is she buried?" Max asked, rising to her feet.
Bling extracted himself from the closet and said, "Max, just let him be today. He wants to be alone."
"He's been alone too much," Max said, rather forcefully. She saw the surprise in Bling's eyes at her outburst and she sank back onto the edge of the bed. Bling came and sat beside her.
"Max, what's wrong?" he asked gently.
She blinked back tears, "Remember when Mrs. Moreno got taken to the hospital?"
Bling nodded, "Uh huh, right about the time he tried that therapy to get his legs working again."
Max nodded, "Yeah. But when Dr. Vertes was killed, he slipped into a depression. I went to dump his files and read his Psych profile. She said he was despondent and suicidal. I came racing back here, but the place was empty." Max gulped, fighting the lump of sadness in her throat. "I found a loaded gun sitting on his desk. Then he came back, from Mrs. Moreno's. He knew I knew. I was so glad I threw my arms around him." She was nearly crying now. "I was so scared Bling! If Mrs. Moreno hadn't fallen and her sink hadn't over flowed, I probably would have found Logan dead on the floor, bleeding from the head." She closed her eyes and wept.
Bling was shocked. He wrapped his arm around Max's shoulders and whispered, "He never told me. I never knew."
"He hid it well," Max said, sniffing. "But he's still having these despondent moments. He's very withdrawn sometimes. Says he has a lot on his mind. I don't want to lose him Bling. I can't."
Bling rubbed her arm soothingly. He thought about it and said softly, "She's buried in the Cale family plot in the Elysian Field Catholic Cemetery over in the old Mansion district."
Max pulled away, her eyes full of gratitude and surprise.
"I don't think he should be alone today either," Bling said. "Go to him Max."
"Thanks Bling!" Max said as she jumped up off the bed and ran out of the apartment. Instead of waiting for the elevator, she sprinted down the stairs and hopped on her bike, gunning it across the city.
As she drove, she thought about the concept of Mother's Day. She'd never had a mother. Not really. Manticore had taken that away from her. She knew her mother had loved her, Hannah had told her so. But other than that, Max knew nothing about the woman who had born her. If she was still alive, if she had delivered other children, what she was like, what she looked like. Max wondered what it would have been like to grow up with a mother.
But at the same time, part of her was glad she hadn't known her mother. She couldn't imagine the grief Logan went through when she died. Or the guilt he was going through now. Especially on a day that was to remember and honor mothers. Who had heard of such a thing? Max guessed it was good in a way, but not for the people who didn't have mothers, or had lost them.
Max walked her bike the last block to the cemetery. She walked it through the gates and up the hill before stopping to sniff the air for Logan's cologne. Her heightened sense discerned it almost immediately and she walked in that direction. Pausing behind a tree, Max stopped, watching Logan sit by his parents' grave, eyes closed, head bowed in silent prayer. Or maybe he was talking to them in his head. Max was tempted to make her presence known, but when Logan opened his mouth to speak, Max remained hidden.
"Happy Mother's Day, Mom," he said, placing a beautiful and elaborate bouquet of flowers on the ground in front of the headstone. "I miss you." He looked at his father's name. "I miss you too, you stubborn bastard." He chuckled, then immediately looked sad again. His eyes lifted to the sky, "I know you two are up there somewhere, watching over me, eating Chicken a la Cale and laughing at the stupid things I do. I'm sorry if I scared you Mom, getting shot and everything. I didn't plan on it. I'm better about it. It took me along time to be okay with it. I'm sure you know, that I-" Logan stopped. "It was so hard Mom. I didn't know if I could take it. I wish you could have been here to help me. I needed you so much." Tears fell from his eyes and he bowed his head again.
"But I had people to help me. Bling, my physical therapist. He always threaten to kick my skinny white ass if I get to down on myself." Logan and Max both smiled at that. "Seb's been a great help too. Remember him, Mom? From college? Now I guess I have an inkling of what his life has been like." Logan paused and licked his lips. "I've had other help too, Mom. Her name is Max. I wish you could meet her. You'd love her."
Max's ears pricked up and she listened even more closely. She wanted to know what Logan was going to tell his mother about her.
"She's not like any other woman I've ever met," Logan continued. "She's definitely not like Valerie. Max would never hurt me or use me like Valerie did. Max has saved my life so many times Mom. I don't know where I'd be without her." Logan stopped. "Yes I do. I'd be dead. I would have never made it out of the hospital the first time. Or if I had, I probably would have killed myself long before that thing with the Manticore doctor. Max is the only thing that keeps me going Mom. She's so beautiful. She's smart and funny and kind. She has her secrets, but she doesn't hide from me. Not as much as I hide from her."
"I'm scared Mom. I'm scared of getting hurt again. I know Max won't hurt me, but I'm still scared. I don't want to lose her. I couldn't handle losing another woman I love."
His words made Max's heart skip a beat.
"I've truly loved three women in my life. I lost one to a bottle. I lost you. I can't bear the thought of losing another. Not to a seizure, not to another man, not to some whacko with a gun looking to put her in a cage, not to anyone. I try to protect her, as best I can." Logan gulped back his tears and wiped his damp cheeks. "I want to tell her about you. I want to bring her here. I honestly wish you were still alive so you could meet her. She's wonderful Mom."
He kissed his fingertips and brushed them lightly across the stone, "I promise to come more often, Mom. Maybe I'll even come back on Father's Day for you, Old Man." He adjusted the buttons on his coat. "Maybe I'll bring Max with me."
"I'd like that," Max said, stepping out from the shadows.
Logan looked up, shocked. He sighed. "I told Bling not to tell you where I was."
Max tried to smile, despite the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, "He held up well. You know us genetically enhanced killing machines. Vee haaf vays auf makeeng zim taulk."
Logan chuckled, somewhat bitterly. "How much of that did you hear?"
"All of it," Max said sheepishly. "I didn't meant to eavesdrop Logan, really I didn't. I was just..."
"You were just what, Max?" Logan ventured when she trailed off.
Max lifted her head, allowing Logan to see the tears in her eyes. "I was worried about you," she confessed. "I didn't want you to have to go through Mother's Day alone."
Her words went straight to Logan's core and he was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears filled his eyes too. He looked at his parents' grave. "I miss her Max," he said, like a broken little boy.
"I know," Max said quietly, stepping towards him. Her heart broke to see him weep at his mother's graveside. She wanted to hold him, but decided that kneeling was far too uncomfortable. Gingerly, Max took Logan's hands in hers and moved them out of her way. He watched her in awe as she sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened slightly, in surprised, his body rigid in her arms. "It's okay, Logan," she whispered, running her fingers up and down his neck soothingly. "You can let it out if you want to."
Hearing Max's words all Logan's barriers broke down. All the emotional walls he had built up crumbled and he began to weep. He wept for his paralysis, he wept for his dead parents, he wept for his divorced wife and dead uncle, and he wept for the woman who had her arms around him, who was rocking him and murmuring to him and kissing his forehead as though he were a frightened child. He held her tightly and wept against her shoulder, taking comfort in her embrace.
Max wept silently with him, weeping for her own mother, and for the woman's absence in her life. She wept for Logan's loss and for his pain, which she could feel acutely as if it were her own. "I'm here Logan, you're not going to lose me, I promise," Max murmured into his hair. She took a deep breath and felt a knot form in her stomach. "I love you too, Logan," she said bravely, her voice shaky from nervousness and tears.
Logan pulled back, his tearful, red-rimmed eyes shining with hope and fear. "Do you mean it?" he asked.
She nodded, "I've wanted to say it for so long, but I was scared too."
Overwhelmed, Logan took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly, sweetly, his lips soft and full of quiet promise. She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close to her. She needed to feel him as much as he needed to feel her. They kissed for a long while, breaking only when Logan needed oxygen. She held his face, wiping away his tears with her thumbs. She kissed his damp eyes and he pulled her to his chest. She snuggled up in his lap, comfortable and at peace in his arms. She listened to his heartbeat and he inhaled the scent of her hair.
"Thanks Mom," Logan thought as he held the love of his life in his arms. "Happy Mother's Day."
~~Five Years Later~~
It was once again the second Sunday in May. The sun was shining brightly and the birds chirped in the trees. The world was returning to the way it had once been and everything felt full of wonderful possibilities. Logan and Max walked towards the Cale family plot, carrying a wreath of flowers to play on Logan's mother's grave. They walked arm in arm, smiling, completely in love. Max rested her head on Logan's shoulder as they walked, feeling content on the lovely spring day.
Suddenly, she felt a tug at her sleeve. "Mommy! Mommy!" a little voice called. Max and Logan stopped and she looked down, smiling at the little girl she had by the hand. Rochelle Alana Cale looked up at her parents, her dark hair flowing in the wind, her almond shaped blue eyes full of questions.
"Yes baby?" Max said, scooping her daughter up in her arms.
"Where are we going?" the three and a half year old asked.
Logan handed Max the flowers and took his daughter in his arms, carrying the dainty child with ease. He was glad he was walking, thanks to the exoskeleton, and didn't have to cart her around in the wheelchair. Even though he did, from time to time, as a game. It made her laugh and helped him look at his paralysis with less derision. "We're taking you to meet Grandma, little one," he said gently, wondering if his daughter would be able to grasp the concept of life and death.
"She lives here?" Shella asked.
"Yes sweetie," Max said. "Your Grandma died long before you were born, and she came here to rest."
The child pondered it and said thoughtfully, "She can see us right?"
Logan smiled and kissed his daughter's cheek, "Yes, baby, she can, and she loves us very much." He should have known his daughter, who was half genetically enhanced, and was already showing signs of accelerated development, would understand the concept of life and death.
"Can I tell her about Zach?" Shella asked excitedly.
"Yes baby," Max laughed, thinking about the puppy Logan had bought their daughter for her third birthday. He had been highly amused when their daughter wanted to name it after her Uncle Zach. Zach, on the other hand, was not amused.
"Okay," the baby said, wrapping her arms around her father's neck and burrowing against his shoulder, feeling safe and happy. Max held the wreath in one hand and wrapped her other arm around her husband's waist. It was easy to find his mother's grave. The bouquet he had brought five years ago had taken root, and bloomed year after year. They approached the grave and Logan set his daughter down. She ran for it and began talking excitedly to her grandmother as though the woman was right in front of her.
Max and Logan stood back and watched, smiling. "Happy Mother's Day, Mom," Logan said softly. Max kissed his palm and nuzzled into it. Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He handed it to Max and said, "Happy Mother's Day, Max."
His wife gasped and opened the box. Inside was Logan's mother's locket, the one Max had stolen back from Margo all those years ago. "It's beautiful," Max said.
"Open it, " Logan encouraged.
Max pried it open and saw two tiny pictures inside. One was of Logan and his parents when he was a small child. The other was of Logan and Shella. Max had taken it during a recent vacation to the cabin, but had been unable to find the film once they returned. "Logan, I love it, thank you!" she said, flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him.
"Happy Mother's Day Mommy!" Rochelle cried, having stopped chatting to her grandmother long enough to watch her father give her mother a present. Then, Shella turned back to the grave and began talking again. She smiled at the woman she saw sitting on the headstone. The ghost of Logan's mother smiled kindly at her granddaughter and whispered something to her.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Shella cried.
Max and Logan ran over, thinking their daughter was hurt. They knelt at her side. "What's wrong, little one?" Logan asked.
Shella smiled, "Nothing's wrong, Daddy. Grandma told me to tell you I was going to have a little brother."
Logan and Max gasped, shocked. "Sweetie," Max said. "Your Grandma told you I was going to have another baby?"
Shella nodded.
"How, baby?" Logan asked. "She's not here."
"She was a minute ago," their daughter protested. "But she had to go back to Grandpa. She said he was going to complain she'd been away from Heaven so long."
Max and Logan exchanged looks. "Max," Logan said. "Is she right? Are you pregnant?"
Max nodded, "I found out only yesterday. I was going to wait until the nibblit had gone to bed to tell you." Her eyes were full of surprise and wonder.
Logan yelped and picked Max up in the air. He spun her around happily. Rochelle laughed. "I told you so, Daddy."
Logan set Max down, resting his chin on her head, "Yes little one, you did."
"Grandma told me," she insisted.
Max and Logan once again exchanged looks. "What do you think?" Logan asked.
Max shrugged, resting her hand on her stomach, "I think anything's possible. I mean, who'da thunk a chimera and bored rich liberal white guy would get married and have a beautiful daughter and a beautiful baby on the way and be as happy as we are?"
Logan chuckled, "This is true." He turned to their daughter and picked her up in his arms. "Tell Grandma thank you for us, sweetie."
Rochelle took a big breath and bellowed, "Thank you Grandma!" Other people nearby turned and scowled at her, but Max and Logan merely smiled. Moments later, the girl started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Max asked.
"Grandma says that since you named me after her, if you have a baby boy you have to name it after Grandpa."
Logan chuckled, "Okay Old Man, we'll think about it."
"Time to go home," Max announced. "Daddy's going to make us a special Mother's Day lunch."
Logan chuckled and wrapped his arm securely around his wife, walking his family back towards his car. As they drove home, their daughter snoozing in the back seat, Max smiling and looking contentedly out the window, Logan thought, "Thanks Mom, for everything. Happy Mother's Day."
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It was May in Seattle. As Max rode her baby through the streets, she looked around at the signs of spring and wondered if springs post-pulse were the same as pre-pulse springs. She had read, somewhere, that signs of spring used to include new flowers, buds on trees, and the appearance of birds. Max couldn't remember the last time she saw a bird in Seattle. The hoverdrones scared most of them away, and those that weren't scared off were deterred by the lack of food; most birds didn't take kindly to rotting, decrepit food in dumpsters. And those birds that did knew to stay away because they would be fought tooth and beak by the starving humans for the scraps of spoiled food.
Max knew she was lucky. She had a job, unlike many people in post-Pulse America. She had a roof over her head, even if it was in a ramshackle building; a roof and walls were a roof and walls, period. She had friends and a place to hang. And she had food to eat. Especially when she went to Logan's. He always made her lunch, dinner, or at the very least a snack. For a while, she had suspected he only gave her food to placate her into running Eyes Only errands for him. But lately, she had realized he gave her food because he liked to, because he liked her. He looked forward to their meals as much as she did.
As much as she was today. Original Cindy was off with her latest lickety boo, and Kendra had been MIA since she started playing house with Walter. Herbal and Sketchy were probably at Crash, but after a week with the Rastafarian and the Moron, Max felt she needed a break. Bored, she had hopped on her bike and was heading for Foggle Towers, hoping to spend the day with Logan. She wondered if she could convince him for a day of cooking and chess. Maybe some good old fashion verbal banter. And, if she played her cards right, Max was planning on getting Logan to show her more of his poetry. Especially the ones he had written about her.
Max hid her bike in the bushes on the far side of the Towers, like she usually did, using some scrap metal to make a makeshift boot to deter any would-be thieves (the irony did on escape her). Then she entered the apartment building and rode the elevator up to the penthouse floor. Instead of breaking in, Max decided to knock. She smiled, anticipating Logan to open the door. To her surprise, she was greeted by Bling.
"Hey Max," he said, smiling.
"Hi," she said, slightly surprise. She ducked past him into the apartment, asking, "Is Logan around?" She began searching for him, heading first for the office.
Bling followed her in. "Actually," he began as she took off for the living room. "Logan's not here right now." He followed Max into the kitchen. "Max!" Bling hollered, getting her attention. She whirled around, looking at him puzzled. The physical therapist smiled, "Did you hear me? I said 'Logan's not here right now.'"
Max frowned and grabbed an apple off the counter. "Where is he?" she asked, taking a bite.
Bling shrugged, "Dunno. He just said he had to run a few errands and didn't know when he was going to be back."
Max raised a brow, "The last time this happened, he was off getting his legs worked on by the bride of Mengele." She hopped up on the counter. "Are you sure you don't know where he is?"
Bling shook his head, "Honest."
Max tossed him an apple and jumped down, exiting the kitchen. She stalked around the apartment, inspecting each room. Bling followed her curiously, eating his apple. "Now what are you looking for?"
She turned to face him, "Nothing is missing, so he couldn't have gone to pawn or sell something to get money." She returned to the kitchen and opened his fridge. She inspected its contents then began rummaging through his cupboards. "He's got plenty of food, so he couldn't have gone to the grocer." She stared at Bling, "You honestly don't know where he went?"
Bling shook his head.
"Is he tight on money? He didn't go to Margo to get a loan, did he? She probably doesn't have any money either, you know. Why didn't he just tell me? I could have swiped and fenced something for him. I-"
"Max!" Bling said, cutting her off mid-tirade. "It's not about the money."
Max smiled and threw away her apple core, "I know." She chuckled as Bling grimaced, realizing he had slipped up. "I figured you knew where he was."
Bling sighed.
Max approached him, '"Why doesn't he want me to know where he is?"
Bling's eyes were sad and Max grew alarmed. He took her hand and led her into Logan's bedroom. Sitting her on the edge of the bed, Bling began rummaging into Logan's closet. He found a shoebox and held it up for Max to see. "Do you know what today is?" he asked quietly, sitting beside her on the bed.
Max shook her head, "The second Sunday in May. So what?"
Bling smiles slightly, "Max, it's Mother's Day."
"Huh?" Max was confused. She had never heard of that particular day. "It's what?"
He smiled, "Mother's Day. It was a big holiday before the Pulse where people got their mothers or the mother figures in their lives flowers, cards, and gifts as a sign of appreciation and love. It's not quite as celebrated now as it was then, but those who remember it still try to keep up the tradition."
Max frowned, "I don't get it. What does that have to do with Logan?"
Bling slowly opened the box and pulled out a small, gold and silver photo album. "Has Logan ever talked to you about his family?"
She frowned again, "You mean like Jonas and Margo and all them?"
He shook his head, "No I mean like his parents."
Max took in a sharp breath, "No," she said quietly. "All I know is his really values his mother's locket and his father was 'one of those manly men who thought introspection meant you were weak.'"
Bling chuckled, "When I first started working with Logan, he wouldn't talk. I tried everything, but he was pretty despondent." Bling saw Max blanche at the word 'despondent' and wondered why. Nevertheless, he continued on with his story, "Eventually, I got him to talk about his parents. I talked about mine and waited for him to return information."
"What'd you find out?" Max asked, edging closer to Bling, clearly intrigued.
"Well, like you can probably infer from what little you know about his father, Logan did not have a very close relationship with the man. He was quite similar to his brother Jonas," Bling said, speaking with quiet respect, as both Cale brothers were dead.
"What about his mom?" Max asked.
Bling smiled, "It's hard to get him going about her, but once you do, he can convince you she hung the stars and the moon."
Max smiled at that, "So I'm thinking he had a better relationship with her."
Bling nodded and held up the photo album. "This was hers. I've seen him looking at it when he doesn't know, or forgets, that I'm here. It's full of her favorite pictures, from what little glances I've seen. Like wedding pictures and vacation pictures and pictures from Logan's childhood."
Max grinned at the thought of Logan as a toddler or awkward teenager. She reached out and gently touched the cover of the album. "Put it back," she said softly. Bling nodded and rose to return the shoebox to its rightful hiding place.
"It hit him hard when she died," Bling said from inside the closet.
His words hit Max like a ton of bricks and she suddenly realized where Logan was. "Where is she buried?" Max asked, rising to her feet.
Bling extracted himself from the closet and said, "Max, just let him be today. He wants to be alone."
"He's been alone too much," Max said, rather forcefully. She saw the surprise in Bling's eyes at her outburst and she sank back onto the edge of the bed. Bling came and sat beside her.
"Max, what's wrong?" he asked gently.
She blinked back tears, "Remember when Mrs. Moreno got taken to the hospital?"
Bling nodded, "Uh huh, right about the time he tried that therapy to get his legs working again."
Max nodded, "Yeah. But when Dr. Vertes was killed, he slipped into a depression. I went to dump his files and read his Psych profile. She said he was despondent and suicidal. I came racing back here, but the place was empty." Max gulped, fighting the lump of sadness in her throat. "I found a loaded gun sitting on his desk. Then he came back, from Mrs. Moreno's. He knew I knew. I was so glad I threw my arms around him." She was nearly crying now. "I was so scared Bling! If Mrs. Moreno hadn't fallen and her sink hadn't over flowed, I probably would have found Logan dead on the floor, bleeding from the head." She closed her eyes and wept.
Bling was shocked. He wrapped his arm around Max's shoulders and whispered, "He never told me. I never knew."
"He hid it well," Max said, sniffing. "But he's still having these despondent moments. He's very withdrawn sometimes. Says he has a lot on his mind. I don't want to lose him Bling. I can't."
Bling rubbed her arm soothingly. He thought about it and said softly, "She's buried in the Cale family plot in the Elysian Field Catholic Cemetery over in the old Mansion district."
Max pulled away, her eyes full of gratitude and surprise.
"I don't think he should be alone today either," Bling said. "Go to him Max."
"Thanks Bling!" Max said as she jumped up off the bed and ran out of the apartment. Instead of waiting for the elevator, she sprinted down the stairs and hopped on her bike, gunning it across the city.
As she drove, she thought about the concept of Mother's Day. She'd never had a mother. Not really. Manticore had taken that away from her. She knew her mother had loved her, Hannah had told her so. But other than that, Max knew nothing about the woman who had born her. If she was still alive, if she had delivered other children, what she was like, what she looked like. Max wondered what it would have been like to grow up with a mother.
But at the same time, part of her was glad she hadn't known her mother. She couldn't imagine the grief Logan went through when she died. Or the guilt he was going through now. Especially on a day that was to remember and honor mothers. Who had heard of such a thing? Max guessed it was good in a way, but not for the people who didn't have mothers, or had lost them.
Max walked her bike the last block to the cemetery. She walked it through the gates and up the hill before stopping to sniff the air for Logan's cologne. Her heightened sense discerned it almost immediately and she walked in that direction. Pausing behind a tree, Max stopped, watching Logan sit by his parents' grave, eyes closed, head bowed in silent prayer. Or maybe he was talking to them in his head. Max was tempted to make her presence known, but when Logan opened his mouth to speak, Max remained hidden.
"Happy Mother's Day, Mom," he said, placing a beautiful and elaborate bouquet of flowers on the ground in front of the headstone. "I miss you." He looked at his father's name. "I miss you too, you stubborn bastard." He chuckled, then immediately looked sad again. His eyes lifted to the sky, "I know you two are up there somewhere, watching over me, eating Chicken a la Cale and laughing at the stupid things I do. I'm sorry if I scared you Mom, getting shot and everything. I didn't plan on it. I'm better about it. It took me along time to be okay with it. I'm sure you know, that I-" Logan stopped. "It was so hard Mom. I didn't know if I could take it. I wish you could have been here to help me. I needed you so much." Tears fell from his eyes and he bowed his head again.
"But I had people to help me. Bling, my physical therapist. He always threaten to kick my skinny white ass if I get to down on myself." Logan and Max both smiled at that. "Seb's been a great help too. Remember him, Mom? From college? Now I guess I have an inkling of what his life has been like." Logan paused and licked his lips. "I've had other help too, Mom. Her name is Max. I wish you could meet her. You'd love her."
Max's ears pricked up and she listened even more closely. She wanted to know what Logan was going to tell his mother about her.
"She's not like any other woman I've ever met," Logan continued. "She's definitely not like Valerie. Max would never hurt me or use me like Valerie did. Max has saved my life so many times Mom. I don't know where I'd be without her." Logan stopped. "Yes I do. I'd be dead. I would have never made it out of the hospital the first time. Or if I had, I probably would have killed myself long before that thing with the Manticore doctor. Max is the only thing that keeps me going Mom. She's so beautiful. She's smart and funny and kind. She has her secrets, but she doesn't hide from me. Not as much as I hide from her."
"I'm scared Mom. I'm scared of getting hurt again. I know Max won't hurt me, but I'm still scared. I don't want to lose her. I couldn't handle losing another woman I love."
His words made Max's heart skip a beat.
"I've truly loved three women in my life. I lost one to a bottle. I lost you. I can't bear the thought of losing another. Not to a seizure, not to another man, not to some whacko with a gun looking to put her in a cage, not to anyone. I try to protect her, as best I can." Logan gulped back his tears and wiped his damp cheeks. "I want to tell her about you. I want to bring her here. I honestly wish you were still alive so you could meet her. She's wonderful Mom."
He kissed his fingertips and brushed them lightly across the stone, "I promise to come more often, Mom. Maybe I'll even come back on Father's Day for you, Old Man." He adjusted the buttons on his coat. "Maybe I'll bring Max with me."
"I'd like that," Max said, stepping out from the shadows.
Logan looked up, shocked. He sighed. "I told Bling not to tell you where I was."
Max tried to smile, despite the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, "He held up well. You know us genetically enhanced killing machines. Vee haaf vays auf makeeng zim taulk."
Logan chuckled, somewhat bitterly. "How much of that did you hear?"
"All of it," Max said sheepishly. "I didn't meant to eavesdrop Logan, really I didn't. I was just..."
"You were just what, Max?" Logan ventured when she trailed off.
Max lifted her head, allowing Logan to see the tears in her eyes. "I was worried about you," she confessed. "I didn't want you to have to go through Mother's Day alone."
Her words went straight to Logan's core and he was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears filled his eyes too. He looked at his parents' grave. "I miss her Max," he said, like a broken little boy.
"I know," Max said quietly, stepping towards him. Her heart broke to see him weep at his mother's graveside. She wanted to hold him, but decided that kneeling was far too uncomfortable. Gingerly, Max took Logan's hands in hers and moved them out of her way. He watched her in awe as she sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened slightly, in surprised, his body rigid in her arms. "It's okay, Logan," she whispered, running her fingers up and down his neck soothingly. "You can let it out if you want to."
Hearing Max's words all Logan's barriers broke down. All the emotional walls he had built up crumbled and he began to weep. He wept for his paralysis, he wept for his dead parents, he wept for his divorced wife and dead uncle, and he wept for the woman who had her arms around him, who was rocking him and murmuring to him and kissing his forehead as though he were a frightened child. He held her tightly and wept against her shoulder, taking comfort in her embrace.
Max wept silently with him, weeping for her own mother, and for the woman's absence in her life. She wept for Logan's loss and for his pain, which she could feel acutely as if it were her own. "I'm here Logan, you're not going to lose me, I promise," Max murmured into his hair. She took a deep breath and felt a knot form in her stomach. "I love you too, Logan," she said bravely, her voice shaky from nervousness and tears.
Logan pulled back, his tearful, red-rimmed eyes shining with hope and fear. "Do you mean it?" he asked.
She nodded, "I've wanted to say it for so long, but I was scared too."
Overwhelmed, Logan took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly, sweetly, his lips soft and full of quiet promise. She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close to her. She needed to feel him as much as he needed to feel her. They kissed for a long while, breaking only when Logan needed oxygen. She held his face, wiping away his tears with her thumbs. She kissed his damp eyes and he pulled her to his chest. She snuggled up in his lap, comfortable and at peace in his arms. She listened to his heartbeat and he inhaled the scent of her hair.
"Thanks Mom," Logan thought as he held the love of his life in his arms. "Happy Mother's Day."
~~Five Years Later~~
It was once again the second Sunday in May. The sun was shining brightly and the birds chirped in the trees. The world was returning to the way it had once been and everything felt full of wonderful possibilities. Logan and Max walked towards the Cale family plot, carrying a wreath of flowers to play on Logan's mother's grave. They walked arm in arm, smiling, completely in love. Max rested her head on Logan's shoulder as they walked, feeling content on the lovely spring day.
Suddenly, she felt a tug at her sleeve. "Mommy! Mommy!" a little voice called. Max and Logan stopped and she looked down, smiling at the little girl she had by the hand. Rochelle Alana Cale looked up at her parents, her dark hair flowing in the wind, her almond shaped blue eyes full of questions.
"Yes baby?" Max said, scooping her daughter up in her arms.
"Where are we going?" the three and a half year old asked.
Logan handed Max the flowers and took his daughter in his arms, carrying the dainty child with ease. He was glad he was walking, thanks to the exoskeleton, and didn't have to cart her around in the wheelchair. Even though he did, from time to time, as a game. It made her laugh and helped him look at his paralysis with less derision. "We're taking you to meet Grandma, little one," he said gently, wondering if his daughter would be able to grasp the concept of life and death.
"She lives here?" Shella asked.
"Yes sweetie," Max said. "Your Grandma died long before you were born, and she came here to rest."
The child pondered it and said thoughtfully, "She can see us right?"
Logan smiled and kissed his daughter's cheek, "Yes, baby, she can, and she loves us very much." He should have known his daughter, who was half genetically enhanced, and was already showing signs of accelerated development, would understand the concept of life and death.
"Can I tell her about Zach?" Shella asked excitedly.
"Yes baby," Max laughed, thinking about the puppy Logan had bought their daughter for her third birthday. He had been highly amused when their daughter wanted to name it after her Uncle Zach. Zach, on the other hand, was not amused.
"Okay," the baby said, wrapping her arms around her father's neck and burrowing against his shoulder, feeling safe and happy. Max held the wreath in one hand and wrapped her other arm around her husband's waist. It was easy to find his mother's grave. The bouquet he had brought five years ago had taken root, and bloomed year after year. They approached the grave and Logan set his daughter down. She ran for it and began talking excitedly to her grandmother as though the woman was right in front of her.
Max and Logan stood back and watched, smiling. "Happy Mother's Day, Mom," Logan said softly. Max kissed his palm and nuzzled into it. Logan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He handed it to Max and said, "Happy Mother's Day, Max."
His wife gasped and opened the box. Inside was Logan's mother's locket, the one Max had stolen back from Margo all those years ago. "It's beautiful," Max said.
"Open it, " Logan encouraged.
Max pried it open and saw two tiny pictures inside. One was of Logan and his parents when he was a small child. The other was of Logan and Shella. Max had taken it during a recent vacation to the cabin, but had been unable to find the film once they returned. "Logan, I love it, thank you!" she said, flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him.
"Happy Mother's Day Mommy!" Rochelle cried, having stopped chatting to her grandmother long enough to watch her father give her mother a present. Then, Shella turned back to the grave and began talking again. She smiled at the woman she saw sitting on the headstone. The ghost of Logan's mother smiled kindly at her granddaughter and whispered something to her.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Shella cried.
Max and Logan ran over, thinking their daughter was hurt. They knelt at her side. "What's wrong, little one?" Logan asked.
Shella smiled, "Nothing's wrong, Daddy. Grandma told me to tell you I was going to have a little brother."
Logan and Max gasped, shocked. "Sweetie," Max said. "Your Grandma told you I was going to have another baby?"
Shella nodded.
"How, baby?" Logan asked. "She's not here."
"She was a minute ago," their daughter protested. "But she had to go back to Grandpa. She said he was going to complain she'd been away from Heaven so long."
Max and Logan exchanged looks. "Max," Logan said. "Is she right? Are you pregnant?"
Max nodded, "I found out only yesterday. I was going to wait until the nibblit had gone to bed to tell you." Her eyes were full of surprise and wonder.
Logan yelped and picked Max up in the air. He spun her around happily. Rochelle laughed. "I told you so, Daddy."
Logan set Max down, resting his chin on her head, "Yes little one, you did."
"Grandma told me," she insisted.
Max and Logan once again exchanged looks. "What do you think?" Logan asked.
Max shrugged, resting her hand on her stomach, "I think anything's possible. I mean, who'da thunk a chimera and bored rich liberal white guy would get married and have a beautiful daughter and a beautiful baby on the way and be as happy as we are?"
Logan chuckled, "This is true." He turned to their daughter and picked her up in his arms. "Tell Grandma thank you for us, sweetie."
Rochelle took a big breath and bellowed, "Thank you Grandma!" Other people nearby turned and scowled at her, but Max and Logan merely smiled. Moments later, the girl started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Max asked.
"Grandma says that since you named me after her, if you have a baby boy you have to name it after Grandpa."
Logan chuckled, "Okay Old Man, we'll think about it."
"Time to go home," Max announced. "Daddy's going to make us a special Mother's Day lunch."
Logan chuckled and wrapped his arm securely around his wife, walking his family back towards his car. As they drove home, their daughter snoozing in the back seat, Max smiling and looking contentedly out the window, Logan thought, "Thanks Mom, for everything. Happy Mother's Day."