Disclaimer: I'm just doing this for fun. The characters belong to whoever owns them, though they don't use them.
A/N: This is a sequel to my story Family. Maybe you should read that first if you haven't or can't remember.
**
Like a bad dream
**
Ever since Max had returned with Hope, Logan had become a different person. He had indulged himself in work with a new enthusiasm, but he still spent as much time as possible with Max and their child. Max stayed at home as the little girl kept her busy and Logan had convinced her that she really didn't have to work for the money. Once Hope was a little older she could still return to Jam Pony.
**
Logan squinted at the sun shining in his face. For the past three months Max had made a habit of opening the curtains when she got up, which was a lot earlier than he did. Both she and their daughter didn't seem to need much sleep. Usually she took the baby for a walk before Logan even stirred. When he entered the kitchen in the morning she had usually already brewed coffee, the only kitchen skill she had mastered so far.
This sunny morning Logan had a weird feeling deep down, like something was about to happen, something bad. He shook his head and sat up, still a little sleepy, but hoping he could shake that feeling off.
He sat silently and could faintly hear Max in the kitchen. On the floor in front of the bed there lay an array of toys and baby clothes. "Get a grip," he scolded himself and quickly transferred to his wheelchair to go through his morning routine.
Out of an impulse he wheeled towards the sound sin the kitchen instead of going straight to the bathroom and couldn't help but smile at the scene that played out before his eyes. Max sat on one of the high stool, her back to him, Hope sat on the counter in front of her, munching on a banana happily. When she saw her Dad she let out a high pitched scream and dropped the fruit much to Max's dismay. She frowned for a second, but then turned around, smiling, then took the baby and stood up to hand her to Logan.
"Morning." She gave him a kiss and let her hand linger on his bare chest for a second before she let him take Hope.
"Morning, sunshine."
"You're better talkin' about me," Max teased him.
"I regard you two as a package, you know."
"I can live with that."
Suddenly Max tensed and straightened, her hand still resting on Logan's shoulder.
"What?" Logan frowned, but Max held up a hand to tell him to stay silent.
Catlike, she sneaked towards the front door, leaving Logan behind with a struggling baby. He couldn't really move as he needed both hands to hold Hope tight. She had sensed the sudden tension of her mother and was restless.
A minute later he heard voices, but couldn't understand what they said or recognize the sound of the voices apart from Max's. But he would recognize hers everywhere.
Logan looked up and tried to twist around when he heard steps coming closer.
"Jondy!" Her frowned at the seriousness in the faces of the two sisters. "What happened?" He had that sinking feeling that this was not going to turn out well.
The girls looked at each other before Max wordlessly took Hope from his lap so he was free to move. "Max!?"
Jondy looked up, taking a deep breath and nodding at her sister.
"Zack's been caught," Max explained tonelessly. Her eyes betrayed all the confusion she just felt and Logan immediately realized what this had to mean, but he didn't want to say it out loud, afraid this would make it become real.
"Last night he was compromised. Krit was with him, but he could escape. They didn't show much interest in him," Jondy explained. She seemed a lot calmer than her sister. "We need to get him out."
"What do you want to do?" Logan watched his fingers play with the rims of his chair.
Max held Hope tight and swallowed. "You know what we have to do."
"It's too risky!" Logan's voice pitched He couldn't let Max go, he couldn't face losing her again. He had only gotten her back some weeks ago. This had to be some cruel joke. He was suddenly freezing as he sat there bare-chested.
Max gave the baby to Jondy and motioned for Logan to follow her to the living room. She sat down on the couch, wordlessly handed him a shirt that had still been lying there and waited until he had stopped in front of her and thrown the shirt over his head.
He leaned forward. Elbows on his knees and his face buried in his hands.
"Logan?" She carefully reached out for his arm and caressed it gently. "I'm so sorry, but I have to help him."
"I know." Logan answered miserably. "But I can't lose you, Max. I can't go through all that again. It almost killed me."
Max could see a tear in his eye and the panic he felt was plainly evident in his handsome features.
Max felt like she needed to comfort him. "I promise to come back, and when I do we'll get married, have more babies and live happily ever after." She intently looked at him. "But now I need to help Zack, I owe it to him. I would already be dead, Logan."
"I know," he whispered.
Max leaned in and gave him a long soft kiss, like she needed to savour the feel of his lips on hers. "I love you."
Logan closed his eyes when the contact was broken and Max could hardly stand to see him like that. She knew that she asked for a lot here. "I'm so sorry."
Logan smiled sadly and looked up. "You don't have to be. Just come back."
"I swear." She got up and walked back to the kitchen where Jondy was waiting with Hope in her arms.
"Let's go," Max said emotionlessly. She embraced her daughter tightly for a moment. "Take good care of you Daddy, okay?"
Then she handed her to Logan. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Take care."
She couldn't stand looking at her little family a single moment longer. She knew she put it all on the line, but Zack was her family, too. Her siblings would do the same for her.
TBC…
A/N: This is a sequel to my story Family. Maybe you should read that first if you haven't or can't remember.
**
Like a bad dream
**
Ever since Max had returned with Hope, Logan had become a different person. He had indulged himself in work with a new enthusiasm, but he still spent as much time as possible with Max and their child. Max stayed at home as the little girl kept her busy and Logan had convinced her that she really didn't have to work for the money. Once Hope was a little older she could still return to Jam Pony.
**
Logan squinted at the sun shining in his face. For the past three months Max had made a habit of opening the curtains when she got up, which was a lot earlier than he did. Both she and their daughter didn't seem to need much sleep. Usually she took the baby for a walk before Logan even stirred. When he entered the kitchen in the morning she had usually already brewed coffee, the only kitchen skill she had mastered so far.
This sunny morning Logan had a weird feeling deep down, like something was about to happen, something bad. He shook his head and sat up, still a little sleepy, but hoping he could shake that feeling off.
He sat silently and could faintly hear Max in the kitchen. On the floor in front of the bed there lay an array of toys and baby clothes. "Get a grip," he scolded himself and quickly transferred to his wheelchair to go through his morning routine.
Out of an impulse he wheeled towards the sound sin the kitchen instead of going straight to the bathroom and couldn't help but smile at the scene that played out before his eyes. Max sat on one of the high stool, her back to him, Hope sat on the counter in front of her, munching on a banana happily. When she saw her Dad she let out a high pitched scream and dropped the fruit much to Max's dismay. She frowned for a second, but then turned around, smiling, then took the baby and stood up to hand her to Logan.
"Morning." She gave him a kiss and let her hand linger on his bare chest for a second before she let him take Hope.
"Morning, sunshine."
"You're better talkin' about me," Max teased him.
"I regard you two as a package, you know."
"I can live with that."
Suddenly Max tensed and straightened, her hand still resting on Logan's shoulder.
"What?" Logan frowned, but Max held up a hand to tell him to stay silent.
Catlike, she sneaked towards the front door, leaving Logan behind with a struggling baby. He couldn't really move as he needed both hands to hold Hope tight. She had sensed the sudden tension of her mother and was restless.
A minute later he heard voices, but couldn't understand what they said or recognize the sound of the voices apart from Max's. But he would recognize hers everywhere.
Logan looked up and tried to twist around when he heard steps coming closer.
"Jondy!" Her frowned at the seriousness in the faces of the two sisters. "What happened?" He had that sinking feeling that this was not going to turn out well.
The girls looked at each other before Max wordlessly took Hope from his lap so he was free to move. "Max!?"
Jondy looked up, taking a deep breath and nodding at her sister.
"Zack's been caught," Max explained tonelessly. Her eyes betrayed all the confusion she just felt and Logan immediately realized what this had to mean, but he didn't want to say it out loud, afraid this would make it become real.
"Last night he was compromised. Krit was with him, but he could escape. They didn't show much interest in him," Jondy explained. She seemed a lot calmer than her sister. "We need to get him out."
"What do you want to do?" Logan watched his fingers play with the rims of his chair.
Max held Hope tight and swallowed. "You know what we have to do."
"It's too risky!" Logan's voice pitched He couldn't let Max go, he couldn't face losing her again. He had only gotten her back some weeks ago. This had to be some cruel joke. He was suddenly freezing as he sat there bare-chested.
Max gave the baby to Jondy and motioned for Logan to follow her to the living room. She sat down on the couch, wordlessly handed him a shirt that had still been lying there and waited until he had stopped in front of her and thrown the shirt over his head.
He leaned forward. Elbows on his knees and his face buried in his hands.
"Logan?" She carefully reached out for his arm and caressed it gently. "I'm so sorry, but I have to help him."
"I know." Logan answered miserably. "But I can't lose you, Max. I can't go through all that again. It almost killed me."
Max could see a tear in his eye and the panic he felt was plainly evident in his handsome features.
Max felt like she needed to comfort him. "I promise to come back, and when I do we'll get married, have more babies and live happily ever after." She intently looked at him. "But now I need to help Zack, I owe it to him. I would already be dead, Logan."
"I know," he whispered.
Max leaned in and gave him a long soft kiss, like she needed to savour the feel of his lips on hers. "I love you."
Logan closed his eyes when the contact was broken and Max could hardly stand to see him like that. She knew that she asked for a lot here. "I'm so sorry."
Logan smiled sadly and looked up. "You don't have to be. Just come back."
"I swear." She got up and walked back to the kitchen where Jondy was waiting with Hope in her arms.
"Let's go," Max said emotionlessly. She embraced her daughter tightly for a moment. "Take good care of you Daddy, okay?"
Then she handed her to Logan. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Take care."
She couldn't stand looking at her little family a single moment longer. She knew she put it all on the line, but Zack was her family, too. Her siblings would do the same for her.
TBC…