As I promised here's the next chapter.

Disclaimers: I own nothing (except from what that is mine) and don't make anything out of this piece of art ;)

Chapter 11 – Dreaded past

Max dreaded the meeting she was about to have but knew that it was what she needed to do if she was to be with Toh. She had been lucky that it had been Karin that had been the one to answer the phone and therefore hadn't been forced to talk to him just yet. Max had already made up her mind. She would act normal but firm, making sure that he understood that what he had done wasn't right and once and for all make sure that he never would contact her again. She would kill him if that was what was needed, she just wouldn't stand under his shadow anymore.

-

"Welcome." Max said through gritted teeth as she opened the door.

"Hello dear, how nice of you to remember your old parents; for a moment we thought you might have forgot us all together." Karin's high voice cut through the silence as she and Frank greeted the younger woman.

Max smiled polite to the shorter woman, that she never had called mother, before directing her eyes to the rough build man behind her. Frank looked the same, though for graying stripe in his black hair, as he had the last time she had seen him. It had been around 5 years since she has seen him since and even in all that time. 5 years was all too short, an entire lifetime would be too short she mused silently before guiding them inside and toward the dinner table. She had made something easy and not too fancy as she didn't feel they deserved her good time or effort.

None said much through the dinner. Max was trying not to strangle the man sitting opposite of her at the table and as they now sat with the deserts which Karin had offered to bring, the tension in the room were almost choking.

"Now, tell me, what are you doing now, last time I heard from you, you were digging after old mummies, is that right?" The woman asked her as she ate with good appetite. Max, who nearly hadn't touched her food, looked at Karin.

"Yes I'm still an archeologist and no it doesn't have much to do with old mummies than it has with ancient languages that haven't been spoken for centuries." She answered, trying to will the courage to speak what really was on her mind instead of this small talk that she really loathed.

"Why usin' your money and resources on findin' and learnin' a language that is dead?" Frank asked with his normal booming voice that could make a lesser woman cringe. Max wasn't like that and while Karin too seemed to have lost her interest for the food, Max just stared at him; daring him to go over the line so she truly had a proofed reason to hurt him.

"Well if it weren't for dead languages then we wouldn't have know have the ancient Egyptians lived or evolved a society that have been admired ever since they came to." Max tried with all her will power to ignore the thought of slamming his face down in the table.

"That's not the point, there has to be someone to be loosers and though you fit perfect to that category, I would have liked to see you chose somethin' a little less disappointin'." He said with a smirk while tapping the table with a finger as if he was waiting for something.

"Really nice." Max said dryly. "I'm glad that I'm not interested in your opinion then."

"You people need my opinion or you would wither and die without me telling you what to do." Frank let out a harsh laugh with sent Max back to the dark place where all evil came from and they all origin from this man.

"Stop telling me what to do, I'm not a little girl anymore. You can't come and think that I'll do everything that you tell me to." Her eyes were starting to become darker. She could feel her blood rising and her temper following.

"Oh, but you will always be my little girl, Maxine." Frank taunted.

-

"What's biting you?" Ian asked the yautja. Toh didn't say anything. Max was so full of mixed signals that if he had been a car he would already have crashed into something or someone. "That bad huh?"

Toh only grunted a reply for that. It had only been an hour since the female had left the house and he were already missing her.

"Hey have you seen Max, I can't find her anywhere?" He asked worried.

This time Toh looked at the man. "She told me that she had some business to do with someone and would be back sometime later tonight." Toh answered. It was relieving that he could talk to the Trails without either hand signals or his woman to aid him.

"What… Who?"

The male shrugged before fixing his gaze to the sunset that he had watched only moments ago.

"You okay big guy? You've been a little quiet lately." Ian asked, looking at the orange descending sun as well.

"I think I have spent too much time with oomans or it just has been too long since my last real hunt."

"Okay… Why would you think you have spent too much time with humans?" Ian asked, putting weight on the word 'human'. He hated it when Toh and even Max sometimes called them 'oomans'.

"Our way, the yautja way is not like the oomans. We live for the hunt, hunt to gain honor, honor means respect, which means females and independence. I've been working to become an arbiter for more than 50 earth years and being stranded on this planet has come with some restraining. I have been hunting, yes, but not like I did before I met Maxine. I have spent more time with your sister than I have with all the females I have been with combined. She sometimes makes me feel lightheaded and almost sick to my stomach and still can't I stop be with her; just hear her voice makes me want to take her in my arms and never let her go. Every time she wakes up from one of her nightmares its killing me and something inside of me wants to keep her safe from everything that could harm her. She's an excellent huntress and I admire her, care for her and…"

"And you love her." It wasn't really a question. Ian knew what it meant to be in love and all those things were just some of the signs for the symptom; love.

"What is love?" Toh looked questionable at him.

"You're kidding right? You don't know what love is?" Ian asked most surprised.

Toh just shook his head for no, annoyed at the question. He didn't know what it was he was feeling but it wasn't normal. To care yes; special for a female that were either a potential or claimed mate but to care as much as he did? He hadn't heard of that any place among his own people.

"Jesus! It's hell enough to be in love, even though you didn't know it but being in love and don't even know the concept of love; that's beyond comprehending for the doctor.

"She kissed me." Toh said out in the blue, subconscious touching his lower mandible.

"Who kissed who?" Terry walked in to the room. He had been aiding Tina and Tanya in entertaining little Josephine and finally she had fallen asleep.

"Our dear sister." Ian grinned.

"I don't see the humor in… wait, you mean Max?" Terry asked, eyeing the yautja with disbelief.

"He loves her too." Ian stated, placing a hand on the males' shoulder cutting him from leaving the two brothers and their excitement party about something he didn't even know what meant for starters.

"I lost my bet." Terry said in disappointment but still had a small smile upon his lips. What were 20 bucks compared to love anyway?

"Yes you did my dear brother." Tanya laughed as she too walked into the room. At this time Toh felt that the room was becoming a little too crowded. He had never been for big crowds and while the siblings were discussing his and Max's feelings for each other, he still couldn't interpret his feelings and thoughts.

"Where's Max anyway, she should have been back by now, I mean, she was only out to get some extra clothes right?" Tanya asked and instantly all stopped talking.

"What are you talking about? Toh, you told me that she were to meet with someone and would first be back later tonight, right?" Ian looked from his sister to Toh.

"What!" Both Tanya and Tina yelled.

"Oh no, she wouldn't would she?" Tina asked the other woman, who clearly understood her secret hint.

Tina just shook her head. "I can't say, she so rarely lies to us but it seems that she has. Oh god, what if she…?"

"Okay spill it. What are you two talking about?" Terry asked a little annoyed about the hints that he simply couldn't draw up on.

"Okay she talked about her feelings for Toh and how she wanted to close her past with Frank so when she slept at night he wouldn't invade her nightmares." Tanya answered looking from each and one of the Trails to Toh. "She wanted to forget the past to be able to move on to the future." She added, hoping that he would take her hint.

The way the two men suddenly went stiff at the mention of Frank's name made Toh unnerved by the thought that his woman much likely was seeing this Frank in the same moment as they spoke. He remembered how Max had spoken the name as if he had been her worst nightmare and judging from the others, he had been right.

-

"Don't ever call me that again!"Max stood, not able to keep back her anger for this man. She looked from the one who had been the devils face for almost all her life to the timid woman beside him. "It wasn't dreams Karin and you know it. I'm not trying to get attention nor trying to make you feel bad. It happened and I want you to say it." Max balled up her fists as Karin didn't answered or even looked at her. Frank stood slowly with his authority that had made Max fear him all the more as a child.

"Karin get out to the car now!" He said calm but his voice made no question about his attention if she didn't obeyed him. Karin took one last longing look at Max and at that second Max knew something was up. He waited for the woman to disappear outside before striding around the table and toward Max.

"I gave you a home. I gave you food, clothes and I gave you a place where you were loved." He said with a low tone that unnerved Max to no end. He would always lower his tone right before he started to… She couldn't finish her thoughts as a hand gripped her arm. She tried to get free but something was wrong, somehow was she feeling weak, like all her power in her body was ebbing out of her and she couldn't do anything about it.

"Do you see? You are still my little girl Maxine, no matter if you want to or not. I will never let you go." He breathed into her ear.

"What..?" She asked but a sudden dizziness made her stop short.

"I know how stron' you are and I'm very disappointed with you Maxine. You know my women always do what I tell them to do. You can feel the dru' in your system, don't worry, it'll only make you unable to move. Not unable to feel all the great things I have in mind for you." He said smiling at her slight confused expression.

Her muscles denied working, she tried to make her legs to keep her on her feet but they started to crumble and soon she felt herself being supported by the man that she had promised to kill if he ever laid a hand on her again.

"Don't touch me!" She managed to get out but even her tong and mouth felt like they were made of led and wouldn't obey her command and it made her words sound vague.

He legs stopped supporting her all together and instantly were in the man's arms. "I have missed you Maxine. You don't know how much I've missed you." Frank said with a caring that she only knew from her youth and knew that he was going to rape her just like he use to do when she were just a little girl.

-

The car sped with record speed as Terry led it down the road. The three siblings and Toh were sitting in silence, Toh with his raging thoughts about this man that he clearly knew nothing about. He just wanted to rip the head of the man however not before making him beg for death to come. If the man had touched Max he would hunt the bad blood down himself.

"Who is he?" He asked before he could stop himself. The three glanced at him for a second.

"Frank was her appointed foster dad from the former government before they lost the war. We all got our own family, mine and Tanya's were not that bad, rich but still not really a family, Ian's were okay. I think Paul's family must have been the nicest of all of them but that's beyond the point. The point is that Frank and Karin received Max and as Karin seemed nice, Frank started to act more loving than a father ever should be." Terry tried to explain as he looked like he tried to will the car to drive faster than it could muster.

"What did he do exactly? I know that he hit her, punished her…" He couldn't go on; his blood boiled just by the thought of this man who had promised to be a sire would punish a pup as harsh that it would scar her for the rest of her life.

"I don't know if it's our place to tell you." Ian started but was silenced by Tanya who placed a hand on Toh's arm from her place at the back seat.

"He raped her. When she was a child he raped her." She told him and with that information alone made him almost lose control with anger to the man and a low growl emitted from him but no one said anything as they drove into the night.

-

Max saw that Frank took her to her bedroom. The room where she had so many good memories all included Toh and it made her cringe inwardly; knowing that they all would be over shone by this new horrid memory that Frank had intended to force upon her. The mere thought of Toh made her wish for him to be with her, be in his arms and not in this monster's. She could still smell the smell of the yautja on her pillow as Frank lay her down on her bed. He slowly started to undress her.

"You are so beautiful Maxine." He whispered as he ripped her top from her body, leaving her only in panties and bra. "I love you." He kissed her stomach and everything dark and somber drifted over her. The only thing that made her not die on command was the thought of Toh, The things that she never got to tell him and how her feelings were all too real.

"I love you so much Maxine." Frank dragged slimy kisses up her body, trailing her breasts and up her neck. The only thing Max could think of, was the thought of how good it had felt when Toh had kissed her neck, had graced her skin and how much she hated this man before her. How she would kill him at the first chance she got and how she never would be able to look Toh in the eyes again for the shame she was feeling.

His clammy hands were roaming her as he started to strip his shirt, revealing a hanging stomach that just the thought of it made her want to run until her whole frame would shake from exhaustion. His chest was filled with hair that just added to her horror of knowing that he would force himself upon her. His breath reeked and she could hear it becoming more rapid as he lay down almost on top of her. He kissed her mouth which made her curse her immobility for the thousand time.

Anger, sadness and repulsive mixed as she felt his hands on her clamps on her bra. A loud honk interrupted his action. With hesitation he lifted himself from her and with one last kiss he ran out of the room and a second later could she hear the door slam behind him. Relieve, shame, sadness, anger and many other feelings flushed over her at the same time and as though she couldn't close or blink her eyes, tears leaked from them anyway.

-

As they almost flew down the driveway they saw the headlights of another car drive right past them and with it the feeling that he maybe was too late. What if Frank already had made his business and he hadn't been there to stop him. He couldn't think of what kind of man that would be able to force his woman to do something that she didn't want to herself but that was not important; her being in his arms was.

The car screeched to a halt and they all sprinted out of the car but none the others were faster than Toh as he tore the front door open. He saw the food on the table and it didn't look like there had been any kind of fights.

"Max?!" He called as he rushed to their bedroom, somehow feeling that she was near.

He saw her lying on their bed the second he entered the room. Not thinking of anything else he bolted up to her and embraced her in his arms. Holding her to him feeling the fear of losing her wash away and replaced with relief and happiness. He purred in the content that he had his female in his arms – and she was not moving? The fear came over him once more as if a bucket of cold water just had been thrown in his face. Looking down he saw her beautiful violet eyes looking up at him, they looked so alive that he was almost afraid to place two of his fingers at the side of her neck.

With a ragged breath he felt the relive washing over him once more as he felt the a little too high but steady pulse.

"Ian!" He called, not letting go of her or removing his eyes from hers. "It'll be alright Max." He purred.

"Where is she?" Ian asked with urgency as he along with the two others entered the room. Toh didn't need to answer but reluctant lay her limp body on the bed once more. The yautja had smelled Frank's scent the second he had walked inside the room and the scent were of an aroused male and he hated it. At least had they found her still semi dressed which meant that they had interrupted him; this bad blood hadn't been able to force himself on her this last time.

"She's paralyzed." Ian mumbled as he checked her over. It had been the first time Toh noticed Max's lack of clothes and looking around him he saw the shredded remains of what once were her top, sweater and pants.

"Will she be okay?" Tanya asked carefully as if she raised her voice the answer would be negative.

Ian nodded. "She's okay, Frank presumably gave her a drug that made all the muscles and joints siege functioning." He looked down at his limp sister. "You'll be alright Max, I just don't know how long it'll take before you'll be able to move again." He said talking directly to Max.

-

Max had almost leapt in joy as she heard the familiar voice that belonged to the one person that she wanted the most. He called her name with a hint of fear she thought but wasn't sure. He had been so glad to see her that he didn't see her not moving and in that moment she didn't care. He had taken her in his arms and she could feel the warmth from his body radiate to hers, the thoughts of what just had happened and what might had happened disappeared and happiness replaced everything inside of her as she felt his moving torso and protective arms on her. She would if she could have smiled when she saw the fear bobbling up in him as he noticed her lack of movement and would have laughed when after he had checked her pulse let out a loud and ragged breath.

Max couldn't help her love shine throughout her body, knowing that he came for her. That he rescued her and now she was in his wonderful arms. If he could see it she didn't know only that at some point was place gentle back on the bed and Ian started to prod and poke to her. When Toh had called for her sibling she couldn't recall but out of her side of her eyes she kept watching Toh, hoping beyond anything that he wouldn't leave her after all this, after she had told him about Frank and about her past.

Last Ian started to tell the others about her condition and how she would be alright. It was good news but all Max could think about was how blind she had been for her own feelings, how she longed after the big male and how she longed to be able to tell him all this.

A pair of strong arms enfolded her once more and though she thought she would be startled by the sudden action, be frightened that it would be Frank once more, she didn't. She felt the same calm as she did every night when Toh came to bed and took her in his arms.

"I'm going to close your eyelids and you should try to get some sleep. I'll be right here watching over you." Toh whispered. The light had been turned off and her now less worried siblings had left the room. "Thank Paya that you're okay."

After her eyes were closet she felt content and soon fell asleep to the sound of the steady and strong heartbeat and breathing of her man.

-

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