Note: Well you asked for it, and here it is. The sequel to Family Innocence. Please read and review!
Lost Family
Part II
Max sat at the table, with Jordan sitting next to her. Richard placed a tall glass of lemonade in front of Max, "If you don't mind me asking, why did you come back, Max?" Richard questioned.
Max looked up at the aging man, "I missed you. After a while I came to realize at how wrong I was to just up and leave you." Max sipped her lemonade and continued, "How are you all doing?"
Stephanie chimed in to explain everyone's life as of now, "Well, I'm the local newswoman....and happily married with a child."
Max darted her gaze to Jordan, "You're married?"
Jordan nodded, "Yeah. Stephanies' the greatest. And after having Tyler I couldn't be more happier." Jordan turned his head, "Ty, come over here!"
The toddler known as Tyler came bouncing over upon hearing his daddy's voice.
With a bright smile on his face, he giggled as Jordan scooped him up onto his lap. The happiness was contagious and Max smiled.
Stephanie then continued, "My father is a part timer at the local supermarket. Part time since he has to care for my mother."
Max's smile faded, and she looked to Darlene, "You're ill?"
Darlene nodded, "But I feel better today as most days."
Richard spoke, "She has cancer. Developed around 3 years ago. Doctors say it was due to depression that made her weak and vulnerable."
"But I don't let it get me down. I know I must go on. And I have been for 10 years now."
Curiousity got the best of Jordan, "What about you Max? How have you been?"
Max leaned back in her chair, "I've been in Seattle for the past seven or so years." She shrugged, "I haven't exactly been keeping count, though. And I've made some friends."
Jordans eyes perked up, "Really?"
Max nodded, "Speaking of friends, I should give one a call bout now. He's probably worrying sick about me now."
Stephanie grinned, "He?? Does Max have a man in her life?"
Max looked squarely at Stephanie, Oh great. Now Steph's gonna give me a hard time about Logan. "He's just a friend!"
Richard handed the phone to Max and she dialed Logan's number.
Logan picked it up on the first ring, "Hello?"
Max smiled at the sound of his voice, "Hey!"
Logan fumbled at hearing her voice, "Max! How's it going?"
"It's so wonderful, Logan. Seeing them again. And I've found Jordan!"
"Jordan?" Logan got tense at hearing Max say another man's name so sweetly.
"Yeah, an....." She paused and looked at Jordan, catching herself at almost giving them away. Jordan nodded that it was ok. Max wasn't sure, "Yeah, one of us."
Logan understood the hidden message, "They have no idea about you, I take it."
"I'm going to wait for the right moment, Logan. Look, I'm going to hang up now, I have a lot of catching up to do here."
"Ok, just be careful, Max. You know how close to home you are." Max heard the hint of worry in his voice.
"Please don't remind me." And she hung up.
Max turned back to them, as Stephanie rose up from her chair, "Max, did you just consider yourself to be just like Jordan?"
Max froze, "What?"
Jordan, "They know Max, they know." Max just looked at her brother in surprise, "I kind of had to. When Tyler was born, I told them."
Darlene came over to Max, "It explains why you left us Max."
"And that reminds me. The day you dissappeared, a man came around looking for you. Seemed real uptight and upset."
Jordan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, seething "Lydecker."
Max moved over to her brother, "Jordan, calm yourself."
Max went on to explain as she calmed her brother down, "Lydecker was the man you met, Richard. I wanted to leave before he came around here. Guess I didn't leave fast enough."
Darlene chimed in, "You should've stayed, we could've helped you."
Max shook her head, "I was only a child, we were taught to keep moving...in enemy territory."
Jordan still had questions for Max, "So you've been in Seattle this whole time. Zack never told me."
"Zack wouldn't tell any of us about any of us."
"Still being the fearless leader?"
Max nodded. Darlene, Richard and Stephanie watched the two sibling as the reunited. Max and Jordan had seemingly moved to the couch in the living room to talk more.
"But he's always been there." Max stated.
Jordan agreed, "I caught that cable hack from that tv guy, and I couldn't believe that Zack let himself get captured."
"That was my fault." Max averted her eyes to the ground.
It was Jordan's turn to look at her in shock, "What do you mean?"
"Zack wanted to get me out of Seattle. Has tried for some time now. But I just can't." She looked at Jordan, "Do you think you could walk away from this?"
Jordan looked around and his eyes caught Stephanies, who was holding Tyler. The answer was definitly no, and he got the idea that Max's was the same as well.
After Logan hung up from talking to Max, a spontaneous thought crept into his mind. He knew the location of Max, and he so wanted to meet another X5. Logan wanted to see if all X5 males were so stubborn, complete jerks and open to making moves on Max.....in other words, were they all like Zack?
Using his contacts, he set up an immediate flight to Billings. He felt a tingling sensation from the thought of seeing Max's face when he'd surprise her with his visit. Though now, the task was to pack and get ready for his flight.
It was feeding time, and Jordan strapped Tyler into the high chair. Max watched from the doorway as Jordan talked to his son like he was an adult.
"The men in my life, I couldn't live without."
Max was startled by Stephanie's voice beside her. "It's nice to have someone who cares."
"Sounds like you do but you don't." Stephanie faced Max.
Max shrugged, "It's all to complicated to get into now."
As Max moved (literally) away from the conversation, she noticed that Jordan had been listening in. They could always pick up on each others sadness. And Jordan could feel it strongly coming from his sister. This Logan guy is no good for her if he's putting her in these moods. Why is she attaching herself this way?
Jordan was distracted when Tyler had thrown a cheerio at him. The event made Jordan laugh at his son's antics.
So this is what a real family is like. A loving relationship between male/female species, creating life naturally and raising the child in a positive environment. But Jordan, you have no idea what you did. Another thing for Lydecker to get his hands on. Zack will be furious when he finds out. Maybe Zack is right. About this being phony sentimentality. Phony because of what we are. Maybe I've been ignorant in seeing the truth. Soldiers is what we are. It took seeing a half breed to realize this, and Zack has been trying to tell me. But only now I get it. We will run for the rest of our life.
~~**++**~~
to be continued
Lost Family
Part II
Max sat at the table, with Jordan sitting next to her. Richard placed a tall glass of lemonade in front of Max, "If you don't mind me asking, why did you come back, Max?" Richard questioned.
Max looked up at the aging man, "I missed you. After a while I came to realize at how wrong I was to just up and leave you." Max sipped her lemonade and continued, "How are you all doing?"
Stephanie chimed in to explain everyone's life as of now, "Well, I'm the local newswoman....and happily married with a child."
Max darted her gaze to Jordan, "You're married?"
Jordan nodded, "Yeah. Stephanies' the greatest. And after having Tyler I couldn't be more happier." Jordan turned his head, "Ty, come over here!"
The toddler known as Tyler came bouncing over upon hearing his daddy's voice.
With a bright smile on his face, he giggled as Jordan scooped him up onto his lap. The happiness was contagious and Max smiled.
Stephanie then continued, "My father is a part timer at the local supermarket. Part time since he has to care for my mother."
Max's smile faded, and she looked to Darlene, "You're ill?"
Darlene nodded, "But I feel better today as most days."
Richard spoke, "She has cancer. Developed around 3 years ago. Doctors say it was due to depression that made her weak and vulnerable."
"But I don't let it get me down. I know I must go on. And I have been for 10 years now."
Curiousity got the best of Jordan, "What about you Max? How have you been?"
Max leaned back in her chair, "I've been in Seattle for the past seven or so years." She shrugged, "I haven't exactly been keeping count, though. And I've made some friends."
Jordans eyes perked up, "Really?"
Max nodded, "Speaking of friends, I should give one a call bout now. He's probably worrying sick about me now."
Stephanie grinned, "He?? Does Max have a man in her life?"
Max looked squarely at Stephanie, Oh great. Now Steph's gonna give me a hard time about Logan. "He's just a friend!"
Richard handed the phone to Max and she dialed Logan's number.
Logan picked it up on the first ring, "Hello?"
Max smiled at the sound of his voice, "Hey!"
Logan fumbled at hearing her voice, "Max! How's it going?"
"It's so wonderful, Logan. Seeing them again. And I've found Jordan!"
"Jordan?" Logan got tense at hearing Max say another man's name so sweetly.
"Yeah, an....." She paused and looked at Jordan, catching herself at almost giving them away. Jordan nodded that it was ok. Max wasn't sure, "Yeah, one of us."
Logan understood the hidden message, "They have no idea about you, I take it."
"I'm going to wait for the right moment, Logan. Look, I'm going to hang up now, I have a lot of catching up to do here."
"Ok, just be careful, Max. You know how close to home you are." Max heard the hint of worry in his voice.
"Please don't remind me." And she hung up.
Max turned back to them, as Stephanie rose up from her chair, "Max, did you just consider yourself to be just like Jordan?"
Max froze, "What?"
Jordan, "They know Max, they know." Max just looked at her brother in surprise, "I kind of had to. When Tyler was born, I told them."
Darlene came over to Max, "It explains why you left us Max."
"And that reminds me. The day you dissappeared, a man came around looking for you. Seemed real uptight and upset."
Jordan clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, seething "Lydecker."
Max moved over to her brother, "Jordan, calm yourself."
Max went on to explain as she calmed her brother down, "Lydecker was the man you met, Richard. I wanted to leave before he came around here. Guess I didn't leave fast enough."
Darlene chimed in, "You should've stayed, we could've helped you."
Max shook her head, "I was only a child, we were taught to keep moving...in enemy territory."
Jordan still had questions for Max, "So you've been in Seattle this whole time. Zack never told me."
"Zack wouldn't tell any of us about any of us."
"Still being the fearless leader?"
Max nodded. Darlene, Richard and Stephanie watched the two sibling as the reunited. Max and Jordan had seemingly moved to the couch in the living room to talk more.
"But he's always been there." Max stated.
Jordan agreed, "I caught that cable hack from that tv guy, and I couldn't believe that Zack let himself get captured."
"That was my fault." Max averted her eyes to the ground.
It was Jordan's turn to look at her in shock, "What do you mean?"
"Zack wanted to get me out of Seattle. Has tried for some time now. But I just can't." She looked at Jordan, "Do you think you could walk away from this?"
Jordan looked around and his eyes caught Stephanies, who was holding Tyler. The answer was definitly no, and he got the idea that Max's was the same as well.
After Logan hung up from talking to Max, a spontaneous thought crept into his mind. He knew the location of Max, and he so wanted to meet another X5. Logan wanted to see if all X5 males were so stubborn, complete jerks and open to making moves on Max.....in other words, were they all like Zack?
Using his contacts, he set up an immediate flight to Billings. He felt a tingling sensation from the thought of seeing Max's face when he'd surprise her with his visit. Though now, the task was to pack and get ready for his flight.
It was feeding time, and Jordan strapped Tyler into the high chair. Max watched from the doorway as Jordan talked to his son like he was an adult.
"The men in my life, I couldn't live without."
Max was startled by Stephanie's voice beside her. "It's nice to have someone who cares."
"Sounds like you do but you don't." Stephanie faced Max.
Max shrugged, "It's all to complicated to get into now."
As Max moved (literally) away from the conversation, she noticed that Jordan had been listening in. They could always pick up on each others sadness. And Jordan could feel it strongly coming from his sister. This Logan guy is no good for her if he's putting her in these moods. Why is she attaching herself this way?
Jordan was distracted when Tyler had thrown a cheerio at him. The event made Jordan laugh at his son's antics.
So this is what a real family is like. A loving relationship between male/female species, creating life naturally and raising the child in a positive environment. But Jordan, you have no idea what you did. Another thing for Lydecker to get his hands on. Zack will be furious when he finds out. Maybe Zack is right. About this being phony sentimentality. Phony because of what we are. Maybe I've been ignorant in seeing the truth. Soldiers is what we are. It took seeing a half breed to realize this, and Zack has been trying to tell me. But only now I get it. We will run for the rest of our life.
~~**++**~~
to be continued