Title: Juliet
Name: Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
Rating: PG 13
The arrival of Fiona Cale O'Connor had brought much upheaval to her brother's life. Eyes Only had fallen to the way side as Logan pushed himself, physically most of all. The transfusion Max had given him plus the therapy he had been engaging in had almost cured him of his paralysis. But with his sister's presence, his mind would wander back to the night everything had changed between them. He pushed his body hard to once again avoid the pain and reality of the situation.
Fiona was facing her inner demons better then could be expected. She treated her visit as a step in recovery. She decided to make a pictorial study of her life and the event that had changed it. She shot photos at the restaurant, the graveyard, her home, the nursery, and her school. She then took pictures of the life she was creating, of Bling and Max. Logan was far less receptive to being featured in either section of her project. This prompted a few arguments, but nothing drastic since she believed that eventually he would allow her access.
Max & Bling both proved interesting components between the Cale siblings, each holding them in great esteem and confidence. Eventually, it was Max's knowledge of the situation that undid Logan. He began to close himself off from his sister again. After a week of the cold shoulder, she took the opportunity to visit the O'Connor's in Chicago. While there, Fiona became an aunt to a beautiful baby girl that was bestowed with her name. Bling came out to visit once Becky had given birth to get parental approval. The O'Connors, Bill & Linda, were taken in by his charm and humor immediately. The couple was pleasantly surprised at the romance.
Bill and Linda had known Fiona since she was fourteen years old, when their only son came home from school with the Juliet to his Romeo for the schoolplay. She was vivacious and loving. She took to Linda immediately and sought her counsel & opinion on all matters. Ryan was so taken in by the pixie Linda ventured to guess that her son would abandon rather quickly his rule about not dating freshman, since he was a senior. For Ryan, it was strange since Fiona was his best friend, Logan's little sister. He had known her casually, but since Logan went off to college, Ryan got to know her on his own. She was the sun and the moon to him. He did start to date his Juliet after the play was over, when the prospect of not seeing her everyday became too hard to comprehend. It became obvious that Ryan would not be following Logan to Yale, but staying much closer to the younger Cale for college in the coming months, something that annoyed Logan to no end.
Now, Bill and Linda were watching the girl that had become their daughter falling in love with a new man. It wasn't as hard as they thought it might be, since Bling was the one they had entrusted the recovery of their pixie to three years before. He had met Fiona by teaching a class at her college in massage. Bling, Fiona, & Ryan had become friends quickly. For some strange reason he just fit in with the young couple. It was no wonder then that Fiona asked for Bling to be her PT since she was insistent about not being seen as a victim. The O'Connors came to depend on Bling for Fiona's care entirely during her recovery. It therefore wasn't as difficult to hand over their adopted daughter's heart to this caring man, since they already knew of his love for her. He would never ask her to forget their son. In fact, he was asking permission from Bill to actively pursue her heart. The act itself allowed them the complete knowledge they would not loss their Juliet.
Linda and Fiona sat on the front porch of the O'Connors' new home watching their men talk over some great sports moment. "How is Logan, Fi?" Linda asked.
"He's…having trouble right now."
"How so?"
"Logan has started shutting down… Max is great, I couldn't ask for someone more perfect for Loggie. She went with me to clean out the house, and some other things I had put off. I told her about the shooting. She took it really well, but he didn't. It's like he is facing it for the first time. He is pushing himself so hard to be 'whole' again that he is ducking me again… It doesn't hurt like before… I know we'll have to have a major confrontation when I get back… I'm just not looking forward to it."
"Logan suffered a lot at the loss of your family. Don't ever doubt that… We would have gladly been family for him too but he just…"
"Hurt too much… I know. Are you upset I'm moving back… but not here?" Fiona asked looking at Linda with the same innocent eyes she had when she was fourteen.
"Sweetheart… You will always be my daughter, even if you marry Bling. But Seattle is where Bling is. It is also where Logan is; he's your brother. Build a new family, Hun. Push him till he breaks if you have to, but fight to get him back. I always wished Becky and Ryan were as close as you and Logan were. Be close again!"
"Thanks Mom. You don't know how much I needed to hear that."
************************************************************************
Back in Seattle, Max was trying to manage Logan's abrupt mood swings on her own, which proved far more difficult then she expected. "Hey," she said from behind her love.
"Hey."
"What are you doing?" Max asked as Logan had shut down his computer from what ever he had been working on.
"Nothing."
"Why?"
He looked at her frustrate, "What, Max? What?"
"What's going on with you? You've been mopping around since Fiona left, even though you did your best to avoid her the week before."
"I don't know what you mean?"
"Bull… Talk to me. You haven't been alright since the day I found out about the other shooting in your life."
Logan closed his eyes and spoke quietly, "I can't fix what happened, so I pretend it didn't happen. Her being here reminds me its real. That means I've got to face it. That isn't something I'm good at."
"So what? Back to status quo when she returns? Pretend she's not here until she goes back to England for good?"
"…I don't know Max…I've tried to save my sister in a thousand different people over the last three years. I've tried to keep her safe… I can't seem to deal with the real Fiona."
Max knelt down by Logan to face him on his level, "She doesn't need saving. That is where your real problem is… She's a grown up and she was one when your family died. She's strong, very strong. She isn't in need of your protection; she needs you to be her brother again. She needs you as her family… I guess you missed the memo, but the four of us, you, me, Bling and Fiona, we're family. You got me for the long haul and from the moment she was born, you got her for the long haul too. You're not alone anymore."
He looked at her for a moment and then slid to his knees. Logan looked into Max's eyes deeply before kissing her intensely. She was in love with him. She was staying with him, always. He started to lower her to the floor before she stopped him, "Hold it cowboy. I wouldn't mind getting it on, but you need to call her first."
Logan kissed up to her ear and said, "No, sex first, sister later."
Max put a hand between them and pushed him away, "Nooo… Sister first, then lots of sex… K."
"You drive a hard bargain. Lucky for me, I get the better end of the deal."
She handed him the phone, "You sure about that?"
"OK, I can't do this if you're right next to me all sexy."
"Fine, I'll be waiting in the bedroom."
Logan tried to clear his mind of the raging desire he had burning in his groin. He dialed the number to the O'Connors by his computer. "Hello," said Linda O'Connor.
"Hi Linda. It's Logan. Can I speak to Fiona?"
"Which one? We have a new grandchild baring that name."
"Really… That's great… Uh, Linda… I'm sorry… Thank you for always being there for Fi, especially when I haven't. You guys have been…"
"Logan, my son loved you like a brother. When he married Fiona, she became our daughter. You will always be our other son… Now, I know your sister would love to talk to you."
Logan had tears swelling in his eyes, "Thank you…"
Linda got Fiona, who was obviously ecstatic that he had called, "Loggie?"
"Yeah, Fi… How's the fam?"
"Good… I've a niece named after me. How cool is that?"
"Very. Um… I'm sorry I've been a jerk this last week. I know we have a lot of stuff to talk through… I just wanted you to know that when you come back… well that I want you to come back. I know I've got a lot of stuff to make up for… Fi, ya still there?"
"Yeah…" she squeaked through tears.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing Loggie. I'm just so happy… I've been waiting three years to here that you want me to come home... I wasn't sure I was ever gonna get to hear the words... I love you, brodder."
"I love you too sis. Come home soon… Tell the O'Connors if they want we should have our own family gathering… I really don't need to see Jonas again this year."
"I know they'd like that… Thanks for calling. We'll be home soon."
"Bye," Logan said as a tear descended his face. Max came out of the bedroom and wrapped her arms around him. He turned to her and held her close. "Now all I want to do is take you into that bedroom and make love to you all night long, my beloved."
"I'm not opposed to that," Max said as he lifted her up and carried her in to the bedroom.