Title:
Between 3
Name:
Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
Rating: PG-13
Several of the children stood and moved away from
Logan and Max. They remained standing, as did Casey staring at the couple. A
small boy made his way through the crowd of children to Logan. "I am
Logan," the dark haired boy said to a much-confused Logan. A smile spread
across the boy's face as Logan's eyes drilled into his own. Max looked at the
little boy from behind and noticed something on the back of his neck. It was a
short series of lines.
"Where did you get this?"
Max asked.
"I was born with it. We all
are." The group of children all turned to face the couple. Dark and light
haired children pushed collars down or raised hair to display their barcodes.
The barcodes were all shorter and smaller then Max's. Mia stood and showed her
barcode.
"We have them too,"
Nicholas side referring to himself and Shane.
"And you?" Max asked with
tears in her eyes. Casey turned around and raised her hair. Beneath her hair
was a very distinct barcode almost identical to Max's. "Why is yours
larger than the others?"
"Because I am destiny and they
are merely possibility."
"What does that mean?" Max
asked.
"You still do not understand
what you are seeing." Casey knelt in front of the couple. "Who am I?
Who are we? Why do you recognize us?"
They sat silently. Screams rose from
the children as several others disappeared at once. "No! They are killing
us. Just send them back and let us die in peace!" Mia demanded.
"Silence. There is still time.
They can get there… I will not give up. Not when they are this close to
understanding," Casey shot back.
"How are we doing this? How are
we responsible for the children disappearing?" Logan pled with Casey
picking up little Logan. "How can we stop this?"
Casey rose to her feet and went to
the elder gentlemen. "They asked…"
"We can guide only," Shane
said.
"But we can show them the
door…" Casey pled.
"Tread lightly," Nicholas
responded.
Casey went to one of the children,
who had eyes similar to hers. She picked the boy up and went over to the
couple. "Look us in the eyes. Why are we familiar? Whose eyes are
these?"
Each stared at the faces before
them. Max gasped. "What?" Logan asked.
"Logan, they have your
eyes."
"And your barcode," Logan responded.
"Nice combination, huh?"
Casey said with a smile.
"Then you are?" Max asked.
"We are your future,"
Nicholas spoke.
"We are what you create,"
Shane said.
"But how? There are so many
things that stop us," Max stated.
"No, there is not. You are the
thing stopping you from being together," Sean said from off to the left.
"Lydecker… Manticore…"
Logan muttered.
"Things that are better
overcome together, than apart," Casey responded.
"I may have to run again,"
Max said.
"Or you can stand up and fight.
Or he can run with you. There are very few times there is only one
solution," she said calmly.
"So, we get to be
together," Logan asked.
"That is your choice," Mia
said, "Like we have been telling you!"
Logan looked at Max with great love
in his eyes, "WE get to be together… I don't have to lose you… I love
you."
A tear ran down Max's cheek,
"We'll find away. We'll fight to be together… I… I love you too. I've
loved you for so long."
Logan leaned in and kissed Max. He
wrapped his arms around her, holding her to his chest. "I'll never let you
go…"
"Promise?"
"Promise!"
Screams arose once more from the
children, as more disappeared. "What happened? Why are they still
disappearing?" Logan begged.
"They will continue to
disappear until you conceive Nicholas and Shane," Casey said calmly.
"What?" Logan asked
"Max- does it make sense
now?" Casey said.
"My heat will be hitting me
today. Today is when I need to conceive them, otherwise this won't
happen…" Max said to Logan.
"OK. So our lives are about to
turn upside down."
"Well, we have been trying to
push you guys along for a while now so these moments would be natural. However,
this is it. Times up," Casey stated shaking her head.
"Are we ready to go back?"
Max asked.
"Yes, you are. Just be patient
with each other. Love and life can be difficult. Trust, hope and love. Those
three help with everything," Casey said quietly.
"Will we ever see you, them,
again?" Logan asked.
"Some. Your sons of course… You
will see me at the end of your life. I will be your brave warrior," Casey
stated with a smile. "Now, close your eyes and you will be returned."
*******************************************************************
Logan shot up in his bed. For the
first time since he started having the dream, he wasn't scared. He knew he just
needed to be with Max, nothing else mattered. He was in the living room as Max
came out of the guest bedroom.
"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have
walked away," Max said to Logan.
"It doesn't matter," Logan
said before kissing her. The kiss wasn't hurried or haggard. It was sweet and
full of love. "I love you. I want you to be mine, always."
"Logan," was all Max
managed to murmur before he kissed her again. "I love you too," she
said against his lips. "I'm in heat, Logan… I want to be yours…
always."
"We'll get pregnant,"
Logan said as he continued to kiss her.
"I know."
Logan picked Max up and headed back
to his bedroom. He looked at her with great love as he laid her on his bed.
"You want to conceive a child with me?" he asked as he kissed her
reverently.
"I want to conceive a couple
children with you!" she said pulling him more fully on top of her.
"This changes everything… I
would love to change everything, but I don't want to hold you back," Logan
said timidly looking into her eyes.
"Let's change everything. Let's
have a baby. I want this. I want you," she said before kissing his lips
lightly.
"Would you if you weren't in
heat?"
"Normally when I'm in heat, the
last thing I want is to become pregnant. When I woke up, it was the first thing
I thought of, wanting to be pregnant with your baby."
He stared in her eyes, and his
filled with tears. "I love you," he uttered as they began to make
love.
******************************************************************
Logan sat silently next to Max
stroking her cheek as she slept. "Mr. Cale?" a nurse said from the
door. "Shall I bring them in?"
"Oh, yes please!" Logan
said as his eyes lit up.
"Your wife did a great job.
Twins are hard on anybody, but she is so small I'm amazed she lasted as long as
she did," said the nurse as she wheeled the twin boys to him.
"I'll be sure and tell her that
when she wakes up," Logan said as the nurse left. "Well, guys. We out
number your mom. But I bet you've already figured out, she is a strong lady
with her own opinion, so she won't be a push over."
One of the small wrinkly beings
began to cry. Logan reached in and picked him up, "Oh, no need to cry.
She'll be great. So what should we name you?"
"What about Shane?" Max
said from the hospital bed.
"I'm sorry if we woke
you," Logan said handing the little one he was holding over to his waiting
wife.
"It's OK. I was thinking I like
the name Shane," Max said as she looked at her son.
"Well, I could go for that.
What do you think of Nicholas for this little guy?"
"I like that," she said
with a smile.
"OK. Look at that. Our first
official parenting decision: Nicholas and Shane," Logan said to his sons.
"It is very nice to meet you guys, finally. It seems like I've been dreaming
of you forever."