A/N: Takes place after HASB. I don't own the characters, nor do I mean any infringement. I'm sorry I've been so slow with posts lately. I was finishing up school for the year and things got a little crazy. No fear, though, I'll be posting regularly again. After I get a "Meow"-based fic out look for the next chapter of AIR, finally! Thanks to Callie and Evil Twin, my always awesome beta-boos!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Max stood on top of the Space Needle, her mind swimming, her heart aching, her soul tired. Her body was tired too. She hadn't eaten well or slept in days. Se felt as though she had been fighting forever. Which was true, she had been, but especially in the last several days. Even though she had been designed to withstand constant battle, being outside of Manticore for so long had softened her. Just a little.

Maybe being outside Manticore had softened her more than just a little. Because her first instinct, as she stood watch over nighttime Seattle, in all her fatigue and confusion, was to run to Logan. He was her safe harbor, her anchor. Even if he *had* been acting like the typical three legged junior lately. She noticed how distant and withdrawn he had become-again. He was less playful, more work-oriented, as though he was pulling away from her.

Still, she wanted to go to him, to get his reassurances, and maybe a home cooked meal. She wanted to sit on his couch and sip wine and listen to him read his poetry and play chess. She wanted to fall asleep on his couch and wake up to find him cooking breakfast or working on some Eyes Only stuff.

She knew he'd been through a lot lately. They both had. Throughout their entire lives, and especially since they had met, Max and Logan had gone to war and been through hell and back. And even though something told Max they weren't done going to war or through hell yet, she knew that in the year since they'd known each other, going through all that shit together had made things easier then if they'd had to deal with them apart. Going through it with him made things bearable. Because of Logan, Max didn't feel alone anymore.

And Zach knew it. He told her not to make the same mistake as Tinga. He told her not to let love or family impair her judgment. However, she already had, and Zach knew it. Maybe that was why he was always giving Logan dirty looks. Because Max had returned to Seattle when Logan was dying, when she should have been running for her life. But the thought of Logan dying, of losing him, was more than Max could bear. That's why she never left. She knew the day would come when she would have to go on the run. She just found herself praying that it would not come before Logan was able to come along with her.

She didn't know why she wanted him to come with her. She and Logan didn't have the kind of relationship Tinga and Charlie did. They weren't married. They didn't have a child. Why in the world would Logan drop everything just to come with her? And yet Max knew he would if he felt he could. She still remembered their kiss outside Jonas's cabin. She remembered the sweetness of it, the promise it carried, and the heartbreak it caused. Part of her wished she hadn't excused it away, but she knew she couldn't have followed up on it. It wasn't time.

Time. She felt as though they were running out of time. It was an interesting thing, time. There was so much and yet so little of it. Tinga and Charlie had not had enough time. And yet Charlie firmly admitted that he would not give up any of the time they had spent together. Which Max found bittersweet. The Manticore part of her agreed with Zach. Even though she knew it was not phony sentimentality, she knew that on some level, Charlie would have been better off without getting embroiled in their bizarre family tree. Certainly, Kase would have been better off. He wouldn't have had everyone's favorite military lunatic trying to capture him or take his mommy away. However, the human part of Max, the part of her she was sure that Logan had brought to life, knew that Charlie and Kase would have been worse off. It was like what Phil was talking about-destiny. Kase was destined to be half chimera and half human, and Charlie was destined to be soul mates with a genetically engineered woman.

Max wondered what she and Logan were destined for. Was it true that she was destined to be the personal cat burglar of a formerly wealthy altruistic brooding cyberjournalist and nothing else? Was she doomed to be forever on the run? Was Logan destined to be paralyzed, to be poor, to be somewhere between loneliness and abject despondence, with Eyes Only as his only link to the rest of the world?

Max wondered if they were destined for each other, if each of them was just what the other needed. She had needed someone to watch out for her, someone to make her feel like a real girl, someone to help her find her sibs, someone to make her feel alive. He had needed someone to keep him real, to draw him out of his shell, to kick his ass as needed. Max knew Logan worried about her. Even though he had been a jerk lately, she had seen it in Logan's eyes when she had told him she was going to Portland.

"So when I tell ya that this is a bad idea, a trap?" he had asked, practically begging her not to go. But she had, and had found Tinga, who was also doing surveillance on her husband and son. After doing much surveillance, they had fallen, briefly, into a nice sisterly chat, the kind Max had always imagined she'd have with one of her sisters, a conversation that wasn't really about tactical maneuvers and war strategies. They were talking about guys.

"Did you ever tell anyone?" Tinga had asked.

"Only because they kind of figured it out on their own," Max had said, chagrined.

"Boyfriend?" Tinga sounded intrigued and was pressing her baby sister for gossip.

"Not exactly," Max had replied, knowing it was her biggest almost admission to date. Why couldn't she just admit how she felt?

She had designated Logan's apartment as the rendezvous point. It wasn't anywhere near Portland, but Max had given Tinga directions and instructions, incase she herself did not make it back before Tinga and her family. But she had caught up with Zach, Tinga, Charlie, and Kase rather quickly after departing the rooftop, after Brin had given her a stay of execution. Zach hadn't exactly been thrilled they were going back to "Miracle Boy's place," but they all knew it was the safest option.

Logan had opened his home to them graciously, as he always did, as Max had known he would. He had made himself scarce, working in the kitchen or at his computer, staying out the their way, even though Max wouldn't have thought of him as *in* the way. He didn't say much of anything to her until he joined her and Zach at the table, watching Tinga and Charlie.

"How's the happy couple?" he'd asked, his voice unreadable. It was dripping with something, but Max could not discern if it was concern or sarcasm. She couldn't tell if he was being nice, or referring to her and Zach, and not Charlie and Tinga. She wanted to smack him and ask him what had crawled up his ass and died, but she was too focused on her sister.

"He'll get over it," Max replied. "At least they're together."

Of course, then Zach had put in his two cents, "For now. Those two aren't gonna do anything but slow her down, mess with her judgment." He cast them both strange looks that Max didn't want to take the time to deal with. "If she's smart she'll tell him to take the kid and go. Otherwise, they're gonna end up sharing a suite back at Manticore."

Logan pondered, but did not say anything, so Max took the opportunity. "You're a real family values kind of guy, aren't ya?"

"Family isn't an option," Zach said bitterly. "Not for us." He glared at Logan and walked away from the table, leaving Max and Logan to their druthers.

"Can't really blame the guy for being freaked out," Logan had said, in reference to Max's glowering brother-in-law. "Wonder why she never told him."

Max had frowned; he made it sound so easy.

"No," he'd said quickly. "If you're gonna have a relationship with someone, you have a right to know what you're getting into."

It had struck a chord in her, his words, and she wondered once again, if he was talking about Charlie and Tinga. So, never one to back away from a discussion, had countered, "Only that's the thing about relationships. You never know what you're getting into." She knew that and so did Logan. And all of the sudden she was sure they were talking about themselves and not her sister and brother-in-law.

Once again, Max had found herself wondering why she and Logan didn't just admit it. But deep down she knew. They were scared. There was too much at stake. They had to get past their own insecurities. He had to get past the fact he was in a wheelchair and she had to get past feeling like she had been the one who put him there.

She knew Logan and Charlie had talked in the kitchen, and she couldn't help but wonder what they had discussed. She'd wanted to be a fly on the wall, but she had been too busy comforting her sister over the sick child. There was nothing Logan could do to take Max's pain away when she realized she was going to have to send another sister back to Manticore, and she knew Logan couldn't help; which was why she didn't even bother. They were strictly business. Then, once again, Zach had gotten to her.

"She made herself vulnerable and now she's paying the price," he had said, his gaze cold and penetrating. "Don't make the same mistake."

Max had walked away, not wanting to deal with it, knowing that in a heartbeat, she would do the exact same thing Tinga had. But she had suspected Zach knew it too. Which was probably why he didn't give her a hard time about taking Kase back to Logan's after they ad been ambushed in the South Market. Zach had escorted Kase, Charlie, and Max to Foggle Towers, but had left them there. Still, things were strictly business between she and Logan. That is, until Charlie had decided to smack some sense into them.

"You know," he'd said, holding his son close to him. "This whole time, I've been thinking she could have told me from the start. Truth is, I probably would have walked away. Wouldda been the biggest mistake of my life. Cuz even after everything that's happened, I wouldn't give up one moment we spent together." He looked them square in the face. "Not one second."

Max and Logan had swapped looks. Even as Charlie left, they just looked at each other, seeing the realization in each other's eyes. Max had muttered a "Thanks for everything," and fled for the Needle.

But now she was coming back. It was late, past curfew, and she was risking it, but she didn't want to go home. She wanted to go to Logan's. She hoped he wasn't asleep. She saw the lights in the penthouse on from the ground and knew he wasn't. Silently, she entered, and heard him tinkering in the computer room.

"Logan?" she called, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

She could hear the surprise in his voice as he replied, "Max? Be right out." He wheeled out, the concern etched on his face. "Is everything okay?"

She sighed in frustration and plopped down on the couch, "No, nothing is okay. Not any of it. Tinga's back at Manticore, Kase is without a mom, Charlie lost his wife, Brin belongs to the dark side, Zach's an ass, and I'm tired and hungry." Max stopped in her tirade and raised a brow. "Damn, I'm really bitchy tonight, aren't I?"

Logan smiled, "It's okay. Let me throw you together some food. The hunger I can fix. Everything else..." He gestured to the air. "All I can do is talk to you about it. Or listen."

She nodded, "Thanks Logan."

He returned five minutes later with a sandwich, salad, and a glass of milk. She was touched. She hadn't had any seizures since Cape Haven, but he was always looking out for her. Max wondered if things had gotten back to normal. Or were at least starting to. She and Logan talked for several hours about Tinga, Brin, Zach, about how smart Kase was and how bad they felt for Charlie, having to raise a child alone. Around two in the morning, they both started to yawn.

"Do you mind if I crash here tonight?" Max asked sleepily. "I mean, when I got here, it was past curfew as it was. Now, if I go out, the sector police will nab my ass."

Logan smiled, "Sure thing. You want to use the guest room?"

Max shook her head, "Naw. I'm too tired to move from here." She indicated the couch.

He tossed her a cell phone and began to leave the room, "Call Cindy and let her know you're okay while I go find you a blanket and pillows."

Max smiled and placed a call to Original Cindy. When Logan returned, Max was curled up on the couch, half asleep.

"What'd she say?" he asked, beginning to cover Max with the blanket.

Max yawned, "She said you better be good and take care of her boo, or she's gonna lay the smack down on your ass."

Logan chuckled, "Good to know." He noticed Max was falling closer and closer to a deep sleep and quickly, yet gently, tucked a pillow underneath her head. "Good night Max," he whispered.

"Logan," Max mumbled, trying not to slur her words. "Will you tell me a story? Tinga told Kase one the other night and I realized I'd never had a bedtime story before."

Logan was a bit shocked, but honored she felt safe enough to ask him to tell her a story. He moved closer to the couch and asked, "What kind of story did Tinga tell Kase?"

"About the Princess who escaped the castle and the evil king," Max said, struggling to stay conscious enough to tell him the basis of the story.

"Okay," Logan agreed, taking a deep breath and looking down at his dozing angel. "Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a castle in a far away land. One day, she and her brothers and sisters escaped the evil king who held them captive, and tried to make their way in the world. It was hard because the king never stopped looking for them. But the princess was lucky. A few months after the escape, a mean wizard cast a spell that sent poverty throughout the entire land, and it was easy for the princess to disappear."

Max furrowed her brow, "An evil wizard? I don't think I like this story."

"It gets better," he assured her. "The princess made friends and kept herself busy and was surprised to find she was happy. One day, the princess made a new friend, an ally. She met a lonely and brooding man who lived in a tower. He was the guardian for the city the princess lived in, but he was tired with his job and was looking for a little adventure."

"Did the princess give him the adventure he was looking for?" Max asked, grinning through her fatigue.

Logan grinned, "Did she ever. Not only did she give him adventure, she gave him companionship and friendship. And she saved his life a couple times, for which the man was extremely grateful." Logan paused, "More grateful than the princess could know."

"She says you're welcome," Max murmured, nearly sleeping.

"Hey," he chided. "This is supposed to put you to sleep. Stop interrupting. Anyway, the princess and the guardian became friends and fought the evil king's men together, who were still out looking for the escaped princes and princesses. One of the princess's brothers paid her and the guardian a visit, but he was rude and surly and pigheaded."

"I heard that," Max grumbled.

"Sorry," Logan chuckled. "Then one day, the princess's sister was recaptured by the evil king and the princess was sad. But the guardian didn't like seeing the princess sad, so he tried to cheer her up. He made her food and told her stories and even let her read some of his secret poetry." He could see now that Max was asleep. "The guardian hated seeing the princess upset or hurt, so he made it his mission to protect her. And that's exactly what he did. It was his reason for being. She was his reason for being. She have him reason to get up in the morning. The guardian protected the princess and took care of her and sooner or later, they fell in love. Now, they were both scared to admit that they were in love, but it got so that they couldn't deny it." Logan took a deep breath, "And the guardian and the princess lived happily every after." He tucked the blanket up under her chin and kissed her forehead. "Good night Max. Sleep well Princess."

Max waited until he had left the room to smile. The she snuggled deeper under the blankets and wondered what Logan would make her for breakfast when she woke up.