:drum fanfare: All right peeps, here it is – THE LAST CHAPTER!!! I would stretch it out longer if I could, but the truth is, there's just no good stopping place between here and the end that wouldn't be a totally dorky place to stop. I haven't got any plans to write a sequel, mostly because I can't think of anything to do with them from here. If you do, please feel free to make suggestions in your reviews – please don't just threaten to kill me :shoots glance at reviewer marie: LOL, just kidding marie, thanks for your enthusiasm. You guys remind me of me reviewing some of my favorite stories; I can be pretty desperate too! A big thank you to Rena and Beth for proofreading, and to Lady Callie for her supportive reviews; it means a lot coming from an author whose stories I have thoroughly enjoyed myself! :blows LC a kiss: Thanks, chica! And to all of you, many many thanks for liking my story so much, and giving me the encouragement to keep posting! :Blows kisses to all reviewers: Ok, ok, enough yap, on with the story!!!
Confessions, chapter 6
The moment was broken by the ringing of the doorbell. Logan smiled gently at Max as they broke apart. "That should be Bling and the girls," he said quietly.
"We could always ignore it; maybe they'll think we're not home," Max suggested, her eyes sparkling.
"I don't think they'd buy it," Logan disagreed. "Besides, they've been worried about you; I think we should let them know you're ok. Why don't you answer the door, and I'll finish making the salad, ok?"
Max pouted slightly, but did as he asked. "Oh, and be careful," Logan called out as she headed for the door. "Kendra's bringing over Pasta Tricolore; don't scare her too much, or she'll drop it."
"We wouldn't want that, would we?" Max agreed as she reached the door. Pulling it open, she grinned at the three shocked faces on the other side. "Hey there, kids," she announced. "What's shakin'?"
"Max!" Kendra gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth in surprise, which meant the covered dish she had previously been holding began to fall. Fortunately, Max had expected that reaction, and managed to catch the container before it hit the floor.
"Whoah there, Kendra!" she said, laughing. "What are you trying to do, ruin dinner? We're supposed to be celebrating!" She carried the pasta into the kitchen and set it on the counter, then turned back to find the three of them still standing in the doorway. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she demanded. "Somebody get over here and hug me!"
That seemed to break the spell; suddenly, Max found herself engulfed in a group hug by her very relieved friends. Kendra cried openly, and even Original Cindy seemed a little misty. Bling just smiled, but Max could tell from the relief in his face how worried he'd been. Logan came out with the salad just then, so they all sat down to eat.
"So Max; what happened?" Kendra asked. "What was going on with you this week?"
Max shared an uneasy look with Logan, who was sitting across from her; of the four people at the table, Kendra was the only one who didn't know the truth about her. "Well," she said slowly, gathering her thoughts. "You remember last week, those bodies that turned up in the woods?"
"Yeah," Kendra said, nodding. "The underground papers were full of rumors about the killer. I heard he got caught, though."
"He did," Max said slowly. Taking a deep breath, she continued on. "He was my brother."
Kendra gasped. "Oh, Max, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I didn't even know you had a brother."
"We were split up when we were young," Max explained. "Anyway, I found out what he was doing, and I – turned him in, so he couldn't kill anymore." Logan watched the sadness spread over her face, and reached out to take her hand. Original Cindy raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.
"You did the right thing, Max," Kendra offered sympathetically. "You couldn't let him keep killing people. I'm sure he'll understand, someday."
"I hope so," Max said softly. "So after that, I was having a hard time dealing; spent too much time riding around in the rain, so I got sick." She forced a smile. "Guess I overdid it, huh?"
"I'll say," Kendra agreed. "Next time, just come to us, ok? You know there isn't anything you can't tell us."
"That's right, Boo," Original Cindy jumped in quickly; probably to cover the fact that she'd been so quiet during Max's 'story'. "Me and Kendra got your back, aiight?"
Max couldn't help but laugh; with the mood lightened, dinner moved on. As curfew neared, Bling offered to drive the girls home.
"You guys go ahead," Max told them. "I'm gonna stay a while, help clean up."
"Are you sure? It's dangerous to be out after curfew." Kendra objected.
"I'll be fine; if it gets too late, I'll just crash here," Max assured her.
Kendra seemed satisfied with that; she hugged Max tightly once again and headed for the door. Original Cindy followed, but paused to look Max square in the eye.
"That was a good story you cooked up, Boo," she said quietly. "Tomorrow, I want the whole story – and the truth, aiight?"
"You got it," Max told her softly. "Thanks, for being there for Logan."
Cindy shrugged. "I was just makin' sure Whiteboy kept his hands off you while you was sick. 'Course, with you back on your feet, and him too . . ." she gave Max a suggestive look.
Laughing, Max pushed her towards the door. "Go home; I'll see you tomorrow."
Original Cindy grinned as she hugged Max goodbye. "Aiight – but I want all the details of you and Logan too, or Original Cindy will put the smackdown on your ass, just out of your sickbed or not!"
Once the three of them had left, Max helped Logan clear the table, then went to sit with him on the couch.
"I was proud of you tonight," Logan said quietly, playing with her hair. "That can't have been easy, lying to Kendra."
Max sighed as she curled up into his arms, relishing the feeling of safety she only seemed to find there. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever done," she admitted finally. "I mean, not telling her who I am – that's mostly evasion. She hasn't asked, and I haven't told. Nobody asks too many questions these days; most people have pasts they'd rather forget. But this was different. I looked her right in the face and flat-out lied to her."
"I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better," Logan whispered. "I wish I could tell you that Lydecker will never come here again looking for you, that he won't find Kendra the way the Reds found Original Cindy, that he won't hurt Kendra or your other friends to get to you. I wish I could tell you all that; I wish I could make him go away altogether. But I can't."
Max smiled up at him. "I know," she told him. "But thank you for wanting to; that helps."
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Logan spoke again. "Since this has turned into a night of confessions, I have another one for you."
Sensing from his tone that this was something serious, Max sat up and turned to face him. "What is it?" she asked.
"This brings back more memories than you think," Logan admitted, tugging at the sleeve of her robe. "While that whole thing was going down with Ben, I was worried about you. There was something going on that you weren't telling me, so I – I contacted Lydecker."
Max's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened. "You did what?" she demanded. "Are you crazy? What if he had figured out who you are?"
"He didn't have the chance," Logan assured her. "I made him come alone to the contact room, and encrypted the signal a half-dozen different ways; there's no way he could have traced it. I tried to press him about Ben, to get information about what was going on, but he turned the tables on me. He had figured out that I was helping you, and he tried to drive a wedge between us. He told me I had no idea who you were, that you weren't the girl next door. He said you were designed to kill, and all you needed was a trigger. That night, after everything was over, he sent me pictures of you and the others after one of your training exercises."
"Let me guess," Max said softly, her eyes distant. "There was a dead man; he was covered in blood, and so were we." Her eyes filled with tears. "I've tried so hard to forget about that day, what we did; but I never can. Lydecker's right – I'm not the girl next door, I'm trouble."
"You're not trouble; you're beautiful," Logan said firmly, taking her in his arms. "I shredded those pictures. It doesn't matter what Lydecker says; it doesn't matter what you did back then. You didn't know anything but violence then; you've changed, and I've seen you change."
"But what if I have to run?" Max whispered against his chest. "I couldn't stand to leave you behind, not now."
"You won't have to," Logan assured her. "I'm not letting you go again; if you run, I run. I love you."
"I love you too; but I'm scared," Max admitted. "I've never felt this way about anyone, and I don't know if I can handle it."
"I know you're scared," Logan soothed her, stroking her hair. "I know you are; I'm scared too. But we can do it together, if we trust each other. Do you trust me, Max?"
"With my life," Max assured him.
"Well, then I think we'll be all right," Logan said with a smile. The two of them lay together on the couch for a long time, talking about the future, and everything that young couples in love talk about. In a broken world, people can make their own future; as she lay in the arms of the man she loved, Max was sure that they would make theirs the best.
Ok, people, that's it! Was the ending too cheesy? I wasn't sure about it, but it sounds good! I want to thank Nautica7mk for the idea about Logan and Max discussing the pictures; I don't know if that's what you had in mind, Nautica, but thanks anyway; I think it really helped the story! Ok, PLEASE read and review; I have certain ideas in mind for other stories, probably short ones, but if there's anything you'd like to see covered that you think hasn't been covered, or not covered well, please feel free to make suggestions. My DA muse has been freed, and I may never get her back under control!!! Later, peeps!
Kelly Pierce
lareina_Selena