Gracie-Part 2
Disclaimer: See first part
Gracie was the first to wake the next morning. She stretched and smiled the events of last night seeping into her sleep fogged brain, unknown to Max and Logan she'd been awake and heard every word they'd said. She slowly opened her eyes to get a glimpse of her mother for the first time. Max's arm was draped over Logan's chest, her head tucked under his chin and her dark glossy curls falling over her face. Gracie reached over and brushed them away like her mother had done to her the night before Hannah's right, she's very beautiful she thought smiling. Gracie gingerly pulled back the covers and crawled out of Logan's arms, slipping gracefully to the floor and straightening the covers again. She looked around the room finally finding a brush on the bedside table. Gracie started to brush her long brown/black locks while lifting the curtains a small bit and staring out wide-eyed at the seething mess of high-rises and buildings Hannah had told her was Seattle.
"Big isn't it?" Gracie turned to her father letting the curtain drop and finished brushing her hair, she nodded solemnly. Logan smiled at her sympathetically "some times I forget just how big because I see it every day" he gently rolled Max over onto her back and got out of bed kissing her lightly on the lips before taking Gracie's hand and leading her out to the kitchen. "What would you like for breakfast?" Gracie stared at him blankly. When he got no response Logan looked down at her "have you ever had pancakes?" Gracie shook her head and pulled her self up onto the side bench to watch Logan get the ingredients out of the cupboards.
Gracie watched him for a long time humming to an imaginary song and swinging her legs over the side of the counter. Once the pancakes were ready and cooling Logan gave Gracie a bottle of maple syrup and a bottle of chocolate sauce "to go on the pancakes" he explained to her. She nodded but still looked unsure, Logan got out a spoon and poured some chocolate on it handing it back to Gracie "try some" she dipped a finger into it and sucked it, her eyes lighting up "nice?" Logan chuckled as she licked the spoon clean. Gracie nodded enthusiastically and poured a generous amount onto the pancakes "can we eat them now?" Logan lifted her off the bench and picked up the plate, leading her over to the table. He set the plate down and lifted Gracie into a chair "before you eat them all I think Max might like some" Gracie grinned and got down from her chair running to go wake her mother.
She ran into the room and scrambled onto the bed jumping up and down "wake up, wake up daddy made pancakes with yummy sauce on" she shrieked. Max opened her eyes and smiled, Gracie stopped bouncing "hello! Daddy made pancakes and I put on the sauce" she said proudly "so you better come and have some before we eat them all up!" she jumped off the bed and grabbed Max's hand, pulling her out the door. Max laughed "sorry we had to wake you but I figured you'd want some" Logan said coming into the lounge carrying three cups of coffee and a glass of fresh orange juice on a tray. He set the tray on the table and picked Gracie up spinning her around once then putting her in her chair, Gracie giggling. Logan turned to see Max staring at him in shock "guess I forgot to mention I found a new doctor to do the therapy Adriana Vertes started before she died" Max covered her mouth with her hand still stunned before launching herself into his arms. She sighed happily "this day could not get any better" she said softly resting her head against his chest.
Gracie watched them quietly eating her pancakes "they good?" Max asked her pulling away from Logan and sitting down next to her. Gracie nodded mopping up some of the chocolate sauce with a bit of pancake and stuffing it in her mouth before it could drip on her pajamas, Max laughed "there's no hurry to finish them Gracie" she shrugged "they'll get cold." Logan handed Max a cup of coffee and Gracie the orange juice "maybe you Max and Hannah can go out shopping later to get you some toys and things" Gracie's eyes widened and she nodded happily sipping the juice. "Hannah's still here?" Max asked Logan in surprise "yeah I saved her some breakfast. After the hell it must have been to get Gracie out of Manticore she deserves to sleep in" Max nodded noticing Gracie visibly flinched when 'manticore' was said. Max smirked "of course we'll have to take some cash to pay for things or I could go back once they're closed…" Logan shook his head "yes I'll give you money." She rubbed her hands together in anticipation and looked at Gracie knowingly " by the time we're through Logan's going to be broke."
Logan winked at Gracie "don't you listen to her" he looked to Max "and don't you corrupt her" Max smiled sweetly "I wouldn't even think about it." Gracie giggled and pushed back her chair sliding down to the ground "can we go now?" Max pursed her lips and tugged at Gracie's shirt "in your pajamas?" Gracie looked down at the silk pajamas and back up at Max questioningly. Logan got up and held out his hand to Gracie "come on lets get you in the shower and find some clothes while Max wakes Hannah up."
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Max nursed her cup of coffee until she heard the shower start up. She stood up slowly and collected up the plates, dumping them in the dishwasher still smiling at Gracie's energy and enthusiasm she had towards the simplest of things like chocolate. Max hadn't even heard of chocolate until she was ten and had come across a small café on a pier over looked a small fishing community that had been left to ruins after the pulse. There was only about thirty people that still lived in the area but the woman who ran the café refused to leave her small business or her home. She'd taken Max in after finding her standing out in the rain and the first thing she did was give Max a cup of tea and a chocolate bar, it was the best thing Max had ever tasted. Max leaned against the dishwasher and rubbed her eyes, part of her thinking she'd wake up soon and realize it was all a dream. Squeals of laughter came from the bathroom and the water was turned off. She smiled no this is for real, strike one for the powers that be.
"Hannah, you awake?" Max spoke quietly in the darkened room "sure Max come in." Hannah reached over and turned on the bedside light glancing down at her watch "good grief it's all ready ten o'clock!" Max sat down on the bed "Logan figured you'd need your rest." Hannah sat up finger combing her short hair staring at Max "you know every time I see you, you look more and more grown up" Max blushed and glanced down at her hands in her lap. "I'm still the same kid you saved eleven years ago just bigger and none the wiser" Hannah reached out and turned Max's face towards her "yes you are. Anyway you have to be for that little girl in the other room" Max shook her head and ran her hands through her hair "this is so weird I mean I've had some pretty strange things happen to me before but nothing like this." She stood up and started to pace "how am I supposed to take care of a six year old? Manticore sure as hell never trained me for mother hood."
Hannah watched Max in amusement "what?" Max asked coming to a stop and frowning. "As I see it, you already have a man that adores you and instantly fell in love with Gracie the minute he set eyes on her. Plus with the amount of money he has you'll never have to work again if you don't want to. I'd say all in all you're anything but on your own with this."
Max sighed and flopped back down on the bed "you're right of course but it's still scary, what if they find her?." Hannah lay her hand on Max's shoulder "we won't let them. I think the real thing your scared of is letting your self love Logan and Gracie. You think you'll be more vulnerable." Max shrugged " I am scared of that. I mean what if manticore did find them and killed them to get to me? It's a possibility and I don't want to be the reason they die."
Hannah sighed "Max don't you think Logan already knows the risks?" she paused "and as for Gracie, well she was born into manticore and the only way she'll survive out here in a world she doesn't know is by you and Logan loving her and teaching her how to live." Max looked at her thoughtfully then slapped her hands down on the bed standing up "well enough with the chit chat we have a date to spend Logan's money and take Gracie on her first shopping trip." Hannah laughed and threw back the covers "oh I'm sure he's loving that idea" Max shrugged "he's got nothing better to spend it on." Hannah pulled on a blue cardigan she had folded neatly and set at the end of the bed with her shoes "first thing's first, can I smell coffee?"
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Logan reached in and turned off the shower shaking the water off his arm and grabbing a large white fluffy towel "ready to come out now?" Gracie shook her head and sprayed Logan with water "Hey!" Logan complained wrapping her up in the towel and lifting her out of the shower. Gracie shrieked with laughter while Logan rubbed her dry and tickled her "right now, what are you going to wear?."
Gracie opened her eyes and looked over to a pile of folded clothes Logan had set down beside the shower "ummm this, this and this" she said picking up a pair of pale blue leggings with white flowers on, a matching sweatshirt and a black polo neck. Logan took the clothes and turned her around to face him "arm's up" Logan pulled the top's over Gracie's head and pulled up her leggings. He turned her around and placed her on a stool so she could see her self in the mirror "now we have to brush your hair. Gracie why didn't manticore shave your head, do you know?" she nodded and watched him in the mirror pull her hair out from under her top and start to gently run a comb through her long dark hair. "They wanted us to infiltrate important family's of the government. We had to look like normal kids."
Logan finished untangling the knots from her hair and plaited it down her back tying it at the end with a rubber band. He pushed the hair away from the base of her neck revealing a bar code much like Max's "right then I'm sure Max has got Hannah up by now. Let's go find you some shoes" Logan told her cheerfully taking her hand and leading her out into the hall feeling anything but happy to see the tattoo symbolizing everything he had come to hate on his daughter's neck.
They searched through the wardrobe of Hannah's room till they found a pair of Sophie's shiny black boots and white socks. "Can you tie your shoe lases?" Logan asked her sitting her on the bed and kneeling in front of her pulling on the socks and shoes. Gracie shook her head "no we didn't usually wear shoes in manticore" Logan nodded and tied her shoe lases tightly "well I think your ready to go" Gracie cocked her head "what are you going to do?" Logan smiled and took her hands straightening up and lifting her off the bed " I'm going to do some work." Gracie shrugged and skipped out into the lounge "ready?" she asked Max and Hannah who sat on the couch talking. Max looked up and smiled "don't you look nice. Sure we're ready" Logan spoke up from where he leaned in the doorway "Hannah can I talk to you for a minute?" Max glanced at him then smiled down at Gracie "why don't we go phone my boss and tell him I'm sick" Gracie frowned and took Max's hand walking into the office "are you?" Max laughed "no, but he doesn't need to know that."
Logan sat down next to Hannah "there's a few things I'm not clear about and I'm kinda hoping you can help me out" Hannah nodded and looked at him expectantly. Logan shifted slightly "ok if Gracie was a test tube baby, what happened to the surrogate?" Hannah sighed and shrugged helplessly "no one knows where they were taken, just that they were mostly street kids around twenty years old and in need of cash."
Logan nodded "Gracie said something about infiltration into the government, not that there's much left of it but still some of the stuff they still have access to would be catastrophic if Lydecker got hold of it." She grimaced "I don't quite know if they've infiltrated yet but I know that one of my sources has already warned them."
Logan bit his lip "what did you mean when you said they put a 'devise' in me?" Hannah licked her lips "well all I know is that it's the same kind that all X5's have just under the skin of their barcodes. Max's act's as a sort of photographic memory so I presume yours does to with out you even realizing it" Logan frowned "so they implanted a picture of Max in my memory" she nodded "but you have to remember the only instincts manticore creates are 'search and destroy'. The implant they put in you only gave you a better chance of finding Max or another X5, any other emotions you have towards her are very much your own."
Hannah stood up "I believe I have a shopping trip planned so I better be off." Logan smiled and handed her his wallet "tell Max to spend as much as she wants but try to stop her buying the whole shop out" Hannah laughed and took the wallet slipping it into the pocket of her jeans "easier said than done, bye Logan." Logan watched her leave and looked around the room not exactly the best childproof house, but I guess Gracie isn't your average kid.
The front door opened and Gracie came running into the lounge climbing into Logan's lap and hugging him tight "bye!" she told him kissing him on the cheek and jumping down again racing out the door. Logan shook his head "gotta get her to slow down a bit" he said out loud hearing the front door slam shut "definitely not your average kid."
TBC
AN/ Thank you sooooo much for all the feedback, you guys rock!