A small "fuck" floated from Max's mouth as she left the safety and comfort of Logan's arms. Trying to find the scenario with the least amount of violence, she got out of bed and put on a pair of navy blue sweats. The mound of blankets lying on the bed was pushed onto the floor as Logan began the task of climbing into his chair.
"Um… could you do me a favor?" Max asked, her mind racing.
"Ya." The chair slipped from his grasp and he was dumped onto the hardwood floor. "Damnit." He cursed out of frustration while crawling to his hell on wheels.
"Are you okay?"
"Just forgot to set the brake last night. You were saying?"
"Oh, could you take a shower or something? Ya know, let me calm him down a little." And give you time to cool down. She added silently.
"As long as you think you can keep your legs shut till I get there." A hand clamped over his mouth even as he spoke the words. "Jesus Max, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." The hurt look returned to her face and it was quickly replaced by a stone coldness that Logan hadn't seen in years. Wheeling next to her, he took one of the hands that limply hung by her side. "Just come and get me whenever the coast is clear." With a nod of her head, Max turned to leave. "Hey, one more thing." Logan said, clutching her hand tighter. "When all this is over, we are going on a vacation." Her cold mask softened a little at the knowledge that in the end there would still be a 'we.'
The scene that greeted Max outside the bedroom was almost comical. Zack was being chased around the room by a very pissed off Original Cindy.
"Max, tell her to stop before I get mad." Zack coldly stated.
"Oh that's it bitch, it's on now." Cindy rolled up her sleeves and began ranting before Max cut her off.
"Cindy, that's enough." Defeated, OC walked into the bedroom where Logan was, taunting Zack the whole way. Across the room, Zack was standing with his jaw set and arms crossed, obviously thinking about the different ways he could kill Cindy. Taking an aggressive posture, Max began shouting. "What the hell are you doing here?" Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard the shower turn off.
"Max, I came to see you."
"Well I don't want to see you!"
"But I thought…" His expression was quickly changing from a heartless solider, to that of a young boy.
"You thought wrong Zack."
"Do you remember how right it felt Maxie. Didn't it feel like that was the way it is supposed to be? You can't tell me that what we shared didn't mean anything. You might say that we were in heat, but it's a lie."
"I was there, remember." Max turned and walked to the window. The sun looked as if it had never risen at all the clouds were so dark. A storm was approaching.
"Every morning I wake up," Zack continued, " and I think of you. You are my first and last thought of every day. That night we *made love*, what we shared wasn't just sex. That was the happiest moment of my life."
"I thought it was all just phony sentimentality."
"Ya, well I was wrong. Love can make a person stronger. It makes them able to endure weeks of torture without…" Max cut him off.
"Zack, do you love me?"
"Yes."
"Then let me be happy with the man *I* love."
"Him?" He shook his head. "He can't possibly love you as much as I do!"
"I don't wanna talk about this now."
"When? When are we going to talk about this Max?" Zack straightened himself to his full height. "Look me in the eyes and tell me how you feel about me." She turned to face him and began in a voice that was a little too loud.
"Yes, I have feelings for you damn it! Is that what you wanted to hear? Do you want to hear that I enjoyed fucking you? Is your ego satisfied knowing that I enjoyed having sex with someone who isn't my husband?" The muffled sob in the bedroom was lost on Max as Zack put his hands on her shoulders.
"Come with me." He whispered softly.
"I can't…" Zack turned her around and stared deep into her eyes. The sound of a door opening was once again lost on the two as their lips met. Strangely Max felt nothing she expected from the kiss.
"Fucking A." A female voice said, causing the siblings to quickly move away from each other. Cindy shut the door behind her and almost jumped at Max. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"
"Noth…"
"Don't interrupt me! Never interrupt me! I been sittin' wit' your hubby listinin' to this whole damn conversation you two been havin'. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't lay a smackdown on your ass right here on da' spot." Cindy got right into Max's face, trying to intimidate her. Feeling that she was being threatened, Max instinctively threw the aggressor to the floor. She hit with a loud thump and her neck snapped backward causing her head to strike the floor hard.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…" Max immediately extended an arm, and fear covered her friend's face. Scurrying away, Cindy bolted for the bedroom and locked the door behind her. Max sprinted after her and began apologizing through the wooden barrier. Zack came up behind her and placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.
"Come on, let's go."
After his shower, Logan put on a pair of sweatpants and a whit T-shirt. He finished drying his hair and wheeled into the master bedroom where he was surprised to find Cindy perched on the corner of his bed.
"Shh." She put a finger over her lips. Moving to the window, Logan stared over the city, preparing himself to go out and talk to Zack.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Man, she was pissed! This might go better than I hoped." Logan thought to himself smugly. Lightning flashed outside.
Original Cindy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Max sounded like she was really falling for this Zack guy. "Oh shit, Logan is hearing this too." She thought, looking at him. Not moving throughout the conversation, the only sign he could even hear them was the white-knuckle grip he had on the armrests of his chair. When she heard Zack ask Max to come with him, Logan sobbed and the sight was too much for her to bear. Opening the door at precisely the wrong moment, the only saving grace was that Logan couldn't see what was happening.
"Fucking A." Was all that her shocked brain could muster. Recovering quickly, she walked right up to Max and began laying it out straight. Just as she was going to give Zack a piece of her mind, time seemed to slow down as a searing pain filled her chest and her feet left the ground. The back of her head hit the ground so hard that her vision swam and she felt like passing out. Looking up at her best friend- turned attacker- in fear, she scrambled back into the safety of the bedroom and locked the door. Collapsing on the bed, she was vaguely aware of Logan hurrying into the bathroom for medical supplies. The sounds of Max's voice seemed to be moving away from her, and blackness began to creep into her vision. Fighting a losing battle, she gave in and darkness claimed her.
Ignoring her brother, Max continued apologizing. "Oh my god Cindy, please…" She pressed her face against the door, her tears staining the mahogany. Not expecting any answer from inside, she tucked her knees under her chin and rocked back and fourth, sobbing while humming the tune to a song Logan used to sing to her. Zack crawled up next to her and wiped the wetness from her eyes.
"Come on, let's get out of here." He smiled. From inside the bedroom, Logan's voice called out.
"Hold on, I will be right there." Rising from the floor, Max and Zack backed away so he could get out. Zack slid an arm around her waist to give both physical and emotional support.
Logan took a deep breath and opened the door. His heart shattered when he saw Max standing in another man's arms. The look of sheer pain that Logan wore hurt Max almost as much as his next words did. "Cindy is out cold." He looked away from the couple as tears streamed down his cheeks. Regaining his composure, he stared deep into Max's soul. She felt uncomfortable in Zack's embrace and broke it. Zack walked toward the front door. "I love you more than anything." Logan sighed deeply as the tears began to flow again. She was doing her best to look impassive, but was failing miserably. "I love you more than anything" he began again, "that's why if you want to go with Zack, I won't stand in your way."
Max was in a sea of emotion. "How can he just give me away like that?" She frantically looked from Zack to Logan and back to Zack not knowing what to do.
"Pick me, pick me." Zack thought, trying to use telepathy to influence her. He extended his right hand in a silent plea.
"Please Max…" Logan stared into her chocolate eyes trying to compose himself. His blood ran cold when she looked at him with a look of sadness and moved toward Zack. What was left of his heart now lied around his feet in ashes. His body was sapped of strength and he buried his face in his hands and cried loudly.
"Let's go Zack."