A/N: Holy shit!! Jaci wrote more C&B!! Are you shocked? Are you surprised? Are you lying on the floor grabbing your chest in pain? Do you want me to quit rambling so you can read? Okay then, on with the show.
Crash & Burn
Scene 7
The drizzling rain that had started the night before continued into the next afternoon. Logan stood back, feeling desperately helpless, as Max and Original Cindy rooted through piles of ashes and rubble to find what was left of their belongings. Herbal Thought and Sketchy had been by off and on to lend a hand in between runs, but they were covering for Cindy and Max and couldn't be gone for too long. Kendra had a regular job now and couldn't risk losing it with playing hooky, no matter how extreme the circumstances.
It was odd what you could lose in a fire. At the same time Cindy was mourning the loss of her vintage Xena poster, Max tripped over a pile that ended up being most of her clothes. Besides being covered in ash and being pretty much soaked, they were basically untouched. Logan was sure that Max was happy about that, since she was sure to get sick of wearing the same clothes.
Logan wasn't really concerned about what made it through the fire and what didn't at the moment. Material possessions were easy to replace. All you had to do was know the right people and fatten the right pockets, all of which wasn't a problem for him. Of course, Max would probably fight him on it, but her stuff would all be replaced, and they'd find a better place to live. It would all just take time so she didn't even realize what was happening till it was too late. Right now, his biggest concern was the fact that Max had barely said a word since she'd found her barcode buried inside the addresses. She'd reverted back to the living zombie state she'd been in the night before. It was just a matter of time before she broke, and he was patiently standing back ready to help her pick up the pieces. Not that she'd appreciate it.
It took long, long hours before even a dent was made in what had to be done. Unlike the other arsons that had taken place, Max's building hadn't been completely destroyed. It would probably be repairable, if anyone really cared about a dilapidated old building that had been condemned almost ten years ago. All that was left was piles of stuff that had to be gone through, some of it trashed, some of it salvaged.
Cindy walked over to where Logan stood, yawning hugely, her arms stretched overhead. She dropped a pile of trash into a large box that was quickly becoming full. She glanced over her shoulder at Max, who was staring down at something in her hand. She then turned to Logan and spoke in an undertone. "She seems to be taking this pretty well, right?" She asked.
A little to well, if you asked Logan, but that wasn't what Cindy wanted to hear right now. She only wanted to hear enough to let her sleep tonight. "Yeah, Max is fine." He reassured pleasantly. Cindy smiled one sad smile before turning back to root through her room some more.
Logan made his way over to Max. She was still standing in the same spot, eerily still, as she stared down at her hands. "Max?" Logan asked as he sidestepped a pile of charred wood. "You okay?" That was when he saw the picture. Or at least, it used to be a picture. Its edges were charred and curled, holes in several places.
"See this?" Max asked, holding it up. "It used to be a picture of Kendra, Cindy, and me at Crash." She suddenly let it go, and it floated to the floor slowly, almost surreally so. "Now, its nothing."
"I'm sorry, Max." Logan said, reaching a hand towards her. She turned away before his hand reached hers, walking away in jerky steps.
"Don't you see, Logan?" Her voice was becoming high pitched and frantic. "Cindy could have been home. Or little Omar down the hall. Anyone in this building could have been home and then trapped in the fire. Why? Because I am here. They could have been killed, and it would have been solely on me."
"That's ridiculous. The only one that is to blame is the person who is starting these fires." Logan insisted.
"But they are starting them because of me! The addresses make my barcode!" Max shouted hysterically. "None of this would be happening if I wasn't here, if I was in some other city."
"If you were in some other city, they'd just burn down the buildings there."
Max opened her mouth to shout back at him, but before Logan knew what had happened, she'd covered her face with her hands and was sobbing. Logan was at her side in a heartbeat, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Max…its okay…it okay." He repeated, crooning lightly in her ear as he rocked her back and forth. The tougher they were, the harder they fell. Cindy peeked out of her room at the commotion. "What'd you do, boy?" She asked, covering her worry with the usual coat of sarcasm.
Max's knees seemed to give out, and if Logan hadn't been there, she would have sank to the floor in a heap. But Logan smoothly slipped an arm under her knees and lifted her surprisingly small weight. "I'm getting her out of here." Logan had to speak up over Max's choking sobs. "You okay here alone?"
"I'm cool. You just take care of my boo. I'm at Herbal's if you need some help." Cindy said quickly as she ran forward to open what was left of the front door for him. "Don't like, drop her or something."
Logan didn't answer, he just held Max closer to him as he slowly walked back to his car.
Crash & Burn
Scene 7
The drizzling rain that had started the night before continued into the next afternoon. Logan stood back, feeling desperately helpless, as Max and Original Cindy rooted through piles of ashes and rubble to find what was left of their belongings. Herbal Thought and Sketchy had been by off and on to lend a hand in between runs, but they were covering for Cindy and Max and couldn't be gone for too long. Kendra had a regular job now and couldn't risk losing it with playing hooky, no matter how extreme the circumstances.
It was odd what you could lose in a fire. At the same time Cindy was mourning the loss of her vintage Xena poster, Max tripped over a pile that ended up being most of her clothes. Besides being covered in ash and being pretty much soaked, they were basically untouched. Logan was sure that Max was happy about that, since she was sure to get sick of wearing the same clothes.
Logan wasn't really concerned about what made it through the fire and what didn't at the moment. Material possessions were easy to replace. All you had to do was know the right people and fatten the right pockets, all of which wasn't a problem for him. Of course, Max would probably fight him on it, but her stuff would all be replaced, and they'd find a better place to live. It would all just take time so she didn't even realize what was happening till it was too late. Right now, his biggest concern was the fact that Max had barely said a word since she'd found her barcode buried inside the addresses. She'd reverted back to the living zombie state she'd been in the night before. It was just a matter of time before she broke, and he was patiently standing back ready to help her pick up the pieces. Not that she'd appreciate it.
It took long, long hours before even a dent was made in what had to be done. Unlike the other arsons that had taken place, Max's building hadn't been completely destroyed. It would probably be repairable, if anyone really cared about a dilapidated old building that had been condemned almost ten years ago. All that was left was piles of stuff that had to be gone through, some of it trashed, some of it salvaged.
Cindy walked over to where Logan stood, yawning hugely, her arms stretched overhead. She dropped a pile of trash into a large box that was quickly becoming full. She glanced over her shoulder at Max, who was staring down at something in her hand. She then turned to Logan and spoke in an undertone. "She seems to be taking this pretty well, right?" She asked.
A little to well, if you asked Logan, but that wasn't what Cindy wanted to hear right now. She only wanted to hear enough to let her sleep tonight. "Yeah, Max is fine." He reassured pleasantly. Cindy smiled one sad smile before turning back to root through her room some more.
Logan made his way over to Max. She was still standing in the same spot, eerily still, as she stared down at her hands. "Max?" Logan asked as he sidestepped a pile of charred wood. "You okay?" That was when he saw the picture. Or at least, it used to be a picture. Its edges were charred and curled, holes in several places.
"See this?" Max asked, holding it up. "It used to be a picture of Kendra, Cindy, and me at Crash." She suddenly let it go, and it floated to the floor slowly, almost surreally so. "Now, its nothing."
"I'm sorry, Max." Logan said, reaching a hand towards her. She turned away before his hand reached hers, walking away in jerky steps.
"Don't you see, Logan?" Her voice was becoming high pitched and frantic. "Cindy could have been home. Or little Omar down the hall. Anyone in this building could have been home and then trapped in the fire. Why? Because I am here. They could have been killed, and it would have been solely on me."
"That's ridiculous. The only one that is to blame is the person who is starting these fires." Logan insisted.
"But they are starting them because of me! The addresses make my barcode!" Max shouted hysterically. "None of this would be happening if I wasn't here, if I was in some other city."
"If you were in some other city, they'd just burn down the buildings there."
Max opened her mouth to shout back at him, but before Logan knew what had happened, she'd covered her face with her hands and was sobbing. Logan was at her side in a heartbeat, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Max…its okay…it okay." He repeated, crooning lightly in her ear as he rocked her back and forth. The tougher they were, the harder they fell. Cindy peeked out of her room at the commotion. "What'd you do, boy?" She asked, covering her worry with the usual coat of sarcasm.
Max's knees seemed to give out, and if Logan hadn't been there, she would have sank to the floor in a heap. But Logan smoothly slipped an arm under her knees and lifted her surprisingly small weight. "I'm getting her out of here." Logan had to speak up over Max's choking sobs. "You okay here alone?"
"I'm cool. You just take care of my boo. I'm at Herbal's if you need some help." Cindy said quickly as she ran forward to open what was left of the front door for him. "Don't like, drop her or something."
Logan didn't answer, he just held Max closer to him as he slowly walked back to his car.