Two more weeks later
Max and Logan stepped off the elevator, each carrying one of the children. It felt good to be back home after four months. They could hardly believe it had been a month since their son and daughter had been born. Already, each displayed some personality... Zack, with his blonde hair was strangely enough, a lot like his namesake, which made Max and Logan wonder if maybe they should worry... Jenna already had her mother's looks. She would also only be fully quiet when in the arms of her mother or father.
Logan turned the key in the door and stepped back to let Max and Jenna through. She'd barely set foot inside when she sensed a presence. "Logan... there's someone here..." she said, trying to stay calm.
"Are you sure?" he asked, quickly looking down to Zack.
"Yes, I..."
"Surprise!" came the sound of two voices from up ahead. They looked up and were relieved to find Bling and Original Cindy. Even though Logan didn't really need him anymore now that he'd started walking again, he'd become like his best friend. At the loud greeting, Zack and Jenna let out one small cry and batted their arms around, but didn't shed one tear...
"Don't scare us like that!" said Max as she set down her bag and Jenna's carrier, taking the girl in her arms as she walked over to her friend and hugged her.
"Let me see this girl," she said, before Max handed her Jenna. She moved around a bit, and eventually settled in Cindy's arms.
"She likes you already."
"Hey there, lil' boo," she said, taking her tiny hand and shaking it gently. Max grinned at the sight of her friend mesmerized by her daughter.
Bling walked over to Logan and shook his hand. "Hey, congratulations," he said.
"Thank you," said Logan as he did as Max had done and picked up his son.
"Can I hold him?"
"Of course," Logan said as he handed him over. Zack looked straight up into the man's eyes.
"Look at you," said Bling, "You're a little tough guy, aren't you." He smiled when the boy threw his arm around at his comment.
"Maybe in a little while you'll be training him, too... well, not in the same way, but you know what I mean," said Logan with a grin.
"Maybe," said Bling.
*
Two months later
Logan sat at his desk, looking through some papers, when he heard something that made him drop all that he was holding. Next to him, Zack sat in his carrier, playing with his toes as he usually did, but this time, he turned to his father. "Da..." he started. Logan turned to him in shock. "Da..." he said again. Logan took the boy's hand and he turned to him. "Dada!" he exclaimed joyfully. He could hardly believe it. He'd said it. He ran off to find Max.
In the other room, Max sat on the bed, with Jenna lying in front of her. She waved a small teddy bear around and Jenna attempted to catch it. She pulled back the bear and smiled down at her. "Mama!" Jenna responded. Max dropped the bear and her eyes grew wide.
"Jenna..."
"Mama!" said the girl once again. Max got up from the bed to go tell Logan.
The two nearly ran into each other. "He said 'Dada'!" exclaimed Logan, just as Max spoke as well.
"She said 'Mama'!"
"What?" both said. Each ran into the other room to see their other child.
"Mama!" exclaimed Zack when he saw her.
"Dada!" said Jenna when Logan walked up to her. The two adults ran back to each other and hugged as they both talked at the same time.
*
One month later
"I can't find Zack!" exclaimed Max as she ran up to Logan.
"I can't find Jenna!" he said at that time, as he ran to her as well. "Alright, relax, we'll just..." started Logan, trying to calm her, when they heard two distinct small giggles. They followed the sound to find the kids crawling through the living room.
"Hey!" said Max as she walked over to them.
"Mama!" they chanted cheerfully as they saw her.
"Oh look at you two," she said as she crouched in front of them.
*
Four months later
Logan walked into the penthouse, carrying two bags of food. "Anybody home?" he called. He set the bags down and turned when he heard slow footsteps. "Hey, they didn't have any..." he started, then stopped when he saw who had walked in. Right in front of him, slowly but surely, Zack and Jenna trotted across the room.
"Dada, look!" said Zack.
"Walk!" said Jenna. Logan grinned as they kept on going.
Max walked in then, from where the two had come. "Incredible, uh?" she said. But her voice didn't seem as happy as he would have anticipated.
"What's wrong?"
"Just look at them. They're eight months old. They can talk enough to make short sentences and now... they're walking... I've passed that on to them?" she said, a tear forming in the corner of her left eye. Logan walked up to her, careful not to make the kids fall.
"I know this is scary and I know what you're probably thinking right now... but you can't do that to yourself. You can't think like that... you'll only end up hurting yourself... and them. So they're walking and talking already. It's not the end of the world... in fact you should be proud of them."
"I am proud. They're my children, of course I'm proud of them. But that's not the point."
"Max, you need to forget Manticore... move on. These two need you now," he said, turning to the kids, who stood watching their parents. "Right?" he asked them.
"Yeah!" the two said with a nod. Max laughed slowly.
"Fine then..."
*
November 5th 2026, Seattle, Washington
"Logan, make sure we put enough chairs! Bling, check the food! Cindy, go see if the kids are still dressed and their hair is okay!" said Max as she moved around the penthouse. Just then the kids ran past her. Cindy turned her head to see them go by.
"They're good," she reported. Max crouched down and the kids stopped before her.
"You guys behave today, okay?" she said, as she made sure herself that everything was in place.
"Gramma coming?" asked Jenna.
"Yes she is."
"Everybody coming?" asked Zack.
"Yes they are."
They'd been told about them for so long, they couldn't wait. Max could barely stand in place. This would be the first time they saw them since they were one month old. With the sector police and the likes, visiting wasn't a thing to do frequently, which they all regretted deeply. She wanted them to see how Zack had his father's eyes. And how Jenna looked just like her mom. They hadn't even been able to send pictures. They could have, but Max was still kind of scared.
The buzzer from the intercom was heard. Max took one more look around and walked to it. "Hello?" she said.
"Hi honey," she heard her mom say. She let them in. She began to pace around the door as she waited for them to get up. When she thought she heard a 'ping!' she looked to Logan.
"Was that the elevator?" Before he could say anything, the doorbell rang. Max took one last check, a deep breath, and she opened the door.
"Mom!" she said as her mother hugged her.
"Hi sweetie, how are you?"
"Good, you?"
"Good too." She greeted everyone as they entered. Once again, the kids had grown since she last saw them. Jack, who was now 16, was turning into a very handsome guy. Ricky, at 15, looked more and more like his father, except for his smile, which was still his mother's. Lisa, now 14, was as well becoming more and more gorgeous. Anna, even though she was only 11, was still the spitting image of her mother. And Sarah was as energetic at 5 years old as she was at 3. When she saw Max, she ran into her arms.
"Hey there little sister! What's up?"
"I wanna see my... niece and nephew," she said, saying the words slowly to pronounce them right.
Max took the group into the living room, where Bling and Cindy stood talking. "Everyone, you remember Bling and Original Cindy," said Max, "Bling, Original Cindy, you remember everyone." They had met during the week before they'd returned to Roswell about seven years before. All said their 'hello's. "Where are they?" she asked Cindy.
"Lil' Boo ran off, the boys followed," she explained.
They heard a giggle. Seconds later, Jenna ran in, followed by Zack, then Logan. All three stopped when they saw the group of newcomers. "Hi everyone," said Logan. Zack and Jenna looked to their mother. Max signaled for Liz to step forward.
"Look, it's Gramma!" she said. They observed her for two seconds, before running into her arms. When they pulled back, Liz looked at them. They'd grown so much.
"Hello," she said, unable to say anything else.
Max and Logan stepped off the elevator, each carrying one of the children. It felt good to be back home after four months. They could hardly believe it had been a month since their son and daughter had been born. Already, each displayed some personality... Zack, with his blonde hair was strangely enough, a lot like his namesake, which made Max and Logan wonder if maybe they should worry... Jenna already had her mother's looks. She would also only be fully quiet when in the arms of her mother or father.
Logan turned the key in the door and stepped back to let Max and Jenna through. She'd barely set foot inside when she sensed a presence. "Logan... there's someone here..." she said, trying to stay calm.
"Are you sure?" he asked, quickly looking down to Zack.
"Yes, I..."
"Surprise!" came the sound of two voices from up ahead. They looked up and were relieved to find Bling and Original Cindy. Even though Logan didn't really need him anymore now that he'd started walking again, he'd become like his best friend. At the loud greeting, Zack and Jenna let out one small cry and batted their arms around, but didn't shed one tear...
"Don't scare us like that!" said Max as she set down her bag and Jenna's carrier, taking the girl in her arms as she walked over to her friend and hugged her.
"Let me see this girl," she said, before Max handed her Jenna. She moved around a bit, and eventually settled in Cindy's arms.
"She likes you already."
"Hey there, lil' boo," she said, taking her tiny hand and shaking it gently. Max grinned at the sight of her friend mesmerized by her daughter.
Bling walked over to Logan and shook his hand. "Hey, congratulations," he said.
"Thank you," said Logan as he did as Max had done and picked up his son.
"Can I hold him?"
"Of course," Logan said as he handed him over. Zack looked straight up into the man's eyes.
"Look at you," said Bling, "You're a little tough guy, aren't you." He smiled when the boy threw his arm around at his comment.
"Maybe in a little while you'll be training him, too... well, not in the same way, but you know what I mean," said Logan with a grin.
"Maybe," said Bling.
*
Two months later
Logan sat at his desk, looking through some papers, when he heard something that made him drop all that he was holding. Next to him, Zack sat in his carrier, playing with his toes as he usually did, but this time, he turned to his father. "Da..." he started. Logan turned to him in shock. "Da..." he said again. Logan took the boy's hand and he turned to him. "Dada!" he exclaimed joyfully. He could hardly believe it. He'd said it. He ran off to find Max.
In the other room, Max sat on the bed, with Jenna lying in front of her. She waved a small teddy bear around and Jenna attempted to catch it. She pulled back the bear and smiled down at her. "Mama!" Jenna responded. Max dropped the bear and her eyes grew wide.
"Jenna..."
"Mama!" said the girl once again. Max got up from the bed to go tell Logan.
The two nearly ran into each other. "He said 'Dada'!" exclaimed Logan, just as Max spoke as well.
"She said 'Mama'!"
"What?" both said. Each ran into the other room to see their other child.
"Mama!" exclaimed Zack when he saw her.
"Dada!" said Jenna when Logan walked up to her. The two adults ran back to each other and hugged as they both talked at the same time.
*
One month later
"I can't find Zack!" exclaimed Max as she ran up to Logan.
"I can't find Jenna!" he said at that time, as he ran to her as well. "Alright, relax, we'll just..." started Logan, trying to calm her, when they heard two distinct small giggles. They followed the sound to find the kids crawling through the living room.
"Hey!" said Max as she walked over to them.
"Mama!" they chanted cheerfully as they saw her.
"Oh look at you two," she said as she crouched in front of them.
*
Four months later
Logan walked into the penthouse, carrying two bags of food. "Anybody home?" he called. He set the bags down and turned when he heard slow footsteps. "Hey, they didn't have any..." he started, then stopped when he saw who had walked in. Right in front of him, slowly but surely, Zack and Jenna trotted across the room.
"Dada, look!" said Zack.
"Walk!" said Jenna. Logan grinned as they kept on going.
Max walked in then, from where the two had come. "Incredible, uh?" she said. But her voice didn't seem as happy as he would have anticipated.
"What's wrong?"
"Just look at them. They're eight months old. They can talk enough to make short sentences and now... they're walking... I've passed that on to them?" she said, a tear forming in the corner of her left eye. Logan walked up to her, careful not to make the kids fall.
"I know this is scary and I know what you're probably thinking right now... but you can't do that to yourself. You can't think like that... you'll only end up hurting yourself... and them. So they're walking and talking already. It's not the end of the world... in fact you should be proud of them."
"I am proud. They're my children, of course I'm proud of them. But that's not the point."
"Max, you need to forget Manticore... move on. These two need you now," he said, turning to the kids, who stood watching their parents. "Right?" he asked them.
"Yeah!" the two said with a nod. Max laughed slowly.
"Fine then..."
*
November 5th 2026, Seattle, Washington
"Logan, make sure we put enough chairs! Bling, check the food! Cindy, go see if the kids are still dressed and their hair is okay!" said Max as she moved around the penthouse. Just then the kids ran past her. Cindy turned her head to see them go by.
"They're good," she reported. Max crouched down and the kids stopped before her.
"You guys behave today, okay?" she said, as she made sure herself that everything was in place.
"Gramma coming?" asked Jenna.
"Yes she is."
"Everybody coming?" asked Zack.
"Yes they are."
They'd been told about them for so long, they couldn't wait. Max could barely stand in place. This would be the first time they saw them since they were one month old. With the sector police and the likes, visiting wasn't a thing to do frequently, which they all regretted deeply. She wanted them to see how Zack had his father's eyes. And how Jenna looked just like her mom. They hadn't even been able to send pictures. They could have, but Max was still kind of scared.
The buzzer from the intercom was heard. Max took one more look around and walked to it. "Hello?" she said.
"Hi honey," she heard her mom say. She let them in. She began to pace around the door as she waited for them to get up. When she thought she heard a 'ping!' she looked to Logan.
"Was that the elevator?" Before he could say anything, the doorbell rang. Max took one last check, a deep breath, and she opened the door.
"Mom!" she said as her mother hugged her.
"Hi sweetie, how are you?"
"Good, you?"
"Good too." She greeted everyone as they entered. Once again, the kids had grown since she last saw them. Jack, who was now 16, was turning into a very handsome guy. Ricky, at 15, looked more and more like his father, except for his smile, which was still his mother's. Lisa, now 14, was as well becoming more and more gorgeous. Anna, even though she was only 11, was still the spitting image of her mother. And Sarah was as energetic at 5 years old as she was at 3. When she saw Max, she ran into her arms.
"Hey there little sister! What's up?"
"I wanna see my... niece and nephew," she said, saying the words slowly to pronounce them right.
Max took the group into the living room, where Bling and Cindy stood talking. "Everyone, you remember Bling and Original Cindy," said Max, "Bling, Original Cindy, you remember everyone." They had met during the week before they'd returned to Roswell about seven years before. All said their 'hello's. "Where are they?" she asked Cindy.
"Lil' Boo ran off, the boys followed," she explained.
They heard a giggle. Seconds later, Jenna ran in, followed by Zack, then Logan. All three stopped when they saw the group of newcomers. "Hi everyone," said Logan. Zack and Jenna looked to their mother. Max signaled for Liz to step forward.
"Look, it's Gramma!" she said. They observed her for two seconds, before running into her arms. When they pulled back, Liz looked at them. They'd grown so much.
"Hello," she said, unable to say anything else.