Author's Notes: This is Max's dream. It is a continuation of the last chapter. It contains even that happened before the prologue and before the pregnancy was introduced. Basically, it's the Max/Logan coupleness stuff…
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"Move in with me."
Max sucked in a breath. It was neither question nor request, statement or order. It was merely said. She and Logan were lying in his bed, in *their* bed, for that was what it had become. Max hardly ever slept at her and Cindy's crib any more. Whether or not she and Logan made love, it didn't matter. Since Manticore's destruction, Max had felt safest in his arms. He had taken her to the cabin, and they had holed themselves up inside for the weekend, letting the snow settle around them as they curled up in front of the fireplace. They spent many nights at his pent house curled up on the couch or in bed watching pre-Pulse movies. They even went out to Crash every now and again, and always seemed to end up at his place. It felt like home.
So why, when he uttered those four words, did she freeze? Was she afraid? Did moving in make it real, make it serious, make it forever? Was she reluctant to give up the last shred of her single life? Did it scare her to think that, save when she was at work or out with the crew, she would be spending every waking and sleeping and in between moment with Logan? Did it frighten her to think that permanently living with him would mark him as a target for anyone else looking to put Lydecker's transgenic freaks in a cage or worse? Did she love him too much to put him in that position?
Yes. All of the above.
She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head as she lay spooned against his virtually naked body. He was wearing a pair of boxers, and so was she, with a tank top. But she was cold. She snaked one of her legs between his and felt him pull her even closer to his body. And yet he didn't ask again, didn't beg, didn't back down. He didn't have to. The feeling that filled her belly and spread throughout her body and went straight to her heart was enough.
She rolled over and wrapped her arms around him, her hair falling in a dark curtain around them. She looked deep into his crystal blue depths and brought herself down on top of him so that every part of their body touched. She rested her head on his chest and felt him play with her hair. She kissed his chest lightly.
"Okay."
~*~
"Marry me."
Max's eyes opened so wide she thought they were going to fly right out of her head. She was shocked to the point of speechlessness. That too was a fact that shock her. She, Max Guevara, ultimate bitch and Manticore-trained hard ass warrior, the one who always had a biting comment, was speechless.
It was summer and Logan has surprised her at work, showing up with a change of clothes and instructions to get ready. Cindy had helped her dress so that Logan wouldn't be left waiting too long. He had brought her a dark purple stretchy knee length skirt with a slit up one side, a form fitting black T-shirt that had a V-neck, and black strappy heeled sandals. Her boo had commented that hotboy had something up his sleeve if he'd brought Max dress up clothes. They pinned her hair up much like they had for Bennett's wedding, and Max and Logan were on their way.
Surprisingly, he had brought her to the Space Needle. She had looked at him questioningly. He explained that he knew she only came here at night or in the early pre-dawn hours, and he thought it would be nice for them to watch the sunset. The only problem sunset wasn't for another few hours. Confused, but game, Max had agreed and they used the juice from Logan's car to jump start the generator that would make the old elevator work-Max was too dressed up to scale the building like she usually did and Logan had been absent minded enough to forget the repelling line for two. They had ridden up in amicable silence, but just before the lift doors opened, Logan placed a hand over Max's eyes. He had led her into the old restaurant and removed his hand to reveal that it was decorated with twinkling white Christmas lights, and an elaborately set dining table. Logan had explained that he'd pulled in a few Eyes Only favors and gotten hassle free use of the abandoned Space Needle for the evening. He had even enlisted Bling to act as waiter. The reason? It was their two year anniversary. Two years ago she had broken into his apartment and changed both their lives. One year ago he had asked her to move in with him. She was overwhelmed and felt slightly guilty. She had forgotten.
After they ate, Bling left, and Max noticed the sun was beginning to set. Logan had turned music on in a portable CD player and led her to the window, where he wrapped his arms around her and they watched the sunset, as he kissed her forehead or neck every so often. She was truly in heaven. The sunset was truly spectacular. Max wondered why she'd never thought to come up here and watch it. The colors were brilliant and the sky was filled with fiery oranges and pinks as the clouds were smattered with purple. Logan even had God and Mother Nature on his side.
As the last rays of the sun painted the sky and the fiery ball began to set below the horizon, Logan changed the song on the CD player. And then they danced with the beautiful sky as their backdrop. She rested her head on his chest and they moved in small rhythmic circles. Suddenly the music changed to something more up beat, something Logan called "swing". He taught her to swing dance, something he had apparently learned in college, and they laughed. Then he had spun her away from him. The room was getting darker as the sun disappeared and their only light was whatever ambient light was provided by the city below them, and the Christmas lights that Bling and Logan had strung up. Logan had lit candles and held his hand out to her. She had walked to him, expecting another dance.
Instead, Logan had pulled something from his pocket and got down on one knee. Max had no idea what was going on.
"What are you doing?"
"Max," he had begun. "I love you so much."
Still utterly baffled, Max had replied. "I love you too."
He smiled, knowing she was confused, and continued. "I don't know if I will ever be able to tell you how much, or how much you mean to me. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I hope you know how much I love you."
"I do," she said earnestly. What was he doing?
"Once upon a time, love was its own planet," he began. "When the world was first created, the gods were dismayed that they had made such a beautiful paradise, yet nothing inhabited it. So, the gods created the human heart, and it beat loud and strong. Then one day, the heart began to falter in its beating and the gods were dismayed. So they created another heart, as a companion for the first-it was the female heart." He stopped and looked up into her eyes. He could tell she loved the story, even if she had no idea why he was telling it from on bended knee. He continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "Together, the two hearts beat loud and strong. They beat so strongly that their power noise frightened the gods."
Max got scared now, thinking this was some weird way he was trying to tell her some new danger was coming into their lives. She dropped to her knees as well so that they were eye to eye. He stopped when she did that, and looked as though he was about to say something, then thought better of it. "Can I continue with the story?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.
"Continue."
"The gods were frightened and they tried to destroy the two hearts. Nevertheless, the hearts were too strong and more powerful than the gods were. Together, they expelled the gods and banished them to a far and distant edge of Time." He moved closer to her and took her face in his hands. To her astonishment, there were tears in his eyes. Her heart thundered. Smoothing her hair from her face, he murmured, "The hearts were One: strong, a powerful force. Man and woman. Lovers. Never to be parted."
"That was beautiful," she whispered. "Logan, what are you doing?"
He smiled, "You still honestly don't know?"
"No!" she exclaimed. "One minute I'm at work, the next minute you get me all dolled up and bring me up here where Bling's playing waiter and the next thing I know we're dancing and now you're telling me a story." She took a deep breath, "What's going on?"
Logan smiled, "Max, I'm asking you to marry me."
"What?" she was astonished. She rose to her feet and he followed.
"You don't want to?" he asked, the hurt creeping into his eyes.
"No," she said. "Yes!" she exclaimed quickly, realizing what she had just said. "Of course I want to marry you, but, I mean, are you sure? You want to marry me?" What was he thinking? "You want to be forever wedded to a child of Manticore, a freak?"
"Stop it," he said firmly, tipping her chin towards him with this index finger. "I will never be sorry that I met you, that I know you, that I fell in love with you, that I went through everything I've gone through with you. I made my decision. I want you. There isn't a part of you I'm not in love with." He kissed her, and tugged on her lip playfully, "I've always wanted you. I always want you."
Tears filled Max's eyes, "Even when I'm old and gray?"
Logan took her into his arms and nuzzled her gently, "I'll love you until the stars go out."
Lovingly, she caressed his face, playing with the stubble on his chin, "I don't deserve you."
"You deserve better," he whispered.
"Never," she said sharply. "You are the best thing in my life, period." She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "Of course I'll marry you. I need you so much; I depend on you. You are such a huge part of my life."
"You are my life," he told her, kissing her deeply and passionately. They were both weeping with joy. He embraced her as he felt her tears dampen his skin, "No more tears love." He ran his hands soothingly up and down her back, sending shivers down her spine. "We've both cried too much. The time for tears is over."
Max pulled away and smiled, wiping away her tears and his, "I know. Everything's perfect now."
Logan smiled and slipped the most gorgeous ring she had ever seen on her finger.
~*~
"Mrs. Cale?"
"Yes, Mr. Cale?"
"Will you dance with me?"
"I'd be honored."
They were on their honeymoon. The candlelight made romantic shadows waltz along the painted walls. Incense fragranced the air with the scents of lilies and lilacs and peaches; oxygen had become an aphrodisiac. Softly, music that streamed from a CD player augmented the mood as the lovers danced. Rather, they were clinging to each other and calling it dancing. In tiny circles, the man and woman moved as one, arms wrapped around each other; they were afraid to make steps that were even a fraction larger out for fear of separation. Max, dressed in a soft blue muslin silk dress with corded straps, buried her face in the hollow between Logan's neck and shoulder and felt amazing contentment- she fit perfectly, as though the nook had been crafted for her and her alone. Her bare feet floated across the hardwood floor, her legs brushing against his every-so-often as they swayed in a beautifully synchronous union, to the point where they were sure their hearts were beating as one. She felt safe in his strong arms and held him fiercely, absorbing his warmth, allowing his breath to tickle her ear and send magnificent shivers down her spine.
Just the same, he held her. As he felt her arms tighten around him, he tightened his own hold, tracing abstract patterns on her back, pulling her tightly to him, afraid to let go. He stroked her hair-hair that smelt like lavender and felt smooth as silk-and caressed her waist. He smiled and kissed the crown of her skull as she rested her head on his chest. She infused his body with warmth and love and he felt like flying. Through the thin cotton of his shirt, he could feel her chest rhythmically rise and fall in time to her breathing; his pants rustled against his skin as she moved her lean legs between his own. They were one person now: moving, thinking, breathing, existing as one.
They danced by the table, which held the remnants of dinner: half-eaten salads; baked chicken, nearly gone, its bones resting lazily on a bed of rice pilaf and broccoli florets; a half-empty decanter of champagne beside equally empty crystalline flutes. Candles adorned the table, the wax dripping and running down the sides, pooling and reconvening finally, at the base. Decorating the villa were candles of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Candles seemed to inhabit every nook and cranny: windowsills, bookshelves, tables, mantle, floor, and wall-hanging candelabras.
Anticipating what was in store and relishing the perfect end to a perfect evening, the couple danced closer and closer to a blanket and pillows that were carefully laid in front of the crackling fireplace. The room was warm from the fire, warm from the exertion of dancing, warm with romance and passion and the intensity of love. "Do you know how much I love you?" she murmured softly in his ear, her lips brushing his skin, her breath tingling his nerves.
"Love is its own country," he replied, lowering his hands, promising better things yet to come.
"Take me to that country," she pleaded, running her fingers through his thick, sandy hair, pressing their foreheads together. She moved her hands up and down his back while his fingers worked the buttons of her dress; still, they danced. Soon the dress was undone and it fell to the floor. She stepped out of it and began unbuttoning his shirt. Still, they swayed. Within moments, his shirt was free and she took it off him, lightly brushing her lips across his chest, before moving on to his pants. He moved slightly, to accommodate her, and swept her across the room, dancing.
She had made quick work of his belt and zipper and he scooped her up in his arms, kissing her fiercely. She took his head in her hands and kissed his temples, eyes, eyelids, nose, cheeks, until finally, she found her way to her lips. As she moved her cool hands across his bare back, she whispered, "Take me."
He gently lowered her to the blanket, resting her head delicately on a pillow, nuzzling his face against her belly. He kissed her flesh, smiling against its warmth and comfort. She brought his face to hers for a kiss and freed him of his pants. "I love you," he murmured as they began ridding each other of all remaining clothing. He could smell the perfume wafting from her neck, perfume he bought for her and no one else and never would again-and never thought he would need to, for they were eternal. He guided her hands to places he reserved for their touch alone, and she took him to places he didn't know existed...
...Her delicate hand fell across his chest and he brought it to his lips. He gazed down at her and found her staring up at him lovingly. "Hey you," he murmured. "I thought you were asleep."
Max smiled with contentment, stretching her long body, trying to shake the exhaustion away. She glanced at a nearby clock and found the source of her fatigue, other than the obvious-it was two in the morning. Tenderly, she reached up and placed a gentle hand on his face. Logan kissed her palm and she snuggled deeper into his arms. She never felt safer, happier, or more at home than when he held her. She would have been perfectly happy spending the rest of her life in his arms. "This is perfect," she whispered, fighting the desire to fall back to sleep.
Suddenly, she sat up and extracted herself from the blanket. As he watched, she rose and walked to the CD player. Once she had selected the appropriate song, she returned to him and held out her hand. "Dance with me." Her voice was thick with fatigue, breathy and slow. The request was simple and direct, said with love and exhaustion, and he could not refuse her. Logan rose and in one fluid motion took her in his arms as the quiet melody poured from the speakers. Max reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her to him, amazed by the way her body fit perfectly with his. They moved fluidly, in unison, in time to the music. Her head rested against his shoulder and she closed her eyes.
After a time he found her movements lethargic and her body felt heavier. He pulled away slightly and smiled to find her more than half asleep. She murmured incoherently in protest and he kissed her, bring a smile to her face and silence to her protests. With on gentle motion, he swept her up in his arms, saying, "Come, baby." Cradling her in his arms, he walked over and turned off the CD player. He rested her down on the bed and pulled back the blankets; then he climbed in beside her, pulling the warm quilt over them both and once again taking her in his arms. Max snuggled into his embrace and sighed contentedly, finally giving herself over to the clutched of sleep.
"Rest love, sweet angel," Logan whispered in her ear before also giving himself over to sleep. And he slumbered with a smile on his face, holding his angel in his arms….
~*~
"...Max?" Logan's voice sounded far away. "Max can you hear me?"... "Wake up Maxie," Zack said firmly. The voices were blending together..."Come on back to us boo," Original Cindy said. "Lil Boo needs you"..."Don't make us keep our promise Maxie," Tinga said, pleading..."Max?"
"Logan..." Max forced her voice to work. She felt as though she was coming out of a molasses pit. Why had she been dreaming about her past with Logan? Again...
"She's awake!"
"I'll get the doctor...Zack and Tinga, come on with Original Cindy."
"Max?"
Max opened her eyes and shut them again quickly because the lights were too harsh. Gingerly, she opened them again and found herself staring into Logan's perfect blue eyes. They were full of tears and he was smiling. "Welcome back," he said, softly kissing her.
~*~
A week later Logan was able to bring Max and Jacqueline home. For all she had gone through, Max had regained her strength surprisingly quickly, although she was still under strict orders to rest and take it easy, given everything she had been through the last two months of her pregnancy-orders she knew Logan was going to enforce if she tried to misbehave. They were also under orders to abstain from sex for at least six weeks, due to the trauma Max's body had suffered. That was going to be one rule they were both going to have a hard time enforcing.
The penthouse was decorated from top to bottom with get well cards and card of congratulations, floral arrangements and baby stuff galore. Unbeknownst to Max, as she had only been in the penthouse for a few hours before she had gone into labor, Logan had commissioned the workout room (the one they never really used) turned into a nursery. It had been worked on while she was in the coma and held captive by Lydecker. It was a surprise Logan was looking forward to and the look of surprise, love, and gratitude on Max's face was all he needed.
At first, when they returned, their penthouse was full of people. Max's siblings, Bling, Sebastian, Matt Sung, Original Cindy and the Jam Pony crew (including a brief appearance by Normal, who told Max her old job would be waiting for her whenever she wanted it), all wanted to welcome home the new family. Several of Max's siblings were also saying their goodbyes. They had been in one place for too long and years of being on the run had taken their toll. They knew Jace and Max had found things to keep them in one place. Many of them had not. Krit and Syl were headed north, while Jondy and Brin were going to California. Jace and Victor were moving to a suburb of Seattle, while Zane had chosen to keep his apartment, and was taking brother Johnny in for a roommate. Zack, ever the CO and big brother, was still trying to take care of everyone, and promised Max and Logan he'd be back to see his niece as often as possible. Tinga was going to live with Jace's family for a while, as a babysitter and extra hand for both Maxito and baby Jacqueline.
Once everyone had left the apartment, Max and Logan were finally allowed to breathe. It was not only their first time alone together in literally over a month, but it was their first time alone at home with their new baby. They were overwhelmed and ecstatic. They put the baby down for her nap in a bassinet they had decided to keep in their bedroom for the first few months and then retired to the living room for some time alone. After five minutes they headed back to the bedroom and decided the cuddle time could happen just a easily-maybe even more so-on the bed. They couldn't bear to be away from their daughter.
"How are you?" Logan whispered as they lay holding and facing each other.
Max rested her fingertips on his chin and traced his lower lip gently, "Tired. Content. Delighted." She looked to the bassinet. "She's so perfect."
"We done good, huh mom?" Logan asked, grinning and nipping at his wife's fingertips. He kissed them softly and she snuggled against his chest. "It feels so amazing to have you back in my arms," he murmured after a while.
"We went through a lot for this, huh?" Max said, tightening her hold on him.
"You went through a lot," he replied. "More than your fair share."
"We both did," she retorted, trying to repress a yawn. "Guess we should catch naps when she does huh? We're gonna be up when she is, that's for damn sure."
Logan chuckled and they settled down to sleep.
Four hours later, true to Max's prediction, Jacquie woke up, wailing. Max heard her daughter's cries and was roused from sleep. She gently pulled herself from Logan's embrace and slipped out of bed, padding across the room. Quietly, she lifted the mewling infant from the cradle and carried her into the nursery. Instantly, the baby's cries quieted.
"You just wanted you momma, huh little one?" Then she noticed the baby turning towards her breasts. "Ah, so you think this is a 24/7 buffet, do you?" Max joked, smiling. She sat down in the rocking chair by the window and unbuttoned her loose blue cotton shirt. She curled her legs, clad in wide grey pants, under her small body, and brought the baby to her now bare breast. Her daughter latched on hungrily and began to suckle. After nearly a week, Max was still trying to get used to this bizarre and amazing feeling. The sensation of her daughter's warm breath on her flesh was overwhelming for Max.
As she rocked them in the chair, Max looked down at her nursing child and began to sing softly, "Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine."
Logan quietly stood in the doorway, having been roused from sleep by his wife's absence, and watched her sing softly to their child. It was an amazing sight to behold.
"Little one when you play, don't you mind what you say. Let those eyes sparkle and shine, never a tear, baby of mine." Max changed the baby's position to her other breast, as had been advised to her in the hospital, and kept singing, "If they knew sweet little you, they'd end up loving you too. All those people who might scold you, what they'd give just for the right to hold you."
Logan walked over to his family and crouched next to Max and Jacqueline, resting his hand on his wife's shoulder, looking lovingly at their child. Max looked at him and they smiled at each other. He smiled at Max and Logan kissed Jacquie's forehead, then let his lips lightly brush Max's exposed flesh and heard her gasp. He smiled again and held out his arms. Max stepped into his embrace, the baby still in her arms, and they began to dance as a unit while she hummed. Her eyes opened wide with surprise when she heard her husband begin to sing one last verse of the song.
"From your head to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows. But you're so precious to me, cute as can be, baby of mine."
Tears shining in her eyes, Max looked down at Jacquie and found her to have fallen back to sleep. They settled her once again in the bassinet and then settled themselves once again back into bed. Only this time, they lit some candles and stripped down. Wrapping themselves in blankets and around each other, Max and Logan happily held each other and listened to the sounds of the city below. As she drifted off to sleep, Max heard Logan sing softly in her ear, "From you're head to your feet, you mean so much to me. Can't find words to express, I love you best, love of my life."
He kissed the nape of her neck and let the sounds of her breathing lull them to sleep.
And for the first time in months, the world was as it should be.
Okay...that MIGHT be the end. I was planning on adding two more chapters, but now one of them feels unnecessary. However, an epilogue might be in serious order here. I'm sorry this A) took so long to get out and B) was so long it had to be split up into two chapters but stuff like that happens I guess. Feedback will determine whether or not I wrote a prologue. Thanks to everyone who read this fic and left me notes telling me how much they loved it. It means a lot.
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"Move in with me."
Max sucked in a breath. It was neither question nor request, statement or order. It was merely said. She and Logan were lying in his bed, in *their* bed, for that was what it had become. Max hardly ever slept at her and Cindy's crib any more. Whether or not she and Logan made love, it didn't matter. Since Manticore's destruction, Max had felt safest in his arms. He had taken her to the cabin, and they had holed themselves up inside for the weekend, letting the snow settle around them as they curled up in front of the fireplace. They spent many nights at his pent house curled up on the couch or in bed watching pre-Pulse movies. They even went out to Crash every now and again, and always seemed to end up at his place. It felt like home.
So why, when he uttered those four words, did she freeze? Was she afraid? Did moving in make it real, make it serious, make it forever? Was she reluctant to give up the last shred of her single life? Did it scare her to think that, save when she was at work or out with the crew, she would be spending every waking and sleeping and in between moment with Logan? Did it frighten her to think that permanently living with him would mark him as a target for anyone else looking to put Lydecker's transgenic freaks in a cage or worse? Did she love him too much to put him in that position?
Yes. All of the above.
She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head as she lay spooned against his virtually naked body. He was wearing a pair of boxers, and so was she, with a tank top. But she was cold. She snaked one of her legs between his and felt him pull her even closer to his body. And yet he didn't ask again, didn't beg, didn't back down. He didn't have to. The feeling that filled her belly and spread throughout her body and went straight to her heart was enough.
She rolled over and wrapped her arms around him, her hair falling in a dark curtain around them. She looked deep into his crystal blue depths and brought herself down on top of him so that every part of their body touched. She rested her head on his chest and felt him play with her hair. She kissed his chest lightly.
"Okay."
~*~
"Marry me."
Max's eyes opened so wide she thought they were going to fly right out of her head. She was shocked to the point of speechlessness. That too was a fact that shock her. She, Max Guevara, ultimate bitch and Manticore-trained hard ass warrior, the one who always had a biting comment, was speechless.
It was summer and Logan has surprised her at work, showing up with a change of clothes and instructions to get ready. Cindy had helped her dress so that Logan wouldn't be left waiting too long. He had brought her a dark purple stretchy knee length skirt with a slit up one side, a form fitting black T-shirt that had a V-neck, and black strappy heeled sandals. Her boo had commented that hotboy had something up his sleeve if he'd brought Max dress up clothes. They pinned her hair up much like they had for Bennett's wedding, and Max and Logan were on their way.
Surprisingly, he had brought her to the Space Needle. She had looked at him questioningly. He explained that he knew she only came here at night or in the early pre-dawn hours, and he thought it would be nice for them to watch the sunset. The only problem sunset wasn't for another few hours. Confused, but game, Max had agreed and they used the juice from Logan's car to jump start the generator that would make the old elevator work-Max was too dressed up to scale the building like she usually did and Logan had been absent minded enough to forget the repelling line for two. They had ridden up in amicable silence, but just before the lift doors opened, Logan placed a hand over Max's eyes. He had led her into the old restaurant and removed his hand to reveal that it was decorated with twinkling white Christmas lights, and an elaborately set dining table. Logan had explained that he'd pulled in a few Eyes Only favors and gotten hassle free use of the abandoned Space Needle for the evening. He had even enlisted Bling to act as waiter. The reason? It was their two year anniversary. Two years ago she had broken into his apartment and changed both their lives. One year ago he had asked her to move in with him. She was overwhelmed and felt slightly guilty. She had forgotten.
After they ate, Bling left, and Max noticed the sun was beginning to set. Logan had turned music on in a portable CD player and led her to the window, where he wrapped his arms around her and they watched the sunset, as he kissed her forehead or neck every so often. She was truly in heaven. The sunset was truly spectacular. Max wondered why she'd never thought to come up here and watch it. The colors were brilliant and the sky was filled with fiery oranges and pinks as the clouds were smattered with purple. Logan even had God and Mother Nature on his side.
As the last rays of the sun painted the sky and the fiery ball began to set below the horizon, Logan changed the song on the CD player. And then they danced with the beautiful sky as their backdrop. She rested her head on his chest and they moved in small rhythmic circles. Suddenly the music changed to something more up beat, something Logan called "swing". He taught her to swing dance, something he had apparently learned in college, and they laughed. Then he had spun her away from him. The room was getting darker as the sun disappeared and their only light was whatever ambient light was provided by the city below them, and the Christmas lights that Bling and Logan had strung up. Logan had lit candles and held his hand out to her. She had walked to him, expecting another dance.
Instead, Logan had pulled something from his pocket and got down on one knee. Max had no idea what was going on.
"What are you doing?"
"Max," he had begun. "I love you so much."
Still utterly baffled, Max had replied. "I love you too."
He smiled, knowing she was confused, and continued. "I don't know if I will ever be able to tell you how much, or how much you mean to me. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I hope you know how much I love you."
"I do," she said earnestly. What was he doing?
"Once upon a time, love was its own planet," he began. "When the world was first created, the gods were dismayed that they had made such a beautiful paradise, yet nothing inhabited it. So, the gods created the human heart, and it beat loud and strong. Then one day, the heart began to falter in its beating and the gods were dismayed. So they created another heart, as a companion for the first-it was the female heart." He stopped and looked up into her eyes. He could tell she loved the story, even if she had no idea why he was telling it from on bended knee. He continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "Together, the two hearts beat loud and strong. They beat so strongly that their power noise frightened the gods."
Max got scared now, thinking this was some weird way he was trying to tell her some new danger was coming into their lives. She dropped to her knees as well so that they were eye to eye. He stopped when she did that, and looked as though he was about to say something, then thought better of it. "Can I continue with the story?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.
"Continue."
"The gods were frightened and they tried to destroy the two hearts. Nevertheless, the hearts were too strong and more powerful than the gods were. Together, they expelled the gods and banished them to a far and distant edge of Time." He moved closer to her and took her face in his hands. To her astonishment, there were tears in his eyes. Her heart thundered. Smoothing her hair from her face, he murmured, "The hearts were One: strong, a powerful force. Man and woman. Lovers. Never to be parted."
"That was beautiful," she whispered. "Logan, what are you doing?"
He smiled, "You still honestly don't know?"
"No!" she exclaimed. "One minute I'm at work, the next minute you get me all dolled up and bring me up here where Bling's playing waiter and the next thing I know we're dancing and now you're telling me a story." She took a deep breath, "What's going on?"
Logan smiled, "Max, I'm asking you to marry me."
"What?" she was astonished. She rose to her feet and he followed.
"You don't want to?" he asked, the hurt creeping into his eyes.
"No," she said. "Yes!" she exclaimed quickly, realizing what she had just said. "Of course I want to marry you, but, I mean, are you sure? You want to marry me?" What was he thinking? "You want to be forever wedded to a child of Manticore, a freak?"
"Stop it," he said firmly, tipping her chin towards him with this index finger. "I will never be sorry that I met you, that I know you, that I fell in love with you, that I went through everything I've gone through with you. I made my decision. I want you. There isn't a part of you I'm not in love with." He kissed her, and tugged on her lip playfully, "I've always wanted you. I always want you."
Tears filled Max's eyes, "Even when I'm old and gray?"
Logan took her into his arms and nuzzled her gently, "I'll love you until the stars go out."
Lovingly, she caressed his face, playing with the stubble on his chin, "I don't deserve you."
"You deserve better," he whispered.
"Never," she said sharply. "You are the best thing in my life, period." She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "Of course I'll marry you. I need you so much; I depend on you. You are such a huge part of my life."
"You are my life," he told her, kissing her deeply and passionately. They were both weeping with joy. He embraced her as he felt her tears dampen his skin, "No more tears love." He ran his hands soothingly up and down her back, sending shivers down her spine. "We've both cried too much. The time for tears is over."
Max pulled away and smiled, wiping away her tears and his, "I know. Everything's perfect now."
Logan smiled and slipped the most gorgeous ring she had ever seen on her finger.
~*~
"Mrs. Cale?"
"Yes, Mr. Cale?"
"Will you dance with me?"
"I'd be honored."
They were on their honeymoon. The candlelight made romantic shadows waltz along the painted walls. Incense fragranced the air with the scents of lilies and lilacs and peaches; oxygen had become an aphrodisiac. Softly, music that streamed from a CD player augmented the mood as the lovers danced. Rather, they were clinging to each other and calling it dancing. In tiny circles, the man and woman moved as one, arms wrapped around each other; they were afraid to make steps that were even a fraction larger out for fear of separation. Max, dressed in a soft blue muslin silk dress with corded straps, buried her face in the hollow between Logan's neck and shoulder and felt amazing contentment- she fit perfectly, as though the nook had been crafted for her and her alone. Her bare feet floated across the hardwood floor, her legs brushing against his every-so-often as they swayed in a beautifully synchronous union, to the point where they were sure their hearts were beating as one. She felt safe in his strong arms and held him fiercely, absorbing his warmth, allowing his breath to tickle her ear and send magnificent shivers down her spine.
Just the same, he held her. As he felt her arms tighten around him, he tightened his own hold, tracing abstract patterns on her back, pulling her tightly to him, afraid to let go. He stroked her hair-hair that smelt like lavender and felt smooth as silk-and caressed her waist. He smiled and kissed the crown of her skull as she rested her head on his chest. She infused his body with warmth and love and he felt like flying. Through the thin cotton of his shirt, he could feel her chest rhythmically rise and fall in time to her breathing; his pants rustled against his skin as she moved her lean legs between his own. They were one person now: moving, thinking, breathing, existing as one.
They danced by the table, which held the remnants of dinner: half-eaten salads; baked chicken, nearly gone, its bones resting lazily on a bed of rice pilaf and broccoli florets; a half-empty decanter of champagne beside equally empty crystalline flutes. Candles adorned the table, the wax dripping and running down the sides, pooling and reconvening finally, at the base. Decorating the villa were candles of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Candles seemed to inhabit every nook and cranny: windowsills, bookshelves, tables, mantle, floor, and wall-hanging candelabras.
Anticipating what was in store and relishing the perfect end to a perfect evening, the couple danced closer and closer to a blanket and pillows that were carefully laid in front of the crackling fireplace. The room was warm from the fire, warm from the exertion of dancing, warm with romance and passion and the intensity of love. "Do you know how much I love you?" she murmured softly in his ear, her lips brushing his skin, her breath tingling his nerves.
"Love is its own country," he replied, lowering his hands, promising better things yet to come.
"Take me to that country," she pleaded, running her fingers through his thick, sandy hair, pressing their foreheads together. She moved her hands up and down his back while his fingers worked the buttons of her dress; still, they danced. Soon the dress was undone and it fell to the floor. She stepped out of it and began unbuttoning his shirt. Still, they swayed. Within moments, his shirt was free and she took it off him, lightly brushing her lips across his chest, before moving on to his pants. He moved slightly, to accommodate her, and swept her across the room, dancing.
She had made quick work of his belt and zipper and he scooped her up in his arms, kissing her fiercely. She took his head in her hands and kissed his temples, eyes, eyelids, nose, cheeks, until finally, she found her way to her lips. As she moved her cool hands across his bare back, she whispered, "Take me."
He gently lowered her to the blanket, resting her head delicately on a pillow, nuzzling his face against her belly. He kissed her flesh, smiling against its warmth and comfort. She brought his face to hers for a kiss and freed him of his pants. "I love you," he murmured as they began ridding each other of all remaining clothing. He could smell the perfume wafting from her neck, perfume he bought for her and no one else and never would again-and never thought he would need to, for they were eternal. He guided her hands to places he reserved for their touch alone, and she took him to places he didn't know existed...
...Her delicate hand fell across his chest and he brought it to his lips. He gazed down at her and found her staring up at him lovingly. "Hey you," he murmured. "I thought you were asleep."
Max smiled with contentment, stretching her long body, trying to shake the exhaustion away. She glanced at a nearby clock and found the source of her fatigue, other than the obvious-it was two in the morning. Tenderly, she reached up and placed a gentle hand on his face. Logan kissed her palm and she snuggled deeper into his arms. She never felt safer, happier, or more at home than when he held her. She would have been perfectly happy spending the rest of her life in his arms. "This is perfect," she whispered, fighting the desire to fall back to sleep.
Suddenly, she sat up and extracted herself from the blanket. As he watched, she rose and walked to the CD player. Once she had selected the appropriate song, she returned to him and held out her hand. "Dance with me." Her voice was thick with fatigue, breathy and slow. The request was simple and direct, said with love and exhaustion, and he could not refuse her. Logan rose and in one fluid motion took her in his arms as the quiet melody poured from the speakers. Max reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her to him, amazed by the way her body fit perfectly with his. They moved fluidly, in unison, in time to the music. Her head rested against his shoulder and she closed her eyes.
After a time he found her movements lethargic and her body felt heavier. He pulled away slightly and smiled to find her more than half asleep. She murmured incoherently in protest and he kissed her, bring a smile to her face and silence to her protests. With on gentle motion, he swept her up in his arms, saying, "Come, baby." Cradling her in his arms, he walked over and turned off the CD player. He rested her down on the bed and pulled back the blankets; then he climbed in beside her, pulling the warm quilt over them both and once again taking her in his arms. Max snuggled into his embrace and sighed contentedly, finally giving herself over to the clutched of sleep.
"Rest love, sweet angel," Logan whispered in her ear before also giving himself over to sleep. And he slumbered with a smile on his face, holding his angel in his arms….
~*~
"...Max?" Logan's voice sounded far away. "Max can you hear me?"... "Wake up Maxie," Zack said firmly. The voices were blending together..."Come on back to us boo," Original Cindy said. "Lil Boo needs you"..."Don't make us keep our promise Maxie," Tinga said, pleading..."Max?"
"Logan..." Max forced her voice to work. She felt as though she was coming out of a molasses pit. Why had she been dreaming about her past with Logan? Again...
"She's awake!"
"I'll get the doctor...Zack and Tinga, come on with Original Cindy."
"Max?"
Max opened her eyes and shut them again quickly because the lights were too harsh. Gingerly, she opened them again and found herself staring into Logan's perfect blue eyes. They were full of tears and he was smiling. "Welcome back," he said, softly kissing her.
~*~
A week later Logan was able to bring Max and Jacqueline home. For all she had gone through, Max had regained her strength surprisingly quickly, although she was still under strict orders to rest and take it easy, given everything she had been through the last two months of her pregnancy-orders she knew Logan was going to enforce if she tried to misbehave. They were also under orders to abstain from sex for at least six weeks, due to the trauma Max's body had suffered. That was going to be one rule they were both going to have a hard time enforcing.
The penthouse was decorated from top to bottom with get well cards and card of congratulations, floral arrangements and baby stuff galore. Unbeknownst to Max, as she had only been in the penthouse for a few hours before she had gone into labor, Logan had commissioned the workout room (the one they never really used) turned into a nursery. It had been worked on while she was in the coma and held captive by Lydecker. It was a surprise Logan was looking forward to and the look of surprise, love, and gratitude on Max's face was all he needed.
At first, when they returned, their penthouse was full of people. Max's siblings, Bling, Sebastian, Matt Sung, Original Cindy and the Jam Pony crew (including a brief appearance by Normal, who told Max her old job would be waiting for her whenever she wanted it), all wanted to welcome home the new family. Several of Max's siblings were also saying their goodbyes. They had been in one place for too long and years of being on the run had taken their toll. They knew Jace and Max had found things to keep them in one place. Many of them had not. Krit and Syl were headed north, while Jondy and Brin were going to California. Jace and Victor were moving to a suburb of Seattle, while Zane had chosen to keep his apartment, and was taking brother Johnny in for a roommate. Zack, ever the CO and big brother, was still trying to take care of everyone, and promised Max and Logan he'd be back to see his niece as often as possible. Tinga was going to live with Jace's family for a while, as a babysitter and extra hand for both Maxito and baby Jacqueline.
Once everyone had left the apartment, Max and Logan were finally allowed to breathe. It was not only their first time alone together in literally over a month, but it was their first time alone at home with their new baby. They were overwhelmed and ecstatic. They put the baby down for her nap in a bassinet they had decided to keep in their bedroom for the first few months and then retired to the living room for some time alone. After five minutes they headed back to the bedroom and decided the cuddle time could happen just a easily-maybe even more so-on the bed. They couldn't bear to be away from their daughter.
"How are you?" Logan whispered as they lay holding and facing each other.
Max rested her fingertips on his chin and traced his lower lip gently, "Tired. Content. Delighted." She looked to the bassinet. "She's so perfect."
"We done good, huh mom?" Logan asked, grinning and nipping at his wife's fingertips. He kissed them softly and she snuggled against his chest. "It feels so amazing to have you back in my arms," he murmured after a while.
"We went through a lot for this, huh?" Max said, tightening her hold on him.
"You went through a lot," he replied. "More than your fair share."
"We both did," she retorted, trying to repress a yawn. "Guess we should catch naps when she does huh? We're gonna be up when she is, that's for damn sure."
Logan chuckled and they settled down to sleep.
Four hours later, true to Max's prediction, Jacquie woke up, wailing. Max heard her daughter's cries and was roused from sleep. She gently pulled herself from Logan's embrace and slipped out of bed, padding across the room. Quietly, she lifted the mewling infant from the cradle and carried her into the nursery. Instantly, the baby's cries quieted.
"You just wanted you momma, huh little one?" Then she noticed the baby turning towards her breasts. "Ah, so you think this is a 24/7 buffet, do you?" Max joked, smiling. She sat down in the rocking chair by the window and unbuttoned her loose blue cotton shirt. She curled her legs, clad in wide grey pants, under her small body, and brought the baby to her now bare breast. Her daughter latched on hungrily and began to suckle. After nearly a week, Max was still trying to get used to this bizarre and amazing feeling. The sensation of her daughter's warm breath on her flesh was overwhelming for Max.
As she rocked them in the chair, Max looked down at her nursing child and began to sing softly, "Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine."
Logan quietly stood in the doorway, having been roused from sleep by his wife's absence, and watched her sing softly to their child. It was an amazing sight to behold.
"Little one when you play, don't you mind what you say. Let those eyes sparkle and shine, never a tear, baby of mine." Max changed the baby's position to her other breast, as had been advised to her in the hospital, and kept singing, "If they knew sweet little you, they'd end up loving you too. All those people who might scold you, what they'd give just for the right to hold you."
Logan walked over to his family and crouched next to Max and Jacqueline, resting his hand on his wife's shoulder, looking lovingly at their child. Max looked at him and they smiled at each other. He smiled at Max and Logan kissed Jacquie's forehead, then let his lips lightly brush Max's exposed flesh and heard her gasp. He smiled again and held out his arms. Max stepped into his embrace, the baby still in her arms, and they began to dance as a unit while she hummed. Her eyes opened wide with surprise when she heard her husband begin to sing one last verse of the song.
"From your head to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows. But you're so precious to me, cute as can be, baby of mine."
Tears shining in her eyes, Max looked down at Jacquie and found her to have fallen back to sleep. They settled her once again in the bassinet and then settled themselves once again back into bed. Only this time, they lit some candles and stripped down. Wrapping themselves in blankets and around each other, Max and Logan happily held each other and listened to the sounds of the city below. As she drifted off to sleep, Max heard Logan sing softly in her ear, "From you're head to your feet, you mean so much to me. Can't find words to express, I love you best, love of my life."
He kissed the nape of her neck and let the sounds of her breathing lull them to sleep.
And for the first time in months, the world was as it should be.
Okay...that MIGHT be the end. I was planning on adding two more chapters, but now one of them feels unnecessary. However, an epilogue might be in serious order here. I'm sorry this A) took so long to get out and B) was so long it had to be split up into two chapters but stuff like that happens I guess. Feedback will determine whether or not I wrote a prologue. Thanks to everyone who read this fic and left me notes telling me how much they loved it. It means a lot.