Chapter 26: A Visitor
"Max?" Gary woke her up early the next morning.
"What is it?" Max was awake instantly, eyes searching the room, and hearing straining for some odd sound.
"Calm down!" he laughed, and added, "There's someone here to see you."
"Who is it?" Max asked cautiously.
"Just someone. They want to see you. They're in the living room." Gary said simply.
"Gary..." Max warned,
"Go out and see for yourself. Lizzy already has."
Max growled and hopped out of bed, opening the door to Lizzy sitting on someone's lap, who was facing away from her, on the couch.
She knew that hair...all spiky... Glaring at Gary, she stumbled forward when he pushed her.
"Ahem." Gary cleared this throat loudly, and called to Elizabeth. "Lizzy, come here, I want to show you something."
Lizzy complied unwillingly, "Yes, uncle Gary..." she waved sadly at her newly made friend, and walked off with Gary. Before he left the room, he glared at Max, and made shooing gestures with his hands.
Logan leaned his head back and took his glasses off, rubbing his face and sighing.
"Hey." Max said softly, standing behind him. Wanting to go closer, but somehow unable to.
"God Max, it's really you!" he spit out, whirling around and looking her over.
"Yeah, well....it's really you."
"Yeah." he said quietly, his examination done with for the moment,
"How've you been?" Max asked him, noticing the shadows under his eyes, and the tired way in which he sat.
"Not too bad. But not too good either. Having your wife run out on you can do that to a guy." he replied, watching her every move.
"Yeah, well, having your husband cheat with your sister can make a girl run off."
"Your...sister?"
"Oh, didn't Lucy fill you in? I thought you two were close enough that you would know first thing..." Max paused ((Why am I being like this? I missed him so damn much!)) "She was an X4. I always thought you went for the younger gals, but, whatever floats your boat."
"Max..."
"Logan. Max. Very good." Max said sassily. "You've been studying."
"Max! I'm sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am..." Logan cried out, tears begining to stream down his face.
Max started, surprised. ((Shit! What have I done now!))
"Logan...I'm sorry..."
"No Max, you're right. I was a bastard to do that...I don't know why I did. But I don't blame you for hating me."
"I...I don't hate you...I don't know...I just wasn't ready to-"
"Max?" Came a small voice from the doorway.
"Yeah Lizzy?"
"Can I play with Logan some more?" she smiled shyly, and giggled when Logan looked up at her.
"In a little while Lizzy...when we're done talking."
"No, come on Lizzy, it's ok. I can play now." Logan interupted, motioning for Lizzy to come sit on his lap.
Elizabeth took a tentative glance at Max, and when she nodded, she raced to Logan, jumping on his lap and bouncing up and down.
Max watched as the two ran around the cabin, racing each other in a never ending game of tag.
She retreated into her bedroom, and lay down. She needed time to think things over...
"Max..." Logan said from the doorway later on. It could have been a minute, or an hour. Max wasn't sure. The only thing she knew was when he said her name, breathless from running around with Lizzy, face flush and eyes bright, everything inside her that she had been holding in, broke loose, and the emotion showed itself in the form of tears. Logan was at her side immediatly, holding her and stroking her hair soothingly.
"God Logan...I'm so sorry..." she cried, holding herself in a ball.
"You shouldn't be. I'm the one that screwed up. Really screwed up..."
"You can say that again... Max laughed slightly, rolling over onto her back, so she could see Logan's face.
"What can I do...I make you believe I won't ever do it again...make it up to you...?" Logan asked,
"First you can start with the dishes." Max ordered, "And then I'll think about some
other things..."
Logan grinned and leaned down to kiss her. When he pulled away, her eyebrows were raised, and she said.
"And none of that until later."
"How much later?" Logan asked, grinning mischeviously.
"Later." Max replied, letting herself smile when she couldn't hold it back any longer. "Let's go say hi to our daughters." she added, and Logan smiled.
"Our daughters...together at last. I can't believe it."
"Oh, believe it you will. I had to practically deprogram Lizzy after I got her away from Lucy..."
"Lucy had them? Oh God-"
"Don't. Say that name again." Max warned. "At least not now."
Logan nodded in consent, and they left the dark bedroom, away from the dark past, walking out into the light of the years to come.
end chapter 26
"Max?" Gary woke her up early the next morning.
"What is it?" Max was awake instantly, eyes searching the room, and hearing straining for some odd sound.
"Calm down!" he laughed, and added, "There's someone here to see you."
"Who is it?" Max asked cautiously.
"Just someone. They want to see you. They're in the living room." Gary said simply.
"Gary..." Max warned,
"Go out and see for yourself. Lizzy already has."
Max growled and hopped out of bed, opening the door to Lizzy sitting on someone's lap, who was facing away from her, on the couch.
She knew that hair...all spiky... Glaring at Gary, she stumbled forward when he pushed her.
"Ahem." Gary cleared this throat loudly, and called to Elizabeth. "Lizzy, come here, I want to show you something."
Lizzy complied unwillingly, "Yes, uncle Gary..." she waved sadly at her newly made friend, and walked off with Gary. Before he left the room, he glared at Max, and made shooing gestures with his hands.
Logan leaned his head back and took his glasses off, rubbing his face and sighing.
"Hey." Max said softly, standing behind him. Wanting to go closer, but somehow unable to.
"God Max, it's really you!" he spit out, whirling around and looking her over.
"Yeah, well....it's really you."
"Yeah." he said quietly, his examination done with for the moment,
"How've you been?" Max asked him, noticing the shadows under his eyes, and the tired way in which he sat.
"Not too bad. But not too good either. Having your wife run out on you can do that to a guy." he replied, watching her every move.
"Yeah, well, having your husband cheat with your sister can make a girl run off."
"Your...sister?"
"Oh, didn't Lucy fill you in? I thought you two were close enough that you would know first thing..." Max paused ((Why am I being like this? I missed him so damn much!)) "She was an X4. I always thought you went for the younger gals, but, whatever floats your boat."
"Max..."
"Logan. Max. Very good." Max said sassily. "You've been studying."
"Max! I'm sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am..." Logan cried out, tears begining to stream down his face.
Max started, surprised. ((Shit! What have I done now!))
"Logan...I'm sorry..."
"No Max, you're right. I was a bastard to do that...I don't know why I did. But I don't blame you for hating me."
"I...I don't hate you...I don't know...I just wasn't ready to-"
"Max?" Came a small voice from the doorway.
"Yeah Lizzy?"
"Can I play with Logan some more?" she smiled shyly, and giggled when Logan looked up at her.
"In a little while Lizzy...when we're done talking."
"No, come on Lizzy, it's ok. I can play now." Logan interupted, motioning for Lizzy to come sit on his lap.
Elizabeth took a tentative glance at Max, and when she nodded, she raced to Logan, jumping on his lap and bouncing up and down.
Max watched as the two ran around the cabin, racing each other in a never ending game of tag.
She retreated into her bedroom, and lay down. She needed time to think things over...
"Max..." Logan said from the doorway later on. It could have been a minute, or an hour. Max wasn't sure. The only thing she knew was when he said her name, breathless from running around with Lizzy, face flush and eyes bright, everything inside her that she had been holding in, broke loose, and the emotion showed itself in the form of tears. Logan was at her side immediatly, holding her and stroking her hair soothingly.
"God Logan...I'm so sorry..." she cried, holding herself in a ball.
"You shouldn't be. I'm the one that screwed up. Really screwed up..."
"You can say that again... Max laughed slightly, rolling over onto her back, so she could see Logan's face.
"What can I do...I make you believe I won't ever do it again...make it up to you...?" Logan asked,
"First you can start with the dishes." Max ordered, "And then I'll think about some
other things..."
Logan grinned and leaned down to kiss her. When he pulled away, her eyebrows were raised, and she said.
"And none of that until later."
"How much later?" Logan asked, grinning mischeviously.
"Later." Max replied, letting herself smile when she couldn't hold it back any longer. "Let's go say hi to our daughters." she added, and Logan smiled.
"Our daughters...together at last. I can't believe it."
"Oh, believe it you will. I had to practically deprogram Lizzy after I got her away from Lucy..."
"Lucy had them? Oh God-"
"Don't. Say that name again." Max warned. "At least not now."
Logan nodded in consent, and they left the dark bedroom, away from the dark past, walking out into the light of the years to come.
end chapter 26
