Chapter Two

I hope there's someone out there who can bring me back to you...

Max watched her daughter sleep.  She looked like Rafer. 

Rafer, now there was a name she hadn't thought about in a long time.

Brushing a stray hair from Hannah's sleeping face, Max once more wished that night had ended differently, namely bumping into someone else besides Rafer.  But then she wouldn't have Hannah.  There really wasn't a point to thinking about it.  It had been twelve long years and any past she had back then wouldn't be waiting.

Any past, namely Logan, wouldn't be sitting at his window looking out, not really seeing anything, tonight.  Just because it had been twelve years today, just because she remembered, didn't mean he would.

Besides it wasn't like going back was an option.  He may have forgiven her for her night with Rafer but then he didn't know about Hannah.  And although Hannah was perfect in almost every sense of the word, Max knew that Logan would not take her existence lightly.

And he would probably never forgive her for leaving him so suddenly.  For never calling to let him know she was okay, for running.

She'd blamed White, the virus, and even her own fear of getting involved with Logan, in order to hide the real reason she was leaving.  Hannah, the beautiful little girl laying in the middle of their shared bed, in the middle of a half-assed excuse for a hotel room.  

The moonlight danced through the window, playing hide and seek with the little girls face.

It wasn't fair.  Hannah shouldn't have to live like this, trading one crappy hotel room for another, broken down city, after broken down city.  Just because Max had a past. Just because Max had to hide.

She had a few options.  They could always continue living like this, on the run all the time, afraid of who might be watching.  She could run back to Logan and beg for forgiveness and tell him that he was the only one she'd ever care for in that way, smiling ruefully she pushed the thought out of her head dismissing it as impossible, if only.

No there really wasn't any other option then her last.  Hannah didn't deserve to suffer because of Max's past and Logan didn't deserve to suffer because of Hannah's presence. 

Rafer.

Not able to completely cut him off, he was after all Hannah's father, Max had kept in contact with him.  He'd settled down and started a family of his own, the kind that Hannah deserved.  And every letter sent asked Max to come and visit.  Every letter pleaded with her to let him meet his daughter.  To let his daughter stay with him.  His daughter needed stability and if Max couldn't offer her that then he would be more then willing to take her in until she could.

"Oh Hannah."  Max sighed slipping down to lie next to her daughter she pulled the girl into her arms knowing it would be one of the last times she'd be able to do so.  Tomorrow they would start toward Seattle and in a few days she'd leave Hannah with Rafer.

Unable to stop the tears she let them come and rain down on her daughter's sleeping form.

When Hannah was gone...

No she couldn't think about that now.  Not tonight.

"Logan.  What should I do?  You'd know."  Max closed her eyes waiting for the answer, knowing he'd never be able to answer her.  Still just saying his name often made her feel slightly better.

Hannah stirred in her arms and opened her eyes.

"Mom?" she questioned groggily.  Max tried a smile on but Hannah had inherited her mother's intelligence and knew that Max was hiding something.  Reaching up she hugged her mother while she cried. 

This wasn't all that uncommon lately.  Hannah waking up to her mother's tears.  She'd often heard her mother's guarded whispers as well.  Hannah also inherited her mother's sleep habits though her mother liked to think that she took after Rafer in that.  Truthfully Hannah faked sleep more then half of the time just to make her mother happy.

"Who is he?" Hannah dared to ask.

"Who honey?" Max asked pulling away confused.

"The man you cry about.  The one you talk to when you think I'm asleep.  The one who takes you away from me.  Logan." Hannah explained.

Max sighed and pushed away from her daughter standing up and walking over to the window to watch as the rain fell against the window.  Pressing her hand to the glass she tried to come up with an honest answer.

"It isn't important," she offered lamely closing her eyes to squeeze back tears.

"Why did you leave him?" Hannah tried again.

Years ago she would have lied, years ago she would have said it was too hard to stay with the virus and White on her butt.  Truthfully though, the virus had been eradicated years ago when Max still believed that she could go back eventually, White was still on her butt more so now then when she was in Seattle, so staying away for those reasons didn't make any sense anymore.  Hannah was the only reason, she could pretend all she wanted but Hannah was it.  Telling Hannah that however would only hurt her.

"I didn't." honestly in her heart she'd never left him. "He..." Max couldn't continue.

"Oh." Hannah offered misinterpreting her silence.  It was just as well Max smiled ruefully.

"Go to sleep.  We've got a lot of distance to cover tomorrow."