"How ya feelin', girl?"
"Been better." She shifted awkwardly and clenched her eyes tightly shut as a jolt of pain spread from her shoulder down through every existing nerve in her body, equalled only by that which overtook her when she attempted to hobble off anywhere and too much pressure was placed on her injured tendon. Max took action by pressing the cold compress she held to her best friend's shoulder and pushing her back into bed, imploring that she stay put.
"You just had a bullet removed. Rest up, why dontcha."
Original Cindy chuckled. "Aiight, aiight. But you promise Original Cindy she gonna get some pain pills from that Dr. Carr guy."
"I promise," Max said with a smile. Her face fell soon after, though, and she leaned down to give her wounded friend a soft, tender hug. "I'm sorry."
Cindy sighed and patted the girl on the back with her good arm; they had been through this countless times in the past three days, and she couldn't help feeling annoyed at Max's persistent and increasingly redundant apologies despite the fact that she perfectly understood the need. The girl was back, though, and she'd saved their lives and she was forgiven, and she had to get over it already. "I know, boo...we been through this."
"I'm still sorry, though." She backed slowly out of the embrace, surprised as usual with the new hardness she found in Cindy's usually warm and laughing eyes. She had been wanting to ask for some more specifics when it came to what had happened out there on the way to Manticore, partly because of that visible change, and now seemed suddenly like the perfect opportunity. Zack had other ideas, though.
"Knock knock," he called as he appeared in the doorframe. Max, sensing that this was important, tucked a few stray locks behind Cindy's ear and then followed her brother somberly into the main part of the apartment, leaning on her Ninja as she prepared for the speech she had learned to expect.
"I can't stay, Maxie," he started, as usual. She looked down and drew idle, imaginary patterns on the hardwood with her toe.
"Surprise surprise."
He sighed and shook his head; she was never going to get it. Here he had been, learning slowly to understand her side through this entire experience, but it seemed she never made any sort of effort to see where he was coming from. Well, so be it. He wasn't here to beg her to come along this time, she had managed to mess him up too much and now emotions were flowing freely and they told him that she had to stay. This was where she belonged, as much as he hated to admit it. And he cared about her, about all of them, not just because he had to but because he genuinely loved them, as much as he hated to admit it. And maybe tha wasn't such a bad thing afterall.
"This isn't my place. I don't belong here," he explained plainly.
It was funny how tender emotions could lead to anger and aggravation, but they did and she didn't bother to check herself. "Oh, but you belong running all over the place being miserable? Haven't you learned anything?"
"I've learned plenty!" he retorted automatically in defense, then relaxed and clicked his tongue in amusement. "Ya know...you're just the same old Max."
"Yeah, well I guess you're just the same old Zack," she replied sadly, her eyes falling back to the floor. Something about the way she said it struck a chord within him and he hugged her, impulsively, letting himself enjoy the comfort it brought for one unguarded moment. He then pulled away abruptly, hurt by the soft pleading in her eyes but knowing that this was for the best and that a part of her knew it, too.
"I'll be in touch," he said before walking from the room, exiting her life for the umpteenth time.
*******
Everything that could be moved to Max and Cindy's apartment had been moved there, the rest sold or left to rot in his old place. He still couldn't believe that he was going to be living WITH her, waking to her and saying goodnight to her and sleeping only a room away instead of three sectors. Of course it was only temporary; considering that Manticore now had intelligence on him, it would not be smart for he and Max to be that close together for any longer than a brief interlude and Blind was already looking to find his employer a new place. But the fact that it would happen at all drove him wild with excitement, even as things between them were slightly awkward and strange at the moment. Another benefit of living together was that they'd have more than enough time to talk; they had to if they expected to survive such close proximity.
Things of course were definitely not as good as they could or should be, though, and as he looked over the penthouse one last time he was swept with all-too familiar sorrow and anger and helplessness. He had lost that which gave him the ability to walk; he had lost his home and his luxury; but worst of all he had lost Eyes Only. Until the destruction of Manticore, there could be no more broadcasts, and that meant the operation was likely over with for good. As much as any of them wanted to think it was possible, they'd probably never succeed in fully taking down such a place; they could only hope to wait and be forgotten, and the odds of that happening weren't exactly in their favor, either. Somehow they'd have to learn to live around it. And it was hard, and it hurt, but he was damn sure willing to try after all that had happened the past few weeks.
"Hey," a soft, slightly uncertain voice came from behind. A hand came to rest on his shoulder and he remembered envisioning a similar scenario, back when it seemed like all hope was lost. "You ready to go?"
He looked up into her face and wished that there was an easier way to go back before the awful words had been said, a way to avoid all the talking and mutual soul-searching and heartache, but at least they had the opportunity to through all of it and that was what mattered. He managed a smile and took her hand in his.
"Yeah...c'mon."
*******
----Two weeks later----
"Why the hell are you still getting mail?" Max demanded as she dropped the envelope on Logan's legs.
"It goes through a lot of people before it gets to me," he assured her as he began to open the package. "Don't worry."
"Logan," she chastised with a heavy sigh, "you know it doesn't matter how many people it's gotta go through. It's still dangerous as all hell."
"Fine, fine," he said as he took her hand and pulled her down to him. "I'll stop it. I'll change the forwarding address to something random that I think of off the top of my head and screw the whole mail thing, okay?"
She smirked and pretended to think very deeply over the matter, putting on an air of dissatisfaction. "Guess it'll have to do."
"It better," he retorted playfully before kissing her lightly. She smiled and shook her head and moved away to fiddle with something on the stove, probably hot water for a bath; he had been reading before his man came with the envelope and hadn't really been paying attention. He opened without haste, thinking it was likely some case information that he wasn't going to be able to use now that Eyes Only was through. When he removed its contents, though, he couldn't control the disgusted tremors which swept through his body and with paralyzing fear he gasped Max's name.
His tone was understandably frightening to her, and she rushed to his side, reaching down to set the brakes on his chair before encircling him in an embrace of comfort from behind. When she saw the picture in his hands, though, she needed some comforting of her own; there lay Lydecker, dressed in the uniform of a norm Manticore soldier, apparently stolen from on M. Anderson. One arm was crumpled around his head, the other flung over his chest, his legs tangled up in each other. And only half of his face was intact, the other mutilated beyond recognition from the force of the bullet that should have passed straight through but caught and caused a partial implosion instead.
"Logan..." she whimpered, pressing her face hard against the side of his. He reached up to massage the back of her neck, to soothe away her fear though he didn't have the strength to quell his own. And together they silently read the note that came attached, wishing that it didn't have to be true but knowing sorrowfully that it was, that like Tinga they seemed doomed only to have the happily ever now that once was.
'~YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER.~'
*******
Post.Script: Hate me all ya want, but did you really expect ME to deliver a cut and dried happy ending? Okay, fine, I wrote some nice fluffy smut but that story's a total anomalie. I had to leave this open. I had to end it like it would have ended in season one. So...yeah. Sequel? Maybe. But then, I killed everyone...so it might be kinda hard...
I love you guys! Thank you for allowing yourself to be subjected to my insanity! Hehe.
"Been better." She shifted awkwardly and clenched her eyes tightly shut as a jolt of pain spread from her shoulder down through every existing nerve in her body, equalled only by that which overtook her when she attempted to hobble off anywhere and too much pressure was placed on her injured tendon. Max took action by pressing the cold compress she held to her best friend's shoulder and pushing her back into bed, imploring that she stay put.
"You just had a bullet removed. Rest up, why dontcha."
Original Cindy chuckled. "Aiight, aiight. But you promise Original Cindy she gonna get some pain pills from that Dr. Carr guy."
"I promise," Max said with a smile. Her face fell soon after, though, and she leaned down to give her wounded friend a soft, tender hug. "I'm sorry."
Cindy sighed and patted the girl on the back with her good arm; they had been through this countless times in the past three days, and she couldn't help feeling annoyed at Max's persistent and increasingly redundant apologies despite the fact that she perfectly understood the need. The girl was back, though, and she'd saved their lives and she was forgiven, and she had to get over it already. "I know, boo...we been through this."
"I'm still sorry, though." She backed slowly out of the embrace, surprised as usual with the new hardness she found in Cindy's usually warm and laughing eyes. She had been wanting to ask for some more specifics when it came to what had happened out there on the way to Manticore, partly because of that visible change, and now seemed suddenly like the perfect opportunity. Zack had other ideas, though.
"Knock knock," he called as he appeared in the doorframe. Max, sensing that this was important, tucked a few stray locks behind Cindy's ear and then followed her brother somberly into the main part of the apartment, leaning on her Ninja as she prepared for the speech she had learned to expect.
"I can't stay, Maxie," he started, as usual. She looked down and drew idle, imaginary patterns on the hardwood with her toe.
"Surprise surprise."
He sighed and shook his head; she was never going to get it. Here he had been, learning slowly to understand her side through this entire experience, but it seemed she never made any sort of effort to see where he was coming from. Well, so be it. He wasn't here to beg her to come along this time, she had managed to mess him up too much and now emotions were flowing freely and they told him that she had to stay. This was where she belonged, as much as he hated to admit it. And he cared about her, about all of them, not just because he had to but because he genuinely loved them, as much as he hated to admit it. And maybe tha wasn't such a bad thing afterall.
"This isn't my place. I don't belong here," he explained plainly.
It was funny how tender emotions could lead to anger and aggravation, but they did and she didn't bother to check herself. "Oh, but you belong running all over the place being miserable? Haven't you learned anything?"
"I've learned plenty!" he retorted automatically in defense, then relaxed and clicked his tongue in amusement. "Ya know...you're just the same old Max."
"Yeah, well I guess you're just the same old Zack," she replied sadly, her eyes falling back to the floor. Something about the way she said it struck a chord within him and he hugged her, impulsively, letting himself enjoy the comfort it brought for one unguarded moment. He then pulled away abruptly, hurt by the soft pleading in her eyes but knowing that this was for the best and that a part of her knew it, too.
"I'll be in touch," he said before walking from the room, exiting her life for the umpteenth time.
*******
Everything that could be moved to Max and Cindy's apartment had been moved there, the rest sold or left to rot in his old place. He still couldn't believe that he was going to be living WITH her, waking to her and saying goodnight to her and sleeping only a room away instead of three sectors. Of course it was only temporary; considering that Manticore now had intelligence on him, it would not be smart for he and Max to be that close together for any longer than a brief interlude and Blind was already looking to find his employer a new place. But the fact that it would happen at all drove him wild with excitement, even as things between them were slightly awkward and strange at the moment. Another benefit of living together was that they'd have more than enough time to talk; they had to if they expected to survive such close proximity.
Things of course were definitely not as good as they could or should be, though, and as he looked over the penthouse one last time he was swept with all-too familiar sorrow and anger and helplessness. He had lost that which gave him the ability to walk; he had lost his home and his luxury; but worst of all he had lost Eyes Only. Until the destruction of Manticore, there could be no more broadcasts, and that meant the operation was likely over with for good. As much as any of them wanted to think it was possible, they'd probably never succeed in fully taking down such a place; they could only hope to wait and be forgotten, and the odds of that happening weren't exactly in their favor, either. Somehow they'd have to learn to live around it. And it was hard, and it hurt, but he was damn sure willing to try after all that had happened the past few weeks.
"Hey," a soft, slightly uncertain voice came from behind. A hand came to rest on his shoulder and he remembered envisioning a similar scenario, back when it seemed like all hope was lost. "You ready to go?"
He looked up into her face and wished that there was an easier way to go back before the awful words had been said, a way to avoid all the talking and mutual soul-searching and heartache, but at least they had the opportunity to through all of it and that was what mattered. He managed a smile and took her hand in his.
"Yeah...c'mon."
*******
----Two weeks later----
"Why the hell are you still getting mail?" Max demanded as she dropped the envelope on Logan's legs.
"It goes through a lot of people before it gets to me," he assured her as he began to open the package. "Don't worry."
"Logan," she chastised with a heavy sigh, "you know it doesn't matter how many people it's gotta go through. It's still dangerous as all hell."
"Fine, fine," he said as he took her hand and pulled her down to him. "I'll stop it. I'll change the forwarding address to something random that I think of off the top of my head and screw the whole mail thing, okay?"
She smirked and pretended to think very deeply over the matter, putting on an air of dissatisfaction. "Guess it'll have to do."
"It better," he retorted playfully before kissing her lightly. She smiled and shook her head and moved away to fiddle with something on the stove, probably hot water for a bath; he had been reading before his man came with the envelope and hadn't really been paying attention. He opened without haste, thinking it was likely some case information that he wasn't going to be able to use now that Eyes Only was through. When he removed its contents, though, he couldn't control the disgusted tremors which swept through his body and with paralyzing fear he gasped Max's name.
His tone was understandably frightening to her, and she rushed to his side, reaching down to set the brakes on his chair before encircling him in an embrace of comfort from behind. When she saw the picture in his hands, though, she needed some comforting of her own; there lay Lydecker, dressed in the uniform of a norm Manticore soldier, apparently stolen from on M. Anderson. One arm was crumpled around his head, the other flung over his chest, his legs tangled up in each other. And only half of his face was intact, the other mutilated beyond recognition from the force of the bullet that should have passed straight through but caught and caused a partial implosion instead.
"Logan..." she whimpered, pressing her face hard against the side of his. He reached up to massage the back of her neck, to soothe away her fear though he didn't have the strength to quell his own. And together they silently read the note that came attached, wishing that it didn't have to be true but knowing sorrowfully that it was, that like Tinga they seemed doomed only to have the happily ever now that once was.
'~YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER.~'
*******
Post.Script: Hate me all ya want, but did you really expect ME to deliver a cut and dried happy ending? Okay, fine, I wrote some nice fluffy smut but that story's a total anomalie. I had to leave this open. I had to end it like it would have ended in season one. So...yeah. Sequel? Maybe. But then, I killed everyone...so it might be kinda hard...
I love you guys! Thank you for allowing yourself to be subjected to my insanity! Hehe.