I hope you guys had a great NYE. I did. Enjoy the next chapter!

**

The next morning the four of them drove to Arlington House in Peter's car. They went in through the backyard and were greeted by almost the entire staff in the kitchen. Kylie was the first to embarce them.

"Congratulations. Hope is really lucky."

"Thank you. Where is George?" Max looked around.

"I'm here." He entered the kitchen and shook hands. "Good morning. I hope you slept well."

"Actually I was too excited to sleep much." Max beamed. She felt so happy.

"Well, then let's get done with the paperwork so you can say hello to your daughter."

Max and Logan went to the large table and automatically Max moved a chair aside so there was room for Logan's wheelchair. It took them nearly an hour to go through everything. But finally George closed the folder.

"Just one more thing. Officialy this is a temporary thing. It almost never happens that someone has to give a child back, but it is a possibility if we think the parents are not capable. I'm sure this is not going to be the case, but it's my job to let you know."

"That's only fair. But don't worry, everthing is gonna be fine with her."

"Well, then I'd say we get the baby." Anna, who was the only person who had silently stayed in the room, got up. "She is upstairs, I'll get her..."

"Would you mind if I..." Max looked at Logan, afraid of how he would take it. He couldn't just go upstairs and pick up Hope.

"Go ahead, Max. It's Ok. Just come back down right away."

Max bent down to give hima quick kiss. "Thanks."

She followed Anna up the stairs and toa small room whera small bed stood right in the middle.

"Here we are." Anna smiled enouraging.

Max hesitantly stared at the cute little girl. "I...I don't wanna hurt her."

"It's Ok, Max. Just lift her up, she is not a newborn, so thee is nothing that can go wrong. Besides, I'm here, and you don't have much of a choice."

"You're right. Kinda pathetic, huh? Yesterday I told that guy I'm 100% sure I can do that, and now I don't even know how to pick her up."

"Every parent has to grow into it, it's normal."

Max carefully slid her hands under the baby, lifted her from the bed and held her close. "Hi sweety. How are you?" She caressed the baby's head. "She is so beautiful."

"She is."

"Wanna go see your Daddy? He is waiting downstairs." Max slowly walked over to the stairway, Anna silently followedwith Hope's belongings. Peter joined them in the hallway and together they entered the kitchen.

Logan looked up immediately, released the brakes from his chair and wheeled towards them. When he was directly in front of Max, he set the brakes again and looked up at her expectantly.

Max smiled down and carefully guided Hope into his arms.

"Hey yu. Guess that's it, you're stuck with Max and me." He slowly wiped a stray of dark-brown hair out of the little girl's face.

Max, Peter and Anna all had tears in their eyes when they watched Logan, he looked so happy and relaxed. Max couldn't remember a time when she had seen him like that- and she loved him even more. And Peter and Anna were reminded of happy, innocent days when Logan had had a bright-looking future, happy days before his parents died, before Val, before the accident...

They stayed like that for another minute before Logan found his voice again.

"Max, do you mind if we gave her a second name?"

"Which one?" Max kneeled down and laid a hand on Logan's thigh.

"Emme?" With her enhanced hearing she could hear both Anna and Petergasp, but didn't understand the reaction. She would have to find out later.

"It's a beautiful name, I like it." She kissed Logan on the cheek, the turned her attention towards the girl in his lap. "Hi Hope Emma Cale."

"Thanks, Max." She looked into Logan's eyes and her curiosity and confusion grew. There was something going on in the depths of his blue eyes that bothered her.

"Logan? Are you Ok? What's going on?" She lookd over at Anna and Peter, hoping for answers which she didn't get. "Why Emma?"

"I..." He closed his eyes, hen opened them again to look at the baby, who was now dozing fitfully. "Give me some time, please. I promise to tell you soon.!

Usually Max wasn't that easy to be turned down, but Logan's behavior worried her, and the way he had said the last sentence had shown her that she wouldn't get him to talk right now. It was something that hurt him deep inside, she knew that look.

"Ok." She smiled reassuringly. "Let's go home, alright?"

"Yeah."

**

"Why doesn't she stop screaming? I fed her, I carried her around..." Logan returned from the bathroom, grinning. "I guess she needs her diapers changed."

He saw Max's face crumple. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

Logan wheeled over to the closet and grabbed a diaper, the he returned to the bed and laid a towel on the sheets. "Come over, I'l show you."

"Why do you know how to do that?" She asked, skeptically.

"I have my sources." Max frowned. "Nah, remember Bitsy? I used to babysit Brittany a lot when she was a baby."

Max shrugged and put Hope on the towel, Logan leaned forward and started to undress Hope. None of them noticed Anna and Peter standing in teh doorway, watching them amused.

"...Ok, and then you just have to dress her again."

And how often do we have to do that?"

"No idea, every few hours. I guess she'll tell us." He swiveled his chair around. "Hey..."

"Sorry, we didn't mean to..."

"No problem. So what do you think. Are we gonna be good parents?"

"Definitely. You are doing great."

"Thanks." Max reached for the baby and left the room. "I'll put her in her bed. I think she is getting sleepy."

Logan stayed back with Anna and Peter.

"We need to talk, Logan." Peter carefully started.

"About what?"

"You know what we mean. You have to tell Max. You can't deal with all that alone, not with Hope around. Max needs to understand you. She looked totally scared back at Arlington House when you built up your defenses again."

Logan let out a short laugh. "It's not easy. What the hell do you think? That I just can tell everybody about it?"

"Max is not everybody. We know it's tough, but you gotta talk to her. She has every right to know."

"It's been a different life I lead back then. She is no part of that."

"That's crab and you know it. What you are now is due to what you have been through. Make her understand you!"

Logan looked at his hands in his lap for a minute, then back up at his grandparents. "You are right, I'm sorry. I'm gonna tell her tonight. It's just that it hurts so much, I don't want to relive those feelings agan, and I know I will when I allow them to come to the surface."

"You have always been the master of bottling feelings up, we know that. But you have to let go."

"You are right." He took his grandmother's hand. "Thank you, for everything."

**

TBC. Please review!!