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The gloomy night sky stretched out over the cloudy water with only the full moon for light. Leon shifted from one foot to the other in the cold, impatient to get the meeting over with, so that he could go home where it was warmer. He had the unsettling feeling that he was being watched, but dismissed it as paranoia. Nobody knew what he had done except Ethan Nicks and he was the one paying him for a job well done. The sound of footsteps on the wet docks made Leon antsy. Turning slowly around, he had expected to see Ethan, but instead found himself face to face with Ames White. "Where's Ethan?" Leon had never been introduced to the man before him, but he knew him by reputation. This was a man to be feared. Even Ethan, who usually feared nothing, was nervous whenever Ames White was mentioned. "He went for a swim." White kept his face expressionless. "No need to concern yourself, Leon, I have your payment." He reached into his inside pocket as Ethan's body floated past the dock. Leon's eyes widened with fear as he saw the blue tinged body float gracefully in the water. As he whirled back to face White, he felt a burning sensation in his chest. He hadn't even heard the sound of the gun firing. Leon still had an astonished look on his face when his body hit the water beside Ethan's. "Paid in full," White quipped as he cast an annoyed look up at the sky when rain started to fall. "Typical." He walked calmly back to his car. Another night, another loose end tied up. Logan smiled smugly to himself. He had the whole thing on tape, including the well-timed body of Ethan Nicks floating into the scene. He waited until White's car had completely disappeared from sight before phoning Matt Sung to inform him of the two corpses floating by the dock. Soaked to the skin, Logan headed back to his car. He had been out at the docks every night that week in the rain, trying to get evidence on tape. The first signs of a cold began yesterday and tonight his throat was sore, his nose was running and he had a terrible headache. Once back in his apartment, Logan set everything up to make a broadcast. He wanted all of his 'Eyes Only' work cleared away before he went to San Francisco tomorrow with Original Cindy. He dragged his shirtsleeve across his sweating forehead. "Not now. I can't get sick now," he muttered to himself. Max was still turning him away when he came to visit, but Logan was not giving up. She was too important to him. He had been amazed at Max's progress in the first week that Jondy had sent him back to Seattle. Logan's jaw had nearly hit the floor when he found out that Jondy had sent Zane to pick up Lydecker and bring him to San Francisco to help with Max. The X5 siblings were taking turns visiting San Francisco partly to help Jondy nurse Max and partly to keep an eye on Lydecker. Logan wondered if there would ever come a time when the X5s could trust their former commander. Somehow Logan figured hell would freeze over first. Max grunted at the ache in her body as she finished another set of pushups. In some cases her sister was a tougher taskmaster than Lydecker. "Can I stop yet?" She saw her sister turn from the monitor that she was watching. "I'll lose the feeling in my wrists if I do anymore." Jondy nodded. "Sure. You've done enough for today. Besides, Joshua made you lunch and he's so proud of himself that he's going to burst if you don't go and eat it soon." Max giggled. "You let him lose in your kitchen? You're getting soft, Jondy." She frowned when she saw how serious her sister's face was. She had been like this since they had seen the 'Eyes Only' broadcast last night. "What's wrong?" Although she would never admit it, Max missed Logan. Seeing the broadcast last night left her feeling as though someone had ripped out her heart. It had been her choice and she still felt that Logan should be with someone more normal. Every weekend he turned up with Alec or Original Cindy and Max pushed him away. Anyone else would have given up on her by now. "Nothing." Jondy twirled a strand of red hair around her index finger, a sure sign that she was deep in thought. "I've asked Bling to go back with Logan on Sunday. He can let us know how things are going in Seattle." The 'Eyes Only' image that stared at them from the television last night concerned her. She had voiced her concerns to Bling later, who agreed that what they could see of Logan's face, looked ill. "You kicking me out soon?" Max joked. She turned serious. "I was thinking, maybe it's about time I left Seattle and moved somewhere out of White's radar." If she went back to Seattle, she would want to see Logan and that wasn't fair to him. Jondy saw straight through Max. "I'm not giving you permission to run away from your self imposed problems." She rose from her seat and stormed out of the room past Lydecker, who was standing in the doorway. Max got up from where she had been sitting on the floor. "What was Manticore's reason for giving Jondy a temper to match her hair?" She walked stiffly to the door. "Manticore didn't give her that." Lydecker smiled slightly. "That's something your sister got all by herself." He watched two of the adopted girls carry Jondy's twins into the living room. "There goes a miracle if I ever saw one." Max scowled at him. "Every baby's a miracle." As she moved past him, Max felt his hand on her arm, stopping her. Lydecker shook his head. "Your sister sustained internal injuries at Manticore as a child that left her unable to have children." He let go of her arm. "Those twins really are a miracle." He left Max pondering what he had just said. Original Cindy frowned as she banged on Logan's apartment door a third time. That was strange, he usually opened it on the first knock, even if he was on the phone. "Logan? You in there?" She knew he wouldn't have forgotten they were traveling to San Francisco today. Puzzled by Logan's absence, Original Cindy took the cell phone Max had lent her out of her pocket and dialed Jondy's phone number. She recognized Syl's voice as soon as she answered the phone. "Syl, it's Original Cindy. Let me speak to Doctor Boo, will ya?" "I'll have to put you on speaker. She's got her hands full." Syl chuckled as she watched as her sister balanced the twins on her knees and bandaged one of the adopted girl's knees. "Hey Cindy. What's up?" Jondy was sitting next to the phone so she didn't have to yell. "I thought you were picking Logan up." "I'm at his apartment now. He's not opening the door, but I'm pretty sure he's in there. His car's still downstairs." Cindy knew Logan well enough to know he would never pass a chance to see Max up. Jondy heard Max come into the room from behind her. "Here's what I need you to do Cindy. Try the door and see if Logan left it open, otherwise I'm going to have to give you a step by step instruction on the art of breaking and entering." Max held her breath as she heard Original Cindy over the phone. Something was wrong with Logan, she could feel it. "It's open. Hang on, I'll see if I can find him." Cindy walked into the apartment and started searching for Logan. She hadn't gone any further than the living room before she found him laying on the floor semi conscious. "I've found him but he don't look good, Boo." She knelt down beside him and put her hand on his forehead. "He's burning up and he looks pretty out of it." "He's got Sam Carr on speed dial." Jondy started pacing with the twins in her arms. "Ask Logan what number Sam is on the phone. With any luck he's with it enough to remember." She had a feeling Logan had purposely left the door unlocked, knowing that Cindy would be there soon to pick him up. They could hear some muttering in the background for a few minutes before Cindy came back on the cell phone. "Ok Boo, he's on his way. He doesn't think it's safe for Logan to be brought into the hospital. I guess White's still asking questions. Is there anything I can do while we wait." "Yeah. Go into one of the bedrooms and get a blanket." Jondy could see that everyone in the room was worried about Logan. "You need to keep him warm." She had a fair idea by the way Original Cindy had found Logan so fast, that he had to be in the living room. "Ok. I'll phone you back, Boo, once Sam's been here." Original Cindy said goodbye and hung up the phone. "You stay with me, Logan. I don't care if Max knows it or not, she needs you." She fetched a blanket and covered Logan up before sitting down beside him. This was a side of Logan that Cindy had never seen. She had become used to seeing Logan go to Max's rescue or fighting the good fight by her side. The side Cindy missed seeing the most, was the one where Max and Logan were happy together. Jondy listened to Max's footsteps creeping out of the room. "Where do you think you're going?" She knew instinctively the moment they heard that something was wrong with Logan, that Max would forget all of her previous protests and go to him. Max knew she couldn't get anything past Jondy. "I'm going to Seattle to see if I can help." Logan needed her. Suddenly she was scared to death of losing him. "That's a bit unfair to Logan, isn't it?" Jondy perched herself on the arm of the sofa next to where Syl was sitting. "You can't just turn up and nurse him back to health and then push him away once he gets better." "I'm going." Max stalked out of the room and went to pack a bag. So determined to get to Logan was she, that she missed the triumphant smile that passed between Jondy and Syl. "Think it'll work?" Syl took one of the twins off of Jondy. She knew her sister would not give up until she got Max and Logan back together. "Well, Lydecker dropped a piece of information in her lap this morning." Jondy stared at the empty doorway. "Providing Logan's condition isn't life threatening, this might just be the push in the right direction that Max needed." Five minutes later Max and Bling were heading back to Seattle. Max was scared. She didn't want to hold Logan back from having a normal life with a normal wife and kids, but the thought of losing him was even stronger. This was going to be the longest trip back to Seattle she had ever taken. Sam walked out of Logan's bedroom, where he and Original Cindy had moved a now unconscious Logan. "He doesn't appear to have sustained any head injuries but he has a bad case of pneumonia. I've hooked him up to an I.V and you need to keep him warm. We need to get his temperature down and don't be surprised if he gets delirious." Sam stopped to take a breath. "Is there anyone you can call to help you out here? I'd like to stay but my staff are still being asked a lot of questions about a certain patient that went missing a couple of months ago." Cindy nodded. "Jessica phoned me a couple of minutes ago. Bling is on his way back. I should be able to manage with his help." Sam risked asking the question he had been wondering since Max's planned disappearance. "How's Max doing?" "Good in some ways, bad in others." Cindy replied. "She's moving around with a little help, but she's determined that Logan needs to find someone else." Sam glanced towards Logan's room. "That happens sometimes when a woman loses a baby. He's not giving up though, is he?" Sam had never seen Logan as happy as he was when he was with Max. Original Cindy chuckled. "No, he isn't. The problem is, they're both as stubborn as each other. It's like watching somebody repeatedly drive into a brick wall." "Logan's always been like that." Sam wrote a list for Bling when he arrived. "At least ever since I've known him anyway. I'd better get going. Can you give this to Bling when he arrives." Original Cindy took the list from Sam. "Sure thing, Boo." She walked the doctor to the door and went to get herself a cup of coffee. She had a while to wait before Bling would get there. Not knowing what else she could really do to help, Cindy sat beside Logan's bed to make sure he didn't kick the blanket off. Logan started to murmur in his sleep, but never woke up. His murmuring became louder and clearer. "Max. Max." Original Cindy lay her hand gently on his shoulder. "It's alright, Boo. She's safe with Jondy. You just rest." She was a little surprised when her words seem to work and Logan calmed down. Max waited impatiently for the lift to reach Logan's floor. Ordinarily, she would have just sprinted up the stairs, but she hadn't fully recovered from her own injuries. Her movements were still stiff and mechanical instead of smooth and flowing. She looked up at the light above the door indicating what floor they were on, willing it to go faster. Bling watched Max silently. He would never understand why Max and Logan fought so hard against the obvious attraction that was between them. He knew that Logan wasn't concerned that Max couldn't have his children. In fact Logan hadn't even been sure that he could father a child, until he had found out Max had lost their baby. Bling had brought the subject up with Logan one night when Max had been away visiting Jondy. Logan had told him due to the gunshot injury and the medication Jondy had used to get him walking again, there was a strong possibility he may not be able to father a child. He had gone on to mention if sometime in the future Max actually wanted children, they could always adopt, but it was too early in their relationship to even bring the subject up. Bling had thought of telling Max about that conversation when she first started pushing Logan away. Since Logan hadn't brought it up himself, Bling had decided to remain silent. It had been tough though. Watching Zane, Jondy and Lydecker bully Max into getting to her feet had been a battle in which he could assist. Getting Max to accept that Logan loved her no matter what was a whole other battle that they had yet to win. Finally the lift reached Logan's floor. Max barely let the lift doors open before she ran out and picked the lock letting herself into Logan's apartment. She correctly guessed that Logan had been moved to his bedroom and raced in there to find Original Cindy sitting on the floor beside his bed. "How is he?" She spoke to Cindy but couldn't take her eyes off of Logan's pale face. "Not too good, Boo." Original Cindy managed to hide the grin that was threatening to spill over her face at Max's presence. "The doc says he has pneumonia. Your boy's been calling for you, Sugar. Of course the doc did say he could be delirious though." She gestured with her head to Bling before walking out of the room so that Max could be alone with Logan. Max stood at the end of Logan's bed for a moment watching him. It terrified her to see him this ill. Kicking off her shoes she crawled up the bed and cuddled up to Logan, making sure the sheets wee pulled up around his chest. Watching that she didn't upset the I.V sticking out of his arm, Max lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Original Cindy handed Bling the list Sam had left for him and peered back into Logan's room. "How did you get Sister Girl to come back with you? The way she was speaking on the phone yesterday, I expected her to be packing her bags for Canada." Bling chuckled. "She was in the room when Jondy was speaking to you on the phone. When Max said she was coming back to Seattle, Jondy told her she couldn't go. Even threw in a mini lecture about how cruel it would be to Logan." Cindy grinned. "Which made Max even more determined to come back." The grin fell from her face. "What happens when Logan gets better?" Bling shrugged his shoulders. "I guess that's entirely up to Max. I have a feeling Jondy will track her down and kick her genetically engineered ass if she does a runner though." Max tilted her head slightly so that she could see Logan's face. His eyes were open and he was looking at something beside the bed. Max tired to see what he was looking at, but saw nothing. "What is it Logan? What do you see?" Logan didn't hear Max's questions. He could see his mother sitting in a chair beside his bed as she used to when he was sick as a child. "Mom?" Max jerked upright when she heard what Logan had said. Cindy had warned her that Logan could become delirious, but it had still shocked her. "Mom, she's leaving me again." Logan had always felt he could tell his mother anything. "Somehow it's harder this time. I couldn't save her last time and she still found a way to come back to me. We made it through her death, the virus, the attack. Why can't we get through this?" His mother smiled with a quiet understanding. "Give her time and a little space, Logan. Max will realize that she needs you as much as you need her. The more you push, the more crowded she feels. You have to remember, Max isn't used to being loved. For somebody who's never had that before, it takes a while to adjust." She rose from the chair and kissed his fore head. "Get some sleep. Everything will seem clearer in the morning." Logan smiled up at her. "I love you, Mom." "I love you too, baby." Logan's mother slowly faded from sight. Logan closed his eyes and went back to sleep, completely unaware of Max sitting shocked beside him. His temperature was still high and he started to shiver despite the sweat pouring off of his burning skin. Max pulled another blanket out of the bedroom closet and covered Logan, tucking him in as though he were a child. Taking her place beside him on the bed again, Max gently stroked his forehead. "It's alright, Logan. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. You'd just better get well soon, cause you know I'm not real good at being patient." Even though Logan didn't respond to her words, Max felt that he could hear her. It grew dark and Max never left Logan's side. Bling came in to change the I.V bag and to check Logan's vitals but for the most part left Max to look after Logan. Original Cindy also stayed away unless bringing in Max something to eat or drink. Logan's temperature was still high, and when he actually woke up, he never seem to notice Max. It scared Max that he could see people that weren't there but he couldn't see her. "What do you mean you can't marry me, Daphne?" Logan's delusions began again. He could see Daphne standing before him, tears streaming down her face for the pain she was causing him. "Don't cry. You know I can't stand to see you cry. Of course we can still be friends." Daphne faded from sight just as his mother had. Max felt the tears start to flow as she heard Logan's mumbled words as he fell back asleep. "Why does everybody leave me?" She had pondered that same question herself so many times. "You alright, Boo?" Original Cindy's voice broke through Max's thoughts. "Yeah." Max dried her eyes on her shirt sleeve. "Just feeling sorry for myself again." She smile over at her friend. "It's a good job Zane isn't here, he'd be making me do crunches." Original Cindy perched on the edge of Logan's bed. "How's he doing?" He looked far too pale for Cindy's liking and according to Bling, Logan's temperature was not coming down. "He doesn't even know I'm here." Max took hold of Logan's hand. "He keeps talking to people who aren't even here." She realized Logan's clothes and sheets were soaked through. "Better get these sheets and his clothes changed. He's sweating so much, they're soaked." Bling walked in at that moment. "I've got the bath full of ice. Sam says to try and bring Logan's temperature down that way." "You help Bling with Logan while I change the bed, Boo." Original Cindy wanted Max out of the way so that she could update Jondy on what was going on. A moment later Max was sitting on the bathroom floor, stunned at Logan's latest ramblings. "Jondy told him, he might not be able to father a child? Why didn't he tell me?" Bling sat down beside her. "Because it wasn't a sure thing. Also you and Logan had never discussed having children and Logan didn't want to scare you away by bringing it up too soon. He figured you weren't so shallow that you would dump him if he couldn't father a child and if you wanted kids then the two of you could adopt." "Why didn't Jondy say something?" Max couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of her sister sharing a secret with Logan. "I used to think we could tell each other anything. Now I feel as though I don't even know her." Original Cindy was listening from the door way. "Boo, you're complaining about Sister Girl not telling you things that she'd sooner forget. As for Logan, it wasn't her place to tell you about that. You haven't exactly been in a listening mood just lately either." Max knew they were both right and looking back, there were times when Jondy had tried to tell her something. She had been too busy feeling sorry for herself to listen. "Is the ice working?" She nodded towards Logan. Bling checked Logan's temperature. "Yeah. Looks like it. Let's get him back to bed." Glancing down at his friend, he was pleased to see some color coming back into his face. Logan rolled onto his side coming into contact with the warm body beside him. "Oh, I'm having that dream again," he muttered to himself as he wrapped his arms around Max's sleeping body. "I love you, Max." "I love you too." Max snuggled closer. "Be careful you don't rip the I.V out of your arm." Logan frowned and opened his eyes. "Since when does this dream come with an I.V?" He looked down into Max's beautiful brown eyes. Leaning forward slightly he brushed his lips against hers. "God, I hope I'm not dreaming." "Does this dream usually come with an audience?" Max glanced over Logan's shoulder to see Bling and Original Cindy staring from the doorway. Logan squinted slightly as he followed her look. "How long have I been out?" He kept his arms around Max, frightened to let her go incase she ran. The last thing he remembered was sending a cable hack and then the following morning unlocking the apartment door for Original Cindy so that she could let herself in. "A few days." Bling shoved a thermometer in Logan's mouth. "You had us all pretty worried. Cindy phoned Jondy when you didn't answer the door and then phoned Same when she found you laying on the floor. Max came back with me to help Cindy look after you." Cindy sat down on the end of the bed. "Sam couldn't stay. White's still got people asking questions at the hospital. After seeing the 'Eyes Only' hack, I think White is probably laying low for a while." Logan waited for Bling to take the thermometer out of his mouth before he spoke. Looking down at Max he wondered if it was safe enough for her to be back in Seattle. "Are you alright?" Max nodded. "I'm getting there. You know I always land on my feet. Must have something to do with my feline D.N.A. It's you I'm worried about." He still looked too pale to her. Lagan gave her a tired smile. "I'll be fine. A while back someone gave me a blood transfusion laced with feline D.N.A. Looks like I always land on my feet as well." He wanted to get some sleep but he was scared if he closed his eyes, he would wake to find her gone. "Get some sleep." Max kissed his forehead. "We'll talk when you get better." Almost as though she could read his thoughts, she added. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." With that Logan drifted off to sleep. For once it was a dreamless sleep that took over him. When he woke the I.V had been removed from his arm and the bed apart from himself was empty. Logan sat slowly feeling a little dizzy. It had all been a dream. He could still smell Max's perfume though. Logan stood and braced one hand to steady himself on the wall. His legs were a bit shaky as he made his way out of his room. "What the hell are you doing out of bed?" Max stopped mid push up when she saw Logan stagger out of his room, only wearing his boxers. "You're not well enough to be wondering around." She gracefully pulled herself upright. "I thought you were a dream." Logan realized how lame that sounded but he wasn't quite with it yet. "Where did Bling and Original Cindy go?" The apartment was so quiet that he was pretty sure it was just the two of them there. Max felt a twinge of guilt. Logan had thought she had left him again. She couldn't really blame him, especially after speaking to Jondy. "They went home. Jondy said I have to keep up my sadistic exercise program she set up or she'll tell Lydecker where to find me, so he can make sure I keep it up." Logan sat himself down on the sofa and chuckled. "That sister of yours can be a pain when she puts her mind to it. She always seemed so sweet," he joked. "What's she going to do with Lydecker?" Max sat down beside him and curled her legs under her body. "She's sending Lydecker and Joshua back with Alec and Asha." She looked Logan straight in the eye. "You found a way to strike back at White with that computer hack. You made yourself ill in the process." Logan shrugged his shoulders. "It didn't start out that way. Jondy would only allow me in San Francisco in the weekend, which left me here during the week in an empty apartment. A mother was looking for the person who had murdered her son and she felt the police were covering for someone. Following up leads kept me busy." He paused before looking at Max. "It stopped me thinking about how much I missed you. I didn't realize until I got the footage for the hack that White was even involved." "I'm sorry." Max looked down at her hands clenched in her lap. "I just wanted you to be able to have a normal life with a normal girlfriend and the possibility of kids somewhere along the line." She tried to stop the tears from falling but was unsuccessful. "You deserve better than a broken freak show." Logan tapped into what little strength he had at that moment and pulled Max into his arms. "I've had normal and you know how that turned out." He kissed the top of her head. "Don't you know by now how much I love you. Without you, I have nothing. God Max, as happy as I would have been to find out you were having my child, it's not the most important thing in the world to me. You are. I wish you could believe that." "I'm trying." Max had spent so many years thinking of herself as a freak from Manticore that it was hard to see herself through Logan's eyes. "I missed you too." She understood now, why her siblings had been so angry at her for pushing Logan away. Although Jondy yelling at her still surprised her. Logan watched the expressions that changed and flickered over Max's face. "What's wrong? What are you thinking?" For a moment he was worried she was going to change her mind and push him away again. Max smiled grimly. "When you last headed back to Seattle, Jondy blew up at me. She got so mad that Zane ended up carrying her out of the room. It kind of scared me cause Jondy has always been the shy, frightened one who you could count on as back up if you needed it. I guess I'd gotten used to the others telling me I was being selfish, but I never expected Jondy to get so mad. Then you got sick and became delirious and you started talking to your mother and Daphne and Jondy who weren't there, but you couldn't see me and I was real and sitting right beside you." Logan had been aware sometime during his delusional state that someone was watching over him. "I knew that you were there. I heard you when you spoke to me. I thought I was dreaming." It had seemed impossible that Max was by his side after she had spent so much time pushing him away. "Where do we go from here?" Max's voice sounded so small and uncertain. After the way she had been acting, she wouldn't have blamed Logan if he wanted nothing more to do with her. Logan took a deep breath. "How about I get us something to eat. As for us, we can take things slow. Just don't run away again. If you're scared or you feel that we're moving too fast, then just tell me. Believe or not, I will understand." Max smiled through her tears. "I know you will." The phone rang at that moment. Max hastily wiped her tears away and went to answer the phone. "Hey Jondy. Yeah he's much better. No, I haven't told him off from scaring everybody. Yes, I am keeping my exercises up." She grinned as she answered her sister's quick fire questions. "Yeah, we've decided to take it slow. Fine, you were right and I was wrong. Are you happy now?" Jondy's giggles echoed down the phone. "Gotta go, Sis, Logan's going to make lunch." Logan was relieved that he and Max had found some common ground. It didn't solve all of their problems, but it was a start. He waited for Max to hang up the phone before he spoke. "Should I expect a visit from Jondy in the next couple of days?" As fond as he was of the red headed X5, he wanted some time alone with Max. Max shook her head. "No. She wants to make sure that White's hiding out before chancing her luck setting foot in Seattle. Besides, she mentioned something about us needing some alone time." She reached down and took hold of Logan's hand, pulling him up from the sofa. "Come on. You said you'd feed me." White threw his coffee cup at the print out of the 'Eyes Only' emblem pinned to the wall. "Who the hell are you?" He cursed himself for not being more careful. It was pure luck that his son, Ray, hadn't seen the broadcast. "Who ever you are Eyes Only, you're not going to get a second chance to make a fool of me. Your days are numbered." He sat in silence, glaring at the blue eyes that stared at him from the printout.
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