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Another building in Terminal City had been restored to working order. The Laundromat was open for business. The church was well on it's way to being repaired. By the time Max and Logan's June wedding came around, it would be perfectly restored right down to the last detail. As Max sanded down one of the pews so that it could be revanished, she mentally went through the list of buildings that still needed some TLC so that Terminal City could be fully functional. Each of the Transgenics had taken responsibility for a building that best suited their strongest skills. Considering they had all been trained to be killing machines, it was easier said than done, but they were getting there. Joshua worked silently beside Max. He was watching her out of the corner of his eye. As far as he was concerned, the church had to be perfect for her and Logan. Unlike some of the other Transgenics, Joshua understood just how much of their life together Max and Logan had given up to make the world safer for the Transgenics. "So is Logan excited about the opening of the Recreation Center?" Max smiled at her canine friend. "He's really nervous actually. The Press will be there and he has to give a speech. Logan hates public speaking. Strange huh? I mean considering the cable hacks he does." "It's different." Joshua chuckled. "With the cable hacks he can't see his audience. At the opening of the recreation center, he will be able to see the people who are listening to him." "I guess." For someone who had spent most of his life living in a basement, Joshua could be incredibly world wise. Max went back to sanding the pew. "Still, he's rehearsed his speech so often that he's mumbling it in his sleep." "It'll be over by Saturday night." Joshua reminded her. "Then the two of you can concentrate on your wedding." He had never been to a wedding before, let alone walked the bride down the Isle. So he was getting more excited about the wedding than Max and Logan were. Max kept her amusement over Joshua's obvious excitement to herself. The pre wedding jitters, as Original Cindy called them, hadn't started for Max or Logan yet. Max reasoned that it was probably because they were both too busy at the moment to put too much thought into their upcoming nuptials. Terminal City was becoming more and more packed everyday. In a way it was almost a relief that Max was spending so much time in her and Logan's new home. It meant that her quarters were free for someone else to use. Zane had spent the weekend in Seattle just after New Years and had helped set up a device in the new apartment so that the tracking device White had armed the city with to find Transgenics, would be rendered useless. He was also working on scaling down the device so that it would fit into somebody's pocket. That way the more human looking Transgenics would be able to live outside the Terminal City fences. Logan nervously walked around the finished recreation center. Everything looked perfect, but he was still nervous about the opening. He heard footsteps coming from behind him. "So what do you think Peter? Are we really ready for the Grand Opening?" Peter, Emily Cale's former butler smiled and nodded. "Your Grandmother would have been so proud of you, Sir." Despite Logan insisting that Peter call him by his first name, the older man found the old habit hard to break. "Surely you're not nervous about making your speech." Logan grinned sheepishly. "Max says I'm actually reciting it in my sleep. I guess I just want this to go perfectly, seeing as the Recreation Center has my Grandmother's name on it." "It will do." Peter reassured him. "How is Miss Guevara? I haven't seen her around here very much." He hadn't seen her in fact, since he had switched the television on one night and recognized her as the woman riding the hover drone into the Jam Pony building. He had always known there was something special about Max and her family. Despite news reports to the contrary, Peter chose to believe 'Eyes Only' reports on the Transgenics. After all, he had never seen Max or her family attack anyone unless provoked and even then no one had ever been killed. "She's been pretty busy with her family." Logan kept his response vague. "We both knew when I took on changing this place into a Recreation Center that we wouldn't see much of each other. Once Saturday's over, hopefully we can get back to our old lives." "Good luck to you Sir." Peter shook Logan's hand. "She's a wonderful woman. Mrs Cale was very fond of her." "Thank you Peter." Logan cast the building one more quick look. "See you on Saturday." He headed for the door, leaving Peter to lock up. He wanted to make sure the builders had finished putting up the last of the dividing walls in the apartment. A newspaper landed on the file that Lydecker was reading. "I take it there's something you want me to read, Zeak." He cast his South African friend an icy look. "Check the entertainment section." Zeak leaned against the doorway, his arms folded in front of him. "It looks as though Mr Cale is quite the celebrity. This could be the perfect opportunity to get the girl." "The Emily Cale Recreation Center." Lydecker quickly scanned the article. "We'll have to grab Cale after the opening. We risk exposure if the press see anything. I doubt Max or Jondy will turn up at such a high profile event. Too risky, especially since every hover drone in the city is fitted with a Transgenic tracking device." He glared up at Zeak. "This time make sure that Cale isn't harmed in anyway. That includes him tripping over his own feet and banging his face on any doors." Zeak grinned. "We'll wrap him up in cotton wool and treat him as though he were a priceless statue." "You do that." Lydecker warned. If they didn't get hold of Jondy, he had come up with another alternative. He had recently located Sandeman's son CJ. If plan A didn't work this time, he had a plan B. He would use Sandeman's son and get Sandeman to recreate his work at Manticore. "Honey, I'm home." Max bellowed as she let herself into their apartment. She was covered from head to toe in saw dust. Despite the state she was in or perhaps because of it, Max felt as though she had accomplished a lot today. The fragrant aromas of a Cale Culinary miracle came floating to her from the kitchen. "Hey, what's for dinner?" "What? No how was your day? Just straight to what's for dinner." Logan teased her. Turning from the stove he saw his dust covered fiancé checking on the newly in stored walls. It struck him how no matter what condition Max was in, she was still incredibly beautiful. "You've been busy haven't you. How's the church looking?" He kissed her hello. "It's slowly coming together. What about the Recreation Center?" Max wrapped her arms around Logan's waist getting sawdust all over his clothes. "I think it's as ready as it's going to be." Logan rested his chin on the top of Max's head. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Did you want to take a shower and change?" Max shook her head causing dust to fly everywhere. "I'll wait until after dinner and take a bath. Want to scrub my back for me." She stepped back and looked up into Logan's face. She wondered if there would ever be a day when she wouldn't be amazed at the unconditional love she always saw, when she looked into Logan's eyes. "How can I possibly turn down an invitation like that?" Logan reluctantly let go of his fiancé. "I'd best finish dinner so you can have your bath." Later as they settled in the tub with candles lit around them, they discussed the events of their days. To Max, they almost seemed like the normal couples that she had read about in books. To Logan it was as though he had finally found the part of his life that had been missing for so long. They made love in their bedroom which now had four walls and a door. Laying in the darkness in each others arms, Max thought back to something she had said to Logan on the way to his cousin Bennett's wedding. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. "I was wrong." Logan frowned, confused. "About what?" "About weddings just being a public humiliation." She snuggled closer to Logan. "Joshua is so excited about the wedding and walking me down the Isle. I realized that this wedding isn't just for us, it's for our friends and family as well." "I guess that's not always easy to see." Logan admitted. "Especially when there are so many divorces in the world. But you know what? I have faith that our marriage will last the distance." "Me too." Max thought about everything they had been through since they had first met. Logan being shot and ending up in a wheelchair, her seizures, his ending up in hospital, Max getting captured and taken back to Manticore. Then of course there was Logan getting the use of his legs back, the love bug virus, an entire year of not being able to touch, Logan being rushed back to hospital on several occasions, Max being hit by a truck and losing their child. They had been to Hell and back and they were still together. Deep down inside, Max knew that their marriage would take a lot of hard work, but like Logan, she had faith that their marriage would last the distance. Saturday morning came and Logan was more nervous than ever. Max sat on the bathroom vanity watching Logan trying to tie the knot in his tie properly. "I don't know why you are so nervous. You know your speech inside out, backwards and forwards. Hell, I know your speech so well I can even recite it in my sleep." She took over working on Logan's tie. "I wish I could do this with you standing beside me, but I know we can't risk anyone recognizing you from the Jam Pony hostage event months ago." Logan would have loved to have Max standing beside him, holding his hand. But the risk was too great. "So just pretend we're back at your cousin's wedding and I'm feeding you the lines of your speech." She tugged on his tie to bring him closer. "I promise this evening will turn out a lot different to that one." She started nibbling Logan's neck. Logan chuckled. "I'm never leaving this apartment if you keep doing that." He kissed Max on the lips before heading out the door. "Here goes nothing." Max washed up and got dressed and walked into the living room. She was surprised to see her brothers and sisters sitting waiting for her. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Jondy stood up from her seat on Alec's lap. "Well, I need you to try on wedding dress number one and see if it's what you want." She handed Max a dress bag. Zane moved to stand beside his redheaded sister. "And the rest of us wanted to attend the opening of the recreation center." He and Krit had already scouted the recreation center and decided they could get a good view from sitting on the surrounding wall. Max eyed her siblings up suspiciously. "Why do I get the impression that you guys have this all worked out. Have you forgotten that Lydecker is looking to force Jondy to be his Doctor Frankenstein?" Krit put his arm around Max. "No we haven't forgotten that. What we also haven't forgotten is that Lydecker will go after Logan to get to you and Jondy." "So we thought it would be safer if we could keep an eye on all three of you." Syl took the dress bag off of Max and gently pushed Max towards the bedroom. "Now hurry up and try this dress on so that we can go and be supportive to our future brother-in-low." "God, when did you get so bossy Syl." Max joked with her sister. The truth was, she was eager to see what Jondy had come up with. She slipped the dress over her head and zipped it up. Tinga banged on the bedroom door. "Come on out. Let's see what you picked out to get married at the registry office in." When Max opened the door, Tinga's jaw dropped. "Wow." Jace came to see what Tinga's reaction was about. "You look gorgeous Max. So that's the dress you're wearing for your first wedding." Max walked into the living room. "It feels as though it fits perfectly, but I think the hem needs taking up." The dress was scarlet, the bodice fitted like a glove and finished in a V where the straight skirt flowed down to the floor. The neckline was heart shaped, but was held up with straps that sat criss crossed over Max's chest and did up behind her neck, covering her barcode. Alec burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but Logan's never gonna get his wedding vows out with you wearing that dress. The priest will probably hit on you." He saw Jondy watching him. "What?" "You are so not getting any this trip." Jondy knelt in front of Max and started to pin up the hem, while the rest of her siblings doubled over laughing at Alec. "So is Logan still nervous about his speech?" "Yeah." Max stood still while Jondy pinned up the hem of her dress. "I'm not sure if us being there will make him more nervous or less." Zane handed Max a small object that looked like a makeup compact. "Make sure you have this on you somewhere. We don't want the hover drones telling the Seattle police that Transgenics are attending the party." Krit glanced at his watch. "What time does this thing start? We've worked out escape routes, but I'd feel better if we could be sure that we can still get to them." Jondy stood and took a step back. "How's that Max? Do you want the hem up a bit further?" Max made sure that she could walk comfortably in the dress before giving an answer. "No, this is great. I'll just go and get changed and then we can head for the Recreation Center." Logan groaned when he caught sight of the crowd assembled outside. "God, I hate giving speeches." He caught sight of Matt Sung and Detective Clemente amongst the crowd. That was a sure sign the police expected trouble. But it was another face in the crowd that made Logan's blood run cold: Donald Lydecker. "Is something wrong Sir?" Peter stood at Logan's side for support. He had noticed the color completely drain from Logan's face. He searched the crowd for whatever had disturbed the younger man. "Wasn't that man at Mrs Cale's funeral? I had assumed he was a friend of yours and Miss Guevara." "No." Logan shook his head. "At best he was an acquaintance. The fact that he's here is not good. He's a danger to Max and her family. The problem is, there was a while when we almost trusted him." "Miss Jessica didn't." Peter chuckled at Logan's surprised expression. "At your Grandmother's funeral, she caught my eye. I'm still not sure what made me watch her during the service, but she had this sense about her that she was watching over everyone. I noticed that she was watching him out of the corner of her eye as though she expected him to pounce." "Max and her family had a difficult childhood, mainly because of Donald Lydecker." Logan's expression could only be described as grave. "He tried to get to Jessica through Max and I, not long ago." Peter pointed to some figures sitting like cats on the wall. "In that case I suggest you get on with your speech so that you can get them home." He had to admire Max's family for showing their support for Logan, when they knew that it could be dangerous. Logan looked to see what Peter was pointing at. "They've positioned themselves so that they can get out of here quickly." He quickly dialed a cell phone number and waited for the call to be picked up. "Hey, it's Logan. I'm glad you're all here but Lydecker is in the crowd so I'm guessing the South Africans are surrounding the building." He watched Jondy hand her cell phone to Max before walking along the wall with Zane and Alec. "Hey Babe. How are the nerves." Max scanned the crowd as she spoke to Logan. She nudged Krit and gestured with her head to a group who were obviously Lydecker's men judging from the hardware they were carrying. "They got a whole lot worse when I spotted Lydecker in the crowd." Logan saw Krit leap off of the wall into the crowd. "Where do your siblings keep disappearing to?" He saw Jondy, Zane and Alec return. Max listened to Jondy for a moment before answering Logan. "They're just checking out the escape routes they've got planned. You can't get out the back way, so as soon as you've done your speech and cut the ribbon, go and wait for Krit in the foyer. He's on his way now." "I don't like the idea of you being this close to Lydecker." Logan's nerves at having to make a speech disappeared instantly and were replaced with a fear for his family's safety. "Be careful." He saw Krit appear in the foyer. "I love you Angel." "I love you too." Max smiled to herself. "Now go out there and do your Grandmother proud." She was more worried about Logan getting caught than she was herself. "So J, how many lives have you got left." Jondy knew that Max making jokes about their feline DNA, was just a cover up for how scared she was feeling at that moment. "I think about four and I'm not wasting any of them on Lydecker." She reached out and squeezed Max's hand. "Logan's going to be fine." Zane watched Jondy for any signals concerning Max. He knew his priority had to be getting Jondy and Max home safely. When Jondy caught his eye and shook her head it was all he needed to know that Jondy would watch Max's back knowing that Zane would be watching hers. "Alec, can you and Syl back Krit up?" Alec really didn't want to leave Jondy, but he also knew how protective Zane was of Jondy. She couldn't be in safer hands. "Sure. See ya back at Terminal City." Syl followed Alec down off of the wall and into the crowd. "We should have left Lydecker rotting in the woods. He's like a bad luck charm." "Yeah, I know." Alec was only half listening. There was something about the silent conversation Jondy and Zane seem to have that bothered him. "Tell me something Syl. You've known Max and Logan together as a couple longer than I have. What's usually Max's first reaction when Logan's life is in danger." He had his suspicions but he needed them confirmed by someone else. Syl shrugged her shoulders. "You're better asking Original Cindy or Jondy that. I guess when Lydecker or Manticore is involved, the first thing she does is blame herself." "You got that right Boo." Original Cindy walked up beside them. "Quickly followed by saving his ass and finishing up with Max running away. Usually because she feels it's too dangerous for Logan to be around her." "That's pretty much what I figured." Alec cast Jondy a glance over his shoulder. "I think Jondy and Zane are ensuring she doesn't run this time. Although I'm not sure how we're going to get Logan out of here." "The same way we get in and out of everywhere else." Syl grinned slyly. "We'll use the window or roof." She turned to Original Cindy. "You're not scared of heights are you?" Original Cindy shook her head. "No, but Logan is. I'm still not sure how Jondy and Zane got him to climb down the side of the hospital that time Max ended up there with that virus." "Jondy talked him through the climb." Syl remembered all too well, the look of sheer terror on Logan's face when Jondy and Zane swung him out the window. "She has an unusual affect on people." "Yeah, especially men." Alec muttered as they joined Krit in the foyer. Logan walked out to the front entrance and paused long enough so that he had everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming today." He kept his focus completely on Max. "My late Grandmother, Emily Cale used to enjoy the simple things in life. The sound of a child's laughter would brighten an otherwise dreary day for her, which is why she immersed herself in so many children's charities. She saw everyone as an equal no matter their station in life. So when she passed away last year and left me her home, I felt it only right to carry on my Grandmother's favorite past time, helping others. It is with great honor I give you the Emily Cale Recreation Center." He cut the red ribbon that was hung across the door. The applause was deafening. It was as though Seattle had found a hero. Somebody had finally showed them that there were people in the world that cared about someone other than themselves. As the crowd pushed forward to get closer to their new hero, Krit reached around the doorway and pulled Logan inside. "I think it's time we left." He turned to Peter. "Can you handle things from here? I promised my sister I'd get Logan home safely." Peter nodded. "Of course. In fact I think that would be a good idea. The Press look ready to attack." Peter moved forward to take on the Press onslaught. Syl observed the crowd following Logan's every move. "This isn't going to work. We need to disguise Logan somehow." Alec rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I left my secret disguise case at home." An idea suddenly popped into his head. "Logan, how fast does your hair grow back?" Logan frowned for a moment, then realized what Alec's plan was. "Max is so going to kill you if I shave my head." "How else are we going to get you out of here." Alec held his hand out for the plastic razor he had seen Krit shove in his pocket when he had finished shaving that morning. The X5's had learnt to travel light over the years. "Come on, this won't hurt. At least it won't hurt you. I, on the other hand am going to get my ass seriously kicked." Krit chuckled as he helped pull Logan into the nearest bathroom. "Maybe Jondy will speak up on your behalf Alec. After she stops screaming of course." A few minutes later Krit, Alec, Syl and Logan calmly walked out of the building past the crowd and got into the car which Original Cindy had waiting and running. Original Cindy took one look at Logan's bald head and turned to Alec. "You are so dead when Max sees that." Logan actually felt slightly sorry for Alec. "We didn't have much choice. There was no way we were going to get past the crowd and Lydecker." He shrugged his shoulders. "It'll grow back." Up on the wall Zane chuckled to himself as he watched Original Cindy drive the others out of the way. "Let's go. Logan's safe." Max's first thought was, now that Logan was safe, she should get out of Seattle and stop putting his life in danger. As she moved to make a run for it, Jondy reached out and grabbed her arm. "What?" "Even if you run, Logan will always be in danger because of who he is." Jondy could read her sister like a book. "At least with you by his side, he's got the back up of at least eight X5's." She looked over her shoulder at her brother. "What is so funny?" Zane signaled Jace and Tinga who were sitting further down on the wall. "Logan had to disguise himself so that he could get out of here." Max was confused. "What's funny about Logan disguising himself?" Zane didn't get a chance to answer as Lydecker spotted the X5's on the wall. When Corban saw what Lydecker was looking at he fired the taser gun he had hidden under his jacket. Jondy pushed Max out of the way of the taser, but ended up getting hit herself. As she toppled off of the wall, Zane leapt down and caught her before she hit the ground. Lydecker grabbed Corban by the collar. "You idiot. There are police officers all through this crowd. Get out of here and start praying that you didn't hurt one of my kids." He shoved the man aside and pulled a walkie talkie out of his pocket. "The X5 woman we want has disappeared over the south side wall. Approach with caution, she may be injured." He started to make his way through the crowd, the memory of Jondy falling from the wall playing over and over in his head. He couldn't be sure, but the taser that had zapped out of Corban's gun didn't have the same appearance that he usually saw when the weapon was set on stun. Of course his eyes could be playing tricks on him. He cast his eyes across the crowd looking for more of his men and saw that Detective Sung had arrested Corban. "Damn it." The moment the taser hit her, Jondy's self defense mechanism to black out clicked in, like a porcupine rolling into a ball. She knew Zane wouldn't let her hit the ground, but she also knew the taser gun that had been fired at Max hadn't been set for stun. Seconds after Zane had caught Jondy, Tinga and Jace pulled up in the van that they had borrowed from Terminal City. Max opened the door and followed Zane carrying Jondy into the back of the van and closed the door behind them. Tinga floored the gas pedal as a group of South Africans surrounded the van. The men went flying in all directions in their haste to get out of the way of the van. Zane looked over at Max. "Any idea how badly she's hurt?" He had noticed a tear in the front of Jondy's coat, but he was hoping it was caused by her fall from the wall, not the taser. Max had gone quite pale. "I think it's bad Zane. That gun wasn't set on stun." She pushed the torn material of her sister's jacket aside. "Damn it. There's a burn mark down the front of her torso, like she's been struck by lightening." Sweeping Jondy's copper colored hair aside, she saw the burn started on her sister's neck a few centimeters below her chin. "Tinga, change of plans." Zane wished Jondy would open her eyes and tell them what to do. At least she hadn't stopped breathing, yet another of her self defense tricks. "We're heading back to Max and Logan's. We need to get Jondy under running water." Tinga turned down a side road making sure that they weren't being followed. "What's wrong Zane?" She was getting worried that she and Jace hadn't heard a sound out of Jondy. Zane took a look for himself to see how bad the burn was. The edges of the material around the injury had melted and were beginning to stick to Jondy's skin. "J's hurt pretty bad. We need to stop the burn from getting any worse." He quickly removed Jondy's coat and top before the melted material set on her skin. Jondy's arm had blocked the taser enough to ensure that her bra was still intact. Jace peered into the back of the van. "Damn, I thought Lydecker would have insisted his men have their guns set on stun." She turned back around in her seat and kept her eyes on the van's wing mirror. The last thing they needed right now was for Lydecker to catch up with them. Donald Lydecker walked calmly up to the Terminal City fences. After Corban had been arrested and the rest of his men had let the X5's get away, he decided the next logical place to look was Terminal City. "Hey!" He called out to a Transgenic patrolling the grounds. "Is Jondy alright?" Tek frowned as he recognized the man outside the fence. "She was last time I saw her. That was before Christmas though. Why? What did you do to her this time?" Lydecker turned away from the fence and walked back to his car. Once again Jondy had managed to disappear right in front of his face, along with Max and Logan. Tek walked into the command center. "Hey, I think there might be a problem." He stood in front of Logan, Alec, Krit and Syl. "And I'm not talking about your new haircut Logan. Lydecker was just out front asking if Jondy was hurt. It could be a trap, but he looked pretty concerned." Alec quickly pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Jondy's cell number. "I bet he's concerned. If Jondy's hurt, he's lost the main component to getting Manticore up and running again." He let the phone ring a number of times before hanging up. "She's not answering." Logan nodded at the monitors. "See if there's anything on the news. I'll see if I can get hold of Max." He dialed Max's cell number on his own phone. A sense of relief flowed over him when she answered on the second ring. "Where are you?" He could hear running water in the background. "We're at home." Max could see her now conscious sister was in a lot of pain. Zane was keeping her standing upright in the shower. "Can you pick up some gauze, bandages and burn cream on your way home?" "Are you alright?" Just as Logan asked the question, Mole managed to get a news report on one of the monitors. One of the news cameras at the Recreation Center had managed to get everything that had happened on tape, including Max trying to run once she knew Logan was safe. "Is Jondy alright?" he saw the fear cross Alec's face. "I'm fine, but Jondy looks as though she got struck by lightening. Can you hurry back here?" Max's voice trembled. "Lydecker's never going to leave us alone, is he?" "Max, we're on our way." Logan was already heading for the door. "We will find a way around Lydecker. I refuse to let that monster ruin our life together because he wants to play mad scientist." He hung up his phone and climbed into the car where Original Cindy was waiting. "Where we heading Boo?" Original Cindy started the engine and headed for the rear exit. "Pharmacy, then back to my place." Logan quickly filled the others in on his conversation with Max. "So it sounds like Jondy's pretty badly burnt." Krit had Syl balanced on his lap in the back of the car. "I don't want to alarm anyone, but that gun can't have been set on stun." Krit shrugged his shoulders. "I could be wrong, but I don't see Lydecker giving the order to shoot to kill." Syl nodded in agreement. "It defeats the purpose. Jondy's no good to him dead." "The shot wasn't meant for Jondy. It was meant for Max." Logan knew Alec had seen Jondy push Max out of the way as he had. Jace walked into the bathroom with a cup of coffee for Max and Zane. "You three are on the news. Somebody got the whole thing on tape. The guy who shot at you Max, is in police custody." She saw the shock on Max's face. "You didn't realize he was aiming for you?" Max shook her head. "I'm a danger to everyone." "Don't start that crap again." Jondy growled through chattering teeth. "You are not a danger to anyone. Lydecker is a danger to everyone, Transgenic and human. If we weren't around to bother, then he would just go after some innocent person for the hell of it. You running away Max, is not going to keep any of us safe." The sound of the door opening and Tinga's cry of "Oh my God!", came echoing through the apartment. Before anyone in the bathroom could move, Alec came rushing into the bathroom. He took one look at Jondy's half dressed body and peeled off his jacket and shoes. "I'll take over Zane." Zane stepped out of the shower, only letting go of Jondy when Alec had hold of her. "What was Tinga yelling at?" At that moment Logan walked in. "Oh yeah, I'd forgotten I'd seen that.' "Where the hell is your hair?" Max demanded even though she still thought Logan looked sexy as hell with or without hair. "This had to be your idea Alec." She glared at Alec before turning back to Logan. "Please tell me it's going to grow back by June." "So you're intending to stick around and marry me then." Logan knew he sounded bitter, but he couldn't keep trying to convince Max not to run from him at the first sign of danger. He had thought they had got past that by now. "You saw the news." Max guessed as she saw the hurt look in Logan's crystal blue eyes as he nodded. "I'll make you a deal, I can't guarantee I won't run, but if I do run you have to run with me." She knew she couldn't make up for what Logan had obviously seen on the news, but she was going to try. "Ok." Logan knew Jondy had probably talked Max out of running away. He also knew that this was part of being with Max, accepting that she had fears as well and helping her get past them. "How long's Jondy been in the shower?" He unpacked the bag from the pharmacy. "Long enough." Jondy mumbled. Just then she caught sight of Logan's shaved head and burst out giggling. "Now I know what Zane was laughing at." Logan handed Alec a towel to dry Jondy off. "It's just as well you like it, cause Alec was the one who shaved my head." He gestured to the living room. "I think it would be better if we dressed the wounds in the living room. The light's better in there." Alec carefully wrapped Jondy in a huge towel and carried her into the living room where the others were waiting. He took the bathrobe Max handed him and went to change out of the wet clothes. Logan had become skilled at dressing the wounds of the various X5's. Very gently he applied the burn cream to the angry red zig zag that darkened Jondy's pale skin. "Thanks for saving my fiancé by the way." Jondy managed a weak smile. "No problem. I vote that somebody else gets burnt next time." She joked. "You know your way around my body far too well." Logan chuckled. "Well, we keep telling you to dodge bullets and tasers." He joked back. "So you really like my new hair cut?" Jondy winced slightly as Logan applied the gauze. "It's a bit of a shock at first, but it grows on you. I wouldn't try this look at your wedding though." Logan stood as Alec came back into the room. "Why don't you finish up here, while I go and find you and Zane some dry clothes." Alec nodded as he took Logan's seat in front of Jondy. "So how bad are you hurt, really?" He looked into Jondy's sky blue eyes. "I'll heal." Jondy reassured him. "It's lucky this happened in Winter while I was wearing a heavy coat. It would have been so much worse in Summer." In the bedroom Logan pulled a couple of sweatshirts and two pairs of jeans out for Zane and Alec. Max quietly walked into the room and sorted out some clothes for Jondy. They moved in silence, knowing that they needed to talk things through but not really knowing what to say. Finally, Logan broke the silence. "Do you still want to marry me Max? Cause despite the danger we always seem to be in, I do want to marry you. I have lived life without you remember, and I don't ever want to do that again. I will run with you if you need to run. What I can't do is leave this apartment wondering if I'm going to come home and find you've run without me." Max sank down on the bed. "I do still want to marry you, more than anything else in the world. I can't help feeling that I keep putting you in unnecessary danger. Jondy pointed out just before you got home though, that Lydecker is the cause of all the danger you and I end up in. Even if I did run, he would just go after someone else. I wouldn't be helping anyone by running." "Are you going to listen to your sister?" Logan was practically holding his breath for her answer. He needed Max like he needed oxygen to breathe. "She's never put me wrong yet." Max dared to look at Logan's face. "Your hair had better be back by June though or the wedding's off." Logan pulled Max into his arms. "It's a deal." He kissed Max as though they had been parted for years instead of a couple of hours. Finally he pulled back slightly. "How did your family all get here. I didn't see any cars when O.C drove us back here." "Krit borrowed a plane and flew everyone in." Max started nibbling on Logan's neck. "He's flying them all back tonight." "Before you two start banging the gong in there." Original Cindy's voice bellowed from the other side of the door. "Could you pass out the dry clothes. The siblings are trying to head home. Not that your sister doesn't look good in her underwear, but there's two half dressed males out here as well." The bedroom door opened and the clothes came flying out before the door slammed closed again. Jace chuckled as she picked up the clothes. "So I'm guessing they're not going to notice if we leave." Tinga helped Jondy put one of Max's tops on. "Those two won't even notice if world war three starts. Are you alright to head home J?" Jondy nodded as she pulled on the dry jeans one handed and grinned as Alec helped her do up all of her buttons. "I don't have work until Monday night. I should have started healing by then." Logan's cell phone which was sitting on the coffee table started ringing. Krit picked it up and answered it without thinking. His face lost it's cheerful expression when he recognized the voice on the other end. "What do you want Lydecker?" "Your sisters. Are they alright?" Donald Lydecker signaled to the man beside him to start tracing the call. "No." Krit thought fast. He knew Lydecker would try tracing the call. "I don't know what that gun was set on, but it burnt a hole straight through Jondy .... And Max. Congratulations Deck. You killed two of your kids." He hung the phone up. "Think that'll work?" Syl held up Jondy's coat for her to slip into. "Even if it doesn't," Zane pulled his own coat on. "I'd still hate to be the guy that fired the gun when Lydecker gets hold of him." "Come on, I'll drop you off at the plane." Original Cindy held her hand out for the van keys, dropping Logan's car keys on the coffee table. She looked over her shoulder at Alec. "I'm guessing you're going home with Sister Girl." "Yeah, just for a couple of days." Alec picked up the dress bag with Max's wedding dress in. "Can we go right now, cause I'm starting to hear noises coming from the bedroom that I really don't want to hear." Jondy chuckled as she leaned on Alec for support and walked out the door. "I don't think Max will be running from Logan for quite a while." Down at the police station Detectives Sung and Clemente were making out their reports on the incident at the Recreation Center. "Excuse me, Sirs." A young officer walked up to the two detectives. "The prisoner you brought in for the shooting at the Emily Cale Recreation Center ...." "What about him Banks?" Clemente looked up at Officer Banks. "He hung himself in his cell." Officer Banks stood waiting for further orders. Matt Sung slumped back in his chair. "Well, that's the end of that case. No victim and no shooter. Not even a reason for the shooting." Clemente rubbed his head. "I wish I could remember where I've seen those two women before." He waved Banks away. "That will be all Banks. We no longer have a case."
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