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Alec stood in front of Rachel's grave. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. He wasn't supposed to fall in love, Rachel wasn't supposed to die and having Jondy in his screwed up life was definitely never supposed to happen. Jondy was patient and understanding, most of the time and Alec knew he was lucky that she even gave him the time of day. With Max and Logan's upcoming weddings taking priority for the next two weeks, it was making Alec think more about the future. In spite of everything he and Jondy had been through together, he couldn't picture himself being a husband or a father anytime soon. The thing that really troubled him, was that he had been able to picture that kind of future with Rachel. Placing a bunch of flowers on Rachel's grave, Alec turned and walked away. The only time he could visit Rachel's grave was at night, as Rachel's father had people watching the cemetery during the day. Sitting on the wall of the cemetery Jondy watched, her silence deadly. Zane could feel the fury radiating from his sister. "So what made you so sure Alec would be here?" Zane had gone for a walk while Beverly was asleep and had come across Jondy stalking the streets. Sensing that something or someone had pissed his sister off, he had quickly decided it would be safer for everyone if he went with her. "Alec talks in his sleep." Jondy was getting fed up with being a substitute for a dead woman. She knew that Alec wasn't aware that he was using his feelings for her to dull the pain that he still felt at loosing Rachel. "I sort of overlooked that, but then last month when he visited Florida he yelled out Rachel's name when he should have been yelling mine." "What do you mean?" Zane frowned at his sister before it suddenly dawned on him what she meant. "Oh, you have got to be kidding." Zane despite being head over heels for Beverly Shankar, was not oblivious to Jondy's attractiveness. It wasn't just what she looked like that appealed to people, especially men. It was her caring nature and vulnerability. "No, I'm not kidding." Jondy turned to look at her brother. "Nothing kills the moment more than your partner screaming out another woman's name while in the throws of passion and then not realize that's what he's done." "What are you going to do?" Zane had visions of Alec being hung upside down naked by various parts of his anatomy. That's what Jondy had done with cheating boyfriends of the past. Jondy took a deep breath. "I'm going to help get my sister through two weddings and then I'm going to go back to Florida. I need to focus on getting my girls through their teenage years." Zane was confused. "Why are you taking this so well? I would have thought that Alec would end up being shark bait." Jondy managed a bitter smile. "That was my intention originally. You know, we never say the words. We spend maybe a week out of every month together and it's not as though we miss each other much in between. We were both fooling ourselves that we could make this relationship work." Zane understood where Jondy was coming from. "It's his lose Sis." Zane hugged his sister, reminded of the timid little girl she had been as a child. "There is someone out there for you J that will appreciate just what a wonderful person you are." "Yeah, well dreams are free." Jondy wasn't about to fool herself that Prince Charming was waiting for her just around the corner. "We'd better get back. You don't want Beverly to wake and find you gone." "I think she's gotten used to waking up and not finding me there." Zane admitted. "We don't exactly make things easy for ourselves, do we? Which reminds me, are we expecting Zack to show up for the wedding of the year?" Jondy looked at Zane as though he had just announced that he was the man in the moon. "Max figured it probably wasn't a good idea to invite Zack, just incase his Manticore inspired memory had him killing the groom." "Fair enough." Several of their siblings would be absent from the wedding ceremony mainly because Zack was the only one who had known where they were. Without Zack's memory being one hundred percent, they had no way to get hold of them. Zane kissed Jondy on the top of the head. "See ya tomorrow." "So Boo, what's the dealio with wedding number one?" Original Cindy stood beside Jondy who was putting the finishing touches on Max's hair. Max looked at herself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the woman staring back at her. Her hair was piled on top of her head in curls, leaving her neck bare except for a diamond and garnet necklace that went with the matching earrings Logan had gifted her with as a wedding present. The straps of the red dress she was wearing crossed across her chest and did up behind her neck covering her barcode. "The dealio is, Logan's cousins Bennet and Bitzy, their spouses and children along with Matt Sung and his family, Peter and Beverly are all going to be there. You, Rebecka and Bling will be there to make it real. It's sort of a wedding for our friends and family who would freak out at the sight of a dog man walking me down the isle." Max took off the bathrobe she had been wearing over her dress to keep any excess makeup off of it. "Damn Boo, you are looking fine." Original Cindy took in her friend's appearance. "Logan's gonna swallow his tongue when he sees you. That's if his eyes don't fall out of their sockets." Jondy cast a critical eye over the red dress she had made for Max. "Time to go Max. Krit, Zane and Alec are positioned around the registry office for safety's sake." "What are you going to be doing while my Boo is saying I do?" Original Cindy had been wondering why Jondy was staying with her instead of Alec. "I have some last minute finishing touches to make on the bridesmaids dresses." Jondy had arranged for Julia to bring her children to Seattle in a couple of days. With fourteen children to keep an eye on, she wouldn't have time to make any dress alterations then. "Ok." Max did a last minute check in the mirror. "Let's do this. Logan gets stressed when I'm late for dinner. God knows what he'll do if I'm late for our wedding." "The bride's supposed to be late." Original Cindy rolled her eyes as she headed for the door. "But you two never have done things the way you're supposed to. Why should your wedding be any different?" She gently shoved Max towards the door. "Let's go make an honest woman of you. See ya later Jondy." Jondy waved absentmindedly as Max and Original Cindy walked out the door and Syl, Tinga and Jace walked in. "Ok ladies, grab a dress and try it on." Five minutes later the three women were dressed in forest green dresses. Each dress fitted it's wearer like a second skin. The halter neck bodice which dipped into a V, from which the straight ankle length skirt fell. Jondy had taken into consideration that they may at any time have to fight uninvited guests and had left a thigh high split in the skirt. "You've done a great job on these dresses J." Syl checked her reflection in the mirror. "I don't think I've ever worn a dress this beautiful before." Tinga agreed. "We'll be able to wear our hair up. The halter neck covers our barcodes." It was then that Tinga spotted the scar still visible on Jondy's neck. "Hasn't that taser burn healed yet?" "I think this scar may be a keeper." Jondy pulled some of her long hair forward to cover her neck. "I'll just have to wear a lot of make up to cover it for the wedding." Sensing her sister's discomfort with the subject, Jace changed the subject. "Can we see the other wedding dress?" She was interested to see what Max had chosen for the second wedding dress as the first one ought to have been declared illegal, it was so sexy. "It's over there with Cindy's maid of honor dress." Jondy pointed to a couple of dress bags that were draped over the sofa. "Syl, I need you to stand still while I pin up the hem." Tinga unzipped the first bag and took out a royal blue dress. "I take it this is Original Cindy's dress." Like the bridesmaid's dresses the bodice was fitted going down to a point where the straight skirt fell to the floor complete with the split up the side. The main difference was the heart shaped neckline and the straps which were wide where they sat on the shoulder and narrowed in width where they were attached to the dress. "It's beautiful. Simple but elegant." Jace unzipped the other bag chuckling at her sister. "You didn't really expect it to be all frilly did you? Original Cindy would kick Max's ass if she tried to get her dressed in ribbons and frills." When she pulled the dress out of the bag, Jace was stunned speechless for a moment. "Oh my God. Jondy, this must have taken you ages to make. It's gorgeous." Syl jaw dropped when she saw the gown. The dress unlike the red dress that Max had just left the apartment in, was the picture of bridal perfection. Completely white, the skirt and the bodice were similar to the bridesmaid's dresses without the split up the side of the skirt. Two spaghetti straps on each side would hold the dress on Max's shoulders. The bodice was covered in a lace, full length sleeved overlay. The detail of the lace was shown up by beading on the bodice where lace met satin. The ends of the sleeves finished in a point where they would sit on Max's wrists. "Max is going to look like a princess." Jondy picked up her cell phone and dialed Logan's cell. She grinned when he answered her call on the second ring. "Hi, this is chimera designs. I was wondering if you knew where I could get my hands on a tiara?" Logan chuckled at his future sister in law's humorous greeting. "As a matter of fact I do. I'll drop it off to you tomorrow. Any idea where my bride is?" Despite knowing that Zane, Krit and Alec were watching from different viewing points for any trouble, he was still nervous. "Stop worrying Logan." Jondy had to struggle not to laugh when her three sister's rolled their eyes. "Max and Original Cindy left a few minutes ago. Just remember, the key words are 'I do.' Talk to you later." Jondy switched off the phone. "That man needs to relax." Rebecka walked up to Logan and Bling. "Is everything all right Logan?" She had waited a long time to share a moment such as a wedding with one of her daughters. The harder she tried to get close to Jondy, the further her redheaded daughter moved away. Still, at least she had the opportunity to share today with Max. "Fine." Logan began to relax. If Jondy said Max was on her way, that was good enough for him. "Max and Original Cindy should be here s..." At that moment Max had walked into the registry office. "Wow." Bling slapped Logan on the back. "That's some wedding dress your bride is wearing." He couldn't remember ever seeing a bride that looked as though she had walked straight off of the pages of a vogue magazine, like Max did now. Although there was nothing remotely bridal about the dress she was wearing. Logan managed to regain the use of his tongue. "You look beautiful." He still couldn't believe that Max was going to be his wife. "Jondy does good work." Max was practically glowing. "So is everyone here that's meant to be here?" She had been waiting for an attack of the nerves to plague her, but it never came. Logan was glad that Rebecka answered Max's question as he had no desire to take his eyes off of Max to see if everyone was present. It wasn't just the sexy red dress that made Max look so beautiful today. It was the excited glow she had about her. "Peter has just arrived, so I think we can begin." Rebecka kissed Max's cheek. "Logan's right. You do look beautiful." The ceremony went quickly as Max and Logan had decided to save saying their own vows that they had written themselves, for the big wedding at Terminal City. Logan had asked Peter to get the Cale family tiara over to Jondy the next day, before focusing on his new wife. They took everyone back to their apartment for a bit of a celebration where they were joined by Max's siblings. Alec had thought that Jondy was staying with Original Cindy because she needed to finish the dresses for the wedding. After being in Max and Logan's apartment for an hour, it was becoming obvious that Jondy was avoiding him. He tapped Zane on the shoulder. "Is Jondy alright?" Zane glared at Alec. "Nothing that couldn't have been avoided by you not screaming out Rachel's name when you're banging my sister. By the way, apparently you talk in your sleep." Zane left Alec standing stunned in the corner of the room to speak to Jondy. Jondy ran her fingers over the head of Zane's dog listening to her mother prattle on about her job and the registry office wedding. Since Rebecka hadn't stop chattering to her since she had arrived, Jondy's temper was coming pretty close to exploding. She felt no bond with Rebecka and would rather her birth mother stop trying to force a bond that would never be there. She almost sighed with relief when Zane walked up to them. Zane smiled politely at Rebecka before addressing Jondy. "I'm taking Beverly to work. Do you need a lift to Terminal City?" He knew Jondy was helping Joshua rehearse for the big wedding. Also he could tell that she was more than a little irritated that her mother wouldn't shut up and leave her alone. Jondy looked at her watch. "Yeah, thanks. I told Joshua I would be there before three and it's almost that now." She walked over to say good bye to Max and Logan, then let Original Cindy know where she was going. "It's a shame you have to rush off." Rebecka watched her daughter move from person to person. "I've barely had a chance to talk to Jondy." She looked up at Zane, startled to see the angry look on his handsome face. Zane had, had enough. He had watched Jondy put up with a lot these past couple of days because she didn't want to ruin anything for Max. He, however was not going to stand around and watch his sister suffer for other people's inadequacies. "You've done nothing but talk to Jondy. If Max and Logan weren't so wrapped up in each other today, Max would be extremely hurt that you've completely ignored her since you've been here. Take the hint Rebecka. Jondy's not interested in making up for lost time. So why don't you stop falling all over her and show Max a bit of consideration for wanting to get to know you." Zane followed Beverly and Jondy out of the apartment, leaving a shaken Rebecka wondering what she had done to deserve his harsh words. "So, what do you think about married life so far?" Logan hadn't been able to take his eyes off of his new wife since they got back to the apartment. "It's not so bad." Max beamed at Logan. She still couldn't believe she was his wife. "This gift getting thing I could get used to." She giggled as Logan pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "How long do you think we have to be sociable for before I can kick everyone out and be alone with my wife." Logan murmured in Max's ear before kissing his way down her neck. "Listen up everyone!" Original Cindy stood in the center of the room and bellowed. "Party's moving to my place so the newlyweds can get down and dirty without an audience." She let out a throaty chuckle when Max blushed. "We'll see you when you two come up for air tomorrow Boo." She waved everyone out the door. Max looked up at Logan. "Did you plan that with Original Cindy or has she suddenly become physic." Not that she wasn't grateful to her friend for successfully clearing the apartment in less than five minutes. Logan shook his head. "No I didn't plan anything. I think she's been hanging with you and your siblings too much. She must have inherited your keen sense of hearing." "I don't think that's it." Max let out a quiet moan as Logan went back to his glorious torture on Max's neck. "I think it's more likely she noticed that you couldn't keep your hands or for that matter your lips off of me." Logan gave Max a mischievous grin. "Remind me to thank Original Cindy for being so observant." With that, he swept Max into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Mole and Tek stood at the back of the church watching in amusement as Jondy walked Joshua through what he had to do for the wedding. She showed him the same patience and understanding that she showed her children. "So what's so appealing about a normal that Max is willing to go through all this song and dance to marry him?" Mole grumbled. As far as he was concerned humans and transgenics shouldn't mix, let alone get married. Tek rolled his eyes. He had heard this argument from Mole before. "Well, apart from the fact that he loves Max, he's kind, considerate, keeps us in supplies including cigars for you? I have no idea what Max sees in Logan." Jondy walked towards them holding Joshua's hand. "Actually it's because Logan is totally hot and a God in the sack." She kept walking past Mole and Tek dragging Joshua with her. Tek slapped Mole on the back. "Well, you got your answer." He chuckled as he followed Jondy and Joshua out of the church. Original Cindy nudged Alec. "So are you going to give me the heads up on why Jondy is sharing my crib instead of yours?" She grinned mischievously. "Not that I mind Sister Girl wandering around the place in next to nothing." "I don't feel like talking about it." Alec wanted to talk to Jondy, but she had disappeared somewhere. Zane had returned though and had been alternating glares at Alec and Rebecka. "Fine. I'll go ask Zane since the brother's been giving you a look that could turn you to stone." Original Cindy shrugged her shoulders and went to talk to Zane. Krit stood beside Zane with his arm around Syl. "I can't believe Alec didn't know he'd done that." Syl looked up at Krit. "I can't believe Alec's still in one piece." "Jondy doesn't want to ruin Max and Logan's wedding." Zane smiled at Original Cindy when she walked up to them. "Well you're doing a good job of exactly that by glaring at Alec and Rebecka like they committed some cardinal sin." Original Cindy poked Zane in the chest. "If you ruin my Boo's wedding, I'm gonna put the smack down on your ass." Tinga walked up to the small group. "Where did Jondy go? Rebecka keeps asking if she should be taking so long." Secretly Tinga thought Rebecka should stop being so obsessive towards her daughter. "She's helping Joshua." Zane shot Rebecka a filthy look over his shoulder. "Jondy won't leave Joshua until she's sure that he knows exactly what he's got to do in the wedding." Syl giggled. "I guess we shouldn't expect her until midnight then. Joshua is so nervous that he's going to make a mistake." Krit saw Jondy walk in the door. "Looks as though she managed to convince Joshua that he could perform his task easily enough." Jondy managed to get across the room while still avoiding both Alec and Rebecka. "Joshua said to say hi. Rein called me on my cell and said he'd definitely be there on Saturday." Jace heard what Jondy had said as she walked up to the group. "So how does Rein look?" She hadn't see her brother since they were children. "Why don't you go and see for yourself." Jondy chuckled. "He works as a bouncer in a club down town." She noticed both Alec and Rebecka heading for her. "Can't I get even five minutes without those two plaguing me." Zane looked slightly ashamed. "I sort of told Alec what he did. He probably wants to talk it through with you." He glance apologetically at Jondy. "Sorry." Tinga nudged Jondy. "Why don't you go and talk to Alec. We'll stall Rebecka. I'll even try and see if I can get her to ease up on the overdoing the caring mother bit." "Thanks." Jondy hugged her sister before heading for the roof with Alec. She didn't want to get into this right now, but Zane had forced her hand. "So how's Rachel?" Alec realized straight away that Jondy knew where he had been last night. "Still dead. Why didn't you tell me J? I shouldn't have had to hear about my mistakes from your brother." Jondy lost her temper and let her fist fly, knocking Alec across the rooftop. "Why should anyone have had to tell you Alec? You were conscious on at least one occasion. I shouldn't have had to tell you that I don't want to be your second choice." She had kept everything locked up inside her and now she had let a little bit out, everything else started to come flooding out. "I never expected marriage Alec, but I'm damned if I going to compete with a dead woman for your attention. I don't have time to waste on somebody who can't even get my name right when we're in bed together. I can't afford for you to slip up in front of my children and right now that's what I'm holding my breath hoping that you don't do." Alec was speechless. His jaw was throbbing from the blow Jondy had given him. Slowly he stood up. "I'm sorry Jondy. I never meant to hurt you." "Yeah, well you did." Jondy turned and headed back to Original Cindy's apartment. She was just grateful that this hadn't happened at Max and Logan's apartment. Jace and Tinga sat chatting with Rebecka. The sad thing about the whole situation was Rebecka refused to believe that Jondy didn't want or need her birth mother. So deep in denial was she, that Rebecka thought that Zane was just being over protective with Jondy. It was easier than accepting Zane's words and giving Jondy some space. Original Cindy could see by the controlled way Jondy was moving, that the X5 woman was not in any mood to be messed with. That was confirmed when Alec walked in nursing his jaw. By this time most of the non X5 guests had left and those who remained, knew about the transgenics. "So Boo, when are the kids arriving?" She decided Jondy's children was probably a safe subject. "Day after tomorrow." Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. "I'll finish all of the alternation on the dresses tomorrow. So if you want any changes made to your dress, speak now. There's no way I'm going to be sewing next Saturday at the last minute." She slumped down on the sofa next to Zane's dog. "So it's gonna slumber party central for a week." Original Cindy grinned. "Is that alright with you?" Jondy hadn't even thought to ask if Cindy minded the whole family staying in the apartment. "I can always find somewhere else for us to stay." "Fine with me Boo." Original Cindy rolled her eyes when she saw Rebecka heading towards them. "Your mother's not too bright is she?" Rebecka's persistence was starting to annoy Original Cindy as well. "Is everything alright Jondy? You look a little stressed." Rebecka went to sit beside Jondy, but Zane's dog started growling at her. "No. Every thing is not alright." Jondy had, had enough for one day and she was no longer willing to control her temper, especially after her conversation with Alec. "I'm fed up with you trying to force a relationship between us when I'm not interested in getting back a mother I didn't know I had. I'm fed up with you practically ignoring Max when she tries so hard to have a normal mother/daughter relationship with you. If you don't wise up soon you won't have Max or me, because Max is only going to put up with being ignored for so long before she decides you're not worth the trouble of getting to know." Finally, what Zane and the others had been trying to warn Rebecka about, sank in. She had pushed Jondy too far and now Jondy didn't want to know her. Looking around at the faces watching her, Rebecka saw that they all had the same 'I told you so' expressions. Not knowing what else to do, Rebecka turned and walked out of the apartment. No one dared mention the conversation between Jondy and Rebecka out of respect for Max's upcoming wedding. Jondy felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her due to Rebecka's noticeable absence. Everyone was kept busy with wedding preparations and enjoying the rare moments that the X5s spent together as a family. Spouses and children of the X5s turned up in dribs and drabs to make it less obvious to any outsiders, that a major event was being prepared for. On the Friday night before the second wedding the X5s, the Jam Pony crew, Logan and Bling all went to the club where Rein worked. It gave them a much needed break from the wedding preparations. Rein stood by the dance floor watching Max, Jondy, Syl, Tinga, Jace and Original Cindy dancing. Keeping an eye out for any trouble which that many gorgeous women were bound to attract, he glanced briefly at Logan. "So how does it feel knowing that you are becoming part of a genetically engineered family?" Logan chuckled. "I've considered your brothers and sisters family for quite a while now. Marrying your sister just makes it legal." Watching the women dancing on the dance floor, it was so easy to believe that they had feline DNA in them. Their movements were so graceful as if they were one with the music. Rein gave Logan a half smile. "I see why Zane speaks so highly of you and I also understand why I hear Zack can't stand you." He sensed more than saw Logan's confusion. "You've made yourself part of the family, where as Zack always made out that he was our CO. Even though he always called the girls baby sister, he never acted the big brother. Max was always his favorite, but I don't think it would have helped his attitude towards you if he knew that Jondy was fond of you as well." "Well, no offense," Logan didn't know Rein well enough to foresee how he would react to what Logan was about to say. "But if Jondy had voiced a problem with Max and I getting married, I would have hesitated asking Max to marry me. Only because Jondy wouldn't be disputing the marriage for any other reason but her sister's best interests. Zack has, as long as I've know him, been in love with Max. That has always been the reason he disliked me, although he did say it was because he felt I was putting Max's life in danger." Rein scanned the crowd while listening to Logan. "The thing with Max and Jondy is that they both wanted a normal life. They had different ideas of what normal was, but they both knew it wasn't the life we were living at Manticore." He moved into the crowd to stop a drunk who was making his way towards Rein's sisters. Herbal slapped Logan on the back. "I think I'd better take Sketchy home before one of your sisters in law knock him across the room. See ya tomorrow at the church." "See you there." Logan's only worry about the wedding tomorrow, was that he might not be able to understand what Herbal was saying. Since Herbal was performing the ceremony, that could be a problem. "Hey you." Max walked up to Logan and put her arms around his waist. "How about a dance before I spend the night at Terminal City." Logan let Max lead him onto the dance floor. "Explain to me again why we have to spend the night apart when we are already married." He could think of much better ways to spend the night with his wife. "It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding." Max replied as though it were a natural everyday occurrence for her. "We don't need to temp the hands of fate." Logan couldn't argue with that logic. "Fair enough. I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep tonight with you gone." "Well, at least you won't be alone." Max hadn't like the idea of Logan being in the apartment alone, especially with Alec being in the apartment below. Ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem, but she had found out that Jondy had dumped Alec and Max was worried that he had gone back to his beer and hookers ways. "What do you mean?" Logan pulled Max closer as they swayed to the music. He thought for a moment that Max was planning to sneak back to their apartment. "Zane, Krit, Rein and probably Alec are all spending the night with you. Sort of a bachelor party without the strippers." Max left out the fact that she had threatened her brothers with bodily harm if she found out they had brought in a stripper or a hooker for Logan. "That's not necessary." Logan would rather spend the night alone than with a bunch of guys, if he couldn't be with Max. "It was Bling's idea. He'll be there too." Max didn't necessarily want to spend the night with her sisters and Original Cindy instead of Logan. As Original Cindy said, it was only for one night. She and Logan would have the rest of their lives to spend together. Before Logan could protest any further, Bling walked up to the couple and told him it was time to go. Kissing Max good night, Logan left the club with the men, while Max headed back to Terminal City with Max. Donald Lydecker woke up to the sound of his phone. Snatching up the phone he barked down the receiver at his caller. "It's three in the morning. This had better be important." "It's Zeak. Thought you'd like to know there's a lot of activity going on at Terminal City tonight." Zeak was looking through a pair of binoculars while speaking to Lydecker on his cell. "Define a lot of activity." Lydecker had been sure that Terminal City was where CJ was hanging out since his escape. He had put people on watch day and night, but so far nobody had spotted anyone going in or leaving. "Looks like they're getting ready for a party of some sort." Zeak could see decorations hanging from some of the buildings. "Also one of my men saw the X5 male that X5 210 was hanging about with. He was outside the perimeter, then twenty minutes later he was spotted on the inside." "Did your man see how the X5 male got in and out?" Something was going on. He could feel it in his bones. "No. Deck, I'm not sure what's going on but I don't think the transgenics are celebrating anyone's birthday." Zeak ducked down in his car when a van load of women drove past, obviously heading home from a night on the town. "I'll be there in ten." Lydecker was already reaching for his clothes before he hung up the phone. Max looked at her sisters and tried not to laugh. "O C are you sure this is what women do on the night before their wedding?" She and her sisters had their hair piled on top of their head and one of Original Cindy's oatmeal face masks on their faces. "Original Cindy may be a lesbian but that doesn't mean she don't know about the girly arts." Original Cindy pretended to be insulted, but her cheeky grin gave away her true feelings. "Now we wash the face masks off and Original Cindy will start on your nails." As Jondy was removing the mask, she spotted Tek beckoning her. "Well, I'm going to check on CJ, so can you do my nails last." "Sure thing Boo." Original Cindy took hold of Max's hand and began to file her nails. "I'll just start with Mrs Cale here." "That is going to take some getting used to." Max smiled to herself, unaware of the look passing between her sisters. "Being called Mrs Cale." "I don't know about that Boo." Original Cindy stopped filing Max's nails for a moment. "You practically glow every time hot boy's name is mentioned." She too, missed the silent conversation between the four sisters. "I'm going to stretch my legs while you do Maxie's nails." Syl followed Jondy out the room they were using for the night. She waited until they were a decent distance away before she asked any questions. "So what's going on?" Tek led the way to the command center where Mole was waiting for them. "I noticed this guy hanging around. He's been there since the early hours of yesterday morning. The only time he gets out of his vehicle is when he needs to relieve himself and even then he does that where he can keep his eyes on this place." Syl turned to Jondy. "You know this guy?" She knew her sister had had more than one encounter with the South Africans. The man they were watching on the screen certainly fit the bill to be working for them. "Zeak." Jondy glared at the screen. "He's one of the high ups in the South African operation. I think he's an old friend of Lydeckers." Mole huffed. "That would explain why he turned up approximately five minutes after you ladies arrived." He glared at the two X5 women. "With all the activity and outsiders that are going to be here later today, I'd say Lydecker is waiting and watching for a way in." Tek turned to the women. "According to Krit, Lydecker thinks Max and Jondy are dead. That could still work in our favor. As for the guests, we'll need an alternate entrance. How many of the guests will draw a lot of attention?" Jondy went through the guest list in her head. "The only one that comes to mind is Sebastian. We may need to provide a distraction to get him in, but apart from that there's the Jam Pony crew and X5 spouses and children." "They've learnt how to cover their tracks." Syl saw that Lydecker and Zeak had been joined by a few more men. "How the hell are we going to deal with this without ruining Max and Logan's big day?" Mole's eyes travel down Jondy's body before going back to her face. "The dress you're wearing to the wedding, is there anywhere you can pack a gun into it?" Tek shook his head. "I saw those dresses when Jace and Tinga dropped them off earlier. There's no way you can hide a gun in those outfits without Max and Logan catching on." "We could strap a gun to our leg." Syl offered. "The thing is, it would look pretty obvious when we try and retrieve them." Jondy had an idea. "Since I don't do guns, it's not a problem for me. If we can get hand guns with a silencer, then they can be hidden in our flowers. The guys shouldn't have any trouble hiding weapons under their jackets." "Well, since you've got that all worked out I guess all we have to do is find another way in." Mole checked another couple of screens. "How do your kids feel about being thrown over the fence?" Mole turned to look at Jondy. "They live for that kind of thing." Jondy managed a half smile. Krit laughed as he got himself another beer. "How was I to know her father was the chief of police. It's not as though she had a badge tattooed on her ass or anything. At least not that I saw." Logan shook his head. "You didn't think that maybe there was something up with your first out of Manticore girlfriend, when you went to her house and saw the police car." "I only went to her house that one time and it was Halloween. I thought it was an elaborate costume." Krit shrugged his shoulders. "Cut me some slack. I was a horny fifteen year old." "What about you Logan?" Zane teased. "It's rather risky doing the school principle's daughter on his desk." "Not terribly comfortable either." Logan chuckled. "Considering it's your sister that I am marrying, I can't exactly be accused of not living life dangerously." Rein suppressed a laugh as he answered his phone. "What's up?" He listened to Tinga as she relayed the new plans for the wedding. "Gotcha. See ya in a few hours." "Something wrong?" Alec had caught the quickly masked worried expression on his brother's face. "Slight change in plan." Rein would fill his brothers in on the big picture when Logan and Bling were out of earshot. "We'll be entering Terminal City through the rear entrance instead of the side." "Is there a problem with side entrance?" Logan was concerned with the last minute change in plans. Rein shook his head. "Just an extra safety precaution. Jondy just wanted to be sure every thing runs smoothly today. I guess motherhood makes her worry more." Tinga had told him that Logan wouldn't question the change in plans if he mentioned it was Jondy's idea. "Oh." Logan relaxed. Jondy was always cautious when her children were close by. Catching sight of the clock he got slowly to his feet. "We'd better get ready. We only have a couple of hours." He headed for the bathroom to take a cold shower so he would be sober for his wedding. Zane got to his feet. "We'll use Alec's apartment and meet you and Bling back here in an hour." He signaled to his brothers to follow him. Once inside Alec's apartment, Krit voiced what everyone had been wondering. "So what's really going on at Terminal City? I get the impression it's more than half the wedding guests eating the floral arrangements." Rein pulled out a hand gun that he had hidden in the bag he had brought with him. "Lydecker and his South African buddies are watching Terminal City. Jace has warned the Jam Pony crew and each of the girls have phoned up their families. Jondy's contacted Sebastian. Everyone has a different way to get in. You're not going to believe how they're getting the kids in." Normal stood watching the insanity happening before him. "I can't believe that fool is stuffing potatoes in the exhaust pipes of cars that have men with guns in them." He looked at his watch. "We have half an hour to get inside." Sketchy ran back to where Normal and Herbal were waiting for him. "We're all set. Signal the T C squad." This was all so cloak and dagger that Sketchy couldn't control his excitement at being part of it. Herbal took off his watch and tilted it so that it caught the sun, which was making a rare appearance. Following the instructions that Jace had given him over the phone, he signaled the crowd that were waiting on the roof of the building adjacent to Terminal City. Charlie looked at Zane doubtfully. "Are you sure about this?" He had his and Tinga's son strapped to him, just as Zane had one of Jondy's younger children strapped to him. "It's this way or we take our chances getting past Lydecker and the South Africans, all while trying not to tip off Max and Logan." Zane would go down first followed by the oldest of Jondy's daughters. "Belinda you follow me, then Charlie's going to follow you." "Sure thing Uncle Zane." Belinda had her baby sister Tinga strapped to her. "Just one question. Who's going to stop those men from shooting at us?" "Your Aunts have got it covered." Krit waved to someone on the street before connecting Jace's husband Victor and their daughter up on the line. "Go Zane." Lydecker looked up hearing the sound of motorcycles. "What the hell is that?" As he watched Syl, Jace and Tinga jumped the Terminal City fence on motorcycles. "After them." He bellowed into a walkie talkie. As the vehicles were started the potatoes in the exhaust pipes created a second distraction. Neither Lydecker nor his men saw the children, X5s and Jace and Tinga's husbands flying down into the Terminal City grounds. They also missed the Jam Pony crew, Rebecka and Julia racing into Terminal City through the side entrance, while Bling, Logan and Sebastian entered through the rear. Once everyone that was supposed to be inside Terminal City was accounted for, Rein called Tinga on her cell. The three women used the surveillance vehicles as a ramp and rode back into Terminal City jumping straight over Lydecker's head. "What is going on inside there?" Lydecker muttered to himself. "Zeak! Get more men out here. We're going to find a way in there. It's the only way we're going to find out what's going on." Jondy pinned a white rose to Joshua's new jacket. "You are going to do fine Joshua. I will be up the front to help you, but I don't think you're going to need any help." "Joshua knows what to do." The dog man looked down at the tiny redhead before him. "You look really pretty." He pointed towards the entrance of the church. "Let's get this show on the road." Joshua's mouth fell open when he saw Max. "Little fella. You look beautiful." "Thanks Big Fella." Max couldn't remember ever being this happy. Jondy started making her way down the Isle on Zane's arm, followed by Krit and Syl, Tinga and Rein, then Alec and Jace. Bling and Original Cindy casually walked down the Isle before the wedding march started and Joshua with Max beside him made their way down the Isle. Logan looked towards the rear of the church as Max glided down the Isle. She looked very much the part of a Princess, especially with the Cale family tiara which Jondy had somehow attached to her vale, perched on her head and entwined in her curls. One of the necklace and earring sets that Logan had given Max when his Grandmother had died, completed the picture. "Have you ever seen anyone so beautiful?" Bling shrugged. "I don't know about that. I'm checking out the bridesmaids, they look pretty hot to me." He saw the X5 women stifling their grins. He had forgotten about their enhanced hearing. Logan was smiling so much he thought his face would be stuck like that permenantly. At that moment he could care less. The woman he loved was marrying him for the second time in as many weeks. Reaching out his hand, he brought Max to stand beside him. "You look like a Princess." He, so badly wanted to jump the ceremony to the 'You may kiss the bride' part. Max smiled through the vale. "I feel more like a bride in this dress than I did the red dress. On the up side my wardrobe has never looked better." Herbal started the ceremony, carefully pronouncing every word so that the couple could understand him. Max and Logan looked up at him as if he had grown an extra head. "I thought this might work better if everyone could understand me." "Thanks." Logan was somewhere between relieved and stunned. "Dearly beloved." Herbal began again. "We are gathered here today to witness the marriage between this man and this woman." Mole and Tek waved at Jondy from the doorway. Handing her bouquet to her daughter Leeza, she quietly made her way through the crowded church. Leeza took her mother's position at the alter so that it wasn't overly obvious that there was anything wrong. "We've got gate crashers." Tek whispered to Jondy. "A lot of them. I don't know if we can keep this quiet." "It's like Christmas time, only we're going to have to beat up Santa's elves for the presents." Mole as always was ready for a fight. "We have a team in position to catch the men coming over the South Side." "Fine. Take their weapons and toss the men back over the fence." Jondy signaled the rest of her siblings, who one by one switched with some of Jondy's daughters and made their way through the church with their handguns. "As much as I'm sure you'd like to rip those men to pieces Mole, the last thing any of us need is for people on the outside claiming we're just a bunch of monsters. We don't need to give them any proof of that." "I don't like this." Mole snarled, instantly regretting it when Jondy glared at him, her eyes like blue ice. "Nobody says you have to like it Mole." Tek reasoned. "You know she's right though." He had to admire the way Jondy could render Mole speechless. "We only have a few minutes before Max and Logan stop gazing into each others eyes and notice we have stand ins for this wedding." Zane pointed out. His dog had been with Jondy when she had come into Terminal City in the early hours of that morning. The canine now stood with it's master. "How many gate crashers are we look at?" Krit couldn't believe most of his sisters had guns hidden in their bouquets. "There's a team coming in on the South Side which we have covered." Tek explained. "There's a group standing waiting outside the North and a team on both East and West sides. They have us surrounded." Syl shook her head. "The team on the North side won't come in. They're there to stop us getting past. Tear gas will probably fix that lot." "So we split up and take the West and East sides." Rein suggested. It had taken a lot of years to get in touch with his family and he was not about to have a family get together ruined by Lydecker. "Any shots we fire can be used to wing the intruders." "Let's get this finished quickly." Tinga spoke up. "We're missing most of the wedding." "I heard that." Jace grumbled. "Let's do this." Alec wasn't eager to get back to the wedding, but he figured that he owed Max and Logan for the flash apartment he was renting off of them at a reasonable price. Lydecker watched the men go over the South Side wall with satisfaction. This had been so easy. He soon changed his mind when his men came flying back over the wall minus their guns. "North side team. What do you see?" "Not a damn thing Sir. The transgenics have been alerted to our presence and have attacked with tear gas." The voice crackled across his walkie talkie. "Damn it. East side team what is your position?" All that Lydecker got in reply was the sound of static. "Repeat. East Side, what is your position?" Alec elbowed one man in face before spinning and kicking a second across the yard. "Can somebody answer Satan please. He's getting on my nerves." Krit picked up the walkie talkie as he knocked a man's feet from under him and punched him in the face. "Where is Lydecker?" "Last time I looked at the monitor he was on the South Side." Tek yelled as he threw one man into another. Syl jumped kicked narrowly missing being hit with a taser. "Maybe we should take these guys to join him." She kicked up knocking the gun out of her attackers hand, before hitting the man in the face with his own gun. Rein grinned as he punched forward hitting one man, then bringing his arm back and elbowing the man running up behind him in the face. "I'm in." "East side. What is your position?" Lydecker demanded. He got his answer when his men came flying over the wall at him, minus their weapons. "These failed attacks are costing a small fortune in weapons." He still had one team left. "West side. What is your position?" Zane grabbed the walkie talkie off of one of the men lying on the ground unconscious. "Come on Deck. You didn't honestly think that you could get anyone in here without us knowing did you?" Mole leaned over Zane's shoulder. "Thanks for the weapons though Santa." He turned to Tinga, Jace and Jondy. "I can finish up here if you want to get back to the wedding." "Thanks." Jondy kicked a man unconscious that was starting to recover. "Enjoy your new toys." They all made it back to the church and into position just as Herbal asked. "Is there anyone who knows a reason why this man and this woman should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace." "I am so going to beat the crap out of anyone who answers that question." Jondy muttered, while her siblings nodded in agreement. Thankfully, nobody spoke up. Herbal grinned. He had got the order of the ceremony a little mixed up but rings had been exchanged, vows had been spoken. It was all good. "Max and Logan had pledged their love to each other through the self written vows." "I'm glad I missed that part." Alec mumbled and got an elbow in the ribs from Rein. "I now pronounce you man and wife." Herbal carried on unaware of Alec's comment. "You may kiss the bride." Logan lifted Max's vale and kissed her as he had been wanting to do from the moment he saw her walking down the Isle. The applause was deafening. As Max and Logan walked back down the Isle, Max looked up at Logan. "Do you have the feeling that there was something going on that we didn't know about while we were getting married?" Logan nodded. "Normal videoed the wedding. Maybe we can see what's going on when we watch the tape." Original Cindy handed Zane the tape from Normal's camera. "You gonna do some creative editing Boo? Make sure Logan and Max don't get wise to the sibling disappearing act you did?" Zane nodded. "I'll be as quick as I can. We'll meet you in the mess hall." As he turned to walk away, he felt Original Cindy tug on his arm. "What do you mean we'll?" She looked around her. "Where's Sister Girl?" Jondy was nowhere in sight. Zack had arrived in time to see his brothers and sisters discreetly taking their places at the alter with Max and Logan. It hadn't been hard to sneak in since Lydecker's men were providing enough of a distraction. It had torn him apart to see Max looking so beautiful and so happy when he wasn't the one standing beside her. He had left before Max or Logan could spot him, unaware that Jondy and Zane were both keeping an eye on him uncertain of what he would do. Zack had almost made it to the fence when Jondy caught up with him. "Zack. What are you doing here?" Jondy had a feeling that there was another reason other than seeing Max get married. Zack turned to face his sister. "I phoned the hospital in Florida to ask you something and they said you were away for two weeks for your sister's wedding. Max is the only sister that I knew her location. You all looked beautiful by the way." "Thanks." Jondy had been self conscious of her scar, but she quickly reminded herself that it was Max's big day, not hers. "What did you want to ask me?" Zack shrugged his shoulders. "Every now and then I get another memory come rushing back. You're the only person I trust to tell me if it's a real memory or reprogrammed one." He saw the obvious question on his sister's face. "I didn't call your cell because if Max was getting married, I wanted to be part of it even if that meant just sitting at the back of the church." Jondy watched Zack silently for a moment. "I guess you'd better come to the reception then. I'll answer all of your questions and you can meet your nieces and nephews. This is Maxie's big day Zack, don't ruin it for her." Zack nodded that he understood her warning. As they headed towards the mess hall he glanced at Jondy's outfit. "How the hell did you fight in that dress?" Jondy grinned. "You don't think the split's this high just so I can show off my legs, do you?" Logan froze for a moment when he saw who was walking in the door with Jondy. He watched Zane cross the hall to talk with his brother and sister. A moment later Jondy left Zack's side to walk up to Logan. "Relax. I hear you get to go home with the bride." She teased. "Is everything alright?" Logan trusted Jondy's judgment and he noticed that Zane was almost standing guard over Zack. Jondy squeezed Logan's hand. "Everything's fine. Zane and I won't let Zack out of our sight. Just make sure that you enjoy your wedding. Where are you going for your Honeymoon?" Logan managed to relax a little. "France. I'm taking Max to Paris. The flight leaves at ten tomorrow morning." Sketchy had appointed himself master of ceremonies and tapped his beer glass to get everyone's attention. He was actually surprised when everyone took their seats. "Ok. First of all I'd like to thank Rein for supplying the alcohol. Thanks man, I was worried that Max was going to make me drink sodas all night." "The night's still young Sketchy." Max warned her friend, causing everyone to laugh. "Fair enough." Sketchy continued while he was still allowed to speak. "We also owe our thanks to Jondy for making all of the dresses, cause these ladies look so damn fine." His comment was met with thundering applause. "I have no idea where you guys got all of these flowers and decorations from, but you guys are certainly artistic when it comes to decorating the church and this mess hall." Seeing that people were starting to get bored with listening to him, Sketchy decided to introduce Bling and Original Cindy. "I give you the best man and maid of honor." Bling stood with Original Cindy by his side. "Well, I'm just relieved to be here today. I have never in my life met two people as stubborn as Max and Logan." "I heard that." Original Cindy added. "Max and Logan drove Original Cindy and I nuts not admitting they felt more than friendship towards each other." Bling pointed out. "I thought they were going to get 'We're not like that' tattooed on their foreheads." Original Cindy complained. "Despite all the dramas that life put them through and the dramas they put themselves through, they made it to the alter." Bling carried on. "It's about damn time." Original Cindy put it. Bling raised his glass. "So here's to the bride and groom, may they continue to butt heads." Original Cindy raised her glass. "As long as they get busy afterwards." After everyone had toasted them, Logan got to his feet. "First of all, I'd like to thank my wife's siblings and their families for not only putting this wedding together, but for also risking a run in with Lydecker so that they could be here today. You have no idea how much that means to Max and I. Also thanks to the Terminal City family for allowing us to share this day with them. Max and I have been blessed with great friends and family, not to mention a few miracles from a certain redhead." Max stood to kiss her husband, before she turned to the crowd. "What he said." The bride and groom enjoyed their first dance together before all of Max's brothers insisted they get a dance. Logan relented but only because Max's sisters all took their turn dancing with him. Zack danced with Jondy. She had managed to clear up which memories were real for him. "Do you think I could get a dance with Max before I leave?" He felt strange asking his sister for permission. Jondy nodded. "I think I can arrange that." She led Zack over to where Max and Logan were dancing. "Logan, how about a dance?" She had spent most of the night dancing with Joshua and Tek. Logan let go of Max reluctantly. "Sure." He paused beside Zack. "I'm going to want my wife back." He wasn't afraid that Zack would kill him, he was afraid that Zack would take Max from him. Zack nodded. "I'm not about to give Jondy and Zane a reason to kick my ass." He pulled Max gently into his arms. "So you're really happy?" He already knew the answer but he needed to ask anyway. Max nodded. "I really am. I wish you could be happy for me." She had wanted her brother to be at the wedding, but not at the risk of Logan's life. This was like a dream come true for her, having him there and not having to worry what he might do. "I'm getting there." Zack finished his dance and kissed Max on the cheek before walking out of the mess hall. Zane walked up to Jondy who was still dancing with Logan. "I'll see you before you head home tomorrow." Kissing his sister on the cheek he followed Zack. After not getting any sleep the previous night, Logan was starting to get weary. "How about we get out of here." He murmured when he finally got Max in his arms. It turned out he wouldn't get any sleep that night either. As soon as he carried Max over the threshold of their apartment, he felt as though he had a new burst of energy. Somehow making love to his bride seemed much more important than catching up on sleep. The next morning Zane turned up on the doorstep to take Max and Logan to the airport. "So did you get any sleep in the past two days?" Zane teased when a half asleep Logan opened the door. "No." Logan pointed to the bags by the door. "Could you put those in your car while I try and drink a gallon of coffee." He gestured to the bedroom door. "Max is still getting dressed." Zane nodded as he saw Max emerge from the bedroom behind Logan. "Jondy said she had made an extra dress for you, but I though she was joking." Logan turned to see what Zane was talking about and instantly woke up. "Forget the coffee." Dressed in a cobalt blue sundress Max walked towards her husband and brother. The dress had a sweetheart neckline and the straps were tiny linked crosses, with the skirt finishing at mid calf. "So are ready to go? Everyone else is meeting us at the airport." Logan grabbed their jackets and held the door open so that Max could proceed him, before grabbing one of the bags off of Zane. "God I'm a lucky man." Getting Max and Logan on the plane was easy enough. It wasn't until the plane was airborne that Jondy burst into giggles. "That's going to be an interesting flight." When she got a lot of blank looks Jondy explained. "Max is in heat." Gathering up her children she said good bye to her siblings and their families as well as Original Cindy and Bling. "Julia, are you alright to do the driving." Jondy actually felt quite shattered after the last two weeks. "That's fine dear." Julia could see everything had started to take it's toll on Jondy. She hadn't missed how miserable Alec looked either, but knew well enough not to question Jondy about what had happened between them. "Thanks." She looked down at her children. "Everyone say good bye to Grandma Rebecka and then we've got to go. You guys have school tomorrow." Jondy, herself made no move towards Rebecka. She would not deprive her children of their Grandmother, but she no longer wanted anything to do with her. The flight steward knocked on the toilet door. "Mr and Mrs Cale? Are you alright?" He waited for an answer but all he heard was a lot of heavy breathing. He was beginning to get concerned as the couple had spent the entire flight locked in there. "I'm going to have to ask you to take your seats. The plane is about to land." The door opened and out calmly walked Max and Logan. The only clue to what had been going on, was Logan's shirt which had been buttoned up incorrectly. Taking their seats and doing their belts up, Logan couldn't help but laugh. "What a great way to start our marriage."
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