Dreams and Nightmares
One year since "Onto Seattle"
Max is sitting on the balcony railing. It is early morning. Alec walks up behind her. His arms enclose her in an embrace from behind. His head rests on her shoulder and he places a kiss on her cheek. "Did you sleep at all last night, Max?"
"Sure, a bit."
"But my snoring woke you early?"
"Yeah! Why did Manticore give some of us the ability to sleep and others not?"
"Max, you have the ability to sleep, just like me. But we don't need as much sleep as others. I think you just don't relax enough to sleep longer."
"And you easily relax?"
"Sure, especially when I am lying next to you." He pulls her backward, into his arms. "You are so comfortable and your smell is intoxicating and your lips..." They kiss, long, slow and intense. He begins to undress her.
"Alec, the neighbors..."
"... are asleep. I want the first ray of sun to touch your skin. While I am touching it as well."
Slowly they remove each other's clothes. Their bodies react to the cool morning air. Max's nipples harden and goose bumps cover her skin as Alec's warm hands and kisses are mixed with the cool morning dew. Alec leads Max to the cushion, which is the only piece of 'furniture' on this small balcony. He lays her down and spreads her legs. "Max, you are the only woman I have ever loved. You will always be mine." He enters her.
His body feels wonderful and she moans her approval to his actions. He is definitely a great lover. The way he touches her, as if exploring new territory every time they make love. And his body. How he reacts to her every touch, even when they are not making love.
After his climax, Max moves to push him off. "Don't move me Max, the sensation of your body against mine is tantalizing at this moment."
"That may be, but it would be nice to take a breath in the next few minutes."
Alec takes her in his arms and twists around until she is lying on top. "There you are, my sweet."
Max felt her insides freeze and then turn over. She moves to get up, but Alec holds her down. "Please don't go; I let you breath."
"Alec, let me up now, before..."
He lets her up and Max runs to the bathroom, just in time to reach the toilet. She throws up. Alec is behind her. Are you OK, what happened?"
Max was crying now. "What... Did I hurt you? Max talk to me."
"I don't know... a memory... a word. You called me 'sweet'"
"I don't understand. What is wrong with the word? What was the memory? Please Max, stop crying. Talk to me."
She had been remembering things. Remembering more bits and pieces than real memories. Alec got a clean cloth and wetted it with warm water. Gently, he sat next to Max on the bathroom floor and surrounded her weeping body with his strong arms and legs. He used the cloth to wipe her face. All the while he is nestling and rocking, trying to calm her. "Max, talk to me, what do you remember?"
There was quiet for some time. The only movement was the two bodies, united and rocking back and forth. When she finally spoke, her voice was weak. Alec had to strain to hear. "There was a table and lights. I was tied down. The director was there, then gone, but there was a man, dressed in white. I remember being cold and sticky. He was there, touching me. He mounted the table and removed his pants. I couldn't move, but he was able to part my legs. He raped me." She was quiet for a long time. "He called me 'sweet.'" She started crying again.
"I am sorry Max. I didn't know, I mean I knew about the doctor, but not the nickname."
"You knew? What else do you know, maybe if I remember, it won't haunt my dreams."
"You want me to tell you about Dr. Dunham?" A chill ran up Max's spine at the mention of his name.
"Yes."
"Then you have to promise to talk to me about your other nightmares, when you have them. They are probably more memories trying to get out."
"I promise."
They talked for some time. Alec told her what he knew about her encounters with Dr. Dunham. He left out the insemination part of the story. She had miscarried, why bring up that hurt if he didn't have to. He finished the story with the doctor's death, along with the director, in the basement of the exploded medical building. Alec felt Max's tension release with the knowledge of the doctor's death.
"You know Max, if we don't get up and get dressed, we will be late for work."
"You are right. We can't lounge around naked in each others arms all day."
"As much as I would like that... No."
Alec took her chin in his hands and moved her head to see her face. Her brown eyes were wet and sad. He kissed her cheeks, her nose and then her lips. "I will help you through this Max. I love you." Quietly they got up, dressed and left for work. _______________________________________________________________
Cindy walked out of her bedroom to find Logan and Zachary at the dining table. "Good morning little one. How are we doing this morning?" Cindy bends down to rub her nose to Zachary's. The toddler reaches up and touches her face. "Ahh! I see we are eating biscuits with jelly today." She wipes her face and licks her fingers, "Strawberry jelly if my taste buds are working right." Zachary smiles and giggles and Cindy smiles at him and touches his nose again.
"Coffee's made if you are ready."
"Thanks, and thanks for letting me sleep in this morning."
"Well, we didn't finish unpacking till late last night. It feels good to be back, finally. Is your room OK?"
"Yes, Logan. Its great. What's next on the list?"
"Well, we are going to have to set up a room for Zachary. At the rate he is growing, he will be out of the crib in six months. He already can climb out of the crib anyway. We have to go shopping. Set up some provisions. I'd like to get some of my computer equipment operating again."
"And, I am going to find a job. I have a few leads from the paper, so I will go there and then I will do the shopping on my way back. We can figure out Zach's room this afternoon."
"Sounds great. Then I guess I will clean up this jelly-smeared baby and take him for a walk. I would like to get a feel of the neighborhood. It's been a while." ______________________________________________________________
One month later.
Nighttime - Logan is sitting in his chair at the balcony window of his apartment. There is a wine bottle open and one glass poured. A second glass remains empty. Cindy enters the room from her bedroom.
"Hey Logan, I will be leaving now."
Logan turns, "Have a good time."
Cindy spies the wine and glasses. "You know, I will stay if you want me to. I mean, no big deal, I was just going to Crash."
"No... you go... have fun... I have work to do... you know."
"Logan, you are allowed to have fun too. You should go to Crash. I will stay home tonight. You used to go all the time."
"I used to go... to see Max. She went all the time." Logan moves back to the window.
"Logan..."
"Go Cindy, have fun. Yes, I miss Max, but I see her every time I look at Zachary. I have a reason to go on, every day now. He will grow and learn, just like she wanted."
"OK, but if you need anything, I have my cell."
"OK. Have a great time."
"Bye." Cindy leaves.
Logan picks up his wine glass. He takes a sip and moves to the window again. "Are you out there? Can you hear me? I have a bottle of wine here, for us. It's our anniversary... five years... From the first time we met. Five years, it seems like yesterday." The apartment is silent and motionless for sometime, until Zachary toddles into the living room. Logan does not see him until Zachary touches him on the arm. Logan is jolted out of his memories.
"Zach, what is wrong, what happened?"
"Dada... bad sleep." Logan lifts Zachary into the chair. Zachary snuggles down into Logan's lap.
"You had a bad dream, little guy?"
"Bad sleep... dada sad."
"No, I am not sad, Zach. Just wallowing a while."
"Tell story dada."
"Zach, it's late. You need to be in bed."
"Bad sleep... dada tell story." Zachary looked up and met Logan's eyes.
"You know I was never able to tell you mother 'No.' There's something about your eyes... OK a story." Zachary snuggled back down into Logan's lap. Logan gently rocked and caressed Zachary throughout the story.
"Once upon a time... there was a beautiful thief and a reporter. The reporter believed in sharing the truth with the world. The company he worked for didn't allow that, so he set off on his own. He investigated stories about abuse and corruption in the government. He issued his stories so that all the people would know the truth. He was strong and independent. No one could hurt him. Or so he thought. Until the day the beautiful thief showed up at his door. She was delivering a package, her day job. She was beautiful, with dark smooth skin, large brown eyes, deep pools that pulled the reporter into their depths. But, professional that they were, the payment was made, the thief left and the reporter moved onto his next big story. Until they met again. That night, almost midnight, the thief returned to the reporter's home. She entered quietly and went about her business, her night job. All went smoothly until she saw the statue of the ancient god, half cat and half woman. She was intrigued, picked it up and reviewed it. She was startled by the voice of the reporter. 'Excellent choice, that statue is quite an expensive piece. What is your name?' Again their eyes made contact. The thief was cool. She was not used to being caught, mid-swipe. She said 'I'm Max.' Then she ran out and got away. The reporter knew he had to find her. He knew she was special. He found her at her day job and made a deal. 'You work for me and I will help you find your lost brothers and sisters.' She agreed and the reporter was happy to have her in his life..."
Logan looked at the sleeping child. He moved his chair to Zachary's bedroom and started to move the boy into his bed. Zachary awoke with the movement.
"Dada, bad sleep... be with you."
"No, Zachary, you have to sleep in your own bed."
"Please dada, good sleep with you."
Again, Logan thought, how could he ever say no. Even though all the books advised otherwise, he took the boy into his own bed and tucked him in. Knowing that he needed no more wine, he readied himself and slid into the bed across from the sleeping boy. "Max, thank you for giving him to me. He is a blessing and I hope I am able to give him what he needs." Logan settled onto his pillow and easily fell asleep. _____________________________________________________________
The dream began. Logan was sitting on his bed, in his room. Five-year-old Zachary was standing in front of him.
"Daddy, mommy is here."
Logan knew this was a dream. He knew Zachary's ability. He knew that Zachary was picking up on Logan's emotions, morose over the missed anniversary. "No Zach. Mommy is gone. She is not here. But we can remember her, I can tell you stories, I can..."
"Daddy, mommy is here, in Seattle."
"Why would she be in Seattle and not come to see us?"
"She doesn't remember us, yet."
"What?"
"They hurt her, I can fix it. If she is ready."
"Zachary..."
"Let me show you." Zachary took Logan's hand. Together they walked through the apartment and out the door. Logan remained quiet throughout the trip. The feeling of the dream was uncanny. He was walking without the brace. Zachary led him through the streets of Seattle; over the same general route they took on their daily walk.
"I felt her presence yesterday. Over here."
They stood outside a building under construction. "She is up there."
"It's nighttime Zachary, there is nobody..."
"Mommy is up there, come with me." Zachary easily found the freight elevator and led Logan into it. The elevator moved up the high-rise building. When it stopped, Zachary led Logan out onto the steel girders under construction. Zachary stopped and looked around. "Over there," he pointed.
There was one construction worker, busily welding, and not looking in their direction. The noise from the welder easily covered their approach. Logan watched the welder. Rather slight in stature, not your normal burly construction worker. The welding stopped and she stood, removed her mask and welding jacket. Her hair, ebony black in color, was short. She still was not aware of their presence.
Logan spoke her name. "Max?" She turned, stunned by their presence and stared at both of them. "Max!" Logan took a step toward her. More startled, Max stepped back, then disappeared.
"No! Max! Where did she go?"
"She woke up. You should too."
Logan jerked awake. Zachary lay bundled next to him, clinging to his arm. He slowly awoke and looked at Logan's confused stare. "Dada bed... good sleep... Love you." He turned over and returned to his restful state. ________________________________________________________________
Max jerked awake and immediately got out of the bed. 'What was that? It was so real. They must be people I knew, from my past. I will wake Alec and... no... he didn't know me in Seattle, just at Manticore. He won't know that man or boy. It was so real; I could have reached out and touched them. I can still smell the solder; I was at work, the sector 8 job. Maybe, if I go, they will know..." Max hurriedly dressed.
Alec awoke to her noise. "What's going on Max?"
"I've gotta get to the work site, the one in sector 8. See you there."
She left him lying in bed. "Max, its only 4 a.m., Max!"
Max literally ran to the worksite. Constantly berating herself, "Max, it was only a dream. There is no man... he won't be here..." And then, defending herself. "It was so real. I know these people. That little boy, obviously knew me. The man called me by my name. He looked at me... those eyes... so wonderfully blue, like the clear sky on a cool morning. They sparkled at me. I should know them." The site was closed and locked. Max combed the area outside the gate. No evidence of entry. She scaled the gate. 'Maybe they are Manticore, like me.' Quickly Max made her way to the area of her dream encounter. Looking everywhere for any sign that would tell her the dream really happened. Looking for someone who was looking for her. ________________________________________________________________
He found her precariously sitting on the edge of a girder in the uppermost section of the building. He approached her, making noise so as not to startle her. Without turning she spoke, "Go away Alec, no one is here and they won't be for another hour."
"Why are you here?"
"I needed to get out of the apartment. I wanted to watch the sun rise over Seattle."
"Did you have another nightmare? You said you would talk to me about them."
"No nightmare last night. I just woke up and couldn't sleep."
"You seemed... excited." Alec made his way to the end of the girder. He sat, straddling the iron between his legs and inched his way closer to Max.
"No, just awake. You may have confused 'awake' with 'excited,' being that you were asleep."
"I am awake now."
"So, do I look excited now?" Max turned to face him. Although she hadn't been crying, there were misty tears in her eyes, which caused the brown to look black.
"No, not excited, why are you sad?" Alec inched his way closer still. He swung his legs over hers and pulled her close.
"I'm not..." Alec gave her a sneer, "OK, OK. I had a dream... its stupid..." Alec eyed her again. "OK, there was someone here... in my dream... that looked familiar. I... stupidly thought that person would still be here. Yes, maybe I need therapy." She wrapped her arms around him.
"No, I don't think you need therapy. But I do think you need me." He lifted her chin and looked onto her eyes. He closed each eye with a kiss, and then found her mouth. The kiss was deep and sensual. His arms moved to remove her t-shirt, and to caress her breasts. Max kept her eyes closed. In her mind she saw the deep blue eyes of her dream. He was kissing and caressing her. His hands moved expertly over her body. Each touch sent shivers through her. The kiss deepened with the addition of her lover's tongue. It explored the mysteries inside and became excited as it met and dueled with Max's tongue. His hand on her back moved to her stomach and felt for the snap on her pants. Opening them, his hand moved inside and between her legs. Max moaned in pleasure and shifted to allow him easier access. His fingers found the soft tissue between her legs. Lightly, her lover began to tickle her in her soft spot. Max felt her body tingle and demanded more. She directed her lover's hand deeper. The movements inside of her, up and down, in and out, brought her closer and closer to ecstasy. Suddenly, the man moved off of her and stood up. "Come on Max, I need you too. Let's move to a safer spot." Her lover lifted her. Max kept her eyes closed as she snuggled into the warmth of his body. He carried her into the building, and set her down. He proceeded to undress and then remove her pants. "Are you still with me Max?"
"Oh yes, please, I want more."
"I'll give you what you want Max."
Her lover parted her legs and lifted her buttocks. Max felt the sensation of his tongue inside her. She felt the ecstasy building closer and closer to the surface as his tongue played with her soft tissue. Max pulled at him to enter her. She was ready to explode and wanted him inside. Her lover readily agreed and entered her. His strong thrusts brought her to climax and she screamed, "OH, Logan."
At this same time, her lover reached his climax. This extended her pleasure and Max continued to moan and writhe in tempo with his secretions.
Alec moved over her. He removed himself from her and lowered his body next to hers. "Open you eyes Max. Look at me."
"Wow, that was wonderful." Max opened her eyes and saw Alec, not the icy blue she saw in her dreams. She was startled, but quickly recovered. "You were wonderful."
"Yes, thanks." He covered her mouth with his and, quite possessively, took his kiss. "I will always love you Max, we were made for each other."
"I love you too, Alec. You are my protector and..." Alec stood.
"You should get dressed now; the foreman will be arriving soon and we have to get out of here before he comes." Alec gave Max her clothes and was quickly dressed.
Quietly, they made their way out of the building. Max and Alec were assigned to work different sections of the building. Max looked for Alec at lunch break, but couldn't find him. She sat alone and thought about that morning. She knew she had been with Alec, but her mind's eye saw another. Deep blue, sparkling eyes... blondish brown hair... short hair... Who was he? How could she find him? _______________________________________________________________
At lunchtime, Alec quickly left the construction zone. He did not want to encounter Max yet. 'What should I do? Now she is dreaming of him. How could she call for him during sex? I am her lover, not Logan Cale. I am the one she wants and needs. She has no ties to him. He is her past. I am her future. I will not let her... I love her. How can she do this?' Alec continued to walk and scheme and plan for their encounter tonight. ______________________________________________________________
Cindy, Logan and Zachary were eating dinner.
"Cin din... bee pease."
"Certainly Zachary, here are more beans. They are very good, Logan... Logan?"
"Hmm... yes?" Logan broke out of his fugue.
"I said the beans are good. Zach loves them."
"Oh, thanks."
"You have been awfully quiet today."
"Yeah, probably a bit hung over from the wine last night."
"OK... you know Logan, when I came home last night I put away a practically full bottle of wine, maybe one glass poured. Then I found the glass, half full, only a few sips missing. I don't think a sip or two of wine will give you a hang over... Did something happen last night?"
"Zach had a bad dream."
"Oh, that's why I found him in your bed... Did you dream them?"
"Yes."
"What was the dream about?"
Zachary answers, "Mommy here." He smiles playfully as Cindy sits, clearly taken aback.
"Max..."
Logan told her about the dream, describing the detail and the emotions involved. "Max... in Seattle? No way, Logan. If she were here, why would she not be here?"
"I asked that too. Zachary told me that Manticore 'hurt' her. That she doesn't remember us. That would be consistent with their reorientation program. Get rid of all the recent memories and keep the old ones."
"Do you think that she is still working for Manticore? If we try to find her, will she take Zach to them?"
"I don't know. I don't know if I want to find out. I have been on the computer all day trying to find out if Manticore is still operating. There's nothing there. It is either defunct or so deep in hiding, the politicians don't know about it."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know... God knows I want to find her. But how can I risk... our lives... his freedom?"
"What if we keep Zach away from her? We could find her and see where it leads before introducing Zach."
"In the dream, Zach told me that he sensed her presence. That is how he found her. I wonder if that is an X7 thing or a Manticore mommy/baby thing? Max may already know about him." _______________________________________________________________
Max took her time and clocked out for the day. She looked around, but did not see Alec. She saw a co-worker, ran up to him to walk with him and asked, "Hey, Dave. You were working with Alec today, is he still around?"
"No Max, he took off rather quickly, but he said to tell you to meet him at the apartment."
"I haven't seen him all day, did he seem OK?"
"I don't know, maybe a bit broody today. But that's not unusual when he is separated from you for more than an hour. Are you guys fighting?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Well, if I know Alec and if I were you, you should go home and put on something sexy and knock his socks off. That always brings a guy around. If that doesn't work, bring him to the bar. We're going to be checking out this one tonight, ever been?"
Max looked at the sign. A feeling in the pit of her stomach twisted and turned over. "No, I don't think so. Will you be there late?"
"Probably, we usually are on a Saturday night. See you."
"Yeah, bye." Max continued to stare at the sign while Dave entered the bar, CRASH. Dismissing the feeling, she went home. _____________________________________________________________
Max entered the apartment. "Alec, I am home. Are you here?"
"In here Max."
He sounded OK. Max walked to the kitchen. "Dinner is ready Max. I took off a bit early today to fix it. Are you hungry?"
"Wow, yes. Smells great. Why? I mean... what did I do to score a dinner? I will try to do it more often."
"Nothing you did, but we have to talk and I thought a nice dinner at home would be best." They both sat at the table and Alec served.
"Well Alec, what is the topic of this conversation?"
"Actually, the topic is Seattle." Alec paused. Max gave him an expectant look. "I have heard some information about Manticore. It seems the military wants its soldiers back and they have scouts out looking for barcodes. I think we need to leave Seattle, and maybe the US. We could go to Canada or Mexico."
"You want to take off? We have friends here, good jobs, and a nice apartment. How can we just take off?"
"Its better to leave than get sent back to Manticore. Isn't it?"
"Yes, but..."
"But what?" Alec stared at her. Would she reveal her knowledge of Logan? Would she tell him that she found her ex-lover?
"I haven't heard of any scouts, and I am pretty good at picking up on tails. We have been in Seattle a year and a half. There has been no peep from Manticore."
"Well, I have been in contact with a few of my original squad. They are in cities closer to Manticore and they said the scouts are starting to fan out, but mainly in larger cities. They won't go into Canada, at least not yet, but we need to really think hard about picking up and moving. I was thinking south. We could move down through Oregon and California and into Mexico."
"I don't know Alec, I like it here. It's comfortable."
"You get too comfortable and you get sloppy."
"How long have you been following this?"
"A couple of days. Max this is something we have to do. Whether we like it or not."
"Give me a few days Alec. I know you are probably right, I just need it to sink in."
"I will give you a week Max, that's it. And stay on your toes when you are out. Maybe we should stick together out there? Max... I don't want to lose you."
"Look Alec, if someone is watching us, it would look suspicious if we go out of the way to change our routine. We need to act normal."
"I agree. Just be careful."
They ate a while in silence. Alec was trying to determine if his story got through. 'Did she already remember Logan? My next revelation will be the kicker. But, it will only work if she does not fully remember him."
"Max, there is one other thing."
"Oh?" Max looked at him curiously.
"One of the scouts they have dispatched to Seattle. I have heard of him before. He is particularly ruthless. If you hear of him you need to get away at all cost. Do you understand?"
"Sure, what's the name?"
"Logan Cale. He is the one."
"Stay away from Logan Cale. OK Alec. I trust you."
They continued to eat in silence. Each lost in individual thoughts. Max thinking about how to find the blue-eyed man of her dreams in just under a week and Alec hoping his plan to keep them apart would work.
One year since "Onto Seattle"
Max is sitting on the balcony railing. It is early morning. Alec walks up behind her. His arms enclose her in an embrace from behind. His head rests on her shoulder and he places a kiss on her cheek. "Did you sleep at all last night, Max?"
"Sure, a bit."
"But my snoring woke you early?"
"Yeah! Why did Manticore give some of us the ability to sleep and others not?"
"Max, you have the ability to sleep, just like me. But we don't need as much sleep as others. I think you just don't relax enough to sleep longer."
"And you easily relax?"
"Sure, especially when I am lying next to you." He pulls her backward, into his arms. "You are so comfortable and your smell is intoxicating and your lips..." They kiss, long, slow and intense. He begins to undress her.
"Alec, the neighbors..."
"... are asleep. I want the first ray of sun to touch your skin. While I am touching it as well."
Slowly they remove each other's clothes. Their bodies react to the cool morning air. Max's nipples harden and goose bumps cover her skin as Alec's warm hands and kisses are mixed with the cool morning dew. Alec leads Max to the cushion, which is the only piece of 'furniture' on this small balcony. He lays her down and spreads her legs. "Max, you are the only woman I have ever loved. You will always be mine." He enters her.
His body feels wonderful and she moans her approval to his actions. He is definitely a great lover. The way he touches her, as if exploring new territory every time they make love. And his body. How he reacts to her every touch, even when they are not making love.
After his climax, Max moves to push him off. "Don't move me Max, the sensation of your body against mine is tantalizing at this moment."
"That may be, but it would be nice to take a breath in the next few minutes."
Alec takes her in his arms and twists around until she is lying on top. "There you are, my sweet."
Max felt her insides freeze and then turn over. She moves to get up, but Alec holds her down. "Please don't go; I let you breath."
"Alec, let me up now, before..."
He lets her up and Max runs to the bathroom, just in time to reach the toilet. She throws up. Alec is behind her. Are you OK, what happened?"
Max was crying now. "What... Did I hurt you? Max talk to me."
"I don't know... a memory... a word. You called me 'sweet'"
"I don't understand. What is wrong with the word? What was the memory? Please Max, stop crying. Talk to me."
She had been remembering things. Remembering more bits and pieces than real memories. Alec got a clean cloth and wetted it with warm water. Gently, he sat next to Max on the bathroom floor and surrounded her weeping body with his strong arms and legs. He used the cloth to wipe her face. All the while he is nestling and rocking, trying to calm her. "Max, talk to me, what do you remember?"
There was quiet for some time. The only movement was the two bodies, united and rocking back and forth. When she finally spoke, her voice was weak. Alec had to strain to hear. "There was a table and lights. I was tied down. The director was there, then gone, but there was a man, dressed in white. I remember being cold and sticky. He was there, touching me. He mounted the table and removed his pants. I couldn't move, but he was able to part my legs. He raped me." She was quiet for a long time. "He called me 'sweet.'" She started crying again.
"I am sorry Max. I didn't know, I mean I knew about the doctor, but not the nickname."
"You knew? What else do you know, maybe if I remember, it won't haunt my dreams."
"You want me to tell you about Dr. Dunham?" A chill ran up Max's spine at the mention of his name.
"Yes."
"Then you have to promise to talk to me about your other nightmares, when you have them. They are probably more memories trying to get out."
"I promise."
They talked for some time. Alec told her what he knew about her encounters with Dr. Dunham. He left out the insemination part of the story. She had miscarried, why bring up that hurt if he didn't have to. He finished the story with the doctor's death, along with the director, in the basement of the exploded medical building. Alec felt Max's tension release with the knowledge of the doctor's death.
"You know Max, if we don't get up and get dressed, we will be late for work."
"You are right. We can't lounge around naked in each others arms all day."
"As much as I would like that... No."
Alec took her chin in his hands and moved her head to see her face. Her brown eyes were wet and sad. He kissed her cheeks, her nose and then her lips. "I will help you through this Max. I love you." Quietly they got up, dressed and left for work. _______________________________________________________________
Cindy walked out of her bedroom to find Logan and Zachary at the dining table. "Good morning little one. How are we doing this morning?" Cindy bends down to rub her nose to Zachary's. The toddler reaches up and touches her face. "Ahh! I see we are eating biscuits with jelly today." She wipes her face and licks her fingers, "Strawberry jelly if my taste buds are working right." Zachary smiles and giggles and Cindy smiles at him and touches his nose again.
"Coffee's made if you are ready."
"Thanks, and thanks for letting me sleep in this morning."
"Well, we didn't finish unpacking till late last night. It feels good to be back, finally. Is your room OK?"
"Yes, Logan. Its great. What's next on the list?"
"Well, we are going to have to set up a room for Zachary. At the rate he is growing, he will be out of the crib in six months. He already can climb out of the crib anyway. We have to go shopping. Set up some provisions. I'd like to get some of my computer equipment operating again."
"And, I am going to find a job. I have a few leads from the paper, so I will go there and then I will do the shopping on my way back. We can figure out Zach's room this afternoon."
"Sounds great. Then I guess I will clean up this jelly-smeared baby and take him for a walk. I would like to get a feel of the neighborhood. It's been a while." ______________________________________________________________
One month later.
Nighttime - Logan is sitting in his chair at the balcony window of his apartment. There is a wine bottle open and one glass poured. A second glass remains empty. Cindy enters the room from her bedroom.
"Hey Logan, I will be leaving now."
Logan turns, "Have a good time."
Cindy spies the wine and glasses. "You know, I will stay if you want me to. I mean, no big deal, I was just going to Crash."
"No... you go... have fun... I have work to do... you know."
"Logan, you are allowed to have fun too. You should go to Crash. I will stay home tonight. You used to go all the time."
"I used to go... to see Max. She went all the time." Logan moves back to the window.
"Logan..."
"Go Cindy, have fun. Yes, I miss Max, but I see her every time I look at Zachary. I have a reason to go on, every day now. He will grow and learn, just like she wanted."
"OK, but if you need anything, I have my cell."
"OK. Have a great time."
"Bye." Cindy leaves.
Logan picks up his wine glass. He takes a sip and moves to the window again. "Are you out there? Can you hear me? I have a bottle of wine here, for us. It's our anniversary... five years... From the first time we met. Five years, it seems like yesterday." The apartment is silent and motionless for sometime, until Zachary toddles into the living room. Logan does not see him until Zachary touches him on the arm. Logan is jolted out of his memories.
"Zach, what is wrong, what happened?"
"Dada... bad sleep." Logan lifts Zachary into the chair. Zachary snuggles down into Logan's lap.
"You had a bad dream, little guy?"
"Bad sleep... dada sad."
"No, I am not sad, Zach. Just wallowing a while."
"Tell story dada."
"Zach, it's late. You need to be in bed."
"Bad sleep... dada tell story." Zachary looked up and met Logan's eyes.
"You know I was never able to tell you mother 'No.' There's something about your eyes... OK a story." Zachary snuggled back down into Logan's lap. Logan gently rocked and caressed Zachary throughout the story.
"Once upon a time... there was a beautiful thief and a reporter. The reporter believed in sharing the truth with the world. The company he worked for didn't allow that, so he set off on his own. He investigated stories about abuse and corruption in the government. He issued his stories so that all the people would know the truth. He was strong and independent. No one could hurt him. Or so he thought. Until the day the beautiful thief showed up at his door. She was delivering a package, her day job. She was beautiful, with dark smooth skin, large brown eyes, deep pools that pulled the reporter into their depths. But, professional that they were, the payment was made, the thief left and the reporter moved onto his next big story. Until they met again. That night, almost midnight, the thief returned to the reporter's home. She entered quietly and went about her business, her night job. All went smoothly until she saw the statue of the ancient god, half cat and half woman. She was intrigued, picked it up and reviewed it. She was startled by the voice of the reporter. 'Excellent choice, that statue is quite an expensive piece. What is your name?' Again their eyes made contact. The thief was cool. She was not used to being caught, mid-swipe. She said 'I'm Max.' Then she ran out and got away. The reporter knew he had to find her. He knew she was special. He found her at her day job and made a deal. 'You work for me and I will help you find your lost brothers and sisters.' She agreed and the reporter was happy to have her in his life..."
Logan looked at the sleeping child. He moved his chair to Zachary's bedroom and started to move the boy into his bed. Zachary awoke with the movement.
"Dada, bad sleep... be with you."
"No, Zachary, you have to sleep in your own bed."
"Please dada, good sleep with you."
Again, Logan thought, how could he ever say no. Even though all the books advised otherwise, he took the boy into his own bed and tucked him in. Knowing that he needed no more wine, he readied himself and slid into the bed across from the sleeping boy. "Max, thank you for giving him to me. He is a blessing and I hope I am able to give him what he needs." Logan settled onto his pillow and easily fell asleep. _____________________________________________________________
The dream began. Logan was sitting on his bed, in his room. Five-year-old Zachary was standing in front of him.
"Daddy, mommy is here."
Logan knew this was a dream. He knew Zachary's ability. He knew that Zachary was picking up on Logan's emotions, morose over the missed anniversary. "No Zach. Mommy is gone. She is not here. But we can remember her, I can tell you stories, I can..."
"Daddy, mommy is here, in Seattle."
"Why would she be in Seattle and not come to see us?"
"She doesn't remember us, yet."
"What?"
"They hurt her, I can fix it. If she is ready."
"Zachary..."
"Let me show you." Zachary took Logan's hand. Together they walked through the apartment and out the door. Logan remained quiet throughout the trip. The feeling of the dream was uncanny. He was walking without the brace. Zachary led him through the streets of Seattle; over the same general route they took on their daily walk.
"I felt her presence yesterday. Over here."
They stood outside a building under construction. "She is up there."
"It's nighttime Zachary, there is nobody..."
"Mommy is up there, come with me." Zachary easily found the freight elevator and led Logan into it. The elevator moved up the high-rise building. When it stopped, Zachary led Logan out onto the steel girders under construction. Zachary stopped and looked around. "Over there," he pointed.
There was one construction worker, busily welding, and not looking in their direction. The noise from the welder easily covered their approach. Logan watched the welder. Rather slight in stature, not your normal burly construction worker. The welding stopped and she stood, removed her mask and welding jacket. Her hair, ebony black in color, was short. She still was not aware of their presence.
Logan spoke her name. "Max?" She turned, stunned by their presence and stared at both of them. "Max!" Logan took a step toward her. More startled, Max stepped back, then disappeared.
"No! Max! Where did she go?"
"She woke up. You should too."
Logan jerked awake. Zachary lay bundled next to him, clinging to his arm. He slowly awoke and looked at Logan's confused stare. "Dada bed... good sleep... Love you." He turned over and returned to his restful state. ________________________________________________________________
Max jerked awake and immediately got out of the bed. 'What was that? It was so real. They must be people I knew, from my past. I will wake Alec and... no... he didn't know me in Seattle, just at Manticore. He won't know that man or boy. It was so real; I could have reached out and touched them. I can still smell the solder; I was at work, the sector 8 job. Maybe, if I go, they will know..." Max hurriedly dressed.
Alec awoke to her noise. "What's going on Max?"
"I've gotta get to the work site, the one in sector 8. See you there."
She left him lying in bed. "Max, its only 4 a.m., Max!"
Max literally ran to the worksite. Constantly berating herself, "Max, it was only a dream. There is no man... he won't be here..." And then, defending herself. "It was so real. I know these people. That little boy, obviously knew me. The man called me by my name. He looked at me... those eyes... so wonderfully blue, like the clear sky on a cool morning. They sparkled at me. I should know them." The site was closed and locked. Max combed the area outside the gate. No evidence of entry. She scaled the gate. 'Maybe they are Manticore, like me.' Quickly Max made her way to the area of her dream encounter. Looking everywhere for any sign that would tell her the dream really happened. Looking for someone who was looking for her. ________________________________________________________________
He found her precariously sitting on the edge of a girder in the uppermost section of the building. He approached her, making noise so as not to startle her. Without turning she spoke, "Go away Alec, no one is here and they won't be for another hour."
"Why are you here?"
"I needed to get out of the apartment. I wanted to watch the sun rise over Seattle."
"Did you have another nightmare? You said you would talk to me about them."
"No nightmare last night. I just woke up and couldn't sleep."
"You seemed... excited." Alec made his way to the end of the girder. He sat, straddling the iron between his legs and inched his way closer to Max.
"No, just awake. You may have confused 'awake' with 'excited,' being that you were asleep."
"I am awake now."
"So, do I look excited now?" Max turned to face him. Although she hadn't been crying, there were misty tears in her eyes, which caused the brown to look black.
"No, not excited, why are you sad?" Alec inched his way closer still. He swung his legs over hers and pulled her close.
"I'm not..." Alec gave her a sneer, "OK, OK. I had a dream... its stupid..." Alec eyed her again. "OK, there was someone here... in my dream... that looked familiar. I... stupidly thought that person would still be here. Yes, maybe I need therapy." She wrapped her arms around him.
"No, I don't think you need therapy. But I do think you need me." He lifted her chin and looked onto her eyes. He closed each eye with a kiss, and then found her mouth. The kiss was deep and sensual. His arms moved to remove her t-shirt, and to caress her breasts. Max kept her eyes closed. In her mind she saw the deep blue eyes of her dream. He was kissing and caressing her. His hands moved expertly over her body. Each touch sent shivers through her. The kiss deepened with the addition of her lover's tongue. It explored the mysteries inside and became excited as it met and dueled with Max's tongue. His hand on her back moved to her stomach and felt for the snap on her pants. Opening them, his hand moved inside and between her legs. Max moaned in pleasure and shifted to allow him easier access. His fingers found the soft tissue between her legs. Lightly, her lover began to tickle her in her soft spot. Max felt her body tingle and demanded more. She directed her lover's hand deeper. The movements inside of her, up and down, in and out, brought her closer and closer to ecstasy. Suddenly, the man moved off of her and stood up. "Come on Max, I need you too. Let's move to a safer spot." Her lover lifted her. Max kept her eyes closed as she snuggled into the warmth of his body. He carried her into the building, and set her down. He proceeded to undress and then remove her pants. "Are you still with me Max?"
"Oh yes, please, I want more."
"I'll give you what you want Max."
Her lover parted her legs and lifted her buttocks. Max felt the sensation of his tongue inside her. She felt the ecstasy building closer and closer to the surface as his tongue played with her soft tissue. Max pulled at him to enter her. She was ready to explode and wanted him inside. Her lover readily agreed and entered her. His strong thrusts brought her to climax and she screamed, "OH, Logan."
At this same time, her lover reached his climax. This extended her pleasure and Max continued to moan and writhe in tempo with his secretions.
Alec moved over her. He removed himself from her and lowered his body next to hers. "Open you eyes Max. Look at me."
"Wow, that was wonderful." Max opened her eyes and saw Alec, not the icy blue she saw in her dreams. She was startled, but quickly recovered. "You were wonderful."
"Yes, thanks." He covered her mouth with his and, quite possessively, took his kiss. "I will always love you Max, we were made for each other."
"I love you too, Alec. You are my protector and..." Alec stood.
"You should get dressed now; the foreman will be arriving soon and we have to get out of here before he comes." Alec gave Max her clothes and was quickly dressed.
Quietly, they made their way out of the building. Max and Alec were assigned to work different sections of the building. Max looked for Alec at lunch break, but couldn't find him. She sat alone and thought about that morning. She knew she had been with Alec, but her mind's eye saw another. Deep blue, sparkling eyes... blondish brown hair... short hair... Who was he? How could she find him? _______________________________________________________________
At lunchtime, Alec quickly left the construction zone. He did not want to encounter Max yet. 'What should I do? Now she is dreaming of him. How could she call for him during sex? I am her lover, not Logan Cale. I am the one she wants and needs. She has no ties to him. He is her past. I am her future. I will not let her... I love her. How can she do this?' Alec continued to walk and scheme and plan for their encounter tonight. ______________________________________________________________
Cindy, Logan and Zachary were eating dinner.
"Cin din... bee pease."
"Certainly Zachary, here are more beans. They are very good, Logan... Logan?"
"Hmm... yes?" Logan broke out of his fugue.
"I said the beans are good. Zach loves them."
"Oh, thanks."
"You have been awfully quiet today."
"Yeah, probably a bit hung over from the wine last night."
"OK... you know Logan, when I came home last night I put away a practically full bottle of wine, maybe one glass poured. Then I found the glass, half full, only a few sips missing. I don't think a sip or two of wine will give you a hang over... Did something happen last night?"
"Zach had a bad dream."
"Oh, that's why I found him in your bed... Did you dream them?"
"Yes."
"What was the dream about?"
Zachary answers, "Mommy here." He smiles playfully as Cindy sits, clearly taken aback.
"Max..."
Logan told her about the dream, describing the detail and the emotions involved. "Max... in Seattle? No way, Logan. If she were here, why would she not be here?"
"I asked that too. Zachary told me that Manticore 'hurt' her. That she doesn't remember us. That would be consistent with their reorientation program. Get rid of all the recent memories and keep the old ones."
"Do you think that she is still working for Manticore? If we try to find her, will she take Zach to them?"
"I don't know. I don't know if I want to find out. I have been on the computer all day trying to find out if Manticore is still operating. There's nothing there. It is either defunct or so deep in hiding, the politicians don't know about it."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know... God knows I want to find her. But how can I risk... our lives... his freedom?"
"What if we keep Zach away from her? We could find her and see where it leads before introducing Zach."
"In the dream, Zach told me that he sensed her presence. That is how he found her. I wonder if that is an X7 thing or a Manticore mommy/baby thing? Max may already know about him." _______________________________________________________________
Max took her time and clocked out for the day. She looked around, but did not see Alec. She saw a co-worker, ran up to him to walk with him and asked, "Hey, Dave. You were working with Alec today, is he still around?"
"No Max, he took off rather quickly, but he said to tell you to meet him at the apartment."
"I haven't seen him all day, did he seem OK?"
"I don't know, maybe a bit broody today. But that's not unusual when he is separated from you for more than an hour. Are you guys fighting?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Well, if I know Alec and if I were you, you should go home and put on something sexy and knock his socks off. That always brings a guy around. If that doesn't work, bring him to the bar. We're going to be checking out this one tonight, ever been?"
Max looked at the sign. A feeling in the pit of her stomach twisted and turned over. "No, I don't think so. Will you be there late?"
"Probably, we usually are on a Saturday night. See you."
"Yeah, bye." Max continued to stare at the sign while Dave entered the bar, CRASH. Dismissing the feeling, she went home. _____________________________________________________________
Max entered the apartment. "Alec, I am home. Are you here?"
"In here Max."
He sounded OK. Max walked to the kitchen. "Dinner is ready Max. I took off a bit early today to fix it. Are you hungry?"
"Wow, yes. Smells great. Why? I mean... what did I do to score a dinner? I will try to do it more often."
"Nothing you did, but we have to talk and I thought a nice dinner at home would be best." They both sat at the table and Alec served.
"Well Alec, what is the topic of this conversation?"
"Actually, the topic is Seattle." Alec paused. Max gave him an expectant look. "I have heard some information about Manticore. It seems the military wants its soldiers back and they have scouts out looking for barcodes. I think we need to leave Seattle, and maybe the US. We could go to Canada or Mexico."
"You want to take off? We have friends here, good jobs, and a nice apartment. How can we just take off?"
"Its better to leave than get sent back to Manticore. Isn't it?"
"Yes, but..."
"But what?" Alec stared at her. Would she reveal her knowledge of Logan? Would she tell him that she found her ex-lover?
"I haven't heard of any scouts, and I am pretty good at picking up on tails. We have been in Seattle a year and a half. There has been no peep from Manticore."
"Well, I have been in contact with a few of my original squad. They are in cities closer to Manticore and they said the scouts are starting to fan out, but mainly in larger cities. They won't go into Canada, at least not yet, but we need to really think hard about picking up and moving. I was thinking south. We could move down through Oregon and California and into Mexico."
"I don't know Alec, I like it here. It's comfortable."
"You get too comfortable and you get sloppy."
"How long have you been following this?"
"A couple of days. Max this is something we have to do. Whether we like it or not."
"Give me a few days Alec. I know you are probably right, I just need it to sink in."
"I will give you a week Max, that's it. And stay on your toes when you are out. Maybe we should stick together out there? Max... I don't want to lose you."
"Look Alec, if someone is watching us, it would look suspicious if we go out of the way to change our routine. We need to act normal."
"I agree. Just be careful."
They ate a while in silence. Alec was trying to determine if his story got through. 'Did she already remember Logan? My next revelation will be the kicker. But, it will only work if she does not fully remember him."
"Max, there is one other thing."
"Oh?" Max looked at him curiously.
"One of the scouts they have dispatched to Seattle. I have heard of him before. He is particularly ruthless. If you hear of him you need to get away at all cost. Do you understand?"
"Sure, what's the name?"
"Logan Cale. He is the one."
"Stay away from Logan Cale. OK Alec. I trust you."
They continued to eat in silence. Each lost in individual thoughts. Max thinking about how to find the blue-eyed man of her dreams in just under a week and Alec hoping his plan to keep them apart would work.