A/N: Ok, thanks for the reviews guys! I'll take them as my cue to go on! Enjoy.
Disclaimer: The DA characters don't belong to me and the storyline isn't mine either. But why should anybody mind?
Chapter 2
Max didn't know how to react, she had not expected to see Logan here and his was nothing like what she had imagined the reunion to be like, so all she could do was smile shyly at the guy of her dreams who was holding hands with another woman, a good looking woman. When he still didn't do anything but stare at her, she waved hesitantly. Without breaking her gaze he finally started to move again, and this nearly was her undoing. She hadn't seen him up and walking a lot before they had been separated, so she had always imagined him sitting down, and this had already been unbearable. But now, seeing him like this, tall, strong and self-confident…
He had let go off his girlfriend and walked towards her, ignoring everybody else in the room.
"Max?" His voice cracked slightly and his face was pale.
"Hi," was all she could say.
"What happened? Why are you…" his voice failed him completely now.
"I made it."
"Where have you been? What have they done to you?"
"I don't know. I can't really remember what happened the past two years."
"Logan? What's up, honey?" He tensed visibly when Asha touched him, for a moment he stared at her hand as if he wanted to shrug her off. But he caught his composure again immediately.
"Asha, this is Max. Max, Asha."
"Hi. Are you the Max Logan told me about? Sorry, but he said you died a few years ago."
Max tried hard to keep her features under control. "I did. But somehow, I made it back." Tears threatened to escape, but she fought them back, using all her willpower. "And now, if you would excuse me…." She disappeared in the crowd, leaving a stunned group behind.
It took Logan moment to awake from his daze. "I'll be right back." He eventually shrugged off Asha hand which had still rested on his arm.
"Max! Wait!" He followed her outside.
She stopped but didn't turn around. Logan stepped closer, shivering in the chilly night. "I'm sorry." He couldn't think of anything appropriate, this had come way too unexpected.
"I'm sorry, too." She angrily wiped away a tear
"Max, I…"
"You don't have to explain."
"But I want to," he said softly. "The night you died in my arms…it was the hardest moment of my life. I thought I was going to suffocate; I didn't have a clue how to survive a single minute without you. And then, the weeks that followed- the pain was ever-present and so intense." He shivered again, this time the cold was not responsible. "I couldn't move, I just sat there for days on end. It almost killed me, Max. I didn't know how to go on. I couldn't face anew day without you, so I kept the curtains closed for three weeks. I didn't care if it was day or night, it didn't make any difference to me. I've never been through something half as painful before. But after a few months I started to heal because there was nothing else to do, I was helpless, Max. I couldn't change the past and people kept on telling me that I would have to find a way to face the future. Eventually I made it. It took me more than a year and more strength than I ever thought I possessed, but I started living again."
"I understand." Max's voice was toneless.
"I don't think you do. Max, you died in my arms, I was sure I would never see you again. It was final."
"I love you so much, and I thought you did so, too." Max wasn't thinking straight, she was mentally exhausted and desperate. Her entire world had come crashing down on her in the past few hours, everything she had believed in was gone all of the sudden.
"I did, Max."
"But you betrayed me! You just gave up on us!"
"Max…"
"No, don't talk." Her voice was stead with fury now. "You – betrayed – me. I would never have done that. I would never have given up on you."
"Max…" He tried again, not really knowing what to say. It hurt him deep that she accused him of that. But it had been the only thing to do! He had buried her! But he also knew that Max was confused and tired, her eyes were not quite as bright as they should be, so he decided to give her some time. He couldn't reason with her now anyway.
"It's okay, Logan. No need to explain. Good night."
With that she turned on her heels and ran off. In the distance he could hear the engine of a motorcycle.
"Damn it!" He angrily kicked the wall of the building, hard. But the pain that could have helped him find distraction didn't come.
**
"Max?" Original Cindy approached her slowly. "Are you okay, Boo?" She sank down on the sofa next to Max, wiping a dark curl out of her face. Then she tugged her left leg under her right on and leaned in to embrace the confused young woman.
"No, I don't think so," Max admitted in spite of herself. Admitting weakness was not part of her personality. At least not part of the personality she used to have; now nothing seemed certain anymore. She sobbed now. "Everything's so screwed up!"
"It's gonna be fine."
"How? Logan's with that bitch now and this is it!"
"I hate to tell you, but Asha ain't a bitch. She's a nice gal and nothing of this is her fault, Max. Neither is it Logan's. He suffered a lot, Max, it took him so long to finally move on."
Max sobbed even harder now. "I know, but I want this to end. I wanna wake up from this nightmare! This is not my life, I want things to be the way thy were."
"I know, Boo, I know." Cindy held her friend as she cried, until there wee no more tears and Max was so exhausted she fell asleep, exhausted and spent.
Original Cindy carefully stood up and covered her friend with a blanket. Then she got ready for bed herself, deeply in thoughts.
*
"Logan? Are you coming to bed?" Asha gently tugged at his arm, trying to draw him away from where he was staring out the window.
"I'll be right there," he answered, not really listening.
Asha stayed behind him for a second, contemplating his mood. "Penny for your thoughts."
"What?"
"What are you thinking about?" Of course she knew the answer, and she didn't like it. The way he had looked at that girl. He had never looked at her like that.
"Nothing. Let's go to bed." He tore himself away from the window and walked towards his bedroom, exoskeleton whirring slightly.
**
Max awoke in cold sweat, breathing hard. Confused, she looked around until she recognized Original Cindy hovering over her, trying to calm her. "Shhhh, Max. I'm here, it was just a bad dream. You're safe."
Max swallowed. She didn't remember much of the dream, but she was certain that it had been about the past two years, she would have to find a way to explore those nightmares more closely.
"Do you want hot chocolate?"
"I'll be fine. Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you, sorry."
"That's fine. Nearly time to get up anyway." Cindy smiled. "Now come on."
When Cindy had finally left for work, Max moved around the apartment like a caged animal. But she had nowhere to go, and she didn't feel like se could bear going out anyway. She felt like a total stranger, she just couldn't deal with the way things had changed just now.
TBC…
Did you like it? Let me know!!!!
Disclaimer: The DA characters don't belong to me and the storyline isn't mine either. But why should anybody mind?
Chapter 2
Max didn't know how to react, she had not expected to see Logan here and his was nothing like what she had imagined the reunion to be like, so all she could do was smile shyly at the guy of her dreams who was holding hands with another woman, a good looking woman. When he still didn't do anything but stare at her, she waved hesitantly. Without breaking her gaze he finally started to move again, and this nearly was her undoing. She hadn't seen him up and walking a lot before they had been separated, so she had always imagined him sitting down, and this had already been unbearable. But now, seeing him like this, tall, strong and self-confident…
He had let go off his girlfriend and walked towards her, ignoring everybody else in the room.
"Max?" His voice cracked slightly and his face was pale.
"Hi," was all she could say.
"What happened? Why are you…" his voice failed him completely now.
"I made it."
"Where have you been? What have they done to you?"
"I don't know. I can't really remember what happened the past two years."
"Logan? What's up, honey?" He tensed visibly when Asha touched him, for a moment he stared at her hand as if he wanted to shrug her off. But he caught his composure again immediately.
"Asha, this is Max. Max, Asha."
"Hi. Are you the Max Logan told me about? Sorry, but he said you died a few years ago."
Max tried hard to keep her features under control. "I did. But somehow, I made it back." Tears threatened to escape, but she fought them back, using all her willpower. "And now, if you would excuse me…." She disappeared in the crowd, leaving a stunned group behind.
It took Logan moment to awake from his daze. "I'll be right back." He eventually shrugged off Asha hand which had still rested on his arm.
"Max! Wait!" He followed her outside.
She stopped but didn't turn around. Logan stepped closer, shivering in the chilly night. "I'm sorry." He couldn't think of anything appropriate, this had come way too unexpected.
"I'm sorry, too." She angrily wiped away a tear
"Max, I…"
"You don't have to explain."
"But I want to," he said softly. "The night you died in my arms…it was the hardest moment of my life. I thought I was going to suffocate; I didn't have a clue how to survive a single minute without you. And then, the weeks that followed- the pain was ever-present and so intense." He shivered again, this time the cold was not responsible. "I couldn't move, I just sat there for days on end. It almost killed me, Max. I didn't know how to go on. I couldn't face anew day without you, so I kept the curtains closed for three weeks. I didn't care if it was day or night, it didn't make any difference to me. I've never been through something half as painful before. But after a few months I started to heal because there was nothing else to do, I was helpless, Max. I couldn't change the past and people kept on telling me that I would have to find a way to face the future. Eventually I made it. It took me more than a year and more strength than I ever thought I possessed, but I started living again."
"I understand." Max's voice was toneless.
"I don't think you do. Max, you died in my arms, I was sure I would never see you again. It was final."
"I love you so much, and I thought you did so, too." Max wasn't thinking straight, she was mentally exhausted and desperate. Her entire world had come crashing down on her in the past few hours, everything she had believed in was gone all of the sudden.
"I did, Max."
"But you betrayed me! You just gave up on us!"
"Max…"
"No, don't talk." Her voice was stead with fury now. "You – betrayed – me. I would never have done that. I would never have given up on you."
"Max…" He tried again, not really knowing what to say. It hurt him deep that she accused him of that. But it had been the only thing to do! He had buried her! But he also knew that Max was confused and tired, her eyes were not quite as bright as they should be, so he decided to give her some time. He couldn't reason with her now anyway.
"It's okay, Logan. No need to explain. Good night."
With that she turned on her heels and ran off. In the distance he could hear the engine of a motorcycle.
"Damn it!" He angrily kicked the wall of the building, hard. But the pain that could have helped him find distraction didn't come.
**
"Max?" Original Cindy approached her slowly. "Are you okay, Boo?" She sank down on the sofa next to Max, wiping a dark curl out of her face. Then she tugged her left leg under her right on and leaned in to embrace the confused young woman.
"No, I don't think so," Max admitted in spite of herself. Admitting weakness was not part of her personality. At least not part of the personality she used to have; now nothing seemed certain anymore. She sobbed now. "Everything's so screwed up!"
"It's gonna be fine."
"How? Logan's with that bitch now and this is it!"
"I hate to tell you, but Asha ain't a bitch. She's a nice gal and nothing of this is her fault, Max. Neither is it Logan's. He suffered a lot, Max, it took him so long to finally move on."
Max sobbed even harder now. "I know, but I want this to end. I wanna wake up from this nightmare! This is not my life, I want things to be the way thy were."
"I know, Boo, I know." Cindy held her friend as she cried, until there wee no more tears and Max was so exhausted she fell asleep, exhausted and spent.
Original Cindy carefully stood up and covered her friend with a blanket. Then she got ready for bed herself, deeply in thoughts.
*
"Logan? Are you coming to bed?" Asha gently tugged at his arm, trying to draw him away from where he was staring out the window.
"I'll be right there," he answered, not really listening.
Asha stayed behind him for a second, contemplating his mood. "Penny for your thoughts."
"What?"
"What are you thinking about?" Of course she knew the answer, and she didn't like it. The way he had looked at that girl. He had never looked at her like that.
"Nothing. Let's go to bed." He tore himself away from the window and walked towards his bedroom, exoskeleton whirring slightly.
**
Max awoke in cold sweat, breathing hard. Confused, she looked around until she recognized Original Cindy hovering over her, trying to calm her. "Shhhh, Max. I'm here, it was just a bad dream. You're safe."
Max swallowed. She didn't remember much of the dream, but she was certain that it had been about the past two years, she would have to find a way to explore those nightmares more closely.
"Do you want hot chocolate?"
"I'll be fine. Go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you, sorry."
"That's fine. Nearly time to get up anyway." Cindy smiled. "Now come on."
When Cindy had finally left for work, Max moved around the apartment like a caged animal. But she had nowhere to go, and she didn't feel like se could bear going out anyway. She felt like a total stranger, she just couldn't deal with the way things had changed just now.
TBC…
Did you like it? Let me know!!!!
