Ok, I am sooooo sorry, you guys! For some reason, I thought I had finished this story. I really didn't mean to leave you hanging like that. The story has been finished for a while, but I thought I had finished uploading it. This is the very last chapter, so celebrate and be happy!

Disclaimer: Ummmm . . . . I'd just like to say that I don't own anything . . . . :looks nervously over shoulder at James Cameron, who stands nearby glaring: So please don't sue – even with two jobs, I still don't own anything worth anything!

A/N: Once more, a round of applause for my fantastic betas, afan and angel_gurl – you guys were so patient with me! I'm pretty sure they beta'd this chapter, but if you find any mistakes, they're all mine!

A/N 2: A little plug – for those of you who have read my BOP story, yes, I am working on a sequel – or trying to, anyway. A combination of writer's block and Real Life is kinda getting in the way, so be patient!!

Ok, my most abject apologies once again . . . . and now, the conclusion!!!!!                                                 Finding a Way Back, chapter 8

            Logan stared in shock at the computer screen, the information displayed there confirming what he had felt for a month, ever since the raid on Manticore: Max was alive. "I knew it," he whispered to himself. "I knew they could fix you." Filled with fresh determination, he resumed his hacking, looking for more information.

            "Hang on, love," he said softly, reaching out to touch a picture of Max that was taped to his monitor. "I'll bring you home; I swear it."       

                                    -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - 

It was late afternoon when the van pulled up in front of Fogle Towers, and the setting sun lit up the building, making it look like a giant column of flame. Max stared up at it, transfixed; she tried to will her feet to move, but they seemed fixed to the floor of the van.

            "Are you ok, Max?" Brin asked. She and Victor had climbed out of the van and were standing on the sidewalk waiting for her.

            Realizing that she was holding her breath, Max let it out slowly. "Just nervous, I guess," she admitted. "He thinks I'm dead, you know. What if he's moved on? What if he found someone else?"

            "After a month? Not likely," Brin scoffed. "Trust me, baby sister. If he's even half as hung up on you as you are on him, he's still waiting for you." She reached in and grabbed Max's hand, pulling her firmly out of the van. "Come on, soldier – time to complete the objective."

            Max took a deep breath, trying to steady the sudden attack of butterflies in her stomach. Looking up at the building again, she watched the sunlight fade, and gathered her courage. "All right," she said finally, squaring her shoulders. "Let's get this done and over with before I lose my nerve."

            There was no one else in the elevator as they rode up to the penthouse, for which Max was grateful. Her mind kept wandering to various possibilities, most of which involved Logan finding someone new. 'Stop it!' she told herself. 'Brin's right; you have nothing to worry about.' Still, a small number of butterflies continued to flutter.

            When they got to Logan's floor, Max stopped for a minute to consider the door, a smile playing over her face.

            "Is something wrong, Max?" Victor asked.

            "No," Max replied. "Just remembering." She rummaged through her bag and came up with a set of tools, which she used to open the door within seconds.

            "I see you haven't lost your touch, baby sister," Brin said with a smile.

            Max grinned back, and then motioned for silence as the door swung open.

            The apartment was dark; the only light to be seen was coming from the computer room. 'Logan hasn't changed,' Max thought to herself with a smile. 'At least, I hope he hasn't,' she amended sadly, as she imagined what he must have gone through after her 'death'.

            Creeping silently to the door, she leaned against the doorjamb and watched Logan work. His back was to her, which gave her a chance to note the changes in him. His hair was a little longer, and not so spiky. He was sitting in a regular chair, rather than his wheelchair, so Max assumed that he was still using the exoskeleton. Logan was staring intently at the computer screen, which reflected a clear, if somewhat distorted image of his face behind him for her to see.

            In one of their many conversations, Logan had called the eyes 'windows to the soul.' She'd never really been sure whether to believe him or not; even if it was true, could anyone created in a test tube really have a soul? But even the reflection of Logan's eyes conveyed all the suffering of his soul over the past weeks, and Max felt her heart break at seeing it. The passion and vibrancy that she'd always loved was gone, replaced by cold determination.

            Unable to bear watching any more, Max took a step into the room. "So, I see you're back at it," she said casually, deliberately choosing words from one of their first encounters to identify herself. "Rocking the boat."

            To her surprise, Logan didn't appear to be overly startled. When he turned to face her, however, some of the life had returned to his blue eyes. "Somebody has to," he replied, a smile tugging at his lips.

            "I would have come sooner," Max said with a shrug, moving into the room.

            "But you didn't," Logan finished for her. Standing up, he moved towards her, into her personal space. His eyes darkened as he reached out to her, his touch feather-light along her cheek and jaw.

            That touch broke the final barrier. Max reached out and pulled Logan's lips to her own, letting the kiss say everything that she could not. The long weeks fell away, and it was as if she had never been gone.

            When at last they came up for air, a muffled giggle from the still-open door reminded Max that Brin and Victor were still outside. Logan heard it too, and amusement flickered in his eyes. "Don't tell me you picked up some strays," he suggested.

            "Only some friends," Max told him, beckoning the two inside. "They helped me escape." Once introductions had been made,  the four of them settled in the living room over coffee to begin the long process of explanations.

            "I can't thank you enough for helping her," Logan said to Brin and Victor, leaning back in his chair. All the stories had been finished, and they were moving on with the process of digesting it all. "I can only imagine how hard it must have been to go against Manticore like that."

            Victor shrugged. "I had stopped believing in Manticore a long time ago," he admitted. "Jace made it a little better, but once she was gone I started looking for an excuse to leave. What better way to do it than by giving them the bird?"

            Brin laughed at that, then sobered. "I have to admit, after they reprogrammed me, I was totally loyal, the perfect soldier," she said softly. "But I never forgot my family, or how much they meant to me. That was always separate from our Manticore training. Once Max forced me to discover the truth about Tinga's death, I knew I had to leave again, to reclaim the life they stole from me."

            "There's one thing I'm worried about, though," Logan said, turning back to Max. "The locators are on their way to Switzerland, but what happens once they get there? The bag will be unclaimed, and it will just sit there in the airport. Renfro might follow it there, but once she finds them, she'll just come right back here."

            "That would be true," Max agreed, a smile spreading across her face, "if I had put it on a regular plane."

            "What do you mean?" Victor asked.

            "I put it on a cargo plane," Max explained. "See, on the way to the airport, I was busy. I knew Manticore had to have connections in Switzerland; it made sense, given the kind of work they do. So I got into their database, and sure enough, there's a research lab. So I made up a fake label, using the lab as the destination, and creating a fictional return address in Alaska."

            "So when it arrives in the lab, they won't know what it is!" Brin caught on, her face lighting up.

            "That's what I'm hoping," Max confirmed. "I also created a series of pickup and delivery instructions which should send the bag over half of Europe. Even if Manticore does get its hands on the locators, they won't know where we are. We could be in Europe, we could be in Alaska, or we could be anywhere in the States."

            "Or in Mexico," Victor added. He shot a meaningful glance at Logan. "Max said she could get me to Jace, that she was in Mexico. I assume you can help with that?"

            "Yes I can," Logan said, nodding. "And I assume that you want a new identity as well?" he continued, looking over at Brin.

            "Eventually," Brin agreed. I'd like to stay and catch up with Maxie for a while, though."

            Max grinned at her sister. "I have no problem with that," she agreed.

            "Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Logan teased, his blue eyes twinkling with laughter. "How about some dinner? I can make Pasta Tricolore."

            Max faked an aggravated sigh. "Logan, they're supposed to leave soon!" she mock-scolded. "Don't feed them too well, or we'll never get rid of them!"

            The whole group burst out laughing, and then moved into the kitchen to help prepare the meal.

            It didn't take long for Logan to get papers for Victor, and he departed for Mexico a few days later, eager to reunite with Jace and their child. That night, Logan and Max sat together on the couch in the living room, drinking wine and listening to Sibelius in the background.

            "This is nice," Max sighed, snuggling up to Logan. "I dreamed about this every night at Manticore – being here with you like this."

            Logan's arms tightened around her at the mention of Manticore, and he took a deep breath as if preparing for something. "That last time we were together, in the woods," he began. "What were you trying to tell me?"

            Surprised, Max sat up and turned to face him. "You mean you don't know?" A teasing smile spread over her face. "I would have thought the great and powerful Eyes Only would have figured it out by now."

            Her face softened, and she put a hand to his face, caressing his cheek. "I love you, Logan."

            Logan's eyes met hers, and the pure, unwavering love that shone from them warmed Max's heart and soul in a way she'd never known before. As he pulled her from the couch and led her to the bedroom, Max knew that heaven could not possibly compare to the love she had found. She had truly found her way back, out of Hell, and into Heaven.