Disclaimer: See Part 1 Summary: Pasts are explored as a new future is constructed. ***************************************************************** "Where were you when the Pulse hit?"

"When the Pulse hit? God, that was a long time ago.I was.on my parents' yacht. I was twenty-two at the time, a new journalism major at Yale- that really pissed my dad off, by the way- and I had a new girlfriend. Claire, I think her name was. She was pre-law, all the right breeding. Needless to say, my father's family approved. My mom.she was more of a free spirit. Athletic, gentle, smart.and a complete wise-ass." He laughed softly; a sound Max loved but rarely heard.

"Anyway, the onboard computer navigation system failed and we wrecked. There was a fire.my sister was trapped in one of the bedrooms with the door locked.she was thirteen. By the time we could get the door open, she was gone.my mom was hysterical. She didn't even pay attention to how badly she was hurt; she just wanted to get help for her little girl. When the helicopter finally came, she accepted how injured she was. There were third-degree burns over most of her body. She died of an infection three days later. Their deaths destroyed my father.he didn't die with my family. He lived maybe a year after the accident, but he had a heart attack- not serious, it wouldn't have killed him, but he had another one on the way to the hospital, and that killed him. So I was left alone. I always thought that grief killed my dad." He paused, drawing in a shaky breath. "All three are buried in a small cemetery in Sector Four. I still go there.on their birthdays, and Mother's Day and Father's Day."

"Oh, God, Logan.I'm so sorry." Max gently nuzzled his shoulder, an action she had only recently begun doing.

"There was nothing anyone could've done, Max."

"I could've." Her words were almost lost to him, but he reacted instantly.

"What?"

"I said I could've. The Pulse.see, Logan, Manticore may have been a government-funded group, but they always had connections with terrorism. That group that set off the Pulse? One of Lydecker's closest allies. And the date of the Pulse.my birthday. Five months after the escape, for X5. It was a message. Lydecker knew that it would be easier to catch us if the entire nation was screwed beyond repair, and there was military presence everywhere. We were trained to fold under an established command.but he underestimated our respect for Zack. We wouldn't give up, so he warned us with the Pulse. Warned us that he would hunt us down, that he would chase us until we were either dead or loyal."

"God, Max, that's horrible." He took in the downcast expression on her face. "I don't.I *can't*.blame you. You were just an innocent kid, and you were used by horrible people. But that won't happen again, I swear. As long as I'm here, and your siblings, you'll always be safe."

"When you say used, you have no idea how close to the truth you are." Max muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"At night.keep in mind, I was just an eight-year-old girl when we escaped, and I didn't know anything but obedience.at night, guards would come into my cell.and, well, I'll let your imagination handle the rest. They told us it was part of the 'project' and that we had to obey them, or we'd be put in solitary for disrespecting a senior officer. So I did.and then, the next morning, I asked Tinga about it. She was the oldest female X5. And do you know what she said? 'You're not alone, Maxie. It happens to all of us. It's been happening, and it'll keep on happening.' And then she patted my arm and sent me back to training. I just.I couldn't believe it. She was my big sister, and she was telling me to shrug off something like that.I mean, I know now that she was just being obedient, but it really hurt then. But that's what I did. I shrugged it off, and I went back into line, and I completed my training."

"Max.I can't even imagine what that must have been like. You know that can't happen again, right? You're safe here, and protected, and there are people who love you." /I'm gonna hunt down every single one of those bastards and make them pay for what they've done to her. Shit.did I just say *love*?/

"Love me?"

/Yup, I said love./ "Right. Love. I love you, Max." He added to his previous statement hastily, having seen the deer-in-headlights expression in her eyes. "You don't have to say anything, you know. All I ask is that you let me love you."

"No.Logan, I.when I'm with you, I feel better, and more safe, and more loved, than I do anywhere else. I feel like you protect me more than all the soldiers in the world. And over time, I've built these walls around my heart, and I've become afraid to open up too easily. But around you.around you, those walls come down, and I can be myself. So I guess what I'm trying to say is.I love you, Logan."

Logan kissed her gently, first on her forehead, then a slow, soft kiss on her lips. He glanced at the clock, his eyes widening. "Max, it's after curfew."

"Can I.can I stay in the guestroom?" Max met his gaze shyly, as if she was afraid everything they had just experienced would go away.

"Of course. You have some of your things in there, right?"

She nodded, pulling herself gently out of his embrace and kissing him briefly. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Right. Good night, Max."

"'Night, Logan." Max padded softly into the guestroom, unable to wipe a soft smile off her face. Logan loves me.Logan loves me.and I love him.and we both know.Logan loves me.Logan loves me.God, I really need to shut up. She climbed gently into the bed, comfortable and tired enough to sleep after the seizures and revelations of the night. ***************************************************************** And another infamously short chapter comes to an end.what happens now? Is Max's interaction with Manticore really behind her? As always, I ask (NOT beg) for reviews!