Disclaimer: One last time, I do not own the characters or the concept of the story, and I'm not planning on making money through this.
A/N: Thank you guys so much for all those wonderful reviews. It helps a lot to know that there are people out there enjoying this story. Oh, and right, it doesn't hurt to review one last time, does it? (hint)
EPILOGUE
Logan looked up when Cindy approached him and sat down on the back of the couch next to where he was sitting, looking out at the dark city.
"Max is sleeping," she offered.
"Good," he smiled, relieved. It had been a close call, they both knew it.
"And now, you'll let me have a look." She carefully tabbed his black eye with a wet towel.
"Ouch, this smells awful." He wrinkled his nose before he winced.
"Secret recipe. Keeps your face from swelling up like a pumpkin." Cindy ignored his complaints. "It will still be visible for a while. And maybe you should get your lip stitched up."
"Doesn't that require needles? No, I think it's gonna be okay with a little disinfection and a band-aid."
Original Cindy carefully pulled down the round collar of his t-shirt, uncovering nasty bruises in all shades around his throat. "This guy had big hands," she grinned. "Does it hurt?"
"Not too much, I think as long as my head feels like it's gonna explode any minute, I don't even feel it," he admitted.
"You should get some sleep, too." Original Cindy made him a sign to hold the towel to his face himself. "You look like you could need it."
"Hey," a voice Logan would recognize anywhere said from behind. They both turned around to find Max standing unsteadily in the middle of the room, looking lost. She was dressed in one of Logan's shirts and way too big sweat pants.
"I'll get you something against the headache," Cindy announced and quickly walked past Max, giving her an encouraging smile on her way out.
"How are you feeling?" Logan asked carefully, not quite sure where they were in terms of their relationship.
"Pretty good, a little shaky on my feet…" She stepped closer, discovering his injuries. "What about you?"
"I'm gonna be fine. Just need to get some rest."
Max nodded, not able to disagree. She could deal with the fact that she had brought all this on right now. Weakly, she sank down on the couch and lifted her knees, wrapping her arms around them. She would rather be in Logan's embrace, let him comfort her, but she knew she couldn't expect that from him, not now. Instead she just stared in the distance, fighting the tears that suddenly threatened to well up. "What…what happened to Tom?" she asked in a low voice.
"Matt arrested him. In fact they had been looking for him in quite a few cases. He will be charged for all kinds of things, enough to get him behind bars for a few years."
"So you said the truth about him?" It was almost more of a statement than a real question.
Logan shrugged. "I didn't know he was after you like that when I told you. I just had a weird feeling."
"I just don't understand." She sounded like a little girl, completely lost and confused. "He seemed so nice."
Logan swallowed. Why couldn't she just say that about him? Why did she have to turn to another guy in the first place, couldn't she see that he would always be there for her?
He angrily cast the thought aside. He knew that he wasn't good enough for her. It was unfair to hold it against her. "I'm sorry," he just whispered.
"But why?"
"Lydecker," Logan finally revealed. "He had paid him to get you."
Max looked up with big brown eyes. Suddenly she understood the impact of what Logan just had said. "They will ask questions! Why would Lydecker be after me?!" This was it, now her secret was revealed and she would end up in a lab. Well she had had some nice years. Probably she had to be thankful for those.
Logan shook his head. "I talked to Matt. He won't ask Tom about where he had been caught and why. And Tom won't be stupid enough to mention it if he doesn't have to. Nobody knows about Lydecker or your involvement. I made sure of that."
Max looked straight at him now, a single tear escaping her eye. "Thank you. Without you…"
"Max, don't…"
She nodded. "Anyway, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean any of it, I just lost it. Sorry."
"I'm sorry, too. I never even began to blame you. I don't know what came over me to say those things."
"So we're okay?"
"We're okay," Logan agreed. He slightly turned his chair so he could look directly at her. And suddenly he remembered the conversation he had had with ling, about missed chances. He gently reached for her hand, and caressed the back of it with his thumb. "Max, listen, I…"
"Yeah?" She looked up at him expectantly.
He couldn't do it! He didn't have the courage, not now. "I…maybe I should get some sleep. If you wanna take a bath, or…there's pasta in the fridge…"
"Oh, sure. Okay. Good night." She looked a little disappointed, Logan thought. But probably it was just his imagination. He wheeled towards the hallway but turned around one more time before disappearing around the corner. "I'm sorry thing's didn't work out with Tom," he offered.
Max pressed her lips together and shrugged. "He wasn't the right one anyway." Then she flashed him one of her brilliant smiles he adored so much. Then she turned around to look down at the city.
"I'm sure he's out there somewhere, the right guy, I mean," Logan whispered before really leaving.
Max bit her lips. 'Or maybe I already found him, and we just need to wait for the right time.'
*
THE END
**
Okay, now this is it. I'm sorry I didn't make them live happily ever after right away. It just didn't feel right.
What do you guys think?
A/N: Thank you guys so much for all those wonderful reviews. It helps a lot to know that there are people out there enjoying this story. Oh, and right, it doesn't hurt to review one last time, does it? (hint)
EPILOGUE
Logan looked up when Cindy approached him and sat down on the back of the couch next to where he was sitting, looking out at the dark city.
"Max is sleeping," she offered.
"Good," he smiled, relieved. It had been a close call, they both knew it.
"And now, you'll let me have a look." She carefully tabbed his black eye with a wet towel.
"Ouch, this smells awful." He wrinkled his nose before he winced.
"Secret recipe. Keeps your face from swelling up like a pumpkin." Cindy ignored his complaints. "It will still be visible for a while. And maybe you should get your lip stitched up."
"Doesn't that require needles? No, I think it's gonna be okay with a little disinfection and a band-aid."
Original Cindy carefully pulled down the round collar of his t-shirt, uncovering nasty bruises in all shades around his throat. "This guy had big hands," she grinned. "Does it hurt?"
"Not too much, I think as long as my head feels like it's gonna explode any minute, I don't even feel it," he admitted.
"You should get some sleep, too." Original Cindy made him a sign to hold the towel to his face himself. "You look like you could need it."
"Hey," a voice Logan would recognize anywhere said from behind. They both turned around to find Max standing unsteadily in the middle of the room, looking lost. She was dressed in one of Logan's shirts and way too big sweat pants.
"I'll get you something against the headache," Cindy announced and quickly walked past Max, giving her an encouraging smile on her way out.
"How are you feeling?" Logan asked carefully, not quite sure where they were in terms of their relationship.
"Pretty good, a little shaky on my feet…" She stepped closer, discovering his injuries. "What about you?"
"I'm gonna be fine. Just need to get some rest."
Max nodded, not able to disagree. She could deal with the fact that she had brought all this on right now. Weakly, she sank down on the couch and lifted her knees, wrapping her arms around them. She would rather be in Logan's embrace, let him comfort her, but she knew she couldn't expect that from him, not now. Instead she just stared in the distance, fighting the tears that suddenly threatened to well up. "What…what happened to Tom?" she asked in a low voice.
"Matt arrested him. In fact they had been looking for him in quite a few cases. He will be charged for all kinds of things, enough to get him behind bars for a few years."
"So you said the truth about him?" It was almost more of a statement than a real question.
Logan shrugged. "I didn't know he was after you like that when I told you. I just had a weird feeling."
"I just don't understand." She sounded like a little girl, completely lost and confused. "He seemed so nice."
Logan swallowed. Why couldn't she just say that about him? Why did she have to turn to another guy in the first place, couldn't she see that he would always be there for her?
He angrily cast the thought aside. He knew that he wasn't good enough for her. It was unfair to hold it against her. "I'm sorry," he just whispered.
"But why?"
"Lydecker," Logan finally revealed. "He had paid him to get you."
Max looked up with big brown eyes. Suddenly she understood the impact of what Logan just had said. "They will ask questions! Why would Lydecker be after me?!" This was it, now her secret was revealed and she would end up in a lab. Well she had had some nice years. Probably she had to be thankful for those.
Logan shook his head. "I talked to Matt. He won't ask Tom about where he had been caught and why. And Tom won't be stupid enough to mention it if he doesn't have to. Nobody knows about Lydecker or your involvement. I made sure of that."
Max looked straight at him now, a single tear escaping her eye. "Thank you. Without you…"
"Max, don't…"
She nodded. "Anyway, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean any of it, I just lost it. Sorry."
"I'm sorry, too. I never even began to blame you. I don't know what came over me to say those things."
"So we're okay?"
"We're okay," Logan agreed. He slightly turned his chair so he could look directly at her. And suddenly he remembered the conversation he had had with ling, about missed chances. He gently reached for her hand, and caressed the back of it with his thumb. "Max, listen, I…"
"Yeah?" She looked up at him expectantly.
He couldn't do it! He didn't have the courage, not now. "I…maybe I should get some sleep. If you wanna take a bath, or…there's pasta in the fridge…"
"Oh, sure. Okay. Good night." She looked a little disappointed, Logan thought. But probably it was just his imagination. He wheeled towards the hallway but turned around one more time before disappearing around the corner. "I'm sorry thing's didn't work out with Tom," he offered.
Max pressed her lips together and shrugged. "He wasn't the right one anyway." Then she flashed him one of her brilliant smiles he adored so much. Then she turned around to look down at the city.
"I'm sure he's out there somewhere, the right guy, I mean," Logan whispered before really leaving.
Max bit her lips. 'Or maybe I already found him, and we just need to wait for the right time.'
*
THE END
**
Okay, now this is it. I'm sorry I didn't make them live happily ever after right away. It just didn't feel right.
What do you guys think?
