Max stared blankly out the window, watching the dark clouds roll over Seattle in preparation for evening rain. Her arms were crossed as she stood there, silent. The only thing she was sure of now was that it would rain tonight. Earlier this afternoon it was chaos and now everything was unknown.

Logan wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her exposed neck. He rubbed her shoulders gently. Max didn't seem to notice at first, and then she relaxed back into his body, exhaling as though releasing the tension she had been feeling for the past year. It was such a weird feeling to not know what was to come. It was liberating and frightening, and Max was having a hard time coping with these two feelings.

"What's going to happen?" she asked him quietly.

"What do you mean?" Logan asked, the stubble on his chin grazing her bare skin lightly as he kissed her shoulder.

"White's dead, but there are others out there who want to screw with us. He's not the last one. With him alive, at least we knew who our enemy was, but now, I don't know where the shit's going to come from," Max explained.

"So you'd rather Alec not kill him?" Logan asked, confused.

"No. I'm glad that he got that bastard. But just because White's dead doesn't mean that there's no more danger. It doesn't mean that we can stop fighting," Max replied.

"I see..." Logan said pensively.

"And so what now? What do we do?" Max asked somewhat angry, turning around to face Logan, worry evident on her face.

"Hey, let's just wait it out a little, we don't have to do anything right now. The Familiars are exposed now and so they can't be as arrogant as they were before. They don't control everything and they won't be able to hide out and continue to hunt after the transgenetics. Mole was saying how the FBI had come to the warehouse a few minutes after we had gotten out of there and started a full investigation," Logan said, trying to calm her down, rubbing the sides of her arms soothingly.

"But White was part of the FBI, we don't know how many of the FBI are Familiars. They'll come after us again, they always do..." Max said sadly.

"And we'll fight back like we always do. But for now, don't worry about it. Kris is going to be okay, Alec is ok, I'm ok, you're ok. That's what matters now. Today was hell, but it's over. Just relax..." Logan said gently, threading his fingers through Max's hair. She loved it when he did that. It felt like all her worries drained down her body into a puddle beneath her feet when he massaged her scalp and played with her hair.

And he did have a point. At the warehouse she had worried that Kris wouldn't be able to get to Alec to free him. She had worried that Alec would get reckless and die. She had worried about Logan. She couldn't look after him and fight so she just had to rely on him fighting for himself. He did beautifully and she was so grateful that he was alive.

"But I'm just so tired of fighting..." Max knew it wasn't over, she didn't know if it ever would be. But at least there was a break. At least White was dead. One of the many heads of this monster known as The Familiars was cut down.

"Shh...I know, Max. But we're getting there," Logan said, kissing her forehead.

Max hugged him. "I know..." she said softly into his chest.

Logan tilted her chin up to him so that he could kiss her, a soft caressing kiss to calm her nerves. She felt so comforted as they hugged and kissed like nothing else existed. After almost three years of knowing him, she still felt jarred whenever he touched her, whenever he kissed her. It wasn't a bad feeling, but throughout her life she never imagined someone getting inside her like Logan did. She hadn't wanted anyone so close, but now she couldn't picture her life without him stirring that feeling within her.

Then Max's super sensitive nose picked up an odor. "I need a bath," she said abruptly, pushing away from Logan as the kiss became more passionate. She didn't want this to progress to a higher level if she smelled disgusting.

Logan lifted his eyebrows suggestively. His nose really hadn't picked up whatever odor Max 's had. "Really? Me too," he replied, smiling mischievously.

Max laughed, a whole hearted laugh that she only occasionally experienced lately, but most especially in Logan's presence. "Oh, well, what do you know?" she said, looking equally mischievous. She backed away from Logan, turned around, and ran to the bathroom with Logan chasing after her.

For now they wouldn't worry about the Familiars. They'd deal with whatever were to happen in the future together. They were strongest that way after all.

It was so bright. Blindingly bright, even though she knew her eyes were closed. She had such a headache. She winced and opened her eyes. She stared at a stark white ceiling for a few moments. Hospital, she was in a hospital. How did she get there? And then everything rushed back to her. Calling Alec, hearing White, Max and Logan telling her all that shit, going to the warehouse, getting the shit kicked out of her by White, the Eye's Only broadcast, Alec fighting, White with the knife, hurting her...

She tried to feel the knife wound on her neck, but all she felt was a dull ache. She must have been drugged up on morphine or something equally as wonderful for the pain. She had an IV stuck in her arm and her throat felt like sand was shoved down it. She felt someone holding her hand. Slowly she turned her head, aware of the absurd amount of bandaging that was around her neck.

She looked over at her side and smiled. Alec was sleeping, actually sleeping, his head resting on her bed as he gently held her hand. She took one of her fingertips and moved some of Alec's hair out of his eyes. She could see that his left eye was still bruised and there were deep cuts on both sides of his forehead. But he was alive, and so was she...for the most part. Water though, was of the essence.

Alec stirred and snuggled his nose closer to her body, tickling her. She tried to laugh, but her throat was so dry that it came out more like a rasping cough. Alec woke up immediately and looked shocked.

"Kris!" he said, surprised but relieved. She had been asleep for two and a half days. She had lost so much blood and needed the rest. Max had tried to convince the doctors to give Kris her blood, but the doctors wouldn't give Kris unscreened blood. Max was furious and during visiting hours, as Alec kept watch outside, Max attached an IV between them and gave Kris some of her blood. Alec had wanted to give Kris his blood, but he had lost so much during his fight with White that Max refused to let him. Besides, Max wanted to do something for Kris, who had given her so much. The doctors had said that it might take a week for Kris to wake up, so perhaps Max's blood sped up the healing process.

"Water," Kris croaked out. Her lips were dry and white and her eyes were rimmed with dark circles. There were remnants of huge purple splotches on her cheeks where White had slapped her to the ground. It looked as though she had been through hell.

Alec nodded eagerly and helped her drink some water out of a cup he had prepared that morning on the occasion that she would actually wake up later that day.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her softly as he stroked her forehead lightly with his thumb after she was hydrated.

"Tired. Numb. I have a headache," she sighed.

Alec smirked. "I'm not surprised. You've been out for two days. Your neck is all bandaged up so try not to move it too much. You'll probably have some scarring."

"It doesn't matter," Kris said dismissively. She was just so thankful that she and Alec were alive. "How do you feel? You look all beat up," she whispered, lightly touching a bruise on his cheek that looked fresh. If the bruise hadn't faded in two days, then he must have been hit terribly hard.

"I'm fine. Don't look all concerned. I've been through worse," he said casually. He figured he'd avoid telling her about the cracked ribs and dislocated shoulder until later. They would heal in a week after all.

"White?" Kris asked.

"Dead. I killed him," Alec explained, stroking her hair out of her face.

Kris exhaled. "Oh, thank God."

"No, thank Alec," Alec teased.

Kris looked at him sleepily but incredulously. "That too." She gulped, "Alec, I was so scared when I heard White on your phone. I didn't know..."

Alec hushed her, not wanting to relive that day ever again. "It's okay, it's okay. Shift over a little," he said soothingly, getting off the chair as Kris moved to the other edge of the bed so Alec could balance himself precariously on the small hospital bed to hold her.

She buried her head into his chest and squeezed her eyes shut, partially from the headache and partially from relief she felt that he was alive. He ignored the pain shooting through his torso and his arm as he laid down on his side, intertwining their fingers.

He had tried so hard to protect her by staying away, but she still chose to confront White to protect him. She was willing to sacrifice herself for him - Alec really didn't understand how much Kris loved him until then and how much he hurt her by sleeping with Cece. But maybe he could have another chance with her, maybe he could do better this time around. Because being apart wouldn't work - they weren't safe nor were they happy.

He kissed her temple softly. "I'm so sorry for Cece. I'm so sorry for dragging you into my ridiculous life."

She shook her head and held his hand. "You didn't drag me, I walked in. But everything is relative. After I saw you in a cage and a psycho held a knife to my throat, an obsessive woman seems so trivial," Kris commented.

"Cece is dead, White killed her," Alec said.

"Shit, I hated the woman but I didn't want her murdered," Kris replied.

"She baited me. She's the reason White had me in a cage."

"I take that back then," Kris said quickly turning angry and gripping Alec's fingers a little harder.

Alec smirked. "You're so protective of me," he commented teasingly.

"Do you blame me? When I'm not around, you get into so much trouble..." Kris replied.

"Then I guess I need to keep you around," Alec replied, feigning casualness.

"You guess? Please...spare me the arrogance," Kris bantered back.

Alec chuckled. "I missed you." He nuzzled her face affectionately but tentatively because despite what they had just been through, they were still officially broken up. She responded to his nuzzles gently. That encouraged him to be a little more daring with his speech. "I was completely celibate for an entire month."

Kris laughed lightly. "Poor baby," she cooed jokingly. "I see what I'm good for."

"Uh huh, keeping me out of trouble, starting fights with crazy Familiars and amazing sex," Alec quipped, still nuzzling her. "The first two seem like a contradiction."

"No, I only start fights because I'm not around in the first place to keep you out of trouble. But you're good at fighting...and sex, so I guess it works out in the end," she replied with a smile.

Alec grinned widely. "I guess so..." He propped himself up on an elbow to look at her more carefully. She had lost weight since he had last seen her; probably she wasn't taking good care of herself. The white hospital garb accentuated how pale she was, minus the areas that were slightly purple from White's abuse.

But at least she was alive. As Alec waited for the doctors to tell him Kris' condition, all he could do was relive everything they had shared. The fact that he had a perfect memory only added more pain to the idea that he might lose her. He could remember every pool game they played, all the sorbet they ate, and how many nights he watched her sleep next to him. Needless to say, despite his exhaustion, he hadn't slept at all, minus the few minutes when Kris had woken up.

Kris noticed that Alec began to have that serious look on his face and wondered where the sudden change came from.

"Alec, what is it?" she asked him delicately.

"You almost died, Kris. You almost died...for me," he said sadly.

Kris pressed her lips firmly together, thinking of something to say in response. "What would you have done if it were me?" she asked.

"The exact same thing," he said firmly without hesitation.

"Well, there you go, Golden Boy. I really didn't have a choice in the matter because I wasn't going to lose you to some sick bastard like that. Especially not before you knew that I forgive you and that I love you...so much," Kris said, her voice cracking with the onslaught of tears.

"Kris...I love you too," Alec said, his voice breaking just a bit like it always did when he said that to her. She couldn't stop crying. "It's okay now, it's over, I'm so sorry, Kris, it's okay, it's over..." he said softly as he held her. He kissed her gently all over her face as he murmured those words again and again. She cried for a while, a mixture of relief and fear of the unknown and more relief.

"It's not over, Alec. I'm still the universal mate of the Familiars. They'll come after me eventually."

"They might, but we won't let them take you. Logan, Max and I got your back, Kris, you know that." Alec kissed her temple. He couldn't stop kissing her.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes a little bit. "I know," Kris said quietly. She knew that they would risk their lives for her before they let the Familiars take her away, but that didn't change the fact that they probably would come after her. Something could happen beyond anyone's control and the Familiars could get to her. But she would think about that later.

Eventually she calmed down, but Alec continued to kiss her face. His lips fell upon hers and they began kissing with neither one wanting to pull away. A month seemed like such a short amount of time in terms of days and weeks. But in reality it had seemed like this expanse of time where all Kris and Alec could do was count down the minutes until they would kiss again, yet never knowing when the countdown would end. At least they knew now. The kiss became more needy, more pleading with all the pent up passion they had accumulated over the past month. However, Alec knew that this could not escalate in Kris' current condition and in the hospital, so he grudgingly pulled away.

Kris looked up at him, knowing why he had pulled away so abruptly and not arguing.

He resumed stroking her forehead, her cheeks, and tracing mindless patterns on her face just to pass the time.

"So why did you call my cell?" Alec asked, remembering his confusion when White had told him that it was Kris on the line.

Kris smiled faintly as she recalled how she had the endless internal debate about whether or not to call. She was so glad she picked up the phone.

"I just wanted to hear your voice," she said quietly, looking into his eyes with a small smile on her face.

Alec grinned charmingly, "Well, I don't think you'll be able to shut me up anytime soon," he said with mock arrogance.

Kris took that as a challenge. "Is that so?"

"Yup, you see, you are not the only one who likes the sound of my voice. I happen to find it very..."

But Alec was cut off because Kris had reached up and pulled Alec's face close to hers so that she could kiss him, effectively cutting off his narcissistic monologue.

"You were saying?" Kris asked in between kisses. These were playful, unlike their last kiss.

"Um, what?" Alec replied, in a daze as she kissed him.

Kris smiled widely. "Yeah, that's what I thought," she said, satisfied, resuming the kissing. They didn't stop anytime soon.

Author's Note: Hi all! This is NOT the last chapter, I think there will be one more that ties up any loose ends and answers some questions. I hope you liked the M/L, they're so much fun to write. In any case, I haven't started the next chapter, so I don't know when it will be ready. This chapter I rewrote a bunch of times because I just didn't like how it was coming out, but I like the finish product and I hope you do too. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks!