A Final Farewell

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it.

A/N: Okay, next chapter, sorry for the wait, my computer is a piece of crap and erased the first draft I had of this chapter. Okay, now without further ado, the next chapter.

Turning her head slowly to the right, she saw Cindy walking out from her room. "Hey what are you still doing up?" she asked.

"Just thinking" Max replied.

"Well I just wanted a drink, so then I'll leave you alone with your thoughts."

"Hey Cindy?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think I'm poison?"

"What, who made you think that?"

"Never mind, it's just something someone said to me."

Not convinced, Cindy replied skeptically, "Okay."

"I'm going out for a walk, I need to clear my head, and since my bike in nowhere to be found, it's my next best option."

"Okay, just...call if your not coming home."

"I will."

Getting up from the couch, Max walked past Cindy, and to the door.

"Hey Max?"

Turning Max replied, "Yeah."

"It's good to have you back, I missed you."

"I missed you too." With that, Max found herself on the street, walking down the familiar stretch of road, which led to Logan's old apartment, Fogle Towers, top floor, penthouse.

Max couldn't get out of her mind the question that she had asked Cindy. It was something that Renfro had said to her before that had reindoctrinated her. Maybe she had been right, everyone that Max loved got hurt sooner or later. Her brothers and sisters were the greatest evidence of that. Zack, Brin, Ben, Tinga...Zack had died for her, and even though he was alive, she knew that she had hurt him. Brin had been reindoctrinated, when she and Zack had given her back to Manticore because she didn't want to die. Ben and Tinga were both dead because of her, Ben by her own hand, but only because he had asked her too. Tinga, because she hadn't been able to protect her, Tinga had given herself up for her son, something she wouldn't have had to do, if Max had protected her son better. She was poison, and nothing could change that.

She stood on the sidewalk in front of the apartment building, staring up at the boarded up windows of his apartment, she wondered if the super had done that. Breaking into the apartment was easy, she had done it so many times before that she had lost count. The apartment was dark, but since all the windows had been boarded over she decided that it was safe to turn on the light.

She felt so at home here, she had spent so much time, with Logan around the computer in the den, eating with him in the kitchen or laughing with him in the living room. So many memories were attached to this place, good, bad and inbetween. Some she could do without, but others she wouldn't trade for the world.

Picking things up that had been knocked over, she tried to put the place in order again, the apartment looked like it had been searched probably by Manticore's lackeys. But she had another motive; she wanted to erase any evidence there was of her ever being there. Anything that could be traced back to her she wanted out of there, she knew that his family would be coming soon to take away his things. They knew about her of course, but they didn't know what Logan did for a living.

She picked up the pictures that he had of them and put them in the bag she had grabbed before leaving her apartment. It looked like most of them had been taken, but the few that remained she took. His answering machine had a few messages on it, pressing play she listened. The first was one that she had left him, from four months ago; she couldn't believe that he had kept it all this time. The other few were from his family. She erased the message from her and left the others on the machine.

Going into the bedroom she searched through the drawers, she had left some of her clothes there, so if she needed to change at his place she could. Taking them out she shoved them into the bag along with the picture of her that was on the nightstand by his bed. The room still smelt of him, his specific scent that almost drove her crazy when she was in close proximity.

Breathing in deeply she continued the cleaning up process, all that remained were the files. The ones that had been left in the den, along with the computer. They had been searched through, carelessly thrown back in the file cabinet. Most she knew Logan probably would have taken, and dropped off at Bling's apartment for safe keeping, so that he could continue Eyes Only's work if something happened to Logan.

Every time that Max had broken into his apartment, she had always found Logan in front of his computer, typing away. She noticed that the computer had been shot through, smiling to herself "Always thinking on your toes," she said out loud.

She pulled all the files from the cabinet no matter what they were, she wanted to make sure that no one found out who Logan was...had been. She was about to shut the bottom drawer, when she noticed a metal ring on the bottom. Putting one finger through it, she pulled upward, revealing a locked box underneath. Pulling the box out she tried to open it, finding it locked she looked for the key.

Tearing the den apart she was unable to find the key, finally getting a long knife from the kitchen she was able to pry the top open what she saw surprised her, there weren't any files in it at all. Only a hand-written leather bound book, flipping through she saw dates printed at the top, and the realization that she came to surprised her, it was his journal. The last link that she had left of him. There were also fake identification papers intended for her use. A passport, a social security card, a license and VIP sector pass all under the name of Max Santos. He always thought of everything.

Farther down in the box she pulled out stack upon stack of hundred dollar bills, totaling over fifteen thousand dollars, enough to keep anyone happy for a while. It felt wrong to take the money, but along with the money she found a letter, addressed to her, in Logan's handwriting. Opening it, she read,

Max,

I wrote this letter a while ago, knowing that you would find it if something happened to me. I guess I always knew in my heart that you weren't dead, because surely I would feel it. Like surely I would feel like a part of me was missing, I held you in my arms as you died, but I never felt like you were really gone. Now that I've seen you, I know I was right all along, you weren't really gone, now the only question is how to get you back, the real you, not the persona that Manticore created. Maybe now I don't have the chance, because why would you be snooping through my things if something hasn't happened to me. I left the money and the journal here for you. Knowing that you would appreciate the money, and the journal, I don't know, maybe just to have. The identification papers will be useful to you if you need to get out of the city everything that you need to make a fresh start is there. I know you'll figure out the real you, you'll remember who you are, and you'll remember me, and all we've shared together. Goodbye, Logan

That was it, no sentimental ending, just goodbye. He had written it before he went to the hotel, and left it for her to find. Taking the journal to his bedroom, just to feel close to him, she started to read. The journal started the day they met, detailing everything, what he had been doing the moment that she had dropped through the skylight. What she had been wearing, what she had said, what he had said, he remembered everything.

She read through everyone, marveling, at how much the journal read like a science fiction novel. So many things seemed like they could have come right out of the movies, but they had lived them, they both had. Then all of a sudden, the journal entries stopped, on the day she had supposedly died. It was like he couldn't bear to write what happened. Like after that moment that one moment in time, his life had stopped.

Putting the book down, she rested her head against the pillow behind her. She lay thinking back on the times they had spent together, the scenes of her life playing before her like a movie. The first time that she had kissed him, when she thought she was leaving with Zack, but had ended up returning when she found out Logan was sick.

They had saved each other's lives a considerable amount of times. Maybe too many times to count, but each time the debt was repaid ten fold. Not only had Logan, saved her life a few times, but he had also saved the lives of her brothers and sisters. That was a debt that could never be paid back. But she sure would have damn well tried.

A/N: Okay, I know it wasn't a noise from a person you wanted and I know this chapter was boring, I was bored writing it, but in the end it was necessary to the story, if not only to set the scene for the upcoming chapters. But also to cure me of the damnable case of writers block that I seem to have been plagued with recently. But I'm sure lots of reviews can cure me of that real quick, they always give me the encouragement I need to turn out a new chapter. Okay, enough of my babbling please continue to praise me by clicking the little pink button. Now REVIEW!!!!!