Willow, thanks for reading Duck first of all (and I hope you didn't really miss your bus after reading Remnants). Yes, that was the end of Duck. Alec was watching Max because he was curious, he felt connected to her. He ended up in the same city that she was in, he didn't actively seek her out at first, he kind of stumbled across her. Then it was curiosity that made him keep coming back and seeing what she was up to. He was stalking/watching her because he saw Zack with her and he knew that Manticore had been up to something with Zack, so he was watching Max to make sure she stayed safe. I hope I answered your question fully and I really hope you're still reading this story so you know the answer to the other story.

Wow Bob, my little fluffernutter, so insightful with this story. I think your reviews are turning out better than the story.

Chapter Ten

Max made her way into her apartment; it was early still, 9am on a Saturday, so she wasn't surprised to find the apartment completely still. She was surprised however to find full garbage bags littering the living room floor. "What the hell?" She softly asked herself looking around the apartment. She stepped over a few bags making her way to her room, if it was still her room after being dead for almost 9, no wait, 6 weeks. Cindy had known 453 wasn't her though, she had allowed Logan to tell her that much.

"Kendra?" Max asked in shock viewing the blonde passed out almost sideways on her bed, in the middle of what had once been her clean and orderly room, which now had boxes of her things halfway packed up on the floor and Kendra's clothing scattered about.

"Max," her old roommate said not even opening her eyes, "go away. Just because you don't need sleep doesn't mean the rest of don't."

A small smile grew on Max's lips as Kendra's eyes suddenly opened and widened as her words passed through her sleep addled brain, her eyes focused on Max's standing before her, "Hi" she smiled brightly at her friend's reaction.

"Oh god Max"

Max laughed as her friend struggled out of the sheets and fumbled towards her, "You're home, you're okay." She said holding tightly onto her. "You're really okay, they weren't lying."

"Holy shit boo, you really went and did it." Max turned back with Kendra holding onto her to Cindy's calm words a few moments later and smiled gently knowing her friend knew the truth unlike Kendra. "Got some room in there for me?"

Kendra and Max both laughed and opened an arm apiece to allow Original Cindy into their circle.

It was some time later before Max finally asked, "So what happened to Mr. Multiples?"

Original Cindy laughed, "Walter found her with Mr. Six Pack."

"Pablo" Kendra sighed happily.

"I thought you and Walter had this deep connection?" Max smirked.

"And Pablo had the world's most perfect abs and"

Original Cindy cut her off, "Okay, enough info."

"Can we stop hugging yet? My arms are getting kinda tired?" Max asked in a childlike tone.

They all laughed as they separated, "Let me get a look at you girl" Original Cindy said holding Max at arms length. Out of all the comments Max expected the one that came out of Original Cindy's mouth was not one of them, she turned to Kendra, "She's had sex."

A blush kept along Max's cheeks.

"About time." Kendra laughed, "Tell us about it over breakfast."

Max smiled and followed her friends out of the room; she could eat twice this morning.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hey nice digs," Max called out walking into Syl and Krit's place, into the living room where Logan, Syl, Zane, Shea and Jondy were all gathered, she turned to Logan, "how come I got that scheevy dump with Bruno?"

"Because Bruno tried to kill me twice?" Logan replied with raised eyebrows, "put a bullet in my back?"

Max smirked, "Oh right." She looked around the room again, "So where's Krit?"

"Guard duty on Brin" Syl answered standing, "Want something to drink?"

Brin, she'd almost forgotten Brin in all of this "Nah I'm good, I just ate."

"We ate almost four hours ago" Logan said looking down at his watch.

"Couldn't pass up breakfast with my girls now could I?" she smiled, "How's Brin doing?"

It was Shea's turn to answer, her brother with the sandy hair and soft brown eyes, "Lydecker thinks he's making progress."

"Yea," Jondy said with an unbelieving shake of her head, "he swears it's okay for us to leave."

"I'm gonna stick around for awhile," Zane tried to reassure his sister, "You guys need to get home while you still have a job and Shea still has a girlfriend."

"Family emergency isn't working any longer," Shea explained to Max.

"Ah" she said nodding her head and moved across the room into settle into a chair Syl had vacated.

Syl returned to the quiet room a few minutes later, "This place is about as lively as a morgue." She said looking around the room, "Let's bash that Daddy Dearest of ours."

"Please don't use that man and the word Daddy in the same sentence" Jondy's eyes evilly swayed over to her sister, resulting in a few chuckles in the room.

Logan's eyes kept returning to Max as she bs-ed with her sibs, laughing and smiling as normal. He grinned watching her fall forward laughing over a story of Zane's dog, Shep running off with Lydecker's shoe, of course that was after Jondy had rubbed ground meat all over it.

"Real mature," she laughed.

"You're just sad you didn't think of it first," Jondy replied as only a younger sibling could.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Can I stay here for awhile?" She asked Logan later that night in his living room.

He looked up from the file he was looking over as she munched on chips.

When he didn't say anything, she started, "Walter and Kendra didn't work out so…"

"Yea, no." He shook his head, "You know…" He stopped and gathered his thoughts for a brief moment before he rambled anymore, "As long as you want to be here Max, I want you here."

She nodded, instead of speaking, "Feel like driving me over tomorrow to pick up some of my things?"

"Sure."

"Thanks"