A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! I appreciate it a lot and it motivates me to write more quickly because so many people are enjoying it. So thanks and plz keep doing it! I'll update after I get 5 reviews.

After doubling back a few times to make sure they weren't being followed, Zack finally led Lucy to the apartment. He opened the door silently and peeked his head in. Then he turned around and put a finger to his lips telling her to be silent. She nodded and they crept in, making sure not to make any noise. Lucy's breath caught in her throat as she saw Max again for the first time in what had been 10 years.

Max was sleeping soundly on the couch with the T.V. on mute, a glass of milk on the coffee table beside her. Her chest rose and fell softly, and her face was warm and rosy from sleep. Her dark curls were scattered around her head like a halo and one of her hands rested on her stomach.

'She's so beautiful,' Lucy thought. 'She looks like a model.' Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Max's protruding stomach. She looked at Zack.

"Is she pregnant?" Lucy asked him.

Zack chuckled. "Well, what else could she be? She sure as hell isn't fat."

Lucy blushed and walked forward. She stood in front of her sister.

"It seems like a dream," she told Zack. "All this time I've always wondered what happened to her. What she was up to. I don't blame her for running away. Our home wasn't exactly a happy place."

"Max told me a little about what happened back there," Zack said softly. "I'm sorry."

Lucy nodded. "That was in the past. I want to start all over again, but so far I haven't had much luck with it."

She became quiet and a silence fell between them.

"It won't be long now," Zack said out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked him.

"She'll wake up when she feels I'm here," he said without elaborating any further.

True to his word, a few moments later Max started to stir.

She moaned and muttered something that sounded like something awfully close to, "Christ, who knew being pregnant made your boobs so sore?"

Zack, hearing what she had said, started to laugh but at her glare he quickly shut up. She was right in the middle of her mood swing stage so she could be kissing him one instant then throwing things at him the next. He didn't want to find out what kind of mood she was in now.

Max, sensing another presence in the room, quickly snapped her head around to see who was there. Her face was one of both shock and delight.

"Lucy?" she whispered. "Is that really you?"

Max stood up slowly, and both stood there silently for a moment, just looking at each other. Then all of a sudden, with tears streaming down their faces, they rushed at each other, embracing the other in a tight hug. They were laughing slightly, just holding each other to make sure it was real. Zack stood there watching them with an amused expression on his face until he heard a small click. He turned around and saw the door open.

Alec peeked his head in, and as soon as he saw the two hugging girls in the middle of the living room, he got a scared look on his face, yelled something that sounded like, "Chick stuff, I'll be back later" and rushed right back out the door.

Zack laughed lightly and finally the sisters separated.

"I can't believe it's you!" Lucy squealed. "I've missed you so much! And look at you, so beautiful with a family on the way! Gosh, I feel like I've missed out on so much!"

"I know," Max said. Her face grew a little more serious. "I'm so sorry about leaving you with that drunken bastard. Lucy, I'm so, so sorry, and I hope that you can forgive me. I did a horrible thing leaving you there."

Lucy shook her head. "No, it's alright. I know you wouldn't have left me there if you didn't have a good reason. Besides, I wanted you to go. To get away from there."

Max smiled at her. "We have so much to talk about. But first, I need to know how you got here in Seattle and I also need to tell you something important."

At the last bit, Max grew worried. 'I know Lucy cares about me, but will she still look at me the same way when I tell her I'm a transgenic? I can't keep it from her, she deserves to know.'

Max looked at Zack, motioning for him to come join them. Zack looked at her with an uneasy smile, and she grinned. She knew he was a little nervous around her right now because of her mood swings. She walked over to him, kissed him, and made him sit on the couch beside her.

Lucy looked at the two of them, and a happy feeling crept over her. She was finally with her sister, and Max was having a happy life with the man she loved, also with a kid on the way. She smiled even more at seeing Max beside Zack. The two looked like they belonged with each other; they were so picture-perfect.

At Max's indication, Lucy started telling her story of how she finally ran away from home, how she ran into White, and how Zack had found her by pure luck. Then it was Max's turn. At each of her revelations, Lucy's eyes grew bigger and bigger. It turned out her sister didn't have such a happy life after all.

"Yeah so, I'm a genetically engineered killing machine, I escaped from a secret government facility, now little black runes are popping up all over my skin, and an NSA agent is chasing me. That sound confusing enough or do you want me to add in all the little gritty details?" Max finished.

All Lucy could get out was a "Whoa." Max watched her anxiously, waiting for her reaction. Lucy didn't say anything for a while, and Max burst into tears. Lucy watched, horrified, as Zack tried to calm her down.

"What did I do?" Lucy asked urgently.

Zack looked at her. "Don't worry. It's not you. It's just the combined stress and pregnancy hormones that are making her a little emotional right now."

"I am not emotional!" Max yelled, and then started crying again. Zack fought hard to hold in a laugh, and kept trying to comfort her.

The door opened again and Alec peeked his head in once more, looking for signs of chick stuff. He caught Max crying and quickly ducked back out, knowing that it was just her hormones and that Zack had it under control. "Can you please call me when all the waterworks have stopped?" he threw over his shoulder.

After a few minutes, Max stopped crying. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I can't help it."

"You're terrifying Alec," Zack told her jokingly. "He already came and left twice."

Max looked at Lucy. "Do you hate me?" she asked quietly.

"No, of course not! Why would I hate you? I'm just a little surprised, that's all," Lucy said. She looked Max straight in the eye. "No matter what you are, or whatever bad things are happening in your life, I'll always be there for you Max. You're my sister, for life."

Max felt tears come to her eyes again, but this time they were of happiness. She forced them back down though, and smiled.

"You're one in a million Luce," Max stated.

Zack saw that things were starting to calm down, so he went out into the hall and brought Alec back in.

Lucy saw him for the first time because before she had been preoccupied with Max, and boy, did she see him. Tall and lean, with hazel-green eyes that seemed to be laughing, dark blonde hair and a roguish smile on his face, her heart started to thump faster.

"Are all Manticorians hot?" Lucy asked breathlessly, not realizing that she was talking out loud. At Alec's grin, she blushed and hid her face.

"It's in the genes," Alec said. "I'm Alec, and you are…?"

"Lucy Griffin," Lucy said.

Alec slung an arm around her shoulder, making Max roll her eyes. "You know Lucy; I think this is going the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Max snorted. "Friendship my ass."

Syl was walking down the street in downtown Philadelphia, picking up some food that she would try to cook later on for dinner. Key word being try. Maybe it was an X5 thing, but even though all of them had a genetically enhanced learning ability, the IQ of a genius, and were able to kill someone with their thumb and index finger, none of them knew how to cook. Every single one of them would either burn the food, make it taste like crap, or light a fire. Probably all three.

Syl chuckled to herself. The only ones in their family who could cook anything half decent were Tinga and Jace. Syl saddened a little remembering her dead sister. Maybe it was a mom thing. Jace and Tinga were moms, so she and Max would probably pick up on it too, right?

Syl held up a cabbage, inspecting it. Thankfully, Philadelphia wasn't hit as badly as Seattle from the Pulse, and things there were a little more edible. She put it in her cart and kept walking, then stopped again to pick up a few peaches. All of a sudden Syl had goosebumps on her arms and legs, and her sixth sense told her something was up. She quickly ducked behind a canned food stall and looked around. She zoomed in on a spot that was about 12 meters in front and to the left of her. She saw a bunch of men wearing military issue uniforms.

Manticore

'Shit,' she thought. She took out her cell phone and hurriedly dialed Krit's number but cursed when she got his answering machine.

"Krit, I need your help. Manticore's got me surrounded. I don't think they've spotted me yet, but I'm hiding behind a canned food stall downtown. I'm going to try to escape, but I don't know if I can make it out of here alone," she said quickly, then disconnected and dialed another number.

"We're going to need back-up," she mumbled to herself as the line connected.

"Zack! It's me, Syl. I need your help."

Thanks to –

jracklesfan77 – Thanks for reviewing! Zacky will get hurt and we'll make him better, promise. LOL

shygirl1 – Thanks for reviewing!

Doza – Thanks for reviewing!

HoneyX5-452 – Thanks for reviewing!

Sorry for taking so long to update guys, I was swamped with homework and projects. For those who like humourous fics, read Sleeping Maxie and Maxerella. They're funny, I promise. I'll update once I have 5 reviews, so don't let me down:) Review please!