With everyone and everything else, the answer was almost always clear cut.
Logan meant questions.
This time basically the stay or go question. Appear to be weak by storming out, which could always just be attributed to her hothead temper. Or appear to be weak by staying and risk showing how much this was hurting her.
She knew what she would normally do, a few harsh comments meant to dig into him and hopefully do some damage and then escape. But that meant waiting. Waiting for picture perfect Beth to be ready, watch as Logan hugged his son goodbye and maybe recieved a kiss from her. She didn't know if she could stay strong through all that. A few minutes she could handle, remarks shot off so fast he'd barely have a chance to respond or at least she'd be too fired up to hear them.
Waiting though.
Waiting weakens you. Allows you to realize just how insignificant you are…Unimportant… Inadequate.
Waiting couldn't happen.
"I'm going. I'm sure you'll page me when something 'applicable' comes up. 'Course I might not be around to hear it," she spun on her heel before he could even blink.
"Max," he called out as she was already halfway down the hall.
It startled her for a quick moment, but she didn't turn. He didn't want her back, he realized he'd just pissed off his resident cat burglar and bodyguard, it wasn't Max, the person/friend, he was calling. That person didn't exist to him and she wouldn't let it hurt.
She refused to let him hurt her again.
ooOoo
He didn't page.
He didn't call.
She started wondering about packing up and heading out. She'd been staying because of him, she wasn't dumb, she knew that. Sure she loved all her peeps, she loved having a tiny bit of honesty about her life that she'd probably never get again.
If she left though she'd be given back her family.
Sure no real x-5 reunions, but the chance to hear their voices again, maybe see them from time to time. The one thing she'd wanted for a full decade and she didn't take it because someone had to keep Logan safe from himself. At least that was the reason she'd mostly convinced herself of over the past two days, every time she'd look down and it was another page from Normal.
Then he paged.
Then he paged again.
Wasn't as if her curiosity hadn't been piqued upon the first page, she wasn't going to go running back though. Second page doubled it and she'd started to think not responding was making her look more affected than she was…Or at least more affected than she wanted to be. So on the third page she called back almost an hour later.
"You paged?" she said curtly upon hearing his greeting.
"Three times in fact," attitude came dripping from his voice as well as if he had any right to be at all annoyed.
"I was busy."
"Great, I'll pass that along to the families that were displaced when the owner had their building firebombed to evict them."
How the hell did he manage to turn this around on her? As if she was supposed to save every innocent person in this city. "Ever try the cops Logan?"
"I did, they got the guy after the fact, got him so good he's dead, can't testify as to who paid him."
"I'm sure you'll figure out another way to link them together, you always do," iciness and attitude dripped from her voice.
"I certainly could if someone could bug his house since he's looking for a new arsonist, but everyone I know that seems to fit the description is too busy."
"Are you trying to guilt me into breaking into this guy's house?"
"All depends, is it working?" his voice held a wisp of being charming that she refused to pay attention to.
"This is supposed to be quid pro quo Logan, yet I seem to be the only one doing the giving."
"Well unfortunately trying to track down a handful of highly trained soldiers who have managed to evade the most elite field of the military for the past decade is a little difficult. So is trying to track down an anonymous woman who was born in the late seventies, early eighties, who stayed in a psychiatric hospital sometime in 2000? Thinking about it again, I can see how you'd think I'd have something to tell you on a regular basis."
He didn't hang up, she knew he was tempted to, he needed her though, he wouldn't let his pride get in the way. After all if he hadn't let something as pesky as his own life get in the way of helping the helpless, he wasn't about to start now with his pride.
She didn't hang up either. She knew the reason for that as well. She wasn't ready for it to be over. Over seven months of this guy being in her life somehow, even if it were just that haunting memory of watching as bullets were plugged into his back. For some reason she wasn't ready for him to just be a memory again, she wouldn't let her mind think of why though.
"Max?" his voice held a trance of tentativeness when she didn't respond as he wondered if she was still there.
"When do you want to do this?" her words were clear and crisp, they wouldn't have betrayed any emotions if they hadn't been tense, a reflection of her steeled spine held as it had once been when Lydecker was commanding her, shielding her weakness from him.
"Stop by around 8? I should have the blueprints by then."
"Fine," she said and hung up before hearing his parting.
ooOoo
"Hey," was the voice that greeted Max as the door swung open and Max was once more greeted with Beth's smile and bright blue eyes.
She smiled in return, "Nice to see you again." No it wasn't. That was a lieIt was even worse now, at least before Beth had looked slightly disheveled, she hadn't been at the top of her game. She was now, not only was she prepared for the other woman's arrival; she wasn't in the process of changing her outfit walking into the apartment this time. She was dressed in a simple black dress, v-neck, cap sleeves, it fell just past her knees, highlighting her delicate features and Max had been informed by many different men that softness was highly regarded by males. If Max hadn't already been aware she was more truck driver than beauty queen she was now.
"Logan and Ben are in the dining room," she was still smiling as she turned pointing a finger down the hall as she started to lead the way.
Max followed refusing to allow her mind to pay attention to just how uncomfortable this was being brought to Logan like an employee.
"Hey," Beth called out as Ben walked into view in the kitchen, face down as his attention was focused on the small screen of his palm sized video game, "I thought your father-"
Ben's eyes didn't even get the chance to flicker up as Logan began to speak before he came into view, "I need to talk to Max, I told him he could play for another half hour."
"Okay," Beth said her voice holding only the barest trace of confusion/interest, clear to all she'd learned not to ask some time ago. "Hey, at least go sit down," she said running a hand over the back of her son's curls, "I don't want you walking into any walls." He started to walk away and Beth caught on to the back of his navy blue tee shirt which matched his plaid pajama bottoms, "Hit pause and say hello to Miss-" she looked up and over at Max.
"Max is good," she nodded. "Hi Ben," she said catching the green/blue eyes rolling upward once the game was paused.
"Hi Max," he said before looking up at his mom before shifting back to his dad to save him.
"Living room," Logan said, "bed in half an hour."
The kid frowned, but moved to do as his father said.
"Hello," Beth said with wide eyes, "can I get a goodbye?"
The game lowered to his side and a slight sigh released, "Bye Mom," he said with a nod.
She laughed and ducked down to his level, "Bye sweetie," she said tucking back his hair, "be good for your dad, I don't want to hear any stories tomorrow about you giving him a hard time about bed."
"I won't," he looked up at her once more woefully.
"Go play your game," she laughed.
Max smiled as Ben quickly turned disappearing towards the living room not willing to jeopardize anymore of his game time for the adults.
Beth just sighed and shook her head as she smiled, "I'll be home in a few hours, call my cell if you need me." She turned to Max, "Nice meeting you again."
"Likewise," Max smiled, all this time fake smiling for tips was really starting to pay off.
ooOoo
"Anything to eat, drink?" Logan asked a few seconds later as Beth's footsteps disappeared down the hall.
She shook her head now, "I've got plans for tonight so I'd really just like to get this over with."
"Everything's by the computer," he said with a nod in that direction.
ooOoo
She pushed open his front door just over an hour after she'd left. He'd asked her to just come in since before she'd done something completely out of the norm and rang the doorbell in deference to the fact he was no longer the sole occupant of this apartment. No doorbell now though since there should be a sleeping kid if Logan had stuck to the rules.
The kid seemed to be quiet though like his father, so she wasn't sure if he wasn't still just tucked into the corner of the couch also like his father captivated by technology.
Her head poked into Logan's office first expecting to see him as always doing something to help the helpless. He wasn't. She passed through it and into the vacant living room before turning to go to the small room she knew to be Ben's.
Logan was stopped at the corner of the bed as if he'd been leaving the room, but had to turn back for one final look at the sleeping boy, who in sleep really did resemble that angel Max had suspected him of being at first. He was curled up at the edge of the bed, sleeping on his side, Max was assuming the stack of books on his nightstand was his reason for the position and like Omar he'd done everything in his power to stay awake until the last possible second.
She watched Logan a few seconds longer, safely knowing he didn't realize she was there. She'd easily skipped over his security system and the drapes were shut preventing him from being alerted to her presence. She watched him leaning forward watching his son before turning return to his office and drop off the tools and blueprints he'd given her.
Once more life with Logan meant dealing entirely in the gray and she had no idea how to live that way.
AN: One more part and then this is done I swear. Thanks for reading guys.
Babyangel: Hmm E&O more of a love/hate thing, I hate having to make decisions and that story makes me have to make decisions.
Kyre: Snooze time? You gave up snooze time? I can't figure out if that's a really big compliment or you're just really insane…I mean snooze time…god those few minutes are amazing.
Idlehands: Haha no studying of children aside from the normal staring and wondering why their parent isn't watching them while I'm on line somewhere. All kids in these stories are generally based upon me (or my best friend's kid, whom I'm told entertaining stories of). Mostly me though since my mother's nicknames for me were Tornado and Lion. Hell Brittany is basically me in HS, spoiled, completely positive the world revolves around them, stubborn to the hilt, then again that may be a good way to describe all teenagers. :-D