Notes: My guess is that Luna will be staying with the grandparents in Connecticut since Max and Helen will both have their hands full. Maybe Max will be staying with Floyd or Iggy? Floyd is less likely though after he snitched on the resistance, but it's anyone's guess at this point. Also, I have absolutely no idea how Max will actually be able to get rid of Fuentez, so I'm not explicitly stating that in this fic.


London, Hampstead clinic, Helen's office, Friday, 12:50 p.m.

Why isn't he answering his phone? And why is she getting the busy signal? Who else could Max be calling at 6:50 in the morning?

Helen bounces her leg under the table, a nervous tick she started to develop upon leaving Max in New York. Of course, she knew he needed to stay there and put New Amsterdam back to the way it was, but it didn't make the separation any easier. The past six weeks without Max and Luna have been excruciating, especially considering the fact the time difference makes scheduling daily phone calls difficult.

Helen stares at the message she had sent him a few minutes ago.

Helen: Where are you? Are we still on for our chat?

Remnants of their life lay strewn about their flat: Luna's artwork on their fridge; her toys untouched in the living room; Max's laundry he made a mess of as he quickly packed his suitcase for Vijay's funeral; his Brown University hoodie he left on the back of the dining room chair, which Helen occasionally sniffs, losing a bit of Max's scent with each passing day. Their flat is too quiet. Hers and Max's bed feels cold and empty. Max and Luna may have brought chaos into her world, but beautiful chaos that Helen now can't imagine life without.

A few minutes later, Max's typing bubble appears, and Helen grabs her phone, impatiently waiting for a response, only to be frustrated when the bubbles disappear, reappear, then disappear again. The annoyance is assuaged by Max's picture showing up on her phone for a FaceTime call, so Helen quickly swipes to answer it.

"Hi!"

"Hey!" Max looks tired and his hair is a little ruffled from sleep (something Helen thinks is adorable), but his eyes are beaming with excitement.

"Why didn't you answer my call? I've only got ten minutes of my lunch break left."

Max attempts to restrain a smile. "I just got off the phone with Gwen. She and Calvin are dropping off Luna over here this afternoon."

Helen's heart starts racing. Does that mean what she thinks it means? "Oh, is that so?"

"Mm-hmm!" Max pauses for a moment as if to let her stew in anticipation. "Helen, I did it! I defeated the beast! Luna and I are coming home!"

"Oh my god!" Letting out a tearful, excited chuckle, Helen puts her hand to her mouth in disbelief. "How? And who's taking over?"

Max beams at Helen through the screen, unable to contain his joy any longer. "I'll wait to tell you the whole story until I see you in person, but now that Dr. Wilder isn't her brother's guardian anymore, she agreed to take on the role of Medical Director!"

"Max, that's wonderful news! When do you get back?"

"Iggy's taking us to the airport so Luna can use Harper's old car seat. Don't worry, it's not expired yet, she just outgrew it," Max assures her. "Our flight's at 8 tonight, so with any luck, I'll be back in your arms in T-minus 20 hours! Granted you can pick us up tomorrow morning."

"Of course! Just send me your arrival details." Helen lets out a heavy sigh of relief, releasing a weight that she's been holding since she left New York. "I can't wait to see you!"

Max lets out a slight chuckle as his smile turns bittersweet, the tiniest indication of just how hard the separation has been on him. "Me too."


London, Heathrow airport, Saturday, 8:30 a.m.

Helen leans against the side of her car, waiting for Max and Luna to arrive. He texted when they landed twenty minutes ago, so he should be picking up their luggage at this very moment. Nervous excitement courses through her veins!

Helen and Max hadn't fully resolved their fight about her mother, but hearing about Vijay's death, she knew she couldn't leave anything unsaid between them. During the reception after the funeral, Helen had assured Max that, yes, they are a family. Losing me is impossible, she told him later in front of the cab. Of course, Helen meant that in the sense that the distance couldn't break them, but a part of her knew, and still knows, that Max is her forever.

In the distance, Max comes through the glass doors of the airport, tugging Luna's hand alongside him. He scans the cars, mouth breaking into a giant dopey grin as soon as he sees Helen.

Helen strides over to meet him, as fast as she can in heels, clapping her arms around him when he's within reach.

Max drops his duffle bag and releases Luna's hand, enthusiastically lifting Helen off her feet, squeezing her tight as they nuzzle their faces in each other's necks. After a moment, he returns Helen to the ground and pulls her in for a firm kiss. Luna tugs on Max's pant leg and Helen's skirt, wanting to be held and greet Helen herself.

Max pulls back, resting their foreheads together before whispering, "I missed you."

Helen's hands slide down to Max's chest, feeling his racing heartbeat through his shirt. "I missed you too," she hums back. Trying to steady her breath, Helen leans down and picks up Luna. "And I missed you as well, my little munchkin! Did you have a nice time with Grammy and Grampy?"

Luna shrugs her shoulders, then wraps her arms around Helen's neck. "I miss you, Mum!"

"Aww, sweetheart, I know!" Helen cradles the back of Luna's head and glances over at Max.

"They said she wouldn't stop talking about you. This girl loves her mum!" Max brushes some hair behind Helen's ear, then gets a nervous glint in his eyes. "I do too."

Helen grabs Max's hand, kisses his palm, and presses it to her face, leaning into his touch. "I love you." In their time together, Helen hasn't said that nearly as much as she should, too afraid that it would all disappear. But she needs him to know.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Max places a kiss on Helen's forehead before reaching down to grab his luggage. "Okay, let's go home."


Helen drives them all back to their flat. She carries a sleepy Luna inside as Max grabs his duffle bag and the tiny pink toddler backpack. As soon as they enter, Max feels a sense of peace. It's so strange that a place he had only lived in for two months can feel so familiar. Maybe it's because it has all of their stuff, but more likely, it's because that's where Helen is. Wherever she is, that's home.

Luna rubs her eyes, then Helen whispers into her ear, "Luna, sweetheart, how about we get you to bed?"

She shakes her head. Even though she got minimal sleep on the plane, only about half of what she should have for a normal night, Luna isn't ready to leave Helen's arms yet.

"Alright, well, how about I read you a book on the sofa?"

Luna perks up. "'Angeena,' peas?" she asks, meaning Angelina Ballerina, but unable to say her name properly.

"Sure, sweetheart." Helen sets Luna down and grabs the book from the small shelf.

As she reads, Max settles himself in by taking the luggage to their respective rooms, using the restroom, and changing into something a little more comfortable before joining Helen and Luna on the sofa. He drapes his hand around Helen's shoulder, lightly dragging his fingers up and down her arm. Luna's head droops occasionally as she fights sleep, but eventually gives up a few pages in, now resting it against Helen.

Closing the book, Helen places a kiss on Luna's head. "She must have been so tired, precious little thing." Then she looks over at Max. "How are you feeling?"

Max simply shrugs. "Eh. I'm tired, but nothing that can't be solved by some alone time in bed with you… if you know what I mean."

Helen has trouble breathing as she and Max exchange a heated gaze. It's been so long since they've been intimate, the last time being before the disastrous lunch with her mother. "If you're sure you're not too tired."

Glancing down at Helen's lips, Max leans in for a soft, tender kiss, then rests his forehead against hers, brushing their noses together. With all that's happened recently, Max needs to be with Helen again. "Why don't I put Luna in bed and I'll meet you in our room?"

Helen caresses Max's cheek, enjoying the prickly feeling of his beard. "Sounds perfect."


Helen sits at the edge of their bed, feeling uncharacteristically nervous waiting for Max. Sure, they've made love many times already, but this will be the first time with both of them fully accepting what they are to each other: a family. Well, at least on Helen's end; she's pretty sure Max knew it soon after she moved in with him and saw her interacting with Luna, probably even before that.

The door creaks open and Max enters, closing and locking it behind him, wasting no time striding over to Helen.

She stands up to meet him, but instead of kissing her like she expected, Max just pulls Helen in for a tight embrace, burying his face in her neck and letting out the tiniest of trembles.

"Hey," she whispers while running her fingers through his hair. "It's alright, I'm here. You're home now."

"I really missed you," he whispers into her hair. Max pulls back to look at Helen, heaving out a weighty sigh. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you made me stay to fight for New Amsterdam, but being apart from you was unbearable. Even being surrounded by our friends, I just felt really lonely."

Helen's hands rub up and down Max's arms, trying to comfort him. "Do you want to talk about your time there?"

"No! No, I can't think about her right now. I just want to be with you."

Max takes Helen's face in his hands, pulling her in for a kiss. It starts out slow and gentle, then quickly becomes heavy and desperate, both parties realizing just how much they're craving one another. Helen threads her fingers through Max's hair, angling his head to deepen the kiss, needing to taste him, to be close to him after six long weeks apart. Butterflies erupt through both of them as their tongues meet.

Max's hands move down Helen's back, landing on her butt, then lifts her up as she wraps her legs around his waist. He sits them on their bed as Helen straddles him and rocks her hips, sending fire straight to his groin.

"Helen," Max groans against her mouth, then pushes back on her chin with his thumb.

Helen toys with the hair at the base of Max's scalp. "Yes?" she replies in a mixture of impatience and adoration.

Tears prickle Max's eyes as he stares at Helen in disbelief. "I'm just… really happy to be home."

From this point on, Max and Helen take their time removing each other's clothes, trying to savor the experience as if it's their first time all over again. Once down to their undergarments, Max slips his hands around Helen's back to unclasp her bra, backing up enough to let her shrug it off, enjoying the view. After placing teasing kisses from his chest to just below his navel, Helen tugs off Max's boxer briefs, then massages his half-hardened length to get him the rest of the way up. She stands and slips her underwear off, kicking it to the side of the room. The image of Max sitting there, naked and so clearly ready for her, makes her whole body shiver in anticipation as she's frozen in place.

Momentarily robbed of breath, Max shakes his head in awe. "You are… so beautiful!"

Helen gathers enough courage to return to Max, urging him to scoot back on the bed as she hovers over him. Brushing her lips lightly against his, she reaches between them and grabs Max's hardened length. Helen guides him to her entrance, then sinks down, earning a groan from her partner, and begins to roll her hips as their kisses become more urgent. Max's hands wander around her body, squeezing her breasts, her waist, then her butt to pull her against him harder. Sitting up to get closer, Max thrusts upwards as Helen continues to rock her hips. She claws at his back, pulling his chest flush against hers as he begins sucking on her neck. Before long, Max moves one hand in between their conjoined bodies to rub her swollen nub as he takes one of her breasts in his mouth, teasing it with his tongue. Helen arches her back as Max tugs her nipple with his lips. Pressure starts building in Helen's body as Max moves his mouth to her other breast. Barely noticeable to her own ears is the quiet whimpering that escapes Helen's lips as her body begins to quake, crashing into blissful oblivion.


The sound of Helen's heartbeat is so soothing; Max could listen to it for hours. There's no place he'd rather be than right here: laying in bed half under the covers, head on Helen's bare chest, fiddling with some of her braids, and the feeling of her fingers absentmindedly running through his hair. God, he missed her! Max knew he wanted to help New Amsterdam, and he's glad Helen made him stay; it would have always been a big guilty "what if" hanging over him if he didn't. But he wants Helen more, needs her more. Max would have followed her back to London in a heartbeat. Being away from Helen was like only being half-alive, walking through life on autopilot. Max can't fathom being away from her ever again.

"Marry me," he whispers against her chest.

Helen stiffens, stopping her fingers in his hair.

At the lack of response, Max adjusts himself to lay his head on the pillow, facing Helen, taking her hands in his. "Marry me," he states again, more boldly this time.

Trying to read Max's expression, Helen gives him a soft, sympathetic, yet exasperated gaze. "Max, you can't be serious. We've only been living together for a total of three months. And we haven't even seen each other in person for the last six weeks."

"Yeah, but we've been together for over five months, and we've loved each other way before that. Please?" he begs, putting on his best puppy dog eyes.

Helen's heart says yes, but her head is flooding with practical reasons to say no, or at least, not yet. "It's too soon. There are so many relationship conversations we still need to discuss."

"So? Minor details we can figure out," Max shrugs off. He analyzes her hesitant expression, hopefully correctly reading her thought process. "Whenever you're ready, I do want to give you a baby… if that's what you're worried about."

Helen's stomach flips! Deep down, she knew that, but hadn't wanted to assume as much. "Thank you, but it's not just that. We've both been through a lot recently; we shouldn't get engaged right after coming off an emotional roller coaster."

Max squeezes her hands. "Helen, I've known I want to marry you for a long time. If you knew exactly how long, you'd think I'm a psychopath. Or a stalker. Or both."

Giving her head a tiny shake, Helen lets out a small chuckle. "Max, I love you..."

"I love you too."

"No, Max. I really love you, so much that it sometimes scares me."

Max pulls Helen's hand to his heart and stares at her like she's his whole world. "Helen. Me too. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone."

Goosebumps break out all over Helen's arms at the loaded comment. Loves her more than… Georgia? She feels guiltily giddy at the thought.

The silence is killing Max! "Hence the whole 'asking you to marry me' thing, which… I'm still waiting on an answer to."

For months, Helen has known that Max is "the one." Longer, if she's honest with herself. His heartfelt, sincere eyes make it impossible for Helen to give him an outright "no," but she can't bear to say "yes" right now, so she settles on "I love you, but we're not quite there. Not yet."

Disappointment clouds Max's face, but still tinted with hope. "Not yet as in… maybe someday?"

Helen reaches up to run her fingers through Max's hair in comfort. "I mean 'Not yet' as in 'Let's have all those traditional relationship discussions and go on some actual dates, then ask me again in a few months.'"

Accepting that's the closest to a "yes" he's gonna get tonight, Max settles himself back down under the covers and lays his head back on Helen's chest.

Helen squeezes her arms around Max and kisses the top of his head before whispering into his hair, "I'm really glad you're here with me."