Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. Otherwise, since 2005 we'd have new seasons every year.

A/N: This takes places in the moment where Max saw Logan falling with White from the window, in November, considers the air date of "And Jesus brought a casserole" (somewhere in May) as the date of the attack, and then goes to January 2022 a day before the events of Waking up is hard.

That said, thank you very much for keep on reading!

-With the face of the devil-

Chapter 3: Hope

November 15th, 2021

In a moment, everything can change. Max knew that already.

Ever since that May night, when they did believe they could finish with decades of genetical research, she found out that a minimal action – or reaction – could change the curse of the events.

If she hadn't decided to go back to Brin, or if she had moved a second before her X7 clone shot her.

If Logan had ducked. If Lydecker hadn't called him…

He had told her about his meeting with Lydecker, and she couldn't help the need of going after the Colonel and snap his neck. They had realized that was in that meeting when Manticore took a sample of his blood, the origin of the virus that kept them apart. The day they were talking about that topic, Logan tried to calm her, saying that otherwise, they wouldn't have destroyed Manticore.

And that was another 'what if'.

If they hadn't burnt Manticore down, she'd be the only one transgenic out there. No Alec, no Mole, no Dix, no Luke, no Joshua, no Lex. Sometimes, she just wanted to get mad at him for putting that silly idea of 'everything happens the way it's supposed to' on her mind, because he was right. She couldn't place her life without all those people.

But seeing Logan falling with White… She knew he had done it for her.

And the Universe wasn't right on schedule. He wasn't supposed to die. Logan could be older than her, but still, he had a lot more to live for. She wasn't sure if he had written a book – though she could consider his diary like one – or if he had planted a tree, but he didn't have a son, so his life wasn't complete, as she had read many years before on a book.

He could just have called me!

"Don't." Alec and Mole heard her whisper, but her voice weakened enough to make them unable to listen when she added 'I love you.'

She stood still, while both, transgenic and transhuman, ran towards the window, in a desperate, last attempt to save Logan.

They failed. They got there too late.

The sight of Logan, lying on the ground, surrounded by his own, dark red blood, was… sad, to say the least, even for Mole, who had never liked the guy, despite he always provided him of his fine cigars. He had thought that the Ordinary would end up like that, but in an act of cowardly, not of braveness, so he couldn't hide his own sign of respect for him.

He had been a damn hero.

At the same time, Alec's feeling of guiltiness overwhelmed him. Not just the man had been helpful, but had been someone to talk with; in something he'd not admit, a friend. And yet, he had paid him back building an absurd lie around Max and him.

Both Alec and Mole stared at his lifeless body, when Max had finally mustered the courage to walk to the window and see the scenario by herself.

Alec had seen movies where those silly girly girls cried and screamed their lovers name once and again just because they were dead, way worse when they had died for them. That was nothing in comparison to Max. He could see and feel the bunch of thoughts she was having right there and dragged her back inside the building, holding her while tears ran freely down her cheeks, at the same time a man carried White's body into a car.

Slipping through a small opening on the first floor of the Evil Tower, Alec got out of Terminal City, only to approach the body of Logan, who was being surrounded by a group of curious neighbors.

He kneeled next to him.

"Paramedic." He lied to the bunch of people wondering what he was doing.

And then he saw it.

It was almost imperceptible, even to his enhanced senses.

He put his fingers on his neck, trying to find a pulse.

He couldn't help but smile.

Logan was still alive.

January 12th, 2022

Jenny Sullivan walked the long corridor of the hospital to meet with a small woman sitting outside one of the rooms. The woman, wearing a huge blue jacket and covered her newly dyed blond short hair, was like gone, stuck in her own thoughts.

"Hi Max."

Max startled when hearing Jenny's voice, but quickly calmed down, taking off the big sunglasses which were covering her once beautiful brown eyes, now only reflecting all the sadness that lived inside. "Hey." She said.

Jenny was X5-196, about a year older than her and with an extensive experience in the medical field. Although she deeply wanted to help her brothers, she was claustrophobic and couldn't stand the fact of living within the walls of Terminal City. It was Max who asked Logan to get her some papers and a job at Metro Medical, where she could not only do what she did best, but get them some medical supplies.

Before beginning her talk with Max, she removed her facemask and smiled sweetly. "The surgery was a success." She said, hugging the concerned X5. "Apparently, all our super blood has taken effect and has regenerated Logan's tissues." Breaking the hug, and looking at Max's eyes, she added. "But I cannot tell yet whether it will be soon when he gets out of the coma."

Max laughed sadly. "At least he's doin' better. Thanks Jen."

"You're welcome." Jenny squeezed Max's soft hands. "One more thing before I go. From tomorrow I will be on the third floor, so you must be more careful with your visits. Either way, I'll make everything I can to be informed about Logan, and I'll let you know as soon as I know anything." Max yawned. "You should take some rest Max."

Max nodded. "I will, just let me say good night." Max pointed her head towards Logan, who was coming, lying on a stretcher, to his room, still dreaming.

Once both were alone, Max put on her leather gloves, sat next to his bed and, caressing his face, told him what she did every night since the accident.

"If you get through this, I'll never lie to you again. Just, don't die on me." She squeezed his hand.

When she was in the door, she looked back.

"I love you." She whispered before leaving.

TBC