Chapter 6

"Girl what's on your mind so hard? You've been so serious since we left little boo this morning." OC pointed out as they left Jam Pony together.

"I have to make a choice; get to know Ava and give her the best life I can considering how broken the world already is and also pretty much piss Logan off? Or just leave things the way they are?" Max wasn't fond of her choices but at least for the time being they were they only ones she had.

"Follow your heart boo, you wanna be the best mama for that girl. Do what you gotta do, Logan will understand."

IIII

After work Alec and Ava worked on dinner while Shane went out. Ava climbed on one of the chairs as she asked, "Will Max come back today?"

"I don't know Peach, we have to wait and see."

"Oh."

Alec turned away from the counter and saw her frown before she covered it up when she met his face. "You know they'll be times you want her here but she can't be but she wants to be. There's a lot going on." He tried to explain.

IIII

Max walked into Logan's and realized for the first time in a very long time she was nervous. "Hey you." she took that moment to look around, a lot of things were missing. Alec really cleaned him out.

"Hey stranger. I've been trying to reach you all day."

"Battery must've died on my pager." She lied, the truth was she had no idea what to say and decided it was best to just avoid him until she came to a realization. "We need to talk, it's important."

Logan turned away from his computer and put his focus on her. "What is it?"

Max sighed, she wasn't sure there was a right way to explain yesterday. "You know that guy I asked you to look into, Alec?"

Logan nodded, he guessed it wasn't going to be pleasant whatever she needed to tell him. "Yeah?"

"It turns out I was right; he is from Manticore, X-5 like me. But there's a lot more to it then that, he has a little girl. She was created by Manticore using the most perfect compatible strains of DNA they had. She's been with him since the fire but even before that he made plans to escape with her." Knowing the risks he was willing to take for Ava changed Max's point of view on him. He wasn't just some selfish playboy.

Logan's mind began to piece her words together. "What does that have to do with you Max?"

She met his eyes and wished she could avoid hurting him but there was no changing the truth. "She's mine too; she was created from the both of us. I didn't find out until yesterday, by mistake she was getting ready to fight with some kid." Max smiled, she realized Ava had a short tempter as well.

"Was he ever going to tell you?"

"He was waiting for the right time to make sure I wouldn't be bad for her. He worries a lot, she's a special girl." Max held no anger or resentment toward Alec for not telling her sooner. If the positions were reversed she would've done the same thing.

"All this time he didn't say anything, I don't think you should trust him."

"It's not about him, it's about Ava; she's my daughter. It's not the way I imagined having children, if ever with all the risks and danger but she's here and I'm going to be involved in her life."

IIII

Alec sat on the sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table. He mindlessly used the remote to flip though the channels. He was bored and that was dangerous for him because memories he fought so hard to control would resurface. He ran his hand though his hair and sighed. With the recent events he kept remembering when he found Ava's file, how he wanted to kill Renfro with his bare hands.

A soft knock on the door pulled him away from the memory. He turned off the TV and rose to open the door, to find Max on the other side. "Ava's asleep." He said rather then some sarcastic welcome he had in mind.

"I know but I want to be here when she wakes up."

"Does that mean---"

"I'm moving in."

-

Isabelle A.