A/n: Thanks again for your reviews, guys. I'd apologise for dragging this out further, but there's not really much point, is there.

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Chapter 26: Sleep Talking.

Max finished reading the letter and shuffled the pages neatly, placing them back inside their protective envelope. Her untouched sandwich and now cold coffee still sat on the table, but the X5's normally voracious appetite had abandoned her. She hugged her knees to her chest and allowed the tears to flow unchecked down her cheeks.

Logan's past had been almost as traumatic as her own; she understood completely why he'd never told her about it. That didn't mean she liked him keeping so many secrets from her, just that she would be able to forgive him.

She took the letter out again and reread the first page before flicking back through the sheets. So typical of Logan to write it all in the third person, she thought, with a sad smile. His journalistic training must have kicked in. Or maybe it was just to separate himself from the memories…

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Much later, Max stiffened as her feline senses picked up a muffled sound coming from Logan's room. She quickly wiped her face and rose to check on him.

Logan was moving restlessly in his bed, mumbling to himself. Even in the darkness she could see the sweat that stood on his brow and the pain in his suddenly youthful features.

"No… I'm sorry… please don't… don't leave me alone again… please…"

Max could guess what his words referred to from the letter. The tears began to flow again in sympathy for the tormented man before her. Acting purely on instinct, she went to sit on the bed beside him, laying a hand on his clammy forehead. To her surprise, his eyes snapped open.

"You're going to leave me again, aren't you?" He said, the desperate sadness in his voice so strong it almost broke her heart.

"No, Logan," she told him firmly, stroking his hair. "I'm never going to leave you. I promise."

"You said that before and you still left," he said, not reassured. "I miss you so much…" it was only then Max realised he was still asleep.

"Shh, it's ok," she said. "I'm back and I'm not going away again. Not ever."

"I believe you," he said, softly, allowing his eyes to drift shut again as he relaxed. "I love you, Max."

Max's hand paused on it's path through his hair, ever so briefly, before she replied. "I love you too, Logan."

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Yeah. Fluff. You gotta love it. Review?