Notes to reviewers:

GingerSnap - How the hell do you not know who New Kids On the Block are? This had seriously just better be a case of you didn't know the initials (that was a laziness move on my part). Have you never seen VH1 I Love the Eighties? Or it might be Nineties…I have no idea…This is pop culture history! Ah they were insanity, there were Barbie dolls for them, there were several lovely weddings on my street when Midge married Jordan. I'm sorry I had to share that when I read you did not know who Joey was…So wrong, so very wrong.

X52-599: I am so anti-new stories…Every time I start reading a story they stop writing it…I can't deal with the letdown anymore. I'll check it out when I see enough chapters have been posted. Thanks for the recommendation though.

Chapter Twenty-Five

A Summer's Day

The Scene: Picnic on the roof. Logan (Cale on his lap), Joshua, Max, Original Cindy circling the food, Alec watching from the door.

Alec Voiceover-

There are moments when I wish I had just left that thing in my head…Then I remember I'm not that good of a guy.

Last week though as Max switched from mauling me to crying before my eyes…I would have willingly given my life to take away that pain.

Seeing her and Logan sometimes…All that love…I wonder if it would be easier if I had never known what that felt like, but I do and I can never escape that. No matter how hard I try.

I asked Logan why he was never angry about the lie and he just looked at me like I was insane… "I love her Alec, it's as simple as that."

I wonder if it really is as simple as that. I mean I'm watching them sit across from each other Logan's trying to teach Cale how to throw popcorn at Max…Of course the wind isn't working with them so it keeps blowing back at them.

Logan's doc did this whole run down with the virus a few weeks back, we now know every different way she can kill him. It's dead in the hair and dies almost instantaneously when it leaves Max. The doc had even said something about being able to kill the virus through heat, I think that was something between Max and Logan though because they just laughed. I know knowing all of that has taken the edge off of Max, she's less psychotic about killing him. She doesn't freak out when their arms brush up against each other anymore, even though clothing is porous. The virus isn't as virulent as we had all worried it was. Of course we're never going to see either of them again in anything but long sleeves, pants and gloves even though summer has started.

(He laughs)

Okay he's moved onto grapes and Max is getting bombarded. Who would have ever thought Logan had such a sense of humor. It used to peak out at times, but I mean that guy was always so serious. She's throwing them back now and Cale is clapping his hands laughing as Logan gets pegged in the head.

"You're wasting food" Original Cindy says with attitude.

Logan and Max both drop their hands like scolded children, grins peaking out of the corners of their mouths.

Cale giggles some more.

"Killjoy" Alec says dropping down between her and Max and tosses a fallen grape up at her face striking her in the nose.

"Haha, killjoy" Joshua laughed across from them.

"I'm surrounded by children." then proceeded to knock Alec in the shoulder. "Seriously wasting fruit people." she shook her head

"He started it." Max pointed a finger at Logan.

"I'm trying to improve his pitching arm." Logan defended

"Two problems with that. He's not even 2 and he's an X-8. I think his arm is good."

Original Cindy laughed at the two fake bickering, "Come to Aunt Cindy Boo." she extended her arms to pluck Cale off Logan's lap. "Crazy ass people" she muttered under her breath right before Max hit her in the temple with a grape. She turned to Max, "Oh that's it, you're going down girl." A handful of Logan's salad went sailing past Alec and landed in Max's lap.

"That had dressing on it." Max said looking down at her now stained jeans.

"Your sandwich" Alec coughed under his breath.

Logan had just snatched Cale off of Cindy's lap when an open half eaten Tuna Fish sandwich connected with Original Cindy's cheek.

Joshua joined in an Alec dogged a handful of carrots.

It took another ten minutes for the food to completely stop flying and another ten after that for the laughter to stop.