Chapter Twenty-Nine

Rub-a-dub-dub

Hazel eyes twinkled and a grin snuck out from the corners of his lips. She didn't know he was there, so he was able to catch her in full form. The blonde hair that Original Cindy enforced on the girl once a month was pulled back into a ponytail, one stray lock having fallen out rested upon her cheek and was continuously being pushed behind her ear. He was pretty sure when she turned, he'd see water stains on the pink ribbed tank and blue jeans.

She was bathing Cale in one of the industrial sized sinks, this had once been a kitchen so it was the perfect place to bathe him with burners only feet away from the sink; it was shame they couldn't fit in the sink. He watched her scoop up a handful of bubbles and blow them at him, Alec's smile grew further as he listened to the baby's giggles. She'd used the baby shampoo to create the bubbles, which he would have thought was a waste if it weren't for the laughter.

He wondered if she had any idea how right this looked, it made no sense, but dammit if didn't look right. He would have never imagined his Maxie as a mom, but she wore the role pretty well, even if she didn't realize it. She always snapped at him when he called her Cale's mom, she was still fighting it. He didn't know what Logan's deal was; he didn't fight it as outright as Max. Still though after almost 4 months, he would have thought Logan would have made the switch…Allowed himself to be called a dad. There was something weird holding them back, he just didn't know what.

He smiled again watching as Max picked up a rubber ducky and bounced it around for the little boy's amusement. He remembered what he told her that day watching one of the new babies, 'That could have been us.' He had to admit the thought of what others had was tempting, all of that family and love…A little bit of him and Max in a person.

He'd thought about it on more than a few occasions. Him and Max. In theory it was great, they didn't fight like they once had, they'd actually managed to become pretty good friends and while he'd always deny it, he loved her. Max was only the second person he'd even cared about in this world, he would always be there for her.

So he'd wondered about it a few times, the majority of their hearts were both with someone else, so it made sense right? Then he thought about it further, remembering how Rachel had looked at him, in her eyes he was the whole world. She'd loved him in a way he hadn't deserved, a way that he'd never deserve, a way that frightened him….Dammit if he didn't want to be loved that way again. It was foolish to want to be someone's whole world, the only thing it guaranteed was pain.

Then he'd watch Max and Logan, the intensity in which they still loved each other. The endless love that didn't change even though they were both sure a cure wasn't coming. He couldn't remember when they'd stop saying 'when the virus is gone,' but they both had. Max had made it more than clear to him on a few occasions that there wasn't a future for her and Logan like that. Yet the love was still there.

There was the other reason behind his saying 'No' to Max when she was in heat, well besides the fear of death the following day. He knew he could fall in love with her further, be in love with her and not just love her. It wasn't just playing second fiddle for the rest of his life, it was the knowing that he'd lose her in a heartbeat if the virus were ever cured.

He thought of Logan and his morals, those might actually make Logan stay back. That guy had such a black and white view of right and wrong sometimes.

"Rubber ducky you're the one, you make bath time lots of fun" Max paused and Alec bit back a laugh over Max's singing. "What the hell are the words? I've listened to Logan sing that how many times?"

"It's Rubber Ducky, I'm awfully fond of you" Max turned as Alec walked up saying the words, he threw in a fake little dance move as he reached them, "Woo woo be do"

Max laughed, completely ignoring the fact that Alec had just heard her attempt at singing, "I think Logan does it better than us. I just like the Rub-a-dub-a-dubby."

Alec laughed, "I just like hearing Logan of all people say that."

Max laughed, "I know, it's great."

"He's a really great dad." Alec said thoughtfully.

"Yea he is" Max nodded.

"Wow" Alec said moving on, not wanting to push Max any farther, he was worried she was heading for a heartbreak unless she came to terms with who she was to Cale, hell who she was to Logan. "That barcode's almost gone."

"I know" Max said smiling as she wiped the washcloth over the back of Cale's neck. Skin cells were replaced quickly and the barcode was barely visible now, it had disappeared like a fading tan.

" Logan it's still there" Max had said as he placed the young boy in her arms.

He laughed, "Max give the cells a chance to slough off."

"Oh" she said making a face, realizing she was an idiot, "I knew that." They'd changed the genetic level, not the surface like a laser.

"We're really almost free" he said running a finger along the boy's wet neck. One more run, one more tampering with the heat sensors on the hover drones and they'd be back out in the real world again.

"Yea" Max nodded and wondered once more, what the hell that meant.

"Duck!" Cale called up.

"Oops, sorry" Max laughed and returned the duck to his view. "How about you sing as I bathe?"