Chapter Thirty Five

Times of Peace

Max Voiceover (Early Evening-TC rooftop):

The peace has returned. The acceptance of what Logan and I are. It's not a horrible thing to accept, the fact that we're almost exactly the family I had dreamed we could become in Manticore. We just kinda missed one of the really fun steps.

Various people are packing up now, the talks aren't totally concluded, they probably never will be, but with the sensors gone it's safe for us to leave. Some are staying here forever, the government and Seattle have conceded that we might as well have this land since no one else will be able to use it for decades, not to mention they like having us sectioned off. Many are just staying here for the time being, trying to figure out what step they should take next. Others are venturing out past Seattle where it's safer to settle, a few are going back to their old haunts here. People like me and Alec.

Asha's been crashing at Alec's for months and for the moment they've decided to coexist, though Alec swears that's not happening for long and he's not enough of a gentleman to find a new place. Who knows maybe she'll finally give it up to him, especially since she knows she's not getting it from Logan.

Logan

Don't really know what to think about him anymore…Maybe it's because I think too much about him. Love of my life, who I don't get to be with. My best friend, though I'd never admit that to anyone, for the single fact it would break my girl's heart. Father of my son, after two weeks that still sounds weird, yet so incredibly right. Still unsure of how exactly that happened, how we went from barely speaking to each other to raising a little boy together in a matter of months.

Logan Cale, the only guy who would find out my birthday even though I was dead. They threw a party at Crash so everyone from Jam Pony could go, though Logan made sure I had birthday cake with Joshua when we got back to Terminal City.

He was smiling at her, knowing like Alec and the other transgenics that were there that it had taken everything in her power to not get into a fighting stance when screams of 'surprise' hit her as she walked down the stairs with Original Cindy. He'd waited for the hugs to stop, just standing back watching her hate being the center of attention, until he started walking towards her, a hand hidden behind his back.

He saw her eyes focused on his missing hand "It's not a new carburetor, so don't get your hopes up that much."

She fake pouted, "Darn it." Then smiled "Jewelry?" She kept smiling, she liked this trip down memory lane.

He smiled even brighter "Kind of" then he pulled out this totally adorably cheesy silver cardboard tiara with hot pink tinsel as trim and Happy Birthday written across it in matching script. He put it on her and smiled at the sight she was creating, knowing she'd groan looking at the pictures later.

"Oh my god, I loved those things when I was little" Cindy exclained walking up to them

Max put a hand on her head, "You guys just like making me look like an idiot."

"Damn Logan she found out our secret. Your hair ain't changin anytime soon, so get over it boo."

That tiara rests in a box in my room, all packed and ready to be go. He did give me jewelry that day, tucked into the box of every single bath product he could find in the city, knowing that I hadn't had a real soak in the entire time we'd been here and that was the first place I was heading once I was out of here. His mother's locket was tucked inside with a picture of Cale in it, the words 'Be careful' etched into the back. I added another picture to the other side, one of Logan and Cale to remind myself of every reason there was to be careful. I never had so much to lose.

I start a new job tomorrow night, I'm a waitress. I've done the job before on a few occasions, I've had quite a few jobs in my time. It's not for long, just until we figure out where we stand with the Familiars, figure out what the hell exactly this shroud of death is. It's something to do with the snake bite, we think, since most people would die from it, but we aren't positive . We also don't know if this going to be a natural occurrence or something they're planning, which is kinda worrisome since I'm supposed to be the one stopping it.

The world just seems so in order at the moment, the chaos that has been our lives for a year has faded for the moment.

-o-o-o-

The door opens, "Max," Logan's voice calls out.

"Mama" Cale holds out his arms, he'd picked up the new words in a matter of days.

Logan went to go hand an almost asleep Cale into Alec's arms as he and Max were going to check on something, but the little hands held tighter on the blue shirt, "Dada" he cried instead of his usual "Lo" as Alec's hands tried to clasp the little body away from Logan. Cale had found yet another successful way of wrapping his father around his finger.

"Hey, you guys get my stuff all loaded?" Smiling she meets Logan halfway and takes their son into her arms.

"You really were hiding" he asks slightly surprised

"Knew you men had it taken care of." she grins, "Did you help your daddy?" she kisses the top of Cale's head.

"If by help you mean lighten our load, yea he did."

Max grimaces and tries to think of what could be broken.

Logan suplies the answer, "The picture frame Cindy gave you."

Max pouts thinking of the purple frame she'd been given shortly after moving into Terminal City so she wouldn't forget Original Cindy…As if anyone could ever forget her. "Good thing I'm moving back in with the original instead of the imitation."

"Just make sure when she notices it missing you tell her it wasn't me."

Max smiles, "I'll just tell her it was Alec." Her eyes twinkle as Logan shakes his head, "What, we don't have a tv in our place, I need the entertainment."

"You ready to go?" He gestures back to the door with his head.

"I guess so"

He smiles and holds out his hand.

She transfers Cale entirely over to her hip, freeing her other hand to take Logan's and heads back out into the real world.