Chapter 41

Under the Surface

Max Voiceover (her room, getting dressed):

He went and did it. Last night Logan kissed the trampy ass waitress.

(she shakes her head)

I'm overreacting, she's sweet and kind, exactly the type of girl I want for Logan. Still even given the givens, if given the opportunity I'd fill her conditioner bottle with hair remover.

Damn the bleach has finally started to go to my brain and I'm thinking like a girl, normally I'd just want to get in one…okay a few good punches. One nice blow to her…

"Max" Original Cindy's voice calls out from the living room, " Logan's here"

Max shakes her head trying to clear her head and turns to the bed, "Hey Cale, Daddy's here." Max says crawling across the bed to her son who was entertaining himself bashing her brush against his toys making his own type of music.

The word Daddy grabs his attention, "Dada" the brush falls down though still tight in his little hand as he looks at her.

"Yea Daddy" she says scooping him into her arms and grabbing the black and white cat that he occasionally needed to sleep with and was the only thing they really transferred between the homes besides from Cale. Of course the cat was only called "Cat," Logan and Max having proven they sucked at naming things; luckily for Cale, he had his Auntie Cyn as a more permanent fixture in his life now to get his creative juices flowing.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She opened her door with Cale resting on her hip, cat in hand and she studied Logan as he and Original Cindy turned to watch her emerge from her room. Light blue fitted shirt, black pants, his hair was back to spikes instead of his almost product free short hair of the summer, light scruff on his face, very Logan of the past ignoring the gloves and he didn't look guilty at all. She smiled brightly to hide her anger, why she was angry she wasn't really sure, but she was.

"Nice outfit" Logan kept a straight face as his eyes rolled over her.

She looked down and saw a black sandal on one foot, a brown sandal the other, then gold hot pants, topped off by a hot pink tank and inwardly cursed and tried to play it off, "You and OC were the ones who wanted me to have a new look."

He gave a short laugh walking over to take Cale out of her arms, "Well you succeeded."

"Yea only the fashion police will be after ya." Original Cindy said shaking her head, "Keep the shorts though…I love those."

Logan pried loose the brush in his son's hand, "Am I taking this with me?" he asked raising it up.

Max snatched it out of his hand a little too quickly, a side effect of the anger and shook her head, "He's in a banging mood today."

Logan made a face and then lifted the boy up to his face, "Good thing it's almost your bedtime. So where are you guys going?"

"Entropy" Max said naming one of the least disgusting clubs in the city, it hadn't been new in years, but it was still a decently popular place.

Logan made a slight face and asked with a slightly confused expression, "The place with the cages?"

"You know the club?" Max made a face.

"I know the guy who owns it, I went there a few times when it first opened."

"You went to a club?" Max asked.

"Not exactly my favorite place to hang out, but yea I did." he said with a few nods before ending with a slight chuckle over her inability to believe he'd ever been in a club.

Max shook her head, trying to get over her thoughts of Logan in a club, "What time are you bringing Cale by tomorrow?"

Logan's turn to make a face, "Aren't we having lunch?"

"Oh god that's right. 12:30 your house." she said repeating the plans they had made earlier in the week.

He nodded before saying, "I should get going, I left Alec in the kitchen."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Max wet her face and hair in the bathroom at the club, washing away the sweat and the grime of being there for three hours.

"So what was wrong with the last one?" Original Cindy asked propping herself up against the counter.

"Will you stop trying to pimp me out." Max said walking over and snagging off a piece of paper towel and drying her face.

"You need to trust Original Cindy on this one boo. You need to just get back out there."

"And you want me to get back out there with some…" she looked at the door and groaned, "ughh…" before allowing her entire body to shake.

"Max, I'm not telling you that you have to go marry one of them. Just go kiss someone, you need to get over that first step."

Max grew more serious and looked away from Cindy's gaze, "I kissed Alec when I was in heat." Logan had stopped being her last kiss months ago.

"You kissed Alec?" Original Cindy made a face, "You never told me that."

"Yea not exactly the type of thing I'm proud of…So can I just go home now?" She turned around slowly with pleading eyes.

"You ain't havin fun?" Cindy looked hurt.

"I am" Max was partially telling the truth, she still loved being out with her girl, she still loved just dancing and chilling for hours, but the reason she normally loved it wasn't happening today. Normally all of her thoughts and worries disappeared, but not today.

"He kissed her Max. He kissed her and he'll probably take her on a date one of these days. He's doing it because he knows you two need to move on."

"Was that supposed to inspire me to go out there and bang the guy with the turquoise eyes you've been shovin at me all night?" Max said rolling her eyes and stifling a laugh.

"His name is John, he's cute and funny for a guy, not to mention he has a real job."

Max sighed, shook her head and pushed open the door leaving Original Cindy to follow her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She saw him before he saw her, she saw his profile as he made his way through the crowds of people. He'd come to stop her, he knew why OC had dragged her out and he'd come to tell her he'd changed his mind that he didn't want to move on…Her heart soared, a grin spread across her face forgetting that it was insane….Then he turned, his eyes connected with hers.

The grin fell as he walked towards her, the expression on his face wasn't one she was used to seeing anymore. He was angry, pissed, it made her think of their fights that first year, it was a very Eyes Only look and not Logan Cale.

"Oooh Boo, what did you do?" Original Cindy asked having stopped dancing to figure out what had distracted Max.

"No idea, but I think it's bad."

"Where the hell is your cell phone?" Logan said approaching them.

Max was too shocked to speak for a moment.

"Oooh, uh…" Original Cindy opened her bag and lifted up Max's phone.

Logan's eyes bored into the phone and then gave a piercing look at Max without saying anything else.

"You got nine missed calls Sug." Original Cindy offered a weak smile as she handed over the phone.

"We need to go. I'll explain in the car." Logan turned straight into another man.

"Hey Logan, man it is you. I saw you from above." The dark haired man dressed in loud club wear said just before he gave Logan a brief hug.

"Vince" Logan smiled, trying to control his anger and lack of patience. "We're in a rush, we've got to go."

" Logan man I haven't seen you in what 3 years? And you're just taking off?"

"Sorry family emergency." he went to place a hand on Max's back to lead her out of there, but held it back as he realized the shirt was wet. "Come on, let's go." He said as he forced himself to give a parting smile to his old friend.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Isabelle's dead" Logan said once they all slid into the car and the doors shut.

Max turned in the front seat to face him, her mouth slightly agape.

"White found her, took Connor with him."

"Owen?" Max asked after the 14 year old X-6 that had gone with Isabelle and her son part for protection, part to start a new life as her son.

"He's following White that's how I found out, they're going to put Connor through the initiation" Logan said stonily as he drove.

"But…" They'd run the tests, they knew Connor wouldn't survive.

"I know, Krit and Syl should be here in a few hours." He nodded as he drove.

Max leaned her head back against the seat, it had been decided that the next time they had a clear shot at White her sibs would come in because as Lydecker had said the ones that had escaped were the best of the best. She was going to war again…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"This isn't your fault Logan." She said as she propped herself up against his desk, now dressed all in black since they'd stopped at her place to drop of Original Cindy and get new clothing. She'd grabbed a shower at his place, after going over the intel they already had with Logan and Alec.

His fingers froze on the keyboard and he didn't look up, "I let them down Max."

"She knew what she was getting into."

Logan's attention returned back to the computer without responding and Max decided against pushing him. She made her way out of the room and to the kitchen, since that was the only thing left to provide entertainment since Alec had decided to crash before Krit and Syl arrived.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She was munching on chips, which she guessed were Alec's contribution to the kitchen and reading the paper as she heard Logan make his way out of the living room and up the stairs, his shower started running a few minutes later. It confused her for a brief moment until she realized that he probably just wanted to be alone to think and he knew the shower was the only place she wouldn't disturb him.

He was right, she waited until she heard the shower turn off and gave him a few minutes to get dressed before she headed up the stairs pausing only to check on their sleeping son. She knocked softly before entering the room. He was fully dressed in a pair of windbreakers and a white shirt as he toweled off any remaining moisture in his hair.

"You aren't Superman Logan, you can't save the world."

"I'm aware of that Max." he replied with attitude tossing the towel onto a chair as he picked up his glasses.

"We're gonna get Connor back." she added knowing that the woman had put her life on the line not to help them, but try to save her remaining son.

Logan closed his eyes; the guilt that he had been experiencing over his failure to keep her safe had only been masking the deeper fear, the one where she wouldn't come home again. He'd had plenty of reason to worry about her over the past year, but normally everything was instantaneous in happening, he was too busy reacting to allow his fear to fully take hold. Right now though, all he could do was think and wait. "We're sending you in blind Max."

Worry passed over her face that she couldn't hide, she pushed it to the side, just like she had been doing since Logan told her what had happened. She had gone up against White and his cronies before and she had beaten them or at least held them off, it made sense to think this time would be no different. She'd lost it all before though, she knew how easily things could go wrong. The thought of never seeing Logan and Cale again… "I'll be fine. Aren't I always?"

He looked at her and shook his head. No she wasn't and that was the problem. "You know you should get some rest, I know," he shook his head, "you don't need it, but who knows how long it'll be before you can sleep again."

She looked at Logan and knew when she came back she'd find him in the same clothes and he'd be ready to drop. "I think you need sleep more than I do."

"I'll sleep when you guys are on the road." he lied.

She decided to ignore calling him on the lie and instead looked at his alarm clock, "Cale's gonna be up in 3 hours. You aren't sleeping for at least another 17 hours if you don't go to sleep now."

"Fine Max" he said lifting up his phone, "I'll go sleep on the couch until everyone comes if you promise to get some rest."

She was left staring at his back as he started to almost storm out of the room, his hand was on the door when she softly called out, "I'm gonna come back Logan."

His hand froze as did the rest of him.

"White isn't winning this. I'm gonna be back."

He turned and laughed softly, "You'd think I'd be better at this after two years." He had been better in the past, before he'd lost her, before she'd been shot twice, before she'd barely escaped situations with her life, which once more brought him back to the time she didn't.

The pain that had started to creep though his eyes killed Max, she hated being the reason he hurt. Though she also knew that if the situations were reversed he'd go in a heartbeat, this is what they had to do. Right now though, all she wanted to do was hug him, hold onto him for dear life. She spied his jacket in the corner, the waterproof one.

His gaze followed her movements at first confused until she started to slip on the jacket, he was by her side as she zipped it up and pulled the hood up. He took her in his arms and she kept her face to the side instead of burying it into him like she wanted; she settled for resting it against him, keeping her head turned to avoid his neck. After holding her for awhile he laughed softly, "I should probably be the one wearing the jacket."

"Yea" she said with her head still pressed to the side, "This is kinda awkward."

He laughed again and pulled back and kissed the top of the hood, "Get some rest."

"Are you going to?"

"I'll be fine Max don't worry."

His hand was once more on the door as he was smacked in the head by flying clothing, pulling it off of his shoulder, he realized it was another jacket, she'd gone into his closet and grabbed another one.

"Just stay Logan." she said without much expression, she'd always regretted not kissing him goodbye, she'd always regret that…

He slid into the jacket, he was virus impenetrable everywhere now besides from his face and turned the handle of the door so their son could easily push in the room when he awoke.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Alec made his way down the hall, unable to sleep more than a few hours tonight and realized the house was eerily still. He pushed open Logan's slightly open door to find them asleep, both dressed for bad weather or for killer viruses with jackets zipped and hoods up. Max was pressed into Logan's side with his arm holding her tight, her head restig low on his chest and her hand clutching his jacket as Cale did making sure he stayed close.

Alec smiled softly and shook his head as he made his way into the room and lifted Logan's cell off the nightstand before making his way back out of the room and returning the door to its previous position.