Bob: Thanks for giving this story a chance (and everyone else who has started reading this against their better judgements when seeing the title and summary) I hope it has enough fluff and love for you to balance out the angst.
Disclaimer: Okay so me and anything with technology doesn't work. My elliptical is still broken and it's that or insomnia which helps me put the chapters together and now I manage to break my computer. I've fixed most of what I managed to kill, but after hours after trying to fix microsoft works it's still kinda busted, so no grammar/spell check. I ran it through aol and I hoped that worked, hopefully I'll have figured out how to fix this in a few days or have a new program…Yea I'm sorry guys.
Story Setup: Now as for the story please insert your own childlike replacement of words (okay don't know if that made any sense). I could try doing it phonetically (okay hoping that's the right word), but that would just drive me insane (I know this bc I tried) you all have in your mind a child's attempt at grown up words so just insert where Cale speaks.
Chapter 42
The Reason
Max woke up realizing something was off. With her eyes still closed she remembered where she was, asleep on Logan's chest, his deep and steady breaths assuring her they hadn't come in contact during their rest. Her eyes then opened to a pair of barely open soft blue ones, Cale had climbed onto the bed and imitated his mother's actions by resting his head down on Logan, his normal actions forgotten by the unusual scene that had awaited him as he plowed into his father's room.
For a brief moment she stayed watching his eyes, her son's eyes and realized that there was a chance that this would be the last morning she would see them. The perfection of the moment reminding her of the enormity of what she had and how easily it could be taken from her.
"I feel like a pillow." Came Logan's sleep laden voice from above as he looked down at them making sure to keep the situation light because he didn't want it to end.
"You're a very good pillow." She smiled pushing herself up at the happy little family moment they were having, they had a lot of those, even though they weren't your typical family. "Isn't Daddy a good pillow Cale?" She asked lifting her son up, waking him back up fully.
He smiled brightly at her, "Pillow."
"Yea Daddy's a good pillow" she said holding him close as Logan pushed himself up.
"I'm a sweaty pillow, there's a reason I don't sleep like this." he said rubbing the spot where her head had laid for over three hours. The problem was with impermeable cloth was that while it might be impermeable to the virus it was impermeable to air too.
Max laughed and lowered Cale to the bed as she stripped off the jacket as he did the same.
"Ungry" Cale said launching himself into his father's arms.
Alec laughed walking into the door, "I agree with the kid, I'm starving because someone ate my breakfast last night." He gave an accusing look at Max.
"Chips are not breakfast." She said standing.
Both men gave Max a look, more then well aware that she'd had junk food as breakfast many a times.
"Okay well at least not the pitiful amount you had left."
Alec shook his head and walked over to Logan extending the cell, "Krit just called and said they should be here in about an hour."
"Owen?"
"He says it looks like they're headed back to this area."
"Ungry" Cale reminded his father.
"We're going" He said lifting his son up.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Max don't teach him to climb up on the counters." Logan said on a sigh as Max positioned herself and Cale on the counter close to the stove. Cale still in striped blue jammies happily curled into his mother as he drank juice from a sippy cup. He was a clingy sleepy child, always either right before he went to sleep or right after he woke up, he just wanted to be close to them, they had both become quite adept at doing things with only one hand.
"For all we know he could be part monkey, this could be natural for him."
"He's not part monkey and he doesn't need anymore ideas about climbing things, he keeps trying to go over the gate at the top of the stairs."
Max made a face and suddenly found herself wishing for Manticore's 'improvements' to make an appearance, either the agility to not fall or the nine lives they had given her and held her son a little tighter. "So what's the deal with pancakes?" she asked as she watched him finish taking off the first batch and start pouring the second.
He turned and looked at her, "Gonna have to be a little more specific Max."
"Mine never turn out like yours….Yours are all fluffy and…cooked properly." she ended with a pout.
He laughed and turned the spatula in his hand handing off the handle to Max and lifted Cale out of her arms.
"Wait I didn't say I wanted to make them."
"It's the only way to learn Max. Come or they're going to burn."
She frowned as she hopped off the counter and moved in front of the stove.
"You see the bubbles starting to come up?'
"Yea"
"When you see the bubbles come all the way up to the top it means it's time to flip them."
She turned spatula in hand, "You mean all these times I ate black or raw pancakes was because I missed seeing a bubble?"
"You're going to be eating black pancakes again really soon…" he said looking past her to the forgotten pancakes.
She turned and cursed as she started to flip them, "Haha, know-it-all they're still fine."
He shook his head and chuckled quietly as made his way to his coffee cup.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Max smiled across the table to Logan as she heard the doorbell. The last time she had seen her sibs had been over a year ago on that fateful day that had almost taken her from this world. She and Logan both pushed back their chairs from the table having long since finished eating, Alec who had been in the living room beat them to the door.
Krit was the first one in, dressed casually in jeans and a blue tee shirt, some slight facial hair trying to age his baby face, he took one look at Max carrying Cale walking in front of Logan and turned back to Syl, "How long have we been gone?"
"What the…" the blonde hair shook as she tried to understand what the hell he was talking about, but then followed his gaze back to them, her mouth opened until she noticed the gloves still on their hands.
"Logan has a thing about Manticore strays" Max said giving a sweet smile to hide the pain of her sister seeing there was no cure and that pitiful look she had long despised.
Her sister smiled again and rushed forward to envelope Max in a hug, careful not to crush the little person between them, "I'm so glad to see you."
"You too" she said in a weak voice.
"So you trying to be me with the hair?" she said pulling back and touching one of the blonde locks.
"Please don't get her started on the hair." Alec said shaking his head from the doorway. "Well look who we have here" Alec said as his attention turned away from Max and he saw the familiar face out on the porch.
"We brought Brin with us." Syl said responding to Max's confused expression.
She smiled politely at Alec as she made her way to the door and entered the house, "I still don't like you" she said to Max.
"Then why are you here?" Max questioned with attitude hiding the pain of her sister still hating her because of the brainwashing.
"I hate anyone trying to hurt us more."
"Good enough" Max said with a bob of her head.
"You guys hungry?" Logan asked from still behind Max.
"Oh" Krit said on a sigh, "you have no idea"
Max laughed and turned back to Logan, "Why don't you clean Cale up and I'll start on the pancakes, I think I have the bubble to top thing down."
"You sure?" He asked teasingly.
"I think I can manage it" she smiled as she handed their son over.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"OC" Max said opening the door in surprise
"Mornin Sug"
"What are you doing here?" Max said moving to the side to allow her friend in the house.
She raised up a paper bag, "Your hair ain't gonna do us any good if he knows who to look for now."
Just then Max caught a sight of the blonde wave dangling in her line of sight, "I knew that" she said with a tilt of her head. If White got away today he'd have an even better idea of who to come after.
"Mmmhmm" OC murmured through pursed lips.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Now there's the girl we all know and love" Syl said as Max reappeared back downstairs awhile later with her newly temporarily darkened locks.
"I don't know, Max was hot as a blonde." Krit said pondering the difference.
"Krit" Max said with a shake of her head as Logan and Original Cindy laughed.
"Our blonde bombshell will be back tomorrow. I'm gonna get going, it was nice to meet you all. Logan call me if you need any help with Cale."
"Will do." He nodded from behind the computer
"I'll see you tomorrow girl" Original Cindy said taking Max into her arms hoping she was right.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The time had come to go, White's final position nearly nailed down. Max was being forced to take another look at all she had to lose, if she didn't go though she knew she'd lose it anyway. White wasn't the kind of enemy to just walk away, especially since they knew Ray's location, he would be back if they didn't find him first. The others had already headed out to the van bringing out the equipment Alec had picked up at TC the night before while Logan had been trying to get in contact with Max.
"Hey I'm gonna go now" Max said popping down to Cale's level as he played on the floor.
His face turned up and he gave her a bright smile, "Truck" he said lifting it up, too interested in his toy to pay attention to the word 'Go.'
"Yea, that's your truck. I'll be back to play with it soon. You be good for your daddy." She kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair causing giggles and little hands trying to pat it back down.
"You good to go?" Logan asked walking back into the living room.
"Yea" she said standing back up, "All set." she nodded.
"Good" he nodded
She tried to figure out what do as she stared at him, his outfit the same as he had slept in, the jacket having been put back on as he set things up in the van. They both just looked at each other in that awkward moment that could be their last if things didn't go as planned, a fact they were both very aware of, unlike the last time when they had both been so sure she'd come home. "I'll see you tomorrow." she nodded.
He nodded back, he knew he'd talk to her over the phone setting up the final plans, but he wouldn't be near her again until then and it wasn't guaranteed despite her words, "Yea tomorrow."
She smiled, "Gotta go kick some White ass for Josh."
He smiled, "And my apartment."
She laughed and nodded again, "That too, so tomorrow?"
He nodded again, but then put a hand out as she tried to walk past him and pulled her back to him as he'd wished he'd done the last time. He pulled her into her arms, hugged her then whispered "Tomorrow Max."
She pulled back and nodded, "Tomorrow."
She made her way out of the house quickly, reminding herself that everything inside of that house was her reason for going.
Now I must share with you Babyangel's words for what she wants to have happen in the next chapter because I cracked up over it.
"u sure u cant be persuaded to just forget about them moving on... let's just pretend they've tried and they found it too hard...and then the magical cure pops out of ame's ass and they all live happily ever after…"