Haha, yes Alec wears PJ bottoms while living in Logan's house. If you want to think of any back stories that would make Logan insist on that, feel free because you know I've got one running through my head now.

Chapter 51

A House Into A Home

Thanksgiving 2021 ( Logan's House):

"You'll burn yourself" Asha said walking up behind Alec as he peered into the open oven and at the turkey as he debated trying to get a piece of skin off of it.

He shot up and let the oven door slam, "What is it with you women?"

"Us women?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

Oh god, he hoped this wasn't going to be another brownie incident, no one would ever forgive him if he got all of the Thanksgiving side dishes dumped on him, "Max just said the same thing to me."

Asha laughed, "That's because Logan caught her doing the same thing not long ago."

He chuckled, "Where'd they disappear to?" He'd heard them go out the front door a few minutes ago.

"Cale was getting a little hyperactive with all the attention," she shook her head thinking of the little tyke running around like a maniac with Joshua. "So they took him for a walk to calm down."

"What is he a dog?" Alec asked making a face.

She smiled gently, "I think Logan wanted to get Max out of the house, she was hovering over Josh."

"He seems to be doing fine." He nodded in the direction of the living room where he heard Joshua's boisterous talk over everyone else's. They'd all been worried about Josh coming back to the old house, but so far so good. "So how are we doing?" he asked with another nod.

She smiled, "You haven't ended up with squash on your head yet have you?"

"That's why the sweet potatoes tasted so funny," he smiled back and took her in his arms; he had no idea where they were going, no idea if they would last. It was kind of nice actually, he had no idea what it was, but it was kinda nice, kinda normal.

"Oh gross" Max walked in some time later and made a disgusted look. "No making out by the food. You have a room."

"Max if you're swiping," Original Cindy said bumping into the back of Max, she too stopping to check out Alec and Asha's embrace. "What the hell, you've got a room upstairs."

"Look just because neither of you are getting any."

Asha disengaged from his arms and stepped back and he looked at her confused, "You thought brownie mix was bad?" She said knowing that pissing off any two females wasn't smart, let alone Max and Original Cindy.

He turned back to see two angry females still glaring at him, "Crap" was all he said.

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

December 19th 2021

"Looks like it's naptime." Original Cindy said walking into the kitchen where Max was doing dishes.

Max looked over confused from the pile of dishes still awaiting her attention. They definitely needed to stop having parties here because the cleanup from 3 in just over a month was starting to get annoying. Thank god Christmas was going to be a TC event.

She tucked back a blonde wave with a wet hand. She was used to the hair by now, she had no choice, it was part of her life for at least a few more months. She'd gone back to Jam Pony despite everyone's protests, White hadn't seemed to have any connection with the Cult in the past few months…It was probably as close to safe as it was ever going to be. She liked her job and she liked her friends, not to mention Logan had taken down all the good tippers at Tony's.

"I thought Logan told you to leave those." Original Cindy said looking over at Max's task.

"He did," she said drying her hands, "I was just trying to help out. Not to mention he cooked."

"That boy man a damn good cake. Is there any left?" she looked around the kitchen.

Max just laughed, when was there ever any leftover dessert? She slid her dry hands into a pair of gloves. "Alec sounds pretty melancholy." She said listening to the music drifting to the walls, "I thought he and Asha were good." The couple had seemed fine, but then again they had only been living together for 5 days, though it did break their previous record.

"I think it's just because the little boo's asleep. Why don't you go and put him to bed, I'll finish up in here."

"You…" Max halfheartedly tried to turn down her friend.

"Yea yea" Original Cindy said waving her away. "Go put the birthday boy down."

"Thanks" Max called over her shoulder as she headed out of the room.

She smirked as she saw Logan on the couch going over some papers with Cale asleep, using his thigh as a pillow, the bundle of balloons still wrapped around his hand.

Logan looked up and gave a slightly guilty smile. It wasn't as if Cale was uncomfortable.

She shook her head before she bent down to unwrap the strings from Cale's tiny hand. He shook his head and grumbled something in his sleep; the balloons floating in the air had been entertaining him on and off all afternoon, he'd occasionally pass them off to others, but would cry every time they floated away from him.

Alec turned for this and chucked softly, "Anyone notice how he likes my gift the best?" Of course, he'd spent half of his day scouring the city for helium and had almost knocked Sketch sideways when he'd inhaled one of the balloons to talk like Donald Duck.

"Where'd you find helium anyway?" Max asked as she held her sleeping son against her chest, the balloons floating above them.

He gave her a smile, "I have my ways."

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

Christmas:

Patience is a virtue.

Slow and steady wins the race.

God she knew all the damn sayings, just living with them was an entire other story. How many times had she and Bling tried to remind Logan of them? Another word overrode those little pearls of wisdom.

Fast

She remembered the look he'd given her as he'd said 'I want to go fast.' And right about now remembering that was making her feel like she was in heat. Heat of the past and not the slight urge that still accompanied that time despite the pills.

Patience.

She tried to remember that word as she watched Logan outstretched on the floor having an in depth conversation with their son over the train that circled the tree. As occasionally he would lose focus on Cale and look up and smile at her before returning back to his conversation about how fast the train could go and what the train could carry…

Patience Max. She ordered herself. She once more pushed her attention back to her and Bling…Of course maybe that would have more of an effect if Logan's legs hadn't been restored to him because of one rash moment. The last time she'd felt his skin upon hers…Had there even been a millisecond she'd been able to enjoy the normality of it?

Come on Max, slow and steady, she pulled herself out of the self-pity mode. The doctor was making progress, sure it's not as quick as you want it to be, but progress is progress.

She'd given up trying not to plan for the future. Not eagerly anticipating the day…That had lasted for about a month, well the intense pushing those thoughts to the side, the little thoughts had managed to slip through from the moment she'd found out there was hope again. Gradually more and more had slipped in and she gave into another one while watching them.

Christmas next year…Cale descending on them in the morning, kisses under the mistletoe, curled up with Logan as Cale opened gifts on his own, no longer needing as much of their help. Sentences that consisted of more than two or three words…

God preschool, Cale would probably be in preschool. It was hard to get your kid into preschool now, only a few public schools offered it and the last thing she was going to allow was Cale to go to some snooty school. Logan would find an opening though, her little boy would be in school half days next year…No she shook her head, that was definitely not happening. He still wore diapers and occasionally still used his bottle and binky, though those were pretty nonexistent. She definitely wasn't sending her son off to school before he turned three. That was just unacceptable and she was pretty sure the school would agree even if Logan didn't. One year of preschool, that would just have to be enough.

The thought of her baby not being her baby anymore would have filled Max with a complete panic except for the fact that it meant that he was growing up and she loved watching him change and grow, she loved how he learned new words everyday, his vocabulary far surpassing Sketchy's at this point.

She liked the baby things though, she liked him curled into her; she missed him falling asleep in her arms as she fed him. A smile passed her lips as she envisioned a cradle tucked in next to the couch this time next year, a small warm body, smaller than she'd ever known Cale's to be resting in her arms…

She let out a silent sigh and the smile fell, she refrained from shaking her head, it was official she was a damn softy.

"Definitely not supposed to be raining on Christmas. White Christmas, not gray." Original Cindy declared walking into the room dressed to go over to Terminal City for the rest of the day.

"You ready to go?" Max asked with a laugh.

"Yea" she replied.

"Wait" she said a few minutes later as they all started to head out the door. "Where are his antlers?" She ducked back into the living room.

"You're not putting those back on." Logan said holding his son closer.

"There are definitely no reindeer in Terminal City for us to offend." Max said supporting OC's cause, not to mention she'd been half of the guilty party who'd found them at the flea market.

"Anyway he likes them" Original Cindy said walking back out holding them, "Don't you boo?" She asked as she put them on him.

"Horns" he smiled as he raised his hand up to touch them.

The girls just both looked at Logan, their case having been proven.

"I'm sorry kid," Logan said softly as he followed the women out of the house, "I tried."

Yea sorry, just a passing time chapter. Next one will actually have a point.