Answers:

The blood: Tests were run; 3-5 times Joshua's blood would cure Logan. Part of that was discussed in the chapter, "A Summer's Day," more of it was mentioned in other chapters though (the one with the sewers). That's also when it was discussed that the virus was not as virulent as Max feared, which is why they are in much closer contact now. They have not used any jet out of jail free cards yet, though they were repeatedly tempted too right after finding out.

Cale is 2 years, two months. Of course, that's only his approximate age.

And the story isn't over. You would think after 165 pages it would be, and almost 20 chapters what I expected it would be, but it's not.

Thanks for reading guys! Oh and yea decided to skip the angst, anyone wants angst from them sleeping together go back and reread 'A Single Night,' figured I had enough in there for all the stories.

Chapter 64

Skin a Cow?

Max and Logan's Third Anniversary

Max Voiceover-

Three full years.

Haven't really figured out if that seems too long or too short yet. My past before Logan is a haze, what was so important about it for me to remember? I kept everyone at arm's length, pretending to be close instead of actually being close. I didn't even realize the difference for so long.

Three years though.

It's a completely different scene, sure there's me and him and a child in a bed. That's child's ours though. We aren't strangers anymore.

He's cutting the zucchini and doesn't realize I'm watching him as he absentmindedly scratches his leg with his foot, which is always a funny sight in and of itself. But the amusement isn't alone, guilt still passes through me as I remember looking up and seeing him on the tv…

Weird thing guilt, it lingers…

Ignores the fact that he didn't blame me (angry maybe, but it was never blame); I think he realized pretty quick into our relationship if I could go back and save him from being hurt, I would have. The guilt also ignores the fact that he's fine that we'd been given back our Manticore miracle, all guilt focuses on is how I let him down.

-o-o-o-

Max finishes walking into the room, thrusting herself into the scene instead of observing it. "Need any help?" she asks with a smile.

He looks up and grins, melting away all of the cold thoughts, "Carrots by the sink? How many books did he talk you into?"

She laughs and sheepishly answers, "Only three."

"You know kids fall and hurt themselves."

Her mind knew that, her heart though…Well it was focused on the fact that she wasn't a normal mommy, she was a genetically enhanced mommy, she should have been able to prevent her son skinning his hands and knees as he tripped while running around Terminal City. Of course then her brain popped back into it and asked her why her son was running around the toxic dump, which she knew wasn't safe even though they'd done their best to clean up all of the debris that had accumulated with years of neglect.

Her heart and mind once more in accord she looked up at Logan and wondered what kind of monster wouldn't feel guilty after seeing their son's tear streaked face and loud cries. Of course, he'd only come onto the scene once their son's sobs had settled into smaller hiccupping cries. The guilt in her heart had doubled as their son had gone so willingly into his father's arms and out of hers. Then tripled as their son had cried for her as Logan cleaned his wounds increasing the pain that had just started to abate. By the time he was done and Cale was back in her arms, Max knew it was official she was the world's worst mother despite the fact that ten minutes later he was once more running around. God damn guilt.

"He's fine Max" Logan once more reassured.

"Did you see his face?" she asked looking up briefly before returning her gaze to the carrots before her.

He looked at her and shook his head slightly, he'd been the one to clean the gravel and dirt out of his son's wounds, he listened to him scream and hate him the entire time. He'd never felt like such a bastard in his entire life, which was saying a lot.

He continued to look over, the vegetables in front of him forgotten as he took in the dark curls falling in front of her face. Her face, worried, guilt-ridden, filled with love, just like her eyes... Three years ago, her expression had been cold, sarcastic, there was a wall up ten miles thick. She'd grown more beautiful than he could have ever imagined in these past three years. He remembered looking in the mirror with her, that image paled to the one before him now.

Her elbow and arm scratching the side of her ribs snapped him back into attention, "Are they itching you?" He asked, the ruins had come back. Of course, they'd come back after they'd figured it all out, her stomach and back covered with the solution to save humanity, the solution they'd come up with months earlier. He didn't know why it was timed like that, what Sandeman had been thinking or even if Sandeman had known about the gap in time between the original ones appearing and the second round that had appeared a week before…

She stood before him hesitantly still fully dressed in jeans and a blue top wondering exactly how they were supposed to do this. Not long ago they had been lovers, he knew every inch of her body…Some might say that would make things easier, they knew for a fact it didn't.

"You know if you want I can give you the camera and Original Cindy—"

"No" she shook her head, she was being ridiculous, "might as well just get this over with. I can't even imagine what else this guy's gonna tell us." Her fingers lingered over the bottom hem of the shirt before she pulled it up in one quick move.

They were frozen looking across the few feet that separated them as she was standing before him in a black bra. He smiled uncomfortably as he went to grab the camera from his desk.

He'd bent down to take the photographs of the ruins covering her ribs and stomach before moving around to her back. Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt his fingers over the clasp of her bra that she ordered away.

She looked up confused before she looked down and realized what she was doing, she shook her head, the ruins had halfway faded and didn't bother her physically in the least, mentally yes, but not physically.

"You give any more thought to what Alec suggested?" He asked moving the cutting board next to the stove.

She gave him a look.

"Max, it's not the worst idea in the world." Now that they knew the actual date for when the comet was passing and when they could possibly have a whole bunch of pissed off Familiars after them quitting her job once more made sense at least for a while. She'd flipped out over that, just like them suggesting her hair be returned to its previous color. She was sick of running from those psychos, she wasn't doing it anymore. She continued to glare, "Guessing that's a no," he said as he turned on the stove.

She gave a slight nod of her head and hoped she wasn't being stupid along with being stubborn.

-o-o-o-

She laughed hearing Logan on the phone with Alec trying to explain exactly what sautéed onions looked like. She felt his pain; recipes were a challenge even for them. Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, things like that were easy…Medium heat for five minutes, a breeze. Sauté though….there were dozens of terms and instructions that the only way you'd know what you were doing was if you'd done it before.

They'd been done with dinner for awhile still just sitting at the table talking about nothing in particular as the phone had rung and Alec's late night dinner for Asha was hanging on the line. She was walking around the living room now with her glass of wine listening to Logan walking Alec through everything that was supposed to happen. She paused and picked up a picture taken at the cabin. She smiled remembering trying to find the exact spot to put the camera and trying to adjust everyone before the camera started. She had a similar picture up in her room, the three of them on the couch. Their family portrait.

Out of nowhere, it flashed Max back to that night, early evening before dinner, Logan walking into their room as she was popping a pill into her mouth. Weird how significant a little birth control pill could be. They'd both frozen for a split second as it hit them once again.

Their family would never grow larger. Then again that would be their only night as a 'normal' family, the family they wanted to be.

Original Cindy had asked her before she went away with him what would be so bad if she got pregnant, why was she taking birth control when all she'd dreamed about for months was of a little girl resting in her arms staring up at her with Logan's eyes. There had been the main reason, no way she could stay away from Logan expecting their child, she would want him there, he would want to be there at every single moment and they were as always desperately trying to avoid slipping back into that. Then the problem after that was while her egg most likely didn't carry the virus, any child she carried had a pretty good chance of developing it while she was pregnant. Bev had offered a solution when Max had talked to her, a surrogate and in-vitro, that would be the only way they could be guaranteed a biological child that wouldn't kill her father. The absurdity of her life was overwhelming.

"Why didn't he just make something he's seen you make before?" Max asked not lost enough in her own thoughts to have not heard Logan saying goodbye.

"When does Alec ever do anything the easy way?" He paused and corrected himself, "Easy for us?"

"Good point," she smiled. "So what do you want to do now?" Their normal post dinner activities normally consisted of the tv being on low as they commented over it or ignored it altogether and talked about what was going on or Eyes Only/Transgenic stuff…Neither were really anniversary activities.

He stopped and looked around the room, hoping to find inspiration in something.

"Chess?" she asked seeing the game in the corner.

He turned back with a look.

"You've improved a lot in the past three years."

The look continued, they still played chess on the rare occasion and on the even rarer occasion, he actually beat her, sure their games lasted longer now, but the outcome was the same 9 out of 10 times, she won. Of course playing with Max for three years meant he could easily trounce Alec or Zen, Max though…He shook his head.

She chuckled softly, "War?" she suggested knowing the card game to be pure luck.

He laughed, "I'm gonna go grab the wine, we'll think of something."

They didn't though. They started talking and forgot all about looking for an activity to occupy their time. Nothing of any extreme importance, a few brief words of the Chinese going after another transgenic since she and Vida had rescued Ty from an airplane hanger, much to the dismay of Alec and Zen, who arrived at their location as the last man fell.

A few freaked out words from Max and the rumor that had started circulating at work again about something going on between Gem and Normal. Logan laughed, which resulted in a gloved hand connecting with his shoulder, totally outraged that he could find something so horrifying, funny. Gem and Normal

In the end, what it came down to was it was just another day together. Another day just being Max and Logan and all that entailed. Their minds both briefly flashed back at times to their first anniversary and its failure, the reattempt at it the next night. What it had felt like in those few precious seconds realizing the person they loved more than anything else loved them back before it all went so dark and horribly wrong for so long.

That second anniversary, the words whispered over a baby's head as they were unaware they were becoming a family.

Their third anniversary…Hmmm….Three years…How was it possible she could still see the look in his eyes through that broken window? How had it taken so long to realize that peculiar feeling coursing through her body were the first stages of love?

Bells jingled. She laughed, "I cannot believe you tied bells to his door." She said to the standing Logan.

He chuckled moving out of the room and bounded up the stairs before their son attempted his nine millionth climb over the safety gate. He was lifting his son as he stepped over the gate laughing to himself, monkeys, cats, sharks. His once quiet life had turned into a zoo, yet he'd never been happier.

Okay if you thought that was angsty, it really wasn't supposed to be. The leg thing is just something I think Max would remember on their anniversary, the mother thing, yea well that's just mom's, how they do it I don't know, my aunt-guilt kills me and I needed to throw in the ruins thing (just to resolve it) and the baby thing I thought I should mention that because I had Max so focused on their future family waiting for the cure. Honestly though, they're happy I swear.