AN: Okay as Babyangel pointed out, sometimes the back story that I have in my mind fails to appear on screen.

The jogging scene(assuming you mean the sweat comment): The same thing that everyone else puts in their story…Max never seems to sweat unless she's in heat, so I assume the same for Alec (I don't recall him being sweaty at the fights….Seriously injured afterwards, but not sweaty). So after awhile jogging Logan and Alec have got to look pretty mismatched, hence water being dumped on Alec which explained his damp appearance.

Umm for all of you who are living in fear that Logan's hair is continuing to be a mess, he and Cale did make it to the barber the next day.

Chapter 66

Irresponsible

A few weeks into the future….

There were moments in his life where Logan wondered if there truly was a god. His parents deaths, the pulse, lying on the street waiting to die, doing the same as he was thrown off the hotel, waking up in the van and realizing Max was gone…

None of those really compared to his thoughts regarding God now, if he/she/it existed; they had one really fucked up sense of humor. He almost had it all. Sure, he knew that sounded selfish, greedy…He had a woman who loved him, a great son, loyal and true friends, yet he didn't get to have her fully. Funny, he had more than he ever imagined yet he felt gypped.

Of course, it didn't help that she was in his backyard in a black bikini that had enough material for him to make a hat out of. He took a long swallow of beer, which he explained away since it was pretty hot out today and walked away from the dining room window that he'd just waved to Max and Cale from.

That bikini was cruel and unusual punishment.

Sure, he was glad that this summer was more relaxed than the last one; he could actually wear shorts without being yelled at, that was nice.

But seeing Max in those tiny little scraps of material…So much of the skin that he could still vividly remember what it felt like, what it tasted like…

Yea God had a twisted sense of humor.

"Let me guess," Alec with a matching beer in his own hand said walking into the living room a few moments later, where Logan had paced to, "you're trying to remember exactly how long in between you touching her and you can't move anymore."

Logan glared, partially because it was true, "Weren't you working on your bike or something?"

"Finished," he nodded and didn't add that it had definitely taken longer because his eyes kept drifting over to the pool and he'd almost done serious damage to his bike because Max jumped out of the small plastic pool to go chasing after a ball that had escaped. "You know you never shared any details about your weekend," he goaded.

"Don't you have a home of your own Alec?" Logan asked in annoyance, normally he didn't mind Alec's frequent visits, but today was pushing it.

"Someone's gotta chaperon you two," he smiled. "You and Max, summer heat," he reminded his friend.

"Why is nothing private in this group?" Logan asked, since it had been Zane and not Alec that had interrupted last summer.

"Twenty years without gossip," Alec explained with a shake of his head.

"Ugh," Logan said taking another sip and angrily sitting down in his desk chair.

"You're really having a bad day aren't you?" He controlled his laughter as he realized Logan was horny. Logan and horny, two words he never really connected with each other. He bit back a smile as he thought of going home to tell Asha. Logan, focused, serious, dependable, mature Logan…Yea he was horny…Then he frowned realizing there was no way in hell he was connecting Logan and sex while talking to Asha. "No new leads?"

Another glare, apparently the side effect of having the object of Logan's desire virtually naked, glistening with water and seconds away was a really pissed off Logan.

"I'll take that as a no," he nodded. Almost five months now. Five months on top of all of the months before. They hadn't resorted back to trying to move on, though he was sure if anyone asked them they'd say they were and that was the reason no one asked them. They…well Max didn't push it like she had last time, she didn't want to move on, he didn't want to move on. Everyone knew they were heading for heartache either way, they might as well be happy in the meantime.

Not that they went back to the way they were in those months waiting for the cure that never came. They shared a couple meals together a week now, more often than not they had company besides Cale, they rarely sat sequestered away from everyone while out or at least not for long. Still though, neither so much even looked at another, which was good for him because he liked the new waitress at the café by their new job site and would like to continue eating there.

It also made him feel slightly better about the fact that Asha had been over at Logan's almost everyday this month since she'd lost her job and hadn't found a new one yet. Asha…

He didn't know what he expected when they moved in together again. He always knew it wouldn't be like it was with Rachel, but….Eh who knows, maybe it was just that he did what it seemed half of the other transgenics had done, fall into a relationship. Some tried to tough it out alone, but maybe it was just that they didn't know how to be alone, they'd spent their entire lives with others, the same others, day in, day out. Or who knows maybe it was just that they weren't complete on their own, so many parts of them had never developed, it took two to form a full person. More than a few people had their theories on it, but mostly what it came down to was they were searching. Searching for somewhere to belong, something to make them normal, just something…

Some of them found it…he turned to look at Logan who was obviously only remaining seated at his desk to try to trick Alec into believing he was more relaxed than he really was…He wasn't too sure about the rest of them though.

Max and Logan…They were complete, they'd found it, found what the rest of them were still looking for.

He smiled to himself as he caught sight of Logan's foot tapping. Haha, at least he wasn't horny though.

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

A few weeks later…

They were definitely pushing the limits. Though this hadn't really been the way she'd been expecting to push the limits. Definitely more enjoyable images had come to her mind when she'd thought of that. They didn't do that though. His hand no longer even lingered like it once had, prolonged touches rare…All prolonged touches accomplished now was bring about a sense of longing and despair….fill them with the memories of what once was, memories that already haunted them and they needed no further reminders.

Here they were though, sitting in the Aztek, Logan driving as she stared out the window trying to figure out exactly he had talked her into this. Cale of course being a chatter bug in the backseat mostly having all of his questions answered by his father as his mother contemplated telling him to let her out.

They were going to Bennett and Marianne's for some summer fun in the pool. Not that she was going into the pool, though Logan had tried to rationalize that there was a good chance they could both be in the chlorinated water at the same time, she wasn't falling for that one though. He hadn't wanted to go alone and she didn't really blame him since this would only be the second time he'd seen his family with Cale since Logan told him Cale was his. The first being just another run in, in the city and he wouldn't be able to plead an emergency and get out of it as he could on the phone.

So they were going to the gated community for lunch and a swim, well a swim for the boys, it wouldn't be shocking to anyone that Max just wanted to lay on a lounger instead of dive in. Max let out a deep sigh and braced herself for the day as Logan made the turn that would lead them to way too much skin.

-o-o-o-

"So any words of wisdom?" Marianne asked as Max was reapplying sun block to Cale's slightly golden skin.

"Huh?" Max asked turning, the other woman had been talking about her and Bennett thinking about starting a family.

"Pregnancy, childbirth, the mood swings, the pain…" Marianne started with the basics.

"Uh," Max cursed herself. She should have been ready for the lies, but parents at the park didn't talk about those things, they talked about what the kids were doing now, what was ahead of them. "You know I'm probably not the best person to ask about that, seems like one day he was just there in Logan's arms." She smiled and rubbed Cale's arms one final time, "You're all set kiddo." She released his arms for the briefest of seconds and she felt him started to take off, she clamped her hands down again, "Walk, don't run," she ordered.

She smiled proceeding to watch him do that, Logan swam back over to the edge and made a production of lifting Cale up and diving him into the water, Max laughed listening to her son squeal.

"There's certainly no doubting who his daddy is," Marianne smiled.

Max smiled back knowing the other woman wasn't calling her fidelity into question, "Yea, they're attached at the hip."

Marianne smiled and once more wondered exactly how to get information out of the young girl who had produced the youngest Cale, albeit illegitimate Cale, though with the long list of things the Cale family had done wrong in the passing years, a child born out of wedlock was pretty low on the list of scandals. No one knowing about him for over a year after his birth…That was another story.

Even the great distance Logan had put between him and his family in the years since the Pulse didn't explain why no one knew the child that was so obviously his existed. His coloring was all Logan, his mannerisms the same and his attachment made it obvious he wasn't just a weekend dad.

"So you guys went out to the cabin a few months back right? Bennett and I just made it out last weekend."

Max turned and looked slightly puzzled, exactly how had the other woman known that she had been there?

"Donna, she works at the market," Marianne supplied the source of her gossip, the gossip that had said Logan had been in town with his wife and son, the word wife was used since they were more than slightly affectionate even in public.

"Oh," Max nodded and wondered exactly what she was supposed to say to that, after all she and Logan weren't supposed to be together, going away was pretty together.

"So what did you guys do?" Marianne asked.

"Not much," Max shook her head, "just relaxed, needed a few days away from the city. It's not really a place to take a toddler in winter."

"I can just imagine," Marianne smiled and wondered if she should ask straight out what the hell was going on between the two of them. Talk after her own wedding had been rampant about the two of them, the incredibly young date by Logan's side, which no one knew anything about, but who had apparently been there for well over nine months before. Through it all in some shape or form.

A relationship before the shooting that had resulted in a pregnancy, a child that had been born before her own wedding, yet Max had been introduced as a friend and had barely been by his side. She'd been by his side again and once more without their son at her father in law's funeral. That machine that made him walk and through whatever treatment that had been successful in restoring his legs…

And they had been oblivious to it all. One day he had been paralyzed and alone and the next he was walking, had apparently been in some type of committed relationship and had a son and the family was once more left to speculate.

She was trying to appear inconspicuous watching the other female, looking for clues; she hadn't really figured anything out yet. Donna had repeatedly mentioned how physically affectionate they were with each other and Marianne didn't think she'd even seen them touch. They'd headed over to the pool after their light lunch in which the focus had been more on Cale and their house which Logan and Max had never seen before than anything else. The boys had all headed straight into the pool once they'd arrived and Max had dropped herself into a lounger and pulled on sunglasses.

Marianne watched Logan depositing Cale on the edge of the pool sometime later; the little boy stood to the side and waited for his father pull himself up and out of the pool. Marianne tried not to look noticeable in appreciating her cousin-in-law body, but even Bennett himself had commented on it as they'd gone to procure refreshments, saying that he didn't think Logan had ever been in such good shape. He certainly seemed years younger than the two times Marianne had met him before, younger and certainly much happier.

She caught sight of Max's attention also focused there and the small smile that graced her lips watching Logan pull himself up.

"Bathroom," Max replied as she realized the other woman was looking at them getting out too. She was partially smiling wondering exactly how single mothers did it because potty training her son was not something she would have enjoyed experiencing without Logan there to guide the way and probably would have put off for quite some time. But mostly smiling at the pale blue trunks that hung low on his hips, amazed he hadn't repainted Cale's room to his favorite color, but then realized to give him time and she was sure it would happen, the moment the paint started showing any signs of wear.

"Oh," Marianne nodded and watched as sure enough Logan walked back over with his son and retrieved their sandals and repeated what Max had said.

-o-o-o-

Bennett and Marianne stood on their porch as Logan pulled away. They'd realized it was time to go when Max had looked down and realized the bundled up tot that had been resting in her arms was actually asleep. She'd smiled something about naptime coming early as she'd woken him up and changed the grumbling tot as Marianne watched the younger woman's dexterity and patience.

The little boy had almost fallen back asleep when his father had rejoined the scene after being shown the tennis courts by Bennett, who was hoping his older cousin, would come and visit again. Cale had been quite vocal in his demands of being released from his mother's arms to go to his father; both parents had looks quite embarrassed and muttered something about him being two.

So he'd slept as his father carried him to the car and placed him in his child seat, never again opening those baby blues to say goodbye. Max had waved, Logan had nodded and Marianne leaned into Bennett and asked, "Did you figure out anything?"

"Swears they aren't together, says it just didn't work out."

"That makes no sense," Marianne replied with a shake.

Bennett nodded after spending the entire day trying not to check out his second cousin's mother, " Logan seems happy."

Marianne frowned, "They all do." That's why that whole thing of them not being a couple made no sense.

"Can she even drink yet?"

Marianne laughed; Ben had focused on her age for days after finding out Logan had a child with her, "She just turned 22." Marianne shared the information she had learned and smiled remembering Max's present of not only pressed handprints in clay, but also a smooshed face, which was really more of a nose and lips imprint.

"He should have married her," Bennett said with a shake of his head turning into their house.

"You know in his defense, he had a lot going on," she defended the man she barely knew; it certainly didn't look like he'd shirked in his duties.

"Oh you mean like the fact he got himself shot, while he had a pregnant teenage girlfriend?" He asked not missing a beat, wondering how the hell his cousin could have been so irresponsible.

"We don't know what happened," Marianne reminded following her husband.

Bennett turned and didn't look very convinced.

"At least we know he's been there since Cale was born," that had been discussed before today, if maybe Logan really just hadn't been part of the boy's life and that's why they hadn't known of him, "Max said he was there in the delivery room."

"I just can't believe Logan didn't marry her," he said moving into the kitchen to pour himself a drink.

"He probably didn't want her to feel bound to him, obligated."

He was about to say something, but was once more confronted with how exactly he'd feel if he woke up and was told he'd never walk again, he'd probably tell Marianne to go out and find a real man, he doubted Logan had been so different, especially with someone as young as Max. "He's been walking for over a year, you yourself said they were together."

"Donna said it I didn't."

"Whatever," he said taking a sip of iced tea before continuing, "I just can't believe he'd be so irresponsible."

Marianne shook her head and took a sip of the tea he'd poured for her, there was going to be no getting through to him and she was pretty sure a good chunk of this was Logan's silence for over a year and had nothing to do with his actions towards Max and Cale.

"Kid's cute though," Bennett said with a pleased smile.

"Definitely adorable, you come from good stock Bennett Cale." She smiled and leaned over to kiss her husband.

Hmm yea normally Outside and Embedded overlap, but it was Moving On and Embedded this time, but I couldn't put off a Logan's family chapter any longer. I hope you enjoyed. I know, not much Max/Logan interaction, I'm sorry.