Okay very very uneventful chapter. The next chapter has actual movement in the story. Sorry about the delay (good job in the reminder idlehands) and I hope you don't hate and remember reviews are always oh so lovely.

At the bottom of the story is a little clarification about Cale's abilities, but you don't have to read it unless you want to. And my replies back to you folks.

And on with the story…

Chapter Seventy Two

Worlds Collide – Part Two

Alec's Apartment:

She sat on his couch doing a seemingly good imitation of someone who was entertained by the game show that was on the large tv before them. She even remembered to throw out an answer or groan every once in awhile, but he was well aware Max hadn't just stopped by to hang out.

Max never stopped by to hang out.

He hadn't even realized that until she'd shown up at his door and he started looking around for where he'd kicked off his shoes last night, thankful he'd showered straight after work and hadn't taken advantage of Asha not being around and just bummed on the couch.

Max had laughed though as he went straight to pulling on his sneakers, telling him she'd seen him in socks before. That had been right before finding out that nothing urgent was going on, nothing Eyes Only, nothing going on at TC or with its residents, no transgenics had been wrongly arrested or even rightly arrested.

She'd just shrugged her shoulders and said she was bored so she decided to come by as she moved to the couch.

That's when he'd just turned and stared at her back and realized Max never came looking for him to just hang out. Especially not at his apartment, she might have hung out with him at TC, but never in the outside world. That was when he frowned.

"Where's OC?"

"On a date," she'd answered.

"Logan?"

"Hung out with him yesterday."

"Josh?"

She just looked at him like he was an idiot for that one, wasn't as if Josh could go anywhere.

"I meant why aren't you over there?"

"Alec if you don't want me over, you could have just said so," she'd stood with that, the same attitude in her actions as was in her voice.

"Hey, hey I never said that. You know you're always welcome Max. Just wondering what brings you by."

"Like I said I was bored," she said as she shrugged her shoulders and made her way towards his kitchen, "got anything to drink here?"

"Beer in the fridge, scotch in the cabinet next to it," he said following her. "Grab me one," he said as she opened the fridge.

"So what'd he do?" Alec asked as he popped open the can.

"Hmm?"

"Maxie, playing dumb isn't really you're strong suit."

She glared at him over the top of the can. What had she said to him once? Something about being a bitch to him because he had Ben's face? The truth was he got under her skin just like a sibling, bypassed all the bullshit everyone else dealt. "Is he seeing anyone?" she asked quickly and anxiously.

"Not that I know of," huh wonder if she does know something I don't.

"Gabby seems nice," a long deep swallow of her beer as she started walking back to the couch.

Ah, "Boyfriend four years Max," he explained bluntly.

"Seems to like Logan," she shrugged.

"Who doesn't?" he muttered. "I've met her boyfriend though Max, he's a pretty good guy."

With one threat eliminated Max found only a minimal sense of peace, "What about at Doyle's? Anyone interesting there?"

Doyle's, one of the many bars by Logan's job. Seven within a short walking distance divided nicely into senior management types, normal white collar workers like Logan and the blue collar, maintenance and whatnot. Oh yea there were several very interesting women there. Not that Logan paid any attention to them; he interacted with several besides from Gabby on their two visits there. He'd only really spent time with one though and that had been because of several highly competitive dart games. While she was really hot, she also had a boyfriend, more annoying asshole than nice guy, loaded though which he guessed was the appeal. It didn't matter though Logan never really paid any female much more attention than the occasional look. "Unless you know something I don't," he answered her.

"I sound like a broken record," she said shaking her head and taking another sip.

"You're allowed to be," he replied with more sympathy than he normally gave.

She thought about it for a moment, her eyes focused on the tv screen but not seeing it at all as the beer stayed perched at her lips, "I hate people like me,"

He chuckled.

"Killed my brother, had another one kill himself for me, got myself locked up in Manticore for 3 months and I can't get over a guy."

"Well as every female I've ever met likes to point out Logan isn't just 'some guy'"

She smirked.

He laughed again.

"He used to be an asshole," her face scrunched on one side as she remembered; "they don't know how much work went into the new and improved Logan."

He laughed again as he took another sip and they sat there watching the tv again for a few more minutes. "I still miss her," he finally said.

"Huh?"

"Rachel," he said becoming eerily still for Alec, "I miss her everyday. I don't think I'll ever get over her."

The knife twisted in Max's heart, Manticore might be keeping her physically away from her love, but they had taken his for good, she forgot about that, just like she'd forget about Joshua and Annie, her problem really wasn't so bad when she thought about them. Still hurt like hell though.

"Maybe you and Logan should take more time."

She chuckled, "How much more time can we take? It's been over two years."

He didn't know what to say to that.

"Has he heard from Zutoni at all?" She wished should could ask Logan things like that, but she couldn't. She couldn't see his expression, hear his tone when he said the word 'no' and she knew they would just make it worse for each other by hurting for the other.

Alec's mind flashed back to several weeks ago…

"Yea I know," Logan's voice had been steady and normal, but his head was resting on a hand as his elbow resided on his desk, his face hidden from the hallway Alec was in, phone in the other hand, "I just wanted to check in. Yea no I did call the guy you told me about, wasn't his area. Yea," his head nodded as he pushed himself away from the desk, "no I understand. Thanks for trying," his face flinched and a hand tightened just before he hung up the phone. The phone was placed on the desk before Logan leaned back with a sigh, running a hand over his face before it settled on his chin and he moved back forward.

"Zutoni," Alec said putting it together from Logan's words and actions.

Logan turned slightly startled unaware the other man had returned. "Yea," he nodded as he turned his attention back to the project at hand.

"I'm sorry," Alec said moving into the room.

Logan nodded and continued working. "I think he's done," he said a few minutes later as Alec was settled on the couch with the tv on.

Alec looked over wondering if Logan truly meant what he thought he did.

"It's over," a quick release of air as he bent down to grab a file he'd tucked into a drawer as if this hadn't just ripped out his heart.

"I'm sorry," Alec found himself saying in a low voice.

Logan just nodded as he looked down at the open file, waiting a moment before speaking, "Me too."

"And you say I suck at playing dumb," her voice was flat seeing Alec's expression.

"I'm sorry Max," he repeated his condolences to her.

The bottle rose up to her lips again and the final half of the beer she'd been sipping frequently slid down her throat without her pausing for air, "I need another beer," she said standing.

-o-o-o-

Logan's Job, the next morning:

Gabby walked up smirking.

"What?" Logan asked wondering what had happened that had left him out of the loop.

"So that was the ex?" she said referring to Max's visit two days ago.

"That was Max," he confirmed.

"And your son," she added.

Okay he wasn't liking where this was going. He started to wonder what she had figured out, Max. Just the name Max alone worried him. Why she'd said her name to Clemente he'd never figured out. Luckily it had been like a game of telephone, some heard Max, others heard Jax, everything had been reported in the papers, Matt, Kat, some said she hadn't said her name, others said she'd said "You can call me the man." Still though, long dark hair, olive skin tone, everyone had seen that. Sure her hair was shorter and in its normal waves, but it didn't mean he didn't worry. The fact that none of her deliveries hadn't been greeted with a gun waiting for her continued to amaze him, luckily though people never tended to actually 'see' anyone performing a service. Wrong on a multitude of social issues, great when it came to keeping Max safe.

So the question remained, what had Gabby figured out? He nodded.

"You're still in love with her," she said stripping off her coat.

Hadn't been expecting that one, "I care for her a great deal. We're friends, she's my son's mother," he said the carefully scripted words.

"Care?" she scoffed, "You love her. Don't even try to deny it Cale. Not really the type I would have guessed you'd fall for." Then again that kinda made sense; all those picture perfect females with their five hundred dollar shoes had never seemed to hold his interest.

He wanted to laugh and say the honest words, 'No shit.' He couldn't though because in no normal world would that make any sense, only in theirs in which touching her meant his death. "We tried it didn't work out, this is easier. We don't want to do that to Cale." What they didn't want to do to Cale was have his parents being happily together and then being forced apart, forced to stay at a distance or worse ending up with only one parent.

"You guys seemed fine to me," she said rolling her eyes as she leaned with her coat draped over her arm.

"And we are at the moment because we aren't together."

"That's the wuss's way if I ever heard one."

"It's the mature and responsible way," he said starting to ignore her and going over the background information on the high rise that was being finished and refitted for the upper class and what had happened to the squatters that been living in the mostly completed development.

She was about to repeat her previous statement, when she heard the cries of 'turn up the volume' flow through the room. The pitch the voices took informed her that this wasn't yet another car chase, not another standoff with the cops, no that pitched informed them of something even greater and sure enough the volume was turned on just in time to hear his voice, "It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city." She watched Logan's eyes widen in confusion as everyone quickly silenced and his was the only filling the newsroom.

He'd been out of the game for awhile before Eyes Only came on the scene. He wasn't aware of how Eyes Only had done a lot to keep them out of the black and in the red. People today didn't seem to have much interest in the news; it was the same thing everyday. The world was broken and nothing was being done to fix it.

Eyes Only did though. He changed things. Halted whatever corruption he or she could. More importantly though he inspired people, reminded them change was possible and good sometimes did triumph over evil.

Just like in the case of Cale Industries.

Gabby knew Logan had lost it all because of this man or maybe even men. She'd talked to a few people who had been informants, the chain of which was seemingly endless and they always said 'He,' almost everyone said 'he,' but who really knew?

Gabby for awhile had thought Logan had been one of those involved, maybe he really was so moralistic that he had been able to stand to the side and watch his family and everything that the Cale family had been working towards for generations be destroyed, but she doubted it though. She couldn't imagine allowing that to happen to her family, she especially couldn't imagine to continue working for the person who had done it.

There was no hatred in his eyes though as he too stared up at the screen and listened, aside from that momentary look of being startled there had been no sign of emotion visible on his face as everyone was already plotting stories to coincide with what he was saying about another drug shortage at the hospital being caused by yet another Sonrisa wannabe.

The list of possible stories for tomorrow grew; focus on the last major scandal, Sonrisa and his death, the tie-ins with the Steckler, Bruno Anselmo being gunned down outside of the courthouse. That whole slew of stories that had nothing to do with current events, but would be guaranteed to sell papers. At least they were a reputable source of information, albeit old information…Places like New World Weekly, were guaranteed to have even more 'Who is Eyes Only' stories or even better were the Eyes Only – Transgenic linked stories. Not that anyone really doubted they were linked, but somehow she doubted what the paper claimed that the transgenics had become his own personal army and they were going to be taking down the corrupted government he fought so strongly against. However, it had done a lot to lessen the anti-transgenic sentiment because many in the city seemed to love and trust Eyes Only, he had yet to steer them wrong, unlike the people they were supposed to trust.

Of course if New World Weekly ever got a hold of the fact that several months ago it was discovered the heat sensors on the hoverdrones had all been tampered with and it was strongly suggested to the city that they remain that way she had a feeling that anti-transgenic hatred would flare up again, which was why all of the legitimate editors in the city were keeping that news quiet.

"Well uh, that was something," Logan said turning his attention to her as voices once more flowed through the newsroom, people instantly coordinating with each other.

Gabby smiled, "Didn't Tom warn you?" They'd gotten used to it some years ago, credible sources weren't exactly the biggest draw after the Pulse, then again you also didn't get sued nowadays, you got shot or worse.

"He did," Logan nodded still wondering why exactly Alec or Zen hadn't cleared this with him first. Everything had been set up for quite some time for them to be able to do it on their own, similar to what Max had done with Bronck. There were two reasons behind it, the first being Logan now had deniability, he'd have alibis, the second was that he'd wouldn't be crucial to Eyes Only, in case he was indisposed or dead. He hadn't been a big fan of the latter of the reasons.

She sighed, "I should probably get to work." She made a half-hearted attempt at standing before sitting back down. "Alec and Zen meeting us at Doyle's?"

Logan chuckled softly at her, "What is it with you and them?"

Gabby smiled thinking of two men she hadn't known for long, but amused the hell out of her. It was a weird group to go out with; Gabby had never really gotten the full story behind how the two other men had become so close with Logan. The similarities were there aside from the height, the blonde hair and light eyes and the fact that their body frames were rather different from most who frequented Doyle's, which certainly made her envied by most of the women in the bar. All three were highly intelligent, though after a few drinks that seemed to leave them all. Of course the two younger men were those of a generation of self-taught individuals. Still made for some rather interesting conversations and even a few odd dares, of course they'd yet to talk Logan into one. "They're fun," she simply answered with a shrug of her shoulder.

Logan shook his head, almost reminding her of an older sibling.

"Are you going to hide from us again? Acting like you don't know us?" she teased just as they had last week, when Logan had left them for the majority of the evening getting caught up in vicious competition with Kerry, a secretary at Bradley, Hartford and Associates. By the end of the night Gabby had been forced to realized she'd previously judged the other woman too harshly since every female that worked there was unofficially required to basically be stunning and she was no exception. God she was grateful to actually have a job where her brain was her most highly respected asset.

Logan laughed again over her comment and shook his head in amusement.

She groaned as she pushed herself back up, "Okay I'm actually going now." She sighed as she walked away and followed it up with another groan leaving Logan once more looking at his own work laughing.

Thanks for reading guys!

Story Related--

Cale: Maria pointed out that she would like to see more of Cale's X-8 abilities emerge. Her idea was in the form of building the Space Needle out of building blocks in preschool, which I've got to agree with you is a cute idea, no curved blocks create a bit of a problem though. So I thought I would take a moment to explain to everyone where Cale's development is since he is shown in a very limited sense.

Physically he is more advanced, his coordination, dexterity and speed have always been well above par, his first injury was at two and a half years old, which wasn't just do to diligent parents. Not to mention his ability to escape and evade Joshua repeatedly, which highlights his physical skill, but also his mental.

Okay now was for intelligence. He is an intelligent child and I'm sure if he had any interest in learning to play the piano as Alec wanted him to he could have gotten it down. He's at that point where he does what he wants because as OC tells Max, "He's a spoiled brat." His vocab is more advanced than other kids, he'll remember a word, like sting ray, if he's paying attention to it. He also understands what's being said more than other kids his age, of course he's not even three so he's allowed to chose not to listen. If he wants a cookie, he's gonna keep asking for a cookie even if he just ate.

I'm not a big fan of that whole way too developed X-series thing. Manticore wouldn't have been able to figure out how to have a mature brain in a toddler. Brains continue to grow after birth and things just plain and simple take time, one step at a time, though those steps come earlier for them.

Also a lot of training went into developing their young minds into the minds we see twenty years later. This also goes with their physical skills, think of the underwater scene.

So once more in short, Cale's smarter than kids his age, but spoiled brat/2 year old factor makes it so that isn't noticeable most of the time, we will be seeing it in school though. And he is more physically advanced, I do have Logan refer to him as a monkey so assume he does climb up to the counters and Logan had begged Max not to teach him. And once more kid doesn't get hurt, he's got skill don't worry. Oh and assume things like child safety latches on cabinets only work because Cale's been taught not to open them. Though I'm pretty sure all of us at 3 could pop those suckers open.

People--

Babyangel: It was two years, two chapters ago. Hell I even used the number in the title, what's with this three/four year stuff. You're not paying attention, read first and then we'll talk about longer chapters :-D Added the doc into this chapter since you brought him up.

All Grown Up: Max did have a point to the separation, after the virus struck again Max told Logan that things needed to change because they were too comfortable with each other and when they get comfortable they tend to do stupid things, same reason she gave Logan after they hooked up in his living room. Yea these past few chaps have all been repeating the same thing bc 70, 71, and 72 were all supposed to be one chapter; transition to the change that occurs in 73. 69 is the start of the final arch of the story so I wanted that to be on its own and not just a quick side note. Oh and I totally admire and appreciate that you're still reading the story after this long :-D

Idlehands: Oooh maybe it's the SoCo that keeps causing my hangovers, I just thought it was the absurd amount of booze :-D

Maggie: I'm totally flinching at the fact that you printed this….Why oh why oh why did I not spell check better. I'm sorry. Thank you though, it's a very nice compliment.

Lioness-RampantWow, you read so much of my stuff in such a short time. I'm amazed you aren't sick of it yet. Oh and you can't read this story in one sitting anymore, I totally go cross eyed less than halfway through it. :-D