Damn realized Remnants which I had been planning on doing for today (which is the second to last day of the Babyangel Bday Extravaganza---please see DA: Reflections if you're curious), but that chap was waaaay too much like the last one of Attempts at Living (shopping and decorating). So a chapter of Moving On will take its place (and woohoo, there are only like four chapters left after this one!)

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Seemingly Familiar, Completely Unknown

Summer came again without Max even realizing it. One day she opened her eyes on the street and saw everyone's bare legs.

Summer came and so did school break and Cale couldn't understand why he wasn't seeing his friends anymore and kept asking to almost every other day. What a freak her kid was…Missing school?…Obviously way too much time with Logan, poor kid, she always thought with a smile.

So they signed him up in the summer program the school offered two days a week and once more shifted their work schedules, yet again were confronted with the fact that their lives revolved around their son.

The summer program ended with the normal work day, so they each switched their hours back to normal with the exception of one day a week each took off at half day simply to enjoy the summer.

Cale was happy to once more spend his days with Joshua and his other playmates in TC since more than a few of the other 'breeding partner' babies had recruited those in TC to baby-sit while they worked, since most were single mothers.

All in all Max had absolutely nothing in her life to complain about, aside from the one glaring never ending thing.

Aside from that she was happy and content.

She hadn't really taken that next step like she meant to. Jeff took it for her. One day he announced he was taking off work and so was she and they were going to the public pool that had just opened.

She tried and failed (like normal) to not make any comparisons between this trip to the pool and her last.

Apart from the obvious, Logan and Jeff themselves. It was still dramatically different. She applied the waterproof makeup to the back of his neck; he'd touched up hers even though both were hidden by dark hair.

She was able to get into the water. She was repeatedly splashed by Jeff and Cale who automatically ganged up on her. The water bottles and bits of food were passed between them on a regular basis.

OC joined them with a finger to her lips as Max asked, 'Aren't you supposed to be at work?' as if Normal could hear it from across town.

Max got splashed some more, but was threatened with dire warnings when she tried to splash back this time, messing with Cindy's 'do' was as always a big no no and it generally egged Max on some more.

Cale of course went back to Bennett's with Logan and Max was pretty sure the public pool was no comparison, especially when Cale told her of the various toys that had been poolside waiting for him.

Step two was discussed as Jeff's roommate moved out and now had a free bedroom perfect for a little boy since it had heat, electricity and water on a regular basis. She contemplated it, but kept telling him she couldn't just leave OC to her lonesome. Cale would join her over there sometimes, they have dinner do nothing special, just hang out, but they always went home despite Jeff's offers of being a gentleman and she and Cale could share the bed and he'd take the couch.

-o-o-o-

Barbeques came and went. Happy memories were made, pictures were taken.

Relationships were lost…

'Why so glum chum?' Sketch asked tossing an arm around Alec and Alec responded with the same eyebrow look as Logan, which Max had almost snorted beer over. Oh how had things had changed over the years…

'I'm fine,' he responded.

'No he's not,' Gem walked over placing her glass of beer down. 'Asha broke up with him.'

'It was a mutual thing,' he defended, 'and how the hell do you know that?'

'Zen told Vida, Vida told me,' she shrugged.

Seriously they were so a high school teenage drama.

'We decided we wanted different things in life, better to make the break now,' he justified.

'Keep your apartment this time?' Max asked slightly more caustic than the funny she meant it to be.

'Asha moved in with a friend.'

Hearts were left battered...

'You miss her?' she asked two days later jumping up on a table next to Alec at Terminal City.

'I might,' he honestly responded to Max's sympathetic voice.

'Really mutual or just saving face?'

He gave a short chuckle, 'We talked about it for two weeks. We wanted different things.'

'A kid?' she asked knowing that had been one of the topics for quite a few months.

Another laugh, 'I'm not old enough to be a father. I like having a life,' he turned with a smirking smile, 'No offense.'

'There never is,' she laughed.

He shook his head, 'Asha just wanted it all. I wasn't ready to give it, I didn't know if I ever would be. She didn't like that answer.'

'I'm sorry.'

He shrugged and then laughed again, 'I blame you. Again,' he laughed jumped down.

'What did I do this time?' Not that she had done anything last time.

'You and Logan" he shook his head, "hard act to follow.'

'Tell me about it,' she muttered.

-o-o-o-

July fourth came and they watched the fireworks together as a group over Lake Union with Cale covering his ears the whole time as he couldn't decide between watching it and hiding, repeatedly burying his head in Logan's shirt.

The venders in the beer garden made their money off her friends and OC busted her ass over a curb as they were walking to the car and sprained her ankle and found a use for men when Alec carried her the rest of the way after a few vain minutes of struggling and stubbornly swearing she didn't need any help.

Zen and Vida decided there was no way in hell they wanted kids any time soon being surrounded by that many loud and hyperactive children and another reason.

A kid went missing that night, a seven year old with curly red pigtails and freckles. The mother on the news said she only turned her back for a minute as she was packing up their things. Her body was found on shore of Union Bay almost two weeks later. The scariest part was she'd only been dead for a day, not even Eyes Only had any leads on that mystery.

Max couldn't decide if she wanted to reverse time and keep Cale at the age where he'd been content in her arms and in his stroller instead of the fun loving and always ready to explore three and a half year old, or if she could survive with just putting him on a leash. Joshua had frowned when she said that, she hadn't meant it…Well not really.

Sadly though, things like that weren't uncommon, just horrifying and their summer as well as Seattle's had been uneventful.

No serious threats to the transgenics or anything that raised the city up in arms about them.

Then it was their second independence day of the summer…

-o-o-o-

Kids young and old ran around like lunatics snatching up and consuming all the goodies that had been saved for weeks and months in preparation for this day.

Someone managed to get their hands on a large stash of water balloons and people were randomly assaulted. It was funny watching someone with military training being bombarded with water balloons; they didn't know how to act. Mole along with a few others tried to kill the person or persons responsible, but they never actually caught up with them.

People got drunk.

Someone started a fire.

The cops that had been called to the gates because of noise had no idea what they were supposed to do.

It had been fun.

Then she found him in the midst of it all sitting on one of the cheap patio chairs that had been placed on the roof as someone's terrace. She wondered how her place to think had become his, though he did stay far away from the edges. He must miss his penthouse. The height gave a distinct separation from everything else. Allowed you to be objective, reflective, a distinction that couldn't be achieved staring out when only two stories up.

'You okay?' she asked walking up to him.

He nodded, 'Just taking a minute. Enjoying the fresh Seattle air.'

Max laughed as he took a deep breath and made a face. TC always had a slightly 'different' scent to it.

She waited.

Waited for the three year comment.

Waited to hear how happy he was that she was alive.

Told her how proud he was of all the things she'd done.

Proud of the things they'd accomplished together.

She kept waiting, but he was lost in his thoughts most of the time.

She caught him looking over on a few occasions as if he had something to say, but then stopped.

'What?' she smiled and shook her head.

'Nothing,' he replied back with a shake that made her sure there was something he wasn't saying.

'What is it?' she asked again.

'It's nothing,' he repeated.

She started to make a face and prepared her verbal assault.

He stood, 'You know I think I'm going to head home now. I've got a long day at work tomorrow.'

She nodded. Unsure of what to do, what was going on. 'Cale's in Josh's studio.' When she'd left him there had been ten kids covered almost head to toe in the non-toxic paint Josh had created for them. Cale the only one without paint in his ears, having learned to keep the paint out of them without the use of the earmuffs finally.

'I'll talk to you tomorrow,' he nodded. 'Have fun.'

-o-o-o-

That had been the first time she noticed something was off, but not the last...

'Something's up with Logan,' she said the following weekend to Jeff after Logan had met her at TC to pick up Cale that Saturday and left almost immediately.

'What do you mean?' he asked as he wiped the grease off his hands.

'I don't know,' she shook her head. 'Just something's off.'

It happened again the next day; he dropped Cale off with her, kept replying to everything with short answers before begging off, citing helping Josh with some financial issues, the only one of them who had good financial issues thanks to his artwork. Others had gotten involved thanks to Rita's visits to Terminal City. A few whittled, one carved, a few made wooden furniture from basic tables to ornate headboards. None had any degree of Josh's success however.

A few hours later she walked into the main hall and Logan was standing there casually chatting with a group of people as if nothing was wrong. 'What the hell is up with him?' she muttered to herself.

'I don't know what you're talking about Max, the guy seems fine to me.'

She was slightly startled by Jeff's voice; she'd almost forgotten he was there. 'Something's off,' she said once more looking at him, acting perfectly natural and fine.

'May be you're just looking for something to be wrong.'

She turned for that confused by his attitude.

It had been the first of several mini-fights between them that had followed in the coming week.

The next had come with Alec, the following Tuesday at Crash. Jeff had overheard her asking Alec if he knew what was going on.

'You've got to be kidding me,' Jeff muttered with a shake of his head and turned away.

Leaving Max conflicted between waiting for an answer and going after her boyfriend. She stopped by his apartment after leaving Jeff's only to be put off as he swore he had no idea. She knew it was a lie.

Wednesday followed with another fight as he called her cell while at Logan's wanting her to come to his place. Wednesday s meant Logan and Cale time, it had for their entire relationship. She used the word family and repeated several times that it was for Cale as she turned him down, confused as to why the hell he was making such a big deal out of it. There was no way she was going to leave despite the fact that it was only a half hour before Cale's bedtime, she was fishing for information about what was going on with Logan.

Friday he seemed fine as he ate French fries and chicken nuggets with her and Cale at her place.

He'd slowly and longingly kissed her goodbye and reminded her he now had a spare bedroom at his place. 'I'll think about it,' she promised this time.

She had no idea what happened Sunday. They had breakfast out and stopped by Terminal City to drop off some groceries. She'd called Logan to tell him she'd pick up Cale from his place when he told her they were already out and he'd stop by there instead.

Cale had chased after Logan as he was leaving; realizing he'd left the lollipop he'd been given with his father.

Max smiled from across the room as Logan hunkered down and retrieved the lollipop from the book bag he'd been carrying around.

'You just can't fuckin move on, can you?' Jeff had said with disdain in his eyes as she turned to face him totally confused.

Logan hadn't heard what the escalated voices said, but he'd seen one angry and one shocked face. He walked back over with Cale at his side, 'What just happened?' he was looking decently miffed himself.

'I have no idea,' she answered still confused at Jeff's out of the blue blowup.

'I'm going to go talk to him,' Logan said turning.

Max went to stop him, 'Lo-' her hand stopping just shy of touching his bare arm. She pulled it back and shook it.

He looked over and down and stared at her hand still in the air.

'I've got it under control,' she said not mentioning their near miss.

He nodded. 'Call me if you need me.'

So summer came and went, some relationships survived by a thread and others fell apart. Fall arrived; leaving everyone to wonder what changes would come next.

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

Logan's lips formed an 'Oh' as he stepped out into the hallway behind Cale. Cale was not so well mannered, he made a face and then sniffed the air.

"Not a word," Alec was the first one of them to speak and the worst looking and smelling of the two.

"I'm disgusting," Max raised her arms slightly out looking Logan directly in the eye.

"Uh Cale why don't you go back to the movie," Logan patted his son's back, shifting him away from the two very pissed adults.

Once he was gone Logan cleared his throat, "I don't suppose you managed to get that…" he voice trailed off.

You could almost see the smoke coming out of their ears.

"Caught onto the fact that we were there; decided to torch the place while we were inside," Max's nose fumed out a little.

Another 'Ooh' face.

"Come on Max, gotta point out at least the sprinklers were working and even if that falling bookcase did manage to wing you, they would have put it out pretty quick," Alec smirked, still obviously pissed off.

"Just like how the garbage was there to break your fall when that cover broke when you landed on it," she returned.

Looking down now, Logan could see the ripped jeans and traces of blood on Alec's legs.

"Blood seemed to be key today," Max continued to seethe and turned to show Logan what was left of the blood down the black of her vest. "But don't worry it's not mine, generally they let go when your arm connects with their nose, but this guy held on," she sarcastically smiled.

Oooh, in his defense he would have definitely let go.

"What to know why they didn't let go Logan?"

He was about to try to be funny, but caught another look from her eyes.

"One of us, the fucker was one of us."

Hadn't been expecting that one.

"A fuckin transgenic with a biological starter kit!" her voice raised only a bit, but grew more steely.

"Did you recognize him?" He asked, he had to, despite her anger, lives were at stake. They had part of the mechanism for spreading whichever deadly agent they chose; at least he hoped they only had part. It wasn't an immediate threat, but could become one if they weren't neutralized.

"No of course not because that would just be too easy," her head shook speaking.

"Then how-" If looks could kill, he thought and shut up.

"Oh I don't know, the fifteen feet they jumped to make it to the next building…" her head cocked to the side and gave him a look asking if he really wanted her to go on.

"You give Logan a description, call Zen get him over to TC talk to Mole, hopefully this isn't one of his stunts, I'm gonna go shower," he winced as he took at first step.

-o-o-o-

"Go shower Max," he told her sometime later as Cale kept looking over in wonder as to what was going on as Max described the guy she'd gotten a good look at and the back of the other guy's head to Zen as Logan listened in. His fingers flying over the keyboard as he searched for more answers to what he'd heard the underground refer to as the 'Compatriots' a new group that had only come to his attention recently.

Her jaw still clenched, she turned. There was nothing she could do at the moment until people started turning up answers.

-o-o-o-

Her mind was calmer the longer she stood under the spray of the shower after narrowly avoiding busting her ass on a stray sub Logan must have missed picking up after Cale's bath at the start of it, which had nothing to calm her down. Everything was out to get her!

Everything would be fine, her mind repeatedly told her.

Everything always somehow managed to turn out fine.

Logan had been paralyzed and gotten his legs back…Twice.

She had died and come back.

Zack had died and come back.

They'd managed to stop the effects of what should have been a deadly comet.

This would turn out fine as well.

Put men on the perimeter of the power plant they'd need to make their little gadget work…Hope to hell they hadn't bought it already on the black market or would travel away from Seattle for one.

Check out the local stores that sold the other parts, any places they could steal them from.

They'd find the transgenics or the group...

They'd figure this out, stop them. Turn over any ordinaries to the authorities and then throw a public lynching for their own.

Their group was already divided; they couldn't take any more of this. If more than just a few stray outsiders thought things like this were a good idea, they'd probably succeed in taking down the country.

But that wasn't going to happen, her mind continued to try and reassure.

She stepped out of the shower and quickly dried her hair with the towel before moving onto her body. She stepped out into the hallway her body wrapped in only the towel since she'd been too heated to remember to stop in the guest room and grab some clothing.

-o-o-o-

Underwear.

Bra.

Black long sleeve tee-shirt to suit her mood.

Jeans.

Socks…Damn, no socks. She remembered Cale surprising her with the hose when she'd been chasing him around the house a few weeks back. She'd tossed the socks in her bag and apparently had never remembered to replace them.

She gave her hair another quick run with the towel after she was finished dressing and headed out the room towards Logan's.

She sighed pulling open the drawer, his socks always bunched over the top of her shoes, which is why she liked to keep her own here.

'Huh,' she thought as her eyes caught site of a glimmer of black underneath a stack of boxers. Just a small patch so she knew it wasn't another pair. She put down the socks on top of the dresser and neatly lifted the stack. A ring box?

Her head started to thump as her mind refused to allow her to think.

Her hand almost trembled reaching down for it.

Her mind must have shut down a brief second because the next thing she realized it was in her hands and she was sitting on the bed.

Don't open it, her mind ordered, but her hands didn't listen.

Large emerald cut stone in the center.

Flanked by two smaller ones.

Yellow gold.

Fence value, 15-20 grand.

Store value, 30 easy.

She sat there for awhile. Simply staring down at the ring.

She finally blinked and realized they'd come looking for her soon.

She swallowed hard and returned the ring to its hiding place, took the socks and left the room.

Thanks for reading everyone! (even though youmay hate me at this point)

Merry Christmas to you too Maryanne!

And

Welcome to the story DillyP, hope you make it far enough to see this. :-D