Twenty years and a hundred chapters folks? Man my friends already hate me enough as I hide away in my room with my laptop. Don't want them to despise me. :-P

Thanks for reading folks. :-D

Chapter 82

Epilogue-Pt.2

The door closed behind Logan as he attempted drown out the ruckus their son was sure to create now that he had attention again. She smiled to herself as her spare hand went up to clutch her pillow. She paused halfway and smiled at the sparkling rings on her finger

:Flashback:

She lay in bed, her body pressed up against Logan's in a horizontal hug. Her body flush against his oddly comforting chest hair, Jeff had been without and she'd missed it the entire time. Her head against his shoulder as his pressed down against her head, their hands each on each others backs. She lay in bed and replayed what had happened in the past few hours that she'd just seemed to speed past.

If a drink had been in her hand or the cue when he said, 'Marry me' they'd probably be curled up in a hospital bed instead from the anger that had rushed through her in that moment. Anger and then dismay and then more pain. She'd asked about Kerry and wasn't he marrying her.

He'd said they were over, you tended to have problems in relationships when you were in love with another.

She hadn't fallen into his arms immediately a few more jabs at him as she tried to cover up the pain.

'I couldn't go through it again,' he'd whispered as he stepped in closer to her and stroked her cheek causing her to slightly jerk, her body completely torn and confused as to how to respond. 'I couldn't watch you hurt like that again Max. I couldn't be the one to ever hurt you like that again.'

'And what's this?' she asked through eyes that had started to become watery. She'd done more than just hurt today, it had felt as if he'd ripped out her heart and stomped on it repeatedly.

'I couldn't let myself believe that it would turn out this way,' his fingers moved again against the soft skin, 'I couldn't take it again.'

'You're touching me,' she'd said as her lips twitched up the action causing a few of those tears to fall.

'I know,' he smiled and let out a short laugh and his fingers moved to flick away those tears, his own eyes glassy.

She laughed and he took the opportunity to step in even closer and lifted her head up to kiss her.

She was vaguely aware of some hoots and hollers, but they hadn't stuck around long enough to find out who was responsible for them.

Logan had smiled, actually more of a grin, very pleased grin, 'What do you say we get out of here?'

She had no comeback line for that aside from a nod as she continued with her smile of disbelief.

'Don't worry Boo, I'll take care of your ride,' Original Cindy had said catching them as they weaved their way through the crowd.

She'd frowned and pouted realizing she'd forgotten all about her baby parked outside, she went to pat her pockets to hand over the keys and frowned down. Where was her jacket?

'Still on the chair you left it on,' Cindy laughed. 'You two have fun. I won't leave the light on.' Her roommate was gone forever she'd known that the moment she saw them together.

It was due only to the sheer shock of the situation that she remained in her seat on the drive home and didn't straddle him at any red lights. She just kept staring at the entwined fingers.

Something had snapped or clicked into place though as they pulled up in front of the house. Separating for those few brief seconds…

They'd come together after that. She ended up pinned against the car.

'We should move this inside,' had actually come from Logan as their hands were trying to divest each other of their clothes and starting to succeed.

They just barely made it inside again before she was once more pinned against a door. This time the front door with such a force they were both glad there was no glass in it.

They both groaned in annoyance repeatedly that their clothing couldn't just magically disappear not wanting to separate from each other for even the briefest of moments every time they tried to just shove the jeans out of the way.

'Bed,' Logan had said as his strong hands had her hips pinned to the door as he was starting to strip her out of her jeans.

She looked up with breathy lips as she stopped trying to work around his hands and divulge him of his jeans as well, so far only managing the belt.

'We're not christening the house against the door,' he followed up his statement by another long kiss and pulled her close to him.

She smiled to herself; they'd only made it halfway up the stairs the first time around.

"So I got to point out the obvious," she said twisting her neck around to see him knocking his head away from hers.

He looked at her.

"There's no way in hell Alec and Asha didn't christen the house before us," she smiled.

He chuckled, "I think Zen and Vida beat them to that awhile ago." Hell he knew it for a fact. "We do it better though," he smiled and kissed her nose.

"Hmm," she murmured and attempted to snuggle in even closer, "I don't doubt that."

"You know," he begins a few seconds later, "you're going to give me a complex soon if you don't stop bringing Alec up in our bed."

She laughed and tilted up again to see him, "Hey you brought him up last time."

"And that ends the Alec discussion for the evening," he ordered.

She happily sighed and moved her cheek back to his shoulder.

"Didn't you say something about marriage when we were at Crash?" she asked a few minutes later.

"That I did. As soon as possible, I want the entire world to know you're mine."

"Sounds kinda Neanderthal, your dad would be proud. Especially considering I haven't said yes. So is this that whole club the woman over the head and drag her back to your cave?"

He looked down with amused eyes, "You seemed to come willingly from what I recall."

"You just have more persuasive ways than a club," she squirmed into him, "hmm then…" she smiled.

His energy revived and his hands went to slowly tracing her.

"So that ring under your draws," she remained undeterred despite her smile.

He stopped and tilted her head up to him, "You saw that?"

"Think I magically came up with you marrying Kerry on my own?"

"Why didn't you say anything?"

She looked up with annoyed eyes, Like he was one to talk.

"I would have never married her, never married anyone else, even if there was never a cure. It wouldn't have been fair to them."

"Why did you guys break up?"

"I'd been distracted since Dr. Laurette said he might be able to help."

"Distracted? That's a nice way of putting it, moody and distant might have been my choice."

"I had a lot on my mind," he said tugging her closer, "if it would work, if I should tell you, how to occupy everyday for the rest of lives if it did…"

She let out a quick unexpected gasp of breath as he showed her just one of his many thoughts.

"Like I said there were a lot of things to think about," he replied with a smooth smile.

"Good reason to be broken up with over."

"Can't say I disagree."

"No I meant the fact that you got me dumped," she smirked.

"I knew my dreams were good, but not that good."

She rolled her eyes, "I was apparently a little too worried about you, Jeff got sick of it."

"Hmm, I'd say I'm sorry…"

"Uh huh," Max laughed. "So about that ring?"

He paused in his exploration of her body, "Why were you going through my drawers?"

"I needed socks."

"You remember what I told you about that cat right?"

Curiosity killed the cat, how could she forget. "You were wrong, death would have been a welcome relief."

He smiled as he quick moved up to give her a quick peck, "Never say anything like that again."

He hopped away and out of the bed before she ever realized to react.

She rolled over to watch him, great ass, she thought not for the first time. The desk drawer quickly opened and shut and he turned back with the little leather black box in his hand.

"Woo," he said quickly sliding back under the covers, "it's cold out there."

"I agree," she smiled and moved in closer, "I'm thinking we need to stay in here until summer."

"I like your way of thinking. Cale might have some issues with it though."

"He too young for boarding school?"

"He isn't, we are…You had issues letting him come to me for the night."

"Says the guy that used to call Josh a half dozen times a day."

"You stay home with the next one and you tell me how easy it is to let them go," he defended.

She grinned, a 'head in the clouds' grin, "There's going to be a next one."

"Rumor has it Cale's too spoiled to remain an only child."

"Maybe we should be discussing what's in that box first?" Max nodded her head towards the forgotten box in Logan's hand.

"This box?" Logan lifted it up, "I thought you already knew what was in this box?"

"Hard to get a clear impression of it since my mind was so clouded with thoughts of castrating you myself," she smiled sweetly.

He winced, "Point taken."

"You were sure enough of the doctor to buy a ring, but not to tell me?"

"I was sure the first time, this time I just let myself take it out and dream."

"You bought it the first time?"

"I had it made," he explained. "Turn around."

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm going to spend my next fifty years answering questions aren't I?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of at least seventy, though eighty would be nice."

He smiled and shifted her so she was now spooned into his side. "I really expected to be doing this a couple years ago," he kissed her shoulder.

"Better late than never," she smiled.

"That seems to be our motto," he chuckled.

She felt the ring sliding on to her finger, slightly warmed from being between Logan's fingers.

"I was thinking about slipping it into some food when Zutoni came up with a cure. Let you know about it that way…Of course with how you eat…" he teased.

An elbow came gently into contact with his ribs.

He smiled.

"Back on track Logan."

"Hmm fine," his fingers remained clasped over hers so she couldn't see the ring. "The center stone was my mother's, I had it taken out of her setting because my father who never picked out anything in his life apparently thought the platinum in her rings went with the yellow gold of the locket, which bothered my mother a great deal.

Max smiled.

"Figured I've done enough things to annoy you without adding that onto it on a regular basis."

She laughed.

He lifted up her hand so they could both see the ring.

She had to remember to give OC her props, manicures were a great thing. The short soft blush nails provided the perfect display case.

He traced it with his finger. "Any idea what it means?"

"Past, present, future?" she'd heard of three stones called that before.

"Good, but no. Though we are going to have all three. You and I were falling apart. Purposely drifting away to save our sanity…Then one morning I picked up this little boy who smelled like you. I picked him up every morning and it was like I was hugging you. Then he started to say your name, then I swear he started looking at me with that same slightly peeved look whenever I wasn't exactly complaining with his wishes."

She laughed and blinked out a few tears.

"The middle stone," he traced it, "is Cale. You and I are the outside stones. He was our glue when we were falling apart, when it would have been easier to fall apart. He held us together, he connected us even when we didn't want to be connected. I don't think we'd be here without him."

"I wouldn't want to be here without him," she pointed out.

"Good point," he kissed the top of her head. "So," he asked, "any thoughts now about being branded Mrs. Logan Cale?"

"Maybe you shouldn't say the word brand to someone who already has a barcode on the back of her neck?"

"Hmm," he murmured into her, "I'd take it back, but I'd be lying. I wouldn't be too disappointed if Sandeman didn't make his presence known one more time and ' Logan's' appeared on your forehead."

She held in a bemused laugh.

"Another reason for you to marry me and provide our son with some siblings, only children don't know how to share."

She laughed and twisted within his arms to kiss him.

:End Flashback:

She stared at the ring for awhile longer as she listened to the faint sounds of Logan and Cale in the kitchen before slowly falling asleep.