Idlehands: Aaah beautiful paying attention…I do have a tendency to do things like that. All I could remember for sure was J and Jesse seemed familiar and after I couldn't find it doing a quick search of the transcripts I decided to ignore it for the moment and check out the X-5 Resource when I was done…Of course I forgot and assumed when I opened the document later that I had already double checked things like that. Of course now that I'm thinking of it I totally remember Ben Jack Cale of "Blessings" didn't though as I was writing. See I can throw on my nerd glasses too :-D Oh and instead of short how about incomplete? Embedded tends to have fuller, lengthier, more in depth chapters instead of the short snippets of Remnants and Moving On. Yup I totally fell asleep within like a paragraph of writing. Then my normal Saturday laziness was paired with a very annoying computer, followed by normal Saturday plans, topped off by a scene that ended up a hell of a lot longer than I intended it to. Okay excuses aside I'm sorry.

AN: Okay I tried to re-inspire myself with DA episodes….So totally didn't work…Though it did refresh my crush on MW…Also made me realize I see JA and Max as totally separate things (Love Max, think JA is totally overexposed). Hmm yea both of those things are off-track…Back on, sorry guys, I so tried. I think it's school or anything I'm procrastinating with that actually inspires me, all this free time does not work for writing. Sorry. Thanks for reading everyone! Oh and hi new reader!

Chapter Twenty-Four

By the Light of Day

She woke up still in his arms some time later. Her head no longer buried, just resting on the soft worn fabric of his sweatshirt, her own hands softly grasping it as his own were holding her firmly to him.

She wondered briefly in those few barely awake moments if this was the safest she'd ever felt.

She could always feel it in his apartment; the Needle may have been an escape to make her feel normal, average, his apartment though…It was more than just a sanctuary, a hideaway from the rest of the world. Seattle, Manticore, everything just seemed to disappear while she was enclosed in these walls. Even while they were searching out everything bad that went on out there, it didn't seem quite so real in these walls.

And his arms, the strength in his arms, rivaled only by his mind. She could still remember the exact moment she'd become so incredibly aware of them.

Not that she hadn't always known he was strong, she'd seen him workout, she'd seen the definition encased in shirts that seemed to grow smaller the longer she knew him, she'd seen them bare. She knew she owed her life to them, his arms and that brilliant mind of his had saved their lives in Cape Haven.

Part of her had been ignorant though, she just hadn't gotten it until…

June 2020:

She heard the soft static-y stands of a guitar coming from what was now the exercise room, since Bling had abolished the smaller area because Logan now needed too many pieces of equipment to fit in the small area. She pouted as she walked towards the room, Logan normally didn't listen to the radio. She would say it was a throwback to his childhood if she didn't know after receiving a dirty look after commenting that he'd grown up on Grunge, it was further accompanied by 'Exactly how old do you think I am?'

Still rap and hip-hop didn't exactly 'go' with Logan Cale. Her sides had nearly split when he'd one day spoken/sung along with a song on the radio; it was as unnatural as it came. Her laughter had been compounded each time she'd begged him to stop, as he'd sing louder and he'd fake seriousness, pretending to be really into it. He listened to rock, but the world he'd grown up in had primarily exposed him to hip-hop just as it had her. Of course he didn't listen to either, nostalgia be damned.

So still pouting and wondering the change in music she walked into the room to be confronted with Logan's head just above the pull up bar, his legs crossed and lifted up behind him (Bling's concession to his new not completely steady legs so he wouldn't have to jump up or down). She paused in silence in the doorway as she watched his bare arms slowly lower his body down, ignoring the pull of gravity, then back up.

'Speak Max,' her mind ordered herself as she inexplicably felt the urge to drool. "What's with the music?" she nodded towards the small radio as his head turned with her first word.

He let out a short laugh, "Never thought I'd actually miss Bling's company."

"All those little pearls of wisdom fill the silence?" she smirked walking into the room more and settling herself down on a workout bench.

He grunted a yes as he finished pulling himself up.

"How long you been at it?"

"What time is it?"

"Little past eleven," she said still just watching his arms as he continued about his business.

He groaned, "Awhile."

She ordered her eyes away and decided to distract herself by checking out the schedule that had been dropped on the bench. "So this is Bling's torture routine," ouch Logan wasn't kidding when he said awhile, she thought scanning it.

"And I thought he was a slave driver before," he grunted at the end of that as he had to force himself up.

She definitely got the grunt now; Logan was nearing the end of the workout. She watched him rise up again, lifting the two hundred pounds of his body without another noise. His eyes caught hers as he lowered himself that final time and she couldn't help but return his easy smile as she couldn't figure out if she was sad or relived that his workout was complete.

Present Day:

It was unnatural to feel so safe in his arms, but they seemed to hold the strength to keep everything bad away. And that was her final thought as her eyes closed again with the weight of his arms keeping her safe.

-o-o-o-o-

Her eyes flickered again this time to see the daylight peeking through the edges of the heavy curtains, her lids were still heavy though and she wondered why she woke up. She realized she was moving, slowly and gently she was being moved, rolled to the side. The dark blue ended up above her as an arm was braced to the side and attempted to keep his balance as the other one was removed from beneath her. She lifted up her body to aid his movements as she asked, "What time is it?"

"Just past eight," he said as their eyes sought out each others, "I wanted to take a quick shower and get dressed before Brittany gets here."

Her mind remembered Brittany, Logan always managed to evade his cousin's request to watch his goddaughter, but Max was another story and Bitsy proved one of the most determined Cales she'd ever met. She'd shown at Jam Pony on Thursday afternoon completely bypassing Logan, charmed Normal enough so Max didn't get a single complaint afterwards, hell he'd even called out after Bits to stop by any time she wanted.

Max had experienced once more just how manipulative a Cale could be, family emergency on Kyle's side, they had to leave town for at least a week and the nanny swore she couldn't get out of her day off plans, at which point Bitsy had thrown in several comments about once more having to go back to the agency. The slight desperation she'd shown Max as she'd turned to the entry way with Normal's 'Speak of the devil,' grew at this point, Brittany still hated the youngest Cale so she couldn't be left with Bennett and Marianne. So it was Logan and Max or Margo. She'd thrown in several comments of knowing it was an imposition, if there was anything else she could do, she'd owe them forever. She hadn't even given Max a chance to respond before moving onto Margo as if Max had refused. That Brittany would just have to survive her grandmother for the day and night, she'd turned to Max for comfort at that point, looking for reassurance that Brittany would indeed survive.

It had taken until Normal had called out his goodbye after Bitsy had hugged Max and promised that she would forever be in her debt in the same breath she was saying she'd drop Brit off around nine that Saturday since Friday would be spent attempting to procure all the necessary documents and line up everything at work and home for their absence for Max to realize she'd just been played. Logan had absolutely nothing on his cousin.

Logan had just laughed when she'd called him and told him what had happened.

So Brittany made sense, the shower though…That didn't seem right, even her sleep addled brain could remember the boxers. Boxers meant he'd showered last night, since he always wore boxer briefs with the exo, (she assumed the boxers created a bunching issue). "Didn't you shower last night?"

He just looked at her, then next to her, her head dropped and she saw an empty glass, then down at the tiny crusty white flecks on half of his body. Her eyes traveled back to his face and noticed the slight shine, he might have gotten rid of the blanket, but his sweatshirt and the human heating blanket Max was had kept him more than just slightly warm, it also probably didn't help that her temperature tended to run a few degrees warmer than most.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Not a problem," he said as he moved to transfer into the chair.

"Bed's gonna smell soon," she scrunched up the side of her face as she noticed the stained sheets. She noticed his smile from the chair as his eyes were focused briefly on her chest instead of her face. Odd for Loganshe looked down.

"Bed's not the only thing," he said as she took in her probably ruined maroon top.

She grimaced.

"You hungry? I promised you French toast this morning didn't I?" He knew full he had as part of his consoling her after being suckered in by Bitsy; he'd gone shopping yesterday in preparation for feeding her three meals and snacks.

She smiled, "Sounds good," she didn't really mean it, but she said it anyway to keep the worry from his eyes.

ooOoo

"Of course she's early," Logan muttered as the doorbell rang as he was about to lower the second batch of French Toast onto the pan.

He conjured up the smile as he walked to the door and it was fully ready by the time he opened it, "Bit-"

He was cut off by Brittany launching herself at his legs, "Uncle Logan!"

"Hey Brit," he said dropping his hand down from the doorframe he'd grabbed onto harder since her 50 pound frame tended to pack quite a wallop. "You're early," he said looking up at his cousin.

"Well this one didn't want breakfast so-"

"Uncle Logan can you make me waffles?"

His gaze returned upwards to his cousin's face, pretty sure it had been the same cereal versus waffle discussion he and Max had the lovely opportunity to already hear out at the cabin and his cousin had decided to drop it on him instead. "How about French Toast since it's already done?"

Her eyes widened at the touch of that, waffles were one thing, French Toast another entirely. "Can I have sugar on it?"

"Sure"

"And syrup?"

Oh crap that was a lot of sugar, what was he in for? "Uh sure," he nodded a little more hesitantly, still willing to risk it in order to avoid a temper tantrum. "Let me take those," he reached out for the pink bags Bitsy held.

"Max isn't here yet?" Bitsy asked as she followed him.

Crap again, he thought as he led them to the perfectly made up guest room, "She's in the shower; she'll be out in a few."

She smirked as he expected her to, "Sorry we're early just didn't make any sense to sit at home for another fifteen minutes."

"Not a problem Bits." He refrained from sighing, "You ready for that French Toast?"

"Yea," Brittany smiled and ran off towards the kitchen.

ooOoo

"Don't pour it all on," Logan said seating her at the island with the powdered sugar and syrup within easy reach.

"I won't," she promised but her eyes twinkled.

"Brit," her mom said haphazardly as she poked her head into Logan's room before turning with the all knowing smile to her cousin.

So much for sheets could wait since he had to do laundry, "So is Kyle waiting downstairs?"

"Yea, I should be going," her head ducked down next to Brittany's, "Be good for Uncle Logan and Max and Miss B when she comes to get you tomorrow."

"Can't I just stay with Uncle Logan and Max till you get back?" she whined.

"Uncle Logan has work," another pointed look at her cousin since she'd been informed he only seemed to have an article out every few months.

"What about Max?"

"What about me?" Max asked emerging from the bathroom wrapped only in a white towel.

"Max," Brittany said scurrying off the stool towards Max.

"Hey," she smiled cupping the back of the little girl's head and hoping she secured her towel enough. "Smells good," she whiffed the air appreciatively, her appetite revived.

Logan smiled in response, especially since she was looking a hell of a lot more like herself after her shower.

"Okay well you have a good week sweetheart, try to be good for Miss B," Bitsy said moving in to hug her daughter. "Thanks again guys, I really owe you," she smiled.

"Hope everything works out," Max nodded as she secured the top of the towel.

Bitsy returned the gesture with an unenthusiastic smile, much like Max was sure Marianne would give if told Margo was in the hospital with a possibly life threatening condition.

ooOoo

She watched Logan shift. He'd done well for the first half hour of the movie, but as Princess Aurora started singing of her true love coming he'd started shifting. Not a lot, certainly not enough to distract Brittany from the tv, but Max noticed and smirked to herself. Poor big tough man looked like he was going to shoot himself. She smiled remembering he'd done well with The Little Mermaid, but Sleeping Beauty was definitely more romance and less funny.

She watched him as he tried to figure out a way off of the couch, which was dashed as Aurora started to ascend those stairs and Brittany latched onto his arm with, "Uncle Logan don't let her go up the stairs."

Max smirked again as she watched the despair pass over his face as he realized there would be no escape as he consoled the little girl and promised her it would be okay. She caught a glare a few minutes later as she smiled realizing Brittany had taken up a permanent position scrunched up holding onto her uncle's arm where she'd occasionally even bury her face hiding from the images on the tv.

He let out a sigh of relief as Brittany happily sighed as the couple started dancing on screen.

"Are you guys ready for lunch yet?" He asked immediately standing once his arm was free.

The day had actually so far managed to progress uneventfully despite the amount of sugar Brittany had consumed during breakfast. She'd started rattling off a list of things she wanted to do with her mouth stuffed full of French toast, her face had fallen as she'd been informed that they were staying indoors today because Max was sick. It had changed to concern and confusion quickly enough as she asked why Max wasn't in bed, since she always had to stay in bed when she was sick, which was followed without even much of a pause for breath with the last time she was sick she'd thrown up chocolate cake all over her parents bed and both adults had a momentary wavering of their appetites as they grimaced.

Brittany had done an about face in her normal behavior and set about babying Max as her mother normally babied her. She'd tried ordering Max into bed, when that didn't work she covered Max with the beige throw Logan kept in the living room. Of course Brittany was bored within minutes of sitting on the couch even with the cartoons on the tv, 'We could color, Mommy always gets me a new coloring book when I'm sick.'

So Max had joined her on the floor and Logan in between starting the laundry and cleaning up from breakfast had placed her pills next to her and yet more milk. 'Eww you have to take pills? My medicine at least tastes like bubble gum,' had been Brittany's reaction to that.

Logan had dropped down to the armchair almost an hour later after polite fully declining a coloring book and chuckled seeing the show on the tv. A sponge that worked in a fast food joint. An old cartoon, they were all always old, the networks only produced a few new shows every season for the adults, afterall all shows were new to the kids. The tv shows from back in the day had all been marketing ploys and barely anyone had any money to waste nowadays so there was no point. Logan was one of those people, like most people she'd come into contact that had seen everything tv had to offer. Maybe that was why he was so into Eyes Only, there wasn't anything else to fill the time.

'Spongebob Squarepants?' she asked with a tilted head.

He laughed again, 'I'm aware it's horrible, it was great though when I was a kid.'

'Ugh,' she shook her head, the guy only listened to classical music, this made no sense.

'This is pretty appealing to a ten year old, trust me,' he said sitting forward as he partially paid attention to the screen still wondering how exactly this had been so great when he was a kid. 'I had a pair of pajama bottoms,' he absently said remembering.

'Gonna have to take your word on that on.'

Logan turned his attention away from the tv for that, even Brittany glanced up for a moment. Logan remembered hearing about Max's first tv show, first movie, how absolutely amazed she'd been to see stuff like that on a tv instead of war documentaries and training films.

' June 1, 2009?' she offered, 'Ring any bells?'

'Oh,' he said keeping his lips in the formation for a few seconds longer before nodding his head.

'Didn't really catch much tv for a few years after that,' she said looking directly at him.

He nodded, 'Understandable, I don't think many of us did.'

Brittany looked back and forth between them as the commercial hit wondering exactly what they were talking about. She remembered that date, her mom had repeated it as they were getting ready to move, and she kept repeating it every time she'd explain why things were so different here.

'What happened?' Brittany asked.

Her face fell, just like it had fallen when she'd told Brittany her grandfather, the old man in the pictures had died, 'It just stopped…everything stopped.'

'Can't they start it again?'

Her mom had smiled for that, no teeth though, she nodded, 'They're trying.'

'There was no tv?' she asked incredulously.

'Not for awhile,' Logan nodded.

'That sucks,' she said with her mouth dropped disgusted by even the thought, 'what'd you do?'

'What do you do when there's a brownout?' he asked

'Watch a movie or play a game on my mom's laptop.'

'Never mind,' he said realized it would be pretty impossible to explain it to a kid how everything had stopped working.

'No Saturday morning cartoons?'

How did one explain an EM Pulse to a little kid? She'd come into a third world nation, she'd never known it as anything else. He'd grown up a superpower, the superpower. 'Not for awhile Brit, we got them back,' he smiled, 'these are all the shows I grew up on.'

His words distracted her from the previous topic, 'What's your favorite show?'

'Now or from when I was your age?'

She thought about it for a second, 'My age.'

He made a strained thinking face for her benefit, 'Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers,' he said slowly.

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped, 'I love that show! I wanna be the yellow ranger, Mommy says she always wanted to be the pink one, but I don't like her.'

Max fell back as Brittany jumped up as the words continued to flow from her mouth, she started spouting various catchphrases as she karate chopped and high kicked the air.

Max was smiling as she looked over at Logan who had fallen against the back of the chair laughing, he caught Max's gaze, 'You have no idea how many injuries that show caused.'

'Think I've got a good idea,' she said with a nod.

Brittany did a decent job of tiring herself out with that so when a movie was suggested an hour later she'd more than readily agreed especially since they said she could pick from the stack her uncle had picked up. Her uncle had failed to take into account he was actually going to have to sit there and watch it when he picked them out though, so an hour an a half later fort building actually wasn't sounding so bad.

"All depends what do ya have?" Max asked in regards to his offer of lunch.

"I was thinking maybe some Eggplant Ratatouille," sure the eggplant might be a bit repetitive, but he wanted to get the joke across.

"Rata whaty?" Brittany asked with an eyebrow raised and her head partially turned towards Max for support.

"I'm with the kid on that one," Max said with an unpleased face, really hoping this was a joke.

"Come on it's eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, you eat it cold,"

Brittany just turned to Max on that one, the one worst thing than warm vegetables, cold vegetables, she'd learned that the hard way.

"Okay Logan joke time's up, you're starting to scare us," Max said looking at him wondering if this really wasn't going to be a joke. Afterall she'd thought the Serviche was going to be a joke then she'd opened his fridge to see all that wonderful seafood packed in rather unappealingly in lime juice. Not that it had been horrible, but she'd definitely eaten more chips and cold potatoes than seafood. It had taken him awhile for her to even take that first bite as she repeatedly mentioned that she really wasn't that much cat and she liked her fish cooked.

He smiled, "Burgers on the stove or in the oven?"

Phew, "Don't joke about food Logan."

He smiled, "Come on Brit, you can peel the lettuce for me."

She let out a sigh of disgust as she looked up at him, "We're not having salad are we?"

"Well I'm having salad, but if you want the eggplant…"

ooOoo

He groaned as he shot up to the doorbell ringing as he wondered what purpose exactly did his doorman serve. Brittany had pointed out while he was cooking that Max was shaking, slight tremors nothing compared to what they could be. They were still draining though and after lunch she hadn't really fought as Brittany had once more tucked her in on the couch. He worked on a puzzle for awhile with Brittany until her attention began to waver and he moved onto a book, eventually her lids had started to flicker shut like Max's he'd suggested a nap promising the book could wait until later.

He'd tucked them into his bed since the guest room was close to his office and he didn't want to awaken them being on the phone. He hadn't heard a peep from them in over a half hour and definitely wanted them to sleep longer, especially Max, so this unexpected visitor was certainly not a welcome one.

"Bennett?" he said softly as he opened the door after viewing his cousin's face through the peephole.

"Hey," his cousin nodded and stepped to walk inside with his son resting in the carrier in his hand.

Logan stepped to the side still wondering what the hell was going on, his cousin had stopped by his place unexpectedly less than a handful of times since he'd moved in and that had been quite some time ago.

"Hey do you mind?" he said outstretching his hand to pass off his son so he could remove his coat.

Logan accepted his youngest cousin with just the quickest look down before his gaze returned upwards as his cousin was hanging up his coat. What the hell was going on?

"Bennett, not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?" Logan asked in a low voice.

"He's awake; you can talk in your normal tone Logan," Bennett said in his own normal tone as he retrieved his son.

"Max and Brittany are taking a nap," he said with a slight shake of his head.

"Max is taking a nap?" He paused for a second, "It's the middle of the afternoon."

"That is when people generally take naps."

"Is she pregnant?"

"What?" Logan asked dumbstruck by that question.

That was a good question wasn't it? Max was 20, she had more energy than all of them put together, she never looked tired, bored yes, but never tired. "Marianne slept a lot when she was pregnant," he offered up his reasoning.

Logan shook his head and shut his eyes briefly, "Well I don't think Max has a boyfriend, so I don't think that's an issue," he said reinforcing what he'd always told his cousins, why exactly did they think he would lie to them about being with someone like Max he didn't know. "She's been sick," he explained her nap.

"Oh," Bennett said looking rather guiltily then thought for a moment about it, "she's not contagious is she?"

Logan wondered briefly if he should lie and say yes, but before he could decide Max appeared in the entryway.

"Hey Bennett," she said also looking decently confused by Logan's cousin's appearance; she'd been expecting someone like Bling.

Bennett's eyes shot over to Max not looking at all sick, sleep tousled yes, but not sick. Her hair was in soft loose ruffled waves, her eyes held the vestiges of sleep, her face free of makeup, the same as he'd seen her in the hospital after Nicky was born, which he had to hear Marianne bitch about for a good half hour since apparently it was one thing for someone to be beautiful with makeup on, but another entirely to be it without, especially when the woman noticing it had just given birth. She was wearing a dark blue ribbed tank and soft gray cropped pants, a decidedly indoor outfit for the middle of winter, especially since her feet were bare. Oh if his cousin was telling the truth, he was a very stupid man.

Okay gonna stop there for this chapter since I think I figured out what I want to write for the next one. But yea, not too sure entirely where I wanna take this story from this point to the end. See this is what happens when the story has no point, you get really stuck. So yea if anyone at any point wants to throw out any suggestions, I'm more than willing to listen.