Ya know what? It's long past due for a past chapter. I'm not doing a disclaimer because no one other than my characters will be in this chapter. Enjoy.

Max and J's Past

A young boy, around three years old, was looking up at a man with silver white hair, wearing a familiar silver jacket and a pair of black jeans, smiling down at the boy and then stooping down to pick him up. "How's my little Max doing, eh," the man asked.

"Good, daddy," Max answered, laughing as his father threw him into the air to catch him.

"James, are you throwing him in the air again," a voice called, a warning tone to it.

"No, Elly, I'm not," he said, putting a finger over his lips to his son. "Is our guest ready?"

"Yes, he is," Elly answered, walking into the room. She was wearing an apron, a green long sleeved shirt under it and a green skirt to match, her hair jet black. "J, would you come in here?" A boy stepped from behind the door frame. He had blonde hair and looked to be close to five years of age. "Max. This is J."

"Hi," Max said, smiling at J.

"J, this is your new operator, Max," Elly said, giving him a gentle nudge in the back. "Go on, don't be shy."

"Hi," J said, finally talking.

***

Max woke up, looking around the room. He thought back to the memory, smiling.

"Can't sleep," J asked, leaning against the door frame of Max's bedroom.

"Nah. Reminiscing in my sleep," Max said. "Just remembering when we first met. To think, you used to be so shy."

"Heh. Yeah. Hard to believe, isn't it?" J grew silent, looking down. "Man, I miss them."

Max looked down as well. "Yeah. I still can't believe that they're…" But he couldn't finish the sentence. It was too painful. "That was the worst day of my life."

"I know. I wish there were some way to bring them back."

-Flashback sequence starts here and-

"Mom, where's dad going," Max, now age ten, asked, watching his father walk out of the house, his armor active.

"Nowhere honey. He's just going to take care of some business," Elly answered. Little did she know that was the last time she would see her husband. Later that night, a man in a blue uniform was on their doorstep, his hat in his hand and a sad look on his face.

"Mrs. Escal. I'm sorry to have to bring you this news," the man said, his expression becoming more depressed, "but your husband has died. We did our best, but he told us to go. We did find this." He pulled James's silver jacket from behind his back, folded. "Ma'am, this is no easy loss for any of us."

Elly had tears in her eyes as she took the jacket from the man's hand. "Thank you."

"Ma'am, again, I'm sorry for your loss. If there's any way that we can help, we'll be glad to provide it. Your husband saved all of our men that went with him."

"That's just like James. Other people's safety comes before his own. But I guess that's what I loved about him. Thank you for coming."

"Well, I guess that's all, Mrs. Escal." The man put his hat on his head and turned around.

"Mom. Is dad coming home," J asked from behind her. She turned to see both J and Max standing there.

"No, sweeties. I'm sorry, but…daddy isn't coming home."

-ends here-

"That first time was hard enough," J said. "But then mom…"

"Went after the man who killed dad," Max finished, "to protect us."

-flashback sequence starts here and-

"Mom, please," a now twelve year old Max said, talking to his mother. "You can't do this. You're the only one that J and I have left."

Elly turned to Max and J, putting one hand their shoulders. "Boys, I want you to listen to me. I have to do this. If for nothing else than to keep you safe," she said. She took her hands off their shoulders, turning to J. "J, I want you to take care of Max if I don't come back."

"Don 't say that, mom," J said.

"I have to. Because there's a good chance that I won't be back." She turned to Max. "Max, I want you to have your father's armor. Use it to protect your loved ones, as your father did. Can you two do this for me?"

Both boys looked down, tears in their eyes, not wanting to let her go. But they both said, "Yes ma'am."

"Boys, I love you both so much. And no matter what happens, your father and I will always be with you. Remember that." And with that final word, she gave them a tight hug, giving them each a kiss on the forehead and walked out of the door. The last time that they saw her.

-ends here-

"J," Max said.

"Hm?"

"Why did they do it? They both knew that they might never come back. So why did they do it?"

"I dunno. I suppose…it was to protect their family and friends. You're a lot like mom and dad. You can't stand around while the people you love are harmed. Neither can I."

"Yeah. I suppose. But still…I just wish that they had come back."

"Don't worry about it Max. We have a new family now. And we'll make sure that what happened to us doesn't happen to them, not if we can help it. Right?"

"Right."

So sad. So very sad. I'm a little scared that I possess the ability to write such things. Anyways, Please Review.