A/N: Well, folks, here you go, the very last part to Towards the Sunset. I do hope you've all enjoyed it, and once again, thank you for all your reviews. I know it was only supposed to be fifteen parts, but I just thought maybe a little shippier ending would be more my style anyway. LOL So, one last shippy little moment for you. :) Thank you all for reading and bearing with me as this poor little thing went through change after change so the posts came in later each night. I look forward to hearing what you all think now that it's all over and done with, so please feel free to contact me either here or by email if you have a mind to. :) Other than that, thank you once again, and take care. :)
There are very mild spoilers for second season in this, but only up to Some Assembly Required, and most of them are only vague allusions to past events.
I welcome all reviews, both here and by email, so please feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you're thinking. I can't improve my writing if I don't know what people want to see. :P
They're not mine, I just borrow them sometimes and mutate their inner voices. What can I say? It's fun. But Cameron will always own the good stuff. :P
Towards the Sunset
Part Sixteen: Epilogue
By: Danae Bowen
Email: [email protected]
Cindy came running down the steps of the cottage only seconds after Logan pulled the Aztec into the long driveway. He casually glanced at the front of the cottage, wondering exactly what the walls had seen in the week he and Max had been away, but for Cindy's sake, he stopped his mind from wandering into dangerous territory. He and Max had stayed in town for Asha's funeral, the least that Logan could do for his old friend after all that had happened in the last two weeks. Very few people showed up for the ceremony besides Logan and Max; both, however, were surprised to see Alec there. When questioned, he'd just shrugged, and they didn't have the heart to press the issue. Alec was an enigma in all things, and Logan had a feeling the younger man somewhat enjoyed the aura of mystery that surrounded him.
Logan hadn't quite gotten over the guilt that still ate at his heart when it came to Asha's demise, but Max's continual reminders that he wasn't solely responsible had begun to sink in. The person he should be blaming died in Alec's arms a week previous; he only hoped that the remorse he felt would soon follow Dietz's example and quickly expire. Asha had been a good friend, but she was gone now; it was Max on whom Logan now had to concentrate.
As to Dietz, himself, Matt had emailed Logan to inform him of the cleanup operation on the warehouse. Dietz's body had been removed, and the other men involved taken into custody. Max's apartment was also investigated, but most of the men the X-5s had over come were already gone. Logan and Max weren't overly worried on that front, however. Dietz had been the brains of the operation; with him out of the picture, they didn't figure they'd be faced with any repercussions any time soon.
Now, back in Canada once more, Max barely had opened her door before Cindy was pulling her out of the car and into her arms for a hug.
"Y'all took long enough to get your butts back here! Was startin' to think I'd be hitchin' home in the back of some dirty ass truck. Where you been, boo?"
Max grinned and let Original Cindy hug her before turning to peer at Logan. He sighed, and looked at the back of the car with a pained expression. "Go on, I'll get the bags." She flashed him a look of gratitude and disappeared into the house with Cindy as Logan shook his head. "Some things will never change," he supposed out loud as he hefted their heavy bags out of the car and began teetering up the steps to the front deck.
Inside Max filled Cindy in on the events of the past few days, telling her about the operation to take out Dietz, stumbling softly over the words when it came time to tell Cindy that their living room had been pretty badly shot up in the original invasion. Cindy sighed and shook her head.
"Girl, hangin' with you is hard on my cribs, know what I'm sayin'?"
Max laughed. "Yeah. Logan's offered to help fix it up. Was a dive anyway."
"But it was our dive." Cindy paused. "So you bailin' on Original Cindy, boo? Goin' off to Logan's tower in the sky 'n leaving your home girl to fend for herself?"
Max shook her head, dropping onto a sofa in the family room. "Dunno. Not for a while anyway."
Cindy raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Fancy place, hot water, great guy, all the sex you could want, what's the dealio?"
Max blushed but shrugged softly. "How long did I know Darren before I moved in with him?"
"Big difference there, boo. Logan's not a pansy-assed, shit for brains loser."
The younger girl chuckled and drew her knees up to her chest. "Yeah, well, I guess I kinda wanna do this right, y'know?"
"Ah, Original Cindy's gettin' ya now. My boo's looking to get herself hooked up with some romance. You want the dates, with all the flowers 'n candy 'n shit, 'n the mystery that comes when you bounce in the mornings to head home. Probably even want the chance to turn down a date or two 'fore you give it all up for one guy."
Max shrugged. "Yeah, 'n I guess I wanna hear the words too."
"Damn, girl, he's not coughed up the commitment yet?"
"He probably doesn't think I'm ready to hear them."
"Are you?"
"Honestly?"
"Hey, this is Original Cindy you talkin' at. You not honest with me, Max, I'll hafta kick your ass, 'n seeing's you're my best boo, that'd pain me." Cindy nudged her shoulder into Max's and afforded the girl a grin. "Tell me the truth, girl."
"No. I'm not ready. I'm ready to see where this goes, but beyond that…"
"I hear ya. Fun now, serious later."
"Yeah."
Logan thumped into the room with his and Max's bags, dropping them in a heap on the floor before collapsing into a chair, wondering why both women were looking at him in such a thoughtful manner.
"What?"
Max grinned. "Nothing. We were just sayin' we're hungry's all. No big dealio."
Logan narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, trying to find the joke in her statement but seeing nothing beyond the obvious words. He shrugged. "What are you in the mood for?"
Max looked over to Original Cindy, who shrugged. "He's your man, you tell me what's good. Original Cindy's not used to this kinda treatment."
Logan frowned deeper. "Why do I feel like I've just walked into the wrong conversation?"
Max laughed, shaking her head. "Relax, we're definitely talking about food. And Alec thinks *my* mind's in the gutter." She grinned, leaning back as she eyed Logan thoughtfully. "Pizza. And lots of it."
Logan's gaze remained suspicious as he left the room, getting the cordless from the kitchen and dialing a local pizza parlor. He didn't miss the fits of giggles that issued from the other room and he wondered exactly what he'd done this time to set the girls off.
Of course, standing in the kitchen, he missed the reason for the laughter. Max and Original Cindy had watched as Logan left to order the pizza, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket without blinking. Cindy raised her eyebrow, and nodded as if in satisfaction.
"Boy's a keeper, boo. Gonna get us the grub and cough up the dough for it. Y'ain't never gonna hear Original Cindy complainin' about a squeeze toy like that."
Max had frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning back to send Cindy a mock glare. "You're not gonna switch teams and steal my guy are you?"
"If Original Cindy was gonna switch for any boy, sugar, which by the way ain't in the cards, you'd be in for some definite competition. 'Cause what Original Cindy wants, Original Cindy gets."
Max had laughed then, knocking Cindy in the knee lightly with her foot, her eyes sparkling. "So why's it that Original Cindy ain't got no boo to warm her sheets tonight?"
"You cold, girl."
"So I've been told." They stared at each other for a minute before dissolving into the laughter at which Logan had grown suspicious.
He ordered their pizzas and returned to the family room, leaving the cash for the order on the kitchen table. As he sat down, he stared at the bags he still had to put away in his bedroom but couldn't find the energy to pick them up just yet. His eyes carried up to the girls who were still smothering smiles.
"Didn't I tell you to stay out of the liquor cabinet?" He scolded with a half grin.
"Sugar, you know your girl's got the heart of an Ice Queen? Bitch came down on me 'bout not havin' a lickety chick in town. You know any local hotties you'd hook up wit' your girls best boo?"
Logan's eyebrows raised and he held up his hands as if defending himself. "I'm afraid I really don't know anyone in town anymore, much less their sexual preferences. Guess you're on your own."
"Damn, was afraid of that. Gonna hafta listen to y'all gettin' happy for the next two weeks, 'n not get any of my own. That's gotta be illegal somewhere."
Logan winked. "You could always hit the beach at the resort up the road. There always used to be groups of attractive women sunbathing there. God knows what their choices are, but they do have money."
Cindy's eyes shone interest at that, and she nodded. "Definitely a keeper, girl."
Logan shook his head and turned on the television, tossing the remote to Max before climbing to his feet and moving their things into his room. He had a feeling it was going to be an extremely long, but interesting two weeks.
*****
Logan knew Max watched him when he slept. He'd awakened many times in the last week to find her warm brown eyes on his face, her fingers making his body her own, and it never bothered him. Quite the opposite in fact; waking up to find her watching him with such love in her eyes, knowing that she could have easily gotten out of bed to find something to occupy her time rather than lying still hours through the night, proved to him that whatever Max had going through her head, she loved him.
That night it was his turn to watch her. She'd fallen asleep on the sofa somewhere in the middle of a late night movie they'd found showing on a local television station. She'd changed earlier into one of his favorite sweatshirts, the hem of the shirt covering her bare legs to the knees. He'd carried her to bed, ignoring Cindy's pointedly raised eyebrow, snuggling Max down under the covers as she breathed peacefully. She hadn't slept in many days, at least three or four, and by the deep rise and fall of her chest, Logan knew her body needed the rest. He'd slipped out of the exoskeleton and eased himself into the bed next to her, pulling her body snuggly against his, breathing in her scent as he buried his face at the back of her neck.
Now, hours had passed and Logan awoke to find his beauty curled up facing him, a small smile gracing her features as she dreamed peacefully. It was in times like these that Logan was reminded exactly how young Max actually was; all the hardness of her life, all the coldness of her abilities, everything melted away until she was just a peaceful child curled in his arms. Two years ago he would have thought himself a cad for lying in this bed with a girl barely twenty years old, but now he couldn't see his future without her. Not only had Eyes Only found a partner in the lost little soldier that broke into his penthouse a lifetime before, but so had Logan Cale. Now that he had her, there was nothing in the world that could ever convince him to let her go.
*****
Max was conscious of his gaze before her body was even fully awake. She could always feel Logan's eyes on her; no matter where they were or what they were doing, his crystalline orbs always seemed to find their way straight to her heart. She remained motionless for a long time, lying there listening to his silence, knowing that something had him deep in thought as his eyes never strayed from her face. When he didn't seem inclined to stop, she allowed her eyes to flutter open, meeting his blue eyes with her smiling brown.
"Hey." Her words were soft, her voice deepened both by sleep and his body pressed so tightly up against her own.
"Hey, yourself." He reached out a gentle hand and smoothed her hair away from her face, running his knuckles over her soft cheek before lowering his hand once more. "Sweet dreams?"
She smiled, lowering her eyes to his lips before meeting his gaze once more. "The best."
He grinned, his tongue darting out to casually wet his lips as he pondered her words. "Was I in them?"
"When aren't you?" She laughed, pushing him back and settling astride his body, her fingers finding the soft hairs on his chest, caressing him softly.
"Have I ever thanked you for breaking into the penthouse that night, and for sticking around after?" His hands settled on her thighs, stroking her flawless flesh with a loving touch.
"Only when you think you're gonna get lucky." Her grin was lopsided, her eyes warm and welcoming as he raised his touch beneath her sweatshirt.
"Am I right?"
"Nope." His face fell, his fingers stalling on their travels towards her breasts.
"No?"
"Nope." She grinned, leaning down to press a gentle kiss against his pouting lips as her body softly circled against his, ripping a throaty growl from his chest. "I'm the one who got lucky, Logan."
End.
There are very mild spoilers for second season in this, but only up to Some Assembly Required, and most of them are only vague allusions to past events.
I welcome all reviews, both here and by email, so please feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you're thinking. I can't improve my writing if I don't know what people want to see. :P
They're not mine, I just borrow them sometimes and mutate their inner voices. What can I say? It's fun. But Cameron will always own the good stuff. :P
Towards the Sunset
Part Sixteen: Epilogue
By: Danae Bowen
Email: [email protected]
Cindy came running down the steps of the cottage only seconds after Logan pulled the Aztec into the long driveway. He casually glanced at the front of the cottage, wondering exactly what the walls had seen in the week he and Max had been away, but for Cindy's sake, he stopped his mind from wandering into dangerous territory. He and Max had stayed in town for Asha's funeral, the least that Logan could do for his old friend after all that had happened in the last two weeks. Very few people showed up for the ceremony besides Logan and Max; both, however, were surprised to see Alec there. When questioned, he'd just shrugged, and they didn't have the heart to press the issue. Alec was an enigma in all things, and Logan had a feeling the younger man somewhat enjoyed the aura of mystery that surrounded him.
Logan hadn't quite gotten over the guilt that still ate at his heart when it came to Asha's demise, but Max's continual reminders that he wasn't solely responsible had begun to sink in. The person he should be blaming died in Alec's arms a week previous; he only hoped that the remorse he felt would soon follow Dietz's example and quickly expire. Asha had been a good friend, but she was gone now; it was Max on whom Logan now had to concentrate.
As to Dietz, himself, Matt had emailed Logan to inform him of the cleanup operation on the warehouse. Dietz's body had been removed, and the other men involved taken into custody. Max's apartment was also investigated, but most of the men the X-5s had over come were already gone. Logan and Max weren't overly worried on that front, however. Dietz had been the brains of the operation; with him out of the picture, they didn't figure they'd be faced with any repercussions any time soon.
Now, back in Canada once more, Max barely had opened her door before Cindy was pulling her out of the car and into her arms for a hug.
"Y'all took long enough to get your butts back here! Was startin' to think I'd be hitchin' home in the back of some dirty ass truck. Where you been, boo?"
Max grinned and let Original Cindy hug her before turning to peer at Logan. He sighed, and looked at the back of the car with a pained expression. "Go on, I'll get the bags." She flashed him a look of gratitude and disappeared into the house with Cindy as Logan shook his head. "Some things will never change," he supposed out loud as he hefted their heavy bags out of the car and began teetering up the steps to the front deck.
Inside Max filled Cindy in on the events of the past few days, telling her about the operation to take out Dietz, stumbling softly over the words when it came time to tell Cindy that their living room had been pretty badly shot up in the original invasion. Cindy sighed and shook her head.
"Girl, hangin' with you is hard on my cribs, know what I'm sayin'?"
Max laughed. "Yeah. Logan's offered to help fix it up. Was a dive anyway."
"But it was our dive." Cindy paused. "So you bailin' on Original Cindy, boo? Goin' off to Logan's tower in the sky 'n leaving your home girl to fend for herself?"
Max shook her head, dropping onto a sofa in the family room. "Dunno. Not for a while anyway."
Cindy raised an eyebrow. "Why not? Fancy place, hot water, great guy, all the sex you could want, what's the dealio?"
Max blushed but shrugged softly. "How long did I know Darren before I moved in with him?"
"Big difference there, boo. Logan's not a pansy-assed, shit for brains loser."
The younger girl chuckled and drew her knees up to her chest. "Yeah, well, I guess I kinda wanna do this right, y'know?"
"Ah, Original Cindy's gettin' ya now. My boo's looking to get herself hooked up with some romance. You want the dates, with all the flowers 'n candy 'n shit, 'n the mystery that comes when you bounce in the mornings to head home. Probably even want the chance to turn down a date or two 'fore you give it all up for one guy."
Max shrugged. "Yeah, 'n I guess I wanna hear the words too."
"Damn, girl, he's not coughed up the commitment yet?"
"He probably doesn't think I'm ready to hear them."
"Are you?"
"Honestly?"
"Hey, this is Original Cindy you talkin' at. You not honest with me, Max, I'll hafta kick your ass, 'n seeing's you're my best boo, that'd pain me." Cindy nudged her shoulder into Max's and afforded the girl a grin. "Tell me the truth, girl."
"No. I'm not ready. I'm ready to see where this goes, but beyond that…"
"I hear ya. Fun now, serious later."
"Yeah."
Logan thumped into the room with his and Max's bags, dropping them in a heap on the floor before collapsing into a chair, wondering why both women were looking at him in such a thoughtful manner.
"What?"
Max grinned. "Nothing. We were just sayin' we're hungry's all. No big dealio."
Logan narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, trying to find the joke in her statement but seeing nothing beyond the obvious words. He shrugged. "What are you in the mood for?"
Max looked over to Original Cindy, who shrugged. "He's your man, you tell me what's good. Original Cindy's not used to this kinda treatment."
Logan frowned deeper. "Why do I feel like I've just walked into the wrong conversation?"
Max laughed, shaking her head. "Relax, we're definitely talking about food. And Alec thinks *my* mind's in the gutter." She grinned, leaning back as she eyed Logan thoughtfully. "Pizza. And lots of it."
Logan's gaze remained suspicious as he left the room, getting the cordless from the kitchen and dialing a local pizza parlor. He didn't miss the fits of giggles that issued from the other room and he wondered exactly what he'd done this time to set the girls off.
Of course, standing in the kitchen, he missed the reason for the laughter. Max and Original Cindy had watched as Logan left to order the pizza, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket without blinking. Cindy raised her eyebrow, and nodded as if in satisfaction.
"Boy's a keeper, boo. Gonna get us the grub and cough up the dough for it. Y'ain't never gonna hear Original Cindy complainin' about a squeeze toy like that."
Max had frowned, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning back to send Cindy a mock glare. "You're not gonna switch teams and steal my guy are you?"
"If Original Cindy was gonna switch for any boy, sugar, which by the way ain't in the cards, you'd be in for some definite competition. 'Cause what Original Cindy wants, Original Cindy gets."
Max had laughed then, knocking Cindy in the knee lightly with her foot, her eyes sparkling. "So why's it that Original Cindy ain't got no boo to warm her sheets tonight?"
"You cold, girl."
"So I've been told." They stared at each other for a minute before dissolving into the laughter at which Logan had grown suspicious.
He ordered their pizzas and returned to the family room, leaving the cash for the order on the kitchen table. As he sat down, he stared at the bags he still had to put away in his bedroom but couldn't find the energy to pick them up just yet. His eyes carried up to the girls who were still smothering smiles.
"Didn't I tell you to stay out of the liquor cabinet?" He scolded with a half grin.
"Sugar, you know your girl's got the heart of an Ice Queen? Bitch came down on me 'bout not havin' a lickety chick in town. You know any local hotties you'd hook up wit' your girls best boo?"
Logan's eyebrows raised and he held up his hands as if defending himself. "I'm afraid I really don't know anyone in town anymore, much less their sexual preferences. Guess you're on your own."
"Damn, was afraid of that. Gonna hafta listen to y'all gettin' happy for the next two weeks, 'n not get any of my own. That's gotta be illegal somewhere."
Logan winked. "You could always hit the beach at the resort up the road. There always used to be groups of attractive women sunbathing there. God knows what their choices are, but they do have money."
Cindy's eyes shone interest at that, and she nodded. "Definitely a keeper, girl."
Logan shook his head and turned on the television, tossing the remote to Max before climbing to his feet and moving their things into his room. He had a feeling it was going to be an extremely long, but interesting two weeks.
*****
Logan knew Max watched him when he slept. He'd awakened many times in the last week to find her warm brown eyes on his face, her fingers making his body her own, and it never bothered him. Quite the opposite in fact; waking up to find her watching him with such love in her eyes, knowing that she could have easily gotten out of bed to find something to occupy her time rather than lying still hours through the night, proved to him that whatever Max had going through her head, she loved him.
That night it was his turn to watch her. She'd fallen asleep on the sofa somewhere in the middle of a late night movie they'd found showing on a local television station. She'd changed earlier into one of his favorite sweatshirts, the hem of the shirt covering her bare legs to the knees. He'd carried her to bed, ignoring Cindy's pointedly raised eyebrow, snuggling Max down under the covers as she breathed peacefully. She hadn't slept in many days, at least three or four, and by the deep rise and fall of her chest, Logan knew her body needed the rest. He'd slipped out of the exoskeleton and eased himself into the bed next to her, pulling her body snuggly against his, breathing in her scent as he buried his face at the back of her neck.
Now, hours had passed and Logan awoke to find his beauty curled up facing him, a small smile gracing her features as she dreamed peacefully. It was in times like these that Logan was reminded exactly how young Max actually was; all the hardness of her life, all the coldness of her abilities, everything melted away until she was just a peaceful child curled in his arms. Two years ago he would have thought himself a cad for lying in this bed with a girl barely twenty years old, but now he couldn't see his future without her. Not only had Eyes Only found a partner in the lost little soldier that broke into his penthouse a lifetime before, but so had Logan Cale. Now that he had her, there was nothing in the world that could ever convince him to let her go.
*****
Max was conscious of his gaze before her body was even fully awake. She could always feel Logan's eyes on her; no matter where they were or what they were doing, his crystalline orbs always seemed to find their way straight to her heart. She remained motionless for a long time, lying there listening to his silence, knowing that something had him deep in thought as his eyes never strayed from her face. When he didn't seem inclined to stop, she allowed her eyes to flutter open, meeting his blue eyes with her smiling brown.
"Hey." Her words were soft, her voice deepened both by sleep and his body pressed so tightly up against her own.
"Hey, yourself." He reached out a gentle hand and smoothed her hair away from her face, running his knuckles over her soft cheek before lowering his hand once more. "Sweet dreams?"
She smiled, lowering her eyes to his lips before meeting his gaze once more. "The best."
He grinned, his tongue darting out to casually wet his lips as he pondered her words. "Was I in them?"
"When aren't you?" She laughed, pushing him back and settling astride his body, her fingers finding the soft hairs on his chest, caressing him softly.
"Have I ever thanked you for breaking into the penthouse that night, and for sticking around after?" His hands settled on her thighs, stroking her flawless flesh with a loving touch.
"Only when you think you're gonna get lucky." Her grin was lopsided, her eyes warm and welcoming as he raised his touch beneath her sweatshirt.
"Am I right?"
"Nope." His face fell, his fingers stalling on their travels towards her breasts.
"No?"
"Nope." She grinned, leaning down to press a gentle kiss against his pouting lips as her body softly circled against his, ripping a throaty growl from his chest. "I'm the one who got lucky, Logan."
End.