Spinelli blearily rubbed at his eyes when he woke, blinked slowly as the night came back to him. He must have finally dropped off into the unconscious realm at four or five in the morning, and checking his alarm clock it was now one in the afternoon – and Maximista, of course, she was no where to be found. Though he stood and made his way to the kitchen, he knew in his bones that she had left the moment she woke to avoid this, to avoid him.

Spinelli picked up his cell phone from the couch he had tossed it on last night and dialed Maxie's number. He listened to it ring and continue to ring. Sighing, he almost hang up but her voice stopped him. Sent his body into a weird state of numb shock.

"Hello?" she questioned.

"Maximista, uh, greetings," Spinelli said awkwardly as he tugged a hand through his hair. "It is I, the Jackal. I just wanted to make sure you arrived home safely."

"Yeah, about last night, I'm really sorry. I generally handle my liquor a bit better," she laughed. It was forced. Cardboard. Tasted as bad in her mouth as it did in Spinelli's ear.

"It's alright, just try to be more careful next time, please," Spinelli said softly.

"I will."

Spinelli was pacing the penthouse floor, quickly from one side to the other as an awkward silence settled on the line. He wanted to say so many things to her, promise so many things to her, but he couldn't find the words. Words. What good were words anyway? They couldn't take away what he had let happen to her.

"Maximista –" Spinelli began hesitantly. "Uhm, the Jackal was wondering if you had no other plans, if you would like to perhaps have breakfast – well, lunch – with him at Kelly's? I hear they're great for nursing a night of alcoholic debauchery."

"I'm actually already at Kelly's," Maxie said quietly.

"Oh, well give me ten minutes. I'll just –"

"Oh Spinelli, I'm sorry. I'm actually kind of ... on a date," Maxie said cautiously.

"You're... you're on... a date?" Spinelli spat out. "With who?"

"My boyfriend," Maxie replied icily.

"With Logan?" Spinelli couldn't help but question, though he already knew the answer.

"That would be my boyfriend, Spin," she said indifferently.

"He raped you," Spinelli found himself blurting out, voice raised, hand clenching the phone so hard he was surprised it didn't shatter. "He. Raped. You. And I apologize if the term isn't pleasant to hear, if you're not ready to face it. I'm sorry, more than anything, I'll always be sorry. But if you think for a moment the Jackal is going to allow you to just... to be with that monster, to allow him to hurt you time and time again – well you're dead wrong."

"It's none of your business," Maxie said angrily.

"Yes, it is," Spinelli said as he threw on his jacket and shut the penthouse door behind him. His plan was to keep her on the phone as long as possible until he got to Kelly's. "When you called me in the night hurt and scared, you made it my business. When you came to me bruised and bleeding, you made it my business. When you became my best friend, you made it my business. This is my business, and my first mistake was doubting it ever wasn't my business. And the Jackal will not be so utterly dense as to make the same mistake again."

"Your... best friend? Spinelli, come on. That's a laugh," she said bitterly. "You hardly know me. The only thing we have in common is Georgie. And I'm sorry if you thought, if you thought someone like me would ever have anything to do with you."

"God Maxie, do you think after all we've been through together, that pretending to be the Bad Blond One again is going to fool me? Do you really believe me to be that naive? I know you, and I care about you as pure as Georgie did, and that scares you," Spinelli argued.

"You don't know me, Spinelli. You see the best in people, even if sometimes it's just not there. What you see in me, who you think I am, I'm not. I never was. Now I have to go because Logan –"

"Don't. Don't even say his name to me. When I see him, he's dead. Do you understand Maxie? If I see him anywhere near you ever again, he's dead. I've barely been able to contain my urges – but if he ever dares to go near you, to touch you... to hurt you again... he's dead."

"Oh please, like you're so tough. You'd probably just end up shooting yourself in the foot again."

"I've come a long way. Why don't you ask your boyfriend exactly who broke his nose," Spinelli told her though he had to push down the bile that came up at the word boyfriend and then more after that at the thought of him ever being near her again.

His hands were shaking.

"Y-you..." Maxie stuttered, "You hit my boyfriend? And you call yourself a friend. Don't you ever, ever talk to me again. Do you understand? I don't ever want to have to deal with you again."

"Too late," Spinelli muttered to the dialtone as he watched her stare at her phone through the fogged window of Kelly's.