A/N: Okay, here is the chapter extension that so many of you requested. The first chapter is the original Chapter 19 out of my story Tough Love, the second chapter is the extension chapter. For any of you reading this who have not read Tough Love, you should be able to understand it without having read it. Below is a short summary if you're not inclined to go read it:

Max is the leader of T.C., and ends up working herself almost to death trying to keep T.C. running singlehandedly. After she almost dies, Alec decides that if Max is not prepared to look after her health herself, then he'll just have to do it for her. He becomes authoritative, strong and uncompromising; laying down 'The Rules' and attempting to make her abide by them. It becomes a battle of wills between the two to see if Alec can enforce his rules, or if Max is cunning enough to outplay him. By this point in the story Alec is trying to encourage Max to lighten up and take her recreation time – which is one of his rules.

Warning: Swearing

Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?

"Hey Max."

Max looked up to see Alec in her doorway. "Hey, what's up?"

"I have something I want to show you."

"And what would that be?" Max smiled, as she subtly ran her eyes over him. She had been doing this more and more lately, taking advantage of the situation Alec presented her with, seeing as though he always insisted on posing in a very model-like way against her doorframe. Today he had on a black t-shirt and a pair of very snug fitting jeans, and Max noted, not for the first time, that the man did not wear his jeans - his jeans wore him.

"It would be another spare of the moment, unscheduled, but very delightful activity," he grinned mischievously.

"Another surprise?" she smiled, getting up and walking out of her office. "So where are we headed? Or is that classified information?"

Max noted idly that she could feel Alec's hand resting on the small of her back as he guided her. He had been touching her so regularly lately that half the time it took her a while to realise, but once she had she couldn't help the sparks of awareness that coursed through her.

"Classified information," Alec grinned. "I just thought you needed to take time out to smell the roses."

Max grinned and looked up at him. "You bought me flowers?"

"Nope, something much better," Alec smiled back.

"I don't know…I kinda want the flowers. No one has ever bought me flowers before," Max teased, only half joking.

Alec laughed at her cute little pout. "Well try and get over the disappointment, 'cause it's not flowers."

Max looked around and noted the direction they were headed. "Are you taking me to the school?"

"Maybe," Alec replied conspiratorially.

As they walked down the alley and through the front door Max was surprised to note how quiet the building was, considering it was supposed to be filled with children. Admittedly there weren't that many pupils yet, but that number was sure to grow.

It wasn't until she crossed the threshold and turned around to see why Alec hadn't followed her that Max suddenly realised why the room was so quiet – it was an ambush. Suddenly the sound of gunfire echoed around the room as bullets flew in all directions. Max felt herself get hit four times – once in the shoulder, twice in the chest and once in the gut.

As she looked at herself in shock, her hand wandered down of its own accord to finger the wetness that was now staining her shirt and dripping onto the concrete; and Max felt an irrational burst of laughter bubble to the surface. She quickly suppressed it before turning to face her four attackers, who were still standing pressed up against the wall inside the doorway, watching her warily.

Max quickly flashed a devious smile and placed her finger to her lips to indicate they should remain silent before beginning to yell at the top of her lungs in the most menacing tone she could muster.

"AND WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK YOU'RE DOING? FIRING ON A SUPERIOR OFFICER! WHY I OUGHTA –

"Hey, hey!" Alec yelled, as he suddenly sprinted through the door. "Don't yell at them it was --"

Max gave the signal. A barrage of bullets was released, and Alec looked down in shock at the sticky mess now dripping off his chest.

"All your idea?" Max asked innocently, as she smiled evilly at the fluoro coloured mess on Alec's black shirt. Those paintballs were gonna stain.

Alec's eyes rose to meet Max's smiling ones. Alec chuckled, "Why you little --"

"Me!? You're the one that lured me down here with the express intention of getting my ass shot up! You can't get your knickers in a knot when you get bested at your own game, Alec." Max grinned, very pleased with herself.

"I can assure you that my knickers are not in a knot," Alec smirked darkly, "I haven't got any on."

Max gaped at him in astonishment. "I can't believe you just said that in front of the children," she hissed, shooting them a sideways glance.

Alec's eyes strayed to the four ten and eleven year olds still standing at attention staring back at them. "They're hardly children Max," Alec pointed out.

"In that respect I hope they are," Max whispered. "Besides, no one here needs to know exactly what state of… undress, you're in."

"Oh, come on Max," Alec purred as he began to slink in her direction. "We both know you're more than a little interested."

Max began to back up. For every step he took in her direction she took one away, making sure to maintain some distance between them.

"Are you seriously this arrogant, or do you put it on just to annoy me?"

"I'm not arrogant, I'm just perfect. A universal truth I think everyone should be aware of."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that pride is a cardinal sin, Alec?" Max accused.

"It's only pride when it is an exaggeration of the truth. I'm just being honest," he grinned, a feral light entering his eye.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that's not how it works," Max replied sceptically; but Alec didn't pay her any attention.

"Plus with all the sins that I've already committed, and plan to commit in the future…" he purred, raking his eyes up and down Max like he was undressing her and preparing to consume her whole, "I doubt I'm Heaven material."

Max swallowed heavily. She highly doubted he was anything other than heaven inducing.

Alec chuckled darkly. "You know Max, last time I checked lust was a cardinal sin too," his eyes flashing dangerously as he continued to advance on her. "What d'ya say we forget Heaven and fall from Grace together?"

Alec was more than a little shocked when a wide smile blossomed across Max's face and she chuckled wickedly. "Careful what you wish for..."

Max suddenly turned and issued an order with her hands, which was immediately obeyed by the pintsized soldier closest to her, throwing her his gun. The next thing Alec felt was a sharp sting as two shots hit him in the exact same spot on his chest.

"Godammit Max! That's gonna bruise!"

"Poor baby," she laughed as she ran off.

"Oh you will be, baby!" he yelled after her, as he caught the gun that was flung at him. "You two go re-arm, then approach H.Q. from the east. You two come with me, we'll take her from the west." Alec smirked. Victory was close at hand, he could feel it.

oOoOoOoOo

Mole was minding his own business leaning over a map next to Dix in the middle of Headquarters when he was hit on the back of the head by something hard and wet.

"In the name of General McCarthy..." Mole yelled, as he put a hand to his head and found it covered in fluoro pink paint. "I've been shot!" he yelped in astonishment. "Who shot me!? Who shot me!! Someone had better own up or I'm gonna skin ya alive before I kill ya when I find out!" he roared, as he turned in the direction the shot had originated from.

"You? Of all the low, underhanded things… I thought you were one of the good ones!" Mole accused, livid.

Alec could do nothing but stand where he was in the middle of the doorway, flanked by his mini-troops. "I swear man, it wasn't me," Alec implored.

"Well you're the only idiot I see standin' there with a paint gun!"

"Yeah, but I didn't fire it!" Alec said, slightly panicked.

"Sure you didn't J.I. Joe," Mole spat as he stalked towards Alec. "You better be more careful in future, 'cause next time you're gonna be swallowing that gun, and I don't mean in the traditional way!" Mole roared, as he pushed past Alec and out of Headquarters.

Alec gave a huge sigh of relief as he looked around the room. "Man, I thought I was gonna end up as reptile food then."

It was then that Alec heard a soft gasping noise coming from behind the filing cabinet in the corner.

As he stalked over quietly and peered over the edge, he found Max sprawled on the floor crying with laughter.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

"The look…on your…face…," Max laughed up at him, grabbing her heaving sides. "I thought you were gonna leave a big old mess in the middle of H.Q."

"I can't believe you framed me!" he accused.

"I didn't frame you," Max replied, as she stood up and brushed herself down, "Mole just jumped to conclusions. That's not my fault."

Max looked down at the mess on her shirt. "Well, now all the excitement is over, I'm gonna go get cleaned up."

"You could have come to my defence," Alec muttered, as he followed her out of Headquarters.

"And face Mole? No way!" she snorted.

"Hey Max?"

"Yeah?"

As soon as Max turned around she knew it was a mistake. Alec hit her twice before she could take cover behind a stack of boxes. The only thing that made her feel better was the fact that as she dived she managed to hit him once in the upper thigh.

"Fuck! Watch where you're shootin' Max!"

She chuckled evilly. "You started this little game Rambo. If you can't take the hits, get outta the war!"

All Max could hear was a bunch of disgruntled curses coming from Alec's direction. She suddenly opened fire on him before turning to make her escape out the door.

Max blurred through the streets before taking cover and laying in wait for him. She didn't have to wait long before she could hear him and his little band of cowboys approaching. Trust Alec to corrupt the nation's youth.

She waited till she heard him get close enough, and opened fire. Max held the most advantageous position, but with one against three she was taking as many hits as they were. Then suddenly she felt herself under attack from the right. As she looked over she noticed that the numbers were now five against one. Max knew she didn't stand a chance if she remained this heavily out numbered. She needed to divide and conquer.

She sent a death inducing glare at the two mini-Alec's attacking her right side, and signalled that they were to step down. NOW!

They nodded once, and she immediately gave them new orders and sent them to the right while she ducked around to the left. Catching the eye of the soldier fighting on Alec's right she gave him the order to stand down.

She then ducked around the back and attacked Alec from the rear.

"Hey, guys? Where are you? I'm gettin' my ass beat here!" Alec yelled as he engaged Max.

"You ready to surrender yet, Alec?" Max laughed.

Never!" he yelled, as he fired a barrage of bullets.

Max ducked behind some boxes, then suddenly bullets stoped flying and all she could hear was the familiar sound of an empty clip.

"Uh Alec, I think you might've run outta bullets," Max laughed, as she stepped calmly from behind the boxes to face him, gun in hand. "Wanna rethink that whole surrender thing?"

"I, ah…" Alec slowly backed up, and looked around himself frantically for his backup.

One by one they appeared -- and came to stand beside Max.

Alec took in his defecting troops, before staring in confusion at Max. "What did you do to them?"

"I don't know what you mean," Max smiled sweetly.

"Guys? You turned traitor on me?"

All four looked at each other a little guiltily, before the largest boy spoke. "Sorry Alec, but she's heaps scarier than you."

"Yeah, Max assigns the worst chores when she gets mad," the smallest piped up.

Alec opened his month to argue before shutting it. "You're right," he sighed, "I woulda done the same thing. I surrender," he said, giving a meaningful look at Max before dropping his weapon, and putting his arms in the air.

"And we are ALL witnesses to that fact!" Max smirked happily, before turning to her newest recruits. "Now can you four please take the weapons back and store them properly before going to get cleaned up."

"Yes, Max!" they yelled in unison, before blurring away.

Max chuckled as she watched them disappear from sight, before turning back and inspecting the mess on her shirt again. "Which is what I am going to go and do right now," Max muttered, as she started walking towards their apartment.

Alec jogged to catch up with her. "You know we could get cleaned up together," he suggested slyly. "I'm pretty sure that I have some paint in places that I won't be able to reach on my own," he said, waggling his eyebrows at her. "I might need some specialist help."

Max stole a glance at him and suppressed a smile. He was indeed covered, literally head-to-toe, in splotches of pink, green, yellow and blue paint. She was pretty sure that he even had some in his ear. "Then I suggest you go back to Mole on your hands and knees and beg forgiveness," Max replied seriously.

"Uh…not exactly the scenario I had in mind," Alec muttered. "You know most women would be falling over themselves to take up that offer."

"Well, as you have already pointed out Alec, I am not most women," Max replied, as she opened the door to the apartment and stalked inside. She walked directly into the bathroom and shut the door firmly.

"I knew there had to be a down side to that, and I think that I just found it," Alec groused to himself.

While Max was in the shower Alec perched himself on a stool in the kitchen to wait his turn, and looked longingly at the couch. He knew that if he flopped himself down on it and accidentally smudged paint on it Max would have an aneurism, and then she would somehow find a way to inflict one on him. So Alec waited less than patiently for her to emerge from the bathroom. He found that he had trouble not listening to the sounds coming from within and imagining exactly what Max was doing in there.

Alec was so lost in his visualisations that he failed to notice anything until a very wet, and what looked to be semi-naked Max, stuck her head out of the bathroom door.

"Dammit Alec! What sorta paint did you put in those paint guns!?"

"Uh…just the usual," he hedged. To be honest the paint balls had looked a little old, but he had figured that as long as they shot and splattered, there was nothing wrong with using them.

"Well it's not coming off! I still look like an Easter Egg!"

"Well… that's not such a bad thing to be, if you have to be something," Alec rationalised. "Everybody loves Easter Eggs, and they taste good, and you do make a very cute Easter Egg," he said with a smirk, taking in her multi-coloured hair and skin. "But you might wanna come out here further and show me properly…just to make sure." The least amount of clothes Alec had ever seen Max in was a singlet and jeans, and he seriously just wanted one glance at her all wet and in a towel.

"If you value your life, you'll go find something to remove this paint!" Max yelled, as she yanked her head back inside the bathroom and slammed the door hard enough to make the whole apartment shake.

oOoOoOoOo

Upon his return, Alec found Max sitting on the stool at the kitchen bench. "Here try this," he said, sitting a bottle down in front of her. "It's the best I could do. It should take the paint off with a bit of rubbing."

"Thanks," Max said, as she slid off the stool and went to a draw in the kitchen. She pulled out an old tea towel and proceeded to rip it in half before handing half to Alec. She walked over to the kitchen wall and leaned her back against it and gracefully slid down it to sit on the floor. She then looked up at Alec and patted the space beside her.

Alec plonked down beside her and watched as she grabbed the bottle of Metho and unscrewed the lid, before putting the cloth over the neck and upending the bottle. She then proceeded to extend her left arm and rub the cloth on a bright green splotch on her forearm.

Max smiled as the paint steadily began to dissolve. She was thankful because she was covered from head-to-toe, the paint even having bled through her clothes to stain her skin.

"Thank God! I thought I was gonna look like a packet of M&M's threw up on me for the rest of my life."

Alec picked up his piece of cloth and covered it in the nasty smelling spirit before scrubbing at his arms. His attention was suddenly drawn to Max as she extended her legs in one fluid motion out in front of herself, and started scrubbing her upper thigh. It was then that Alec realised that she only had on a singlet and a pair of very short shorts. He had never seen Max's bare legs before, and they were just as perfect as the rest of her.

When she'd finished Max stood and moved towards the bathroom.

"Ah, Max…" Alec said, as he stood.

"What?"

He walked over to her and ran his fingertips over her bare shoulders. "You do realise that your back still looks like a gay pride float exploded all over it?" he said, smiling softly.

"Damn," she muttered as she craned her neck, trying to see over her shoulder.

"Come here," he said, as he grabbed the cloth and bottle and went to sit on the stool again. Max walked over and stood in front of him. Alec reached out and gently turned her so that her back was to him.

He started removing the paint on the back of her arms first, before moving to the plains of her back that her singlet left exposed. He then let his hands wander down to the hem of her shirt and gently began to lift. He felt Max stiffen but she didn't object, which surprised Alec. Not that long ago she would have pitched a fit about him being so presumptuous; but clearly not today. As he worked his way further up her back Alec held her shirt bunched up out of the way in his left hand. It wasn't until he was working high up in the centre of her back that Alec suddenly realised that she clearly hadn't put her bra back on after her shower. Something that made him swallow heavily.

After running his eyes over her back in a final sweep to make sure that he hadn't missed any paint he released her shirt, and smoothed it back down into place.

"Finished?" Max asked.

"Not quite."

Max felt Alec put both hands on her hips, and he pushed gently until she took a step forward. She then felt him slip from the stool to kneel behind her. Max couldn't hear him move, but somehow she sensed him, and she stood not breathing as she tried to follow his movements behind her.

Alec heard Max suck in a sharp gasp of air as he very lightly brushed his fingertips over a splotch of paint on the back of her thigh. He looked up briefly to see if this time she was going to put a stop to this, but as she remained still and was apparently permitting him to continue, he did just that.

Alec spied a bright blue patch peeking from high up under her shorts. He only thought about it for a split second before carefully raising the material and lightly rubbing the cloth against her skin. He tried to keep his mind on the task at hand and his eyes off her ass, which was not helped by the fact that it was presently at eyeball level. He was also having difficulty not deliberating on whether she was entirely without underwear. From where he was sitting it was a distinct possibility.

"Alec?" Max gasped breathily. This whole situation was starting to get a bit concerning from where she was barely standing – she was having to clutch the bench top to keep herself upright. After all, here she was standing in the middle of her kitchen, in barely any clothing, letting Alec put his hands all over her. At the present moment his hands were about half an inch below her ass, and she could feel his warm breath on the backs of her legs. She needed him to hurry this up.

Max felt Alec stand. "You're all good now," he murmured huskily over her shoulder.

"Thanks," Max whispered back, as she walked unsteadily in the direction of the bathroom and softly shut the door behind her.

When she stepped out of the bathroom ten minutes later, Max stoped dead in her tracks at what she saw. There stood Alec right where she had left him in the middle of the kitchen, but this time he was shirtless and rubbing at a spot of bright pink paint on his stomach.

She didn't hesitate long before she walked over to stand in front of him and picked up her discarded cloth again, soaking it in the Mentholated Spirits.

Alec stopped what he was doing to watch her. Max met his gaze and gave him a small smile before dropping them. It was then that a bruise in the centre of his chest caught her eye. She reached her fingers out and touched it lightly before she realised what she was doing.

Max quickly looked up at him with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Sorry."

Alec chuckled down at her. "I told you that was gonna bruise. I have to hand it to you Max, you're a good shot."

Max chuckled too as she stepped behind him and admired his broad back. She had to admit that while his front was very impressive, his muscled back was just as striking, even covered in fluoro spots.

Max took a deep breath and tentatively placed a steadying hand on Alec's back as she began rubbing at a bright yellow spot.

Alec was standing very still, concentrating on following her touches as they moved across his skin. He had to admit that he was kinda surprised that Max was volunteering to help him out like this. The old Max would have blamed all this on him, refused to talk to him for a week, and then really sent him elsewhere to get this crap off him. But there hadn't been any serious blaming, and here she was voluntarily touching him.

Alec was pulled out of his thoughts by Max's voice. "Um, I think you might need to sit down, 'cause I'm not gonna be able to reach the higher ones otherwise."

Alec did as she asked. He sat very still as she went to work on the paint on his shoulders.

"Hey Max."

"Mmmm," Max mumbled, distracted as she spotted a smudge of blue paint high up on his neck, next to his barcode. As she began to rub at it she felt Alec shiver slightly.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but… I like this new Max. She's more fun."

"What are you talking about? There is no new Max. This is me."

"Well this new attitude then."

"There is no new attitude."

Alec spun himself around on the stool to face her, and Max suddenly found herself standing between his legs. "Are you trying to tell me that if a month ago I had ambushed you with a bunch of kids wielding paint guns and got your ass shot up, you would have laughed it off, picked up your own gun, shot Mole in the back of the head, and tried to turn me into lizard food?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Definitely."

Alec's lips quirked in a way that told Max just how much he didn't believe her.

"Okay, possibly not, but we'll never know now will we," she smiled, as she took a small step forward and brushed the cloth against a green stain on the skin just below his ear.

Alec swallowed heavily. "Max…" his voice was deep and rough.

"Yeah?" She looked up to meet his eyes and found that he was studying her face with an almost uncomfortable expression.

"Sorry," she mumbled, assuming it was her closeness that was upsetting him, and went to take a step backwards.

Alec reached out and grabbed the hand with the cloth and kept it where it was against his skin, while placing his other hand on her hip, preventing her from going anywhere. "That's not what I meant," he whispered.

She looked at him curiously. "What did you mean?"

"I…" Alec suddenly looked away from her.

"I just wanted to say that I know we haven't always gotten on very well in the past, but I'm glad that we do now," he was now looking intently at her, and Max felt his fingers slowly begin to caress the skin at her hip. "Cause you're kinda one of my best friends." He watched her hesitantly to see how she reacted to his little revelation.

A slow smile spread across Max's face "Really?"

"Yeah Max, really."

Alec watched as Max stood there and thought about what he had just admitted.

"That's good," she said with a genuine smile, "because you're one of my best friends too."

"Seriously?" Alec was slightly shocked. He knew that she tolerated him, but he never thought that Max would really forgive him for all the stupid crap he'd pulled in the time that he'd known her. At least not forgive him enough to consider him a close friend.

"Are you kidding!" Max laughed. "If it hadn't been for you I would have gone insane months ago. Probably would have turned Mole into a nice clutch purse by now."

Alec threw back his head and laughed; a sound that always made Max smile.

Alec suddenly focussed and frowned slightly, before tugging on her hip lightly till she stepped closer still, so he could lean up and brush his thumb against her jaw, just below her ear. He suddenly met her eyes, "You've still got a bit of paint," he said in explanation, before his eyes returned to her neck.

Max's heart rate accelerated as she watched him bring his thumb to his mouth and lick it, before reaching out to her and lightly rubbing at the offending splotch of paint. The intimacy of the gesture blew Max away.

She found she couldn't do anything but stand there and watch him as he passed his eyes over her; she didn't think that any man had ever looked at her like Alec was currently doing, and it made her heart race. He was still sitting impossibly close stroking her jaw; and then Max could tell that suddenly he was stroking her, and not the blob of paint on her face.

His eyes suddenly met hers and Max felt something pass between them, like he had allowed her see a part of himself that she'd never seen before; but because she'd never witnessed it before she didn't recognise it. And then it was gone. Maybe he'd seen something in her expression that had made him change his mind, she didn't know. All she knew was that now he was in control of his expression, and Max felt the loss.

Alec issued a silent warning to himself. For a moment there he had forgotten where he was and what he was doing. He had been so caught up with finally being close to Max, that he hadn't thought when he had seen that blob of paint. He had just been going on instinct. And then he had been so immersed in the feeling of being able to touch her that he hadn't given a thought to the consequences of such an action. It hadn't been until he had looked into her wide, surprised eyes, that he realised that he might have frightened her, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

"Sorry," he said softly, looking a little sheepish. "That was a little…overly familiar."

Max shrugged, a wide smile spreading across her face, like she found something funny. "Don't sweat it. What's a bit of saliva between friends?"

And then in a moment that Alec could only assume must be insanity, he was leaning up and kissing her. He felt her stiffen and freeze, and just as he was about to pull away and try and find the words to apologise, he felt her lean into him and thread her fingers through his hair. He slid his arm tightly around her narrow waist and reeled her in, while the hand caressing her jaw and neck kept her exactly where he wanted her as he deepened the kiss.

Max was feeling light-headed as she clung to him, and she knew that she had never been kissed like this before. Ever. It was gentle and soft, yet demanding and all-consuming; and either Alec had really been holding out about his feeling for her, or he was just a goddamn good kisser. And from the way she could barely remember what her name was - because the only name that was currently running through her head was Alec's - she knew the second one was definitely true.

Alec very reluctantly broke the kiss and cautiously looked up at her. He watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open and focused on his face, before they dropped to his lips. He waited anxiously for her to say something. The only thing that calmed him was the fact that she hadn't yet tried to remove herself from his grasp. She was still standing between his legs, pressed against him, with her fingers still entwined in his hair.

"So, what was that for?" Max finally asked breathlessly, looking up to meet his gaze.

"Uh," Alec cleared his throat. "Just being friendly."

"Is that all?" Max queried, an amused smile playing on her face.

"What's a bit of saliva between friends, eh?" Alec smiled back softly, as he caressed her face with his thumb.