Alec was starting to get worried. He and Max had always fought, but they just put it to who they were. He was arrogant, she was bossy, he was cocky, she was prissy, he was laid back, and she was a control freak, so when they got into arguments always would just put it off to who the other was. Now it had been a week since Alec took over for Mole, a week and 2 days since he realized he was an idjit, and a week and 3 days since he last saw Max. And it was clear Max broke they're cardinal rule. They agreed after getting out on Manticore, and before they started dating, that after a fight, and when they both calmed down, they wouldn't take it personally. There hadn't been a single word from Max in almost 2 weeks. At first Alec thought she was just being a brat, but his anger soon became concern. She had never just taken off without letting someone know, usually him.

He had checked all her usual hideouts. The Space Needle, her favorite chop shop, hell he even went to talk to her old school friends. Original Cindy was pissed at him, he still didn't know why, but she said something about, "males opening their mouths and inserting their feet." He didn't get it, but he had only a couple years of Common Verb Usage before Manticore went up in flames. But she hadn't seen or heard from Max either. He tried Sketchy next, but all the scatterbrained boy could think of was maybe it was her time of the month, and would rather not get arrest for murder. This of course made Alec think of the one and only time he and Max had been together together, but now wasn't the time to consider the one time that Alec had lost his control. He shook his head and turned back to the gangly teenager.

"So you haven't heard from her either?"

"Naw, dude sorry."

"Well if you or OC hear from her could you let me know?"

"Count on it."

Alec returned to T.C. to only have to deal with Mole almost shooting a curious X-8. As he was arguing with the transhuman, he got an idea, but he would need Dix's help.

Max had been on the farm for a while now, helping Zack with his chores, talking to Molly, and just plain relaxing. It was almost like before she was recaptured, no T.C., no trying to run a city, but the one thing she did miss was Alec. Even when he was driving her up a wall, he was there to make her laugh afterwards. She knew she should be heading back soon, but she just didn't want to leave the peace she found here. So Max just played along that this was where she belonged for the past week, but reality came rushing back in the form of morning sickness.

Max was currently empting her breakfast, and a good one at that, in the bathroom when Zack opened the door with a grimace on his face.

"You ok Max?"

Max wiped her mouth, but before she could speak her stomach rolled again. After another round of humiliating vomiting, Max sat back on her heels. After cleaning herself up, she finally looked at her brother. Well this is going to suck she thought. Max never really intended to tell Zack about the baby, but it looked like she had no choice.

"Max?"

"Yea, Yea. I know." Max got up and tried to leave the bathroom, but was blocked by Zack.

"You wana explain what's going on? Cause I may have some memory issues, but I do know we don't get sick."

"Can we not talk about this here?" Zack made a motion to interrupt her, but Max spoke again. "Please."

Zack looked at Max, who was staring at the floor before nodding and moving out of the way. Max walked down the hall to the room she had been using while staying with Zack. She motioned for him to sit, while she stayed standing.

"Max?"

"Ok. I'll tell you what's up if you promise not to freak."

"You're starting to worry me you know that right?"

Max stopped her pacing long enough to stare at Zack. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I won't freak."

Max looked at her older brother, someone that she had always looked up to, someone she never wanted to disappoint, and couldn't help but wish this was happening to anyone else. She knew he would be mad at her for what happened.

"Tell me what you know about Heat."

"About what?"

Max groaned, and started pacing again.

"Ok. So we have cat DNA right?"

Zack nodded, but looked confused.

"With it comes the grace, the agility, stealth, speed, all that good stuff right?"

"Yeaaa, but what are you getting at? What does this have to do with you being sick?"

"Well if you would let me flippin talk, I might actually get there!"

"Ok Maxie chill."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Max couldn't help but snap, after all that was what Alec called her, and right now she never wanted to hear that name again.

Zack put his hands up in defense, and motioned for her to keep talking. Max pushed out a deep breath.

"Well what the quacks who mixed our cocktail up didn't think about was that female cats go into Heat. So basically around puberty, all female X-5's start goin into Heat about every 4 months."

"What does that mean?"

Max blushed, she really didn't want to be having this conversation with her older brother. It was weird and embarrassing teaching him about X-5 bird's and bees. Might as well get it over with, and Max did it the best way she knew how, by being blunt.

"It means 3 times a year a female X-5 go's into sexual overdrive, and try to find a mate."

"A mate?"

"Yes a mate. Try and keep up."

"Once again what does this-"

"I'm getting there. Well after we blew up the DNA lab, I got recaptured, and when they finally put me back in a unit, they put me in the breeding program."

"THE WHAT?"

"You promised not the freak! And you can chill my partner was cool, so nothing really happened."

"Ok, so what happened aft- wait what did you mean 'nothing really happened'?

"Renfro was got antsy when she wasn't gettin any results from our 'breeding', soooo"

Max stopped for a second to try and collect her thoughts. She remembered what happened next pretty well.

"After about 2 weeks without me showing up pregnant, Renfro ordered tests, and it was clear that Alec and I hadn't had sex. Renfro was angry to say the least, and as punishment, she induced my Heat cycle. Put me back in my cell and left me there for 2 days with nothing but food and water. I was going out of my mind, climbing the walls kinds of crazy. On the 3rd day Renfro came by and said she had a present for me."

Max could remember how he smelled even thru the door. She couldn't remember his name, or her own at the time, but she could tell he was an alpha, and god did he smell good. Leather and woods. In some part of her brain at the time realized that it was Alec's scent but the hormones were in control and she couldn't think. When they opened the cell door she was waiting for him. After Alec told her that they had him locked up for those first 2 days as well, taking the air from her cell and pumping it into his. Driving him just as crazy with her pheromones.

"They put my partner in the cell with me. Stuff happened."

"What stuff?" Zack's voice was very quiet, but Max didn't notice.

"We did arts and crafts. What do you think happened?"

"Are you telling me you're pregnant?"

Max stopped and noticed how controlled Zack's tone was. Here comes the freak out she thought.

"Ummm. Yea."

Zack got up, and left the room. It took Max a good minute to follow him. His reaction startled her; it wasn't what she was expecting. When she finally found him he was packing a bag.

"What are you doing?"

"Leaving." The C.O. tone in his voice clear.

Max was crushed. Not only Alec but now Zack was leaving her. Renfro was right, she was poison. She watched numbly as he walked out of the house and into the barn. It was when she heard her baby start up that she snapped out of her stupor. She blurred out over to him. Max grabbed the handle bars of the bike, and spoke thru gritted teeth.

"If you think I'm goin to let you steal MY bike when you plan on abandoning ME, YOU'RE nuts!"

"Abandoning you? What are you talking about Max?"

"Well what else would you be doin right now? I tell you I'm pregnant and you take off, if that's not abandonment, not really sure what is."

"Max I'm goin to Seattle to find the guy who knocked up my 15 year old sister, and drag his hind parts back here where I can rearrange his limps in peace. I'm not abandoning you. I'll be back in a day or two. Now move."

Max couldn't believe it. Zack was acting so, so, so normal! Like it was an everyday thing that she was pregnant.

"Wait your not mad at me?"

"Mad? Max your 15 and pregnant of course I'm mad! But since I can't take my frustration out on you, I'm goin to find your baby daddy, and take it out on him." Zack said with a smile.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no'?"

Max looked down in shame.

"Before I could tell him about the baby, we had a fight, he said some stuff."

'You know it seems to me like the only person you ever care about is yourself Max'

"What kind of stuff?"

Max could tell Zack was getting more and more enraged about the situation. He was using his C.O. voice only now.

"Just some stuff, but he was right in what he said. I just think it would be better if he doesn't know right now, not until I know what I'm gona do. Ok?"

By the time Max had finished talking, Zack had turned off the bike and Max was crying. He picked up his sister and carried her back to the house. Usually Max would protest, but the last couple of weeks had been hard for her and she was finally letting it all out. Zack placed her on her bed, and when he tried to leave, she clung to him with all her transgenic strength. So he lay down next to her, and waited till she fell asleep.