Rating: R
Show: Dark
Angel
Genre: Drama/Action/Angst
Type: WIP/Series
Summary:
"Out of the unreal shadows of the night comes back the real life
that we had known." Oscar Wilde
Disclaimer: I don't own
them.
Spoilers: At least through 'Exposure'. I can pretty much
promise you that this won't make a lick of sense unless you've
read Metamorphosis I: Regression & Metamorphosis II: Aggression.
Chapter 1: Routine Awakenings
"Oh, this is just how I wanted to start my morning."
"Your morning started hours ago."
"You know, reminding me that you jolted me out of my bed before sunrise is not making me feel any better."
"Whatever. Quit whining". Dark, wavy hair was tossed over a slender shoulder. "You got to test out some tricks on your new ride didn't you?"
"The look on that agent's face when I rode over the hood of his car was pretty sweet." The sparkle of gleeful hazel eyes was reflected in the elevator doors.
"How old do you think they were, anyway?"
"The rugrats?" A shrug was felt more than seen. "Youngest looked like the newest of the X8s, so maybe five years old. The oldest was almost as big as an X7 – but she didn't look especially batty – so I'd say ten." Another shrug. "The rest were all somewhere in between."
"I can't believe they've lasted all these months on their own."
"Why not? You lasted longer." The elevator gave a small ding and its doors slid open to the topmost floor. The pair stepped out to walk down the hallway side by side.
"Basic survival's one thing. Staying clear of White and his goons is another."
"You had Lydecker. They've got White. Same difference." There was a beat of silence. "Where does that expression come from anyway? It makes no sense." Alec glanced down at Max, who made a face and shrugged. "Anyway, the last order they ever got from what they thought was Command was to go to ground. They did well." He reached out to turn the doorknob at their destination. When it refused to open, his arms flew up in annoyance, which was further echoed in his voice. "Didn't he ask you over? Why the hell would he lock the door?"
"Do I look like a mind reader to you?" She pushed at his shoulder. "Hurry up."
He glared at her before pulling his pick from inside his leather jacket. He crouched down to work on the lock. He felt her sigh behind him and rolled his eyes.
After a few moments, Max spoke, a smile clear in her voice, "I think that little white-haired one's got a crush on you."
"She's clearly got taste." The tumblers fell in place with an almost non-existent click that was perfectly audible to the X5s.
Max chuckled. "I swear, if your head gets any bigger, you're not gonna be able to walk." One beat. Two.
Alec stood and smirked down at her with the dirtiest expression in his arsenal. "You make it so easy sometimes, Maxie." Silence. The words echoed between them for a few heartbeats, while Max thought back on statement. A look of exaggerated disgust crossed her face.
"Shut up." She pushed past him and through the doorway. His grin was practically to his ears now.
"I'm just sayin'…"
"Shut.Up.Pretty boy." The words were thrown over her shoulder as she continued her march through the foyer. She mumbled "smartass" under her breath, which she knew without a doubt Alec heard, before she announced her presence to the apartment's owner with a casual, "Hey, Logan."
Just behind her, Alec rounded the corner from the hallway and found the ordinary sitting in his living room looking out onto the city below. It had been weeks since Logan's confrontation with a feral, slightly psycho version of Max. While he was still confined to a wheelchair with a plaster cast surrounding his right arm from palm of hand to crook of elbow, all bruises and cuts had healed and left no traces. Logan's blue eyes held no fear when he looked at her. Alec wasn't sure if he should respect him for having a backbone or ridicule him for his apparent stupidity. He was leaning toward the latter.
"Hey, Max." The older man's tone took on the usual softness he reserved for her.
Max and Logan still had not spoken of the night they'd both ended up at Harbor Lights Hospital. Alec knew this for a fact because every time Max needed to go to Logan's she found some reasonable – but utterly transparent – excuse for him to come along. And every time Alec simply rolled his eyes and trudged along beside her. What he would never admit to Max was that her near-death experience in the hospital had really scared him and he wasn't quite ready to stop worrying about her yet. Playing her annoying shadow was the only way he knew how to ease his mind without alerting her to his somewhat over-protective feelings.
"Sorry about being late," Alec piped up, not sounding sorry at all. "Maxie here felt a disturbance in the force, so we took a detour and rescued some little X8s from White's evil clutches." He clapped his hands once and rubbed them together. "You got anything to eat?" He walked on to the kitchen without pausing for a reply.
Logan started and looked at Max in surprise. "Alec means," she clarified, "we got a head's up from Luke back at Terminal City. He's started monitoring the police frequencies for transgenics in trouble."
The blonde, bespectacled man shook his head wearily and sighed with heartfelt patience. "You can't keep risking exposure, Max. Less than a month ago the public was looking for you as the number one blip on their radar. And now that White has officially confirmed the existence of transgenics to that Senate subcommittee and the public at large, it's more dangerous out there for you than ever."
She cocked her head to the side and canted one hip. "What were we supposed to do, Logan? Leave a bunch of kids to the mercy of a government-sanctioned psycho?"
"Well, if you had just called me –"
"We can take care of our own, you know," Alec interrupted matter-of-factly. He'd just walked back in the room carrying a box of cereal and a mug of coffee. He handed the coffee to Max, before sticking an arm inside the cereal box, plopping down on the sofa, and throwing his feet up on the coffee table.
"Oh, yeah," Logan scoffed. He chose to ignore the way Alec was going through his expensive, pre-pulse Frosted Flakes without so much as a 'by your leave'. "Sure you can, Alec. I seem to remember how well you almost took care of Max and Joshua when White put that explosive in your head. You're such a family man."
Logan didn't notice the way that Max tensed up at his words – the coffee-induced bliss on her face disappearing in an instant – but Alec did. Just a few months ago he'd have read her reaction as siding with Logan, but that was before…well, before a lot of things. Now he knew that she was remembering some of the less than moral things she'd done in her life. While Alec knew from his own experience that doing the unthinkable was often necessary to survive, he also knew that Max carried guilt like King Kong on her back.
"You know, Logan," Alec said around a mouthful of cereal, "this obsession you have with the past is really unhealthy." He deliberately kept his voice light and mocking, trying to distract Max from a bout of self-flagellating introspection.
"It's part of what makes us human."
"Well lucky for me the good scientists at Manticore managed to weed that particular genetic defect out of the X5 DNA strain." A huge smile broke across Alec's face.
What is with him and that stupid Cheshire cat grin, thought Logan. Out loud he said, "You're a real sociopath, you know that?"
Alec shrugged, still smiling. "Gimp."
Just as Logan opened his mouth to retort, Max stepped between them with one hand raised.
"Enough!"
Logan seemed affronted, but snapped his mouth shut. Alec just kept smiling even when she gave him a few abbreviated hand signals that loosely translated to, behave yourself or I will so kick your ass. When he simply blinked innocently and continued munching on his breakfast, she stepped over his outstretched legs and made herself comfortable on the opposite end of the sofa, cradling the coffee mug close to her chest. "Logan, when you called you said you had some news for us?"
"For you actually." Max tucked her feet under her and made a get-on-with-it gesture with her free hand. Logan ignored her boots on his sofa cushions. He was going to have to clean them anyway once Alec was finished crushing cereal into the upholstery. He cleared his throat and began his story. "Do you remember Buddy Miles, from -–"
"Buddy that took Zack?"
"Uh, yes. He's left me a few rather cryptic messages over the past few days and we finally connected this morning. Apparently a few weeks ago Zack started, as Buddy put it, acting a bit out of the ordinary."
"Out of the ordinary how?"
"Buddy described his behavior as unusually secretive and withdrawn."
Alec cut in, "When you say 'a few weeks ago' would that be right about the time that transgenics made the nightly news?"
Logan thought on that for a moment before answering, "Actually, the times do coincide, but…"
Max set her mug down on the table and nodded thoughtfully. "Just the words 'Manticore' and 'transgenic' might've been enough to trigger some of his memories. What else did Buddy say?"
"Well, it seems that Zack had adjusted beautifully to the normalcy of farm life." He smiled softly at Max. "He'd completely accepted the reality we'd given him, and was even thriving in it."
Alec cringed inwardly, his last swallow of cereal sticking in his throat. For a moment, Logan had reminded him of one of the Psy Ops scientists back at Manticore. Appetite completely lost, he put the cereal box on the coffee table as Logan continued.
"The first changes in behavior were small. He was quieter, moodier, but nothing that set off any alarms for Buddy. Then he started distancing himself from the other people on the farm, only speaking when spoken to, locking himself in his room whenever he wasn't working. That went on for about a week before he seemed to snap out of it completely. So, Buddy put it out of his mind."
"Yes, because clearly Zack was suffering from PMS," Alec interjected.
Logan ignored the disruption and continued his narration. "Friday, Zack volunteered to go pick up a supply order a few counties over from Buddy's farm. He called when he got there and told Buddy that there was some problem with the truck and it would take a few days for the local garage to get the necessary parts to fix it. That was the last time Buddy heard from him."
"Five days ago?" Max jumped up from the couch, voice was harsh and demanding, "Zack's been missing for five days?"
"Seems so," Logan said with a small nod. "And two days ago Buddy noticed men in military gear passing not too far from his farm."
"Shit." She began to pace back and forth within the confines of the living room, hands clenched into fists at her sides. "We need to know the exact location and size of any military operation in Buddy's town and the surrounding counties. Also the coordinates for the town Zack was in when he called. If there have been any reported of disturbances in that town – fights and the like, we'll need that info too. I figure it'll take Alec and me under ten hours to make it there through back roads if we ride hard." Her words came fast and furious without a pause for breath until Alec jumped up.
"Whoa whoa, Maxie. Wait a second." Alec stood in her path and put his hands firmly on her shoulders to halt her panicked striding. "Let's think about this. Zack was your CO. You told me once that he was the very best in your unit at Escape and Evade. There's no way that even with half of his memories gone he'd have let White's people keep the upper hand, even if they did manage to find him, which I seriously doubt." He canted his head to the side and leaned down a little until he could lock eyes with her. "Am I right?"
Max stared back into hazel eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah, you are." She nodded, visibly calming. "He always was the best at keeping off their radar."
"And if the military was just showing up three days after he skipped town, they're just eating his dust trying to pick up his trail." Alec gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before letting her go with a small smile. "Old Zacky is just fine and dandy, you'll see." He winked at her, and she smiled a little.
Logan tensed. "So, he could be on his way here?"
"No," Max said decisively, shaking her head for emphasis. "No, I don't think so. He'd go to ground. It's what any of us would do." She turned to Alec. "Right?"
Logan tried not to huff in frustration at Max's back now facing him. It was really starting to disturb him how often Max kept looking to Alec for backup of a non-fighting nature. She should be looking to Logan, they were the ones with all the history.
"Right," came Alec's confident reply. "Zack's new status is extreme and unforeseen. He'll take some time to assess the situation and then he'll redeploy." It was odd for Max to hear the normally lax Alec speak in staid military terms, but the words flowed off his lips and he seemed at ease speaking them in his normal tone of mild amusement. Surprisingly, it actually made her feel better.
"Meaning, he'll head here." Logan made it a statement, not a question.
Alec rolled his eyes at the man's logic. "With Seattle being ground zero for anti-transgenic activity, I highly doubt this would be the first place he'd head. It's not tactically sound."
"You act like he'll have the presence of mind to do all this. He's the hunted, remember?"
Eyebrow raised at Logan's assumptions, Alec shook his head. "He's a transgenic, Manticore-born and Manticore-bred. His instincts and his training will kick in long before he even remembers his designation." Alec shrugged then and glanced at Max. "But he's your brother, Maxie. What do you think he'll do?"
She chewed at her lower lip for a moment before nodding. "He'll look for his unit. There are seven more of us still scattered across the country – eight, if Brin made it out when Manticore burned. If anyone could locate them, it'd be Zack." She gave a small smile and some of the weight seemed to ease off her shoulders.
Alec grinned. "So there you have it, Logan. Killing you is not at the very tip top of big brother Zack's to do list. You can rest easy, buddy." He shrugged and not even attempting to hide the mirth sparkling in his eyes. "For at least another couple weeks anyway." Logan scowled at him. Alec just kept grinning cheekily, until Max's hand whapped across the back of his head.
"Dumbass, I said behave," she said without any real heat.
"Ow," he replied without any real pain.
Max turned her attention back to Logan. "While we're here, were you able to find anything on Joshua's pendant?"
Logan cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Well, actually," he began as he wheeled himself toward his office, "I was able to gather some information." He felt the two X5s following behind him as he picked Joshua's pendant up from his desk. He turned and handed it to Max and was pleased to see her smiling at him with real interest, waiting to hear his next words.
He smiled warmly back and shared his findings. "The symbol is definitely a caduceus, which has its origins in Greek myth and was the staff that Hermes carried. It's come to represent all medical science. This all just further verifies the link between Sandeman's work at Manticore and whatever purpose motivates White's breeding cult. It's all coming back to genetics."
Logan folded his hands in his lap and waited expectantly for Max's response to this new information. The seconds ticked on and on. The two transgenics stood on the other side of the room and blinked at him like mirrors of each other.
Finally, Max seemed to realize that he was waiting for her to speak. "Well that's, uh," she struggled for a moment, both men looking at her as she searched for the words, "definitely interesting, Logan."
Alec made a face and threw up his hands. "That's it?" The incredulity was clear in his voice as he address Logan. "That's all you've come up with in the weeks since I gave you that thing?"
Max tugged hard on the sleeve of Alec's new leather jacket and started walking out of the room. "We gotta blaze, we're late for work. Thanks, Logan. Let us know if you find anything else."
Logan called out to Max as their footsteps echoed down the hallway, "Be –"
Alec's head popped back around the corner. "There's no need to be careful, we're just going to work!"
Max's voice cut in, preempting another sparring match between the two men. "Shut up, Alec!" He was yanked out of sight before Logan could more than make a frustrated face.
It was a relatively clear day for Seattle. Only a few heavy, whitish-gray clouds marred a pale blue sky as Max and Alec deftly wove through the traffic of the city streets on their bicycles. Max glanced over her shoulder at her companion. He rode less than two feet behind her, steering exactly in her wake though he was only half paying attention. One hand was on the handlebars and the other held his phone to his ear. Expressions flitted across his face and his voice was animated with rapidly flying words. Max smiled a little and shook her head at Alec's predictable wheeling and dealing.
She glanced around, guiding them through the path of least resistance. She focused on the weather, on the congested streets, on Alec's antics, on anything other than the thought that her big brother was out there somewhere without backup. Despite her best attempts at self-distraction, there was a knot like a fist-sized lump of coal sitting in the pit of her stomach. Even though looking at the situation objectively with Alec at Logan's had helped to calm her, she knew she would worry about Zack until she saw him safe with her own eyes.
If I ever see him safe again, she thought. Fortunately, Max heard the sound of Alec's phone snapping shut before she could take that train of thought too far. She turned them down a less crowded street, and Alec moved his bike forward until they were riding shoulder to shoulder.
"So, you wouldn't happen to want to cover for your dear buddy Alec this afternoon, would ya Max?"
"Depends. You wouldn't happen to have any contacts that could get their hands on a hot water heater, would you? Every time I spend a night in TC, my mornings are totally miserable."
He gave a sly smile went with the obvious joke. "Too many cold showers lately, Maxie?" He swerved away from her fist and chuckled when she scowled at him. "I may know one or two guys that could hook us up with a hot water heater, or five. Gimme a couple days to see what I can find."
"Deal." She smirked at him. "Though, I don't know why you don't just flash that pretty boy smile at Normal to get out of working. I'm sure he's just dying to give you the week off and a raise. And it's not like you do much work anyway."
"Yeah well, Normal seems to think I've been spending too much time around you lately, Missy Miss. He's been treating me like any other minion. It's breaking my heart." His lips pushed into his most pathetic pout.
Max scoffed, "Oh yeah, it's just so hard being you."
"Actually," he said, a thoughtful crease in his brow, "it's really easy being me. I'm hot."
"You're an ass."
"We all have our gifts," he said airily. He fell back behind Max as she eased them into a crowded avenue. "At least with me there's never a dull moment."
"Are you saying I'm dull?"
"Oh no. Of course not. You're buckets of fun."
"You know, I kinda hate you sometimes."
"Naturally."
"Ass."
"You said that already, Maxie." He was laughing at her. The chuckle was clear in his voice.
"Shut up." Max made a face at him over her shoulder before suddenly veering across on-coming traffic and down a side alley, leaving chaos and honking in her wake. The ensuing pandemonium effectively cut off Alec's path and prevented him from following her.
"Oh, and I'm the immature one!" Alec knew for a fact Max heard his bellow – just as he could hear beyond the cacophony of disrupted cars and pedestrians to her laughter. "Oh, it's on." He dismounted and lifted his bike into the air. Climbing the hood of the nearest car, he leapt from vehicle to vehicle until he was beyond the confusion. He hopped back on his bike and raced down a different side street. She had maybe a twenty second lead on him, but he knew more than a few shortcuts that would help him make up the time.
Meanwhile, Max was dodging and weaving between cars and people, missing collisions by a hairsbreadth again and again. She was grinning like a hellcat, hunched over her bike and pushing the limits of her speed without being obviously superhuman. In her mind's eye, she was recalling an exquisitely detailed map of Seattle's streets and cross-referencing potential routes with her knowledge of traffic patterns at this time of day. She spared a thought for Alec, who she knew for certain would be doing the exact same thing. Her grin grew and was joined by a giggle.
Less than fifteen minutes after the race had begun, two bikes sped into Jam Pony from entrances at opposite ends of the building. Alec was the first to breech the building's perimeter, thundering through the rear entrance and shouting, "Heads up!"
Two seconds later, Max rolled over the threshold of the front entrance. She saw Alec approaching fast from the other side and put on a burst of speed, which was furthered by the ramp that lead down to the dispatch counter.
So, of course, Sketchy chose that exact moment to blunder out from behind the receiving area. He was concentrating on opening the soft drink in his hand, oblivious to the two transgenics barreling toward him.
Max saw him first. "Look out!"
Sketchy yelled, "Dude!"
At the same time, Alec yelled, "Crap!" He had to swerve wildly at the last minute to avoid crashing into the lanky blonde. Not even transgenic speed and agility could save him, and he toppled over with a resounding thud. His shoulder slammed against the base of the counter just as Max slapped her hand down on the flat top.
"Ha! I win!"
"What?!" Alec's yelp was undignified, but he didn't care. "We got here at the same time!"
She flipped long, wavy hair over one shoulder. "Sliding home on your ass doesn't really count," she said with a superior tone.
By this time a crowd of their friends had gathered around them. Alec looked up plaintively. "Biggs? Cece? A little help here?"
The other two transgenics looked at each other and then back at Alec, "Last man standing," they said in unison.
"Damn it," Alec grumbled as he got to his feet, "it's a conspiracy." Max just smirked at him, clearly gloating.
"What were the stakes?" Original Cindy asked.
Alec lifted his bike and shrugged. "Just pride really."
"Well then, cheer up, Baby Boo. You ain't had nothin' to lose'."
His face twisted in a grimace. "Thanks for that, Cindy. I feel much better now."
OC patted his cheek none too gently. "No problem, sugah."
An amplified bellow of "Bip, bip, bip," wiped the smiles from all their faces.
The four transgenics grimaced as the sound assaulted their sensitive hearing. It preceded Normal as he exited his office behind the reception desk. It seemed as though he was shouting more than ever now that he had Martha's help to get his messages across. He set aside his bright yellow megaphone and placed a stack of packages in front of OC, who happened to be standing closest to the counter.
"There are deliveries to be made, people. I'm not paying you cretins to have social hour."
Max's best friend examined her well-manicured nails as she addressed their boss. "You know, Normal, some men want a big voice 'cuz they need to compensate for something that just ain't so big."
Hot color soared up Normal's neck and over his cheeks. He instinctively backed away when Max suddenly leaned toward him, seemingly searching for the package that the counter hid. He jerked his clipboard over his crotch and looked around the group, most of whom weren't even trying to hide their amusement. His eyes fell on Alec, who immediately glanced away, ducked his head, and scratched at the back of his neck.
"Miscreants. The lot of you." With that declaration, he turned on his heel and walked away from his snickering employees.
OC smirked at their boss's back and pounded fists with Max. She took two packages off the top of the stack and pushed the rest toward Sketchy. One small hand rose up to his face before he could utter a word of protest. "You owe Original Cindy for spilling beer all over her fine outfit last night, fool. So, I don't wanna hear it."
Alec chuckled and slapped Sketchy on the back before walking his bike toward the lockers. Max made to follow him with her own bike, but the package that OC pressed gently to her chest brought her up short.
"Uh-uh. You, me, sector eight. I'm in need of some quality girl time, boo." Cindy walked up the ramp, completely confident that Max would be right behind her.
Max spared a quick glance for Alec. His back was still to her, but he threw a few fingers up over his shoulder in her direction. She shook her head, lips quirked a bit in the corners, before she turned to follow her best friend out the door.
A little while later, the two women were leisurely riding along through one of the subdivisions that were scattered across greater Seattle. They hadn't really gotten to the talking part. Just enjoying each other's company, graced by the pleasant weather and a comfortable silence.
Eventually, Cindy's voice broke into the quiet. "How's Doggy-dog doing?"
"He's good." Max smiled at her. "Real good. He can finally move around outside without having to hide his face. And having so many other transgenics around is definitely making him happy."
"So what, has Terminal City become Mecca for transgenics?"
"Pretty much. I guess the word's spread. Seems like every day a transhuman or X-series shows up at one of the sewer entrances." The smile fell from her face. "I mean, we all know this is probably the worse place for a transgenic reunion in the whole country, but they just keep coming. Just this morning Alec and I had to rescue a group of transgenic kids who were cornered in sector two."
Original Cindy was quiet for a moment, a thoughtful frown turning down the corners of her mouth, before asking, "If back in the day you'd gotten word of where one of the others that escaped with you might've been, would you've stayed away? Even knowing Manticore'd be on your tail?" Max barely shook her head before Cindy went on. "I didn't think so. You would've run straight into a burning building if you thought you could see just one of them before the place went up."
"I know," Max conceded with a sigh, "but, it's like we're all coming together and offering ourselves to White on a silver platter. Makes me nervous."
"Y'all have got to be stronger together than you ever were solo. Hard times is here, probably to stay for a good while. But stick wit' your family and friends, and y'all will come out on top, boo."
"I hope your right," Max said sincerely. They'd arrived at the address of their first delivery. Max took the package out of her messenger bag and jogged up the steps of the small house. As the door opened, she put on her perky girl mask and got a huge tip out of the exchange. She returned to OC, and the two rode on in silence once again, allowing her thoughts to turn inward as they so often did.
After a few minutes, Max could feel her best friend's eyes on her. "What," she asked, not realizing that she'd been frowning since they'd set off.
OC arched an eyebrow. "What else is going on in that head of yours? Somethin' else's got you spun. You can't fool Original Cindy. So spill, boo. Is it about your boy?"
"He's not my boy," she responded automatically, her eyes falling to her handlebars. "I mean, we're friends now, I guess. And he's not a complete and utter screw up all the time like I thought."
"Uh-huh."
Max's lips turned quirked up in the smallest of smiles. "Don't get me wrong, Alec is still a complete and total pain in my ass. But…he stuck around." She was almost ready to admit that she'd come to depend on Alec. Not just to be there and watch her back – that part was easy. That happened even back when she was telling herself and everyone else that she didn't trust him and couldn't stand him. No, now she realized that she depended on him to make her laugh, to knock her down a peg when she needed it, to keep her real, and to remind her that she used to love being a revved up chick.
"He's grown on me," she continued with a shrug. "I don't know what else to tell you."
"Sugah, the fact that you assumed when I said 'your boy' I meant Alec and not Logan says everything that Cindy needs to know."
Max looked startled for a moment. "Oh. Yeah. Logan." She stared resolutely ahead, not meeting the other woman's eyes. "I'm cured. We're fine."
"So you've talked to him about what happened that night to put you both in the hospital?"
"Not exactly."
"Girl, how can y'all be a'ight by completely ignoring the mightiest elephant in the room?"
"It's not that big," Max muttered.
"So what's the dealio?" OC pressed.
"I don't know…"
"Boo, do you even still want Logan and you to work?"
"It's not that simple."
"Then explain it to a sistah."
Max bit her lip and tried to think of the words that would express the feelings she was only just starting to sort out. Her friend waited patiently while she tried to come up what to say.
"Logan," she finally began, "has been such an important part of my life for so long now. But, there's so much of myself that I've kept from him. At first I thought I was being myself around him, since he knew my biggest secret. Now I realize that there are so many details – little and big – I've kept from him. A little bit because I was keeping them from myself." She stopped and sighed. "There's always been something safe about dancing around each other."
"Like you can keep up some walls if you're not physical?"
"Yeah, I guess." She was silent for a moment, letting her friend's words sink in. "When Logan found the cure I was already at the point where I though we'd never be together like that. But, at some point I'd made a decision to start on this…path, or whatever. Logan was the way to be normal. I thought that's what I wanted. And it was easier to be normal if I never had to show him all of myself."
"Boo, don't you know that so-called normal, average people spend their entire lives trying to be exactly what you are? Above-average, super-human, better than normal. And they just as turned around as you been."
Max blinked at her friend in surprise. "That's what Alec said."
"Well, I guess they didn't just make the boy pretty after all." The two women shared a look, then Max smirked.
"Let's not jump to any conclusions on that one," Max said in a wry tone.
OC chuckled before turning serious once more. "Wit' the person you love you should feel more like ya'self than you do any other time. You shouldn't have to hide from your man."
Max frowned at her. "I thought you wanted me to be with Logan?"
"I want you happy, boo. If Logan's not the one to help you with that, he's not the one I'm rootin' for, for real. But, you still gotta come correct and talk to the man."
Max nodded, almost to herself. "I still care about him, Cindy. I still even love him. I just don't think it's in the way he's expecting. And I'm starting to think it's not in the way that I need. But, I'm not sure I know how to tell him."
"You'll figure it all out, boo. Just face it head on." She gave Max an encouraging grin, which the other woman returned with a small, grateful smile. "Besides," OC continued, "how do you expect this thing you've got wit' your boy Alec to go anywhere when you've got unfinished business with Logan?"
"Alec and I aren't like that," Max said immediately.
OC made a face. "Oh great. Here we go again."
"Cindy, we're just friends."
"Right. So, you expect me to believe that you believe there ain't no heat between the two of you?" At the sight of a hot pink blush bursting across the caramel of Max's cheeks, OC jerked on her 10-speed's hand brakes and brought herself to a screeching halt curbside. "Spill. Now."
Max's stop was a lot gentler and she sighed as she backpedaled to the other woman. "Well, uh, Alec and I kinda kissed."
"You what?!"
"Yeah. Well, I mean, at the hospital. I woke up a little upset. Alec kissed me. I kinda kissed him back for a brief moment."
"And?"
"And nothing. I shoved him off the bed and then you came in."
"Let me guess. Neither of you has brought this little lip lock up since?" OC rolled her eyes when Max didn't answer her. "Typical."
Max tossed her hair back and sat up straighter. She started pedaling again. "Whatever. It was over in less than a minute. Nothing to talk about. It's not like we got naked."
OC rode up beside her with a knowing smirk. "Oh, but you want to."
"Cindy!"
"Girl, please. If you ask me, it's about damn time you got a little sumpin' sumpin'."
"Cindy..."
She threw up a hand in defense. "Ok, ok. I understand. You're confused about what to do about Logan now that you've got the cure and there's nothing keeping you apart except yourself. Then here's Alec always there and always lookin' pretty and gettin' you in ways that Logan never will."
"I never said all that."
"Oh, you didn't? My bad. I'll leave it alone." OC was quiet for a moment, letting her girl mull over some of what they'd talk about. Finally, she said, "You know it's gonna be a'ight, Max. Stuff is going down, and you need to handle your business, sort through a bitch. Original Cindy got nothin' but respect for that." A slow smile spread across her pretty features. "Just as long as you take time to gossip with your boo, Boo."
Max smiled back. "I promise."
"But, while we're on the subject of booty calls, let's get to the truly important question. Any of those new transgenic honeys comin' to Terminal City battin' for Original Cindy's team?"
At the hopeful expression on OC's face, Max let herself be carried away on a heartfelt laugh. It was music to her best friend's ears as they rode on.
TBC