Disclaimer: Don't own at all.

With a stealth unlike any normal human being's, he quickly and quietly climbed down the rope to the second story window. Using a quick cutting device, he suddenly had access to inside the building, his eyes immediately going to an obscure abstract painting that hung a story beneath him. Smiling, he climbed through the window looking at the painting the whole time, only to lose his footing and start falling to maybe not death, but certainly a couple bruises when he hit the ground floor below. But he was not falling, instead he was flying. Hanging by an unknown object that caused him to stop from what would certainly have been a sore morning.

"Cat like reflexes, hmm?" said the object holding him up.

"Completely purposeful, Maxie. Just making sure that you've got my back," Alec replied smoothly, smirking as he started rigging the second rope on the inside of the building.

"Uh Huh, sure…" she answered, smirking in a way very similar to Alec. She quickly started rigging her own rope to the building.

"So Maxie-" Alec started.

"Don't call me that,"

"Fine, Max, want to tell me why we are risking running into Familiars, cops, and angry and armed vigilantes to steal a shitty looking knockoff of Picasso?"

"Shouldn't you ask these questions before you are climbing down a rope to get it?" questioned Max.

She smiled, she knew that answer. Alec would have agreed to anything if she asked him for help, without any explanation or judgment. And the funny thing is that she would too vice versa. I guess two months of working together and a whole lot of trusting does that to people. But that wasn't entirely true. This whole year Alec would have done the same thing for her; it was her that grew to trust him more, to let him in more. It surprised her how quickly and easily she did. It was never like that with anyone she's known, not even Logan, maybe her family, but she had to admit that it was a different kind of trust with Alec.

"It isn't the painting, smartass, it's the safe that contains over a million dollars inside," stated Max.

Alec let a low whistle escape his teeth, "How the hell did you find out about that?"

"Logan," replied Max.

Ah, Logan, thought Alec. He seemed to see him less and less during these two months. The toxins in Terminal City, while unnoticeable to transgenics, where not so fantastic for the ordinaries. It seemed to Alec, though, that Max didn't have time to be sad about Logan, the worries of their own kind were first and foremost in her head. She hid it easily from others, the Manticore mask worked extremely well on her face. But Alec saw it break, though briefly, on one of those brief moments that she would let him in. The look on her face in those times burned in his perfect memory, like a painting on the inside of his eyelids. He gladly let her lean on him during those times, like it was almost second nature for him to do so. Even earlier this year there was something there that had been on the lines of trust, she always had her back, even when she thought he killed innocent people. And it only intensified. Their trust had built to a point he never thought possible with another person. He easily would call her his best friend, and he knew that she would as well. Maybe even more… No, Alec shook his head. These thoughts needed to stop. He saw the look in her face when she mentioned Logan, although, he had to mention, it wasn't the saddest thing I've seen on her face.

"Wouldn't think he'd approve of this," admitted Alec.

Max smiled like a child that had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, "He doesn't exactly know about it. " Alec's questioning face made her go on further. "Before all this, almost two years ago, in fact…….wow has it been that long," saying the last part in a whisper.

Alec saw something in her face that he couldn't recognize, it frustrated him. He was seeing it a lot lately when talking about Logan.

"He told me about this place," Max continued, "The man had been involved in some secret crime that Logan had trouble bringing to justice. This guy has safes all around the world each with one million dollars in it, which he checks every three months. That's how long it takes to get to each one, that's how many there are, not even counting the electronic ones. Paranoid guy. Doesn't do banks, only has two "trusted" employees and keeps his money spread out so that only a little bit can be stolen, but no one ever has because it's guarded by the state of the art technology….blah blah blah."

"Until us," Alec added, smiling.

"Right, until us," Max agreed, smiling herself.

They both felt the adrenaline coursing through their body. Using the gifts that were built into them even in the most water-downed circumstances still got their endorphins going. Alec smiled as he saw the happiness in Max's face as she enjoyed stretching her abilities.

Max was enjoying herself. She remembered why she used to steal from rich guys before: the money was good, and the rush was fantastic. It was how she met Logan…


There is that look again, Alec thought to himself.

"Ready?" Max whispered.

"Of course," Alec answered back, as they both slithered down to face themselves in front of the painting.

Alex used the same cutting device from before to cut the painting out of the frame, knowing an alarm would sound off immediately if he tried to remove it from the wall. Max then started working on the combination, using her genetically enhanced hearing to hear those special clicks it makes when it unlocks.

"Why'd you ask me to come with you, Maxie? Just for the sexy and perfect view?" asked Alec.

Click. One down. "Ass," Max replied, smirking. "Haven't done this in awhile. Need another person to see the security that I would have missed."

Sensor doors, floors, windows, walls, 20 security guards that check in every 15 minutes, video cameras, and freaking lasers that burn very intensely. Yes, Alec agreed, lots of security. Something a normal partner of two would never have gotten past, especially while hanging one handed from a single rope. Even the combination itself was composed of 20 different numbers on a 1 to 100 scale. Only a trangenic's memory, skill and hearing would have gotten into the scale in less then ten minutes and they only had-

"6 minutes left before the alarm sounds, Maxie,"

Max started to go faster, the combination turning into a blur. Alec switched hands on the rope.

"Explain again why we could get the nice rope with harnesses," Alec complained.

"Flick needed them for his team to get some much needed arsenal," Max replied.

"Yeah, well," said Alec, disgruntled by her reasoning, "could have left at least two."

Click. The safe was unlocked as Max stuck her tongue out at Alec in victory, and reached for a glove, the money was in a briefcase that was enveloped in below freezing temperatures. Alec smiled looking away, trying to notice if he did miss a security measure that could put them in jeopardy. He looked directly beneath the safe, his eyes resting on a small box that read the temperature in the room. What wouldn't seem odd to an average person caused Alec a second of hesitation.

"Max-"

"Yeah," she responded distractedly looking at him as she opened the door to the safe.

Boom. An explosion ripped through the tiny little box that was place directly perpendicular to Max's chest, causing her to let go of her rope and fall ungracefully to the ground.

Bleep. Bleep. Bleep.

"Max!" Alec cried as he dropped beside her, the alarm now blaring in the once was silence.

She groaned in response. She landed on her stomach, and Alec could see that a tiny puddle of blood was forming beneath her. She slowly turned over and groaned again in pain as she tried to pull herself up to a sitting position. Alec could see large gashes on her chest from the explosions. She put her hands to her ears, and it was then that Alec noticed that there was blood coming out of there as well.

"Shit, Max. We have to get out of here," Security was certainly on their way and the last thing they needed was the transgenic leader to be caught stealing. "Can you walk?"

Max nodded slowly getting to her feet, tugging at Alec's shirt with her blood stained palms. The ringing in her ears was making it hard for her to think clearly, and the broken ribs on her right side wasn't making breathing any easier. All this and the blood she was losing from the gashes caused by the extreme heat ripping away her leather and then her skin.

"Alec, you need to get the money,"

"Maxie-"

"Hurry," she cut him off, already leaning against a wall to support her weak frame.

Alec quickly jammed the glove on his hand and leaped up to the safe to retrieve the briefcase of money. When he landed on the ground he noticed that Max was getting paler. Bam Bam. Bullets started going off as Alec saw the security they had recently detained come barging around the corner. He quickly pushed them behind a pillar looking for any kind of exit. His eyes suddenly went to a glass window, maybe not the best idea, but certainly the only they had, and Alec didn't have time to think of a better option.

"Get on my back," Alec shouted over the alarm. She didn't argue and quickly climbed on top of him, wrapping her scratched up arms around his neck. Making sure Max was safely on his back, Alec jumped at the nearest window, shattering it as he broke through. He landed on the street below, feeling a bullet graze his leg as he did so. Too close, Alec thought blindly as he ran out of reach of the bullets toward the motorcycle that lay hidden in the alley. He pulled Max in front of him on the bike, not pleased by how unresponsive she was.

"Still with me, Maxie?"

"Still here…" she weakly responded. "Do you have a first aid kit at the apartment?" she asked in the same quiet tone.

"Max," Alec replied sternly, already knowing she didn't want Terminal City to see her like this. "You need medical attention, Maxie."

"Alec, please. You can fix me up just fine…." Her voice was getting weaker, doing nothing to shake Alec's resolve. "Blood transfusion here….a few…stitches….there…."

"No."

"Alec…"

"No."

"Please…."

Alec sighed. He couldn't say no again, he knew what morale does to soldiers and this wouldn't look good.

"Fine, but if I can't handle it, I'm taking you to a doctor."

"Deal," Max replied, while Alec got on behind her starting the bike up. Her head leaned back to his shoulder as he drove one handed through the streets of Seattle, back to their apartment. He couldn't help thinking, while driving way above the speed limit, that it was only a matter of time before he was the one stitching her up. He thought back to two months ago when it had all began, when their relationship started to grow, right after they raised the flag…

Flashback:

Alec grimaced in pain as he walked back into Terminal City. He needed to find some stitches and mirror before his wound started to get infected. Trying hard to distract himself from the upcoming war that they were soon to encounter, he hurriedly went through miscellaneous medical supplies trying to find the ones he needed.

"Looking for this," said Max, appearing behind him with the supplies he was so desperately looking for.

"Yeah, thanks," Alec replied, reaching for them. She surprised him, though, when she wouldn't hand them over.

"Sit your ass down. I had medical training too, you know."

"Always with the ass, Maxie," Alec smirked, sitting down and rolling up his sleeve.

Max quickly started cleaning the wound, her soft fingers expertly stitching up the damage from the bullet. A comfortable silence spread over the scene, each transgenic wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"So you're cheating on me?" asked Alec after a couple minutes.

"Huh?"

"Holding hands with Logie?"

"Oh, ha ha," replied Max, sardonically, but in way that Alec knew not to question more. More silence reigned as Max started putting clean bandages back on his shoulder. Finally complete, she sighed looking Alec straight in the eyes.

"Was I right in doing this?" she questioned.

"Doing what?"

"Asking them to fight for this," she stood up and started pacing. "There are so many enemies Alec. We have no idea what's going to happen. How many people we'll lose."

He knew that was her biggest fear, losing the people she loved, having it be her fault.

"Maxie…" Alec went to her side, wrapping her up in his arms just like he had when she told him about Ben. "We agreed to this, no one is forcing us here." He lifted her head to look him in the eyes, the anguish apparent on her face. "We should fight for this. This is something we need to fight for." He sighed, "And some people will die, that's what happens in war, but it won't be your fault, Max. Never blame yourself for the decisions of others."

Max rested her head back on his chest. "I don't know if I can lead them Alec, I can't do it on my own. I need some help." She looked at him, "Will you help me Alec….."

"Wha-" he hesitated. "Are you asking me to be you second in command?" Alec asked, shocked.

"No,"

Alec felt the disappointment hit him, his stomach dropping.

"I want you to be my partner, Alec." Alec's shock came quickly back. " Co-leader or something," she mumbled looking away at him.

"Ok," he answered.

"You sure?" she asked, surprised by his quick answer.

"Absolutely."

She smiled, "Thank you, Alec." She detached herself from his arms, Manticore mask once again in place. "Alright let's go tell everyone what the plan is."

"Ok, what is the plan again?" he asked.

"No idea."

"Right," Alec smirked. "Here comes the bullshit."

Max laughed as she cleaned up the bloody supplies. "We need to get out there soon, I can hear Mole grumbling already."

Alec stared at her, suddenly remembering something that had been nagging him for awhile.

"Hey, Maxie,"

"Yeah," she responded distractedly.

"How did you know the familiars where coming when we were back at Jam Pony?" Max looked at him, questionably. "I mean," Alec went on. "I couldn't hear anything. It wasn't like they broke down a door and you were the only one that heard it. It's like you knew their decision before they even came close to entering."

Max looked at the ground, not answering.

"Max?"

"I don't know Alec, I don't know?" she looked at him, the fear breaking through on her face.

Flashback End

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Special Agent Ames White looked over the destructive scene. Safe open, money missing, smoke damages from an apparent explosion were all in his view. But he hardly took notice. His full attention was focused on one thing: a tiny bloody handprint that stained the wall underneath the safe. He gritted his teeth as his expression became more and more furious, spitting three numbers out so furiously that the security guards around him became instantly afraid of him.

"452!"

Alright, kids that's chapter one. Please read and fall in love and then review and tell me what you think. I'll try to get the next one out real soon. O and please review, feed my insecurities. Review!

-Unfortunately Clever