STORY: Connect The Dots

SUMMARY: Ben returns. M/A

SETTING: This should be immediately after Hello Goodbye

DISCLIAMER: Not mine. Besides you really don't want to sue me. I only have $20TT dollars to my name. Christmas left me broke.

CHAPTER: Down Stairs.





Max opened her locker and looked inside. She closed it and then opened it again. She had no idea what she was doing and why she was doing. She just felt a bit uneasy and as a result she did strange things. She closed it once more and rest her head assist the cold metal. She closed her eyes and tried to identify the reasons why she was feeling so uneasy. She jumped when someone came and put their hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw that it was Alec. " Alec you scared me."

He stepped up close to her and leant forward to get close to ear as possible. " Maxie," he whispered.

She stepped aside a bit. This situation did nothing to improve her nerves. " What?"

He moved closer to her again and just stood there and stared in her eyes like he was looking for something in them. He gazed relentlessly into her brown eyes until she moved away. He was so lost in them he didn't notice that someone was calling her name and really didn't care anyway.

" I have work to do," she said and walked away slowly. She didn't know what the hell that was about. She wiped her sweaty palms in her pants and went to Normal who was bellowing her name like he was in labor. " Hot run, get this delivered quickly. "

She took the package and walked outside and unchained her bike. When she was finished she discovered Alec was had come outside too. He took a black bike and began to unchain. " When did you get a new bike?"

" Yesterday."

She didn't want to know where and how he got his sticky hands on it. At least she bought her bike.

" Can I come with you?" he asked shyly.

She nodded. " First I'm going China Town to get this delivered then I'm going to see Joshua." He nodded.

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All the way to China Town and back Alec had barely said a word to her. He just kept looking at her like he just noticed something about her. When they returned to Jam Pony she dropped her clipboard on Normal's desk.

" Did you get the signature?"

" Yeah"

" Well you finally did your job. I was going to ask Alec but he had a run in some remote part of Seattle and he hasn't returned yet."

" Alec is outside, in fact he went with me on my last run."

Normal didn't want to accept that his golden boy was shying away from work. He didn't even return his clipboard so he just took Max's comments as a joke and shooed her away.

Max went back outside to Alec who was looking around. Something about him seemed stiff. Maybe where ever Normal sent Alec had some strange type of air Alec couldn't breathe in. " Are you okay?"

" Yeah, why?"

She was expecting his usual 'I'm always okay' but that worked for her. " No reason."

The drove until they came to Joshua's house. Max walked into the house and called. " Josh." Alec staggered behind looking around the room. She really didn't know what was up with him.

Joshua came form downstairs wearing paint covered clothes. " Hey Little Fella and Alec."

" Hey Big Fella. What's up?" Joshua eyed Alec who was stepping towards the door. He looked as white as a ghost. " Alec, are you okay?" Max asked and he nodded. Joshua walked up to him and sniffed him.

" Maxie I have to go." He walked out the door; actually it was more of a run.

She watched him take his bike and quickly rode away. " That boy keeps getting stranger by the day."

Joshua sat down and Max sat after him. " Alec smell different."

Not that she went around sniffing the boy to notice if he smelt different or not. " Change of cologne or after shave I guess."

" No really different."

" So what are you getting at?"

" Not Alec," he said simply. " Alec smell too different to be Alec."

Max played back to the way he was behaving earlier. He was acting differently. But if it wasn't Alec who could it be. One name lingered in her mind but it wasn't possible. It couldn't be him; she killed him. " Ben."

It explained why he seemed to be afraid of Joshua. He never got over his childhood fears. But she didn't understand how. Why didn't she see him when she took Manticore down?

She didn't know how to feel about it, happy or scared or worried. She wanted to be happy to see him. All the times she whished she hadn't kill him all the times she whished she had gone back to Manticore with him, so they could escape together and he would not be dead. But she knew it was stupid thinking. He was dangerous; he hurt people, innocent people. However he didn't seem murderous in anyway. Then again she thought he was Alec she wasn't looking out for those qualities.

" Little Fella okay?"

She looked over to him. " I don't know. It depends on if he's okay. I mean if he's okay, then that would be great. Alec could meet him, he could work with us, have friends and--" she stopped herself from continuing. What were the odds of him being okay, slim to none. " Then again. He went back to Manticore so he can't be okay. He didn't want to go there." Joshua looked at her explore the possibilities. " I really hope he's okay. Have to go fine him." she got up and went to the door. " If Alec comes by tell him to go to my place and wait for me."

Joshua nodded, " Hope he's okay too."

" I know."





NOTE: Tell me if you like it. I will continue if you do.