Freedom
A/N: The characters are not mine. But the sap is. Mine all mine babies. It's nice to own something. It's short but sweet.
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Today was a special day. The sun was rising over Terminal City and the roof of HQ was littered with evidence of the part held there during the night. There were bottles and glasses and a myriad of other things deserted to prove that there would be many people absent from the morning meeting. Except that there wouldn't be a morning meeting. For the first time in 6-months that there would be no morning meeting. The revelers were long gone. All except two. Two people stood, watching the sunrise in a new day, awestruck by the changes they had wrought in the world around them.
Max and Alec stood side by side, taking in the simple pleasure of the pink colour of a new day. A new day, the first ever when they didn't have to worry about being hunted or immanent death. They were comfortable, breathing in-sync, not really needing words to communicate the beauty of the day. They had grown close during the siege, closer than either had really imagined possible. Max turned to Alec.
"Have you noticed that it's always us?" At the sound of her voice, loud amongst the silence of the morning, Alec caught her eye. He was taken by surprise at her statement.
"Always us? Hunh?" Max smiled.
"At the end of the day, battle's won or lost, the troops go home and it's always us, still here, praising each other, comforting each other, hoping and fearing for tomorrow. At the end of the day, it's always us." He nodded. It was true. It always was the two of them in the end. Alec lived for these moments. He'd often wondered if she did too.
"I know Maxie. Always." Alec put his arm around her. It settled comfortably around her shoulders as if it had always been there. It fit just right. She felt safe, warm; she felt like she belonged.
"We won today Alec. We're free. Finally, finally free. I've dreamed about this day all my life. No more running, no more hiding." There was something in her voice. Alec swallowed audibly. The next words would be hard.
"Really?" He looked at her and their eyes met. Something deep and serious passed through them.
"Really. No more running." She folded her body into his. They were pressed together from knee to shoulder. She looked incredibly serious and he could barely contain his body's shaking. He hoped to a god he didn't believe in that this was real. Max could feel the slight tremors in his body. For some reason it made her feel better that he was nervous. It reassured her. It told her she was right in doing this. This was right. She snaked her arms around his neck, not once breaking eye contact.
"No more hiding." He was still tense, but starting to believe this was real. It was all she could do to stop her face from breaking into an ecstatic smile and ruin the moment. She pulled his face down and met his lips with hers.
The kiss was gentle but strong and sure. The taste of her was more than Alec had ever expected. He would never get enough. Their tongues dueled in an age-old intricate dance. Max moaned into his mouth. This was it, she thought. This was what she was talking about. This was what she had been waiting for her entire life.
This was Freedom.
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A/N: I hope you've enjoyed it! Review please. endearing smile that makes you want to do as I ask How can you say no to this face?