A Jo-Jo99 Proxy Universe Story (AKA - An Alternate Universe story. It didn't really happen). It's a sequel to "99 Loses Control" and involves the twins. I know I'm going to treads on some sacred ground, but it was still fun to write.
Some of the ideas/situations come from Etra (yogam65) and several of Lisa's Alternate Universe Stories at: http://www.geocities.com/lisa_8699/originals.html
I dedicate this story to them.
MAX REGAINS CONTROL
Max had finished his telephone conversation with The Chief, agreeing that he and 99 would spend the night at the casino to insure that Kaos didn't try anything. He turned to the San Jirman Police, asking them to please inform him and Control in Washington, D. C., when they caught Victor Royal. The police, mortified that one of their most highly regarded citizens had turned out to be a thief, murderer and liar, agreed. They bid Max goodnight and he locked the door behind them. He made his way through the now empty casino, shutting off lights and checking to make sure the rest of the doors and windows were secure. Then he made his way toward the only light in the casino . . . the bar, where 99 sat staring into a drink. He stopped for a moment to watch. She would stare into the drink, rotated the glass on the bar for a few minutes, then take a drink. He went behind the bar and poured himself a brandy. He came around and sat next to 99.
"You okay?"
99 shrugged and took a large gulp of the scotch. "So he is a Kaos agent. You were right, I was wrong."
"99, I'm sorry."
"You're sorry for what?" 99 asked, not looking at him.
"For everything you've been through."
"Is that right?" 99 turned to him. "I want to ask you a question."
Max nodded.
"Why did you follow me here?"
"Well . . . I . . . uh . . ." Max looked away and took a large gulp of his drink.
99 grabbed his arm. "I want you to tell me!!" she said angrily. "You followed me all the way down here. There has to be a reason!"
Max didn't look at her, he stared at the bar and took another drink.
"Oh, forget it," 99 said. "By the way . . . I'm not going back to Washington."
"What? Why?"
"I have nothing to go back to." She got up and headed out of the room.
Max caught up with her near one of the Roulette tables.
"Why aren't you going back?"
"Why should I?"
"Because you have a job . . ."
"Had a job," 99 interrupted.
"The Chief will give you your job back."
"That's not all of it . . ." 99 turned away from him. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. She was crying.
"What then?"
"What's the point of me going back . . ." She stopped and walked away again, distressed.
Max watched her leave, knowing full well she was walking out of his life again. And this time it was for good. He had been very lucky this time . . . was it fate? An inner struggle ensued. He knew he wasn't good enough for her . . . she would be better off without him. But the thought of spending the rest of his life without her was something he couldn't face.
"99!" He yelled, running after her. He ran up the stairs and caught up with her as she opened the door to her room.
"99! Stop!"
She stopped in the doorway, but didn't turn around.
He put a hand on her shoulder.
"You want to know why I followed you here?" He turned her around. She was crying. He took her face in his hands and wiped away her tears. "This is why . . ." He said and he took her in his arms and kissed her. It was no chaste kiss either. His arms tightened around her waist and he held her close. 99's arms went around his neck as she fervently returned his kiss.
"Oh, Max . . ." She said, pulling away.
"What?" His voice choked, betraying his emotions. Was his deepest fear was about to be realized? She didn't love him? Just liked him, as a friend?
She looked at him, puzzled. "What what?"
"Huh?"
"What's wrong, Max?"
"You don't love me." The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.
99 stared at him in shock. "WHAT??? Are you crazy? Why do you think I quit Control and came here to marry Victor? Because you don't love me . . ."
"99 . . . I do love you. I've loved you for a long, long time," he looked at the floor. "But I'm not good enough for you. You deserve better than a bumbling fool."
99 grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. "What the hell are you talking about? Not good enough for me? What am I? Perfect?"
"In my eyes . . ."
"Really, Max, you can't honestly believe that."
"I do."
"Well then, you're in for a shock," 99 said sadly. "Come in here, Max, there's something I have to tell you. And when I do, you'll want to go back to back to Washington by yourself."
Max followed her into the room and shut the door behind him.
"Max, remember five nights ago when you first told me about Royal? And I didn't believe you? You said you'd get proof. You told me you were going to check out his locked inner office after he was asleep."
"Of course."
99 took a deep breath. "Max, we were . . . we were having a late dinner. He heard a noise. You dropped something . . ."
Max sighed in disgust. "Remember that try Louie left in Royal's office? I knocked into it, so I beat it out of there. I didn't even get the information until tonight."
"He was on his way down to investigate. You know no one was allowed in that inner office except him and Louie. If he had came down, he would have caught you . . . and killed you."
"What did you do, 99?" Max asked, concerned.
"I did what I had to do. I couldn't let him kill you. So I . . ." 99 hesitated and the tears came. "I seduced him."
Max eyes grew wide. He stared at her, stunned. "You did what?"
"I seduced him, Max. I slept with him."
"You slept with him because I made noise? So he wouldn't come downstairs and find me? Oh, God, 99!" He walked out onto the terrace and leaned against the rail, staring out at the harbor.
99 came up beside him, crying. "Now you know why I can't go back."
"What do you mean 'you can't go back'? Of course you can."
"But, Max, doesn't it bother you that . . ."
"Of course it bothers me! You slept with him to save my life!" He snapped, turning to her. "Why couldn't you have just warned me somehow?"
"How? Holler down the stairs, 'Hey, Max, Victor's coming'? That would have worked real well. Max, it started out as a kiss, but it got out of control. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was have sex with him."
"Then why were you going to marry him?"
"I told you . . . I didn't think you cared about me."
"But I love you, 99!"
"You sure have a strange way of showing it."
Tears were running down Max's face. "99, you heard what I said before."
"Yeah, yeah . . . you're not good enough for me. Well, now you've just found out that your perfect vision of womanhood isn't perfect. As a matter of fact, she's just the opposite."
"Listen . . . I'm no virgin either."
"I'll bet. There have probably been a lot of women in your life," She looked away. "Since we've been partners too, I bet. "
"Not true. I haven't been with anyone since I met you."
"What about all those women . . . ?"
"Kaos agents, made-up women. Do you honestly remember me ever having a steady girl? Think back."
"No."
"Well, then . . ."
99 groaned.
"If I had told you my real feelings, you wouldn't have run off and we wouldn't be standing here right now."
"So you're saying it's your fault I slept with Victor?"
"Partly."
"That's a ludicrous notion!"
"I run you off, I follow you down here. I make noise and you're forced to save my ass . . . again." He took her into his arms. She tried to pulled away but he pulled her back and held her close, looking into her eyes and not allowing her to move.
"99 . . ."
"No, Max, it's not . . ."
"Fair to me? Why?"
"Because I've . . ."
"Been with another man?" Max questioned.
"Yes . . ."
"So what?"
"How can you say that, Max?" 99 wept. "I never wanted him . . . I wanted you. I've ruined it . . ." She put her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder.
"What have you ruined?"
"Any chance you and I ever had."
"No you haven't."
"I haven't what?"
"Ruined it."
99 pulled away and stared out over the water. "Max, how can you want me? It's . . . well . . ."
"Can I ask you a personal question?"
"Yes."
"Has there ever been anyone else?"
"Only once, after I graduated high school. It was with my boyfriend, after the Prom."
Max gave a short laugh. "Me too, after high school," He shrugged. "That's it . . ."
"Okay, so what's this supposed to do? Make me feel better? Knowing that both of us have been with other people?"
"I didn't say it would make us feel better. Geeze, 99, this is nothing new, it's been going on for centuries."
99 nodded, but her face showed the pain in her heart. "What happened with you happened before we met. This happened after. It makes a difference."
"No, it doesn't . . ."
They continued with the argument long into the night and all the way back to Washington the next day. 99 easily got her job back and soon everything seemed to be back to normal. 99 was still depressed by her actions, but Max was acting like his normal self . . . at least on the outside and he was continually trying to cheer her up.
One day when he stopped by her office, he found her lying on the sofa, an arm over her eyes.
"99, you okay?" He asked, locking the door behind him.
"No."
"What's the matter?" He knelt down beside her. "Anything I can do?"
"I doubt it," She said, sitting up.
Max sat beside her. "What's the matter?"
"I had a Doctor's appointment this morning . . ."
"You're not sick, are you?" He asked, worried.
"No."
Max knew immediately what was wrong. He took her hand.
"You're pregnant."
99 looked at him, flabbergasted. "How did you know?"
"It didn't take the brain of a scientific genius to figure it out."
"Max . . . I don't know what to do."
"As I see it, you have four choices. You can have the baby and give it up for adoption, have the baby and raise it on your own, have an abortion or . . . marry me."
"Do what?"
"Marry me."
"Max, it's not your baby."
"No shit, Sherlock, how could it be? Look . . . I love you. And that baby is part of you. Marry me. The baby can have my name."
"Max, that's . . ."
"Crazy?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Why in the world would you want to do that?"
He shrugged. "Maybe I'm being selfish. I'm alone, 99. I have no family and few friends. And you said you loved me . . ."
"I DO love you."
"Then we'll be a family. That's something I haven't had much of in my life."
99 sighed and shook her head. "You don't know what you're getting in to, Max. One day we'll get into an argument . . . and you'll blurt out that marring me was the biggest mistake you ever made."
Max touched her face. "No, 99, I won't."
"Yes . . . then I'll say something and . . ." she leaned her head back against the sofa. "Shoot!"
"You'll shoot me?"
99 looked at him. He was grinning at her.
"Give it a chance, 99. What have you got to lose?"
"You."
Max bit his lip. "Okay, how about this . . . we start out by telling each other everything about ourselves. All of it, good and bad. We already know quite a bit and if we start out this way, and never have any secrets from each other, we'll be fine."
"What about the baby? Never tell him that you're not his real father?"
"No, of course not. But we don't have to tell him, or her, the circumstances behind how you got pregnant. As for everyone else, they can just believe it's mine," He paused. "Of course, we'll have to tell them that the kid's looks come from your side of the family . . ."
99 put her arms around him. "Okay, Max, okay."
Max sighed in relief. He had thought for sure she wouldn't agree. As he kissed her, 99 still wasn't sure they weren't making a huge mistake . . .
99 finished her story. Max stood on the terrace overlooking their back yard, slowing shaking his head. He had wanted to tell the twins long ago, but 99 had stalled. Too Long.
"You mean we're not related to him?" They looked at each other in secret delight. "Then there's no reason why we can't join the CIA."
"WHAT?" 99 shouted.
"Look, don't you ever get tired of being embarrassed by him?" Zach asked, hooking his thumb towards Max. "We do."
99 glanced over at Max, who was still looking out over the lawn in hurt silence.
"No . . . I love him. And those 'embarrassments' as you call them are nothing more than little faults. They never have, and never will, bother me."
"Well . . . Control is a lame organization anyway. We'll have more chance for advancement over at the CIA. And they'll take us in grade too," Maxine said.
"Okay . . . go. But remember, if you do this, you're hurting a man who has loved you since the day you were born."
The twins shrugged.
"And by the way . . ." 99 said. "Don't bother to come back."
"Come again?" Zach asked.
"You heard me," 99 said, tearfully.
"You're picking him? But you gave birth to us!"
"There are no 'buts', CIA-man. I won't allow you to treat him this way."
The twins stared at each other.
"Can we get our things out of the attic?"
"Take ALL your stuff . . . and get out."
99 walked past them and joined Max on the terrace. They held hands as they listened to the twins fumbled about, collecting their possessions.
99 looked miserably at Max and saw the tears in his eyes. She put her arms around him and they held each other.
"Well, 99," Max said, wiping away her tears. "Now what?"
"I don't know," She said, touching his face. "I can't believe they feel that way about you."
"Everyone feels that way about me."
"That's not true, Max. Hymie thinks the world revolves around you. He always has. And the Chief loved you dearly."
"99 . . . I told him about the twins."
99 smiled. "I figured you probably did. What did he say?"
"He asked me if I loved you. I told him yes, more that anything. He said he was proud of me for marrying you under such circumstances," He paused. "I've never regretted my decision, 99. Never."
"Max, I'm so sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry about. Hey! You know what? N.C. has an new assignment for us. It isn't scheduled to start for a couple weeks because they're still gathering background information. I think it has something to do with orphan kids," He smiled. "Maybe we'll get lucky"
"Maybe . . ."
Jodi Goldfinger
3/02 - Updated 6/02
Some of the ideas/situations come from Etra (yogam65) and several of Lisa's Alternate Universe Stories at: http://www.geocities.com/lisa_8699/originals.html
I dedicate this story to them.
MAX REGAINS CONTROL
Max had finished his telephone conversation with The Chief, agreeing that he and 99 would spend the night at the casino to insure that Kaos didn't try anything. He turned to the San Jirman Police, asking them to please inform him and Control in Washington, D. C., when they caught Victor Royal. The police, mortified that one of their most highly regarded citizens had turned out to be a thief, murderer and liar, agreed. They bid Max goodnight and he locked the door behind them. He made his way through the now empty casino, shutting off lights and checking to make sure the rest of the doors and windows were secure. Then he made his way toward the only light in the casino . . . the bar, where 99 sat staring into a drink. He stopped for a moment to watch. She would stare into the drink, rotated the glass on the bar for a few minutes, then take a drink. He went behind the bar and poured himself a brandy. He came around and sat next to 99.
"You okay?"
99 shrugged and took a large gulp of the scotch. "So he is a Kaos agent. You were right, I was wrong."
"99, I'm sorry."
"You're sorry for what?" 99 asked, not looking at him.
"For everything you've been through."
"Is that right?" 99 turned to him. "I want to ask you a question."
Max nodded.
"Why did you follow me here?"
"Well . . . I . . . uh . . ." Max looked away and took a large gulp of his drink.
99 grabbed his arm. "I want you to tell me!!" she said angrily. "You followed me all the way down here. There has to be a reason!"
Max didn't look at her, he stared at the bar and took another drink.
"Oh, forget it," 99 said. "By the way . . . I'm not going back to Washington."
"What? Why?"
"I have nothing to go back to." She got up and headed out of the room.
Max caught up with her near one of the Roulette tables.
"Why aren't you going back?"
"Why should I?"
"Because you have a job . . ."
"Had a job," 99 interrupted.
"The Chief will give you your job back."
"That's not all of it . . ." 99 turned away from him. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. She was crying.
"What then?"
"What's the point of me going back . . ." She stopped and walked away again, distressed.
Max watched her leave, knowing full well she was walking out of his life again. And this time it was for good. He had been very lucky this time . . . was it fate? An inner struggle ensued. He knew he wasn't good enough for her . . . she would be better off without him. But the thought of spending the rest of his life without her was something he couldn't face.
"99!" He yelled, running after her. He ran up the stairs and caught up with her as she opened the door to her room.
"99! Stop!"
She stopped in the doorway, but didn't turn around.
He put a hand on her shoulder.
"You want to know why I followed you here?" He turned her around. She was crying. He took her face in his hands and wiped away her tears. "This is why . . ." He said and he took her in his arms and kissed her. It was no chaste kiss either. His arms tightened around her waist and he held her close. 99's arms went around his neck as she fervently returned his kiss.
"Oh, Max . . ." She said, pulling away.
"What?" His voice choked, betraying his emotions. Was his deepest fear was about to be realized? She didn't love him? Just liked him, as a friend?
She looked at him, puzzled. "What what?"
"Huh?"
"What's wrong, Max?"
"You don't love me." The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.
99 stared at him in shock. "WHAT??? Are you crazy? Why do you think I quit Control and came here to marry Victor? Because you don't love me . . ."
"99 . . . I do love you. I've loved you for a long, long time," he looked at the floor. "But I'm not good enough for you. You deserve better than a bumbling fool."
99 grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. "What the hell are you talking about? Not good enough for me? What am I? Perfect?"
"In my eyes . . ."
"Really, Max, you can't honestly believe that."
"I do."
"Well then, you're in for a shock," 99 said sadly. "Come in here, Max, there's something I have to tell you. And when I do, you'll want to go back to back to Washington by yourself."
Max followed her into the room and shut the door behind him.
"Max, remember five nights ago when you first told me about Royal? And I didn't believe you? You said you'd get proof. You told me you were going to check out his locked inner office after he was asleep."
"Of course."
99 took a deep breath. "Max, we were . . . we were having a late dinner. He heard a noise. You dropped something . . ."
Max sighed in disgust. "Remember that try Louie left in Royal's office? I knocked into it, so I beat it out of there. I didn't even get the information until tonight."
"He was on his way down to investigate. You know no one was allowed in that inner office except him and Louie. If he had came down, he would have caught you . . . and killed you."
"What did you do, 99?" Max asked, concerned.
"I did what I had to do. I couldn't let him kill you. So I . . ." 99 hesitated and the tears came. "I seduced him."
Max eyes grew wide. He stared at her, stunned. "You did what?"
"I seduced him, Max. I slept with him."
"You slept with him because I made noise? So he wouldn't come downstairs and find me? Oh, God, 99!" He walked out onto the terrace and leaned against the rail, staring out at the harbor.
99 came up beside him, crying. "Now you know why I can't go back."
"What do you mean 'you can't go back'? Of course you can."
"But, Max, doesn't it bother you that . . ."
"Of course it bothers me! You slept with him to save my life!" He snapped, turning to her. "Why couldn't you have just warned me somehow?"
"How? Holler down the stairs, 'Hey, Max, Victor's coming'? That would have worked real well. Max, it started out as a kiss, but it got out of control. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was have sex with him."
"Then why were you going to marry him?"
"I told you . . . I didn't think you cared about me."
"But I love you, 99!"
"You sure have a strange way of showing it."
Tears were running down Max's face. "99, you heard what I said before."
"Yeah, yeah . . . you're not good enough for me. Well, now you've just found out that your perfect vision of womanhood isn't perfect. As a matter of fact, she's just the opposite."
"Listen . . . I'm no virgin either."
"I'll bet. There have probably been a lot of women in your life," She looked away. "Since we've been partners too, I bet. "
"Not true. I haven't been with anyone since I met you."
"What about all those women . . . ?"
"Kaos agents, made-up women. Do you honestly remember me ever having a steady girl? Think back."
"No."
"Well, then . . ."
99 groaned.
"If I had told you my real feelings, you wouldn't have run off and we wouldn't be standing here right now."
"So you're saying it's your fault I slept with Victor?"
"Partly."
"That's a ludicrous notion!"
"I run you off, I follow you down here. I make noise and you're forced to save my ass . . . again." He took her into his arms. She tried to pulled away but he pulled her back and held her close, looking into her eyes and not allowing her to move.
"99 . . ."
"No, Max, it's not . . ."
"Fair to me? Why?"
"Because I've . . ."
"Been with another man?" Max questioned.
"Yes . . ."
"So what?"
"How can you say that, Max?" 99 wept. "I never wanted him . . . I wanted you. I've ruined it . . ." She put her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder.
"What have you ruined?"
"Any chance you and I ever had."
"No you haven't."
"I haven't what?"
"Ruined it."
99 pulled away and stared out over the water. "Max, how can you want me? It's . . . well . . ."
"Can I ask you a personal question?"
"Yes."
"Has there ever been anyone else?"
"Only once, after I graduated high school. It was with my boyfriend, after the Prom."
Max gave a short laugh. "Me too, after high school," He shrugged. "That's it . . ."
"Okay, so what's this supposed to do? Make me feel better? Knowing that both of us have been with other people?"
"I didn't say it would make us feel better. Geeze, 99, this is nothing new, it's been going on for centuries."
99 nodded, but her face showed the pain in her heart. "What happened with you happened before we met. This happened after. It makes a difference."
"No, it doesn't . . ."
They continued with the argument long into the night and all the way back to Washington the next day. 99 easily got her job back and soon everything seemed to be back to normal. 99 was still depressed by her actions, but Max was acting like his normal self . . . at least on the outside and he was continually trying to cheer her up.
One day when he stopped by her office, he found her lying on the sofa, an arm over her eyes.
"99, you okay?" He asked, locking the door behind him.
"No."
"What's the matter?" He knelt down beside her. "Anything I can do?"
"I doubt it," She said, sitting up.
Max sat beside her. "What's the matter?"
"I had a Doctor's appointment this morning . . ."
"You're not sick, are you?" He asked, worried.
"No."
Max knew immediately what was wrong. He took her hand.
"You're pregnant."
99 looked at him, flabbergasted. "How did you know?"
"It didn't take the brain of a scientific genius to figure it out."
"Max . . . I don't know what to do."
"As I see it, you have four choices. You can have the baby and give it up for adoption, have the baby and raise it on your own, have an abortion or . . . marry me."
"Do what?"
"Marry me."
"Max, it's not your baby."
"No shit, Sherlock, how could it be? Look . . . I love you. And that baby is part of you. Marry me. The baby can have my name."
"Max, that's . . ."
"Crazy?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Why in the world would you want to do that?"
He shrugged. "Maybe I'm being selfish. I'm alone, 99. I have no family and few friends. And you said you loved me . . ."
"I DO love you."
"Then we'll be a family. That's something I haven't had much of in my life."
99 sighed and shook her head. "You don't know what you're getting in to, Max. One day we'll get into an argument . . . and you'll blurt out that marring me was the biggest mistake you ever made."
Max touched her face. "No, 99, I won't."
"Yes . . . then I'll say something and . . ." she leaned her head back against the sofa. "Shoot!"
"You'll shoot me?"
99 looked at him. He was grinning at her.
"Give it a chance, 99. What have you got to lose?"
"You."
Max bit his lip. "Okay, how about this . . . we start out by telling each other everything about ourselves. All of it, good and bad. We already know quite a bit and if we start out this way, and never have any secrets from each other, we'll be fine."
"What about the baby? Never tell him that you're not his real father?"
"No, of course not. But we don't have to tell him, or her, the circumstances behind how you got pregnant. As for everyone else, they can just believe it's mine," He paused. "Of course, we'll have to tell them that the kid's looks come from your side of the family . . ."
99 put her arms around him. "Okay, Max, okay."
Max sighed in relief. He had thought for sure she wouldn't agree. As he kissed her, 99 still wasn't sure they weren't making a huge mistake . . .
99 finished her story. Max stood on the terrace overlooking their back yard, slowing shaking his head. He had wanted to tell the twins long ago, but 99 had stalled. Too Long.
"You mean we're not related to him?" They looked at each other in secret delight. "Then there's no reason why we can't join the CIA."
"WHAT?" 99 shouted.
"Look, don't you ever get tired of being embarrassed by him?" Zach asked, hooking his thumb towards Max. "We do."
99 glanced over at Max, who was still looking out over the lawn in hurt silence.
"No . . . I love him. And those 'embarrassments' as you call them are nothing more than little faults. They never have, and never will, bother me."
"Well . . . Control is a lame organization anyway. We'll have more chance for advancement over at the CIA. And they'll take us in grade too," Maxine said.
"Okay . . . go. But remember, if you do this, you're hurting a man who has loved you since the day you were born."
The twins shrugged.
"And by the way . . ." 99 said. "Don't bother to come back."
"Come again?" Zach asked.
"You heard me," 99 said, tearfully.
"You're picking him? But you gave birth to us!"
"There are no 'buts', CIA-man. I won't allow you to treat him this way."
The twins stared at each other.
"Can we get our things out of the attic?"
"Take ALL your stuff . . . and get out."
99 walked past them and joined Max on the terrace. They held hands as they listened to the twins fumbled about, collecting their possessions.
99 looked miserably at Max and saw the tears in his eyes. She put her arms around him and they held each other.
"Well, 99," Max said, wiping away her tears. "Now what?"
"I don't know," She said, touching his face. "I can't believe they feel that way about you."
"Everyone feels that way about me."
"That's not true, Max. Hymie thinks the world revolves around you. He always has. And the Chief loved you dearly."
"99 . . . I told him about the twins."
99 smiled. "I figured you probably did. What did he say?"
"He asked me if I loved you. I told him yes, more that anything. He said he was proud of me for marrying you under such circumstances," He paused. "I've never regretted my decision, 99. Never."
"Max, I'm so sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry about. Hey! You know what? N.C. has an new assignment for us. It isn't scheduled to start for a couple weeks because they're still gathering background information. I think it has something to do with orphan kids," He smiled. "Maybe we'll get lucky"
"Maybe . . ."
Jodi Goldfinger
3/02 - Updated 6/02