Title: The Morning After The Night Before
Author: Bent137
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Sequel to Quiet, title says it all.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
The Morning After The Night Before
Alec woke from sleep slowly and happily. He was still warm and groggy as the last vestiges of his dreams slipped from him. He hadn't slept this good in, well, he actually couldn't remember ever sleeping so good. Then he realized he was in bed alone. The side Max had occupied when he'd drifted to sleep the night before was empty and cold. Any sign of body heat gone. His hands swept frantically over the sheets and pillow for a note, coming up empty. He lay back against his pillows with a sigh. He swallowed his dissappointment as only a soldier could. Scolding himself for believing. He didn't know why he was so surprised, he should have seen this coming. Max wasn't exactly known for being touchy-feely, touchy sure, feely, not so much.
Alec shrugged the sheets off his naked body and trudged across the room to the bathroom. He turned the shower on, to the only temperature it got - ice cold, and looked in the mirror. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and scrubbed his hands against his face vigorously in an effort to wake up further. When he felt secure enough in the fact he wouldn't fall asleep standing up he stepped into the shower, immediately shocking awake under the slow stream of water. After a moment it didn't sting as much, he wasn't sure if it was that his body became accoustomed to it, or if his anger was heating it. He used a bar of soap to soap up his body and hair, relishing the lather. He rinsed off, running his hands back and forth rigorously through his hair to get out all the suds. Then he turned the water off and stepped out, grabbing a towel from a metal rack screwed into the wall. He used the towel to towel dry his hair and worked his way down his body, finally tying it round his waist. As he did his mind came up with many colorful phrases for Max, and the prediciment he found himself in. He hated her, but most of all her hated that he didn't hate her. He could understand her, it was a frightening glimpse at hisself, one he wished he hadn't seen.
He returned to his room, which was warmer than the bathroom, and caught glimpse of the bed. The urge to just fall back into it came upon him but he tried to battle it, the urge for coffee winning for now. He collected the clothes he would wear for the day and set them on his bed. He pulled on each item, tossing his towel in a corner, then sat on the bed to put on his shoes. It was so comfortable underneath him he couldn't help himself. He lay back, his head coming to rest where his chest had been when he woke up. He started to drift back to sleep and he rolled over, immediately getting a noseful of Max's scent. He bolted back up, reaching immediately for his shoes. He tugged on the low work boots and pulled his jean legs over the tops. He stood up, and grabbed his leather coat from a chair near the door on his way out. He was going to find her and demand an explanation, and then he was going to change his own ways.
--
He almost couldn't believe the sight in front of him. There Max sat at her desk, working away like nothing had happened. He shut the door silently behind him and leaned against the wall opposite her desk waiting for her to notice him. When she did glance up she jumped. "Jesus, Alec," she said. "You scared me. What are you doing up?" She glanced at her watch as she asked the question. "Oh my god," she breathed. "I had no idea how late it was."
"What is your deal Max?" Alec asked, frustrated.
"My deal?"
"Yeah, first you kiss me, totally out of the blue yesterday. No not out of the blue, following a very strange apology, then you show up at my apartment door last night and practically attack me on your way to my bed. If I hadn't known any better I'd have said you were in heat. But you're definitely not. Then I wake up, from the best sleep I've ever had by the way, and you're gone!"
"I didn't mean it, Alec," Max answers.
"You never mean it, Max."
"I'm serious, Alec. I went to get us some coffee and breakfast. I wanted to surprise you, I planned on being back before you woke. But then I ran into Mole, who knows what's up I think. He was looking all over for me, he was actually on his way to your place, because there's been an attack on some transgenics working there way here as they entered the city, and we think familiars were involved. Or didn't you notice everyone busting their asses out there?"
Alec's mouth formed a small 'o'. He had noticed the headquarters were much busier, but he'd been so tunnel visioned in his hurt and confusion that he'd just ignored it. "We do need to have a talke about what happened the past few days, Alec," Max continued. "I had planned on it today, but now the plans our ruined while I try to find out more about the attack, and the resulting kidnap. The familiars, the rescue mission, I could use some help." She looked at him pointedly.
He nodded, "Yeah, I can help. I want to help. Just give me something to do. We can talk later Max."
"Great," Max said, smiling gratefully at him. "Dix is looking for any footage on hoverdrones, Luke is monitoring the police scanners, Joshua is ready if a sewer rescue is called for, Mole is readying some weaponry. OC was nearby when it happened, and contacted us via Logan's setup. She and Sketchy went back to the scene to look for anything suspicious. They should be checking in in 15 minutes. I am trying to figure out where they were most likely taken with as little as I have to go on. OC said there were about eight involved. I'm thinking some sort of warehouse, probably reinforced with concrete, steel, or maybe both. Can you think of any place?"
"Well, that depends if they're going for experimentation or sale. Considering it's Familiars I would think that if it wasn't immediate death it'd be experimentation. They hate us too much to sell us. Now the question is, are they doing the experiments nearby or is there travel involved. Either way it'd have to be a remote location, with no civilization for miles. If it's far they'll need a way to transport them, Any further than Oregan or Idaho I'd say quickly, via train or air. Ship could be used if they were taking them to California or Canada," Alec suggested.
"That makes sense," Max said. "Say, do you remember back when the transgenic got out and attacked the cops?"
"How can I forget?" Alec asked, "It pretty much started this madness."
"Right, well, White was there, so they had to have been holding the transgenic somewhere nearby. When I was held by White it was just on the other side of town, though I doubt they're still there."
"We should dispatch some transgenics to check it out."
"I agree," Max said, "How about some 8's, it's dangerous enemy territory, and I hate sending in kids, but with the hive mind it will be easier for them to communicate than another X."
"I was thinking that too," Alec said, "I'll have Deft pick some of his 8's to go, and we can send a couple of older X's up to a mile away with them."
"Sounds like a plan," Max agreed. "You get on that, I'll let you know if anything changes."
--
It took all morning for their plans to come together. The Familiar's had moved locations, but it still wasn't far. The sewers were located wonderfully for a rescue mission, so Max and Alec opted to send in two teams, an aboveground and an underground that would act in tandem to get the transgenics out. Each team consisted of about 10 members, Joshua leading the underground team, and a X-5 named Kyle leading the aboveground team. The plan went off with few problems and the transgenics were happily celebrating in the mess hall at lunch, only fivetransgenics had ended up in the infirmary, three of which were kidnappees.
After an hour of eating and drinking with the rest of the celebrating transgenics, Alec left the mess hall. Many other transgenics were also slowly trickling back to their daily routines. As Alec walked down the street Max came up behind him and stopped him with her hand on his shoulder. "Can we talk now?" She asked.
"Sure," Alec said. He followed her away from the center of terminal city into the more abandoned buildings where they would have better privacy. He followed her up the stairs of the tallest building in TC, 15 stories high. Once on the roof they sat side by side looking out at the city. After about five minutes of silence Alec finally spoke, "Are we going to talk?"
"I'm trying to figure out what to say," Max admitted.
"Why don't you start with why you apologized the way you did yesterday?"
"Because, Alec, I've realized some things about myself, things I don't like. I'm sure you know how nasty I've been to you, and you don't deserve it at all. You're a great guy Alec, sure sometimes shit happens, but it does to me too, and the important thing is your heart's always in the right place." Max glanced at him, "I'm really proud of you Alec."
Alec glanced at her and looked down, "thanks."
"It's more than that," Max said after a moment. "I was struggling so much before I met you. Every day was a struggle to fit in, be normal, be human, when I was anything but. On top of that was avoiding Manticore. I didn't realize until you that I was just struggling against myself all along, and even then I didn't want to face the idea. Change is scary. Maybe that's why I clung so hard to Logan, a normal girl's guy. Even when deep down I knew I didn't love him, I mean, sure I care, but more so I respect him. For a while I even needed him. But now I realize that I don't need him, or to be normal. I can let him fall by the wayside, and be just a friend, and in here, just an occasional friend." Max paused for breath. "On the other hand, there's you, I do need you Alec. You're the only one aside from my family who knows me, truly, who knows what I've been through, and what I feel as a transgenic. The other transgenics haven't known me nearly as long as you, they don't know my friends, my work, my life like you do, and my friends will never know what it's like to be transgenic."
"What are you saying, Max?" Alec asked.
"I'm saying, that I think I love you," Max admitted. "I'm saying that if you're game, I'd like to give us a chance."
They were both silent for what seemed like an eternity, finally Max got up and began to walk away. She'd made it two steps when Alec whispered, "I'm game."