Alec wasn't sure when she woke, but the air went from still and calm to tense within seconds. She glared at him with sleepy eyes. "You didn't wake me." she accused. "You were supposed to wake me." Alec worked not to scowl back at her, instead he kept his eyes on the gun in his lap. He pulled the rag across the joint, clearing away the oil he'd applied earlier.
"I figured if shark-girl didn't wake up on her own, she probably needed the sleep." he replied finally. Max said nothing, merely swept the empty lot with a look, sending a surge of irritation through Alec. Did she think he was incompetent? She certainly acted like it sometimes.
"What are you doing?" she asked, eyes settling on his hands.
"Gun maintenance is paramount to gun safety." he said easily. He expected a bitchy retort but she surprised him by clambering into the back of the van.
"Is my bag back here?"
"Yeah. Under mine." He listened to her rustle through her backpack, decidedly not watching her in the rearview mirror.
"Do you want some water?" she offered, full of surprises it seemed.
"Yeah, actually. Thanks." he accepted the bottle and drank from it, watching her climb back to her seat. They stayed silent for a while, Alec continued to clean his gun. Max checked her pager, which had gone off while she was sleeping, only Alec had shut it off before it could wake her.
"Do you have your cell on you?" she asked, holding out her hand already.
Alec rolled his eyes at her presumption and pulled the phone from his pocket. "It'll be a patchy signal at best, especially down here."
Max nodded, already dialing. "Logan? Yes, it's me." a pause and Alec heard her sigh. "It's Alec's phone. We got held up." Alec snorted to himself and got a punch in the shoulder for his mirth. "No, no. We're fine. We just didn't make it by dawn. We'll be in by tonight." Silence again, and Alec could hear Logan's voice but was unable to make out the words. Max was getting tenser and tenser as she listened. "Well tell Mole that there's nothing that can be done - there was a delay -" She was interrupted again. She closed her eyes in frustration, letting out a long breath. "It was nobody's fault! Just timing. So we'll be back tonight, and it'll be fine." A minute passed and Max shoved the phone at him, expression dark. "Thanks." she said shortly. Alec snapped the phone shut and shoved it back into his jeans.
"That seemed like it went badly." he said cautiously. He didn't want her to flip out on him, but spending hours in the van with a timebomb named Max didn't sound like a fun time either.
"He thinks we're late because we were fucking." she shot out bluntly. For a second, Alec didn't know what to say. He threw his head back and laughed.
"I always forgets he thinks we're a thing." he said, still chuckling. Max was glaring, trying not to smile.
"Shut up! I can't believe he thinks we'd jeopardise the the mission like that."
"Guess he realizes that women can't resist me."
"I don't even try, and I resist you just fine."
"You wound me. You really do."
They were laughing together and Alec was revelling in it. Good times with Max were so few and far between he liked to remember them. She seemed capable of switching moods so quickly he sometimes got whiplash. The sat together is a silence that was much warmer. "Only a few more hours. You could sleep." Max offered. "It's overcast, we don't have to wait until sundown."
Alec shook his head. "I'd rather not."
They pulled into Terminal City within minutes of darkness settling over the city. Logan and Mole were waiting in Max's office when she pushed the door open. Alec left her to her argument and led Mole back down to the van to help him unload the cargo.
"There's a meeting tomorrow at six." Mole told him, words forming around his cigar. Alec stared at him.
"Oh, you mean like every week?" he replied caustically.
"Watch it, boy. I just mean don't think you can skip it because you've been out frolicking all day. You're getting an out of city assignment."
"Where am I headed?"
"Come to the meeting, you'll find out."
Alec passed out the minute his head hit his pillow, and he slept the night through.
"Alright, everyone, shut your holes and listen up. Beaver, you and Tango are going to New York City next week. You've got a four man transport team going with you, so calm down. Your state-exit passes are with the Ordinary, you leave tomorrow." Mole pulled out another piece of paper from his file. Logan was suspiciously absent, so whatever he and Max had faought about, he was still pissed. "Max, Alec, there's a pre-pulse Ford factory outside the city, a day's drive or so. Inside there's a store of car batteries. You're going this weekend. We wanted to let you wait until the weather was nicer, but sector two's generator failed while you were away and they need those batteries while we're fixing it."
"Send someone else." Her voice was strong and insisting.
Mole stared at Max, incredulous. "What?" Alec turned to see her reply.
"I can't go. Send another team."
Mole glared at her. "There are no other teams. Everyone else is going with Tango and Beaver or is already assigned elsewhere. You'll have to tough it out -"
"No! I can't!" Max stood and Alec could see real panic on her face.
"Max, what the hell?" Alec demanded. She avoided his eyes and Alec felt fidgety and irritated under the stares of the other council members. "Spit it out!"
"I'm going into heat, you nosy bastard! Something you'd've noticed if you hadn't been avoiding me all fucking week!" She sat down again, face flushed with anger and embarrassment. Alec thought he might sink into the floor in shame. She was right, he hadn't noticed. All because she'd pissed him off and he'd barely seen her. He had no idea how he'd missed the scent while they were stuck in that car together. She must have... he really had no idea. There was no excuse.
Mole saved him from having to reply. "You're just gonna have to tough it out, Max. No one else is available, and you and Alec are our best team. Like I said, we need those batteries."
Max scowled and Alec knew the argument was over. Max couldn't handle knowing she was letting someone in Terminal City down, not when she felt it was her fault they were out on the street in the first place. Alec wanted to protest as well, but he kept silent until the room cleared.
"Maxxie! Wait up!" he jogged after her, he could tell she was trying to avoid a confrontation. "Come on, don't be like that. What, are you worried I'll take advantage of you?" he asked with a playful grin.
She stopped and spun on her heels, looking at him with an evil glint in her eyes. "Me? It's not me I'm worried about Alec." she stepped closer, looking almost predatory. "In Manticore, I'm assuming they kept the ones in heat separate, so you wouldn't know, would you? Before, when we... in my cell - you think that's what it's like. No. Totally different. They had me pumped full of sedatives at all times in there. Mild stuff, but enough to keep me manageable. They wanted me to get with you, not wear you out. So no, Alec. I'm not worried about you taking advantage of me. I'm worried about you making it through this weekend in one piece."
