Chapter two: Bonding

They were outside, in the human world. Not coagulating, not dying, but perfectly fine. They were their normal, microscopic selves, he was sitting on a hill and there was a warm breeze blowing on his face. He had always wondered what it was like to live on the Earth's surface.

As he sat there thinking when there she came. Max. The girl he had just met a few hours ago, yet she wouldn't leave his mind for anything.

She wore a soft, shy smile and her hair covered part of her face, covering one of her soft brown eyes. He took his gaze off of her face and noticed what she was wearing.

A long, graceful white sundress adorned her body and stuck perfectly to her cellular form. It swayed in the wind and the movement mesmerized him completely. Her voice forced his eyes to meet hers.

"Hello, Osmosis," a smile spread widely across his face as she came closer. He was so unbelievably attracted to her. This strong, insane need to have her around, to protect her, was somewhat unsettling. It especially didn't help when his feelings were amplified tenfold in his dreams.

Max knelt down next him and looked him in the eyes with her sparkling orbs. The sun was beautifully placed, a simple line enough to highlight the golden flecks she was looking back at him with. Her membrane hair hung loosely around her bare shoulders and he felt himself melt under her gaze.

"Hey," he said simply after what felt like too long.

Max smiled playfully before leaning in slowly, instinctively he felt himself pull towards her, like gravity. His lips were just hair lengths away…

Osmosis woke abruptly to an empty hotel. The sound of beeping loud in his ears, he groaned before slamming his hand down on the alarm clock.

"Spit," he complained before looking around. He was in his own bed, how in the name of Hector did he get here?

Osmosis stumbled around aimlessly before finally forcing himself into a pair of pants and a clean shirt. He searched around for Max but found his female guest no where in sight.

Puzzled, he quickly poured himself a cup of coffee, too troubled with finding her to notice that it was already heated and ready. On the fridge he found a letter with quickly scrawled handwriting.

Hello Osmosis!

Good morning, I wanted to thank you for letting me spend the night. Trix is still asleep across the hall I forgot I have a meeting with someone today! I have a potential to be hired, I was hoping I could possibly make it back before you woke so I could thank you properly but I'll see you later anyway.

Thanks again, Max

He tilted his head, thinking the gesture was sweet before suddenly realizing his own stupidity. Jones ran out the door and hopped in his car, driving at top speed to the immunity cell station. He ran into the doors and punched in not a moment too soon. The clock chimed signaling that all who entered now were late.

"Whew," he pretended to wipe some sweat off his brow before hurrying to his desk. Ozzie looked around for Drix but found no cold pill in sight. Confused he went to Chief Gluteus' office.

"Hey yo chief where's Dr-" he paused when he saw Max sitting there, wearing the same surprised expression as he.

"Jones you're interrupting my interview!"

"I-I-Interview?" he finally spat out.

Max smiled slowly, "Yeah this was the place I was asked to come in for. Turns out when Trix and I were battling those malaria creeps we had an audience, someone from the force was watching and recommended us."

He whistled softly, "Well spit!"

The Chief looked back forth between them, "You two know each other?" they both nodded, "small world. Well at any rate, I can't hire her."

"What?" He screamed, why couldn't he work along side Max?

"Not today is what I mean Jones calm down geesh, according to law she's a foreign cell. Before she can do anything in this city she has to be approved by Mayor Spryman."

Osmosis groaned, "That little twerp? He'll say no in a heartbeat!"

"He said no to you Jones, we don't know what he'll say to Max. I'll set up a conference as soon as possible."

Ozzie rolled his eyes, "And how soon is soon with him?"

"Could be anywhere from today to next year…"

He thought for a moment, if there was even the slightest possibility that he could have her working with him, on the same team as him, or at least close by, he would take it. He knew she couldn't live with him forever, though somewhere deep down he wished it, so he could at least watch over her at the job.

"Actually let's see if we can fit her in now," Osmosis grabbed her arm and bolted out the door.

"Jones! Jones!" he ignored his bosses' yells and high tailed it out of there, making his way straight for the brain centre.

He did nothing short of throw Max into the car as he sped off towards the centre; the usual trip took around ten minutes. This trip took five.

The security guards stopped them but Jones only showed his police badge, and with reluctance they let the duo through.

As they went up the elevator he watched as Max admired the brain stem, when they exited into the office he immediately spotted Ellen and her brief case as she was in the middle of a conference with the mayor.

"Jones, what is the meaning of this I'm in the middle of a –"

Mayor Spryman stopped dead in his tracks when Jones moved out of the way to reveal the most beautiful looking she-cell he had ever seen.

"Yeah, yeah I know! But I got a friend here who needs to be authorized as a citizen of Hector. Her friend too but can you do that when she's not here? Anyway…"

The mayor stopped listening to the annoying voice of Jones and zoned out on her face. There was something about her though that seemed oddly familiar.

"…Spryman!"

"What!" he shouted at Jones for interrupting his thoughts, Ozzie held his hands up in defense.

"Can you authorize her?"

"Authorize her for what Jones!"

"So I can be a legal citizen of Hector sir?"

Sir? No one has called him sir before, at least not with that sound of respect; he locked eyes with the older she-cell and nearly fainted.

"Yeah," he said hastily. He called up papers from the lower office and within moments a slightly overweight he-cell appeared and handed him a small stack of papers. He signed them in several places before motioning for the girl to come closer.

"Uh… what is, uh, your name?"

She smiled, "Max Jones."

He almost groaned, "Jones? Like, that one?" he said pointing the tip of his pen to Ozzie sitting in the corner, who at the moment was morphing his hand into a dog.

She shook her head and giggled, he felt all his worries melt away, "Oh…ok uh, current residence?"

"Um…"

"She's currently living with me Mayor," without much thought the mayor's mind went up in frenzy of questions.

"What?" he found himself asking; rather selfishly if one was listening close enough. As soon as asked though he felt rather silly and he hoped his cheeks weren't red.

Max gave a small shrug, he like the way her hair fell a little at the action, "Well he only offered me for the night I'll find my own home soon but for now yes I live with Osmosis."

He scribbled it down, out of habit he wrote it quickly to avoid having to work on it any longer than he had to but suddenly he realized the soon her finished, the quicker she'd be gone.

Within a few more moments he was almost done, two signatures left, now one.

He signed it slowly and as neatly as possible, trying to draw out the time he had. The Mayor handed Max a copy of her residence form and for a moment watched her walk out the door, in his mind she was taking her time walking as she read the paper.

Max stopped just short of the door before turning back around, "Excuse me, Mayor?"

He blinked, "Yeah, uh yes?"

"Could you perhaps, authorize my friend?"

"Sure no problem," he said in a heartbeat. Once the paperwork was almost filled he finally felt some of his confidence returning. He turned around in his chair for just a second; looking out into the city and turned around to talk to the she-cell, perhaps ask for a date or something, when he saw her going out the automatic doors, waving thanks.

Meanwhile as the elevator went down Max look almost unbearably happy, Jones could see her jumping slightly with excitement as she stared at the papers, "I can't believe it!"

Ozzie blinked, "Huh?"

"I can't believe I got registered so quickly! This is great Osmosis thank you so much." Without warning she leaned over and gave him a hug, one which he returned fully.

"Sure no problem," once they returned back to the station, Ozzie found Maria sitting at his desk waiting.

"Jones we got a case in the lymph nodes, looks like a bad cold is all but chief says we should check it out c'mon we don't got time to lose," Maria gripped his arm and forced him out and into her car before speeding off.

"Man, girl, are you excited for something in particular?"

"No I'm angry for having to wait for your sorry membrane, if your going to take random trips to the Mayor's office take me next time, I got a thing or two he should know about," Maria waved her fist angrily in the air. Whatever she was mad at Spryman about, he didn't want to know.

"Uh sorry Maria," she waved a hand in dismissal.

"Whatever, let's just get this job over with so I can go home, chief said I go early today seeing as I worked so late yesterday."

"What happened?"

"Some idiots knocked over a fat truck and there was a huge spill near the nervous system, it could've cause Hector to go brain dead!"

Ozzie nodded, he had heard about it on the news and thought about stopping by but at the time he was with Max.

Suddenly Maria's face split into a wide grin as she continued speaking, "So who was that lovely lady-cell you were with Jones? You sure seemed excited about getting her authorized."

Ozzie blushed, "Ah it was nothing Maria."

"Sure, sure whatever you say Jones," he knew he was going to ridiculed about such an action later but for now, he didn't care.