Hey everyone! Thanks again to those of you who've reviewed. It means a lot to me :)

Well, this chapter turned out to be a bit longer, my muse's wild side makes stuff like this happen. Is it a dread to read something this long? For me, as a reader, it's not. Quite the opposite actually, but the world would be a boring place if everybody were the same.

Hope you'll enjoy it!

Just a girl

The moment that I step outside
So many reasons
For me to run and hide
I can't do the little things I hold so dear
'Cause it's all those little things
That I fear

Just a girl – No Doubt

"Hey, Dix. You got that list you told me about yesterday? I'll take a look at it."

Max entered Command a few minutes after lunch. She had been all morning in a meeting with a representative of the City Councilmen in a prearranged location just outside the fence. She would have prefered first hand torture before that, but hey, someone had to do it. The negotiations with the Government were moving forward even though at glatial pace. She retuned to TC with her hopes up for a quiet afternoon and she was pleasurably surprised when she found it.

"Alec already took care of it, Max," the transhuman answered without taking his eyes away from the screen.

"How's going with the records? Need a hand?" she offered.

About a week ago, they had raided an old warehouse near the docks. While tracking a series of mysterious convoys in the area, Logan had found out —although Alec claimed that the older man had just stumbled with the info— that the leasing contract of the place was under the name of Environmental Clean-Up and Disposal. Of course, that ringed all sorts of bells and a recon team was sent. After properly check every dark corner and hiding spot, the teams in charge of the search and retrieval turned the place upside down. They came across with enormous amounts of data about the Project Manticore. DNA sequencing of the X's series, the infamous breeding program, future developments that never came to be, you name it.

Working swiftly as a well oiled machine, they loaded boxes and boxes full of papers into the vans and transported them back to TC. They didn't know who had put that information there to begin with, but it wasn't safe to let it lingering around for Familiars to take hold of it. Before they left, Max torched the place for good measure.

Now, they faced the everlasting task of going through all of it. Dix was doing most of the job by loading the data into their servers, but still, some help was never bad.

"Sure thing, Max. That box over there hasn't been touched yet. Knock yourself out," he said smiling almost apologetically.

Max grabbed the box, eyeing the thing as if it could bit her. Paperwork wasn't her favourite thing but at least she could make herself useful and pretend she had not seen Logan's missed calls. Things between them were weird —shocker, right?—, but in a different way. She couldn't quite put a finger on how or why, yet some of that haunting weight in the pit of her stomach she used to feel had faded away. The guilt and uneasiness were still there though. So, despite them and for her own astonishment, when Logan came a couple of days ago asking for help for an Eyes Only assignment, she didn't hesitate and said no. Consequently, the man almost had a fit in the middle of HQ.

She noticed Alec's gaze, his expression giving nothing away, at least until he let out a poorly disguised chuckle when he saw Logan's reaction. She found it unusually reassuring. What did cause her certain irritation was Logan's demeanor. He instantly turned his tone of voice into a condescenting one, spilling big words about the meaning of the job and how important it was to get the intel. Max had kept her ground, not giving in. It felt like... freedom. After that she had been avoiding him like the plague because she knew he would nag her with the subject again.

Logan was a good man pursuing a just cause, but she had a lot in her plate right now and TC's welfare was her priority. It might be a selfish way of thinking, but if they didn't take care of their own, no one would do it for them.

She sighed, trying to concentrate in the papers in front of her.

Max sprawled some folders on the table and began to shuffle through them. They were mostly about the bioengeneering of the X8's, how much and which kind of animal DNA they had, some issues with a mutated enzyme that had been corrected... Boring stuff. Poor Dix, he would have to type it down anyway. You never knew what could come on handy in the future and all hard copy was going to be destroyed.

She moved on to another box, X7's this time. Instead of boring, those were mind numbing. She was starting to get serious concentration problems when Dalton surged from the doors, disturbing the overly quiet enviroment.

"Hey, Max!"

She looked up, analyzing the kid's expression. He didn't look worried or concerned although you could tell he was carrying orders.

"Alec says he needs you at the East entrance."

And just like that, the X6 dissapeared. Max exchanged a look with Dix, tacitly promising not to abandon him with such a dread work and went behind the kid's steps.

She couldn't help wonder what was the problem now, because let's face it, there was always a problem when she was sent for. She frowned, hoping it wasn't something really bad, like trapped transgenics in White's claws, or worse... No, she was not going down that way. Long ago, days after the siege began, she'd tried to learn how to detach. Those days had been incredibly challenging in many ways and they had lost a lot of their own in hate mobs. She suddenly felt the urge to run and soon, she was blurring to her destination.

Max'd pictured at least a dozen scenarios by the time she reached the spot, but she certainly did not expect this view. It was too surreal to be true... It just couldn't be, but yet, there it was in front of her eyes.

Two men and three women, one of them carrying a child, stood in front of her. And was that a german shepherd? She just had to frown.

She recognized Syl, Krit and Jace instantly. The other woman had bright emerald green eyes and seriously long dark blonde hair. A playful smile lit up her face. The man was hugging her, he was tall and with broad shoulders, but his face was full of kindness, especially those big blue eyes. His light brown hair was mussed and it made him look even more like a overly grown kid. The dog obviously belonged to him.

She knew. Even after a decade, she knew.

"Jondy? Zane? Oh, God!"

Max threw herself over her siblings, hugging them with all she had. They responded in kind, not helding an inch back.

"I've missed you so much, Max! And please, stop scaring the shit out of me! First, you fall through the ice and for ten years I thought we'd lost you. Then Zack tells me you're alive and kickin' and a month later, Syl calls me with the news of the mission going south... Sis, so not a good hobbie!"

This was exactly as she remembered Jondy, full of energy, exclamations all around and hand gestures to go with.

"Did she packed this kind of attitude the whole trip?" Max asked Zane and he laughed, nodding.

"It's really good to see you, Max," he said, posting a sweet kiss over her head. Zane'd always been protective of her, but not in the same way Zack had. He was the lighthearted one of the lot, as if problems never really got to him; and just like in her memories of him, he could still say so much more with a smile than with a thousand words. She hugged him tightly again.

An insistent index finger tapped her shoulder, making her turn around.

"No love for your test tube twin? C'mere, Maxie!" Krit said, opening his arms to her. He looked a bit taller and more built since the last time she'd seen him.

"You're getting more and more handsome, are you?" Max joked.

"It's in the genes, hun. You know it."

Max laughed, embracing the man she shared so many features with.

"The last thing he needs is an ego boost. I'll never hear the end of it if you keep at it." Syl sneaked in between the two of them to get her share of the hug. The blonde's hair was longer, but not as much as Jondy's.

Max slowly disentangled herself from the collective hug and faced Jace. She seemed the same at first sight, but in the small details Max saw how much she'd changed. Her features were softer, the stiffness of the soldier being left behind. When she smiled, it reached her eyes. She looked like a mother, for lack of a better adjetive, warm, loving and caring.

"Is that who I think he is?" Max said, looking at the bundle wrapped in a baby blue blanket Jace held in her arms.

She gave Max a small smile and looked at her son.

"His name is Max, of course," Jace said as a matter of factly, rocking him softly.

Max's heart filled with pride. Jace had kept her promise. A child named after her... It was amazing, just as having her brothers and sisters here, with her.

Alec watched the scene play out as if it was part of one of those touchy-feely movies he used to catch on the TV, but there was no cliché in this. It was sweet and tender, yet powerful. He could feel the bonds between the persons in front of him, see them in the way they exchanged looks and words. However, the most outstanding of them was Max. The way her face had changed when she saw her siblings spoke volumes. It was as if she had been hiding and suddenly felt safe enough to come out. Alec couldn't help to smile. That girl deserved all the happiness she could get. He was begining to understand just how much had Max sacrificed even being outside.

He felt kind of jealous. He sometimes longed for that sense of belonging. He craved for that look on Max's and her sibling's faces, that certainty of knowing there's someone you can call home.

He started to retreat, feeling out of place. He wasn't part of Max's family. The thought crossed his mind, damaging something inside.

"Alec?"

Max's voice made him stop and turn around. She was eyeing him as if she didn't understand what was he doing.

"Where're you going?"

Ah, she needed him to do some job. Of course, why else would she ask for his attention?

"I'm gonna keep an eye to Mole at Command. Make sure he has his scales in place and killer instincts at bay."

Alec gave her his trademark smirk, but couldn't shake that feeling of loneliness.

It was absurd. He had always been a loner. He was brought up to work that way and never, until now at least, had a problem with that. Alone was easy. You're responsible for yourself and no one else. No attachments equals to no confussion nor mixed emotions; and he knew first hand how messed up feelings could get, how skrewed things could end up when you got yourself involved.

So, alone was just peachy for him. What had changed?

With a look to the woman in front of him, he understood. Her. Who else? Her, who managed to pull heists despite her rightfulness and rock-engraved ethics. Fiery when it came to defend her own but submissive when Logan appeared in the scene. Max was a walking contradiction and in the best of cases, she confused him.

If there was a valid reason for him staying in Seattle all those months ago, it was her.

"Okay, I'll be there in an hour or so. Call me if something comes up."

Well, she didn't ask for anything. She had asked because... she wanted to know? That's new, he thought as he walked away.

He sauntered into Max's office because his had become a temporary storage room for those damned papers they had retrieved from the warehouse. Command was littered with boxes, but calm. Dix waved him and resumed the typing.

He sat on her chair, finding it awfully uncomfortable. How could she sit on that thing for hours? Women, he thought. No point in trying to understand them.

He picked a box and leisurely walked to the old couch. It was stiff here and there, but it was an improvement considering the alternative.

He was cought up with some reading on the X5's tryptophan deficiencies when Max returned to HQ. He heard her talking to Mole about some building. Alec didn't think she would be back so soon, but when it came to work her word was solid as steel. She didn't seem to notice he was almost lying on her couch when she came in carrying a pile of boxes.

"Need any help with that?" he asked louder than necessary, trying to startle her. It didn't work.

"Super-strength, remember?" she mocked, fully aware of his intentions. The moment she had set foot in her office she knew Alec was there. His particular scent filled the room. The smell of leather mixed with his aftershave gave away his presence.

Alec shrugged and returned to his reading.

Max set the load on the floor next to her desk and began sorting the papers that completely covered the wood surface.

The minutes rolled through and she noticed Alec's odd silence. Alec was never silent or still; he was always moving, speaking, touching, gesturing. There was no such thing as a quiet Alec. She frowned. The last time he had been this taciturn was after Rachel death. Not that she was going to admit it out loud, but she wondered if he was okay. She eyed him carefully, trying not to be too obvious. That's how she realized he wasn't reading, he hadn't passed a single page in five minutes. Not good.

Calm down, maybe he's just doing some serious thinking.

Yeah, right. Since when Pretty Boy does serious thinking?

She pursed her lips. That was unfair. He did do that. Occasionally. Okay, maybe more than occasionally and he had a well trained mind for planning. He knew how to accomplish an objective, one of the reasons she had named him her SIC. Still, somehow it didn't seem he was programming their next heist or scheming a trick to avenge Mole's last joke.

She got lost in her own thoughts and he caught her staring at him. There were a few seconds of connection as they held each other's gaze.

There it was again, Max thought. That inmense amount of emotion in his eyes she couldn't catalog. There was too much to sort out in the hazel and Max doubted even he had a clue of what was going on in his head.

And just like that he blinked and it was gone. His smart-aleck remark came along, his attempt to mislead.

"Like what you see, Maxie?" he said, grinning and sitting upright on the couch, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You wish, Pretty Boy. Just trying to solve a housing problem."

She broke the eye contact to stare at the papers on her hands.

"Can I help?" he said and when she looked back she saw real interest. She was tempted to deny it, but she could use a hand.

It was her secret never-ending internal battle: to pose a strong image versus to accept help. It was a ferocious war between the different parts of her personality. Being a leader had only made it worse. She had to prove herself every day in front of the people in TC, she had to demonstrate that her qualities made her fit to the job. Yet, a good leader knows how to delegate tasks and when to consider other opinions. It was exhausting to go back and forth all the time.

She sighed and nodded.

"Okay, the thing is the repairs of the buildings on the Third are not even close of being done and we're already on full capacity. Doc and Ellie are living in the Med Bay and there's people also at the gym's lockers. I managed to score an apartment for Jondy, Zane, Jace and the baby, and thank God, they don't mind sharing. Turns out Zane's an ace with kids and Jondy is a total sucker for little Max. Oh, and let's not forget the dog."

A little laugh escaped her and he couldn't help to smile, he didn't remember the last time he'd seen Max so happy —or if he'd ever seen her like this before. Alec approached and asked for the papers she was holding. He quickly studied them coming to the same conclusions.

"So that leaves Syl and Krit with no roof on their heads... I think the only choice I've left is give them my apartment and crash here until the repairs are done," she finished, pointing at the couch without much love.

"They don't need a two-bedroom place, right?" he asked.

"Uhm, no. They're kind of together. Things between them were always different, even as kids. They ended up falling in love, I suppose." Alec listened intently while she spoke about her family and past, which was extremely rare. He'd have been curious but he knew better than to ask. "I bet Zack gave them the 'feelings complicate lives' speech when he found out."

She laughed again, but this time, a hint of sadness crept into it.

"Well, there's no need for you to leave your place, I'll move in with you and they can have my apartment," he said as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

She must have looked so shocked as she felt because he frowned. Hard.

"What?" he asked when he couldn't handle anymore her almost horror face.

"Did you just say you'll move into my apartment?" she managed to stutter after gaping for a couple of seconds.

"Yeah, why not? We're friends and you've a couch I can sleep in. We spend most of the day together anyway. It makes sense."

His expression was neutral as his voice, so she couldn't tell if there was a hidden agenda to it.

Her first thought was 'Hell, no!', but now she had to admit there was certain logic in his idea and just when she couldn't come up with a valid reason for saying 'no', he spoke again with a wicked smile.

"Unless you prefer move in with me, in which case, we'd have to share the bed 'cause I'm still in the process of scavenging a couch."

She sent him a deadly glare and he held his hands up in surrender.

"Careful, Pretty Boy. I hear you're fond of the family jewels and you know I can do some damage."

The threat seemed to hit where she meant to because he lost his grin, most likely remembering his last fight as Monty Cora.

"Okay, you'll move to my place, but there's gonna be ground rules."

"Cross my heart and hope to die, Maxie. I'll behave," he swore, gesturing with his fingers over his chest.

Max stared him for a moment, probably wondering if this was the right choice. If there was a God up there, he or she didn't like her. At all.

"I have the feeling I'm gonna regret this," she finally said shaking her head, as she rounded the desk to exit the office. He cought up with her and covered her shoulders with his arm. She glared at him but didn't shake him off.

"So Syl is your sister and your sister in-law at the same time. A bit weird, huh?" he said, stating at the facts.

"Come on, Smart Ass. I wanna be all done before dinner time." Max's pace quickened but he kept up.

A wicked grin appeared on his face.

"I knew you wanted me—"

She smacked him on the head, holding her index finger in front of his face as a warning. Then she turned and disapeared trough the door. He just sighed and followed.

Zane wandered through the city, reaching Command early in the morning. The activity was low at those hours. Some transhumans were working on some fried circuits, trying to get them up and running again. He saw a big scaly man with a cigar hanging haphazardly in the corner of his mouth. A shotgun was right beside him. That would be Mole, according to Max's descriptions.

As kids, they were terrified of the anomalies that lived in the basement. They didn't know how not to be afraid of them. But here, in TC, everybody seemed to get along just fine. X series and transhumans working side by side. There were even some of the Psy Ops transgenics living in the city. However, Max had warned him about Mole. She'd said he was a bit belligerent and had no filter between his head and mouth. Zane considered the possibility of his sister being a overreacter and approached the transhuman. He was mostly curious.

"Hey, man. What's with the boxes?" he asked, noticing them lying around all over the place.

Mole just grunted sipping from his coffee.

"Just a lot of data we found during a raid, we could use some help if you're up to it."

The one who answered was another transhuman. This one had a monocle and his face was scarred, but seemed much more friendly than the other one.

"You're one of Max's brothers, right? I'm Dix and that's Mole."

"Yeah, I'm Zane, nice to meet you guys."

Zane found a chair and sat. Taking the cue from Dix, he read some folders, sorting the papers in piles. It was a frustrating job. After a while he felt the urge to move.

"Is there coffee here somewhere?" he asked. It was way too early to get in a heavy reading without a good friend such as caffeine.

Dix pointed to a corner of the room. There he found a coffee pot and some cups. He tasted it. It wasn't that good, but at least it was hot.

"So, an 09'er, huh?" Mole spoke, staring at him. Dix tensed, but kept on writing.

"I suppose, if that's what you wanna call me. It doesn't make me less of a transgenic," Zane answered calmly. He knew Mole was probing him.

"You pack one?" the transhuman asked pointing at his gun, his eyes still narrow.

"Yeah, just not at all time. With the security details I saw yesterday you guys have, I guessed it wasn't necessary."

Zane remained impassive, drinking his coffee as he answered.

"So, what exactly do you carry?" Mole seemed a bit more pleased with every response. Zane suppossed he was passing the test.

"A Glock 17, Gen Four. It has a few years, but it's like new. That's my favourite. I also have a couple of Beretta's M9, you know, pretty common stuff."

Zane's coffee was almost out. Mole's eyes weren't narrow anymore.

"Welcome to TC. I would warn you about the Queen B, but you've met her before I did, so no point in doing that."

Dix chuckled and Zane shook his head smiling.

Zane was about to talk again but he was interrupted by a really loud rant approaching to HQ's doors. He looked at Mole and saw him get comfy on his chair, as preparing to see one of his favourite movies. Zane frowned. He didn't have time to ask who nor why, because he recognized his sister's voice. Max was openly shouting to another X5. Alec, he remembered. He was the one who had let them into the city.

They entered Command without a care in the world but to keep up with their argument.

"You're so gonna buy me more coffee! And not that awful thing you drink normally, no... You're gonna get my coffee, the real thing, or you can say goodbye to your future as a parent! Got it?"

She dissapeared upstairs without even a glance back. Alec sighed and came close where the three transgenics were. Mole was amused, Dix's face indicated that it was nothing new and Zane was mostly confused. He didn't know his little sister could be so... fierce.

"Mornin', Princess. I trust you slept soundly," Mole said looking at Alec's red rimmed eyes.

"Mole, aren't you a charmer... Dix, any change with the perimeter status?"

"None, all's cool. Minimum number of Ordinaries protesting at the fence this fine morning."

"Good... Hey, man. Zane, isn't it? How're you?" Alec asked while he shrugged off his leather jacket.

"Yeah... What happened with Max?" Zane didn't know what to think about his sister's behaviour. In his memories, Max was a quiet and sweet girl, almost shielded from everything by being the youngest. Mole's nickname for her was starting to make sense.

"Ah, that. No worries. Apparently, I drank the last of her coffee and in her world the crime is punished with death, but she likes me too much to kill me, so she torments me all she can," he explained, grinning.

Zane wasn't any closer to understand.

"They just function like that," Mole provided, but he turned to Alec feeling suspicious. "How exactly did you end up this morning in Her Highness' house to drink her coffee?"

"Getting curious, are we? I happen to live there since yesterday. Feel free to forward my mail to that adress from now on."

"You live with my sister? Are you two together?" Zane asked, feeling a bit protective of his baby sister. Max hadn't said anything about that last night.

Mole laughed out loud and Alec sent him a 'it's-so-not-funny' look. Zane thought to hear Dix whispering 'he wish', but he wasn't sure.

"No, we're just friends," Alec said getting his cup at his side and taking a sit. He had some schematics to check. There was a possible raid in his near future.

"Well, I'll be on my merry way to the Armory. Too much of X's UST around here."

Mole took a puff of his cigar, exhalating a cloud of smoke. He picked up his shotgun and went away before Alec could bit out a sarcastic response.

Zane stopped his attempts to wrap his mind around Mole's innuendos and concentrated in the papers he was supposed to read. He chatted a bit with Alec, finding he was not only Ben's twin but also, a fairly decent guy. Alec showed him the maps he was going trough, explaining they expected to get their hands on the contents of a full warehouse, and promised he would let him know if they decided to do it.

When lunchtime was getting near, Dix's constant typing stopped and he muttered something.

"What?" Alec asked.

"Incoming call. It's the Ordinary."

"Awesome, just what we needed to cheer Max up," he sighed. "Accept it."

Alec stood up, coming close to the screen, putting his best poker face. Dix let him take his place on the chair, sitting next to Zane.

"Hey, Log-boy. What's the what?"

Somehow, Zane noticed this guy on the screen wasn't among Alec's favourite people list.

"Alec," Logan said, not bothering to say hello to anybody. "Is Max there? I've been calling her but I can't get through."

"That should've given you a clue," Alec muttered in a low voice so Logan couldn't understand, but every transgenic there heard it, some of them chuckled.

"What's that?" the older man asked, frowning.

"She's busy. What do you want?" Alec never wasted any good manners when it came to Logan.

"I need to talk to her." Logan wasn't going to give up or it didn't seem so.

Alec sighed without trying to hide his exasperation and asked Zane if he could go get Max.

"Zane? As in her brother Zane?" Logan attempted to dig in the subject, but Alec just nodded as a response and got away from the screen.

He got his papers in order and took off as Max came down the stairs. They stared for a second, but said nothing to each other.

Max dived in a long and unsuccesful conversation with Logan, but it was more like a monologue really. He talked and talked, and as Zane saw his sister's body language change while she listened to the man, it became obvious she was reaching her limit. However this Logan didn't seem to notice the effect he was causing.

"I've explained why I can't take that risk, Logan. Breaking the rules of the Siege by going outside threats the negotiations with the Government, you know that."

"True, but you guys still do raids at least once a week. That hardly respects the rules," Logan answered. He was getting tired of hearing excuses.

He'd asked Max for help with some intel gathering. Luca Salvaggi was the son of Angelo Salvaggi, prominent business man in the lines of imported goods during the day and italian mob king through the night. Apparently, young Luca was trying to assert his rightful place in his father ranks and was soon becoming an overachiever by killing some russians in a meeting that went south. The problem was a few innocent people got caught in the middle of the territorial dispute and the police had no evidence whatsoever to link this man to the murders. It was the perfect job for Eyes Only.

Matt Sung had approached Logan and he wanted to help, of course.

Naturally, Logan came to Max, but she denied her assistance. He understood perfectly her responsibilities as a leader, but this case was serious. A man, a woman and two kids were dead because of Luca's easy trigger. Four people were assassinated in cold blood and Logan felt the need to do something about it.

"Well, we have to survive somehow. You damn well know the Government is denying any resources. We have no choice but to do the raids and I try to stay away because after the Jam Pony incident, everyone out there knows my face. By going, I put everyone else in danger," Max said, getting more and more tired of the subject by the second.

She looked around her with the corners of her eyes and everyone was clearly trying to seem busy. Great, just what she needed. She should have taken those calls on her cell instead of doing this in the middle of HQ. She noticed Alec's gaze on her as he came down the stairs, but she chose to ignore it, turning her attention to the screen in front of her.

"Last week you went to that warehouse—" Logan started to retort but Max cut in.

"I had to be there. It was too important, there was information about all of us scattered in that place," she sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Logan. I've things to take care of."

Saying that, Max ended the call and bolted to her feet. She indicated Dix she'll be back in an hour and left. She pulled herself together, at least until she found a place to blow some steam off.

How dared he to question her decisions? Who was he to tell her if she should or shouldn't do a raid? Logan said he understood, but Max seriously doubted that.

She stomped into the gym with a fierce look in her eyes. The few people there took the hint and dissapeared. Max got off her long sleeve shirt, keeping her tank top and tied her hair in a high pony tail. Locating the nearest punching bag, she started to throw punches non stop.

How could he understand? Sympathise, perhaps; but truly understand? No.

Punch, punch, jab.

He wasn't a transgenic, for starters. He wasn't bred to be a true blue soldier, punished when he didn't meet the trainers expectations.

Left jab, right jab.

He didn't have to live in a toxic dump surrounded by dingy fences and dozens of ordinaries claiming for his head.

Kick, punch, kick.

He didn't have to worry about being nuked to oblivion if the Army woke up with a case of tangled hair some morning.

Punch, right elbow, kick.

He'd been born free and he had rights. The things he took for granted were the same the transgenics lacked and fiercely seek to have. They didn't even had birth certificates, for chrissakes!

She suddenly felt completely drained, the void extending through her as an illnes, leaving her unable to hold her own weight. She sagged onto the dusty floor and sank her head in her hands.

In moments like this, when she found herself powerless and terribly incompetent, she missed her old strange little life, before her second staying in Manticore, before this awful siege she had created. It have been her idea to make a stand, to fight back. But there were times when she longed for being responsible for only her life and no more. The sense of helpless solitude creeped on her as a tidal wave. Her throat felt closed by a knot and caustic tears threatened to fall.

That question rose in her head once again.

Why can't I just be a girl, a regular girl?

Max took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her antics. She wiped her cheeks, just in case a treacherous tear had dared to leave her eyes, wincing when her injured knuckles made contact with her face.

You're not a regular girl, nor you'll ever be. She sighed. She remembered some words Cindy'd told her some time ago. Her friend said even though her scrambled DNA had it's perks, such as heats, she could totally kick ass and ace pretty much anything she could think of.

So yeah, her life wasn't perfect but it was hers and she was going to grasp it and defend it with all she had. The same resolution applied to every resident of Terminal City as far she was concerned. She had set them loose, releasing them to the world. Now it was time for give them real freedom.

"Hey, Max. You okay?"

A male voice startled her and she was on her feet in a split second. She turned around, facing a tall X5 who eyed her with a bit of uncertanty. 272, she thought, member of the West perimeter patrol. What was his name...

"Milo... Yeah, just taking a break. You?"

She thanked her transgenic memory —See, girl? Not all is bad, OC would say. Max gave him a small smile, which he returned.

"I'm good. Came to do some workout, hoping I'd find someone to spar with, but the place is desolated. Bit wierd at this time of the day," he said taking off his shirt and revealing a more than fine six pack and a well toned chest.

Max felt kind of embarrased, not because of the outstanding male with mediterranean looks in front of her, but because she was the reason the gym was empty.

"I'll spar with you, if you want," Max blurted without thinking twice. She felt a little guilty for dragging everyone out of there, even when it had been unintentional.

"Sure," he answered, smiling widely at her.

They moved to the mat and started to circle each other. The guy was bigger than her, of course. But more muscle not only meant more strenght, it also condionated the body's speed. She was faster, that was for sure. They traded some kicks and punches, of which very few connected. Milo had good defence strategies, rarely left open spaces and kept his weight balanced. Yet Max had a couple of dirty tricks up her sleeve.

Both of them sparred for a good hour, before taking the definitive break. They sat on the mat and he shared with her some of the absurd experiencies he had being outside. You had to give it to the guy, he had a good sense of humor and if she had to be honest, he made her forget her worries for a while.

"I swear I didn't know what was up with her. I never was a ladies man but I wasn't completely clueless either. This chick though... There was no way I could get her, she was totally crazy," Milo said. He was telling her about an ordinary girl who had self appointed as his girlfriend.

"Guess ditching her wasn't a picnic..." Max grinned, imagining the situation.

"It was a fricking nightmare. I kept wondering if one night when I came home I'd find a boiling pot with a rabbit inside."

He was clearly exaggerating and a half smile appeared on his face. Max chuckled at the movie reference.

"That was my cue to make a run for TC," he joked while Max laughed and grasped her soring sides. His face became more serious at her moves. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, reaching for her ribs.

"No, don't worry," she answered, relaxing when he took his hand away. Milo looked relieved again.

Both transgenics heard steps approaching them and soon enough, familiar faces appeared around a corner.

"Are we interrupting?" Syl asked with a sly smile playing on her lips. Max sent her a reprobating look when Syl pointed her head at Milo and wiggled her eyebrows for only Max to see.

"There you are, Maxie. We were looking for you!" Jondy exclaimed after emerging from the hallway, clear relief passing through her features as if she'd been searching for ages. "Logan called again and again and—"

"Yeah, yeah, she gets the picture, Dee. The thing is Mole took the last call and it wasn't pretty," Syl explained, still sending a couple of interested glances at the male X5.

"Great, I'll have to put off the fires. Typical male behaviour... No offence." Max said to Milo.

"None taken," he shrugged. "Hi, I'm Milo," the X5 introduced himself with a charming smile.

"Oh, sorry. Milo, these're my sisters, Jondy and Syl. Girls, Milo," Max awkwardly gestured in between them, reminding herself she had to work on her bedside manners from time to time. "Gotta blaze, but see you around."

Max picked her stuff from the floor and waved to the male transgenic who was sporting a goofy grin and waving back.

The three females sauntered into HQ, feeling the tension in the place. Mole was at a corner, cleaning one of his many weapons with surgical precision. Dix was still in front of the computers entering data, looking wary and tired, Luke was giving him a hand. Zane had taken Krit and forced him to help to sort the papers, although the dark haired X5 was more distracted than anything. Alec was nowhere in sight. There were some whisperings around, but Max's stony expression shut them up.

Mole watched Max cross the gates and threw her a very unfriendly look which she promptly returned with even harder eyes.

Max promised her sisters to catch up later and made a beeline to her office. She closed the door and leaned on it, throwing her head back against the wood and shutting her eyes. She had been so deep in her mind that this time she hadn't noticed him. His voice startled her.

"Hey, Maxie."

"Holy crap, Alec..." she rested her hand on her chest, eyes wide open at him. He was half sitting, half lying on her couch. On first sight, he looked relaxed; but his slightly furrowed face said differently.

She walked to her desk and sat, wincing to the feel of the chair. Yeah, he was getting her a new one, he thought.

While her personal issues —namely, Logan's priorities versus the transgenics'— still whirled in the back of her mind, she sorted through the mountain of papers until she found what she was looking for: the Med Bay wishlist. Things were getting complicated with the many births there had been in the last few weeks and supplies were required. The vitamins for the toddlers, fruit of the breeding program, and their mothers were particularly difficult to find. They'd have to plan a raid for those. She had in mind taking on some pharmaceutical deposit stores. Once she had her hands on the layouts of the places was going to be a piece of cake.

She felt Alec's gaze never leaving her form to the point it unsettled her enormously and she couldn't take it anymore.

"You need something?" she almost grunted, getting more uncomfortable and not because of her damned chair.

"Are you okay, Maxie?" Alec asked, still eyeing her as if his life depended on it. He was clearly studying her.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? And stop calling me that."

"Liar," he muttered, but Max heard him. She stopped shuffling through the papers and returned the stare. He couldn't possibly have guessed what was going on in her head. Hell, even she didn't know.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her hard voice told him it wasn't a good moment to rise her hackles.

"I can tell when you lie, you know?" he said as a matter of factly and she had to look away. Those hazel eyes were piercing her and the idea of Alec being able to glimpse her thoughts right out scared her.

He rised from his seat and went to her desk, leaning on the old thing, which protested against the strain. He wasn't going to bring up Logan's name, but he knew whatever was bothering Max had to do with that man. Didn't it always?

Alec understood Logan's need to keep Max, who wouldn't want to? She was a hell of a woman, incredibly devoted to those she loved, fearless when the time to defend them came. There was a bit of a problem with her bitching, but he guessed it was due to the lack of existance of her sex life. She had this sort of fire within her, something untamed and wild which made her special. Yet somehow, Logan seemed capable of shutting that part of her down. When she was around the Ordinary she became wary, her expressive eyes turned dull and her face was ridden in guilt. Alec doubted the man was able to notice those subtle changes but he surely could. And that was something he hated. Really hated. See what made Max so full of life being taken away was dreadful to him.

He had talked to Cindy once while sharing a beer at Crash and the woman had kind of confessed that Max wasn't always like this. She used to be more carefree and enjoyed the small pleasures of life without worry about rights or wrongs. He would have loved to meet that Max.

He lingered there, watching her read the lists and petitions with haste until he noticed the condition of her hands and without a second thought, he snatched them into his.

Max let out a small gasp of surprise when Alec practically yanked her hands away from the desk and she was secretly grateful he talked first because she wasn't sure if she could come up with a decent sentence.

"What happened?" he asked furrowing his eyebrows, still holding her.

Max had to clear her throat before she could speak.

"I went to do some training, that's all," she responded, facing him. The guy's nerve! Really, he also had some bedside manners to work on, she thought.

Why was he rubbing his thumb in circles on her palm? That was a good question. Why wasn't she taking her hands away and slapped him on the head for good measure? That was an even better one.

Despite her inner rambling, the touch felt warm, inviting. She hadn't touched someone like this in a very long time.

That's not true, a little voice chanted in her head. She hugged OC everytime she stopped by TC. She constantly touched Joshua whenever they met. Her siblings were here now. In the last twenty four hours had been more hugs and holdings with them than in her hole life. So why was this different? Even though she didn't consider Alec as a brother, she did see him as a friend. Therefore this shouldn't ring any bells. It was just a friend holding another friend.

You wanted girly? There you go. Knock yourself out.

Agh! Enough of that nonsense. She had problems to solve and things to look on. She extracted her hands from his, wincing at the loss of warmth.

He thought she was hurting and tried to approach again, but she cut him off.

"I'm fine, Alec."

She sounded guarded, deffensive. He insisted.

"You could have snapped something, let me check."

"I said I'm fine," she retorted, her tone harsh. She wasn't a porcelain doll, she didn't shatter at mere touch. She was a girl, but a tough one. She certainly did not need his overly warm —not to mention, incredibly unsettling— attitude to something so stupid as a few peeled knuckles. Maybe because she didn't know how to handle it.

Max realised how she'd sounded, and tried to rectify it.

"Really, it's nothing; but if you want to help I could use you to get to the Mess and ask Pete how're we doin' on food."

Alec was surprised to see Max allow him to hold her. It wasn't as if it had never happened. Sometimes Max let him see her vulnerable side, but it was rare, that's for sure.

He was lost in his mind, wondering how pissed she had been to do this sort of damage. Later, he would blame mere inertia or maybe the possibility of his thumb being able to grown it's own brain to justify the caress. But still she didn't back away; which was weird, because the Max he knew should have knock him out cold for that. Perhaps she was really hurting. It was then he realised he was worried. Not just concerned or curious, but seriously worried for her welfare; as if he could not bare the thought of an endangered Max. And suddenly, she was back at her old self, dismissing him with a dull task.

He just nodded and did as she asked, milling around an unnamed feeling she had provoked in him.

Max sighed deeply, still a little unnerved. She unconciously rubbed her hands and grabbed her phone. She had some business to settle with politicians. As she dialed the well known numbers, she couldn't stop her eyes from travelling to the door where he'd dissapeared through and her mind kept wondering why Alec's touch suddenly felt so special.

More soon! Stay awesome!