A/N: Is it really that relevant? We all know who DA production belongs to! And its characters along with that hot bod-Alec McDowell… *sigh*hence the reason for my very own production "In My Big Fat Dreams"! :O

A/N: Can someone please explain to me as to why my updated stories have no break lines or spaces in their respective places as done on word perfect? *IS FURIOUS* It's like reading one big Word modge podge! *cries* Help someone-anyone….

Warning: a bit of character bashing. *evil smirk*

Chapter 2: And the reason is you….. (Hoobastank_ The reason)

Sequel to but when I think of you I cry…

Two years ago…

"HURRY!" fear evident in the males' voice as they blurred towards the end of the dark and narrow passage.

Running up the staircase Alec and Max knew that this was it; this was either survival or death. They had been sent on an Eyes Only Mission; only thing is Eyes didn't see the unmarked room filled with Familiars. All they had to do was retrieve the data that the government obtained knowledge with regards to the exploitation of young refugees. Eyes Only did his research- Piece of cake, yeah right! Familiars-a whole clan of them, they weren't encountering the Senator as one of the Familiars. They had an inkling that they ran deep within the government but how deep-they've only just realized.

Alec noticed an abandoned room, grabbed Max by her left arm and scurried within the 6 walled room. He instantly locked the metal door and did a quick recon of their surroundings. Old dusty boxes laid haphazardly everywhere, cob webs decorated the cornices and the musty scent extenuated the staleness of the enclosed space.

"Max we're trapped. We need to call for back up." Alec blurted out nervously.

"Stating the obvious aren't we Alec?" stated an agitated Max.

Alec stood by the door and leaned into it to get a closer hearing range of their assailants. Max carefully opened her back bag and placed 6 C-4 detonators on each of the six walls.

'This is the last time I am going to put me and Alec in a sticky situation just because Logan wants to be a damn hero!'

"Countdown Max, they're gaining on us…" Alec said nervously.

He looked at Max and realized that she was just as petrified as he was-especially when it came to the psychotic goons. Max was standing by the window pane watching the traffic flow at the bottom of the tenth floor calculating their escape. He approached her and looked down the same window; both attentions were snapped back to the door when they heard the Familiars picking on the lock. Stealing quick glances at one another, Alec did the only thing he had wanted to do for a long time; he grabbed Max by her arm, spun her around so that she faced him completely and kissed her fully on her lips before she could retaliate.

"I'm sorry but I've been wanting to that for a long time just in case we don't make it out alive…I just want you to know…" he rambled as he scanned her rather stoic expression.

"Alec save it," she watched the fear in his eyes turn into disappointment, "at least for later, ok." She finished off with a smile.

"Yeah I can do that." He chuckled, eyes twinkling in satisfaction.

"Time to blow up this place…"

Max barely got her sentence out when an echo of a gunshots were sounded through the empty room. Without a second thought both transgenics leapt through the 6mm glass and immediately pressed the donator remote. The feeling of something wet got to her attention. An affirmative glance confirmed her worse nightmare. Alec was shot in his chest-a through and through.

"Alec?" she looked at his already pale face…

'OH MY GOD please no no no…please don't let him die.'

"Max get out of here." He choked on his blood, splattering some on the pavement. Using her own strength Max helped Alec to stay on his feet and as quickly as she could, hurried towards her bike.

"Shut up, I'm getting you out of here. Save your strength."

"Max that's what he wants-he got me to get to you." Alec stared to lose consciousness, "Max promise to me that you will find happiness." Spurtingout blood as he tried to hang on his last bit of consciousness.

'What?' Max faulted in her steps.

"Alec… I …" she stammered.

"Please Max." he rasped arguing.

Max knew what she had to do-she had to speak from her heart…

'Now or never Max.'

"Alec I can never be happy if you're not in my life…so don't you dare die on me, you hear."

Alec barely managed to lift his head up to look at her but he had and even added a soft smile.

'My Maxie likes me.'

"If didn't say any better I think you're falling for me…I think I'm about to…"

Alec fell from Max's grip but grabbed him in time before his head hit the pavement. Through her tears, grunts, anguish and anger, Max reached her bike and gunned the engine with Alec straddled in front of her. Revving through the streets of central Seattle, Max smashed through each sector gate barely dodging the flying bullets that flew past her as her only main concern was getting Alec to TC ASAP.

Knowing that skiing over the perimeter fencing wouldn't do, Max skied through TC's main perimeter gate. Once she was safely within TC's park aid Max yelled for assistance.

"I need a medic team ASAP, Alec's been shot." Holstering him up in her arms, Max dragged his limp body to the Med bay.

Without a second command, TC medics were on Alec, assessing the wound carefully. A hitched gasp left their mouths with a married frown on their foreheads.

"Max, it's not good. His lung collapsed, heart stopped once but we managed to revive it again. And he's lost too much blood, we gonna need more." Miley informed their leader, getting straight to the point. Miley was TC's only X4 to be trained as a surgeon.

Max couldn't think, her mind refused to process this information; then too, Miley continued to give her an update but Max couldn't hear a thing…she felt numb. Without another word, she had rolled up her sleeves and walked straight into the med room.

"Take my blood." She ordered the staff.

With a wary and uncertain expression the assisting nurse cleaned the inside of Max's elbow and injected the needle into her vein. Max didn't flinch as she pierced the needle through her flesh but flinched when she finally saw his face-pale as a ghost. The nurse pulled up a chair next Alec's bed for their leader. They had just managed to stabilize him, but it was touch and go. She took his right hand into hers and sobbed.

"I'll kick your ass if you die on me…"

'Please don't die on me, Alec-OH GOD please…I need him… I want him please…. I … I …. I love him.'

"Alec…" her voice strained as she swallowed another lump of tears that formed in her throat, "Just please don't die on me…I can't lose you too… if I lose you- I swear I'll never be happy…I WILL BREAK THAT PROMISE-I WILL LIVE A MISERABLE LONELY LIFE SO DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME-IF YOU WANT ME TO BE HAPPY YOU BETTER SURVIVE THIS…" Max yelled at his still expression.

Breathing heavily, her pained heart thudded violently against her rib cage, shutting her eyes tightly, her body shook violently as she sobbed on his hand…

'ALEC!'

Throwing the yellow file on his desk in sheer agitation and frustration, but the resentment that rolled off her caused him to swallow his fears.

"I am done being your little genetically engineered cat burglar Logan."

Max leaned down and slammed the palm of her hands on the glass table enough to crack it but not shatter it. Logan almost yelled at her dangerous proximity. He could literally see the gradient of her irises.

"Max…"

"SHUT UP!" she yelled and stood up straight, towering her lean body over him, "I'm talking you listen. You have put me in more danger than Manticore ever did. I almost died several times, almost got shot at several times. In fact I have been shot at several times. I almost got my ass handed to the bad guys and what do I get for a thank you? JUST ANOTHER MISSION TO SAVE THE FREAKIN' WORLD…I'm DONE-WE'RE DONE!" she needed to leave before she would make the mistake of punching him square in the face.

As she was about to leave, Logan found the courage to stand up and hurried towards her before she reached the door.

"Max please, just cut me some slack. I never meant to hurt you."

Doing a complete 180 spin, Max glowered at Logan. The pure hate in her eyes was something that would haunt him in his sleep for the rest of his life.

"Cut you some slack? You never meant to hurt me? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Logan you have done nothing in these past few months since the Jam Pony siege but hurt me. Running the transgenics down like they are less than you are…"

"They're animals!"

A gasp escaped her lips, "What?"

"They're animals"

"You disgust me Logan. We have done nothing but help you and what did you do after everything that we had been through? You USED us for your own personal hero complex and got some of mine injured and even killed for it. Who's the animal now?" Her voice hitched at the last part, "people like Alec who never asked anything from you, you got him in sticky situations and got him shot at…and the best part, it's been weeks since the incident and not once you would broach the fact that you screwed up and got him shot!" she glared at him, waiting for a response but when non came she shook her head and clenched her fingers and relaxed it. Repeating the action several times to control her urge of beating him into a pulp, "We use to be friends, Alec use to be your friend too. Yes I know you felt threatened by him for some reason…"

"He stole you from me."

"He never did and he would never do that to you or to anyone. I WAS the ONE who lied to you about the relationship I had with Alec, but I did it for a reason. You WERE my priority Logan. I cared enough to let you go and be happy. But you stalked me. You STALKED me Logan. Apart from that being down right creepy, you just added a reason for me to mistrust you. I get that your Eyes Only missions are important but so are our lives. You got 4 X-5s killed. And I tried in all my power to make sure that the transgenic nation wouldn't tear you apart but after Alec…"

"Alec again."

"How dare you!" that wasn't a question but a harsh statement, "Alec, saved your life as much as he saved mine and if I remember correctly you save his life too. What happened to you Logan? When did you become this egotistical, cold hearted hero wannabe?"

"That's not fair. I've been in the Eyes Only business well before you came into my life. You can't pin that onto me."

"Fine, but what about what happened after the Jam Pony siege?" swallowing a huge lump that formed in her throat she continued without allowing him to continue, "you stood by us Logan, you watched TC become something more, you saw the life that grew from nothing to something. You were part of that hope, Logan, so what happened to you? Saving the transgenics were not enough that you had to exploit them too? It was dangerous enough that I went on these missions alone and then I got Alec involved too. And as much as you rebel against him, he watches my back as much as I do. He saved my life plenty of times," a tear slipped down her reddened warm cheek, "What happened to you Logan?"

"You once looked at me with pride and the dignity of having me in your company but then when you moved to TC, you changed. You hardly came over, you spent more time with Alec," leaving the bitter tone in his tone, "and the more I saw him with you the more it made me sick and the more I wanted to show you that we belong together. Yes I let you go once but after I held your hand at the flag raising that night, I couldn't do it again. I couldn't let go of you again. So I did what I had to do."

"What?" she asked utter disbelief. The audacity, the tenacity, the bullshit that rolled of his tongue, "so let me get this straight you put us in harm's way so that I would see you as the night in shinning amour?"

"You make it sound harsh Max…"

"OH MY GOD Logan…are you?...are you insane?" hands flying in the air as she blinked heavenwards.

"Max, I never wanted to hurt anyone, sure the bad guys but not the transgenics. Even though they are animals they are useful…"

"If you know what's good for you, DO NOT complete that sentence…as a matter of fact, this is for Alec." Rotating her body into a complete 360 degree, Max swung her leg high enough to kick Logan in the jaw. Pieces of his teeth splattered about on the white Persian carpet and down went the unconscious Logan.

"Hmpf, that's for all transgenics but mostly for Alec you bustard!"

"Mole, get your ASS HERE!"

The whole of HQ stood still, when their leader stormed in the bustling vicinity and slammed her door shut. Something had happened and some knew the reasons why. The ordinary.

"I don't take that tone too well…"

"That's just great because I need you to wipe Logan's computer clean of all transgenics information including all his allies…think you can handle that?" she ended her question off with a cunning smile.

Mole was so stumped that his cigar lifelessly dropped from his mouth.

"Come again?"

Max would have laughed if it hadn't been a serious situation.

"I need you to wipe Logan's files clean of all transgenics and allies."

"I thought you said that. What happened?" he didn't care if he got a glare. He craved for some inside info.

"He wants to be a super hero at our expense; I'm done putting our people in danger. And he needs to know that." She cocked her head to the side to make a point that enough was enough.

Mole gave a curt nod and as he reached the door frame he turned around, looked at his leader square in the face and raised his gun over his shoulder.

"About damn time I get the exclusive action first hand."

Max just smiled and shook her head, "Just scare not kill. Listen when you get back I need intel on White's men and those goons. I need to know what's happening. They're gone too quiet for my liking. I got to go. Play nice when you run the place down."

Giving Max nod with a pursed line, he looked at her composure "going home?" Mole had been keeping an eye on her since that last Eye's Only missions went array.

"Yeah." She offered a sad smile.

"You know it wasn't your fault. I mean sure you agreed to do the Eyes Only mission but Alec wanted to accompany you too."

Max stared at Mole for a second not quite believing her ears. He always rubbed it in her face about Logan's dangerous missions and her reckless need to help him out, so what was so different about today? Perhaps it was the fact that he had seen the way she looked after Alec got shot. And that it changed her life.

"Thanks Mole," shifting awkwardly on her feet, Max wrapped her arms around her body, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you got a soft spot for me in that heart of yours Mole." She smiled.

"HA! As if!" he retaliated with no evidence of acidity in his tone, "You aiight Max."

"OH My WORD! Does this make us friends? Feigning a skeptical look.

"A tiny bit."

"I'm moved Mole, really moved"

He snorted and left Max's office. He had an important mission that he had been craving for. Bringing down Eyes Only was better than Manticore's missions.

"YO, who wants to bring the almighty down?" Mole announced.

Max walked down the almost deserted street. It has been four hours since she saw Logan. Four hours since she learnt a lot about Logan's idea of being a savior. And it sickened her. Hugging her arms around her abdomen, Max stilled in her path. She looked above her line of vision and saw her apartment light switched on. A sad smile displayed on her beautiful tired face, she needed some time to think things through before she crashed but she couldn't do it alone.

Walking into the apartment she had noticed a bottle of beer resting on the coffee table. Shaking her head slightly she discarded her leather jacket on the back rest of the couch and walked straight into her bedroom. Kicking off her shoes and removing her long tank top, Max fell straight onto her bed with a slight bounce. Sighing loudly her mind began to reel in the recent events of her life…she didn't get far enough when a masculine voice caught her attention.

"Max that you?"

"Yip."

"So how did it go?" the male transgenic stood between the threshold drying his hair with the towel.

Max couldn't answer, her throat closed to tight for words to flow out. Her voice hitched in uncontrollable sobs.

"Oh honey," he said sadly. Feeling the wave of emotions roll off from her. So he did the only think that he had been doing for the past few weeks since that incident, he laid down beside her. Wrapping his strong arms around her, she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed.

"Oh Alec…"

"It's Ok Maxie…let it out."

"I killed him…"

"Max?" not quite sure that he heard her correctly.

'No she didn't. She wouldn't do that, would she?'

"I almost killed Logan. I almost killed Logan, Alec. I wanted to but I couldn't that to you."

Alec gently guided Max to face him, "Max I would never ask you to do anything that you wouldn't do. Personally I would torture him, put the fear of Manticore in him, but hey I could still do that if you want me to?" trying to lighten up her mood a little.

"I was so angry at him that I want to hurt him, to kill him, but I couldn't. So I kicked Logan square in the jaw, besides I already got Mole on it."Her face lit up a bit.

"Really? Bet he's loving that right now." He smirked.

"Yeah, so much as calling me a friend-almost a friend."Eyes bulging a bit in disbelief.

"Nooo…for real?" sarcastically sounding astounded.

"As real as this can be." Max replied with a smile and leaned forward to plant a sweet kiss on Alec's lips.

"I love you Maxie."

"I love you too, Alec."

The end…