A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. RL got in the way and some parts were more difficult to write than I thought. But here it is. Enjoy.


To say that Alec was annoyed was an understatement.

First, before they had even reached the warehouse, a tire blew out of the truck. Before they had a chance to change it some good samaritan stopped and wanted to help. Of course she had to see Connor's barcode and Alec had to use all the charm he had to convince this 50-year-old woman that they weren't going to do anything and that they weren't menace to the society. He was very good, Manticore certainly trained him well. He was just wondering how to get the image of her pinching his butt out of his mind.

When they got to the warehouse they found out that the intel was wrong. The hard way. Sure, the warehouse was low on the security and had only one camera but it also had motion sensors and silent alarms. They only got half the stuff they came for before they had to bail with cops right on their tails.

While trying to lose the cops they ran to some street gang wanting to steal the truck. Sure, a nice workout while teaching the X6s how not to hurt ordinaries too bad when engaged in hand-to-hand was always good. He just wished and hoped all his might that they were too proud to go to press and report how violent the transgenics are. They didn't need anymore bad press. Plus, his phone got smashed in the progress.

When finally reaching the tunnel they were already half an hour behind the schedule. They got all the plaster and paint out of the car and got the plywood out. At the tunnel opening they noticed that the plywood was six inches too wide. Fixit especially wanted the plywood and was great a bitching. She had learned it from Max.

After spending an hour locating a place to store the stolen plywood until they come up with a solution, they were almost two hours late. He just wanted to get to bed and sleep. Instead he was here, in storage unit 14 where everyone was giving him weird looks. Like there was something wrong with him.

"What?" he almost barked when a younger X6 was just plainly staring at him. The poor girl jumped and ran off scared. He'd apologize later.

"Alec?"

Alec turned around and found Fixit staring at him. He put his hands in front of him and jumped at the chance to explain before she started raving and ranting about those damn plywoods. "Listen, it wasn't my fault. The plywood was too wide, we had to come back without it. But we found a nice, dry place to store it and when we know what to do, we go back. I promise. So before you get-"

He was honestly surprised when she jumped on him and squeezed him with all her might. "You're okay. Oh thank god you're okay." She released him and gave him a confused look. "But how? You were shot! Three times!"

Alec drew her to aside "What are you talking about?"

"Some guy came in with you, straight to the command center. You were shot three times and you were holding a baby. The guy took the baby and you were taken to infirmary. I thought they were still operating." Fixit kept touching him, his shoulder, lower back and his face. She also kept looking at his thigh.

"Well, I'm not shot, none of us were." The paint and plaster was already gone, so were the extra paint rollers and trowels. "I'm going to the command center to find out what's going on. You... go build something."

oOo

The surgery was over. Four transgenics exited the OR2 before Mattie, an X5 with field medical training, came out looking pleased with himself. Max was up and ready for anything. Well, that was a lie. She was ready to hear anything but the 'we did everything we could'.

"Well?" she asked with a very quiet voice and he smiled.

"He'll be just fine as long as he'll let himself to heal properly. That means, no raids, no sparring-"

Max cut Mattie off. "I'll make sure he gets rest." Her face was serious and Mattie could have sworn that her eyes were moist with tears. "Can we see him?"

"The nurses are getting him ready to move to ward. You can see him there." Mattie smiled and walked away.

A minute later Max was following the nurses as they moved their latest patient to the Patient Ward. They got him settled and with a final check on the IV-line, they were gone. Max was sitting on the bed, staring at the face she had become so used to and running a finger across his face. When she reached to ran her fingers across his hair she noticed that it was shorter than last time.

'Maybe I just hadn't noticed that he cut it,' Max thought and took his hand, giving a little kiss to the palm of his hand. Joshua put a hand on her shoulder and for the first time in almost four hours they smiled at each other.

oOo

Alec walked to the command center with hurry. The jaws were dropping around him as he neared the nerve center of their dear city and he was sick of it. Why were they thinking that he was shot?

Mole and Dix were by a table waiting for something, anything to happen. To pass the time, Mole had begun to clean his guns while Dix concentrated on their surveillance grid. It still had pretty big holes, especially in the inner parts of the city.

Alec cleared his throat interrupting Mole assembling of a shotgun and Dix's muttering about feedbacks. They looked up at the same time.

A huge smile spread across Dix's face. "Alec, you're okay!" He then moved few feet closer but stopped, not knowing whether to hug or not.

Mole puffed out some cigar smoke. "Well, I'll be damned. I know you X5's heal fast but this is ridiculous." He then snapped the final part of the shotgun in place. "Care to explain, princess?"

"Explain what?" Alec looked around. Everyone was staring. "Fixit said that I was shot and took to surgery. But I'm fine! What's going on here?"

"Someone looking like you came in, shot to shoulder, back and thigh. He was with another X5 and a baby and was taken to surgery. Then his bozo friend decided that we were the enemy and locked himself and the baby in Luke's office!" Mole said and nodded towards the office that was guarded by five X6s and three X7s.

Luke came to Alec's side. "I don't mind that he's in there, I really don't use it." He gave Alec a cup of bad coffee. "All he has asked for is to speak to 452. Doesn't tell why or who he is, just that he needs to find 452."

Alec turned to Mole and Dix. "Where's Max? What she thinks of our guest. Why isn't she here to kick his ass and demand answers?"

"The fearless leader is in infirmary, worrying about you," Mole smirked. "Boy will she be pissed when she finds out you're just fine."

"I didn't have the time to tell her," Dalton said with a relieved voice as he walked to them. He was one of the X6s guarding the door. "I told her you were shot and in surgery and she took off saying Mole's in charge."

Mole gave Alec a grin when another X6 came in and gave him a cup of coffee with a small 'sir'. He was loving the power!

Something sparked in Alec's heart when he realized that Max was so worried about him that she was giving the reigns of TC to Mole. He shook his head, thinking that it was false hope, that she'd do that to any transgenic because they were 'all one big messed-up family'. He decided to just glare at Mole. "And why hasn't she been told yet?"

"I like being in charge." Mole was always brutally honest. "And if she knows about this situation, she'll come in to deal with it and to be in charge once again."

"Great..." Alec muttered. He left for a simple raid, which went wrong, and when he got back the city had a impostor, a stranger, a new baby, a power-hungry, gun loving transhuman, and the leader was... taking a day off? And he knew he had to sort it out. Just perfect!

"I'm going to find Max and tell her what's going on, like she should know already," Alec said, giving the final jab a little more power than usual, "and then we come back and get the bozo to talk."

oOo

Max stepped out of the infirmary building with Joshua. She wiped her eyes with a small laugh and Joshua drew her close. She hugged him back and gave him a huge smile. Max honestly couldn't remember when she had been so relieved before. Now she just had to find out what had happened during the raid.

"Alec," Joshua whispered and looked over her head. She was then gently pushed aside as the much larger man rushed past her.

Max watched in shock as Joshua was hugging Alec. But how? They just left him in the ward, he hadn't even woken up yet. She watched as Joshua came to same conclusion and slowly released him.

"How?" Joshua asked and kept touching Alec, checking for any wounds. "You really are okay? Then who is upstairs?"

"That's what we need to find out, big guy," Alec said with a tired sigh and they both turned to look at Max. "Hey, Maxie. I heard you were worried," Alec said with a smirk.

Max turned pale at his words. Not the teasing, cocky ones but the one that she had repeatedly told him not to call her. Maxie. If Alec was here then the look-a-like was... She didn't know whether to fear or hope it to be true.

Alec and Joshua saw Max to turn around and run back into the infirmary building. They ran after her, worried because of the look on her face, her eyes full of fear and hope.

When they finally caught up with her they found her in the patient ward, sitting on the bed occupied by Alec's look-a-like. She watched his face, her fingertips brushing lightly on his face and then she lifted his head just enough to see the back of his neck. She almost dropped his head back to the pillow, but caught herself.

She turned her eyes on Alec and Joshua and with a voice full of joy and eyes full of unshed tears, she said "493. It's Ben."