Questions Asked, Questions Answered

For the next day or two Max avoided Alec and Alec avoided Max. If one walked into the room, the other quickly made an excuse and walked out. Neither one spoke to the other unless absolutely necessary and even then it was kept as brief as possible. The tension between the two was so high; people began to speculate on what might have happened to cause such a rift.

Alec tried to keep himself busy working on the new Rec Room and making supply runs, but try as he might he couldn't get Max's words out of his head. What on earth could he have done to provoke such an outburst? Finally after several sleepless nights, Alec decided he'd had enough; he deserved to know what the hell she thought he'd done. Throwing off the covers and nearly tearing his door off the hinges in his haste, Alec stormed across the hall and began banging on Max's door. When she opened it, he pushed past her and stormed in the room.

"Please come in, Alec. So glad you could drop by." Max snarled sarcastically.

"To quote you 'Cut the crap', Max! What in God's name have I done this time to piss you off? Did I forget your birthday? Did I break your favorite toy? What did I do wrong now?" With every question Alec advanced on Max until she had her back against the wall and was forced to look up at him.

All of a sudden Max couldn't remember what he'd done. All she could think about was how close Alec was standing, and how good he smelled, and how sexy he looked when he was angry, and how if she just stood up on her toes a little she'd be in perfect range to kiss him. 'Wait a minute...kiss Alec? Where in the hell did that come from?' Shoving Alec away from her Max remembered why she was so upset.

"Last weekend, where were you?"

"Huh?" Alec asked startled. That brief moment of extreme proximity to Max had muddled his brain a little too.

"Last weekend, I sent you on a supply run with a team of X-series and every one of them came back except you. Where were you?" Max repeated.

"I had to see some contacts of mine about supplies. Why, what does it matter?" Alec asked.

"Contacts...Is that what you call them? And just what kind of "supplies" do Bambi and Candy provide?" Max was furious now, so furious in fact that tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Candy? Bambi? Max, what are you talking about?" Alec was really confused now.

"I talked to Original Cindy last night. She said you were at Crash those nights but then you left with some bimbo. Don't lie to me, Alec. If you were out picking up chics, just say so, but don't try to make it sound like you were doing it for the good of Terminal City." Tears were beginning to roll down Max's face now so she turned around and walked to the window trying to wipe them away without being obvious. Max had no idea why she was crying. Why did the thought of Alec being out with another woman upset her so much?

"Well, Original Cindy was misinformed then. There was only one woman, one night. The man I met the first night was a supplier. He used to own a bar downtown but it went out of business so he's going to sell me a couple of pool tables, some dart boards and what's left of his booze supply for the Rec Room. The pool game you pulled me out of the other night was to get the money to pay him. As for the woman Original Cindy saw me with, she happens to be a geneticist from Manticore. I got her name from an old buddy of mine back when I was selling andi, but I completely forgot about her until recently. She's been working on a cure for your virus, Max. She called me last week and said it was ready. That's why I left with her. I didn't want to tell you until I was sure she could do it. I didn't want you to be disappointed again." Alec sat down on the sofa.

Max was just staring at him.

"What?!" Alec asked.

"You got me a cure for the virus?" Max was in shock.

"Yeah, I did. I figured I still owed you from screwing things up for you and Logan so many times. I mean, I know ya'll aren't together anymore, but I figured at the very least you wouldn't have to worry about killing him now."

Max was crying again. Tears were streaming down her face again and she wasn't even bothering to wipe them away anymore. She was so happy, and so ashamed of herself. Alec had been doing her a favor and she'd treated him like dirt.

Alec was really getting uncomfortable now. He hated to see women cry, especially Max. The sight of her standing there made him want to take her in his arms and hold her. He wanted to kiss her tears away. He wanted to protect her. That's why he got the cure in the first place; it had nothing to do with Logan. He did it for Max. But she didn't know that, and he didn't know how to tell her. She always thought he was such a screw-up and he didn't know how to prove otherwise. "Well, I'm just gonna' go across the hall and get that for you." he said. High-tailing it across the hall he grabbed the syringe out of the fridge. Max's door was still standing open so he slipped back inside and set the medicine down on counter top. "Well, that's it. I guess you know what to do from here." Max was still standing in the same place with a dazed expression on her face. Alec waited for some response, but when none came he just shrugged. "Good night, Maxie! Good Luck!"

Back in his own apartment, Alec flopped down on his bed thoroughly exhausted. He was just beginning to fall asleep when a thought popped into his head and his eyes flew open again. "Max was jealous!"