AN: yeah, i know. it took sooo long :( For whose still reading though, this is absolutely my longest chapter ever. I hope this will compensate a little for the wait!
AN/2: out of the damn apartament, finally! i was gettin claustrophobic...
That was whack. Pretty whack.
First off, a nearly six and a half foot tall dog man, usually draws attention, even in a place like Terminal City which was full of downstairs people. So for Joshua to have entered a room unnoticed, well it just didn't happen. Add to that that the room contained two X-5s, soldiers trained to take in all their surroundings, even in sleep, and the enhanced senses to hear and smell the arrival of even a miniature Yorkshire terrier, and you had an occurrence that didn't happen ever. Until now.
Joshua had knocked on the door, waited politely at least 5 seconds, like Cindy had taught him, before letting himself in, and managed to get at arm's length (okay, he had pretty long arms. But still...) from two X-5s without being acknowledged in the slightest.
Then... there was the look on their faces. Throbbing waves of pain were radiating from their bodies and filling the room with a deadly heaviness. Joshua could smell it, and his stomach contracted painfully.
He was shocked and confused. This was a family reunion, right? He had met little fella at HQ a few moments before, and her whole body was humming in happiness. She could barely contain her joy. It was impossible to be near the bouncing girl and not to be affected. Heck, even Mole had offered her one of his beloved cigars to celebrate the moment!
So... what could have possibly gone wrong?
"Huh... guys?" he murmured, breaking the heavy silence. Joshua didn't really want to, but his kind spirit couldn't stand by while his family was hurting. Alec was family, and since the new one was brother to both Max and Alec, that made him family too. So Joshua inserted himself into the situation, for their sake. They clearly needed a way out, a way to break the stalemate, and if that meant Josh had to be there and get involved when he would rather curl up and whimper ... well, he loved his friends enough to do it. He just hoped he was strong enough to restrain two alpha males if they decided to go after each other or Joshua.
Both men snapped out of their trance instantly, surprised by his unexpected presence but clearly relieved to break the stare off that had consumed them. He took it as a good sign, and before either of them could speak, Joshua enveloped Ben in a bone-crushing hug.
"Welcome home, twin fella!"
Before the... creature could register the shocked look on Ben's face, he had reached Ben with surprising speed and now was crushing him with, well, unsurprising strength.
Ben wasn't sure he could have moved fast enough to avoid the embrace, but it was a moot point since he was frozen on the spot, absolutely terrified by the huge transhuman advancing on him with unknown dreadful reasons. A 'nomalie. And now the lack of oxygen wasn't doing any good to his already shattered mind.
Can't breathe. Can't move!
He's gonna kill me!
I've got to disentangle myself from this nightmarish creature and...
Nightmare?
Oh God, Ben! Stop it! This is not a fictional, horrid 'nomalie cooked up by your sick, hallucinated mind. This is real! A real transhuman, who happens to be... terribly happy to see you. Stop wondering why, just relax and try to breathe. You can do that, right? Right?!?
Actually, Ben wasn't sure he could do it. Yeah, now he knew the difference between the 'nomalies that haunted his feverish dreams, and the reality of those poor creatures that had been the victims of Manticore's twisted attempts at experimentation. Even his own personal hell had been better. Still, that didn't mean it was easy to react normally when a gigantic, dog man is squeezing the air out of you and you still don't know why.
It was so fucking hard not to let the old habits take over, not to let fear and violence fill his fragile heart, and rule his actions.
Ben knew that. He knew his weakness, and how much help he needed to stem the darkness that sometimes still threatened to enfold his heart. Sure, those colored pills helped a lot. But it wasn't enough. He needed more. He needed his family. Max.
When he had lost it, literally a life ago, he had thought it was because they had left Manticore, where everything made sense, only to be thrust, alone, into a world of confusion and questions without answers. But when Manticore had brought him back to life, and 'cured' him, he had discovered the truth, once the medication had lifted the veil of craziness and paranoia that clouded his thinking.
He didn't need Manticore. He hadn't ever needed it. Mission. Duty. Discipline. When he was alone, lost in a world that didn't understand him, and didn't want him, those lies poorly filled the void left in his heart by his family, his siblings, the only ones that could keep his fear in check, stabilizing his emotions, simply by loving him, just as the pills stabilized his brain chemistry imbalance.
He knew that now. That was why, even if the act itself totally stunned him, he wasn't caught by surprise when he abruptly relaxed, and breathed somewhat normally, as soon as he felt the warm and comforting touch of his brother's hand lightly gripping his shoulder.
Just a few moments before, Alec was methodically dissecting his brother visually, and enjoying it. Okay, maybe that was too strong. Even if he usually managed to not involve his conscience in his business, he knew that this time he'd have a lot to answer for. He couldn't deny though, that a part of him had been almost pleased to shatter the fragile hope he had recognized in his bro's eyes. Yeah, recognized. He saw the same hope in the same eyes every morning, facing the mirror.
So, why did it bother him that much seeing his twin paralysed with fear when Joshua hugged him nearly to death?
Alec watched in awe as his hand, of its own volition, came to rest on Ben's shoulder.
"Come on, big fella! Let him go now, 'kay? He's not used to being... well, manhandled, ya know?" he said jokingly. Whoa... lips moving, sensible words forming, and he didn't have a say in that.
When Joshua finally released him, Alec automatically took a step forward, positioning himself halfway between his friend and Ben. Then, he gave a mental shrug, and let whatever was actually in charge of his body do as 'it' pleased.
"Need anything, Josh? What brings you here?" Oh look! The thing was genuinely interested. Well, no big here. Everyone loved the big fella.
"Come to check. Little fella slightly worried... but people at HQ keep her busy. So Joshua checks on medium and twin fella, right?"
"Yeah, you're righ— what? Wait. Max asked you to come here and... check on us?" Alec asked incredulously. Funny. The... pod? that possessed his body surely had sentiments. In that pre-pulse old movie, they were as emotionless as a carrot. His usual luck. Cuz he could feel how much the utter disbelief coloring his tone was mixed with an increasing anger at the remote possibility that Max could have been that naïve to send one of the biggest transhumans sprouted from the basement to check on Ben. Who was sane now, really. But... not a nice welcome for someone who had create a whole religion where the 'nomalies reigned over the designated hell.
But since when did he care, anyway?
"No. Max busy. But Joshua wanted to meet Max's brother and Alec's brother. So Joshua here."
"That's okay," the pod said, it and Alec now somewhat mollified. "Are you going somewhere now? I was supposed to show Ben around and any place is good to start..." Alec interjected.
A grin split the big man's face, and he bounced towards the door. "'Kay. Joshua leads, you two follow."
With a brief but reassuring nod in Ben's direction, Alec followed after his friend. He almost didn't mind when he even turned around to be sure Ben was coming.
Alec was emotionally drained. In the last ten hours, he had met his no longer dead brother and played counsellor for Max, helping her sorting through her emotions. He had also failed his first attempt at building a sort of relationship with said brother (probably cuz nobody was there to counsel him about his emotions), and at the specific moment he was assaulted by disconcerting and conflicting feelings towards the guy. Feelings that he just wanted to ignore and forget.
Yep, let's go sightseeing.
He badly needed to get out the damn apartment and breathe some fresh air. Well, as fresh as the air got in a radioactive bio-medical wasteland. And the pod? It probably just wanted to get out and spread.
Hidden in the shadows two flights up, Max spied the unusual trio.
She backed a little when Joshua sniffed suspiciously, and looked up at exactly where she was hiding. But he simply shrugged, and chose not to pursue her trail. Surely he would ask her about it later, but for now Max sighed in relief. Occasionally, she was kinda glad to be 'forced' to talk to her big fella. Sure, he was an innocent soul most of the time. But he had a pretty scary insight that he often used unmercifully on the people he loved. She had experienced several soul baring conversations with him, and she knew that Alec too had undergone the same treatment a few times.
Max begrudgingly acknowledged the therapeutic outcome of those metaphorical visits to the dentist, but she appreciated that he was giving her a little time to recover her composure. She didn't want him to see her like that, seated on a dirty step, hands still lightly trembling, hugging her knees.
Her life was an emotional rollercoaster recently. She had chosen to set the switch on happiness, and she knew it was the right choice. Still, she couldn't let her overwhelming joy at Ben's return make her forget how many problems were attached to it.
Her own issues with Ben didn't bother her that much. The scars were deep, but she knew that this time, time was on her side, and nothing could truly lessen the fact that he was back.
Alec's issues with his twin couldn't be dismissed as easily. He wasn't a vengeful person, and Max was sure he didn't plan to make Ben suffer for all he had suffered because of him. However, he was human—well, kinda human. And their past was due to put a heavy strain on whatever, hopefully brotherish, relationship they might develop. Hell, thanks to Ben, Alec had visited Psy-Ops more than any other transgenic. Could he ever forget that? Could either of them? She wasn't so sure. And for once, even if this actually depended on him, she wasn't gonna blame the guy.
Max had also a nagging, quite disturbing sensation that there was more at stake. She had no clue on what it was but looking at the twins that morning she saw something else going on between them, something she didn't understand but was obvious to them. They had only just met and she was already excluded from some secret between them. She wondered briefly if Alec would share, voluntarily or not. But no, she would get an 'I'm alright' on this, she knew. Even if they were good at sharing now, Alec wouldn't open up about something that would probably hurt her. Yeah, she and Alec had grown in their friendship and were good at protecting each other as well. She just needed to unleash Joshua on him for this one. Therapeutic reasons and such. Besides she was curious. And given that it was Alec and Ben, she might need to know so she could bale their asses out of the inevitable trouble that would follow.
Last but not the lest, there were Ben's own issues. He already suspected that there was something wrong in what he was doing back then, when his mind was still clouded and infected by paranoia. But now that he was free of his nightmare, could the realization that he had been used like a tool, a puppet with no will, quench the guilt of his actions? Max knew how guilt worked. It wasn't rational or sensible. And there were too many ghosts from his past that sooner or later would ask him to answer for his sins, albeit innocently committed.
Okay, the number of issues she had to deal with was huge. Was it so strange that for once she had chosen to forget them and concentrate on the happy side? Still, back at HQ, when the euphoric effect of her joy began to evaporate, the voice of reason had reared its ugly head.
Alec and Ben, alone in the apartment? The remote possibility that something could go wrong, terribly wrong, crept into her mind. Max became restless, and tried to politely disentangle herself from the various people that kept coming, involving her in the usual TC activities. She badly wanted to run home and check on them, her mouth was answering in autopilot now, while her mind was busy running horrible scenarios where—
Oh no, Max, stop that! They'll be perfectly fine! I mean, Ben's on medications and Alec has grown-up a lot from the insensitive bastard he was at the beginning, so... oh shit!
While she was internally debating if she'd done the right thing leaving the two of them on their own, and externally trying to look interested in whatever conversation was taking place around her, her brain finally registered Joshua's parting words.
He had somewhat caught her discomfort, and told Dix he was gonna check on the guys while heading to the kitchen. He was so curious to meet Ben, anyway! Little fella's lost brother, and at the same time, a new one for medium fella?
Max visibly paled while realized how things could really go wrong adding a huge, over-excited transhuman to the mix. Instantly, she blurred as fast as she could towards her apartment, oblivious of the strange looks of the people around her. She made it home in record time, and reached the open door just a few minutes after Joshua. Just a few minutes too late.
Ben looked small and fragile, lost in the bigger man's hug. The Bad Place had finally got him. But... how could Max 'save' him without treating Josh as a scary monster?
Alec seemed to know the right answer. A simple gesture, a touch to convey comfort but... But she had never felt so grateful to anyone in her entire life.
Ben was walking slightly behind the two friends, amused by their funny interaction. It was clear that they cared for each other, and Alec looked quite relaxed in the big man's presence, like Josh had a soothing effect on him. Ben too was feeling optimistic.
A monster from his past had welcomed him to his new home. A home his long lost little sister had made. And his brother... well, maybe his brother didn't hate him as much at it seemed at first.
Could he honestly ask for more? No, he knew. This was more and more like the second chance he has hoped to get.
And probably, Ben realized, this was just a common feeling among the young people and the children that walked the streets of TC. Everyone seemed to have a purpose. But it wasn't a burden, like the missions back in Manticore. It looked more as a freely chosen responsibility.
Alec and Joshua, like professional tour guides, showed him the main 'attractions' of TC. The buildings in better shape that they had chose to inhabit, the infirmary, the school for the younger X series, even a gym. Of course, some of them were nothing more than projects, but he was overwhelmed nonetheless. He had never seen 'squatters' more organized than the busy transgenics and transhumans that were trying hard to transform Terminal City into their place. Sure, it was a toxic dump with ruined, empty buildings. But... after having spent his childhood in one of the most modern, cleanest and technologically advanced facilities in the whole world probably, he could definitely see the attraction.
His presence wasn't unnoticed. Everyone knew Alec and Joshua apparently, and once they were spotted, people's eyes inevitably drifted to him. But the reaction was less than he expected, just mild surprise and little curiosity. A dark haired guy, Biggs, had teased Alec, affirming, hand on his heart to add drama, that he was very sorry he wasn't a 'unique creature, unlike any others' anymore... While the two of them went on with their easy banter, Joshua had explained to Ben how clones were common in TC these days.
"They not curious because you are a twin. They curious because you are Alec's".
Well, it seemed his brother was quite a personality. He must have got his share of charisma as well. Not that he minded. The centre of attention wasn't exactly his favourite spot...
"...and this is my favorite place, the kitchen", said Joshua, breaking his musings. "One big kitchen works better than lots of small kitchens. And the mess is over there, see? Joshua takes care of the food supplies. People is always happy when have food, and this makes Joshua happy too. Big fella gotta breeze now!"
Ben watched his new friend run towards his reign. Yeah, friend. How strange was that? A small, content smile graced Ben's lips, and he tilted his head up, letting the unusually bright Seattle sun bathing his face.
"Huh, Ben?" Alec called lightly, "Let's go now, HQ is right around the corn— Oh, shit! Joshua! I totally forget to tell him about the heist... I'll go after him. You can just turn left over there, HQ will be in front of you. Can't miss it... ugly, two-storybuilding, lots of people coming and going. Ask for Max, 'k?", and Alec took off, without waiting for an answer.
Ben arched his brow, and watched Alec running after Joshua for a second, before resuming his stroll. The smile was still in place, and his pace was unusually light and relaxed. He wasn't alone in hostile territory, was he? He could let his guard down for once, nothing bad was gonna happen.
Except maybe, being hit by a truck. Or, by a blurring, red-haired X-5 female that knocked the wind out of him as soon as he turned towards HQ. The girl in question held something in her arms that limited her reflexes, so Ben gripped her by the waist to steady her.
When the girl looked up meeting his eyes with a grateful expression on her impish face, Ben forgot anything he was going to say. When was the last time he had held a female body so close? He couldn't remember. Especially not now, when her soft body was pressed against his, and he was lost in grey eyes sparkling with mischief, that now looked at him with unconcealed amusement. An eyebrow shot up in a silent question, maybe because now she was perfectly balanced on her own feet, and he hadn't released her yet. But he was too sidetracked to notice, focused on the striking contrast made by her fiery red hair on her pale skin.
No, he couldn't remember.
Of course, he had spent hours holding Max the night before. But that was different. She didn't exactly count as a female, did she? Her smell surrounding him was comforting, and had lulled him in the first peaceful sleep since… the last time he had slept wrapped around his siblings. Nothing like this stranger's earthly, spiced and milky— milky??— scent, that stirred long forgotten sensations.
"Alec, are you still here?" the tone was amused, but... talk about a cold shower.
Ben suddenly let her go, and nervously cleared his voice. "Huh, listen, I'm not—", but the thing in her arms abruptly came to life, screaming like a banshee and effectively cutting off the rest of his sentence.
The girl instantly tried to coax the baby into silence, with sweet nonsense and light kisses on the alarming red face of the screamer, with no apparent result. It just kept shrieking, as trying to demonstrate, given the brief and rare pauses to breathe, that its little transgenic lungs were in perfect shape.
"Oh, please Eve, calm down, will ya baby? For your mommy's sake... I mean, you don't want a deaf mom, do you?" said mom pleaded, letting out a frustrated sigh.
Eve? So, it was a she. Ben chuckled, cuz that almost crimson now, wrinkled thingie that was successfully overpowering a full grown X-5 was as far as you can get from the ideal picture of a 'baby girl'.
He knew that was the wrong thing to do as soon as the sweet, young mummy set her not so sweet, grey eyes on him. Her glare made him back off a little, but when her angry look unexpectedly became sugary, he swallowed anxiously, unnerved by the danger that lurked under the bright, blinding smile.
"Alec..."
"No, listen, I'm not—"
"Please, don't say no. It's just for a moment, okay? I can't do anything when Eve's like this. And she can keep it up for hours. But she adores you. You keep her for a while, and I'll be back before you notice. Promise. Please?"
Her smile was blinding, indeed. So, when she threw the baby to him, without waiting for his answer, his arms lifted up to grab her instinctively.
Ben looked down at the bundle of joy that, momentarily distracted by her new position, had stopped screaming, and was looking back at him, with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. Could a baby so young actually glare? Ben wondered. She must have gotten the ability from her mom, together with those amazing grey eyes. Yeah, the mom that was running away right now.
"Wait!" Ben shouted, a slight panic in the voice. "I'm not—"
"Don't worry, Alec. I won't tell anybody what a perfect babysitter you made!" she shouted back, not bothering to stop.
"But I—"
"Thanks!" she yelled, with laughter in her voice. And then she was gone.
"Ouch," Ben murmured softly, his attention back on the creature in his arms. He briefly considered that he was handling her like she was a bomb, arms completely stretched onwards, hands under her minuscule armpits. Eve was hanging there, her rosy little legs dangling like she was a rag doll. But since she had resumed her preferred activity, she did resemble more an explosive device than a harmless doll.
Well, surely at Manticore they hadn't taught him how to defuse one of those. Ben sighed. Suddenly, hostile territory didn't sound that bad...
On her way back, Gem spotted Alec half seated on a pile of debris, Eve resting on the crook of his arm. She stopped dead in her tracks, not believing her enhanced eyes for the first time ever.
When she had literally run into Alec, half an hour before, he had looked a little off. But she badly needed someone to take care of her baby for a while, and even if Alec wasn't her first choice as a babysitter, she had no qualms leaving her with him.
Alec was absolutely trustworthy, of course. And his charm, that worked on every female on earth (with the only exception of Max, Gem mused grinning), didn't failed him with Eve either. He usually managed to make her stop crying, but much to her mother's dismay, he turned her into a bundle of hyperactive energy that drained Gem's strength at amazing speed. But now... Now he was quietly murmuring something to her, and Eve, wide awake, was completely enraptured with his tale. She couldn't understand the meaning of his words yet, but she could have fooled you on this. Her big eyes, wide open, were fixed on him, and her breathing pattern matched the rhythm of his story.
"What have you done to her?" Gem couldn't help asking, after she silently approached them. Her tone was low, cuz she didn't what to break the spell, but the surprise in her question was clear.
Ben turned to her abruptly. "What...? Nothing of course!"
"Well, she doesn't seem an energizer bunny high on drugs like every time you keep her for more than 3 minutes!" Gem exclaimed. "Whatever spell you used this time, it worked. Big time! You're officially the First Babysitter, Alec!"
"That's unlikely, since I'm not—"
"Oh yes, you are. Believe me, you're going to do this soon again. I swear on my sleepless nights!" Gem bent to pick up her still rapt little girl, then, on second thought, she bent again and kissed him soundly on the cheek.
For the second time that day, she run away from him, with a heartfelt "Thank you!" on her smiling lips.
Ben stood there, with a dazed look on his face. "I'm not... Alec", he whispered uselessly to her retreating back.
Alec was discussing with Joshua the food supplies they were planning on replenish with the next heist when Max entered the kitchen.
"Hey guys," she called, her tone somewhat subdued. Josh greeted her back, and he noted a silent communication between the two of them.
Then she turned towards him. "Alec, about Ben..."
"Huh?" Ben. Of course she would ask about him. Everything was about Ben now. Then he suddenly remembered. He had left him near to HQ. Well, it wasn't like he had abandoned a little child in the wild, was it? "What about him?" he asked with a hint of resentment in his voice.
Max didn't seem to notice. "Thank you," she murmured. Then she closed the distance between them, put a hand on his chest and stretched up to kiss him softly on the cheek.
Alec stood there, with a dazed look on his face. "You're... welcome?" he whispered uselessly to her retreating back.
TBC
AN/3: yep, Biggs. i know. but... i love the guy, and hated his death on the show.