Disclaimer - Please see earlier chapters

For those of you few who are still reading this, thank you for your patience - I have finally gotten around to getting up a new bit!

Still have really no idea what to do with Jo, but hey ho, no point on stalling the rest of it is there?

Aimee refused to go to sleep, sitting bolt upright every time she was put down in her cot, though she did keep rubbing her tired little eyes.

"I'm surprised you asked for her tonight," Max said, standing in the doorway of the little girl's bedroom.

Alec tried to put his daughter down to sleep, even though she was refusing to play ball. "We've let Clemente know that I'll be coming in tomorrow, so the cops aren't going to come knocking at the door tonight, and this place is secure."

Max turned to look at the small apartment's front door – she remembered when he'd gotten it and the windows reinforced even though it was in the heart of Terminal City. It had been the day after Molly had said yes to him having Aimee overnight. He wasn't going to risk anything where that little girl was concerned, even a full assault on the apartment.

She also remembered that first night when he'd called her and Joshua, nervous as hell, just wanting reassurance that he was doing the right thing. Not wanting to call Molly or Ellen, in case they thought he couldn't cope.

Max remembered how the three of them had sat in the room watching the baby sleep all night long. Alec trying to resist the urge to pick up his daughter any time she stirred or made a noise.

Max shook her head. "But if you were seizing as bad as Dean said, you need your rest."

"You saw her at the clinic; she wouldn't let me out her sight. Molly would never have gotten her to sleep tonight, and if you're worried about me seizing, it's not like I'm going to be alone tonight."

"When are they coming over?"

Alec shrugged, his back still to her.

"White isn't going to be happy when he works it out, that it didn't work because he kidnapped an ordinary."

"How is he going to know? That Henricksen guy was too interested in getting us out of the city to take DNA from him," Alec said, turning his head slightly, allowing him to look at her. "Carr said that he should be able to get a breakdown of what the toxin is from the blood sample he took from Dean, and we've even got the antidote to work with."

"Yeah, but making more of it will take time. In the meantime, we're all stuck drinking bottle water in case White dumps that crap in the water supply."

"So we get a move on, then."

She shook her head at him. "We don't have the cash for that right now."

Alec grinned. "About time we organized a little fundraiser, isn't it?"

"Not tonight we don't. We don't know what the long term effects are."

"One guinea pig, at your service." He turned back to look at the little girl.

Max came into the lilac room where the little girl stayed on her visits with her daddy, though the lilac could only be seen on the wall beside the door which presently had a large box and mattress leaning against it. The others were covered by the drawings and paintings he had put up from floor to ceiling, and the shelves of toys and books, some of which were for the little girl, but most were parenting manuals.

Max stood beside Alec at the cot as she looked over at the box, while Aimee finally decided that she was going to settle, the little girl seeming happier on seeing both Alec and Max standing over her cot.

"Are you ever going to put that together?" Max asked as Alec tucked Aimee in.

"I got time," Alec said, watching Aimee yawn

Max looked at him.

Alec scowled as he turned to Max. "She can still fit in her cot; the books say that she doesn't have to be in a bed yet."

"With the way you handle a screwdriver, she'll be in college by the time you put that grown-up bed together. You remember what you were like with the cot – Fixit had to throw you out of the room."

"Electronics I'm good with – woodwork I'm not, okay? Anyway, I still say those instructions weren't right – the English was completely different than the Japanese."

"Yeah, you were really following the instructions that day," Max said lightly, looking at the child. "You know she can't stay daddy's little girl forever."

Alec smiled down at his daughter as she finally lost her battle with sleep. "She'll always be my little girl."

As they went into the other room Max smiled, and even though he couldn't see it, he knew what she was doing.

"What?" he asked.

She turned to face him. "Nothing."

"Maxie?" he asked again.

"It's nothing."

"Right." Alec was getting agitated.

"It's you."

Alec looked down, brushing his clothes. "What? Is something on me?"

She shook her head. "It's just that, who would have thought it?"

Alec wasn't sure if he was being insulted or not.

"Who would have thought big bad Alec would have met his match in a little girl less than three feet tall."

Alec looked at her. "Are you saying I'm whipped?"

Max cocked her head to one side. "Not exactly."

"Then, what are you saying?" he asked, going to the refrigerator to get them both a drink.

"I never thought that it would be like this, especially seeing how Molly gave you an out."

"What, you thought I'd ditch them?" Alec was really hurt at that, how could she think that of him?

"No, it was, when she was born I knew you'd protect her, support her. But I wasn't sure you'd really let her in."

Alec looked down at the water bottle in his hand, not replying to Max's statement.

"Yet here you are, just back, and instead of you, Dix and Mole getting drunk, or you deciding to visit a couple of willing girls like you would have done before her, you're here," Max said, smiling. "I never thought I'd say it, but she's changed you; we all tried, and it took someone small and helpless to do it."

"So, I'm either a drunken man-whore or I'm completely under the thumb of someone who worships Barney the dinosaur?"

Max nodded, smiling, and Alec frowned. She threw a couch cushion at him. "I'm paying you a compliment, you idiot."

"Doesn't sound like it to me." He picked the cushion up and walked over to the couch. "She's mine, Max, really mine. I know the way I got her wasn't clean, and you didn't believe us when we told you how, but Aimee is the one thing I've got that has nothing to do with Manticore."

"Alec, I've always believed the both of you. I've been in heat too many times not to know when someone is telling the truth about losing control in that way."

Alec shook his head. "Yeah, but you're convinced someone was spraying something and we got dosed."

"It's possible, isn't it?" Max replied. "Alec, don't you ever listen to me? I'm saying you're a good father, even if you don't think you are. Any kid would be proud to have you as its dad, you dolt!"

Alec peered at her sideways. "Max are you propositioning me?"

"Oh yes, definitely," she said sarcastically, and he smiled. "Don't go getting ideas."

Alec smiled mischievously. "Me? Ideas?"

She threw another cushion in his direction, which he dodged. "And don't go missing again, jackass."

"Always with the ass, Max! You are obsessed."

"I'm being serious."

Alec stilled, hoping for a straight answer this time. "Why?"

"You know how important you are to this place; who else is supposed to keep up with all the deals you got going?"

Alec looked at the floor. "Oh, and there I was thinking I'd be missed."

"Of course we'd miss you."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "And you need me to keep the supplies rolling in."

"Alec, you always seem to have four or five deals on the go. I can never keep up," she replied.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying that you don't, then?"

"Maybe I want to concentrate on one at a time but don't think I should stand still waiting for that one sweet deal to come along."

She shrugged. "If you want it so much, you go out and take it."

"Maybe it's one of those deals that comes along once in a lifetime, and you can't rush it. Maybe its one of those deals that has a number of buyers interested, and you have got to tough it out, 'cause if I did anything else I'd blow it."

"So, you're saying that you'd give up all the other deals if that one deal came good, and you'd be satisfied with that?" she asked, and he gave a little nod. "What if that one deal was waiting to see what you're prepared to do?"

"You mean to sweeten the pot?" Alec asked, barely inches from her. "You saying that one deal is waiting for me to clear up all the others before we can work something out?"

She looked up at him. "What are we talking about?"

"I don't know." He stroked her cheek.

"I thought you weren't coming back this time." She closed her eyes. "I blamed Sam."

"I heard, and I would never do that to you."

A small smile formed on her face as he brushed her hair away from her neck. "You always say that."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

He starting drawing small circles with his thumb on the back of her neck; she took a breath and a small step closer to him, all the time his hand working her neck. She raised her head, causing him to stop.

"You sure, you really sure?" he asked, slightly hesitant.

She didn't say a word, instead looking into his hazel green eyes and giving him a little smile. He stroked her cheek again as she tilted her head back and over to the right. "Max, you know I want this, but I'm not going to push you into anything."

"You're not pushing. You never push, that's the problem," she said, baring her throat to him

"I know better than to push you into anything." He smiled, and combed his fingers though her hair. She was willing; it had taken the two of them so long to get to this point. He pulled her close, inhaling her scent. "You don't have to, you know that."

She nodded. "I know, but if you don't want to…"

He put a finger to her lips. "Max."

She looked at him before turning her head slightly to one side, exposing more of her throat to him.

He leant down…

"Hey idiot, you going to open this door or what?" Dean yelled as he banged on the Alec's front door.

"Come on, we got beer, pizza and some weird care package that Ellen made up. I swear she's tried to make cookies something; well I think they're cookies! Even got the dogboy with us," Dean called through the door.

Alec sighed, as did Max, and he pulled away from her. "I'd better go…"

"Yeah, I know." She held onto his hand for a few seconds.

"Come on, dude, if I got to lay low tonight, I'm not doing it in this hallway," Dean yelled again, there was a muffled thump and Alec was sure he could hear Dean swearing, Sam must have just hit him. Right now, Alec wanted to do more to Dean than that.

"About time!" Dean said as Alec opened the door, brushing past his host, closely followed by Sam and Joshua.

Max was leaning next to the couch, her hand rubbing her unmarked neck. She straightened. "You guys planning a good night?"

Dean finished putting the beer he had bought into the refrigerator. "Sure, since we're going to be stuck here for the night, we thought we'd take advantage. Guys' night-in: Dad's picking up Sketchy, Normal's swinging by, so's Mole and that Biggs guy, for a quiet night of beer, contemplation and poker. Hell, I think Logan's turning up, too."

"So, you have it all planned." Max said, looking over at Alec, a look that didn't fail to get noticed by Joshua.

She pushed away from the couch, all the while covering her neck. "I'll let you guys get on with it."

"Max?" Alec said, trying to think of something to say.

"Hey, you don't want me hanging around," she said, heading for the door. Alec went to follow, but Joshua put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

Alec looked at the floor as she closed the door.

"Sorry," Joshua said.

"It's okay," Alec said, and he heard a cry from the other room. "I'd better get that."

As Joshua watched Alec go, Dean took a mouthful of pizza. Sam turned to Joshua. "Did we interrupt something?"

Joshua looked at the two brothers and nodded.

Cindy handed Max a beer as she sat on a stool at 'Crash'.

"Don't, Boo, I've said it before: I don't want to hear it."

Max took a mouthful. "Thanks, OC."

"Seriously, Boo, sort it out or shut up about it. I love you, but all of you been going 'round in circles for too damn long for everybody's liking, and I'm sick of hearing about it."

Jo looked at Molly as they stood at the other end of the bar, watching the exchange. "What's going on?"

Molly shook her head. "You don't want to know!"

Ellen nodded as she got a pitcher for herself and her two daughters. "Welcome to the world's most stupid mess."

"Mom," Molly said.

Ellen scowled. "Don't you 'Mom' me, young lady. You're as big a part of this mess as the rest of them."

"I'm out of it. It's none of my business."

Ellen looked at her younger daughter, causing Jo to turn to Molly, who continued. "Look, the three of them are capable of sorting it out, it's not my fault they don't. If only two of them would sit down and talk, then they would get somewhere."

"Logan and Alec talk about this?" Ellen said, Jo finally working out what the others were talking about.

"Oh right, they won't, huh?"

Ellen shook her head. "Every time they get close to sorting it out, something gets in the way."

"It isn't always my fault," Molly protested. "She is capable of picking one of them."

"And I'm guessing, won't?" Jo asked. The other two looked at her. "Or is it she can't?"

"It's not like any of them are standing still either, they all try and get out there; it's that they keep coming back to this," Molly explained. "Max and Logan can't do the whole 'being together, but not' anymore, and both her and Alec are too stubborn to admit that they're willing to commit; especially as Logan is still in the background. I think it's getting to a point where Max would be willing to back out, if Alec and Logan decided to get together."

Ellen nodded. "Either one of those two would back down if the other one said he wanted him to, but they won't talk about it, because every time they try to, it comes back to Alec not liking the fact that Max or someone else helps out Logan now and then."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Yes, he passes me things he's heard about that can't be explained, and I pass him things that may have an explanation - and so what if I double check stuff for him? It's nothing dangerous, and I get paid for the stuff I research for him; I'm not going to be some sad case depending on her mom and dad or the father of her child to pay the bills."

"You know my thoughts," Ellen said.

"Mom, I'm not working here full-time. This bar is your thing, and Cindy's; I'll do an odd shift, but that's it," Molly said, standing her ground. "I'm a researcher, and I'm damn good at what I do! Why does it feel sometimes that Dad, Max and Logan are the only ones that see it?"

Jo sat there silently. Was this how her fights with her mother looked to the outside world?

"Molly!" Ellen said firmly. "I don't want you in any trouble, and as for Alec, he's just looking out for his daughter."

"Oh, so it's all right for him and Max to go out getting shot at by God knows who? Little Mole isn't going to be hurt enough if anything happens to him?" Molly asked. "Or her? Mom, you know fine well what Aimee thinks of Max."

"I know that," Ellen replied.

Jo exhaled. "Right, lot of baggage, then?"

Dean tried to get comfortable on Alec's battered old couch. Sam scowled at him from his spot on the floor.

"Look, I get it, you get the couch as I'm too tall to fit on that damn thing, but can you at least give me a couple of cushions?"

Dean threw the smallest one he could find at his brother, before turning his back on him. "There you go, don't say I don't give you anything."

Sam caught the cushion, throwing it back at Dean. "Right, that is it! You have been a total bitch since I saw you at the clinic. I'd say it was that stuff that they gave you, but it's just me you seem to in one of your moods with, so what the hell have I supposed to have done this time?"

Dean didn't say a word, causing Sam to throw a shoe at him.

"Will you cut that out; you'll wake the kid!" Dean said, spinning around as Sam's shoe clipped the top of the couch.

"Well, stop being a jerk."

"Bite me!"

"Oh, aren't we being adult about something!" Sam spat back.

Dean sat up. "You want to know? You really want to know?"

"Yeah, I want to know, ass-wipe."

"And you're saying I'm being childish?"

Sam sighed. "Right, what is going on? What have I done?"

"The blue lady, remember her?" Dean asked.

"Oh, that," Sam replied.

"Yeah, that Sam; Alec told me about him, so when the hell were you going to tell me?" Dean asked.

Sam shrugged. "I didn't know that I'd have to?"

"Oh, stupid me – you get a vision, you tell me – I thought we had a deal?"

"What deal? I'm not your personal tracking system, Dean!" Sam sighed. "And technically, they weren't visions, they were dreams."

Dean rubbed a palm over his face. "Okay, they were dreams, but you should have told me. You kept waking me up in the middle of the night screaming about this blue lady; you had me thinking it was some weird kink nightmare you were having."

"What did you want me to say – that I'm dreaming of you killing people?"

Dean pouted at his brother. "And you thought…?"

Sam sat up. "I don't know what the hell I thought – the one thing I didn't think was 'hey, I'm getting transmissions from the future about a little hobby one of your clones has picked up.' Hell, when Max told me, I didn't know what the hell to do; she said he was dead, anyway."

"So, you knew all about the nut job with my face, and you still kept your mouth shut."

"Keep your voice down, will you?" Sam said through gritted teeth. "Yeah, I didn't tell you. Hell, Dean, she told me that day we first went to the bar. Then we got dumped with Billy, Aimee, and the fact that Dad had been sick, and that they didn't want us to know."

"Right, I'll give you that, but you have had time – why not share?"

"Oh, let me see, I only got that he was dead and he liked pulling teeth. Dad didn't want to talk about it, said the guy was gone, Ellen was in the same mind, As for Max, well, she didn't really want to go into much more, apart from that place they came from broke him, and I'm guessing pushing her on this ain't going to do me any favors."

"What about me? What about him?" Dean asked, nodding in the direction of the other rooms.

"Well, you had just accused the guy of being a murderer, a rapist and being less than human. A wild stab in the dark Dean, but me bringing up the psycho twin wouldn't go down too well with either of you!"

Dean couldn't help but be angry; he turned his back on his brother again. "Fine, the next time I get dragged of the street, drugged, and then all most end up as somebody's personal lab rat, I'll think, 'Thanks Sam, for sparing my feelings.'"

Sam picked up his clothes and headed for the door. There was no point in staying there when he couldn't yell and get it out. Alec definitely wouldn't appreciate them waking up the kid.

As he closed the door of the apartment, he gently banged his head off the door out of frustration.

"Wondered how long it would take you."

Sam turned to see Mole, cigar butt in his mouth, standing at the end of the corridor.

"What?"

"Looked as if you were ready to go – took longer than I thought you would, kid."

"Thanks. I need five minutes, okay?" Sam said.

Mole nodded. "Got staying power, I'll give you that. I had you running screaming down main street a couple of days ago."

Sam smiled. "Am I that predictable?"

"How do I know?" Mole asked, he pointed to his face. "This don't mix too well with your kind. Ordinary or hunter; tends to make you jumpy. I leave people-dealing to those that like it."

"And there was me thinking you were the life and soul of the party," Sam said sarcastically. "And you know, technically I'm older than you."

Mole smirked. "How do you know – maybe I've been skulking around since before I was a twinkle in your John's eye; could be I moisturize, scales make it hard to tell."

Sam let out a laugh.

"Anyway, she's waiting outside," Mole said. "I'll look after these two."

"Who?" Sam was confused.

"Max. It ain't my problem that she don't sleep, personally I like it, but she don't even seem to do it for recreation. I'm even thinking about trying out this hibernation thing that some of my kind are trying out, if I actually trusted them to wake me up. Knowing princess, he'd think it funny to let me sleep in for a couple of extra months." Mole took the cigar butt out of his mouth and tapped the ash onto the floor. "As I said, she'll be outside waiting, so get your ass out there and she'll sort you out with a place for you to stay tonight, give you a break from everything."

Sam took a few steps down the hallway.

Mole turned. "Hey Sam, if she apologizes to you, get it writing, 'cause hell, we'd all like to see her get down of her high horse once in a while."

Sam opened the main door at the front of the apartment block to find Max standing by her bike.

"Need some space?" she asked, handing him a helmet as he walked over to join her.

"I don't know," Sam replied.

"From what I've heard, the other two have had their freak out – we were waiting for you."

"Where you all running a book?" Sam asked.

She didn't answer; instead, she smiled and got on her bike, waiting for him to get on behind her.

They pulled up at Molly's block, and Sam waited patiently as Max stowed her bike. "Thought Molly was staying at Mom and Dad's tonight?"

"She is – someone else lives here too. She should be able to put you up for the night; damn good listener if you need it."

Sam was curious. "Why are you doing this? Thought you weren't sure about us?"

She scratched her nose. "I wasn't, but as you said, if you three had been sent to hurt us then you would have disappeared when they got picked up."

"And this?" Sam asked, to which she shrugged as they walked up the stairwell.

"Everybody needs a break, and you been playing pressure-valve for the other two since you got here. Something you ain't used to doing, if what John says is true."

"Not really. Keeping the peace in my family tends to be Dean's job."

"How many alphas can you get in one family?" she asked rhetorically. Max turned to him. "Everyone else seems to trust you, and so do I – you handled Ben, didn't go running to the other two, kept quiet and I appreciate that."

"You killed him, didn't you?"

"You're the first person ever to work that out. Alec and your parents know I did, I told them." She looked at the floor. "Ben asked me to. He was my brother, and he asked me to."

Sam clenched his jaw, thinking how Dean had been asked to the same thing, if need be. "You stopped him. I suppose it was the best thing you could do for him." He paused. "Ben was your brother? I thought…?"

Max raised an eyebrow. "We don't think like you do. Ben was my brother; we were in the same unit. Just because we didn't share genes, doesn't mean Ben was anything less than that to me."

Sam was confused. "Right."

"This better be good, or someone better be dead!" came the yell from the other side of the door. OC was holding a frying pan, her hair all over the place, as she looked at the two of them through the crack in the door.

"Got a waif and stray, needs a place to hold till morning?" Max said, smiling.

Cindy didn't look amused. "It the wrong side of dawn, Boo!"

"Just for the night – promise; he needs a place to crash, away from everything."

"Right!" The door closed and Sam could hear her undoing the chain.

The door opened wide. "Come on, tall boy, you can get your freak on here for a couple, but sympathy is off 'til after the sun come up – Cindy ain't no vampire, and I don't function on less than six."

There was a noise; Dean stirred at the sound, his hand automatically reaching under his pillow. There was another rustle; the barely awake Dean moved his arm slightly, only to find a strong hand – a very strong hand – clamped around his wrist.

"If you have what I think you have under there, drop it," Alec said lightly.

"What?" Dean let go of his knife. He turned to find a little face staring at him, offering him a hairbrush and some clips.

"Hair?" Aimee asked.

"I don't think you want me to do that, kid," Dean said to the little girl.

Aimee peered at her uncle. He was on Daddy's couch, and the rule was whoever was on the couch did her hair, everybody knew that: Auntie Max, Uncle Biggs, even Uncle Dix, even though he didn't try to put bunches in anymore 'cause he always did them crooked.

She scrunched up her face as she looked at her Uncle determinedly. "Hair!"

"Right, I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Dean asked as he sat up, letting the little girl hand him the hair brush and other things before the two-year-old climbed onto the couch.

Dean smiled at the girl. "You know, this is a bad idea, kid. You sure you don't want to do something else?"

"She didn't want to sleep – decided to get up and see who was about. Count yourself lucky you're not on diaper duty," Alec said, before going over to the door and sticking his head out. "Food's up, and get that butt out of mouth before you come in here."

Mole closed the door as he came in, he headed over to the kitchen table, catching a glimpse of the little girl who had settled in Dean's lap.

Dean looked at the neat pile of blankets on the floor. "Where's Sam?"

"He needed some air," Mole said, answering Dean's question.

Alec snatched the cigar butt out of Mole's mouth. "What did I say?"

"It ain't lit!" Mole replied, turning his attention to his breakfast.

"So, where is he?" Dean asked, trying to work out how to use the hair accessories that the little girl was handing him.

"She pick him up okay?" Alec asked.

"You let her sit out there to wait, didn't you?" Mole asked Alec who didn't answer. "Why don't you two sort your shit out, man?"

"Max knew was she was welcome." Alec peered at him. "By the way, your name sake's listening, you know that."

"Why is that my problem?" Mole replied. "Moll's gonna blame you anyway."

"Great, by the time she's three, you'll have her talking like a sailor."

"Better that, than you living through another strip club fiasco," Mole replied, while Dean grew more harassed Aimee kept putting hair things in his hands.

"Operation 'Sketchy gets laid' was not my idea; I left her with him in good faith. How the hell was I supposed to know where they'd take her?" Alec said in his defence. "I was picking them up when Max and Moll got there."

Mole looked at Alec. "Right, and they didn't find Sketchy AND you in that dressing room, with half those girls cooing over the kid."

"Where is Sam?" Dean asked again as he caught his finger in a clip. He looked down at Aimee. "You know, kid, I remember your grandma doing this for your mom. Can't we call her to do this?"

Aimee shook her head, flashing her uncle a big grin.

Dean raised an eyebrow at her. "You're killing me here, you know that?"

Aimee didn't respond; Dean turned his attention back to the others. "If Max picked him up, where's Sam now?"

"He'll be at OC's probably. After the fight you two had last night, I don't blame him for needing some space," Alec replied.

Dean looked at the two transgenics. "We didn't have a fight."

"Yeah, right, and I'm gonna win Miss America this year," Mole replied.

"You never know, you could have enough frog in you to spontaneously change sex," Alec said to his friend.

For those of you who were wondering what I have been up to I thought I'd try and fill in the blanks of what happened to everyone else during the time Jo Sam and Dean disappeared (well John and Ellen really)

Okay I'm not good at pimping my own stuff - but if you are interested you can find out - story is called 'Burnin' in my Dreams'