A/N: Maybe you guys actually are reading my update stuff. Yay :) ...Rewriting after the computer crash was brutal, so thanks for your patience.


Castaway

Chapter 11: Don't Blink


Jaime was a little over a year old, and the distant horizon was no longer a constant mockery of Alec's seeming failure. Time had gentled the terror of the previous year; of being stuck on a boat, fighting his way back to his family. Sometimes he wondered if maybe he should have tried harder... Sometimes he would frown broodingly out at that distant haze, at the mysteries that it hid, but Max knew well enough to capture his attention whenever he did.

Not that Max wouldn't mind a good old fashioned rescue, some days. Like today, when it'd be kinda nice to have a babysitter so she could just spend a few moments relaxing, without having to worry about Jaime or her erstwhile mate.

"Alec, do not let Jaime play with that crab!"

"It's not going to hurt him, Max. Calm down."

The crab did little more than scuttle away whenever Jaime got too close, but Max kept her eyes on it just in case. Good thing, because Alec seemed to think that the crab's large, oversized pincer wasn't at all threatening. How could it be when the other was so puny? Max didn't agree with him and a small part of her wondered why he got to be the composed, relaxed one and she had drawn the straw for anal retentive.

The rest of her would never admit to being anal and internally called Alec a jerk. A loveable jerk. But a jerk.

The crab had finally had enough and was holding its ground before Jaime, pincers clicking together warningly. Before Max could spaz, Alec calmly picked up the creature that was no larger than an eighth of Jaime and threw it out to sea where it could live a long and fruitful life away from Max's wrath. Max's steps faltered before she even realized that she'd gotten up from her seated position a few yards away.

Alec arched an eyebrow at her. You were saying?

"I'm taking a shower." She muttered, blowing past him, scooping up Jaime as she went.

"Am I invited?"

"No."

Didn't matter. He invited himself, anyway. Told her she obviously needed help cleaning up her act…

It was a sore point between them, based upon Jaime's second word.

His first word was not 'boat.' Which is what both Max and Alec would have placed bets upon, had they any money. Boy really did love his Ba ba, and seemed content to keep calling it that, helped in no small part by Max and Alec who also called the boat by the name.

It wasn't mama or dada, although they both came crashing out of the boy's messy consonant babbling once or twice. The words were purely accidental, however, no matter how much Max or Alec jumped around, trying to get him to repeat it.

No, his first real and true world was…

"Monkey."

Which he loved to say.

A lot.

In reference to anything.

His compulsive repetition of the word had Max frowning in annoyance at her mate one day in late February.

"He is your son."

Alec snorted. "You sure? I'd only narrowed it down to me and one of the other millions of men on this island."

"Smart ass."

"Ass."

Two heads whipped around to stare at their child who was looking back at them in guileless innocence. Alec turned to look sharply at Max's red face.

"You corrupted my son!" He accused.

"ME!"

"You're the one that throws around 'ass' like it's going out of style!"

"Ass!"

"Jaime, don't say that!" Max shushed her son, before turning back to glare at her mate. "And I don't say it that often-"

"Often enough that our son picked up on it!"

Max knew she'd never live this down, so she pretended like it never happened, cuffing Alec for pointing out her mistake instead. Alec was content to let it slide until he realized-

"He thinks that's my name, you bitch!" He roared when Jaime repeated the directive, waving a hand at his father.

"At least he named you?" Max squeaked. Then polished her embarrassment with a snarky veneer. "Besides, it suites you. Better than Dick, I say."

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Please," She rolled her eyes, lifting Jaime, cradling him against her chest.

Alec paused, his disgusted sneer falling away. "Don't hide behind the baby." He scowled, "That's cheating."

Max grinned evilly. "I fight dirty."

Alec's annoyance disappeared, replaced with wry amusement in the face of her overused ramification. Man... good thing he loved her. "I'm aware. But don't think you're getting off that easily." He wagged a finger at her warningly. "I have other ways of making you pay."

Max snorted. "What? Gonna dig a pit and put a leopard in it? Wait for me to fall in? Set up an elaborate booby trap system?"

"If I told you how I'm going to make you pay, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun." He grinned, his wickedness a match for her own.

Max walked on eggshells for days, wondering when the hammer of retribution was going to descend upon her. It took her a week to realize that his idea of making her pay was to make her think he was planning something and laugh about her neurosis quietly to himself.

Oh. He was evil. Yes, he was.

Not that she didn't have her own brand of evil to contend with.

He ducked and the little giraffe went sailing over his head.

"Jeez, you're violent." He righted himself, his mouth twisting in amusement.

She glared at him. "I pulled that out of your son's mouth."

Alec rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Max, every other thing Jaime touches eventually winds up in his mouth."

"It could have broken and he could have choked on it," She insisted stubbornly.

"Max, it's a toy," Alec replied, exasperated.

"Could you try and care for one minute! Stop leaving your little figurines everywhere!"

"They're not figurines!" Alec insisted. "They're… smallish statues. And I make them for Jaime. The kid needs some kind of toy, Max."

She just glared coldly at him, even when his eyes widened and he moved past her to their thirteen month old.

"No, Jaime, spit that out!"

Max turned, ready to lash out in triumph. When she saw what Alec pulled from Jaime's mouth, the words died in her throat. He handed the wet shell to her.

"Think that's yours," He said.

"How is he even getting these off the shelf?" She questioned, pocketing the shell from her collection.

"That's what I've been saying!" Alec insisted.

In the end, the shell collection and the smallest figures (not figurines) were moved to the top shelf and no more blame was bandied about.

Especially once they realized how Jaime was getting his preferred choice of toys, 'toys' actually being a loose term for 'objects to stuff in mouth quickly before mommy and daddy notice and start jumping around like monkeys.'

"Psst. Max."

She stopped, shooting him an amused glance. "What?"

He waved her over. "C'mere."

She crossed the distance to Jaime's doorway, and Alec obligingly turned his larger mass so she could peek into the room.

"That little sneak!"

Jaime had hauled himself to his feet with an edge of the shelf and his little questing fingers were groping blindly about for something to get in to. Max's face twisted in a mixture of a grimace and amusement.

"How sturdy is that shelf?"

"Hasn't wobbled yet." He shrugged.

"Good, I'd never forgive you if one of your projects squished my kid."

Alec snorted, stepping in to the room, and Jaime turned round eyes on his father. Alec rolled his eyes, being well acquainted with the look, having used it so often himself. Who, me? I wasn't doing nothin'.

Alec gently pried the boy's hands from the edge of the shelf, lifted him by his arms and swung him around. Then took slow, mincing steps back to Max, hunched over, holding Jaime aloft by the arms as the boy frowned in concentration, taking wobbly, rocking steps with his father. Alec glanced up at Max, grinning goofily.

"Tellin' you; any day now he's gonna get it."

She didn't disagree, just sighed. "My kingdom for a camera." 'Course the gloopy reaction and the pride for her son was followed closely by the desire to launch herself at the man… Who knew that watching someone be all fatherly could be such a damn turn on?

His soft smile for Jaime was replaced by a roguish grin for her alone and he winked. Max had the sneaking suspicion that he although he never planned it, Alec was well aware of how his 'daddy' moments affected her.

Max's smile softened at the reminder of sex and Alec's lascivious grin fell into confusion. Max still remembered how he'd practically run away from her for months… and rather then make her angry, like it had back then, it filled her with a warm, almost gentle, affection. Who'da thought that out of the ripe grounds of sexual frustration, such telling proof of his care for her would sprout.

Course she could only look back on it all in fond remembrance because they were having sex again, otherwise it'd be a different story... Or… well… they were having sex as often as having a toddler would allow. Which wasn't much. But it was better than nothing.

In truth, some days it seemed more of a comfort thing than anything else…

Like one day in April. A day that had its roots in early March.

The warm March day had started out well enough, beginning with a striking red sunrise that was unmatched by any of the hundreds Max had seen in the last two and a half years. It had only gone downhill from there.

Jaime was downright cranky the entire morning. Max ended up taking his Ba ba away from him well before noon, because 'we do not hit.' That had only served to make the toddler more sullen. And she and Alec weren't much better. 'On edge' would be a good way to describe it.

Alec stormed away from her, after she'd snapped at him, and she watched in a mixture of annoyance and remorse as he kicked angrily at the sand, sending a spray of the golden mixture through the air. She kinda wished she had a Ba ba of her own so someone could take it away from her.

When Jaime's mood did not improve he was put down for a noon nap. If she'd been an Ordinary, turning around to find Alec's brooding presence so close would have unnerved her. As it was, her entire body had come alive when he'd stepped through the door, her senses awash in the song of Alec. The faint shift in the flooring as he'd stepped in. The slight scent of sunshine and trees that was all him. The soft sound of his breath, that not even the wind could mask from her ears.

To say that he was surprised when she closed the small distance between their mouths would be an understatement but not by much. After all, he got her out of her clothes before she had a chance to do much more than gethis shirt off. Alec had some kind of magic power of clothing divesting that Max had yet to truly understand. It could be that she got a bit pudding-kneed and jello-brained when he touched her, but she'd never admit to it.

But just when it was about to get interesting, he stopped, turning to frown at the doorway.

"What are you-"

He silenced her with a swift motion, listening intently. "Do you hear that?"

"Alec-"

"No, I'm serious, can you hear that?"

Looking at him questioningly, she paused to actually listen.

"The wind-" She started.

He scooped his shirt from the ground, pulling it over his head. Max followed him closely out the door and they stood on the porch, looking out to the sea. The wind was coming from the west, which was in and of itself strange for their island. But more than that…

Even from this distance the large cloud was ominous, grey and swirling, creeping up quickly from behind the curved edge of the horizon. Alec put a tight lid on his fear and glanced at Max.

"Get dressed. I'll get Jaime."

As Max hurried back to her clothes, Alec went to his son's room and lifted the boy, furs and all, into his arms. Jaime woke, protesting sleepily, but Alec shushed him gently, going back to the porch to stare mistrusting at the darkening beach. The sea was becoming more insistent with each surge against the shoreline. The wind was only getting stronger, and if that giant, roiling cloud was what he thought it was, it could only get worse. Max came out only half a moment later.

Alec and Max glanced at their home, once, well aware that when they returned it could be gone. Then, without a word, they left it behind, heading silently into the jungle.

The cloud was exactly what they thought it was. Max, Alec, and Jaime made it to the cave as the first heavy rain was dumped upon the island. The jungle fought valiantly against the hurricane (cyclone, Alec corrected mentally), but the wind howled through the trees, claiming the weakest among them, stripping even a few of the strongest of branches. They moved further back into the cave as the wind forced both debris and the waterfall's spray into their shelter.

They slumped against the rocky wall. Alec handed Jaime, wailing now, to Max. Max's arms wrapped around Jaime. Alec's arms wrapped around Max. And they waited out the storm.

The wind would die abruptly hours later. Alec stood stiffly, gesturing for Max to remain with Jaime while he went out to check the forecast.

He stepped out of the cave. Everything was deathly still, hauntingly silent. Nothing moved within the trees. He swung in a slow circle, took in the waterfall… the water was falling straight again, with no wind to divert its plummet. He glanced up and his breath caught at the brilliant swath of blue sky overhead... but nowhere else. They were in the eye of the storm.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he whirled around, ducking just in time to avoid the rotting log that the wind had picked up. It splintered on the rock face above him, its broken remains falling around him, showering him with wood and bark, and he flinched as fire flared across his temple.

And just like that, the storm had resumed.

He moved back into the cave before the wind could try and toss him about. He moved further in, away from the water's spray, touching a hand gently to his forehead, pulling it away to look at the blood that had seeped from the cut.

"Oh my god,"

"It's not as bad as it looks," He comforted his mate gently, sliding down the wall to sit again next to her. He wiped the blood from his eyebrow, sighing. "We were in the eye of the storm."

"I figured," She said softly, no bite in her voice.

"It's moving pretty quickly. The worst of it should be over in less than an hour." Alec let his head fall back against the stone, his eyes shutting gently. He felt tired all of a sudden. Old. Like the storm was draining something out of him, but he couldn't say what it was.

Could be the false sense of security he'd been holding onto these past few years. Sure, he'd considered the possibility of tropical storms… But he'd never really thought…

"You're not going to sleep are you?" Max's sharp voice only held a tinge of panic. His eyes snapped open. Like that fateful boat ride over two years ago, Max just didn't have the necessary brain chemistry to be able to sleep through the storm. And someone had to stay awake for Jaime. Alec wouldn't abandon her, mentally or otherwise, at a time like this.

"I'm not going anywhere," Alec said softly.

Max nodded grimly, stroking Jaime's back soothingly. His wails had long ago turned to hiccups which had turned to sniffles and then to snoring. To be a child, Max thought wistfully… To calmly sleep through the sudden upheaval of their home, their security, their lives…

The worst of the storm lasted well over an hour, but it wasn't until well into night that the last of the heavy rains and winds rolled over the island… But they couldn't bring themselves to leave the cave. If their home had been destroyed…

Better to deal with these things during the light of day.

The last thing Max remembered was Alec's arm settling around her shoulders, tucking her smaller form under his arm, pulling her in close. Her tumultuous thoughts had silenced after that and although her world was still reeling, something within her was soothed. All I need is…

"Max, wake up." Alec shook her shoulder gently.

You.

She blinked, clearing the fog of sleep from her mind and her eyes. She looked around the cave, almost in confusion. Her gaze finally settled on Alec, Jaime in his arms, and her expression became gentle. She smiled apologetically into Alec's red-rimmed, tired eyes. He shrugged, and then winced, because he'd kept his arm around her most of the night and his shoulder was groaning in protest.

"You ready?" He asked.

Max felt her throat close at his question, and the real question hidden within. Was she ready? Ready to face the destruction of their home, their sense of security, their frail belief that they were actually making it out here? How the fuck could anyone make it out here? How the hell had they deluded themselves into thinking that they were safe… Life was shaky as an autumn leaf on a good day… why had they ever thought they'd be spared the wind that'd send them tumbling down…

So, no, she wasn't ready. But what choice did she have?

Alec handed Jaime to her and her thoughts silenced at her son's troubled frown. She smiled at him gently, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. And she nodded.

They picked their way through the jungle. Only a few of the trees had succumbed, but branches and debris littered all their old, familiar paths. The made their way through the mess, their steps slow and dogged. Like they wanted to avoid the inevitable. Never make it to the beach. Never see what damage the storm had wrought.

Their hushed voices, their somber moods, threw Jaime off and the slightest thing could set his lower lip to quivering. Until they got to the beach and he pointed happily at the ground. "Ba ba!"

There was Jaime's boat, lying in the sand.

Of course the house was gone.

The orange tarp lay plastered against the treeline and the remains of the shelving and Jaime's bed littered the edge of the jungle. Splintered bamboo littered the beach, drying husks. Most of the wretched remains lay collapsed around six solid posts, still jutting defiantly from the ground. Far from bemoaning the loss of their home, Alec swallowed, wondering what would have happened if they hadn't had the cave to fall back on. And then pushed the grim thoughts away because they were too horrendous to even consider.

It took them a long moment to move towards the remains. Max paused, sliding Jaime to her hip so she could stoop and pick up a fur from the ground, one that'd been part of their bed. "My God, Alec…"

"We're fine," He interrupted gently, controlling his own reaction so he could soothe hers. "We're safe. That's all that's important…" His voice thickened and he fell silent.

She nodded after a moment, letting the fur drop, trying to control the biting tears threatening to spill. Jaime was still fixated upon his Ba ba, and was beginning to squirm. Alec's arm fell over her shoulder.

They couldn't cross the rest of the distance. Max went to the ground first. Alec sat next to her, and they stared at their broken home in a funk.

She finally let Jaime go. The boy frowned in concentration, rolling forward to push himself to his feet in that shaky way of a foal, before standing on wobbly legs, holding on to Max's shoulder for support. His face narrowed in interest and he took his first few rocking steps.

He collapsed next to a strange black contraption, its red blinking light fascinating him. He picked it up, turning to smile at his mother.

Far from the happiness most parents would feel at that moment, Max burst into tears. Alec's arms settled around her shaking shoulders and he rocked her gently.

"It'll be okay." She heard him whispering.

She couldn't speak. But even if she'd been able to, what would she say?

How could it ever be okay?

It took some time for their emotions to calm and when they had the sun was past its zenith. Why hadn't the earth stopped? Why was time still moving forward? She felt as if she'd blinked and the world had collapsed around her. Why wasn't reality reflecting that?

She turned her attention back to Alec who was still frowning from her suggestion. "No way in hell are we moving into the jungle. If another storm does hit, it's no safer in there than it is out here." He pointed at the cut on his forehead. "Believe me, this was almost a lot worse."

Her eyes flicked over the red line abover his eyebrow before she turned to look again at the debris strewn across the beach. "And when the next storm hits?"

"We'll rebuild. Again." He said matter-of-factly before staring thoughtfully at the ocean. "And we'll add a Jacuzzi."

She didn't have the strength it'd take to roll her eyes. But he was right. When it wasn't storming, the beach was far safer than the jungle, especially now that they had a toddler to worry about. The four-legged cats on the other side of the island generally steered clear of the two-legged's domain… Last time Alec had stumbled upon their territory, one of 'em had tried to take a bite out of his hide. She didn't know how they'd react if they felt their demesne was being encroached upon.

And when it was storming, well, neither the jungle nor the beach was safe.

For the first time in a long time, Max longed for Seattle.

Alec frowned, dirt running through his fingers. Max crouched next to him in the area that'd once held Jaime's room, took in the dirt held in his hand.

"Prognosis?" She asked.

He dropped the rest of the grit, wiping his hands together. "We were lazier with our room and Jaime's. Probably why their posts failed but the main room's remained standing. We're going to have to dig deeper this time." He glanced at her.

"So, do we rebuild here or what?"

"What choice do we have?" She asked.

None.

Unless they wanted to build a tree house or something.

"I said no, Alec."

"Cooome on."

She frowned at him. "You are such a spaz."

He smiled, all teeth, evidence that he'd only been trying to lighten her mood. Then he stood, offering a hand to help her up which, typically, she accepted despite the dirt dusting his fingers.

Jaime's second attempt at walking, that night as Alec laid bedding across the floor of the cave, was greeted with much more enthusiasm than his first.

It was still the rainy season, so it took longer to rebuild then they would have liked. They spent most nights in the cave and their days on the beach. Alec collected the materials once more while Max cleaned up the area. They salvaged what they could from the remains, which wasn't much, but every little bit helped. Rain or shine, Alec was out, scouring the river for plots of bamboo. Exorcising his demons, Max knew.

They did little to change the new home from the original design. The main room was rebuilt first. It took a few days for Max to get used to it when they first moved in. It didn't smell right. Still smelled faintly of the river that the bamboo had been harvested from and not at all like their home. She learned to ignore it, knowing that one day her family's scent would overtake the jungle's and their house would be a home once more.

They built their room next, making it a hair smaller than the original bedroom. The original room had been built to accommodate two bodies sleeping as far from each other as possible. That was no longer a reflection of who they were, so the extra space was unnecessary.

That extra space was incorporated into Jaime's room, instead. After all, they'd originally built their son's room in the grips of denial, thinking it would be for storage. The new room would be more reflective of a bedroom and less of a closet. In the interim, Jaime slept in Max and Alec's room, which neither minded in the least, both being slightly more clingy and paranoid after the storm.

By mid-April, the house was almost finished despite all the extra care they were putting into the construction. Not that they could ever storm-proof their house. Still, the extra posts, deep within the ground, the extra reinforcement of the walls and the floors… It wouldn't fall under pressure easily, either.

Tricks and treats, Max knew. The appearance of safety, maybe, but never the full reality. Still, it was nice to think that they were doing something productive.

It was all tricks and treats… Which is maybe why she went to him for comfort… She put Jaime down to his nap and walked back into the main room, watching Alec make cuts along a length of saltwater soaked bamboo.

"What are you doing?"

"Starting on a bed for Jaime," Alec grunted.

"Shouldn't we finish his room first?" Her hand glanced across the nape of his neck. She could hear Jaime's soft breathing in the other room.

He paused in what he was doing and looked up at her. Then glanced away, letting the knife and the thin bamboo drop to floor. He stood slowly, stretching lean muscles in that slow, lazy way reminiscent of a cat. He turned to her, fingering the dingy grey material of her shirt, no longer black. Max lifted her arms, and obligingly he pulled it from her body, tossing it to the miraculously intact table.

He paused slightly as her hand caressed his cheek, moved upwards to follow the thin pink line above his eyebrow. It was faint and would disappear in the coming weeks but for now it made her frown.

"I almost lost you, didn't I?"

His larger hand gripped her wrist, moved it back down and around his waist. "Not even close."

She smiled. "Don't lie to me. I can take the truth." When he continued staring somberly at her, her brows furrowed together. "Alec, what's wrong?"

He glanced away."I…" The words died in his throat as his brooding thoughts overtook his vocal cords. She leaned in to him, thinking maybe he'd be better be able to speak if he didn't have to look at her as well.

His voice rumbled through her cheek. "This island…" He sighed brokenly, his head hanging low so he could better bury his face in her hair. "Stupid. I'm so fucking stupid. All that shit I talked about tropical storms and how we aren't safe and I just… let myself forget where we really are."

"At least you thought about it in the first place." She whispered, her emotions rising up to roughen her voice. Stupid. But they were stupid together. And it's not like- "We can't control the weather, Alec."

"I know that… I just… I just want off this fucking island." His voice broke, his fingers dug into her hips and his pain washed over her, knotting her stomach.

"Me too."

And Max was amazed to find that she meant it. For now.

The wall, that wouldn't hold up to hundred mile per hour winds or the shattering of dreams, held up just fine against Max's back, against Alec's gentle thrusts.

It wasn't about sex. It wasn't about pleasure. It was about comfort. It was about a kiss pressed to her closed eyelids. It was about their foreheads resting against each other. It was about her small hands, caressing the black lines at the nape of his neck. It was about his face, burying into the crook of her neck. It was about the death of their security, picking up the pieces, and moving on together.

By the end of April, the house was finished. The tables and the shelves had been rebuilt. All the furs that'd been lost had been replaced. It was like they'd blinked and the destruction had disappeared. Even the haunting memory of that March day was being softened by the relentless march of time. And they had other things to distract them.

Jaime was now walking more often than an occasional few steps here and there… Well…walking is a bit strong. Wobbling in a general forward direction seems a bit more descriptive. And his newest accomplishment was enough to lull them once more… ease them of the pain the cyclone had brought. It was enough to distract them from the reality of their situation. And that reality was, that in less than three months, they'd have been here for three years and they'd probably be here until the day they died.

By May… they were both sighing in relief. Theoretically, the tropical storm season was drawing to an end… They wouldn't have to dredge up their paranoia for another five months. Assuming of course that storms would abide by the arbitrary seasonal dates that mankind had placed upon them. Still, they were sleeping a bit easier at night.

Max had yet to wean Jamie completely. Because of another type of storm she was afraid of… the hormonal kind that would wrack her body. Her heat. Alec told her he was fine with that, so long as she didn't breast-feed Jaime until he was six. That'd probably be pushing it. Max hadn't hit him for the comment, but she'd kinda wanted to. And from the way that Alec had grinned afterwards, he'd probably known it too.

As he was walking away, though, he'd stopped, leaned in close, murmured, "It's gonna happen sooner or later, baby."

"I vote later." Max insisted, stubborn.

He shrugged, moving away. Max sighed. She'd wean Jaime the moment they came up with a plan to avoid the evil Estrus bitch; to stop them from placing sex ahead of the welfare of the son. Alec kept insisting he'd be able to resist her when her heat restarted… but there were too many unanswered questions. How does mating affect heat? Would that dark need for vengeance that'd almost overtaken her last time… would that happen again if he refused her? Would he have to refuse her for the sake of their son? Would her dark reaction be greater? Less? Would it disrupt their bond? Too many questions, not a single answer, and Max would just prefer to breast-feed Jaime…

A sixteen month year old isn't much different from a fifteen month old… more words thrown around, sure, but other than that… Whatever was happening was all internal, so Max and Alec didn't get a front row seat like they had with his walking and what not. They were pleased that he'd finally associated his reflection with himself, that he continued adding to his vocabulary every day, that he seemed to understand more than what he was actually capable of saying. That he only called half the things he saw a monkey. The other half he called 'boat', and that was way better than 'ass' so life was good.

Life was fan-frickin-tastic the day that Jaime first said 'momma.' For most people, anyway.

"Could you at least pretend to be happy?" Max finally scowled at her husband.

"I'm thrilled." He replied dryly. "Took me weeks to break him of calling me 'ass', but he gets 'mommy' right away… Yup. Totally happy, right here."

"You're just jealous." She smirked, smugly.

"I'm not jealous, I'm disappointed." Alec replied. "I've been trying to teach him the word 'bitch' for ages. Guess 'momma' will just have to do."

Of course it was a joke, but Max didn't always appreciate Alec's wittiness. But that's okay because he thought he was hilarious. He laughed to himself long after the sting of her smack had faded.

It didn't take much longer for the date to creep up on them. July 2nd. That day of unhappy, wistful, disgusted, and pleased reckoning. They didn't talk about it. Didn't bring it up. The date brought with it a wash of confusion. Time had not completely restored their sense of security, but it had brought them back some joy. Happy to be here, alive, with each other, with their son, and yet aching to leave… the confusion was too much bear and it kept their mouths shut the entire day of their third year anniversary of landfall.

The next day experienced a slight blip in their careful avoidance of the subject.

It was close to midday. Jaime was sleeping. The rain outside had them stuck indoors, and rather than being edgy or caged, Max and Alec were enjoying a fabulously lazy day, curled knee to knee in bed.

The rumbling roll of thunder wasn't accompanied by fear so much as it was by lazy contentment.

"Man, it's better than one of those sleep machines." Max finally said, stretching slowly.

"Eh?"

"You know… plays sounds of nature to help you fall asleep? Like rain and thunder, or the waves, or birds in the trees."

"Ha," Alec laughed. "Birds in the trees? Let them come switch with us. Nothing relaxing about a bunch of toucans defining their territory." Then he paused and his fingers glided across her shoulder. "And how do you know about this anyway?"

Max made a face. "Old roommate. Lived with me before Cindy. She had no idea I was a transgenic… just thought I was an insomniac. She got me one of those noise machines a long time ago…" Max paused, her eyes gliding across his face as her expression turned thoughtful. "I wonder what Kendra woulda thought of you."

"As compared to the fabulous Logan Cale?" Alec rolled his eyes. There was no bitterness in his voice. But it was the best opportunity she'd had yet…

"Hey you." She scooted a bit closer until their noses were almost touching.

He opened his mouth, to make a smart ass remark about personal space or Logan or whatever, but Max beat him to it, pressing a soft kiss against his lower lip. As she drew away, his mouth fell shut and his gaze became gentle.

"There's a lot of things I'd do over if I could." She said softly. "But… Coming here… being with you… With or without tropical storms or whatever… that's not something I would ever change."

Alec couldn't find words after that. Kinda hard to when it felt like he had a bowling ball lodged in his windpipe. He finally cleared his throat, tried to lighten the mood. "Really? If I had a chance to do it all again, I'd tell you to hell with the cure, let's just go back to my place and get to know each other better."

Max shook her head, smiling. "That works too." Then she grinned. "But if we'd stayed in Seattle…" She didn't say that she'd have ended up with Logan, because she no longer completely believed that. Alec's eyes widened in startlement as she finished her sentence. "You'd have at least three more gunshot wounds…"

"Probably all on the same arm too," Alec covered his surprise with a scowl, glancing at his shoulder. "Why do the bad guys always aim for the shoulder?"

"Didn't want to hit the face," Max teased, knowing full well if she didn't say it, he would. "They were probably scared of messing up something so pretty."

His tongue caught in his teeth, his eyes crinkling in delight. "Ya know." He paused in pretend thoughtfulness before fixing her with a wide smile, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

"Last I checked, calling a guy pretty wasn't exactly a compliment. Handsome or rugged, maybe. But 'pretty' makes you sound all girly."

"Oh, Max…" He chuckled wryly. "The only girl I know capable of putting a compliment and a putdown into the same breath."

They fell into silence after that, their hands finding each other and clasping together.

"…Sooo… Can I braid your hair?"

"And you get offended when I call you girly."

"C'mon, Max, I'm bored."

"Not a chance."

5 minutes later.

"Don't pull so hard." Max grumped.

"I wouldn't have to if you'd stop squirming." He retaliated.

Squirming was also a good way to describe Jaime in early August.

"Hold still." Max frowned, trying to clean some more mud from his face. He pouted, trying to twist away from her.

"No," It was Jaime's favorite new word.

Max turned in exasperation to her husband, similarly streaked in mud. "This is your fault, you deal with it."

He grinned, the genetic perfection of his teeth standing out in stark contrast to the grimy handprint on his cheek. "We were just having some male bonding time."

"Well, now you can have some more while you clean him up."

Max handed Alec their son, going back to the water to clean herself up… Trying to wash Jaime had resulted in some tribal like handprints and muddy streaks of her own… She frowned at her reflection. Jaime's personality was taking on all sorts of new facets… Difficulty being one of them.

Not that Alec was any better. He put Jaime back down in the dirt. Painted another streak of mud against the delighted youngster's forehead.

At least Jaime's defiance was made up for by his care for his parents. Like when Max was done wiping the mud from her face and was headed back towards them to fuss at Alec when her bare foot caught the edge of a rock and she hobbled around in pain.

"Momma?" Jaime's eyes had widened as he'd looked at her. "Okay?"

She looked into those concerned eyes and the pain in her foot became secondary. "Momma's great."

"Up?" He lifted his arms, forecasting his desire.

And she'd just cleaned herself up, too.

"You look good in mud, anyway." Alec grinned.

In September, Alec's shirt was permanently sacrificed to Jaime. The boy swam in the baggy material, but it was better than letting him run around next to naked. And Alec could deal. The temperature rarely changed anyway, only dipping slightly during the dry summer months. Alec's body had long ago become accustomed to the weather anyway. But still, he squinted as he slipped his shirt over the boy's head.

"Is that a-"

"I told you he had your coloring."

"I don't think that's a freckle. I think its dirt."

"Just admit I was right. He looks like you."

"He looks like both of us." Alec retaliated. It was easy to see that when Jaime was older he'd have the straight aquiline nose of his father, and though his chin was still padded in baby fat, the bitingly perfect lines of his father's were hidden underneath. And of course, there was the hard-to-see freckles, also like Alec's. But Jaime also had Max's dark hair and wide eyes, though it was hard to tell because they were still the overly large eyes of a child.

And the eyes… the haunting eyes…

If there'd been a female population here, Alec was pretty sure Jaime would have cut a swath through it when he was older. But the thought brought a little bit of fear… that Alec and Max wouldn't always be here for him… and a little bit of sadness, too… because Jaime would never get the opportunity to find a wife, or hell even a few girlfriends. So Alec ignored the thought and finished pulling Jaime's arms through the baggy sleeves.

As soon as Jaime was released, he took off… and promptly tripped as his legs got caught up in the loose material.

Alec sighed. "Can't we just leave him in furs for a little while longer?"

"We'll figure out a way to make it work." Max picked up her son from his stunned spot upon the ground, placing him upright. She sat on her knees next to him, tried to straighten the shirt around his small frame.

Alec's arms folded across his chest. "I feel all exposed." He turned to stare at Max's incredulous expression. "What?"

"Please. You'd run around naked if I'd let you."

"That's not true." He lied. His eyes flicked across her face. "Besides, I don't like being ogled."

"Honey, you ain't got nothin' I haven't already seen." She let her eyes rake over him, the bunched muscles of his arms, the jeans hanging loose on his narrow hips.

"I feel objectified." Alec muttered, his arms tightening across his front as he hunched into himself.

"You like it." Max scoffed.

"Fine, but I get to objectify you next." He stopped to grin. "Preferably while you're naked."

Her mouth twisted in amusement. "Not while your son's awake."

Alec let his eyes wander over Max in an attempt to annoy her as she tried to tighten his shirt around their son. But as his eyes wandered, his mind did too, until he really was looking at her.

The changes to their bodies over the years had been a gradual thing… so one that Alec and Max didn't much consider when looking at each other. He pulled an image of the Max of Seattle to the forefront of his mind and placed it next to the vision of his Max in comparison. And he was startled to find there were some differences, despite how little he noticed on a day to day basis.

Her hair was longer, naturally. And a bit frizzier. (Don't tell Max, that, though.) And far from the darkness that she'd once lived in, the darkness that'd kept her hair similarly shaded, living in the sun had brightened her hair to a shade somewhere between black and brown, had kissed the strands with slight undertones of red. Max didn't much like it. Said it reminded her of Sam. Alec loved her hair. The Max of Seattle had been gloomy. His Max was warm, and he liked that her hair reflected that. His eyes wandered down her profile, took in her body as she was hunched over Jaime.

Max had always been… well… a twig with boobs was a harsh description that wouldn't have done her justice… yet it remained fairly accurate. But though Max had always been small, the ripped, faded, and fraying jeans that'd once been snug now hung a bit loose around her hips… Because there was very little on her that wasn't muscle. She still had the boobs, of course, slightly more so than she'd used to, even. (Helped in no small part by Jaime. Thanks pal, owe you one.) Alec cocked his head, took in the tightened muscles of her abdomen, swept down to look at her ass. The Max of Seattle, while by no means had ever had anything that hinted at 'fat', had also been a bit softer than the Max of the island…

Or at least, that's what he remembered of his infamous ass-grab incident of three years ago in comparison to any of the numerous counts of ass-grabs during the current period of time.

"Are you done objectifying me?" He was pulled from his thoughts to see that Max was watching him in amusement.

He smiled. "Not even close. I'm comparing you."

"To who?" She scowled, her face darkening.

"Yourself."

She paused, unsure of how to come back at that. Finally her gaze softened and she muttered in confusion, "Cryptic much?" right before she turned back to her son, brushing some of his dark hair from his forehead gently. Alec smiled at her. He liked both versions of Max of course, but no one could blame him for liking his Max, with her hard exterior and soft interior, a little bit more than the Max of Washington, who'd been just the opposite.

Time kept marching onward, paying the inhabitants of the island no heed. Max would often find herself wondering where her days went. It seemed like only yesterday, Jaime had been a newborn, completely dependant upon them… Now look at him…

Alec paused to catch his breath, leaning down, resting his hands against his thighs, head hanging low. He glanced up at her, his mouth twisting. "When did he learn how to run and how the hell do we get him to stop?"

"Language." Max scolded.

"My bad."

"Son." She reminded.

"Oh, right." Alec took off again, trying to catch up with his extremely mobile progeny before he did something like run into a tree. His unsteady gait may move him quickly across the small stretch of dirt between the trees and the sand, but the boy had yet to master the skill of stopping…

As impossible as it was, Max wished time would just freeze. Just stop. Stop marching onward. An eternity on this beach, in this moment, just her, and her mate, and her son, and carefree happiness. No worries about the future.

An impossible dream, but a wistful, lovely dream as well. As it was, she was doing her best to worry less about the future and enjoy each moment as it came… But Max was scared she'd blink and Jaime would suddenly be a teenager and she'd have no recollection of where the time had gone.

Max blinked and Jaime was two years old. She smiled in a mixture of melancholy and wistfulness at her son's confused expression.

"I pick?"

"Yup. It's your birthday. What do you want for dinner?"

Jaime blinked, as if he didn't grasp the concept. Which he didn't. "I pick?" Jaime didn't usually have a lot of say in what was for dinner. Max and Alec didn't tolerate his pickiness. He ate what they got him for dinner or he waited until breakfast. There wasn't enough variety here for them to adjust to his wildly swinging tastes.

And yesterday had been the last day Max would ever breast-feed him. Max, who knew very little about children outside of the scope of her own son, hadn't realized how large a two year old was. So her plans to keep it up until he was two and a half… Well, that wasn't just going to work. As it was, though he'd only occasionally breast-fed, stretching it this long had been ridiculously difficult.

But that meant, in four months-

Max shook away the thought, smiling at her son. "Monkey? Fish? What does Jaime want?"

Jaime's eyes narrowed, his little lips pressing together. Max's heart stopped. Dark hair or no, god he looked like his father.

"Bo-ff."

"Both?" Max corrected and questioned at the same time.

Jaime nodded. Max glanced at Alec. He shrugged. "You get the monkey, I'll take him with me to get the fish."

"Alec-"

"It's his birthday, Max. You know he likes when we take him in the ocean."

"Just-"

"Be careful, I know. I'm not gonna do anything to risk him, Max." There was only a tinge of exasperation to his voice. Max frowned. It's not that she didn't trust him, it's just that she worried; there was a lot out there that she and Alec had little control over.

When Max came back with the monkey, Alec and Jaime were already back from their swim and their catch was already smoking in the smoldering fire near their home. Alec was chasing Jaime through the surf, the water splashing up around them, glistening golden in the sunlight.

Another moment to try and keep forever.

Max blinked and it was March. It was warm. It was clear. It was warm.

Very warm.

Achingly warm.

"No," She whispered, shoving away from Alec's sleeping form. No. It was too soon. She'd only stopped breast-feeding two months ago. Should have taken longer. No. It was like last time. Strong. Too strong. Why was it so strong? Her face buried in her hands. No.

Alec shifted in response to her distress, waking slowly. He smiled softly at her, his hand reaching out to settle against her thigh.

Yeees. Then she blinked, and she shook her head, clearing some of the fog. No, she meant no. "I gotta go," She croaked.

"Go?" He asked in confusion, sitting up, unaware of the way in which Max's eyes followed the tightening of the muscles of his stomach. "It's still early- Oh." His eyes darkened a bit as he regained full lucidity. "Yeah," He finally said roughly.

Yup. Should really get-

"Oh god," As his nose followed the curve of her neck. "Alec," As he stopped to let his tongue press against that pulse point below her ear, tasting her, tasting the imperceptible hormones thick in the air. His hand trailed gently down the other side of her neck, his fingertips caressing her barcode, squeezing the curve of her neck possessively.

Which is maybe how she ended up in his lap, wriggling against him, pressing as close to him as humanly possible.

It'd take Alec a moment to remember that they were trying to avoid caving to Max's alternate persona. He pulled away from her mouth, but couldn't will his arms to unwrap from around her.

Luckily, there was one universal truth that saved them from going any farther.

Children are the most effective form of birth control there is.

"Momma, what's doing?"

Max sprang away from Alec. "Jaime!"

Jaime smiled at them both. "Momma, I's hungry."

Despite the way her body was pulsing, Momma Max kicked the shit out of Estrus Bitch and took over brain function. "You are hungry?"

"Yes," he nodded emphatically. "I are hungry."

"Grammar is hard," Alec just shrugged when she turned her eyes on him. But the darkness was burning behind his eyes, flaring in time with her body, so she looked away quickly.

She stood, offering her hand to her son, which he took. "Well, let's go see what we've got."

Jaime offered his other hand to his father. Alec pressed his teeth together in an attempt at a smile… "Gimme a minute, rockstar."

They'd spend the entire day dancing around each other, doing their best to avoid each other… and yet the cats that were trying to claw their way to the forefront couldn't avoid the hunger for touch, couldn't help teasing each other either. A quick caress across the small of her back as he moved past her. A hand that lingered just a moment too long after she'd asked him to go after Jaime.

Walking on eggshells wasn't at all comparable. Walking on a bed of nails teetering on the edge of a cliff was probably closer to how the atmosphere truly was.

She put Jaime to bed, turning to see Alec leaning in the doorway. Her insides clenched at his lazy, indolent look.

"I'll stay with Jaime tonight." She offered, her entire body screaming in protest. His face widened into a slow smile.

She was tearing at the button of his jeans moments later, her hands shaking in want. He barely had enough presence of mind to pull her away from Jaime's room before she could calm her hands enough to try and make a successful attempt. But before she could, Alec blinked, clearing his head, stilling her hands with his own.

He caught her eyes, gently asking, "Do you want me to go?"

"Go?" He knew the tinge of panic wasn't really her. Nor was the way she smiled predatorily at him afterwards. "Why would you go?"

"Max, seriously. You almost tried to have your way with me in the same room as your son."

She blanched. Then she frowned, shoving away her hunger for a moment. "We took care of Jaime all day without anything happening. We'll be fine, so long as one of us can stop it from getting too far."

"It'll only get worse from here, you know that."

"So we won't give in." She sniffed. The mistress of denial, as always.

Alec sighed. Which meant he couldn't give in. He was the most lucid of the two when she was in heat, so he should be the one to stay with Jaime. But he wouldn't even attempt to talk her into taking off into the jungle when she was only operating on half her circuits.

Well. This was going to be fun. The human and the animal, battling for dominance. The animal was telling him that the call to mate was the most important thing, the tomcat instinctually insisting that heeding the heat was above and beyond the need to protect any young. The human was disgusted by the animal and kept a tight control on the reins of his consciousness.

Alec hated Manticore. He wondered if the sick fucks had done this shit on purpose.

The second day was similar to the first, but Max spent more time taking showers. And more time trying to entice him as he withdrew from her teasing, glancing caresses. She pressed a hand to tired eyes as the water fell around her. She felt like a schizophrenic… She could feel the animal and the human warring within her. The animal recognized the need to protect her young, but couldn't escape the compulsive desire to mate. The human was disgusted by both the animal's lack of control and its ability to wrest control from her. So she was under the waterfall. Again. At least Alec had enough presence of mind to avoid her. Which she both blessed and cursed him for.

Cursed him for when he wouldn't come in that night, when the need had her at the point of tears.

"You're really going to sleep outside?" Her voice was thick with unhappiness and she knew it and she hated and she couldn't control it.

"The closed space... It makes it harder. I don't think I can..." He trailed off… Watching as she slumped.

How the fuck had he gotten across the beach?

"Max," He gasped as she reached for him.

Her hands trailed up his chest, clutched at his shoulders. "Make it go away, Alec. Just quick. It'll be quick. Just make it go-"

His mouth slanted over hers and he pulled her roughly to his body.

Despite the haze of heat, she could clearly remember every place he'd taken her. There on the porch, at first, face pressed into the wall furthest from the doorway. She struggled against him, against his precision, doing her best to shove backwards into him, even after he'd captured her hands and held them against the wall. She remembered almost crying in relief as her body had quaked, offering a slight release from the ache.

She remembered jumping him five minutes later as he'd been peering into Jaime's room, making sure the boy was still asleep. She remembered the way they'd crashed into the table when he'd been overcome, their hands grasping at flesh, barely registering as it collapsed beneath them. She remembered not even stopping to wonder if Jaime had woken up. She remembered how she'd kissed him and tasted blood, the last testament of his will, his teeth digging into the soft flesh of his cheek the only thing that was letting him hold out.

From there they stumbled into their own bedroom. They didn't get much sleep that night. They fell into a light doze close to morning, wrapped around each other. She'd wake before him, slide her too-tight skin against his, straddle him as he was still trying to dredge himself from sleep, grip his hair, devour his mouth as soon as his eyes were open. He let her take control for only a moment before the cat demanded dominance and he rolled them both.

A voice had Alec pausing, even as Max was clawing at his back.

"Daddy."

Their heads head snapped towards the doorway. To their son. "Jaime?" His eyes widened as he regained a bit of clarity. He threw a pelt over their naked forms and the movement made Max's eyes swing back to him. He watched the cat wrestle her for control.

"Daddy, I are hungry."

His eyes rolled back into his head, his arms trembling as Max reflexively shoved herself up, along his length. Guess the cat had won. "Stop that," He hissed at her. She blinked. Then frowned.

"I'm trying." She grit her teeth, slid back down, ignoring the way he groaned. She pulled away from him completely. Then stilled with a purr as his hand pressed her hips into the pelts beneath their skin.

"Jaime." Alec's voice was strangled. "Go get back in bed. I'll take you for breakfast soon."

"Daddy,"

"Now, Jaime."

Jaime frowned unhappily at his father before stomping back to his room.

"Quick." Alec said against her mouth as soon as he heard Jaime throw himself back into bed.

"Super quick." She promised, wriggling closer to him.

Afterwards, Alec left her dozing, curled in the furs.

Jaime, despite his reluctance to return to bed, was asleep once more. Alec woke the boy gently. Jaime pouted at being woken up, obviously having already forgotten that he was annoyed he'd been sent back to bed in the first place.

Alec fed him quickly, his mind half on his other half asleep in the other room. The distraction was brutal and Alec wanted the heat to just be over because his son deserved his full attention.

He'd wake Max gently an hour later. "Hey you."

She smiled at him. And though she wanted him, her body was a bit too tired to work up a good reaction. "Hey back." She still managed a grin full of dirty promises.

"Switch me."

She blinked. "What?"

"I'm exhausted." He pleaded. "Take Jaime out by the beach or the waterfall... just somewhere far away from me. We'll switch again in an hour." He left it unsaid he didn't think he could be near her today, because exhausted or not, part of him just wanted to stare, mooning, at her until he was able to get her underneath him once more.

Her limbs groaned in protest but she finally managed to shove her clothes on. Alec had fallen asleep almost as soon as he'd collapsed in bed.

They switched Jaime duty the rest of the day. And it worked for them, despite one or two close calls. A touch that turned to a caress that turned to a kiss and then almost to something more, if Jaime hadn't been there to pull them back to reality.

Still, now they knew. Jaime was enough to distract them from their DNA. And though a day later, when it was finally all over, when neither of them thought they'd be capable of having sex ever again and they'd be disgusted by how easily the cat had suppressed the human, it was still a welcome relief that they hadn't tuned the boy out, that they could still pull away even when the hormones were at their worst. The cats may have a won a few battles, but the humans had won the war.

And maybe some trannies would have argued with them. Said that the human and the cat and all the other animals were all integral parts of the whole. Shouldn't be about one trumping the other… well, Alec would've told him to fuck off, because nothing about heat was about combining humanity and the cat. It was about a struggle between two natures that shouldn't exist within one body.

They didn't talk about it for days afterwards. Didn't talk about how they hadn't cared about crashing into the table. Didn't speak about how it hadn't registered that Jaime could've woken up and walked in on them at any point. Didn't mention the way Alec had quaked while still within her, unmindful of the possible consequences. As achingly pleasurable as it'd been, they were still slightly disgusted by the whole matter and couldn't bear to bring it up.

The weeks brought no change in her scent, in her mood. The relief was overpowering. It was almost two months after her heat, in the beginning of May, before they were convinced she wasn't pregnant… But that also meant that in another two months, they'd be doing the whole thing over again. They tried not to think about it.

… And something else was terribly wrong.

Max was edgy. Tense. She didn't know why she was pacing. She didn't know why she'd escaped to the top of the waterfall. She didn't know why she kept staring out at the horizon in fear.

She'd assumed another storm was on its way.

She didn't know that it was life coming at her fast; throwing something wholly unexpected shockingly and suddenly into her lap.

Which is maybe why, when she saw the boat, she almost fell off the waterfall in surprise.

She scrambled down the slope, the rocks slicing at her palms as she slipped a bit halfway down and fell on her ass. She ignored the slices in her skin, picked herself up, and moved quickly down the rest of the way. She got to the bottom, moved through the rock wall. Stopped to stare at Alec, staring at the horizon.

"Alec," She whispered.

He turned to look at her, his eyes dark. He glanced past her, to the unlit firepit they'd rebuilt after the hurricane had destroyed it last year.

"Alec, please." He knew instantly what she was asking.

"Max," He croaked. "Don't ask this of me. Please. I just want what's best for us."

Her stomach was tied in knots. She couldn't explain her dread. She had no reason for the fear that'd haunted her since earlier in the week. But it was there and it chilled her heart.

"Alec, we can't go back. That's not our home anymore."

"I thought… I thought you wanted off. Please, Max, I can't… I can't…"

She crossed the distance to him and her arms wrapped around him tightly. "No. Please. Don't. I can't explain it… But-"

"Just ask, Max." His eyes begged her to not ask. "You know I'd do anything for you…"

She licked her lips. Looked at the ship moving slowly across the horizon. Looked back at the firepit behind her. "Please, Alec. Don't… Stay here with me. This is our home."

His hands cupped her cheeks. He turned her face upwards, stared into her eyes. He pressed a hard, broken kiss against her mouth. Then he pushed her away and stalked away from her.

"Alec-"

"I need some time." He whispered harshly.

The pyre remained unlit long after the boat had disappeared from view.

It'd take days for him to be able to speak to her again. And only because she'd finally turned on him. "You're your own person," She'd shouted. "You could have done whatever you wanted. But no, you passed the buck to me. Well don't blame me, pal. You didn't have to do like I asked."

"But why did you ask? What is about this place?" He shouted, his voice thick with frustration. "Why the hell do you want to stay here? After the storm last year and the heat… how could you still want to stay?"

She bit her tongue. Why did she want to stay? Because she was happy here, quite possibly the happiest she'd ever been. Because the dangers here still seemed slightly less than the dangers there. Because looking at the boat, her body had screamed of a dread that had no name, no cause. It'd screamed of death, and she had no idea why.

There was no answer she could give him to make him understand. So she remained silent. Long after he'd stormed back into their home, she remained silent.

The boat never came back. So maybe her fear had been unfounded. Maybe her instincts had been totally and completely wrong and it hadn't been the outside world searching for a way to draw them back in. Just a random ship, cruising by…

Her instincts had been right. The noise drew her from her home two days later.

It was a sound both hauntingly familiar and distinctly alien. Her head cocked to the side and her eidetic memory supplied her with the information only moments before Jamie pointed in wonder.

"Boat! Boat!" Jaime called most things he didn't know by the word.

"No, Jamie." Max's eyes followed the craft as she breathlessly corrected her son. "That's a plane."

"Pwane." The boy rolled the word around his mouth.

It wasn't a plane. Not really. But Max didn't know if Jaime's little mouth was ready to tackle 'helicopter.'

Alec crashed into the clearing, breathing heavily. His eyes found hers immediately, and despite their strained silence of the last few days, they connected quickly on another sort of level. The boat must not have been a coincidence. Someone was looking in this area for a reason. Maybe it had something to do with them. Maybe it didn't.

But if it did…

If they fled and those choppers was carrying friendlies, little damage would be done. If they stayed only to find White's men on board… Better to get a head start when playing hide-and-pounce.

"Cave?"

"Jungle."

He nodded briskly. Neither of them wanted to be cornered in the cave. At least in the jungle they could keep moving, keep evading.

Alec calmed his breathing, turning a wide smile on his son. "Hey little man! Wanna go in the jungle?"

"No." He wanted to stay here and look at the pwane.

"Figures." Alec rolled his eyes. "Just like your mother. Never want to go anywhere."

Max frowned. "Is this really the time for that?"

Alec shrugged, picking up his son despite his protests. They finally silenced him by grabbing the boy's boat and taking it with them into the trees.

Max spared one last glance at their home. She almost wished they'd taken Alec's suggestions all those years ago… Their home would be easily visible to whoever was in those copters. And friendly or enemy, Max wasn't entirely sure she wanted-

"Max," Alec was waiting for her at the tree line. She nodded, turning her back on her home, crossing the distance to her mate. His hand found hers and they slipped into the trees.

They stopped and listened as one of the choppers swept overhead fifteen minutes later… probably on a sweep of the island. The other must have landed on the beach. But just as they could not see the helicopter through the thick canopy above, no one from above would be able to see them either.

They'd hear the search parties begin their sweeps a half hour later, when both crafts were finally on the ground, the air search turning up nothing. They stayed well clear of the parties, usually groups of two. They wanted to wait until they could corner somebody alone and check his status; friend or foe.

They'd get the chance around midday, when one of the trackers stumbled into the area that they were currently in. Whoever it was had ditched their partner back at the river, seemingly annoyed.

"Climb," Max hissed when she realized their tracker was less than two hundred yards away.

"What?" He whispered back.

"No one ever looks up." She countered. He rolled his eyes, but took Jamie from her anyway.

"Hold on tight, champ." The boy held on to his father's front and Alec did his best to scramble up the tree without scraping his son against the rough bark. Max followed soon after. And then they played the waiting game.

"What if it's the good guys? Hiding from them seems kind of counter productive." Alec said out of the side of his mouth.

"Shut up," She hissed back. "It could just as easily be White and you know it."

He fell silent. Minutes passed. And then it came, a faint rustle to the west. Whoever it was had finally caught on that they were in the area and was waiting for them to reveal themselves. Alright, draw 'em to their position and ambush the ambusher.

"Whoever it is, they suck at tracking," Argue with me, we'll flush them out.

"Oh come on, Alec." Be careful, as he stepped lightly on the braches, crossing carefully to a close neighbor.

"I'm just saying." A roll of the eyes, I'm fine.

"Oh, and you would have found us by now."

"Well, yeah." Alec caught a glimpse of his target as he followed their soft, echoing voices.

"Maybe they don't have experience in the jungle."

"Then Mr. Tracker is not Manticore." Adult, male, no barcode.

"You do realize that we've become pretty good at the stealth thing, right? Is it so hard to believe we could have hidden from another X-series that easily?" Could still be an X. Don't hurt 'em too bad.

"So now you're arguing that it's the good guys? Come on, Max, make up your mind."

"Sometimes I hate you."

"Fair enough."

Alec dropped from the tree, right into the path of their tracker. The man's eyes widened in surprise and all the air rushed from his body as Alec's powerful shoulder rammed him into a trunk. Before he had a chance to retaliate, Alec had him pinned.

Alec held him against the tree, snarling into the man's face. "Who the fuck are you?"

"Extraction… team…" The man wheezed, unable to speak much around Alec's forearm at his throat.

"Yeah, sure, but who's side are you on?" Alec growled.

"Hurts…" The man gasped, his air supply diminishing. Guess that was his way of saying he wasn't part of the Cult… but White had humans working for him as well, so that didn't mean shit to Alec.

Seemed like all of his worst fears come to life when another person charged from the trees, hitting him in the side with a jolt of electricity that made his teeth snap together.

Max bit her lip to control the shriek of rage as Alec slid bonelessly to the ground.

Get Jaime to safety… And then…

Make them pay.


End Chapter 11