A/N: Good news: I finally caved and bought The Sims: Castaway… which is actually the namesake of this fic. :X … What can I say, it was being advertised the same time I first started writing… Hee. Must go make little Max and Alec and get with the WooHoo-ing… Bwahahaha. Now… someone go fetch me my happy dances! Well… try and happy dance. This is another SUPAH long one, so you very well might not have any brains left to jiggle your legs by the time this is over. Seems like the longer I take to post, the longer these chapters get. Case and point: one month and 46 pages. Yup. Chapters 12 and 13 were originally only one chapter. Even I'm not that evil: I don't think even the most die-hard Castaway fanatics could have sat through 20,000 words in one chappie.


Castaway

Chapter 12: Inside Out, Outside In


Max crept along the length of the branch, away from the enemy.

She dropped to the ground, silently, moving into the trees just as Alec was making a weak grab at the punk who had tazed him, his eyes burning in hatred and rage. The stick hit him again in the ribs, sending tremors of sharp, fiery pain through his body, the crackle of electricity like a thousand molten knives, jabbing into his muscles. The tazer would be ripped away only a few blessed moments later, and Alec slumped, angry and unwilling, into the dark void of unconsciousness.

"You idiot!" The sandy-haired man ripped the tazer away from 494's ribs and his younger partner's grasp. "He's not feral!"

The man could have glanced apologetically at the transgenic on the ground, but 494 was so completely still he had to make do with glowering at the punk X-6 that'd been forced upon him as his teammate.

526 had never liked kids. Not even when he was a kid. He'd spent much of his freedom avoiding kids. And there was nothing quite so annoying, in 526's mind, as teenagers; kids that thought they were adults. He'd thought, when he'd ditched his younger partner back at the river, that the day would finally start lookin' up. But nooo. Now he was once again stuck with a loud ball of energy that thought he knew everything about everything and to top it off, now he'd have to radio "mission control" (only slightly less annoying than teenagers) and tell him they had all 6 feet worth of 494 accounted for, but sorry, he happens to be a little, teeny, tiny bit unconscious right now.

526's expression became even more annoyed, if that was possible.

The red-head glanced away from the older transgenic's glower, his skin blanching under light freckles as he glanced at 494, remembering the crazed rage burning in the unconscious man's eyes… Not feral? The kid kinda wished he still had the tazer 'cuz he had a feeling if 494 could move, he'd be in deep shit. "But… he was attacking you…"

"He was also talking in complete sentences." The older man clicked the device off, stuck it into a cargo pocket at the side of his pant leg, far from the hands of jumpy teenagers who should have been left at home. 526 grunted in annoyance. "Fuck. I told Cale only people they knew should be part of the search parties…" He trailed off, righting himself so he could stare hard at the canopy above. "Now... where did the other one go?"

"452?"

526 snorted. "No, the orangutan he was chilling with." The teen bristled at the condescension, but the older man ignored him, still peering hard into the foliage. "Of course, 452. Now… Where is she? They were talking," The older man rubbed at his raw throat in annoyed realization. "Luring me to them. She should still be here somewhere."

She was less than a hundred yards away. Years on the island had given her stealth above and beyond that of the city-dwellers in the clearing nearby. She sat Jaime on a log. All the big cats kept to the other side of the island, the hilly terrain suited them better. Here was too close to the beach… too close to the larger, more dangerous cats that lived on the beach. The two-leggeds and the four-leggeds had an unspoken agreement to steer clear of each other's territory… Which was the only reason Max was even considering leaving Jaime alone for a moment. She'd be quick. Real quick.

Two snaps and she'd have her mate back.

"So, you count as hiiiigh as you can, and you don't move, you hear me?" Max fixed her son with a stern expression. Jaime was immune, his eyes widening.

"Mama, youse leavin'?"

"Mommy has to go get daddy, pumpkin."

"Daddy sleeping?"

Max's wide, fake smile strained her face, made her cheeks hurt, made her heart hurt. "Yup. Sleeping good."

"I come with?"

"No, Jaime." She said sternly. "You count like I told you and when we come back, you tell me how far you got, okay? If you do real good, daddy will take you swimming."

"In da ocean?!"

"Exactly."

Jaime scrunched his eyes tightly shut and started counting. Swimming in the ocean was a rare treat only occasionally afforded to him, and he wasn't gonna screw this up. Max kissed her son on the forehead. I'll be quick, she told herself again, unhappily. What else could she do? She couldn't lose her mate and she wouldn't carry her son into danger…

She moved silently back to the clearing, glancing back once or twice (or, y'know, every other step) to make sure her son was still struggling through his numbers. He was.

She crept up in time to see the older man nudging Alec's prone body with his boot. "It should be wearing off in a minute." He was taller than her, but shorter than Alec, thin and almost entirely composed of lean muscle. Max took in his tan cargo pants, dark boots, brown, fitted top. Military. Totally. Then the man opened his mouth again, chuckling wryly, and her heart froze. "Shit, you're either gonna have to take off running or we're going to have to shoot him."

"Over my dead body."

Max believed in giving people a fighting chance. Which is why she'd given them a heads up. Y'know. Before she inevitably kicked their asses. Their heads snapped towards her growl as she stepped (prowled, whatever) into the dappled light of the clearing. But Max's feet faltered as she took in the man's partner. He was just a kid; a young teen. Did that mean they were transg-

"452," The older man began.

Max's face became bland. "Ooh, sorry, wrong answer."

"Was there a question?" The red-headed adolescent asked in confusion.

Max grinned, her eyes squinting, her teeth baring. It was an unpleasant expression. "Yup, pop quiz. You two just failed."

"Max," The blonde amended smoothly.

"Too late." Really, her smile could have matched her sweet voice. Maybe. If there hadn't be quite so much tooth involved.


Jaime was still struggling through the twenties, actually doing quite well for his age, when a rustle from behind made him pause. He frowned, his little eyes taking in the trees around him with seriousness beyond his mere 28 months. Then he realized he'd lost count and he'd have to start over. He glowered and pouted and frowned at nothing in particular and promptly started over, visions of crabs and fishies and eels swimming through his mind.

He hadn't gotten far when another noise made him stop, look over his shoulder, and look up and up and up at the NotDaddy staring down at him. Jaime's eyes widened in fear.


The teen puffed out his thin, stronger than it appears, chest in pride. "We've got orders from-"

"Oooh, don't tell me." Max looked bored, and the red-head deflated a bit at the interruption. "The Tooth Fairy? Sandeman, maybe? Or maybe someone snaky, serpentine, and smelly?" Her bored grimace/smile turned into a narrow-eyed frown and she tossed her hair over her shoulder, feet planting firmly, body tensing in readiness. "Let's get one thing straight, kid. You could be taking orders from Santa Clause and it still wouldn't save you from the beat down you're about to get."

The redhead leaned in close to his older partner, muttering out of the side of his mouth. "I thought they said 494 was the snarky one."

"We all are," The other X frowned back, before starting forward, his hands help up entreatingly. "Listen, Max-"

Jaime ran shrieking right into the clearing. Everybody paused to stare at the boy in dumbfounded shock, bordering on the comical, before Max's head snapped up and she looked hard between the two men, still looking at her son, the older one's face fixed in horrified shock and disgust (like, could this day get any worse?). She made a split second decision.

The lesser threat, the teenager, went down first, a well aimed blow across the side of his face causing him to lose consciousness. Her arms came in tight, defensive, ready for an attack, as she spun towards the other man.

But she'd fall absolutely still, face twisting in rage, when she saw the tazer positioned above her mate's heart.

"It's on full, and this thing's settings aren't exactly legal." The man warned, lean muscles tensed, short, slim fingers clenched around the tazer in readiness. "Just give me a second to explain and I'll back off."

"Explain?!" She snarled, ushering Jaime behind her legs, squeezing his shoulder lightly in an attempt to calm his hysterical sobbing "You herd us through the jungle, you attack my husband, you threaten his life, and now you want to explain?!"

The man slowly pulled the tazer away. "Just give me a-"

He didn't get a chance to finish, because that was exactly the opportunity that Alec had been waiting for.

Alec's arm shot out, grabbed the man by the leg, pulled him to the ground. The man, recognizing that his life depended on getting a word in edgewise (after all, he didn't have a family to protect, they'd fight harder because they had more to lose) attempted to kick Alec away, to give himself breathing room… But Alec was back on him in an instant and it was all he could to try and block the larger transgenic's powerful blows. What the fuck? Hadn't this guy just been tazed?

"Fuck! Stop!" He shouted between blows, swinging up his arms to protect his face, "I'm a transgenic!"

Max heard that the same time she heard a radio crackle to life behind her, "Alpha Team, this is Bravo. We're pulling back; one of the X-6's had a run in with a panther," and the short static blast was followed by a familiar, so familiar, oh my god, it couldn't be, dismayed voice behind her.

"Everything is… fubar…"

Max turned slowly to stare in shock at the tall transhuman, walkie clenched in hand, sharp, yellowed nails digging unhappily into the heavy, dark plastic.

"J… Joshua?"

Alec, who'd managed to wrap one hand around the man's throat, and had the other raised in a fist above his head, ready to descend, paused, and turned to look at Max… at the tall, familiar man behind her.

"Hey… little fella." Joshua smiled entreatingly, blue eyes, the same eyes she remembered, warming slightly, hopefully.

Alec grunted, dropping to the ground as he was hit in the ribs by electricity. Again.

"Stop!" Joshua cried, starting forward. "Not feral! Max and Alec are fine!"

"I know," The blonde man said grimly, picking himself up off the ground. So the move had been a little vindictive, who cares? At least he'd used the lowest setting on the tazer. Besides, he was the one who'd have trouble breathing tomorrow. The X-5 rubbed at his sore chest, wincing as he hit the spots in which bruises would undoubtedly develop. Well… shit. At least he hadn't been punched in the face too many times.

Max's fist cracking across his jaw would fix that.

"What is it with you people?!" He shouted, looking back at her as he rubbed at the pained joint. "What was that for?"

Alec sat up slowly, clutching his rubs, as Max sniffed in annoyance. "What the fuck do you think it was for?"

"Language," Alec reminded with a wince, his voice still low in pain as he almost fell backwards.

"Worth it." She hissed back, crouching next to him, helping him to sit all the way up before she started prodding gently at his ribs. He scowled at her as she touched upon a sore spot but she ignored him, continuing her thorough assessment of damages, momentarily forgetting about their 'company' in the face of something more pressing; the welfare of her family.

Joshua had paused a few steps away, and was looking back and forth between them in puzzlement, glancing a few times at Jaime… Cat… Cat in the cocktail. Two cats. Alec and Max. And even though Joshua's nose had never steered him wrong before, his face furrowed in dismay and confusion…

"Not… not the plan."

The three conscious adults turned to look at him. The teen was still motionless upon the ground. Jaime was still huddling against his mother's crouched form, peeking shyly at the strangers.

"Max and Logan… find the cure?" Joshua asked, slipping the radio back into his heavy-duty army jacket, so he could make that little punching, arm motion that made Alec want to be sick. "Gettin' busy?"

Alec scowled, pulling away from Max and pushing himself to his feet, "Hey, now-"

But Max would interrupt him, standing slowly. "Plans change, big fella."

"Wait… that's your kid?" The other man's narrow face broke into a wide grin. "Shit, I thought you guys just… dunno, rescued a baby or something. The way everyone talks about the way that you fight…"

Alec looked back as the blonde leaned down, taking gasping, pained breaths between laughs, clutching at his ribs. "Oh, man! Cale's going to shit a brick!" Max froze at the name as the X glanced up and caught Alec's eyes.

The men bonded on an instantaneous level in the face of a common enemy. "What's your name, man?" Alec asked.

"Designation is 526. But I go by Jake." Jake nudged the long-limbed, gawky, still unconscious teenager, with his boot. Damn. 452's fist was like a brick, he thought in a mixture of glee, because his partner was finally quiet, and annoyance, because his jaw hurt like a bitch. "This little shit goes by Zasz." Jake supplied helpfully.

"Would you mind toning down the language?" Max asked blandly, covering her discomfort easily.

Jake grimaced, shifting unhappily, vibrant green eyes darting towards Jaime. "Yeah, sure. Sorry."

"Trust me," Alec grinned. "She has no room to talk."

Everyone just kinda stared at each other for a moment and the ill-lit clearing descended into uncertain silence…

Then Joshua had crossed the clearing and lifted Max into a hug and she was trying so hard to fight back tears and Alec was looking a little awkward right before he got swept up into a bear hug too. Joshua released him, grinning wildly, and Alec lifted Jaime into his arms, looking between his son and the taller transhuman.

"Jaime, this is Joshua."

Joshua smiled at the boy, showing large canines, and Jaime hid his face in his father's neck. Joshua's smile fell slowly, a small whine escaping the back of his throat.

"Joshua-" Max started.

"It's okay, Max," Joshua looked down. "People-"

"It's not that you're different, Big Fella." Max said gently, her arm glancing across the tall man's sleeve before she pulled away in discomfort. "Jaime's… he's never seen anybody other than us." Then she turned to look at her son. "Jaime, you know Joshua… We've told you 'bout him before, remember?"

Jaime peered again at the tall NotDaddy. He gave 'the Joshua' a small, shy smile before burying his head back into his father's hair, breathing in the scent that he knew and could trust.

"He's just shy," Alec shrugged, shifting the boy in his arms. Then glanced at Max. "No idea where he gets it from."

"Don't be stupid," Max scoffed, getting sucked back into their own little world. "These are the first people he's ever met."

"Well, at least they were right about the fighting part," Jake muttered, stifling his annoyance as Zasz sat up with a groan, rubbing at the bruise developing on his temple. Jake pretended interest in the trees and the dirt and the, oh, gross, bugs, for as long as he could before Bravo Team's helicopter sweeping overhead, headed back towards the east, gave him an excuse to lose patience.

"Hate to break up the reunion," Jake interrupted the cheery scene of Alec tryin' to get Jaime to speak to Josh, gesturing with a thumb at Zasz, still a bit bleary-eyed, "But now that Sleeping Beauty is awake, we should probably head back to the beach. There's a chopper waiting there to get us off this tropical hell hole."

Jake pretended not to notice the way the other two transgenics stiffened and then made themselves relax, but Joshua frowned. And then Jake remembered he still hadn't radioed 'mission control.' Heh. Letting Cale stew in his juices, from his spot of safety over 600 miles away, wouldn't hurt anyone.

The walk back to the beach was torturous, laborious. Part of Max wanted to pepper Josh with a thousand questions; how was everyone, what had he been doing, what had happened in their absence, was White still alive, was the cult still on the move… The rest of her was too overwhelmed. What could she say to him? It'd been so long. The sound of a voice, any voice, that was not Alec's, not Jaime's, seemed harsh, overwhelming, and somehow wrong in the too quiet jungle.

And there was something else bothering her as well.

The closer she got to the beach, the more her throat thickened, the more her steps slowed. Each step was dragged out of her, unwanted, unwilling, and if she could she'd have taken them all back, Joshua and civilization or no. And she was only mildly surprised to find that Alec seemed just as wary, just as unsure, just as dogged in his own movements.

Jaime kept peeking at the strangers in a mixture of curiosity and fear before burying his face into his father's neck. They'd paused once or twice to console him, ignoring Zasz's put upon sighs, Jake's barely disguised eye twitch, pretending they weren't grateful for the respite that kept them from the inevitably of the beach and a future that was frighteningly uncertain.

They stopped dead in their tracks when their feet passed the tree-line, watching as an unknown X-5 stepped out of their home.

Wrong, Max's mind screamed at her, and she shook it away, shook away all the unfamiliar scents assaulting her, smothering her.

"Nice little place you got there," The X-5 said casually.

Alec, feeling Max stiffen beside him, fixed the group around him with a serious frown. "Can you give us a minute." It wasn't a question.

Zasz opened his mouth, but Jake sent him a disgusted, quelling look. He glanced at Alec, almost as sort of an apology. Alec knew that the man shouldn't have to apologize for intruding on their space, for rescuing them, but he appreciated the gesture anyway.

More than one person had been in and out of their home. The subtle shift in scent made Max nervous, twitchy. She didn't like it. Couldn't take it. God. She couldn't breathe in here. She escaped to the porch, but unfamiliar eyes fixated on her, and it made her skin crawl. Alec put Jaime into his room and stepped out of the house, ignoring the discomfort of eyes sliding across his skin. He followed that subtle feeling of Max at the back of his mind and made his way around to the back of the house.

Her found her crouching, her arms wrapped around her body, trying hard to decide between terror and euphoria; between crying, vomiting, or screaming. She glanced up at him as he came around the corner, coming to her feet quickly, calming her face into a neutral expression. He wasn't buyin' and she knew it, but she appreciated that he didn't call her on it.

"So…" She finally said, glancing down at bare, dusty feet. "This is it."

He leaned back against the wall, staring hard up at the blue sky overhead. He swallowed, almost convulsively. "Yeah… I guess it is."

She fell into his arms. "God, Alec… I don't… I don't want to go."

Me neither, he thought, the honesty of the thought surprising him as his arms tightened around her and he pressed his cheek to her hair.

Humans.

Forever in doubt of what they really want.

"We have to, Max." He said gently, his arms a security, the only security in the world available to her now.

"It's all happening so fast," She shuddered, speaking into his chest. She looked up, dark, overwhelmed brown eyes capturing his. "Can we just-"

"I'll tell them." He said gently, squeezing her before stepping away.

"Stay?" Joshua asked in confusion, his eyes widening in fear and uncertainty.

"Just tonight, big guy." Alec corrected gently. Had everyone always spoken this loud? Had he ever spoken that loud? He shifted in discomfort. "You can come back for us in the morning."

Jake stepped forward, undoubtedly to protest, but a large hand closed around his shoulder. Josh looked down at the X, his face serious, and Alec was struck by how old and tired and knowing his former best friend appeared in that moment.

"Max and Alec say goodbye." Josh said gently. The transhuman glanced across at his friend, watching Alec's eyes flood in relief before he shut down the emotions he wasn't willing to share with strangers. Joshua hoped that he wasn't counted amongst the strangers.

Watching the helicopter disappear over the volcano did nothing to assuage their uncertainty. If anything, every tortuous feeling was amplified by the sound of the ticking clock tickling the back of their minds. The countdown to leaving the only world they'd known for almost four years was deafening and oppressing, exciting and unforgiving; it was so many things that they found that they weren't entirely sure what to feel.

She couldn't sleep in the house. Neither could he. Too many scents; it made them nervous and uncomfortable. The bamboo walls felt like steel bars, closing in on them. They needed to feel the air upon their skin, needed to smell the ocean, see the sky; couldn't be trapped, not right now. Jaime was passed out in his room as they lay on the beach, one of Alec's arms folded underneath his head, the other stretched out, a pillow for hers. They stared silently up at the night sky and the twinkling stars that the city would soon hide from them.

She didn't cry, but part of her wanted to. He didn't vomit, but he couldn't get his stomach to settle.

There near the fire, the place they'd first had sex. There on the beach, the place they'd first made love. Within their bedroom, the place they'd first admitted the words of love aloud. Up on the crest of that low, collapsed volcano, the spot of broken dreams and new hope. By the river, the trees that'd stood silent sentry as Jaime's wails had first broken on this world.

So many memories; so many heartbreaks; so much happiness.

She did cry. He didn't, but he couldn't speak around the tightness in his throat. He did kiss her, though, gently. Made love to her, softly. Comforted her, lovingly.

And when morning came, they were prepared for the lone helicopter coming up over the treetops. This was no military issue helicopter though, this was one that screamed of money, privilege, and private ownership. Alec and Max steeled themselves to the possibility of Logan Cale stepping out of the doors.

So they weren't prepared for Cindy bursting out as soon as it'd touched ground and throwing her arms around Max. Cindy pulled away for a moment, her shimmering eyes moving across her friend's tan, shocked face, before throwing her arms around the girl once more. After a moment Max overrode her surprise and hugged her friend right back, softly, almost reverently, before pulling away in discomfort after only a few moments. Alec let them have those moments, eyes scanning the cab quickly; noting with relief the only other person within the helicopter was the pilot, just now climbing out to begin his safety checks for the flight back.

Cindy stepped away from Max, all smiles, and let her eyes move across Alec's lean form. Her gaze swept past him and took in Jaime, one manicured eyebrow rising in uncontrolled shock for only a moment, before she graced Alec, too, with a hug. Alec glanced, startled, over at Max, who merely shrugged. Cindy hugged him for only a second before crouching next to Jaime, giving the boy a no-nonsense look.

"I'm your Aunt Cindy," She said simply. And then squeezed him, too. Jaime squirmed for a moment, but then decided this was a personality he probably couldn't win against, plus he liked her hair, so threw his arms around her neck for half a second before pulling away, glancing up at his dad to see if that was okay.

It was quiet again. Max wondered if all of her reunions within the next few days would be permeated by shocked silence as they struggled to find something to say.

Cindy's eyes flicked across their much-changed and yet, still the same, bodies, wondering… what do you say on such a momentous, unbelievable, wonderful, awesome occasion?

"Four years and you couldn't change yo' clothes?"

Alec snorted. Max's face colored slightly and she opened her mouth to protest when Cindy smirked, walking back to the helicopter to pull a shopping bag from the ground. She handed it silently to Max, pretending nonchalance as Max's face flooded with grateful relief. Maybe it wasn't the most auspicious beginning, but the tears and the heart-to-heart's could be saved for later, and Max was glad for the light-hearted statement that kept everything easy.

"Four years and you couldn't change your hairstyle?" Max teased right back, digging through the clothes that Cindy had the foresight to bring. Nothing for Jaime, though, so when Cindy had gotten out of the plane, she must not have been expecting-

Max's sharp eyes glanced up at Cindy and she wondered what the woman who'd once been one of her closest friends…wondered what she saw as she looked at Max's family. What had gone through her mind when she'd seen Jaime, so obviously Alec's? Cindy appeared unchanged, from the tip of her poofy, crimped, highlighted hair, to the shiny, black boots gracing her feet. How did her family match up to that level of normalcy? Max didn't want to know, so she handed Alec a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, ignoring his statement of 'finally!' (yeah right, he loved running around half naked) before pulling out some clothes for herself.

Cindy was subdued as the family exchanged words over the clothes. Silent as they disappeared into the strange, little bamboo house to change. And yet she was achingly happy in her quiet euphoria. Max. Max was alive. Her boo, her girl, her sister, in almost every sense of the word. Her girl was alive and comin' home and what more could Cindy ask for?

Except maybe some conversation.

The family had been unnervingly silent in the fifteen minutes that Cindy had been here. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting as she'd gotten into the helicopter, headed towards this uncharted island in the middle of nowhere. But one thing she hadn't expected was the silence and how the family communicated in ways that Cindy was aware of but was not part of; glances, touches, looks. An entire conversation held in one silent moment. Cindy felt like she was stuck in a foreign movie; something surreal and spoken in a language she could not comprehend.

When O.C. had cornered Joshua the night prior, demanding to know what had happened, were they okay, what were they like, Josh had smiled through her flood of questions and finally just said "Max and Alec are still Max and Alec." He'd leaned away from her, frowning. "But people… talk a lot, and say very little. Max and Alec…" he shrugged, his shoulders hunching up around his ears, wondering why he had all these thoughts swirling in his head but lacked the smooth speech to communicate them.

Cindy had thought Joshua meant that Max and Alec were still fighting like cats and dogs. That their mouths ran and ran and ain't nothin' came out but a whole lot of nothin'. Seemed like Josh had meant just the opposite. Oh sure, they were still Max and Alec, Cindy rolled her eyes, sitting on the porch, as she heard Max snap at Alec inside to stop messin' around and get dressed. Yeah, Doggy Dog had definitely been right; they were still them. But at the same time, they were something else, as well. Really, they talked very little, but didn't need to because they seemed to communicate on a level that was downright freaky.

And that wasn't all that had changed. The Max and Alec Cindy remembered were not sun-dark, swimsuit models that spoke without words. Whose every movement was fluid efficiency; like living art, alien and animal, but beautiful. The Max and Alec that Cindy remembered did not seek touch, even if it was only a momentary, glancing caress, and only within their family. That any touching happened at all was clue enough to the drastic overhaul of their relationship. And sure as all that was good n' holy in the world, the Max and Alec that Cindy remembered would never have had a son that could be the poster child for some kind of creepy, genetic-perfection, breeding program.

Josh sure as hell hadn't mentioned a word 'bout the child that'd been waiting on the beach. The child with brown-gold eyes and dark hair and the beginning of slight freckles spattered across his nose. Doggy Dog was gettin' the smack down of the century when they all got back to Seattle.

The clothes fit fine, maybe a little baggy, (O.C. struggled to remember if they'd been this wiry and muscled in Seattle, but her memory was hazy) but hey, it was better than what'd they had. Then Cindy glanced down. Alec was wiggling his bare toes into the sand. Damn. She knew that she'd forgotten something. Max followed her gaze and laughed softly. Alec smirked at her, at the silent joke.

"Do you guys-" Cindy started.

"Alec lost one of his boots in a cyclone last year." Max smiled, and there was a hint of pain there that O.C. wondered about. "And shoelaces..." She and Alec exchanged a glance. She arched an eyebrow at him and he shrugged because he'd lost track of his one remaining shoe long ago. As for shoelaces; they'd all been sacrificed over the years to a project here, a mobile for Jamie there, a new way to secure clothing… How long had it been since they'd last worn shoes? Three and a half years?

"We probably wouldn't know what to do with shoes, anyway." Alec said blandly. The corner of Max's lips twitched.

Cindy waited by the helicopter, chatting amicably to Jaime's silent, suddenly nervous form as Max and Alec stood by the door of their home for one of the last times. They hadn't offered to show Cindy their home. Partly because they didn't want to know what an outsider thought of it; partly because it was theirs and it was sacred and now they were leaving it behind forever.

"Do we take anything?" He asked softly.

"You know Jaime would never forgive us if we left Ba ba." Max made a face. Everything else…

What did they have? Shells, carvings, furs? Items of the island, all of which would be out of place within the city. Max slipped one of her favorite pearly shells into a back pocket as Alec wasn't looking because he was too busy tucking a carving of one of their respected adversaries, a jungle cat, into his own. One souvenir each. Alec reached for Jaime's boat and then paused with a frown, looking down at the bottom shelf.

The cheap plastic of the homing device crushed easily between his fingers and that red blinking light, the light that should have died long ago, gave one last slow, angry glare before fading away all together. Max watched, her fingers distractedly glancing over her front pocket, over dark jeans that felt rough, foreign, uncomfortable, over a small, almost round shape within the pocket. Alec glanced up at her, smiling a smile that was not, before making a grab for the boat and standing quickly.

For a long moment they stood in the center of the main room. Max took a few short steps towards their bedroom and her fingers trailed almost reverently across the doorway for one last time. Her hand finally dropped away and she turned to look at him.

"You ready?" Alec asked softly. Her eyes took in the jeans draped on his hips, the light cotton tee covering his shoulders, the things they'd built together surrounding him, the house they'd lived and laughed and loved in… Their life was more than just things, and she could do this. She had to do this. She nodded briskly.

They paused only once, at the front doorway, giving one last glance behind. Their movement across the beach was fast and sure and they didn't look back again. Jaime's face came alive at the sight of his Ba ba, hardly noticing as Alec handed him up to his mother, already within the helicopter, turbine already winding up with a whine.

Everything was so surreal.

Was this really happening?

The helicopter lifted away from the island, heading east, and in a matter of moments, they could no longer see their home as they passed over the dead volcano, long ago collapsed inward, before heading east. The ocean overtook the land in a matter of moments as the helicopter picked up speed. Jaime's face was pressed to the window, mouth round, eyes rounder, and he'd have stood in his father's lap if Alec hadn't had his arms draped loosely around the boy. Alec sat across from Max, his knees crowding hers, his eyes also peering below, but noticeably sharper than his son's. Watching. Waiting. Measuring distance. Max didn't watch the distance pass them by. Couldn't watch her home disappear from view. She watched her family, unsmiling, and told herself that there were some things more important than geographic coordinates.

She glanced across at Cindy sitting next to her, at Cindy's small, still slightly disbelieving smile. The other woman's warm, dry hand clasped hers and Max controlled a wince and shot Cindy a small, quicksilver smile. Alec's knee nudged against her own and it had nothing to do with the movement of the 'copter. She glanced across at him, and he was watching her, his face very neutral, his knee still pressing against hers, warm and solid. She smiled and leaned backwards into her seat to look out the window, letting her hand be held in Cindy's for the time being.

Alec twisted in his seat, shouting over his shoulder, to be heard over the turbine and the motor, "Hey, how fast are we goin'?"

"Cruising at about 130," The pilot shot back.

"Miles?"

"Knots."

So about 150 miles per hour. Max was grateful for the noise of the helicopter that let them avoid conversation for now. The next few hours passed in relative silence. They didn't see the first small, uninhabited island for almost two and a half hours, and the sight allowed Alec to finally, finally relax. Another hour after that and smaller islands started appearing, clustered together. Alec woke Jaime up, pointing at the small, native, tribal boats down there on the water, like little toys, and Jaime exclaimed in wonder, clutching his own boat close to his chest. It took another half hour until they saw signs of civilization that did not live off the land, but bent the land to its will. Condos, huddling against the beach, small cities, reaching for the sky, pushing back at the creeping jungle. Large, shiny, white crafts dotting the water, propelled along by motors. Another helicopter, that the pilot argued with over a radio about who was goin' where and how fast and they had the right of way, on official U.S. business, so piss off, buddy.

Their journey came to an end over four hours and over six hundred miles after it'd begun.

The turbine was winding down when the pilot craned back over his chair, fixing them all with a smile. "Welcome to Tahiti, pearl of the Polynesians."

Alec's laugh bordered on broken, the map so clear now in his head. The inverted arc between Los Angeles and Australia, the route that would take them close to the Polynesians. The explosion of the liner, undoubtedly only a few hundred miles north of the conglomerate of islands. The push of the storms in an unknown direction and rowing, rowing, rowing west. If they'd gone east, into the fishing waters off the coast of the collective…

He wanted to throw up.

Humans are naturally curious, and tourists stopped to peer at the helicopter, at the people inside. The gorgeous man and beautiful woman with sun dark skin, climbing out of the chopper… with no shoes? And the little boy, a little grungy, a little wide-eyed, wrapped up in a grey, frayed, faded shirt.

Eyes glancing at her. Whispers behind hands. A girl in sunglasses, pointing them out to her friends.

Max hadn't felt conspicuous, hadn't felt shame, in almost four years, and the taste was more unbearable than anything she could possibly remember.

"What the hell are you looking at?" She snapped. The girl stiffened, moved away with her gaggle, all still talking, like ohmigod, can you believe that? O.C. snorted.

"Sugah, it don't mean-"

"Just get us the hell out of here." Max hissed. Cindy pursed her lips, annoyed and hurt, and Max immediately felt bad. But she couldn't stand all the staring and the looking and the noise and the smells; just-

"Okay," O.C.'s arm wrapped around her friend's shoulders. "C'mon, boo." Max's hand came up to clutch at her friend's hand, squeezing gently, and they moved as quickly as they could out of the open without actually running. Alec followed behind, frowning slightly, his feet protesting above burning hot concrete that would not yield to his gait.

The ride in the dark, private car was silent. Cindy tried, but starting a conversation proved more difficult than she ever would have ever possibly believed. The silence wasn't broken until-

"What the hell is that?" Max's voice was harsh.

O.C. glanced away, almost in guilt, before explaining. "We thought that maybe, if we did it this way, it'd give you some time to get used to being around people again. We thought after so long on the island, a plane-"

"You do realize," Alec's voice was tense. "The last time we were on a cruise liner it exploded around us."

The large ship sat gleaming in the harbor like a man-made gem of science; welcoming, bright, and beautiful. A modern marvel. Tourists were exclaiming in happy wonder as they boarded. There was a large design on the side of the ship; a bright yellow, smiling sun wearing sunglasses. Sweet Jesus, it was even the same fucking company.

"Are you mental?" Alec demanded.

It was pure evil, and Max had no intention of stepping foot on that boat, ever.

"Max-" O.C. tried.

"No way in hell!"

Cindy frowned. She'd worried when Logan had suggested it, but had seemed the lesser of two evils; air travel with the press of humanity, or the cruise, where at least they could hide in their rooms. After Joshua had happily told them, yes, Max and Alec were alive!, Logan had scrambled to set up a room on the liner, calling in almost every favor owed. Joshua had insisted that one suite with two rooms would be best, and it had made Logan smile softly.

O.C.'s eyes widened.

Oh, damn.

Logan. No one had told Logan.

And why was she even thinkin' about Logan, there were more important things at hand; like convincin' Max and Alec that the ship wouldn't try and kill them again.

"It doesn't set sail for two more days, you'll get used to it." She pleaded. "Boo, I promise, ain't nothin' goin' to happen. Not even Hot Boy could be that unlucky. We'll be home before you know it."

That's not our home.

The clog of tourists moving across the dock, around the sitting car, made them feel claustrophobic, and they weren't even out there. God, they didn't know if they could handle a plane… They exchanged a glance.

I don't like it. Her face was fixed in a frown.

Alec's face was a mirror of her unhappiness, but he shrugged. Me neither, but it's that or-

The looked again at all the people moving across the dock.

"Two days," Alec's voice filled the silence, and O.C. was glad, because watching them communicate on a level she could not grasp was almost painful. Time had taken so much. But Alec was still talking, so O.C. made herself snap back to reality. "If we can't handle it, we're getting off, whether there's a plane ticket for us or not."

Maybe it was a bit harsh, but he was jumpy and unhappy and he wanted to get the hell out of here.

They got the hell out of there, passing through the press of people quickly, fluidly, almost silently, following Cindy up and up and into the belly of the beast. Down long corridors, dark and closing in. Into an elevator that Jaime did not like.

"See, all done," Max crouched next to him, comforting him gently as the doors dinged and they were deposited on the uppermost level.

Alec whistled as Cindy let them into their suite.

Weeell, someone must have owed Logan pretty big. A few steps down and the living room sprawled before them in splendor. A small kitchenette was hidden off to the right. Two bedrooms, one to the left, a master suite to the right, and ceiling to floor windows running the length of the wall, opening up to a balcony and a view of the harbor beyond. Even the furniture screamed 'class', but the gleaming white carpet, the chandelier, the baby grand next to the fireplace, and the fur rugs were what really gave it away.

Alec immediately took Jaime from Max's arms and carried him into the master bedroom and into the bathroom beyond. Max cursed him for leaving her alone, even though it was undoubtedly for a good reason. She fidgeted as Cindy just stared at her.

"Something on my face?" She grumbled after a few moments.

"Boo, don't even be like that," Cindy frowned, smiled, and frowned again. "You know O.C. is just on Cloud Nine that you're alive."

Max cleared her throat. "Soo…" She glanced around, aching for something to fill the silence. "Who else is on the boat?"

Cindy knew exactly what she was asking. Or thought she knew. "Logan is here."

Max shifted uncomfortably, not even wanting to go there. "Anyone else?"

Cindy frowned, surprised. "Most of the X's that were part of the search parties all flew back… Except for Dalton and Zasz."

Alec stepped out of the bedroom, Jaime's face noticeably less grungy. "Dalton?" He asked with an amused smile, "That little punk is still alive?"

Cindy snorted. "Yeah, 'cept he got hisself bit by some jungle cat on that island o' yours. And Zasz, that boy goes where Dalton goes." Cindy rolled her eyes. "Doggy Dog here, 'cuz you know he wouldn't dream of having it any other way…" Cindy trailed off thoughtfully. "Oh, and Sketchy too."

Max and Alec exchanged a glance. "Gee, Cindy, why not just bring all of Jam Pony." Alec said blandly.

"Quiet, fool," Cindy snapped, a hint of a smile sparking in her eyes, "Sketchy goes by 'Calvin' now… he's covering Max's return to society for his paper."

"Weekly World News?" Max made a face, part of her wondering why the world would still care that a woman who'd led the transgenics for only a few short months was reappearing.

"New York Post," Cindy made a face right back. Max's face must have shown her shock, because Cindy laughed.

"Oh god, don't tell me he wears tweed." Alec sunk into one of the snow-white couches, letting Jaime go free, and Max crossed quickly to him, collapsing by his side.

"Yeah, right, you know that boy still spends most o' his time blitzed out his brains." Cindy still watched, hovering by the door, feeling out of place.

Max could feel the discomfort in the air, but wasn't entirely sure how to dispel it. God, why couldn't things just magically snap back to the way before? Why did she feel so… trapped?

Then Jaime ran smack into the closed sliding-glass door and started wailing. Alec and Max leapt from the couch and rushed to him before Cindy could even take an abortive step down the stairs. No permanent damage, but apparently they'd have to explain the concept of 'glass' to their son. Max rocked him in her lap, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, his eyes still moist with tears. Alec just sat next to them, and that was enough. Cindy watched in discomfort.

When it was clear that Jaime was okay, Cindy made her excuses, saying she'd go get something for Jaime to wear and took off. She paused after she'd closed the door behind her, leaning against the wall, letting her head fall back and her eyes close. Time. They just needed time. And they had a whole lot more of it now, because her girl was comin' home. She could wait. She'd have to wait. She'd be let back into their lives when they were ready.

The excitement of the day and the quite literal run-in with the evil glass door had Jaime tired out fairly quickly after that. And then Max and Alec weren't quite sure what to do with themselves. They stared at each other across the room, looked at all the furnishings, glanced through the mini-bar, couldn't find much interest in the balcony.

"Shower sex?" Alec suggested.

Max rolled her eyes.

"Whoever thought up shower sex must have been some kind of sado-masochistic bastard," Alec grumbled after the failed attempt, because everyone knows there isn't anything quite as awkward as shower sex.

"It was your idea," Max collapsed next to him on the bed in a fluffy white robe, combing through her long hair. He flipped to the next channel, barely registering that she'd spoken. "And I'm the one who should be complaining," She frowned, tucking her legs under her body. "I'm the one that got hit in the head with the showerhead."

"That was an accident." He frowned, barely glancing at her, flipping again to another channel. Max discarded the brush in annoyance so that she could pull the remote from his hands. "Hey!" He protested.

"You have no idea how annoying that is," She frowned. "Pick something and watch it."

"I was watching all of those shows," He protested.

"You didn't stay on any of them long enough to-"

A knock on the door had them stilling.

"Max?"

Sweet Jesus, it was Logan.

"Maybe if we ignore him, he'll go away," Alec said out of the side of his mouth. Max swatted him.

They ignored Logan and he went away. Crisis averted. For now.

They ignored everyone else who came knocking as well. Cindy wasn't happy, they could tell, but she left some clothes outside the door for Jaime as well a pair of shoes for both Max and Alec. And some diapers. Real diapers. Proof there was a god. They smiled at the shoes Cindy had gotten for them all, at the weights that would anchor them to civilization, but didn't put 'em on. What did it matter? They were in their rooms, they didn't need to bow to society right this second.

When night came, they lay next to each other on the soft mattress that, according to the brochure, was supposed to do wonders for the spine. And they lay there for a very, very long time, staring up at the ceiling, shifting in discomfort. Around midnight they moved to the living room and lay upon the floor, on top of the fur rugs, and finally fell asleep, curled around each other.


The next two days… well, they might as well have been on the island. The spent the days avoiding everyone, as if people were a cyclone and their rooms were a cave. They barely came out past the protective barrier of the suite's front doors. Every meal was delivered via room service, and Alec handled the wait staff, grabbing the food and ushering them back out in a manner of minutes, yes, yes, just put your tip on the room's tab. He'd pay Logan back later. Alec didn't want to be beholden to Logan Cale for anything; not for his food or his privacy.

And when the ship left port, they were still on it. Because they really did prefer hiding in their rooms to the thought of being crowded in a plane with 100 other members of humanity. Not that they had anything against humanity. But for the time being they'd like humanity to stay very much over there, thank you.

Thank god Cindy had given them the only key to the room, so that they could ignore every knock. They made an exception once or twice for Cindy, more often for Joshua. Joshua was the easiest, because the big lug was just content to be in the same room with them, lack of conversation or no. And Jaime was slowly taking a shine to the big guy, so things were perkin' up.

"You can't hide forever," Joshua said softly, the second day out to sea. Part of the little bubble they'd created collapsed in the face of reality. In a week they'd be back on U.S. soil, on a plane headed towards Seattle.

Shit.

That night they had Sketchy and Cindy over to their rooms and played at being normal. They didn't do half bad, either. 'Cept after the initial back thumping greeting, Sketchy, gloriously unchanged despite the prestige of new job, kept getting all reporter-like. And the questions started grating on the nerves after a while.

"Not even once?" Sketchy didn't have a notepad, but they could see him trying to burn every nuance, every expression, every word into his brain.

"Sorry, Sketch, raw meat's not really our thing." Max frowned. "Course in the beginning, Alec was such a bad cook-"

"It's getting late," Alec's loud voice interrupted. "We should probably get Jaime into bed,"

Jaime yawned, and Alec told himself he'd introduce the boy to sugar later, as way of a 'thank you.'

Sketch's eyes gleamed. "About Jaime-"

They both came to their feet quickly. "Good night, Calvin," Max ushered him to the door.

O.C. would give her a hug as she was leaving. "Thanks for trying," She whispered into Max's hair and Max couldn't help the smile, even though she remained stiff in Cindy's arms.

They had Joshua and Cindy over the next night. And it went well until the end.

"You can't keep avoidin' him, girl." Cindy frowned at her. "You're going to have to face Logan eventually."

Max sighed. "We don't have to do it now-"

But, Alec, surprisingly, would be the one to interrupt. He was leaning against the back of the couch, watching them both, his arms folded across his chest. "Better to do it on our terms. We keep putting it off he'll find a way in here even if we are the only ones with a key."

Max sighed and glanced at her mate before glancing at her friend, and yes, Max realized, even after all this time, Cindy was still very much her friend. "Tomorrow. Tell him we'll meet him tomorrow."

Cindy nodded and let herself out. Alec watched Max as she crossed to their room with a tired sigh.

She was staring wistfully at the bed, wondering why the cruise operators had thought a large, coral colored, spray-painted shell as a headboard was classy, when Alec came in, his mind still roiling. He watched her silently for a few moments before he could no longer contain it.

"Max, I need to know that nothing is going to change."

She pulled herself from her thoughts, turning to look in confusion at his somber form. "Of course nothing-"

"Just stop, Max." He pleaded. "Stop and really think about it before you say anything. In less than 24 hours, you're gonna be back around a guy you clung to for two years, despite limited physical contact. You can't tell me that you feel nothing for him, not after the way you've been avoiding him the last couple of days. "

"You've been avoiding him too," She protested.

"That's different, and you know it."

"No it's not." She made a face. "There'll always be the maybe's and the what if's, Alec. I'm not perfect, I can't help that. But at the end of the day, it'll always be you. If I've been avoiding Logan, it's because I'm avoiding a scene, not because I think I'm going to collapse into his arms like some kind of sappy romance heroine."

Alec frowned at her for a long moment, leaning in the doorway. He had to admit, the picture seemed pretty ridiculous… But… "Max, I don't want to be the guy you choose at the end of the day. I want to be the guy that you want when you wake up."

She could have scoffed, but this was too important so her voice remained soft. "You already are."

He paused, as if her were gauging the sincerity in her eyes. He must have found what he was looking for, because the tightness in his shoulders relaxed, an almost imperceptible change that only Max could pick up on. "Promise me that won't change."

"Alec-"

"Promise me." He insisted.

"I promise." She replied softly, completely serious.

They stood in silence for a few moments.

"Wanna give another crack at the bed, tonight?" He asked.

Max made a face. "I guess."

They slept like rocks and when they woke up in the morning, they found that the mattress had done wonders for their spines. Nice.


The cruise was about half way to its destination on the day that Max and Alec were finally going to allow Logan Cale back into their lives.

"Just… give me a minute with him, Alec."

"Why?" His voice bordered on petulant.

"O.C. says nobody's told him yet. They were saving the honors for us." Max scowled. She could understand why they'd done it, but she still sort of wished that they had just told Logan that she and Alec were together 'cuz it would save her a little bit of time and a whole lot of awkwardness. But why was she even worrying? Logan had probably moved on ages ago. "Just let me tell him but me n' you. Give him a minute to get used to it before we shove it in his face."

"Fine," Alec grumbled. "But if I come in there and you two are making out, I reserve the right to kill him and rip you a new one."

Max rolled her eyes. "That would never happen, and you know it." She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

Stepping out into the hallway, she glanced at Dalton, easily recognizable despite his greater height, and Zasz, lounging aloof against the wall. "Whaddya want?"

Dalton blinked at such an Alec sound escaping the mouth of someone so very much not Alec.

Zasz, who'd never known Max pre-island, grinned big, apparently having forgiven her for the impressive purple shiner. "We're just the errand boys. Logan's in conference room three, down the hall."

"Where's Alec?" Dalton found his voice.

"He'll… be along in a minute." Max hedged. Dalton and Zasz shared a knowing glance as Max moved away. They waited in silence for a few minutes.

"This guy really good as you say he is?" Zasz finally asked when the silence stretched too long.

Dalton scratched at the arm held in a sling, officially hating the jungle. "Trust me. He's a virtual goldmine of pick up lines."

They descended into silence once more.

Until something occurred to Dalton.

"Has anyone told Logan about Jaime and Alec?"

Zasz shot him a surprised look. "Shit, no. Do you think anyone's told Max about the cure?"

The shared another glance, their eyes wide. "Crap. We gotta head her off before Alec catches up with them and kills us all."

"Who am I killing?" Alec was smirking at them from the doorway, Jaime's hand held firmly in his.

Dalton and Zasz stared wide-eyed at him for a split second, almost comically, before they took off running down the hallway after Max.

Sketchy ambled down the hallway. He moved out of the way of the teenagers as they barreled past him, narrowly avoiding being hit. He caught sight of Alec and grinned, moving quickly over to him and clapping him on the shoulder. "Hey bro! Logan's waiting for you guys down the hall. Conference room three, I think."

"Heeeey. Sketchy. My man." Alec grinned, the transgenic teenagers forgotten. Sketch backed away in suspicion as Alec pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket… Where… Where had Alec gotten money from? But Alec was still speaking, so Sketchy blinked and tried to focus. "There's a little, teeny, tiny favor I need you to take care of for me while I take care of Logan."

"Dude-"

"Nothing illegal or anything." Alec's free arm descended around his friend's shoulder, the other releasing Jaime's hand to wave Sketchy's ridiculous accusations away.

Sketchy looked back, mistrusting. "Uh-huh…"

Alec smirked, releasing his friend so he could lift Jaime up onto his shoulders. "It's like this-"


The teens stumbled in, just as Logan was caressing her smaller hands in his, smiling into her startled, wide eyes, attempting to reassure her. "It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. We found the cure, Max."

"The… the cure?" She asked, shocked, looking down at her hand in his. And although part of her was happy she was no longer a walking deathtrap, she couldn't help that after so long on the island…

Not Alec, her mind screamed at her.

It was like a train wreck… or a slowly moving horror show, Dalton thought to himself. Like a movie… if only the characters would listen to you yelling at the screen and not go where the killer was hiding, everything would be okay. But he couldn't find his voice, his eyes glued to the upcoming calamity, which is why it was like a train wreck.

Logan searched her eyes for a moment, mistaking her horrified shock for a shock of the more pleasant variety. He smiled softly, swooping in, claiming her mouth with his. Max stared wide eyed at Logan, her mouth unmoving.

"Fubar." Zasz muttered out of the side of his mouth. Dalton couldn't even find a word, making a small, horrified noise with the back of his throat. So, of course that's when Alec would choose to duck in, ducking because Jaime was still happily riding on his shoulders, fingers tugging almost painfully at Alec's hair.

He slowed to a halt at the sight of Logan's mouth moving over his wife's, his heart plummeting to his feet. He swung Jaime slowly off his shoulders, placing the boy gently on the ground. When he looked back up, his expression became steely, his jaw firming, his eyes narrowing. Dalton and Zasz shrank away from him, from the anger radiating off of his tense form. Even Jaime was strangely subdued, clinging to his father's pant leg.

"Am I interrupting?" His voice was harsh in the silence.

Max broke away, her voice rich in relief. "Alec!"

Logan released her, confused at the potent relief in her voice. "Alec?"

Alec remained unmoving, his face impassive. Max's face tightened, suddenly all too aware of how it must have looked; like all of Alec's fears, come to life. "Alec?"

"Who Alec?" Jaime looked up at his daddy, eyes shining in curiosity. When his dad didn't look back, Jaime swung his gaze to his mom, but she was staring at his dad. Finally, he peeked at the stranger near his mom in shy curiosity.

Logan felt his breath catch. Eyes of gold; eyes of brown; together in the face of a child. The golden stare made part of Logan's world crumble into dark nothingness. Alec found his voice, and looked away from Max.

"Who's Alec? That's me, sport."

"You not Alec." Jaime said in disdain, looking away from Logan and back at his father.

Alec's wrath was forgotten for a moment, replaced by amusement in the face of his son's superior, knowing tone. "No? Who am I then?"

"Daddy," Jaime answered, looking down in embarrassment as he held tighter to his father's leg.

"That's right," Alec smiled softly at his son, before looking up at Max and Logan, his eyes shining in victory as he rolled the word around his mouth, savoring it. "Daddy."

Max, feeling Logan stiffen next to her, decided that the next order of business would be for her first hard drink in almost four years.