Please see the first chapter for disclaimers, etc.
Thanks
to everyone who reviewed!
less than angel (Yeah, kinda depressing
there for a bit. But we have to get worse before we can get better.
Sorry about the lack of "soon" updates.)
acb (Glad you
liked the chapter. Hah, good to bring in reminders from season 1,
since the writers even seem to have forgotten it. Glad you caught
that. LOL. And I enjoy both the 'rambling' and the 'nice chapter.')
L80bug (Danke. I will try this time.)
kungfuchick (OC is
totally like the best character from the show! We'll see what
happens, once the 'heat' dies down. :) I'll try to update soon.)
Layla Rachel Guevara was born nine months to the night of her conception.
Considering how hard the pregnancy had been on everyone involved, it was a relatively easy birth in one of the surviving Vancouver Children's hospitals, where more than enough transgenics had passed through that the presence of a few more hardly went noticed.
Having made it to the point where even sitting and standing were difficult for the once agile transgenic, Max had been more than happy when the birth finally loomed on the horizon. Alec hovered nervously over the hospital bed, threatening the doctors for good measure, while Max hoped that, once the baby was born, the seizures that had plagued her throughout the pregnancy and, once, almost ended it would finally cease.
What was the point of being reprogrammed if it didn't actually work? Max was through with the seizures.
Layla was born a Canadian citizen, without a barcode or any complications from the pregnancy, and, by those two virtues, was almost completely free of the people that so hunted her parents.
The Canadian government, officially, knew nothing about the transgenic population. Unofficially, it was entirely willing to help the numerous barcoded members of its communities.
Right after they'd moved (conveniently timed with a string of unsolved cat-burglaries several sectors away), Max had sequestered herself in their bedroom with the old edition of Naming Your Baby and other Guides to Parenthood for nearly a week, determined to avenge her naming abilities. Alec had joined her and, together, they had poured over the entire book, picking and discarding names before realizing that they would have to find two.
Middle names hadn't been in the transgenic handbook. They were determined that their child would have a name, a real name that would set him or her up properly in the world. In the end, it was Alec who made most of the decisions, though Max was adamant about middle names.
Had Layla been a boy, they would have named her Alexander Benjamin. As a girl, they had half decided her middle name should be Cynthia, when Max had stumbled through the R's and come across Rachel. Alec had been wary but Max was determined - Original Cindy would understand as she much preferred originality anyway.
Really, Alec had simply loved the name, and Max hadn't been willing to name Layla after any of her departed sisters - it hurt too much, though she was tempted to give Tinga's name a new life - and they wanted Layla to be a part of the new generation, not a reminder of the old.
And so Layla Rachel was born, keeping the name of Guevara, as Alec had never cared at all about his last name and Max had claimed hers longer. Layla proved especially suitable, as most of the key events of Layla's life, including her birth, had occurred at night, and the Arabic name was supposed to lend toward those born in the night.
Of course, lots hadn't been in the baby book, lots would be uncharted territory. Would Layla go into heat, would she have her parents' abilities, would she have a barcode, would she maintain the more animalistic parts of their genetic cocktails?
It was up in the air, as they were unable to locate a naturally born transgenic child old enough for nearly half of the questions to have been answered.
Present for the birth were several of Max's remaining siblings and the entire little group of transgenics that they had rescued right after Manticore blew. Ralph and Fixit paced up and down the halls of the hospital the entire time, waiting nervously to be reassured that Max was okay, while the others sat nearby and waited.
And when they first held Layla, with Max's lips and Alec's eyes and hair that was some mixture of the both of them, it seemed even more amazing that she'd survived the odds than they either could have suspected. Here was this precious little being that would have her parents' strengths (it was obvious from the way she gripped Alec's finger) and would be free, unmarked.
Whatever it was between Alec and Max - some days it was a relationship and others it was barely mutual toleration - they felt like a family.
Damn Manticore to hell, with its breeding programs and heats, surrounded by family and friends they were going to protect little Layla from all the baddies that were after them, no matter what.
All the normalcy that Max had spent years building up, seemed to have evaporated in the face of a baby. Transgenics were built to be soldiers, killers, not parents. It was completely out of her realms of expertise, and Alec seemed just as confused as she was.
Not that they didn't try, and they loved Layla, but it was hard figuring out what to do. Especially when Layla could move just about as fast as her parents before the age of three. And she was crying. Max was startled, "What did I... Shh, baby, I'm here. Mommy's here..." Max scooped the infant up, delicately balancing her along with a jug of milk, a pager and her favorite cat suit.
She'd been attempting to clean, while keeping an eye out on the babe. Even for transgenic eyes, it could be a difficult task. Startled awake, Alec came groggily out of the bedroom, reaching out to sweep Layla out of Max's arms, bouncing her lightly once or twice, "Aww, what's the matter, Laylie?"
Blinking up at him, Layla's little lips quivered, and she let out a piercing wail. Her transgenic parents winced. Max shrugged, taking a swig from the jug, "I have no idea." She began to undress, while Alec and Layla were still locked in an intense battle of wills, "I have to head out for this job anyway."
"The Berkinson place? I thought that was tomorrow." Max shook her head and Alec sighed, "I need to go out too."
They stared at one another, and at their wailing child (she didn't seem to be finding Alec's attempts at cheering her very amusing, though Max found it quite hilarious), contemplating the situation. Max took a deep breath, "I can't take her!"
"You went out last time."
Halfway through zipping her jacket, Max paused. They exchanged raised eyebrows. Sat next to Alec on the couch and surveyed her child, "Think she'd wanna play poker?"
Apparently finding her parents' distress infinitely amusing, Layla giggled and clapped her fists together. Alec shrugged. "There's gotta be baby games, or something. Didn't you grab that book?"
"I thought you did?"
As the child squirmed out of their grasp, quickly crawling along the floor, Alec and Max shared twin looks of terror. They'd already attempted to baby-proof the apartment - apparently they hadn't transgenic-proofed it quite thoroughly enough - and beyond that, they were completely out of their depth. It was all too normal - sitting at home, watching the baby, cleaning, cooking. Things they'd never been taught and were somewhat hopeless at picking up.
What did they have to teach her? Escape and Evade in Less than Sixty Seconds, or The Finer Points of Getting Information out of The Enemy?
Damnit, they needed the baby games book. Hopefully, it would withstand transgenic strength.
The little girl surveyed the busy, fenced yard, gripping her father's hand helplessly.
"Layla, we talked about this," a gentle squeeze prompted her to relax.
With a deep breath, Layla eased her grip to one that could be considered normal. Going to school, having to be 'normal' was scaring her more than she'd ever admit to her parents, who were so excited at the prestigious and exceedingly private school they'd all picked out together. It was even rumored that several other transgenics were among the school-aged population.
Not that Alec wasn't nervous. Public events were always a bit of a stretch for them, even with such excellent infiltration skills at their disposal, and dealing with Layla in school? It promised to hold enough surprises to keep Alec worried. Max patted his shoulder gently, flashing a small smile. They'd picked this school because it had the best chance of keeping them under the radar. "Okay, Layla," Max forced a grin and stepped boldly forward, "ready to meet everybody?"
Parents were allowed to wander around a bit on the first day, which Alec and Max were taking advantage of. They had no idea what a real school situation was like - and they could only hope that it wouldn't compare to their own 'schooling' in any way.
The first grade teacher came up to them, grinning too happily and addressing the little girl, "Ooh, you must be Layla. I'm Miss Henderson. We're so happy to have you here, sweetie. Let's get you all introduced!"
The other first graders seemed to be just as confused, so Layla took the strange lady's hand - mindful of her grip - and followed her into the crowd. "When are we going to start school?"
"Oh, soon enough, sweetie, soon enough." The teacher brushed aside the child's stern question with a laugh.
Alec and Max hung back slightly, observing. Their own hands clenched tightly together so as not to be balled in fists. It was bad enough being out in public with Layla, but now they had to leave her alone and trust that she'd listen to their warnings. Max sighed, "She's getting so grown up."
"So were we, at that age," but Alec let that train of thought end abruptly. At six, they'd already been undergoing full on training. Arms, infiltration, electronics, torture.
They exchanged a look, reassured in their decision to keep Layla's life as normal as possible. To protect her from everything they'd been through and everyone that was still after them. "Look at them," Max's voice was slightly awe-filled.
The kids were playing happily together, the teacher gently supervising. It was so free.
Alec remembered going out on his first group mission, Lydecker close on hand to watch them. He'd been maybe eleven or twelve. They had to dress like normal children - at the time it seemed like some strange foreign custom - and go out in the guise of school children on a fieldtrip. The mission was to blend in, look the same, talk the same, act the same, be normal... oh, and bring back information on the 'subjects.'
He'd gotten into a fight with an Ordinary and spent a week in PsyOps for his trouble, another for asking too many questions about babies and families and where they all came from. It seemed he'd gathered just a little too much information. Alec had spent enough time in PsyOps by then to still leave him with nightmares, even from back after the '09 escape... he'd been the only twin to test.
Soon, it was time to go inside and start class properly. Shaking his head, Alec managed to clear it just in time to notice Max's own gaze sour. The kids lined up to take roll, and Max had a flashback to the lines of her youth, 'X5-452 reporting for duty, Sir.' When the image of them decked out in full military apparel, terrified of Lydecker's reprimands from failing to follow assigned protocol... when the image finally dissipated, the kids here were scattering messily towards the grand oak doors of the building.
It hardly seemed like the pulse had happened here. Of course, Alec thought bitterly, that's what we're paying for. Fencing had proved to be just as lucrative as always because, pulse or no, there were always too many rich people too willing to spend their trust funds.
It was time to leave, as the kids went inside with well-meant waves. Max blinked, turning to Alec, "What do you want to do?" They were going to have their first real free time together in quite a few years.
Alec grinned mischievously, "Really, Maxie, you have to ask?"
"You're right, you know," Max waited a moment to deliver the blow, "I really need a good bike ride."
Turning to go back to the car that necessity had forced them into stealing, Alec grinned, "Just so long as we have a victory celebration afterwards."
Biting a lip, Max's eyes flashed, "You're on."
PLEASE NOTE: This chapter has been significantly changed from the previous version. Now, most of it is in chapter 21, so I suggest rereading BOTH. Thank you, sorry for the inconvenience.