Alec drove the car silently. Max was right next to him in the passenger's
seat, her forehead pressed against the wall of the car, the wind slightly
blowing a few strands of her hair. She had been staring out the window for
the last three hours. He didn't want to push her.
They were driving back to the Manticore facility. They didn't know what they expected to find there. Max was determined to go. He would give her that although he didn't really know what it would do to her.
Her siblings had split up a couple of days ago. Zack said he needed to check on Jace and the others and Tinga's kid in Canada. He made them promise to call them as soon as something came up. Syl and Krit went on their separate ways. Syl mentioned going to California for a week. Krit went out to track down a lead Logan has. They think that it might lead them to Renfro, assuming she survived. They would all check in, in a week. Zane decided he would stick around for a while until things slowed down and got better. OC suspected it had something to do with the food Asha makes.
"I want to find him there, Alec." Max whispered. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to find there son to but it was unlikely that he would still be there. He didn't want to keep hoping for something that might be false. He didn't want to find their son dead. "He had your eyes." She added, looking at him now. "He really was beautiful." She choked a sob and Alec reached over and took her hand into his.
They arrived at the facility many hours later. They hadn't stopped too many times to rest. He knew that the longer it took them to get there, the more upset and anxious Max would become and it would just make him worry even more.
They stood on the hill, his arm around her waist. There was only rubble left and no traces of any bodies that had once been there. Someone had cleaned the place out.
Everything had been burned down. They weren't going to find anything there. Alec was carefully watching Max. She looked emotionless. Like when he saw her again after two years of being gone. She moved away from his grasp and walked over to the rubble. She touched a piece of wall that was left standing. She didn't say anything.
"Maybe this was her way of saying goodbye to their son." Alec thought. He didn't want to believe that. If Max was saying good bye then it would mean that she thought that the baby was dead. He didn't want the baby to be dead. He had never seen his own child and he knew that it would kill him too, like it was killing Max.
Max let out a sharp exhale. She was gathering her thoughts, wondering where the transgenics were now. Where her son was. She prayed to god, if there was one that Renfro took the baby and made it out just in time. It would be better than her child dying. Despite Renfro being evil and a bitch without a heart, Max knew that she wouldn't let the baby die. It was too important. She remembered what Brin had told her before. The baby was perfection. Manticore's only perfection.
Max looked up at the sky. It was so blue. It reminded her of Alec's and their son's eyes. A thousand thoughts flooded her mind. She was brought back to her past, to the memories that she held on of her childhood and of her brothers and sisters. Ben believed in the Blue Lady. Max didn't really believe in her but if Ben was right, Max hoped that she was looking out for all of them and keeping her baby safe.
Who would have known that after more than a decade of escaping from Manticore, their past would always come back to hurt them? A part of them would always belong to Manticore.
"Let's go." She said to Alec who just followed her quietly.
"Where are we going?" He asked as they got into the car.
"Home." Max replied. "We're going home." She said rather unhappily. "There's nothing here. He's not here."
Alec didn't want to say anything. He wanted so badly to see his son but that seems hopeless now. Even Max seemed to have given up.
They got back to Seattle two days later because unlike Max, Alec had to stop and get some sleep. He was tired as hell. Now that they were home, all he wanted to do was fix things. Fix everything for Max. Make up for the loss of their son.
Max wasn't going to make it easy on him.
She moved in with OC and Josh only because Alec wouldn't let her go on her own. Originally Max wanted to get her own apartment but he wasn't going to give her that. With a little coaxing from OC and Asha, Max finally relented.
"Give her time." Logan suggested. They knew that wasn't really going to help Max right now. She needed more than that and if that was the only option, Max would need a lot of time. She was acting strange but better than before. She got her job back at Jam Pony. How she talked Normal into letting her work again was a mystery to anyone. She didn't talk like she did before. Usually she'd just sit and think. Other times she would spend all night riding her Ninja which was a replica of the old one that she lost or sitting on top of the space needle, thinking.
No one liked how upset Max was but they couldn't help it. She stayed away from Logan and Asha especially because of the baby. She didn't want to hear it or see it or smell it. It reminded her too much of the son that she lost. Alec knew that she was having nightmares when she had to sleep. OC told him. Maybe that's why Max avoided sleep so much.
"Max, you have to try to get better." Alec said, confronting her about her behavior one day. He didn't want to push her. He just wanted to best for her. They all did.
"I am better." She replied, completely in denial.
"No, you're not. Look at you. You're thinner than a stick. You ignore everyone. All you do is work all day and run from us at night." Alec argued.
"Don't tell me what I am and am not." She glared at him angrily.
"You're not trying to get better. I'm just trying to help you. We all are." He insisted. Max sighed sharply.
"Leave me alone, Alec." She ordered.
She was starting to piss him off. He loved her but she was being selfish. "That's right. Push everyone away. Like you always do." He said quietly.
"Maybe I just want to be alone!" Max exclaimed angrily.
"You've been alone for two years! I thought maybe you'd be happy to have your family back! Have the people that love you around!" Alec said getting incredibly angry and hurt. He didn't want to fight with her but she was definitely testing his patience.
"I lost my son Alec. What the hell do you expect me to do! Jump for joy? Move on like it didn't matter?" She yelled.
"He was my son too!" Alec rebutted. "I may never have seen him, or heard him but he was my son too. I loved him, just as much as you did." He was crying now. It was true. He didn't go through what Max did but he was hurt just the same. They had lost their son and Max was being selfish by thinking that she was the only one affected. Alec wiped the tears from his face.
"We don't know if he is alive or dead but we can't keep torturing ourselves. We have to fix things. We have to do something with our lives. For the mean time, we have to make the most of what we have." Alec said.
Max looked at him. She understood what he meant. She couldn't sit and be unhappy forever. In a way she was luckier than Alec. She had almost seven months (since Manticore forced her to go into labor two months early) with their baby. She knew what he looked like. Alec never had this. He knew about it when it was too late. She really was being unfair to him.
Without a word Max stepped forward and hugged Alec. He was right. He was very right. She would make it up to him because whatever she went through, she still loved him. Despite the hurt and unhappiness and stolen years, she loved him. Nothing would change that.
They were driving back to the Manticore facility. They didn't know what they expected to find there. Max was determined to go. He would give her that although he didn't really know what it would do to her.
Her siblings had split up a couple of days ago. Zack said he needed to check on Jace and the others and Tinga's kid in Canada. He made them promise to call them as soon as something came up. Syl and Krit went on their separate ways. Syl mentioned going to California for a week. Krit went out to track down a lead Logan has. They think that it might lead them to Renfro, assuming she survived. They would all check in, in a week. Zane decided he would stick around for a while until things slowed down and got better. OC suspected it had something to do with the food Asha makes.
"I want to find him there, Alec." Max whispered. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to find there son to but it was unlikely that he would still be there. He didn't want to keep hoping for something that might be false. He didn't want to find their son dead. "He had your eyes." She added, looking at him now. "He really was beautiful." She choked a sob and Alec reached over and took her hand into his.
They arrived at the facility many hours later. They hadn't stopped too many times to rest. He knew that the longer it took them to get there, the more upset and anxious Max would become and it would just make him worry even more.
They stood on the hill, his arm around her waist. There was only rubble left and no traces of any bodies that had once been there. Someone had cleaned the place out.
Everything had been burned down. They weren't going to find anything there. Alec was carefully watching Max. She looked emotionless. Like when he saw her again after two years of being gone. She moved away from his grasp and walked over to the rubble. She touched a piece of wall that was left standing. She didn't say anything.
"Maybe this was her way of saying goodbye to their son." Alec thought. He didn't want to believe that. If Max was saying good bye then it would mean that she thought that the baby was dead. He didn't want the baby to be dead. He had never seen his own child and he knew that it would kill him too, like it was killing Max.
Max let out a sharp exhale. She was gathering her thoughts, wondering where the transgenics were now. Where her son was. She prayed to god, if there was one that Renfro took the baby and made it out just in time. It would be better than her child dying. Despite Renfro being evil and a bitch without a heart, Max knew that she wouldn't let the baby die. It was too important. She remembered what Brin had told her before. The baby was perfection. Manticore's only perfection.
Max looked up at the sky. It was so blue. It reminded her of Alec's and their son's eyes. A thousand thoughts flooded her mind. She was brought back to her past, to the memories that she held on of her childhood and of her brothers and sisters. Ben believed in the Blue Lady. Max didn't really believe in her but if Ben was right, Max hoped that she was looking out for all of them and keeping her baby safe.
Who would have known that after more than a decade of escaping from Manticore, their past would always come back to hurt them? A part of them would always belong to Manticore.
"Let's go." She said to Alec who just followed her quietly.
"Where are we going?" He asked as they got into the car.
"Home." Max replied. "We're going home." She said rather unhappily. "There's nothing here. He's not here."
Alec didn't want to say anything. He wanted so badly to see his son but that seems hopeless now. Even Max seemed to have given up.
They got back to Seattle two days later because unlike Max, Alec had to stop and get some sleep. He was tired as hell. Now that they were home, all he wanted to do was fix things. Fix everything for Max. Make up for the loss of their son.
Max wasn't going to make it easy on him.
She moved in with OC and Josh only because Alec wouldn't let her go on her own. Originally Max wanted to get her own apartment but he wasn't going to give her that. With a little coaxing from OC and Asha, Max finally relented.
"Give her time." Logan suggested. They knew that wasn't really going to help Max right now. She needed more than that and if that was the only option, Max would need a lot of time. She was acting strange but better than before. She got her job back at Jam Pony. How she talked Normal into letting her work again was a mystery to anyone. She didn't talk like she did before. Usually she'd just sit and think. Other times she would spend all night riding her Ninja which was a replica of the old one that she lost or sitting on top of the space needle, thinking.
No one liked how upset Max was but they couldn't help it. She stayed away from Logan and Asha especially because of the baby. She didn't want to hear it or see it or smell it. It reminded her too much of the son that she lost. Alec knew that she was having nightmares when she had to sleep. OC told him. Maybe that's why Max avoided sleep so much.
"Max, you have to try to get better." Alec said, confronting her about her behavior one day. He didn't want to push her. He just wanted to best for her. They all did.
"I am better." She replied, completely in denial.
"No, you're not. Look at you. You're thinner than a stick. You ignore everyone. All you do is work all day and run from us at night." Alec argued.
"Don't tell me what I am and am not." She glared at him angrily.
"You're not trying to get better. I'm just trying to help you. We all are." He insisted. Max sighed sharply.
"Leave me alone, Alec." She ordered.
She was starting to piss him off. He loved her but she was being selfish. "That's right. Push everyone away. Like you always do." He said quietly.
"Maybe I just want to be alone!" Max exclaimed angrily.
"You've been alone for two years! I thought maybe you'd be happy to have your family back! Have the people that love you around!" Alec said getting incredibly angry and hurt. He didn't want to fight with her but she was definitely testing his patience.
"I lost my son Alec. What the hell do you expect me to do! Jump for joy? Move on like it didn't matter?" She yelled.
"He was my son too!" Alec rebutted. "I may never have seen him, or heard him but he was my son too. I loved him, just as much as you did." He was crying now. It was true. He didn't go through what Max did but he was hurt just the same. They had lost their son and Max was being selfish by thinking that she was the only one affected. Alec wiped the tears from his face.
"We don't know if he is alive or dead but we can't keep torturing ourselves. We have to fix things. We have to do something with our lives. For the mean time, we have to make the most of what we have." Alec said.
Max looked at him. She understood what he meant. She couldn't sit and be unhappy forever. In a way she was luckier than Alec. She had almost seven months (since Manticore forced her to go into labor two months early) with their baby. She knew what he looked like. Alec never had this. He knew about it when it was too late. She really was being unfair to him.
Without a word Max stepped forward and hugged Alec. He was right. He was very right. She would make it up to him because whatever she went through, she still loved him. Despite the hurt and unhappiness and stolen years, she loved him. Nothing would change that.