Part 4
May 14
Spoilers: Hit a Sista Back
Max sometimes suspected that Zack kept secrets simply for the enjoyment of knowing something that she did not. She wondered how he could possibly have kept news such as this from her. Max tenderly rested her fingers against Case's rounded cheek, smiling into wide dark eyes filled with intelligence. For as long as she could recall, family for Max had meant her fellow X5s. She had not dared to consider that any of them could ever make a life for themselves that in any way approached what most people took for granted. "He's beautiful," Max breathed, meeting Tinga's eyes over Case's head.
Tinga smiled. Max had remembered Tinga as being serious and severe. She was radiant when she looked at her son--devoid for a moment of all the nightmares Manticore had etched into their minds. "Case needs to be getting to bed, though," Tinga said, her arms held out towards the boy nestled against Max. Max lifted him, passing him to his mother. The child nestled his head in the curve of Tinga's neck and she titled her head so that her cheek rested lightly against his hair. "He's growing rapidly, he's so tired most of the time," she informed Max and Zack.
Max shifted on the couch when Tinga moved out of sight, carrying Case to his room. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about him earlier," Max said accusingly.
Zack shrugged, the slightest upwards shift of his shoulders. "I didn't think it was important," he replied calmly. He stretched his jean clad legs out before him, booted feet crossed at the ankles. He skimmed over the titles of the children's books scattered over the coffee table in front of the couch. Zack spoke over the beginnings of Max's protest. "Knowing wouldn't have done you any good, Max."
"You are infuriating," Max huffed. She broke off as Tinga reentered the room. Until that moment, Max had been captivated with her nephew, her attention focused exclusively on the small body she had been holding. With Case put to bed, Max turned her attention to her sister. Tinga had grown into a beautiful woman--far from surprising, considering the vast amount of work that had gone into making them perfect. Surprisingly, Tinga looked at ease in a domestic role. She looked as if there had never been any doubt that she were meant for a life filled with husband and child.
"Still haven't had it removed, I see," Zack commented, his voice tinged with disapproval.
Tinga's looping braids of hair had shifted, exposing the dark bands imprinted on the back of her neck. She sat down across from her two visitors, right hand absently settling over the barcode which had attracted Zack's attention. "Having it removed now would simply arouse Charlie's suspicion," Tinga said, some of the glow fading from her face. She cast a glance in Max's direction, and seeing the surprise on her sister's face offered an explanation. "Charlie thinks it's a tattoo."
"He doesn't know?" Max said.
Tinga's gaze slid away, eyes fixing on her hands, folded in her lap. Her wedding band was unadorned, simple gold. "No--I couldn't tell him, I tried but. . . ."
Zack's eyes had sharpened. "It's better that he doesn't know," he stated firmly. "What Charlie doesn't know won't hurt him--we're all safer like this." He paused briefly before continuing. "When is he getting home, anyway?" Zack asked, mild distaste in his question. Max shot him a hard glare which Zack ignored.
Tinga didn't appear to be insulted by Zack's tone concerning her husband. Her smile flared back to life, all amusement at Zack's expense. "Charlie's shift changed since the last time you dropped in. He should be returning soon." Tinga shook her head, smiling in Max's direction. "They wear on each other's nerves," she informed her sister. "Zack showed up before the wedding, and ever since then, Charlie has been certain that Zack is trying to steal me away. And Zack--"
"Thinks that Charlie is a poor reason to endanger oneself," Zack cut in.
"Has hated Charlie ever since he didn't slink away when Zack roared at him," Tinga concluded calmly. "You know how Zack is," Tinga said waving her hand, carefully avoiding looking in Zack's direction, "playing at the over-protective big brother when it comes to my love life."
"Uh huh," Max drew out, remembering Zack's reaction to some of her former boyfriends--not, Max amended, that he had been especially driven by brotherly feelings at the time. Danny's nose had never been the same, she remembered. "I'm looking forward to meeting the man worthy of your heart, Tinga--Penny," she said, shifting into the use of her sister's new name.
"And I'm sure he'll be relieved to meet you, Max. Having you here should soothe some of his worries." Tinga stood, straightening her blouse around her. "That's him," she said, head cocked towards the open window. A car door closed, the sound carrying easily to their sensitive ears. "I have today off, they're renovating the bakery where I work." Tinga had moved towards the kitchen, briefly disappearing behind the door of the fridge. She emerged a moment later with a plate piled with cut chicken. She set it on the counter, reaching for the bag of bread next to the sink. "It isn't often that we get to eat supper together, seeing as our work schedules clash," Tinga said.
Max rose. "We can come back later," she offered.
Tinga dipped a knife into a tub of butter. "No, I want you two here. It's even rarer that I get to see my siblings," she told Max firmly, gesturing for Max to sit back down. "I want you and Charlie to meet each other." They could hear the sound of footsteps, moving down the hallway. "Here he comes," Tinga said as the footsteps stopped.
Charlie looked like a good guy, Max thought as Tinga's husband stepped into his apartment. He looked tired, but a smile had formed on his face as he glanced towards the couch on which she and Zack sat. Charlie's smile froze when he saw who it was seated before him. Max smiled reassuringly at him, her hand set on Zack's thigh. Charlie's eyes slid towards the kitchen, the smile regaining warmth as he spotted Tinga. "Penny," he said.
Tinga moved back into the living room. She slid up against Charlie, arms winding about his neck. She pressed a quick kiss to his mouth before pulling back slightly, caught in his arms as they moved about her waist. "Sam showed up a few hours ago," she explained, her voice soft enough that normal humans would not have caught her words from where Zack and Max sat. "He was in town and decided to drop in and visit." Her voice dropped even lower, "he'll be gone soon enough, so be nice."
Max snorted at Tinga's final words, ignoring Zack's frosty glare. She rose, holding her hand out to Charlie when Tinga moved to her husband's side. Charlie accepted her hand. He had a good grip, Max noted, deciding that she liked the guy. Any man Tinga liked couldn't be bad.
"This is Max, an old friend of mine," Tinga introduced them. "She's here with Sam." Tinga looked back and forth between her sister and husband. "Max, this is Charlie."
"Pleased to meet you," Charlie said.
"Same here," Max responded.
"Sam," Charlie acknowledged, his voice going cool as he looked at the man still seated on the couch.
Zack grunted in reply.
Tinga rolled her eyes, heaving an exasperated sigh. "Never mind, Charlie," she said, guiding him away from Zack. "Supper is nearly ready."
"Hey, Penny," Max called out, reaching for Zack's hand. She pulled at him until Zack rose. Aware of Charlie's curious eyes on them, Max slid an arm around Zack's waist, flashing a quick smile up at him. "You two have supper--we've already eaten. Sam and I will take a look around town and head back here in a couple of hours."
Tinga had been living in Portland for years, and in that time, Zack had come to know the area well. He had shown Max around, paying special attention to routes they could use to escape should Lydecker ever advance on Tinga's position. They found themselves back at Tinga's home before too much time had passed, but unwilling to intrude on Tinga's time with her husband, Max had insisted that they remain outside a while longer. She and Zack sat at the edge of the sidewalk in front of Tinga's apartment complex, sitting close enough that their shoulders touched.
"I'm surprised that you didn't take drastic measures when you found out about Tinga and Charlie," Max commented, steering their conversation back into directions which truly interested her.
"I thought about it--simply taking Tinga and getting the hell out of here, her wishes be damned," Zack admitted. "But I'm not completely heartless, Max."
"I've never thought that," Max protested. She brought her hand to the back of Zack's neck, resting her hand against the skin temporarily burned free of his barcode. Her thumb moved back and forth, a steady rhythm against his neck. Her hand fell away when Max moved to hook her arm with Zack's. She rested her head against his shoulder, eyes turned up towards the night sky. "I know you care about all of us, Zack--never once have I doubted that."
Zack sighed, his fingers curling with Max's against his thigh. "She deserved to be happy, and Charlie manages to do that. I won't needlessly take Tinga's happiness away from her, but the moment her safety is at risk here. . . ." he trailed off, leaving the destruction of Tinga's world unspoken. "You're one of the reasons why I didn't protest too much when I found out what Tinga had planned."
"I am?" Max questioned, pulling back in order to see Zack's face.
"It would have been hypocritical of me to tell Tinga that she couldn't afford any weaknesses while I've let you become mine."
"Now _that's_ what every girl wants to hear," Max laughed, brushing aside the seriousness of Zack's statement. They didn't do stuff like that--she and Zack never seriously discussed their relationship and what it meant. It simply was, both of them drawing different benefits from its existence. "I'm glad--whatever the reason--that Tinga got to experience this. Case is adorable," her voice softened when she named her nephew.
"I suppose he is," Zack answered. "I don't know how she could do that to another person--how she could willingly create another life for Lydecker to destroy. He'll find out eventually, he always does. Best case scenario, Case grows up without his mother. Worst, Lydecker takes the kid and moulds another soldier out of him. You saw."
"He's like us," Max said, fear curling in her stomach at Zack's words. "Is this what you always think like, Zack?" She had seen only love and joy in Tinga's life with Charlie and Case, while Zack had found the potential for pain and loss.
"Someone has to," Zack responded. "I have to stay centered, keep my focus on the real issues." He could feel the tension creeping through Max's body. "You don't want to hear any of this, Max. You can be the happy one--the one our family is glad to see at their door." He stirred, hand loosening around Max's. "We've given them long enough. Let's head back inside."
...~*~...
Charlie was seated on Case's bed, a book opened on his lap. Max paused in the door, watching the Tinga's family. Zack had taken Tinga aside some few minutes earlier, the two of them standing out of sight on the fire-escape. Zack had shot Max a look, asking that she keep Charlie out of their way, and Max had known that Zack was delivering news of Tosh's death to their sister. She remembered with a sudden pang that Tosh and Tinga had been close in Manticore.
". . . And they lived happily ever after," Charlie concluded, his voice soft. Max had heard some of the bedtime stories Tinga told her son--she wondered whether Charlie had noted that none of hers ended so neatly and happily. He bent forward, laying a soft kiss at his son's forehead. Charlie tucked the book into the night-stand beside the boy's bed before rising. He turned, jumping with a muffled curse as he spotted Max in the doorway.
"Sorry," Max mouthed, moving out of the doorway so that Charlie could join her in the hall.
The door shut with a slight click behind him. "You move as quietly as Penny," Charlie commented. His eyes narrowed slightly, face serious. "You remind me of her in a lot of different ways."
"Oh?" Max said.
Charlie nodded. "The way you move, how you sound, some of your expressions. It's eerie." Charlie hesitated, considering whether to continue his line of thought with a woman he had met only days ago. "Sam reminds me of her, too. I didn't realize it at first--too busy gnashing my teeth over what an ass he was--" he cut off, suddenly apologetic.
Max waved away his forming apology. "Hey, no problem. Sam takes some getting used to, and even then, he ain't easy to be around." She could hear the rise and fall of Tinga and Zack's voices, the sudden catch in Tinga's throat as Zack delivered the worst of his news. Max closed her eyes and drew in a wavering breath, remembering her own sorrow at the loss of one of her family.
Charlie's hand brushed across her shoulder. "You okay?"
Max's eyes snapped open. "Yeah, fine."
"She never mentioned you," Charlie said slowly. "I didn't even know about Sam until he showed up before our wedding. But you're close, all of you." He rubbed his hand through his hair, sighing.
Max looked away, uneasy with the turn their conversation had taken. She had never been in a serious relationship. Max had never been in a position where another person was intimately tied into the lies she had created for herself. "Some things," Max began cautiously, "are too deep for words."
Charlie smiled tightly. "Yeah, maybe that's it."
Tinga was composed by the time Charlie and Max joined them in the kitchen. Tinga and Zack were seated at the table, a mug of coffee before each of them. Before Tinga lifted her mug to her mouth, Max saw how tightly her sister held her lips. Charlie pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. He didn't know, Max knew. He saw Penny, his wife, the mother of his child, safe in their home entertaining an old friend. She had been crying mere moments earlier, mourning the loss of a piece of herself, and he didn't know. He wouldn't ever know.
Zack had seen something on her face that hinted of her feelings. "Max?" his voice was sharp.
Max shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, holding a hand to her temple. "I'm not feeling so well. I think I'll just lay down for a while."
"Max?" Tinga questioned with concern.
"I'll be fine, just give me a bit."