Pitter Patter
by pari106
Disclaimer, etc. found in part I.
Chapter Two…
Max had no idea what to say. For a full moment, she was struck dumb.
"Say something," Ralph pleaded.
Oh boy.
Max just shook her head. What were the odds of this?
"You're pregnant?" she asked, lamely. Ralph just nodded, looking for…what? Acceptance,
rejection…comfort? Max knew the feeling.
"Oh, Ralph." Max pulled the girl into a hug. Almost automatically, Ralph's resolve crumbled and she
began to cry as Max just held her, patting her back.
"I didn't think Manticore paired the X6 off into breeding partners," she commented. They were awfully
young for that…but then, Manticore was sick and twisted, anyhow. At these words, however, Ralph
stiffened in Max's arms. She pulled back.
"Uh…they didn't," she said softly.
Max opened her mouth to ask…but then she shut it again. Oh. They didn't. So Bullet…
"Bullet didn't want the baby?" she asked gently. Ralph shook her head.
"Oh, Max…I didn't tell him about the baby!" She looked up at last. "I was afraid of what he'd say and I
left. I don't know what he thinks about why. I've messed up so bad…"
Hadn't they all?
Max sighed and threw an arm around Ralph's shoulders. "So what do you want to do?" Ralph was totally
at a loss.
"What should I do?" she asked.
That was the million-dollar question.
"You need to see a doctor," Max told her. Not a prospect either of them enjoyed, but a necessity Max had
learned had better be accepted. "Then we'll see if we can find Bullet," she said.
This would easily be the harder of the two tasks. Ralph could just go see Max's doctor, but Max had no
idea where to look for the other X6. She'd thought the kids had gone to Canada…now she learned that
some of them were in New York, some were somewhere else… They could be anywhere. She didn't
know them well enough to guess where. And the only person she knew with the kind of contacts that could
make finding Bullet any easier…was Logan. And she was not looking forward to that conversation. She
dreaded what Logan would say if she told him one of her fellow Manticore escapees had come to her,
pregnant.
She wondered what Ralph would say when she told her that she was pregnant, too.
**** ****
Doctors offices. Ralph didn't like them any better than Max did. But she felt better having come
here…knowing she had a plan on how to deal with this thing. Knowing *they* had a plan; that she was not
alone and that Max was there with her.
And what Max had just told her…she was too surprised to think about how much she hated doctors now.
"You're pregnant, too?" This was the strangest situation she'd ever been in. Which was saying a lot,
because everything was pretty strange to her out here.
Max nodded, hopping up on the examination table beside her. "Fraid so," she said.
Ralph frowned. "You don't want the baby?"
This, Max couldn't respond to right away. Did she want the baby? Yeah, she wanted it. There'd never
been a question of that. It was unexpected, but she couldn't blame the baby for that. And she couldn't
blame its father. The single night they'd spent together had been as much a surprise to him as it had been
to her, despite whatever orders had sent him to her cell back at Manticore. The consequence of that night
would be just as surprising…if he ever found out about it. Sure, he'd known pregnancy was the intended
result of their time together as breeding partners…but Max wasn't sure he equated 'pregnancy' with
'baby'. He'd lived his entire life in Manticore, after all. What did he know about babies?
"The problem isn't about wanting it…" Max started to explain. But then she wondered if she really could
give an explanation.
"Does the father want the baby?" Ralph asked. Okay, so maybe Max wouldn't have to give one, after all.
She smiled wryly. Seems she and Ralph had a lot in common. Because the father of her baby didn't know
about his child, either. And if she wanted to blame someone for that…she had no one to point to but
herself.
After Ralph's doctor appointment, Max took her back to her place. It had been a tough day…for both of
them. Make that a tough week. A tough month. Tough life? Max told OC her friend would be shacking
up at their place for a while and promised to explain more later. Then, after Ralph settled down for a nap,
Max went out to think.
Alec. That's where her thoughts went immediately. Max wondered what Ralph would think if she told her
Alec was the father of her baby; X5 494. Hell, Max didn't even know what to think of it. She didn't know
what to think of *him*. She never had. Maybe that's why she'd never been able to get him off her mind.
What had happened between them had been a mistake. Or so Max had thought. They'd clashed from the
moment they met, but they'd also sparked…something Max couldn't admit to herself until just recently.
That spark had turned into a flame when Max had gone into heat, shortly after Alec had introduced himself
as her breeding partner. It hadn't surprised Max that their encounter had been so passionate – she was in
heat after all. But the passion had surprised Alec – she'd realized this later on. X5s who grew up at
Manticore were treated from puberty on for any 'defects' such as the one that caused Max's heat cycles.
He'd had no idea what was going on when she'd suddenly shown interest in him…though she'd been
certain at the time that he was just playing with her. The morning after, Max had been furious; she'd been
certain Alec had taken advantage of her. She'd been so angry, in fact, that she'd used that anger to fuel her
determination to escape. She'd breached Manticore's perimeter two days afterward.
Then she'd realized she'd made a mistake, though she hadn't figured on ever getting a chance to apologize
to him. Yet there he was, back at Logan's penthouse, waiting for her by the time she'd gotten to Foggle
Towers. And since he had been sent to essentially kill Logan and recapture her…apologies had been the
last thing on Max's mind.
But Alec really hadn't taken advantage of her. He was just as angry at her accusations as she was when she
made them. He'd come to Foggle Towers to carry out Manticore orders, but he never did. He'd turned his
back on Ralph and the others, he'd turned his back on her, but he'd returned when she really needed him.
He'd nearly turned on her and Joshua for his own sake…but he hadn't. He could be a real asshole
sometimes. He could be dangerous. But he could be good, too. And Max couldn't make herself stay
angry at him. She couldn't justify in her mind the anger she had directed at him the night she'd had to give
up her chance at curing the virus keeping her and Logan apart in order to save Alec. She couldn't help but
be drawn to him, even now after she'd pushed him away. Maybe that was why she'd pushed him away.
Because her feelings for him, and her uncertainty over his feelings for her, scared and confused her.
Not that there weren't plenty of other, legitimate reasons Max had lashed out at Alec that night. Alec
hadn't meant to come between her and Logan. He hadn't planned on making her choose between the cure
that would give her and Logan a chance and the cure that would save his life. And if saving his life had
really meant so little to her, she wouldn't have done so in the first place. But it had meant something to
her; he meant something to her. She'd chosen to save him; that was her choice. But that choice cost her
the closure that a cure could have brung her and Logan. She knew now that she and Logan were over; this
baby had ensured that. But even then, before she knew about the child, that last time she'd seen Alec, Max
had realized she and Logan might no longer be able to make a relationship work, if they'd ever had that
chance in the first place. They'd both just changed too much. Max had still loved him; she always would
in a way. But she couldn't go on clinging to a relationship that didn't make any sense. And they didn't
make any sense anymore. Not when she knew Logan wanted something to happen between him and Asha.
He could deny it all he wanted – Max saw the way he looked at her. But he was being faithful to Max.
And he always would be if he thought the only thing standing between them was this virus.
At least…he always would *have*…if it hadn't been for the baby.
Max ended up at the place she always went to think – the Space Needle, and she sat down on its edge with
a sigh.
She'd had plenty of reasons to be angry at Alec…but none that seemed particularly important now that she
was going to have this baby alone. Granted…she might have ended up having it alone, anyhow. She had
no idea how Alec felt about her now. But the point was, she should have given them a chance to find out.
She should have given Alec a chance; gotten to know him better and not condemned him for something
that wasn't even his fault.
Now she didn't even know where he was. And it was unlikely Logan would be too happy if she were to
ask for his help on that issue. She just hoped he'd agree to help her find Bullet, for Ralph's sake if nothing
else.
**** ****
The next morning Max took Ralph to Foggle Towers.
She was nervous. Okay, strike that…she was in a fucking panic. But what could she do? On the elevator,
Max tried to calm herself. She was shaky enough this time of day because of the morning sickness; she
didn't need to get herself upset. Throwing up in Logan's penthouse would hardly help her case.
"This is the guy who got us our papers?" Ralph asked, remembering the last time she was in Seattle.
"Yep," Max replied. Ralph studied her profile. She wondered why Max was so on edge, but to her credit
she didn't mention it. She had a pretty good idea anyhow.
Then they reached Logan's floor.
by pari106
Disclaimer, etc. found in part I.
Chapter Two…
Max had no idea what to say. For a full moment, she was struck dumb.
"Say something," Ralph pleaded.
Oh boy.
Max just shook her head. What were the odds of this?
"You're pregnant?" she asked, lamely. Ralph just nodded, looking for…what? Acceptance,
rejection…comfort? Max knew the feeling.
"Oh, Ralph." Max pulled the girl into a hug. Almost automatically, Ralph's resolve crumbled and she
began to cry as Max just held her, patting her back.
"I didn't think Manticore paired the X6 off into breeding partners," she commented. They were awfully
young for that…but then, Manticore was sick and twisted, anyhow. At these words, however, Ralph
stiffened in Max's arms. She pulled back.
"Uh…they didn't," she said softly.
Max opened her mouth to ask…but then she shut it again. Oh. They didn't. So Bullet…
"Bullet didn't want the baby?" she asked gently. Ralph shook her head.
"Oh, Max…I didn't tell him about the baby!" She looked up at last. "I was afraid of what he'd say and I
left. I don't know what he thinks about why. I've messed up so bad…"
Hadn't they all?
Max sighed and threw an arm around Ralph's shoulders. "So what do you want to do?" Ralph was totally
at a loss.
"What should I do?" she asked.
That was the million-dollar question.
"You need to see a doctor," Max told her. Not a prospect either of them enjoyed, but a necessity Max had
learned had better be accepted. "Then we'll see if we can find Bullet," she said.
This would easily be the harder of the two tasks. Ralph could just go see Max's doctor, but Max had no
idea where to look for the other X6. She'd thought the kids had gone to Canada…now she learned that
some of them were in New York, some were somewhere else… They could be anywhere. She didn't
know them well enough to guess where. And the only person she knew with the kind of contacts that could
make finding Bullet any easier…was Logan. And she was not looking forward to that conversation. She
dreaded what Logan would say if she told him one of her fellow Manticore escapees had come to her,
pregnant.
She wondered what Ralph would say when she told her that she was pregnant, too.
**** ****
Doctors offices. Ralph didn't like them any better than Max did. But she felt better having come
here…knowing she had a plan on how to deal with this thing. Knowing *they* had a plan; that she was not
alone and that Max was there with her.
And what Max had just told her…she was too surprised to think about how much she hated doctors now.
"You're pregnant, too?" This was the strangest situation she'd ever been in. Which was saying a lot,
because everything was pretty strange to her out here.
Max nodded, hopping up on the examination table beside her. "Fraid so," she said.
Ralph frowned. "You don't want the baby?"
This, Max couldn't respond to right away. Did she want the baby? Yeah, she wanted it. There'd never
been a question of that. It was unexpected, but she couldn't blame the baby for that. And she couldn't
blame its father. The single night they'd spent together had been as much a surprise to him as it had been
to her, despite whatever orders had sent him to her cell back at Manticore. The consequence of that night
would be just as surprising…if he ever found out about it. Sure, he'd known pregnancy was the intended
result of their time together as breeding partners…but Max wasn't sure he equated 'pregnancy' with
'baby'. He'd lived his entire life in Manticore, after all. What did he know about babies?
"The problem isn't about wanting it…" Max started to explain. But then she wondered if she really could
give an explanation.
"Does the father want the baby?" Ralph asked. Okay, so maybe Max wouldn't have to give one, after all.
She smiled wryly. Seems she and Ralph had a lot in common. Because the father of her baby didn't know
about his child, either. And if she wanted to blame someone for that…she had no one to point to but
herself.
After Ralph's doctor appointment, Max took her back to her place. It had been a tough day…for both of
them. Make that a tough week. A tough month. Tough life? Max told OC her friend would be shacking
up at their place for a while and promised to explain more later. Then, after Ralph settled down for a nap,
Max went out to think.
Alec. That's where her thoughts went immediately. Max wondered what Ralph would think if she told her
Alec was the father of her baby; X5 494. Hell, Max didn't even know what to think of it. She didn't know
what to think of *him*. She never had. Maybe that's why she'd never been able to get him off her mind.
What had happened between them had been a mistake. Or so Max had thought. They'd clashed from the
moment they met, but they'd also sparked…something Max couldn't admit to herself until just recently.
That spark had turned into a flame when Max had gone into heat, shortly after Alec had introduced himself
as her breeding partner. It hadn't surprised Max that their encounter had been so passionate – she was in
heat after all. But the passion had surprised Alec – she'd realized this later on. X5s who grew up at
Manticore were treated from puberty on for any 'defects' such as the one that caused Max's heat cycles.
He'd had no idea what was going on when she'd suddenly shown interest in him…though she'd been
certain at the time that he was just playing with her. The morning after, Max had been furious; she'd been
certain Alec had taken advantage of her. She'd been so angry, in fact, that she'd used that anger to fuel her
determination to escape. She'd breached Manticore's perimeter two days afterward.
Then she'd realized she'd made a mistake, though she hadn't figured on ever getting a chance to apologize
to him. Yet there he was, back at Logan's penthouse, waiting for her by the time she'd gotten to Foggle
Towers. And since he had been sent to essentially kill Logan and recapture her…apologies had been the
last thing on Max's mind.
But Alec really hadn't taken advantage of her. He was just as angry at her accusations as she was when she
made them. He'd come to Foggle Towers to carry out Manticore orders, but he never did. He'd turned his
back on Ralph and the others, he'd turned his back on her, but he'd returned when she really needed him.
He'd nearly turned on her and Joshua for his own sake…but he hadn't. He could be a real asshole
sometimes. He could be dangerous. But he could be good, too. And Max couldn't make herself stay
angry at him. She couldn't justify in her mind the anger she had directed at him the night she'd had to give
up her chance at curing the virus keeping her and Logan apart in order to save Alec. She couldn't help but
be drawn to him, even now after she'd pushed him away. Maybe that was why she'd pushed him away.
Because her feelings for him, and her uncertainty over his feelings for her, scared and confused her.
Not that there weren't plenty of other, legitimate reasons Max had lashed out at Alec that night. Alec
hadn't meant to come between her and Logan. He hadn't planned on making her choose between the cure
that would give her and Logan a chance and the cure that would save his life. And if saving his life had
really meant so little to her, she wouldn't have done so in the first place. But it had meant something to
her; he meant something to her. She'd chosen to save him; that was her choice. But that choice cost her
the closure that a cure could have brung her and Logan. She knew now that she and Logan were over; this
baby had ensured that. But even then, before she knew about the child, that last time she'd seen Alec, Max
had realized she and Logan might no longer be able to make a relationship work, if they'd ever had that
chance in the first place. They'd both just changed too much. Max had still loved him; she always would
in a way. But she couldn't go on clinging to a relationship that didn't make any sense. And they didn't
make any sense anymore. Not when she knew Logan wanted something to happen between him and Asha.
He could deny it all he wanted – Max saw the way he looked at her. But he was being faithful to Max.
And he always would be if he thought the only thing standing between them was this virus.
At least…he always would *have*…if it hadn't been for the baby.
Max ended up at the place she always went to think – the Space Needle, and she sat down on its edge with
a sigh.
She'd had plenty of reasons to be angry at Alec…but none that seemed particularly important now that she
was going to have this baby alone. Granted…she might have ended up having it alone, anyhow. She had
no idea how Alec felt about her now. But the point was, she should have given them a chance to find out.
She should have given Alec a chance; gotten to know him better and not condemned him for something
that wasn't even his fault.
Now she didn't even know where he was. And it was unlikely Logan would be too happy if she were to
ask for his help on that issue. She just hoped he'd agree to help her find Bullet, for Ralph's sake if nothing
else.
**** ****
The next morning Max took Ralph to Foggle Towers.
She was nervous. Okay, strike that…she was in a fucking panic. But what could she do? On the elevator,
Max tried to calm herself. She was shaky enough this time of day because of the morning sickness; she
didn't need to get herself upset. Throwing up in Logan's penthouse would hardly help her case.
"This is the guy who got us our papers?" Ralph asked, remembering the last time she was in Seattle.
"Yep," Max replied. Ralph studied her profile. She wondered why Max was so on edge, but to her credit
she didn't mention it. She had a pretty good idea anyhow.
Then they reached Logan's floor.