Syl was sitting on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table
and Zack was leaning against the doorframe as usual. They were both
intensely staring at their newfound brother. Alec shifted under their gaze
before he plopped into one of the chairs and decided to look around at the
scenery. Logan wasn't kidding when he said his status was higher than most
in this day and age.
"So." Alec said trying to lighten things up.
"You didn't like Manticore did you?" He said this more of a statement than a question. Zack shot him a yeah you're an idiot. Syl still kept her intense gaze.
"You remind me of someone." He looked so familiar to both of them but they didn't know why.
"Ok." Alec was not used to being around such stiffs. That is, at least not in the real world. He shrugged carelessly. Zack and Syl were wondering how this guy who had been at Manticore longer than them could lounge about so easily.
"So is there anything fun you like to do?" Alec said casually trying to make conversation. Zack and Syl just looked at him.
"Ok. Never mind." Just then they all heard the door open.
"Thank god." Alec said under his breath. He didn't know how much longer he could stand the lackluster company. Logan walked in the room first and Syl and Alec stood up. Max closed the door behind her and walked into the room.
What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. Ben. Her eyes suddenly went a wild haze. They all noticed her look.
"Umm Max you ok?" Logan asked. She didn't answer him. She couldn't breath. Her mind was fogging and she remembered. The forest. The fight. The helicopters and her dead brother she killed. No she murdered him. But he was standing right there in front of her. Panic was now filling her. What was this? Some kind of omen? Maybe it was her comeuppance for killing him. She had done it and it would haunt her forever. The haunting was standing in front of her. Her pulse was beating at her body. She let something escape her mouth like a small whimper. The 4 other people were trying hard to understand why Max was so traumatized. Alec was really feeling weird about now and he didn't know what he did wrong but he certainly knew it was not good to piss of your allies much less your siblings.
"Ben?" she let out a strangled whisper. Zack and Syl finally knew why he was so familiar. Logan saw Max was drowning and the tension was enough to kill someone. He remembered how heart broken Max felt after Ben was killed. He knew she kept something from him about that situation but he let it slide because she didn't need anymore stress at the time. He had to do something.
"Alec why don't you go take a shower. It's over there." He said gesturing in the general area of the bathroom. Alec was relieved that Logan gave him an out and he gratefully took it.
"Thanks Loggie." He replied as he breezed pass Zack to the bathroom. Syl knew something was very wrong but she also knew that her and Zack shouldn't be there. Logan was here to help her now.
"Hey Zack we need to go do that thing. Remember?" Zack nodded his head reluctantly. He didn't want to leave Max but he knew what Syl was thinking. They quickly exited as the shower turned on.
Max still wasn't breathing. Logan came up to her and put his hands on Max's face.
"Max? What is it?" She was looking at him but not really seeing. All she could see was her brother's body. All she could feel was the snap of his neck and his draining life as she killed him.
"Max come on snap out of it." One small tear rolled down Max's cheeks.
"It's Ben." She whispered.
"No Max. It isn't Ben. That was Alec."
"It was Ben." She said a little louder.
"Max it can't be. Ben is dead." Another tear dropped down her face.
"What was his designation Max?" she sniffled slightly.
"493."
"See it obviously isn't Ben. Max, Alec's designation is 494. I guess Alec is his clone." It made sense to her now but the pain was flooding back to her. Every moment in that forest was playing over in her head again and again. Logan wiped her tears and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him immediately.
"What happened?" She had to tell him now.
"I- I killed him." Tears were now streaming down her face. She didn't noticed Logan tightening his grip on her.
"We ended up fighting in the woods and I broke his leg. Lydecker was coming. He didn't want to go back. We couldn't have gotten out. So he told me to kill him. I sat there with him while he talked to me about the stories he told us when we were at Manticore and I snapped his neck." Max was crying so hard right now. She killed her own brother. She loved her brother and all of her siblings and they worked together to fight back Manticore and she killed him. Logan finally understood.
"I'm sorry Max." He held her as she cried in his shirt. He's sorry? What the hell kind of a response was that. That wasn't the right thing to say at all his brain screamed at him. But he didn't know what else to do. He held her for a long time, until her sobs toned down. Her urge to cry passed. She couldn't help feeling like a weak idiot. She was always strong and crying this much the past month has made her feel stupid. Logan went through hell and here he was holding her and trying to make her pain go away. She backed away from him and laid her hands on his ripped chest and looked into his gorgeous eyes. They never looked so clear. He kept his hands steady on her hips.
"Come on." He said softly. He led her to the bedroom and he laid her down. He leaned over and kissed her passionately. He made all her pain leave her with that singular kiss. She wanted to undo him right then and there but Alec was still there. Oh well we will save that for later she thought. Logan kissed her again on the forehead.
"Try to get some rest. I will be back later." She nodded and buried herself in the sheets as Logan left. She used to do this all the time. Come in here and snuggle in the sheets and have images of Logan dance across her eyes and then the ache would all ways come. It was an ache of her severe loss. But it was different now. He was here and he is fine. She snuggled in the crisp clean sheets even more and smiled.
A/N Everyone keeps saying that I need to finish soon and put up the next chapter like I wouldn't! Just so you know only a pack of rabid dogs attacking me could postpone my posting of chapters. I post at least a chapter a day and I will continue doing so. Although bummer for you people that I keep getting ideas so this most likely will be one of those ridiculously long fics. Sit back and get comfortable people. Oh yeah, I am slightly worried. The number of reviews I get a day has dramatically decreased. Do you hate me for the fic or something?
"So." Alec said trying to lighten things up.
"You didn't like Manticore did you?" He said this more of a statement than a question. Zack shot him a yeah you're an idiot. Syl still kept her intense gaze.
"You remind me of someone." He looked so familiar to both of them but they didn't know why.
"Ok." Alec was not used to being around such stiffs. That is, at least not in the real world. He shrugged carelessly. Zack and Syl were wondering how this guy who had been at Manticore longer than them could lounge about so easily.
"So is there anything fun you like to do?" Alec said casually trying to make conversation. Zack and Syl just looked at him.
"Ok. Never mind." Just then they all heard the door open.
"Thank god." Alec said under his breath. He didn't know how much longer he could stand the lackluster company. Logan walked in the room first and Syl and Alec stood up. Max closed the door behind her and walked into the room.
What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. Ben. Her eyes suddenly went a wild haze. They all noticed her look.
"Umm Max you ok?" Logan asked. She didn't answer him. She couldn't breath. Her mind was fogging and she remembered. The forest. The fight. The helicopters and her dead brother she killed. No she murdered him. But he was standing right there in front of her. Panic was now filling her. What was this? Some kind of omen? Maybe it was her comeuppance for killing him. She had done it and it would haunt her forever. The haunting was standing in front of her. Her pulse was beating at her body. She let something escape her mouth like a small whimper. The 4 other people were trying hard to understand why Max was so traumatized. Alec was really feeling weird about now and he didn't know what he did wrong but he certainly knew it was not good to piss of your allies much less your siblings.
"Ben?" she let out a strangled whisper. Zack and Syl finally knew why he was so familiar. Logan saw Max was drowning and the tension was enough to kill someone. He remembered how heart broken Max felt after Ben was killed. He knew she kept something from him about that situation but he let it slide because she didn't need anymore stress at the time. He had to do something.
"Alec why don't you go take a shower. It's over there." He said gesturing in the general area of the bathroom. Alec was relieved that Logan gave him an out and he gratefully took it.
"Thanks Loggie." He replied as he breezed pass Zack to the bathroom. Syl knew something was very wrong but she also knew that her and Zack shouldn't be there. Logan was here to help her now.
"Hey Zack we need to go do that thing. Remember?" Zack nodded his head reluctantly. He didn't want to leave Max but he knew what Syl was thinking. They quickly exited as the shower turned on.
Max still wasn't breathing. Logan came up to her and put his hands on Max's face.
"Max? What is it?" She was looking at him but not really seeing. All she could see was her brother's body. All she could feel was the snap of his neck and his draining life as she killed him.
"Max come on snap out of it." One small tear rolled down Max's cheeks.
"It's Ben." She whispered.
"No Max. It isn't Ben. That was Alec."
"It was Ben." She said a little louder.
"Max it can't be. Ben is dead." Another tear dropped down her face.
"What was his designation Max?" she sniffled slightly.
"493."
"See it obviously isn't Ben. Max, Alec's designation is 494. I guess Alec is his clone." It made sense to her now but the pain was flooding back to her. Every moment in that forest was playing over in her head again and again. Logan wiped her tears and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him immediately.
"What happened?" She had to tell him now.
"I- I killed him." Tears were now streaming down her face. She didn't noticed Logan tightening his grip on her.
"We ended up fighting in the woods and I broke his leg. Lydecker was coming. He didn't want to go back. We couldn't have gotten out. So he told me to kill him. I sat there with him while he talked to me about the stories he told us when we were at Manticore and I snapped his neck." Max was crying so hard right now. She killed her own brother. She loved her brother and all of her siblings and they worked together to fight back Manticore and she killed him. Logan finally understood.
"I'm sorry Max." He held her as she cried in his shirt. He's sorry? What the hell kind of a response was that. That wasn't the right thing to say at all his brain screamed at him. But he didn't know what else to do. He held her for a long time, until her sobs toned down. Her urge to cry passed. She couldn't help feeling like a weak idiot. She was always strong and crying this much the past month has made her feel stupid. Logan went through hell and here he was holding her and trying to make her pain go away. She backed away from him and laid her hands on his ripped chest and looked into his gorgeous eyes. They never looked so clear. He kept his hands steady on her hips.
"Come on." He said softly. He led her to the bedroom and he laid her down. He leaned over and kissed her passionately. He made all her pain leave her with that singular kiss. She wanted to undo him right then and there but Alec was still there. Oh well we will save that for later she thought. Logan kissed her again on the forehead.
"Try to get some rest. I will be back later." She nodded and buried herself in the sheets as Logan left. She used to do this all the time. Come in here and snuggle in the sheets and have images of Logan dance across her eyes and then the ache would all ways come. It was an ache of her severe loss. But it was different now. He was here and he is fine. She snuggled in the crisp clean sheets even more and smiled.
A/N Everyone keeps saying that I need to finish soon and put up the next chapter like I wouldn't! Just so you know only a pack of rabid dogs attacking me could postpone my posting of chapters. I post at least a chapter a day and I will continue doing so. Although bummer for you people that I keep getting ideas so this most likely will be one of those ridiculously long fics. Sit back and get comfortable people. Oh yeah, I am slightly worried. The number of reviews I get a day has dramatically decreased. Do you hate me for the fic or something?