"Vada." Alec murmured.
She turned around with her X7s. They shot him dirty looks. Her hands were on her hips and she was still in camouflage.
"You hate gray!" Alec commented, noticing it for the first time.
"I hate camo, too. Brings back bad memories. But I didn't exactly have options, you know?" She cocked her head to one side. "I guess I just went AWOL."
Alec tsked. "He deserved it."
Vada shook her head sadly. "You were right, Daddy."
Alec flinched slightly. "Not ready for the title quite yet, Vada."
Vada chuckled uncomfortably. "Yeah, that's right."
He motioned with his hand to come over. "Come on, you know you want it."
Vada grinned. She let him put his arm around her shoulder and they walked to the luxury SUV.
"Hey, you assholes, get in the car!" Alec shouted as he slammed the door behind Vada. He smiled at Max understandingly. "Take the van, okay, 2?"
She grinned at him gratefully and slammed the door of the van behind her.
"So, who is she?" Vada asked finally, looking over at her.. Father. It sort of just hit her that the man driving the car was her father.
"Who is who? My latest girlfriend, my best gal pal, my sister, my mother?" He joked like it was some sort of question he could answer.. A sort of question he could answer with a smile.
"My mother."
Alec slammed on the brakes.
"I take it we won't be discussing her today on Messed-Up Transgenic families." Vada murmured, leaning on the armrest built into the door, and sighing heavily.
Original Cindy just sat there, her jaw collecting dust.
"Do you guys have any so.." Matt trailed off and Max pointed to the fridge.
"So I'm the mother of this kid that doesn't even know me and she's been lied to even more than us X5s." Max whispered. "And how am I going to tell Logan?"
"How did you explain taking care of Alec?" She asked.
"I'm going to tell him that there's an annoying X5 who won't leave me alone and shouldn't be out in the real world without a chaperone?" Max offered, confused.
OC shot her a look. "No, you're going to tell him that because of Manticore, you have another screwed-up transgenic that you need to take care of."
"Except this one is my child!" Max hissed.
"And Alec is the father of her." OC retorted. "Are you even ready to meet this kid?"
"I've heard about her. Seems alright. She's got good instincts. Kicked this asshole in the balls and brainwashed X7s and did something with White." Max began, a smile growing on her face. "She sounds so cool. But I just don't think I'm ready for it."
"Bip, bip, bip, people. There are packages to deliver, and not enough people to deliver them!" Normal shouted.
"Max." Alec said, tapping her on the shoulder. Max turned around.
"Where is she?" Max asked, trying to keep her cool.
"Matt is taking care of her in my apartment." Alec explained coolly. "But it's not really her I want to talk about."
Max knew what he meant.
"When are you going to tell Logan, when are you going to talk to her? She wants to meet you." Alec soon began to ramble, something about her having Max's eyes and the bridge of his nose or something like that.
"Alec, hold your horses." Max interrupted as soon as he took another breath. "I don't think I'm ready for this."
Alec was definitely confused. "Ready for what? Buying her first photo session, seeing her dance on point, introducing her to Logan, what?"
Max took a deep breath and brushed past him. "I'm not ready for this motherhood shit. You have a definite connection to her and I'm just this enigma that you've talked about."
"Hot run." Normal tossed her a package and she biked out of Jam Pony.
"Damn." Alec muttered, taking the next package and heading for Sector Three.
"Brought you a treat, Princess." Alec whispered, covering Vada's eyes.
"Dad—Alec!" Vada exclaimed, turning around and facing her young father, his arm behind his back. "What is it?"
He pulled out a small jewel case. "Ten Minutes Ago, Moonlight Sonata, Send In the Clowns, Swan Lake, the Sweetest Sounds, Jump Jive and Wail, Unexpected Song, Elaborate Lives, My Strongest Suit, Baby Grand, Got the World On A String, One Sweet Day and Autumn In New York. Burned them myself at Logan's."
Vada clapped her hands and squealed. "You are a god."
"Always thought so myself. Don't wear it out, okay?" Alec grinned. "I'm going down to the Crash. Be good."
"Can't I go?" Vada asked pleadingly, hugging him from behind.
"No, Vada."
"Please?"
"No, Vada."
"I won't drink."
"No, Vada."
"I won't pick up guys."
"No, Vada."
"I won't talk to my mother."
Alec turned around in the hallway outside his apartment, puzzled. "How did you—I mean, how did you figure out that.."
"You brought me a distraction." She shrugged. "I guess I just put two and two together."
Alec bit his lip. "Okay. Don't drink, don't dress too provocatively, don't pick up guys and most of all, don't talk to.. Her. She really isn't.. She just isn't.."
"She's not up to dealing with me quite yet. I get it." Vada squealed once more and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Dad—Alec."
Max saw Alec come in with some mystery girl on his arm, and he was whispering to her, in a very dark manner.
But she was whisked away by some guy before he could finish and Alec shook his head in a frustrated manner.
"Boo, is that your?" OC didn't even have to finish.
"VADA!" Alec shouted, being heard by everyone but the girl in question.
"She sounds like you in the heat." OC commented, cocking her head to one side.
"VADA MARIE SOMETHING!" Alec continued to shout.
"Vada Marie?" OC asked, raising an eyebrow and facing her friend.
"I like Marie." Max whispered.
"Looks like Alec is playing a very good dad." OC continued to talk, and Max wasn't paying attention, just watching her daughter dance and seeing Alec have a cow over it.
A demure smile spread across Max's face. Alec was prepared to beat the guy up, and Vada pulled him aside, probably reminding him that if the situation called for violence, she could handle it.
"Independent." OC said finally. "It's a good thing."
"Yeah. It is." Max agreed, standing up abruptly. "I'm going to turn in, okay, OC?"
Her roommate nodded. "He raised her good, Max."
Max took a final look out onto the dance floor. Alec was following them around now. "Yeah, he did."
Alec leaned back onto his couch, glad that Vada had finally turned the damn CD off and she was finally asleep. He wasn't going to blink as long as she was in potential danger.
He closed his eyes, sighed, and leaned back further, just to make himself a little more comfortable. The attempt wasn't working. With his eyes still closed, he ran his hands through his hair in frustration, anger, hurt. All three emotions were flowing through his veins along with his transgenic blood. He sat up and opened his eyes and there she was. Just standing there.
"Daddy?" She asked in a weak voice. He didn't flinch for the first time.
Instead, he slung his legs onto the couch, patting them invitingly. She was over there in half a second flat, pulling a blanket over them and for just a moment, they had built up a false sense of security.
Max found herself explaining to Logan her feelings about this new daughter of hers, and though she held back on what other emotions were battling inside of her, she was pretty sure he knew.
"What should I do, Logan?" Max whispered as she stood up. "I mean, this is possibly your stepdaughter. After all, those scientists that Alec found.."
"Are no closer to a cure than this daughter of yours is." Logan finished for her. "I advise that you go and talk to her. You're never going to find a moment when you'll be completely comfortable with the facts. You might as well try to build some sort of relationship with her."
Max nodded. "Why are you always right?"
"Comes with old age and money, I suppose." Logan replied quickly. He sighed. "Go on."