A/N: Does Alec have a last name? I didn't think so, but if he does, somebody tell me, please.
Max stood outside Alec's apartment door, listening to the murmurs with her transgenic ear.
"Daddy?" Vada whispered.
"Yes, Vada Marie?" Alec asked sleepily, thinking she would ask him silly drunken questions like why the sky was blue or the grass green or something.
"Why doesn't she want me?"
Alec wanted to sit up abruptly, but Vada was weighing him down on purpose.
"Why doesn't who want you, honey?" Alec sort of squeaked.
"Mommy, silly." Vada answered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
Max nearly choked on the lump in her throat. This was going to be quite a lie Alec needed to come up with.
Alec took a deep breath, then he sighed and took another deep breath. "It's not that your mommy doesn't want you, but see, your mommy's life is a bit more difficult than mine."
Max wanted to giggle every time he said 'mommy'.
"See, your mother is this beautiful, beautiful woman. She used to be a cat burglar because Normal, our boss, doesn't pay worth a shit. She tried robbing this one place at Foggle Towers, which no longer exists because of her, and the owner ended up catching her and than asking her for a favor. You know Eyes Only?"
Vada must have nodded, because Alec continued. "Well, that's him. Your mom ended up working for him, and they began to fall in love. But then your mom saw an opportunity to take down Manticore, so she tried. Logan thought she was dead, but it turns out Manticore kidnapped her and gave her a virus targeted for Logan's DNA because he thought she was dead and was stirring up trouble. Now, your mom and I met because Manticore thought we'd be perfect together. I thought so, too, for a while, until.. Well, never mind. Joshua and I helped Max break out and I tried to kill Asha.."
"Who's Asha?"
"Never mind. So I tried to kill Logan, but turns out that your mom's kisses do enough for him."
"They can't touch?"
"No."
"That's sad."
"Boo-hoo. Anyway, so White, you know who he is, ended up capturing me and telling me to capture three transgenics and bring back their barcodes as proof, and he launched this bomb in my neck that if your mother hadn't paid half of her get-rid-of-the-Virus money would have killed me. I murdered one freak and beat up this other X, skinning him but I couldn't take your mother because.."
"We all know why, Daddy."
"So now I've been working at Jam Pony and trying to get Max and Logan back together."
"Yeah, right."
"But see, your mom has this family that escaped with her in '09 and while my twin was among them, he's dead and her twin, Sam, is not."
"Did they ever make a twin of me, Daddy?"
"That they did, Vada Marie, but they killed her." More like made me kill her with my bare hands to let me get over Rachel. "Anyway, mommy's got this life that won't slow down for a kid Manticore created."
"Oh."
Max softly slid down. She didn't know Alec knew this much about her.
"Remind me how she and I look so much alike again, Daddy."
Alec really didn't want to do that. There was too much of Max in Vada to make any look into Vada's eyes comfortable.
But it was a wish of Vada's, and a wish he felt he needed to fulfill.
He reached out gently, gliding one of his fingers under one of her well-plucked eyebrows. "Those are her eyebrows."
"Uh-huh."
His finger traced the shape of her eyes. "Those are her eyes."
Vada shifted her position, falling asleep. "Yeah…"
He lightly ran two fingers over her nose. "It may be her nose, but the bridge is mine."
He guided one finger over her lips. "The upper lip is mine, and the bottom lip is hers."
He slowly extracted himself from under his daughter's body. "You've got her form and my creativity, Vada Marie."
He pulled the blanket over her and kissed her forehead gently. "Sweet dreams, honey."
Max stood up quickly. Alec was probably going to bed, and now—
The door opened and Alec snuck out.
"Max, what are you doing here?" He whispered loudly.
"Just.." Max trailed off, not really remembering.
Alec chuckled softly, looking at Max, then the ground, and then Max again. "She's beautiful, Max."
Max didn't meet his gaze. "Who?"
You know perfectly damn well who. "Our daughter."
Max didn't say anything.
"Maybe I'm making up for all those times I've ever screwed up and you've been there." Alec began, looking up at her once more. She didn't respond. "Or maybe.. God, Max, she's beautiful."
Max whimpered softly.
"She's got your eyes, your eyebrows, your nose, but the bridge of mine, she's got your body, your attitude, your bottom lip, my upper lip.. She dances so well and you should see her when her eyes light up.." Alec trailed off, a sweet smile gracing his features.
"Alec, don't." Max managed to say.
He shot her a grim and dirty look. She turned away.
"Don't what, Max?" He demanded in a harsh, quiet tone. "Don't tell you how wonderful our daughter is? Don't tell you that she misses you, even though she never met you? Don't tell her how I had to explain why you didn't want to meet her? Don't figure out that you don't want her because you don't want to share something with me? I've already done that. You've already heard. When you decide that our little girl, growing as she may be, makes it onto your list of priorities, you can come back. But until then, you aren't prepared for this."
Max nodded. She knew he was right.
Alec gave her a hug and went back into his apartment.
Max took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.
"Daddy?"
Max froze.
The girl was getting up and heading for the door.
What if she opened it?
"In here, Vada."
"Oh, okay."
Max took off before sighing heavily. That was close.
She didn't know what was wrong with her. Normally, Alec would be the one running and she'd be the one mopping up the tears.
She shook her head sadly as she swung a leg over her Ninja. Fatherhood really does change a guy.