"Max, I need to talk to you." Logan whispered.
"Can it wait?" Max asked impatiently.
"No." Logan grabbed her by her gloved wrist.
"What is it, Logan?" Max demanded softly.
He let go. "I've been thinking about this for a long time. Once we get rid of this virus, would you move in with me?"
Max looked at him oddly.
"I'd like things to go back to normal."
Normal. Riiiight.
"I need to take a walk." Max said, waving him off and briskly exiting.
"Can we go?" Vada whispered to Alec after the third hour of continuous boredom passed.
"No, your mother won't let us."
"Can't we swipe something?" Vada murmured in a soft whine.
Alec looked at her. No, your mother won't let us.
She giggled, her telepathy thing sort of kicking in.
"Are you two behaving?" Max asked as she returned from her 'walk'.
"Very much so." Alec replied.
"And it's boring." Vada added.
"Well, come on, then. We don't have much time. The biggest part of the whole thing will be coming up soon and we don't have much time to swipe anything." Max grabbed her and Vada's purses, and they excused themselves from the table.
"Max, have I ever told you how much I loved you?" Alec whispered excitedly.
"Yes. Half the love needed to make all of Manticore feel wanted and warm." Max replied with a soft, sly smile.
Max pulled a can of spray paint out of her purse- Miraculous invention, it was. It adapted to the color of the object, so anything would match instantly.
"Oh, Anna, dear, my hair is just horrible." She whispered into the microphone hidden in the plant. "Do keep a look-out. Make sure no one's coming so I can touch up."
Vada stifled a giggle and Max spritzed every camera in the room. Alec was working on the wirings and Vada was keeping watch.
Suddenly, the lamps illuminating the room's valuables dimmed and Max grinned. Alec had done a good job.
Max made a mad-dash to grab everything she could and headed for the closet Alec was huddled in. She opened the door, carefully placing everything in his arms and helping him out a back-door. She removed her silken gloves and stuffed them in her purse, along with the spray paint, a little diamond dancer for Vada, a beautiful miniature ebony piano knick-knack for Alec and a gorgeous piece for herself. She admired the diamond, knowing she wouldn't keep it, but the money it would earn them all would be.. Amazing.
"Come on, Anna. I'm done." Max whispered.
Vada grinned at her and they exited the room quickly.
"Sorry, Logan. You know some of us have to work in public for a living." Vada said with a sickly sweet smile.
"Vada Marie!" Max hissed, slapping her lightly on her forearm.
Logan tried to grin. "That's alright, Max."
"Toodles!" Vada chirped, that disgusting grin still on her face.
"What took you guys so long?" Alec whispered as he pulled up.
"Your daughter was being rude." Max snapped in a low tone.
"So all of a sudden she's my daughter? I do believe she looks more like you than me." Alec reminded her.
"Just drive, Daddy." Vada whined exasperatedly.
"Okay, she's my daughter, too." Max joked with a smirk,
"Oh, thanks."
"My bedroom is getting girlier and girlier." Alec muttered as he and Max crept into Alec's bedroom, where their daughter laid fast asleep in her bed. "That was quite a mission."
"Enough to knock an X6 out, that is." Max murmured. She looked around the room. It was getting girly. The covers were now cream-colored and ruffly, and the place was actually tidy. Little trinkets were all over the dresser. "You should really get a bigger place."
Alec chuckled bitterly. "Are you kidding me? This place is free and I can barely support myself, yet alone Vada."
Max moved a few of the trinkets around, placing the tiny diamond dancer on the center of it. "You know, I don't think Logan would mind if.."
Alec shot her a look. "Logan? The guy barely even likes Vada and she barely likes him. It would be like asking you if I could move her to Asha's."
"I meant put her stuff in the guest room. Logan would understand.." Max trailed off, and she realized, quite unwillingly, that Alec was quite right.
"Logan would understand if it were you and Zack's kid, or you and Ben, but no, Max. He hates me." Alec reminded her in a low tone. "And plus, moving her stuff to his place would make his place her home. Her home is not with him. It's wherever you or I am."
"Well, once this Virus goes away, that will be her home!" Max exclaimed. "He asked me to move in with him."
"So I have to sit through an hour of discomfort while I wait to see my daughter." Alec concluded, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.
Max stomped impatiently. "Like I haven't been through that?"
She instantly wanted to take it back when a hurt look came upon his face.
"It's been uncomfortable? Uncomfortable hanging out with me and Vada? Uncomfortable laughing, sharing jokes like only we could? Uncomfortable?" Alec didn't look her in the eye anymore. "Take her to Joshua's."
"Alec, I didn't mean anything by that, it's just---" Max began, reaching out to touch him, but he turned away.
"Just take her to Joshua's. I'm going.. I'm going somewhere." Alec muttered, stomping off.
Max sat down on her daughter's bed with a heavy sigh. She saw her purse, the one she had looked through for the diamond dancer just now, and for the diamond she had sold this morning.
There she found the miniature ebony piano. It was so shiny and smooth, and the accents were 24 karat gold, she could tell. The keys, made of diamonds and ebony, really played.
She fingered it softly, putting it back in her purse. She started packing Vada's things and looked behind her shoulder at a sleeping Vada.
You are too much of your father's daughter.
When Alec returned, his room was normal, except for the fact that it was clean. On the dresser, where Max had placed her beloved diamond dancer, was a different item.
He looked at it oddly, not sure why it was there. He hit E-sharp, and sure enough, it played E-sharp.
He turned it over, expecting to see some sort of trap from White's men. Instead, he saw a bolt of the red-and-white striped leather from his car. It was sort of dirty, but it was screaming Max's name.
He hated it when they fought.
"Are you sure Daddy let you take 'the Baby'?" Vada asked wearily. The girl was barely awake, seeing as Max woke her up from her nap.
Max bit on her lip to keep from telling her to shut up. "He wanted me to take you to Joshua's until he can find a better place for the two of you."
"What about you, Mommy?" Vada inquired softly, almost unconsciously.
Max winced.
"I'll be fine, Vada. I'll be fine."
She hated it when they fought.