What the !*$% is going on?

By Sinful Starlet

Disclaimer: once more for the record - not mine, never will be, yadda yadda yadda!

Rating: who knows?! R - probably!

Summary: My version of how Dawg Day Afternoon should really have gone for all you Max/Alec shippers out there! Oh yeah - and just for originality - Max goes into heat!

Author's note: Okay - this'd be where the 'R' rating kicks in in case you're wondering! Not for kiddies eyes! And things are...resolved (!) between Max and Alec!

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PART #9

Alec went to bed fairly soon after that. He needed to just be by himself and think. He couldn't believe that this was happening - not now, not with Max. But there it was. He didn't feel like he could talk to Max about it, but he had to talk to someone, which meant there was only one person left. He got up the next morning and got into work surprisingly early for him, needing to catch her before she went out on a run and found her sitting by the lockers with Sketchy. Unsurprisingly Max had called in sick that day, which only went to confirm Alec's suspicion that she wanted nothing to happen between them.

He said hello to both of them, going over to his locker and sorting through the junk he had piled in there until Normal yelled for Sketchy and he had a safe moment to talk to her. "Okay boo", OC said, as Sketchy walked out past them, "you gonna ask me whatever it was that you're thinking about or what?" Alec sighed, that girl knew him disturbingly too well given the short amount of time that he had been there. "I know about the heat cycles", he said quietly, avoiding eye contact at first, then risking a glance up in her direction, and saw that he was right.

OC covered her surprise well, but not well enough for Alec not to catch it. "Well um--", she started, not quite sure what to say. "Manticore explained most of the details", Alec explained, "Josh filled in the rest". OC nodded, seeing there was very little point in lying to him now. "Okay - so you know", she said, "I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for me to say". "How is she?", Alec asked, OC actually surprised by how concerned he was. "She's getting through it", OC bluffed, "it's tough but she's done it before". "I don't think so", Alec hazarded, "not quite like this".

"What you mean?", OC asked, curious now. Alec quickly explained the basics of the genetic attraction, guessing from what OC was saying that Max hadn't been round any other X5s when she was in heat before, except for Zak. That got to Alec a little, but he hid it well. "Well I guess that makes a little more sense", OC agreed, smiling kindly to Alec, seeing he was just as messed about this as Max herself, and she could see that Alec genuinely did care for Max - though she'd known that for quite a while already! "So what are you gonna do?", she asked eventually. "Stay away from her I guess", Alec said, a little sadly, "she obviously doesn't want anything to happen between us - I have to respect her decision".

"Well I gotta give ya props for that boo", OC said, smiling at him again, "but you might want to call her at least". Alec frowned, not sure that that was the best idea. "She doesn't know about the whole genetic attraction thing", OC explained, "she should at least know that". "Well you could tell her that yourself", Alec reasoned, thinking it was better if he didn't get involved at all. "I don't think so", OC said, shaking her head, "I think you gotta sort this one yourself". That seemed like a fundamentally bad idea to Alec, but he knew someone at least was going to have to explain it to Max, so he eventually nodded his head, saying he would do it.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Max was attempting to cool herself down with her fourth ice-cold shower that morning. She had locked herself in the apartment that morning, after having a considerably disturbed night. She shivered as the freezing water flowed over her skin, but she couldn't do anything to get her temperature down. Press-ups, sit-ups, even getting Cindy to slap her round the face a few times hadn't helped so far. Eventually she had had to get Cindy to sit up all night, guarding her in case she had got up in the middle of the night and tried to go over to see him.

She figured there was little point in going on with the shower as it wasn't helping anyway, so she got out and dried herself off. She dressed in pyjama bottoms and a tank top, leaving her wet hair loose on her shoulders. She was just so confused. Why of all the idiot males in the world couldn't she get this one out of her head? That was unfair she thought, he wasn't an idiot at all. He was actually pretty smart, strong, independent, funny (on occasion!), and god was he---"Oh God!", she cursed, feeling tears come to her eyes as she ran for the shower again.

PART #10

About a half hour later, she got out of the shower, dressing again and walking back into the living room, slumping onto the sofa and flicking the TV on, hoping for something, anything to distract her. Just then though, the phone rang. She hesitated for a second, then picked it up anyway, prepared to put on her sick voice in case it was normal. She answered 'hello?' a little croakily just in case, and then practically died when she heard the voice on the other end. "Max it's me", was all he said - all he needed to say. The deep, slightly drawly accent of his voice was already seriously tempting her to have another shower. Why the hell did he have to call her today? "Uh Alec", Max said, trying to focus on rational thought for a few seconds though it was becoming increasingly difficult with every ragged breath that left her lips, "today's really not a good day - can we talk later?"

She was about to hang up then, before he even answered, but he interrupted - just quickly enough. "I know what's happening to you", he cut in, hesitating then as he heard her swear under her breath - great, now she was pissed off at him - good going Alec! He heard her breathing deeply before she eventually forced out, "Who...told...you?" "I may have had a few hints", he said, anxious not to get either Josh or OC in trouble with her, "but I would have figured it out on my own soon enough". "Well if you know so much about what I'm going through right now - you'll probably understand why I'm not feeling too chatty!", Max snapped, wishing that didn't sound as harsh as it did.

Alec hesitated, but he knew she needed to hear this. "I can explain why you're attracted to me", he said eventually. "Please!", Max snapped, a little too quickly, "Could we contemplate getting over that ego of yours for a second?!" "Max please!", Alec cut in, "Will you just let me finish?" He waited a few seconds, and she didn't say anything so he just quickly went on. "It's something else Manticore cooked up", he said, speaking quickly, "whenever an female X5 goes into heat they're automatically drawn to any male X5 that they can find. It's coded into your genome". "But I was with---", she started, but he interrupted again.

"Zak? Yeah I know", he said, "but Max - you see him as a brother - that kind of bond was strong enough for you to force yourself not to see Zak in that way. And then there was always Logan...", he trailed off then, letting her take all this in. Okay, so maybe that made more sense, but did it really help the way she was feeling right now?! "You're not getting this", Alec said, when she didn't reply, "don't you see? It's your messed up Manticore genetics that's attracting you to me, that doesn't mean anything about you. You can still be in love with Logan without having to worry about whatever you're feeling for me right now".

She noticed the trace of sadness in his voice as he said that, and that was just enough to create doubt in her own mind. "I guess", she said, really not sounding too sure - not even sure she was convinced in her own mind anymore. She knew the heat cravings were messing up her mind, but was that really all it was? "Not wanting to be the asshole here!", Alec started, knowing that this was not exactly his greatest idea to begin with, "But are you absolutely sure that it's only your heat that's making you feel like this?......I gotta know Max".

She cursed under her breath again and honestly tried to figure out the answer. "I know the heat's got your mind all confused", Alec went on, "but it just seemed to me like there was something else going on". "That night you busted me out of jail", he went on, his voice dropping to a quieter and unbelievably sexy sound, "You really opened up to me. You never told anyone else about Ben, I can tell, but you told me, and you wanted me to be there with you".

He stopped then, hearing her breathing come more raggedly, and practically hearing her heart rate quicken. He knew he was taking a risk here, but he couldn't help it. "Do you want me to come over?", he asked. "No", Max said, although she didn't sound sure at all, she wasn't even sure if she had convinced herself. Just then though, there was a knock at the door, and she clicked the phone onto 'hold' with relief. She got up, wiping her face with the back of her hand, trying to make herself look more human before she answered the door, unlocking it with her hands shaking.

She gasped when she saw who was standing there - phone still pressed to his ear, "Are you sure?" She took a moment to look at him, making herself really see him for the first time, trying to see past the heat haze that was addling her brain. It only took her a second before she knew her answer though. He barely had time to prepare himself as she jumped into his arms, her lips feverishly pressed against his. Any objections that either might have had didn't matter anymore. It was just the two of them in that perfect moment, and Max never wanted it to end.

They were both completely naked by the time they reached her bedroom, although exactly how they managed to get all of their clothes off, they had no idea. They collapsed back onto the bed and completely surrendered to the passion as it flowed over them in waves. Max fell back against Alec as she felt glorious pleasure coursing through her entire body, her eyes locking with his and telling him in just that one look that this was exactly where she was supposed to be right now.

AN. Woo hoo! Nekkid Alec! *fans herself to cool down!* But trust me - this story is so not over yet! *SS*