By Valjean
Walking Away
"I thought I was the only one who hid out in this place," OC said, coming into the dimly lit basement room where some of Terminal City's supplies were stored. She was babysitting Gem's baby, named Maxine in honor of her rescuer, cradling the sleeping infant against her shoulder.
Alec looked up at her, a guilty expression on his face, although he didn't make any effort to hide the half empty bottle of Scotch in his hand. Seated on a packing crate with his back against one of the basement's support beams, he'd hoped to find an hour or so of peace and quiet away from the constant questions and demands of his fellow mutants upstairs in the command center .. . away from Max's disapproving eyes.
OC pulled up another crate with her free hand and sat down beside him. "She'll forgive you sooner or later you know. No matter what dumb ass thing you did this time. She always does. It just ain't in my girl to hold a grudge against one of her own kind."
Alec's smile was lopsided as he took a drink from the bottle. He then closed his eyes and tilted his head back, enjoying the feel of the liquor as it went down. "Who says I'm the one who needs forgiving?" he said roughly. "Maybe it's her turn this time."
OC looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "So, you just givin' up on her?"
"She's got Logan." he said. "And maybe that's how things are supposed to be." He opened his eyes and pinned OC with an inscrutable gaze. "I used to think I had a shot. But, hey, everyone knows the bad guy never gets the girl."
"Alec. Honey. You're not one of the bad guys. And don't go lettin' Max else tell you so."
"I've always been one of the bad guys to her, OC. 'Course I don't know why she'd think that. After all, what's a little thing like pretendin' to be her friend at Manticore just so I could tail her back to the man she loves and assassinate him?
"You weren't sent to kill Logan," OC said. "You were just sent to see if Max gave Logan the virus, then tell her how to save his life."
"Bring her back as a prisoner, you mean. And I was gonna kill Logan ... had a gun pointed right at his head 'til Asha came in and distracted me. Then there was the time I was gonna put a knife in Max's heart to save my own skin, and oh yeah, I tried to kill Joshua too. Then I cost her the cure for the virus." He glanced at OC. "I could go on."
"And you could have killed Asha and Logan and Max too if you'd wanted," OC said softly. "But the important thing is you didn't. Don't you think it's kinda significant that you were willing to let your own head explode rather than hurt her-- willing to give up your life for hers. I doubt that kind of self sacrifice was taught at Manticore. That comes from the goodness in your heart -- a goodness that all of Manticore's brainwashin' and torture couldn't destroy.
"As for losin' the cure for that bitch virus, that was Max's choice, which just goes to show my girl cared for you even back in your baddest days." OC shifted the sleeping baby in her arms, looked down at the child, and smiled. When she looked back up at Alec her eyes were still gentle. "494 was the assassin, not Alec. And don't you ever forget that. It's just not in you to kill in cold blood anymore."
"Oh, yes it is," Alec said lightly, taking another drink from the bottle, his eyes empty. "Hey, I killed one of my own in cold blood just a couple of days ago, didn't you hear?"
"I heard you took down a real bad piece of X5 trash who was about to break Max's neck and worse. Also heard he murdered three people the day before, knockin' over some liquor stores. That's not killin' in cold blood, Alec. Like it or not, you're wearin' a white hat on that one."
"At least Dante got some good Scotch," Alec said, holding up the bottle.
OC grabbed it away from him.
"Hey!"
"You've had enough. Even if you can't get your transgenic ass drunk you've got to quit tryin' to hide in that bottle. Max needs you right now, and not with your head buzzin'."
"Max has Logan," Alec said evenly. "She can cry on his shoulder ... figuratively speaking of course."
"Was it his shoulder she was cryin' on during her heat cycle?" OC asked.
Alec looked away. "She needed someone to protect her and I knew Logan couldn't. I tried, but I fucked it up as usual." He chuckled. "Fucked her too."
"You saved her from Dante."
"Yeah, but I didn't save her from myself. 'Course I've gotta admit she was sendin' mixed signals, especially when she started attackin' me with her lips."
OC set the bottle down and reached out, touching his cheek with her hand, forcing him to look at her.
"Maybe you weren't supposed to save her from yourself. I'm thinkin' Max got just what she needed from you, whether she realizes it yet or not."
Alec couldn't believe he was opening up to OC like this, but it felt so good to have someone to talk to who was on his side for a change. "She said she was falling in love with me," he said, his voice rough again. "Then she took it back. You just don't do that to a man. Get his hopes up, then spit in his face. Now she's actin' like I'm just something on her shoe that needs to be scraped off."
"I heard about your little drama yesterday," OC chuckled. "Wish I could'a been there. Folks say it was better than a soap opera, Max all fired up and you all macho and indignant." OC checked the baby who was stirring in her lap, shifted Maxine to her shoulder, and began patting her on the back. "Give Max some time, Alec. Sooner or later she's gonna realize who's best for her. Might be Logan. Might be you. You gotta remember somethin' though -- bein' sent to assassinate Logan aside, you started out actin' like a real jerk around her, sayin' all the wrong things, makin' all the wrong choices, pushin' all her wrong buttons. But you didn't know any better. Hell, you weren't much more'n a bratty little kid when you came out of Manticore and that was the only way you knew how to get her attention. Max had it way over you in the relationship experience department. You two just weren't equals on that level."
"She still thinks I'm a jerk," Alec said morosely, eying the bottle and wondering if he could swipe it back. "Guess maybe I am."
"No," OC said, shaking her head. "Original Cindy's been watchin' you. You've grown up a lot since Manticore. For months you've been helpin' Max rescue your transgenic kin, seein' to her back and bein' there for her when it counts. And I know you've been helpin' out down here in Terminal City for awhile, shoulderin' a lot of responsibility. Then I saw with my own eyes how you took charge at Jam Pony during our little fun and games with White ... how you fought like the devil come outta hell in spite of bein' all hurt. You never backed off, you never complained, you just did what you had to do. That's what grown up means, Alec. Doin' what you have to do even if it hurts. Max just hasn't looked at you close enough lately. You're a man not a boy, and every bit equal to Logan Cale whether you and Max think so or not."
She reached out and took hold of his hand. "You've got a purpose in life now, Boo. And I got a strong suspicion Max is a big part of that purpose."
"She has Logan," Alec said stubbornly.
"No, she doesn't have Logan."
Alec looked at her sharply. "What do you mean?"
"Logan left last night. Said somethin' about Max havin' made her choice. Now, you wouldn't know what she meant by that would you?"
Alec felt as if his heart had just literally turned over in his chest. "Logan left? Left for where?"
OC shrugged. "Probably back to Joshua's house. He said he'd still help us, but he wasn't gonna stand in Max's way. Didn't seem too happy 'bout it though."
"Where's Max now?"
"Upstairs where she always is," OC said, looking toward the ceiling. "Seems the government guys finally wanna talk and they've invited her to some big pow wow."
But Alec was already on his feet, headed for the command center. However, at the bottom of the steps he turned and looked back. "Thanks, OC."
"You're welcome," she said with a satisfied smile. "Now, go and get our girl."
*****
"About time you showed," Max said without looking at him.
"I was told you wanted to see me," Alec said, carefully.
She looked up at him, her eyes unreadable. "The government and military want to talk. They've asked me to come to a meeting. I'm supposed to bring a second person along."
"You askin' me?"
"I figured I'd take you, yeah."
"Max, you say that like I'm a suitcase or something.
"Fine," she said, slamming the reports she'd been reading down on the table. "I'll take someone else."
"Max," Alec quickly said. "I'll go. I'll watch your back."
She looked up at him, and even though he knew it was probably his imagination, he thought he saw a glimmer of relief in her eyes.
"They want us there at nine tomorrow morning," she said. "It could very well be a trap." She was still looking at him. "You don't have to come. For all we know White will be waiting and he'll kill us both."
"Which is all the more reason you need me along," Alec said firmly, determined to live up to OC's expectations. "You know I'm always better at sensing things like that. You're way too trusting."
"Okay," she said. "Meet me at the main exit at 0800." She turned around, dismissing him.
"Max," Alec said.
"What?" She looked over her shoulder at him.
"I heard Logan left."
"You heard right."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?"
Now he hated what he saw in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Max," he said. And then he walked away again, just the way she wanted him to.