Alec loved to sleep, maybe more than an X-5 should. Currently, Alec was sleeping and experiencing the best dream involving a certain brunette (no, not Max) and chocolate syrup. Rapid knocking interrupted his amazing dream.

Stumbling just slightly, Alec made his way to the door, only then thinking he should have put some pants on. Well, whoever decided to wake him up at two in the morning would just have to deal with the fact that he was in nothing but boxers and bed hair. He fumbled with the doorknob before he got a hold of it.

A completely drenched Eliann stood shakily before him. Alec noticed immediately how shaken she seamed. Silent moments passed where the rain could be easily heard. "Eliann? What's wrong?" Hesitating, her eyes darted around quickly and she bit her bottom lip. Alec reached for her hand. "Come in," he said softly.

Tentatively, she stepped into his apartment not letting go of his hand. Letting her eyes float around the room, Eliann momentarily forgot what she came there for. When she met Alec's questioning gaze, she told him why she had come.

"I really need a friend. I don't have many friends and I just need someone to be with me now. You're the first person I thought of." Her voice and eyes lowered. "I don't want to be alone tonight."

She looked back up at him when she felt his thumb making small circles on her hand. "It's okay, Eliann. You can sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the couch. Let me get you something to change into." Alec began to walk towards his room but Eliann pulled on his hand stopping him. He turned back to her confused.

"You don't understand, Alec." Her voice was quiet but stern. "I know we don't know each other very well, but I want to sleep with you. Not sex, just sleep."

He starred at her astonished then his face slowly melted into a smile. "Yeah, we can do that. Come with me." Alec lead her to his room. He pulled a t-shirt and a pair of boxers out of the dresser. "You can wear these and you can change in the bathroom."

She nodded without saying a word, and went in the bathroom to change. Running a hand through his light brown, disheveled hair, Alec thought about what the hell was going on. This woman who he's known for a scant few days shows up looking like a drowned rat and wants to sleep with him, not sex though. Neat. Contrary to popular belief, Alec didn't enjoy sleeping around. Oh sure, the sex was fine but there was no love or commitment. And since getting out, Alec craved love because of Rachel.

"Rachel..." Alec whispered. What he had felt for her was love, he knew that now. And what he had for Eliann felt a lot like it, but different. He couldn't explain how, but it was.

His contemplation halted the moment Eliann stepped out of the bathroom. The black t-shirt hung on her loosely with only a small portion of his blue boxers sticking out. Her brown hair still not quite dry rested unkempt down her shoulders. Alec felt heat rise in him at the thrill of seeing her look that great in his clothes.

They awkwardly stood facing each other not sure what to do. Eliann's idle fingers nervously played with the hem of his shirt. Alec cleared his throat to quell the silence. "So, how do you want to do this?"

Meekly, she took his hand. Slipping into his bed she pulled him with her. She faced away from him and he spooned up behind her. His arm wrapped around her waist. They never let go of hands.

"Is this alright?" he asked nervously, afraid to make her uncomfortable.

She snuggled closer to him. "This is perfect." Contentment settled over Eliann's troubled mind. For the first time in what felt like years, the problems of her troubled life didn't occupy her thoughts ... until Alec spoke up.

"What happened?" Alec's voice came out much quieter than he had intended and he momentarily wondered if Elainn had heard him. The tensing of her body told him otherwise. He hugged her tighter regretting that he had brought it up. "Nevermind, Eliann. You don't have to tell me."

"I-" she began, "I had a run in with an uncle of mine. He's a gigantic asshole who loves to taunt me and threaten me. I hate him."

Not knowing how else to comfort her, Alec simply kissed her shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry."

She smiled. "Thank you. But I also have another problem. I have feelings for someone I really shouldn't have and I don't know what to do."

Alec sighed, his breath bathing her neck in warmth. "I've been there." Alec's thoughts again skipped back to Rachel, but, despite what happened, he gave advice that seamed illogical. "I've learned in the past few years that you have to follow your heart even if it only brings you pain."

Eliann decided then that she had to make the truth known, well, at least half of it. The pain of what happened with Rachel was evident. He needed to be comforted and she wanted to do it. But, just flat out telling him that she knew he was created in a lab to be a lethally trained soldier didn't seem like the best way of going about it.

"Tell me about her."

"About who?"

"Whoever this girl was who broke your heart."

Alec's response came quickly. "She didn't break my heart. I fucked everything up and broke hers."

"How?"

He hesitated. He really didn't want to talk about her. The pain still clawed at his heart every time he thought about her or spoke her name. 'Maybe I should talk about. But how the hell am I going to explain it? I'm a genetically engineered soldier and was sent to kill her father because he knew too much about the secret government agency that created me?'

He sighed again. "Do you really want to hear this story? And I mean all of it no matter how shocking or unbelievable?"

"Alec," she spoke softly. "It seems like you need to talk about it and I can handle anything you tell me. Nothing is too strange or shocking."

"Okay." He began slowly. "In the news recently, they've been talking about transgenics. Creatures created in a lab for battle, to be soldiers."

"Yeah..."

He paid close attention to her body language and what he could see of her face. "I'm one of them."

He felt her tense. "You're a... a transgenic? But you don't look like one. You look human."

"That's because I'm what they call an X series. We all look human."

"And you're a soldier?" He could feel her tense even more.

"Eliann, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. The media makes us look like heartless murderers, but we're not. Come on, do you think if I was really heartless I'd enjoy ice cream so much?"

That awarded him a small laugh and he felt her relax. "Maybe not."

"We all lived in a place called Manticore. They sent us on missions, we had to do their dirty work. They sent me to kill one of their investors." His voice became quieter. "In order to get to him, I was ordered to get involved with his daughter. Manticore didn't count on her falling in love with me or me falling in love with her. But at the time, I didn't know what love was. We weren't made to feel so I didn't really know what emotions were or how to deal with them. All I knew was that I cared for Rachel in a way I couldn't even begin to explain."

He paused taking in a deep breath. "Manticore decided that I should take both Rachel and her father out to make an example to anyone else who decided to know too much about Manticore. I planted a bomb under their car and I waited behind a bush ready to set it off. But I couldn't do it. I thought of every moment with her and I couldn't do it. I ran into the house and told her that I was sent to kill her father, that she was my job.

"The look on her face... I will never forget the hurt, the confusion and the anger and the fact that I put it there. She slapped me and ran out to her father. I should have chased her, I should have caught her, but my body refused to move, my Manticore reflexes failed me. When I finally did move, I got there just in time to see the car explode and Rachel hit the pavement. Manticore had been waiting for me to fail and they did what I couldn't. She was in a coma for two years before she died."

Silence fell over the room. Of course, none of this surprised Eliann. She already knew that had happened. But what did surprise her was the wetness in her eyes. "Alec..." It came out as a half sob.

"Eliann?" He blinked away his own tears to focus on her. Balancing his weight on his elbow, he peered over Eliann's shoulder and saw a few stray tears on her face. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

She quickly wiped the tears away. "It's just that, it's so sad. I can't believe you went through that." Slowly, she flipped over to face him. She saw his crystal blue eyes glossy with unshed tears. "You amaze me, Alec. You loved her even though you barely knew what emotions were."

He shook his head slightly and his gaze left hers drifting downwards. "I'm not amazing at all. I couldn't complete the mission. I killed the woman I loved."

Her hand found the side of his face bringing his focus to her. "Don't you get it? Not completing the mission makes you human. You won. And you didn't kill her, they did. The monsters who held you captive for almost twenty years and stole your innocence killed her. All you did was love her."

The conviction in her voice made Alec reconsider... a lot of things. One lone tear broke through his emotional barrier and slid down his cheek. She wiped it away and kissed him on the forehead. "I don't care what you think of yourself. I think you're amazing."

Alec kissed her, not in a rush, not out of lust, but in hope. "Thanks," he whispered.