About an hour later, Alec heard a noise from outside the door. A key
turning in the lock. He listened hard, but could only hear the sound of one
person. Max couldn't be with him. good. That made things a lot easier.
The door opened, and a shadow moved inside.
"Don't turn the light on" Alec spoke softly. Logan jumped.
"Alec?" he asked, turning around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Logan"
"What the hell?" Logan asked, turning on the light despite Alec's warning. Alec moved his foot, and kicked a chair across the room.
"Have a seat"
Logan sat down, his eyes searching Alec's face, trying to figure out what was going on. Alec stared back at him giving nothing away.
"So, uh, what's going on?" Logan asked.
"You tell me"
Logan was starting to get worried. This was not what he was used to from Alec. Alec always had some kind of expression on his face, happy, sarcastic, whatever. There was always a way to read his face. Now, there was no expression whatsoever. Alec had gone from being an annoying screwup to someone who, well, scared him.
Alec watched him, feeling his face settle into a mask. Manticore had taught him well. How to get information in interrogation sessions was a lesson that he had learnt well. And right now, that lesson was being put to very good use. Logan had this weird expression on his face. Deer caught in the headlights didn't quite cover it. Deer caught in the headlights of a steamroller may be a bit closer. Alec had to force himself not to laugh, and concentrate on keeping his face straight.
"we got some information from the mission." Logan said carefully.
"Really? From the sector police office, or the hover-drone's?"
Logan's eyes widened in surprise. How the hell had Alec figured that out? He looked around, trying to remember where the door was. He stood up, and turned to the door.
Something hit him in the back, and he turned around. A video lay on the floor. "Whats that?" he asked, pretending he didn't know.
Alec stood, and was standing beside Logan before Logan had even seen him move.
"Cut the crap. You lied to us. You lied to Max. she trusted you, and you lied to her."
"I don't know what you're talking." Logan broke off and gasped as he felt Alec's arm move around his shoulders, and tap his neck lightly. His feet gave way and he started to fall to the ground. Alec grabbed him, his arm going around Logan's neck. "You okay, Buddy?" he asked, concerned. Logan turned to him, his hand clenching into a fist. He swung at Alec, even as Alec tightened his grip on his neck. Alec moved his head lazily to avoid the blow, not that it would have mattered if it had connected. The shot was pretty weak. His left hand slammed into Logan's side, the palm of his hand snapping into Logan's ribs, snapping two of them instantly. He released Logan, and stepped back as he fell to the ground. "If you go running to Max about this" Alec informed him, "It would be very, very bad for you. Understand?"
Logan gasped something in reply.
Alec let himself into his apartment, closing the door quietly. Max hadn't been in his apartment, and he knew that she wasn't at Logan's. hopefully, she would be there, lying in his bed, waiting for him. He smiled at the image, and moved into his bedroom. His grin broadened as he saw a shape on the bed. he sat down on the edge of the bed, and touched her shoulder gently. Max opened her eyes, and smiled when she saw him. "Hey" she whispered.
"Hey" he replied, running his hand down her arm.
"Where were you?" she asked, moving closer to him, her leg brushing up against him.
"Nowhere. Just out with Shay and Storm. Mission go okay?"
"Hmm. Fine." She sat up and kissed his cheek. "The intel you gave me was perfect. The guard was right where you said." Alec slipped his arm around her shoulder, holding her head against him.
"We aim to please" he told her, lowering his head to rest against hers.
"You're cold" she whispered, shivering slightly against his leather jacket."
"Sorry" he rubbed her arm slightly to warm her.
"come here" she lay back down on the bed and watched him. Alec smiled at her. He shrugged off his jacket, and stood up to remove his jeans and shirt. He slipped into the bed beside her, and pulled her into his arms. "That's better" she muttered, and he laughed.
"So, you think we can find where they've got Tim?" he asked her
"We got some stuff, we can go through it in the morning. There's a trail of paperwork a mile long. Dix has some guys on it right now."
Alec sighed, relaxing for the first time in a long time. If they could find Tim, figure out where they had taken him.
"What?" Max asked, rolling over onto her side to face him.
"Huh?"
"You're smiling." Alec's smile broadened, his whole face lighting up and he shook his head. "I promised them all a drink after the mission. I kept my word with Shay and Storm, I just owe Tim"
Max smiled, and ran her hand down his chest, watching as he shivered at her touch. "You never gave me a drink" she told him.
"I gave you my heart" he told her, his grin changing to the more familiar sarcastic one. Max stared at him, unsure whether to believe him or not. Alec pulled her on top of him and kissed her, his hand tangling in her hair, pulling her mouth closer to his.
Max shifted on top of him, moulding her body against his, and he groaned into her mouth. He rolled them, moving on top of her, his hand moving down her body to touch her breast. Then, he groaned, and pulled back. "Alec?" Max asked, her hand moving around his waist, running up his back.
"I did something" he told her, shaking his head.
"What?" she asked, seeing the frustration in his eyes.
Alec sighed. "It's hard to explain" particularly since he was lying on top of her, feeling her in his arms, and if he told her, the only thing he would be feeling would be the cold air as he flew through his skylight.
"Its okay, Alec." She told him, lifting her head and kissing him gently. He always took on too much responsibility for things, always blamed himself when things went badly. She had to convince him that that was not necessary.
"It's not" he told her. He bent his head and kissed her, then lowered his body against hers again, kissing her frantically. Max responded to the urgency in his kiss, pulling him down against her, her hands running up his back, her legs moving apart to allow him to get closer to him.
Alec pulled back finally. Max stared into his eyes. "Talk to me" she whispered.
"I had something to do tonight, a mission, intel gathering. The guy, he jerked me around." Alec closed his eyes. "I went after him. I can't even say I lost my temper. I knew what I was doing the whole time."
"Alec, that's what we were trained to do." She reminded him
he sighed, and rolled onto his back. "You don't get it, Max. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I did it." He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "Does that make me like Ben?" he asked softly.
"Alec?" he asked, turning around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Logan"
"What the hell?" Logan asked, turning on the light despite Alec's warning. Alec moved his foot, and kicked a chair across the room.
"Have a seat"
Logan sat down, his eyes searching Alec's face, trying to figure out what was going on. Alec stared back at him giving nothing away.
"So, uh, what's going on?" Logan asked.
"You tell me"
Logan was starting to get worried. This was not what he was used to from Alec. Alec always had some kind of expression on his face, happy, sarcastic, whatever. There was always a way to read his face. Now, there was no expression whatsoever. Alec had gone from being an annoying screwup to someone who, well, scared him.
Alec watched him, feeling his face settle into a mask. Manticore had taught him well. How to get information in interrogation sessions was a lesson that he had learnt well. And right now, that lesson was being put to very good use. Logan had this weird expression on his face. Deer caught in the headlights didn't quite cover it. Deer caught in the headlights of a steamroller may be a bit closer. Alec had to force himself not to laugh, and concentrate on keeping his face straight.
"we got some information from the mission." Logan said carefully.
"Really? From the sector police office, or the hover-drone's?"
Logan's eyes widened in surprise. How the hell had Alec figured that out? He looked around, trying to remember where the door was. He stood up, and turned to the door.
Something hit him in the back, and he turned around. A video lay on the floor. "Whats that?" he asked, pretending he didn't know.
Alec stood, and was standing beside Logan before Logan had even seen him move.
"Cut the crap. You lied to us. You lied to Max. she trusted you, and you lied to her."
"I don't know what you're talking." Logan broke off and gasped as he felt Alec's arm move around his shoulders, and tap his neck lightly. His feet gave way and he started to fall to the ground. Alec grabbed him, his arm going around Logan's neck. "You okay, Buddy?" he asked, concerned. Logan turned to him, his hand clenching into a fist. He swung at Alec, even as Alec tightened his grip on his neck. Alec moved his head lazily to avoid the blow, not that it would have mattered if it had connected. The shot was pretty weak. His left hand slammed into Logan's side, the palm of his hand snapping into Logan's ribs, snapping two of them instantly. He released Logan, and stepped back as he fell to the ground. "If you go running to Max about this" Alec informed him, "It would be very, very bad for you. Understand?"
Logan gasped something in reply.
Alec let himself into his apartment, closing the door quietly. Max hadn't been in his apartment, and he knew that she wasn't at Logan's. hopefully, she would be there, lying in his bed, waiting for him. He smiled at the image, and moved into his bedroom. His grin broadened as he saw a shape on the bed. he sat down on the edge of the bed, and touched her shoulder gently. Max opened her eyes, and smiled when she saw him. "Hey" she whispered.
"Hey" he replied, running his hand down her arm.
"Where were you?" she asked, moving closer to him, her leg brushing up against him.
"Nowhere. Just out with Shay and Storm. Mission go okay?"
"Hmm. Fine." She sat up and kissed his cheek. "The intel you gave me was perfect. The guard was right where you said." Alec slipped his arm around her shoulder, holding her head against him.
"We aim to please" he told her, lowering his head to rest against hers.
"You're cold" she whispered, shivering slightly against his leather jacket."
"Sorry" he rubbed her arm slightly to warm her.
"come here" she lay back down on the bed and watched him. Alec smiled at her. He shrugged off his jacket, and stood up to remove his jeans and shirt. He slipped into the bed beside her, and pulled her into his arms. "That's better" she muttered, and he laughed.
"So, you think we can find where they've got Tim?" he asked her
"We got some stuff, we can go through it in the morning. There's a trail of paperwork a mile long. Dix has some guys on it right now."
Alec sighed, relaxing for the first time in a long time. If they could find Tim, figure out where they had taken him.
"What?" Max asked, rolling over onto her side to face him.
"Huh?"
"You're smiling." Alec's smile broadened, his whole face lighting up and he shook his head. "I promised them all a drink after the mission. I kept my word with Shay and Storm, I just owe Tim"
Max smiled, and ran her hand down his chest, watching as he shivered at her touch. "You never gave me a drink" she told him.
"I gave you my heart" he told her, his grin changing to the more familiar sarcastic one. Max stared at him, unsure whether to believe him or not. Alec pulled her on top of him and kissed her, his hand tangling in her hair, pulling her mouth closer to his.
Max shifted on top of him, moulding her body against his, and he groaned into her mouth. He rolled them, moving on top of her, his hand moving down her body to touch her breast. Then, he groaned, and pulled back. "Alec?" Max asked, her hand moving around his waist, running up his back.
"I did something" he told her, shaking his head.
"What?" she asked, seeing the frustration in his eyes.
Alec sighed. "It's hard to explain" particularly since he was lying on top of her, feeling her in his arms, and if he told her, the only thing he would be feeling would be the cold air as he flew through his skylight.
"Its okay, Alec." She told him, lifting her head and kissing him gently. He always took on too much responsibility for things, always blamed himself when things went badly. She had to convince him that that was not necessary.
"It's not" he told her. He bent his head and kissed her, then lowered his body against hers again, kissing her frantically. Max responded to the urgency in his kiss, pulling him down against her, her hands running up his back, her legs moving apart to allow him to get closer to him.
Alec pulled back finally. Max stared into his eyes. "Talk to me" she whispered.
"I had something to do tonight, a mission, intel gathering. The guy, he jerked me around." Alec closed his eyes. "I went after him. I can't even say I lost my temper. I knew what I was doing the whole time."
"Alec, that's what we were trained to do." She reminded him
he sighed, and rolled onto his back. "You don't get it, Max. I enjoyed it. I'm glad I did it." He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "Does that make me like Ben?" he asked softly.