Max came up behind him, saw him sitting against a tree. Slowly, she
approached him, making noise so that he knew she was there.
"Go away, Max" he told her, not turning around. "No, I can't do that" she replied, moving in a wide circle so that she was coming up in front of him.
"Go. Away" he stood up, glaring at her, his voice cold.
"Alec, tell me what's going on"
he shook his head, and turned to walk away. Max moved quickly in front of him.
"Talk to me" she told him.
"I told you, get away from me. Why can't you take a hint?"
"Because you're my friend. And you're upset. And I want to help" she spoke quietly, reaching her hand slowly towards him.
"We're not friends" Alec laughed bitterly. "We've never been friends. 'I'm sorry I inflicted you on this world' remember that? Not exactly the thing you say to a friend, is it?"
Max looked stunned. She remembered the day she had said that to him, in the jail cell. She had meant it at the time, thinking that Alec had become a killer, just like Ben. She had spoken in anger, blaming herself for letting him go free when she should have known that he would be like Ben. And she had taken it out on Alec.
"I didn't mean that" she whispered. "You are my friend, Alec. In some ways, you're my best friend, you understand me better than anyone."
Alec's expression softened, but not by much. "But you don't understand me at all" he told her.
"Because you don't let anyone understand you!" She almost yelled at him. "You wouldn't have even told me about the shaking if I hadn't been there."
Alec bit his lip and looked down. "It's not that easy."
"Take your time" she told him, shrugging. "I'm not going anywhere"
"Don't you have to go see Wonderboy?" he asked, sarcastically.
Max laughed, and he looked up at her, confused. "I've walked away from him three times in the past two days, all of them to check on you. He probably thinks we're having an affair"
Alec grinned slightly. He bent down and picked up several stones from the ground. Turning towards Manticore, he threw a stone at the complex.
Max waited for him to talk. After about five minutes of him saying nothing, she shrugged and walked over to him. she glanced up at him, and gently took a stone from his hand. Rolling it in her hand, she took a seat on the ground, leaning back against a tree. "I remember when I was about 5" she spoke quietly. "it was the first time I realised that we weren't all perfect. Jack, my littlest brother, he started crying one night, and we couldn't get him to stop." Alec looked over at her, and moved to sit beside her, his leg pressing against hers.
"He was shaking" she told him, looking over at him. Alec closed his eyes. "We didn't know what to do, so we, me and Jhondy, we crawled into bed with him, and held him until he stopped. Zach said that we had to stick together, that if one of us was weak, we all had to protect him until he got better. He said that was what being a family was all about."
Alec stiffened beside her. "I never told you why we left Manticore, did I? The real reason?" she asked. He shook his head, staring straight ahead of him.
"I had a seizure. A guard saw, and he was going to."
"No!" Alec jerked to his feet, and moved away from her.
"Alec, I don't understand"
"We killed him, okay?" Alec yelled, turning back to face her. "We were never a family, not like you were"
"What?" she asked softly.
"they told us, always, that if one of us was weak, that it would destroy all of us. That a team is only as strong as its weakest member. This kid, 384, he got the shakes. At first we didn't know what to do, it could have been natural, we didn't know. but the second time it happened was during a mission. We failed to complete it. First time we ever failed a mission."
Max nodded. She knew the penalties for failing to complete a mission. She had first hand experience of that. Once. Once was enough.
"We turned him in" Alec's voice dropped to a whisper. "The CO asked for an explanation, and we told him. 384 screwed it up for us. So they dragged him out of formation and to the hospital wing. He never came back."
"Oh, God" Max whispered. She moved close to him, slipping her arm gently around his waist, and when he didn't react, she pulled him closer. She could feel him shaking slightly, from the memories. "Alec, I'm sorry"
"we killed him." he repeated, his voice cracking. Max's heart broke and she reached her hand behind his neck, pulling his head down against her.
"It's not your fault" she told him. he pulled back to look at her. "I shouldn't have told anyone. I should have kept it to myself."
She pulled back far enough to look at his face. His eyes were filled with pain, his expression so hurt, that she couldn't stand it. She touched his cheek gently with one finger, tracing a line down to his jaw.
"Alec, I'm."
and somehow they were kissing. She had no idea who started it, who had moved first, but all of a sudden their lips were touching, and neither of them were pulling back. Alec's arms tightened around her, and he kissed her hungrily. She could feel his pain, his anguish, and right then, she would have done anything to make it stop. She deepened the kiss further, biting at his lip in an effort to bring him closer to her.
Alec's brain had long since shut down. His body had taken over and he was just reacting, trying to forget the pain. Her mouth was so warm against his, and as he felt her tongue enter his mouth, he forgot everything but the feel of her in his arms. His hands pulled her tighter against him, moving up under her shirt. She was still too far away from him, the cloth between them too thick. His hands moved up her back, moulding her against him.
Max groaned into his mouth, her hand running through his hair and tracing his barcode. She pushed him backwards, against a tree, moving hard up against him. Under her foot, a twig bent, then snapped. They both jerked apart, gasping for breath and staring at each other. Neither moved. Finally, Max looked away. Alec swallowed hard, and stepped away. He forced himself not to look back. He had to figure out what was going on here, and the only thing he knew for sure, was that if he looked back at her, right then, with her hair messed up and her mouth bruised, he wouldn't be able to walk away.
Max watched him go, opening her mouth several times to say something, but not knowing what to say.
"Go away, Max" he told her, not turning around. "No, I can't do that" she replied, moving in a wide circle so that she was coming up in front of him.
"Go. Away" he stood up, glaring at her, his voice cold.
"Alec, tell me what's going on"
he shook his head, and turned to walk away. Max moved quickly in front of him.
"Talk to me" she told him.
"I told you, get away from me. Why can't you take a hint?"
"Because you're my friend. And you're upset. And I want to help" she spoke quietly, reaching her hand slowly towards him.
"We're not friends" Alec laughed bitterly. "We've never been friends. 'I'm sorry I inflicted you on this world' remember that? Not exactly the thing you say to a friend, is it?"
Max looked stunned. She remembered the day she had said that to him, in the jail cell. She had meant it at the time, thinking that Alec had become a killer, just like Ben. She had spoken in anger, blaming herself for letting him go free when she should have known that he would be like Ben. And she had taken it out on Alec.
"I didn't mean that" she whispered. "You are my friend, Alec. In some ways, you're my best friend, you understand me better than anyone."
Alec's expression softened, but not by much. "But you don't understand me at all" he told her.
"Because you don't let anyone understand you!" She almost yelled at him. "You wouldn't have even told me about the shaking if I hadn't been there."
Alec bit his lip and looked down. "It's not that easy."
"Take your time" she told him, shrugging. "I'm not going anywhere"
"Don't you have to go see Wonderboy?" he asked, sarcastically.
Max laughed, and he looked up at her, confused. "I've walked away from him three times in the past two days, all of them to check on you. He probably thinks we're having an affair"
Alec grinned slightly. He bent down and picked up several stones from the ground. Turning towards Manticore, he threw a stone at the complex.
Max waited for him to talk. After about five minutes of him saying nothing, she shrugged and walked over to him. she glanced up at him, and gently took a stone from his hand. Rolling it in her hand, she took a seat on the ground, leaning back against a tree. "I remember when I was about 5" she spoke quietly. "it was the first time I realised that we weren't all perfect. Jack, my littlest brother, he started crying one night, and we couldn't get him to stop." Alec looked over at her, and moved to sit beside her, his leg pressing against hers.
"He was shaking" she told him, looking over at him. Alec closed his eyes. "We didn't know what to do, so we, me and Jhondy, we crawled into bed with him, and held him until he stopped. Zach said that we had to stick together, that if one of us was weak, we all had to protect him until he got better. He said that was what being a family was all about."
Alec stiffened beside her. "I never told you why we left Manticore, did I? The real reason?" she asked. He shook his head, staring straight ahead of him.
"I had a seizure. A guard saw, and he was going to."
"No!" Alec jerked to his feet, and moved away from her.
"Alec, I don't understand"
"We killed him, okay?" Alec yelled, turning back to face her. "We were never a family, not like you were"
"What?" she asked softly.
"they told us, always, that if one of us was weak, that it would destroy all of us. That a team is only as strong as its weakest member. This kid, 384, he got the shakes. At first we didn't know what to do, it could have been natural, we didn't know. but the second time it happened was during a mission. We failed to complete it. First time we ever failed a mission."
Max nodded. She knew the penalties for failing to complete a mission. She had first hand experience of that. Once. Once was enough.
"We turned him in" Alec's voice dropped to a whisper. "The CO asked for an explanation, and we told him. 384 screwed it up for us. So they dragged him out of formation and to the hospital wing. He never came back."
"Oh, God" Max whispered. She moved close to him, slipping her arm gently around his waist, and when he didn't react, she pulled him closer. She could feel him shaking slightly, from the memories. "Alec, I'm sorry"
"we killed him." he repeated, his voice cracking. Max's heart broke and she reached her hand behind his neck, pulling his head down against her.
"It's not your fault" she told him. he pulled back to look at her. "I shouldn't have told anyone. I should have kept it to myself."
She pulled back far enough to look at his face. His eyes were filled with pain, his expression so hurt, that she couldn't stand it. She touched his cheek gently with one finger, tracing a line down to his jaw.
"Alec, I'm."
and somehow they were kissing. She had no idea who started it, who had moved first, but all of a sudden their lips were touching, and neither of them were pulling back. Alec's arms tightened around her, and he kissed her hungrily. She could feel his pain, his anguish, and right then, she would have done anything to make it stop. She deepened the kiss further, biting at his lip in an effort to bring him closer to her.
Alec's brain had long since shut down. His body had taken over and he was just reacting, trying to forget the pain. Her mouth was so warm against his, and as he felt her tongue enter his mouth, he forgot everything but the feel of her in his arms. His hands pulled her tighter against him, moving up under her shirt. She was still too far away from him, the cloth between them too thick. His hands moved up her back, moulding her against him.
Max groaned into his mouth, her hand running through his hair and tracing his barcode. She pushed him backwards, against a tree, moving hard up against him. Under her foot, a twig bent, then snapped. They both jerked apart, gasping for breath and staring at each other. Neither moved. Finally, Max looked away. Alec swallowed hard, and stepped away. He forced himself not to look back. He had to figure out what was going on here, and the only thing he knew for sure, was that if he looked back at her, right then, with her hair messed up and her mouth bruised, he wouldn't be able to walk away.
Max watched him go, opening her mouth several times to say something, but not knowing what to say.