"hey" she whispered, touching the side of his face lightly. He groaned
again, his body finally stilling.
"Alec? Buddy?" Normal asked, rubbing his shoulder.
Alec muttered something, and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times, trying to focus.
"You're okay" Normal told him. Alec heard his boss's voice and he froze. This was not good. He was not going to be able to talk his way out of this one. "Uh." he muttered, as his mind frantically raced for an excuse.
"Alec" Max spoke softly, trying to get his attention. He turned his head slowly to look at her, frantically asking with his eyes what was going on, and how he could get himself out of it. She nodded to him, touching his face lightly "It's okay" she told him, and he relaxed slightly. She had a plan, he thought. Good.
"Normal" Max looked up. "Can you get some water?"
"Uh, Yeah. Of Course" Normal looked worriedly at Alec, then stood. "Be right back" Alec turned to smile weakly at him, watching him leave. As soon as Normal was out of hearing range, he looked at Max.
"Oh my God, what am I going to do?" he asked her, his voice weak, but scared. Max reached out and took his hand in hers.
"Well, We." she stressed. "We are going to convince Normal that you are okay, then we're going to get you home."
Alec nodded, still looking worried. He tightened his grip on her hand. "Trust me" she told him.
"here" Normal knelt down beside him and offered him a glass of water.
"Thanks" he commented, sitting up slowly. Max moved her arm around his back to help him sit. He took the glass with one hand, still holding onto Max's hand with his other one, and drank slowly.
Normal watched Alec closely, noting the way his hand shook as he lifted the glass. He had never seen him looking any less than in perfect condition, and the way he looked now, was not anywhere near that. "I still think he should go to the hospital" he told Max.
"No!" Alec cried out quickly, his face going pale. If he went to a hospital. God, they would know what he was instantly.
"Hey." Max warned. "Take it easy" she tightened her grip around him, warning him, then turned to glare at Normal. "I said, he'll be fine" she told him. "He just needs to rest."
"You're heavy" Max told him, supporting his weight as they moved slowly towards his apartment. "Sorry" he muttered, and she felt some weight shift off her shoulder as he tried to stand on his own. Max sighed. She had expected, or had hoped for, some sarcastic response. Even when he had been shot, he was able to crack jokes. The fact that he wasn't now, worried her.
"Key?" she asked him as they got to his door. Alec reached into his pocket, and handed it to her. "Thanks" she opened the door, and led him across the room to his bedroom. Alec sank gratefully onto the bed, his eyes closing. "Max?" he asked softly
"Hmm?" she replied, sitting down on the bed beside him, resting her hand on his shoulder.
"Uh, did I." he frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I feel like I did something to you that I should be. Damn it!" he groaned, trying to sit up. Max pushed him back down lightly.
"Take it easy" she told him.
"my head hurts" he commented. "it's so hard to remember, but, did I do something? Are you pissed at me? More than usual, I mean?"
Max laughed, stroking the hair off his forehead. "No" she told him. "Just get some rest, okay?"
Alec closed his eyes. He did not want to be alone. More than anything, he wanted her to stay with him, hold him, or just be there. He didn't mind which. He was frightened, scared that what had been happening to him was going to keep happening, that he was going to keep shaking. God, What if Max hadn't been there? What if Normal had seen his barcode, turned him in? then, they would start looking for others. And they would start with his friends.
"Alec?" Max saw his face pale, his expression change to something she didn't recognise. "What is it?" she asked him, concerned.
He sat up, and pushed her hand off him. slowly, he stood and moved away from her. "I'm endangering all of you" he said quietly. "Its just like Manticore, all over again. I'm endangering everyone. You're going to fail the mission because of me." He could see it so clearly. The woods, the enemy just ahead, the target in sight. Everyone looking to their leader for instructions. 384 was sent out on recon, full stealth mode. He made it four paces before collapsing onto the ground, shaking. The sound alerted the enemy, who engaged them, killing the squad with blanks. Failure. Death.
"There is no mission" Max told him, stepping towards him. "It's not like Manticore."
"There's always a mission. Survival, for one." Alec replied.
"How about making friends, and sticking by them, that's a mission too." She responded.
"Are we friends?" Alec asked, his voice almost a whisper. All of his camouflage dropped from his face. He was too tired to pretend anymore. Max had already seen him at his worst, anyway. Lying on the floor, shaking like a nomaly.
Max stepped closer to him, forcing him to back up against a wall. She moved closer, until they were almost touching. If either of them moved, they would be. Alec stared at her.
"You asked me before, if I was mad at you"
Alec slowly looked at her.
"Before you got sick, I was trying to talk to you, and you walked away from me."
"I don't remember" he told her, trying to think.
"When we were in the woods. We were talking, and then." Max tried to prompt him, but felt unsure as to how to continue. She wasn't sure yet how she felt about kissing him.
Alec's eyes widened slightly as he remembered. "I'm sorry" he told her quickly, trying to move away from her, worried about where she was going with this conversation.
Max sighed. He regretted it. Fine. She had her answer. She stepped back to allow him to move away from the wall.
"Get some sleep, Alec." She told him, crossing to the door. "If you need anything, I'll be in the other room."
Alec watched her leave, then threw himself onto the bed. Great. Just great. Today just kept on getting better and better. He had collapsed at work, Max was angry with him. could anything else go wrong? He sighed. Yeah. It could. Max could tell Logan that he had kissed her, and Logan could beat him up. It could happen. The way he felt right now, Logan could take him. He closed his eyes.
Max walked slowly into Jam Pony the following morning. Although she didn't need much sleep, getting none was starting to wear on her. But, she needed to know what was going on. What Normal and Emma were telling people. Whether she had anything else, apart from Alec being sick, to worry about.
"Max" Normal moved in front of her, preventing her from going anywhere. "Alec, how is he? Is he okay?"
"Sure. He's doing better." Max told him. "Normal, Alec's illness."
"Say no more, I understand" Normal replied. "He doesn't want it being common knowledge." Max smiled. "Thanks" she gave him a quick hug. Everyone in the room stared. "What?" she asked loudly. "Nothing to see here" "That's right" Normal called out. "Back to work, you ingrates."
Max smiled at him, then crossed the room to join Cindy. "He's okay" she told her, before her friend had time to ask. "Sleeping"
"Did the two o' you talk? 'bout the kiss?"
"He said he was sorry it happened" Max shrugged.
"Alec? Buddy?" Normal asked, rubbing his shoulder.
Alec muttered something, and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked several times, trying to focus.
"You're okay" Normal told him. Alec heard his boss's voice and he froze. This was not good. He was not going to be able to talk his way out of this one. "Uh." he muttered, as his mind frantically raced for an excuse.
"Alec" Max spoke softly, trying to get his attention. He turned his head slowly to look at her, frantically asking with his eyes what was going on, and how he could get himself out of it. She nodded to him, touching his face lightly "It's okay" she told him, and he relaxed slightly. She had a plan, he thought. Good.
"Normal" Max looked up. "Can you get some water?"
"Uh, Yeah. Of Course" Normal looked worriedly at Alec, then stood. "Be right back" Alec turned to smile weakly at him, watching him leave. As soon as Normal was out of hearing range, he looked at Max.
"Oh my God, what am I going to do?" he asked her, his voice weak, but scared. Max reached out and took his hand in hers.
"Well, We." she stressed. "We are going to convince Normal that you are okay, then we're going to get you home."
Alec nodded, still looking worried. He tightened his grip on her hand. "Trust me" she told him.
"here" Normal knelt down beside him and offered him a glass of water.
"Thanks" he commented, sitting up slowly. Max moved her arm around his back to help him sit. He took the glass with one hand, still holding onto Max's hand with his other one, and drank slowly.
Normal watched Alec closely, noting the way his hand shook as he lifted the glass. He had never seen him looking any less than in perfect condition, and the way he looked now, was not anywhere near that. "I still think he should go to the hospital" he told Max.
"No!" Alec cried out quickly, his face going pale. If he went to a hospital. God, they would know what he was instantly.
"Hey." Max warned. "Take it easy" she tightened her grip around him, warning him, then turned to glare at Normal. "I said, he'll be fine" she told him. "He just needs to rest."
"You're heavy" Max told him, supporting his weight as they moved slowly towards his apartment. "Sorry" he muttered, and she felt some weight shift off her shoulder as he tried to stand on his own. Max sighed. She had expected, or had hoped for, some sarcastic response. Even when he had been shot, he was able to crack jokes. The fact that he wasn't now, worried her.
"Key?" she asked him as they got to his door. Alec reached into his pocket, and handed it to her. "Thanks" she opened the door, and led him across the room to his bedroom. Alec sank gratefully onto the bed, his eyes closing. "Max?" he asked softly
"Hmm?" she replied, sitting down on the bed beside him, resting her hand on his shoulder.
"Uh, did I." he frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I feel like I did something to you that I should be. Damn it!" he groaned, trying to sit up. Max pushed him back down lightly.
"Take it easy" she told him.
"my head hurts" he commented. "it's so hard to remember, but, did I do something? Are you pissed at me? More than usual, I mean?"
Max laughed, stroking the hair off his forehead. "No" she told him. "Just get some rest, okay?"
Alec closed his eyes. He did not want to be alone. More than anything, he wanted her to stay with him, hold him, or just be there. He didn't mind which. He was frightened, scared that what had been happening to him was going to keep happening, that he was going to keep shaking. God, What if Max hadn't been there? What if Normal had seen his barcode, turned him in? then, they would start looking for others. And they would start with his friends.
"Alec?" Max saw his face pale, his expression change to something she didn't recognise. "What is it?" she asked him, concerned.
He sat up, and pushed her hand off him. slowly, he stood and moved away from her. "I'm endangering all of you" he said quietly. "Its just like Manticore, all over again. I'm endangering everyone. You're going to fail the mission because of me." He could see it so clearly. The woods, the enemy just ahead, the target in sight. Everyone looking to their leader for instructions. 384 was sent out on recon, full stealth mode. He made it four paces before collapsing onto the ground, shaking. The sound alerted the enemy, who engaged them, killing the squad with blanks. Failure. Death.
"There is no mission" Max told him, stepping towards him. "It's not like Manticore."
"There's always a mission. Survival, for one." Alec replied.
"How about making friends, and sticking by them, that's a mission too." She responded.
"Are we friends?" Alec asked, his voice almost a whisper. All of his camouflage dropped from his face. He was too tired to pretend anymore. Max had already seen him at his worst, anyway. Lying on the floor, shaking like a nomaly.
Max stepped closer to him, forcing him to back up against a wall. She moved closer, until they were almost touching. If either of them moved, they would be. Alec stared at her.
"You asked me before, if I was mad at you"
Alec slowly looked at her.
"Before you got sick, I was trying to talk to you, and you walked away from me."
"I don't remember" he told her, trying to think.
"When we were in the woods. We were talking, and then." Max tried to prompt him, but felt unsure as to how to continue. She wasn't sure yet how she felt about kissing him.
Alec's eyes widened slightly as he remembered. "I'm sorry" he told her quickly, trying to move away from her, worried about where she was going with this conversation.
Max sighed. He regretted it. Fine. She had her answer. She stepped back to allow him to move away from the wall.
"Get some sleep, Alec." She told him, crossing to the door. "If you need anything, I'll be in the other room."
Alec watched her leave, then threw himself onto the bed. Great. Just great. Today just kept on getting better and better. He had collapsed at work, Max was angry with him. could anything else go wrong? He sighed. Yeah. It could. Max could tell Logan that he had kissed her, and Logan could beat him up. It could happen. The way he felt right now, Logan could take him. He closed his eyes.
Max walked slowly into Jam Pony the following morning. Although she didn't need much sleep, getting none was starting to wear on her. But, she needed to know what was going on. What Normal and Emma were telling people. Whether she had anything else, apart from Alec being sick, to worry about.
"Max" Normal moved in front of her, preventing her from going anywhere. "Alec, how is he? Is he okay?"
"Sure. He's doing better." Max told him. "Normal, Alec's illness."
"Say no more, I understand" Normal replied. "He doesn't want it being common knowledge." Max smiled. "Thanks" she gave him a quick hug. Everyone in the room stared. "What?" she asked loudly. "Nothing to see here" "That's right" Normal called out. "Back to work, you ingrates."
Max smiled at him, then crossed the room to join Cindy. "He's okay" she told her, before her friend had time to ask. "Sleeping"
"Did the two o' you talk? 'bout the kiss?"
"He said he was sorry it happened" Max shrugged.