They stood in the hall to the apartment everyone was laughing noisily except for Vin who was fiddling with the lock. It seemed stuck for some reason. Finally the bolt turned and he let them in.
"Need a new lock." Vin muttered.
"We can get one in the morning." Lexa said cheerily.
"Sure."
OC and Max had settled in on the couch and were flipping through the channels. "Nothing on worth watching as usual. Do you guys have any movies?"
Vin laughed. "Lexa she asked if we have movies. Do we have movies?"
Lexa crossed the room to the cabinet that held said movies and opened it with a flourish. "Madame, movies."
Max hopped up and started looking through them. "Man, you guys have a little of everything don't ya?"
"Well, you try staying in a hotel room hiding out with that bundle of energy for two weeks." Vin said gesturing to Lexa. "I had to find something to do and once she discovered she liked them we ended up "acquiring more and more. That is only half of her collection. We had to leave some in, Yuma was it Lexa?"
"I think it was Mason." She replied. She had started popping some popcorn. Alec came up behind her as she was melting butter to pour over the popcorn. She was stirring the butter in the pot. Vin had managed to get a hold of the butter one night in the market. It was coming harder and harder to come by these days.
Alec put his arms around her waist. "So what did you think about riding your own bike? Quite a rush right?"
"Yep." she said with a smile. She turned in his arms and gave him a quick kiss.
"Mmm." Alec hummed and rubbed his face in her neck. Then he stiffened.
"What's wrong?" Lexa asked.
"I have to leave. Now." he said.
Lexa's face twisted in confusion. "Why?"
"You're in heat."
"Am not." She protested.
Alec backed away from her and gripped the countertop by the refrigerator. "Trust me on this Lexa." He walked to the door and grabbed his jacket from the couch on the way. Max and Original Cindy watched him warily.
"Make sure she doesn't leave and be careful, with this many transgenics loose in the city you don't know who, or what may try to get to her." Alec said carefully not looking at Lexa. She started toward him to kiss him good-bye. "Don't! Just don't Lexa, I'm already having a hard time staying in control."
He left quickly.
Lexa removed the pot from the stove and sank down on the couch next to Max. She leaned her head on her shoulder.
"I don't understand, I don't even feel it."
"Must still be the early stages." Max said.
"Wait a minute." Lexa crossed to the fridge where the calendar had once been. She turned to Vin. "I'm late, and you KNEW." The last word came out as a scream.
Vin held up his hands. "Hold on. I didn't want you to worry. I was going to tell you."
"But you told him didn't you?" Vin didn't answer and wouldn't meet her eyes. "You did! I can't believe it!"
"I thought he may need to know, in case-" He didn't finish his sentence.
"In case I was pregnant?" She said quietly.
"Yes."
Max and Original Cindy stood up and went to the door. "Sugar, we gonna leave." Original Cindy started to say as Max opened the door. They stopped suddenly seeing Alec standing in doorway. Hands bracing on either side of the door, his breathing quick and shallow. He looked up at Lexa and it was like no one else in the room existed. His eyes were feral with need.
Vin moved in front of Lexa. She seemed to be as transfixed as he. "Now Alec, remember what we talked about."
"Don't care." Alec growled interrupting Vin's sentence.
"Yes you do. You love her." This declaration
shocked all present.
"I do. She's my mate." Alec said a surprised
look on his face.
"Not now she isn't. When you are both yourselves again and you can talk about it then maybe she will be." Alec looked like he was going to protest. He moved through the doorway with a predator like grace. Vin circled around to stop him from reaching Lexa. "Alec after everything she has been through, would you do this too her? Put her through this?" He tried to reason with him.
"Alec, it will be rape." Max stated. Alec's face wore a shocked look as he turned to face her. "Alec, I know you won't mean it to be, but believe me, it would feel like it to her." she said quietly.
Alec started backing up towards the door again his face tortured. Lexa stepped out from behind Vin staring at him walking forward to him.
"Damn, I was hoping not to do this." Vin muttered and threw a look at Max who nodded and nudge Original Cindy out of harm's way. She had been through this many times before with Max and new that force may have to be used.
Vin grabbed Lexa who started to struggle with him saying "I'm fine let me go."
"This is for your own good Alec." Max said to Alec.
She had used Alec's momentary distraction of a watching Lexa to get close
to him. She hit him with all her might with two solid punches to
the face. Alec, who had been unprepared fell to the floor.
Lexa became enraged and leapt at Max. Vin's grip
slipped and only retained hold of one arm throwing Lexa off balance and
she slipped to the floor. Vin sat on her pinning her shoulders with
his knees. "You'll thank me for this later." he said to her
as she cussed at him. He clucked at her. "Such language."
He looked at Max "You up to taking him home?"
She nodded. "Yeah." She sighed. "I suppose I will have to stay with him till this bitch is over huh?"
"If you would."
"And Original Cindy ain't going to do nothin'? Don't think so. Let her help." Original Cindy demanded.
"Okay, You stay with them for now. I need to get him" she gestured to the unconscious Alec "home before he comes to."
She hefted him over her shoulder. "Ugh. He isn't as light as he looks, that's for sure." She made a face. "Call you when we get there."
"Thanks Max."
Original Cindy closed the door behind her. "So now what boo?"
"Now we gotta calm her down."
~!~!~
Max got down to the lot with her burden drawing more that a few stares. "He had too much to drink." She explained.
She got to her bike then groaned. How was she supposed to get them both back while he was out? She tried to arrange him on the bike but he kept tilting. She finally had to lay him across her lap and balance him carefully. `Easy' she thought to herself.
It was a slow ride to his apartment. Even slower going up the stairs. "You so owe me." She told to his unconscious form. She was really surprised that he hadn't woken up yet. She figured that fighting the pheromones had taken a lot out of him.
She laid him down on his ratty couch and went to the fridge to see what he had to eat. She was putting together a sandwich when he started to come to.
"Man what happened?" Alec moaned putting a hand to his head.
"Hmm. Let's see" Max started cocking her head to one side and putting her hands on her hips. "Oh yeah. Lexa went into heat and first we thought you had a handle on yourself but then, being the male that you are, you tried to go after her and we had to stop you before you both did something you regretted."
"I mean why does my head hurt." Alec said.
"Oh, I hit you. Hard."
"Thanks." He said dryly. Then he leaned his head against the back of the couch. "God. What did I almost do?" He banged his head against the couch. "She would never have talked to me again." He said.
"Don't feel bad Alec. It was the pheromones. They are strong things."
"But I never lose control. Ever."
"Even I have done some bad things, "under the influence." She told him.
He gasped and pressed a hand to his chest. "No. Not you Max." A wicked smile crossed his face. "Like what."
"Oh, no. I'm not tell you."
"Fine." He groused. Then while she finished her sandwich he brooded. When the full implication of what could have happened hit him he screamed with rage and started hitting the coffee table repeatedly.
Max dropped her sandwich on her plate and rushed
to Alec's side. She grabbed his hands. "Alec stop! Stop!"
He looked at her his face full of rage. "I lost
control Max! I could have hurt her."
She was at loss about what to do. So she drew him into a hug.
"It's going to be all right. You didn't."
Alec buried his face in his hands. He didn't say anything for a moment and then Max realized he was breathing funny again.
"Alec?"
"I can smell her, she's all over me." He raised he face and before she could register what he was doing he had blurred over to the door. She had thrown the bolt and chain thought when then can come in and in his haste he fumbled with it. She grabbed him from behind and wrestled him to the bathroom, falling twice and was elbowed in the gut more times that she wished to mention. She turned on the shower and threw him into the tub. She threw the soap and a clean wash rag from the shelf above the toilet at him. "Wash. Now."
Alec nodded and began vigorously scrubbing.
"I am going to be right outside so you can take a shower. Don't try to leave okay?' He just nodded again. She walked out while he was pulling his wet shirt over his head.
She sat down on the couch and started to eat her
sandwich. She heard the wet plop of his pants joining his shirt on the
floor. She picked up the remote and was watching an old pre
pulse tv show about teenagers in high school when he came out shaking.
Obviously he had taken a cold shower. He had a red towel wrapped around
his waist.
"Can you do me a favor? Do something with the clothes
in there." He gestured to the bathroom with a thumb.
"Yeah." She ate the last bite of her sandwich and put the plate in the sink while he went to dress. She wrapped the clothes in a plastic bag and put them in a corner of his utility room. Even she could smell Lexa's scent on them.
Alec came out dressed in green sweats and carrying a pillow and blanket. He threw them on the couch. "Thanks."
"No problem." Max answered. He still looked glum.
"Alec, you really want to know what I did?" she asked him. Unable to see him so upset. He was really beating himself up over what had happened earlier.
He turned to her and gave her what was a ghost of his usual smile. "Sure."
"I uh-sort of kissed Normal." she said quickly.
"You didn't!"
"Yeah. OC then decked me hard and told him that I needed a personal day."
Alec was laughing so hard he couldn't respond.
"He told me to take a week."
Tears were leaking from the corner of his eyes. When he calmed down he said "Thanks Max. I needed that."
She nodded. "Sure but tell anyone and I will be forced to kill you."
"Me? Say anything? Come on Maxie."
"Yeah you!"
He stood. "I won't say anything. To anyone who doesn't know anyway. I am going to try and sleep now."
Max spread the blanket out and laid on the couch still watching TV. "Cool. I'll be here." she warned.
"I know."
!~ ~
Back at Vin and Lexa's
Her heat was just starting to affect her and Vin was trying to persuade her to take a cold shower.
"Lex, If I let you up you will shower right? Try to get a hold of herself?"
"Vin, I'm fine! Let me go!"
"Your not, I can smell you from here."
"Okay over sharing there." That was from Original Cindy
"Sorry." He really didn't sound it. "I'm not letting you up until you promise to calm down."
"Okay, Okay." Vin reluctantly let her up. She glared at him and walked to her room to get a spare set of clothes.
"We are going to have to keep an eye on her. Being near Alec didn't make things better. She'll be able to smell him now the whole time. "
"Why don't we jus' spray something all around?"
Vin shook his head violently. "No way. Our noses are way too sensitive for that. It would make us both so sick it would take us a week to recover."
"Okay. Then what we do?" She said putting her hands on her hips.
"Well, first we make sure she takes her shower then we manage the best we can."
Lexa came out of her room and went into the bathroom,still glaring at Vin. She obviously was not happy about being pinned down.
Vin and OC sat on the couch and ate the popcorn that Lexa had started making. Vin glanced at the door and found steam coming from underneath it. He got up and banged on the door. "Cold water Lexa! you know the drill!"
"Back off Vin!" was the answer he got from her.
He sat back down on the couch.
"Don't worry about it sugar. Max can get aggressive too when she in heat." Original Cindy said trying to comfort him. The shower shut off and Vin could hear Lexa dressing. The door opened a minute later and she turned to pick up her clothes.
"Leave them." Vin said.
"But-"
"They have Alec's scent all over them. You just
washed off. You would have to take another shower. I'll take
care of them later."
Realization dawned on her face and she nodded. She came and sat on the couch next to Vin. "Did you see the look on his face? I hope he is all right. I honestly had no clue Vin. I promise."
He put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. "I know Lexa. I know. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you."
"You were just looking out for me.. Vin, what did you say to Alec when you talked about it with him?"
"I just asked him because I figured that him being at Manticore longer he might have heard about something like this happening."
"What did he say? Does he know why this happened?" She asked
"He had about as much clue as I did."
"What did he say about when I finally went into heat?"
"That he wanted me to help keep you two apart during it."
"Oh." she said and her face looked sad.
Vin tilted her face up to meet her eyes. "Lexa, it wasn't because he didn't want to be with you, it was because he didn't want the first time you were together to be like that. Plus after what happened-" he paused for a moment. "After what happened when you were taken again, he wanted to make sure that it would be special and what you wanted."
"He said that?"
"Yeah."
She settled back against the couch and started watching the television with Original Cindy and Vin.
"Original Cindy got a question, why is it that Lexa being in heat drives Alec crazy but you hear calm as can be?"
Vin blushed and cleared his throat. "For some reason it doesn't affect me until she is at her peak of her cycle. Then I can still pretty much control myself."
"And you?" OC asked leveling a look at Lexa.
"For some reason I just don't look at him the same way as I do other men when i am in heat." She cast a look at him "We just figured that it had something to do with all the tests and injections they gave us."
"Oh." Was all Original Cindy could say.
The two laughed at the expression on her face.
The continued watching the movie that Original Cindy
had put on.
~!~!~
Lexa was distracted. She could smell Alec all over the room. On the couch where he had sat, his scent was even still faintly on the sheets covering her bed. She knew that her cycle was beginning to kick it up. She was getting restless. Lexa fidgeted on the couch. She couldn't seem to get comfortable.
"Girl, looks like you need to be doing some push ups."
She nodded. "Yeah, good idea." Lexa got to the floor and started her exercises.
Her mind drifted to Alec, she thought about waking up in the cabin spooned against the back of his body, playing with the string on his shorts. Then she flashed on him patting the bike and smiling. She could almost feel his arms around her while she was standing in front of the stove.
"Boo, you sweatin'" OC observed.
Lexa pushed up from the floor. "This isn't working!" She said loudly. Frustrated she ran a hand through her almost dry hair.
"Sit ups." Vin commanded. He got to the floor to hold her feet.
As she did her sit-ups she began to talk to Vin. "Alec doesn't look anything like I imagined. What about you."
"Change the subject Lexa."
She went on without missing a beat. "His eyes are the same but different. They looks so sad all of the time. And that smile of his, so cocky."
"Lexa!"
She pushed him away as he lightly smacked her face. He flew back and hit the island.
"Damn it Vin!"
"This isn't working either."
"Don't think I haven't noticed."
"Guys, why don't we just all calm down." OC said gently. "How about we order some takeout?"
Lexa nodded. "Yeah, I could eat." Vin only nodded rubbing the back of his head.
"Okay, now we talkin'. Chinese?"
"Mmm. Let's see, how about fried rice?"
"That all you gonna eat suga?" Original Cindy asked
her eyes wide.
"No, she will eat the whole carton." Vin said.
"And what you want boo?" She asked him
"Anything with meat in it." He told her. OC went and picked up the phone and placed the order with the local chinese restaurant. She hung up and said "Ol' boy said it will be forty minutes or so."
"Okay now what?"
"Now we can play a game." Vin said and pointed to a stack of board games. Lexa pulled one down and said "Scrabble?"
"No!" OC said loudly then blushed. "My boo has a hard time with scrabble when she is in your condition. She be spelling words Original Cindy shouldn't say in mixed company."
Lexa put the board game back on the shelf "Okay how about Life?" Vin groaned. "C'mon, humor me huh?" Not waiting for his answer she pulled the game down and started setting it up.
"Careful OC, This girl can't seem to lose at this game." Original Cindy laughed and sat down at her space.
Thirty-five minutes later they were well into the game, Lexa had a husband and two little pink children, while Vin was broke and single and Original Cindy had a wife but was low on cash flow also. To the other two it was nothing but a relief when the door bell rang.
"Finally." Vin said as he got up to answer the door. It was the delivery man. While Vin took the food from the delivery man Lexa got up and started to stalk slowly to the door. The delivery man, of medium height and a stocky build with messy blond hair, gulped when he saw the look in Lexa's eyes.
Original Cindy, who had been trying to plot her next move, looked up and saw Lexa moving to the delivery boy. "Vin.." she said in a warning tone as Lexa stood toe to toe with the now squirming guy. Vin turned while he heard Lexa say "What's you name?" in a breathless whisper.
"S-s-Scott." The delivery guy stammered.
She was leaning in to kiss him when Vin grabbed her by her collar and pulled her away roughly turning her away from Scott at the same time. Original Cindy had started to get up immediately when she had seen Lexa was away from the table but was too late to pull her back, however she wasn't too late to deck her like she had Max.
"Thanks. Oh god." Lexa said.
Vin shoved money at the delivery boy adding a ten dollar tip. "My sister has- problems." he said giving the first excuse that came to mind. He nearly slammed the door in the poor guys face. Turning to Lexa he pointed to the bathroom and said. "You. Bath. Now."
Lexa just turned and walked to the bathroom. "Make it cold and soak a long time Lexa." Vin added in a firm voice. She just nodded and shut the door.
OC and Vin sat back down on the couch. She looked at him. They both breathed a sigh of relief. Then Original Cindy said "Home boy was ugly."
***
To Be Continued.. IF YOU REVIEW.
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