Disclaimer - If they follow me home, can I keep them?
Learning of Alec - Ch 3.
----------------
- infie
RECAP
*******
(Two weeks ago)
Biggs and Max exchanged a quick glance. "We were just talking about Max's brothers, Alec. She
wanted to know if I'd seen any of them since I've been out."
"Uh huh." Alec didn't look convinced. "That's strange. I'm sure I heard my name. And, Max,
whatever else I am to you..." his voice grew lower, intimate, and he leaned over so that his
mouth was against her ear. "I am NOT your brother." His breath wafted warmly against the sensitive
skin of her ear, making her shiver and Alec laugh low in his chest. Biggs snickered, and someone
cleared their throat loudly.
********
"Logan! Hey buddy." Alec neatly snagged the seat beside Max and smiled up at Max's.. er.. boyfriend..
brightly. He slung an arm across the back of Max's chair, not missing the flare of angry heat in
the other man's eyes. His grin widened, and Biggs shook his head in amusement, gaze meeting Max's.
She nodded at him, and raised her glass, with her other hand making the sign for 'message
received."
* * *
(Thursday)
Max paused outside the door to Alec's apartment, one hand on the knob, forehead leaning against
the cool wood. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then straightened and opened the
door gently. She eased inside and closed the door behind her, stepping into the room and stopping.
The lights were out, the only lessening of the darkness a dim sliver glow through the grimy window panes,
from the full moon outside. Alec was a silhouette leaning against the wall near the window looking out,
so still he looked unreal in the darkness. The blonde was in his armchair, nude and sulking.
"What kind of kinky shit is this?" she demanded shrilly. "First you invite me over, then you tell
me to strip, then you ignore me, *then* you invite the ice queen over? You're cute, but you ain't
worth this."
Alec's voice came out of the darkness, curt and cold. "Get dressed. Beat it."
The blonde rose on unsteady feet and gathered her clothes with what dignity she could muster.
"You're a freak, you know that?"
Max jumped at the cold bitterness of Alec's laugh. "Better than you do, lady. Get out."
The blonde fled, slamming the door after her.
Alec tilted his head, still looking out the window, slouched against the wall. He had removed his
shirt, and the faint light danced in splinters over the muscled curve of his bare shoulders. Max
could just barely see the line of his belt where his snug black jeans began at his tight waist. The
blonde, with her normal vision, must have been all but blind in this cloaking darkness. "Why are you here,
Max? I told you I was all right."
"You aren't all right, Alec. Biggs has been murdered, and he was your friend." Alec made a small,
choked noise. "More importantly, Alec, he was in your unit. Christ, he was your brother."
Max closed the distance between them in three long steps, placing her hands on his upper arms, and
leaning her forehead against the taut, smooth skin of his back. His heat warmed her immediately.
"You cared for him."
Alec shook her off and spun away from her too quickly to see, ending up on the other side of
the room, back against the wall. Slowly he slid down until he was sitting with his knees up.
A sliver of light from a scrape in the grimy window slanted across his eyes, making them look feral
with his rage. "I was his commander. I was supposed to take care of him." he slammed his
head back against the wall, cracking the plaster and making Max jump. "I was supposed to protect
him. At the very least, I was supposed to *avenge* him." his voice was bitterly angry,
and Max fought the urge to go to him. "And I couldn't even do that. I had the bastard *in my
hands*, and I had to let him go. Cause there are so many others to protect, and I couldn't risk them."
"You made the right choice, Alec. You know how the public would have reacted if normals got
killed by transgenics, no matter how justified it was. It was the right choice."
"It was a betrayal." Alec replied tonelessly. "He trusted me."
"He loved you, Alec." Max barely noticed the tears on her cheeks. "But it was still the right
choice."
"God." Alec choked out, clenching his fists against the jean fabric straining at his thighs.
"God. How can you stand it?"
Max knelt beside him. "I cry on the Space Needle." she admitted honestly. "And I lash out at the
people around me; especially the ones I trust the most."
Alec turned his head to look at her. The light moved across the planes of his face, outlining the
pain there in stark relief. "I know another way," he said, taking a deep breath and relaxing his whole
body. Max watched in horror as the humanity leaked out out of his eyes drop by drop. She could see
him walling off his emotions brick by brick, until his face and eyes were perfectly blank. When he smiled
at her brightly it was almost obscene. "See? All gone."
"Alec.." Now she did reach out, tentatively, and to touch his cheek. He just stared at her with those
cold, expressionless eyes, and faint smile, and she knew that her Alec was gone. *This* was X5-494,
and she suddenly knew with an absolute certainty that all of the stories she had discounted about
his prowess and efficiency as a soldier were truth. "Alec, what have you done?"
"I made it all OK, Max." he replied calmly. "I'm all right, now."
"Shutting it all away isn't the answer." Max spoke slowly, intensely. Alec reached up and took her hand
away from his cheek, holding it gently in his own. His thumb absently stroked across her palm, sending an
electric shiver up her arm. Involuntarily she gasped as her body tightened, and his eyes darkened in
response. His smile widened knowingly, and he repeated the caress lightly, laughing quietly when her eyes
closed.
"Why are you really here, Max?" he asked softly, raising his other hand to trail the tips of his fingers
down the inside of her captive forearm. He raised her hand to his lips to nip her fingertips with even
white teeth. "Is this what you wanted?"
Learning of Alec - Ch 3.
----------------
- infie
RECAP
*******
(Two weeks ago)
Biggs and Max exchanged a quick glance. "We were just talking about Max's brothers, Alec. She
wanted to know if I'd seen any of them since I've been out."
"Uh huh." Alec didn't look convinced. "That's strange. I'm sure I heard my name. And, Max,
whatever else I am to you..." his voice grew lower, intimate, and he leaned over so that his
mouth was against her ear. "I am NOT your brother." His breath wafted warmly against the sensitive
skin of her ear, making her shiver and Alec laugh low in his chest. Biggs snickered, and someone
cleared their throat loudly.
********
"Logan! Hey buddy." Alec neatly snagged the seat beside Max and smiled up at Max's.. er.. boyfriend..
brightly. He slung an arm across the back of Max's chair, not missing the flare of angry heat in
the other man's eyes. His grin widened, and Biggs shook his head in amusement, gaze meeting Max's.
She nodded at him, and raised her glass, with her other hand making the sign for 'message
received."
* * *
(Thursday)
Max paused outside the door to Alec's apartment, one hand on the knob, forehead leaning against
the cool wood. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then straightened and opened the
door gently. She eased inside and closed the door behind her, stepping into the room and stopping.
The lights were out, the only lessening of the darkness a dim sliver glow through the grimy window panes,
from the full moon outside. Alec was a silhouette leaning against the wall near the window looking out,
so still he looked unreal in the darkness. The blonde was in his armchair, nude and sulking.
"What kind of kinky shit is this?" she demanded shrilly. "First you invite me over, then you tell
me to strip, then you ignore me, *then* you invite the ice queen over? You're cute, but you ain't
worth this."
Alec's voice came out of the darkness, curt and cold. "Get dressed. Beat it."
The blonde rose on unsteady feet and gathered her clothes with what dignity she could muster.
"You're a freak, you know that?"
Max jumped at the cold bitterness of Alec's laugh. "Better than you do, lady. Get out."
The blonde fled, slamming the door after her.
Alec tilted his head, still looking out the window, slouched against the wall. He had removed his
shirt, and the faint light danced in splinters over the muscled curve of his bare shoulders. Max
could just barely see the line of his belt where his snug black jeans began at his tight waist. The
blonde, with her normal vision, must have been all but blind in this cloaking darkness. "Why are you here,
Max? I told you I was all right."
"You aren't all right, Alec. Biggs has been murdered, and he was your friend." Alec made a small,
choked noise. "More importantly, Alec, he was in your unit. Christ, he was your brother."
Max closed the distance between them in three long steps, placing her hands on his upper arms, and
leaning her forehead against the taut, smooth skin of his back. His heat warmed her immediately.
"You cared for him."
Alec shook her off and spun away from her too quickly to see, ending up on the other side of
the room, back against the wall. Slowly he slid down until he was sitting with his knees up.
A sliver of light from a scrape in the grimy window slanted across his eyes, making them look feral
with his rage. "I was his commander. I was supposed to take care of him." he slammed his
head back against the wall, cracking the plaster and making Max jump. "I was supposed to protect
him. At the very least, I was supposed to *avenge* him." his voice was bitterly angry,
and Max fought the urge to go to him. "And I couldn't even do that. I had the bastard *in my
hands*, and I had to let him go. Cause there are so many others to protect, and I couldn't risk them."
"You made the right choice, Alec. You know how the public would have reacted if normals got
killed by transgenics, no matter how justified it was. It was the right choice."
"It was a betrayal." Alec replied tonelessly. "He trusted me."
"He loved you, Alec." Max barely noticed the tears on her cheeks. "But it was still the right
choice."
"God." Alec choked out, clenching his fists against the jean fabric straining at his thighs.
"God. How can you stand it?"
Max knelt beside him. "I cry on the Space Needle." she admitted honestly. "And I lash out at the
people around me; especially the ones I trust the most."
Alec turned his head to look at her. The light moved across the planes of his face, outlining the
pain there in stark relief. "I know another way," he said, taking a deep breath and relaxing his whole
body. Max watched in horror as the humanity leaked out out of his eyes drop by drop. She could see
him walling off his emotions brick by brick, until his face and eyes were perfectly blank. When he smiled
at her brightly it was almost obscene. "See? All gone."
"Alec.." Now she did reach out, tentatively, and to touch his cheek. He just stared at her with those
cold, expressionless eyes, and faint smile, and she knew that her Alec was gone. *This* was X5-494,
and she suddenly knew with an absolute certainty that all of the stories she had discounted about
his prowess and efficiency as a soldier were truth. "Alec, what have you done?"
"I made it all OK, Max." he replied calmly. "I'm all right, now."
"Shutting it all away isn't the answer." Max spoke slowly, intensely. Alec reached up and took her hand
away from his cheek, holding it gently in his own. His thumb absently stroked across her palm, sending an
electric shiver up her arm. Involuntarily she gasped as her body tightened, and his eyes darkened in
response. His smile widened knowingly, and he repeated the caress lightly, laughing quietly when her eyes
closed.
"Why are you really here, Max?" he asked softly, raising his other hand to trail the tips of his fingers
down the inside of her captive forearm. He raised her hand to his lips to nip her fingertips with even
white teeth. "Is this what you wanted?"