Chapter 16...........New life, old past
A/N-I would like to apologize to anyone I offended with names in the last chapter. I'd like to say that I don't think that there's anything wrong with any of those names. I happen to love them all. They're the names of my best friends, though not all of them. The name Maureen is a name I like a lot and the name of one of my very best friends. The same go's for any names in this chapter.
"Come on Max, just let me have a little" Zack said from behind her, reaching his hand in front of her.
"No Zack" Max said, swatting away his hand. ten minutes ago when she had started making cookies, he had wanted cookie dough. And since then, he had been trying to get some from her. "Zack leave me alone, you can have a cookie when they're done" she said. He didn't listen. He Reached his hand around her again, holding her back with his other hand, and went to take some cookie dough. She slapped his hand with the spoon she had been using to stir the dough.
"Ow" he said. He noticed that the spoon had left dough on the back of his hand, and stepped back happily licking his hand.
Max rolled her eyes, "Now out" she said. He left the kitchen. Max went back to putting the cookies on the cookie sheet. They had been in Ireland for two months now. Max hadn't seen Ben. Well not really any ways. Every now and then she would see him out of the corner of her eyes, but then she would turn and he would be gone. She dreamed about him almost every night though. She looked at the clock, it was 6:00. Alec would be getting home soon. He had luckily found a job as a bike messenger. Zack stayed home so Max wouldn't be by herself all day. She had wanted to get a job also, but Alec and Zack had convinced her that it would be easier to just wait until after the baby.
Life had been simple and happy here. No one was paranoid, and she had nice neighbors. If you could call them that, their closets neighbors lived about two miles away. But they were nice. Andrea and George Mcfay. Andrea had streaming red hair, and freckles covered her face. She had bright green eyes. She was very pretty in an old faciendo Irish way. George had blond hair and hazel eyes. He was handsome. Neither of them were exceptionally beautiful, but they were nice people. Andrea was 5 months pregnant. They went on walks some times.
Max heard the door open which signaled Alecs entry. "Honey, I'm home" he said coming into the kitchen. He was wet. His hair came down and framed his face, water dripping from it. His clothes were soaked through. Max hadn't even realized that it had been raining. But the fact that he was wet didn't stop him from coming over and hugging her. "And how is my beautiful wife?" he asked. He was in a good mood. She was now wet, but she didn't care because he was happy. And when he was happy, things were easier. He put a hand on her stomach, that was just now beginning to show signs of pregnancy, "And how is my Ben or Morgana?" he asked.
"Your wife is fine" she said, she looked down and the gold ring on her finger. It had a very simple red stone on it, it was somewhat plain, but she loved it any ways. They had gone to a court house and gotten married in about ten minutes. IT was big, or special, but that had been all she needed. "And Our little Ben or MORGAINE, is fine" she said kissing his cheek.
He sniffed the air, "Do I smell cookies?" he asked. He looked at the bowl of cookie dough and smile, "Yes" he said. He put his finger in the dough and pulled out a big clump of dough. He put it in his mouth and smiled with bliss.
"How come he gets cookie dough?" Zack asked from his place in the entrance to the kitchen.
"Because she loves me more" Alec said smiling.
"Hardly" Max said with a laugh. "He gets cookie dough because he's smart enough to wait for me to let my guard down. But it's a worthless battle now. I can't fight both of you off, so go ahead, eat the cookie dough. At least I got some of them cooked" she said.
Zack and Alec went right to the bowl, and began pigging out on cookie dough. Max rolled her eyes. Alec put his arm around her pulling him close to her. "If it's any consolation, It's really really good" Alec said. He shoved a bit of cookie dough into her mouth. She glared at him, but savored the taste any ways. Alec grinned and put his hand on her stomach. Max noticed that he did this a lot Ever since she first began to show, though it was just barely visible. If she was wearing something loose, you couldn't notice. But Alec who saw her stomach a lot, new the swelling of her stomach was there. And he always had his hand on her. As if to say 'my woman, my child'. Oh yes, he was definitely an alpha male. But he didn't mind, it was comforting.
The buzzer on the oven went off signaling that the cookies were done. Max pulled away from Alec and went to take the cookies out of the oven. "Alec, go put dry clothes on before you track mud and water every where. And don't either of you touch these cookies. There for some stupid pregnant mommy thing that Andrea's dragging me to tomorrow." Alec and Zack smirked, and laughed a little with each other. "Oh don't even laugh at me you two. Look at you, your like two high school boys. Andrea thinks I'll enjoy this, and she wont leave me alone about this unless I go. Besides, I'd like to have some friends, besides two immature X5s" she said.
Alec and Zack both put their hands to their chests over their hearts, "Max, you wound us" Alec said feigning hurt. Max rolled her eyes. The more time they spent together, the more like each other Zack and Alec were becoming. Alec grabbed her around the waist when she had her back turned and lifted her off the ground.
"Put be down" Max demanded. Alec just continued to hold her and carried her into their room. When they got there he set her down. Max crossed her arms and looked up at him. "What?" she said annoyed.
"Nothing, just felt like carrying you. So, what's for dinner?" he asked.
Max let out a very annoyed sigh. "What ever you make" she said smiling. she took off her top, she might as well change while she was in here, Alec had gotten her pretty wet. Alec followed her lead and began to change.
"I think I'll make Pizza" he said putting on a T-shirt. Max shook her head. "Okay, maybe not" he said disappointed. He changed into a pair of sweats, "How about spaghetti?" he said. Max nodded in approval "Okay, then that's what we'll have" he declared. Max, now in a tank top and sweats, went to leave, but Alec stopped her. He pulled her back over onto the bed and sat down with her.
Max rolled her eyes, she knew what this was about. He wanted to see her stomach. She never would of taken Alec for such an obsessed dad kind of guy. But he always wanted to see the small swell of her belly. She lifted her shirt up a little bit so he could see. He got down on his knees in front of her and put a hand on her stomach. "It's so weird" he said. "I still can't believe it. I mean I've slept with a lot of women and all-"
"Your such the sweat talker" Max interrupted him.
"Before you" he said smiling. "Any ways, as I was saying, I've slept with a lot of women, but it never really crossed my mind, you know, that it could result in this. In the creation of a baby that's gonna come out in six months, and be all small and beautiful" he said looking from her to her stomach. Max smiled at him. She figured that if they hadn't had this same conversation every day for the past two months, then it would of been a lot sweater.
"Yes Alec, I get it. We're going to have a baby, happy happy joy joy, now, if your done yet, I need to get back to my cookies, before Zack eats them all." Max said.
Alec laid a kiss on her stomach and stood up. "Okay, I guess I'll go make dinner then" he said and Left their room. Max remained seated on her bed, fighting off the headache that had suddenly swept over her. Alec walked into the kitchen and grabbed on of the still warm cookies. "You see Zack, when you want a cookie, you just distract her. Then she forgets about the cookies, and your free to take as many as you want" he said biting down into the warm treat.
Zack grabbed a cookie for himself, "yes Alec but what you don't realize, is that she will blame all the disappearing cookies on you, for I am her brother. The tough leader, who would never stoop so low to take one of her cookies, after she specifically asked me not to" he said taking a bite.
Alec frowned, "I didn't think of that" he said. But he shrugged and walked into the main room of their small house, and sat down at the bench to the piano. He had been quite taken aback to find that their was a piano in this little home, but according to Max, Logans family was like, Money central, so it only made sense for them to have a piano. He ran his fingers lightly across the keys, and looked up at the music. It was a nice peace, 'Cannon in D' by Pachelbel ' he began to play. He didn't often like going near the piano, for it brought up quite painful memories. But Max liked it, and it put him at peace sometimes to play. It made him think of Rachel, but in a good way, not bad.
Max came and sat next to him, putting her hand on top of his to stop him from playing. "You were supposed to be making me diner" she said, "And instead you eat my cookies and play the piano" she said.
"Hey, Zack ate some of those cookies to" Alec said defending himself.
"Oh come on Alec, I told him no cookies, he listens to me, unlike you. He's a little more grown up then that, and has better things to do then eat my cookies" Max said.
Zack smiled behind Max, "I tried to stop him Max, he didn't listen though" Zack said crossing his arms, giving Alec a 'shame on you' look.
Alec glared at him, Max smiled at him. She then turned back to Alec though. She looked down at her hand that was on top of his. "Why do you always look like that when you play? like your a million miles away. Is it because your thinking about her?" Max asked.
He nodded and looked down at the ivory keys. His mood darkened a little. If he could keep his thoughts of Rachel inside his own mind, then they could remain pleasant, sperate from reality. But speaking about them brought back the reality, that she had been alive, and that she was now dead because she hadn't been able to save her.
Max Put her comforting hand on his knee, and leaned against him. "I'm sorry" she said quietly.
He put his arm around her and smiled, "Don't be, there's nothing for you to be sorry for" he said. He stood up and rubbed his hands together, as if hit by a big wave of energy. "now, time for dinner" he said.
"Alec don't. Don't pull away from me like this. You can talk to me" Max said, grabbing his arm, preventing him from walking out of the room.
"Max, there's nothing to talk about. I'm all right" he said with that smile. That smile she had seen before. It was different from his other smiles, his other grins just made him seem happy and free of worries. This smile, though a smile, was sad. The smile he was giving her right now, was an example of one of the few times when he couldn't mask his emotions when trying.
But she let him go any ways. She could talk to him latter, but not now. If he was going to open up to her, it wouldn't be with Zack in the room. After a few minutes, she could smell onions and garlic cooking on the stove.
"Who's this she you speak of" Zack asked siting next to her at the piano.
"Rachel. Some one from his past. He was supposed to kill her father, but he fell in love with her. He tried to save them, but Manticore had suspected that he was going to do something of the sort, and he was to late. Or something like that, I don't really know the details" She told him. "He really did love her though, I saw him seeing her, in a coma, he was torn apart" she said.
"Does it bother you, that he loves someone else?" Zack asked her.
She shook her head, "Just because he loved her, doesn't mean he can't love me" Max said. "He's different now then he was. Before he got out of Manticore. For us, it was bad. For him, it was worse. He didn't even know what love was, what he was feeling for her, he didn't understand" she said. She began playing a peace on the piano that Alec had taught her. It was a duet, and she knew that Zack would join in, thus ending the conversation. she was right, he joined in after a moment, and the happy piece lightened the mood.
If somebody had told her a year ago that she would end up in Ireland, pregnant by and married to Bens twin, and sitting at the piano with Zack of all people, she would of laughed at them. But here she was, running her fingers over the old white keys next to her big brother. She looked up at him and smiled, he smiled back. She was almost getting accustomed to seeing Zack smile, he did it a lot more since he had gotten back from the farm. He had changed a lot since he lived with Max and Alec. Some things, like his new Alec like attitude annoyed her. But the smiles, the laughing, and the piano, they were all good things. One of the things Manticore did good for them was the ability to learn things quickly, like the piano. Though it had taken them longer to learn then it had taken Alec. He made sure to rub that in their faces.
All she needed now was for Zack to break out in song, then her happy little moment would be perfect. Just like in the movies. He shook his head, "I'm not singing" he said. She frowned, he always knew what she was thinking. It wasn't fare, she hardly ever knew what was going on in his mind.
"Max, we're out of noodles, I'm going to go get it, I'm taken you Bike Max" Alec said walking through the living room.
"Wait" Max said, she stopped playing the piano, and ran over to him. She wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him. "Get some milk while your out" she said.
"I'll try to remember" he said and left.
Max sat down on the cozy dark green couch and sighed. The aroma of cooking food filled the house, creating a warm environment. Max liked it here. She liked it a lot. Things were peaceful, friendly. She had Alec, and She had Zack. She missed Oc and Sketchy, and most of all Logan, but things here were just so much easier, less confusing. "Hey big brother" she said to Zack, who was still playing something soft on the piano.
He stopped playing and turned around on the bench, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but changed his mind and smiled tightly. Max closed her eyes and sunk down further into the couch. She closed her eyes, and sighed again. With a hand on her stomach, she fell into a light sleep.
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"Tell me about her" Max said coming up behind Alec and wrapping her arms around his waist. Alec tensed, and continued to look out the window of their bedroom, not answering. He didn't think he could have this conversation. "Alec, Please talk to me" she said.
He took a deep breath. Denying her was not something he was good at lately. "She smiled a lot" he said, remembering her. "Her teeth were always white, and she was always smiling. It was weird, ya know? I wasn't used to people smiling. And she laughed a lot. Her laugh was beautiful, like a song. And it was like, just being around her was enough to make everyone else smile" There. He had shared a memory with her, maybe Max would leave him alone now.
"What else?" Max asked him. She remembered seeing Rachel laying in bed unconscious, all color drained from her face. Max wanted to know about this girl. She wanted to know what was so special in her, that Alec fell in love with her.
"She always smelled like roses" as Alec said this he could almost smell Rachel in the room. "And she loved her father. She loved life. She had been so free of worries. he was so innocent, and free of pain" he felt his eyes water at the memory of her smiles and happiness. "And she always walked freely. Not a march, not a strait up stiff walk, but a loose free walk" he said. A tear ran down his cheek as he remembered seeing her laying so lifeless in that bed. She would never walk again.
Max moved in front of him, "I'm sorry Alec, I really am" she said. Alec wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her shoulder. She rested one hand on his head, and the other on his back. She kissed his head And ran her fingers through the soft strands of his hair.
He looked up at her after a few moments, and Max could see that he had been crying. "I love you Max" he said, "I want you to know that. I never got to tell her, so I'm always gonna tell you" he said.
Max smiled up at him. This wasn't the first time he had told her he loved her, but they didn't exactly follow each other around professing their love for each other. "I love you too" she said. He leaned down and kissed her.
.
A/N-I would like to apologize to anyone I offended with names in the last chapter. I'd like to say that I don't think that there's anything wrong with any of those names. I happen to love them all. They're the names of my best friends, though not all of them. The name Maureen is a name I like a lot and the name of one of my very best friends. The same go's for any names in this chapter.
"Come on Max, just let me have a little" Zack said from behind her, reaching his hand in front of her.
"No Zack" Max said, swatting away his hand. ten minutes ago when she had started making cookies, he had wanted cookie dough. And since then, he had been trying to get some from her. "Zack leave me alone, you can have a cookie when they're done" she said. He didn't listen. He Reached his hand around her again, holding her back with his other hand, and went to take some cookie dough. She slapped his hand with the spoon she had been using to stir the dough.
"Ow" he said. He noticed that the spoon had left dough on the back of his hand, and stepped back happily licking his hand.
Max rolled her eyes, "Now out" she said. He left the kitchen. Max went back to putting the cookies on the cookie sheet. They had been in Ireland for two months now. Max hadn't seen Ben. Well not really any ways. Every now and then she would see him out of the corner of her eyes, but then she would turn and he would be gone. She dreamed about him almost every night though. She looked at the clock, it was 6:00. Alec would be getting home soon. He had luckily found a job as a bike messenger. Zack stayed home so Max wouldn't be by herself all day. She had wanted to get a job also, but Alec and Zack had convinced her that it would be easier to just wait until after the baby.
Life had been simple and happy here. No one was paranoid, and she had nice neighbors. If you could call them that, their closets neighbors lived about two miles away. But they were nice. Andrea and George Mcfay. Andrea had streaming red hair, and freckles covered her face. She had bright green eyes. She was very pretty in an old faciendo Irish way. George had blond hair and hazel eyes. He was handsome. Neither of them were exceptionally beautiful, but they were nice people. Andrea was 5 months pregnant. They went on walks some times.
Max heard the door open which signaled Alecs entry. "Honey, I'm home" he said coming into the kitchen. He was wet. His hair came down and framed his face, water dripping from it. His clothes were soaked through. Max hadn't even realized that it had been raining. But the fact that he was wet didn't stop him from coming over and hugging her. "And how is my beautiful wife?" he asked. He was in a good mood. She was now wet, but she didn't care because he was happy. And when he was happy, things were easier. He put a hand on her stomach, that was just now beginning to show signs of pregnancy, "And how is my Ben or Morgana?" he asked.
"Your wife is fine" she said, she looked down and the gold ring on her finger. It had a very simple red stone on it, it was somewhat plain, but she loved it any ways. They had gone to a court house and gotten married in about ten minutes. IT was big, or special, but that had been all she needed. "And Our little Ben or MORGAINE, is fine" she said kissing his cheek.
He sniffed the air, "Do I smell cookies?" he asked. He looked at the bowl of cookie dough and smile, "Yes" he said. He put his finger in the dough and pulled out a big clump of dough. He put it in his mouth and smiled with bliss.
"How come he gets cookie dough?" Zack asked from his place in the entrance to the kitchen.
"Because she loves me more" Alec said smiling.
"Hardly" Max said with a laugh. "He gets cookie dough because he's smart enough to wait for me to let my guard down. But it's a worthless battle now. I can't fight both of you off, so go ahead, eat the cookie dough. At least I got some of them cooked" she said.
Zack and Alec went right to the bowl, and began pigging out on cookie dough. Max rolled her eyes. Alec put his arm around her pulling him close to her. "If it's any consolation, It's really really good" Alec said. He shoved a bit of cookie dough into her mouth. She glared at him, but savored the taste any ways. Alec grinned and put his hand on her stomach. Max noticed that he did this a lot Ever since she first began to show, though it was just barely visible. If she was wearing something loose, you couldn't notice. But Alec who saw her stomach a lot, new the swelling of her stomach was there. And he always had his hand on her. As if to say 'my woman, my child'. Oh yes, he was definitely an alpha male. But he didn't mind, it was comforting.
The buzzer on the oven went off signaling that the cookies were done. Max pulled away from Alec and went to take the cookies out of the oven. "Alec, go put dry clothes on before you track mud and water every where. And don't either of you touch these cookies. There for some stupid pregnant mommy thing that Andrea's dragging me to tomorrow." Alec and Zack smirked, and laughed a little with each other. "Oh don't even laugh at me you two. Look at you, your like two high school boys. Andrea thinks I'll enjoy this, and she wont leave me alone about this unless I go. Besides, I'd like to have some friends, besides two immature X5s" she said.
Alec and Zack both put their hands to their chests over their hearts, "Max, you wound us" Alec said feigning hurt. Max rolled her eyes. The more time they spent together, the more like each other Zack and Alec were becoming. Alec grabbed her around the waist when she had her back turned and lifted her off the ground.
"Put be down" Max demanded. Alec just continued to hold her and carried her into their room. When they got there he set her down. Max crossed her arms and looked up at him. "What?" she said annoyed.
"Nothing, just felt like carrying you. So, what's for dinner?" he asked.
Max let out a very annoyed sigh. "What ever you make" she said smiling. she took off her top, she might as well change while she was in here, Alec had gotten her pretty wet. Alec followed her lead and began to change.
"I think I'll make Pizza" he said putting on a T-shirt. Max shook her head. "Okay, maybe not" he said disappointed. He changed into a pair of sweats, "How about spaghetti?" he said. Max nodded in approval "Okay, then that's what we'll have" he declared. Max, now in a tank top and sweats, went to leave, but Alec stopped her. He pulled her back over onto the bed and sat down with her.
Max rolled her eyes, she knew what this was about. He wanted to see her stomach. She never would of taken Alec for such an obsessed dad kind of guy. But he always wanted to see the small swell of her belly. She lifted her shirt up a little bit so he could see. He got down on his knees in front of her and put a hand on her stomach. "It's so weird" he said. "I still can't believe it. I mean I've slept with a lot of women and all-"
"Your such the sweat talker" Max interrupted him.
"Before you" he said smiling. "Any ways, as I was saying, I've slept with a lot of women, but it never really crossed my mind, you know, that it could result in this. In the creation of a baby that's gonna come out in six months, and be all small and beautiful" he said looking from her to her stomach. Max smiled at him. She figured that if they hadn't had this same conversation every day for the past two months, then it would of been a lot sweater.
"Yes Alec, I get it. We're going to have a baby, happy happy joy joy, now, if your done yet, I need to get back to my cookies, before Zack eats them all." Max said.
Alec laid a kiss on her stomach and stood up. "Okay, I guess I'll go make dinner then" he said and Left their room. Max remained seated on her bed, fighting off the headache that had suddenly swept over her. Alec walked into the kitchen and grabbed on of the still warm cookies. "You see Zack, when you want a cookie, you just distract her. Then she forgets about the cookies, and your free to take as many as you want" he said biting down into the warm treat.
Zack grabbed a cookie for himself, "yes Alec but what you don't realize, is that she will blame all the disappearing cookies on you, for I am her brother. The tough leader, who would never stoop so low to take one of her cookies, after she specifically asked me not to" he said taking a bite.
Alec frowned, "I didn't think of that" he said. But he shrugged and walked into the main room of their small house, and sat down at the bench to the piano. He had been quite taken aback to find that their was a piano in this little home, but according to Max, Logans family was like, Money central, so it only made sense for them to have a piano. He ran his fingers lightly across the keys, and looked up at the music. It was a nice peace, 'Cannon in D' by Pachelbel ' he began to play. He didn't often like going near the piano, for it brought up quite painful memories. But Max liked it, and it put him at peace sometimes to play. It made him think of Rachel, but in a good way, not bad.
Max came and sat next to him, putting her hand on top of his to stop him from playing. "You were supposed to be making me diner" she said, "And instead you eat my cookies and play the piano" she said.
"Hey, Zack ate some of those cookies to" Alec said defending himself.
"Oh come on Alec, I told him no cookies, he listens to me, unlike you. He's a little more grown up then that, and has better things to do then eat my cookies" Max said.
Zack smiled behind Max, "I tried to stop him Max, he didn't listen though" Zack said crossing his arms, giving Alec a 'shame on you' look.
Alec glared at him, Max smiled at him. She then turned back to Alec though. She looked down at her hand that was on top of his. "Why do you always look like that when you play? like your a million miles away. Is it because your thinking about her?" Max asked.
He nodded and looked down at the ivory keys. His mood darkened a little. If he could keep his thoughts of Rachel inside his own mind, then they could remain pleasant, sperate from reality. But speaking about them brought back the reality, that she had been alive, and that she was now dead because she hadn't been able to save her.
Max Put her comforting hand on his knee, and leaned against him. "I'm sorry" she said quietly.
He put his arm around her and smiled, "Don't be, there's nothing for you to be sorry for" he said. He stood up and rubbed his hands together, as if hit by a big wave of energy. "now, time for dinner" he said.
"Alec don't. Don't pull away from me like this. You can talk to me" Max said, grabbing his arm, preventing him from walking out of the room.
"Max, there's nothing to talk about. I'm all right" he said with that smile. That smile she had seen before. It was different from his other smiles, his other grins just made him seem happy and free of worries. This smile, though a smile, was sad. The smile he was giving her right now, was an example of one of the few times when he couldn't mask his emotions when trying.
But she let him go any ways. She could talk to him latter, but not now. If he was going to open up to her, it wouldn't be with Zack in the room. After a few minutes, she could smell onions and garlic cooking on the stove.
"Who's this she you speak of" Zack asked siting next to her at the piano.
"Rachel. Some one from his past. He was supposed to kill her father, but he fell in love with her. He tried to save them, but Manticore had suspected that he was going to do something of the sort, and he was to late. Or something like that, I don't really know the details" She told him. "He really did love her though, I saw him seeing her, in a coma, he was torn apart" she said.
"Does it bother you, that he loves someone else?" Zack asked her.
She shook her head, "Just because he loved her, doesn't mean he can't love me" Max said. "He's different now then he was. Before he got out of Manticore. For us, it was bad. For him, it was worse. He didn't even know what love was, what he was feeling for her, he didn't understand" she said. She began playing a peace on the piano that Alec had taught her. It was a duet, and she knew that Zack would join in, thus ending the conversation. she was right, he joined in after a moment, and the happy piece lightened the mood.
If somebody had told her a year ago that she would end up in Ireland, pregnant by and married to Bens twin, and sitting at the piano with Zack of all people, she would of laughed at them. But here she was, running her fingers over the old white keys next to her big brother. She looked up at him and smiled, he smiled back. She was almost getting accustomed to seeing Zack smile, he did it a lot more since he had gotten back from the farm. He had changed a lot since he lived with Max and Alec. Some things, like his new Alec like attitude annoyed her. But the smiles, the laughing, and the piano, they were all good things. One of the things Manticore did good for them was the ability to learn things quickly, like the piano. Though it had taken them longer to learn then it had taken Alec. He made sure to rub that in their faces.
All she needed now was for Zack to break out in song, then her happy little moment would be perfect. Just like in the movies. He shook his head, "I'm not singing" he said. She frowned, he always knew what she was thinking. It wasn't fare, she hardly ever knew what was going on in his mind.
"Max, we're out of noodles, I'm going to go get it, I'm taken you Bike Max" Alec said walking through the living room.
"Wait" Max said, she stopped playing the piano, and ran over to him. She wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him. "Get some milk while your out" she said.
"I'll try to remember" he said and left.
Max sat down on the cozy dark green couch and sighed. The aroma of cooking food filled the house, creating a warm environment. Max liked it here. She liked it a lot. Things were peaceful, friendly. She had Alec, and She had Zack. She missed Oc and Sketchy, and most of all Logan, but things here were just so much easier, less confusing. "Hey big brother" she said to Zack, who was still playing something soft on the piano.
He stopped playing and turned around on the bench, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but changed his mind and smiled tightly. Max closed her eyes and sunk down further into the couch. She closed her eyes, and sighed again. With a hand on her stomach, she fell into a light sleep.
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"Tell me about her" Max said coming up behind Alec and wrapping her arms around his waist. Alec tensed, and continued to look out the window of their bedroom, not answering. He didn't think he could have this conversation. "Alec, Please talk to me" she said.
He took a deep breath. Denying her was not something he was good at lately. "She smiled a lot" he said, remembering her. "Her teeth were always white, and she was always smiling. It was weird, ya know? I wasn't used to people smiling. And she laughed a lot. Her laugh was beautiful, like a song. And it was like, just being around her was enough to make everyone else smile" There. He had shared a memory with her, maybe Max would leave him alone now.
"What else?" Max asked him. She remembered seeing Rachel laying in bed unconscious, all color drained from her face. Max wanted to know about this girl. She wanted to know what was so special in her, that Alec fell in love with her.
"She always smelled like roses" as Alec said this he could almost smell Rachel in the room. "And she loved her father. She loved life. She had been so free of worries. he was so innocent, and free of pain" he felt his eyes water at the memory of her smiles and happiness. "And she always walked freely. Not a march, not a strait up stiff walk, but a loose free walk" he said. A tear ran down his cheek as he remembered seeing her laying so lifeless in that bed. She would never walk again.
Max moved in front of him, "I'm sorry Alec, I really am" she said. Alec wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her shoulder. She rested one hand on his head, and the other on his back. She kissed his head And ran her fingers through the soft strands of his hair.
He looked up at her after a few moments, and Max could see that he had been crying. "I love you Max" he said, "I want you to know that. I never got to tell her, so I'm always gonna tell you" he said.
Max smiled up at him. This wasn't the first time he had told her he loved her, but they didn't exactly follow each other around professing their love for each other. "I love you too" she said. He leaned down and kissed her.
.