A/N: Sorry it took awhile. I was out of town -but I'm back! I'll post the
final chapter tomorrow.
Max paced in the alley, *I need my bike* yet another reason to be pissed at Logan. There seemed to be more and more of those lately.
A good ride was exactly what she needed. A get away.
She sighed, *Maybe not*
That was pretty much what she'd done her whole life. Get away. It was comfortable. Familiar.
And lonely.
Alec.
From the moment he dropped into her life, everything changed. He bothered her - irritated her - infuriated her! But what she wouldn't admit, what she only recently realized herself is that with him around, she didn't feel so alone. In a relatively short amount of time her bond with him was as strong - or stronger than the one she had with her unit. Her family. It hardly seemed possible, yet there it was. Maybe it was because her siblings came and went, drifting in and out of her life, each time leaving her wondering if she'd ever see them again.
Alec on the other hand .
Max smiled even as she pursed her brow.
She knew it would happen. Somewhere inside, she knew. Which is exactly why she'd been avoiding it.
When she saw the news report on Robert Berrisford's suicide that morning it made her sick to her stomach, as memories of that night flooded her with regret. It hit her hard. She could only imagine how Alec was feeling. Then as the day rolled on with no apparent reaction from him, she wondered if maybe he hadn't seen it or maybe it wasn't quite the powder keg she thought. She was fooling herself of course, but it was her way.
Their way.
At Crash that night, he appeared to be pretty much his regular self - joking, flirting, kicking Sketchy's butt in pool. Then Normal stopped in to bring Alec his forgotten jacket. Couldn't have his gladiator catching a cold or anything.
Alec thanked him politely and smacked him on the ass. Max closed her eyes in an attempt to shake the memory of a blushing speechless Normal.
*Ew*
After that she began watching him more closely and noticed him sneaking off behind the jukebox, knocking back entire bottles of scotch nearly as fast as most people did shots. From there it went quickly downhill.
In under an hour he managed to piss off Sketchy, OC and every man in the building for all the attention he was getting from the countless females who thought they were special until the pool table was snowy white with their digits.
It was time to reel him in.
Asha actually came up with the master plan to get him to leave.
*Asha* she steamed as present events momentarily interrupted her flashback. She kicked a defenseless garbage can into the brick wall and returned to her thoughts.
Max latched onto one arm, Asha the other, then Asha whispered that one precious word that would blindly lead even a sober man to his death.
Threesome.
It worried her that even with an offer like that, he'd forgotten about it by the time they'd led him, lax and stumbling to her Ninja, deteriorating with every step. Guess the hours old metabolism vs. blur drinking question was answered.
On their precarious ride to his apartment, Alec had to stop every two minutes it seemed to mark his territory on a dumpster or a building or most fittingly, a fire hydrant. She pressed her hands as tightly as she could over them, but her transgenic ears wouldn't allow her to block out a single drop. Was there racehorse in his cocktail?
With nearly half their journey left, she could feel his lean getting heavier and they nearly dumped over when he passed out completely. Max stopped one more time to secure him, tossing his arms over her tiny shoulders like a professional Sherpa preparing for ascent. She wrenched her back a couple of times trying to compensate around corners without losing him. On top of that his hot drunken breath was blowing kisses to her cleavage and his dangling fingertips kept brushing over an unmentionable area.
She shivered just thinking about it.
Max quickly scanned the deserted alley and kicked the battered garbage can again.
**********
Alec stood in the darkened corridor playing a finger concerto on the metal push bar, still reeling from what Asha said.
Of course it was Max. Who, besides the possible exception of Logan knew what was eating him? Right?
It was Max.
Still, no matter how much sense it made, he couldn't quite grasp it.
Why couldn't it just be Asha? She was sweet, nearly always nice to him. There was some good fluffy potential there.
But Max? She was a maddening, judgmental, hot little package of firecrackers that had a nasty habit of going off on him. Nothing fluffy about that.
Exhilarating maybe. *Did I mention hot?*
Alec spun away with both hands on his head, growling at his inability to walk through the door. She might not even be out there, he reasoned with himself. Maybe she walked home.
He faced the door again and looked up at the flickering EXIT sign - echoing his indecision.
"You're a big help."
He sighed, *Max took care of me*
It still didn't sound right.
But the smile in his heart grew regardless.
The sign suddenly shined steady as a beacon and Alec blinked, "Okay."
He took a deep breath and pressed the heel of his hands on the bar.
A loud crash came from the alley.
Maybe he would wait just another minute.
**********
She knew it would happen. From the day they met there was some part of her that knew - which was exactly why she avoided it.
Max blew out a deep breath, put her hands up and slowly in a very controlled manner, sat on the cold cement curb, replaying the events at Alec's apartment.
She'd hauled him up the stairs, heaved him onto his bed and removed his shoes, jacket and shirt - all without so much as a groan from him!
Done her duty, she did. Beyond the call really and she was nearly out the door when something told her - nagged her to stay, though she told herself it was simply to indulge in a little boob tube. So, she kicked off her shoes and watched a sitcom classic about superheroes.
When it was over she checked in on Alec one more time. Leaning on the door jam, she smiled at the sight of him one arm slung over his head, a knee sprawled off to the side.
Pale blue moonlight washed out all other colors, shading every curve of every muscle - and his face . so soft in sleep. Just hearing his deep even breathing over the still of his quiet bedroom filled her with a peculiar feeling of contentment.
Then the guilt struck.
She should have asked him if he was okay. That's what friends do. Whether he turned her away or not, she should've asked. What kind of message did she send by saying nothing?
The pain he must've been in to pull stunt like that. A foolish, stupid, irresponsible, reckless stunt that could've --
She closed her eyes to the anger that seeped into her peaceful moment and when she opened them again, she realized it wasn't anger at all.
It was fear.
Alec's eyes began to dart, rolling and bouncing his lids. His arms tried to move, jerking ever so slightly, paralyzed in a fitful REM. Max was tugged closer to his bedside where she silently stood - wondering where he was. Hoping it was somewhere good.
Hope shattered, her heart lurched as tears darkened his lashes and fell to the pillow. Her hand flew to her mouth, *Oh, Alec*
Then he cried out. And she knew where he was. Back in that chair, begging the father of his only love to shoot him. She dropped immediately to his side, unencumbered by second thoughts or calculated actions.
Driven only by the overpowering need to ease his pain.
Max pulled her feet up under her cold backside and watched rainbows swirl in the oily water that trickled slowly and noisily into the sewer grate.
It happened.
The feelings she stuffed away and ignored were staring her in the face.
And there was no turning back.
The big metal door abruptly banged open, springing a startled Max off her perch. Her dented metal scapegoat waited justly behind, toppling her ungracefully unto the sidewalk.
The carefully constructed look of determination on Alec's face turned to bewildered amusement.
Max paced in the alley, *I need my bike* yet another reason to be pissed at Logan. There seemed to be more and more of those lately.
A good ride was exactly what she needed. A get away.
She sighed, *Maybe not*
That was pretty much what she'd done her whole life. Get away. It was comfortable. Familiar.
And lonely.
Alec.
From the moment he dropped into her life, everything changed. He bothered her - irritated her - infuriated her! But what she wouldn't admit, what she only recently realized herself is that with him around, she didn't feel so alone. In a relatively short amount of time her bond with him was as strong - or stronger than the one she had with her unit. Her family. It hardly seemed possible, yet there it was. Maybe it was because her siblings came and went, drifting in and out of her life, each time leaving her wondering if she'd ever see them again.
Alec on the other hand .
Max smiled even as she pursed her brow.
She knew it would happen. Somewhere inside, she knew. Which is exactly why she'd been avoiding it.
When she saw the news report on Robert Berrisford's suicide that morning it made her sick to her stomach, as memories of that night flooded her with regret. It hit her hard. She could only imagine how Alec was feeling. Then as the day rolled on with no apparent reaction from him, she wondered if maybe he hadn't seen it or maybe it wasn't quite the powder keg she thought. She was fooling herself of course, but it was her way.
Their way.
At Crash that night, he appeared to be pretty much his regular self - joking, flirting, kicking Sketchy's butt in pool. Then Normal stopped in to bring Alec his forgotten jacket. Couldn't have his gladiator catching a cold or anything.
Alec thanked him politely and smacked him on the ass. Max closed her eyes in an attempt to shake the memory of a blushing speechless Normal.
*Ew*
After that she began watching him more closely and noticed him sneaking off behind the jukebox, knocking back entire bottles of scotch nearly as fast as most people did shots. From there it went quickly downhill.
In under an hour he managed to piss off Sketchy, OC and every man in the building for all the attention he was getting from the countless females who thought they were special until the pool table was snowy white with their digits.
It was time to reel him in.
Asha actually came up with the master plan to get him to leave.
*Asha* she steamed as present events momentarily interrupted her flashback. She kicked a defenseless garbage can into the brick wall and returned to her thoughts.
Max latched onto one arm, Asha the other, then Asha whispered that one precious word that would blindly lead even a sober man to his death.
Threesome.
It worried her that even with an offer like that, he'd forgotten about it by the time they'd led him, lax and stumbling to her Ninja, deteriorating with every step. Guess the hours old metabolism vs. blur drinking question was answered.
On their precarious ride to his apartment, Alec had to stop every two minutes it seemed to mark his territory on a dumpster or a building or most fittingly, a fire hydrant. She pressed her hands as tightly as she could over them, but her transgenic ears wouldn't allow her to block out a single drop. Was there racehorse in his cocktail?
With nearly half their journey left, she could feel his lean getting heavier and they nearly dumped over when he passed out completely. Max stopped one more time to secure him, tossing his arms over her tiny shoulders like a professional Sherpa preparing for ascent. She wrenched her back a couple of times trying to compensate around corners without losing him. On top of that his hot drunken breath was blowing kisses to her cleavage and his dangling fingertips kept brushing over an unmentionable area.
She shivered just thinking about it.
Max quickly scanned the deserted alley and kicked the battered garbage can again.
**********
Alec stood in the darkened corridor playing a finger concerto on the metal push bar, still reeling from what Asha said.
Of course it was Max. Who, besides the possible exception of Logan knew what was eating him? Right?
It was Max.
Still, no matter how much sense it made, he couldn't quite grasp it.
Why couldn't it just be Asha? She was sweet, nearly always nice to him. There was some good fluffy potential there.
But Max? She was a maddening, judgmental, hot little package of firecrackers that had a nasty habit of going off on him. Nothing fluffy about that.
Exhilarating maybe. *Did I mention hot?*
Alec spun away with both hands on his head, growling at his inability to walk through the door. She might not even be out there, he reasoned with himself. Maybe she walked home.
He faced the door again and looked up at the flickering EXIT sign - echoing his indecision.
"You're a big help."
He sighed, *Max took care of me*
It still didn't sound right.
But the smile in his heart grew regardless.
The sign suddenly shined steady as a beacon and Alec blinked, "Okay."
He took a deep breath and pressed the heel of his hands on the bar.
A loud crash came from the alley.
Maybe he would wait just another minute.
**********
She knew it would happen. From the day they met there was some part of her that knew - which was exactly why she avoided it.
Max blew out a deep breath, put her hands up and slowly in a very controlled manner, sat on the cold cement curb, replaying the events at Alec's apartment.
She'd hauled him up the stairs, heaved him onto his bed and removed his shoes, jacket and shirt - all without so much as a groan from him!
Done her duty, she did. Beyond the call really and she was nearly out the door when something told her - nagged her to stay, though she told herself it was simply to indulge in a little boob tube. So, she kicked off her shoes and watched a sitcom classic about superheroes.
When it was over she checked in on Alec one more time. Leaning on the door jam, she smiled at the sight of him one arm slung over his head, a knee sprawled off to the side.
Pale blue moonlight washed out all other colors, shading every curve of every muscle - and his face . so soft in sleep. Just hearing his deep even breathing over the still of his quiet bedroom filled her with a peculiar feeling of contentment.
Then the guilt struck.
She should have asked him if he was okay. That's what friends do. Whether he turned her away or not, she should've asked. What kind of message did she send by saying nothing?
The pain he must've been in to pull stunt like that. A foolish, stupid, irresponsible, reckless stunt that could've --
She closed her eyes to the anger that seeped into her peaceful moment and when she opened them again, she realized it wasn't anger at all.
It was fear.
Alec's eyes began to dart, rolling and bouncing his lids. His arms tried to move, jerking ever so slightly, paralyzed in a fitful REM. Max was tugged closer to his bedside where she silently stood - wondering where he was. Hoping it was somewhere good.
Hope shattered, her heart lurched as tears darkened his lashes and fell to the pillow. Her hand flew to her mouth, *Oh, Alec*
Then he cried out. And she knew where he was. Back in that chair, begging the father of his only love to shoot him. She dropped immediately to his side, unencumbered by second thoughts or calculated actions.
Driven only by the overpowering need to ease his pain.
Max pulled her feet up under her cold backside and watched rainbows swirl in the oily water that trickled slowly and noisily into the sewer grate.
It happened.
The feelings she stuffed away and ignored were staring her in the face.
And there was no turning back.
The big metal door abruptly banged open, springing a startled Max off her perch. Her dented metal scapegoat waited justly behind, toppling her ungracefully unto the sidewalk.
The carefully constructed look of determination on Alec's face turned to bewildered amusement.