Disclaimer: I don't own them. Go Figure.
A/N: MAX IS A VIRGIN!!! Don't ask me why this is important, or how it fits in with the story, or even how she could go through a heat cycle without "scratching the itch". It's my world now; I can play with them how I want. ::growls:: Whew, I think the power of the pen is going to my head here.
A/N 2: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I felt so loved!
A/N 3: The line "for once in your life, shut up", technically doesn't belong to me. I thought of it before I realized I had seen it in the movie "Angel in Green". It's a cute flick, I recommend it.
The cat burglar wandered down the hallway of the massive mansion almost aimlessly. Sure, he was here on a job, but when you live in an apartment the size of a dime, one feels the need to take pleasure in "the finer things", even if they don't belong to him. And in this case, especially when they didn't belong to him. The cat was on the prowl for a Salvador Dali original, the one where the chick's profile is also a room. Judging by his quick sweep on recon, the Dali was on the third floor, two doors down on the left, and on the east wall.
Eluding the security system was almost too easy. When a man had this much money, he should be more careful on how he protected it. Oh well, no skin off of Alec's nose. He was probably an old-timer, who never quite caught on to how corrupt life was post-Pulse. The guy most likely still lived in the times when a candy bar cost a dollar. Or he just didn't care.
Once again, a small tidal wave of uneasiness washed over Alec. Rolling his shoulders in reverse, he forced the tide to the pit of his stomach and the back of his mind.
Slinking skillfully against the far wall, Alec picked the lock with deft fingers. When the lock clicked, he swung inside the door. Eyes on the prize, he gleefully - yet in a soldierly fashion - stole across the thick carpet. He was just about to reach the booty when he tripped.
Over a warm body; female if his senses weren't mistaken. Alec almost angrily bounced to his feet, infuriated now that he had definitely lost his chance at three million dollars, on the house of course.
Swerving to face the still sleeping individual, he lightly but tersely grabbed at her. Alec shook of the forewarning of how familiar the arm felt in his hand. He was quickly moved to wipe the lengthy hair off of her face, anger rapidly melting into concern when he registered how cold her skin felt. She still hadn't moved or made a sleepy protest against waking just because a solid body dropped in on her.
It was almost as if the girl was...dead. Alec involuntary shuddered at the thought with a brief but burdensome wave of grief washing over him. The first few strands fell from her neck to reveal a necklace.
Her necklace; THE necklace.
Alec fell from his crouched position to flat on his back. He laid there, immobilized by terror for much longer than a soldier's training would allow. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.
Memory flashes danced across his brain, taunting him with painful and practiced steps.
Soft kisses. Beguiling eyes. An infantile laugh leapt to stunned ears, only to professionally waltz away.
"I love you."
A stolen necklace rests naively in an assassin's hand.
A car exploded, destroying three different worlds.
One hundred years later, Alec's fingers finally got the message to move, even if it only amounted in a pathetic twitch. A thousand years later, his neck began to rise. It took the soldier a hundred thousand terrified years to resume the stoop he had swiftly fallen into an eternity ago.
It took another three million years for two quivering fingers to brush a few strands of hair off her face. Two lips scorned him dispassionately. The hair swept away further, where a ghastly white cheek shunned him. Suffocating in his own fear and sorrow, he whimpered timidly. Using the very last of his reserves, he completely cleared half of the face.
One wide open, lifeless yet accusing brown eye glared up at him.
He woke up, quickly taking in the ghost that stood before him.
"Rachel," he whispered brokenly.
*****
Max had been fighting her shark DNA all night. She should be tired. She WAS tired; exhausted, in fact. And yet she couldn't sleep. Every time she felt her self slipping into the purgatory between the land of consciousness and troubled dreams, another wave of restlessness washed over her. After tossing and turning for hour upon hour, she stormed from her bed. But she stormed quietly, mind you. Her husband was probably sleeping. Lucky bastard.
As a last resource, Max decided to heat some milk. Heated milk helped lull ordinaries to sleep and cats supposedly loved milk. Maybe between the mix she could sleep for a week, or at least the next four hours. Too bad she didn't like milk. Max wrinkled her nose at a whiff of the warming milk, but decided to swallow her disgust when she took another glance at the clock. She really needed some sleep.
But if two negatives equaled a positive in math, maybe two positives equal a negative in genetics. Math and science were closely related, right?
But when looking beyond the present mood, Max had been feeling better lately, grateful even. It was just a few days ago when she had finally come to terms with her hand in Ben's death. She remembered dreaming of him, how he held her all night long, accepting the sputtered apologies and telling her how much he loved her. How he loved her still. It had almost been real; the arms wrapped around her, the confessions whispered into her hair. She felt an overflowing gratitude just thinking about that night. She could still feel the imprint of his lips on her cheeks. His whispered, "I love you" rang softly in her ear again.
But a quick glance down brought her back from cloud nine. Was the milk even safe to drink?
Max was just putting the poison to her lips when she heard it. A whimper? The noise was coming from Alec's room. Setting her mug on the counter, she crept across the floor, staying mindful of where it creaked. Opening the door slowly, she gave the room an all-encompassing glance. When she was satisfied with her recon, she settled her eyes on the victim.
He was scrunched into his pillow almost fetal-like, small sobs occasionally escaping Alec's scrunched face. He was obviously crying; and judging by the stains on his pillow, he'd done it before. A strange sense of sympathy enveloped Max; if she knew how ugly and real the dreams could get, Alec knew all the better. He seemed so heartbroken, his body moving against almost physical blows.
Alec's grieving lulled her into a hypnotic state, so she was completely taken off guard by his next move. But judging the perplexing reaction, she couldn't have been prepared anyway.
She watched two of his trembling fingers brush almost spellbindingly across his pillow. It was almost reverential. Max felt herself choking up, so she moved her eyes towards his face. Big mistake; if Max felt herself losing control by a couple of fingers, she was silently crying herself when she fully took in his expression. In all their years together, she had never seen Alec so miserable before. Even after the "First Fight" he didn't lose this much control, pull down his barriers. But then again, he subconsciously thought he was alone, not realizing he had an audience.
Or at least, he had subconsciously thought he was alone.
Two stormy eyes snapped open, still lost in their dream's memories. He stared at her as if she was...well, a spirit of sorts.
"Rachel," he murmured dejectedly.
*****
Alec didn't know how he got it. God knew Alec didn't deserve it. But Alec would be damned if he didn't take this one fateful chance to apologize to Rachel, even if she was a ghost.
"Rachel's" eyes widened in shock as she found herself collapsing against a solid, groveling chest. Two arms wrapped around the "spirit's" body, never intending to release her. Alec's tears and muttered apologies found themselves mingling into surprisingly short hair. Oh well, maybe she had wanted a haircut once she got to the other side.
"Rachel, I am so sorry. I didn't know. I should've fought harder. I loved you so much," he whispered, shoving his face into her neck. She smelled even sweeter than Alec had remembered. "Please, I am begging you, forgive me. Words can never say..."
Words couldn't say. Oh sure, the guy could say he was sorry. He could tell her he missed her. How she had changed him. And over the next fifteen minutes, he did. He confessed everything, holding nothing back. But words still couldn't say everything. They couldn't tell just how much he hated himself for destroying her sweet life; they couldn't voice how much he had wished he had died with her. Words were inadequate in revealing just how hard he tried to keep her memory alive.
Words couldn't say, but maybe actions could.
He began planting innocent kisses across her neck, her cheeks, and her eyelids. No square inch of her face was to remain unconsecrated, even if it was his unworthy lips bestowing stolen kisses on her. She deserved to know just how much she had changed him. Alec's life with the other sex had always been lustful; with her he had felt the passion arise, but always the need to remain chaste. Her innocent love was rare, and had made him a better man. He began to truly fight the day he met her.
But before his lips could meet hers, Alec stopped himself. Slowly positioning himself above her, he gazed into her eyes. Well, he tried to look into her eyes; the tears kept blocking the perfect view. But before he could bring a frustrated hand to wipe away his weakness, a tender one took its designated swipe. Now he could see her fully, tears staining her own cheeks as well. "Alec," she whispered.
She sounded like Max; a bittersweet voice. Alec sighed masochistically; even now he couldn't fully thrust his spouse from his thoughts. Trying to push off Max from his already tortured reflection, Alec stared at "Rachel."
Then he knew what he had to do.
"Rachel," he started hoarsely. Choked up, he cleared his throat. He began more normally the second time, "Rachel. I have loved you. You will always be in part of my heart; even if you don't wish to stay there, I'm gonna hold you against your will." He paused and stared longer, relieved by what he saw lying within the "ghost's" orbs. "You've forgiven me, haven't you Rach?"
"No, Alec," she said. Off of his defeated expression, the woman spoke again, "There is nothing that needs to be forgiven."
"I love you," he whispered against her lips. He kissed her softly, worshipfully. Alec's lips rested against "Rachel's" for a fleetingly eternal moment. It was too swift, perfect, and too lengthy all at once. Pulling back, Alec sighed, he felt as old as time itself, yet refreshed. Almost as if he had been given a chance to start again. Hunching over her, he memorized every feature. The planes of her face, the glittering eyes, the quirk of her lips; they knitted themselves together and nestled inside his breast.
Rachel was a bittersweet memory. With one last visit, his guilt had been absolved. Alec might not be able to fully forgive himself now, but she could. All he had to do was build from there.
"Go," he said. And after a moment's hesitation, she did.
Alec knew he'd never see her again. Of all the strange phenomena Life had to offer, that was one thing Alec could be sure of.
He rolled onto his back, letting out a somewhat strangled noise, caught between a sob and a laugh, an adverse past and a potentially bright future. So Alec cried first, then began to chuckle into his pillow, but all of the sudden stopped. Unexpectedly even more troubled then before, he rolled over into another round of awkward dreams.
A memory of Rachel giggling with her father had been swiftly cut short by the stunning image of a laughing Max.
*****
"Alec, honey," O.C. beckoned, motioning with one graceful hand for him to come her way. The messenger chuckled at her tone. What did Sketchy call her? Oh yes, "Her Originalness". For once, the doped-out lackey was on the ball of things. O.C. didn't ask for favors, she didn't request. Cindy petitioned, demanded, and commanded. She was a real diplomat, royal even. And at this point in time, "Her Originalness" was willing to lower her stature to converse with his contemptible self.
In a relaxed and playful mood, Alec played with the vibes he felt vibes emanating of her Royalness. Gravely closing his Jam Pony locker, he crossed the threshold with a knight's gait. He knelt on one knee before Cindy, solemnly saying, "Yes, my Queen." Sketchy predictably laughed, while an entertained Cindy rolled her eyes.
"It only took men a few million years to learn their place," she drawled. "Congrats on being the first one, suga." Alec beamed a smile up to her.
Rising from his kneeling on the floor, he swiftly turned around and had every intention of sidling up next to the uninterested girl. But halfway through the turn, he gaze flew over Max, who was chatting it up quite cozily with the pizza delivery guy. He was cool with that. But when her eyes swept over to his and she actually smiled, Alec lost his balance. He came down on the bench a lot harder then he intended, jarring O.C. in the process.
By the time he cleared his face of any easily identified expression, Alec saw that O.C. was closely watching him again.
"What?" he asked impatiently.
"Nothing," came the cool reply.
Alec scoffed. O.C. was up to something. Every time he turned around, the sidekick was watching him closely, meaningfully, as if she knew something he didn't. He glanced at Max again over his shoulder, who was still talking with the pizza bum.
"Hey," he said to Cindy. "Do you think by the time she gets over here, the pizza will even be worth eating? I mean, even for me, Normal only gives so much time for lunch."
A refined eyebrow rose; O.C.'s meaningful response to any hidden question. "Don't worry boo," she said cryptically. "In fact," she gestured in the little wife's direction. "Here she comes now. Heavy laden with enough grease to satisfy even your cravings."
Sure enough, two seconds later, the loud thump of oily boxes, underdone dough, and fatty meats rattled against the table. "Next time Sketchy," Max warned. "You help pay for the pizza. If not, I am sure none of us have no problem taking in all this chow in front of you." Too enamored with a slice of pepperoni at the moment, Sketchy grunted in response. Max and Cindy looked at each other rolled their eyes expressively.
"Just what the doctor ordered," Max whispered, grasping for a slice of mushroom. She took a sizeable bite, practically swooning as she sucked in all the flavors. Walking around the table, she sat down to O.C. saying, "I have been craving mushrooms all day."
"Hey Max," a voice interrupted her delicious moment. "Who was that guy? You two seemed to know each other pretty well."
Max's eyes bugged out when she practically choked on a suddenly offensive piece of pizza. After a couple a solid swats on the back - helpfully donated by Sketchy - she regained herself. "An old friend," she mumbled.
"Oh," Alec said, suddenly piqued, though he tried to hide it. "Sooo, how did you two meet?"
"Uh, he uh, dropped off pizzas here before," she said, her eyes desperately beseeching Cindy for some sort of help. She nodded in agreement, at a loss herself. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder between these two; while they involuntary moved closer towards the other, they kept trying to scratch their way out of the relationship, like it was some great trap ready to spring at any moment. And now all of the sudden Alec was initiating a chance to get to know his spouse. He almost seemed a teensy weensy bit envious, in a protective way.
She had yet to see the boy take his eyes off of his wife for more than twenty seconds whenever they were in the same room. O.C. decided to sit back and enjoy the drama, instinctively knowing there would be pieces to pick up later.
"What's his name?" Alec innocently asked. His hand started to tingle, so he absentmindedly scratched at it.
"Rafer," Max said.
The next question came without delay. "How long have you know him?"
Max was suddenly wary, the tension was mounting between them again. "What's with the twenty questions?"
"Just curious." He still involuntarily scratched at his hand; the tingling seemed to be getting worse.
Max swallowed convulsively. Something was definitely wrong here; Alec had shown more "curiousness" in the last two minutes than he had been in the past six months of marriage. She was desperately trying to think up some believable excuse to make a hasty exit when inspiration hit, ringing in the reverberation of an angry beeper. "It's Logan," she sighed, obviously relieved. She turned to Cindy, "I'm gonna go hit him back," she said. With unusual urgency, she made her way across the room, away from her friend's watchfulness and her husband's probing eyes.
O.C., on the other hand, watched the entire scene with something that could almost be described as pleasurable. One could never avoid the inevitable for too long a time. Alec was categorically suffering from early stages of jealousy. In this case jealousy was a good thing; it meant he cared. Things were going to be really aggressive for the next year or so, but Cindy had been armoring herself for the past six months. She watched Alec's tension coil up even further with Logan's buzz.
Cindy ran a quick mental checklist, seeing if she would be ready for the battles to come. Kleenex, chocolate, heartfelt advice, a hairbrush, and a baseball bat. Hey, one had to start somewhere, right?
*****
Max had returned to work exactly one hour and twenty-three minutes later. Not that some random, unusually cocky, 6 foot, darker-haired, genetically-enhanced gentleman was counting or anything. She waltzed into the dingy workplace, happily taking a package from a bewildered Normal, a content smile plastered sickeningly across her face.
Then again, Max had seemed a lot lighter within recent weeks. It was probably due to forgiving herself for her demise of her beloved brother. Alec knew that feeling himself, after seeing Rachel's ghost again, he felt rather buoyant as well.
Alec recalled the night of Max's exoneration. Still half-asleep, she confessed her own battle with a personal abhorrence due to a violent death. Strangely moved, Alec couldn't resist playing the knight in dented armor, pulling her close and doing the brotherly things. He had run his fingers through her rapidly growing hair, whispered soothing words against her skin that had been slick from tears' rivers. He had even said he loved her, and kissed her cheeks in a brotherly fashion.
No matter that "brotherly" was the last thing he had felt at the moment in question. He hadn't been with a woman in over three and a half years mind you. Needs long forgotten swept over him again, even stronger than his near drunken mistake with Minette. Something surreally domestic in holding a crying woman, that crying woman, stirred the long unavailable parts of his heart.
But when the girl walked in from a visit with 'lover-boy', looking like she'd just been handed the moon (or a brand new Ninja, whatever the girl may prefer), he couldn't help but feel a little...used almost. Alec had been the one to embrace her when she needed it the most, not Logan. Shoving his disturbing contemplations away, Alec moved in Max's general direction, feeling the sudden need to chat it up with a particularly lovely female on the way. By the time he finally sidled up behind Max, she was already engrossed in a conversation with her counterpart.
"...So you're coming right?" Max asked Original Cindy.
"Of course boo. I wouldn't miss Doggie-Dawg's birthday party for the world."
"Sooo," Alec began, almost sadistically pleased at Max's leap in surprise. He looked over his wife in an admonishing fashion. "Tsk, tsk, Dear. You should really be more careful. Who knows what brutal soul could come steal you away when you have your defenses down like that."
Max wheeled around to face him. "Shut up," came the response.
Alec ignored her command of course. "Sooo, what did 'lover-boy' want?"
"He wanted," Max said through clenched teeth, "to finalize some plans for Joshua's birthday party tonight."
"Hold up. You fly in here on cloud nine because of some birthday plans? Whew, what an exciting relationship!" he announced in an abnormally sarcastic manner, even for him.
Max cuffed him dead across the face. Alec's head swung back with the blow. It was hard to tell who was more shocked by the action; Max, Alec, or their audience, Cindy and Normal.
"Well, Maxie," he mockingly began, more severe than usual. "I didn't realize you were so touchy. Is it that time of the month again?" Unusually miffed, he swiveled on one heel, quickly grabbed a random package, and double-timed it out the door. Max was deserted ogling at the offending hand.
*****
Max and Alec didn't speak to each other until Josh's party. They didn't even see each other, in fact; it was studiously designed by the two of them to avoid any such contact. Alec had gone over to Joshua's pad early in order to help set up the whole extravaganza. Even in his joyous mood, his friend had noticed the tension in the younger X5, but wisely chose to make no comment. Cindy had called him before Alec even arrived, forewarning him of the day's events. Sensing the fact that she was putting a damper on her sensitive friend's party, she hurriedly told the Mog to enjoy himself. Max and Alec fight all the time.
Still, he couldn't help but feel distraught by Alec's lack of reaction to...anything. He moved like a robot, doing what was asked of him in a logical mode. Joshua missed Alec's flare; the kid was almost a full-blown Manticorian again. It was like the first time he caught Alec playing the piano. It was beautiful and flowing, but extremely indifferent; "Alec" just wasn't there. Mole, Dix, and Luke felt the stiffness, and tried to get him to unwind, but to no avail. There was no passion, just the movements. All in all, it sucked.
By the time the party was in full swing, Max had yet to show up. Logan was there. Everyone one was there, except Max. O.C. had shown up more than an hour earlier, keyed up to wish her "Big Boo" - as she lovingly referred to him - a happy birthday. Her arrival seemed to slap Alec out of his trance; for a few fleeting moments, he avidly searched the doorway for Max's entrance. O.C. gave Alec a wordless shrug, which he pretended not to notice. When it became painfully obvious the equivalent wasn't coming yet, he had fallen back into his usual humor. Except this time, he was perceptibly brewing some self-satisfied anger.
Minette, on the other hand, was unusually punctual, even early. She sashayed across the room to a certain unresponsive X-series. She had heard to news of the latest sparring, and was simply gleaming at the chance to play the sympathetic ear. Cindy rolled her eyes. The big man himself had to stifle a bit of a growl when she swept through the door. An astonished Cindy glanced at Josh, "Yo Big Boo, why did you invite the heifa?"
"Didn't want to," Josh said. "Inviting Max and Alec, and then - Bang! - there is Minette. Be rude not to invite her." He paused for a moment when an unexpected concept hit him. "Does she want to 'get busy' with Alec?"
O.C. nearly dropped her banner. "Dang, Big Boo! It took you that long to figure it out?" Off of Joshua's sheepish shrug, she patted him empathetically on the arm. "Joshua," she said. "Max and Alec..."
"They care for each other." Joshua finished ardently. "Family."
"Yeah, Big Boo," Cindy sighed. "I just wish they knew themselves how much."
"Max and Alec only fool Max and Alec."
"Huh?"
"They're scared to care. The more they fuse, the more they explode. But they only fool them. Minette knows, Logan knows, everyone knows."
Cindy nodded in appreciation. "That's deep."
If only dog-boy could blush. He needed to be complimented more often; his insight earned it. Some people, on the other hand, needed a reality smack them upside the head; but a smack down put everyone in this thorny position. O.C. would settle for a light tap for now.
And the "tap" had walked through the door right at that moment, unaware of both sets of eyes boring into her. She hunted down both of her mentors, who were still actively chatting it up. She was just arriving to their side, when Joshua stealthily elbowed Original Cindy to warn her. Max pretended not to notice. After receiving the formal party welcome, Joshua threw his arms around Max in an unbreakable bear hug and lifted her feet off the floor. Max cheerfully embraced him too, and planted an innocent kiss on his forehead.
Across the room, Alec's eyes flashed. Not that Cindy was looking for a reaction or anything.
Minette was still vainly trying to catch hot-boy's interest. She was so far unproductive; no amount of cleavage, booty-shaking, or seductive tones were catching his eye tonight. Something had finally caught his awareness; Minette could see the light in his eyes. Only it wasn't desire, not fully anyway. He was pissed, for lack of better term. Very pissed, somewhat wanting, and a little vulnerable Alec was not a good combination for Minette when his attention wasn't focused on her more deserving self. Minette didn't even have to circle around; only one woman could make this soldier that heated.
Maybe it would be better to watch the game from the sidelines...this half.
Original Cindy was more than a little worried; Minette actually stepping off was not only bizarre, it was shifty. Most likely she would become a vulture, circling around the outside until it was time to swoop in for the kill. It was a tactical maneuver, not a considerate one.
Alec was still scratching the back of his left palm furiously. He'd been doing that ever since lunch today.
Hmm.
*****
Logan had known Max was there by the time she had been through the doorway.
He had been watching Alec, who was uncharacteristically stormy. That slutty chick - Minnie? Mickey? Oh well, whatever her name was - was being more than ignored. She didn't exist; that, more than all the other news that day disturbed Logan the most. Joshua had been kind enough to tell the computer-whiz of the recent mishap between the duo, most likely to tip him off NOT to engage Alec in any sort of way. And judging by the steam rolling out of Alec's ears, engagement would be breathing within 20 feet of the X5.
Alec was always more than willing to toy with the dazzling Min...M-chick. But now he was in the middle of the party, and he had yet to turn his ears towards one of her vapid phrases. He hadn't flirted, touched her arm, or even acknowledge her presence. THAT made Logan uneasy. Almost back in a soldier-mode, Alec was harmony with his DNA; the cat in him was waiting for some unsuspecting prey to settle herself within the groove of the party. Then, when she least wary of an attack, he'd pounce. Hard.
Unfortunately, Alec's reckless prey and Logan's date were embodied in the same female waif. Maybe if Logan got to her first, he could play a Haven of some sort; help Max avoid the Plunge.
So, by the time Joshua had actually allowed Max to support herself on her own two feet, Logan was huddled on her side. Well, as huddled as one could be if he died from a stray touch. Hopefully, Alec would read between the lines and get the picture. But their lives and this "picture" were Surreal-Abstract art, constantly open to everyone's personal rationalization. And judging by the way Alec's glower deepened as Logan made his path through the maze of not-quite human bodies, Alec's interpretation wasn't constructive. Not by Logan's definition of constructive, anyway.
"Hey Max," he tried to casually greet.
Oblivious to the looming tempest that she was caught in the midst of, she lightly bounced back a "Hey" of her own.
Logan could feel the daggers painfully plunging into his back in systematic and clean motions. Alec must have been thoroughly incensed. Watching his nerve quickly flee away, Logan didn't bother to recognize the other man's presence. After Max had merrily greeted all of her friends, he steered her towards the kitchen, away from Alec's intrusive eyes.
"Max," he said. "I haven't seen much of you lately, what have you been up to?"
"Nothing much," Max responded, feeling too joyous to be bogged down by weighty conversation. Talking to Logan always seemed to lead to weighty conversation. Orphans' mistreatment in Chicago, prostitution in the Bronx, playful banter always seemed to circle back to the idealism where all men, women, transgenics, and anteaters were created equal.
Not that she wasn't guilty of intensely gray discourses herself. Between directing transgenics and a we're-not-like-that-but-we-kinda-are-except-for-a-genetically-engineered-virus-boyfriend, Max no longer had time for the more trivial. The less problematic questions like, "What did the Egyptians use to make the Sphinxes so durable?" or "Why are polish and Polish spelled the same yet pronounced so differently?" or even "Why is the line outside the boys' restroom always shorter than the one outside the girls'?"
Too make a long story short, Max felt too bubbly-jittery tonight to have conversation that actual could mean something. Some dark premonition kept dangling over her head; Max felt that if she could just keep the conversation light, she just might bypass some cataclysmic squall.
Tonight's forecast: "A raging storm is rushing into the Great Northwest. It has been advised to take cover."
*****
Alec was angry...no, fuming...no, no, no...livid. Alec was teeth-gnashing, wounded-pride, up-in-arms pissed.
Now that sounded right. It even had a little bit of a ring to it.
Now, if you asked the boy why he was so teeth-gnas...uh...upset, you'd earn yourself a permanent indentation of his knuckles on your cheek. Alec didn't know why, he just was.
It wasn't because he was actually injured by her blow today at Jam Pony. It wasn't because Logan was her certified fifth limb tonight. And it certainly wasn't because Max had been here for over three hours and forty-six minutes and the sniping wife had yet to acknowledge that yes, Alec was in fact alive.
Maybe it was that time of the month again. Scientific studies confirmed that guys PMSed too.
Every instinct screamed for Alec to go in and throttle the girl. His Manticore upbringing itched for it, almost as badly as the back of his left hand. He looked over towards the kitchen, where Max, Mony and Dix were laughing over some joke. Just because she was gorgeous didn't mean...
...Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back the tank up...GORGEOUS?!? Where did that come from?
Forget it. It didn't matter anymore. That little blunder was the straw that broke this camel's back. He was through with the games. He furiously pushed his way through the bustling crowd, unmindful of the stunned friends and strangers he was mowing down.
He and Max needed to have a little heart-to-heart.
Now.
*****
Max's eyes strayed from Dix to Mony and back to Dix in a comprehensive fashion. Dix was too far gone in the telling of some amusing anecdote about the early gladiators to see the continuous and silent exchange in between the female counterparts. The women exchanged the "knowing smiles". Mony blushed and demurely smiled. Then she glanced up behind Max. Alec was driving his way through the dense crowd, his eyes glued dangerously on Max's barcode.
"...And the last gladiators were left..."
"Uh, Dix, querida," Mony interrupted, a nervous smile crossing her angelic face. "Maybe you and I should go talk to Luke. He seems awfully lonely."
"I'm almost done Mony." Dix replied steadily.
Max was distractedly saying farewells to Gem and her boyfriend CJ, suddenly oblivious to her present company and the predator haphazardly swerving in behind her. Mony, being the quick-thinking female, used Max's diversion to deftly elbow her boyfriend in the stomach and jerk her chin in Alec's direction. She and Dix needed to clear the general vicinity by the time the storm hit; and judging by his quickening pace they needed to move - pronto - in order to take cover.
Dix caught the subtle hint. "Uh, Max," he started, catching her attention once again. "We're going to go talk to Luke. He seems awfully...uh..."
"Lonely!" came the hiss in his ear.
"Lonely!" Dix echoed, loudly and entirely too earnestly. Pleasantries aside, Mony and Dix dove for cover.
Max started to shrug nonchalantly when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"We need to talk," came the dark whisper in her ear.
Max circled around in slow motion. The air was reverberating with thunderclouds and the distinct scent of imprisoned electricity. It didn't take a Manticore genius to know the storm was going to hit; remorselessly, relentlessly, and on top of her.
Where was an umbrella when a body needs one?
*****
Alec watched Max turn painstakingly slow, which only grated on his already abrasive nerves. "Now," he commanded. He wasn't to be trusted; a war raged in his eyes while his tone was deceptively low. Never, ever, a good combination.
"Alec, not right n..."
"Yes, Max." His voiced raised an angry notch. "Right. Now."
"People are staring," Max hissed. Indeed, several ordinary and extra-ordinary friends of Joshua's had turned to see what the commotion was about.
"I. Don't. Care." He said it succinctly, not to be swayed. He straightened, let his body seemingly relax, while pushing all the already coiling tension further inside. If he didn't get her out of here now, it was going to get ugly in front of a lot of witnesses. "Let's talk outside, shall we?" he said, his voice brighter.
The change in tone could have been comforting, with the exception that in order for Alec to make his pitch lighter, his pupils darkened and contracted even further.
*****
Logan watched the fire start, feeling like all he had to offer in opposition was a tiny toy bucket. But he'd use anything he had to protect Max from the ever-stoking flames. When Alec seized her arm tightly, he was ready to defend his lesser Maxie from the overgrown playground bully.
Original Cindy laid a solemn hand on his arm. She wasn't going to let him leave the sandbox and head for the dizzying heights of the jungle gym.
"Don't," she commanded. "Max has had this coming along time."
Logan could build sandcastles that would make any toddler proud, but the monkey bars were just beyond his grasp.
A defeated little boy glanced down at his hands. With seven small words, O.C. had put a sizeable hole in his plastic bucket.
*****
"I don't want to go outside with you," Max said, less confident and unsure of the beast before her. The hand and her arm gripped even tighter in a subconscious response. He smiled tersely, praying to every known deity that he could get her away before he did something stupid.
"I am not arguing with you, Maxie," he calmly said. "I am ordering you."
"No!" she exclaimed. By this time, everyone was watching; from a safe distance, of course.
"Last chance," he warned.
"No!" she exclaimed again, turning to walk away.
A shriek sounded across the house. With a sheer athletic grace that would make any female heart swoon, Alec let go retrieved Max's wrist again, pulled her back into his chest, wrapped his other arm around her thighs, and swung her over his shoulder. Storming towards the door as if his bundle weighed nothing, Alec barked out a loud, "Happy Birthday Josh!" and slammed the door behind him.
Original Cindy and Joshua traded tiny conspiratorial smiles across the room.
*****
Max had been in shock for the first block and a half of her jarring ride, courtesy of Alec's broad shoulder. When she had her wits again and fully took in her undignified position, she began to holler and pound on Alec's back, desperate for anyway down. It was all to no avail though. Who'd of thought that an extra ten years could teach a soldier how to make an indestructible "potato-sack" carrying position?
Amazingly enough, the walk was actually doing Alec some good. Was he still pissed? You can bet your butt on that. But at least he could see straight by now, and colors weren't so fuzzy any longer. Alec looked ahead for a place to "talk". Oh, a park. Absolutely perfect.
Crossing the threshold, Alec let his package roll off of his shoulder. With a muffled yelp, Max slammed to the ground. Within the two seconds it took her to rise to her feet, Alec had sprinted fifty yards away. He still needed to cool down, run off his anger, before he could face her without worrying if he'd just kill her and be done with it.
Max, stupidly, wasn't going to let him take that little breather. Fully riled, she took off after him. After several yards, she delivered a solid quarterback sack. Much to her amazement, the bastard wasn't even fully on the ground before he'd flipped her under him. Realizing she was pinned and suddenly terrified, Max began to claw at him. His face, his arms it didn't matter; he was more wrathful than he'd ever been. A downright murderous gleam had found his eyes. It took her until that precise moment to realize it. It was too late now though, Alec had slammed her wrists painfully against the ground, locking them inside one of his unyielding hands. Using his other hand, he gripped her chin painfully forcing her to look into his eyes.
She was petrified. Good; so was he. Alec stared into her eyes, his own completely blank. Max swallowed convulsively several times, her chest rhythmically pounding against his in their mutual gasp for the thick air.
"Alec," she began plaintively, searching for the man she married. He wasn't there; she was lying completely vulnerable underneath 494.
"No," the soldier rasped. "I talk now." A prolonged silence ensued, while 494 tried to reclaim his humane side.
"You treat me like dirt all these years. It's partially my own fault; I take your crap and keep on coming back. But no more, Maxie. No more." Alec was coming back; his eyes kept glittering with some obscure passion. "I want more from you. I have respected you, Max. I want some back."
"I do respect you, Alec."
"BULL!" Alec yelled down at her, smashing her wrists in the ground another time.
"You treat me like dirt. I am dirt. I know that. And every time I think I am cleaning myself out the tiniest bit, you come back and dump another load on me. No more." He was serious; Max felt herself soften as waves of shame washed back and forth over her steadily. She had hurt him more than he'd ever admitted. Probably didn't want to admit she had the power to. Both Max and Alec had preferred to think of him as stone, impervious and stable. But he was neither; he was flesh and blood.
And he could feel that blood rising in more than one way. Her still gasping beneath him, looking vulnerable, hair splayed didn't help matters much.
Max couldn't put into words just how repentant and guilty she felt. THIS is what Alec felt with Rachel. Well, partly. She could at least try to apologize though. "Alec," she started. "I am so very sor.."
A warm hand clamped tightly over his mouth. Tortured, he whispered fervently, "Shut up, Max." His palm rotated, leaving her lips under his thumb. Alec looked down towards his appendage.
Big Mistake. Not thinking clearly, Alec did something he had unknowingly wanted to do since Max had first kicked him in the stomach in her cell back at Manticore.
"For once in your life just shut up."
Two illogical lips slammed against hers. Max's eyes widened in surprise before they crashed shut. Her mouth opened in protest when his tongue skillfully snaked in to wage war with hers. One of Alec's hands grasped her hair tightly in defiance, pushing her face towards a better slant. His other hand craved the curve of her back, pushing her up against his chest. Two wounded soldiers moaned. The kiss was forceful, chaotic, and turbulent.
It was sloppy and proficient. Lips nipped at each other, too surreal to not be real. Life had distorted and inexplicably became clearer than ever. He was punishing her; but in this case, she didn't feel like fighting against the justice system.
Alec felt himself becoming lost. He had been starving for over six years. A bittersweet terror washed over him, a fear that if he let go now, this willing feast would disappear. But another panic stained, he suddenly felt unfit to dine at this table. He was stealing food from someone...a small contented whimper from Max and a tightened hand in his own hair made him suddenly not care. Steal what you can and run like Hell when you're caught.
But the host came back, complete with glasses, a keyboard, and an exoskeleton.
Logan.
Just as quickly as the lips descended on her, they pulled away. Max lay there silently, with the exception of her gasping for air. Hazily Max opened her eyes. Sitting up slowly, dazedly, Max's eyes caught a body next to her. Realization hit her in a painful blow.
She had just kissed her husband.
Her husband was Alec, the guy she married to stay in Seattle.
With Logan.
*****
After rolling off of her in such an abrupt fashion, Alec had contented himself to lie down next to her. Contented, Alec's mind scoffed at the thought. He wanted more. He could steal more.
Max was scuffling next to him, probably pushing herself into an upright position. He closed his eyes tightly, fighting off the demons. It was no use, he could still conjure up an image of her: cheeks flushed, hair in disarray, bleary-eyed, swollen-lips...
Alec heard a man groan in the distance. It was probably him, he couldn't tell. The blood was still pounding in his ears. A feminine hand touched his hair.
Up like a rocket, Alec completely regained his fleeting senses. "Don't touch me Max," he hoarsely begged. If she touched him again, he was through. Max slowly got to her feet, as if her body was boneless. He watched her; a desire stronger than physical and much safer unnamed, assailed him again.
The soldier was weak. The thief had been ensnared by his own conscience. So he did what any self-respecting soldier, thief, or man would do in his present situation.
He ran. Hard and Fast.
*****
Alec would never know his temporary wife had forgiven him every sin he'd committed.
Max would never know an interim husband had absolved her of murder.
*****
No one had a clue what Fate held in the palm of her hand.
Final A/N: I know there were a lot of mistakes in this section. But I was so excited to put it up, I just couldn't wait. Thank you for bearing it patiently.
A/N: MAX IS A VIRGIN!!! Don't ask me why this is important, or how it fits in with the story, or even how she could go through a heat cycle without "scratching the itch". It's my world now; I can play with them how I want. ::growls:: Whew, I think the power of the pen is going to my head here.
A/N 2: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I felt so loved!
A/N 3: The line "for once in your life, shut up", technically doesn't belong to me. I thought of it before I realized I had seen it in the movie "Angel in Green". It's a cute flick, I recommend it.
The cat burglar wandered down the hallway of the massive mansion almost aimlessly. Sure, he was here on a job, but when you live in an apartment the size of a dime, one feels the need to take pleasure in "the finer things", even if they don't belong to him. And in this case, especially when they didn't belong to him. The cat was on the prowl for a Salvador Dali original, the one where the chick's profile is also a room. Judging by his quick sweep on recon, the Dali was on the third floor, two doors down on the left, and on the east wall.
Eluding the security system was almost too easy. When a man had this much money, he should be more careful on how he protected it. Oh well, no skin off of Alec's nose. He was probably an old-timer, who never quite caught on to how corrupt life was post-Pulse. The guy most likely still lived in the times when a candy bar cost a dollar. Or he just didn't care.
Once again, a small tidal wave of uneasiness washed over Alec. Rolling his shoulders in reverse, he forced the tide to the pit of his stomach and the back of his mind.
Slinking skillfully against the far wall, Alec picked the lock with deft fingers. When the lock clicked, he swung inside the door. Eyes on the prize, he gleefully - yet in a soldierly fashion - stole across the thick carpet. He was just about to reach the booty when he tripped.
Over a warm body; female if his senses weren't mistaken. Alec almost angrily bounced to his feet, infuriated now that he had definitely lost his chance at three million dollars, on the house of course.
Swerving to face the still sleeping individual, he lightly but tersely grabbed at her. Alec shook of the forewarning of how familiar the arm felt in his hand. He was quickly moved to wipe the lengthy hair off of her face, anger rapidly melting into concern when he registered how cold her skin felt. She still hadn't moved or made a sleepy protest against waking just because a solid body dropped in on her.
It was almost as if the girl was...dead. Alec involuntary shuddered at the thought with a brief but burdensome wave of grief washing over him. The first few strands fell from her neck to reveal a necklace.
Her necklace; THE necklace.
Alec fell from his crouched position to flat on his back. He laid there, immobilized by terror for much longer than a soldier's training would allow. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.
Memory flashes danced across his brain, taunting him with painful and practiced steps.
Soft kisses. Beguiling eyes. An infantile laugh leapt to stunned ears, only to professionally waltz away.
"I love you."
A stolen necklace rests naively in an assassin's hand.
A car exploded, destroying three different worlds.
One hundred years later, Alec's fingers finally got the message to move, even if it only amounted in a pathetic twitch. A thousand years later, his neck began to rise. It took the soldier a hundred thousand terrified years to resume the stoop he had swiftly fallen into an eternity ago.
It took another three million years for two quivering fingers to brush a few strands of hair off her face. Two lips scorned him dispassionately. The hair swept away further, where a ghastly white cheek shunned him. Suffocating in his own fear and sorrow, he whimpered timidly. Using the very last of his reserves, he completely cleared half of the face.
One wide open, lifeless yet accusing brown eye glared up at him.
He woke up, quickly taking in the ghost that stood before him.
"Rachel," he whispered brokenly.
*****
Max had been fighting her shark DNA all night. She should be tired. She WAS tired; exhausted, in fact. And yet she couldn't sleep. Every time she felt her self slipping into the purgatory between the land of consciousness and troubled dreams, another wave of restlessness washed over her. After tossing and turning for hour upon hour, she stormed from her bed. But she stormed quietly, mind you. Her husband was probably sleeping. Lucky bastard.
As a last resource, Max decided to heat some milk. Heated milk helped lull ordinaries to sleep and cats supposedly loved milk. Maybe between the mix she could sleep for a week, or at least the next four hours. Too bad she didn't like milk. Max wrinkled her nose at a whiff of the warming milk, but decided to swallow her disgust when she took another glance at the clock. She really needed some sleep.
But if two negatives equaled a positive in math, maybe two positives equal a negative in genetics. Math and science were closely related, right?
But when looking beyond the present mood, Max had been feeling better lately, grateful even. It was just a few days ago when she had finally come to terms with her hand in Ben's death. She remembered dreaming of him, how he held her all night long, accepting the sputtered apologies and telling her how much he loved her. How he loved her still. It had almost been real; the arms wrapped around her, the confessions whispered into her hair. She felt an overflowing gratitude just thinking about that night. She could still feel the imprint of his lips on her cheeks. His whispered, "I love you" rang softly in her ear again.
But a quick glance down brought her back from cloud nine. Was the milk even safe to drink?
Max was just putting the poison to her lips when she heard it. A whimper? The noise was coming from Alec's room. Setting her mug on the counter, she crept across the floor, staying mindful of where it creaked. Opening the door slowly, she gave the room an all-encompassing glance. When she was satisfied with her recon, she settled her eyes on the victim.
He was scrunched into his pillow almost fetal-like, small sobs occasionally escaping Alec's scrunched face. He was obviously crying; and judging by the stains on his pillow, he'd done it before. A strange sense of sympathy enveloped Max; if she knew how ugly and real the dreams could get, Alec knew all the better. He seemed so heartbroken, his body moving against almost physical blows.
Alec's grieving lulled her into a hypnotic state, so she was completely taken off guard by his next move. But judging the perplexing reaction, she couldn't have been prepared anyway.
She watched two of his trembling fingers brush almost spellbindingly across his pillow. It was almost reverential. Max felt herself choking up, so she moved her eyes towards his face. Big mistake; if Max felt herself losing control by a couple of fingers, she was silently crying herself when she fully took in his expression. In all their years together, she had never seen Alec so miserable before. Even after the "First Fight" he didn't lose this much control, pull down his barriers. But then again, he subconsciously thought he was alone, not realizing he had an audience.
Or at least, he had subconsciously thought he was alone.
Two stormy eyes snapped open, still lost in their dream's memories. He stared at her as if she was...well, a spirit of sorts.
"Rachel," he murmured dejectedly.
*****
Alec didn't know how he got it. God knew Alec didn't deserve it. But Alec would be damned if he didn't take this one fateful chance to apologize to Rachel, even if she was a ghost.
"Rachel's" eyes widened in shock as she found herself collapsing against a solid, groveling chest. Two arms wrapped around the "spirit's" body, never intending to release her. Alec's tears and muttered apologies found themselves mingling into surprisingly short hair. Oh well, maybe she had wanted a haircut once she got to the other side.
"Rachel, I am so sorry. I didn't know. I should've fought harder. I loved you so much," he whispered, shoving his face into her neck. She smelled even sweeter than Alec had remembered. "Please, I am begging you, forgive me. Words can never say..."
Words couldn't say. Oh sure, the guy could say he was sorry. He could tell her he missed her. How she had changed him. And over the next fifteen minutes, he did. He confessed everything, holding nothing back. But words still couldn't say everything. They couldn't tell just how much he hated himself for destroying her sweet life; they couldn't voice how much he had wished he had died with her. Words were inadequate in revealing just how hard he tried to keep her memory alive.
Words couldn't say, but maybe actions could.
He began planting innocent kisses across her neck, her cheeks, and her eyelids. No square inch of her face was to remain unconsecrated, even if it was his unworthy lips bestowing stolen kisses on her. She deserved to know just how much she had changed him. Alec's life with the other sex had always been lustful; with her he had felt the passion arise, but always the need to remain chaste. Her innocent love was rare, and had made him a better man. He began to truly fight the day he met her.
But before his lips could meet hers, Alec stopped himself. Slowly positioning himself above her, he gazed into her eyes. Well, he tried to look into her eyes; the tears kept blocking the perfect view. But before he could bring a frustrated hand to wipe away his weakness, a tender one took its designated swipe. Now he could see her fully, tears staining her own cheeks as well. "Alec," she whispered.
She sounded like Max; a bittersweet voice. Alec sighed masochistically; even now he couldn't fully thrust his spouse from his thoughts. Trying to push off Max from his already tortured reflection, Alec stared at "Rachel."
Then he knew what he had to do.
"Rachel," he started hoarsely. Choked up, he cleared his throat. He began more normally the second time, "Rachel. I have loved you. You will always be in part of my heart; even if you don't wish to stay there, I'm gonna hold you against your will." He paused and stared longer, relieved by what he saw lying within the "ghost's" orbs. "You've forgiven me, haven't you Rach?"
"No, Alec," she said. Off of his defeated expression, the woman spoke again, "There is nothing that needs to be forgiven."
"I love you," he whispered against her lips. He kissed her softly, worshipfully. Alec's lips rested against "Rachel's" for a fleetingly eternal moment. It was too swift, perfect, and too lengthy all at once. Pulling back, Alec sighed, he felt as old as time itself, yet refreshed. Almost as if he had been given a chance to start again. Hunching over her, he memorized every feature. The planes of her face, the glittering eyes, the quirk of her lips; they knitted themselves together and nestled inside his breast.
Rachel was a bittersweet memory. With one last visit, his guilt had been absolved. Alec might not be able to fully forgive himself now, but she could. All he had to do was build from there.
"Go," he said. And after a moment's hesitation, she did.
Alec knew he'd never see her again. Of all the strange phenomena Life had to offer, that was one thing Alec could be sure of.
He rolled onto his back, letting out a somewhat strangled noise, caught between a sob and a laugh, an adverse past and a potentially bright future. So Alec cried first, then began to chuckle into his pillow, but all of the sudden stopped. Unexpectedly even more troubled then before, he rolled over into another round of awkward dreams.
A memory of Rachel giggling with her father had been swiftly cut short by the stunning image of a laughing Max.
*****
"Alec, honey," O.C. beckoned, motioning with one graceful hand for him to come her way. The messenger chuckled at her tone. What did Sketchy call her? Oh yes, "Her Originalness". For once, the doped-out lackey was on the ball of things. O.C. didn't ask for favors, she didn't request. Cindy petitioned, demanded, and commanded. She was a real diplomat, royal even. And at this point in time, "Her Originalness" was willing to lower her stature to converse with his contemptible self.
In a relaxed and playful mood, Alec played with the vibes he felt vibes emanating of her Royalness. Gravely closing his Jam Pony locker, he crossed the threshold with a knight's gait. He knelt on one knee before Cindy, solemnly saying, "Yes, my Queen." Sketchy predictably laughed, while an entertained Cindy rolled her eyes.
"It only took men a few million years to learn their place," she drawled. "Congrats on being the first one, suga." Alec beamed a smile up to her.
Rising from his kneeling on the floor, he swiftly turned around and had every intention of sidling up next to the uninterested girl. But halfway through the turn, he gaze flew over Max, who was chatting it up quite cozily with the pizza delivery guy. He was cool with that. But when her eyes swept over to his and she actually smiled, Alec lost his balance. He came down on the bench a lot harder then he intended, jarring O.C. in the process.
By the time he cleared his face of any easily identified expression, Alec saw that O.C. was closely watching him again.
"What?" he asked impatiently.
"Nothing," came the cool reply.
Alec scoffed. O.C. was up to something. Every time he turned around, the sidekick was watching him closely, meaningfully, as if she knew something he didn't. He glanced at Max again over his shoulder, who was still talking with the pizza bum.
"Hey," he said to Cindy. "Do you think by the time she gets over here, the pizza will even be worth eating? I mean, even for me, Normal only gives so much time for lunch."
A refined eyebrow rose; O.C.'s meaningful response to any hidden question. "Don't worry boo," she said cryptically. "In fact," she gestured in the little wife's direction. "Here she comes now. Heavy laden with enough grease to satisfy even your cravings."
Sure enough, two seconds later, the loud thump of oily boxes, underdone dough, and fatty meats rattled against the table. "Next time Sketchy," Max warned. "You help pay for the pizza. If not, I am sure none of us have no problem taking in all this chow in front of you." Too enamored with a slice of pepperoni at the moment, Sketchy grunted in response. Max and Cindy looked at each other rolled their eyes expressively.
"Just what the doctor ordered," Max whispered, grasping for a slice of mushroom. She took a sizeable bite, practically swooning as she sucked in all the flavors. Walking around the table, she sat down to O.C. saying, "I have been craving mushrooms all day."
"Hey Max," a voice interrupted her delicious moment. "Who was that guy? You two seemed to know each other pretty well."
Max's eyes bugged out when she practically choked on a suddenly offensive piece of pizza. After a couple a solid swats on the back - helpfully donated by Sketchy - she regained herself. "An old friend," she mumbled.
"Oh," Alec said, suddenly piqued, though he tried to hide it. "Sooo, how did you two meet?"
"Uh, he uh, dropped off pizzas here before," she said, her eyes desperately beseeching Cindy for some sort of help. She nodded in agreement, at a loss herself. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder between these two; while they involuntary moved closer towards the other, they kept trying to scratch their way out of the relationship, like it was some great trap ready to spring at any moment. And now all of the sudden Alec was initiating a chance to get to know his spouse. He almost seemed a teensy weensy bit envious, in a protective way.
She had yet to see the boy take his eyes off of his wife for more than twenty seconds whenever they were in the same room. O.C. decided to sit back and enjoy the drama, instinctively knowing there would be pieces to pick up later.
"What's his name?" Alec innocently asked. His hand started to tingle, so he absentmindedly scratched at it.
"Rafer," Max said.
The next question came without delay. "How long have you know him?"
Max was suddenly wary, the tension was mounting between them again. "What's with the twenty questions?"
"Just curious." He still involuntarily scratched at his hand; the tingling seemed to be getting worse.
Max swallowed convulsively. Something was definitely wrong here; Alec had shown more "curiousness" in the last two minutes than he had been in the past six months of marriage. She was desperately trying to think up some believable excuse to make a hasty exit when inspiration hit, ringing in the reverberation of an angry beeper. "It's Logan," she sighed, obviously relieved. She turned to Cindy, "I'm gonna go hit him back," she said. With unusual urgency, she made her way across the room, away from her friend's watchfulness and her husband's probing eyes.
O.C., on the other hand, watched the entire scene with something that could almost be described as pleasurable. One could never avoid the inevitable for too long a time. Alec was categorically suffering from early stages of jealousy. In this case jealousy was a good thing; it meant he cared. Things were going to be really aggressive for the next year or so, but Cindy had been armoring herself for the past six months. She watched Alec's tension coil up even further with Logan's buzz.
Cindy ran a quick mental checklist, seeing if she would be ready for the battles to come. Kleenex, chocolate, heartfelt advice, a hairbrush, and a baseball bat. Hey, one had to start somewhere, right?
*****
Max had returned to work exactly one hour and twenty-three minutes later. Not that some random, unusually cocky, 6 foot, darker-haired, genetically-enhanced gentleman was counting or anything. She waltzed into the dingy workplace, happily taking a package from a bewildered Normal, a content smile plastered sickeningly across her face.
Then again, Max had seemed a lot lighter within recent weeks. It was probably due to forgiving herself for her demise of her beloved brother. Alec knew that feeling himself, after seeing Rachel's ghost again, he felt rather buoyant as well.
Alec recalled the night of Max's exoneration. Still half-asleep, she confessed her own battle with a personal abhorrence due to a violent death. Strangely moved, Alec couldn't resist playing the knight in dented armor, pulling her close and doing the brotherly things. He had run his fingers through her rapidly growing hair, whispered soothing words against her skin that had been slick from tears' rivers. He had even said he loved her, and kissed her cheeks in a brotherly fashion.
No matter that "brotherly" was the last thing he had felt at the moment in question. He hadn't been with a woman in over three and a half years mind you. Needs long forgotten swept over him again, even stronger than his near drunken mistake with Minette. Something surreally domestic in holding a crying woman, that crying woman, stirred the long unavailable parts of his heart.
But when the girl walked in from a visit with 'lover-boy', looking like she'd just been handed the moon (or a brand new Ninja, whatever the girl may prefer), he couldn't help but feel a little...used almost. Alec had been the one to embrace her when she needed it the most, not Logan. Shoving his disturbing contemplations away, Alec moved in Max's general direction, feeling the sudden need to chat it up with a particularly lovely female on the way. By the time he finally sidled up behind Max, she was already engrossed in a conversation with her counterpart.
"...So you're coming right?" Max asked Original Cindy.
"Of course boo. I wouldn't miss Doggie-Dawg's birthday party for the world."
"Sooo," Alec began, almost sadistically pleased at Max's leap in surprise. He looked over his wife in an admonishing fashion. "Tsk, tsk, Dear. You should really be more careful. Who knows what brutal soul could come steal you away when you have your defenses down like that."
Max wheeled around to face him. "Shut up," came the response.
Alec ignored her command of course. "Sooo, what did 'lover-boy' want?"
"He wanted," Max said through clenched teeth, "to finalize some plans for Joshua's birthday party tonight."
"Hold up. You fly in here on cloud nine because of some birthday plans? Whew, what an exciting relationship!" he announced in an abnormally sarcastic manner, even for him.
Max cuffed him dead across the face. Alec's head swung back with the blow. It was hard to tell who was more shocked by the action; Max, Alec, or their audience, Cindy and Normal.
"Well, Maxie," he mockingly began, more severe than usual. "I didn't realize you were so touchy. Is it that time of the month again?" Unusually miffed, he swiveled on one heel, quickly grabbed a random package, and double-timed it out the door. Max was deserted ogling at the offending hand.
*****
Max and Alec didn't speak to each other until Josh's party. They didn't even see each other, in fact; it was studiously designed by the two of them to avoid any such contact. Alec had gone over to Joshua's pad early in order to help set up the whole extravaganza. Even in his joyous mood, his friend had noticed the tension in the younger X5, but wisely chose to make no comment. Cindy had called him before Alec even arrived, forewarning him of the day's events. Sensing the fact that she was putting a damper on her sensitive friend's party, she hurriedly told the Mog to enjoy himself. Max and Alec fight all the time.
Still, he couldn't help but feel distraught by Alec's lack of reaction to...anything. He moved like a robot, doing what was asked of him in a logical mode. Joshua missed Alec's flare; the kid was almost a full-blown Manticorian again. It was like the first time he caught Alec playing the piano. It was beautiful and flowing, but extremely indifferent; "Alec" just wasn't there. Mole, Dix, and Luke felt the stiffness, and tried to get him to unwind, but to no avail. There was no passion, just the movements. All in all, it sucked.
By the time the party was in full swing, Max had yet to show up. Logan was there. Everyone one was there, except Max. O.C. had shown up more than an hour earlier, keyed up to wish her "Big Boo" - as she lovingly referred to him - a happy birthday. Her arrival seemed to slap Alec out of his trance; for a few fleeting moments, he avidly searched the doorway for Max's entrance. O.C. gave Alec a wordless shrug, which he pretended not to notice. When it became painfully obvious the equivalent wasn't coming yet, he had fallen back into his usual humor. Except this time, he was perceptibly brewing some self-satisfied anger.
Minette, on the other hand, was unusually punctual, even early. She sashayed across the room to a certain unresponsive X-series. She had heard to news of the latest sparring, and was simply gleaming at the chance to play the sympathetic ear. Cindy rolled her eyes. The big man himself had to stifle a bit of a growl when she swept through the door. An astonished Cindy glanced at Josh, "Yo Big Boo, why did you invite the heifa?"
"Didn't want to," Josh said. "Inviting Max and Alec, and then - Bang! - there is Minette. Be rude not to invite her." He paused for a moment when an unexpected concept hit him. "Does she want to 'get busy' with Alec?"
O.C. nearly dropped her banner. "Dang, Big Boo! It took you that long to figure it out?" Off of Joshua's sheepish shrug, she patted him empathetically on the arm. "Joshua," she said. "Max and Alec..."
"They care for each other." Joshua finished ardently. "Family."
"Yeah, Big Boo," Cindy sighed. "I just wish they knew themselves how much."
"Max and Alec only fool Max and Alec."
"Huh?"
"They're scared to care. The more they fuse, the more they explode. But they only fool them. Minette knows, Logan knows, everyone knows."
Cindy nodded in appreciation. "That's deep."
If only dog-boy could blush. He needed to be complimented more often; his insight earned it. Some people, on the other hand, needed a reality smack them upside the head; but a smack down put everyone in this thorny position. O.C. would settle for a light tap for now.
And the "tap" had walked through the door right at that moment, unaware of both sets of eyes boring into her. She hunted down both of her mentors, who were still actively chatting it up. She was just arriving to their side, when Joshua stealthily elbowed Original Cindy to warn her. Max pretended not to notice. After receiving the formal party welcome, Joshua threw his arms around Max in an unbreakable bear hug and lifted her feet off the floor. Max cheerfully embraced him too, and planted an innocent kiss on his forehead.
Across the room, Alec's eyes flashed. Not that Cindy was looking for a reaction or anything.
Minette was still vainly trying to catch hot-boy's interest. She was so far unproductive; no amount of cleavage, booty-shaking, or seductive tones were catching his eye tonight. Something had finally caught his awareness; Minette could see the light in his eyes. Only it wasn't desire, not fully anyway. He was pissed, for lack of better term. Very pissed, somewhat wanting, and a little vulnerable Alec was not a good combination for Minette when his attention wasn't focused on her more deserving self. Minette didn't even have to circle around; only one woman could make this soldier that heated.
Maybe it would be better to watch the game from the sidelines...this half.
Original Cindy was more than a little worried; Minette actually stepping off was not only bizarre, it was shifty. Most likely she would become a vulture, circling around the outside until it was time to swoop in for the kill. It was a tactical maneuver, not a considerate one.
Alec was still scratching the back of his left palm furiously. He'd been doing that ever since lunch today.
Hmm.
*****
Logan had known Max was there by the time she had been through the doorway.
He had been watching Alec, who was uncharacteristically stormy. That slutty chick - Minnie? Mickey? Oh well, whatever her name was - was being more than ignored. She didn't exist; that, more than all the other news that day disturbed Logan the most. Joshua had been kind enough to tell the computer-whiz of the recent mishap between the duo, most likely to tip him off NOT to engage Alec in any sort of way. And judging by the steam rolling out of Alec's ears, engagement would be breathing within 20 feet of the X5.
Alec was always more than willing to toy with the dazzling Min...M-chick. But now he was in the middle of the party, and he had yet to turn his ears towards one of her vapid phrases. He hadn't flirted, touched her arm, or even acknowledge her presence. THAT made Logan uneasy. Almost back in a soldier-mode, Alec was harmony with his DNA; the cat in him was waiting for some unsuspecting prey to settle herself within the groove of the party. Then, when she least wary of an attack, he'd pounce. Hard.
Unfortunately, Alec's reckless prey and Logan's date were embodied in the same female waif. Maybe if Logan got to her first, he could play a Haven of some sort; help Max avoid the Plunge.
So, by the time Joshua had actually allowed Max to support herself on her own two feet, Logan was huddled on her side. Well, as huddled as one could be if he died from a stray touch. Hopefully, Alec would read between the lines and get the picture. But their lives and this "picture" were Surreal-Abstract art, constantly open to everyone's personal rationalization. And judging by the way Alec's glower deepened as Logan made his path through the maze of not-quite human bodies, Alec's interpretation wasn't constructive. Not by Logan's definition of constructive, anyway.
"Hey Max," he tried to casually greet.
Oblivious to the looming tempest that she was caught in the midst of, she lightly bounced back a "Hey" of her own.
Logan could feel the daggers painfully plunging into his back in systematic and clean motions. Alec must have been thoroughly incensed. Watching his nerve quickly flee away, Logan didn't bother to recognize the other man's presence. After Max had merrily greeted all of her friends, he steered her towards the kitchen, away from Alec's intrusive eyes.
"Max," he said. "I haven't seen much of you lately, what have you been up to?"
"Nothing much," Max responded, feeling too joyous to be bogged down by weighty conversation. Talking to Logan always seemed to lead to weighty conversation. Orphans' mistreatment in Chicago, prostitution in the Bronx, playful banter always seemed to circle back to the idealism where all men, women, transgenics, and anteaters were created equal.
Not that she wasn't guilty of intensely gray discourses herself. Between directing transgenics and a we're-not-like-that-but-we-kinda-are-except-for-a-genetically-engineered-virus-boyfriend, Max no longer had time for the more trivial. The less problematic questions like, "What did the Egyptians use to make the Sphinxes so durable?" or "Why are polish and Polish spelled the same yet pronounced so differently?" or even "Why is the line outside the boys' restroom always shorter than the one outside the girls'?"
Too make a long story short, Max felt too bubbly-jittery tonight to have conversation that actual could mean something. Some dark premonition kept dangling over her head; Max felt that if she could just keep the conversation light, she just might bypass some cataclysmic squall.
Tonight's forecast: "A raging storm is rushing into the Great Northwest. It has been advised to take cover."
*****
Alec was angry...no, fuming...no, no, no...livid. Alec was teeth-gnashing, wounded-pride, up-in-arms pissed.
Now that sounded right. It even had a little bit of a ring to it.
Now, if you asked the boy why he was so teeth-gnas...uh...upset, you'd earn yourself a permanent indentation of his knuckles on your cheek. Alec didn't know why, he just was.
It wasn't because he was actually injured by her blow today at Jam Pony. It wasn't because Logan was her certified fifth limb tonight. And it certainly wasn't because Max had been here for over three hours and forty-six minutes and the sniping wife had yet to acknowledge that yes, Alec was in fact alive.
Maybe it was that time of the month again. Scientific studies confirmed that guys PMSed too.
Every instinct screamed for Alec to go in and throttle the girl. His Manticore upbringing itched for it, almost as badly as the back of his left hand. He looked over towards the kitchen, where Max, Mony and Dix were laughing over some joke. Just because she was gorgeous didn't mean...
...Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back the tank up...GORGEOUS?!? Where did that come from?
Forget it. It didn't matter anymore. That little blunder was the straw that broke this camel's back. He was through with the games. He furiously pushed his way through the bustling crowd, unmindful of the stunned friends and strangers he was mowing down.
He and Max needed to have a little heart-to-heart.
Now.
*****
Max's eyes strayed from Dix to Mony and back to Dix in a comprehensive fashion. Dix was too far gone in the telling of some amusing anecdote about the early gladiators to see the continuous and silent exchange in between the female counterparts. The women exchanged the "knowing smiles". Mony blushed and demurely smiled. Then she glanced up behind Max. Alec was driving his way through the dense crowd, his eyes glued dangerously on Max's barcode.
"...And the last gladiators were left..."
"Uh, Dix, querida," Mony interrupted, a nervous smile crossing her angelic face. "Maybe you and I should go talk to Luke. He seems awfully lonely."
"I'm almost done Mony." Dix replied steadily.
Max was distractedly saying farewells to Gem and her boyfriend CJ, suddenly oblivious to her present company and the predator haphazardly swerving in behind her. Mony, being the quick-thinking female, used Max's diversion to deftly elbow her boyfriend in the stomach and jerk her chin in Alec's direction. She and Dix needed to clear the general vicinity by the time the storm hit; and judging by his quickening pace they needed to move - pronto - in order to take cover.
Dix caught the subtle hint. "Uh, Max," he started, catching her attention once again. "We're going to go talk to Luke. He seems awfully...uh..."
"Lonely!" came the hiss in his ear.
"Lonely!" Dix echoed, loudly and entirely too earnestly. Pleasantries aside, Mony and Dix dove for cover.
Max started to shrug nonchalantly when a hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"We need to talk," came the dark whisper in her ear.
Max circled around in slow motion. The air was reverberating with thunderclouds and the distinct scent of imprisoned electricity. It didn't take a Manticore genius to know the storm was going to hit; remorselessly, relentlessly, and on top of her.
Where was an umbrella when a body needs one?
*****
Alec watched Max turn painstakingly slow, which only grated on his already abrasive nerves. "Now," he commanded. He wasn't to be trusted; a war raged in his eyes while his tone was deceptively low. Never, ever, a good combination.
"Alec, not right n..."
"Yes, Max." His voiced raised an angry notch. "Right. Now."
"People are staring," Max hissed. Indeed, several ordinary and extra-ordinary friends of Joshua's had turned to see what the commotion was about.
"I. Don't. Care." He said it succinctly, not to be swayed. He straightened, let his body seemingly relax, while pushing all the already coiling tension further inside. If he didn't get her out of here now, it was going to get ugly in front of a lot of witnesses. "Let's talk outside, shall we?" he said, his voice brighter.
The change in tone could have been comforting, with the exception that in order for Alec to make his pitch lighter, his pupils darkened and contracted even further.
*****
Logan watched the fire start, feeling like all he had to offer in opposition was a tiny toy bucket. But he'd use anything he had to protect Max from the ever-stoking flames. When Alec seized her arm tightly, he was ready to defend his lesser Maxie from the overgrown playground bully.
Original Cindy laid a solemn hand on his arm. She wasn't going to let him leave the sandbox and head for the dizzying heights of the jungle gym.
"Don't," she commanded. "Max has had this coming along time."
Logan could build sandcastles that would make any toddler proud, but the monkey bars were just beyond his grasp.
A defeated little boy glanced down at his hands. With seven small words, O.C. had put a sizeable hole in his plastic bucket.
*****
"I don't want to go outside with you," Max said, less confident and unsure of the beast before her. The hand and her arm gripped even tighter in a subconscious response. He smiled tersely, praying to every known deity that he could get her away before he did something stupid.
"I am not arguing with you, Maxie," he calmly said. "I am ordering you."
"No!" she exclaimed. By this time, everyone was watching; from a safe distance, of course.
"Last chance," he warned.
"No!" she exclaimed again, turning to walk away.
A shriek sounded across the house. With a sheer athletic grace that would make any female heart swoon, Alec let go retrieved Max's wrist again, pulled her back into his chest, wrapped his other arm around her thighs, and swung her over his shoulder. Storming towards the door as if his bundle weighed nothing, Alec barked out a loud, "Happy Birthday Josh!" and slammed the door behind him.
Original Cindy and Joshua traded tiny conspiratorial smiles across the room.
*****
Max had been in shock for the first block and a half of her jarring ride, courtesy of Alec's broad shoulder. When she had her wits again and fully took in her undignified position, she began to holler and pound on Alec's back, desperate for anyway down. It was all to no avail though. Who'd of thought that an extra ten years could teach a soldier how to make an indestructible "potato-sack" carrying position?
Amazingly enough, the walk was actually doing Alec some good. Was he still pissed? You can bet your butt on that. But at least he could see straight by now, and colors weren't so fuzzy any longer. Alec looked ahead for a place to "talk". Oh, a park. Absolutely perfect.
Crossing the threshold, Alec let his package roll off of his shoulder. With a muffled yelp, Max slammed to the ground. Within the two seconds it took her to rise to her feet, Alec had sprinted fifty yards away. He still needed to cool down, run off his anger, before he could face her without worrying if he'd just kill her and be done with it.
Max, stupidly, wasn't going to let him take that little breather. Fully riled, she took off after him. After several yards, she delivered a solid quarterback sack. Much to her amazement, the bastard wasn't even fully on the ground before he'd flipped her under him. Realizing she was pinned and suddenly terrified, Max began to claw at him. His face, his arms it didn't matter; he was more wrathful than he'd ever been. A downright murderous gleam had found his eyes. It took her until that precise moment to realize it. It was too late now though, Alec had slammed her wrists painfully against the ground, locking them inside one of his unyielding hands. Using his other hand, he gripped her chin painfully forcing her to look into his eyes.
She was petrified. Good; so was he. Alec stared into her eyes, his own completely blank. Max swallowed convulsively several times, her chest rhythmically pounding against his in their mutual gasp for the thick air.
"Alec," she began plaintively, searching for the man she married. He wasn't there; she was lying completely vulnerable underneath 494.
"No," the soldier rasped. "I talk now." A prolonged silence ensued, while 494 tried to reclaim his humane side.
"You treat me like dirt all these years. It's partially my own fault; I take your crap and keep on coming back. But no more, Maxie. No more." Alec was coming back; his eyes kept glittering with some obscure passion. "I want more from you. I have respected you, Max. I want some back."
"I do respect you, Alec."
"BULL!" Alec yelled down at her, smashing her wrists in the ground another time.
"You treat me like dirt. I am dirt. I know that. And every time I think I am cleaning myself out the tiniest bit, you come back and dump another load on me. No more." He was serious; Max felt herself soften as waves of shame washed back and forth over her steadily. She had hurt him more than he'd ever admitted. Probably didn't want to admit she had the power to. Both Max and Alec had preferred to think of him as stone, impervious and stable. But he was neither; he was flesh and blood.
And he could feel that blood rising in more than one way. Her still gasping beneath him, looking vulnerable, hair splayed didn't help matters much.
Max couldn't put into words just how repentant and guilty she felt. THIS is what Alec felt with Rachel. Well, partly. She could at least try to apologize though. "Alec," she started. "I am so very sor.."
A warm hand clamped tightly over his mouth. Tortured, he whispered fervently, "Shut up, Max." His palm rotated, leaving her lips under his thumb. Alec looked down towards his appendage.
Big Mistake. Not thinking clearly, Alec did something he had unknowingly wanted to do since Max had first kicked him in the stomach in her cell back at Manticore.
"For once in your life just shut up."
Two illogical lips slammed against hers. Max's eyes widened in surprise before they crashed shut. Her mouth opened in protest when his tongue skillfully snaked in to wage war with hers. One of Alec's hands grasped her hair tightly in defiance, pushing her face towards a better slant. His other hand craved the curve of her back, pushing her up against his chest. Two wounded soldiers moaned. The kiss was forceful, chaotic, and turbulent.
It was sloppy and proficient. Lips nipped at each other, too surreal to not be real. Life had distorted and inexplicably became clearer than ever. He was punishing her; but in this case, she didn't feel like fighting against the justice system.
Alec felt himself becoming lost. He had been starving for over six years. A bittersweet terror washed over him, a fear that if he let go now, this willing feast would disappear. But another panic stained, he suddenly felt unfit to dine at this table. He was stealing food from someone...a small contented whimper from Max and a tightened hand in his own hair made him suddenly not care. Steal what you can and run like Hell when you're caught.
But the host came back, complete with glasses, a keyboard, and an exoskeleton.
Logan.
Just as quickly as the lips descended on her, they pulled away. Max lay there silently, with the exception of her gasping for air. Hazily Max opened her eyes. Sitting up slowly, dazedly, Max's eyes caught a body next to her. Realization hit her in a painful blow.
She had just kissed her husband.
Her husband was Alec, the guy she married to stay in Seattle.
With Logan.
*****
After rolling off of her in such an abrupt fashion, Alec had contented himself to lie down next to her. Contented, Alec's mind scoffed at the thought. He wanted more. He could steal more.
Max was scuffling next to him, probably pushing herself into an upright position. He closed his eyes tightly, fighting off the demons. It was no use, he could still conjure up an image of her: cheeks flushed, hair in disarray, bleary-eyed, swollen-lips...
Alec heard a man groan in the distance. It was probably him, he couldn't tell. The blood was still pounding in his ears. A feminine hand touched his hair.
Up like a rocket, Alec completely regained his fleeting senses. "Don't touch me Max," he hoarsely begged. If she touched him again, he was through. Max slowly got to her feet, as if her body was boneless. He watched her; a desire stronger than physical and much safer unnamed, assailed him again.
The soldier was weak. The thief had been ensnared by his own conscience. So he did what any self-respecting soldier, thief, or man would do in his present situation.
He ran. Hard and Fast.
*****
Alec would never know his temporary wife had forgiven him every sin he'd committed.
Max would never know an interim husband had absolved her of murder.
*****
No one had a clue what Fate held in the palm of her hand.
Final A/N: I know there were a lot of mistakes in this section. But I was so excited to put it up, I just couldn't wait. Thank you for bearing it patiently.