Authors Note

Sorry about the hideously long wait for part 3. My hubby is down with pneumonia, my cousin is visiting from Switzerland, and the psychologist is investigating my toddler to see if he has Autism (I don't think he does). Where does this leave time for me and my Alec obsession??

Max, Alec and I are all at an impasse. I know they want to have nookie, they know they want to have nookie, we just cannot agree on why they want to have nookie! As well as that, they are currently stationed at Point A. Point C is sex. I can't seem to find Point B that they need to go through first! Grrrr. Ideas would be appreciated!

The one thing I do know for sure now is that this is set sometime after Hello Goodbye.

Now back to our irregularly scheduled story reading.

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"I don't love you," Max murmured against Alec's lips.

Alec's eyes flew open, his hazel eyes sad and pain filled. "It's Logan again, isn't it," he said, pulling away. Putting his hand to his face, he rubbed his temples as if to hold off a headache. His body tensed as Max tentatively touched his arm. "Don't you think I deserve more than this, Max? Don't you think we deserve more than this?"

Max's hand stilled from where she had started to stroke his bicep.

Dropping his hand Alec continued. "I thought at least we were becoming friends, that you were starting to see past Ben's face and the virus. We talked Max. Yeah, so you said love sucks, but does that mean I deserve to get used when you feel you have to satisfy a physical need?"

"I..."

"No, Max," he cut her off. "it isn't enough anymore. I'm not saying I want love, poetry and all that crap, but I want more than...than...copulating!"

Max began to giggle, touching her head to Alec's upper arm, her shoulders shaking.

"What?" He looked at her in surprise. He hadn't said anything funny, had he? "What?" he exclaimed again.

"Co...pu...lating" she managed to get out between giggles. "I still remember when you first said that to me. 'We've been paired off. I'm your breeding partner. We're supposed to copulate every night until you get pregnant.'" she mimicked.

Alec relaxed a little. "And you kicked my ass. First time of many." He gave a mock sigh. "If only I'd known all I had to do was sing to you, or write you bad poetry."

Silence reigned as they both remembered their first inauspicious meeting.

"It isn't Logan. Well not totally." She sighed, breaking the silence. "You were right you know, we don't belong with them, I was too wrapped up in being this 'normal' girl that I didn't see how wrong things were, and how far away from normal I was."

Alec wrapped an arm around Max and pulled her tight, kissing her hair. "You were always normal to me."

"I don't love you," Max began again, "But I do like you, Alec. Maybe Manticore had a few screws loose with it's whole breeding programme thing, but they were right in one way. We do belong together."

"Max.." She stopped him with a finger against his lips.

"You've always been there for me, even when I was bitching at you constantly. I've had enough not touching in case it killed someone, and before that taking everything slow until it was the right time. And what did it all come to? A million glances across a crowded room." She grimaced. "We made snails seem like a fast mode of transport."

Alec sucked her the tip of her finger gently, before releasing it, and raising his hand to smooth her hair. "And what makes this the right time?" he asked softly. "Will you go back to kicking my ass tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow will work itself out."

"Friends with benefits, huh?" he said, looking into her eyes.

"And what benefits they are," she murmured leaning forward to capture his lips in hers once more.

"And we haven't even explored the full scope of the care plan...dental, disability, vacation allowance..."

"Don't talk, just explore!"

"Yes, ma'am." Alec's hands followed orders immediately, pulling her shirt over her head, his lips following suit to taste the newly exposed smooth skin.

"What is that smell?" she said as she pulled at his jeans.

"Hmmm?"

"It just makes me feel... oooh what is that?" Max began to make throaty noises as she leaned closer to Alec's fly.

"Uh?"

Max closed her eyes and nuzzled her face near Alec's pocket as he glanced down at her in astonishment.

"What?" he began. "Oh no!" he sprang to his feet and pulled at his pocket, holding aloft a toy mouse by it's tail. Max sat up on her knees and tried to reach the mouse. "It's catnip, Max. There's a whole bunch of stray cats at... "

"It's wonderful," she purred, snatching the fake mouse and rubbing it across his chest.

Alec grabbed the mouse and flung it behind him. "Much as I like the mouse, Max, I really don't see it as a sex toy."

"Oh." she pouted.

"We keep getting interrupted. Maybe you should look at me as your sex toy?" he suggested.

Max pushed him roughly against Logan's work bench. "A toy isn't exactly what I had in mind."

TBC