Acknowledgements: I'd like to thank Infie, alecsangel, NL and everyone in chat on Dec 8 for all their help. I couldn't have started or finished the story without them. And a thank you to my betas: Arwendle, and Infie (again).
December 27: Whistler, BC, Canada
Max's POV
Being cooped up in a car with Alec for eight hours wasn't as bad as I thought. Though, he still talked almost non-stop when I was awake. It seemed like he knew the place better than I did. He kept talking about all the things we could do while we were there. It seems that Canada wasn't as affected by the Pulse therefore, life there was still good.
We'd finally arrived at Whistler, one of the best ski resorts in the West back in the day. Since we were given the "couple's" package, we were staying at the Delta Whistler Resort, a once five-star hotel. I was pretty sure that in the standards of today, it was still a five-star hotel.
"Wow! Nice digs," said Alec as he scanned the lobby. It was beautifully furnished with a two grand staircases going up to the second floor on either sides of a glass elevator. It felt like we had stepped back into the grandeur of the 21st Century. No wonder they said that Canada had not changed.
"Hi, party for Guevara and McDowell," I said as I stepped up to the front desk.
"And what a party it'll be," Alec quipped as he slung his arm over my shoulders. For that remark, I oh so nicely elbowed him in the ribs.
"Honey, no kinky stuff till we get to our room. You did remember the handcuffs, didn't you, Max?"
Max snaps her fingers," I knew I was forgetting something."
"You're newlyweds aren't you?" interrupted Emily, the hostess.
"We're not like that," I replied immediately. Emily looked skeptical, but she didn't say a word, and I was thankful.
"You're in Suite 602. Please follow Bill, and he'll show you the way," said Emily as she handed us our keys. "Enjoy your stay, and have fun." Emily winked at us as we were leaving.
Our room was no different than the rest of the hotel. It was magnificent with a king size bed in the bedroom, a spacious adjacent living room with a mini-bar and a fireplace, and a mini-hot tub in the bathroom. Plus there was a small balcony attached to the bedroom that had a spectacular view of the mountains. All in all, it was spectacular.
"Hmm, let's see what we should do now," said Alec as he held up the brochure for our trip. "Mud baths, massages, candlelit dinner, a day-trip to Vancouver. Man, they actually have an itinerary for us."
"What?"
"Yeah, didn't you read it? We were supposed to check in before noon tomorrow, and everything is planned out. Luckily, it's only 3pm the day before, so we have some time to do what we want."
"Whatever. After that road trip, I need a bath. So do what you like."
"Maxie," Alec said sounding hurt. "You're not going to join me in my explorations of wonderful Whistler, BC?"
"Nope. Oh, and I get the bed."
"What?"
"I get the bed, and you get the couch. End of story."
"No way. There is no way that I'm sleeping on a couch for 10 days. Besides, the couch is too small for me."
"So what do you want me to do about it? I'm not sleeping with you."
"Well, then you take the couch. It fits you better anyways."
"No way. Don't you know the gentlemanly thing is to offer the bed to the woman?"
"Yeah, so? Ok, so I'm not much of a gentleman then. Fine, compromise?"
"Like what?"
"The bed is big enough for both of us."
"Hmm… fine. I guess it'll be easier that ways. But you stay on your side."
"Ok, sheesh. It's not like I've never platonically slept with a woman before."
"I don't count 'being friends afterward' as platonically sleeping with a woman, Alec."
"Oh well, I can learn."
"Whatever."
"Ok then. Well I'm going to go test the slopes. I'll see you for dinner." That being said, I headed to start my bath. I dimly heard Alec get ready and his departure. For some reason, it felt weird not going with him.
After my bath, I decided to take up Alec's suggestion and hit the slopes, so I quickly suited up and headed for the hills.
When I got there, I noticed there was a huge crowd at the bottom of the hill.
"So what's going on?" I asked a bystander.
"Oh. You must have just gotten here. My name is Janice."
"Hi, I'm Max."
"Well, there's a guy skiing the double black diamond slopes. We're all just around to see if he makes it or not."
"Is that difficult?"
"It's extremely difficult. No one in over 20 years has ever touched the double black diamonds here at Whistler. That's why he's attracting such a crowd. Besides he's a hottie."
"Oh." Since it was something they all seemed to marvel, I looked up as well to see who was doing such an amazing job on the slopes. Then I saw him. I sighed. Of course it was Alec. I should not have even been surprised about this. He always seems to have a natural talent for doing just about anything. I should have known it was him when Janice said the guy was hot.
I came out of my daze just as he reached the bottom and stopped in front of me.
"Hey Maxie, nice to see you're up and about."
"Of course," I replied indignantly.
"So wanna try?"
"No thanks. I think I'll start easy. I don't have as much training as you. Nor am I that talented or nuts."
"Did you just compliment me, Maxie?"
"In your dreams."
"No, Max, my dreams go far beyond mere compliments."
Instead of dignifying that with a reply, I simply hit him on the arm like per usual.
"Ow. What was that for?"
"For being you."
As he rubbed his arm, I took a second to look at what Janice cleverly described as 'hot'; her and the rest of the female population. Alec was dressed in a black, metallic Descente ski suit. Where on earth did he get that?! And with the sun shining off his hair and wind-burned cheeks, 'hot' did indeed seem to cover it. His eyes, even though covered with stunning mirrored shades that seemed to be molded to his face, were, as usual, full of mischief.
"Come on, Max, you'll be great! Enhanced reflexes, cat-like agility... you were born to ski!"
"No way. I prefer to get my handling before trying out the hard stuff."
"Max, it's fun," Alec encouraged.
"I know it's fun, but I'm also not reckless and nuts. So I think I'll stick to the easier stuff."
"Whatever then. Since you won't be joining me, I'll be going now. See you later." He sent a wink at avidly watching Janice, then skied away smoothly.
I caught Janice watching his ass as he left. Well, it was an ass worth watching. But for some reason, I suddenly saw red. I wanted to kick her ass so badly just for that. What the hell was wrong with me? It's not like he's mine or anything.
"Man, you're so lucky to have a guy like that," said Janice knocking me out of my trance.
"We're not like that."
"You're not?" Janice said astonished. "Damn, I can't believe a guy like that is single. Are you sure you're not like that? I mean from the looks of it, he looks like he really likes you."
"We're not together; we're just friends here on vacation."
"Well that's great news. Would you mind if I went after him? I'd love to have a chance with him. He seems like a great guy."
"Um, sure whatever," I replied uncomfortably. I really couldn't say no, since I said we weren't together. But damn, I really didn't want her around him for some reason.
"Thanks. I'll see you around. And maybe you'll find a guy of your own while you're here. I've heard that this place is legendary for couplage," said Janice as she walked away.
"What a bitch." I said, watching her leave.
I decided to watch Alec do another run before heading to easier slopes. As I watched, I noticed just how good he was. Every line, every jump was perfect. It was like he'd be born to ski. I guess Manticore did have it's benefits.
After hitting the slopes for a couple hours, I headed back in to get cleaned up and ready for dinner. Since the real classy stuff wasn't starting until tomorrow, I thought about a simple dinner at a diner. Since Alec wasn't back yet, it was still early, only 6:30pm. I left him a note.
Alec,
I'm at the diner down the road from the hotel. Meet me there when you get in.
Max
Hmm… good enough, I thought.
It's been half an hour and he's still not here. Just as I thought that last thought, he walked in the door in tight stone-washed denim jeans, a form fitting black turtleneck sweater with a navy blue ski jacket. Where does he get his clothes? It's like he has an unlimited supply or something. I had to wonder exactly how much money the boy had.
"Hey Max, sorry I'm late. I had to get cleaned up," he said as he walked up and sat down at the table.
"No problem. I figured you were enjoying the attention you were getting from the female populace here after your performance on the slopes."
"Aww Maxie, are you jealous of the attention?"
"Me? Jealous? Never."
"Suuuuure." Alec rolled his eyes at me. I couldn't believe it. He actually rolled his eyes at me. I slugged him on the shoulder.
Just as I was about to say something else the waitress interrupted us. "Aren't you two the cutest couple? So what would you like tonight dears?"
Alec smiled at her warmly, and she practically threw herself on his lap, the slut. She had to be sixty, for crying out loud!
"I'd like an All-Star Burger Platter, a side of fries, with a Coke please" replied Alec as he poured on the charm.
"No problem. Would you like anything else, a side of gravy to go with your fries?"
"No thanks."
"What about you dear, what would you like?"
"I'll have a Chicken Burger, fries on the side, no gravy and a root beer, thank you."
"Ok. It'll be a couple of minutes; I'll be back with your drinks in a few."
"Thanks, Holly" said Alec as she walked away with our orders.
After she was gone I realized that Alec had addressed her by name.
"Alec, how did you know her name?"
"Name tag, duh!"
"It figures you'd be looking at her breasts."
"Max, why would I look at hers when I can stare at yours which are directly across from me?"
"Because you're a pig," I said while kicking his shin as hard as I could under the table.
"Geez, enough with the kicking please." He winced and rubbed his now aching shin. "What is it with you and the violence? You need to get help with your anger management issues."
"I manage my anger just fine, thank you very much."
"Yeah, uh huh. By using me as a human punching bag."
"Come on Alec, we both know you're not human."
"That hurts." He placed a hand on his chest and winced for effect. "But then again, you're not either. So I guess we're even then."
"Ok, speaking of non-human issues, want to tell me how come you're so good at skiing?"
"Where do you think? Of course it's Manticore."
"Yeah, I kinda figured as much. But why?"
"Why? Coz I needed it for a mission in the Swiss Alps."
"Care to share the details of said mission?" I couldn't help but be curious about missions that Manticore sent its soldiers on.
"There's not much to share. I was sent to assassinate an important diplomat, and the way to do it was to become a skiing instructor at his lodge in the Swiss Alps. All there was to it. I did my job and went home."
"Did you just refer Manticore as home?"
"Yeah, I guess I did."
"Why?"
"Coz for the longest time it was home. They fed me, clothed me, and trained me to do a job, which I was good at. With the exception of Psy Ops, it wasn't all that bad. We had friends, and life was pretty good there. I hardly had a care in the world."
"Oh." Just as I was about to say another word, our food came.
"So Alec, do you regret being out here?"
"Not really. At first, it was kinda awkward, especially since everything was so different. And it didn't help that we got off on the wrong foot."
"I am sorry about that."
"It's ok. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be there, ignorant to what the real world is like. Besides, it's nice out here. There's more freedom and choice."
"So then is Manticore still home for you?"
"I don't know. I really haven't figured that out yet."
"Why's that?"
"Coz everything is different, even the concept of home. I'm not sure I know what home really is."
"Oh, ok."
"I'll let you know when I figure things out."
"Then how come you stayed in Seattle?"
"I thought it'd be a good place to figure things out."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah."
I didn't know why, but I felt kind of disappointed with that answer; it was like I was expecting more from him.
After that, we really didn't talk about much. We just ate in silence occasionally talking about what we'd do tomorrow. Alec must've memorized the itinerary or something, coz he knew exactly what was going on. Not that it was a bad thing for him to know it all. Tomorrow actually sounded fun and relaxing, which I suppose was just what we needed.
When we finished our dinner and paid the bill, we left the dinner and opted to take a walk around Whistler Village. It was so different than being in Seattle. Everyone here was friendly, nice and open. Most of the village buildings looked like small lodges and cottages made with wooden logs. It was incredibly quaint and amazing. Right then, I wished that I could stay there forever. Unbeknown to us, we had actually started holding hands as we were strolling. And when I'd finally notice that, I smiled inwardly, and then pulled my hand away. I still hadn't figure out what was going on, and until I knew, I couldn't string Alec along like that. Alec looked at me curiously. It seemed he didn't realize what had happened. I decided I wouldn't say anything, there was no reason to.
Alec's POV
During our stroll, it seemed natural for me to hold her hand. And for a while, she didn't notice. The feeling was incredible. For some reason, when she was close by, she gave me peace.
Of course, I didn't tell her what my real reason for staying in Seattle was. How could I tell her when I, myself, didn't know the answer? All I knew was that she made me feel things that I hadn't thought that I could ever feel. Instinctively, I knew that there was something different about her and who she was to me. But what was it?
I was disappointed when she finally realized we were holding hands because I knew she'd pull away, and she did. Even though I didn't know what she meant to me, I knew that I wanted her, and not just for a friend. There was something else and it was all from a baser instinct. I just wish that she'd listen to her instinct and see it soon. I really can't stand seeing her with that Ordinary.
I was reluctant to end our stroll. There was some sort of magic there. Everything was peaceful and calm, and for once, we were not snipping at each other. I didn't want to break such a perfect moment.
Suddenly, we were stopped by this woman standing in front of us with her hands on her hips. Then she walked up and slapped Max.
"You bitch," she screamed.
"What the fuck?" screamed a shocked Max. "Who hit me?"
"Max, are you ok?" I asked as I moved her hand away from her cheek to inspect the damage.
"I'm fine Alec," said an irritated Max as she brushed his hand away.
"Max, I thought you said that you weren't together and that you were just friends," interrupted a rather annoyed and pissed off Janice.
"Janice, first off, we're just friends. I wasn't lying. Second, do not hit me," said Max as she tried really hard to control her anger.
"Yeah right, like I'm going to believe you now. I saw you two together at the diner, then here holding hands like a good merry couple."
"We're not a couple! We're just friends."
"Sure whatever."
"No, really, we're just friends." I risked a glance at Max's tight face, then extended my hand to the woman with a smile. "I'm Alec," I said. I knew this was a bad idea because it would just piss Max off even more. But it was better than having Max possibly hurt this poor thing. And just when things were getting better between us, this had to happen. I sighed inwardly.
"I'm Janice."
"It's nice to meet you Janice. Max and I, we really are just friends."
"Well then, if you two really are just friends, why don't you meet me at the local pub in fifteen?"
"I hate to turn down such a beautiful woman." I faked a yawn. "But I just drove in from Seattle and I'm beat." I smiled at her again, warmer this time. "Can I take a rain check?"
"I guess so. I'm staying Lost Lake Lodge, just ask for Janice, they'll know."
"Ok then. It was nice meeting you. Bye."
When I turned back around, Max was glaring at me hotly. "What?" I asked innocently.
"Nothing," she ground out as she stalked away from me.
Damn it, I thought while muttering curses under my breath. I knew I screwed it up this time. I growled a little with exasperation, then followed.
Back in the hotel room…
Once we got back to our room, the first thing Max did was grabbed her stuff and headed to the bathroom. I sighed and winced as she slammed the door. I guess it'd be easiest if I got ready for bed.
I was pretty much stripped down to my boxers and in bed when I heard the shower cut off. I could picture her all wet and gleaming as she'd step out of the showers. No matter what she wore, even if it was an ugly oversized T-shirt, nothing could hide her figure. Oh god. How am I going to survive the night?
Max's POV
I couldn't believe Alec did that with Janice. I thought that things were changing between us. I had hoped that he'd given up his ways of picking up girls on a whim but I was so wrong.
Just when I was working up the anger to yell at him, I stepped out of the bathroom and stopped short as I discovered Alec sitting on the bed in nothing but black silk boxers. Quickly, my anger disappeared being replaced by a sudden heat running through me. My eyes roamed over his body as he flipped channels on the TV. His smooth, muscled chest was perfect in every way. His pecs were well-defined and he had the characteristic six-pack of abdominal muscles or possibly more. Even the muscles of his sandy-haired legs were sexy to me. I coughed at my thoughts and he turned and I couldn't help but notice that he was staring at me as though he were assessing me just as I had done a minute ago.
"Max, like what you see?" asked Alec mischievously.
"Do you?" I retorted.
"Of course Maxie. I always like what I see, especially when it's you."
"Sure whatever you say pretty boy." I tried to sound annoyed, but I found myself putting a little extra sway in my walk as I approached the bed. I saw his eyes widen with appreciation, and it went a long way towards improving my mood. I slid between the sheets and stretched, then plumped my pillow. Alec was still staring at me, jaw gaping.
"What?" I asked batting my eyelashes.
Alec's POV
I couldn't believe what was happening. Where was the bitchy Max that I knew? The Max I knew definitely wouldn't wink at me. No way! Well, at least she isn't angry with me anymore… or that's what it seems anyways. She looked so appealing, too. Wet hair slicked back against her skull, cheeks rosy from the shower.
Oh God! I groaned inwardly. Alec, stop thinking about her.
I swallowed hard. I jumped from the bed, almost knocking her off in my haste. "Uh. My turn for the shower." A cold one, very, very cold one.
As I stepped out of the bathroom after the much needed shower, I noticed that the lights were out and that Max was asleep. I quickly slipped into bed as quietly as possible. I looked down at Max and saw such a sweet and innocent look on her. As if sensing me in her sleep, she moved closer to me and snuggled into my side. Oh man, I'm never going to get sleep tonight. I patiently controlled my breathing trying to relax, and hopefully be at least able to doze despite the soft body next to me.
To be Continued...
