Chapter 6 - All Shook Up
A loud commotion was coming from the Front Gate and before Alec could ask what was going on Dix came running in.
"Max is back, with an army of trangenics," Dix said excitedly hopping from foot to foot as though he couldn't contain his excitement and then right out of the blue Dix added, "Logan is with them."
Alec frowned not liking that and he sat down heavily at his piano while Dix ran out of him room to go and greet Max. Alec didn't feel he could go down and face her. Not yet. What if she had changed her mind about him? He had stayed true to her all the time she had been away and Alec had hoped that she had stayed true to him. If she had then what was Logan doing here? The only answer that came to Alec was the cure to the virus had been found and Alec didn't want to think about what that meant. Alec suddenly noticed a figure in his doorway and froze thinking it was Max, but then he saw a shimmer of blonde hair and knew with relief it was Gem. He turned his attention to the piano and started playing a soft lilting melody and Gem sat beside him on the piano seat. She smiled ruefully and nudged him in the shoulder and he turned to return her smile. Alec removed his right hand from the ivory keys allowing Gem to take over, her slim white fingers dancing over the keys. Over the past year the two had played like this together and could anticipate the others next move, they knew each other that well.
"Why aren't you going out to meet her?" Gem asked referring to Max, trying not to sound as heartbroken as she felt by concentrating hard on her fingers. She wasn't going to deny that she had been in love with Alec since she first laid eyes on him when she had been pregnant with Ruby a year or so ago. She knew that Alec didn't feel the same way about her, it was obvious he loved Max and Gem knew she could ever compare to Max, how could anyone ever compare to her?
"Logan's with her," he said as though that explained his behaviour.
"What's your point?" she asked sharply and Alec slammed his left hand on the keys breaking off their song.
"The point is I have this feeling deep in my gut that something has changed with her," Alec said slowly and Gem shook her head staring openly at him,
"Are you sure you don't mean something has changed with you?" Gem asked the question tentatively and Alec gave her a blank look that told her he had never before thought about that question. Alec continued to stare at her in silence a million thoughts running through his head and Gem searched for something to say to recover from her discomfort.
"She's finally back, you've been pining for the girl for this past year and more, you may as well walk in there and marry her," Gem said finally hating herself for saying those words and Alec stared at her in shock not expecting her to say such a thing to him. He knew well enough how Gem felt about him and he had to admit to himself that he had thought about her in that way but he had always felt that he would be betraying Max by even thinking about Gem.
"You want me to ask her to.to.marry me?" Alec said and Gem mistook his amazement that she would tell him to marry another girl as an aversion to the thought of marriage to anyone.
"You damn bachelor, marriage is not such a dirty word," Gem scolded him and Alec smiled bemused.
"But why would she marry me?" Alec asked Gem and she rolled her eyes at his uncertain attitude. If it had been Gem, she would not have hesitated in saying yes to him.
"Because she loves you Alec," Gem spelled out speaking for herself and for what she hoped Max would feel for him and Gem reached over placing her left hand over his, pressing his fingers to play a tune lightly with his hands. Unconsciously he reached over and started doing the same to her hand and they turned to smile at each other amused by their little game.
"Alec," a voice called softly from the doorway and Alec stopped, recognising the voice immediately. It was the voice he had heard in his dreams this past year. Alec pulled away from Gem to turn to face Max and Gem stood up and discreetly left the room.
"Max I." Alec said smiling and Max lifted her head and stared at him with those soulful brown eyes he knew so well.
"They gave me the cure Alec, I can touch Logan," Max informed him slowly and Alec smile faded on his lips. He walked closer to Max and stared hard at her reading her eyes and what he saw there hurt him worse than any words possibly could.
"You love him don't you?" he said slowly and Max averted her eyes from him not saying anything but it was clear to Alec what was going on. He reached out and took her arms in his hands and started shaking her gently to make her look up at him but she didn't and Alec felt outrage flow through him. He had trusted Max, he had given her the love he had never dared give another and she had betrayed him.
"I can't believe it.I was just a.a replacement because you couldn't have him," Alec spat at her in disbelief letting go of her and turning away from her in disgust and Max looked furious but calmed herself.
"No Alec you weren't a replacement, I did love you, I do love you," Max said moving in front of Alec and she stared up in his eyes allowing her mind to be open to him and he saw that she was telling the truth.
"And you just fell out of love with me?" Alec asked softly and Max blinked once not wanting to have to say her next words but she knew she had to.
"No its just I love Logan more," Max said and never in her life would she forget the shattered look on Alec's face. He seemed to crumble before her eyes, his shoulders sagged and his head dropped. He moved away from her and sat on the piano seat burying his head in his hands and Max rushed to kneel before him raising his head with her hand.
"You were there for me when I needed you, you were and are the best friend I have ever known and while you have all of my trust and affection, Logan has my heart," Max told him and Alec stood up pushing her away from him, too heartbroken to care how rough he was with her.
"I'm sorry I gave you mine Max," he said to her sadly walking to the door and Max got to her feet.
"Alec please," she begged him and Alec turned back to her pain in his eyes.
"Even though you might regret the time we spent together I shall never regret it," Alec assured her adamantly and Max widened her eyes in shock.
"I don't regret it Alec, not one bit, I will always remember you fondly," Max tried to tell him and Alec gave a dry laugh and he stared her straight in the eye.
"Would that I could remember you as such," he said honestly and Max felt the sting of his words.
"Alec," she pleaded and Alec turned around not trusting himself to look at him anymore.
"Goodbye Max, I hope you will be happy," Alec said leaving the room ignoring the way Max kept calling his name and begging him to understand.
A loud commotion was coming from the Front Gate and before Alec could ask what was going on Dix came running in.
"Max is back, with an army of trangenics," Dix said excitedly hopping from foot to foot as though he couldn't contain his excitement and then right out of the blue Dix added, "Logan is with them."
Alec frowned not liking that and he sat down heavily at his piano while Dix ran out of him room to go and greet Max. Alec didn't feel he could go down and face her. Not yet. What if she had changed her mind about him? He had stayed true to her all the time she had been away and Alec had hoped that she had stayed true to him. If she had then what was Logan doing here? The only answer that came to Alec was the cure to the virus had been found and Alec didn't want to think about what that meant. Alec suddenly noticed a figure in his doorway and froze thinking it was Max, but then he saw a shimmer of blonde hair and knew with relief it was Gem. He turned his attention to the piano and started playing a soft lilting melody and Gem sat beside him on the piano seat. She smiled ruefully and nudged him in the shoulder and he turned to return her smile. Alec removed his right hand from the ivory keys allowing Gem to take over, her slim white fingers dancing over the keys. Over the past year the two had played like this together and could anticipate the others next move, they knew each other that well.
"Why aren't you going out to meet her?" Gem asked referring to Max, trying not to sound as heartbroken as she felt by concentrating hard on her fingers. She wasn't going to deny that she had been in love with Alec since she first laid eyes on him when she had been pregnant with Ruby a year or so ago. She knew that Alec didn't feel the same way about her, it was obvious he loved Max and Gem knew she could ever compare to Max, how could anyone ever compare to her?
"Logan's with her," he said as though that explained his behaviour.
"What's your point?" she asked sharply and Alec slammed his left hand on the keys breaking off their song.
"The point is I have this feeling deep in my gut that something has changed with her," Alec said slowly and Gem shook her head staring openly at him,
"Are you sure you don't mean something has changed with you?" Gem asked the question tentatively and Alec gave her a blank look that told her he had never before thought about that question. Alec continued to stare at her in silence a million thoughts running through his head and Gem searched for something to say to recover from her discomfort.
"She's finally back, you've been pining for the girl for this past year and more, you may as well walk in there and marry her," Gem said finally hating herself for saying those words and Alec stared at her in shock not expecting her to say such a thing to him. He knew well enough how Gem felt about him and he had to admit to himself that he had thought about her in that way but he had always felt that he would be betraying Max by even thinking about Gem.
"You want me to ask her to.to.marry me?" Alec said and Gem mistook his amazement that she would tell him to marry another girl as an aversion to the thought of marriage to anyone.
"You damn bachelor, marriage is not such a dirty word," Gem scolded him and Alec smiled bemused.
"But why would she marry me?" Alec asked Gem and she rolled her eyes at his uncertain attitude. If it had been Gem, she would not have hesitated in saying yes to him.
"Because she loves you Alec," Gem spelled out speaking for herself and for what she hoped Max would feel for him and Gem reached over placing her left hand over his, pressing his fingers to play a tune lightly with his hands. Unconsciously he reached over and started doing the same to her hand and they turned to smile at each other amused by their little game.
"Alec," a voice called softly from the doorway and Alec stopped, recognising the voice immediately. It was the voice he had heard in his dreams this past year. Alec pulled away from Gem to turn to face Max and Gem stood up and discreetly left the room.
"Max I." Alec said smiling and Max lifted her head and stared at him with those soulful brown eyes he knew so well.
"They gave me the cure Alec, I can touch Logan," Max informed him slowly and Alec smile faded on his lips. He walked closer to Max and stared hard at her reading her eyes and what he saw there hurt him worse than any words possibly could.
"You love him don't you?" he said slowly and Max averted her eyes from him not saying anything but it was clear to Alec what was going on. He reached out and took her arms in his hands and started shaking her gently to make her look up at him but she didn't and Alec felt outrage flow through him. He had trusted Max, he had given her the love he had never dared give another and she had betrayed him.
"I can't believe it.I was just a.a replacement because you couldn't have him," Alec spat at her in disbelief letting go of her and turning away from her in disgust and Max looked furious but calmed herself.
"No Alec you weren't a replacement, I did love you, I do love you," Max said moving in front of Alec and she stared up in his eyes allowing her mind to be open to him and he saw that she was telling the truth.
"And you just fell out of love with me?" Alec asked softly and Max blinked once not wanting to have to say her next words but she knew she had to.
"No its just I love Logan more," Max said and never in her life would she forget the shattered look on Alec's face. He seemed to crumble before her eyes, his shoulders sagged and his head dropped. He moved away from her and sat on the piano seat burying his head in his hands and Max rushed to kneel before him raising his head with her hand.
"You were there for me when I needed you, you were and are the best friend I have ever known and while you have all of my trust and affection, Logan has my heart," Max told him and Alec stood up pushing her away from him, too heartbroken to care how rough he was with her.
"I'm sorry I gave you mine Max," he said to her sadly walking to the door and Max got to her feet.
"Alec please," she begged him and Alec turned back to her pain in his eyes.
"Even though you might regret the time we spent together I shall never regret it," Alec assured her adamantly and Max widened her eyes in shock.
"I don't regret it Alec, not one bit, I will always remember you fondly," Max tried to tell him and Alec gave a dry laugh and he stared her straight in the eye.
"Would that I could remember you as such," he said honestly and Max felt the sting of his words.
"Alec," she pleaded and Alec turned around not trusting himself to look at him anymore.
"Goodbye Max, I hope you will be happy," Alec said leaving the room ignoring the way Max kept calling his name and begging him to understand.
