Endure No More.
Part 10.
Disclaimer: If it has anything to do with Dark Angel or its production company, then it's not mine. I wish I did own something, but I don't.
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone in chat who has helped me out. You guys are great. Thanks again teegs for the betaing.
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Max knew the second Alec spotted her. His whole body language changed. He went from having a casual stance into a defence stance in the space of a nanosecond. This was not good. It definitely wasn't what she was hoping for. Where were the looks of desire from him? All the other males were attracted to her, why wasn't he?
As much as she wanted to just blend into the background something made her want to stand out in the crowd - make HIM notice HER and only her. Alec was hers, and no one else's. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she hadn't seen him for almost two months, but the need to possess him was so strong. The strength of this need unnerved her. She wasn't used to feeling this much out of control. Sure, she had felt a little jealous when he used to talk and flirt with women before, but now she was ready to kill any woman that stood between her and her mate.
As she started to saunter towards him with what she hoped was a sexy swing to her hips, he turned his back on her. He TURNED HIS BACK on her. She couldn't believed it. If she wasn't so angry she would have turned around right there and then and headed back to Seattle with her tail between her legs. As it was there was no way she was going to let that challenge pass her by.
Alec was hoping against hope that his refusal to acknowledge her would make her disappear. He knew it had failed as he smelled her getting closer and closer.
FUCK, fuck, fuck - in more ways than one - was all that his brain kept repeating. Talk about being conflicted. As much as his body tingled with excitement that she was here and in heat, his heart and mind were disappointed that she had so little regard for what he wanted. Why did she have to turn up now? He had a life he was enjoying but most of all he had the space he needed to think about stuff. For once, why couldn't she just do want he asked? It wasn't an unreasonable request, was it? It's the only thing he had asked of her - EVER.
His body craved her, even in the early stages of her heat. How was he going to cope when she was in the middle of her heat? As much as his body wanted her, his mind and heart weren't ready to take that step. How could she possibly love him when she didn't take any notice of his feelings and what he wanted? To him, love meant doing what your loved one wanted, even if you didn't want to. Obviously love had a different meaning to Max. All this thinking was giving him a headache.
Just then Bic came over to ask him about his little trip away. As she touched him on the arm to get his attention, Max blurred over to them, slapping Bic's arm away. Bic looked at Max in surprise, but then it clicked - the slap was a bit of a give-away really when she thought about it.
Bic moved away from Alec very slowly so as not to alarm Max any further. As much as she wanted Alec to be happy, there were certain limits to what she would and wouldn't do for him. Becoming a new punching bag for Max was one of those things that fell into the 'wouldn't do' category.
"What the hell do you think you are doing Max? Bic is my friend," said Alec rather angrily, dragging her by the arm inside his apartment. He didn't mean to take his frustration out on her, but he couldn't help it. "Just because you're in the beginning stages of heat, it doesn't give you the right to hit my friends."
"Wh . . . What did you just say?" stammered Max, all her fiery emotions evaporating. She couldn't believe it. She thought Manticore had fixed that problem as she hadn't been in heat for almost a year.
It didn't take long for her to regain her composure though. 'Hmmmm,' she thought, 'maybe I can use this to my advantage.'
"So Alec," she purred with a seductive grin. "What are you going to do about it?" Sultry, sexy Max was back.
Oh god, how was he meant to resist that smile? All he wanted to do was possess her - right here, right now. Just as he was about to pull her into his arms, his brain kicked into gear. Trust his brain to start working now, and not in five minutes time when he could have ignored it. Talk about timing.
"Nothing Max. That's what I'm going to do about it - nothing," he responded through clenched teeth, letting go of her arm that he had used to drag her inside. He had to physically turn away from her and wrap his arms around himself to stop from grabbing her again.
"I want more than sex from you and that's all it would be right now," whispered Alec so quietly that Max almost didn't hear him.
"No it wouldn't Alec. I love you, and I need you in my life. Not just now to help me through my heat, but for real." All traces of sexy Max had gone. Serious Max was in her place. She had to convince Alec, and she realised she couldn't use sex. She would have to try with words instead.
"You don't understand me Max. That's the problem," he whispered, arms still wrapped tightly around his sides, unable to trust himself if he unwound them.
"I need more than just sex from you. I truly wish I didn't, but I do," he said with a sigh and a slight grin before he continued. "I still don't know if you really love me, and you coming here when you are in heat doesn't help." He bit his lip trying to figure out what to say to her to make her understand.
"I came up here Alec to try and make you see just how much I love you, and want you back with me. I swear I had no idea I was in heat. But surely my heat can only be a blessing, not a curse?" she responded.
"How do I know this is really want you want and not something that is heat induced?" He paused, rubbing his hands up and down his arms trying to ignore the smell of her pheromones. "Even though you are only in the early stages of your heat, it could still be strong enough to make you travel all this way to me."
"If it was heat," Max couldn't help but interrupt him because his logic didn't make any sense to her, "that made me come all this way, shouldn't that make you realise that I love you? Wouldn't heat make me more prone to jump the closest male than travel hundreds of miles just to be with you?"
She sounded sincere, but as much as Alec wanted to believe her, he couldn't - not yet.
"It's not only your heat Max. It's the fact that I asked for time and space and you didn't give them to me. I've never asked you for anything else. How am I meant to feel when you can't even respect my simple requests?" All of this was said softly and quietly. It was hard for Alec to put into words how he was feeling. He needed her to understand. If she couldn't then he doubted whether they had a future together.
He couldn't help it. He had to turn around and look at her to see if he was getting through to her. He felt his body start to regain control from his brain. He couldn't handle seeing her look so sad and yet so incredibly sexy at the same time. Alec couldn't trust himself to be in the same room as her. One look and he was gone.
As the door shut with a resounding slam Max couldn't stop the tears from falling as she slumped to the ground. She had failed - again.