A/N: I know I said I would explain about Max's little ressurection in this chapter, but I just got off into different places and decided I needed to end the chapter when I did, or it would end up being this long-assed thing. The next chapter is already written, I just need to put it in proper format. Logan forms a theory as to why Max came back to life, and the characters will go from there trying to figure it out. So It's not *really an explanation, but it might get some speculations going.
Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine. Dark Angel and all things associated with it belong to James Cameron, Charles Eglee, and Fox.
Chapter Thirteen
_____________________________________________________________
Killer
Logan Cale's Apartment
Seattle, Wa., September 14th, 2021
The refrigerator bulb hummed to life as he nudged the door quietly open, shading
his features in warm golden light.
Alec stood contemplating its contents in the chill morning air, pocketing one hand
in his jeans as his eyes perused the refrigerator's offerings, not seeing anything that
struck his fancy. Logan and his damn hoity-toity, rich-man food.
He sighed and snapped the door shut, leaning his back against the door and
shivering lightly in the chill early-morning air. The cold slithered over the sleek and taut
muscles of his abdomen, tightening the muscles in recoil of its loathsome touch.
Fatigue burned just beyond his eyes; he eased them shut.
*Damn. What a hell of a day.*
Explaining to a concerned Logan had been hard enough, when all he'd wanted to
do was crash on the couch and sleep for about a thousand years. But of course, good ol'
Eyes Only had insisted on asking about a million question, punctuating every other
sentence with "Are you all right?" And when that had finally grown tiresome, the
oh-so-original "Are you sure you're all right?" Both questions aimed at Max, of course;
Alec might as well have been chopped liver. But, of course, as soon as he'd tried to take
advantage of being ignored, and take a nice long nap, Logan had suddenly realized that
another person besides his precious Max Guevera was in the room, and turned to barrage
Alec with a series of, "What were you thinking? Do you two realize how much trouble
you're in? The media's having a field day with these 'transgenic murderers.'"
He'd taken the heat off himself easily enough, with a, "Hey, guess what. Max
died today." Ha. Let her explain that one, while he got some much-needed shut-eye.
Which he'd done, or tried to do, only to find that sleep eluded him. Maybe it was
Logan's ever-present, severely irritating, stick-up-the-ass, I'm-only-here-to-help voice
yapping on in the background. Or maybe, slumber had become complicated with the
grisly, all-too-realistic image of Max lying cold and motionless in his arms.
"No! Come on, dammit!" His frantic voice reverberated throughout his mind.
"Max! Max!"
*Shit.* Alec thought, pinching the bridge of his nose, hard, between thumb and
forefinger.
"Having trouble sleeping?"
His eyes snapped open to glimpse a slender figure darkening the kitchen
entrance. *Think about her, and she appears. Huh. Magic.*
"Yeah. Had some stuff to think about." he replied, and moved to allow her
access to the refrigerator. "What about you? Felt like a snack or something?"
She shrugged and hoisted herself onto the countertop. "Not really. Shark DNA
and all."
"Yeah." He didn't meet her gaze.
Silence drifted to embrace them, settling as a heavy veil over both. Max darted a
quick glance over to him beneath thick lashes, studying his brooding face.
"You and Logan seemed to be connecting. Maybe it was the whole
you-don't-realize-how-much-you-love-someone-until-you-almost-lose-them crap." Alec
said finally, his voice breaking the stillness.
"What?"
"You guys had the whole starry-eyed love thing going on. 'Oh, Max, I'm so glad
you're ok! What would my pitiful excuse of a life ever be without you?'" he mocked.
"It was one-sided." she said quietly.
He paused, scrunching his brow. *Well that wasn't what I expected.* "What?"
"The starry-eyed love thing. It was one-sided." she whispered, face pensive.
Alec thrust himself onto the countertop beside her, their jean-clad thighs
touching. "What do you mean?"
"And I wouldn't really call it 'the starry-eyed love thing.' He was glad we were
fine, that I wasn't dead after all. But...he's afraid of us. I could see it. In his eyes. He's
afraid of us, afraid of what we did."
"Logan loves you, Max. He's not afraid of you."
"Yes he is. At first, he was just concerned. And when you told him what
happened, I thought he was going to...I don't know, piss his pants or something."
Alec snorted lightly.
Max looked over at him, a slight smile curving her full lips. "Shut up. Pissing
your pants is a perfectly good way of showing your love for someone."
"Yeah, Max. I'll have to remember that one. I'm sure it'll impress the ladies."
"Anyway, he was just concerned at first. Wanted to make sure I was really ok.
But then, as we kept talking, and we got around to...Joshua, and the norms we killed, he
got this look in his eye. Like he was starting to realize what we are." Her voice dropped
to a whisper.
Instinctively, Alec reached out and took her hand.
"He looked at me like...like he thought I was suddenly going to lunge at him and
rip his head off or something." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know
how he can love me when he thinks I'm some kind of psycho killing machine."
She blinked up at him, eyes shimmering. "I miss him, Alec. I miss him so much. And
when I realized who'd killed him, that they were still out there...I just snapped. It was
like I couldn't control myself. I know that doesn't make it right, but I don't think Logan
understands why I did it. It's not like I got off on killing those norms."
"I know, Max." Alec whispered, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"And Logan does love you. Maybe I don't have much experience in that particular
field, but come on, it would take an extremely doped-up, extremely drunk Sketchy not to
see how much that man cares about you." *And how much she cares about him.* he added
silently, feeling a lump swell against the inside of his throat.
He stroked his thumb lightly along her palm.
"I'm not sure if I love him anymore." she whispered.
He stared at her, stunned, a million emotions surging through him. "What?"
"I don't...I don't know if I love him anymore. I just...he's one of them." she said,
and then, immediately feeling ashamed, shook her head fiercely. "That's not what I
meant. OC, Sketchy, the whole gang at Jam Pony, they're all norms. And I love them.
But what you said before, that night I almost killed Logan, it makes sense. It's too
dangerous for us to be with one of...them. We should be sticking to our own kind. To
our family." She lifted her eyes to his, the mahogany orbs turbulent in thought. "And
after all that's happened, it's made me start to think about me and Logan. About our
future together, even if we had the cure to the virus. It wouldn't work, no matter how
much we wanted it to. I'd just be putting him in danger."
Alec studied their entwined fingers, smoothing his fingertip lightly over the
caramel flesh of her knuckles, satin flesh whispering beneath the callused pad of his
hand. Max's eyes fluttered to track the movement of his finger, his soft touch rippling
undulations of pleasure all through her.
Overhead, the kitchen lights hummed with quiet nonchalance. Alec's face shone
softly beneath the gentle touch of illumination, each flawless plane shimmering in dusky
light. Max felt a sudden urge to reach out to him, touch that silky flesh with her
fingertips, trace the shape of those full lips.
"Max-" he began quietly.
"You tried to save me, didn't you?" she asked, cutting him off.
He glanced up at her. "You were unconscious. How would you know? Maybe I
just left you there, and ran to save my own ass."
"I heard you. When I was...dead. Or whatever I was. I could hear things. I could
feel you holding me. But it was dark. And I couldn't talk, I couldn't move. I remember
thinking your name, hearing your voice..." She met his gaze, full, sumptuous lips pursed
in thought. "You were crying. And saying you were sorry."
Alec reached with his free hand to scratch uncomfortably at the back of his neck.
"Because I let you die." he said, voice catching slightly. "I didn't stop the bastard in
time."
"Why? I mean, why did you care? All I've ever done is bitch at you and beat on
your ass."
He grinned slightly, breaking the tension of the moment. "That's just because
you like it so much. You'll use any excuse to get close to my ass." He shrugged. "Can't
say I blame you-it's pretty damn fine."
She punched him lightly on the kneecap, shaking her head. "Just do me a favor,
'kay?"
"What's that? You know I'll do anything for you Max-unless it involves anything
resembling work, getting up before 10:00, hitting on an ugly woman, or returning any of
the passes Normal attempts to make at me." Alec shrugged again. "Unless, of course,
we're talking sexual favors here, because in that case I just might perform any one of the
above if that's what it takes. Hell, maybe even all of them. It's been a little while since I
got any action in the sack."
She scowled at him. "Fine. I take back what I was just about to say."
"What?"
"I take it back. It doesn't matter what it was."
"Well you have to tell me what it was now. Gettin' a guy all excited like that,
Max, shame on you!"
"A discussion of a nonexistent favor gets you excited? God, no wonder you go to
all those titty bars for a little release, if you get worked up that easy! What happens when
you get all hot and heavy with some chick? Must take a while to get little soldier boy
calmed down."
"Well, I think you know what happens when I get all hot and heavy with some
chick. Let's just say she has trouble sitting down for a while-like a month. And I don't
get excited discussing nonexistent favors-just sexual ones. I happen to have a vivid
imagination, Max."
She smacked him in the chest.
"Ow, Max!"
"Shut up. I barely touched you."
"You left a handprint on my chest."
"Oh, poor baby." she mocked. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
"That might help. But I don't think just a little peck would do it. Gonna' need
some nibbling-maybe a little tongue. Especially for an injury like this."
"You're such a pig."
"And a conceited bastard, a womanizer, a pain in the ass, a screw-up...the list
goes on."
"Hey, finally you're starting to yourself in a less-than-magnificent light. What a
miracle-there is a God after all." she agreed, lips curving smugly. Her tone rang light, but he knew it to be a masquerade as he looked into her eyes. Pain
drifted thick within them, grief and guilt twining as one to darken her beautiful eyes. The
agony of losing Joshua would linger onward for a long time, no matter how much banter
they exchanged to try and conceal the hurt.
They fell silent once more. Alec moved his fingers lightly within her own, a bit
shocked to find that she hadn't let go, or broken his thumb.
"I was scared." he said quietly after a moment.
"Of what?"
"Of watching you die. Of losing someone else that I...of losing another friend."
he finished lamely, swallowing hard. "Max, I..."
Max set a finger softly to his lips, and brought her free hand to his face, to caress
the silk of his flesh.
His throat constricted in another hard swallow as his eyes flickered to meet hers.
Her face hovered so near, their breaths mingling as one, heat dancing between them. He
slipped his hand over her own and drew it slowly free of his face, turning her palm to his
lips.
She closed her eyes as Alec pressed a gentle kiss to her palm, his mouth lingering
against her skin.
*I love you. he thought, and longed to say the words out loud. I love you, Max
Guevera. That's why I cared. That's why I cried like a goddamn baby when you died.
Why the hell can't you understand that?*
He pulled back, studying her intensely as her eyes fluttered lethargically open.
"I'm not in love with Logan anymore." she whispered as he stroked his thumb
over her cheekbone.
"Really?" he asked, voice husky. "Before I thought it was just 'I don't know if
I'm in love with him anymore.'"
"I'm not. I've been trying to fight it, trying to persuade myself that I still love
him, that someday we'll work everything out between us. But I can't keep pretending. I
mean, I guess I have to face the truth sooner or later. That my feelings are changing."
Alec leaned forward, and his lips brushed her chin in a featherlight kiss. She
sought the warmth of his muscular body, and pressed closer, until their torsos fit snugly
against one another.
His scent embraced her, a clean, masculine smell that drifted tantalizingly near to
her nostrils. The heat of his body seared her flesh even through the shirt she wore, and
her heart began a thundering march within her chest.
"Your feelings are changing for who? Logan, or someone else?" Alec whispered,
losing himself in her nearness. He kissed her chin again, touching his fingers lightly to
her jaw.
She opened her eyes slightly, to find him peering at her through heavy lashes. It
almost broke her heart to glimpse the indecision and hesitation on his face, the fear
lurking in those beautiful hazel orbs.
Max thrust her hands to either side of his head, tangling her hands in the silken
threads of his hair, angling his face to her own. His breath fanned her gently; she felt his
hands move slowly, tentatively to her hips.
He closed the slight distance between them, and kissed her softly, almost
gingerly. His mouth featherlight against her own. He pressed his forehead gently to her
own, and she heard his breathing coming more raggedly now.
Their mouths twined once more, testing one another. Max slipped her hand
around to the back of his neck, her fingers grasping restlessly for his hair, tracing the
lines of his bar code.
He gripped her harder, more assuredly, his lips opening slightly beneath hers.
Mouth caressing hers slowly, luxuriously, all his movements slow and delicious.
She pressed herself hard into him, one hand untangling from his hair to trace the
hard, taut muscles of his abdomen. His heart hammered erratically beneath her palm,
fluttering wildly against silky fingertips as she drifted up his chest.
A sudden clearing of the throat from the kitchen entrance thrust them both apart,
panting and flushed.
"Am I interrupting something?"
*Yes. Yes you are interrupting something.* Alec thought irritably, running a hand
through his tousled hair as Max ripped herself from his arms.
"Logan!" she croaked, eyes widening.
He stood just within the entrance, face impassive, cerulean gaze turbulent as he
stroked sleep from his eyes.
"We weren't doing anything. Just talking." Max stammered, avoiding his gaze.
Alec rolled his eyes, feeling anger surge in his chest. *Too late Max. Your lover
boy saw us. Unless he's so desperate to believe that there's something left between you
two that he'll buy a story about how you suddenly stopped breathing and I was trying to
save your life by giving you mouth to mouth recusitation.*
"Huh." Logan muttered, eyeing Alec. "Talking. In some kind of morse code?
Sharing top secret plans so clandestine that you had to use your tongues to pass the
information along?"
*There's something new. Logan being sarcastic. Didn't know he had it in him.*
"Logan, I-"
"Max you don't have to explain anything. You're with Alec now. You're...a
couple." His voice caught slightly on the word. "I don't need an explanation."
"Not anymore." Alec said, rising abruptly. He shot a veiled look at Max, her full
lips swollen slightly from his kisses. "She's all yours, Logan. I don't want her anymore."
*Not in love with him anymore my ass, Max.* he thought bitterly. *I'm sure you
pulled away from me like I was on fire because you're not in love with him, and you
don't care what he thinks.*
"What?" Max demanded, her eyes confused and angry beneath thick lashes.
"What are you talking about?"
Logan shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting between them.
"I said, we're not a couple anymore. I think you can understand that. This is the
break-up part of a relationship, honey."
*I'm not going to be Logan's stand in. Or your fuck-at-leisure boy toy until
Wonder Boy gets the cure to the virus and you two can eat your pasta and go at each
other like animals.*
"What the hell is your problem?" Max hissed, stepping to grasp him by the arm.
He jerked out of her hold, ignoring the fire she thrust through him with her touch,
turned his back, and walked away.
* * *
"Sugah, don't you evah do that to Original Cindy again, or she going to have to
lay the smackdown on yo' ass. Logan told me 'bout ya little adventure beneath the
sewers."
Her arms closed hard around Max, thrusting the young woman's slender frame to
her. Max smiled sadly and slipped her arms around OC's shoulders, returning the fierce
embrace with equal fervor.
"I'm fine now." she whispered.
OC pulled back slightly, and Max glimpsed the shimmer of tears in her large dark
eyes. "Ya better move yo' fine little transgenic ass a little sooner next time. Let the
bullet hit yo' hot boy or somethin'."
Max's eyes drifted automatically to Alec, who perched on the couch staring
moodily at the TV, a brooding expression creasing his beautiful features. "He's already
taken too many bullets for me."
"I know, sugah. OC was just kiddin'. She ain't wantin' that boy hurt anymore
than yo' do." Her gaze followed Max's to the young man. "Speaking of yo' hot boy,
what's wrong with him? He looks like a little kid who just had his lollipop taken away."
Max scowled. "I don't know what the hell his problem is. Wait, yes I do. He's a
first class ass."
Original Cindy lifted both eyebrows. "Trouble in paradise fo' the latest
transgenic couple?"
"We're not really a couple. I told you that was just a cover-up to get Logan off
my back." She scowled again. "Or I should say we're not a couple period. Pretend or
real."
"Alec spilled yo' little secret?"
"He didn't tell Logan I lied to him. But he 'broke up' with me in front of Logan.
Right after we ki...uh, had a good talk, too."
"Uh huh. Sure that was what you were just goin' ta' say."
Max pulled Original Cindy into the kitchen with her, out of hearing range of a
certain transgenic. "Yo' finally came to yo' senses and jumped the fine specimen, didn't
ya?"
"Cindy?"
"Hey, Original Cindy can recognize a fine specimen of man when she sees one.
Just 'cause she does, though, don't go thinkin' she 'bout to change sides or somethin';
that sort of thing don't float her boat."
Max leaned heavily against the countertop, crossing both arms over her chest. "I
didn't jump him. We just...kissed. And then Logan walked in, and I pulled away from
Alec, and while Logan's sitting in the background babbling about how I don't owe him
an explanation because me and Alec are a couple and entitled to stuff like making out,
blah, blah, blah, Alec tells him we're not a couple anymore. And then he walked off.
Just like that."
"How was it?"
"Humiliating. Logan was just standing there staring at me, like he felt sorry for
me or something, when-"
"I meant the kiss, sugah."
Max paused, and the silence descended to envelop them. She swallowed and
looked away as OC's lips curved in a knowing smile.
"Ya liked it, didn't ya, Boo?"
"Yeah." Max whispered, not even bothering to lie. "I liked it. A lot." She lifted
turbulent eyes to her friend. "But Cindy, this is Alec. Mr. One Night Stands, No Strings
Attached. I don't want to get involved in something with him."
Original Cindy studied Max closely, the young transgenic's beautiful features
glowing in the ethereal light from the overhead bulbs. She shook her head slowly, tight
curls rustling over smooth ebony flesh. "Sugah, I don't know if you've noticed, but that
boy loves yo'. An' don't go lookin' at OC like that, 'cause she ain't never wrong. An'
yo' boy Alec loves ya. Yo'. Max Guevera. Not Original Cindy, not some bonk buddy of
his down at Crash."
"Alec only loves himself." Max replied weakly.
*His sobs penetrated her to the very core, harsh, wrenching sobs that trembled
them both as he clutched her limp body against him.
"I'm sorry."
The soft, tender pressure of his lips against her temple, nestling in the silken fall
of her hair. And the pleasant, heady warmth of his mouth on hers, touching briefly, his
lips slick with tears.*
Max squeezed her eyes shut.
"Ya hurt his feelings. With that whole Logan catchin' yo' two playin' a round o'
tonsil hockey, an' the way yo' just automatically pulled away from him. He don't want
to be a replacement fo' Logan. He wants to be first."
Max snuck a look at Alec.
"OC, what do I do?" she whispered, sounding torn.
"Tell him, sugah."
Max's head whipped back around to her friend. "Tell him what?"
"I think ya know what Original Cindy's talkin' 'bout, so don't go playin' dumb
with me, Boo."
The flesh of his brow rippled in a thousand lines of concentration. He hunched
toward the glowing monitor, eyes perusing the screen before him, lips moving
soundlessly.
Permeating the uncomfortable silence, the soft drone of the TV drifted to lightly
kiss his waiting ears, a cacophony of voices swirling to embrace his figure.
He brushed a finger lightly over his stubble, the coarse hair rasping over flesh.
Logan flicked a glance over his shoulder to the brooding Alec, one hand absently
drumming a staccato rhythm against the computer desk.
"You want something?" Alec asked without removing his eyes from the screen
before him.
"No." Logan replied quietly.
"Just admiring my natural beauty. I get it." the transgenic returned easily, tone
light, but something darker lurked beneath the forced carelessness of his voice.
Standing to his right, a slender, manicured hand resting on the back of his
computer chair, Asha shared a knowing look with Logan. "Max." the blond mouthed.
Logan's muscles tensed automatically at mention of his ex's name.
He returned to his work, fingers taking up their restless vigil once more.
"There are no new leads regarding the six sector cops murdered just yesterday by
a mysterious killer, but police promise they are doing everything in their power to find
the man responsible."
Alec reached for the remote and cranked the volume on the TV.
Asha and Logan swiveled as one to face the X-5, undulations of light dancing
across his face. "Whoa. Take a look at this."
Two dark heads protruded from the kitchen at the sound of his voice. "What's
going on?" Max said.
He flicked a hand to the TV screen. "Some guy knocked off six sector cops. And
a lady." His brows furrowed as he watched the news bulletin unravel before him. A look
of recognition, and then grim reality spread his features.
"Hover drone footage has confirmed that the killer possessed the great speed and
superior strength known to the X-5 series of transgenics."
"Shit." Max whispered, crossing to perch beside Alec on the couch, the earlier
drama forgotten in their joint concern. "That guy who attacked me a few days ago..."
"Might be him. The lady had her neck broken, and the throat ripped out. Sounds
like the work of a possible psycho transgenic." Alec agreed.
"You were attacked?" Logan broke in, his gaze flicking to Max.
"When I was gassing up my bike the other night. Some guy came out of nowhere
and just started going at me. I saw his barcode before he took off."
"There was a woman found a few nights ago, while you and Alec were missing.
Killed the same way as this one; neck broken, throat ripped out. There must be a
connection." Asha said.
"Some fool transgenic's loose in the city on a killin' spree? As if yo' two don't
have enough trouble comin' fo' yo' kind."
"We have to find this guy. There's enough shit going on between transgenics and
norms as it is. A transgenic killer going around snapping necks and ripping out throats
isn't exactly going to ease the animosity."
"Max, it's dangerous for you to be out now. The police know what you look like,
they know that you're a transgenic. And you can bet that as soon as the cops have you in
custody, White will know." Logan protested. She felt his intense gaze searing through
her.
"Well we can't just leave him out there to keep killing people!"
"The police don't know what I look like." Alec intervened, holding up a hand.
"Sugah, in case ya forgot, yo' ass was just arrested not too long ago."
"That's been cleared up. I can do a little snoopin' around at night for this guy.
No one will notice."
"What about White? He's got it out for you too-at least he wants me alive to find
out where his son is. He'll just shoot your ass on sight. It's too dangerous for you to be
out by yourself."
"I think I can manage without you to hold my hand, mommy Max." he returned
sarcastically, crossing his arms.
"Look, just because you can't set a foot outside without screwing up and landing
your ass in trouble, don't bitch at me. I was just stating a fact."
"I don't need you to come to my rescue. I can handle myself if White shows up.
And I'm not on Seattle's Top Ten Most Wanted list."
"You'll get yourself killed, Alec. Would you like me to count how many times
I've had to bail your ass out of trouble? Oh wait-we don't have all day. And if you'll
remember, your last encounter with White ended with a bomb in your head, and me
paying some greasy little nerd scientist five grand to take it out."
"Well we all realize that you're perfect, Max, but-"
"Hold it, yo' two. Time out, children. Original Cindy stoppin' this bitch now
before yo' two take out one another's eyes."
Max surged to her feet, palms clenched to fists at her sides. "Tonight, I'm going
after this guy. We can't afford to wait any longer." She cast a defiant look around.
"Anybody got anymore arguments?"
"I-"
"You-"
"Yes-"
"Boo-"
"Shut up!" she yelled over the creshendoing voices. "I said I was going after
him. When I asked if anyone had anymore arguments, it was a rhetorical question. I'm
going after him no matter what anyone says."
"Max, we've already lost you once in the past twenty-four hours. It could happen
all-too-easily again-and this time there might not be some miracle take place to bring you
back." Logan protested heatedly.
"Logan, give it up. She's got you so whipped anyway, I'm surprised you're even
bothering to argue with the Great One." Alec scoffed.
Max glared at him. "Shut up!"
Original Cindy glanced between them as they stared one another down for a
moment. *There enough sparks between those two to start a damn fire. Let's just hope it
don't blow up in their fine little faces.*
Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine. Dark Angel and all things associated with it belong to James Cameron, Charles Eglee, and Fox.
Chapter Thirteen
_____________________________________________________________
Killer
Logan Cale's Apartment
Seattle, Wa., September 14th, 2021
The refrigerator bulb hummed to life as he nudged the door quietly open, shading
his features in warm golden light.
Alec stood contemplating its contents in the chill morning air, pocketing one hand
in his jeans as his eyes perused the refrigerator's offerings, not seeing anything that
struck his fancy. Logan and his damn hoity-toity, rich-man food.
He sighed and snapped the door shut, leaning his back against the door and
shivering lightly in the chill early-morning air. The cold slithered over the sleek and taut
muscles of his abdomen, tightening the muscles in recoil of its loathsome touch.
Fatigue burned just beyond his eyes; he eased them shut.
*Damn. What a hell of a day.*
Explaining to a concerned Logan had been hard enough, when all he'd wanted to
do was crash on the couch and sleep for about a thousand years. But of course, good ol'
Eyes Only had insisted on asking about a million question, punctuating every other
sentence with "Are you all right?" And when that had finally grown tiresome, the
oh-so-original "Are you sure you're all right?" Both questions aimed at Max, of course;
Alec might as well have been chopped liver. But, of course, as soon as he'd tried to take
advantage of being ignored, and take a nice long nap, Logan had suddenly realized that
another person besides his precious Max Guevera was in the room, and turned to barrage
Alec with a series of, "What were you thinking? Do you two realize how much trouble
you're in? The media's having a field day with these 'transgenic murderers.'"
He'd taken the heat off himself easily enough, with a, "Hey, guess what. Max
died today." Ha. Let her explain that one, while he got some much-needed shut-eye.
Which he'd done, or tried to do, only to find that sleep eluded him. Maybe it was
Logan's ever-present, severely irritating, stick-up-the-ass, I'm-only-here-to-help voice
yapping on in the background. Or maybe, slumber had become complicated with the
grisly, all-too-realistic image of Max lying cold and motionless in his arms.
"No! Come on, dammit!" His frantic voice reverberated throughout his mind.
"Max! Max!"
*Shit.* Alec thought, pinching the bridge of his nose, hard, between thumb and
forefinger.
"Having trouble sleeping?"
His eyes snapped open to glimpse a slender figure darkening the kitchen
entrance. *Think about her, and she appears. Huh. Magic.*
"Yeah. Had some stuff to think about." he replied, and moved to allow her
access to the refrigerator. "What about you? Felt like a snack or something?"
She shrugged and hoisted herself onto the countertop. "Not really. Shark DNA
and all."
"Yeah." He didn't meet her gaze.
Silence drifted to embrace them, settling as a heavy veil over both. Max darted a
quick glance over to him beneath thick lashes, studying his brooding face.
"You and Logan seemed to be connecting. Maybe it was the whole
you-don't-realize-how-much-you-love-someone-until-you-almost-lose-them crap." Alec
said finally, his voice breaking the stillness.
"What?"
"You guys had the whole starry-eyed love thing going on. 'Oh, Max, I'm so glad
you're ok! What would my pitiful excuse of a life ever be without you?'" he mocked.
"It was one-sided." she said quietly.
He paused, scrunching his brow. *Well that wasn't what I expected.* "What?"
"The starry-eyed love thing. It was one-sided." she whispered, face pensive.
Alec thrust himself onto the countertop beside her, their jean-clad thighs
touching. "What do you mean?"
"And I wouldn't really call it 'the starry-eyed love thing.' He was glad we were
fine, that I wasn't dead after all. But...he's afraid of us. I could see it. In his eyes. He's
afraid of us, afraid of what we did."
"Logan loves you, Max. He's not afraid of you."
"Yes he is. At first, he was just concerned. And when you told him what
happened, I thought he was going to...I don't know, piss his pants or something."
Alec snorted lightly.
Max looked over at him, a slight smile curving her full lips. "Shut up. Pissing
your pants is a perfectly good way of showing your love for someone."
"Yeah, Max. I'll have to remember that one. I'm sure it'll impress the ladies."
"Anyway, he was just concerned at first. Wanted to make sure I was really ok.
But then, as we kept talking, and we got around to...Joshua, and the norms we killed, he
got this look in his eye. Like he was starting to realize what we are." Her voice dropped
to a whisper.
Instinctively, Alec reached out and took her hand.
"He looked at me like...like he thought I was suddenly going to lunge at him and
rip his head off or something." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know
how he can love me when he thinks I'm some kind of psycho killing machine."
She blinked up at him, eyes shimmering. "I miss him, Alec. I miss him so much. And
when I realized who'd killed him, that they were still out there...I just snapped. It was
like I couldn't control myself. I know that doesn't make it right, but I don't think Logan
understands why I did it. It's not like I got off on killing those norms."
"I know, Max." Alec whispered, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"And Logan does love you. Maybe I don't have much experience in that particular
field, but come on, it would take an extremely doped-up, extremely drunk Sketchy not to
see how much that man cares about you." *And how much she cares about him.* he added
silently, feeling a lump swell against the inside of his throat.
He stroked his thumb lightly along her palm.
"I'm not sure if I love him anymore." she whispered.
He stared at her, stunned, a million emotions surging through him. "What?"
"I don't...I don't know if I love him anymore. I just...he's one of them." she said,
and then, immediately feeling ashamed, shook her head fiercely. "That's not what I
meant. OC, Sketchy, the whole gang at Jam Pony, they're all norms. And I love them.
But what you said before, that night I almost killed Logan, it makes sense. It's too
dangerous for us to be with one of...them. We should be sticking to our own kind. To
our family." She lifted her eyes to his, the mahogany orbs turbulent in thought. "And
after all that's happened, it's made me start to think about me and Logan. About our
future together, even if we had the cure to the virus. It wouldn't work, no matter how
much we wanted it to. I'd just be putting him in danger."
Alec studied their entwined fingers, smoothing his fingertip lightly over the
caramel flesh of her knuckles, satin flesh whispering beneath the callused pad of his
hand. Max's eyes fluttered to track the movement of his finger, his soft touch rippling
undulations of pleasure all through her.
Overhead, the kitchen lights hummed with quiet nonchalance. Alec's face shone
softly beneath the gentle touch of illumination, each flawless plane shimmering in dusky
light. Max felt a sudden urge to reach out to him, touch that silky flesh with her
fingertips, trace the shape of those full lips.
"Max-" he began quietly.
"You tried to save me, didn't you?" she asked, cutting him off.
He glanced up at her. "You were unconscious. How would you know? Maybe I
just left you there, and ran to save my own ass."
"I heard you. When I was...dead. Or whatever I was. I could hear things. I could
feel you holding me. But it was dark. And I couldn't talk, I couldn't move. I remember
thinking your name, hearing your voice..." She met his gaze, full, sumptuous lips pursed
in thought. "You were crying. And saying you were sorry."
Alec reached with his free hand to scratch uncomfortably at the back of his neck.
"Because I let you die." he said, voice catching slightly. "I didn't stop the bastard in
time."
"Why? I mean, why did you care? All I've ever done is bitch at you and beat on
your ass."
He grinned slightly, breaking the tension of the moment. "That's just because
you like it so much. You'll use any excuse to get close to my ass." He shrugged. "Can't
say I blame you-it's pretty damn fine."
She punched him lightly on the kneecap, shaking her head. "Just do me a favor,
'kay?"
"What's that? You know I'll do anything for you Max-unless it involves anything
resembling work, getting up before 10:00, hitting on an ugly woman, or returning any of
the passes Normal attempts to make at me." Alec shrugged again. "Unless, of course,
we're talking sexual favors here, because in that case I just might perform any one of the
above if that's what it takes. Hell, maybe even all of them. It's been a little while since I
got any action in the sack."
She scowled at him. "Fine. I take back what I was just about to say."
"What?"
"I take it back. It doesn't matter what it was."
"Well you have to tell me what it was now. Gettin' a guy all excited like that,
Max, shame on you!"
"A discussion of a nonexistent favor gets you excited? God, no wonder you go to
all those titty bars for a little release, if you get worked up that easy! What happens when
you get all hot and heavy with some chick? Must take a while to get little soldier boy
calmed down."
"Well, I think you know what happens when I get all hot and heavy with some
chick. Let's just say she has trouble sitting down for a while-like a month. And I don't
get excited discussing nonexistent favors-just sexual ones. I happen to have a vivid
imagination, Max."
She smacked him in the chest.
"Ow, Max!"
"Shut up. I barely touched you."
"You left a handprint on my chest."
"Oh, poor baby." she mocked. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
"That might help. But I don't think just a little peck would do it. Gonna' need
some nibbling-maybe a little tongue. Especially for an injury like this."
"You're such a pig."
"And a conceited bastard, a womanizer, a pain in the ass, a screw-up...the list
goes on."
"Hey, finally you're starting to yourself in a less-than-magnificent light. What a
miracle-there is a God after all." she agreed, lips curving smugly. Her tone rang light, but he knew it to be a masquerade as he looked into her eyes. Pain
drifted thick within them, grief and guilt twining as one to darken her beautiful eyes. The
agony of losing Joshua would linger onward for a long time, no matter how much banter
they exchanged to try and conceal the hurt.
They fell silent once more. Alec moved his fingers lightly within her own, a bit
shocked to find that she hadn't let go, or broken his thumb.
"I was scared." he said quietly after a moment.
"Of what?"
"Of watching you die. Of losing someone else that I...of losing another friend."
he finished lamely, swallowing hard. "Max, I..."
Max set a finger softly to his lips, and brought her free hand to his face, to caress
the silk of his flesh.
His throat constricted in another hard swallow as his eyes flickered to meet hers.
Her face hovered so near, their breaths mingling as one, heat dancing between them. He
slipped his hand over her own and drew it slowly free of his face, turning her palm to his
lips.
She closed her eyes as Alec pressed a gentle kiss to her palm, his mouth lingering
against her skin.
*I love you. he thought, and longed to say the words out loud. I love you, Max
Guevera. That's why I cared. That's why I cried like a goddamn baby when you died.
Why the hell can't you understand that?*
He pulled back, studying her intensely as her eyes fluttered lethargically open.
"I'm not in love with Logan anymore." she whispered as he stroked his thumb
over her cheekbone.
"Really?" he asked, voice husky. "Before I thought it was just 'I don't know if
I'm in love with him anymore.'"
"I'm not. I've been trying to fight it, trying to persuade myself that I still love
him, that someday we'll work everything out between us. But I can't keep pretending. I
mean, I guess I have to face the truth sooner or later. That my feelings are changing."
Alec leaned forward, and his lips brushed her chin in a featherlight kiss. She
sought the warmth of his muscular body, and pressed closer, until their torsos fit snugly
against one another.
His scent embraced her, a clean, masculine smell that drifted tantalizingly near to
her nostrils. The heat of his body seared her flesh even through the shirt she wore, and
her heart began a thundering march within her chest.
"Your feelings are changing for who? Logan, or someone else?" Alec whispered,
losing himself in her nearness. He kissed her chin again, touching his fingers lightly to
her jaw.
She opened her eyes slightly, to find him peering at her through heavy lashes. It
almost broke her heart to glimpse the indecision and hesitation on his face, the fear
lurking in those beautiful hazel orbs.
Max thrust her hands to either side of his head, tangling her hands in the silken
threads of his hair, angling his face to her own. His breath fanned her gently; she felt his
hands move slowly, tentatively to her hips.
He closed the slight distance between them, and kissed her softly, almost
gingerly. His mouth featherlight against her own. He pressed his forehead gently to her
own, and she heard his breathing coming more raggedly now.
Their mouths twined once more, testing one another. Max slipped her hand
around to the back of his neck, her fingers grasping restlessly for his hair, tracing the
lines of his bar code.
He gripped her harder, more assuredly, his lips opening slightly beneath hers.
Mouth caressing hers slowly, luxuriously, all his movements slow and delicious.
She pressed herself hard into him, one hand untangling from his hair to trace the
hard, taut muscles of his abdomen. His heart hammered erratically beneath her palm,
fluttering wildly against silky fingertips as she drifted up his chest.
A sudden clearing of the throat from the kitchen entrance thrust them both apart,
panting and flushed.
"Am I interrupting something?"
*Yes. Yes you are interrupting something.* Alec thought irritably, running a hand
through his tousled hair as Max ripped herself from his arms.
"Logan!" she croaked, eyes widening.
He stood just within the entrance, face impassive, cerulean gaze turbulent as he
stroked sleep from his eyes.
"We weren't doing anything. Just talking." Max stammered, avoiding his gaze.
Alec rolled his eyes, feeling anger surge in his chest. *Too late Max. Your lover
boy saw us. Unless he's so desperate to believe that there's something left between you
two that he'll buy a story about how you suddenly stopped breathing and I was trying to
save your life by giving you mouth to mouth recusitation.*
"Huh." Logan muttered, eyeing Alec. "Talking. In some kind of morse code?
Sharing top secret plans so clandestine that you had to use your tongues to pass the
information along?"
*There's something new. Logan being sarcastic. Didn't know he had it in him.*
"Logan, I-"
"Max you don't have to explain anything. You're with Alec now. You're...a
couple." His voice caught slightly on the word. "I don't need an explanation."
"Not anymore." Alec said, rising abruptly. He shot a veiled look at Max, her full
lips swollen slightly from his kisses. "She's all yours, Logan. I don't want her anymore."
*Not in love with him anymore my ass, Max.* he thought bitterly. *I'm sure you
pulled away from me like I was on fire because you're not in love with him, and you
don't care what he thinks.*
"What?" Max demanded, her eyes confused and angry beneath thick lashes.
"What are you talking about?"
Logan shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting between them.
"I said, we're not a couple anymore. I think you can understand that. This is the
break-up part of a relationship, honey."
*I'm not going to be Logan's stand in. Or your fuck-at-leisure boy toy until
Wonder Boy gets the cure to the virus and you two can eat your pasta and go at each
other like animals.*
"What the hell is your problem?" Max hissed, stepping to grasp him by the arm.
He jerked out of her hold, ignoring the fire she thrust through him with her touch,
turned his back, and walked away.
* * *
"Sugah, don't you evah do that to Original Cindy again, or she going to have to
lay the smackdown on yo' ass. Logan told me 'bout ya little adventure beneath the
sewers."
Her arms closed hard around Max, thrusting the young woman's slender frame to
her. Max smiled sadly and slipped her arms around OC's shoulders, returning the fierce
embrace with equal fervor.
"I'm fine now." she whispered.
OC pulled back slightly, and Max glimpsed the shimmer of tears in her large dark
eyes. "Ya better move yo' fine little transgenic ass a little sooner next time. Let the
bullet hit yo' hot boy or somethin'."
Max's eyes drifted automatically to Alec, who perched on the couch staring
moodily at the TV, a brooding expression creasing his beautiful features. "He's already
taken too many bullets for me."
"I know, sugah. OC was just kiddin'. She ain't wantin' that boy hurt anymore
than yo' do." Her gaze followed Max's to the young man. "Speaking of yo' hot boy,
what's wrong with him? He looks like a little kid who just had his lollipop taken away."
Max scowled. "I don't know what the hell his problem is. Wait, yes I do. He's a
first class ass."
Original Cindy lifted both eyebrows. "Trouble in paradise fo' the latest
transgenic couple?"
"We're not really a couple. I told you that was just a cover-up to get Logan off
my back." She scowled again. "Or I should say we're not a couple period. Pretend or
real."
"Alec spilled yo' little secret?"
"He didn't tell Logan I lied to him. But he 'broke up' with me in front of Logan.
Right after we ki...uh, had a good talk, too."
"Uh huh. Sure that was what you were just goin' ta' say."
Max pulled Original Cindy into the kitchen with her, out of hearing range of a
certain transgenic. "Yo' finally came to yo' senses and jumped the fine specimen, didn't
ya?"
"Cindy?"
"Hey, Original Cindy can recognize a fine specimen of man when she sees one.
Just 'cause she does, though, don't go thinkin' she 'bout to change sides or somethin';
that sort of thing don't float her boat."
Max leaned heavily against the countertop, crossing both arms over her chest. "I
didn't jump him. We just...kissed. And then Logan walked in, and I pulled away from
Alec, and while Logan's sitting in the background babbling about how I don't owe him
an explanation because me and Alec are a couple and entitled to stuff like making out,
blah, blah, blah, Alec tells him we're not a couple anymore. And then he walked off.
Just like that."
"How was it?"
"Humiliating. Logan was just standing there staring at me, like he felt sorry for
me or something, when-"
"I meant the kiss, sugah."
Max paused, and the silence descended to envelop them. She swallowed and
looked away as OC's lips curved in a knowing smile.
"Ya liked it, didn't ya, Boo?"
"Yeah." Max whispered, not even bothering to lie. "I liked it. A lot." She lifted
turbulent eyes to her friend. "But Cindy, this is Alec. Mr. One Night Stands, No Strings
Attached. I don't want to get involved in something with him."
Original Cindy studied Max closely, the young transgenic's beautiful features
glowing in the ethereal light from the overhead bulbs. She shook her head slowly, tight
curls rustling over smooth ebony flesh. "Sugah, I don't know if you've noticed, but that
boy loves yo'. An' don't go lookin' at OC like that, 'cause she ain't never wrong. An'
yo' boy Alec loves ya. Yo'. Max Guevera. Not Original Cindy, not some bonk buddy of
his down at Crash."
"Alec only loves himself." Max replied weakly.
*His sobs penetrated her to the very core, harsh, wrenching sobs that trembled
them both as he clutched her limp body against him.
"I'm sorry."
The soft, tender pressure of his lips against her temple, nestling in the silken fall
of her hair. And the pleasant, heady warmth of his mouth on hers, touching briefly, his
lips slick with tears.*
Max squeezed her eyes shut.
"Ya hurt his feelings. With that whole Logan catchin' yo' two playin' a round o'
tonsil hockey, an' the way yo' just automatically pulled away from him. He don't want
to be a replacement fo' Logan. He wants to be first."
Max snuck a look at Alec.
"OC, what do I do?" she whispered, sounding torn.
"Tell him, sugah."
Max's head whipped back around to her friend. "Tell him what?"
"I think ya know what Original Cindy's talkin' 'bout, so don't go playin' dumb
with me, Boo."
The flesh of his brow rippled in a thousand lines of concentration. He hunched
toward the glowing monitor, eyes perusing the screen before him, lips moving
soundlessly.
Permeating the uncomfortable silence, the soft drone of the TV drifted to lightly
kiss his waiting ears, a cacophony of voices swirling to embrace his figure.
He brushed a finger lightly over his stubble, the coarse hair rasping over flesh.
Logan flicked a glance over his shoulder to the brooding Alec, one hand absently
drumming a staccato rhythm against the computer desk.
"You want something?" Alec asked without removing his eyes from the screen
before him.
"No." Logan replied quietly.
"Just admiring my natural beauty. I get it." the transgenic returned easily, tone
light, but something darker lurked beneath the forced carelessness of his voice.
Standing to his right, a slender, manicured hand resting on the back of his
computer chair, Asha shared a knowing look with Logan. "Max." the blond mouthed.
Logan's muscles tensed automatically at mention of his ex's name.
He returned to his work, fingers taking up their restless vigil once more.
"There are no new leads regarding the six sector cops murdered just yesterday by
a mysterious killer, but police promise they are doing everything in their power to find
the man responsible."
Alec reached for the remote and cranked the volume on the TV.
Asha and Logan swiveled as one to face the X-5, undulations of light dancing
across his face. "Whoa. Take a look at this."
Two dark heads protruded from the kitchen at the sound of his voice. "What's
going on?" Max said.
He flicked a hand to the TV screen. "Some guy knocked off six sector cops. And
a lady." His brows furrowed as he watched the news bulletin unravel before him. A look
of recognition, and then grim reality spread his features.
"Hover drone footage has confirmed that the killer possessed the great speed and
superior strength known to the X-5 series of transgenics."
"Shit." Max whispered, crossing to perch beside Alec on the couch, the earlier
drama forgotten in their joint concern. "That guy who attacked me a few days ago..."
"Might be him. The lady had her neck broken, and the throat ripped out. Sounds
like the work of a possible psycho transgenic." Alec agreed.
"You were attacked?" Logan broke in, his gaze flicking to Max.
"When I was gassing up my bike the other night. Some guy came out of nowhere
and just started going at me. I saw his barcode before he took off."
"There was a woman found a few nights ago, while you and Alec were missing.
Killed the same way as this one; neck broken, throat ripped out. There must be a
connection." Asha said.
"Some fool transgenic's loose in the city on a killin' spree? As if yo' two don't
have enough trouble comin' fo' yo' kind."
"We have to find this guy. There's enough shit going on between transgenics and
norms as it is. A transgenic killer going around snapping necks and ripping out throats
isn't exactly going to ease the animosity."
"Max, it's dangerous for you to be out now. The police know what you look like,
they know that you're a transgenic. And you can bet that as soon as the cops have you in
custody, White will know." Logan protested. She felt his intense gaze searing through
her.
"Well we can't just leave him out there to keep killing people!"
"The police don't know what I look like." Alec intervened, holding up a hand.
"Sugah, in case ya forgot, yo' ass was just arrested not too long ago."
"That's been cleared up. I can do a little snoopin' around at night for this guy.
No one will notice."
"What about White? He's got it out for you too-at least he wants me alive to find
out where his son is. He'll just shoot your ass on sight. It's too dangerous for you to be
out by yourself."
"I think I can manage without you to hold my hand, mommy Max." he returned
sarcastically, crossing his arms.
"Look, just because you can't set a foot outside without screwing up and landing
your ass in trouble, don't bitch at me. I was just stating a fact."
"I don't need you to come to my rescue. I can handle myself if White shows up.
And I'm not on Seattle's Top Ten Most Wanted list."
"You'll get yourself killed, Alec. Would you like me to count how many times
I've had to bail your ass out of trouble? Oh wait-we don't have all day. And if you'll
remember, your last encounter with White ended with a bomb in your head, and me
paying some greasy little nerd scientist five grand to take it out."
"Well we all realize that you're perfect, Max, but-"
"Hold it, yo' two. Time out, children. Original Cindy stoppin' this bitch now
before yo' two take out one another's eyes."
Max surged to her feet, palms clenched to fists at her sides. "Tonight, I'm going
after this guy. We can't afford to wait any longer." She cast a defiant look around.
"Anybody got anymore arguments?"
"I-"
"You-"
"Yes-"
"Boo-"
"Shut up!" she yelled over the creshendoing voices. "I said I was going after
him. When I asked if anyone had anymore arguments, it was a rhetorical question. I'm
going after him no matter what anyone says."
"Max, we've already lost you once in the past twenty-four hours. It could happen
all-too-easily again-and this time there might not be some miracle take place to bring you
back." Logan protested heatedly.
"Logan, give it up. She's got you so whipped anyway, I'm surprised you're even
bothering to argue with the Great One." Alec scoffed.
Max glared at him. "Shut up!"
Original Cindy glanced between them as they stared one another down for a
moment. *There enough sparks between those two to start a damn fire. Let's just hope it
don't blow up in their fine little faces.*