Alec ran after him. He turned at the sound of footsteps and looked at Alec
warily. Alec stopped next to him, they just stood there looking at each
other, and then Blake sighed. "Sorry, it was just a shock that's all."
Alec looked at him then answered "Yeah, I know. We're being led by a niner. Kinda scary huh?"
Blake looked up at the statement then smiled. "Yeah, it's just that, they caused us so much pain. Some more than others 494." He turned dead serious eyes onto his companion. "But we both know that she's not the one leading us."
"Yeah I know but Max has saved my ass more than once and she is a good person."
Blake sighed, "yeah I just ...I dunno."
"So you and Jade go way back huh?" he asked as they started walking around TC.
Blake looked at him in surprise. "She told you then?" he asked.
"Told me what?" Alec asked him, confused.
"Nothing," he answered and changed the subject. "So what are we gonna do Boss?"
"Boss?" Alec asked amused.
"Well, you do outrank me and you are alpha to me too soooo..."
"Just as long as there's no confusion," Alec grinned at him and he smiled good naturedly back. "Hey do you know where your sister's staying?"
"I thought that you'd know?" he said.
"Well I tried to find out from Dix but I didn't know her designation."
"You don't know her designation!" Blake said in shock.
"No, she never told me, why?"
"Doesn't matter," he answered distractedly, "Doesn't matter."
They walked back to HQ just in time to see some new arrivals come in. There were a couple of X7's and an X8. Alec craned his neck in interest, this was the first X8 that he had seen in the city. He made a mental note to change the broadcast. He started suddenly when he heard a scream. He pushed his way past Max to see Jade on the ground pinching the cheeks of the X8 boy.
"What are you doing?" he heard Blake say behind him, with affectionate exasperation.
"Look at these cheeks," she giggled looking up at them. "What's your name?" she asked the boy. He muttered something unintelligible and Blake laughed.
"Maybe you should let go of his cheeks?" he suggested.
She glared at him but let go. "I don't have one," he said, rubbing his sore face.
"Well then I'm gonna call you Bubbles ok?" she said and then picked the surprised boy up in her arms. "Dix, he's gonna stay with me ok?" she yelled to him.
"Hey!" Blake called after her. He ran to catch up to her. "Do you think that this is a good idea?" keeping his voice low due to all the people around them but knowing that they could all hear him.
"Why wouldn't it be?" she replied. Bubbles yawned and she said, "I gotta go Blake, he's tired."
Blake watched her go, a mixture of emotions on his face. He didn't think that this was a good idea. Alec walked up to him. "Why shouldn't the kid stay with her?"
"You wouldn't understand," Blake bit out, Alec stepped back shocked at the emotion in his voice. "You wouldn't understand." He then followed Jade back to her apartment leaving Alec to look after him in confusion.
. .
He walked into her apartment, saw her lie the sleeping boy on her bed and pull her blankets up over him. He waited outside until she finished. She looked up at him and went back out to the living room. She waited expectantly for the lecture and it came.
"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed. "Do you really think that this will."
"I don't care what you say Blake, I'm gonna look after him alright?!"
He looked at her, his expression softening. "You know that this isn't going to help?"
"Well it won't hurt either will it? The kid needs someone to look after him and I'm gonna be the one to do it. At least maybe one of us could get a real childhood Blake." She looked up at him hoping that he would agree. He reached out and pulled her into a hug. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You know, he needs a dad?" she smirked.
"Well get Alec to do it. Hey, why haven't you told him anything?"
"Because he doesn't need to know."
"What do you mean he doesn't need to know, he was the other CO for Christ's sake. Of course he needs to know."
"You don't understand," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes.
He looked at her in shock, he hadn't seen her cry in so long. "What is it?" and she told him. She told him about Max, her heat. Everything. He just held her close, wanting to get rid of her pain but not knowing how. She fell asleep, exhausted from crying and he carried her over to her bed and put her down next to the kid. He smiled as her arm went instinctively over the sleeping boy. He backed out of her room quietly and then sighed to himself. Poor boy he thought, imagine having a name like Bubbles.
. .
Max watched the scene play out in front of her, she watched Blake walk away. She had heard their conversation before, why did Alec outrank Blake if they were both CO's and why was he alpha to him as well. She remembered Blake's reaction and grimaced. She didn't understand, she knew that the transgenics all resented her for escaping but she didn't think that they hated her for it. She went over to talk to Cece.
"Cece do people hate me because I'm rogue?" she asked quietly.
Cece looked up in surprise then glanced away quickly, looking for an escape but not seeing one, sighed and tried to think of an answer to Max's question. "They don't ." she stopped. She opened her mouth to start again but then shut it again.
Max seeing her hesitation then said, "Were you punished for what we did?"
Cece glanced at her quickly and then decided to tell her. "We were punished Max, they put us through tests, psy ops and re-indrocrination. They didn't want us to do the same thing. They played millions and millions of images over saying that traitors will be killed, yada yada. You know crap like that. Everyone got it Max, not just the X's, even some of the nomalies who were still sent out into field. Some just got it worst than others."
"You mean like the twins?" Max whispered, thinking of Alec and Sam.
"Yeah the twins," Cece sighed. She looked at Max's bowed head. "Not all of us hate you Max."
"Yeah but some of you do." She pointed out.
"Yeah some of us just wish we could have been free too you know?" she said wistfully.
Max looked at her and smiled sadly, she looked around and saw Alec talking to Dix and made her way over there.
"Hey" she said tentatively. He looked up at her and nodded. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Changing the broadcast," he answered shortly.
"What broadcast?" she asked, confused.
"The one that tells the transgenics to come to TC."
"I didn't know we had a broadcast."
He didn't say anything. Then turned to Dix and said, "Make sure it tells the younger series to come too, I forgot that they were told to go to ground."
"It's not like you to forget something Alec," Dix smiled. He grinned ruefully back, "Yeah I've just had a lot on my mind." He walked away and heard her behind him.
"What do you want Max?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were CO?" she asked.
"Would you have believed me?"
She didn't say anything. "Exactly," he said. He turned to walk away again when she laid her hand on his.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
He looked down at her. "Max how many times have you called me a screw up?"
She looked down, "I'm sorry," she repeated.
He sighed, "well sorry just isn't going to cut it this time alright? I've had enough of it."
She looked up through her tears to see him walking away.
"Max?" someone said behind her.
"Logan," she said. She turned around, tensing her muscles in case she needed to get away fast.
"Guess what?" he breathed onto her. She stifled the urge to move to the other side of the room.
"What?" she asked, trying to breathe through her mouth. Logan looked and smelt like he hadn't taken a shower in days.
"I found them."
"Found who?"
"You're family."
She stood there in shock. Her family. Her mind reeling. He had found her family.
Alec looked at him then answered "Yeah, I know. We're being led by a niner. Kinda scary huh?"
Blake looked up at the statement then smiled. "Yeah, it's just that, they caused us so much pain. Some more than others 494." He turned dead serious eyes onto his companion. "But we both know that she's not the one leading us."
"Yeah I know but Max has saved my ass more than once and she is a good person."
Blake sighed, "yeah I just ...I dunno."
"So you and Jade go way back huh?" he asked as they started walking around TC.
Blake looked at him in surprise. "She told you then?" he asked.
"Told me what?" Alec asked him, confused.
"Nothing," he answered and changed the subject. "So what are we gonna do Boss?"
"Boss?" Alec asked amused.
"Well, you do outrank me and you are alpha to me too soooo..."
"Just as long as there's no confusion," Alec grinned at him and he smiled good naturedly back. "Hey do you know where your sister's staying?"
"I thought that you'd know?" he said.
"Well I tried to find out from Dix but I didn't know her designation."
"You don't know her designation!" Blake said in shock.
"No, she never told me, why?"
"Doesn't matter," he answered distractedly, "Doesn't matter."
They walked back to HQ just in time to see some new arrivals come in. There were a couple of X7's and an X8. Alec craned his neck in interest, this was the first X8 that he had seen in the city. He made a mental note to change the broadcast. He started suddenly when he heard a scream. He pushed his way past Max to see Jade on the ground pinching the cheeks of the X8 boy.
"What are you doing?" he heard Blake say behind him, with affectionate exasperation.
"Look at these cheeks," she giggled looking up at them. "What's your name?" she asked the boy. He muttered something unintelligible and Blake laughed.
"Maybe you should let go of his cheeks?" he suggested.
She glared at him but let go. "I don't have one," he said, rubbing his sore face.
"Well then I'm gonna call you Bubbles ok?" she said and then picked the surprised boy up in her arms. "Dix, he's gonna stay with me ok?" she yelled to him.
"Hey!" Blake called after her. He ran to catch up to her. "Do you think that this is a good idea?" keeping his voice low due to all the people around them but knowing that they could all hear him.
"Why wouldn't it be?" she replied. Bubbles yawned and she said, "I gotta go Blake, he's tired."
Blake watched her go, a mixture of emotions on his face. He didn't think that this was a good idea. Alec walked up to him. "Why shouldn't the kid stay with her?"
"You wouldn't understand," Blake bit out, Alec stepped back shocked at the emotion in his voice. "You wouldn't understand." He then followed Jade back to her apartment leaving Alec to look after him in confusion.
. .
He walked into her apartment, saw her lie the sleeping boy on her bed and pull her blankets up over him. He waited outside until she finished. She looked up at him and went back out to the living room. She waited expectantly for the lecture and it came.
"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed. "Do you really think that this will."
"I don't care what you say Blake, I'm gonna look after him alright?!"
He looked at her, his expression softening. "You know that this isn't going to help?"
"Well it won't hurt either will it? The kid needs someone to look after him and I'm gonna be the one to do it. At least maybe one of us could get a real childhood Blake." She looked up at him hoping that he would agree. He reached out and pulled her into a hug. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You know, he needs a dad?" she smirked.
"Well get Alec to do it. Hey, why haven't you told him anything?"
"Because he doesn't need to know."
"What do you mean he doesn't need to know, he was the other CO for Christ's sake. Of course he needs to know."
"You don't understand," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes.
He looked at her in shock, he hadn't seen her cry in so long. "What is it?" and she told him. She told him about Max, her heat. Everything. He just held her close, wanting to get rid of her pain but not knowing how. She fell asleep, exhausted from crying and he carried her over to her bed and put her down next to the kid. He smiled as her arm went instinctively over the sleeping boy. He backed out of her room quietly and then sighed to himself. Poor boy he thought, imagine having a name like Bubbles.
. .
Max watched the scene play out in front of her, she watched Blake walk away. She had heard their conversation before, why did Alec outrank Blake if they were both CO's and why was he alpha to him as well. She remembered Blake's reaction and grimaced. She didn't understand, she knew that the transgenics all resented her for escaping but she didn't think that they hated her for it. She went over to talk to Cece.
"Cece do people hate me because I'm rogue?" she asked quietly.
Cece looked up in surprise then glanced away quickly, looking for an escape but not seeing one, sighed and tried to think of an answer to Max's question. "They don't ." she stopped. She opened her mouth to start again but then shut it again.
Max seeing her hesitation then said, "Were you punished for what we did?"
Cece glanced at her quickly and then decided to tell her. "We were punished Max, they put us through tests, psy ops and re-indrocrination. They didn't want us to do the same thing. They played millions and millions of images over saying that traitors will be killed, yada yada. You know crap like that. Everyone got it Max, not just the X's, even some of the nomalies who were still sent out into field. Some just got it worst than others."
"You mean like the twins?" Max whispered, thinking of Alec and Sam.
"Yeah the twins," Cece sighed. She looked at Max's bowed head. "Not all of us hate you Max."
"Yeah but some of you do." She pointed out.
"Yeah some of us just wish we could have been free too you know?" she said wistfully.
Max looked at her and smiled sadly, she looked around and saw Alec talking to Dix and made her way over there.
"Hey" she said tentatively. He looked up at her and nodded. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Changing the broadcast," he answered shortly.
"What broadcast?" she asked, confused.
"The one that tells the transgenics to come to TC."
"I didn't know we had a broadcast."
He didn't say anything. Then turned to Dix and said, "Make sure it tells the younger series to come too, I forgot that they were told to go to ground."
"It's not like you to forget something Alec," Dix smiled. He grinned ruefully back, "Yeah I've just had a lot on my mind." He walked away and heard her behind him.
"What do you want Max?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were CO?" she asked.
"Would you have believed me?"
She didn't say anything. "Exactly," he said. He turned to walk away again when she laid her hand on his.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
He looked down at her. "Max how many times have you called me a screw up?"
She looked down, "I'm sorry," she repeated.
He sighed, "well sorry just isn't going to cut it this time alright? I've had enough of it."
She looked up through her tears to see him walking away.
"Max?" someone said behind her.
"Logan," she said. She turned around, tensing her muscles in case she needed to get away fast.
"Guess what?" he breathed onto her. She stifled the urge to move to the other side of the room.
"What?" she asked, trying to breathe through her mouth. Logan looked and smelt like he hadn't taken a shower in days.
"I found them."
"Found who?"
"You're family."
She stood there in shock. Her family. Her mind reeling. He had found her family.