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Part 12

The thumping of his heart bet painfully in his chest to the speed of his stride. He clutched Max close to his body, keeping her warm, trying not to jolt her about.

His right thigh felt like there was acid being poured onto it and he knew that he was bleeding but he pushed it all to the back of his mind, concentrating on his own breathing. His shirt felt wet and sticky with her blood and he clutched her tighter.

He was blurring now, forgetting about everything; he forgot about the people that watched in disbelief, forgot about the burning of his leg, forgot about Asha, about Sketchy and Cindy and Jondy, he forgot about Manticore, about Sam and about Cyd, the only thing in his mind was Max.

Her face was marred in a deep frown as she moved in his arms trying to fight him and he knew she was hallucinating. He focused his entire being on her, and getting her to Terminal City and to medical attention.

He didn't feel anything anymore, no pain, no joy and no despair only pure determination as he flew over the chain link fence of TC and burst into command center.

********

Dark shadows under her closed lids made them look even deeper sunk than truth and the paleness of her skin made her look more fragile. Her hair stuck to her sweat soaked brow and the only reason she wasn't thrashing anymore was because of the sedatives.

The crimson hue of the liquid that gave and took life was on his clothes, staining fabric and skin, both dried and fresh; the shades of red reminding of red sunsets and the last few minutes of light. He shook his head ridding himself of the treacherous doubtful thoughts that cluttered his mind.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her as he lay beside her, his blood mixing with hers.

It felt like a movie scene; the kind where it's a critical moment, a momentous twist and surprise in the story as the character fought for their life. And as you watched them struggle to breathe and looked at their battered features as a second person stood by them crying and sobbing and the slow tinkle of piano keys was the only sound.

It was like he was seeing everything through a movie screen. He could hear the music while people ran around talking and shouting but could only see their mouths move, the pain and despair upon their face. Her didn't feel them cut into his leg searching for the bullet or try to stop Max's bleeding. He was mesmerized. The key character looked peaceful, not shocked or regretful but simply un-opinionated and accepting.

His entire being was focused on her and he didn't even see the medics finish bandaging and stitching, cleaning their wounds. He watched with child-like fascination as his swirled with hers on the metal of the makeshift operating table.

He felt his head waver; both from exhaustion and blood loss, as he fell into a peaceful sleep.

*******

Standing in a room he didn't recognize, he looked around unaltered or threatened. There were no walls that he could see; no ceiling and a soft mist, preventing him from seeing where everything ended and began, covered the floor. One staircase was the only thing visible.

The feeling was like she was floating in a cloud but yet the ground beneath her feet was solid and…cold. Light music floated in, from where she couldn't say and as she studied everything around her in search of its source she saw one man at the bottom of the stairwell.

Alec turned hearing the sound of steps behind him and a shocked expression graced his mirthful lips as he watched her descend the steps. One hand held the hem of her dress, allowing her to walk freely, while the other skimmed the handrail.

When her foot touched the floor and she stood in front of him, his face mere inches above hers, he couldn't help the frightened path his hands took to her body. Checking, desperately searching for her wounds. Her small hands stopped his calloused ones and she looked down herself for the first time. Her eyes widened as they met his again, "I'm wearing a dress!"

Feeling his heart miss a beat as he realized that she was fine he couldn't help the grin, "There's a first time for everything."

She rolled her eyes at him and smacked his shoulder, "I've worn a dress before you moron. I was just shocked coz I don't remember putting it on."

Holding out his hand she took it not thinking twice, "You didn't Max. It's a dream."

Brown met green mixed with speckles of hazel, an earthy tone evolving that only served to increase his appeal in that moment, "Who's?"

"I don't know. I didn't know last time either," it was a simple answer but Max felt her own hope shatter in disappointment, "Oh. This has happened to you before."

Even knowing it was a statement he answered and she looked away embarrassed at her hopelessness.

As they danced around the room, the soft sound of a piano, he focussed on her face, finding her eyes softer and open, unlike the closed and hard orbs he found whenever looking into those chocolate pools. And he felt his pulse escalate again.

She knew he was searching for something, uncertain, fearful and yet filled with raw emotion she couldn't identify he watched her intensely so much that she almost jumped when he spoke, "Why do you hide from me?"

His question was surprising but yet she found an answer ready on her tongue, "For the same reasons we all do. We can't bear to relive what we've gone through. You won't understand Alec. You can't understand; you weren't there. You did things and then they tried to make you forget, and when you couldn't forget they had ways of making you not care."

His heart sped at her words; words filled with emotion he'd never seen in her, having only ever found sarcasm and teasing. His arms pulled her closer and she snuggled deeper in his embrace, "There are things I've done too. Things I should say but I never will but I should."

This was how it was supposed to be. Peaceful.

*********

The pain in her shoulder and side were still there but it had eased to a dull throb. She didn't dare open her eyes and see the medical equipment she knew would be there. Her mind searched for any clue on what had happened but her memory stopped when she was thrown into the cage.

It had happened again, like it had only happened once before and she'd been in Psy-ops for 6 months for it. Her eyes clenched as she fought the surfacing images, she fought the thoughts that she couldn't rid herself of, the voices inside her that told her she was just like 453.

It was the same side of her that told her that Brendan's death was her fault, and the one that insisted Manticore had killed him was getting smaller by the day, growing weaker.

The day she'd seen his body, battered, bruised and bloodied and short gasping breaths only seeming to get smaller as they dragged him away from her, was the day she'd lost control for the first time. Just like it had happened with White, the beast had escaped in all its ferocity.

She could hear the heart monitor that Dix had made speed up. The beeps sounded frantic to her ears as she fought inside her own mind, as she fought her own memories of what they'd shown her, of what she'd done.

A soft hand on her forehead startled her and her lids snapped open catching onto Jondy's, "Hey babe," the whispered words tearing her thoughts from the spiraling destruction they'd headed for.

Her sister's eyes were shiny with moisture but Max knew that Manticore training would forbid letting either cry. It had happened again.

*******