The meaning of the runes
By Sinful Starlet
Disclaimer: everybody! "Not mine, never will be, wish it was, etc etc"!
Rating: probably PG-13 - nothing too graphic!
Summary: Alternate take on events around and following 'Love Amongst the Runes' - certain aspects of the storylines around that time really bugged me! Basically Max discovers the runes, but they aren't quite as unique as she thought. What do they mean and what will that revelation mean to her and the ones she loves?
Author's note: Chapter eight is here! I apologise in advance because it's kinda short, but it makes more sense separating it this way. This is kind of a different spin on several 'morning after' Max/Alec scenes I've seen - take from that, what you will! Max finally lays a few things on the table, though what that means to Alec…
Oh yeah, and I've tried to avoid the corny - apologies if I strayed a little too far into corny territory, but that's just the way this scene came out! Hope ya like it anyway! *SS*
8
Alec locked the door behind them and then went to make them some coffee, while Max headed for the sofa. He joined her about three minutes later, with a cup in each hand, though he almost dropped them when he saw her face. It seemed that the last of the Guevara defence had finally collapsed and she had obviously been crying silently ever since she had walked into the apartment. He put the cups down immediately and sat down beside her, pulling her gently into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. He didn't say anything, not that he needed to - he just let her have her cry out, sitting silently with her and stroking her back. They stayed like that for longer than either of them realised - Max pouring out all her hurt and confusion, drawing on Alec's strength to soothe her into a moment of calm.
She eventually pulled back, sniffing and wiping her eyes, knowing that he didn't need her to offer any explanation or excuse, she just took the cup of coffee which was by this time almost stone cold and drank it slowly. "Come on," Alec said, suddenly standing up and offering her his hand. She looked at him questioningly, but took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet and lead her towards what turned out to be his bedroom. Max stopped jerkily on the threshold, a sense of panic setting in. Alec shook his head and just went over to the bed, straightening the duvet and fluffing up the pillows. "Stay here tonight," he said, walking back over to the door, "I'll sleep on the couch - that way I'll be around if you need…" he was going to say 'me' but instead substituted, "anything".
Max sighed with gratitude, more thankful to him at that moment than she had even been to anyone in all her life. She kicked off her shoes, and removed her jacket, but didn't even bother to remove any of her other clothes, just sliding under the duvet as she was, resting her head back against the cool pillow and closing her eyes in relief. She felt the dip in the mattress as he sat down beside her, and opened her eyes again to look into his. "Thanks, Alec," she said, knowing it was stupid and obvious, but unable to say anything more meaningful at that moment. "Anytime," Alec replied softly, leaning over her. He had meant to kiss her forehead, but at the last minute, he dipped his head lower and lightly touched his lips against hers.
*
The next morning, Logan made his way over to the apartment building. It'd taken him about half an hour to persuade Luke to actually tell him where Max would be, but he guessed he had Mole to thank for Luke's nervousness, having seen Mole talking to the other transgenic just as he was arriving. He climbed the stairs up to her floor and took a deep breath before knocking at the door. There was no answer. He checked at his watch, but she certainly should have been awake by now, so he knocked again. Still no answer. He tried the door, but it was firmly locked. He even tried calling her name, but eventually realised that she couldn't be there.
Which left him with door number two. A door he really didn't want to try at this particular moment, but he had to talk to Max, to say something about how sorry he was, to at least try and explain. So he swallowed his pride and knocked at the second door. Again, no answer. He briefly considered just giving up for the time being and trying somewhere else, but he figured it was worth at least one more shot, so he knocked again. This time he was rewarded with some sounds of life behind the door, and a few seconds later, it swung open to reveal Alec. The younger man was just pulling a shirt over his head, giving Logan a glimpse of the runes that looked as if they had only just started to fade, and he looked less than pleased to see him.
*
A few minutes before Logan arrived, Alec had awoken to find Max crouching next to the sofa where he had been sleeping, holding out a cup of coffee to him. He sat up, taking it from her, smiling gratefully. "How'd you sleep?" he asked after he had drank about half the cup. "Good," Max said, realising, "better than I have for a long time". "You're welcome," Alec said, smiling at her surprise that he had anticipated what she was about to say. "Well, I guess we better get over to the hub then," Max said, doing her best to just sound business-like for the time being, "and I want to check in with Gem as well today - see how she's doing". "Max?" Alec said, looking at her questioningly, wanting her to just talk to him, but not wanting to push her into any kind of admission. "Are you alright?" he asked, as she just sighed and looked away from him.
"Not exactly," she said, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ears, "but I got myself into this mess, right?" She sighed again, draining the glass of water she had left on the table, "I'm just sorry you got dragged into it too - that wasn't fair". Alec hesitated, not quite sure what to say. He had been mad at her, at first, for what she had said to Logan, but he was far from angry now. "Hey," he said, trying to assuage her guilt a little, "I know I wasn't exactly on board at first, but you were right - you did have to say something". "He's just acting the way he is now because he cares about you so much," Alec trailed off at that point, thinking 'I know exactly how he feels'. "Maybe," Max said, more to herself than anything else.
Alec could sense the awkward break in conversation, so he just put his cup down on the table and stood up, folding up the blanket he had been using and laying it over the back of the sofa. "I'll just go and get cleaned up," he said, "if you wanna wait for me, we can go over there together". Max nodded, sitting down on the sofa to wait, before getting up again to retrieve her boots from the bedroom, then sitting down again and starting to lace them up. Alec showered quickly, noticing that the runes on his chest were just starting to fade as he unconsciously trailed a finger across them. Shaking off whatever he had been thinking about, he stepped out of the bathroom, fastening the top button of his jeans, and grabbing the clean shirt he had found from the hook on the bathroom door.
He was about to pull it over his head, when he caught sight of Max again. She was still sitting on the sofa, looking for all the world like she hadn't moved since he had left, with a sadness in her expression that worried him more than he would have admitted. "Max?" he said, walking round so he could face her properly, dropping his shirt on top of the folded blanket and sitting down beside her. She sat in silence for several seconds, before she finally said, "Why do you stay here, Alec?" That threw him for a loop, and for a moment, Alec had absolutely no idea what to say, eventually managing a slightly less than intelligent, "What?"
"Seriously," she said, looking up at him, her expression unreadable, "I mean, sticking around here you've been captured by White, beaten up, shot, arrested - and the whole time I've either yelled at you or just told you that you deserved it all". "Max--" Alec cut in, trying to stop this whole guilt-trip she seemed to be on, but she apparently hadn't finished yet. "And if that wasn't enough," she went on, ignoring or not hearing Alec's interruption, "I then drag you into the whole emotional mess that is…or was my relationship with Logan". "I mean I've lectured you, laughed at you, fought you, and you're still here - why?"
Alec cursed inwardly - how could he possibly answer her? Whatever he was feeling, she didn't need that confusion dumped on her now, especially after everything else that was going on at the moment. He sat down beside her and forced himself to look cheerful, trying to brazen it out, "Stupidly persistent, I guess!" he said, keeping his tone as light as possible. He paused, possible about to take the dumbest chance he'd ever taken, but he had to know, "I mean if you'd rather I just took off, then---". "No!" Max said, surprising even herself with the forcefulness of her response, she looked down, "I know I've been a bitch to you a lot of the time, but I'm glad you stayed…".
It was Max that hesitated this time, summoning up the courage to say her next few words, "I don't know what I would have done these last few weeks, if you hadn't been here". "Come on, Max," Alec said, needing to say something, anything to break the silence that had descended between them, "you don't need me - you never have". "You're wrong," Max said, shaking her head firmly, her voice insistent, needing him to understand her, "more wrong than you could ever know". His heart leapt at those words, and he searched her face for the truth he was hoping had underlined them. She looked slowly up at him, apparently about to say something else, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door. At first, neither of them moved, but after a few seconds, the knock came again and as Max stood up, walking back to the bedroom, Alec, cursing under his breath got up to answer it. He picked up his discarded shirt, just pulling it over his head as he opened the door.
*
"Alec, I need to talk to her, please," Logan started before Alec got the chance to say anything, "I just want to apologise and she's not at home". It took virtually all the strength left in him to ask, "Is she here?" Alec did consider just slamming the door in his face, but he was spared any kind of response by Max's excellent timing. Before he got the chance to say or do anything, Max emerged from the bedroom, pulling on her jacket as she came. Her expression approached something like 'deer in headlights' as she took in the sight in front of her, but to her credit, she didn't panic, just walked slowly towards the two men, stopping right next to Alec. "I came to apologise, Max," Logan said, avoiding her glance for the time being, "but I'd rather do that later, when I can speak to you on your own". "As for now," he went on, "Dix is organising a meeting at the command centre, he wants you both to be there". He turned without saying another word, leaving them alone and heading quickly for the stairs.
Ok, sorry that was a little short, but I had to finish it there, otherwise this chapter would have been too long (with the TC meeting included, obviously). Anyway, I hope you liked it, and as always - I'll try and update soon with what could well be the last chapter of this story! *SS*