Disclaimer : DA is not mine, yadda, yadda, yadda
A/N : This story was betaed by Suzy – Thanks so much for doing it so quickly
This is not as deep and profound as I hope it would be, sure hope I didn't mess it up ^^
Sorry bout the spacing – haven't figured it out yet – any1 care to enlighten me?
Summary : A bonding moment of sorts between our volatile pair
CHRYSALLIS"Thought I'd find you here" Alec said to the lonely figure sitting almost at the edge of the Space Needle.
"I came here to be alone." Max replied curtly, barely glancing at Alec as he stood only a few steps behind her.
She knew like always that Alec would find her. They were weird in the sense that they always knew instinctively where the other was. They weren't lovers, nor best of friends. At best you could call them kindred spirits with built-in radar.
"I thought you could use a friend with all that went down today."
Max tilted her head towards Alec but never lifted her gaze off the city lights of Seattle. It looked beautiful tonight. It was darker than usual on the Needle. The moon was hiding shyly behind the night clouds.
"Knock yourself out."
Alec took it as a yes and sat down beside her staring into the night just like Max. He waited for her to make the first move although he was content to just sit in silence till morning if that's what Max wanted.
The night was cold and windy. The blowing wind whipped through their hair. Max's longer hair had a life of its own as it kept caressing and teasing his face before leaving in its wake a hint of peach then coming back to tease and caress him again.
Alec didn't know why he felt the need to be with Max tonight – just that he didn't want her to go through this night alone. He had felt anger and disgust at Logan's pitiful excuses about why he was caught in bed with Asha earlier but it was nothing compared to the pain and betrayal in Max's eyes when she saw them going at it.
The stupid guy didn't even hear the two transgenic calling out for him in the living room, cause he was too busy making moany grunty sounds into Asha's ears. Small wonder Asha never heard them either, with the racket the moron was making in her ear. Alec had never pegged Logan for a moaner but for blue lady's sakes, did he have to find out like that? He felt so traumatized.
"Alec, why are you really here." Max said finally while turning her head to look at her silent companion. It was awkward to see Alec so out of character when she was so used to him chattering non-stop. Truth be told, she kind of missed his non-stop yakking.
Alec only shrugged. Why did he come here anyway? He couldn't understand why he felt the need to comfort Max every time she felt down. It was just one of those things. Maybe that was why they were paired off as breeding partners. Whatever it was in them that made them genetically compatible gave him impulses to always ensure his partner's happiness. Perhaps the guy who spliced their genes was one of those religiously inclined type – you know like those Thou Shalt rules. Even though, technically she wasn't his 'partner' – yet.
"Did you come here to gloat at me? To tell me I-told-you-so?!" Max getting incensed at Alec's non-answer mode. She told herself that she wasn't really pissed-off at Alec just at Logan but she could care less, a girl's got to have an outlet and if the said outlet was an innocent bystander, then so be it.
"Go on just say it! You know you've been wanting to say it..Say it!!"
Getting even more furious, Max started getting physical with Alec. She hauled him to his feet with his front jacket bunched in her hands, "Go.On.Tell.Me.Dammit!!"
She started hitting Alec with her hands and legs and still Alec said nothing. He just blocked her attacks automatically, knowing where and when her next blow will come. He allowed her to take out her anger on him, understanding that Max wasn't mad at him, just at Logan and possibly herself.
"Why the hell did you pick tonight of all nights to keep your trap shut!!" Max panted as she kept attacking Alec.
"So you can let it all out" came the quiet reply surprising Max into stopping her attack momentarily.
She narrowed her eyes at him, anger back in full force. "Yeah well, I don't need your pity!! I need your absence!!" Throwing back at him the comment he made not so long ago. Max aimed a sidekick at his left side when she spotted a hole in Alec's defense.
Alec cursed himself mentally for letting her last comment get to him. He told himself that it was just words, that it didn't matter. Max was just angry, she didn't mean it, but still it didn't make the slight sting of her words go away.
He feinted to the right and gave Max a hard punch to the gut, making her double over slightly. "Are you done yet?"
The mocking words only spurred her on despite her lagging energy – there was no beating Alec, they were both too evenly matched, with Alec having the advantage of 10 years of training on her. She took pride on her dirty street tactics, but Alec had been in the world for 1 year and he picked up quickly.
"NO.WAY.IN.HELL!!" Max gritted out as she intercepted Alec's arm, holding on to it she pulled Alec to her and brought her elbow up against the underside of his chin while extending her right arm fully catching Alec at the side of his head.
He fell and he took the chance to sweep Max off her feet. Hard.
Both of them lay there on the Space Needle panting heavily.
"Talk to me, Max."
"What makes you think I'd tell you anything?"
"Well, if you won't talk to me, then maybe I can get OC up here."
"The hell you are."
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry bout tonight, 'kay?"
Alec finally sat up and looked down quietly at Max who turned her head away from him,
"If you really wanna be alone, I'll get up and go right now."
Max just turned her whole body away from Alec and curled her body slightly.
"I'm gonna leave you alone now. If you need to talk, you know where to find me."
Alec got up slowly looking at Max the whole time, seeing that she wasn't likely to change her mind, he turned towards the broken window of the Space Needle. As he walked away he held his left side where Max hit him. *Note to self, never get Max pissed*
Alec had one foot over the windowsill when he heard a barely audible sob coming from Max's still-curled figure. The sound was tearing his insides apart.
He hated seeing Max sad, which was why he always tried his best to make her pissed off. When you're too pissed off at someone, you don't have time for other emotions. He hesitated for a second or two then headed back towards Max. *You just couldn't leave her alone could you, Alec. Jeez!*
Alec gingerly lay himself behind Max, wincing a little at his sore side as he pulled Max's stiff resisting body towards him. Laying his arm over her waist, he held her tight as she struggled to free herself.
Max stopped struggling as she realized that it was a futile exercise. She didn't want anyone to see her vulnerable and crying, especially Alec. But she was so tired of trying to be strong for everyone. Tired of being Max-the-kickass-chick-with-attitude.
One of the hardest things for her after escaping Manticore was being alone. With no one to comfort her when she was alone and afraid in this big bad world. It was worse when she had to suffer through her seizures alone.
Back in Manticore, she was never alone, surrounded by her siblings. Their warmth made her feel loved and wanted. Helping her make sense of the world that was Manticore. It made the trainings easier and the punishments bearable.
She gave out a little sigh and scooted a little closer to Alec's warm body. Alec tightened his hold on her and just held her quietly.
"Do you know what day today is?" Max suddenly asked.
"No. What?"
"It's the 2nd year anniversary of my meeting Logan." She swallowed a lump in her throat.
"I'm so sorry, Max." Alec kissed her head. "I'm so so sorry."
"Why? It wasn't your fault anyway."
"Hello. Max. Manticore. The virus. It's always my fault."
"Shut up Alec."
"Max?"
"Hmm..?"
"Why do you- never mind. Forget it"
Max elbowed Alec in the rib lightly, "Say it. I hate it when people leave me hanging like that, making me all fired up and curious. So spit it out."
"Max. Has anyone ever told you, you have serious control issues? Are you sure you want me to say this?"
"Alright, alright. But promise me you won't hit me." Alec said hearing the growl of exasperation from Max. "What do you see in Logan? I mean, 'sides his fatherly figure and all; I fail to see the attraction. Did you have a thing for fatherly figures? I guess technically Lydecker was kinda like a father."
This time Max elbowed him harder making Alec's breath whoosh out.
"Hey you promised not to hit me." Alec protested indignantly.
"I did no such thing. Anyone ever told you, your bedside manners sucks?"
"Why Max, I'm hurt you'd think that. Give me a chance and I'll show you just how excellent my bedside manners are. If you want, I could get you some referrals," Alec said half-jokingly.
"Shut up and I'm not interested in your bimbo notches."
"Max, I resent that you think I go only for blondes. Why, just last week I saw this beautiful brunette. I think her name was Lita or something. She had this-"
"Can it. I'm not interested in your bedroom history. Another word of it, I will personally see you off this Space Needle all the way down."
Max was getting irritated with the mentions of Alec's other 'women'. If she didn't know any better, she'd think she was jealous of all those other women.
"So, Max, you never quite said why Logan rocks your world."
"Well, actually it was his Bast that rocked my world. Do you have any idea how much that sells for in the market?" Max getting up on her elbow and looked down at Alec.
"Really? In that case maybe we should pay Bast a little visit ton-" Alec broke off when Max gave him a glare. "What?"
"We are NOT going to go back to that den of iniquity and take that Bast."
Alec blinked in playful surprise, "Max, aren't you a bit harsh here. Den of iniquity? And I definitely disagree with you – what better way of getting compensation for the psychological damage dealt to us tonight?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Look, you wanna hear the story or not?"
"Okay, okay. Shoot. I'm all ears."
He pulled her down to lie beside him again and kept his arm around her.
"He was the first-"
"I thought you said you guys weren't like that-"
"Let me finish. He was the first to know who and what I really am. Do you have any idea how hard it is to hide yourself for 10 years? All that running and hiding. Unable to get close to anyone. Unable to have lasting relationships? It's a lonely life. I've dated other guys before and each time it wouldn't last. They weren't happy with the little bit of myself that I could only share. They wanted more – and I couldn't give it to them."
"They were all morons. It's a typical genetic trait in Ordinary males."
Max smiled a little, turning in his arms to face him, "Yeah, they were all morons. Do you know what they thought of me?"
"That you are a hot chick with violent tendencies?" Alec deadpanned.
"No, you idiot. They said that being with me is like standing in a fog bank. Like you're right in the middle of something except you have no idea what. Said I was full of secrets." Max tried to say this lightly, but Alec detected a hint of hurt in her voice.
"A secret makes a woman woman."
"Now where did you hear that?"
"Oh, I read it somewhere from Victoria's Secret. Very educational literature."
He wiggled his eyebrows at her playfully earning a light laugh from her.
"Idiot"
"That you may call me – but you have to admit I'm a good looking idiot. I mean not that I am actually an idiot of course. I have one of the highest percentile IQ in Manticore."
"Whatever, idiot," Max retorted in a playful tone. She turned serious again, "You know my sister Tinga right? At first, I didn't think the human-transgen thing would work. I mean, it never worked before, with Darren and the others. They all thought I was way too secretive-wanting more than I can give. It's like they want to put me on a leash or something. But with Logan it was different. For once in my life for the first time since escaping Manticore, I could be myself with a Norm. That I didn't have to hide my transgenic powers. I thought I could give Logan a try and if we didn't work out, I'd just bail. No strings attached. I could do whatever it was that I was doing before. But when I saw what a happy life Tinga had with her normal husband and had Chase. I thought that maybe, just maybe I could have that too."
Max looked at Alec again, trying to gauge his response. All he did was just stare at her in silence.
"Well, say something. Anything. Tell me I told you so or that I'm a schmuck!" Max standing up abruptly to tower over Alec.
"What do you really want me to say, Max?" Alec finally answered looking up at her. "Do you want me to tell you that you did the right thing trying to hang on to Logan for two years for a fairytale ending? Tell me Max. What do you want me to say?"
Max visibly deflated in front Alec, all the fight leaving her. "Why can't I have what Tinga and Sam have? Is it too much to ask? My whole life has been so screwed up to this point. All I'm asking for is a normal relationship."
"Define normal Max. Why are you so gung-ho on measuring up to their standards? What's wrong with our standards? Look, about Tinga and Sam, well, they have an advantage over you. Their 'husbands'" Alec made air-quote sign with his fingers, "had no idea of their transgenic side. Logan did and no, Max it wasn't a no-strings attached relationship. There were plenty of strings attached to Logan's love. All those times where he put you at risk for his E.O pet projects-"
Max gaped at Alec's outburst.
Alec got up, tucking both his hands under his armpits.
"Look, just forget I said that okay? Do you think that those guys would've taken it calmly if your sisters had told them the truth? Chances are, your sisters would be leading a not-so normal life like you are now. Admit it Max, you loved being not normal. All those B & E jobs you used to pull, pre-Logan. Tell me you didn't have fun doing all that?"
Max sighed, "I hate it when you're right." Seeing Alec's smile at her made her she snap, "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna admit it."
*Where's the cam-corder when you need it. Max finally admitting that I'm right. This should go down in transgenic history* Alec thought a little regretfully but thanked Manticore for photogenic memory. No amount of Psy-Ops will wash this particular memory away.
"Don't worry, I won't make you admit it but can I say something?" Alec looked at Max.
Max stared apprehensively into those twinkling hazel-green eyes, *I definitely don't wanna know but, sigh blame it on my feline DNA*
"I know I'm gonna regret this but – shoot."
"I told you so" he smirked at her and ran when he felt Max starting to react to his comment. All this in less than 0.02 seconds.
"ALEC!! I'm so gonna kick your ass!!" Max yelled as she raced after his disappearing back.
"Admit it Max – you love my ass. That's why you keep wanting to touch it. You're obsessed." Came the gleeful reply coming back at her in the windy dark night – to an Ordinary, the wind would've garbled everything but because Max is a transgenic with encoded super-sharp hearing caught it all clearly.
The End