5
Alec had been all over Terminal City just watching to make sure that everything was running smoothly- or as Max would say, to go and brood. He knew that there was something that Max had wanted to say to him this morning but they had been interrupted before she could say anything. He could tell that whatever it was, was bothering her because she hadn't been her usual acid self to him, although to give her her dues she had been much nicer to him recently- it was almost enough to make a guy hope that…
He shook his head trying not to get his hopes up.
As he entered the base of operations he saw her with her head bent over the table in animated discussion with one of those kids that they had rescued that night all those months ago. What was his name? Bullet or something. He laughed at Max's names for them, he'd obviously gotten off lightly as when it came to names she appeared to have a lack of imagination. She seemed to take whatever came to her head first and reshape it, probably a good idea that she had thought he was a smart- Alec; after she had hit him he could have been named Concussion.
He stood back in the shadows and watched as she laughed at something the kid had said and reached out to ruffle his hair. The boy smiled up at her with plain adoration on his face and it was obvious that he was hanging on her every word and Alec couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Someone had a crush! Not that he could blame the kid, having the biggest crush of all for over two years before admitting that he was, in fact, head over heels in love with the girl.
Even if she did take every opportunity to smack him around. The thought made him grin harder.
He pushed himself away from the wall and crossed the bay.
"Hey Maxie." The little kid scowled at him as if he was deliberately taking away her attention.
"Alec." She smiled and he almost looked around to see who she was smiling at because he was sure that it wasn't at him.
"Picked you up a paper." He tossed the New World Weekly on the desk in front of her.
"Isn't that Mole?" Bullet asked with a confused look at the picture on the cover.
"We have a friend on the inside." She grinned at the thought of Sketchy "Plus I think Mole wants to be a celebrity."
"Everyone's after their 15 minutes of fame." Alec added as she flipped through the pages.
"Is that kind of exposure a good idea?" Bullet frowned
"It's great." Max smiled at him and Alec could have sworn the kid melted.
"What's happening?" he gestured to the maps.
"We got info that a truck load of transgenics are on their way here, we were trying to come up with a route that takes fewest sector checkpoints to get them to TC."
Alec moved closer inhaling her sweet scent "Where are they hailing from?"
"South." She pointed at the bottom of the map as he moved even closer and looked over her shoulder, fully expecting her to elbow him in the ribs and tell him about personal space.
To his surprise she didn't say a word.
"So when do we do this?"
"They are coming in tonight, and I will be taking a team, you'll be staying here."
His jaw dropped "Max!"
Why would she make him stay here? He was the best choice for the mission, he had been on rescue and evade missions with her before so why was she suddenly wanting him away from the field… unless she didn't trust him. He swallowed hard at the thought.
"It would make more sense if I-" he began his voice tight with hurt and confusion searching desperately for a reason why she wouldn't want him out there with her.
Max searched his eyes at his strained tone.
"Bullet would you excuse us for a second?" she glanced down at the boy receiving a grin in return.
She motioned for Alec to follow her up to her office and shut the door behind them.
"Alec?"
"Just don't." he bit out, his hands grasping the back of the chair so hard his knuckles were turning white.
"Just tell me why huh Max, I haven't screwed up any missions, I haven't shirked your orders or proved a liability so why keep me on the fence huh?" he choked past his hurt "Why don't you trust me?"
Max stared shocked for a minute.
"You think I don't trust you?"
"Why else would I have to stay behind?" he closed his eyes in disbelief. He had tried to prove himself to her time and time again and she still couldn't think of him as useful or as anything more than a screw up. It hurt so badly that she still didn't trust him.
"Alec," she paused "I have to go on this mission to show that I am prepared to do whatever I would have everyone else do. To show that I am not scared, not still a run-away oh-niner. But if something happens to me, I want to know that I have left TC and all the transgenics in the most capable hands that I have."
He looked up slowly
"That's you Alec. There is no one that I trust more. I know that I can rely on you to keep everyone safe and to keep them going if anything happens to me. Its not that I don't want you out in the field cause God knows we could use you. You have more tactical sense that most and you can follow orders." She started to pace "You can contribute and I always value your input." She abruptly turned to face him ignoring the shock that she saw on his face. "But I need you here."
Alec couldn't think. He couldn't believe that that had come from Max. She trusted him? She valued him? She thought he was capable of taking care of TC? He felt as if his world had just turned on its head.
Max's lips twitched at the dumbfounded look on his face and she moved forward and placed her hands over his.
"This is something I should have said a long time ago." She took a deep breath
"I'm sorry Alec."
His eyes shot to hers.
"I'm sorry for all the times I called you a screw up, I have never believed that. You were never a screw up." She paused "Occasionally a Dumbass but not a screw up."
He laughed despite himself.
"There is no way that I would have gotten through these last few months without your help and I never told you exactly how much I value you. I do."
She smiled and to Alec it was the sweetest thing he had ever seen in his entire life.
"Although you tell anyone I said that and I'll put the smack down on your ass." She said with her usual aggressive nature.
Suddenly Alec felt much less off kilter and he sighed "Oh thank God, for a moment there I thought I was talking to the nice twin."
Max slapped his arm. "Jerk I don't know why I bother!" but she couldn't stop her lips from curving.
"Hey, just because you have this fixation on my ass-"
"Don't finish that if you value your manhood." She raised an eyebrow and headed for the door.
"I'll call a meeting for the mission in two hours, be here."
"Sure thing boss." He watched as her ass sashayed away "Oh hey Max."
She half turned and glanced over her shoulder. He tried to come up with some witty rejoinder about how she valued him but he couldn't cheapen the gesture, not when it meant so much to him.
"Thanks." He said simply, sincerely and she nodded as she walked away.
tbc...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gabriela13- awesome really? sheepish grin thanks!
ringo-gurl- LOL, you are good for my ego hon.
ting- Skecthy is adorable and more than just a goofball, glad you liked him in the last part.
kitty37- Can't tell you what happens next- it's a surprise!!
acb- Thank you. Glad you read even though not a TC fan.
givealias- updated, howzthat?
Cloudburst-as always cheers pet, if someone takes the time and effort to email me i ALWAYs email back. its polite, plus i love talking to people who like my stuff. constructive criticism is appreciated! Bullet's about 16ish same as Ralph and Zero.
Alec had been all over Terminal City just watching to make sure that everything was running smoothly- or as Max would say, to go and brood. He knew that there was something that Max had wanted to say to him this morning but they had been interrupted before she could say anything. He could tell that whatever it was, was bothering her because she hadn't been her usual acid self to him, although to give her her dues she had been much nicer to him recently- it was almost enough to make a guy hope that…
He shook his head trying not to get his hopes up.
As he entered the base of operations he saw her with her head bent over the table in animated discussion with one of those kids that they had rescued that night all those months ago. What was his name? Bullet or something. He laughed at Max's names for them, he'd obviously gotten off lightly as when it came to names she appeared to have a lack of imagination. She seemed to take whatever came to her head first and reshape it, probably a good idea that she had thought he was a smart- Alec; after she had hit him he could have been named Concussion.
He stood back in the shadows and watched as she laughed at something the kid had said and reached out to ruffle his hair. The boy smiled up at her with plain adoration on his face and it was obvious that he was hanging on her every word and Alec couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Someone had a crush! Not that he could blame the kid, having the biggest crush of all for over two years before admitting that he was, in fact, head over heels in love with the girl.
Even if she did take every opportunity to smack him around. The thought made him grin harder.
He pushed himself away from the wall and crossed the bay.
"Hey Maxie." The little kid scowled at him as if he was deliberately taking away her attention.
"Alec." She smiled and he almost looked around to see who she was smiling at because he was sure that it wasn't at him.
"Picked you up a paper." He tossed the New World Weekly on the desk in front of her.
"Isn't that Mole?" Bullet asked with a confused look at the picture on the cover.
"We have a friend on the inside." She grinned at the thought of Sketchy "Plus I think Mole wants to be a celebrity."
"Everyone's after their 15 minutes of fame." Alec added as she flipped through the pages.
"Is that kind of exposure a good idea?" Bullet frowned
"It's great." Max smiled at him and Alec could have sworn the kid melted.
"What's happening?" he gestured to the maps.
"We got info that a truck load of transgenics are on their way here, we were trying to come up with a route that takes fewest sector checkpoints to get them to TC."
Alec moved closer inhaling her sweet scent "Where are they hailing from?"
"South." She pointed at the bottom of the map as he moved even closer and looked over her shoulder, fully expecting her to elbow him in the ribs and tell him about personal space.
To his surprise she didn't say a word.
"So when do we do this?"
"They are coming in tonight, and I will be taking a team, you'll be staying here."
His jaw dropped "Max!"
Why would she make him stay here? He was the best choice for the mission, he had been on rescue and evade missions with her before so why was she suddenly wanting him away from the field… unless she didn't trust him. He swallowed hard at the thought.
"It would make more sense if I-" he began his voice tight with hurt and confusion searching desperately for a reason why she wouldn't want him out there with her.
Max searched his eyes at his strained tone.
"Bullet would you excuse us for a second?" she glanced down at the boy receiving a grin in return.
She motioned for Alec to follow her up to her office and shut the door behind them.
"Alec?"
"Just don't." he bit out, his hands grasping the back of the chair so hard his knuckles were turning white.
"Just tell me why huh Max, I haven't screwed up any missions, I haven't shirked your orders or proved a liability so why keep me on the fence huh?" he choked past his hurt "Why don't you trust me?"
Max stared shocked for a minute.
"You think I don't trust you?"
"Why else would I have to stay behind?" he closed his eyes in disbelief. He had tried to prove himself to her time and time again and she still couldn't think of him as useful or as anything more than a screw up. It hurt so badly that she still didn't trust him.
"Alec," she paused "I have to go on this mission to show that I am prepared to do whatever I would have everyone else do. To show that I am not scared, not still a run-away oh-niner. But if something happens to me, I want to know that I have left TC and all the transgenics in the most capable hands that I have."
He looked up slowly
"That's you Alec. There is no one that I trust more. I know that I can rely on you to keep everyone safe and to keep them going if anything happens to me. Its not that I don't want you out in the field cause God knows we could use you. You have more tactical sense that most and you can follow orders." She started to pace "You can contribute and I always value your input." She abruptly turned to face him ignoring the shock that she saw on his face. "But I need you here."
Alec couldn't think. He couldn't believe that that had come from Max. She trusted him? She valued him? She thought he was capable of taking care of TC? He felt as if his world had just turned on its head.
Max's lips twitched at the dumbfounded look on his face and she moved forward and placed her hands over his.
"This is something I should have said a long time ago." She took a deep breath
"I'm sorry Alec."
His eyes shot to hers.
"I'm sorry for all the times I called you a screw up, I have never believed that. You were never a screw up." She paused "Occasionally a Dumbass but not a screw up."
He laughed despite himself.
"There is no way that I would have gotten through these last few months without your help and I never told you exactly how much I value you. I do."
She smiled and to Alec it was the sweetest thing he had ever seen in his entire life.
"Although you tell anyone I said that and I'll put the smack down on your ass." She said with her usual aggressive nature.
Suddenly Alec felt much less off kilter and he sighed "Oh thank God, for a moment there I thought I was talking to the nice twin."
Max slapped his arm. "Jerk I don't know why I bother!" but she couldn't stop her lips from curving.
"Hey, just because you have this fixation on my ass-"
"Don't finish that if you value your manhood." She raised an eyebrow and headed for the door.
"I'll call a meeting for the mission in two hours, be here."
"Sure thing boss." He watched as her ass sashayed away "Oh hey Max."
She half turned and glanced over her shoulder. He tried to come up with some witty rejoinder about how she valued him but he couldn't cheapen the gesture, not when it meant so much to him.
"Thanks." He said simply, sincerely and she nodded as she walked away.
tbc...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Gabriela13- awesome really? sheepish grin thanks!
ringo-gurl- LOL, you are good for my ego hon.
ting- Skecthy is adorable and more than just a goofball, glad you liked him in the last part.
kitty37- Can't tell you what happens next- it's a surprise!!
acb- Thank you. Glad you read even though not a TC fan.
givealias- updated, howzthat?
Cloudburst-as always cheers pet, if someone takes the time and effort to email me i ALWAYs email back. its polite, plus i love talking to people who like my stuff. constructive criticism is appreciated! Bullet's about 16ish same as Ralph and Zero.