Title: anything and everything
Author: sue
Rating: PG13
Show: DA
Genre: Angst/Romance/Adventure
Type: WiP
Summary: under the chaos of a failed mission, somehow Logan had managed to do the impossible- infect Max with the deadly virus. Now, it's up to Alec to stop her from plunging into the bottomless crater of death. And he would do anything.. and everything to make sure of that.
A/N- Hi guys, I'm baaack!! Sorry for the late update, I finished this a week ago but my usual beta was busy so I had to find a new beta to help me out. This particular chapter was betaed by the lovely Scarlet. Yup, you sure rock dude! ;)
Here, I also wanted to thank all you lovely readers and reviewers :) You guys have no idea how you made my day. Oh hey, look here Lea, a new chapter! hee You can stop asking for one now :P
Oh, I wanted to share something with you guys ;)
"Someone who was a rogue, and sexy, a potential love interest, a potential rival to Logan, we all just were thinking about Jensen.." René Echevarria (on the S2 DVD) - thanks to Angel for these
I rest my case. *smug grin*
Chapter seventeen- The Eye of the Storm.
Max opened her eyes, her lids fluttered lightly to reveal a pair of bewildered brown orbs. The pair of dark stricken eyes gazed around with a little hint of panic at the somewhat unfamiliar surrounding. But the frantic shadows that were darkening her eyes lightened as they strayed towards the ceiling.
The dazed girl blinked for a few seconds and a soft smile flitted over her lips after she spotted the rays of lights. The smile grew as the bright dots danced with obvious merriment on the black walls and ceiling. She was silent for a few seconds while she drank the unexpected wonder in, letting the myriads of movement and colours calmed her down. After a few seconds of silence, she took a deep breath, the light smile still hovering over her lips.
Max turned her gaze away from the dancing rays, attracted by another sparkling gleam from the other side of the room. Despite her confusion, she managed a shadow of a grin at the starlit sky. Breathing slowly, a light smile still hovered over her parched lips and she felt herself relaxing under the starry night.
In all her life, this was the first time she had ever really looked at the sky with time to appreciate what nature had in store for the world. She stared at the jewels in silence as they sparkled from so far away.
Restlessness descended and she moved her head slightly, trying to ascertain her whereabouts.
Where the hell am I? This is too… sterile to be just an ordinary room,
Max chewed the insides of her cheek as her worried gaze swept the area.
Machines scattered the sparse space, answering her questions.
What am I doing in a hospital?
She bit her lip and tried to recall the last few hours of her life.
Nothing.
Where's a photographic memory when you need it?
Max continued to nibble on her lower lip, preoccupied by her sudden memory lapse. She could see it, barely, shrouded in layers of mist. But the more she kept trying to get nearer, the farther they danced from her reach.
There was a… mission, she thought with a heavy frown. Something had happened there and… her face brightened a bit as a name streaked past her cottony mind. Alec.
But the frown reappeared as her mind moved to more recent events. She would've growled in frustration, but the effort was way too much for her, so she settled for a tired sigh. Why did everything have to be so fuzzy? She had random pieces of a puzzle without the faintest idea where they should go.
She knew something of considerable importance or a life changing revelation if you want to put it that way had occurred but for some unknown reason, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. There was something about… Tinga? But no, Tinga was dead. So, what happened?
The frown deepened after her muddled mind produced hazy images of Brin, wrapping her arms tightly around her small frame. And then Tinga, looking her way with a gentle light smile, telling her something about.. Alec?
What about him? What did he have to do with anything? Why did he keep popping up everywhere? What happened?
Max heaved a weary breath as the effort of trying to sort her thoughts proved too much for her exhausted body. Calm down, Max, you can do this. Relax and let those thoughts come to you.
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, letting her scrambled thoughts organize themselves into some sort of order. Her face lit up when she could almost see them, just within grasp.
That's it, that's it... easy does it.
After trying so hard to catch them, Max was taken aback when everything rushed toward her at once, smothering her with intensity and emotion pulled her in different directions.
Pain.
Fear.
Confusion.
Determination.
Her breath was coming in a quick shallow bursts of intake as she desperately tried to keep up with the drastic change of input. She panted heavily as her eyes started to glaze and she relived her past.
*
'I didn't know if you can hear this,' he said as he gently put her hand back on the blanket, his hand placed loosely over hers, 'but it's ok. I just needed to say this to you.'
*
'You have no idea what a mess you've caused. Original Cindy thought she'd never see the day when irresponsible and unreliable Alec moved heaven and earth for ya. Still in shock over it, sista. But there you go, you can't judge a book by its freakin' cover.'
*
Tears started tricking down her cheek and before she could actually react to the whispered memory, another one rammed itself into her.
*
'Under all those smooth talks and oozing charm, that boy does care about you, Max. Maybe a lot more than you can ever imagine.'
'And Wonder Boy,' she recalled, unconsciously flinching furious tone, 'I know you thought highly of him, being Eyes Only, protector of the downtrodden and all but I can't begin to imagine how could anyone behave like an ignorant fool and expected to get away with it. It's not my fault. Now, tell me Original Cindy, how could anyone look after someone who had a hole in her shoulder without the first aid kit?'
*
Beaten, she closed her eyes tightly, an unconscious effort to shield herself from the pain that had threatened to slam headfirst into her.
This is too damn confusing… and painful, she muttered to herself and tried to lift her hand, the unconscious urge to run them over her face. But her hand was not in a cooperating mood and refused to budge.
Trying hard to shove the desire to shiver with fear after she recalled with exact clarity the horror she had felt of her immobile body, Max tried again to move her hand but to no avail.
Her stricken gaze snapped to her immobilized hand and she gasped in surprise after seeing the faint outline of another hand clasped tightly over her fingers.
Warming her chilly hand with its comforting heat.
She breathed slowly as she willed her heart slow as she scrutinized the shadowy figure of her hand. Her eyes brightened and she tried to wriggle her fingers. Max heaved a huge breath of relief after she can feel the slight movement in her fingertips underneath the warm palm.
Max lowered her gaze and looked at the hand and her heart warmed while a soft smile lightened up her eyes. Someone had been by her side. And by the looks of it, that person had been with her through the night. She followed the hand that were intertwined with hers, moved past a firm looking arm, a muscular shoulder and she realized that her companion for the night had laid his or her head just beside her pillow.
In the dark, she couldn't really see the color of the hair so her gaze strayed downwards, and she drank in the high cheekbones and chiseled jaw hungrily. The familiar features made her heart accelerate and Max gasped.
Alec.
He was there. It was him.
*
'I didn't know if I could live with myself if I didn't. Live with the regret because I didn't tell you this... I love you, Max.'
*
'You two seem to have a very interesting relationship.'
*
'And what about you?' Eva asked lightly, cocking her head to one side, 'How do you feel about him?'
*
'Max,' Tinga said suddenly, 'What if I say that Alec is dead?'
*
Little bead of sweat started appearing on her brow, sliding tantalizingly down her cheek. Does this really happen? Or is everything just a dream?
A nightmare?
What, what, what?!
Alec can't be dead, he's right here. What the hell is going on?
She started breathing hard and her heart started to sprint out of control. Trying to get herself under control, she forced herself to breath slowly, concentrating on getting air in and out while she put the tiny seed of hope at the back of her head. I'll think about that later. How did she feel about Alec loving her? As the last sentence ran through her mind, her torturous heart started picking up speed and she felt a ball of fire uncoil, embracing her with its warmth. She groaned before she let the wonder of having someone actually loving her wrap itself around her tired and battered soul.
Max closed her eyes tightly, a small smile still playing over her lips before she remember that he was there by her side. Again, her heart tripped and fell. Slowly, she turned her head towards him, hesitantly because she was a little unsure of what to do next. He was right in front of her the whole time and she might have died before realizing her love for him. This kind of realization wasn't an everyday occurrence.
She saw how his lashes rested against his cheek. The soft and boyish expression on his face made her heart melt. He was so adorable, like a little boy taking a nap after a long day. Unabashedly, she continued to stare, taking in the smooth features and she heaving a sigh in defeat.
What am I doing? What do I really feel about him?
Even with the unresolved turmoil still waiting to be answered, she can't tear away her eyes from him. He was such an interesting person, to put it mildly. Even when he was fast asleep, she can see the faint lines of laughter around his eyes and she recalled his infuriating trademark smirk. Deep down she always loved to see that infectious grin, and unconsciously she always acted in a way that she knew will always brought out that smile, even though she had gone to such length to act irritated by his response.
I didn't know I'm so good at denial, she sighed.
So, what does that tell me? What do I feel towards Alec?
Acquaintance?
No, they're too comfortable with one another for that.
Friends?
Maybe, but you can't deny the sparks that flew every time they got around ten feet of each other.
Something more?
Max bit her lips and sighed heavily.
How do you define that? Where was the line that separated from being just friends to involved in something more serious? Well, I'm asking the wrong girl, she though wistfully, it's not like I've been in a relationship in the first place.
Oh god, I'm so confused!
Max gritted her teeth and her hand twitched as she valiantly tried to sort out her scrambled thoughts. Instantly, the hand over hers tightened its hold over her fidgeting fingers. And at that moment her heart broke sweetly at the unconscious gesture from him and she knew for sure.
She loved him.
Bless the blue lady, she really do.
She Max, Miss-who-excels-at-avoiding-emotional-entanglement-for-as-far-as-she-had-lived had fallen head over heels in love. To someone she had publicly had shown her umm dislike before. Refusing the mad urge to giggle, she turned and looked at him, 'This is all your fault you know,' she whispered softly.
'But,' she frowned, 'what about him? Does he really love me?'
She moaned and turned her face to the other side as she tried to put her thoughts in order. Without doubt she knew she couldn't just put everything she had on the line just to be rejected. For all her tough exterior, she can't make herself take that sort of chance. Rejection was not an easy pill to take, genetically engineered super soldier or no super soldier. Max heaved a heavy sigh, but if she did take the plunge and it turns out that Alec harbored no such feelings for her, she knew he wouldn't do it harshly. After all, he still cared for her.
Look at how he had come to her rescue. He cared for her all right but does he love her?
Agitation was not a very good feeling, she concluded reluctantly, biting her lips agonizingly. What do I do now?
*
'I love you, Max.'
*
Her eyes were tightly shut as she let the tenderness in his voice washed over her. Still preoccupied with her unanswered question, Max opened her eyes slowly and stared unseeingly into the dark.
What if he didn't mean it? What if he just said that to... to bring me back? He just said something that he knew will irritate the hell outta me. Something that'll get my attention and something that'll resulted in me wanting to kick his ass.
Despite everything, Max felt the beginning of a smile was hovering over her lips. That was so like Alec.
And I love him for that.
Again, she sighed when another remark found its way through her chaotic thoughts.
Love sucks.
She had said it not so long ago and she had no idea how right she was. Back then, she didn't experience this overwhelming desire to be loved by one particular man. So desperate to bask in the warmth of his undivided love.
Logan was like an anchor to her, the stable rock that had mirrored all the normal things that she had frantically craved in life.
He was human, a normal man.
Without the burden of being genetically engineered, something that had been created in a lab.
Even his disability to walk had signified that he was indeed truly a normal being. He had gotten hurt and that was something the human in her found entrancing.
Getting wounded was everyday business, especially to a hunted X5 constantly on the run, but their accelerated healing had always pulled them out of danger, most of the time anyway.
Logan had been that. The stuff she feverishly wanted in life.
But no, not Alec.
At first he had been the total opposite, the exact thing she had always hated.
Manticore.
After she had managed to push the thought of Ben when she looked at him, she unknowingly switched it to Manticore. And then it became habit to let him represent everything Manticore had ever been to her. She had pushed him away, refused to see how he had changed and now she was very thankful he still decided to stick around after what she had done to him.
Her confused eyes stared at the darkened ceiling; he was too good for her.
After what had happened, does she even deserve him now?
Her worried gaze started to move around the room while she was still deep in thought. Max tried to breath slowly and after a while she wasn't surprised to see that her eyes were roaming over his sleeping figure. She shook her head and her lips quirked into a quick smile. Even when he wasn't aware of it, he still had that magnetic force, the one that had always pulled her to him.
Too tired to continue on the hard task of sorting through her thoughts, Max shifted her head a little and started looking at him. A frown furrowed her smooth brow when she noticed the light fatigue lines that appeared on his skin.
It was faint, imperceptible by the naked eye but her sharp transgenic eyesight spot the tell tale lines without trouble.
That means that he was.. exhausted. No, that was to put it mildly. Dead on his feet was more like it. And the next question would be, what had he done to get to achieve that?
*
Original Cindy thought she'd never the day when irresponsible and unreliable Alec moved heaven and
earth for ya.
*
She looked tenderly at his sleeping figure, he had done so much for her, what has she done to him?
Again, desperation started to wrap itself around her tired body. Am I good enough for him? Oh dammit, since when did she turned into this angsty teen?
Whenever he was within ten feet of her, he managed to flip her world upside down with a smile of his. Max was pushed to the past and she saw their time together, the first time she met him in her cell back in Manticore.
The happiness, the confusion, the bewilderment, and lastly the anger she had felt. All in the span of mere seconds.
How relieved she was when he appeared after White first caught her, she didn't dare to hope for anyone to rescue her but he had prove her wrong. He had come, reluctantly perhaps, but he was there.
Her fear, which turn to fury when he had tried to kill her. She had seen the desperate gleam in his eyes and she knew if she was in his place she might just do it. But he didn't. At the very last minute, she saw how the frantic glint was shoved aside when his humanity took its place. And even when she was still shaking to find out that death had been cheated, she could sense that he had given up hope. The hope to stay alive. He had spared her her life and the price for that was his own.
And she knew she couldn't let that from happening.
And so, their interesting relationship as her sister had said it, started to bloom. Bit by bit, day by day, it evolved and grew and now, that friendship had turned to love.
For her, anyway.
Max smiled, even though her eyelids were fluttering softly downwards; she was too tired to think about this anymore. I'll do it later, she thought wearily, snuggling down into her warm bed. Unconsciously, she shifted her body a little, moving slightly towards his still form. She angled her head a little so that she was facing him. With another sigh, she ran her fingers lightly under the warm hand that was covering hers.
Feeling safe and secure, she closed her eyes and drifted off to a deep sleep.
*
In the dim lighting, a pair of hazel eyes opened, looking around him with a hint of bewilderment. Alec groaned softly, rubbing his pounding head with his free hand. Using that very hand, he used it as a lever and pushed his upper body up from the bed. He sighed, stretched his sore muscles a bit and ran his gaze around the room. His lips quirked into a smile when he saw that Max was still deep in slumber.
Good, she needs her rest.
He blinked when his vision wavered, contorting the images around him into weird and strange pictures.
Alec closed his eyes tightly, breathing steadily through his mouth as the air traveled quickly into his lungs. His face blanched when a wave of nausea surfaced and the pounding in his head intensified, threatening to envelope him in its prickly and painful embrace.
No, no, no, no, not now!
Beads of sweat slide down his suddenly sweaty face and his breath started coming in huge desperate gulp. Not now dammit! He ran a hand over his slick face, massaging his throbbing temples lightly with trembling fingers. His elbow was perched on the bed and he leaned his aching head against his hand as he tried to push another bout of nausea away.
Slowly, the light headedness disappeared, but a dull faint hammering remained at the back of his head. He sighed and took a few very deep breaths before he turned his attention back at the sleeping Max.
The soft moonlights were dancing on her silky skin and Alec realized that he still had her hand securely in his. A smile lightened up his eyes, making the pair of emeralds gleamed enticingly in the dark in his pale, ashen face. He lowered his head and studied their intertwined hands and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the comfortable way their fingers had fit in each others.
Whether she realized it or not, they were made for each other.
Alec smiled softly, running his thumb lightly over the soft skin at the side of her wrist and the simple gesture sent a shot of fire through his body. Feeling content, he continued to stroke her silky skin as he turned his head to look at her. He pushed a few strand away from her face, exposing the soft line of her jaw.
His hand went still when he saw that the dark eyes were opened, staring hard at him.
Ignoring the hard thumping of his heart, Alec pulled his hand away from her face and said simply, 'Max...'
Max smiled as best as she possibly could in her condition, 'Alec.'
He grinned and after realizing that he still had her hand in his, he disentangle them slowly and drew his hand away, but his hand lingered for a few more seconds over hers before he pulled his hand slowly to his side.
A sharp pang of regret streaked over her when his warm hand was lifted away and she bit her lips to keep the painful response to herself.
Her eyes widened when she saw that he was getting ready to leave. Without thinking, she said quickly,
'No, don't go... Please.'
Alec lifted one brow, looking very surprised at her request.
She cast her mind wildly, trying hard to keep him by her side a while longer because she knew that he's about to go.
'What had happen Alec? I have these images in my head and I didn't know if they're real,' she implored, looking up with her dark, glinting eyes. 'And why am I here?'
'The virus Manticore gave you backfired, Max. I know you're supposed to be the carrier but somehow they start infecting you,' he answered simply. He won't burden her head with what her not-like-that boyfriend had done to her. Speaking about Logan, where the hell is that guy anyway? But that train of thought was pushed aside when Max said thoughtfully.
'Logan,' dark brown met hazel, 'He had something to do with it right?'
Alec remained silent and she took it as a yes before she added, 'and you saved me. Why, Alec?'
He stared at her with unblinking eyes, 'I have a responsibility to help my friends, and maybe you hate to hear this Maxie, but I do consider you as a friend of mine,' his trademark smirk appeared and he looked like the Alec she had always known, and that little fact soothed her frayed nerve a bit.
She sighed and pushed herself up with some difficulty. Instantly Alec was by her side, helping her into a sitting position after he positioned the pillows comfortably behind her back. Max leaned back and looked up into his face but he had turned away, walking a few steps away from her bed before leaning a shoulder against one of the big bulky machine.
'And the world needs you Max; they need you to make this post-pulse America a better place for everyone. And you're the only one who can do it,' he said with a shrug.
'What about you? Doesn't the world need you too?'
'I'm the pain in the ass, a screw up at my best, no one will even notice I'm gone,' he replied nonchalantly, pushing his hands into his pockets and the emotions that were swimming over his expressive eyes disappeared, leaving them blank and empty.
'How can you say that?' Max said instantly, sitting up straight in her bed and her heart broke into a million pieces at the conviction on his face, 'You are not a screw up Alec, you're way better than that.'
'Don't make me feel better Max, you and I both know better,' he shrugged, hands still securely in his pocket, 'And since you're feeling better now, I'll go and find Logan. I'm sure you want to see him.'
'NO!' Max said desperately thinking about the stuff she wanted to tell him, 'No, please Alec. Stay a bit longer?' she said weakly, and her eyes begged him silently.
Alec frowned, that last remark was very unMax-like but he decided to do as she says. He can't face the thought of the esteemed EO with her anyway and he was too weak to traipse all over the hospital.
'Oh, I nearly forgot,' he said suddenly, 'the virus is cured.'
'What?' Max asked dazedly, 'how in the world did that happened?'
'Well, since you were infected by that same virus, the rational way out would be to find the cure. After some uh obstacles, I find someone who can make the cure,' he answered with a straight face.
'And you find that freaking cure in… Hey, how long was I out?' she asked, frowning when she realized she had no idea of the time.
'You went on Logan's mission around midnight last night.'
'Last night?' the frown deepened before it was replaced by awe, 'You find the cure in less than a day? How on earth did you manage that?'
'I have my ways,' he grinned engagingly.
'Why didn't you help me when I was tearing my hairs out, looking for those damn cures a few months ago?' she sent a furious glare his way.
'You didn't ask for my help,' his deadpanned but his eyes were twinkling.
'I didn't..' her jaw slackened as she stared at him with wide eyes, 'All these times.. Dammit Alec, you should've said something,' she smoothed her face into an angry expression but a hint of a smile was tugging at the corner of her full lips. 'And what are those obstacles if you didn't mind telling me?'
'Not much really,' Alec answered with a grin, 'nothing I can't handle.'
'Now he acts coy,' she rolled her eyes, 'when he can't seem to shut up most of the time.' And even that, I still love this guy.
Her breath stuck painfully in her throat and she lifted her glinting eyes towards his waiting green ones. Now is the moment of truth, I have to know this, she thought decisively, the uncertainty is killing me.
'Alec,' she started hesitantly, 'Did you say something to me when I was emm... unconscious?'
'Like what Max?'
Oh, I don't know. Like you love me perhaps? She struggled to keep her feelings under wrap, or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
Suddenly, as she stared into his waiting eyes, her courage deserted her and she side tracked, 'Hey, come on. Tell me how you get hold of that cure. I really want to know.'
Alec heaved a heavy sigh and nodded, 'Make yourself comfortable, this is gonna be long.'
*
The police headquarters was bustling with activities. At one corner of the busy station, Detective Sung was shuffling over a thick sheaf of paper. 'I was only gone for a couple of hours and the work poured in,' he muttered distractedly under his breath.
He pushed the paper aside and fished out his cell phone, noticing that he had a few voice messages. Quickly, he opened them one by one and he scribbling a little something in his notebook. His head snapped back when he heard the last message. He glanced worriedly at the watch and groaned, 'Damn, what have you gotten yourself into this time Logan?'
To be continued...