Cindy finally entered the apartment truly satisfied at the night's plans.
"Hey boo. What's wrong?"
Max couldn't help but meet Cindy's eyes. "I'm in heat."
"Oh suga we gotta get you outta here." Cindy turned to get some things, but Max grabbed her arm transgenically fast.
"No need." When Cindy gave her the 'no bullshit' look, Max simply sighed and began to explain the situation to her best ability. "I'm not just looking for any male body I can get my hands on."
"Transgens only?"
"Not quite . . ."
"There's one in particular that you feelin' hot for?" Silence answered her question and she continued. "Lemme guess. It's the boy of your dreams, literally."
"You don't have to make it sound so pathetic, but yes, that's a way of putting it."
"If Cindy has her calculations right, and she don't often miss Boo, she would say you're in love with our boy in golden armor."
"But I was in love with Logan and it never felt like this."
"You sure it was true love you was feelin'? 'Cuz Cindy thinks it was more of a summer fling than a romance novel."
"Okay, so yes I'm completely, head-over-heels, gone-insane-and-can't-live- without-him in love. But how the hell do you tell someone like him that way without him laughing in my face and blackmailing me for the rest of eternity? I need a plan."
"Suga, I think I just might have one."
********************************
Mole attempted to quiet down the crowded room, cigar in hand. "Okay, settle down. Our maid of honor will be here shortly. Then everything will begin to . . . .Oh thank god you're here." All eyes turned to the petite brunette who had just shakily entered the room.
"I'll talk to you later about insurance for this job. I swear, I was attacked five times, constantly bugged out of my mind and THIS CLOSE to being killed!" Max simply smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Hey guys." Max winked suggestively to the massive group of testosterone. "Want to get started?"
"YES!!!!!" the answer blasted through the room, most likely making all the way to the Seattle city limits.
"Okay, what's first?" Max had become a whole lot more confident since Alec had last seen her. He woke up from his mindless gawking when she posed the question.
"Umm . . . I get to choose?" Alec swallowed hard. When he thought about it, he wasn't quite sure why, but knowing she trusted him with something like this unconsciously made him happy.
"Alright. Since SOMEBODY doesn't "do" guns, we should have target practice. Then, as a finishing activity, we could play a good ol' game of Manticore's Search and Retrieve."
Alec grinned. He knew he was the best at these tasks out of anyone at Manticore. Beating their asses should be easy enough. Unfortunately for some, they were unaware of this fact and thought they had a chance. Alec couldn't help but snort loudly at that thought. Thankfully, most of the room was male and had their eyes on Max anyway. Max DID notice, but she simply shot him a 'very smooth, pretty boy' grin. He could feel they slight heat of embarrassment seep onto his face. He pushed the unwanted emotion away with a devil-may-care smirk.
"So, if you would like to accompany me and the little lady down to the training . . ."
"I am NOT little!" Max said indignantly, folding her arms across her chest. A fury twinkled threateningly in her eye. Alec dodged the swipe not a moment too soon.
"See you all down there!" He managed to call as Max chased him down the corridor.
Everyone left behind sighed and rolled their eyes. They all knew (okay, most of them knew) this whole practice was completely useless. There were only two reasons they stuck around; either they still had a slight feeling of hope (stupidly) and wanted a chance with Max or they knew Alec and Max were WAY too stubborn to get together themselves and would get their asses kicked if they didn't participate.
The herd of males began to migrate down to the training room. They bustled into the room where they found the two transgenics in the middle of an intense battle. Some would refer to the vicious, terrifying activity as a tickle war. Eyes widened at the giggling Max under Alec's wrath.
They froze. "Okay . . .glad you're all here." Alec continued on with his speech as if nothing had happened.
Training commenced, and after about an hour, the judges examined the results.
"Tsk, tsk. Here we are, bred to do this sort of thing, and no one made 100% of their shots." Alec, still staring at the assortment of bullets and targets, lazily fired six shots of his gun into the bull's-eye of an empty target.
Max gaped at the fact that all six had landed on the target in the exact same place. Without looking.
Seeing her gaze, Alec just shrugged while mentally marking: Alec – 1 Competitors – 0.
Just wait until Search and Retrieve. Just you wait.
********************************
That evening, the guys, the judges and Max had all gathered in the empty – well, mostly empty . . . it still had a lot of trash and toxins – lot. It was perfect for their mission. Find something extremely important to Max and bring it back to her.
The 'extremely important to Max' was the part that would trip up almost everyone else up. Alec had ravaged Max's room while she was gone to find both useless and important items for the exercise. He had passed them off to Dix, who hid them. Hiding them himself would be far too easy and would give him an unequal chance to win (like he didn't have one already). Wasn't he brilliant?
"Rules: Each team will get a set of Max's items." He glanced at Max to find her turning a shade of red, mouth hanging open. She looked cute when she was very, very shocked and embarrassed. "Each time a team loses, they will be taken out of the game. Eventually, there will only be two people. Max will decide the prize for the winning man." He shot her a wink.
"Oh, and two last things. Your team cannot bring back an item that Max would deem unimportant or replaceable. If she decides to, she can veto your choice and make you get another item. Lastly, I will be participating. Good luck!" Everyone was stunned. Max was still shocked he had gone into her apartment and taken her stuff – not to mention she had to choose a prize. Every male on the field was nervous – and praying– they got Alec on their team. They wanted to both show him up (an extremely rare occurrence) but knew they wouldn't come close without him.
Both teams grabbed their paintball guns someone had managed to get a hold of and headed out onto the field.
Max nervously paced around and around as she watched the fierce battle. What had Alec gotten from her room? Just what was he going to bring back? What if he didn't win? Max left the last question unanswered, not wanting to even think about that possibility now that she had chosen a prize.
One by one, each team was eliminated until there were only four competitors left – Alec, Biggs, Tyler (817, a nice guy who was becoming friends with Max) and Zep (567, one of Biggs' friends who had a thing for heavy metal). Alec and Biggs were teamed up (surprise surprise) and Tyler and Zep were paired. All of them were extremely good at the task and had outlasted all 187 other males.
Max stood by her huge pile of objects. Some were useless or replaceable: hairdryer, keys to OC's apartment, anything Logan had touched, etc. But Alec had picked out some things that were vital to her: tryptophan, pictures of OC, Zack's address, and things of the like. She surveyed the playing field with a watchful eye, looking for any slight movement or indication of action. She saw nothing. She heard nothing. It seemed nothing would ever happen, but all of a sudden there was a loud revving of an engine.
Max gaped at Alec, who rode her beloved and previously abandoned Ninja. Max felt a grin break through her usual mask, shattering it completely. She could feel salty tears well up in her eyes, blurring her vision of the miracle. She could only laugh at her reaction, feeling a bit silly. But she didn't care. As soon as Alec approached with the bike, Max threw her arms around him in a huge hug. Several tears managed to escape and blended themselves with the material of Alec's shirt. Max knew everyone was staring at her, but it didn't matter. She wouldn't let go, not until he knew how big this was to her. Not until he knew how much he had done for her. Not until he knew she loved him.
***********
Author's Note: Apologies for having to wait so long! My life's been very busy lately, but here's an extra long chapter for you all! ;)
Thanks to all who stuck with me (and those who poked and prodded me to finish this.) Update coming soon!
"Hey boo. What's wrong?"
Max couldn't help but meet Cindy's eyes. "I'm in heat."
"Oh suga we gotta get you outta here." Cindy turned to get some things, but Max grabbed her arm transgenically fast.
"No need." When Cindy gave her the 'no bullshit' look, Max simply sighed and began to explain the situation to her best ability. "I'm not just looking for any male body I can get my hands on."
"Transgens only?"
"Not quite . . ."
"There's one in particular that you feelin' hot for?" Silence answered her question and she continued. "Lemme guess. It's the boy of your dreams, literally."
"You don't have to make it sound so pathetic, but yes, that's a way of putting it."
"If Cindy has her calculations right, and she don't often miss Boo, she would say you're in love with our boy in golden armor."
"But I was in love with Logan and it never felt like this."
"You sure it was true love you was feelin'? 'Cuz Cindy thinks it was more of a summer fling than a romance novel."
"Okay, so yes I'm completely, head-over-heels, gone-insane-and-can't-live- without-him in love. But how the hell do you tell someone like him that way without him laughing in my face and blackmailing me for the rest of eternity? I need a plan."
"Suga, I think I just might have one."
********************************
Mole attempted to quiet down the crowded room, cigar in hand. "Okay, settle down. Our maid of honor will be here shortly. Then everything will begin to . . . .Oh thank god you're here." All eyes turned to the petite brunette who had just shakily entered the room.
"I'll talk to you later about insurance for this job. I swear, I was attacked five times, constantly bugged out of my mind and THIS CLOSE to being killed!" Max simply smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Hey guys." Max winked suggestively to the massive group of testosterone. "Want to get started?"
"YES!!!!!" the answer blasted through the room, most likely making all the way to the Seattle city limits.
"Okay, what's first?" Max had become a whole lot more confident since Alec had last seen her. He woke up from his mindless gawking when she posed the question.
"Umm . . . I get to choose?" Alec swallowed hard. When he thought about it, he wasn't quite sure why, but knowing she trusted him with something like this unconsciously made him happy.
"Alright. Since SOMEBODY doesn't "do" guns, we should have target practice. Then, as a finishing activity, we could play a good ol' game of Manticore's Search and Retrieve."
Alec grinned. He knew he was the best at these tasks out of anyone at Manticore. Beating their asses should be easy enough. Unfortunately for some, they were unaware of this fact and thought they had a chance. Alec couldn't help but snort loudly at that thought. Thankfully, most of the room was male and had their eyes on Max anyway. Max DID notice, but she simply shot him a 'very smooth, pretty boy' grin. He could feel they slight heat of embarrassment seep onto his face. He pushed the unwanted emotion away with a devil-may-care smirk.
"So, if you would like to accompany me and the little lady down to the training . . ."
"I am NOT little!" Max said indignantly, folding her arms across her chest. A fury twinkled threateningly in her eye. Alec dodged the swipe not a moment too soon.
"See you all down there!" He managed to call as Max chased him down the corridor.
Everyone left behind sighed and rolled their eyes. They all knew (okay, most of them knew) this whole practice was completely useless. There were only two reasons they stuck around; either they still had a slight feeling of hope (stupidly) and wanted a chance with Max or they knew Alec and Max were WAY too stubborn to get together themselves and would get their asses kicked if they didn't participate.
The herd of males began to migrate down to the training room. They bustled into the room where they found the two transgenics in the middle of an intense battle. Some would refer to the vicious, terrifying activity as a tickle war. Eyes widened at the giggling Max under Alec's wrath.
They froze. "Okay . . .glad you're all here." Alec continued on with his speech as if nothing had happened.
Training commenced, and after about an hour, the judges examined the results.
"Tsk, tsk. Here we are, bred to do this sort of thing, and no one made 100% of their shots." Alec, still staring at the assortment of bullets and targets, lazily fired six shots of his gun into the bull's-eye of an empty target.
Max gaped at the fact that all six had landed on the target in the exact same place. Without looking.
Seeing her gaze, Alec just shrugged while mentally marking: Alec – 1 Competitors – 0.
Just wait until Search and Retrieve. Just you wait.
********************************
That evening, the guys, the judges and Max had all gathered in the empty – well, mostly empty . . . it still had a lot of trash and toxins – lot. It was perfect for their mission. Find something extremely important to Max and bring it back to her.
The 'extremely important to Max' was the part that would trip up almost everyone else up. Alec had ravaged Max's room while she was gone to find both useless and important items for the exercise. He had passed them off to Dix, who hid them. Hiding them himself would be far too easy and would give him an unequal chance to win (like he didn't have one already). Wasn't he brilliant?
"Rules: Each team will get a set of Max's items." He glanced at Max to find her turning a shade of red, mouth hanging open. She looked cute when she was very, very shocked and embarrassed. "Each time a team loses, they will be taken out of the game. Eventually, there will only be two people. Max will decide the prize for the winning man." He shot her a wink.
"Oh, and two last things. Your team cannot bring back an item that Max would deem unimportant or replaceable. If she decides to, she can veto your choice and make you get another item. Lastly, I will be participating. Good luck!" Everyone was stunned. Max was still shocked he had gone into her apartment and taken her stuff – not to mention she had to choose a prize. Every male on the field was nervous – and praying– they got Alec on their team. They wanted to both show him up (an extremely rare occurrence) but knew they wouldn't come close without him.
Both teams grabbed their paintball guns someone had managed to get a hold of and headed out onto the field.
Max nervously paced around and around as she watched the fierce battle. What had Alec gotten from her room? Just what was he going to bring back? What if he didn't win? Max left the last question unanswered, not wanting to even think about that possibility now that she had chosen a prize.
One by one, each team was eliminated until there were only four competitors left – Alec, Biggs, Tyler (817, a nice guy who was becoming friends with Max) and Zep (567, one of Biggs' friends who had a thing for heavy metal). Alec and Biggs were teamed up (surprise surprise) and Tyler and Zep were paired. All of them were extremely good at the task and had outlasted all 187 other males.
Max stood by her huge pile of objects. Some were useless or replaceable: hairdryer, keys to OC's apartment, anything Logan had touched, etc. But Alec had picked out some things that were vital to her: tryptophan, pictures of OC, Zack's address, and things of the like. She surveyed the playing field with a watchful eye, looking for any slight movement or indication of action. She saw nothing. She heard nothing. It seemed nothing would ever happen, but all of a sudden there was a loud revving of an engine.
Max gaped at Alec, who rode her beloved and previously abandoned Ninja. Max felt a grin break through her usual mask, shattering it completely. She could feel salty tears well up in her eyes, blurring her vision of the miracle. She could only laugh at her reaction, feeling a bit silly. But she didn't care. As soon as Alec approached with the bike, Max threw her arms around him in a huge hug. Several tears managed to escape and blended themselves with the material of Alec's shirt. Max knew everyone was staring at her, but it didn't matter. She wouldn't let go, not until he knew how big this was to her. Not until he knew how much he had done for her. Not until he knew she loved him.
***********
Author's Note: Apologies for having to wait so long! My life's been very busy lately, but here's an extra long chapter for you all! ;)
Thanks to all who stuck with me (and those who poked and prodded me to finish this.) Update coming soon!