Author's note : I was impatient to show you this chapter. Really, my favorite one. I'm really excited to know what you guys think of it, so please review.

Hope you'll like it.

Chap 9 : A date, a restaurant and a race...

The count down has begun. Max knew it. From the way the males of Terminal City were eyeing her, they knew she had no other choice anymore. She was going to choose a mate soon, in 12 days.

OC was trying to comfort her every single night. She never slept in TC anymore and spend her time working in command and in her office and then, going to OC's appartment. The second day, it was driving her crazy. So Original Cindy came up with the idea that she should date.

"Date! You know maybe it'll turn out that one of them will be the love of your life!" OC exclaimed.

"What you mean is that, i let them take me out to dinner, but no kissing, no hugging, just talk to get to know them and then, i choose one of them." Max said.

"That can be a good idea." Confirmed Tara. "OC and i will fix the dates, ok? So you won't have that on your mind!" she continued.

So here she was bored to death, with this X5 named Drill. He was assigned to Mole's team for the weapons supply. Great, i hate guns! She had overcome the fact that they were obliged to use but she still hated guns. She managed to avoid using one since her escape, and she was intending to keep it that way. All he talked about was guns, guns, and oh surprise, guns!

"No, actually i don't really like guns." She answered as calm as she could be.

Drill just shrugged his shoulders and continue talking, not even asking her what she liked.

Afte a few dates, on day 9 she met Seneca. She was really impressed by him. He was very tall, and very handsome, but then they all were. He got his name from his features, he really looked like those native american people. He was those tall dark handsome man that your mother warn you about. But Max didn't really have a mother, did she?

He was the first X5 that she dated twice until, she discovered he made a bet that he would get her in his pants by the second date. Jerk!

Then there was Jam, named for is interest in the Jamaican and Rastafarian culture. He reminded her too much of Herbal that she considered as a brother.

5 days to D-Day.

"Make an effort Max! You've pushed away all the males we presented you!" complained Tara. "You're sure you don't want to try again with Jam. You seemed to get along pretty well."

"Oh, we do get along. Just, that he reminds me of Herbal, in a lot hotter way. But i still see him as a brother." She emphasized the word brother. "Do i have a date tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah. Alec." OC said.

She dreaded this moment. She began pacing in her office. What was she going to wear, what was she going to say? What will they do? She was like a teenage girl who was expecting the first date in her life. Excited as a fly could be. Why am i so nervous? It's just Alec right! The good old annoying Alec! She bit her bottoom lip.

Alec had been watching every single guy she dated. He was a little afraid when Seneca came but, like all the others, she made him hit the road. He was looking forward to that evening, their "date". Maybe, she'll give him a chance. Then, she'll finally see him as Alec and not Ben's twin.

"So, tonight's the big night!" said a voice behind him. It was Zane.

"Yeah. Gotta do what you gotta do." Alec replied with his cocky face.

Zane smiled but then went serious. "You break her heart. I break your neck." Then, the 09er put back his smile and patted Alec's back. "Good luck. Because, though i like her, she's really a pain in the ass sometimes!"

I guess we deserve each other then, if i believe what she says about me, thought Alec.

She was back at OC's where Alec was supposed to pick her up at 0730.

05:45 pm

"OC! Where the hell did i put that black top? God, i'll never be ready on time." She screamed throwing a large amount of clothes on the floor.

"Nervous, huh?" teased OC.

"No, i'm not! He just didn't tell me exactly, where we were going, so i don't know what to wear." She said too quickly.

"If you say so." Cindy shrugged.

"So? You saw it, or what?" Max asked her roommate.

"What?"

"My black top?"

"Honey, half your clothes are black? How would i know? You know you should really try to change your wardrobe."

"I can't! it's useful for the heists!" she shrieked.

"Hey! Calm down. Why don't you wear something different tonight huh?" OC recommended gently.

"Different huh?" Max seemed to search for something and her head tilted. "Remember the outfit i wore to go to that club where your friend Boom boom was a bouncer?"

"uh uh." Cindy nodded.

"Do you think he'll like it? I mean, i know it's black too, but, it's a skirt and a..." she asked in a shy voice.

"He'll like it! Now hurry up and go get a bath." OC cut in.

He was waiting heart pounding in his chest for Max in her living room.

"Hey!" she said.

He turned around to face her. She was absolutely stunning in this black short skirt, and her black top laced in the back of her neck. There was something different in her. Was it impatience that i saw in her eyes?

He found himself looking ridiculous in his two pockets blue jeans, his charcoal grey short sleeve t-shirt and of course his black leather jacket.

"You didn't tell me where we were going. So i had no idea what to wear." She said.

"Yyou look stunning!" i finally managed to say.

"Thank you." She blushed.

Max blushed! She blushed at one of his comment.

An awkward silence fell in the room, and Alec finally cleared his throat.

"Maybe we should be going." He stammered.

"Okay. I'll get my coat."

OC handed her the coat and winked at her.

"So where are we going?" Max asked.

"It's a surprise. So l'll have to blindfold you."

He wasn't sure what her reaction would be. In fact, he expected her to tell him to back off and go to hell. But she said nothing and let him blindfold her.

He helped her climb the stairs of the Space Needle until they reached the top of the monument. He released the blindfold and let her see where she was.

There were candles all around the place of the former Sky City Restaurant of the Space Needle. It was clean. Last time she came here, three days ago, it was still dirty and dusty. She imagined the work he did to get this result. In the middle of the room there was a table set for two. She was holding her breath.

She spun around and looked at him in the eye.

"You did this?" she asked in a small voice.

"Got help, but i mostly did." Alec replied.

"It's wonderful." She gasped. "I was starting to think that all X5 are jerks!" she teased.

"Yeah, i thought that maybe you were not really a pizza and tv girl."

He took off her coat and put it with his jacket in a corner of the room.

"I hope you'll like the diner." He said.

"Not important, i already have my best date ever." She replied.

Then again, he saw in her eye the same sparkle when they hooked up with Zane. He had to restrain himself not to cover her lips with his when she smiled like that.

"Um...that was the best chicken recipe i ever ate." She assured.

"Really?"

"We should buy some for the people in TC. I bet some of them never ate real chicken." She said.

"It would be nice. Max?"

"What?" she asked.

'What is it that you like in this place?" he asked.

She remained silent a few minutes and Alec begun to think she wouldn't answer the question. But then she rose from her seat and went to stand in front of the window staring an invisible point in the night. She released her breath.

"No matter how far, or how fast i run...i will always be a genetically engineered soldier...a predator..." she pause a moment "For nine years, my life was resumed by three words, 'duty', 'discipline' and 'teamwork'...you don't forget that in one day...when we escaped, i needed something to hang on to...so i hang on my siblings, on Ben and the stories he made for us, on the High Place...something i could hang on without feeling guilty of being what i am...the High Place was our place, it was not Manticore...it was about us." She sighed and then continued. "And then, sometimes i come here, and i look down at the people and think about how everybody's got problems. Maybe not secret government agencies and loony cultist on their ass, but you know, problems...and if i sit up here long enough, i start to feel like i'm just one of those people...i guess it's kinda like a bridge between what i am and a normalcy that i would like to have." She sighed again. "I don't belong here." The last sentence was almost a whisper.

"None of us does." He agreed.

The mood had suddenly turned gloom.

Somehow, his words soothed her. She knew that if someone else had said it, she would have felt more sad than she already was.

"I'm sorry Alec."

"For what?" he said raising his head to look at her.

"For having burn your home, for being such a bitch to you some time, i'm sorry we left all of you there in 09. We didn't know..." Max trailed off.

It was his turn to rose to his feat and came next to her, holding her and resting his chin on her head.

"It was not your fault. Manticore brainwashed us, tortured us, used us. Not you or your siblings...i was angry at you before but in the end i envy you, cause you got the guts to leave and we didn't...before you guys escaped, none of us wanted to or even imagined to ran away...when they did what they did to us..." his throat was dry and he squeezed her more tightly. "We all thought about leaving at least once...we didn't ran, because if we did, we knew that those who would stay behind will have to pay for us...and we pay the high price for your escape."

A tear ran down her cheek and they held each other tightly during a moment until they bursted out of laughter because Alec blurped.

"Not really romantic, huh?"

She shook her head to agree. Then the silence was back, but they were not sad anymore, they just, i guess ran out of words.

After a few minutes, Alec stammered.

"Now, don't mistake me Max cause your outfit is great on you, but it'll pause a problem for the rest of the events." He didn't really thought about the ambiguity of his words. He showed her a red jewelry box.

"Come on, open it."

Well, Alec was definitely surprising tonight. But it wasn't a jewel. Not that she was expecting any, right? Instead there were keys.

"Keys!" she cheered without enthusiasm. Alec smirked at her disappointment. "Great...you never have enough keys..."

Now, he was clearly laughing.

"Come with me." He finally said.

In an alley next to the Space Needle, there she was waiting for her. A beautiful black ninja motorcycle.

"Hello baby! You've missed mommy!" she said as if talking to a five year old baby. She hopped on the bike and stick the key in the ignition. He would have swear he heard her moan when she started up the engine. "This keeps going better and better...you want a ride pretty boy?" she asked.

"Max, are you saying that you think i'm handsome?" he teased.

"You want a ride or what?" the impatience showing in her voice.

"How about a race?" he challenged nodding toward another black motorcycle.

A huge smile filed her face.

For the next two hours, they raced around the city until they found themselves in front of Terminal City.

"That was great!" she yelled before throwning herself in his arms."But you didn't have to..." she said pulling away.

"It was part of the game." He said a huge smirk on his face.

"Yeah, i guess." She said a little bit sad. Yeah, the game. Seducing a girl you don't love because of...what exactly.. God, i wish he feels something else for me than just friendship! I guess his heart will always be with Rachel!I'm not going to mate with someone who is in love with someone else! "Thanks for everything. I think i'm on head home now. Thanks again."

Again, she started the engine and disappeared into the night. A tear ran down her cheek again

God i wish she felt something else for me than just friendship... He headed back to his appartment in Oak Street and parked the motorcycle just in front of his porch.