Disclaimer: It's not mine.
Summary: Alec's interest on another girl drives Max crazy. Can she accept the reason for her jealousy?.
A/N: Ok, here is the chapter you've all been waiting for. Hope you like it. Enjoy!
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Special thanks to my incredible beta Secretly Beautiful. Not only did she assured me about this chapter, but she also made it so much better with her suggestions.
Ting: Here is that move. Enjoy it!
Natasqui: You are welcome. I just hope I live up to your expectations with the talk.
Nat 452: I think Alec himself is wondering how to do that too. Read and find out.
Arwen-amy: No Danielle yet; so you will have to wait till next chapter for your answer. But I'm guessing you are going to enjoy this chapter anyway.
Kyla: Thanks for your review. Here are some m/a scenes for you.
Kim: A friendship was born between them, that's for sure. And I do have a cute scene with he two of them coming up. Unfortunately, Max and Alec ARE getting together before that happens. I couldn't help it, it had to happen this way. Try it and let me know what you think.
Martha: Your wait is coming to an end. Glad to know you are liking the story. Now read and continue to like it. (Hoping with my fingers crossed).
SGOU: I'm sorry it took so long. I had like a million things to do. Not that I wanted to do them, but they gave me no choice. LOL. However, the second I received your review I sat in front of my computer and started writing the chapter. It took some time to finish it, but now I can only hope it was worth the wait.
Rose: Glad you liked it. Don't worry, I know you are always there supporting me, even if you can't review. Thanks girl, I appreciate it a lot. But you already knew that, didn't you?
Veralidaine: Don't worry, I know it's not a flame. Actually, I enjoyed reading your review. It made me go back and read some chapters again. First of all, I'm blushing here. Thanks for the things you said at the beginning. Glad to know you are enjoying the story and my writing. I do try my best, you know? With that said, let's get down to business: Danielle. Maybe I did go overboard with her; you might have a point there. Just let me expose my case and then you can tell me what you think. At the beginning, I was trying to make of Danielle a good enough character so Max had reasons to be jealous. I mean, it's not easy to change that stubborn head of hers. Something huge had to happen to change her mind. Danielle had to be good enough to pose as a strong enough threat to drive Max crazy and let her realize she had feelings for Alec. By the way, Danielle didn't let Alec go; she made him realize he was gone already. She just told him Max was the one he wanted because he was too stubborn to realize it on his own. I need this to be clear cause I don't want anyone thinking Max was his second choice. She wasn't. But maybe I wasn't clear enough in my writing of the chapter; if that's true I apologize. Ok, so with that out of the way, I decided to bring another topic into the mix. This is probably the reason you have issues with the character. You see, I always thought Max was pictured too good in the show (which is exactly how you feel about Danielle now, so I do understand what you are saying for I've felt the same way about Max somewhere along the way). I mean, she did loose ten years of training and she was never a CO, so how come she is so good at fighting she has defeated both Zack and Alec on hand to hand combat? And becoming the leader of TC? I know she is THE ONE and all, but there's got to be better prepared transgenics there to lead. They were trained for it. I can't imagine every single one of them needing her to know what to do. So, basically I thought that since I had a new character to play with, I might as well use her to show this fact. Again, maybe I went a little overboard with her, I tend to do it quite often. If you don't believe me, just watch the length of this explanation. LOL. If I did, again I'm sorry. And finally, about last chapter, bear in mind it was Biggs talking about Danielle. He is head over heals for her, of course he thinks she is great. It doesn't mean it's true. We tend to see people better than how they really are when we are in love. Anyway, just wanted to thank you for your review; for bringing this up and giving me a chance to explain myself. Let me know what you think. I promise to keep it down a notch in the last chapter; Danielle won't be all knowing and insightful.
What are you doing still reading this? On with the chapter....
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CHAPTER 13: GAME OVER
´Ok. It's now or never. Alec was now standing outside the door which when open would seal his faith. He had spent the last two hours sitting alone at the top of a building looking up at the sky, trying to decide the best way to break it to Max. I mean, usually telling someone something as huge as this was tough. Add to that the fact that this was Max and it became something virtually impossible to do. But to top it all, this wasn't just Max. This was an over the top, very pissed Max. And all her anger was strictly directed at him. Alec snorted at that. ´Yeah, like that's a new one. But still, he wasn't really looking forward to that conversation.
He was about to knock when his strength and determination failed him. ´Maybe I could do this tomorrow....... or next week. Max probably needs some time to chill, to sort things out. Maybe I can give her a month, or a year. Yeah, that sounds about right. I'll give her a year. There's no point in rushing her if she is not sure. Alec seemed happy with his decision. He turned on his heels prepared to head back to Jam Pony, but instead he was faced with a grinning Biggs blocking his way.
"I knew it. I knew you would run. You are a chicken."
Alec recovered enough from the shock to place his all too famous mock hurt look.
"I resent that...." And then he was back to his usual smirk. "Plus, I was just stretching my legs a little bit. I was a little thirsty and thought about getting something to drink before dehydrating. You know, with all the kissing." Biggs wasn't buying it.
"Yeah, of course. Anyway, I don't think dehydration is something you need to worry about. I mean, we can last without water for quite some time, you know? So as I see it, you have no excuse. You are ready to step in."
"You know? There was a time when I got to order you around and you had to follow my orders to survive. I miss those days."
"Yeah, I remember that. Too bad Manticore is gone and we don't need to follow orders any more." A mischievous grin was plastered on Biggs face. He knew Alec would give up eventually; he was intelligent enough to realize he didn't have a choice.
But Alec refused to go down without a fight. "You do need to follow them if you intend to live enough to break them." He was smiling, but the mock threat behind that statement was evident. At least Biggs was hoping it was a mock threat. The aching in his body was clear proof of what could happen if it wasn't. Biggs flinched but didn't pull back.
"So it's true; you are a chicken. I must say, I'm a little bit disappointed."
Biggs knew Alec's weakness; the key to finally getting his friend inside that room. His pride. Neither Alec nor X5 494 would let his pride be stepped all over.
"You know what? You ............." He trailed off and let out a breath. There was no need to talk. Alec knew what Biggs was doing. He also knew he would fall for it anyway. "Screw this." Alec turned on his heels again and knocked. A second later he disappeared behind the door, leaving Biggs outside grinning again.
"Works every time."
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When Alec entered the room, Max was sitting in a rather comfortable-looking couch by the side of the door. ´Comfortable, meaning ´salvageable. That was a lot to say, considering this was post pulse America and TC of all places. But that wasn't really the point. The room was supposed to be an office. They had established three or four of this ´offices at the HQ in the last couple of weeks. The transgenic community knew there was something big coming, they could feel it, and knew they should be prepared. Soldiers planning for the worst case scenario. Anyhow, Max had started spending more and more of her time in TC inside this office so people were starting to assume that she was the owner of this particular room. Not that she would officially call it hers or anything.
Alec realized Max was looking at him expectantly. Of course, when someone knocks on the door and lets himself in, it is assumed he has a reason to be there. It probably was a first for him, but he couldn't for the life of him find the words to address his issue. ´Too bad; small talk it is then.
"Hi Max. Working?"
She went back to some papers she had on her lap. Her tone was harsh when she finally spoke to him.
"No, Alec. I'm dancing. What does it look like I'm doing? Of course I'm working. Mole gave me an endless list of things he needs for the city. Which requires a LOT of money. Which means I need to get some soon. That requires a heist, which needs planning. So, basically, if you have nothing important to say, there is the door; I have work to do." Her index was pointed at the door to show him his way out.
"Wow. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." He knew he was just making her angrier by the second but he couldn't help it. This was what he liked to call ´stalling the topic for all it was worth. "I told you a thousand times already, this whole tough-girl attitude is very unbecoming."
She was starting to loose her patience; not that she usually had a lot to spare or anything, but now she was quickly running out of what little she did have. She knew she had to keep her temper under control, but it was so hard with him. "Alec!" She stood up, the papers forgotten in the now deserted couch. "Do you have anything resembling a good reason to be here?"
"Ok, I get it. You are not in the mood."
"Finally." She threw her arms up in the air and with a quick move she had her hands back on her waist. "So? I'm still waiting."
Honestly, she couldn't deal with this right now. She was still pissed and hurt for what he had done. And not only did he never apologized for any of it, but he was now acting like nothing had happened. Like they had never avoided each other for a whole week.
"One would think Manticore taught you a little patience if nothing else, Maxie. I'm curious; did any of the never ending training stuck in that little head of yours?"
"Alec!"
´No escaping then. Alec's smirk faded and he stared at the wall behind her, anywhere but at her.
"We need to talk." His tone much more determined than he felt; the wonders of Manticore training.
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There was something about his tone. Something she couldn't quite place, but it made the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. That intrigued her enough and she raised her head to meet his eyes again. For the first time since he entered the room, she truly looked at him and what she saw worried her to no end.
"What happened to you? Who did this?" The bruises were slowly starting to form on his face and neck. She checked his profile and realized that there was blood at the bottom of his shirt. A nasty cut right above his waist by the look of it. She continued checking him for more injuries, while her mouth acted like it had a life of its own. "Goddamn it Alec, answer me. The familiars did this, didn't they? Oh god, are your ok? Of course you are not. What are you doing here? You should be at the infirmary. Here, I'll take you. "
She was already making her way out of the room, her hand on the door knob, when Alec's hand on her wrist stopped her in her spot.
"I'm ok Max. This has nothing to do with the familiars."
"But then..... what......" She couldn't form a coherent thought with his eyes fixed on her. Of course, the part where she had no idea about what was going on wasn't helping matters much either.
"Doesn't matter now. I'm ok anyway. I'm always ok, remember? It's not that easy to get rid of me. You, of all people, should know that." He smirked but it never truly reached his eyes.
She still wasn't convinced. Something was wrong; he was withholding information from her. But being assured that he was healthy enough to live for the time being, she went back to her previous annoyance and anger towards him.
"Then there's no point for this conversation anymore." Her cold mask was back on, all previous signs of worry evaporated into thin air. Alec frowned and paced the room; both to calm his nerves and to avoid kicking some sense into that stubborn head of hers.
"Max........"
"What? You said it yourself, this had nothing to do with familiars and I highly doubt you would let a norm kick the crap out of you. So basically, this must be related to one of your scams going sideways, which I couldn't care less about. So again, there's the door, I have work to do."
He breathed heavily, trying to maintain his self-control. Max could be so damn frustrating. If she would just let him speak......
"First of all, nobody beats the crap out of me...." Max snorted and Alec frowned. "..... Nobody!" Still an skeptical look from Max. "....I said.... You know what? I don't care. Think whatever you want. Moving on...."
Max sat in the couch again, preparing herself for what was to come. Although she couldn't come up with a reason why she would want to listen to him. In truth, a voice at the back of her head was trying to supply her with a few reasons, but that voice was unceremoniously asked to leave her consciousness.
"This had nothing to do with any scams going sideways. I'm too good at it for something like that to happen to me." Another skeptical look from Max who decided to cross her arms for emphasis. This time Alec chose to ignore it.
"And last but not least, you seemed worried enough back there not to care about my well being."
Max snorted again, but she couldn't really find an argument to deny her earlier actions so she decided to remain silent for the time being.
"Ok. With that out of the way, I still need to talk to you."
Max was about to open her mouth but Alec saw that one coming and cut her off in time.
"And it has nothing to do with my bruises, ok?"
"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"
Alec took two deep breaths to gain some courage. "I understand you are angry at me about the other night."
"So you finally came to your senses and decided to apologize."
"What?" He was certainly not expecting that one.
"It's ok. I guess it's better late than never."
"Well, I guess I'll go with never then."
"Huh?" Now it was Max's turn to be confused and Alec's turn to be pissed.
"I didn't come here to apologize, I came here to talk about something else. But since you brought it up, why would I need to apologize for?" He was sick of avoiding the issue; they needed to work this out before anything else could happen between them.
"You are kidding right?"
"No Max, I'm not kidding. Come on; tell me. Why would I need to apologize to you for? For having a mind of my own? For not following you around like a puppy? Tell me. I'm truly curious. Enlighten me."
Now he was standing right above her, his own arms crossed in front of him, mirroring hers. She stood up again to face him; she was feeling uncomfortable with him towering above her. Not that standing made a whole lot of a difference, considering her lower height. Finally, she decided the best tactic was to keep a safe distance from him at all times. She pushed him away and walked right passed him to the far side of the room.
"Following me? Oh, that's funny. Don't get me wrong; you ARE a whipped boy. I'm just not the girl with the whip."
He smiled at that, but it was a dangerous smile, with a primal fire behind it.
"So tell me Max..." His voice was calm but threatening at the same time and Max had to resist the urge to purr. Something about his attitude lightening a primal fire of her own inside her body, but for a whole different reason. He was turning her on without even realizing it! Damn her feline DNA! "..... what is it that's really bothering you? The fact that I'm not your puppy any more or the possibility of me being someone else's?"
He didn't see her hand coming until it was too late and her fist connected with his nose. He backed down stunned. He spoke while attending to his wound with his right hand.
"Damn Max. Like I haven't enough bruises on me already to last for a life time."
Max was shocked herself by her actions. Sure, she had kicked him a million times before, but she had never truly wanted to hurt him. Now, even if it was just for a second, she had truly wanted to make him feel her pain. She was loosing it; she had to stop this.
"I'm sorry. I didn't......." But she caught herself in time. Too used to her bitch facade to let it go that easy. "... I mean, you deserve it. You think you can come here and talk to me like that?"
"I..." The pain of the punch brought him back to reality and he regain his composure. "I just want to talk to you, is that so much to ask?"
"Ok. Talk."
"I won't if you don't listen."
"I am listening!"
"No, you are not!"
"Yes, I am!"
"No, you are not!"
"Yes!"
"N..... You know what? You are impossible."
He headed for the door, this time not intending on coming back. He wasn't sure he wanted to have this talk with her anymore. But when he was about to open the door, her whisper stopped him death on his tracks.
"You hurt me. I thought I could count on you, and you betrayed me."
Alec turned around slowly, surprised at the vulnerability shown in her eyes.
"Max, I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never do that if I could help it. I...." ´...care for you. He still couldn't say it out loud.
"Then why did you?"
"What you did out there was a mistake and I understand you don't see it that way, but it was. It was my fault too; I should have killed him myself, regardless of what you said. I should have sent you away and just done it."
"What do you mean, sent me away? I am a part of this, even if your ´girl doesn't want me here."
´Not again. "We are going in circles here, Max. Why can't you just listen?"
"I am listening!"
"No, you just hear what you want to hear. You catch the noise but you don't let your mind hear the words."
"So now I'm stupid too? Not only am I incapable of making the right call, I can't even understand what people are saying."
"See? This is exactly what I'm talking about. You twist everything I say. You are incapable of letting me finish a goddamn sentence. How the hell am I supposed to get my point across?"
"You are right. It's a lost cause. Why do you bother?"
In a fast move, faster than a regular transgenic could pull under normal circumstances, he had her pinned to the wall. His face only inches from hers.
"You are going to hear me, whether you like to or not."
His voice was calm, but his eyes showed the command behind his words. Max was completely stunned. Although she couldn't quite place what had stunned her the most. The fact that he had moved so fast, the fact that she couldn't break away from his grip or the fact that she didn't want to.
"First of all, I don't act according to what Danielle orders me to do. If anything, it's the other way around. She follows MY lead. Are we clear on that one?" Max nodded. "Second of all, we don't spend our time thinking on how to make your life miserable, you are not the center of the world. We act according to what we know, which in this case, I'm sorry, but is far more than what you know. You are lacking 10 years of training Max, don't expect to be able to do everything. Accept it and move on. Are we clear on that one too?" She nodded again. Normally, she would have something to say to that, but his stare had a weird soothing effect on her. "Fine. Lets carry on then. This doesn't mean we don't respect your leadership and won't follow it in the future, cause we will. You are the one who knows the real world; you are the one that can teach us how to live out here. YOU. So don't you try to compete with Danielle or anyone else, cause you are important to us already."
A tear slipped down her face; running free as she couldn't free her hand to wipe it out. They respected her. After what had happened that night, she had feared the rest of them would think like Danielle. That she wasn't a good enough soldier; that she wasn't fit to be around them. That she had spent so many years running from herself, that now it was too late to come back. That was the basic reason she was so mad at him, because she was afraid he thought less of her as well. But he didn't; no one did. For the first time since the escape, she felt that sense of belonging again. She had a family.
Watching a tear run free down her cheek, his voice softened.
"And finally, I'm not with Danielle. I never was and I never will. She is not the one I care about. You are."
Suddenly both of them were very much aware of the closeness between them. He leaned closer and captured her lips in a shy kiss, waiting for her rejection. She returned his kiss, accepting him, letting him know she understood him and wanted him and felt for him. The kiss grew more passionate when she parted her lips and allowed him access. After a couple of minutes they broke the kiss but stayed close, their foreheads on one another.
"About that whip........" His patented smirk showing on his features.
"Shut up."
And she did shut him up when she captured his mouth again. This time, they didn't part away. Clothes began to disappear and the world around them became nothing but a far memory to them.
Summary: Alec's interest on another girl drives Max crazy. Can she accept the reason for her jealousy?.
A/N: Ok, here is the chapter you've all been waiting for. Hope you like it. Enjoy!
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Special thanks to my incredible beta Secretly Beautiful. Not only did she assured me about this chapter, but she also made it so much better with her suggestions.
Ting: Here is that move. Enjoy it!
Natasqui: You are welcome. I just hope I live up to your expectations with the talk.
Nat 452: I think Alec himself is wondering how to do that too. Read and find out.
Arwen-amy: No Danielle yet; so you will have to wait till next chapter for your answer. But I'm guessing you are going to enjoy this chapter anyway.
Kyla: Thanks for your review. Here are some m/a scenes for you.
Kim: A friendship was born between them, that's for sure. And I do have a cute scene with he two of them coming up. Unfortunately, Max and Alec ARE getting together before that happens. I couldn't help it, it had to happen this way. Try it and let me know what you think.
Martha: Your wait is coming to an end. Glad to know you are liking the story. Now read and continue to like it. (Hoping with my fingers crossed).
SGOU: I'm sorry it took so long. I had like a million things to do. Not that I wanted to do them, but they gave me no choice. LOL. However, the second I received your review I sat in front of my computer and started writing the chapter. It took some time to finish it, but now I can only hope it was worth the wait.
Rose: Glad you liked it. Don't worry, I know you are always there supporting me, even if you can't review. Thanks girl, I appreciate it a lot. But you already knew that, didn't you?
Veralidaine: Don't worry, I know it's not a flame. Actually, I enjoyed reading your review. It made me go back and read some chapters again. First of all, I'm blushing here. Thanks for the things you said at the beginning. Glad to know you are enjoying the story and my writing. I do try my best, you know? With that said, let's get down to business: Danielle. Maybe I did go overboard with her; you might have a point there. Just let me expose my case and then you can tell me what you think. At the beginning, I was trying to make of Danielle a good enough character so Max had reasons to be jealous. I mean, it's not easy to change that stubborn head of hers. Something huge had to happen to change her mind. Danielle had to be good enough to pose as a strong enough threat to drive Max crazy and let her realize she had feelings for Alec. By the way, Danielle didn't let Alec go; she made him realize he was gone already. She just told him Max was the one he wanted because he was too stubborn to realize it on his own. I need this to be clear cause I don't want anyone thinking Max was his second choice. She wasn't. But maybe I wasn't clear enough in my writing of the chapter; if that's true I apologize. Ok, so with that out of the way, I decided to bring another topic into the mix. This is probably the reason you have issues with the character. You see, I always thought Max was pictured too good in the show (which is exactly how you feel about Danielle now, so I do understand what you are saying for I've felt the same way about Max somewhere along the way). I mean, she did loose ten years of training and she was never a CO, so how come she is so good at fighting she has defeated both Zack and Alec on hand to hand combat? And becoming the leader of TC? I know she is THE ONE and all, but there's got to be better prepared transgenics there to lead. They were trained for it. I can't imagine every single one of them needing her to know what to do. So, basically I thought that since I had a new character to play with, I might as well use her to show this fact. Again, maybe I went a little overboard with her, I tend to do it quite often. If you don't believe me, just watch the length of this explanation. LOL. If I did, again I'm sorry. And finally, about last chapter, bear in mind it was Biggs talking about Danielle. He is head over heals for her, of course he thinks she is great. It doesn't mean it's true. We tend to see people better than how they really are when we are in love. Anyway, just wanted to thank you for your review; for bringing this up and giving me a chance to explain myself. Let me know what you think. I promise to keep it down a notch in the last chapter; Danielle won't be all knowing and insightful.
What are you doing still reading this? On with the chapter....
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CHAPTER 13: GAME OVER
´Ok. It's now or never. Alec was now standing outside the door which when open would seal his faith. He had spent the last two hours sitting alone at the top of a building looking up at the sky, trying to decide the best way to break it to Max. I mean, usually telling someone something as huge as this was tough. Add to that the fact that this was Max and it became something virtually impossible to do. But to top it all, this wasn't just Max. This was an over the top, very pissed Max. And all her anger was strictly directed at him. Alec snorted at that. ´Yeah, like that's a new one. But still, he wasn't really looking forward to that conversation.
He was about to knock when his strength and determination failed him. ´Maybe I could do this tomorrow....... or next week. Max probably needs some time to chill, to sort things out. Maybe I can give her a month, or a year. Yeah, that sounds about right. I'll give her a year. There's no point in rushing her if she is not sure. Alec seemed happy with his decision. He turned on his heels prepared to head back to Jam Pony, but instead he was faced with a grinning Biggs blocking his way.
"I knew it. I knew you would run. You are a chicken."
Alec recovered enough from the shock to place his all too famous mock hurt look.
"I resent that...." And then he was back to his usual smirk. "Plus, I was just stretching my legs a little bit. I was a little thirsty and thought about getting something to drink before dehydrating. You know, with all the kissing." Biggs wasn't buying it.
"Yeah, of course. Anyway, I don't think dehydration is something you need to worry about. I mean, we can last without water for quite some time, you know? So as I see it, you have no excuse. You are ready to step in."
"You know? There was a time when I got to order you around and you had to follow my orders to survive. I miss those days."
"Yeah, I remember that. Too bad Manticore is gone and we don't need to follow orders any more." A mischievous grin was plastered on Biggs face. He knew Alec would give up eventually; he was intelligent enough to realize he didn't have a choice.
But Alec refused to go down without a fight. "You do need to follow them if you intend to live enough to break them." He was smiling, but the mock threat behind that statement was evident. At least Biggs was hoping it was a mock threat. The aching in his body was clear proof of what could happen if it wasn't. Biggs flinched but didn't pull back.
"So it's true; you are a chicken. I must say, I'm a little bit disappointed."
Biggs knew Alec's weakness; the key to finally getting his friend inside that room. His pride. Neither Alec nor X5 494 would let his pride be stepped all over.
"You know what? You ............." He trailed off and let out a breath. There was no need to talk. Alec knew what Biggs was doing. He also knew he would fall for it anyway. "Screw this." Alec turned on his heels again and knocked. A second later he disappeared behind the door, leaving Biggs outside grinning again.
"Works every time."
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When Alec entered the room, Max was sitting in a rather comfortable-looking couch by the side of the door. ´Comfortable, meaning ´salvageable. That was a lot to say, considering this was post pulse America and TC of all places. But that wasn't really the point. The room was supposed to be an office. They had established three or four of this ´offices at the HQ in the last couple of weeks. The transgenic community knew there was something big coming, they could feel it, and knew they should be prepared. Soldiers planning for the worst case scenario. Anyhow, Max had started spending more and more of her time in TC inside this office so people were starting to assume that she was the owner of this particular room. Not that she would officially call it hers or anything.
Alec realized Max was looking at him expectantly. Of course, when someone knocks on the door and lets himself in, it is assumed he has a reason to be there. It probably was a first for him, but he couldn't for the life of him find the words to address his issue. ´Too bad; small talk it is then.
"Hi Max. Working?"
She went back to some papers she had on her lap. Her tone was harsh when she finally spoke to him.
"No, Alec. I'm dancing. What does it look like I'm doing? Of course I'm working. Mole gave me an endless list of things he needs for the city. Which requires a LOT of money. Which means I need to get some soon. That requires a heist, which needs planning. So, basically, if you have nothing important to say, there is the door; I have work to do." Her index was pointed at the door to show him his way out.
"Wow. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." He knew he was just making her angrier by the second but he couldn't help it. This was what he liked to call ´stalling the topic for all it was worth. "I told you a thousand times already, this whole tough-girl attitude is very unbecoming."
She was starting to loose her patience; not that she usually had a lot to spare or anything, but now she was quickly running out of what little she did have. She knew she had to keep her temper under control, but it was so hard with him. "Alec!" She stood up, the papers forgotten in the now deserted couch. "Do you have anything resembling a good reason to be here?"
"Ok, I get it. You are not in the mood."
"Finally." She threw her arms up in the air and with a quick move she had her hands back on her waist. "So? I'm still waiting."
Honestly, she couldn't deal with this right now. She was still pissed and hurt for what he had done. And not only did he never apologized for any of it, but he was now acting like nothing had happened. Like they had never avoided each other for a whole week.
"One would think Manticore taught you a little patience if nothing else, Maxie. I'm curious; did any of the never ending training stuck in that little head of yours?"
"Alec!"
´No escaping then. Alec's smirk faded and he stared at the wall behind her, anywhere but at her.
"We need to talk." His tone much more determined than he felt; the wonders of Manticore training.
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There was something about his tone. Something she couldn't quite place, but it made the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. That intrigued her enough and she raised her head to meet his eyes again. For the first time since he entered the room, she truly looked at him and what she saw worried her to no end.
"What happened to you? Who did this?" The bruises were slowly starting to form on his face and neck. She checked his profile and realized that there was blood at the bottom of his shirt. A nasty cut right above his waist by the look of it. She continued checking him for more injuries, while her mouth acted like it had a life of its own. "Goddamn it Alec, answer me. The familiars did this, didn't they? Oh god, are your ok? Of course you are not. What are you doing here? You should be at the infirmary. Here, I'll take you. "
She was already making her way out of the room, her hand on the door knob, when Alec's hand on her wrist stopped her in her spot.
"I'm ok Max. This has nothing to do with the familiars."
"But then..... what......" She couldn't form a coherent thought with his eyes fixed on her. Of course, the part where she had no idea about what was going on wasn't helping matters much either.
"Doesn't matter now. I'm ok anyway. I'm always ok, remember? It's not that easy to get rid of me. You, of all people, should know that." He smirked but it never truly reached his eyes.
She still wasn't convinced. Something was wrong; he was withholding information from her. But being assured that he was healthy enough to live for the time being, she went back to her previous annoyance and anger towards him.
"Then there's no point for this conversation anymore." Her cold mask was back on, all previous signs of worry evaporated into thin air. Alec frowned and paced the room; both to calm his nerves and to avoid kicking some sense into that stubborn head of hers.
"Max........"
"What? You said it yourself, this had nothing to do with familiars and I highly doubt you would let a norm kick the crap out of you. So basically, this must be related to one of your scams going sideways, which I couldn't care less about. So again, there's the door, I have work to do."
He breathed heavily, trying to maintain his self-control. Max could be so damn frustrating. If she would just let him speak......
"First of all, nobody beats the crap out of me...." Max snorted and Alec frowned. "..... Nobody!" Still an skeptical look from Max. "....I said.... You know what? I don't care. Think whatever you want. Moving on...."
Max sat in the couch again, preparing herself for what was to come. Although she couldn't come up with a reason why she would want to listen to him. In truth, a voice at the back of her head was trying to supply her with a few reasons, but that voice was unceremoniously asked to leave her consciousness.
"This had nothing to do with any scams going sideways. I'm too good at it for something like that to happen to me." Another skeptical look from Max who decided to cross her arms for emphasis. This time Alec chose to ignore it.
"And last but not least, you seemed worried enough back there not to care about my well being."
Max snorted again, but she couldn't really find an argument to deny her earlier actions so she decided to remain silent for the time being.
"Ok. With that out of the way, I still need to talk to you."
Max was about to open her mouth but Alec saw that one coming and cut her off in time.
"And it has nothing to do with my bruises, ok?"
"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"
Alec took two deep breaths to gain some courage. "I understand you are angry at me about the other night."
"So you finally came to your senses and decided to apologize."
"What?" He was certainly not expecting that one.
"It's ok. I guess it's better late than never."
"Well, I guess I'll go with never then."
"Huh?" Now it was Max's turn to be confused and Alec's turn to be pissed.
"I didn't come here to apologize, I came here to talk about something else. But since you brought it up, why would I need to apologize for?" He was sick of avoiding the issue; they needed to work this out before anything else could happen between them.
"You are kidding right?"
"No Max, I'm not kidding. Come on; tell me. Why would I need to apologize to you for? For having a mind of my own? For not following you around like a puppy? Tell me. I'm truly curious. Enlighten me."
Now he was standing right above her, his own arms crossed in front of him, mirroring hers. She stood up again to face him; she was feeling uncomfortable with him towering above her. Not that standing made a whole lot of a difference, considering her lower height. Finally, she decided the best tactic was to keep a safe distance from him at all times. She pushed him away and walked right passed him to the far side of the room.
"Following me? Oh, that's funny. Don't get me wrong; you ARE a whipped boy. I'm just not the girl with the whip."
He smiled at that, but it was a dangerous smile, with a primal fire behind it.
"So tell me Max..." His voice was calm but threatening at the same time and Max had to resist the urge to purr. Something about his attitude lightening a primal fire of her own inside her body, but for a whole different reason. He was turning her on without even realizing it! Damn her feline DNA! "..... what is it that's really bothering you? The fact that I'm not your puppy any more or the possibility of me being someone else's?"
He didn't see her hand coming until it was too late and her fist connected with his nose. He backed down stunned. He spoke while attending to his wound with his right hand.
"Damn Max. Like I haven't enough bruises on me already to last for a life time."
Max was shocked herself by her actions. Sure, she had kicked him a million times before, but she had never truly wanted to hurt him. Now, even if it was just for a second, she had truly wanted to make him feel her pain. She was loosing it; she had to stop this.
"I'm sorry. I didn't......." But she caught herself in time. Too used to her bitch facade to let it go that easy. "... I mean, you deserve it. You think you can come here and talk to me like that?"
"I..." The pain of the punch brought him back to reality and he regain his composure. "I just want to talk to you, is that so much to ask?"
"Ok. Talk."
"I won't if you don't listen."
"I am listening!"
"No, you are not!"
"Yes, I am!"
"No, you are not!"
"Yes!"
"N..... You know what? You are impossible."
He headed for the door, this time not intending on coming back. He wasn't sure he wanted to have this talk with her anymore. But when he was about to open the door, her whisper stopped him death on his tracks.
"You hurt me. I thought I could count on you, and you betrayed me."
Alec turned around slowly, surprised at the vulnerability shown in her eyes.
"Max, I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never do that if I could help it. I...." ´...care for you. He still couldn't say it out loud.
"Then why did you?"
"What you did out there was a mistake and I understand you don't see it that way, but it was. It was my fault too; I should have killed him myself, regardless of what you said. I should have sent you away and just done it."
"What do you mean, sent me away? I am a part of this, even if your ´girl doesn't want me here."
´Not again. "We are going in circles here, Max. Why can't you just listen?"
"I am listening!"
"No, you just hear what you want to hear. You catch the noise but you don't let your mind hear the words."
"So now I'm stupid too? Not only am I incapable of making the right call, I can't even understand what people are saying."
"See? This is exactly what I'm talking about. You twist everything I say. You are incapable of letting me finish a goddamn sentence. How the hell am I supposed to get my point across?"
"You are right. It's a lost cause. Why do you bother?"
In a fast move, faster than a regular transgenic could pull under normal circumstances, he had her pinned to the wall. His face only inches from hers.
"You are going to hear me, whether you like to or not."
His voice was calm, but his eyes showed the command behind his words. Max was completely stunned. Although she couldn't quite place what had stunned her the most. The fact that he had moved so fast, the fact that she couldn't break away from his grip or the fact that she didn't want to.
"First of all, I don't act according to what Danielle orders me to do. If anything, it's the other way around. She follows MY lead. Are we clear on that one?" Max nodded. "Second of all, we don't spend our time thinking on how to make your life miserable, you are not the center of the world. We act according to what we know, which in this case, I'm sorry, but is far more than what you know. You are lacking 10 years of training Max, don't expect to be able to do everything. Accept it and move on. Are we clear on that one too?" She nodded again. Normally, she would have something to say to that, but his stare had a weird soothing effect on her. "Fine. Lets carry on then. This doesn't mean we don't respect your leadership and won't follow it in the future, cause we will. You are the one who knows the real world; you are the one that can teach us how to live out here. YOU. So don't you try to compete with Danielle or anyone else, cause you are important to us already."
A tear slipped down her face; running free as she couldn't free her hand to wipe it out. They respected her. After what had happened that night, she had feared the rest of them would think like Danielle. That she wasn't a good enough soldier; that she wasn't fit to be around them. That she had spent so many years running from herself, that now it was too late to come back. That was the basic reason she was so mad at him, because she was afraid he thought less of her as well. But he didn't; no one did. For the first time since the escape, she felt that sense of belonging again. She had a family.
Watching a tear run free down her cheek, his voice softened.
"And finally, I'm not with Danielle. I never was and I never will. She is not the one I care about. You are."
Suddenly both of them were very much aware of the closeness between them. He leaned closer and captured her lips in a shy kiss, waiting for her rejection. She returned his kiss, accepting him, letting him know she understood him and wanted him and felt for him. The kiss grew more passionate when she parted her lips and allowed him access. After a couple of minutes they broke the kiss but stayed close, their foreheads on one another.
"About that whip........" His patented smirk showing on his features.
"Shut up."
And she did shut him up when she captured his mouth again. This time, they didn't part away. Clothes began to disappear and the world around them became nothing but a far memory to them.