Learning to Live, Chapter Two
When the room was silent, Max tugged on Alec's arm and she looked up at him.
"Let's go," she whispered softly, struggling to stand up.
Alec held her steady and stood himself, letting her lean against him as he put his arm around her shoulder. They walked out of the room slowly and down the hall in silence.
Max was numb. She wasn't shaking or thinking.just walking, she just kept on walking.
They were outside before Alec spoke, "Max, where's your bike?"
She looked up at him, not really processing his words. What was he was asking her?
"Where's your bike, Max?" Alec repeated, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
The fog lifted from Max's consciousness as she frowned and nodded her head toward her bike. "Over there," she whispered.
Alec turned in the direction she indicated as Max gasped. Someone was stealing her bike. Alec couldn't help but silently shake his head at the horrid luck of the young thief for he could surely be the poster child for Murphy's Law. Max was not in what one would call a good mood.
"Hey, baby, nice bike!" Max called out to thief. The young man stopped, startled, then whistled appreciatively when he saw Max.
Alec considered helping her out, but she didn't need it, and she certainly DID need distraction.
"You want a real man, babe?" the thief asked Max, casting a disdainful glance at Alec.
Then again, she might need a hand.
"No, but you could do me a favor.and only take things that belong to you." The thief turned an alarmed eye back at the bike and grabbed for her. She caught his wrist and squeezed.
"Look," she whispered tightly. "I am having a VERY bad day," she emphasized the words with a squeeze, "And if you don't leave this second, I promise you'll regret it.
The man gulped and looked at Alec, as though he would dream of stopping Max in any circumstance, let alone this one. The theif backed off quickly, staring at the bruise growing on his arm.
"Damn, man," the guy turned to Alec, "What can she do with her legs?"
Alec's lips tightened and he grabbed the guy around the neck. "She told you to walk away," he snarled. He felt a hand on his shoulder as Max urged him to let her handle it.
Reluctantly, he let go as the poor fool gasped for breath.
Max didn't say a word, but she did accurately display one of her favorite things to do with her legs. Or, more precisely, her knee.
Alec winced in sympathy, "Been there, man.you should be ok in a couple weeks."
Max and Alec took off on her bike.
Recklessly, they tore up the streets as Max tested the limits of her luck, maybe wanting it to end.
Alec hung on, feeling her anger and pain as she drove. It seemed like they were at her apartment in moments.
"Do you want me to leave, Max?" Alec asked softly.
She shook her head and tried to speak, but her face crumpled. Helpless to do anything else, she walked into his arms.
"I'm sorry, Max. I wanted to save him."
Nodding against his chest, she whispered, "I kill everyone." He heard her, of course, and pulled away.
"God, Max, it isn't your fault." Alec set her on the couch and took her hand between his.
"I had so many warnings, Alec. I shouldn't have been around him, you were right.
Alec's heart constricted at the look on her face. He had been right. Why did that make it feel so much worse?
"You didn't know, Max, you did the best you could."
"He would still be here if that were true."
"He loved you, Max, he wouldn't have changed anything. I think he would have preferred this to a lifetime of being apart from you."
"But we could have found a cure."
"Max, Manticore knew what it was doing," he told her.
Max closed her eyes, and fresh tears poured down her cheeks. "God, Alec, I let them win! They wanted him dead and he is." The look of despair on her face killed him and he didn't know what to say.
"You brought them down, Max, they can't win anymore." It was partially true, at least.
"I'm so tired, Alec. I've never felt this tired." She let go of his hand and slid down the couch, laying her head in his lap. He stroked her back with one hand and her hair with the other. This was both his dream and his nightmare. The last woman he had held in any way similar was Rachel and for a moment he tensed, but kept stroking Max as she drifted off into merciful sleep.
Manticore was still causing pain for both of them. He didn't want to tell her that they'd won, but she had a point. Max and Logan had talked of nothing but beating the virus, but it beat them. Eyes Only was gone, just as Manticore wanted.
Alec's eyes narrowed as he thought of something.
Three hours later, Max started to stir and sat up in confusion.
"Alec?" she asked, disoriented. Memories came flooding back to her and she sank back against the couch with the weight of them. "Logan." she whispered softly.
"I have an idea, Max."
She glanced at him, wondering what idea could possibly be important at this point, then frowning at the intense look on his face.
"Manticore was trying to stop Eyes Only.what if that didn't happen?" Alec watched the wheels turn in her head.
"So you're suggesting that we.?" her voice trailed off and she sounded hopeful for the first time since Alec's blood started flowing into the IV.
Alec nodded in confirmation, "I think Logan would want us to continue the struggle."
When the room was silent, Max tugged on Alec's arm and she looked up at him.
"Let's go," she whispered softly, struggling to stand up.
Alec held her steady and stood himself, letting her lean against him as he put his arm around her shoulder. They walked out of the room slowly and down the hall in silence.
Max was numb. She wasn't shaking or thinking.just walking, she just kept on walking.
They were outside before Alec spoke, "Max, where's your bike?"
She looked up at him, not really processing his words. What was he was asking her?
"Where's your bike, Max?" Alec repeated, brushing her hair out of her eyes.
The fog lifted from Max's consciousness as she frowned and nodded her head toward her bike. "Over there," she whispered.
Alec turned in the direction she indicated as Max gasped. Someone was stealing her bike. Alec couldn't help but silently shake his head at the horrid luck of the young thief for he could surely be the poster child for Murphy's Law. Max was not in what one would call a good mood.
"Hey, baby, nice bike!" Max called out to thief. The young man stopped, startled, then whistled appreciatively when he saw Max.
Alec considered helping her out, but she didn't need it, and she certainly DID need distraction.
"You want a real man, babe?" the thief asked Max, casting a disdainful glance at Alec.
Then again, she might need a hand.
"No, but you could do me a favor.and only take things that belong to you." The thief turned an alarmed eye back at the bike and grabbed for her. She caught his wrist and squeezed.
"Look," she whispered tightly. "I am having a VERY bad day," she emphasized the words with a squeeze, "And if you don't leave this second, I promise you'll regret it.
The man gulped and looked at Alec, as though he would dream of stopping Max in any circumstance, let alone this one. The theif backed off quickly, staring at the bruise growing on his arm.
"Damn, man," the guy turned to Alec, "What can she do with her legs?"
Alec's lips tightened and he grabbed the guy around the neck. "She told you to walk away," he snarled. He felt a hand on his shoulder as Max urged him to let her handle it.
Reluctantly, he let go as the poor fool gasped for breath.
Max didn't say a word, but she did accurately display one of her favorite things to do with her legs. Or, more precisely, her knee.
Alec winced in sympathy, "Been there, man.you should be ok in a couple weeks."
Max and Alec took off on her bike.
Recklessly, they tore up the streets as Max tested the limits of her luck, maybe wanting it to end.
Alec hung on, feeling her anger and pain as she drove. It seemed like they were at her apartment in moments.
"Do you want me to leave, Max?" Alec asked softly.
She shook her head and tried to speak, but her face crumpled. Helpless to do anything else, she walked into his arms.
"I'm sorry, Max. I wanted to save him."
Nodding against his chest, she whispered, "I kill everyone." He heard her, of course, and pulled away.
"God, Max, it isn't your fault." Alec set her on the couch and took her hand between his.
"I had so many warnings, Alec. I shouldn't have been around him, you were right.
Alec's heart constricted at the look on her face. He had been right. Why did that make it feel so much worse?
"You didn't know, Max, you did the best you could."
"He would still be here if that were true."
"He loved you, Max, he wouldn't have changed anything. I think he would have preferred this to a lifetime of being apart from you."
"But we could have found a cure."
"Max, Manticore knew what it was doing," he told her.
Max closed her eyes, and fresh tears poured down her cheeks. "God, Alec, I let them win! They wanted him dead and he is." The look of despair on her face killed him and he didn't know what to say.
"You brought them down, Max, they can't win anymore." It was partially true, at least.
"I'm so tired, Alec. I've never felt this tired." She let go of his hand and slid down the couch, laying her head in his lap. He stroked her back with one hand and her hair with the other. This was both his dream and his nightmare. The last woman he had held in any way similar was Rachel and for a moment he tensed, but kept stroking Max as she drifted off into merciful sleep.
Manticore was still causing pain for both of them. He didn't want to tell her that they'd won, but she had a point. Max and Logan had talked of nothing but beating the virus, but it beat them. Eyes Only was gone, just as Manticore wanted.
Alec's eyes narrowed as he thought of something.
Three hours later, Max started to stir and sat up in confusion.
"Alec?" she asked, disoriented. Memories came flooding back to her and she sank back against the couch with the weight of them. "Logan." she whispered softly.
"I have an idea, Max."
She glanced at him, wondering what idea could possibly be important at this point, then frowning at the intense look on his face.
"Manticore was trying to stop Eyes Only.what if that didn't happen?" Alec watched the wheels turn in her head.
"So you're suggesting that we.?" her voice trailed off and she sounded hopeful for the first time since Alec's blood started flowing into the IV.
Alec nodded in confirmation, "I think Logan would want us to continue the struggle."