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Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!!

Chapter Ten: Fight Fire with Fire

Max looked down at Alec, as he silently gulped down the glass of milk she had hurriedly snatched from the kitchen. Buffy and the others had been more than stunned when she suddenly blurred into the kitchen and out in less than three seconds without any explanation. The petite blonde had trooped up after her and was about to scold her for running around the house, but had stopped the minute she saw Alec lying flat on the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

Max had then shooed Buffy away, telling her that she'd explain everything later. The slayer had nodded and had left, her face splattered with curiosity. Max had been glad that Buffy hadn't pushed in asking what was wrong with Alec, because Max knew that Alec wouldn't have wanted anyone to see the state of weakness that had overcome him.

"Feeling better?" she asked, stroking his hair slowly. Both were leaning against the corridor wall, legs spread out in front of them.

"Yeah," he responded with a grimace. Luckily, Alec had brought along his own pack of Trytophan, and she had been able to get it out from his jacket pocket after much difficulty. "Seizures are like hell." He paused, a thoughtful look on his handsome face before adding. "Although it was pretty much worth it...at least I get to sit here beside you with you comforting me..."

Max flushed red, and Alec grinned impishly. "You know, when you look at it that way...seizures don't sound so bad after all."

"Shut up," she reprimanded through gritted teeth. To her surprise, he did, and they spent the next few seconds in companionable silence.

It was Max who first broke the silence. "Hey Alec," she said, glancing at him. "I'm sorry. You know...about Rachel."

"Not your fault," he said flatly, and Max cringed. She should've known better than to bring up Rachel. She knew it was a touchy subject for him. But she had already started it, and there was no looking back now.

"It wasn't your fault either, you know." Max snapped. "You were under orders...Manticore's sick like that. Probably the reason on why I escaped in the first place. Probably the reason why I dealt with all those 'traitor' remarks."

Alec's features softened. "You're right," he agreed, surprising her yet again. "It wasn't my fault, but if you just think about it, I could've saved her..."

"No you couldn't have," Max said bitterly. "Manticore would've gone in and killed her just the same. No witnesses and all that." She looked up from the spot on the floor where she had kept her gaze all throughout the conversation, and asked almost timidly. "It hurt didn't it? Having to lose someone you loved for the first time?"

Alec looked at her in what was almost surprise. "Yeah it did."

Max hung her head, her dark hair falling around her face like a curtain.

"But past's past, Maxie. I love someone else now."

She glanced up. "Really?" she asked, hope shining in her eyes.

"Really," he confirmed. And with that, he crushed his lips to hers, fiery passion enveloping them. Alec felt Max's mouth open under his, and in a pleasuring instant, she was kissing him back, running her tongue on his lower lip with one sensual motion, as her arms circled his neck, pulling him closer.

They only stopped for air, which was five minutes later. (Yes, X5s could hold their breath for that long), and that was when they realized that they were not alone in the hallway.

"Ahem," A voice cleared her throat from the top of the staircase. It was Buffy, and she was wearing a very amused smile on her face. "If your all done with make-out session, and before you can further into porn, I just want to let you guys know that we need you down in the living room. You have a visitor."

Jewel's bike screeched to a stop in front of an average-looking house on Revello Drive. Dix had pinpointed their location here. Although it was already four-thirty in the morning, their house was still brightly-lit, and with her enhanced hearing, she could hear conversations going inside the house. She needn't be skeptical if this was the right house, because Dix had never been wrong before.

Besides, Alec's motorcycle was parked right outside.

Patting her hip to make sure that her gun was still there, she hopped off her bike and made her way up the front porch and pressed the doorbell. The door instantly opened, to reveal an elderly man wearing glasses. He stared at her with much apprehension.

"Um hey," Jewel said slowly. "My name's Jewel and I'm looking for Max and Alec?"

An 'ah' look came upon the man's face and he smiled. "One of the X5s I presume," he said in a lilting British accent. She nodded, not even asking how he knew. Must be my striking looks. She joked inside her head. "Allow me to introduce myself: Rupert Giles. Come in, come in."

She stepped into the house, and found herself inside a living room stacked with various weapons. Primitive ones as well. She recognized only a few, being more fully knowledgeable about the more modern kind of artillery. Maybe she should snatch a few...Mole would love these. She thought with a grin, but considered against it, knowing that the lizard-man loved the more explosive kind.

"Buffy, would you be so kind to call Max and Alec?" Giles requested a short blonde woman that was polishing a nasty looking sword. Buffy smiled at her briefly before trotting up the stairs.

"Would you like anything?" Giles asked, gesturing towards the kitchen where more than a dozen teenage girls were gathered talking in low voices while eating. "Tea? Coffee?"

"No thanks," Jewel said absently, more curious on why there were so many girls here, and why there were so many weapons lying around being polished by ditzy-looking blondes.

Giles seemed to notice her curiosity because he nodded. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. But none that can't be answered by your friends. They've already seen a great deal regarding the er- strangeness of this town."

Before she could ask more on what this 'strangeness' might be, her two superiors came bounding down the stairs, inquiring looks on their faces. "Jewel." Alec greeted her with a grin. Max followed suit.

"Nice to see that the two of you are still in one piece," she commented dryly and motioned for them to come closer. The pair exchanged a glance, immediately sensing that something was wrong, and they slid closer to her.

"Giles, Buffy." Alec nodded at the two who were looking at them in mild interest. "May we have a moment, please?"

"Certainly," Giles said and the two disappeared into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Max instantly asked, her chocolate-brown eyes glimmering with worry.

"The Seattle government is asserting war against us," Jewel informed them, her eyebrows knotting together in distress. She almost wished she was back at Manticore. Not having to form plans and such, only to carry out orders. And now, she was more than glad that she was back with the leaders of TC. "Genocide."

Alec swore under his breath, and Max groaned. "No."

"Its all over the news," Jewel said her face a heap of anxiety. "We're guessing that they're going to attack sometime next week. They can't attack now, 'coz their gonna need reinforcements. Apparently, they're not taking any chances. We are after all, genetically engineered killing machines." She sighed. "What're we going to do?"

"We fight back," Alec said bluntly.

"But there are only, what? Three hundred of us?" Jewel asked, doing a quick count in her head. "If they manage to seek help from other countries..." she trailed off helplessly.

"We'll manage," Alec said decisively. "We've got enough gear to go to war. Besides we're genetically engineered killing machines, remember?"

"Right," Max agreed, although her eyes betrayed her worry and dubiousness. Jewel knew the reason on why she wasn't voicing her worries. It was the fact that there was no way around this one. They had to fight fire with fire.

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