Chapter Three: Revelation

"See? I knew you'd react like that," Max whispered. The room had gone silent with Alec's outburst, but was now progressing back to its earlier volume.

"No! I'm sorry. It's just a surprise. That's all...All this time I thought you couldn't stand him..and now..." Alec couldn't believe his own ears.

She loves me? He deliberated between jumping for joy while siling like an idiot and pinching himself to see if he was awake.

"It came as kind of a shock to me too, don't worry." Max smiled slightly.

"But...Max, if you feel that way about m-him, why have you been avoiding him so much. He thinks you're mad at him." Alec mentally cursed himself at the near slip.

"I...I needed to put some distance between us. After what happened with 634, and...the whole breeding program thing. If I can forget I love him I won't care that he's...going to be with Jace." Alec's eyes widened. Ben liked Jace.

Shit, he'll kill me.

"Who are you paired with, Maxie?" He didn't really want to know, but it was a kind of morbid curiosity that made him ask.

"Ben...I don't think you really want to know the answer to that."

"Yes, I do."

"Fine...I'm paired with...you."

I'll kill him, he thought. Then suddenly, he had an idea. He felt like a lightbulb should appear above his head.

"I think that actually works out..."

"Are you crazy! You're like my brother! In no way does that work out!"

"Maxie, shut-up and listen for a minute," Alec said impatiently.

He's sounding more like Alec everyday, Max mused.

"Fine. I'm listening." Max sighed and settled back in her stool, leaning on the wall.

"Alright. See...I like Jace, and you like Alec. I think a twin swap-" The irony was not lost on him.

"No. I don't...Alec doesn't even like me like that." Max saddened, near tears again.

"You're so blind, Max. Alec loves you. He always has. He just never had the balls to admit it," he said softly. This wasn't the way he'd wanted to tell her. He'd imagined something a bit more romantic. Well, as romantic as you could get inside Manticore.

Max stared up into his eyes upon hearing the emotion in his voice. His hazel eyes sparkled, boring into her own brown ones. There was something there she hand't seen before.

Why didn't I see it until now?

"Alec..." she breathed.

"What?" Alec panicked. She was so going to kick his ass.

"You jerk. You tricked me!" she said, punching him in the shoulder.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Alec began, but he was cut off by Max.

"You knew I would talk to Ben, so you switched. How?" She pulled down his head and looked at the back of his neck. The end of the barcode looked a little shiny. No one would notice if they weren't looking for it.

"You doctored the barcodes." Max let him sit back up and just stared at him. "Why?" she demanded.

"I was worried about you. You wouldn't even look at me, Maxie. I needed to know what happened." He pleaded with his eyes that she understand.

"You lied to me, Alec," she accused, anger and shock in her voice.

"No. Everything I said was-IS-true. Max, I love you." There. He'd said it, made it real.

Max was quiet for several minutes. It seemed like an eternity to Alec.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

Max shook her head, then put her hand on his. "It doesn't matter. Now we know. Do you still feel...are you mad about 634?" She stumbled over the words, afraid of the answer.

"Hell, yeah I'm mad! Just not at you." He added the last part quickly when the saw the hurt expression cross Max's features. "I'm..It's not your fault. Or 634's for that matter. It's Renfro-Manticore." He put up a hand and cupped Max's chin, making her look at him. "Not. Your. Fault. It doesn't change the way I feel about you, Maxie. Nothing could." How badly he wanted to kiss her then. But with all the staff around, it would be suicide.

"I..I love you, too, Alec." A single tear rolled from Max's eyes and down her cheek. Alec took his thumb and gently wiped it away. He brought down his hand he'd kept it there as long as he'd dared and smiled lovingly at her.

"So," Max said, sniffling slightly. "You're brilliant plan is to doctor the barcodes again when the breeding program starts? You with me and Ben with Jace?"

"Yup...that is, unless you'd rather have Ben..." This earned him another smack from Max. She really had to find a new place to hit him.

"No. Only you." Max smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked, alarmed at the sudden change in Max's mood.

"Alec...the program. They want us to give them babies. I can't-I won't..."

"I know. Don't worry. You know how many deals I've got goin' here. I'm sure I can score some contraceptives. I won't let them do that to you. To any of us if I can help it."

"There's got to be a better way...What happens if one day you two can't switch?"

"Shit. I hadn't thought of that. You have a better idea?"

"Maybe...you know how much these people like to mess with us, right?"

"Oh yeah," Alec replied, bitterness making it's appearance.

"Well...There's going to be a meeting today with Renfro. She's going to tell everyone about the program. Maybe if we seem happy with our pairings, bitch that she is, she might switch us up just to piss us off."

Alec smiled. "That's my girl! Do I sense a plan?"

"Yeah...I've been hanging around you too much," she jabbed.

Alec mockingly placed a hand over his heart. "Maxie, you hurt me so."

"Sure I did. Now shut-up, pretty boy. Here's the plan..."