Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, just an idea, but trust me you can't get anything from that! Leave me to live in fiction

Summary: Set after "The Berrisford Agenda". Alec said goodbye to his first love and that changed him forever. Can he open his heart to someone else? Or will it stay closed forever? What will Max think about him from now on? He is a changed man now… A/M

Thanks to:

Gauri and guest – thanks for the great review. I hope you will like this one as well. Please let me know!

Chapter 17 – I'm not letting go

Max woke up the next morning feeling very relieved. It was a feeling of truth. Her life made more sense now. Although she still wasn't free in a matter that concerns the whole world, her private life was now liberating. Sure, Alec still didn't like her in a way she wanted him to, but there was still hope. She was home. She got out of the bed and went straight into the kitchen where OC had already fixed them some coffee.

"See, I told you, we had coffee around here somewhere. Just don't ask me where I found it." – she said as her face grinned.

"Good enough" – Max said as she took a sip. She waited for a moment before she asked. "So, have you considerd my suggestion?"

OC looked up over her coffee cup. She swalloved her sip as well as the awkward feeling she had.

"You mean that crazy suggestion with me helping you get Alec as your new honey?"

"That's the one". – Max replied.

"To tell you the truth, I haven't thought about it that much, boo. I just hoped you would reconsider as the morning came. "- OC said truthfully.

"So, you think that its a bad idea? – sadness was heard in Max's voice. She was talking to her friend, and for the first time she felt like OC was dead serious with her point of view.

"Look, boo, if you asked me to help you just a few days ago, I would have grabbed both yours and Alec's hands and locked you in a closet, but…look, you can't say to me that you seriously think Alec will forget everything that happened."

"No, I don't think that." – Max raised her voice. "But, he can't stay mad at me forever and one day…"

OC started to laugh and that stopped Max's explanation.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Boo, you would kill him if the situation was the other way around. What makes you think he's so forgiving. Put yourself in his shoes. Would you forgive him in a flash?"

Max fixated her stare on a wall, while she thought about that.

"He won't be mad for good…He can't be mad at me for good. It's the truth that I would be pissed, but he is different…At least I thought he was different." – Suddenly she saw Alec's face in front of her. He was yelling at her that she was a coward, he threw word punches at her and that hurt. She shivered, but quickly pulled herself together.

"I have to try, OC. I will never know if I don't try. And, trust me, nothing he does can make me feel worse that I already do."

OC just kept looking at her. Sure, her friend was never a coward, but this situation pushed every other thing into perspective. She was willing to lay all her feelings in front of a man who hates her.

"Well, who am I to stop her. " – she thought.

"OK, boo, count me in. Just, if Alec gets his crazy mad look on, you're on your own. I'm running like my life depends on it. And, I think it will."

Max smiled and hugged her friend.

"Thank you, thank you , thank you. And you have my blessing to run. Maybe I'll follow you if things get more rough than I thought."

"Well, let's run to work first, or Normal will kill us. And then we will work on our plan. Speaking of which, what exacly is the plan? Or should I say, what will my part be in all of this? "

"I haven't worked all the details out." – Max confessed. – "But, I swear I'll let you know first."

"Well, help me Lord" – OC prayed.

"Don't worry, everything will be just fine. Come on, don't tell me you don't like the intrigue."

OC had somewhat of a sour face.

"Yeah, goody" – she only added as they both left through their apartment.

Alec woke up in his bed feeling very relaxerd although he didn't sleep that much. He rubbed his eyes and while doing so he remembered everything that went on last night. It was like his whole life changed. His past came to him and he grabbed it. Then he lost it in a flash. The one thing he had going on for himself was his friends. And they deserted him as well. He remembered Joshua's words.

"She stepped on your heart."

The words were playing in his head like a bad song. He thought his heart was broken a long time ago, and then he found out he still had it. That was not the way things were supposed to be. "I liked the way things were before. Me messing around, not keeping ties with any one. Why did I stay here?" – Alec asked himself as he remembered he had to go to work.

"She will be there." – a thought occurred to him. – "I'm a good liar, but I don't know how I will react in this situation. And what will Sketchy and OC think. Well, Sketchy will be as ignorant as always, but OC…she knows everything, about Rachel and as well as Max. She will see right through me."

Alec got out of bed and put his clothes on. As he buttoned up his shirt his gaze fell on his image in the mirror. He looked fine. No sign of pain, no sign of anxiety. Can he lie the entire time or will his look betray him.

"Well, Alec, go and do what you know best. Lie like hell."

He got his jacket and went outside. The streets were packed with people and everyone went on with their lives. That seemed strange to Alec. He watched those faces driving to work. It was like nothing had changed, but he was totally different.

He didn't realize he had already got to work. He abruptly stopped his ninja like something had hit him. His eyes were fixated on the front door. There they were. OC, Sketchy and Max. They were laughing and with each laugh he got more angry.

"Look at her. She's smiling like she has no worries on her mind. I should have left this stinking town. What am I saying? I can still leave. Sure, Joshua will be mad at me, but he will understand someday. He has his little fella with him. He doesn't need me. " – he started to turn on his ninja, but it seemed like the sound alarmed everyone, cause all three of them turned to him.

Max's eyes grew serious.

"Oh, my God, there he is."

OC also had a panicked look on her face.

"Well, let's prepare ourselves for running. That boo doesn't seem that happy. Why is he just standing there?"

Only Sketchy didn't know what was going on.

"Hey, man, why are you standing there like a statue. Come on, I have to tell you about that date." – he yelled.

"Oh, great." – Alec thought sarcastically. He was in no position to run now that everyone had seen him. He would turn into a coward, and he didn't like that.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Just having some problems with the engine." – he lied as he pretended to work on it. He was kneeling and he didn't realize that Max had approached him.

"Do you need any help?" – she asked carefully.

He looked up at her and swallowed.

"Shit, I can't do this. Look at her. She looks so good, and I still need to hate her." – he thought.

"No, you helped me enough." – he said sarcastically as he got up. He had that height thing on his side although he didn't feel that big when he was really standing in front of her.

He started to walk toward his friend leaving Max just standing there.

"Sketchy, my man, tell me, am I not the best friend you ever had? – he yelled. – "I mean, who else would leave you with two beautiful women."

"You are a God!. – Sketchy said as they started to walk into the building. – "Let me tell you, they were gorgeous. I mean…- Sketchy continued to talk, but Alec's eyes met OC's. He nodded to her and she nodded back. That was it. Not another word. But, that was all OC needed. She read him like a book. And she didn't know how to tell Max what she read. She looked at her friend looking miserable and she approached her.

"Don't." – Max simply said.

"Don't what? "

"Don't say I told you so."

OC took a deep breath trying to find the right words. She was always blunt, but she knew she could really hurt her friend now. She was very vulnerable. And than she would be the same as Alec.

"I was going to say, we should get inside or we will get shity assingments for today. And I'm not in the mood for going to Sector 5."

They walked into the building hearing Normals voice.

"Come on, people, move it! Surprisingly enough, we don't have that many deliveries so far."

Everyone started to cheer thinking Normal would give them the day off.

"But, all of you have to stay here. Newbies will go do the deliveries and you "old people" will stay here and clean this place up, and that means you will have to wash it thoroughly. Understood?".

The sound of objections was all that could be heard.

"I can't believe this. He's making us clean this dump. I would rather go do the deliveries" – Sketchy said.

Alec wasn't happy as well.

"Great, now I have to spend my entire day here with her. Maybe I can weasel myself out of this."

"Hey, Norm" Can I go if you don't need me?"

"No, no, Golden boy, you will stay as well. Of course you don't have to do phyisical work. Just watch over them. I have to go do some paperwork." – Normal said patting Alec on the back as he left.

Max stood there watching their conversation. As opposed to Alec, she didn't mind staying with him. OC approached her.

"Well, boo, if you ever had some sex dreams with Alec being your superior, knock yourself out. Cause I think he will have a ball with this controlling thing."

"Very funny. I don't know what to do. You saw how he blew me off in the parking lot. "

OC looked at her friend. She was starting to get really mad. First she wants him, now she's thinking of letting everything go.

"Look, boo, decide already! Do you want him?"

Max took one glance at Alec as she saw him smiling at his new position. He was ordering some guys to wash the toilets. She smiled a little.

"Yeah, I want him." – Max whispered.

"Well, then , I don't want to hear this hesitation in your voice. Understood? Sure, you can't just go and grab him, but lurk a little. Wait for the right occasion."

Max simply nodded.

"Now, let's go and get our assignments from Alec." – OC said and started to walk toward him.

"Hey, boo, what you have planned for us?" – she asked smiling.

Alec looked at them both and said, "Well, I already sent someone to wash the toilets…but I can always give them something else to do."

"Funny, comedian boy, what else needs to be done?"

Alec thought for a second and although he wanted to give Max the most degrading thing possible, he couldn't think of any.

"You can clean over there where the TV is. And that means moving the couch and cleaning under it as well. – Alec smiled. He thought for a second Max would object but she simply walked towards the couch and started to clean.

His stare was fixated on her as she kneeled and started to move the couch. Her hair was falling over her face and she looked beautiful.

OC looked at him as he watched Max.

"Well, I'll be damned. Boy is really in love."

"Well, I'll go over and help her."

Alec woke up from his day dream and looked at OC.

"Yeah, you do that. I'll go in the back room to see if the filing cabinets needs to be organized."

"OK." – OC said as she watched Alec leave. She walked over to Max and sat on the couch smiling.

Max looked up.

"Why are you sitting there smiling. You could help me, you know.?"

"We're not going to clean this.

"We're not?" – Max said stunned.

"No. We will go organize the filling cabinets. That is, you will." – OC said contently.

"What are you babbling about?" – Max asked not understanding any of this.

"Your boy is there. Go help him."

"So he can throw my ass out? I don't think so."

"I have the feeling this is going to be different. Like you said, what do you have to lose?"

Max looked at the closed door trying to decide what to do. She was still insecure, but OC was right. Waiting won't change anything. She knows a couple of things about holding a grudge. Time really doesn't help that much.

She stood up and started to walk over. She knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" – Alec said.

She opened the door slowly and she saw Alec with some girl laughing. She knew her from work, but she didn't even know her name. Alec stopped laughing as soon as he saw Max standing in front of him. Her look didn't show the pain she held inside so he simply asked, "What do you want?" Max regained her composure and her look got more secure. "I came to organize the cabinets. If I'm not in the way?"

Alec looked at her not believing what he was hearing. A Normal person would just have stayed out of his way, but not Max. He decided to play her game.

"Sure, me and Mia won't interrupt you."

"Fine." . Max said as she walked in and closed the door.

"Fine." – Alec responded.

Max turned her back on him and opened one of the cabinets. She was in no position to see Alec and Mia, but she could here Mia babbling on and on about some stupid things and Alec not saying a word. She smiled at herself.

"Well, Alec, I'm not leaving you alone. Not with her, not with anyone else."

A/N - I hope you like this! Let me know, PLEASE! Kiss