Author Note: Thank you Gingersnap & Mindy for the encouragement. I know it's been like over a year since I've updated. Thanks for hangin' in there and keeping an eye out!
Alec downed a beer. He burped, and then cleared his throat. "Let's see what's on the tube tonight…"
He leaned back into his couch, arm stretched out and flipped through the channels. He stopped his button clicking on a penthouse channel. Just as the woman on the screen began to unbutton her blouse, he heard a knock on his door. Alec huffed irritably and got to his feet. He pulled on a pair of gray sweats to cover his navy boxers, and then pushed through piles of magazines and papers in search for a shirt.
"Ah ha!" He triumphantly pulled on a white tank.
There was another knock at his door.
"I'm comin' I'm comin!" He shouted irritably.
He opened his door, expecting someone with another noise complaint, instead he found Max looking at him with glassy doe eyes.
"Hey," She murmured softly.
"Max?"
"Who'd you expect, Santa Clause?" She asked mockingly.
Alec stood in the doorway, unsure of what to think about Max Guevara suddenly appearing at his apartment.
Max cleared her throat, "You gonna let me in or what?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah- yeah, come in." Alec shook his head and stepped aside.
Max smiled softly and walked past him. Alec closed his door and saw that the woman on his TV screen was now working on pulling off her bra. Alec ran across the room and turned the TV off at quickly as possible. Max hardly noticed. Alec breathed a sigh of relief, the last thing he needed was to hear about how he needed to watch sex on the tube for company.
"So," he turned around to face Max, "What's up?"
She was barely listening to him. Instead, she was skimming the counters and tabletop with her eyes. His apartment was so unlike Logan's condo. Logan's home, which had always been clean and orderly; all except for his Eyes Only office. Alec's kitchen was completely covered in dirty dishes, week old magazines, and plates of abandoned food. Alec rushed past her to scrape away the countertops. Max looked away.
"Can I crash here tonight?"
"What?" Alec asked, "Don't you bunk with Cindy?"
Max nodded, "Yeah."
Alec waited for her to say more, but she didn't, so he cleared his throat and continued, "Max, what are you really doing here?"
She turned around to face him, hands in pockets, jacket zipped up to her chin as usual. "I don't feel safe at home anymore."
He didn't say anything.
Max took a seat on one of his barstools. She unscrewed the cap on another beer bottle and helped herself to its contents. The foam tickled her throat as she drank it. She set down the bottle and kept her eye on the front door.
"Waiting for something?" Alec asked as he unscrewed a fresh beer for himself.
"Yup." She took another chug.
He was surprised, "Seriously? Uh, Max, incase you didn't know- I didn't order a pizza or anything…"
She took another drink, "I'm not waiting for food Alec." Her eyes looked his way, "I could wait for food at home."
He took a drink, "thought you didn't feel safe there anymore."
"That's right."
Silence.
An hour went by and finally Max was beginning to feel the heat in the room. It was getting very stuffy and her jacket was beginning to feel more like a heavy fabric of steel.
She slipped off her gloves. "You got a fan in here or somethin'?"
"Nope." Alec answered.
Her vision was starting to spot. This was always the first sign of something she hadn't experienced in months. "You got any Tryp around here?"
"Fresh out." Alec told her. "Got some goats milk in the fridge though."
Max pushed away the beer bottle and made her way towards the fridge. Her hand was shaking as she opened the door, forcing her muscles to stay in check. Max was able to open the bottle and choke down a few drops of the frothy liquid before the tremors became unbearable.
"Whoa, hey- you ok?" Alec caught her arm just as she was sliding to the floor
Max gritted her teeth, "Same old, same old."
Alec led her to the couch, keeping a firm grip on her arm incase she fell down completely. By the time Max had her feet propped up on the couch, and had finished half the bottle of milk, the tremors were wearing off. Every now and then there would be a sharp crack of pain that would lance through her limbs, but that she could deal with.
Max took a deep breath and exhaled sharply as the last of the tremors wore off. It was then that Alec suggested taking off her jacket.
"Why?" She asked irritably.
He held up his hands in mock defeat, "Hey, sorry for trying to be helpful."
Her eyes narrowed, she was about to say something harsh but stopped herself. She looked away, "Sorry, kinda tense lately that's all."
"Yeah? Well we all are."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged, "Whatever the hell you want it to mean Max."
She watched him for a few minutes, wondering what she should say. Just then, there was a knock at the door that broke the silence. Max jumped, she checked her watch. It was two fifteen in the morning. Alec looked up at the door, "Stay here."
Max knew who it was in the hallway. It was just as well that she didn't get up from her seat. She was stilling feeling lightheaded but would never admit it. And although her back was to the door, she could still hear their voices.
"Ben?" Logan asked in surprised.
"Nope, but I get that a lot."
"Max here?"
"May be." Alec answered cautiously.
Max could feel his eyes looking over Ben's clone, finding her sitting on the couch, and not even looking at him.
There was a pause.
"Well here." Logan handed over a file folder to Alec. "Just to let you know," and at this point his voice rose just a bit and became a little firmer, "I didn't read any of its contents."
Alec took the folder, peeking through the papers, unsure of why Max had requested such information this late at night.
"Well bye now." Alec said in a cocky manner and closed the door.
"You givin' out my address to people Max?" He made his way back to the sofa and coffee table.
Max held out her hand expectantly for the file folder, "Just him."
He reluctantly handed over the packet of information.
"Who is he?"
Max was still angry with Logan. Beyond angry, flat out pissed. "Nobody."
"Oooh, do I sense some tension?" Alec was really interested now, "lemme guess, ex boyfriend?"
"We were never like that." She answered, knowing full well that when Renfro had recaptured her, she and Logan were just beginning the next chapter in their life together.
"Uh huh." Alec said in disbelief. There was a pause, "What'd he do- creep with another girl?"
"Shut up." Max said sharply.
"Oh come on Max!" Alec pleaded, "I got nothin' here!"
"What did I just say?" Max asked irritably.
Alec leaned back in his recliner and flipped on the teli. "Whatever."
Max waited until he had drifted off to sleep before reading the contents of the folder.
