A/N: Okay, just to point out professional and serious voice I do NOT support any form of stealing. It's wrong and should not be done. smirks and on with the next chapter- 'cause there isn't any stealing in this one. tries to look sincere and fails miserably Okay, there IS suggestions that her stealing spree will continue but it's for the transgenics. That's got to be good enough reason right guys? Ah well, this chapter is kinda more about Max and the whole depression thing she's got going on. Who wouldn't be depressed in that situation? Mind you, I wouldn't be THAT depressed- not with Alec there to make me feel better. coughs Um, where was I again?
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Chapter 4: Hold Me
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'Somebody out there just doesn't want me to be happy'
-Max (Shorties In Love)
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'In my mind
Everything we did was right
Open your eyes, I'll still be by your side'
-Michelle Branch (Something To Sleep To)
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'Find Joshua's house. Check. Get Logan's computers. Check. Get Joshua's books. Check. Get maps. Check. That leaves the gas and cigars. Might as well put visit Normal on the list too. See if he wants to give anything for the transgenic cause. I'll do that after the gas has been stolen.' Erin's thoughts were slower today, less hurried.
She'd spent most of the day looking over the maps and watching TV, forcing herself to relax and calm down. If she wasn't careful and began to make abrupt decisions, she could end up making a mistake, resulting in getting caught and getting dead very quickly.
She made it a rule to have at least one lazy day a week. Though she might seem energetic to the casual observer, Erin only did it out of necessity. Normally, she was considered a very chilled kind of person. Back home, it wasn't unusual for people to ask what she was smoking. It was a common occurrence due to the people she hung out with. One friend in particular tended to look a bit stoned most of the time but that was his normal expression. Dylan looked wasted so people assumed she was too. The both of them found it fairly amusing.
Reminded of home, Erin sighed and stood up. She would find a way home if it was the last thing she did in this world. She missed her friends. She missed her family.
Erin forced her mind back on track as she switched the TV off.
Gas. Right, she needed gas. And once again, if she needed to get the gas, necessity dictated that her lazy day was forfeit. She needed to find where the cops kept the stuff they nicked from people. Erin grabbed her jacket, a large backpack and as an afterthought grabbed a bag of pretzels- dinner and lunch of champions. Once again she headed out into the night. Next stop- one of the check points into Seattle.
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Max stared blankly ahead of her, the TV on and the noise of headquarters barely seemed to reach her. She was sat in the office that Alec had some willing transgenics clean up. It had two desks facing each other, a large table between them and another battered couch against the wall opposite the door. The walls were covered with lists- supplies needed, supplies they had, jobs that needed to be done, jobs that had been done, lists of what and how much was in the armoury, the transgenic lists… The lists were endless. A TV sat in another corner on top of a cupboard. The office was for Max and Alec. Logan had tried to get Max to let him have the other desk but Alec had told him to shove off in a not so nice way. He was Second in Command and needed it more. Right now, another larger room was being cleaned up – it was going to be a meeting room for all the leaders when they were assigned. Other offices were being cleaned up too- for the other leaders. So far, Mole had one to himself while Joshua and Dix were sharing one. Alec had insisted that Logan wasn't given one because it would mean that the other transgenics would think that she'd put an Ordinary in charge. Max had reluctantly agreed and Logan was furious. That wasn't what was bothering Max though.
Just then, Alec walked in with Logan following a few steps behind. Whenever Alec and Max were together, Logan wouldn't be very far away, like he was trying to keep them from interacting together too much. Logan had already been told that Max and Alec weren't together but he still didn't like them being friends. He was becoming more and more possessive. Even Max hadn't been able to ignore the possessive way he was acting towards her, and the rudeness he directed to her friends- Alec in particular.
To the happiness of everyone, she'd begun to treat him differently, though it was obvious to the few close to her, that Max wasn't even aware she was doing it. Her voice took on a sharpness to it that had only been directed to Alec when he'd first come out of Manticore. Now, he no longer heard it and it was used on the older man. She'd also become abrupt when dealing with Logan, keeping conversations short. She'd also begun to tell him No. This was a very good thing in her friend's eyes. In fact, it was brilliant in their eyes. Logan had no power over them here. There were no Eyes Only missions that required their friend to drop whatever it was she was doing to jump to his bidding. Logan was losing his power over Max, and soon, hopefully, she'd be back to her old self again.
Alec took one look at Max and turned back to Logan, "Come back later" He pushed him back out the door, "Leader business."
"Whatever you have to say to Max can be said in front of me" Logan glared at him.
Alec shrugged calmly, "No. It's nothing to do with you, now get out of my office."
He shoved Logan out and slammed the door in his angry face, locking it for good measure. Wow, that felt good. Too bad he wasn't allowed to hit the man. Alec sighed and turned back to Max who hadn't moved from her desk. In fact, she looked like she hadn't even heard what had just been said. Alec silently walked around her desk and crouched down in front of her chair so he could look up at her lowered face.
"Max?" he spoke quietly. He didn't like it when she was like this. Quiet Max meant she wasn't happy. Unhappy Max was something he didn't like. She'd finally begun to smile more, something both Cindy and Sketch had confirmed happened a lot more before she met Logan. She needed to be happy. Alec was determined to see Max smile more.
Max slowly moved to look up at him "Hmm?" She looked surprised that he was there.
"You okay?" Alec looked up at her, concerned.
Max smile briefly, "I'm fine."
The smile disappeared and Alec rolled his eyes. Standing up, he pulled her up with him and led her to the couch. He sat down, pulling her down next to him.
This wouldn't have been even attempted when he'd first got out of Manticore. But back then, he also didn't really care about anyone but himself then either. Manticore training at its best.
"What's wrong?" He watched as she picked at the edge of her shirt, a troubled expression on her face.
"Nothing. It's nothing." She murmured and sat back, rubbing her eyes. She even looked physically tired, something that had seemed impossible for Max weeks before. Alec had envied Max's shark DNA for awhile before he really thought about what it meant. It allowed her to be up at all hours with even less sleep than a normal transgenic. However, sleep meant getting away from the world- it was something Alec liked, no, needed to do. However, sleep brought pain. It brought nightmares that were only escapable by staying awake or drinking oneself into a stupor- something almost impossible for a transgenic to do. It was a double-edged sword either way you looked at it.
"Come on" Alec grinned, "Tell Uncle Alec all about it."
Now it was Max's turn to roll her eyes, "Uncle Alec?"
Alec shrugged, "Agony Aunt sounded so unmanly. Don't wanna dent my ego now, do I?"
Max smirked, "No. It's far too fragile."
"Come on, what's wrong Maxie? Logan pissin' you off again? Mole still wanting you to let him shoot hoverdrones?" Alec slung an arm around her shoulders as he relaxed into the battered couch.
Max didn't stiffen like she used to, didn't even bat an eyelid, obvious proof of how far their relationship had developed. Ever since she'd told him about Ben, they'd just gotten closer and closer. Now, he was one of her best friends and she was his. It was so hard to believe, yet not at the same time. Alec was more like Max when she'd lived on the run, before she'd found any of her siblings, before Logan, before Manticore had brought her back.
"It's just everything as usual. Wondering if I made the right decision. I don't even know how to lead. Then there's White. We haven't seen him for a while so you know he's planning something big."
Max closed her eyes briefly, thinking about the dream she'd had. It was always in her mind, though she had no idea why. Maybe it brought all of her doubts and wants up in her mind, made them more obvious. She wanted her family. She wanted answers. She feared the future of the transgenics with her as their leader. She feared that it'd all end with a bloodbath.
"Okay. Listen to me young grasshopper" Alec tried to put on a wise voice but failed miserably, "firstly, it wasn't just your decision- it was everyone else's too, and it is the right one." He practically echoed Joshua's words, making Max frown. Was this some written speech they all had planned?
"Secondly," Alec continued, "you were born to lead. Some people have a natural instinct for it and that's something you've got. If I didn't think you could lead, why would I be here? Why would anyone?" Alec shrugged, "And whatever White's planning? I say bring it on." He cracked his knuckles and grinned down at her, "Sitting around here is making me itch for a bit of action."
Off Max's look he put on a face of scandalized outrage, "Not THAT kind of action!"
Max smiled up at him, knowing that he went out of his way to make her smile. He was growing into quite the humanitarian was Alec. Max surprised them both by giving him a warm hug, "Thanks Alec. You know you're not always a screw up."
"Gee, thanks" Alec replied dryly but smiled anyway. He was actually beginning to believe her.
