A/N:  Another chapter for ya.  Hope you guys like it, the others are gonna be awhile.

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Chapter twenty-five: Make A Wish

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Herbal: Um, you got to take comfort in the words of the great Bob Marley: "Me don't swim too tough so me don't go out in water too deep."

Sketchy: That just didn't help me out at all.

- Herbal and Sketchy (Blah Blah Woof Woof)

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'You think this life would make me bolder

but I'm running scared is all

I hang on everything about you

You think I'd settle down cuz I'm older

But I'm roll with the change is all'

-Matchbox Twenty (Girl Like That)

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"I woke up today with Cindy's words in my head.  I'm just finding it so difficult to believe.  Why would Alec ever like me?  I mean, maybe he thinks of me as a sister or something?  Maybe he thinks of me as family?  I don't think that he'd think of me any other way, which is good.  The situation would be so much easier if it was happening in my world.  If Alec liked me there, I'd say hell yeah!  But we're not in my world, we're in his.  Even so, if he told me that he liked me, I don't' know what I'd do.  It's one thing stopping myself from revealing my feelings for him, but it would be a hell of a lot harder to deal with them if he liked me too.  Yeah, so maybe I wish that he'd look at me differently, in the way I want him to look at me.  But this is one wish I'm glad won't come true."

"It's okay, baby" a woman walked through he dark tunnel almost silently with two other people dressed in black.  "We're almost there."  The small child in her arms nodded even though he couldn't have been more than a year old.  "Soon we'll be with family."

The male stopped at a ladder and looked up at it "We're here."

"I don't care what you say Rain" Brin glared at the tall black woman in front of her "Max is our leader.  She's our sister.  It doesn't matter if she escaped in '09.  I did too! None of that matters now! None of it! She's our CO whether you like it or not."  "But I don't like it!" Rain glared back "when she escaped in '09, she was only a SIC.  She's not trained like the rest of us!"

"Zack thinks she's good enough" Brin folded her arms.  It was true that she was no longer loyal to Manticore, but she was loyal to her family.

"Zack?" Rain snorted "big brother's been out too long.  He's no longer the best."

"Alec thinks Max's suitable too" Brin knew that she had Rain with that one.  Everyone knew that he'd failed one mission, but that didn't' matter.  He was still the best, he could still beat anyone.  He was the elite of Manticore.

"Max is doing a good job" Brin continued when Rain didn't say anything "She knows what-"

They both froze when they heard a noise.  Something hitting metal.  Their weapons were already trained on the manhole cover they were guarding by the time the cover was flung off easily to land with a clang several feet away.

A head emerged and Brin and Rain stared.  The woman smiled and climbed out "Rain.  Brin."

"Jace" Brin lowered her weapon, her brain registering that Jace was no threat.

"Why are you hear 798?" Rain lowered her own weapon and scowled.  Jace had been a deserter too thanks to Max.

"It's safer for us in here than it is out there" Jace smiled "and call me by my name, big sister.  We're not in Manticore anymore."

"Us?" Rain frowned before noticing that Jace was carrying something other than the bag on her back.

Jace's smile grew "Us.  I'd like you to meet Max, your nephew."

A man and a woman emerged from the manhole behind her "And this is Jax and Chris."

"Jace" Max grinned at her sister as she walked out of her office.  She looked at the boy in her arms "And little Max."

"Hey little sister" Jace smiled in greeting "I'd like you to meet your nephew."  She passed Max little Max carefully and Max practically melted.

"He's so cute! And he looks just like you""

Jace nodded "And there's a couple of Psy-ops that came in with me."

"Cool" Max passed her nephew back to her sister "Let's go meet 'em."

One hour later

"Erin!" Erin turned away from her journal and discretely slid it under the couch.  She stood up and turned to see Dalton at the stairwell door.  "Max's wants to see you."

Erin walked towards him "What about?"

Dalton shrugged and held the door open for her "No idea.  I gotta blaze, Mole wants me to help him with the last of the clean up and I'm already late."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Erin grinned at him "Get you skinny butt over there before he decides to use you as target practise for that shotgun of his."

When Erin got to HQ, the first thing Erin noticed was that there were a couple of new people.  More precisely, two new people and one person she recognised.

Max was talking to her and Erin walked up to them.  She nodded at Max and smiled at Jace "Hey Jace."

Jace looked confused "Do I know you?"

Erin shook her head and Max frowned "You just knew didn't you?"

Erin nodded and Max looked at Jace "Jace, this is Erin."

Jace smiled "Ooh, the ordinary you told me about."  She held out her hand and Erin shook it.

"Erin, I want to talk to you about an idea I have" Max led Erin over to a chair and Jace left to talk to one of the Psy-ops people that came in with her.

Max and Erin sat down and Max leant forward.

"Erin we've got some great news… We've got a couple of new transgenics here.  They're from Psy-ops.  We think they could help you to remember why you have all this knowledge in your head" smiled  Max "It might tell us why White wants you."

Erin stared.  This was not good.  If they went into her head they would know everything. "No."

Max was confused "Why? This could be the answer to all our problems."

"My problems- not yours, Max.  Mine" Erin couldn't help but feel guilty for Max's hurt expression.  "No one's going in my head Max.  There are some things you shouldn't see and some things I don't want to remember."

"But don't you want to know why?  The sooner we know, the sooner we can figure out a way to stop White" Max tried to figure out what Erin was feeling.  She had her mask on back in place and it was impossible to figure her out.

"It'll all come out eventually, Max." Erin was stiff in her chair "I mean, if I knew the stuff about you guys before, I'll probably remember more sooner or later- including the reason why I know all this stuff."

"I understand why you don't want them going in your head" Max tried gently "but they wouldn't hurt you.  You have my word on that."

"No, Max" Erin stood up as Alec walked in, talking with Mole.  "Just leave it.  No one's goin' in my head."  She left quickly causing Alec to jump out of the way as she fled past him.

Max got up to follow her but Alec shook his head "I'll go talk to her."

Next Chapter: Alone In The Dark…

Alec stared at Erin and he had to ask.  If he didn't it would bug him until he went crazy and that was not good.  "Erin" he started quietly then stopped.  He began again "Erin, do you like me?"

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews dudes

Marty: No nekkid Sketchy.  Never, no way, nada.  Get my drift? Not a chance.  And I've just realised something.  You actually like all this relationship crap.  *grins* It couldn't possibly be because that it all seems to lead up to some violence, can it?