Chapter 7

The brig, Terminal City

Alec entered the room and was immediately hit with a rage he thought he had under control. Looking at him sitting there with a self-satisfied glint in his eye made Alec itched to deck him - just to see him bleed a little more.

"She's okay I take it?" White asked evenly.

His fist automatically clenched and Alec forced himself to stand his ground, knowing that if he even moved an inch at that moment Biggs wouldn't have a man left to interrogate.

"Not just a summer fling, hey?" White said not being able to resist a smirk any longer, it was just ironic since they'd been through this before only their roles had been reversed. He remembered the ultimatum he'd given him, knowing that whether he succeeded or not he was still going to trigger the micro-explosive. The tables had turned, and he didn't expect 494 to be anymore gracious than he'd been.

Snapping with twitch at the corner of White's mouth and the sarcastic tone of voice, Alec smashed his fist across the man's cheekbone. There was a sickening crack as bone gave way under the force of his swing. Alec lifted White up by the throat, ran him into the wall.

"Don't think for a second that I won't break your neck now," Alec hissed. "I'm not sick like you. I don't toy around with my prey. I'd rather kill you right now and know that my family will be safe from your sadistic designs forever. Only problem I have is that you're not the only one out there." He let White down and the man hunched over breathing heavily. White's arms were still tightly pinched behind his back, the plastic ties were cutting into his skin. Shoving him down into the chair again, Alec circled him. "I'll make you a deal, since you seem to like them so much. You tell me what I want to know about this merry band of sick'os you hang with and maybe I'll let you talk to your son before I put a bullet in your head."

White gave him a cruel smile and spat blood out of his mouth. A dark splotch was already beginning to form under his skin from where Alec's fist had broken his cheek. "I've got everything to loose and nothing to gain, how do I know you'll keep your end of our deal?"

Alec clenched his jaw, with how careless and unmoved he'd been risking the babies' lives, he didn't want the man near anyone's children including Ray. "I don't make promises I can't keep."

"Well then we've got ourselves a problem." White shook his head bitterly. He prepared himself for another onslaught of battery because the more he felt the sting of pain, the more he felt alive. And he hadn't felt this alive since he'd before losing Ray. He'd bait them, make them mad and then he'd tell them what they needed to know. He needed them angry, he needed them motivated if they were going to follow through with their threats. The Conclave weren't going to be a walk in the park, far from it. If they had any chance at all at taking them down they were going to need every one of their kind on board, and every one of them pissed. Because if 494 and 452 were anything to go by, pissed transgenics were at the top of their game.

Alec glowered at the man bleeding in front of him. He was as sight for raged eyes. His nose was broken and blood was coagulating over his upper lip, and down his chin. His left cheek was swelling rapidly and a large purple bruise roughly the size of his fist was imprinted on White's skin. It felt good to inflict damage on his immaculately chiseled features, but what irritated him to no end was to see that the smirk was still there. "I heard about your non-existent pain threshold, but even you have a heart. Your nerve endings can only take so much stress before your brain shuts down our over strained heart. You asked for me, why? So you could gloat over what you've done?"

White chuckled, it came out as more of a gurgle as he spat more blood out of his mouth. He felt the inside of his mouth with his tongue. There was a tooth loose and the soft flesh of his cheek wall was bleeding. 494 had a mean right hook. "I asked for you, because it concerns your family."

Alec froze, and felt his heart begin its tango again. He squared his jaw and forced its pattern to return to normal. He had to stay calm. If White was willing to cooperate, he couldn't loose his cool. "What about them."

"I suppose you've figured out by now that Max is the one Sandeman created to save the human race."

"Yeah she's different like that; cares for every kid, lost soul and stray kitten the crosses her path, and she's pretty good at kicking ass, as you already know..."

"It's more than that," White interjected, growing impatient with the lack of seriousness that the transgenic was treating this. "It's her genetics. Before he disappeared, he was working on manipulating a particular part of the genetic code to produce an innate defense against a specific disease."

"And he succeeded in Max?"

White shook his head. "We thought that we'd stopped him, when we'd tracked him down to Manticore, but he'd already created her, you, all of you. Even though Max is the only one that seems to have that is immune to the strain, all of the transgenics seem to be able to produce antibodies as a defense."

"So she's a threat to their grand plan, and that's why they want her dead? But why the kids? They're just babies..." Alec found it hard to believe that two children could have the Conclave, the bad ass Phalanx and all the Familiars in positions of power sweating in their seats.

"The meek shall inherit the Earth."

"Pardon me?" Alec's jaw dropped a fraction, and he sensed Biggs stiffen behind them.

White snapped the cords behind his back, immediately putting both transgenics on the defensive. "Relax. I'm not going anywhere."

"That's right you're not," Biggs said coming forward. "Not only is that the only way out of here. But we've got two more of our guys standing guard outside. You just stick our face in the window and they'll blow you away."

"Those are fighting words. If Alec here keeps his end of the deal, I have no reason to run. And believe it or not, I don't want the Conclave to get their hands on those kids..."

Alec rolled his eyes and slapped White back down into the chair when he tried to stand. "Move again and I'll break your legs. You can walk when I say you can walk." His eyes flickered to White's wrists, the cords had cut deep into his skin with thick welts, the broken capillaries were weeping down his hands and the blood was dripping to the floor. Even if he could fight back right now, there were so many vulnerable points on his body he could chose from that he would have him in a critical condition even before he reached the door. "What does scripture have to do with anything, aside from the supposed apocalypse that your Familiars are planning?"

"Those kids, they're the promise, no matter when they launch their plague, those kids will survive and that's why they want them dead as much as 452."

Alec nodded, finally understanding. Joshua was right. Father was a good guy. So he'd gotten into a bad crowd, but he'd spent the rest of his life trying to make sure that these guys didn't succeed. "When is this supposed to happen?"

"There will be no warning. Those who already now what's going to happen don't need to know when - their survival is guaranteed-"

White was cut short when the door to brig crashed open and for the first time ever, Alec noted that White actually looked afraid. He turned around and saw the reason why.

"You!" Joshua pounded into the room, snorting and growling. "He killed Annie, Alec. Almost killed the babies and Max. Let me-"

Alec put a stilling hand to Joshua's chest. "You can't, Josh," he said quietly. "Don't give him what he wants."

Ames kept his eyes riveted on the transhuman's face. "She was blind." He had never had to explain himself in his life, yet he found himself doing so now. He didn't know why he felt obligated to. Perhaps it was the look of intense hurt mixed with pure fury in the man's eyes that compelled him to speak. "If you knew what I know..."

Joshua brushed past Alec, tears of frustration slipping down his cheeks. He ripped White off his chair so quickly that the man didn't even have a chance for find his feet. He squeezed his fist tightly around his neck.

Struggling and kicking at the man holding him up, White felt fingers like iron sinking into his muscles and squeezing the blood and air from his body. The tighter the hands closed, the louder his blood pounded in his ears, if he tightened just a fraction more it would be over. One definitive crack and it would end.

For a moment Alec had stood their frozen and allowed Joshua to strangle White. He didn't want to stop him, not really. They'd have one less bad guy to worry about. One less person, that had transgenic obliteration on the top of his list, to fear. But he needed him for now. They couldn't let The Conclave follow through with their plan. Not when there was a chance they could stop them. He went to Joshua and pulled on his arm. "Josh, no. You can't do this, we need him." The words sounded hollow to his ears but Joshua did relax his grip.

White collapsed into the chair and gasped for air. He undid the top button of his shirt but resisted the urge to finger his throat as he eyed the transhuman wearily, and shook his head. "When the plague comes it would have been a slow, painful death. She was alone and blind, her death was swift and painless compared to what others will suffer."

Alec intercepted Joshua quicker this time. Joshua roared and tried clawing at White over his shoulder, but with Biggs' help, they managed to get Joshua out of the room. Biggs closed the door behind them, and Alec grabbed Joshua by the shoulders and shook him. "Joshua listen, I know he deserves it, but this isn't the way."

"He'll get his in the end, Joshua." Biggs made no move to console the big man, but wished he could show him that he felt injustice for Annie too.

Joshua was crying openly now, a low howl coming from deep in his throat, and his hand trembled as he held Alec's arm. "He said..."

"I know what he said, Josh. And I don't care if he thinks he was being humane - what he did..." Alec frowned in disgust, but he didn't let his anger affect his tone. "We can't bring her back, and killing him won't make it hurt any less." When Joshua hung his head Alec bent a little so he could look his friend in the eyes. "We can use his help Joshua, to save others. Others like Annie who don't deserve to die."

"Come on big guy, let's go visit the kids. I know Missy's been hanging out to see you all day." Biggs lead Joshua away from the door, and patted him on the back. "Gem wanted you to read to her, says she won't go to sleep until you do."

"Okay."

Joshua didn't sound convinced but he followed Biggs away and Alec was relieved. "I'm going in and keep the door closed. No one in or out unless I give the word, we clear?"

"Understood, Alec," the X6 acknowledged.

Alec pushed open the door and went in to face White again. "Start talking details, slick or I call in dog man again."


Infirmary, Terminal City

Alec burst through the door, his face pensive. He stopped short when saw the empty bed, his muscles tensing as he feared the worst. Why wasn't she here? He sought out Lexie, she was in the adjoining room that served as her office and living quarters and Biggs was there with her. They were both rocking the babies to sleep. "Where's Max?"

Lexie shrugged. "I think she went to get some air and just so you know...this," she said lifting his daughter. "Is just temporary, until Max gets back on her feet and you get the whole White thing under control."

"Ah, thanks," Alec answered distractedly. "She didn't say where she was going?"

Shaking her head, Lexie stood up and put the baby back in the padded drawer they'd made into a bed. "You could check her apartment..." Lexie looked up to find that Alec was already gone.


Max's apartment

The door was slightly ajar, and Alec pushed it all the way open. "Max?" There was no reply. Walking in, he found the main room largely bare. There were no pictures or posters on the wall, and a lone worn looking couch was stationed slightly off center, opposite the large window facing the door. There was a small kitchenette in the corner, fitted with asink, and there was a portable gas cooker on the counter. Max had obviously found one of the few employee lounges of the building and parked it.

The door that had a unisex bathroom sticker on the front said occupied on the lock, but when he tried it, the door opened. The lock was broken. The room felt sterile. There wasporcelain toilet, a very small shower cubical and a hand basin, but with the exception of a crate with a few candles on it, you could argue that the place could easily belong in a hospital ward.

Walkingback into theentry area again, he found another door. He knocked. "Max?" Getting no answer he tried the door. It creaked loudly as he pushed it open. It was probably once a TV room. There was a bed in the center of the room, it wasn't made, the blankets were strewn haphazardly over the mattress and there was one pillow on the bed and one on the floor. The uneasy feeling in his gut aside, Alec smiled. Obviously she shared a penchant for pounding pillowslike he did. As he looked around the room, he ran his fingers lazily over the desk by the door. It was as his skin brushed the surface that his breath caught in his chest. It was the absence of objects that struck a nerve. He walked back to the doorway and took a good look at the room again. The top of the desk was bare, and there were no shoes or boots by the end of the bed. He knew Max was a minimalist by birth but even she had a few things most other women had and that was clothes in abundance. He pulled open the cabinet doors. If one thing in particular was missing, he knew it was okay to panic and it was gone. Her leather jacket wasn't there.

Slamming the doors shut he stormed out of the apartment. This had to be payback. What else could it be? "I'm sorry, didn't you get that? What else did you want me to say?" Or was it what he had said? Alec stopped and something dawned on him like a pail of cold water thrown over his head. 'You said you loved her and she didn't say anything back.' He never felt like a bigger idiot than he did at that moment. Come to think of it, that smile she'd given himhad looked a little forced. He hadn't thought too much about it at the time, having been glad to see her smile. She didn't do it very often so how was he supposed to be able to tell if it was real or not? 'cause you're supposed to know, damn it.' He should have known before the words left his mouth that she wasn't ready to hear it. "Way to go, Alec."

As he raced to the fire escape, he only hoped that his instincts were wrong. A muscle twisted in his gut and he feared that she was already gone. She wouldn't leave would she? She'd carried the babies for nine months. She had argued that she wouldn't let White take them, she wouldn't leave when they'd just gotten them back would she? Reason told him to give her the benefit of the doubt. She'd been through a lot, and maybe she'd just taken a ride to get some air and clear her head. All the baby things had been at Logan's, maybe she'd moved most of her stuff there too. There could be any number of plausible explanations as to why her apartment looked barely lived in.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. He'd persuaded her into getting one after the whole Joshua and Annie episode.

"Come on Max, this is the 21st century, quit with the whole pay phone deal already would'ya."

"I guess it is pretty handy to have one, if I need to yell at you for something in a hurry," she said with a smirk.

"Now you're talkin'. But I was thinkin' more along the lines of you know - taking you up on that play date...ow!"

"Why I don't like the idea of those things is GPS tracking, you know staying off the radar..."

Alec had to concede that she had a point but he was glad she'd gotten one anyway. It wasn't like everyone didn't know where to find them away, nowadays. Most of the transgenics were all holed up in Terminal City.

The line rang out, and Alec tried again while he exited the fire escape and walked across the alley toward Gem's building. Then he heard it, a very faint and only audible with his advance hearing - the beaver dance jingle he'd teasingly put on her phone the first time he'd seen her using it. Hanging up, he took off in a blur, following the direction the sound had come from.


The hidden courtyard, Terminal City

Max pulled her legs to her chest and planted her chin on her knees. It felt good to be able to curl like that. She hadn't even been able to see her feet for the last couple of weeks, not without sticking her leg out anyway and then there was the whole precarious act of trying to balance on one foot while doing so. Pregnancy had been an experience of laughing, crying at unpredictable times and sometimes simultaneously. Lugging around a completely alien body, whilst trying to manage food cravings and food aversions with a suddenly highly sensitive stomach. No, it wasn't a joy overall, but there had been times when she had enjoyed it. Like when she lay awake at night not needing to sleep and trying not to but thinking only of Alec and hating that he wasn't around.

She looked at the bag beside her. It had precious little in it - her favorite book, The Power of One, a few clothes and some pictures. Tilting her head to one side, she unzipped the backpack and pulled out a black and white picture. In the moonlight it looked even more blurry than usual. Sitting up a little straighter she gazed at the picture and ran her finger over it. It was a picture of her first and only ultrasound. Beverly had snuck her into the Helman Clinic after hours about three weeks after she'd first found out that she was pregnant. Obviously the readings had been wrong. She had two not one baby. A boy and a girl, she bit her lip and pondered that thought. A couple of minutes ago she'd been packed and ready to leave, but the further she walked away from her building, the less confident she felt about her resolve. What if walking way just created more problems? What if Alec didn't understand that it was the best thing she could to for all of them?

The cellular phone in the front pocket of her bag rang and she almost jumped out of her skin. She'd owned it for almost a year now and still she couldn't get used to having it. Maybe if she turned it to vibrate she wouldn't look around and wait for someone to pick up, before realize it was her phone that was ringing. Recently she'd changed it back to the second ring tone she'd had. Alec had put it on, and at first it drove her crazy, she'd changed it after the third call she'd gotten. The tune had stuck in her head for a week. Missing him and all the pranks and jokes he used to pull she had put it back on recently. She let it ring. It rang out and then started up again less than a beat later. However, even before the thought occurred to her that whoever was calling might be trying to reach her with something important, it suddenly stopped.

A gust of wind swept down into the small courtyard and Max shivered. There were a few bare tall birch trees edging the parameter of the area, which led her to believe that not everything had suffered from the biohazard leak. Weeds had overrun what might have been a neat hedge and flowerbed at one stage. And the fountain in the middle of the courtyard had long since dried up and the marble was aged and cracked. All the birds in Seattle seemed to have used it as their local latrine. There was at least a good decade of bird crap encrusted over it.

There was a crash behind her and she turned to watch Alec stumble through one of the partly boarded up windows.

"You'd think Goths or vampires lived in this place."

Max bit her lip, all of a sudden she felt extremely guilty as though she'd just stolen a kid's only toy or something. 'You didn't need to feel guilty, you had very good reasons for leaving.' 'Oh, like what?' someone countered. And with a sigh she started seeing things from another perspective, the same one she experienced about five months ago.

"Going somewhere?" Alec dropped down next to her bag on the wrought iron bench and gave her a questioning look. When she didn't answer, he put the bag on the ground and scooted closer. "You know if this has anything to do with what I said earlier..."

Max's eyes widened, he thought she was leaving because of how he felt about her? 'Isn't that the truth?' No. She was leaving because she trusted him, because she knew that he loved her and that he would take care of the kids. Digesting those thoughts she realized how stupid her reasoning was. What kind of person left the person they loved with their two kids and not a word? How could she claim to care about him and do exactly the same thing she still hadn't forgiven him for? And what's worse, you know what you're leaving, he didn't. "I don't know what to do Alec? What if I screw everything up? Every person I've ever cared about ends up getting hurt..."

"Have you ever thought that they'd end up getting hurt anyway, even if you were gone? People do what they want to do, Max. When I heard that White had taken you, I thought if I'd been around that maybe I could have stopped him. That maybe it wouldn't have happened." He put an arm over Max's shoulder, and she didn't pull away. "But I realized that you're stubborn and independent and it wouldn't have mattered what I said, you'd always do what you wanted anyway and that's not a bad thing...well most of the time."

"You don't hate me for what happened?" Max cast him a worried glance. She was partly assured that he didn't blame her but there was a sliver of doubt that told her that he might just be accepting it all for her benefit.

Alec gave her a crooked smile. "What, the instant family? I've had them for all of five minutes and already I can't live without them." He gave her a serious look. "Does the fact that I found you here, mean you were having second thoughts about leaving?"

Max avoided his eyes and rubbed her hands over her shins. "I thought I could handle this but I'm not so sure anymore. I wouldn't know the first thing about being a parent."

Chuckling, Alec dragged her close. Looking into her eyes, he smiled. "You think I do? If you stick around, maybe we could tackle this thing together?"

"Maybe..." His lips were so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath fanning her cold skin. His arm around her shoulders had slipped down her waist and he was looking at her strangely.

Alec scrunched his brow, he had to be reading her wrong. In her eyes he saw longing, loneliness, and something else. Something that caused a heat to curl low in his belly and an itch to crawl under his skin, one that only she seemed to be able to soothe. In her eyes he read desire. He swallowed hard. "Max, I don't think-"

"Don't think." She interlocked her fingers with those holding her waist and anchored them there. It felt so good to have him close, but she needed more. Too long she'd lived with dreams and memories, to keep her warm at night. Beside her was the living and breathing reality and she wasn't about to let them over think things now.

Alec felt her hand over his and her cool touch did nothing to quell the fire that was fast consuming him. He closed his eyes hoping to stop the chemical chain reaction the look had stirred, but a slight breeze brought her scent to his nose and that was his undoing.

"Max." A heady groan was the last he could manage before he captured her mouth. She leaned into him and opened under the caress of his lips. It was more intoxicating that he remembered. It was both pleasure and pain because a simple kiss wasn't enough. He needed more, he need to taste feel and hold all of her. He craved to have her hands touching him, and his body positively hummed to have her naked against him.

When Max broke away they were breathless and both entangled. Max was straddling his waist, her hands under his clothes and forehead leaning against his. Alec realized his hands were on her ass and his faced reddened. "Ah, sorry." He shifted them strategically to her hips.

"Let's go."

She crawled off his lap and grabbing his hand, she started back to the window he'd just come from. Alec barely had time to snatch up her backpack, let alone think to ask where they were headed.


Max's apartment, Terminal City

Alec kicked the door shut behind him, and dropped Max's bag by the entrance. He tried to coordinate his efforts with Max but she was in a hurry and when he lagged in getting his hands out the way, the flimsy material of his shirt was torn in two. Alec groaned, it had been a favorite.

Max pushed the shredded remains over his shoulders and nibbled at the exposed flesh. He was so warm, and smooth. She bent her knees to kiss his chest, and Alec grabbed her upper arms and hauled her upright.

"I don't know about you, but I've got blood, sweat and goodness knows what else, none of which belong to me...a shower would be nice."

Max looked at his hands and then nodded in agreement. Up until know she hadn't even registered that he'd come from seeing White. And even though she'd changed, she still smelled of hospital.

Heading into the bathroom, Alec flipped on the light and began to unbuckle his belt. He stopped when he saw Max linger in the doorway. "If you want I'll wait, you can go first."

She rolled her eyes and flicked off the switch. Using a lighter, she lit two pillar candles on a crate in the corner. "You got something to hide?" She cast her eyes over his bared torso with an appraising gaze.

Alec sucked in a breath. He reached for her hand and pulled her to him. "If you're not careful, you just might get more than you bargained for." He leaned down, and touched his forehead to hers. He looked into her eyes, and searched them. Lifting his finger, he traced her full bottom lip. Her breath drifted over his skin and sent shock waves up and down his spine. He dropped his hand to the collar of her jacket and tugged on the zipper. Dragging it down slowly, he's eyes never left her face.

Max felt the cold air on her skin immediately, and goose pimples rippled over her. She shivered involuntarily. And Alec rubbed her arms after devastating her of her leather jacket.

Alec cast a keen eye over her. She was dressed in a thin scrap of a top, similar to the one she wore the time she'd posed as a dancer at Blow Fish, only back then he seemed to recall she had a neatly proportioned, and subtly curvaceous figure. Now her top seemed to be barely holding her in.

Max followed his gaze and felt her cheeks flame. Maybe the shower wasn't such a good idea. Revealing her swollen and outrageously obtrusive bust was one thing, her fleshy and at present, less than taut abdomen was something else altogether.

Sensing her embarrassment. Alec kissed her temple and hugged her tightly. "You're gorgeous Max. So you grew out a little, did you hear me complaining?" He tentatively fingered the outer curve of her left breast.

Max gave him the evil eye and nudged him playfully in the ribs with her elbow. Reaching past him, she turned on the water. "Get in. I'm just going to get something to waterproof my patch."

When she returned, Alec had already soaped up and was rinsing off. She dropped her robe and opened the glass panel, passing him the two bottles she carried, she stepped in next to him. "Couldn't find anything." She held her hand over the patch and squinted against the water droplets that were splashing off his shoulders and onto her face.

"Turn around." Max complied and Alec lifted her hair and put it over her shoulder. Soaping her back, arms and legs thoroughly, he rinsed her off and then gathered her hair back. "Lean your head back a little." He put his hand up to shield her eyes and let the shower spray pour over her hair. Sourcing the shampoo bottle, he squeezed a small amount into his hand and began massaging it into her hair.

Max leaned into his hands. The last time she'd had a good head massage was the last time she'd seen Kendra. She could count how many times she'd cut her hair on one hand. And good head massages usually went hand in hand with good haircuts. Considering she spent the first nine years of her life with no hair, she stayed clear of hair salons if she could help it. Opposable thumbs, who thought that such a simple dexterity, could give so much pleasure.

Alec smiled to himself, as he rinsed the shampoo from her hair. He followed the same exercise with the conditioner as he had with the shampoo, if he'd known how easier it would be to make her purr like that he would have offer to do this ions ago.

When his hands finally drifted from her scalp, Max sighed. She felt so relaxed, and she leaned back into him completely forgetting about her shoulder. Water drenched her bandaged, and she yelped when the hot water made contact with her wound.

Alec quickly shut off the water and bundled her in a towel. He dried her off gently patting around her shoulder. He wrapped it around her and held the shower door open, while she stepped out.

"Ah..Alec."

"Ah huh," he said stepping out after her.

He looked up, meeting her eyes and she could already see wary concern written on his face.

"There's only one towel."

He relaxed immediately and shrugged with an easy grin. "Well dry your hair and hand it over."

Max pouted, and posed her mobile arm with her hand on her hip. "And how am I supposed to do that with one hand."

Alec rolled his eyes. He was barefoot, sopping wet and dripping all over the floor with cold air quickly pricking his butt naked body and she was worried about her hair? Holding his hand out for the towel, Alec motioned for her to turn around. "This is where it starts, right?"

"Where what starts," Max asked innocently, as he squeezed the water out of her hair. Rubbing in between the towel, he massaged a little and then pulled the towel away.

The towel was pretty much soaked, but at least he could wipe down. Trying to get into jeans while wet was a task he just wasn't looking forward to right now.

But it seemed his shower buddy had other plans for him that didn't require dressing. He felt her close even before her hand touched his chest. She'd put on her robe, but it did little to hide her body from view. The satin material hugged her every curve like a second skin.

Her fingers trailed over the damp skin of pectorals and Alec felt his heart skip a beat. Securing the towel around his waist Alec caught her hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed each fingertip, gently tasting and marking each one. He curled her hand open and kissed her palm, before drawing it up and holding it against his jaw.

Max cupped his cheek and felt the stubble that had just begun to break the smooth lines of his face. She moved her fingers up into his hair and relished the feel of how slick and soft his wet hair felt brushing between her fingers.

Alec scooped her into his arms, and walked toward the door.

"Wait." Max reached for the candles and Alec obliged by bending to let her pick them up. Once she had them, he moved slowly carrying his precious bundle and watching the pool of melted wax, minding not to let it spill over.

He set her down in the bedroom, and she placed the candles on the desk. He saw her bite her bottom lip and followed her hands as she ran them down her thighs. He took her hand again and pulled her close. He inclined his head and kissed her again. Trailing warm, and hungry kisses over her cheek, to her ear. He nibbled her earlobe and she leaned against his chest, one of her hands snaking around his waist to his bare back and while the other wound around his neck.

He kissed and sucked at the curve of her neck. And Max groaned into him, her tongue dipping into the hollow of his throat. Her fingers were trailing up and down his spine with heavy strokes of her nails. Alec slipped his fingers under the edges of her sherry colored robe and pushed it open to bare her shoulders

The silky material slid down her arm and Max dropped her hands to let it fall to her waist. Alec kissed the valley between her breast, traveling steadily downward, dipping his tongue into her navel, nipping at her skin and sucking, moving lower. Max leaned into his mouth, relishing the wet and gentle ministrations of his lips. Over his head under the glow of candlelight, she saw herself in the in the reflection of the old glass wall unit.

Her pupils almost fully dilated so that her eyes appeared almost all black. Her cheeks were flushed across her cheekbones and her lips were parted and moist. She watched his water-darkened head move lower still, and she sucked in a sharp breath when he fingered her already slick opening.

"Alec," she begged in a heady whisper, her legs trembling.

"Trust me, baby. I'm not playing," he smiled up at her, as he ran his slid under her robe to lightly squeeze herpert behind.

"Alec," she said again arching into his chest.

He got the message, she was tethering. He could feel how ready she was, her eyes had glistened over, and her breathing was ragged and heavy. He dipped his head and moved his hands to her hips.

He pleasured her with his mouth until she could no longer stand. Goosebumps rippled over her skin, as she climaxed and crumbled in his arms, her orgasm making her muscles turn to jelly and her body quake. He stood up and held her close, kissing her neck, the hollow of her throat and rocking her against his heart.

"I love you," he breathed softly into her ear.

A tear slid down her cheek and onto his shoulder. Alec immediately pulled back slightly and wiped below her eye withhis thumb. "No tears, beautiful."

Max smiled, her bottom lip trembling slightly. "But we didn't..."

"Shhh... maybe later." Alec kissed her, and fixed her robe. He picked her up in his arms effortlessly. Moving to the bed, he pulled back the covers and deposited her under them and crawling over to the other side, he got rid of the towel and climbed in beside her. He pulled her close and she snuggled up to him. "After what you went through with the twins, I don't want to risk ever putting you through that again."

Max stared at him open mouthed. "You're joking right?" She propped herself up on one arm and moved her hand over him.

Alec stilled her hand. "I'll probably die trying but I'm serious. I nearly lost you..."

Max punched him hard in the shoulder. "You ass! If you don't make love to me soon, I'll..."

"You'll what," Alec mocked chuckling.

"Find a replacement," Max threatened with a arched look.

Alec sat up and pushed her down into the bed. Pinning her arms either side of her body, he smiled down at her cunningly. "Pray tell, what might this replacement look like?"

He kissed the ridge of her collarbone and the moved slowly toward the gentle swell of her left breasts. She squirmed against him but it was no use he had her trapped. Teased her with the pad of his thumb.

"I don't know," she protested, finding it hard to picture anyone but Alec, as he completely filled her line of sight and the way he was stimulating her hypersensative nerve endings right now was chasing every logical thought from her brain.

"Is he tall, is he lean, would you like him to do this?" Alec flicked his tongue over her.

Max arched against the bed, straining against his mouth. He grinned wickedly. "Will he make you moan, like you do for me?"

"Never," Max cried in defeat.

"That's right." Alec leaned up and kissed her forehead. "I'm yours baby and you're mine." He let go of her arms, and immediately they curled around his neck, her fingers delving into his hair.

Max pulled his head down and kissed himroughly on the mouth. Tracing his lips with the tip of her tongue, he opened them for her and she deepened their kiss. He moved against her and they curled together under the covers.

Notes: Thank you X5-459 for sticking with this. I seem to have lost everyone else along the way. :oP I hope you enjoyed this. Baby names coming up, I promise.