This Chapter was again beta by Scarlet. So it has punctuation, grammar and
proper tenses. Thankyou Scarlet!
Chapter Fifteen
Frowning, she watched him ease his jacket off.
"How long has it been bleeding like that?"
"Only a couple of hours."
"Yeah right," she grimaced sceptically, as she set to work cleaning the wound.
She hadn't spoken a word to him since she'd forcefully ordered him to come with her. He'd been expecting a torrent of recriminations and abuse. But she had surprised him again, saying nothing, and was, in fact only interested in getting his injury redressed.
She had even sent Joshua off to find some local anaesthetic. When he'd told her it didn't matter it was only a scratch, she'd fixed him with her concerned brown eyes put her arm around his waist and told him it mattered to her. He hadn't really needed any help walking but never she'd never before showed this kind of concern for him, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to enjoy it, so he had put his arm across her shoulders and let her help him back to Biggs's.
They'd attracted a fair amount of interest as they made their way through TC. Not surprising, really, everyone knew he wanted her as his mate, knew their was conflict with an ordinary. Feelings were strong about Transgenic survival, the universal mind-set was that if they were to survive and make a place for themselves in the human world then they had to stick to their own kind.
They didn't want or need the help or interference of ordinaries. He knew how bad for general moral it would be if Max did choose Logan over him. Not to mention how he would feel if he were to lose her warmth and vibrancy from his life, and if he were to lose the opportunity of raising their child with her. He choked down the feeling of possessive rage he felt at the thought of her with anybody but him.
He turned his head and their eyes collided and held before hers dropped back to the torn stitches she was easing out of him. Appreciatively he relished how much gentler her touch was than Biggs's whose doctoring whilst competent had never been gentle.
Her silence was starting to make him feel edgy. Maybe she was quiet because she had made up her mind had definitely decided against him as her mate and just didn't care what he did.
He glanced uneasily over his shoulder this time she didn't look up.
"Why did you vote for me, why did you put your hand up Max?" he asked quietly.
She was silent for so long he thought she wasn't going to answer. "They were only making official what you've been doing unofficially all along, weren't they Alec?"
Wearily closing his eyes, he sighed, "It had to be done Max, they needed it and I was the highest ranking, somebody had to do it. But I haven't been doing it properly, I've been avoiding taking proper responsibility, I've been distracted." Yeah, distracted worrying about how you would feel about me taking command he reflected ruefully. "Mole was right too many of us are dying. Now it's my job to stop that."
"How will you do that Alec," she asked apprehensively.
"I way I was trained, anyway I can." he answered simply, his eyes hard and cold on the wall in front of him.
Max looked quickly up, he was facing forward again so she couldn't see his face. How could I have ever thought he was a screw-up? Manticore only trained the cream of the cream to be ranked at all meant you were the best of the best and Alec had been ranked highest of all.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were Manticore's Top Dog? All those times I called you a screw up, and in the ring that time we fought, were you laughing at me?" She asked quietly, her hurt apparent.
"You never asked me Max, it never came up, and it wasn't relevant out here in this world. Out here my skills were redundant anyway and sometimes I was a screw-up," he shrugged unapologetically. "Why would I laugh at you?" he asked, puzzled. "You took me into your life you helped me make sense of stuff I had no clue about. In the ring you wanted to fight me I didn't want to hurt you how else could it have ended?" again he shrugged.
Max felt tears threatening she choked back the emotions threatening to spill over. She remembered how cruelly she had tried to dissuade him from becoming part of her life and how begrudging she had been of any help she had given him while he had given his freely. Leaning forward she put her hand on his back and slid it up his neck, he immediately turned and their eyes locked.
"Alec I'm, I'm . Her eyes fell from his and he stared at the lush darkness of her lashes as they rested on her cheek "I want to, I .
She still wasn't looking at him and seemed to be unsure as to what she wanted to say. But she was touching him and he didn't get the feeling she was going to dump him.
"What Maxie?" he prompted gently.
"Hey, Lil Fella Alec. Here's the pain killer, Max." Joshua burst noisily into the room.
Her eyes touched his as they swung to Joshua and her hand fell from him. Sitting back she smiled at Joshua.
Disappointed the moment was gone, Alec nodded in greeting to Joshua.
" Thanks Big Fella, was it hard to get?" Max asked.
"Hard to find, but once I did, easy to get, they happy to give for Alec."
"So Max, Logan is okay, then? All better now?" Joshua asked brightly.
Alec stiffened and felt his heart sink. Oh fuck, not now. Not before he had a chance to explain to tell her myself.
"Logan's fine I'm meeting him later on tonight I've just left a message to change.Why Joshua?" Frowning, she suddenly wondered why he was asking.
"Umm just wondering," Joshua stammered catching Alec's eye.
"Um gotta go now. Bye, little Fella."
Wait Joshua I wan."
"Bye, little Fella," he repeated, rushing out the door.
It was Logan she realized shocked. Logan was the ordinary Alec's unit, Alec's friends beat up, furious, she rounded on him.
"How badly hurt was he?" she demanded coldly.
"He could drive away, Steve was right behind them he stopped it quickly. I haven't debriefed them yet. I'm so-"
"Don't you dare say your sorry, Alec, don't you dare." "This is your fault. They're in your Unit, they're your friends."
The anaesthetic was working well he couldn't feel a thing as she restitched him but he could feel the anger reverberating off her in waves.
" Max I'm sor-"
"Shut up Alec," She spat through gritted teeth.
Resigned, he felt her slap the dressing onto his shoulder, so much for gentle hands.
"Hey guys." Biggs greeted, them coming in the door with Cece.
"Hey Biggs, Cece, he needs some blood and I've got to go and check how badly hurt Logan is, you'll have to do it." Furiously, she slammed the medical kit closed.
"Yeah, all right, Max." Biggs agreed, frowning looking from her to Alec.
"Logan is okay, Tavis reckons he only got in a couple of body hits. At the worst, he's gonna have some broken ribs and maybe sore kidneys."
"Yeah, well, I'd rather see for myself," she snapped back angrily.
Unhappily Alec watched her shrug into her jacket. He didn't want her to go away angry like this. "I'm sorry Max," he tried again I didn't mean fo-"
"What the hell are you sorry for, Alec? You haven't done anything." Cece interrupted in fury.
"You didn't punch that stupid ordinary nor did you go around interfering with other peoples mates and pissing every body off."
"Cece," Alec snapped warningly.
Cece ignoring him eyed Max scornfully. "Yeah, that's right, you go and check on your obnoxious ordinary, Max."
Shocked, indignant Max's eyes narrowed. "Logan is not obnoxious and of course its Alec's fault his friends assaulted him."
"Its hardly Logan's," she added tartly. "It's none of your business, anyway. So butt the hell out," she spat back angrily.
"Cece." I can-"
"Shut up, Alec." Max snapped at him.
Cece raged on furious. "There isn't anybody here who doesn't know how arrogant, patronizing and obnoxious Logan is. He would be dead many times over if Alec hadn't put a protection order on him. What the hell did you think was going on here tonight? They were being disciplined for breaking orders, not obeying them. Nobody ever wanted him here we tolerated him because Alec protected him."
"Logan has been a big help with his contacts and his computer skills. He, he is helpful," Max stammered, suddenly uncertain.
"Useful for what reminding us off what we left behind at Manticore?" Cece spat back furiously. "And as for his skills, oh, pleeeeeease there isn't a child here who isn't better trained and more able on a computer than that ordinary. And as for his contacts, we don't need them and we don't trust them and the same goes for him."
"Are you so self involved you haven't even noticed what's happening here," she fumed. We have a male to female ratio of 3:1 and they are killing us like flies. There are guys here who know they will never be mated. Do you know how they feel when they see the few of us who have survived with human males?"
"I understand what Tavis and Todd did we all do, Max, except you. You're the one who should be apologising, not Alec. You know nothing about anything and you're too disinterested and to arrogant to ask, your heat is a prime example of that."
"That's none of your busin-"
"Yeah it is my business, Max, it's all our business. Some of those guys who went after you were mated, how do you think their mates felt about that?"
Alec listened numbly, understanding that to interfere would make it worse for her, he watched pain shoot across her face before she closed it down with the bland still mask she wore to disguise her vulnerability to mask when she was hurt.
"Cece that's eno-"
"Shut up, Biggs," Cece snapped.
"Alec has nothing to apologise for. You've been trying to be human for so fucking long you somehow missed out on learning to be Transgenic."
"Cece that's no-"
"Shut up, Biggs."
"You can try as hard as you like to ignore the Transgenic side, but your heat is still gonna come no matter how hard you pretend your human. Whose going to keep you satisfied then? We both know it won't be a human male. Alec won't be available, we'll have made sure he is well and truly mated with someone who appreciates him and knows how to treat him. He can have his pick here. There isn't a single female in TC who wouldn't jump at the chance of Alec for a mate."
Max's pain filled eyes flicked to Alec's for a moment before they moved off him back to Cece.
"Now Ce-"
"Shut UP, Biggs."
"So you run off and nurse your bruised ordinary. Yeah, Biggs will transfuse, Alec, we know how to look after our own. Even if you're too stupid to know who your own kind are." Bursting into tears, she slammed out of the room.
There was a stunned silence. Tearing his eyes off Max, Alec glanced at Biggs. "Heat," they decided in unison.
"Can't smell it yet but it must be her heat. Finally," Biggs gloated delightedly.
Alec's eyes swung back to Max's small figure standing frozen and forlorn, the blank stoic face she used to hide her feelings didn't deceive him, he knew how Cece's words had hurt her.
"Sorry Max," Biggs picked up the med kit and thrust it at her "you'll have to transfuse him yourself."
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Alec. Oh and make our excuses to Normal for me will ya," smirking complacently, he went after Cece.
Max had realized it was heat when Cece had burst into tears. She knew Cece would never normally have spoken to her like that. She would have only thought it, Max realized painfully. Oh, God, is that what they all think? Is that what Alec thinks of me?
Feeling numb, immobilized, and unable to look at Alec, she stood in the middle of the room clutching the med kit. She heard him moving glancing over she saw he was trying to struggle into his jacket. Putting the med kit on the table she went quickly over and put her hand on his arm. Silently, she helped him off with the jacket again and got the tubing out to transfuse him.
Head bent, eyes fastened on her blood as it flowed across the tubing into him she closed her eyes grateful at least to be able to do this for him. When had everything got so messed up for her? When had she become such a bitch? How could she have thought to leave him like this to go and check on Logan? That's just it she realized painfully she didn't think, she just reacted habitually like she always did and struck out at him without thinking, without caring. She struggled to suppress the tears suddenly clogging her throat.
Alec looked down on her glossy head her fragile, narrow shoulders as she bent over their joined arms. He wanted to take her in his arms bury his face in her hair and tell her everything was okay, chase away her pain, kiss away her sadness see her smiling, happy and carefree like she had been earlier today but he could feel how contained and withdrawn from him she was and he was afraid she wouldn't welcome it.
The transfusion finished she started to pack away the med kit. Finally finished her eyes quickly caught his before dropping away again, walking over to her he gently prised the kit out of her hands put his arm around her shoulders and turned her towards the door.
"Its just her heat, Max, she didn't mean it. Come on, I'll walk you to your bike."
Walking numbly beside him she could feel the warmth of his body against her side and around her shoulders where his arm rested. Feeling ashamed and inadequate her emotions numb, suddenly the only thing she wanted was to feel Alec's arms around her, hear him telling her everything was all right, comforting her making her feel safe and cherished like he had during her heat. Sliding her arm around his waist she turned into his chest, stopping him in his tracks, her other arm going around him under his jacket. He put his arms around her a warm, enveloping, comforting embrace.
"She didn't mean it, Max." He murmured into her ear, " its just the heat. She's your friend, don't take it to heart."
But its true isn't it, Alec?" she sobbed into his chest. Quietly, he stroked her hair.
"It is. Isn't it, Alec." she repeated.
"About Logan, you mean?" he asked carefully
"No, about me not knowing, forgetting how to be Transgenic," she sobbed.
You've been away from your own kind for a long time, Max, some things you don't know, but they're all things you'll learn once you start listening to your instincts again."
"I don't want to be human, Alec. I want to be like you and everybody else." As she said it, Max realized how true it was. For so long she had been trying to fit in and belong in the human world. When had that turned into trying to be human? She didn't know, but she did know when she had started to realize how out of balance her life was. When she had connected up with her own kind again, when Alec had thrust himself into her life.
"You are like me, Max. You and I are very alike," he smiled into her hair." "Why do you think we argue so much?" Why do you think we're so good together?" he asked, licking and kissing her ear, leaving her in no doubt as to how he thought they were good together.
From the moment he had entered her life he had turned everything upside down, the instant attraction and affinity she'd felt for him had scared her. It had scared her how quickly he had become so integral to her life, her awareness of him had scared her, everything about him had scared her. Some things still do she realized, but that's part of his attraction that wildness in him that calls to something in me.
Her fear had made her try to push him away had made her cling tenaciously to a silly fantasy of a non-existence relationship with Logan. Everything in her life may be confused at the moment but the one thing she was absolutely sure of is that she wanted him for her mate, wanted to stay with him. Cece was right he could have his pick. Anybody would be lucky to get him. Suppressing a flash of possessive anger at the thought of Alec with anybody else, she rubbed her cheek against his chest and tightened her arms around him.
That's why she'd been so happy since her heat, because for the first time since the escape she was really back with her own kind. With him she was happy he understood her he knew what she needed without being told. It felt right to be with him. For the first time since being separated from her siblings she was part of something that fit her, she no longer felt like an alien.
Holding her warm soft body he wished he had somewhere he could take her, lay her down and make love to her until she was happy and giggling again.
But she was going to Logan's and this might be the last time he held her. He wanted to ask her if she had decided what she was going to do, but he didn't because he was afraid of the answer.
"Let me send Kat with you to Logan's I don't want you going on your own, Max." Logan is angry, having Kat there will help to diffuse things." More to the point it will make it harder for him to browbeat and manipulate her, he thought angrily.
"I'm not going to his place tonight, I'm tired and so are you, I just want us to go home."
Taken aback, suddenly hopeful he tilted her chin up, "You want me to come with you to your place," he clarified slowly, searching her face, "So you don't blame me for Tavis working Logan over."
"No, I know it wasn't your fault, I'm sorry," she leaned up and lightly touched her lips to his "will you forgive me?" Brushing his lips gently repeatedly with small kisses "can I make it up to you with sex?" she whispered. She felt him pull her closer into him and heard his deep voiced laugh in her ear.
"Hell yes, Max."
Hugging her delightedly hands on her ass he lifted her pulling her up his body, she locked her legs around his waist and put her arm around his neck, her hand on the side of his face she slanted her mouth over his, as he walked them to his bike.
Straddling the bike with her straddling his lap he kick started it. She wrapped her arms round his waist and settled contentedly against him, nuzzling his neck as he pulled away from the curb. Feeling his thighs flex under hers as he moved into the ride, angling her head to give him better access to the ear he had his tongue in, she smiled happily to herself as she slid her hands possessively up his back.
Beside himself with rage, Logan sat in his car outside her building. Bad enough that her scruffy, bad mannered flatmate had refused to let him wait in her apartment. But it was completely unacceptable for Max to postpone their talk until tomorrow. She could think again, what with her shit, plus Alec and his psycho cohorts he'd been through enough. She had a lot of explaining to do and he expected to hear her do it tonight.
He'd wait all night if he had to. He watched with disinterest as a bike pulled up in front of her building. What the hell were they thinking? Irresponsible kids. How the fuck could he drive safely with her sitting on his lap like that? Disgusted, he watched Alec stand his mouth again devouring Max's her legs locked around his waist. He didn't realize who they were until Alec turned at the door and broke their kiss. His eyes locked in open challenge with Logan's. Max pulled his head back and sealed her mouth over his again as he pushed the door open with his back, turning with her he walked them into the building.
Logan watched the door swinging on its hinges.
TBC
Now if your anything like me you've got to the bottom and you haven't found the smut. Your looked underneath but you still can't find it. Yes, well there is smut but it's in the next Chapter. This one would have been too long and anyway it fitted better in the context of the next one.
Please Review
:
Chapter Fifteen
Frowning, she watched him ease his jacket off.
"How long has it been bleeding like that?"
"Only a couple of hours."
"Yeah right," she grimaced sceptically, as she set to work cleaning the wound.
She hadn't spoken a word to him since she'd forcefully ordered him to come with her. He'd been expecting a torrent of recriminations and abuse. But she had surprised him again, saying nothing, and was, in fact only interested in getting his injury redressed.
She had even sent Joshua off to find some local anaesthetic. When he'd told her it didn't matter it was only a scratch, she'd fixed him with her concerned brown eyes put her arm around his waist and told him it mattered to her. He hadn't really needed any help walking but never she'd never before showed this kind of concern for him, and he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to enjoy it, so he had put his arm across her shoulders and let her help him back to Biggs's.
They'd attracted a fair amount of interest as they made their way through TC. Not surprising, really, everyone knew he wanted her as his mate, knew their was conflict with an ordinary. Feelings were strong about Transgenic survival, the universal mind-set was that if they were to survive and make a place for themselves in the human world then they had to stick to their own kind.
They didn't want or need the help or interference of ordinaries. He knew how bad for general moral it would be if Max did choose Logan over him. Not to mention how he would feel if he were to lose her warmth and vibrancy from his life, and if he were to lose the opportunity of raising their child with her. He choked down the feeling of possessive rage he felt at the thought of her with anybody but him.
He turned his head and their eyes collided and held before hers dropped back to the torn stitches she was easing out of him. Appreciatively he relished how much gentler her touch was than Biggs's whose doctoring whilst competent had never been gentle.
Her silence was starting to make him feel edgy. Maybe she was quiet because she had made up her mind had definitely decided against him as her mate and just didn't care what he did.
He glanced uneasily over his shoulder this time she didn't look up.
"Why did you vote for me, why did you put your hand up Max?" he asked quietly.
She was silent for so long he thought she wasn't going to answer. "They were only making official what you've been doing unofficially all along, weren't they Alec?"
Wearily closing his eyes, he sighed, "It had to be done Max, they needed it and I was the highest ranking, somebody had to do it. But I haven't been doing it properly, I've been avoiding taking proper responsibility, I've been distracted." Yeah, distracted worrying about how you would feel about me taking command he reflected ruefully. "Mole was right too many of us are dying. Now it's my job to stop that."
"How will you do that Alec," she asked apprehensively.
"I way I was trained, anyway I can." he answered simply, his eyes hard and cold on the wall in front of him.
Max looked quickly up, he was facing forward again so she couldn't see his face. How could I have ever thought he was a screw-up? Manticore only trained the cream of the cream to be ranked at all meant you were the best of the best and Alec had been ranked highest of all.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were Manticore's Top Dog? All those times I called you a screw up, and in the ring that time we fought, were you laughing at me?" She asked quietly, her hurt apparent.
"You never asked me Max, it never came up, and it wasn't relevant out here in this world. Out here my skills were redundant anyway and sometimes I was a screw-up," he shrugged unapologetically. "Why would I laugh at you?" he asked, puzzled. "You took me into your life you helped me make sense of stuff I had no clue about. In the ring you wanted to fight me I didn't want to hurt you how else could it have ended?" again he shrugged.
Max felt tears threatening she choked back the emotions threatening to spill over. She remembered how cruelly she had tried to dissuade him from becoming part of her life and how begrudging she had been of any help she had given him while he had given his freely. Leaning forward she put her hand on his back and slid it up his neck, he immediately turned and their eyes locked.
"Alec I'm, I'm . Her eyes fell from his and he stared at the lush darkness of her lashes as they rested on her cheek "I want to, I .
She still wasn't looking at him and seemed to be unsure as to what she wanted to say. But she was touching him and he didn't get the feeling she was going to dump him.
"What Maxie?" he prompted gently.
"Hey, Lil Fella Alec. Here's the pain killer, Max." Joshua burst noisily into the room.
Her eyes touched his as they swung to Joshua and her hand fell from him. Sitting back she smiled at Joshua.
Disappointed the moment was gone, Alec nodded in greeting to Joshua.
" Thanks Big Fella, was it hard to get?" Max asked.
"Hard to find, but once I did, easy to get, they happy to give for Alec."
"So Max, Logan is okay, then? All better now?" Joshua asked brightly.
Alec stiffened and felt his heart sink. Oh fuck, not now. Not before he had a chance to explain to tell her myself.
"Logan's fine I'm meeting him later on tonight I've just left a message to change.Why Joshua?" Frowning, she suddenly wondered why he was asking.
"Umm just wondering," Joshua stammered catching Alec's eye.
"Um gotta go now. Bye, little Fella."
Wait Joshua I wan."
"Bye, little Fella," he repeated, rushing out the door.
It was Logan she realized shocked. Logan was the ordinary Alec's unit, Alec's friends beat up, furious, she rounded on him.
"How badly hurt was he?" she demanded coldly.
"He could drive away, Steve was right behind them he stopped it quickly. I haven't debriefed them yet. I'm so-"
"Don't you dare say your sorry, Alec, don't you dare." "This is your fault. They're in your Unit, they're your friends."
The anaesthetic was working well he couldn't feel a thing as she restitched him but he could feel the anger reverberating off her in waves.
" Max I'm sor-"
"Shut up Alec," She spat through gritted teeth.
Resigned, he felt her slap the dressing onto his shoulder, so much for gentle hands.
"Hey guys." Biggs greeted, them coming in the door with Cece.
"Hey Biggs, Cece, he needs some blood and I've got to go and check how badly hurt Logan is, you'll have to do it." Furiously, she slammed the medical kit closed.
"Yeah, all right, Max." Biggs agreed, frowning looking from her to Alec.
"Logan is okay, Tavis reckons he only got in a couple of body hits. At the worst, he's gonna have some broken ribs and maybe sore kidneys."
"Yeah, well, I'd rather see for myself," she snapped back angrily.
Unhappily Alec watched her shrug into her jacket. He didn't want her to go away angry like this. "I'm sorry Max," he tried again I didn't mean fo-"
"What the hell are you sorry for, Alec? You haven't done anything." Cece interrupted in fury.
"You didn't punch that stupid ordinary nor did you go around interfering with other peoples mates and pissing every body off."
"Cece," Alec snapped warningly.
Cece ignoring him eyed Max scornfully. "Yeah, that's right, you go and check on your obnoxious ordinary, Max."
Shocked, indignant Max's eyes narrowed. "Logan is not obnoxious and of course its Alec's fault his friends assaulted him."
"Its hardly Logan's," she added tartly. "It's none of your business, anyway. So butt the hell out," she spat back angrily.
"Cece." I can-"
"Shut up, Alec." Max snapped at him.
Cece raged on furious. "There isn't anybody here who doesn't know how arrogant, patronizing and obnoxious Logan is. He would be dead many times over if Alec hadn't put a protection order on him. What the hell did you think was going on here tonight? They were being disciplined for breaking orders, not obeying them. Nobody ever wanted him here we tolerated him because Alec protected him."
"Logan has been a big help with his contacts and his computer skills. He, he is helpful," Max stammered, suddenly uncertain.
"Useful for what reminding us off what we left behind at Manticore?" Cece spat back furiously. "And as for his skills, oh, pleeeeeease there isn't a child here who isn't better trained and more able on a computer than that ordinary. And as for his contacts, we don't need them and we don't trust them and the same goes for him."
"Are you so self involved you haven't even noticed what's happening here," she fumed. We have a male to female ratio of 3:1 and they are killing us like flies. There are guys here who know they will never be mated. Do you know how they feel when they see the few of us who have survived with human males?"
"I understand what Tavis and Todd did we all do, Max, except you. You're the one who should be apologising, not Alec. You know nothing about anything and you're too disinterested and to arrogant to ask, your heat is a prime example of that."
"That's none of your busin-"
"Yeah it is my business, Max, it's all our business. Some of those guys who went after you were mated, how do you think their mates felt about that?"
Alec listened numbly, understanding that to interfere would make it worse for her, he watched pain shoot across her face before she closed it down with the bland still mask she wore to disguise her vulnerability to mask when she was hurt.
"Cece that's eno-"
"Shut up, Biggs," Cece snapped.
"Alec has nothing to apologise for. You've been trying to be human for so fucking long you somehow missed out on learning to be Transgenic."
"Cece that's no-"
"Shut up, Biggs."
"You can try as hard as you like to ignore the Transgenic side, but your heat is still gonna come no matter how hard you pretend your human. Whose going to keep you satisfied then? We both know it won't be a human male. Alec won't be available, we'll have made sure he is well and truly mated with someone who appreciates him and knows how to treat him. He can have his pick here. There isn't a single female in TC who wouldn't jump at the chance of Alec for a mate."
Max's pain filled eyes flicked to Alec's for a moment before they moved off him back to Cece.
"Now Ce-"
"Shut UP, Biggs."
"So you run off and nurse your bruised ordinary. Yeah, Biggs will transfuse, Alec, we know how to look after our own. Even if you're too stupid to know who your own kind are." Bursting into tears, she slammed out of the room.
There was a stunned silence. Tearing his eyes off Max, Alec glanced at Biggs. "Heat," they decided in unison.
"Can't smell it yet but it must be her heat. Finally," Biggs gloated delightedly.
Alec's eyes swung back to Max's small figure standing frozen and forlorn, the blank stoic face she used to hide her feelings didn't deceive him, he knew how Cece's words had hurt her.
"Sorry Max," Biggs picked up the med kit and thrust it at her "you'll have to transfuse him yourself."
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Alec. Oh and make our excuses to Normal for me will ya," smirking complacently, he went after Cece.
Max had realized it was heat when Cece had burst into tears. She knew Cece would never normally have spoken to her like that. She would have only thought it, Max realized painfully. Oh, God, is that what they all think? Is that what Alec thinks of me?
Feeling numb, immobilized, and unable to look at Alec, she stood in the middle of the room clutching the med kit. She heard him moving glancing over she saw he was trying to struggle into his jacket. Putting the med kit on the table she went quickly over and put her hand on his arm. Silently, she helped him off with the jacket again and got the tubing out to transfuse him.
Head bent, eyes fastened on her blood as it flowed across the tubing into him she closed her eyes grateful at least to be able to do this for him. When had everything got so messed up for her? When had she become such a bitch? How could she have thought to leave him like this to go and check on Logan? That's just it she realized painfully she didn't think, she just reacted habitually like she always did and struck out at him without thinking, without caring. She struggled to suppress the tears suddenly clogging her throat.
Alec looked down on her glossy head her fragile, narrow shoulders as she bent over their joined arms. He wanted to take her in his arms bury his face in her hair and tell her everything was okay, chase away her pain, kiss away her sadness see her smiling, happy and carefree like she had been earlier today but he could feel how contained and withdrawn from him she was and he was afraid she wouldn't welcome it.
The transfusion finished she started to pack away the med kit. Finally finished her eyes quickly caught his before dropping away again, walking over to her he gently prised the kit out of her hands put his arm around her shoulders and turned her towards the door.
"Its just her heat, Max, she didn't mean it. Come on, I'll walk you to your bike."
Walking numbly beside him she could feel the warmth of his body against her side and around her shoulders where his arm rested. Feeling ashamed and inadequate her emotions numb, suddenly the only thing she wanted was to feel Alec's arms around her, hear him telling her everything was all right, comforting her making her feel safe and cherished like he had during her heat. Sliding her arm around his waist she turned into his chest, stopping him in his tracks, her other arm going around him under his jacket. He put his arms around her a warm, enveloping, comforting embrace.
"She didn't mean it, Max." He murmured into her ear, " its just the heat. She's your friend, don't take it to heart."
But its true isn't it, Alec?" she sobbed into his chest. Quietly, he stroked her hair.
"It is. Isn't it, Alec." she repeated.
"About Logan, you mean?" he asked carefully
"No, about me not knowing, forgetting how to be Transgenic," she sobbed.
You've been away from your own kind for a long time, Max, some things you don't know, but they're all things you'll learn once you start listening to your instincts again."
"I don't want to be human, Alec. I want to be like you and everybody else." As she said it, Max realized how true it was. For so long she had been trying to fit in and belong in the human world. When had that turned into trying to be human? She didn't know, but she did know when she had started to realize how out of balance her life was. When she had connected up with her own kind again, when Alec had thrust himself into her life.
"You are like me, Max. You and I are very alike," he smiled into her hair." "Why do you think we argue so much?" Why do you think we're so good together?" he asked, licking and kissing her ear, leaving her in no doubt as to how he thought they were good together.
From the moment he had entered her life he had turned everything upside down, the instant attraction and affinity she'd felt for him had scared her. It had scared her how quickly he had become so integral to her life, her awareness of him had scared her, everything about him had scared her. Some things still do she realized, but that's part of his attraction that wildness in him that calls to something in me.
Her fear had made her try to push him away had made her cling tenaciously to a silly fantasy of a non-existence relationship with Logan. Everything in her life may be confused at the moment but the one thing she was absolutely sure of is that she wanted him for her mate, wanted to stay with him. Cece was right he could have his pick. Anybody would be lucky to get him. Suppressing a flash of possessive anger at the thought of Alec with anybody else, she rubbed her cheek against his chest and tightened her arms around him.
That's why she'd been so happy since her heat, because for the first time since the escape she was really back with her own kind. With him she was happy he understood her he knew what she needed without being told. It felt right to be with him. For the first time since being separated from her siblings she was part of something that fit her, she no longer felt like an alien.
Holding her warm soft body he wished he had somewhere he could take her, lay her down and make love to her until she was happy and giggling again.
But she was going to Logan's and this might be the last time he held her. He wanted to ask her if she had decided what she was going to do, but he didn't because he was afraid of the answer.
"Let me send Kat with you to Logan's I don't want you going on your own, Max." Logan is angry, having Kat there will help to diffuse things." More to the point it will make it harder for him to browbeat and manipulate her, he thought angrily.
"I'm not going to his place tonight, I'm tired and so are you, I just want us to go home."
Taken aback, suddenly hopeful he tilted her chin up, "You want me to come with you to your place," he clarified slowly, searching her face, "So you don't blame me for Tavis working Logan over."
"No, I know it wasn't your fault, I'm sorry," she leaned up and lightly touched her lips to his "will you forgive me?" Brushing his lips gently repeatedly with small kisses "can I make it up to you with sex?" she whispered. She felt him pull her closer into him and heard his deep voiced laugh in her ear.
"Hell yes, Max."
Hugging her delightedly hands on her ass he lifted her pulling her up his body, she locked her legs around his waist and put her arm around his neck, her hand on the side of his face she slanted her mouth over his, as he walked them to his bike.
Straddling the bike with her straddling his lap he kick started it. She wrapped her arms round his waist and settled contentedly against him, nuzzling his neck as he pulled away from the curb. Feeling his thighs flex under hers as he moved into the ride, angling her head to give him better access to the ear he had his tongue in, she smiled happily to herself as she slid her hands possessively up his back.
Beside himself with rage, Logan sat in his car outside her building. Bad enough that her scruffy, bad mannered flatmate had refused to let him wait in her apartment. But it was completely unacceptable for Max to postpone their talk until tomorrow. She could think again, what with her shit, plus Alec and his psycho cohorts he'd been through enough. She had a lot of explaining to do and he expected to hear her do it tonight.
He'd wait all night if he had to. He watched with disinterest as a bike pulled up in front of her building. What the hell were they thinking? Irresponsible kids. How the fuck could he drive safely with her sitting on his lap like that? Disgusted, he watched Alec stand his mouth again devouring Max's her legs locked around his waist. He didn't realize who they were until Alec turned at the door and broke their kiss. His eyes locked in open challenge with Logan's. Max pulled his head back and sealed her mouth over his again as he pushed the door open with his back, turning with her he walked them into the building.
Logan watched the door swinging on its hinges.
TBC
Now if your anything like me you've got to the bottom and you haven't found the smut. Your looked underneath but you still can't find it. Yes, well there is smut but it's in the next Chapter. This one would have been too long and anyway it fitted better in the context of the next one.
Please Review
: