Disclaimer: Don't own squat

Paring: M/A

Timing: six months after Borrowed Time

Summary: A can change in 6 months

A/N: Sorry it's been a while but this is the first chance I've gotten to breath in months so… hope u like it. If not I'm writing it for myself anyways.

Revised Borrowed Time,

Chapter 8,

Moving On:

Review

Max didn't look back as she exited her former place of employment. She had done what she had come to do and there was no reason for her to hang around now that she was done.

Somehow she knew that Alec wouldn't follow and that knowledge relieved her. It was hard enough to do what she had to without him, or anyone else, trying to turn her back. After all she would be back… someday, just not any time soon that's all.

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Defeat, longing, loneness that was all Max felt as she rested her head back against the rough wall of the gas station. The gas station she was currently stranded at. How had things gone so wrong? She asked herself while bringing a hand up to push her short hair behind her ears. Six months ago everything had made so much since. She had a boyfriend, a life, a family and now… while now she was in the middle of nowhere with twenty bucks and herself. Max shuttered at the thought. What had she done so wrong to deserve herself for company?

"Max?" A small voice broke through her haze of self-pity forcing her to rejoin the world at present.

"Yeah baby?" She asked with a small smile.

"I'm hungry." The little boy said.

"I know." Max replied. "I am to."

"So can we go eat?" He asked, his face breaking into a wide, toothy grin.

"Yes, sweetheart we can go eat." Max pushed off the gas station wall while at the same time pushing her sunglasses up onto the top of her head. "What are you hungry for Ray?" She asked ruffling the child's hair.

"Pancakes!" The dirty blond haired boy exclaimed.

Max giggled. "Boy what is with you and pancakes?" She asked taking the boy's small hand in her own slender one.

So maybe life wasn't as bad as she made it out to be. Maybe it even had its moments. After all what is better then pretending to be your enemy's child's aunt. Max almost laughed out loud as she remembered the look on White's face when she jumped out of the creepy boarding school's second story window his son in her arms. That was just over four months ago when she had stumbled across a Podunk little town on her way to the Great Lakes. Who would have ever thought that the familiars secrete training facility was a private school buried in the middle of the woods. Max sighed as a big boned waitress handed Ray and her each a menu.

She had been surprised how easily Ray had believed her story. How little effort it had taken her to convince the child that she was his aunt and had come to take care of him. Then again it made more since then the weird snake thing that they were doing when she got there. Luckily she had been able to get away with only a little scratch on her hand. Ray on the other hand had been out of it for a few days. The poor kid. She had thought he wasn't gonna make it threw whatever it was but he had. One morning he had just woken up like nothing had happened and asked her if he could have some pancakes. What a strange child. Max thought as the same woman who had taken their orders only a few moments before placed their meals in front of them.

"Thanx." Max said as the woman turned to walk away. "So Ray what do you think of staying here for a while?" Max asked, her fork bulldozing around her plate.

"How long?" The little boy asked around a mouth full of pancakes.

Max shrugged. "As long as it takes for me to gather together some cash."

Ray nodded his consent. "As long as we can come here for breakfast."

Max smiled. "Deal." And then she began to eat her food with a great appetite. Tomorrow morning she'd be a working woman again. The question was where would she be working at? That was a question to be dealt with later on right now the two of them had a meal to finish.

A few days later

Max pushed a strand of chocolate brown hair behind her ear as she smiled invitingly. " Two pints coming up." She called out over the noise of the crowded bar.

"Sure you can handle that sweet stuff?" A burley biker asked in a roaring laugh.

"Don't worry about it tough guy." Max replied setting the beers down in front of him. "I can handle a lot more 'n' that." The man sent up a roaring laugh and slammed down a twenty.

"Keep the change sweet heart." He laughed taking up the pints and walking away. Max smiled absently mindedly after him her gaze not on him but on another man, a man she only saw in her memories these days.

Six months ago she had ran away from him. She had ran because she wasn't able to left herself feel that way about him. It had been to soon afterwards. Anyways she was sure he had moved on. Alec wasn't the type of guys to wait around for any one much less someone who treated him like she did. Max sighed as she wiped her rag over the bar's surface. Even know this she still wondered about him. About what might have happened if she had stuck around. If she had left herself feel.

"Hey doll face." One thing was for sure though; she wouldn't have to put up with this every night.

"Whatta you want?" Max asked blearily hiding her annoyance behind a pleasant smile.

"Besides you?" The man asked in a slurred tone.

"Sorry slick I'm taken." Max answered holding up her right hand to display a simple wedding ban.

"He doesn't have to know." The drunk continued. Max rolled her eyes.

"Whatta you want from the bar Romeo?" Max asked cutting to the chase.

"To know why you ran Max-x." The man asked. Max's head snapped up her eyes round with fright.

"Who are you?" She hissed angrily grabbing the guy by the collar.

"Whoa gorgeous you don't have to be rough now." The guy chuckled nervously putting his hands up as if in surrender. "All you have to do is answer my question."

Max narrowed her dark eyes. "And all you have to do is answer mine." She replied.

"Not here." The mysterious guy said pulling out of her grasps. "Not now." The X5 noticed how his words had become clearer as they spoke. He had only been pretending to be drunk. She wondered how long he had been watching her.

"Fine." She hissed. "I'll be off in ten minutes. Meet me around back then." She growled. How could she have let her guard down?

"Ten minutes." He echoed before disappearing into the crowded bar.

"Who was that?" A bubbly voice asked in concern.

"I don't know Tina." Max replied leaning back against the counter so she could get a view of the entire place.

"He was a looker that one." The blond chirped before taking up her tray again. Absently Max nodded her head her eyes still on him. Who was he and how did he know who she was. She had been careful to change her appearance after leaving Seattle so that Alec wouldn't be able to find her. Even going by old pictures it'd be hard because she'd never worn her hair this short before. Max was dumbfounded to say the least. Could he be an X5 she pondered.

A/N: please review