Disclaimer: Me don't own

Paring: M/A

Timing: Just over six months after Borrowed Time

Summary: Some things we just can't take lying down.

A/N: Well hope you like it and please review when you're done.

Revised Borrowed Time,

Chapter 11,

Learning Time:

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How could he want her back? She thought as she went through the motions of going to bed. The question plagued her as she slid beneath the sheets besides Ray. It was amazing the child hadn't stirred at all that night. No bad dreams, no nothing for once a peaceful sleep.

And then as the sky began to grow light with the first rays of the day Max finally closed her eyes for a little catnap. She was sorry to let Alec down once again but in her heart she knew that it just wasn't right to go back now. She still had something to do or someone to find and until she did Seattle would just be what Manticore had always been to her. A series of Painful memories that she could never erase.

End Review

Ray blinked as the sun's light filtered in through the blinds. Turning over he came to see that Max was already gone. Groggily the little boy sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. Slowly he became aware of the sound of running water. In a flash he realized that Max must have gotten up and went to take a shower. With this insight he calmed down knowing that Max, like his father and mother, hadn't left him.

Sluggishly the nine year old pushed the sheets aside and crawled out of the bed just as the sound of the water cut off. "Morning Ray." Max smiled as she emerged from the bathroom moments later.

"Mor-orning Ma-ax." The child yawned and blinked his little eyes.

"Ready to take a shower big guy?" The X5 asked pulling some of her cloths from a travel bag. Sleepily Ray nodded and traded places with Max in the bathroom.

While the little boy washed Max quickly dressed and got their stuff together. If Biggs had been able to find them other's wouldn't be far behind. The caramel skinned female was just zipping up the last bag as Ray came stumbling out of the bathroom.

"We're leaving again?" The child asked a bit sadly.

"Yea I'm sorry baby, but it's time to go." Max explained as she handed Ray his shoes and a pair of socks. "We'll get breakfast and head out after that ok?"

"Ok… but Max?"

"Yea sweetie?"

" Next time can we stay somewhere with kids?"

" Well I think that that can be arranged. Final check… did I forget anything?" Max asked and the two of them looked around the little motel that had survived as there home for almost a week. The only thing Max hoped as the two gathered the one or two things left on the floor was that they wouldn't run into Biggs at breakfast. Maybe, she hoped, he'd have moved on already. The last thing she and Ray needed was someone on their trail. Her memories were enough baggage as it was.

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Ray sat impatiently in the motel's lobby as Max settled the expenses for the past few days. He kept looking from his dangling feet with there untied laces up to Max and the motel manager. She promised that it wouldn't take long and it wasn't expect that he was hungry. Finally the little boy couldn't take it that long. "Max?" He asked.

"One more minute baby." Max said turning her head slightly, her beautiful dark brown hair brushing over the top of her bear shoulder. "Sweetie do you want to go over to the diner and wait for me there? Minnie will take care of you until I get there."

Right away the dirty-blond haired boy perked up at the mention of food. In a shot he was out the lobby door barely remembering to say good-bye to Max as the dingy door clicked shut behind him. Laughing in her chocolate eyes Max turned back to the skinny man on the other side of the counter from her. The two of them quickly returned to business.

Meanwhile the little boy outside paused on the edge of the green grass looking both ways before finally plunging across the cracked thoroughfare. On the other side of the road a strange noise caught in his ears and caused him to stop dead in his tracks. Curious to where it was coming from Ray turned away from the diner and headed towards it. What could it be? He asked himself as it grew louder.

Around the corner of the familiar diner Ray caught sight of a mob of people all yelling at the top of their lungs. Fists struck the air in time to the pulsing chant of the crowd as Ray creep closer and closer. Just as the little boy was about to enter the ranks at the edge of the crowd a strong hand gripped his jacket's collar.

"Ray." A familiar voice hissed in his ear as the hand tugged him away from the bloodthirsty horde. "I told you to go to the diner."

"But…but..." The child pleaded as he was dragged away from the danger.

"Sweetie I need you to listen to me, this is very important, ok?" She asked as the kneeled before the little boy in the front of the greasy diner. Ray nodded, his eyes looking everywhere but into Max's. "It's very dangerous to go off by yourself especially in small towns like this… towns where we don't belong. Now come along baby." Max ended the mini lecture by taking Ray's little hand in her own petite one and lead the child through the wood covered doors of the diner. "Please don't run off again."

"Don't worry I won't." Ray mumbled as he slid in to their normal booth across from X5.

"Hey guys." A robust woman said in greeting as she placed two glasses of water in front of the mix-matched pair. "Did you hear about what happened last night?"

"No I went home right after work. Kids you know how it is." Rosy nodded her head in agreement.

"Yea I do. Anyways late last night Tom and Frank were coming home from the bar and they came across this guy sleeping in a car parked back in the woods. You know just out of the way." An undefined feeling began to grow deep within Max as Rosy's story progressed. Apparently the young man they had found in the car had incredible strength but not enough that it mattered to Tom and Frank. The two daring men, feeling a little invincible because of the alcohol they had gotten at the bar, managed to take the guy down and drag him over to the diner.

"Well Jimmy hadn't wanted it here as you can imagine so he made them take him out back. And that was just as I was getting into work this morning. I mean can you believe it. One of those creatures in here?" Rosy asked sounding like the old gossip she was as she dragged a damp rag over the table top.

"Oh my god." Max gasped, her breath coming in short and her heart pounding heavily against her chest cavity. "Rosy do you know… I mean is he?"

"Dead?" Rosy asked. "Why of course they killed him. I mean we can't have one of those things running round here you know. Especially with young things like you around."

"Max?" Ray asked his eyes large with fright.

"Not now baby. Rosy can I ask you a big favor?"

"Anything?" The sixty-five year old waitress said with a pleasant smile.

"Can you get Ray some food and watch him while I go to see…"

"Why of course darling. I mean just as soon as my shift ends I'll be out there to have myself a looksie myself."

"Thank-you Rosy." Max said feeling as if her heart would explode. Slowly she scooted out of the booth her hands clutching her small black bag as she moved across the dingy diner and out of the broken door. Once outside in the open air Max felt as if she had stepped into a dream. It couldn't be him. At least she hoped that it wasn't.

But as she made her way around the diner the trepidation she had felt at the beginning of Rosy's story grew until there was no denying it. Hanging from one of the ancient trees at the edge of the crumbling parking lot was a dark haired young man dressed in a black leather jacket and sooty blue jeans. As the gruesome sight filled the young woman's eyes her knees gave way and she sunk to the gravelly floor. Automatically her hands came up to cover her open mouth as she struggled to suppress the scream threatening to spill forth from it.

"Oh god what have I done?" She asked the empty lot. "Omg… omg." And as the words reverberated in her ears Max grew angry. Angry at herself for not thinking.

If she had only asked Biggs to stay the night with her and Ray, or maybe if he had moved on during the night, or maybe… just maybe if the norms could just come to realize that it was their fault that her kind was there in the first place then maybe… just maybe people like Biggs wouldn't have to pay for someone else's mistakes with there lives.

Gathering herself together Max surged to her feet and stumbled over to the dead man swinging in the light breeze of the morning. With a knife she pulled from her back pocket the X5 cut the ropes suspending Biggs in the air. Carefully she lowered him to the floor, her body straining under his weight. With everything she had in her she set the body down on the rocky ground before leaning over it and placing a small kiss on his bloody fore head.

"I'm sorry Biggs I should have warned you about this world." She whispered while sliding her fingers over his eyes, gently pulling the lids shut. "Rest now… and don't worry I'll go back. If he really needs me like you say, then I'll go back. Even if it is only to tell the others what happened to you." And with that the little woman came to her feet murder in her eyes.

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In the diner Ray sat with his head in between his hands his eyes facing downwards at the table. He felt bad about his curiosity now. Max was right it was dangerous to go off on your own. The point couldn't be more clear to him now then it had ever been before after all wasn't that what had happened to Max's friend? That he had gone off on his own instead of staying with Max where it was safe. Sighing unhappily the little boy tilted his head to peak over the fold of his arms. He wondered where Max had gone and if she'd be back soon. Rosy was nice but he just didn't feel safe with her, or Mini, or any of the other waitresses.

And then the waiting was done and Ray way opening his eyes as he felt his body rocking slightly in rhythm to the motion of Max's broken down little car.

"Hey sweetie." Max said softly, running her fingers through his dirty-blond hair. " Have a nice sleep?" She asked and the little boy nodded groggily.

" Where?"

"Don't worry Ray honey, that town is far behind us now and we're never gonna go back." And as she said it she knew that it was true. That no one would ever go back she had made sure of that. In anger she had tracked down the men and women Rosy had mentioned in her story and skillfully the feral X5 executed each one of them teaching the town hopefully not to judge to quickly who was one of them. They had after all accepted max and Ra without question. But Biggs… at least she could tell Alec when she got back to Seattle that his best friend's death had been avenged. She wasn't proud of what she had done, she never was of killing, but sometimes there was a need to release the monster inside of her, greater then the need to control it and be normal.

A/N: Reviews are welcome.