A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. School's been keeping me really busy lately with homework and stuff so I hope you understand. Anyways, please give me feedback and I'd also love to hear any thoughts you have on Jack getting his parents together.

Alec moaned as he held an icepack to the slack jaw he now had, nursing two black eyes, a busted lip and a bloody nose as well. Considering how angry Max had been, it was a blessing that she didn't break any of his bones. She had told him that unfortunately she had to spare him those because he had to take care of Jack.

"You know this is all your fault," Alec said to Jack as he played on the floor with his toys. "You're daddy's all beaten up because of you."

Jack looked up and widened his hazel eyes, in a way that was so like Alec that he had to laugh, cursing as the action caused him pain.

"I've got to say though, you sure are going to be a charmer when you grow up, huh? All the ladies will be flocking you."

"What's this about charming?" Max asked, plopping down on the couch beside him, grinning furiously as he shot her a glare.

"Just telling our son about all the good qualities you lack, my dear," Alec said. He looked heavenwards. "Thank God for me."

Max raised a fist and his mouth clamped shut. She lowered it with a smile.

"I just love it when you're so obedient," she said.

"Sure," Alec said with a mischievous grin. "I'll do anything. Even fulfill your wildest fantasies." He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

She smiled sweetly. "Good. Well…," She stood up, walked over to the kitchen counter and returned with a list. "You can go grocery shopping because the fridge is basically empty and whatever is in there shouldn't be touched even by the most vile person on earth, which includes Amesy, then you can do the laundry and clean this place up because it looks like a pig sty."

Alec's jaw dropped open and the ice pack fell. "And what are you going to do while I'm supposed to do this?"

"I'll take Jack to the park," Max decided. "I sure as hell can't bring him to T.C. again; the transgenics there were terrified enough from our last visit."

"Ha!" Alec said. "Good luck with that. That is a demon child. He'll drive you nuts."

"Don't be ridiculous Alec," Max said, waving her hand. "Come here Jack."

Jack looked up, tossed his toys aside, plastered on the most adorable smile he could muster up and crawled over to his mother. He put his arms up and Max picked him up while Alec looked on incredulously.

"That's not fair! He's just good when you're around," Alec accused. "He doesn't like me."

"Who would?" Max asked.

"Max, that hurts," he replied. There was an odd note in his voice and Max noticed that he was actually a bit hurt by the fact that Jack might not like him. Her face softened and she sat down beside him with Jack in her lap.

"Alec, I'm sure he likes you. He's just a baby, don't take it personally," she said gently. Jack moved off her lap and sat in Alec's as if agreeing.

"So, do I really have to do all these women chores?" he asked sulkily.

"Stop being sexist. This is the twenty-first century. Men finally have to get off their lazy asses and do something for once," she said.

"But it's boring," he complained. "And besides, how am I supposed to go anywhere looking like this?" He pointed to his face. "You ruined my pretty face. Now the ladies'll not only think I'm a guy with a kid, but with a screwed up face too."

Max rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on Alec. You know you're probably the best-looking guy they know. Are you really that worried?"

He slung an arm around her shoulder and grinned. "You think I'm the best-looking guy around?"

She blushed a little but figured there would be no reason to deny what was painfully obvious and shrugged, appearing as nonchalant as she could.

"Don't inflate your ego too much; anyone from Manticore is good-looking," she said. "It was like model central back there."

Alec shook his head slowly, appearing disappointed. "Max, you really need to get over this denial problem of yours. I mean, you can just say straight out that you think I'm hot."

"I don't think you're hot!" she said indignantly. At his skeptical look, she tried to rephrase that but just ended up flustered. She took in his toned muscles and chiseled face, the hazel eyes she could just drown in…

"I think you need to call Dr. Carr for some psychiatric help, Max," he said sadly.

My thoughts exactly.

"The inability to express yourself must be really hard. But don't worry. Your attraction to me is worth enough. You don't have to say the words." He smirked inwardly, knowing it would rile her up.

Jack watched with an amused look. Everything was going according to plan.

Max clenched her teeth but forced herself to put on a fake smile. She moved closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"You're right, Alec," she said with mock sincerity. "It's just so hard to tell you how I really feel. I'm not used to this kind of thing, you know. But I'm glad you get me. And I really hope that we'll be something more in the future." She flicked her finger across her cheek as if wiping away a tear. "This is just so beautiful. We have a family, and maybe later on we'll have the whole white picket fence thing going on. I just wanted you to know that I really care about you Alec, and…" She started to hyperventilate. "And I hope we could be something great together." She fanned her face with her hand and almost laughed at the look on Alec's face.

She's not going to get away with that, he thought resolutely. Time to turn the tables.

"Maxie baby," he said, pulling her hands into his. He held in a grin at her frown and kept his face solemn. "I never knew you felt that strongly about me. And I want that too." He got off the couch and kneeled on one knee in front of her. He saw the quizzical look on her face and her frown grew wider. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…" He clasped her hands in his again. "Max Guevara, will you marry me?"

She shrieked and jumped off the couch, putting as much distance between them as possible. Alec rolled around on the floor laughing hysterically, holding his sides.

"That wasn't funny Alec!" she yelled. "That wasn't funny at all!"

Inside, Max was shaking. Not from anger, but from nervousness and confusion. She was frightened because she had come dangerously close from unconsciously saying yes, and she didn't even understand why.

"That wasn't funny!" she repeated again, her voice shrill. Alec looked up in surprise and walked over to her.

"Max, it was just a joke. You didn't think I was serious, did you?" he asked. He studied her eyes carefully and noticed she was shaking. Was the thought of marrying him actually so horrifying?

"Don't ever toy with me like that," she said. "I'm taking Jack out." She walked over to the couch, grabbed him and threw their jackets on and was out the door before Alec could even open his mouth.

"Now I know why there are so many divorces nowadays," he muttered, heading towards the bathroom to get the laundry. "Women are so touchy about marital issues."

What left them both unsettled was a question, a question to which the answer wasn't conceivable to either of them. Just how much had been pretend?

Max pushed Jack in a swing, lost in her thoughts while he yelled incomprehensible sentences, laughed and giggled.

What's going on with me? Why am I reacting this way? It was all just a joke, a stupid little joke. Then how come I took it so seriously? I can't honestly be attracted to Alec, can I? Sure, he's hot, but it can't be just that. He's a pain in the ass, but with Jack he's so sweet. I'm so confused.

The cell phone that Alec had given her back when they were looking for Joshua rang and she flipped it open. Alec. Everything led back to him.

"Hey Max," a familiar voice greeted. "You called earlier?"

"Hey Sam," she said. "Yeah. I think something's wrong with me but I don't know what. I need to ask you some questions."

"Shoot," he said.

"Well, I can't understand some things about myself. My feelings, to be exact. I feel things that make me nervous, and I don't know if they're right or not," she explained.

"Is this around a certain person?" Sam asked. He chuckled. "Because normally that would be considered attraction."

Shit. I was hoping he wouldn't say that.

"Tell me about what you feel," he continued on with a teasing voice.

He knows I'm not talking about Logan.

"Well," she said. "I get really hot and feel light-headed, out of control. I blush all the time and weird thoughts make their way into my brain. He bugs me all the time and it pisses me off but at the same time I love it." She groaned. "This makes absolutely no sense, does it?"

"It makes perfect sense," he answered. "Have you tried talking to Alec about it?" She heard his sharp intake of breath as he realized his slip.

"Who said it had anything to do with Alec?" she said slowly.

"No one," Sam said quickly.

"Okay," she said. "So, to what degree do you think that I like this hypothetical person who is so definitely not Alec?"

She heard a cough on the other line that she knew was just a cover-up for a laugh. She frowned irritably.

"Well, looks as if you like him a lot. I would say you're serious about him. You'll probably be having more weird thoughts as the time goes on."

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"You might even want to pursue these feelings and turn them into a relationship," Sam continued.

Double shit.

"If you're open with this person, it could definitely be possible," he concluded.

Open? I'd rather drink my own spit.

"Max?" he asked, hearing only silence. "You okay?"

So faaarr from it. I thought talking to a doctor was supposed to help you, not make you more confused. Now he's telling me that I like Alec. I thought he was supposed to be smart.

"Yeah," she said faintly. "I'm okay. Are you sure?"

"About what these strange feelings mean? Yeah, pretty sure," he responded.

"Great," she said.

So not great. I like Alec. Blue Lady help me.

"Well, thanks Sam," she said.

"Anytime Max," he said.

Alec lay on his bed, the phone pressed to his ear.

"Pick up, pick up," he murmured. Finally on the third ring there was a click and a voice answered.

"You've reached Dr. Sam Carr. How may I assist you?"

"Hey Sam, it's me Alec," he said. He heard what vaguely sounded like a coughing fit in the background. Sam cleared his throat.

"You alright?" Alec asked. "Catch a cold from one of your patients?"

"Nah, I'm okay," he answered. "How can I help you?"

Alec fiddled with his t-shirt. "Well, I've been feeling kind of strange."

"Had a call like that just a little while ago. Feeling kind of hot around a person, weird daydreams, that person getting under your skin?"

"Yeah," Alec said, surprised. "You really are a good doctor."

"Uh huh," he said. "Why don't you try talking to the person about your feelings?"

Because she'd bite my head off then eat it.

"I don't know," he said evasively. "It's complicated, I guess."

"Relationship stuff always is," Sam agreed.

Why do I get the feeling the good doctor knows something I don't? Wasn't I supposed to be the genius?

"How do I go about doing it? You know, expressing stuff," he asked curiously.

"Try spending some alone time with her. Work your way up to it. This person's probably not used to this kind of thing just like you, so neither of you will have an advantage or anything," Sam suggested. "Maybe try something romantic."

Something romantic? Ha, as if. I'm so screwed. Feelings suck.

"Thanks. You've been a big help," Alec said.

"Anytime."

Sam Carr hung up the phone and leaned against his desk, laughing silently to himself. Transgenics weren't very perceptive when it came to feelings.

Even if the one they were so obviously head-over-heels in love with was right in front of them with the trademark sarcastic expression on their face.

"Hi," Max said, walking into the apartment. She stopped right in front of the door, just staring at him. He was doing exactly the same. Max put Jack down and they still stood there, trapped in a silent stalemate. Max looked down when she felt something tugging at her pants and saw Jack biting the bottom of her pants with his teeth, trying to drag her forward. She complied so that he wouldn't hurt himself, and he dragged her until she was right in front of Alec. His deed done, he crawled off to play with his toys.

"So…" Max started, trailing off.

Alec pursed his lips and rocked on his feet. "Yeah… I was wondering if… you maybe wanted to… I don't know, get some dinner tonight. You know, just us. We could leave Jack with O.C."

She stared at him blankly, looking completely stunned. Out of all the things she had been expecting, this hadn't come close to being on the list.

Realizing he was waiting for an answer, she nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I guess. If you want."

"Cool," Alec said quickly. "Uh… okay." He nervously ran his hand through his hair, relieved that she hadn't said no. "It's a…" He refrained from calling it a date because he knew it would spook her. "Dinner," he finished. "A dinner. Okay, cool."

"Right," Max said. There was a pregnant pause.

"I should go call O.C. to see if she's free," Max said. Another pause and then she quickly moved towards her bedroom and shut the door.

"So far so good," Alec breathed. "Now to get through the next few hours without being mentally, physically or emotionally abused."

"You and hot boy are going on a date?" Cindy's excited voice said. "You bet your ass I'll babysit. Aunty Cindy needs to spend some time with the baby boo and it's about time you and him got together."

"It's not a date," Max insisted. "It really isn't. We're just exhausted from taking care of Jack and needed a break, so we thought we'd get some dinner. It's no big deal, really."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself boo," Cindy said, her disbelief evident in her voice. "You can call it whatever you want, but I'm just saying it like I see it. And the way Original Cindy sees it, is that you and Golden Boy are gonna go on a date. Just in case you guys want to pursue it later on, baby boo can stay over. Who knows? Maybe he'll have a cute little brother or sister soon."

"Cindy!" Max said. "Come on! It's not like that."

"Original Cindy thought you got that "it's not like that" phase over with Moneybags, but seeing as you didn't, I'll just remind you that the last time you said that you were moping because of the virus bitch."

She sighed exasperatedly. "Can I drop him in half an hour?"

"Sure boo. See you later, aiight?"

"Late."

She hung up the phone and absently bit her nails. What to wear?

Who needs clothes?

She almost yelled when that thought popped into her brain and ran out of her room, slamming the bathroom door shut.

I need a cold shower first, she thought as she turned the tap to the coldest setting. A very cold one.

A/N: Did you like this? I hope so. Please review and give me feedback. Also any ideas you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks ever so much to –

AngelKougaeri – Thanks!

w1cked angel – Thanks! You don't need a life; fantasizing about Jack's daddy sounds like a perfectly good one to me. LOL

jracklesfan77 – Thanks!

ontheDL – Thanks! About the milk idea, I definitely will try to fit it in sometime soon. I'm already thinking up the funny scenarios. Thank you so much once again for all the great ideas. :D

lori89 – Thanks!

MonDieu666 – Thanks! Fabulous to have a new reviewer!

Aur – Thanks! Sorry if I scarred your eyes with the Logan in a bodysuit thing. LOL I'd be scared too.

Caboodle – Thanks! Wonderful to have a new reviewer!

Amy Lynn – Thanks!

Mystic Fayth – Thanks!

Pola – Thanks! I love new reviewers! Thank you so much for the first words idea. I will use it in the next chapter. Bip bip bip. LOL

latinapotterfan – Thanks!

Alana84 – Thanks! Jack's a naughty baby, isn't he? LOL

4eva Jensen – Thanks! Of course Jack has a thing for bras: like father like son, right? LOL

Sarah – Thanks! Great to have a new reviewer!

Elmo – Thanks! Fab to have a new reviewer!

Alec'sAngel494 – Thanks!

Angel Of Darkness231 – Thanks! Thank you so much for your idea. I'll use it in a later chapter.

LucreziaNoin86 – Thanks!

purple shimmer – Thanks!

elle6778 – Thanks! Sorry for scarring your eyes with the whole Logan in a bodysuit picture. LOL That would have scared me too. Isn't baby Jack the cutest evil thing? LOL

supernateral – Thanks! The baby would be about 6 months, so he's going to be walking and talking soon. Even more reason to cause mischief. LOL

DirtyLaundry – Thanks!

ILuvDracoiLUValec – Thanks! Great to have a new reviewer! Sorry it took so long to update: school's really taking up my time.

L80bug – Thanks!

Thanks everyone! Please give me feedback and any ideas you may have. :D Kisses, aod78