Sitting side by side on the couch, legs touching but the rest of their bodies rigid, hands clasped firmly in their laps, Alec and Max had never looked, or felt, less human. They looked like stiff, perfect dolls that were soldiers… perhaps there wasn't a more appropriate word for how they looked than like transgenics. And emotionally, well, sharing twin glances out of the corners of their eyes, Alec and Max reflected that they were feeling far from human.
The idea of having a mother had been easy, the desire to have one, to meet their own. But any moment now there would be a large extended family pouring through the door. Grandparents, they were part of the alien institution of a real family. It was a little scary, a little curious, and really, really confusing.
Max stiffly reflected that she did feel like a toy soldier, though in the current setting she imagined a toy soldier would have fit in better.
Not for the first time, Alec swore to himself that he was going to write a guidebook for transgenics on "the real world." God knew that somebody needed to make one. Internally, Alec spared a moment to huff at claims that he wasn't a man of the people. People needed guidebooks.
Footsteps sounded in the hall and Alec and Max kept their gazes locked firmly on the door; bodies stiff, faces in an indifferent mask, minds nervous. The door to the apartment swung open and Emily and Maria entered, looking slightly nervous. Behind them there was a chorus of voices chattering nervously, but as soon as the rest of the entourage entered, they too fell silent.
Standing to attention almost instinctively, the two transgenics looked over the new people in the room. There was a man, assumedly the uncle that Max had been told of, and two older couples. It occurred to Alec and Max that they knew few people of this age group, people who had lived the majority of their adult lives before the pulse; their eyes lacked a certain bitterness that was common to the younger populous of America.
Stepping boldly forward into the void of silent assessment on all sides, Emily smiled weakly and made the necessary introductions, motioning to each person in turn. "These are my parents, John and Katherine, Maria's brother Andre, and parents Theresa and Ricardo." She hoped desperately that this had been a good idea. "And this is my… son… Alec-"
Seeming to wake from her own trance of anxiety, watching the younger and older generations eye each other, Maria finished by motioning to Max, "And my daughter, Max."
Forcing a mostly genuine smile, Max relaxed her stance slightly and intuitively reached out to grab Alec's hand in a death clutch. "Hey," when she spoke, Alec likewise relaxed, nodding his greeting.
As soon as Theresa heard Max speak, realized that they were actually here with her daughter and granddaughter, Theresa felt herself wiping tears of joy from her eyes. A look around revealed that everyone but the grandchildren had eyes wet with tears. There were none of the doubts that she had expected, Max looked like Maria, looked like family, and she looked lost.
The four grandparents shared glances that only those of their generation could understand, having struck up a small conversation on the way over, and stepped forward almost as one, to embrace their grandchildren.
Before Max and Alec had any idea what was going on, they each found themselves being held in firm but loving hugs, with practical strangers murmuring little endearments of love in the way only grandparents can. Alec lost his hold of Max's hand and turned to the side to catch her eyes; she looked as lost and amazed as he felt.
Soon, the grandparents withdrew, wiping at the tears from their eyes and laughing slightly to themselves at the family they'd found. Everybody seemed to be speaking at once, but finally Maria got in words over the clatter, "Why don't we all sit?"
Andre hung back a moment, nodding at a niece that seemed closer to his age than his sister, and muttered, "Seems like a good idea."
Unable to suppress the thought, Max wondered if this was what real families were like, all loud and happy. She wanted to ask Alec's opinion, but then remembered that he knew even less about this whole thing than she did. Max cast a worried glance at him; Alec seemed shocked but okay. "How," she fumbled for something to say, "was the trip?" She left the question open for anyone to answer.
John spoke first, muttering that "It was fine…"
Settling down on a couch with John, Katharine added, "It doesn't matter, anyway."
A few seconds of silence followed, while everyone tried to get their thoughts under control as they settled down and tried to get comfortable. It was Ricardo who finally spoke what everyone's thoughts mirrored, "We just want to get to know you," noting the way Alec and Max shared glances, he added, "both of you, all about you, everything we've missed…" He choked off the end.
Pulling off a grin that looked genuine to the normals, Alec asked, "So, I guess a 'hi, how are you,' isn't gonna cut it?"
Shaking her head, Katharine pronounced, "No, no it most definitely won't…"
Again, everyone was at a loss for what to say first, and it was Andre who bridged the gap in the two families, "So, what's Seattle like. Where do you both work?"
Alec suppressed the urge to say that they were cat burglars, with emphasis on the 'cat.' Max shook her head at him, seeming to know what was on the tip of his tongue. Now was not the time for Manticorian discussions, if ever. Slowly, testing out the conversation, Max explained, "Seattle's… complicated… but it's home now. It can be lots of fun, I guess, but the sector checks are a hassle."
Knowing more than ever just what a hassle the sector police could be, – they seemed to especially frown upon running the sector checks on motorcycles – Alec added, "And we both work at Jam Pony, it's a messenger service…"
Maria and Emily breathed deep sighs of relief that all government conspiracies seemed to, for now, be a topic that wasn't open for discussion. Right now, catching up on twenty years would be more than enough for everyone in the room to handle.