Holed up in Logan's bathroom, Alec and Max were attending to their wounds. Logan, having seen them come home in such condition more than once before, had helped them attend to their mothers and then calmly offered to drive them home – leaving Alec and Max without that added stress.
All considered the damage wasn't too extensive. Alec had definitely had his arm broken in two spots but, as long as he left it alone, it would heal in a couple of days. Aside from a few nasty bruises that weren't quite ready to fade, the rest of him was fine.
For her part, Max's upper cheek was swelling and turning a rapid assortment of pretty colors. There looked to be a fracture, but it wasn't severe. Along her spine, several large bruises had darkened but there wasn't any deeper damage. Coming out of a fight with familiars, both transgenics considered this only superficial damage.
Kneeling carefully, Max surveyed Alec's torso for damage. Gently, she probed some especially dark bruises, but no ribs were broken. Satisfied, Max went back to her makeshift cast for Alec's arm. Real casts did little good, as transgenics didn't break in the same way that ordinaries did, and Alec would have most movement back within a day or so anyway. Max's plan involved keeping everything tight and still, while leaving enough give so that Alec could move it around. She tied the last bits of bandage wrapping in place, thankful that Logan had learned to stock an industrial sized first aid kit.
As soon as she was finished and Alec had tested it out to his satisfaction, he motioned Max to turn around. Gently, he helped her lift her shirt and bra off, mindful of her back and his arm. Max braced her arms on the sink while Alec tended to her back. He cautiously probed the worst bruises, but most of them had missed their mark. Picking up the gauze, he began to wrap her lower back, using the opportunity to check her ribs for any damage.
It took a bit longer than normal because of Alec's arm. Max had time to look up and catch them in the large mirror. At first, the swelling of her cheek, which was now a particularly unpleasant shade of purple, distracted her. Then Alec stood behind her, eyeing her back and his wrap job, and she had a moment to observe them both.
Naked from the waist up, they both looked fairly battered. Still. "Alec," she whispered, tilting her head to the good side and smiling slightly, amazed at the effect.
Having been rather engrossed in the efficient silence they'd formed, Alec looked up from his inspection. He still wasn't convinced that the wrappings were secure, especially with the way Max moved. "Hmm?"
Straightening as best she could, Max reached back and caught Alec's hand in hers, pulling it around her waist. He still looked a little confused in the mirror, so she elaborated. "You know how we wanted tonight to have one real perfect memory before everything got messed up again?"
Carefully wrapping his undamaged arm more securely around Max, Alec was starting to get the picture. "Hey, there's where you bit me," a smirk was added.
"Hold me."
As Max leaned into his one-armed embrace, Alec took her cue and watched them in the mirror. Sure, they were banged up to hell, and it was a little awkward looking since he was only using one arm and Max was trying not to make any movements of her torso at all. But… "This is it."
They lapsed into silence again, staying there for a moment to engrave the image permanently. Then, Alec ducked back down to finish wrapping Max's back and she was forced to lean back down so that it was secure. Quietly, "If something had happened tonight… to them…" The 'them' was obvious.
Brow furrowed, Alec kept his attention on Max and his head below the reaches of the mirror. He wanted to be reassuring, but the same thought had been plaguing him. Images of Emily hitting the trashcan and Maria hitting the ground. "I know. Even if they'd caught one of us…"
Straightening slightly, Max shivered and wrapped her arms around her chest. It wasn't cold. "When's it going to stop? White and the familiars… they all just keep coming."
Finally done with her back, Alec stood and wrapped one arm around Max, pulling her close again. She'd been running from Manticore for most of her life – he'd only just escaped it. "We'll be there. And there's Joshua, Original Cindy, even Logan. When's your dream team failed you yet?"
Breaking away, Max nodded, pulling her shirt back on and gathering her bra and Alec's shirt up in her arms. She moved towards the door, turning the lock. A sad glance back at Alec, "Are we counting?" then she swung the door open and tried to brush off the thoughts that brought up.