The Surprise

Chapter 15: Aftershocks

It had been three days since Max's outburst and in Terminal City things had gone from bad to worse. Not only were Max and Alec not talking but also Alec refused to be in the same room as her, which was making life difficult for everyone.

Eventually, Jondy took charge and decided that something needed o be done. She had went to find Max who was not being very co-operative. "Hey it's him who isn't talking to me!" she protested when Jondy had started ranting at her. "I'm the one who wants to sit down and talk things through but he won't even look at me anymore. . . not that I can blame him," she added quietly.

"You've just hurt him, really bad yeah, but you have to try," pleaded Jondy.

"Look, I'm not denying that this is my fault, but all I am saying is that it is him you need to talk to not me."

Taking Max's advice, Jondy went to talk to Alec whom she found in his office staring mindlessly into space. "Can I talk to you a second?"

"Sure," he said snapping out of his trance and turning round in his chair to face her. "What's up?" he said running his hands through his hair.

"About this thing with Max," she started. Suddenly a frown came over Alec's face and Jondy could see him tense up. "I don't want to talk about it," he said quietly, with a cold, harsh look in his eyes and Jondy could tell he meant it but Jondy being Jondy decided that she had had enough and that something had to be done.

"Look here..."

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" yelled Alec, angry himself, he got up to storm out heading towards the door but Jondy's strong arm shot out in front of him and held the door firmly shut.

"I don't give a damn whether or not you 'want' to talk about it because you are sure as hell gonna. Don't be so friggen selfish! Your decisions don't just affect you anymore, they affect all of us and you need to realise that. We are falling behind on a rapidly growing to do list, no-one has been on any sort of mission and jobs aren't being done all because you two aren't communicating. You need to see the bigger picture and soon, I know Max hurt you. . . "

"Nicely understated."

"But you can't just mope around forever, if things don't get up and running again we might as well just lie down and wait for Ames White and his merry men to come and kill us! TC is your shared responsibility, you work best as a team, you are our leaders and we all look up to you so when you don't know what to do it has a knock on effect. Our lives are in your hands and everyday that you two don't work it brings us closer to failure!"

"You think I don't know that?" Alec exploded all his pent up frustrations coming to the surface.

"No actually I don't think you do. I know how bad things are right now and how angry you are and how much pain you are in, and you have every right to feel as you do but if you don't pull yourself out of your rut soon and start acting civilly to each other the familiars will win and people will die!"

Finally talking her hand off the door Jondy stood back and let Alec see the understanding in her eyes. "Look no-one expects you to go about as if nothing happened but look at it this way, the sooner we kick Ames White's ass the quicker you can go back to brooding or you never know, you and Max could even sort things out," she said in a soft, sympathetic tone. "Just know I'm there for you when you want to start talking, alright?" Giving him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, she left him to his own thoughts.

"Well?" asked Zane upon her return.

"I don't know, they are both as stubborn as each other," said Jondy sitting on the desk. She had called everyone together and one way or the other she was planning to get things back on track.

"Well they say time heals all wounds," offered Syl earning her an annoyed look from Zane.

"Yeah well we are running out of time," said Mole, puffing away on his cigar. "I say we give both of them a good kick up the ass, tell them to grow up and get over it."

"Well that will give us a few bruises then land us right back where we started," said Kat. "What we have to do is make her trust him," she stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Genius!" said Zane with mock excitement. "Wow Captain Obvious, how in the world did you come up with that one?"

"I'm just saying," said Kat.

"Well don't, not unless you have something productive to say. Hell, I'll even settle for mildly helpful cause the only was that was helpful was that that it reminded me of the phrase 'No shit Sherlock!'"

"Actually, she was helpful, very helpful in fact," said Jondy who was now smiling.

"Don't give us that look just tell us what you are thinking," said Jace rolling her eyes.

"What look?"

"That 'I've just figured everything out' look," said Krit who like the rest of them knew Jondy's little personality quirks like the back of his hand. "Occasionally when you give that look I think you are about to spill the secret to world peace," he admitted, knowing that the rest of them had probably thought the same thing on at least one occasion.

Jondy grinned, blushing slightly at how predictable she had become. "And maybe one day I will, but for now I will settle for peace between Max and Alec. This thanks to Kat I know how to do. All we have to do is get Max to trust Alec again, and make sure he realises that she does as well," said Jondy looking smug. She looked around her as if waiting for the thundering applause and praise, which never came.

"Was that a delayed echo?" asked Zane, who was getting more pissed off by the second. "I just shouted at Kat for saying that so please don't make me slap you around little sis."

"Like you could 'big bro' I pummelled your ass when I was nine and I can do it again. But that aside unlike Kat, I know exactly how to make her trust him and let him know she means it this time. Ok so here's what we are going to do. . ."

Alec was wondering about Terminal City by himself. He was in the middle of an emotional dilemma because although he would never admit it Jondy had really gotten to him. All of a sudden, he felt torn between loyalty to himself and loyalty to the rest of TC who worked their asses of every day to do what he asked them to do. While walking around TC he noticed that some people were working but not enough, without orders they were all a little lost, the transgenics who had just gotten out felt it was not their place to take the initiative to do things without instruction, which is exactly why they need leadership.

Running his fingers through his hair he let out a groan of frustration, he needed to clear his head so he could think straight. Looking about he quickly hopped over the walls while no one was looking and decided to go for a ride. He knew where Max's motorbike was and although she bit the head of everyone who even went near it he figured that even if she did find out she wouldn't have the nerve to say anything.

For the first time in days Alec felt at peace with the wind rushing through his hair and beating so hard on his face it was almost stinging him as he speeded through the empty streets of Seattle.

Max smiled, as Jen giggled at her while she was feeding her her lunch. It still amazed Max that anything on this earth could make her feel the way that Jen did. She was always happy when she had Jen with her no matter what the circumstances and even though right now she could loose one of the most important people in her life she felt strangely content with Jen there with her.

She sighed, the only other person who had ever came close to giving her that similar feeling of contentment was Alec, and she had messed that up. 'I must be seriously self-destructive,' she thought, angry with herself.

"Hey there," said a familiar voice behind her.

Max spun round to see Original Cindy leaning against the doorframe. Max leapt up to give her best friend a hug. "'Kay girl you are gonna have to let go or else I'm not going to be fit to do much of anything, damn transgenic grips."

"Sorry, I'm just so damn glad to see you, I miss you."

"I miss you too boo and well I just figured that you needed a friendly ear and some good advice," said Cindy, sitting down.

"You're right, everyone have been kinda tiptoeing around me these past few days. I mean no one has said anything but I know they all hate me for what I done to Alec. Hell I even hate me for what I did."

"How is Alec?"

"I don't know, we aren't talking, and we haven't even been in each other's presence since it happened. According to Kat, he's pretty much beaten up over the whole thing. He just sits about all day doing nothing which really scares me cause I know Alec, he's the type who gets through things by throwing himself into his work, or his drink. I caught a glimpse of him yesterday and he looked like he was in so much pain, it was like he couldn't bare to look at me. And damn him! He's so friggen stubborn that he will have to work out a few things by himself before I will be able to get through to him and make amends."

"And what if he doesn't some around?"

"Then he doesn't come around."

"And then what?"

Max looked at OC, fighting back the tears that had filled her eyes as she spoke and were now threatening to spill down her face. "And that will be it. After a bit of time we will become civil to each other and maybe even friends but that will be it, it would never be the same. I could loose the best thing I ever had going for me and it will be all my own fault!" she said surrendering and letting the tears flow freely. "Relationships are built on trust, and it's kind of a big thing with Alec and all I have done since we met is show that even in little ways I don't completely trust him! And its so hard cause I want to trust him, I really do but . . ."

Cindy took Max in her arms and let her cry, stroking her hair comfortingly. "Has it ever occurred to you that the reason you don't trust him is because you don't want to?" asked OC.

"Don't be ridiculous! I just said I wanted to, didn't I? And why wouldn't I want to trust him?" Max asked wiping away tears.

"You don't want to trust him because you were afraid. Alec is the first guy that has ever known you as well as he does and that scares you, you had never really let down the barriers with a guy before. Yous are both madly in love with each other and for a while everything appeared to be perfect and usually for you that is when everything starts going wrong. So you kept expecting that floating on air feeling you've been experiencing to end and to fall back to earth.

So you made sure you never trusted him, cause trust gave hope of forever and then you knew that if something did go wrong you would be more heart broken cause you wouldn't have seen it coming. So when you saw him with Jondy all the time you immediately assumed that the end was coming.

I suppose it didn't help that you never really saw him talking to another woman that he wasn't trying to pick up, but that was just a minor detail in Original Cindy's analysis. You were afraid," she repeated again.

"You were afraid because you have been hurt before and you couldn't stand it then and you also knew that it would be worse in this case because your heart was really in it. So in a way you distrusting him was a bit like a safety net, you were prepared for the worse and this was your way of softening the fall," finished OC.

"Damn I'm good," said OC after a few minutes of silence in which Max was reflecting on what she had said.

"How do you know me better than I know myself?" asked Max.

"You transgenics are all the same, you have the wisdom and knowledge there, but its kinda like all that other stuff you can do is clouding it up because it is a very human part of ya. You would have figured it out eventually, but a lot of the time, even for us ordinaries, it is clearer to those merely watching to see the deeper meaning behind it all. And I'm sure given time Alec will realise it as well, he just hasn't been out as long as you so it's even harder for him."

"Don't worry," said OC hugging her friend once again. "Soon everything will be ok again, I promise and after that you should forget all of this analytical bullshit cause as much as it is my speciality, sometimes it takes the fun out of it all. You should just embrace all your irrational feelings and thoughts; you need to take all the risks without the safety net, its part of being in love girl!"

"You know OC, I really, honestly, don't know what I'd do without ya," said Max.

Soon after, Max fell asleep, so Original Cindy took Jen and walked round for a bit before going to the bar where she found all of Max's siblings. She went and sat with them. "Hey girl! Hand over my favourite sort of niece!" said Kat.

OC did, and then looked round at all the faces staring expectantly at her.

"Well?" asked Zane.

"My bit's done," said OC. "I've told her what she needs to know, now the rest is up to you."

A/N: There ya go . . . you are wondering what the big plan is, aren't ya? Don't worry you'll find out next chapter . . . or the one after that, I haven't quite decided yet. also i apologise for lack of dividy things cause they don't seem to come up once i upload them but i swear i've put them in!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed all those chapters that were all brought out together, especially the people who had to find this pen name.

Astra: 3 reviews, woo hoo! Oh and I didn't mean the whole non-shipper comment in a negative way, it was just a question. Dark Angel wasn't just about Max's love interests and I know that I just happen to be MA.

Lolitaro: thanks, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.

Alexandra Bruderlin: Ok apart from that being quite possibly the longest review I have ever received it was very appreciated and I didn't think it was harsh at all. I know spell check is my friend but some errors just get past me cause it is soooooo-boring re-reading your own story but I am working on it. I hope there aren't too many in this chapter! I do plan on getting more stuff on the other X-5 rouges but one story line at a time is enough for me, but what's all this about Jace having a baby called Max? did I miss an episode? If I did let's just say this is and AU of sorts. Oh and the reason I ask for reviews for chapters cause it gives me an excuse not to post chapters for a while, lol. Well I rambled on their for almost as long as you did in the review, but I did address all the things you brought up, all of which was appreciated. (Do it again!)

Adoria: oh don't you worry she's coming back. I don't want to give too much away but I do plan on bringing back good old Max the kick ass chick. thanks again