Chapter 3, hope you'll like it ! One thing, White doesn't know Alec still alive and this takes place before Hello Goodbye so Logan doesn't think Max and Alec are together.

There's also songs that I think you should download, every episode will have songs, you started the song when you see the title example: "Stay Home" and you stop it when you see another song or when you see that: in the middle of the page.

Songs for this episode:

Song/Artist

Stay home/Self

You're perfect/Semisonic

Hero/Chad Kroeger, Spiderman soundtrack

Chapter 3 : Moving in !

Max was at Logan's talking about her new 'apartment problem'. "I could find a cheap room in a hotel, what do you think?" She hoped Logan would just agree with her. Her other option was to live with Joshua and, by default, Alec.

"Max, you can't live in a hotel! It would put you in danger."

"I know but...living with Alec? Not so into the idea if you understand what I mean. And it would also put me in danger. What the hell am I saying? It would put him in danger!

"Max, if you want to stay here," Logan offered.

Oh God, she had hoped that he wouldn't offer her to live with him. She obviously couldn't and knew he would be disappointed.

"No, it's okay, I'll go to Joshua's. He will be less lonely. It will be great for him."

"And Alec?"

"I'll try not to kill him."

Logan smiled at her and her heart hurt. Why does everything have to be so complicated

...

"Stay Home"

Joshua cocked his head, "Little Fella will live with Joshua?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah Big Fella, I'll move in tonight."

Max was so happy to see Joshua's smile. He was so excited that he ran to the basement and started to clean it out. He had told her that it was four beautiful rooms and that she deserved the best one, right next to the one Alec had chose.

"Do you want to see your room?" He called after a few minutes.

"Of course!" Max called back a little sceptical about the existence of these "beautiful rooms" but, as she entered, Joshua had been right sort of. She could really do something great of this mess.

"Wow, thank you Big Fella it's perfect!"

Alec screamed from the room right next to hers. "Hey Max, come see my room!"

Oh good, I thought he wasn't there She entered Alec's room with a long, bored sigh but she froze two steps inside. The room was full of beautiful furniture. Alec was lying on an expensive bed with a book in his hands. Wait, it can't be a book...(she looked again)...it's a TV guide

"So Max, you like my room?" Alec was laughing inside. Max's expression since she had seen the big TV was classic.

"Did you..."

"Steal all this stuff? Did you break in an old woman's house to take her TV? Max, you know me, I'm a good guy. I bought them!"

Max raised an eyebrow. He couldn't have bought such expensive items without doing something illegal. "With stolen money I bet."

Alec was always amazed to see how she could always turn everything around and make him into the bad guy. He was always wrong in her head but he had decided not to care anymore. He could have fun with this.

"Argh! You caught me!"

She saw his cocky look and left the room. She closed the door with all her energy. Bang !

"Welcome home Max!"

Max screamed inwardly in frustration. I'll never be able to stand him, I already need a break But unfortunately, she had to go to work as soon as possible because she was almost late. She heard Alec following her in the stairs.

"Oh Maxie, I'm so happy, every day, we'll go to work together and return home together. Isn't it dreamy? You think your not-like-that boyfriend will mind?" he said cockily.

"Shut up!" she elbowed him in the stomach and he still laughed. This my life now

"Hey, what did I do to you?" he fake pouted and rubbed his sore stomach.

"You are still breathing!" she glared back at him, all to used to his act.

Alec put his hand on his chest. "You're right Maxie, but if you want to keep your job, you'll have to beg me to tell Normal that you had a good excuse."

She gave him a death glare. "I don't need your smart-ass to cover mine, thank you."

She said with an angry voice. When Max was fighting her temper she could be unpredictable. He loved seeing her like this. The more he talked the tenser she would become. And she was about to cross the line of her self-control. He knew he could push her over that edge but wasn't ready to deal with the consequences of a Max completely out of control.

Without out a single look back, Max took her baby and left quickly as the wind.

...

"Always late miss! And you have a bad influence on him! Hurry up bip-bip-bip!" Normal said pointing at Alec who came up right behind her.

"I'm not in the mood Normal." Max went straight to her locker and opened it with anger.

"What's up boo?" OC greeted around the locker door.

Max smiled at OC and tried to hide her anger. She didn't feel like talking about Alec anymore. "Nothing! You're sure you don't mind packing my stuff for me?"

"Hey, OC would do anything to guarantee the safety of her boo."

"Thanks," Max said more at ease. Alec was gone for a while and he probably wouldn't be back until midnight. She'd have a few precious hours to move in with Joshua without seeing him. That and she had decided to ask Logan to come. With his car, they would have finished before ten. Then it was off to Crash with OC. Yes, it was a perfect plan.

"I'm gonna call Logan, meet us after work!"

"Bye boo."

Max walked to the pay phone and put a quarter in it.

"Hello?"

"Logan?" She was so nervous every time she was speaking to him, her stomach hurt yet she couldn't help but smile.

"Max!" his voice smiled as well.

"I was wondering if I could borrow your car to move my stuff to Joshua's."

"Of course, and I'll help you."

She knew it was dangerous, but she couldn't wait to see him. Things were so complicated between them. They had always been but since she was back from Manticore, it was worse. There was the whole virus thing and, without a cure, they had no future. But Max was even more worried because of Asha. She has obviously a thing for Logan and she was always around him.

"Max. You're still there?

Max came back to reality with an aching heart.

"Yeah, I'll be there with OC around five."

"Bye."

She sighed. Why is it so difficult? We are meant to be together aren't we

She took a package and rode her bicycle to sector 5. Sunny days made Max smile. It cheered her up. Everything will be all right. Logan and I will get through this emotional crisis. We're meant to be and nothing will stand between us. Asha, the virus; nothing will keep us apart. I mean, who could screw up what I have with Logan

"You're perfect"

Deep in thought, Max turned the corner of a store and didn't see the other bicycle coming her way in time. By the time she did register it, it was too late to avoid collision. After a short journey in the air, she landed hard, right on top on Alec.

"Are you kidding me?" she said angrily her face switching from surprise to irritation.

"What ? I didn't plan this Max I swear!"

Caught unprepared, Alec didn't have time to put up his usual mask. He looked genuinely surprise like a little boy, hurt and clueless as to what was going on. She started to laugh out loud. She had thought for a moment about eventually "screw up" and a second later she was lying on the road on top on Alec.

Alec understood that his back was hurting as hell but why the hell was Max laughing alone on top of him. She became serious again and stood up. She could tell he wasn't faking pain and felt responsible for it. She took his hand and helped him to get up. Guilt was a wonderful incentive to be nice but let's say that she was in a good mood too.

"Thanks Max ! I think I'll take a break." Alec groaned painfully. He was the only one who had hit the road and his back screamed at him. Max and her "emergency landing" hadn't helped anything.

"Pretty bad huh? Are you all right? Her own "meeting" with the road due to Rafer's car a while ago wasn't near as bad. He had fallen half on the road and half on the sidewalk making the pain ten times worse.

"I'm always..." he began trying to walk. Succeeding, he finished with his customary, "...all right!" and was himself again. His soldier side ignored the pain as he walked to his bike. He glanced from the bikes to Max. "Can't say the same thing about the bikes! They're ruined," he chuckled.

I agree, Normal is gonna have an heart attack Max smiled at Alec's conclusion in spite of herself.

"Think Normal will faint?" he asked and untangled his bike from the mess they had made.

Max chuckled at the idea of Normal fainting in the middle of Jam Pony and took what was left of her bicycle.

...

"You what?" Normal said almost screaming at Max.

"I broke my bike! Give me another one," she said as if asking for something as simple as a pen.

"Noooooooo, you'll have to pay for your mess miss, this time, I won't..." Normal stopped short. He seemed suddenly distracted.

Alec leaned against Normal's counter right beside Max. "Normal, my man, that's my fault, I wasn't careful. You will forgive us won't you?"

Normal calmed down immediately and sighed. "Yes, but I don't want this to happen again so you'll work together. I have tons of hot runs for sector 7. Right now people. Bip bip!"

"Normal, we don't have bikes." Max reminded him casually.

"You'll have new ones tomorrow...

"So we can't work until tomorrow, I'm gonna take off!" Max said as she walked away.

"So you'll take your motorcycle," Normal insisted and handed them a stack of delivery tickets and point toward a pile of packages.

Max sighed. She didn't think she would have gotten away with it. Yet she did try to give herself enough time to take a bath before moving her stuff. Alec came closer to her.

"Guess you actually need my ass to cover yours," he whispered in her ear; cocky-Alec again, but deep inside, he was so happy. She had almost been friendly with him. Hope it will last, maybe she will like me someday... "Come on Maxie!"

Two cars parked side by side in the empty lot and the driver cautiously rolled down their windows to talk.

"This better be good, you know it's dangerous to talk to each other."

"Yeah I know but two people broke into my facility yesterday."

"So?"

"They were so strong. They were arguing and didn't stop as they knocked out my three best men. I tell you they weren't normal. One of them even followed me home? When you talked about powerful soldiers who had escaped you only said they were very dangerous not murderers. I'm...I'm worried about the safety of my family."

"You better be. They are extremely violent. Warn everyone you know about them. Good luck my friend."

With a nervous smile, the first man closed his window and drove away. The second took his phone and dialled.

"Fenos'tol..."

OC walked in with three heavy boxes in her hands. "Pretty boy, could you help OC with those boxes?"

"Sure." Alec took the boxes easily like they were three feathers. In an effort to make them appreciate him he agreed to help Max, OC and Logan. After all he would be living with Max soon and desperately wanted her to trust him. He had given up almost all hope but he just couldn't resist a smile from her so he kept on hoping.

Max was so pleased. Alec was helping them, no complaints, nothing. It was weird to see him without his mask but she realised that, now that they were roommates. Maybe they could eventually become friends. She opened a box of clothes and she felt him behind her.

"Can I do something else Max? All the boxes are in the living room," Alec said, hoping that she wouldn't send him away.

Max stood up and smiled at him. He hadn't called her Maxie all evening. "You can go," she started then saw something like disappointment in his eyes. It was gone now but she knew she'd seen it.

"You could help me with this. I have to put them in the trash," she said pointing at the boxes full of the old stuff that had been here since only god knows when.

"Let's do it, roomy!" Alec said as he took the bigger one. Max followed him with two others and they went outside. They met up with Logan as he was about to enter. "Thanks Logan, you can go, we're almost done."

Logan noticed Alec was smiling and that his presence didn't seem to bother Max as usual.

"I can help you with those boxes. Here, let me take that one." Logan tried to take the box from Alec but it was too heavy and he dropped it. He and Max tried to catch it at the same time and their hands touched. Max' eyes widened as she realise they had touched and she walked away.

"Go wash your hand!" she cried.

Alec's smile disappeared when he too realized what happened. Logan ran to the bathroom and started washing his hands. Max was trembling and allowed Alec to steer her back inside. She couldn't believe Logan may be infected with the virus. He could die because she needed him to move her stuff.

She sat on the couch, worrying, almost crying. Alec sat next to and locked his arms around her even though he was sure she would push him away. Instead, she put her head on his shoulder and he swore she was trembled less.

Logan washed his hands a couple of times. He wasn't feeling bad. It had been a close call but he figured he wasn't infected. He caught the view of the two transgenics on the couch. Logan would have done anything to comfort her, to hold her close but he couldn't and it bothered him that Alec got to do it.

He exited the bathroom and sat on a chair in front of them. "It's okay Max, I'm okay." He said fast, hoping she would break the embrace now that he was okay.

Wiping her tears away, she got up and looked at Logan. "It's not okay. I could have killed you, again. I don't want to live like that anymore," she said sadly. She left in sorrow on her baby.

Alec glanced at Logan.

"Go after her," Logan sighed.

Alec didn't need to be told twice and raced out of the house. He jumped on his motorcycle and followed her at a distance. He knew she was going to the Space Needle.

"Hero"

And that's where he found her, at the top crying.

Max sensed him before she saw him and turned away. She didn't want him to see her like this and tried to control herself.

"Is he gone?" Her voice broke.

"Don't know. I didn't want to leave you alone," he said simply knowing it wasn't a time for bad jokes. He sat beside her and waited after her to talk. It took a while.

Finally she opened up to him. "It's not right. I can't see him anymore knowing that I could kill him."

He knew he should remain silent but he had to tell her. "Max, you said that the last time." She was too deep in reflection to react badly to his comment.

"You and Zack were right. We're not supposed to be with them. We're suppose to protect them but we can't, we aren't like them either, we only put them in danger, the ones we love...

Alec shivered as her last words. Rachel his mind whispered and wasn't prepared. He didn't want to think about her. His eyes became wet and Max understood. He was the only one who could understand her. Alec hadn't been able to protect Rachel enough and Max couldn't with Logan. Even if she hadn't killed Logan this time, who's was to say when they might accidentally touch again. The two transgenics looked across the city at stars in silence. Words wouldn't heal their pain.

"Someone told me love would all save us, but how can that be, look what love gave us"