I step out onto the Needle and see her. "Hey Max, thought I'd find you
here."
"I come here to be alone."
"Yeah, I know, but considering everything that went down today I figured we could both use a friend right now."
"Sit down."
"So, you got any deep thoughts you want to share, any profound realizations about life?" I ask her carefully.
"Yeah, love sucks." She replies.
"How did you manage to convince him?"
She laughs a bit. "You don't want to know." She glances over at me. "But you might want to avoid him for a few weeks."
I raise an eyebrow. "Why, did you tell him we're having an affair?"
Her eyes close and she looks away.
"You told him we're having an affair?" I ask incredulously.
"I didn't so much tell him as didn't correct him." She confesses.
I sigh. "Dammit Max, why do I always have to be the bad guy?"
"That's not why I went along with it Alec."
"Then why? Because I don't like this Max."
"You could always tell him the truth."
"Not until you tell me why you didn't deny it."
***FLASHBACK***
"I've said everything I needed to say."
"I don't think so, I think there's something else."
"Logan –
"Or is it someone else?"
"What?"
"I needed to talk to you, so I came by your apartment. And I saw him leaving. I mean if I've got it wrong, just say so. Tell me it's not true."
"I can't. It's over. We're done. Get used to it."
***END FLASHBACK***
"I didn't want to." She whispers, glancing over at me.
My eyebrows shoot up at that. "Why?"
She looks back out across the city. "I don't have to pretend with you Alec. I don't have to be a revved up human. I can be transgenic." She admits softly.
"What changed?"
She smirks. "I was thinking about what you said last night at Crash. You were right. The virus isn't the only thing that causes problems for Logan and I. Never was."
"You're stronger than him, faster." I point out.
"And there are people trying to kill me."
"Okay, so now I know why you had to push him away, why use me to do it?"
She smiles a little. "When he said it, I took the time to think about it. I knew that if I didn't say something solid, he would never let it go. And agreeing with him, involving you...I know it wasn't right, but I...I didn't want to deny it Alec."
I move closer to her. "Why not?"
"I thought about it for a bit when he said it. It didn't seem like a bad thing. You're warm, generous, caring. I could do worse." She pauses to smile. "I know this isn't like me, but the truth is, you're better for me than Logan ever was. I didn't want to say there was nothing between us, because I didn't want there to be nothing between us."
"I don't know what to say to that Maxie."
"I didn't think you would. I had actually made the decision not to tell you. But then I realized that was unfair. You deserve the chance to deny it."
"Now what kind of friend would I be if I did that?"
"I wouldn't blame you Alec."
I look over at her and see she's telling the truth. I move closer and pull her into a soft hug. "So what would be involved in this?" I ask. "Would you stop threatening to kick my ass?"
She smiles and settles against me. "I suppose I could look into that – providing you don't do anything really stupid."
"For example?"
"Getting yourself kidnapped by White...hitting on random girls at Crash. Things like that."
"And would there be any...other benefits?" I grin down at her.
"We'll see what happens." She whispers softly, and I smile.
"I come here to be alone."
"Yeah, I know, but considering everything that went down today I figured we could both use a friend right now."
"Sit down."
"So, you got any deep thoughts you want to share, any profound realizations about life?" I ask her carefully.
"Yeah, love sucks." She replies.
"How did you manage to convince him?"
She laughs a bit. "You don't want to know." She glances over at me. "But you might want to avoid him for a few weeks."
I raise an eyebrow. "Why, did you tell him we're having an affair?"
Her eyes close and she looks away.
"You told him we're having an affair?" I ask incredulously.
"I didn't so much tell him as didn't correct him." She confesses.
I sigh. "Dammit Max, why do I always have to be the bad guy?"
"That's not why I went along with it Alec."
"Then why? Because I don't like this Max."
"You could always tell him the truth."
"Not until you tell me why you didn't deny it."
***FLASHBACK***
"I've said everything I needed to say."
"I don't think so, I think there's something else."
"Logan –
"Or is it someone else?"
"What?"
"I needed to talk to you, so I came by your apartment. And I saw him leaving. I mean if I've got it wrong, just say so. Tell me it's not true."
"I can't. It's over. We're done. Get used to it."
***END FLASHBACK***
"I didn't want to." She whispers, glancing over at me.
My eyebrows shoot up at that. "Why?"
She looks back out across the city. "I don't have to pretend with you Alec. I don't have to be a revved up human. I can be transgenic." She admits softly.
"What changed?"
She smirks. "I was thinking about what you said last night at Crash. You were right. The virus isn't the only thing that causes problems for Logan and I. Never was."
"You're stronger than him, faster." I point out.
"And there are people trying to kill me."
"Okay, so now I know why you had to push him away, why use me to do it?"
She smiles a little. "When he said it, I took the time to think about it. I knew that if I didn't say something solid, he would never let it go. And agreeing with him, involving you...I know it wasn't right, but I...I didn't want to deny it Alec."
I move closer to her. "Why not?"
"I thought about it for a bit when he said it. It didn't seem like a bad thing. You're warm, generous, caring. I could do worse." She pauses to smile. "I know this isn't like me, but the truth is, you're better for me than Logan ever was. I didn't want to say there was nothing between us, because I didn't want there to be nothing between us."
"I don't know what to say to that Maxie."
"I didn't think you would. I had actually made the decision not to tell you. But then I realized that was unfair. You deserve the chance to deny it."
"Now what kind of friend would I be if I did that?"
"I wouldn't blame you Alec."
I look over at her and see she's telling the truth. I move closer and pull her into a soft hug. "So what would be involved in this?" I ask. "Would you stop threatening to kick my ass?"
She smiles and settles against me. "I suppose I could look into that – providing you don't do anything really stupid."
"For example?"
"Getting yourself kidnapped by White...hitting on random girls at Crash. Things like that."
"And would there be any...other benefits?" I grin down at her.
"We'll see what happens." She whispers softly, and I smile.