DISCLAIMER: i dont own these characters
a/n: This chapter is longer than usual and totally centered on Max and Alec, though Asha makes a brief (thankfully! Sorry for her fans!) appearance.
Thanks for the encouragement to keep this story!
-------------------------
Chapter 10: Stuck!
Max hated what she was doing- sulking away at a bar while she should be out doing something. It wasn't like her to just waste time at a bar, but she felt in a rut. Part of her was hoping to spot Alec, as he hadn't really answered her earlier, but part of her was sick of depending on him so much lately. She hadn't touched base with Logan, either, to see if he had any leads. Being so headstrong and positive was exhausting. It was so much easier to just do what Logan and Alec were doing lately and just give up or at least take a break from caring.
Max wondered where her emotion was. Not that she was an emotional person, or that she ever had been, but even a trained soldier had to just deal sometimes. She knew that inside she was frustrated and needed an outlet, but instead she just kept about her days, delivering packages, holding onto hope, searching for answers, "Pissing away at bars," she finished her last thoughts out loud.
"What?" a girl next to Max asked.
Max finally took in her surroundings, though ignoring the question and the speaker. She spotted no one she could recognize, figures. The one night where she hoped to spot a familiar face to drown her momentary emptiness in, and no one was around. As Max finished scanning the crowd though, she did see a familiar face, the one face she really didn't want to see. Asha.
The girl just rubbed Max the wrong way. She was a good person, devoted and a good fighter, but she just annoyed Max, with her longing glances at Logan, the way that she made Max feel she was interrupting something when she stopped by the Penthouse.
Asha hadn't noticed Max, though. She looked like she was waiting to meet someone. Max decided she had nothing else to do, why not just spy on the girl at least until it got boring.
Max moved to a spot where Asha wouldn't see her, but she could see Asha. Max waited to see who Asha was meeting.
After waiting a few minutes, Max was surprised to see Alec sit down. Was he the one meeting her, or did he just happen to see her and take the seat?
Asha seemed welcoming, so Max assumed it was planned. Was this a date? Max suddenly felt stupid for holding a stakeout on something as harmless as that. She also found herself judging Asha. A little pathetic, she went from Logan to Alec, another guy that Max was close to. Couldn't Asha just find her own men?
Max shook away her immature thoughts, where had that come from anyway? She didn't own anyone. She scolded herself for her moment of catiness. Then again, she didn't have a choice that she was born with cat DNA.
Just as Max was about to head back to the bar from being bored, she noticed Alec hand Asha an envelope. Interesting, Max thought to herself. What exactly was going on? Who initiated this meeting anyway? Now it looked like maybe Alec asked her to meet him there instead of the other way around.
Max didn't know what possessed her, but she couldn't take the situation any longer. She got to her feet and quickly came over to crash their little get together, fitting for where they were.
"Hey guys! Mind if I steal your date for a minute, Asha?" Max boldly introduced as she pulled Alec toward herself, more possessively than she'd intended.
Asha immediately blushed, "Max! We're not on a-"
Alec, however, interrupted Asha before she could finish her response. "We were just enjoying some conversation. Casual conversation. Remember what that's like?" He was hinting that all Max ever talked about with Alec was either an insult or an order.
Max nodded, "Fine, whatever. I didn't ask for an explanation, I just needed to talk to you." She looked over at Asha, "Tell Logan I said hi."
Asha nodded kindly before excusing herself. "Well, thanks, Alec, for the nice conversation. I'll catch up with you later." She smiled awkwardly as she got up to leave.
Once Asha was gone, Alec turned to Max, "Geez, and I thought you saved all your rude comments for me."
Max stared innocently, "What? What did I do? I needed to talk to you!"
Alec nodded, "What is it, Max? Joshua is fine, so let's not have that talk." He wanted to say lecture but since Max for once seemed not ready to bite his head off, he wouldn't give her a reason.
"About what I asked you earlier. Listen.." she trailed off. She seemed to have just gotten an idea. "Alec, why don't we go for a little ride and enjoy some casual conversation on the way."
Alec stared at her questioningly. "A ride? Where exactly am I going this evening, you act like I didn't have any plans already."
Max groaned. She was so tired of hiding her emotions. She just needed to be free tonight, but she also needed to work with someone. She was stuck by herself. Fine, she'd just tell him. It wasn't a big deal, he wouldn't read into it, so whatever, she'd just say it. "I just need a partner, okay? I need someone to strategize with, cuz either I am in the worst funk ever, or Manticore hit me up with another virus blocking my brainwaves, because I am freakin stuck! And I'm sick of the usual 'hangouts'. Let's go somewhere, you, me, and the ninja. I don't even care where! Just somewhere I can think! At this rate, I'd even be up for just driving around seeing if anyone has seen someone that matches Zack's description! Come on, you have to have ideas! I know you don't care, but you still possess heightened skills, you've gotta have something brewing in that head of yours!"
Alec looked stunned at Max's honest outburst. Normally, she let out her frustration in other ways, like finding an excuse to kick his ass. But she clearly didn't know where else to turn to. Alec did find it interesting, though, that she wasn't headed to Logan's for the latest info. He must have been dragging her down lately with his talks of putting off the cure search, in other words, giving up.
Alec nodded and decided to open up a little himself. "All right. A ride sounds good. I guess I'll just tell all the ladies whose hearts I'm gonna have to break tonight that I'm helping out a friend instead."
He got up and escorted Max to the door. As soon they were on Max's ninja, he suggested where to go, "By the way, Maxie. Call it a feeling, but I think we should head to Arkansas."
Max slammed on the break, almost throwing him off. "Hey now!" he protested, "I'd like come back from this road trip alive if you don't mind!"
Max turned to face him, "Arkansas! Why the hell would I go there? It's forever away, I don't have enough gasoline to make it there!"
Alec shrugged, "Why not? Let's just go."
Max knew he was lying. She could see it in his eyes. She didn't always used to know, but she knew him well enough by now. It was the light in his eye. It wasn't there when he lied. His face did a sort of twitch, too. It was like it took a moment to brush away his conscience when he was lying to Max. Max wouldn't notice if she wasn't a transgenic and didn't know Alec as well as she did. She shook her head, "No, you are hiding something from me. Fess up! I am sick of people trying to protect me. I hate it when Logan does that to me- just tell me what you know. What was up with Asha earlier? And why were you dealing something the other night? Tell me, Alec! I need you to be honest with me!"
Alec was silent for a moment. Honest? With Max? She always thought the worst of him, hence he didn't tell her everything. It was easier than dealing with her assumptions and conclusions and scrutiny of all of his actions. He wished she would just insult him or say something condescending or slap him like normal. Then he could just say some smart-ass comment and walk away without caring. But she was being straightforward and honest. She probably was to the breaking point with her situation.
Now that Alec thought of it, Zack was always the one who did that for Max. He was the one that was to the point and responsible for everyone, so that Max didn't have to be. Without her brother, it seemed Max was coming undone. Logan of course wasn't helping matters, and Alec's smartass comments probably weren't appropriate right then anyway. It would probably ease her mind to hear what was going on, but the real question was would she accept it, or would she twist it to make Alec out to be the bad guy as usual.
"I thought about what you said earlier, about knowing any Manticore connections, any informants. The thing is, those pills were for a doctor from Manticore who was going to meet me. But that went sideways with your plan. I was gonna meet him at that club. He won't meet with me anymore because he doesn't trust me to show. But he agreed to meet with Asha. I know it's dangerous, but she has had experience dealing with risky situations, so I'm not too worried about it. With any luck it will come through."
He waited to continue, giving Max a moment to scold him or slap him or kick him off the bike. Surely she would have found something in his confession to hold over his head.
Alec was surprised to not see anger in Max's brown eyes. There was the usual spirit, but it wasn't against him. She was actually waiting for him to continue! Maybe she was waiting for him to shove his foot further down his own throat.
Alec continued, expecting a slap to come as soon as he stopped. "And as far as going to Arkansas, the doctor tipped me when I was setting up the meeting that there was a possible X-5 sighting there that Manticore is investigating." He poured out his explanations. Alec felt like a soldier again, reporting to an officer back at Manticore. He didn't like the feeling. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, it was just that he hadn't allowed himself to hold onto much responsibility since leaving the place. It felt good, though, to get it off his chest. It was like now it was her responsibility instead of his, and he could go back to not caring.
Max stared intently at him. She couldn't help but embrace him, "Alec! I had no idea! That is amazing!" She quickly released the hug much more awkwardly than she had given it. "Well, if we're going to Arkansas, we better get going! But with Manticore there, we'll have to keep a low profile!" She revved her ninja and headed for a place to get gasoline.
Alec wasn't expecting that reaction from Max! He hugged her back, taking in her scent. He didn't realize before how good it would feel to hold Max in his arms even for just a moment. He loved that he was the one that had helped to finally put some hope and sparkle back in her beautiful eyes. She was herself again for sure now, full of spirit and ready to go.
When Max let go, so did Alec, questioning his reaction. This was Max! Since when did she have that effect on him? He shook it off, probably he was just getting all emotional like her. They both had been acting unlike themselves, so it wasn't like it meant anything.
"You know, Maxie, if you really wanted to be alone with me, you didn't need to come up with this plan. We could just go to my place!"
"Don't ruin the moment, Alec," Max replied sincerely. She finally had a genuine smile on her face and some true hope for what lay ahead. Alec had come through, and she wasn't about to let any smart comments kill the sunshine she was feeling right then.
"And don't flatter yourself," she couldn't help saying. Inside she was questioning herself, though. Why did Alec always succeed in baiting her? She never could let him have the last word. Even when she wanted to just drop it, she couldn't!
She didn't want to analyze that or Alec or anything she was feeling any further. She just listened to the revving of her ninja and accepted with a grin the breeze that took her curls and flew them behind her. She lowered her shades and vowed to just enjoy the ninja and the road until Arkansas.
---------
a/n: Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any reviews. sorry, I know that my stories start off slow (I can't help it! It's just my style!) but as you can see it is picking up. See you next chapter!