Things in Seattle were improving. Without Ames there, the transgenic hunt was in a slow motion. Slowly, TC was organizing itself with Alec as the leader.

In the few last days, it has become a habit for Alec to go there before going to Jam Pony. Actually he was even thinking about moving into one of the apartments that they had renovated. With the money Max had left them and their skills it was easy. Plus, they all were advanced cat burglars and started a little business on the side, though that part didn't particularly please Logan.


"You can't do that!" whined Logan.

"Why can't I? I mean they are already accusing us of every crime perpetuated in this city."

"Max wouldn't want you to do this…"

"Max…" If only Logan knew. He chuckled. "It's funny you're bringing her in this conversation, now. Two weeks ago you didn't give a shit about her."

"Don't you dare…"

"Am I high or didn't you meet Max on one of her heist?" Alec added.

"But that's not the sa…" Alec held up his hand, interrupting the journalist.

"Just forget it Logan! It's not like you're going to do anything about me? About us? It's not like you're going to run a story on us without hurting Max."


They never had been good friends but the reason Logan had come to him first was worrying him. Logan had said that Lauren, Ray White's aunt, had lost the kid and that he needed him (or Max if she was anywhere to be found) to track the kid back. He had said no. But if someone had kidnapped Ray, it could only be White. And if White found his son, that meant he didn't need Max anymore. And if he didn't need Max alive anymore she might already be dead. He needed to believe that she was alright. Something else was going on, something was telling him that she was still alive.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by a shrill sound: his phone.

"Alec's phone, you're turn to speak."

"Hum…Am I talking to Mr…McDowell?"

"Yeah."

"I'm Mr Brown, Ms Guevara's banker. She left specific orders to contact you in case there would be any problem with her accounts."

"Accounts? I don't understand…I…she allowed me to use the money on her account…"

"No…I mean, of course. You're authorized to use that money. I wanted to tell you that there has been some cash withdrawals on her second account. It's not really hers. It's complicated but she told me to contact you if anything odd happened."

"She has a second account?" he questioned.

"Yes. Actually over the years, she has become quite rich. She usually never touches that account. Not for herself. Over the years, she made withdrawals to help others. Especially, these last years. But this is different. It's not the way she usually does things."

"You said something about cash withdrawals?"

"Yes. Half of the amount that was on the account. It had been use to open another account."

"For who? The other account." He clarified.

"Raymond White."

Alec didn't expect that, but at least it told him that she was still alive.

"Hello? Mr McDowell? You're still there?"

"Uh…yes."

"What do you want me do to? Block the account? I know that it's quite possible to forge papers, but it seems to me that all the papers I have here are real." inquired the banker. "The money that was withdrawn…it's not a fortune, but one could live comfortably with it during half a year."

"No. No, don't freeze the account. Listen, I'll try to contact Ms Guevara. I'll ask her if she knows anything about it."

"Ok. I'll call you back in a few days. Oh, Mr McDowell. One last thing, my bank in LA was robbed last night. I presume Ms Guevara told you about our quid pro quo."

"Yes, she did. I'll send someone. Don't worry."

"Thank you Mr McDowell. Have a nice day."

His first reaction was the F word. The second was to dial the number Max had left him.


"You sure it's safe here?" asked Ames as he looked around Louis' safe house. The paintings, sculptures displayed around the house.

"Yeah. Don't worry. We'll be fine."

"You sure you didn't leave any clues at the hotel." She rolled her eyes at him.

"I may have escaped in 09, but I know the drill. I have everything that I need here," she said nodding toward her backpack.

The house was next to the Marne, one of the tributary of the Seine. Besides the basement, it was a regular house.

"Tell me, how rich your friends are?"

"They are the cream of the thieves. Well were a few years ago. And they knew when to stop. Louis always told us quote to steal with cleverness unquote." She raised her brow at him. "Relax, they're pros ok. His family is in the thieving business for four generations now so we don't need to worry about anything. No one knew of our connection and no one's going to speak. No one knows we're here. For now."

Ames seemed to hesitate before asking her a question. It wasn't like he cared about her feelings right? She didn't mean anything. The baby meant something for him, but she was still a pain in his ass, the one who took his son away from him. Again, he was repeating to himself that he wasn't supposed to care and that he didn't. Maybe if he repeated it enough times, he'd start to believe it.

Her next words prevented him to follow his train of thought.

"You wanna ask a question, just do it."

"How did you end up with that man? I mean how did you meet?" he finally inquired.

She smiled. Lately, he found out that her smiles made him warm and he almost responded to it. Almost.

"I was on a heist, I remember I heard someone at the bar talking about paintings, museum and a Degas that was worth half a million. My fifth job. It was two years after the Pulse so art thieving was just booming. I needed money, and the Degas was easy for an X5 even at my age."

She remained silent a second.

"Little did I know that someone was already on the same job. I got to the painting before him but he triggered an alarm…"

"Louis…"

She nodded.

"I saved his ass. I still don't know why…"

"That's because of my French charm baby girl," said a voice behind her. She smiled at the old man.

"Alors? Quelles sont les nouvelles à Paris?" (So? What are the news in Paris ?)

-Ils recherchent une jeune fille qui correspond curieusement à ta description et un homme d'une trentaine d'années qui pourrait passer pour le jumeau de ton copain, (They are looking for a girl that looks exactly like you and a man in his thirties that could be the twin of your boyfriend)

-Ce n'est pas mon copain, (He's not my boyfriend) She frowned slightly.

-Alors qui est – il ?( Who is he then ?) the older man replied eye brow lifted.

-C'est compliqué…(It's complicated.)

-Ok. I won't push. But you ought to stay here a few days till Martin loses their tail.

-Tell him to be careful."

"We have to stay here?"

"It's just for e few more days White." she started.

"You don't understand, we don't have much time anymore!" he yelled.

"I don't understand! Because you didn't bother to explain exactly what we were doing here, in France! What I understand though is that if I set a foot outside this house I'm dead! So we'll stay here as long as it's necessary. Then we'll move and find your father."

She stomped out of the room.


She was about to take a bit of her sandwich when her phone went off. It took her a few seconds to recognize the ring because she never used it.

"Hello?"

"Max!" came the exited voice of Alec.

"Alec? Is there a problem?"

"No…yes…" he replied with hesitation. She straightened up as Alec never hesitated.

"What are you babbling about?" she snapped a bit roughly.

"How come you had a second account and you didn't tell me!" he finally said. He still was a bit miffed.

She smiled at his reaction.

"Because it's not important. And it's the interest that I have to pay to friends of mine. So it's not really mine."

"Well…whatever. Mr Brown called, said that they had been cash withdrawals."

"Yes, half of the amount."

"So you do know!" he confirmed.

"I expected your call for like two days ago. I thought you wouldn't call anymore."

"Mr Brown just called…So you already know everything?"

"Yes I do."

This changed everything. He might have had his suspicions, but the truth was still hard to swallow. What was she doing?

"Max what are you doing? I mean do you know what name have been used to open the account?"

"Yes I know."

"Logan is worried sick about the kid."

"Logan is only worried about his ass."

Alec chuckled. He liked this Max that talked trash of Logan.

"It's none of my business anyway, I mean you do what you want with your money…"

"You're right," she added. Max knew how much he wanted to ask that question.

"How did you find him again?" he asked.

"None of your business."

"You know during a moment, when Logan told me Lauren lost the kid, I really thought he had killed you."

"He wouldn't do it."

"Because of his kid?" Alec's tone was sceptic at best.

"No. Because the runes won't let him."

Alec sighed. "Really Max, you're in no condition to fight. I still could go there wherever the hell you are…"

"No. I'm fine. Everything's fine." Max paused. "How are things in TC? And how's Joshua?"

"Great. He's doing well. Things are looking up for us. Thanks for the money and that is a thank you from every residents of Terminal City."

"Does that mean that you're moving there?" she asked curious.

"Well I've been thinking about it. Sorry but I have to go now. You sure ok?"

"I'm always alright. We're survivors Alec, or did you forget?"

He smirked, she too and they both hung up.


She was glad Alec called. It was a good distraction from the thoughts going through her head. Ames must be battling through the same thoughts. Living together, under the same roof humanized the enemy. Especially since they were the only ones in the house: Louis only dropped by the first day. They discovered things about each other: he cooked, she snored. As the weeks passed, they grew accustomed to each other, and fought less.

She often found him in the living room studying the pictures of the runes that had appeared on her skin. They still hadn't talk about the hug he gave her at Martin's. The rule was nothing happened.

She still wondered why she had asked one of her former contacts to find Ray and take care of him until she came back. It wasn't like her to do that. And what was she going to do with the kid when she came back?

One morning Ames interrupted her breakfast. He looked jovial, almost happy. The smile on his face brought one on hers, before she scrunched it away. Someone who could smile like that, couldn't be heartless? How could someone heartless be happy anyway?

"45…uh…Max." It was the second time that he called her Max. "I think I know where to find my father."

"I thought you already knew before we got here," she said. Sarcasm was her friend around him. Prevented them to get too close to one another.

He dismissed her remark and went on, "Monastery of Bouzy-La-Forêt…"

"That's near Orléans. We won't have to travel far. Plus I can't sleep in the car, and as you know, now I need my ten hours sleep."

"Pregnancy really doesn't fit you Max," the familiar spat.

Max simply stuck her tongue out to him.

"Do that again and I'll cut it."

She rolled her eyes at him. Then stopped, this was flirting. This wasn't good!

"We're leaving tomorrow!" she called after him as he left the kitchen. "Martin called, we're in the clear!"


They had left Paris as soon as "Max woke up". In fact, Ames carried her to the car at 08 AM when he had enough of her sleeping. In her condition she slept until nine, but he just couldn't wait anymore. So he put her in the car and drove until he reached Orleans. She felt good in his arms, but he didn't let himself enjoy that. Very carefully, he deposited her in the car.

He had found it curious that a soldier like her didn't wake up when he entered her room. But maybe that was because of the pregnancy. He had lied the day before when he had told her that pregnancy didn't fit her. She was two months pregnant now, and he liked every minute of it: watching her rubbing her belly unconsciously, smiling to herself. He found himself watching her, looking for her company. Still he was afraid that she would lose the baby. Just like Wendy had lost her two first unborn child. It was the rule after all. He was worried and had every reasons to be. The night they plugged out the implant, he had resigned himself to lose the baby. But she woke up. She fought and lived.

She was like that: always surprising him. He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts as Max slowly woke. For someone who couldn't sleep in a car, she had slept the entire trip. He smiled.

"Where are we?" her voice was still sleepy.

"Monastery of Bouzy-La-Forêt," he answered.

"What?" She eyed him carefully, and then shot a glance outside the car. They were indeed in front of the Monastery. Again, her eyes were back at him.

He could easily hear the wheels turning in her head, and knew the moment, she took a decision.

"Before you start babbling, I knocked on your door but you didn't wake up. For a great soldier, I'm wondering how you managed to stay alive all those years."

She whacked him on the head.

"Hey!" he complained.

"Shut up. I wasn't going to say anything." She looked pensively outside the car. "You're sure we're at the right address?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I know how to read a map."

"Well it's sure a weird monastery cause there are cameras all over the place and look at the gate."

They both got out of the car and Ames push a talk button.

"Oui?"

Ames was going to talk, but Max stepped in.

-Nous sommes des pélerins. Nous venons des Etats-Unis, said Max with a American accent. (We are pilgrins. We're from the US of A) He knew for a fact that she didn't have an accent when she talked.

-Oui?

-Nous aurions aimer séjourner dans votre monastère pendant quelques temps. (We would have liked to stay in your monastery for a while)

-C'est-à-dire que nous n'accueillons des touristes que la semaine prochaine. (Well, we'll only accomodate tourists next week.)

-S'il vous plait. Nous venons de loin. (Please. We're from afar.)

A pause.

Finally, they heard a buzz and the metallic 10" gate opened for them.

"Really weird. Monasteries always welcome strangers. Especially nowadays." Max commented.

"Well, there was the pulse…"

"Not here, and not from these people. I've lived here for four years. And I can tell you that sometimes it's good to have a monastery near to hide when you have the French secret services on your arse."


They found themselves ushered in a room with a little desk, two chairs and in the presence of a red-headed woman in her late twenties. They didn't encounter a single nuns since they stepped inside the compound.

"Hi!"

"Um…hi!" replied Max.

"You must be American. I heard your voice over the intercom. I thought it would be easy for you if we spoke in English."

"Of course," the raven haired transgenic replied with a smile. Ames wasn't making any effort to more pleasant.

"So. Um, you want to stay here for a while right?"

"Yes," said Max. "We would like that very much."

"It'll depend. If we find what we're looking for," cut in White.

The woman looked him straight in the eye the familiar wanting to assert what he meant by that.

"What he means is that we're expecting our first child. We want him to be fine and all, so we thought a journey to this monastery would do nothing but good."

"Oh. That's cute. In fact you're not the only ones in that situation. This monastery has accommodated future mothers for centuries. They say that the water here was blessed by the Holy Mother, so that now all the women who drinks the water carry their pregnancy to term without a single problem. You must have tried many times before. "

Max blushed thinking back at their encounter.

"Yeah," White added seeing the pretty transgenic blushing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even tell you my name. I'm Andrea," she said.

"I'm Eva and this is John." Max replied.

"Welcome Eva and John. Come. I'll show you to your room. You can stay as long as you want. After all we're in a monastery, and all strangers are welcome."


"Well, here's your room. The schedule to the mass is on this sheet," the red-headed girl informed them as she gave the said sheet to Max. "Don't worry, you do not have to go to all of them. But we're in a monastery, so that's how we live. In prayer."

"Thank you." Max replied and then Andrea was gone.

"I don' t like her one bit," muttered Ames as he entered the room. It was rather opulent for a monastery room though it was rather small too. A queen size bed lay right under the only window of the room. In front of it was a chest of drawers and near, a small table and two chairs.

"We're in a monastery that's how we live," Ames said mimicking her.

Max smirked despite herself.

He dropped their bags without ceremony as Max closed the door behind her.

"Honey would you please give me the brown bag?" Max addressed Ames.

'Honey? Had she gone crazy.' He was about to retort with a snide remark but the glare she sent his way was enough to stop him. Reluctantly, he handed her the bag.

"Thanks."

She took out a little black device and turned it on. Then she pulled out the computer Louis had given her and turned it on also.

"So that's why it was so heavy?" commented the familiar.

"Oh, come on! For you and me it's nothing."

"Why did you call me that?"

"It's because this room is bugged!" she whispered in his ear. "And that device," she added about the little device. "Will prevent them from hearing or seeing anything."

"Won't they come here in any minute because they lost their signals." If their close proximity bothered him, he didn't show.

"They won't do anything. Believe me. Because right now, they just don't hear anything. Their experiencing interferences. Nothing that would indicate them that we are messing with their system."

"So we've got to keep the married couple act on." He whispered back.

"Yeah. Until tomorrow. I'll record us and feed it to their system. And tomorrow, I'll be able to see what they see."

"Won't they find it curious that we won't change clothes?"

"From what I saw, they record in black and white, so if you wear the same type of thing regularly : they won't question. Plus I won't always turn that device on…"

"Seems like a plan. How did you know?"

"Louis gave me some tools, and very special phone. It tells me immediately if a room is bugged or not." She jingled the phone in front of him. "Isn't this great?"


The day after, she started to look at all cameras around the monastery and found three others rooms bugged the same way as theirs. Only one was unoccupied. In the one of the room there was a blond woman about fifty year old and in the other one, there was man, barely in his thirties.

They were monitoring every cameras they had in the compound. Hour after hour, they noticed that there really weren't any nuns or priests around.

At 21:58, someone was knocking on the door of the young man. He opened the door to let Andrea in.

"Hello Mr Carter," greeted the red head.

"Hi."

She closed the door behind her, and pulled a gun with a silencer on him. She shot him straight between the eyes. Then, she got out of the room not even looking back.

"What the hell was that?" Ames muttered behind her. She ignored him and zoomed in on the dead man.

"He's a familiar," she announced. "Well was."

"What? No! He can't be…" People dressed as monks entered the room and started to clean up.

She pointed to the screen; there on the guy's forehand was the familiar's brand. The twisted caduceus.

"No! No!" he started to pace furiously.

"You can deny all you want. But I think you just brought us to your death. We're in the lion's den. Are you sure about how you read the clues to get us here? Maybe we weren't supposed to come here."

"Who…Who do you think she is?"

"Oh, the Big Agent Special White is asking for my opinion. Me, a transgenic?" She paused holding her laughter. "I need to savour this."

"Get over yourself!" Was all Ames replied.

"I think they are familiars…" she pondered aloud.

"No. It's impossible!"

"Think about it. She knows how to kill a familiar with minimum damage to herself. And the lead to your father stopped here. I think they're on your father's side; maybe they are like your brother, abandoned because they couldn't pass the tests. The question now is: when will they come to kill you!"

"This can't be real! And what was one of us doing here? This is a nightmare! We were supposed to find my father, not his followers."

"He's probably following the same lead as us."

"What I don't get is how they found that lead. He arrived before us, so he can't have followed us. How did the Council of the Conclave find this place? Why didn't they say anything to me?"

"You don't honestly believe that your little conclave never hid anything from you." Max added to spoil his mood even more.