Chapter 6
A/N: I owe Lyra a big thanks for making this story make more sense. Also, I want to thank Lusmeitli for her inspiring reviews. You really make my muse dance circles in my head and make me want to write more. Now let's get on this the story….

The road less travelled

The next morning Max decided she'd had enough of the small room and ducked out the window. Climbing down the building using window ledges, a rain pipe and the fire escape she landed on her feet and moved with catlike sway to the training area. She needed some exercise and she thought the gym was a good place to start. Dalton was on his way to training when he saw Max heading towards the gym. He hadn't had the chance to speak to her since her latest return, he assumed she was doing better now that she was out and he followed her to the gym.

Max knew she was being followed but the meeker X6 was hardly a threat and so she let him trail her. She was going to have some fun today and no one was going to stop her.

In Command, Chat was informed about the triggered alarm on the fire escape and pulled the video footage to find out the problem. Since the fire exits hadn't been opened he assumed it was a glitch but one could never be too careful. Especially since they were currently facing 6 foreign governments interested in acquiring a bioweapon. Chat held his breath when he saw a slim figure jump down the ladder and giving the camera the finger and a little wave. He paled, Alec was not going to like this, he swallowed and with a heavy heart he dragged his feet to the nearest radio. He pulled the rest of the security footage to track her whereabouts knowing full well that would be Alec's first question.

At his contact request he got a voice he wasn't expecting.

"Jondy here, Alec's comparing testosterone output with Biggs at the moment, anything urgent?" Sarcasm was dripping off each word and it was obvious Jondy was not appreciating the display in front of her. Biggs had been ignoring everybody all day yesterday, going off on his own. Now that in itself wasn't so strange but he had returned this morning, only to head straight for the training ground. Curious Jondy had followed him and that's when the shit really hit the fan as they say, and now she was watching two men battling it out in front of everyone.

"Ehm, you could say that. You might want to walk out of hearing range."

"Don't worry, Chat, they're so full of it right now, nothing could snap them out of it. Believe me I tried."

"Max is out, she scaled the wall and is now enjoying our gym and Dalton just walked in. Could you ask Alec to intercept?"

"I could……but I don't want to. I'll go myself. And, Chat?"

"Yes?"

"Send for a medic to come here in about 10 minutes, I think they'll need one by then."

"Sure. No problem. Chat out."

Jondy handed the radio over to a nearby X6 and told him to hand it to Alec as soon as the medic was done checking them over. The others were trying to sneak away unnoticed, not that it was hard. Both men seemed to see little else than each other at the moment. The X6 was surprised at the order but he shrugged and accepted it without question. Jondy sighed at his acquiescence; they needed to try to get more initiative into these kids. If you didn't understand an order you asked for clarification so you could adapt if necessary. Not standard procedure for Manticore but, as Jondy had known for over a decade, Manticore hadn't known everything. Especially when it came to surviving in the real world.

"Look, kid, Alec will want to radio as soon as he notices I am gone but I want a medic to check them both over before either of them follow me, so don't let them leave before that, ok?" She them looked at him sternly and added. "And next time you don't see any acceptable reason for an order while on base, question your officer for his reasons. You might learn something."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jondy dropped her shoulders in defeat at his mechanical response and moved away to run to the gym. She didn't know how much time she had. Max would not see the meeker X6 as a threat but who knew what her instincts decided when the kid came too close or if she decided he was bothering her. While on her way she did her best to push her feelings of anxiousness down, she didn't Max to be able to pick up on them. Jondy never gave much heed to what her instincts told her, she relied on her training to tell her what she needed to know.

Jondy slowed down while walking the hall to the gym and paused when she saw Dalton watching from the doorway. Making noise so she wouldn't startle him or Max, Jondy moved closer. Dalton glanced her way briefly before looking back into the gym hall, as she got closer he remembered his manners and acknowledged her presence by a nervous nod. He shuffled his feet and spoke in a defensive tone.

"Ma'am, I'm not bothering anyone, honest. I asked Max if she wanted me to leave but she didn't say anything so I stayed."

"Don't worry, Dalton, you're not in trouble, but shouldn't you be joining the others in the martial arts class?"

Dalton flinched as he remembered where he had been going. He paled and visibly swallowed. Before he could take off in a blur however Jondy grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Don't worry, I need you to do something else. I doubt there'll be a lot of teaching today anyway. Go to the clinic and bring whoever treated Max when she came in. Try not to attract attention along the way."

Jondy winked to ease any tension he might feel about her orders and released his arm. Dalton returned her look with a confused one of his own. He then nodded and turned without a word and blurred out of the building. Jondy grinned at the kid's antics and shook her head while moving through the doorway. There was no need to push open a door, since it had been missing for months. An unsuspecting X6 had been caught in the crossfire when two X5's had been going at it over the same female. The kid was blown through the doors and had taken them down with him. No one had bothered to put them back up.

Jondy could see her sister high up on the ropes near the rafters hanging upside down. She was obviously enjoying herself as she was fooling about high up in the air without a safety net. Max used the ropes as a jumping off point and vaulted across the room showing off her acrobatics along the way. Jondy smiled as she saw the brunette stretched her muscles, she realized Max must've felt enclosed in the apartment and had gone for some entertainment. Even in her search she had gone for what was safe though, it would be hard, even for another transgenic to corner her in here. Max had always excelled at acrobatics, even compared to the others in her unit. Jondy could see Max hadn't lost any of her skills, in fact it looked like she had picked up some new ones. The redhead filed that away to tell Krit, he was always the only one who could match her in the gym.

Without having to look at her watch Jondy knew almost 10 minutes had passed since she left the sparring ground. She was expecting the men any minute now but she was hoping the medic would beat them to the punch. Somehow she didn't think the testosterone from the match would have dissipated already, and she had no idea how Max would react to it. It had made her irritated, but Jondy was quite sure that was more her humanity than anything else. She knew all about mate fighting but she never thought Biggs would dismiss her for Max. After all, Max was another 'niner'. Jondy crinkled her nose when she thought of the phrase she had come to loath. During her first months in TC, she had heard it way too often as she was proving herself.

Straightening her pose she pushed away her thoughts of his betrayal and she focused back on her sister. She looked just in time to see her sister look back at her while she was suspended upside down from the nearest rope. Max had an inquisitive look on her face and seemed to be monitoring her closely. Jondy grinned, her sister reminded her of the cat Joshua had adopted a while back, that little animal would sometimes look at them with the same intent look.

"Wondering what I'm thinking, are you? Well, I'd love to tell you once I figure it out myself. I'll tell you one thing though; men are dogs, scum… urgh."

Jondy threw up her hands at her last remark and startled Max out of her study, or so Jondy thought. Then Max moved back to the top of the rope and watched the entryway, Jondy turned as well and watched the entryway as well. Since she had moved forward when she'd been lost in thought she was now standing almost in the middle of the gym.

She could smell them before she could hear them and her face wrinkled in disgust again at the thought of the sight she had previously witnessed. Before they could see her however she adopted a disinterested facade, she didn't want to use a mask. She hated it but she couldn't show Biggs how much he had hurt her, not while the feelings were still raw. She dropped it in amazement when the two men entered the gym. They were talking amicably with each other and Jondy didn't understand, how that was possible. Seeing her standing in the middle of the gym, Biggs opened his mouth to speak but Jondy held up her hand.

"Save it."

Seeing the determined look on her face Biggs closed his mouth again and dropped his jaw again when he saw Max drop down from the ceiling right behind her sister. Jondy couldn't help but grin at the matching looks on both men's faces and she sneered at them, pointing her thumb behind her.

"What, didn't think she'd notice?"

Max moved past her sister without acknowledging her, Jondy felt her chest constrict at what she was about to witness. Max's instincts were keen enough to figure out what had went on before and she was afraid she was about to witness her sister claim her mate. Jondy nearly crumbled under her own suspicions but she forced herself to watch. Even if Max would want to reciprocate his claim she would still have the right to challenge her, although Jondy honestly didn't expect she would, after he had denied her like that. Especially not with her sister who was still recovering from an awful trauma. In a nervous gesture she couldn't halt, Jondy swept her hair across one shoulder and watched in horror as Max came closer to the men, who seemed to be frozen to the spot. Max stalked around both of them in a large circle, while she seemed to try to make sense of what her senses were telling her.

Seemingly coming to a conclusion she halted in front of Alec and began to hiss softly. She prowled around him again and stopped behind him, the hissing sound increased in volume and both Alec and Biggs seemed more concerned with what was happening. Although Jondy was happy that Max was ignoring Biggs at the moment, she was confused why the brunette seemed so upset at Alec. She was fairly certain Alec had been in love with Max, so she didn't see why Max would be upset with Alec for fighting Biggs for the right to court her.

Alec kept completely still and refrained from making any sudden movements while Biggs seemed to move away slightly but keeping a ready stance to come to his friend's aid, should Max choose to attack. Jondy decided she needed to do something to diffuse the situation somehow, or at the very least stall till the medic would show up. Adding to her confusion was the fact that Biggs seemed to be moving in her line of sight to Max, protecting her with his body. Why would she need protecting from his intended mate. The thought of that still took the wind out of her and she desperately wanted to hit something, or someone. Narrowing her eyes at Biggs she decided he would make for a nice distraction.

Biggs meanwhile didn't realize the danger he was getting into when he turned his back to Jondy, he had every intention to protect her from another altercation with her sibling. In the back of his mind he felt the need to smirk however, after Jondy had left Alec had managed to convince him that his only interest was Max and by the looks of things Max was feeling the same way. She looked very upset at the idea that he had been challenged as a potential mate. Before he could continue that thought however he was struck on the back of his head without warning.

Jondy hadn't dealt him a hard blow she merely intended to get his attention. Judging by the way he whirled around to face her she would say she had it.

"Oh, have you attention now, do I?"

At that Biggs clenched his teeth and hissed "You have my undivided attention, what is on your mind?"

Jondy didn't bother with a response, instead she took on an offensive stance and blurred in for a jump kick to his head. Biggs parried it and tried to pin her so she couldn't attack again. Jondy danced out of reach and in doing so checked to see if she had gotten Max's attention. Max was still eying Alec but she was watching the spectacle Jondy was putting on as well. Jondy doubled her efforts and moved back in for a combination of a jab and a sweep kick. Biggs parried her move again and tried to catch her leg. She hooked it behind his ankle and shoved him with one hand.

Biggs almost lost his balance, recovering at the last instance. Jondy took that opportunity to summersault away from him. Catching the rope with one hand, she pulled it back with her in one fluent move. Jumping up she let it swing back with her halfway up the rope. As it swept past Biggs she slit down a ways and nicked the top of his head with her foot. Glaring at her, Biggs grabbed the end of the rope before it swung out of reach and shook the end. Jondy could feel the ripple move through the rope and she clenched the rope, hoping her hold would keep. Gymnastics had never been her strong suit, compared to the others. She was better suited with ground beneath her feet. She did see Max just perform a move she thought she was capable of doing as well. Quickly moving up the rope she tensed her muscles and pushed off, vaulted over their heads, she pushed off a wall with both feet halfway down and twisted in the air to land in all fours. Her head snapped up and she hissed at Biggs in a low voice.

"Think you can take me? Gotta catch me first."

She then quickly glanced at Max and saw she had the woman's full attention. She could tell Alec was whispering something at her but she was too busy with keeping her senses on Biggs to catch what he was saying. Biggs meanwhile was pissed as hell. Alec might not be interested in her but why would Jondy be so upset, she should be flattered he was willing to fight his best friend for her. And she had hit him while he was trying to protect her, which really got him even more than the fact that she was taunting him. Despite all that he still didn't really want to hurt her, she had just gotten out of the clinic. He suddenly remembered what Alec had once said before Max had disappeared. Sometimes it was just easier to let them have their rant and then move on.

Biggs stood up and moved over to Jondy both palms up and extended.

"Uncle?"

Jondy didn't expect that, she wanted to stay angry but that was impossible when he looked at her with that look in his eyes. The look that told her he didn't want to fight, but at the same time daring her to stay mad. It was exactly that little mischievous glint that made her anger dissipate in the wind. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling like a lovesick puppy. The anger faded but her hurt over him choosing Max over her stayed and it was that feeling that helped her keep her resolve. She nodded but made no move to shake his hand. She turned on her heels and left him standing there, on the way out she nodded at the medic and smiled when she saw Sam standing in the hallway.

"Hi, Sam, what have you been up to?"

Sam moved closer to get his hug from his aunt. Jondy spread her arms wide and Sam jumped up into them without pause. He clamped his arms around her neck and buried his face into her throat. Feeling safe like that he responded to the question Jondy had asked him.

"Star asked me to come here, she said my mommy's sister was here and needed my help."

Hearing that, Jondy looked over to the medic that stood in the doorway watching the scene inside the gym. Star nodded without looking back.

"We're hoping the connection with Sam's son will help her rediscover there are things worth coming back for. Convince her that there are people here that need her, so that she'll want to confront her fears to help them."

Meanwhile inside the gym Max and Alec were still facing each other and although Max didn't look as tense as she had been before she wasn't the poster girl for relaxed either. Alec was still trying to convince her that it wasn't the way she thought, though since he wasn't sure exactly what she was thinking that wasn't entirely true. One thing was for sure though, she obviously thought he had done something wrong, now he was sure he hadn't done anything wrong. The fault lay with Biggs entirely but that men had his own problems and Alec wasn't sure Biggs would be able or willing to explain it in a way to get him off the hook with Max. He wasn't quite sure what spurred Jondy to start her fight with Biggs but he was grateful for the distraction. As she was adequately occupied he had whispered an explanation to Max that seemed to appease her. She still looked at him with guarded eyes though and Alec was sure this little incident had just widened the gap between them.

Max's actions assured him that her cycle was approaching and that she was looking for a potential mate. Although he had no intention to acknowledge her claim as she was she wasn't going to let her go to someone else either. She needed to start trusting them and him again but he had no idea how to bring that about. All he could do was be there for her, which was exactly what he was doing. But he knew with depressing certainty that it wouldn't be enough. And he could even understand why, she had to give up a lot of herself to survive her captivity, and to then be betrayed by the one person she trusted with her life.

Now they stood opposite to each other as adversaries and Alec couldn't think of anything to change that. That meant a lot for a man who had previously been able to talk his way out of anything, aside from that little episode with White. But that man had a hidden agenda that Alec couldn't facture in at the time. Before Alec could open his mouth again he heard Jondy come back into the gym and noticed that Max's attention had drifted away from him.

Sensing her change in attitude Alec deemed it safe enough to turn around to see what had attracted Max's attention. What he saw brought a smile to his face, all the X-series children were dear to them but Sam was special to him and Alpha squad. The kid had become the mascot, at Sam's own insistence even, claiming they needed a good luck charm. Someone else in the gym felt an involuntary smile creep to his lips, Biggs was riveted by the sight of Jondy with the mini-Max on her arm. He was confronted with his own dreams of a family every time he saw little Sam run around, playing with the other X-series kids. Since Sam was in essence a orphan he had been adopted by all the members of Alpha squad, starting with Jondy and Zane.

Before anyone could make a move Sam had wiggled himself free from Jondy's grasp and stopped dead centre in front of Max who gazed down at the little guy with utter amazement on her face.

"Hi, I'm Sam. You must be mommy's sister. You're real pretty just like her. Will you be my new mommy?"

Max knelt down on one knee and looked closely at Sam. After what seemed like an endless moment, she spread her arms wide with tears in her eyes. Sam threw himself into Max's arms and squealed with glee when she stood and turned him in a circle clutching him close to her. He buried his face in her throat, much as he had done with Jondy and whispered softly.

"I'm so happy you're here, I was really lonely without a mommy."

All the adults in the room were moved by the words of the little child. But their jaws dropped when they heard what came next.

"I promise you that I'll let nothing happen to you, Sam, and I would be honoured to be your mommy." With the next words Max took Sam's chin between her fingers and lifted his face so she could face him, "But you must never forget your real mommy, she did everything she could to protect you."

Sam nodded solemnly and hugged his new mother fiercely. Putting Sam down she clasped his small hand in hers and together they walked to her apartment to get to know each other. They spent the rest of the afternoon there, just talking and playing.

Joshua arrived at dinner with a cooked meal and Max tried to keep the animal at bay but it overwhelmed her. She lashed out at Joshua when he tried to take Sam away. She scooped up Sam with one hand and backed away slowly onto a corner. There she placed Sam behind her and protected him with her body. Joshua was afraid to leave Sam there but confronted with Max protecting her territory he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to hurt Max, especially in front of Sam, and to be honest Sam didn't seem to be in any danger. He slowly moved to the table and left the food he made there, he then slowly moved to the door, feeling behind him for the door handle.

Only after the door closed and they were alone again did Max relax, Sam walked to the table and smelled the food.

"Mmm, smells good, mommy. I'll set the table."

After dinner Sam went to watch his favourite children program on TV, it didn't take long for him to start yawning. It had been a long day for him and he needed his sleep. Max didn't know all the things a child needed but her instincts knew what to do. She scooped up the child in her arms and brought him to the bedroom. She watched the entire time while he slept, occasionally brushing the hair from his face. The next morning Jondy came over with some of Sam's things. Max let her in but as soon as Jondy came too close the animal within Max unleashed and Jondy bade a hasty retreat. The next days followed a similar pattern, Max stayed inside looking after Sam and slept while he was at school. She seemed to be herself while they were alone but as soon as an outsider came too close she couldn't cope. Even Alec was unable to come close.

Until one night almost a week later, when Max slept alone for the first time. Sam had taken an invitation to sleep over at his best friend's house. Not surprising his best friend was Jace's son Max. Jace had dropped him off, when she heard about the base and had gone looking for Max's father. They hadn't heard anything for three months and everyone feared that Jace had been captured or worse. But that is something for another story.

It had been difficult for Max to get any sleep the last week, she fooled herself into thinking it was because she wasn't used to being responsible for Sam but to be honest it had everything to do with Alec. More specifically Alec's absence, despite her need to guard herself she still looked at him to secure her safety. It seemed strange to her that she couldn't last a week without his presence when she had done without it for more than a year before. But, her conscience chastised her, that was because he wasn't near you. Here he was available to her and she was fairly certain he wouldn't deny her if she asked. But asking had always been her Achilles heel, she could never actually ask of anything and the way she had kicked him out yesterday she wasn't expecting him to walk in of his own accord anytime soon.

She regretted her actions now but short of going over and apologizing there wasn't much she could do about it now. She laid down on the bed without pulling down the covers or getting undressed. Although she didn't expect to sleep she slowly drifted away in a dreamless slumber. Soon after, however, images started assaulting her, images she didn't understand. She was in a hospital room strapped down to a bed, her wrist and ankles tied down and her head locked in position as well. Max could feel great apprehension but she couldn't feel to shake herself away. Then she could hear voices, she could hear them speak but she didn't understand what they were saying. Next she found herself in a different room, this one with padding on the walls. Sort of resembling a time-out room she had seen in pictures of mental hospitals. But some of the padding had been ripped from the walls. She looked down at her hands and saw blood, lots of blood, Max could feel panic building inside her and she fought to control it.

Then her mind drew her back to her most hated memory, she felt herself floating in the tank, seeing nothing, feeling nothing. This time Max couldn't contain the need to scream and she let out a loud wail that seemed to last forever.

"Nnnnnooooo!"

It was no use, she was stuck there again, with no escape. She couldn't let her instincts take over when she was in there, afraid she might betray something so she fought her panic but it was too much. Tears flowed down her cheeks freely but in her panic she didn't notice that she could feel them running down her face as she screamed again.

"Nnnnooo! I won't betray them! NEVER!"

In her panic she didn't feel the arms that cradled her, didn't hear the voice whispering soothing words in her ear. Alec tried everything to rouse Max from her nightmare but she wouldn't wake. He then tried to console her so she wouldn't be so afraid but Max had passed scared and was in full-blown terror. Despite her flailing limbs Alec had managed to avoid serious damage till her hand suddenly shot out and hit him squarely in the eye. He groaned.

"That's gonna leave a mark, did ya have to do that, Maxie?"

He soon scooped her up again and bundled her in a blanket and held her close to him. He slowly rocked her in his arms and waited for her to come out of it on her own. In her mind Max was still in the tank but when she strained she could hear something, something that wasn't there before in the silence. She strained her hearing and she was sure she heard a beating sound and it was coming in a rhythm. She focused on the sound and it pulled her from the tank, she was back in the bed strapped down but here too she could hear the beating in the background and that made it less frightening somehow. She could hear the conversation again and this time it seemed a little louder. She still couldn't understand everything but some words came through. She could somewhat distinguish two separate voices.

"…..new compound works…"
"…I wasn't expecting… destroy….creation."
"…….flawed……."
"……this one, she didn't even make……. wilderness test……"
"…..new compound…… check on my grandson."

At the last sentence she suddenly sat up straight, eyes wide open. She couldn't move and she started to push frantically to free herself. Then she felt a warmth around her and she could hear the rhythm that had calmed her more clearly. Leaning back for a moment she realized what it was, she had heard a heartbeat. Alec's heartbeat, which she suddenly became aware of as his scent entered her nostrils. Unable to move away she cuddled up and filled her nose with his scent, gathering courage for what was bound to come next.

She lifted her head and was confronted with the sight of Alec's face very close to her own. Alec's face clearly showed the concern he felt for her and she was embarrassed by what he must've heard to have him come over. She felt a blush creep up to her face that deepened when she saw a reddish tint around one of his eyes. Opening her eyes wide she remembered her struggle to get free and stammered.

"Oh, please don't tell me I did that."

She could feel Alec's laugh rumble in his chest beneath her when he answered. "Ok, I won't tell you."

Max groaned and hid her face but Alec put his finger underneath her chin and forced her with a gentle nudge to look him in the eye.

"It's alright, Maxie, are you okay now? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Want to? No, but need to? Yes, very much so. I just remembered something important, at least I think I did. It wasn't very clear but I think I'm starting to remember what happened to me last year. I just want to sit here for a moment before we call the big meeting. Is that ok with you?"

"Do you think I'd object to holding a beautiful woman? Maxie, you know me better than that."

Despite the residual fear of the glimpse she just got she still smiled at his remark. She knew he was so much more than the egocentrical womanizer she had pegged him for before. But she appreciated his effort to make her feel better nonetheless. She smiled and wriggled till she got her arms free from the blanket. Alec lifted the blanket slightly and tucked it back around her. Max wasn't happy with that so she took a point of the blanket and tucked it around him as well, she then moved one hand around his waist and moved the other over his heart. Alec waited till she got comfortable and then rested his chin on her head and wrapped his arms tight around her. His mind was screaming at him to kiss her and claim her but he didn't want to scare her away. The memory of their last kiss was still on his mind and he struggled to keep his arousal under control so she wouldn't bolt away from him. Though she might not have been behind it completely the memory of that kiss haunted him and he desperately wanted to taste her again, but this time when she knew what she was doing. He knew full well the only way that was going to happen was if she initiated the kiss but to feel her so close to him with nothing separating them but two small layers of clothing was almost more than his battered self-control could take.

Normally Alec's mind was in complete control of his body, he knew better than to let that control slip for even a second. People got hurt when he did that, but the animal in Max spoke to the animal in him and his defences were weak when it came to her anyway. He closed his eyes and focused to keep his breathing even. When he could feel he had more than a shred of control keeping him from turning them over and seducing her, he opened his eyes again and allowed his senses to be flooded with her again. He revelled in what his senses were telling him and thoroughly enjoyed how right it felt to be holding her in his embrace.

In the meantime Max wasn't entirely oblivious to his struggle but selfishly she paid no attention to it, instead she let the warm feeling of safety and contentment wash over her. She knew she shouldn't be feeling this way that she should only rely on herself but it felt too good to lean on some one even for just a moment. She closed her eyes and let a small smile out. Anyone looking at her face right now would say she didn't have a care in the world. And for a brief moment, Max tried to pretend it was true, that all was right in her world. Too soon she could see the light coming out through the window, indicating that the morning had arrived.