Chapter 7

Afraid of the dark

A/N: Again much thanks to Lyra for her wonderful beta work. She's also in formed me this chapter borders on the edge of PG-13 and R. Please read at your own risk.
A/N2: There's no heat here, I'm making an interlude just for it. It's on it's way, bear with me a little longer. The interlude isn't posted here, since NC-17 is barred from ffnet. You can read the rest of the story without it. All will be explained. If you want to read the interlude you can find it at NWP, just message me for the url.

Alec glanced around the room to see if everyone had found a seat at the large table. He had assumed that Max would want to tell as few people as possible and had issued invitations to the meeting accordingly. Luke was here since he was their in-house specialist on the breeding cult. Biggs was there, as the commander of the Alpha unit, but none of the other commanders were there. Next to Biggs sat Star, their main doctor, Alec had asked her to come since the main gist still appeared to be some sort of plague. On the other side of Star sat Mole who was chewing his cigar as usual. At the end of the table sat David, a new addition to the command crew but a necessary one. His specialty was international law, during his negotiations he had learned the hard way how useful it was to have someone around that could interpret proposals for their legal nature.

Alec started the meeting when he saw everyone was present, originally he had wanted to have a member of his counsellor team sit in on it as well but Max had felt uncomfortable with that idea. She didn't want anyone knowing her mind, now that Alec had witnessed her response to some of those memories he understood better why she had been so adamant previously. He knew however, that at some point Star would suggest that Max speak to one of their counsellors to help her deal with those memories. Alec had no idea how Max would respond to that, but he was glad he didn't need to be the one to tell her. Alec would never have considered himself a coward but he wasn't about to put his life in jeopardy when it wasn't necessary either.

Luke stood up from his seat and nervously shuffled the papers around trying to decide where to start. He glanced at Max and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she looked at him with mild curiosity in her eyes. He smiled at her reassuringly and began by filling her in on the meaning on the new runes.

"The runes that were on your stomach were an opening, a sign to warn us of the message that was still to come. We had all assumed that the Cult would lay their plans to rest when we halted their plans at the coming. Now that there are fewer and fewer of them in seats of power it is harder for them to amass a full assault on us or the human race. But our intelligence shows that there is a power struggle going on in the Cult. These runes confirm that. They speak of a new plan but the details are not to be found here, uhm yet."

At Max's confused face he looked at Mole for help, he didn't want to be the one to inform Max of the power shift that had followed after her disappearance. Mole nodded at the pale transhuman and Luke sat down with relief etched on his face. Max shifted her attention to Mole while she waited to hear what had happened in her absence. O.C. had told her about how the transgenics had ended up on the base but she hadn't been aware of the other agendas.

Mole took his cigar out of his mouth and looked Max squarely in the eye as he spoke. "When you were taken we went to the natural leader, the one who had organized us even as you ereWERE in TC. Alec came up with a plan, and immediately put it in motion. He took over the negotiations with the ordinaries but send all the solo ops out of Seattle. As soon as we received solid intel on a member of the cult, one of those solo ops were dispatched to make sure the target met with an unfortunate accident."

The lizard waved his cigar to emphasize his point. "It was like taking candy from a baby, those idiots didn't know how to hide, and living among ordinaries had made them soft. Nothing superior about them. When the date for the coming rolled around a few weeks later we were amazed that there was no plague or anything resembling a shroud of death. Not like we could've done anything about it since our saviour was presumed dead."

Max cringed inwardly at his last statement but she made sure none of her emotions were coming through her mask. She needed to keep up her indifference, it was the only defence she had against her instincts. As long as she didn't feel any strong emotions she could master them.

Luke took over again and proceeded to explain their actions. "We felt that since the cult couldn't claim the transgenics are after them it was a safe bet. The cult was already after us anyways, might as well give them a reason, but one the general public didn't know about. Now, we've continued that practice till today but it's getting harder to locate members of the cult. Our biggest concern today is the cult member that is advising the president on the transgenic issue. We suspected him at first but he was cleared a couple of months ago when Brin infiltrated the White House and took out one of the secretaries."

At the sound of her sister's name Max glanced over at Alec, she didn't understand why her sister hadn't been there to greet her as well. Alec purposely avoided her gaze ad for a minute Max let her ire rise. She then remembered the purpose of this meeting and reigned in her emotions before they could get the better of her. She vowed not to forget it, however, and force Alec to explain.

"We have to assume that the appearance of new runes means that the Cult had a plan B that they might implement."

Mole lifted his cigar to interrupt. "I propose to increase security around the base and increase the training schedule of everyone on base over the age of 15." He lifted his hands as to defend his statements from a rebuke. "I know, I know. No one has to fight that doesn't want to, but it won't do any harm to prepare everyone just in case."

He looked at Alec, preparing to back up his statement with more arguments if he needed to be but Alec was nodding reluctantly. He didn't like having to force training on those that had chosen not to sign up with the task force but if the Cult was planning something new they needed to be ready.

Star choose that moment to make her move. "Max, will you please tell us what you remember, perhaps it will help us determine the nature of the threat we are facing."

Star tried to put as much reassurance in her voice as she could. Max took a deep breath, her eyes downcast, and gathered the courage to face her memories. She felt a hand move to the small of her back and was grateful for the silent support. She and Alec still had a lot to work through but it was good to know she could count on him. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she could feel her instincts protest at her assumption she could rely on someone other than herself. She muted the protests in her mind and faced the others at the table with a determined gleam in her eyes.

The others couldn't feel the battle raging in her but Star and Alec could and they looked at her with respect as Max fought for full control over herself. She then proceeded to tell them about the conversation she heard in her dream. She described all the details she could remember but she held the memory of the tank back. That wouldn't help them, she decided and she couldn't face reliving that memory in the presence of all these people, even if they had her best interests at heart. She realized that some of them, particularly Star and Alec would realize she was holding something back but she was hoping they would have faith that Max would tell them everything they needed to know.

Star nodded to indicate she acceded to what Max had told them. Max sank down in her seat relieved that it was over, at least for now. She didn't hear what else was discussed and just waited for the meeting to be over. All she wanted was to clear her head and she was contemplating another visit to the gymnasium when she noticed everyone filing out of the room. Soon the only people remaining in the room with her were Star and Alec. For a minute she was afraid that they would insist that she share her other memories with them. Alec leaned in close to her and took one of her hands between his, he kept his eyes down on their hands and she looked at him with a look of wonderment in her eyes. Star looked at her a moment and pondered the wisdom of what she was about to ask of this frail woman. She knew all transgenic were made to be strong under all circumstances but this woman's mind was fragile, as it was for most on the base. Almost all Manticore's projects that had been on active duty carried around heavy burdens on their conscience but somehow Star believed this to be worse. She could only hope that Max would prove to be strong enough to carry the burden of her experiences.

Star took another step forward and began the Herculean task of convincing Max that accepting help was not a bad thing and necessary. In the end Max grudgingly agreed to see them once and take it from there. She let Alec lead her out of the building and spent the rest of the day with her new son. To his surprise, she let Alec stay while she played with Sam and he sat down to watch them from a distance. After a while however Sam got tired and wanted to be read a story before his nap. He climbed on Alec's lap and looked at him with big eyes.

"Tell me about my mommy's adventures, please?"

Alec looked over at Max but she seemed to be accepting his presence so he nodded at the child. "First let's get you to bed, and then I'll tell you a story, alright?"

Sam nodded and quickly dribbled to the bedroom, shedding clothes as he went. Max followed him, picking up his shoes and socks as she went. Alec waited till Sam yelled out that he was ready and found Sam in bed with Max sitting on the end of the bed. Sam sat up straight and looked at him with such eagerness that Alec couldn't help but smile. He drew a chair closer to the bed but that wasn't to Sam's liking. He held out his two small arms and tugged on Alec's hand till he was seated on the bed, legs stretched out on front of him.

"Which story you want to hear? Alec didn't really need to know, he already knew Sam's favourite story but he asked because it was part of the little ritual between them. Sam looked up at the man next to him and smiled his biggest smile.

"Tell me how mommy defeated the evil prince with my new mommy."

Max frowned at that but she was intrigued all the same. She wondered how much Alec had known about what happened before she came to TC with Sam and her family. She curled up at their feet and got comfortable to hear the story as well.

Halfway through the story, Sam tugged at Alec's shirt and pointed at his mom. Alec looked down at Max and saw that she had fallen asleep on the end of the bed, curled up in a ball. Alec went to get a blanket and tucked in around her, when he looked up he could see that Sam had also fallen asleep. He pulled up the blanket around the little boy and kissed them both before he went to the living room. He needed to get back to Command and get some work done, those people from DOD were due any day now.

Meanwhile in the commanders building, Biggs called the commanders of the three other active units to his apartment, all came with their SiC and Jondy came over as well after dropping Sam off at Joshua's place. There they discussed what Biggs had learned from the meeting and adjusted their training schedule to allow room for the support personnel to train as well. Most were more than willing to assist the trainers in helping everyone get ready. No one could ever forget the training they had received while at Manticore but it was good to refresh that knowledge regularly and inform them of new procedures and tactics.

Jondy volunteered to go and inform all those employed by Syl and Krit. Most of the people in the company had left their other skills behind and focused their attention on Infiltration and Protection. So they were in need of training within a unit again, and Jondy would be the messenger. Jondy smiled when she thought of the sight of Krit when he was confronted with the fact that Max could beat him in the gymnasium.

After seeing them and informing them of the news plans, Jondy returned to Biggs' apartment to see if there was anything else that needed to be done. She opened the door and moved into the apartment without a second thought. Knocking was a foreign concept to them, the guards never knocked either and privacy wasn't in a transgenics's vocabulary. Despite those assertions Jondy was completely unprepared by what confronted her when she wandered in. The apartment was empty except for Biggs who looked at her with an amused grin on his face. That in itself wasn't so shocking but the fact that he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing was enough to suck all the air from her lungs.

Jondy could feel a blush creep up from her neck as she stood frozen to the stop. Biggs looked on with amusement as Jondy tried desperately to recover the use of her mouth and feet. He was amused by the attitude towards privacy that all the 'niners' seemed to have. Holding the towel he had been using to dry himself off in one hand, his grin grew wider as the silence continued.

"Was there anything you wanted, Jondy?"

The sound of his voice penetrated the haze that was forming in Jondy's mind and she finally remembered to turn around. With her back to him she could feel some semblance of control return till the sound of his laughter reached her. Her blush increased and she started to fidget with her clothes as she waited for him to get dressed. She then remembered his question and answered it, desperately trying to keep her agitation from her voice.

"I uhm, I was wondering if there was anything else you needed me for."

As she finished the sentence she realized the duplicity of her statement. Looking down at her feet she silently pleaded with him to ignore it. She took a breath of relief when she didn't hear a teasing comment from him, but that relief quickly faded when she heard him coming closer. She was wishing she wasn't so susceptible to him, she wouldn't be able to hide her feelings for him if he came too close, and she didn't want to be dismissed by him. He came to a halt behind her and laid one hand on her arm and softly pulled her around to him, she still kept her eyes down. He put one finger of his other hand under her chin and gently pushed her face up to his. The slow rise of her gaze gave her ample opportunity to study his lean body, but she was relieved to see he had wound the towel around his hips.

Again her relief evaporated as she met his gaze, he looked at her so intently she found it impossible to hide anything from him. She let him see deep into her soul, hoping he wouldn't find it lacking as he had done before. She could see the mischievous twinkle in his eye when she heard him speak.

"I really like that colour on you, it matches your hair."

Hearing him say that she blushed again, and she could see his grin in his eyes. She was mesmerized by the look in his eyes. They looked at her unguarded and she could see the darkness that most of them had deep inside. But she could also see the fire of his life, and his humour reflected back at her. She knew for sure it was those things that had saved him from the harsh reality of Manticore life.

Keeping his hand under her chin, he used his thumb to softly rub along her jaw line. He couldn't help himself, when she was shy like this standing before him he felt compelled to touch her, reassure her. Despite his teasing, abruptness and denials he'd always known how she felt about him and was amazed by it. Right then, staring into her eyes, Biggs couldn't understand why someone so vibrant and alive would want to be with the broken soldier that he was. He might spend his time playing jokes, but he was a soldier at heart, feeling comfortable with the structure it brought to his life.

Unable to do anything else he continued to stare into her eyes, seeing the truth there, and his own turmoil clearly visible. Subconsciously his other hand, still holding her arm began a soft caress, moving up her arm till the edge of her shirt. Jondy had never felt this special or beautiful before, his soft caresses and intense look did more to undermine her carefully constructed defences than any passionate seduction would have. The idea to protest never entered her mind when he rubbed his thumb along her lip and she opened them slightly in anticipation. The tip of her tongue touched him as she wet her lips and with a groan Biggs' self-control faltered. He leaned in, ever so slowly, wanting to give her every opportunity to stop him.

Her honest look had hid nothing from his inquisitive gaze and deeply hidden beneath her desire he had seen the hint of fear. This was something he couldn't forget, it confused him since the Jondy he knew was never afraid of anything. His fiery redhead took on life with more courage than he could ever hope to have.

He touched her lips with his in a slow and deliberate caress meant to assure and comfort her. When she didn't withdraw he moved in and kissed her again, this time with a little more pressure. Jondy couldn't help but respond, she moulded her lips to his and returned the kiss moving a little closer to him.

Biggs removed his hand under her chin and moved it around her drawing circles on her back. Slowly he moved his head around to plant little kisses along her jaw and up her cheek. His other hand followed his mouth in a soft caress, enticing her to surrender to him. Instinctively he knew to let her set the pace, that if he didn't she would bolt from his arms.

Jondy felt her knees go weak under this onslaught of feelings and she let her hands cling to his body for strength. The warmth of his skin amazed her, his body was hard with muscles but his skin was soft and warm. Slowly she let her fingers wander up his chest, around his shoulders to end with them entangled in his hair. She took another step forward and moulded her body to his.

Feeling her all along his body Biggs felt strengthened and he pulled both his arms around her rubbing her back in long sweeping motions as he turned his attention back to her mouth. He kissed her with more pressure letting some of the passion he felt for her shine through in his kiss.

Jondy responded in kind, running her index finger along his barcode. She opened her mouth slightly and Biggs accepted the invitation to deepen the kiss, with languid movements he ran his tongue along her lips. Jondy felt his tongue along her teeth and she moved hers out to meet him, she pulled his head closer to her and curled her tongue around his.

The kiss seemed to last forever and Jondy could feel her body respond to what he was doing to her. Biggs released her mouth for some much needed air and looked for a moment at her gorgeous face. Jondy drew her breath in through her half opened mouth and kept her eyes closed. Biggs moved his head down again and lazily marked a path down her throat. Jondy moved her head back to give him better access and he nuzzled her to draw in her scent.

Thanks to his kisses and their closeness his smell now overlaid hers and his instincts told him how right that was. He needed her close, his instincts were telling him he needed her. Hearing the soft mewing sounds coming from her again Biggs couldn't help but smile, he loved it every time she did that. Eager to hear them again he renewed his efforts to entice her. He moved his hands to the hem of her shirt and cautiously slipped them underneath. He watched her face for any sign of protest and smiled again when all she did was lean into him. Watching her open mouth he felt drawn to it and kissed her again, this time letting even more of his passion seep through. Jondy felt overwhelmed by all the sensations he was causing in her. It wasn't that she hadn't been kissed before, but it had never been like this for her.

Jondy had always tried to keep people at a distance only letting men touch her when she couldn't help it. No one had touched her like this for over 18 months and Jondy had begun to crave it despite her fear. Her instincts told her she could trust him, that he would never hurt her, that he wasn't like them. The thought of them already made her tense.

Biggs felt the change in her and eased up on the kiss, making it soft and sweet again. That calmed her down and she started to relax in his embrace again. Willing his body to close down, Biggs forced himself to keep the slow pace and keep his kisses sweet, but it was hard because Jondy was so receptive to him. He wished he could just pick her up, carry her into the bedroom and lock the door but he knew that she wouldn't let him.

His fight with Alec had shown him that despite his hang-ups he wanted Jondy, longed for her even. Now that he had decided that he would take her as a HIS mate he wanted to do nothing more than to take her into the bedroom and never come out. He might not love her the way he loved Cece but if his instincts wanted her, why be a fool and fight it? He wondered whether she would let him take off her shirt again as she had at the clinic. He still remembered every second of that, had replayed it in his mind.

Slowly he moved his hands to her sides and slid the shirt up, stopping when he could feel the underside of her breasts. He rubbed small circles along her ribcage pushing his skin again her now bare abdomen. Feeling his skin against hers shocked Jondy for a moment but his hands were making magic and she soon forgot what this could lead to. She pulled back and, looking him in the eye, lifted her hands in a repeat of what she had done before. Biggs groaned softly and slid the shirt up higher, caressing her arms as he pulled it over her head. He dropped it behind her and laced his fingers through her hair and he slid his hands down her back again.

He couldn't wait any longer, he pulled her close against him and relished in the feeling of her warm skin against his, her soft curves pressed into him. He moved his head down along the column of her throat pressing open mouthed kisses on her. At the juncture of her neck and shoulder he sucked and left a clear red mark. Leaning back he admired his handiwork and smiled at the sight of this passionate woman in his arms. He needed to taste her again, and Jondy met him halfway, feeling her desire burning in her stomach.

He slid his hands up her sides and while one weaved its way into her hair the other wove a path to the front of her body, caressing her ribcage. In slow strokes his hand crept higher and he drew circles around a nipple. Feeling it grow hard under his fingers he bent down to taste it. Jondy couldn't contain her feeling inside and mewed out her pleasure. Biggs flicked his tongue across the tight nipple before slowing sucking it. Jondy pressed herself against his face and a purring sound came from her throat. Biggs smiled and let his hand wander lower, and lower to the edge of her pants. Slowly he snapped the buttons and slipped his hand inside.

At that instant Jondy froze and came back to reality with a snap. She knew where this was headed and it wasn't where she wanted to go.

"No, no…" Jondy gasped for air and tried to pull away from his grasp. Biggs could feel her tension and immediately came back up. He could see this was no ordinary changing of minds, but part of him was screaming at the unfairness of it all. That part wanted to lash out at her for leading him own, and before he could stop himself his mouth started to spew words he didn't mean.

"What the fuck? You just want to tease, don't you?"

Jondy's eyes filled with tears at his harsh words. She tugged herself free and clenched her hands in front of her chest. Biggs sneered at her attempt at modesty.

"It's a bit late for covering up. I've seen 'm now, you know."

Pushing away the fear, Jondy felt her anger rise at his remarks.

"What are you doing, shouldn't you be doing this with your potential mate?"

Biggs merely looked at her and leered. "I thought that's what I was doing."

"Really, then why were you fighting Alec over Max." She held up her hand at his incredulous face. "Please spare me, I was standing right there, remember? You tried to beat the shit out of him."

Biggs couldn't believe what he as hearing, she actually thought he was interested in Max. Why? Max was Alec's mate, well maybe not officially yet but Biggs knew it was coming, and probably soon. Jondy lowered her face and sighed dejectedly when Biggs didn't respond.

"Look I understand, everybody loves Max. I'll just… I…" Her voice faltered and she swallowed a sob, determined to keep her tears in till she had made it out of the apartment. Taking a deep breath she spoke in a small voice.

"Can I, can I have my shirt?"

Biggs was still recovering from the fact that she thought he had fought Alec over Max, her fight at the gym now made a lot more sense to him. Looking up at her he grinned as he understood and moved over to comfort her and explain. Jondy immediately backed up and dodged his hand. She whirled out of his grasp and moved to the other side of the room, picking up her shirt as she went. She kept her back turned to him as she quickly pulled it over her head. Glancing back she could see him looking at her with a thoughtful frown on his face. He didn't know what to say to appease her and he was also confused by her actions. She had responded to him but there was something else, something Jondy was afraid of. Biggs didn't know what to do, so in true Biggs fashion he did nothing and waited for her to make the first move.

Jondy's move was to hightail it out of the apartment, she didn't stop till she was outside her own apartment. Closing the door behind her she fervently wished she knew what to do now.

That night there was more than one transgenic pacing the rooms trying to figure out what to do when the morning came. Max was also wondering what to do but she didn't have anyone to go to for advice. Since Syl and Jondy came over frequently to check on Sam and they were her family Max decided after a couple of days to confide in them. Jondy didn't look too good either and Max believed she could use and a girls night as well. Max called O.C. and had her bring everything they needed for some serious heart to hearts with the girls.

It wasn't that she wanted to, although she was looking forward to spending time with her sisters. But she was running out of time, her cycle was due and she had no idea how to deal with it. It was hard for her to talk about her heat but she reasoned that at least her sisters had tem too and O.C. had seen her like that and tried to help her. Besides she needed to find out what was happening to Jondy, she was really looking like she was hurting bad.

Max shook her head at herself, before she would never have confided in anyone, she didn't understand why she felt compelled to have Sam's aunt over to talk. Every time she tried to back out of it however her body seemed to act on its own volition. Max nearly cried at the knowledge that she still couldn't control her own body with her mind. Control was one of her biggest assets but now she couldn't even trust her body to do her mind's bidding. Alec had been very understanding so far but he also kept his distance. He was there for her, helping her with Sam but he no longer held her unless she'd had another violent nightmare, like last night. Max could feel her body screaming for Alec, but there was still so much unsaid between them.

Max had discovered that Logan was being held on the base, waiting for her judgement. She was surprised, she had expected them to have killed him and the guilt had weighed her down. But Logan was alive, and she definitely touched him when she hurled him away from her. Not having killed him had her elated but the thought of Logan still had her fuming with anger at his betrayal. She had no interest in dealing with him and so she relegated him to the back of her mind.

That night O.C. arrived first since Syl and Jondy had extra training and she was instantly enraptured with little Sam. When Joshua came, O.C. quickly went to her box and handed him a new supply of books. Joshua instantly enveloped Cindy in a hug and Max looked on with amusement when her friend nearly disappeared in Joshua's embrace.

After the little boy had taken Joshua's hand and left the apartment, Cindy turned to her friend and spoke in a no nonsense tone.

"So, boo, you finally decide to get some help, Original Cindy never thought she'd see the day. Well, good for you girl."

The sound of Syl and Jondy walking in interrupted them, Syl being supported by Jondy as she limped. Syl was hammering on at Jondy and by the sound of it she'd probably been doing it all the way here.

"I swear I don't understand what you got with that man. He's bloody ruthless, look at me! I'll limp for a day thanks to that throw. Did he have to hit so hard? I haven't done hand to hand in months, being more of a B&E girl myself. Jondy! Jondy, are you listening? And Krit! Aargh, figures he only needed to show his tricks on the ropes."

Jondy merely shrugged at her sister's snide comments, it looked like she was used to them and didn't bother to reply. She just helped her in and went to the freezer to get an icepack. But Syl wasn't finished.

"And YOU," she pointed at Max. "Will you please take that man home, that way maybe he'd cut the morning run in favour of a morning rump."

Max paled at her sister's comment that was exactly her problem. Her running mouth got the better of her though and she responded without thinking.

"I'd like to but he doesn't so, sorry, no can do."

In the kitchen Jondy froze, Biggs wasn't in charge of the morning run, Alec was. So Max wanted Alec, well despite her relief, that still didn't help her much. Biggs still didn't want her, and besides if he did that would open a whole new can of worms. She moved back into the living room with the icepack that she put on Syl's ankle. Syl pulled on her arm to sit down beside her and Syl instantly turned and leaning into the armrest she put her feet on Jondy's lap.

"Hmm, we'll have to see about that, now pour us a drink and stop hovering, sis, take a seat.

O.C. couldn't help but snicker at the sight of these two strong woman being bullied around by the petite blonde. Still grinning she took the bottles out of the box and pulled several shot glasses from the cupboard. If nothing else, the alcohol would loosen their tongues and hopefully both Max and Jondy would let something slip. O.C. was happy to know she'd have an ally in Syl though; obviously the girl didn't let her sisters get away with anything. She poured the drinks and in unison they both looked at Max to start. Max could feel their looks burning and again her mouth decided for her.

"I wanted to ask you about heat, specifically how you handle it."

Syl grew the biggest Cheshire grin and spoke with her eyes glazed over.

"I don't, I let Krit handle it, and boy does he ever handle it."

Max grinned at her sister's antics but grew serious when she thought of Alec; he made it clear he didn't want to when she was in her instincts. But she wanted him to, very much so.

"Yeah well, what if you don't have a man to 'handle' it?" With this question she looked at Jondy. Jondy smirked at her sister.

"You do it the hard way. There's a place on the southside of the base where you can wait it out. At first a lot of women used to it, but now I'm basically the only occupant every couple of months."

"Yeah but how do you keep from running to the nearest guy and…" Max's voice faltered. And Jondy laughed but without the humour, she continued to scoff.

"Well, most men are mated here on base so that narrows down the pool, but usually there's a run for the most alpha male anyway." She grinned when a memory surfaced.

"While we were still at TC, Mole and I walked around with tranquilizer darts to keep Alec and Biggs from being…uhm… violated. There was no way we could let them disappear for 4 days in the middle of negotiations. Things calmed down when we came here, some females had no interest in mating and were more than happy to stay that way."

At that point Syl interjected, determined to weaken Jondy's defences. "And Jondy's one of them, although I have no idea why, her CO keeps making goo-goo eyes at her and she at him."

Jondy sent her sister an angry glare. "You know why, you saw me.. after… After."

"But Biggs is different, there's no way a transgenic would do that. You know that as well as I do."

"Yeah well, he might want children and you know what the doctor said."

"Jondy, sweetie, that man was an ordinary, we only needed him for the meds. What he said doesn't matter, didn't Star say you were fine on your last physical?"

"Star doesn't know." Jondy's voice sounded smothered. Max looked in with confusion but O.C. had a clear idea of what had happened to Jondy.

"Jondy, honey you need to tell him, let him help you. Original Cindy knows he'll understand. Not all men are like that, you got Original Cindy's word on that. Most men are dogs but not your man. He's one of the good ones." Cindy came to the couch and held Jondy close, then faced Max to dole out some more truth.

"As for you, don't you think you let your boy wait long enough? Talk afterwards, if you need to talk so badly."

Max spoke in a small voice. "But he'll say no, he said so."

"So you convince him, with a body like yours shouldn't be too hard. Boo, the man loves you and he waited a whole year for you."

Syl choose this moment to put her 2 cents in as well. "And, Max, you don't want to face your heat alone when you can do it with your mate. Trust me, it's the most beautiful," a naughty glimmer came to her blue eyes, "and lustful experience you'll ever have."

Max snorted and went to fill the glasses. "How about we talk about something else?"

Syl nodded and leaned in closer to the others. "Have you heard the latest rumour, …"

The remainder of the evening was spent with good humour and ended late, or really early, however you want to look at it.

Max only got a few hours of sleep and those were filled with some very erotic images of Alec and the things she wanted to do to him. When she first woke up the following morning she thought it was because of the talk they had yesterday but then another mental image flew by and Max's knees nearly buckled.

"Ooohh, no. I'm in heat."