Disclaimer: I don't own anything… wish I did though.

A/N: ok, here's the next chapter! I'm gonna try and get the rest up pretty quickly, cause I've finished it, I'm just tweaking it, cause I'm not happy with some bits, plus you know, school and cooking and family always get in the way. Anyway, hope you like it.

Chapter 4: Harbor Lights

On the roof of Harbor Lights Hospital, two dark figures silently ran towards the emergency exit door. The smaller figure stopped at the door, and swiftly pulled out two small earpieces and comms and handed one to Alec, who was busy unscrewing the hinges on the heavy door. He reached out and took it without looking away from the door.

'Almost ready. Wanna help with the door?' he asked as he undid the last of the screws. Max stood up and helped catch the door as it started to fall. They lifted it up and moved it to the side to put it down quietly leaning against the wall. After slipping his earpiece into place, Alec picked up his pack and followed Max through the doorway and down the staircase into the main part of the building.

'Ok' she began, stopping at the base of the stairs, turning to look at him. 'We split up on the third floor. You get the bandages, needles, gloves and a few surgical tools – nothing fancy and not too many of each, we gotta leave some stuff here for the ordinaries. I got the medicines – antibiotics, painkillers and some of the heavier stuff. Get as much as you can carry, but we can't empty them out.'

'Yep. This'll be easy. In and out in 10 minutes, right? Not like last time, cause I'm the one who double checked the shift rosters. As much fun as that was, I don't really feel like being stuck in a cupboard with you for an hour, again.' He grinned at her, but it still hurt. Why should I care? I don't want to be stuck in a cupboard with him for an hour either. Although, being stuck in a closet with Alec for an hour does hold some promises. God, what is wrong with me?

'Shut up. Let's move out. Meet on the roof, 10 minutes, no more. If I have to come back in here to get you I'll kick your ass. And don't break anything' she whispered at his retreating back.

15 minutes later they landed side by side, in unison, at the bottom of the hospital wall, next to their bikes.

'See? Easy, in and out in 10 minutes. And, if you didn't already notice, I didn't break a single thing or set off any alarms, or waste any time. Which means I made it through an entire mission without giving you any reason to kick my ass. Pretty good, huh? Is that a new record?' Alec grinned at her as they hopped on their bikes.

'Yeah yeah, you were great, all bow down to the all mighty Alec. Just drive.' She said. He took off, and as she drove off behind him, she couldn't help but mentally notice just how good he looked in his cat burglar outfit.

An hour later they pulled up outside Alec's apartment building and parked their bikes. They walked up the stairs to his floor, and along the corridor before they went inside in silence, and when they entered his apartment, Alec walked straight towards his bedroom while Max headed for the kitchen.

'Hey, you got any milk in here?' Max asked as she opened the fridge and started to rummage around. God, there's so much crap in here. Ew, I don't even wanna think about what I just touched, she thought as her hand passed over something that felt suspiciously furry. She resisted the urge to shudder. 'Alec, you seriously need to do some house cleaning in here. Seriously, how long has some of this stuff been in here?'

'Sure Max, make yourself right at home, go through my things, eat my food, criticise my housekeeping skills to top it all off.' Alec replied sarcastically. He turned when he felt her glaring at his back and, laughing, he said 'Yeah, it's in the back somewhere, behind the beer probably. You do need to lighten up though, Max. Pour me a glass, will you? I'll be right out.' And he walked into his room, shutting the door behind him. Max poured two glasses of milk and, picking up hers, walked over to the couch and sat down and thought about the last few days.

From inside his room, Alec could hear Max moving around in the kitchen. His thoughts drifted back to the conversation he had had with Joshua. Why had he gotten so mad at Max? Cause she still doesn't trust you, she still sees you as the screw up. Was that it? No, she was always saying things like that to him, and, well, yeah it hurt, but he'd never snapped like that before. In fact, he'd been fine until she'd almost mentioned…Logan. Something in him had simply snapped. But cause she was about to mention Logan? Dude, every second sentence that comes out of her mouth is about Logan. No, it was because she'd been about to say that she should have gone to Logan instead of him. She could trusts Logan, he was just a pain in her ass, screw up from Manticore. After almost a year of knowing her, and he still couldn't figure out what it was that she saw in him. He was so focused on his 'gotta save the world in one day' thing that he barely noticed anyone around him. But what do I care? Despite what Max had said to Logan about them, they weren't actually a couple. Hah! That right there was further proof that Logan didn't belong with Max – he had believed her when she said she was with him, Alec, the guy she was always badmouthing, the constant pain in her ass. Now, there was that strange feeling again…what was it? Hurt? No, it was disappointment. That was it. But what was he disappointed about? But before he could decide, he was interrupted by Max's voice.

'Hey, you ever coming out of there, Pretty Boy? Or are you doing your hair?' she laughed to herself as his door opened and he came out. But she stopped short at the sight of him in just his jeans. She'd never noticed his chest before, really noticed it. But boy was she noticing it now. Oh god, just look at it. Even by Manticore standards he's gorgeous. Look at those muscles, he really is very strong. Look at his face, it's perfect, his eyes are so gorgeous, I love looking at them. And his lips, so…kissable. She licked her lips without even noticing, but her assessment of him was interrupted when she looked at his face as a whole and saw the confusion that covered it. He was staring at her, one hand paused mid-air with his glass of milk in it, obviously he had been about to have a drink.

'Uh, Max…?' he asked cautiously. This brought her crashing back to reality as she realised who she was thinking about. This was ALEC, for god's sake. Since when did she think about Alec like that? Oh god, was she in heat again? She though her last stay at Manticore had done something about that, it had been over a year since the last time it had happened. It couldn't just be back, could it? But then, why else am I thinking about Alec's lips? Oh, but look at them. Definitely kissable, they look so soft... No, stop. Oh god, this is not good, I gotta get out of here. She stood up and almost blurred to the door saying 'I gotta go do…something.'

Alec was still standing there looking at the spot on the couch where Max had been, and it took him a second to realise that she had stood up. By the time he looked up and turned his head, the door was swinging closed behind her. What just happened here? He'd looked up to see Max staring at him with a look in her eyes he'd never seen before. But what had it been? If he didn't know Max better, he would have said it was desire. But that was insane, right? He was imagining things, I mean, this is MAX! The same person who reminded him at least three times daily that he was a pain in her ass. I just need a drink and some sleep. It's been a long day, no scratch that, it's been a long week. He decided then that he needed something stronger then milk or the beer in his fridge, so he would go to Crash, have a drink, then come home.

Max entered Crash and looked around, and after spotting OC and Sketchy sitting in the corner, she walked over to them. Cindy was sitting, sipping her beer as she surveyed the room, no doubt checking out the chicks, and Sketchy was… well, he was slumped over the table.

'Hey boo, what's up?' Cindy looked up and when she noted the look on Max's face continued 'Hey Sketchy, it's your turn to buy. And get Max a glass while you're at it.' Sketchy, who was completely drunk by this time, and therefore oblivious too his surroundings, simply nodded and stood up to walk over to the bar. 'Ok boo, spill it. What happened? I thought you had a thing with Alec tonight, didn't ya? So did something go down, he stuff up or something?'

'Not exactly. Everything was fine, pretty much, until… until we got back to his place. Then I started, you know, noticing him.' Max had no idea how to put into words exactly what had happened, and she said the last bit in a very soft voice, so Cindy thought she had misunderstood.

'Noticing him?' Cindy asked, and when Max nodded her head slightly, she continued 'What do you mean you started noticing him? You mean you didn't before, cause he's kinda hard to miss, even for a lesbo like me.' Cindy replied, laughing.

'No, I know that. But tonight I started to notice him, notice him, you know? Like his muscles, and his face, with those eyes and those…oh god, see? What's wrong with me? I just… I gotta get out of here.' Max was about to stand up when Cindy put her arm out to stop her.

'Hey. Hey! You ok? Cause when you start talking like that, 'bout Alec, OC knows something's up.' She stared Max straight in the eyes, trying to figure out what was going on behind them. But as usual, they gave nothing away. Damn, but those two are so blind. OC had noticed something between them, from the day Alec had walked into Jampony looking for a job. I swear, sometimes I think I need to just smack my girl up the head just like she does her boy. As smart as Manticore made them, they got no clue sometimes. She looked at Max until she gave in again and sat back down.

'I…it's just…I don't know.' Max looked around helplessly. She lowered her voice to a whisper and said 'I think I'm in heat again. Or, I did. But if I was, I should be trying to jump every guy in here, and I'm not. It was only Alec, so it can't be heat, can it? But what is it? Oh god, what's wrong with me? I mean, I'm thinking about Alec' She let out a small noise, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, that came out as a sort of high-pitched squeal and she lay her head on the table and covered it with her arms, looking similar to a small child hiding from someone. Cindy wondered who Max was hiding from, Alec or herself.

'I don't know suga. Ya know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say ya got something for Pretty Boy.' Max's head snapped up, and she stared at Cindy like she had suddenly grown an extra head or something.

'He's not my boy. And that's crazy. I mean, he's Alec, and he's, you know… I just, I just gotta get out of here. I think I'm gonna go home. Maybe have a nice cold shower and get some sleep. It has been a few days since I've slept, that's probably the problem. Over tired. I'm gonna go.'

'Ok boo. You sure that's all, then fine. But ya boy just walked in the door and, oh look at that. He sees us and, yep, looks like he wants to talk to you.' Cindy could barely suppress the laughter that was threatening to escape her mouth, at the predicament Max was in. Max just glared at her and walked towards the exit, trying, in vain, to avoid Alec.

He walked through the door of Crash, and looked around as usual, even though he wasn't looking for anyone in particular. Then he spotted OC and Max in the corner, and by the looks of things, Max was getting ready to leave. Good, he needed to talk to her about what had happened earlier at his place. As he walked towards them, he saw them both look at him, then Max looked at Cindy and glared, before walking towards the exit, head down, and he knew she was trying to avoid him. Fine, he thought as he slipped back out the door, two can play at that game Maxie.

He was sitting on his bike, which he had moved next to her Ninja, and appeared to be waiting for someone. Then she realised that he was waiting for her. Shit! No, no, no! Not now! Just act casual, and hopefully he won't mention earlier. Oh, who am I kidding, of course he'll mention, he's Alec, he never lets anything go until he gets the last laugh.

'Hey Alec. I'm just leaving. Didn't know you were coming tonight. Well, see you tomorrow at work.' She put her keys into her bike and was about to get on when Alec reached over casually and pulled her keys right back out again.

'Hey, what do you think you're doing?' she demanded, but he merely sat there for a minute, playing with her keys, seemingly fascinated with them, while to her he was simply postponing answering her question. Damn him! He's gonna make this as difficult for me as possible, isn't he?

'Not letting you escape so easily this time, Max.' He said finally, answering slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. 'What happened before? Why'd you run out so quickly? Did you really to need to be here? Or did I do something again without realising it. Did I offend you with my, I don't know, not stuffing up? Is that it? Are you disappointed in me cause I didn't stuff up?' he joked.

'I told Cindy I'd meet her here and I was late, no big deal.' She lied, coming around her bike to try and grab her keys back off him. But he jumped off his bike gracefully and backed away from her before she could. Still trying to make things difficult. AH! He's like a little child sometimes! An adorable little child… no, don't think that. Just get your keys back, and go home. But I don't want to go home just yet. Yes, you do, get your keys and leave. Alec continued talking, as if he was totally unaware of the internal battle ragging inside Max's head.

'No, no, no. Not yet, Maxie. You think after having known you for a year that I can't tell when you're lying? And you could've at least come up with a better excuse, cause you'd never arrange to meet Cindy here on the same night as you had a heist planned with me.' He said matter-of-factly. He was trying to make her mad so she'd answer him.

She looked up at him and realised he was telling the truth. She didn't know when, but some time in the past year, they had started being able to read each other, sometimes with just a look. She felt like she couldn't hide anything from her, but more then that, she didn't want to. Suddenly her defences fell and impulse won out. Kiss him. She leant towards him.

He was leaning casually against the wall, grinning at Max as he watched her internal battle rage. But then he saw something in her eyes shift, and suddenly that look was back in her eyes, the undefinable look from his apartment. He was so caught up in her eyes, trying to decipher that look, that at first he didn't notice her leaning towards him. He realised what she was doing a split-second before he felt her lips on his. It started off gentle, she brushed her lips over his, almost testing. Then, when his brain shifted gears and he started to respond, she lost it. She pushed up hard against him, shoving him against the brick wall behind him. She pressed her lips roughly against his, and pressed her body into his, as close as it would go. She only had a moment to register how well they fit together before Alec pulled on her hair, angling her face back so he could deepen the kiss.

His tongue traced her lips before gently pushing them apart. She obeyed, and her tongue darted out to meet his. Oh, I knew his lips would be soft, and he tastes so… like Alec. Mmm. It's not meant to be like this with Alec, what's going on? Oh, shut up and kiss him. Ok. Max didn't know how much time past as they stood there, but by the time they pulled apart, they were both breathless, something that had never happened to either of them before. They stared at each other, and it was hard to tell who looked more shocked. But it was Alec who broke the silence, as usual. 'Max…?'

'Don't. Oh god. I gotta blaze.' Max reached down to the ground and picked up her keys from where they had fallen from Alec's hand, hopped on her bike, put it into gear and sped off, leaving a very speechless and confused Alec behind her.

A/N: Ok, so what did you think? Please reply, I really want to know what I could do better/ fix up. Oh, and I'm sorry in advance if I make any continuity errors, cause I keep finding them, so hopefully I've fixed them, but you never know.