chapter 2: I liked her better when she was unconscious

A/N: do you remember 1° season Max, don't you? Yeah, me too... lol (and i really hope i got her!!)

A/N2: this was beta'd! but since i kept on writing and adding and changing things again and again, just blame ImbloodyEnglish for all the goodness, and credit me for every mistakes!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, basically we're genetically empowered killing machines, that your average secret agency cooked up in a lab by combing animal and human DNA to create the perfect soldier, right?"

Huh? "Yeah, that's right".

"And, more specifically, we're here on a mission to gather information on a bunch of crazed, super strong, snake-worshipping holy rollers who played God with us but now they want to waste us in order to preserve their superior race or something?"

Oookay... "Actually, the mad scientist was just one of them. And we don't really know if he was, you know, really madder than the average familiar dude or... Max? Where are you going?"

"Out. Need air, as well as something to eat. My headache's worse than before, and I think it's time to take a break from "memory lane". So... are you going to take me out for dinner?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max placed just the right amount of flirtatiousness into her question. First, because she really needed some fresh air and food, second, since she abandoned the "psychopath kidnapper" hypothesis, she'd get to keep the hot boyfriend scenario she had going on right now. It was way better working on that one.

But his bewildered look wasn't the expected reaction, and she had to restrain the urge to close his hanging mouth.

Shrugging slightly, she took his hand to pull him up and out of his stupor. Food now. Philosophical questions later.

"... I'd pay for it, really, but I kinda forgot where I put my wallet, you know?"

Max's touch startled Alec out of his reverie, but when he finally moved towards the door, she didn't let go his hand.

She didn't know if hand-holding was a common thing between them, but it felt right somehow. The sensation put a bounce on her step as she chatted away until they reached a greasy diner that looked like it was owned by someone who shared the same lack of taste as their landlord. Settling into a corner booth, she hoped the food was better than the decor.

She glanced briefly at Alec over the worn-out menu. He looked still a little dumbfounded.

Max knew her own reaction to the whole amnesia thing was quite odd, to put it mildly.

The funny thing about all of it was that the more comfortable she felt, the more anxious he became.

Even if she couldn't remember anything, with the exception of their names, she knew she could trust him. She felt that deep inside, like the weird need to smack him upside the head. Or was it kissing him? Well... maybe both.

And that totally insane story he told her? Again, oddly familiar. Like an old fairy tale your grandma used to tell you when you were a little child.

Well, since in her case a grandmother was out of the question, more like a fairy tale her brother, Ben, had whispered to her so many years ago.

Ben...

Alec's voice held a hint of pain when he'd talked about him. Even throughout his epic and adventurous narration of her own life, Max had sensed thick layers consisting of hurt, guilty trips and responsibilities.

That was one heavy emotional background to absorb, no kidding. At certain points during his telling of her life she felt a strong urge to run. But since he clearly chose not to indulge on the more masochistic aspects of her life, she just followed his description, picturing herself as a rogue, a bitchy, kick-you-into-a-bloody-pulp kinda girl.

Yep, she could live with that.

Listening to him describe her life, several images slowly popped in her mind, like old yellowed photos long forgotten.

Ben, with his shadow theatre on the bare walls of Manticore.

Herself, riding a black bike into the night, adrenaline and joy coursing thru her body.

A night out, with a black beauty, a funny looking, scruffy boy and Alec, sharing a pitcher.

She still couldn't connect the dots, but where her memory failed her, his voice, rich with emotions riding just beneath the surface, tied her to her past.

As she listened to a brief summary of her life, she also took the time to observe him, since he was her only link to her previous existence.

He was a constant presence in those snapshots.

Riding along with her. On the Space Needle. Chatting on a ragged coach. Playing pool. Always smirking, smug and self confident. Always looking at her.

It was a shame that those pictures didn't come with a caption or something. Because she really wanted to know the feelings, Max's feelings, associated to those images.

Maybe... she should simply ask him, right?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alec was relieved. And absolutely confused.

Max was finally awake, talking, pacing around the small room, asking for milk... Sure, she didn't have her memories but at least there was no apparent brain-damage.

He admittedly prayed for a just tiny bit of memory loss, just enough to cover up his latest and quite forgettable slip up. And when his wish had been granted... it was with a little too much enthusiasm, perhaps.

But...

She was behaving weirdly. She wasn't in shock. She wasn't terrified or upset. She wasn't... Max without her memory. She was someone else.

It troubled him that she didn't seem overly concerned by the whole situation. Her attitude was almost... carefree. Careless. Like knowing she was uninjured and safe was enough for now.

It was the 'safe' part that bothered Alec the most. Because he knew it depended on him.

This brand new Max trusted him. Believed his tale when he told her her life, confided in him to keep her safe while she was... slightly not herself.

Alec had squeezed the whole of Max's life, from Manticore to Terminal City, in a two hour tale.

That wasn't a simple task of course, and she didn't make it any easier. She kept distracting him, with that unnerving smile that lingered on her lips, touching him every now and then, however unconsciously, looking at him with warm, trusting eyes.

So he chose to show her the big picture and leave out the small, insignificant details, like his screw ups or the more poignant events of her life, like say... Logan.

Honestly, he was doing it for her own safety. He couldn't let her know how the 'fully functional' Max despised him, and not trusted him at all. Because they were a long way from home and he was the only one she could rely on. He couldn't allow her to doubt him for a second.

He was doing it to protect her... Yeah, right.

It was actually a pretty good excuse to feed Max once she recovered her memory. He just needed another one for not telling her about Logan. Would she fall for "I didn't want you to know how miserable your love life is?"

Well, if she didn't, he was in for an ass-whooping.

If she did... that meant bad-mouthing first, and kicking later.

Okay, he could live with a smiling, trusting and touching in a totally not hitting way Max. He could let her believe she liked him. He could do that... for as long as it was needed. Even though if he would pay the price later. But then again...

This was too much.

"...are you going to take me out for dinner?"

Alec couldn't trust his own enhanced hearing anymore. If he did, then... that meant he really did just detect a not so hidden flirtatious note in her last question.

She seemed fine, really. Except for the bump on her head, she had some minor cuts and bruises due to the fall, but nothing serious. There was, of course, the memory thing, but Alec knew that they both had seen worse. And it wasn't like her brain had been formatted like say... after reindoctrination? No, it seemed more like a temporary, partial amnesia.

She did remember her name, didn't she? And his name too, for the matter. She hadn't bolted out of the motel room after he told her about daddy the cat and mommy the shark. She was quite comfortable in her empowered body as well, clearly exploiting her cat DNA to stretch her hot, tight, lithe body...

Oh please, stop that! Alec mentally reproached himself. He was reacting like a hormonal teenager and really, he had never been a hormonal teenager. Then again, he'd never been on the receiving end of Max's charm either. She genuinely seemed to like him. Even if...

Nope, this couldn't be true. And he should try to look at her behaviour from the correct perspective. For his own good.

She kinda remembered him, but not the history between them. For now, she knew he was like her, and that he had been taking care of her. Hence, the trusting.

And really... waking up without your memories was quite a scary experience, no doubt. Of course, she needed to feel reassured and all. Hence, the touching.

The teasing? Well, that could be easily explained too. Point in fact, even the bitchy-est Max couldn't have denied that 'Manticore knew how to make 'em pretty'. She had no reason to think differently now, and she wasn't biased. Hence, the flirting.

Yep, that seemed quite the logical reasoning for everything.

Or, he could reconsider the possibility of brain-damage.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

While she was wolfing down her chicken at a blurring speed, Alec had a little time to relax, with no strange behaviour on her part to over-analyze.

As long as he regarded her picking from his plate just as a hunger induced action. And her growl wasn't a growl, really. The girl was starving, damnit! It was only natural that her stomach would rumble. It was mere coincidence that it happened just when that pretty waitress had leaned a little closer towards him when she took their order.

Yeah, nothing to read into that. Nothing.

"...but I was sorta wondering about my sex life, you know? You haven't forgotten to tell me I turn into a nun or something, right?"

She was talking again. And he really should stop spacing out and pay attention.

Get a grip, boy, Alec mused to himself. She is has amnesia. And you should be the responsible one and helpfully provide her with all the answers she needs and... wait a minute... sex life???

Alec was utterly shocked. And it didn't help seeing that cocky grin on her luscious lips.

Nope. No way. He was supposed to grin cockily and talk about sex!

Maybe he's gotten his head knocked too, and they both woke up in this alternate reality where Max was smug and cheeky and he was the prude. And... and she was talking again!

"...it seems quite a logical conclusion, since from what you told me we spent so much time together, at work, during missions of any kind, or heists. And at... Crash? Plus, you did sleep on my bed when I was unconscious... and that's boyfriendly. Or well... creepy. I refuse to believe the nun possibility, and I've already discarded the pervert theory... how come you hadn't mentioned how and when we hooked up?"

Yeah. He definitely got knocked on his head as well. He could clearly feel the dizziness now.

TBC