A/N: First up, this story is the sequel to Repercussions. Although it is preferred that you read that one first, you don't really need to, to follow this one. The main thing to know is that in Repercussions Alec went through a dark patch and regressed back into the mind of X5-494 - but worse. Although he's clear of that now, it turns out there's worse in store for the transgenics of Terminal City, and maybe Alec's case wasn't an accident…

Summary: Within Terminal City, there's little for the transgenics to do except wait and worry for their death sentence to be passed. They crave the discipline and training of Manticore to keep them on their toes, but Max won't allow any such thing. Therefore, they're growing restless. And some are even beginning to regress back to the mindsets of the soldiers they once were - or much much worse. Animal instincts are coming to the surface and the adrenalin is looking for an outlet. Unfortunately for the residents of Terminal City - it just found one.

Locura

By Sorrow Reminisce

Quand l'amour n'est pas folie, ce n'est pas de l'amour

31 December, 2021

The boy knew he had been discovered when the footsteps paused at the top of the staircase, and the basement door gave a shuddering creak. In the darkness of the basement the child cast about for a better position to take defence as he heard the first exploratory creak of pressure upon the stairs. There was no other refuge except for the crate behind which he crouched. He'd be exposed to attack before his pursuer had taken a half-dozen steps into the gloom.

Quietly, he released the safety catch of his gun and peered around the edge of the crate as he took aim towards the base of the stairs. Minutes passed as he waited for the enemy to come into view. The building was so quiet, it seemed as if his hunter had left, but he knew this could be a trap to lure him out. The boy was patient. He would continue to wait.

Half an hour later and his legs were beginning to cramp. He pushed the sensation away and focused on the stairs once more. He knew if he screwed up he'd be out of the game. Permanently. This was no fellow X6 after him, but a highly trained X5. One who was evidently having a shithole of a bad day.

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"Has anyone seen Alec?"

Max strode into the headquarters of Terminal City, a look of concern marring her features as she approached Dix and Luke at the computer terminals.

"No, Max. Haven't seen a whiff of him all day." Seeing Max's urgency, Dix turned to the screens connected to the security cameras and began to flip through them, searching for sign of Alec in the streets outside. There was none.

"What the hell's the guy thinking disappearing like this when I need him?" She bit at her bottom lip to hold in a growl of frustration. "It's just typical!"

"What's the problem Max?"

Groaning silently to herself, Max turned to encounter Logan who had entered the room in time to catch the last remark. Feeling so damn awkward all of a sudden, Max attempted a smile and fumbled for an excuse. "Alec left last night with the keys for my bike."

Puzzlement crossed Logan's face. "Why would Alec have your keys?"

"Because…"

"Here!" Dix pointed to a screen showing Alec entering a deserted building on Elderwood. "This was nearly an hour ago."

He rewound the tape further to reveal a blonde X6 entering the same door fifteen minutes earlier.

"They have guns Max." As Logan stated the obvious, Max turned towards to door, trying desperately to keep the fear from her voice as she replied, "it's just a drill."

No one replied.

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Finally, the X6 decided his opponent must have abandoned his search and moved on. Looking around, he cautiously crawled out from behind the crate and crept soundlessly towards the stairs. If he could make it up to the top floor, he'd have a vantage point from which he could see and, with any luck, pick off his pursuer. Then again, if the X5 had come to the same conclusion…

Sensing too late the presence of another in the room, the X6 whirled around, but not before the opponent's gun was fired, the shot connecting directly with the his chest, a spray of red splattering the wall around him.

The X6 looked down at his chest in mute shock, and then up at X5-494, as he stepped towards him, a smug grin on his face. "Looks like Game Over for you soldier boy."

X6-478 touched a hand to the red stain on his chest. His mouth opened to speak but he was interrupted by the overhead creak of floorboards. Looking up at 494 whose grin had widened considerably at the sound, he nodded as his C.O held a finger to his lips and made a complex signal with his hands.

The boy soldier nodded briefly in understanding, then staggered backwards, crashing into a crate before collapsing to the floor and lying still at last.

X5-494 stepped back into the shadows to wait once more.

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Max heard a crash from below and ran towards the basement door.

"Alec?" She whispered into the darkness, her eyesight rapidly adjusting to the dim light. Before she reached the last step, her gaze fell upon a crumpled body. A chill of horror swept through her as she inched cautiously towards the boy who lay so dreadfully still.

"Dalton?"

The kid didn't twitch a muscle. She felt for a pulse and allowed herself a small sigh of relief to find he had one. Movement from behind caught her attention and a cold chill swept down her spine as she turned to see Alec step out from a shadowed corner.

"What the hell've you done!"

Max's voice was cold as she rose to face him. Her mind numbed by shock at what was obviously Alec's dark relapse. Six months of intense testing by Manticore's friendly family doctors, and it appeared he shared his brother's psychosis after all.

"Aw come on Max! What makes you think I'd hurt the kid? You know I'd never do somethin' like that…"

She shrank back as he stepped towards her but there was nowhere for her to hide, and he was the one holding the gun.

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Alec struggled not to laugh at the expression on Max's face. And as the body of Dalton began to convulse on the floor, he felt his own shake in response as he fought to contain it.

Laughter. It was just contagious.

As Max looked in open mouthed confusion between them, he could fight it no longer. The pressure within his stomach grew until at last laughter escaped from between clenched teeth, forcing them to widen.

Soon similar gawfs could heard from Dalton's shaking form. And as Max's face turned various shades of outrage, the laughter became hysterical and Alec leant forward clutching his stomach to try and ease the cramps.

"What the hell is going on!"

Stunned to find herself so ignored, Max flipped Dalton over to find his wide blue eyes watering with tears, his face red with laughter. At last, Max noticed the smell of paint in the air and realization set in.

"Paintball? You two goofs have been playing paintball!"

Dalton, who had attempted to rise, now flopped back down to the ground as a fresh wave of laughter hit him

For some strange reason, Max didn't get the joke.

"That's the most juvenile stunt you've pulled yet, Alec! I thought you'd know better -"

Alec forced a straight face and stepped forward to place a finger lightly on her lips. "Oh come on Max, lighten up. It was a prank too good to pass by. I needed a good laugh after waitin' three quarters of an hour for Dalton here to make a move!"

He shot the boy a look of admiration. "The kid's got all the patience of an oak! I thought I'd have to blow my cover or loose all feeling in my legs!"

"What's your problem anyway?" Alec's happy go lucky grin faded into a tight lipped smile that held no humour . "Afraid Ben had returned from the dead?"

He knew it was a low blow to throw his twin in her face, but it would be an understatement to say he was hurt by her doubts. He was Alec. 494 would always exist in him, especially in the battles that were to come. But the integral part of him would always be Alec. He'd never let himself relapse in such a way again.

'Let's just say the thought crossed my mind." Max held his stare, her eyes serious and full of doubt.

It was going to be an uphill battle to make her believe him. Though the fact that he did come close to crushing her windpipe a few days ago probably didn't help with her trust issues any...

"Max…" Alec sighed as he placed the gun on top of the crate and took her gently by the arms. "It's a paint gun. It's looks convincingly real, but it's not. I would never turn a gun on one of our own if it were anything but a training exercise."

"But you never train before breakfast…" Her voice died away as she realised how pathetic she sounded, and she stared sullenly at the floor. Unwilling even now, to admit she had made a mistake.

"It's a busy day. Dalton came bangin' at my door early this morning."

"Yeah. And the guy was not happy to see me!" The X6 laughed as he collected the guns and began to climb the stairs.

As the young soldier disappeared out of sight, Max continued to glare at Alec, her stubborn streak refusing to give in.

"That was a horrible trick Alec. Even for you."

Letting her anger slid off him, knowing it was brought about by her concern, he smiled and drew her close, wrapping his arms around her. After a moment, she rested her forehead on his chest, albeit reluctantly.

"I'm sorry Max." As she pulled back to smile up at him, he felt a flicker of regret for the ass kicking he knew he was about to receive. "But you're just gonna have to get used to it."

"What?" Her smile gave way to an expression of disbelief and he stepped away with laughter in his eyes once more, as he readied himself for the blow that would surely come.

"You've been around Loggie too long Max. I'm sure once upon a time, you had a sense of humour, but he suppressed it with his unbending love of all things stoic and boring - not to insinuate you're boring, of course."

Her disbelief turned to dazed confusion as she tried to work out whether or not he'd just insulted her, and Alec quickly continued. "I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know that it's my personal goal to remedy this problem."

"Oh god no." Max groaned and held a hand to her head, staring up at his smiling face as she began to wonder if it was simply his goal to drive her crazy.

Looking up at Alec through the haziness of what was the beginning of a rather intense headache, Max realised he was waiting for her to take the bite. But she didn't feel like being reeled in at this hour of the day. Instead, she surprised him with a grin.

"You do that Alec. You make it your life's mission if you must. Best of luck."

She left him staring agape at the spot where she had just been standing in, as she moved past and made her way up the stairs. After a moment, he laughed to himself and followed her out into the street.

"Hey Maxie, wait up!"

As Alec reached her side, Max decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to turn and punch him on the arm after all. Catching her hand as it swung towards him, Alec quirked his eyebrows and grinned.

"Getting a bit slow there huh? Or are ya just hoping I'd hold your hand?"

Looking down at their entwined hands, she laughed and pulled herself away from his grasp, shoving him playfully and dodging as he tried to catch her once more.

"Don't think a Christmas kiss under the mistletoe is gonna get you some action pretty boy!"

He graced her with a knowing smile. "Yeaaah right. You know you want me."

Surprisingly, she didn't reply. Didn't hit him either.

They strolled into headquarters in companionable silence, until they encountered Logan on his way out of the door.

"What the hell were you thinking Alec!" Logan's face strained as his colour deepened to a violent red.

"Aw great, that question's gonna be the story of my day…" Alec rolled his eyes and gave Max a sideways look, sighing as he noted her complete lack of expression once more.

Logan placed himself between the two X5's as he stepped forward to face the person who had long become the bane of his existence. "Just what did you think you were doing chasing after a kid with a loaded gun?"

"He's a soldier Logan."

"No. He was a soldier. This isn't Manticore Alec this is…"

"This is none of your damn business Logan." Alec's face turned hard and serious as he took a step closer, watching the flicker of uncertainty in the cyber-journalist's eyes as he realised he was trying to face off with a 'genetically engineered killing machine'.

"You're right though."

Logan's eyes widened in surprise at Alec's unlikely confession.

"This isn't Manticore. This is better than Manticore."

"And unlike some" Mole, who had been standing behind Logan, stepped forward now, feeling it was as good opportunity as any to try and press the argument which had been taking place within the ranks for some time now. "Unlike some who perceived Manticore as a prison, to the rest of us it was our home. It's rules were our way of life."

Logan looked at Max who continued to stare at the wall, her face turning sullen as she bit back the argument she had been going through with the residents of Terminal City since the siege began. It seemed she was the only one who didn't want to recreate her childhood hell in one form or another.

Realising he would get no back up from her, Logan opened his mouth to fight the good fight by himself.

"And what are you going to do Mole? Force these people back into the life from which we released them?"

"Force them back? Hell no. The only thing we were forced to do in the first place was give up our home and go into hiding from those who would hunt us down and see us lynched! Our people have lived their entire lives as soldiers Logan. We need the security of order and organisation. Without it, many of us are gonna end up going mad."

Alec noticed Max stiffen beside him at Mole's veiled reference to his own regression only days earlier, and fought the urge to comfort her. This was just something she had to learn to accept.

"Well how do you think you're gonna escape persecution, if civilians see transgenics running 'round waving guns and preparing for war?" Logan began to wonder why he was even bothering to waste his breath. He was only looking out for their best interests but they were too stubborn to see it.

"We'll never be accepted Logan. And this is a war. So maybe you gotta ask yourself which side of the wall you really want to be behind?"

Glancing around at the small crowd of transgenics which had formed around them, Logan realised he was outnumbered and defeated. Stepping back, he raised his arms in surrender. "Fine. Do whatever you feel you've got to do."

He stared at Max until she at last looked him in the eye. "Can I have a quiet word with you?"

Looking between Logan and Alec, she had the uncomfortable feeling that both men were waiting for her to come to a decision much more profound than the simple act of stepping outside for a quiet word. For a brief moment she irrationally wondered if it would be inappropriate to waggle her fingers and chant 'Eenie, meanie, miney, moe.'

"Look Logan. I said everything I have to say to you earlier. What more do you want?"

Feeling suddenly guilty for so many things, none of them presenting themselves in any solid form, she continued softly with the words that needed to be said. "Besides, I thought I told you to leave, for your own safety. Why are you still here?"

"Yeah well, that's why I wanted to have a quiet word." Logan's voice was heavy with defeat and Max gave in, deciding she owed him that at least.

As Max opened her mouth to reply, Mole stepped forward, grabbed the ordinary roughly by his arms, and him towards the door in no gentle manner.

"Time's up. You've said and done enough already."

Alec stepped forward to place a hand on the lizard man's arm. "Hey, let him go buddy."

The transhuman stopped and stared at the X5, rebellion clear in his expression. Finally he released the cyber-journalist but not before shoving him with enough force to send him colliding into the door.

"Sure thing boss." Mole shrugged in disinterest and turned back to his post once more.

"Just looking out for his health and safety is all. Would hate to see the guy all covered in sores and coughin' up stomach lining from the nasty little toxins in this place."

Alec bit off a smile and clapped him on the back as he passed by. "I share your concern brother."

Turning to watch Max as she disappeared out of the door with Logan, Alec rubbed a tired hand across his face. Far as he was concerned, the guy was like a leech, sucking the spirit right out of her. Maybe this time they would see the last of him.

--------------------

"Look I'm sorry things have worked out this way Logan. Really, I am. But we've been drifting apart for so long now, surely you could see this coming?"

"What, see you and Alec - the guy you claim to hate - exchange puppy dog looks and swap saliva?" Logan made no effort to hide his bitterness. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get the cure, only to have you leave me for him?"

"Alec and I were together before you found the cure. You know that." She spoke in a tired whisper as she wondered how many times they would have to go through this conversation before he finally understood.

"Bullshit Max." Logan's voice turned low with anger as his eyes narrowed. "I never believed you two were together then, and I don't believe it now."

'Well what does it matter Logan? Really?" Max's own anger flared as she grew impatient with his inability to understand. "I'm sorry that I've wasted your time and I'm sorry that you wasted your money. But it's over. Please just understand that!"

"But why Max? Why do I have to accept that after all we've been through? You're just pushing me away because you don't want to hurt me, aren't you? But you still love me Max. Admit it!"

Max folded her arms across her chest and tried to quell her irritation. He deserved some kind of explanation but emotional heart to hearts weren't exactly easy for her to partake in.

"I think we loved each other for the sake of having someone to love. But that's not the right foundation to build a relationship on…"

Logan laughed bitterly at her words, his face twisting with emotions. "Oh right. So we can still be friends huh?"

His sarcasm wasn't lost on Max but she choked off her retort. She felt guilty for doing this to him, guilty for doing this to herself. But then, guilt was what had caused this mess in the first place.

"You know, ever since I saw you gunned down on the news, I've felt responsible. Like it's my fault. I tried to ignore it and go on with my life, but it just kept nigglin' at me. I thought maybe if I help you out on your Eyes Only missions, I'd redeem myself."

Her voice was soft and thoughtful as she sounded out this new found revelation. "I guess that's where I started confusing my feelings for you."

"So you're saying you felt obligated to stay with me?" Logan's voice was strained by the effort of holding his own emotions in check, his eyes searched her face for some kind of sign that would give him hope. But there was none.

Looking him in the eye, she gave him what she knew to be the only honest answer and hoped the guilt of breaking Logan's heart would one day cease to choke her.

"Yes. That's what I'm saying." Max waited for the anger and frustration in his eyes to boil over but he held it in, instead turning away from her in silence. That was worse.

"Logan!"

He stopped, closed his eyes for a moment, and waited.

"I know you're no more welcome in the outside world than we are, and it's okay with us if you want to stay. But it's not safe for you here either. The toxins and all."

Logan watched Max as she held in the tears that turned her eyes glassy, and wondered if they were caused by regret or relief. Not wanting to know, he looked to the ground and made little effort to hide the bitterness from his voice. "I think my presence in Terminal City is the last thing either of us need right now Max."

Logan squared his shoulders and walked away, and as Max watched him turn a corner without a backward glance, she released her tears at last.

Letting go was a bitch.

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Alec stared out of the window, a far away look on his face as he tossed an old baseball in the air and caught it absentmindedly, repeating the action until Mole at last snatched it off him and shot him a look of disgust.

"What?" Alec's eyebrows raised in surprised insult as Mole shook his head and grimaced.

"You're just as bad as a human you know that?" The lizard man placed the ball on a bench and gave Alec a glare as he stepped forward to retrieve it.

"Well Mole, I'm not totally inhuman you know." The X5 scratched his head as he tried to work out Mole's little mind trip for the day.

"Look at you! A perfectly good soldier - far as X5's go anyway - gone to waste over some chick." Mole spat the word as if it left a sour taste in his mouth and sat on a broken couch, a faint smile on his face as he waited for Alec to take the bait.

"Hey! I'm not going to waste on any chick! I'll have you know I'm like - the Don Juan of the transgenic world!" Alec laughed at the relief borne of light-hearted conversation and his voice became animated by enthusiasm as his mind broke away from the strain of being a C.O. once more.

"I don't let myself to go waste over the girls. I watch the girls go to waste over me!"

With a smug smile, Alec turned around to find Max had slipped in the door and now stood by Luke, wearing an expression that didn't promise any repeats of the Christmas party kiss anytime soon.

"Well Don Juan, perhaps you'd like to prove you haven't gone to waste by makin' yourself useful huh?"

As the smile slid off Alec's face, he shot Mole an 'I'll get you later' look and nodded as he walked over to Max, mouth opening in preparation for an explanation.

She waved her hand and silenced him with a dismissive "save it" before reminding him that he was on clean up duty.

"Oh and Alec…" She smiled sweetly as he stopped at the door to face her. "Don't trip over the bodies on your way down the street."

"Bodies?"

"Yeah, you know? Of all the girls who'll be throwing themselves at your feet?"

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Alec and Match made their way down Elderwood with the rest of the clean up crew, clearing out old apartments and salvaging what little was worth the effort. As Match had been doing recon on the Outside since Christmas, Alec of course felt it necessary to keep her informed of all that had gone on in TC recently. The ins and outs of the most important issues within the transgenic world…

"I just don't know what to do with that girl! I mean she's always thinkin' the worst of me -"

Stopping in the middle of his rant, Alec rubbed his forehead in thought. "Well okay, it doesn't help that she happens to catch the tail end of every stupid comment I ever make!"

Match smiled and threw him a rubbish sack filled with junk. "I thought you two would've figured out your issues already?"

Alec shook his head as he threw the bag on the trailer used for clean-up duty. "Well yeah. But no. I mean…"

"You're taking it slow huh?"

Alec felt a sudden surge of panic at the realisation this was beginning to sound much like a conversation he'd had with Max once. Over her and Logan.

"It's just that I still don't know where I stand with her. But I'm not complaining! Really. I mean, the fun is in finding out, right? And I can't exactly expect her to get over Logan just like that."

"Exactly!" Match inspected a box filled with what must have been someone's treasured personal belongings as she carried on the conversation. "These things take time. And she's a stubborn mule at the best of them."

She stood up and walked towards Alec, a photo album in her hands. "Hey check this out."

Looking over her shoulder, Alec found himself staring at a photo of what must have been a typical pre-pulse family day at the beach. Two children stood before the sandcastles they'd made - probably with the help of the dad who stood beaming beside them. All three were pulling faces at the camera, sand clinging to the sun block on their skin.

It was a picture that made both X5's turn uncharacteristically silent, each in their own way wishing for just one moment of their lives when they could've experienced such a day as this.

"Nice isn't it? The perfect world." Match's wistful smile was filled with regret for a life she would never know.

Alec moved away and continued to sort through the room as he struggled to pretend the photo didn't fill him with sadness too. "And yet another reason why we'll never belong with them."

Shoving the photo in her pocket, Match turned back to the box of belongings, finding she no longer wanted to know what else was inside it. The past of Ordinaries was no business of hers, yet here she was trying to scrounge a life from someone else's. Suddenly it made her feel dirty - not just in a physical sense.

"So, about Max?"

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"It's New Years Boo. Know what that means?"

Max rolled her eyes at Original Cindy's enthusiasm. "Yeah. Another year I've managed to survive. Yippee."

Cindy walked over to her friend and slapped her lightly across the head. "Oh please! Could you be more depressing?"

"Do you really wanna ask?"

Max slumped onto the couch and stared blankly at the wall in front of her. "I mean, what's the fuss? It's a reminder of yet another year's worth of struggle to come. Where's the celebration in that?"

"Well that just does it Boo! Original Cindy's gonna lock you and hot boy in a room, 'cause you need somethin' to put a smile on your dial!"

Cindy folded her hands across her chest and grinned as her friend blushed lightly at the threat. Yip. That was definitely what Max needed. She crossed the room and sat beside her, deciding it was time to talk some sense into her friend. After all, sometimes the girl was a little dense and needed someone to direct her to the right track.

"So what's the deal with your boy huh? And don't go saying anything you'll regret if he bumbles in here like the last time!"

Max shuddered at the memory and sighed. "I don't know OC. I finally got things out in the open with Logan and you know, I feel so much better about it…"

"Ya think?" Cindy gave Max a look of utter disbelief as she wondered how a girl could wear an expression that suggested her gran had been struck by a Mac truck, while claiming to be happy.

"I feel guilty! I don't know how I feel. I just wanna take things slow you know?"

"What, slow as in you'll wait til someone gives you a retro-virus targeted at Alec's DNA and then decide you wanna get busy with him? Or slow as in, you'll spend a year eatin' pasta til all those carb's make ya too fat to get your groove on?"

"It's not about that…"

"Oh god girl!" Cindy jumped to her feet and dragged Max towards the door. "It's never about that with you is it? Look. Get out, find Alec, and don't come back 'til you know exactly what you want!"

Before Max had the chance to say another word, Cindy shoved her out the door and locked it, smiling to herself as she wondered whether Match was having better luck working on Alec.

A moment later, Cindy was brought back to the door by a patter of thumps that threatened to knock the door off its hinges.

Opening it to find Max still on the other side, she sighed in exasperation. "Look boo -"

"I'm going, I'm going already. But first, do you have any idea what 'Cuando amor no es locura, no es amor' means?"

It was a long shot, but as is the way of things when a writer twists things to suit her purpose, OC just so happened to recognise the line as once whispered to her by a fine Spanish shorty after a particularly steamy night of hot monkey lovin'.

"Honey, I know that one in three languages…"

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Alec sat on the roof top of Terminal City's highest building in the hope that Max would have the same idea. He'd been waiting all night, growing lonelier and lonelier as the night progressed until at last he watched the fireworks explode throughout Seattle in signal of the new year, and decided it was time to give up and go home.

Maybe she was at the Space Needle? He cursed himself for not trying there first. Perhaps she simply didn't care about the whole New Year thing. After all, it was just another day right?

As he was about to leave, Alec heard a soft footstep behind him and smiled as a quiet voice spoke into the darkness.

"Hey there."

Max sat down beside him and glanced across the city of Seattle at the colourful explosions that continued to light the sky.

"Thought you'd never get here." He turned to her with a smile, all concern having erased itself from his mind now that she was here beside him at last.

"Yeah, I had some things to sort out." Max gave him an apologetic smile. "And well, you didn't exactly leave me a map to find you by."

Alec shrugged and flashed her a smile. "Well, so what if we missed the countdown? It's just another day right?"

They sat in awkward silence for a moment before Max took his hand in her own.

"Sorry Alec. For, you know, spoiling New Year."

"Hey well that's okay Maxie. We can sit here 'til we see the first sunrise of 2022 instead. After all, it'll be a beautiful view from here. Filled with the symbolism of new beginnings an' all that."

Releasing her hand to place his arm around her shoulders, Alec smiled as she snuggled in close and relaxed against the warmth of his body. His own loneliness dissolved as he took comfort in her presence.

"So what's your New Year Resolution?"

"Huh?"

"A goal for next year. Do ya have one?"

Alec considered the thought. A whole year ahead of them. With any luck, it wouldn't be as chaotic as it's predecessor.

"Well Maxie… how long can the list be? I mean, 'stay alive' that's one goal… And on a lesser scale, perhaps try and be a little less annoying huh?" He grinned at the thought. There was no way he intended to keep that resolution.

"Right Alec. Maybe you should stick to something more realistic." It seemed strange to admit it, but the last thing in the world Max wanted was for Alec to try and curb his attitude. What would the world come to?

"Why don't you try 'long term relationship' for example?" She bit her cheek as she waited for Alec's reply.

"Gee Max. Do you think that's realistic? What a strange and curious notion!"

Wondering why he was still tiptoeing around the subject when it seemed Max was waving a light large and green in his face, Alebc waited for her to meet his eyes before asking. "Well… what do you think about the idea Max? Think you could handle such madness?"

"Quand l'amour n'est pas folie, ce n'est pas de l'amour." Just a few days earlier, Alec had spoken these words to her, but in Spanish. Now she repeated them back to him in French. Max laughed as his eyes widened in surprise - they both knew languages were not her strong point.

"Alors nous devons être amoureux, ou fous." Alec's reply was light and playful yet he waited in growing anxiety for her response.

After some hesitation, she finally replied. "Okay, you got me there. I was only pretending to be cultured. I really have no idea what you just said."

Almost sighing with relief, Alec simply smiled and drew her towards him once more. He'd give her a few days to figure it out.

"So how many hours do we have to go until the sun comes up Alec?" She turned her head towards him, her mind playfully considering how they could pass the time.

Alec thought about how life would probably return to it's usual state once the sun rose, and how this closeness he shared now with Max would pass once more.

"Not enough."