Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine, except for Kharla, and the ones you don't recognize. Please Don't sue.

Notes: I know the end of the first chapter was sort of dramatic, but I'm setting some stuff up. Please review, I'm new at this and I have to know if this story is good or not. If I don't get 20 reviews by the end of June I'll probably delete the story. There's no point in writing fanfiction if no one reads and enjoys it.

Tires squealed to a halt outside the city of Seattle. The twenty two year old woman surveyed her glimpse of the sector checkpoints and the forests along the road. A smile curved on her full bee stung lips, and her mahogany eyes sparkled as she pushed her dark sunglasses up into her long mahogany hair, to double as a hair band. "Home sweet home."

Tires halted behind her as a van and four motorcycles paused behind her. Another paused beside the first one. She was a brunette, long brown hair with a slight curl to it, and natural blond streaks. She arched an eyebrow at the woman beside her "So are we going to enter this city of yours any time soon?"

Max chuckled, "Damn straight Jondy, damn straight." She glanced back at the others, "Let's go!"

They rode through the gates of Terminal City, as the sentries excitedly reported back to the Headquarters that Max was home. They may be citizens but the transgenics were still an armed force within T.C., and able to mobilize and defend themselves immediately on the off chance that something would happen.

Max pulled up at the Command Center and motioned for the other six people to come inside with her. She had barely taken five steps when a whirlwind rushed her into a hug. Kyli was a transgenic who, like Joshua, had a little too much canine D.N.A. in her except in her it was like a cross between arctic wolf, and Siberian husky. Her long hair and skin were a dead white, with a soft white fur coat that was barely there over her skin. Truthfully her fur only seemed like very soft skin. Her mouth and nose were like Joshua's except the tip of her nose was black, she had sharper teeth as well, and lethal claws on both her hands and feet. Her ears were lightly tipped with fur, and she could survive most cold weather without a jacket, not too mention that she had transhuman speed and strength to boot. She was the head of the medical ward, and the best doctor they had there. Over the time of the siege, she and Max had grown incredibly close until they were almost like sisters. Understandably, Joshua was smitten.

Kyli was in fact, the reason why Max hadn't worried about Joshua when she left. Kyli would take care of him, and he would take care of Kyli.

The others paused behind her, as they watched the two hug. Without a word they all continued back in, towards the others. Kyli was thrilled, her best friend was back. She couldn't even get the words out but Max seemed to understand. Calls of welcome back greeted Max when she walked into the main area of the command center, before she had even gotten past the doorway. A bright smile lit her face as she heard it and called out "It's great to be back!"

Max headed towards Mole, Luke, Dix, and Jimmy. Jimmy was a secretary of sorts to her, he knew absolutely everything there was to know about T.C.: When the supplies were low, and where; who the new arrivals were, what was their designation, where could they put them; what information to relay to whom; when was Max to busy to take all the work, only the very important ones got handed to her while others were distributed; even how they all liked their coffee. Jimmy was X3 and normal looking. Brown hair and eyes, and very tanned skin.

As she reached the four of them, Jimmy jumped up and pulled Max into a hug, "Welcome back" and then the moment was over and he was looking the new arrivals over, "who are you? What's your designation? Your name? What did you excel or specialize in? Do you need an apartment?" all seemed to rush out at once. The Luke, Dix, and Mole all seemed ready to hear them answer Jimmy's question before they and Max began trading news.

Jondy stuck out her hand for Jimmy to shake "Jondy. X5-210. Excelled in medical science, Field Med. and technology. Escaped in '09."

Before any of the others could pause the blonde girl stepped forward to draw attention to herself "Syl. X5-701. Excelled in Surveillance and Strategy. Escaped in '09."

A young man who looked like Max spoke next, "Krit. X5-711. Excelled in Explosives and General Mayhem. Escaped in '09."

Another breathtaking young man stepped forward. Black hair, sparkling sapphire eyes, and a nice strong and lean build, with catlike grace spoke in a quiet tenor "Zane. X5-205. Excelled in Explosives, Mechanics, Technology, and later on Seduction." There he grinned "Escaped in '09."

The next one to speak had fiery red hair that fell in curls around her face and down her back, beautifully complimenting her tanned skin and flashing green eyes. "Kharla. X5- 691. Excelled in Tracking, Escape and Evade, Surveillance, and Computer Tech. Escaped in '09."

Finally the last of the new guys stepped forward, "Zack. X5-599. CO of my unit. Escaped in '09."

Max smiled at the rest of them, as they struggled to close their gaping jaws. "So Jimmy, can you find each of my siblings a place?" He nodded dumbly, and Max turned back to the rest of the dazed group "They can help some transgenics settle into their home areas, get the people there used to transgenics and generate more acceptance among the population. Oh and before I forget," she turned back to Jimmy "Krit and Syl are a couple so you can just find them one apartment combined."

He snapped out of his reverie "Right, yeah, um…follow me." Shaking his head he gestured to the '09 escapees to follow him.

Dix smiled "Welcome back Max, we missed you." Luke nodded his agreement.

"I missed you guys too. Why else did you think I came back?"

Mole grunted "So that's the infamous Zack, huh? Seems a lot more mellow than you mentioned him to be."

Max smiled softly "Yeah, his time as Adam did him some good. Gave him a new perspective on things. He's definitely happier now."

She turned back to the rest of them "Is there anything important going on right now, because I'd sort of like to go back up to my apartment, and sleep in my home tonight." And avoid Alec she silently admitted.

"Yeah, it's all fine." Luke assured her "Go head on up."

She smiled her appreciation at him and left with Kyli. As they neared the exit of Headquarters Kyli turned to Max "It's great to have you back Maxie. I missed you, we all did, especially Joshua. Terminal City just hasn't been the same without you. Joshua will be so thrilled to see his 'little fella' tomorrow night when he gets back from the artists convention in New York, he went to."

"I can't wait" Max admitted, "he's one of the people I missed the most."

Kyli nodded "Well, I have to check up on some patients in the medical ward, goodnight."

Max hugged her "'night."

Max entered her apartment, took off her jacket, pants, and top. When she was only in her tiny little tank and thong, she went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, then crawled into bed. It could have easily fir two people. Unbidden images of Alec came to her mind, Max nearly groaned. Just one day, was that too much to ask for? One damned day without thinking about him!

It was true she had missed this place. She had left to put some space between her and Alec. To get away from the daily reminder of unreciprocated feelings, feelings which over time had not abated in the slightest but had instead grown. Max sighed, she had come because it hadn't made a difference whether she had been here or there, she thought about him whenever she wasn't completely distracted. At least here there were more distractions, and she at least got to see him, to be a minor part in his life. Yeah, but you wouldn't be forced to see whatever slut he was doing that night if you were in another state her traitorous mind whispered. Sadly she knew that she would take whatever scraps of his life he was willing to throw out and share with her. Yup, it was official, love sucks.

Max rarely slept, shark D.N.A. and all that, but she somehow managed it tonight, knowing in some way that she would need it tomorrow. She would need it, because tomorrow she saw Alec.

Alec was furious. Ten Hours! She had been back in Seattle for ten hours, and no one had thought to tell him about it? What was he, dead meat? Just because they had a falling out before she left didn't mean they weren't still friends. Friends, the word tugged painfully at his heart. If he hadn't been so stupid they could have been so much more than that. He could have had everything he dreamed of, the one person he loved more than anything. But he had blown it. He had realized the truth too late .And now she had probably moved on, he wouldn't blame her. He had been an ass, a jerk, a blind, stupid idiot who was undeserving of her or her love.

He still couldn't comprehend how she could have fallen in love with him of all people. She was the epitome of perfection, literally. And he was the fucked up screw up, who had ruined her life, what was it? Once? Twice? More? Alec wanted to cry when he thought of the pain he had caused her, it ripped him up from the inside.

They hadn't grown closer during the siege. In those ten months they had formed an incredibly deep bond that had frightened him. So when someone had mentioned a comment that fateful night two months ago, he had slammed the shutters of denial over his mind and gotten together with the first bimbo he had seen.

The look on her face as she had seen the two of them together would forever be etched into his memory, yet another time he had caused her pain. Those doe brown eyes filled with pain, and sadness. In an attempt to run from his own feelings he had hurt her so deeply, and yet she had still cared.

Only later had he realized exactly what he'd done, and what he felt, and by then it was too late. She was gone. Alec only realized weeks after she had left what that feeling in his chest, in his stomach meant. He hadn't even felt this way with Rachel. What he had with Rachel had been mild compared to this. His stomach fluttered whenever she got near, his skin felt too hot, he babbled, and said stupid things to get her attention. His heart clenched with worry whenever he thought something bad could happen to her, or clenched with jealousy when he saw her with other men, especially alpha transgenic males. He would die for her in an instant, do anything to stop her from feeling pain, from being hurt. He would do anything to make her happy, anything. And he had thrown it all away, he had thrown the one chance he had to be her mate away on a whim. As if she had meant nothing, as if those eleven months they had spent getting closer, waiting out the siege, integrating transgenics into society after the siege, the late night talks, the confessions, the playful and passionate arguments, had meant nothing. He had let her think that she meant nothing to him, when it couldn't have been farther from the truth.

So, he was going to make it right. He would explain himself, and throw himself at her mercy, whatever she decided, as long as he got to be a part of her life again, any part.

Abruptly he stopped moving. There she was talking to a redhead he didn't recognize and Kyli. She looked as good as he remembered, better even. Her long mahogany hair sparkled in the light, showing off the natural red highlights to her deep brown hair. Her full lips were curled into a smile, as her long graceful hands gestured expressively. Her stance shoed off her nice, tight ass. The redhead said something to her and she turned her head, to stare across the room straight into his hazel eyes. Max.