Secrets of Silence

Chapter 3

Max arrived at Logan's and found him cooking dinner when she stepped into the kitchen then noticed the table was nicely set. She wanted a chance alone with him to discuss their relationship or lack of, but she wasn't happy he used when she asked for his help to get her there so quick. "Logan." She said taking his attention off the stove. "What's all this?"

"Since you were already coming I decided why not have dinner as well?"

Max softly smiled relieved that he hadn't been trying to trick her. "What did you find out?"

"Nothing much, there's no type of record on him. I checked with the fighting arena, he started there seven months ago but quit recently." Logan explained as he moved around the kitchen and tended to the meal.

Max frowned, he wasn't kidding when he said it wasn't much. "Seven months, that's around the same time Manticore went down. It can't be a condescendence." She expressed.

"There's nothing more we can do, let's focus on us."

~*~

After their walk it was late and Ava was tired enough to fall asleep as soon as she reached the bed. Alec left her alone and joined Shane on the sofa as she stared at the TV looking for mindless entertainment. "Hey." She said when she noticed his presence.

"Hey, Peach is asleep and it's still pretty early and there's something I want to take care of. If she wakes up just think of something and call me, I'll be back soon." Alec explained as he grabbed his jacket and neared the door.

The younger transgenic nodded as he left. She rose from the sofa and went to the door putting each lock in place as she was taught to do; Ava had to be protected as much as possible.

~*~

Alec hated to lie to his family, he considered Shane like a little sister and he fully trusted her with his daughter's life. Ava, he knew how she hated danger, if she learned the truth of his nightly whereabouts she wouldn't be pleased. She wasn't the normal three year old, her mind was very developed and she had thoughts and feelings just as strong with no problem on voicing them.

"She gets that from here mother." He mumbled as his mind drifted to Max. The more he observed her at work the more he saw of her in Ava. Max, she was a handful, a temper to match her straight forward ways. They didn't get along in the short moments they saw of each other, she just seemed to push all his buttons.

But that wasn't enough for him to make the choice weather or not she should know about Ava. He didn't care if she disliked him, it mattered how she would react and treat Ava. But he didn't know enough about her and was completely lost on how to find out.

He walked the dark shadows and realized he wasn't alone anymore. Speaking of the devil, he thought as the dark eyed woman walked toward him. He hadn't noticed her soon enough to hide and now he had to deal. "What are you doing around here?" she tightly asked.

Was she always so serious, he wondered. As he met her eyes he saw she knew something, as if she knew he shouldn't be there. "How do you know I don't live around here?"

Max crossed her arms. "No one working at Jam Pony could afford a place around here."

Alec placed his hands in his pockets, both of them in interrogation mode. "Then what are you doing here?"

Max stopped herself from snapping since she had asked the same thing of him, it wasn't fair to lash out though she was itching to. "Visiting a friend."

"Ah, the boyfriend." Alec said with a smirk in place. "I heard you and OC talking at Jam Pony, Logan right?" he seemed very carefree as he spoke but inside he wasn't happy to know she had an ordinary in her life, it was a high risk he had to consider.

"That's none of your business. What are you doing here?" she asked again remembering he dodged the question earlier, he was good at that.

"That's none of your business." Alec said using her words against her. He smiled before walking away.

~*~

Max watched him leave with an urge to stop him but that would only cause questions she couldn't answer. She took the last few steps to her bike and hopped on quickly riding away.

The next day Max jumped at the chance to grab the package Normal listed before giving it any thought causing the others to give her a questioning look. She shrugged it off and took the package. The delivery was only a few blocks from the address listed in Alec's file.

Max decided why not mix a little breaking and entering into her work day. She walked down the street after making the delivery and spotted two kids, one looked about five and the other seven, they were arguing.

"I'm going to kill you if you don't give it back!"

"Finders keepers!"

Max watched the little girl suddenly charge at the other girl at full speed, Manticore speed. She quickly reacted, "Whoa!" she said grabbing the little girl before her fist could touch the older girl. "Run." Max told the frightened older girl.

"That's unfair, she stole my toy, my daddy got it yesterday. I want it back!" She yelled trying to free herself from Max's grasp.

"You shouldn't go after people like that in public, it isn't safe. Calm down, we'll get your toy back ok? First I want to talk to you." Max set the girl down on her feet when she stopped fighting. "You're from Manticore?" The little girl tensed up and turned pale white. "It's ok, so am I." she softly said to calm her nerves as she showed her, her barcode. "Can I see yours?"

She turned around and flashed the older woman her neck. "I shouldn't be out but stupid Gwen stole my toy in the hall, I chased her out here."

Max smiled. "You're a little thunder cat, how old are you?"

"Three." The little girl suddenly looked up and ran. "Daddy!" she yelled jumped into his arms.

Max rose from her crouching position on the street and turned around. "Alec."

-

Isabelle A.