Today 'They' Won the Battle

By Rhasa

Part 20

Truths Told

Alec sure didn't feel like any company at this particular point in time – except for the welcomed companionship that the half-emptied bottle of scotch that was standing before him gave him; and so it was better than good that TC's bar was empty. He guessed that no one felt much like drinking following the service for Joshua; perhaps they were waiting out of a sense of respect or decency or whatever. Whatever the reason for the unexpected absence of anyone he doubted that he would have the place all to himself for long. Perhaps he should have taken the bottle back to his room, but walking half a click to the grotty apartment on the eastern side of Terminal City that he called 'home' (a term he used loosely) would have taken a little more effort than he thought he was capable of at the moment.

Besides, there was a minor point that some of his best thinking was done while walking, something about the staccato of his booths on the pavement providing some clarity to the everyday chaos of his mind, and the last thing he wanted to do right now was think – to think about his life, the universe and everything Max. Best to stay still, with the bottle, alone – safer that way.

"You getting a jump on the rest of us?"

Alec winced at the words – so much for solitude. He thought about telling Mole to shove off somewhere, but since when did his lizard friend ever listen to him?

"I'm not much in the mood for company right now, Mole."

"It's a free country," Mole said as he moved to take up a seat next to his downtrodden friend.

Alec gave him a sharp look.

"Okay, scratch that," Mole said in agreement to Alec's questioning look. "But it is a free bar."

Mole grabbed the bottle of scotch that sat before Alec, reached across the wooden surface, and procured himself a fresh glass. "Nice memorial service," he said by way of making small talk.

"Yeah," Alec replied simply.

Mole filled the shot glass, threw his head back, and downed the golden liquid in less than a second. "Sure miss the big guy," he admitted.

"By today's turn out, you're not the only one."

Mole nodded solemnly at Alec's words. "I was surprised by Max. She kept it together a lot better than I thought she would. Some of us appreciated that."

"Max has always been good at keeping her emotions in check," Alec told him bitterly.

"I mean, she had a tear or two in her eye, but who didn't? You know?"

"Yeah," Alec said despondently.

Mole was never one to be comfortable with a quiet Alec, looked over at his friend. Whatever it was that had his friend down was sure doing a number on him. "You thinking about Joshua?" he asked, trying to probe.

"No. I should be."

"Then I guess it's safe to assume you current woes have something to do with out lady boss."

"Gee, does it show?"

"I guess she told you then," Mole said matter-of-factly.

"Told me what?"

"I heard from Gem she's already packing. You're not letting her go through with it are you?" A gruff voice asked Alec.

"What are you talking about?" Alec asked as he sat a little safer in his chair.

"The deal she made with Logan," Mole told him.

When Alec continued to stare at him with a blank confused look on his face, a thought occurred to Mole. Alec didn't know. Shit. Why'd he have to be the bearer of bad news all the time? "I thought you knew. I saw you take off after her after Josh's service. I thought you went to have it out with her."

Alec's heart skipped a beat. God he hated to be kept in the dark. The sheer mention of a 'deal' and 'Logan" made his blood run cold. "I have no idea of what you're talking about, but I swear Mole if you don't help me understand right now there will be bloodshed."

"Okay, okay. I'm just saying I thought you knew, that's all," he said as he reached for a glass of his own.

"Mole-"

Sighing, Mole put down the glass before he had a chance to fill it and turned to his friend. "Look, you know when we parted at the wharf, right before it all our fun plans went belly up and White got his hands on those crown jewels of yours-"

"Move it along Mole," Alec said, his impatience clear.

"You asked me to give Max a message in the event that you didn't make it back. Well, after my return to TC and a debriefing, Logan told us about the possibility of using the toxin he had on him. I left the command centre to check on whether we had someone here who could make the stuff into an aerosol. I left Max and Logan alone, when I remembered the message you made me promise to give to her. I went back to tell her, well, you know…. Only I heard them talking and I didn't go in. Logan was threatening not to give her the toxin unless she promised to return to Canada with him."

"You mean-"

"I mean," the reptilian said nonchalantly as he began to refill his glass. "The scum sucking ordinary was making her deal for your life."

Alec took the steps to Max's apartment two at a time, not because, as Mole had said there was no time to waste, seeing that she was already packing, but because he was furious. If it hadn't have been for the amphibian's insistence that it would be better to talk to Max first, before storming off to do Logan some serious damage, Alec may well have had blood on his hands by now.

He didn't bother to knock, but instead took a deep breath before walking into her room, grateful for once that no one locked their doors in Terminal City. He stopped dead just two steps inside as he saw the duffle she had on the bed, spread wide open and surrounded by small piles of clothes. Max stood before the offending piece of luggage with a pair of shoes in her hand.

"Is it true?" he asked a redundant question.

"Alec-" Max began before he took two more steps towards her and cut her off.

"That you're leaving? Is it true?"

Max dropped her eyes in an attempt to avoid his accusing glare. "Please, I-"

"Is it true that you're abandoning Terminal City?" he asked a little louder.

"It's not like-"

"IS IT TRUE?" he yelled.

"Alec, please, don't do this," she said as she went back to packing her bag.

His hand grabbed her wrist as she lifted another shirt off the bed. "No. I won't let you leave," he told her.

"You can't-" she began, before he tightened his grip, causing her to wince.

"I won't let you leave with Logan," he said through gritted teeth, his anger clearly evident.

"I owe him, Alec," she replied softly. "I owe him for your life."

He words made him release his grip. "I don't care. It's not a fair deal, Max. I can't believe you made it."

"I had to," she cried not bothering to ask about how he had come to learn about her and Logan's 'arrangement'.

"No. You didn't. You could have made him give the toxin to you, Max. You didn't have to sell your soul."

She looked up at him, trying to make him if not understand then at least forgive. "Alec, I was weak. I didn't have the strength. You've got to believe that. If there had been another way I would have taken it, but we were running out of time. I needed to get you and Jed out of there."

"I understand that. But you don't have to leave with him now."

"I promised," she said as a tear began to fall.

"Then break your damn promise!" he yelled raising his fist and punching the wall.

"I can't," she cried.

He swung back to face her. "You can't? Or you won't?"

"Alec, please…..I don't want to leave this way-"

He came to stand directly in front of her and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Then don't. It's that simple. Stay. Here with us. Here with me."

Max brought a hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes so she could see him better. She had never wanted to hurt him. "I can't. I'm poison. I destroy everyone around me. Zack, Logan, Jed…… Joshua…. You. I can't keep you safe, Alec. I can't keep Jed safe. As long as I am here in Terminal City I'm a target. Everyone ends up getting caught in the crossfire."

"This was not about you, Max," he told her. "It was about Ray, White's son."

"Alec, White's still out there. He'll come back for me, whether to get his son or for some other reason, it doesn't matter. My being here is dangerous for everyone. You think it's just my promise to Logan that's the reason for me doing this? It's not. If I leave, you and the rest in Terminal City might just have a fighting chance."

Alec let his hands drop from her shoulders and straightened up. "You don't really believe that do you?" he asked. "Or is this some excuse you've concocted to justify leaving with Logan."

"I don't need to justify the truth of the situation," she replied.

"The 'truth' of the situation is that I love you and I need you. But apart from that your people need you. These freaks, these anomalies, these 'mistakes', these outcasts, they would die for you, Max. Do you know that? You are their leader now. They're strong but they're only strong 'because' of you. Think; just think for a moment what will happen if you abandon them, if you give up on them, if you leave them all alone."

"I wouldn't be leaving them all alone; I'd be leaving them with you, Alec."

"And what makes you think I'd stay once you're gone," he spat back at her.

"Because I know the real you," she told him honestly. "I know what've you become since you left Manticore, since you joined me here in this fight. I know that no matter how much you were an egotistical loner in the past, only looking out for yourself, you're not that person anymore, and that everyone here in Terminal City is family to you now and you won't leave them."

"Just like you're leaving them?" he said bitterly.

Max lowered her head. "It's better off this way."

Alec shook his head. "No," he said. "I don't believe that's what you really feel. I don't believe you think that Terminal City is better off without you or that you owe a debt to Logan. I think there's something else. Something else that you're not telling me."

"There isn't-"

"Are you still in love with him?"

"What?"

"Just yesterday I told you that I loved you, but you've never actually said the words back. Which leaves me to question. Are you in love with Logan?"

Max stood and stared at him. She hadn't thought that Alec would really question her on that. After all that they had been through together and after yesterday in particular…… How could he not know how she felt?

Her mind flashed back to their early days. Months after his 'liberation' from Manticore and 'insinuation' into her life, when he had asked her about her relationship with Logan, or more directly, her feelings for the older man; she told him it was none of his business. And back then, that had been truth. But now there was a different truth. A truth that she had vowed she would tell, if and when, Alec returned to her from his capture by White.

She stared at the man before her feeling very much at a crossroad.

She did what she did to save him, but she also knew he wouldn't understand. Despite all outward appearances and the bravado he openly displayed, deep down he didn't think that much of himself. He kept his lack of self-esteem a secret. But she knew him better than he thought. He would never agree that his life was worth the price she was about to pay. She had pretty much chosen his life over Terminal City. He wouldn't accept that. And now she was beginning to feel that he wouldn't let go. She didn't want to hurt him, but she knew she must, in order to save him.

"Max," he asked again. "Are you still in love with Logan?

Her eyes searched his. "Yes," she whispered softly, as a tear ran down her cheek.

Not waiting another second, he reached out, and pulled her to him. Wrapping one arm around her waist, securing her small frame against his larger one, he tangled a fist into her hair, and crushed his mouth to hers.

Max's half-hearted effort to escape from his arms quickly gave way to pulling him desperately nearer. Feeling his lips on hers, his breath, she couldn't help but respond. Her damn traitor body betrayed her resolve to drive him away, as she opened her mouth and began to drown in his depths.

After minutes of feeding off of her, Alec pulled back and seeing an all consuming desire on her face that was reflected in her eyes, said the one word that would be her undoing.

"Liar."

To be continued……

Author's Note:

sigh

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Til next time Sarah