Deadly Fix

Summary: Max, Alec, the cure, a hostage situation…

Thank you for waiting so patiently. Naps really are wonderful.

Chapter Four

Max was running before her brain knew what she was doing.

Max skidded to a halt, however, as did the officers following her, when the door to the office building opened. Alec looked like something out of a pre-pulse horror movie. He was covered in blood. His hair was matted with it and his face was spattered. His clothing was soaked on one side from shoulder to waist.

Max moved forward again, stopping just in front of him. Her hands reached out to grab him, but she wasn't sure where to touch. "Where are you hit?"

"I'm fine, Max," he said calmly.

"Don't give me that," she snapped. "Where are you hurt?"

"It's not mine." Alec looked down at himself, running his gore-covered hands across his filthy jacket. For several seconds, he tried unsuccessfully to clean them, but there was nowhere on his clothes that didn't just move the blood around, so he gave up, letting them hang loosely at his sides.

A policeman in full SWAT gear grabbed Alec by the shoulder and bodily pulled him back toward the command post. Alec allowed himself to be led and Max had no choice but to follow. As they moved away from the building, more policemen began swarming into it. It was useless, Max knew, but they were just doing their job.

She and Alec were taken to the RV/headquarters. Almost as soon as they arrived the door burst open and the commander bolted down the steps. He too stopped short, shocked by Alec's appearance. "Tell me what happened in there," the man bellowed, "and make it fast!"

Alec held up a hand, almost like someone who had a hangover and the noise was hurting his ears. "I took care of it. He's in the back office."

"I know that, you moron. My men just radioed me that they've found the body."

"Yeah," Alec frowned, like the guy wasn't too bright. "Like I said, I took care of it."

"What happened?" the man demanded again.

Alec leaned to one side, grimacing and placing a hand against his ribs. "He was about to start taking out the hostages. I stopped him."

"You hurt, son?" the man asked and Alec jumped at the phrase.

"Had a little trouble getting the gun away from him." Alec's mouth quirked up at one side. "He really didn't want to give it to me."

"Alec, you sure you're ok?" Max asked. She could see a bruise forming on the cheek facing her, roughly fist sized.

Alec wiped a hand across his face, smearing the blood and making himself look even more ghoulish. "Accidentally hit an artery. I don't recommend it."

"You shot him?"

"No, I tore his head off with my bare hands."

The commander's eyes widened and Max could tell he was halfway to believing him. "Not the time for joking, Alec," she muttered and smacked him. Alec winced, just a tiny flutter of his eyelashes, but it let her know that it had been harder than he was letting on to bring the other transgenic down.

"Yes, I shot him." Alec turned to look at her, his eyes more serious. "I had to, Max. The witnesses… He wouldn't listen. He… He wasn't going any other way."

Max just nodded, accepting it as truth. She'd hoped for better, but sometimes Manticore's programming was just too deeply ingrained. Alec and the hostages walking out of the building relatively unscathed would have to be good enough for her. This was already enough of a PR nightmare. She didn't need more. "Can we go?" she asked the commander.

"Not until we have an official statement."

"I shot him," Alec said tiredly. "What more do you want?"

"How about for you to drop the attitude and show my some respect," the man said angrily. "We didn't have to bring you into this and the second we do I end up with a body on my hands. So just can it, kid. I've been at this for twelve years and I think I know what I'm doing." Alec smirked and it further infuriated the cop. "You think that's funny?"

All of the warmth drained from Alec's eyes, eyes that had seen far too much in such a young life. The cop almost took a step back, startled, but stopped himself. He'd been thinking of Alec as a stupid kid, with more attitude than anything else, and now he could see the difference.

"Twelve years ago, I was already good enough to sneak in here, kill you, and sneak back out before anyone even knew you were dead." Alec was still smiling, but it wasn't pretty. "I'll show you some respect when you return the favor. I just did your job for you in there, kid." Alec's grisly, blood-spattered appearance only added to the effect of his words.

"That's enough, Alec," Max said, and he immediately stood down. The cop looked like he'd received a reprieve when Alec quit looking at him. "Look, he needs to get cleaned up. I will see to it that he gives a detailed statement." She glared at Alec to impress her point on him. "The video will be delivered to the police department by nightfall. That be good enough?"

The commander frowned worriedly, unsure of how to deal with the highly unusual situation. He just looked back and forth between them, trying to decide whether or not to let them go.

"She'll kick my ass if I don't do what she says," Alec offered. "She's little, but she's mean."

"And if I don't let you leave?"

Max scowled, while Alec's grin turned predatory. "We're talking right now as a courtesy," he said mildly. "Max and I can leave whenever we want to."

"You're that good, are you?" the man asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Better."

"All right," Max cut in angrily. "I get it. You're both big macho guys. Can we knock off the pissing contest and go home?"

"Classy, Max," Alec said wearily, but nodded his head.

A uniformed officer strode toward them and stopped, facing his boss. "The hostages are all fine and they're saying this guy jumped the other one when he was about to shoot a woman."

"Thank you," the commander said. "Go find Robbins to drive these two back." The officer nodded and strode away. "I want that statement by tonight," he said to Alec.

"You know where to find us," Alec replied.

Max steered a very pliant Alec back through the gates. Their driver hadn't said a word on the way back, perhaps even more wary since Alec was wearing the evidence of just how lethal a transgenic could be. Meanwhile, Alec had turned subdued and she could tell the drying blood was bothering him.

A crowd quickly gathered, frightened and curious about what had happened and needing to know whether Alec was hurt. He smiled through it all, reassuring them, though Max could see it didn't reach his eyes. She just continued to push him forward past the crowd of concerned well-wishers.

Finally, when she saw his smile was becoming brittle, she snapped, "Don't you people have things to do?" Some of them dared to mutter 'no', but a glare sent them scurrying away just as she and Alec reached her apartment building. She kept a hand on his arm as they walked up the stairs. Arriving at her door, she pushed it open and nudged Alec to go in ahead of her.

"This is your place," he said dully.

"I have a working shower," Max said. "We've got to get you clean. The stink is bothering me."

"We? You gonna join me?" he said with raised eyebrows. There was no real enthusiasm behind it though. It was more Alec trying to conform to what she expected of him.

"Go." She pointed toward the bathroom. "Wash. And give me your cell phone."

"Yes, Ma'am." He winced as he took the phone out of his pocket and threw it to her.

She caught it and then followed him worriedly as he moved toward the bathroom. He still wasn't really talking, which wasn't like him. "You need help?" she asked, keeping her voice businesslike.

He turned then and really looked at her. His hair was matted and his face was still streaked with blood, smeared where he'd tried to wipe it off. He was a mess. And he was looking at her like he needed something. She just didn't know what, couldn't read him. There was more to it than having to shoot the transgenic. She could feel it.

"I wish…"

"What?" she asked.

He closed his eyes, locking himself away. "Nothing," he said quietly. Alec turned away, walked into the bathroom and firmly closed the door.

Max shook her head, feeling somehow bereft without him. The room seemed darker, somehow just… less. Worse, she felt like she'd failed him somehow.

Max brought the cell phone up and started making calls. She needed a fresh set of clothes for Alec and somewhere set up so that he could quickly make the statement for the police. That finished, Max paced back and forth, listening to the sound of the shower. She hardly noticed when Dalton showed up with an extra set of clothes. He threw them in the bathroom, then quickly left. By the time she heard the water shut off, Max knew the water had to be cold, and she worriedly continued pacing while Alec moved around inside the bathroom.

Just when she was ready to go in and check on him, Alec finally reemerged. The transformation was startling. It wasn't just that he was clean. He was closed down tighter than a drum. Before she would have said he was perfectly fine. Max knew better now. He wasn't anywhere near fine. He'd just locked it all away.

"Thanks for the clothes." He gave her a friendly smile. "Guess I'll have to add a new outfit to the next supply run. My old ones are a lost cause."

"You ok?"

"Sure," he said, frowning. She could almost feel him mentally checking to make sure nothing was showing he didn't want her to see. "Why?"

"Even before the hostage thing… I could tell something was wrong. I haven't had a chance to talk to you since we saw the doctor. You've been avoiding me."

"I've been busy," Alec said, not quite meeting her gaze.

"You've been weird. Ever since I told you about the cure." She knew her tone was accusatory, but it was too late to fix that.

Alec stood very still, wheels turning, then finally he said, "I'm trying to be happy for you, Max."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He shook his head sadly, the mask slipping. "It means the cure for you and Logan… I…"

"Just say it, Alec. You know I suck at this stuff. If you don't say it, I won't get it."

Alec almost smiled at that, but it quickly faded. "Max, I was just starting to breathe again. After Berrisford, after Rachel, after everything Manticore did, even living in this hole, I was starting to breathe again. You did that."

"I didn't do anything."

"The cure," Alec said, paying no attention to her denial, "it's going to help you, but it's going to take all of that away."

Max had no idea what to say. This was the Alec she so rarely saw, the frighteningly honest Alec who was all seriousness. Her self-reliant Alec was admitting how much he relied on her, how badly he needed her, and how afraid he was of losing her. She remembered the look he'd given her in the car, the hunger and desperation he'd worn so openly. "Alec-"

"No, Max. It's ok." He took a step back from her, though she knew it was more than just physical distance he was putting between them. "You deserve some happiness."

"I do," she said, and Alec actually flinched. "We all do," she added.

"Sure," he said half-heartedly. Then before she could say anything else, he squared his shoulders, pulling himself back together. "You set up someplace I can make the video for the police?" He waited for her to nod. "Good. Let's get it done. Maybe then I can get some sleep."

Max stood on the other side of the room listening while Alec sat at a table and spoke into the camera. There was no smirk, no humor in his face as he recounted the facts of what had happened earlier. It made him look even more exhausted. She listened to his steady voice and imagined it was very much what X5-494 had sounded like giving a report.

As she had requested, it was a detailed accounting. Alec had walked in, tried to talk the other transgenic down, the guy had lost it and Alec had been forced to act. The only real surprise was that he'd attempted to staunch the bleeding until it had become obvious it was futile. That explained all the blood Alec had been wearing and the time lapse for his exit.

Finally, he wound down. Alec nodded and one of the dozen others who'd shown up to watch the proceedings shut the camera off.

"Mole, you'll make certain it gets into the right hands?" Max asked.

"Sure," the scaly-skinned transgenic answered. "The cops and I get along great. I'll send 'em some cookies with it."

Alec rose and Max immediately started forward when she saw him falter. Alec, however, waved her back. "S'ok," he said, breathing harder than he should have been, his hands braced on the table to steady himself. "Just got a little dizzy."

"You sure?" Max asked. She glanced around the room to see everyone was watching him worriedly.

"Yeah." Alec straightened again and gave them a tight smile. "Just tired."

"No kidding. Probably haven't slept more than ten hours this week," Mole muttered.

"Is that true?" Max asked.

Alec just shrugged. Max eyed him, wishing she could tell what he was thinking. He didn't give her the time though. Instead he began moving toward the door.

"Been a long day, guys. I'll see you tomorrow," he said. There were a few answering goodbyes and he walked out.

"All right, Mole," Max said. "What's up with him?"

The lizard-looking man stared down at her, apparently more surly than normal. "Kid won't sleep. I used to think maybe he was one of you guys that didn't need any. He was here all hours of the day and night."

"Alec has more normal sleep patterns," Max said. "I think." In truth, now that she thought of it she really didn't know whether or not he was like her. He did always seem to be available whenever she needed him, but that didn't mean he wasn't giving up sleep to help her.

"He hides it well. Kind of impressive really," Mole said. "Works pretty good for a guy who's ready to keel over. He compensated that night when he was so tired his vision got blurry."

"Compensated?"

"Shot that guy anyway. Couldn't see worth a crap, but he figured it out in just a few seconds and adjusted his aim. Like I said, impressive." Mole puffed on his cigar. "Course he nearly got me killed, so I drugged him when we got back. Slept for twenty hours straight. Vision problem cleared right up."

"And no one told me about this?"

Mole snorted. "Not my business to be telling you about your own boyfriend."

"We're not…"

"I know," Mole said. "Trust me. We all know. And now that the Ordinary's found a cure, it's gonna be even worse."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Max snapped.

"I'm not your keeper or your mama. Figure it out yourself," he said and left the office.

Max followed him out into the main room that served as their command and was met with a sea of faces. And wasn't it just perfect that every last one of them was staring daggers at her. Alec was hurting and somehow she had gotten the blame. They hadn't even looked this angry when she'd told them about the meat shortage. Apparently, Alec ranked even higher than food.

Max stalked out of the building, ignoring the accusatory glances, and walked in the direction of Alec's apartment. It didn't take as long as she'd thought before she saw him ahead of her, moving more slowly than he should have been. He actually looked like he was… ambling. Alec normally had a laid-back, almost loose-limbed gracefulness about his walk, but this was more than that.

As they neared his building, she saw him stop and lean a hand against the brick wall beside him, holding himself up. She was about to start forward when he straightened and once again began his slow walk into the building. She followed him inside and, as she approached the door to his apartment, was surprised to see that it had been left open.

"I know you followed me, Max," she heard him call from inside. "Don't just stand out there staring."

Chagrined, Max walked into the apartment and closed the door behind her. The only lamp cast a dim light, but it was enough for her to see Alec sitting slouched on the sofa.

"There a reason you're following me?"

"You wanna tell me why you haven't been sleeping? Apparently everyone's noticed but me."

"And there you have it, question and answer."

"You…" Max trailed off as she realized what he'd said. Everyone had noticed but her. He wasn't sleeping, because she hadn't noticed he wasn't sleeping.

Alec ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Just need to rest. I'll be fine."

"Why don't I believe you?"

Alec did look up at that, a grim smile appearing. "Because you never do."

"Please," she sniffed. "I trust you with nearly everything that goes on around here."

"But not with you."

"You back me on jobs all the time."

Alec looked so tired and frustrated, he didn't know what to say. He shook his head, then let it fall back against the sofa as if his neck were tired of holding it up. "Just sit down, Max," he finally said. "Logan… Once you're cured, you won't be around much anymore."

"Alec, I'm not leaving," she answered stubbornly.

"I meant me, Max," he said, brutal honestly in his voice. He wasn't looking at her, maybe couldn't. "You won't have time for me."

"You love me." It was a statement, not a question. Not exactly subtle either. She'd always been too direct. She didn't know any other way to be. The thought had come into her mind and it had come out of her mouth.

Alec raised his head and looked straight at her, eyes dark in the dim light. She hadn't realized how much she'd come to rely on being able to see his eyes. His face was misleading. He'd learned years ago to control his expression, was a master at it. He couldn't hide those eyes from her, though. They told her things she needed to know when the rest of him wasn't willing. But now the darkness that had so often been her friend was keeping her from seeing him clearly.

"You love me. Just tell me the truth, Alec." He was silent, watching her and Max simply waited.

"I do," he answered and she could hear the vow in his tone. Max suddenly felt as if her heart were too large for her chest. It banged against her ribs furiously and yet it wasn't painful. She felt alive… warm and gloriously alive. She hadn't known she needed to hear the words, but now that she had, it was as if everything that she had been thinking and feeling realigned into an entirely different pattern, one that suddenly made sense.

"Doesn't matter." Alec smiled, embarrassed by his admission. "The cure. Logan. 48 hours will be up tomorrow morning."

"It matters," she said. Max moved forward and sat down on the sofa. She didn't keep a safe distance. She sat down right beside him, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, her thigh brushing along his. She turned into him and he instinctively put an arm around her. She brought a hand up and set it against his chest so that she could feel his heartbeat as well as hear it where her head rested against him.

"Max, what are you-"

"Sleep," she said. "We'll worry about the cure tomorrow." She'd worry about what this meant. She'd worry about Logan. She'd worry about it all tomorrow. Right now, Alec was hurting and that took precedence. "Just sleep, Alec."

She felt him relax his muscles one by one and then finally he rested his head against hers. For the first time since Logan had told her about the cure, she was suddenly at peace. Max had intended to wait until Alec fell asleep, but it was her own eyes that she felt growing heavy.

Max woke to the sound of beeping. It was coming from very close to her ear and she realized it was Alec's watch. His arm was still wrapped around her. At some point during the night, Alec had stretched out, resting his head on the arm of the sofa. Max had sleepily followed, comfortably pressed between Alec and the back of the sofa.

She felt more than saw Alec bring his other hand up to stop the alarm on his watch. His hand dropped to her shoulder, his fingers slowly sliding over it then down her arm. She could feel the heat from his hand through her clothing and Max's skin tingled where he had touched her. Her arm was lying across his chest and she tightened her hold, her fingers splayed across his ribs, as she raised her head to look at him.

Alec was wide awake and looked as if he had been for some time. His tired eyes were watching her every move, sorrow lining his face, although he smiled at her. "Morning."

"What was the alarm?"

"It's been 48 hours," he answered.

"The virus." Max felt her heart speed up and knew Alec could feel it too. A simple touch would activate it, just like the virus meant for Logan. She looked down, her eyes traveling from their feet back up to Alec's face. Clothing separated them. There was no skin to skin contact.

She met Alec's eyes. His face was now carefully neutral, but his eyes… He looked… broken. More painful though was the resignation she saw there.

"You're almost free," Alec said.

"Did you sleep at all?"

Alec smiled again. "Some."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"You never do."

Max couldn't have been more aware of him if she'd tried. She was practically wrapped around him, one leg thrown over his, pressed against him shoulder to ankle. "What now?"

"Touch me, Max. All you have to do is touch me."

More soon…