They walked into Logan's office and Max logged into his computer, checking to see if there was an update about Carr's death.
"Logan, I wanna check out the crime scene." Not that I need your permission. Max looked up at Logan, expecting him to tell her that it wasn't a smart thing to do.
Logan surprised her by saying, "Sure. Tomorrow sound good?"
Max sighed with relief and nodded.
"Okay, well, I'm going to start on dinner." Logan walked through the doorway and into the kitchen.
Max stood from her chair and followed Logan. "I wanna help you fix a Logan Cale culinary masterpiece."
Logan smiled and pulled something out of a drawer. He handed the cloth material to Max and pulled one out for himself.
"Aprons." Max muttered.
"All beginning chefs must wear the apron, young lady."
Max reluctantly pulled the bell pepper-patterned apron over her head and tied it around her waist. She laughed at Logan's 'Kiss the chef' apron.
"What? You know you wan-" Logan stopped short. Good job, Cale. Screw up a perfectly good night with Max by bringing up physical contact and the virus. "Max, I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. And before you say anything, just hear me out. The other night –our argument—I said that I thought Carr had found the answer to our prayers. I really don't think Carr was evil, Logan. I mean, he…he was helping me find a cure." Max sat on a stool. "Look, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I've been really stressed lately, given the givens." Max shook her head. "It doesn't excuse me, I know. I want us to be the way we were. Before-"
"Before this virus came around and killed any chance you had of getting 'er in bed." Alec finished for Max.
Twice in 2 days! Max looked at Logan. "Hold on a sec."
She grabbed Alec's arm violently and led him to Logan's front door.
"Get outta here, Alec. I'm so freakin' tired of you getting between Logan and me." Max opened the door.
Alec chuckled. "Oh, Maxie. Can't you see? He's a lowlife 'normal.' A liberal, stuck-up snob who thinks everyone should just bow down to him and do his dirty work. You belong with someone like me, someone who understands you and doesn't treat you like a pet or slave."
"Oh, really? You think you are what I need?" Max smiled at how ridiculous Alec was sounding.
"I know I'm what you need. You can't deny your feelings for me. What about the time I helped you escape from Manticore?"
"You turned around and tried to turn me back in! You betrayed Logan and me!"
Alec opened his mouth to disagree, but realized she was right. "Okay, well, I help with Joshua."
"To have a place to stay. In other words, you're using Joshua." Max crossed her arms over her chest, knowing Alec could never win this argument.
"You know what, forget that. Think of all the times I've given excuses to Normal. For example, today I told him that you had a gastrointestinal infection and were sitting on the head all day."
"Oh, you couldn't come up with anything more original, Alec?"
"I thought it was pretty brilliant. Where were you anyway?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Max put her hand on Alec's shoulder and pushed him towards the door.
"Hey! Don't touch me!" Alec jerked away and pushed Max back, causing her to hit the wall with her back - HARD - so hard it knocked the breath out of her. Alec slammed the door and she could hear him muttering as he waited for the elevator.
Max stood up and saw Logan standing in the hallway, his face showing his concern.
"Max, what's up with him?"
"I don't know, Logan. I think he's just scared. This virus from White has him freaked out. It has me freaked out."
Logan walked over to Max and put his arm around her - no layer of clothing to protect him from the virus.
For a moment, Max thought about pulling away, but then she thought about the antigen - how sure Carr had been that it would work.
Logan whispered into her ear how much he missed holding her.
Max wanted to tell Logan how much she missed him too. How much she longed for him to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. Like that'll ever happen.
She turned to Logan and said, "Why don't I finish up dinner and you can light some candles?"
"Sounds good." Logan looked at Max as seriously as he could and joked, "Just don't burn it, okay?" He smiled as Max playfully punched his arm.
Alec walked into Crash, recognizing some people in the back, yet making sure to act like he didn't see them. He headed straight to the bar and ordered a beer, which was just what he needed after his little quarrel with Max. He saw OC walk up to the bar out of his peripheral vision. "Well, look what the cat dragged in."
Cindy looked at Alec with her famous look of death. "Alec, always good to see ya too." She wondered why he'd come to Crash without Asha.
Alec smirked at OC's comment and pulled a five out of his wallet. As he set it down on the counter, OC's hand grabbed his arm.
"What's up with you, Alec?"
Alec pulled his arm out of OC's grasp. "Nothin'! Okay?"
OC could tell he was in his own little world, as he had been for the past few days. "What is wrong with you, Alec?"
Alec scoffed. "Nothing. I'm outta here."
Cindy followed Alec up the stairs to the street. "You never let anyone close and never talk about your feelings. Or admit to them, for that matter."
Alec put on his best grin, trying to get Cindy off his back. "I don't have any feelings to admit and I don't need anyone else, okay?"
"You sure? You'll never know how she feels if ya don't ask. Risks are part of life, Boo; they make you stronger."
"Yeah, sure, Doctor Phil." Alec hopped onto his bike and pedaled towards Asha's place.
OC thought about Asha and how she had been hanging out with him, well, more like flirting with him, for a while now. Maybe he'll tell her how he feels tonight. Little did she know Alec had feelings for someone else.
Special Agent Ames White slammed the door shut as he walked into the conference room at NSA headquarters. Special Agent Otto could see the frustration - no, the anger - on his superior's face. White had gone ballistic after 452 had managed to get past his SWAT team at the hospital that morning, and Otto had tried to avoid a one-on-one confrontation, but White had managed to corner him.
"What the heck happened, Otto? You were given specific orders to be sure the entire area was surrounded and secure so that 452 could not escape!" White stood in front of Otto with a threatening look on his face, daring Otto to come up with an excuse.
Otto just stood there and awkwardly shifted his weight, knowing that a punch to the stomach was sure to come soon.
"We had her, Otto. She was right there in our grasp and you just let her walk out. Do you know what this means, Otto?" White continued to give Otto the death stare. "It means that I think you don't know how to do your job correctly." Disgusted, White waved Otto towards the door, ending the meeting.
But before Otto could turn around to leave, White double tapped him in the heart with his concealed pistol. Otto stumbled back a few steps and looked at White in shock before he collapsed on the floor—dead.
White dragged the body to a closet and stuffed it inside. He grabbed some files from his desk, lit a match and burned the paper-trail evidence of Special Agent Otto. Luckily, Otto's information had never been put into the online database, making it easier to erase the slightest suspicions about Otto's existence. He'd worry about the body later, but right now, he had a very special transgenic to catch—and kill.