Locura
By Sorrow Reminisce
Quand l’amour n’est pas folie, ce n’est pas de l’amour
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31 December, 2021
The boy knew he had been discovered when he heard the footsteps pause at the top of the stairs, and the basement door slowly creek open.
He looked around in the darkness for a better place to hide as he heard the telltale creak of footsteps slowly descend the stairs. He quickly corrected himself - he wasn’t trying to hide, he was finding a position to take defence. But there was no other place except for this crate behind which he crouched. He couldn’t have chosen a lousier place to hide… to retreat to.
Quietly, he released the safety catch of his gun and peered around the edge of the crate as he took aim towards the base of the stairs. He waited for the enemy to come into view. Minutes passed. Still he waited, refusing to give up his position and hardly daring to breathe. It seemed as if his pursuer had left, but this could be a trap to lure him out. He was patient. He would continue to wait.
Half an hour later, his legs were beginning to cramp. He pushed the sensation away and focused on the stairs once more. He knew if he mucked up, he’d be out of the game. This was no fellow X6 after him, it was a highly trained X5. One who was obviously having a really bad day.
***
“Has anyone seen Alec?"
Max strode into the head quarter‘s of Terminal City, a look of concern marring her features as she approached Dix and Luke at the computer terminals.
“No, Max. Haven’t seen a whiff of him all day." Seeing Max’s urgency, Dix turned to the screens connected to the security camera’s and began to flip through them, searching for sign Alec in the streets outside. There was none.
“What the hell is the guy thinking, disappearing like this when I need him!" She bit at her bottom lip to hold in a scream of frustration and tried to hide her despair from the two transhuman’s before her. “It’s just typical!"
“What’s the problem Max?"
Groaning silently to herself, Max turned to encounter Logan who had entered the room in time to catch the last remark. She couldn’t help but wish he would leave Terminal City. His mere presence made her feel so god damned whiney. Why couldn’t he have been written out back in Season One?
Shaking her head to clear that strange, yet oddly logical and familiar question from her mind, Max attempted a smile. “He left last night with the keys for my bike."
Logan looked at her in puzzlement. “Why would Alec have your keys?"
The question baffled Max too. But not as much as the flashing image of a karaoke bar and a promise made to sing…
“Because…"
“Here!" Dix pointed to a screen showing Alec entering a deserted building on Elderwood. “This was nearly an hour ago."
He rewound the tape further to reveal a blonde X6 entering the same door fifteen minutes earlier.
“They have guns Max." As Logan stated the obvious, Max turned towards to door, trying desperately to keep the fear from her voice as she replied, “It’s just a drill."
No one replied. But all knew that Alec never put the kids through practice before breakfast. An army never marches on an empty stomach after all.
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Finally, the X6 decided his opponent must have left after all. Looking around, he cautiously crawled out from behind the crate and crept soundlessly towards the stairs. If he could make it up to the top floor, he’d have a vantage point from which he could see and with any luck, pick off his targets. Then again, if they had come to the same conclussion…
Sensing too late the presence of another in the room, the X6 whirled around, but not before the opponent’s gun was fired, the shot connecting directly with the his chest, spattering red onto the wall behind him.
The X6 looked down at his chest in mute shock, and then up at the X5 - 494, as he stepped towards him, a smug grin on his face. “Looks like Game Over for you soldier boy."
X6-478 dropped his weapon carelessly to the ground as he touched a hand to the red stain on his chest. His mouth opened to speak but he was interrupted by the creak of floorboards once more. Looking up at 494 whose grin had widened considerably, he nodded as the older Manticorian held a finger to his lips to indicate silence, and signalled with his hands.
478 staggered backwards as he signalled a response, crashing into the crate before collapsing to the floor and lying still at last.
And 494 stepped back into the shadows to wait once more.
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Max heard a crash from below and turned towards a door which undoubtedly led to the basement.
“Alec?"
She whispered into the darkness, her eyesight rapidly adjusting to the lack of light. Before she reached the last step, her gaze fell upon the body that lay so crumpled upon the floor.
A chill of horror swept through her as she inched cautiously towards the boy who lay so dreadfully still.
“Dalton?"
The kid didn’t twitch a muscle. She felt for a pulse and allowed herself a small sigh of relief to find he had one. Her eyes scanning the room, she recognised a figure shrouded in shadow opposite her.
“Alec. What the hell have you done!"
Her voice was cold as she rose to face him. Her mind numbed with grief and shock at what was obviously Alec’s final relapse into the dark side. Six months of intense testing from Manticore’s friendly family doctor’s, and it appeared he had proved to have his brother’s psychosis after all.
“Maxie! What makes you think I hurt the kid? You know I’d never do something like that…"
She shrank back as he stepped towards her but there was no where for her to hide, and he was the one holding the gun.
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Alec struggled not to laugh at the expression on Max’s face. And as the body of Dalton began to convulse on the floor, he felt his own shake in response as he fought to contain it.
Laughter. It was just contagious.
As Max’s jaw came closer to developing nasty gravel rash, he could fight it no longer. As she looked in open mouthed confusion between them, the pressure within his stomach grew until at last laughter escaped from between clenched teeth, forcing them to widen.
Soon similar gawfs could heard from Dalton’s shaking form. And as Max’s face turned various shades of pink, the laughter became hysterical and Alec leant forward clutching his stomach to try and ease the cramps.
“What the hell is going on!"
Stunned to find herself so ignored, Max flipped Dalton over to find his wide blue eyes watering with tears, his face red with laughter.
At last, Max noticed the smell of paint in the air and realization set in.
“Paintball? You two have been playing paintball!"
Dalton, who had attempted to rise, now flopped back down to the ground as a fresh wave of laughter hit him
For some strange reason, Max didn’t get the joke.
“That’s the most juvenile stunt you have pulled yet Alec! I thought you would know bet -"
Alec stepped forward and placed a finger tip on her lips as he controlled his laughter at last. “Oh come on Maxie. Lighten up! I just happened to nail Dalton before you came along, and on the fly it seemed a fun way to relieve the stress!"
“What stress?" Max looked at him in concern once more, trying to comprehend what he could be stressed about.
“Waiting three quarters of an hour for Dalton here to make a move!" He shot the boy a look of admiration. “The kid’s got all the patience of an oak! I thought I‘d have to either blow my cover or loose all feeling in my legs!"
He knew what her concern was about. She was frightened he would regress again. She still didn’t trust him. But he wanted to make her say it. To make her aware that he knew.
“What’s your problem anyway?" His happy go lucky grin faded into a tight lipped smile that held no humour . “Afraid Ben had returned from the dead?"
He knew it was a low blow to throw his twin in her face, but it would be an understatement to say he was hurt by her doubts. He was Alec. 494 would always exist in him, especially in the battles that were surely to come. But the integral part of him would always be Alec. He’d never let himself relapse in such a way again.
‘Let’s just say the thought crossed my mind." Max held his stare, her eyes serious and full of doubt.
It was obviously going to be an uphill battle to make her believe him. Though the fact that he did come close to crushing her windpipe a few days ago probably didn’t help her hesitancy to trust him anytime soon…
“Max…" Alec sighed as he placed the gun on top of the crate and took her gently by the arms. “It’s a paint gun. It’s looks convincingly real, but it’s not. I would never turn a gun on one of our own if it were anything but a training exercise."
“But you never train before breakfast…" Her voice died away as she realised how pathetic she sounded, and she stared sullenly at the floor. Unwilling even now, to admit she had made a mistake.
“It’s a busy day. Dalton came banging at my door early this morning."
“Yeah. And the guy was not happy to see me!" The X6 laughed as he collected the guns from the floor and began to climb the stairs.
As the young soldier disappeared out of sight, Max continued to glare at Alec, her stubborn streak refusing to give in.
“That was a horrible trick Alec. Even for you."
Letting her anger slid off him, knowing it was brought about by her concern, he smiled and drew her close, wrapping his arms around her. After a moment, she returned the hug, albeit reluctantly.
“I’m sorry Max." As she pulled back to smile up at him, he felt a flicker of regret for the ass kicking he knew he was about to receive. “But your just going to have to get used to it."
“What?" Her smile gave way to an expression of disbelief and he stepped away with laughter in his eyes once more, as he readied himself for the blow that would surely come.
“You’ve been around Log too long Maxie. I’m sure once upon a time, you had a sense of humour, but he suppressed it with his love of all things boring - not to insinuate you‘re boring. Of course."
Her disbelief turned to dazed confusion as she tried to work out whether or not he had just insulted her, and Alec quickly continued before she slipped into a coma from the obvious effort.
“I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to know that it’s my personal goal to remedy this problem."
“Oh god no." Max groaned and held a hand to her head, staring up at his smiling face as she began to wonder if it was simply his goal to drive her crazy.
Looking up at Alec through the haziness of what was obviously the beginning of a rather intense headache, Max realised he was waiting for her to take the bite. But she didn’t feel like being reeled in at this hour of the day. Instead, she surprised him with a smile.
“You do that Alec. You make it your life’s mission if you must. Best of luck."
She left him staring agape at the spot where she had just been standing in as she moved past him and made her way back up the stairs. After a moment, he laughed to himself and followed her out into the street.
“Hey Maxie, wait up!"
As he reached her side, Max decided it wouldn’t be a bad idea to turn and punch him on the arm after all. Catching her hand as it swung towards him, Alec quirked his eyebrows and grinned.
“Getting a bit slow there huh? Or are ya just hoping I‘d hold your hand?"
Looking down to see their hands entwined, she laughed and pulled herself away from his grasp, shoving him playfully and dodging as he tried to catch her once more.
“Don’t think a Christmas kiss is gonna get you some action pretty boy!"
He graced her with a knowing smile. “Yeaaah right. You know you want me."
Surprisingly, she didn’t reply. Didn’t hit him either. And as they strolled into headquarters’ in a companionable silence, they encountered Logan on his way out of the door. By the look on his face, it appeared someone had slipped one too many laxatives in his coffee this morning.
“Just what were you thinking Alec!" Logan’s face strained as his colour deepened to a violent red.
Or maybe not enough.
“Oh great, looks like I‘m grounded…" Alec rolled his eyes and gave Max a sideways look, sighing as he noted her complete lack of expression once more.
Logan placed himself between the two X5’s as he stepped forward to face the bane of his existence. “What the hell did you think you were doing chasing after a kid with a loaded gun?"
“He’s a soldier Logan…"
“No. He was a soldier. This isn’t Manticore Alec this is…"
“This is none of your business Logan." Alec’s face turned hard and serious as he took a half step closer, watching the flicker of uncertainty in the ordinary’s eyes as he realised he was trying to face off with a ‘genetically engineered killing machine’.
“You‘re right though."
Logan‘s eyes widened in surprise at Alec‘s unlikely confession, only to return their normal squinty state a moment later as the X5 continued.
“This isn’t Manticore. This is better than Manticore. And unlike some," Alec paused to give Max another sidelong glance, “Who perceived Manticore as a prison, to the rest of us it was our home - it’s rules were our way of life."
Logan looked at Max who continued to stare at the wall, her face turning sullen as she bit back the argument she had been going through with the residents of Terminal City since the siege began. She seemed to be the only one who didn’t want to recreate her childhood hell.
Realising he was going to get no back up from her, the self-appointed Samaritan opened his mouth to fight the good fight by himself.
“And what are you going to do Alec? Force these people back into the robotic life from which we released them?"
“Force them back? Hell no. The only thing we were forced to do in the first place was give up our home and go into hiding from those who would hunt us down and see us lynched! My people have lived their entire lives as soldiers Logan. We need the security of order and organisation. Without it, many of us are gonna end up going mad."
Alec noticed Max stiffen beside him and fought the urge to comfort her. This was just something she had to learn to accept.
“Well how do you think you’re going to escape persecution if civilians see kids running round waving guns and preparing for war?" Logan began to wonder why he was even bothering to waste his breath. He was only looking out for their best interests but they were too stubborn to see it.
“We’ll never be accepted Logan. And this is a war. So maybe you gotta ask yourself which side of the wall you really want to be behind?"
Glancing around at the small crowd of transgenics that had begun to form around them, Logan realised he was outnumbered and defeated. At least this time. Stepping back, he raised his arms in surrender. “Fine. Do whatever you feel you‘ve got to do."
He stared at Max until she at last looked him in the eye. “Max. Can I have a quiet word with you?"
Looking between Logan and Alec, she realised by their intense stares, that both men were obviously waiting for her to come to some kind of decision much more profound than the simple act of stepping outside for a ‘quiet word’. She wondered if it would be inappropriate for her to waggle her fingers while chanting ‘Eenie, meanie, miney, moe.’
“Look Logan. I said everything I have to say to you earlier. What more do you want?"
Feeling suddenly guilty for so many things, none of them presenting themselves in any solid form, she continued softly with the words that needed to be said. “Besides, I thought I told you to leave. Why are you still here?"
She shot Alec a warning look as his expression turned to surprise, and waited expectantly for Logan’s reply, ignoring the heaviness of a thousand regrets that she felt inside.
“Yeah well, that’s why I wanted to have a quiet word." Logan’s own voice was heavy with defeat and Max gave in, decided she owed him that at least.
As Max opened her mouth to reply, Mole stepped forward and grabbed the ordinary roughly by his arms, ushering him towards the door in no gentle manner.
“Time to go human. You’ve said and done enough already."
As Max’s eyes flared in anger, and Logan’s in indignation, Alec stepped forward to place a hand on the lizard man’s arm. “Hey, let him go buddy."
The transhuman stopped and stared at the X5, rebellion clear in his expression. Finally he released the cyber-journalist but not before shoving him with enough force to send him colliding into the door.
“Sure thing boss." Mole shrugged in disinterest and turned back to his post once more.
“Just looking out for his health and safety is all. Would hate to see the guy all covered in sores and coughing up stomach lining from the nasty little toxins in this place."
Alec suppressed a smile and clapped him on the back as he passed by. “I share your concern brother."
Turning to watch Max as she disappeared out of the door with Logan, Alec rubbed a tired hand across his face. The guy was like a leech, sucking the spirit right out of her. Maybe this time they would see the last of him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Look I’m sorry things have worked out this way Logan. Really, I am. But we’ve been drifting apart for so long now, surely you could see this coming?"
“What, see you and Alec - the guy you claim to hate - exchange puppy dog looks and swap saliva?" Logan made no effort to hide his bitterness. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to get the cure, only to have you leave me for him?"
“Alec and I were together before you found the cure." She spoke in a tired voice as she wondered how many times they would have to go through this conversation before he finally understood.
“Bullshit Max." His voice turned low with anger as his eyes narrowed. “I never believed you two were together then, and I don‘t believe it now."
‘Well what does it matter Logan? Really?" Max’s own anger flared as she grew impatient with his inability to understand. “I’m sorry that I’ve wasted your time and I’m sorry that you wasted your money. But it’s over. Please just understand that!"
“But why Max? Why do I have to accept that after all we’ve been through? You‘re just pushing me away because you don‘t want to hurt me aren‘t you? But you still love me Max. Admit it!"
Max folded her arms across her chest and tried to quell her irritation. He deserved some kind of explanation but emotional heart to hearts weren’t exactly easy for her to partake in.
“I think we loved each other for the sake of having someone to love. But that’s not the right foundation to build a relationship on…"
Logan laughed at her words, his face twisting with emotions he tried to hold in. “Oh right. So we can still be friends huh?"
His sarcasm wasn’t lost on Max but she choked off her retort. She felt guilty for doing this to him, guilty for doing this to herself. And that was what had caused this mess in the first place.
“You know, ever since I saw you gunned down on the news, I’ve felt guilty. Like it’s my fault. I tried to ignore it and go on with my life, but it just kept niggling at me. I thought maybe if I help you out on your Eyes Only missions, I’d redeem myself."
Her voice was soft and thoughtful as she sounded out this new found revelation as she spoke. “I guess that’s where I started confusing my feelings for you."
“So you’re saying you felt obligated to stay with me?" Logan’s voice was strained by the effort of holding his own emotions in check, his eyes searched her face for some kind of sign that would give him hope. But there was none.
Looking him in the eye, she gave him what she knew to be the only honest answer and hoped the guilt of breaking Logan’s heart would one day cease to choke her.
“Yes. That‘s what I‘m saying." Max waited for the anger and frustration in his eyes to boil over but he held it in, instead turning away from her in silence. That was worse.
“Logan!"
He stopped and turned back, hope lighting briefly in his eyes only to burn out as he realised she wasn’t about to change her mind.
“I know you’re no more welcome in the outside world than we are, and it’s okay with us if you want to stay here you know?"
Logan watched Max as she held in the tears that turned her eyes glassy, and wondered if they were caused by regret or relief. Not wanting to know, he looked to the ground and made no effort to hide the bitterness from voice as he replied. “I think that’s the last thing either of us need right now Max."
Logan squared his shoulders and walked away and as she watched him approach his car and drive away without a backward glance, Max released her tears at last.
Letting go was a bitch.
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Alec stared out of the window, a far away look on his face as he tossed an old baseball in the air and caught it absentmindedly, repeating the action until Mole at last snatched it off him and shot him a look of disgust.
“What?" Alec’s eyebrows raised in surprised insult as Mole shook his head and grimaced.
“You’re just as bad as a human you know that?" The lizard man placed the ball on a bench and gave Alec a warning look as he stepped forward to retrieve it.
“Well Mole, I’m not totally inhuman you know…" The X5 scratched his head as he tried to work out Moles little mind trip for the day.
“Look at you! A perfectly good soldier - as far as X5’s go anyway - gone to waste over some chick." Mole spat the word as if it left a sour taste in his mouth and sat on a broken couch, a faint smile on his face as he waited for Alec to take the bait.
“Hey! I’m not going to waste on any chick! I’ll have you know I’m like - the Don Juan of the transgenic world!" Alec laughed at the relief borne of light hearted conversation and his voice became animated by enthusiasm as his mind broke away from the strain of being a CO once more.
“I do not let myself to go waste over some chick. I watch the chicks go to waste over me!"
With a smug smile, Alec turned around to find Max had slipped in the door and now stood by Luke, an expression on her face that didn‘t promise any repeats of the Christmas party kiss anytime soon.
“Well Don Juan, perhaps you’d like to prove you haven’t gone to waste by making yourself useful huh?"
As the smile slid off Alec’s face, he shot Mole an ‘I’ll get you later’ look and nodded as he walked over to Max, mouth opening in preparation for an explanation.
She waved her hand and silenced him with a dismissive “Save it." before reminding him that he was on clean up duty.
“Oh and Alec…" She smiled sweetly as he stopped at the door to face her. “Don’t trip over the bodies on your way down the street."
“Bodies?" His face crinkled in concern as he tried to figure out why there would be bodies to worry about.
“Yeah, you know? Of all the girls who’ll just be throwing themselves at your feet?"
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Alec and Match made their way down Elderwood with the rest of the clean up crew, clearing out old apartments and salvaging what little was worth the effort. As Match had been on the Outside since Christmas, Alec of course felt it necessary to keep her informed of all that had gone on in TC recently. The ins and outs of the most important issues…
“I just don’t know what to do with that girl! I mean she‘s always thinking the worst of me…"
Stopping in the middle of his rant, Alec rubbed his forehead in thought. “Well okay, it doesn’t help that she’s happens to catch the tail end of every stupid comment I ever make!"
Match smiled and threw him a rubbish sack filled with assorted junk. “I thought you two have figured out your shit already?"
Alec shook his head as he placed the bag amidst the others on a trailer used for clean-up duty. “Well yeah. But no. I mean…"
“You’re taking it slow huh?"
“I still don’t know where I stand with her, but I’m not complaining. Really. The fun is in finding out. And I can’t exactly expect her to get over Logan just like that."
“Exactly!" Match inspected a box filled with what must have been someone’s treasured personal belongings as she carried on the conversation. “These things take time. And she’s a stubborn mule at the best of them."
She stood up and walked towards Alec, a photo album in her hands. “Hey check this out."
Looking over her shoulder, Alec found himself staring entranced at a photo of what must have been a typical pre-pulse family day at the beach. Two children stood before the sandcastles they had made - obviously with the help of dad who stood beaming beside them, and pulled faces at the camera, sand clinging to the sun block on their faces.
It was a picture that made both X5’s ache inside, each wishing for just one moment of their lives when they could have experienced such a day as this.
“Nice. Isn’t it just the perfect world?" Match’s wistful smile was filled with regret for a life she would never know.
Alec moved away and continued to sort through the room as he struggled to pretend the photo didn’t fill him with sadness too. “Perfect for us. Normal for the ordinaries. And yet another reason why we’ll never belong with them."
Shoving the photo in her pocket, Match turned back to the box of belongings, finding she no longer wanted to know what was inside it. The past of Ordinaries was no business of hers, yet here she was trying to scrounge a life from someone else’s. Suddenly it made her feel dirty - not just in a physical sense.
“So, what were we talking about?"
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“It’s New Years boo. Know what that means?"
Max rolled her eyes at Original Cindy’s enthusiasm. “Yeah. Another year I’ve managed to survive. Yay."
Cindy walked over to her friend and slapped her lightly across the head. “Oh please! Could you be more depressing?"
“Do you really want to ask?"
Max slumped onto the couch and stared blankly at the wall in front of her. “I mean, what’s the fuss? It’s a reminder of yet another year’s worth of struggle to come. What’s there to celebrate?"
“Well that just does it boo! I’m gonna lock you and hot boy in a room, cause you need something to put a smile on your dial!"
Cindy folded her hands across her chest and shot her friend a glare as she watched in amusement as her friend blushed lightly at the threat. Yip. That was definitely what Max needed. She crossed the room and sat beside her, deciding it was time to talk some sense into her. After all, sometimes the girl was a little dense and needed someone to direct her to the right track.
“So what’s the deal with your boy huh? And don’t go saying anything you’ll regret if he bumbles in here like the last time!"
Max shuddered at the memory and sighed. “I don’t know OC. I finally got things out in the open with Logan and you know, I feel so much better about it…"
“Ya think?" Cindy gave Max a look of utter disbelief as she wondered how a girl could wear an expression that suggested her gran had been struck by a Mac truck, while claiming to be happy.
“I feel guilty! I don’t know how I feel. I just want to take things slow you know?"
“What, slow as in you’ll wait til someone gives you a retro-virus targeted at Alec’s DNA and then decide you wanna get busy with him? Or slow as in you’ll spend a year eating pasta til all those carbohydrates make ya too fat to get your groove on?"
“It’s not about that…"
“Oh god girl!" Cindy jumped to her feet and dragged Max towards the door. “It’s never about that with you is it? Look, get out, find Alec, and don’t come back til you know exactly what you want!"
Before Max had the chance to say another word, Cindy shoved her out the door and locked it, smiling to herself as she wondered whether Match was having better luck with Alec.
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A moment later, Cindy was brought back to the door by a patter of thumps that threatened to knock the door off its hinges.
Opening it to find Max still on the other side, she sighed in exasperation. “Look boo -"
“I’m going I’m going already. But first, do you have any idea what ‘Cuando amor no es locura, no es amor‘ means?"
It was a long shot, but as is the way of things when a writer twists things to suit her purpose, OC just so happened to recognise the line as one whispered to her by a fine Spanish shorty after a particularly steamy night of hot monkey lovin’.
“Honey, I know it in three languages…"
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Alec sat on the roof top of Terminal City’s highest building in the hope that Max would have the same idea. He’d been waiting all night, growing lonelier and lonelier as the night progressed until at last he watched fireworks explode throughout Seattle signalling the beginning of a new year, and decided it was time to give up and go home.
Maybe she was at the Space Needle? He cursed himself for not trying there first. Perhaps she simply didn’t care about the whole New Years thing. After all, it was just another day right?
As he was about to leave, Alec heard a soft footstep behind him and smiled as a quiet voice spoke into the darkness.
“Hey there."
She sat beside him and glanced across the city of Seattle at the colourful explosions that continued to light the sky.
“Thought you’d never get here." He turned to her with a smile, all concern having erased itself from his mind now that she was here beside him at last.
“Yeah, I had some things to sort out." Max gave him an apologetic smile. “And well, you didn’t exactly leave me a map to find you by."
Alec shrugged and flashed her a smile. “Well, so what if we missed the countdown? It’s just another day right?"
They sat in awkward silence for a moment before Max took his hand in her own.
“Sorry Alec. For, you know, spoiling New Years."
He stared down at their hands and wondered if she experienced the same nervous shiver that had just made it‘s way slowly through his own body.
“Hey well that’s okay Maxie. We can sit here till we see the first sunrise of 2022 instead. After all, it’ll be a beautiful view from here. Full of symbolism and all that kinda stuff."
Alec’s tone was light as he tried to pretend the shivers were caused by the cold, and not the closeness of Max’s body.
“What’s the matter Don Juan? Nervous in the company of a girl?"
His head spun at her mischievous tone and he laughed - the sound coming out more like an anxious bark much to his embarrassment.
“Nothing. Just… cold."
He tried to work out Max’s expression as she leant in and rested her head against his shoulder, her own body shivering beside his.
Releasing her hand to place his arm around her shoulders, Alec smiled as she snuggled in close and relaxed against the warmth of his body. His own loneliness dissolved as he took comfort in her presence.
“So what are your New Years Resolutions?"
“Huh?" He brought his mind back into focus as he tried to concentrate on the question at hand.
“You know, a goal for next year - do you have one?"
His mind considered the thought. A whole year ahead of them. With any luck, it wouldn’t be as chaotic as the one that had just passed.
“Well Maxie… how long can the list be? I mean, ‘stay alive’ that’s one goal… And on a lesser scale, perhaps try and be a little less annoying huh?" He grinned at the thought. There was no way he intended to keep that resolution.
“Right Alec. Maybe you should stick to something more realistic." It seemed strange to admit it, but the last thing in the world Max wanted was for Alec to try and curb his attitude. What would the world come to?
“Why don’t you try ’long term relationship‘ for example?" She bit her cheek as she waited for Alec’s reply and wondered if OC had slipped something in her glass of water to make her courageous.
“Gee Maxie. Do you think that’s realistic? What a strange and curious notion!"
Wondering why he was still tiptoeing around the subject when it seemed Max was waving a light large and green in his face, he waited for her to meet his eyes before asking. “Well… what do you think about the idea Max? Think you could handle such madness?"
“Quand l’amour n’est pas folie, ce n’est pas de l’amour." Max laughed as his eyes widened in surprise - they both knew languages having never been her strong point.
“Alors nous devons être amoureux, ou fous." Alec’s reply was light and playful yet he waited in growing anxiety for her response.
After some hesitation, she finally replied. “Okay, you got me there. I was only pretending to be cultured. I really have no idea what you just said."
Almost sighing with relief, Alec simply smiled and drew her towards him once more. He’d give her a few days to figure it out.
“So how many hours to we have to go until the sun comes up Alec?" She turned her head towards him, her mind playfully considering how they could pass the time.
Alec thought about how life would probably return to it’s usual state once the sun rose, and how this closeness he shared now with Max would pass once more.
“Not enough hours Maxie."
Please e-mail the author of this story with your comments. AndInBandCamp@msn.com