I feel Logan's gloved hand slide into mine as Dix and Luke raise the flag
and glance at Alec in a panic.
"Are you sure?" he whispers just below human hearing.
I nod, and he grins, moving behind me to wrap his arms around my waist. I lean into him and pull my hand out of Logan's to grasp Alec lightly. "Thanks." I whisper.
"Anytime Maxie, anytime." He mutters into my ear, and then looks around. "Alright people. Let's get organized. I need a head count, and a list of specializations. Try to make sure people understand we want them doing what they enjoy – not what Manticore thought they were best at. Report back on progress in two hours at Command."
The assembled group disperses, and I settle further into Alec's embrace, enjoying the warmth. Logan turns to us. "You can't just treat them like that Alec. Max, tell him he can't do that."
I sigh. "I'm not a CO Logan. I have no idea what's involved in a siege. Alec knows what to do, and we all trust him."
"You're the chosen one Max, you should be in charge!"
"No, I shouldn't. I don't even know what being the chosen one means Logan. And I most certainly don't know how to run a city."
"But Max –
"Logan, if you're going to disrupt my leadership, I'll have you taken out of Terminal City on the first supply run. Max and I discussed this earlier today." Alec cuts in. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some intel to sort through before the reports in two hours." He releases his hold on me, and guides me back inside.
When we step inside, I stop him at the top of the stairs. "Thank you Alec."
He smiles crookedly. "So, you trust me huh?"
I grin, and finger his jacket. "With my life." I say, meeting his hazel eyes. "And with everyone else's too, so you'd better be careful." I add.
"When am I not?"
I reach up to touch his injured shoulder. "Do really want the answer to that?"
"I blame this entirely on Normal." He deadpans. "You know they can't stay, right?"
I nod. "I'm going to miss OC."
"But not Sketchy and Logan?" he puts his arm around my shoulders and we head down the stairs.
"Maybe Sketchy." I laugh a bit at his expression. "Logan doesn't get that he doesn't belong here."
"He will soon enough. I have to send them with the first run in the morning."
"I know." We enter the room serving as command and he grabs a few files. "This is the most recent tactical we have on the perimeter."
I glance at it. "Wouldn't 'it's a mess' cover it?" I ask, looking at the jumble of notes the X6s made.
He laughs. "Probably, but with this I can assign units to repair the damage and reinforce the strongholds we have without spreading too thin."
"Right." I pause. "See, this is why you're in command, and I'm just the chosen one." I deadpan, looking at the mass of blueprints and files with confusion.
He looks up at me from the blueprints. "I need to know what it was that changed your mind about me."
I look at him in shock. "I suppose you want the truth, huh?"
"We agreed no lies after...
"I know."
"So, yeah, the truth would be nice."
I sigh lightly, and lean against the table. "The night Rachel died." I say softly.
His eyes widen. "That was –
"Months ago. I know." I pause. "It was that night that I realized you weren't Manticore. You weren't Ben's twin, well, okay, you're still that, but that was the first time I saw you as just that. You."
He tilts his head. "But, after that night..." he trails off.
"I'd already been cutting you for so long I didn't know where to stop...how to stop. And then you were in that cage again, and I forgot it was Mia's fault. I was angry."
"You showed it."
"Let me finish." I pause. "I was angry, and I let that anger take over. Then, the night I told Logan we were..."
"Dating?"
"It wasn't me who said it. He saw you leaving my place after crashing there when I got you out of jail. He jumped to conclusions, and when he called me on it, all I could think was 'would it really be so bad?'. I could do worse."
He locks eyes with me. "Could you do better?"
I shiver at the way his gaze cuts through me. "I doubt it." I whisper. "Once you get past that rough exterior, you really are an amazing man Alec."
He stands up and touches my face lightly. "Who would've ever guessed? Maxie finally saw the light."
I lean into the touch a bit. "No one ever said I was good at this."
He moves closer. "And just what is this?" he asks softly.
I close my eyes and reach out to touch his chest. "Everything." I whisper, and feel his lips capture mine softly.
"Are you sure?" he whispers just below human hearing.
I nod, and he grins, moving behind me to wrap his arms around my waist. I lean into him and pull my hand out of Logan's to grasp Alec lightly. "Thanks." I whisper.
"Anytime Maxie, anytime." He mutters into my ear, and then looks around. "Alright people. Let's get organized. I need a head count, and a list of specializations. Try to make sure people understand we want them doing what they enjoy – not what Manticore thought they were best at. Report back on progress in two hours at Command."
The assembled group disperses, and I settle further into Alec's embrace, enjoying the warmth. Logan turns to us. "You can't just treat them like that Alec. Max, tell him he can't do that."
I sigh. "I'm not a CO Logan. I have no idea what's involved in a siege. Alec knows what to do, and we all trust him."
"You're the chosen one Max, you should be in charge!"
"No, I shouldn't. I don't even know what being the chosen one means Logan. And I most certainly don't know how to run a city."
"But Max –
"Logan, if you're going to disrupt my leadership, I'll have you taken out of Terminal City on the first supply run. Max and I discussed this earlier today." Alec cuts in. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some intel to sort through before the reports in two hours." He releases his hold on me, and guides me back inside.
When we step inside, I stop him at the top of the stairs. "Thank you Alec."
He smiles crookedly. "So, you trust me huh?"
I grin, and finger his jacket. "With my life." I say, meeting his hazel eyes. "And with everyone else's too, so you'd better be careful." I add.
"When am I not?"
I reach up to touch his injured shoulder. "Do really want the answer to that?"
"I blame this entirely on Normal." He deadpans. "You know they can't stay, right?"
I nod. "I'm going to miss OC."
"But not Sketchy and Logan?" he puts his arm around my shoulders and we head down the stairs.
"Maybe Sketchy." I laugh a bit at his expression. "Logan doesn't get that he doesn't belong here."
"He will soon enough. I have to send them with the first run in the morning."
"I know." We enter the room serving as command and he grabs a few files. "This is the most recent tactical we have on the perimeter."
I glance at it. "Wouldn't 'it's a mess' cover it?" I ask, looking at the jumble of notes the X6s made.
He laughs. "Probably, but with this I can assign units to repair the damage and reinforce the strongholds we have without spreading too thin."
"Right." I pause. "See, this is why you're in command, and I'm just the chosen one." I deadpan, looking at the mass of blueprints and files with confusion.
He looks up at me from the blueprints. "I need to know what it was that changed your mind about me."
I look at him in shock. "I suppose you want the truth, huh?"
"We agreed no lies after...
"I know."
"So, yeah, the truth would be nice."
I sigh lightly, and lean against the table. "The night Rachel died." I say softly.
His eyes widen. "That was –
"Months ago. I know." I pause. "It was that night that I realized you weren't Manticore. You weren't Ben's twin, well, okay, you're still that, but that was the first time I saw you as just that. You."
He tilts his head. "But, after that night..." he trails off.
"I'd already been cutting you for so long I didn't know where to stop...how to stop. And then you were in that cage again, and I forgot it was Mia's fault. I was angry."
"You showed it."
"Let me finish." I pause. "I was angry, and I let that anger take over. Then, the night I told Logan we were..."
"Dating?"
"It wasn't me who said it. He saw you leaving my place after crashing there when I got you out of jail. He jumped to conclusions, and when he called me on it, all I could think was 'would it really be so bad?'. I could do worse."
He locks eyes with me. "Could you do better?"
I shiver at the way his gaze cuts through me. "I doubt it." I whisper. "Once you get past that rough exterior, you really are an amazing man Alec."
He stands up and touches my face lightly. "Who would've ever guessed? Maxie finally saw the light."
I lean into the touch a bit. "No one ever said I was good at this."
He moves closer. "And just what is this?" he asks softly.
I close my eyes and reach out to touch his chest. "Everything." I whisper, and feel his lips capture mine softly.