Max shuddered and shook. She hadn't meant to forget. If she'd known this would happen, much worse than any time before it, then she certainly would have tried a lot harder to prevent it. A new wave of convulsions shot through her body, making her close her eyes in discomfort. Just a few pills, a glass of milk, she'd be fine. If only those weren't the few things they'd run out of in Terminal City. No tryptophan meant her seizures weren't going away any time soon. She fought hard, trying to keep her body still as she waited desperately for them to pass. Lying on her mattress, a trustworthy group of transgenics – assembled by Alec – watching for any change, Max didn't see an end in sight. Ten minutes came and passed, and her tired eyes spotted Alec coming into the room. He spoke quietly to the group, quietly enough for her enhanced hearing to not pick up his words, and they left. She turned herself away slowly, lying on her side and trying hard to pretend he wasn't there.

They got worse, just moments after she'd faced herself away from the man. Her breathing became sharper, shorter, even painful. Her body contorted this way and that, sparking a pain in her eyes. They looked up at Alec as he sat on the mattress beside her, body no longer turned far from him. "Alec… I.." Max's voice stopped, unable to speak much more. She'd lost her breath, began to cough a little, sending more shakes down her spine.

"Shhh.." was all she heard, feeling his calming arms around her. He was trying to get her to stop. To stay still, even for a tiny, fleeting moment. He knew just how bad this was. She stopped, his body fighting the seizures with hers, before she lost track of herself and drifted into unconsciousness.

Alec shut his eyes when she spoke. It seemed so wrong. Seeing her, so small and vulnerable, that was concerning enough in itself. Her voice, filled so deeply with pain, that was worse. It was the fear, however, that threw him off so much. She was terrified, knew just how awful the situation was. It had been too long. The seizures should have stopped much earlier. He wrapped a strong arm around her, protecting her from the harsh world around, comforting her as she fought with herself. Then she stopped, and his own fear broke through. She was unconscious, a very bad sign. It wasn't often that anything could stop his Maxie. She seemed to be unbreakable, even if he knew just how human she was. Her mortality was always there, but never a big deal. She was a fighter, nothing could even slow her down. Until now.

He froze, removed his arms from her body. "Max." He shook one of her arms a little. Nothing. "Maxie.. come on.." With one hand, he left a few strong taps on her cheek. They moved her head, lolling it to the side. No response. "Shit, Max!" Alec stood up, took a few steps towards the door. He needed help. What if she never woke up? What would he do then? His breathing sped up as he came to the realization that something was more wrong than he'd known before. The initial idea of her extra long seizure was bad enough, had scared him enough. This was too much. He couldn't lose her. "Max!"

Alec turned on his heel, deciding against getting any more help. There wasn't much that anyone in Terminal City could do for them. His best bet was a doctor in Seattle. If he could make it there, to Harbour Lights, then he could get her some help. Find her some pills, get her to drink some milk. Save her life. Sam Carr worked somewhere around there, Alec knew. Cage fighting wasn't always the most healthy of sports.

With a silent apology for getting so close to her, he lifted Max's unconscious body, pulling her close. He'd have to carry her to… his bike? That was a stupid idea. They'd never make it. Where they were, there weren't too many cars either, let alone ones that would run, and he could borrow. Alec made a decision. He'd have to get her to the hospital on foot, as much as she'd hate him for it. Exposure was certain death for both of them, but racing there, using those genetic gifts he had, was her only hope. He walked out of the door, holding Max in his arms, and nodded at the 'guards' he'd assigned to waiting outside. They dispersed and he glanced down at the frail woman in his arms. So unlike her, which was why it was so awful in the first place. He'd have given anything for her to smack him for not watching his hands at that very moment. She didn't. Alec reached around inside the door and grabbed a hat to cover her face. With that, he took off, racing towards the hospital at full speed. He took back roads and alleyways to stay on the safe side, not stopping until he reached his destination.

Max couldn't respond to anything that happened to her. Couldn't move, couldn't speak. Just felt and heard. She felt Alec's hands swatting at her face, heard him cussing and yelling her name. It was like an all-too-real dream, where she had no control over what happened. In her mind, she was crying out to him. Telling him to calm down, even though she wasn't quite calm, herself. The lack of control was frightening, the painful realization of just what was happening to her much worse. She was probably going to die, she heard herself internally conclude. The seizures had stopped, for the most part. That deep rumble of convulsions was still pulsing, slow and slight, through her, but it wasn't visible. Just a flinch every now and then, a reminder that on top of not seeing or controlling what was going on, she was also in a dangerous position within herself.

Strong arms around her body, cradling her like a baby, stopped her thoughts mid-stream. Alec! Her mind echoed, a little ticked off at how close he was holding her. She could feel his breath, warm and comforting, on one bare shoulder. Then he was walking. Where in the Hell are we going? Max hoped it was to get help. She knew how much it was needed, knew that he knew it too. He was worried for her. She could feel it in the way he held her. Like she was dying, perhaps she was, and like he was going to do anything in his power to stop it. If she could have moved, Max would have smiled. The fact that her smart-Alec, pain-in-the-ass partner in crime was carrying her to get help was mighty comforting. The fact that he cared so much warmed her heart.

The strong wind got rid of that warmth. It was a bit hard to feel warm anywhere when gale force winds were coming at you, powerless to move out of them. It was like standing in a wind tunnel. For a moment, Max wondered where they were, thinking perhaps they were in a wind tunnel. Then she realized how familiar it felt. He was running. Whisking her away to somewhere else as fast as his genetically engineered legs could carry him. The thought of being found out worried her until the wind stopped.

Alec's arms weren't the slightest bit tired until he stepped through the doors, quickly putting Max's hat on her head to shield her identity. The idea of running all the way there, being slightly out of breath, certainly helped his cause when it came to the receptionist. He was sure she'd ask for him to wait his turn, or something. It was just the way the world worked. People could die in the hospital, waiting for a doctor, and everyone would just shrug. The doctor was coming, just not fast enough. He prayed Dr. Carr could come faster than a speeding bullet, to save Max.

He stepped up to the old glass window, looked the receptionist in the eye as he held onto the X5 in his arms as tightly as he could without giving her bruises. "I need Doctor Carr.. my.. my girlfriend, she collapsed. He's our family doctor. Please."

"Sir, Dr. Carr doesn't work here anymore."

"What?!"

"He left, took his family up north."

Alec cursed, earning a dirty look from the woman behind the glass. Of course Dr. Carr was gone. His mind raced over all other doctors that could be trusted. A thought hit him, one that he dreaded, but knew was the only one left that could help. Logan would be able to help. He shifted Max in his arms, holding her higher. "Can I get a stretcher for her? A bed, or something. Anything. I can't hold her for much longer… I have to make a call."

The woman complied eventually, after much persuading and a few threats, with a small room. One bed, curtained windows. Perfect. He bestowed a few honest thank you's on her, before laying Max down, shutting the door and pulling out his phone. He absently pulled the hat from Max's head before dialing Logan's number.

Logan's voice was panicked when he learnt of the nature of the call. Alec spoke in short sentences, getting straight to the point. Within a few minutes Logan was on his way down, Doctor Beverly Shankar coming in too. They were going to figure this out. To get Max some help.

Not being able to see what was going on meant all other senses were heightened. More than usual. Instead of just hearing everything, Max could suddenly comprehend not just what Alec was saying, but what he meant deep down There as more than just fear in his voice, as much as he tried to hide it. He was worried more than anything, a strong care coming out of his usually carefree demeanor. She mentally snorted when he called her his girlfriend, making a note that if she woke up, she'd have to kick is ass for that. It made sense though. The panic in his voice made the story much more believable.

Max heard a woman nearby tell of Carr's absence, then ask a series of stupid – but logical – questions. Had Max been drinking? Was she pregnant? Alec just cursed, his own thoughts obviously outranking everything the woman had to say. He demanded a room for his 'girlfriend', saying that he had to make a call. He got it, Max feeling herself being put on the bed, covered with a light blanket. She heard the door close and lock, then Alec's voice filled the room, panicky. Logan's voice, far away, joined in. Then both voices ceased. Max pondered Alec calling Logan. She was glad he'd done it, Logan always seemed to have the answers she needed. But Logan wasn't there. Alec was. It was pure coincidence that her seizures had taken over at home, not at Logan's. No matter where she'd been, one of the men would have tried to help her out. She couldn't shake the feeling, however, that Alec was the one to keep an eye on. To watch out for, and to treasure. Logan would have put her in a car, driven her to a hospital, maybe even cried. She knew he loved her. Alec had ran all the way there, held her close. She didn't think he'd cry, but he'd certainly be emotional, just as he was. He was freaking out.

Max's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, a female voice, calming and familiar, floating through. Doctor Shankar. She wanted to come in, was telling Alec that Logan was on his way, and that she was there to help. The door slowly opened, the pressure next to her thigh on the mattress disappearing as Alec had stood to unlock the door. A pair of heels clacked into the room, and Max felt a warm, delicate hand on her forehead.

Alec stood back as the doctor assessed Max's current state. She turned to him, paused. He was certain to be asked to leave, or something, but he stood his ground. He wasn't going anywhere. She picked up on this, went about her work, lifting Max's shirt up and listening to her chest. Alec understood why he'd have been asked to leave. There wasn't much hiding Max's assets. He just stared at her, lying there, so small and broken. Like no other time before. Only once had he seen her look so damaged, and that had been his fault. Lying on the lawn, crying out his name, begging for him not to hurt her. He remembered the fear in her eyes as he sunk the knife into the earth beside her head. This was different, however. This time he couldn't see the fear. She looked peaceful. But he could feel it.

Max was radiating fear to him. Maybe it was DNA enduced, maybe it was just how close he felt to her. Either way, he could feel just how scared she was, without words or actions.

Logan burst through the door at Alec's right, entering the dark room and stopping beside the doctor. He watched over Max, then turned, spotting Alec in the corner, fidgeting with his phone. He looked at him solemnly, then took a step closer. The X5 kept watching Max, only looking up when Logan spoke. "You know, maybe you should go and get some coffee."

"I'm fine."

Logan gave up from then on, knowing it was a losing battle before it had even begun. Alec was sure then that Logan knew how much he cared for Max. He kept his deep green eyes on the frail soldier on the bed, before staring at Dr. Shankar. She spoke of Max's condition, most of it flying right out of his head. He'd been trained to concentrate In the worst of situations, but this was too much. Logan's mouth opened and he began to ask questions, most of them about treatments. There was a way out of this situation, and Logan was determined to find it. Alec thought it all over as much as he could, a frown creasing his brow when he heard mention of a treatment that Logan seemed to have fallen for.

Max heard everything, felt everything. She was being revealed to the room, up to her breasts, and nobody had been asked to leave. She heard Alec shuffle his feet, then the door flew open again, her shirt pulled down and Logan's voice echoing in the tiny room. Alec wouldn't leave, and she found herself glad of the fact. Logan didn't push it, and she internally smiled. Logan was so polite. She had two of the most amazing men at her bedside, only one a romantic interest. That felt a bit silly to her now. It was obvious that Alec was more than just her friend.

Doctor Shankar, a doctor she knew and trusted, spoke. A few things flew around the room, ideas for just how to bring her back to the land of the living. Logan stopped her on one of them, and she heard Alec disagree.

"You can't shock her! You could kill her!"

"She's revved up, just like you, Alec, she'll be fine."

"You could hurt her even more."

"We've got nothing to lose." The doc said ominously. Max knew she was right. There was no way she was just going to wake up out of the blue. She also knew that getting shocked back into consciousness could be a very bad idea, but she was powerless to stop it.

Logan kept pushing the idea, Alec slowly coming around to it being one of few options left. The way Max was wired, it couldn't do too much harm. Especially when it was their only idea for a positive outcome. The unconscious woman pondered the bug in the back of her neck, wondering if that would add to their troubles. At that moment, Logan brought it up, asking if that would be a problem. He explained that he'd had to shock Max back before, that it wasn't pleasant. Doctor Shankar thought for a moment, decided it would be ok. Once again, she reiterated. They had nothing to lose.

Alec stormed out of the room, his footsteps signaling to Max just how pissed he was.

Shocking her was automatically a bad idea in Alec's books. If she made it out alive, she could have something like brain damage, or worse. He didn't want that to happen, wanted her back just the way she was. The way he'd fallen for her. Logan and Doctor Shankar seemed convinced, so there was nothing he could do. He hated feeling so powerless, so ordinary. It was not who he was. He sat in a chair outside the room, staring at the grimy linoleum that tainted the floor. Logan would win her over, even though he'd carried her all the way there. Had been so wonderful and caring. He was worried for her, had been there from the start. Logan had just arrived and was already going to get Max in the end. It was a competition in his head, now. A failed attempt at diverting his attention from the impending voltage to possibly kill X5-452. His breeding partner. The one he knew, deep down, he'd been made for.

A pair of toned legs ventured out of the door, white coat obscuring Alec's view of her ass. There went his idea to cheer himself up. He couldn't even perve on the doctor while he waited for the bad news. That sucked. She asked for some equipment, the usual shock treatment gear. He caught her eye while she waited, unable to help how obviously he showed his own hurt. It wasn't often he let his feeling show, but this time it hurt too much. She swooped down upon him, sitting on the adjacent chair and putting a hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Alec. We're trying all we can."

He said nothing, just waiting for her to leave him alone. The equipment was brought to her by a nurse, then wheeled into the tiny room on request. "I think you should stay out here." She said, before following the gear in and closing the door behind her. Alec returned his gaze to a big patch of dried blood near a doorway across the hall. It had been mopped up, but the outline still remained, a daunting reminder of where he was. Hospital. Where people died, and bled, and where Max could live, or die. Where she could easily start to bleed, or seize. He furrowed his brow as he remembered that she did not have any tryptophan, in case the woman woke up. Standing, he took himself to the pharmacy down the hall, bought 3 bottles with the bills in his pocket.

He sat back down, turning a bottle in his hand and trying not to listen to the one… two… three jolts that floated over the door and to his ears.

Max coughed and spluttered, waking up at last. She blinked open her dark eyes, body shaking. She shuddered a few more times before she realized where she was. She was in hospital, Logan and Doctor Shankar standing over her, a nurse standing awkwardly in the background.

"Tiffany, go outside and get the young man by the door please. Tell him that Max is awake."

The nurse opened the door, said her part, and was almost thrown against the wall as Alec made his way into the room. He looked relieved and happy and scared all at the same time. Max's view of him was obscured when Logan stepped closer, smiling warmly. She did her best to smile back, listening to the voices around the room. The doctor got her to sit up, pumped her full of pills she heard Alec say he'd bought a few moments ago. She watched the worry in the eyes of both Alec and Logan and couldn't help the emotions that swarmed through her tired, aching body. A tear dropped from one eye as she let her head fall. She'd obviously scared them both to death, all because she'd run out of pills and milk. Great work, Max, she mentally scolded. She lifted her head again to take in their faces, watched Dr. Shankar ask the nurse to leave the room and take herself to the doorway. "I'll give you guys some time." She said, before vacating the tiny, dark room.

Max coughed a few times, getting her breathing back to normal as she began to cry. "I'm sorry…" she said slowly and quietly. "I…I.." she lost her thought, giving in to the tears that began to flow freely from her eyes. She stared up at Logan, turned away when his visible concern became to much to handle. Both men offered comforting words, before Logan left the room, saying he was getting coffee.

Logan watched her lie on the bed, breathing unsteady and eyes welling up with tears. He wanted so much to just hold her, to tell her it was all right. That she was fine, and had no need to be sorry. He didn't. A few words slipped from his mouth, comforting and polite, before he stopped speaking, staring at the other man.

Logan began to feel useless. He couldn't do anything that Alec could. Couldn't take her hand gently, while she hadn't the strength to kick his ass, and reassure her the way he did. Couldn't pull up a chair and sit by her side, wipe the tears from her dark eyes. Not unless he had a death wish. Logan watched as Alec smiled at Max, staring at her beautifully terrified features like she was his one and only. It seemed odd to see Alec like that, considering. He was always such an asshole in Logan's mind, even if he did find it reasonable to stand up for the younger man at times. Now, to see him so caring, and her, crying and staring at him like that… it was too much.

Logan knew his place. He'd been called there for help, because he had the contacts. Because Alec thought him smart. Now his work was done. He'd see her from time to time, but Alec wasn't going to let her go. He'd shown too much love tonight to ever let her fall into the arms of another man. Even if the man had tried to save her life.

He told them he was going for coffee and left the room just in time to see Alec realize what he was doing. He'd let his guard down in a moment of weakness. Had not meant to get so close with someone watching. Logan shook his head as he left the building, dark sky soaking up his suddenly darker mood. Alec was always going to be the same guy, even if he found a way into Max's heart. Maybe that was why he'd succeed…

The End.