Fiction DW- Chapter Twenty-one

Title: Dream Within
Author: Restive Nature (aka Bavite)
Rated: NC-17
Disclaimer: All characters within this fiction are the property of Cameron/ Eglee. I just like to play with them.
Timeline: Six weeks after FN.
Pairing M/A
Summary: An unexpected accident causes Max to think about the future in a new way.



Chapter Twenty-one
Bright Lights, Utter Geniuses

Christmas Eve



"Hurry up Alec!" Max called for what seemed the billionth time in the last fifteen minutes. She hastily dragged the wrap that matched her floor length hunter green dress up over her arm where it was constantly slipping from. Her hand clutched reflexively on the slim purse that served no other function than to hold her lipstick. She eyed the clock in the kitchen as she heard her husband puttering around in the bedroom. She was about to call again when the door finally swung open and he stepped out. Max grinned as he patted down his chest, his eyes slightly frantic as they darted around the room. "Come on," she whined slightly.



Alec glanced up at her; his eyes lightening a little as he took her in. But then he was back to the frantic look. "Sorry babe," he apologized hastily as he moved to the small pile of papers on the kitchen counter. "I just feel like I’m forgetting something."



"Ugh," Max rolled her eyes. "You’re completely dressed, you have your little speech and you have me. Now let’s go!"



"No I’m serious Max," Alec exclaimed as she tried to yank him towards the door. His feet faltered a little as his gaze perused the sedate room once more. She let him go with a sigh. She ran through a mental checklist and there wasn’t a single thing missing, as far as she could tell.



"Alec, you’re just nervous," she pointed out. "Although I can’t see why," she continued, teasing a little. "You know you just love all the attention. And you never shut up. Sometimes I think Manticore designed you especially for that purpose. If they couldn’t bludgeon an idea into someone’s head, they’d just send you in. You could natter a country into surrendering."



"Ha ha," Alec muttered, his hands going through his pockets again.



"Okay, okay," Max chuckled. "Do you have everything you’re supposed to bring?"



Alec looked thoughtful for a moment, running through his own checklist. "Yes," he answered finally.



"Were you supposed to call anyone?"



"No."



"Was there a problem that you needed to deal with about tonight, that you haven’t?"



"No," he answered quickly, but a frown marred his features. Max pulled him closer to her and smoothed the lapel of his jacket down.



"Alec, you’re X5," she pointed out in a no nonsense tone of voice. "X5’s don’t forget anything unless they voluntarily wipe it, it gets wiped or are brain-damaged." She tilted her head to the side, considering. "Or unless they’re me."



"That’s an interesting thought," Alec pulled back to peer closely at her.



"What? Being me?" Max quipped. She knew what he had suddenly focused on. It wasn’t a new thought to her, but it may have been to him.



"No, the voluntarily forgetting," Alec supplied. Max sighed again. She grabbed his hand and smiled tensely up at him.



"If this was the way you acted all the time, then yeah, I could see it," she grunted at him. "But it’s not, so I didn’t, so now can we go?" He seemed to get the hint.



"Yeah, we’ll talk later," he grinned. He let one last look sweep the room and he sighed as well. "I guess I remembered everything." He wrapped his free arm around her waist and they moved to the door. "Why are you in such a hurry anyway? You’re the one who is always late."



"I want to see Mole!"



*****



Max pouted nearly the whole way over to the hotel. They were just a shade too late, having to stop and wait for Joshua, who was riding with them. She’d greeted the big dog-man, who looked very respectable in his black suit. They’d had such a time finding and altering the suit because of his height. But it was done and he was enjoying himself. Already. Alec was distracted, the whole drive over and Max found herself going over things in her mind. All vehicles from Terminal City had headed out, fully loaded with everyone attending. The X6’s not attending the party were installed with their younger charges and orders were set on whom to contact if anything went sideways. Anything including babies who wouldn’t sleep, right up to the possibility of Familiars. Other transhumans who weren’t inclined to be among the masses of ordinaries were stationed at various points around their little city.



Transgenic security and hotel security were already in place. Alec had been informed of that already. The catering staff had arrived at the hotel in plenty of time to set their spread. The band had arrived at the hotel to find the stage all set for them. All they had to do was warm up and appear at the proper time to provide the appropriate, Christmassy, give us money background ambiance. She and Alec had talked and reinforced the idea with the transhumans not to group together and try to mingle. Beyond that, they could only cross their fingers and hope for the best.



Max was pulled out of her reverie as her car door opened and a young man in hotel valet dress proffered a hand to her. She took it and stepped out, realizing that Alec and Joshua had already gotten out. She smiled her thanks as the young man, about her age escorted her the few steps to her waiting husband. Alec tipped the young man and then held out his arm to his wife. They carefully stepped towards the hotel and the fulfillment of many long days and nights of hard work. Joshua hurried in behind them, still unused to the hustle and bustle of the upstairs people.



Once they were through the main doors, Max reached out for her large friend and linked her free arm through his. She could feel the slight trembling as Joshua smiled wolfishly down at her, his canines prominent. The new black eyepatch was prominent on his pale face. "Aren’t I the luckiest girl," she smiled up at him. "To be escorted in by the two most handsome guys here." Alec chuckled as his thumb rubbed softly at the back of her hand. She smiled briefly at him and turned her face back to the nervous tranny. "Ready Joshua?"



He inhaled deeply and took in everything he could see with his limited vision. "Ready," he finally answered. They approached the double doors of the antiquated ballroom at a sedate pace. Inside, Max could see ordinary couples mingling together on one side and the transgenics on the other, the red and gold decorations flickering the background as people moved around. The pattern didn’t vary as she brought her vision back to the doorway. Hotel security had taken up station on one side, checking people’s invitations and names against the list that they had provided. Transgenic security was directing the guests through the unfortunately necessary metal detectors. At least that little group didn’t seem to be having troubles with each other.



Max let Alec and Joshua loose so that the men could retrieve the invitations that were necessary for entry. Max let her eyes roam over Mole, biting the inside of her cheek so that she didn’t let the laughter out. He looked just as she’d imagined he would. And while the sight of the big lizard all dressed up was incongruous to say the least, Mole didn’t look the slightest bit uncomfortable. Well, except for the inherent tenseness that bespoke of the Manticorian edict of always being ready for anything.



"Has everything been fairly smooth?" Max directed her question to the Ordinary. The man had just checked off their names against his list and was handing the invitations back to Alec.



"Quite so ma’am," he replied with a little twinkle in his eye. He jerked his chin in Mole’s direction. "Especially after we had a little talk." He cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. Max was about to voice her disapproval, but with a closer glance at the man, realized that he wasn’t so much upset or perturbed by the talk as he seemed to be amused. She looked to Mole and saw the same amusement there. She tugged Joshua forward, ready to step through the metal detector.



"This won’t go off over my zipper, will it?" she asked cheekily. Mole shook his head.



"Nah, we had Natch calibrate it," Mole shrugged, referring to one of their technicians. He waved Max through and true to his word, the machine was silent but for the electrical hum it gave off. Alec and then Joshua followed after.



"So what was that little talk about?" Alec asked quietly, obviously wanting to head off any unpleasantness that might crop up.



"Ah, he was just a hump that we saved back in ’16," Mole spoke loudly enough for the other man to hear. Max’s eyes furrowed until she realized that Mole was speaking of one of the missions for Manticore he’d been on. She nodded and caught the other man grinning broadly.

"Yeah and we returned the favor when we kept those villagers from trying to burn the ‘demon camp’ down," he offered heartily. Mole waved his hand.



"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he scoffed. "Like we couldn’t have taken those-!" Max’s laughter cut him off before he could fully describe his opinion of the Ordinaries they’d managed to save. Max knew all four men were throwing her strange looks, but she couldn’t help herself. If Mole had found it in his tiny lizard heart to get along with a normal human being, then there was hope for the rest of them. Now they just had to get the rest of the world to understand that.



"Ready to beard the lion’s den?" Alec asked when she finally calmed down. She nodded and took up his arm again, Joshua following behind. She took in the large expansive room, with the uncirculating guests. As she’d discovered on her dress-shopping trip gone awry, people weren’t too worried about the transgenics living in their world. However, socializing with them seemed to be a completely different matter. But luck was with them when Joshua let out a small, excited "woof".



"Rita!" he called. Max caught sight of a slender, well-dressed woman turning quickly, a smile apparent on her face. She broke away from the group she was conversing with and moved with ease through the throng of bodies. She stopped before them and Max took in her stylish yet slightly offbeat dress. Max held back a grin. The woman certainly had flair and the ability to draw one’s eye.



"Joshua, I’m glad to see you," she spoke softly, leaning forward. Apparently, his disability didn’t bother her at all. Max had known from talking to Joshua about it that Rita had never worried about his looks or background. And she had been humane enough to worry more about her artist than his art.



"Good to see you too Rita," Joshua grinned, turning his head to accommodate his sight. "You remember Alec and Max?" he continued politely. Max couldn’t hide her grin this time. Joshua had found a book on mannerisms and had taken every word to heart in preparation for this big party.



"Yes," Rita turned her bright smile to them and held out her hand. "Lovely to see you again, although it’s been quite a while."



"That it has," Alec offered smoothly, covering for his amnesiac wife. Although he needn’t have bothered, Max reflected. She was aware intellectually from talking with Joshua about the people in her past. Acquaintances didn’t worry her too much, since they wouldn’t know her well enough to tell there was anything different. She was jarred from her musing when Jiminy sidled up to them, yanking on Alec’s sleeve. "Excuse me."



They stepped away, Jiminy obviously needing to impart some information that wasn’t for the guests to worry over. Max could have eavesdropped, but was sure that Alec would tell her what was going on. So she paid attention to the discussion of the new paint that Joshua had been trying and the latest project of the transgenics that Rita had sold. For all her early years, learning about art for the purpose of knowing what to rip off, Max was slightly lost in the intricacies of producing those works of art.



When she felt the fingers at her elbow, she glanced up over her shoulder. Alec leaned down to whisper in her ear; "I’ve got to go take care of something with Mole. Just an equipment glitch. Will you be okay here?" She sighed. She understood the question and where it was coming from, but really, she’d been doing okay. She’d had enough training before escaping Manticore to be able to perfect her blank face and non-committal answers. And that was what she planned to do for most of the evening. At least when she was away from those people in the know about her… condition.



"I’ll be fine Alec," she knew there was a slightly harsh tone in her voice, but she was hoping he wouldn’t take offense. She just needed him to know that she wasn’t a fragile flower who would fall to pieces if he weren’t there. Damn it! He should already know. And by his chuckle, he understood perfectly.



"Okay, I’ll be back in a few minutes," he muttered and pressed a kiss to her temple.



"Oh, get me a drink while you’re at it," she called after him. He gave a curt nod of his head without turning back, indicating that he heard her, but was too engrossed in listening to Jiminy to answer. Max turned back just in time to see Rita slide her arm though Joshua’s.



"You don’t mind if I steal him away, do you?" Rita asked in that way that told people they were only asking for proprieties sake and they were going to whether you cared, objected or not. "There’s some people just dying to meet our brilliant young man."



"No, no it’s fine," Max waved off the concern. It wasn’t as if she could hang off Alec or Joshua all night. She had her own agenda to deal with at some point. And by the looks of it, the crowd still divided; she had her work cut out for her. The artsy duo moved off to join a crowd of ordinaries. Max watched somewhat apprehensively, almost like a mother sending her child off to school the first day as the crowd took in the newest addition. There was a moment of hesitation on everyone’s part, but Rita’s authoritative mannerism broke through the tension. Max saw Joshua duck his head; still uncomfortable when praise was heaped his way. And then he was engaged in conversation and it seemed as if the waters around him warmed. He’d be just fine.



Max stood, almost forlornly on the edge, amidst both sets of peoples. Not knowing which way to turn. But the decision was taken from her as she heard her name ring out behind her. She turned gracefully, trying to project the image of someone completely in control of herself. Her eyes widened as she realized exactly whom it was strolling towards her. And almost kicked herself that she hadn’t recognized his voice. Had it really been so long since she’d spoken to him?



"Logan," she greeted softly. He was striding forward and her sensitive ears picked up the whir and whine of the motorized exoskeleton. She had a vague idea that like the time before, his most recent, at least to her, blood transfusion had finally given out. Although Joshua’s blood had certainly lasted longer than hers had. She recalled that he’d used it as an excuse for immunity to the biotoxins in TC. They knew then that the cells were being broken down to waste matter. So if immunity disappeared, the regenerative effects would most certainly disappear too. She felt a minor wave of disgust that she figured that out logically, instead of relying on the instinct of memory.



"Hi Max," came another soft voice. Max tilted her head to the side as Logan’s date appeared from behind him.



"Hello Daphne," she smiled genuinely. She’d long ago let go of her jealousy of the other woman who had been Logan’s fiancée. Of course, there were mitigating circumstances that helped. "You look lovely tonight."



"As do you," Logan grinned widely. "You’re positively glowing." Max took a moment to study him, interested in the change all this time had brought. And to her amused mind, he looked… younger. As if so much weight had been removed from his shoulders. Weight that shouldn’t have pulled him down, but when one deliberately embroiled themselves in situations, like Eyes Only, would. She felt a small pang, that he was happy without her. It was a strange thought. Betraying her moment by moment. But it was natural. Logan had been a big part of her life, however right or wrong they were for each other. And now, it was a sign that he had moved on from them. Not just her, but the transgenics, the things they used to be. The things, in some ways, she still was. Oh yes, she’d accepted her position in the current world. As Alec’s wife, leader of TC, her job. But as much as she loved this life she was living, she wasn’t completely there yet. And it wasn’t Logan or Alec or anyone else’s fault. Just a disparity between what she was, what she was seen as and how she’d finally get there. Max resisted the urge to rub her temples. She wasn’t here to mourn her past; she was too strong, too alive now to go back to that person she had been and in all honesty, didn’t enjoy being very much.

Time to get back in the game. "Thank you, I just picked this up on a whim," she tinkled. "So Daphne," she turned slightly to engage the other woman. "I was glad to hear that you’d be attending. Although somewhat confused," she confessed humorously, trying not to offend.



"Oh well as soon as my father got the invitation I jumped all over it," Daphne airily explained. "He’s not one for benefits," she offered quietly. "But I on the other hand always enjoy the chance to get dressed up. So when I called Logan and found out he was also attending, we just decided to come together."



"Well I’m glad you made it," Max nodded. "Would you like to mingle?" she asked carefully, gauging the look on their faces. But was pleased to see the interest there, at least on Daphne’s face. But Logan was looking beyond her. She was about to turn and see who had caught his attention. But Logan’s hand shot out and caught her arm. She raised a slightly disdainful eyebrow even as she unconsciously shivered. Her body knew instantly how wrong that touch was.



"In a minute," Logan soothed when she stilled. "I know we talked about this a while ago, but I did something." Max felt the warning bells going off in her head. Not only did she not know precisely what he was talking of; he was springing a surprise on her. Her body bristled as her eyes flicked about for Alec. She tried to calm herself, remind herself that Logan wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. At least not intentionally. There was no way he could have known that she was not up for a surprise. Tonight or any night in the near future. "And here it is," he announced smugly. Max’s eyes widened helplessly and then she felt a slight tug at her dress. She glanced down, her heart pounding in her ears.



"Hey Auntie Max," a small voice piped up. Max could feel her mouth gaping. Of anything she might have dreamed up, she hadn’t expected this. Heedless of her clothing, the ballroom, the others around them, she sank down to her knees, feeling the moisture gathering in her eyes.



"Case," she murmured, her arms opening. He snuggled into them, as if it had just been yesterday that she'd held him, safe from the dirtbags from Manticore that had stolen him away from his father. "Oh my God," it slipped from her as his arms tightened around her neck. Physically, he didn’t feel the same. He’d grown, started to lose some of that baby fat. But the emotion that tightened her throat, the fear and loss and sadness was right there again. She finally let him loose enough to pull back and look into his eyes. They were sparkling with happiness. "Where’s your dad, big guy?"



"Right here," Charlie spoke from a few feet away. Max swiveled her head around to see him, adorned like his son in a tux. There was a tremulous smile on his face. Max bit her lip as she pushed herself to her feet again, one hand clinging to the small boy beside her. How was it that they had come to be here when the last she’d heard of them, they’d been hiding out in Canada or Mexico or wherever the hell Logan had sent them? And even as she wondered, she could see Alec out of the corner of her eye hurrying towards them, concern marring his face. But before he could reach her, Charlie had stepped forward and taken her in his arms.



Max’s mind reeled. This behavior was too far off from the emotions he’d conveyed to her before. The mistrust of her and her siblings. The disbelief he’d carried when confronted about the truth of his wife. At times Max had felt that Charlie blamed her for opening up this whole can of worms with her painful but well intentioned phone call. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on what the other man was saying as he let her loose.



"… so when Logan called and told me about the benefit, I thought it was a good as time as any to come back," he finished an excited grin on his face.



"Ah, t-that’s wonderful," Max stammered as Alec reached her side. His arm slid around her waist in an easy manner, but she could feel the tension radiating back to her. Everyone around her seemed to be waiting expectantly. Logan was waiting to hear what a good job he’d done, pulling off his little surprise. Charlie was waiting for her to continue her end of the conversation. Case was just gazing up at her, those large eyes so expressive, so like Tinga’s. Rianne’s. Max sucked in her breath as the room started to whirl minutely.



"Hey guys, I’m really sorry, but Rosa needs to speak with Max about the food," Alec announced quickly. "I’ll just steal her away for a few seconds." He didn’t bother about their protests if there were any, just surely led her away. They were out of the ballroom and off in one of the hallways before Max realized he had done so.



"Alec," she whimpered slightly, pressing her face into his chest. His arms came up around her, one moving to gently massage at her neck.



"I’m so sorry baby," he whispered. "I completely forgot about Charlie coming. I didn’t think they’d make it until after the New Year. And Logan never told me any different." Max sighed heavily and lifted her head up, her eyes brimming with tears.



"They know about Tinga, right?" she asked morosely. "I mean, it’s been years, they have to know."



"They know babe," Alec assured her. "You’ve talked to Charlie a number of times this past year, after things got settled in TC," he informed her. He certainly saw that this was no time to play the waiting game with her memories. Max nodded slowly.



"What else?" she knew there was more. And there was.



"Charlie called Logan first and he put him in touch with you," Alec recounted for her. "Charlie was worried about Case’s physiology because he was advancing physically and mentally faster than other kids his age. Tinga’s genetics coming into play." She nodded again. It was something they all had to consider with the children already in Terminal City. "You suggested that it might be a good idea for Charlie to consider having Case attend the TC school."



Max took a second to absorb that. "But what about the radiation and toxins?" Alec was nodding.



"We were just waiting for the medical tests to get back," he explained. "And everything will be fine. Case has inherited a lot more from Tinga than he did Charlie. We’re going to start out with a minimum of exposure and work from there. But everything in his medical work-up says that Case should be immune as well."



"Really?" Max wasn’t sure whether she was pleased about this or not. But to have some more of her family back with her. It wasn’t Tinga, but it was the closest she could get now. And a wave of pain and guilt swept through her. She certainly hadn’t felt that about Rianne. Or maybe she had and still just didn’t remember that. She lifted a hand to her eyes. This was all just too confusing for her at the moment. She needed things to just stand still for her, but in the ebb and tide of life, she knew she wouldn’t get her wish. Time to maximize her ability of rolling with the punches.



"You ready to go back?" Alec questioned gently, ducking down a little to catch her eye.



"I’m going to have to be," she let out a nervous laugh, but Alec shook his head.



"Max if you’re not up for this, we’ll go home right now," he stated authoritatively. Max felt her heart melt a little more as she reached up to cup his cheek.



"No Alec," she decided. "We’ve all worked too hard for this to happen. I’m not going to ruin everything just because of my crappy wiring." He smiled at that. "I’ll deal. But, when we get home, we’re going to have a long talk about this ‘keeping things from me for my own good’." He rolled his eyes but smiled.



"Yes ma’am," he answered facetiously, although Max could already tell that he wasn’t going to give in easily about it. And for the most part Max could agree with him. Although the situation would definitely be easier if she were a relatively uninvolved bystander, but that just wasn’t the case.



*****



Max was able to breather easier for the majority of the evening. When they’d returned it was to find that their friends from the outside world had joined up with Logan and the others. And after finding out that Logan had sprung Case and Charlie on Max, Original Cindy forewent getting to know Daphne again in favor of supporting her boo. She stuck close by on the off chance that Max would be taken by surprise again. But it hadn’t happened. Max made sure to mingle plenty, picking up various members of TC and almost seamlessly inserting them into groups of conversants. She almost wanted to giggle at the predictability of the ordinaries. They’d move in, the ordinaries would flinch, someone would speak, they’d stare, the trannies would show interest in something the ordinaries cared about and the conversation flew.



While it was interesting to see, it didn’t quite happen that way every time. Occasionally, a human would be unable to contain their staring, or would stammer off an excuse and back away. Max hoped that the others shrugged it off like she did. But once she’d gotten as many of her people mixing with the others that she could, she figured it was time to take a break. She and Cindy found a quiet corner, while Alec and Sketchy went off to procure a light plate of appetizers, as neither one had had a chance to eat before the benefit. Instead of their usual chatter, the two women stood in silence, taking in the amusing spectacle of the two worlds coming together. Charlie had returned from ensconcing Case in their hotel room upstairs with the babysitter and was chatting amicably with one of the leading businessmen of the community.



"You know," a voice interrupted and the women turned as one to see Normal approaching, a genial smile on his face, "when Golden Boy first told me what you were up to, I had my reservations."



Max shrugged one shoulder. "What can I say? I wondered about it too." Which really was not at all far from the truth.



"But he certainly managed to pull it all together," Normal concluded.



"That he did," Cindy nodded as she saw Alec approaching them, Sketchy not far behind. Someone had stopped Alec to offer some words and Alec listened with one eye on his wife, his hands laden with a small plate and glass of champagne. He nodded and laughed and then gestured towards her. The older man nodded and patted the transgenics shoulder and the men resumed their path.



"Oh thank God," Max breathed as she accepted the plate from Alec. His eyes glittered with amusement. "I was about ready to faint, I’m so hungry."



"Well that’ll teach you to take your own advice next time," Alec chided, "and eat before you party." He reached for one of the morsels and she lightly smacked her fingers away. She ignored his hurt puppy dog look as the others snickered. Even Normal knew enough not to get between a hungry transgenic female and her food. The conversation continued to move around her as Max sated her hunger.



The event of the evening continued, the mingling and schmoozing, until it was finally time for Alec to address the crowd. Originally, Max was going to be up there on the podium with him, but she’d vetoed that idea. As familiar as she’d become with this project, she didn’t want to have to field questions about how it had come about. And it was more Alec’s baby than it was hers. She stood on the sidelines amidst her friends and family as he called for the attention of the gathered crowd.



"Ladies and gentleman," his voice rang over the low murmur of conversation and then he waited patiently for it to come to a standstill. Almost as one, the large group of people turned towards him. But he never faltered for a moment. "I’d like to thank you all once again for attending tonight’s benefit. In previous months, we’ve been taking the opportunity to familiarize the community and beyond that, the rest of the world about our cause. And you’ve responded wonderfully." He looked around with a gracious smile, letting the people know that they were very appreciated in that moment or at least their money was. Max tried not to snicker as that thought crossed her mind.



"Our work together has culminated in this evening, this benefit," Alec went on. "Through your generous support and the promise of more to come, I am very pleased to announce that in conjunction with Seattle Medical Facilities, we will be able to open the Advanced Medical Research division at the University Hospital," he paused as applause rang out. "What Manticore had become will always be a painful subject for us all, some more than others," he sighed, trying not to let his eyes betray the slight hint of pain all the transgenics felt about their previous ‘home’. "But now we can remember the dream that started it all. Because of your support and belief in this project, we will be able to bring the research and cures of Manticore to the rest of the world." There was more applause and Alec held his hands up. "But more importantly, we’ll bring the world hope." There was thunderous noise accompanying that statement.



Max glanced around quickly, so pleased to see that all the transgenics and transhumans were standing a little taller, a little prouder at that assertion. They needed this, she realized. They needed to stand up and be counted as more than freaks. To let it be known that whatever it was, they had something to contribute too. Something that didn’t mark them as strange, or different. But something… heroic.



"I’ve said it a dozen times before," Normal spoke in a whispered aside to her. "And I’ll say it dozens more. Your husband-!"



"Is a genius," Max finished for him, smiling brilliantly, as she took in the admiring throng. "Yeah Normal, he is."




Chapter Twenty-two