Who: Max and Alec What: Meeting up. Talking. Fighting. Where: His place in the Projects. Warnings: Lowish hopefully, but there could be some fighting.
It didn't take Max long with her unique skill set to make it to the Projects and then on to Alec's apartment. Never one for traditional forms of entrance, the transgenic was tempted to slip in through an open window, but instead, she opted for the stairs and most direct, less confrontational route to his place. Though, it would have been rather fitting to slip in through a window, kind of trespassing the way he did on the prison not too long ago. Max, however, was not up for irony or even any poetic justice of any kind. She had more important things to worry about, like reaching the young man in the apartment above and somehow keep him alive. She would have died to protect Alec once upon a time. Once upon a time, she would have died to protect any of her transgenic family and friends, but that was before Alec suddenly went all dark side and Faith kicked him out of the prison. Before she became close with both parties and before she wanted to keep both of them alive with everything she had. To lose one of them would be failure for sure in Max's eyes and she simply could lose no one else. She'd lost Logan in this chaos and so many others, but she wouldn't lose Alec or Faith. She simply just couldn't.
Though she could have scaled the steps quickly, she chose to take them slow, one foot in front of the other and she knew she was merely stalling. Why? Was it because she didn't think she could succeed? Or that she was frightened that he wouldn't be there or worse, he'd be dead already and she'd stumble over his body? Faith said she called of Selene, but that didn't mean anything. Surly more people in the prison had found out about Alec's attack on the slayer and surly not many were very happy about it. One of them could have taken the matter into their own hands and attempted to dirty deed on their own. Still, she had to trust that those at the prison believed her capable of saving him and that they trusted Faith's judgement. If they had killed him, what would she have even done? Whose side would she be on when the dust settled? Would she have to chose one? She didn't want to, but she couldn't ride the middle ground forever either. She'd have to pick...especially if Alec didn't listen to her tonight.
Her heart and head chided at her. She couldn't save Ben, his twin, how could she save Alec if he had fallen off the edge? She couldn't, could she? Ben had killed people, innocent people, and Alec was starting to go that way too. Hell, he might already have been a good distance down that path by now. Did she even stand a chance with the other transgenic? Or would she hold him in her arms, like she did his brother, looking into those same green eyes, and watching the light fade by her own hands? Would she rush in, too late, to watch him struck down by the hybrid hunter? Would she cry? She'd cried for Ben and after everything with Alec, how could she not? He'd helped her take down Manticore. He stood beside her and in the end she told Logan she was with him. He'd never held it against her. Never tried. They had history, but her and Faith were friends...they had history now too. Shit. Damn it. It was the millionth time today she'd wanted to put her fist through a wall. Shit. Damn it.
She paused outside his door and raised a hand, knuckles lightly rapping on the wood with massive self-control. The transgenic took a deep breath to calm herself; if she got angry, she'd fight with him and right now, it wasn't the path to go down. Being hostel would only spark the same emotions in him and she had to reach out to him, not push him away. Blinking, Ben's face flashed in front of her eyes for a second; his voice echoed in her head begging her to kill him. She felt the lump in her throat, the burning behind her eyes, and she swallowed. She couldn't save Ben, but maybe, just maybe, she could save Alec.