“I was just thinking, Max, that maybe you could show me the ropes today. You know, since I’m new and all,” Moss said with a smile, his eyes not leaving Max’s.

“I suppose I could,” Max replied, forcing herself to break their contact. The way he was looking at her was giving her what Original Cindy had termed as the ‘jitters’.

“Great!” Moss exclaimed enthusiastically.

Alec’s mood soured. He decided that he would be damned if he let Moss come between him and Max before he had a chance to make her realise how he felt. He stepped forward, practically wedging himself between Max and Moss. “Moss, aren’t you a bit early this morning? I remember that you used to love sleeping in when we were back home.”

Moss finally appeared to notice Alec’s presence. Alec was sure that the other transgenic was just pretending not to see him all this time. The bastard!

“Hey, Alec,” he greeted with a smirk. “Max was just going with me to help me with my deliveries,” he said, purposely ignoring the fact that with Alec’s transgenic hearing, he would have had heard it all first hand anyway.

Alec felt like throttling his gloating fellow transgenic. Instead, he composed his face into his usual cocky expression and said, “Really? I think you might want to put that plan on hold for a while, buddy. Max’s coming with me,” he stated evenly.

Max flashed Alec a questioning look, but neither of the other two transgenic saw it. They were too busy sparring with their eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but something at the back of her mind told her to hold her tongue. She did not know what their deal was but she noticed that Alec was being uncharacteristically stubborn and unhelpful.

“She already agreed to go with me,” Moss said with a challenging look.

“We have an unfinished job that can’t wait,” Alec threw back. He glanced at Max. “We haven’t got a signature from the delivery yesterday,” he explained.

Remembering, Max nodded. “Right, I guess we have to go get it before Normal decides to kick our asses.” To Moss, she suggested, “Why don’t you get Sketchy to go with you. He’ll be happy to do it.”

Moss gave her a disappointed look. “I prefer you,” he said softly, his meaning clear to Alec.

Baffled at his bluntness, Max was loss for words. She still had not figured out why she reacted the way she did to Moss, but she was beginning to suspect that he was pursuing her. Suddenly realisation dawned. Moss was trying to get her alone and Alec was trying to stop him. She listened with half an ear as they continued to talk. Why were they doing this anyway? Alec was her friend and she barely knew Moss.

“Alec can do the signature thing by himself, can’t he?” Moss continued, oblivious to her thoughts.

Before she could answer, Alec got in first, “No, I can’t remember how to get there. She needs to show me the way.”

She tried to bite back her annoyance as she realised that the two of them were treating her as if she was a toy to be fought over. They were speaking as if she was not even there. Well, she did not need to stand there and watch them duke it out like two immature teenagers.

Her irritation mounting, she said in a biting tone, “Both of you can go do whatever you like. I’m going to do my deliveries by myself. Oh, and Alec? I’ll get the signature. Hopefully by the time I get back, you two will have depleted yourselves of your testosterone,” she said with a tight smile.

She promptly turned and headed towards Normal, pausing long enough to grab her packages, and then stormed out , leaving Alec and Moss staring at her retreating back.

After a moment, Moss spoke, “So this is how it’s going to be then?”

Alec smirked, “What? You’re afraid?” Inwardly, he was hoping that Moss would give up his crazy infatuation with Max. It was, after all, infatuation, and not something as deep as Alec himself felt for Max.

Moss laughed mirthlessly, “You got to be kidding me. You’ve forgotten who you’re dealing with.”

“Ooh, I’m scared,” Alec mocked, rolling his eyes. Then his expression hardened, “Stay away from her, 466.”

She realised by now that each time she was with Moss, she felt something but she could not say what exactly. He definitely seemed to be pursuing her. She wondered if she was attracted to him. She supposed that it would not be such a bad thing. After all, she and Logan were no longer an item, thanks to his distrust of her. So she was free to go out with anyone she chose to. And Moss was not too bad, for a guy.

Who are you kidding, Max? He’s gorgeous and you know it, an annoying voice piped up.

Max scrunched up her face. Looks aren’t everything.

But it helps, the annoying voice continued.

I’m not interested in looks, had enough of them back in Manticore, Max scoffed.

Or maybe it’s because of something else, or rather, someone else, the voice persisted evilly. Like Alec.

“Whoa! Where did that come from?” Max gasped aloud, almost falling off her bike in shock.

Replaying the scene in Jam Pony in her head, Max suddenly realised that Alec’s behaviour with Moss was far from his normal behaviour. Alec had behaved almost as if he was possessive of her. How could that be? The most she had from him was that he treated her as a good friend, and that friendship had just been a recent development. So was it possible at all that he was interested in her that way?

Questions started pouring through her mind.

What if he was interested?

What was she going to do about it?

Could she return his feelings?

Her heart thudded harder against her chest as she imagined kissing him.

“Argh!” Max groaned loudly, not seeing the looks of shocked wariness that passers-by were giving her. “Stop it! This is Alec you’re thinking of!” she chided herself.

He picked the ringing object out of his pocket, staring at it apprehensively as he deliberated whether or not to answer it. After a few seconds, he decided.

“Yes?” he spoke abruptly, dreading the outcome of his action.

“You are running short of time. Any progress on what we asked for?”

“It’s under control. I’m getting closer to acquiring the male,” he replied tonelessly, hating what he was doing but unable to stop it.

“Good. And by the way, don’t worry about the female. We don’t need you to get her anymore.”

Surprised, he asked, “Why?”

“It’s not necessary for you to know. Just get us the male. We’ll be in contact.”

The soft click told him that the person on the other side had hung up. Slowly, he returned the phone to his pocket and leaned back against the chair.

Alec fumed as he thought of his day. Not only he had missed the chance of going with Max, Normal had insisted that Alec was the best person to show Moss the tricks of the trade. Obviously, neither Alec or Moss was too happy with Normal’s decision. But short of sounding like petulant children, they had realised that they had no chance of getting out of it. So both of them had gone together to deliver the packages, all the while trading sarcastic remarks with each other.

His eyes leapt up when he saw Max pushing her bicycle into the storage area. Quickly scanning the room, he noted that Moss was occupied with, of all people, Suki.

Alec smirked as he went to Max’s side, hoping that Suki would keep Moss occupied.

“Hey, Maxie,” he greeted with a grin

Satisfied that the bike was secured to the rack, Max turned around, “Hi yourself. Testosterone level down yet?” She raised one eyebrow.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alec replied, feigning ignorance. A quick glance over his shoulder told him that Moss was still occupied. Grabbing her arm, he said, “Let’s get out of here, alright. I’ve something to show you.”

“But…hey, what’s the rush?” Max asked in consternation as she was propelled out of Jam Pony at a breakneck speed.

Not breaking his stride, Alec said, “Come on…I’ll show you. I promise it won’t hurt.”

“You better have a good reason for dragging me through the rain all the way here, Alec. Or I’ll kick your ass,” she threatened as they climbed up the tower.

Alec grinned as he looked at her. Ever since he had realised his feelings for her, it seemed to him that she looked different. More alluring, almost. Even now, with her damp hair plastered all around her grumpy face, he thought that she looked beautiful. Not that he would ever tell her that to her face.

“You’ll see,” he said cryptically.

Max rolled her eyes and they continued to climb until they reached the top.

When they finally stepped out onto the roof, Max gave a gasp of surprise. She never came here at this time in the day, in this sort of weather, and she had never realised what she had missed.

“You like it?” Alec asked, an expectant look in his eyes.

Max smiled her agreement, taking in the view in front of her. The sun was setting, casting its red-gold glow across Seattle. The slight drizzle had prompted the formation of a rainbow. The colours splashed across the sky made it look more like a painted picture than anything real.

And it was Alec who had thought enough to show this to her.

She turned to Alec and said softly, “Didn’t know you have this side to you.”

Her brown eyes searched his hazel ones, trying to find out what prompted him to bring her here. At that moment, Alec’s eyes were an open book. What she saw in their depth constricted her chest and made her breath hitch.