At exactly midnight, the trio piled into Logan's car, Alec resting in the back, leaving Max to sit in the passenger seat beside Logan.

Ten minutes into the drive, Alec was already passed out and lightly snoring in the back seat.

"He must have been tired," Max said, absently.

"Probably. He took quite the beating the other day," Logan said quietly, noticing the slight cringe in Max's features.

"Carrying me out of that place didn't help matters much either." She shrugged. "But that's Alec for you, always trying to push himself, surpass his own limits, show people how strong he is." Max looked past her shoulder and smiled lightly as she watched Alec nap for a few minutes, before turning her attention to Logan, who was already onto new topics.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, I already told Original Cindy and Joshua that I was bringing you here, so you won't have to worry about that. OC said she'd make up some story to tell Normal and Sketchy."

"That's good," Max told him, and stared out the window, beginning to feel slightly odd that he knew so much about her and she couldn't remember a single thing about him.

"You'll probably get your memory back soon," Logan told her, taking his eyes off the road to study her profile. When he got no response from her, he got a little worried. "Max, did you hear me?"

"Yeah."

Logan reached for her hand and took it in his own, only to have Max pull it out of his grasp.

"Logan, I don't want to offend you, because you seem like a nice guy and I know we have some sort of history . . . but I can't remember that part of my life right now." Max let out an exasperated sigh.

"So what are you saying?" Logan asked, puzzled.

"It's just . . . when you try to hold my hand, or touch me . . . or whatever, to me it feels like it's a stranger. I don't want to hurt your feelings. but it makes me uncomfortable."

"Okay Max," Logan choked out, slightly taken aback. "I didn't know I made you feel that way. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"Thanks."

"Look, we're almost there, why don't you wake up Alec?" Logan suggested, trying in desperation to break the thick wall of silence that had suddenly engulfed them.

"Alec!" Max yelled, tapping his shoe.

"What!? We there?" He mumbled hardly alert.

"Almost," Max told him and then went back to staring out the window.

"I was having the best dream. There were these two strippers . . . "

"Alec!" Max interjected, suddenly annoyed with him.

"What!? I was just trying to explain . . . "

"Just shut up!" Max called over her shoulder, not even bothering to face him. She was on edge now. Things were weird between her and Logan and she wondered if she should have told him all the thoughts she had been having. It was true, Logan felt like someone she didn't know. Nothing about him was familiar. It hurt to have her memories taken away from her, because those memories were also linked to her feelings for him, and at that moment, she didn't have a clue how she felt about him. Of course it wasn't right to take it out on Alec, but that had never stopped her before.

"Damn, what the hell put you in such a foul mood?"

"Nothing," Max told him, biting in her lip as she watched the tall grass buzz by the moving car.

Alec pulled himself up so he was sitting, and leaned over to Logan's side of the car.

"Logan man, you can't leave me with her, she's liable to kill me. Do you want to come back and find little pieces of me strewn all over the house because little Miss mood swing decided to go psycho and hack me into tiny sections? I think I would have been safer with White."

"Alec, aren't you exaggerating a bit?" Logan asked sternly.

"Whatever man, you'll be the one cleaning up the mess."

Max turned to face Alec, giving him a deadly glare. Alec retracted back to his seat, sulking like every grown transgenic man should do, when Max was around.

They arrived at the small cabin, when the sun was just starting to peak through the clouds. Logan helped Max in with the bags and then helped Alec into the house, considering he was still weak, then he was gone. Max watched as the car backed out of the driveway and moved down the long road, until it was out of sight.

"So this is paradise for the next . . . how long did Logan say we had to stay here?"

"He didn't."

"Great. So the guy drops us of with some rations, in the middle of nowhere and is on his merry way while we're stuck roughing it for who knows how long?"

"This is roughing it?"

"Don't do that!"

"Do what?"

"That. Answer my question with a question."

"Whatever."

"Max, seriously, what is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem. Maybe you have a problem," Max seethed. She was more mad at herself than anyone else. Why couldn't she just remember Logan? Things would be fine then, she wouldn't have to combat with Alec, or have to think about him in any other way other than a friend. Even she knew she was lying to herself. Alec was more than a friend, how much more she wasn't sure, and was scared she was about to find out.

"Max, can't you just go along with it instead of disagreeing with me at every turn?"

"Nope. Besides what would the fun in that be?"

"See! You always do that. You just have to argue with me. I know what it really is, you can't help yourself, you're just so attracted to me, this is your way of getting out all that sexual frustration isn't it? I can feel the tension right now."

"What? I think you got hit in that lopsided head of yours one too many times."

"See, the sexual tension is coursing through your veins even as we speak."

Max turned her back on him, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner, as she unpacked her small travel bag.

"Max, the sooner you admit you want me, the sooner we can make our way to the bedroom and find out whether that mattress creaks or not. Ya with me?" Alec raised his eyebrow and slapped a silly smirk on his face.

"Please!" She scoffed.

"No need to beg Max, I'm very willing." He laughed.

"Look at you, you can barely walk on your own and you think you're ready to go round for round with me? Honestly Alec, do you really think you can take me on in the bedroom?" Max smiled to herself, aware that she had just turned the tables on him. The last thing Alec would be expecting was for her to call his bluff.

"You seriously underestimate me, Max."

"Maybe I do." She laughed slightly, crossing the room, now facing him. "Why use the bedroom then? Why not just pin me up against the wall and ravage my body for all it's worth?" Max glared at him, determination in her eyes.

"Is that a challenge?" Alec asked, as cockily as ever.

"Are you up to it?" Max asked, letting her eyes roam over the front of his pants, implying exactly what she meant.

TBC