Max watched Alec, who seemed to be amusing himself by the slight grin on his face. She was confused. Lost. Vulnerable. How was she going to tell him how scared she was to love him? God, how was she going to tell him she loved him at all? Why was life so difficult? 'Ugh! Stop it Max! We're here to stop White and that's all that matters right now. Concentrate on that instead of your own problems,' Max scolded herself, knowing she was being very selfish.

Alec was bored, so bored in fact he was making up songs in his head to make the time go quicker. Also it kept his mind occupied so he wouldn't have to deal with his feelings for Max or the way she kept looking at him with so much sympathy.

'I'm stuck in a field, minding my business, girl won't give me the time of day

Wishing I was drunk, or out of this place, damn Ames White and Ray

Goin' outta my mind, once she was blind, but now can see and doesn't want me.'

Alec smiled to himself, damn he was pathetic. He stole a glance at Max and breathed deeply as he watched her hair sway gently in the wind. Why did she have to be so beautiful?

Not again. Why did he keep torturing himself this way? Dammit because he loved her and feared he always would. She could push him away as much as she wanted but that constant aching in his heart would still be there. He knew he would love her no matter what, whether she loved and choose Logan over him or not.

He looked up and caught Logan's eye, he quickly turned from Alec's gaze. 'Dumb bastard, yeah you won asshole, stop acting so superior!' Alec thought to himself, before he got up and began to wonder around.

"Where are you going?" Logan called. Alec kept walking and ignored Logan, even though he kept asking questions.

"I'll get him," Max offered and was off before Logan had a chance top answer.

"Alec!" Max called as she searched for him.

Alec sat perched at the top of an old abandoned barn on the property watching Max look for him. In the distance he could make out cars approaching and he knew it could only be Ames White and his band of followers. Alec climbed down quietly, keeping his eyes on the vehicles as they approached. They were headed towards the house Ray was being kept in.

"Alec!" Max came from around the corner and bumped into him. She gripped his strong arms as he struggled to get away. "Alec, please just listen to me for a minute."

"Not now, Max," he replied absently.

"Is this how it's going to be between us from now on?"

"Max, we don't have time to fight right now. Look!" He pointed to the cars coming over the hill.

"Logan's out there by himself."

"It's okay, they're not going to pass the field, looks like Logan's plan didn't work after all. We'll have to beat them to the house."

"It would have worked if we had been there to ambush them, like we were supposed to. Instead I had to go looking for you," she said bitterly.

"Yeah well, I'm sorry I'm so much trouble, but after this you'll never have to deal with me again. Aren't you lucky?" Alec told her sarcastically, pulling his arm out of her grasp and sprinting towards the house.

Max looked back at the field towards Logan and then to Alec's blurred image.

It was an easy decision to make and in two seconds flat, she was right beside Alec.

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath when they got to the house and saw that White was already parked and out of the car.

Alec signalled to her to use the back entrance and he would go around to the front where there would be more danger. Max did not even argue when she saw the look of determination cross his features.

Alec crept into the house, silently. He waited and listened to the sounds coming from the next room. Whimpers of fear, Ray and his aunt and a low growl, Joshua most likely, haunted Alec as he entered the room. He held his hands up in surrender to the three men that aimed guns his way. "Whoa, whoa relax boys!" Alec put a cocky smile on his face. "So, White, funny running into you here."

"Wipe that grin off your face 494, you won't live long enough to enjoy our little reunion if you don't shut the fuck up."

Joshua growled and advanced toward White. "Easy buddy," Alec said deep and low.

Ray and his aunt sat in a corner huddled together, she covered his ears with her hands so he wouldn't have to listen and be more afraid.

"I want my son!" White charged, with venom coating his icy tongue.

"You'll have to kill me first, because that's the only way I'll give him up," The terrified woman replied shakily.

"That won't be a problem," White breathed and advanced toward the pair.

Joshua moved to stand in front of them, blocking White's access. "No." Joshua crossed his long arms over one another and took on a fighting stance. He was ready to fight White if he had to. Without turning, from the corner of Alec's eye, he saw Max head toward Ames White. She walked quietly, her feet like butter on a hot pan. Just as she was about to grab for the gun White fisted in his hand, a noise turned him on his heels and he spotted Logan at the doorway beside Alec.

"Max?" Logan rasped finally making his way into the house.

White's pale smile turned sinister as he aimed the gun towards Alec and Logan. "Friend of yours?" He questioned Max.

Max stared at him with so much deep seated heat, he thought he may catch on fire from it alone.

"So White, how's that whole cult thing going for you?" Alec butted in, trying to create a diversion.

"I thought I told you to shut the fuck up?" White sneered annoyed.

"I guess I don't listen too well. On my list of good traits," Alec pointed a finger to his temple as if in thought. "No, nope, definitely not, listening is not on it." Alec silently signalled to Max to try to get Ray out of there while he distracted White. It was a long shot, but all they had to go on.

"Shut up!"

"I really wish I could, but I have this problem where I just keep talking even when I'm not supposed to. There was this one time back at Manticore..."

"I can't take this shit anymore." White snarled and pulled the trigger in the general direction of Alec and Logan.

Max rushed at super speed, blurring to the rest of the people present and dove in front of the bullet. She came crashing down on Alec, so hard, she knocked the wind out of him. The pool of blood was great and immediate as it sprang from the wound like a newly discovered oil field.

Joshua growled in a mad rage and rushed White picking him up and slamming him against the wall, knocking the gun out of his hands. He grabbed the smaller man by the neck and with his eyes to the sky twisted with great force. The sound of crunching bone was deafening and coated the ears of all the other occupants. Even White's men flinched at the sound and then another piercing scream caught their attention.

Alec rolled Max over so she lay on her back, her shirt was soaked with blood and now so was the carpet where she lay. "Max!" he called to receive no response and he felt the anger built inside him until it was a force field he could not control. Grabbing the gun that rested by his feet, he pointed it at the mindless goons and shot three times, striking each dead center in the heart.

Alec returned to Max and checked her weak pulse. "Max!" he whispered softly, as a tear trickled down his face.

"Is she?" Logan asked from across the room, releasing a held breath.

"She's fine! She's fine! She's going to be okay," he told them without looking up. He softly touched her cheek. "You're going to be fine," he reassured her, while trying to tell himself the same thing.