Max stared up at the waterstained ceiling. It had been 7923 seconds since Alec had left. Not that she was counting or anything. Why had she been so stupid? How could she have let him run out on her before she had finished screaming? This was all his fault. It was his fault that she had wanted him to touch her like that, his fault that he had, and his fault that she had never wanted it to end. But above all, Max was damn well sure that in some twisted way it was Alec's fault that it was snowing in July!

When he had first left, Max had considered going after him, but she couldn't face the idea that Alec might come back to the room when she was out.

"Besides, he has the only room key. And," she told herself speaking out loud. "I just don't care enough to go after him."

As if to prove the point to herself she pulled out the papers that Logan had given her about the mission. She couldn't focus on them. She kept hearing Alec's phantom footsteps outside the room, feeling his fingers brush against her skin or smelling his scent drifting lightly on the air.

Max threw the papers across the room in frustration and resigned herself to sitting in the middle of the bed and imagining all the ways she was going to dismember Alec when he walked back through that door, which she was sure would happen momentarily.

It didn't.

Max began to feel guilty. It really hadn't been Alec's fault at all. She had wanted him; She still wanted him. She was just scared of his rejection. When he got back she was going to apologise to him she decided. Until then, she would count the seconds.

Alec sat in the cheesy diner and stared down at the food in front of him. It hardly looked edible and tasted worse than it looked. He had only bought it because the manager had threatened to kick him out if he didn't buy anything. He began to pick mindlessly at the food as he stared out the window at the blizzard and thought about Max.

He had been so incredibly happy when she had kissed him. It had seemed like all his deeply hidden dreams were about to come true. But it didn't surprise him that Max had snapped back into her typical self and destroyed even the fond memory of the experience. Yet, after all her bitching and accusations he still wanted her and needed to be around her. He didn't understand this compulsion he felt to stay close to her.

For hours he sat in the diner looking out the window loath to go back to the hotel room with Max. It hadn't been a mistake, he kept telling himself. How can something that magical be a mistake? He finally decided that he couldn't avoid Max any longer. He would go back to the motel but he would not speak to her. She would yell and fume and sputter out when she got no response.

Max sat up dead straight as she heard the key turn in the lock. The words "Alec I'm so sorry I didn't mean it at all." Took a strange form and cascaded from Max's lips as "Alec, where the hell have you been?"

"There are still no vacancies and the storm's going strong. They say it should let up tomorrow morning" He replied forgetting his resolve to stay silent.

"It didn't take you 4 hours to figure that out! Did it not occur to you that I was trapped in here?" Max raged.

Alec looked around. "You couldn't find the door?"

"You have the only key!"

Alec shrugged. He didn't want to have this conversation. "I'm going to shave."

He walked towards the bathroom but Max stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"I want to talk about this now!" Max said stamping her foot.

Alec turned to her, his eyes dark and dangerous.

"Don't test me Max!"

"Test you!" She retorted. "You're the one testing me! Do you really think that you can waltz in here after what happened this morning and have me shrug it off as a lack in judgement?"

"That would be very wise." Alec said his eyes getting darker and angrier.

"Well I won't! She said. "And you are going to stand there until I've said what I have to say!"

"I heard all I wanted to hear this morning Max." Alec said trying to push past her.

"Don't walk away from me!" She said angrily.

"Look Max!" Alec said spinning around. " I don't have to take this from you. I don't need you accusing me of some twisted over the top plan to get you to sleep with me. I don't need a plan! Do you understand that! I could've had you last night or a hundred times before without some stupid ploy. We both know that. I wanted you and you wanted me but you don't have the guts to admit it!"

"Don't tell me what to admit! This morning I was asleep."

"Are you awake now?" Alec asked.


"Good." He said and crushed his mouth against hers.

He felt her muffled protests and pulled back staring into her eyes. Max felt desire pounding through her. She shook her head as if denying it but it swept through her. She pulled Alec back into the kiss and took what she wanted.

Insert hot monkey sex written by Fergus80 here. If you want to read it visit Nuns With Pens.

"Max" said Alec leaning on one elbow and looking down at her. "I didn't intend for that to happen. I know that sounds really weak after this morning, but."

"Don't." she said kissing him softly. "I'm sorry for the things I said this morning. I knew they weren't true when I was saying them but I couldn't stop. If I stopped I would have had to admit I wanted you."

"I wasn't going to talk to you when I got back you know." Alec said pulling some hair out of her eyes."

"And I was going to apologise." Max said.

"Somehow, I think this was a much better idea for both of us." Alec said.

"So what happens now?" Max asked.

"Well it's still snowing pretty hard. I figure we've got a good ten or twelve hours before we can possibly go out there." Alec said playfully running a finger down the bridge of her nose.

"Oh no!" Said Max in mock distress. "Whatever shall we do?"

"I can think of a few things." Alec said as he leaned down again and kissed her. All comprehensive thought was lost from her mind and she kissed him back.