"R... Rachel?" He questioned again. She noted his consistent vulnerability; he really had changed. She looked over the hard angles of his face, the fear and confusion in his eyes, and his rigid posture.

After shyly looking away for a moment, she quietly said, "It's Max, actually."

His heart sank. He looked at his combat boots. His expression hardened, returning to more of a soldier's stare. His confusion remained, plaguing him. He looked up with questioning, angry eyes.

"Alec," she breathed, reaching her tanned hand towards his. He flinched.

"Who told you to call me that?" he demanded. If Biggs was playing a joke on him, he swore to God...

Max smiled softly. "I did. I gave you that name, remember?"

No. This wasn't possible. He'd killed her. She was gone. This '09-er was trying to psych him out. But her voice was so warm and familiar, just like her kiss...

He sat in stony silence. She mentally compared him to a beautiful marble statue, fraught with anguish. His strong jaw protruded slightly, giving away his anger. The intensity almost made her afraid.

"Maybe I should start over. My name's Max, designation X5-452. I'm an '09-er. I've been living in Seattle for a few years now, despite my CO's wishes." He didn't move as he took in her words. She was one of them. But is that good or bad?

He had revealed the fact that she was a job. She knew his secret. Had she told anyone? Maybe she was just a plant by Manticore – take the girl, tattoo on a barcode, give her a convincing story to bring down a soldier and prove he needed even more reindoctrination...

"I started working with Eyes Only after I broke into his pent house." She laughed a little to herself. He found it pleasant. Damn it.

"He sent me to protect Mr. Berrisford, who he knew was in danger because of Manticore. And me being an X5, well... I guess the job just suited me. I went in to neutralize the threat, to protect a man. But I found myself surrounded by two men I began to love."

Two?

"First, Mr. Berrisford became like a father to me. And, as you know, our kind hasn't really been exposed to many parental figures. He cared for me when his real daughter was away. Part of me felt like I was just a replacement, but... but I felt loved in any case." She became quiet for a second.

"Then you showed up. I knew it was you from the start. I was in a unit with your twin, Ben." Her eyes trailed towards the floor, and she almost gave one short laugh. "I guess you knew that too."

"They did hundreds of tests on us twins, trying to make sure the defect wasn't genetic. Putting us through agony to make sure we weren't like you. Messing with our bodies and heads to check that we were good little soldiers. It was torture." He realized that he trusted her, even though he didn't mean to. Maybe she's psy-ops.

"Oh." Studying the concrete floor took the place of telling her story. After another minute she whispered, "I'm sorry. .... We didn't know...."

"Yeah, well, that's when we learned we had twins. There was no reason for you to know." Why are you comforting her? You don't know her motives, if she's a plant, if she's nuts, if she's nice... They almost killed you because of her and her stupid 'family.'

"Though you should have known they would put us through hell after you escaped," he snarled.

"I already thought it was," she said softly, hugging her knees to her chest.

Silence.

"So yeah, I knew about my twin," he grunted, giving into her apologetic, awkward quiet.

After another few uncomfortable minutes, she turned to him. "I can't believe it's you," she whispered.

"I still don't," he muttered under his breath.

"After you took me to prom? After I told you I loved you? Alec, I know it's hard to trust me, because I'm not who you thought... but at the same time, I am. I didn't change my personality. I... I didn't mean to fall for you. Hell, I knew you were basically going to kill me and I fell for you anyway! I never meant to lie to you, or hurt you.... I just wanted to pretend for a while. I wanted to be that normal girl with a normal boyfriend and a normal life. You have to understand that, don't you?"

She tried to touch his hand again. He didn't move away.

"I loved you as Rachel. But... I still love you as Max. As X5-452. No matter what you've done." Her hand trailed up his arm. He turned to face her.

"Did... Did you love me, Alec?" she asked, completely vulnerable for the first time since he'd left.

He nodded.

A small smile crept across her face.

"Max," he said, as if trying it out. He guessed it fit her. It wasn't as picturesque and soft as 'Rachel,' but in reality, neither was she. "Max." The second time it felt nicer on his lips as he tied it to the woman he'd been dreaming about over the last months.

She nodded, encouraging him, loving the way he said it. She scooted closer to him.

"Max," he said as their lips touched. He still felt shaken and confused. He felt happy but weary, elated but horrified, comforted but scared. He wasn't sure if he was okay with all this. But he needed a release. And hey, he was supposed to follow orders.

A/N: I'm not sure if I should finish it there or not....