Title : The reason

Rating : R (some scenes with sexual connotation

Pairing : Max/Zack

Summary : Zack escapes from Manticore and turns to max for help. This is set after BBWW but before TKAA and is answer to Eternity's challenge. See below.

Max and Zack must NOT be together at the beginning of the story.

Must be set before TKAA

Zack comes back hurt and Max takes care of him

Max must wash Zack's hair

Max takes Zack to the crash and teaches him to dance

Someone must say "Break me off a piece of that"

Zack must say I Love You

Zack and Max are together at the end.

Max sat up as soon as she heard the thump, the noise was so inconspicuous it would probably gone unnoticed by most people, but then she wasn't most people Max stood up silently and swiftly and headed towards the living room.

As she entered the living room she adjusted herself to the light and tried to home in on who or what had caused the disturbance.

As her eyes settled on the odd thing out in her living room Max felt herself stiffen with shock.

"Zack?"

"Hey there …"

Before he could finish his sentence Zack fell towards the floor.

"Zack!"

Max dived forward and managed to catch him before he could hit the ground fully; as she turned him round in her arms she felt her breath catch. She surveyed the damage to him, his face was covered in mottled bruises, she dreaded to think what the rest of him was like.

"Oh God Zack, what did they do to you?"

Max felt the guilt crawling in her gut. She had caused this, he had turned himself in for her, he had went back to Manticore for her and she, she had run back to Logan, had ignored everything her heart was telling her and ran for her life back to what was safe, what she could control. Zack hadn't seen that, he had seen her risk her life, risk his life to return to Logan. He hadn't seen her fear, he had simply witnessed her betrayal. Max killed off her thoughts as she felt Zack move in her arms.

"Shhh, it's okay Zack, it's ok, I've got you, you're ok, No-one is going to hurt you, oh god we gotta get you cleaned up"

Max lifted Zack into her arms and headed towards the bathroom. As she filled the bath up with warm water she turned her attention to Zack. Logically she knew that she had to get him into the bath, the quicker his wounds were cleaned the quicker they would heal, but right now she was having problems getting her mind to think logically.

*oh well it's now or never Max*

Mac kneeled down and started to unbutton Zack's shirt, as she slipped off his shirt Max breath caught again and she had to fight herself from crying, his body was covered in bruises and welts, he was so badly injured it was hard to see any skin covering his body that wasn't covered in some sort of wound. She knew that he would fight if he were sent back to Manticore she had just forgotten how rough they could be on anyone who didn't obey the rules.

They had all been lucky really. Zack had always tried to make sure that they never hurt them, even when it meant taking the brunt himself. He had taken more beatings than anyone back at Manticore, most of the time for things that had been nothing to do with him, but that was Zack, always the protector.

~flashback~

They had been in trouble all day today, Lydecker had been furious about the red balloon incident and had put them all through the wringer for it.

It had all been her fault, she had been the one who spotted the balloon, it was because of her that Zack had went up to get it and because of her he had fought with the guards and now everyone was lying here, tired and in pain all because of her Max felt the sob catch in her throat, it wouldn't do for the guards to see one of them crying, she tried to fight it but she felt the sobs start to rack her body and she buried her face in the pillow to drown out any noise.

As the sobs started to subside she felt an arm wrap tightly around her, she didn't have to turn around to know it was Zack. He had always done this for them. Whenever any of them had been upset Zack had been there, to hold them, to comfort them or just to sit with them, it had gone on longer than Max could remember.

As she settled back into Zack's arms Max felt herself relax, she felt Zack stroke her hair and she started to drift off to sleep, before sleep could fully claim her Max had one last thought, in all the time that she had known Zack to comfort them, she had never seen anyone comfort him, no-one held him when he needed to cry or comforted him when he was feeling down.

Before Max could stop herself she slipped her hand down and clasped it round Zack, she felt him stiffen slightly as she knew he would but she kept her hand there, she waited for a couple of minutes and when she felt his body relax again she laced her fingers with his and gave them a squeeze. As she was drifting off to sleep she was sure that she felt Zack give her hand a slight squeeze in return.

~end flashback~

Max looked down at the man lying in front of her. In so many ways he was the same as the Zack that she remembered but again so different, or maybe it was her that was different now.

Max lifted Zack up and placed him gently in the bath as she started to wash his wounds she felt him stir.

"Max?"

"Hey there"

Zack tried to sit up. "What are you doing?"

"Hey, calm down, I'm just trying to clean you off" Max gently eased Zack back against the tub "You were in a pretty bad way when you got here.

Zack looked up at Max seeing the concern in her eyes he forced himself to relax he knew she meant well but..

"Look I'm ok I was only out for a little while, I can finish the rest by myself"

"Forget it buddy, you were unconscious, you have received several nasty bumps on the head and I am not leaving you alone, so you might as well just get used to me being here"

Zack looked up, as he saw the obstinate set of her shoulders and the defiant look in her eye, he knew there was no point in arguing, but he was washing himself, no way was he going to lie there and let her wash him.

"Ok, ok already, you can stay, but I am washing myself"

"Ok, how about we compromise, you wash the body, I'll take the head, 'k?"

"Max I am more than capable of washing myself, that includes my Head"

"Maybe you are but hey it'll keep me occupied and besides I always wanted to be a stylist, maybe after you let me wash it, I could do some work on it, add some streaks, take away some of the length" Max smiled down at him

Zack sighed, "Ok, ok you win you can have the head, but I'm warning you I see any sign of pink dye and I'll kick your butt" Zack smiled at Max.

That was the thing about Max you could never stay mad at her, she would either smile, hit out with some wisecrack or simply turn those big doe eyes on you, and before you could blink you would forget what you were mad about in the first place. Besides it was only his head, how much damage could she do with that.

Ten minutes later Zack found out just how much damage Max could do with his head. He felt like he had died and went straight to heaven, or hell depending on which way you looked at it. Every time her fingers slipped through his hair and massaged his scalp he felt like turning round and bringing her into the bath with him. He never realised how erotic someone touching his head could be.

No someone Zack reminded himself, not just someone but Max, It was Max who was rubbing her soft hands through his hair it was Max who was pushed up against him, her breasts swaying against his arm, it was Max's scent he could smell invading his senses and making him feel light-headed. It would be so easy to turn round and take her in his arms, to pull her into the bathtub with him and lose himself completely in that smell, in that touch, in those lips.

Zack brought himself to with a shake, this was Max, little Max, a girl he had regarded as a sister.

He knew even as he thought it that that wasn't true, he hadn't thought of Max as a sister for going on 4 years now, ever since the first time he had tracked her down in Seattle and realised that the little girl he had left behind had turned into one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen in his life.

Zack felt himself turn around towards her slightly, before he could stop himself a darker thought crossed his mind. This was Max and Max was in love with Logan, Max had fought HIM for Logan.

Zack pulled himself away a little roughly.

"You know I think it's safe to say my hair's clean soldier"

As he looked up at her and saw the hurt in her eyes, he almost started to apologise

"Yeah I guess it is, well I'll let you finish yourself, I'll go in and fix us up something to eat"

Zack turned back to cleaning his wounds, telling himself that it was for the best.

"Oh and Zack?"

Zack looked up quickly "Yeah?"

"You call me soldier one more time and those bruises you've got will seem like a walk in the park, Got it?"

Zack simply looked at her and cocked his eyebrow

"You think you're ready to take me on?"

Max looked down at him in the bath, maybe it was time to have some fun, she examined his body from head to toe here eyes lingering a little longer than necessary in certain area, as she made her way up to his face, she could see the nerve ticking in his jaw, he was like a walking time bomb, she wondered how far she could push him before it blew, Max decided to push the boat out a little and test the waters.

Zack felt him body stiffen as Max walked back towards him, he could feel every nerve cell in his body humming as she leaned down and put her mouth to his ear.

"Maybe the question is soldier, are you ready to take me on?"

As Max straightened back up and left the room Zack let out the breath, he didn't even know he was holding.

*What the hell was she playing at*

End of chapter 1