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Ruby felt the same desperation he had when they took Jacob away. They both wanted to be there, to be the man's watchful guardians if he were to disappear today. And only when he was sitting there, with Ruby in his arms did it hit him. What if Jacob never passed those doors again? What if today was the day the rabbit dies and Alice gets lost again? No one to remind Alice that time was ticking, that life had to be lived and not just sat through and wait for it to end. It seemed impossible that Jacob could die now, today and in this way. At their first meetings, Max would have imagined Jacob to die by his hand, and honestly he thought that it might have happened that day at the abandoned theme park. But no if Jacob died today it had to be by something only a coward would use. Poison, or whatever it was coursing the man's veins right now. Perhaps this situation had to remind Max of how much he loved the man, how much his presence used to frighten him at first, giving him shivers if respect until finally he fell for a criminal who hid his face to kill to get to his goals but couldn't bare to stay quiet in front of his own boss and see his friends die. If Jacob died today Max didn't know what would happen to him or Ruby. He would regret not spending enough time with the man, not being able to know about his past, not being able to sort his own feelings. Leaving a relation in suspense by death. It sounded like the worst type of torture for a living person.
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Ruby kept saying she didn't need anything, but Max knew what she and he truly needed right now, it was to know if Jacob would get through the night or not. It was possibly the only thing that could appease them both. She them told him she was scared, and in her tone he could see she wasn't just saying that. He had no idea of what to do to make her feel better, except just be there. Ruby spoke, her voice shaking, seemingly on the verge of tears. So they were on a mission together? Max wondered who hired both an Enigma and Bianchi member to go on a mission together. It didn't matter so much, some of her words helped him understand a little bit more about what happened. He wished he was able to know even more, to get all the details like he was right there, to be able to know who was the coward who created this wreck. There was anger growing inside of him, but not towards Ruby. She seemed to be blaming herself for what happened, but Max simply didn't have enough information to know why. If he could he would find the culprit and get back to an old Max he had burned and buried a long, long time ago, one that will hurt the man responsible and kill him out of boiling blood.
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Max saw a tear run down Ruby's cheek before her face disappeared into his chest. He moved a hand to her head, tangling his finger into those gold locks. There was a sense of déjà vu, like he knew this was going to happen, or it already happened in the past, with his sister. He didn't remember, the moment didn't allow him to piece anything together. "I'm scared too...But it's going to be okay, just let yourself go. I'm the only one watching." he found his voice to shake more that he had intended. No he wasn't to show any fear, he was to be the strong one to rely on, the one Ruby could count on without fearing of seeing him crumble. He wanted for Ruby to be able to cry all tears right now, to let herself go. There were chains on her, heavy ones that forbid her to show some very specific emotions. Crying seemed to be one of them. He never saw her cry before, and that one tear was proof that she was capable of doing so. Crying takes off weights, Max knows it better than anyone. Yelling does too but not in this occasion and in this spot.
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He kept looking at the staff running around, wondering if they will get any news soon. Time seemed to fly by so slowly, it was unbearable. He wanted to get up, to pace around to tire himself and give his slowly urging nerves to calm down and focus on something as primal as walking. But he was afraid that by doing so, letting go of Ruby would leave her shattered in pieces. He didn't want to let her go, holding her tight without choking her to make sure she at least was still there and unharmed. He won't ask about the smeared lipstick. If Ruby was honest about their engagements then she will tell him. If not, then Max preferred not to bring it up at all. It wasn't what mattered right now, Max focused his anger on other things and he could feel the beating of his pulse climb because of it. He wanted to tell her, that he'll find the bastard who did this and get rid of him, send him underground for his mistake, but anger right now was not where he had to head. He needed to slide down calm paths to prepare for whatever may come. He believed Jacob will come out of this unharmed, but the fear that his beliefs might trick him was deep down rotting in his mind, killing his self-control.

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As they drove, Ruby tried to explain what happened, but it seemed like she didn't have much information to furnish. But she was panicked, and Max didn't need to have her get a panic attack right now, he needed her sane, he needed her collected and studying self so she could explain as much as she could to the hospital staff so they could get Jacob back up. Who knew what he had been injected in. It could be some sweet dose of a simple drug that would put him to sleep, or it could be something nasty that could kill him in ten minutes. The way Ruby kept her hand on his neck helped Max feel reassured that she'l tell him if the merc's pulse disappeared. He looked at her for a while, his eyes switching constantly from the rear mirror to the road. "Hey, he's going to be alright. Don't worry, just take deep breaths okay? Just..." he left his voice try to be as comforting as he could muster before adding in a lower tone. "Don't pull a classic 20s woman on me by fainting." his stupid attempt at being funny was ridiculous, but honestly he preferred to try than to leave everything the way it was and let silence set in for too long.
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After passing the hospital door with Jacob in his arms, the staff took care of taking him away to being treated in urgency. Max wished he and Ruby could have followed, but he understood that the staff would need space to treat Jacob correctly. As a few doctors came to urgently ask them a bunch of questions, Max found himself unable to answer any of them. He let Ruby explain if she could, and he hoped that she would be able to pull herself together enough to be able to give all the needed information for them to help Jacob. He made her a sign, that he'll be right back. He needed to park the car elsewhere and check on Lucius. He felt guilty for leaving her with the staff, but he had to get that done or else it might block off urgent cares. He reached his car, finding an exited Lucius inside. He drove to the hospital parking and shut the engine before getting out a bowl of water for Lucius to drink from. He took the pup out and walked him around, trying his best not to waste any time. He had to put Lucius back in the car and leave him in there with only a few reassuring words. Hopefully he'll be able to get back to him soon, maybe even smuggle him inside the hospital later.
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When he came back inside the main hall, Ruby must have been just about done with the staff. As he joined her, he looked at her face, a tension in his eyes he was unable to hide despite trying his best to relax himself. It won't save Jacob to tense up, he had to be calm for Ruby's sake, to keep her calm as well. That pretty dress she was wearing, it wasn't keeping her warm enough, was one of the first things Max could focus on. He took off his own coat and wrapped it around her shoulders, keeping it closed for her for a few seconds before pulling her closer to him, rubbing his hands on her back gently. He was still thinking about the small things he saw in the car, the lips of the two, connected by the same lipstick. He and Ruby had talked this through. If they found somebody else, then they would stop their exclusivity like they have come to call it. He couldn't help but feel slightly hurt at the thought that the somebody else would be Jacob. There was a small tug in his chest, urging him to feel angry about it. It probably made things easier for them to have it that way however. At least Max wasn't to be tugged between two people he liked too much for his own good. He didn't want to be angry about it, not now. He had never been sure about his feelings for the two, but that small detail he noticed cut short his thoughts on the subject for now.
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He took deep breaths and looked at the staff running around while he still held Ruby close to him, possibly a little too overly protective of her. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice as comforting as possible. "Do you want some coffee? Some tea? Something to eat? I'm sure I can get you something." right now he felt like some father or older brother ready to do anything to calm down and comfort the one person that mattered right now. His eyes came back constantly to the door he saw the staff take Jacob through. If they didn't come out in ten minutes to tell them how their bunny was, he would break those doors down himself to see him with his own eyes. He rested his chin on Ruby's blond head, realizing how holding her that way made him calm.

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It's always interesting how calm the PD could be at late hours. Only very few clicking and tapping on a mouse or a keyboard could be heard throughout the booths and office, a few whispers here and there. Today must be an exceptionally calm day for anyone working in the field of security. No alarming calls coming in from an old lady getting her house mugged, no strange calls of a family member thinking their neighbor is a psychopath, nothing of the sort. At least nothing that filled the PD with noise. Max had just entered the PD, coming back from visiting the harbor, where a few fishermen said they had information about Enigma. Turns out they didn't have anything the PD didn't already have. A waste of time, like many other times. Max had come back to the department only to check on a few files, get some job done while he was still awake and willing to work until he felt like going back home and catch some sleep.
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Over the past few weeks, he insisted to take Lucius at work with him. Yes he found a name for the German Sheppard. It would have been a terrible idea to make his dog respond to the name Max when really it was his human being called. Confusing for both the master and the pup. It had proven a challenge to keep the dog calm when he was doing paper work, and also he couldn't yet bring him on any field work at his side. Too dangerous for such a little guy. And to the pup's greatest sadness, he got fixed. Something that is just necessary for a police dog. And a good police dog Lucius will be, since Max believed he did a very good job in training. The cop sat in his office chair, letting the puppy gnaw on the bunny plushed toy while the cat one rested under it's shoulder in a protective way. So far there hadn't been much preference from any of the two toys, just don't take them away from the pup when he sleeps or he'll bark until you give them back.
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It had been a good hour since Max had been working on getting some job done, feeling his head filled with information he'll probably dump during his sleep. Lucius had fallen asleep on his shoes, and the cop didn't dare move his feet ever since the little brat took place on them. However he was going to get up and try to snatch some coffee without waking up the pup when his phone rang, startling both him and the sleeping GS. He sighed, running a hand on his face before picking the phone up from the desk. Ruby? Why was she calling him at this hour? He almost hesitated in answering since that usually resulted in the order to bring his ass somewhere with the dog so she could make sure he was okay. Not him, the dog. He answered anyway, and when he heard Ruby's voice on the other end, all of those second thoughts were smoldered. She sounded at a level of panic he had rarely heard before, in fact he wasn't even sure he ever heard her being so panicked before. He wanted more explanation from her, as to what was going on, ask her to calm down but she hung up as she finished speaking. The cop looked at his phone, wondering what could possibly be going on. Was this a prank? A joke? Would she even dare? He looked at the time while Lucius looked at him with a head cocked to the side. If Ruby dared play a prank of that level on him, Max would make sure she feels guilty enough not to ever do it again.
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In a few minutes he was in one of the PD cars, driving to the known location with Lucius laying under the passenger seat, both of his toys in his mouth, looking at his master with what looked like worry. With the time it took him to get to the place, Max had all the time to turn and turn again the different possible scenarios in his head, and had grown weary. Of course his pet could feel it. He caught himself driving slightly faster than usual, and on the verge of anger for Ruby not telling him more. If this was a prank....
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Soon enough he was at the hotel and drove to the back alley. The first thing he saw was Ruby, wearing a long and elegant blue dress, then he noticed...Jacob? He was hanging dully from her shoulder, and the blond seemed to be supporting his weight. Max didn't bother park the car, he stopped as close as he could and flung open the door, asking Lucius to stay. He shut it closed before, with long strides he joined Ruby's side. "What the fuck is going on? What's wrong with him?!" his voice rang with anger, and also worry now that he saw the situation wasn't a prank, nor a joke. He took Jacob himself under the arm and urged to take him to the car's backseat. When he opened the door, Lucius' first reaction was to bark and jump on the passenger seat, wagging his tail at Ruby and Jacob's presence. Max urged Ruby to get in the back with Jacob before sitting back into the driver seat himself. He shut the door and moved Lucius back under the seat he was jumping on. It was obviously useless and the pup jumped in the back with the two elegantly dressed assassins, putting his paws on Jacob's knees, wagging his tail happily before moving to Ruby. Max didn't bother try to move the dog again and started the engine, driving away from the hotel.
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The cop drove fast to the hospital, and unable to take the patience to deal with traffic, he took out the police siren from the glove box to set it on top of the vehicle. A huge time earner. While he drove, he adjusted the rear mirror, to try to see and understand what was going on with Jacob that he hadn't spoken a word yet. The man seemed to be unable to know where he was, couldn't move by himself. It was worrying, that Jacob who usually always had something to say, was only able to blurt a few incomprehensible words every once in a while. As for Ruby, she never looked so worried, staying close to the merc, seemingly trying to comfort him. Max also noticed something else, something that didn't make much sense to understand what happened with Jacob, but only served to render Max quiet on that very specific subject. Red around the bunny's mouth, fainted lipstick on the cat's own. No need to be the best detective in the world to understand what that meant. "Ruby I think I need some explanations. Just tell me what you can, we can discuss the details later." Max's voice was serious, maintaining his calm as best he could.
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Lucius had tried licking Jacob's face and neck before settling on his lap, apparently able to detect something was aloof with the man, his toys resting on the front passenger's seat. Very quickly, with Max's unusually fast driving, they got to the hospital. He parked right in front of the doors and got out, setting Lucius in the driver's seat and ordering him to stay there. It wasn't going to be a very fun hour for the pup, and Max took two seconds to lower slightly one of the windows before shutting his door and getting Jacob out. "Run to the front desk Ruby and get some help." if Ruby did as he said, he would pick Jacob up by himself in his arms, much like he picked up Lucius when he didn't want to take a bath. He would then walk past the doors as fast as he could until he could get any help from the staff.

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Of course he guessed right. Those two will never miss on an occasion to simply break into his home, his personal space. It was probably a lot of fun for them to torment him, even though sometimes he got the feeling, like right now, that their aim wasn't to completely make his life a living hell. It seemed like they actually wanted to make him happy. It was a strange thought, to believe that they could care for a stupid cop incapable of killing his own Stockholm syndrome in order to stay alive and safe. But he wasn't going to complain, not now. One day it'll backfire at him, he knew it. But being all alone for so long, relying on only himself to make him happy was not how he wanted to live his life, not anymore. Now they could make him happy as well, and hopefully he managed to do the same thing for them, bring them peace in their ever so violent lives. From that moment on, he wanted to swear that he will never hurt them again, that he will do what was in his power to keep them for him. What a selfish thought, one that was quickly brushed away. They will never belong to anyone, and even though he wished he could say the same thing about himself, he was already belonging to them.
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Receiving the pup was like getting a baby from god knows where. And they were all the parents with Max as the main one. It could be fun to use the pup as an excuse to drag them over and get some time with the two. When did Max become so possessive of them was beyond his knowledge. He chuckled at Ruby's words of being a call's length from him if he needed help with the pup. At that moment, the GS came closer to him, sitting in front of him again with the plushed toys in its mouth. When Max tried to retrieve them, the dog ran away with them, only to tease him from the other end of the kitchen. "Yeah I'll bring him at the PD training classes, otherwise it'll become a real useless brat." he chuckled. The simple presence of the dog was what kept it from ever being useless. It was a little reminder that you weren't alone, that you'll always have a tiny partner next to you now matter what. Good to know. 
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The most legal thing they have done. Yeah somehow that sounded very silly coming out of Jacob's mouth, but he sounded proud of himself and so did Ruby. He looked at him with a squint before moving his hands back to the sheriff star pinned on his chest, taking it off and pinning it onto Jacob. "Yes you sound very proud of yourself Jacob. Thanks for killing no one on my birthday I appreciate it." what he just said was aimed at Ruby as well, and he was tempted to put the spiky dog collar around her neck, but that would have crossed a kink zone he didn't want to see disturb the piece just yet.
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And yet that line got crossed moments later when Jacob asked questions regarding Ruby's taste in gifts and more precisely the boxers. He looked at the man with a roll of his eyes until Ruby replied and he shot her a 'no you didn't' type of look. She truly never ceased to be naughty did she? Max didn't mind it at all when they were only the two of us, but he always felt bad for Jacob having to witness it all. Being in his place, he would have probably gone bored of it and stopped acknowledging it at some point. "Excuse me, I'm the one deciding when I want to walk around in boxers. So yes you do need a valid excuse to see me wearing those." why was he even discussing this? He didn't need to justify himself. He didn't even want to comment on the string Batman underpants. Oh well, it didn't matter anymore because Jacob was getting into the J&R scar subject and touched his chest. Patted it to be more precise. He always felt a little strange whenever someone accidentally touched that spot of his body. It had just become more sensible over the weeks, like whenever someone touched that area, he was reminded it was there and it simply felt there when it didn't a second before. Max nodded at Jacob's words since he spoke the truth, yet again, damn you Pierce.
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Max was surprised when Jacob pulled out another wrapped present for him. He somehow didn't imagine him to be the type to give gifts, he even thought at some point that the gift from Ruby was from both of them. He took the gift with his brows raised, unable to hide his surprise. When he opened it he first saw the necklace for both the dog and him. So they were really going full on with that Max name weren't they. He chuckled and sighed, giving up on complaining until he found a name for the pup. However Jacob's necklace for the dog was more fitting, less aggressive for a house and for cuddles. He called out for the puppy, using a range of high pitched voices and squeaks to get it close before gently grabbing him and putting the collar on. "There, now I can hug him without getting stabbed." he looked at Ruby with a raise of his brow. He'll use that necklace in the streets but not at home, that was a certainty. After slipping the other necklace with the name Max around his neck he looked into the box again, discovering the perfect book. He looked at Jacob with a grateful and satisfied smirk. "Do you know how much use I can get out of this? I think you might be saving my life." he looked over to Ruby as she spoke. Of course she was constantly plotting against him, but it would be hilarious to see how much in this book matched with her own behavior. "Thanks Jacob." he said, before he looked back into the box, only to see a very well known book cover. 
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He picked it up, unable to say anything, just looking at the cover, trying to understand how and why he was getting this. He frowned slightly, his back arched as he rest his elbows on his knees. He brushed his fingers on the old cover before he opened the book, looking inside to look at the first page, reading the first few words. Alice. That was the first thing that came to his empty mind at that moment. Was Jacob even understanding the weight of his gift? Probably not, no one knew except Alice. After a moment of being unable to speak he turned to Jacob, unable to get the courage to show the redness of his eyes to anyone else. He knew he was on the verge of his own emotions, but he didn't want to open up that way in front of the two, it wasn't how he wanted them to picture him. And yet his eyes sold it all. He wrapped an arm around Jacob, keeping the book in a hand while he wrapped the second one. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting against the wave of feelings over a simple yet powerful book. Madden was soon able to push everything away, the tears like the overwhelming emotions. He broke their embrace and gave a sincere smile at Jacob, showing the book. "This means a lot to me, thank you." only then was he able to look back at Ruby to thank her as well, but he didn't want to give her the time to analyse his eyes for too long, by fear of what she might see.

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he night Before:
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The kiss did not phase Jacob. It wasn't surprising given how drunk he was. Was he not drunk, he would have probably never accepted the dare. And here you were again Max, taking advantage of the weak. A bad habit he took from time to time, one that always backfired at him, and he knew this one would be no different, even though surely none of them will truly remember what happened. Whatever they will remember will only seem like a dream, something that only happened in their head, and they would be too ashamed to even talk about it, too unsure, uncertain to dare acknowledge it.

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The cop was laying on the side, witnessing the two keeping on the drinking. Jacob gulped half of what was left and Ruby soon followed by drinking as much as she could as well before handing the bottle over to him. He looked up at her, letting his eyes wander down until his eyes met the obvious bottle in front of his face. He grumbled and took it, sitting upright. There was barely anything left, but it was too much for him to safely drink without being sick. He took a sip, closing his eyes as he calmly sat on the bed, watching as the two simply laid down, ready to pass out it seemed. He found himself observing them perhaps a little too long, too much in detail. The man drank the remaining of the bottle slowly, trying to keep his wits to avoid making himself sick. It would be a shame to leave the bottle completely empty. It had been a while since Max had been so drunk. Yes he was drunk at the masquerade, but in quite honesty, today was worse, he was just able to take it better since he ate and drank slowly. Jacob was right, the room was spinning, and soon enough Max finished the bottle, unable to stay upright any longer. He knew not where or how he laid down on the bed, all he knew was that the bottle slid away from his hand, empty.

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The morning After
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It was late in the morning, the house was calm without much of a sound, at least when Max started to wake up. Before that he knew he must have been snoring. The buzzing in his head was very pronounced, and familiar. He tried to remember a few things, tried to understand what happened and to separate what truly happened with his dreaming. Obviously there was no polar bear or tiger in the room, so that was a good thing, but he remembered being rather scared of the two animals. He slowly started to understand where he was, and what had happened. They got fucking drunk, that's what happened. And now that he slowly took notice of where he was and what was around him, Max didn't even understand how it all happened. He felt warmth on his skin, and also weight. He could feel warm breath in his ear and chest. That was awfully weird feeling but also comforting in a weird way, but he wouldn't dare admit any of that. Ruby was like, half under him, curling her leg around his own while Jacob seemed to have ended up nesting on his chest, on top of the two.

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Max had no idea how they ended up like this for the entire night or even how it was possible that no one else woke up yet. Hang over was the best and worst. He was still lazily trying to understand the situation, looking around the room to remember everything. One of his arms was wrapped around Jacob while his other one had a hand on Ruby's thigh, softly holding it. Did he feel afraid to wake the two up, yes a little. But he also truly wanted to simply get up and start yelling at them both. He should refrain from that, knowing it wasn't a good option. Better laugh of the situation than try to make it a bad memory. Could they have done something out of the rules while they were drunk? Missed the control of everything and simply trailed onto paths they won't even remember? As far as he knew everyone still had a piece of clothing on them, despite the fact that they were obviously under-dressed.

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He didn't move and grunted, seeing the bottle of vodka has rolled to a corner of the room. As he looked further he saw the time and slowly, very slowly realized that he had to get to work. Dammit Madden, you can't go back to work now. Despite his heart speed climbing as he knew his boss won't be happy about it, he didn't dare move, remaining in the exact same position as he woke up.