Title: Later

Author: Dark Roswellian Angel

Elizabeth McDowell

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. If I did, "Dark Angel" would still be airing, and Malec would be a household phrase- as in, two young lovers are so malec for each other, or their chemistry is just so malec.

Copying/Downloading/Posting: Please let me know first, and let me know where my work will be posted as I would love to come visit it. Make sure that it is put under my name, as I would love to hear how others feel about it. Thanks ;)

Rating: T+ just to be safe

Synopsis: During The Berrisford Agenda, Max learns about her relationships with men- more specifically about two men in her life. And about herself, too.

An Unappetizing Dinner Party

"Welcome to my house."

Max smiled as she watched her recently-added brother interact with the man she cared about. Joshua was such a sweetheart- she hoped Logan would be able to see that through all the fur. She really wanted them to get along. Especially since, if they did, then maybe Joshua would spend more time with Logan and she wouldn't have to see him hanging out so much with her ex-breeding partner. Because that inevitably led to her hanging out with him, too. And while she'd actually started enjoying that, to some degree anyway, she knew how much it bothered Logan. After all, hadn't he even made comments to that effect on the way here?

She didn't get it- she took every opportunity to criticize Alec, and it still wasn't enough for the guy. She was getting so incredibly tired of his completely unjustified jealousy. And his lack of trust when it came to her was beginning to piss her off. He acted like he could see through her words and her actions to something that she wasn't even aware of. For that matter, so did OC. So did Joshua, sometimes. But that just couldn't be right. There was absolutely no way she felt anything more than a tiny bit of friendship, a little Manticore loyalty, and a infinitesimal amount of begrudging respect for the womanizing, self-centered deviant. She turned her attention back to the male exchange, and was thrilled to see how well the two men seemed to be hitting it off.

"Lovely house it is, too. And to commemorate... (She watched with a smile as he handed him a classy wine bag.) It's a bottle of pre-pulse Chardonnay. I--I didn't know what we were having, so I--I, uh--I thought white would--(She thought it adorable when Joshua tipped the bag upside down, clearly looking for the present. This was probably the first present he'd ever been given.)--no, inside there. (Joshua found the wine and laughed. Logan smiled. And Max practically beamed.) I thought white would be a good idea. It's a safe choice.

"Having macaroni and cheese, and little--little hot dogs."

Wow. He's really outdoing himself. He must be really nervous about how this dinner party is going to go if he's pulled out the hot dogs, too. Max was thrilled. For half a second. Then she froze.

"Dogs." The man was actually chuckling, and what was up with the way he was looking at him? Max's delight immediately turned to annoyance. For all his assurances that he was perfectly capable of behaving himself at a dinner party and that he could treat Joshua well no matter what he looked like, that was a serious blunder. Or is it his true feelings about transgenics popping their ugly little heads out? That annoying little voice was back- it seemed to have been visiting her a lot lately. Especially when it came to her boyfriend or the nearest male transgenic who seemed bent on disrupting her complacent lifestyle. Her smile dropped as she looked at her date. She could actually feel a look of disgust replacing her usual adoring one. Nobody treated her Joshua like that. She was just grateful that Joshua seemed basically oblivious; although with that look he was giving Logan, she had to wonder just how unaware he actually was.

"Sounds good. What else?"

When Logan compounded his error by inferring that this was not a completely sensible menu for Joshua's guests, Max's mouth almost opened up into a gape. She immediately felt Joshua's impending embarrassment as he was brought to understand that Logan was used to getting something better. How could he be such an unfeeling jerk?!

"'What else'?"

"Are we having any--anything else?"

Max thanked her lucky stars for having such a wonderful friend as OC when the girl came to her friend's rescue.

"What else do you need?" OC had known it was a mistake to include Logan in tonight's festivities. The prejudiced man would not be capable of offering anything other than a wet blanket to Joshua's big night. As much as she loved Max, she just did not get how blind her girl was when it came to the guy.

Max was grateful that Logan finally seemed to realize his faux pas. "Right. That's a good point… But, I mean, yum."

And thank heavens Joshua was such a sweetheart that even if he did realize how badly Logan had already messed up, he was willing to let it go. "Yummy!" She loved hearing him laugh- it was so big and free and real. Not like the polite laugh that Logan used so often. And speak of the devil, there it was. She fought to keep from rolling her eyes.

Trying to get her thoughts away from just how uneasy Logan seemed and how badly he reacted to being around the people who meant so much to her, Max turned her attention to how Joshua had prepared the room for his first party. "Joshua, the table looks great."

"Thanks." She couldn't help smiling when he did. It made her happy to know he was happy.

Then, she noticed something that made her skin crawl. Something that seemed completely wrong. Something that simply had to be wrong. It wasn't possible that Joshua would have, could have- "Who's the fifth place for?" Please, please, please, say that it's a mistake. That you accidentally miscounted. That no matter how much I know you care about him you wouldn't have included him. Even if it is your first party ever. Not without letting me know first. Her eyes flew to Logan's for a split-second, and she could almost read his thoughts.

Then her attention was completely taken up by something else. Someone else. She could feel the thrill go down her spine as she felt rather than saw his approach. She could feel her eyes light up, and she immediately doused them. She looked over to where she knew he'd make his appearance, trying to hush the excitement that threatened to overtake her.

As he walked into the room, his eyes took in the situation and then went straight to her. He knew she wouldn't be happy that he was here. Not when her boyfriend was accompanying her. He hadn't realized that she'd be here, though he now realized that he should have, what with it being Joshua's first dinner party. He'd been really looking forward to spending the evening with the big lug; hanging out with the guy promised to be just the thing to lift his spirits. But as he took in Max's surprised expression and Logan's irritated and irritating presence, his earlier gloom-and-doom attitude started to reassert itself. He was barely able to get out the greeting, "Hey, Max." He didn't bother addressing the others, knowing that Joshua and OC wouldn't mind, and he didn't really care how Logan felt. About anything. At least not for now.

Max immediately forced her impending smile away and replaced it with a dirty, disappointed look. To complete the charade, she even forced a sigh. There. That should do it. She quickly looked at Logan, hoping he'd buy her scene. She didn't even wonder why her heart had started beating so quickly or why it was so hard to look away from Alec.

He didn't miss her sigh, and he wondered if it was a real one or merely part of the show she seemed to feel the need to put on in front of her boyfriend. Man that word stuck in his throat wrong.

Dinner was an uncomfortable, quiet affair. Max and OC exchanged glances, both aware that it was because of the two males at the other end of the table. Max wasn't sure what she could do to make things better. She looked at Alec- he was still staring down at his plate, barely even touching his food. What the hell was wrong with him?! Normally, he'd be cracking jokes, making sure everyone was having a good time, especially her. Normally, she'd love having him sitting beside her, even though she'd be hiding that fact. But now… now, something was very, very wrong. And she didn't know what it was, or how to help him. And with Logan sitting on Alec's other side, she wasn't sure how to even go about trying.

She looked at her sister, hoping she could help. But she noticed that OC's attention was now on Joshua who had finally given up on his utensils and was eating his food more naturally. She immediately glanced at Logan and noticed that the guy was actually staring at him, fascinated. She couldn't stand how Logan treated her family as though they were actually science experiments that should be studied under a microscope. Like Manticore. The thought left a horrifying taste in her mouth. Was she right? How had she not noticed it before? She was grateful when OC cleared her throat prompting Joshua to reattempt using his fork.

As for Alec, he was having one of the worst nights of his life. First the whole Rachel-reminder. But now, he should have been having the time of his life between having Joshua and Max with him and some good free food on the table. And he usually thoroughly enjoyed spending time with OC, even though she still seemed a little wary around him. He wondered about that. Her attitude definitely had the whole "you'd better not hurt my best friend" vibe to it, and he couldn't figure out why she would think he had enough effect on Max's emotions to be of any danger.

But with Logan sitting on one side of him and an obviously uncomfortable Max on the other side, he felt extremely put-in-the-middle in any and every way possible. He knew the older man was insecure around him, and he had some suspicions that his feelings were the reason that Max treated him the way she did when Logan was around. But it didn't make any sense. He knew he was good-looking and smart and charming and genetically-enhanced, which made him both a little better and one of Max's kind. But she'd never shown any interest, so what was it that made Logan so unsure of himself? Alec liked to think that it was because Logan could see something that neither Max nor he could. Like maybe a common interest in each other, or a connection that surpassed what Logan thought he had with Max, or maybe he even knew something about why Manticore had paired them up that he was refusing to share in case Max decided to act on it.

It had taken Alec a long time to realize that he wanted Logan to have a valid reason to be jealous. He wanted Max to care for him, and not the way the girls he took home almost every night cared. They were interesting and nice and he wasn't lying when he called them "unique creatures unlike any other;" because they were. When it came down to it, every being in creation was unique in some way. But none of them were Max. None of them had her fire, her determination, her humor, her buttons, her beauty, her experiences that allowed her to understand what he'd gone through better than most, her kindness, her compassion, her… the list differentiating Max from every other female he'd ever known seemed endless. And eventually, he'd realized that it was enough to make her the only person who could ever keep him guessing even while he knew that he understood her. She was the only person who could make him laugh when he was down, who didn't worry about pushing his buttons because she knew she could hold her own with him, who was capable of bringing him down to reality at the same time as she was helping him see the potential for a brighter future. She was the first person who had ever told him that emotions were okay, that they could actually be strengths. She was the first person who had ever told him that he had to decide what kind of person he wanted to be, that he couldn't just rest on his laurels, that he needed to become better than what Manticore had made him. And she had unknowingly given herself as his role model for what he wanted to become. Even without wanting to or knowing she was doing it, Max opened herself to him, allowing him to see into her beautiful soul. And that gave him something to work towards- becoming worthy of her.

So, as he sat sandwiched between the woman who was becoming his light, and the man she actually wanted to be with, he couldn't help feeling miserable. And when it was compounded with the reminder he'd had today of what and who he used to be, it created the kind of mood that made a person want to check how many sharp instruments were in the nearby vicinity. After all, until he'd met Max, he'd always believed he'd been in love with Rachel when he'd betrayed her. And even now that he knew what being in love was really like, he knew that she had been the first person he'd ever loved. And it was all his fault that she'd been hurt and probably destroyed. When OC cleared her throat, Alec was grateful that she interrupted the direction his thoughts were following.

Max smiled as Joshua attempted to behave like the perfect host by making small talk.

"Nice--nice weather we're having."

And at least the so-called "high class" guy was capable of responding.

"And not a lot of rain, which is unusual this time of year."

But when Joshua went on to a topic that he considered of high import, Max nearly groaned out loud. This was just the very last thing she wanted to talk about, especially with Alec sitting next to her listening to the whole thing.

"Virus bitch going down? Max and Logan gettin' busy?" he was so obviously trying to make his guest feel welcome that her heart went out to him, but it did not extend to Logan's complete lack of social mores.

She had never believed it possible to be completely disgusted by Logan, but when he burst out laughing, she changed her mind. She cringed as she listened to Joshua howl and laugh along. She could hardly believe her ears as she heard Logan respond.

"Well, we're--you know, we're looking for a... (he finally seemed to notice Max's reaction)...we're--we're hoping."

Yet again, it was her boo who came to her rescue when Logan was messing up.

"No sex or politics at the dinner table, boo," OC said as she wiped a bit of food off Joshua's chin as though it were as natural as using her own napkin. She was having no problem picking up on all the vibes reverberating around the table, though she was a little surprised at the ones coming from her girl. She wondered if it might be possible that tonight would be the night when Max finally realized what reality was. She hoped she'd be able to help her girl deal with it- she knew she'd be disappointed when she finally realized that Logan could never really be a part of her world. In some ways he was too high class, and in many more ways he wasn't worthy of her. She hoped it wouldn't take Max too long to realize how well-equipped Alec would be for helping her get over her disappointment. OC may have some misgivings about the hot transgenic, but she knew love when she saw it, and the boy was pure smitten with her boo. And from what she'd seen of him and all the changes he'd chosen to make, he was a much better match for her best friend than Logan could ever be.

"Oh, sorry. Sorry."

Still horrified at the conversation, and wondering how to fix it, Max added, "Anyway... we'll see what happens." She wasn't willing to make Logan think that she didn't want a cure, no matter how his actions were affecting her thoughts tonight. She was surprised when her words caused Alec to shift uncomfortably. He seemed to pull himself out of his dour thoughts enough to address her. When his gaze shifted to hers, she couldn't hide her response. She wondered if he had any idea how much just his glance could affect her, or how much she wanted to help him through whatever he was working through.

Alec had heard just about enough. He didn't blame Joshua. It wasn't as though being locked up in the basement his whole life had given him lessons in etiquette. And he wasn't that surprised when Logan had said what he had. After all, it wasn't like Logan was going to pass up an opportunity to make it clear that he and Max were still together. No, the whole territorial reaction wasn't surprising, though it kind of stung. No, the part that really got to him was listening to Max's agreement. So, he decided it was high time to put an end to the conversation, "Hey, Max, could you pass the ketchup, please?" He just wished he could hide the emotion in his voice every time he said her name.

Max knew she couldn't show any outward support of Alec when Logan was around, but she wanted him to know that she was there for him. And she wanted him to know that she cared- even though she was pretty sure she didn't want to know just how much. And she wanted him to know that she supported him and was glad that he was finally making an effort to add to the group. So, she did the only thing that she felt she could. She tried to help increase his good mood by good-naturedly partaking in their normal banter. "Oh, you mean this unique ketchup, unlike any other?" She hadn't meant anything negative by it. She was just teasing him, even more gently than normal. It was part of their "thing." But her friendly smile immediately disappeared when she saw the hurt look in his eyes.

He couldn't stand it anymore. He had been dealing with this whole emotional rollercoaster through the entire meal, and he wanted off. He hadn't really needed the tomato sauce- he'd needed her to focus on him, to smile at him, to hear her voice, and maybe even feel the touch of her skin as she passed him the bottle. He'd needed to feel their connection blare to life if only for a second so that he could use the strength that he found in it to get through the rest of the night. When she'd instead used the opportunity to criticize him for something that he'd found rather clever and been praised for in the past, it was too much for him. He felt as though she were rejecting him. He threw his fork down and rounded on her. "Why don't you lay off, huh?" Then, realizing that he'd just blown up at her, and she probably hated him even more than normal for embarrassing her, and Logan was probably just eating it up, he had to get away. He needed a few minutes to collect himself before he came back to the battleground. He abruptly stood up, announced "I'm going to stretch my legs," and beat a hasty retreat.

"Mac and cheese overdone?" Joshua asked worriedly. He had finally picked up on the emotional overtones running rampant through his dinner party. He looked at one of his best friend's backs and considered whether it could have been his fault.

If Max hadn't been dealing with the sting that Alec's reaction had given her, she probably would have appreciated Logan's supportive response. "No, it's great. He's upset about something else." Unless, of course, she realized that the only reason Logan was suddenly in such a good mood was because he thought Alec had just shown his true colors and that Max was upset because he was such a loser. He almost felt like crowing. The smile on his face spread for half a second before he caught himself. Then when OC responded, he wanted to kick her for putting a sympathetic view on his competition.

"Upset? That boy's so spun his head's gonna fly off," OC said worriedly. She knew that Alec had to deal with whatever he was dealing with, and for that matter, so did Max, but it hurt her to see her boy hurting and her girl so confused. What was it going to take for those two to realize that they were the only ones in the world who could really understand what life had been like for them? How long was it going to take for them to open up to each other, for real, and honestly let each other in? She had the feeling it was going to take a long time, but she hoped not because she was pretty sure that it would only be after that happened that her friends were going to be able to start really healing from what their creators had done to them.

"Yeah, why don't you ease up on him, Max?" It had taken him a moment to realize that Alec's outburst hadn't affected Max the way it should have. Instead of looking all put out and pissed off at the transgenic, she seemed upset in an entirely different way. An introspective and "I'm connected to Alec in a way nobody else could ever understand" way. His joy at Alec's goof immediately turned to bitterness.

Max jumped like she'd been slapped. She couldn't believe that Logan was talking to her like that. Like she was in the wrong. The only reason she hadn't already jumped up and dragged Alec over to a corner to find out what was wrong with him was because of this jerk and now he was dressing her down for her behavior?! How dare he?! Still, she tried to keep herself in line, and instead of verbally knocking him off his high horse, she responded, "Fine. But we have to do double shifts for the rest of the week because of him." She narrowed her eyes as Logan refused to drop it.

"Well, far be it from me to defend Alec, but he didn't exactly force those girls to quit. And if he didn't tell either one of them it was exclusive, then what's so terrible about dating them both for a couple weeks?"

Max suddenly realized that Logan was trying to appear as though he were as much of a ladies' man as Alec was naturally. She cut her laugh short, "They work together."

"Yeah, well, it's not like they were sisters or something."

That his mind even went that way disgusted her. It reminded her of his reaction when she'd told him of OC and Diamond's encounter. She'd always considered him better than that, and here he was disappointing her again. She looked from Logan to OC and saw the knowing look on her girl's face. Was it possible that this was the real Logan, and OC had already realized it? She felt naïve and emotionally vulnerable, and as Joshua laughed at the arrogant conceitedness and stupid statement the human had made, Max quietly stood up. She didn't bother saying anything as she walked away from the table, listening as OC laid it out, "Men. Dogs. No difference."

As she walked to the other end of the house, Max could suddenly hear the sound of a piano being played. Although it sounded as though a few of the keys were slightly out of tune, the music was beautiful. The feeling behind the music reached out to her and touched her. She was glad she didn't have to put on the show of indifference that she would have been forced to portray if she'd remained at the table. She smiled as she listened- she didn't have to be told who was playing. Only one person held that much passion concealed, and only one man could touch her soul like that. Her ultrasonic hearing picked up OC's compliment, "He's got skills," and the jealousy in Logan's voice as he queried, "Did you know he could play?" She quietly left the room she was in so that she could hear Alec better.

Downstairs, Alec was glad that he had found the one thing that had ever served as a true release for him. Playing this instrument was the only tool he'd ever found for opening himself up and releasing all the pain and stress he felt. And it had been over a year since he'd been able to flush his emotional toxins like this. He smiled as he noted a new feeling added to his music. This time, he wasn't just trying to work through his problems. He could feel the primal need in his music, the territorial promise that one day he would open himself to her and ask her to open herself to him, that one day he would make her see him as he was and would be and not just as he used to be, that one day he would claim what was meant to be. This time he was sending up a song for the dark angel that had been pushed into his life.