A/N: Hi, friends! Thank you for choosing to read this fic. I hope everyone enjoys it. It's the missing scene after Max tells Alec about Ben in Hello Goodbye. I was watching it earlier, and it just punched me right in the face and I just had to write it. I had no other choice. It made me do it!

Disclaimer: You'd know it if I owned Dark Angel. Max and Alec would be together, and the Max/Logan canon wouldn't keep blowing holes in my ship!

"Max, I'm sorry," Alec breathed into Max's hair as he held her. He was appalled at the story he'd just heard, but not angry. No, Alec understood, probably better than anyone, why Max had killed Ben. What appalled him was that Max was even put in the position to do it in the first place.

The young transgenic never should have had to kill her own brother, even if it was to save him. Alec knew his twin, X5-493, had gone mad after the escape in 2009, but he never knew the extent of Ben's sociopathy. Being arrested for Ben's crimes gave the transgenic a new insight to not only his twin, but Max as well.

Alec was by no means unfamiliar with the training mission Max and her unit had been given. His own unit had been given the very same assignment. But the knowledge that Max's unit had taken a morbid fascination with the assignment was new to him. Especially when his twin brother later used it as a sort of self-torture and sacrifice. "I'm so sorry, Maxie."

Hearing her childhood nickname brought down all of Max's barriers, and the floodgates opened. "Alec," she sobbed and turned into him. Now that she was facing him, Alec held Max much more tightly to him. Max rested her cheek against Alec's shoulder, her slim body molding to his. The feel of a strong embrace was something Max had missed sorely since being infected with the virus genetically designed to infect Logan Cale. Having to watch her every movement around Logan made Max hyper aware, to the point that she was almost afraid to touch anybody at all.

But here was Alec, her pain in the butt, her smart-aleck. He was here, his muscled form pressed firmly against her own, lending his strength where hers was failing. She could touch him without harming him, without killing him. And he could touch her.

"Alec," whispered Max. Her sob-choked voice wasn't capable of anything more.

"What is it, Maxie?" Alec asked just as softly. He nuzzled the side of her head, leaning closer to her ear.

"Will you stay with me?" Alec knew that Max wasn't asking him to stay at her apartment. They'd already decided on that when they walked through the door. What Max was asking was for him to stay at her side, be her emotional rock until she could stand on her own.

The request surprised Alec. Since he'd met the female X5, she'd never shown any kind of vulnerability, especially an emotional one. The question broke Alec's heart more than her tears did. He felt his own eyes stinging with tears. "Of course I will," he mumbled to her. Another sob, this one of relief, broke from Max. "Come on. Let's go to bed."

After reaching behind him to turn off the stove, Alec slid an arm under Max's knees and, ever so gently, lifted her up. He carried her back around the counter and into her bedroom, easing her onto her bed. Without a word, Alec helped Max out of her hoodie, leaving her in a white tank top and her sweatpants. Then he pulled off her shoes and set them aside before removing his own jacket, sweatshirt, and boots.

When he crawled into the bed, Max immediately moved toward him and snuggled to him. "Hold me?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"Through the night," Alec promised as he wrapped his arms around her and held her to his strong chest. A comfortable silence fell over the transgenics, Alec running his fingers through Max's hair as she tried to calm her emotions. Even after Max had calmed down, they both continued to lay in silence, taking comfort from the other's presence. Max felt Alec's hand gently move up the length of her arm and take her hand that was lying on his chest. She lightly squeezed his fingers, an unspoken thank you. He squeezed her hand back, an unspoken you're welcome.

Just before she fell asleep, Max felt Alec kiss her hair, and heard his deep, calming voice whisper softly. "I'll always be here for you, Maxie."

A/N: It's so full of feels! *sobs into Winchester body pillow* Thanks for reading, guys. Don't forget to review!