Title : Trick or Treat
Fandom : Dark Angel
Characters : Max and Alec
Rating : PG
Written for the prompt : Dark Angel, Alec & Max, "What do you mean you just give the candy away?"
Disclaimer : All characters belong to the owners and creators of Dark Angel and no gain is being made out of this endeavor and no offense is intended.
Trick or Treat
Alec stood by the dish of candy trying to look nonchalant and failing. "Alec, come away from the candy," Max growled disapprovingly.
"I just . . ."
"You're not getting any candy . . . or at least not now. Maybe later if there's any left."
"So . . . tell me again what happens . . ."
"We keep the candy there. Kids come, knock on the door, we open the door, tell them they have great costumes and then give them candy and they go away again. Lather, rinse, repeat."
He frowned, confusion clearly etched across his face, "Huh?"
"It means we do the same again and again for the next few hours," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh. And what do we get?"
"The pleasure of giving away candy and seeing the kids happy."
"What? Do you mean we just give the candy away? We don't get anything for it! How is that fair? Why are we agreeing to this?"
She had to laugh at the genuine look of distress on his face. "Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying."
He picked up the bowl of candy and held it to his chest protectively. "I'm not going to let you do that. It's . . . it's wrong is what it is. I like candy. Why would I want to give candy away if I'm not getting something better than candy in return?"
Max pushed herself up slowly and crossed the room to stand in front of Alec. She held her hands out for the bowl as she said, "You'll do this because you're not in Manticore anymore and you're learning to be a real boy now. Real boys know how to share. They know that making little kids smile is a good thing. They also know that if they behave themselves, people will like them and not just look at them like they're a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum."
Alec pouted for a moment or two longer before turning around and setting the dish of candy back on the table with one last look filled with longing. He stepped away from it slowly and went to sit down, keeping his back to the dish.
When there was a knock on the door a few minutes later, Alec listened as Max opened the door, chatted to the children there before giving them some candy and calling goodbye as they ran away laughing and calling goodbye.
By the time the third knock came, Alec had moved from the chair to standing just out of sight watching Max give out the candy. She barely held back the chuckle at his curiosity that was so blatant he didn't stand a chance of hiding it, no matter how he tried.
The fifth knock came and he beat her to the candy, opening the door himself and greeting the children there and chatting with them before offering them candy.
Max watched over him for the next couple of visitors before making her way over to the couch to put her feet up and leave him happily amused for the next hour. She could just imagine the look on his face when she dropped a packet of candy on his lap later in the evening. He was learning. And as every good parent knows, good behavior should receive positive reinforcement.