Author's Note: This is my first published fanfic but I hope you enjoy it. I'm gonna run through the alphabet. Hopefully a new letter every week. Reviews will help encourage me to write fast though. Also, I apologize for any grammatical errors.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel, however I do own the new characters; Rig, Tobi, Mouse and Ava.

Summary: Alec has a strange craving for cherries and everyone wants to know why.

A Is For Cherries

"Cherries."

"Cherries?" A gruff voice said disdainfully.

"Yep," the voice confirmed merrily. "Cherries."

"Sure thing, Princess," Mole scoffed. "I'm gonna waste my precious time looking for some damned cherries, just 'cause you had a…knacking for some."

"More of a craving actually."

"Forget it!"

Alec smiled and put his feet up on his desk. He sat there watching as Mole puffed his cigar rapidly. Sometimes it was really awesome being Second in Command.

"Okay," he said agreeably.

Mole breathed a sigh of relief.

"For a second there I thought you'd really lost your damned mind," Mole rasped. "Do you know how hard it would be to find cherries in this toxic dump?"

"Oh, I'm serious about the cherries," Alec told him. "But I'm not going to force you to do me a favor."

Alec turned back to the file he was supposed to be reading.

"Knew you had a heart in there somewhere," Mole turned to leave but Alec's voice halted him.

"Oh Mole, would you send Gem in when you're free?" Alec asked innocently, his eyes twinkling. "I have to talk to her about something."

The cigar fell to the ground, throwing embers.

"You wouldn't!"

"I really want these cherries, Mole."

Mole scowled and stomped towards the door mumbling something about traitors and sons of bitches, but Alec couldn't be sure. All he knew is that he had to have the taste of cherry in his mouth before he did something stupid. Which, knowing himself, could be any minute.

***

"Cherries?"

"Cherries."

"Why on earth would Alec want cherries?" Tobi asked.

"Maybe he just really likes cherries." Rig told her.

Tobi scowled at Rig. "Doubtful."

"Why do you care?"

"Are you kidding?!" She glanced over at him from her spot on the rooftop. Her shark DNA meant that she had night sentry duty at the gate more often than not. Which was irritating because nothing ever happened anymore, no gunfire, no burning X's, and no protestors. "This place hardly gets any excitement anymore. And Alec sending Mole off to find cherries in the middle of the night is pretty interesting."

"I guess so," Rig mumbled. "What kind of fruits do you like? I scored some bananas the other day."

She glared at his hopeful face. "Stay focused, will you? We need to find out what the dealio is with the cherries."

"Okay, okay." He huffed in surrender. "I'll ask around."

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and shrugged. "I could go for some bananas."

***

"Cherries?"

"Cherries."

"Huh."

"I know, random right?" Dalton asked.

"Very." Dix said. "Do you know why he wants them?"

Dalton glanced over at Alec, hunched over some maps for the tunnel system, from the other side of HQ. "Not a clue."

"He has been acting a little tense lately." Dix noted.

They watched as Alec tossed his pen down and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across the chest and closing his eyes with a small smirk on his face, only to fade away as he apparently fell asleep.

"Oh yeah," Dalton agreed. "He's very wound up."

***

"Cherries?"

"Yes! Cherries." Mole growled at the trannie. "Do you know where I can find any?"

The trannie looked up and down the dark street, wondering if they could slip away somehow. Looking back at the scaly beast, he doubted it.

"You could try asking Pooch." He sighed. "She knows where to find anything. If there are cherries in this city, she knows who's got them."

"'Bout time," Mole said. "Where can I find this Pooch?"

***

"Cherries?"

"If one more person asks me that damned question I'm gonna start shooting." Mole warned.

The X5 rolled her eyes. "I might know where you could perhaps maybe find some possible cherries."

"Cough it up Pooch." He spat the name.

"Watch it Buster." She warned. "You're not the only one who knows how to handle a gun." She walked to her desk and started writing something down on a paper. "And another thing," she glared at him from over her shoulder, "my name is not Pooch. It's Ava."

"How do you get Pooch from Ava?" Mole asked.

"I sniff things out for people obviously," she said. "Now I've got an address for you."

He reached for it only she pulled it out of reach.

"What's in it for me, huh?" She demanded.

Mole scowled. "That son of…" he trailed off. "Whaddaya want?" He demanded.

She pursed her lips. "I could go for some apples."

***

"Cherries? Bananas? Apples?"

"Yup."

"Did we get a shipment of fruit in that I don't know about?" Max asked.

"Not that I know of." Mouse, Max's assistant-slash-lifesaver replied.

"It's the strangest thing," she said. "I'm seeing fruit everywhere."

***

Alec slowly bit into the cherry, savoring its sweet flavor and moaning sensuously. His mind miles away from the work piled up on the desk in front of him.

A throat clearing brought him back from images that would get him in trouble anyway, and he opened his eyes slowly.

"Max." He purred.

She swallowed, trying to maintain her fierce glare. Knocking his feet off the desk and putting her hands on her hips, seemed to help.

"What the hell, Alec?"

"What?" He asked innocently.

"What's with all the fruit around here?" She demanded.

He couldn't help but slowly look her up and down. The gauzy black shirt, fitted black leather pants and motorcycle boots were a good look for her. A little dressy for the office though, he decided.

"Off to see Logie-Bear?" He teased.

"As a matter of fact, I am." She said and then frowned. "Do I look silly?"

Now he frowned. There went that sweet flavor, now tasting bitter in his mouth. He put his feet back on the floor, stood and slowly walked in front of the desk and perched on the edge, crossing his arms.

"Not at all." He said, feeling slightly better when she sighed in relief. "What's the occasion?"

She bit her bottom lip and suddenly that was all Alec could see. Her full round lips looking extra pink today. He felt a surge of desire race through his blood. The air grew slightly thicker around them and she let go of her bottom lip and looked away, shifting uncomfortably.

"I'm breaking up with him."

Alec's eyes shot up to hers. "Huh…What?"

She shrugged. "It's not that big of deal."

"Is this a two week Its-For-His-Own-Good break-up or a real, Wow-What-Did-I-Ever-See-In-Him break-up?"

She glared at him and slapped his upper arm.

"Ass." He smirked and she knew what he was about to say so she jumped ahead. "And it's for real. I'm done," she said firmly.

He lifted on eyebrow. "Not that I'm upset about this but why?"

She shrugged again. "Why not?" she countered. "There's no romance, we can't touch, he treats me more like a lackey for Eyes Only, or a transgenic freak than a girlfriend."

He nodded, holding back from telling her that's what he'd been telling her for the last five months since the flag raising. Then smiled.

"So you dressed up to break up with your boyfriend?"

She looked down at herself. "I thought it would make him see that I'm not broken up about this. That I'm serious this time." She looked at him. "Should I change?"

He laughed. The past six months he and Max had grown closer than he thought possible. They shared an apartment now and Max had started looking to him for advice that normally she would ask OC. But with the toxins, she looked to Alec.

"You look great, Max." He said honestly.

She met his gaze and again Alec felt like his blood was on fire with desire. The air around them crackled with…something. She took a step closer; her feet directly in between Alec's spread ones.

"Thanks, Alec." She whispered.

"I especially like the lipstick, Maxie." He said softly.

"Chapstick."

He smiled softly. They both knew he knew that. Max only wore chapstick.

He slowly uncrossed his arms and pulled Max another step closer, until her chest was practically touching his.

"Cherry?" He whispered on her lips.

"Cherry." She said grazing his lips then quickly pulled out of his grasp. Playfully dancing away.

"Where you going?" He demanded. It was just about to get good.

"I have an Ordinary to dump, and you have to find some chocolate."

She opened the door and turned back to him when he called out to her.

"What for?"

"I like my cherries covered in chocolate."

She smiled at him from the doorway. Then walked out the door.

"I love cherries." He groaned. "Mole!" he yelled. "I need another favor!"