TITLE: In The Still Of The Night
WRITTEN BY: Drea Jackman
EMAIL: X5-117@GeneticallyEngineered.co.uk
WEBSITE: Of Dreams & Reality - http://DreaJackman.cjb.net/
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it's up to Max to
provide the strength and support needed to help him get through the night.
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee
(Cameron Eglee Productions) and Dark Angel itself belongs to FOX...it's just not fair is it? *Sob*
ARCHIVE: If I've said yes before I'll say it again, otherwise email me 'n' lemme know.
FEEDBACK: Don't make me beg, please? ...D'OH!
A/N: Again not in a very good place to finish off Thicker Than Water, but I swear the last
chapter's half way finished. I just wanna do a good job and I've gone through a lil phase of not
really knowing how to carry it on to the full potential of the story…and since it's an Alec
revelation fic, I don't wanna muck it up. So, here's another little story that just popped into my
head last night…while I felt like simple Alec angst.
Oh and I'm ignoring the 'fix' Manticore performed on it's X5's after the escape. Don't hit me :)
In The Still Of The Night
"There is such a thing as being a graceful winner."
Alec only shrugged and let his ever characteristic smirk creep over his features.
"Where'd the fun be in that?" he asked flashing her a smile that told Max it was going to be
another evening of typically argumentative banter.
Max didn't reply verbally, only sighed and shoved the pool cue she'd been holding into Alec's
chest, her fist making light contact.
"Someone's being a sore loser," Alec joked as he caught the cue shoved in his direction.
"Am not!" Max retorted and immediately regreted falling victim to his bated trap. Her tone
slipped, telling Alec the opposite of her statement was true.
Sighing himself with satisfaction, Alec laid both pool cues down across the table and held out a
hand expectantly. His features slipped into those reminicent of something close to child-like and
innocent.
"Whatever, just pay up."
"Aren't you gonna give me a chance to win my money back?"
"Never usually a sound idea if you wanna make money, but I suppose I could."
Max smiled up at him, obviously pleased and Alec stepped closer, a knowing smirk reflecting
hers as he looked down at her.
Since some of the shadows haunting him had seen the light of day, Alec genuinely felt better
about his life. Max was cutting him slack while managing to keep up the facaude of not actually
doing so and in general they were getting along. Joshua's words had realy struck a chord in
her, so much so that in the course of a few months she'd really seen a change in him. She'd
finally began to get to know the man she'd once had pinned down as nothing but a smart-ass
screw-up. They were friends…friends who occassionally argued themselves hoarse, but friends
all the same. They'd both realised how alike they could be even if they'd argue strenuously to
the contrary.
"Not that you could beat me," he added, his eyes locked with hers as he watched her mock
temper flare at his taunts.
"Don't bet on it smart-ass," Max fired back as she slapped the twenty into his waiting hand.
"Your round."
"Yeah, yeah."
As Alec headed off towards the bar, Max turned back to their table and sat down. Lately it felt
like every night out happened to just stick them together. Sketchy had a new girlfried, Original
Cindy had her latest hotgirl, Logan was busy playing Eyes Only's chief of operations to Asha's
latest S1W drama and Max? Well, Max had Alec.
It wasn't the first time Max had, had the odd thought of exactly where the limitations of their
relationship lay. She didn't just wake up one morning and want Alec instead of Logan. It had
been a gradual process, not being completely hooked up on Logan that was; the part about Alec
she still wasn't entirely sure of. She'd only just realised who he was. Possible feelings
developing beyond that were too far over the horizon for her to comprehend; nothing but a
complication.
Suddenly Max snapped out of her reverie as a fresh pitcher of beer slammed down on the table
before her. Without even looking up she sighed and shook her head.
"Y'know if you're gonna sneak up on people like that, you should be ready for…"
"Max," Alec's voice cut her off, his tone betraying nothing teasing or playful.
Max was about to fire back another round when her eyes caught sight of the pitcher on the table.
The liquid inside was unsettled, it's motion showing no sight of growing still. It just looked weird
and out of place. Next her eyes travelled to where Alec's hand still grasped at the handle; it was
trembling. Her attention immediately shot upward as she sought out his familiar face.
"Alec?"
Alec didn't respond, his expression confused as he concentrated on trying to fathom exactly
what it was that was going on inside. His attention finally fixed on her as his eyes locked with
hers, his brow knotted in confusion. His body shook as a few more tremors passed through him
on a wave; one he found only seconds later, had preceeded a stronger, more violent force.
Finally the tremors grew surprisingly strong and Alec inhaled sharply as his legs gave way
beneath him.
"Alec!" Max exclaimed as she tried to catch him. Her attempt was in vain as his body sank to
the floor; the beer pitcher crashing to the solid surface and shattering into pieces nearby. The
music in Crash kept pumping on regardless, most people nearby too caught up in their own
action to notice the apparently drunken behaviour of some stranger.
"Alec what's wrong?" she asked, slipping from her chair and falling to her knees by his side. His
body shook as muscles spasmed in uncontrollable bursts. All Alec knew was that the
experience was new, painful and completely unwanted.
"Don't know," he gasped.
Max began to help him sit up as the violence of the tremors died down a little more in the
moments that followed his initial collapse. Alec finally sat, back propped up by Max as she held
him steady, feeling the waves still pulsing through him. Given her experience and the fact that
he was an X5, she could only come to one reasonable conclusion.
"You've never had a seizure before?" she asked a little quieter, her lips a hair's breadth from his
right ear.
Alec only shook his head, his eyes closed as he drew in shallow breaths in an attempt to regain
control of what was happening to him. Max didn't entirely understand how he appeared to have
been unaware of seizures or why he was suddenly experiencing them now, but she did
understand how it felt to go through them. How unsettling the experience always was and how
vulnerable it made her feel.
Max really felt for Alec and knew that the floor of Crash was no place to have to experience
something so frightening. She didn't have her jacket, she'd left it at Alec's when she'd swung by
earlier to pick him up. Her tryptophan was in the inside pocket, all safely tucked away should
she ever need it. But now she didn't have it and Alec was in desperate need of her help.
"C'mon," she said using her Manticore-given strength to support his efforts as he stood up. "I'll
take you home."
Alec nodded and leaned on her small, but at that moment, much stronger frame for support as
his face grew grim with intence concentration. Coordinating the walk out of Crash wasn't easy,
but with help and a few comments about her 'drunken' friend, he made it to Max's motorcycle.
He was only too happy when he felt the engine rev up beneath him as he gripped around her
waist tightly.
Laying his head down to rest against her back, Alec closed his eyes to the pain travelling in
waves and vibrating through his body as Max sped them off on to the darkened Seattle streets.
WRITTEN BY: Drea Jackman
EMAIL: X5-117@GeneticallyEngineered.co.uk
WEBSITE: Of Dreams & Reality - http://DreaJackman.cjb.net/
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: When Alec experiences the violence of seizures for the first time, it's up to Max to
provide the strength and support needed to help him get through the night.
DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Charles Eglee
(Cameron Eglee Productions) and Dark Angel itself belongs to FOX...it's just not fair is it? *Sob*
ARCHIVE: If I've said yes before I'll say it again, otherwise email me 'n' lemme know.
FEEDBACK: Don't make me beg, please? ...D'OH!
A/N: Again not in a very good place to finish off Thicker Than Water, but I swear the last
chapter's half way finished. I just wanna do a good job and I've gone through a lil phase of not
really knowing how to carry it on to the full potential of the story…and since it's an Alec
revelation fic, I don't wanna muck it up. So, here's another little story that just popped into my
head last night…while I felt like simple Alec angst.
Oh and I'm ignoring the 'fix' Manticore performed on it's X5's after the escape. Don't hit me :)
In The Still Of The Night
"There is such a thing as being a graceful winner."
Alec only shrugged and let his ever characteristic smirk creep over his features.
"Where'd the fun be in that?" he asked flashing her a smile that told Max it was going to be
another evening of typically argumentative banter.
Max didn't reply verbally, only sighed and shoved the pool cue she'd been holding into Alec's
chest, her fist making light contact.
"Someone's being a sore loser," Alec joked as he caught the cue shoved in his direction.
"Am not!" Max retorted and immediately regreted falling victim to his bated trap. Her tone
slipped, telling Alec the opposite of her statement was true.
Sighing himself with satisfaction, Alec laid both pool cues down across the table and held out a
hand expectantly. His features slipped into those reminicent of something close to child-like and
innocent.
"Whatever, just pay up."
"Aren't you gonna give me a chance to win my money back?"
"Never usually a sound idea if you wanna make money, but I suppose I could."
Max smiled up at him, obviously pleased and Alec stepped closer, a knowing smirk reflecting
hers as he looked down at her.
Since some of the shadows haunting him had seen the light of day, Alec genuinely felt better
about his life. Max was cutting him slack while managing to keep up the facaude of not actually
doing so and in general they were getting along. Joshua's words had realy struck a chord in
her, so much so that in the course of a few months she'd really seen a change in him. She'd
finally began to get to know the man she'd once had pinned down as nothing but a smart-ass
screw-up. They were friends…friends who occassionally argued themselves hoarse, but friends
all the same. They'd both realised how alike they could be even if they'd argue strenuously to
the contrary.
"Not that you could beat me," he added, his eyes locked with hers as he watched her mock
temper flare at his taunts.
"Don't bet on it smart-ass," Max fired back as she slapped the twenty into his waiting hand.
"Your round."
"Yeah, yeah."
As Alec headed off towards the bar, Max turned back to their table and sat down. Lately it felt
like every night out happened to just stick them together. Sketchy had a new girlfried, Original
Cindy had her latest hotgirl, Logan was busy playing Eyes Only's chief of operations to Asha's
latest S1W drama and Max? Well, Max had Alec.
It wasn't the first time Max had, had the odd thought of exactly where the limitations of their
relationship lay. She didn't just wake up one morning and want Alec instead of Logan. It had
been a gradual process, not being completely hooked up on Logan that was; the part about Alec
she still wasn't entirely sure of. She'd only just realised who he was. Possible feelings
developing beyond that were too far over the horizon for her to comprehend; nothing but a
complication.
Suddenly Max snapped out of her reverie as a fresh pitcher of beer slammed down on the table
before her. Without even looking up she sighed and shook her head.
"Y'know if you're gonna sneak up on people like that, you should be ready for…"
"Max," Alec's voice cut her off, his tone betraying nothing teasing or playful.
Max was about to fire back another round when her eyes caught sight of the pitcher on the table.
The liquid inside was unsettled, it's motion showing no sight of growing still. It just looked weird
and out of place. Next her eyes travelled to where Alec's hand still grasped at the handle; it was
trembling. Her attention immediately shot upward as she sought out his familiar face.
"Alec?"
Alec didn't respond, his expression confused as he concentrated on trying to fathom exactly
what it was that was going on inside. His attention finally fixed on her as his eyes locked with
hers, his brow knotted in confusion. His body shook as a few more tremors passed through him
on a wave; one he found only seconds later, had preceeded a stronger, more violent force.
Finally the tremors grew surprisingly strong and Alec inhaled sharply as his legs gave way
beneath him.
"Alec!" Max exclaimed as she tried to catch him. Her attempt was in vain as his body sank to
the floor; the beer pitcher crashing to the solid surface and shattering into pieces nearby. The
music in Crash kept pumping on regardless, most people nearby too caught up in their own
action to notice the apparently drunken behaviour of some stranger.
"Alec what's wrong?" she asked, slipping from her chair and falling to her knees by his side. His
body shook as muscles spasmed in uncontrollable bursts. All Alec knew was that the
experience was new, painful and completely unwanted.
"Don't know," he gasped.
Max began to help him sit up as the violence of the tremors died down a little more in the
moments that followed his initial collapse. Alec finally sat, back propped up by Max as she held
him steady, feeling the waves still pulsing through him. Given her experience and the fact that
he was an X5, she could only come to one reasonable conclusion.
"You've never had a seizure before?" she asked a little quieter, her lips a hair's breadth from his
right ear.
Alec only shook his head, his eyes closed as he drew in shallow breaths in an attempt to regain
control of what was happening to him. Max didn't entirely understand how he appeared to have
been unaware of seizures or why he was suddenly experiencing them now, but she did
understand how it felt to go through them. How unsettling the experience always was and how
vulnerable it made her feel.
Max really felt for Alec and knew that the floor of Crash was no place to have to experience
something so frightening. She didn't have her jacket, she'd left it at Alec's when she'd swung by
earlier to pick him up. Her tryptophan was in the inside pocket, all safely tucked away should
she ever need it. But now she didn't have it and Alec was in desperate need of her help.
"C'mon," she said using her Manticore-given strength to support his efforts as he stood up. "I'll
take you home."
Alec nodded and leaned on her small, but at that moment, much stronger frame for support as
his face grew grim with intence concentration. Coordinating the walk out of Crash wasn't easy,
but with help and a few comments about her 'drunken' friend, he made it to Max's motorcycle.
He was only too happy when he felt the engine rev up beneath him as he gripped around her
waist tightly.
Laying his head down to rest against her back, Alec closed his eyes to the pain travelling in
waves and vibrating through his body as Max sped them off on to the darkened Seattle streets.